I had a friend ask me how to explain to family members that she’s not being lazy or unmotivated. Her family feels that way because it seems like she can’t get “simple” things done around the house while also caring for her child (who has an autism diagnosis). I hear this a lot, mostly from married moms. It's obvious that single-moms have more work than time so they don't often get this sort of … [Read more...] about You’re Not Failing, You’re Struggling.
The Busy Mom’s Guide to Reducing Chemical Exposures
When I first learned of my son’s extremely high toxin load at the age of 5, I took immediate action to remove cleaning chemicals from my home. And then over the course of years, I’ve gradually shifted many other items and products. It can seem VERY overwhelming to think of all of the chemicals we have in our homes and I want you to know that feeling that way is normal. I don’t, however, want … [Read more...] about The Busy Mom’s Guide to Reducing Chemical Exposures
Endocrine Disruptors – FAKE NEWS for your body!
In Part 1 of this Endocrine System series, I outlined the basics of what the endocrine system is, the organs and glands involved and their functions. The take-away message from Part 1: The endocrine system is the communication system of the body that determines hormonal production and regulation. These hormones include cortisol (stress), melatonin (sleep), estrogen (reproduction), … [Read more...] about Endocrine Disruptors – FAKE NEWS for your body!
The Endocrine System – Gateway to Health
A group of cells forms tissue. A group of tissues makes up an organ. A group of organs makes up a system. A group of systems makes up an animal/human organism. I’ll never forget that lesson from Biology and it’s served me well in helping my child and myself improve and maintain our health. You can’t have a healthy organism if a system is ailing. You can’t have a healthy system if … [Read more...] about The Endocrine System – Gateway to Health
It’s Time to Re-Think Self Care
I’m seeing more and more social media content encouraging moms (including special needs moms) to take care of themselves. Sometimes this is called Self-Care, a relatively new term on the block is “community care”. And frequently when I see these articles posted, the comments are “I don’t have time to do any of that” or “I don’t have money to join a gym” or “I’m a single parent, I get zero … [Read more...] about It’s Time to Re-Think Self Care
May is Hard for Special Needs Families. Six Ways to Make it Easier.
I spend all winter looking forward to Spring and Summer. I thrive in the sun, the warmth and the renewal promise that Spring brings. But I'm a special needs mom and May brings with it some unexpected and unwanted challenges. And those challenges ALWAYS serve as a lesson for growth but damn, growth hurts sometimes. What could possibly make May more difficult than the rest of the … [Read more...] about May is Hard for Special Needs Families. Six Ways to Make it Easier.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Today I gave my son a haircut. And by normal standards, it was uneventful. And the fact that it was uneventful means by Autism standards – IT WAS AMAZING! My son is 15 years old and has always had sensory issues and nervous system challenges with haircuts. I’ve spent a huge amount of money on different tools over the years. I’ve spent a huge amount of mental energy on figuring out how to make … [Read more...] about Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth – SIBO. What it is and how to treat it.
This last week at the AutismOne conference in Chicago, I attended a few really informative workshops. Here is a summary of information from Dr. Logan’s presentation on Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth – aka SIBO. We are dealing with SIBO and honestly, most of you probably are too to one degree or another. It’s difficult to definitively diagnose so as with much that we have going on with … [Read more...] about Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth – SIBO. What it is and how to treat it.
What to Expect When You Attend AutismOne
When my son was first diagnosed in 2007 and I was desperately seeking information, I stumbled across a website called autismone.org I felt like I had hit gold because on this site was an amazing collection of presentation materials and some videos on all things autism. Treatments, causes, therapies, science, science, science – it was all there in one amazing place for me to explore and reference. … [Read more...] about What to Expect When You Attend AutismOne
Why Should I Change My Diet?
Every conversation I have with someone who has a health concern or question leads up to diet. I simply cannot stress enough how foundational gut health is to overall health and expression of life. If you have skin issues, auto-immune issues, mental health issues, joint issues, fatigue issues, brain fog, immune issues, don’t poop at least twice a day with normal looking stools, low tolerance to … [Read more...] about Why Should I Change My Diet?
Your Navigational Tool for Staying the Course – The ATEC
When you have a child whose growth and development progresses on its own timeline, it can be very hard to recognize growth or if things are "getting better". And "better" can be pretty subjective because as some things become resolved, it reveals another issue that requires as much if not more attention so it feels like you are always working, never resting, relaxing or even seeing … [Read more...] about Your Navigational Tool for Staying the Course – The ATEC
Introducing – Navigate Your Healing University!
As a parent of a child with autism, you are thrust into what feels like a new dimension. So many things to learn about RIGHT NOW, so many options, so many acronyms and foreign terms, so much unknown, so much to focus on but how do you figure out what the priorities are? Wouldn’t it be great if someone provided you with what you needed to know, in the time you needed to know it? And then also … [Read more...] about Introducing – Navigate Your Healing University!