5 Natural Remedies to Keep In Your First Aid Kit

Summertime means that First Aid Kit gets LOTS of use.   Or at least in my house it does.  It seems as though someone always has some sort of cut or scrape or bug bite or rash going on.  Or something.

Most first aid kits contain your basic stuff....band aids, tape, gauze, cold packs. gloves, tweezers, antibiotic ointment, wraps and those weird curved scissors/clamps that I've only ever seen used in surgery.  What ARE those used for anyway?

Well, I've got a few other natural remedies I like to keep in mine.  When I actually remember to keep my first aid kit stocked that is.

So, here are a few of my favorite natural remedies to always keep on hand.

1. Castor Oil


Yes, you read that right....castor oil.  Most people only think of castor oil as a last, last, last, last, last, last, last resort for constipation.  But, did you know that it has so many other uses?

Castor oil has very powerful drawing actions.  It's a bit messy, but put it on bug bites, scratches, scrapes, cuts and rashes as it helps draw out toxins.  Furthermore, the castor oil itself has anti-microbial activity.  And, although it's a bit messy, it is very effective at relieving itching from bug bites or poison ivy.

2. Iodine Tincture

Before there was antibiotics, there was iodine.  Iodine is the stuff that veterinarians used to scrub down the skin before performing surgery.  So, you know it's powerful.  It's an antiseptic, not an antibiotic (so no worries about increasing antibiotic resistance) and is EXTREMELY effective at killing bacteria and yeast which makes it perfect use for rashes, cuts and scrapes.

My toddler had a few spots from a rash that just weren't clearing up.  Maybe it was bacterial, or yeast or MRSA?  Whatever it was they didn't clear up until I started putting a little bit of iodine mixed with castor oil on the spots.   After starting that, they cleared up right away.

That same toddler also had two splinters lodged in her foot. After removing the splinters, the spot stayed swollen and red...until I started putting castor oil and iodine on the wound.  Within 1 day of using iodine and castor oil, there was considerable improvement and reduction in the redness and swelling and her foot healed quickly.

The only problem with iodine is that it does stain (although we've always been lucky at getting stains out).

3. Hydrogen Peroxide

Yes...good ole' hydrogen peroxide. It stings, but it's very effective at clearing out wounds, especially if you are on the go.  I like to use this on all cuts and scrapes as it really does a bang-up job of killing EVERYTHING in there.

4. Arnica

This stuff is amazing at reducing pain, swelling and bruising, from any bumps or other common childhood injuries.  Especially good for toddler bumps to the noggin.   Incredibly effective.  Always keep some on hand.

5. 

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal has extremely strong drawing and absorbing powers.  It is sometimes used internally in hospitals to treat poisoning.   Those same drawing powers make it excellent for topical use.  Make a paste by mixing activated charcoal with water and apply to bug bites, insect stings, poison ivy, poison oak, acne or other skin issues.  The charcoal will draw out and absorb the bacteria or poison or toxin.   Warning..this is a bit messy....but all the good home remedies are messy.

*Disclaimer:  I'm not a doctor.  This is not medical advice.  This is just my own opinion and experience.  Use any of these natural remedies at your own risk.  And, I should probably tell you to consult your doctor before using any of these.

**: Disclaimer: Links are affiliate links, so if you click through and buy...I get like a penny.  And, all pictures are from Amazon.con

Linking up with Heather for 5 Favorites. 

Five Alternative Health Practices I Do

I know I've said this before, but my parents were crunchy before it was cool.  While all the other kids were given regular old cold medicine,  we were given fenugreek tea.  

When everyone else was eating fluffernutter sandwiches, we had to eat organic collard soup.  Blech. I hated collard soup nights. Don't get me wrong, we still saw regular doctors, but not all that often, only if something was really wrong or for the occasional injury.  

Anyway, given my upbringing, it's no surprise that I have taken an interest in alternative health. Ear aches, sore throats, coughs, colds....I have a home remedy for that.  We do see regular doctors if we need them, and my kids do get regular well-child check-ups, but I also do a few alternative health practices that I feel have improved my health.  

