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A sage treatment for sore throats
17th August 2007
This is what I love about writing The Good Life Letter...
First, I get to spend hours at home, drinking green tea and satisfying my enormous curiosity for EVERYTHING related to food and health!
Secondly, I get to have an intelligent, ongoing conversation with my readers.
Because it's you who help me work out which subjects to look into and write about. You point out alternative arguments to the research I've found.
And you're also pretty good at coming up with your own tips, experiences and ideas.
I'm always happy to share the best of them. For instance...
More great tips on garlic for coldsThe other week I wrote about cures for sore throats and colds. One reader came up with a better suggestion than mine regarding my 'raw garlic juice in your ears' tip....
Wrap a garlic cube in a warm piece of cloth first. You can also take kyolic garlic tablets orally. 'Quest' used to do a very effective one.
Secondly NEVER under any circumstances put a cotton bud in the ear as you will push down and compact the wax. I have done a lot of research into ear problems and ear treatment candles are definitely the best option. Fair enough. This sounds like good advice to me.
And this from another reader:
When taking raw garlic cloves as a prophylactic, (we swear by it, as do hundreds of millions of Indians)... if it's taken by chewing it up, it tends to burn the mouth and stink on the breath for hours afterwards.
So it's a clever move to finely chop up the clove (one 2 times a day is way plenty)... and let it sit for 510 mins before putting it in a teaspoon and washing it down with a glass of water. Then it becomes almost tasteless and doesn't repeat on you too much. And there was more wise advice....
A sage treatment for sore throatsA Good Lifer emailed me to say:
Amongst your list of cures for sore throat you could have mentioned sage, which, made into a tea (preferably from fresh leaf, and I've heard that purple or red sage works better), with a spoonful of honey, is miraculous.
The effect is almost spontaneous and completely opens up the throat channels. I realize this is a treatment of symptoms rather than a cure, but if you need to make a public address it is indispensable.
I recommended this to the singer Lisa Gerard (who contributed voice to the Spartacus soundtrack) when she was having problems with her throat while touring. Interesting stuff. And it seems to work for professional singers, too!
Here's another idea, regarding Golden Seal extracts...
I think it would be wise to point out that if one is resorting to taking Echinacia and Golden Seal extracts you should suggest a dosage for the Golden seal. Because it can become toxic to the liver if taken in quantities more than a teaspoon full a day, or for periods of longer than a week or two!
The way we imbibe it is to put a teaspoonful in a glass of water (its helps to dilute it as it tastes revoltingly bitter) and take a third of that 3 times per day. I love these tips, because they offer great ways to take these natural remedies without frightening your taste buds.
And I was sent a good tip for you honey lovers:
Something I used to do when making up my Vinegar & Honey. I would put 50ml of Organic Cider Vinegar, add 50 ml of honey into a 500ml container then add hot water to the level. Then drink 50ml of the liquid each day.
It was so messy trying to do a teaspoonful of each every day. Thanks for that, and for all your recent emails. As always, I try and get your tips and queries into these letters, so we can all share our experiences.
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Now a bit of fun to cheer you upFinally today, I thought I'd have a bit of fun. A reader has sent me a humorous email that I thought other Good Lifers would have a chuckle at.
It's a mock health Q&A session that takes the mick out of health questionnaires you find in magazines and newspapers.
(Please don't follow this advice - it's for amusement ONLY!)
HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it. Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Well, it made me chuckle, anyway.
Enjoy your weekend. And I hope you get a chance to flick through this web site and view some of my previous letters.
Yours, as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter |
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