Causes of Varicose Veins

The Main Causes of Varicose Veins

Lack of exercise,  being over-weight, high cholesterol,  poor nutrition which leads to constipation, lack of Vitamin C, E,  Calcium and Magnesium, and alcohol and tobacco use are  some of the main causes of varicose veins.

Lack of exercise causes poor circulation, which can lead to varicose veins. Constipation puts pressure on the veins, especially those in the legs and in the groin area.

Sometimes, an injury can predispose a person to getting varicose veins.

Prevent Varicose Veins By Getting Enough Exercise. Walking, swimming, dancing, cycling, are all good for the legs and improve the circulaton. Such simple exercises as the sit-up, or yoga ‘churning the mill’ exercises are often all it takes to cure the body of constipation. (merrilyn will put a post up on yoga esercises for constipation following this article)

Yoga head stands, and slant-board exercises, are helpful to the veins in the legs. It is a good idea to do, say, 10 minutes,  of an upsidedown pose if you have been on your feet, or in your chair for much of the day.

Prevent Varicose Veins by eating High Fiber Foods.

Prevent Constipation:  High fiber foods will ensure that you do not suffer from constipation. High fiber foods also help to protect you against high cholesterol, which is another contributing factor in people getting varicose veins.

Vitamin C and Bioflavanoids are excellent preventers of varicose veins. High fiber diets, especially where fruit and vegetables are eaten raw, will provide high amounts of vitamin C and Bioflavanoids. A supplement of Vitamin C  can be taken daily to help treat varicose veins.

Vitamin C : A non-acidic form such as Ester C, or Calcium Ascorbate can be used – Take 1000 mg three times daily if your condition is severe. Take 1000 mg a day as a preventative, especially if you have a sedentary job.

Vitamin C, like Vitamin E, helps to dissolve deposits in the veins, so it is extremely important in treating varicose veins. It also aids healing, like Vitamin E.  Vitamin C helps to keep the body alkaline, which is very important in preventing and treating varicose veins. It also helps to reduce toxins in the blood.

A supplement of  Vitamin E – 1200 IU daily- can be taken to treat severe cases of varicose veins,  according to Dr Wagner/Goldfarb. He recommends that you build up to this dose SLOWLY.

Vitamin E helps to reduce swelling, aids healing, and keeps the blood platelets from sticking together. It helps circulation. It is also an antioxidant and aids healing of the veins.

Note:  Whereas Vitamin C is safe to take in anything up to 3000 mg a day, Vitamin E needs to be introduced carefully, and in small doses: Some people may react to such a large does as the one above which Dr Wagner recommends, so ask your health practitioner before you start Vitamion E treatment for varicose veins. Because Vitamin E thins the blood quite dramatically, it must not be taken with other blood thinning medications such as WARFARIN.

Calcium and Magnesium are  often deficient in the diets of people with varicose veins. Calcium is important in building healthy, strong tissues, so your veins need a good amount of it in order to remain healthy.  Calcium helps you process your food properly, and helps in elimination of waste products. You need vitamin C and vitamin D and magnesium for calcium to be assimilated properly. Take a supplement such as calcium citrate for easy absorption, or read merrilyn’s recipe in the post entitled ‘Best Calcium Supplement’.

Diet to Prevent and Help Varicose Veins: The diet should be high in protein, and lower in processed carbohydrates such as wheat flour and sugar.  You  should include plenty of high fiber in every meal: alkaline green vegetables  such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, lettuce,  and mung bean sprouts;  brown rice  with most meals to replace wheat products;  oat-bran porroidge for breakfast, taken with a grated apple.

Eat plenty of root vegetables such as  beetroot, carrots, parsnips and swedes. Include nuts and seeds in the daily diet, especially almonds and sunflower seeds.

Eat plenty of raw fruit, especially apples with the skins left on. Apples are very alkaline, and are very high in fiber. Bananas, pears, and stone fruits such as peaches,  nectarines and apricots are  all very good.

Whole grains such as brown rice  and oatmeal bran will help you prevent varicose veins, and also help you to remedy the condition to some extent.

