After the arrival of our kids, I pretty much birthed my business too – sharing all I was learning and researching in my parenting to help other families thrive with our children my beautiful inspiration and most important teachers.
In these years I’ve spent hours and hours researching what our family eats, learning about the toxins we’re exposed to and how we live. It’s worked – my husband and I are in our 50’s and are on no medication, have had no surgery (apart from bike riding casualties)! and none of us have a chronic illness or auto-immune condition.
It might be luck, but it’s more likely the choices we’ve been able to make.
Which takes me to today and the Covid 19 vaccine. Will this be a choice our family wants? And will we have the freedom to make that choice?
Making an informed choice.
A discussion with Dr Judy Wilyman & Dr Catherine Fyan.Â
When I have questions about it’s safety answered, I will feel happier taking it.  I can’t make this choice without being better informed, you may feel the same, in which case I hope this helps e.g.
To help give me the answers I met with two highly qualified Doctors.
Dr Catherine Fyan, a General Practitioner and Author trained in allopathic medicine with interests that have led her to study other healing practices. Dr Fyan has a foot in both worlds and has gained valuable insights into the specturum of health care practices and consumer demands.
Dr Judy Wilyman PhD is a public health educator and Author with in-depth knowledge of the historical control of infectious diseases. Her PhD was titled ‘A critical analysis of the Australian government’s rationale for its vaccination policy’ and her book: ‘Vaccination: Australia’s Loss of Health Freedom’ was published in March 2020.
With differing views to the public narrative, they are in agreement with thousands of Doctors worldwide being censored and de-platformed, including in Australia.  Science requires healthy debate and rigour. Why aren’t the differing views of qualified experts being welcomed in the midst of this pandemic? A question they also address.
Watch here or click on the image… https://vimeo.com/513730694
Despite the huge divide on this topic, the one thing we all agree on is doing what we can for the health and safety of our families, first and foremost. I hope this helps give you confidence and clarity in your choices. All references, resources and contact details for Judy and Catherine are listed underneath the video.
Mandating the vaccine.
It’s worth taking a moment to reflect that while the vaccine isn’t mandatory, there will be and are restrictions on accessing the workplace, education, travel and more, along with the requirement of a ‘vaccination ID’ as potential infringements on our freedoms.
In Western Australia, there’s very concerning legislation that’s in place under the State of Emergency, I’ve had it checked by 2 different lawyers and it is in effect.
Western Australia: Enforced vaccinations
“The Western Australian Public Health Act 2016, under which authorities can enforce vaccinations, medical examinations and treatments. The Act is
‘Crown Bound’, which means it binds the State and, so far as the legislative power of the State permits, the Crown in all its other capacities. In other words, nothing within this Act makes the Crown in any capacity liable to be prosecuted for an offence.
Under Part 11, Section 158 of the WA Act entitled ‘Enforcement of requirement to undergo medical observation, medical examination’, explains that police have the power to apprehend, detain, restrain or remove any clothing (including underwear) for the purpose of the person receiving treatment, examinations or vaccinations”.
While the vaccine isn’t mandatory, it actually will be and that means it is no longer my choice, whether I want the vaccine or not. Why is our freedom of choice being removed?
Digging Deep.Â
As always I encourage you to do your own research and either way you too remain confident with the choices you’re making for your family. There has never been a time more important than now.
Whatever differing choices we make, they will be and are the right choices for us at the time, always giving wonderful chances for learning and personal growth, void of fear and guilt.
Toxins are ubiquitous.  We can’t escape them…
… and that’s just a sample.
We are exposed to toxins daily – our air, food and water – nearly 2 million years (Chris Organ – Harvard University) of relative purity has not prepared us for the post-industrial toxic burden.  300 years of ‘progress’ vs 2,000,000 years of evolution.
So how do we KNOW if we are detoxing and these toxins aren’t accumulating in our body, messing with our cells, our bio-synthesis, our neuro-pathways, our minds and our children’s health?  Especially important in these unusual times.Â
Some clues. Â
Do you have stubborn weight or belly fat you can’t lose no matter what you do? Feel bloated?  Experience mysterious lethargy, moodiness, unstable blood sugars? Have excess gas?  Irregular bowel movements?  Or kids who are anxious, moody or exhibit unruly behaviour?  Or perhaps you feel like something just isn’t right? …
Most of us don’t realise that some of these ailments can be the result of a body weighed down with toxins.
Why? The body cleverly stores toxins in our fat cells or organs as a protective mechanism when in overload.
Most of our organs e.g. lungs, skin, liver and kidneys are known for some form of detoxifying mechanism.  If we’re exposed to a lot of toxins our organs can become clogged or sluggish, and we can’t properly filter these inflammatory and disruptive toxins efficiently – hence their ‘fallback’ storage in our fat cells.
What happens?   Toxins can then re-enter our blood stream rather than being naturally excreted from our body.  When in the blood stream the body does the next best thing and stores the toxins in our fat tissue until the body CAN efficiently excrete the toxins.
We may be healthy and eating well but if our liver and organs aren’t working at full capacity, our ‘systems’ – immune, nervous, endocrine (hormone), respiratory, lymphatic, reproductive, circulatory, digestive, etc – can be impacted … which helps explain WHY;
Could it all be so intricately linked to this one menace … toxins?  Yes!  Especially if you’ve tried everything else to ease your ailment, it could be time to consider detoxification.
Our children
My biggest concern is for our children who are likely to have inherited or been exposed to the recent onslaught of industrialised toxins.
