Acne lotion

I have previously written about the properties of marigold and included an acne lotion recipe from James Wong (from his TV series Grow Your Own Medicines). For the lotion, Wong used marigold, lavender and geranium extract, which he thickened with vegetarian gelatin.

This summer I decided to test Wong's recipe with a few modifications.  

Here is my recipe:

Harvest 12 fresh marigold flower heads, equal quantity of fresh oregano flowers, and equal quantity of chopped scented geranium leaves (any scented geranium will do). Cover with 250 milliliters of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes. Blend the mixture, strain, add a few drops of tea tree essential oil and 5 Tbsp. of vodka. The lotion will be kept in the refrigerator for maximum of six weeks.  

I did not add gelatin to the lotion; I may try using arrowroot instead, and let you know if it works.The substitution of oregano for lavender flowers should not affect the potency, as oregano itself has very powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

My daughter and I just started using the lotion. In six weeks we will know if there is any effect.

Are you sick and still searching for diagnosis?

Today I found out about CrowdMed. It seems that the company was founded in 2012-2013. It facilitates individuals in finding out their true diagnosis. I am still navigating through the website to find out how this is accomplished, but it seems that one needs to pay a fee in order to post his/her case and obtain the opinion of medical experts.

Considering the horror stories I have heard about misdiagnosis or late diagnosis, the concept of CrowdMed does fill a niche. How successful and useful the approach is, I do not know.

If you have any opinion, please share here.

A useful website for individuals with already confirmed diagnosis is PatientsLikeMe, where people share knowledge about their conditions, treatments, etc. Again, I have not used it; therefore, if you have any opinion on the service, please share.

Garden tea

Saint John's wort

Thyme

Oregano

This summer I am finally collecting the ingredients for my herbal tea: oregano, Saint John's wort, thyme, and peppermint. All the flowers are in my garden and all I need to do is to harvest and dry them in the house:

Drying herbs

Once the herbs are dry, I will mix them well and preserve in glass jars or paper bags. A spoonful of dried herbs, a cup of boiling water, and 10 minutes of waiting time will conjure the summer garden aroma even on a blustery winter day. 

By the way, herbal tea is one of the eight secretes of longevity in one of the world's blue zones - Icaria.

Meanwhile there are a few new "girls" in the garden. Here are their smiley faces:

High-fiber lunch at work

How to achieve high-fiber diet? One recipe at a time...

I found an oatmeal cake recipe in “The Gathering Friends” cookbook by M. Huxtable and A. Christensen, and decided to modify it to create my experimental high-fiber bring-to-work lunch.

The modified recipe has plenty of oatmeal and no sugar other than the one contained in the fruit.

What you need:
2-3 bananas, one pear (or other fruit, such as apple, peach, etc), ½ cup Smart Balance (this could be reduced or substituted with unsweetened applesauce), 1 ¼ cup of oatmeal, 1 ½ cup boiling water, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 eggs. One could add walnuts, flaxseed, raisins, more spices, etc.

How to:
Fold together the oatmeal and Smart Balance with the boiling water. Add the mashed bananas, the chopped fruit, and the rest of the ingredients. Mix and bake in an oiled pan (9/13 inch) at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes. Test by inserting a clean knife or a toothpick in the cake; if it is ready, the knife/toothpick should come out fairly clean. Cool, cut in small pieces, refrigerate and enjoy.

Next time, I will try the recipe with some applesauce and walnuts. I am also planning a salty version of this oatmeal "cake" with chopped peppers, some corn and hot spices.

The goodness of soda drinks

We have previously "extolled" the merits of soda, but this video summarizes more comprehensively the reasons why we should exclude the drink from our diet.

ANTI-CANCER DRUGS CAN BE COMBINED IN REGIMENS THAT CURE

A combination of  anti-cancer drugs can create a strong fortress against cancer

This note is an afterthought from watching “Surviving terminal cancer” (read here about this documentary) and thinking about the legal hurdles that we have created on our path to cancer therapy and cure.

