Children Archives - Page 2 of 2

OH Nooo!! Not Head Lice!!

August 11, 2015 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Well it’s back to school time everybody! It seems like the summer’s keep getting shorter and shorter with each passing year.

My two youngest daughters, a 12th grader and 10th grader, started back to school this week, and I’m just not ready for the summer to be over. Just when you get used to the laid back schedule of summer, it’s time to get back into that humdrum routine of getting up early every morning and getting ready for school. As a kid I always hated for summer to be over and school to start back, and now as a parent, I still feel the same way! However on a positive note, with the return of the new school year, comes the excitement of Friday night lights and Saturday game days. It also means that scorching temperatures of summer are only a few weeks from being over!

I guess when you think about it everything in life has its pros and cons. I suppose one of those pros, for me, happens every school year, because at the beginning of every year, I receive a little spike in business. I know it’s unfortunate for all of us parents, but when all the kids get back together in a tight knit community of a school campus, they begin to share things other than pencils and notebook paper. There is one dreaded phone call from the school that no parent ever wants to get, “Hello this is Nurse Jones, and I’m sorry you need to come pick up your child. We’ve found head lice in their hair.” Over the years I’ve encountered many many distraught parents in the pharmacy who have received such a call. Many times they are beside themselves, in tears even, wondering how could this happen to my child. Thankfully I’m able to comfort them and assure them that it’s a lot more common than they think, and it does not mean they are bad parents. Even some of my own children have had an infestation of head lice. I know it’s troublesome and disrupts your schedule, but it can be treated. It takes some work and some effort, but you can get rid of those little critters. There are many head lice products on the market today. Some of them over the counter and some of them prescription only, however most of what you find, whether it’s prescription or over the counter, contains toxic chemicals. Unfortunately head lice have become resistant to a lot of these chemicals, making it harder to get rid of an infestation. I do not personally recommend any of these chemical laden products. Fortunately through my training in natural medicine, I have discovered several natural products that contain no chemicals, and I’ve seen them be very successful and effective in treating head lice. I have treated my own children and many others in the past with an all natural product called “Safe Control” that I have compounded in the pharmacy. There are also several commercial products available that contain essential oils that can kill head lice and their knits. There are shampoos and conditioners that have been developed that contain natural organic essential oils in them that can aid in the prevention of head lice as well. One such product is “Fairy Tales” shampoo and conditioner which contains rosemary. Some of the treatment products that are available commercially contain essential oils such as melaleuca and neem. If you do have the misfortune of having a child encounter head lice this year, then follow these recommendations, and you should have no problem controlling and getting rid of the infestation.

First of all I would use one of the natural essential oil based treatments. Second you will need a very fine tooth metal knit comb to remove the knits from the hair follicles, just in case one of the knits happen to survive the treatment. This is the most tedious part of head lice treatment, but it is absolutely necessary! Next you want to make sure that you wash all bedding in hot water in a washing machine and you seal up any pillows or stuffed animals that your child may have come in contact with in plastic bags, and store them away for at least two weeks. Also any hairbrushes or combs that were being used need to be soaked in boiling hot water or discarded. It is my hope that this school year, you are not troubled with a head lice problem! If you do encounter those dreaded bugs, please follow my recommendations and treat your children with natural products. Also rest assured that you are not the only one going through this. There are thousands of others all across the world that are experiencing the same headache that you are at the same time!

If you have any questions for me about treating head lice this school year then please contact me by filling out the contact form or by leaving a voice message by clicking on the “Ask Dr. Phil” microphone on CarsonNatural.com!

There is another product I recently discovered that you may be interested in. This product can provide a genetic nutrition and fitness assessment based upon your unique DNA and lifestyle. Click here for a short video detailing the assessment. If you’re interested in achieving a new level of wellness, then please contact me through the channels above! Also just below here is an email signup box to sign up for our monthly newsletter if you haven’t already! All you have to do is enter your email address and press enter. In our newsletter is a recap of selected blogs, a funny story, patient testimonials, product reviews and a money saving coupon code for products in our online store!

