Homemade Salicylic Acid Shampoo (for Seborrheic Dermatitis – Dandruff)

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Cat

By Cat, June 2019 (image, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Dr. Bronner’s liquid Castile soap

A few weeks ago, I noticed a lot of itchiness on my face, ears and scalp. And then dandruff and redness with scaly areas on each side of my nose (near bottom) and chin; that got my attention. I haven’t had eczema (seborrheic dermatitis) on my face in over 40 years, but I recognized its return, right away. Last time, my Portland naturopath tried several herbs (that treat the liver and are anti-microbial) which helped, but every time I washed my face, the symptoms returned. So then he suggested homeopathic 6x Oregon grape; the problem was gone in 2 days!

When I tried the homeopathic this time, it isn’t working as well as before. I’m in Montana now so cannot consult my former naturopath, so decided to do some research on my own. I’m using a combo of honey, coconut oil and tea tree oil on my face, and want to try a salicylic acid shampoo for my scalp. The following is the result of my research into how to make that, since I don’t like all the synthetic ingredients in commercial versions.

I should note that I know eczema is the result of the liver being overwhelmed with toxins, so excretes them through the skin. I am working on the source of those toxins (diet and food sensitivities) to get at the cause, in addition to supporting my liver and treating the symptoms on my face and scalp.

See also: 1. Natural Healing Methods and Personal Care Menu; 2. Notes on Natural Health Topics Menu; 3. Seborrheic Dermatitis (Dandruff, Facial Eczema) Continue reading →

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Vitamins: Water Soluble C

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Cat

By Cat, June 2007; updated May 2019

Vitamin C is considered essential for humans because we lack the enzyme necessary to produce ascorbic acid in the liver from glucose. For this reason, it is vital that we include it in our daily diet. It is necessary for: (14)

  • Synthesis of collagen;
  • Synthesis of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (crucial for brain function);
  • Synthesis of carnitine;
  • Metabolism of cholesterol to bile acids;
  • Protection of DNA and RNA from free radical damage;
  • Promoting wound healing;
  • Aiding immune function;
  • Protecting against cancer; and
  • It is a constitutional component of tendons, ligaments, bone, and blood vessels

Vitamin C hit many headlines upon publication of  Linus Pauling’s book, “Vitamin C and the Common Cold,” but it is also well-known for prevention and treatment of scurvy, and is becoming better know for its help in treatment of certain cancers.

check out: weightlossresources.co.uk/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin_c.htm (_)

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Vitamins: Water Soluble B-Complex

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Cat

By Cat, June 2007; updated 2016 and May 2019

There are 8 essential (cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from diet/supplements), and 4 “non-essential” B-vitamins (can be made by the body, but this ability decreases with age). Most of the B-vitamins are either coenzymes or coenzyme precursors, meaning that the specific enzyme functions cannot happen without the coenzyme.

Most of the B vitamins can be obtained from animal and plant sources; one exception is B12, which can only be obtained from animal sources. Supplements are another source, but some supplements may not use the most active form; for example synthetic folic acid is not as active as natural folate, so be sure to read the label. Another issue has to do with methylation needed to activate folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12) in the body; to be on the safe side, it is best to choose supplements that are already methylated (as methyl-folate and methyl-cobalamin).

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Vitamins (Intro)

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Cat

By Cat, June 2007; updated May 2019

Vitamins are essential nutrients that the body needs but cannot make – it doesn’t have the enzymes – so they must be obtained in our diet, or made by a healthy microbiome. In other words, they are “essential.” Several of the original vitamins were later discovered to be made by our bodies, so they were declared “non-essential” and removed from the list; several new ones have been added, as they were discovered.

When I was a kid in the early 1950s, families were just beginning to talk about vitamins at the dinner table.  Classrooms encouraged kids to share the Four Basic Food Groups (eggs & dairy; meat; fruits & vegetables; and starches) with their parents, and to encourage eating according to this plan, in order to assure all the important vitamins and minerals as well as other nutrients were present in the daily diet.

[For an interesting take on the Four Food Groups, see Dr. Michael Fine’s essay on Daily Yonder: To Heck with the Four Food Groups (2).]

At that time, we learned about:

  • Vitamin A:  carotenes from plants and retinols from animals,
  • Vitamin B: a family of vitamins from many different foods, including B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin),
  • Vitamin C (ascorbic acid for ascorbate),
  • Vitamin D (cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol and related chemicals), and
  • Vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols)

Since that time, others have been added, including more members of B-family, vitamin F (essential fatty acids) and vitamin K (various quinones).

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Weight Problems: Obesity 102

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Cat

By Cat, June 2007; updated October 2007; updated May 2019

What if the medical and pharmaceutical industries have it wrong about obesity? What if it indicates a metabolic problem that can be resolved by increasing dietary fats for energy, while decreasing high-carb foods; and taking a simple supplement instead of an increasingly expensive life-time drug (insulin, etc.)?

