Author: abundantpeaceandhealth

10 Ways to Strengthen your Immune System for Flu Season

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date January 6, 2021
No Comments on 10 Ways to Strengthen your Immune System for Flu Season

Flu season is upon us in the northern hemisphere and with COVID-19 in the air as well, it is more important than ever to maintain a strong immune system. Building up an immune system does not happen overnight. It is the long-term daily lifestyle choices we make that will help our bodies fight viruses and bacteria on a regular basis. However, your body will begin to heal and strengthen the moment you give it the right conditions. Start implementing these 10 tips today to strengthen your immune system and be a healthier you tomorrow.

1. Hot/Cold Showers

Hydrotherapy has been used for centuries to treat and prevent disease. It is one of the most powerful remedies. A simple way to implement hydrotherapy into your everyday life is to take hot and cold showers. At the end of your hot shower, switch to cold water for the last 30 seconds. Always end your showers with cold water.

If you feel a cold or flu coming, do these contrast showers daily at least 3 times in a row. Shower for 3 minutes with hot water, followed by 30 seconds of cold water. Repeat three times and end with cold water. You can do this twice a day while your body is fighting the virus. This therapy is highly effective and can aid those with pneumonia as well.

Note that there may be some contraindications for those with a heart condition and other very specific circumstances.

2. Raw Garlic

Garlic is one of the most powerful foods we have to combat illness. It has potent medicinal properties that help fight viruses and bacteria and boost your immune system. The most effective way to consume it is raw, but you do not want to eat it on an empty stomach. Add raw minced garlic to your foods daily or take it as a “shot” with a little bit of lemon juice and water towards the end of your meal.

For maintenance, eat 1 raw clove of garlic a day. If you feel a viral or bacterial infection coming, consume 2-4 cloves a day until the infection has passed. Raw garlic is also great for your microbiome!

If you don’t tolerate raw garlic well, you can make a garlic broth. Cook 3 cloves of garlic in 1 cup of water, divide it in 3 portions, and drink throughout the day.

3. Oregano Oil

Oregano oil has antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Many people have successfully used oil of oregano as an antibiotic. There are two types of oregano oil you can find in the market: oregano essential oil (100 % oregano) and oil of oregano (oregano and olive oil).

Oregano Essential Oil is used for breathing treatments and is highly effective to prevent and treat lung infections. I wrote a previous blog detailing how we have used it. Click here to learn how to use oregano oil for breathing treatments.

Oil of Oregano is used internally, which is why it is diluted. Use oil of oregano at the first sight of illness. Take every 2 to 3 hours until symptoms subside. However, do not take for more than 3 days unless advised by a naturopath or herbalist. Note that it is an antibiotic and it will disrupt your microbiome. If you still get the flu, let the illness run its course and use the oregano breathing treatments until you are well.

Method: Pour a little water in a glass (no more the ¼ cup), add 5 drops of oil of oregano, and drink. You may want to have another glass of water to drink after, as it can be very strong.

For infants and toddlers, you can rub the oil of oregano on the soles of their feet. Do not use oregano essential oil! It will burn the skin.

4. Low Sugar Diet

Sugar suppresses the immune system and feeds bad gut bacteria. Therefore, it is essential to avoid all processed sugars. Sugar is hidden in most processed foods today. Think of foods that are considered “healthy” but are packed with sugar such as yogurt, fruit juice, and granola. Instead, eat fresh fruit, honey, smoothies, and homemade sugar free foods. Those sensitive to sugar should also consider limiting high sugar fruits and simple carbohydrates like white flour or rice that convert to sugar in the body.

5. A Good Night’s Sleep

Regularly getting a good night’s sleep is vital for your body to heal and restore itself at night. If you are continuously depleting your body from the rest it needs, the cells in your body are unable to restore and will leave you weaker to fight viruses or bacteria. The best regenerating sleep is obtained before midnight. Make every effort to go to bed as early as possible and sleep between 7 to 8 hours every night.

6. Manage Stress

Stress is another factor that will weaken your immune system. Before you become ill, learn to implement stress management techniques such as walking, positive thinking, eating healthy, resting, socializing, reading the Bible, singing, and doing good to others.

If you have already fallen ill, learn to slow down and give your body the time it needs to heal. Too often, we want to keep going even though our bodies are telling us to stop. Listen to your body and be intentional about giving your body the best condition to heal itself.

7. Drink Plenty of Water

Water helps flush out impurities and is also essential for your body to function efficiently. According to the CDC, U.S. adults drink an average of 39 ounces of water a day, or 4.9 cups. That is much lower than the recommended minimum amount of 8 cups a day. Make water drinking a priority to reach the goal of 8 to 10 cups of water a day.

One way to accomplish this is to divide the cups of water throughout the day. 2-3 cups of water before breakfast, 2-3 cups of water before lunch, 2-3 cups of water in the afternoon, 1 cup of water in the evening. Anther option is to count how many water bottles you drink in the day. I personally strive to drink 4 of my 24 ounce bottle a day.

8. Eat Plenty of Raw Foods

Fruits and vegetables are filled with antioxidants and nutrition that help our bodies fight disease. Furthermore, raw foods have good bacteria that help our microbiome and immune system. Most people fail to eat the amount of raw fruits and vegetables required daily for good health. Make a goal every day to increase your intake of these foods—raw vegetables in particular—to help your body fight infection. Also consider juicing greens daily during flu season to give your body an extra boost of antioxidants and nutrition.

9. Exercise

Exercise is an easy and fast way to maintain good circulation so that blood cells can move freely through your body and bring healing where needed. We all know we could do better in this area. We know it’s important, but things always get it the way. However, focus on the reward and start with small daily goals that you increase over time. Aim to move your body at least 30 – 60 minutes a day. Pick your favorite activity and make the time to do it daily. Your body will thank you!

10. Sunshine/Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an essential hormone for the immune system. It has been known for a few years now that vitamin D helps fight viruses and bacteria. Recent studies have found a correlation between COVID-19 incidence and low vitamin D. Those who have healthy vitamin D levels, seem to be less likely to contract COVID-19.

The best way to get vitamin D is through the sun because the sunshine provides healing benefits beyond just vitamin D. However, those who do not have access to sunshine year-round should supplement with vitamin D during the fall and winter months to boost their immune system.

The Bottom Line

There are steps you can take today to prevent viral and bacterial infections. Even if you do catch a virus, these tips will put your body in a better position to fight the intruder. Take your health into your own hands and make wise decisions today that will benefit you over a lifetime.

For more resources, check out my friend Dr. Joyce Choe’s blog post series titled “Surviving the Flu” and my blog post “The 8 Laws of Health – Principles for Healthy Living”.

Tags health, immune system, lifestyle

Recipes

Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookie Recipe

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date December 11, 2020
No Comments on Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookie Recipe

Christmas time is filled with traditions and quality family time that revolves around food. For those with multiple food allergies, it can be a tough reminder of everything we cannot eat, and we may feel left out of certain experiences. That is why I was determined to make these allergy-friendly Christmas cookies.

Christmas is important to me and I did not want my son to miss out on fun childhood memories due to his multiple food allergies. So, last year we started the tradition of making Christmas cookies together. It was not easy to think of a recipe with the few foods he can eat but I am proud to say that I made it work!

Allergen-free Christmas Cookies

These cookies are free of dairy, eggs, nuts, corn, soy, gluten, and grains. Unlike conventional cookies, these Christmas cookies are filled with healthy, nutritious ingredients. For the flour, I use buckwheat and arrowroot powder; instead of egg, applesauce and ground flaxseed; in place of butter, coconut/sunflower seed butter; and finally, to keep these cookies low-sugar and healthy, I used coconut sugar and stevia to sweeten. The applesauce also adds sweetness.

I was very surprised at how good these turned out! They are chewy and delicious. We love them. They are by no means as sweet as regular sugar cookies but we actually like that about them too. If you have more of a sweet tooth however, you may want to add more coconut sugar, stevia, or maple syrup.

The Christmas Cookie Dough

Conventional cookie dough should not be “overworked” and needs refrigeration before shaping the cookies. However, that is not the case for this dough.

When you use wheat flour, kneading the dough activates the gluten making the dough grow like a bread, which you do not want for cookies. However, since we are using gluten-free flour, you can mix and knead all ingredients until you have the desired consistency without risking overkneading. This cookie dough will also not expand because we don’t use any baking powder or egg (hence it does not need to be refrigerated).

In fact, you want the cookie dough to remain room temperature, not cold. This will make it easier to roll out for cookie cutting. I recommend cutting the dough in 3 sections and work on one section at a time. Keep the remaining dough covered with a cloth to prevent it from drying out and getting cooler.

I recommend you roll the cookie dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. This will keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll it out to about ¼ of an inch thick. You don’t want them any thinner than this or else they will become hard.

Decorating the Christmas Cookies

Because I want to keep these cookies healthy and allergen-free, I don’t use any icing to decorate them. However, you can get creative and use other things to embellish the cookies. You will want to decorate them before you put them in the oven.

To add designs, we used a comb to make lines and dots. Blend blueberries and strawberries to add some natural color. Shredded coconut, date paste, seeds, and carob add additional decorations. Get creative and see what you find in your kitchen to decorate the cookies.

Storage

These cookies are good for up to a week. You can keep them in the fringe or even the freezer to extend the life of the Christmas cookies. Because these cookies don’t have any baking soda, gluten, or egg (ingredients that help baked goods rise), they are very dense and will become harder when they are cool. You can warm them up in a toaster oven for a minute to soften.

Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

5 cups sprouted buckwheat flour (see notes)
½ cup arrowroot powder
1/3 cup coconut sugar
½ tsp. ginger powder (optional)
½ tbsp. stevia powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup coconut/sunflower seed butter (see notes)
¾ cup apple sauce
5 tbsp. vanilla
¼ cup ground flaxseed
½ cup water

Instructions

Make a flaxseed egg by mixing ¼ cup ground flaxseed with ½ cup warm water. Whisk with a fork and let sit until it thickens into the consistency of an egg.
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl: buckwheat flour, arrowroot powder, coconut sugar, ginger powder, stevia powder, and salt. Stir well using a spoon or whisk.
Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl: softened coconut/sunflower seed butter, apple sauce, vanilla, and flaxseed egg.
Whisk the wet ingredients and add the dry ingredients slowly as you whisk until all ingredients are well mixed.
With your hands compact the dough together creating a ball and divide it into 3 sections.
Grab one section, place it on a parchment paper, and place another parchment paper on top. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut the shapes.
Decorate your cookies with seeds, coconut, blended berries, dates, or create lines and shapes with kitchen tools.
Place cookies on a parchment paper and bake at 350 °F (180 °C) for 8 minutes.

