Being Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis and Refusing To Live With It

I thought I was healthy; I was forty-one years old and in the prime of my life. I worked out regularly, often with my new husband and at times with a trainer. On the weekend, my husband and I would ride 30-40 miles through the vineyards of Germany on our bicycles. I would have classified myself as healthy, maybe even very healthy.

I ate relatively well most of the time, at least compared to other people. I was always conscious of what I ate and usually chose the low sugar, low-fat option if there was one. I didn’t drink regular soda and only drank diet soda when water wasn’t available. As I said, I thought I was healthy.

The first sign that something was wrong came when my husband and I were on vacation in Greece on Valentines Day, 2014. As we walked back to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing, I noticed a slight limp on my right side. I also kept tripping on the sidewalk, and it was hard for me to keep up with my husband. The fourth time I tripped, my husband looked at me and said, “What is wrong with you?” I shrugged my shoulders and laughed. I chalked it up to the uneven sidewalks in Athens and maybe the wine.

I thought I was healthy…

That next week I noticed that with each day my limp got noticeably worse. I thought it must be the long-standing hip problem I’d had since my high school cheerleading days. I saw two different orthopedic doctors and got an MRI of my hip. They told me that eventually I would need a right hip replacement, but I needed to wait longer because I was too young. One orthopedic surgeon even watched as I walked down the hall and commented, “You do have a limp, don’t you?” but he didn’t offer any suggestions or advice.

About a week after the last orthopedic appointment, I realized that my worsening limp was not due to my bad hips. I was getting up an hour earlier than usual because I had become so slow at getting ready for work. I tried to dry my hair, something I’ve done a million times before, but the brush was so heavy in my right hand, I literally couldn’t keep it above my head. When I held the brush up, it would drop onto my head.

That same day, I was trying to sign documents at work. Again, it was something I’ve done a million times, but when my brain told my hand to sign, my hand wasn’t responding. I watched my hand move in slow motion.

If I tried to pick up something with my right hand, it would fall

During that same week, I started bumping into walls. I lost all sense of where my body was in space. I lost my balance while walking around a corner or while walking down the sidewalk. I would have to reach out and grab something to stabilize myself or use my forearms against the wall to prevent myself from falling. I also had to hold onto a dresser or nightstand to brace myself when I got out of bed and when I put my clothes on, or I would fall. By the end of the week, I had bruises up and down my forearms. I worked as a Domestic Violence Victim Advocate, and I was covered with bruises. I kept getting strange looks, and a few people even questioned me about the bruises.

Once I realized that my hand was involved, I immediately suspected MS. Ten years earlier, I was diagnosed with optic neuritis, inflammation of the optic nerve, which is often a precursor to MS. One morning, ten years ago, I noticed the lower left quadrant of my left eye was completely black. I saw a couple doctors and was diagnosed with optic neuritis. After three days of IV steroids, it went away. I followed up with a neurologist who gave me an MRI and told me that I did have brain lesions, but they were small and were not in the right location of the brain to justify an MS diagnosis. He didn’t seem to be worried about it. He told me to watch it. I followed up with him for a few years, and then I stopped. I had actually forgotten about it, until now.

I am right handed but, because of my progressively worsening paralysis, I found myself compensating with my left. This was only three weeks after the first symptoms. I would try to pick up something with my right hand; it would fall. Soon I was brushing my teeth, maneuvering the mouse, and even signing my name with my left hand. My handwriting looked like a third grader’s, no matter which hand I used.

It took me twice as long to do anything: to shower, get dressed, walk to the bathroom, walk to the car. Every time I would lie down, my legs would go into action. Relentless leg spasticity disturbed my sleep all night long. About every 30 seconds my right leg, and sometimes my left as well, would contract intensely, then release. I was exhausted before I even got out of bed in the morning. I didn’t want to go on. I didn’t know who I was anymore. My body had betrayed me.

