Stop mosquito bite itch!

I got a hot tip from Twitter tonight from Cindy at "Living in Rhyme - Whole Life Wellness"

She said to take the itch from mosquito bites, dab on a bit of lavender essential oil.

I'm going to try it!

Meanwhile, if I had used some sense before I went to the garden, I wouldn't have been bitten. I know that splashing on a bit of vanilla from my kitchen cupboard will keep them away. The best part is, you smell good and don't get any yucky chemicals on your skin.

Natural Remedies for Gout & Arthritis

I've never experienced gout, but from what friends tell me, it's one of the most painful conditions known to humans. There is a prescription drug that keeps it at bay and my neighbor has been taking it every day for about 30 years.

If you prefer not to take a drug every day for life, or if you're sensitive to drugs, you might want to try natural remedies first.

According to the Journal of Nutrition (June 2003 & April 2006) sweet cherries have anti-inflamatory properties that help against both gout and arthritis.

Both sweet and sour cherries block an enzyme that causes inflammation.

The drawback, as with many natural remedies, is that you don't always get instant relief. It can take two or three weeks of using cherry juice daily before you see a real difference in your pain levels.

However... I had an elderly friend who had been suffering from gout and his doctor hadn't even offered anything for relief. He happened to mention it to a clerk in a grocery store one day and she told him to get cranberry juice and start drinking it immediately. He did, and by morning his pain was gone. He was pretty upset at his doctor for not telling him there was such an easy cure.

Thus, different bodies / different results.

Maybe you don't want to use Zicam

According to the FDA, there have been more than 130 reports of loss of the sense of smell after using Zicam products. These zinc-based products include the nasal gels and nasal swabs.

If this was a temporary loss, it wouldn't be so bad, but there seems to be no way to reverse the action. Those afflicted appear to have permanently lost their sense of smell.

130 people is a small percentage of those who have used the products, but even one is too many if it's you!

I think I'd rather have a few days of congestion than take the risk, how about you?

Rebound Headaches Caused by Pain Relievers

In our over-medicated society, people are now suffering from headaches caused by too much pain relief!

Anti-inflammatory drugs used to relieve arthritis pain are, quite understandably, being over used, since arthritis pain is more than a once-in-a-while thing. This is not just prescription drugs, but over the counter drugs such as Advil, Aleve, and Motrin IB.

The result, for many people, is headaches that occur just as soon as the medicine wears off. According to a report by Joe Saper,M.D., director of the Michigan Headache adn Neurological Institute, this is the result of brain receptors becoming overly sensitized.

Those who find themselves with worsening headaches may want to consider a topical medicine for arthritis pain, or non-drug approaches such as fish oil, boswellia, ginger, or turmeric.

Another recent report gives a second reason to cut back on these drugs. New studies are showing that continual use can lead to liver failure.

Meanwhile, because of recent deaths due to overdose, some are calling for stricter controls on over-the-counter drugs. While I do feel sorry for the families of those who over-do it, I sure don't want to see the day when we won't be allowed to keep a bottle of aspirin on the shelf!

I know my views on personal responsibility are not politically correct, but I just don't think I need Big Brother protecting me from myself.

Really, it's all ridiculous, since the same people who would limit our use of Tylenol or Advil are perfectly willing to approve drugs whose side-effects can kill, even when used according to prescribed directions.

What do you think?