Tag Archives: Dr Josh Axe

Coco-Chia Pudding

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“The reason Chia seeds are so beneficial is due to them being rich in fiber, omega-3 fats, protein, vitamins and minerals? Chia also contains essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, mucin, strontium, Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and minerals including sulphur, iron, iodine, magnesium, manganese, niacin, thiamine, and they are a rich source of anti-oxidants.”
9 Chia Seeds Benefits and Side Effects by Dr Josh Axe

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A small amount of chia seeds go a long way. One tablespoon of chia seeds will make about one half cup of thick pudding, more if you like a thinner pudding.

This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica) are a traditional food in Central and South America but is considered a novelty food in North America. Recently, chia seeds have made a big splash in the alternative health community. Chia seeds are full of mucilage and polysaccharides which are not well tolerated by people on the SCD. If you have been on the SCD for some time and all your symptoms have resolved you might like to experiment with chia seeds and see if you can tolerate them.

This dessert is very easy to make and has the consistency of crunchy tapioca. One member of the family said the dessert tasted good but looked like frog spawn, so it might make a fun Halloween dessert for young children!

Chia seeds are a dense food which doesn’t take up much space, making chia seeds a very good candidate for camping or emergency rations.

Coco-Chia Pudding

1/2c organic chia seeds, soaked
3c filtered water
1/4-1/3c organic creamed coconut
1c boiling water
3-4T local honey
1T homemade vanilla extract
1/2tsp sea salt
Soak the chia seeds overnight in the water. Stir the soaking seeds a few times during the process. This avoids the chia seeds clumping together. In a sauce pan, boil one cup of water. Remove from the heat. In a blender, add the creamed coconut, honey, vanilla extract and sea salt and mix until smooth. Add the mixture to the soaked chia seeds and mix well. Store the pudding in the fridge. The pudding will continue to thicken every day. If you prefer a thinner pudding add another cup of water or boiling water with more creamed coconut.

Healthy Household: The Healing Power of Ketogenic Bone Broth

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This post is dedicated to all the brave people suffering from neurological disorders and their families and caregivers struggling for solutions.

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Ketogenic Bone Broth starts with a quality homemade bone broth. A sign of quality bone broth is a jelly-like texture when refrigerated.

Sally Fallon Morell of the Weston A Price Foundation states that bone broth is:
“A cure-all in traditional households and the magic ingredient in classic gourmet cuisine, stock or broth made from bones of chicken, fish and beef builds strong bones, assuages sore throats, nurtures the sick, puts vigor in the step and sparkle in love life?so say grandmothers, midwives and healers. For chefs, stock is the magic elixir for making soul-warming soups and matchless sauces.”

Over the years, I have learned how true these words are. I first started using bone broth as a way to be frugal. Bone broth was a way to use parts of the animal normally discarded in modern households. I quickly learned that bone broth was an amazing addition to soups, stews and sauces. It was much later that I realized the health giving quality of bone broth.

Ketogenic Bone Broth is a nourishing drink for the sick or injured. It’s a great way to get more coconut oil into the diet of a sick person. Ketogenic Bone Broth can be used during a modified fast or during every-other-day fasting for weight loss. It can be used as a coffee substitute or as a way to reduce coffee intake. In the case of neurological problems, Ketogenic Bone Broth may slow cognitive decline. On the day of the injury, I was only prescribed analgesics at the emergency room. But after a couple of days at the appointment with the orthopedic traumatologist, I received a list of drugs more serious. Among them, Soma capsules is a muscle relaxant that does not contain any hormones. It is best to take the drug on an empty stomach, but the drug is not clearly tied to food intake. Soma is prescribed both for chronic joint diseases and temporarily, for example, as for me – joint damage. The drug helped me. The edema began to subside, the pain slowly goes away. It is difficult to recommend this drug, as a doctor should do it. One thing I can say is that the drug helps well with joint problems. Read more at https://icord.org/soma-carisoprodol/.

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Add the best quality ingredients you can find. If possible freshly grate the turmeric root and use a finely creamed coconut. Make your own mushroom powder; see the link below for the recipe.

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Turmeric root will turn the bone broth yellow and the added fats will make this a very nourishing broth. Fresh turmeric gives the broth a rich, complex flavor.

