DzrtskyHealing

03/05/2025

Bear fat is very useful!

This is a visual how-to guide on rendering bear fat, which can be used for a variety of purposes, including hair care and pain relief. These videos were take...

11/16/2023

White Willow Bark

Most people use white willow bark because they prefer a natural pain reliever. Although more potent versions are available, a good standard of Willow Bark extract, in capsule form, is 400mg with 15% Salicin (Solar Ray, Nature's Way, and NOW brands have been good). My experience with white willow bark has been outstanding. I have used it successfully for myself, my family, and clients for headaches, menstrual pains, back pain, and fever. White willow bark contains more than just salicin. It is the combination of salicin, flavonoids, polyphenols, and other constituents working together that assist the body in strengthening the immune system and aid in the reduction of fever, menstrual pains, headaches, and back pain. In my experience with clients, sometimes it works within 20 minutes of taking it, while with others, it takes a day or two before they notice an effect. Sometimes, it needs to build up in the body. It can also be used externally (in raw form) for conditions like psoriasis, acne, and other irritations. It is anti-viral and anti-bacterial. It also can prevent blood clots, which is why you should not take it if you are already taking a blood thinner. Do not take it if you are allergic to salicylates, if you are pregnant, or due to the danger of developing Reyes syndrome- if you are under 16.

Herbs are potent medicines, and it is essential to check for interactions between drugs and other herbal treatments you may be taking.

11/12/2023

Sore Throats:



A sore throat is usually a sign of an oncoming cold. Things like cold or dry air, having to talk a lot, and not getting proper rest can run your body down, which is the cause of many a sore throat, affecting the body’s ability to recover.



Here are a few simple ways to soothe a sore throat.



Be Aware – as soon as you notice that scratch, itch, or hoarseness, do something about it; do not wait. It is tempting to drink some fluids and call it done, but it is not. It usually comes back and worse.

Warm saltwater gargle: 1 teaspoon of pure salt (no anti-caking) with 1 cup of warm water. Gargle and spit. You can do this 3 times daily. If caught early enough, this takes care of most sore throats within a day or so.

Garlic. Your significant other may not want to kiss you, but you will fight off the vampires. One fat clove (about a teaspoon) of garlic is enough, or more if you like. Just peel it and start chewing it with your back teeth (molars) so that it can reach the back of the throat and kill the viruses causing the problem. Careful of an upset stomach by drinking some juice (I like it with cranberry juice), or some people enjoy taking it with some warm honey. I would not chew more than 2 a day to avoid stomach upset, but everyone has a different tolerance.

Colloidal Silver. Make sure that it is 50 ppm; this is the most effective. Open your mouth wide and use the dropper to put it on the back of the throat. Follow the package instructions on dosage. I write that as a word of caution, but I have been quite liberal with it without any problems.

Zinc lozenges. I would use these in combination with something else listed here.

Traditional Medicinals, “Throat Coat,” (an herbal tea) is available at most grocery stores in the coffee-tea section. If you feel something is coming on, this can be a lifesaver on your lunch break. It has a great combination of herbs to help soothe the throat. It is also helpful to gargle it while you drink it. Careful of any herbs that may interact with any medicines you may already be taking.

For those of you who may find stones in your tonsils. Gargling a Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar has had satisfactory results. You can also add it to 1 cup of water to reduce the stones gradually.

Remember to have good hand hygiene. Although hand sanitizer is excellent, nothing beats washing your hands. Wash them always before you eat and when you get home from work. We learned this habit as a family when our son was in preschool, and my husband worked at an international airport.



Sometimes, a virus moves to the nasal area, becoming a sinus infection. This is when you would use a neti pot or steam inhalation, as described in a previous post on this page.



As always, check to ensure that the solutions offered here will not interfere with any medications you may be taking or allergies you may have.

04/24/2023

Lionsmane is a great mushroom that helps with memory, mood, and focus. It has been known to regenerate brain cells, and assist in the nerve growth factor. Its affects accumulate over time. So this herb would be good in many cases - from hormonal changes like brain fog symptom of menopause in women, as part of a treatment for recovering alcoholics, and brain conditions like alzheimer's or dementia.

Do not take this herb if you are taking blood thinners or immuno suppressants.

As with any supplement, start with the lowest dose. For lionsmane, start at 500 mg per day, and add 250mg until you notice an improvement. Roughly 500-1000mg divided throughout the day.