Notes

Buckwheat Flour: I make my own sprouted buckwheat flour by soaking, sprouting, dehydrating, and grinding the buckwheat. Store-bought buckwheat flour uses the whole buckwheat including the shell, and it is not soaked or sprouted. This can cause inflammation and digestion issues for those who have gut problems. You can buy sprouted buckwheat flour here.
Butter: I make my own coconut/sunflower butter by processing shredded coconut and dehydrated sunflower seeds, 1:1 ratio, with 1 tsp of salt. Recipe from the Autoimmune Plant Based Cookbook. If you are not on an oil free diet, and don’t have time to make this butter, you could use ¼ cup coconut oil.
Replacements: You can to replace the buckwheat flour with quinoa flour; apple sauce with pumpkin puree; and as mentioned above, the “butter” with coconut oil.

Tags allergy-friendly, christmas, cookies, food allergies, recipe

Spiritual Walk

4 Biblical Principles on Personal Freedom

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date December 7, 2020
6 Comments on 4 Biblical Principles on Personal Freedom

Last week I was listening to a Bible study on the freedom that God has given us and how earthly powers have, and will, infringe on personal freedom. The presenter proposed 4 Biblical principles on personal freedom that we can use to evaluate if the government is over-stepping on liberty.

I did not know much on this subject beforehand, but it became clear to me that it is an important matter that all Christians should study. Prophesy has foretold that there will come a time when our personal freedom will be taken away. On one hand, we are called to submit to our authorities—and on the other hand, we are to be faithful to God, even unto death. How do we know where to draw the line? How can we identify when the government is infringing on our personal freedom and when, as Daniel, we are called to be faithful? I felt impressed to share these four Biblical principles on personal freedom to help us identify when to submit to authority and when to stand firm on our God-given freedom.

Who Gives Personal Freedom?

We were created as free beings. The Lord of heaven is a God of freedom. He gave us the gift of freedom. This is why we can choose to follow Him or deny Him, choose to obey His Law or disobey it, choose to live for Him or for ourselves. Free will is at the core of God’s governance and no earthly power can take it away.

Most governments throughout world history did not believe in personal freedom. The US was set apart in that it was established for the very purpose to protect and uphold freedom. This is an anomaly in history.

Personal freedom matters to God. We always have a right to exercise it no matter what country we are in or the who is in power. However, there may be a price to pay. Daniel stood up for his freedom of prayer and was thrown into the lion’s den (see Daniel 6). Daniel’s friends denied authorities when they exercised their freedom to not bow down to an image and they were thrown into the fire. The apostles continued the work of God while authorities repeatedly pressed them to stop. They all faced persecution, torture, and death. There will come a time when we will also have to exercise the freedom God has given us to be faithful to Him.

Submit to Authority

The tricky part is that the Bible also teaches us to submit to our earthly authorities. Jesus instructed that we “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). The principle behind this statement is that we are to comply with government rules and obligations, even when they may not seem fair, as long as we can continue to render what belongs to God as well.

The apostle Paul also repeatedly mentioned in his letters that we are to submit to our authorities (Romans 13: 1, Hebrews 13:17, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13-14). Yet, when the apostles were ordered to not teach in the name of Jesus, they did not stop but answered “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

We are to called to be good citizens and to live at peace with everyone as long as it does not conflict with God’s law and His revealed will. Because the principles of heaven will always be in conflict with those on earth, a faithful Christian must learn to recognize when the government is overstepping and stand firm through the trial.

4 Biblical Principles on Personal Freedom

I invite you to study these four Biblical principles to purpose in your heart to be faithful to God and exercise your freedom when you are called to do so at any cost. Please keep in mind that these are principles, not specific rules, and each one should apply them to their own circumstance at any given time.

1. The government cannot dictate what you put into your body or on your body.

We have a Creator and our bodies are His. From creation and throughout history, God has instructed His people on what to put in it or on it, and from what to abstain. It is for God alone to define what goes in or on your body.

Some examples of things that go in your body are food, drinks, medications, drugs, or injections. Some examples of what goes on your body could be a head covering, a piercing, a tattoo, clothes, or even a specific haircut.

In Genesis, God gave strict instructions on what humans and animals were to eat (Genesis 1:29). After sin, God adjusted these orders, and again after the flood (Genesis 3:18 and 9:3-5). He gave heavenly food to the Israelites (manna) and gave statutes in regard to what to abstain from. He instructed Samson’s mother to abstain from wine and unclean foods, and to not cut Samson’s hair (Judges 13:4,5). He gave John the Baptist a special diet and clothing to help him prepare the way for Jesus (Luke 1:15 and Matthew 3:4).

Daniel and his friends understood this principle and they refused to eat the king’s food and drink and purposed in their hearts to be faithful to God (Daniel 1).

2. The government cannot interfere in matters of conscience.

We are called to have a good conscience and act on our God-given conscience. This is between you and God. No government should step in and force you to go against your conscience. In God’s grace each of us has a different amount of heavenly light for which we are accountable. We cannot expect all Christians to make the same decisions, nor should we judge when some make different choices based on the light or instruction God has given them. However, to not be deceived, we should each seek God with all our heart and be sanctified in Christ.

3. The government cannot interfere with the work of God.

Jesus gave us these instructions:

We have a work to do and we should be faithful to complete the work no matter what restrictions or obstacles a government may place on us. Churches should be encouraged to continue the work of God even if it’s against the law.

4. The government cannot interfere with the worship of God.

It is not for the government to define how, where, or when to worship God. The Bible is filled with encouragement to unite in worship:

We are also instructed to gather as believers especially as the end nears:

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

A Call to Be Faithful

Daniel and his friends stood firm on their faith and exercised their freedom rather than obey the authorities of their time. Through their tests of health (Daniel 1), worship (Daniel 3), and prayer (Daniel 6), God protected them. However, even if God had not rescued them from death, they were still determined to be faithful.

I do not believe that it is a coincidence that in the prophetic book of Daniel, before we are told of the final event prophesies, we find these three accounts. We are presented with an illustration of the tests that God’s people will have to face in the end times.

May God help us all draw near to Him to not be deceived and stand firm on our faith when we are called to do so.

Read our story to see how my husband and I exercised medical freedom by treating our son’s health condition naturally and the consequences we faced for doing so.

Recipes

Homemade Infant and Toddler Formula

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date November 19, 2020
20 Comments on Homemade Infant and Toddler Formula

Every new mom has high hopes of breastfeeding their infant. We know that breast milk is best for our little ones and as moms we desire to provide what is best. I personally breastfed my boy for three years on a restrictive diet due to all of his food allergies. However, supplementing with this homemade infant formula when he had trouble eating solids was a turning point for our son to gain much needed weight.

Before you try an alterative infant formula, I encourage you to check all breastfeeding resources available to you. It is possible to breastfeed a baby with multiple food allergies when the mom eliminates all allergens from her diet. There are also natural methods you can use to increase milk supply. Two helpful resources are KellyMom.com and Ellen Fisher’s e-book “Breastfeeding”.

Who is this Homemade Infant Formula for?

There are multiple infant formulas on the market, but your baby may not tolerate any of them or you may wish to find a healthier alternative. This homemade infant formula may be just what you’re looking for. It is especially designed for:

Infants whose moms cannot produce enough breast milk or need to abruptly stop breastfeeding due to a medical procedure.
Infants with multiple food allergies and mom has a hard time adjusting her diet to continue breastfeeding.
Infants who struggle to gain weight with breast milk alone.
Toddlers who, due to health conditions, struggle to eat solid food and depend on formula for nutrition.

I can say with confidence that this formula will be adequate for babies starting at 6 months of age. However, I know of mothers with babies as young as four months old who have exclusively used this formula successfully. Use your own judgment when considering your child’s condition to establish if this formula is a good option for you. My son was two-and-a-half years old when we began supplementing with this formula. He barely ate solid food and this was his main source of nutrition for a year. At one point, he drank 28 oz of this homemade formula a day. Read more about his story here.

The Issues with Store-Bought Formula

Why go through the struggle of making a homemade formula? Why not simplify life and use regular, store-bought formula? After all, it has gone through extensive testing and approval to be certified as baby formula. Let’s take a closer look:

Dairy-based formula

The most commonly prescribed infant formula is dairy-based. There’s a good reason for this. Dairy is high in lactose, a good source of sugar and calories. Dairy also has plenty of fat that babies need to develop. The problem? Many babies, if not most, cannot tolerate dairy. It causes reflux, diarrhea, constipation, eczema, and asthma. Even if an infant may appear to tolerate dairy at first, they may be at a higher risk of developing these symptoms and diseases later.

Standard dairy-based formula is also filled with unhealthy oils such as palm oil, soy oil, and high oleic sunflower oil. Most of these formulas use nonfat milk, which is more processed and requires these refined oils be added. A health-conscious adult would not eat these oils on a regular basis, so why feed them to an infant?

Lastly, dairy formulas lack healthy, living bacteria and nutrients to feed the healthy bacteria. It is well established that a healthy microbiome is vital to health. Good, balanced microbiota live in living plant organisms. Additionally, it is essential to create a gut environment that will grow good bacteria. Some formulas may add probiotics. However, it is important to note that there are many different types of bacteria in our natural environment, but only a few are used in high amount in probiotics. This in itself can cause dysbiosis – an imbalance of the gut microbiota. It is best to trust the microbiome naturally occurring in food and nature.

Soy-based formula

The first alternative formulas prescribed to babies with a dairy allergy or sensitivity are soy-based formulas.

I am a strict vegetarian; I believe in a plant-based diet from infancy. However, I would rather give my child a dairy-based formula than a store-bought, soy formula.

