Category Archive: Cassandra

March 18th, 2010
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Pumping Baby With Chinese Herbs And Coconut Water To Flush Out Bacteria From Her Urinary Tract System

One of my blog readers commented in my blog that I should get some herbs to clear Baby’s urinary tract system of bacteria from the Chinese Medicine Hall. Well, I sent the hubs to buy a few packets of Chinese herbs from the Chinese Medicine Hall and have them boiled immediately. After a day of drinking the Chinese herbs, coconut water (which is also well known for treating UTI) and lots of plain water, Baby’s urine turned from cloudy+foul smelling to clear+no foul smell.

Today, I boiled another packet of herbs, fed Baby with Refresh from E. Excel (this is also good for the urinary tract) and continued coaxing her to drink lots of fluids.

Getting her to pee at very regular intervals throughout the day is also very important as bacteria will be flushed out through the urine.


This packet of herbs that cleanses the urinary tract system cost RM8 and consists of san soke yee mai (popped barley), sweet corn husk, a kind of bean that resembles red bean, some leaves, twigs and herbs.


The pot of herbs.  Thank God Baby has no problem gulping down the herbal water.

I also fed Baby with crushed echinacea (1/2 a tablet divided into 3 feedings a day), which I added into her milk.

On top of all these herbs and anti-UTI supplements, I have also been feeding Baby with Waterfall D-Mannose. E.Coli bacteria attaches to D-Mannose very well and gets flushed out from the urinary tract system with the urine. However this time as with the previous time, Baby is attacked by Klebsiella. Klebsiella attaches to D-Mannose too though more difficult.

From my observation with Baby for the past 1 week, her urine will be clear and odor-free during the day as she drinks lots of fluids.   However at night, her urine will smell a tad foul. The more fluids she drinks, the clearer and lesser odor her urine gets. I had tried to wake Baby up in the wee hours of the morning to drink water but all hell broke loose and nothing would make her open her mouth.

I believe that there is still a little bacteria lurking in Baby’s urinary tract system.  I have to continue feeding her with the Chinese herbs, coconut water, Refresh and Waterfall D-Mannose.  I hope that very soon all the bacteria will be completely flushed out from Baby’s urinary tract.

… to be continued.

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Cassandra, Urinary Tract Infection, UTI Prevention And Remedies
March 17th, 2010
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Baby’s UTIs Caused By What I Ate. Coincidental Or A Fact?

My mum is suspecting that Baby’s frequent UTI could be due to what I eat, in particular shell food and raw sushi.

In the past, each time Baby had a urinary tract infection, my mum would help me track back on what I had eaten. 2 times in the past I had eaten raw sushi and Baby had a UTI several days later. 2 Sundays ago I had Japanese buffet for lunch. I had taken all the precautions and avoided the mouth-watering raw salmon, raw oysters and raw butter fish. But I ate baked oysters – about 3 of them. 4 days later, Baby’s pee started to smell a tad foul and looked cloudy.

My paed could not give me an answer when I asked him if the UTIs were caused by what I ate. I could not get any answer too from the internet. Would anyone like to help me answer my question?


The plate of baked oysters I ate 2 Sundays ago.

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Cassandra, Urinary Tract Infection
March 16th, 2010
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Psyllium Husk To Relief Baby’s Constipation

I have been feeding Baby with pure psyllium husk for about 2 weeks now to provide relief for her constipation problem. Each day, I will sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of psyllium husk into her soup, twice a day. Though she still cannot move her bowels every single day, at least her poop is not rock hard anymore. I will continue to feed her psyllium husk, pump in lots of fluids into her body plus get her to eat a serving of fruit everyday. Getting her to swallow fruits is quite a challenge as she is not a fruit lover.


Baby’s bowl of kombu + lean pork soup with psyllium husk. Thank goodness she has no problem swallowing the yucky psyllium husk!

