04.30.08
Rainy Day Fun
One weekend during his childhood DS’s parents were going to treat the boys to a day at the zoo. The boys couldn’t wait. They were so excited and ran from cage to cage to see all the animals. Toward the exit of the zoo was an ostrich. DS’s dad wanted the boys to wait for them so he told them not to pass the ostrich because the ostrich was a deadly creature. “It spits poison at its prey and if you go past him, he’ll spit the poison at you.” The boys were scared to pass the ostrich without their dad so they waited for their parents and all exited together.
Years later, DS and I took our little boy to his first zoo trip. DS saw the ostrich and proceeded to tell him about the poisonous ostrich. I listened in horror – why would he tell my little boy such a thing. This is some twisted gag he’s playing on a two year old. People started to gather and listen in to the story of the spitting ostrich.
“Why are you telling him that?” I asked.
DS looked at me like I was the nut case. “Because he’s old enough to understand.”
“Understand what exactly?”
“About animals and their prey.”
“You do know that ostriches don’t spit poison. Right?”
“They sure do.”
So on our son’s first visit to the zoo, DS learned that everything he had learned about ostriches and spitting poison was in fact just a ploy for he and his brothers to wait for his parents before heading out the exit at the zoo.
As it turns out DS learned a lot of things through the years the same time as the kids did. He learned that if he doesn’t throw out dirty diapers he’ll find them on his pillow. He learned to take his shoes off at the door or he won’t be able to find them the next day.
He just recently learned that when he opened the broom closet he shouldn’t be surprised if I jump out to scare him. This is not the first (or last) time I’ve scared him by jumping out of someplace unexpected.
DS takes the trash out every Monday night and I was in the closet waiting for him to get a new trash bag. It’s great to watch a grown man jump a foot off the ground. It’s even more fun when you do it two times in a row.
My rainy day game is just plain fun. My hiding ability has turned into an art. I pick my hiding place wisely because I don’t want to wait for very long so I pick places where he’s sure to go. Like behind the shower curtain in the bathroom. That’s a good place. I usually wait until he’s in midstream before I pop out. It’s really hard not laugh as he changes his shoes.
The best time to get him is in the morning when he isn’t quite awake yet. His senses are slower in the morning and I get him every time.
DS has tried to hide around corners to scare me but it always backfires and I end up jumping out to scare him before he even realizes I’m coming. A few times he thought I was coming and I could hear from the other room that he just jumped out – to scare no one. He usually comes looking for me to tell me about what he just did but while he’s walking toward me laughing I get behind the door and jump out at him. Sometimes I’ll say ‘Look out for the ostrich’.
I go in waves. I’ll scare him a lot and then not at all. He never knows what hit him. And I brighten up the most dreary of days for myself.
04.29.08
Honey Wrinkle Remover
Honey adds softness and fresh beauty to the skin. Beekeepers’ hands are often quite soft and wonderfully smooth during honey collection.
Each day, splash warm water on your face and neck to open the pores, then apply a thin honey mask. The honey tends to soften and smooth away ugly, old wrinkles. Then just wash it off and finish with a dash of invigorating cold water to the face. Because of the composition of honey it causes the skin tissue to hold moisture. Dry skin cells plump up and wrinkles tend to smooth way.
By doing this often to the skin, you will notice a new healthy ‘pink’ glow return from a ‘gray’ complexion.
Some other tips of ingredients to add to your honey mask:
dairy cream
whipped egg white
fresh lemon juice
apple cider vinegar
try different fruit juices
04.28.08
Liver: General Understanding and Maintenance
This is our most complex organ and handles almost everything that enters the body. It has thousands of functions, including the removal of toxins from the bloodstream. Harmful substances are neutralized and passed from the liver to the intestines in bile. The liver also produces a supply of long-term energy for the body, by converting the energy from food into the metabolic nutrients that are needed for cells to function efficiently.
Optimum health depends on the efficient functioning of the liver. If the liver becomes overloaded with toxins, they are stored there and in fat cells throughout the body.