It is true that we have already developed an impressive arsenal of anti-cancer drugs, and with these we could build treatment regimens that make sense and that exceed the therapeutic potential of any current standard treatments.

So, why are we not doing this? 

According to the documentary: 

(a) the oncologists are not allowed to “combine” anti-cancer drugs in novel (not investigated by clinical trials) regimens even in terminal cancer cases; 

(b) there are rarely clinical trials that combine drugs from different companies, as a successful outcome (profit) from such treatment regimens cannot not be easily “divided” between the companies producing the drugs; 

(c) the current system of clinical trials dictates that any multi-drug combination therapy should be compared to the therapies based upon all possible combinations of the therapeutic components.

Here is a solution: if the patient is terminally ill and there is no reasonable “officially” approved therapy to give any hope, let the oncologist and patient sign a consent that relieves the doctor from any responsibility, but still allows him to assist the patient in his quest to combine drugs and navigate a novel path of treatment.

Cash-pay price and your health

This is very useful information on how to decrease your healthcare expenses even when you are insured.

Obesity

Here is a good article on how we grew huge:
Diet And Weight: We Had It All wrong.
 
I was interested in this paragraph:
 
"Questionable science, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (put out by the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services), public health services and the FDA, bodies that exist to protect our health, have led the public in the wrong direction." 

 I hope that the sequel of the article explains the real culprits for the oversizing of America (how about the dietary FRUCTOSE that is metabolized to FAT)?

Carbs and Cancer: Glycaemic Index and Lung Cancer

Is eating certain carbs as bad as smoking?

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – You’ve heard that carbs can increase your waistline, but according to a new study they could be as bad for you as smoking cigarettes.
 

The study found carbs can actually raise the risk of lung cancer by some 49-percent.
 
Scientists found foods with a high glycaemic index, such as white bread, may increase the risks of cancer.
 
The report says glycaemic index is a measure of the quality of dietary carbohydrates – and is defined by how certain foods affect our blood sugar levels after eating.
 
The theory behind the study is that high-GI foods trigger higher levels of glucose and insulin in the blood, which in turn increase Insulin-Like Growth Factors (IGFs).
 
The study was conducted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
 
Lead author on the study, Dr. Stephanie Melkonian says: “We observed a 49 percent increased risk of lung cancer among subjects with the highest daily GI compared to those with the lowest daily GI.”
 
The study says people should limit their intake of foods and beverages with a high GI.

So, in this study is was not total carbs per se that was the problem, but rather, the type of carbs - in other words a qualitative rather than strictly quantitative problem. Therefore, "white" and "starchy" carbs are a problem, by causing blood glucose spikes that result in higher levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factors. Whole wheat, etc, as much as non-starchy vegetables and many fruits, do not have the same effect. Although the problem is qualitative in that the type of carbs is what's most important, of course how much you eat of it will influence risk. Eating some occasional white bread and rice (which I for one try to avoid as much as possible) is likely not going to be as risky as stuffing your face with it every day, especially multiple times per day. Eating some potatoes won't kill you either. Again, it is a question of balance. For a variety of reasons independent of this study (obesity, diabetes, etc.) it is a good idea to limit levels of high glycaemic carbs. One does not have to completely eliminate them, but limit consumption , definitely, yes.

July 4th 2016 Garden

Whereas my tomato plants have miserably failed (eaten by deer, groundhogs, rabbits and who knows what else), my flowers are still blossoming.

 







 I guess, if I want to eat anything from my garden, I need a fence.

Marigolds...need to propagate more and put my own advice to the test

Different colors scabiosa flowers

An orange poppy and white scabiosa

Some of the wild flower seeds yielded gorgeous (yet unidentified by me) flowers

More flowers to identify...

Flowering sedum Angelina

Sedum purple carpet