The first ingredient in soy formula is either corn-syrup or brown rice syrup. According to their labels, 54% of the ingredients in soy formula come from these unhealthy sugars. I don’t think I need to go into detail about why this is horrifying. Again, no health-conscious adult would ever eat a diet based on 54% corn-syrup or brown rice syrup. How are we feeding this to infants?

Yes, breastmilk is around 50% sugar, but we cannot compare natural breastmilk sugars to processed corn-syrup or brown-rice syrup.

The ingredients that follow are refined vegetable oils (26%): palm oil, soy oil, coconut oil, and high oleic sunflower oils. So far, 80% of the ingredients don’t sound healthy or nutritious. Then we have the soy protein isolate and added vitamins and minerals.

And as with dairy-based formulas, soy formulas also do not provide healthy bacteria for a strong gut microbiome.

Elemental formula

When a child is allergic to dairy and soy, an elemental formula is prescribed. It is thought that the protein in foods is what causes an allergic response. For this reason, elemental formulas contain broken-down proteins, amino-acids, to make them easier to digest and not cause an allergic reaction.

EleCare and Neocate are the most commonly used formulas for infants with multiple food allergies. Similar to soy formula, elemental formulas contain as the main ingredients: corn-syrup (55%) and refined vegetable oil (24%: comprising palm oil, coconut oil, high oleic sunflower oil, and canola oil or soy oil).

For older children, Neocate Splash is available. The main ingredient here is actually water (85%), followed by maltodextrin (6%), sugar (5%), and refined vegetable oil (high oleic sunflower oil, palm oil, coconut oil, and canola oil). At first sight this looks like a better option, and I think it is. However, maltodextrin is associated with worsening irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, and increasing bad gut bacteria.

Sugars increase bad gut bacteria and these formulas don’t provide any healthy, living bacteria. Most infants and toddlers who have multiple food allergies already have an unhealthy microbiome, autoimmune conditions, and digestive issues. These formulas make the root cause of their disease even worse, making it harder to heal.

My son reacted to all these formulas with vomiting or diarrhea. He did best with Neocate Splash, but at the end it caused him diarrhea as well. Read about how we made the switch to this homemade infant formula here.

Allergy-Friendly Alternative Infant Formula

The homemade infant formula I want to share is plant-based, meaning it has no animal products. It is soy-free, nut-free, corn-free, and gluten-free. Yet, it is very nutritious. (Read the notes at the end for alternative ingredients.)

Fats
Infants and toddlers need more fat than adults to help develop their fast-growing brains. This homemade infant formula provides most of its calories from fats through coconut milk and flax seed oil.

Carbohydrates
Sprouted quinoa and buckwheat are the main source of sugars and carbohydrates in this formula. Coconut also provides a good amount of it.

Protein
For protein, this formula uses one of the most easily digestible legumes – sprouted mung beans.

Importance of Sprouting

Infants have a sensitive digestive track that has not been fully developed yet. Breastmilk provides easy-to-digest nutrition that is hard to find in solid foods. Toddlers with health conditions also have a sensitive digestive system which requires special consideration.

Sprouting the quinoa, buckwheat, and mung beans greatly increases their nutritional content and makes these foods easier to digest. Do not skip this step!

Especially if you are dealing with a baby or a chronically-ill toddler, you want to make sure these foods are sprouted. However, do not use sprouts raw! They can be filled with bad bacteria and hard to digest.

Soak the quinoa, buckwheat, and mung beans overnight and let them sprout in a strainer for two days (wash twice a day). Cook the quinoa and buckwheat in water for about 20 to 30 minutes and cook mung beans for 1 hour.

Important Nutritional Notes

Omega 3 is crucial for the development of healthy babies. For this reason, the formula includes 1 tablespoon of flax seed oil. However, flax seed oil can go rancid very fast and it can not be heated. A better option is ground flax seed. When your child is around seven-month- old, you can start mixing ground flax seed with baby food. Our favorite way is in smoothies or with avocado. Start with ½ teaspoon and increase the amount slowly as they grow. At around two-years-old, use 2 teaspoons.

Vitamin B12 is a bacteria needed for healthy brain development and it is not available in plant-based food. You will need to find a good, healthy supplement. We use Global Healing Center B-12. Just a few drops under the tongue once a week will be enough for infants and toddlers. Another great way to get vitamin B12 and other healthy bacteria is to play in the dirt! Take your children to nature or garden with them. Let them get dirty playing in the soil. This is not a reliable method of getting B12, but it has multiple health benefits.

Vitamin D is a hormone essential for the immune system and our overall health. Although Vitamin D is not found in plant foods, we can get it from the sun! Take your infant or toddler out into the sunshine daily, without sunscreen. Let their skin soak in as much sunrays as possible without getting burnt. In the winter, however, you may want to consider supplementing with vitamin D. We use this vitamin D supplement.

Homemade Infant Formula Recipe

Finally, onto the homemade infant formula recipe. Our son LOVES this formula. It tastes very good—in my opinion, much better tasting than any store-bought formula.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups coconut water (12 oz)
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk (8 oz)
½ cup mung beans (sprouted and cooked)
¼ cup quinoa (sprouted and cooked)
¼ cup buckwheat (sprouted and cooked)
1 tbsp flax seed oil (optional if child eats ground flax seeds)
2 dates (optional to sweeten)

Instructions:

Put all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth (about 3 minutes). Strain using a fine mesh strainer. Refrigerate in a glass container for up to 3 days. This recipe will make 26 oz.

Notes

You can substitute the coconut water and milk with 1-2 fresh young coconuts (water and meat depending on size). This will avoid the possible toxins found in the can lining. However, we have always used canned coconut milk.
Make sure the coconut water and coconut milk you buy don’t have any other added ingredients like sugar or preservatives (Guar Gum is ok). It may be hard to find pure coconut milk, but get the best you can. We buy ours at Trader Joe’s.
Substitutes in case of allergy:
- if your child reacts to mung beans, try sprouted red lentils or sprouted split peas
- if your child reacts to quinoa, try using a pseudo grain called Kaniwa or double the portion of buckwheat
- if your child reacts to buckwheat, try using Kaniwa or double the portion of quinoa
The dates are really not needed in the recipe but we did use them when we transitioned from regular formula that is very sweet. While our son adjusted to a sugar-free formula, we used 6 dates. Then, we slowly reduced the amount of dates. Now, we don’t use any dates.
Pro tip: sprout and cook the quinoa, buckwheat, and mung beans in bulk. Then, freeze them in bags to always have at hand. I made this milk daily for over a year. It can get tiring at times but having the ingredients ready to use in the freezer was of huge help.

Tags failure to thrive, food allergies, formula, infant, plantbased

Our Story

Part 10 – The Glory of God Revealed

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date November 5, 2020
11 Comments on Part 10 – The Glory of God Revealed

To read our story from the beginning click here.

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” – John 11:40

It was two years of pain, suffering, helplessness, and agony watching my child become sicker each day. Two years of unceasing prayer, faith, surrender, obedience, and hope. God promised I would see His glory if I persevered in faith and so it was—and for all to see.

Lucas’ Hospitalization

It had been a week since our son was hospitalized against our will (read part 9). At the time Lucas was admitted, he had no vomiting, no diarrhea, and his skin was white with no inflammation. Throughout the week, the symptoms we had worked so hard to heal began to reappear. First worsening of his eczema, then diarrhea, and finally vomiting. As parents, this was heartbreaking to watch but even more distressing was the fact that we could not advocate for our child for fear of losing custody. In my pain and hopelessness, God reassured me and said: “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today… The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13-14

God filled me with peace, hope, and meekness as his symptoms became worse with each passing day. The climax of his deterioration came on Sunday, when for the first time ever he began wheezing and having trouble breathing. It was clear that he was reacting to the procedures that had been introduced, which included EleCare formula, two blood transfusion, TPN solution, and a diuretic. The nurse became concerned that the allergic reaction may worsen and called the rapid response team. Calling the medical emergency team was the fastest way to ensure Lucas was safe. It was the weekend and getting hold of the primary physician might have taken more time than we had.

God Sends Deliverance

Within minutes, our room was packed with medical staff. The nurse gave a quick summary of the events and the head emergency physician made an assessment to ensure Lucas’ immediate wellbeing. By this time, Lucas was calm and in my arms breastfeeding. The allergic reaction seemed to not advance any further. The doctor kneeled at the bedside to ask me questions. She wanted to know my account of the events and what I thought as his mom. Finally, I felt at liberty to speak up.

I informed the physician that I believed that Lucas was experiencing a severe allergic reaction to the formula and the different procedures. I explained that Lucas was very sensitive and reacted to most things. The doctor asked me a series of questions, and she came to the conclusion that Lucas may have also reacted to the diuretic. She took a look at his arm where the PICC line was placed and saw that it was not safe. The swelling was also a concern and an indication that something was not right. I expressed that we had been having serious trouble with the PICC line and I believed it was causing Lucas more harm than good. The nurse also began advocating for us and voiced her concerns about the situation. The physician showed remarkable knowledge, care, and empathy. She expressed she had personal experience with allergic reactions in children. She understood the struggle moms go through to protect their children from allergies.

The emergency physician ordered to stop giving Lucas the formula, take out the PICC line, and consider my expertise as his mom before doing anything. The nurse could not have been happier! We could not believe it!

As soon as the emergency team left, the nurse began working on removing the PICC line from Lucas. As she opened the bandage, we realized that the PICC line was almost fully out! Because it was so hard to tape it down and keep it in position, the line had been pulling out with every movement Lucas made. This could have been so dangerous for Lucas and may have been the cause of his swelling (a PICC line needs to stay near the heart).

We were very relieved to have the PICC line out and have the authorization to stop giving him formula. It is as though God had sent the emergency doctor. Nevertheless, we questioned how Lucas could be stabilized now. It had taken us months to see him begin to recover. How long would it take now? When would physicians discharge Lucas?

New Medical Guidance

We were starting another week at the hospital and a new lead physician was assigned to us. Unlike the doctor from the previous week, she was very caring of the concerns I expressed. She valued my opinion and considered it at every stage. She went out of her way to check in on us and make sure Lucas was OK. Furthermore, she agreed with the emergency doctor assessment to remove the PICC line and stop the formula feeding.

