Who's side are you on?

Life is a battle.



That is true in many ways, and one important aspect is... The battle to stay healthy. Yes, a battle. There are enemy forces all around us ever day, just waiting for an opportunity to strike. The job of our immune system is simple but complex... Detect, deter, defend.

But... Battles are painful. It requires work and suffering. It requires action, effort, and often wounds. The battle for our health is no different. Yet... Who's side are you on?

Today we seem to be so focused on comfort at all costs, that we forget the battle itself. We confuse the battle itself with the enemy. We so do not want to endure the battle that often we hinder our own armies from succeeding.

For instance...

We get a fever, and reach immediately for a fever reducer. But wait... The fever is not the enemy, the fever is a tool that our own immune system uses to fight the enemy. Fevers both activates the immune system and hinders the Invaders. It's a wonderful tool, but it hurts. So... We choose to kill the fever with artificial means. Where is the wisdom in that? The enemy is the invader that the fever is fighting, and we attack the fever?

Inflammation.. bad right? Well... Not so fast! Inflammation is a tool of the immune system. Inflamed tissues have increased blood flow, which supports our own fighting of some invader. It is a natural, good, healthy response... If it is temporary! Constant inflammation is a sign of either an immune system gone ary or a constant need for repair of tissues. The question is... What is causing the inflammation, that is the enemy! The inflammation itself is our response... it is the good guys fighting.

Pick most any health condition and ask the question, what is causing the symptom? Is there an enemy hiding behind that symptom that the immune system is addressing with the symptom? If so... Fighting the symptom is fighting on the wrong side!

What to do? Ask questions. Dig. Explore. Find out why something is happening and make sure the root cause is being addressed. Be sure your treatment is fighting the enemy itself, not just the symptoms of the battle.

When we learned this valuable truth, life became much easier. Instead of living on pharmaceuticals to hide symptoms of the battle, we learned how to address the Root cause and the battles subside! For good! So many conditions that we thought were"normal" or a part of "aging" actually disappeared while we were solving other Root problems. That's because a single room cause can often trigger multiple seemingly unrelated symptoms. Address the root, and all calms. Health.

True health is the lack of the need for constant healthcare.

posted from Bloggeroid

The immune system is like everything else...

Most people would agree with this quote.. Strength does come through the struggle, work and effort makes one strong, overcoming challenges builds up, Adversity produces success.  So many ways to say it, but all the same. Yet there is an irony... When it comes to our own immune system, we go exactly the opposite direction! We tend to embrace weakness!

It's true, hear me out!

Every part of our bodies must be used to remain healthy, must be exercised to become strong. That includes.. the immune system. If it is not exercised, utilized, trained.. it remains weak and ineffective. Why would we expect anything else?

What am I referring to? The american notion of "health care".

We get a fever.. oh no! bring it down with pharmaceuticals!

We feel a cold coming on... on no! Get an antiobiotic from the doctor!

We get our hands dirty... on no! Grab the antibacterial soap!

It seems that every thing we do is to eliminate the need for our bodies to fight it. We eliminate the struggle from our immune system. but then, how will it ever strengthen? How can we strengthen a muscle without challenging it?

But the reality is even worse... everything we do IS in fact training our immune system. It is learning, adapting, to the environment and challenges we face. It's not just the type of bacteria or virus, but the intensity, exposure method, and even the battle itself.

For instance.. consider this...

Every time we get an infection, we reach for an antibiotic. What is that doing to the immune system? Lay aside for moment the direct damage caused in the digestive track. Yes, I know.. that damage is significant and real, and sometimes barely recoverable, sometimes fatal. But for the sake of this concept of training, lay the direct damage aside. Consider how we have TRAINED our own immune system!

The bacteria invades.
The immune system identifies the intruder and mounts a defense based on best knowledge of the past.
Inflammation, fever, swelling, all the symptoms of the battle are produced becasue our system is beginning to fight
Then
We take an antibiotic.
Bacteria die off, not because of the immune system's actions, but becasue of the chemicals.
but how does the immune system know?
IT doesn't!
The immune system thinks that what it did totally killed off the intruder.
We just trained our immune system to fight poorly, to assume success with flawed methods
Next time we get an infection, it will try to do what worked last time...
and over and over.

So think about a person after a lifetime of taking medicines to cure minor infections. How will their immune system ever learn? The answer is, sadly, it DID learn... it learned to do the wrong thing and expect the invader to just die off.  In other words, the person has become totally dependent on the antibiotic! Without it, their immune system is powerless, weak, and wrong. 

Don't believe me?  Consider this.. Do you use vaccines? IF so (we should talk!) but you used the vaccine to train the immune system to battle the real thing. All vaccines are based on this premise, that the immune system is trained, adapts to what it encounters that works. In fact, they purposefully put toxins into the vaccine specifically to increase the level of reaction of the immune system. They need a severe reaction to teach it to fight hard. Without that, the vaccine is ineffective.

