Healing Yourself In Times Of Trouble

27 May, 2008

Herbal medicines and simple home remedies have been used for thousands of years. It can be said that without the early day Herbalists, Big Pharma would not exist today. Big Pharma is always looking for a way to patent their drugs, thus, I believe this is why there has been so much bad press regarding herbal and home remedies. They can't be patented. There is much talk about the "dumbing down" of America and we have certainly been dumbed down when it comes to healing minor medical issues at home. There may come a time when you need to heal yourself and others if the current economic and social sytems completely collapse. Learn as much about health care as you can right now. How many of you have waited until you had a flat tire before you learned how to change one? Think about that kind of frustration and multiply it times one hundred if you are sick or injured and have absolutely no idea of how to treat yourself or anyone else who needs medical care and no health care professional at your disposal.

Of course, prevention of disease or injury is always best. With so much pollution in the air, water and soil, it takes a concerted effort to stay healthy. Injury can occur in an instant, it usually does.

What I am about to tell you is in no way intended to replace a visit to your doctor or dentist. But there are many ways to treat yourself at home and on the cheap for cuts, scrapes, infections and minor illnesses.

One of my favorite herbs is Slippery Elm Bark. I know it sounds disgusting, but its virtues are many and it is an herb worth learning about. American Indians used Slippery Elm bark to stave off famine in winter as it can be made into a gruel and eaten as porridge. As its name implies, it is "slippery" in texture when made into gruel or boiled into tea.

Slippery Elm has amazing healing properties. It can be found in powdered form, liquid extract and in its natural dried state as bark. The bark can be boiled into tea. When making the tea, it has to be strained because of the slippery texture. Add a little honey and you will have a great tasting tea that will soothe nausea instantly. You can also mix Slippery Elm Bark powder with some milk and honey or mix Slippery Elm Extract with some milk or water and it works equally well for nausea. I have to wonder why doctors are not using this time tested non-toxic herb to stave off nausea in their patients instead of the expensive pharmaceutical drugs on the market. I have not seen Slippery Elm Bark fail even once when used for treating nausea. It tastes like the old Bit-O-Honey candy bars when mixed with milk and honey, very tasty.

Slippery Elm can also be used on wounds. For example, my husband had cut his knuckles at work. Constant use of that hand kept the cuts from healing. We wrapped his knuckles in gauze with a paste of Slippery Elm Bark powder and water at night and by morning, the skin was supple and had already begun to heal, he was able to bend his knuckles without pain. By the second morning of using the paste overnight, all the redness was gone and he healed very quickly after that.

I've used Slippery Elm Bark for acid reflux and it works instantly. Though it provides relief, it is best to find the cause of the reflux disease and stop it before it starts since stomach acid does burn the espophagus.

Flax seed has amazing healing qualities. It draws infection from wounds and abscesses. Flax seed must be ground first then applied as a poultice mixed with water to an infected area. It can also be used for infections of the gums and teeth until you can see a dentist to correct the problem. It takes anywhere from an hour to several hours to pull infection to the surface of the skin.

Black Elderberry has been found to contain properties that can cure certain types of influenza. Clincal studies have confirmed this and there is evidence that it may be effective against the dreaded Bird Flu we hear so much about in mainstream media. This is another herb that is worth a second look and more investigation by those of you who are interested in home remedies. There is a huge difference in Black Elderberries and Red Elderberries, do not confuse the two.

Herbal extracts are easy to make at home. The problem with homemade extracts is that they are not standardized. In other words, one batch may be weaker or stronger than the next batch. With that caveat, I will tell you how I make my own extracts. I use organic or wild crafted herbs, sometimes I search out my own and pick them myself if I am sure that they are pesticide free. Using glass fruit jars, I toss in some herbs and cover them with 100 Proof Vodka, then cover the jars with lids. Only 100 Proof Vodka can be used, anything less will not leach out the goodness from the herbs. Keep this mixture in a cool, dark place and shake once or twice a day for three weeks. This can be done with virtually any herb, even black walnut hulls can be used if that is what you want to make. The next step is to press the mixture to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Strain though a clean, cotton cloth and then store the liquid in tightly covered glass jars or vials for future use. These extracts will last approximately two years if kept in a cool, dark location. Amber colored glass is preferred, but clear works fine as long as the extracts are not exposed to heat and light.

As I stated before, this information is in no way meant to replace medical advice or treatment of illnesses or injuries. There is much to know about herbs and their uses, and there are many things to consider when administering them to yourself or to others, not least are possible allergies to certain plants.

One other area I would like to explore is the amount of toxic cleaning supplies used daily in households across the globe. It seems as if we are required to use a different cleaner for every surface in the home these days if you listen to the advertisements touting all the different products on the market today.

I have found that plain old white vinegar has a myriad of uses. From cleaning windows to cutting soap scum and hard water deposits, vinegar has many virtues. It is a bit smelly at first, but once it evaporates, the smell disappears. Vinegar can be made into a paste when mixed with table salt and used to clean brass and other metals. It can be diluted with water and sprayed on sunburns, usually with relief by next morning.

There are so many different uses for vinegar it would take a volume to list them all, so I will leave it up to you to research this yourself and find all the ways to use this lowly kitchen staple. A bottle of commercial cleaner will set you back anywhere from around three dollars to five dollars at the store. Think of all the money you can save by using one cheap ingredient for many uses. It will save much space in your chemical storage cabinet as well. The great thing about it, is it really works. You lungs and skin will also thank you for not exposing them to the harsh, toxic chemicals sold in stores everywhere. If you read the directions on many household cleaners, you almost need a hazmat suit to use them, yet we expose our lungs and our skin and everyone else's in the household to these chemicals almost daily with hardly a second thought. Use a more natural cleaning agent and you will be saving yourself and your family from unnecessary toxic exposure that can cause illness.

Many common sense solutions to everyday problems have gone by the wayside with the advent of the advertising industry. It's time we start to remember and learn what other solutions are available to us, so we are not so dependent upon these faceless corporations who are hellbent on taking our wallets for a daily ride. It's time to take control of our lives in any way we can. I believe learning how to deal with certain medical problems goes a long way toward independence and learning how to avoid exposure to toxic substances which can lead to chronic illness is extremely important for our well being. I'm sure you do, too.

Learning is key in shaking off the cloak of ignorance the New World Government has worked so hard at throwing over our heads. We've been exposed to advertisements for so long, are we even thinking before we buy something? Or do we stand in the grocery store aisle and try to remember what this or that commercial said about this or that product before we finally decide upon what to buy? The influence of advertisements is truly amazing when you really think about it. Just know that this influence is a result of a concerted effort by the merger of big government and big corporations, it is not in any way just another happy accident for them that makes them richer and makes us sicker.

Now may be a good time to take an advanced first aid course or better yet, an EMT course so you are equipped to deal with medical emergencies. You never know when you might need that knowledge, it certainly can't hurt.