Healing healthy food approaches

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

what's your recommendation.

I'm strong and fit. But have been knocked by a recent injury - a trapped nerve, where I couldn't drive, cycle my road bike, bend forward, use my left arm for 5mths.
Twas grim.
I'm almost fixed. I've got a hair of a tingle left. Yay!!!
And was taking fresh ginger, turmeric, chilli. In particular, as I was desperate to eat healing foods. And I do like these products.
Did they help, it didn't feel like it.

What's your healing food of choice?

[Alexandria Profile]

The Gill Painter,

This is a very interesting topic ..

Healing and Curative & To Cure:

In Latin languages, particulary Catalan and Spanish; To cure is Remei in Catalan which is " to remedy " in English and to be healing is to have the potential to Cure (curar is the verb in both Catalan and Spanish ) .. However, in English, "healing" can also denote a non tangible significance, "giving a good positive feeling" about something or someone ..
For e.g. : A healing ambiance or someone you are close to, can be healing or soothing in the energies that flow between two people ..

So, healing food approaches, back on track for me:

1) Nothing with Gmos .. or transgenetics ..
2) Nothing in plastic ..
3) Nothing with additives or "false" ingredients ..
4) Industrialised products in general ..


I would state:

1) For upset stomach: Fresh wild ginger root to drink ..

2) For Energising: Fresh wild spearmint herb to drink ..

3) Fresh Mediterranean Herbs for a variety of minor ailments that I find soothing ..



Have a nice weekend ..

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Gill, from the science perspective there is no such thing as "healing food"
There is no proper evidence that any of the much touted "healing foods" work

Turmeric is a good example. Facts:
1. Turmeric has been used traditionally in a wide range of conditions. Such a wide range that common sense suggests it can't be good in all of them unless it has magical rather than medicinal properties. I'm pretty sure it's not magic

2. The active compound in turmeric is curcumin, which does have antimicrobial and possibly anti-inflammatory effects in the laboratory. The amounts required are such you couldn't get them from diet.

3. There seem to be some bits of evidence that taking huge amounts of turmeric might help joint problems, but no studies that give the kind of evidence that woukd c lead a reputable practitioner to prescribe it, and, critically for me, no proper recording and analysis of the side effects. There are undoubtedly side effects when taken in these quantites

Food is not medicine. Of course diet contributes to health, but that's the background and we should be eating a healthy diet throughout life to maintain our bodies in the best condition, along with exercise, hygiene (especially dental hygiene), sleep, and drinking enough water.

If you are ill or injured, eating comfort food whether it's chicken soup or ice cream is likely to make you feel better for a while, but you need to keep going with the healthy diet, as far as possible, but of course long term illness can make it difficult to eat a varied diet and illness and injury may reduce activity and mean you need less calories

There are a lot of people peddling healing foods and diets, goop! (Gwynneth Paltrow et al) Malhotra, Dr Oz, Marisa Sboros and many others jumping on the gravy-free train. Probably better to pay attention to the myth buster such as Angry Chef (Anthony Warner) and Ian Marber.

This is a kind of hobby of minr

http://angry-chef.com

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Member 461.
I used to think and adopt a "made from fresh" was the way to go. I even didn't favour tinned tomatoes, slavishly roasting any fresh tomatoes I could get my hands on, and preserving however I could.
Cooking from scratch.

But I stopped that, and cheerily buy salad in a bag, tubs of ready made pasta sauces, dried croutons in a packet.

The only thing I grow that's edible is herbs. So your minty recommendation is great.
Tony takes mint and camomile herby tea to his swims first thing in the morning.

I'm afraid packaging is part of my life, my being a supermarket shopper.

Hi Sue.
I love that link - thank you. Tony's gone to get his hair cut, so I'll surf the blog for a while.
I do feel the benefits when I cut something out, rather than when I include something into my diet.
For example, I've stopped eating plain yoghurt for a while. And have substituted it with almond milk. Taste reasons, but I'm feeling better without that dairy yoghurt feed every day (rather than introducing almond milk to my diet).

