by Cough medicines are not only hazardous for your child’s health, they do no good whatsoever. At least in my humble experience. I wonder if they’d make a good weedkiller?
Anyhow, I just have to pass along this great information because I’ve tried it several times now, on different kids, and my mom has tried it–all with success…it’s just so amazing, I can’t not share it with you!
It all started with an email forward. As with most email forwards, there is no way of contacting the original author either to fall down at her feet and praise her blessed name or to ask her permission to publish this at my site, but I figure she probably won’t mind. Forwards being forwards, and all.
Anyway, my mil sent this to me, the Vick’s skeptic that I am…only because I’ve suffered through having it on my nostrils and throat one too many times throughout my childhood and never thought it made an ounce of difference, will all the Vick’s VapoRub survivors say aye, aye? Aye, aye.
But I could barely sleep one night due to my 3 year old’s coughing. Finally I decided to try the vaporub on her, but she was in footie pajamas and on the top bunk so I figured Vicks being Vicks, I’d smear some on her throat and chest and call it good. Half an hour later–she’s still hacking. In fact, she ended up coughing so hard she vomited.
So here I was, at midnight, cleaning her up. Since she was out of her PJ’s at this point, I went ahead and slathered some Vick’s on the soles of her feet. Followed it up with socks, clean sheets and re-tucked the exhausted little thing in bed.
Nary a cough the rest of the night. Nor the rest of the week, thanks to me smartening up and applying Vick’s before PJ time each night. And as I said, I put my 7 yo through the same ritual when she was fighting the chest cold a week later. Worked great. And ask my mom how it allowed her to get much needed rest at night during her own cold.
And now with no further ado from your’s truly: the email forward that started it all…
VICKS VAPORUB…TRY IT, IT WORKS
I wish I’d known this when my family was young during winter colds and coughs. I am going to try it myself. Share with young parents.
Isn’t life strange? When we had a lecture on Essential Oils, they told us how the foot soles can absorb oils. Their example: Put garlic on your feet and within 20 minutes you can ‘taste’ it.
Some of us have used Vicks Vaporub for years for everything from chapped lips to sore toes and many body parts in between. But I’ve never heard of this. And don’t laugh, it works 100% of the time although the scientists at the Canada Research council (who discovered it) aren’t sure why.
To stop night time coughing in a child (or adult as we found out
personally), put Vicks Vaporub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime, then cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of r elief. Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.
I heard the head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children as compared to alternative therapies like acupressure.
Just happened to tune in A.M. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs so, I listened. It was a surprise finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly. Polly tried it on herself when she had avery deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100%! She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her, coughing stopped in a few minutes and believe me, this was a deep, (incredibly annoying!) every few seconds uncontrollable cough, and she slept cough-free for hours every night that she used it. If you have grandchildren, pass it on. If you end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely amazed by the effects.
Mary again:
I am not a doctor! I’m just passing this info along in the hopes that it helps you and your loved ones get some much-needed sleep and relief from the coughing that commonly arises at night for cold sufferer’s. Please visit the Vick’s VapoRub website for more info on this product, and use your own good judgment from there.
Ive done this before
I never knew that but i’m going to definitely try it when the time comes around here. Yep we have Vicks here too 🙂
My kids do love having Vicks rubbed onto them. In Canada, at least, Vicks makes a skin-sensitive rub for children.
Does it work for daytime coughing, do you know?
This is definitely worth a try!
Mary, I just wrote on my site for you to send me the email, but nevermind. 🙂 Thanks for posting this. Lydia did not have a cough the last time she was sick, but the next time any of us have a nighttime cough, I am totally committed to trying this. Will let you know how it works for us.
How is the no shampooing coming along?