Immediately after I suspected MS, I went to see my doctor and begged for a neurology consult. I knew that what I was experiencing was neurological, and I was pretty confident it was MS due to my history. I asked for IV steroids immediately. My doctor laughed at me. She didn’t believe me. She said no one was going to give me IV steroids. She called me hysterical and gave me a prescription for Valium, which I willingly took at the time. I responded to this by doing what I had started doing so often; I burst into tears. Finally, I was referred to a neurologist: my appointment was scheduled two weeks from that day.

During the fifth week, I continued to research conventional treatment for MS.  I felt scared and hopeless as I became more and more disabled. I couldn’t walk up or down stairs without using a cane and holding onto the rail. I had already fallen three times. I couldn’t raise my toes on my right foot. This made driving difficult and frankly dangerous. I had to lift my whole foot and put it on the pedals. I was rapidly losing control over my body.

I couldn’t wait two weeks for the appointment. I walked into the neurologist’s office a week before my scheduled appointment, and surprisingly, the doctor agreed to see me. I just couldn’t take it anymore –not knowing what my body was doing, getting worse each day. I was a mess. Through my tears, I explained my history to doctor number four. I pressed for IV steroids because I knew in my heart that this was MS. He scheduled me for two MRI’s for the following week, one of the brain and one of the spine, both with contrast.

During this first appointment with the neurologist, I mentioned that I had been researching MS on the Internet and that I kept seeing stories of women who’s MS symptoms had improved simply by making dietary changes. I asked him what he thought about cutting out meat, processed food, sugar, dairy, and gluten. My doctor told me that there was no evidence that diet had any impact on the course of the disease or the severity of symptoms.

During the next week, I got the two MRI’s and kept the initial appointment with my neurologist, which was now our followup appointment. I was officially diagnosed with MS on March 20, 2014. This was six weeks after the onset of symptoms. MS had hit me fast and hard. I was still working, but I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t write. It was hard to type. I could barely walk. Some co-workers were questioning whether I should continue to work. My future was bleak.

When I read about natural remedies for MS I started to regain hope.

I had training for work that had been pre-planned six months previously, and I was scheduled to go to the States in two days. My neurologist told me that we would talk about preventative medication when I returned from my trip in two weeks. I received 1000 mg of IV prednisone that day, 2000 mg the next morning, and oral prednisone to take with me on my trip.

My head was spinning. I didn’t know how I was going to make it through a 12-hour flight let alone concentrate on spouse abuse training. During my trip, an airline escort had to meet me at the gate with a wheelchair and wheel me to the connecting flight. All I could think of was how I was going to continue to deteriorate, and I wondered what my future would look like. I spent the majority of the next two weeks reading about MS.

I returned to Germany two weeks later and started taking Tecfidera, a preventative MS medication, twice daily. I was also taking a muscle relaxer, an anti-anxiety medication, and a pain killer for the severe leg cramps. In addition, I had been taking a twice-daily steroid inhalant for asthma for more than ten years, and I kept a rescue inhaler with me at all times to use as needed. I also suffered from severe migraines since childhood, and I took Imitrex for this as needed.

In my research of conventional treatment for MS, all I read about was how the disease was “incurable” and about how I would need to set up a plan for “progressive disability” and “wheelchairs, home health aides, and Social Security Disability.” For about three days, I was consumed with dark thoughts. I didn’t want my new husband to have to care for me like that. For those three days, I wanted to die. Then I continued my research.

When I read about natural remedies for MS, I started to regain hope. I realized that the conventional medical community didn’t know what caused MS and didn’t believe there was a cure. I kept finding examples of how diet changes not only improved MS symptoms, but also cured it. As I read, I started to believe that I could get healthy, truly healthy. I also started to take action. I maintained the diet changes I had started and learned more about real health every day. I chose to continue to improve my diet; because it was the one thing I had control over in this whole situation.

I then remembered my old friend, Michael Edwards, had a real interest in alternative health care. He asked me to read several articles in his magazine, Organic Lifestyle Magazine. I began to learn more and more about health, real health, and how it is intimately connected to what we put in our mouth. Together Michael and I developed a nutritional and detoxification plan for me.