So, I'm going to share what I do...with you. 

1. 

Oil Pulling.

Oil pulling is basically swishing 1 tablespoon of oil in your mouth (I use coconut oil) each day for approximately 20 minutes and then spitting out the oil.  It is said to removes toxins, bacteria, microbes and other nasty things from your mouth and between your teeth. I do it first thing in the morning and I definitely feel as though my dental health has improved since starting this practice.  Here is an excellent article from a dentist that explain the benefits of this in more detail.    Granted, it's not very fun and a lot of people find it fairly uncomfortable, but as an added bonus, you can't talk while oil pulling, which means that for at least 20 minutes a day, no one can ask you dumb questions you've already answered 50 million times.  Bonus.

2. 

Seed Cycling

Seed cycling helps balance your hormones. It involves consuming different seeds at different times of the menstrual cycle.  During the first half (pre-ovulation) you eat 1 tablespoon of flax seeds and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds each day.  During the second half (post-ovulation) you eat 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds each day.  You can read more about seed cycling here. 

I mix my seeds into my full-fat, plain Greek yogurt, mixed with honey and it is very, very yummy.

This is something I have just started doing very recently, so I really only have one cycle to compare it to. However, I do believe that I have definitely seen a decrease in PMS symptoms.  I used to get absolutely horrible PMS (ask Ben or my parents if you don't believe me). It's been much better in recent years due to other health improvements, but I think the seed cycling is definitely helping as well.  It also appears to have lengthened my luteal phase slightly....it was a bit shorter than normal thanks to a certain toddler who nurses like a newborn.  I wrote a bit about my experience with NFP, cycle length and breastfeeding toddlers here. 

And, even if doesn't make a difference, all those seeds are healthy and it's a good idea to eat them anyway. 

3.

Gluten-Free

This isn't so much an alternative health practice as a dietary thing.  Why do I eat gluten-free when I don't have celiac (that I know about)?  Well to put it quite simply, gluten makes me depressed and anxious.  Not in a I'm so depressed I can't function, or I'm so anxious I can't leave my house way, but just in the sense that there is a general fog over my mood and I never experience feelings of peace or contentment.  There is always some sort of stress in life.  Before I removed gluten from my diet, I would feel as though I always had a cloud over my mood, whatever that particular stress happened to be, I would focus on it (in the back of my mind) and never feel completely happy or content.  I could function just fine, but there was this ever present niggling cloud of anxiety and worry.  Eliminating gluten from my diet has eliminated (or at least greatly lessened) that cloud of worry and allows me to feel more general peace and contentment. 

4. 

Vitamin D Supplements

I take anywhere from 0-5000 IU per day, depending on the season and how much sun/outdoor time we've been getting and if we are fighting off a cold. I don't take any if it's summer and we've been outside in the sun for much of the day.  I take the full amount in the winter when anyone in the family has a cold.  I've definitely noticed a significant decrease in the number and severity of colds and other winter illness I've dealt with since starting Vitamin D supplementation.  I used to think that I could get enough Vitamin D from the sun, but if I'm honest with myself, I don't spend that much time in full-on sun with most of my body exposed.  Hanging out at the beach in a bikini is just not my thing. We prefer to go to the beach later in the day, when the sun is not so strong. Plus, I don't wear bikinis.   And, when it's really hot I don't enjoy sitting in the sun...I much prefer to hang out in the shade, so I'm pretty sure I'm just not in the sun enough to make enough Vitamin D, especially as I have a naturally darker complexion, which means I need more sun exposure as compared to someone with fairer skin.  You can read more about Vitamin D here. 

5. 

Seaweed/Fucoidan Supplement

Fucoidan is a brown seaweed supplement.  Seaweed is incredibly healthy for you and fucoidan is an incredibly healthy species.  It naturally contains iodine and helps boost thyroid function and metabolism.  I've been taking this supplement for quite some time and I do believe that it definitely helped me lose the baby weight after Elsa was born without really dieting. much faster than after my other kids were born.  I was back into my pre-pregnancy jeans by about 8 weeks, which is much earlier (like 4 months earlier) than it happened with my previous pregnancies.  Of course, I'm sure it's better to eat actual seaweed, but as regular dietary food, seaweed is just not affordable nor attainable here in the good ole' U.S. of A.  At least not that I've seen.  Of course with any supplement, you have to be careful to find a good, quality brand.