Thanks for the info! Being in such a big family I’m sure someone will pick up a coughing cold this year and pass it onto me! So I will definitely give this a try. BTW-on Christmas I felt a cold coming on. I had the sinus headache already and was starting to sneeze (which is the body’s way of trying to get rid of a cold and usually only happens when the cold is first picked up). So I was prepared to spend the holidays sniffling away. But when we got home that night from relatives I rememeber you’re hydrogen peroxide trick so when I got home and several times throughout the night (since we were up later getting stockings hung up) I did the hydrogen peroxide thing. The next day I felt completely better and the cold never made it past that first night! I was ecstatic…other than the fact that it meant I still had to go to the inlaws 😉 Thank you!
What timely advice! My littlest has the bad sniffles, and is starting to cough. I wish I had thought of it after Thanksgiving when my husband was coughing so horribly – for nights and nights! Oh well. My Mom got a similar tip from some Amish friends and that was to rub a salve they use called “Unkers” on the bottoms of your feet for coughing. I think it’s similar to Vicks, but more natural. I’ve only seen it at Amish-run bulk food stores. Thanks for the reminder!
PS – How and when do you do the hydrogen peroxide thing?
I think Mary has a blog on here about it…I’ll see if I can find it…
Hmmm…the link to the page isn’t working for me so Mary will have to post it for you if she can. What I do though (the actual page has different instructions so I would ask Mary for it if I were you-this is what worked for me) is dip 2 Q-tips into hydrogen peroxide and put them in each ear and kinda rub them around til ear canal is good and wet. Then set a timer for 5 minutes. Do it several times a day. I think the actual “recipe” says to dunk cotton balls in the hp and then let them drip into your ear but I chase my 1yo son around all day and so the Q-tips were more convenient for running hehe.
huh! thanks for the tip.
Don’t thank me, thank Mary! It was her who posted it and I can’t believe it works! Who would have thought your ears had anything to do with it?
Thanks for the response Geri. I found Mary’s previous articles about the hp – I’m going to go try it right now on myself! I may try it on 2yo if I can get her to be still – she’s starting to sniffle today. The q-tip sounds great for my 1yo who started this round of sickness – she’s into the full-blown cold, but sounds like it may still help her get over it. Worth a shot!
I used vicks on 2 month old works great.
I don’t think I put enough on my little Wolfie’s feet or myself. Next time I will try it again.
Don’t you just love home remedies?
YES!!!
I use it all the time on my children and myself when we get sick. The reason it works on the feet, is because of the essential oils it contains. They are absorbed very easily through the skin, and enter quickly into the blood stream. Unlike pills, which have to be digested first. If you love vicks, get some books on essential oils, and their homeopathic use. They are wonderful natural ways to heal sickness.
Yay for a busy day, now I can unwind and enjoy all your comments! Thanks Geri, for updating on the hp and how well it worked for you, plus, your Q-tip “tip” sounds ideal! That’s the worst part, laying there for 5 minutes waiting for it to do its thing. My kids will lay still as mice as long as I make up some long incredible story for their entertainment pleasure! I love that hp remedy. If I can only remember (grr!!!) right off the bat, then I almost always avoid the full-fledged cold. It helps me sleep better at night, and my head feels less stuffy. It’s amazing. Bethanie has used it also, with success. And I have to admit, I was thinking of you Haley, and Leah, with your sick littles, when I finally got around to posting this Vick’s one. It even hurts the mommy’s throat to hear all that coughing going on down the hall, doesn’t it? I just can’t sleep through it, wondering if their throats are raw, or if they’re going to make themselves throw up…I know you found the original hp article, but I’m c&ping it here for anyone else that is interested:
http://homesteepedhope.com/2006/11/09/head-colds/
So my two NZ friends have access to Vicks! That’s good to know! But Jen, you didn’t say if it worked for you or not! 😉
Mom, I wouldn’t use it during the day for coughs. The only reason I used it at night was to allow for a restful night’s sleep, which is so important when you’re fighting off infection. During the day, cough away, and cough out those germs. Don’t you think?
Beck, at the Vick’s website, it does talk about the Vick’s rub for babies. I hadn’t ever heard of it before!
