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Odd and Interesting AlternativesThings discovered, figured out, learned and remembered.
Following are a variety of alternatives to many things, arranged alphabetically.
ASCORBIC ACID
AGE SPOTS
BOOK SHELVES
BURNS & WOUNDS
COFFEE FOR YOUR PLANTS
CRAMPS (legs & feet)
CRAVINGS
DEODORANT & DISINFECTANT
EPSOM SALTS
EUTHANASIA
EYE DROPS
FLIES
GARLIC AND BAD BREATH
HAIR LOSS
HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS
HOT WATER BOTTLES
MENOPAUSE LINIMENT
MOPS
POPCORN
SNAILS AND SLUGS
TESTOSTERONE
TURNING BIG PIECES OF MEAT
WARTS
WEAK NAILS
WOOD CONDITIONER
YEAST INFECTIONS
ASCORBIC ACID (Vitamin C) - Ascorbic Acid is a preservative in that it is an antioxidant and using it is a great way to help things keep longer in the refrigerator. Add a minimum of 1/8 teaspoon to any soft type foods such as soup, salsa, finely ground salads, hummus, fruit salads, etc. It will increase the shelf life by many days.
AGE SPOTS - As well as warts can be removed easily with the white juice from Dandelions and green Fig Fruit and Leaves. To make it easier to apply to a larger area than just a wart, steep a quart packed full of cut up fig leaves or fresh juicy Dandelion Stems and filled with Rubbing Alcohol, let sit, shaking daily. Pour into storage bottle and fill a small squeeze bottle. Add a little Olive Oil to counteract the dryness of the alcohol and apply to affected area daily.
Age spots will fade and warts will soon rub right off .
USE ONLY AT NIGHT, DO NOT USE IN SUNLIGHT.BOOKSHELVES - I always hated how books tip to the side on shelves and never had good success with bookends. I decided to stack them up and down, grouped by subject matter. Now they stay in their category more easily and it is much easier to read the titles. I also like the look much, much better.
BURNS AND WOUNDS - A miraculous remedy for burns. A liniment made of Comfrey Root will heal a burn without blistering and no scarring unless the burn is extremely severe. Every time I use it I am astounded and I have been using it for over 25 years. Spray the liniment on the burn every time it gets hot. You won't need more once the heat is gone.
Grind 1/2 Cup of Comfrey Root. Put it in a quart jar and fill with rubbing alcohol. Steep for a week, shaking daily. In an emergency, liniment will work as soon as there is some strong color. Filter through a paper coffee filter into a clean container. Pour as needed into a small spray container.
COFFEE FOR YOUR PLANTS - I live in an area where the water is very alkaline. Some of my plants prefer a more neutral ground water (like all houseplants except succulents) and some require a more acidic environment. Coffee grounds are acidic and I put them around my plants in general and I use a lot more of them on the acid loving plants, such as Shamrocks, fur or evergreens in general, ferns, roses, etc. They really are much happier and thrive so much better.
For another good trick, see SNAILS AND SLUGS
CRAMPS (legs & feet) - When attacked by such painful cramping, squeeze your nose and blow hard but carefully against it. For some reason this usually alleviates the cramping. It could be because you are forcing more oxygen into your system. Cramping can indicate a lack of sufficient Potassium, Magnesium and/or Vitamin D.
CRAVINGS - If you crave deep-fried food, if it is the only thing that makes you feel full, you could be Iron deficient. I eliminated my craving for deep-fried, which was a serious life-long obsession, when I started using sufficient Iron supplements. I use chelated Iron only. This type does not cause constipation and discomfort. The Iron is actually absorbed.
P.S. Many women are in dire need of Iron, because they lose blood regularly, but they avoid Iron supplementation because of the constipation. As I discovered, the right Iron can be life changing, restoring energy the may never have known they had as well as curbing detrimental cravings.
Craving sweets can often be directly related to not having sufficient Chromium in the diet. Try adding this to your daily regime and see if it helps. It probably will, because it aids in the creation and functioning of Insulin, which will allow you more satisfaction from what you eat instead of leaving you "dying for some sweets".
