In a friendly town where everybody knows each other, a bunch of cowboys are hanging out at a bar enjoying a beer on a hot afternoon. A stranger walks into the bar, and is noticed by the friendly and peaceful cowboys. The stranger becomes aggressive and starts an argument. The cowboys immediately start to defend there territory – their people and their town. Our immune system works like the cowboys. It is relaxed until a foreign invasion enters and then our immune system mobilizes. For instance, if you cut yourself or being exposed to someone with flu or cold, your immune response (the friendly cowboys) go into action and become your fighter cells. Every cell goes into high gear to protect your immediate problem, and protect your body so the infection will not spread.

The Immune system is the main line of defensive energy for the body. It protects the body from invasion of infectious microorganism such as viruses, bacteria, and invading parasites. These organisms are present in our daily lives in food, water, and exposure to people and animals. Every time you eat or drink, these bacteria’s and microorganisms enter the body.

So what happens when these foreign invaders enter the body?

The hydrochloric acid in the stomach is the first line of defense. It is strong enough to kill most bad bacteria’s that are natural to food and water, but some can get through. When we do comprehensive digestive analysis for our patients, we often find chronic bacterial infections at high levels in the large and small intestines. The immune system is then asked to battle with these invading organisms. When infections are untreated, they register as chronic, persistent low- grade infections in the intestines. The fighter cells (the friendly cowboys) are like small Pac-Men that moves around the invading bad guys actually overtaking the invaders and destroying them.

Why your immune system could be weak A highly functioning immune system is normal to a baby at birth. It is one of the most important natural survival mechanisms. Babies can eat very dirty things off the floor and not get sick. The Colostrum in mother’s milk is what strengthens their immune response. Some people are born with weak immune systems because of their genetics or because of less good health of the mother when the baby is in utero. As we grow, the immune system’s job is similar to the cowboys in the bar. As soon as there is a foreign invasion they ramp up to protect the body. The immune cells then will fight a strong battle and most flu’s, colds, and infections will be naturally handled by the body’s own defensive energy. A fever is a sign that that a big battle is being fought.

Many people are using antibiotic drugs for infections. These drugs became popular only in the last 50 years. They have saved many lives, but the overuse has caused weakness to the immune response system. When I ask some of my patients how many rounds of antibiotics they have taken over the course of their lives, a common answer is 10 to 40. In my practice I have seen this excessive use of antibiotics one of the #1 causes of weak immune response. They are helpful for fighting infection but this chronic overuse causes breakdown in immune response and systemic yeast.

Weaken immune response is also caused by bad diet, lack of exercise, too much daily stress and chronic depression. Immune cells are manufactured by the spleen and bone marrow, and by nutrients that are taken into the body through the breakdown of the vital nutrients in food, vitamins and supplements. When you do not have the proper vital nutrients there is nothing to feed and make immune cells.

Natural products for helping and rebuilding immune response

Acidophilus is a naturally occurring friendly bacteria that lives in the large intestine. It is important for breakdown and digestion of foods and proper digestive functioning and immune response.

Astragalus is a famous Chinese herb that has been clinically tested used in very high doses to increase t-cell and white cell production.

Colostrum is the specific ingredient in mother’s milk that makes babies have a strong immune system. This substance can syntheses from cows milk.

Ginseng – A famous Chinese herb used in high doses to boost energy and strengthen the immune system.

Chinese Herbal Formulas – Ginseng and Astragals, Ganoderma,Three Imperial Mushrooms and Zhong Gong Ling have all been proven to enhance immune functioning and drop viral loads.

Monolaurin is a derivative of an amino acid that can be used for fighting and down loading high viral loads. It is especially good for chronic and acute infections of Herpes and Epstein Barr virus.

I hope this article helps to create some understanding of how the immune system works and that it can be enhanced and repaired. We have successfully treated many patients with acute and chronic immune deficiency symptoms.

First, clinical lab testing is done to see where and what the problem is. Based on the results, proper supplementation is then prescribed. Lab testing is redone to make sure proper immune response has been restored. This is a particularly helpful natural and effective treatment for patients who have had chemotherapy, Epstein Barr, CMV, Herpes virus, arthritis, and other immune compromised diseases.

A breast pump is a mechanical device that can be used to extract milk for later use from a lactating woman. The way a breast pump works is similar to a milking machine used in commercial dairy production.