Colleen, definitely try it! Anyone who has spent several nights hacking in the living room’s recliner so they won’t keep the hubby awake (me!) knows that it’s worth a try! Getting a good night’s sleep while sick is half the battle!
Andrea, did your 2 month old already have a cold!? Poor darling. I’m glad to hear it worked and worked safely. I saw on the website they claim it’s not for 2 and under, but I bet that’s more a safeguard for them than anything.
Amy M., I’m not using the baking soda/vinegar on my hair currently, but I am using it on all 3 of my daughter’s. It’s working great for them. Are you still using it? I plan to do another post soon, promise, outlining my 2.5 weeks of “no poo”! 😉
Juli, do you have a favorite essential oils book or resource to recommend? I am ready to learn! I’ve really had my interest piqued this past year, after reading several articles about the many uses of just tea tree oil. It sounds amazing. Thanks in advance! And thanks for explaining why Vick’s on the feet works!
No problem Mary! And I too am excited to hear about the essential oils!
Mary,
I do have a wonderful book. It is made by forever young, but I have searched high and low, and have not been able to find other copies. I just loan mine out, and people can copy the oils they are most interested in. I’m sure there are a lot of other books on the oils that are good too. I use lavendar a lot, for insect bites, and when I feel extra stressed out. (Chamomile tea is alos good for stress.) I also use tea tree oil. Ylang Ylang is good in combonation with lavendar for depression. (I used it when I had a bit after Megan was born.) I love Dr. Andrew Wiles books on homeopathic med. He is my favorite doctor. I have been interested in this for about 15 years now. I used to want to go into it, before I had children. I use to use the chamomile teething tablets for my children to help them get through the pain, with out pumping them full of Tyl. (which is fat soluable, and can build up in the body and be toxic if used too much.) Although every now and then is fine. I try to fall in the middle and not just be against allopathic meds., as they have helped me and my chidren too. I just think they are used too much, and that can be a bad thing.
I have a little update on how these things are working for us. I did the hydrogen peroxide in mine and 2yo’s ears twice yesterday. The first time wasn’t too bad, she cried – with the surprise of the fizz, but not much. The second time you’d have thought I was killing her with all the fuss she put up – she just hated that initial dripping in the ear. She’d lay quietly after the initial drops, but good grief! She then proceeded to throw up last night (about 2 hrs after last treatment, so not in realation to her being upset). Now I know this was probably going to happen anyway, but it kinda made me wonder. I have done one treatment on both of us this morning…we’ll see. I don’t seem to be any worse – throat is still a little scratchy, but no real congestion. She’s definitely worse, but maybe I caught hers too late? I tried the q-tip thing on the 1yo once, but as I got no reaction whatsoever from her, I figured the peroxide didn’t really get down in there like it should have.
I did the vicks on the feet for 1yo at about 4am, and think it helped a lot. I’d been in the recliner with her for several hours, not because she was coughing so much, but because she would just thrash and cry while not really being awake – keeping dh awake. I finally came back to bed with her a little before 4, and then she started coughing hard – and I thought, “OK, let’s try it.” She settled down and slept well after that. She still coughed once in a while, but it wasn’t the intense body wracking kind, just kind of a cough in passing. And this morning I actually got a couple of smiles out of her – the first since Sunday. I think because she actually got some rest. So, we’ll see. Sorry I’m describing all my symptoms like ya’ll are my doctors, but I thought I’d say how it’s going for us!
Sorry to hear your household is under the weather! I tried the hp once when I had a cold already underway and (although my cold was shorter than anyone else in my family had it) I think once a cold is already good and started the hp can’t stop it. At least, in my experience (which is still limited since I only found out about this in December!).