Ketogenic Bone Broth
2c homemade bone broth
1tsp organic turmeric root, finely grated
1tsp organic creamed coconut
1tsp homemade mushroom broth (optional)
1-3tsp organic butter, organic coconut oil, or medium chain triglycerides (MCT) oil
sea salt and freshly ground organic black peppercorn to taste (optional)

In a sauce pan warm the bone broth. Add the freshly grated turmeric root, mushroom broth and creamed coconut. (In a pinch, use dried organic turmeric powder but the fresh turmeric has a richer, complex flavor.) Bring to a light simmer. Add the butter, coconut or MCT oil just before serving. Add the sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns, if desired. Putting the Ketogenic Bone Broth in a stainless steel travel mug will keep the broth hot longer making sipping the broth more pleasant.

In the case of someone with neurological problems such as Alzheimer’s Disease replace the coconut oil with medium chain triglycerides (MCT) oil. Presently, there are clinical trials using two tablespoons of MCT oil each day with Alzheimer’s patients. The results seem promising. If you would like to read more information about dietary treatments for Alzheimer’s disease please read Type 3 Diabetes: Metabolic Causes of Alzheimer?s Disease.

If you would like to learn more about the science of bone broth please read Broth is Beautiful and the Healing Powers of Bone Broth. If you are wondering why fresh turmeric root is being added to the bone broth, please read about this secret golden synergy: 10 Turmeric Benefits Superior to Medication and Two Ancient Superfoods Join Forces.

“Bone broth is rich in protein, collagen, gelatin, glucosamine, chondroitin and key minerals often missing in the diet. These vital nutrients support a wide range of health benefits and body systems including: gut and immune system, joints and lean muscle mass, skin, hair, nails, metabolism and a healthy weight.”
Dr Josh Axe

A stainless steel travel mug will keep the broth hot longer making sipping the broth more pleasant. A go anywhere drink!

A stainless steel travel mug will keep the broth hot longer making sipping the broth more pleasant. A go-anywhere drink!

For more recipes please see Healthy Household: Staying Clean Safely.

Healthy Household: Simple Rosemary Peppermint Shampoo

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“Rosemary improves memory and naturally thickens hair, which makes this essential oil a welcome addition to homemade shampoo.”
Eat Dirt by Dr Josh Axe

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Try this shampoo without adding liquid soap and see how well it works on your hair.

I have been researching and making shampoo recipes for many years. Sometimes it feels like I’ll never find a good, homemade shampoo. This shampoo recipe works well and can be made without soap. I found the original recipe in the book Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems by Dr Josh Axe. The original shampoo recipe doesn’t use soap.

If you have never used Dr Brunner’s Peppermint Castile Liquid Soap you’re in for a treat. I started using this liquid soap years ago during camping trips. This liquid soap can be used for washing anything including clothes, dishes, hair and body. Personally, I like the peppermint liquid soap the best. The soap is made with organic peppermint essential oil. If you add it to the base recipe, it will make your shampoo even more pepperminty.

“Peppermint supports digestion, improves focus, boosts energy, reduces fevers and headaches, and offers muscle pain relief.”

If you find washing your hair without lather too strange you can add the optional liquid soap to the recipe later.

1c organic aloe vera gel
4T organic olive oil
1/3c baking soda
25 drops organic rosemary essential oil
10 drops organic peppermint essential oil
1/2c-1c Dr Brunner’s Peppermint Castile Liquid Soap (optional)
Combine all the ingredients except the liquid soap in a plastic container. An old shampoo bottle will work well. Don’t worry if the contents doesn’t fill the bottle. The extra space will making shaking the shampoo before use easier. Try the shampoo without the liquid soap first and see if you like the results. If you find shampooing without a lather too weird, add 1/2c of liquid soap and try again. If that’s not enough lather add another 1/2c of liquid soap until the shampoo lathers to your personal needs. Remember to always shake the shampoo before using.

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This shampoo recipe is easy to make. You may have many of the ingredients already in your kitchen.

For more recipes please see Healthy Household: Staying Clean Safely.

Healthy Household: Frankincense Liniment

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“Embroctions or liniments are used in massage, with the herbs in a oil or alcohol base or a mixture of the two. Absorbed quickly through the skin, they can readily relieve muscle tension, pain, and inflammation, and speed the healing of injuries.”
Kitchen Medicine: Household Remedies for Common Ailments and Domestic Emergencies by Julie Bruton-Seal

Frankincense Liniment can also be rubbed over a painful, swollen joint or muscle.