The lead physician assigned the attending physician with the task to research what formula Lucas could tolerate and she asked for a nutritionist to meet with us. There were very few options doctors could offer us. The protocol had failed, and the only thing they continued was finding ways to get more calories in him. When the nutritionist met with us, she was amazed at all we had done and knew. In fact, she started asking me questions about recipes, foods, and nutrition. She had no further advice for us.

The next day, the attending physician came back with a proposed formula, Neocate Splash. This time, the physician asked me to read through the ingredients and get my opinion on it. The ingredients definitely sounded much better than the EleCare formula which contains 55 percent corn syrup and has soy oil. Although I had my doubts about some ingredients such as maltodextrin and the fact that it was still a highly processed food, it looked like a viable option to try. Furthermore, it was clear that we could not leave the hospital without a clear feeding plan.

Physicians were so earnest to have Lucas gain weight quickly that they wanted him to drink the formula during the day and have a nasogastric (NG) tube to feed him at night. I expressed my concern that Lucas might vomit from having a full tummy since he breastfed at night. Furthermore, although they never suggested that I stop breastfeeding Lucas, it was clear that the medical team preferred to have a tangible way to count how many calories Lucas was taking in. My breast milk was not considered in his calorie count because they did not know how much nutrition he was receiving from it. Lucas also ate solid food, but the only thing that mattered to physicians was how much formula he drank a day. In our desperation for Lucas to be discharged from the hospital, we stopped feeding Lucas solids and focused mainly on having him drink the formula.

We tried the NG tube for two nights. The first night he woke up vomiting because his tummy was full. They had to reduce the dose. The next day his cheeks were already getting irritated from the tape holding the NG tube in place. The following morning, the tape no longer held in place and Lucas pulled the tube out. I now had confidence to speak up and advocate for my son, so I requested that the NG tube not be placed back.

Miraculous Recovery

During the second week in the hospital, something truly miraculous occurred. In the past, when Lucas had severe allergic reactions, it would take him two weeks to recover. However, we had never seen him react as severely as he did in the hospital. We feared that it would be months before his skin and digestive track recovered.

Nevertheless, this time was different. Lucas began recovering the moment they removed the PICC line and stopped using the EleCare formula. In just a few days, Lucas’ skin inflammation went away, his stools normalized, and he stopped vomiting. Consequently, he began gaining weight again. Lucas quickly regained energy and strength. He even began crawling around the bed—something he could not do before. Lucas had experienced short moments of healing before, but we had never witnessed such a remarkable recovery. There was no explanation other than the healing power of God working in him. The hospital protocol had weakened our child to the core, but now, God alone was restoring him back to health. We were in awe.

Many other events occurred that I cannot detail, or I would have to write a book. However, I can testify that the hand of the Lord was over Lucas, my husband, and I at every step of the way. As we were nearing the end of the third week in the hospital, the medical team felt Lucas was safe to be discharged.

Lucas left the hospital with no drug prescription and no treatment. The doctors had more questions than answers. However, all that mattered was that Lucas was certainly recovering. All glory to God!

Child Protective Services Charges

We were free to go home and treat Lucas as we had done before the hospitalization (read part 7). At home, we performed enemas for a few days to rebalance his microbiome and to further reduce the inflammation caused by the hospitalization. However, we still had to face the Child Protective Services (CPS) charges. We had weekly weigh ins with the primary care physician and weekly doctor’s appointments with different specialists.

CPS followed up with the hospital nurses and physicians. I am confident the report was positive. The nurses advocated for us and saw how dedicated we were to Lucas. The last day at the hospital, I remember asking the attending who was discharging us if it was clear on Lucas’ chart that there was no medical neglect on our part. He assured me that this was the case, and added that it was a very difficult case that perplexed all of Lucas’ physicians.

After a few weeks at home, a police officer knocked on our door. He was there to investigate charges on child abuse and asked if he could come in. The officer was very kind and asked us a couple questions. We explained Lucas’ medical condition and that now he was finally on the road to recovery. After a few minutes, he said that it was clear there was no case of child abuse and that he would dismiss his side of the investigation.

The last time we heard from CPS, was about a month after being discharged from the hospital. A public health nurse came to our house to weigh Lucas and do an in-home assessment. She was amazed at Lucas’ fast recovery. She could not believe it was the same boy. We explained what the physicians had tested for and how we were still seeing many specialists. It was clear that Lucas was on his way to healing. Yet, she made sure we understood that if we refused any medical treatment or missed any appointment, we would be in trouble.

New Homemade Formula

Lucas enjoyed drinking the Neocate Splash formula and at first it appeared to not cause him any harm. Yet, I never felt at ease with it. I researched one of the main ingredients in the formula, maltodextrin, and discovered that it was linked to digestive issues and an imbalance of the microbiota. By now, we had learned that the root cause of Lucas’ health issues was leaky gut and dysbiosis. I had a feeling this formula was disrupting his gut healing. I desperately wanted to change the formula but feared it would affect his weight. We were still required to do weekly weigh ins and could not take the risk of him not gaining weight one week.

Before Lucas was hospitalized, Mercy from Years Restored had talked to me about creating a homemade, high calorie formula for Lucas to drink to catch up on weight. We were about to implement it when Lucas was sent to the hospital. Now Lucas was fixed on Neocate Splash and I did not know how we could make the change. Then, a month after being on this formula, Lucas began having diarrhea again. I knew Neocate Splash was responsible for it and it would only get worse if we did not replace it soon.

We began planning to make the shift to a homemade formula. We had a few obstacles to think about. I suspected Lucas wouldn’t like the change at first and would deny drinking the new formula until he forgot about Neocate Splash. Lucas could also not lose weight by his next weigh in appointment. We prayed and left it in God’s hands as we thought about how we could do it.

At the next weigh in, the physician suggested to start weighing Lucas every two weeks instead of weekly. This gave us a two-week window to make the formula change and pray that if Lucas lost any weight, he would have enough time to recover it. The next day, we stopped giving Lucas Neocate Splash and I made the homemade formula.

As expected, Lucas refused to drink it. We tried in all kinds of ways to get him to drink some, but he just wouldn’t. The second day, same thing happened. On the third day, I weighed him, and he was already losing weight. As I had always done, I kneeled and asked God for wisdom and guidance.

My mom suggested mixing the homemade made formula with the Neocate Splash. I thought it was worth the try. We poured half of the homemade formula without Lucas seeing and then we had him pour the other half with Neocate Splash. It worked! He drank it all!! Over the next three days, we added less Neocate Splash each time until Lucas was only drinking the homemade formula.

The result? Lucas’ diarrhea stopped and, at his next weigh in, he had surpassed his previous weight gains! We informed the physician of the change in formula and she was fine with it as long as Lucas continued to gain weight.

Lucas Begins to Thrive

Over the next few months Lucas began thriving and catching up on everything he had missed. An essential part to Lucas’ recovery was Occupational Therapy (OT). Lucas had sensory issues that caused him to not want to eat certain foods or vomit them due to the texture. He refused to touch food and would scream any time food or certain textures touched him. He could not tolerate sand, for example. OT gave us the tools to explore new textures and overcome his sensory issues so that he could continue to thrive in all areas.

Lucas’ weight gain and growth were remarkably fast. With each passing day his muscles gained strength and he was readily learning to use them. On September 18, 2018, at 2 years and 10 months, Lucas finally learned to walk.

We were blessed with the opportunity to again take Lucas to the Avène Hydrotherapy Center where his skin healed further and we were able to testify of the miracle of Lucas’ healing. He was one of the most severe cases ever treated at Avène and they could not believe the healing that had taken place. We repeatedly gave all glory to God.

As Lucas began eating more solids and drinking more of the homemade formula, his body no longer needed my breast milk, and at nearly three years old, he weaned himself. I will never forget the last time I breastfed him. I knew it was the end of a long, painful, yet, beautiful journey. Lucas was finally healthy and independent to thrive on his own.

God’s Glory Revealed

In the months after the hospitalization, it became clear why God had allowed Lucas to be hospitalized. Everyone was to know that conventional medicine could not heal Lucas. It was God alone, through His natural means, who restored Lucas.

God spoke to me. We obeyed in faith at all cost. He delivered.

Today, Lucas is about to turn five years old. He still has some scars from the battle he fought, but you would never know that he was on the verge of death at one point. Every time you see Lucas, you see a miracle of God. You see the power of faith and the assurance that God still heals today. But above all, you see the glory of God.

A Call to the Reader

We all need healing. We have all fallen short of the glory of God and need deliverance. Healing is just as available to you as it was for me and my son. Jesus, the Great Physician, is willing to heal you today. Will you accept Him? Will you believe His word above all? Surrender to Christ fully today and He will lead you to complete healing.

Tags faith, god answers, god heals, healing, natural healing

Our Story

Part 9 – The Biggest Test Yet: Facing Child Protective Services

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date October 29, 2020
4 Comments on Part 9 – The Biggest Test Yet: Facing Child Protective Services

At times, God allows unexplainable circumstances that make us question everything we believe in. These tests of faith are not always for us—sometimes they are to help those around us to know and believe in the power of God. This is the story of the most agonizing experience we have ever lived for the glory of God.

Lucas Begins to Heal

We returned to the US from the Avène Hydrotherapy Center filled with hope that in the next few weeks we would see more improvements in Lucas. Although it was barely visible, his hair was beginning to grow back, indicating that his body was finally getting more nutrition, and the skin on his head had fully healed. It was a great sign of healing.

Unfortunately, at this time, I made a big mistake that impacted Lucas. It was peach season and we have two delicious peach trees in our backyard. I couldn’t resist the temptation and ate some, not realizing how it would affect Lucas through my breastmilk. A few days later, Lucas began to throw up and have diarrhea again. Although he lost weight from this reaction, we now knew how to bring him back to health. We gave him more onion/garlic broth to help with the inflammation and did two enemas a day for a week. In the morning we did a garlic broth enema and, in the evening, a blended vegetable enema.

His allergic reaction fully cleared in a week or two. After this, he began healing quickly. Just as Mercy Ballard (Years Restored) had told us, at the end of month four on the Autoimmune Plant-based Protocol, Lucas began to steadily gain weight. He was eating well, he had no more diarrhea, no more vomiting, and his skin was healing. He began gaining 8 oz (200 g) a week, which was a huge accomplishment after having no weight gain for two years!

