What’s bugging you?

While summer is the optimal time for showing off toned skin and flaunting revealing fashions, it’s the absolute worst for bug bites, sunburns, and itchy rashes.

Whether it is a mosquito or beach fleas, some of these bites can be downright painful. They can also itch so much you almost want to scratch the skin off, which can create scars and wounds. Stop skin blunders from ruining the way you feel or look with any of the following natural skin relief treatments.

Mosquitoes don’t normally sting through loose fitting clothing, so this is a good preventative measure. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, while wasps and bees are attracted to light, bright, floral colors.

Non-Toxic, Bug Repllant Recipe

A bug bite deterrent that is easy to make yourself is made of a blend of one or more of the following ingredients.
Choose one or two of these organic essential oils (2 tsp. total oil):

Lavender essential oil
Myrrh essential oil
Rosemary essential oil
Juniper essential oil
Lemon essential oil
1 cup of 180 proof grain alcohol (you can buy this at a liquor store.) You could also use pure water, if you don’t have alcohol.

Directions:
Combine a total of 2 tsp. of essential oil and combine that with 1 cup of 180 proof grain alcohol.
Place it in a bottle with a tight-fitting lid.

(You can also put it in a spray bottle to easily spray on before going outdoors.)

Shake well.

Test it on a small patch of skin first to make sure you are not sensitive to the oil and alcohol.
If you are ok with the test, use it on your skin to avoid bites. If you are already bitten and you are itching and wanting to scratch the pain away, here are a few remedies.

1. Rub aloe vera (either freshly cut or from a bottle) on bites and stings to ease burning.
2. Get relief from itches by applying a few drops of lavender oil to the affected area as needed.
3. I like homeopathic remedies. There are a few options that you can add to your natural remedy medicine cabinet for these itchy situations. A homeopathic you can choose for crazy itching or hives is Arsenicum album 200. When it’s a painful bee sting or insect bite, the Ledum palustre 200. (You may wish to take the Ledum plustre 200 about every few hours until the pain has subsided.) If you have a bite with swelling, apis mellifica 200 can be helpful.
4. “Deep Freeze,” CBD Topical roll-on is very calming and cooling, by Pharm Organics.

• Organically Grown, Premium Quality CBD Hemp
• Organic Aloe Leaf
• Menthol
• Infused with Capsicum, Camphor and other Essential Oils
• Proprietary Muscle Treatment Blend

5. Vitamin B can help calm, reduce nervousness and insomnia. Anxiety can cause itching and/or aggravate it. Try to calm yourself by deep breathing, taking some magnesium and vitamin B’s, to help relax and alleviate nutritional reasons that could cause extra stress and help reduce the pain of the itching. Most people are vitamin B and magnesium deficient. A deficiency in these can result in itchy flaky skin, anxiety, lack of energy, and insomnia.

Once, I was bitten by some kind of small black bug or flea in Panama. It was absolutely miserable for at least a week. I thought it was never going to stop. I read that sometimes these bugs lay eggs in your skin. I also read that it could have been parasites.

Since I had been all over the jungle and visited wild animal rehabilitation places, I was not sure where I received all the bites, or if they were even all the same type of bug or flea bite. It seemed to get worse a few days later and it wasn’t stopping. I was overwhelmed with the itch and was getting quite desperate to find a natural remedy.

For the most extreme cases, where you can’t get the itching to stop, I have found that food grade hydrogen peroxide can be dabbed on the itching spots with a cotton swab or a cotton ball. This solution will kill any parasite that may be inside the skin, but also oxygenate and destroy any infection in the bite.

It can hurt and burn a lot, so I would apply the hydrogen peroxide immediately before getting into the shower to scrub with tea tree oil soap and a body brush. It was very effective and stopped the extreme itching. (I used a 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide, which is extremely strong compared to the 3% grade sold at the pharmacy)

You may need to do this each day, until you are sure it has stopped the itch, killed the parasite, or stopped the infection. With much relief, you can be on the road to healing.

I order food grade hydrogen peroxide through the internet. It is extremely strong. You will need to be very careful when handling this and keep it out of the reach of children. You may want to use normal over the counter (3% grade) hydrogen peroxide, but the food grade is much stronger (35%) for more extreme cases. You can water it down a bit, if it’s too strong for you.