Here’s how.  Some toxins stored in our fat tissue are then cleansed from our bodies in breast milk while nursing our babies. Toxins are also transferred in the womb, through the placenta.  As our children tend not to carry a lot of fat, these toxins can then quietly sit in their organs e.g. the liver and the brain, the fattiest organ of all.   Heavy metals like mercury, aluminium, cadmium, arsenic and lead. These are toxins that I have (had) and both our children and at disruptive levels.
Our experience is another reason I feel it’s so important to share and be aware of this information.   Not alarmed.  The more we know the better we can do.
So if the body cleverly stores these toxins – why worry?  Because life is full of change and at times stress and these triggers can compromise our immunity and with our protective mechanisms down, we fall sick.  Perhaps I’m over simplifying, but if there are toxins we can control, let’s do that – for ourselves and especially for our children. Â
Prevention is better than the cure.Â
Some common everyday toxins we’re exposed to include;
Heavy metals
Let’s focus on heavy metals as these are most easily identified in the body with hair tissue analysis and are very common. It’s a big topic, which I introduce here.
‘But I don’t have heavy metals’ I hear you say.  You may not know you do, but it is highly likely that in-fact you do – inherited from our environment, our parents and even their parents.
Some sources include;
We can see how easily most of us in the Western World are harbouring a scourge of toxicity that the body masterfully deals with … until it can’t.  Until those ‘quiet’ clues it’s been giving us i.e. the weight gain, lethargy, digestive complaints, skin irritations or breakouts, anxiety, depression and so on and that we’ve ignored for so long or we’ve been far too busy to listen to – finally make us STOP and listen.  ‘Thank you Mother Nature’.
Those quiet clues that become louder and louder until ‘all of a sudden’ we HAVE to stop and listen because we physically can’t go on and we’ve become sick.
It doesn’t need to be this way. The best way to detox is to take time each day to check in with our bodies wisdom. How do we FEEL? What do we need? More rest, better food, less food, more joy, more regular movement, more fresh air, sunshine or even just time to breathe deeply and be grateful. Â
These simple choices support our detoxification channels naturally and in todays world need to be an integral part of our lives.
Prevention is better than the cure.
It’s almost impossible to escape toxins. We can however be aware of what we’re exposing ourselves to and make toxic free choices plus ensure our bodies detoxification pathways are firing and gracefully support our body function – naturally.
17Â Â ways to detoxify naturally;
If any of these are new to you, you don’t need to jump in and upgrade all these choices at once!  Choose 1 or 2 that resonate, upgrade your choice, and start to integrate it until it’s just a way of life, then turn your attention to your next best choice.
And if your symptoms are chronic or you sense toxicity is an issue for you or your family seek medical advice and work with your Doctor or Health Practitioner on a detoxification program.
Or join me on my online ‘gentle cleanse’, my next LIVE round kicks off on the 19th of October, check out the details here or email me at kate@katebarnes.com.au.  I’d love you to join us.
Emerging out of the grey of a slow, cold winter, for many of us rather than feeling the joys of spring, we’re feeling heavy and sluggish and have been sick, actually… really sick.
70-80% of our immunity lies in our gut, so a significant part of staying healthy is about a healthy gut.
Healing the gut is the number 1 focus for healing everything … almost.  While it’s not the only consideration, the health of the gut must be the number 1 consideration. Â
Our kids and I have all been diagnosed with gut issues i.e. leaky gut and nasty parasitic infections, yet without obvious symptoms. Â Â Â My daughter, however, had very bad eczema as a baby and my energy and immune system literally crashed when the children were little ones.
Symptoms I now know were linked to poor gut function and other imbalances.
You might be thinking, ‘I’m healthy! Why have I got gut issues?’
We’re all work in progress, but I reckon I’ve had gut issues for a while, and the health of my gut and my husbands’ has affected the health of our childrens’.
For me personally, the following may have contributed;
Other factors contributing to gut dysfunction;
Unknowingly many children are starting life with compromised gut function. If parents haven’t actively detoxed for heavy metals and rebuilt their microbiome, our kids are inheriting a handsome dose of toxins and an under performing gut flora that can quickly set the scene for gut dysfunction, malabsorption, autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Â
I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s a reality and far better to know and to do something about it sooner than later.
And there is good news! The gut will heal and so will the body.
Have a listen to my gorgeous client, Callie and her inspiring story.  Cal shares how she helped her 3 year old son, Bowen recover from a severe allergy to eggs.  How she trusted her mothers instinct and her number 1 tip for creating a healthy home.Â
When the gut is functioning well, the foreigners i.e. toxins, heavy metals, parasites, viruses, bacteria etc. can pass right on through, while the body naturally does its thing.
Are you dealing with a form of gut dysfunction? Or perhaps you are but you don’t know you are.  It’s highly likely.Â
Other than the obvious gut symptoms e.g. irritable bowel, reflux etc. Â Other clues / symptoms to consider;
Unless you’ve already identified an issue and taken action to restore it, it’s time to start rebuilding your gut health, gently, gradually, one step at a time and help safeguard your future wellbeing.
It doesn’t have to be difficult and the earlier you take action the better.
Learn more about protecting and restoring your gut health at my next Enriched Living Workshop, ‘Gut Health.  Simple steps to healthy digestion & a long life’   We’re going on a fun and informative journey of the digestive system. You’ll learn commonly missed aspects to great gut health, plus lots of ideas for recipes and remedies to begin repairing your gut and your families. Simply. Naturally.
Seats are limited. Â Register ASAP.
And have a listen to Callie’s story.