Lay Off: Sugar, wheat flour, dairy products and alcohol.

Avoid Foods Cooked in Fats. You need fats, but avoid the cooked ones. Cooked fats encourage the thickening up of the blood, which is what you want to avoid in preventing and treating varicose veins.

Eat Vitamin E Rich Oils to Prevent and Treat  Varicose Veins. Opt for  the health-giving oils  which are high in Vitamin E, which thins the blood:  olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil,  peanut oil and wheatgerm oil are all rich in nutrients  which promote health. Use these on your salads to get your daily requirements of fat.

Cleanse the Bowels Regularly: Some sort of Detox Diet should start your programme to repair those veins. You could take a day or two  on apples only, and use  the castor oil treatment on a morning when you do not have to go to work. Try to do a detox once a week.

Castor oil taken internally helps mend broken veins and heal the vein walls. It also cleans your insides out.  Take  two tablespoons in the morning followed by a cup of black coffee. Do this once a week, or every second day if you are totally committed to repairing your state of health.

Some sort of Detox diet should start your programme to repair those veins.

Avoid Sitting Or Standing for Long Periods, and also avoid crossing the legs. Circulation is inhibited when you cross your legs. Circulaton  is impaired if you have a job where you are stationed in the one spot for long, either sitting or standing, or are bed-ridden.  In these situations  you must remember to exercise your limbs every 30 minutes or so. Stretch, bend, go for a walk to the bathroom. If you are in bed, then simply flex the leg muscles and  move and stretch  the feet: this  will help increase circulation.

Massage the legs briefly  every 30 minutes  or so to keep the blood and lymph moving from the legs. This must be done gently if you already have painful varicose veins. You can massage the legs from the knee down even while you sit at your computer, or your piano. It doesn’t take much – even a minute of massage will  remind the leg veins to do their work.

Painful Varicose Veins can be helped by gently massaging castor oil into the legs at night. This has a soothing effect, and will help towards healing those affected veins.

Apple Cider Vinegar can be patted on after a shower. This helps improve the circulation.  Potassium in the cider vinegar is helpful to the veins. The vinegar  also has an astringent effect, and helps shrink the veins to a certain extent if it is used regularly in combination with an appropriate diet.

Anti-Inflammatory Herbs which will help you to shrink those varicose veins are:

Borage Oil. This can be massaged into the affected areas to help with shrinkage. Borage tea could be drunk freely during the day.

Comfrey. Comfrey, like borage, is high in silica and has healing properties which are unsurpassed by other herbs. See if you can get a supply of comfrey to make herbal teas from. Comfrey can be  cooked into a pulp, left to cool,  and used as a poultice on the sore veins. This  is very effective for reducing swollen veins and alleviating pain.

Bromelin. This is another anti-inflammatory. Take 500 mg twice a day, between meals. You could include pineapple in the evening meal as a desert, as this also contains anti-inflammatory properties.

White Oak Bark is another excellent anti-inflammatory. Aspirin is actually a synthetic form of white oak bark properties. White oak bark helps soothe the tissues and the nerves as well, so it is a good anti-stress herb.

Herbs Which Improve Circulation should be used daily. Choose one or two out of either:

Cayenne Pepper, Capsicum, Prickly Ash, Horseradish, Ginger, Cloves or Cinnamon. Ginger/cinnamon tea could be drunk after each meal.

  • The Lemon Diet, or the Lemonade Diet for a day would be helpful in reducing swelling in the legs,  removing toxins, and facilitating healing.
  • Simply take the juice of a lemon, add  a teaspoon of honey. Fill your cup with medium to hot water. Add a pinch of cayenne, or ginger.
  • Repeat every hour, for every hour  of the day that  you can sustain it.
  • If you must break the diet, then try to eat only raw foods such as grapes, or apples, for the rest of the day.
  • See merrilyn’s post entitle Yoga Exercise for Varicose Veins

Best Calcium Supplement

Home Made Calcium/Magnesium Tonic is a rich source of natural calcium and magnesium.

Two teaspoons a day of our natural home made calcium supplement will provide you with the equivalent amount of calcioum in a glass of milk, or a handful of sesame seeds.