What's your thoughts on vitamins or capsules? Tony takes a few - eg Zinc, stops his nose running all day long (due to swimming), supposed to ward of those colds that outdoor swimmers get. Saves a fortune in tissues.

I was thinking of taking VitD tablets. I've never taken supplements before, but a doctor chum I paint with is a leading expert on osteoporosis.
And says it's the only recommendation she believes is of benefit.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Some years ago I hurt my back manoeuvring an empty water butt. It was agony, I couldn't get comfortable, it would hurt when I moved, if I did find a comfortable seating or standing position it soon became uncomfortable. It was hard getting proper sleep.


I estimate it took about 200 pints of bitter to fix it.

This is not being facetious, it simply takes time to heal. Had I believed in 'healing things' I would have been on the reiki massage or the crystal therapy by the time it stopped hurting.

[Alexandria Profile]

Just a little something, as since I am constantly travelling during 9 months out of the year, a true help mate for me is:

Sparkling water with a drizzle or two of fresh un-ripened lemon ( this is a yellow lemon, not a lime; that is partially very light lime green in color ) ..

It balances the acid & akaline ..


I am not a scientist and am very traditional in listening to what my Grandmothers, Mom´s & Mom in law, do when they are not up to parr .. Here in the Mediterranean, as well as the world, pharmacy drugs or apothecary did not exist on a wide scale .. So, in the rurals, great great grand parents, great grand parents, grandparents and parents, created their own medicinal remedies and they are 100 % more effective as they are natural and not created in a Lab like Monsanto ..


Pharmacy medicine has side effects and some are detirmental ..

Natural is the best for feeling top notch .. my view point !!!


Hope you feel better Gill .. All my best ..

[Stokey Sue Profile]

A few things

First - not only pharmacy medicines have side effects, anything natural or manufactured that has the strength to help cure will also tend to have side effects. The principle is that if the knife is sharp enough to slice the food, it is also sharp enough to cut your fingers. You can't make a useful knife that is completely safe, or a useful drug that is devoid of side effects. You have to assess the risk / benefit ratio.

On supplements, it's a minefield. Registered dietitians and doctors don't generally recommend broad or routine supplementation. Recent evidence suggests that omega fatty acid supplements are a waste of time and money.

Vitamin D is recommended in the UK, and as an aging arthritic I take it daily. I also take a specific supplement (MacuSave) for those with deteriorating retinal function, but most people don't need it.

Incidentally there's an idea around that only D3 is worthwhile, but I don't personally subscribe to this. The idea seems to come from some Canadian research, but I read it and my understanding is that D3 stays in the body longer than other forms of vit D when you stop taking it but if you are taking it daily, no advantage of D3 over bog standard (and cheaper) D2

Zinc is interesting, I've not seen clear evidence either way on respiratory or immune health. There's some evidence it is good for retinal health. If it seems to suit, I personally see no problem with taking it pending further information

[Pampy Profile]

St John's Wort has been shown to produce glucose intolerance and may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes. And if you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, St John's Wort is a definite no-no. A number of so-called "herbal" remedies don't interact well with certain medical conditions/medicines so best advice would be to always check before starting to take them.
My GP says that if you have a healthy diet and no medical conditions, then you shouldn't need to take supplements, other than Vitamin D.

[Uschi Profile]

Sue has a point: natural cures can be effective (and thus have side-effects).
hemlock, monkshood or foxglove, just to mention a few will work really well in eliminating your enemies without "harmful" artificial chemicals.

Having said that, I prefer plant medicine for smaller ailments, such as fennel seeds for tummy aches and so on.

