Several years ago my husband came home from a dentist appointment and announced that the cavities he had gone in to have filled healed up themselves. I was . . . angry! Honestly, I didn’t believe him, and I remember insisting that he seek a second opinion because, “Cavities just don’t heal themselves!” If they did dentists would be shouting this news from the rooftops! After some time passed and the Lord chipped away more of that pride in my heart, I asked my husband, “Did the dentist ask you how you healed your teeth?” The answer, “No,” shocked me at the time, but it doesn’t anymore.

This was just the beginning of my journey into seeking truth and trying to make careful observations of what heals, what damages, and what the research is really telling me. At about the same time (almost 14 years ago) a lot of things changed for the better. We were introduced to Nourishing Traditions and most importantly we got saved. Praise the Lord! We have healed a lot of issues with food and better lifestyle choices, and my hope in writing this blog post is to encourage others to make their own observations and seek truth even when it feels unnecessary.

I planned to write this blog post in the future, but with the current state of our country, I honestly don’t know if I will have the freedom to do it in my timing. When I look to my government as a Savior, I get tyranny and their best interest in my life, but when I seek my Savior Jesus Christ, that is where true freedom lies.

I would love to be able to share that my husband followed a certain diet, took a particular supplement, or applied something to his teeth to heal them. The truth is we don’t know because we were not making careful observations at the time, but we are today. There have been a series of events in our lives that opened our eyes to truth and thrust us into the position we are in today. I will admit that this is long, but I believe it’s important to get a good picture of how we got where we are today. I don’t want to write this, but praise the Lord for the strength to do so, and the suffering and struggles that opened our eyes. I purposely left out all names, brands, etc. I don’t want to slander or gossip about anyone or anything, but I feel led to share our story. Truth is truth and rather than believing something because it’s been told over and over, it’s important to investigate both sides of a topic.

Shortly after the incident with my husband’s teeth, one of my babies was born in a hospital and received a very large overdose of the vitamin K injection. Several important people walked into my hospital room with very concerned facial expressions and announced the news. I asked, “Is this why my baby is so sleepy?” They were honest and said, “It could be.” After I thought about it for a time, I wasn’t too worried and I remember thinking, “It’s just extra vitamins, what’s the big deal.” That was until a close family member gently took me aside and said that they had done some research on the vitamin K injection, and they were very concerned about the overdose. This person explained that there were many additives and preservatives that could cause harm especially in large amounts. As I started doing my own research (more to prove this person wrong) I discovered a whole different side of thinking, other than the one I had held to so tightly!

After a lot of exploration into the benefits and risks of the injection, we were determined to never allow any future babies to receive the shot. As I read the Bible, I realized there was a better way. While not as convenient, I could have waited until day eight of his life to have the circumcision done. This is how it was done in the Old Testament times, when there was no vitamin K shot available. They didn’t have the “science” to prove why God commanded the eighth day, they just trusted Him. We now believe that vitamin k peaks on day eight in the infant’s body, and if done before this time, the baby could bleed to death.This revelation gave us even more trust in the Lord, and His great wisdom. As the Bible says, “I am wonderfully and fearfully made (Psalm 139:14 NKJV).”

I followed God’s plan with our last boy and all went very well. Praise the Lord! I have read that there are some risks with not getting it, although they are rare. One thing that needs to be said is that no matter which way we choose, there’s no guarantee. This life is not perfect. We just have to do the best we can with the information we have available and have grace with ourselves and other people when we or they choose a route that doesn’t end well. I’m not taking any medications, we eat a very healthy traditional diet that is higher in vitamin K than the modern diet, and I delay cord clamping until the cord stops pulsing, so my baby is at a decreased risk of having trouble. I’m not trying to convince anyone to avoid the shot, but I do want to encourage people to research both sides of a subject. Unfortunately sometimes truth is concealed in order to protect profits, and too many times I have witnessed fear and shame used to convince someone to do something they have strong convictions against doing.

 After the overdose, I was encouraged by the same person to sue the hospital, knowing that my child could have trouble in the future. We chose to forgive and didn’t even consider retaliation, so we were very surprised when we received the bill and did not get charged for the baby care or the tests that were completed after a problem arose from the shot. There were several other issues I encountered at this hospital with my first four births that didn’t help me to thrive in my labors, deliveries, recoveries, and baby care. I still experience anxiety in a hospital setting and really have to seek the Lord’s peace. I found a new hospital with a doctor that we love, and the most caring nurses I have known, but hospitals cannot offer all the freedoms I cherish, so we chose to do homebirths for the last two babies. It has been much better for my peace of mind and health. My labors and recoveries at home have far exceeded my expectations! I am however thankful to know that the hospital staff is there if I need them.

With this same child that received the overdose, I also had three ultrasounds during my pregnancy. There was not one concern about my pregnancy, but I happily consented to having three ultrasounds done. The first was to determine the due date and the second the sex. The funny thing was that the second ultrasound technician said my baby was a girl and the third said it was a boy. What’s the use? Ha! The third was done after I was offered a free ultrasound to test out their new machine. I was a registered nurse, and I loved all things “science” and the thought of helping with this new technology thrilled me. I happily volunteered.

