Lighthouse Herbs

Class Questions Answered!

2011-11-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

What a great class! I know I threw a lot of information at you- Don't get overwhelmed. Start with something and move on from there.

The questions I received were quite thoughtful and complex. Here is my best attempt at writing out my answers. As always, diet is essential but there are other things you can do to help...

Are there any known herbs/foods that we can use to either protect our families and ourselves from, or alleviate the effects of, the radiation we are receiving from the Fukushima disaster?

David Christopher did a much better job of explaining this than I can so I will direct you to his article. The article is taken from the Herbal Legacy newsletter which is free and comes to your email every week. Definitely NOT junk mail.
Precautionary Measures for Possible Radiation Plume

There is not a lot you can do about radiation poisoning. Most important is not to panic. Radiation is radiation. The real issue is accumulation. We are all exposed to a certain amount of radiation. We need to be sure to minimize our exposure. If we are exposed to higher quantities, then protecting the thyroid is beneficial. The government will often issue Potassium Iodide (KI) tablets to prevent the thyroid from uptaking the radioactive iodide. KI does have side effects. In a true emergency, then dealing with the side effects is probably better than nothing. However, preparing in advance is better if possible- prepare by eating foods high in iodine, especially Kelp and dulse 8-12 capsules per day in an emergency unless you have hyperthyroid conditions, chlorella, and other foods like spirulina. The internet and various sources will say that it is not enough and not effective. The reason (and this is true of any nutrient we examine from an organic source vs an inorganic source) is that the various agencies evaluate the amount that is present NOT the amount your body will actually uptake and utilize. For example, the % of the calcium that is the body can uptake from carrot juice is nearly 100% but is a mere fraction from milk products. Thus when people say that milk is a better source of calcium, they are correct that there is more calcium present but they are not correct in utilization by the body.

Is there anything that can be done to help with Raynaud's Syndrome?
There are a couple of causes of Raynaud's but treatment seems to be mostly the same.
Stay away from caffeine (cola drinks, green tea, black tea, coffee, etc). Minimize animal proteins. Lots of fruit and vegetables (ideally 60-75% of the diet is raw), and berries, and white part of citrus contains Rutin which is a flavanoid for arterial walls. An easy way to get the Rutin is to take a veggie peeler and take the orange part off the orange. Drop in a blender and blend with berries, banana, etc. Vitalherbs and Organa minerals.

Strengthen the arterial walls- the best thing to use to strengthen the walls is flavanoids. Flavanoids are readily available in Gingko. To help it work on the circulatory system, it is best to take it in combination with Ginger, Hawthorne, and Cayenne. Be careful of impact on fingers like piano playing and typing too much until those capillaries have been strengthened.

Sometimes Raynaud's might be related to hormonal balances (it more often effects younger adult women than men). Hormonal Changease (Dr. Christopher's formula of hormone balancing herbs which give your body the building blocks it needs to self correct the hormone balance without forcing your body to take a certain hormone) taken with essential fatty acids like Udo's 3-6-9 oil or wheat germ oil.

What can be done to help with gout?

As always- diet is essential! Gout is a condition where uric acid builds up in the blood and creates crystals in the joints which are very painful. The first place I would look is to diet. Uric acid is primarily created in the body from purines which are very high in animal products especially organ meats. There are some plants which have moderate sources (asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, and mushrooms as well as legumes and some grains) 0f purine as well. According to some studies a moderate intake (primarily plant based diet) of purine does not contribute to gout. Another thing that contributes to gout is sugar. In one study of sugar sweetened drinks and gout, it was found that as the intake of sugar sweetened drinks increased, so did the rates of gout. Those who consumed 2 or more servings of sugar sweetened beverages per day increased their risks by 85% compared to those who drank 1 per month. The study also addressed fruit juices and possibly fruit. Other studies have said that consuming fruit does not increase gout. I would venture to say that in a healthy person with plenty of fresh raw fruits and vegetables who chews thoroughly the fruit would be less of an issue than in someone who consumes heavily processed foods and sodas. Flour and flour products is another contributing factor. I would advise sprouting your grains. I will usually sprout a large bowl overnight and then dehydrate them to make my bread products. If you have Traci's cookbook, there is a fabulous sprouted grain muffin recipe using wet sprouted grains. Also, drinking plenty of distilled water to help flush out the uric acid from the blood. Berries and cherries seem to help many people and are very healthy.

Herbs which help: Celery and celery seed. Several stalks per day or some celery seed tincture. Dr. James Duke, in his book Green Pharmacy mentions his experience with gout and celery: "Learning that celery extracts might help eliminate uric acid, I began taking two to four tablets of celery seed extracts daily instead of allopurinol. As I write, six months have gone by without a single gout crisis. For one week, I ate four celery stalks a day in lieu of the extracts." Liberal use of turmeric is another aid. Stinging Nettle was shown to increase the excretion of uric acid in the ducks- it might be helpful to take stinging nettle tincture or tea. We have great stinging nettle plants that are perfect to harvest in the early spring around here. They taste good and are very healthy.
Burdock and Blessed Thistle are also helpful.

Food from Easter

2011-04-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

I ate some really yummy and pretty healthy food this past week... Nettle Soup, a slight modification of the white pasta recipe (which tastes just like alfredo sauce without any of the mucus forming junk) found on Traci's blog here, and strawberry shortcake!

First Nettle Soup.
Every spring I try to make nettle soup at least once or twice or more if I can find a good plentiful patch of safe nettles. Kassie Vance wrote a fabulous thesis on Stinging Nettle and its benefits. Just an excerpt is posted here. Please read the rest on Herbal Legacy!

"Because of its many nutrients, stinging nettle is traditionally used as a spring tonic. It is a slow-acting nutritive herb that gently cleanses the body of metabolic wastes. It is one of the safest alteratives, especially in the treatment of chronic disorders that require long-term treatment. It has a gentle, stimulating effect on the lymphatic system, enhancing the excretion of wastes through the kidneys.

Nettle’s iron content makes it a wonderful blood builder, and the presence of vitamin C aids in the iron absorption. As a hemetic (an herb rich in iron), this is an excellent herb for anemia and fatigue, especially in women. It “promotes the process of protein transanimation in the liver, effectively utilizing digested proteins, while simultaneously preventing them from being discharged through the body as waste products.”"

I make it by putting several chopped onions and minced cloves of garlic in a soup pot and sautee for a few minutes on medium heat while I chop 5-6 ribs of celery and 1-2 carrots (you don't want too many carrots or your soup will not be a beautiful green). Add those veggies as well as 5-6 medium sized potatoes, and about 6-8 cups of water. Let simmer until veggies are soft. Add in 4-5 cups of washed nettles. Blend. I like to not cook the nettles more than putting them into the hot water and then blending because otherwise they lose some color and the soup is not so pretty. Also, less cooking= more nutrition! This last time, I added a 1/4 bunch of parsley with the nettles. For a more creamy soup, add some cashews or soaked almonds to the blender (preferrably a blendtec or vitamix type). You can always vary the spices, add a little sea salt, or more/different veggies.

Modified alfredo sauce
I used extra virgin olive oil because that is all I have, apple cider vinegar, and added "pasta sprinkle" from penzeys instead of the prescribed spices. I also cut the salt in half. (BTW a few days later I made it again and added a clove of garlic- super yum)

Strawberry Shortcake
I modified the recipe for Cream biscuits from the Joy of Cooking cookbook.
2 cups sprouted grain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup full fat coconut milk (Thai coconut milk has no preservatives and is full fat) (the contents of the can into the blender and blend well before using)
1/4 -1/3 cup rapidura
4 T coconut oil and 2 T Earth Balance (you don't have to use the Earth Balance but I did this time)

Mix the dry together then cut in the oil to small pea size. Mix in the milk. Then place on a cookie sheet and bake until done at 350- be sure not to overbake because otherwise the biscuit will be too tough/crisp

Blend the rest of the coconut milk from the can with 2/3 of a pound of strawberries and 1/4 cup honey and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Adjust sweetener if needed. Slice the rest of the strawberries and mix with sauce. Serve over shortbread.

Another Herbal Kitchen Help Resource

2011-04-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

John Gallagher, who developed the fabulous game Wildcraft just sent out an
"Herbal Ninja" webinar using everyday kitchen herbs. He is good at presenting information in an easy to follow manner. Check out his webinar. Way of the Herbal Ninja: Using 17 Herbs You Already Have in the Kitchen

Class #2 Questions

2011-04-07T15:53:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are the answers to the questions given to me following the class I just taught. If your question is not present, please be sure to post a comment. Also, please take a moment to read the previous 2 class blog posts here and here blog posts since they will also be helpful. Like other issues discussed there will be some overlap.

Besides apple cider vinegar and molasses, are there any other recommendations for arthritis?
YES! Diet is huge. Avoiding all the whites (sugar, dairy, flour) and also salt. Making sure to consume good fats and oils like olive oil, fresh ground flax seeds, walnuts, etc. especially the Omega-3 oils. Ginger and Turmeric are both helpful for arthritis as is topical cayenne (there is a fabulous cayenne ointment made by Dr. Christopher's) but be careful not to rub your eyes after using it! Sunflower seeds and Brazil nuts are both high in SAM which can be helpful- although it won't be enough to equal ibuprofen, every little bit helps. Researcher James Duke, PhD, says that Broccoli and other foods like asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, and purslane (which also has Omega 3s) as well as avocados, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, and watermelon are rich in glutathione. Studies have shown people low in the antioxidant glutathione are more likely to have arthritis than those who have higher amounts...

Where do you buy things like Vitalherbs?
I would buy them from Dr. Christopher's Herbs. The young man who owns that website is reliable and has good prices.

What do you use for eczema?
Please read about the skin questions I referenced in the previous 2 class blog posts. In addition, burdock root seems to be a specific for eczema, especially on the hands. I have started taking some burdock capsules (for me 4-6 per day) to help support my liver. Eczema in all cases is related to a congested liver. Topically chickweed is soothing. Here is some information from Herbal Legacy.

What can be used for acid reflux?
If the acid reflux is structural, then soothing the GI tract would be beneficial. Marshmallow is very soothing. Paying close attention to diet. What foods trigger the reflux? Acid-forming/mucus forming foods like white flour, sugar, dairy, etc are harmful. If it is more along the lines of heartburn reflux, then the problem is more in line with not enough acid and taking apple cider vinegar will help in the long term. Be sure to CHEW your food. Dr. Christopher said we should drink our food and chew our juices. Ginger may be helpful as well. Also, consuming as much live food and low heated food as possible to give the body the natural enzymes needed to digest food would be helpful.

What are herbs that can support normal thyroid function?
Diet is as always key followed by cleansing the body. There is a combination of mullein and lobelia (3 parts mullein and 1 part lobelia) which is specific for glandular issues. Making a tea of this and placing it on the thyroid gland area will help feed the thyroid. Also, eating plenty of greens, and using your carrot tops in green smoothies helps with the pituitary which in turn helps the thyroid. Additionally, Dr. Christopher's makes a couple of thyroid aid formulas. Many people find the Thyroid Maintenance formula beneficial. Avoid fluoride in all forms- do not drink city water, use fluoridated toothpaste, etc. Fluoride is used to kill off the thyroid gland and is the WORST thing for anyone with hypothyroid tendencies!

Lunch- Taco Salad or maybe not...

2011-03-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am recipe challenged. I love to cook, and most people say I am a good cook, but I am completely recipe challenged. What I mean is, I almost NEVER follow a recipe exactly as written. One time, when I was first dairy free, I really wanted to make some ranch dressing for my husband. He grew up on Hidden Valley and couldn't stand oil and vinegar dressings (which I grew up on since my mom has never bought a bottle of dressing ever). I was determined to get him to enjoy salad without smothering it in Hidden Valley (BTW I have succeeded!) So, I went to the recipes I had for salad dressing and began looking for one that might fit the bill. I found one that was a tofu base so I got started. The recipe called for silk tofu. Well, I didn't have any, so I used firm... and from there I don't think I used a single ingredient that was found in that recipe! I either didn't have what was called for or didn't want to use it or found something better. Anyway, when I served it, my husband thought it was passable (he was still stuck on ranch and it didn't taste like Hidden Valley) and he asked me about the recipe. When I was done, he laughed and asked if I had used ANY of the original ingredients, when I confessed that the closest I had come was substituting firm tofu for silk tofu, he told me I only got partial credit for following that part of the recipe...

So what does this have to do with Taco Salad? I took several bits and pieces of several recipes I have tweaked and used and combined them into a yummy lunch.