I noticed improvements right away. Just as I had declined a little bit every day, I noticed that I got a little bit stronger and more stable every day. I soon noticed that my other health ailments were improving, too. I no longer wheezed or suffered from migraines. I learned how to heal my gut from 20 years of Tylenol and Advil abuse. I learned how to feed my body nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods that would aid in my healing. Many people looked at my salads and smoothies and said “You are so disciplined!” I typically replied, “My mobility is a good motivator.”

I stayed on Tecfidera from April until November 2014 and then made the decision to stop it. At first I was scared to make this decision. I had to get past the brainwashing; the belief that I had to take what the doctor prescribed. I had been able to wean myself off all of the other pharmaceuticals I had been taking, including the asthma medicine and migraine pills, which I had taken for more than 30 years. I was able to do this simply by adding organic, raw produce-more vegetables than fruit- to my diet.

I got confirmation that this was what was helping me whenever I would veer off the diet in any way. Once, about 45 days into eating only raw produce (organic when possible) I went to a going away luncheon for a close friend. The menu was abbreviated, so there wasn’t anything on it I could eat. I chose to eat a cheese pizza with whatever raw veggies they could put on top. Even though I only ate the top of the pizza (cheese, onion, and mushrooms), before I left the restaurant my forehead was pounding. I had an immediate, physical reaction to either the  dairy or the gluten.

More recently, I ate couscous for several days, not knowing that it was wheat. This time I didn’t get a headache; I had a full relapse of my MS symptoms. I noticed that my right foot had dropped, and I was tripping. I also had to stabilize myself when I rounded corners like before. I noticed a significant decrease in my energy and decreased ability to go up or down stairs. When I mentioned this to Michael, the first thing he said was, “Tell me exactly what you’ve eaten for the last four days.” When I stopped and thought about it, I realized couscous had been the only change in my diet.

There was another time, right after I finished the first two phases of my detox program (about 30 days of eating raw, organic produce) that I went out to eat with some girlfriends. I did this every Friday, so I knew how to stick to my program at a restaurant. On that day, however, we got to talking about how well I was doing. I shared with them how I was able to get off all of the medications simply by changing what I ate. I told them I was better – walking better, feeling better, and having more energy. I thought, “I’ve been good. I’ve stuck to my program so well I deserve some baklava.” It was delicious, but I couldn’t sleep that night because my stomach was turning in knots, and my legs, which had been peaceful for three weeks,started to spasm again. I told myself, “Baklava doesn’t taste this good. Nothing does.”

The radiologist looked at me and said, “You’re better!”

Four months after being diagnosed, it was time for a repeat MRI. My neurologist had said that the most I could hope for was no new lesions on my brain. Not only were there no new lesions, it showed no evidence of inflammation and the lesions I had previously were significantly reduced. The radiologist looked at me and said, “You’re better!”

Recently, I had a blood test that confirmed that the two indicators that show inflammation in the body were completely normal. These indicators were extremely elevated in March but normal in November. I have no doubt that it is due to the lifestyle changes I’ve made that have contributed to my healing.

It’s now been ten months since my initial diagnosis, and for the first time in my life, I am no longer an asthmatic. I don’t take asthma or migraine medicine or any pharmaceuticals for that matter. I only take natural supplements when needed to supplement my diet.

I use a good, whole food, nutrition supplement (Total Nutrition Formula) in my smoothie every morning and munch on a big salad all throughout the day and into the evening. My salad is full of 10 or more different organic vegetables and 3-4 different types of leafy greens with lots of garlic, onions, and turmeric. After all of that, if I am still hungry (and often I’m not) I’ll have some cooked quinoa mixed with raw garlic and any other raw vegetables. I drink a gallon of pure, living water every day (I also make this cranberry lemonade). To my water, I add either organic apple cider vinegar and organic strap molasses or organic lemon and cranberry juice sweetened with stevia and spiced with cayenne pepper.

As I continue on this healing journey, I continue to learn and make improved health choices. I learned that couscous is wheat, and it will imitate an MS flare up. I learned that nothing is as good as true health, not even baklava.

