I know many of you are concerned for your health and worry about medications you may need in the near future.

I am a retired nurse and suggest you research alternative medicine if you cant book a flight to Mexico.

On the net you can find many things in your house or herbs that will often handle most medical problems. Let me give you some examples:

For earaches use the soft gell garlic capsules and hold in hand if no electricity to warm then prick a hole with a needle and squeeze into ear. Use cotton to keep it in place. Garlic not only kills the pain but also helps heal it is a natural antibiotic.

For Asthema three cups of coffee during an attack works along with cupping twice a day morning and before bed to keep the congestion from building up.

Nail polish (clear) but color ok too to be used for fungus infection and ringworm apply over area to choke off air. That kills the fungus apply every day till the fungus is gone.

For High blood pressure three garlic gell caps three times a day for elevated bp. For maintenance when it falls to normal one three times a day.

For headaches place your thumb in the web area between the thumb and index finger of the opposite hand. Apply firm pressure to the first joint of the thumb for about a minute. Do the other hand. If you experience some pain in that joint area you know you have hit the right place. When headache is not present pressure on that area will not hurt.

For Migraines the herb Feverfew will stop the migraine.

Go out on the net and research herbs and home remidies there is something in nature for just about anything. Bee stings are used to treat MS.

The indians did very well at staying healthy till the white man showed up and he didnt shop at a pharmacy either.

I hope this helps. This is only the tip of the iceberg. The net will provide you with all the help you need.

-- Susan Barrett (sue59@bellsouth.net), November 17, 1999

Answers

A retired nurse is not a physician. Are you practicing without a license?

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 17, 1999.

No Iam not a physician and dont claim to be. I dont diagnose and these treatments suggested are already well known. I hope that you can get to a doctor when you need one and the meds you need are widely available. If not the web may be of some assistance. It was a suggestion you idiot!

-- Susan Barrett (sue59@bellsouth.net), November 17, 1999.

Paula

Translation:

Stock up on the Prozac now while you can.

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), November 17, 1999.

what exactly does "cupping" mean, inreference to asthma? Can the coffee be decaf, does it matter?

-- Marsha (MSykes@court.co.macon.il.us), November 17, 1999.

Marsha,

I believe to be of benefit, the coffee must contain caffeine; if I'm not mistaken, it acts as a bronchodilator. "Cupping" is a method of using one's slightly cupped hand to gently/rhythmically 'clap' the patient's back chest area to facilitate loosening of phlegm.

Paula,

You seem to be quite a smart aleck know-it-all. Sue identified herself as a retired nurse and offered some practical home remedies; you, on the other hand, have laid claim to holding a variety of "trivial jobs", yet offer your opinions on just about every forum topic. Grow up and shut up. Despite your militancy, I'll just bet there's someone here even *you* can learn from. You don't have *all* the answers, even though it appears you think you do.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), November 17, 1999.

Quick warning: Don't even think about using willow bark as a substitute for aspirin, whether bought from an uneducated alternative quack (not you Susan!) or done out in the wild. You'll feel fine, which means you probably won't feel the salicylic acid eating your stomach lining away. :)

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 17, 1999.

Susan,

Thanks for the informative post in an area that has long been of interest to me. For what it's worth, I have been using feverfew for migraines for a few years now. Where nothing in conventional medicine has provided relief, feverfew has been quite helpful. It doesn't always work, but it often does. As with any remedies, conventional or otherwise, your mileage may vary. Of course, everyone needs to be responsible for doing their own research...particularly if using prescribed meds or combining remedies. Thanks again!

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), November 17, 1999.

actually paula, there are some excellent books out that would support susan's approach with plenty of research to back it up too (at least in Europe). yet, one has to be smart and look at the research of course before trying something. we are not so open in the U.S. because it would affect our revenues for pharmaceuticals/medicine. i am very thankful for nurses and physician's assistants (and open minded physicians) who continue to educate themselves and are open to new therapies. what i balk at is physicians who practice anecdotal medicine, don't keep up with the literature, and yet make fun of new ideas. who knows, if y2k is as bad as we think, we may need more of susan's because docs will be up to their necks in higher level care.

-- tt (cuddluppy@yahoo.com), November 17, 1999.

Thank you, Susan, for your good suggestions. As medical science is belatedly "discovering", the natural remedies which were used for centuries (perhaps millenia) by our ancestors do have healing and preventive properties. Witness the test results in the past year showing that Gingko Biloba DOES help stimulate the memory function of the brain in the elderly and those with Alzheimers! This is just one of several recent admissions by the Establishment medical community. Some of us have been benefitting from natural remedies for some time that are only now being given recognition for their properties.