First, I started with the Cumin Paprika Apple Lettuce Wraps from Raw Melissa's new cookbook Faves. It has all sorts of veggies. I then took what I have learned from Traci Sellers about how to make Almondaise as well as a modification to a sauce recipe found in her cookbook, and made a fabulous chili sauce to add to the salad... yum. Amounts are not scientific in the salad. If you have something else, use it and if you don't like one of my ingredients don't use it. I also didn't use the corn or peas this time but have before and they are yummy.

1 cucumber chopped
1-2 tomatoes chopped
1/2-1 red pepper chopped
1-2 green onions chopped
2 cups garbanzo beans (it is what I had but black beans would have been fabulous)
1 cup corn (frozen works)
1 cup frozen peas
1 avocado chopped
1 head romaine lettuce chopped

Mix the above together. Then scoop into bowls. Crumble a few corn tortilla chips (not the healthiest food in the world but a little won't hurt you) and spoon over chili taco sauce-

1/2 cup almondaise
1/4 cup water (or more or less depending on desired consistency)
1/8-1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt or Real Salt
chili powder to taste (I used Penzey's Regular Chili powder and my son added more to his bowl since he likes things spicy and the Regular is pretty mild)
Mix well.

A few more questions...

2011-03-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

1. What is the BEST herbal medicine bible? If you can only afford one resource or have limited space at home?
I think it depends on what you want. If you want a book that specifies an herb and what it is used for then there are quite a few. My favorite is The School of Natural Healing. It is expensive but comprehensive. It can be overwhelming to a beginner though. For just starting out, Dr. Mom's Healthy Living is excellent for inspiring the reader to plug along, talks about diet, and common issues that come up in the home so it is a good first aid type book. So, I say that would be my first choice. Those are the 2 books I reach for ALL the time. After studying for many years, I do head to the School of Natural Healing book (I also have the book on CD so I can search on my computer) more often, but I consult Dr. Mom for her opinion quite frequently.

2.What would be a good remedy for eyes with a yellow hue versus those with white hue?
Eyes with a yellow hue are often a symptom of a toxic liver. I would get on a mucusless diet (fresh fruits and veggies, sprouted grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes) and avoid the chemicals in "foods" as well as do an extended herbal cleanse which is explained here. I would also eat dandelion to support the liver.

3.What is your daily herbal intake regime? Daily infusion intake, capsules, etc for normal health maintenance.
I am a busy mom of 4 kids. This daily regiment changes based on needs but what doesn't change is diet. When ever I stop to eat sugar or dairy or flour and flour products- I notice I don't feel as well and I get sick easier. For normal maintenance, I believe in keeping it simple- eat your fruits and veggies and they will cleanse and nourish your body! Red raspberry leaf tea is a good idea every day for all women, and if life is stressful or I haven't eaten as well, I am sure to get my Vitalherbs but other than a green smoothie each morning with some Organa minerals, I keep it very simple. When I was pregnant with my last child, I did the apple cider vinegar and molasses each morning with some Vitalherbs and for a while I took the cayenne each day. I also drank raspberry leaf tea each day.

4. What are your top 5 WILD herbs for your medicinal pantry? (nettle, dandelion, etc)
So many grow locally that it is hard to pick... Comfrey, Dandelion, Chickweed, Plantain, and Nettles were the first 5 that came to mind, probably because they all took up residence in my yard! If I could pick a few more, I would add in the blackberries because they can be used much like raspberry for bowel issues etc, elderberry, mullein, yarrow, red clover are a few more I like that are local.

Questions from Class

2011-03-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to teach a class- Herbal First Aid from a Well-Stocked Pantry. I could have delved into so many herbs, but I pared it down to those like Onion, Garlic, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne, etc. After class I was given a stack of questions. It is my hope to answer these the best I can in typing format. There were a couple I could not understand, so if your question is not present, please post a comment with your question and I will try to answer. Hopefully, my answers will be of help. Keep in mind as you read my answers- I do not practice atomistic herbology. I practice holistic herbology. The difference is that in atomistic herbology, an herb is given for a symptom much the same as if a drug is given for a symptom. This is done without regard to WHY the symptom is presenting or WHAT it means or WHAT its cause is. Atomistic herbology is nothing more than green suppression of symptoms and is little better than standard medicine. Holistic herbology strives to find the cause of the issue. This takes into consideration not only the physical health, but also the emotional, and mental health as well. Obviously, a cut that is bleeding is going to have several possible specific answers, but deep rooted things like weight gain and mental illnesses are not quite as cut and dry and 1 herb isn't going to fix the issue. Those deeper issues require lifestyle changes.

So, onto my questions.

You mentioned sea salts vary- What do you recommend?

Most sea salt in the store is no better than table salt- it is still cooked at a high temperature and refined. I personally use a SMALL amount of Real Salt or Celtic Sea salt (again, check your source) because some companies call their salt Celtic Sea Salt and it is not evaporated. Overall, salt in salt form is not good for the body. It is an inorganic mineral. Better would be to use things like celery, kelp, chard, etc that is high in organic salts. I find that if I make a pureed soup base with plenty of celery in it, then no one asks for salt.

You said not to buy horseradish in the store- where would you recommend buying it?
I am sorry this was misunderstood. Buy horseradish ROOT in the store. Don't purchase PREPARED horseradish. The prepared stuff in a jar is processed, has extra ingredients, and is not of medicinal value.

The question came up during my lecture about tonsils in a young girl who keeps getting strep. The doctors are suggesting possibly removing the tonsils. As I mentioned, if a carpenter were to smash his thumb, you would not amputate it. If he smashed his thumb again, you still would not amputate it. Even still, if he smashed is thumb a 3rd or 4th time, you would still not amputate it. The thumb is not the problem. You would work to improve technique to avoid the smashing. This is the same with tonsils. Tonsils are an integral part of the immune system. They are the FIRST immune tissue that invaders encounter and they give the body a heads up that a pathogen is on its way. To remove tonsils will slow down and weaken the immune response. So, what to do!? First, ensure diet is good. Flour and flour products (even your home ground whole wheat), sugar, dairy, and red meat are not beneficial here. Assuming that the person is not consuming these foods, what is this person eating? Plenty of raw fruits and vegetables is essential. Also, the next extremely important thing to look at is how the digestion is working. If the bowels are not moving at least 2-3 times per day with soft (not runny) stool then the person is constipated. You eat 2-3 times per day and what goes in must come out... The body has several channels of elimination and the first is the bowels. If the bowels are not working properly, then the body starts recirculating toxins and people get sick. I have one child and I could always predict when she would get sick when she was about 3 because if I didn't get called to the restroom to wipe her after a bowel movement, the next day she would be sick guaranteed.
If the bowels are working, then next look at the immune system. This person who continues to get strep is having a difficult time immunologically. Strengthening this weakness would be a benefit. Garlic (raw is best), onions, parsley, red raspberry leaf tea, fresh fruits and veggies, etc. Make a green smoothie every day and include whole oranges with just the orange part shaved off- that white part of the orange contains so much nutrition it is a shame to throw it out!

How can one decrease flatulence associated with consuming raw or cooked garlic and onions?
To tell the truth, I have not experienced this problem and was unfamiliar with it. Thus I had to do a little research into what is going on. As I suspected though, it seems the bowel needs to be operating better- both physically as well as bacteriologically (I know that isn't a word). I would suggest chewing thoroughly to break down carbohydrates in the onions and garlic, making sure the bowels are moving appropriately, consuming rejuvelac to introduce more friendly bacteria into the gut (different foods need different bacteria to break them down), increasing stomach acid by eating apple cider vinegar and plenty of greens (in a green smoothie would be best), and eating more onions and garlic. In the interm, I really like Dr. Christopher's Kid-e-Col for relief of gas (and hiccups). The essential ingredient is fennel seeds so some fennel tea should help too.

What can be done for seizures?
It depends on what is causing the seizures. I believe that seizures are the body's way of trying to transport a nutrient it needs fast and thus it seizes the body. I know that some people with a tendency towards seizures have had success with lobelia. It is antispasmodic. It seems to have an effect on the Vagus nerve and in large doses will cause throwing up in most people but in small doses will stop dry heaves, etc. The dosage would depend on the person, but I have heard of some people taking a dropper full (which would make me throw up) but it stops their seizures.

What can be done for hiccups?
Fennel and catnip in equal parts... I like Dr. Christopher's Kid-E-Col

What can be done for eczema on the hands that is NOT caused by detergents, dry air, fragrances, etc?
This is a tricky one which I have dealt with first hand off and on for years. First, double check the issue with detergents. I have found that anything that contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or any of the derivatives like Laureth or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, make it worse. This is a foaming agent found in MOST shampoos, toothpastes, and hand soaps. I now purchase all my soap from Running Wild Spirit and prefer her Complexion Bar and her Moisturizing Bar. I also use Dr. Christopher's shampoo or Aubrey Organics shampoo for the same reason. There are a handful of toothpastes available without these ingredients as well but you always have to check labels because they change but none of those are the standard Colgate, Crest, or AquaFresh brands and only one is a Tom's of Maine. Next- all issues with the skin are related to the liver which is the organ responsible for removing toxins from the blood. If you are adding more toxins through your skin with poor soap and lotion choices, then this compounds the problem, but additionally, a good cleanse like the one Dr. Christopher talks about here will do wonders for the eczema. Also, looking at your diet. There are often triggers. I found for me, if I had flared hands, it would get worse if I ate white sugar and white flour (lowers your immune system and puts you in an inflammatory state). As a temporary relief option, chickweed ointment helps as does plantain and sometimes comfrey helps too. I have used Dr. Christopher's Complete Tissue and Bone formula to relieve the discomfort. Red Raspberry leaf tea seems to help as well because it balances hormones, and in my case, it is actually partially related to hormones (then again, the liver is responsible for breaking down and recycling hormones too...) Dandelion greens and root would be beneficial. Either eating the young greens or making a tea of the greens.

What can be done for Chronic Fatigue?
Chronic Fatigue is complicated, but ultimately, dealing with it requires a lifestyle change. An extended herbal cleanse (which may make symptoms worse initially), followed by an optimum diet including striving for 75% raw, no sugar, no flour or flour products (even fresh ground whole wheat unless it has been sprouted), checking for dietary allergies, and no dairy. Support the adrenal glands with plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, possibly something like Dr. Christopher's Adrenal formula and avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, sugar, and chocolate which tax the adrenals. Seeing a practitioner who specializes in cranial sacral therapy and getting exercise each day are also often helpful.

What can be done for weight loss?
Weight loss is also a bit complicated. If a person is holding onto weight because of a hormone imbalance like PCOS or thyroid problems, that will need to be addressed and remedied (there are herbs that will give the body the building blocks to balance these hormones without doing any specific hormone replacement. After all, how can we be sure exactly how much of a given hormone is appropriate? How about all the others and the helpers? So, hormones included and hormones aside, either way the body needs to be cleansed and nourished. An extended herbal cleanse is a good idea. Often people find that they are not as hungry while on the cleanse- just watch out for sometimes when cleansing the body will release certain toxins already consumed and you might begin to crave a cheese pizza or chocolate cake as a result of detoxing those very things. Find a good substitute or drink some water and some raw fruits and veggies or vitamins like Vitalherbs. When I crave sweets, I go for some fresh made almond milk with a sprinkle of cinnamon. The calcium and protein really seem to help alleviate that sweets drive- and store bought doesn't work. Green smoothies for breakfasts, optimum diet (I know of several people who have lost 10 pounds just by eliminating dairy!), and exercise are also essential. In addition, weight is also emotional. Leslie Householder, in Portal to Genius talks about not setting goals to "lose weight" because the subconscious mind doesn't read the phrase but rather each word... thus, if something is lost it must be found and that thing is the weight. So, a person setting goals to lose weight is actually setting himself up to find heaviness! She suggests changing the thought pattern to achieving health. Additionally, holding weight despite many efforts to remove it often is rooted in a protective need to hold onto the weight. In other words, perhaps the weight gain occurred during a particularly stressful time in life. Holding onto that weight is a subconscious effort of the body to protect itself and feel safe. Recognizing this and letting go of those fears is essential.
There are some herbs that help with weight loss, many of the products available I would not recommend though because they contain additives like caffeine and ephedra (which by the way when as a part of an herb like Brigham Tea is safe but when extracted as an isolate can be very dangerous).
What can be done for pain?
It truly depends on what is causing the pain. Pain is a signal that the body needs something. As soon as the need is addressed, the pain is gone. For example, with teething, the pain is associated with a need for calcium. Giving a teething baby plenty of organic calcium like Kid-e-Calc, or drinking red raspberry leaf tea and nursing the baby seems to get rid of the teething complaints. Headaches can be brought on by lack of magnesium or dehydration. Eating high magnesium foods and drinking plenty of herbal tea like raspberry leaf or my natural gatorade alternative helps with the nutritional aspect of headaches. Cayenne can sometimes help if it is a blood pressure imbalance. Cranial sacral work can also help if it is a muscle memory issue or an emotional issue (and most pain is tied to some sort of emotional issue). Sometimes herbs like feverfew or lavender in the case of a cramping pain can help, but it really depends on the reason for the pain.

