Natural Relief from Shingles

I came down with shingles during my last pregnancy and it was utterly miserable.  It was well over a month before I was able to sleep through the night without the pain or itching waking me up.  Throughout that month, I stumbled across different things that helped to relieve the pain and I wanted to write them down before I forgot them.  I put something on my sores every couple hours and just alternated between each of these throughout the day.  Although I was in intense pain and couldn't imagine it being any worse, my spots did not get as bad as the pictures on the internet so I do believe these natural remedies helped a lot!

1.  Acupuncture -- The only nights that I managed a decent sleep during that month were the 3 times I did Acupuncture.  It is the only time I have ever done it and I don't love the process (those little needles can hurt!) but for some reason it really works!  If my shingles were to ever return, I would immediately head to the Acupuncture office to see if I could avoid such a bad case of it.

2. Chiropractic care -- by the time I realized that my malady was shingles, I was in  too much pain to be adjusted.  If I contracted it again, however, I would immediately get adjusted because my research showed chiropractic care to be very effective.

3.  Essential oils -- I alternated using tea tree oil (melaleuca) and ravintsara diluted with a tiny bit of coconut oil.  Lemon, Lavendar, Geranium, and Roman Chamomile  are supposed to help as well.

4.  Collodial Silver gel -- this is antiviral and really helps!  I alternated it with the essential oils several times a day.

5. Peaceful Mountain Shingles Rescue Homeopathic Gel -- this was very soothing!

6.  Derma Change Shingles Relief Cream -- the Maneuka honey in this was soothing to my sores  as well.  I alternated this with the Homeopathic Gel above every night before bed.

7. T-Relief tablets -- these have arnica as well as several other homeopathic remedies.  I took one every time I woke up in pain and I do believe they helped dull the pain so I could go back to sleep.  I took this instead of Tylenol because I was pregnant and didn't want to take Tylenol PM every night.

8.  Arnica gel -- I alternated this with the silver gel several times a day and I do think it helped.

9.  Collodial Silver -- I drank this about 3 times a day in an effort to kill the virus more quickly.

10.  Dr. Christopher's Formula Cayenne Heat Ointment -- I was afraid to use this when my sores were raw and angry because it is so potent, but once they transitioned to more of an intense nerve pain rather than a topical pain, this was very effective.

Lice and Tick Prevention Detangling Spray

Lice seem to be a major problem in the schools this year.  Not only are they everywhere, but they seem to be harder to get rid of than they used to be.  In one of my daughter's classes, there was a major lice problem before Christmas.  I thought for sure the 2-week break would clear things up, but after a week back at school we got another letter saying they were still finding kids with lice!  We happen to have 6 girls in our family with lots of hair so the thought of lice is absolutely horrendous to me!  Thankfully we have avoided it so far and I truly think the detangling spray I make them use a couple times a week has kept the lice at bay.  I actually started using it two summers ago as a tick deterrent and then added the essential oils that deter lice when the girls started school. I didn't really find this recipe anywhere; I just started mixing things that made sense to me together to make it.  I don't ever measure so I will try to guestimate what I do for readers but feel free to tweak it to please your own kids.  My girls do not really like the apple cider vinegar smell but neither do ticks and lice.  The smell vanishes quickly enough and it is great for hair so they have gotten used to it. The rose geranium oil is expensive but we haven't gotten a single tick in our hair the 2 summers we have used it and the summer before that we got them every single time we visited the grandparents or went to the lake.  It lasts a long time and is totally worth the price!

(*Note: I don't want to get into any debates about essential oil brands.  I have used Young Living, Do Terra, Edens Garden, and Plant Therapy all with great success.  I currently primarily buy Plant Therapy mainly because of the affordable price, great extensive Kidsafe line, and because of two day shipping on Amazon, but I love the others as well.)

Ingredients:
small water spray bottle
1/2 tsp moisturizing oil (I usually just use olive oil because it is what I have on hand but almond, jojoba, or any other liquid oil will do)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
5 drops Rose Geranium oil (for tick prevention)
5 drops tea tree oil
10 drops Plant Therapy "Get 'Em Gone" blend
water filled the rest of the way to the brim of spray bottle

Directions:  Shake well and spray on hair.  I use it on my girls' hair every time they wash it and any other time there are tangles.