Magnetic and copper bracelets for arthritis
I wrote an article a little while ago about magnet therapy and their benefit- Actually, their lack of benefits. It’s a 5 billion dollar a year industry but there are next to no studies that have shown any clinical results. Here are the results of a study just conducted by a group of researchers from the University of York.
This was the first tightly controlled study to check the effectiveness of both copper and magnetic wrist bracelets for relieving pain due to arthritis. The researchers had this to say ‘they are useless’. There was apparently no easing of pain or stiffness. They had 45 patients who tested copper bracelets, two different types of magnetic bracelets and one bracelet that was demagnetized (sham bracelet). According to one arthritis charity, they felt it was better to keep your money in your pockets rather than wasting it on these bracelets.
Each person in the trial was over 50 years old and had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. They had to wear the bracelets for a 16 week period. In the journal of complementary therapies, the researchers stated that there was no decrease in pain or stiffness and no increase in function. The three things you would want if you had just gone out and bought one!
The person in charge of this study, Stewart Richmond, a research fellow from the department of health sciences said that the only other randomized controlled trial done on copper bracelets was back in the 1970s.
This is rather eye opening especially when you consider that magnetic bracelets can cost up to $100 each. The industry in America alone is worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year!
However I remember my grandmother used to swear by her copper bracelet. She could not function without it she used to tell me. So this sis where we look at he effects of ‘the placebo’. The placebo effect is well documented and I will be writing about this in a future post as well the nacebo effect-the placebos’ opposite.
According to Mr. Richmond, the perceived benefits people have are simply due to psychological placebo effects. When people buy them they are in a great deal of pain and when this pain eases they attribute this to their wrist bracelets. Their studies have shown that the magnetic and copper bracelets have no benefits whatsoever over placebo wrist straps that don’t contain copper or magnets. He goes on to say that the bracelets are sold to elderly people who are generally in pain and vulnerable.
At the institution for arthritis research, Jane Tadman can’t understand why so many people have copper bracelets when there is absolutely no research that supports any benefits for using them. She agrees with Mr. Richmond in that without any scientific research or indeed evidence that shows any benefits of using them save your money!
If you do suffer from arthritis I can tell you this; certain therapies have been studied and have proven to have had positive effects on relieving pain, stiffness and increasing function.
• Nutrition. Getting the right nutritional advice is imperative. You could be eating a diet that, unbeknown to you, is inflaming your condition! There are many foods and natural remedies that can also relieve your condition. These factors must be addressed.
• Exercise. Again, it is well documented that regular exercise is of great benefit to arthritis. The joints need motion. The fluid in the joints which is the joints lubricant is only produced by motion. Therefore, if you don’t move the joint you don’t produce synovial fluid which is your lubricant. Then you are stuck in a downward spiral because if you don’t move it you don’t produce lubricant and if you don’t produce this, it hurts to move your joint. And if it hurts to move your joint you refrain from moving it-and so on and so on.
• Acupuncture. Here is another well documented therapy that works. The world health organization has recognized acupuncture as an effective treatment for arthritis.
Support orgainic if you can – help your Arthritis
By supporting the organic movement, we help to minimize chemical damage which poses a real threat to the future of humanity. We need to think hard before choosing an intensively produced product over an organic product simply because of the small extra cost.
Organic food is free from insecticides, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, fertilisers and a whole host of other toxic artificial additives, flavourings, colourings and preservatives. The combination of these residues may be more toxic than you realize due to the synergistic effects of multiple residues on foods that can accumulate in human tissue. The health effect of all of this pollution is slowly becoming clear.
Agro-chemicals were not developed with nutrition, health or the environment in mind.So what we get is a cheap but inferior product with a cocktail of up to 40 different chemicals, waxes and insecticides.
Organic farmers are committed to fine food, and they will have left the trees in a meadow with healthy soil, filled with a diversity of butterflies, lady birds, birds and wildlife in general.
There are many hidden costs to intensive farming and spraying especially to the workers that have to handle the chemicals often without safety clothing, suffering all sorts of diseases.
Organic produce may well cost a bit more but this is no comparison to the possible cost if we don’t try to support organic foods. There is the cost to the tax payer for the subsidies to agro-chemical farming. The cost of cleaning up the environment as the chemicals end up in our water-ways killing fish and then there is the possible cost of healthcare as an indirect and direct result of the cocktail of chemicals. Then there is the cost to the wildlife, whose natural habitats are being systematically destroyed.
