Scrub
For cleaning after a day in the city or at the gym...this is so yummy it is fun to use!
1 tsp. ground almonds
a tsp. oatflakes
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 drop of BASIL essential oil
I love to put flax seed in a pepper grinder and sprinkle a little on all my food. Why? It looses it's nutrient power every minute after you grind it. It is only powerful while fresh. Flax seed must be kept fresh in the freezer until it is used and it must be fresh ground when used. And what are its powers?
Flaxseed is the highest beneficial source of lignans. Lignans are oestrogenically active compounds that can exert beneficial effects upon a dry and fragile vaginal mucosa. Lignans, like many other plant steroids may give some protection against cancers occurring in hormone sensitive tissues such as the breasts and uterus. Lignans may also be beneficial to the immune system.
Flax seed, while being free of cholesterol does contain valuable essential fatty acids of the omega 3 variety and also linolenic acid. These essential fatty acids are beneficial for the cardiovascular system and are essential for healthy skin, hair and mucous membranes. Essential fatty acids ensure healthy cell membranes and help to balance the prostaglandin hormonal system.
In March, Herbal Research Foundation President Rob McCaleb made his annual trip to Boston to teach physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health care practitioners about the research supporting the medicinal use of herbs at the Harvard Medical School Symposium on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The Harvard course is the nation’s most successful continuing education program on complementary therapies, and attracted more than 600 health practitioners this year. After four years of teaching at the symposium, McCaleb has observed a noticeable shift in the attitude of attendees. "In past years, the voices of many of the doctors were skeptical, negative, and challenging. Now there is much more openness, and a determination by doctors to help empower and educate patients and themselves about natural health care options," McCaleb commented. Andrew Weil, MD, another faculty member at the symposium, agreed that as the clinical evidence on herbs grows, physicians have become more accepting.
McCaleb presented a 1 1/2 hour class called "Botanical Medicine: Information Resources" at two different times during the symposium. HRF’s new book The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs assumed a central place in the discussion, as McCaleb spoke about the clinical research on herbs, reliable information sources and resources, and methods for evaluating the quality of information. Harvard Medical School has already purchased 250 copies of the book for its programs. According to McCaleb, "The practitioners at the symposium were impressed with the format of the book because it includes both traditional information and the latest research, allowing readers to weigh the evidence within their own belief systems. Some of their patients are more interested in the longstanding uses of plants, while others are only convinced by the science behind the herbs." McCaleb also spent some time comparing and contrasting the quality of research on herbal medicines and pharmaceutical drugs, and challenged some common assumptions about drug approval and research in the United States.
The curriculum for the four-day Harvard course was designed to give practitioners a basic understanding of complementary medicine therapies, a scientific evaluation of the efficacy and safety of these therapies, guidelines for recommending specific techniques to patients, and an understanding of the legal, ethical, and financial aspects of various therapies. The course also seeks to foster better communication about complementary therapies between patients and conventional health care providers.
Ginseng helps speed recovery from acute attacks of chronic bronchitis
Adjunctive treatment with standardized ginseng extract G115® increased the speed of bacterial clearance in patients undergoing treatment with antibiotics for chronic bronchitis. The study participants were 75 Italians with acute attacks of chronic bronchitis who received treatment with 875 mg amoxicillin and 125 mg clavulanic acid twice daily for 9 days and were then randomized into two groups. One group (37 patients) received only the antibiotic treatment, and the other (38 patients) took the antibiotics in combination with ginseng extract at a dose of 100 mg twice daily. In the 44 patients who were evaluable at the end of the study, the time to complete clearance of bacteria was significantly shorter in the group receiving the combination treatment (median 6 days/mean 5.9 days vs. median 7 days/mean 6.7 days). The researchers suggest, "Patients in whom the elimination of bacteria from the bronchial system is particularly difficult may benefit from the use of ginseng." Scaglione R, Weiser K, Alessandra M. Effects of the standardised ginseng extract G115 in patients with chronic bronchitis. Clin Drug Invest 2001; 21(1): 41-45.
More in the case for using only WHOLE FOOD vitamins (like herbs and whole foods or reduced whole food supplements like Green Magma, Kyogreen, etc..):
In one experiment, synthetic vitamin B (thiamine) was shown to render 100% of a group of pigs sterile! 100% would be considered a significant finding. (Dr. Barnett Sure, Journ Natr 1939) Perhaps the fact that synthetic vitamin B comes from coal tar, maybe that has something to do with it, you think? Then there’s vitamin B12, which comes from activated sewage sludge. (Frost p 60) Been shooting blanks since you started on those multi’s?
