Let’s discuss , ask and share natural remedies! ☺️

Not About Food
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Natural remedies : including but not limited to homeopathy, Ayurvedic remedies, herbal, natural, unconventional, Eastern remedies, tribal remedies, etc.

I’ve been interested in this for decades with my severe medical conditions. Here are some of my favorites:

Pain relief: arnica Montana and hemp. I LOVE this store on Etsy and her arnica & hemp salve works wonder for me! I have cervical spinal damage and other damage from a car accident, and this helps immensely. I can’t take OTC and prescription painkillers due to another medical condition, so this is a godsend. Occasionally I take arnica via pill, usually Hylands, as needed.

Migraine relief: two places on Etsy have a headache relief cream that helps a lot. I apply on the back of my neck. Ingredients in both are mint of some sort. I don’t know if this means that mint tea helps migraines.

Soap: mostly goat milk or otherwise handmade soaps. I use this for shampoo and conditioner. I think it makes my hair healthier, but most importantly it helps me keep certain chemicals out of my life.

** question: menstrual cramps (sorry to all the men out there about being blunt … but if you have women in your life they all know what I’m referring to). :sweat_smile:. I used to take two ibuprofen a month and that helped, but I can’t take ibuprofen anymore. It’s a quandary. Then my doctor said acetaminophen but I can’t take that either and haven’t bought it for decades due to liver illness. Hm. I just bought a salve for this and also some homeopathic pills from Amazon. Anyone have any other ideas?

I can’t take ibuprofen because I’m being treated for a chronic and possibly terminal stage 4 illness, hence the motivating factor for life changes. :smiling_face::smile::paw_prints::paw_prints:

I also bought a book on Ayurvedic remedies so I am diving into that slowly.

I love fennel seeds as natural after dinner bites.

Turmeric is my close friend.

And hot food helps with migraines, sometimes.

:blush:

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Have you tried adding a couple cups of strong black coffee to your migraine relief regiment??

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Oh yes!! Definitely coffee, black, strong. :smile:. Every morning and if headache warrants. I also do some types of stretching. Coffee helps with my digestives too. My gastrointestinal (stage 4) and nervous systems (car accident) are fascinating and working hard to keep me afloat. :grin::paw_prints::paw_prints:

Other food related things:
CSA member
Raw milk (I get half a gallon a week… fascinating literature on this)
Kefir - waiting for my grains to arrive in mail to start making.
I have also tried unsuccessfully to make sauerkraut… trying again now.

Right now I’m reading “Eat to Beat Disease” which is a good read. I’ve read it before but good to keep my brain fresh.

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“menstrual cramps”

You must be on the younger side. Back in my day it was a cup of hot tea and a hot water bottle.:slightly_smiling_face: Great idea for a thread! Not sure how long it will last though. Some forums frown on homemade remedy type threads because of liability issues. The way I look at it is, let people make up their own mind what might work for them.

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Hahaha! Maybe young but I suppose it’s relative. 42 (literally had to check and make sure). :joy::joy: the attorney in me just skimmed the “house rules” and this thread violates none, even if one stretches the rules like salt water taffy. :roll_eyes::joy::joy: I hope folks share their experiences. I learn(-ed) so much from others. Like homeopathy - a friend of mine introduced me to that…thinking…12 years ago? She was very informative on the topic and got some type of certification in same. :paw_prints::paw_prints:

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re lower back pain My go to is an ice pack. The gel kind, kept in the freezer, wrapped in an envelop I made from a terry washcloth.

re arthritic hand pain Soak in hot as tolerable salt water. Epsom, or as I’ve been using, Himalayan pink salt, just cause I happen to have a pound that was going unused.

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Epsom salts and soak!! :eyes: Something I have not tried! Not sure why. A farmer I know told me that she soaks in a bath with epsom salts, and I think my friends husband too. Hm. I should buy some.

Ice packs! I need to find some now. My right arm is feeling sore (might have overdone it with strength training and yard work yesterday… and then today I shredded one too cabbages). :roll_eyes::paw_prints::paw_prints:

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I can’t count the number of times I have flown cross-country with an ice pack wedged down the back of my slacks! Even occasionally asked attendants for ice refills for ziplocs! Needs must, and this works!

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I may be the resident hippie chick on this one…as always, this is not medical advice and you should always discuss this with your own medical professionals, etc., etc.

White willow bark was the bio-original that led to old fashioned aspirin. The capsules may help for pain relief.

My mom and several friends have reported migraine relief with fenugreek.

I keep echinacea and goldenseal on hand for respiratory infections. I no longer see the doctor like clockwork for chronic sinus infections. (Those of childbearing age need to be very careful with goldenseal).

Valerian root is commonly used as a sleep aid in Europe because it isnt habit forming and its very hard to overdose (and even then the reaction is usually to be violently ill). Ive been taking it for years.

My knee and ankle pain stopped completely when I started taking tart cherry juice and turmeric.

I subscribe to a newsletter called the Peoples Pharmacy…the couple that write it have a show on NPR and Ive found quite a few solutions on their progeam.

