Natural Healing is Possible
My journey to discovering natural health remedies started when I had my first child, Neriah. Being a new mum and trying to deal with all the worries that would come when she would fall ill, was not easy. I would tend to panic whenever she would get a fever and immediately give her Calpol, because that was what every parent that I knew did. The other thing I would use is antibiotics whenever she had an infection, until one day, when she was still an infant, she was prescribed a dose of Augmentin, the same amount I would get prescribed as an adult. This is when I really began to question a lot regarding the medical industry and the manufactured medicines we would use.
One day I called my brother, who is a medical doctor in Denmark. I asked him what should really be done when a 3 month old has a fever. To my surprise he said I should never give her Calpol again. He added that he would never prescribe it to any child, because it has dangerous side effects. He recommended instead that she should wear the minimum amount of clothing possible, so that her body could cool down, and that I should let her ride out the fever for three days, while closely monitoring her temperature and keeping her hydrated. He explained that a fever is a sign that the immune system is fighting a virus. From that day on, I began to read up on and research how to support and strengthen our immune systems using natural remedies to prevent illnesses, instead of waiting to fight them once we were already ill. I also began to share what I had learnt with the parents and other people I knew. All this new information made me literally stop taking my daughter to doctors and I am proud to say that she has not had any severe illness or even the common flu and she has not needed to see a doctor for the past eight years, she is now nine.
Another thing I had to battle with concerning Neriah was a severe case of eczema that lasted for a couple of years. I later came to learn that it was caused by the vaccines people give their children, for lack of better understanding. At that time I was not knowledgeable on the dangers of vaccines and I had her fully vaccinated. However, when I had my youngest daughter Niah, I heard a voice, that I know was God, instructing me to not have her vaccinated. By that time she had already had a couple of vaccines, but I stopped from that moment on. I stand to testify that since the day that Niah left the hospital after she was born, she has never had an ailment beyond the common flu, a few fevers and one case of a rash on her neck. Other than that, Niah has never seen a doctor to date and has only been given natural healing remedies since she was born.
Other than when I was pregnant with Niah, I too have not seen a doctor in the past 8 years. This transformation in understanding of how to deal with health the natural way has given my family immense health and wellness. I say wellness, because it has also given me mental peace of knowing that He who created the earth put everything that we need at our fingertips, to enable us to be healthy. When He spoke and created the vegetation, plants and trees, He was also creating every healing solution to every problem that would arise, remember after all He is the God who knows the beginning from the end! For me everything that I needed to support, build and heal our bodies was right there in my kitchen. They were items I would use every day to cook with but I didn’t know or understand their use as natural medicines.
The main item I would use from my kitchen which you probably have and use regularly too is, yes you guessed it, garlic. Let’s take a deeper look at the components of garlic and how beneficial it can be to our health.
Cooking with garlic
I literally use garlic in all my cooking, I grate it into my food and make garlic oil with it, which I use to fry food or use as a salad dressing. When I use garlic in cooking I usually add the garlic towards the end so that I don’t overcook it and therefore lose all of its nutrients. This way, it also maintains the strong garlic taste and smell that makes food so yummy.
I make the garlic oil by blending a bunch of garlic bulbs and placing them in a jar of olive oil, shaking the mixture well and leaving it to sit for a full day before use.
As Medicine
I use garlic as an immune booster by crushing or blending 2 to 3 garlic bulbs and storing them in a jar and then giving my children 2 teaspoons full each day and taking a tablespoon full myself. Adding olive oil to the jar helps increase the shelf life.
I sometimes use garlic oil for ear infections, using one drop of oil in each ear in the morning and evening, after carefully straining the garlic pieces out.
Cutting a clove of garlic in half and rubbing the flesh of the garlic on the skin has helped to soothe skin irritations my children would have.
Nutritional Value
According to www.nutritionvalue.org garlic contains sodium, dietary fiber, protein, calcium, iron and potassium. Garlic is also rich in sulfur and two of the most important compounds found in garlic, Allicin and Ajoene, are responsible for the antioxidant properties in garlic, because of the sulfur content in it.
Benefits of consuming garlic
Immune system – garlic flushes out toxins and fights off harmful bacteria and viruses, helping prevent one from falling ill.
Brain function – regular consumption of garlic at an early age produces healthy brain cells and is said to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Lowers blood pressure – Garlic is said to be beneficial in reducing blood pressure.
Reduces risk of cancer – Sulfur compounds in garlic are said to reduce growth of tumor cells and ultimately prevents cancer.
Cardiovascular diseases – Garlic is said to reduce the risk of strokes and to also contain anti-clotting factors. The ajoene compound in garlic helps it to work as a blood thinner and promotes healthy blood circulation.
When to consume Garlic
For maximum benefit, garlic is best consumed in the morning hours on an empty stomach. This also helps to heal stomach and digestion problems and stimulates appetite.
How to consume garlic
Eating raw garlic is more beneficial than consuming cooked garlic as cooking destroys about 90% of its nutrients. Crush or chop garlic and leave it for 15 minutes to oxidize as this allows all the nutrients to come out.
How much to consume garlic
4 cloves of garlic are recommended per day for an average healthy person, 2-4 cloves for pregnant women, which is said to be beneficial for both mum and baby.
*Eating more than the recommended amount of garlic can cause heartburn, bloating, bad breath and body odor.
Interesting facts-
Zinc and copper found in garlic are the two minerals that studies have shown are linked to living a long life up to and beyond 100 years.
In ancient times garlic was used to keep warriors healthy.
Studies have shown that consuming a garlic supplement for four weeks can reduce your risk of cardio vascular disease by 12%.
*Be careful to use organic garlic for your preparations. You can easily grow your own or ensure that you get it only from trusted sources.
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