Details are great, Haley. I’m glad you shared them, just disappointed that the hp didn’t seem to work. My 7yo hated it initially, because of the loud fizzing, while 3 yo just giggled and giggled. She loves it, and in fact will ask me for it nightly for about a week after I’ve ceased putting it in her ears. I never forced it on my 7yo after that first time, but during a subsequent cold, I brought it up again…this time told her we knew it would fizzle a lot the first time (the second and third times it doesn’t fizz nearly so much) and I promised her a “made-up” story while she laid there. Of course, I had to SPEAK LOUDLY so she could hear me. Sheesh! So she went along with it then. I think it’s scary, it’s so loud. Sorry I didn’t think to warn you to warn her about that. She probably thought she had bees in her ears! Hopefully it wasn’t related to the vomiting, what a strange reaction, but then again, I hope she doesn’t have the stomach flu on top of it all. 🙁 Since you seem no worse, I’d encourage you to keep it up at least once a day. I know it’s helped us.
Very glad the Vick’s gave your 1 yo a break from the coughing…
Juli, thanks so much for sharing your favorites in the essential oils department! I saw a display of them at my local health food store, small bottles all around $7.99 in price. Do you get yours online, or through a local store? We rarely make it to any “big” cities, so I have to rely on ordering over the internet, or hoping our small scale health food store carries things. I will for sure have to stock up on lavender, as my oldest always gets eaten alive during summertime. I’ve always rationed out the Itch-X to her, once a day, and grit my teeth even allowing her that much. It seems such a strong thing to overuse. Another comment on the lavender…I bought some lavender massage oil from Arbonne several years ago, and the consultant said it’s available in spray form as well…she sprays her children’s pillows with it on nights when they’ve had a stressful day. Interesting, huh! I just love the smell…
I’ve watched Andrew Weil on PBS a couple times, and found him fascinating, but never pursued it much. I’ll have to check his book out at the library. Would it be the only one on homeopathic remedies, or is there a specific title you think I should start with? Thanks so much, Juli! 🙂
Haley, one last thing, we have recently switched from regular Vitamin C to Ester-C, it’s amazing! We call them “cow pills” because they are kind of big, but they absorb more quickly and stay in your system fighting longer than regular C. And have you ever tried Airborne? They’re available at Wal-Mart, in the cold medication section. You can choose a flavor–we go with the citrus one–and then put it in a small amount of water and let it fizz away till it’s dissolved. Then you drink it. We like it. It’s not wonderful–taste wise, but my 3 yo laps it up regardless. Of course, we really play up the fact that she’s a big girl taking her medicine. She likes measuring up to her big sisters! Hope you catch a break, and here’s some hugs in the meantime! (((((hugs)))) 🙂
Geri, I think you and I were commenting at the same time, I didn’t see your latest. I do agree that the secret with the HP seems to be catching the initial symptoms. When I’ve done this, I’ve only had to dose with HP once or twice and then I’m over it. Other times when I started later with the HP, it had to fight harder. I am very bad about doing it more than once or twice a day. I usually do it right before bed, and even that much has been enough to perk me up for a while anyway. I definitely notice that my head will be less stuffy, or some aspect is better…haven’t gotten my dh to try it yet. He thinks we’re all CRAZY. His loss. He’s getting a cold right now too. At least he’s taking Ester C…
Oh that’s too bad. Hopefully your family manages to fight it off! And as soon as I pressed send your comment came up right away too so I think we must have been typing at the same time haha! My DH was so eager to try it and now he does it every so often because “his ears feel clean” lol.
That’s great! I’ll have to tell my hubby…he is a Q-tip fanatic about keeping his ears clean. I don’t dare let us run out of Q-tips! 😉 He’d also be more likely to put the hp on a Q-tip than laying around on his side with an earful!
Th hp treatments really helped us out this week. I was really sick Tuesday I could barely get out of bed and didn’t for most of the day. I did two treatments on myself that day and by Morning I was feeling much clearer. I did several through out the day on my self and little girls (they were starting to show symptoms.) Toddler was a little more congested in the morning and even running a low fever by evening she was acting fine. Infant was just sneezing in the morning and showed no other symptoms all day. This was a huge help. I actually put drops in our ears. We did not feel like moving around much anyway. I put them in infants ears while she was nursing and put in a kids sing-a-long movie after about four songs time was up took out the movie and went on to other activities.