So...those are some of the things I do.  Do you do any alternative health practices?  I'd love to hear about it!!

(Linking up for Five Favorites). 

7 Reasons I Love Staying Home With My Kids

Staying home with kids is hard.  I get that, and I read a lot of blogs where moms complain about how hard it is.   And, it IS hard...I get that, I really do.

But then working outside the home is no walk in the park either.   I've done both.   I had the yelling boss from hell that convinced me that I NEVER wanted to be veterinarian.  I've dealt with co-workers that I didn't really fit in with.  I had the demanding graduate student advisor that made us lowly grad students spend all night at the barn so we could draw blood from cows every two hours.   Being up at night with kids is a piece of cake compared to having to draw blood from ornery cows at 2 AM.   And, let's not even talk about putting on long gloves to stick your hand where no human hand should ever go.

In a totally different career field,  I spent a year teaching in a Catholic school where I had one third-grader who did not talk to me or anyone else outside her immediate family. Yeah...that was challenging.

So, I've done the working thing.  And, I've spent the last 11 years doing the stay at home mom thing (or at least work at home mom thing).  Both have their upsides and downsides...but I really, really love being home with my kids. 

Here are 7 Reasons Why I Love Staying Home

1.

For the most part, I'm autonomous.  I have a lot of freedom to go where I want and do what I want when I want to.  Granted, I have to drag kids around with me to do it, but I can do it.  I can eat lunch when I want to.  I can go grocery shopping when I need to (as long as I bring kids). I can take walks or go hiking or visit the zoo.  Sure, I maybe have to work around nap schedules and walk at my kids pace and there are costs to consider, but there is no one telling me I CAN'T do those things.  I plan our days totally. I get to decide where we go, what we do and who we spend time with. 

2.

I can sleep a bit later. My husband has to leave that house no later than 6:45 AM.  That's EARLY.  I don't have to get up that early or be out of the house that early.  We homeschoool, so I don't even have to get the kids off to school.  We can pretty much leisurely wake up every morning.  Granted, I have to wake up when the baby wakes up...but since we co-sleep, we pretty much wake-up at the same time. Love it!

3.

I have more freedom to pursue my interests.  If I wasn't a stay at home mom, I doubt I would be as into natural health and home remedies as I am. I wouldn't have had the time to research or read or write about those things.  Have an ear or sinus infection?  I have a home remedy for that.   You see that website, I WROTE that.  I doubt I would have had the energy or time to do that, if I was working outside the home.  Nor would I have the time to blog, or be a La Leche League Leader....all things I am passionate about and love doing.  But, I know myself well enough to know that I have a limited supply of energy and working outside the home would suck a lot of that up.  Plus, I'm able to pursue a wide variety of interests. If I had stayed in the field in which I got my master's degree, I would probably know a heck of a lot more about the reproductive system of the dairy cow, and a heck of a lot less about everything else.  It's a toss-up...really...I mean cow ovaries are fascinating and all...but..you know, so is other stuff. 

4.

I can't get fired .  My kids can't fire me if I burn their grilled cheese for lunch or get behind on the laundry or serve up a late, burned dinner.  Not that I ever do any of those things...I'm just sayin'.

5. 

Everyone loves me.   Even my preteen. No matter that I yell and make them do school work and okay, okay....occasionally burn dinner.   Because I'm da' mom, I'm da' bomb.  Really they all do think I'm the greatest.  I don't have to deal with coworkers or bosses or customers who don't like me.  Around here, everyone loves me...even the cat. 

6.

We do lots of fun stuff like playdates. I LOVE hanging out with other moms at playdates or home school park days or during homeschool coop or while our kids are at P.E. or whatever else we do.  I love taking my kids places and getting to hang out with other moms and talk.  I  love meeting friends at the zoo or for field trips and other fun stuff.  It's just fun...and it's all part of the job. 