“The UK pesticide market is currently worth about £500 million every year. It is extraordinary that the cost of removing pesticides from drinking water amounts to a huge £120 million annually,” says Professor Pretty. In Britain subsidies on normally grown food works out at about 40 pence in every pound spent on food. This cost is paid through the taxation system.
Organic farmers earn lower subsidies because they grow rotation crops so they are unable to maximise subsidy income. They cost society about 25 pence in every pound. When you cost in the real cost of industrial agriculture and take away the subsidies that favour the wrong use of resources, you end up with a situation where, organic food would actually cost less than conventional! The situation is also very much like this in the USA.
More and more people are going organic and prices for organic foods have been falling over the last five years as more and more organic food is bought. It is vital that we safeguard the future of organic farming by paying a little bit extra to keep organic farmers in business.
Organic farming is generally smaller scale and more labour intensive, sometimes with smaller crop yields. Farmers also have to convert their land to organic production over a period of years, and as organic farming relies on crop rotation, up to 25% of land may be left to lie fallow at any one time to increase natural soil fertility.
Organic food’s strength lies in what it doesn’t contain. There is, in fact, only food in organic food as regulations prohibit hydrogenated fat that can cause of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, aspartame thought to be a neurotoxin – affecting the nervous system, phosphoric acid found in many soda drinks causing osteoporosis, antibiotics which interfere with our immune system, hormones that are causing feminization of wild life, low sperm count, obesity, various cancers, pesticides causing or encouraging mutagenic, carcinogenic effects,GM foods – who knows what the long term effects will be, linked to IBS, Crohn’s disease, autism, other gut-based disease, or any of the 7000 artificial colourings, flavourings, preservatives and processing aids that are permitted in conventional food that have been linked to cancer, liver disease, gut problems. These are chemicals, food additives and processes that are not allowed in organic foods.
Also look out for wild crafted, hydroponic, bio-dynamic and eco-friendly grown foods.
Losing your hair? 10 possible reasons
1) Hair follicles can be affected by some drugs. Check with your doctor or research for yourself the side-effects for your medication. Some cancer treatments, immune suppressants, some arthritis treatments can affect hair growth.
Solution – talk to your doctor.
2) Bold patches could be caused by ring worm, causing inflamed areas.
Once the ringworm has cleared up the hair will return.
3) Bold patches without inflammation and irritation could be alopecia areata.
Solution – see your doctor
4) Having a baby can affect some women, as the hair thins due to hormone imbalances. Generally the hair loss is temporary.
Solution – this situation resolves itself in a few months when the hormones have settled.
5) Feeling tired, sensitive to cold, gaining weight for no reason? This could be due to an under active thyroid (hypothyroid) and hair loss can be another symptom.
Solution – get some tests done and once treatment starts, hair growth returns.
6) Home perms, over coloring, bleaching or harsh shampoos could be effecting healthy hair growth. They are full of toxic chemicals.
Solution – go to a good hair dressers they can advise on kinder milder hair products.
7) Maybe you are too aggressive to your hair, with vigorous brushing, braiding, pulling, over styling with a hot hairdryer, heated tongs, heated straighteners, heated curlers etc
Solution – go to the hair dresser and discuss with them a more natural style.
8) Stress can affect different people in different ways, maybe for you it is hair loss.
Solution – find better ways of coping
9) Nutritional deficiencies can affect hair growth.
Solution – make some dietary changes and take a Vitamin B complex and zinc
10) Some women lose hair during the menopause, due do to hormonal imbalances.
Solution – look at taking some herbal support like red clover, dong qai, or chase berry (agnus castus), black cohosh, and make some healthy dietary changes.
Read MoreReduce Inflammation, Reduce Arthritis Suffering
- Sonia Jones ND from the Haven Spa and Health Clinic
When we think of inflammation we might think of pain and the inflammatory conditions like arthritis or gout. However, inflammation and the destruction it causes can be silent, painless and go un-noticed. Inflammation is so widely linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and accelerated aging. The idea that you can take a statin drug to lower cholesterol and you will somehow be protected from heart problems is for too simplified, and in a lot of respects statin drugs cause as many problems as it is supposed to solve.
