My Teeth Are Growing!

My Teeth are growing!

Alright for as long as I can remember, I've had poor teeth. Every time I went to the dentist I knew I was going to get bad news about how I didn't take good enough care of my teeth, and the ever expected "did you floss?". 

Always thinking in my head," what do you mean, did I floss?!, you KNOW the answer to THAT!". 

Well for just as long, I've also always thought that teeth should be able to heal themselves. I never heard anyone espouse the same concept, but still always felt strongly that God would not give us teeth that he just expected to rot out of our mouth without any control about it and with no way to reverse it. 

When I began truck driving, my teeth were not terrible but they weren't excellent either.  

As time went by I could begin to tell that I was developing holes in my teeth. My gums never looked healthy no matter how much I brushed. 

I gave up on my teeth. I've not been to a dentist for a cleaning in probably 10 years. 

As I drove and went through the constant malnourishment and exhaustion of being on the road and also only having sugar drinks to keep me awake on my trips, the holes became worse and worse. Cream Soda was my favorite drink. I could drink three or four in a day easily.

Thankfully I never lost a tooth, although there was a tooth in the back of my mouth that was so bad I wouldn't even let Elizabeth see it for fear of her taking me to a dentist against my will. Thankfully we never could afford all the work I would have needed. 

I told Elizabeth about my ideology and how I always felt that teeth should be able to heal back like any other part of the body. I asked her if she could find anything on the Internet about my suspicions. 

It took her a little bit of hunting but she found what I was looking for. A diet solely intended to grow teeth back and to cure cavities. 

The author of the book we bought is Ramiel Nagel. The name of the book is "Cure Tooth Decay". 

I'm only writing this because after being on the diet and I mean that very loosely, my teeth are healing themselves. When your teeth first begin to show signs of healing, it's kind of creepy. It goes against everything we are told from dentist. If we have a cavity and they find it, the only solution is to get a filling. Well now we know better.

(We've not been as strict on the diet as we could have been.) but that will be changing. Now that we know it does in fact work, we now have so much motivation to go full steam ahead! 

I'll try to make this easy to understand, because it really is all new to me. 

OK, so if I were you, I'd be wanting to know what is different about this diet. 

The bottom line is this, no sugars or grains. This will not work for vegetarians and especially not vegans. Don't even waste your time with vain questions about "what-if's". 

I'll tell you about how things worked for me. I tried to be semi methodical about it. I've been doing this now for I'm guessing three serious weeks. It took us some time once I was home to really mentally adjust to this "new normal". It took a while to get used to no fruit juice. Although I have had pure cranberry juice (very very tart) and have seen no stalling or reversal of improvement. 

Ok, but first things first. I knew I had to start with my gums, and preferably the most natural way. Elizabeth had told me that I could use hydrogen peroxide as a mouth wash. I was excited about that because it's natural tendency to fizz when it finds infection is an easy aid to let me know when I need to use more or less, or wash with it more than once. When I first started with it, I think I rinsed at least five times with it, and always before bed.  

It took two or three days but very quickly my gums became as pink as my inner lips. I felt great about that. Hydrogen peroxide is very good about cleaning your teeth of any films and food particles, which is great if like me you have holes in your teeth. 

And something I didn't know about hydrogen peroxide till even recently, the bottle actually says that you can use it as a mouthwash! When I started using it, I thought I was doing something untested with it, all I knew was that it worked. Then one day I noticed it right on the bottle, made me feel much safer about all the fizz I felt in my mouth. 

 We'll be trying to take pictures soon, because at the rate they are healing now people may think that I'm exaggerating. 

The other thing I've been doing is taking vitamins and supplements at night and always when my stomach is full. I take six different types. The ones that I can remember the names of are silica, a type of butter oil capsule, a multi vitamin, fermented cod liver oil, vitamin D, and brewers yeast.  The last one isn't necessary, I just added it because we had it in the house and it's cheap. Can't hurt right?  

I've written so much that I'll let you digest all this. Bottom line, I didn't like dentists before but now mine is really out of a job.

When your teeth begin to heal you will notice the dentin. Due to its color it is easy to mistake it for rot, however because it is growing back in a place where there was once a hole, you know that in fact your tooth is healing itself. It's exciting when you see the layers of your teeth regenerating.