Extracted breast milk can be stored so that someone else can feed the baby by bottle. Sometimes the breasts produce more milk than the infant can consume. A breast pump can be used in these instances when the breasts become engorged preventing proper latching by the infant. Breast pumping relieves pressure in the breasts. Also, this can be used when some babies cannot latch properly for direct breastfeeding even though the mother desires the benefits of breast milk. A breast pump stimulates lactation in women and can be used to continue lactation to recover from pregnancy even when the pumped milk is not used.

Breast pumps come in a variety of models, the most popular being the manual pump where the woman can directly control the pressure and frequency of pumps and the battery-operated pumps. However, electrically powered pumps are presently gaining in popularity. Some breast pumps are designed so that the portion of the pump is the baby bottle used for feeding. Another popular design available on the market is the Hands-Free pump.

It is suggested to start using a breast pump to provide stimulation immediately after the delivery. A hospital-grade double electric breast pump can be used until the supply is well established. The hospital’s NICU can provide the details regarding the renting of the hospital-grade breast pump. For the first couple of weeks it is advised to use a breast pump 8 to 10 times within a 24-hour period. Frequent stimulation establishes a good supply. So, initially, pump around the clock, although at night go for slightly longer periods between sessions. Initially, ten to twelve minutes per pumping session is enough. Even though much colostrum or milk is not expressed in the first few days, the supply will increase over the next several days with dedicated pumping.

The hospital’s NICU will provide the instructions on storing and transporting the milk to the baby bottles. Please follow the guidelines to avoid passing infections to the baby. Sterile collection bottles and sterilized pump kit is a safe option. Even in the hospital, deliver the expressed breast milk as often as possible.

It is important to use the breast pump at least 6 to 8 times per day that the mother is able to start direct breastfeeding. Decrease the length of pumping by a couple of minutes if the supply becomes extremely large. However, frequent stimulation is necessary. Even when the baby’s intake is low, as in the cases of premature babies, milk production needs to continue on as though the baby was born full-term.

The breast milk (human milk) is enriched with omega 3 fatty acids such as DHA and AA which are essential for brain development. The fat content of breast milk automatically adjusts itself to the growing needs of the infants. The level of these fatty acids proportionally declines, as the baby grows older. These characteristics are completely lacking in milk formula. Breast milk is rich in good cholesterol, it is almost absorbed from the intestine and endowed with lipase, which helps in splitting fat and its subsequent absorption.

The protein present in breast milk will form soft curd and whey proteins are easily digestible. Higher amounts are present in the milk of mothers who deliver pre-term. Breast milk is rich in lactoferrin, an iron binding protein, which acts as a natural antibiotic by binding with the iron present in the food and thereby making it unavailable for use by microorganisms and hence resulting in their destruction. It is also endowed with lysozyme, which helps in lysing the cell walls of bacteria. The protein components present in breast milk is essential for body and brain building activities and provided with good amounts of growth factors and sleep inducing proteins. These components are lacking in milk supplements.

The major component of carbohydrate present in breast milk, otherwise known as lactose, is present at higher concentration (6.89%) when compared to cow milk or milk substitutes, is essential for brain development, and the oligosaccharides present aid in the intestinal health.

Breast milk is a rich source of immunoglobulins, especially, colostrum. The white blood cells, which act as a first line of defense in combating infection, are present in millions in human milk. Naturally it confers protection against the invader.

The vitamins and minerals present in breast milk are in proper proportions so that they are easily and completely absorbed. The minerals especially, iron, zinc and calcium are better absorbed. It is rich in antioxidant selenium.

Breast milk is a rich source of digestive enzymes viz. lipase and amylase which helps in digesting the food properly. It is also rich in hormones especially, thyroxine, prolactin and more than fifteen other components. It varies with the diet of the mother.

A mother has to spend about $600 extra a year to breastfeed her young one whereas the milk formula costs around $1200 a year. If the young one becomes allergic to ordinary supplements, then $2,500 a year has to be spent for hypoallergenic formulas. This illustrates the economy of breast feeding over the use of milk formula.

I am a mother of four, trained as a nurse and midwife. I breastfed all my children and enjoyed every minute. I never found it difficult but worry that today so many young mothers do. I am convinced that they are taught to accept breastfeeding as best, but get stressed even before they try, instead of regarding breastfeeding as the most natural thing in the world. How comforting it is for baby and mother, and how close you feel to that precious little bundle.

