Grapefruit Seed Extract

In our conquest to fight thrush over the past couple of months, I became really familiar with Grape Fruit Seed extract and its many uses. Since discovering this, I have really been inspired to research and incorperate more natural remedies into our daily life!

The following is taken from an article I found:

"Grapefruit Seed Extract is being used successfully in humans and animals alike to fight many types of internal and external infections caused from parasites (single and multi-celled), viruses, bacteria, fungus and more!

The greatest benefit is due to it's multipurpose (broad spectrum) effect. It is effective even if the causes of the infections are known, unknown or misdiagnosed. Grapefruit seed extract naturally detoxifies, enhances and supports the immune system.

Grapefruit seed extract contains high levels of vitamin C and E, and bioflavonoids. The important substances have an antioxidant action and can neutralize free radicals that damage cells and cause a number of illnesses.

Another important benefit of grapefruit seed extract is that it is helpful in alkalizing the blood. Alkalizing the body fluids (raising pH) is one of the single most important health regeneration benefits available as disease causing microforms (fungi, bacteria, virus etc.) cannot survive in an alkaline oxygenated environment. Though lemons, limes, and grapefruits are chemically acid, tests show that when they are metabolized in the body they actually have an alkalizing effect. They have very little sugar and they contain an abundance of oxygen. This is a plus for anyone fighting candida or any other disease. Conclusion: Eat more fresh vegetables and less processed foods as most all vegetables are alkaline forming in the body.

Grapefruit seed extract is effective at very low concentrations. During 1989-90, an international research team (reported in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Volume 5, No. 3, USA, 1990) examined the effects of GSE and compared this with 30 effective antibiotics and 18 proven fungicides. GSE was found to perform as well as any and all of the tested agents. Without the harsh side effects. It is a natural alternative to strong antibiotics.

Grapefruit seed extract is nontoxic. According to an independent laboratory testing "Acute Oral Toxicity", it would take at least 4,000 times the normal dose of gse to produce a 50% chance of poisoning (called LD50).

Because grapefruit seed extract does not exhibit the harsh side effects and high cost of pharmaceuticals it is becoming the alternative health choice for naturopathic physicians, clinics and the general public."



In researching Grapefruit seed extract over the last couple of months, I have found several uses for it.

1. I have started using it as a multipurpose cleanser in my home-especially in the kitchen. Simply add 30-60 drops of the liquid form of it to 32 oz. purified water in a spray bottle (this is important, as the chemicals in your tap water with make the GSE ineffective) Voila! You cann also purchase natural cleansers with the GSE in it at Kroger in the natural foods section. Not only does it kill yeast and other fungi, but also viruses and bacteria. I recently read an article, and now for the life of me I can't find it, that stated GSE was more effective in killing bacteria and viruses than bleach and hospital grade cleaners. Wow!

2. GSE is great to add to your laundry. Especially if you have had a bout of thrush, or any other kind of illness in your home. I add it to my laundry once a week to help kill any nasty bacteria/viruses we may be picking up and bringing home on our clothes. Just add 20-40 drops (I found this is equal to 2-4 droppers full) to each load.

3. For thrush, taking it in capsule form, 3 times a day for AT LEAST 2 weeks helps to rid your body of the candida. Also, in the liquid form, for baby oral thrush, mix 10 drops per 1 oz. of purified water. Swab the inside of baby's mouth after each feeding.

Here are a number of other uses that I found on a website, and just copied and pasted:

HOUSEHOLD USE:


Vegetable/Fruit or Meat/Poultry Wash - Add 25-30 drops to sink filled with cold water. Briefly soak vegetable, fruit, meat or poultry. Spray Washing - Add 15-20 drops to 32 oz. spray bottle. Fill with water, spray on fruits or vegetables.
All-Purpose Cleaner - Add 30-60 drops to any 32 oz. pump sprayer filled with water. Use on all household surfaces.
Cutting Board Cleaner - Apply 10-20 drops to cutting board and work in with wet sponge or dish cloth. Leave on for at least 30 minutes. Rinse with water.
Laundry - to control mold and odors add 25-30 drops to each load.
Toothbrush cleansing - stir 5-10 drops into 1/2 cup water. Soak toothbrush 15 minutes and rinse.