Something else I've noticed is that now that I am doing this, some of my teeth feel a sort of soft pressure in my gums. What I think is happening, is increased blood flow not only due to increased health in my gums but it's also increased attention from my body trying to heal the teeth. It's no different than your body healing a skinned knee.

How My Teeth Are Changing

How My Teeth Are Changing

When I first started this tooth diet I knew that I should take photos of my teeth just for proof, but I didn't; why? Because I was scared that I would actually see them getting worse. 

Well I regret that now. Here's why. After I began the hydrogen peroxide routine, my gums became healthy. Then I tried to refine what I was eating. 

I've been fortunate in that I've been able to source raw goats milk, I know for a fact that the milk is part of what is really pushing my teeth ahead. Elizabeth has also gone through the trouble of making chicken broth for us to use in as many foods as we can and also to drink simply by itself. We don't like beef broth to drink, it's just too gritty-it seems almost dirty in your mouth. Chicken broth is perfect, it's enjoyable when heated. 

Broth from a can is insufficient, you have to make it yourself. 

Most importantly NO SUGARS of ANYKIND!!

 Through this diet there have been times when I treated myself to small batches of sugar, and I mean very small, like four teaspoons of ice cream. In the day following I saw no progress. Yes, if you keep to it you will see progress on a daily basis, I have. 

OK, so what will you notice after your gums are healed and you have kept your mouth clean for a while. 

First you will see a white line develop around your large cavities. It's enamel regrowing. 

The next step may take a while, with me I noticed it so suddenly that it caught me off guard. 

Every day I used the peroxide I appreciated how it got the food out of the holes. Well I became confused this week when I looked in a hole that concerns me particularly because its very obvious when I smile. 

The peroxide always, without fail, got every bit of food out of the holes. But for three consecutive days it looked like I had bread stuck in the hole. I knew this wasn't possible because it never moved, so it had to be something else. 

I looked closer

It was the dentin! It's growing in the hole! Depending on how the light hits it, it can look different colors. 

Sometimes it looks yellow, sometimes brown, sometimes pink, sometimes gray. 

It's a weird substance. It looks soft like its very porous. I don't care to find out if it is or isn't, I'm just going to let it continue to grow!

So this tooth I'm telling you about had me distracted for the last three weeks, for the reason I told you. It's up front on my K9's, can't miss it. I smile alot. 

Well anyway I always look at every tooth that has a cavity just out of habit to make sure it doesn't have any soars and that no food is stuck in the hole of the tooth. 

Today I looked at one of my rear molars and once again I got confused. When your teeth have deterioration, you get used to them reflecting light back certain ways due to either enamel or saliva in the cavity. 

Well today I looked at that molar and it didn't reflect the light like it has for the last two years or more. The dentin had gotten so thick, in what must have been one night, that my eyes couldn't even focus on it. I kept tilting my head in the light to be able to see it right until I realized that the color of the tooth and the texture had changed. The tooth grew so much dentin that I seriously expect some very serious enamel growth in the coming weeks. Of course I could be wrong as this is my first time, perhaps it will take a month or more. But at this rate I can't believe it will take that long. 

I'd like to know what else is happening in my mouth that I can't see. I seriously must have dozens of cavities of varying sizes. I look forward to the day I feel confident that they are all healed and visit a dentist for an x-ray just to tell them how my teeth fixed themselves. This is seriously saving thousands of dollars and has to be healthy for my entire body. 

I'm really wondering what will happen two or three years down the road with my fillings. I'm really wondering if my teeth will pop them out. That would be great, I really don't feel safe knowing there is mercury in my head.

When my teeth are done healing, all the glory will truly go to God! I thank Yeshua genuinely for bringing this knowledge to our eyes. I knew he designed our bodies to heal themselves. I just needed to know how he designed it to work.

Thank you for reading and please if you have any questions just ask me!!

Michael E. McCartan

Christian Family Traditions

Elizabeth and I have now been in our modest home now for a little over three months. We have since been blessed with an adorable daughter that we love from the very depths of our hearts.

