Building A Holistic Home: Part 3 - Tools
6 years ago, when I started my holistic journey, and started building a collection of supplements and remedies to have on hand, I was a liiiittle overwhelmed.
The options are literally endless.
There are so many different ways to treat the same thing, and what one mom swears by, the next mom says never works for her.
Where do you even start!?
This is the 3rd post in my “Building Your Home Apothecary” series, and I hope I can help you narrow down the options, because there are a LOT of them out there! I tried to narrow things down in a broad spectrum and affordable way.
In the first post, we talked about some mindset pieces and action steps that are helpful to work through as you start making better swaps for your home. I’ll quickly summarize…
Your house is NOT killing you. I remember that spiral well.
Make one swap at a time. As you run out of something, swap it for something better. More organic. Less fragrance. Cleaner ingredients. One less drop in the toxin bucket at a time.
Focus on learning about and getting supplements on hand for the illnesses your family is most prone to. What are your kids *always* sick with? Coughs? Stomach flu? Mental wellness stuff? Start there.
And THEN you start preparing for the things that make you the most worried. Fevers? RSV? Vomit? Start working on that next.
And lastly, as you wish you would have had something on hand, purchase it so you have it for next time.
The second post went through a list of suggestions of supplements to start with. I tried to cover support for most common illnesses and symptoms and first aid, while also choosing herbs and supplements that are very broad spectrum and can be used for a multitude of things.
In today’s post, I want to share with you a few tools and books that I have found very helpful to have on hand for everyday use, and in case of more acute situations. Some of these things are a little bit pricey. If you have a friend who is interested in this journey with you, consider purchasing some of these tools together, splitting the cost, and sharing!
I’ve learned a lot from these books. There are many more out there, but these two seem to cover everything from vaccines to common illnesses to diet to remedies for illnesses and injuries. They also are very encouraging as we walk this motherhood journey! Both of these books touch on our ability as mothers to care for our children, despite the medical system trying to tear us apart. I think you will enjoy them and feel empowered in your ability to care for your children after reading them!
The first book is Naturally Healthy Babies and Children.
I have referred to this book over and over. It includes basics about baby care and childhood development, information on how to perform a physical for your child and what to look for, information on building an herbal medicine cabinet, and assembling a natural first aid kit. Herbal remedy recipes and tutorials throughout. And an A-Z Guide for Children’s Common Complaints. It is also full of more book and supply suggestions.
And the second book I highly recommend is Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care
(I do not agree with everything in this book: discipline mentioned and the age at which to start solids, but I refer to it often for symptom management)
This book has entire sections dedicated to infectious disease treatment, diet suggestions for the growing child, and goes in depth into the history and physiology of health and how our bodies work. I have appreciated this book over an over as I learn more.
A nebulizer just might be the MOST valuable tool of everything I’m going to mention here today.
Nebulizing saline is quite possibly one of the best kept secrets when it comes to natural remedies. The majority of secondary infections occur when mucus is allowed to thicken and pool in places like the lungs, eustachian tubes, and sinuses.
For coughs, colds, congestion, ear infections, sinus infections, and anything that involves snot and mucus, nebulizing saline keeps that mucus thin and moving. Mucus is like your body’s “sticky fly trap” for pathogens and germs. Junk that doesn’t belong in the respiratory tract is trapped in the excess mucus our bodies create during illness, and the cough or blowing the nose is what carries it out. We MUST help keep that mucus thin and moving.
Why did sickly people go to the sea in the old days and feel better? The salty air. Nebulizing saline moistens the respiratory passages, helps move mucus along, soothes sore throats, and helps coughs be more productive. Don’t sleep on this one. I have a whole highlight on my Instagram page that is called “Nebulizer” that goes into the not complicatedness of nebulizers and how to clean and use them! Keep your eyes out for a video tutorial getting added to the membership soon!
Next is an otoscope. This is the fancy ear light. It doubles as a perfect light for checking pupil reactions and looking in throats too! I go into detail in my ear infections highlight on Instagram on how to use this tool and what to look for. Keep your eyes open for a tutorial coming soon in the membership on how to use this tool! We have saved ourselves MANY trips to the doctor by having an otoscope at home to check for ear infections ourselves.
My biggest tip with this tool is to use it on your HEALTHY kids. No kiddo with a painful ear wants to let mom poke a light in there and look. If you check their ears a couple times a week at diaper changes, you’ll become more skilled with it, and you’ll know when something looks off when your kids are sick!
How about a stethoscope?
Unpopular opinion: Mom’s can learn how to use one of these too.
Familiarize yourself with your own children’s normal lung sounds and respiratory rates. Make it fun for them! And practice on your healthy kids so you can tell when something sounds different during illness. There are many informational videos on youtube that help teach you what to look for, and the Naturally Healthy Babies and Children book has some great education as well.
Red Light
I know red light therapy is expensive. I want to be very clear that this is not a necessary part of your home apothecary if God has not made room for it in your finances.
I am also very aware that it is a heavily promoted product, especially if you are in the social media space. I am an affiliate for Lumebox, and I earn $80 every time someone buys a device for me. Obviously, I am motivated to sell them!
But I want to tell you a quick story. Lumebox reached out to me, and sent me a red light box to try. I had not yet bought one with my own money because they were too expensive for our budget. However, now that we have had one in our house for almost a year, I can say with absolute certainty, that it is 100% worth the money. We have saved ourselves so many trips to the chiropractor by having a red light box in our home for sore neck, backs, injuries, and who knows what else!
I am also sure that things like ear infections, respiratory infections, sinus infections, and wound healing have been prevented from getting worse and needing medical attention because of the use of red light in our home. Period cramps, trouble falling asleep, scarring, and mastitis, all addressed with red light. We use it for every illness and injury, ache and pain, and I have been very thankful to have that device in our homes.
There is a lot of research and over 2000 studies out there on the use of red light for every ailment you can think of. If it fits in your budget, I highly recommend getting one!
I hope this has been a helpful breakdown of some very useful tools for you to add to your home apothecary! Having these tools in your home might help save you a trip to the doctor. If you can take a look at what is going on yourself and then determine if you need more help or not.
And don’t forget, if you are dealing with something and you aren’t sure what to do, you can book a one on one call with me or sign up for a asynchronous texting slot!
Links
Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care
(I do not agree with everything in this book: discipline mentioned and the age at which to start solids, but I refer to it often for symptom management)
Naturally Healthy Babies and Children
Nebulizer
Saline for Nebulizer
Otoscope
Stethoscope
If it fits in your budget, a red light device
https://www.lm4bxfgy5d.com/beccanaturally/
Code BECCANATURALLY should save you 40%
