Self Dentistry

I have been a bit interested in self dentistry for about a year or so now. With the rising cost of health insurance and dental insurance, and the lack of a truly GOOD dental insurance (If you have one, FANTASTIC! But ours leaves big holes in what is covered and what is not) I have scoured the net for different recipes for things that I can make at home that are:


A) greener to the environment
B) Greener to my health
C) Less expensive than traditional


I love making things that are non toxic, or better than the alternative, but lets face it, sometimes the local health food store wants an arm and a leg for this stuff! Here are just a few of the things that I do or have made, and some variations that you can make to your own. A word of caution though, I have a friend who works in the dental industry, she recommends that you use baking soda no more than 2X per week on your teeth (because it is abrasive) and lemon juice no more than 1 or 2X per week (because it’s a mild form of acid) so, just keep that in mind when making some of these recipes. Also, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, what works for me and my family may not be best for yours, so try these out, but be sure you are doing what it takes to meet the needs you have.

Herbal Mouthwash

1 cup distilled water or a nice herbal tea

1 teaspoon raw honey

4 drops Peppermint essential oil (or spearmint, or a mix)

2 drops tea tree oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)

Measure out honey into measuring cup. Add the essential oils, Mix well with the honey. Add a small amount of warm distilled water or herbal tea of sage to the honey until completely dissolved. Add the remaining amount of water. Bottle and label. Shake well before each use and swish for  60 seconds. For optimal freshness make weekly.

ACV based Mouthwash

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups boiling water

Combine vinegar with boiling water and let cool. Store in a clean bottle and use as needed.

Toothpaste

3T baking soda

3T coconut oil

A few drops of clove oil, cinnamon oil, ginger oil or peppermint oil

Melt the coconut oil in a bowl put inside a bowl of warm water, mix all ingredients together, when you put it in a container it will harden. Just put a small amount of it on your toothbrush and go! Some people will add a few drops of glycerin to this, I have not done this, but, try it out!

This last recipe is not one that I have tried, but I know so many people who don’t have any kind of dental plan that I wanted to put this one out there for those who need it..

For Bacterial or Viral Related Infections

1 cup Rosemary or Sage herbal tea

1 teaspon fresh lemon juice (optional)

1 teaspoon raw honey

2 drops Peppermint essential oil

2 drops Bergamot essential oil

1 drop Tea Tree essential oil

Brew 1 cup of Rosemary or Sage herbal tea. Add fresh lemon juice. Measure 1 teaspoon of honey and add essential oils to it and mix well. Combine aromatic honey with th warm herb tea and lemon juice. Mix well and bottle in clean glass container. Shake well before each use. To use, simply swish vigorously and leave in the mouth for a minute or two before spitting out. Can be used several times per day. Most beneficial when used following oral care, after meals when the mouth is clean. Avoid drinking and eating within 20 minutes of use to allow essential oils to be absorbed and affect local bacteria. For optimal freshness make weekly.

Dara Dubinet inspires me (Today with her Ginger and Turmeric Tea)

When I was 17 and working at the record store one winter, I got really sick. I was working with this girl Jennifer who told me to go home and soak in a really hot bath with half a cup of Epsom salt and half a cup of fresh sliced ginger. I did. It changed my life. THAT was THE moment that I thought “What else can I do to heal myself naturally?” I had already been a vegetarian for 5 years, but I had not evolved that much into self care/prevention. That time when I was sick, through jennifers help, is one of my defining moments in life. I never looked back.

I began at first to look at the healing powers of ginger. I think its most commonly used for settling a stomach, though this was not what I first learned about it. Here are just a few uses.

Immune system stimulant

A digestive stimulant and anti-nausea food

strong anti-histamine that stimulates upper respiratory circulation

 powerful anti-inflammatory when applied to burns, blisters and achy joints 

linked to easing migraines

Topical application of this anti-fungal root can cure athletes foot

 anti-arthritic benefits reduce aches and pains, as well as inflammation through both internal and external application

Ginger’s anti-tussice (cough) effect rivals that of codeine

 anti-coagulant benefits to guard against blood clots, preventing heart attacks

Ginger is a warming stimulate that gets our blood pumping and circulating in a way that cleanses our skin, bowels & kidneys, normalizes blood pressure, eases lung and throat congestion, supports our nervous system easing depression and chronic fatigue, increases a low libido and fertility.

(Source: Rena Unger-Holistic Nutrition Chef)

Today I want to share with you a ginger and turmeric tea made possible by the amazing Dara Dubinet. If you are not familiar with Dara, check out her youtube channel. (http://www.youtube.com/user/daradubinet) She is a wonderful, kind, amazing woman who is on a mission to help us all be healthy. She recently posted a video about this tea, and it sounded interesting. 

First lets look at some uses for turmeric... It is widely used for rheumatoid arthritis. It is helpful in preventing many kinds of cancer and tumors. It is anti inflmitory. It not only helps with dementia, it actually can help prevent it too! As you can see, this is another root to consider adding into your life. Those are just a few of its benefits, there are many, many more!

