Healthy Hair Without the High Price Tag

We women love our hair.  We spend lots of time and money on it, making it look as nice as we can.  But seriously, do we need to spend so much of our hard earned resources on our hair?  Is it truly necessary?  I think not.

I have found some low cost, low time tricks to use on my hair to make it really healthy.  Even my hairdresser, a real "rock star" who works for an expensive hair care product company who travels to exotic places to work- even she comments on how healthy my hair is. ("Whatever you're doing is working," she says.)

Here are my tools and technics for soft, healthy, well-conditioned hair.

• Use a shampoo that's as natural as you can get.  I happen to really like Organix.  No shampoo is completely natural, but we do the best we can.
• Put the desired amount of shampoo into your hand
• Add one drop of glycerin to the shampoo.
• Shampoo as normal; rinse
• Increase the water temperature
• Pour conditioner into your hand
• Add one drop of glycerin to the conditioner, rub with hands to mix
• Get your hair as hot as you can possibly stand to open up the hair shaft to receive the moisture
• Quickly as you can, apply the conditioner and glycerin to the hair
• Let sit for 3 minutes
• Turn down the water temperature to as cool as possible
• Rinse out quickly.

Isn't that easy?  No more trips to the salon for deep conditioning.  No more messy hot oil treatments.  And no more expensive conditioners.  (That's my favorite one!)

 

Why did I start using glycerin?  No, not because I happened to have it in my cupboard for making hand soap.  After seeing a glamorous advertisement for a glycerin shampoo with essential oils- for a whopping $30- I realized that glycerin is a top ingredient in most, if not all, our beauty products.  On a whim, I decided to try it.  I'm certainly satisfied with the results.

That's the outside.  But the inside needs help, too.  Remember to take your Essential Fatty Acids. Supplementing with good oils will change your hair and your complexion- not to mention all the health benefits!  I use astaxanthin, krill oil and evening primrose oil supplements, and we cook with coconut oil- all wonderful EFA's.

 

Now we are practical and pretty!

 

 

 

Headaches

That persistent pain in your head presents a big problem for a lot of people.  Headaches can be a difficult puzzle to unravel- and when you're in the thick of one, sometimes you'd rather cut your head off than try to unravel the Gordian knot.  Let's be pro-active, and present some practical solutions.

• Drink some water.  The Army instructs soldiers that most headaches are simply dehydration.  Personally, I've found that drinking all the water I can handle at once seems to cure that kind of headache in about a half hour. Translation:  down about 3-4 cups of water quickly.
• Go to a chiropractor.  They can do some amazing things for the body.  If the problem is a skeletal one, they are great at fixing the spine.  Proper alignment of the spine then goes deeper, allowing the body to function optimally once again. 
• Look for signs of food allergies.  This requires some willingness to pay attention to your body.  If you notice that your pulse rate shoots up (80 beats or more per minute), or is irregular (beat-beat---pause-beat) 15 minutes or so after eating a particular food, then you likely have a problem with it and need to eliminate it. Which food?  That'll take some detective work.  Please don't convince yourself, "I just have a high pulse rate"-- normal pulse beats are 60-70 bpm.  A high pulse signals something is wrong.
• Avoid Soy and MSG.  They are huge headache-makers.  My husband reacted violently to both of these triggers with severe migraines.  Eliminating them from our diet really helped his headaches.
• Check for mold.  Mold and fungus exposure will bring on headaches, too (along with a host of other problems!).  Mold is everywhere, but it doesn't have to live in your home and make you sick.  Check pipes, furnace, A/C unit for water leaks.  Roof leaks will cause mold to grow in your attic.  And of course, clean the mold out of your bathtub.  Every time water hits a mold site, spores (with their own toxins) spray into the air and creep into your body.  Ewww! 
• Get an evaluation by a dentist specializing in TMJ treatment.  Injuries to the face or jaw, improper bite, car accidents, even a forceps delivery can all cause your Temporo-Mandibular Joint to wear away and become misaligned.  Damage to that joint can cause all kinds of trouble:  ringing in the ears, snoring, shoulder & neck pain, difficulty swallowing, vertigo, hearing loss, and of course, the typical clicking and popping noises when opening and closing the mouth-- not to mention headaches.  Treatment can include getting braces and/or wearing a specially made bite splint.  It certainly worked for me!
• Fix your stress.  Eliminate the stress wherever you can, but don't stress about it!  At the very least, prepare to get a good night's sleep by turning off light-makers.  TV, video games, and computers all emit a lot of light.  Light signals the body to stay awake.  Slow down-- allow the body to rest before dropping into a coma.  Too much stress and not enough rest is a headache cocktail.  It gets my husband all the time.  
• Pray about it.  It's amazing that God answers our prayers.  I've gathered my children around me during my times of sickness and asked them to pray.  One by one, oldest to youngest, they have interceded and God has answered.  I firmly believe that God loves to answer the prayers of children- to grow their faith- and mine.  We do this for all prayer requests.  It's a beautiful thing, indeed.