So think it through... relying on external resources to kill an infection is actually training the immune system to fail to kill the infection! And every time we do this, it gets worse! The faulty memory, improper training, gets stronger and harder to unlearn. Wonder why elderly today tend to be weaker, more susceptible to disease?

We personally experienced this. For years we "did the right thing" Every runny nose, every ear infection, every cold, every scratch, everything got an antibiotic or antiseptic. And our family got sicker and sicker. the frequency increased, the intensity increased. Once we caught the flu.. it was absolutely devastating! 3 weeks of pure misery. Until we started to actually train our immune system to fight, to succeed on its own. We used herbal assistance, but nothing stronger unless it is life threatening. And now, only a few years later... we rarely get sick, and when we do, rarely does everyone (a big deal in a family of 9!) and both intensity and duration is lighter.

Sure, we did a LOT of stuff to increase health, but it all adds together and builds up. Understanding that the immune system MUST be exercised and not fooled, is a major key to achieving true health.  Are we "anti antibiotics"? OF COURSE NOT... we recognize the need for proper judicial use. When something is needed, it is needed. But using an antibiotic when unnecessary, when not life threatening, can be devastating.

Suffering is not fun. No one like to feel sick. But just as the pain of exercise, or working out to produce a desired goal, going naturally through a sickness is a necessary part of proper immune system training.

True health means freedom from need for healthcare.
Freedom from need for healthcare comes from a strong immune system.
 - therefore -
Fooling the immune system, or constantly being easy on it,
creates a higher need for health care.

New product - golden milk (tumeric tea)

Exciting news!



We just added a new item under the herdshare... Golden Milk, sometimes known as tumeric tea.

This is not a mix, not a gritty powder, but ready to drink smooth milk drink... made from extra creamy raw goat milk!

Golden milk is a recipe of tumeric, black pepper, and coconut oil (all organic of course) prepared into raw goat milk. You can enjoy it cold or warm, either way this drink is super healthy!

Tumeric is one of the most valuable root spices available. It is anti inflammatory, and pretty much "anti everything bad"! Tumeric should be a part of our daily diet for optimum health. The problem with most tumeric is absorption. Combining this root with coconut oil in a base of high fat raw milk helps significantly with absorption. We add in a tiny amount of black pepper, not enough to taste, to also increase absorption.

This golden milk is prepared by actually warming the tumeric slightly in the coconut oil to soften and hydrate it, so that there is no gritty specs left once it is mixed into the milk. Never heated enough to alter the goodness, just enough to make it "melt" into the milk. The result is a yummy milk drink. You can even add some honey if you prefer it a little sweeter, but it's fine just as is!

Golden milk is now added to the list of things you can choose to turn your milk into under the herdshare. For a small fee you can convert milk into golden milk by the quart, on any delivery. This is just like yogurt and kefir. The only requirement is to have enough herdshare quantity to produce the products, as the milk used to produce yogurt, kefir, or golden milk is your herdshare milk and reduces the amount of fluid milk you will receive.

If you do not have a herdshare yet, hurray and but you're, the shares are selling out fast. Just contact us for the details.

posted from Bloggeroid

Fried devil's claw

We tried a new dishwasher tonight... Fried devil's claw!

Devil's claw pods are much like okra... And I love fried okra... So we decided to try some. We used a normal fried okra recipe and it cooked up nicely!

Unfortunately... Devil's claw is a bit bitter. That the medicinal components in it coming through the pods. It was ok, but would be more tasty if the bitterness was hidden behind some other flavor... Will try that next time.

We are raising devil's claw (and selling seeds) because this plant is highly beneficial to anyone with joint pain. In Europe, they use devil's claw root to treat RA and other arthritis pain. O have tried it myself, and it works for me! I seem to enheirented my mom's tendency for arthritis in the fingers, so I tried the European remedy. For me, a tea of devil's claw root mixed with nettle leaves bring some immediate relief and much long term relief if continued daily for a week or so.

We are very happy to have this amazing plant pop up wild in our garden area for the second year. We have enough seeds saved from last year to sell and next year we will be able to offer organically grown devil's claw pods and root directly!

I will say that for me... Our own fresh grown root is more beneficial than the preparations found in the store. Nothing like home grown!

posted from Bloggeroid

Scented Laundry Products Shown To Produce Hazardous Emissions!

This study is a few years old, done in 2011, but very relevant! The University of Washington did testing on common laundry products to see what airborn emissions they created.  The results are astounding!

From the Article:

Analysis of the captured gases found more than 25 volatile organic compounds, including seven hazardous air pollutants, coming out of the vents. Of those, two chemicals - acetaldehyde and benzene - are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, for which the agency has established no safe exposure level.

The source of the airborn compounds seem to come from the scents and chemicals used in the laundry soap itself, when exposed to the heat of a dryer! These were not off brands, but popular "best selling" brands (although they did not name the exact manufacturer).