Hydrogen peroxide does clear out ear wax. That is what our doctor said to use on toddlers ears at her 18 month well baby check.
Wow! That’s wonderful, Andrea! I’m so glad to hear it made the difference for you guys, now if we could only get Haley’s kiddos feeling better!
It’s bothersome to me that more people don’t know what a wealth of health they have right in their cupboards at home. Hydrogen Peroxide is so cheap, and works so great. They say if it was patentable, the bigger companies would take it and run with it. Thankfully for us, it’s not worth their time. But pretty sad that it’s all about big money.
Isn’t it Hydrogen Peroxide that doctors tell people to use on their kids after swimming to prevent swimmer’s ear?
Thanks for the hugs Mary!!!! I needed them! 2yo didn’t throw up any more after the first time, although she and 1yo were running a fever yesterday afternoon. 2yo just sat around and stared all day – such a sad little thing! I gave them both some Tylenol last evening, since they were running 102 & 100 – I hate it when it goes over 100! They kind of perked up then, we had a bath, and then I slathered both their feet with Vicks, as they had both been coughing all day! No time in the recliner last night! 2yo did wake up at midnight coughing pretty bad, with fever, so I gave her tylenol again and put more vicks on feet, and she slept until 8:30, and even said this morning with a smile that her tummy didn’t hurt anymore! I was so encouraged – I didn’t feel very morning sick today, I was making breakfast, we were actually eating it!, and then 1yo fell in her excitement to greet her daddy coming in and busted her bottom lip wide open! Argh! Oh, well. I did a total of 2 hp treatments on myself yesterday, and I seem about the same today – I really think it’s keeping me from a full blown cold. How long do I continue? Until my kiddos are well? 1yo has definitely had it the worst, but she had it first and I only did one hp q-tip on her. Thanks for letting me share – it’s been quite theraputic, and given me something to look forward to! Happy day all!
Hee hee we were writing at the same time! My speech pathologist sister said they recommend hp for when you have swimmers ear because that’s actually a drop of water on your eardrum, and the hp dries it. She had a&p of the inner ear in college, and when I told her about the hp treatments was a little skeptical, and said you definitely wouldn’t want to do it if you had a hole in your eardrum, but otherwise she didn’t think it could hurt. Such an expert opinion. 🙂 Can ya’ll tell this is my younger sister? I know, I should give her more credit!
Hey, I feel like I could wave at you after just wondering how you guys were and your quick reply! 😉 So glad you had a good night’s sleep for the most part, I was laying in bed at 1 A.M. praying for you guys! Hubby was out working on our well (replacing pump, etc in that blizzard!!) so we didn’t get to bed till then. Anyway, I’m encouraged that you all are on the road to recovery, you’ve had a long week for it only being Thursday!
My hubby was really skeptical about the hp in the ears, but thankfully we’ve never had any adverse effects and I’ve been doing it for a year now. We’ve never been susceptible to ear infections either, if we were, I might think about it twice, as moisture can breed bacteria. In normal cases, I would just keep administering the hp till the symptoms are really on their way out the door! Better safe than sorry. Even if you decrease from 2x a day to 1x once you feel the girls are over their fevers.