Signs that may indicate an unhappy liver range from headaches, cellulite, irritable bowel syndrome, poor digestion, bloating, depression and mood changes to the more serious problems of diabetes, hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
As the liver is connected with many other functions of the body, any dysfunction or disease will affect the liver and reflect in its activity. Similarly, a state of minor liver dysfunction may manifest itself as a symptom elsewhere in the body far from the actual liver itself. Skin disorders are a good example of this. The liver can be helped by the use of hepatics.
Hepatics are herbal remedies which in a wide range of ways aid the work of the liver. They tone, strengthen and in some cases increase the flow of bile. In a broad holistic approach to health they are of great importance because of the fundamental role of the liver in the working of the body.
Nature is rich in hepatics. It only makes sense that nature provides so many when their vital health-enhancing properties are taken into account. Two main hepatic herbs are: Dandelion and Milk Thistle.
The body benefits from regular service – just as a car does- to ensure it runs efficiently and has sufficient energy to fight toxins. If you think of your liver as a filter or converter in a car then you can see why the liver needs to be cleansed.
There are a number of simple common steps that help improve the overall functioning of your liver.
Drink plenty of water – at the very least eight glasses a day.
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, in particular apples, garlic, beetroot, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, artichokes, asparagus, ginger, green leafy vegetables, alfalfa, and bitter leaves, such as dandelion, as well as whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans.
Avoid processed, fried, salty and sugary foods, as well as foods you may be allergic to.
Try to eat mainly organic foods.
Cut down on alcohol and caffeine.
Exercise regularly.
Take liver-boosting supplements. They can help to neutralize free radicals that damage cells. Try an antioxidant supplement containing betacarotene, vitamins C and E, and selenium.
Drink Herbal Tea: Very cleansing and supportive!
Dandelion: Eat the leaf in salads but make the root into a tea. Put 2-3 teaspoons of the root into one cup of water. Bring to a boil and turn it down to a gentle simmer for 10-15 minutes. Drink three times a day.
Milk Thistle: Pour a cup of boiling water onto 1 teaspoon bruised seeds (bruise the seeds with mortar and pestle or the like) and let it infuse for 10-15 minutes.
04.27.08
Traveling With Essential Oils
There are diffusers that you can purchase to plug into the cigarette lighter socket in the car , or you can put the oils on a cotton pad or tissue (put the cotton balls on the back rear window shelf in cars). These essential oils can be used in the car, on a train, or on a plane.
On long journeys, 1-2 drops peppermint and 1-2 drops rosemary will help you stay alert.
1-2 drops of Lavender will help you relax and not feel anxious.
1-2 drops of Peppermint and/or Rosemary will wake you up.
1-2 drops of Lemon or Tea Tree will help ease sinus congestion.
1-2 drops of Ginger or Peppermint will help travel sickness.
1-2 drops of Lavender, Eucalyptus, or Peppermint will help keep everyone cool and calm on hot drives to the beach.
1-2 drops of Eucalyptus counteracts the smell of fumes in a car.
Jet Lag
If you have changed time zones in your travel. Stay awake as long as you can, to ease the transition use Peppermint or Rosemary. Use drops of lavender to help you relax at the new time zones bedtime.
When showering the next morning add Lemon, Rosemary, Basil, and/or Peppermint to your wash cloth to perk you up.
Kids and Carsickness
For little ones who get carsick add 1 drop Peppermint to a sugar cube, keep handy, and dish it out as needed.
Seasickness
1-2 drops ginger on a tissue is effective in helping seasickness. You can also put a few drops in about a teaspoon of a base oil and rub over the upper abdomen.
Swollen Feet on Flights
Add 5 drops lavender or eucalyptus to 1 teaspoon of base oil. Massage your feet and ankles in an upward direction to the bottom of the calf, both back and front, for a few minutes. This will alleviate the swollen feet and ankles, which can be particularly troublesome on long flights.
Children on Flights
For fidgety or irritable children on long flights, prepare a small bottle of 15 drops of chamomile in 2 tablespoons of a light nut or vegetable oil. When things start getting out of control, lay the child’s legs over you so you can massage his legs and feet with the oil. You will only need a tiny portion of this oil but it’s well worth the preparation beforehand.
Cleaning the Hotel
Wipe the hotel toilet down with a tissue that has 1 drop thyme to disinfect. If you are disappointed with the quality of your hotel room, to say the least, use a few tissues with a few drops of thyme, lavender, and eucalyptus to be on the safe side.
