How I beat postpartum anemia without iron pills

It's not uncommon to become anemic postpartum -- in fact I wonder how anyone could avoid it since a good deal of blood is lost during birth and in the few days following. I was no exception and even without knowing my iron levels (7.8 as it turned out) I knew I was going to have to do something about my yellowish skin, colorless fingernails, and fatigue!

My midwife recommended a prescription medication called Multigen and at first I fully intended to take it. She felt it would be well absorbed and would not cause digestive difficulties the way that most iron supplements do. However, the side effects listed on WebMD included black tarry stools and constipation which is pretty standard for iron supplements of any kind, along with a host of other unpleasant possibilities. This is likely due to the fact that a certain type of undesirable bacteria in the gut really LOVE iron supplements and proliferate rapidly when fed this preferred food.

I've worked SO hard (through the GAPS diet and taking probiotics) over the past 20 months or so to balance my gut flora that I was really reluctant to mess things up. I looked up the iron content of various foods online and decided that if I could aim for around 70 mg daily it might do the trick. (Multigen provides 120 mg in a daily dose, and the RDA for iron is 18 mg for the average person, though this goes up for pregnant women. Since iron supplements are generally not absorbed well at all, the way food is, I figured I didn't need 120 mg daily.) Of course, it IS difficult to get this quantity of iron through food alone, but I had a special tool in my arsenal, bentonite clay, which I had been taking during this pregnancy.

Here is what I decided to aim for, on a daily basis:

• 4 oz chicken liver: 14.7 mg (turns out chicken liver is quite a bit higher in iron than beef liver)
• 4 oz beef: 3.6 mg
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses: 3.6 mg (I only took this once because the flavor was extremely unappealing for some reason)
• 3 tsp bentonite clay: a whopping 51 mg!

Also, I planned to cook as much as possible in my iron skillet. I didn't bother worrying about plant sources of iron since those forms are not as absorbable as the iron found in animal foods.

To take bentonite clay (sold under the Redmond brand, as Redmond clay) I simply put about an ounce or two of filtered water in a small teacup (it really helps if the cup has a rounded bottom on the inside so you can mix the clay better), then add 1 tsp Redmond clay and whisk thoroughly with a small wire whisk. (It's important to wash the whisk right away so the clay doesn't become horribly stuck.) Last -- send it down the hatch and follow with a few sips of water or another beverage, or a bite of food. I generally refrain from breathing through my nose while taking the clay water so that I don't taste it as much; it has a rather unpleasant chalky, dirty taste. Despite the taste and the small hassle of preparing the water three times a day, it wasn't all that difficult to increase my daily dose of clay from 1 tsp to 3 tsp, particularly since I was really motivated to feel better!

As a side benefit to taking bentonite clay on a regular basis, not only are you getting an amazing natural mineral supplement, but you will also experience really great digestion. In the past, people in certain cultures would carry a ball of clay with them and take a little every day, to avoid dysentery and other illnesses associated with consuming food or water that may have been contaminated. The clay has a special ability to bind to toxins in the digestive tract and pull them out of the body. (Some people say it can have a constipating effect, though I haven't experienced this. If this happens you can just cut down on the dosage or take it with a little psyllium husk to ensure it keeps moving through the bowel easily.)

My next post will include my favorite recipe for chicken liver, which Oliver also loves. I'm happy to report that within a few days of my special regimen I was no longer pale and yellowish, and was feeling much better!

*Note added 3/2: my check-up blood work showed an excellent hemoglobin count, just as I thought it would! My pregnant friend, Julia, also boosted her hemoglobin and her energy levels in just a few days of taking clay.

**Note added 3/24: at this time I can really only recommend clay for remedying digestive issues (cleansing toxins from the body after food poisoning or something like that) and for anemia. I don't think you should continue taking it when you don't really need it due to the possible presence of very low amounts of aluminum (which can be in the ground).

Also, the clay does have the ability to bind to nutrients, not just toxins, so take it on an empty stomach not around the time you are eating. I now keep my little cup of clay water beside my bed (yes, with the tiny whisk alongside!) and take it in the middle of the night when I wake up to go to the bathroom. I take one tsp., and only every 3-4 days or so. It seems to provide me with digestive benefits (prevents stool from becoming hard). And because the clay has been sitting in the water for several hours it dissolves much better.