Child Protective Services Knocks on Our Doors

We knew Lucas was healing, but to the outside world he still looked very ill. Understandably, some acquaintances gathered to talk about our son because they were worried we were not making the right decision by keeping him out of the hospital. Not knowing the details of his healing process, they were afraid that Lucas may lose his life soon if we did not take him to the hospital. So, they called Child Protective Services (CPS) to report us for medical neglect.

We knew this day could come. A few months earlier, a friend and medical missionary worker, warned me that she had heard people talking about Lucas and that we should pray earnestly for God to protect us. We did pray, and I believe God protected us—until it was time for God to reveal His glory.

On a Friday afternoon, CPS came knocking on our door. By God’s providence, we were not home. We are always home on Friday afternoon preparing for Sabbath, but on that day, I was running late and my husband decided to take Lucas to the park. CPS left a contact card on our door, requesting that we call them back.

My husband got home first and waited for me to arrive before telling me what he had found. He calmly sat me down, told me to trust God, and then showed me the contact card. My heart sank. I knew exactly what this meant. For some time, I had known what could result from refusing medical treatment recommended by doctors to protect a child’s life or development. The risk of losing custody of Lucas was very high. (Read Part 4 and Part 5 to know why we refused conventional medical treatment.)

We prayed earnestly and made some calls to get counsel. It became clear that we would be in a much better position to defend ourselves before CPS if Lucas was admitted to the hospital by us. It was Friday evening when we made the decision, but took the risk to wait until Monday to take him for a doctor’s visit.

Admitted into the Hospital

On Monday morning, I scheduled a sick visit for that day with Lucas’ primary care physician who we had not seen in a year. We could have taken Lucas straight to the hospital, however there was a slight chance that by taking Lucas’ to the doctor first, God could work a miracle to keep him out of the hospital, if that was His will. I needed God to reassure me of His will.

The primary care physician was very friendly, respectful, and understanding. Yet, she was sincerely scared to see a 2-and-a-half-year-old boy weighing only around 14 lbs. (6.3 kg). As expected, she directed Lucas to be immediately hospitalized for extensive testing and to help him gain weight fast. The hospital prepared a bed for Lucas that afternoon and by the evening he was admitted.

It is difficult to put into words the array of emotions I felt as we prepared to take Lucas to the hospital. I feared that everything we had worked to accomplished for Lucas’ healing was going to be lost. I was confused as to why God was allowing this to happen at this time. How would the world know now that it was God, through nature, who healed Lucas? How would God receive the credit for healing? It seemed as though everything we had stood up for in the past two years was in vain. Furthermore, knowing how ill Lucas still appeared, I felt vulnerable thinking that I would be judged as a horrible mom. It felt as though every choice was stripped from us and we were powerless. We could not refuse any treatment or even insinuate such a thought because of the risk of losing custody of our son for such actions. Yet, in the midst of all the hurt and confusion, I had immense faith that God would sustain us, protect us, and protect our son. As Lucas’ care was completely taken out of our hands, God provided a spirit of humility and meekness – such as I have never experienced before.

Hospital Treatment Begins

On Tuesday morning, the lead physician came to see Lucas and gathered his medical history and information from us. At the time Lucas was admitted into the hospital, he had no diarrhea or vomiting. Although he still had eczema, his skin was healing. It was white and clear with no red inflammation, except around the diaper area.

I informed the physician that Lucas had multiple food allergies and that he had even reacted to elemental formulas such as Elecare and Neocate. She explained how this was impossible and prescribed for Lucas to immediately begin drinking Elecare in addition to breast milk and the solid food he ate. The goal was to get him to gain weight as quickly as possible.

The GI specialist, who we had not seen in 9 months, also came to see us and explained the importance of starting Lucas on total parenteral nutrition (TPN). She feared that Lucas had a case of severe mal absorption and the only way to give him the nutrition he needed was through the vein (intravenously). However, this was a risky procedure requiring full sedation and continuous care to prevent a deadly infection. The GI also requested an endoscopy and colonoscopy to biopsy his digestive track and see any potential inflammation. Through this procedure, we would also find out the status of his eosinophilic esophagitis. The idea was to do all procedures at the same time while sedated.

We also saw a dermatologist, geneticist, endocrinologist, and immunologist. The main goal of doctors was to simply have Lucas gain weight.

Facing Child Protective Services

On Wednesday morning, Child Protective Services called my husband, who informed them that we were at the hospital. My husband and I kneeled at Lucas’ bedside and prayed for God’s spirit to be over us and for His protection. Three ladies from the county came that morning to present us with the allegations and charges against us for medical neglect. The lead investigator was rude, forceful, and had it in her mind that we were trying to kill our child.

They began aggressively interrogating us about every detail of Lucas’ medical history and treatment. We answered each accusation and question in such a composed manner that I knew the power of the Holy Spirit was over us. They insinuated that I was still breastfeeding because I had attachment issues and refused to feed my child any other way. I calmly attempted to explain that my child had several food allergies and that he had even reacted to elemental formulas. The only thing that had kept him alive this long was my breast milk. However, they had doubts this could be true.

The three ladies questioned us why there was no record of recent doctor visits. I did not dare mention that we had sought natural medicine, but I did explain that we had consulted with other experts around the world and had even taken our son to France for treatment. The lead investigator requested that we gather all medical files from the other experts and institutions to present them as evidence. Before leaving, she threatened us that if we denied any medical treatment at the hospital, she would find out from the nurses and we would lose immediate custody of our son. However, because we were already at the hospital and had not caused any doubt in the medical staff of our care for Lucas, CPS had no grounds at that time to take custody of our child.

As soon as the ladies from the county left, the daily rotations with the physicians began. Although there was a sensitive and tense feeling to what had just happened, the medical staff treated us with professionalism and compassion. I am certain this was not easy for them either and I will forever applaud them for the respect and care they expressed.

Questioning My Faith

The visit from CPS left me startled and insecure. Though God helped me keep my composure during the interrogation, I was a mess inside. There was no way for me to defend the decisions we had made over the last year to CPS or the medical staff. The decisions were all spiritually led and had little science or logic grounds. I was very well aware that according to the world, it was insanity to have refused medical treatment for our son. I began doubting if God had been leading us. Had I misinterpreted God’s voice?

The experiences I had lived through with God the previous two years were so genuine and tangible that I could not fathom the thought that those moments of deep communion with Him were not real. Yet, I was very confused with everything that God was allowing to happen now. I was truly questioning everything. Was God allowing the hospitalization because I had misinterpreted His word and this whole time it was God’s will for Lucas to be treated in the hospital? Were the physicians at the hospital to restore my son now?

The conviction that I had heard from God, however, was so strong that in my mind there were only two options: either everything I had experienced and heard from God was true or it was all false and there was no God. I had so fully surrendered to God that I could not grasp the idea that I had misinterpreted His voice or that He would allow me to misunderstand Him to such lengths.

The consideration that there was no God was too much for me to bear. There was a God. I heard Him speak! He had a plan and His glory would somehow be still revealed and all would know that it was Him alone who healed Lucas.

Testing Results

We received the first blood test results on Wednesday morning which confirmed that Lucas had multiple severe allergies and his entire immune system was on alert. Furthermore, he had several markers that indicated he might have hypereosinophilic syndrome, a very rare disease and unheard of in children. Over time, excess eosinophils enter the tissue and damage different organs. Physicians began contemplating this diagnosis, and we were told there was little they could do if this was his condition.

It was clear Lucas had a serious case of protein malabsorption as his Albumin was only 1.7 g/dL (normal range 3.8 – 5.2). We had known this to be a problem for a year and that it was due to his chronic diarrhea. Stool testing from the previous year had shown that he was not absorbing proteins. However, the labs also showed that Lucas had more nutrition in him than doctors first thought. Other markers they had expected to be off were normal, indicating that Lucas was getting nutrition. As I had insisted since he was six months old, his principal problem for not gaining weight was the chronic diarrhea. The only solution conventional medicine had for us was feeding Lucas by bypassing the digestive system through TPN.

Evaluation for Treatment

The head nurse who was in charge of evaluating whether Lucas was a good candidate to have a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) warned the physicians that although it was possible to place a PICC line in Lucas, he was at high risk of having a deadly infection due to his chronic eczema. The nurse could not provide a safe way to keep the PICC line free of bacteria and advised against it. However, the medical team thought otherwise.

I remember asking the PICC nurse what he would do in our situation. He told us that he could not answer that question, but that if it was his son, he would not place the PICC line unless his child wasn’t going to make it through another night. He was very concerned about Lucas and for two days he advocated for us. However, at last, the physicians left us with no choice but to place the PICC line. They assured us that all precautionary steps would be taken and a wound specialist would be in charge of keeping the PICC line secure and safe.

Medical Procedures

Lucas was scheduled to have the PICC line placed on Friday. At the same time, the GI would perform an endoscopy and colonoscopy and do a biopsy. The procedure went well but it left Lucas very weak and he did not fully wake up from the sedation. It was a cause for concern, but 24 hours later Lucas began to fully come to himself.

The endoscopy showed no inflammation of the esophagus, but the biopsy was positive for eosinophils (the measure to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis). It is important to note that this number was low, which could have been due to the allergens that he was being exposed to at the hospital. Lucas’ colonoscopy was completely normal and healthy! This was astonishing considering he had two years of chronic diarrhea and malabsorption.

With the PICC line in place, it was easier to draw blood from Lucas and the doctors took full advantage to run more tests on him. The nutritionist met with us to discuss his TPN feeding. She was aware of Lucas’ sensitive condition and multiple allergies. It was a possibility that Lucas could even react to the TPN solution and for this reason they decided to keep lipids out of the solution.

Allergic Reaction & Complications

Lucas has a delayed allergic response, which means that he may not react to a food until days later, usually around day three or four. The entire week, while the doctors discussed Lucas’ TPN feeding and treatment, he was drinking the Elecare formula prescribed to him the first day. By Wednesday, three days after being hospitalized, Lucas’ eczema had gotten significantly worse—even worse than before we went to France for treatment. I believe the stress of being hospitalized played a role in addition to the formula he was being fed. On day four, Lucas’ vomiting and diarrhea returned. We had experienced this before at home, so I knew he was reacting to the formula. I informed the doctors, but their response was, “that is alright, we hope he is at least absorbing some.” In the days to come, the diarrhea and vomiting became increasingly worse. Even while on TPN, we were instructed to keep feeding him the formula. The sole focus was to get calories into him, even if these calories themselves were causing harm.

