Dealing with Discomfort or Early Signs of Infection with Natural Remedies
Before a condition worsens into an infection requiring antibiotics, there are a number of easy, natural remedies you can use to lessen and often eliminate a condition.
COLDS
Sore Throats – gargling with a few teaspoons of natural apple cider vinegar in a glass of water may hasten recovery from a sore throat. Gargling or holding water in your throat, with a dissolved aspirin in it, will do the same for a raw throat by coating it for speedy recovery – if you don’t object to aspirin. Vitamin C coupled with Zinc lozenges also work to speed healing. Irritable coughs can be soothed with Buckley’s cough syrup which is still based on its 1919 Nova Scotian formula of menthol, camphor, Canadian balsam and pine needle, without the usual chemical additives of today. No wonder it works! It may pack a punch but we were fed this for colds even as young children, although sometimes in a 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. In a pinch, when not near a store, mixing ginger powder into a bit of honey to take in small amounts can reduce coughing.
Prior to reaching the point of this discomfort, ingesting bee products, known for their antimicrobial properties which include antiviral, is well-worth considering.
CONGESTION
Use 2 to 3 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, or a mix of 1 drop of thyme, 2 drops of eucalyptus and 1 – 2 of either Cypress, Lemongrass, Bergamot or Silver Fir. This is effective added to a bath or inhaled over a bowl of hot water with your head covered with a towel to contain the vapours. Essential oils are very powerful extracts of herbs or trees, so use less for a bowl than for the tub. They will open nasal passages to reach the sinuses and all have antimicrobial properties of varying degrees, depending on the source. A purifying room spray can be made with a similar essential oil blend. Use of a humidifier or cool mister during winter months of dry air can provide much relief for congestion, sinus pressure and colds. 1 – 2 drops of eucalyptus provides both soothing and healing benefits.
TOENAILS
Yellowish toenails, if not from using a nail polish without applying a good base coat first, usually indicate a fungal infection. If your toenail has a crack or small split that is not healing, this can also indicate fungal infection. Nightly footbaths using 1/2 – 1 cup of natural apple cider vinegar (from a health food store) OR ½ cup baking soda will purify the feet. Applying 1 drop of oregano oil under and around the nail, over the course of two to three weeks will normally clear the fungal condition completely. Tea tree essential oil is sometimes used, but when unsuccessful – oregano oil is a powerful option. Another anti-fungal foot bath is 1 cup apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup borax powder as a foot soak (borax is available at a grocery store in the laundry section), followed by the 1 drop of oregano oil after completely drying your feet. Adding 1 – 2 drops of cinnamon oil to a talc for dusting in your runners is also an easy option to keep them fungus-free.
If you have a persistent foot fungus condition, dealing with it systemically is your best solution. Guidance from a practitioner is usually the most effective choice once this is a chronic condition.
EARS
A drop or two of colloidal silver, said to eliminate 650 pathogens, will usually help an achy or tender ear within 24 hours. It may need to be repeated during the week, depending on your ear condition. Another option is a couple drops of garlic oil in a small amount of olive oil, warmed to room temperature before putting in your ear. Check warmth by touching it to your upper lip before dropping warmed oil to your ear. Sinking your ears under the tub water when soaking with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar added to the water is also purifying for your ears.
EYES
A drop of Collodial silver is a painless and safe alternative for an itchy eye that might become inflamed.
SKIN RASHES
Oatmeal baths are a traditional remedy for irritated skin and often used to soothe babies rashes. Pharmacies usually have oatmeal bath products available. If not in proximity to a store, baking soda baths have long been a remedy to relieve itching or rashes. A few tablespoons of oatmeal in cheesecloth or a sox left under the running tub water will also release the soothing properties that help irritated skin, although messier than buying a package from the drug store. Natural apple cider vinegar baths, using 1 cup, are also excellent to purify and heal skin conditions. Topical applications of aloe based creams or gel have long been used for skin improvement. Creams with a bee propolis base are also excellent for skin health. Said to be one of the best remedies yet for an uncomfortable rash, cornstarch was recently brought to my attention as one of the best methods of choice!
Essential oil of chamomile has long been known as very soothing and healing for inflamed skin. It’s one of the researched essential oils that also show antiviral properties. If unavailable or its too pricey for a good quality chamomile, steeping chamomile teabags to add to tub water or to bath the face is a good alternative in a pinch.
POISON IVY or POISON OAK RASHES
The effective native remedy for poison ivy contact or skin rash is a wash made from Jewelweed, another wildflower usually growing near poison ivy. A search on the internet will bring up sites providing tinctures or other jewelweed products if you are not familiar with an area growing this plant. Otherwise, gently simmering Jewelweed blossoms and/or leaves in a covered enamel or glass pot of warm water will steep it into a soothing wash for an effective poison ivy antidote.
The poison oak antidote is mugwort, also found growing nearby the location of poison oak plants. If hiking and you touch either of these, grab fistfuls of the antidote plants and rub onto your skin, followed by rinsing with water, as a temporary measure. The brand TECNU is an outdoor skin cleanser designed to clean and decontaminate clothing and skin after exposure to poison oak, poison ivy and sumac, making it a good option for hikers to carry in their backpack.
YEAST INFECTIONS
Sugar feeds yeast, a fungal infection, and kefir is a strong opposition to help rebalance your system – if you don’t drink aloe vera regularly for its antifungal properties. When kefir is unavailable, ingesting plain organic yogurt provides some help as well as topical application if necessary. While kefir re-populates your intestines with good bacteria, yogurt must be ingested daily for good bacteria benefit. When travelling and having an unexpected yeast infection occurence, 1 drop of tea tree oil in 1 to 2 tsp of carrier oil can be applied to a tampon for some relief as long as you take care to use only 1 drop of tea tree essential oil. Bathing in 1 to 1½ cups of apple cider vinegar is another helpful option. Drinking aloe vera gel or juice on a regular basis will clear this condition because of its antifungal properties, but your sugar intake must be reduced or eliminated until the body rebalances to not crave excessive amounts of sugar.
SPLINTERS
Soaking a tiny piece of bread in milk and applying to the splinter with a bandaid, will draw the splinter out in a hour or so to allow easy removal with gently squeezing the area. This can also be done with a piece of tomato.
STINGS
Using some of your clay mask over the sting reduces it somewhat by drawing out residuals and the stinger that is often left behind. Later, when washed off, Aloe vera gel or Lavender essential oil will soothe the area.
SPRAINS
A cold application with a gel pack or a towel slightly-frozen in a plastic bag and wrapped around the strained or sprained injury does much to reduce swelling and accelerate healing. This would ideally be repeated in the hours following the injury and makes a big difference for recovery. The power of this cold flush application happens upon removal of the cold pack, when the blood rushes in to warm up the tissue, and in this action also flushes wastes from the area.
