Cheri, if you have any other books, web addresses or any other information, please feel free to share it here! We welcome it!!

In answer to your questions. Yes, I believe in natural remedies whenever possible. But we do have a family doctor and I believe allopathic medicine has it's place. If I get hit by a truck all the hydrotherapy in the world isn't going to set my broken bones although it would help with pain and speed healing.

I have used a heating compress that I rigged up using a damp t-shirt and a wool sweater on three of my children at different times. One of them had pneumonia according to the doctor, but the heating compress overnight for three or four nights had him cleared right up.

I have a hydrotherapy book that was my grandmothers when she did her nurses training at one of our sanitariums many years ago. It is full of great information.
ELF

Hello again,

You know many great things were being discussed regarding blue algae.

Then I began discussing this with someone who is a student of health reform for many many years. She suggested that if I have difficulty in understanding what is natural return to the scriptures and remember if this is listed under the category 'of these we may freely eat.'

You know the path to health with Christ is restrictive as it does not conform to the world's thoughts and perceptions. Penicillin is not natural, it comes because of dying materials.

But each of us are responsible to pray to God for the Holy Spirit to teach us all truth, and I have no fear that if we are willing, He will bring us to His understanding of what is right and good before Him.

What I may and may not know today, God may open my eyes tomorrow with further understanding as to what He desires from me.

To Elf...I have found that all things are to be done according to our knowledge and through prayer. As God increases the knowledge, we learn to have a faith that His ways and will is greatest and none is like it. It has taken time and faith (step by step) to trust in natural healing procedures. Part of natural healing procedures for a broken bone would be to reset it by someone who is trained in this.

In my own experience, I have had a huge lump on my left breast. I had much urging from my Adventist family to go the medicine/chemo route. But after studying the percentage of chemo patients recovering, I immediately sought prayer and counsel with the scriptures and writings of Mrs. White.

My choice was to trust in God's healing methods. And I followed the 8 laws of health along with Essiac Tea. Within one week the lump disappeared. I relaxed and left the 8 laws of health and the lump immediately returned. So I returned to the 8 laws of health with prayer and supplication and three days later the lump was gone again.

I consulted with women that knew the Spirit of Prophecy and had over 20 years of dealing with herbs and cancer.

Now this is my faith, and my experience, and I do not expect everyone to have the same faith. But only ask for us to pray to God what He wants for us in every little detail of our existance so that we may honor Him.

Your Sister in Christ Jesus,
Cheri

From a google search, it looks like penicillin can be either natural or synthetic. I'm going by some of the scientific reports on it.

However, it is still a drug and I believe should be used carefully and not at all if one doesn't need it.

Natural Remedies - Are They For Your Family?

Are there criteria to help you determine? Yes, indeed! Here are six check points to help you decide.

1) Natural remedies work best when all health laws are carefully practiced. Study the laws of body function; put them into the habits of daily living. "If all would seek to become intelligent in regard to their bodily necessities, sickness would be rare instead of common." 2SM:291.

2) Natural remedies give every opportunity to practice faith and trust in God as the preserver and restorer of health. Seeking God's will is central to God's healing. This vital point is not a consideration in regular medical practice. "Jesus is willing and able to bear all our infirmities and strengthen and heal all our diseases if it will be for our good and for His glory. Some died in the days of Christ and in the days of the apostles because the Lord knew what was best for them." MM:17.

3) Natural remedies work best separated from other healing modalities. "There are many ways of practicing the healing art, but there is only one way that Heaven approves. God's remedies are the simple agencies of nature that will not tax or debilitate the system through their powerful properties." Vol. 5:443.

4) Natural remedies require an investment in time, labor and skill. "Pure air and water, cleanliness, a proper diet, purity of life, and a firm trust in God are tremedies for the want of which thousands are dying; yet these remedies are going out of date because their skillful use requires work that the people do not appreciate." Vol. 5:443.

5) Natural remedies encourage taking responsibility for one's own health. This forms a positive, active attitude versus a passive dependency upon others to do what one may well do for oneself. "If the sick and suffering will do only as well as they know in regard to living out the principles of health reform perseveringly, then they will in nine cases out of 10 recover from their ailments." MM:224.

The use of natural remedies promotes the restoring of physical health as well as the upbuilding of character through obedience to God's laws, physical and moral. The use of God's simple remedies contributes to the healing of the whole man--body, mind and soul. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." Psalms 103:2,3.

The use of natural remedies goes hand in hand with the ultimate purpose for preserving and restoring health. "The physical life is to be carefully eduicated, cultivated, and developed, that through men and women the diine nature may be revealed in its fullness...ThusChrist is represented to the world." Reflecting Christ:165. --Mary Ann McNeilus, MD, Natuiral Lifestyle and Your Health.

