Natural Remedies for Eczema

Depending on where you live, this time of year can really agitate Eczema. Eczema is an allergic condition that can be aggravated by diet, household cleaners, soaps, laundry detergents and perfumes.

When prescription creams fail, here are some Natural Remedies that work...

• Avoid using commercial Gels, Soaps, Shampoos and Conditioners: popular brands of personal care products contain dyes, synthetic fragrances and chemicals that cause allergies and dry, irritated skin. Click HERE to learn more.

• Avoid using all commercial Laundry Detergents and Dryer Sheets: chemicals found in your favorite detergent cause allergies and are irritating to skin, too. Make natural choices like Borax, Thieves Household Cleaner concentrate from Young Living, Seventh Generation, etc.

• Essential Oils: Blend 3 drops of Lavender or Roman Chamomile with 2 drops of Peppermint into 1 oz of jojoba or unscented, all-natural lotion. Lavender and Roman Chamomile help to reduce inflammation and heal the skin while Peppermint relieves itch.

• Baking Soda Baths: follow directions on package

• Humidify: running a humidifier may help to counterbalance dryness from furnace heat

• Shower head filter: replace current shower filter with one that filters out chlorine and other irritants

• Jojoba: this is a great natural moisturizer! Jojoba is baby friendly and most like our own skin's oil (sebum) but it's not oily! Massage well on location before bedtime or after a shower. Click HERE to learn more.

• Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Castile Soap: a gentle, natural, biodegradable replacement to bar soap, bath gels and laundry detergent. Click HERE to learn more.

• Read: understand the health implications of vaccines by reading the package inserts. Surprise!: Eczema is listed as a side effect on most inserts.

• Satin Facial Scrub Mint (a product from Young Living): this product exfoliates and soothes skin magically! Massage well into patches; then shower or rinse. Click HERE to order.

• Dry Brushing: learn all about it at drybrushing.net

• Supplementation: Ask your local Naturopathic Doctor or Chiropractor about Vitamin D, Cod Liver Oil and Omega 3 supplements to support skin health.

• For more natural solutions to Eczema from Dr. Mercola, click HERE.

I Haven't Got Time for Pain Meds

FDA admits that all Anti Inflammatories (Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex, Aleve or Naprosyn, Aspirin, Ibuprofen) May Kill You (lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems), USA Today December 23, 2004; USA Today December 20, 2004

Vioxx and Celebrex May Affect Kidneys, Annals of Internal Medicine 2000;133:1-9

Painkillers Increase Risk of Miscarriage, British Medical Journal August 16, 2003

NSAIDs Up Risk of 2nd Bout of Heart Failure, Archives of Internal Medicine February 11, 2002;162:265-270

How Vioxx and Celebrex Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack, Science April 19, 2002;296:539-541

Vioxx and Celebrex Overprescribed to Millions of Americans, Archives of Internal Medicine January 24, 2005;165(2):171-7

Advil and Aleve May Make Blood Pressure Rise, Archives of Internal Medicine. October 28, 2002;162:2204-2208

Aspirin & Ibuprofen Can Increase Your Breast Cancer Risk by 50%, Journal of the National Cancer Institute June 1, 2005, Vol. 97, No. 11: 805-812

Tylenol Most Common Cause of Liver Failure, Hepatology December 2005

Aspirin and Tylenol suppress body's ability to produce antibodies to destroy cold virus, Journal of Infectious Disease, December, 1990

Taking > 1 tablet a day of Tylenol or 1,000 tablets over extended period doubles risk of kidney damage, New England Journal of Medicine, 1994

Tylenol May Cause Asthma, European Respiratory Journal November, 2000; 16:1-7 and British Medical Journal November 11, 2000;321:1178A

Tylenol Even at a Recommended Dose Can Harm Your Liver, Journal of the American Medical Association July 5, 2006, Vol. 296, No. 1: 87-93; Yahoo News July 4, 2006; Los Angeles Times July 5, 2006

Out with the Old, In with the New

Sadly, the very popular cleaning products that we've come to know, trust and sometimes love contain synthetic chemicals that have been linked to:

Cancer, Parkinson's, ADHD, Allergies, Asthma, Contact Dermatitis, Migraines, Depression, Reduced Fertility, Birth Defects, Headaches, Respiratory disorders, Dizziness, Lymphoma, Leukemia, Tumors, Pollution, etc.

These synthetic chemicals are toxic to children, pets, our water supply, our ecosystem.

In starting a new year, we could place these unhealthy, unnecessary products in a box and store away from the home. Please recycle them at your local recycling center on Hazardous Waste day.

Out with the Old:
* All
* Tide
* Ajax
* Tilex
* Lysol
* Glade
* Bleach
* Comet
* Windex
* Febreze
* Perfume
* Dryer sheets
* Simple green
* Clorox wipes
* Fragrant candlesIn with the New!
* Ecos laundry detergent
* Dr. Bronner's Castile soap
* White Distilled Vinegar
* Thieves household concentrate
* Seventh Generation dish soap
* Baking soda (alum-free preferred)
* Arm & Hammer Super Washing soda
* Essential Oils (Pine, Lemon, Tea Tree, Purification eo blend, Citrus Fresh eo blend, Christmas Spirit eo blend)

To learn more about cleaning without synthetic chemicals, please visit the Home Green Home page of my website.