Why did I Breastfeed?

I never ever considered bottle-feeding and feel breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world. I never expected problems and experienced very few.

I have strong feelings that breastfeeding has been made too clinical. Women don`t see this as easy or attractive. Too many controversial books are published which add confusion to what should be the most natural thing in the world. I am not denying that some women have genuine problems but feel these are in the minority.

I think stress and the worry accounts for 90% of breastfeeding problems

• Think positive
• Think closeness and bonding
• Think peace and harmony
• Think enjoyment.

Don`t even start to think negative thoughts.

A baby when born has a very immature digestive system and only demands what the body requires. Mothers` body copes with this by producing small amounts of Colostrum for a few days. This is concentrated and full of immune enhancing nutrients. It is like the cream of the milk. You don`t get this with formula milk. – fact

A baby needs this colostrum as all mammals. You`ve only got to see lambs feeding. If a lamb is not able to feed on this colostrum it inevitably becomes sick.

I know this and experienced this, as in my younger days had and nursed some orphan lambs.

So What should we do?

Make yourself comfortable. This is more important as the baby gets heavier. I always made sure my arm was supported, as this was the way I fed. It came naturally I fed cradling my baby in the crook of my left arm.

Relax and don`t expect baby to latch straight away. They have to learn too although this is a quick lesson for them.

A baby will smell its mothers milk and often get a little agitated, don`t let this stress you out. Calm baby by stroking its head or cheek. Squeeze a little of the colostrum so that baby can taste it, he/she will then more readily open its mouth wide to suckle. Don`t worry you will get used to it and so will baby.

It is important to latch properly as this is what causes soreness. A baby has to take in the whole of the nipple. If this happens there will be no problems.

Timing is controversial or so it seems of late. I used to feed 3minutes each side in the early days, so that baby had all the colostrum. This worked for me. The advice is also to demand feed. I never ever worried about whether the baby was having enough or too much, I think you can tell this as you get to know one another. In the early days you may have to feed every two hours to encourage the milk to come in. This is OK but there should be no need for this after the first three days.

I never clock watched and always let baby dictate to me. They generally established their own pattern very quickly. I also used to start on one breast, give ten minutes and then if needed transfer to the other breast to finish. The first eight weeks are the hardest, but they all established their own pattern quickly. generally they fed four hourly and came off night feeds on their own. I`ve seen this repeated with my grandchildren when mum has decided to throw away the book. Perhaps this is a little harsh some books are very good, but be careful and take advice.

So how can you tell how often to feed. ?

A baby will not be contented if it hasn`t had enough.

Babies cry for other reasons such as dirty nappy, colic etc. Rule these out.

You can see if a baby isn`t having enough food. Sometimes in the early days they can become very tired excessively so and you do need to encourage them to feed. Don`t let a baby go over three hours in the early days.

You can also see if a baby isn`t having enough fluid because their skin looks very dry. If you are worried do seek advice from your GP or midwife.

There are products on the market that help with some problems like colic and I have a few tips and tricks which I will list later.

There are really nice electric pumps on the market now and I think they are a boon.

Expressing milk can give you a much needed rest on occasions and will enable your partner or relative to help out.

Expressing milk will also encourage the production of milk.

Some advantages.

Breast milk is the best food for new-born babies packed with all the essential nutrients required for their growth and overall development. No wonder doctors all over the globe vouch for the benefits of breast milk, both for the mothers and for their babies.

Mother’s milk consists of all the essential elements and in the right proportions that are required by young ones for adequate growth. Breast milk consists of lactoferrin that helps babies absorb the right quantities of iron and protects them from infections. It also contains certain hormones that help fight allergies and increase metabolism leading to proper digestion.

Breast Milk Provides The Ultimate Nutrition

Mother’s milk can never be a substitute for artificial feeds as it contains all the essential nutrients – fat, sugar, protein, vitamins, minerals and water – in adequate quantities as required for the growth of new born babies. The breast milk’s composition also changes according to the child’s nutritional requirements, helping the child garner an all round development, both mentally and physically.