Make Sure the Bedbugs Don’t Bite
If your traveling to hostels and your sure to be sleeping on a mattress there, sprinkle a few drops of lavender on it to avoid the bites from bed mites.
04.26.08
Referred Pain
Pain generated in one part of the body but felt it another part of the body is called referred pain. For example, pleurisy affecting the diaphragm may cause pain to be felt in the shoulder and the pain of acute appendicitis is felt first as referred pain in the center of the abdomen around the umbilicus (belly button) and later in the right lower quarter of the abdomen.
Referred pain seems to occur because nerves from various parts of the body converge on their way to the spinal cord. The sensory nerves from the heart, for example, flow into the same part of the spine that gathers nerve impulses from the shoulder. When a pain signal comes in, say, from the heart or shoulder, it stimulates nerves farther down the arm or in the neck. That explains why the left arm or jaw hurts during a heart attack.
Common Sites of Referred Pain:
Pain Site – Possible Ailment
Shoulder pain – from liver, gall bladder, stomach, spleen, lungs, or pericardial sac ( the connective tissue bag containing the heart).
Pain between the shoulder blades – disease in the stomach
Pain in right shoulder – gallbladder disease
Epigastrium pain (the soft spot on the abdomen, just under the breastplate, between the ribs) – from heart
Abdominal pain (on the sides just under the spot where your ribs end) – from pneumonia, liver (right side), or pleurisy
Testicle pain – from ureteric colic
Knee pain – from hip
Neck, jaw, shoulders, arm and back pain – from angina pectoris or heart attack
Brain freeze or ice cream headache – from vagus nerve being cooled
Head Pain – eye disorders such as glaucoma, infections, or tumors of the nasal sinuses, dental infections, and arthritis of the neck.
Back Pain – pancreas
Ear pain – infection in teeth or gums
Right side of neck, chest, shoulder blade pain– liver, gallbladder
Upper back, chest, right shoulder pain– abdomen
Back (below ribs), groin pain – Kidney
Neck, jaw, arms, shoulders, upper back pain – heart
Chest, jaws, neck, back pain– Lungs
Ears (earache), head (headache) – teeth, gums, eyes
Teeth pain – sinus infection
04.25.08
Fresh Cabbage Soup
This hearty, warming soup is good for the digestion. Cabbage is an excellent detoxifier and is reputed to aid the digestion, detoxify the stomach and upper bowels, cleanse the liver and reduce the risk of certain cancers. It is also rich in folate, vitamins C and E, potassium, iron, beta carotene and thiamin, and is well known for its potent antiviral and antibacterial qualities. An overwhelming abundance of medical and scientific evidence has been published in the last decade to show that cabbage and its family members can help prevent cancer. Cabbage can also dramatically lower “bad” cholesterol. And surprisingly there was a study to prove that cabbage helps improve elimination. Although this is obvious to anyone who has ever eaten cabbage, an interesting point in the study suggested adding about 5 cups of cabbage, raw or cooked, twice a week in your diet for improved colon function. Cabbage will also help suppress yeast infections. Eating cabbage weekly affords considerable protection against harmful radiation (x-rays, computers, microwaves, color TV’s, power lines, etc.) effects when added to your basic diet.
1 small turnip, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 white cabbage, shredded
5 cups vegetable stock
1 apple (sharp), cored, peeled, and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoon lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
live natural yogurt and rye bread to serve
Heat the oil and fry the turnip, carrots, onion, and celery for 10 minutes. Add cabbage to pan. Pour in vegetable stock, add the apple, bay leaves, and parsley. Cover and simmer 40 minutes or until the vegetables are really tender.
Remove and discard bay leaves, then stir in lemon juice and season with black pepper. Serve hot with the yogurt and rye bread.
04.24.08
Weight Loss Tea
This tea has been used for centuries to dissolve fatty tissue. It also improves the beauty and youthfulness of the skin, cleanses the mucous membrane of the colon, and is an excellent source of vitamin C. This tea is a diuretic and helps reduce water retention (which makes up a huge part of unwanted weight), balances the appetite, and minimizes food cravings. Drink 2 to 3 glasses per day for weight loss purposes.