A handful of sesame seeds has about 1200mg of calcium and magnesium. whichis thought to be a reasonable dose for healthy people.  If you have celiac disease, then you really need twice this amount.

This is where an extra dose of something like the home made calcium tonic comes in useful, as you can easily obtain the rest of your calcium requirements from taking a teaspoon or two of this each day.  A teaspoon of dolomite powder gives you double the quantity of calcium and magnesium.

Calcium Protects against Cancer: Calcium is an essential component in the diet. Deficiencies of calcium can lead to cancers developing. Research has shown that diets rich in calcium foods help protect against cancers, especially cancer of the colon, which is an extremely common type of cancer.

Calcium Builds Stong Bones and Teeth, Hair and Nails. Calcium is, of course, essential for the building of strong bones and teeth, hair and nails, and is important for the  functioning of the central nervous system. Good calcium absorption in the body helps build a strong immune system, which protects you against disease and sickness.

Home Made Calcium/Magnesium Tonic: The best calcium/magnesium  supplement is one which you can make yourself, at home, with the most basic of ingredients. These ingredients are:

  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Egg shells from organic, free-range eggs.

All you do is take your egg shells, after your family have eaten that great egg omelette, and put them into a screw top jar. Crumble them up a bit, so that they break down more easily.

Cover the crumbled egg shells with pure, organic apple cider vinegar. Put the lid on the jar, and wait for your home-made calcium/magnesium tonic to mature.

You can begin to use the mixture after a day or so, when the apple cider vinegar will have dissolved much of the calcium and magnesium from the egg shells.

Take a couple of teaspoons night and morning, or more if you have a condition such as osteoporosis, where calcium has already begun to leach out of the bones.

The egg shell calcium tonic with cider vinegar is the best liquid calcium supplement. It is the perfect way to take extra calcium, as it is  easily assimilated, and is rich also in magnesium, which helps your body to assimilate calcium properly. It also contains traces of zinc and other trace elements which are essential for good health.

Keep the mixture in the fridge for up to a week, and then make up some fresh calcium/magnesium tonic.

Causes of Breast Cancer

Causes of Breast Cancer

Many articles will tell you that the causes of breast cancer are unknown. Some doctors will tell you that breast cancer is hereditary. However, there are some  chemicals and some factors which are known to contribute towards people succumbing to breast cancer.

Radiation

X Ray radiation of the chest area in childhood, or during youth, can cause breast cancer to develop later in a woman’s life.

The women who were exposed to the Hiroshima bomb succumbed more easily to breast cancer, and other cancers,  than women of the same generation who were not irradiated.

Your health can suffer, and your immune system beomome damaged, because of living, or working, too close to electricity transformers, meter boxes, cell phone towers,  overhead power lines, sleeping next to power sources, and over use of  cell phones.

Toxic Chemicals Contaminate Environment

For most people, the main risk factors in getting breast cancer lie in the fact that so many toxic chemicals are widely used in our environments and our homes.

Petro-chemicals can cause breast cancer, and other cancers, to develop.

Organo-chlorides which are  found in many herbicides, and pesticides, are known to have a carcinogen effect, especially in  the forming of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers.

Herbicides, widely used by councils in spraying whole areas at a time, which they will call a spraying  ‘programme’, are a real threat to adults, and even more  to children who often walk these sprayed areas to get to and from school, or to the school bus. Even if we are not actively walking in these areas, the spray drift is affecting all those who live in the area.

Herbicide use in public areas should definitely be banned, for the sake of all. The risk is just too great. Our children may be in fairly good health now, but these poisons will affect the health of many children in later life, and predispose them to cancer and other disease related to  immune disfunction.

Toxins such as Propylene Glycol, Dioxin, which is found in 245T, or Agent Orange, DDT, 24D, Roundup, and many other herbicides and insecticides are all thought to increase cancer risk. Some of these chemicals are now banned, such as DDT. However, DDT  still remains in the soils where it was used, and these residues still find their way into our food chain.