A quick fix for your headache- after drinking lots of water- might include peppermint essential oil applied to the top of the head and the bottom of the foot.  But, please-- be practical, and get to the source of your headache.

**Thanks to Christy K. for suggesting this post.  Be well!!

Protect the Kids!

My children often think I go overboard with all this "healthy stuff".  They subtly roll their eyes, or shut down when I start lecturing them on my soapbox.  But they are my kids, and I have a duty to protect them- and protect them I will.

"Children are resilient", I often hear.  It makes me cringe and want to scream, "No! Children are fragile.  Handle with care!!"  A child's body, growing and developing, will incorporate everything it gets into the cells.  Those cells are often overloaded with all kinds of garbage:  chemicals, toxins, vaccines.  How is a kid supposed to de-tox all that junk?  They can't.

Parents will often have their children clean the bathroom, using horrible chemicals.  Do they have a right to poison their kids in this way?  Or they'll give a child pest-control spray and tell them to kill the bugs- and douse themselves in the process.  Don't even get me started on the chemicals in processed food.  Canned food, bottled water, plastic packaging, chemical packaging...  Parents often don't think through this.  Why?  I think we kinda like the convenience of it all.  We are duped into thinking that if they are selling it, it must be OK.  Think again.

We parents must be convinced in our own minds of the importance of keeping our kids chemical-free.  We must educate ourselves, so that when they argue or dig their heels into the ground, we, too, can stand our ground.  Once we know the dangers of  all these chemicals we are exposed to each and every day, minute by minute, we can say without fear, "No, you are not going to (eat, use, wear) this chemical!"

Cell Phones- Super or Sinister?

Cell phones are both blessing and bane.  I admit, I love having one.  I mean, I grew up in the age of payphones, and now that I have my own, the convenience is like, the eighth wonder of the world. (Maybe we're up to the ninth-- I don't know...)

The first portable cell phone, invented by Martin Cooper in 1973, were monster-sized, comparatively speaking.  They were like talking into a brick, in both size and weight.  But hey, they were portable!  Convenience was born.

Today's cell phones are beautiful, sleek, and oh-so-powerful.  But are they safe?  Well, yes and no.  Brain tumors are up 25% since 1973, and many people link cell phones to cancer.  Your sugar levels (glucose) in your brain rise after talking on the cell phone for as little as 50 minutes.  That's a bad thing.  Bone density decreases the longer the phone is worn on the body- specifically, if you always wear your phone on your belt or in your pocket because the bone that is getting thinner is the bone that is used for bone grafts.  That's not good, either.

Some people report getting inexplicably ill with MS-like symptoms after cell phone towers go up, or with a lot of exposure to cell phones.  Why is this happening?  Because cell phones emit radiation.  Yikes!  Not a good thing!

OK- so how can we be practical, use our cell phones, and still be safe?  Here are a few tips.

• Use a corded headset- (not a bluetooth!)  
• Use the speakerphone for conversations whenever possible.  
• Don't wear it on your body.  Keep it in your purse, or in your car.  You and your caller will survive without instant communication.  (Remember answering machines?)
• Buy a cell phone radiation shield.  These are supposed to protect you from harmful radiation so you don't nuke your brain.  
• Never allow children, with their thin skulls and still-developing cells, to use cell phones.  Danger, danger Ranger Bob!

There-- now we can safely use our cell phones, and still be safe- in a practical way.

Neck Pain

It started out as dizziness just before bed.  I took the remedy Kali Ferro, thinking whatever it was, I'd better nip it in the bud before it develops into something "big".  The night passed uneventfully.  But when I woke up, my neck was so stiff, I couldn't move it.  Begging my children to massage it, they took turns until none of us could take it any more.  It swelled up and became untouchable in one spot.