Breast Milk Results In The Child’s Overall Growth

Babies fed with breast milk for even a little while are exposed to fewer ailments, as opposed to their counterparts. Breast milk provides a complete solution to all the nutritional requirements of a growing infant, helping him become stronger, more active, and intelligent. Breast milk contains ingredients like DHA (docosohexaenoic acid) and AA (arachidonic acid), which contributes to speedier brain and retinal development.

Breast Milk Augments The Child’s Immunity

Mother’s milk is packed with all the essential nutrients that a child requires for his development during his growing stage. Breast milk contains certain essential enzymes and antibodies that help immunize the young ones and helps keep infections at bay. In addition, breast-fed children run lesser risk of obesity in the future, as compared to the ones fed with bottled milk. In addition, babies fed with breast milk run lesser risk of sudden Infant death syndrome (SIDS), high cholesterol, and asthma in the first year of their life.

Benefits For Nursing Mothers

Breast-feeding requires burning of extra calories, helping the nursing mother shed pounds of weight they put on during pregnancy. It also helps the uterus get back in shape similar to prior to pregnancy. It lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

Breastfeeding Helps Strengthen Emotional Bond

As breast-feeding requires close mother-child skin-to-skin contact and demands exclusive time to be spent by the mother, it helps strengthen her bond with her child, leading to the child feeling secure and comfortable.

Breastfeeding Benefits All

Breastfeeding is a simple and easy-to-do task, requiring no elaborate preparation. As breastfed babies are less prone to ailments, it helps reduce the society’s medical costs. In addition more babies being breastfed means lesser use of artificial feeds, thereby requiring lesser containers, and a healthier environment.

Thus, breastfeeding is essential for both the development of the growing child as well as for the health of mum. With goodness galore, breastfeeding is advisable to all mothers for the benefit of her child and self!

Some breastfeeding Pointers.

• Mums should try to maintain a healthy diet at all times but this is especially important when breastfeeding, as anything you consume is transferred to your baby through your breast milk.
• If you are breastfeeding, smoking and recreational drugs can be really harmful, so don’t even consider it! Minimise your caffeine and alcohol consumption and try to avoid food additives and pharmaceutical drugs.
• Start breastfeeding as soon as possible and don’t introduce expressed milk in a bottle until breastfeeding is properly established
• Mums should make sure they are in a comfortable position and in a relaxed environment.
• Maintain a positive attitude from the start. Position yourself as you feel comfortable. There are loads of different feeding positions, but try to adopt one that you feel happy and comfortable with don`t accept a position because it is the trend. Don’t feel shy about asking questions and ask as many as you like. That’s what health professionals are there for.
• Breastfeeding should not be painful. If it is, seek help and advice as soon as possible!
• Consider purchasing, hiring or borrowing an electric breast pump to enable both parents to give baby a bottle when necessary. This gives mums back some independence and is a fantastic opportunity for partners and friends to help with feeding and bonding with baby after breastfeeding is established.
• If you work make sure that you are able to have a private place to feed or express.
• If possible, consider changing working hours to suit your needs.
• There are many support groups out there. You should be able to find information in your GP`s surgery.

Some natural solutions to breastfeeding problems

Feed babies regularly to stimulate milk production. Use expressed breast milk to soothe cracked nipples (it’s also good for baby’s eye infections, cradle cap and dry skin!) Warm baths can help mums to relax and their milk to flow.

A warm compress applied to the breast can also help as can massage. Full, sore breasts or engorged breasts can be soothed with frequent feeding or expressing. Savoy cabbage leaves can be tucked inside the bra to reduce swelling and absorb heat. Put leaves in the fridge first, cut a circle out of the middle for the nipple and score lightly with a sharp knife. This releases the juices in the leaf which are believed to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Essential oils such as calendula and chamomile diluted in carrier oil can be used to soothe inflammation but care should be taken not to put them near the nipple or surrounding area. If baby develops sore buttocks, which is not usual when breastfeeding, but can occur later, use the white of an egg. Crack an egg and separate. Use this to smear on to the sore area. Keep egg in the fridge in between. Egg white protects and lowers inflammation. I`ve never seen anything work as quick on sore buttocks. Better than any cream.

Some Homoeopathic Remedies to Consider

• Phytolacca – This is taken by mum and will help the flow of milk. It is not harmful to baby or mother.
• Arnica – Used mainly on bruising. If you have bruised areas from birth use this remedy to heal quicker.
• Allium Cepa – This can be made up in a sterile bottle and used as drops for baby colic.
• Belladonna – Used for inflammation anywhere. So can be used for inflammation or heat in the breasts.