Frankincense Liniment can also be rubbed over a swollen joint or muscle. To protect clothing, put a layer of shea butter or Frankincense Salve over the sticky resin.

I have been very frustrated trying to make Frankincense Liniment over the last few months. For my first attempt in making liniment, I tried using 40% alcohol (80 proof). Unfortunately, the alcohol wasn’t strong enough to crack the resin. The resulting liniment was of poor quality and didn’t work very well. I was very disappointed but not surprised.

Most herbalists recommend using 95% alcohol (190 proof) to crack any of the tree resins. Unfortunately, in British Columbia the Ministry of Morality has banned the sale 95% alcohol. I guess the BC government sees the citizens of BC as just too reckless to have such a powerful product available for sale.

My alcohol problem was solved by a busman’s holiday to Alberta. I don’t know if the Alberta government is wise or reckless but in Alberta, 95% alcohol is available for sale. So I stocked up with three bottles of Everclear which is enough 95% alcohol to produce liniment for years of household use.

I wanted to warn anyone that wants to make Frankincense Liniment or any remedy using tree resins about this problem. Unfortunately, you will need to make a trip to Alberta or the US to get an alcohol strong enough to crack resins. I’m angry that we must incur the inconvenience and cost of driving to Alberta or the US to get Everclear for making liniment but until the BC government lifts the ban on the sale of 95% alcohol we have no other choice.

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On the left is unprocessed frankincense resin tears. On the right is the resin tears after six weeks in 95% alcohol. Any remaining resin can be processed into liniment by adding more alcohol and decanting the liniment after six weeks.

“Frankincense is especially suitable for conditions where the joints and muscles are very stiff, swollen, and painful. It is also often used topically more than myrrh.”
Chinese Herbal Medicines Comparisons and Characteristics by Yang Yifan

Frankincense Liniment or Tincture
1 part wildcrafted Frankincense resin
3-4 parts 95% alcohol (190 proof) Everclear

One more point about liniments. Many liniments are made with methanol which is not safe for internal use. As I have stated before, I do not put anything on my skin that I would not consider safe to ingest. So, this liniment is made with ethanol. It can be used internally. I have no personal experience using frankincense internally but thanks to the internet there is information available about the safe, internal use of frankincense for those people interested in that use.

Have caution when working with resins. Resins are messy and sticky. Use a glass container that will only be used for that type of resin or use a container that can be thrown away after use. It will be impossible to clean the glass container after cracking the resin. The cracked resin will stick to everything it touches and once the resin dries it will produce a very hard, varnish-like coating.

Once you have acquired some 95% alcohol, this liniment is very easy to make and is just like any other tincture. Put the frankincense resin in a glass container that will only be used for this resin or can be thrown out after use. Add the 95% alcohol to the frankincense and seal the jar with a lid. Label the jar as frankincense resin. Put the percentage of alcohol, today?s date, and the decanting date. Decanting day will be in six weeks. The jar will need to be stirred every day for at least the first week. Use a stirring stick that can be thrown out after use or carefully swirl the resin tears in the alcohol. Considering that for more than two years you have been trying to get the depression under control. but nothing helped. Unfortunately, I had to change Valium after 4 months, because the effect left or my depression became stronger again. Very sad, because I was very stable until then and could enjoy a normal life again.

On decanting day, carefully pour off the liquid into a glass bottle. Use a glass bottle that can be discarded or reused for more liniment because the resin cannot be cleaned out of the bottle. (Reusing a Green Pastures’ glass bottle works well.) Likely, you will still have resin tears at the bottom of the glass container. Add more 95% alcohol and repeat the process.

Frankincense Liniment can be used in a number of ways. It can be dabbed on wounds as a disinfectant with a cotton swab. The resinous quality of frankincense makes the wound waterproof and acts like a medical adhesive and normally doesn’t need dressing. If a dressing is required, add a layer of shea butter* or Frankincense Salve after the alcohol has dissipated to avoid the wound sticking to the dressing.

The liniment can also be rubbed over a swollen joint or painful muscle. It is best applied after a hot bath or a hot compress. A cotton ball or folded piece of tissue paper works well for application to a larger skin area.** To protect clothing, put a layer of shea butter or Frankincense Salve over the sticky resin after the alcohol has dissipated. The waterproof quality of the resin will allow bathing between treatments. The pain relieve from this liniment can be felt almost immediately. Ice the area as normal.