 Elizabeth has posted on her HOMEBIRTH EXPERIENCE. If you have any questions about it she will be happy to answer your questions. You can either post your questions under that blog entry or you can email us directly : )



Now that we seem to be finally settling in to our house, my question to you is this, What are your family's Christian traditions? With this I'm not talking about holyday traditions, but rather the day to day traditions. For example praying before a meal as you give thanks to the Lord for providing and blessing you. That is just one example.

I was not raised in a home where we belonged to a fellowship. I can remember going to church when I was very young, but I think we stopped going on a once-every-now-and-then basis once I was about eight. That being said, I can still remember us giving thanks at the dinner table. My family still does this, but only on holydays at formal family dinners.

As the head of my household it is my responsibility to set the standard for my family. Having not been raised by a godly father, nor having been raised around one, I am desireful of examples of how to be one. I know that it is my responsibility to instill in my children habits that will lead them in a
healthy relationship with our heavenly father.



Personally I try to maintain a personal tradition of reading ten chapters a day from the word of God, sometimes I don't succeed, but the wealth of learning is rewarding daily. I'd prefer to read five in the morning and five in the evening, but I usually have to read them all in the evening. Being a stay at home father has changed my schedule significantly. It typically takes about an hour, but sometimes less to read my quota.

Some people say they couldn't do that or that they don't have the attention span for it. I'll admit there are times I have to read a verse three or four times before I really begin to understand what it says. It's easy to skim over verses just doing a cursory reading, because in reality we don't really understand what is being said. I am guilty of this when it comes to books that have a long line of genealogy or even the book of Romans for example. The way that Paul phrases so many of his ideas in that book just leads me to scratch my head. I will admit there are times where I have read entire passages in that book several times, just to be left with a vague idea of what he was trying to convey.

This struggle to understand is worth it when I consider an eternity with our heavenly Father.

It also feeds my brain for a day of pondering the Word of our Lord!

So help me out, what did your family do on a day to day basis when you were growing up? What does your family do today?

What are ways that a father can build up his family on a daily basis? Did your father do something special?

I am asking you to respond. Write as much as you choose. It is all for edification. Glory be to our Lord, our Savior.

 

A petition from the McCartan family

 

 

Here is a photo of us just weeks before Abigail was born.

Be productive in reading the Word of God. It will make you wealthy, healthy, and wise.

Back to Eden's Garden!

Ok, this will be a simple entry.

Recently I became aware of a new gardening technique that requires minimal weeding and no water except after seeding. No joke, and I'm sure I know what you are thinking. That's impossible unless your garden is covered in rocks and who can till that! Well here's the bonus, it doesn't involve covering your garden in rocks and you will also never have to till it either! Seriously!

 

I recently came across a documentary that shows this method. Simply put, you design your garden like nature. You don't till the soil for a multitude of reasons, but also you don't have to water. Leaving the soil alone keeps moisture in the ground and prevents weeds from germinating. The solution to all those problems and soil erosion? Woodchips!

 

Now these aren't "bark nuggets" but legitimate chippings from entire branches of trees bushes and shrubs.

 

 

 

We have a half acre in the back that we are considering gardening in this method, its the field that we used to have our goats in. We miss our goats, but this may be a good way of utilizing the field.

The field has been fallow as long as we know of. The house is about twelve years old. And we know that the field was certainly left alone for the two years before we moved in, and aside from the goats being in there, it has still been left alone. The field has a mix of meadow grasses, pesky weeds, and the typical wild herbs you would expect to see in any southern field.

 

I'm pretty certain we are going to do this. So watch our journey, it is going to be interesting.

 

I apologize for the odd fish-eye-lens effect, but this was the best panorama I could take with an IPhone.

 

So what you are looking at is the gate we have that separates our back yard from the back field.

The odd box object to the left of the gate is what used to be the housing for the goats. It was a dog house prior to that.

 

Here are some before pictures to give you an idea of what we are starting with. Now the theory is that you are not supposed to begin this program until fall, because that is when the leaves naturally fall from the trees. We'll see if we make it that long before we can't help ourselves. The underlying theme of this method is this. It's not supposed to be alot of work once the garden is established. That can take three years or more depending on where you liv and what materials you are relying on.