What can be done for Bipolar Depression?
I would suggest seeing a cranial sacral therapist. Furthermore, diet is essential. A body can't function properly without good food. LOTS of greens. Cleansing the body would also be helpful, but only after the diet has been addressed but some lower bowel formula would be good to help get things moving properly. Also, looking into supporting the adrenals by avoiding coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, sugar, chocolate, etc. Support the liver with dandelion and other bitter foods.

What can be done for Insulin Resistance?
The interesting thing about insulin resistance is people often think that it is a result of carbs... In my research, I have found another opinion which makes more sense to me. Dr. Fuhrman talks about this quite a bit. The gist of it is that it isn't the carbs but the fat we consume... Here is how it works: Our bodies work on glucose. Glucose is the fuel for our bodies. Thus, ANYTHING we eat will be converted to glucose to provide energy to the cells. This glucose is carried by the insulin to the cells where it fits into a receptor site. The problem lies in the receptor site being blocked. This occurs when too much dietary fat begins to circulate in the blood and the body begins to deposit it onto the cells. This fat insulates the receptor sites and now the insulin can't deliver the glucose. This can be remedied with diet. Dr. Furhman has had excellent success by changing a person's diet to decrease fats (remove dairy and animal products from the diet, limit oils but do use healthy fats like avocado and some nuts and seeds) and significantly increase the vegetables and fruits and beans in the diet. I would add that adding in low heated sprouted grains would also be beneficial. Instructions on how to do this can be found here just skip the step of adding soy milk etc. I find that the grain is better if I first soak them for 12 hrs and let sprout 12 hrs before low heating them. This can also be done with a pot on the stove if you bring the water to a boil, add the grain cover and turn off.

101 ways to enjoy raspberry leaf tea...

2011-02-14T21:01:00.001-08:00

Ok, so maybe I don't have 101 ways to enjoy raspberry leaf tea, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. Many people who have never tried raspberry leaf are expecting to taste raspberries... sorry you will be disappointed. Raspberry leaf tastes a bit sweet, a bit bitter, and a bit bland. For those who in a previous time in their life drank black tea, if you make it strong enough, and ice it, it can make a nice substitute for ice tea.

Why drink raspberry leaf? There are a few reasons and while some are female specific, raspberry leaf is not just for females... I will list a few but for a more in depth look at raspberry, check out my thesis:
-balances female hormones and thus eases the monthly cycle (women and teens can benefit from drinking a cup a day)
-prepare the body for pregnancy and child birth (many midwives have recommended it for those who have a tendency to miscarriage, many midwives recommend it to help prevent or ease afterbirth pains, tones the uterus, etc.
-lots of vitamins and minerals (there is a table of this in my thesis)
-specific for colds and flues (thins mucus in the lungs)
-cleanses mucus membranes
-assists in milk supply in moms (this is more of an observation than a typical notation in the literature regarding raspberry leaf)

Before I get into the different ways to enjoy it, let me review how to make raspberry leaf tea.
1 tsp of leaves per cup. I typically use a quart mason jar and put something like the mesh tea infuser (I have that one) or the celestial strainer from Mountain Rose Herbs in the jar. I put about a tablespoon and a little more in the basket and then let it sit at the top of the jar. I pour boiling water over the top and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. I usually put a small plate on top. I don't use the tea balls from large box stores or the grocery store because they don't typically allow enough water circulation to utilize the leaves that are in the middle so you are wasting a lot of herbs and ending up with weak infusions. If you can't find anything locally, then just brew in the jar and strain out with a fine mesh strainer. You can drink the RRL cold or hot. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I would take a muslin tea bag put the herbs in(it held about 1/3 cup), fill a sun tea jar with water and make sun raspberry leaf tea. Sometimes I would boil 2 quarts of water in a stainless steel pot with a lid, turn off the heat and stir in raspberry leaf, put the lid on and go to bed. In the morning, I would strain through a mesh strainer put the infusion in the refrigerator. Previously made raspberry leaf will store in the refrigerator for a couple of days. If you have need of it on a daily basis and aren't good at remembering to steep some, then make a batch and have it ready to go. If you wish to reheat it, do so until it is just drinking temperature. NEVER boil your infusions.

Since raspberry leaf is my most used herb, and I get bored easily, I have come up with several ways to enjoy raspberry leaf tea.
1. Just the way it is hot with a little honey
2. Hot with a little honey and sqeeze of lemon
3. Mix in peppermint (let the raspberry leaf steep for 15 minutes and then add the mint for an additional 5 minutes but be sure to put a lid on your container because you don't want the mint essential oils escaping with the steam)
4. Find a favorite fun tea blend like Celestial Seasonings English Toffee or Lemon Zinger or Yogi tea Calming or Cocoa Spice or whatever and steep like the peppermint at the end of your raspberry leaf steeping time. Those teas tend to get bitter if steeped too long.
5. Stir in 1 T of blackstrap molasses per cup. This will give you a little sweet as well as a nice boost in iron, calcium, etc. beyond what raspberry leaf already provides. I found this method wonderful when I was a little tired mid-afternoon and needed an energy pick-me-up. You could also add some almond milk here too.
6. Cold with honey
7. Cold with a little 100% juice added (I liked 1/4 cherry juice with 3/4 raspberry infusion and a twist of lemon juice)
8. Use as the base liquid for a green smoothie you will be getting all those great greens along with your raspberry leaf! Be prepared that you will taste the tannic taste of the raspberry leaf but not too strongly. My kids love raspberry leaf with spinach, apples, bananas, peaches, and organic lemon with peel and maybe a touch of honey if it needs to be sweetened.

New Recipe! Healthy Creamy Yummy soup

2011-02-10T21:40:00.001-08:00

I make a lot of soups in the winter. They are easy, they taste yummy, and they are good for you!

The other day, we had several family members who were down with a minor cold. So minor that they had some sniffles but were mostly doing well. I made a big pot of Onion Soup like I often do when people are not 100% in my home. Because I have small children who don't think onion soup is the best food in the world- even though it is rather mild and definitely sweet, it is onion soup! I diverged a little at the step where you add water. Instead, I set the onions aside and gently sauteed some more onions, added in some cubed potatoes and carrots and water and simmered until the potatoes were tender. I then put the onion soup onions into my vitamix with some of the hot water and blended them up with a handful of cashews (soaked almonds would also work). I added in some Balti curry seasoning from Penzeys. I poured the blended onion soup with curry seasoning back into the pot and added some cut broccoli. I brought to a simmer until the broccoli was done and served. My family devoured it. I was quite happy because my family got really good nutrition including the super healing onion soup and the kids were happy because they didn't have to eat onion soup for dinner! ;)

Something Pinched Me!

2010-09-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

We were at the beach a few weeks ago and my 4 year old had walked toward the water. She came running back whining that, "Something pinched me!" I looked at her foot and saw nothing. I figured it was a grain of sand in her shoe or something. She stood by me for a few minutes and after a few minutes, she got very agitated insisting that something had pinched her. I took off her shoe again and found a large stinger with the bum of a bee still attached! Poor thing. When she saw the stinger she began to wail. Her foot had begun to swell and the site was reddening. I got the stinger out and immediately called for my other two children to search for plantain. They brought me a pile which we crushed and placed on my daughter's foot. I changed it literally every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes- basically as soon as the leaves were hot I changed them. After about 5 minutes, I kept a wad of leaves on for a few more minutes. Within 20 minutes, she had scrambled off my lap, foot restored to perfect health with no indication of a sting, no swelling, and no pain. The day at the beach was saved by plantain!

Spider Bites- OUCH!!!

2010-09-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I received a few spider bites. OUCH. I am convinced that one of them was a black widow bite because of the sickness and toxicity I experienced as well as the localized pain and intense itching... thank goodness for herbs though! Now on to my experience.

I was at the park for a picnic and after sitting on a bench for a while, I noticed a very itchy welt on my calf near the back of my knee. I figured it was a mosquito bite because it resembled a fresh mosquito bite with its raised whitish welt appearance. I quickly grabbed some plantain leaves and crushed them up to place on my bite. It gave a little relief but not the relief I am used to with a mosquito bite. I got more plantain and crushed it up and placed it on the bite. A little more relief followed... it was time to go home and I had to put kids to bed so I wasn't able to deal with it much. I can't remember if I put some old plantain ointment on it or not but the next day it was worse. All day I kept plantain ointment and fresh plantain packed on it but it still got worse. Over the course of the day, my calf swelled up, my leg got a bit stiff, and it hurt to walk! Boy did it itch too. By night, my calf was totally red, swollen, and hot. It still hurt and it itched. I kept at my plantain and added a little BFC to it. That seemed to ease some of the itching. I had to keep off my leg and use some ice to bring down the inflammation. I ended up resting all day because it was so miserable of a bite. On the fourth day, I remembered the Immucalm or Kid-e-Soothe formula. I took a couple droppers of Kid-e-Soothe (that is what I had on hand and it is the same as Immucalm with marshmallow and astragalus). Almost immediately the swelling started to go down. Now it looked like I had a weird old bruise surrounding a bite site. I kept at the Kid-e-soothe as well as more Complete Tissue because I figured there was some tissue damage given the looks of the bite site. By the fifth day, that weird bruise look had shrunk and I just had an occasionally itchy red dot. Over the next few days I used the Complete Tissue and Kid-e-soothe as needed. Success!

Fast forward a few weeks. I was sitting in a chair at this old amusement park and all of a sudden my ankle was itching HORRIBLY! I looked down and there was a bite (looked like the same swollen bite I had had a few weeks before). We rushed home to get some plantain for me. This time it was unbearably itchy immediately. Worse than a mosquito. I downed some Immucalm and kept at it the whole time. This time my ankle did swell up but not as much. As long as I kept the immucalm and some plantain ointment that had some comfrey in it on the bite, I was mostly itch free. Thank goodness for that Immucalm!

Traci's Bread

2010-05-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

The video of making bread and the recipe was posted.

Sprouted Grain Bread

2010-04-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with sprouted grain bread lately. I finally got up the courage to tackle it thanks to some recipe help from Traci Sellars. Her blog is listed on the right side of my blog. Prior to using her bread recipe, I hadn't had the guts to try with my dehydrated grains. I know that dehydrated sprouted grains work great for baked goodies, but bread can be so finicky. I first tried making some pizza bread by substituting the flour with my ground dehydrated sprouted wheat. Then I made Traci's bread. WOW it is fabulous. It calls for both moist and dry sprouted grains. She said she will be posting a video bread lesson including the recipe soon which will cost $1.50. It will be well worth it! Anyway, the bread was fluffy, toothsome, and so tasty. Needless to say it did NOT last long in my home. It also took less time than traditional bread since it only needed to rise about 30 minutes in the pan and then bake. No multiple risings and punching down.

Yummy kale sauce...

2010-01-16T22:05:00.001-08:00

For dinner the other night I used a recipe for a kale "pesto" sauce on Veg Web. Super yummy! I used brown rice pasta (not the best in terms of mucusless diet but FAR better than wheat pasta). You could put this over a baked potato (with skin) or over some quinoa, etc. Yum. I think for my family we will double the recipe next time.

Welcome 2010

2010-01-06T14:46:00.001-08:00

Everyone gets excited about the new year... New Year's resolutions (that rarely stick) and starting fresh. I always thought it was lame to start a resolution just because it was the beginning of the year and then quit by January 15th! As a result, I have never really been one for resolutions. That said, this year, I am working on more exercise- I am a brown belt in Karate and that is good, but I want to get out and workout more than twice a week. I know that karate was helpful in me staying healthy through my pregnancy (yes, I trained until I was 6 months pregnant and even earned my 2nd level brown belt 5 1/2 months pregnant!). 3 months after my baby was born I was back in the Dojo.

The other thing I am working on this year is to use more wildcrafted herbs. I want to get in the habit of being out in nature more and wildcrafting.

The last thing I am working on, as it relates to herbs and natural healing, is I have enrolled in the School of Natural Healing Iridology course!!! I am so excited. I started yesterday.

