December 14, 2009

Winter comes to the UP - AGAIN!!!

Well, we knew it wouldn't be long and sure enough, winter arrived with a vengence! As the cold front swept across the middle of the country, it stopped to dump about 2 feet of the fluffy white stuff on us up here on "God's holy mountain".


We spent Thanksgiving with both sons in Colorado and just beat the snow back. As we pulled into the driveway, large soft flakes the size of silver dollars were falling with a soft woosh, woosh that you can actually hear if you listen carefully.


The deer herd survived the hunting season and we even have a young six point buck coming to the feeding area this year. There are about 8 including does and the yearlings, so it's a good sized group. We feed them through the tough winters with corn and hay. We also feed a tribe of blue jays, mourning doves, evening grosbeaks, chickadees, several varieties of woodpeckers and lots of finches that rival the US Marine Corps the way they eat! But we love having them all, and winters are very hard here, so we supplement their food.


As I concentrate on correspondence courses as I usually do in the long winter months, I'm doing more classes locally now. We will be starting the New Year out right by teaching a workshop on Cleaning Green! I will be giving recipes, doing demonstrations and sharing information on the therapeutic values of various herbs and essential oils used in natural cleaning products. It should be great fun and one lucky participant will walk away with a $30.00 gift basket of home-made natural green cleaning products! For all the locals, you can go to the website under classes and workshops in the SHOPPE section to register.


Keep taking your vitamin C and zinc. From 3000 to 6000 mg. per day for adults. Also, keep those immune systems strong with echinacea and goldenseal. 


One of my favorite remedies for winter is garlic oil and I make a gallon of it over the winter months to keep the Mallinger clan healthy.


  • Take 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, mince, and put in a pint canning jar. 
  • Cover with virgin olive oil and sit on your counter where you will see it every day. 
  • Shake it daily to mix the oil and the garlic for a week. 
  • Then strain off the garlic and use it to saute some veggies or in your pasta. 

Put the oil into a pump bottle and use it whenever you feel that little telling tickle in the throat. Rub it on the soles of the feet, put on your warmest wooley socks and jump into bed. The next morning, you should feel great and have no signs of a cold. This works wonderfully for the kids.



Another favorite remedy of mine is for when I feel a sinus infection coming on, or if I have been exposed to folks sneezing or coughing in a closed in place. As soon as I can, I put a drop or two of tea tree essential oil on the end of a Q-tip and swab the inside of my nasal passages. Use a different end for each nostril and fresh Tea Tree oil on each tip to avoid cross contamination. Dispose of the Q-tip. Tea tree is anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. I use it extensively during the winter.


Until next time, STAY WELL!
Karen

5 comments:

Anita said...

have a 10 week old granddaughter,Ava, suffering with severe colic and GER. She takes 15 mg prevacid, divided, twice daily. I think there should be an herbal tea mixture that would help also. any suggestions, please?

Anita said...

I have a 10 week old granddaughter, Ava, with severe colic and acid reflux (GER). She is taking 7.5 mg prevacid twice daily. I think there should be a herbal tea mixture that would help.
any suggestions, please?

Karen said...

Hi Anita, It shocks me to hear that anyone would prescribe any medication for an infant that young. GERD is directly related to what Ava is eating. If she is being breast fed, then check Mom's diet. She absolutely must eliminate white flour, sugar, pre-packaged foods, artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, and anything with corn syrup in it. if Ava is on a formula, you need to check it to see what's in it. If you have access to goat's milk, that is much better for Ava and many babies can tolerate it easier than cow's milk. Avoid the soy based formulas, as they present problems of their own.

I hesitate to recommend any herbal formulas for a child so young and changing her food is the best way to avoid this. But some very diluted peppermint tea or ginger tea may help with the issues she's experiencing. So sorry to hear you are going through this. Please keep me posted and feel free to go to the website and send an e-mail if you need more help.

Kathi said...

Hello Karen,
I just found "asktheherbalsist" last night.Thank you. In the past 3 years, my husband who typically has terrific skin, has experienced what looks like a roseacea breakout on his cheeks and lately it has spread to his eyelids.It becomes "bumpy" in appearance.Sometimes it subsides.Do you have a suggestion to help this condition?

Karen said...

aKathi, Skin issues are very difficult to address since there are so many of them and they can come about for a myriad of reasons. My first suggestion to you is that you get a firm diagnosis from a qualified medical professional. Skin issues can look similar to each other and it takes a qualified eye to determine what exactly is going on. After you get a diagnosis, I can offer suggestions as to natural alternatives to medications if that's what you'd like. Keep me posted!