a, b, c's

Hello everyone! It has been a minute since I've had the time to post - I'm keeping busy with what seems to be never ending research (not that that is a bad thing). We have also been busy with getting our garden sprouted. It's exciting to see all of our future produce sprouting! :)

There is so much that I have learned over the past week that I want to share with y'all, but I am going to try to make it last through a couple of posts so as to not overwhelm you with information. 

Before I go on, I want to say that I am not a medical doctor, nor do I have any training in the medical field. I went to college for two years and would have my associate's degree, except that I failed pilates. Oh yes, pilates. But that is a story for another day. My point - I have a yearning to learn as much as I can about natural health and sustaining life like our ancestors did (and to save money!). I despise the way that many Americans live today, dependent on pharmaceuticals and corporations. I feel that a return to growing our own food, making our own products, and using natural remedies is not only better for our pocketbooks, but also for our society as a whole. Please do not take what I say as absolute truth, I will give links to where I have gleaned the information I have found and I encourage you to research for yourself. My goal is to inspire you to question what is normal and maybe make some of these changes for yourself. I just know how powerful this return to what is natural has been in my own life.     

This post is going to cover some topics that seem to be all over the spectrum but in reality relate to two topics - intestinal health and laundry detergent. Some concerns were raised to me by a friend of a friend about the safety of the laundry detergent that I made, so I have spent many hours researching the products that I used (specifically borax and Fels Naptha). The intestinal health topics relate to the natural steps we are taking to (hopefully) treat my sweet husband's Crohn's flare up. Here we go! 

A, B, C's of Going Greener

Aloe Vera - Aloe Vera is a succulent plant that has been used in natural medicine for thousands of years. The origin is unknown, but is believed to be Northern Africa. I am sure that every one of you have used the green aloe vera gel from the store for sunburn or other burns, but aloe is good for more than that. True aloe vera gel comes from the middle of the plant and has the consistency of snot. It is primarily water, caught in a matrix of... good stuff. I know that that sounds incredibly scientific but you can look aloe up online to find more information about it. Aloe is known for being soothing and healing and eating the gel can be extremely beneficial for Crohn's patients. HOWEVER - and this is important - the JUICE of the aloe leaf can cause diarrhea. It is important to use as fresh as possible aloe vera gel if you will be eating it. We are lucky enough to have a successful aloe plant that I have been harvesting over the past 2 days with great success. It takes a little bit of time and precision but the fact that it seems to be working makes it worth it! I found the directions for harvesting aloe gel here. I can safely say that fresh aloe smells horrible and my husband can attest that it does not taste very good either. The recommended dose of fresh aloe gel for Crohn's is 4 oz. a day. I have been starting small - yesterday with 1/2 oz and today with a full ounce - blended in a blender with a small amount of fruit juice to see what happens. I have been really careful to drain as much of the reddish juice out of the aloe leaf before "fileting" it so we don't get the crappy (ha ha ha... great pun, I know) side effects. 

Borax - Borax is sodium borate or sodium tetraborate and is mined from old sea beds around the world. It is not the most eco pretty compound, however, it is better than the typical chemical pollutants that are used in cleaning supplies and detergents, so it is often considered "green". I spent a couple of hours researching borax before I came across this article by fellow blogger Crunchy Betty. I recommend this article to anyone questioning whether to use borax or not. What follows is a synopsis of that article. Borax is a basic salt, mined from the ground. As with most compounds, scientists have tweaked it to form other compounds, in this case, reacting it with an acid to make boric acid. Borax is NOT the same as boric acid. Boric acid is permeative whereas borax is not. Most studies that have been done on "borax" have actually been done on 'borax or boric acid', no differentiation has been made between the two, so there is not much reliable data on the true safety of pure borax. Borax itself is a mild skin irritant and should not be eaten or inhaled in large quantities, the skin irritation can likely be explained by the fact that it is extremely alkaline. It has been linked to reproductive problems in rats BUT the rats were fed EXTREME amounts of borax. Just as too much salt or baking soda would be toxic to you, too much borax is toxic. However, borax is not accumulative, if a small amount does permeate your skin, it will not be stored in your body and reach toxic levels. It is classified by MSDS as non carcinogenic and a 1 out of 4 for health, meaning that it is a mild chemical. Also, boron, which is related to borax, is an essential mineral. From what you have just read, it is really just a personal choice as to whether you want to use borax or not. I feel that out of all of the chemicals out there, using borax in washing detergent or as an insecticide, or using it to clean my home is the better choice. I will be careful in the future to handle it while using gloves and respirator just to be safe, but overall I am not concerned. 

Copaiba - Copaiba is an oleoresin that is tapped from a group of Copaifera trees in the Amazon basin. Copaiba oil is steam distilled from the resin and is used to relieve pain and digestive discomforts, regulate immune response, and combat inflammation. I am SO excited to get some and start using it for aches and pains and for my hubby's tummy. I have heard nothing but great feedback about it. I will have more information in my next post but alas, it seems that I can't sit still long enough to finish this post between taking care of animals, housework, and my poor sick sweetheart. I apologize for this but hope you all will understand! It is my goal to finish this post tomorrow. 

I wish all of you the best and be well. :)