Dr Margaret's Treasure Chest

  Are you surprised that I might give you some pearls in the form of health tips? Then you probably haven't read my profile :-) In some parts of the world it will soon be summer, so I thought it might be helpful to focus on insect bites etc... When our son was just five years old and learning to ride his first mini-bike, my husband took him to a reserve with plenty of room and a nice little hill. Attempting to negotiate that rise, our son was supposed to open the throttle just a little to get a good run up, but his run up the hill turned into a jump across it - straight into a bull ant's nest. While superboy ended up with a couple of quickly forgotten bruises, his father suffered quite some time from a number of those nasty ant bites. Had I known then what I know now, those bites would have been little more than a momentary inconvenience. Some years later, an old bushie told me about his secret weapon: Coca Cola! We always keep a can in our first aid kit now, and as soon as an...

  Here is the easy and inexpensive recipe I promised to keep your gut flora healthy. Sorry it's taken so long. We had overseas visitors and an enjoyable break, but now life is returning to normal and here it is - my own fermented drink recipe made from good-quality organic wheat, rye, oats, millet or triticale (avoid old, cracked or rancid grain). I prepare a sterilised glass jar and fill ½ with grain that has been thoroughly rinsed in a strainer until free of dirt, dust and chaff. Then I add distilled water until the jar is nearly full and allow the grain to soak for 24 hours in a warm place. Thereafter I shake the jar, strain off the liquid, and let the ‘soak water’ ferment in a warm place, covered with a piece of cheesecloth. Depending on the temperature, this process will take approximately 36-72 hours. Afterward, I store the liquid in a refrigerator for up to one week. The discarded grain can be used in sourdough bread and soup etc. Drink ½ glass of the fermented liquid eac...

Have you ever felt depressed? Was it just a passing bout of the blues or was it more severe? Let's talk about this topic and discuss some natural remedies that can be effective for less severe cases. Christians often think that depression has no place in a person yielded to God, but this is not so! Many faithful servants have suffered from depression and have even considered suicide! I once spoke at a Christian health day where I met two extraordinary Christian women who told of their experiences with depression and bipolar disorder, and how the Lord carried and sustained them through it all. Please do not think that clinical depression is brought about by the person suffering from it. It has many origins, and in this fallen world even Christians suffer from hormonal and other biochemical imbalances that often have no causal explanation. There is therefore no reason to feel ashamed! If you think that you, or someone you know, is suffering from depression, there is a reall...