A new spin on old remedies

by Elaine Haynik — 

Editor’s Note:  Check with your health care provider before taking any new remedies or supplements.

The first ingredient in the recipe for a healthy life is a happy, grateful mindset. Rather than focusing on unsatisfying relationships or your disappointments and problems, try simply moving on. Set your mind and thoughts to gratitude and a positive outlook.

You have a choice to think and speak negative thoughts or to transform the dark ones into love, optimism and caring for others. In negativity, your body will collapse under fear, incorrect thinking and stress. But by renewing a childlike faith in what you value spiritually and realizing that you are not alone, you can begin to balance your body.

The next step is to treat the symptoms of your imbalance. Many of the following remedies have been around for a long time and can provide alternatives to using drugs for common ailments.

For better health, raise your pH to the alkaline range.

Raise your pH to the alkaline range. Drink a glass of water with 1/8 teaspoon baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon Celtic sea salt dissolved in it. You can substitute or add a packet of Emergen-C®. (A box of 30 packets is available at drugstores for less than $10.)

Headache — Dehydration is frequently the culprit. Drink water and an electrolyte mix, such as Emergen-C or Gatorade®. Rub Nature’s Sunshine® Tei Fu® lotion on the temples, back of neck and near your nostrils in order to inhale the healing aromas. Tei Fu lotion often works like magic. Lie down and breathe deeply. Have a light snack, if hungry. (Nature’s Sunshine products are available online or through a distributor.)

Sore throat — Gargle with warm salt water and/or suck on a zinc lozenge. Zinc disables germs on contact, so be sure it reaches your throat. Take an Airborne® tablet dissolved in water. (Like Alka-Seltzer®, it is available at most drugstores.) Chew bee pollen.

Detox — Maybe you ate out, and your stomach and/or intestines are not reacting well. Try food grade DE (diatomaceous earth) or hydrated bentonite clay. A teaspoon in juice should help; repeat 2 to 3 times. Take a warm bath with 1/2 cup Epsom salt and 1 tablespoon of baking soda.

Sinus pain — Treat as a fungus, but do not use antibiotics. Get off sugar. Learn to do a saline rinse of your sinuses. Do a Google or YouTube search for “saline rinse” or “Neti pot.” It takes practice, so watch the friendly folks online who will show you how. Nettles, an herb, can stop postnasal drip. Put coconut oil inside your nostrils or Vick’s® VapoRub® under them. Coconut oil is an anti-fungal that moisturizes and forms a barrier to germs. Use Sinusin™ nasal spray (see “virus” below).

Athlete’s foot and fungus on nails — Soak toes daily in a container filled with equal amounts of plain white vinegar and water. Continue this practice for several months, as the new nail must grow out from the bed, gradually pushing the old yellowed nail out. Or before sleeping, soak a cotton ball in vinegar and apply to toes or an itchy foot. This will also help to soothe an ingrown toenail.

Virus/herpes/shingles/mono — Prescription anti-fungals work well. If your doctor will write a prescription, try acyclovir, Diflucan or Valtrex.

For chronic problems, add more natural substances. Take iodine drops under your tongue daily (available at Sprouts or your health food store). Zinc and bee pollen stimulate the immune system. For cold sores, apply Zilactin cream. It will crust over the sore, stop the pain and heal amazingly fast.

An Algerian-born Israeli doctor discovered that elderberry can disable viruses, and subsequently developed the product Sambucol®, which is available in liquid form in most health food stores. Elderberry, in wine, herbal capsules or as tea, works very well. The amino acid L-lysine also inhibits the virus. Aloe vera juice — one tablespoon in juice twice a day — seems to have a gentle, healing effect on mucous membranes.

A highly recommended product from the Heel company (heelusa.com) is Sinusin, a nasal spray previously sold as Euphorbium spray. (It is available at health food stores or through a natural doctor.) This is a great way to administer (nasally) an anti-viral, which then helps the entire body. It can also be used topically on blisters from shingles.

For dermal nerve pain, try lidoderm patches, which are made of lidocaine, a topical anesthetic. Thirty patches come in the box, but they can be cut smaller and applied to painful areas on the face or skin. Although the patches are quite expensive, a prescription may be your best bet. You may also purchase them online. Olive leaf extract (liquid 2-ounce bottle from Herb Pharm) taken daily works against the virus, as well.

The herbs Melissa (also known as lemon balm) and peppermint are helpful to inhibit viral reproduction. A cup of peppermint tea a day can help. The herb valerian root is calming to the nerves. Betadine®, applied topically or used as a wash, is helpful for skin irritations, as it contains iodine. However, use with caution as many people are allergic to iodine, and it can leave brown stains.

Meningitis — This is a very serious illness, and the product I recommend is only good for comfort. Get the Arnica Rub®, a homeopathic cream by NatraBio®, and use it on the back of the neck to reduce pain and swelling.

All trauma — Illness or discomfort is a trauma to the body. Traumeel, available in an ointment or gel form, works well for stress and emotional upset and for any accident, stomachache, asthma attack or sports injury. Apply it to the temples, wrists or soles of the feet to affect the whole body. It can be applied to the chest, heart area, stomach and can be used for muscle aches. It also works on infants, does not require oral ingestion and does not interfere with other drugs. Traumeel is available at your health food store. Buy a tube to take with you when traveling.

Helpful tip: Cut out this article and tape it to the inside of your medicine cabinet. You will be glad you did.

Elaine Haynik of Scottsdale, Ariz., has been a practicing registered nurse and student of the alternative, natural approach to healing for 40 years, now temporarily retired. 

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 31, Number 1, Feb/Mar 2012.