And we aren't talking about just a tiny bit... The levels of these compounds in the air seems significant! Again from the article:

 The researchers estimate that in the Seattle area, where the study was conducted, acetaldehyde emissions from this brand of laundry detergent would be equivalent to 3 percent of the total acetaldehyde emissions coming from automobiles. Emissions from the top five brands, they estimate, would constitute about 6 percent of automobiles' acetaldehyde emissions.

That's simply incredible to consider!

THIS is why we stopped using common laundry detergents years ago. Not only do we not want to breathe the carcinogenic compounds with ever load of clothes, but the presence of airborn compounds must mean that some level is actually left INSIDE the clothing itself, which then sits on our family's skin all day.  THAT is a toxic load we prefer to do without!

So we switched to a brand that uses only pure soap, no detergent, no chemicals, and only essential oils for scents. There is nothing in this laundry soap that can cause the unwanted toxins to begin with.  And this is why we add laundry soap to our product list of "what we changed to become healthy". Our mission in 2017 is to offer to you and your family the exact items that we used to overcome our family's health issues. Laundry is a big part of it.

If you have not yet, please look in the online store for the laundry soap we resell. It is the brand we trust and use every day, and we make it available to you, delivered for free direct to your door with your order each month.

Full text of the article can be found here:  https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/uow-slp082311.php

Finally - A deodorant that is a health positive instead of negative, and WORKS too!

Perhaps one of the most important things we changed to achieve health is.. the lowly deodorant!

Back in the days of working in small closed offices and living on the standard american diet (SAD), we naturally used the strongest anti-antiperspirant available. We never gave a thought to the health impact of this.. not then.

But consider this:

The primary component of antiperspirants is.. aluminum! The same aluminum that is implicated in a long list of health issues including Alzheimer's, autism, assorted neurological issues.  Why is it in there? because aluminum CLOGS the pores of your skin to block the ability of the body to sweat. No sweat, no unsightly underarm wet spots and stained clothes and body odor.  But there is a problem. Chemicals applied to the skin absorb into the body through the skin. This is now a method of administering many medicines becasue it is SO effective at putting chemicals into the bloodstream! So that aluminum is slowly absorbing into the bloodstream, right next to a lymph node, 24x7.  To add insult to injury, the action of sweating is a primary detox tool of the body, but that pathway has now been totally blocked by the aluminum itself! The only pathway left is into the blood, around the body, and out some other avenue, leaving devastating health problems along the way. 

The other products in antiperspirants as well as deodorants are no less concerning:

Parabens - used to kill bacteria in the product... yes, a poison to bacteria. Parabens have been found in tumors! They seem to have a weak estrogen like effect when absorbed through the skin. 

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) distearates - emulsifying agents found in many cosmetic products including antiperspirants. This antiperspirant ingredient makes it easier to wash off the product. Does that sound like something you want on your skin adsorbing into the body all day?

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) - a preservative! Only it does not preserve life not health... and has been implicated in many health concerns. 

Propylene glycol - made from petroleum! It softens and gives a sort of slick consistency

Phthalates - a whole class of chemicals used to aid blending of cosmetics. They have been implicated in health concerns especially for women and birth defects.
Triclosan - anti bacterial agent classified as a pesticide by the FDA.  Some countries are now banning triclosan from antibacterial soaps!

Go take a look at your favorite deodorant and see which chemicals it contains, then ask yourself.. do you really want that chemical as part of your bloodstream every day of your life? What could the long term implications be?

What to Do?

We searched for an answer for years... honestly we found that virtually all "natural" deodorants fell into 3 groups:

1. Actually had some of the above chemicals, but by different names so unsuspecting customers would not realize.

2. Were unpleasant to use from stickiness, difficulty to clean, left stains, etc

3. Just plain didn't work!

But over the years we found what DOES work! and it works amazingly well without any bad chemicals. In fact, this "recipe" is a pleasure to use, is a health positive instead of negative, and works so well it can be effective for 2 days from a single application! No really! We were very excited!

Our recipe contains the following simple ingredients:

Shea Butter (organic of course) - a natural plan butter similiar to cocoa butter
Bentonite Clay - Natural pure clay very good at detox, and wetness absorption
Baking Soda - A natural product (not man made) excellent at odor absorption
Essential Oils - Natural fragrance that have healing properties as well as anti microbial

That's it! Nothing else is necessary! And it WORKS!

But wait.. there's more!  Not only is the product itself amazing, but the application is unique and beneficial. You apply a small about of this "stiff lotion" with your fingertips, massaging into the area of the armpit. This action done right is a lymph node massage! Many experts point to lymph node massage as beneficial or even necessary for good health. 

For now, we are offering samples of this product while we decide on the fragrances that we want to produce. Just email or call and ask for a sample. Very soon this will show up in the online store available for purchase along with your monthly order!