7.

I get to enjoy the outdoors more.  One of the things I hated most about working was not getting to spend significant amounts of time outside during the day.  I'm definitely an outdoorsy person. Spending all my time with kids forces me to get outside more, because kids need lots of outdoor time.  And adults do too, in my opinion, they just have a harder time getting it.

So, those are my 7 Quick Takes about why I love staying home.  And, I didn't even touch on all the mushy stuff like seeing my kids learn to read and watching their first steps and all that.

Now, go see Jen for more Friday Quick Takes.

Home Remedies by Dr. Greta (7QTF)

Greta (age 8) decided that she wants be a doctor and a writer, so she wrote a book of home remedies.  For some odd reason, the girls are fascinated by a few books of home remedies I have.  They read them...for fun...over and over again! Since she just happened to write 7 home remedy cures, I decided to link up with Jen to make 7 quick takes Friday.  I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it as much as we did!  This is pretty much exactly what she wrote...I just edited her spelling a bit..but kept everything else the same. 

Hi, my name is Doctor Greta.  Are you sick today? The meaning of a doctor is to make sick people better.  I have a few decent cures for every illness in this book.  OK. so let's get started.  We will read together information about the illnesses. Let's read the table of contents. You might have a certain disease. 

Table of Contents

Colds

Hiccups

Burns 

Headaches

Sore Legs and Broken Legs

Cuts

Tummy ache

Asthma

1.

Colds

Colds are called the cold because in winter it's cold and people don't go outside as much and inside there are more germs that give people the cold. 

Cures for colds.  Here is a list of cures for colds.  Try them all.

Soup

Peanut Butter Vitamin

Milk with Honey

Diet Coke - Now Diet Coke is only good for colds and other things you'll learn about later, but usually don't drink Diet Coke because it is bad.. 

Amelia's note:  She gets the Diet Coke idea because when the kids are sick, I give them Vitamin C powder (sodium ascorbate powder) mixed with juice, but I've been know to mix it with Diet Coke if we were out of juice. As a further aside, we no longer have Diet Coke in the house, because Ben GAVE IT UP after the bar exam.  We're so proud of Daddy for giving up Diet Poison  Coke. 

2.

Hiccups.

You can get hiccups which I don't know how you get them unless you eat soap, that will give you hiccups. 

Here is the list of cures for hiccups.

Scare yourself

Drink water upside down.

3.

Burns

You have a burn when you burn yourself. There are many ways to get a burn. I'll list them here.

Touch the hot stove

Cook

To cure burns you might have to put the burn in icy cold water right after you got it. You might need to hold an ice pack or ice cube on the burn.

4.

Headaches

When you have a headache you might have ate too much or so little. Here is list of cures for headaches.

1. sleep

2. rest

3. water

4. Diet Coke

5.

Sore Legs and Broken Legs

You have a sore leg when your leg hurts. If you have a sore leg do less exercise but still do some. 

Eat more veggies to give you energy and to stay healthy.

You also may need to drink water or eat more bread. 

If you have a broken leg you will need a wheelchair to wheel around.  Use crutches to walk and exercise your leg by shaking it gently.  With a broken leg, no walking.

6.

Cuts

Here is my list of cuts.

Scrapes

Scratches

Bug Bites 

On all cuts you must keep dirt from getting in it. To help the cut get better put on Melagel to  kill the germs already in it and put a band-aid to keep more germs from getting in.

7.

Tummy Ache

You have a tummy ache when your tummy hurts.  There are many ways to get a tummy ache.  I'll list them here.

Eating too much

Eating too little

Avoid eating too much 

Avoid eating too little

Eat more healthy foods.

Here is advice for eating the right amount. Only eat when you are hungry. Eat no food in between meals.

BONUS 

Asthma

There are probably fairy tales where you are sick and you kiss a frog and are better.  It doesn't usually work, but to cure asthma is similar  Breathe on a frog and soon the frog should die taking your asthma away. I read this in a book and it probably won't work, but if you have asthma do try it. 