During my third ultrasound, there was a lot of time spent hovering over my baby while they tested several settings. A few years ago I read a study done on the safety of ultrasounds and found out that there are some risks. I’m sure I signed a consent form, but I didn’t realize there were any risks. Out of eight children, this child has had a few issues that my other children haven’t struggled with. Now I have to live with the question and wonder if one of those events (the overdose or the ultrasounds) caused these problems. I will never know this side of heaven, but I will emphasize right now that it changed our life, and every day I have learned to seek the Lord and not just trust in whatever an expert says. I’m also not afraid to find another provider. 

I share this story to give an example of what happened after I put complete trust in “experts” and didn’t do my own research. The responsibility in all of this is on me. It’s easy to think, “Everyone is doing it, or that will never happen to me.” The truth is, I hear a lot of stories where a child is injured, way more than my child by something that most people believe is safe. It breaks my heart to hear these parents slandered and shamed. I do believe it’s because their stories stand in the way of profits. I have completely forgiven, but I will never forget.

Another mistake I made several times was trusting and assuming that just because a person does one or two things “natural” that everything they are doing or selling is “natural.” Several years ago I sought wisdom from a natural professional because I was very concerned about a cough that I experienced when I was around fragrances. It had been very severe and embarrassing at times. I also brought my son from the above story that had some issues. One of my questions involved asking if there was a supplement we could purchase, because we had cut out dairy for a few years, and I knew we weren’t getting the calcium we needed. This person milked goats, so I really looked forward to the visit.

This professional was so helpful and truly listened to our story. When I left with a synthetic vitamin D supplement and a sample packet of a vitamin and mineral mix I was really excited, because this person milked goats, and I was sure this had to be very natural. When I mixed up the supplement at home, it looked like red Kool-Aid. We tried it, but we all said, “This doesn’t look very natural.” Then I read the ingredients. I had to do some research because I had just started to read labels. I discovered that it was filled with natural flavors (which many toxic chemicals can hide under), colorings, and preservatives. I threw it away and realized that just because someone does a few natural things doesn’t mean I should always trust their recommendations, but I was thankful for their advice. Over the course of several years and a lot of exploration and experimentation I have come to believe that it’s much better to get my vitamins and minerals from food or herbs than supplements. Some people find them very helpful, but I have experienced greater success using food as medicine. The Lord has really opened up my eyes in how to use good quality food and how healing it can be!

I would love to say that I learned a lesson from that story, but it took several more mistakes to get where we are today. A few examples are how I purchased a product from a “natural” person several times that had been fed GMO feed, another was feeding our first pig medicated feed by mistake (over 10 years ago), then purchasing a natural skin care item that had a poison label on it, and most recently a natural toothpaste that stated to call the poison control if accidentally swallowed. All these experiences have taught us to be way more careful in our purchases and not to be too quick to trust.

An observation I have made lately is one of omission in advertising. There is so much deceitful advertising out there, and it really works! It makes a person feel comfortable with a product because of this false marketing. For example most people know I’m a little crazy and really try to help me out by opening my eyes to new natural products. I am so thankful for this, but one of the recommendations I had recently was for a company selling natural skin care. I’m always open to trying new products and skimmed their website. The first thing I noticed was that they boasted about their products containing natural ingredients and listed all of them (or so I thought). It was very hard to find the actual ingredients in their products, but when I did, I realized there were also a lot of unnecessary toxic ingredients in the products. It seemed as though they were trying to hide them! Most people will only see the first natural ingredients and not take any more time to research the product more thoroughly. I also see this in the food industry all the time! There will be a product with a name like fruit yet there is no fruit in it! Or it will say MSG free, but there is MSG hidden in another name like citric acid. The lesson in this is one must always read and decipher the ingredients and never make assumptions based on the advertising.

We live in a fallen world with a lot of fraud and deceit (especially in the organic industry) and there will always be broken trust, heartache, and pain. I don’t trust labels, and I have really struggled with trusting other people due to these stories I shared and more. It has really shaped me into the person I am today, and I am so thankful for it. I desire to be so transparent in what we are doing, that I believe I can be very annoying with all the details I give! I really want people to know what they are getting when they purchase something from us.

As a customer of products and services, I have learned to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of research, and most importantly seek the Lord. If you win my trust, I will be a customer for life, but if my questions aren’t answered, or there is a lack of trust, I will probably find someone else to buy from or seek service from. I often have to remind myself that I am paying for a service or product and I deserve to know what’s in it or how a certain treatment may harm me. We all deserve the freedom to choose what is best for ourselves and close family members. I no longer let anyone shame me into buying or doing something I don’t feel comfortable with. I often find myself on “the road less traveled.”  I pray daily for grace, freedom, transparency, and a healing of this land.

If you were encouraged or blessed by this post praise the Lord! I would love for you to leave a comment (please no sympathy I am thankful for the trials)! If you have a story about how natural foods have helped you, please help others by sharing. I may share it in future newsletters if you are okay with it!

The Lord has really put it on my heart to empower others about how our food has changed over a short period of time. We are reaching more and more people with our website and newsletter and LOVE to hear your stories about how natural, clean foods have changed your lives. Please help spread the word and keep those stories coming! As we get closer to winter, we look forward to the work that lies ahead and to blessing others with our products. Homesteading and farming are not simple tasks, but when you enjoy the work you are doing and get to feel a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, it is completely worth it. This fall we pray that you are encouraged to grow great food, find, and meet a great farmer to buy from, slow down and enjoy each day, and be blessed with abundant health!