New Product! Rosita Cod Liver Oils

Just in time for the January delivery, we have an exciting new product available! The world's freshest and ONLY Extra Virgin Cod Liver oil!

This Cod liver oil is special, very special.  Here is the description straight from the producer's web site:

Rosita Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil is real Norwegian cod liver oil that is fresh, raw & handcrafted from wild livers using a very rare ancient extraction technique which uses nature to separate the oil from its liver. No chemicals, solvents and mechanical devices are ever used during the extraction process. The oil is completely unrefined and produced under the total absence of heat, a process that protects its nutritional value. This type of cod liver oil is both precious and rare – something that is almost impossible to achieve on an industrial level. This ancient oil is of the highest quality with all the health benefits that are naturally present in the oil of a “living” codfish liver.

The bottom line, there is no better oil available and none that even come close to pure and natural, but free of contaminants.  Yes, it costs more, but when you need the best, this oil is produce without compromise.

To read more about this amazing product, go to the producer's website at http://evclo.com/

Now you can order this foundational health supplement from Little Sprouts along with your regular monthly order, and receive as many bottles as you need through our home delivery service.  No extra charges, no freight, just pure clean true cod liver oil.

New Worry - Shy away from conventionally raised pork

There is a constant string of discoveries that point to the need for locally produced pasture raised meats. This one in particular is especially concerning.

It appears that there has been a discovery of a very concerning gene on a medium sized pig farm. The farm has about 1500 sows, that they raise only on farm, no outside genetics or breeding. This particular gene has been found in multiple samples from different sources around the farm.

Why is this so concerning? becasue this gene has the ability to make a variety of bacteria into "superbugs" that are strongly antibiotic resistant. AND, the gene can apparently be transferred to humans where bacteria on the humans can acquire antibiotic resistance.  In other words.. someone could be carrying this gene without knowing it, get a cold or flu or other infection, and discover that the usually easy to deal with bacteria are resistant to all known antibiotics. Not a good situation!

Let me say that it is completely unknown where this "gene" came from or how it got onto the closed ecosystem of this farm. However, as you read through this article, towards the bottom, it makes a clear mention of this:

They made multiple visits last year to the farm, where the sows give birth in tight pens and the piglets are taken to separate pens of 25 each after they are weaned. They found samples of the bla IMP-27 gene in several different samples and in several different species of bacteria, including E. coli and Enterobacteriaceae.

So, this is NOT a pasture based operation where the pigs live outside in the sunshine and fresh air, it is NOT  an organically based operation since the use routine antibiotics on farm. We can "assume" that they are also not using heritage animals with strong immune systems, since those animals are usually raised within the first two criteria of pasture and organic. It is also a pretty safe assumption that these animals are fed commercial soy based "barely good enough" hog feed instead of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Dis any of these issues cause this gene to show up? Its hard to say, BUT we do know that consistent use of antibiotics (as they admit to doing here) causes antibiotic resistance.  I strongly suspect that the combination is what creates a sort of "negative synergy" that gives birth to this and lots of other problems.

The point here is, this is a medium sized operation. It is not technically a "factory farm" or CAFO. And still, the lack of adherence to nature gives rise to these very concerning problems.  It is the practices of conventional breeds, low quality feed, confined spaces that create the need for consistent antibiotic usage and thereby crate these "superbugs".

How do YOU, the consumer avoid this? As we always say.. KNOW YOUR FARMER! Know how he does things... the key points to look for are:

• Heritage breeds for strong immune systems
• Pasture living for fresh air and sunshine
• No confinement births for a naturally cleaned environment
• Good quality organic feed
• At least some feed that is fresh, not from a bag with minimal nutrition
• Completely free of antibiotics, hormones and vaccinations

These form a "minimal accepted standards" for the resulting meat and meat products.

The source of your family's meat is critical... a pretty label or a good flavor or a cheap price are NOT reasons to buy meat. Doing so puts your family into deep health risks, Buy meats only from farms that you KNOW and TRUST and follow at LEAST the above list of criteria.

The full article is here:

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/researchers-find-rare-superbug-gene-us-pig-farm-n692236

Almost lost a good RAM - bloat

Perhaps the most dangerous thing about raising sheep is.. bloat.  Any sudden change in diet can cause the overproduction of gas almost immediately and the poor animal's stomach swells up to the point where, left untreated, they suffocate from the lack of ability to breathe. It is a very common problem with ruminants, but sheep in particular.

We just had a near miss today. Yesterday the entire herd managed to escape the pasture and run free in our yard... which means full access to the barn where some nice fresh "hot" alfalfa was sitting. By the time we got everyone back under control, a few had gorged themselves on alfalfa. That is deadly to a sheep that has lived on grass hay for a while.

Sure enough, one of our best rams was found today on his side, unable to stand. Not only that, but the whole herd broke out AGAIN and AGAIN found the alfalfa. So now the entire herd is a risk and one sheep already down.

