Category: Health

Vinegar as a Treatment for Athlete’s Foot

Athlete’s Foot Home Remedy

Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection which many people find difficult to get rid of.

Apple Cider Vinegar can be helpful in curing athlete’s foot. Of course, any type of vinegar will work, but it is better to use apple cider vinegar because of the nutrient value in apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar words well as a mild fungicide, and is effective in treating athlete’s foot in many cases.

Apple Cider Vinegar is an Acidity-Alkalinity Regulator:

As well as killing bacteria and inhibiting fungal infections, apple cider vinegar has the effect of restoring the natural pH level, that is, the acidity versus alkalinity ratio, to normal after using soap.  Soap and shampoos are very alkaline, and alkalinity also favours the growth of unhelpful organisms such as the athlete’s foot fungus.  So using vinegar after bathing with soap helps to deter athlete’s foot.

Real Apple cider vinegar is the best type of vinegar to use, as this is made with apples which have a healing effect on the physical body.  If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, ordinary malt vinegar will do.

Athlete’s foot likes moist, warm conditions, so keeping your shoes on all the time is not the best thing to get rid of your athlete’s foot.  Taking your shoes off at every opportunity, walking barefeet along clean grass, or along the beach, will benefit the health of your feet.

Dry the Feet Carefully after bathing.  Any moisture will prevent the healing of the athlete’s foot condition.

Other helpful suggestions for athlete’s foot might be:

Drink Herbal Teas  made with dandelion root, echinacea, nettles, burdock and peppermint.  Any combination of these herbal teas will strengthen your immune system if you use these regularly instead of standard tea or coffee.

Tea Tree Oil ,  Melissa Officinalis, can often clear up athlete’s foot.  You can still use your vinegar treatment after showering or washing with soap.  Just apply a dab or two to the affected area before putting on your shoes.  Apply another dab or two to the affected areas several times during the day.

You can also use the oils of lavender, thyme, marjoram, or even eucalyptus to treat athlete’s foot and  help prevent infection.

Once you have cured the athlete’s foot, keep using a  herbal oil such as those mentioned above, and keep using  the vinegar treatment after bathing.  This will  help prevent reinfection.

The Candida Diet is helpful in treating many cases of athlete’s foot.  Candida, or yeast infection, can causre conditions such as athlete’s foot and types of eczema.  Basically, avoid sugar, dairy products except for butter and ghee, wheat and products which contain any wheat,  and all fermented foods until you are better. 

Number One things to avoid with candida:  You must exclude any  bread,  alcohol,  vinegars, sauces, or anything which has sugar or yeast in them. 

Secondly, avoid all foods which are sweetened.

Thirdly, avoid dairy milk, cheese and yoghurt until you are better.  Also avoid soy milk, as this is sweetened and has yeasts in it because of the drawn out process used to make it.  Avoid soy proteins such as tempeh and tofu, as these are fermented foods.  Whole, or ground soy beans are ok. See my post on the candida diet for more suggestions.

Causes of Candida

What Causes Candida?

The causes of candida are easy to define:  Mainly, it is the chemicals in our environment which cause candida overgrowth. But lack of exercise, poor diet, and emotional trauma often play a part in people succumbing to candida infection.

Exposure to chemicals can weaken the immune system dramatically, so that candida albicans can flouish unheeded in the intestines. These organisms take off like an army, killing off the ‘goodies’ in the bowel, that is, the acidophilus bacteria.

Unfortunately, there are chemicals in many foods which we imagine to be chemical-free.  Toxic herbicides and pesticides are used in the growing of our fruit and vegetables, unless they are certified as organic.  Hormones are added to grains which are  fed to cattle and poultry to fatten them.  Cortisones and antibiotics are given to these poor creatures to prevent or cure illness. We ingest unimagineable quantities of poisons in our food, which all contribute to a weakening of  our precious immune systems.

Weakening of the immune system, which happens with exposure to chemicals, can also result  because of  poor diet and  inadequate nutrition, and this can also cause candida overgrowth.

