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Tag Archives: natural remedies
A Natural Remedy for My Toddler’s Stomach Ache
Last weekend, my hubby and I took our Little Apple to Hobee’s, a wonderful chain of family-oriented restaurants here in northern California. She had not eaten much all day, so I expected her to go to town on her dinner. Before the food came out, however, she started clutching her tummy and whining to me, “Mommy, my stomach is so hungry.” I said, “Honey, just be patient. The food is coming out soon.” Thinking it was just hunger pangs, I didn’t really pay much attention to it at first. I figured I would just distract her until the food arrived, … Continue reading
Finding the Balance Between “Holistic” and “Realistic”
I have a confession to make: This holistic Mama took antibiotics. This time, I wasn’t just tempted to take them. This time, I actually took them. I had been coughing since the end of September, when I went to China to see my brother get married (and to get eaten alive by mosquitoes). By the first week of December, I had landed in Vegas for business and my cough had still not healed; it had only gotten wetter and wetter, and phlegmier and phlegmier. (Apologies for the gross-itude, but it’s the truth). This was despite my having thrown the kitchen sink … Continue reading
Posted in General
Tagged antibiotics, natural remedies, natural vs modern medicine, sinus infection, thyme essential oil
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Natural Ways to Treat or Prevent Gum Disease
I don’t usually put up guest blog posts by people I don’t know, but this piece was marketed to me and I had been in the mindset of looking for natural remedies for gum disease anyway, so I figured I would post it in case it was useful to anyone else as well. – Mare By Michael Foster, a natural health writer who focuses on the links between oral and overall health. For more information about gum disease treatment and how to prevent gum disease, visit www.oramd.com. Gum disease claims the oral health of most Americans at some point in their adult … Continue reading
Posted in Natural Products
Tagged cranberry juice, gum disease, natural oral health, natural remedies
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5 Ways to Use Tea Tree Essential Oil
Okay, I’m getting back on track with the blogging, hopefully. I’ve already shared how to use these other versatile essential oils – Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint – and today, I will share about the ways that I like to use another excellent one, Tea Tree. The Tea Tree I am referring to is Melaleuca alternifolia, sometimes called Tea Tree Australia. This is not to be confused with Tea Tree New Zealand, or Leptospernum scoparium, sometimes also called Manuka. I really do like both, and both have similar properties, but for the purposes of this blog post, let’s just note that … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, Beauty Care
Tagged acne, athelete's foot, athlete's foot, dandruff, foot soak, fungal infection, home remedies, home remedy, melaleuca alternifolia, nail fungus, natural disinfectant, natural remedies, natural remedy, pimples, Tea Tree, toenail infection, zits
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Who am I kidding? I am not particularly holistic…
The name of this blog is “Holistic Mamas.” I belong to the Holistic Moms Network. I know a lot about Aromatherapy and herbs and natural remedies. But if I take a good look at myself in the mirror, I am not particularly holistic. At all. And I am not being hard on myself. No, in fact, I have always been particularly good at letting myself off the hook. I look around at all the other Moms in the Holistic Moms chapter with me, and in comparison, I am decidedly UN-holistic. Why do I say this? Because many of the other … Continue reading
Posted in General, Mothering/Parenting
Tagged natural mothers, natural remedies, what is holistic mother
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5 Ways to Use Peppermint Essential Oil
As I type, I have a whanging headache. It is so bad, in fact, that I cannot sleep (obviously, I’m sitting here blogging). It’s kind of hard to rack your brain for a good natural headache remedy when your brain already hurts. But just now, an inspiration struck me: Peppermint Essential Oil. Yeah, baby! I’ve rubbed a few drops on my temples, the back of my neck, and on my shoulders, and I’m just waiting for that nice menthol-y tingle to settle in (where do you think “menthol” comes from? That’s right, from Mentha piperita). Ahh, can’t wait. Well, now, another inspiration … Continue reading
An Idea for a Delicious Cold/Cough Remedy: Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate?
As I mentioned earlier this week, my little girl is coughing again, and again I am attempting to expand my holistic medicine cabinet to find remedies to ease her symptoms. (There are only so many times a 20-month-old will agree to taking elderberry syrup before balking – and unfortunately, I think we have reached that limit). So I’ve been thinking, what about a nice Mexican hot chocolate as a cold remedy? I know, it sounds crazy. And I haven’t actually tried it yet. But hear me out for a second: it MIGHT work because a) the heat of the drink … Continue reading
Posted in Colds/Flu, Coughs, Herbal Remedies, Holistic Home Remedies
Tagged cold, cough, mexican hot chocolate, natural remedies, remedy, spicy hot chocolate, vegan recipe
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Natural Remedies for Croup
At this point, I am an old hand when it comes to nursing a croupy child back to health. I think we are on Croup version 6.0 in my house – well, that depends on whether you count what I mistakenly thought was croup, but was actually whooping cough. As I type this, my daughter is coughing and sounding like a barking seal, it gets worse while she’s sleeping (or lying down, basically), and it gets worse at night. Last night was night 3, so if conventional wisdom is correct, she is over the worst of it, and we’ll be … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, Coughs, Homeopathy
Tagged babies, congestion, cough, croup, herbal tisane, holistic, homeopathy, humidifier, natural remedies, toddler, vapor rub
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Natural Remedies for UTIs (Bladder Infections)
Yesterday, I had to explain to a male co-worker why women get urinary tract infections (aka bladder infections or “UTIs”) more often than men. “Ahem,” I stuttered, “Not sure how to put this…especially in an open cubicle workspace…but it has to do with the – the – the differences in our, um, well, our anatomies.” “Oh,” he said. Then, “OH!” I could see the light bulb shining brightly over his head. “Okay, say no more.” I started chuckling a bit to myself, and then a light bulb came on over my head as well. It hit me that this would … Continue reading
Posted in Herbal Remedies, Herbs, Holistic Home Remedies, Women's Health
Tagged acute, arbutin, arctostaphylos, bearberry, berberine, bladder infection, blueberry, cranberry, encyclopedia natural medicine, Goldenseal, herbal remedies, home remedies, hydrastis canadensis, murray, natural remedies, pizzorno, prevent, urinary tract infection, uti, uva ursi
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Product Review & Giveaway: 1Hour Break Natural Stress Relief Remedy
As a trained herbalist, I am always glad when people formulate products based on good science and high-quality, organic herbs. As a lazy herbalist, I am always glad when it’s “other people” doing it, and not me. As a Mom of a little one who works full-time outside of the home, I could always use some stress relief. As a Mom with taste buds, I would love it if the product actually tasted good…but this is by no means a deal-breaker. Meaning, if it tasted bad, but it worked well, I would still use it. And that is exactly how … Continue reading