A rule in homeopathy is that whenever the symptoms change, so must the remedy. Muscle testing proved that an additional remedy, Baryta Carb, would be beneficial to take along with Kali Ferro.

But what was causing all this pain, I wondered??  That's a very important question- and the answer is equally import to know.  After all, how can I avoid this the next time?  Through muscle testing, we determined that it was linked to the oil paints I had begun using the day earlier.  Oils can be rather toxic, as some pigments contain chromium, manganese and/or other toxins.  But I never dreamed that I was intolerant of them.  After all, I'd done a lot of painting before.

White Willow Bark was taken to reduce the swelling and alleviate the pain. It helped, but what helped most during the acute stage, quite surprisingly, were the essential oils Angelica and Carrot Root, mixed in equal amounts, and applied to the back.  (Thank you, DH, for the wonderful massage.  I'm sure that did me sooo much good!!) 

Once I realized it was toxins, and not the usual infectious agent, I took a few supplements to draw them out:  Standard Process SP Cleanse, Super Chlorella, and Garden of Life's Perfect Cleanse Capture and Perfect Cleanse Remove.  I only needed one dose for each of these.  After completing the treatment  with a visit to my wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Holland, I now feel much better.  No more pain!

Should we be concerned over toxic products?  You betcha!  Should we take steps of action to avoid them?  Only if we want to be practical in taking care of our health.

Avoiding Diabetes

My birth family has diabetes- big time.  My dad developed it in his 50's.  My mom developed it in her 60's.  As best as I can figure out without directly asking, both my older brothers developed it in their 40's, and are both insulin dependent.  My younger sister developed it the earliest, in her early 40's, and my youngest brother has been cautioned that if he didn't do something to change the path he was on, that he would develop it, too.


Our dad existed with the ravaging effects of diabetes for 20 years, getting worse and worse.  His eyes were greatly affected by the disease, as well as his feet.  He had lost the feeling in his hands, and couldn't feel anything up to his knees.  His last three years were spent on dialysis.  He actually out-lived the docs' expectations.  He was a superhero.


Why am I the only sibling without diabetes?
Twenty years ago, I decided to change my diet, and as a result, my sugar levels are perfect.  You see, the Lord sent me a message over the airwaves.  It went something like this:  "Women who have at least three years of college have a better diet."  That's me, I thought, I've been to college.  I'm a woman.  I can do this!  From then on, I decided to research and implement better nutrition.   


How to avoid diabetes
The first thing we did was to start grinding our own wheat, using an electric mill.  The initial investment was costly, but well worth it.  Buying 50lb bags of wheat berries, I started baking my own bread, and grinding my own wheat to replace store bought, worthless white flour.  (White flour is dead- all the nutrients are gone, so there is no nutrition left.  Even insects won't eat the stuff!)


Then I began to serve a salad at every meal.  Using nutrition-packed Romaine lettuce, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, and red peppers makes for quite a tasty salad.  Did you know that there are carbs in vegetables? So- salad can help fill up the bellies of those hungry children.  Not to mention all the health benefits of fresh/raw foods!


Then I went on the Rosedale Diet.  Cutting out, or at least drastically reducing all grains such as flours, bread, pasta, barley & oats have allowed me to maintain low insulin levels.  It was really hard to do, but surprisingly enough, has been fairly simple to hold.  If I'm hungry, I eat nuts, salad or an apple.


The last sweeping change I made to my diet was to include healthy oils.  I now make my own salad dressing using olive oil, and I'm not afraid to use it.  (Oils help to fill you up, believe it or not.)  I got into a cooperative buy of a 55 gallon drum of coconut oil to replace cooking oil.  (Coconut oil has its own fantastic health benefits.  More on that later.)  I even take cod liver oil.  (Loads of benefits there, too!)


The best change is slow change
If you are in crisis, then make your changes quickly.  If you are young and can afford to take the time to do it slowly, the change will stick better.  I'm not a purist, but because I have made such good progress in better eating, my insulin levels can afford some treats. 