Lack of fiber in the diet can cause candida overgrowth, as lack of fiber means that all your food will pass through your digestive tract too slowly.  Lack of fiber in the way of fresh vegetables and fruit means that the food in your digestive tract will have a polluting effect on your body, because it will encourage ‘bad’ bacteria such as candida albicans to proliferate in the bowel.

Emotional causes, with the help of a weakened immune system, can cause candida overgrowth.

Radiation and electromagnetic disturbances, which weaken the immune system,  can cause candida overgrowth.

Uses For Castor Oil

Castor oil Benefits Health in many ways.  It can be used as a detoxifying agent;  It can be used to clear residue from the liver and gall bladder and eliminate gall stones;  It can be used as part of treatment for cancer;  It can be used to improve digestion;  It helps the nervous system;   It can be used as an eye salve to prevent cataracts and to treat cataracts in the early development of this disease;  It can be used to improve the skin;  and it is an essential ingredient in quality lipsticks.

Castor Oil is now used widely as part of a natural treatment for cancer and other degenerative disease such as multiple sclerosis, parkinson’s disease, alzheimer’s,  and other chronic illnesses.

Herbal medicine dates back to the ancient Sumerians.  There are written records which herbs such as laurel, caraway and thyme were used by this civilization.  Castor oil, coriander, garlic, mint and opium were used by the ancient Egyptians, according to current herbal texts.

Although castor oil, obtained from the castor oil bean, has been used for thousands of years in the healing arts of the Ancient Egyptians, Ayurvedic practitioners and Chinese and Tibetan medicines,  it became popular again through the writings of Edgar Cayce and  Dr. Max Gerson. These healers  reinvented it as an effective treatment for many diseases in the earlier part of  the 20th century. Max Gerson is famous for his use of castor oil in his treatment of cancer.

Castor oil  is effective, not just in  treating cancer and other disease,  but in treating candida and poisoning of any kind.  One of the best ways to detoxify the body from exposure to chemicals, and to treat candida,  is with castor oil and high doses of non-acidic vitamin C. Of course, these two items are not taken together, but are separated from each other in the dosage.
Taking a small amount of castor oil before breakfast can have a beneficial effect on the health.  If you take it fairly regularly, then you will absorb some of the oil into your body, which will help the vital organs,  help the skin and hair, and help the healing of long-standing  conditions. 

Conditions which may be helped by taking a few drops of castor oil each morning before breakfast are: colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema,  psoriasis, arthitic bone ache, weak eyesight, and falling hair.  Of course, adequate diet and exercise and meditation must also be sustained to effect proper healing.  Don’t forget the enema when using castor oil internally. Even with a small dose of castor oil, an enema once or twice a week is recommended.
Castor-oil-jelly formula:  This mixture is ideal for  treating skin conditions and for using as a hair and scalp conditioner.  It helps clear up dandruff.  It  can also be used  internally, one tablespoon of chopped jelly before breakfast taken for three consecutive days.  This can be used as a treatment to help clear the gall bladder of stale bile.  Don’t forget the enema if you use the castor oil jelly internally.

However, it is best to take castor oil in the usual way, one to two tablespoons at a time, if you have a serious disease such as cancer, or require a laxative effect, as castor oil taken in this jelly form is not potent enough to detoxify the bowel as well. Note that this uses gelatine which is an animal product.  If you are vegetarian, you will have to find a vegetable gelatine instead.  A good option is to use  agar agar, which is a sea weed.  This  is very nutritious and will set just as well as gelatine.

Note: Castor oil jelly made with either gelatine or agar agar  will keep no more than about three days in the fridge.  If you haven’t used the jelly  after three days, then use it only  externally,  for hair and skin treatments, as suggested below.

Reminder:  Most packaged gelatine  has sulphur dioxide added as a preservative, which means it should not be taken too often.

Castor Oil Jelly is as a great  Skin Treatment and Hair Conditioner:  Just apply the warmed, melted castor oil jelly  to the hair, and to the skin which needs nourishment or healing.   Let it set hard, then wash off in the shower under warm water. The face benefits from the castor oil jelly treatment, as it works to tighten the skin and to cleanse the tissues.  This castor oil jelly treatment also works to help cure acne.