It is available in different forms, tinctures, capsules, and can be cultivated at home (https://youtu.be/il9Ij5Y4TSc). Some people cook it up and eat it as a side dish.

Strength of extract - 10:1 extract / 30% polysaccharide

06/28/2022

One of the best ways to help your body overcome an shorten the duration of a cold is to use a steam inhalation. This works for symptoms in the throat or nasal congestion.

Use fresh cut herbs of rosemary, thyme, lavender, and or eucalyptus. Rosemary and thyme work very well. Just a few sprigs of rosemary will do and I like to add about a tablespoon of lavender. If you are able to do a fresh cutting (as you can also used dried or essential oils- just a few drops will do) make sure to rinse your herbs. Also be sure that your herbs have not been chemically sprayed. Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, and Peppermint are especially good if you are experiencing a lot of nasal congestion. Thyme is good for getting the stubborn stuff that wants to hang around.

Just put in a pot then cover with a little water and bring it to just a boil. Turn off stove and have a towel large enough to tent over your head and over the pot. As you lean over the pot, be careful not to put your hands on the hot part of the stove. Breath in deeply through your nose, through your mouth, even alternately if you so desire but be sure not to hyperventilate. The key is to breathe in deeply, relaxing. Use the towel lightly to contain the medicinal herbal steam. Do this for about 5 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day.

The steam helps to reach those deep places that are hard to get to with other methods. The medicinal steam also helps to kill viruses through herb oils and temperature. Some people even use a few drops of essential oil as a part of their steamy shower.

Another herb medicine is garlic. Just take a clove and eat it raw. Chew it toward the back of the mouth so that the potent cold fighting masticated juices touch the back of the throat. You should notice that cottony feeling go away. You will also feel a bit of a burn from the potent garlic juices, so have a glass of water or fruit juice (I like cranberry) ready to drink afterwards. Do not eat too many cloves at once as it may upset your stomach. Space the cloves throughout the day if you are going to use it more than once. It is mainly used for throat symptoms but works for colds in general. You can even just include lots of garlic on whatever you are eating and will still get an immune system boost.

Atomic Collidal silver at 50ppm is also good at boosting immunity and helps with many ailments. (make sure this will not interfere with any medicines you may be taking).

At the start of cold a simple remedy is salt water. Just prepare 8oz of warm water with a 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt. Gargle and spit. This helps if you are having symptoms in your throat.

There are also some TCM remedies, but I will save that for another time. Until then I hope this helps you and your family!

06/29/2021

08/07/2020

Microgreens are easy to grow all year long. They are also very nutrient dense and can be substituted for lettuce. The most common kind of sprouts are alfalfa sprouts. It is much better to make your own to avoid food borne illnesses from the ones you buy at the store. You can even add a little powdered zinc or vitamin C to your rinse water and the microgreens will soak it up passing the increase in zinc/ vitamin C on to you. My favorite seeds to sprout are radish because they are a little spicy and add a zing to salads and tacos. Broccoli sprouts are good for fighting cancer (sulphoraphane). I also sprout my mung beans this way for my favorite Asian dishes.

It is so easy and a must try! Kids have fun with this too! So you can see what it will look like - Here is a video I made showing pictures of growing my own microgreens with "how to" instructions.

04/24/2020

Do you suffer from dry eyes? Do the kids have pink eye? Do you have an eye puncture wound? I have used this remedy on all of the above with success.

I will tell you a personal story of the first time I used it. It was the end of the school year and we were beginning our summer plans. We were travelling across country to take my son to camp when he complained to me about his eyes. I made observations and sure enough it was pink eye. I had to come up with something while on the road, that was inexpensive and fast because it might ruin his opportunity to participate in camp. My son was really sad at the possibility that he might not be able to go to camp. Inspiration came. So I purchased some unfiltered raw honey, a jug of distilled water and used some salt I had on hand. I had him use a lid of a water bottle to put the solution I made into his eye. In three days his eyes cleared up before camp check in and through the entire week of camp I never got the dreaded call to come pick up my kid. Of course this miracle was accompanied with prayer from a young man who really desired to go to camp!

Miraculous Eye Drops

1/4 tsp raw honey
1/4 cup distilled water/ RO water/ 5 min boiled water
pinch of sea salt (salt with no additives)

Use as needed. Drop a few drops in each eye, roll your eye around and dab run off with a tissue.