Home remedies for a sore throat

I woke up with a bit of a sore throat this morning, so decided to use some home remedies to try and clear up the issue.




1. I peeled and minced a clove of garlic, and swallowed the pieces with water, like pills. A great antibacterial remedy, courtesy of my friend Stephanie. I often do this when I feel like something is just beginning to come on.

2. Cotton ball with a few drops of tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil. Place in a small container and hold one nostril closed as you breathe deeply with the other, then switch. Eucalyptus is good for clearing up any congestion, and, as Raine Saunders writes on her blog, "tea tree oil is a natural antifungal, antiseptic, and disinfectant and its fumes are powerful enough to ward off an infection in your respiratory tract if started quickly enough." Although I didn't have any congestion I decided to do this just in case.

3. Cayenne pepper in a mug of warm chicken broth. I used 1/4 teaspoon for one cup of liquid. Got this sore-throat remedy recommendation also from Raine Saunders's blog post which I HIGHLY recommend: http://agriculturesociety.com/politics-and-food/my-home-medicine-cabinet-what-i-use-to-remedy-ailments/ She suggested warm water, but I thought the broth would be a big improvement on that, and it was! Like a very spicy beverage. For children you would need to cut down the cayenne pepper quite a bit. Be sure to stir regularly as it tends to settle toward the bottom. This definitely relieved the discomfort and was soothing. The discomfort hasn't returned so far and there is just a twinge left when I swallow.

And a bonus tip: open a few (2-3) probiotic capsules and pour the powder into the back of your mouth so the good "bugs" can work on any infectious bacteria or viruses that may be present.

In response to a question about stress

A reader asked if I have any food and natural remedy suggestions to help in coping with stress. Here are my recommendations:

1) First of all, on a daily basis try to take some time away from the source of stress -- this is harder for us marrieds-with-children when the source of stress is something like a teething child or a tired spouse, but if you can at all get some downtime just for you, be sure to make it a priority.
2) Take high-vitamin cod liver oil. See my other posts about this and just start doing it. When we are under stress our bodies become depleted of vitamin A, and CLO is the best backup source that we can take as a daily supplement. Vitamin A is needed to convert cholesterol into our hormones, and hormones will help keep us calm and on an even keel. Also, the high levels of vitamin D in CLO will support the immune system. Vitamins A and D work synergistically and really do help keep us well even in difficult circumstances or in the face of fatigue, stress, germ exposure, and cold weather.
3) Avoid stimulants as much as you can. These include things like sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods (which contain many additives), and white flour -- easier said than done around the holidays when we are constantly eating cookies, drinking hot chocolate, and having drinks at parties! These foods put stress on the body, deplete us of important nutrients and minerals, and have the effect of jolting the adrenal glands to make them produce extra energy. This can end up making us feel even more stressed out because our adrenaline response is constantly activated. Think of it this way: each time you stimulate your adrenal glands, they continue firing for a full 24 hours. So if you have coffee every morning, guess what? your adrenal glands never get a day off. This spells big trouble when you come under additional stress, because your adrenals are likely fatigued and you will be tempted to stimulate them even more than usual to keep yourself going.
4) Fats from animals raised on grass are an important source of the cholesterol mentioned above which helps our bodies make the appropriate hormones. These fats are also great sources of the all-important vitamins A and D (also mentioned above). Focus on foods like butter, cream, egg yolks, lard, chicken fat (think chicken skin & roasting drippings!), and other meat fats. Fat from oily fish is wonderful as well. [When it comes to dairy, choose raw if you have the option, but if not always get organic, grass-fed & unhomogenized if you can, and never ever ultra-pasteurized.]
5) Treat yourself to something relaxing...like a special caffeine-free tea (try to get something that has only herbs, flowers, and fruits in it -- no natural flavors or other additives), a warm bath, or a massage. If you have a favorite way of relaxing, such as meditation, yoga, stretching, playing an instrument, or taking a walk in the woods, by all means make time for it! We all know that doing these things are important, but it's so easy to do everything else first...and then never have time for relaxation.

These days, we can work through anything!