Two brands of food grade hydrogen peroxide I have purchased are: Oxygen Wellness Co. and Pure Health Discounts.

After I do did the hydrogen peroxide, scrub it off, and dry off, then I would put the Pharm Organics Deep Freeze, topical roll-on with hemp, aloe vera, or apple cider vinegar, etc. and it would feel so much better.

Poison Ivy or Poison Oak

Once I went with my husband to hike in the woods with our dog. Our dog was running around in the woods and got poison ivy on his fur. I was petting him and brushing off the sticker burrs, and unknowingly got the poison ivy from his fur. I used tea tree oil on the poison ivy and it was almost gone the next day. I used tea tree oil shampoo on the dog also.

A few years later, one of our house remodeling contractors had a terrible case of poison ivy. He had used cortisone, medicines from the doctor, and everything he could think of for more than four months. He was absolutely miserable. I gave him my tea tree oil to try.

The next day, he came back absolutely astounded at how well it had worked. His poison ivy was gone in a matter of days. Tea tree oil works extremely well for poison oak, and fire ant bites as well.

I use the tea tree oil on any itchy place, bite, or rash. It is especially good for bites that have a fluid in it. Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties. It is not supposed to be used on an open wound.

I used it on a large swollen bite my son had on his back. It was the middle of the night and we were staying in a remote hotel built into the side of a mountain in Greece, with no medical care nearby. I didn’t know what to do, so I kept putting tea tree oil on it. The next day, the swelling had gone down to half, then the next day it was almost gone. We were so thankful.

Another use for tea tree oil is for chicken pox. My son got chicken pox when he was four. He is a redhead and has very sensitive skin. I put tea tree oil directly on each spot all over his body. I thought it would help him not to itch or scratch. In the morning, his chicken pox outbreak was gone, with no scars, no itching, and no complications. It was amazing. His doctor was completely astonished, as was his preschool teacher. I have used it on just about everything ever since.

In my opinion, the New Zealand variety of tea tree oil smells better than the Australian type, but both work really well.
You can also use aloe vera leaf gel on the rash to soothe and promote healing.

Oatmeal baths are also good for calming us down, as well as calming the skin irritation.
If you go to the beach, a jellyfish sting can really hurt. If you have some lemon or limes, rub the cut fruit on the place that hurts. The citrus can help take the pain out.

Drinking carrot juice or eating carrots or sweet potatoes is a natural way to protect yourself from too much sun during summer. The beta-carotene in these vegetables gives the body some natural sun protection.

You can also wear thick clothing that covers your skin but doesn’t contain chemicals. Clothing treated with chemicals such as titanium or zinc oxide will break down in the wash, enter the water supply, and create hazards to the ecosystem.

So, whenever you are outside, get some natural Vitamin D, put on some natural bug protection, wear natural clothing to protect yourself from too much sun, eat beta-carotene-rich foods, and get into the shade if you feel you have been out too long. Enjoy your sunshine and fresh air!

I hope this helps make your summer adventures more enjoyable!

copyright@nancyaddison2019

Please make a comment and join the conversation!

The information from Nancy Addison and Organic Healthy Lifestyle LLC is not offered for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease or disorder nor have any statements herein been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We strongly encourage you to discuss topics of concern with your health care provider.

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this email is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Nancy Addison CHC, AADP. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging.

The post Natural Remedies For Healing Things 
 That Can Bug You This Summer appeared first on Organic Healthy Life - Nancy Addison - Nutrition.

The Plight Of The Pollinator

The intricate web of life,  on this planet, depends on every aspect of life, all the way down to the fragile bee. Every part of this web has a particular role on the earth, and when one element of this web is removed, it starts a downward spiral effect which is difficult to foresee and which can be catastrophic. We are at serious risk of losing the bees now, and we need do something about it. I have a petition for the EPA in hopes they will take action.

Please sign my petition for the EPA. Click here.