What are you going to do in 2010 to help yourself and those you love be more healthy?

BTW, I got an email from the School of Natural Healing. They have now raised the tuition on the Family Herbalist class. It is $295. However, they also said, if someone enrolls in the course through an affiliate link (like the one on my site to the right), tuition will be discounted to $195. The Family Herbalist course will give you the basics of natural healing. It will help you in assessing what to do to help yourself and your family. I highly recommend it!

Will be back soon

2009-10-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

For those waiting for answers to the questions from the lecture, sorry I haven't gotten to them... I severely sprained my ankle (thank goodness for Complete Tissue Formula because I am bearing weight on it and able to walk again after only 3 days, little bruising, etc although it isn't completely healed yet), and then 2 days later gave birth to my 4th child. Labor was very fast and she was born 45 minutes before the midwife arrived. I have not had a spare moment to give to answering questions- she is yet to be named! Check back in a week or two and I hope to have the questions posted and answered.

Super Yummy Avocado Tomato dressing/dip

2009-09-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

Last night for dinner I wanted a creamy dressing for the salad that didn't use overt fats and I have a family that loves avocado on their salad... so I put the two together and came up with the following dressing. It was fabulous both on the salad and on our very colorful veggie potatoes (red potatoes mashed with shredded veggies mixed in).
1 Tomato
1 avocado
2 celery ribs
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Penzey's Pasta sprinkle (more if desired)

Blend the above in the vitamix and enjoy.

Remedies in your Kitchen

2009-09-22T15:47:00.001-07:00

Today I did a class locally on herbal remedies in your kitchen... I hope those who attended got something out of it! In the next couple of days, I will post some of the questions that I got that I didn't get a chance to answer.

For today, I will leave with 1 question.

The question was what to do about bruising.

Personally I have always bruised easily. I remember as a child I constantly had bruised legs. Even as an adult, I have continued to bruise quite easily. It has not, for me, been an issue of not enough iron etc. I found that Red raspberry leaf tea EVERY day helped to clear the bruising. I have had the least bruising during my 2 pregnancies where I drank red raspberry leaf religiously every day.

Continually Amazed at the inspiration from the Lord

2009-08-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

I tend to get random thoughts about herbal combinations. They usually are given to me with a purpose in mind. I have learned to write those inspirations down as soon as I receive them because invariably I will forget them. I usually write down the purpose too... but one time I did not. Anyway, I had a list of herbs on my fridge for quite a while and one day when I was making herbal glycerin extracts I made that formula up even though I couldn't figure out what it was for. I knew it had something to do with colds etc since it had elder and astragalus and red raspberry leaf. But, I have lots of cold formulas and I wasn't sure why that one. I have since used it on many occasions with a sick child, but not always. I still have yet to pinpoint the exact use of the formula. Anyway, today a friend was coming over to get a bottle of Dr. Christopher's Infection formula because she has a UTI. As I was setting the formula on the porch, I felt inspired to set out a dropper bottle full of the mystery formula. I told her what I wrote above and left it at that. She came and got the bottles and immediately took some of the glycerite. She said it took away the painful urination immediately, calmed her tummy (she is pregnant and has all day sickness), and made her feel much better. Wow! I am so grateful for the gentle promptings of the Spirit and the Lord's herbs to heal.

Fast forward to this afternoon, out of curiousity I began doing some digging into the formulation and noticed that all the herbs in that formula, while not the cranberry and parsley and juniper that most think of for the kidney bladder area, are beneficial for UTI's. Hurray a new use for my mystery formula :) Guess it isn't such a mystery anymore.

I interupt this blog to rant about nationalizing healthcare

2009-08-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

First of all, I rarely seek out any sort of mainstream medicine. I do occasionally seek out "alternative" healthcare providers, but for the most part, my use for mainstream medicine is emergency only. Doctors excel at emergency medicine!

So, why am I ranting about the healthcare bill? It stinks. It will make healthcare worse, harm people, cost tons of money, and lessen what little freedom (if you can call it that currently) that we have to choose our own providers and do what is best for us.
Alan Korwin usually writes about second ammendment rights. He wrote the following:

PAGE NINE -- No. 69 -- SPECIAL

• Health care alert •

by Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America

My regular report is postponed due to this emergency

by Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America
July 30, 2009

Dangerous health care insanity spreads --

If the news media would report on the CONTENTS of the proposed federal health care takeover (see details below) it would die in a day. People would rise up, as they did over the recent illegal-alien amnesty attempt, and demand defeat.

Instead, the media reports meaningless drivel, politicing, promises, compromises, party squabbles and leaves out the substance of this incredibly bad hostile takeover of your doctor's office, complete with end-your-life paperwork issued by bureaucrats, denial of service, strict rationing, cash penalties for selecting your own doctors or treatment.

Gun-Rights Linkage: With this much total control over your medical and financial records, there's a very short step between automated analysis of your "fitness" to keep and bear arms, and the various prohibited-possessor lists the government is keeping and recommending. That's just my idle observation, the bill does not explicitly address it in any way.

The lamestream media told you:

July 30, 2009; AP -- House democrats reached a deal Wednesday on a health care reform bill that would reduce federal subsidies, help lower-income families, exempt businesses, cover the elderly, provide additional revenue, require insurance, provide subsidies to the poor, help choose your health insurance, recommend health benefits, cap out-of-pocket expenses, set standards... deadlines, blue-dogs, budget experts, negotiations, the top of Obama's agenda, deadlines, timetable slippage, leadership, deadlines... and cost less than one trillion dollars without increasing the federal deficit. http://tinyurl.com/ko64s3

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

First off, it's impossible to spend a trillion dollars, when your treasury is already demolished by debt, without making your deficit worse, even a moron can see that (proof that morons don't work for the AP).

I make a living studying and describing laws. I've spot checked this man Fleckstein's work below, he is a little blustery, but he is accurate. The media has avoided just about all of this, preferring instead to spread he-said-she-said silliness and posturing, keeping you and the nation in the dark. CNN, FOX, the networks -- none of them are covering the real content of the bill!

If politicians somehow get away with passing this atrocity, the federal government will create an impenetrable barrier to medical service, countless bureaucrats will take over life-and-death power of every aspect of medical care, and they will wreak havoc on nearly 20% of our already frail economy. As you age, your value will be calculated and your access to health care will drop.

Remember -- there is no delegated constitutional authority for any of this: powers delegated to the federal government do not include running an insurance company, regulating what medical care you can get, where you can go for medical treatment, how much you can pay, what sort of treatments you can select, or punishing you or your employer for deciding on your own health care.

We are supposed to have a government of limited delegated powers; if government can do whatever it pleases, without constraint, as they are about to do with your medicine, that's as tyrannical as it gets -- we no longer have a limited government as we should, the basis of our freedom. Pick up your phone, finally, call your representatives, and demand they stop this insane and unlawful intrusion into your doctor's office. At least call your doctor. Do it. Ask for their advice.

Here is the entire 1,107-page health care bill, HR 3200, being pushed by Mr. Obama (no one is saying who actually wrote all of this):
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.pdf

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2009/07/whats-in-healthacre-bill.html
There is a man by the name of Peter Fleckstein (aka Fleckman) who is reading it and has been posting his findings on Twitter. This is from his postings. I have spot checked these, he is spot on:

++++++++

Pg 16: SEC. 102. PROTECTING THE CHOICE TO KEEP CURRENT COVERAGE. lines 3-26 of the HC Bill – OUTLAWS PRIVATE INSURANCE by forbidding enrollment after HR 3200 is passed into law.

Pg 21-22: SEC. 113. INSURANCE RATING RULES of the HC Bill MANDATES the Government will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!!

Pg 29: SEC. 122. ESSENTIAL BENEFITS PACKAGE DEFINED: lines 4-16 in the HC bill – YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!!

Pg 30: SEC. 123. HEALTH BENEFITS ADVISORY COMMITTEE of HC bill – THERE WILL BE A GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

Pg 42: SEC. 142. DUTIES AND AUTHORITY OF COMMISSIONER of HC Bill – The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC Benefits for you. You have no choice!

PG 50-51: SEC. 152. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTH CARE in HC bill – HC will be provided to ALL non US citizens, ILLEGAL or otherwise.

Pg 58: SEC. 163. ADMINISTRATIVE SIMPLIFICATION HC Bill – Government will have real-time access to individual’s finances and a National ID Healthcard will be issued!

Pg 59: SEC. 163. ADMINISTRATIVE SIMPLIFICATION HC Bill lines 21-24 Government will have DIRECT access to your BANK ACCOUNTS for electronic funds transfer. This means the government can go in and take your money right out of your bank account.

PG 65: SEC. 164. REINSURANCE PROGRAM FOR RETIREES is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions and community orgs (ACORN).

Pg 72: SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE; OUTLINE OF DUTIES; DEFINITIONS Lines 8-14 Government is creating an HC Exchange to bring private HC plans under Government control.

PG 84: SEC. 203. BENEFITS PACKAGE LEVELS HC Bill – Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private HC plans in the Exchange

PG 85: SEC. 203. BENEFITS PACKAGE LEVELS Line 7 HC Bill – SPECIFICATION OF BENEFIT LEVELS FOR PLANS = The Government will ration your Healthcare!

PG 91: SEC. 204. CONTRACTS FOR THE OFFERING OF EXCHANGE-PARTICIPATING HEALTH BENEFITS PLANS Lines 4-7 HC Bill – Government mandates linguistic appropriate services. Example – Translation for illegal aliens!

Pg 95: SEC. 205. OUTREACH AND ENROLLMENT OF EXCHANGE-ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS AND EMPLOYERS IN EXCHANGE-PARTICIPATING HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Government will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Government HC plan.

PG 102: SEC. 205. OUTREACH AND ENROLLMENT OF EXCHANGE-ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS AND EMPLOYERS IN EXCHANGE-PARTICIPATING HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN Lines 12-18 HC Bill – Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice!

pg 124: SEC. 223. PAYMENT RATES FOR ITEMS AND SERVICES lines 24-25 HC No company can sue the GOVERNMENT on price fixing! No “judicial review” against Government Monopoly!!

pg 127: SEC. 225. PROVIDER PARTICIPATION Lines 1-16 HC Bill – Doctors/ AMA – The Government will tell YOU what you can make.

Pg 145: SEC. 312. EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS EMPLOYEE AND DEPENDENT COVERAGE Line 15-17 An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE!!

Pg 146: SEC. 312. EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS EMPLOYEE AND DEPENDENT COVERAGE Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay 4 HC 4 part time employees AND their families.

Pg 149: SEC. 313. EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS IN LIEU OF COVERAGE Lines 16-24 ANY Employer with payroll of $400k and above who does not provide public option pays 8% tax on all payroll.

pg 150: SEC. 313. EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS IN LIEU OF COVERAGE Lines 9-13 Business’s with payroll between $251k – $400k who doesn’t provide public option pays 2-6% tax on all payroll.

Pg 167: SEC. 401. TAX ON INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable HC according to Government will be taxed 2.5% of income.

Pg 170: SEC. 401. TAX ON INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NONRESIDENT Alien is EXEMPT from individual taxes. (Americans will pay)

Pg 195: HC Bill – SEC. 421. CREDIT FOR SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYEE HEALTH COVERAGE EXPENSES Officers and employees of HC Administration (GOVERNMENT) will have access to ALL Americans financial and personal records!

[Note: Although the bill lists a few broad items, it includes anything else the people running the program decide they want. --Alan.]

PG 203: SEC. 441. SURCHARGE ON HIGH INCOME INDIVIDUALS Line 14-15 HC – “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax” Yes, it says that!

Pg 239: SEC. 1121. SUSTAINABLE GROWTH RATE REFORM Line 14-24 HC Bill Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected.

Pg 241: SEC. 1121. SUSTAINABLE GROWTH RATE REFORM Line 6-8 HC Bill – Doctors, doesn’t matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same.

[NOTE: If anything should get your doctor's attention, provisions like this ought to turn on the lights. --Alan.]

PG 253: SEC. 1122. MISVALUED CODES UNDER THE PHYSICIAN FEE

SCHEDULE Line 10-18 Government sets value of Doctor’s time, professional judgment, etc. Literally value of humans.

PG 265: SEC. 1131. INCORPORATING PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS INTO MARKET BASKET UPDATES THAT DO NOT ALREADY INCORPORATE SUCH IMPROVEMENTS. Government mandates and controls productivity for private HC industries.

PG 268: SEC. 1141. RENTAL AND PURCHASE OF POWER-DRIVEN WHEELCHAIRS. Federal Government regulates rental and purchase of power driven wheelchairs

PG 272: SEC. 1145. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS – Cancer patients – welcome to rationing!

