Springboard

On Fermenting, Hay Fever, Root Canals, and More

Hay Fever Solutions

Issue #63: Wellspring Community

I’d like to offer three more suggestions to the reader who suffers from springtime allergies. I don’t have personal experience with acupuncture, but I’ve heard of many individuals whose symptoms were reduced thanks to this intervention. From personal experience, I’ve found that an air purifier works really well. A good one will clean the air in the house so there are less allergens floating around, at least at home. A friend of mine has seen great results from allergy shots. Her daughter’s life was severely impacted by seasonal allergies until she started with this intervention.

Shaina K.

Important Conversation

Issue #63: Mental Health Panel

All I can say is just, “Wow.” It’s Motzaei Pesach as I write this, but I feel it would be inappropriate of me not to let you know how inspired I was by the gorgeous mental health panel in your Pesach issue. It was truly one of a kind, addressing topics that are so close to our hearts with such wisdom and Torah’dig values. Each of the handpicked panelists offered such valuable advice on matters that make up the fabric of our lives. If only all of us Yidden would have access to such material, and if only all mental health practitioners would treat the people they work with with such clarity and chochmah, our world would be a better place. As someone who does klal work, it

Quick Question

Question:

Quite a lot of my friends and family members recently experienced frightening episodes of RSV with their babies. The symptoms appear to be similar to those of COVID-19. As a mother of young children, I’m concerned. I’d like to know more about the condition and to understand the basic protocol for treatment.

Answer:

RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, generally affects children under two years of age, though it can affect older children and adults as well. However, symptoms are most serious in infants under six months of age, babies who were born premature, and babies with lung disease, heart disease, and weakened immune systems. According to the most recent research, both COVID-19 and RSV are spread the same way—through droplets in the air and shared surfaces. RSV can cause bronchiolitis, which causes swelling in the air sacs in the lungs and may lead to pneumonia. The symptoms of RSV are: • a whistling or wheezing noise when the child breathes • cough • difficulty breathing • loss of appetite or refusing to eat • signs of dehydration Currently, there is no medication or vaccine available to treat or prevent RSV. There is also no known cause as to why RSV is rampant and spreading. In the case that your child contracts the virus, chas veshalom, and you’d like to prevent a hospital visit, try following these simple do-it-yourself techniques. • Do not give your child dairy; if you’re nursing the child, do not eat dairy. • Use a vaporizer or humidifier to make breathing easier (you can add essential oils such as peppermint or eucalyptus). • Have the child sleep or rest in an upright position to facilitate breathing. • With the guidance of a professional, use essential oil to massage the chest and upper back every three hours. • Boost your child’s immune system with vitamin D, and massage Thieves Oil into the soles of their feet. • Hydrate adequately by giving fluid in small amounts throughout the day. Babies with more serious cases may need to go to the hospital where they will receive oxygen, IV fluids, and medication to open their airways. Never hesitate to call emergency services when needed.

Stay well, Miriam Schweid health coach and kinesiologist

saddens me to see how many Yidden get carried away by the untruths of psychology and perspectives that have infiltrated into our world from not pure sources. Thank you, Wellspring; for starting a conversation that will hopefully bring much good to our society.

Much continued hatzlachah, Mrs. Perel Singer

Food for Thought

Issue #63: Wellbeing Feature

Thank you so much for a beautiful, content-rich publication that I read from cover to cover. When I read the beautiful article in which daughters shared the lessons they learned from their mothers, it gave me pause. Like one of the contributors, it’s not easy for me to just rattle off the nice things I learned from my mother, with whom I have a complicated relationship. But reading the moving introduction and all of those contributions, I was inspired to think of the positive interactions we do enjoy.

With much appreciation and tizku l’mitzvos, Name withheld

Question:

My child isn’t eating enough at meals. What can I do?

Answer:

First off, let’s define “enough.” Is your child full and satisfied? The only way to know is to ask. When we decide for our kids whether they are full or need to eat more, we cross a line. The parent’s job at the table is to provide the food and set the mood. The parent is in charge of the where, when, and what of the meal. The child is in charge of whether they will eat and how much. So the child decides when they have had enough. At certain points in a child’s growth, usually around big milestones, they will finish eating before being full simply because they have more exciting things to do. That’s okay. Offer food every 2–3 hours and your child will learn to regulate on their own. That independence is essential in the feeding relationship.