Have you seen the new commercial for Delsym cough medicine? It shows people struggling to live their lives with the misery of an awful cold -- then they pour down some syrup and suddenly they are filled with energy and relief and are doing things like running marathons, playing in the snow, and cooking dinner for 20. Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little...but you get the idea. It struck me as funny this time because it was suddenly so apparent how the message about illness is always the same: do whatever it takes to mask the symptoms for a few hours so you can carry on at your usual pace, or perhaps at an even faster rate since now you're all hopped up on medicine! To quote the Electrolux commercial out of context, we must always "be even more amazing" (clearly I watch too much television now!). What about a commercial that shows sick people staying in bed? drinking teas and bone broth? keeping warm? staying away from excessive stimulation and just resting? Even if they still have to be depicted taking some chemical cocktail with a chaser of high-fructose corn syrup and red dye number 3, at least they could be resting at the same time! But no! we must work no matter what happens, no matter how crappy we feel, no matter how sick we are.

In the past couple of months I have had two colds (the 2nd occurred after eating a cupcake, go figure - this is why I eat sugar about twice a year now instead of daily) and I have at last concluded that mainly it's from stress. After a certain point, my body somehow knows that the only way it's going to get me to rest and stop running like a hamster in a wheel is to break down for a little while. I am pretty sure that without these forced rest-holidays I would go full-tilt for years on end. Before the first cold in late October I hadn't been sick in a year, and I was definitely due for some lying-in time. I believe in taking something when you need it (like cough syrup if your cough won't let you sleep), but aside from that I think it's generally best to let your body work things out for itself, with the help of some nourishing bone broths, lots of fluids, and lots of rest. And maybe a break from the cupcakes. :)

Swine flu

I only have a minute, but wanted to respond to a question about the swine flu "pandemic." I have learned recently that the people who are contracting the swine flu are those who have been vaccinated against the regular seasonal flu religiously (and often against the swine flu as well). Those who are most at risk for having complications are the same ones who have weakened immune systems from the yearly assault of vaccinations and other shots. I would highly recommend reading the article below if you want another view from what you are hearing on the news, and especially if you want some excellent reasons for avoiding the vaccine and not giving it to your kids. In my view, and according to all I have researched and learned, it is best to let the human immune system develop natural defenses. Each time we become ill and can fight the illness naturally without suppressing our body's need to have a fever, and without using antibiotics and other drugs when they are not truly necessary, we are serving our immune system well and as a result will be stronger and in a better position to ward off more serious infections in the future.

For the article, click here.

My other common sense tips for avoiding swine flu and any seasonal illnesses are as follows:

1) take high-vitamin cod liver oil (preferably fermented) regularly for vitamins A & D (see www.drrons.com or www.greenpasture.org to order
2) avoid all sugar, white flour, and stimulants (caffeine, soda, etc.), and limit sweet foods in general
3) get plenty of rest and pay attention to your body's need for sleep and downtime
4) do your best to eat seasonally. Avoid, for example, eating tropical fruit in cold weather as this is too cooling to the body and may leave you susceptible to infection.
5) emphasize whole foods as much as possible, and avoid highly-processed foods which have the effect of pulling important nutrients from the body's stores
6) load up on lacto-fermented vegetables like sauerkraut which is enzyme-rich and contains greatly enhanced quantities of vitamin C (as compared to regular raw cabbage)
7) if you feel a cold or flu coming on, you can take the homeopathic remedy oscillococcinum which may help (available at health food stores -- you do not need to take a whole vial of pellets for each dose, a few pellets will do just fine). And even more importantly, begin taking raw garlic 2-3 times per day. Simply peel and chop one clove and swallow like pills, using water. THIS REALLY WORKS!!! Garlic has incredibly antimicrobial properties but it absolutely must be taken raw and fresh.

Happiest day of my (thyroid's) life!

Imagine that two years ago you had developed a serious medical condition which required that you take medication every day FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Imagine that you had serious misgivings about taking this type of synthetic medication every day, and that in recent months you had started feeling jittery and anxious every time you took it. Imagine further that this condition was related to having a compulsory c-section with your first child, that it put the chances of having a normal (vaginal) birth with any future children in jeopardy, and that it was affecting many aspects of your body chemistry, from sugar handling to dental health.

Now imagine that someone (in this case a nutritional therapist) told you that you showed absolutely no signs of hypothyroidism, that it didn't appear you actually had this condition anymore, and that you should listen to your body about what you felt was best as far as taking medication went. How great would you feel?