Note: I owe so much of my success in healing to the following article in Organic Lifestyle Magazine and the following supplements from Green Lifestyle Market. Much love to Michael Edwards, Chief Editor. Thank you!

Further Reading:
Recommended Supplements:


Beat Unhealthy Habits and Live Better in 2015

Another year is starting, which means New Year’s resolutions are a common theme. The new year can be a time for setting goals and making plans, a time to continue long-term goals you began the year before, and a time to reflect on the previous year. It’s a time to see what you can do differently in the year ahead.

Whether you are trying to lose weight or have goals of being more financially stable, resolutions can be hard to keep. When your resolution involves kicking a bad habit such as smoking or drinking, it can be even harder to accomplish. Here are some ways you can take control and beat unhealthy habits.

Be Realistic

When you’re used to doing things a certain way, it’s difficult to change that routine, especially when unhealthy habits are involved.

For example, if you’ve been smoking three packs a day for 10 years, you can’t expect to be a nonsmoker in a week. It’s going to take time when you’re used to a large number of cigarettes each day. Gradually cut back on how many cigarettes you smoke in a day. As you start getting used to the change, it will be easier to give up the habit.

Incremental goals will make it easier to quit, and you won’t be as tempted to go right back to smoking.

Cut Out Drugs and Alcohol

When you’re addicted to substances like drugs or alcohol, it’s going to take a lot of work to stop. The key thing to remember is that nothing happens overnight. It takes a conscious effort to keep moving forward when you’re trying to quit.

The first major step is committing to stop using the substance. From there you can start focusing on a plan that will help you overcome the addiction. While temptation will be all around you, having a serious will to quit is going to help you accomplish your goal.

Burn Off Pounds

Like any other habit you’re trying to break, losing weight takes work. You can’t snap your fingers and expect your problem to be solved

There are different ways you can go about losing weight, with diet and exercise making the top of the list. The task seems easier for some than it does for others, but with the right attitude you can make it happen.

One thing you can do is eat from smaller containers. Whether you mean to or not, the larger the bowl, the more you may consume, sometimes without even realizing it. This can add up fast. Also, never skip breakfast. This will cause you to eat more later on and in no time, you’re overeating and gaining more weight. This will undermine your goal.

Stick to Your Guns

Make those goals work for you this year by having a sensible attitude and a plan of attack. This could make all the difference for you in the new year.

Sources:

 



If You’re Sick, Chances Are, Candida Is the Foundation of Your Illness

The most common fungus to negatively affect humans, Candida albicans, primarily colonizes the skin and the mucosal membranes of the mouth, genitals, and digestive tract. There are also a few other types of Candida that can impact our health as well; all strains respond well to naturopathic treatment.

Conventional medical experts say that from 30-70% of the present population have a benign colonization of this yeast. I would bet any well trained naturopath will tell you that more than 90% of the population host a Candida colonization and most of them are not benign, not in our modern, processed, easy-food society. In addition, I am yet to meet anyone suffering from any illness, who is not dealing with an overabundance of Candida.

When Candida leads to disease, conventional medical belief states that the infection can be localized, invasive, or systemic. Alternative medical belief would argue that a local infection such as a skin infection, vaginitis, or thrush is an indication that the gut, and likely the whole rest of the body, is already overwhelmed. Lending credence to this belief is the fact that the fastest way to kill any type of Candida infection, and insure it does not come right back, revolves around balancing the gut microbes.

The Candida connection with allergies, asthma, and dermatitis has long been accepted. Current research suggests Candida antigens may trigger celiac and Crohn’s disease. Even though these links of Candida to disease are acknowledged, the conventional medical community is hesitant to understand and accept the role of Candida in patients with multiple complaints often labeled as either non-specific autoimmune disease or more often as psychosomatic illness. These symptoms include fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, rashes, dysuria, urinary frequency, vaginitis, and more. Nor do they realize Candida is so often the underlying cause for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, environmental exposure syndrome, and central sensitization syndrome. Candida even effects the brain, and can be the precursor to many different mental illnesses from depression to schizophrenia. In other words, when the immune system goes belly up, Candida is almost always a major factor, if not, one of the few basic causes, though this connection is often overlooked or ignored.

