Help – I’m sick and I’m Miserable! Part 2

Here goes part 2.  I wasn’t planning on writing about this but given the recent occurrences, it is warranted.  My sister called me freaking out because my niece got lice from a little girl at school.  Now my niece and sister both have it.  So whose house do you think they came over for a cure?? Yup, my house.

After hearing the knock on my door I knew I had to break out some herbs to prevent infesting our family of 5 with lice.  My sister knowing about our herbal madness went to Wholefoods and bought some Rosemary, brewed it and put it in a squirt bottle.  She walked in spraying me, the baby and my floor.  Seems comical but lice don’t like Rosemary and several other things.

Here are a few well-known natural remedies for lice we have used and are now sharing with my niece and sister.

To treat and remove lice yourself try the following overnight remedy with essential oils (use caution or avoid if you are sensitive to these oils or if using on young children):

– 5 drops of lavender, 5 drops of rosemary, 5 drops of eucalyptus radiata, 5 drops of tea tree.  Mix all the oils then add about 1/2 cup of olive oil.  Distribute a quarter of the mixture all over your hair and scalp.  Wrap your head in saran wrap and cover with a shower cap.  Leave it on overnight.  When you wake up comb through very well and wash hair.  Re-apply mixture 3 more nights or until lice and eggs are gone.

– 1 tablespoon of anise herbal oil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Mix and rub into scalp and hair.  Leave on for a few hrs.  Come through with a fine metal comb and remove lice and eggs.  Repeat twice a day for 3 days or until lice are removed.

– plain cheap old mayonnaise can help kill these critters too.  Saturate hair with mayo, wrap in saran wrap and cover with cap.  leave on for 2 to 3 hrs.  Comb through and wash out.  Repeat nightly for 5 nights or until lice are removed.

To prevent re-infestation apply rosemary tea via a spray bottle after washing hair every time.

Alright enough with the lice, I’m itching just thinking about it.

So what do you do when you have a sty in your eye?  Don’t sty’s stink.  I had one not too long ago and it was not a pleasant thing to have.  To ensure I did not have some rare eye eating disease I made an appt to see what the eye doc was going to say.  He confirmed my suspicions and said I had a sty.  He recommended I use some Boric Acid drops and assured me it was OK to take while nursing, he handed me some samples.  He said it would take about 6 weeks to clear up since I had it pretty bad and most of my face under my eye was swollen and hurting. (Note: I later understood these sty’s were related to my toxic mold and chemical exposure at work)

Being the chic that I am, I went home, ditched the Boric Acid and pulled out my stainless steel tea-pot and some organic thyme.  I brewed about 1 tsp of Thyme in 8 oz. of water on low for 15 minutes.  Once slightly cooled I applied hot compresses to the affected eye and repeated 3 to 5 times a day for about 4 days.  I also applied a paste made with kefir and turmeric powder all around the affected area twice a day. To ease the itching and burning I brewed some organic chamomile tea, strained off the herbs and placed the liquid in a glass bottle.  I dropped 2 to 3 drops in each eye twice a day.  My sty cleared up in less than 1 week and the doc was amazed.

Have a last minute bout of congestion?  Aside from drinking herbal teas with garlic, oregano oil and raw honey try making your own vapor rub.  The beauty of making your own is that its fresh and you can make as much or as little as you want.  Oils for congestion are extremely effective because they stimulate blood flow to your lungs and open up the air passages while penetrating your skin and tissues to further provide their anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Tea with ginger and lemon is also very helpful for congestion and we have tea time all day when someone is getting a cold or feeling congested. Click here for more helpful tips and remedies.