 

 

The most of this grass is about knee high, I think it's still growing from where the goats ate it. Other grass is up to my hip.

 

I'm not sure what this shrub is but it looks like it will be simple to deal with. It'll probably become a blogpost of it's own.........

 

This is a grain that grows in the field. I'm not familiar enough with the various grains to know what this is.

 

Here's our little dog Trixie next to a semi-common weed we have back there.

 

 

What is certain is this. If you follow this method aggressively and fulfill all of it's tenants, you will have the best garden you have ever had-growing the best produce you have ever tasted and you will not have to weed (as you currently know it) except with a rake, you will not have to water, and you will not have to till. Just plant your favorite seeds, and eat. Those are the steps, albeit, only after the garden is fully established.

 

Our soil in the back field seems to be very nice already since it's been left alone and has alot of diversity, so I am hoping that helps with the decomposition of the wood chips.

 

So our back field can be a test plot for you if you are on the fence about it. It will be alot of work upfront, but that's normal. It will all be worth it. I'm excited and eager. That is......if we move forward with it.

 

Here is the link to the documentary, watch it now! It will change the way you look at everything!

God Bless!

 

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/11883/Back-to-Eden

 

The Blessings of New Life

The Blessings of New Life

 

“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” John 16:21

 

I must start this posting by stating I had a very easy pregnancy. The morning sickness was mostly isolated to a few weeks in August as we traveled to Colonial Williamsburg and back. I did have lots of swelling despite being on the Brewer Diet. My only other complaint would be the emergence of the dreaded PUPPS rash all over my stomach during the last two months; the intense itching was terrible. My only forms of relief were using black tar pine soap and drinking dandelion root tea. The tea helped the most. 

 

As my estimated due date approached, many people started asking if I was afraid of giving birth naturally. Most of the people I worked with were very uneducated about homebirths and many made predictions that I would ultimately beg to go to the hospital. To be quite honest, I was not afraid. I had stayed away from the “What to Expect” books (don’t ever buy these as a gift) and had focused on reading positive homebirth stories and hypnobirthing methods. Ultimately, the hypnobirthing was thrown out the window as it promised that I would not be in pain. I was in ALOT of pain.

 

I went into labor on Sunday with irregular contractions which I misinterpreted as Braxton Hicks; they soon escalated into 10 minute apart contractions the next day. By 8 pm on Monday night, the contractions were under five minutes apart. Unfortunately, it was excruciating back labor as the baby was trying to turn. She had been in the correct position (head down, face down) for the last three months but had turned during the last week (head down, face up). I took multiple showers and had Michael rub my back during each contraction just trying to get a bit of relief. My midwife checked me around 11:00 pm and I was only dilated to 3. She left around 2:00 that morning to get some sleep but the baby had other plans. My water broke at 5:30 am in a big gush and I told Michael to fill up the birthing pool.

 

After my midwife arrived, I was only at a 5. At that point, I started to get pretty discouraged. I was still experiencing back labor and by the time 9:00 rolled around, I was spent. I dozed between the contractions. Sometimes, there was enough of a lull that I could fall asleep but then the contraction would be twice as long and twice as hard. I was exhausted and needed relief. The midwife checked me again around 9:30 and I was only at a 7. I wanted to cry at that point.

 

She did give me some hope, though. If I could keep from pushing for the next half an hour, she would help thin my cervix manually or use some evening primrose oil. I clutched to that hope and ran with it. After what seemed like hours of contractions, I asked “How much longer?” It had only been 10 minutes. That was disappointing but I knew the end was near. The apprentice and my husband offered some much needed encouragement.

 

At this point, I asked my husband to pray over us once more as we began the final legs of our journey. It was such a special moment for me to have my husband there to not only offer encouragement but spiritual guidance as well.

 

Around 10:00, she manually pushed the rolled lip of my cervix back during several contractions and immediately, there was relief. I could feel the baby start to go down the birthing canal! Each contraction was bringing me closer to seeing my child! I found new energy and was very excited. Another eternity went by but soon I felt a very bad burning sensation and my midwife told me to reach down to feel the baby’s head. I remember saying that I didn’t want to (mostly because I was so focused on getting it out!) but she convinced me to take a break and let my body stretch. I reached down in the water and felt an immense amount of hair waving back and forth in the pool. Like seaweed in the ocean….

