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Aloe Vera Tips & Solutions, Remedies for Shingles + March 06, 2017 |
| Hi Aloe Vera Tips & Solutions monthly newsletter/ezine of www.aloe-vera-and-handy-herbs.com avavavavavavavavavavavavavavavav
CONTENTS:
Taking Care of Ourselves - Looking for Remedies for Shingles If you have had shingles, you will understand how I've been looking for remedies for shingles this past week. Two weeks ago I had a growing pain under my left shoulder blade, near my spine. By Thursday of that week, there was such a knot of nerves and muscles that seemed seized up, I went to see my chiropractor. He has cleared such pain up for me in the past, but I'd forgotten that it usually meant I had cracked a rib or vertebrae. (A fallout of having osteoporosis). It didn't take him long to say that I had a fracture in the 3rd or 4th rib near the spine. He worked it over and then applied a viberating device to relax the muscles. I got up feeling better, so I thought we'd taken care of that. I would just have some vague pain in that spot for a few weeks until it healed up. But that evening I forgot the rib as I got a crazy itch in my left armpit. When I went to bed I took a closer look and realized that I had a row of lesions there. By that time they not only itched, but seemed to be on fire - at least an inch deep. I smeared some aloe vera gel from a tube on a handkerchief and tucked it over the spots. Immediately the pain dropped a number of notches! Great, I could sleep. It was worse again in the morning. Though I reapplied the aloe vera gel a number of times through the day, my mind was busy exploring diagnoses. More and more I was convinced i knew what it was, and I was looking for remedies for shingles. By late afternoon I was ready to go go see my doctor. But when I checked that clinic's website for hours, I found that even their walk-in clinic is closed over the weekend. Yes, I've heard that if you can start a certain prescription within 72 hours shingles can be nipped in the bud. I decided I would just have to take care of myself over the weekend. By taking painkillers at regular intervals, and applying the aloe vera gel whenever the need arose again, I managed to do some Saturday chores, and prepare food for Sunday and I went to church and spent time with a friend in the afternoon, and took her to a Ladies Connection meeting at church in the evening. I was actually surprised at how well I managed, still, I promised myself that I would call the LifeBridge Centre first thing at 9 am on Monday, and if my doctor was not available I'd take whoever was available in the walk-in clinic. That is what happened last Monday morning. I got a different doctor, but he was very kind and gracious, and quickly agreed with my diagnosis of Shingles. I told him how I had cleared up Dad's case of shingles with aloe vera for 4 days. (People always like to hear that story). He gave me a 7 day prescription, which I finished last night. Certainly I supplemented it with painkillers, and with several daily applications of aloe vera over the shingles under my arm. There were a couple on my back but in a place so I could not reach them with either hand. Fortunately, they did not trouble me too much - until today. Have I conquored my shingles? Not yet. The lesions have decreased in size, and are not so itchy any more, but there is a nerve pain deeper underneath. In fact, last week I kept thinking there should be herbs that might help, but I couldn't find "shingles" in the index of Back to Eden which I check on herbal remedies. Then, I read online that shingles is related to neuralgia. it is the nerve pain that makes it so hard to bear and to get rid of. Ah-ha! I looked up Neuralgia in the index and sure enough there was almost a page full of herbs to consider. At lunch I went to the health food store less than a block away, and bought a number of them. Jethro Kloss's first suggestion was to make a tea of mullein and lobelia, dip a cloth in that tea and lay it over the surface of the pain. They didn't have lobelia, but I tried it with the mullein tea right away. Oh, how soothing that felt over the shingles! Good move! I also drank some. (Which rinsed my kidneys out quickly). There is also a recipe for a liniment made with myrrh and golden seal, steeped in 70% rubbing alcohol for 7 days. I have not had time to make that yet, but may try that as a tea too got direct application. The combination tea I tried yesterday was golden seal, myrrh and Valerian root. It did not have the same effect as the mullein, but it may have absorbed too quickly into the flannelette material. I drank a cup full as well. it had a slight bitter taste, but was okay. Some herbs need a few applications to show effect. I am still reading up on these herbs, and deciding on how best to take them, so I do not have a definitive counsel yet on how to manage this. I am on a learning curve, and hope to have more practical advice to give next month. Reflexology has pressure points to work over in the feet that ease neuralgia, but it is a bit tricky doing that on oneself. I want to try that as well though. Which leads me to another possible remedy. I learned of some socks that apply pressure on the right spots on the sole of our feet to greatly help with neuralgia problems. (They have just arrived by courier and I've just this minute put them on!) I look forward to giving you a more thorough report next time as to how effective these socks - and the herbs are. My hope is that as I go through these experiences I will gain wisdom to share with you, and many others!
A Practical Tip/Solution - Golden Marigolds to Keep Bugs Away This may come at a good time if you are seeding your spring garden already in your part of the world. Sow generous rows of sunny, golden marigolds to keep bugs away. Sow them beside the garden paths, as borders around a patch of anything else. You can rest assured that they will bloom early and keep blooming until the snows cover them, or you pull them up. Most people don't like marigolds as houseplants because they give off a strange scent. But that scent keeps the bugs out of your garden to a large degree. I happen to be an inveterate seed-collector, so if you should want some French Marigold seeds, get in touch and if you are willing to cover the cost of mailing them to you, I have plenty to share. Even jars and cannisters full! We had a spring of sorts here last week in Saskatoon. The daytime temperatures rose above freezing point, so most of our snow melted away. I was walking around with just shoes instead of boots on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday morning, winter was back and the garden is under a fresh blanket of cool snow to a depth of at least 8 to 10 inches. So in my case, I'm still daydreaming of gardening. It is not really safe here to sow a garden until mid or late-May.
I Recommend - Aloe Vera Gelly As mentioned above, I've been using aloe vera gelly to give me peace on the skin side of my shingles. Although I have some aloe vera plants and have been stripping gel out of them to eat and then rub the inner sides of the green leaves on my sores, there are not enough plants of good size to keep this up. So I've been using a tube of Aloe Vera Gelly which I get from Forever Living. (I am a distributor of their products, let me state openly). This is a great option for those who don't have sufficient aloe vera plants, or who don't want to be bothered by the extra fuss in cutting and scraping the gel out of aloe vera leaves. On the weekend I was attending Annual General Meetings of a client, and it was nice to have my tube in my purse and to just slip off to the washroom to reapply it under my arm. If you should be interested in trying the Aloe Vera Gelly, and or any other products from Forever Living, have a look at
the online stores;
Aloe Vera Gelly! in the USA (or in Canada) By the way, this Aloe Vera Gelly makes a great first aid kit if you are traveling with children. You'd be smart to have one in your bag.
Contact & Policies - Constant CONTACT INFO: Ruth Marlene Friesen (306)856-7785 Ruth@aloe-vera-and-handy-herbs.com
POLICIES: I am definitely against S/p/a/m! I Will NOT share your COPYRIGHT (c)2017 Ruth Marlene Friesen
Blessings & Thanks! Ruth Marlene Friesen
Contact & Policies - Constant CONTACT INFO: Ruth Marlene Friesen (306)856-7785 Ruth@aloe-vera-and-handy-herbs.com
POLICIES: I am definitely against S/p/a/m! I Will NOT share your COPYRIGHT (c)2017 Ruth Marlene Friesen
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