There are more than 200 species of Candida, but less than a dozen affect humans. Candida alternate in form from budding yeast cells called blastospores to hyphae, thread-like filaments that bore through tissue and individual cells. The fact that it can alternate back and forth in form makes it harder for the immune system to respond to it. We are now discovering that it can produce slightly differing hyphae in different parts of the body, again creating a different immune response.

Candida is controlled or eliminated through diet and supplements, but studies have shown it often reoccurs. Since the same studies showed diet was the most important factor in eliminating the overgrowth, it only stands to reason that dietary changes need to be a lifelong commitment. A return to a standard American diet is a return to disease. A healthy diet, though not as restrictive as a diet designed to kill Candida, will help prevent a recurrence.

Candida overgrowth is certainly linked to antibiotic use, but it is also clearly a by-product of our sugar laden, processed, frankenscience American diet. If you are experiencing allergies, depression, slow healing, a weak immune system, dizzy spells, brain fog, insomnia, migraines, or any autoimmune problems such as chemical sensitivities, unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, or similar symptoms, get the Candida that is in your body under control and know that eating well, eating a truly healthy diet is essential in keeping Candida at bay.

Believe it or not, chances are you eat too much sugar. Even most of us health nuts do. Sugar from fruit is fine when the fruit is whole, but sweet fruit and vegetable juices, agave, honey, brown rice syrup, and any refined sugar feeds Candida. To learn more about Candida and how to fight it, check out How To Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:
  •  Stephen Olmstead, MD; Dennis Meiss, PhD; and Janet Ralston,BS, Candida, Fungal-Type Dysbiosis, and Chronic Disease: Exploring the Nature of theYeast Connection, Townsend Letter, June 2012


Natural Menopause Treatments That Always Work

Women who experience moderate to severe symptoms of menopause share a common desire: to find a safe and natural way to control or end the discomfort. While some home remedies that are based on folklore can bring some relief, there are better and more effective ways to treat the symptoms of menopause while avoiding the health risks and side effects commonly associated with hormone therapy. Here are some important facts that will help you find the best remedies for relief of menopause symptoms.

Common Menopause Symptoms

The first symptoms of menopause are irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, night sweats, and difficulty sleeping. In addition to these, PMS-like symptoms can occur including breast tenderness, bloating, cramps, headaches, and irritability. Some women will also experience memory loss, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and anxiety disorders such as nervousness or panic attacks. Thinning hair can also present as a symptom. Every woman can experience menopause differently. In fact, many women experience little discomfort. This is not the case, however, for everyone.

Causes Of Menopause Symptoms

Hormonal fluctuations are the leading culprit of nearly all menopause symptoms. As the ovaries shut down, estrogen levels decline. Since estrogen has played a significant role in most of the body’s processes up to this point, the lack of estrogen brings about physical changes within the internal workings of the body. Vaginal tissue may become more fragile and can atrophy, natural lubricants during sex may lessen, and painful intercourse can be the result.

Why Are Natural Supplements Superior To Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?

Although hormone replacement therapy can be highly effective in relieving menopause symptoms, it comes with a high risk for side effects, long term damage, and even life threatening health complications. Natural menopause supplements, created from plant extracts, do not damage the body.

Phytoestrogens and isoflavones are compounds proven to be effective in relieving the symptoms of menopause. They help to restore hormonal balance within the body so it can function much as it did prior to the onset of menopause or perimenopause. There are few, if any, known side effects and no known long-term health risks associated with their use.

The plants that are high in these compounds include black cohosh, red clover, passionflower, wild yam, chaste berry, dong quai, flaxseed, and soybeans. Red clover powder is known for it’s amazing ability to deal with the mood swings that are so common in menopausal women.