Suzanne

ASTHMA

A study conducted in England, suggests that asthma and other lung diseases may be responses to a diet that's poor in magnesium. The researchers tested the lung function of over 2,600 adults, and surveyed the subjects's eating habits to estimate their magnesium intake. Sure enough, people who got a lot of magnesium in their diets had better scores on the lung performance tests. People with low magnesium intakes were more likely to report wheezing or to have hyper-reactive airways. Magnesium is known to relax the constricted airway of people with asthma. The researchers point out that cooked or refined food tends to be low in magnesium, so it's not hard for a Western diet to be magnesium poor.

Natural sources of magnesium inculde nuts, soybeans, raw and cooked green leafy veggies, particularly kale, endive, chard, celery, beettops, alfalfa, figs, apples, lemons, peaches, almonds, whole grains, sunflower seeds, brown rice and sesame seeds. --Lancet; Science News.

Other natural remedies for asthma:

* Vitamin C as found in citrus and other raw fruits, etc. is a potent asthma fighter.

* Garlic and red clover tea for asthma relief.

* Passive smoking worsens asthma attacks.

* Salt rich diets worsen asthma.

* Antioxidants as found in fresh fruits and veggies relieve asthma.

* Junk food - snacks, cakes, cookies, chips, etc. - contribute to childhood allergies and asthma.

* Trans fats involved in asthma.

* Omega-3 fatty acids relieve asthma.

* Drink lots of water; reduce salt intake - improves breathing. Exercise and vitamin C helps.

* Wheezing gone with B-6 and vitamin C...natural antihistamines. --gleaned from Prevention, and other health magazines.

Suzanne

Thank you, Suzanne, for this information. It is interesting to note, though, that many of the foods on the list as being high in the nutrients which asthmatics need, are themselves high on the list of "no-no" foods for many of them. Soy, nuts, wheat, corn and corn syrup, and citrus fruits are fairly high on the allergen list, which is why food companies are often required to label these things specifically for those with allergies. And allergies lead to asthma.

So it seems a bit of a catch-22 for sufferers of asthma. Many of the foods that would be highest in the nutrients they need will do them more harm than good on account of their allergies.

Too bad pills are considered to be "drugs!" A good Vitamin C and Magnesium supplement would be helpful here.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Thanks, Green Cochoa, many times asthmatics and others can tolerate organic foods when they cannot tolerate fruits, veggies and grains that have been sprayed with pesticides and grown with artificial fertilizers. It's probably worth a try to investigate this possibility.

Regarding vitamins and minerals, natural supplements are available and from what I can understand, supplemental minerals--calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, etc. are from natural sources and cannot be artificially synthesized. (Will have to look up the references).

Suzanne

Colds, Flu, etc.

My husband has had a cold for the past few days. It seems to be affecting his throat in that he's doing a lot of coughing with nothing coming up--a dry cough. I'm pretty sure it's not the flu because he is able to get up and around. He does have sort of a runny nose.

Anyway, the dry cough was getting quite annoying and we thought for a while that he should perhaps go to the doctor. But on second though I remembered that lemon juice and honey is a natural remedy for coughs and colds. Well, we tried it and it WORKED! Whereas he still has a slight cough, it's nothing like it was. He was able to get some much needed rest and feels 90% better.

I have been taking extra vitamin C and the bioflavonoids to see if I can steer clear of catching his cold. Have been sitting out in the sun too, to get extra vitamin D, which is supposed to help. So far so good. Am feeling great!

Thank the Lord for natural remedies that build up the system and aid in repair and reconstruction.

Suzanne

Nature's Cough Syrup

A teaspoon of honey is the best remedy for children, a study finds.

Chicago--A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs and help them sleep better, according to a study that relied on parents' reports of their children's symptoms.

In a 3-way comparison, the folk remedy did better than cough medicine or no tratment. Honey seems to work by coating and soothing an irritated throat, the study's authors said.

"Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that Grandma was right," declares lead author Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine.

Federal health advisors have recently warned that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines shouldn't be used in children younger than 6.

Three pediatricians who had read the study said they would tell parents seeking alternative remedies to try honey. They noted that honey should not be given to children under age 1 because of a low but real risk of botulism.

The study researchers recruited 105 children with upper respiratory infections. Parents were give a bag with a dosing device inside. Some were empty. Sone contained an age-appropriate dose of honey-flavored cough medicine containing dextromethorphan. And some contained a similar dose of honey.

The parents were asked about their childrehn's sleep and cough symptoms, once before the bed time treatment and once after. They rated the symptoms on a 7-point scale. All of the children got better, but honey consistently scored best in parents' ratings of their children's cough symptoms. --Source: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Dec. 2007.

Suzanne