And a note on the fevers, I sure relate to hating it to go above a certain degree, it’s so miserable, but my top out for the girls was always at 102* until I read in a pediatrician’s book to relax about it and let the fever fight off the sickness. Since then I’ve let my children’s fevers spike to 104, and it seems to shorten their sick time a lot. Of course, I keep a close eye on them, and have to constantly remember my mantra: “Fever is a blessing!”. Sigh. The nice thing about it, is not only does that fever burn the sickness out more quickly, but it usually immobilizes the child so that they don’t overdo, rather they sleep. I’m not against Tylenol at night, if I know they’re too miserable to get the sleep they need. The thing to watch for when the fevers get high, is dehydration. I’d never let it go above 105*, and would push the fluids hard, especially if they are losing even more fluids as in vomiting and diarrhea. But I have a lot of trust in the healing power of the human body, and I’ve heard that the natural defenses of our makeup don’t allow for temps higher than 106*, except in the cases of heat stroke. ‘
Sorry that got so long. 🙂 It just really gave me a peace of mind to view it that way, and to have a pediatrician back it up. (Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D. How to Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor)
I know this post is not very recent, but I wanted to comment on fevers and Tylenol, as well. Our Pediatrician encourages us not to use Tylenol except maybe once at night (mostly so the baby is able to rest) and to let her fever run its course during the day, as she is naturally fighting the sickness then. They seemed relatively unconcerned when my daughters temp reached 104 a couple of months ago. (Of course, in an infant under 6 months, this is much more serious). My SIL, however, gave me a scare when she told me that a friend’s daughter had a febrile seizure and had some sort of permanent damage. I researched that and the truth is, febrile seizures generally aren’t harmful and will not cause brain damage. Most children can tolerate a temperature of slightly greater than 107 degrees F without long-term effects from the fever itself. That being said, steps should be taken to lower the temp (not necessarily Tylenol).
Anyway, this info is a comfort to me when daughter starts feeling warm.
Thanks for sharing that, Amy. I’m curious as to what you’ve heard about Tylenol. I’d heard that it can cause liver damage if used too often. And it’s always touted as the “safest”…anyway, it’s good to hear your thoughts, knowing you come from a medical background, and also that your M.D. says the same thing. Fevers get such a bad rap, don’t they?
A couple of weeks ago I overheard someone talking about how their toddler had been sick for over a week with fevers every night, and that they were giving them Motrin and then Tylenol every four to six hours around the clock. Which is just what most Pediatrician’s recommend, alternating from one to the other. But all I could think was, how would their child get over the sickness if they were constantly suppressing the symptoms and the fever, the body’s natural defense against whatever it was fighting off. I wondered if that in itself was why it took the child so long to get better. But she did get better, and w/o antibiotics as far as I know.
Vicks VapoRub seems to tirgger the immune system to kick into overdrive. Vicks VapoRub can also be used to fight HPV–the virus that causes warts of all kins. It does this by causing the immune system to go into overdrive and eventually find the virus where the rub is applied. This could be why your remedy works. If you really want to kick the cold’s but, try giving your kids lots of onions and even garlic. Onions really stimulate the immune system and garlic is a very powerful natural antibiotic. You can cut a hole in the onion top and put sugar in it, eventually the sugar becomes a liquid and you can drink it.
I didn’t beleive at fiest. My wife was complaining about my cough when the weather gets cold. Heard about putting Vicks under the sole of the foot. Did it work . Have pass on this knowledge to my friends.
It is amazing. I had a hard time believing it also…but when you get desperate to end a lingering cough, you’ll try anything! It’s a wonderful remedy, glad you vouched for it here for me!
Thanks for commenting!
this works – I did it last night after my coworker told me it would help me not to cough at night when I’m sleeping. I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night coughing all week… so last night I tried this and it worked. I slept through the night, then woke up coughing at 8am 🙂
Isn’t it amazing? Nice little trick to have up your sleeve…good sleep is so necessary to getting back to health. Hope you are feeling 100% soon! Thanks for chiming in here about your experience, Amy!
IM a 55 yr old man tried vicks on feet worked like a charm slepted like a baby seems like cold left.. xould breathe again.. dont laugh this works
Thanks for testifying, Dave! 😉 I’m so glad to have discovered this relief for coughing…so much better than smearing Vicks on chest and neck and that didn’t work nearly as well!
We’ve been using “Unkers” rubbed into the bottoms of the feet at night with good success for several years. Rubbing it in for a few minutes is an important part of the treatment – don’t just coat the feet, work it in. We also use the HP in the ears and use it as a gargle for sore throats. We’ve knocked many a nasty cold out before it gets full blown using these simple, cost effective (cheap) home remedies.
