An Aspirin a Day May Send the Doctor Your Way

Three studies recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine are challenging the modern tenet of prophylactic aspirin therapy. These studies point to the conclusion that a daily low-dose aspirin protocol provides no significant health benefits for healthy older adults. In contrast, these studies show that aspirin is more likely to cause serious complications rather than provide life-saving benefit.

The first study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by Monash University in Australia. Approximately 20,000 healthy individuals with a median age of 74 were followed for 5 years. Half of the participants received 100 milligrams of aspirin a day and the other half received a placebo.

After five years, no difference in “disability free” survival rates were statistically observed. However, most importantly, they found a 40% higher rate of major hemorrhaging in the aspirin group compared to the group that received a placebo.

The second study corroborated these findings by demonstrating that the risk of major hemorrhage was significantly higher with aspirin than with a placebo. Major hemorrhage events primarily involved “upper gastrointestinal and intracranial bleeding.”

In the third study, a “higher all-cause mortality” was observed among healthy older adults who received daily aspirin compared to those who received a placebo.

These results are not meant to challenge the recommendations for patients with a history of heart attack or stroke, where previous research demonstrates the benefits outweighs the risks.

However, they do demonstrate that the current recommendation for healthy older adults to use aspirin daily as prophylactic is unwarranted, and is more than likely putting millions of people at risk who have followed this regimen.

Articles are linked in the comments.

 

Spring Cleaning with Essential Oils

Natural Chemical Free Cleaning With Thieves Essential Oil Products

Every year about this time people start feeling like doing a little spring cleaning. Do you find yourself feeling motivated to freshen things up a bit after a long winter with the house closed up and the furnace or a wood burner running? There is something motivating about the spring. It makes you feel like getting out and doing things. I find myself wanting to give the house a good cleaning.

Most of the cleaning products on the market these days are full of toxic chemicals that are not at all good for your health. I’m sure you are like me, you do NOT want to be poisoning your family every day with the products you are using to clean your home. Health and safety data only exists for 15 percent of all the chemicals out there, even though so many are known to cause asthma or endocrine disruptions.

Essential oils are a better way. They are totally free of harsh chemicals, steam distilled or cold pressed from pure plants. Young Living’s Thieves Product Line is plant based and free of dangerous harsh chemicals.

Here are a few DIY recipes using Thieves Products for natural cleaning in your home.

Glass and Mirror Cleaner

1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner
5 drops Citrus Fresh essential oil (or any citrus oils)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
3 cups water

Add all ingredients to a spray bottle and shake well to combine. To use, spray windows and glass surfaces liberally and wipe clean with a lint-free cloth.

Deep Cleaning Scrub

1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner
2–3 tablespoons baking soda
3 drops Young Living Lemon Essential oil
Combine Thieves Household Cleaner and enough baking soda to form a thick paste. Apply mixture with a clean cloth, sponge, or scrubbing brush and scour the surface thoroughly.

Deep Cleaning Scrub – Larger batch

Ingredients:
3 cups Baking Soda
3/4 cup Thieves Household Cleaner
1 Tbsp Distilled Vinegar
30 drops Young Living Lemon Essential oil

Directions:
1. In a large glass bowl, add your Thieves Household cleaner, vinegar and Lemon essential oil.
2. Then slowly add your baking soda, stirring to combine.
3. Once completely mixed through, transfer to your desired container. I recycled my old honey jar. It fit perfectly. You could even use an old soap dish bottle. (However you may need to add a bit of water to thin it enough to squirt through the top)
4. Use wherever a little more scrubbing action is needed.
Once completely mixed through, transfer to your desired container. You may need to add a bit of water to thin it if you are using a squirt bottle like an old dish soap bottle.

DIY Thieves Cleaning Wipes

Ingredients
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon Thieves Household Cleaner
10 drops Lemon essential oil
20 high quality paper napkins (Coffee filters also make good cleaning wipes.)
Glass container with lid

Directions
Combine all ingredients, except the napkins, in glass container. Stir to combine.
Add the paper napkins. Make sure all the napkins are damp. Cover with lid.
Store in a cool, dark place.
Makes 20 wipes.