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

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Victory Day for the Carson Family 21 Day Challenge

June 22, 2015 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Well we all made it, the 21 Day Carson Family Challenge is over, and we are at the beach in Florida!

The final week of the 21 Day Challenge was no exception to the previous two. It brought its own set of challenges and temptations. Lets talk about the temptations first. They were mostly similar to the temptations of the first two weeks except for one BIG temptation that presented itself at the beginning of the week. My niece and her daughter came by to visit and brought with them 3 cases of Girl Scout Cookies that Kim had ordered. I know what some of you may be thinking, “Why in the world would a family that tries to eat healthy order 3 cases of Girl Scout Cookies?” Well it’s because my sweet wife has such a generous, giving heart! Although this time she may have gone a little overboard in helping out my grand-niece to meet her goal for selling Girl Scout Cookies. For a couple of days those cookies sat in the kitchen taunting and tempting everyone, except for me. I’m not a big fan of cookies that come in a box! I finally took them and hid them in another room where they could not be seen. Out of sight, out of mind can be a very effective technique when changing your eating habits! I am very proud of the girls for not giving in to the temptation, even though they greatly wanted to have a cookie or seven.

The other challenge that presented itself was the willpower to stick to the daily exercise routine. For various reasons nobody was able to follow through with their exercise plan this week. It would have been great if everybody could have, but I’m really not that disappointed because it helps me prove a point that I often try to make with my patients that I’m working with to help lose weight and become more fit. The total weight loss of the Carson Family was the least it had been out of all three weeks. Further proving my point that it takes the dynamic duo of proper nutrition and exercise to get optimal results when you are trying to lose weight. This is not just an idea that I and many other health care practitioners preach, but an idea that has recently been backed up by studies that were done proving that either one alone is not nearly as effective as when both are adhered to. I’m glad that these studies were done because there are so many advertisements out there promoting weight loss that say you can eat these certain foods and lose all the weight you want without having to exercise. There are other plans that just say “Exercise! Exercise! eat whatever you want” and you will drop the unwanted pounds. I’m not saying that you wouldn’t lose weight just doing one or the other but it’s obvious, I think, that if you do both, you WILL get better results. So the total weight loss for week three was just a mere five pounds, with two of us not losing any weight, despite us sticking to a strict nutrition plan. Which brings our total weight lost for the three weeks to 36 pounds. Had we all been consistent throughout the 21 days on both eating right and exercising daily what could the number have been, I wonder? 40 pounds? 45 pounds? It’s hard to speculate, but I believe the number would have been much higher.

Regardless of that, I am extremely proud of the results that we all have achieved over the past 21 days. However, what I’m most proud of is that this challenge, I believe, has changed my daughter’s thinking on food and fitness forever. Even though they are living it up on the beach right now and eating whatever they want to, including those Girl Scout Cookies, they are determined that they will stick with the habits of consistently eating right and exercising. They don’t want to stop what they have started or go backwards, because not only have they lost weight but they all feel better as well. One of my daughter’s skin has even cleared up as a result of the sugar fast. So it’s not all about vanity, having a smaller waist line, or that so called beach body. It’s as much about feeling good physically and emotionally as it is about looking good on the outside. It’s all about living a more balanced, healthier, and vibrant life…. What we encourage and teach daily at Carson Natural Health.

If reading this blog inspires you to begin your own 21 day challenge, then you may be interested in a product I recently discovered. This product can provide a genetic nutrition and fitness assessment based upon your unique DNA and lifestyle. Click here for a short video detailing the assessment. If you’re interested in achieving a new level of wellness, then please contact me by filling out the contact form on CarsonNatural.com or by leaving a voice message by clicking the “Ask Dr. Phil” Microphone!

Happy Summer and Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

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Battle Week in the Carson Family 21 Day Challenge

June 15, 2015 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Here we are, the Carson Family 21 Day Challenge is now 14 days old. I thought to myself, “We got through week 1, week 2 will be smooth sailing!” Well I was wrong!

