by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018
ADD/ADHD , Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Mental Illness , Pregnancy , Prevention

Super Foods for a Healthy Family

I know the names Acai (pronounced ahh Sigh Eee), Cacao (pronounced Ca Cow) and Goji sound like exotic, foreign substances, but the truth is these are nutrient-dense “superfoods” that are rapidly gaining in popularity. And my prediction is, as more of us focus on ways to live longer, healthier lives, these strange sounding powders and berries will soon become household words. The term “superfood” was coined in 2004 by Dr. Steven Pratt ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018
ADD/ADHD , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Pregnancy , Prevention

Raising Happy, Healthy Kids in a Toxic World

I don’t usually pull the “age card” (especially in our youth-oriented society), but I’m going to just put it out there and tell you that I am a grandmother of 7 kids (2 are in the photo) and I have been a pediatric registered nurse for 36 years!   Now, neither of these admissions alone, or in combination, makes me a wise old sage who has all the answers.  However, the ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018
ADD/ADHD , Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Kids , Healthy Living , Pregnancy , Prevention

One of the Greatest Gifts You Can Give Your Child (& Yourself)

Get Healthy BEFORE You Get Pregnant...  by Maureen McDonnell, RN   We all know there are many factors at play in the days and weeks following conception that are crucial for the survival and healthy development of a fetus such as diet, stress, infection, tobacco use, environmental toxins, alcohol, drugs etc. But what we don’t often consider (and yet it may be of equal, if not greater significance) is the health status ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018
ADD/ADHD , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Kids , Healthy Living , Pregnancy , Prevention

Are There Safer Ways to Vaccinate Our Children?

Are There Safer Ways to Vaccinate Our Children? Maureen McDonnell, RN “There are unanswered questions about vaccine safety. We need studies on vaccinated populations based on various schedules and doses as well as individual patient susceptibilities that we are continuing to learn about. No one should be threatened by the pursuit of this knowledge. Vaccine policy should be the subject of frank and open debate, with no tolerance for bullying. There ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 2, 2018
ADD/ADHD , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Healthy Living , Pregnancy , Prevention

What Can Be Done to Prevent Autism Now?

Although the mystery of the autism epidemic has not yet been solved, emerging science and reports from parents about specific treatments that have improved (or in some cases recovered) their ASD children have given us strong clues regarding ways to prevent and treat Autism Spectrum Disorders. Causation theories range from: it must be due to better diagnosis, (rather than a real increase); to maternal age at the time of conception; to ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 1, 2018
ADD/ADHD , Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Kids , Healthy Living , Prevention

What Do Cigarettes, Sugar and Vaccines Have in Common?

In 1958 the Center for Disease Control (undoubtedly influenced by Big Tobacco) announced: “Smoking does not cause lung cancer.” In the 1970’s, the Sugar Industry began its well-funded PR campaign to shift public opinion away from the health destroying effects of sugar. Documents have recently been unearthed from the archives at Colorado University’s library (1) revealing the strategy the industry took to make this happen. By financially supporting (pre-determined outcome) studies, manipulating ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 1, 2018
ADD/ADHD , Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Eating , Healthy Kids , Mental Illness

The Relationship between the Gut and the Brain

Typically, gut specialists (gastroenterologists) and the brain docs (psychiatrists) do not function under the premise that their specialties are in any way related.  However, new understandings have emerged which show a wonderfully interwoven, codependent relationship between what goes on in the gut and how well the brain functions.  The relationship is so profound, that I and many practitioners in the integrative, functional medicine community often refer to the famous quote ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN May 1, 2018
Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Healthy Eating , Healthy Living , Prevention

Flushing out the Toxins

We have all come a long way in our awareness of the role the 87,000 chemicals that have been created in the last hundred years (which are mostly untested and unregulated) play in conditions ranging from Infertility,  Autism, Cancer to Obesity.   As a result of our understanding of just how detrimental these substances can be to our health, most of us are now using “green” cleaning products, natural deodorants (without ...

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by Maureen H. McDonnell, RN March 31, 2015
ADD/ADHD , Adult Health , Allergies/Asthma , Autism , Healthy Kids , Pregnancy , Prevention , Vaccines

10 Facts about Vaccines

Important Facts To Know Regarding the Current Vaccine Debate We are the most heavily vaccinated country in the world. We give 26 vaccines to our babies during their first year of life and administer 36-45 before the age of 5.  300 new vaccines are currently being developed.    In 1986 Congress released vaccine manufacturers from any liability associated with illness or death from vaccines. The current Disneyland measles frenzy is uncalled ...

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