Postpartum Helps & Living Real

Healthy Foods that Help PostPartum:

Eggs & Avocado: High in Serotonin

Kelp/Seaweed/Dulce- Good for thyroid- very vulnerable postpartum

St. John Wart- Herb/Tincture

Sepia 30c- Homeopathy for Mood Swings(when your critical & snappy)

Natrum mur 30c-homeopathy for weepiness

Pulsatilla 30c- Homeopathy for women desiring sympathy and company

Platina 30c- Disappointed in everyone and seems aloof, also she feels like shes alone in the world, weepy

Cimicifuga 30c- Feels like she's in a black cloud

Anacardium 30c- Better while eating , but sad again soon after. Deep loss of confidence. easily angered and given to hatred. Failing memory.

For a guide on using Homeopathy... I would suggest:

"Homeopathy: An A to Z Home Handbook"
by Alan Schmukler

For a free copy online goggle him and go to first link.

After having five babies and never really experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety the way it is described, I used to think that it wasn't real and it was some woman's made up excuse for being mean, weepy, and full of worry ( along with a whole gamut of other emotions and challenges). I actually believed that if women were stronger with the Lord they could have self control over their thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc...

Well, after having Ethan I experienced the fears, the anxiety, the weepiness, the lack of control. Now that I am on the healing end of things, my heart has been convicted of how judgemental I was. I really never believed postpartum blues or depression was real. Now I have to admit that through out the time I was struggling I went in and out of being the Word of God. When I came home I was ill... trying to recover from my massive postpartum hemorrhage, which knocked me off my feet, I couldn't take care of my family or home. That depressed me. I couldn't stand hearing the boys arguing in the other room and being able to get up and help them. I really stressed out when the kids would get hurt, thinking if I was better that they wouldn't have gotten hurt. I felt like I was expecting too much from my older children because they were having to do sooo much more around the house, rather than just being kids. I didn't have thank fullness in my heart for the help God had provided in Keziah and Kirsten. Instead , needing their help made me feel less of a mom. All these thoughts contributed to me struggling with anxiety, stress, worry, and anger even.
I don't know where I would be today if I didn't have the Lord Jesus and the encouragement from my mom, and other christian mentors in my life reminding me this was just a season and that I was a good mom. I had such low self esteem and I allowed that to make me angry. I found myself apologizing all the time for my bad attitude, my whining, my crying, and yelling.
Wow, I am so glad we are out of that season! I am sure my husband & kids are as well.

What I learned from this?
That postpartum blues/ depression is real. That it is spiritual as well as hormonal and chemical. It is real and women who have it need other women in their life helping them. I pray for the moms I know that are having babies soon... pray for them for this tough season. I did enjoy Ethan tremendously, it was just overwhelming for a few weeks. Only the Lord and His Word can help you to see your own sin in a season like this.
Mark Hamby once said in one of his "Transforming Seminars" (by lamplighter), "I have seen a lot of people in pain and dying and they have a joyful attitude." Our true self can be revealed, our sin, selfishness, struggle with giving up control, what ever it is...
When I heard this is motivated me...
I realized I wasn't being the person I was meant to be in Christ. I needed Him to be my strength. I needed to give him the control. I needed Jesus to refresh the atmosphere of my home. I feel as though we are getting back on track, finally. Although not completely... home schooling is not in full force, but we will get there eventually. The Lord is teaching us all something through the process. Having people praying for me and being open and honest about my struggles allowed my brothers & sisters in Christ to be praying for me specifically. It was very humbling for me to show my weaknesses and be real. But that is what God wants from us. How else can the Body of Christ function the way it is meant to. We are supposed to carry each others burdens as well as lay them at the cross. How can the church do that when we are all putting on masks and pretending everything is okay? The reality is that even with Christ we still experience struggles in this life, we are not perfect because we are Christians! We are imperfect and fully aware of it, we are just able to receive God's grace and live in Joy & Freedom!

I hope if you are struggling with postpartum or have friends that are this gives you a little insight into what they might be dealing with. Let us lift one another up in prayer. We are all humans made by the same creator trying to live our best life here. Lets Love one another. We were created for love.

Bulk Herb Store

The Bulk Herb Store

Our dear friend and trusted helper, Keziah, introduced me to the Bulk Herb Store.
When she first starting coming over, she brought with her this absolutely great salve called the Eden Salve. After about a month, I realized I need to invest in some of our own. I found every time the kids had a tumble, cut, scrap, or bump we were "using hers up."
So I finally gave in and went to their website a month ago and I am hooked.