INTERNAL USE (never use full strength)

Orally - (to ward off sore throats, colds, flu, or any bacterial, viral or fungal infection) 5-15 drops mixed well in 5 oz. or more of juice or water, 2-3 times per day, before, during or after meals. For children under 10, 1-6 drops in 5 oz. juice, 2-3 times daily.
Diarrhea - Take 10-15 drops of GSE 4 times per day in juice or herbal tea. Consult your physician if condition persists.
Throat Gargle - Thoroughly stir 6-12 drops into 6 oz. of water. Gargle as often as needed, only as directed.
Nasal Rinse - Add one drop of GSE to 2 oz. of distilled or purified water. Tilt head back, fill each nostril with a full eye dropper's worth of the mixed solution. Swing head forward (head is not upside down) to force solution into nasal passages. Return to upright position and allow to drain.
Dental Rinse - (for healthy gums and fresh breath) Stir 3 drops into 2 oz. water. Swish a small amount for 10 seconds, 1-2 times daily. For Waterpik-type units, add 3-4 drops to water reservoir.
Candida - Vaginal Rinse - Mix 5-10 drops in 8 oz. water. Douche once or more daily for one week.

EXTERNAL USE

Facial Cleanser (normal skin or acne) - Moisten face with water. Add 2-3 drops to still wet hands and massage into skin avoiding contact with eyes (rinse thoroughly with water if eye contact occurs). You may also add GSE to your favorite liquid soap.
Scalp Treatment (including dandruff control) - Mix 5-10 drops of GSE with the amount of shampoo you normally apply to your hair. Massage into scalp and leave on for at least 2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water, avoiding contact with eyes.
Nail Treatment - Add 5-10 drops to 1 T. water or alcohol. Soak nails twice daily for as long as necessary.
Warts - Place 1 drop of GSE directly on wart twice a day. (Avoid contact with eyes) May have to use for 2-3 weeks


Anyone else have any uses for GSE? Post a comment and let me know!!

New Link...Funny!

So, I came across this blog that you must check out. The link is to the right, it is called "Stuff Christians Like".

Go.Read.Enjoy :)

Flow in the Wind

Ella made a windsock at school the other day, as they are discussing "wind" this week, so today she brought it home from school. After lunch, she decided she wanted to take her windsock for a walk so it could "flow in the wind." haha! Cooper and I tagged along with Ella and her windsock.

Happy Birthday, Reid!!

Today was Reid's 33rd birthday! Happy Birthday, Babe! :)

We started the day off with presents before he left for work. Ella was soooo excited to give Daddy his presents, and even hid all of them in different places downstairs while he was in the shower. She loved going and getting another one for him each time. :)

That evening, since Reid had rehearsal at church, we went over and had dinner with him at church, and we also took over a birthday cake that Ella and I had made that afternoon (ok, I made it and Ella stood there licking everything...haha!! It was a lot of fun! We didn't want Daddy to miss out on a birthday celebration just because he had to be at work late.

This morning, Ella says to Reid: "Daddy, I had fun at your birthday party last night!" and then gave him a big hug. It was so cute :)

Family Fun!

This post is a few days late, but I wanted to share the pictures. On Saturday we went on a family outing to the playground. It was a BEAUTIFUL day! Sunny, low 70's and breezy. We had a lot of fun!

I love when we have the chance to do something fun as a family. It always puts me in a good mood, and everything seems right with the world. :)

Do You Read My Blog?

If so, will you post a comment and let me know??

Come on lurkers....come on out!!

I have seen other people do this on their blog, and I thought I would give it a try :)

Yummmmm

Want to totally nullify a 100 Calorie Pack of Graham Crackers?

Dip them in whipped french vanilla icing....

I think I have died and gone to Heaven!!


This segment of my blog brought to you by "One of the many (selfish) reasons I love nursing" ;)

I Love My Exersaucer!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Our Easter celebration began last night, as we did the Resurrection Cookies with Ella. It ended up being a wonderful learning experience for Ella. Basically, they are meringue cookies, so they involve like 15 minutes with the hand mixer. Reid took over the mixing while I was tending to Cooper. While I was gone from the kitchen, Reid said that Ella was recounting all the aspects of the Easter story that we had taught her! So, I think this will be something we make a tradition in our family!