Know the signs 
The overt signs of diabetes are an unquenchable thirst, frequent urination (duh!), weight loss or gain, blurred vision, or falling into a diabetic coma.  But there are subtle warning signs that can alert you that trouble is on the horizon.  Whenever I feel like I have "hit a brick wall", I'll think back and realize that I have eaten poorly prior to the event, and my sugar levels dropped too low.  This warns me to stop allowing myself the privilege of getting off track, and I know that I must severely limit my carbs once again.  Swollen ankles or hands indicate a lack of protein.  So I'll eat an egg or some cheese, and that always eliminates the swelling.  Lack of focus is another indicator of too many "treats".  I know, I know-- it's better to always be perfect, but hey, pobody's nerfect!! 

Diabetes can be reversed
As long as you aren't too far gone, it's as simple as this:  no grains, no sugar, more veggies, and add good oils (uncooked olive oil, cooked/uncooked coconut oil).  


Now isn't that practical?  

White Willow Bark

Today I had a headache from too much teenage drama.  A few tears, some stress, then a post-nap headache.  I didn't have time to deal with it before I had to leave, so I had to wait it out for two very long hours, hoping it would go on its own.  But no-  I was forced to deal with it.

I thought I would give White Willow Bark a go.  I've used it before with good success.  Compared to aspirin, it takes longer to work, but the benefits outweigh aspirin, and the effects last longer.

Aspirin v. White Willow Bark
Why not just use aspirin, like everybody else?  For a number of good reasons.  Firstly, it's a whole product, unlike aspirin which is an isolated compound with additives to buffer the wickedly bitter taste.  As a whole herb, there are more benefits in the complex compounds.  There are antioxidants in there- a real plus.  It's antiseptic, too- meaning that it fights infection.  Inflammation is reduced, and that helps with many problems, including osteoarthritis and low back pain.  To top it off, it will actually boost the immune system, helping the body to protect itself from attack by infectious agents.  Did I mention it cures headaches?

Dosage
One capsule every six hours.  You could make a tea from it, but I'd rather just take a capsule than drink the stuff!

Contraindications

Anticoagulants (blood-thinning medications) -- Willow bark may strengthen the effects of drugs and herbs with blood-thinning properties, and increase the risk of bleeding.

Beta blockers -- including Atenolol (Tenormin), Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL), Propranolol (Inderal, Inderal LA). Willow bark may make these drugs less effective.

Diuretics (water pills) -- Willow bark may make these drugs less effective.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -- including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve). Taking willow bark with these drugs may increase risk of stomach bleeding.

Methotrexate and phenytoin (Dilantin) -- Willow may increase levels of these drugs in the body, resulting in toxic levels  
--Courtesy of University of Maryland Medical Center

 (But we don't take drugs, now, do we?!?)

It's been an hour since I took the White Willow Bark, and I feel a lot better.  The headache gradually subsided, and the inflammation is gone.  I like this herb.

These statements have been approved by Mom at practical-health.  Feel free to comment!

Eating Healthy Costs Less Than You (Might) Think

OK- maybe you already know how to eat healthy for cheap.  But if you don't, here are my personal secrets.  This is how I have fed my nine fine children.  For cheap.

Skirt the edges
Ever notice the layout of a grocery store?  All the staples are on the outer edges.  Everything costly (processed) is in the center.  Even the paper products are in the center of the store.  As I follow the layout of my Kroger, first I hit the fresh stuff- fruit and veggies.  Then it's on to the bread, passing the meat counter as I go.  Dairy and eggs come next, followed by the ice cream.  (Did I say ice cream??? Freudian slip, there.)  Anyway, eating fresh costs less than the processed food.  Really, it does.

We use very little paper products now, and when things were really tight financially, I didn't use any paper products.  We used cloth napkins, and washed them.  I used rags for spills, not paper towels.  (We still do, for the most part.)  Paper plates are a luxury.  We only bought them for camping.  Seriously- it works very well to use cloth.  Try it sometime.

Big Families shop at Sam's Club
I am amazed at how much money we save by buying our food there.  The grocery store would probably cost half again as much as buying at Sam's.  I can hear you protesting right now.  You're telling me, "But we can't eat it before it goes bad!"  Then eat more fresh!!  Did you know that half your plate should be fresh food?  We are living organisms, and we need live food.  Think about it.  Makes sense, doesn't it?

Shop at Randazzo's Fruit Market
Randazzo's buys from the Eastern Market in Detroit, and Mr. Randazzo has made a very nice living off buying less-than-perfect produce.  We can't always tell the difference, and if we buy the proper amount, it doesn't go bad on us.  In season, I can spend about $15-20 for all the fresh produce we need for about 10 days.  Considering how much fresh food we eat, that's a reeeeeally good bargain!