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Cassandra, Constipation
March 13th, 2010
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Cloudy Urine Again

Two days ago Baby’s pee was cloudy, had lots of particles floating inside and smelled a little foul. I am all too familiar with the first few symptoms of a UTI. The moment I noticed the cloudy pee, I have been forcing tons of water down Baby’s throat. I boiled some barley water with a kind of green leaves (which are supposedly good for the bladder, kidneys and urinary tract system) and fed her with lots of it. Also fed her with coconut water (also supposedly good for the urinary tract system) and Refresh from E.Excel (beneficial for cleansing the urinary tract system). I sent a text message to Baby’s surgeon and asked for advise. He said he would not treat Baby if she is well with no fever or vomiting. He does not like to over-treat kids. Both Baby’s surgeon and I are still perplexed as to why Baby still get UTIs though the post-surgery MCUG showed that she has no more kidney reflux.

I am very determined that I want to get the bacteria out of Baby’s urinary tract naturally without the use of strong antibiotics. Too much usage of antibiotics will only render the bacteria resistant to them, as this was the case with Baby before her ureteral reimplantation surgery in May last year. I have been feeding her extra frequency / dosage of Waterfall D-Mannose, started feeding her with Echinacea (I ground the tablet into powder and added it into her milk) and fed her with lots and lots of fluids. I made her sit on her potty for long periods of time at regular intervals so that as much bacteria as possible will be flushed out from her urinary tract together with the urine. The lesser urine that’s in the bladder, the better it will be.

I suspect that the bacteria in the urine is caused by several factors. One – Baby has been suffering from constant constipation lately. Baby’s surgeon had warned us many times that constipation will trigger a UTI. Two – several days ago, Baby slept through the night without peeing for 10 hours! Though I brought her to the potty in the middle of the night, she didn’t want to pee and fussed. Having urine in the bladder for 10 hours is definitely not good for her or for anyone for that matter. Three – there is a very small red patch on Baby’s labia, which our paed said was fungal infection. Many times in the past when Baby had UTI attacks, I noticed that there was also a small red patch on her labia. So it could be the bacteria from the fungus causing the UTI or it could be the other way round.

Today is the 2nd day and Baby’s pee isn’t as cloudy and yellow as before but is still a tad cloudy. I have to wake up at 2am to feed Baby with water + Waterfall D-Mannose and to bring her to pee. Praying hard that by tomorrow her urine will look clear again.

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Cassandra, Urinary Tract Infection
February 28th, 2010
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Psyllium Husk To Relieve Baby C’s Constipation

Baby has been facing constipation for the past 2 weeks.  In the past, she hardly had constipation, well perhaps once in a blue moon.  Lately the constipation is quite bad.  She would only poo poo once in every 2 days. Baby’s surgeon had warned us before that constipation will trigger a urinary tract infection (UTI).

I’ve tried all sorts of bowel movement inducing food and drinks on Baby lately from prune juice to lime juice (with honey), papaya, yoghurt, a few teaspoons of green tea diluted with water and red dragon fruits but nothing really worked effectively.  Then I remembered psyllium husk, something that I eat every morning without fail.   I down the psyllium husk with a glass of water, apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey every morning.  It is really effective in moving the bowels and I hardly ever have constipation.

For the past several days, I have been adding 1/2 a teaspoon of psyllium husk into Baby’s food. By right psyllium husk should be taken on an empty stomach but I am 100% sure Baby would reject the psyllium husk if I mix it with water or milk and feed her on an empty stomach. Psyllium husk tastes awful and even I have a hard time gulping it down my throat.

The psyllium husk has been pretty effective on Baby. Together with drinking lots of fluids, eating fruits and making Baby exercise (I try to bring her down for a walk everyday), Baby can now poo poo without the need of enema. I used enema on her about 2 weeks ago when she could not poo poo for 2.5 days. Baby’s poop is still hard and I think I will increase the amount of psyllium husk to twice a day, until she poops easily everyday and poops nice, soft stools!

This is NOT intended to be a medical advice. Please consult your doctor if you or your children are suffering from constipation. The above article was written based on my own experience with my child.

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Cassandra, Constipation
February 21st, 2010
post by admin | | 38

Baby Loves Eating Celery

Baby is one one toddler who loves eating pungent tasting veggie and fruits. She loves munching on raw celery, raw capsicum, raw cucumber, cooked leek and leek flowers, onions, mushrooms and even durians.

Here she is munching on a celery stick. She’s not the only one who loves raw celery, even Alycia and Sherilyn love munching on them.