For the licensed dieticians and clinical nutritionists reading this in disbelief because it is too "unscientific," consider the way Theron Randolph MD delineated between natural and synthetic:
"A synthetically derived substance may cause a reaction in a chemically susceptible person when the same material of natural origin is tolerated, despite the two substances having identical chemical structures. The point is illustrated by the frequency of clinical reactions to synthetic vitamins – especially vitamin B1 and C- when the [same] naturally occurring vitamins are tolerated."
Dear K. Burns,
I would like your advice abut my three year old daughter. She came down with the flu last night. What can I give her that is safe and help her from any complications of the flu. She is lethargic, high temperature, breast feeding frequently, some congestion. She is not coughing alot but it's to early yet. May Allah reward you for all your wisdom.
Healing Naturally, LH
Dear LH,
I cannot tell you about what to do for your daughter since I am not there to see her in person and I do not have very much information from you. However, I can tell you when my children had the flu and a fever I learned many things and I did many things:
1. I learned not to worry about fevers. They are good. They kill bugs in the body. So I like to keep them with a little fever and just lower it a bit so it is not dangerous. I do the same for myself. The problem is solved quicker then. If I keep lowering the fever with Tylenol it will just keep coming back for days! As long as the fever is within a safe range I do not worry about it.
2. I always used the lukewarm bath method to cool the children off. I put a little essential oil of fennel mixed with milk (10 drops for one cup of milk) in the bath and this also helps lower the fever. You can also give her a lukewarm bath with any of the following teas you may have around the house - make a pot of tea and add it to the water: Use either peppermint, fennel, anise or chamomile.
3. It has always been hard to give my children anything when they had a flu so I usually used Belladona - a homeopathic remedy which does a good job in lowering fevers.
4. If there are other symptoms other than fever then I deal with them accordingly. Congestion can be cleared by steaming up the bathroom, adding a little eucalyptus or tea tree to the shower and sitting in there with her for about 15 minutes.
5. Let her nurse a lot. It is very easy for a person to become dehydrated when they have a flu. You should also give her water if you can. I was told before not to - a breast feeding expert told me that if the baby nurses a lot that is enough. But at the time my baby also slept a lot and it turned out to be not enough. She became dehydrated and more dangerously ill. I had to wake her out of her stupor to get her to drink. Don't let it get that far. But don't give too much water either. You can add a little fennel tea to the water to cool her down.
6. My policy on fevers and flu has been simply – let them rest, let them drink a lot, bathe them for comfort and healing, and keep them nearby. Sometimes I don’t give them anything at all but if I do it is a weak tea or an aromatherapy rub or bath. They always seem to do well with this method and I have never seen their problems go beyond 24 hours.
As an end note – with the latest fear about flu in the news one may be tempted to panic. Don’t panic. It is wise to have anything unusual checked up on. However, the situation is not as serious nationwide as the news would have us believe.
Blessings & Health,
Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND
Dear K. Burns,
My husband is smoking and I am trying desperately to get him to stop. I believe in a strong mind-body relationship. I know that if his mind is not wanting to quit and his mind is not deciding to quit there are very few chances that he will quit. I know every cigarette is killing him slowly and hurting me. BUT…I don’t want to easily give up. Is there a magic herb that I could put in his tea to help him stop? He already tried the medical methods using Nicoderm and he always got health problems like one was it disturbed his heart rhythym…Really crazy… I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Dear A. H,
Above all I would pray that he is able to quit. Prayer is very strong. Do not share these prayers with him. Just send him all the positive energy you can about quitting.
Nicotine elevates the heartrate, which increases the heart’s demand for oxygen. This is probably why those patches are not working very well and are causing a bad side-effect with your husband’s heart. At the same time the carbon monoxide in the cigarette reduces the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity. The heart is then forced to work with less oxygen. At the same time smoking constricts the arteries, even further restricting the blood supply to the oxygen-impoverished heart. Cigarette smoke also creates a lot of free radicals in the body which are basically the body’s equivalent of "rust". This "rusting" of a person is normal when a person is exposed to a normal life. However, increasing the production of free radicals in the body with cigarettes or air pollution or junk food is akin to continuously washing a tin cup or leaving your bike in the rain. It will quickly rust and fall apart under such abuse.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals In fact, smoking has been around for centuries, but only since it entered the mainstream of mass production has the bad effects from it skyrocketed. This is because, while moderate smoking of some herbs and grasses may actually be beneficial (This is common in the Native American tradition for example), what you are consuming now in today’s modern society is actually a combination of lethal gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and nitrogen and sulfur oxides) and tars which contain up to 4000 chemicals introduced specially IN the process of making manufactured cigarettes! Cigarettes also contain a high level of polonium which is a strong source of radiation. In fact smoking more than 1 and a half packs per day is equal to getting 300 chest X-rays a year.