Grow a Garden
I love my garden.  It gives, and gives, and gives.  I rarely work in it, due to my special gardening techniques.  (More on that another time.)  Due to my special techniques, my lettuce self-sows, and I start eating it in May!!  As soon as I can, I sow more seeds, and I have lettuce and spinach until it gets hot!  Then in late August, I will again sow lettuce and spinach seeds.  I get a lot of organic, home-grown lettuce this way.  I'm also trying my hand at indoor gardening- I haven't perfected that yet.  Broccoli yields and yields, too.  Some herbs are perennial and they are so generous!  I have chives, sage, chamomile, oregano, and leeks in that category.  I also plant cukes, zucchini, green beans, peppers and tomatoes.  (Tomatoes self-sow, too, if you do it right.) And for the first time ever, I have planted potatoes.  Can't wait to see how they do!

Food is Medicine
According to Thomas Edison, he thought that the doctors of the future would truly consider food as medicine.  We're still waiting on that, but practically speaking, food really is medicine.  As they say, garbage in, garbage out; if you eat rotten foods, your body will be rotten.  I like to think of it this way:  I can't afford NOT to eat well!  Compare the price of a watermelon to the price of a doctor's visit.  Eating healthy keeps my family healthy.  What price can you put on that?

Practically yours,
PJR

How To Look Old

If you're 13 years old, this might sound really interesting to you; but if you're 35 years old, you probably are more interested in an article entitled, How To Look Young!!  Since we adults don't relish the idea of looking old before our time, the following information might surprise you- a lot.

Eat Soy
Consuming soy in any of these various forms- as lecithin, soy milk, soy protein, soybean oil, some types of TVP (textured vegetable protein), soya, edamame- will add five years to your overall look, according to an article on Dr. Mercola's website.   Soy is a known allergen- that's why it's listed on the label- but you might not be aware of how it can be affecting you.  It can cause major disruptions in the body:  everything from endocrine problems to headaches to infertility.  It seems that most people are unaware of how it affects them.  My husband suffers terrible migraines whenever he eats too much soy.  Uncovering that fact was a major breakthrough.  Now we avoid it like the plague, but it is very hard because nearly everything has soy in one form or another.

Use Chemical Creams, Lotions, Sprays, Make-up, etc. on Your Skin
Read the labels.  If it contains ingredients you can't pronounce or wouldn't eat, it will eventually cause harm.  There are many natural alternatives, and eventually, I'll share some products that I have found to work well.  Skin is permeable, meaning that it isn't truly solid.  Stuff gets through the skin and into your cells, doing a lot of damage.  I remember hearing about a guy who used to do a cool party trick; he'd pour dry cleaning fluid onto his hand, then show people how it would drip through his hand.  EWWWW!!  (I wonder how long it took for him to develop... something terrible!?)  As for make-up, I heard that the average woman wears five pounds of make-up a year.  And every woman knows that much of that make-up soaks into our skin.  Most importantly, make-up is mostly all chemicals, and therefore toxic.

Eat Processed Food
Any food not made from scratch is gonna have chemicals in it.  Fresh, raw food tastes so much better without all those chemicals.  After I had baked my first cake from scratch, my friend Cheryl told me, "Your liver will thank you!"  The liver is where all the toxins go to get filtered from the body.  When the liver gets overloaded, eyes get blue shadows or rings under them, a.k.a., "raccoon eyes".  Additionally, you feel sluggish and tired.  (Milk Thistle herb cleanses the liver very nicely.)  Processed food will add lovely pounds to your bathroom scale, too.

Use Chemicals For Cleaning
Skin is permeable, and those chemicals easily get into your body as you touch them and inhale them.  Vinegar and baking soda work great on most surfaces.  Microfiber cloths work superbly for dusting- no spray required.

I surely could go on, but change usually happens little by little.  People need a reason to change, too.   I've heard it said that "people only change when it costs them too much not to change."  That was me-- my health was failing, and I needed a change big time.  I have put all the above into practice in my own life.  Guess what??  It worked!!