DEODORANT and DISINFECTANT- Juniper Berry and Tea Tree Oil for the air, underarms and feet. It is also a purifier and can be used for disinfecting purposes, such as on phones, anything a sick person has touched, etc.Generally, deodorants contain aluminum, which is toxic and can be absorbed. This makes the Juniper-Tea Tree deodorant far superior...and it works.
It is not an anti-perspirant however. These should not be used anyway. Perspiration is how we rid ourselves of toxins and this process should never be artificially thwarted. Excessive perspiration is usually diet related and one should clean the insides, not try to stop the natural cleansing process from the outside.
Using a quart size jar, add 1/2 Cup of ground Juniper Berries. Fill the jar with rubbing alcohol and let sit for a week, shaking daily. Full strength develops over a longer time, but it can be used within the day, as soon as there is good color in the alcohol.
When done, strain liquid through a paper coffee filter into a clean container. Pour as needed into a small spray container. Add a few droppers full of Tea Tree Oil to the spray bottle, enough to add its distinct scent to your mixture.
EPSOM SALTS - Commonly used, I am surprised at how many people have never heard of it or if they have, don't know how incredible it is.
When I was a teenager thought I would die of blood poisoning when after having stepped on a rusty nail, I saw red streaks running up my leg. My mother shocked me when she said it was as simple a cure as putting the injured foot into water as hot as I could stand, saturated with a couple of cups of Epsom Salts. In my memory of it, I believe the red disappeared within an hour, although, it may have been longer. That was a long time ago. Since being on my own, I have always had Epsom Salts on hand.
The ability to draw out toxins is unbelievable. A seemingly incurable eye problem lasting at least 2 years was cured by holding a clean cloth, soaked in a hot Epson Salt solution, against the closed eye. This was repeated over the period of a hour or so. The solution may be heated up to make it hot again. After soaking with the Epsom Salts, Myrrh eye drops were applied. (See below)
Deeply imbedded slivers can be drawn out quite rapidly, by soaking the area in hot water and Epson Salts.
Infections are vanquished when the offending area is soaked in Epson Salts.
Read the package for details.
EUTHANASIA made easy - Have you ever had the horrible experience of having to deal with an injured animal that needs to be put to sleep?
When catching rats in the parking lot, two of them got their tails in the trap and of course didn't die. I wasn't about to let them go and risk getting bit, and that wasn't the point of the traps anyway. I recalled a story a woman told me about such a situation and I put them in a plastic garbage bag, held the bag opening around the tail pipe just after my mate started the car. Once the bag was filled up with exhaust, I held it closed and the rats died very quickly and very easily...no twitching, no horrible reactions. They just went to sleep.
Be very careful if you have to do this that the car has just been started, because the tail pipes can get very hot if the car has been running for awhile.
EYE DROPS MYRRH - Steep a good pinch of ground Myrrh in 1/2 C hot water. Apply the liquid with cotton, a clean small cloth or an eye dropper or washer. Will relieve the eyes and is very beneficial for infections. I have heard claims that it can improve eyesight, but have no experience with this.
FLIES BUGGING YOU? - Fill a shallow bowl about 5-6 inches across 1/2 full of water. Add sugar, honey or other sweetener (not nutrasweet or saccharin) until water is appealingly sweet. Then add a hefty squirt of an odorless dishwashing liquid and stir until bubbles appear. Leave out in the infested area. Flies will be attracted to the sweetness, but the soap will make it so they cannot walk on the water or get out and they will drown.
This is a proven technique and one very severe day I caught at least 40 or more flies. Yes, I counted!
GARLIC AND BAD BREATH - I love garlic....and I love that it is so good for us. But, my mate won't come near me when I eat it. Then by accident I found a great trick. I had put a bunch of Garlic in some fresh tomato salsa and I didn't get bad breath!!! I thought about why and I remembered a story I had read about bathing in canned tomatoes to get rid of the smell of skunk and I thought perhaps that is what happen with the garlic mixed with tomatoes too.
Now I can enjoy my Garlic and have a love life too.
HAIR LOSS - My nails have always been weak and were getting weaker. I remembered that Silica was supposed to be good for strengthening them. Knowing that Silica supplements were the herb Horsetail, (also known as Shave Grass) ground up and put in capsules. I obtained the herb, started making tea and drank it every day. My nails became harder than ever, but the best bonus was that my rapid hair loss during and after menopause stopped completely. I never see a hair in the shower any more. It also appears to be a little thicker again, more like before.