Black salt is considered to be a very healing food for cancer prevention. Because it has a strong taste and smell, only a small quantity is used. Tamarind, a sweet and sour tropical fruit, is sold as a paste with or without the seeds.
¼ to1/3 cup fresh or dried mint leaves
2 cups cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fresh or concentrated tamarind (from Asian stores)
¼ teaspoon black salt (from Asian stores)
4 lemons, sliced
½ tablespoon black pepper
3 quarts water
Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to boil covered under low heat for two hours. You may have to add as much as ½ quart more water. Strain and serve hot or cold. You can reuse the ingredients to make more tea; just add fresh lemons. This tea can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.
04.23.08
Catching a Flick While Chores Get Done
Our house is about medium-small. It used to feel much bigger but our family size doubled and it now feels much smaller. Being a smaller house has its perks. I always know where everyone is, even if they’re not in sight. DS has no idea where anyone is. He’s always asking, “Where are you?’” We’ve only hidden from him once but now he thinks we hide from him all the time.
Now we say, “In here.” many times a day. You’d think that he would be able to hear our voice and find us but what really happens is he walks toward our voice and asks, “Where?”
I usually answer, “Here” and then leave to go in another room. He goes to the room where he heard my voice and I come in behind him and say, “I’m right here. What do you want?”
This confuses my already confused husband and also always scares him. Sometimes I don’t come up behind him and just keep switching rooms. He ends up calling me on my cell phone. “Where are you?’” I usually end up telling him. Then he hangs up and comes straight into the room.
One time my sister picked the kids and I up for the day and DS called. “Where are you?” Oops, I forgot to tell him we were leaving.
“I’m in the basement.” He called back. “Where are you now?”
“I’m in the bathroom. Can’t a person have any peace?” He called back. “Where are the kids?”
“I’ll call you back.” He must have thought I was really busy in the bathroom and I’m thankful for times like these that we have two bathrooms, so he had somewhere to go while I was gone.
He text messaged me. ‘R U alright?’
I wrote back. “Can U mow the lawn?” This bought me some time and I forgot all about him until he called again.
“Where’s your purse?” I know this means he can’t find his keys and he wants to use mine.
“Where are you going?”
“I need gas for the weed whacker.”
“You’re not using that thing right now.” He knows this means I don’t have any band-aids.
“I’ll pick some up while I’m there.” he said.
My purse that had the keys in it were with me, of course, but I told him that if it wasn’t on the table then he must have moved it. He hung up to look for my purse.
Meanwhile, at the movie theater, I turned the phone to ’silence’. After the movie there were 3 voice mail messages asking me where I was and 4 text messages that were changed up sometimes asking where I was and sometimes asking where the kids were.
I called him back. “Did you find my purse?”
“No.” I hung up.
This bought me some more time and now because he thought I was mad, my dishes were going to get done. He thinks doing the dishes makes up for whatever he has done. I rarely do dishes.
After sufficient time passed and the dishes were done, I text messaged, “Dog needs bath.”
While we waited for the waitress to bring us our order, I called to see if DS was getting everything done. “Where are you?” I asked.
“In the laundry room, putting towels in the wash.”
“Check and see if there’s any clothes on the floor in the bedrooms.”
Later I wrote him and told him I had trouble flushing the toilet earlier and needed him to plunger it. I then quickly wrote another one and said, “U could clean it 2.”
My sister dropped us off back home. I went into the kitchen and put my purse on the table and started to make dinner. DS walked in the kitchen and I asked, “Where’d you find it?” nodding to my purse.
04.22.08
Lemon: And That’s Just the Half of It
Lemons earned their reputation as a cure for scurvy long before vitamin C was actually identified. They have an abundant supply of this vitamin, providing more than a days dose – as well as small amounts of some B vitamins, vitamin E, substantial quantities of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus and the important trace minerals copper, zinc, iron, and manganese. They also activate the immune system by stimulating white corpuscle activity.
Lemons are rich in bioflavnoids, limonen, and mucilage, the latter being beneficial to the lining of the digestive tract and stomach. Lemon juice can also act as a stimulant to the pancreas and liver.
