What Works...and What's Funny

 

[For those of you who don't care to read about "what works", scroll down for a small dose of funny.  After all, laughing is also a therapy that's healthy and works!]

I've often touted natural remedies and supplements, but I wanted to specifically list the following as those that definitely worked for me, Jordan, and/or my husband.  Saying "I heard this is good," or "Studies show this is good," can't beat "I took/did this and it WORKED!"  If you'd like to add to the list, please use the COMMENT feature to let me know what worked for you!

Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV has dozens of health benefits and is EarthClinic.com's #1 remedy, but what I'm absolutely sure it works for is an upset stomach/diarrhea. I take about 1 Tbsp. in water and it works within a half hour. I sometimes follow it up with something anti-microbial such as Olive Leaf Extract or Grapefruit Seed Extract. Slippery Elm is also soothing for the stomach.

 

Bar of Soap for Leg Cramps

This sounds funny, but it works!  Put a bar of soap between your mattress and sheet near the foot of the bed if you have nighttime leg cramps.  If this works for you then stops working, change the bar or score it.  Check out this site for a possible explanation of why this works.  What's funny is that my mother's friends did this in their Las Vegas hotelroom and the maid kept throwing away the soap.  Can you imagine what she was thinking?  "These guests have some kind of weird soap fetish!!"

Crystal Deodorant

My husband tried multiple brands of anti-perspirants and deodorants for years. None worked 100% plus they'd leave stains on his shirts that wouldn't wash out easily. I don't recall what led him to try the crystal (rock) deodorant, but it was shockingly effective! Who knew that an unadvertised, old-fashioned seeming ROCK had so much power? No more icky yellow stains on his work shirts! It's a bit more expensive than those conventional sprays and roll-ons, but lasts for literally years, making it a win-win (effective, economical).

Note: Until recently I thought of it as a win-win-WIN because it was said to be healthier than those advertised brands (Ban, Mennen, Secret, etc.), but I found that because it contains Alum (related to the aluminum ingredient in conventional deodorants which possibly causes health issues such as Alzheimer's), it's healthy reputation is debatable. I'm now thinking of experimenting with homemade deodorants using simple baking soda and coconut oil.

 

D-Mannose Powder 

Ever since my mother had a terrible reaction to Bactrim (some of which was permanent), I avoid antibiotics as much as I can.  When my medical doctor prescribed antibiotics for a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), I asked my naturopathic doctor for her opinion and she recommended D-mannose powder.  It worked!  D-mannose is   found in cranberries and other fruit and more effective than simply drinking cranberry juice.  It's also healthier because the fructose in cranberry juice can become a problem. I was a little nervous about not taking the antibiotics because they warn that a UTI can lead to a more serious kidney infection if not properly treated, but the D-mannose worked so quickly that I didn't have to worry for very long.  I noticed an improvement in less than a day!  In a few days symptoms were totally gone.

DMSO

Jordan sprained her ankle at the bon dance last weekend.  I took her to the doctor who wrapped it up and gave us the usual instructions, none of which helped the swelling much.  Luckily my sister phoned me and I told her about it and she reminded me about the DMSO she'd given me.  I cleaned Jordan's ankle then put some on before she went to bed.  When she got up the next morning the swelling had gone down almost to normal.  Impressive! 

Miracle II Soap and Gel 

I've been selling Miracle II products for about ten years.  I mainly sell it because I love the products and want to buy them at wholesale.  Miracle II is not a multi-level marketing product, which is great because I'm not about to earn a Cadillac off my friends and I sell the products well below suggested retail.
   

I love the Miracle II soap because it removes soil and oil so well and rinses so clean that it doesn't leave residue in the tub.  It's one of those soaps you can use for every cleaning purpose from personal care (showering, bubble baths, brushing your teeth) to cleaning your house. Diluted it will kill insects, yet animals and plants like it.  One of my customers has tried many soaps and shampoos for her dog that her vet recommended, but the only one that doesn't harm its skin is Miracle II!  Someone else told me her cats would never go into the bathroom when she was taking a bath until she started using Miracle soap. 

 

Miracle II Neutralizer Gel is a highly alkaline gel that we use with great success orally for canker sores in the mouth and on burns.  It's amazing on sunburns and my husband insists that when he puts it on before golfing he doesn't burn.   The Neutralizer also comes in a liquid which people use to alkalinize their drinking water.  I spray it into my mouth, throat, and nose whenever I feel I'm coming down with a cold and it seems to keep the cold away. 

Speaking of colds, we rarely get colds or flu, but if we do, we use Zicam, Umcka, and Grapefruit Seed Extract, along with the Neutralizer and our colds/flu are pretty mild and last only a day or two.  Since all three of us began taking 5000 IU of Vitamin D3 per day about 8 months ago, we haven't had colds at all, which is pretty great considering my husband works at the airport and Jordan's also among a lot of people 4-5 days a week.  Me, I'm a hermit most days so I just worry about the bugs THEY might bring home with them...and oh yeh, computer viruses.

