The Alternative Child: Caleb's Healing Journey

One of the main reasons for starting this Natural Journey was because I gave birth to a beautiful, sweet, gentle baby boy who ended up being allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, wheat, barley, oats, and rye.  There were also sensitivities to white fish, and other things that were not easily identifiable. 

The Issues Unfold:

When Caleb was 4 weeks old he began to "spit up" excessively.  The pediatrician said that he was a "spitter", my breast milk was too rich,  and to feed him less, etc.  The excessive spitting up did not stop until 6 months later when I took him to an allergist and he was diagnosed with multiple protein allergies (dairy, eggs, nuts and soy).  This was after I stopped breast feeding, put him on soy formula, then dairy formula (Nutramigen) with no improvement.  The allergist prescribed an amino acid based formula that did not work either because it contained 6% soy. 

I did not know what to do and felt helpless and scared.  By this point his eczema had flared up and he was not gaining weight.  The only advice the doctor could give was to "give him all solid food".  So we did. 

Caleb being Mr. Man

What Did He Eat???

After all the formulas and the known allergens were removed from his diet Caleb's vomiting stopped IMMEDIATELY AND COMPLETELY.  He had already started on solid food at that point (rice, oatmeal, fruits and vegetables – all homemade).  We added vegetable and fruit juices (carrot, watermelon, and apple), chia seeds (blended with cinnamon and bananas), herb teas (slippery elm, peppermint, chamomile, etc.), and beans (lentils, kidney, etc.). 

Even with the known allergens gone, his eczema was still bad and he did not have a quick increase in his weight. Slowly but surely (I’m talking over a year elapsed and then the weight gain finally started to pick up).  I tell you, it’s been a long journey folks. 




Eating some strange fruit....
 

How We Moved Forward: 

The doctor’s office we started at was not helpful. I could never get solid information or advice for our specific situation.  They kept suggesting things that they told us he could not have.  I lost faith in the medical community especially pediatricians during this time. It was like they were following a script that was the wrong storyline for our situation.  Caleb also kept getting vaccinations in spite of his skin issues.  This is when I started doing my research on everything from leaky gut syndrome to managing allergies to eczema cures, sea vegetables, the healing crisis and the effect drugs and ointments can have on infants and children.

I started learning about home remedies and the differences between, herbalism, naturopathic medicine and homeopathic medicine. I must have bought about 20- 30 books in a 2 – 3 month time frame.

 
We became more familiar with herbalism and began applying that learning to Caleb’s situation.  We also decided to buy mostly organic (despite the cost) and to stop vaccinations until Caleb’s immune system was stronger. 

At 12 months of age we found a different pediatrician who was absolutely amazing and very much in line with our theories and ways of dealing with Caleb’s issues.  At 15 months of age we took Caleb to a master herbalist who was able to confirm the diet he was getting was sufficient, and suggested remedies that have been instrumental in his progress.  At this time he also took a blood test and that’s when the other allergens were identified (wheat, oat, rye, barley).  Up until that time those items were a part of his diet.  It was also revealed that his vitamin D level was extremely low! At 10 months of age he had begun to cruise and pull up.  That came to a halt and it seemed like using his legs was a painful task.   We kept up his diet, started him on NAET (allergy elimination treatments based on muscle response testing) and added dissolved oxygen to his bath treatments.


Current Events:

We still make all of Caleb’s food at home mostly from scratch. He’s graduated from single fruits and vegetables to pasta and pesto (Caleb’s Corner: What’s He Eating Now?), falafel, meatballs (raw/vegan), green mashed potatoes, pancakes, mung beans, adzuki beans and various smoothies among other things.

Caleb downing the Cilantro Surprise smoothie (Raw Burrito)

 
Caleb started walking a few days before Christmas of 2012 and now he’s climbing, running and flipping! God is good! Oh and vitamin D levels are NORMAL!!!

 
Food allergies are on the rise in children.  I can’t help but to think that it’s due to our environment, the ingredients in our food and the medications we choose to take.  An allergy is an immune response.  Why are our immune systems acting so adversely to food????

 
In the quest to find a healthy balanced diet and skin care regime for Caleb so many powerful alternatives have been revealed.  I want to share those alternatives with families who have gone through similar situations.  When you find out your child is allergic to so many things, it’s very scary and the road ahead seems unsure.  Once I started digging into alternatives I was able to see the light. Caleb’s progress illustrates that alternatives REALLY do work.  He is not a cookie cutter child.  So we’ve had to create our own methods that would fit his needs.  We had to get radical  (Radical Practices)

 
Each “Caleb Corner” post will provide details on what remedies have been successful in Caleb’s Healing Journey.

 
 
Peace and blessings!!