Important Lifestyle Changes That Can Also Help Ease Menopause Symptoms

In addition to the use of natural supplements, you can help to reduce your symptoms by taking some common sense steps to improve the health of your body. This begins with eating regular, healthy, and balanced meals. This will provide the body with the nutrients that it needs for optimal functioning. Make sure that you exercise regularly. This along with eating healthy will help you to lose any extra pounds that you may have gained. Maintaining a healthy weight can also make a difference in reducing menopause symptoms. Limit or avoid excessive alcohol use, eating fatty foods, overeating and smoking. If you follow these guidelines, you will help to reduce some of the factors that can contribute to the intensity of menopause symptoms.

Conclusion

If you struggle with moderate to severe symptoms of menopause, there is a safe and natural alternative to HRT. Ensure that the natural supplements you use contain phytoestrogens and isoflavones, both of which can help to restore hormonal imbalance within the body. In addition to supplement use, you can make lifestyle changes that will help to eliminate some of the triggers that can make menopause symptoms more intense. Eating right, getting plenty of exercise and avoiding harmful habits such as excessive alcohol consumption, overeating and smoking are all lifestyle changes that will help to improve the body’s immune system and overall health. When you’re looking for remedies that always work, go natural and take charge of your health. You may be surprised at the results.



How To Use a Neti Pot For Sinus Infections

A neti pot is a device to aid in nasal irrigation, a practice of using salt water to flush out the nose and sinus tissues along with excessive mucous, dust, debris, and pathogens. This practice can also reduce swelling of the sinuses and nasal passages.

While you can put water in your hands and sniff it up your nose, use a spoon, or use a bulb syringe, a net pot gives you more control and does not force water into sinuses – it merely flushes them.

To make your own saline solution, use 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to 16 ounces (2 cups) of warm water.

Be sure that you use the following:

  • Distilled water or boiled water.
  • Real salt. Sea salt is not a good choice because it might contain traces of algae. Make sure the salt is fine and has no additives (no iodine or flavorings).
  • Baking soda without aluminum.

Heat the water until it is close to body temperature – around 98 degrees.

Irrigating the sinuses is a very old tradition of Ayurvedic medicine (2,000 – 3,000 years old), a daily practice for yogis. Though we do not recommend daily irrigation, the practice is very helpful at the onset of illness (along with gargling to reduce the number of pathogens in the throat) and throughout an illness if mucus is thick and is making breathing difficult.

To use the neti pot, simply lean over a sink, turn your face toward the hand holding the neti pot, place the spout in your upper nostril, and tilt the pot until the water runs in your nose. The water will run up your nostril and come out the lower nostril. You can direct the stream of water towards sinuses by how you tilt your head. Do both sides gently blowing your nose after each side is completed.

To purchase a neti pot, salt, solutions, etc. see Green Lifestyle Market.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:

 



Baking Soda: A Lot More Than Just a Baking Staple

(NaturalNews – Danna Norek) Baking soda has long been heralded as a multipurpose wonder. Even with this sort of reputation, there are still several ways most people haven’t even thought of that it can be used as a natural and inexpensive alternative to so many of the necessities we rely on every day.

It is prudent to choose a brand of baking soda which states it is aluminum free. Some brands may be contaminated with aluminum. Although some have the opinion that it is only baking powder that contains aluminum (as a rising agent), it doesn’t hurt to play it 100 percent safe and choose a brand that asserts itself as free of this contaminant.

Mix baking soda with lemon juice as a natural gout remedy

Gout can be a painful and uncomfortable condition. Gout is caused when uric acid is overproduced by the body and builds up to high levels. It then is deposited into the joints, which causes painful swelling and inflammation. Mix roughly two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice with a teaspoon of baking soda for relief. It works by alkalinizing the urine and neutralizing uric acid.

Additionally, baking soda works as a general alkalinizing and pH balancing agent within the body. If the body is overly acidic, baking soda can actually provide a short term remedy to putting it back into an acid/alkaline balance. Health problems, disease and sickness typically abound when your body is overly acidic so it is important to keep it within a healthy pH range.