Week 2 of the 21 day challenge turned from a challenge to a battle. It seems that everyone this week battled temptations more so than the previous week. Thinking about it, really every day is a battle when you’re following a plan like we are following. Some of us have given in to the temptation this week, but we didn’t quit. We may have slipped once or twice, but we started right back over with the next meal. That’s the key to success when you’re doing any kind of special diet or nutrition plan like we are following. The girls have been out of the house a few times this week with friends, and that’s where the challenge really becomes a battle. When you’re at home, you’ve got more control, but when you’re eating out with the limited selection of restaurants that we have, it’s hard to make the right choices. It is even harder when your friends are sitting across from you eating whatever they want to eat. When I, the coach, am with them it’s not so hard. Things are always easier when someone is there to hold you accountable. Despite the slip ups this week, I am extremely proud of my girls because, for the most part, they have done exceptionally well in making the right choices, and I believe everyone can do that. I admit it is not that easy to make the right choices when eating out, but I believe it can be done, and here are my recommendations on how to do so.

First of all, plan ahead! Choose a restaurant that has a variety of menu selections that fit or can be made to fit your nutrition plan. For example, if pasta and pizza are not part of your plan, then don’t walk into an Italian restaurant and expect to feel good about yourself while you’re walking out. Instead choose a restaurant where the majority of their menu items are baked, broiled, or grilled. Obviously you should avoid fast food restaurants, because the choices are much more limiting, especially when you are not supposed to eat any bread or fried foods. You may say, “What if I have no choice, what if I have to eat in a hurry and am forced to get fast food?” Well in that case, there are several fast food menu items that I can recommend.

Most fast food restaurants this day and age serve garden salads or mixed greens salads with grilled chicken, and some of them are pretty good. There are many restaurants now where you can design your own salad, choosing the vegetables you want as well as the type of protein, whether that be chicken, fish, eggs or some type of meat that you’d like to have on it. Just make sure when you do choose a salad, you also choose a good healthy dressing. I recommend the oil based dressings and not the creamy or sugary dressings. There are also many fast food spots that serve chicken salad or tuna salad, and one of my favorite things to do is get a couple of scoops of either of those, a side salad, and an unsweet tea or water with lemon (Yes, believe it or not, we do have unsweet tea in Mississippi.) Some great choices for a nicer dine in restaurant would be an entree with salmon or some other ocean fish, a side of steamed or grilled vegetables, and small side salad. A grilled chicken breast or small steak could be your protein source as well, at any of those nice restaurants. Some of you are probably wondering, “Well what about eating at a Mexican place? I love Mexican food!” I love Mexican food as well, but unfortunately it doesn’t feel the same way about me, but even at a Mexican restaurant you can make the right choices. I recommend ordering fajitas without the flour tortillas, and even though there will be free chips on your table, you have to resist or request they not bring them.

I hope you find these recommendations helpful if you are undertaking a challenge similar to ours, or if you are following any other type of nutrition plan to help you lose weight and get more fit. The Carson Family 21 Day Challenge will continue and hopefully over the final seven days it will be less of a battle than it was this week! In spite of the battles though, I am happy to report that the Carson Family is an additional 12 pounds lighter than we were last week for a total of 31 pounds lost in two weeks!

Happy Summer and Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

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21 Day Challenge Meals….Eating Healthy Can Be Easier Than You Think!

June 11, 2015 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

I ‘ve had several people ask me this week, “So what is the Carson family doing on this 21 Day Challenge, and how are yall losing the weight?”