Bee colonies are seriously threatened by the widespread use of pesticide-coated seeds currently used by farmers, particularly on corn and soy crops. These insecticides are called neonicotinoids. Studies show that bees are drawn to the nectar of neonicotinoid plants and become addicted to them in the same manner that humans become addicted to nicotine. For this reason, bees become addicted to plants grown from these toxic seeds and gorge themselves on these plants, seeking them out and returning to them in the future. Because nectar is brought back to the hive by individual bees, neonicotinoid toxins are also brought back to the hive, where they spread to and kill the entire colony. They achieve this by destroying the nervous systems of bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies. This has led to what scientists have dubbed “colony collapse disorder.”

Why should we care? Bees are important because we need them to pollinate food crops and wild plants. Bees are also an essential part of our economy as they pollinate over 15 billion dollars worth of crops a year. Some crops that won’t grow without honeybees include: apples, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, pumpkins, carrots, avocados, almonds, and many more. If we lose the honey bee our fragile web of life will be devastated, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has so far failed to aggressively seek out a solution. The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that neonicotinoids don’t even increase crop yields, although that is the purported reason for their use in the first place.

In-depth studies from Purdue University (http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120111KrupkeBees.html), Harvard University (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/04/pesticide-tied-to-bee-colony-collapse/), and Oxford University, Trinity College Dublin, Newcastle University and Lund University (http://marketbusinessnews.com/bees-crave-neonicotinoid-pesticides-like-humans-with-nicotine/58089) concerning the danger and harm of neonicotinoids towards bees and other pollinators confirm that this is a grave concern.  Overwhelming research conducted on the effects these products have on the environment has led the European Union to presently ban the use of neonicotinoids across the entire continent of Europe. In the United States and Canada, seed-producing companies are allowed to make and sell seeds coated with this pesticide, which has been shown in numerous research studies to contribute to bee and bee colony deaths.

“We know that these insecticides are highly toxic to bees; we found them in each sample of dead and dying bees,” said Christian Krupke, associate professor of entomology at Purdue University and a co-author of the findings.

The United States is losing about one-third of its honeybee hives each year, according to Greg Hunt, a Purdue University professor of behavioral genetics, honeybee specialist, and co-author of the Purdue findings. Hunt said no one particular factor is to blame for this loss, though scientists believe that other factors such as mites and insecticides are all working against the bees as well. “It’s like death by a thousand cuts for these bees,” Hunt said.”

In 2014, 37 million bees were found dead in Ontario, Canada after neonicotinoid-laced corn seeds were planted in the area. (http://naturalsociety.com/37-million-bees-found-dead-canada-large-gmo-crop-planting/). “Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions,” stated Dave Schuit, a local honey producer. This catastrophe is a powerful sign of the harm these seeds affect on our environment.

Furthermore, the effects of these toxins are not limited to the fields where these crops are planted. Genetically engineered plants are able to escape into the wild, where they interbreed with natural plants and continue to spread throughout the environment. The repercussions of this are alarming for the future of our earth, the future of food, and the futures of our children and grandchildren.

“The bees we should also be concerned about are the “3,999 other bee species living in North America, most of which are solitary, stingless, ground-nesting bees you’ve never heard of. Incredible losses in native bee diversity are already happening. 50 percent of Midwestern native bee species disappeared from their historic ranges in the last 100 years. Four of our bumblebee species declined 96 percent in the last 20 years, and three species are believed to already be extinct. A little part of me despairs when I read in a scientific paper: “This species probably should be listed under the Endangered Species Act if it still exists.” These bees nest in the  ground and when the neonicotinoid seeds were planted in the fields, the mason bees did not make one single nest.” Source of quote: (Source: http://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/)

“In watermelons, native bees do 90 percent of the pollination.
Native bees improve fruit production in apples. Native bee pollination creates twice as much fruit as honey bees in blueberries. In tomatoes, native bee species increase fruit production significantly.” (Source: http://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/)

How much evidence will it take before the EPA, or other companies involved, stop the use, and protect our fragile web of life? Bees and the future of our environment are in need of protection from these toxic and harmful poisons. Given the enormous number of bee deaths already, the enormous amounts of neonicotinoid insecticide-coated seeds that are currently being planted, the fragile state of the bee colonies, and the mounting evidence showing neonicotinoid insecticide-coated seed is a danger to bee colonies, don’t you agree that the EPA should stop the manufacturing and planting of this toxic seed?

I move that the EPA ban the manufacturing, sale and use of these toxins, poisons and coated seeds in the United States.

