From the Barber's Chair: Inflammation & Warrior Health

I talked to my barber recently, and he asked me if I've ever heard of turmeric. As a matter of fact, I've been taking a daily capsule of turmeric for some years now.

\Turmeric is a bright yellow spice used in curry. It contains a substance called curcumin which studies have shown to prevent or even treat cancer.

In addition to its cancer-fighting properties, turmeric acts as a natural but powerful anti-inflammatory agent. That's what my barber wanted to tell me about.

He said that within a day or two, taking turmeric cleared up the knee pain he has suffered since his knee surgery some time ago. He now can go up and down stairs with no problem.

Will turmeric help you with chronic inflammation? I'm no doctor, and I don't prescribe. I'm just making some info from my barber available to you.

Home Remedies for the Prepared Christian Warrior

As a Christian Warrior, I hope you believe in being prepared for threats of all kinds, including medical and first aid needs. Whether you're a prepper getting ready for tough times ahead or not, you may find the following home remedies useful.

I found them over at The Ready Store site.

Baking Soda
Entire books have been written about the benefits of baking soda. We’ve even written a whole article on what you can do with the stuff. It comes at no surprise that baking soda is a natural healer too!

Stings. You can use baking soda to soothe mosquito bites and other insect stings. Apply a little water and make a baking soda paste. Apply this to the itchy areas. The paste can also be used against poison ivy and chicken pox.

Sunburns. Add baking soda to warm water and apply to your skin. This will soften the water and make a soothing remedy.

Bladder infections. Bacteria thrives inside acidic environments inside your bladder. Make a cocktail of baking soda and water to down after dinner. This will soothe your bladder infection problems.

Ginger
Ginger is one of the most used kitchen cures. It’s closely related to other spices like turmeric and cardamom and has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Ginger is used to ease nausea, vomiting and other digestive problems.

Migraines. Danish researchers have found that taking a teaspoon of fresh or powdered ginger at the first sign of a migraine, may reduce symptoms by blocking prostaglandins – the chemical that causes inflamed blood vessels in the brain. Unlike aspirin, ginger blocks only prostaglandins that cause inflammation, the the beneficial ones such as ones that strengthen the stomach lining.

Menstrual cramps. The chemical compounds in ginger act as antispasmodics. They inhibit painful contractions not only in the digestive tract but also in the uterus.

Honey
Honey is great for healing because it lasts for so long. Stored in the right conditions, honey can have an indefinite storage life. It’s good for soothing allergies, coughs and ulcers. Check out other uses of honey here.

Ulcers. Honey may reduce ulcer symptoms and speed the healing time. Honey reduces inflammation, stimulates blood flow and enhances the growth of epithelial cells on the inside of the stomach. Honey also kills H. pylori – the bacteria responsible for most ulcers.

Cuts. The sweet goo is great for taking care of cuts or scrapes that could end up getting infected. Honey contains hydrogen peroxide and propolis – a compound that kills bacteria. Applying honey to cuts or scrapes locks out other contaminants and denies bacterial growth.

Lavender
If you’re out in the wild and spot a lavender plant, be sure to grab some. It will probably come in handy! Lavender is great for treating headaches, insect bites, ear infections and athlete’s foot.

Skin infection. Lavender is a great way to fight infections in cuts and scrapes. Soak a clean cloth in a lavender infusion and apply and compress to the wound.

Ear infection. The same chemical compounds that fight infection in scrapes and cuts, also help sooth swimmer’s ear.

Pain reliever. Lavender has some minor pain killing properties. It appears to reduce the transmission of nerve impulses that carry pain signals. Mix a few drops of the oil in a tablespoon of carrier oil (an oil derived from nuts or fruits of a plant) and rub it in. It’s also great for relieving itching.

Goldenseal
This herb can heal just as well as man-made medicines and drugs. In studies, goldenseal has proven just as effective against certain infections as prescriptions.

Infectious diarrhea. The berberine in goldenseal helps prevent diarrhea-causing organisms from clinging to the lining of the intestines. Fighting the spread of infection during a disaster is an important preparation.