Note: For reusable cleaning wipes, cut several cotton fabric squares into 5-inch squares. Put the fabric squares in a sealable glass container. Old t-shirts make nice cleaning wipes. Pour liquid over the cloths. Make sure the cloths are well dampened.

Carpet Spot Cleaner

1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner
6 cups water

Mix water and Thieves Household Cleaner in a spray bottle, shaking to combine. To use, lightly spray the spot and blot with a clean white cloth. Repeat as needed.

Wood Floor Cleaner
5 drops Citrus Fresh
2 capfuls Thieves Household Cleaner
1 cup olive oil
Mix in 1 gallon warm water in a bucket. Use to mop floors.

Wood Cabinets
Combine 5 drops Citrus Fresh, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 capful Thieves Household Cleaner in a small bowl. Apply evenly to wood cabinets with a damp cloth.

Kitchen Sink and Countertops
Combine 3 cups water and 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner in a spray bottle. Spray surfaces with solution and wipe clean.

Toilet Cleaner
Combine 1 cup water and 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner in a spray bottle. Spray toilet liberally, let sit 15 minutes, then scrub with a brush. Flush to rinse. Spray seat and outer surface, then wipe clean.

Trash Can
Pour 1-2 capfuls of Thieves Household Cleaner into trash can. Fill with water and let sit for an hour or more. Pour out water and wipe dry.

DIY Stain Remover with Thieves Laundry Soap

1 bar solid castile soap, unscented, shaved into small pieces
1/3 cup washing soda
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons Thieves Laundry Soap
4 drops Lemon essential oil
Empty deodorant container
Empty lip balm container

1 Add all ingredients except for the essential oil and laundry soap into a saucepan.
2 Heat on low until the soap and all the particles are mostly melted.
3 Remove from the heat.
4 Add Thieves laundry soap and essential oil and evenly mix.
5 Let cool slightly and empty the mixture into a ziplock bag.
6 Cut the corner off and squeeze the liquid into your containers.
7 Put on the lids, let completely cool.
8 Lightly dampen stick with a wet washcloth before use to adequately spread around the stained area.
9 Wash as you normally would.

5 reasons you should use a plant based cleaner

1. Safety: Have you read the label on the back of a commercial cleaner? Warning! Flammable! Do not ingest! Keep out of reach of children! Many chemicals used in household cleaners have not been tested for safety. Household cleaning supplies are one of the top five substance classes accounting for calls to the National Poison Control Center.

Many commercial cleaners contain ingredients that are endocrine disrupting chemicals, carcinogens, or neurotoxins. Kids, babies, and pets are even more vulnerable to chemical exposure because they are smaller and cannot get rid of toxins as easily as adults. It is definitely worth ditching harsh chemicals for a cleaner with plant- and mineral-based ingredients.

2. Air quality: Did you know that indoor air is 5–7 times more polluted than outdoor air? Most cleaning products contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which have been associated with many health problems, including damage to the liver, kidneys, and the central nervous system. They have also been shown to harm our lungs and cause throat irritations and headaches. VOCs are released when products are used and can linger in the air long after we clean. When we breathe, we inhale the air—as well as whatever is in the air.

3. Environmental impact: Harsh chemicals found in cleaners are not only harmful to our bodies, but they also have a major impact on the environment and are huge contributors to environmental pollution. Some conventional cleaning products contain ingredients that are toxic, non-biodegradable, and from non-renewable resources like petroleum, so they harm the Earth’s ecosystems. Harsh chemicals may contaminate the water through rivers, streams, and lakes, which affects wildlife, plants, trees, and us! Plus, there are thousands of chemicals that are in cleaning products that have never been tested for safety.