Homoeopathic remedies have no side affects and are completely safe for Mum and Baby.

Babies’ intestinal tracts are not fully developed when they are born, and rely on the unique composition of breast milk to protect their intestinal tracts from infection until they are capable of doing it for themselves. It takes approximately one year for babies to develop their own IgA antibodies, which provide protection from microbes capable of multiplying in he body secretions. Cow’s milk should not be introduced to a baby before one year of age to give the baby’s immune system enough time to build up and defend itself against the foreign particles. For optimal health, it should not be consumed at all. Anything you have to build up immunity to in order to eat warrants steering clear.

The first food that newborns receive from their mothers is called colostrum. It is absolutely imperative to a baby’s immune system and overall health that she is breastfeed for at least the first 5 days after birth to receive this immune-enhancing colostrum. It is high in immunoglobulin IgA (which babies are incapable of developing at this point), and acts to coat and protect the gastrointestinal tract. It also acts as a laxative to help the newborn pass meconium, which makes up the baby’s first bowel movement. Meconium is sticky like tar, is sterile, and has no smell.

There are many other factors that make breast milk the optimal food for infants. It provides the baby with the right amount of nutrients in the right form for the best possible absorption. It is always the perfect temperature, convenient, economical, and it provides the baby with immune-enhancing nutrients that are crucial to optimal health. It is recommended that women breastfeed for the first year of the infant’s life to keep up receiving the numerous benefits to the baby’s health. We personally recommend that breastfeeding occur well into the second year for optimal health, although it does not need to be exclusively.

Cow’s milk is heavily processed, so when ingested into the human body, an immune response occurs to fight the alien particles. Cow’s milk is pasteurized, homogenized, fortified, and sometimes even de-fatted before it hits the shelves in your local supermarket.

Pasteurization occurs when milk is heated to kill any harmful microorganisms that may be proliferating. This process also kills any beneficial bacteria (remember how important IgA is to a baby’s intestinal health) and any other important nutritional elements.

Homogenization is the process of blending milk to prevent the natural separation (between a high-fat upper layer and a larger low-fat lower layer) that occurs when fresh milk is left to stand. During this process, fat gobules are broken down into smaller pieces, and an enzyme called xanthine oxidase is forced from outside the larger fat cells to the inside of these unnatural, smaller fat cells. This prevents digestive enzymes from reaching the XO, allowing some to pass from the gut into the circulatory system where it attacks plasmalogen (which protects arteries from hardening). This is where the immune response comes in. When undigested particles are absorbed by the body, bad things happen in the blood stream and subsequently the entire body. Milk antibodies were found to be significantly elevated in the blood of male patients with heart disease.1

When foods are fortified, nutrients, and usually laboratory-created nutrients at that are added to increase the food’s nutritional composition. Claims about fortification may be good for marketing and sales purposes, but their healthiness is in question. If a label proclaims “added calcium,” the same product may also have some form of added sugar, and added sugar spells trouble. A study by Melvin Page is one of many that shows sugar’s ability to raise the blood levels of calcium through the resorption of calcium from bones.2 So a product that you buy to increase your calcium intake may actually be creating the opposite scenario inside your body.

If you are drinking milk to get your calcium, you may want to search for a better source. Dairy is the number one allergen, and a person who drinks gallons of milk can be calcium deficient. If you react allergically to a food, it is difficult to absorb its nutrients. When an allergenic food is eaten numerous times a day, withdrawal symptoms are likely not to be noticed until the following morning. Pasteurization harms Calcium and destroys enzymes. Skim milk is even worse because it is missing the fat which is necessary for the absorption of Calcium. Milk is also very low in magnesium which is necessary to keep calcium in solution.

When you eat a certain food frequently, such as milk on cereal, drink milk 3 times a day, and eat ice cream or cheese, you are calling on specific enzymes to digest that food. In the case of milk that enzyme is lactase. The same is true of wheat: toast, cereal, sandwiches, etc. The foods you eat most often are often the ones to which you react. Researchers agree that we have a finite enzyme making capability, shown in many rat studies in which those fed half the calories will live twice as long. Human babies lose their lactase forming ability by the age of 2 years, leaving them with a condition called lactose intolerance. The most prevalent symptoms that occur when a baby is reacting to milk are inner ear infections and colic. If you are breastfeeding and drink milk yourself, your baby will also react. It is imperative that both mother and baby eliminate cow’s milk from their diet for optimal health.