Why this Health Food Nut is a little less Nutty..or Why I'm Unliking a Bunch of Stuff on Facebook

Most people who know me, know that I'm really into natural health and medicine, home remedies, supplements and healthy eating.  You've got a cold or mastitis or sinus infection or eczema or warts, or psoriasis or constipation or canker sores or allergies...I've got a home remedy for that. 

I've spent way too much time reading and learning about healthy eating...you name a food trend....juicing, green smoothies, paleo, traditional foods, vegan, raw, macrobiotic, fermented foods, soaking grains, perfect health diet, gluten-free...I've heard about it, read about it and probably even tried it to some extent.

My Facebook newsfeed was cluttered with updates from all these different natural health foods and bloggers...Natural News, Natural Health Society, All Diseases Begin in the Gut, Heal Thyself,...I could go on and on.

Every day I'd read more about the dangers of GMO's and fluoride and non-organic, conventionally raised food, and BPA's and THC's and XYZ's and microwaves and cell phones and wireless internet and oh..just about everything else that makes life even remotely easy. 

 Not to mention all the confusing information...grains are good, but you have to soak them....grains are bad, avoid at all costs.  Beans are good, if you soak and sprout them....beans are bad..just eat meat, coconut  oil and vegetables. Dairy is evil and increases inflammation....dairy is good as long as it is raw, grass-fed and from happy cows named Daisy.  Meat is evil...meat is great and you can live off bacon..   Honey is great for you....except when it's not.  Vegetable oils are good...vegetable oils are evil...except for coconut oil which is the holy grail of oils.  Vegan only is the way to go,...except  eggs are the most healthful food on earth...as long as they come from free-range chickens that eat only organic grass and bugs and run around in fields all day happily doing the chicken dance.    

And then there are the recipes.  No, making cauliflower wraps is NOT easy...you have to pulse the cauliflower and then steam it and then wring it out and form it and bake it....and that's just to make ONE wrap.   Or the infamous recipe for cauliflower pizza crust....which uses a boatload of mozzarella and takes a ton of time...and is way harder than making your own pizza crust with flour.   And, apparently everything has to be soaked before eating...grains, nuts, beans...and if you sprout it, it's even better.

Finally, there comes a point when it's time to say enough.   For me, that point came when I looked on Facebook and saw a recipe for chocolate placenta truffles.   Now, I love me some chocolate truffles...but placenta truffles??!?!?!?  Really?!?!?!?  Not even I am that crazy.    So, I'm unliking a bunch of stuff.  I don't want to be bombarded with 3,000,000,000 reasons why GMO's will kill us, and plastic is evil, or why I should spend hours each week driving around to 15 different farms in pursuit of raw, healthy, organic, pure foods that were picked 15 minutes ago.  I just want to feed my family healthy food.  Don't worry, we still avoid processed foods, we still eat all real food.  And, I still make my own deodorant.  But, I refuse to be wracked with guilt because our eggs are from the supermarket or our apples aren't organic or that I don't have the money to spend on an expensive filter to remover fluoride from our water..  At this point in our lives...with (very) limited funds and limited ability to grow anything ourselves...this is the best we can do.

When you run in natural health circles, you tend to know lots of crunchy, healthy, natural-health oriented people.  And, it's great to be healthy...but there comes a point where health becomes a God, and there is this futile pursuit to cheat death.   Eat this to prevent aging.  Eat that to avoid cancer.  This person eats like this and is running marathons at age 95.   Why anyone would want to run a marathon at age 95 is beyond me? If I make it to age 95, I figured I'll have earned the right to sit around and watch TV all day.   

I recently read this article by Dr. Steven Bratman, who coined the term orthorexia.  Orthorexia is an eating disorder categorized by an extreme obsession with healthy and pure eating.  Now,  I've never gone this far, or actually suffered from this and I am NOT saying that everyone who is interested in healthy eating has an eating disorder.  But some might...

This line from the article, especially resonated with me:

I was eventually saved from the doom of eternal health-

food addiction through two fortuitous events. The first occurred when my guru in eating--a vegan headed toward fruitarianism--suddenly abandoned his quest. "A revelation came to me last night in a dream," he said. "Rather than eat my sprouts alone, it would be better for me to share a pizza with some friends."