  • Put four tablespoons of fairly  hot water into a half pint sized bowl.
  • Sprinkle on one and a half tablespoons of gelatine or agar agar powder.   Let this sink, and then stir it in until it has dissolved.
  • Let the mixture cool a little.  It should be warm, but not cold for the next step.
  • Now stir in one and a half tablespoons of castor oil. As the mixture cools, you will need to keep mixing so that the castor oil gets emulsified properly into the gelatine mixture.
  • When it is nice and thick, and just about to set, pour the mixture into a flat small dish about six inches in diameter, so that you can easily  cut slices of the castor oil jelly  once it has set.

To use, simply cut a slice of the castor oil jelly and take each morning on an empty stomach,  before your breakfast.  I think one or  two tablespoonsful  of the jelly is a good amount to use, but you can decide on the dose yourself. Just cut up a slice into small pieces, just big enough to swallow down in chunks with your cup of herbal tea, or ceylon tea, or coffee.

Cut up the rest into slices and put in a screw top jar. Keep the remainder in the fridge. Take every morning until finished.

Castor Oil And Ginger For Weight Loss

Home Remedies for Constipation

Cures for Constipation

The key causes of constipation are lack of exercise and lack of fiber in the diet.

There are many natural home remedies for constipation. This post will list a few of the best ones which do not cost the earth, and are easy to apply. Several of these are fairly regular kitchen and fruit items.

Sometimes exposure to chemicals causes candida overgrowth. If this is the cause of constipation, then it is best to use the castor oil laxative.  Avoid the tamarind recipe, as yeasts in dried tamarind will disagree with you until you have recovered. The kiwifruit recipe is also best avoided by people with chronic candida, as the high sugar content will cause the candida bacteria to proliferate, that is, until you have improved your immune system

Exercise is Important to Prevent Constipation: We will give you a couple of very effective exercises to do each day as well, so that the problem is less likely to recur.

Prevent Colon Cancer and Varicose Veins:  Keeping the intestines clean by eating high fiber foods is the best way to help avoid colon cancer and varicose veins.  Constipation is often the cause of these complaints. Eating fiber foods like fruit and vegetables provides the body with calcium enrichment, as the Vitamin C in fresh fruit and vegetables helps you to absorb the calcium from your food: Vitamin C and  Calcium are both  elemetst which help to prevent colon cancer.

Better Absorption of Nutrients will be the result of curing constipation. When your bowels are clogged up with old effete matter, the walls of your intestines are not in a fit state to absorb the nutrients in your food and supplements.  People need more supplementation of nutrients when suffering constipation, because the intestines cannot do their job of processing and absorbing  enough food nutrients out of the diet, even if the diet is a good one.

Get your intestines clean, remedy constipation, so that you get the optimum nutrition from your diet. You can still have constipation, that is, clogged bowels, even though you have a bowel motion each day.  It is a good idea to clean out those pockets of stored rubbish once in a while, with a remedy such as  we have listed below.

Cure constipation, and you have less need of vitamin and mineral supplements.  Curing constipation will help your immune system to function optimally.

Kiwifruit  Home Remedy for Constipation:  This is the nicest remedy of all.  It is sweet and delicious. (not for people with chronic candida)

  • Kiwifruit are loaded with Vitamin C and provide excellent soft fiber for the intestines. Anyone who has NOT had constipation but has indulged in the eating of half a dozen kiwifruit in one sitting will have had first hand experience of the result:  That is, that the bowels are loosened tremendously, and a good clean- out is effected.

If your condition is not severe, then you would only need to take about two or three kiwifruit every morning, before you eat the rest of your breakfast.  This will regulate the bowels, and no harm at all will come from it, even if the motions are a bit loose.

Apple and Potato Cure for Constipation: This  home  remedy  for constipation has cured many people of bowel troubles, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, when an appropriate diet which excludes all problematic foods like dairy products, wheat, and sugar was adopted concurrently.