 

I joked that if the baby had that much hair, think of the beard it must have!

 

We were certain we were having a son,

 

A few more big pushes and I felt a huge gush! The baby was out! The midwife caught the baby and handed it to me. Michael and my mother-in-law gathered behind me and we all just couldn’t believe there was this crying, slippery baby with tons of hair. It was such an amazing feeling of relief. I remember saying over and over “Hi baby, it’s okay!” After a few minutes, the midwives were asking me to check on the gender of the baby and to our surprise it was a girl! What a wonderful gift from God.

 

The next few hours were a blur. I remember taking some Hem Halt, being lifted out of the pool, and placed next to the fireplace while we waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing, the placenta to deliver and stitching up a small tear. Various members of Michael’s family stopped by to see the baby and soon the midwives and my mother-in-law packed up their bags. Our little family was alone for the first time.

 

 

 

 

Takeaways for first time moms:

• When shopping for a midwife, think about what you need from her on your birthing journey. Are you one of those who ask lots of questions and want scientific answers? Do you need a cheerleader when that day comes? Ask for a client list. Call some of those clients and ask questions about the midwife – not their birth story. Everyone I talked to said the midwife I used was great and amazing but she wasn’t what I needed when that day came. I needed a cheerleader offering encouragement during every contraction and I was left discouraged more than once when I saw my midwife ignoring my pleas. I am thankful that I had a husband who stepped into that role.
• Ask about her methods for turning babies, dietary recommendations, and exercise regimens. My midwife did not know of any ways to turn a baby – others can. It may not have worked but we could have at least tried them. Having a child is comparable to running a marathon – you need to train for the big day. I wish I would have done more exercise than walking.
• Childbirth does hurt but there is a quote that I clung to: “The power and intensity of your contractions cannot be stronger than you, because it is you. - Unknown” Each contraction is one closer to bringing you to your baby. Embrace them and celebrate the end of each one.
• Don’t starve yourself during the birth. I did because I wasn’t hungry and have had a hard recovery. Force yourself to eat. Make smoothie ice cubes with a bit of avocado to keep up your energy. Drink chlorophyll water.
• Educate yourself. Do you want the Vitamin K shot and the eye drops for your child? We chose not to do either. Even if you have a hospital birth, you can opt out of these things. Let the placenta completely quit pulsing before the cord is severed. Newborns need this extra blood in their system. If you test positive for Group B strep, there are natural ways of combating this. Look for natural alternatives in everything you do – your baby will thank you for it.

 

Tips for newborns:

• Be sure to wake them up to eat in the beginning. Abigail wanted to sleep a lot and I thought it was just because of having a hard labor. She actually had jaundice and that can cause them to sleep too much.
• Co-sleeping has been the best thing for us. No blankets on the bed for the first few months. After that, be sure to have separate blankets for you and your spouse. Abigail always snuggles up underneath my arm and I have a light blanket covering the two of us.
• Clean around the umbilical cord during each diaper change with a Q-tip and water. Dry it with the other end. Continue after the cord falls off. If it starts looking reddish after the cord falls off, clean and slather with antibacterial ointment.
• Do not clean your child during the first week. Let the vernix soak into the skin. After that, you can wash the baby twice a week with a mild soap like Dr. Bronners. Be sure to get into the rolls around their neck and open their hands…it is a hiding spot for lint. If you cannot get them to open their hands, try stroking the back of the hand.
• Use reusable diapers to save money and as a healthy alternative for your child. We have not had a single case of irritation or diaper rash. There are many reviews out there and find what works best for your family. I currently use Diaper Safaris with Organic Indian pre-folds (Diaper Safari’s inserts are too bulky for daytime use) and Lalabye Baby diapers. I bought them from http://www.ecobabybuys.com/. They send daily emails with featured products at huge discounts. You may not get to choose from many colors or styles, but you can save a lot of money this way on baby products.

 

I will be posting a list of baby essentials for new moms/baby shower gift ideas as well as useful home remedies later. At this point, Abigail wears store-bought onesies and hand-me-down clothes. Soon, I will be making plain dresses for the upcoming bigger sizes and plan to post sewing tutorials. Please let me know if you have any other topics you would like for me to post on!