245T, which is now banned, was known to affect the genetic structure of humans. This has resulted in deformities of children, who may be at risk of having deformed children themselves, since 245T affects the genes.

We who protested against the use of 245T, or ‘agent orange’ in the 1970’s were told by government authorities in New Zealand that it was not proven that this chemical caused cancer, or deformities, or anything else, and so its use would be continued here.

Actually, the effects of 2,4,5,T and 2,4,D, WERE known – the effects of using ‘Agent Orange’ , a combination of the two chemicals, in Viet Nam proved how harmful it was. It was banned in all other western countries long before New Zealand banned it, because Dow chemicals  (Ivan Watkins Dow) were making the stuff here, at New Plymouth, New Zealand.

After aerial spraying over our house and stream which was our water source, I became very ill.  I was around six months pregnant at the time.  Friends advised to go and see the local doctor in the Hokianga, so that my case should be recorded as being caused by 2,4,5,T.  Hopefully, we thought, a register of all ill-health related to 2,4,5,T was being kept.

But, instead of recording my ill-health as the after-math of aerial 2,4,5,T spraying, the doctor told me I was imagining I was ill.  I was a hypochondriac, he said, because there was no proof that 2,4,5,T caused any harm to human beings.  He failed to record my case of 2,4,5,T related symptoms – breathing difficulties, asthma-like symptoms, feeling nauseous all the time, bone pains, and having literally no energy to do the simplest task.

Six months later, my baby had died.  And around four or five years later, I had a breast lump which my doctor advised to have biopsied.

Instead of trusting any more medical people, or scientists, I decided to cure the thing myself.  This was when I discovered, first, Walter Last, the Whangarei healer, and then the Dr Gerson therapy for cancer.  Both these healers, in their own way, helped me recover.

Common sense must prevail. Don’t wait for chemicals to be banned after they have wreaked havoc in the environment, and killed people.  Avoid them NOW, and protect your children’s health, as well as your own.

Harmful Chemicals in Personal Care Products

Many harmful chemicals are used in cosmetics and personal care products, and even baby products. Dioxin is one chemical which is still to be found in some under-arm deodorants, among other cosmetic products.

The chemical list of carcenogens is extensive and lengthy. The simple  message is that you should avoid ALL the chemicals that you can. Learn how to live without them. Learn how to manage weeds and insects by natural means. If you can’t, then learn how to live with the weeds instead, as they will most likely benefit your health, whereas  toxic herbicides won’t.

Toxic Chemicals are in Our Clothing Fabrics

These days, much of our clothing, including our underwear,  is made cheaply in China, and this means that very often, the fabrics are synthetic, petroleum-based products. These synthetic fabrics contain many chemicals which adversely affect the health.  Often, cheap dyes are used in clothing made in China: Many of the dyes used to dye fabric and leather contain excessive amounts of formaldehyde, which is a carcenogen. These chemicals are readily absorbed through the pores of your skin, and into your body, where they can be stored. These stored chemicals are a potential risk in getting cancer.

The Bra Restricts Blood and Lymph

The Wearing of the bra in order to keep a perfect shape might contribute towards some women developing breast cancer. It is thought that the wearing of a tight bra around the whole of the chest and breast area could contribute to cancerous conditions setting in, because the bra restricts the blood and energy flow. The bra stops the lymph from travelling freely about the body, locking it in around the breast area. This means that drainage of waste products from the chest area will be blocked, because the lymph cannot carry them away efficiently.

The Contraceptive Pill or Injection

Contraceptives interfere with your body’s hormone production and regulation, which is why the contraceptive is a risk factor in getting cancer. It also robs the body of certain nutrients, which is another negative factor. There are many  other medications which  can contribute towards cancer and other degenerative disease, but the contraceptive  pill or injection probably poses the biggest threat, as it is taken long term, and this  means that your hormonal system is continually being interfered with, long term.

Innoculations Lower Your Immunity:

Innoculations for diseases like  influenza, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and the like,  actually reduce your immunity. They might protect you against one outbreak of flu, or some other disease, but at the risk of getting more severe diseases in later life. Children who have had the range of injections for various diseases in childhood will have an immune system which is severly weakened, which will predispose them to immune function diseases like cancer, including  breast cancer, arthritis, and  multiple sclerosis, in later years.

