Oil of Oregano

I think I may have found my baking soda of oils. Oil of oregano does so many things for our bodies just like baking soda does for cleaning the house. This product can be purchased as a liquid or capsule/tablet. The oil shouldn't be confused with the spice we commonly use on pizza.

The benefits of this oil just seem to be ongoing. It destroys organisms that cause skin infections and digestive problems, strengthens immune system, increase joint and muscle flexibility, and improves respiratory health. It is an anti inflammatory, slows down aging, protects from certain cancers, and many other benefits such as psoriasis, eczema, flu, athletes foot and food poisoning.

When taking oil of oregano you should dilute it in juice, milk, olive oil, or coconut oil. Oregano oil reduces the body's ability to absorb iron so you should take an iron supplement as well. People with allergies to thyme, basil, mint, or sage may be sensitive to this product. You should always follow the instructions on the bottle.

If you are giving this to your children you should take their age into consideration. With children 5-10 years old you should use one drop mixed with juice or milk and have them drink it 1-3 times per day. Don't exceed 7-10 days of use. With children ten and older use 3 drops of oil three times per day in juice or milk. With younger children you should use the oil externally. From 6 months old to five years dilute one part oil of oregano in four parts olive oil and apply to the soles of feet and spine. You can also add a few drops to warm bath water with bath salts. For children 5 and older you can use oil directly from bottle on soles and spine but you should dilute for sensitive skin.

As pregnant women shouldn't use this product I won't be using it at this time but I will be in a couple months. We need all we can right now to protect us from the winter sicknesses!

Should you jump on the gluten free bandwagon?

Gluten is found in grains such as rye, barley, or wheat. These grains are found in many things that you don't even realize til you are on the diet. The gluten free diet started out for people with celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease. It is under diagnosed 97% of the time. It is also common in 1 in about 250 people in the United States. People with celiac disease are unable to digest gluten correctly which then causes one or many different things from skin, bowel, or developmental issues. The GFCF diet is gluten free and casein free diet. Casein is a protein from milk so its also in cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, whey and some brands of margarine.

The gluten free or GFCF diet has recently been proven to help with many other disorders. Some of these disorders consist of autism, M.S., PDD, IBS, eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, diabetes, and the list has continues to grow with more people trying this diet for other medical issues. This diet does take time to show any improvement in most cases. It can take your body up to 6 month to completely get rid of gluten.

The biggest concern with this diet is that you or your child is not getting enough nutrition. The only major things that you will possibly lack while on this diet are calcium and copper. Many times lack of certain nutrients can be fixed with some sort of vitamin.

Most of my research starts with trying to find different cures for eczema and autism. I have already read so many praises on the GFCF diet for autism that I am pretty much convinced. I just recently started researching this diet for eczema, which is mostly caused by food allergies and in infants its mostly caused by milk and/or gluten. Eczema is an autoimmune disorder which can lead to other issues like asthma. The body is unable to break down gluten proteins which causes the body to be under a large amount of stress that then causes and inflammatory reaction. It seems to me that this would work great for eczema just like autism.

So should you jump on the bandwagon? I would say if you or your child has a medical issue that seems like it would benefit from this diet, then go for it! Of course make sure you are getting the nutrients your body is missing out on too! If you don't have a medical issue then its not really necessary and personally I like my pasta and breads and I'm not sure that I could give them up since it is unnecessary for myself. However, I have tried many recipes as I have had my daughter on this diet and I can tell you most things you can't tell the difference in taste but some are mostly texture difference which my husband can't stand. This diet can get very expensive so if you decide to try it out then definitely learn how to make some things yourself instead of buying all the specialty products.