If you intend to feed young kids with raw celery, it’s best to buy organic ones.

Celery are rich in vitamin C, they lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, reduce high blood pressure, and promote health.

Celery contains amino acids, boron, calcium, chlorine, essential fatty acids, folate, inositol, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sulfur , zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K. Celery is also a salad ingredient, which contains fiber.

The health benefits of celery (extracted from organicfacts.net) include the following:

Reduced blood pressure: Celery contains a chemical that can lower levels of stress hormones in your blood. This allows blood vessels to expand, giving your blood more room, thereby reducing pressure.

Reduced cholesterol: Eating celery daily may reduce artery-clogging cholesterol

Good antiseptic: Celery seeds help in uric acid elimination. So, celery is good for people with bladder disorders, kidney problems, cystitis etc. Celery seeds also assist in avoiding urinary tract infection in women.

Healthy joints: Celery is good for people suffering from arthritis, rheumatism and gout. Its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce swelling and pain around the joints. Celery sticks contain a diuretic substance, which help to remove uric acid crystals that build around joints.

Prevents cancer: Celery contains phthalides and polyacetylenes. These anti cancer components detoxify carcinogens. Celery also contains coumarins that enhance the activity of certain white blood cells.

Improved immune system: Celery is rich in vitamin C; therefore it booststhe immune system.

Relief from cold: Because of the presence of vitamin C, taking celery gives you relief from cold.

Reduces severity of asthma: Vitamin C prevents free radical damage and thus reduces the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma.

Cardiovascular health: Presence of vitamin C in the roots of celery promotes cardiovascular health. Roots

Diuretic activity: Celery is rich in both sodium and potassium. These minerals help in regulating fluid balance.

Relief from migraine: Presence of coumarins gives relief from migraines.

Treats rheumatism: Celery extracts, which contain85% 3nB, are effective for treating arthritis and muscular pains.

Good for diabetic patients: Celery leaves are also eaten for treating diabetic conditions.

Relief from ophthalmologic disease: Dripping celery tea drops on eyelids is good for ophthalmologic affectations.

Because of the high calcium content, celery calms the nerves. So, eating celery helps people to be calm.

Celery acts as an antioxidant too. All parts of celery including seed, root and leaves, can be used.

Drinking celery juice before meal will help you to reduce your weight.

Celery has many other nutritional benefits: Eating celery regularly helps to avoid diseases of kidney, pancreas, liver and gallbladder; neuritis, constipation, asthma, high blood pressure, catarrh, pyorrhea and dropsy, brain over work, acidosis, anemia, obesity and tuberculosis. It also helps in the improvement of teeth.

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Cassandra, Nutritional Information On Vegetables
January 18th, 2010
post by admin | | 34

Organic Buckwheat Noodles

One of my 3 gals’ favorite noodles is buckwheat noodles. When there is green tea noodles or buckwheat noodles served, meal times are such a breeze – no coaxing, no bribes, no threats and no yelling at rascal #2 to finish her food.

Here’s one of the ways I prepare buckwheat noodles for Baby.  Boil the noodles al dente and season with a little Bragg’s liquid amino acid, toasted sesame seeds and a little ground almond (both for added calcium).

Another of my gals’ favorite and quick-to-prepare dish is onion omelette.   

Baby’s bowl of wholesome dinner – buckwheat noodles with onion omelette and veggie.


Baby enjoying her dinner.

Some interesting facts on buckwheat extracted from http://www.healthyreader.com/2006/07/19/the-health-benefits-of-buckwheat/:

It may surprise some people to learn that buckwheat is actually a fruit even though it is commonly thought to be a grain. Buckwheat is a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel.

Whole buckwheat is a very nutritious food. The protein in buckwheat contains the eight essential amino acids and is also high in lysine. Buckwheat is also rich in many B vitamins as well as phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Buckwheat is also a good oil source of Alpha-Linolenic Acid, which is one of the two essential fatty acids we must have to be healthy.

Health Benefits of Buckwheat
1.  Buckwheat is high in fiber. 1 cup of cooked buckwheat groats contains over 4 grams of dietary fiber.
2.  Buckwheat contains the eight essential amino acids.
3.  Buckwheat contains many minerals including: phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese.
4.  Buckwheat contains a rich supply of flavonoids, particularly rutin.
5.  Buckwheat lowers glucose levels and is beneficial for managing diabetes.
6.  Buckwheat has been found to lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol.
7.  Buckwheat is a fruit seed and is a gluten-free alternative to grains.