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Not sure if this is an option where you reside, but cannabis - both THC & CBD - can be helpful for pain management, anxiety, PTSD, depression, IBS, etc. etc.

I’ve used CBD salve on arthritic joints, but did not find relief myself. Some patients claim a topical can even relieve menstrual cramps.

Unlike many of my fellow Germans, I am skeptical about the usefulness of most OTC/natural/homeopathic tinctures, salves, or magical “super foods,” the effectiveness of which is often overhyped. Two examples come to mind: I’ve found echinacea to do zilch, and black kohosh (that was supposed to help with night sweats) did nothing, either.

The only ‘natural’ remedy I take & find has some effect is the occasional melatonin.

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I sympathize with you and your kitty’s issues, and I guess you’re correct in that there’s no TOS violation, but as far as I’m concerned health problems and remedies are entirely off-topic for this board. There are literally hundreds of other places for discussion of cramps, backaches, holistic treatments, and pet health. Love ya but I don’t want to see them here, thanks for reading.

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You could unfollow or even mute this thread.

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I understand that.

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Believe it or not, I actually share your skepticism…i will look up actual clinical trials (especially double-blind and peer-reviewed) to see the effectiveness before I try something new.

The only homeopathic I take is Oscillococcinum… I have read about homeopathy and give it serious side eye…but i also know if if I take Oscillo at the first sign of a cold it usually clears up. Placebo? Maybe…I don’t really think its sound science, but then again…I feel better and dont end up at the doctor’s office without causing myself harm. Im ok with that.

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Interesting about white willow bark! I think one of my pain salves has that listed as an ingredient. I have also taken valerian root from time to time which has helped me fall asleep. I get chronic insomnia from time to time. I will look up the peoples pharmacy, I hadn’t heard about that until your post, thank you :smiling_face:

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Hippocrates is quoted with saying: “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

To that end, a thread about health remedies in the form of food or otherwise ingested natural items is probably one of the most appropriate thread topics for “Not about food” within the context of this site, on a sliding scale, should one want to make such subjective assessments.

I am sorry you feel disturbed or (Insert word of choice) by this and one of my other threads. Please kindly ignore or do not read this thread.

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Thank you for your post, I have not tried CBD but have friends of friends who have with some success. I also appreciate your skepticism. I spend a lot of time reading and researching remedies, food and it’s relationship to the body, etc. and definitely what works for one or even many may not for another. The human body has soooooooo many known and unknown variables that I am of the school of thought that medicine is more of an art, than science. This is by no means to discount medicine at all, my uncle and cousin being physicians. It’s just a humble fact, there are so many variables that sometimes the best diagnostician is the honest self, in terms of what works, what doesn’t, and what one is experiencing, etc.

The engineer in me also believes our bodies are basically energy balances, and what goes in will work it’s magic and come out in some manifestation. :sweat_smile:. I also am in a position where’ I’ve had to adjust my life my entire life to account for my health so some people think I’m super healthy, they just don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.

Germany - my late father spent time there! German was one of the languages he is certified fluent in (he told me: read, write, speak, listen, and basically the vocabulary of a first year university student). :smile: I’ve never been, my sister has. Someday, perhaps. Until then I live vicariously through others and their accounts. :smiling_face:

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Some homeopathic stuff works for me, like arnica for pain, and some might not, but I try often just in case as the better (for me) to the pharmaceutical alternatives. :smile: Interestingly enough, “zicam” is actually a homeopathic remedy (there’s like super small print on the packaging that labels it as homeopathic). It’s mostly zinc, I believe, in homeopathic form. :smile: I have some at home.

If you are ever bored and in need of more reading, there’s some interesting articles online about raw milk and it’s health benefits. One article was written by the man who founded the Mayo Clinic, speaking its praise. I also found (but then lost…ugh) a very old patent application for a disease cure based on the raw milk theories. To me it was fascinating. And Raw milk does taste sweeter than pasteurized. :smile:

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I used to suffer from extreme migraines. Ones that had me literally banging my head into a wall because that pain felt better. This was before many doctors believed they existed. Once they came out with different medicines for them, that changed. The pain led me to the ER on a few occasions. The shots worked best but they were very expensive. What ended up working for me ultimate was a change in lifestyle. First was making sure I ate regular meals but more importantly I make sure I drink plenty of water threw out the day. Don’t just chug it all in one sitting. These two changes made a significant dent in the number and severity of them. My thanks to the Dr at UCLA who spent the time to figure out how my daily routine was harming me. They went away completely when I moved out of the city. I don’t know if the was due to stress, air quality, or some other unknown.

I suspect that headache relief cream has a menthol effect from the mint. I could see how that would give some relief for minor ones. I found that sniffing essential oils helped with minor ones. Peppermint and Rosemary. I think it might have just helped to calm me. A sort of distraction for my brain. It is a better solution than banging ones head against a wall. :face_with_head_bandage: :face_with_spiral_eyes:

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If you ever have the chance to visit Berlin in the summer months I would be delighted to show you around. It’s a great city with much to offer for anyone, really.

My body’s become a mystery to me as of recent, and nothing that used to help has any impact anymore, so… exciting new experiences… I guess :roll_eyes:

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