This is Shoshanna Pearl's (maiden name) online herb store.
She has awesome how to dvd's on making your own poultices, salves, how to cultivate & identify, grow, and harvest herbs, and so much more. I have watched the Volume 1 and highly recommend it as well as the Herbal books written by Hoffmann which are sold on her website as well. I have tried 4 of their teas... very herbal... warning they are strong, but they work!

Eden Salve Ingredients: Echinacea root, comfrey leaf, proplois, plantain leaf, echinacea purpurea, yarrow flower, rosemary leaf, beeswax, pure olive oil and grapefruit seed extract.
All natural and it works for everything! We have put it on itchy bug bites (works awesome for the itch), diaper rash, circumcision, scraps, hangnails, chapped lips even!
I use it for everything and the best part is it is one medicine for all ailments. You don't need all these tubes for different injuries or ailments.
It also lasts for a very long time...

Onion Poltices

Allergies, colds and a horrible cough!

The night before last Luke woke up around 3 am with a horrible cough.
It was one of those coughs that gags and scares a parent into bringing the child to bed with you.
After trying water and seemingly appropriate homeopathies an hour later he was still coughing and gagging... about every 20-40 seconds.

I looked up alternative treatments for whopping cough in my homeopathy books and learned about an Onion Poultice.

So at around 4 am I went downstairs and proceeded to cook one up.
To my Surprise and Delight
It worked like a Miracle!
His coughing stopped right away... and Luke Loved it! He didn't squirm at all.... just cuddled in my arms with the poultice on his chest and neck, looking up at me with a grin every now and again.
Here's how to make an Onion Poultice:

Saute diced yellow onion in a little olive oil
Place onion into a wash cloth
when it is cooled down enough (test with elbow)
place compress (cloth & onion) on chest and neck until it cools down

Amazingly, the onion retain there heat for a little more than an hour

I know this sounds crazy... but when you are desperate... you'll even get up in the middle of the night to dice up and saute onion

Treating Swine Flu Naturally

We are finally on the upswing from getting hit with this SWINE FLU!

I am finding myself eating my words; when I made fun of how people were freaking out over this H1n1 scare.
"It's a pandemic!"

Well that "pandemic" got a hold of one Tolpin and made its contagious way through the lot of us over these past 2 weeks.

So to make every thing we have gone through worth something. I desire to help you, the mom, get ready for or treat this virus as best as possible without the Tamiflu.

The Symptoms very from one person to another but ours where fairly similar among each of us. You can look up symptoms on- line easily, but I will say one thing. Once you have it... you know you have it, because there isn't anything quite like it (Or at least anything I have personally experienced).
We were told from on-line sources that if you have the H1N1 you "won't typically" have certain symptoms... not true. We tested positive and had symptoms that the 'professionals" said were only typical of the seasonal flu.
My personal belief because of seeing it first hand... I agree that most people will contract this virus. So you need to get prepared!

2 Very Helpful Books:

Doctor Mom's Natural Healthcare for Children
by Kathy Duerr

"Homeopathy" An A to Z Home Handbook
by Alan Schmukler

There are many good ones out there... these 2 are my favorite of the 4 I have!

Of the 2 books, I used the second more during the swine flu period.


Basic Things you can do to build up immune system:
Echinacea
Vitamins (C, B-6, B12, D, all of them really)
make sure you have a good source of Zinc for vitamin absorption
Eat Healthy ( no fast food / restaurants- we think we got it at a nice restaurant on a Sunday night)
Excercise & Sleep Well- Nap

Golden ticket item: Dr. Zeff (my naturopath) has made a H1N1 tincture from the nosode
call his office and they can mail you one ($10 per bottle)
Salmon Creek Clinic, Washington
1-360-823-8121

He also has a seasonal flu tincture and flu prevention (each $10)


What kind of things should you have on hand to treat symptoms of the H1N1?
Epsom Salt (Lots of it)
Humidifier(s)
Vick's Vapor Rub (lots of it)
Electrolyte drinks
Frozen Chicken Broth or Chicken Noodle soup
(made ahead of time so it is easy to serve)
lots of clean towels
Tea (throat Coat, chamomile, peppermint, cherry bark)
Elderberry Syrup (for sore throat)
Cough Drops
Popsicles
Salt Crackers


