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Of course we would never think of eating rotten fish, however after reading a recent post by Dr. Mercola on krill oil, did I appreciate much more my recent switch from fish oil to krill oil as my source of omega-3 supplement.
The biggest problem with fish oil is that it will immediately begin to oxidize as soon as it’s extracted from the fish and exposed to air, long before being put into a capsule. This allows me to believe that the chances of getting fresh fish oil to be unpredictable. A chance I am not willing to take, especially considering when taking rancid oil can raise the risk of heart disease and blood clots, a reference from Mercola’s post according to “Rufus Turner, leading expert on oils at the University of Reading in the U.K.”.
Two Most Important Things to Do, For Fresher Omega-3
1. Use krill oil instead of fish oil, and here is one of the major reasons why. Krill oil has anti-oxidants that prevent the oxidation, such as vitamins A and E and astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. It is a well known fact that anti-oxidants are what help the body fight off free radicals, and offer a boat load of other healthy benefits as well, like increased immune system, increased memory, heart health, healthier looking skin and much more.
2. The other most important thing to look for in selecting fresh omega-3 is to opt for your krill oil to be in the new Caplique’s instead of the softgels. The Caplique’s are much more effective in sealing out oxygen, allowing the oil to remain fresh.
This is just one of many reasons why I and many others have switched over to krill oil. I highly recommend checking out Dr. Mercola’s site and listen to what he has to say about this amazing source of omega-3. I think you will be surprised of the many health benefits you will reap from this supplement and be shocked on how we simply can not rely on just plant sources and fish to be our primary sources of omega- 3 anymore.
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Calendula, also known in the herbal world as “Mother of The Skin” is a flowering herb that seems to do well in just about all soil conditions. This wonderful plant not only adds beauty to the garden but offers medicinal and culinary benefits as well, and is most recognized for its effectiveness in treating skin problems such as wounds, burns, insect bites, shingles, eczema, and skin ulcers to name a few.
We grow and harvest Calendula every year, making infused oils and use the actual pedals of the plant in our goat milk soap bars. Calendula is very healthy for the skin and very mild. We recommend our Unscented or Calendula Oranges soaps bars for those who have extremely sensitive skin.
Harvesting Calendula is simple and can be a lot of fun, especially when the entire family gets involved. After picking the flowers we set them in drying racks out of direct sun light and moisture until they are completely dried. After they have dried we hand pick each pedal to use in our soaps, and store the rest in glass jars to use as needed.
Goat’s milk in general is extremely healthy for the skin, and when adding natural ingredients such as pure essential oils and actual pedals of the plant straight from the garden you couldn’t ask for a more healthier and natural soap bar.
A common ingredient found in many handcrafted soap bars such as natural goat’s milk soap’s is oatmeal. This familiar breakfast food is so much more than a fulfilling meal to start out the day, providing excellent benefits for the skin as well. Oatmeal is commonly used amongst soap makers as an ingredient that offers, mild exfoliating, moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties. The oatmeal used in these products is ground up into a fine powder that is then able to disperse in water, which is called colloidal oatmeal.
While most exfoliation agents are too rough for sensitive areas such as the face, colloidal oatmeal serves as a mild exfoliation; which is why it is a common ingredient found in facial mask.
Oatmeal also is a natural emollient, meaning it traps moisture in. This helps keep the skin hydrated by holding water to the skins surface, and does not interfere with the cleansing ability of the soap. Colloidal oatmeal actually contains plant saponin, which is a natural cleanser.
Phenols are found in colloidal oatmeal giving it anti-inflammatory properties. This makes oatmeal skin care products great for reducing acne, rashes, and insect bites.
The following are two soap bars that you may want to try, that contain this wonderful natural ingredient, oatmeal. Enjoy!
Those who suffer from severe sinus and allergy symptoms can testify how painful and annoying a lingering headache, face pain and clogged nasal passages can be. If you are of the many who suffer from such symptoms you probably are most familiar with nasal saline’s – the use of salt water to help flush out the nasal cavity. There are several methods of nasal saline irrigation, but one that has just recently grabbed much attention has been the Neti Pot.
Do these Neti Pots really work? The answer is yes they do! Several close friends and family members of mine, who suffer from severe sinus and allergy symptoms all swear by this product. Throat, nose and ears surgeons have recommended these to patients recovering from surgery to clear any crusting in the nasal passages, and agree that they are very effective for sinus relief. Nasal and sinus cavities are lined with tiny hair-like structures called cilia. The cilia wave back and forth pushing mucus forward to be blown out of the nose, or back toward the throat to be swallowed, saline solution helps increase the speed and improves the cilia’s condition by removing bacteria, allergens and other irritants that cause sinus problems more effectively.
