Is there a reliable place I can purchase colloidal oatmeal? I would make some, but I'm not sure how fine it needs to be without first seeing it in person. Maybe a coffee grinder would work...?

Also, has anyone had good experiences with making facial masks with colloidal oatmeal as an ingredient? What other ingredients did you use? I had an allergic reaction to mineral makeup, and though it has calmed down a lot, it's still itchy and red. I don't want to put essential oils or anything like that on my face for at least a few more weeks.

TIA :)

For the past week, my lips have been chapped beyond belief (my lips never get chapped). The corners have cracked, and the sides of my lips feel tingly, and the rest of my lips feel a bit numb. I tried vitamin E oil, olive oil, shea butter, burt's bees, two different types of vegan chapstick, drinking lots of water, exfoliating and moisturizing, vaseline, and carmex. Nothing has helped at all.

I read in the memories that it may be thrush, and that seemed more plausible, so I tried putting some grapefruit seed extract on my lips and VOILA, no more dry lip pain. My lips still feel numb, but they don't feel so... weird and painful. Okay, so I probably have thrush. Fair. I'll get some acidophilus.

My real question: I'm due to have four of my wisdom teeth extracted in two days. What are the implications of a potential yeast infection + oral surgery?

Hey ducks!

This question goes out to those of you who have used the salt water flush (2 teaspoons of salt to 1 quart of water):

I'm curious as to how long the estimated time of loose stool (and/or diarrhea) should last. I would to try this type of flush but not if it means I'll have the runs all day at work, you know? Should I save it for a day when I dont have to be anywhere or are the effects limited to three or four hours?

Thanks!
 

this is a stupid question. i'm relatively new to the whole natural living thing.

i've read a lot about the benefits of using bottles such as SIGG or kleen kanteen as opposed to using plastic water bottles. i have a SIGG and i love using it. however, i am wondering something. i stopped using "traditional" deodorants (and switched to crystal body deodorant) because of the link between aluminum in deodorant and breast cancer. is this in any way also a risk with aluminum water bottles such as the SIGG?

i know i sound paranoid, but i have a history of breast cancer on both sides on the family and am just trying to cut out as many potentially harmful things as possible.

I am a student, so I do a lot of sitting. For some strange reason, I am always sitting cross legged and my knees begin to ache after awhile. I am not looking for a diagnosis, but I am looking for reccommendations to ease knee pain. I know I should sit a different way, but it is very uncomfortable for me and sitting cross legged is as natural to me as breathing. Even when I am out walking, they begin to ache so I don't think it is an inactive issue.

I do yoga and that helps, but the effect doesn't last too long. I read somewhere about glucose and chondroitan but the bottles are close to $20 each, so I don't want to buy something that might just have a placebo effect. Has anyone tried this for a similar problem?

Are there any specific stretches to strengthen the muscles in and around the knees?

I also heard about if a person loses 10lbs their knees will be super happy because all that extra pressure is gone, which would make the load lighter on the knees.


For the record, I am 5'5", female, ~150lbs and I'm 20 years old.

On a recent day-trip to the coast I wound up with sunburn on my legs (my fault - didn't think I'd need sunscreen). As we were on the road for a few days my supplies were rather limited. I had some calendula ointment I use for those times when I get rashes (silly sensitive allergy-prone picky skin...). Since the packaging said it was good for scrapes, burns and skin irritations I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. It worked much better than aloe (my usual remedy).

Just thought I'd share my happy discovery.

i just got my wheatgrass juicer today and i'm excited. i haven't grown my wheatgrass since i will be leaving soon, but when i get back i plan to start. however, in the meantime i'm thinking of juicing some blueberries and apples i bought yesterday. i also got my manual grain mill, but humm... i'm having problems putting it together :-p i'm going to try to find some DIY vids on youtube that might help me :-\  

so i have some questions...
does anyone has a manual [wheatgrass] juicer and what do you put into it besides wheatgrass?  
how do you get rid of that new smell and how do you clean it after each use? with baking soda? vingear? i'm just not sure what would react with the metal. i also don't want the after taste, etc.

http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/OUH327.htm there's a pix of mine. thanks! :) 

So I'm watching "Ellen" right now and she has this women on talking about skin and beauty care. She says that dabbing olive oil under your eyes or anywhere that you have wrinkles before you go to bed minimizes the appearance of wrinkles and smooths them out. Now, I'm sure there is nothing wrong with olive oil on your skin...but...really...does this work? Has anyone done this?