Mother Nature knows best. Milk is created by mothers and is a perfectly balanced first food. It is imperative for digestive health. But that’s where our relationship with milk must end, and if you want to improve immune functioning, you must start decreasing the amount of dairy you consume, with an end goal of zero! Do yourself a favour and go one week without dairy, especially if you have any respiratory/sinus problems. Go 4 weeks and you’ll breathe better than you have in a long time. Don’t take my word for it. Do it now!

Let’s be honest. As women we would love to have long, everted nipples if we plan to breastfeed. Many women think that they have flat or inverted nipples and therefore will have a hard time breastfeeding. Some are so discouraged, they don’t even try. It is a misperception that in order to be successful at breastfeeding we have to have nipples that any baby would appreciate.

The Good News!

You don’t even need nipples to breastfeed. An infant latches over the nipple onto the breast, not onto the nipple!! So it doesn’t matter the size of the nipple. I will explain the types of nipples, description and how to successfully breastfeed. The bottom line is you can still breastfeed no matter the shape, size, or direction of your nipples.

Inverted Nipples:

In my experience as a lactation consultant, these type of nipples are the most challenging. To know that you have “true” inverted nipples, regardless of a dimple or crease in the nipple, you need to pinch the sides of the nipple and the nipple goes in and “hides.” It will help if the mother has a protruding areola. You may then use the extra tissue from the areola to make a ridge that becomes the “nipple”. First of all, giving a baby a bottle or pacifier will make your efforts in teaching the baby harder. If the baby will not latch, get a lactation consultant or nurse to come and help you. If a lactation consultant isn’t available right away, express your colostrum onto a spoon and have the baby lick off the colostrum.

Until help arrives, hopefully only a few hours, express at least one spoon full of colostrum at each feeding. Note: the milk is in the back of the breast. Hold your breast as if holding a sandwich or in the C hold. Keep your fingers away from the areola. Compress back towards you chest wall and roll your fingers forward. Avoid pinching the nipple to get the milk out as this will only serve to hold the milk in. Also try pumping using the suction to bring the nipple out of hiding. When the nipple protrudes a little, get the baby on immediately. Using nipple shields is an option but first see a certified lactation consultant first to determine if this is the best route.

Flat Nipples:

I hear every day that one of my patients has flat nipples. If the nipple becomes a little longer with stimulation from a pump, the baby sucking, or massaging the nipple, then the nipple isn’t flat. Flat nipples stay flat no matter what stimulation you may try. The true flat nipple appears to have no shape or contour. Hopefully, the mother has a protruding areola that will help compensate for not having the nipples protrude. It is a great help to keep the breasts soft. Using the areola or breast tissue when the breast is soft can trick the baby into thinking the nipple is larger than it is. Some Moms need to pump or hand express for a few minutes before every feed to help bring the nipple out a little. Sometimes engorgement will make these nipples flatter, and Mom may need to express for longer periods to soften the breast so she can use the breast tissue as part of the nipple. Note: Avoid any rubber nipples. This will only teach the baby that there are “easier” nipples out there, therefore making the baby upset that he has to work harder with flat nipples.

Short Nipples:

These types of nipples are usually mistaken for flat. Short nipples have some shape or formation on the breast. Most women have nipples that fall into this category and babies do just fine, especially if the baby hasn’t been exposed to any rubber nipples. The truth is that if we don’t tell the baby there is a problem, the baby won’t know the difference. So don’t allow the baby to experience a “different” nipple. Just make sure that the baby latches over the nipple and does not suck at the tip.

When in doubt, it is most important to have Mom and baby do continual skin-to-skin. (No clothes between the Mom and baby.) This will help the baby instinctively breastfeed. Secondly, contact a breastfeeding professional for further assistance.

Julie L. Johnson is a wife and mother of three who has experienced every pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and breastfeeding situation there is and has lived to tell about. She is a Certified Lamaze Childbirth Educator, Certified Doula and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant practicing in Southern California. Her website http://www.mybirthangel.com provides services and products to help ease the transition into motherhood.