Inflammation and higher levels of homeocysteine have also been linked to heart disease. Homeocysteine level is a more accurate and more important indicator to pending heart disease but is of little use to the establishment as homeocysteine levels can be reduced to safe levels with adequate amounts of the B vitamins!
Another very important fact that is well established now is for some time now, that heart disease and heart attacks rarely happen simply due to deposits of fatty plaques in our arteries. Sure arteries are active collaborators in the progress of heart disease, attracting and sheltering cells that release inflammatory substances.According to Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, R.D, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State, “inflammation plays a key role in weakening arterial plaque, causing the deposits to rupture—which can lead to sudden coronary death, heart attack or stroke.” These findings have also been researched and reported over the years by many.
Inflammation is not implicated just in heart disease but in all sorts of chronic diseases. So anything we do to reduce inflammation, will lower our risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, asthma, speed up the aging process and so much more.
The very good news is that the amount of inflammation your body produces is within your power to control. It is entirely up to you – encourage the production of inflammation within your own body or reduce it. You choose. Interestingly prostaglandins – hormone like substances come in three main categories prostaglandins 1, prostaglandins 2, and prostaglandins 3, their main job is to increase inflammation or reduce inflammation. When, as most people do eat refined processed oils, margarine, and shortenings, causing an imbalance in the type of prostaglandins produced and ultimately this means inflammation and pain.
There are two classes of essential fatty acids we need in our diets, omega-3 and omega-6. Omega 6 is converted into two types of hormones-like substances. One type has an anti-inflammatory effect called series-1 prostaglandins, then the second type is involved in inflammation and thickening the blood called series-2 prostaglandins. The other type is series-3 prostaglandins, they have an anti-inflammatory effect. These three need to be in balance. These days the balance is tipped in favor of inflammation. We eat too many processed oils/fats, too much saturated animal fats, too much sugar and far too little in the way of fish, wild game, raw nuts and seeds or plants rich in essential fatty acids.
If we don’t eat fish or wild game, which provides EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), we do have a mechanism in place that will convert alpha-linolenic acid into EPA. However, to enable the body to convert alpha-linolenic acid to EPA, it is reliant on enough nutrients like vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc. Most people on a typical diet do not get enough of these nutrients. This conversion can also be blocked by an excess consumption of processed oils, margarine and shortenings. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains are rich in Vitamins C and B6, magnesium and zinc the very nutrients needed for the conversion.
Inflammatory conditions are common these days. Is it any wonder? Our diets are blocking our natural pathways for the production of the correct amounts of series-1 and series-3 prostaglandins that help to balance inflammatory processes and disease. The amount and type of prostaglandin your body produces is directly and indirectly affected by what you eat and drink.
Foods that encourage inflammation, you have guessed it – refined carbohydrates like the white flour products, sugar, saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. Then meat, poultry, eggs and shellfish are all high in arachidonic acid, a compound that contributes to inflammation. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat animal products but it does mean you should cut down and not eat too much.
Other foods associated with encouraging inflammation are wheat and many other grains, like rye, and barley, contain a protein called gluten that has been associated with inflammation. Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are members of the nightshade family and contain a compound called solanine that can trigger inflammation in many people, especially in arthritic types of conditions.
There is plenty of good news is nature has provided a lot of anti-inflammatory foods that decrease the body’s production of inflammatory compounds, that also fight harmful free-radicals (also known to speed up the aging process). Wild-caught salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduces inflammation (found in supermarkets in cans). Herring, mackerel and sardines are also rich in omega-3s. Take fish oil capsules especially if you eat little oily fatty fish. Other source of omega-3s – walnuts counteract some of the inflammatory processes that lead to heart disease. They are also packed with other healthful compounds. Onions are high in quercetin, a type of antioxidant that inhibits enzymes that trigger inflammation. Other good sources of quercetin include apples, broccoli, red wine, or the red grapes. Blueberries are loaded with anthocyanins, a type of polyphenol antioxidant that boosts immunity and protects the body from free-radical damage, which triggers inflammation. Other good sources of poly-phenols include blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and cranberries. Now available in Panama but can be taken in capsule form.