Page 280: SEC. 1151. REDUCING POTENTIALLY PREVENTABLE HOSPITAL READMISSIONS The Government will penalize hospitals for what Government deems preventable readmissions.

Pg 298: SEC. 1151. REDUCING POTENTIALLY PREVENTABLE HOSPITAL READMISSIONS Lines 9-11 Doctors! Treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission? Government will penalize you.

Pg 317: SEC. 1156. LIMITATION ON MEDICARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN PHYSICIAN REFERRALS MADE TO HOSPITALS Lines 13-20 OMG!! PROHIBITION on ownership and investment! Government tells Doctors what and how much they can own!

Pg 317-318: SEC. 1156. LIMITATION ON MEDICARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN PHYSICIAN REFERRALS MADE TO HOSPITALS lines 21-25, 1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion – Government is mandating hospitals cannot expand!

pg 321: SEC. 1156. LIMITATION ON MEDICARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN PHYSICIAN REFERRALS MADE TO HOSPITALS Lines 2-13 Hospitals have option to apply for exception BUT community input required. Can you say ACORN?!!

Pg 335: SEC. 1162. QUALITY BONUS PAYMENTS Lines 16-25 Pg 336-339 – Government mandates establishment of outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing

Pg 341: SEC. 1162. QUALITY BONUS PAYMENTS Lines 3-9 Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into Government plan.

Pg 354: SEC. 1177. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SPECIAL NEEDS PLANS TO RESTRICT ENROLLMENT – Government will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people! OMG! My sister has Downs Syndrome!!!

Pg 379: SEC. 1191. TELEHEALTH EXPANSION AND ENHANCEMENTS Government creates more bureaucracy – Telehealth Advisory Committee Can you say HC by phone?

PG 425: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 4-12 Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consult. Think Senior Citizens end of life

Pg 425: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 17-19 Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney. Mandatory!

PG 425: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death!

PG 427: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 15-24 Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government has a say in how your life ends!

Pg 429: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 1-9 An “advance care planning consultant” will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates.

PG 429: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 10-12 “advance care consultation” may include an ORDER 4 end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOV

Pg 429: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 13-25 – The Government will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.

[NOTE: Read carefully, it doesn't have to be a doctor, it can be an undefined "physician assistant" appointed by an unelected federal bureaucrat. --Alan.]

PG 430: SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION Lines 11-15 The Government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life.

Pg 469: SEC. 1302. MEDICAL HOME PILOT PROGRAM Community Based Home Medical Services=Non profit organizations. Hello, ACORN Medical Services here!!?

Page 472: SEC. 1302. MEDICAL HOME PILOT PROGRAM Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment 2 a community-based org. Like ACORN?

PG 489: SEC. 1308. COVERAGE OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST SERVICES AND MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR SERVICES The Government will cover Marriage and Family therapy. Which means they will insert Government into your marriage

Pg 494-498: SEC. 1308. COVERAGE OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST SERVICES AND MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR SERVICES Government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services.

Fleckstien's analysis is ongoing, and the democrats are making insignificant changes to gain political support, without effecting the wholesale takeover of the medical industry. Doctors are abandoning the AMA (which is supporting the bill because it puts more power in the hands of the central controllers).

If you don't want to call your representatives in Congress (can't say I blame you, unfortunately) -- call your doctors! Ask them if they've read the bill, and when they say no, tell them you have read a review and it is beyond awful. Tell them you don't want the federal government to take over their office. They may not even be aware of what's going on. Send them this email message -- they'll give you an email address if you press them for it. Save your doctors despite themselves.

I'll have a regular Page Nine report out soon; thanks for bearing with me in this emergency.

Alan Korwin
Bloomfield Press
"We publish the gun laws."
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440
Scottsdale , AZ 85254
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If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you're reading this in English, thank a veteran.

The end of life counseling is ridiculous, but the lack of freedom and the access to personal records and financial records is even more disturbing. This is NOT going to improve healthcare in this country... As much as there are many things in the current system I can't stand, this is worse. Please speak up!

I am so excited...

2009-07-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am headed to Utah for the Centennial Celebration of Dr. Christopher's birth. I get to hear other Master Herbalists speak, have a great dinner, and spend some time with my sister! Hurray!

Update on the pregnancy...

2009-06-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

I posted a few weeks back about how diet mattered- even the small stuff like sprouted grains vs. whole grains that are not sprouted. I am now 27 weeks pregnant. I am STILL WALKING. I am not waddling. In fact I just passed my karate exam for my 2nd level brown belt. That was hard work! Yes, I have slowed down and I am getting more tired more easily and I am a lot slower, but I can still walk, carry my 30 pound almost 3 yr old up the stairs, and function. I just have a belly that is getting a bit in my way these days. Diet does matter.

I am so grateful for the knowledge I gained at the School of Natural Healing. My midwives and chiropractors and anyone else I talked to had no idea how to help me, but the knowledge I learned there taught me so much. I am headed to the Centennial Celebration in August. Who wants to join me!? Also, I don't know how much longer the School of Natural Healing will be offering their Family Herbalist course for $100 but now is the time to sign up because it won't be much longer.

Vegan Ice Cream

2009-06-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

Most vegan ice creams contain soy or other ingredients that might not be so great... anyway, I have used the book Vice Cream before for making vegan ice cream at home. However, most of the recipes call for cashews and cashews can be expensive. I calculated the cost of the soy ice cream at the store vs. my homemade and it was more expensive to make homemade because of the cashews...

Then I found this blog. I don't use soy milk or soy creamer, but I did modify her cherry ice cream recipe and it was quite delicious...

I started by making my own almond milk. The first time I made ice cream, I used my regular almond milk recipe which is 1 LARGE handful almonds to 4-5 cups of water in the blender and strain. The ice cream was good. The second time I made it, I used half the water to have a higher fat to water content. Much better. I did use rapidura instead of sugar. Ordinarily I use honey in my ice creams, but this time, since I wasn't starting with a nut base, I was worried about too much liquid. I will fiddle and see what I come up with using honey. For now, this is what I did- not entirely healthy due to the sugar- but FAR FAR FAR better than store bought or dairy ice cream and quite tasty too!

2 c. pitted cherries
½ c. sugar (my cherries were super sweet organic cherries that I froze last year but fresh would work too)
2 c. almond milk
2 T. arrowroot powder
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c cacoa nibs
1/2- 3/4 c pitted cherries chopped and frozen

Reserve 1/4 c almond milk and add arrowroot to it to make a slurry. Pour remaining milk and sugar into a sauce pan with cherries. Heat until sugar begins to melt. Blend and return to pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the arrowroot slurry. Stir until thickened a little. Then add the vanilla. Let cool completely (ideally cool until at least refrigerator temperature so it spends less time in the ice cream maker). Pour in ice cream maker according to the ice cream maker directions. Stir in cacoa nibs and cherry chunks. Enjoy!

Yummy Zucchini Carrot Bread

2009-06-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

I modified a vegan Zucchini bread recipe which I found on another blog here.

Zucchini Bread

6 tbsp ground flax seeds whisked into ½ c + 1 tbsp warm water
½ c oil
3/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups rapadura
1 tsp vanilla
2½ packed cups mixed grated zucchini and carrots and yellow squash in whatever combo you have
3 c sprouted whole wheat flour (see early blog entry about how to make this)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 T pumpkin pie spice from Penzey's

Grease 2 loaf pans and preheat the oven to 350. Mix together wet ingredients, including the zucchini and carrot mixture in one bowl. Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until moistened. (I ended up using my hands to mix this because my bowl was kind of small and it was not mixing well)

Divide into 2 loaf pans. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I found that I needed to put a tinfoil tent over one of the loaves for the last few minutes to prevent burning.

This was a little too sweet when warm. Next time I will use less sweetener.

Diet Matters!

2009-05-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

I can be a little dense sometimes... I might learn something and even believe it but not necessarily apply it. I am 22 weeks pregnant with #4 as I write this. My last pregnancy was horrible. By the time I was 20 weeks, I could barely push a grocery cart EMPTY. I could not pick up a 22 pound 2 year old from a sitting position without pain. I could barely walk. It hurt to get from the car to the front door of a store let alone wander around! I couldn't carry clothes up the stairs or stand for more than a few minutes. I have too much relaxin and boy had it kicked in... I learned a few things since my last pregnancy though. The biggest one being that flour and flour products are NOT for the body! Sprouted grains- YES! flour- NO!

So, like I said, I am 22 weeks pregnant. I am still in karate (no, I am not taking any falls and no one can punch me, but I am still training), I go to the YMCA and work out twice a week (at least try), I can carry my 30 pound nearly 3 year old up the stairs, I am WALKING (no waddle here!) and I have a cute tummy (it seems like this baby is fitting inside better than my other 3 kids). I cheated a few times and had some flour product food (flour tortilla or something like that) and the next day I HURT and didn't want to move. I could tell that those things were harming me. So, I am off flour and flour products and I am doing great...
What else am I eating? Greens, fruits, veggies, sprouted grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and occasionally a little fish and raw cheese or goat cheese... although those last 2 really aren't good for the body but sometimes those cravings are a little overwhelming! I don't eat processed foods, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, flour and flour products, sugar, meat, or much dairy.

Dry Skin... My battle and an answer to a comment question

2009-05-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

As a small child I had skin on my feet that would peel. When it was cold, my skin would get very dry and my hands would crack and bleed. My elbows and knees were ALWAYS white because they were so dry... even when I lived in a very humid location! After I had my first child, I had chronic dry fingers that were so bad that the tips were scaled and would crack and bleed. They HURT. They were so scaly that my fingerprints were no longer visible. I have finally healed my hands... but now my fingerprints are scarred.

Severe dry skin is not a problem with the skin on the outside... it is a problem on the inside. Applying ointments and lotions won't solve the underlying problem. It may sooth the pain and can help the problem from getting worse, but it won't solve it. There are several causes, and in my case, I dealt with all of them... most would work for a short period of time and then would stop working.

Diet is crucial. Avoiding processed sugar, flour, and dairy are biggies. For me, the biggest were the sugar and the flour.

Hydration is crucial- drinking plenty of fluids and eating fleshy fruits is great. Fluids should be distilled water or herbal teas or fresh juices. NO SODA or milk... nut milks are fine.

Avoiding chemicals in your soaps. Most soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or other derivatives. Using a soap which has only natural ingredients (and I don't care if Tom's of Maine says that SLS is naturally derived from coconuts, it is not natural!) is also very beneficial. I found the best soap for me to be one made locally. I love the handmade soap by Running Wild Spirit. For the dry skin, the Dry Skin Bar is fabulous and lasts a VERY long time (unless it is in the shower but on the sink it lasts forever because it can dry out between washes). For shampoo, I use Aubrey Organics or Dr. Christopher's. For teeth, I use Dr. Christopher's tooth powder, or read the labels of the toothpaste in the healthfood store... there are a few without SLS or any of the derivatives without fluoride. Weleda is one, ONE of the Tom's products is ok now, JASON has 1 or 2, etc. Liquid soaps at the kitchen sink are also all natural now. The less SLS the better!

Make sure that the EFA intake is appropriate. Udo's oil is a good one. Also adding flax seeds to a morning smoothie works very well. Walnuts are another Omega-3 source.

Plenty of raw food... skin issues are a sign that the liver is needing help. Raw food not only nourishes the body but is also cleansing and rejuvinating. Eat those greens!

A high quality moisturizer is also helpful if other stuff is not quite enough. I like Dr. Christopher's complete tissue formula for MANY things, but the version you buy in the store has too much beeswax for a hand lotion in my opinion. I have heard that some people use the Conditioner as a lotion. I have not tried that. I found a lotion that I really like that is all natural as well. The name escapes me though so I am not posting it. One of the body oils from Running Wild Spirit may work as well... or you could make some oil from local plants yourself...

I did not do this directly, but mentioned it briefly- the liver needs to be paid attention to. Some good liver foods are dandelion greens, burdock, milk thistle, etc. I did do lots of green smoothies and I used plenty of chickweed, carrot tops, kale, chard, collards, etc. in my green smoothies... BTW if the green taste is offensive, add some citrus or pineapple and a couple of inches of cucumber to cut the green taste. One of my favorite combos is carrot tops and peaches and pineapple.

I hope my experience can help someone...

Updated to add:
I used the Hand Cream from Naturally Right. It is not as expensive as some of the other natural lotions on the market. Also, a little goes a long way.

