Natural Remedies for Rheumatoid Arthritis

 I would like to share a story about my grandparents with you.  My grandmother, whom I loved dearly, suffered with RA.  When I was a very young child; five, seven or even 10 years old, I used to tag along with my grandparents when they went to the “mineral baths” in northern Greece.  I must tell you I felt quite special, most of the people at the mineral baths and the surrounding hotels were all over 50 0r 60 years old.  I was the only child, I guess my grandparents liked me tagging along.

Lest you start to wonder why I bring up this story, I have been asked many a time about holistic remedies for RA.  Some years ago I started to recommend to people to create their own mineral baths.  My grandparents used to travel for their mineral bath, but they could do so, they were retired.  I have recommended the following regimen and it does seem to bring some measure of relief to people with RA.  You will need to purchase organic, clay cat litter.  Please ensure it is 100% clay as these days there are all sorts of additives.  The other items you will need to purchase are epsom salt and baking soda.  I know this may sound funny to you but once a week create a mud paste out of the cat litter (combine the cat litter with water).  Get into your tub and cover yourself with the mud paste.  Keep it on as long as you can stand, rinse yourself and then soak in a warm bath with epsom salt and baking soda.  Please try this and do it once a week, I do believe that it might relieve some of the pain.

RA can certainly be affected by lack of sleep so if you can, make an extra effort to sleep eight hours per night.  If you find you are having a hard time falling asleep please remember that a cup of chamomile tea will help.

There are certainly a number of things that can help with inflammation.  I think a cup of hot water with the juice of one lemon will certainly aid in reducing inflammation.  Cinnamon is a such a great anti-inflammatory that every single morning you should combine a teaspoon of honey with a teaspoon of cinnamon and eat it.  This will eventually help with inflammation.  I like turmeric, it is a fantastic spice that aids in the reduction of inflammation.  You will find that many of our recipes include turmeric.  It is important to increase your intake of omega-3s.  Begin eating raw walnuts, and consume as much wild Alaskan salmon as you can.  Remember what I say about the canned salmon, it is a great go to item, if it says wild Alaskan on the can.

There are certainly several vitamins and supplements that you should take; vitamins C, E and D3.  Oh yes, one supplement not to forget is CoQ10.  If you get busy and forget about the nuts and salmon, remember to take fish oil and glucosamine.  Please remember, this is my own personal opinion but I should also tell you that I have shared these natural remedies with other people and they have helped quite a bit.  Try them and let me know how you do.

Crest Whitestrips Ain’t So Bad!

Crest Whitestrips!  Well I have used these babies in the past and when a reader posed the question “Vicky, what do you think of Crest Whitestrips?”  I must admit to you I had some trepidation.  Initially I really thought I might research Crest Whitestrips and find out they are hazardous to our health.  Well, I have been pleasantly surprised and I hope you are too.

So here’s the real scoop my friends.  As it turns out Crest Whitestrips ain’t so bad!  Since we have now put that aside I will share my personal opinion and of course, personal experience with you.  Based on my own personal experience I have found that Crest Whitestrips Premium are the best.  I have found these nifty little strips work extremely well.  They are fast and inexpensive.  I must caution you however, you are better off using them in the evening.  Do not use them during the day and then drink a cup of coffee or tea.  You will ruin what you have done.  Several other things I would like to mention.  Although they are not hazardous to our health I’m not sure we should use them extremely often.  I am afraid that extended, consistent usage could possibly ruin the enamel on your teeth.  Some people say that the whitestrips are not as effective as the whitening you can get from your favorite dentist.  I am not so sure however.  In fact I would like to point out here that the whitestrips can be used more often.  I have seen the effects on other people when they visit the dentist for professional whitening too often (their teeth become almost translucent, please be cautious).

So we have established that whitestrips are A-Ok, lucky for you and me.  Let me provide you with a list of some of my favorite tooth whitening techniques that happen to be natural:

• Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.  I always keep these in my bathroom cabinet for a quick whitening ever so often.
• Apple cider vinegar, brushing with this really can bring a shine to your teeth.
• Orange peel, did you rub the inside of an orange peel on your teeth when you were a kid?  Well guess what?  It really works.
• Strawberries, rubbed on your teeth.  I know, it sounds strange, but when I learned about this years ago I found out it really works.

In closing, I’m as happy as a lark to find out that Crest Whitestrips are A-Ok.  Here’s the thing though, try some of the natural suggestions too, they really work. well  Let me leave you with my tip of the day.  If you are in the habit of drinking coffee or tea, immediately rinse with apple cider vinegar after your indulgence.  Oh and by the way…you simply must say no to mouthwash, but I’ll save that story for another blog.