Don’t you think companies should have a ethical and moral obligation to humanity to stop doing and promoting things that are proven to be harming the environment and humanity? Monsanto, DuPont, Dow Chemical, Crop Life America and Bayer all make these seeds and sell them. These companies apparently aren’t doing anything to halt this situation. Why? We need to ask ourselves this question. I pose a question: Do you have investment money supporting companies that do this type of thing?  Is this the type of investment in your future, that will sustain the life of your children and their children?

If they are not voluntarily stopping their production, sale and use of seeds and toxins that have been shown to be doing harm to the environment, then isn’t it the responsibility of the EPA to make them stop harming the environment?

Please sign this petition and join me in helping to stop the use of toxins that are proven to be harmful to bees ( all types) and other pollinators (example: hummingbirds & butterflies), to the environment, and to the human population. These toxins put our fragile web of life in jeopardy.

Please sign my petition to ban and outlaw the manufacturing, sale and use of harmful neonicotinoid coated seeds and pesticides by companies and farmers.

Click here to sign my petition.

Even the federal court system is saying the EPA is wrong!

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/09/federal-court-nixes-epa-approval-pesticide-known-be-highly-toxic-honey-bees

The EPA just released a report saying that these poisons are the cause of catastrophic bee deaths, but yet they are still not making them illegal to make or use!  Click here to read the EPA report.

Please sign my petition. I am taking it to the USDA and wish to have as many signatures as possible.

Watch this!  Click Here to watch Maria Spivak on Ted Talks, talk about the bees.

Nancy Addison  talks with Richard Kemp on the Farm & Ranch USA Report

KLGD 106.9fm, The Country Giant about the bees –  Click Here to listen to the Radio Show Segment on the Bees.

Update Jan. 2019

I just received this update: “According to a 2017 report from the Center for Biological Diversity, nearly 1 in 4 pollinators are imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction.

What’s killing the bees? 

Neonicotinoid pesticides, sold by Bayer, and used by Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) to pretreat seeds (which adds to the cost of the seeds, without providing any benefit).

It’s time to reintroduce the Save America’s Pollinators Act, a bill that would suspend the use of neonicotinoids and require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to complete a thorough assessment and ensure that any uses of these insecticides do not cause unreasonable and adverse effects on pollinators. “

(Update quoted from Richard Kemp, with “KTRR Radio,”  “KSAN Radio,” and “The Farm And Ranch Report,”)

Please sign this petition and contact your congressperson and ask them to reintroduce this bill, support it and help the nation’s pollinators, as well as other parts of our web of life, these neonicotinoid pesticides are killiing.

The bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5015/text

I’d love to hear your comments!

The post The Plight Of Pollinators appeared first on Organic Healthy Life - Nancy Addison - Nutrition.

The Plight of the Bee

I became aware of the plight of the bee 27 years ago.  I avidly read all kinds of environmental, gardening, and wildlife articles and books, and it makes me sad that it’s only now becoming a widely recognized issue. The large bumblebees were becoming extinct over 28 years ago, because the genetically engineered plants apparently had flowers that didn’t have any nectar. I read that the bees were literally starving to death. Over time, I noticed that more and more flowers in the florist shops and in gardens didn’t have a fragrance. No fragrance, no nectar. What a shame. I love the fragrance, and I love the bees.    

The intricate web of our lives depends on every little aspect of life, and when one is taken out, it can start a downward spiral effect. I find this situation alarming.

Bees are natural to our earthly environment, and our very lives depend on them.  The world’s production of food is dependent on the pollination provided by honey bees.  Some estimates range from 50-80% of the world’s food supply being directly or indirectly affected by honey bee pollination.  Honey bees have been managed and have sustained farming practices as far back as 4500 years.  Without the honey bee, food prices would be astronomical, with the little food that would be available.   

I also recently became aware that the bee colonies have become threatened by the widespread use of a pesticide-coated seed, used for many of the corn and soy crops. It is a seed that has been coated with an neonicotinoid insecticide.   Studies are showing that the bees are actually drawn to the nectar of this plant, and that colonies are in volatile situations because of this toxin.  Seed producing companies are allowed to make and sell seeds that are coated with this pesticide, which has been shown in numerous research studies to contribute to bee and bee colony deaths, even though the Environmental Protection Agency says the product doesn’t increase yields.