Personally, after my eldest child was affected adversely by a series of injections in childhood, I refused to take part in this innoculation charade. There are other options, like homeopathy, vitamin therapy, acupuncture, and herbal medecine which prevent diseases and work cures. However, there is a place for everything: get advice from your doctor or homeopath  before you decide NOT to go for that innoculation which everybody is racing to get.

Alcohol, Marijuana, and Cigarettes

Women who drink more than two glasses of alcohol per day are twice as likely to get breast cancer, or some other form of cancer, than women who rarely drink. Marijuana smokers, and cigarette smokers, also double their chances of getting breast cancer, and other cancers, including lung cancer.

Nutritional Deficiencies Can Cause Cancer

Give yourself and your family a diet which is high in all the necessary nutrients. Ensure that you eat plenty of foods which are rich in  Iodine and Calcium. These are both essential to good health and to preventing cancer. Make sure that every meal contains plenty of Roughage . Roughage is the other essential factor in preventing cancer.

Remember the three  cancer preventers – Roughage – Iodine – Calcium.

Avoid Processed Foods which have Chemical Additives

Processed foods contain many chemicals which are hazardous to the health, especially if you eat a lot of this food. These chemicals build up in the body, until one day – boomph – some disease ‘hits’ you, like breast cancer. Detoxifying diets, or the castor oil treatment taken once a week, are ways in which you can reduce the toxins in your body, to help prevent cancer.

Other Things to Do to Prevent Breast Cancer

Give up smoking. Limit, or give up alcohol. Give up all drugs unless it is a medication which your life depends on.

You can remove your bra when you get home from work. You can make sure that it is made of cotton, rather than a synthetic material, and that it is not too tight.

Well wash that new bra before beginning to wear it.

Try to wear cotton fabrics rather than anything synthetic. This is especially  important for fabrics which touch the skin. Again, well wash any new item of clothing before you begin to wear it.

You can take measures to detoxify the body, so that any toxic residues which have built up in your body get eliminated over time. Days on the apple diet, or the castor oil cleanse used once a week, will help your body to detoxify. You can help your children’s health by giving them mainly apples to eat on certain days of the week, as this will help them to detoxify as well.

You can throw out all the chemicals – all the herbicides and insecticides which you have about your house. You can check your make-up. Throw out all dubious products. Give up hair dye and nail polish – these contribute to cancer.

Read merrilyn’s article on ‘household chemical reactions’ for more information on chemicals which cause cancer and other disease.

Regrow Hair

Ways to Regrow Hair

First and foremost – give up using chemical hair dyes. Hair dye, unless it is a pure, herbal, unadulterated product like powdered henna, will cause your hair to thin over time, and predispose you to diseases like cancer and arthritis.

IMG_6820Photo by Merrilyn on Holly’s camera, 25th December, 2012, Dunedin.

The following suggestions are all natural, pure, organic ways in which you can help your hair to regrow. Please note that it is advisable to see your doctor or health professional for advice before trying out any home remedy, or vitamins, or iodine, or any technique mentioned here.  No responsibility can be taken when these suggestions do not work, or make the condition worse, or make you feel bad.  Ask your doctor for a diagnosis first, and then ask about any remedy you might want to try.

The Castor Oil  Treatmenout is one of the best ways to regrow hair. Castor oil can be applied externally to the hair, and it can  also  be taken internally.

The Castor Oil Treatment will cleanse your body of harmful chemicals which inhibit your hair growth. Toxins accumulate in the body, and these undermine your health and affect your hair growth.

Dr Max Gerson, and others, have used castor oil as  an integral part of an alternative treatment for cancer.

It has been found that many people using castor oil as part of a cancer treatment have grown new hair.  Mind, these people have all been on diets which include maximum amounts of all the necessary vitamins and minerals which are essential for good health. The Gerson therapy for treating cancer included eating a giant bowl of oatmeal porridge every morning. Oats are very high in silica which is excellent for the hair, so it is no wonder that many people on the castor oil/porridge treatment for cancer grew new hair.