Lemon Mouthwash
Its powerful antibacterial activity makes it a first choice as a gargle or mouthwash for sore throats, mouth ulcers, and gingivitis, diluted half-and-half with hot water.
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon hot water
Lemon Acne Applications
Lemon juice applied neat with a Q-tip to pus-filled spots is a powerful bactericide and is particularly effective for acne.
Diluted half-and-half with hot water it makes an excellent facial wash.
Lemon For Cold Sores
It can be applied neat, directly to cold sores or the rash of shingles, provided that the skin is unbroken.
Relieve Chilblains
Chilblains can be relieved by rubbing the surface of the affected area with a slice of lemon dipped in coarse sea salt – but only unbroken skin, or it will hurt.
Colds and Coughs
Traditionally, lemons have always been used for infections of the respiratory tract. Hot lemon taken with one teaspoon of honey at bedtime is a classic remedy for coughs and colds.
A Simple Lemon Drink That Detoxifies
Juice of ½ fresh lemon
1 cup warm water
Pour lemon juice in water, and drink slowly, the first thing in the morning. This simple drink detoxifies your liver, colon, and blood. It will also suppress your appetite, which could help some lose weight.
Migraines and Lemons
Traditionally, migraines were treated with lemon. A peeled lemon skin was turned white side down and placed on a handkerchief. Then the handkerchief was put against the forehead with the yellow side of the peel against the skin. When a burning sensation became evident, it was removed, and generally, the headache would be gone.
Women in Indonesia do the dishes or laundry to relieve their migraine headaches. A couple of lemons are cut and the juice squeezed into the hot, soapy water. The hot lemon water seems to transfer excess blood from their head down to their hands, besides reducing the swollen blood vessels in the top of the head. For severe migraines they place two pans of hot lemon water by the sink while washing dishes in hot lemon water to be sure. An upright standing position is necessary, though, for guaranteed success.
Allergies
Drink fresh lemon juice daily in warm water to purify and detoxify the body. Be sure to drink plenty of pure water, too. Antioxidants with high levels of vitamin C like in lemons may also help prevention of allergies. Of course you should also stay away from foods that cause problems for you.
Stay Lemon Fresh
If you smoke, drink alcohol, or have several cups of coffee per day, keep plenty of fresh lemons on hand. Fresh lemon juice helps neutralize acids and is a powerful anti-bacterial agent.
Bleeding Gums
Lemon is healthy for the gums due to its alkalizing and anti-bacterial properties.
Cellulite
Drink an 8-ounce glass of warm water with the juice of half or whole lemon daily, preferably in the morning, to encourage detoxification and elimination. Lemon is also an effective diuretic and will stimulate the body to eliminate additional fluid.
Diarrhea
The juice of a fresh lemon is antiseptic and antibacterial. Add the juice of a lemon to an 8-ounce glass of purified water as often as possible.
Nasal Congestion
Drink fresh lemon juice in hot or cold water during the day to loosen mucus, flush your system, and balance pH levels. The vitamin C in lemons will also help fight off colds.
Stomach Ulcers
Peptic or stomach ulcers are areas of erosion within the mucous membrane lining of the stomach. It used to be believed that stomach ulcers were caused by too much acid, which eroded the delicate stomach lining. That changed when scientists linked a bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori with stomach ulcers.As many as 70% of people with stomach ulcers are infected with H. pylori.
Lemon will help balance the pH levels. That in turn leaves an uninviting environment for the H pylori bacteria.
04.21.08
Caffeine and the Nervous System
Most people have heard, ‘Stay away from too much caffeine,’ but rarely do they know why.
If you don’t know caffeine is a stimulant then you do now. Caffeine is medicinal because of it’s stimulant properties. Among other things, it is used in medication as a means to get the pharmaceutical into the blood stream faster. Hence the ‘Fast Relief” slogans. It can also be used for that reason in natural medicine. Caffeine is beneficial in treating a wide variety of conditions but the extensive use of a stimulating caffeine beverage without regard to bodily needs will, on the other hand, be harmful.
Okay, caffeine is a stimulant. What does it stimulate? Our nervous system. That explains why we drink caffeine beverages to perk us up. The caffeine goes in, wakes the nervous system up and tells it: Go, go, go!