Here is how I made Daras Ginger Turmeric tea:

Grate ginger and turmeric (or use powdered turmeric if you don’t have fresh)

Press the grates into a tea strainer and extract as much of the juice as possible

Add a spoon of raw honey

Add how water

Stir and enjoy. It tastes wonderful!

Here is the link to Dara’s video for this also! http://www.youtube.com/user/daradubinet#p/u/10/r8cd2FwoXF0

Days past Meet Days Present

When I was younger. My first job outside of businesses that my parents had was working in a record store. 7^th Heaven. When I started working there, it was a really strange time in my life. I was 17. I was out of high school, I was growing in ways that I had no idea. It really took me years to understand all that I learned in my time there at the record store. I met and worked with some really amazing people. People from different places. I was submerged into a life that was very different from where I came from. And I always smelled good. There was so much incense in that place, that I could wash  my clothes and still smell it. Wonderful. Nag Champa.

I met a guy there named Paul. I think we worked together for almost 2 years. He was full of life, happy, and just a good soul. At the time, I didn’t put much thought into “good souls” but I still knew that he had one. He was like an angel. Just.. the environment we were in was not always positive, but he was. He was a musician. And, he was newly in love. Well, I don’t know WHEN he actually fell in love, but the girl he started dating, was the girl that he married. Years later Paul died of cancer. I never got to see him again after my times with him at the record store. I never got to say goodbye or give him a hug or tell him how happy I was that he married his dream girl. I never got to do a lot of those things.

Keri, his wife is such an amazing person. I didn’t have contact with her till after Paul died. She is so strong and beautiful. I have often tried to put myself in her shoes, and I just cant do it. I don’t know how she is as strong as she is. She loves life. She is amazing.

My whole point here? Well, Keri just wrote a blog that really spoke to me. I always read what she has to write. I always learn something from it too. It could be about her or about me or about life, or it could just make me think. Whatever the case, I just wanted to say that you should read it too! This blog is just really right one with how I feel and where I am going. OFF to vibrating at higher levels!

Everyday Gifts

Raw Tacos- high raw when the family isnt

                                                                                  ~Spread by Penni Shelton

L.D., I was thinking about you for this one!

I have been giving a lot of thought to “How do I add more raw foods to my diet” People ask me that a lot. And its usually followed by “I am the only one in the house who is interested.” In my house, we do a lot of blended meals. Its easy for me to make a pot of pasta and a raw sauce. At that point, I can decide if I am having raw pasta or not. Another is taco night. Its SOOO easy to make raw fillings and then we usually have both taco shells and romaine shells. Ill post a few pictures. The impressive picture is the dinner that Penni Shelton made me. It was really a five star meal. But she didn’t slave away in the kitchen all day long either. If you want the recipes for these, go to Raw Food Rehab, there are thousands and thousands of recipes, and so much more. (Coming soon will be a blog about why I love RFR so much!)

More pics of less impressive, yet yummy and filling raw or mostly raw tacos...

Give me a romaine wrap, avocado and a tomato and call it a meal!  :)

Natural Sunscreen in Foods

Natural Sunscreen - clarita

According to research, eating certain types of foods can act like natural sunscreen to help the body protect itself against harmful rays from the sun.

Even though most people reach for the bottle of sunscreen to protect themselves from the harmful rays of the sun, there are other ways to protect skin. Some research concludes that eating certain foods helps the body create natural sunscreen to give people extra protection from the sun.

Natural Sunscreen in Colorful Fruits and Vegetables

Plants like humans can suffer from too much exposure to the sun. According to Catherine Guthrie in the article "Eat Your Sunscreen" in Natural Health, plants use color as natural sunscreen. The more color a plant has, the more protection it has from the ultraviolet rays from the sun. The ingredient that helps plants get color is lycopene, a type of carotenoid, found in pink and red fruits. Guthrie states that tomatoes are also high in lycopene, and cooked tomatoes contain even higher amounts of lycopene because cooking tomatoes helps them release more lycopene.

Besides fighting off cancer, green leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach may also protect the skin. According to Guthrie, a breakthrough study done in Australia over 11 years revealed the mixture of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in green vegetables could lower the risk of skin cancer by more than 50 percent.

Natural Sunscreen in Dark Chocolate and Green Tea

Antioxidants, also called flavonoids, in dark chocolate may help protect skin from the sun. Guthrie states that a study published in 2006 in the Journal of Nutrition revealed that people who drank hot chocolate with 329 mg of total-cocoa flavanols (a type of flavonoids) increased the ability of their skin to fight off harmful rays from the sun. It is important to note that milk chocolate and drinking hot chocolate with milk prevents absorption of polyphernols, which will not help skin protect itself from the sun.

Besides dark chocolate, green and black tea also help protect skin from the sun. Guthrie writes that a 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology revealed that people who drank two or more cups of either black or green tea every day had a 30 percent less likely chance to have squamous cell carcinoma than people who did not drink tea.