I would be most interested if it has the same effect on other types of balding. If you experiment and find that is the case, please let me know at lingho@earthlink.net
HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS - Carrying heavy weights at the end of hanging arms can cause the symptoms of a heart attack. A cramp, ache type feeling stretches from the shoulder blade area across the left (and sometimes the right) side of the the back and chest, continuing down the arms.
Unless one has well developed upper body strength, apparently holding heavy bags this way pulls the spine out of whack causing the pain.
HOT WATER BOTTLES - I am amazed at how many people forgot about them, have never heard of them and/or don't have one. They are one of the best energy saving devises that to my mind is far superior to a heating pad. They can warm you up without wasting electricity. They are good for heat on sore or sick parts and they are great in the winter both out of and in bed.
MENOPAUSE LINIMENT - I was beginning to feel the symptoms of menopause and bought some Wild Yam Root powder from my Herb Store. I started to drink a tea made from it and didn't like it because it caused period-like cramps. As I often do with herbs that I try as teas, but don't like, I made a liniment with it and left it sitting in my herb cupboard. I forgot about it for a long time. After some time, my menopausal symptoms became severe specifically in that I couldn't wake up. All I wanted to do was hibernate in my big comfy chair. I was reminded by a friend about the Wild Yam and she informed me that it was supposed to be applied topically.
I remembered my liniment and applied it to my breasts and belly that evening before going to bed. The results were astounding. I awoke the next day feeling like my life had been given back to me. I was energetic and so much more alive.
I have personally experienced the liniment relieving sleeplessness, excessive sleeping, hot flashes, lethargy and other menopausal symptoms. Wild Yam is the key ingredient and will work well just used by itself. Wild yam contains diosgenin, a natural precursor to progesterone. The other herbs listed are also beneficial for women generally and enhance the overall picture.
Put 1/3 C powdered Wild Yam Root (works quite well by itself), into a quart jar. Fill the jar with rubbing alcohol and let steep for a good week or more shaking daily.
To make a richer mix also add the following ground or powdered - ¼ C Chaste Berries, ¼ C Red Clover Blossoms, ¼ C Don Quai.
Spray on tummy, breasts and/or on pulse spots (wrists, inside bend of elbow) as often as necessary (Morning and before bed usually will do it). Relieves hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.
MOPS - I have always been aggravated by string mops that have those big replaceable heads. First, they are not that cheap, secondly, they are too big and clumsy to wring out by hand, if you don't have a wringer bucket and thirdly, by the time they break down enough to absorb water, they are too filthy and they start shredding.
Then, one day I say a guy mopping up at a laundromat and he was using old towels cut to size, as the mop head. Not having any old towels around, I bought some terry towel rags at the auto supply store and criss-cross layered 3 of the pieces, that were about 1 to 1 1/2 ft square, and clamped them into the end of the mop holder. It is bigger than the cheap throw away mops and far more effective than anything I have tried. In fact, it is the best mop head I have ever used.
I also use the terry towel rags as a dish cloth. They wash cleaner and wipe up water in a superior fashion.
POPCORN - If stored too long, popcorn won't pop very well. If it is stored in a freezer, it maintains sufficient moisture, stays fresher and pops just like fresh.
SNAILS AND SLUGS - These creatures come out at night and love to eat certain plants. I had heard that they are attracted to a shallow container containing beer and then they crawl in and drown. Well, first of all what a waste of beer and how expensive can that become? Then I heard about a really cool idea that works. Egg shells.
Save your egg shells and when they are dry, blend them in your blender until they are coarsely ground (like salt rather than completely pulverized). Sprinkle them around susceptible plants and these slimy creatures will keep away from them. Apparently it is the sharp edges that repel them. The egg shells also offer nutrients to the soil.
TESTOSTERONE - Walking through Chinatown in L.A. I saw a display for an herb called Yohimba Bark. The ad suggested that it may actually increase testosterone levels. This is good for both men and women. Women produce testosterone as well as men and it is vital for their sex drive. Along with other hormones, it can diminish with age.Apparently it has been used as an aphrodisiac in Africa for centuries. It is supposed to increase the sex drive in both men and women. They also suggested that facilitates faster recovery from working out and increases muscle hardness and endurance. I drink it as a tea and it definitely is beneficial for menopause as well.