Stinging nettle is supposed to help with everything. Drink it as tea or eat it as spinach and it's supposed to strengthen you.
Sadly, I rarely persevere with these cures, so can't say if it is true. But at least it is cheap and plentiful and I have not heard of any harmful side effects - apart from the stings. And even they are supposed to be good against rheumatism.
Now I got stung by them every day during the warmer months in my youth, because we had so many in the garden - my joints certainly ache today, so that does not seem to work.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

I have drunk nettle tea (from the commercial bags) when I've felt a little bit below par in a non-specific way. I felt that it did help. Mint tea is another good one, and definitely more refreshing to drink in this weather than normal tea. It also helps recovery from minor digestive complaints, as well as perking me up when I'm feeling a bit drowsy but without the caffeine side effects.

[jeral Profile]

For a trapped nerve, I'd have thought resting the limb or back so as not to aggravate the inflammation around it and maybe Ibuprofen anti-inflammatory if not asthmatic. I think for some, there's an injection but no idea what's in it or if it works. However, as Badger's Mate said, some things just need "as long as it takes" to mend themselves anyway, e.g. damaged nerves and broken bones.

I don't "do" supplements, so the only two things I'd mention would be:
First, a drop or two of peppermint (essential culinary) oil in cold water for windy indigestion. Dunno if it works with meds that cause indigestion though as that's probably more acid reflux so maybe alkaline /acid neutral pears might help?

Possibly cider vinegar well diluted in water, as much because it won't hurt than proof that it helps for e.g. dehydration, rheumatism, and as Joanbunting says whatever other numerous claims are made for suchlike.

Harmful effects of over counter herbal things seems to come from taking to excess yet I'd be surprised if anyone is so convinced that they embark on a dedicated regime rather than trying it once or twice... If they do, what convinced them? Justification that if it costs that much it must be doing some good?

I was thinking about over-counter CBD oil given recent news items about the proper oil. In truth, I would try it if I was made of money, so bucket list at the moment.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

St John's Wort (hypericum) also increases sensitivity to sunburn, so don't take it in a heat wave

I just checked, my Vit D is in fact D3, Savers seem to have decided that's all they will bother with, so no decision to be made, £1.79 for 180 x 12.5 mg tablets. They didn't have any zinc inmy local branch today

I have never understood why cider vinegar is supposed to be good for you, it's essentially 6% acetic acid with a trace of flavour. I do use it in cooking, as not being an acetic acid fan, I find it one of the the tastier versions. Clinical studies have found no effect on rheumatism.

CBD (cannabidiol) oil is a bit different. The stuff being prescribed for epilepsy and MS is very strong, certainly does have side effects, and is very carefully standardised. Standardising herbal extracts is very important. I wouldn't trust the stuff sold online, although it is much weaker I don't suppose it is propetly standardised, no way of knowing exactly what is in it and so what effect it is likely to have. Anyway, whether healing or not, not a food.

[Pampy Profile]

Harmful effects of over counter herbal things seems to come from taking to excess yet I'd be surprised if anyone is so convinced that they embark on a dedicated regime rather than trying it once or twice... If they do, what convinced them? Justification that if it costs that much it must be doing some good?

St John's Wort (and maybe other herbal "remedies") definitely doesn't have to be taken to excess in order to cause problems for diabetics.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Shortly after Mrs B had her transplant, she met another person who had needed one because she had taken a Chinese medicine for eczema, but it was the wrong stuff or was contaminated and caused her kidneys to fail. My recollection was that the herbalist escaped censure in the ensuing court case as they had offered the substance in good faith. By contrast, a pharmaceutical company doing an equivalent thing would have been taken to the cleaners of course.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Cripes Badgers, that's awful.
I'm pleased your back healed. I often dwell on the positive when I'm ill, that at least I will get better.
Although it sounds odd that the butt was empty but still did your back in. I'm guessing it wasn't a light plastic water one.

Absolute rest is the remedy for a trapped nerve in the neck (going down the shoulder, back, waist, arm and hand). Paracetamols etc do nothing.
I couldn't pick up a pen. Ah well.
No permanent damage.