All Natural Sunscreen

People who eat foods like grapefruits, peaches, broccoli, spinach, dark chocolate, and tomatoes and who drink green and black tea can help their bodies produce all natural sunscreen.

Besides dark chocolate, green and black tea also help protect skin from the sun. Guthrie writes that a 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology revealed that people who drank two or more cups of either black or green tea every day had a 30 percent less likely chance to have squamous cell carcinoma than people who did not drink tea.

Natural (homemade) Beauty Products

I am on a quest to:

A) Not put anything ON my body that I dont want to put IN my body

B) Make my beauty products with stuff that I mostly have in the house already, or that have dual purpose

C) As one woman put it "Stick it to the man" by not having to BUY beauty products

There are a few things that I have been doing or am trying that I like. And a few that Im looking for something better. Maybe you have ones you would like to share with me? I would LOVE it if you would!

DRY Skin Brushing

Maybe I havent been doing this long enough to SEE any results, but I dont see anything, except maybe that I dont need lotion anymore. Maybe thats from the brushing or maybe thats just from the diet changes.. Anyhow, I do this all the time cause it FEELS AMAZING! Ill keep up with it just cause it FEELS like a spa treatment. And maybe it is helping stuff along..

Raw honey as a face wash

 I put it on my face in the tub, leave it there for about 2-4 minutes then wash off with a wash cloth. My skin feels really soft, it seems to get a little tighter too, though I dont really NEED that, I suppose its a plus. My skin feels more even and less red. I love this treatment and use it everyday, and will continue to use it.

Raw Coconut oil as a moisturizer

 I use about the size of a pea or smaller. put on face. Feels oily for a while, but once it soaks in, its great! I have heard a few people (not many) say that it doesnt work for them, they have had success with jojoaba oil, which I have not used by itself on my face. 

Witch Hazel as a facial toner

I sometimes use witch hazel as a facial toner, since I have been using the raw honey, I havent needed it, but sometimes (probably 2 or 3 times a week) Ill use it to wake up my skin, just to get that refreshed feeling.

Coconut oil bath Soak

I put (apx) 2 TBLS of coconut oil in the tub and soak for a while. If I do this 2 or 3 times a week. I dont need lotion. I try to keep this out of my hair so it wont get greasy, but I  have seen some people say that they use it on their hair too.. (does NOT work well with my hair) My skin feels great and smells good too!

Homemade Deodorant

made from shay butter, coco butter, baking soda, sandlewood, and flax oil. This stuff when you mix it all up, smells SOOOOOO good. Ive been using this stuff twice a day JUST because it smells so good. Using it twice a day works great, im not sure about once a day cause I have never used it just the once. Im sold on this.

Homemade Toothpaste

Made from cocnut oil, tiny bit of baking soda, tea tree oil and clove oil. I LOVE the tea tree and clove oil, and in the past have put those in store bought natural toothpastes. However, this one makes my teeth really sensitive. Ive noticed that I can only use this a day, then the next day I have to use like a Toms Of Maine one or something. If anyone has a different homemade one that they use and like, let me know, I would LOVE to try a different one!

Baking Soda shampoo

Just mix 3TBLS baking soda with about 2.5 cups of warm water and mix and massage into hair, then rinse. Ive only used this method twice, and so far It did NOT take more color out of my hair that other natural shampoos, it did not make it softer but more corse, and it DID give it more body and it did bring out my natural wave, which I almost never see with other products. I followed the baking soda with Apple Cider Vinegar rinse, it seems nice, but I think I want to use this method for about 2 weeks before I can really say if I will keep it or not.

Relaxing Detox Soak

Epsom salt and ginger or another essential oil or fresh herb. Real hot water, SOAK. This has been one of my favorite things since I was about 12. Seriously, I love to soak for a while, it clears my head. Especially when the tub smells good.

Please share what you are using,  what you like, what you dont, etc. Im really looking to make my tub into a SPA. I have 2 young girls, I dont get out all that much, and I am really trying to make the most out of my relaxing time, not to mention pocket book!

Raw Korma

Here is the recipe, below I will tell you what I changed. Recipe is by Russell James

- 1 Small Carrot, Chopped 1/4-1/2 cup
- 1 Small onion, chopped 1/4-1/2 cup
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 2 tablespoons Mild curry powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 small handful cashew nuts
- 1 sprinkle turmeric
- 1 sprinkle cumin
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ head Cauliflower
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 large date or 2 small

1) Put all ingrediants except the cauliflower and raisins in the blender and whizz at a high speed until combined, the mixture should be thick but run off the back of a spoon – add more water if required. Curry Sauce complete.  In a bowl add the cauliflower, the raisins and then mix in your curry sauce…. Eat!

My modifications. I added a whole bunch of small cut veggies to mine to make this a veggie korma and not just a cauliflower korma. I encourage you to hand cut all the veggies that are not part of the sauce if you want the sauce to remain smooth (which is how I like it..) I added peas, sugar snap peas, onions, and a few other things. Any veggies will work, so use whatever you like!

Recipe feature on blog hop. Skip over to check it out, its a really cool place to see other great recipes!

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