You can't leave it sitting around though as it will start to ferment😉. Make it in single/small batches as needed.

03/27/2020

Need an air filter in your home, but don't have big bucks for a machine or ozone system? Try air filtering plants such as pothos! Since it is spring I am working on re-potting and redressing my house plants. This was a spur of the moment short video series with pothos I made to help those who may need some air filtration in their home. Pothos plants are great air filters. Here are a 3 short videos in the comments section below on how I propagate and use mine.

03/06/2020

It is really important to regularly disinfect your living spaces. Instead of using lysol or febreeze, make your own environmentally friendly inexpensive disinfectant/ odor remover spray. Depending on the traffic in your home, you may need to do it more often or not so often. Some of the best places to disinfect are to wipe down door handles, tables, chairs and sinks. I keep a spray bottle of scented vinegar next to my kitchen sink to disinfect my sink as a prep before placing clean dishes to be rinsed. I also quickly use it to get rid of odors in the couch, air, and garbage pail.

Here is my recipe:

Easy disinfectant spray : Scented Vinegar
16oz spray bottle
fill with distilled white vinegar 5% acidity
10 - 20 drops essential oil (lavender, tea tree, orange, lemon etc)
Allow to dry or sit on surface for 2 minutes

Another recipe I use for those really icky places, uh like bathrooms and diaper pails is this:

"The Right Stuff" Disinfectant Spray:
16oz spray bottle
fill bottle almost full of distilled water
3 Tablespoons liquid soap like Dr Bronner's (plain, tea tree, or peppermint)
20- 30 drops of tea tree
Make sure you have some air circulation when using this spray.

12/17/2019

Occasionally people visiting us come out of our bathroom with a puzzled look on their face. Its because we forgot to put our neti pot away. There are a couple of different kinds of neti pots. One is a squeeze bottle that forcefully pushes a saline solution through your nose. The other is a little bowl with a long spout, which uses gravity to run a saline solution through your nasal passages- in one nostril and out the other. A neti pot is a must for good health. It can be used during illness and for maintenance. Basically it is used for good respiratory hygiene. We breathe in a lot of dust and other contaminants which the little hairs in our nose and mucus work overtime to clear out. Many people catch colds and flus through airborne pathogens. Besides just assisting the body to clear nasal passages, a neti pot also refreshes tear ducts, tonsils and the back of throat. It also helps moisturize the nose during the dry and dusty seasons. With regular use some people even notice an extra sparkle and or clarity in their eyes. If you decide to invest in a neti pot I recommend getting a ceramic 16 oz one - the bowl with the spout kind. Some people prefer the squeeze bottle type, and the reason I don't recommend those is because it can be very forceful and injure nasal membranes causing swelling. Using a neti pot should be a gentle and relaxing experience. The saline solution should be warm to the wrist and not too salty.

Here is a neti pot saline recipe you can make yourself:
1 1/4 cups sea salt or kosher salt (what you want is straight salt, no anti caking or other additives) to that add 6 Tablespoons of baking soda. Mix well, using a mortar and pestle if you have one, till very fine. Use 1/2 teaspoon per 8oz of water.

To use a neti pot : prepare warm water, add saline solution, stir to dissolve, test for temperature, make sure you have your tissues nearby, bend over a sink and turn your head so that it is parallel to the sink (your ear should be hovering over the bowl of the sink) and place spout on the higher nostril, breathe through your mouth which is open wide and pour the saline solution slowly into nose. The solution will flow out your other/bottom nostril. Some of the solution may also flow to the back of the throat. Use a half the pot for each nostril. Spit and blow nose gently and then turn head so that other ear is over the sink and do other nostril. When neti pot is empty spit and blow nose gently into sink. Bend over really low and blow your nose gently turning to each side.

Here is a video if this didn't make sense!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA44cMcgOiY

10/26/2019

The new moon is tomorrow! You might think it strange that I get excited about such things, but I really do because being in tune with the cycles and energy of the moon is a great way to set goals and accomplish them! Let me explain. There are peoples around the world that follow the cycles of the moon, but specifically in my study of Mexican folk medicine, formally known as Curanderismo, I've learned how to use this tool for success. Here is a brief description of each phase of the moon and direction on how to use the energy momentum. There is also an app called "phases of the moon" that is helpful and interesting. There are also more online resources to use to create your own lunar calendar. Happy planning, success, and living!!!