Nutribullet

You may be tired of landing of the Nutribullet infomercial while channel surfing, but I don't mind it anymore because I bought one!  It was recommended by my friend/cousin-in-law Rose, who is a nutritionist and wellness coach.  I'd tried juicing a few years ago and after a few attempts Mr. Juiceman ended up in the closet. After buying the Nutribullet, poor Mr. Juiceman was banished to some rummage sale.  

 

We try to drink veggie/fruit smoothies at least 5 days a week and it's been fairly easy to do.  Although I can't say definitively that the smoothies are working, I'm including the Nutribullet in this list because it definitely delivers a great smoothie in a minute or two. What's most important is that it's easy to operate and EASY TO CLEAN, unlike blenders and juicers.  Every morning as I prepare our dinner salad, I stick veggies into the Nutribullet cup at the same time.  In the afternoon I add some frozen fruit, ice chips, and water.  For sweetening I use a little honey or agave syrup plus a few drops of Stevia.   I highly recommend NuNatural Stevia liquid drops because it has no bitterness or aftertaste.

 

Eczema Remedies:

Since she was an infant Jordan's eczema has steadily gotten worse until it was all over her body.  I've been immersed in researching and trying different remedies, treatments, and diets for the past 12 years.  [And you thought all I did on the computer was play Bejeweled!].  These are the treatments which were the most effective:

 

Aveeno Eczema Therapy Lotion

Not quite as effective as Champori (see below), but good and easier to obtain since it's sold at Long's and probably Walmart. We use both the Champori and Aveeno every day.

 

Ayurvedic Panchakarma Massage

One of the treatments Jordan went through in our "Quest for the Cure" was Panchakarma Massages.  It triggered her first period in her late teens, and just as Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar, the Ayurvedic physician predicted, her eczema totally cleared up for a couple of months.  Unfortunately her period did not repeat and the treatments were much too expensive to continue.  It gave me new respect, however, for Ayurvedic medicine because it was the first treatment that actually worked. [We'd been to medical doctors who prescribed steroids that did not work well.] 

Champori

Champori is an herbal ointment of Tibetan origin.  It's sold online and works better than anything else we've tried.  It's not a permanent cure, but helps immensely. 

Dr. Jason Uchida's Protocol

Dr. Uchida is a naturopathic doctor in Honolulu. I came across his website while looking for a doctor for my mother and was fascinated by the audio and video testimonials he has on his site. At the time, I had Jordan on the GAPS/BED diet, which is similar to Dr. Uchida's anti-yeast diet. After having only limited success with the GAPS/BED diets after a year, I took Jordan to see him and we began following his diet and using his supplements. While the GAPS and BED diets helped clear her skin to perhaps 75%, Dr. Uchida's regimen has taken her to 95% clear after just 3 months. Of course we're hoping she will someday be totally clear, but this would involve total healing of her "leaky gut" caused by too much yeast, too little probiotics. She's had this problem since infancy and I expect it to take years to fully resolve.

As I mentioned earlier, if you'd like to share a remedy that's worked for you, please do so in the COMMENTS section.  

 

What's Funny...  

And now I have a chuckle to share that I posted a couple of years ago and forgot about.  I thought I'd post it again as a reminder of something that may not happen much anymore because less and less people are using landlines and extension phones:

 

You know what's funny? When a voicemail becomes eavesdropping.  While checking my voicemails I had to listen to this several times until I stopped laughing.  Julie was leaving me a voicemail and Gregg happened to pick up an extension in a different part of the house.  Names have been changed to protect the dignity of loved ones:

JULIE: "Colleen, this is Julie, I'm going to be on Kauai next week and we should get together--"
GREGG: "Julie? Oh, you're using the phone?"
JULIE: "Hi Gregg, yeh, I'm calling Colleen."
GREGG: "HI COLLEEN!!"
JULIE: "Nooo, she's not home, I'm leaving her a message."
GREGG: "Ohhhh..."
JULIE: "Hey, you came home late huh? You'd better take it easy, you're working too hard!"
GREGG: "Well I had to finish the job. Oh, by the way I saw Grace and she said her mom had surgery."
JULIE: "Nah? I hope she's ok."
GREGG: "It was her knee...or was it hip, I forget."
JULIE: "Lip?"
GREGG: "HIP!"
JULIE: "Oh hip, haha! Sounded like lip."
GREGG: "Did you eat dinner already? Geri said she made stew."
JULIE: "Yes...I ate already. The stew was good!  So should we go visit Grace's mom? How long will she be in the hospital?"
GREGG: "Ah, I dunno. Nowadays they don't stay long."
JULIE: "Yeh, hmmm I guess we can call the hospital....Uh oh wait a minute...I was leaving a message for Colleen!"

Ohhhh my god, it's really funny to listen to, even if the conversation itself isn't funny. Just the idea that they got carried away and forgot why they were on the phone in the first place. Not to mention they forgot they were being recorded.  And here we're worried about the NSA!?