Diet, of course, is the most important consideration for curing any ill health AND  for promoting hair regrowth.

Castor Oil Applied Externally to the scalp has long been used as a treatment to encourage hair growth. Mothers apply it to their baby’s scalp to promote hair growth, and also to cure ‘cradle cap’ which affects babies and small children.

Castor oil applied externally can be used by anyone to treat scalp conditions, and to help regrow hair. You can rub it into the scalp at least once a week. Leave it on overnight. In the morning, wash off  the castor oil using plenty of  organic soap, or a good quality shampoo which does not contain harmful chemicals.

Castor Oil Used Internally

Castor oil is used every second day on the Gerson plan for alternative cancer therapy. I have used this diet myself, to good effect, when I had a breast lump years ago. After three months on the diet, which included the medicinal dose of two tablespoons of castor oil every second  morning, with 90% raw food in the diet, I had recovered. The bonus was that my hair rejuvenated itself: my hair became very thick and shiny after using castor oil for three months, in combination with a mainly raw diet.

Raw Egg Yolk Benefits Hair Regrowth

External Use: Raw egg yolk can be used externally as a hair conditioner: see the recipe for AIOLI below, under the ‘Olive Oil Treatment’ section.

Internal Use: Two raw egg yolks were also taken each day on the alternative therapy which I used, and I think these  raw egg yolks also had a pronounced effect on the growth of the hair. I know some nutritionists warn against using too many eggs, but many others ‘in the know’, such as Dr Max Gerson, Walter Last, and myself included, swear by the use of raw egg yolk taken daily to help build the body’s immune system. When you are on a diet which uses minimal amounts of cooked food, including meats, then raw egg yolks are just the thing. They are easily digested, have good quality protein which nourishes your body and brain, and contain large amounts of lecithin, iron, and vitamins A, B,  C,  D, and E.

Lecithin, contained in raw egg yolk, is an important nutrient, as this helps the liver and gall bladder in digesting and processing fats and other nutrients so that your body can use them to regrow things like bone, and hair, teeth and nails. The lecithin contained in two raw egg yolks a day will provide you with enough good quality lecithin so that you can process the olive oil, or avocado fat, or grape seed oil, which are all important food items for helping you keep your hair on. Diets which are deficient in fats and lecithin usually lead to thin hair. You need good quality oils and fats in your diet too.

You do not eat the egg white raw, only the egg yolk. Raw egg white is not used in the Gerson diet, or other alternative approaches to healing disease such as cancer. Egg white contains albumum, which is not so easily digested, especially when it is taken raw. Egg white must always be cooked, unless it is beaten up in a smoothie, which renders the egg white digestible.

Gelatine Dietary gelatine gives a boost to hair growth. Gelatine contains many amino acids, and is naturally very high in protein. You could take two heaped teaspoons every night: simply drop the powder onto a how drink, such as a drink of cocoa, or an egg nog. Let the powder drop down into the hot liquid, then stir until it is dissolved. Gelatine is a good nourisher of the nerves, as well as the hair, and will help you to sleep well when taken at night.

The Olive Oil Treatment

This is another great treatment for helping you regrow hair.  You can use  olive oil straight from the bottle, rubbed well into the scalp, to help with hair regrowth. Using plenty of olive oil in the diet, especially raw on salads, or using it to make the  fabulous aioli, which is raw egg yolk combined with olive oil, will not only help your general health, but your hair health too.

Aioli Mayonnaise: This is the famous recipe which uses raw egg yolk as its base.  Aioli is used as a butter substitute in many parts of the Mediterranean. It is a healthful supplement to the diet, and taken internally, it is a benefit to the health of your hair.  Aioli mayonnaise is just great on fresh salads, or as an accompaniment to cooked fish, but it  can also be used externally, on the hair, as a hair treatment for the conditioning of the hair.