The day after the PICC line was placed, the tape holding it in place became completely loose. The nurse immediately called the PICC nurse and wound specialist. They removed all the tape and bandages to take a look and clean the sight. Lucas’ skin could not tolerate the bandages and tape. His skin was fully exposed and oozing. The PICC nurse was very concerned and expressed that this was exactly what he was worried about. There was no way to keep the area clean, secure, and safe from bacteria. The wound specialist did her best to bandage the area but it became clear that TPN was not going to be sustainable.

Throughout the whole week we had been very submissive, cooperative, and attentive to every medical procedure and prescription. However, on Sunday, things turned around for the worst and we could not remain calm any longer.

A series of events unfolded in just a few hours, starting with Lucas needing two blood transfusions. So much blood was drawn from his body for testing that he was depleted. We had been informed this was likely to happen. We were also informed that there was always a risk he could react to the blood transfusion. Next, Lucas started swelling up due to edema. This was most obvious on his arm where the PICC line was placed. The bottom of his arm had swollen to three times its size. To reduce the swelling and release the fluid build up, he was given a diuretic. When I changed his diaper, I was in shock to see his skin in hives like I had never seen before. I gasped so loudly that the nurse who had just been assigned to our care became concerned and asked if this was normal. It was certainly not! A few minutes later we noticed that Lucas was wheezing and having trouble breathing. The nurse was alarmed, and she called the emergency team.

Deliverance Needed

We were watching our child deteriorate before our eyes, yet we were powerless to advocate for him and protect him. We were not in a position to refuse any medical treatment or defend what we thought was best for Lucas. My heart ached and my motherly instinct screamed inside. Still, we waited for God to act. It was for Him alone to deliver us. I repeatedly heard the voice of God saying:

Tags eczema, eoe, hospital

Our Story

Part 8 – The Avène Hydrotherapy Center

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date October 22, 2020
3 Comments on Part 8 – The Avène Hydrotherapy Center

Avène Hydrotherapy Center

The Avène Hydrotherapy Center is located in the mountains of southern France. It is world-renowned for treating skin conditions such as eczema, burns, and psoriasis using the natural spring water in the area.

We heard about the Avène Hydrotherapy Center from my mother-in-law. She saw a news report on TV about a child that looked very similar to our son — severe eczema all over the body and struggling to gain weight. After the child was treated at the Avène Center, his skin began to heal and he started thriving. My mother-in-law was moved by the story and was convinced that our son had to go there.

I must be honest that I had little hope it would help. I knew his eczema was just a symptom of a much larger gut problem and I did not see how a skin treatment could help cure the root cause. However, my husband thought differently and he was very persistent that we look into it. As we had done up to this point, we left it in God’s hands for Him to show us His will.

The Faith Required to Go to Avène

The obstacles for us to travel to France for treatment were numerous. We had no financial means to go. Three trips were recommended to see lasting results. I questioned that if we could not even afford one trip, what was the point of even contemplating this option? However, my husband insisted that God would provide if it was His will.

Our son was in a very weak condition. Not having gained any weight in 18 months, we were extremely worried that if we did not find healing soon, our son would pass away. We did not know how a long-distance trip would affect him. I was concerned about keeping up with our restrictive diet and natural remedies while traveling.

We placed our obstacles in God’s hands and decided to move forward letting God open and close doors according to His will. The biggest sign would be to find the financial means to go. God had to provide the cash or else we would not go. We needed at least $8,000 USD. Friends helped us start a fundraiser and God moved quickly in the hearts of people. Within just 2 weeks we had surpassed our goal exceedingly.

Trusting in God’s providence, we moved forward to plan our trip to France.

Traveling to Avène

We planned to fly to the Avène Hydrotherapy Center in late April 2018, two months after having started the Autoimmune Plant-based Protocol. I was determined to continue with the protocol while we traveled although it would be very challenging. We needed to prepare enough food to sustain Lucas and me for 4 weeks of traveling. I did not know what food would be available to us in France and if I would have time to cook in between treatments. Furthermore, I would certainly not have a dehydrator. We prepared three loaves of quinoa bread, as well as dehydrated crackers and buckwheat granola. We put everything in the freezer until it was time to go. Additionally, we packed beans, buckwheat, quinoa, and coconut milk for the first days until we could figure out where to find these products.

Lucas was still struggling with diarrhea when we did not do the garlic broth enemas. Therefore, I was determined to continue that treatment if possible. We would also try to continue giving him the onion/garlic broth.

We packed everything and it was time to go. Lucas did great on the flight.

However, the problems began when we arrived in France. We’re not sure why or what caused it, but Lucas refused to eat and all he wanted to do was sleep. He became even weaker and lost weight. Being out of his environment and not able to maintain his skin regime as we did at home, Lucas’ eczema also worsened.

On my end, I was STARVING during our first days there. We had a hard time finding the safe foods we knew Lucas could eat. I caved and ate some oranges, pears, and sweet potato. Those foods were passed on to Lucas through my breast milk and a few days later, he began to throw up.

We landed in Paris, France on a Friday and rested on the Sabbath. On Sunday, we finally took a train to Montpellier and rented a car to drive to the Avène Hydrotherapy Center in the rural mountains of France.

Avène Hydrotherapy Treatment

On Monday, we had our first appointment with the doctor who would be prescribing Lucas’ treatment. Lucas was definitely one of the worst cases they had seen. On the SCORAD index, a scoring system to determine the severity of eczema, Lucas had a very high score of 85.5 (anything over 50 is considered severe). However, the doctor was confident Lucas would see improvement as other children in his condition had.

The hydrotherapy treatment was 3 weeks long. The doctor prescribed two daily baths, massage under water sprinklers, water compress, Avène Xera Calm Balm, and Avène Cicalfate Cream. The water is kept at a constant lukewarm temperature, making it tolerable but not pleasant. Lucas was constantly cold.

Daily Routine

10:00 am – 20-minute bath

10:30 am – Underwater massage

10: 45 am – Water compress

11:00 am – Break

1:00 pm – 20-minute bath

1:20 pm – Apply Avène Cicalfate Cream and Avène Xera Calm Balm

How Avène Spring Water Works

The first week we were at Avène, we participated in a workshop to learn more about the treatment, scientific studies, and what makes Avène water successful. We learned that the spring water, in addition to having a high concentration of trace minerals, it also has microbiota that helps in the healing process. We were encouraged to drink only Avène spring water during our stay to receive the internal benefits as well.

The spring water is naturally cold and is heated to a lukewarm state. Not any hotter as skin conditions do better with cooler water. Through the different treatments, the skin begins to shed dead skin and peel. The spring water minerals and microbiota enter the skin bringing healing. Skin regenerates every 27 days. Therefore, as the skin peels, the hope is that the new skin will be healthy. Final results may not be seen until weeks or months after.

Lucas’ Healing Process

Lucas mostly breastfed during our first 5 days in France. When he ate solid food, it always required much time and effort. Being constantly on the go those first days, we had little of the quiet time he needed for meals. I was becoming increasingly worried as I saw him get weaker. On the 5^th night, I was in tears doubting whether we had made the right decision in going to Avène. My husband and I kneeled before God asking Him one more time to stabilize Lucas and bring healing to him. Trusting God heard us, we went to bed.

At 3 a.m. in the morning, Lucas woke us up full of energy asking for food! I did not care what time it was or how exhausted we were, I went and got his food ready. He ate for a full hour! This was the start of him slowly beginning to regain strength over those next few weeks. God had answered yet another prayer.

We were unable to do the garlic broth enemas during our first six days, and Lucas’ diarrhea had come back. I knew it was a priority, so we made the time, prepared everything, and did an enema. To my surprise, his diarrhea never came back. It was the only enema he needed in France. The Avène spring water not only helped his skin but was also healing the root cause: his gut.

During the second week of treatment, Lucas’ skin seemed to get much worse. It was fully exposed and inflamed. We were told that this was normal in severe cases of eczema. As the skin layers peel, more inflammation is made visible. It was painful to watch.

The third week we finally began to see some improvement. Lucas was less itchy, sleeping better, and less inflamed. On his final evaluation, we learned that his SCORAD index had dropped to 58.2 (32%). He was still in the severe category but better nonetheless. We were assured that in the next month or two we would see further improvements.

We left Avène hopeful yet filled with uncertainty as our child was still ill-looking and weak. Little did we know that we were just about to witness God’s glory—but not before God would test us one last time. There was to be no doubt that only God had healed our son.

Tags avene, eczema, france, hydrotherapy, natural healing

Our Story

Part 7 – The Autoimmune Plant-Based Protocol

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date October 15, 2020
1 Comment on Part 7 – The Autoimmune Plant-Based Protocol

To read our story from the beginning click here.

At the end of 2017, I was filled with hope again when God reassured His promise of healing. I was starting 2018 with faith that God was still leading us, and we were on the right path. Seeking help one more time, I reached out to another medical missionary worker who was recommended as being very experienced with autoimmune diseases and gut issues. Mercy Ballard at Years Restored was willing to work with us hand-in-hand to guide us. She warned me that it would take much effort and training, but she was confident that by the grace of God, He would show us the way to bring healing to Lucas. Mercy proposed the Autoimmune Plant-based Protocol that she has used multiple times to help individuals heal. In her experience, it takes two to four months to heal the gut. Due to Lucas’ severity, we were looking at 4 months of the strictest and most disciplined lifestyle before we would see clear improvements. Mercy prayed with me and asked God to guide us as we started this new protocol.

The Autoimmune Plant-Based Protocol

The Autoimmune Plant-Based Protocol recognizes that the root cause of autoimmune diseases is found in the gut. Therefore, the focus is on healing the digestive system. This is achieved through a very strict, predominantly raw, plant-based diet. In addition, natural remedies are catered to each individual to restore the microbiome and heal the gut. The principle is to remove inflammatory foods, replace harmful foods with healing foods, and repair the digestive system with natural remedies. This healing process incorporates a wholistic look at the person. Consequently, all-around healthy lifestyle habits are essential. You can read about these lifestyle principles here.

