Simple Home Remedies

I am always looking for drug-free ways to help common ailments. If I can go natural, I prefer to do so. Here are some home remedies I found recently:

1. Restless Leg Syndrome: Drink a 6-ounce glass of tonic water each night before bed until symptoms go away. Tonic water contains quinine, which stops repeated muscle contractions.

2. Headaches: Try do-it-yourself acupressure. Feel along your trapezius, the large muscle that runs from the high point of both shoulders and joins your neck. Use your thumbs, index, and middle fingers to squeeze the muscle just below where it attaches to both sides of your neck. You'll be releasing "trigger points," tiny muscle spasms that can cause neck tension and are a common cause of headaches. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute—or have a friend do it for you. Or try: massaging one or two drops of peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil into the same trigger points and the lower neck. Peppermint oil relaxes muscles in spasm. 

3. Sore Throat: Mix together a clove bud, which is antiseptic and fights infection, with ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger) and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon—the latter two because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Infuse the tea in 2 cups boiling water, and for every cup, stir in 2 teaspoons soothing and sweet raw honey. Sip throughout the day until your throat settles down. 

4. Brain Freeze: The second you feel a brain freeze coming on, put your tongue to the roof of your mouth. The heat from your tongue will calm the nerves and reduce pain faster.

5. Sleeping problems: Have a good night's rest with this triple-threat sleep aid! Tart cherry contains a healthy dose of all-natural melatonin that assists in getting good-quality sleep.Try swapping your midnight snack with an 8-ounce glass of tart cherry juice and bring on the Zs!




*Reposted from prevention.com and doctoroz.com

Dry Dog Shampoo

I've been looking for a recipe for dry dog shampoo. I know you can buy them from the store but as some of you know, I'm health minded and cautious of the ingredients added in everyday things. I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback that is an outdoor dog. I bathe him with homemade wet shampoo and a hose during the warmer months but have been stumped as to how to bathe him in the colder months. I have been researching homemade dry shampoo but couldn't find one that I could actually do with ingredients in my pantry. I have taken a recipe for human dry shampoo and a recipe for homemade wet dog shampoo and tweaked it to my liking, this is what I've come up with. I hope you like it.

Dry Dog Shampoo

1/4 cup ground oatmeal
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Chamomile tea bag contents (I opened bagged and poured contents into the bowl, discarded bag)

*The original recipe calls for 1-2 drops of essential oil, I used the tea instead.*

Mix well in a bowl and add to a shaker for use. Shake onto dog and rub in. Brush out coat after you have rubbed in the powder. This works well for my dog, he is large and has a very thick coat. To test on small, short coat dogs, use sparingly.

Ornaments

As a follow up to my December 5, 2012 post, I am posting this year's St. Jude ornaments.  I have already ordered mine and I'm very excited to get them. I plan on giving more ornaments as gifts this year, I also purchased a few other things from the store as well. All the ornament artwork is produced by St. Jude patients, they are so adorable. Those of you that know me, know I'm kind of a penny pincher, if I'm going to spend money I'm going to make sure it's worth it. St. Jude is worth every penny. 100 percent of the profits, after all related expenses, benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Who wouldn't want to help children with cancer and/or other catastrophic diseases? Here is the link to the gift shop: http://giftshop.stjude.org/stjude/
I hope you purchase one for yourself or as a gift.