Using a Neti Pot is very simple to use and step by step instructions are provided with your new Neti Pot. You can always consult with your ear, nose and throat doctor to get you more familiar with the process as well. The Neti Pot itself looks like a little tea pot, when filled with lukewarm water and the right amount of salt solution you simply tilt your head over the sink at a 45 degree angle and pour the fluid into the nostril until it goes through the nasal cavity and pours out your other nostril. You may experience some of this going down your throat as well, which is fine, just spit it out and make sure to blow your nose to get rid of any remaining fluid in the nasal cavity. When you are finished with the one side, refill your Neti Pot and repeat the same process for the other nostril.
You may be asking is this safe? Yes this is generally safe, however everyone is different and some are more sensitive to salt than others. If you are uncertain I would recommend consulting with your doctor at first. For those who are regular users of the Neti Pot, only 10% have experienced any side effects, including nasal irritation, stinging, and nose bleeds which are extremely rare. For anyone who does experience these irritations it is said that by reducing the amount of salt in the solution and changing the temperature of the water will reduce these symptoms.
Another question you might me asking is how often I should be using my Neti Pot. I use mine only when I feel I need to, but for anyone who does suffer from severe sinus and allergy symptoms will generally use their Neti Pot once a day, however three times a week until symptoms reside is often sufficient enough.
If you suffer from severe sinus and allergy symptoms, and have not tried a Neti Pot yet, what are you waiting for! A Neti Pot cost less than a night at the movies, and is a natural approach for relieving your sinus condition. No addicting nasal sprays or over the counter and prescription meds that make you drowsy, just a saline solution and lukewarm water.
Less than a century ago gardening was a necessity for many, and the use of herbs was common medical practice. We have become so dependent for whats convenient, and for instant results that we seem to have skipped a generation on basic homesteading principles, such as growing your own food or treating common illness with natural remedies. I find it amazing the amount of young adults that I know who have never planted a garden, and would not know how to grow and harvest their own food if they needed or wanted to. I also find it amazing how quick doctors are willing to fill out prescriptions for every aliment under the sun, when there are so many natural remedies that have been practiced for thousands of years with proven track records having no harmful side effects!
However I am encouraged of the recent movement of consumers fighting back, demanding the right to know what is in their food, products, and medicine, and to see many taking the steps educating themselves and households of such subtle dangers.
If you want to learn more about edible and medicinal plants, I would like to share a great website that I have stumbled upon, and that is www.learningherbs.com. The website is packed full of valuable information that offers amazing products as well. One of the products that I particularly think is great that will help the entire family learn more on edible and medicinal plants is the board game Wildcraft.
This game not only teaches teamwork, but over 25 medicinal and edible plants used in most first aid applications as well. This makes a perfect gift that the entire family will enjoy and benefit from!
There are many skin care products available today that promise healthier and younger looking skin. Most of these products can be very expensive, and not as healthy as the label claims them to be. Here are some affordable and practical skin care tips that will keep your skin looking healthy and young. Also books such as Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair: Natural and Healthy Personal Care for Every Body, by Dina Falconi are highly recommended for equipping yourself with practical knowledge for healthier personal care.
- Your skin will experience a significant difference by eliminating the use of harsh soaps and detergents that are loaded with synthetic ingredients. Instead try using natural handmade soap such as goat milk soap. These soap bars still contain all the natural glycerin which promotes moisturizing properties, and have no synthetic chemicals that often cause many skin irritations.
- Drink plenty of water and eat healthy. You are what you eat! You should avoid drinking soda and sugary carbonated drinks, having at least 7-10 glasses of water a day. Also try to avoid snacks, instead eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, you will not only feel better but your skin will shine as well.
- If you exercise, be sure to shower and change your clothes shortly after exercising. When we exercise our body sweats, releasing many toxins. These toxins remain on our clothes and skin afterwards clogging our skins pores.
- Skin exfoliation. This is the removal of dead skin cells from the (epidermis) which is the outermost layer of skin allowing new skin cells to develop from the (dermis) the lower layer of skin. To learn more on skin exfoliation read this previous post, Skin Exfoliation For Healthier Skin.
There are so many products and techniques that promote healthier skin. These are just a few of the many practical and safe ways you can keep your skin healthier and younger looking. There really is no need to buy every new and expensive product that is on the market. Most of what your skin really needs should be pure and simple, not high priced and loaded with harmful ingredients.