Smoking is like spraying a sponge with nail polish. The sponge will not then be able to absorb water. The lungs cannot absorb the oxygen it is getting. Oxygen purifies your blood so your blood is carrying more toxins than it should.
Each cigarette burns up 25mg of vitamin C. Smokers also need more sulfur as the smoking burns this up as well.
Smoking is a known cause in the alternative medicine field of a hiatal hernia. This is because it causes allergic reactions and "explosions" in the stomach involving the hiatal valve.
Here are some more things that smoking does:
* lowers levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
* Elevates blood pressure by decreasing circulation to peripheral blood vessels
* destroys lung tissue and invites respiratory infections
* Reduces lung capacity
* lowers sperm counts in men and reproductive ability
* reduces the taste for food. Food becomes tasteless.
* increases risk of hernia, heartburn and peptic ulcers
decreases calcium absorption
I am giving you this information because sometimes knowing WHAT the effects of smoking are (in more detail and not just the vague "they are bad for you" line) can help your husband see the direct correlation between his smoking and his health. This sets up a situation in which mentally he can have more strength to stop because every time he sees a result from what he is doing he will realize what it is coming from. This visualization response can create an eventual resistance to the cigarettes mentally which one needs to overcome the habit.
Physically you can try the following:
Lobelia contains compounds which closely resemble nicotine so drink 1/4 cup several times daily and during cravings or 10-20 drops of the tincture.
Goldenseal melts tar from the lungs- use AFTER the person has stopped smoking to cure their lungs. Will cause lots of green and yellow phlegm to be expelled and may be a bit dramatic.
Fenugreek replaces lost sulfur in the body from smoking.
Massive doses of vitamin C – use only the powdered kind – take 2000mg 3 times a day for a month
Vitamin E
Royal Jelly. 100mg of this contains 500mg of Niacin, the opposite molecule of nicotine. Taking this daily can help cut down on the urge to smoke by displacing nicotine in the brain.
Chewing gum is not the only way... eat sunflower seeds, chew ginger root, or suck on a clove. These also have the side effect of reducing cravings.
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar in orange juice before bed helps clear the nicotine out of your system.
Possible Homeopathic Remedies for VARIOUS addictions (not all are cigarette)
NUX VOMICA
If you have a reliance on coffee. alcohol and painkillers from the pressure of work resulting in "living in the fast lane", recurrent headaches, indigestion, insomnia, anxiety and irritability or you rely on Caffeine to keep up the pace, alcohol to unwind and sleeping pills to rest and painkillers for headaches. If you are WORSE from coffee, alcohol, lack of sleep, have constipation first thing in the morning. If you are BETTER from sound sleep, warmth, as the day goes on, peace and quiet and regular bowel movements.
LYCOPODIUM
Use for:...addiction to sugar in order to keep going, poor appetite with heartburn and bloated abdomen, from weakness of the liver, a history of jaundice (perhaps). A person who sits to a meal feeling hungry but fills up quickly. A person who craves sugar because of persistently low energy levels,. is WORSE from warmth, on waking, afternoons, tight clothing, high fiber foods and is BETTER from moderate temperatures, exercise outdoors, warm food and drinks.
LACHESIS
Use for a person who has....craving for alcohol and coffee, who is creative with a volatile temperament and a mind that becomes very active late at night....A person who feels toxic and hungover on waking....A person who has an over reliance on alcohol which may result in circulatory or liver problems....this person is WORSE from morning, waking from sleep, warmth, tight clothes, alcohol, hot drinks and is BETTER from cool surroundings, cool drinks, fresh, cool air, loosening clothes.
ARSENICUM ALB.
Use for a person with...restless anxiety and obsessive habits - workaholism or exercise addiction....this person is fussy and demanding with a tendency to criticize those who do not achieve high standards. This person is a perfectionist at work and at home with intolerance of untidiness. Their need for control leads to obsessive concerns about health, preoccupation with cleanliness and general state of anxiety. They may crave alcohol and cigarettes. They are WORSE from night, contact with cold, lack of routine, alcohol or tobacco. Is BETTER from warmth, gentle exercise, company.
SULFUR
Use this for a person who has constant exhaustion with an unstable appetite and craving for alcohol. They have poor eating patterns which lead to general debility and lack of energy. They constantly want to lie down and rest. Their appetite is absent or voracious. They craves sweets which make energy levels more unstable and may turn to alcohol when depressed or low. They are WORSE from becoming overheated, after bathing, mid-morning, sugary foods and drinks and BETTER from cool air, lying down, walking
Face Oil
A beauty consultant once told me that the secret to a beautiful face was to keep it moist. She said always remember moisture moisture moisture! Drink water and moisturize your face even if it is oily you must add moisture because oil is not moisture!
