Mama Rika's Top 25 Natural Remedies

To begin...I believe that God designed our bodies in a wonderful way in that our bodies are able to heal, to recuperate when broken, and to fight off diseases when we get them. Our bodies will do everything they possibly can do to renew themselves. I also believe that while it is true that we can do things that are detrimental to our bodies, we can also do things that affect our bodies in a positive way. What we put into our bodies, what we put on our bodies and what we expose our bodies to all play a role in our health. I do believe that there are things outside of our control that can be harmful to our bodies, but we can do many things to keep ourselves in the best health possible.

I try to accentuate our family’s health by trying to serve as many healthy meals as possible and keeping fruits and vegetables available for snacking. I also encourage our family to be active physically. One other thing I do is to “say no to drugs.” And I don’t just mean illegal ones. I feel like, as a society, we rely too much on a different drug for every little ailment. I don’t have anything against doctors. I have a nice family doctor. I just try to not visit him often. I try to take a natural approach to healing, and decided to share my ideas with you. I hope you will find something useful.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, so I am not recommending that these things will work for anyone and everyone. I make no claims that you will achieve any sort of miraculous results by using the items I outline below. I am simply sharing what I have done with my family that has worked well for us. Every person is different.

I have studied nutrition, herbs and supplements on my own from my early teens. {And that was a really long time ago, yet just a moment has passed. :)} I like to check up on the physicians desk reference to determine for myself the side effects of various prescribed drugs. I have been taught many things by my Mother who knows an amazing amount of things, having read, studied with an expert, and having run a small health food store for many years. I have seen some things that work and some things that don’t work as I have raised my 7 kids. (The oldest is now 18.) I can count on one hand the number of times that any of my children have had a drug of any kind. But, I have no paper work to show that I am any sort of expert, nor do I claim to be one.

So, please read through this with those things in mind. And, please read and study on your own. You can find out things the best that way, but this might be a good starting place. Thanks!

This is going to be a three part series. Here are the first several items, not necessarily prioritized by what is best or most important.

Acidophilus is great for upset tummies and keeping good bacteria around. You need the good bacteria to fight off the “bad guys” that your body encounters. You can get it in chewables for kids or swallowable capsules. You can also find it in yogurt with live cultures. Click here to see how to make your own crockpot yogurt. It is always a good idea to take acidophilus when you have been on antibiotics because antibiotics destroy the good bacteria along with the bad.

Aloe Vera soothes and rejuvenates burned skin. We have an aloe vera plant that we just break off a leaf and squeeze it on. Burns heal so much faster this way.

The last time I used it was a few months ago when I splashed boiling hot water from some pasta I was draining all over the left side of my face. Wow, did that hurt! I had bright red blotches all over, some more severe than others. Part of my eyelid and just below my eye was particularly painful. I kept putting on Aloe every 10 to 15 minutes for the first little while. It soothed and made it much less painful. Then, as I could, I put it on less often. In the morning, there was a small spot on my eyelid and by my eye that was visible. The top of my ear also still hurt, but that is all! Amazing stuff!

Aloe Vera can grow indoors or out nicely. It is actually easy to grow. {This is coming from someone who did not inherit her mother’s green thumb!} Aloe Vera can be purchased, but if you buy a kind with a lot of fillers, it doesn’t work nearly as well. I wouldn’t choose the kinds with funky colors and ingredients you can't pronounce. Check with your local health food store for the best brands. The one I like comes in a see through tube-like container, but I can’t remember its brand name.

Apple Cider Vinegar can be gargled to clear up throat ailments. If you have a tough time gargling, you can take a small spoonful and just swallow it. That method isn’t as effective, but does help. It is especially good with mucous build up and we’ve used it on strep too.

BFC (this stands for Bone, Flesh & Cartilage) from Nature’s Way is the perfect salve for all bumps, bangs and bruises. It heals things so much faster. I could tell many stories of how this has healed in amazing ways. It is really wonderful for sprains, of which we have had plenty. We use this very regularly on "owies".

Echinacea and golden seal are similar herbs. They both strengthen the immune system, but golden seal is a lot more potent. Golden seal should not be taken for long periods of time. Echinacea is safe to give kids and can be purchase in liquid drops. Use when a boost is needed.

Emergen-c from Alacer is such a must-have. Emergen-c comes in little packets that you add to water. It fizzes. It comes in many flavors, all of the ones I have tried are a bit tart, but not unpleasant. The lemony flavors are best in my opinion. Emergen-c gives you plenty of vitamin C, which most everyone knows is wonderful in fighting the common cold and and other ailments. It also gives you electrolytes and most flavors have a good bit of potassium too. Great for sporty kids like mine. Better than sports drinks.

Garlic is something we eat a lot of in my cooking. Not only does it taste good, it has known benefits for your immune system. It has been called “Russian Penicillin”. For an extra boost when feeling ill, I like Kyolic garlic. This comes in capsule and in a liquid. The liquid can be squeezed directly into the child’s mouth. Yes, it is very garlicky! Most of my kids have actually liked the taste. Others took some coercing. But you do what ya gotta do for the kids to help them be healthy!

Garlic oil ear drops work wonderfully well for ear infections. You can get this at the health food store. There is a kind with garlic & mullein that is also fine. The other ingredient is olive oil. When I notice my kids getting runny noses, it often is affecting their ears as well, so I will use the ear drops then, before they start to complain of ear aches. I had one child that got some bad infections, but we never had to go put tubes in or do antibiotics. Make sure the ear oil is warm, not cold, not hot, (room temperature is okay). Then, drop a couple drops in the ear. Treat both ears, regardless of whether the child has pain in both. Finally, put a cotton ball in the ear and you are done.

Okay, there's part one. Don't forget to do your homework! Part two and three will be coming soon, so stay tuned if you enjoyed this little show.