Given the severity of the situation, we decided to run to town and pick up a commercial sheep bloat remedy. Last time this happened we successfully used dill weed tea, but we are too low on dill right now to make enough tea, so this time we chose to go commercial. Its a mix of antacid and vegetable oil. The antacid stops the formation of gas and the oil breaks up the bubbles to let the gas already made be expelled.

Giving the remedy to the ram with a drench tool. This is like a syringe that holds a accurate amount of liquid  for slow delivery right at the back of the throat, enabling swallowing even when the animal cant drink. I held his head up while Brenda administered the remedy.

The boys added plenty of baking soda to the herd's drinking water. this is a precautionary measure for the rest of the herd. The baking soda water provides enough ant acid to prevent bloat in minor cases of overeating. 

After a good dose, Hunter and I stand the ram up. At first we have to hold hi up as his legs are too weak and he is too dizzy to stand on his own.

After about 10 or 15 minutes, he has burped enough to expel quite a bit of gas. I massaged and thumped his belly to help break up more bubbles and release gas.

After 2 doses, some therapy as above, finally he is able to stand on his own! He doesn't want to move yet, but can stand. Huge improvement. 

Maybe an hour later and he is able to walk slowly around, even ate a little dry grass. Looks like he is going to be ok!

So today will be hourly checks to see how everyone is doing, and taking whatever measures are necessary. So far it looks like tragedy has been averted!

Little Sprouts Eggs improving!

The good news about our required reshuffling of the animals is an improvement in egg quality!

As you may recall, we purchased a young flock of birds to add to our existing flock, effectively doubling their number. Unfortunately we didnt have time to think through where to put all these birds in a pinch, so they all went together in the existing egg laying spot.

It didnt take long, and all the green grass and plants were eaten or trampled. Too many birds in a smaller area does that.  But now, with the reshuffling, the birds are back out on green pastures with plenty of grass and weeds, and of course, bugs!

What does this mean? you can expect the eggs immediately to take on a deeper orange color. The color of the yolks is directly related to the amount of greenery in the bird's diet. The more living green foods, the deeper orange and thicker the yolks are. The effect is almost immediate.  So expect to see a change in the next delivery!

Here is the shot of the new locations, if you look way back in the center, you will see the chickens are now placed (in their laying trailer) right between the sheep and goats! There they have access to both pastures freely, and the abundance of bugs that both herds bring.

The grass back there is about 4 to 6 inches tall, so it will last a while!  The trailer will move back and forth within that protected paddock to spread out the "fertilizer" and provide new grass continually.

While there is no verifiable health benefit of eggs that are grass fed from eggs that are grain fed, there is a noticeable difference.  We are going to do out best to keep these girls on tall grass for the duration of the summer. And hopefully bring online our "bug barn" and its designed in supply of 100,000 mealworms per day! (stay tuned on that!)

Garlic! The miracle food with a strong and laaaassstttiiinnnggg flavor

Garlic, perhaps the single most important plant to support health. Its good for SO many things in man and beast.  For the latter, one thing it does quite effectively is kill internal parasites naturally.




It does, however, have quite the flavor....

We routinely treat the animals for parasites, as parasites are ubiquitous in our world.  While most farms use harsh chemicals (i.e. poisons) to treat the animals, we have chosen a different route... herbs and plants.  We rotate through a set of herbal parasite control throughout the year. This not only effectively treats parasites, but actually increases the animals health in the process.

It does, however, have quite the flavor....

So yes, this time the garlic parasite treatment of the goats was very effective but, well, tended to linger on... and on...  We had timed it so that the treatment started in between all herdshare milkings, with expectation that the flavor (which does get into the milk)  would dissipate before the next herdshare milking came around.  Well, yea. That didnt work out.  The flavor lingered.

So for 2 weeks now, the milk has had a distinct and lingering although decreasing taint of garlic / onion flavor. Some days it was stronger than others. But always there. Sometimes it would take two or three drinks for the flavor to build, but it was there!


For herdshare members: as we said in email... if you find the milk objectionable, we offered a $20 credit on your account to compensate for any inconvenience. 

We are happy to announce that it is now all clear! after two weeks, the milk is back to its sweet creamy flavor!

Next time we will keep this in mind when doing a parasite purge with garlic!

The Complex Simplicity of Food and Health - Video #1

Life, complex . The complexity lies in the fact that every aspect of life is shrouded in layers, like an onion. Each of these layers presents a complexity that must be worked through to get to the next layer. More complexity. Layer after layer as we circle into the core of one aspect of life.

Yet life is simple. Simple in that.. once we arrive at the core after digging through layer after layer, there is a simple striaghtforward foundation.  That foundation is what is really important, not he layers above. Get the foundation right, and everything else falls into place. Get the foundation wrong and.. its simply not fixable at the higher complex layers. 