Common Homeopathies:
I have only used Boirin Homeopathics
*Oscillococcinum*
(instead of giving full tube of contents.. my dr advised using a capful every hour- your choice of course)
Belladonna (30c)
(for a fever with red heat face.. sudden fierce fever- also headaches)
Gelsimium (30c)
(for a fever where there is drooping teary eyes.. pale face... fever high... hands cold)
Aconite (30c)
(you can use this for sore dry cough/ good to give as soon as you see symptoms of flu)
Nux Vomica (30c)
(vomiting... constipated... tummy upset... oversensitive to light and noise-irritable)
Spongia Tosta (30c)
(for croupy cough)
Antimonium tart (30c)
(wet-non productive cough- thick mucus in lungs)
*Eupatorium Perf (30c)
(for aches and pains in body... hacking cough)
Phosphorus (30c)
(when pneumonia threatens- )

Post Influenza Remedies:
Phosphoric Acid (30c)
(seems both tired physically and mentally)
Influenzium (9c-200c)
(use lower numbers for post flu... 200c for preventative (once a week))

Above all of these those is the homeopathic tincture for sure...
these are homeopathic pellets you can give one pellet every hour as needed generally speaking... if you have questions just ask... I may not know the answers but if I do praise the Lord I can help!


Other Treatments to be done while Ill:


Wet-Sock treatment:
Learned from Dr. Mom's Book:
Soak feet in warm foot bath (I add Epsom salt for detoxing), while feet are soaking having a pair of socks soaking in a bowl of ice water.
Yes, ICE WATER!
After ten minutes or so of soaking, ring out ice cold socks put them on feet and put wool socks on top. Hop in bed for the night and for a common cold you should feel better by morning! It works like a charm... for swine flu... it gives reprieve from the 4-5 day long fevers.
This shocks your body slightly... you've got to try it!

Hydrotherapy:
Learned from Dr. Zeff
Take a hot towel 9as hot as person can stand and ring it out and lay it on torso (wherever ailment... I have also used this for mastitis and it works great).
Then once the towel cools have someone bring you and ice cold towel rung out as well and place it in same place after removing first towel.
Leave until it becomes warm.

This is great for reducing fever quickly.

Just a side note on fevers, I tried everything to reduce their fevers... even tylenol and children's motrin. I stopped after a couple usages because it only brought the fever down by .2-.4 , not a significant enough number for me to justify continuing use.

Vick's Vapor Rub:
so most people know to put good old vick's vapor rub on a kids chest when they can't breathe through their nose at night. My grandma, who was raised on the farm, taught me this trick when my son Austin was getting croup chronically.

You take a liberal amount of Vick's and massage it onto the child's feet. Then you put their socks on and put them to bed. Helps with any coughs... especially croupy ones! Plus kids like getting their feet massaged!


drink lots of good water... we personally use Kangen Water (alkaline ionized water)

If you have this and you have these weird symptoms which we had...

Legs attacked by virus ( yes it happened to my nine year old for 2 days and I gave her Eupator. Perf every ten min for 3 times in one hour and then every hour after that and she slowly got her ability to stand on them and walk. It can be scary but most likely it will go away. Worth going to the doctor for that though... they need to rule out that it did not get into the child's spinal cord by doing their basic, non invasive tests.

Another weird thing that happened to all the kids was eye sensitivity and head aches...horrible head aches! Our three year old though, woke up with an eye totally swollen shut ( he looked like he just got in a fight with Rocky). My naturopath had me give him Pulsatilla (30c)... within five minutes the burning and itching went away and he could sleep. He woke up looking totally normal.

Above all else we found ourselves on our knees in prayer. Drawing closer to the Lord! he hears our cries and the cries of our children. it is always scary to have kids with super high fevers over a long period of time (we are talking days at around 103.5). Remember that a fever is healing... I think of it as cooking the flu to kill it!

Lord, protect our dear friends and their little lambs!
Put your hedge of protection around them that they might be spared this horrible illness! Give all of us wisdom in how to care for our children! Let us help one another and work as the Body of Christ on Earth to serve one another. Bless those who have so graciously served our family. Protect them Lord!

May you have a healthy Fall & Winter!
Any other suggestions please feel free to leave a comment!

Tolpin Healthy Habits

I have shared many of the struggles I have had with health over the last few years and wanted to share with you the top ten healthy habits, or battles(if you will), I have chosen to adopt over the last year.

Disclaimer:
Of course, I am not anal about these... we do everything in our power to not let these things get in the way of fellowship with others...
In addition there have been seasons when I have not been as dedicated to some of these points as others (such as when the weather doesn't permit gardening, or when I am too ill to work out)
Also, some of these may change over the years... my vision though is to continue on this path so my children grow up as this being their normal lifestyle and so it is easier for them when they are raising their own children.