Knee Pain

Foot pain seems to run in my family.  (No pun intended, but it was a good one!)  My husband had foot pain so bad, he had custom othotics (shoe inserts) specially made for him- back in the days of extra money.  Our son had knee pain that stemmed from a flattened arch.  It was physical therapy for him.  I have had chronic foot pain that drove me to a unique foot doc that treated me with magnets.  That wasn't much of a cure.  In fact, my foot problems led to pain in my knee, too.

Being a practical person, I always look for solutions.  Turns out, there are quite a few.  To keep it short and sweet, I'll only share the ones that have proved successful for us.

Shoe orthotics really do work- if you can afford them. They put your feet back to their anatomically correct positions, and voila'!  Pain is gone!  And you can get generic ones at bigger stores that work pretty well.  However, they take up space in your shoe, and with a wide foot, it's uncomfortable.

Taking a hard look at my old shoes, I noticed that the out part of the soles were worn down unevenly.  AHA!!  If I roll my feet slightly inwardly, the pain in my knee disappeared.  I urged my daughter, who wears out her shoes just the opposite of the way I do, to roll her feet to the outsides.  I'm delighted with the results.

My son who had the aid of a physical therapist, tells me that he has learned to draw his big toe toward his arch.  Works for him!

No expensive orthotics, our shoes are wearing evenly, and best of all, no more knee pain.

To Teflon or Not to Teflon?

That is the question for today.  Teflon seems to make our lives so much easier... for a little while.  Have you noticed that eventually that smooth coating just... disappears?  Ever think about where it goes???

Teflon gets into your food, and then it stays in your body.  It's a poisonous toxin, called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or C-8, and it will eventually make you sick or wreck your health.  The trouble is, you don't see it right away.  It can take years for it to affect your health.  Like getting cancer at age 45.  Or a depressed immune system that displays itself in chronic auto-immune diseases.  And that high cholesterol?  Linked to Teflon.  The kicker for me was when I read that caged birds died when they were merely near a Teflon pan at high heat.

Being a practical person, I decided to get rid of all my non-stick cookware, and replaced it with stainless steel.  The pots work very nicely, the sauce pans do great, but the frying pans get messy and hard to clean.  My best solution is to fill the pan with water, then put it back on the stove, heat it up and let it sit.  A metal pancake turner will scrape all the old food off quite nicely.  Using a yellow sponge with the green scrubby on the back cleans it up, and if necessary, I finish with a metal bristle brush.

Then I found a couple of PFOA-free frying pans- 6 in. and 12 in.  "Hurray!!"  I thought, "my problems are solved!"  For the past seven months we have used these alternative non-stick pans.  But now, to my great dismay, the 6 incher is starting to look nasty.  And-- guess what??  It, too, is getting hard to clean.  These pans were, in the words of my teenagers, an epic fail.

So once again, we were guinea pigs, and we have more than likely ingested some OTHER kind of chemical.  yay.  Back to stainless.

Soap - What's in a Name?

Have you looked at the ingredients in a bottle of soap?  No matter if it's hand soap or body wash, the list is HUGE! What is up with that?  Soap is such a simple thing, but manufacturers of soap have led us to believe that we need all these chemicals to get us clean.

Wrong.

All those chemicals are poisoning us- especially our children.  They are still developing and growing, and all those chemicals get right into their skin, going deep into their cells.  What is it doing to them??

Here's a very simple, practical solution.  Make your own.  Yes-- I said make your own soap!!  It's so easy.  If you can boil water and grate cheese, you can make your own soap.  Here's how.

You'll need:

• Bar soap- the fewer ingredients, the better
• Kirk's Castile (Kroger)
• Ivory 
• Glycerin bar- the very best!
• Cheese grater or a food processor and a knife
• Large heat-proof glass container - I use an 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup
• Several pump soap dispensers
• Glycerin- any drugstore (you'll have to ask for it)- only use if your bar of soap doesn't have glycerin

Directions:

1. Grate a bar of soap using a cheese grater - or cut it up and use a food processor (don't worry- it cleans up very nicely- it's soap!)
2. Boil 6 cups of water
3. Stir the soap flakes into the boiling water constantly until melted ( I use a big glass measuring cup)
4. Let it sit out overnight, covered
5. Test it.  If it will pour nicely through a funnel into a pump dispenser, it's good.  If it's too thick to pour, just add some water and stir.  We can't be too scientific because bars of soap come in all different sizes.
6. If you didn't use a glycerin soap, add two or three drops of glycerin to the mixture.  This gives it a better consistency- with the added benefit of making it more moisturizing!!