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Cassandra, Nutritional Information On Food
December 13th, 2009
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Grey patch on eye white

Remember my previous post pertaining to the black dot on Baby’s eye white?  I managed to capture a closer picture of another greyish patch on Baby’s right eye white.  Here it is:

Please double click on the image for a larger view.

The picture is a tad blur as I don’t have a high-end camera or a DSLR to capture clearer close-up pictures.

I have a small greyish patch on my right eye too. I guess Baby has inherited my DNA.

Does anyone have such a patch on their eye white too?

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Black dot on eye white, Cassandra
November 11th, 2009
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Black Dots On Eye White

Baby C has several tiny black dots on her eye white on both her eyes. I have asked our pediatricians about it and they had all told me that the black dots are like moles and pigmentation and are usually nothing harmful. I have one greyish spot on the white of my right eye too. My maid has one huge greyish spot on the white of her eye too. I have several friends who have these dots / spots on their eyes too. BUT being a hypochondriac and chronic worrier, I am still worried. What if those dots turn out to be something more serious?


Can you see the tiny dot on the white of Baby’s right eye?  You can click on the picture to have a larger view.

I did a google search to look for information but there isn’t much information on this condition. I am really contemplating paying a visit to the eye specialist just to get a peace of mind.


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Black dot on eye white, Cassandra
October 26th, 2009
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Goji Berries

One of Baby’s favorite food is keiji / wolfberries / Goji berries. I normally toss a handful of goji berries into her porridge and soup. I use goji berries to steam chicken too and the chicken dish tastes really good. She can eat about 6-8 berries from her soup in one sitting. I guess she likes the sweetness from the berries. Some people eat dried goji berries on its own, without cooking them, like how they would eat dried cranberries or raisins. I’ve tried eating them straight from fridge and they taste very much like dried cranberries.

The goji berry contains 19 different kinds of amino acids and 21 trace minerals. In addition, the wolfberry has more beta carotene than a carrot, nearly as much vitamin C as an orange and almost as much protein as bee pollen.

Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. One of zeaxanthin’s key roles is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 65.

Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China, Tibet and India. Here are the health benefits of goji berries:

Strong Bones and Teeth
The high amounts of calcium in the goji berry make it useful for building strong teeth and bones. It also helps to protect and preserve tissues, keeping them safe from damage and disease.

Enhance Vitamin Intake
The riboflavin in the goji berry works to help the body receive all the other vitamins and minerals taken in. It is required to helps breakdown these vitamins and process them into usable enzymes the body can then administer through the bloodstream.

Immune Booster
Goji berry is a powerful antioxidant that can work to boost the immune system by seeking out harmful free radicals and toxins. By purging these from the system, it helps to prevent sickness and disease as it bolsters the body’s natural defenses.

Eye Health
Goji berry can help promote proper eye function. By aiding in tissue repair and lowering stress levels, it can help to preserve the eyes and keep them in working order.

Anti-Inflammatory
Goji berry is an anti-inflammatory which works to curb certain inflammations in the body. Swelling and the pains of arthritis can be helped by the calming effects it contains. Additionally, respiratory problems, such as the common cold, are lessened.

Anti-Aging
As an antioxidant, goji berry works to combat oxidation of the cells, which can cause premature aging of the skin. It slows the process, lessening fine lines and wrinkles, resulting in younger looking skin.

Anti-Fatigue
Goji berry can work to combat the signs of fatigue through its ability to help energy production in the body. It helps to hasten the metabolism, resulting in balanced energy levels throughout the day.

For longevity

Possible drug interactions
Goji berries may interact with anticoagulant drugs (commonly called “blood-thinners”), such as warfarin (Coumadin®). There was one case report published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy of a 61-year old woman who had an increased risk of bleeding, indicated by an elevated international normalized ratio (INR). She had been drinking 3-4 cups daily of goji berry tea. Her blood work returned to normal after discontinuing the goji berry tea.

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Cassandra, Healthy Food
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