The Autoimmune Plant-Based Diet

The Autoimmune Plant-Based Diet is rich in raw vegetables, legumes, pseudo grains (quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth), seeds, and low-sugar fruits. It avoids all animal products, gluten, grains, soy, nuts, oils, and high-sugar fruits such as bananas, oranges, grapes, etc. Additionally, the legumes, pseudo grains, and seeds must be soaked and sprouted to decrease antinutrients such as Lectins. The sprouting process makes these foods easier to digest and gives the body the ability to absorb more nutrients—something critical for those suffering with malabsorption or gut issues.

Natural Remedies

One unique aspect of this protocol is that no supplements are used. All-natural remedies come from foods. My husband and I had spent a fortune on multiple supplements with no results. This protocol was certainly a different approach. Natural Remedies are based on powerful foods such as onion, garlic, herbs, aloe vera, turmeric, and ginger. In addition, charcoal, hydrotherapy, and enemas are used in specific cases.

Adopting the New Protocol

Mercy was right when she told me that it would take a lot of training and effort to adopt every aspect of the Autoimmune Plant-Based Protocol. It was a whole new way of eating and cooking. Lucas was still mostly nursing. Because my breast milk was his main source of nutrition, I also had to implement these changes in my own diet. I was already plant-based. Additionally, we had eliminated what seemed like a lot of foods: gluten, soy, rice, oats, peas, most nuts, squashes, and nightshades (potato, tomato, eggplant, bell pepper). Now, we also had to eliminate corn, almonds, millet (all grains), and most fruits. I had to learn to cook with buckwheat, quinoa, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seed, chia, flax seed, legumes and as many raw vegetables as possible.

Another challenge we faced was feeding Lucas. In the two years of unstoppable allergic reactions, our son had learned to associate food with pain and illness. Because of this, he often refused to eat. Furthermore, he had developed sensory problems that led him to not eat certain food textures. One of the few foods he loved was homemade corn chips with avocado. But now we had to find a way to replace the corn chips and add more raw vegetables in his diet.

We immediately implemented these changes into our diet. I bought foods I had never heard of such as buckwheat and mung beans. We purchased a food dehydrator which helped us add raw foods in our diet. The foods we had to eliminate we replaced with other, more healing foods and began experimenting in the kitchen. Mercy guided us and we thought of recipes that could work for Lucas. My mom and I created raw crackers from sunflower seeds and veggies. I started blending avocado with cilantro, parsley, basil, spinach, green onion, garlic, and lemon into a pesto of sorts, which helped us add more raw vegetables into Lucas’ diet. We made raw buckwheat granola with fruit for breakfast and lentil/quinoa crackers with the pesto for lunch.

It was not easy to convince Lucas to try these new foods but with lots of prayer and persistence, Lucas started accepting these changes.

Natural Remedies Implemented

We knew that Lucas’ health struggles all started in the gut. He had a severe case of leaky gut and dysbiosis (imbalance of the gut microbiota). It was crucial to heal the lining of the digestive track, remove the bad gut bacteria, and add good gut bacteria. The diet would certainly help in this process, but more work was needed to help his body heal. There were three remedies we implemented with success:

Onion/Garlic Broth
The purpose of this broth was to reduce inflammation of the digestive track and kill the bad gut bacteria. Lucas was to drink it three times a day before meals.
Aloe Vera Juice
We blended fresh aloe vera gel with water and stevia leaf—a drink which coats the digestive system and promotes healing of the gut lining. Lucas was to drink this before each meal and at nighttime.
Enemas
There are a number of purposes for enemas. In our case, enemas helped to stop Lucas’ diarrhea and restore his microbiome. We used garlic broth enemas to kill the bad gut bacteria and vegetable juice enemas to introduce good bacteria.

It was not easy giving Lucas these natural remedies. There was a lot of trial and error. We started with the onion/garlic broth and aloe vera juice. We were not always able to give it to him three times daily but we did our best. Juicing would have been beneficial but Lucas refused to drink it. I tried giving him charcoal to drink with water to also help his digestive system. However, because of his sensory problems, he could not tolerate the sandy texture and always threw up.

We quickly realized that drinking the broth and aloe vera would not be enough to balance his gut bacteria. Although Lucas’ vomiting was improving, he still had severe diarrhea. He needed something that addressed the gut more directly. This is where the enemas came in. The thought of doing enemas on my child was not pleasant, but we tried it and Lucas did amazing! It caused him no pain or discomfort. He realized that the enemas brought him relief and never fought us.

We tried onion broth enemas first to stop the diarrhea but that did not work. We moved on to something stronger—garlic broth enemas. Garlic is powerful and can burn. Therefore, we had to be careful to have the right strength. I cooked three garlic cloves in 1 cup of water and strained it to use the broth for the enema. We performed the enema, and, for the first time in two years, his diarrhea stopped! However, 24 hours later his diarrhea returned. We had to do garlic broth enemas daily to keep the diarrhea away. We were excited to find something that worked to stop the diarrhea, but we had no way of knowing how long we would have to keep up with the daily enemas. Furthermore, although Lucas was now having only 2-3 bowel movements a day, it was evident from his stools that he was still not digesting food well.

Faith Required

In April 2018, we were entering the third month of strictly following the Autoimmune Plant-based Protocol. We finally felt we had figured out all of Lucas’ food allergies and had a list of safe foods. His vomiting had gotten much better and it was no longer a daily struggle. However, we knew we were still dealing with malabsorption. Lucas was still not gaining weight, his skin was still covered in eczema, and he still had no strength.

The protocol required the most diligent discipline, which took time and effort. It was draining. It was not easy. We were uncertain of the future. We had tried so many medicines by now that we questioned whether this would be another fail. However, God was teaching me an important lesson. Any medicine that comes from God will required discipline, obedience, and faith.

God had promised healing in 2018. He was moving quickly although we could not fully see it yet. There was one more therapy that God had prepared for us – the Avène Hydrotherapy Center.

Tags autoimmune disease, eczema, eoe, failure to thrive, natural healing, plantbased, protocol

Our Story

Part 6 – The Search for a Christian Naturopath

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date October 8, 2020
3 Comments on Part 6 – The Search for a Christian Naturopath

Part 6 – The Search for a Christian Naturopath

By the time my son was 18 months old, God had promised me that He would heal him and had shown me that I was to use only natural medicine. Now, He was testing my faith as my son’s condition worsened. There is only one thing I was more afraid of than losing my son, and that was disobeying God. He had promised to heal my son as long as I was faithful to His revealed will (read part 4). I dared not miss out on the blessing due to my disobedience. I also believed that God had a higher purpose in mind and I did not dare interrupt His work in my son, me, and my husband. However, I had no knowledge of natural medicine or how to help my son. We needed guidance. But where could we find a Christian Naturopath?

Finding a Christian Naturopath

Our search for a naturopath who could point us in the right direction to find healing for our son seemed endless. I was determined to look for godly experts who would keep us away from New Age medical practices. This was hard, very hard.

I took every step with precaution, asking God to lead. I wanted healing for my son, but only if it came from God. We went to two specialized naturopaths but after the first appointment I saw God was not leading in that direction. They were not Christian-oriented and suggested New Age medical practices or supplements containing pork and other substances I did not morally agree with. I even contemplated acupuncture and the Holy Spirit led me away from it. After these experiences, I saw that God wanted me to seek knowledge only from medical missionary workers. A medical missionary worker is a Christian individual who is committed to teach you lifestyle practices and natural medicine according to God’s leading and the law of nature.

Over the course of a year, I reached out to five medical missionary workers. Each one had seemingly infinite knowledge and experience. Yet, they were unable to help. They were in disbelief that what had worked for others did not bring any relief to my son. Although, we were unable to find healing through their advice, I did gain a great amount of knowledge on natural remedies and their uses. We were also able to keep away infection which was a huge win considering his fragile condition and open skin.

Medicine that Deceives

Satan wanted to deceive us at all cost. We had established that we would not seek conventional medical advice putting our trust in God’s revealed will to us. But what about a form of natural medicine that promised complete healing?

A church member approached me one day. She had seen my son’s health struggles and wanted to share with me a natural treatment that had healed her son from severe allergies, failure to thrive, and digestive issues. This sounded just like my son. The treatment was called NAET. I had never heard of it and was open to hearing her story and considering it.

She explained that the treatment cured allergies and brought balance to the body which led to healing. It sounded like a very promising treatment. However, red flags went off in my head when she mentioned that energy was used in the process.

At the end of our conversation, she even offered to pay for the full treatment with the best experts. She was so eager to help our son heal with the medicine that had worked for her. I told her that we would look into it and get back to her.

Christian perspective on NAET and other New Age Practices

Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) is defined as “a non-invasive, drug free, natural solution to alleviate allergies of all types and intensities using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy, chiropractic, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine.”

The theory behind NAET is that your muscles weaken when you are exposed to an allergen. The allergy is confirmed when your muscles lose strength holding the allergen. However, you never touch the allergen, the name of the allergen is inserted in a small test tube for you to hold.

When an allergen is confirmed, the NAET specialist will treat you for that allergen by balancing your energy through acupressure and other techniques.

I never doubted that this could work. We are electrical beings after all. My question was, where does this energy come from? Does our energy need to be balanced? And, what energy comes in the body to bring balance?

In my study, I found that NAET had it’s roots in New Age practices. Specifically, the idea that we need to balance our good and bad energy, Yin Yang. I came to the conclusion that we should not under any circumstance interrupt the energy of our bodies. This energy was given to us by God at creation (White, Testimonies to the Church III, p. 138). Due to sin, this energy has certainly been disrupted. However, the answer to bring balance to it is not Yin Yang, the balance between good and evil, but rather it is Jesus Christ, the giver of life.

Energy is produced in a closed loop. God created it this way. When you open these channels to bring outside “balance” in, you are opening yourself for evil spirits to come in. And these certainly have the power to imitate healing. The same is true for other practices whose roots are in New Age such as yoga, martial arts, and meditation. I have no doubt that these appear to bring health and vitality. However, the devil is a master deceiver and true healing can only come from Christ.