Hydrogen peroxide (food grade 35%, not the drug store 3%) in a diluted solution can be used as a water purifier, meat and produce wash, and a parasite killer with good success. We’ve taught missionaries in third world countries to use HP in a soak for meats, fruits, and veggies to protect against salmonella, typhoid, and other nasties. What Americans need to know is that south-of-the-border veggies and fruits available in the supermarket are often irrigated with human sewage, and if you’re going to risk buying the stuff, then at least do a soak in the sink before you put it on the plate. A young missionary’s wife nearly died after two back-to-back bouts with typhoid fever – contracted from buying fresh produce in the market that had been irrigated in the manner mentioned. We were able to help her recover from a parasite overload and instruct her in preventative measures using hydrogen peroxide.
There’s that “Unkers” being mentioned again…it is different than Vicks, right? Haley mentioned (above) that she thought it was an Amish remedy? I want to know more!!!
It’s soooo wonderful to have the hp and Vicks tricks vouched for by you, dear Farmer John! I so value your knowledge on health issues. Now on the HP, is the food grade that you refer to, not what is readily available at Walmart, etc? I assume it’s at the health food store? But didn’t you or your wife tell me that you guys have to order yours since you need it in such large quantities for chicken butchering, etc?
That is scary about the fruit/veggies in our supermarkets being so contaminated…I believe it…I’ve never really paid attention to anything that labeled them as imported from South of us though…guess I better open my eyes…
Unkers is like Vicks and Mentholatum, in that it has the “menthol” ingredient and smells similar. Whether its an Amish remedy or not, I don’t know, could be. I first ran across it in a health food store in Missouri. It’s hard to find in retail stores. It contains a form of natural aspirin. In the wild, the natural form of aspirin is found in willow shoots (inner bark), in case you’re interested to know. I don’t know if that’s the origin of Unkers or not. You can order it on-line here: http://unkers.com/ or http://www.unkersproducts.com
35% Food grade hydrogen peroxide is not found in pharmacies or Wal-mart – those are the 3% varieties, sometimes stronger around 8% used for dyeing hair. Because it is an oxidizer, it has to have special shipping considerations – so it costs more to ship. Some health food stores might have it, but doubtful. They might order it for you, but you might as well save the markup and order yourself. We purchased from here: http://www.dfwx.com/h2o2.htm
At 35% strength it will burn your skin white if you spill it. It must be diluted significantly to use. The difference between food grade and standard store bought stuff is the cheap stuff has some junk additives that are potentially harmful if ingested.
Here’s a good link to more valuable and practical uses for food grade hydrogen peroxide: http://www.dfwx.com/h2o2usage.html
A large percentage of supermarket fruits, especially berries and tropical fruits, come from Mexico, Central America, or South America – even though almost all of them are or could be grown in the USA – even tropical fruits can be grown in greenhouses in most parts of the country. For example, my down-the-road neighbor is growing lemons, limes, and oranges here in our state. An acquaintance in western Nebraska bills himself as the largest citrus grower in the Midwest. I know growers of figs and ginger here in the midwest as well – all growing in unheated greenhouses. And none of these people irrigate with raw human sewage as is often the standard practice in Mexico and other countries.
Wow! Thanks for this info-packed comment! Links and all. I had no idea your neighbor grew citrus fruits! Have you tasted them? Just wonder how they compare. Thank you so much for all this information!
My citrus growing neighbor buys organic soil amendments from me, so he wanted to show me his prized lemon trees. Beautiful trees, beautiful fruits, but it was the wrong time of the year to harvest, so I haven’t eaten one, yet. He recommended the Meyer Improved Lemon variety – a cross between a lemon and a tangerine – makes for a real sweet tasting lemon. Here’s a link to Nebraska grower Russel Finch and his fantastic citrus trees growing in a pit greenhouse that heats his home (he’s on my list of field trips): http://www.earthtoys.com/emagazine.php?issue_number=03.08.01&article=finch
Back to hydrogen peroxide . . . pathogenic bacteria cannot live in a highly oxygenated environment. This is why “oxygen therapies” (do a net search)are so successful on so many diseases from emphysema to malaria.