Eye infections. Goldenseal is too bitter to enjoy as a tea or drink but you can strain the beverage, let it cool and use it as an eyewash to speed the healing of eye infections such as pinkeye. You’ll have to continue to apply goldenseal to your eyes to continue to fight the infection.

Bonus: 15 Ways to Use Insects to Heal Wounds/Cure Diseases

Christian Warrior Health/Preparedness

Thunderstorms knocked out internet access at our household this week. I'm back, now, and today I'm going to combine two quick topics in one post. First, Warrior Health & Fitness.

I've been on the Warrior's Diet for the better part of a year now, and it certainly has its benefits. I can see, however, that I need to incorporate regular juice fasting into the program.

Monday evening, I did a juice fast instead of eating supper. I experience hunger pangs in the evening, but I embraced them as signs of good things happening to my body -- not the least of which is the increased production of human growth hormone which promotes healing and the growth of lean muscle.

On Tuesday, I experienced a good bowel cleanse (copious amounts of bile indicate to me that there was liver cleansing going on, as well) , although I did nothing to stimulate it except for the previous day's juicing. The effects lasted into Wednesday, even though I had eaten solid food on Tuesday evening.

We went English Country Dancing last night, and I came home really tired, feeling it especially in my legs. I awoke about 5AM when Laura got up to milk the goats, so sleep was really short.

I have noticed this morning that I have no muscle soreness after last evening's workout. Part of this may be due to the fact that my legs get moderate regular exercise, but I think a certain amount of credit goes to nutritional support and my recent cleansing/detox experience.

Now, with respect to preparedness, I'd like to recommend an article that chronicles the recent power outage in Washington, DC that left 3 million people without power in the middle of record-breaking heat.

It shows just how fragile our nation's infrastructure and support systems can be. Click on the link below to read the article.

DC Disaster

Warrior Health & Fitness: Spinal Stretch

When I was young, I never pictured myself as one of those bad-back guys. Since that just didn't apply to me, and since I knew my strength, I stressed my back until, one day, it screamed in pain.

Now, I have neck and low-back pain. It's better now than it was five years ago,however, and I attribute that to several factors.

One that I recently learned about and have started to apply is called stretch-lying. The following video shows how it's done.

Family Security & The Christian Warrior

Re: Christian Warrior Health & Fitness; Family Security

The Tea Party Economist paints the following scenario:

What if your child had cancer. You took him to a conventional physician. He got better. The child shows no traces of cancer.

Then the state steps in and says you have not done enough. Your child must be given an experimental drug not yet approved by the Food & Drug Administration. There is some evidence that the drug in fact causes some forms of cancer.

You protest. You are then threatened with jail. Your child will be taken from you by the state and given the experimental drug.

What would you do? (Source: See Here)

This scenario is based on an actual case as reported on WND. The parents have taken the state  to court and won twice, but the state keeps appealing. (The parents belong to Home School Legal Defense Association which bears the cost of legal action.)

Suppose that they lose the final appeal? What will they do? What would you do?

Would you stock up on ammo and make a last stand? Would you surrender your child to the state?

The first option is doomed to failure. The state will kill you AND your child -- for his own protection, of course -- rather than risk a precedent that might allow parental jurisdiction over children's health.

The second option is unthinkable. Thankfully, there is a third: flee from persecution.

Most people would not do this. I have. Most people feel as though they have too much to lose by leaving house, family and job to save their child. Their values are upside down.

In 1987, a local school superintendent held $28,000 in fines over my head to force me to put my children into his godless school. I was afraid that my refusal would prompt him to try to take my children away.

The principal of a Christian school -- who was also a law student -- offered to have someone present at the magistrate's office. If it looked as though child & youth services (CYS) was involved, they would quietly leave with my children and hide them from authorities. It's hard to describe the gratitude my wife & I felt and the peace of mind that gave us.

(After some adverse publicity, the superintendent backed down.)

This was so much of a comfort to me, that about three years later, I made the same offer to another Christian couple who was facing legal difficulties with their home education efforts. Later, they also expressed that our offer to protect their children from the bureaucrats gave them peace of mind.

