Natural Cures for Embarrassing Problems

As a mom, I've seen a lot of health related issues and I have a natural aversion towards medicine and medical doctors. First of all, I think that the medical community's faith on solely medical (i.e. chemical/pharmaceutical/surgery) cures is misplaced and their dismissal of natural cures in arrogant. Not long ago, I brought my teenage son to the pediatrician because he was getting terrible headaches every single day and was in a lot of pain. The doctor's answer was "It's normal for teenagers to get headaches. Give him some Advil." Really? If this was your child, would you be content with this answer? I ended up taking him to my friend Elana, who is a chiropractor and she has been helping him get rid of the headaches.

So I am always looking for a natural alternative when it comes to treatment of various problems. One of the most maddening problems I have had to deal with is head lice. With four girls with long hair in school, they have picked it up numerous times and once one has it, it makes the rounds.

After trying I think just about every product, method and remedy (most of which were not only ineffective, but also disgusting, painful and/or made you look like your head was dipped in oil for weeks afterwards), I have  created for myself a natural product that actually works. Anyone can get the ingredients and make it at home very affordably. Besides the fact that it works, the other nice thing about it is that unlike most store bought lice remedies, you don't have to use a whole bottle on your child's head. Just a few drops each time will do the trick. This saves money, creates less mess and avoids greasy head syndrome.

The remedy will not be effective it used alone; you also have to comb through with a good lice comb. Far and away the best one is the one called Nit Free. First, shampoo with coal tar shampoo. The brand name is T-Gel, but most drug stores sell a generic version that is cheaper. The shampoo will kill some lice and stun the more hardy ones, probably because it smells like a burning tire. Then, put conditioner on the hair and leave it on. Brush the hair to remove the tangles and squeeze out the excess conditioner. Comb through the hair thoroughly at least 3 times from multiple angles with the lice comb. Keep a white paper towel handy and wipe the comb on it after each comb-through. Once the hair has been combed through, put a few drops of the remedy throughout the head: in the middle part, behind each ear and at the base of the head. Brush the hair to distribute the remedy.

Lice remedy

Get a cobalt blue or dark brown glass bottle with a pump top to keep the remedy in. The remedy uses essential oils, which break down when exposed to too much light, hence the dark bottle.

2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil
10 drops of lavender essential oil
6 drops of neem oil
10 drops of peppermint essential oil
6 drops of tea tree essential oil
4 drops of rosemary essential oil
4 drops of lemon essential oil

Combine all ingredients in the bottle and swirl to mix. It is easier if you use a funnel to get everything into the bottle.

If the lice problem is bad, do this process twice a day, but the second time, don't use the shampoo or your hair will feel like straw. Don't forget to use conditioner or it will be too hard to comb through. If it is not too terrible, do it once a day until the problem is gone.

On to the next embarrassing problem - yeast rashes. Sometimes babies get them and sometimes adults do. No hydrocortisone or regular diaper creme works to get rid of them and they are super painful. The only real remedy that works is to daub the area with apple cider vinegar. Be careful - if the skin is really broken it will hurt! But it does get rid of it after about a week.

A True Hero

The girls with our beloved Striker

Three days ago, our dog Striker died unexpectedly. Apparently, he tangled with some animal that was poisonous and although he may have won the battle, he lost the war. He lived by the tooth, and died by the tooth.

Always a hunter, as you would expect a Pointer to be, Striker would always dash out the front door and stalk various animals, usually successfully. When he was just a puppy, there was a squirrel that used to scamper along the fence next to our bay window and chatter at him, driving him to distraction. One day in his crate, I found all that remained of that squirrel - a single leg. After that, he killed a number of animals in our yard and around the house. A two and a half foot iguana (without the tail) took out a little notch from his tongue in its losing battle with Striker. Another iguana he chased into the pool, and he also killed a possum and a water rat, and those are just the battles we witnessed.

With the family, he was loyal and loving. In the mornings, when I would cuddle with Miriam, he would crawl into bed with us and lie right on top of me, with his head on my chest, sometimes wriggling in between us to get the maximum attention. He used to follow me from room to room, no matter how comfortable he was. He would compete with the girls for lap space, always moving in to steal their spot when one of them got up from my lap. He gave each and every member of our family his complete and unconditional love each day. At the end, as dogs do, he went off by himself to spare us the pain of seeing him die.

I don't know why he had to die, at only 5 years old. I don't know why it had to be in such a painful way. But I am certain that somehow, even his end was an act of sharing. He removed some kind of judgment from us, sacrificing himself for the family he loved so much. For that, as well as for the gift of his love,  I will always be grateful. 

Rest in peace, noble dog, loyal friend, hero.