To Make Aioli Mayonnaise/Conditioner:

  • Put two egg yolks into a small bowl. Be careful not to get any white in them.
  • Slowly, drop by drop, add olive oil. You need to add this VERY slowly in the beginning, but as the egg yolks take up the olive oil, and grow in volume, you will find you can add the oil slightly more quickly.

If you are making this for the table, then you would add the traditional chopped garlic to the mixture. However, if you are going to use this as a hair conditioner, then omit the garlic.

How To Use: Simply smear a generous quantity of the aioli mixture onto the hair. Massage well in. Leave for several hours, if you can, before washing off in warm water and a good quality soap. This conditioner leaves the hair very shiny, and actually nourishes the hair roots as well.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar is so good for the hair, and so easy to apply. I have used it for years, simply dashing a bit of  undiluted apple cider vinegar over the hair after each wash.

The nutrients in apple cider vinegar really do encourage hair growth, if you regularly use the cider vinegar with each wash. These nutrients are absorbed into the scalp, where they feed the hair roots. Silica, and potassium are some of the important trace elements which you find in apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar also helps to restore the normal acidity/alkalinity ratio to the hair again. Soaps and shampoos tend to make the hair and scalp too alkaline. An alkaline scalp  does not help hair growth at all, as it usually results in dandruff and an itchy scalp. Apple cider vinegar helps to make the scalp slightly acidic again, whilst nourishing the hair roots at the same time.

Using pure apple cider vinegar on your children’s hair after each wash will help prevent catching head lice. Head lice do not like this cider vinegar acid environment, but prefer the alkaline state which is the result of using soaps and shampoos.

Silica-Rich Herbs Help Hair Growth

Comfrey,  horsetail, borage, nettles  and oat straw are just a few herbs which have high amounts of silica.  Oat straw is an especially nice tea to drink, and is especially high in silica. This is also an excellent tea for  expectant, or young mothers. Comfrey, borage and nettles can be added to your  vegetables to ‘up’ your silica intake. Silica really helps hair, nails, bone and teeth to grow and remain strong.

Rosemary is also high in silica, and is a good herb for the hair, however, use rosemary in small amounts in food, as large amounts are toxic. Rosemary is good as a hair tonic, to add to other herbs for the hair:

You can make a herbal infusion out of any of the herbs listed above. This infusion can be applied to the scalp as a final rinse, in much the same way as you would use apple cider vinegar. The silica and other nutrients  in these herbs will continue to be absorbed through the pores of the skin on your scalp, and these will reach the hair roots which feed your hair.

To Make an Infusion for a Hair Rinse:

  • Take a cup of fresh herbs, using any combination of either comfrey, borage, or nettles, or rosemary.
  • Add three cups of water to the herbs, and bring to the boil on the stove. Simmer gently for five minutes, then leave to stand until cold.
  • Use the liquid as your final rinse.  Massage well into the scalp. Keep the remainder in the fridge, to use later on in the week as a hair rinse.

Cayenne and Ginger Improve Circulation:

Both cayenne pepper and ginger should be included in the daily diet, as these improve blood circulation. Better circulation of the blood means that all those nutrients in your fabulous diet will have a better chance of getting to feed your hair roots.

Iodine Hair Treatment

For more information on Iodine and other nutrients for the hair, take a look at  Merrilyn’s other  posts entitled

Iodine Scalp/Hair Remedy;

Vitamins for Hair Growth;

Best Vitamins for Hair Growth.

The Iodine Treatment is the last, but not least, of my favourite external applications for hair regrowth. Iodine is ESSENTIAL for hair growth. It is important for good general health all round. If you are deficient in Iodine, then your hair suffers. Ideally, if we ate enough fish and sea weed, then we would not need to supplement our diets with iodine. However, this is not the case for most people.

So  applications  of iodine can  help to prevent  iodine deficiency. Iodine can be applied to any part of the body, but here  we favor the application straight to the scalp, as this will  help you to regrow your hair.

Note – do not use this on the same day as you use apple cider vinegar on the hair, as the two do not combine well. Use this at least one or two days  after you have washed your hair. You only need to apply the iodine once or twice a week. Use only a couple of dabs or three, dabbing each spot on a different part of the scalp. Massage the scalp, and leave. Try not to wash the iodine off on the day you apply it. Iodine is absorbed through the pores of the scalp, and down to the hair roots, so your hair will benefit by leaving the iodine on your scalp.