Frankincense Liniment works great on sunburn, even a very serious, blistering sunburn. Just dab the liniment on the sunburn and apply a top layer of shea butter or Frankincense Salve. The pain relieve is almost immediate and the frankincense will help avoid infection and scarring.

For more information about frankincense please see:
Homemade Christmas: Frankincense Oil and Frankincense Salve

*I would highly recommend shea butter. I use shea butter in a number of homemade personal care products. Shea butter is especially good as a moisturizer for mature skin.
**For preppers out there, the cotton balls or tissue paper covered in frankincense resin makes an excellent, sweet smelling fire starter.

Homemade Christmas: Frankincense Oil and Frankincense Salve

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“Boswellia is one of the most ancient and respected herbs in ayurvedic healing. Researchers and clinicians are finding that boswellia is a potent anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, and pain reliever without any side effects. The gum and the oil also are used in cosmetics, perfumes, and skin-care products.”
Prescription for Herbal Healing by Phyllis A Balch

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Frankincense Oil reduces inflammation, boosts immunity, improves mood and is good for the skin. It smells nice too!

Frankincense Oil

1/4c organic frankincense resin, ground
2/3c organic olive oil
2/3c organic shea butter
1/2oz pure bee’s wax, small pieces
60 drops frankincense essential oil (optional)
Grind the frankincense resin in a mortar and pestle into a very find powder. Put the frankincense powder into a Pyrex measuring cup and add the olive oil. Half fill a sauce pan with water and put the Pyrex cup into the sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil and simmer the frankincense and olive oil for 3-4 hours. Cool the frankincense infused oil overnight. The frankincense powder will drop to the bottom of the Pyrex cup.

Carefully, pour off the frankincense infused olive oil into another Pyrex cup. Try not to disturb the frankincense powder at the bottom of the cup. Leave some of the olive oil behind, if desired. Reserve this mixture for making Frankincense Salve. Add the shea butter and bee’s wax. Half fill a sauce pan with water and put the Pyrex cup into the sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil. Simmer until the shea butter and bee’s wax are melted. Stir in the frankincense essential oil, if desired. Carefully, pour the hot oil into containers and label.

“Laboratory studies have shown that boswellic acids, active components in boswellia, deactivate the hormonal triggers for inflammation and pain in osteoarthritis.”
Prescription for Herbal Healing by Phyllis A Balch

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Frankincense Salve is vigorously rubbed into sore joints or tissue.

Frankincense Salve

This salve is more like a scrub because of its granular texture. The salve is intended to be vigorously rubbed into the skin and left on the skin to absorb.

1/4c frankincense mixture from making Frankincense Oil
1/4c frankincense infused oil (optional)
1/4oz pure bee’s wax, small pieces
30 drops frankincense essential oil (optional)
Pour off the any extra frankincense infused oil into another Pyrex cup. In a clean mortar and pestle, grind the frankincense mixture into the smooth paste. Get the paste as smooth as possible by doing small amounts. Pour the smooth paste into the Pyrex cup before starting a second amount. When completed add the bee’s wax. Half fill a sauce pan with water and put the Pyrex cup into the sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil. Simmer until the bee’s wax is melted. Stir in the frankincense essential oil, if desired. Carefully, pour the hot mixture into containers and label.

The following information about frankincense comes from The King’s Medicine Cabinet by Dr Josh Axe.

Frankincense is also known as boswellia. It has been regarded as a holy oil in the Middle East for centuries. It is well known as one of the gifts given to Christ at his birth. “In ancient times, frankincense was valued above gold because its use to treat every illness.”

“Recent research published in the Journal of Oncology has found frankincense to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells better than chemotherapy.” The essential oil has also been used with much success to treat issues by reducing inflammation and improving immune function.

Benefits

  • fight cancer
  • reduce inflammation
  • boost immune system cleanses and detoxes body
  • improves depression and mood
  • spiritual awareness
  • fights infections
  • heals skin scarring, sunspots and acne

Uses

  • Rub topically behind ears, on chest and neck to improve immunity
  • Put topically on age spots, scars and stretch marks to improve skin
  • Take internally to reduce inflammation or put topically on areas of joint pain
  • Use topically after a trauma to recenter and calm yourself
  • Diffuse in air when praying or doing spiritual reading
  • Diffuse in air to reduce seasonal allergies
  • Take internally, diffuse or use topically for cellular health and increasing longevity and lifespan