I hope this is appropriate to post in this community. Mods, please feel free to remove this post if it's not.

My husband and I joined a local organic farm's community supported agriculture (CSA) program this year. So far, it's been a really great experience. I've been using my LJ to document our experience, including the work we do at the farm, what we receive in our shares, and how we end up using it (preserving, recipes, etc.).

I thought it might be beneficial to read for anyone who is thinking about signing up for a share or wants to know more about what it's like. We're in Michigan, so it might be especially useful for people in climates with shorter growing seasons.

http://v-is-4-vumpler.livejournal.com/tag/csa

Im 25 and dealt with acne in my teens but it was fine from like, 18 - 24...suddenly in the last 6 months i cant seem to control it! i notice zits on my chest, just felt one on my lower back and my chin is broken out all the time! :( i have little tiny bumps on either side of my forehead and nothing seems to work!

I tried OCM (it didnt work, even with a high ratio of castor oil to olive) and am currently trying proactiv (just the wash) - but ive used neutrogena and st ives with no luck :( i use moisturizer from lush at night and wear sunscreen with moisturizer from avalon organics.

i tried switching my detergent to ALL and wash my sheets often. :( my diet hasnt changed that much, and i drink at least 64 oz daily. i drink tea and dont eat a lot of processed foods or dairy. i did recently (march) come off hormonal birth control (mircette) and thats the only change i can think of.

help? :(

I have gallstones :-)

Ive seen a few different varieties of gallbladder flushes, most involving a juice fast then taking olive oil. The issue is that I have gallbladder attacks when I take in more than 15 grams of fat, which there is far more than that in 1/2 cup of olive oil.

For those here that have had gallbladder attacks and attempted a flush, did you have an attack when drinking the olive oil?

The New York Times highlights a small study done at the University of Texas, which appears to show that fructose is converted into body fat much more quickly than other sugars.

( Science under here )

Hi! I promise I've checked the memories in this community (as well as a few others) before posting this question. For the past several months I have been sticking to a pescetarian diet. It's going well and I haven't noticed any significant negative changes. I'm often tired, but I tend to think that's because I don't have a regular work schedule, thus I don't stick to a regular sleep schedule. My only concern (which was a concern while I was still consuming meat) is that I'm the taking daily vitamins/supplements the my body needs. I'm currently taking a daily multivitamin, 2000 mcg of biotin, a calcium supplement, and 1000 mg flaxseed oil pill. I guess my only thought was that perhaps I should be taking more biotin for my hair/nails and a different type of pill that contains more types of omega acids. Other than that, are there any suggestions? Also, is it okay to take vitamins at night instead of the morning? I can't really see a reason why not, but perhaps there is.

Thanks!!

I'm having a bad day with allergic reactions and IBS flares and all manner of not-fun. Aside from keeping up with the water loss to prevent dehydration, I've also popped a dose of probiotics. Are there any big nutrients or foods I should look to to try and immediately replace nutrients?

Is borax considered a safe "natural" item to use around the house or not? Since it is mentioned so much I thought that it was (for cleaning, pest control, etc) but in randomly looking it up I'm finding articles saying that it really isn't all that safe... can cause infertility problems, damages to unborn babies, it is toxic to people, pets and plants,

I know that nothing is good if it is overused, but most of what I am finding is saying borax causes problems even in small amounts (inhaled, on clothes, on skin, etc.) If this is true, why is it recommended so much as a great alternative?

I've got some kind of baby ointment on a pair of slacks and I'm trying to wash it out, with no luck. I've tried detergent and apple cider vinegar, but the stain is still there.

Does anyone know of an effective stain remover? Thanks for any help given!

Hey everyone -

Over the past few days, some individual mods have received community questions and comments sent to them via the LJ message system. I wanted to take this chance to remind you all of our official email address - naturallivin at gmail.com, as posted on the userinfo page. All eight of us have access to this email and we all check it regularly. You're more likely to get a quick response from this email, and it helps us keep a record of any problems or questions that come up.


Thanks!