Stomach problems, Tony ate loads of warmed bread in Spain, and was in agony later, he couldn't leave the hotel room for the cramps.
I gave him glasses of caraway seed and water, which slowly worked their magic and soothed him. The shops didn't have fennel.

I did used to drink cider vinegar in water. I'd heard it was good for you.

My thinking is prevention is better than a cure. If you can keep yourself healthy without issue.
I'm going to Savers to get Vit D. Thanks Sue.

Why do people take (or not) St John's Wort please?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

St John's wort is supoosed to be a mild ant-depressant and is mainly used for depression and anxiety. It has also been used for other things

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Ah, thanks Sue.
I can see why people would seek to take it then.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Very strange that Gill and I have exactly the same affliction! That's why I've not been around, my trapped nerve affected my right hand, and although it was not as bad as Gill's (my fingers were not completely numb), as it was my right hand it meant that most of the things I normally do without thinking were nearly impossible. I couldn't grip a knife, let alone open a can! Typing at the computer was unpleasant too, it's still uncomfortable. As Gill, I've still got a tingle in two of my fingers and up my arm, and a niggle deep in my shoulder, but at now I can sleep, although my grip is still only 60% of what it should be. Cooking is not fun at the moment.

But there is an odd aside. I also have psoriasis, which has afflicted me for 10 years now, and is fairly extensive - both legs had red weals from knee to ankle, round 60% of their circumference. But since the trapped nerve, it has all but disappeared; the only change to my routine being that I've been taking both cod liver oil capsules and vitamin D tablets daily, as I thought it might help counter some of the side effects of the trapped nerve (i.e. lack of exercise/staying indoors).

As a result I'm continuing with them both, but it amused me there was an article in The Guardian telling me that taking fish oil is not only pretty much ineffectual, but might also be ecologically questionable.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... no-benefit

It was suggested that it might be the glorious summer sun that caused the remission, but I had not really been out in it much when the remission started.

resting the limb or back so as not to aggravate the inflammation around it

I did a huge amount of reading up on this, and most of the advice involved exercise (and rest, if that sounds incongruous). I don't know if it worked (maybe I'd still be in my current state if I'd NOT exercised), but I recall about 35 years ago my brother and I both had shoulder problems. My doctor advised exercise (stating then current practice), and my brother's doctor advised rest (stating traditional treatment). He ended up with a frozen shoulder that eventually required surgery, and I was better within weeks.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

That is most odd indeed, all of your post.
Could it be that you are focusing so much on the trapped nerve, that other ailments don't flare. Let's face it, it's the only thing on your mind morning to night!
I used to get finger pain sometimes when doing certain things, but that has totally gone.

The lack of grip, Sakkers.
My painter friend osteo doc, who was desperate to check me out in my studio, was most concerned if I had reduced strength. I did not, I could still shove and push against her hands with max force.
Her worry was permanent damage. Have you seen a doc?

Mine occurred as my personal trainer introduced a new machine in January. It's called an ergo ski, you yank down against a resistance wheel like you are skiing. My target was 200meters in 50secs.
Unfortunately he used to leave the setting the same as my training chum who is a 16stone rugby bloke. Too much for me.
And the numbness crept in after every session without going away eventually. Then one day in March, there was pain.

I wonder what caused yours.

Vit D for you too. That's really interesting.


I kept up with exercise, but not in the affected area.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Morning all

As some of you know, I have gout. Although I could avoid all the foods that aggravate it, I would get very bored with the diet because I would only be able to eat about 10 things at the most. Therefore I prefer to drink plenty of water to dilute the uric acid in my body (which in turn keeps the flare-ups at bay). If I do get some gout pain, I take the pills, drink even more water than normal and do some gentle pottering about kind of exercise. Walking about does seem to do the trick because it breaks down the crystals so they dissolve quicker.