Church change. I have been praying about this and churning it over in my mind for a few months. And I finely now have made the change. I feel a little sad about it—not to see certain folks regularly. But I feel I must move on to what I think is the right move. I’m not going to talk about the reasons, but there are doctrinal reasons. So, I feel that I am following the Lord, but yet I am sad. I feel a peace about it. Yet I know there will be struggles, and I must endure them and push on.
Working less. This last summer I worked much more that I figured I would. And I was suffering in the heat—90-degree heat for many days. I think I have to push myself to slow down. I have resolved to take more days off between jobs—I’m a house painter; semi-retired. And I will take only easy jobs. I will not quit working completely, because I really like what I do. But I also like days off and having time to write and read more, etc.
Health issues. I’m finding that I’m having more and more health issues—because of my age I suppose. But it is also a challenge to concentrate more on good eating habits and regular exercise, etc. Nobody wants to be sick—unless you have a death wish. I know that much sickness in people is because of heredity. But we can’t use that as an excuse. We all, especially us older folks, must work extra hard to keep ourselves healthy—watch our diet, exercise, and deal with any illnesses. And I find that daily prayer is very helpful. I follow the Jabez prayer. Why not? He prayed that God would bless him and keep him from harm (1 Chron. 4:10).
When I began to think about what I could blog on today, one idea was to write on my uses of clove extract. Well, I thought about it for a while, but then dismissed the thought, thinking it was maybe too trivial. But then, as soon as I put my mask on to go into the gas station to buy a newspaper and a doughnut, as I usually do, my clove idea was suddenly revived. I had earlier dabbed a small tag on my face with a Q-tip soaked with clove extract, and surprisingly, that clove aroma had somehow filled the inside of my mask—and I was feeling good! It was a delightful experience inhaling that aroma. Suddenly, wearing a mask wasn’t half bad.
I don’t know if clove extract will do anything for skin tags, but I can definitely recommend some uses. Here goes:
1. Getting rid of oral lichen planus. A while back I had a case of this skin rash on the inside of my mouth and after a few applications of clove extract (either by dabbing it or as a mouth wash) it went away. When I reported it to my dentist, and he inspected it, he was amazed and congratulated me on thinking of it.
2.A mouth wash. Cloves will kill mouth bacteria and also will give your mouth a fresh and pleasant taste and smell. I just put a few drops in a cup and then add a little water and gargle.
3. Use as a hand wash. If you have a bad smell on your hands and want to quickly get rid of it. Just apply a few drops, add a little water and wash. Your hands will have a good smell for hours.
4. Use as a cologne. Dab some on the face, and arms.
5. For a great mask smell. Apply anywhere on the face before putting on your mask and breath the fresh smell.
6. Use in coffee or tea or any drink. I usually put about three or four drops in my tea in the morning. It adds a great aroma and taste to your palate. And it’s good for you.
Also, here are some health benefits of cloves.
Contains manganese (for brain health) and vitamin K
Today I will begin to write about what I have learned over the years on how to maintain good health. And I think I will start in this blog with talking about my colon. I have heard—and I believe it—that most of the health problems people have begin in the colon. That makes sense to me. A clean colon makes for a healthy body.
For about 35 years now, every morning, I have used a colon cleanser. Very simply, I just mix a heaping teaspoon of psyllium husk in a tall glass of water, and I drink it the first thing in the morning before breakfast (you must take it before you eat). In addition, I also eat unsalted sunflower nuts all during the day. The combination of those things really does it for me. It keeps me going regularly and keeps my pluming (colon) clean. I told my doctor what I was doing and he seemed impressed! In favor of it.
I was trying to think back on when I first decided to start this ritual. I think it was right after a very frightening thing happened to me 30 years ago. I fainted. And it happened during a church service. Very embarrassing. I was just glad I was sitting toward the back. I had blacked out, and I know why. I was badly constipated (and maybe had a touch of the flu) and my body had shut down. I know that that doesn’t happen to most people. Everybody’s different. I’m a fainter. I take after my mother. She’s a fainter. Anyway, my point is, my body was reacting to what was happening in my colon. I was clogged up. For many people, they develop colon cancer. I’m glad that hasn’t happened to me. The way I eat sometimes, I’m surprised. But I know the colon drink and the nuts has helped.
I know that most people would say that, had they been in my situation, they would go to a doctor right away. And maybe I did, I can’t remember. If you feel that you should go to a doctor, then by all means, go. But I also want to say that there are many instances where you can just use your common sense. There are many home remedies out there that won’t hardly cost you anything and will have no side effects. I don’t think we should regard doctors as gods and just automatically think they have all the answers. Many of our health problems we can figure out ourselves—after we have done some research.
And if your doctor is a good one, he will tell you the same thing. I have found many times that if I call my doctor and talk to a nurse first, she will ask me, well, what have you tried? A good doctor or nurse will assume that you will first put on you thinking cap and try to figure it out first. Maybe in past days doctors would want you to rely only on them; but, I think it seems more and more these days that doctors want you to use you own brain and try to figure out what your body is telling you, and maybe to try eating healthier foods.
Yes, in many cases, before spending so much money on doctor’s visits, you may want to do your own self-evaluation. I find the internet to be very helpful, and there are so many good health books out there. I hope this discussion was helpful. I would appreciate any comments.
Please note that what I have said here is only my opinion. I have no medical degrees. Again, as I have mentioned above, if you think you should see a doctor about you condition, then be all means make an appointment.
Stephen Nielsen 