Well I’ve never been one to keep secrets, although it’s really no secret. So I’ll spill the beans, which you’ll be eating by the way! Let me first say that I do not believe in fad diets, and what I’m proposing to you is a simple nutrition plan and not a diet! Fad diets only work temporarily, if they work at all. Some diets or so called diet pills only work temporarily as well, if at all. However, there are a few good supplements on the market that can help you kickstart your weight loss program or help aid in weight loss as long as they are used alongside a healthy nutrition and fitness plan. What we, as a family, are doing nutrition wise is nothing new, and it’s what some people call a slow-carb diet. I often call it a clean eating nutrition plan. On the Carson Family plan, you will basically eliminate all white foods from your diet. That is anything made with processed flour, processed sugar, dairy, and starchy foods, such as white potatoes or white rice. These are your normal carbohydrate sources, and you will be replacing them with vegetables, beans, and legumes. Along with white foods, fruit and sugary drinks are also not allowed, even fruit juices. For an explanation on why you shouldn’t eat fruit, check out our last blog! Ideally you should drink only water or unsweetened drinks, however if you require something sweet, I recommend that you use zero calorie, all natural sweetener, Stevia. Your protein sources can come from any lean meats that AREN’T fried such as: chicken, fish, lean red meat, and of course, eggs. I recommend fresh farm, organic, or free range eggs, because on this plan you will be eating a lot of eggs. In my opinion, and the opinion of many other health professionals, the best source for protein is wild-caught, cold water fish. To keep everything in proper balance, you will need some good fat as well. My recommendations here would be oil based dressings; real organic butter, in moderation; olive oil; organic coconut oil; or a few raw nuts would be sufficient for your fat content in your meals.

I’ve included a couple of pictures of typical meals that we prepare…

Here we have a breakfast plate with a spinach omelet and cannellini beans, that I spice up with four of my favorite anti-inflammatory spices: ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, and cumin. These add tremendous flavor to the beans as well as help reduce inflammation in your body!

This dinner plate contains a wild caught salmon steak, fresh green garden salad, cannellini beans, and green beans! Both of these meals are delicious, nutritious, healthy, and satisfying.

You see it’s really pretty simple, and you can find a wide variety of slow-carb meals and recipes on the internet. As I told a cousin of mine several days ago, you can do it if you set your mind to it! However, if you are someone that feels as though you need some help, somebody to nudge you and hold you accountable, I have a few open slots available for coaching. We can set up an individualized plan for you and help you reach your health goals!

Happy Summer and Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

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The Carson Family 21 Day Beach Body Challenge – 7 Days In

June 8, 2015 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Wow! As the old saying goes, “What a difference a week makes!”

Well the first seven days of the Carson Family 21 Day Beach Body Challenge is in the history books, and I am happy to report that I made it out alive. I was not killed by a bunch of hungry and hormonal women this week like some of you may have suspected I might be. Actually that thought never even crossed my mind before I issued the challenge. I did, however, witness the condition known as “hangry” for the first time. As you might infer, it is the state of being so hungry that you become agitated and/or angry. Just as I survived the first seven days, so did my wife and daughters, much to their surprise. As I mentioned previously, changing old habits is not easy to do, and the first few days of change are often the toughest. It’s during those first few days that people often quit, because they slip up, feel like a failure, and say to themselves, “I can’t do this, I’ll just quit.” I try to encourage people that if you do slip up, it’s okay. Don’t stop, just start back again the next meal. Keep a positive attitude and keep trying. You may fail several times before you reach your goal, but that’s okay! You just have to keep striving for that goal, no matter what happens.

I have to say I am extremely proud of my wife and daughters, because they may have slipped a little bit this week, but they did not stop. Because they did not stop, they are beginning to see some positive results, and now they are more determined than before! I am extremely proud of my two youngest daughters because they spent the latter half of the week at an FCA Leadership Camp. I’m sure most everyone reading this has experienced youth camp food, and you know what they were being served would not meet the criteria for the 21 day challenge. I checked in with them throughout the week, and they assured me that they were being as strict as they could with what they had. Fortunately they got plenty of exercise in those few days as well. As soon as the hugs and kisses were over with when they arrived back home on Sunday, the older of the two excitedly told me and showed me that her shorts were now falling off of her. It was a blessing for me to see her so excited and encouraged about becoming more fit! I know many of you are anxious to know the actual results of the first seven days of this 21 Day Challenge, so here they are! As of Sunday June the 7th, the Carson family is 19 pounds lighter, an average of almost 4 pounds per person!! I think that is awesome, but what is even more awesome to me is that everyone is feeling healthier and more confident in themselves. The walls of resistance to change are beginning to tumble down, and the frowns are turning to smiles. As I said, what a difference a week makes, and I can’t wait to see how much a difference two weeks makes!