4. Convenience: It’s much easier to clean with a few products that take care of all your cleaning needs, rather than a having whole arsenal of toxic products under your sink and in your bathrooms. With Thieves® Household Cleaner, you can tackle multiple cleaning jobs in your home without switching products as you clean! It cleans countertops,

windows, mirrors, floors, toilets, showers, and pretty much everything else. Plus, you don’t have to worry about getting bleach stains on your clothes or accidentally mixing dangerous chemicals together. It’s worth a try for the convenience alone.

5. Cost: The cost of buying cleaners is expensive, especially if you have to buy multiple different cleaners. Thieves Household Cleaner is very cost effective, and it comes in a concentrated form. There are approximately 60 capfuls of the cleaner in a 14.4-ounce bottle. Using the medium degreasing ratio, you can get about 29 16-ounce cleaners. That’s less than $1 a bottle!

Why worry about all the what if’s? Be empowered and take charge of your chores by using a cleaner with plant-based ingredients.

Chemical Free Living

The average person applies 300 chemicals to their body every day and 80 of those chemicals before breakfast. Most of those are from soap, makeup, shampoo hair care and other personal care products.

Essential oils are a better way. They are totally chemical free, steam distilled or cold pressed from pure plants. There’s nothing in them but that one oil, whether it is lemon, tangerine, lavender, peppermint, or others.
There are over a million uses for essential oils — cleaning supplies, personal care products like toothpaste and deodorant, in the diffuser, oil-infused nutritional supplements.

Roller-Ball Combos -Biblical Oils

Sunday Blend-
10ml Roller Ball
3 Drops Cedarwood
6 Drops Sandalwood
1 Drops Cassia
Fill with Carrier Oil

At Peace – 10ml Roller Ball
4 Drops Frankincense
4 Drops Sandalwood
4 Drops Tangerine
Fill with carrier oil

Bruise Relief
lightly massage into skin 2x per day.
10ml Roller Bottle
10 Drops Frankincense
10 Drops Lavender
10 Drops Cypress
Fill with V6 Carrier Oil

Healthy Nails – Nail Polish Bottle
This will fill the bottle to about a quarter full.
20 Drops Wheat Germ Oil
10 Drops Frankincense
10 Drops Myrrh
10 Drops Lemon
5 Drops Wintergreen

Intense Defense Spray
4 oz spray bottle
1 Drop Oregano
1 Drop Frankincense
1 Drop Lavender
1 Drop Hyssop
1 Drop Lemongrass
2 Drops Peppermint
Distilled Water to fill

Thyroid Support – Neck of the Big Toes &/or along Thyroid on neck
10ml Roller Bottle
8 Drops of Frankincense
8 Drops of Myrrh
5 Drops Lemongrass
5 Drops of Myrtle

Cleaning your Crystals

Crystals and oils are harmonious. They each have a life energy of their own! Cleanse your crystals using this simple spray:

10 drops sage oil
6 drops lavender
4 drops Joy
2 drops Valor
1 drop White Angelica

Place oils in dark spray bottle. Add distilled water. Use as needed. This spray works well for crystal biomats as well!

Have you started your own collection of both?

For wonderful crystals check out Optical Awakenings!

If you are getting your crystals from Optical Awakenings, they will not need to be cleaned. So don’t use this protocol with them.

Some DIY Essential Oil Recipes

Oil blends for laundry dryer

20 drops lavender and 20 drops lemon
20 drops tea tree and 20 drops orange
20 drops lemongrass and 20 drops lavender
20 drops bergamot and 10 drops cedarwood

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3 Gallons of Natural Laundry Detergent for Under $20!