Sweet potatoes or pumpkins are rich in carotenoids, antioxidants that, like anthocyanins, boost immunity and minimize inflammation. Other good sources of carotenoids are any deep orange, red, yellow and green fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, winter squash, mangoes and papayas. Dark green leaves of lettuces or herbs like parsley also do the same job. Garlic like onion is rich in sulfur compounds that stimulate the immune system by boosting the activity of natural killer and T helper cells, which manage the immune system. Garlic is also a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Bromelain found in the pineapple stems, is an enzyme that decreases inflammation and has some immune-enhancing effects. This can be taken as a supplement.
Fresh ginger root acts as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting COX-2 enzymes, part of the chemical pathway that produces inflammatory chemicals. Turmeric is a spice that is important to Indian cooking, used in a lot of curries. Vitamin C is a very affective anti-inflammatory (the 5-a-day policy is a minimum every day).
A good nights sleep can help ease arthritis suffering
Sleep can be a problem for many due to pain and anxiety. Somehow pain seems to get worse while we lie there in the early hours, trying not to focus on the pain. For others just lying down in bed seems to aggravate their problem. Some people just can’t switch off their brains. Recuperative sleep is essential to every aspect of our well-being in general. After a few nights of disturbed sleep, look at your face in the morning, can’t you just tell. Most adults need 6-8 hours of good quality sound sleep per night. Few people can stay looking good and function optimally with just a few hours on a regular basis, long term. Since we spend approximately 1/3 of our lives in bed it is important that this environment is as healthy as possible. That it is as conducive to sleep as possible. Keep the bedroom as dark and quiet as possible. Light and sound tends to activate our brains. If your curtains let in too much light change them or add a window blind underneath the curtains. Closing the blind and the curtains should certainly keep your room dark enough. Today our rooms are filled with televisions, DVD players, and radio alarm clocks all giving off substantial amounts of light.
Proper sleeping support is essential and is different for every person. Some people feel more comfortable and sleep better on a firm mattress and others with a softer one. Choose what feels best for you. Invest in a good mattress and get rid of your old one. While you are choosing your new bed get one bigger than you would have bought normally. It is so much more peaceful if you have plenty of room, especially if the person in the bed next to you is a bit restless. On the other hand you may have just bought a big new bed and still not find it as comfortable as you would have hoped, as often is the case. You can solve this problem by buying a ‘memory foam’ (this uses new technology) topper, they range from about 2 to 4 inches and are placed on top of your existing mattress. They really are wonderful. Some beds come with a built-in memory foam topper. If you can’t find one or can’t afford it, then try a thick puffy quilt on top of your mattress, especially if you have a firm mattress. Comfortable supportive pillows are also essential, particularly if you have neck and/or shoulder discomfort. If you sleep on your back a pillow that provides gentle neck support is ideal. If you sleep on your side it is important not to have the neck kinked left or right with a pillow that is too high or low. While sleeping on your side your upper knee should not touch the mattress, this puts stress and strain on the spine as it is twisted. A cushioned support between the knees can help prevent this twisting. Sleeping on your stomach is not a good idea as it twists your neck too much and can arch your lower back excessively. The best position for sleeping is on your back.
Your room should be the right temperature, with enough covers, so you feel neither too hot nor too cold. Some people find a bath (with or without essential oils) before they retire to bed helps them to sleep; for others it’s reading a book (maybe this one is sending you to sleep). Try relaxing essential oils in an oil burner. There are also sprays you can make with relaxing essential oils, that can be sprayed onto your pillow or that you can spray into the room just before you retire to bed. Do not use any stimulants such as tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, alcohol, or cigarettes etc. If you consistently have difficulties sleeping well, you need to consider giving up stimulants altogether. Your room should be un-cluttered. Walls should be painted or wallpapered in smoothing calming colors, nothing stimulating or vibrant.
Make sure the bedroom is aired regularly by opening the window or better still sleep with the window open. Do not have radios or electrical clocks too near your head area, due to the electrical emissions that interfere with your own electrical circuits, known as electro-magnetic stress. One last thing, keep in-depth conversations out of the bedroom just before you go to sleep. Too much stimulating discussion just before you go to sleep can hinder your quality of sleep.
