heal yourself!

[Lotus]

I'm an idiot on land- I was much better suited for water! I trip over stuff, bang my legs into every corner in my house and crash my mountain bike WAAAYYY to often. In a nutshell, I get injured a lot. I have health insurance, but the ER and Doctors are expensive anyway and so I am learning the fine art of self healing! (For NON-LIFE OR LIMB THREATENING INJURIES AND ILLNESSES) I'll share some of what I've learned as I go!
Witch hazel! soak a washcloth in it, apply to bumps and/or bruises, cover with saran wrap and an ace bandage. Leave it there for a couple hours. It really helps with pain and inflammation.

Activated charcoal- you can get this in capsules at a health food store, or at least that's how I do it. They are in the digestive health section. make a paste with the charcoal (after it's out of the cap of course) and water and spread it over gauze or a paper towel large enough to cover the affected area, top with another layer of gauze or towel, lay the damp poultice over the area you are treating, cover with saran wrap and wrap with an ace bandage- NOT TOO TIGHT, you don't want to impede blood flow- and leave it there for 8-10 hours. The charcoal draws out toxins and helps reduce pain and swelling over bad bruises, wounds that have formed a scab, arthritis ect. DO NOT put a charcoal poultice over a fresh bloody wound. And remember to stay on top on your tetanus shots. I'll add more stuff as I go along and when I have the time.

[AptaMer]

An old family doctor gave me an interesting tip.

If you get an infected cut that seems like it won't heal up, get some pure soap like Ivory or whatever. Cut a bunch of shavings into a cup, then add warm water and mix well to form a thick soap solution. Soak the region with the cut in this warm solution for at least 20 minutes every day. I've tried this several times and it has worked every time.

[Lotus]

thanks AptaMer! I'll put up my recipe for home made healing salve when I have more time.

[Miyu]

I use tea tree oil A LOT. Seriously, I usually have 2 - 3 bottles of this stuff. It's a great anti-septic, soothes bites and scrapes, and diluted it is great for the scalp - I usually put a few drops in my homemade hair tonics, which I keep in the fridge, and it soothes itchy, flaky, or sunburned scalp. I used to use it so much when I had dreadlocks to soothe my scalp. It also can help dry up a pimple pretty well

I don't use rubbing alcohol or peroxide on a wound - studies have found that it actually destroys all types of cells, including skin cells, which leads to scarring and longer heal time. I wash a wound with Dr. Bronner's soap (I use lavender because it's the most gentle scent - mint and eucalyptus can burn a bit), rinse, then dress with some triple antibiotic ointment. after it's healed up a bit I'll put some tea tree oil on if it needs it, but it usually doesn't if you just gently clean it and dress it with ointment every day. I also use a homemade herbal salve a friend made for me if I think the skin really needs some help (I have have really, REALLY thin skin, so if I get a real wound, I have to baby the skin so I don't get horrible scars).

Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of "medical needs" can be solved by putting the right things IN your body as well as ON it. Green tea is one thing that really seems to help everyone I know - it strengthens your immune system and speeds up cell production, as well as getting rid of free radicals. To really take it up a notch, add raw honey (local is best, but raw is better than regular processed honey). It bolsters the immune system, is nutrient-dense, fights off allergies (especially if you buy a local brand), and can be found in many stores right next to the regular honey! If not, find a farmer's market near you for even more savings in bulk, and knowing exactly where it comes from. Raw honey is also great for bee stings and facial masks, among other things, and tastes divine! Just make sure to add it when your tea is cooled down enough to keep your finger in for five seconds - otherwise you'll start the cooking process.

I try to keep some ibuprofen and aspirin around - they can not only relieve pain but also reduce swelling and inflammation. You can also crush it and mix with water to relieve severe tooth pain - swish around in mouth a couple of seconds, just to get the affected tooth surrounded, then drink. This worked so well for me one day when an infected tooth was so painful I couldn't even stand up. I was an incoherent crying blob, my bf had to stand me up, walk me to the sink, and hold the cup for me. In less than five minutes I was able to go to sleep (I'd been trying to sleep for hours).

Another thing for tooth pain - salt water rinse. You get used to the taste after a while, and it really helps a lot, and turns into a sort of comforting ritual. In case you couldn't tell, I really need to go to the dentist :P

Garlic should be eaten as often as possible. Fresh bulbs are cheap and last a while. I try to use it as lightly cooked as possible so as to get the best benefits, but almost any time food is cooked in our house, there's garlic being used. Garlic is a natural antiseptic/biotic/fungal/bacterial and is SERIOUSLY my desert-island medicine. If I could have one thing to keep my health for the rest of my life, it would be garlic. It's a wonder food! In addition to all that, garlic "tea" works better for me than any antibiotic my doctor gives me. I used to have a problem with getting UTIs chronically - I'd be in the hospital several times a month! And prescription antibiotics are expensive and wreak havoc on my body. I found that if you crush a few cloves of garlic, put in a glass, pour over some boiling water, let steep/cool for a few, then add a bit of honey (and lemon if you'd like)... drink it all, do that 2-3x a day for a few days and it clears up most problems I need antibiotics for, without the side effects and in a quicker time!