An Uplifting story- there are no incurable diseases

2009-02-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

I love the Herbal Legacy newsletter I get every 2 weeks. This week had a very lengthy story about a boy who is healing with natural remedies- starting with Slippery Elm. This story is written by one of the students at the School of Natural Healing. Please, take a moment and read it.
Elijah's Story

There are no Incurable Diseases, only Incurable People

2009-02-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

Dr. Christopher always said that there are no incurable diseases- there are only incurable people. I believe this whole-heartedly. I must say that when I first heard it, though, I was a little taken aback. We are brainwashed most of our lives that there are all these incurable diseases. If we are constantly funding research for the cure for a disease, it must be incurable right!? I have come to learn that Dr. Christopher was right though. There really is only one disease. That disease is constipation. Most people think that means constipation of the bowels, but it really means a blockage of some kind. Think about it. If you work on the problem- the constipation of the area, then the condition will clear. Sometimes this requires a lot of work and other times it requires less work. In the end, though, it always requires cleansing the body and healing the systems. It requires making changes to what we are doing- changing the what we did that caused the condition.

We live in a society that is rather fast paced and expects instant gratification. One reason the standard allopathic methods are so popular is because they generally give a big bang fast. However, this bang is either driving the condition deeper, creating side effects, or just covering the symptoms so the person doesn't realize that they are still suffering. Take, for example high blood pressure. There is an obvious constipation of the circulatory system. If we give the person high blood pressure medicine, it doesn't truly lower the blood pressure but instead blocks the signal the brain sends to up the blood pressure because parts of the body are not getting enough blood. As the brain's signal is not recognized, the brain sends a bigger signal and the high blood pressure returns. Ooops. Then the medicine is increased. Is it any wonder that the most common side effect of high blood pressure medicine is.... drum roll please.... high blood pressure! The cause was never addressed. Yes, we got an initial bang fast but did it last? Is the person any healthier? Did they learn to be responsible for their health or did the drug allow them to continue their life as it always was? In other words, allopathic medicine appears to be convenient. We don't have to make any changes, we just need to let someone else take care of our bodies and be responsible.

So back to incurable people. Sometimes a person has a condition which will require quite a bit of work. Generally the person didn't get to that degree of dis-ease overnight and the condition won't be fixed overnight either. It will require work. It will require lifestyles changes- diet changes, exercise, thought processes, etc. Many people are unwilling to change their lives. What they have been doing has been working, "just fine," so why change!? I have had so many people come to me and ask, I am on drug x and I would rather use something natural. What can I take instead? When I explain to them what will be required to fix their condition, which causes the daily dependence on the drugs they don't want, they would rather stick with the drug. The fact that eventually they will be drug free and healthy escapes them.
The saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink!" definitely holds true.

Here is to being curable people!

The School of Natural Healing is having an introductory Special

2009-01-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

This year is the 100th anniversary of Dr. Christopher's birth. I just had to tell all my blog readers that The School of Natural Healing is having a special on tuition in honor of his birth. They recently introduced their first course online. Normally tuition for the course is $495 but for a short time, it is $100. Dr. Christopher dreamed of a Family Herbalist in every home and a Master Herbalist in every community. This course will teach you the very basics to be a Family Herbalist. What herbs are in your kitchen that you can use to heal your family in first aid situations? What can you do to improve their health? I will forever be grateful for the knowledge I learned so long ago in that first course.

When should I feed the baby solids?

2009-01-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

I have heard lately from several people that they are worried about food aversions or texture issues or pickiness in children if solids are not introduced early. I have heard of people taking their kids to specialists for oral therapy. I think this is a bit silly. How on earth did we survive all these thousands of years without oral therapy and rice cereal for 4 month olds!!!!?????

I sent the following to an email list about this topic. (I have slightly edited it for readability) The woman asking about solids was looking at specialized tables that have been "scientifically" calibrated to tell you what texture to introduce, how often during the day, and in what order to be sure that the child doesn't have texture issues later on. What?!?

This is a soapbox for me... I have heard over and over and over and over again that if you don't feed your kids solids until they are older they will have food aversions or texture issues. I personally think that barring something like autism, this is mostly hogwash IF the family eats a variety of textures etc themselves. Children want to do what we do. Most families eat things that are all the same color, similar texture, etc. Most families today eat a lot of processed junk and don't have variety. Furthermore, these families often want their kids to "eat healthy" so they start pushing foods that they themselves won't eat and is it any wonder the child refuses!? I am the mom of 3 and have delayed solids with all 3. They are the least picky kids I know.

Here is my method:

First and foremost, recognize that as teeth come into the mouth, more and more enzymes for digestion are produced. The last enzymes produced are those which are for the digestions of grains. This happens when the eye teeth come in. I think part of this is due to the fact that you MUST chew your grains thoroughly for the enzymes in the mouth to combine with the grains. This is where the primary digestion of grains occurs. Therefore, I delay the introduction to grains until well after a year. Furthermore, I use sprouted grains because they are better for the body.

Second, I wait until the child has lost the tongue thrust, has teeth, sits unassisted, has a pincher grasp, crawls with the belly off the floor, and is grabbing for food. The grabbing for food I am referring to is not the imitative grabbing at 5-6 months. Babies at that age grab at anything. I am talking about purposeful grabbing of food. Until then, I give them spoons to play with or special dinner time toys during meals.

Third, I only give them what is on my plate- I don't un-spice things, make special baby food, or puree foods. I literally feed them what is on my plate. If there are some soft cooked carrots, I might mush them with a fork, but that is usually the extent of my blending foods. I don't do baby food. I have the opinion that if they can't mush it up themselves in their mouth, they really shouldn't be eating it yet.

Fourth, I follow their lead. As they get more teeth, I will put salad, etc on their plate. Salad is kind of hard to eat, so I usually put 1 piece of lettuce etc and expect them to play with it more than chew it. But, they are used to the variety of textures and colors when I do this. I don't stress. I have one who refused food at all until 8 months and then it was a taste here and there because I didn't really want to feed him solids. At 11.5 months he insisted on 3 square meals with the family. One was 11 months before she would taste foods and began to eat at 14.5 months. One was also about 11 months before tastes and then she began to eat at about 16 months. The last one was a partly delayed in eating because I didn't bring her to the table for dinner time until she was nearly a year old. I did this because she was content playing and I didn't think she needed the food since she was well above average for weight and height on nothing but breastmilk. At about 11ish months I felt like she ought to be part of the family at meals and so I began to bring her to the table and she started to take an interest in what we were doing. She is now 2 1/2 and she asked for her second bowl of salad tonight complete with red leaf lettuce, tomatoes (she will eat an entire chopped tomato by herself while I turn my back to get the lettuce washed if I don't pay attention. Then I have to go chop another tomato!), red peppers, and green cabbage with a little of my Annie's Goddess dressing knockoff. My other daughter got angry with me last night because I made some kale salad and ate all of it- kale massaged with olive oil and apple cider vinegar, a tiny bit of greek spices, sea salt, and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and a chopped tomato.

All of my kids loved spicy (garlic) and lemony hummus by 18 months. Yesterday's lunch was hummus with carrot sticks and celery sticks. No complaining.

So, I think that as long as YOU don't live on chicken fingers and fries and white rice and iceberg lettuce you can raise a healthy eating child without special equipment or specialized feeding schedules or introducing foods at 6 months before a child is truly ready to eat.

Coughs

2009-01-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

Someone asked about what to do with coughs. I like to drink red raspberry leaf tea. If it is really bad, I like Dr. Christopher's Lung and Bronchial formula or I like his cough syrup- it is NOT a cough suppressant though... it helps clear out the mucus so you can heal. I also like to make my own cough syrup- chop onion and place in a double boiler then cover with honey and let simmer on low heat for a couple of hours. Strain and take 1 tsp-1T every hour-couple of hours. I sometimes add some thyme to this because thyme is very good for coughs. If I have some left over, and I didn't dip a used spoon in it, I will put it in a glass mason jar for the next round of coughs. Also, avoiding dairy like the plague helps.
I have also been known to make a tea for really bad coughs. I take red raspberry leaves, mullein leaves, a little bit of lobelia, some comfrey leaves, a pinch of lavender, and a bit of thyme. This works really well for opening up the lungs. I don't have measurements on this one, because I do this one by feel, but if I were to venture a guess I would say about 1 part each raspberry leaves, mullein and comfrey leaves, 1/3 part thyme and lavender, and 1/4 part lobelia.
I do use comfrey leaves and sometimes comfrey root internally. Despite the FDA's claim that comfrey is damaging to the liver, the historical usage of it says otherwise. Here is some extensive information on comfrey on Herbal Legacy: Contentions with Comfrey Studies. Unless a person has a liver condition and is taking copious amounts of comfrey for an extended period of time, I don't find comfrey to be troubling. I suppose the above combination would work ok without the comfrey, but one of the things it does is aid in healing the lungs. Here is another contention written by Susun Weed.

Gingerbread cookies

2008-12-24T18:30:00.001-08:00

I made gingerbread cookies tonight... that didn't contain dairy, eggs, or flour. They were so tasty.

Before you make these, you will have to sprout some wheat for a couple of days until the tails are half the length of the grain. Rinse and drain well. Then dry the grain- I like to use my Excalibur dehydrator for this because I can dehydrate at 95 degrees and maintain the life of the grains. You can use a low low heat oven with the door cracked though. I usually will sprout 3-4 mason jars of wheat at a time and dry it all at the same time and then store the dried grain in the freezer in a ziploc bag. I then grind the amount of grain I need when I need it. You will also need to make 1 flax "egg" by grinding up flax seeds to make 1 T ground flax. Bring 2 T of water to a boil. Stir in the flax and simmer for 3 minutes. Let cool while you proceed with the other directions. Add your flax egg at the right time.

This is the recipe I used:
Gingerbread cutouts from better homes and gardens

1/2 cup shortening (use non-hydrogenated like Earth Balance but better yet would be virgin coconut oil)

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 cup molasses
1 flax "egg"
1 T apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sprouted grain "flour"

In a mixing bowl beat shortening. Add dry stuff except flour. Beat molasses, egg and vinegar in. Then add as much flour slowly and stir in remainder. Divide dough, cover and chill for 3 hours. Grease cookie sheet, on "floured" surface roll dough out and cut up. 375* for 5 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

Enjoy... We decorated them with raisins.

Apple Cider Vinegar strikes again!

2008-11-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Word is getting around the Dojo about the great benefits of apple cider vinegar. BTW, just to be clear, I am NOT talking about the clear apple cider vinegar that most people buy, usually made by Heinz. That stuff is great for cleaning but it is not a medicinal or healthy. I am talking about the raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar like Bragg's, Spectrum, or the store brand that Trader Joe's sells.
One of the owners of the school got asthma which developed into bronchitis and then finally into pneumonia. He is on 4 different medicines and none of them were working. He came to me and asked why the apple cider vinegar had helped another Sensei. I explained it so he decided to start taking some. I actually was a little doubtful that it would help the pneumonia. After two days, I got a report that the only thing that has been helping him is in fact the apple cider vinegar, which he is taking several times per day.
So, how do you take apple cider vinegar? Generally, the dose is 1 T 3x's per day. You can take it with some honey and warm water or you can take it with equal parts unsulphured molasses. I like the later way best.

Other uses for apple cider vinegar include relieving heartburn, swabbed on sunburns or other burns, assist in digestion, etc. Here is another article on Apple Cider Vinegar.

In the Kitchen- I am Making Vanilla Extract

2008-10-30T14:58:00.001-07:00

Now I've done it! I have taken my herbal knowledge into the kitchen! What fun and how yummy smelling the vanilla extract I am concocting is! I bought vanilla beans from The Organic Vanilla Bean Company. They are super yummy smelling, reasonable cost, and nice beans. I then put 16 beans, scored lengthwise and then chopped into 6-8 pieces per bean in my 16 ounce amber bottle and added vodka. Label it! Shake several times a day and store in the cupboard. I will let it sit for at least 6 weeks before I begin to pour it out into smaller batches. For this batch, I used 6 Tahitian and 10 Bourbon vanilla beans. I was reading that if you use less than 6 beans per cup of alcohol then it isn't technically vanilla extract, I am making it not quite double fold, but boy does it smell heavenly!

On the new moon, I also began some catnip and fennel glycerite with equal parts catnip and fennel seeds to equal just under 4 ounces, 11 ounces of distilled water, and 1 pint of glycerin. I like to mix my glycerin and water before I pour it into the jar so it is thoroughly mixed. I also like to mix my dry herbs together before I pour the liquids over them. I put it in a quart mason jar and shake several times per day. I am also making some Complete Bone and Tissue glycerin extract and some Complete Bone and Tissue oil. Some of it I will turn into ointment and the rest I will use for oil for things like sore backs and burns etc.