So the answer to life is... seek the center, the core, the foundation. What is the single most basic underlying principle that drives every issue in life. Then.. life is simple. 

This post is a perfect application of this. With this post I announce a new line of videos. Videos that dive deep into common complex issues of health, food, government, indiviudal, etc.  Yet these are all layers.. in the video we attempt to dig down to the simple foundation and share what is really important.

This does not mean that the layers are not important.. they are. What I am saying is that FIRST we must establish the foundation. It is a mindset. A way of viewing the topic of health and food.  Once that is done, we can properly address all the complex layers above. 

I know, your wondering.. "what is he talking about???".  

I am talking about our health, or the lack thereof, which has caused a healthcare crisis in our nation. 

I am talking about our food, which is the most basic aspect of health.

I am talking about our  individual primary resource of money. 

And I am talking about how these three go together into  very simple formula anyone can follow.

Please take 20 minutes to watch this video. It could change your life, for the better. This truth changed ours several years ago. It is a difficult journey full of sacrifice, to attain great reward. We invite you to take this journey with us. We have been living what is presented in this video for these last few years, so we know first hand what it means. Every objection you can come up with, we have worked through in our own life. The principle stands through it all.

So please, take 20 minutes. watch and prayerfully consider what is presented here. It is the key to health. 

VIDEO- Health and Food, How to know what food is good without labels

Feel free to comment here, or on the youtube page. Start a discussion, share your ideas, frustrations, expectations. 

Free samples of Sausage on Thursday night with Siskiyou Vital Medicine Open House

We are very pleased to announce that Little Sprouts will be at the open house for Siskiyou Vital Medicine this thursday, Aug 20. We will be providing free samples of our locally raised pure, healthy and humane sausages! (and maybe some other goodies too!)

Nutrition is the foundation of health. This is the mission of Little Sprouts, to provide the food that brings health. Our meats are second to none in this respect, and we are honored to be teamed up with the newest local health provider with a totally new approach...

Come over to their offices on Barnett Rd in Medford on Thursday evening to learn all about their fresh new approach to healthcare and try some samples of the healthiest meats available.

Learn about new local health options

There is an open to the public class upcoming at Siskiyou Vital Medicine where you can learn about their new healthcare options and services they provide as naturopaths.

Little Sprouts joins Stewardship Alliance

We are proud to announce that Little Sprouts has joined the Siskiyou Vital Medicine Stewardship Alliance.

From the Siskiyou Vital Medicine Website:

The Stewardship Alliance is an alliance of local businesses, groups, and individuals, who share common values and goals. The members of the Stewardship Alliance serve in their own respective ways to facilitate and grow stewardship of our bodies, minds, community, and environment. By becoming a member of the SVM community, you become a member of the Stewardship Alliance, where you will enjoy discounts at the various businesses that are Alliance members.  This list is always evolving and growing.

What does this mean to you? We are offering an across the board discount of 10% to all clients of Siskiyou Vital Medicine! Save 10% on everything, everyday. Just let us know of your patronage and upon verification we will apply the discount to your future orders.

This is our way of supporting overall health of our customers. Health is good food, but its more than just food.

For more info, contact them here:  http://www.siskiyouvitalmedicine.com/

Finally available - pay for health, not treatment

Health Care is one of the most important aspects of life.  In fact, for Little Sprouts, Health Care is the center of our mission. This farm was launched to provide food to heal, to improve the health of individuals and families by returning to truly healthy food. Many of you know our own journey from the Standard American Diet and therefore the Standard American Degeneration into true health through food that heals.

Food, as foundational as it is to health, is yet only one aspect of overall health. We truly believe that is is the core aspect, the single most important, but there are times when things go wrong. There are times in everyone's life when we need more than good nutrition.  In those moments where do you turn?

We, our own family, has struggled with this question for years. Once you realize the fallacies of main stream american medicine, it becomes difficult to turn to the standard practitioners of that system with confidence.   The foundation of single cause - effect, the approach of perpetual pharmaceuticals to hide symptoms, and even the model of profit only through illness conflicts with true health care.

So where can individuals turn for true healthcare with confidence? There is an answer! Better yet, our family can personally vouch for the benefits and value of this choice! We have been using their services for a while now with great success.

Now there is a new approach to healthcare here in the Rogue Valley. A small group of medical professionals have launched a service unlike any other.  It is not only a blend of the best from modern medicine and traditional wisdom, it is not only the approach of treating the entire person instead of hiding symptoms, but on top of this they offer a new model of PAY TO STAY WELL! (oh yea, they are nice people too!)

Siskiyou Vital Medicine  in Medford is that option! They offer flat rate monthly plans for unlimited visits. Its the notion of paying a dr to keep you well. Unlike mainstream medicine which profits from services, This new approach incentivises the dr to keep you healthy and thereby limit visits.  It
makes total sense!