This morning, Ella and Cooper enjoyed their Easter baskets before we left for church, and we got a few pictures. Here are my little Easter cuties :)




After church, we headed over to Papa and Yaya's house for lunch, an egg hunt, some family time, and then dinner! We had a great time spending time with Papa, Yaya, Aunt Kelly, Aunt Leah, Uncle Chris, my Uncle, Aunt and cousins, and a couple of Leah's friends. It was a beautiful day outside, and we had a wonderful Easter!




And can I just take a moment to brag about the Easter Bunny cake that I made today? I am so excited with how it came out, and wanted to share :)

As I finish the laundry for the day....

I pose to you this question: Why is it that the ONE bib that I forgot to velcro the ends together before I put it in the wash ends up attaching to the ONE item in the entire load that snags when you pull it off?!?! And why does this one item have to be the brand spankin' new pair of britches that I bought the other day, and have not even had a chance to wear, and now they are all "fuzzy" and snagged on one part. Please explain this to me.....

Great Visit with Pop and Nana!

We had a great visit with Pop and Nana this past weekend! They stopped in for a visit on their way back from a week in Florida. From dying Easter eggs, to playing at the "jumpy place", pizza at Johnny's and of course playing outside and "ants on the stairs", we had a great time! Thanks for coming, Pop and Nana!!

Tornado Hits Atlanta!

Look at this amazing picture that my sister sent me. It is a picture that a professional photographer took of the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta on Friday night.

So amazing, and so scary at the same time!!

Getting Rid of Thrush...FOR GOOD!

Megan over at Sorta Crunchy posted about a thrush remedy, which reminded me that I keep meaning to do this post!!

Since Cooper was a week old, we have been dealing with thrush. Let me tell you, there is no bigger pain the you-know-what than getting rid of thrush! UGH! We did the nystatin-for 4 weeks mind you, to no avail. That ended in a round of Cooper taking Diflucan. A month went by, and it came back. So, the pediatrician put him on Diflucan once again. A month later it comes back again, once again we do diflucan. A couple of weeks later, you guessed it, back AGAIN!

On top of the diflucan, we had been boiling all paci's, never using a paci more than once during the day, washing all the laundry in grapefruit seed extract to kill the yeast, using lotramin creams, taking grapefruit seed extract pills and probiotics, etc...You name it, we did it! NOTHING was working.

I was OVER giving my little baby anymore diflucan, so I decided to do some research.

I found a product called "ThreeLac" that apparently was the only thing that worked for many people to get rid of their yeast issues. It is a triple probiotic, that is in a powder form. We started taking it at the end of January-I take one packet a day in the powder form, and I dissolve 1/2 of a packet in about 1 tsp. of water for Cooper to take. He LOVES it and sucks it right down.

(I got the picture off of the website I ordered it from, so don't mind the ordering info...unless you want to order it! ;) )

I am beyond thrilled to say, that here less than 2 months later our thrush issues are GONE!!! Praise God! About 1 month in, we had a flair up, which apparently is normal as the yeast tries to "fight back". But here we are now, going strong with NO THRUSH!!

I HIGHLY recommend this product if you are struggling with any type of yeast issues. Apparently, 85% of Americans are struggling with yeast infestations in their body, which causes a variety of ailments, and they don't even know it!

Beautiful Day!!!

Wow! It was a BEAUTIFUL day today here in the ATL!! :) (Do you like my street lingo? Thought so...)

After naps this afternoon, we headed to the playground for two hours and soaked up the beautiful sunshine and cool breeze. We had a big play on the playground, and took a walk around the park. It was SOOOO nice! I would show you pictures of our outdoor fun, but alas, I didn't have my camera.

It was nice to see Ella running around and having fun after a winter of sickness and being cooped up!!

YAYYYYY Spring!!

My Lil' Bubbie is 5 Months today!

Helping Mommy fold laundry!

Cooper is 5 months TODAY-he is getting so BIG!!