This can be found on line.
TURNING BIG PIECES OF MEAT - One of the most frustrating things when cooking turkeys, chickens and roasts is handling them without damaging or dropping them. Then I thought about using rubber gloves. They worked great. They stop your your hands from burning and it makes rotatating or placing it on the serving plate so much easier.Don't use them for handling the roasting pan, just do that the old fashion way, with a pot holder.
WARTS - See Age Spots.
WEAK NAILS - See HAIR LOSS. Eating excessive amounts of raw cabbage and raw cabbage-like foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, etc., can cause nails to split or peal off from the sides.
WOOD CONDITIONER - I have used lemon oil and furniture polish and always felt that it dried up too fast. I learned from my mate that he used Vaseline instead and he said that it worked better than anything. He proved this to me when his little wood backgammon board had dried up and the wood had warped, actually popping out the nails holding it together. He rubbed a thick coat of the Vaseline all over the wood parts and let it sit overnight. The wood soaked up the Vaseline and straightened right out, looking rich and like new!
Vaseline is a little thick for doing large pieces of furniture, so spread it as thin as you can and then use the lemon oil and a rag to rub it in. Don't use vegetable oils, because they dry to a sticky quality.
YEAST INFECTIONS - A neighbor who has suffered severely from the problem for a long time, had tried everything, One day recently, she put a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in her douche and used it a minimum of once a day, usually twice and it completely cleared up. She now usually has no need to use it except on a rare occasion.
She had previously used Difulcan, Monostat, Betadine (which is Iodine) and vinegar, all of which cut back on symptoms, but never cured the problem
For the first time she is now trouble free and delighted to have found a remedy. This is good because excessive douching destroys the natural flora and can add to vaginal problems.
For information, contact lingho@earthlink.net
This booklet explains how common eating habits are often the major factor in keeping us from being healthy in body, mind and spirit.
It also
- discusses the need for supplementation of certain minerals that are seriously deficient in foods.
- identifies many of the toxins in foods and how best to avoid them.
- describes the characteristics of various foods, altering the generally accepted view of what food is thought to be and suggestion that many foods that are commonly eaten are often the source of our suffering, while many others can be extremely beneficial and healing.
- reveals some tricks for making it a lot easier to say no to detrimental eating.
- suggests how we can find the best food possible and beneficial ways to prepare it.
- offers Recipe concepts that suggest a simpler way to cook and eat, the purpose being to give you basic ideas so you can then devise your own recipes.
- is laid out in a notebook form to allow easy access to the information.
- is available for $20 including shipping.
Following is an excerpt from Eating to Feel Good
Sorting through the many theories, guides and practices related to achieving good health can be very time consuming and even though we may want to improve our diets and subsequently our health, most of us aren't all that interesting in or have the time to experiment with all the theories involved in good eating and nutrition.
There are also the myriad of books about losing weight that don't necessarily have anything to do with health at all. These diets often don't fulfill the promises they make and often get left by the wayside. Dieting should become a way of eating that one can live with for the rest of ones' life.
It just didn’t seem right to me that the foods I ate, that I thought were supposed to nourish, give life, strength and energy, should leave me feeling so depleted, and so I began a personal quest for a healthy feeling. My good fortune was in reaching adulthood during the baby boomer, health food revolution. During this time I rejected many of the traditional eating habits as I decided that solutions to my problems were otherwise available.
I thought the answers would be simple, but it has taken years of researching existing nutritional books and experimenting with many of their concepts to determine what is actually valuable, useful information and what isn't. It became apparent that the truths, in almost every single book on nutrition, are enmeshed in confusion, misinformation and contradiction.
For more than 30 years, I have consistently analyzed and modified my diet, as well as discovered the crucial need for specific essential supplements.
Now in my 50’s, I have reached a stage of clarity and energy that is superior to my youth. The profound change in my life compelled me to share the results of my experimentation with my friends and as time went by, it became apparent that I had to write it all down.
So now, as a practitioner of this nutritional lifestyle, I offer this book for your examination and use, so you can deduce for yourself how the application of this information can make a difference in your personal mental clarity, physical strength and spiritual peace.
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