Grinding and disturbed sleep Your dentist can advise if you are grinding your teeth at night. Many people grind their teeth and have no idea. The dentist can detect wear and tear. This grinding can cause people to have jaw aches, headaches, neck aches or many times just have sore teeth and gums making them sensitive to everything you eat or drink. Having a mouth guard can eliminate this problem for some people. Get a mouth guard made especially to fit your teeth and mouth, so when you grind your teeth there is a cushioning to reduce the impact. With a guard especially fitted, it is extremely comfortable and will enhance your quality of sleep. Then there is the problem of too much anxiety causing poor quality of sleep and grinding. There are herbs and nutrients that can help you get a more peaceful night’s sleep.
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Good quality sleep is essential to reducing the signs of aging, reducing inflammation and pain of arthritis type conditions, to our overall health, vital to our healing processes in general, and coping with our every day lives. |
Good quality sleep really is a big deal. It is vital to our healing process and the production of our growth hormone also known as our ‘youth hormone’, along with other substances.
This hormone maintains –
muscle mass, healthy skin, vitality, bone density, improves memory, health of our organs, and much much more.
Our human growth hormone declines as we get older but we can greatly accelerate this process by the food and drink we choose to consume, and the life we choose to lead. However, there is a hormone that does increase as we age – Cortisol.
Read MoreArthritis, sulphur help for joints
When we think of sulphur we think of the smell – not a pleasant smell at that. But there is much more to sulphur than meets the nose!
It is an important part of our body’s make-up and has long been used as part of a healing program for arthritis. Sulphur has been prized since ancient times for healing throughout history by bathing in sulphur springs – often recommended for rheumatic or skin problems, high blood pressure, neuralgia or digestive disorders.
However, you do not have to bathe in smelly sulphur waters to benefit from sulphur’s healing powers. There are three common foods that are extremely rich in sulphur – garlic, onions and eggs. At least a hundred sulphur compounds have been identified in garlic, verifying its reputation in folklore. There are however plenty of other foods that contain sulphur be it in smaller amounts like fish, poultry, dairy products, brown rice, oats, beans, lentils, avocado, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and sunflower seeds. Also sharks cartilage.
Sulphur itself is a brittle non-metallic mineral, found in iron, gypsum and Epsom salts. It is also a major ingredient in amino acids – methionine and cysteine. What are amino acids? They are the building blocks of proteins, which provide the structural material for muscles, bones, joints, hair, teeth, blood, brain, skin, and other organs of the body. Proteins are also used to make enzymes and hormones, taking part in a huge number of biochemical processes that are continually taking place in the body. Sulphur, unlike other minerals does not have a recognised RDA (daily recommended allowance).
In the past it was assumed that because sulphur is so closely linked with protein, as long as people ate protein, everyone would be getting enough sulphur. Now it would seem not, many people are not getting enough.
The supplement MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane) is made from a form of sulphur that has been getting a reputation for helping with several conditions especially arthritis. MSM itself is a white, odourless, slightly bitter tasting crystalline substance, best taken with food. Some people have found it boosts their energy levels, so is best not taken at night. MSM is a natural form of sulphur that our bodies are able to absorb easily. It can be taken in powder form or in capsule form. Two grams is a good maintenance dose. It is fast becoming well known as a safe, natural and effective solution for pain and inflammatory conditions. The leading experts on MSM, US doctors Stanley Jacobs and Ronald Lawrence, believe that sulphur amino acid abnormalities and possible sulphur deficiencies maybe a contributing factor to many health problems, and that MSM can help to correct imbalances. Though a lot of research has been done on SAM (sulphur adensyl methionine), there hasn’t been as much work done on MSM. Only a few double bind placebo controlled studies have been carried out so far but with some good results. I need to point out that no one supplement is a cure for arthritis, or any other chronic condition, a full healing program would need to be undertaken in which there would be several aspects to the program depending on the individual case study. Like any natural supplement it will need to be taken for a few weeks before some of you will notice a difference.
One drawback of MSM, is its expensive and you need to take quite a lot of it, so change to a diet high in the above foods and soak your feet in a foot bath, several times a week in a solution of Epsom salts. Epsom salts is magnesium sulphate a really amazing substance, put one to two handfuls in some hot water and soak your feet for at least 20 minutes or longer if you wish, add more hot water if needed. Our feet are highly absorbent, soaking up what the body needs. Epsom salts can be readily found in most pharmacies, cheaply.