Speaking of antibiotics side effects, I find that, being a woman, strong antibiotics can create a bacterial imbalance in *ahem* certain areas - that is, antibiotics kill ALL bacteria, including the good ones your body needs! A dentist recommended eating yogurt while taking antibiotics needed to recover from extracting a tooth. It helped a lot! I mean, it's been a problem for years, and I finally found out I just didn't eat enough fermented foods! I try to get the yogurt-iest of the yogurts, Greek yogurt. It has so many good stuffs in there, and tastes great! My favorite is Greek Gods brand honey yogurt. It's amazeballs. I haven't eaten "regular" yogurt in years, because it's like... yogurt "soup" to me, and that's if it doesn't have a ton of added sugar and flavorings and colours and stuff haha! Other probiotic foods are things like sauerkraut (not the stuff in a can), kefir, kombucha, and miso.

I guess there's a lot of other things I do to keep from going to the doctor (and increasing my lifespan), but they're so integrated into my daily routine I'll have to think about what it is I do differently... If you guys want. I know I can talk an ear off :P Hope all this helps!

[MaskedNightingale]

I use tea tree oil A LOT. Seriously, I usually have 2 - 3 bottles of this stuff. It's a great anti-septic, soothes bites and scrapes, and diluted it is great for the scalp - I usually put a few drops in my homemade hair tonics, which I keep in the fridge, and it soothes itchy, flaky, or sunburned scalp. I used to use it so much when I had dreadlocks to soothe my scalp. It also can help dry up a pimple pretty well

Good to keep in mind. I have a bottle of that and now I know another use for it.

[Lotus]

I LOVE tea tree oil as well! I made a home-made healing salve for a nasty leg injury and it worked great! Here's the recipe-
1 teaspoon beeswax
1 teaspoon calendula oil (soothes irritated skin)
1 teaspoon grape seed oil (weightless carrier oil that will not clog pores)
1 teaspoon pure emu oil (totally amazing anti-inflammatory)
.75 teaspoon tea tree oil (skin soothing, antiseptic, cooling)
.25 teaspoon lavandar oil (skin soothing, relaxing scent)
put it all together in a small pot over SUPER low heat. When the beeswax has totally melted, pour it into a glass jar ( I save jars from Tiger balm, glass vitamin and face cream jars, ect. ) and let cool before capping and storing. This recipe makes 5 tps of salve, so when you pick a jar make sure it'll hold that much first. You can use plastic containers, but you gotta let it cool for a while before you transfer it. Obviously you can make this using any oils with healing properties depending on what you need it for. This can be used on broken skin, but not fresh bloody wounds. I do what Moonlight does and wash with Dr. Bronners and use antibiotic ointment until the healing process has started and I NEVER use rubbing alcohol or peroxide on wounds. I learned that from my vet, funny as it sounds. (I had a VERY accident prone horse once upon a time)
An amazing sore muscle salve goes like this-
1 tsp beeswax
1 tsp grape seed oil
2.5 tsp Emu oil
2 tsp arnica oil (reduces pain and inflammation)
.25 tsp peppermint oil (cooling)
.25 tsp eucalyptus oil (cooling, muscle relaxer)
.25 tsp white camphor oil (cooling, muscle relaxer, slight numbing properties)
Same method as above to make it, but this one makes almost 8 teaspoons, so measure and plan accordingly. Please note, arnica CANNOT be applied to broken skin. I use this for sore joints and muscles, not wounds. As I mentioned before, you can tweak these recipes however you want for the job at hand- Basically, the ratio of oils to beeswax is 1-4, so you can adjust as needed. I always include a carrier oil in the mix because some oils are too strong for skin neat (undiluted)
You can also make your own solid perfume with oils and beeswax- 2 tsp wax, 2 tsp carrier oil and 45-50 drops of any mix of oils you really like. cook as above and pour- but go quick with this one cuz it hardens FAST.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Anything for a sore neck?

[ShyMer]

If your neck is muscle sore, use a microwave rice bag. I make my own in whatever shapes I need, but they're available to buy with different fillers as well. Flax seed is nice if you can find it, and I've heard cherry pits are great too, but I just use rice because it's cheap and I always have it.

I make my bags with a sleeve so it stays hot longer, doesn't burn my skin, and I can wash it.

I use my bag for everything- headaches, backaches, muscle soreness, and cramps are my main ones.

I do want to say that if it's an inflammation issue, it's supposed to be better to ice it than use heat.

[Mermaid Matanzas]

For a sore throat that is caused by a cold or allergies, mint can bring it some relief! They do have minty cough drops, but I chew on mint leaves or winter mint gum, and its a great way of fast, temporary relief.

And for that time of month, exercise as much as your able during your period to do to prevent blood clotting. Eat lots of iron-rich foods if you're an exceptionally heavy bleeder to avoid getting dizzy or becoming anemic from the loss if blood. Mines so bad I have to take iron supplements (bleck), that are affordable over-the-counter pills.

[Miyu]

Lotus: LOL, I also learned about not using alcohol and peroxide because our dog (Dachshund/Jack Russel) picked a fight with a Pit Bull once, and we figured we'd stop using such nasty chemicals on our skin. Then when my bf had to go to the hospital for a concussion, they used baby shampoo! And told us that after some recent studies, the whole hospital had stopped using those things because they kill skin.

ShyMer: Oh man, I love rice bags! I hadn't ever thought of making a sleeve, that sounds like a good idea

I've also heard that for stiffness/soreness, alternating hot/cold packs works well to really relax your muscles. It's worked pretty well when my neck tenses up so bad I can't move it all, and also for my crippling leg cramps (which I try to fight off with lots of potassium-rich foods, like banana, yogurt, or greens - I eat lots of greens)