Healthy Blessings and Happy Summer,

Dr. Phil

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The Carson Family 21 Day Beach Body Challenge

June 4, 2015 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Recently I announced to my daughters and wife that I would be attending a pharmacy conference in Destin, FL. I asked them if they would like to tag along and spend some time on the beach. As you would imagine, I didn’t have to twist any arms or ask twice before they were already excitedly talking about lounging in the sunshine for several days. Not long after though, the conversation shifted from lounging in the sun to how much weight they had gained over the past six months and how they wished they could look a little better before going to the beach. As I listened to them complain about how they looked and how they wished they were thinner and in better shape, I thought this would be a great opportunity to teach them the benefits of eating healthy and exercising regularly. So I presented them with a plan, a 21 day challenge to a better body. “Yes, yes, we want to do it!”, all four of them agreed. Since it was a little over 21 days before we left for the conference and the beach I thought it was perfect timing! I assured them they wouldn’t have to do it alone, and that I planned on doing it with them and coaching them through the 21 days. We determined that we would exercise 6 days a week, and everyday we would follow a strict nutrition plan. The plan would include eliminating all white foods, such as dairy, flour, and sugar; all sugary drinks; and sugar containing foods, including fruit. They were not happy about the “NO fruit” rule, “It’s summer time, we can’t NOT eat fruit, are you crazy? what about watermelon and strawberries?!?” they said. I told them if you want to get faster results then you have to drop fruit because it contains sugar! Now if you’re thinking to yourself, “Fruit isn’t bad for you, what’s the deal, Dr. Phil?” A book I once read laid it out like this, “Sure fruit is good for you some of the time, but do you think our ancestors were eating oranges and strawberries in the middle of winter? Our bodies aren’t designed to eat fruit year round, and depending on where your ancestors are from, they may have never even seen a citrus fruit.” Back to my story though, I assured my family that the no fruit rule was only for 21 days, and they reluctantly agreed.

So on Saturday May 31st, we started our 21 day challenge. On Saturday night, as we were in the city of Tupelo, MS and trying to decide where we would eat for dinner. I reminded them that we would have to choose somewhere where we could eat healthy. They said they were ready, but when it came time to walk the talk they began to say what we all are guilty of sometimes in life. “Well it’s Saturday night Dad, can’t we just start tomorrow?!?” said one daughter. “Let’s wait one more day,” another chimed in. “Yeah Dad, we’re out in Tupelo, we wanna eat something good,” the third chirped. All three were ready to quit the challenge before it ever really got started! I reassured them that we would eat something good, something good and healthy, but that we were starting today! We would not put it off another day. The Carson ship began to rock. I seemed to have a mutiny on my hands, but I was resolute! I would not be defeated. I did not let the long faces, snarls, or growls from my sailors deter me. “We will stick to the plan,” I told them! “I know I’m being tough, but you are going to thank me for it in the end.” So we went to a nice restaurant, and I helped each daughter make the correct choices from the menu. I’m sure the waitress that night thought that was the sourest bunch of girls she’d ever seen in my life.

Over the past few days everyone has done extremely well in sticking to the plan. I can tell it is getting a little bit easier for them. This story reinforces what I often preach to my patients, that food is addictive, and certain foods are highly addictive. So addictive that one of my daughters spent the last couple days nauseated and sick from the detoxifying effect of eliminating sugar and drinking only water. When we get into the habit of eating certain foods and doing things a certain way, it is extremely difficult to change. However I promise that if you stick with it, push through the struggles and the temptation to quit, it will be worth it in the end. I am eager for them to get on the scales on Saturday so I can celebrate the difference that only a week has made!

Be looking for my follow up this weekend detailing the results of the first week of the Carson 21 Day Challenge. If reading this blog inspires you to begin your own 21 day challenge, then you may be interested in a product I recently discovered. This product can provide a genetic nutrition and fitness assessment based upon your unique DNA and lifestyle. Click here for a short video detailing the assessment. If you’re interested in achieving a new level of wellness, then please contact me by filling out the contact form on CarsonNatural.com or by leaving a voice message by clicking the “Ask Dr. Phil” Microphone!

Healthy Blessings and Happy Summer,

Dr. Phil

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