You basically know how our nervous system works: The body’s nervous system is controlled by the brain and its functions are carried out by the sets of nerves that run out from the spinal column. Nerves monitor the state of the body, relay the information to the brain which gives instructions or modifications to keep the system in balance.
No other system in our body is there such an apparent connection between the brain (psychological) and body (physical).
Now think about how much caffeine you drink and how often you tell your nervous system to go, go, go. Take an honest look at your caffeine consumption, you’re not just stimulating it once in a while.
You have a coffee in the morning, a soda at lunch, a coffee in the afternoon, a pain reliever, another soda , a chocolate bar….etc. Some of you may stimulate more often by doing this in one morning, some less often by spreading this out all week, the point is the stimulation. The constant stimulation.
How often you stimulate just helps you understand how often you stimulate. Stimulating for any reason other than a medicinal reason is unnecessary stimulation. (And sometimes the medicinal reason is unnecessary.)
The nervous system is running at full speed everyday. It already has a huge job and now because we stimulate it, it has to go faster, work harder, and after a while it feels overworked. This leads to what is called a breakdown. You don’t know it’s happening because it doesn’t cut out the life supporting jobs like: the circulatory system or the respiratory system. It just starts to throw out little jobs like: protecting the skin from eczema and psoriasis, or thyroid and hormone regulation in the glandular system. It doesn’t see the need to keep the reproductive system healthy (the body’s not in favorable condition to bear children) so women will suffer from cramping.
It doesn’t just one day all of a sudden stop these processes, it just drops a few minor parts here and there.
The nervous system has so much stress on it that it calls for more nutrition like vitamin C and the B vitamins. (Of course we don’t increase because we’re eating and drinking foods with caffeine that lack proper nutrition.) The nervous system needs the vitamins and the brain knows the importance of the nervous system so it takes nutrients from other systems, like the immune system to keep it going. The brain is doing what it can to keep the nervous system going and having to perform a balancing act and we start to feel run down (and take more caffeine).
Your brain is taking nutrients from one part of your body and putting it in another part so you can survive. The little breakdowns along the way aren’t noticed by us or are misdiagnosed. And then we accumulate all the little stuff that has broken down and we’re stuck with many aches and pains, starting out small and working our way up.
When you add in outside stresses like being burnt by our coffee, work deadlines, the alarm clock going off before we feel rested, taking a toddler- in desperate need for a nap- to the store, financial problems, and all the other stresses in our everyday life; We start to feel anxious and that adds to the nervous system’s problems because anxiety on its own stresses the nervous system.
Most of the time, because the brain knows where we need help the most, we don’t notice any health “problems” because they happen overtime and we accept the little things here and there as ‘getting older’, or other rationalizations. We don’t do anything to fix the ‘problem’ until it’s a big problem. And because our nervous system isn’t working properly and because our psychological system is directly effected by that, we get depressed. We take medication to perk the hormones and imbalance to help our depression. We take pain reliever for our headaches caused by nerves and blood pressure medication to slow down what we’re causing. The medications are even more taxing to the nervous system and overtime we cause more breakdown and it just keeps going. (Of course there are real medical conditions and chemical imbalances that also cause these breakdowns but if you’re overtaxing your nervous system, you could be causing it.)
Our nervous system is able to handle occasional stimulation and caffeine can be okay for those once-in-a-while occasions. But you also have to take into account how much outside stress you put on your nervous system through your daily life. The worst thing for people under stress to do is to drink a caffeine beverage.
Caffeine also has a acidic effect, producing toxic conditions in the blood and digestive tract when taken in large amounts. This eventually contributes to the development of even more ailments.
So what do you do now? Besides the obvious need to ween yourself off caffeine, start replacing your caffeine beverage with nourishing nervous system remedies. Add extra vitamin C and B-Complex vitamins to your regular multi-vitamin supplement.
The herbs to nourish the nervous system have a relaxing effect so it can seem like a no win situation if you’re drinking caffeine to help keep you going but you shouldn’t worry because you will actually feel better and won’t have the need for caffeine once you are off it and nourishing your nervous system (and eating a healthier diet which more than likely caused you to start drinking caffeine in the first place).