If you continue to apply small amounts of iodine to the scalp  on a regular basis, then after several months you should notice an improvement in hair growth. This needs to be done, of course, with a highly nutritious diet.

Nutritional Supplements to Regrow Hair

Vitamin A/Beta Carotene Eat plenty of carrots and parsnips for vitamin A. You might consider a  supplement of vitamin A which could be taken for a few weeks until you notice an improvement in your hair growth: 50,000 IU of beta carotene  daily is recommended for baldness by Dr Wagner/Goldfarb, who wrote the book ‘How to Stay Out of the Doctor’s Office’. Ask your own medical practitioner to see whether this dose is OK for you, and for advice on how long you should take this amount.

These doctors also recommend Biotin – 5 mg daily- since hair follicles are made up mostly of biotin and cysteine. If you include two raw egg yolks in the diet as part of your programme to regrow your hair, then you will get adequate amounts of these nutrients.

Take a tablespoon of avocado oil, or grapeseed oil, or wheatgerm oil, or olive oil daily. This will provide you with vitamin E and essential fats which are needed for hair growth. An extra 400 IU of vitamin E could be taken until you note improvement. Again – ask your doctor or health practitioner about this.

Take extra vitamin C daily – Between 1000mg and 2000mg of a non-acidic form of vitamin C, such as ester C, or calcium ascorbate powder.

Manganese is advised by Dr Wagner/Goldfarb – 50mg taken twice a day is their recommendation.

For the added benefit of restoring hair color, these doctors suggest taking a daily B complex supplement. Added to this B complex, you add  extra PABA – 300 mg twice daily, Pantothenic Acid – 300 mg twice daily, and Folic acid – 5 mg a day. I would take these amounts for several weeks, or up to three months: Again – best get some advice on this, especially if you are already taking any medication.

Best Treatment for Puffy Eyes

Best Treatment for Puffy Eyes:

Japanese Green Tea and Ceylon Tea

Some of the best treatments  for puffy eyes are the tea bag treatments,  using either japanese green tea, or black ceylon tea. The castor oil treatment, which is listed below, is also very effective in soothing puffy eyes. Of course, these are not applied at the same time. You need to use them separately.

How to use tea bag eye packs for puffy eyes:

  • Use  cold, wet tea bags applied to the eye for ten minutes to reduce swelling and relieve tired, puffy  eyes. Using cold, wet tea bags over the eyes actually sharpens up your vision too, as the tannin and other minerals in the tea help to nourish the nerves and tissues of the eye retina, as well as the surrounding tissue.  Use the cold wet tea bags  of either japanese green tea, or ceylon tea for your eye packs.

Castor Oil Treatment for Puffy Eyes

Castor oil is the secret ingredient which is used in expensive eye ointments and cosmetics. It is an especially healing oil. Because it is a relatively heavy oil, it has the ability to stick to the tissues of the eyes without running off, which lighter oils, like olive oil, tend to do.

To make an eye-pack with castor oil.

  • Use a small piece of linen or flannel. Fold it so that it is just large enough to cover the eye area. 
  • Pour over a teaspoon of pure castor oil onto each wad of cloth. Lie down, and place over the eyes. Leave on for 10-20 minutes. Store in a screw top jar so that you can use the packs again.

Cider Vinegar for Puffy Eyes

Of course, this MUST be diluted heavily. Never use cider vinegar on the eyes straight from the bottle.  Here is how to make a soothing pack for tired puffy eyes:

  • Put one teaspoon only of organic apple cider vinegar into half a cup of water.
  • Take a piece of linen and fold it into a wad. Dip into the  diluted apple cider mixture. Wring out lightly, and place over the closed eyes. Leave on for 10-20 minutes.

Potassium and vitamins from the apple cider vinegar will feed your eye tissues while you leave the moistened pack on. The acidic nature of the vinegar works as an astringent, which will help those tired, puffy eyes.