  • Grate one whole organic apple, with its skin still on, and one medium sized organic potato. Make sure that there is no green on the potato skin, as this is a toxin which can do harm to the liver.  Mix these two together.
  • Eat the whole lot in one sitting, every bit of  the apple and potato mixture.  Eat it 20 minutes before breakfast, then repeat the procedure before the evening meal.
  • This home remedy  for constipation is very good for people who have mucous build up in the intestines, with discomfort and distention in the stomach region.
  • This is a very healing mixture which can be helpful in treating mild cases of colitis and inflammation of the bowel.
  • Do this remedy for three days at a time, then take a break for three days, or until you need to use it again.
  • You need the three days on the diet so that the bowel will be cleaned thoroughly.
  • This home remedy for constipation provides plenty of bulky fiber to help the bowel heal and cure constipation.  Taking this quantity of fiber on a regular basis  is a good way to  jump-start and train the intestines to do their job better.

Note:  If you have had pain, discomfort, distended stomach, and/or bleeding in the stools, then you must see a health practitioner right away for a diagnosis and correct treatment.

The Quick-Fix Home Remedy for Constipation: This is an emergency remedy, and is really only suitable for people who have a strong constitution.  Do not use this remedy if you have candida, or arthritic or rheumatoid conditions, or osteoporosis, or any other illness.

  • Tamarind, which is used in Indian cuisine, is an excellent way to relieve constipation if the situation is severe and you wish to take a fast acting remedy before starting your high fiber diet.
  • Tamarind is a quick-acting laxative.
  • The Tamarind and Lemon Remedy for Constipation: Simply take a small teaspoon of tamarind paste and stir it into a cup of warm-to-hot water.  Add the juice of half a lemon, and drink the lot.  Spoon out the tamarind fiber at the bottom, and eat this too.
  • Tamarind is especially high in Vitamin C.
  • It works very quickly.  However, it is very acid in its effect, and may not suit everyone. Tamarind also has oxalic acid in it, which draws out some calcium from the intestines.  Eat a good meal which contains some calcium food right after drinking the tamarind tea.
  • If you don’t have a meal ready, then you need to take some alkaline food right after drinking the tamarind and lemon tea to restore the body’s pH level to normal. Have ready two cups of milk, or a banana which has a teaspoon of ghee oil or olive oil added to it, and have these foods within about 20 minutes of taking the tamarind tea. Milk is a good food to take after tamarind tea, as it is high in calcium. It can be either dairy milk,  sesame seed milk or some other seed or nut milk.

The Castor Oil Laxative:   Home Remedy for Constipation. Castor oil has been used for thousands of years as a healing agent, and as a cure for constipation.  Castor oil is really a wonderful healing oil, because it has the power to attract and draw poisons out of the liver and  gall bladder, as well as having a clearing effect on the bowel.

For this reason, the castor oil treatment is favoured by many for the treatment of cancer and other degenerative disease.  The  best method in using Castor Oil Treatment for constipation is the following, in my experience.

  • First –  a high fiber breakfast. Between seven and eight o’clock:  Eat a bowl of oatmeal porridge which has a whole raw apple grated onto it.  Add a tablespoon of ghee, butter, or olive oil, and some dates for sweetening. Do not use milk or sugar.
  • At ten o’clock, take two tablespoons of castor oil with a cup of black coffee in the morning.  If you prefer, you can use tea, or chamomile tea.  You really can take the castor oil at any time, but by taking it  sometime after breakfast, you will gain the most benefit from the castor oil. Castor oil, taken at ten o’clock, is recommended by Dr Gerson in his cancer therapy treatment.
  • It is recommended that an enema follow this castor oil treatment.  It should be taken within five hours after taking the castor oil.  This bowel wash is repeated more often when you are treating serious disease like cancer.

Yoga Exercise to Prevent Constipation. Here are a couple of suggestions for some very simple and straightforward exercises to do to prevent constipation.