Let's see-20 things about Cooper :)

1. Rolling from tummy to back.
2. Sitting (leaning forward) for small amounts of time.
3. Holds onto our hands and stands up.
4. Blows raspberries :)
5. This past week he has been babbling syllables-just yesterday it was dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada
6. He is sitting in his "big boy chair" at dinner time and eating a "solid meal". He only eats this one solid food meal a day.
7. So far he has tried butternut squash, carrots, green beans, pears, apples, bananas and peaches.
8. His absolute favorite hands down is the butternut squash-you can't shovel it in fast enough!!
9. His least favorite is green beans-but I think it is because of the texture. He is getting use to it though, and doesn't gag on every bite. ;)
10. He is loving his big sister, and watches her all the time! She is really liking him now because of how he responds to her.
11. He loves to play with toys!
12. He grabs at EVERYTHING, and if he can get it, it goes in his mouth.
13. He is sleeping great! Ever since the doctor recommended taking away the paci at night at his 4 month check, he sleeps very soundly and uninterrupted.
14. He sleeps a 10 hour stretch at night, wakes up and eats, then goes back down for a couple of hours. woohoo! Now we will be working towards the solid 12 hour stretch!
15. He is BARELY still wearing 3-6 month clothes. I am about to move him up to 6-9 months. Trying to wait until I can just buy some Spring stuff!!
16. He just moved up to size 3 diapers.
17. He loves to be outside, so we are glad the weather is staying nicer now, and that it is light longer so we can enjoy afternoon playtime outside and after dinner walks!
18. He is my little chunky monkey and I just wanna BITE those thighs!!! :)
19. He has the BEST smile.
20. We love him to death, and can't believe he has already been with us for 5 months.

Snuggle Bugs

Watching cartoons in the morning :)

Diagnosis: Issues

So, I went to the doctor today because I have been feeling terrible. Ella said to me today on the way to the doctor:

Ella: Mommy, I am sick too.

Me: You are? What's wrong?

Ella: I have a cough, stuffy nose and issues.

Time for a Meme!

Megan over at Sorta Crunchy (whose blog is very fun to read BTW, check it out!) tagged me to do "Seven Things About Meme"!
So here it goes.

Okay, here are the rules...

1. When tagged place the name of the person that tagged you and URL on your blog.

2. Post rules on your blog.

3. Write 6 (or 7) non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

4. Name 6 (or 7) of your favorite blogs.

5. Send an email/comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged.


1. I can't watch TV at night without whatever room I am in being completely picked up, and the kitchen cleaned. I mean, it seriously drives me nuts! I can't see past the mess to watch the TV!!

2. Like Megan, also recently switched from all Clinique make-up to BareMinerals and I LOVE it!! I highly recommend it. I feel like my skin is way nicer because of it. But I have been using MAC eye make-up which is equally as fab.

3. At the grocery store, I always go the same direction, and follow the same "Path" through the store...everytime! I must go down each and every aisle and peruse everything. Now, you would think this would lead to a very thorough job being done at the grocery. Oh how wrong you are....I ALWAYS, ALWAYS forget something. It's really ridiculous!!

4. I am becoming a warm weather snob. There I said it. Even though I live in an area that has more than a generous amount of warm days in the Winter, it just isn't enough for me! I am SO OVER WINTER! I chalk it up to the fact that we have had every illness under the sun this Winter (well, minus the Flu, *knock, knock*) and have been couped up a bunch. Today it is like 73, sunny, and I have the windows open. I am in Heaven!! woohoo!

5. I love my kids, and feel like I could just eat them up!! :)

6. I LOVE Easter candy!! I mean, seriously, it is the best candy of the year!! I can't be trusted with Easter candy in the house-it's just not right!

Some of my favorite blogs, and whom I am going to tag are:

1. My Hubby! Over at The Ballad of Mr. Fun he is a GREAT blogger and updates like everyday! :) Blogs were created for people like my hubby!

2. Katie at Roses are Red, Violets and Violet-Her posts either having me laughing or crying!

3. Melissa at Meldrop's Corner-She has recently discovered the addiction that is Kickboxing ;)

4. Anita at Wife, Mom and Friend-A good friend of mine that recently moved away. *Sniff, Sniff*

5. Cindy at Girlonaroof-I want to be a Mom like her when I grow up!

6. Leah at Beauty Alive to Love Dangerously-because she needs to update her blog more often ;) (hint, hint)

7. Kelly at, what is your blog name anyway????-because she likes these things!! :)

And So It Begins...

Ella said yesterday:

"Cooper! Stop looking at me like that!"

*Insert Eye Roll here*