Local Food in the winter

Local greens, root vegetables and garlic, etc., are still abundant during winter months in upstate New York through local CSA's.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  When you purchase a winter membership in a CSA, you'll receive local, fresh produce all winter long.

Here are some examples:

Blue Heron Farm in Lodi, NY
http://blueheronorganic.com/wintercsa.htm 

Genesee Valley CSA in Rochester, NY
http://www.gvocsa.org/About-GVOCSA.aspx  

Good Food Collective in Rochester, NY
http://thegoodfoodcollective.com/winter-share/membership/

Full Plate Farm Collective in Ithaca, NY
http://fullplatefarms.webs.com/ithacawintercsa.htm 

Sweet Land Farm in Trumansburg, NY
www.sweetlandfarm.org

Recipes: Essential Oil Blending Holiday Open House

Creating Essential Oil gifts for family and friends is a very special process because it involves the heart AND our sense of smell - a sense that is unique to each of us.

The gifts that that were created today were magical, personal - and smelled just amazing! Here is just a small sample of the amazing gifts that were created today.LAURA'S BLENDSBody Scrub 8 oz glass jar filled with sea and epsom salts, raw, organic sugar, jojoba
5 drops of Grapefruit
5 drops of Lavender
5 drops of Lemon
5 drops of Lemongrass

Blend for a friend with Restless Leg2 oz jar filled with Unscented Aromalotion
10 drops of Lavender
10 drops of Cypress
7 drops of Cedarwood
5 drops of Marjoram
5 drops of Tangerine

ANNE'S BLENDS
Hand Sanitizer for Natural Protection from Cooties2 oz snap top filled with pure aloe vera gel
4 drops of Cinnamon
4 drops of Orange
4 drops of Clove

Salve for Cold, Flu, Congestion, Winter Blues2 oz natural salve made with local beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter and jojoba
6 drops of Balsam Fir
5 drops of Thyme ct thymol
9 drops of Grapefruit
7 drops of Peppermint
8 drops of Eucalyptus radiata

CATHY'S BLENDSBody Scrub
8 oz jar filled with sea and epsom salts, raw, organic sugar, jojoba
6 drops of Grapefruit
6 drops of Tangerine
6 drops of Ginger

Salve for Cold, Flu, Congestion, Winter Blues2 oz natural salve made with local beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter and jojoba
7 drops of Lemon
7 drops of Orange
6 drops of Peppermint
4 drops of Melaleuca alternifolia
7 drops of Eucalyptus globulus

HANNAH & ELLIOT'S BLEND
Morning Shower Gel for Dad
2 oz Dr. Bronner's castile soap baby mild
3 drops of Peppermint
8 drops of Siberian Fir
5 drops of Lemon

ANN'S BLENDSSalve2 oz natural salve made with local beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter and jojoba
4 drops of Lavender
3 drops of Jasmine
3 drops of Cinnamon
2 drops of Clove

Salve2 oz natural salve made with local beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter and jojoba
5 drops of Ginger
5 drops of Lemon
5 drops of Vanilla absolute

Body Massage Oil / Natural Perfume 2 oz glass dropper jar filled with jojoba 5 drops of Bergamot
6 drops of Frankincense
3 drops of Lavender
3 drops of Vintage Patchouli
4 drops of Sandalwood

PATTY'S BLENDBody Scrub
8 oz jar filled with sea and epsom salts, raw, organic sugar, jojoba
10 drops of Vanilla absolute
5 drops of Orange

Easy, Healthy Morning Smoothie

Blending up a healthy smoothie takes less than 5 minutes.

Drinking smoothies in the morning fill me up and inspire healthy choices the rest of the day.

Here are some healthy ingredients to have on hand. Take a few extra minutes one day a week to cut fruit so you're ready to go in the morning.

• Almond Butter
• Almond Milk or Rice Milk
• Bananas (organic)
• Blueberries (fresh or frozen organic)
• Cocoa Powder (pure, organic)
• Ground Flax Seed
• Kiwi
• Mango
• NingXia Red (or Chinese wolfberries) (Young Living)
• Pineapple
• Raspberries (fresh or frozen organic)
• Strawberries (fresh or frozen organic)
• Water (purified)
• Yogurt (plain, organic)

What's in your morning smoothie? I'd love to read your recipe. Comment and share your recipe here.

Gifts that Go Away

This time of year, it's easy to get caught up in the excessive and wasteful consumerism that takes place.

More than likely, items purchased from big box stores eventually go out of style, take up space collecting dust, end up in a landfill, garage or estate sale.

We can make conscious and smart choices when buying holiday gifts.  As much as possible, give "Gifts that Go Away", support local service providers, farmers and artisans, purchase "Made in the USA", shop local, buy handmade, or make your own.

• Jam
• Beer
• Wine
• Soap
• Salsa
• Bread
• Honey
• Facials
• Knitwear
• Car Wash
• Massages
• Chocolate
• Pedicures
• Manicures
• Apple Cider
• Raw Honey
• Herbal Teas
• Maple Syrup
• Yoga classes
• Movie Tickets
• Beeswax Candles
• Infused Herbal Oils
• Essential Oils (these are all grown and distilled in the USA by Young Living: Clary Sage, Juniper, Idaho Tansy, Idaho Balsam Fir, Lavender, Western Red Cedar, German Chamomile, Hyssop, Oregano, and Lavender)

photo source: flickr.com