Jeanne Louise Calment is, on record, the oldest person to have ever lived, passing away at age 122 (born in Arles, France, on February 21. 1875 and died on August 4, 1997). Her quotable quotes reveal a life well and vividly lived: “In life, one sometimes makes bad deals,” “I’ve only got one wrinkle and I’m sitting on it,” “ I took pleasure when I could. I acted clearly and morally and without regret. I’m very lucky.”

Modern scientific research is now revealing the secrets to a long and healthy life. Here’s how you can add almost 40 years to yours;

Have Fun

In the words of the Blues artist, Duke Tumato, “Work is good, but it’s not that good. When the work is through, it’s time for me and you to get loose!”

We shouldn’t need to be told, but it is vitally important to our health to have fun. We need to keep our working life, with all its pressures, in balance with a good social life. Don’t become a workaholic or an obsessive parent.

Leave some quality time for yourself. Do whatever it is that makes you enjoy yourself. Don’t be afraid to get out and have a few drinks if that’s what it takes for you to really let go.

Most people have enough vitality ti handle small amounts of alcohol without doing long lasting damage, and it really is important to relax and let your hair down a but. We have all heard of the wise advice “Everything is moderation.”

With that in mind, we would like to advise a little “Excess in moderation.” As the Duke advises, “Let’s get loose!”

Get Some Fresh Air

It seems that European nations, which suffer from some of the worst air quality, are losing two or more years in life expectancy because of the air pollution. These years are mostly lost to lung and heart problems. If two years sound minor, experts put it this way: Air pollution has the same mortality rate in Europe as road accidents.

Get out in nature as much as you can . Take the morning air as deeply as you can. Get up, raise your arms high, and expand those lungs. Whole systems of yoga are based on breath. At least do what should come naturally.

Be an Animal Lover

If the mind is the maker, it is the heart that sustains the mind and body. Without the help of love and contentment, all the dieting, exercising, breathing and mind control will be like loose change in a pocket full of holes. Love is the single most important elixir to long life.

Unconditional love is a real stress buster. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get that from humans, so get a pet!

Move Your Bootie

The Epic study researchers stress one important point: The amount of exercise a person needs depends on how active he is throughout the day. If you’re a pencil pusher, get one hour of exercise, such as swimming or jogging. If you’re more active, 30 minutes of exercise a day will do. By exercising, you cold outlive your office mates by three years.

Aging

You might think this belongs in the “have no control” category, yet although everyone ages, not everyone grows old. You can be a vibrant, trim ninety-six or a lethargic, obese forty-five.

Use of colostrums, along with prudent lifestyle choices (including a nutritious diet, regular exercise, stress reduction, and other healthy habits), can significantly change how you age and prevent you from growing old. The growth factors in colostrum are especially effective as anti-aging agents.

Colostrum supplies growth factors as well as stimulating the endocrine system to keep producing its own supply of hormones. Research strongly indicates that the combination of growth and immune factors in colostrum work together to create a potent anti-aging effect, including tighter skin (resulting in a reduction of wrinkles), and regrowth of cells and tissue of organs that normally decrease in size with age.

The goats produce two very important products in goat farming – the milk and the meat. In most of the large goat farms the goats are treated much like dairy cows as their accommodations are indoors and they are milked twice a day. Large farmers have more than 400-500 goats in their farms.

The breeding season for goats in farms is from August to March. The goat’s pregnancy lasts for four months and they are generally bred once a year, so their kids are born between January and August. The female goats give birth to one to five kids and twins are to be expected.

A female goat in a farm can start mating after the age of seven to nine months while it can be milked when the goat reaches a year. Goats give birth easily, so no special help is needed. However, the farmers need to make sure that the kids nurse from their mother, if they don’t, they should be fed from a bottle. This should be done right after the kid is born as this is when it receives the critical first milk which is called colostrum. After it is fed with colostrum containing minerals, vitamins and antibodies for a few days, the kid could be fed with milk formula or could nurse from its mother.

Breeding goats in a farm is quite similar to breeding cows. The kids of goats should be given a milk formula until they can be weaned; this is after they reach five to seven weeks of age. This is the time when the goats are then milked.