In a base of 2 oz almond oil or apricot kernel oil add 1 tsp. jojoba, evening primrose, or carrot oil. To this base add 10 drops of GERANIUM, 10 drops of PALMA ROSA, 5 drops of FENNEL and 5 drops of LEMON . Apply at night to a wet face and leave on overnight.
Add the following oils (1 drop each and choose only one or two per mixture) to your concoctions for specific problems: For anti-aging try violet leaf, Neroli, frankincense, myrrh, rose, carrot, hyssop, patchouli, rosemary, chamomile German, lime, orange and clary-sage. For dry to normal skin try Chamomile, lavender, sandalwood, Rose, patchouli, Benzoin, Calendula, Geranium, Rosemary, Neroli. For Oily skin try : Lemon, Lime, jasmine, pettiogran, rosemary, lavender, geranium, juniper, orange, frankincense, cypress, and ylang-ylang.
Bright eyes make one look more beautiful. Tired eyes or eyes with black circles under them can make people look older and less attractive. To brighten the eyes take agrimony. To get rid of dark circles, use the blood cleansing herbs, get more sleep and balance the acidity levels of the body by taking alfalfa or nettles.
You can use a general eyewash of calendula for all eye infections and stresses.
Systematic Review of Ginger Trials Yields "Promising" Outcome
Throughout centuries of traditional use, treatment of nausea and vomiting has remained one of the primary therapeutic applications of ginger root (Zingiber officinale Roscoe., Zingiberaceae). In order to "evaluate whether or not ginger is truly efficacious for clinical nausea and vomiting," investigators Ernst and Pittler of Exeter University, U.K., reviewed six randomized, controlled clinical trials that met standard methodological quality criteria (Ernst and Pittler, 2000).
Only randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials evaluating the use of ginger as a single agent in the treatment of nausea and vomiting were eligible for inclusion in the review. (Studies assessing the effects of ginger on experimentally induced nausea and/or vomiting were excluded.) The six studies chosen investigated the use of ginger in four different areas: motion sickness (Grøntved et al., 198
, morning sickness (Fischer-Rasmussen et al., 1990), postoperative nausea (Bone et al., 1990; Phillips et al., 1993; Arfeen et al., 1995) and chemotherapy-induced nausea (Pace, 1987).
The majority of the trials reviewed concluded that ginger powder taken at a dose of 1 g daily was significantly more effective than placebo in alleviating nausea and vomiting. The one exception was a postoperative nausea study by Arfeen and colleagues, which demonstrated no significant difference between ginger and placebo or between ginger doses of 0.5 g and 1 g. The authors noted, "The discrepancy between this negative outcome and the positive results from other RCT [randomized controlled trials] is not readily explicable." No adverse events were reported in any of the studies.
Noting that the body of literature on ginger may be influenced by publication bias - i.e., a tendency among researchers not to publish studies with negative outcomes - the authors end on a cautionary note: "In summary, we found that ginger is a promising antiemetic herbal remedy, but the clinical data to date are insufficient to draw firm conclusions."
- Evelyn Leigh, Herb Research Foundation [Arfeen Z, Owen H, Plummer JL, Ilsley AH, Sorby-Adams RAC, Doecke LJ. A double-blind randomized controlled trial of ginger for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anaesth Intensive Care 1995; 23: 449-452. Bone ME, Wilkinson DJ, Young JR, McNeil J, Charlton S. Ginger root-a new antiemetic: The effect of ginger root on postoperative nausea and vomiting after major gynaecological surgery. Anaesthesia 1990; 45: 669-671. Ernst E, Pittler MH. Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. British Journal of Anaesthesia 2000; 84(3): 367-371. Fischer-Rasmussen W, Kjaer SK, Dahl C, Asping U. Ginger treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1990; 38: 19-24. Grøntved A, Brask T, Kambskard J, Hentzer E. Ginger root against seasickness: a controlled trial on the open sea. Acta Orolaryngol 1988; 105: 45-49. Pace JC. Oral ingestion of encapsulated ginger and reported self-care actions for the relief of chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting. Dissertations Abstracts Int 1987; 47: 3297-3298. Phillips S, Ruggier R, Hutchinson SE. Zingiber officinale (Ginger) - an antiemetic for day case surgery. Anaesthesia 1993; 48: 715-717.]
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