Well, this is what happened to me this week and let me tell you, I feel GREAT!!!! Being labeled with the condition of hypothyroidism and having to worry about all this stuff has not been fun at all. For the past 8-10 months I have worked really hard to get my diet under control. For those of you who have been following along, you know how much time and effort I put into creating our family's meals. It hasn't just been a philosophical exercise for me, though, and it hasn't been only about wanting to raise a healthy baby or about wanting to eat only foods from local farms. All these things have been part of it, but at the heart was my desire to be completely healthy and not have to go regularly to the doctor or take daily medications.

From my research into thyroid conditions I have learned about everything that can negatively affect our thyroid health (for me the two biggies were birth control pills and soy foods), and also about how to heal my thyroid. Focusing on high-quality animal fats has been an incredibly important part of this (butter from grass-fed cattle is a thyroid-supporting food); I've also recently started making stock from the carcasses of whole fish as the fish heads contain the thyroid gland and serve to nourish our own thyroids. Cutting out sugar, strictly limiting sweet foods (even natural ones like honey and fruit), avoiding soy, using only Celtic sea salt, and cutting out almost all white flour have been crucial as well. I also practice fertility awareness now instead of taking the Pill, and I feel much better physically than I have in years.

If you can believe this, in the past when patients were aging prematurely or always fatigued doctors would prescribe raw thyroid sandwiches and the patients would perk up in no time! I have no desire to eat raw thyroid glands from animals, but I think I can continue to incorporate butter, sour cream, the occasional grass-fed sirloin steak, and yummy eggs from pasture-raised chickens into my diet without too much misery. :)

Better than Mylanta

Last week I ate a meal that didn't agree with my stomach and wound up having upper-stomach cramps for several hours. I had no other symptoms but the cramps went on and on, getting worse and worse, coming in progressively more painful waves. Finally I bought Mylanta (we don't even have over-the-counter remedies like this in the house, that's how healthy we usually are!) and took 2 tsp. I thought at least the magnesium would help a little if nothing else, but the pain actually seemed to get worse. I kept trying to think of what else might work, like some lacto-fermented veggies or kefir (I should have remembered to eat sauerkraut with the offending meal--oops!). Finally I remembered I had kombucha in the fridge! Within thirty minutes the pain was 90% gone, and I had only had a small glass. Hooray for kombucha!

In case you don't know, kombucha is a centuries-old beverage dating back over 2000 years, and is made by fermenting tea and sugar using a kombucha culture (a large mushroom is involved in this which is why it's also sometimes called "mushroom tea"). This is probably the only time you will hear me advocating the use of tea and sugar, so drink up!

Kombucha is not only delicious (with a bubbly sweet-sour taste) it also is a great source of digestive-friendly bacteria and I've heard it has antimicrobial properties (which is why you wouldn't actually want to drink it excessively). I like to have kombucha when I'm in the mood for something a little sweet and refreshing, or when I am having any sort of stomach pain (including cramps, bloating, gas pain, anything of the sort), which is pretty rare for me now. Using plenty of lacto-fermented foods and fermented & cultured beverages on a daily basis really helps prevent any sort of digestive trouble.

If you want to buy kombucha in NYC and/or learn more about why it's so healthful and delicious you can visit www.KombuchaBrooklyn.com. You can also purchase kombucha in health food stores, at Whole Foods, and even at many chain drug stores (but for a hefty price). You can also make your own if you have a kombucha culture which is even better.

Molasses for Leg Cramps

The other night I was experiencing some very unpleasant aching in my legs, concentrated around my knees. This was the sort of feeling I hadn't had since I was young and got "growing pains" on a regular basis (or after a day of hiking or excessive walking). My friend Sharon suggested I take a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses as it is high in calcium which apparently helps leg cramps. Surprisingly enough, it really worked! The strong aching feeling disappeared within an hour. I love eating blackstrap molasses on apple pancakes, but had never used it as a home remedy. The vitamin & mineral content in just one tbsp. of blackstrap is shockingly high:

• potassium 10% RDA
• calcium 20%
• iron 20%
• vitamin A-precursor 20% (plant form of vitamin A or beta-carotene)
• magnesium (most kinds have up to 20% of your RDA, though my bottle didn't mention this)
  

You can buy blackstrap molasses at Whole Foods, health foods stores, food co-ops, and sometimes your local grocery store as well. Be sure the label says BLACKSTRAP and UNSULPHURED. *Note: blackstrap isn't a brand, but refers to the way the molasses is produced; this method renders it quite nutritious, whereas other forms of molasses don't come near this level of nutritional stardom.