 

And, that really hit me.  Because our mental and emotional health is just as important as our physical health.  So, if healthy eating causes too much stress and worry and anxiety..or is isolating..then maybe it's not so healthy after all?  And, I was constantly stressed and worried and anxious over our non-organic food.

So, we will still eat healthy.  We will still avoid chemicals and junk and processed stuff.   We still eats tons of vegetables and fruits and only real food. But I'm giving myself permission to not feel guilty over the non-organic lettuce and regular milk.

  And, we're still basically gluten-free...but I've been testing the girls to see how they react to occasional gluten.  The jury is still out on Heidi (headaches and stomachaches we're trying to pin down)...but Greta seems to do just fine with occasional gluten. And, I'm going to be carefully testing myself.   Because, I want us to share pizza with friends..it's better than eating sprouts alone.

How I get rid of a Cold or the Flu..FAST!

I've been sick the last two days.  It started yesterday with an obnoxiously, annoying runny nose that had my hypochondriac self convinced I was actually leaking brain fluid.  Thankfully, after careful examination, I was able to determine that it was just regular old, garden variety snot.   Whew.

Several years ago, I started getting really into home remedies and home treatments.   In fact, I even have a whole website I researched and wrote, devoted to this very topic.  Check out...My-Home-Remedies for all your home remedy needs.

Anyway, since colds tend to come around several times a year, over the years, I've had lots of experience going through my arsenal of herbs and vitamins to find the most effective at getting rids of colds or the flu..fast!  So, I thought in my generosity, I would share what I have learned with you.

Now..for the obligatory bit of legalese...I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on the internet.  This does not constitute giving medical advice nor the practice of medicine.  Use any home remedies at your own risk.  Always seek the advice of a licensed medical professional...blah, blah, blah..

This is just me...sharing my experience with you.  (Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?)

Vitamin D:  Vitamin D is like the MacDaddy vitamin for getting rid of colds and the flu.  I started researching Vitamin D in 2009 when the whole swine flu scare thing came about.  Remember that?  The media had everyone convinced that the swine flu was worse that the bubonic plague   The media is good at doing that.  Anyway. Vitamin D if taken in high enough quantities is highly effective at stimulating the immune system to fight off colds or the flu fast.  I take 5000 IU on a daily basis and when I'm fighting something, I temporarily bump that up to 20,000 IU (just for a day or two..no longer).  I also give my kids larger doses of Vitamin D depending on their size, when anyone in the house is ill (ranging from 2000 IU to baby Elsa to 15,000 IU to Heidi (who at not quite 11 is already bigger than many full grown women I know).

Vitamin C:  Vitamin C is also effective...but you have to take LOTS of it, for it to work.  We only use Vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate powder and I "try" to take 1000 mg every 2 hours throughout the day when sick.   For kids, I mix it with peanut butter or honey...but a lot of people like to put it into juice.  We almost never have juice in the house, so I don't use that.

Raw Garlic: Garlic is like better than penicillin.  I love garlic!  It heals a whole host of things.  I eat 3-4 cloves of raw garlic, wrapped up in bread 3-4 times/day.   The bread is just to make it more palatable..you could use anything.

Apple Cider Vinegar:  Apple cider vinegar thins the mucous, and is especially useful for sinus infections or when you get all clogged up.  I drink 1 tablespoon of ACV in water, 6-8 times a day, throughout the day.

Cayenne:  I put about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a glass of water and drink that...3 times a day.  I usually have to alternate sips of cayenne water with sips of plain water to soothe the burn...but cayenne is highly effective so it's worth it.  I can feel a noticeable difference in my sinuses when using it.

There are lots of other herbs that other people use....elderberry, ginger, cinnamon, honey, etc..and these are wonderful and I do use these on occasion.  But, the aforementioned herbs and vitamins are things we pretty much always have in the house...so they are my "go to" home treatment.

I hope you all find this post useful...and I sincerly hope you don't need any of these home remedies and stay healthy the rest of the cold/flu season!

Blessings,

Amelia