Pneumonia

The information posted in this entry is to supplement treatment your doctor has prescribed. If you suspect you may have pneumonia, call your doctor. He or she may prescribe antibiotics that can aid in your healing.

While at home, the following can help relieve your symptoms and help you feel better more quickly:

• Stay hydrated--drink plenty of fluids.
• Get plenty of rest, but make sure to get up out of bed and sit in your favorite chair as often as possible.
• If possible, do not suppress the cough. Coughing is your body's way of getting rid of the infection. Reasons to suppress the cough would be because you are not able to breathe, not able to rest, or coughing is causing vomiting. Ask your doctor what is appropriate for you.
• Use aromatic oils containing oregano, thyme, or rosewood. In studies, these have killed the S. pneumoniae virus. It is not know if the oils are effective in humans, but aroma therapy couldn't hurt and may help you relax.
• Use garlic. It can help lower one's fever, if present. One could even apply garlic paste to the patient's chest (and ward vampires off at the same time).
• For pain relief, rub turpentine oil around the patient's ribs and wrap them with warm cotton wool.
  
• Consume sesame seeds. Put 15 grams of seeds in 1 cup (250 ml) of water water. Add 1 tbsp of linseed, a pinch of table salt, and a teaspoon of honey in the mixture. and mix well. Swallow down this mixture everyday. It will aid in removing phlegm from the bronchial tubes.
• Drink your veggies. Mix 3/4-cup of spinach juice with 1.5 cups of carrot juice daily.
  
• Practice breathing exercises; a.k.a. "chest therapy":
  
  • Use a incentive spirometer. Your doctor can give you one of these or you may be able to find one at your pharmacy. Using this regularly can help improve breathing and loosen sputum.
  • Practice rhythmic breathing and coughing every four hours:
    
    • Before starting the breathing exercise, the tap lightly on your chest to loosen mucus within the lung. If possible, have someone tap on your back.
      
    • Inhales rhythmically and deeply three or four times.
    • Coughs as deeply as possible with the goal of producing sputum.

Below, find some of the items mentioned above (like the incentive spirometer). Click on the arrow at the bottom of the carousel to move through the products:

Make Your Own Pet Food

I found these recipes from Make-Stuff. The advantage of making your own pet food at home is that you know exactly what your dog or cat is eating and it may be more cost effective.

"Animals, because they are color blind, choose their foods by smell. Most dogs like gamey flavors best, as well as liver, fat, garlic, horsemeat, lamb, beef, cheese and fish. Cats enjoy chicken, liver, fish, turkey, lamb, and yeast, and prefer fresh to aged flavors. Remember that cats are fussy eaters and it is not wise to continually feed them their favorite foods. Soon they will refuse to eat anything else; it is your job to see your cat has a balanced diet. Animals do not need salt added to their diet as the natural salt in the food is enough for them. Dogs may eat any vegetable they want, but cats should not have any starchy veggies, like peas and corn. Some dogs and cats even enjoy fruits! Onions are potentially harmful to dogs. It's a good idea to always add a grain, such as Kibble, wheat germ, cooked oatmeal or whole wheat bread to meat dinners. For dogs use 75% carbohydrate foods (grains and vegetables) to 25% meat; for cats use half carbohydrate foods to half meat. You will find, once you begin making your own pet foods, that it is really relatively simple and you will save some money as well. remember that all pet foods should be served at room temperature; don't serve food cold from the refrigerator nor hot from the stove. Incidentally, you should know that cats should be fed three times a day, while an adult dog needs only one meal a day. Here are some pet recipes you can make at home:

SAUTEED LIVER Heat 1 teaspoon corn oil in a pan. Add 1/4 pound beef liver and fry on both sides until cooked but not dry inside. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan and mix it up with all the brown bits. For dogs, cut the liver into pieces and serve; for cats, grind the liver in a blender, using the pan juices.

CHICKEN SOUP Combine 1 chicken liver, 1 giblet, 1 chicken heart, 1 chicken neck, 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley. Cover and simmer until the giblet is tender. Chop all the meat for dogs removing bones and mix with kibble; for cats, you may want to grind the meat in the blender.

VEAL STEW Combine 1/2 pound stewing veal, 1 cup canned tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1 chicken bouillon cube, parsley and a dash of garlic powder in a pot and simmer. When meat is tender, remove all the bones. For dogs, cut the meat in chunks, and mix stew with kibble or some other grain; for cats, grind the stew in blender, adding a tablespoon of wheat germ or 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread.

LIVER COOKIES Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine 1/2 cup dry milk and 1/2 cup wheat germ; drizzle 1 teaspoon honey on top. Add one 3 1/3 oz. jar of strained liver baby food or homemade blended liver and stir until everything is well mixed. Form the mixture into balls; place them on an oiled cookie sheet and flatten them with a fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Consistency should be fudgy. Store in a jar in the fridge; freeze if keeping more than a few days.

LAMB STEW Follow the recipe for Veal Stew, using chunks of lamb instead and leaving out the tomato if desired.

MACKEREL DINNER Heat 1 tsp. corn oil in a skillet and fry 1 small mackerel until it flakes apart easily. Remove and cool. Pour 1/2 cup hot water into the pan and scrape the brown bits into it. Remove the bones from the fish and mix with the juice. For dogs, serve in pieces with kibble; for cats, grind with the pan juices.

FISH COOKIES Follow the recipe for Liver Cookies but use instead 3 1/2 ounces of mashed and boned mackerel, either canned or freshly cooked.

BEEF COOKIES Following the recipe for Liver Cookies, using cooked beef puree instead.

DOG MORSELS 2 cups whole wheat flour 2 tsp. garlic powder 2 cups white flour 1 cup skim milk powder 2 eggs water 1/2 cup melted beef or pork drippings (or lard) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix ingredients together with enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll out and cut into Christmas shapes. Bake on cookie sheet until hard.

KITTY TREATS 1 1/2 cups rolled oats 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup tuna oil, chicken broth or beef bouillon Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients into a dough. Dust hands with flour and form small, 1/2-inch-thick, round "biscuits". Set on greased cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes (or until biscuits are slightly browned). Cool 30 minutes before serving.

BUDGIE BROWNIES 1 cup cornmeal 1 tsp. finely ground cuttlebone 1 cup hulled millet 2 tbsp. liquid honey 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 2 eggs 2 tbsp. raw wheat germ of coconut 4 egg yolks (for larger birds add 1/2 cup peanuts) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Pat into a greased and floured baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm (if edges start to get too brown, cover with foil). Cool and cut into small squares.

The Common Cold

Catch a cold? Let it go faster by following these tips:

• Rest
• Drink a lot of fluids, stay well-hydrated
• Up your vitamin C: take 1-4 grams per day to help make your cold less severe and not last as long
• Echinacea: take 3-5 ml (milliliters) in juice or tincture form every 2 hours as soon as you feel the cold coming on
• Zinc lozenges: use lozenges that provide 13-25 mg of zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate-glycine, or zinc acetate every 2 hours to help stop the virus you have and lessen the amount of time you have the cold.
  

This is not a comprehensive list of everything you can do when you have a cold, but can help at least get you started. Click here for more information.