Does your soap and shampoo leave your skin and scalp feeling itchy and dry, causing you to use a conditioner or reapply moisturizers throughout the day? Uh… sounds like a great way to keep one dependent on a product so that they keep on buying. The sick part of it all is at the expense of our well-being. Not only are the natural moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin taken out of these commercial soaps to sell to cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies to make even more expensive products, but are loaded with all sort of harmful chemicals in them. This is one of the major reasons why I and many others have taken a stand to only use natural skin care products such as goat’s milk soap. Did you know that goat’s milk is extremely healthy for your skin? It’s true! In fact Cleopatra was known for her great skin, and it has been written that she often bathed in goat’s milk. Goat’s milk has the closest PH of that of the skin making it one of the mildest soaps available on the market today. This has drawn many who suffer from sensitive skin and symptoms such as eczema and psoriasis to become lifetime users of such products. Goat’s milk is rich in both vitamins A and E, consists of natural emollients and triglycerides, enabling natural moisturizing, and is free from harmful chemicals. If you have never tried a goat’s milk soap bar and you suffer from dry itchy skin, I highly recommend you try a bar today.
Conventional treatments may seem enticing at first however these expensive treatments are dangerous. Though they often will give initial results of improvement the body tends to develop a tolerance to them. These products contain synthetic steroids that are very easily absorbed into the body.
One method that has helped a lot of folks that I personally know, who have shared their testimonies to me is to avoid harsh soaps. Using mild soaps such as goat milk soap has helped many who suffer from eczema and mild cases of psoriasis. Of course this is not a guaranteed cure, but is just one step to reducing if not eliminating such symptoms.
As Dr. Mercola mentions in this video, not to scratch but to apply a salt based solution such as Himalayan salt. There have been many studies on how sea salt affects these conditions that has led many to flock to the Dead Sea, to actually soak their entire body in the Dead Sea Salt.
Psoriasis and eczema can be allergic conditions triggered by many things, such as household chemicals, laundry detergent, jewelry, and perfumes. Also your diet and amount of sun exposure can also affect such conditions as well. Make sure to drink plenty of water, and avoid wheat and glutton containing grains, and foods such as milk and eggs. A good source of Omega-3 is essential also. Plant based omega-3 such as flax seed will not reduce the inflammation of the skin but animal based fats like fish and krill oil are highly recommended.
Using the standard conventional may seem very appealing and even recommended by your doctor, but before you opt to undergo such treatments I encourage you if you haven’t already to research and try some of these other changes first. I know that they will not be as easy as just taking a pill or rubbing on a cream, but could be much, much healthier for you in many ways.
I found this to be an interesting story, and a very familiar one to say the least. Although our family soap business has not grown to the size of that which is shown in this video, we started out with the same principles, wanting to make a healthier product to use for the family. It was not too long before the request for soap bars started to get bigger and bigger, that eventually it was suggested that we needed to start selling soap to at least help cover the cost of supplies. To make a long story short, Pure-N-Simple Soap is going into its 4th year of making handcrafted goat milk soaps and natural skin care products and find the demand for such products increasing more and more. We are so encouraged with every new testimony we get of how goats milk skin care products has helped so many with sensitive skin or with skin conditions such as eczema.
I have to admit helping my family grow this business has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done. I have conducted a lot of research and have written many articles on the skin benefits of goat’s milk, and the permeability of the skin, and love to share this information when I am helping the family out when working at our local farmers markets and craft shows. Knowledge is power, and when you are equipped with knowledge you not only help yourself but can help so many others as well.
I encourage you today to do the research and evaluate what you are exposing you and your household to. Find a local soap crafter or visit us today at www.purensimplesoap.com and try a goat’s milk soap bar that is made with all natural ingredients. The story in the above video, goat’s milk was used to treat eczema; I have been using goat’s milk soap for several years now and can immediately tell the difference on my skin if I have to use a commercial synthetically made soap bar. Do you have a goat’s milk testimony, and if so I would love for you to share it by leaving a comment below.
My family is probably rejoicing just as much as I am over the exciting news of the construction of my new soap kitchen. For the past two years I have been trying to make due with what little space my small farm house kitchen has provided, for both tending to the families needs as well as the business. At times this could be a little overwhelming.
I cant tell you how excited I am to have this additional space to be able to work allowing us to be much more efficient with the production of our goats milk soap and natural skin care products. It is so hard to believe that what started out as a hobby has turned into a business and here is my first big investment. I was a little intimidated at first when I had seen that big truck pull in with all the building materials, but as the guys began to unload the material and start constructing walls did I begin to feel reassured and exited. I hope to be moved in and in full operation before the snow starts falling.