How much evidence will it take before the EPA, or other companies involved, stop the use, and protect our fragile web of life? 

Do we really need a more catastrophic sign than 37 million bees being found dead, after the planting of a corn crop in which they used this type of toxic seed?

Isn’t it a moral obligation of industry to stop making things they know are harmful to the environment and therefore to humanity? Isn’t it the job of the EPA to protect us from companies that don’t voluntarily stop doing things that are harmful to the environment and/or humanity? 

In addition to the pesticides, an article in Forbes magazine in 2012, stated that it’s not surprising bees are dying off in huge numbers, because of the increase in genetically modified foods. “As of 2012, it is estimated that over 70 percent of the food on the U.S. market contains genetically modified organisms, which are ingredients that have been scientifically engineered in laboratories.” (1)   

I also understand that genetically engineered plants are escaping into the wild, and interbreeding with our wild plants.  The repercussions of this alarm me too. The future of our earth, and the future of food for our children and grandchildren is at stake.

Why are GMO foods harmful?  

Tests using three types of GMO corn that was fed to rats, showed these results: “Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, which are the dietary detoxifying organs, although results were different between the 3 GMOs. Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system.  (The haematopoietic system is the bodily system of organs and tissues, primarily the bone marrow, spleen, tonsils, and lymph nodes, involved in the production of blood).  We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, (or kidney failure), possibly due to the new pesticides, which are specific to each GM corn.” (2) During the tests, the rats also developed large tumors.

Taking Action

The combination of GMO plants, the decline of the bee, and the resulting health risks alarmed me so much,  I raised money for an organic hummingbird and butterfly garden at my son’s elementary school (this was 15 years ago!).  I wanted to help educate the community about the importance of our pollinators. Today, the Science, Art, and English departments are still using that garden. In fact, they have recently added an organic food garden—all organic and free of GMOs (genetically modified organisms)—and they are teaching the children to be “master gardeners.”  Chip Clint (the organic gardening expert who designed the hummingbird and butterfly garden for me at the elementary school), and I have continued to be consulted concerning the garden. I am blessed to have been instrumental in this school program that is now in place.

I understand that elementary schools that have a garden in which children can work, report that students have much higher math and science scores than schools without gardens. It makes the children happy to have an outdoor hands-on type of learning experience.

Petition

Bees and the future of our environment are in need of protection from these toxic and harmful poisons.

Given the enormous number of bee deaths already, the enormous amounts of neonicotinoid insecticide-coated seeds that are already being planted, the fragile state of the bee colonies, and the mounting evidence that shows this neonicotinoid insecticide-coated seed is a danger to the bee colonies, don’t you agree that the EPA should stop the manufacturing and planting of this toxic seed? What can we do?

Please join me in calling for an end to the manufacturing, selling and planting of this  neonicotinoid insecticide-coated seed.  Please boycott the purchase, use and selling of this seed.  Please sign my petition to the EPA, calling for action to stop the manufacturing, selling and use of the neonicotinoid insecticide-coated seed, or any other type of toxin that can cause death to pollinators in our environment.  The next life you save may be your own.

Click Here to sign the petition!

Please leave a comment and also sign the petition!

 Watch this talk on TED talks by Maria Spivak. Click here.

Nancy Addison  talks with Richard Kemp on the Farm & Ranch USA Report

KLGD 106.9fm, The Country Giant about the bees –  Click Here to listen to the Radio Show Segment on the Bees.

Sited sources:

(1) Rachel Hennessey. “GMO Food Debate In The National Spotlight.” Forbes 11/03/2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelhennessey/2012/11/03/gmo-food-debate-in-the-national-spotlight/2/

(2) Joël Spiroux de Vendômois et al. “A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health.” Research paper. Int J Biol Sci 2009; 5(7):706-726. doi:10.7150/ijbs.5.706.

University studies:

Purdue (http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120111KrupkeBees.html),

Harvard (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/04/pesticide-tied-to-bee-colony-collapse/) ,

and Oxford ( http://marketbusinessnews.com/bees-crave-neonicotinoid-pesticides-like-humans-with-nicotine/58089)

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