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The Rising Cost of Milk

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Cat
dairy cow, Brennaman's dairy

Dairy Cows in the Flathead

By Cat, originally on my old blog, June 2, 2007; moved to Cat’s Kitchen May 2019; image, right, from D. Morgan, used with permission.

Did you catch “Will Milk Become America’s New Oil?” AP article in your local paper this week (2007),* by David Mercer?   It warns that consumers can expect a sharp increase in dairy prices this summer, and predicts an average price of $3.78 per gallon for whole milk in the US this year (2007). 

What is driving this increase?

See also: 1. Foods (About) Menu; 2. Diet & Health Menu Continue reading →

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Does Commercial, Ultra-pasteurized Milk Make You Sick?

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Cat

Dairy farm with pastured cows

By Cat, originally on my old blog, September 25, 2007 (original source of photo, right, has been lost; this is a copy from my old blog)

Back in the 1950s when I was a kid, a refrigerator without milk, butter, and cream was an empty refrigerator. Everyone drank milk. Every town had a local dairy that delivered bottles of fresh milk to the doorstep each morning.

Today, most local dairies are gone, replaced by large, national, dairies that ship milk cross-country. Yet people are not buying milk like they used to; America’s dairies are struggling. Why? Is it a matter of marketing?

See also: 1. Foods (About) Menu; 2. Diet & Health Menu;

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Weight Problems: Obesity 101

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Cat

by Cat,  June 2007; updated May 2019

Do you cringe when your doctor casually describes you as obese? You object, “But I’m only 35 pounds overweight!  I’m just a little plump!” 

The doc responds, “You’re 30% overweight and your BMI* is over 30.  You need to lose weight to avoid type 2 diabetes!”  He wheels around in his office chair and searches for something in his files, then hands you a pamphlet on weight loss.  “Try this diet for 2 months.  You should lose 5 – 10 pounds in that time.”  *[BMI is Body Mass Index]

You scan through the pamphlet:  Calorie restriction; tips on reducing the fat content of your meals; advice on eating low-glycemic foods.  Nothing new here. 

“But, Doc, I’m already doing all these things,” you protest. 

He looks at you like you’re a 3 year old.  “Are you being honest?” he asks, and you can tell he doesn’t believe you.  You stare at your toes.  “I am being honest!  I haven’t been cheating!” you think to yourself; the shame of his disbelief is just too much.  You don’t have the energy to argue.

  • Includes: 1. “It’s a Lifestyle Problem;” 2. The Low Fat Myth; 3. A Metabolic Problem
  • See also: 1. Diet & Health Menu; 2. Obesity 102 

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Supplements I Use to Reduce Estrogen Dominance

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Cat

by Cat,  June 2007; updated May 2019

As women reach middle age, we begin to experience changes in our bodies, emotions, moods; from peri-menopause, through menopause and into post-menopause.  The common thread that links these changes — and underlies many female reproductive diseases such as uterine fibroids, edometriosis, fibrocystic breasts, cancer, and PMS — is known as ‘estrogen dominance.’  That is, a relative excess of estrogen, and an absolute deficiency in progesterone.

For the last 40 years, conventional wisdom has attributed the changes during menopause to a deficiency in estrogen, brought on by shrinking ovaries that can no longer produce the hormone at pre-menopausal levels.  Hormone replacement therapy was introduced in the mid 1960s to alleviate this lack, but many women did not respond as expected.  Some women did indeed require estrogen supplementation; some required a combination of estrogen and progesterone therapy; other women got better relief from natural progesterone alone. (1)

Clearly it is not necessarily a lack of estrogen that causes the menopausal symptoms.  Perhaps it is an imbalance in the complex interplay between hormones that lies at the root of the ‘problem.’

  • Includes: 1. General Foundation; 2. Conversion of Estrogen Metabolite; 3. Liver Function Enhancement; 4. Control of Estrogen Dominance Symptom
  • See also: 1. Diet & Health Menu; 2. Supplements I Use
  • See also articles on my old iWeb site (not yet moved): 1. Estrogen Dominance in Disease section; 2. Female Hormones in Metabolism section; 3. Menopause & Peri-Menopause in Metabolism section. When move these articles to new blog, update links here and also “Female Hormones” in this article (below)

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Supplements and Whole Foods I Use in My Morning Smoothie

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Cat

By Cat, June 2007; updated May 2019.

This was originally part of my article on Cat’s Kitchen, Supplements I Use. But that article was getting too long, so I moved the section on my Morning Smoothie to this article. For more detail on each of the supplements (powders, liquids and oils), see my original article: Supplements I Use.

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