Of course you do have to be cognizant of the sodium content if you have any issues with high blood pressure. Usually a dosage of no more than a teaspoon at a time diluted in a glass of water is recommended.

As a natural cleaner

A mixture of lemon juice and baking soda also makes a wonderful semi-abrasive natural cleaner for surfaces such as bathroom and kitchen sinks, bathtubs and showers and other surfaces. The mixture of the two actually produces a bit of a fizz due to a natural chemical reaction. They also provide excellent natural antibacterial properties as well as serious cleaning capabilities.

As a natural itch remedy for bug bites and poison ivy

Baking soda may also be useful as an anti-itch remedy. Add just enough water to moisten the baking soda into a paste and rub on a bug bite, poison ivy, bee stings and even chicken pox to help with the itching.

Baking soda has the ability to absorb moisture and to draw toxins out of a bite or bump caused by an irritant under the surface. This can offer quick and effective relief when it comes to itching and the swelling that goes with it.

A natural yeast infection remedy

Women who suffer from yeast infections due to candida imbalances can use a baking soda douche to help kill the candida bacteria that causes the infection. It is also a natural remedy for itching, so you get not only an effective treatment for the infection itself but also treatment of the itching symptom.

Facial skin care uses

Baking soda makes a wonderful exfoliating scrub for the face and other parts of the body. It helps to smooth the skin and take the dead layers of skin off to reveal a fresher and more vibrant surface.

It also may be used in a paste to dab on acne. It acts as an antibacterial agent and helps to kill the bacteria that cause acne. It also helps to draw out excess oil and dry the acne out quicker while helping promote faster healing. It also may help with reducing redness.

Sources for the article include:

http://www.diet-for-gout.com
http://baking-soda.ezinemark.com
http://www.acnemagazine.com/good-natural-scrubs-for-acne-prone-skin/



Natural Bandages for Minor Skin Wounds

Using a naturally grown bandage for minor skin cuts, scrapes, and burns has advantages over those generic bandages that can be bought in a box at a drugstore. Plants such as lamb’s ear and marsh woundwort have built-in antibacterial properties that can be directly applied to the skin, and an animal product like egg membrane can heal a burn faster than sutures. These natural bandages are a perfect alternative for protecting and healing skin wounds without leaving tape marks or pulling out small body hairs. To speed the healing process, add a drop of aloe juice or Manuka honey to the wound before placing a natural bandage over it. Use a small length of cotton yarn to tie the bandage in place without cutting off the blood flow.

Lamb’s Ear

lamb's ear Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina, see image above) is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). The plant is a leafy, silvery-gray perennial with small purple or pink flowers that blossom during the summer months. The leaves are very soft and pliable, with a nap of woolly hairs that feel like a silk carpet when touched. Lamb’s ear contains a natural astringent that cleanses skin wounds in lieu of isopropyl alcohol. Blood clots quickly at the touch of a lamb’s ear leaf. The pliable leaves make it perfect for wrapping around a wound on a finger or arm.

Marsh Woundwort

Marsh woundwort(Stachys palustris)Marsh woundwort(Stachys palustris) sometimes referred to as clown’s woundwort, which is also a member of the mint family, is related to lamb’s ear and possesses many of the same healing properties. The leaves of this plant are antibacterial and will cleanse any minor skin wounds. Use a small, narrow leaf and wrap it around the affected area of the skin.

Egg Membrane

A chicken egg membrane can also be used for healing minor skin cuts, especially cuts which result in tiny flaps of skin. Wash the skin wound under cold water to prevent any further bacteria from entering. Gently set the skin flap over the wound where it was cut. The egg membrane will seal the flap back into place as it heals. Crack open an egg and peel away the membrane from one half of the eggshell. Wrap the membrane around the skin wound. The membrane will stick to itself so there is no need to tie the bandage in place as with the lamb’s ear or marsh woundwort. Once the wound has healed, remove the hardened egg membrane by softening it with a little bit of warm water.

Sources: