When I visited my grandmother as a child she had viili, homemade sour milk, in her kitchen. My mother had been raised with the clabbered milk as a part of her diet. The slippery consistency of this sour milk did not appeal to me. Now I recognize the health benefit…
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Healthy Thoughts About Parenting
Every Friday the FMF community writes for five minutes on a prompt given by Kate Motaung. Sometimes the first five minutes of writing stimulates more thought, and I continue on . . . Today’s prompt is: FUTURE When I look back over my years of parenting, I realize that I…
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The Health Benefits of Dates and a Muffin Recipe
Dates have some surprising health benefits for expectant mothers. Women often receive a prescription for iron during pregnancy. During pregnancy a woman’s blood volume increases by 50% and the red blood cells increase by 30%. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin that carries oxygen; iron is a component of hemoglobin. Iron…
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Viewpoint of Alternative Science: Breast-feeding is Unnatural
Cathy Areu was a guest on Tucker Carlson Friday night. She argued that breastfeeding was not natural because it put too much pressure on a woman to feed her baby. She insisted that it was natural for a dad to feed the infant formula. She referenced a recent “study”. I…
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More to Think About
Another week has gone by. It’s Five Minute Friday! We write for five minutes (well, today I took a little longer to gather my thoughts) and share our posts at Kate Motaung’s community. Today’s word is: more As a mother and grandmother I have been concerned that more and more…
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5 Questions About Vaccines
Over the past week I have been watching a documentary series, The Truth About Vaccines. Because one of my children had varying vaccine reactions—first to the MMR and then to the hep B—I continue to follow this issue. I am concerned about the health of the next generation. One of…
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Women’s Rights & Midwifery
Women today have more rights than our ancestors. As we have made progress it is odd that the loudest voice in the current women’s movement is for abortion. I would rather support the right of women to give birth in the setting that they choose. Across the world there is…
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Moms for Vaccine Safety
At the beginning of the 19th century, in the city of Chicago, the health of young children was in perilous condition. The health of both women and children needed focused attention. In 1916, for example, Chicago’s death rate for children under 2 years of age was 141.4 per 1,000 live…
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Thankful for Good Books During a Hospital Stay
There is a kind of comradery on the hospital elevator. I recognize the tension on the faces of men and women. We make a little conversation about the weather. Then we smile and wish each other a good day as we exit the elevator. For almost two weeks I have…
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The Irony of Refined Sugar
Today I am joining Five Minute Friday. We write fast and free for five minutes. Today’s prompt is REFINE. The dictionary gives these definitions: to reduce to a pure state, to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing, to become pure or perfected. When I think about refined white sugar…