When TSHTF we will be mighty thankful for ANYTHING which gives protection or relief from our ailments.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), November 17, 1999.

What about diabetes? My dad takes medication (pill form not shots of insulin) for his, it acts to time release sugars into his bloodstream. My parents can only get a 30days supply of their medication, they are scheduled to have theirs renewed towards the end of Dec. (Mom takes hormone replacement meds.)

-- concerned (karlacalif@aol.com), November 17, 1999.

I'm aware of ANY research that claims bee sting therapy is treatment for MS. Aren't folks with MS suffering enough? Have you tried your own recommendations before recommending them? Seems to me you are not qualified to speak either medically or naturalpathically. Last time I saw an article on bee sting therapy for MS was in one of the rags like the Globe.

-- Leslie (***@***.net), November 17, 1999.

Excuse error. I"m NOT aware of any research...

-- Leslie (***@***.net), November 17, 1999.

Speaking of bee stings, if you are allergic to bee stings (as I am), you may want to get an extra epi-pen or two. I told my doctor I needed extra because I kept leaving mine at work.

As far as using bee venom as a treatment for anything (other than bee sting desensitization) it is a BIG BIG BIG mistake.

Can you say "anaphylaxis"?

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), November 17, 1999.

If you get stung by a bee,you might try making a paste with baking soda and water,apply it to the area after the stinger has been taken out.

A few years ago I was stung by a bee and my arm really swelled up from it.About a year later I was stung again and a man put the paste on my arm,I had no problems of swelling.It worked really great.You might try it sometime.

-- Maggie (aaa@aaa.com), November 17, 1999.

Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. If not properly treated (immediately) it leads to respiratory failure and death. While baking soda paste may help with local swelling at the sting site, it won't do much for the swelling in your windpipe.

An epi-pen is a single dose of epinephrine in a spring-loaded auto-injector. When stung, you place the tip of the pen against your thigh and push--the epinephrine is then injected, even through blue jeans. Works pretty slick. Epi-pens are for allergic emergencies only. There is no herbal, homeopathic, naturopathic, or home remedy substitute.

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), November 17, 1999.

Maybe Sam, Susan or someone could answer these questions for me.

Can an adult who has never had an allergy to bee sting suddenly develop the allergy?

And also, if a person where not allergic, but received multiple stings, such as getting into a nest. Would one also have need of the epinephrine in that case?

I bet though, Drs. do not prescribe on a "just in case" basis.

Thanks.

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), November 17, 1999.

Allergic reactions vary from person to person. It is possible to have a severe reaction to your first sting but not usual. Most people develop the allergy gradually after repeated stings, with each successive reaction being worse than the previous one. This is why using bee venom to "treat" illnesses is dangerous.

If you were swarmed and received a lot of stings at the same time you could possibly have a severe reaction even if you never reacted to individual stings in the past. The degree of severity would depend on the amount of venom injected.

If you have had several stings in the past with just localized swelling that goes away after a few hours, the odds are you are not sensitive to the venom and shouldn't have any problems. If you have had progressively worse reactions after every bee sting, you need to talk to your doctor. You can get a skin test to see if you are allergic or not.

Epi-pens are usually only prescribed for people with known allergies but I do know a couple of beekeepers who keep them on hand, just in case. They are spendy devils, though--$50.00 a pop.

I have found that avoidance of bees is best. Think khaki and unscented. Insects are attracted to bright colors, floral prints (nix the Hawaiian shirts) and black clothing. Wear shoes when outdoors. I got most of my stings walking through dandelion infested lawns while wearing sandles. I don't do that anymore. Some plants, such as bee borage and fall blooming sedums, are bee magnets--keep them away from the house and play areas. Bees are like secretaries--they work very hard, are always busy and do not like to be antagonized. Never piss off either of them.

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), November 18, 1999.

Almost forgot-- the baking soda paste does work on insect bites--I use it on mosquito and deer fly bites. A dab of household ammonia also works, as does a paste of crushed parsley.

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), November 18, 1999.

Sam--Thanks for raising the issue of bee stings. I am also alleric. You might say that going to the hospital twice in the last three years is not fun. I am still trying to figure out how my body let me down. You made me laugh when you said, paraphase, "avoidance of bees is best". I do that alot. Yup, I have what I call my death kits with me at all times. Take care and don't go to any apple festivals.

-- Bill (stungtomanytimes@bee.xxxx), November 18, 1999.