More Herbal Health Stategies

I didn't have time to tell you how I preserve fresh ginger root to have on hand at first sign of a cold or flu or upset tummy.

Some pregnant women struggling with morning sickness respond well to ginger root but again the big challenge to all health care strategies is everyone is so unique you have to pay attention to your own body and explore to find what works for you.

Anyway, I peel a piece of ginger root and use a potato peeler to slice it thinly into a jar,cover with honey and add some Vodka to keep it from fermenting. The ginger juice from the slices thin the honey enough to speed fermentation.

It doesn't take much Vodka to preserve it - maybe a fifth (not a bottle but a fifth of the volume of your concoction).

My tastebuds say, ginger soaked in honey is yum. Just chew some to settle a stomach or head off a cold, sore throat, cramps or gas... ginger is great stuff and soaked in honey it's a lot better medicinally than the candied slices you can buy.

O yes, and we won't forget it is much more economical but beside that it feels good to know how to do things and make things that have a positive influence on your health- it's empowering!

Another wellness weapon in the do it yourself healthcare arsenal

Here's to your health - ginger root! Thank God for low cost, do it yourself healthcare!

It began a couple decades ago. A friend and I were producing "A Most Unusual Christmas Show".

"Christmas" was not politically incorrect then. It was as normal, traditional and acceptable as apple pie.

Wow! what changes a couple decades can bring! I guess I'm digressing here and that's a whole 'nother subject... well, maybe not... maybe it relates to "health" in America more than we may think - food for thought.

Anyway, I was coming down with a cold - not good, since I was doing a lot of singing in the "Show". One of the moms of an up and coming little actress shared a tip from her homemade health recipes.

She told me to start drinking Ginger tea. I put a tablespoon of vinegar and about a tablespoon of honey in a cup of hot water and sprinkled ginger from my spice cupboard liberally into it (maybe a half teaspoon worth).

It did the trick... yippee! and it didn't cost and arm and a leg. My voice was preserved and the cold progressed no further and I've drunk ginger tea ever since at the first sign of a cold. Just ask my kids. It's a family tradition and more fondly remembered than the garlic peanut butter blast.

The vinegar helps rebalance your system's PH and the honey is soothing and healing itself. You've probably heard of hot lemon and honey for colds and flu and lemon works a lot like vinegar so you can do the above using lemon instead.

My library's closing so gotta go but again I say, I am thankful for healthcare alternatives that don't make me pay through the nose.

Thank God for Peanut Butter!

This morning I'm reminded of how much I appreciate peanut butter. How many PBJs have you consumed over the years?

I wonder if there is a Guiness record on that...

Anyway, being somewhat of a healthnut I've used the unhydrogenated kind that you have to stir and that's messy and inconvenient. The Jiffkind is so smooth and pretty and convenient - it stays right where you put it.

Unfortunately, according to some experts it also stays put in your arteries which can be majorly inconvenient, perhaps tragic one day down the road.

My answer is to" have my cake and eat it too" - organic, of course, made with honey...just partly kidding.

I grind flaxseed in my coffee grinder (which never grinds coffee but does a great job on seeds and herbs etc.) and stir it into my oily peanut butter and viola... now my peanut butter stays where I put it, tastes great and adds all kinds of good stuff to my diet ala flaxseed.

Just wanted to share that with you before I take off to work.