It is not easy making such changes... but it is fun and a part of the legacy we have chosen to pursue diligently.


Tolpin Healthy Habits

1. Exercise (spending more time active outside as well as swimming, using our tread climber when weather isn't as nice, and doing core strengthening exercises to rebuild what I have lost in child bearing- to strengthen my back)
2. Juicing & Smoothies (this has been such a great way to get a ton of our daily fruit and veggies in us)
3. Making Bread (the kids love to grind the wheat and help... very educational and yummy, not mention healthier)
4. Buying Local ( buying produce and meat and milk more locally tastes so good and I can ensure that it is healthier (I know where it has been))
5. Raw Milk (Wow, the taste is amazing... then there is the added health benefits)
6. Gardening, Preserving, Canning & Freezing (I have not successfully canned anything yet but have been reaping an awesome harvest and we have been preserving and freezing) (Next year I want to try Dehydrated)
7. Homeopathy (I am still learning and have so much to learn about this... but so far I have seen amazing results in treating my family at home- Naturally)
8. Dr.Zeff - our Modern Day Doc Baker
9. Kangen Water (Alkaline Water Filtration System - Ionizer- PH/Antioxidant) www.mykangentools.com
10. Enjoy Life - I have struggle with the sin of worry and stress often and have been "working" on not working so hard and letting things go...

Here are few resources I highly recommend:
This is an awesome resource for treating childhood wounds and sickness with Homeopathy. Easy to read and look up ailments... a great resource for anytime your child is sick... I love this little handbook... recommended by Dr.Zeff

Available only on Amazon... no longer in print, but I just bought a couple for under $2 each

These books were very helpful for understanding true companion planting...
I used this first book as my gardening bible this year



This Recipe Book is chalked full of great recipes for Juicing and Smoothies


by Jack LaLanne

This Cookbook has totally shaken my thoughts on what "is" Healthy Cooking
This book really takes us back to the "old" way of doing many things but with reasons



Billy Blanks - Tae Bo Kicks

My kids and I have enjoyed this DVD for a couple years now...
A great way to get exercise on those rainy days

This book has been so convicting for me...




We all have to choose our battles... because that is truly what the are.
Everything battles for your time and attention. Potentially taking you away from your families and the things that are most important. The key is to pursue these things as God allows. We are all on a different path and we should prayerfully consider which paths to pursue and not.
I want to encourage you that these habits have been carefully selected over the course of a year and motivated as a response to declined health.
I am thankful to the Lord that He has provided the mentors and resources to pursue health down these roads.
I think that sometimes God leads us through our pains to enlighten us and teach us.
I have had a testing year... and I am sure their will be more ahead as I grow older. I am excited to follow Jesus and watch Him do more miracles in my life and I surrender it to be used for his glory. I hope that somehow the struggles my family and I have suffered through this year can minister to you. I am posting this so that none of what I have been through or might go through goes in vain. To God Be the Glory!

Treating Mastitis

Natural Remedy for Mastitis:
(Nursing Breast Infection)

Echinacea Tincture (1 dropperful every 3 hours or as needed)
Emergence-C Packets (1 every 3-5 hours with water)
Phytolaca Decandra (Biorin pellets) (1 pellet under tongue, directly followed by Belladonna)
Belladonna (Biorin pellets) (1 pellet under tongue)

Use the homeopathy Biorin pellets as needed until you get a grip on the infection
I ususally put an hour between treatments unless it is really bad then only 30 minutes

In addition:
Eating cabbage raw or blanching cabbage leaves and applying them to the infected breast relieves pain and brings down inflamation

Hot water bottles are great to use before nursing your baby because it can help the milk flow more easily

Apply a couple treatments on Hydrotherapy...
go to my Doc Baker's website:
www.jaredzeff.com/hydrotherapy.html

Dr. Jared Zeff is a very trustworthy Naturapathic Doctor who gets my recommendation.
If you are looking for a doctor who cares like Doc Baker cared in Little House....
He is the doctor for you!