If you are already on depression or blood pressure medication, and/or other medications. Do not go off it on your own. That can very dangerous and you should only do that with your doctor. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a low dose. That goes for any medication. Your doctor knows your personal medical history and knows if any of the medications you’re on will interact with any of the herbs or supplements you want to take. Explain that you want to try a different approach and make healthy lifestyle changes, a good doctor will help you to do just that. You need to take that step, doctor’s see so many diseases that are caused by unhealthy lifestyles they would welcome your different approach.
Nourishment For the Nervous System
One of the best remedy’s to feed nervous tissue is oats. This can be taken in pill form or tinctures you’ll find in a health food store but the easiest way to get oats is to eat good old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant).
There are also Nervines (herbs to nourish the nervous system), some relax the nervous system and some stimulate it. Focusing on the Nervine Relaxants, skullcap is probably the most effective but there are also some more common Nervine Relaxants: Chamomile, Lavender, St. John’s Wort, and Rosemary. (There are more Nervine Relaxants but these mentioned are easily found, safe to use on your own, and will help give your nervous system the nourishment it needs.)
Lavender and chamomile are the most readily available. They are safe and mild enough to drink all day. Skullcap and Rosemary are a bit stronger and should be drunk after work or school. St. John Wort is much better in pill form and takes about three weeks until you feel the effect.
Theses herbs also have other properties that will help:
St John Wort and Chamomile are also anti-inflammatory herbs. (Helps to combat inflammation.)
Chamomile and skullcap are also anti-spasmodic herbs. (Helps to prevent spasms or cramps.)
Rosemary and St John’s Wort are also astringent herbs. ((Contract tissue.(Nerves are tissue))
Chamomile is also a bitter herb. (Stimulates the digestive system ( A good stimulation).)
Chamomile is a carminative herb (supports digestion.)
Most importantly, they’re all Nervine relaxants.
A Simple Nerve Tonic Tea
2 parts skullcap
1 part chamomile
1 part lavender
½ part rosemary
(Replace the word ‘part’ with whatever measuring tool you’d like to use. Teaspoon, tablespoon, or cup. That measurement depends on how much you’d like to make. The ratio of the herbs is what makes them work together effectively.)
These herbs are all soft material so you’d make an infusion. A 150 lb person would use 1 teaspoon per one cup of water. If you are under 150 lbs you’d use less than 1 teaspoon and if you’re over 150 lbs you’d use more than 1 teaspoon. Go up by 1 teaspoon per 25 lbs (but don’t go above 3 teaspoons). Go down by ¼ teaspoon for every 25 lbs (but don’t use less than ½ teaspoon.)
For example:
A person weighing 125 lbs would use ¾ teaspoon.
A person weighing 175 lbs would use 2 teaspoons. 200 lbs = 3 teaspoons.
These are safe herbs and they don’t have to be exact measuring but a general understanding of dosage doesn’t hurt. You should drink this tea about 4-6 times a day for three weeks. Then you’re done. There’s no need to get a refill. You have accomplished what you started out to do. You have nourished your nervous system. If you would like to drink this tea here and there during times of stress, go for it. There is such thing as too much of a good thing though and all things should be in moderation even natural herbs and supplements. If you have been abusing your nervous system for years and would like to have another round of treatment; take a week off and start the three weeks again. Remember moderation. If you feel you’d like to continue any longer than that, contact a qualified herbalist.
It doesn’t make any sense to take this nerve tonic tea and still take in caffeine so you should do your best to get un-addicted and start doing things better for your body. Depending on your caffeine consumption, it can be hard to stop using it. You should slowly adjust you’re caffeine intake so you don’t have the withdrawal symptoms that can sometimes be overbearing. Skullcap is particularly good for headaches associated with caffeine withdrawal.
If you are under stress from your job, or anything else, you should find a good outlet to ease your stress. Some people find yoga does the trick for them. Others like taking walks, sitting in a quiet room, or praying. Find what works for you and your lifestyle and use it regularly.
Your health is in your control and your body is a miraculous machine that does the work for you. It’s our job to make sure the body gets what it needs (vitamins, nutrition, exercise, and water). It’s also our job to keep out the stuff it doesn’t need. Our body will be good to us for years and years to come, if we’re good to it.