That's it! Isn't it simple?  We use it for hand washing at the sink and in the shower.  It lasts a long time, too.

Tips:  Use essential oils in your soap.  Two reasons why-- for a nice scent, and for its antibacterial, antiviral, and/or antimicrobial properties.  Use Lemongrass with Lemon, Lavendar, Rose- really expensive, but wonderful-- or anything you like, really!  It's all good.

I want to be me- chemical-free!!

Kidney Stones

What fun; what joy!  Lots of you know just what I mean.  What started out as a pain in my back, intensified  to "let me know" it was there.  What to do?  I needed an answer.  We haven't had insurance in over 20 years, and we must pay out-of-pocket for every doctor visit, so mainstream medicine was out of the question.  Besides, many times the doc doesn't know what's wrong, either, and all he can do is send me out for (costly) tests.  (I think it was $800 for an MRI!-- which found nothing, by the way.  But that's a different story.)

So  I prayed about it.  Sure enough, my mom "just happened" to mention something to her doctor, who "just happened" to mention kidney stones.  What would we do without our moms??

I began treating with essential oils.  Using helichrysum and a blend called Hair Support (of all things!), I applied it to my tailbone thrice daily for about three weeks.  To my surprise and delight, little by little, the pain subsided until it completely disappeared.  Cool.

How did I know which essential oils to use?  Muscle testing.  But that's another blog.

Astaxanthin

I have discovered a wonderful new supplement!  The benefits are many, and oh-so-practical!!  Astaxanthin, (pronounced asta-ZAN-thin) is a nice little gel cap that delivers powerful benefits.  I have been taking it for just over a month now, and so far, I have noticed several changes.


Every day I peered into the mirror to see if I could observe any changes in my skin.  It didn't take long to see those large pores on the T-zone begin to shrink.  Really!!  This means less blackheads from oil on the face.  I was elated!  It also gives the skin some color, so my face has this kind of glow.  (Astaxanthin comes from the algae that both salmon and flamingos eat, giving them their reddish color.)  No more pale-wizard-in-a-blizzard look.  It's protection from sunburn in a little brown pill.  About two weeks into it, I found a patch of skin peeling off from around an old scar from a skin tag removal- like a sunburn peel.  I had read that it would reduce old scars, and look!  it did!!  But the coolest thing of all is the colorless mole-like bump on my cheek that is shrinking every day.  (I've hated that thing since the day it reared its ugly head!)  I can't wait to see if it actually disappears.  In the meantime, shrinking is good.


Then, I noticed that, on the days when I work out, I am able to do so much more than I could do before.  That's another benefit of Astaxanthin- speedy recovery from exertion.  It reduces inflammation, a major contributor to pain. 


In fact, inflammation is a major contributor to all kinds of pain issues.  Reducing inflammation on a cellular level is tantamount to curing many illnesses.


Benefits have been "seen" in my vision, too.  I have noticed that I can see a little more clearly.  How great is that?!?  I can read fine print a little better, and my night vision has improved.  


I started by taking only 1mg a day for two weeks, then upped the dose to 2mg/day.  Then I bought a 4mg pill, and have been taking that now for a week.


My husband, a very hard worker, has decided to give it a try after hearing all these improvements in me.  He just started a week ago, so we haven't seen any benefits just yet.  I'll keep you posted.


**Other benefits of this powerful antioxidant Astaxanthin include: 

• boosts immune system
• helps prevent heart attacks
• helps prevent the initiation of cancer cells
• helps prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
• normalizes blood pressure
• relieves prostate problems
• gives you better resistance to colds
• prevents and relieves diabetes
• prevents gum disease
• enhances reproductive health
• protects all parts of the cells from oxidative damage

Welcome to my blog!  This is my first post, and I must admit, I'm a little apprehensive to "put it out there"... if you know what I mean.  My take on health for the last 20 years has, of necessity, been a do-it-yourself approach. 


When we lost our insurance due to a job change, I knew that I would need to take on our health care for our growing family.  At the time, our four young sons had the usual problems- earaches, colds, flu.  As our family size grew to include nine children, I have since learned a great deal about health-- and I yearn to share!


May you benefit from our trials and successes!  Let me know how it works for you and yours.