Pediatric Nutrition

Health & happiness, Yaffi Lvova, RDN

Yaffi Lvova, RDN, is a dietitian and food enjoyment activist who encourages positive nutrition through writing, speaking, and Nap Time Nutrition, her video blog and podcast.

Find out more at babybloomnutrition.com.

How Fermentation Reduces Carb Content

Issue #63: Sample

I really enjoyed the new Sample column in the Pesach issue. It tempted me to try fermenting some of those vegetables! I would like to understand why carbs are reduced by 80 percent by fermenting potatoes or sweet potatoes. Please explain.

Thanks, F.W.

Dear F. W.,

Thanks for your feedback. We actually received this question several times over from curious ferment wannabes. Fermented foods have a lower carb count than their non-fermented counterparts because fermentation occurs when bacteria feasts off the carbohydrates found in a food, thus lowering the carb count in potatoes by 80 percent (according to PicklIt, up to 88 percent). By fermenting potatoes, you’re removing the simple carbs (that break down to sugar), and leaving behind the complex carbs, which, when consumed, are able to penetrate the large intestines, creating powerful probiotics that are said to protect the colon and uterus. As a side note, it is important not to exceed 24 hours of ferment time as the potatoes will harden.

Happy fermenting, Libby

What’s the Root Canal Alternative?

Issue #63: FYI

Faigy Schonfeld writes that root canals should be avoided and removed, but she does not give an alternative. Is it better to be toothless? Get expensive implants? I would greatly appreciate more information.

S. H.

Dear S.H.,

Thanks for your letter! There aren’t that many options out there when you need a root canal done, but there are some methods that can sometimes be employed. Working with a competent biological dentist is always a good idea. An experienced dentist can help you try to save the tooth and will know what options are available to you, based on the state of the tooth, its location, and other factors.

All the best, Faigy

Lifesaving Content

Issue #63: Special Theme Section

When I sat down to read your mega Pesach edition, I was looking forward to a leisure read. I got that—and more. Until I read Aliza Paskesz’s article about her baby Meir’s frightening episode with RSV, I hadn’t really known what the virus was all about. It was thanks to her detailed description of her ordeal that, only a few days later,

I immediately chalked up my child’s similar symptoms to this issue. When I came running into the emergency room with my sluggish toddler, I urged them to check for this virus first. Indeed, that was his diagnosis. Thank you, Aliza, and thank you, Wellspring, for saving me much agmas nefesh and enabling my child to get the help he needed to get better, baruch Hashem.

Gratefully yours, M.N.

The Truth of the Matter

Issue #63: Wellbeing Survey

Thanks for a fabulous magazine that I look forward to every month. Every time I pick up my new copy, I wonder if there are still topics to write about, but it only gets better and better. There was so much eye-opening information in the Pesach issue, but I particularly enjoyed the Wellbeing survey on how COVID impacted the subjects’ emotional health. In my own life, I found that it did me well to have time for myself and my family, but I appreciated reading the various perspectives from the 150+ participants. When I went out between people afterward, it strengthened for me the concept of “You never know what’s going on in other people’s lives.” Thanks for this renewed awareness.

Hindy K.

Lucky Daughter

Issue #63: Wellbeing Feature

I really enjoyed your Pesach issue. Having lost my mother last year, the article titled “Her Legacy” made me think about what I would have written. Baruch Hashem, quite a lot of lessons came up for me. Thanks for the opportunity to appreciate how lucky I was.

M.G.

Touched by the Approach

Issue #63

As a first-time reader, I read your magazine over Pesach and was very impressed by the gorgeous publication you put out. What touched me most was the spiritual, Torah’dig approach, especially on health and weight loss, which is often associated with vanity and mistaken priorities. As a new subscriber, I look forward to enjoying many future issues.

F. Rottenstien

Get in touch!

Wellspring invites readers to submit letters and comments via regular mail or email to info@wellspringmagazine.com. We reserve the right to edit all submissions and will withhold your name upon request. We will honor requests for anonymity, but we cannot consider letters that arrive without contact information.

Any health information, advice, or suggestions published here are the opinion of the letter writer and are not independently investigated, endorsed, or validated by Wellspring. Always seek the advice of a qualified health professional or medical practitioner regarding any medical advice, condition, or treatment.

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