We encourage you to consider SVM. We have been very happy with their approach and services.

Pain relieving tea...

Every so often we like to share health tips that we have learned... on the outside chance it might help someone save trial and error time. This is such an occasion.

I have a fairly serious problem at present, with shoulder pain. Sometime in the past, I seem to have torn something inside my right shoulder. We are still working on discovering the underlying cause and heal it, but in the mean time there is.. pain. Lots of it!  That kind of pain that just wrecks your whole day. The deep, never ending, not even pulsing, constant pain deep within the bones. Yep.. nerve pain.

Wanting to stay away from pharmaceuticals as much as possible because of the long term negative effects, I have been experimenting with more natural remedies.. herbs.  Originally I tried the usual run of anti-inflammatories and yes they help... but couldnt touch the intensity of such an intense and constant pain.  I needed something that could knock back more than just by reducing inflammation.

Weeks of trial and error on tinctures, herbs, etc has led me to a recipe for a tea that works wonders for me! Honestly, this tea can knock back 80% of the pain even in bad spells in just 20 to 30 minutes with one to three cups of tea. Sure, it tastes like wet dirt, but hey, it WORKS!


Here is the recipe:

• 4 parts willow bark
• 2 parts meadowsweet flower
• 2 parts meadowsweet leaves / stems
• 2 parts devils claw
• 1 part st johns wort
• 1 part jamaican dogwood bark

I mix these herbs, then use about 3 to 4 teaspoons in a quart of water. simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, then let the tea sit and steep until consumed. (gets stronger over time). My basic dose is a half pint every 4 hours, doubling or tripling as necessary, leaving about 30 minutes between doses to see if more is necessary.

We get these herbs either locally or from Mountain Rose Herbs, and of course all are organic!

I cant explain exactly why it works, you can do your own research, but all ingredients seem necessary. removing any one reduces the effectiveness significantly.  What I learned is that willow and meadowsweet work on the same principle as aspirin, but without the long term negative effects. The st johns wort adds a muscle and nerve calming effect, the devils claw is especially good for nerve type pain like arthritis, and the dog wood is a powerful anti-spasmodic, relaxing muscles that cramp up around intense pain.

This works for me, so its worth sharing. As always with herbs.. your mileage may vary.

Open Letter to Oregon Senators about vaccine bill SB442

Dear Senators Bates, Hayward, Anderson, Shields, Knopp, and Kruse

I am a voting citizen of Jackson County,  Or.  I am also a professional,  a father,  and a reasonable person.  I urge you to oppose SB442.  This bill attempts to increase the vaccination rate within the state. However, it will not and can not. Lay aside all the reasons to choose vaccination and to oppose vaccination. That is not what this bill is about. This bill is about increasing the vaccination rate, which can not be accomplished through a simple mandate of removing exemptions.

Here is why this bill will fail to accomplish your goal:

The vast majority of parents that currently do not vaccinate,  have deeply held reasons.  They fall into these categories :

1. Religious objection:   Some vaccines contain aborted baby cells, or at least the public believes that they do.
2. Animal cruelty objection:  Some vaccines are produced using animals and contain animal cells, or at least the public believes that they do.
3. Fear of damage.  This falls into two subcategories :
1. Fear of vaccine itself : Including fear of preservatives and fear of the action of vaccines on developing immune systems 
2.  Knowledge of previous damage:  Having seen a child suffer damage, resulting in refusal to vaccinate that child further or vaccinate other children.

This accounts for probably 90 percent of parents within Oregon who do not  currently vaccinate.  Only a tiny minority choose not to for insignificant reasons and practically no one "just forgets"  today.  The choice to not vaccinate is a tough one,  which in itself brings ridicule,  name calling,  isolation,  and constant pressure from friends and family  as well as the medical community. It is not a decision made lightly, nor in ignorance.  The non vaccinating parent has already struggled with this decision and the consequences...  And still chose the tough path. 

Removing the right to choose that path by removing personal exemptions will not make parents follow the vaccination schedule, it will only push that parent further from society.  They will chose home schooling,  they will remove children from organized activities and day care,  and will eventually leave the state  before subjecting their children to such a deep violation of their own beliefs.

This bill,  should it pass into law,  will divide oregon,  further empty schools,  and drive families out of state.  

If  you truly wish to raise vaccination rates,  mandates such as SB 442 are not the way. You will not succeed in changing the minds of these parents who are already being bullied daily and still stand firm. These parents would rather face consequences of jail than submit their own children to what they know in their hearts to be detrimental. Instead you must remove the source of the objection. 