Ingredients

¾ cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Detergent Booster & Household Cleaner
¾ cup OxiClean Laundry Baby Stain Soaker
½ bar Dr. Bonner’s Unscented Soap
3 glass gallon containers (5-gallon heavy duty plastic buckets work as well)
1-5 ml bottle of any citrus essential oil

Instructions

(Stove Top)
Grate the ½ bar of soap over LARGE pot on low heat – you can split in two batches if you don’t have a large enough pot.
Add 5 cups of water.
Stir soap and water until dissolved on medium-high.
Add OxiClean and Washing Soda in mixture until dissolved
Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
(In Glass Jars)
Pour 4 cups hot water into each of the 3 jars.
Then add about 2 cups of the soap mixture into each bucket with 40 drops of any citrus essential oil.
Stir, then add enough cool water to fill each bucket.
Let each bucket thicken over night.
And don’t forget to stir before each use because the detergent may get lumpy or gelatinize.
Easy peesy!
Quick Note: Depending on whether you have a high-efficiency washer or not, you should use between1/4 – ½ cup scoop per load.

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Natural Homemade Shower Cleaner with Oxyboost

Ingredients

1 scoop MyGreenFills OxyBoost Brightener
1 scoop MyGreenFills Enzyme Stain Remover
½ cup warm purified water
3 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions

Mix well and use with your favorite scrubbie to get your shower clean!

Notes
You can also use some tea tree essential oil to help fight fungus like mold! Simply add three drops to this recipe, or replace the lemon if you’d like.
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DIY Hand Sanitizer

Ingredients

10 drops of essential oils
190 proof grain alcohol
1 oz. glass spray bottle
OR Alternative with Aloe if you don’t want alcohol:
10 drops of essential oils
1 oz PET plastic flip top bottle
Thickened aloe gel

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Homemade Oven Cleaner That Works

Ingredients

½ cup liquid soap
1 cup baking soda
½ cup hydrogen peroxide
2 tablespoon white vinegar [additional vinegar for rinse]
10 drops of lemon essential oil
10 drops of tea tree oil [optional]

Instructions

Empty everything out of the oven including the racks.
Wipe the oven down with hot, soapy water.
Mix together all the ingredients to make a paste.
Spread the paste all over the inside of the oven except on the heating elements.
Let it sit for at least 4 hours; the longer you let it sit, the more it can work. You can leave it on overnight and it won’t hurt anything.
Remove the paste with a rag, brush, or scrub sponge.
You can do a final rinse with a mixture of ⅓ vinegar and ⅔ water in a spray bottle.

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SPIDER spray recipe
Ingredients

15-16 drops of essential oil – one scent or a combination
8 oz water
glass spray bottle

optional: 3-4 drops dish soap – to help break apart the oil molecules in the water
optional: tablespoon white vinegar – might affect fabrics

oil suggestions:

Peppermint
Cedar
Citronella
Citrus – lemon, grapefruit
Cinnamon
Eucalyptus
Lavender
Tea Tree

The Bees Knees

Save the Bees

Help save the bees by planting these on your garden. 🐝

My organic farmer friend tells me this: Buttercup is actually not great for bees!!
Ironically they’ve left out one of the most important!!!
Clover!!!
White clover is particularly good for bees.
If everyone planted white clover on their lawns rather than grass the bees would be seriously buzzing(lol)

Sunflowers every year. They grow so big and my son loves them.

And basil. The bees go crazy over all our basil here in the keys

We grow Anise, it smells like licorice and the bees love it!

Anise hyssop…..it is more than wonderful,flying feather farm has it in May
it’s beautiful in the garden and a bonus that the bees love it.

Shedding some light

Wondering why you haven’t been sleeping so well? From Dr. Mercola’s website email today:

  • LEDs emit nonanalog light that typically has excessive blue frequencies. Regular exposure, especially after sunset, will contribute to worsening of sleep and an increase in disease

  • When using LEDs, you might end up with increased cellular damage and decreased repair and regeneration

  • You have cells in your retina responsible for producing melatonin, which regenerates the retina during the night. If you use LED lights after sunset, you reduce the regenerative and restoring capacities of your eyes, raising your risk for macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness

  • LED light can exacerbate chronic disease of all kinds by promoting mitochondrial dysfunction and suppressing energy production in your cells

  • LED light, including that from electronic screens, suppresses melatonin production, thereby disrupting sleep, which also has far-reaching health consequences