What's New?

Well I'm currently at home watching Abigail Grace. This is my first week of retirement from truck-driving. Everything is going well. I'll see if I can load a picture or two on here and make it look nice.

 

 

I've never heard parents comment about how much their child smiled, Abigail smiles all day it seems. Of course she has her bouts where she is upset, but that's only normal.

 

So as we have probably said elsewhere, our little piece of land is about .80 of an acre. Plenty of land to have some fun with for two adults and a baby. So Elizabeth and I eagerly adopted three goats. We had them for about two months when one of them decided to escape three days in a row. The local law enforcement didn't appreciate this distraction. They let us know that our goats were a violation of the town law. They then let us know that our chickens are as well. Yes, we seriously were ordered to remove our chickens in a town of less than five thousand people. The goats, although it made me angry to remove them, I could deal with it. But the chickens needing to be removed, that really angered me. Dogs with sharp teeth are ok loose in a backyard, but not chickens. Doesn't seem logical, but that's probably why I don't make the laws-They'd make sense. So now our back yard and back field are essentially vacant.

We toyed with the idea of growing produce for the local farmers markets but decided that in the end the financial investment would be too much and that the distraction from plane making would be intollerable. Realisticly any money that would be invested in gardening should really be put into tool-making. Right now is an important time to focus on that as a priority. I'm at the center of a perfect storm if I can do things just right. Ive got one life to liv and need to do this right.

Eventually we will have a very large and healthy garden, but this is not the year for it as the season has already passed and next year I will be deeply involved in my tools when time allows.

Ok so it"s been 11 weeks since Abigail was born. I'll try to get Elizabeth to write a posting on that. It was alot of work for the two of us. It was here, at home, unmedicated. So much work.

Thanks for keeping up on our posts. There will be many more now that I am at home and have two free hands! No more driving!!

Lord bless and always seek his will!

Michael

A Reader's Email

From a reader of the blog:





Hi. I stumbled across one of your pages yesterday and it was very interesting. I am a little curious about some things. I was raised in a UPCI church in the Deep South. It is very conservative. Our men, aside from the pastor, very seldom wear suits. Some of them never unless it was on their wedding day perhaps. They are very country, masculine men. Definitely not the suit wearing, accountant type. We still have prayer rooms that we use every service. Some of our people don't go to the doctor and still have their babies at home. Just wanted to let you know that every UPCI church isn't the same. Although, we have quit fellowshipping the UPCI due to the fact that they have voted in television and other things that we don't agree with. A large number of churches in the state I live in, among others, pulled out because of it. I hope this doesn't come across as rude, because that isn't at all how I intended it to.

I have long been fascinated with the Plain lifestyle. I admire them for the separate lifestyle they live. Although there are things that I don't agree with. There is a whole lot more to this salvation thing than living a separated life. You have to obey God's plan of salvation. I think that if you believe you are saved and you know the plan of salvation you should reach out to those around you with it. God called us to be witnesses. They as a rule keep to themselves. Although I have Mennonite neighbors that do get out and witness their beliefs to others. They have even attended my church before and have come to my house for a singing.

I do agree that some Pentecostals need to rethink some things and straighten some things out. There is a lot of things that have crept in and are creeping in that is not right. Mainstream Pentecost today is a far cry from the Pentecost of yesterday. That's why a lot of people are pulling away and identify themselves as Apostolic in doctrine and Pentecost by experience. And never forget that David danced before The Lord with all his might. His wife even looked on him in ridicule. He was not ashamed however. There are times and places that it is perfectly alright to openly praise and worship God. I am not saying act like a Pharisee. Please don't get me wrong, but I never want to hide the glory and majesty of God.

But this is a personal thing. It is each for their own. I can't save you and you can't save me. We each have to save ourselves.

In Jesus Name (Still name above every name!)

Your reader  



I asked the reader if I could publish this email. It's well written and was very informative to me. I hope that it will inform and help some of the readership. Feel free to comment on this. I will publish your comments if they are appropriate. I just ask that you don't submit them as "anonymous".