Oh, spring! How beautiful the blossoms that bloom in the warm sunshine are! How sweet is the smell of fresh green grass! Of course, with those most welcome sights comes a terrible price to pay! Every allergy sufferer knows what I’m talking about: pollen. Pollen is the unseen terror that causes most of us to stumble with itchy watery eyes to the nearest corner store and buy an ungodly amount of antihistamine so that we can hopefully get through our day without sneezing, coughing, and staring bleary-eyed into the distance.
Most of us who try to dodge taking medication as often as we can seek out natural remedies. Allergy sufferers are no different, but one of the natural remedies is so much sweeter: locally made honey. Honey made from local bees contains pollen from local bees contain pollen from trees and flowers nearby. If a person ingests a teaspoon of honey every morning, it is believed that they will become less sensitive to the pollen in the air. Overtime, they will be bothered little to none by the seasonal changes. It is in no way meant to replace allergy shots or prescribed medication. Always consult a physician before making any changes with those, but it is certainly a sweet and tasty alternative for those of us who run for the hills every spring, trying to escape the sneezy season.
The air we breathe is arguably the most overlooked necessity in our daily lives. We don’t even think about it until it becomes polluted in some way. To battle that, we spend tons of money on spray products that clutter cabinets and not much else. To clean our air inside, we need to take a look outside.
Tis the season for sinus pressure, disgusting drainage, coughing, sneezing, and nights full of tossing and turning. Dry irritated sinus membranes and germs of all sorts floating about make it very difficult to keep a clear nostril. Once those pathways are clogged, it becomes a battle to clear them. For the most part, we take sinus medication and hope it works within a reasonable amount of time. We try to ignore the side effects as best we can. The Neti pot offers an alternative.
Nearly everything we see has an advertisement for one wonder product or another. So many are directed at improving our appearance in one way, shape, or form, and every one promises a miracle. Walking down a beauty product aisle can make the mind reel, but have you ever looked at the ingredient lists for some of these products? Most are very long and require a chemistry degree to decipher. It can be quite alarming and off-putting.
As a mother of three with a full-time job, I can easily attest to the fact that life can get out of hand. School, work, bath time, diapers, bedtime, and household chores all combine to form a hair-pulling, eye-twitching, stress-fueled melt-down. I needed a bit of help unwinding, and after a little research, I found the perfect all-natural solution that calls for nothing but an open mind and a small section of floor: yoga.
Whether it’s the blue-salted waves of the ocean, the rippling brooks that cut through forest floors, or in a frosted glass with softly-clinking ice cubes, water is an essential part of life. We, as busy people trying to function in an even busier world, tend to forget that we need this oh-so-important mineral for our bodies to operate the way they should. We know that we are roughly 70% water. We know that it’s a healthier choice than sugary sodas or caffeinated super drinks designed to give us an extra boost, especially since the rush given by caffeine is often followed by a dive and crash into fatigue. Do we really know what water can do for our bodies though?
In the pharmaceutical age where every ailment has a synthesized cure, many of us have become a bit wary of adding chemicals to our homes and even more so to our bodies. An answer to this dilemma is rapidly regaining its popularity from days long past: essential oils. Once known as aromatic oils, essential oils have been used throughout history in various parts of the world to heal the sick, bring calm and aid in meditation, as a sleep aid, perfumes, a multitude of religious practices, and simply to promote good health.
When countries go to war, oftentimes it is those that cannot or have no desire to fight that are hurt the most. Such is the case in Uganda. Uganda can bemoan the fact that it is home to the longest running war in the world: a horrifying twenty three years of bloodshed. Nearly two million innocents have been caught between the two factions, the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army, and left with nothing. Most have been forced out of the only place they’ve ever called home, and have no education or specialized skills to improve their lot in life.
Tis’ the season to begin looking at greeting cards, and as always, we see the same round and frosty snowman or jolly Saint Nick with his reindeer and sleigh. Once in awhile we’ll see the serene nativity scene wishing us a merry holiday, but what if we want something a little less traditional and a little more creative?
Toast Pop 