Asthma

2008-10-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Asthma is nasty. I know, I used to have it! I haven't had any problems in years except for if I consume too much dairy. Then again, no asthmatic should EVER consume dairy!

About two years ago, I had gotten really sick and it went into my lungs. I began to have an attack. I quickly grabbed for Dr. Christopher's Lung and Bronchial formula and took 2 dropperfuls under the tongue. The attack ended and that was that. I continued to take 1 dropperful a couple times per day until that congestion had passed.

So, what does all this have to do with today? I am getting there.

When I was studying at the School of Natural Healing, I had an assignment to formulate a remedy. I had to test that remedy as well. The remedy had to contain two or more herbs. At the time, my daughter had had a cold and it had settled in her lungs. Nothing I tried worked for her. I had done comfrey glycerite, the usual standby Lung and Bronchial formula, Complete Tissue Formula on the chest, and I tried Dr. Christopher's asthma treatment with lobelia and peppermint tea. None of it worked. I eventually made a special tea for her with mullein, comfrey, lobelia, red raspberry leaf, lavendar and thyme and that helped. (The approximate measurements of the herbs as well as more information on comfrey are found in this post). But, while I was standing at the counter pondering, the Lord blessed me with a formula. I made it up into a glycerite. By the time it was done, she had healed and I had no one to test it on. Fast forward to 6 months later. A friend's son was on daily nebulizer treatments. She gave him 1/2 the dose I suggested and saw immediate improvement. Her son was not having attacks despite being outside, playing in the dirt, cleaning a very dusty area, etc. After he finished the small bottle I had given her, he didn't need any more for about 4 or 5 months.

Just the other day, I gave some to one of my Senseis. He had gone from breathing 800mL/min to 200 and was blacking out. He was so frustrated. The doctor had put him on prednisone, more inhalers and upped the dose and he still was seeing no improvement. He started to take 1 T of equal parts apple cider vinegar and black strap molasses 3xs per dayand began to see improvement. Then he started taking the lung support formula. At first it gave him a mild headache (probably because it was bringing some extra oxygen to his body and was cleaning his lungs) but he kept taking it anyway. He began to cough up lots of thick mucus from his lungs and now he is breathing 850 mL/min!

So, what herbs were in there? Comfrey, Elecampane, Marsh mallow, Elder, Spearmint, Red Raspberry, and Lobelia.

Here is an excerpt from my assignment as to why each one is beneficial in Lung Support:
Comfrey is an excellent herb for the lungs. It is healing, demulcent and and expectorant. I knew the condition was viral, so I used Elder berries. Elder has been shown to be effective against flu strains. It also has an affect on the immune system and helps decrease inflammation causing white blood cells while increasing infection-fighting white blood. It is also a remedy for asthma. Spearmint is a stimulant as well as tasty. It is also milder than peppermint so it is better suited for children. Spearmint is also antispasmodic, so it is good for asthmatic like conditions. I chose Marsh mallow to soothe the inflammation in the lungs. It is especially good for pulmonary complaints as well as spasmodic asthma. Elecampane is an expectorant to help relieve the congestion. Historically it has been used for all manner of lung complaints and congestions including chronic problems. Red raspberry to cleanses mucous membranes. In this case it cleanses the lungs and thin the mucus. It is nutritive and provides iron, calcium, B vitamins, vitamin C, as well as many other vitamins and minerals. Red raspberry leaves are specific to colds and flu. Dr. Christopher called Lobelia the thinking herb. It is used in this formula to accentuate the other herbs as well as for its specific properties. Lobelia is excellent for asthmatic conditions and helps to open the bronchials and expel the putrid mucus.

Colds

2008-09-13T22:22:00.001-07:00

I haven't been sick in SO long, but I have been burning the candle to bits (can there be more than 2 ends on a candle!?) Anyway, the whole family has not been sleeping well because of crazy schedules and unexpected business trips my dh has had to take. Furthermore, with all the craziness, we have not been eating as well as we usually do. This of course weakens the immune system.

So, what am I doing?
Lots of Red Raspberry Leaf tea! We also had some Onion Soup using this recipe from Herbal Legacy. YUM! We made some garlic bread using Ezekiel bread (no flour which is mucus forming and would keep us sick longer) with half a head of garlic pureed with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Dh and I crushed a clove of garlic into each bowl of soup we ate. Then, I roasted a head of garlic and ate 2/3 of it myself- YUM I will stink of garlic tomorrow but I don't care. It was tasty and my body needed it!

The kids ate the garlic bread and the onion soup. They didn't want any extra garlic, but the pot had about 5 cloves pressed in just before serving, so they definitely got some good raw garlic.

I have also taken several doses of Dr. Christopher's Super Garlic Immune. That is the nastiest tasting stuff but it works. And, especially since I haven't been able to just sleep all day like I did when I was a kid, it has helped me feel well enough to get my kids their meals, etc.

What am I not doing? Or in other words, what would NOT help me get better?
I am not stopping my fever. Fevers are beneficial to the body and they help the immune system to work better. Here is an article in New Scientist supporting this. As an aside, when this was written this might have been "new" information to the AMA but herbalists have been saying this for at least the last 70+ years. Dr. Christopher taught that wet fevers heal and dry fevers kill.
So, I have been keeping bundled, drinking lots of fluids, taking HOT showers, and drinking HOT liquids.
I am not taking a decongestant or OTC cold remedy. These stop up the body's elimination channels in the respiratory system and don't speed up healing. Your body is eliminating the dead viruses or bacteria and other toxins through the mucus. Let it out!
I am not eating sugar, flour, dairy, meat, or anything processed. I am eating, when hungry, lots of raw fruits (cleansing and laxative to keep the bowels working) and liquids and the foods listed above. All of these are mild foods which heal!

Be Aggressive and Quick on the Draw!

2008-09-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Sandra Ellis always says that you have to be as aggressive as what you are dealing with or it will win. She is so right!

This past week I went camping with my kids and a bunch of other homeschooling families. We went hiking and at some point a bug bit my hand. I don't believe it was a mosquito because it swelled worse and itched worse than any mosquito bite I have ever had. I knew I had been bit, and I know I needed to get some plantain to heal the bite. Unfortunately, I was carrying a 25 pound 2 yr old who refused to walk and chasing after 3 4-5 year old girls who didn't want to wait up. So, I waited for a few minutes and the itching got worse. I had to find some plantain NOW! By this time, we were in an area of the forest that didn't have much plantain. If only I had taken the time right away when the forest floor was covered in it...
So, we kept walking. After about 15 minutes I finally found some growing in a patch. I picked a few leaves and bruised them and then laid them on the back of my hand. The cool leaves seeped into my hand and the itch was instantly lessened. Unfortunately, it is hard to keep leaves stuck to the back of your hand while you carry a 2 yr old, so they didn't last long. The leaves had taken down the central bite bubble within about 5 minutes, but then the leaves fel off and one of the girls had run up ahead so I had to chase after her rather than deal with my bite. My hand still itched. When things settled down and I got back to camp, I got out my Dr. Christopher's Stings and Bites ointment, which is nothing more than plantain, olive oil, and beeswax and slathered it on. I got more fresh leaves and bruised them and put them on top. Now they stuck! I made dinner and then the ointment had been fully absorbed so the leaves fell off again. It only mildly itched and I Was chasing 3 kids so I didn't do anything else. The next morning I woke up to a swollen, red welt half the size of the back of my hand and boy did it itch! Shame on me for only partially taking care of the problem! If I had been more aggressive, I would have had it completely gone the night before but no, I had to live the consequences. I slathered more ointment on, more leaves and went about my day. I changed the leaves a few times. With in a few hours the hot and red was gone, but the itch was still there when the leaves were not glued to my hand and there was still a bit of swelling. I kept at it more dilligently and the bite cleared up.
I really should know better. But, life as a mom sometimes you don't pay that much attention to yourself.

Herbs heal again!

2008-08-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

One of these days I will get smart and start taking pictures of yucky things that need to be healed and then tracking the healing process. I have watched some great healings and have never taken a picture! Oh well.

About a month ago, my husband told me my son had something on his toe that needed to be addressed. I had not seen it because my son didn't want to show me- afraid I would put x-ceptic on it. He didn't understand that x-ceptic only hurts if it is on broken skin! I was rushing about as usual and forgot about it. Then about a week ago, my husband again mentioned the foot bump. It looked like a wart on the bottom of his ring toe. (As it turns out it was a plantar wart). So, I told dh to put some black walnut tincture on it followed by duct tape. The second day, as my husband was taping him up, my son kept yelling ow! That is when I realized it was a plantar wart. I went and go some dandelion flower stalks and leaves picked at the base and brought them in. My silly son proclaimed, "Mom! Those are weeds! What are you doing with the weeds?!" (I was shocked to hear him say this because we are always harvesting "weeds" for food or medicine.) So, I explained that the milky sap in the dandelion was good for plantar warts. I dropped the sap on and then put more black walnut tincture. The wart no longer was covered by his skin. Instead, it looked like the calloused skin was splitting open and literally spitting out the wart. Over the next couple of days, we repeated the black walnut tincture and dandelion sap (2 more days). Some bandage changes yielded a larger bump that would not allow the duct tape to stick because every time dh would put the bandage on the tape would pop off due to the sloughing off of the dead wart. Yesterday I realized that my son wasn't yelling ow anymore at bandage changes. The wart is letting go. After 5 days, the wart has begun to shrink and the skin is beginning to close up again. It is amazing to watch the body heal and know what to do!

Wheat grass juice without a wheat grass juicer

2008-08-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

If you have ever read about wheat grass juice, you will know that most people talk about using a juicer to extract the juice. Well, I don't have a juicer that will do wheat grass, and I don't have the money to buy one, but I needed to take wheat grass juice... So, I take my wheat grass and place it in my vitamix. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of water and blend. Then strain by pouring it through a mesh strainer into a cup and pressing out all the green juice with a spoon. After a little bit, you can use your fingers and squeeze every last drop out of the blended cellulose. You should be left with a pale green almost white mass of cellulose and a glass of dark emerald green juice. Yum! Be sure to "chew" your juice and taste the yummy sweetness.

Blending Herbs

2008-08-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have been doing Dr. Christopher's Extended Herbal Cleanse. I made up some Liver and Gallbladder formula as well as some Kidney and Bladder and some Lower Bowel formulas. The Lower Bowel formula contains red raspberry leaf. If you have ever tried to powder raspberry leaf, you may have found that it is apt to fluff up and fly around your grinder but never do any powdering... I have discovered the secret! Layer the raspberry leaf between other herbs. In this case, I was using my vitamix dry blender (you must be careful not to blend for too long or it will heat up) I put in half the ingredients, then the red raspberry leaf, and then the rest on top. Poof- no fluffing up, nicely powdered red raspberry leaf fully mixed with the other herbs. Life is good.

On a side note, after 2 weeks of only taking Lower Bowel formula, Hormonal Changease, Female Reproductive, Wheatgerm oil, and the Master Gland formula, eating really well (ok I cheated once or twice a tiny amount), green smoothies almost every day, especially with carrot tops or fresh wheat grass juice, and 2 castor oil packs over night I am pain free. I started to feel a little off the other day as I am nearing ovulation, but I took it easy, continued with my routine and I am doing well. I was told by most people that it took 6 months to be rid of the ovarian cyst. I can still tell that I am healing from it, but the pain is gone. On to more healing!

Red Raspberry- the Queen

2008-07-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

I love red raspberry. Lately I have been focusing on chickweed and plantain because I have been using them for a broad spectrum of things. However, red raspberry is one of my absolute MUST have herbs for many ailments. I love Red Raspberry so much that I wrote my thesis for The School of Natural Healing on it. My thesis can be read on the website Herbal Legacy. I will discuss many of the uses of red raspberry over time; however, 3 uses have recently been brought to my attention.

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that a friend's son was dealing with hives so we made the salve of chickweed and plantain. They were helping the hives diminish but not entirely. His bowels were not moving properly (which can exacerbate hives as the body tries to throw out toxins any way that it can). His mom made some juice of red raspberries and apples and within an hour the hives severely subsided and after 2 glasses of raspberry juice, they left completely. I hypothesize that the raspberry helped because raspberries are a refrigerant. Chinese medicine considers hives a heat condition so you need to give the body cooling things and eliminate heat producing foods. Raspberries may cool the body. Furthermore, they are also a laxative, so they get the bowels moving properly and the body has a place for the toxins to go. The other possibility, which my friend reminded me of, is quercetin in the raspberries and apples (found in the skin).

