Category Archives: Remedies

That Aha moment or better yet ~ No Shit!

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Ever had one of those “Aha” moments, which is quickly followed by “no shit, of course!?” Well, I just had one of them while caring for my 86 year old mother, whose health is declining and getting more complicated by the day. Luckily, I have a great team who are investing a lot of time and effort into my Mom’s quality of life during these challenging times.

I am an herbalist but I have always said that I have a deep respect for allopathic medicine and it has an important place in health care. I enjoy working with a diverse set of modalities (more tools available), but sometimes more allopathic or heroic methods are necessary. It is especially rewarding when I can use multiple modalities in concert, but sometimes it is just not possible. Herbs tend to utilize the body’s own abilities and allopathic medicine or procedures more often puts the brakes on them or in some instances remove them all together.

Recently, my Mother had her Aortic valve replaced, as it was no longer opening enough for her body to receive adequate blood supply. Blood carries oxygen throughout the body and when it is severely limited, it leads to a host of complications. Blood flow is very important for our bodies to live and thrive. After a valve is replaced, a major concern is blood clots forming around the new valve, which can lead to stroke; not good. Therefore, she was put on medicine that prevents her body from clotting as well as thins the blood. At this point, I am sure you are thinking, clotting is good or a person will simply bleed out, and that is a bad thing. Well, when a person is in their final stages, there is a balancing act ~ do nothing, palliative care or try something that may be a game changer. My Mom decided to try the new valve as it had lots of potential and she was only going to take the antiplatelet and blood thinners for 6 months.

To complicate matters, my Mom has been avoiding the dermatologist for quite a long time, as she knew her skin was in bad shape and was scared to find out the truth. We decided to see one recently, only to see how bad things were. We thought we were only going for a consultation but before we knew it, even after I told the doctor that my Mom was on antiplatelet and blood thinners, she took a couple biopsies. We were told that it was just the top layer and we shouldn’t worry. WRONG! My Mother continued to ooze (thank goodness, no gushers) for over a day. I tried my two favorite hemostatic remedies ~ Goldenrod (Solidago, spp.) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in a tincture form and applied pressure. The wounds stopped oozing for just an hour or so. I was confused and frustrated. Now here is the Aha moment. The herbs work in concert with my Mom’s ability to clot and enhance it. Well, she was on medicines that blocked her ability to clot ~ ergo nothing to enhance. I called the dermatologist and she kindly came to our house since we were just coming out of a major snowstorm and I really couldn’t take my Mom anywhere. She applied a medicine that forms its own scab and stopped the bleeding ~ WoundSeal. It is specific for people that were on antiplatelet and blood thinners.

Understanding our bodies and how they function is a critical step in supporting our health and helping others. We have a diverse set of tools available and it is so important to learn to work with them all. In addition to the different modalities ~ alternative and allopathic, learning from experience may be the most valuable tool.

Have you had any Aha moments? Please share and I will continue to share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

Honey, I love you!

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Do you remember the time you fell in love? Wasn’t it magical? You felt like you just couldn’t get enough.  Then after awhile, you took your relationship for granted. But then it happens again, your eyes sparkle every time you think of your love. Well, it’s happening to me all over again. Sometimes I just cannot get enough of honey. I love honey! Yes, I love my husband too, but right now, I am talking about that beautiful amber sweetness that bees work so hard to make.

Call me cruel, a heartless person but this is one slave relationship that I can live with. Slaves? What do I mean by slaves? Bees are our slaves, they work extraordinary hard to create this lushes sweetness and we simply steal it. Sure, sustainable beekeepers let them keep some honey so they have enough energy to retrieve more nectar. But really, they are our slaves. In order for bees to produce one pound of honey, they must travel over 55,000 miles (that’s more than twice around the earth) visiting at least two million flowers. Now I love to travel but that is simply too much, even for me. Making honey is hard work.

Besides being delicious, there are so many health benefits to regularly eating honey. I think Stephen Buhner does an excellent job in noting why it is rich in so many medicinal and nutritional ways.

“Honey is the nectar of the herbs and flowers that grow wild in the fields and woods. The benefits of hundreds of herbs are carried in the form of nectar in the stomach of the bee where it is subtly altered by the bee’s digestive enzymes in ways that modern science has been unable to explain. New compounds are created by this process before the honey is regurgitated in the hive, concentrated by evaporation, and stored in honeycomb.

Honey contains (among other things) a complex assortment of enzymes, organic acids, esters, antibiotic agents, trace minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, hormones, and antimicrobial compounds. One pound of the average honey contains 1,333 calories (compared with white sugar at 1748 calories), 1.4 grams of protein, 23 milligrams of calcium, 73 milligrams of phosphorus, 4.1 milligrams of iron, 1 milligram of niacin, and 16 milligrams of vitamin C, and vitamin A, beta carotene, the complete complex of B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, iodine, sodium, copper, manganese, high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, and formic acid… and the list goes on. Honey contains more than 75 different compounds! Many of the remaining substances in honey are so complex (4-7 percent of the honey) that they have yet to be identified.

Because of the high natural sugar content, honey absorbs moisture in wounds, making it hard for bacteria to survive. Many honeys contain large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which is regularly used to disinfect cuts and scrapes. Most raw honeys contain propolis, a compound that can kill bacteria. In laboratory tests, honey put on seven types of bacteria killed all seven.”

Basically it is great for everything, honey boosts your energy and immune system, it is antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, an expectorant, anti-allergenic, a laxative, anti-fungal, cell regenerator as well as great for respiratory ailments. What more can anyone ask for?

However, there is a difference between raw honey straight from the hive, and processed honey, which can be bought in grocery stores. Any honey is good for you, but raw honey is by far the best because it has not been through a heating process (over approx. 120 degrees) that melts the sugar, this process kills the wonderful enzymes and bacteria that are so rich in healing properties. Raw honey can be purchased from local bee farmers, health food stores and co-ops. If you are buying national brands, try to stay away from clover and alfalfa, since they tend to be more heavily sprayed with pesticides. Commercial honey growers often supplement the bees with sugar water, which dilutes the medicinal qualities of the honey.

Lately, I cannot seem to get enough, I put it on everything and sometimes I just eat it off the spoon. Moreover, there are so many different types of honey to try. At our house, we are big fans of apple blossom, linden, bamboo, and buckwheat honey.  What are your favorites?

 These are some of my favorite ways to enjoy honey:

  • I love toasted honey and peanut butter sandwiches, very messy but oh so delicious
  • In my oatmeal
  • On buttered toast
  • In my coffee, yes most people put honey in tea but I don’t sweeten my tea
  • On plain yogurt
  • Herb infused honey
  • I take a spoonful, right before bed when I have a cough. It promotes a restful and quiet sleep.
  • Apples dipped in honey

How do you enjoy honey? Please share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.