Top 3 Things that Keep Me Healthy

Top 3 Things that Keep Me Healthy

There are three food and/or natural substances I can’t live without:

(1)   Lemons – I drink ½ of a squeezed lemon after each meal to aid in digestion. No heartburn! See my Drink Lemon for Good Health post for more information.

(2)   Flaxseed Oil or Flaxseeds – Add seeds to your morning cereal or to your noon salad for a healthy dose of omega 3 essential fatty acids. Or you can simply take a teaspoon of organic cold-pressed flaxseed oil, available at your local health food store. Flaxseed reduces inflammation in your body, a precursor to all kinds of bad sicknesses and diseases and helps keep your arteries clear of cholesterol’s effects.

(3)   Lemon and Peppermint Essential Oils – I only use the doTERRA brand because I believe in its purity. Just one drop of each oil in my “shot” glass of water first thing in the morning, and I have just taken a natural liver detox, helping my liver to more successfully do its filtering job for the day.

Be healthy.

Love,

TCB

Essential Oils for Good Health

Essential Oils for Good Health

Essential oils are an ancient remedy for ailments, illnesses and general physical and emotional distress. They are mentioned in the Bible; remember, the wise men brought baby Jesus frankincense and myrrh. Why was that? Essential oils have medicinal qualities that help heal the body.

I have been using essential oils for a few months now. I signed up with a company named doTERRA because I wanted to begin to build an inventory of oils as my “medicine kit.” One of my favorites is actually a blend of several essential oils. It’s called DigestZen, and I use it to treat my reflux and general digestive upsets.

DigestZen contains seven essential oils:

• Ginger
• Peppermint
• Tarragon
• Fennel
• Caraway
• Coriander
• Anise.

Essential oils are very concentrated extracts from flowers, berries, roots, leaves, stems, seeds, and the bark of plants.

I use DigestZen in conjunction with my lemon routine, which I explained in the post Drink Lemon for Good Health. I rub one drop of oil on my stomach and one on the part of the bottom of my feet that corresponds to the stomach on a reflexology chart. You can find reflexology charts online. I use one in a book I’m currently reading, “Modern Essentials: A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils.”

Whenever I feel a little upset stomach, or I’ve eaten something I shouldn’t, I use this oil. I must say it makes me feel better within 30 seconds. And I really love it because it is natural (like the lemon) and has nothing to do with pharmaceutical drugs, which are just a band-aid anyway. By using this combination, and staying away from the black tea and oatmeal that doesn’t specifically agree with my body, I have been free of prescription meds for 9 months now. And I feel better than ever.

In good health,
TCB

Winter is Ideal for Composting

Today was another fairly warm (for February) but windy day. I decided it was time to get outside and do a little more winter yard maintenance. I tend to do this in dribs and drabbles during the winter because I am a TRUE SOUTHERN GIRL and much prefer 100 degrees to 50 degrees.

I began to rake the dead leaves from my backyard shrub beds to add to my compost pile. Once full just two months ago, the compost pile has shrunk down to about 1/4 full. I think that's good news as far as the composting process is concerned. I did however notice the fruit and vegetable scraps I've been adding to the bin have been disappearing just as fast as I put them out there. Knowing that decomposition is impossible in one night, I suspect the pesky raccoon I caught one night pilfering the bird feeder is having a field day (or night) in my compost bin.

But I digress.

As I was raking the leaves, I decided to try a little trick with my mulch shovel. Instead of all the back breaking raking, I simply decided to shovel up the leaves into my wheelbarrow to transport to the compost bin. Wa-la! It worked beautifully and took me less than half the time it would take to rake it all. The mulch shovel skimmed right over the existing mulch in the shrub beds, leaving it intact while removing the leaves. I'm not lazy, but I sure like easy!

I took it all and dumped it into the compost bin.

Full again!

Then I decided to cut chicken wire to fit the top of the compost bin. I will win, raccoon!

Until the next sunny day,
TCB