The second thing about raspberry that was brought up today is red raspberry leaves. When I was pregnant with my first, I didn't know about raspberry leaves. How I wish I had! With my second, my husband said that raspberry leaves made such a difference, he would walk to China and back if he had to to get them for me. Raspberry leaves balance hormones, provide calcium, iron, vitamin C, almost all the B vitamins, magnesium, etc. They also strengthen the uterus to be more efficient and the contractions less painful. They help with afterpains as well as milk supply. I wouldn't bother with the little raspberry tea bags but found that the raspberry leaf from Mountain Rose Herbs is not far less expensive than those tea bags, but far more potent and beneficial.

So, how to make raspberry leaf tea. Take a tea basket or tea ball. Place 1ish teaspoons in the basket or ball inside the cup. Pour boiling water over. Cover with an upside down plate for 20 minutes. If mint or something else is desired to flavor it, throw that in during the last 5 minutes. Enjoy. For really strong tea, let cool to room temperature before removing the raspberry leaves and enjoying.
Some people don't mind the taste- it tastes a little like ice tea when cold. Some people dislike it. I find that adding some lemon and honey or icing it and then adding 1/4-1/3 the amount of tea in juice like cherry or grape really helps. Sometimes I will put mint in at the end of steeping.

The third is somewhat related to the previous one in that it is related to female reproductive organs. I have found that for an ovarian cyst, 1-2 quarts of red raspberry leaf tea has helped tremendously in lessening the pain to a dull soreness when pressed on. If I don't drink the raspberry leaf tea, the pain increases. I am doing other things too to get rid of the cyst, but the raspberry leaf has been a very important part of my treatment of my cyst.

Plantain and Chickweed Strike again!!!

2008-07-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

So, 2 weeks ago I started the oil of chickweed and an oil of plantain. I didn't have any time on Wednesday or Thursday to do anything with the oil so I let it macerate a few days longer. Today, a friend came over with her son who was covered in hives. He had used some fresh plantain on some of the hives and it gave relief of itching and took away the angry look of most the hives. However, she didn't have access to loads of plantain for the hives to continue applying it and she was growing weary of giving him Benadryl which wasn't really working very well. When she got to my home, it occurred to me that the plantain oil was ready to press out and make into salve. I told her if she stuck around, I would make some up for her.

Earlier this morning, I had gotten out The School of Natural Healing and looked up hives. Dr. Christopher recommended chickweed for the hives. So, we made a salve of 50% chickweed and 50% plantain. I measured 2 ounces of each oil (total 4 ounces) and then 1/4 ounce of beeswax. I just melted the beeswax in a stainless steel saucepan and then added the oils. Adding the oils caused some of the beeswax to clump up again, so we stirred until thoroughly mixed and melted but not hot on low heat. We sterilized a jar and then, after the mixture was finished, we poured it into the jar and let it cool. Then we capped it. The tiny bit left in the bottom of the pot was rubbed all over the hives and they too began to cool. The salve we created with smooth, applied well, and didn't have a goopy consistency. It is a little thin for "packing" but it is fabulous for massaging into something. To thicken the salve, add a little more beeswax.

Plantain again- This time with the bug bites

2008-07-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

We went camping this weekend. I had forgotten my bug repellent oil I blended for camping (oops) because I had been showing it to my brother in law when he popped in for a visit, and, like a responsible person I had put it AWAY instead of back in the bag to go camping! So, we got to camp and I realized this. Thankfully I had some lavender essential oil and some bug buttons (they are plastic disks that pin to your clothes and are infused with plant oils). The bug buttons work pretty well, as long as you aren't SWARMED with mosquitoes! We, unfortunately were swarmed with mosquitoes at the camp site. So, I rubbed a little lavender oil on all of us and pinned on the bug buttons. I got 2 bites- one before I had the button on and one on my forehead by my hairline, which was rather far from the button. The one on my forehead was probably from a biting fly or something of that sort because the bite didn't swell but I ended up with a large bulbous spot on my head like a bonk on the head would produce. So, back to plantain. The first mosquito bite hurt, alerting me to the mosquito biting. After smacking the mosquito, I went and found some plantain, smashed a leaf really well to allow the juices to come out, and held it in place for a few minutes. I re-smashed the leaf to expose more juice and repeated. The itch was gone and the bite never really materialized. I got the second bite in the midst of feeding my kids and was unable to find some plantain right away so I ignored it. On my way home I realized what a lump I had on my head. After showering, I put some plantain ointment on my head and lo and behold, within a short time, the itch, warmth, and bump are gone. I love plantain!

Sunburn update

2008-07-17T16:46:00.001-07:00

So, my husband got home and took a shower. His forehead has peeled a small amount and except for a few red streaks on his belly, which are still more pink than red, his shoulders are the only thing that is left to heal. All the fluid filled blisters have been reabsorbed and now the skin is beginning to reveal fresh healthy skin underneath. He commented that he has had far milder burns with much more peeling than he has had this time. This is good!

Severe Sunburn

2008-07-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

One of these days I will get smart and start taking pictures of before and after... but I am not there yet.

Anyway, my husband went camping on Friday night with my son. He didn't get back until 8pm on Saturday. I had sent him with sunscreen. He did not put ANY on himself or my son. Thankfully, my son inherited my skin and came home with a FAINT pink line on the fleshy part of his cheek just below his eyes, which was gone by morning after a swabbing of St. John's Wort oil. My dh on the other hand was not so fortunate. He has English skin and he BURNS. He was burned from head to toe (yes even on his head where his hair is thin even though he wore a hat much of the time he was out). When he got home, his skin, especially his shoulders, face, arms, belly, back, and tops of his feet were HOT. After getting my son to bed we began to doctor him. He was dehydrated and had begun to go into shock. His hands were frozen as were his feet (except for the patch of red on top) and he was shivering. Out came my bag of tricks!

First, he took a tepid shower. Then I swabbed him down with a mixture of Calendula oil, St. John's Wort oil, and lavender essential oil. We let that soak in for a time. I gave him 1/2 tsp of Cayenne to bring him out of shock. I had him drink several TALL glasses of distilled water, which I added 1 capful of Organa Minerals, juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1 tsp grade B maple syrup to restore his lost minerals. I also had him start taking 1 T Complete Tissue Syrup every hour. He drank 2 ounces before bed. After an hour, I repeated the process with the oils and continued to push fluids. Usually the lavender oil pulls the heat out VERY fast, but it wasn't pulling the heat out fast enough for my liking. After an hour and a half, I told him I was going to make him smell like a salad. I got out the apple cider vinegar and swabbed him down with that. I have used apple cider vinegar before on burns and have had great success with pulling the heat and sting right out. I then added more of the oil mixture to his skin. After another hour, I repeated the vinegar and oil routine. By this time it was midnight and we went to bed. The next morning, many of his burns looked better and had not blistered. We repeated the vinegar and oil routine several times during the morning. I forbid him from any cooked foods for the day and continued to hydrate him. I also had him continue taking the Complete Tissue Formula syrup. He slept for part of the afternoon so I didn't repeat during the afternoon until later. Again there was improvement but his shoulders continued to be warm- not as hot as they had been but they were still very angry. We continued more of what we were doing because we had seen good results in the other burns and even some improvement with the shoulders. Monday my husband went to work. He did not put anything on his shoulders after his shoulder other than a paltry amount of Complete Tissue ointment and then some soft cloths to protect his shoulders. That night, when he got home, his shoulders were beginning to blister with fluid filled sacs- indicating a 2nd degree burn. I made up some of Dr. Christopher's burn paste and slathered that on his shoulders. He wore that, covered in lettuce leaves, and then wrapped with a soft cloth for several hours. When I returned, the size of the blisters had shrunk. We slathered on Complete Tissue Formula on his shoulders. Because he has been working, I have only been able to add more complete tissue when he gets home. His shoulders continue to show improvement and lessening of the redness. The rest of his body is now mostly a pale pink or even a little tanned. I haven't seen his shoulders today yet, as he leaves very early in the morning for work.

I will update later.

Carrot tops, cherries, grapes, apples, yum!

2008-07-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

For breakfast today I used my super fresh carrot tops in a smoothie. I bought some organic cherries from a wholesaler yesterday. These Bing cherries were picked at 6am Tuesday morning and in my home yesterday. They are the best cherries I have ever had. So I pitted about a dozen or so cherries, tossed in the tops of 6 or 7 carrots, an apple (whole and quartered with seeds), a few chunks of frozen mango, a tablespoon of flax seeds, a capful of Organa minerals, and some leftover homemade almond milk. The kids and I loved it.

CSA weeds again!

2008-07-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today at the CSA the U-pick fields for parsley and cilantro were open. I love the fresh cilantro and parsley! There was a tiny sign that said, "Weeding welcome." I promptly got to work weeding and pulling out the gorgeous young plantain plants among the parsley. The young plantain (Plantago major) can be used in salads and are high in calcium, vitamin C, iron, choline, zinc, and a whole host of healing compounds and other vitamins and trace minerals. This time, rather than eating it in our salad, I decided to make some salve with it. Plantain is fabulous for bug bites. It is also good for cuts and helps to draw out contaminants and heal without scarring. When my second child was 2, she got poked near her eye with a plastic pipe. I had NOTHING in terms of first aid stuff because we were moving and all the stuff was packed at the apartment and not on me 25 miles away at the house. I went outside and found some plantain leaves, mushed them up, and then put them on her wound. When we got home, I had forgotten about it. I didn't get my normal complete tissue salve on her wound until the next day. She healed up quickly, no scarring, no infection. I did not know that Plantain contained allantoin which is a cell proliferant and aucubin which is antibacterial.
So, back to my salve I am making. First I have to make an oil infusion. To do this, I let the leaves wilt for about 12 hours to help some of the water content evaporate out so I don't spoil my oil. I then took each leaf and brushed off all the residual dirt and placed them in a jar. I covered the leaves with olive oil. Then I roughly blended up the leaves and oil so the leaves were about the size of peas and then poured it back into the jar. I covered with a cloth napkin to allow the water to evaporate but keep dust out of my oil. I put my oil jar in the bottom of my dehydrator set to 95 degrees. It is not necessary to do this, but it helps to get the water out quickly so the oil doesn't go rancid. I will leave this in the dehydrator for 3 days or so (I have other things dehydrating in there like red clover blossoms, parsley, peppermint, etc so the electricity is going to good use. I also put a jar of chickweed oil infusion in. After about 3 days, I will leave the jars in a darker spot on my counter, still covered with a napkin, so the oil sits a total of 2 weeks. I will press out the oil and then allow it to sit undisturbed in the jar for a few more days so the oil and water and leftover sludge separate. I will then decant the oil. Depending my how much water is left over, I will repeat one more time. In about 3 weeks I will make my salve. Yes, this is time intensive in that it must sit on the counter but fresh salve is so much better than store-bought. And it costs a fraction of the bought product.

I love weeds and other commonly discarded greens

2008-07-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went with my family to the local CSA we belong to. I love going to the farm each week to get fresh picked organic local produce. Our CSA has a u-pick field of greens and, later in the season, flowers, basil, and other herbs. Every week, throughout the summer, I go pick my greens for green smoothies and I pause to pick some weeds. Most people would just toss them aside, but I select the best weeds to bring home and eat. Yesterday, like most weeks, the weed of choice is chickweed. We use it in our green smoothies for its high nutrient content. I will also be making some chickweed salve to add to my first aid kit in case of skin irritation while we are camping or around the house. I will have to take some pictures of chickweed to post.

Today I made basil pestoand added an equal amount of chickweed to stretch the pesto. I couldn't tell that it wasn't 100% basil on the quinoa and veggies. Actually, I think I liked it better than straight pesto.

For breakfast this morning, I used the carrot tops in my green smoothie. I added in some frozen peaches, cherries, 1 lemon with just the yellow peeled off (it was not organic), 1 T flax seeds, organa minerals, and a dash of agave. It was yummy! Carrot tops are full of chlorophyll. According to the book Green For Life, they are also very high in Calcium, even higher than the carrots.

The School of Natural Healing

2008-07-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

What a joy it is to sit at the feet of some of the great Herbalists in this country and learn more. I spent the last 6 years studying at the School of Natural Healing. A few weeks ago I attended the 2008 Master Herbalist seminar with 27 other people. We studied hard, we learned more, and we made friends. We came away blessed with more knowledge and more confidence and more questions and research to do! I am continually amazed at the power that herbs have to heal the body.