We talk about G.O.O.D. (Get Out Of Dodge) bags for economic and social collapse. Are you prepared to bug out to protect your family from the bureaucrats? 

Do you have a place to go? A means to support your family?

Do you have friends/family in another state who would harbor your children from the control freaks in your state and local bureaucracy? Perhaps what we really need is to establish, not an underground railway, but an underground sanctuary for American refugees.

As the Tea Party Economist said at the end of his article,"This is America today. This is 'the land of the free.' Let’s not be naive about what we are facing."

Christian Warrior Health/Fitness: Headache & Backache

For the Christian Warrior who looks for alternative approaches, and for the prepper who looks to a time when the medical establishment has either collapsed or become inaccessible, the link below will give info regarding how to relieve two of the most common pain complaints: headache and backache.

Doctor Oz Alternative Medicine Repair Kit

Thanks to J.A. for the link to this site.

Swords, Sorcery and Warrior Health

This week I have entered into a juice fast to compensate for all the sugar I put into my system over the 12 day Nativity celebration. It reminded me of this "Swords & Sorcery" blog post from some time back over at WARSKYL:

You may wonder what swords and sorcery have to do with warrior health. Well, in the 1970's, a revival of interest in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (books, schlock art and even an animated movie) bore responsibility for a spurred interest in stories of the "Sword and Sorcery" genre.

I read one -and only one -- of a series of novels that included a sword-wielding warrior. His dissipated lifestyle did not impress me.

What did impress me was one scene in the book. As I recall, this warrior was the last servant of the goddess of a nearly-forgotten religion. Periodically, she would summon him to send him on a quest. But first, she forced him to participate in a painful ritual.

As he embraced the pedestal of the goddess's long-gone image, a purifying, fiery force swept through his body. I believe the narrative said the force cleansed cholesterol from his artery walls and toxins from his system. At the end, he looked, felt and performed like a younger person.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a TV segment on the 700 Club that related a practice that can also remove toxins, clean out the arteries, heal diseased organs and youthen the practitioner. As an added bonus, you don't have to go to Hell for serving pagan gods.

The segment dealt with fasting. When I was in my twenties, I used to fast (ingested nothing but water) one day per week. Over the years, I've tried to get back into the habit, but couldn't seem to find the right schedule.

I've thought about it recently, though and that fasting might help with my various joint problems, the pain & swelling that is still left over from my shin splints, and it might even help burn off a few pounds of fat.

Well, the program that spotlighted fasting was just the catalyst that I needed to launch me into action. Last week I went on a modified juice fast for two days (ate lunch as normal on Wednesday, and then took in only water, juice and grapefruit until lunchtime Friday)

This week I went three days -- from after lunch on Tuesday until after lunch on Friday. I included an 8-oz. glass of prune juice each morning. Prune juice is naturally high in sugar, but it sure helps to clean out the colon, so it's a trade off.

I also continued working out on my fast days. My rationale is twofold:

1. Serum protein levels in Americans tend to be high, which will carry me over for a few days;
2. After the fast, I don't want my body to react to the "starving time" by redoubling its efforts to store energy as fat -- instead, I hope my body will say to itself, "Finally I have the nutrients necessary to repair & build muscle tissue.
   

On the second and third days, I had a thick coat on my tongue (something I remember from previous fasts) I believe this signifies that my body is throwing off toxins. I also experienced a lot of mucus production at the same time.

As far as benefits, the swelling and pain has decreased in my legs, my knees feel better and I have a general sense of well-being. My wife says she has noticed that my breathing does not seem as labored when I undertake any strenuous activity.

Anyway, if you want to view the video of the segment that got me back into fasting, you can watch it below. My use of it here, however, does not constitute an endorsement of the 700 Club of Pat Robertson's teachings.

The Christian Warrior's Heart Health

Re: Warrior Health /Fitness
Do you, as a Christian Warrior want to avoid heart disease and have a healthy cardiovascular system? Here's a simple tip:

Eat lots of [saturated] animal fats.

Read this M.D.'s article which cites supporting studies:

The Forbidden Food You Should Never Stop Eating