Following God’s Will

I didn’t have to look any further. I was convinced that although NAET was a drug-free natural option, it was not a method of healing that God approved of.

The church member who presented NAET to me was very persistent. This medicine was presented to us on a pedestal. The promise of healing and all the resources to pay for it. However, I replied to the church member and said, “No, thank you”. I explained that we had learned in this journey that it was not about bringing healing to our son but about letting God work out His perfect will in us for His glory. Our priority was to do God’s will, whether that resulted in healing or not.

God Confirms His Promise

The year 2017 was coming to an end without any glimmer of hope. We had spent all year looking for someone who could help our son heal with no luck. Lucas was 2 years old weighing only 14 lbs (6.3 kg). His skin was always itchy and inflamed. He had lost all his hair. His muscles were so weak due to the chronic malabsorption that his body had no strength to crawl or stand, let alone walk. It had been three months since we had last seen him be able to stand and take a few steps with assistance.

On December 30, 2017, my heart became filled with anxiety and sadness. I began to doubt that I had discerned God’s voice correctly. I could not take seeing my child in constant pain and suffering anymore. In my despair, I longed to hear God again and be reminded of His promise.

I wanted to go back to the place where God had promised me healing over a year ago. I needed a sign from God that we were on the right path. I did not even know what sign to ask for; that was up to God. I simply yearned for God to comfort my soul and fill me with hope.

So, on December 31, 2017, we went to Salt Creek Beach where I had heard the precious promise, “I will heal your son, but not yet”. We had a wonderful day at the beach and just as we were getting ready to leave, I took Lucas off the stroller and holding him I encouraged him stand. To my surprise, he did not throw himself on the floor as he had usually done, but he stood firmly. I held his hands and stimulated him to take a few steps with me. To my surprise again, he began walking. Not just a few steps—he was ready to explore all his surroundings. He led me to a staircase and he began going up and down the stairs. I was in disbelieve. All I could do was glorify God.

Suddenly, the Holy Spirit came over me and said, “You wanted a sign, this is it.” I began crying and praising God. An impression was placed in my heart, that we were about to see the glory of God revealed in our son. We were doing God’s will and He was about to fulfill His promise.

Lucas walked for 15 minutes! Something he had not done in a year. Something he would not do again until 10 months later when he finally learned to walk. It was supernatural. His body had no strength to do it on its own.

I did not know what to do with the impression placed in my heart. I had doubts. But if that was truly God, I did not want to deny it. The next morning, on January 1, 2018, God placed a bible verse in heart:

“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:19

We were about to witness a miracle.

Tags christian, eczema, eoe, natural healing, Naturopath

Our Story

Part 5 – When Your Faith is Tested

Post author By abundantpeaceandhealth
Post date September 30, 2020
7 Comments on Part 5 – When Your Faith is Tested

Part 5 - When Your Faith is Tested

With the understanding that God had given me through His Word and the faith He implanted in my heart, I was determined to obey God and follow His instructions. However, the question remained, “What natural means will help my son heal?” As I studied scripture and daily gave my will to God, I stumbled upon a one-hour health lecture on YouTube by Barbara O’Neill. I was immediately captivated by her knowledge. She was teaching just what God had impressed in my heart and had so much wisdom in regard to using natural remedies for healing. I watched all of her lectures within a week, but I needed more specific knowledge to help my son, and that is when I found her email. I emailed her asking for her advice for my son’s case and to my surprise, she emailed me back the very same day. This first exchange started our daily email conversations as she began to guide me.

I knew God had guided me to find Barbara O’Neill and I immediately began implementing her recommendations—none of which could pose a risk for Lucas. Up to this point, we had experimented with several different elimination diets, but none seemed to help Lucas. I kept on eliminating foods and it felt like my son would not be able to eat anything because his symptoms continued. Barbara gave me some suggestions to change my diet one more time, for example replacing oats with millet and rice with quinoa. We also began giving Lucas some natural remedies like slippery elm.

The Decision To Take Our Son Off Drugs

Several things had happened at the same time: God revealing His plan to heal Lucas, me stumbling upon Barbara O’Neill, and the conviction in my heart that I had to take Lucas off all drug medications. Before I go on, I must be clear that none of the medications my son was taking were lifesaving; there was no imminent risk to take him off them. At this time, we were using a steroid oil on his skin from head to toe, high amounts of Hydroxyzine, and Budesonide (steroid medication) for his eosinophilic esophagitis. The only medication that maybe had some benefit was the Budesonide, because Lucas seemed to have started having less vomiting, but he was still not gaining weight. This drug, however, would not allow us to find out what he was truly allergic to because it masked the symptoms and it was not serving its purpose in helping Lucas gain weight as his severe diarrhea continued. At this time, we also decided that we would not be vaccinating Lucas at his one-year appointment.

I could give you countless scientific reasons and explanations for why we made the decision to take our son off the drugs, but at the end, it was simply an act of faith. God had made it very clear that He would heal our son but His way, without drugs. God had promised to reveal to me “great and might things which you do not know” to heal my son, but I had to take the first step of faith (Jeremiah 33:3).

To be honest, the decision wasn’t hard. It came naturally as a progression of everything God was revealing to me. It also helped that the drugs did not seem to help, and countless advice given by the physicians had only made Lucas get worse.

As we weaned Lucas off his drugs, he began having pretty bad withdrawal symptoms. He began to be itch like never before— desperately. He just couldn’t stop. He did not want to do anything but scratch. His skin exploded in head to toe eczema like we had never seen before.We would slather him in a homemade shea butter cream I made and would do wet wrap therapy (one layer of wet clothes right after applying the cream and then one layer of dry clothes).

To prevent scratching as much as possible, we only put onesies on him and put tape around the wrist of his onesie so he couldn’t pull the sleeves up. He still found any way he could to scratch. Every diaper change was a battle to keep him from scratching. It was a horrific four weeks, but his body finally calmed down and we were able to see what his true, baseline eczema looked like. He still itched, but not as desperately. He still had eczema, but it was not as severe or inflamed.

Our Son Begins To Heal

After a month of making the dietary changes recommended by Barbara O’Neill, implementing natural remedies, and taking Lucas off the drugs, we finally began to see hope. His eczema became somewhat more manageable, and most importantly, his diarrhea stopped, and he began to gain weight after nearly 6 months of no weight gain! He began to develop quickly. All the things he had missed (from being so weak and constantly itching) he began to do. We finally had a baby full of energy ready to explore the world. He began to crawl at 11 months and quickly moved on to holding on to furniture to practice taking steps. He was not throwing up, he was eating well, and everything indicated that we had finally found healing. It could only get better from here.

Our Faith Is Tested

The future was looking bright. It seemed we had finally gotten out of this storm and could see the sunshine ahead of us. Then, out of nowhere, the storm came back stronger than we could have ever imagined. After all the progress Lucas had made, he came crashing down. The explosive diarrhea and vomiting came back, which quickly debilitated his entire system. Nothing had changed in his diet or environment, so his deterioration made absolutely no sense. Over the course of the next few months, Lucas began to lose the weight he had gained, he began to lose his hair, and his eczema was out of control. Due to the constant severe diarrhea, he had very low protein levels in his blood, which left him with no strength for his muscles to develop and grow. He went from almost walking by himself, to barely having the strength to sit.

What were we to do now? Our son was disintegrating right in front of our eyes. Most alarming to doctors was his low protein level. However, once again, instead of focusing on what was causing it and how to heal it, the Gastroenterologist (GI) suggested to feed him with total parenteral nutrition (TPN), which is a method of feeding that bypasses the digestive tract and instead uses a special formula that is given through the vein to provide nutrients. This sounded like the least natural way to feed a human. We had a long conversation with the GI and decided not to go for it and wait it out.

What followed was a year full of trials and endless debates whether to use conventional medicine or not. It seemed that in trying the natural way, God’s way, it caused our son’s health to come crashing down in illness. We were so strict, so disciplined, and had done our work in faith. Why was God not providing healing? He was simply testing our faith.

God had promised He would heal Lucas, but He was very specific to tell me “not yet” and I didn’t know how long that would be. However, the way God revealed Himself to me was so powerful that I never doubted my son would be healed. Therefore, when the doctors told me that Lucas couldn’t live with such low protein levels, I thought, “you do not define whether my son dies or lives, God already established that he will live and be healed.” The question at hand was whether it was ok to use conventional medicine while we waited on God. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you of the countless times where all I wanted to do was run to the hospital and let the physicians do whatever they felt needed to be done to keep him alive and thrive. However, each time I felt that way, the power of the Holy Spirit was much stronger in me and I was reminded that God’s promise of healing was conditional that we obey Him. Hebrews 10:35-36 says, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” I needed to persevere.

There were endless debates in my house, with family, and with friends about our decision to not use conventional medicine. I was judged and treated as a crazy person “hearing voices” by pastors, church leaders, therapist, and close friends. However, the conviction God gave me was much stronger than any argument anyone could throw at me. They argued I needed to hospitalize my son immediately to save his life; that God would bless the doctors and drugs to bring healing but the Spirit was telling me to “trust and obey.” I cannot put into words the divine strength and faith that God gave me. The conviction that I had to endure this trial and block out all human sense and advice, was only imparted by God. It was not human strength; it was supernatural power from the Holy Spirit. This is how I knew I was doing God’s will, because on my own I could not have possibly stood on my ground.

The year 2017 was full of pain, insecurity, and helplessness. However, at the same time, it was filled with faith, strength, and hope. I got to truly experience what it means to be closest to God when pain and trials are the greatest.

We barely slept that year. Some days, I had no emotional strength to go to work. Most days, I spent praying every hour, crying my eyes out and asking God to sustain me, my family, and my son. I look back and I can see God’s glory revealed throughout that entire year. He never left me. He was always there. He carried me, my husband, and my son in His arms. At the hardest times, I would kneel next to my son’s bed as he slept and asked Jesus to keep his heart beating through the night. I know Jesus did just that and only He sustained his life. As I saw my son’s life hanging by thread, I was constantly reminded that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18). And so it was, His glory we finally did see.

Tags eczema, eoe, failure to thrive, faith, healing, natural healing