In a goat farm the females are given a two month period before giving birth, they need this time so that they could give nutrition to their kids after birth. As far as milking goats in diary farms is concerned, goats are milked twice a day, usually in intervals of 12 hours. The milk can be extracted by machine or by hand depending on the kind of techniques and work force the goat farm has. Another thing which makes breeding goats and cows similar is that the both use up to date diary production which should meet certain hygienic requirements.

If the farmer is interested more in meat production, then the kids of the goats should be nursed from eight to ten weeks. After that they are to be fed hay, grain and pasture until they gain enough weight, which can vary from 35 to 90 pounds.

When a farmer is breeding goats for their meat, he should consider the goats’ breed and then decide what optimal weight the goats should reach. Different breeds of goat reach different weight. Goat farming might not be the first thing you considered when talking about farming, but it is a profitable and enjoyable business activity.

Colostrum is the most complete, natural whole food available, every mammalian mother makes it! It’s the first milk a brand new baby gets. Why? It jump starts over 50 processes in the new baby. But as we age things start to change.

Degenerative diseases have become a modern day epidemic! Here is where colostrum is so important for us adults and for children. The immune support that colostrum provides for:

* Diabetics

* High blood pressure

* Auto immune diseases

* Irritable bowel

* Wound healing

* Ulcerative colitis

* Weight loss

* Allergies

* Arthritis

* Fibromyalgia

* Lupus

to name a few are amazing. Truly anti-aging!

But it is important to get a good quality first milk. Within the first few hours, 6-8 hours after the calf is born. Some products sell the “first milk” up to 48 hours after the calf is born, and yes, the calf’s needs must be met first, but you are throwing you money away on these products.

Now colostrum is a food, not a drug, not something you take once and you’re done. It’s starts to work quickly. Repairing problems you may not even know you have. There are no known contraindications for taking colostrum, but many known benefits.

Bovine (cow) colostrum is not species specific so it great for you and your pets. With the stresses of today’s world and the toxins even in the air we breathe nature’s first food can still help!

Remember it’s important to get a good quality first milk, within the first few hours, 6-8 hours after the calf is born.

It’s our gift to ourselves, how we take care of it. We can float through days, months, years, not paying any attention to our health. Yes, we are busy, things to do, children to raise, careers to contend with, but all these areas need us to be healthy. We need clean water & exercise, and nutrition to keep our bodies in good working vibrant condition.

Looking for a remedy for a yeast infection? You’re not alone.

Colostrum/bovine – many practitioners have started recommending bovine colostrum as a treatment for Candida infections as well as for a host of immune system problems.

Colostrum is the first mammary secretion nourishment that any mammal, including man, provides for its newborn for the first 24 to 48 hours of life. It contains numerous immune system and growth factors that trigger at least 50 processes in a newborn, ranging from the development of the immune system to the growth of all body cells. Laboratory analysis of immune and growth factors from bovine colostrum except for the for the fact that the levels of these factors are significantly higher in the bovine versions

Conventional medical doctors were, at one time, enthusiastic about using colostrum for antibiotic purposes. This occurred prior to the introduction of sulfa drugs and penicillin. In the 1950s, prior to the widescale use of corticosteroids as anti-inflammatory agents, colostrum was used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Polio vaccine developer Dr. Albert Sabin discovered that colostrum contained antibodies against polio and recommended it for children susceptible to catching the disease. Bovine colostrum has been used therapeutically in India for thousands of years by Ayurvedic physicians.

In the past five years, North American scientists and health-care practitioners have rediscovered this natural, whole-food supplement as a remedy for a yeast infection. Bovine colostrum is gaining prominence because of its myriad clinical and preventive applications in humans, a fact that has not escaped the notice of drug manufacturers who have tried to copy (genetically engineer), patent, and market several of the individual components of colostrum.

Well-known colostrum components like interferon, gamma globulin, growth hormone, IgF-1, and protease inhibitors are all used by conventional medical specialists in the treatment of cancer, chronic viral infections, including HIV and autoimmune disease. Now over 4,000 clinical studies from around the world detail research that has been done using colostrum in the treatment of dozens of different diseases.

Genetically engineered versions of IgF-1 and GH are presently marketed as anti-aging and AIDS drugs, which are sold by prescription for between $800 to $1,200 dollars per month. They are found naturally in high concentrations in colostrum but at a fraction of the cost of the genetically engineered versions.

When looking for a remedy for a yeast infection try Colostrum as part of a program to make sure you rid yourself of the infection completely.