Here is how :

1. Remove aborted baby cells and animal cells from vaccines in the state. By law demand that substances deemed religiously objectionable or believed to possibly cause harm (such as preservatives) not be used in vaccines within Oregon. 
2. Force by law manufacturers to produce some conclusive evidence of vaccine effectiveness , by a third party. Before a government entity can mandate the use of a product, especially a health product, the manufacturer has the burden of proof to prove effectiveness for the purpose, and to be believable this must be performed, not just reviewed, by a third party who is trusted. 
3. Force by law  manufacturers to prove beyond a shadow of doubt, that vaccines are safe for general children, children who previously suffered reactions, and siblings of children that suffered reactions.  This also must be tests performed by a third party, one trusted by the population to be independent. Allow a panel of parents who has suffered suspected but unrecognized vaccine damage to sit on the panel reviewing the results before acceptance.  These are the people you wish to reach, so give them the responsibility and authority to make a decision first hand in the face of solid evidence. 

There is no alternative. The parents who are not vaccinating today will not begin to vaccinate due to a state mandate. You must instead use the power of the state to remove the source of their fear. Listen to the intensity of the testimony given for this bill thus far. Not the facts, but the intensity. a state mandate will not soften this intensity, but will increase it.

I urge you to consider putting the burden on the manufacturer to convince the parents of safety,  instead of attempting to mandate the parents to violate their deepest and strongest convictions.

Thank you
David Salch

White City, Or

Raw Milk, The Vaccination Debate, Probiotics, Babies, Farming, Leaky Gut... how it all fits together

Ever hear... "Cant see the forest through the trees" ? Seems a common expression, and true. Often we dont see the big picture because we focus on individual trees. In fact, I am coming to understand that a lot of whats wrong with modern science is just this... the constant focus on trees. 

Recently I had a revelation of the forest... and how all the seemingly unrelated items in the title of this post really do fit together.  Lets take a train of discovery.. each train car linked to the one before it.

Raw Milk.... many say that it is just a normal food, and heating (cooking) it doesnt change anything. Others would disagree, claiming to see different benefits from raw and pasteurized.  An ongoing debate. Sure, there are some live bacteria in the milk, and some heat sensitive enzymes, but does it really change it that much to pasteurize it? Are the benefits worth the risk? Well, lets hop onto the next car to explore.

Vaccines... lots of them... given to newborn babies. Debate.. help or hurt? worth the risk? This is not the debate today.. But in researching this debate I ran across a very interesting link to raw milk. In fact two.  It is a known fact by medical science that the immune system of a newborn is too inactive to build immunity to a vaccine. In fact,  the vaccinations are useless for the purpose administered. The only reason to vaccinate a newborn is.... to train the parents.  This is a fact easily discoverable with little searching. 

A related fact is that in researching some vaccine actions within a newborn, there was a discovery... breast milk actually further lowers the effect of the vaccine. In other words... the breast milk itself will combat the virus or bacteria to the extent of making the shot ineffective even for an older child that has an immune system working. A breast fed baby is FIRST protected by moms milk. The recommendation from that study was to pause breastfeeding for several days to allow the immune system to fight the vaccine. 

Wow.. so what these two mean together is that raw breast milk actually works as a medicine, directly fighting the infection for the baby until the baby's own immune system is activated and working.  That's a revelation! Milk is not a food, its a medicine. It is majorly antibacterial AFTER consuming it. 

Why would we assume animal milk is any different? It appears that milk in general is designed not only to nourish but directly kill any infection that gets to the baby, human or animal.  This.. is a game changer. 

We know that leaky gut is caused largely by a bacterial imbalance in the gut.... and that we are first inoculated with bacteria at birth. It would seem that nature has designed in it a way to then encourage the proper balance populates the gut... mothers milk. It must kill off the bad and leave the good. Fortunately... babies nurse often.. every 1 to 3 hours. That gives them a constant stream of this magic antibacterial fluid to cleanse and populate the root of their immune system... their gut. 

Cow milk, goat milk,  it is no different in purpose than human milk. Therefore... those milks must also be naturally antibacterial. They are medicine as much or more than food! Would you cook antibiotics before taking them? I think not... why would you cook the milk you drink? IT kills bacteria FOR you. Not that it strengthens your system.. but it kills invaders as part of your system! Whoa... thats a whole new way of looking at milk!

We know how important probiotics are, especially those of us dealing with leaky gut and its related problems. Now we find that raw milk is like a selective smart antibiotic! (as long as it isn't altered in)pasteurizing).   If this isn't a reason to keep milk raw, I cant think of a better one!

I love farming, you get to see how life fits together from a very personal perspective. You can see forest, trees, leaves, and surrounding land!

Still Buying Pork and Ham from the Store?

If you are still buying regular pork and ham in the store, please watch this video.  What you see here is real, and current.  This is one of the fundamental reasons why we (Little Sprouts) are in business.... to combat this with a return to traditional healthy farming practices.

Warning, this video is disturbing, as is the source of pork / ham / bacon  found in your local grocery.

What is the solution?

Simple, find a local farm, visit, see, explore. NEVER buy meat from a label... buy from a farmer.


the video came from this source:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152858625736508&fref=nf