Is healthy eating possible on a budget?
I have heard many times over the years when discussing with people about changing their eating habits, that it is impossible to be healthy on a tight budget. This is a misconception. Convenience foods are generally not healthy and more expensive for what they are. Here are 20 tips that might help you save money, get you eating healthier to reduce inflammation and stiffness.
1) There are always fruit and vegetables that are cheap, especially when they are in season. Supermarkets now have offers on fresh fruit and vegetables – buy one get one free etc.
2) Try local markets they often have cheaply grown local produce that is in season.
3) ‘Pick your own’ can be a very good way to get cheap local produce for the freezer.
4) If you are unable to grow your own fresh produce for one reason or another, and you know of someone who does grow their own, offer to buy their surplus (there is always surplus) or trade with them – for instance some sprouts you have grown (see below).
5) Whenever you see anything on offer – prepare it and freeze it.
6) Bought frozen vegetables and fruit can often be cheaper and there is no wastage.
7) Sprouting is a really wonderful way of getting highly nutritious fresh food for pennies. Sprouts can be grown all year round in your kitchen (big or small), take up almost no space, no expensive equipment, and next to no time needed. It’s as simple as ABC. Sprouts really are amazing as they can be used in soups, salads, stews, and stir-fries, they are extremely versatile. It is possible to sprout all seeds, whole grains, beans and lentils (easy to digest when eaten this way).
8) Buying fresh herbs is expensive so start a herb garden, they take up very little space and are decorative. Herbs look good and will save you a fortune, medicinally and culinary wise. If you don’t have a garden you can grow herbs in window boxes or in pots indoors and/or outdoors. Herbs are very useful as part of any health program. Use them fresh, frozen or dried herbs in cooking or for making teas.
9) Forget the hype avoid any thing with lots of fancy packaging that ends up in the bin, that is only wasted money.
10) Eating more beans and lentils with grains like rice (to get your protein) and cutting down on meat can help the budget, is healthier and increase your life expectancy. Bean and lentils are cheap, extremely versatile and good for you.
11) Getting together with 3 to 4 friends, to share the cost of buying things in bulk, this is a very good way of cutting costs. The difference in the cost of buying some brown rice for instance in small packets compared to buying a 25lb bag/sack, the saving per person is considerable.
12) Generally homemade food is cheaper and better than pre-pared processed foods. The Internet is full of free recipes and the local library is bursting with cook books from healthy ethnic to vegetarian to raw foods.
13) Saving a little on gas or electricity and time – make two three or four times the amount you need. For instance if you cook some chicken in the oven for dinner, add some extra chicken to eat cold the next day with a salad that includes your home grown herbs and sprouts. Also place another dish or two in the oven at the same time, on another day can just be heated up quickly.
14) Look in the supermarkets for the reduced section, there are always foods that have almost reached their sell-by-date, you can pick up some amazing bargains, leave the unhealthy ones, just pick up the healthy ones.
15) Breakfast cereals in general are very expensive especially when you think of the cost per pound. Eat porridge, or make your own muesli, much more filling and better good for you.
16) Can’t afford to go out to eat, find some like-minded friends that also like healthier food and take it in turns once in a while to eat in each others home. It is fun and you get to go out occasionally.
17) Supplement on a budget Spiralina is a broad spectrum supplement full of a wide variety of nutrients. Buy in powder form it’s cheaper than buying capsules or tablets.
18) Go out during the autumn months and pick blackberries they are free and freeze them. Berries are bursting with plant compounds and anti-oxidants.
19) Wild crafted dandelions – it is very important you know for sure they have not been sprayed with weed killer. Dig up the whole plant use the fresh leaves in salads or dry the root and the leaves an excellent tonic for the liver and kidneys.
20) Wild crafted nettles are extremely good as a general health tonic, makes really good tea. Pick the nettles wearing gloves, then tie them into loose bunches and place the leaves down into a large paper bag this protects the leaves from flies and dust. Then hang these bunches up by their stems. Any leaves that fall off will end up in the bag. It is important to hang any drying herbs in an area that is dry with air movement, maybe a garage, utility room, laundry room or airing cupboard.
Read MoreArthritis & Pain Program at The Haven