  • Churning the Mill. Even if you do nothing else in the way of exercises, if you religiously practice this just a few times as soon as you get up, and just before you go to bed, you will feel the benefit.
  • Sit on the floor with the legs spread apart as wide as they will go without undue strain.
  • Clasp your hands together.
  • Reach forward over the left knee towards the feet with the clasped hands, the arms outstretched as far as they will reach. Breathe out as you do so.
  • Now, bring those clasped hands from the left leg, slowly over to the right leg, the body bent forward, the hands clenched, the arms stretched out over the leg.
  • Breathing in, bring the hands back along the leg towards the body, keeping the arms stretched out.  You have to then lean backward so that your arms can stay rigid over the top of the thigh.
  • Move back to the left leg and continue, breathing out as you lean forward, and breathing in as you lean back and bring the arms up the leg.
  • Repeat. Do five or six round to start, then do the same amount in the other direction.
  • Build up to  between ten to twenty rounds in each direction, so that you do forty altogether, if you can. Do not strain or force yourself to do more than is really comfortable. Check with your doctor or health professional to make sure this is OK for you.

If you stick to the programme, provided you are fit enough to do so, and practice this exercise morning and night every day, your constipation will disappear.

Yoga Leg Raises:  This is a more gently exercise.  Do this if you think the above Churning the Mill is too much for you.  You can do both if you like.

  • Lie on the floor. Hands at the side of the body.
  • Breathe a deep breath in and hold the breath.
  • While you hold the breath, slowly raise both legs up together so that the toes are pointing to the ceiling.
  • Hold the legs in this perpendicular position while you breathe out.
  • Take another full breath in and out while you hold the legs up.
  • Now breath in and hold the breath whilst you slowly bring the legs down in a controlled movement towards the  floor.
  • With the legs on the floor, release the breath.  Take another breath in and out and repeat the exercise.
  • Do just three times to begin with, and no more than five at most.

This is a good exercise for improving circulation, for helping varicose veins and for helping to avoid constipation.  Do first thing in thge morning and again at night.

Low Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D Deficiency:

We are all aware these days that low Vitamin D levels will affect the growth of bone and teeth tissue, hair and nails. If you are young, then you need adequate Vitamin D and Calcium so that your bones will grow properly, and your teeth will be strong.  If you are old, then you need Vitamin D,  plus Calcium, so that your bones do  not become  fragile and brittle: Strong bones are less likely to fracture.

Deficiency of Vitamin D is now thought to be a factor in many conditions of ill health and disease.  Recent studies, as well as older studies, have related Vitamin D deficiency to specific maladies of the health.

In New Zealand, the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D  is between 200-600IU, and the recommended amount of calcium between 1100 mg amd 2500 mg daily.  Many people fall short of even these minimum requirements.  Deficiency of Vitamin D and Calcium over a period of time can have serious consequences.

Low Vitamin D levels have been found in people with congestive heart failure.  This is not to be confused with an actual heart attack:  heart failure is when the heart is simply not doing a good enough job of pumping that blood through the body.  Symptoms that your heart may be underactive are slightly swollen legs and difficult breathing, or getting puffed easily when taking light exercise.

Vitamin D supplements, or cholecalciferol, taken with extra calcium, was found to help many people suffering from congestive heart failure.  Dr Shaun Holt and Iona MacDonald discuss these results in their book “Natural Remedies that Really Work’. This is published by Craig Cotton Publishing, Nelson, New Zealand, 2008 and 2010.

This author also relates low Vitamin D levels, with low calcium, to the occurence of type 2 diabetes.  He quotes the research which suggests that people with glucose intolerance are less likely to develop diabetes type 2 if their Vitamin D and Calcium levels are increased.

Dr Holt recommends more exposure to natural sunlight and increasing the intake of Vitamin D rich foods, which include  the oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon, and fish liver, egg yolk and meat.

In a study of children who had Type 1 diabetes mellitus, it was found that 76% had inadequate levels of Vitamin D. Adequate Vitamin D is important for growing children, not just because it helps to build strong bones and teeth hair and nails, but because it strengthens the immune system so that there is more resistance to diseases like type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Dr Holt suggests 400IU of Vitamin D be given to at risk children, unless their intake is adequate through diet and plenty of sunlight. Note:  Of course this must be done under the guidance of a health professional. Too much Vitamin D can cause toxicity in the body, which can damage the liver and other organs, so one must be careful with the dose.

Low Vitamin D levels have also been associated with osteoarthritis, rheumatic disorders, hyperesthesia, SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, migraines and some sleeping disorders.