Scientists have measured oxygen content in air trapped in amber and ancient sealed containers and discovered that as little as a few hundred years ago the oxygen content of earth’s atmosphere was significantly higher than it is currently, which may explain the rise in certain chronic diseases.
Stroke victims who get hyperbaric treatments in an iron lung can reverse brain damage in many cases. Several professional sports teams now use these treatments. This is oxygen under pressure being absorbed mostly through the skin.
A simple bathtub soak using adequate amounts of H2o2 can help detox the body and give you a huge boost of energy – never do it right before bedtime or you won’t be able to sleep, you’ll want to get up and tackle 7 major projects.
We use H2o2 (hydrogen peroxide) as a sanitation soak for meats, vegetables, and fruits, and use it to clean up processing tables and equipment. Makes a great mouthwash, tooth whitener, and sort throat remedy, too. We use it on skin wounds as an anti-bacterial. It’s one of the cheapest, most practical things that every family should learn to use and have on hand in the kitchen, the bathroom, the medicine cabinet, and the barn. Good stuff!
Your neighbor’s lemons sound delicious! And I’m very intrigued by a pit greenhouse, no wonder you want to do a field trip there…I can see I need to recruit vacation ideas from you of things to see here in our area next time we talk! I think we’ll be sticking close to home next summer…
Fascinating and useful info about HP!! So it’s better than coffee when you need to get things done, huh? 😉 I’ve got to try that as a bath soak. Of course, I don’t have the concentrated stuff yet. It sounds like something to stock up on…
I have just gotten over the flu and as a result got acute bronchititus. That hacking cough, phlegm and wheezing. I could not sleep at night for the coughing. Well this friend of mine suggested that putting Vick vapor rub on the soles of my feet and covering them in socks before I went to bed would help. After trying everything else last night in desparation I tried the Vicks (actually Walgreens brand). It is amazing, it worked instantaly. However the moment I got up this morning the cough is back. I don’t care what nay-sayers might say, I am here to tell you it worked for me. By the way, going to the doctors this afternoon for something for the bronchititus.
Tom, thanks so much for taking time to share how it worked positively for you! It’s such a helpful trick to have up your sleeve. Sounds like you’ve really been through the bugs, argh! Hope you find relief soon from your bronchitis. We’re trying out some herbal remedies for bronchitis for my mom this week, and so far, they’re working really well to break up her congestion. So we know what you’re going through.
Godspeed to good health, friend!
I think you did a great job writing VapoRub on Feet at Home-Steeped Hope. Bravo.
Hello. Great job.
Nice job. I completely agree with you.
So, I just heard about this last night from my mother after once again getting sick and having a horrible cough making it impossible to sleep through the night. The cough syrup I had wasn’t working. The Mucinex I had, I think made the congestion worse (it was draining, running, now it’s all dried and stuck). Just miserable. So, I tried it. It didn’t completely stop the coughing, and their were still some coughing fits after putting it on and this morning, but less than what I had been dealing with for two days. Granted I didn’t put a very thick layer on. I’d say still undetermined.
I hope you’re feeling better tonight! This remedy has worked for us every single time (and we’ve done it plenty). I just used it again a week ago…tried to tough it out but was coughing what seemed like every 10 seconds in bed…put the Vicks (we’ve actually switched to using Unkers) on my feet and I didn’t cough again period. So amazing how well it works. We do slather on a thick layer though. Maybe that would make a difference. Hopefully you won’t need anything to help you sleep w/o coughing tonight though!
I use their baby diaper cream and I haven’t had any problems on my kids. Even with their super-sensitive allergies to most household cleaning agents (like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.)
Definitely worth checking out.
http://myarbonne.com/arbonne/search.nsf/p1/1?OpenDocument&shoppingcart=1
That’s good to know. I never realized what a line of products they had, until I wrote this post about Vicks. We steer clear of SLS’s here too.
Thanks for posting how it’s worked for you!