My Story of Health & Healing:
So over the past few years I have felt my health declining dramatically.
Having five babies in a row with not much of a break has been hard on me... as it would anyone.
As you know I do not have easy pregnancies.
I usually start having morning/day/and night sickness of the worst kind (intense vomiting) a few weeks after conception and it often lasts as long as the pregnancy... ending the birth process with one last upchuck. I have had two pregnancies were my vomiting wained at around 7-8 months.
The vomiting has been so sever that I usually have to get at least a few IVs for re hydration and in my last pregnancy back was thrown out (bulging herniated disc).
This last pregnancy I went to a Water birth Center (Andaluz), where I was treated by midwives. They helped me so much more than any midwife at a hospital or doctor ever did. I had tried all the treatments and expensive meds for nausea and vomiting and none of them worked (not to mention they were bad for me). They recommended I take phosphorus (Biorin). It worked amazingly!
Over the past 9 years of pregnancy and nursing I have increasingly struggled with getting mastitis as well. I have developed an allergic reaction to all cilin drugs so I am unable to take most antibiotics to treat this. That was my first motivation to finding an alternative route to treating myself. Then upon further studying I learned about yeast infections post antibiotics, I started trying to rebuild my system with Acidopholus (the good buggies... Flora in your intestines).
Chronic Fatigue, stiffness of joints and back, crankiness... All these symptoms began to hit me quickly. When I usually would recovered from childbirth and get my rythm back this last time I didn't experience that. I was exhausted physically. Of course that should be a bit expected since we as moms don't get much sleep.
After many misdiagnosis and feeling very discouraged I found Dr. Zeff. His preventative approach includes educating the patient to be more independent of their health. He mainly focuses on food intolerances and believes we are "toxic" if we are eating things our bodies can not properly digest. I will blog on this some other time, but for now I want to leave you with this:
My growth through this process has lead me to trusting in the Lord in a new way.
Anything can become an idol...
I have learned that in good health it is easy to serve and live in your own strength. I have been learning how to do those things in Christ's strength since I feel often like I have none of my own.
I am also LEARNING (this is taking a while for me) to not put busy-ness as a top priority. I hold a very high standard for myself ad my family in many areas such as cleanliness. I think I used to believe that old saying, "cleanliness is next to godliness." I have since slayed that dragon and am living much more joyfully in my clutter. To help with this process though, we did spend a few days de-cluttering. I want to continue this process in more areas of my home, but need to get well right now. I think that people get distracted from really knowing God and serving Him by taking "care" of the non-eternal "things" we own. I used to spiritualize it. I thought, if I can not take care of it, then I shouldn't have it, and I "need" it, so I have to take care of it. I need to be a good steward of the "blessings" He has given me. Which is true to a certain degree, but I also think that when we are so "blessed" and less "blessing" others it is easy to have too much to care for. That's what happened to me. My desire is to be available to God. To let him use me. If having so much stuff to take care of means not being able to hear Him or be available to Him. Then I don't want it!

It is easy to get consumed with food intolerances, or homeopathy, or healthy living (making bread, driving to buy raw milk, taking care of chickens, gardening, etc...). Be careful not to make them idols. I have struggled and fallen in this area. When I feel like all I am learning is how to care for my family. I believe that God doesn't want any of these things to come in the way of serving him or fellowshiping with others. We have to be aware of the fight we are in as Christians. The evil one wants to distract us from God and His service. When we get inward focused, we grow spiritually unhealthy. If we stay outward focused... serving others and loving people we can remain closest to God's heart.

Don't get me wrong taking care of our families is our high calling, it is our service, our mission. I just am speaking from the experience of getting so focused on health that it takes the place of studying God's word. When you get so tired from researching on the computer that you don't have the energy to open up the Word. Then there is a priority out of wack.
This was my mistake. Now, even though I feel the urgency to know how to cook for my family to meet their dietary needs, I am going about it at a slower pace... giving myself grace and allowing myself the time to learn because I need to keep God first. It is easy for me to get "addicted" to learning certain things. If I am not personally growing I get depressed. It is my conscience acknowledgement that I am in ever need of improvement and that God is never done with me.
So I have to be careful to not get distracted by worldly knowledge and focus on Christ.

"My sheep listen to my voice... NO one can snatch them out of my hand." John 10:27-28

"God who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies"
Romans 8:11

Jesus said, I am the resurrcetion and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." John 11:25

I am mortal, we all are. Our bodies will fail us even when we take the best care we can. We do need to be good stewards of the temples He created so we can serve HIm to our fullest ability. However, we will not die before He calls us home. And He has the power to heal. Let us not forget that even with something like Mastitis God wants us to call out to HIm to heal us.
We all will perish, what I have been experiencing is the reality of a used, mortal body. But GOd can do miracles and He does. He likes to use people who are weak to glorify Himself. Well Lord, I am weak. Use Me!

May you have many blessings of health and spiritual growth!