Poison Ivy Relief at Home

Itching, scratching, burning, redness, and swelling � aaah, the joys of poison ivy and poison oak! It's often the price we pay when we go wandering into the wilderness. Did you know that poison ivy and poison oak affect mostly humans? Horses, goats, birds, and even bugs can eat the leaves with no ill effect whatsoever. But 80%-90% of humans who come in contact with poison ivy or oak will have an allergic reaction and will need ivy relief!

The ingredient that causes the problem, urushiol, is actually quite harmless, only our bodies mistakenly believe we are under attack when urushiol touches our skin. The body releases killer T-cells to the affected area and the T-cell basically kills every cell in the area. When the T-cells damage our nerve cells, we itch! And then we look for anything that will give us poison ivy relief.

Home Remedies for Ivy Relief
Luckily, there are a variety of home remedies that can give us ivy relief, as well as tons of over-the-counter ointments from the local drugstore. Some home remedies that have been reported to provide the most ivy relief include hot water, probiotic and enzyme poultices, a hair dryer, and even clear nail polish or duct tape. The most important first step, though, is to make sure that you have cleaned all the urushiol off the affected area. You can use witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, or soap and warm water on the affected area. Make sure your hands are clean, too. Once you've washed the area and your hands, you can try one of these home remedies for ivy relief.

* Hot Water: Heat water until it is quite hot to the touch. Dip a clean towel in the water and apply the towel to the affected area. Keep the towel in place as long as you can. At first the area may become itchier, but after a while you should notice a decrease in sensation. Apply the hot water with care as you want to just relieve the ivy itch, not burn your skin.

* Probiotic and Enzyme Poultice: For ivy relief all day long, mix a capsule of the probiotic acidophilus with a capsule of food enzymes with non-chlorinated water. The consistency should be that of a paste. Apply the poultice to the affected area and let it dry. As the poultice dries the itch will fade. When the area starts to itch again, apply a new poultice.

* Hair Dryer: This works on the same principle as the hot water. Point the hair dryer, set at the hottest setting you can tolerate, at the affected area and keep it there until the itch fades. Again, be careful to just relieve the itch and not burn your skin.

* Nail Polish and Duct Tape: Some people swear by these two remedies although they might fall under the category of junk science. Certain people say that they get ivy relief by painting clear nail polish over the affected area or putting duct tape over it. Our only advice? Try it and see.


Photo credit: salvan

Indigestion How-To: The Natural Approach

Belching, burping, gas, bloating, diarrhea, nausea � need we say more? What's the one word that sums up all of these symptoms? Indigestion. Anyone who has ever over-indulged, traveled to a foreign country, or tried out a new restaurant has had indigestion. As you well know, when you have indigestion you want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. It's also better for your long-term health if you use natural approaches that work with rather than suppress your natural digestive function. When it comes to indigestion how-to (how to get rid of indigestion, that is), there are two ways to go: prevention before it happens and fixing the situation after you've already got it.

** Prevention **
The first step in learning indigestion how-to is prevention. There many different ways to prevent indigestion and you just have to choose the right one for the occasion.

- Overindulgence: If you know you are going to be eating at a big buffet, take 2 digestive enzyme capsules before you leave for the buffet and slip 2-4 more in your pocket to take at the buffet. The enzymes will help your body digest the food as you eat, preventing symptoms like gas, bloating, and belching. For easy indigestion how-to, get enzymes with cayenne because they have extra digestive power.

- Travel: If you're going to be traveling to a foreign country (or any location where the food and water will be different) you definitely need some indigestion how-to. Just take Ume Plum tar or Ume Plum balls before, during, and after your trip. The balls and tar have highly concentrated Ume Plum, which is the most alkaline substance you can eat. Indigestion is an extremely acid condition and anything alkaline, like Ume Plum, will neutralize it. Be sure to get the highly concentrated tar or balls, which will appear almost black in color and should be available at your local health food store.

- Anytime: Sometimes indigestion just sneaks up on you. To protect the long-term health of your digestive system, add probiotics like acidophilus and bifidus to your daily regimen. Probiotics are the "healthy bacteria" that live in your gut and help you digest your food on a daily basis. Stress, chlorinated water, alcohol, and sugary foods all kill probiotics, which can lead to indigestion. Restoring these probiotics ensures that your gut stays healthy all the time. Be sure to take the probiotic capsules that are kept in the refrigerator as the off-the-shelf variety tends to be ineffective. The probiotics in yogurt also tend to have little effect.

** Fixing Indigestion **
If you already have indigestion, you can use the methods mentioned above to improve the situation. For some additional indigestion how-to after the fact, try these solutions.

- Olive Oil: To calm a queasy gut, take 1 teaspoon of cold-pressed olive oil every 2 hours.

- Alkathyme: Like the Ume Plum tar, alkathyme is an alkaline substance that will counter the acidity of indigestion. Alkathyme is an Edgar Cayce cure and is available online. Add 5 drops to a glass of non-chlorinated water and drink 1 glass per 2 hours.

- Enzyme Therapy: If you forgot to take enzymes before you started eating, take them afterward to ease indigestion. Take 1-2 capsules every hour to speed digestion and prevent food from fermenting in your gut.

Knowing some natural indigestion how-to remedies can really save you some trouble and discomfort when you overindulge or just feel a little digestive upset. All of these remedies are available online if not at your local health food store.