Flu Shots----Should We Take It Or Not.

      Every year we are encouraged to take a Flu Shot. The shot puts Flu Germs into our bodies to help the body to build up an immunity towards the Common Cold and the Flu Bug. If your body is balanced from eating Vitamin and Mineral enriched foods like fresh fruits and vegetables and the whole grains, we will not get sick as often as other people do.
      My wife and I have never taken the Flu Shot. We are always trying to balance our bodies naturally by eating healthy foods and this will increase our immunity against most diseases and the Flu Bug. Some people will get sick every time they get a Flu Shot and you could die if your body can not handle those Flu Germs. So why do Doctors encourage us all to take a Flu Shot?  It is called Job Security!  The Doctors invented the Flu Shot. Then they encourage everyone to take it. When you get sick you will be calling the Doctor to help you to get over the Flu. Doctors are smart. They know how to increase their business. If you are one who Does get sick from the Flu Shot and you decide not to take  it this year, there are some Natural Remedies that will build up your immunity system and help you NOT to get the Common Cold or the Flu. If these Natural Remedies helped me and my wife then they should help you also.

 1.  Include Fresh Garlic In Your Diet.

      Do you have a Mother or a Grandmother that uses fresh Garlic in their cooking?  Have you noticed that you do not get sick as often as others do because you are eating the Garlic enriched foods? Garlic is a Natural Germ Killer. Did you know that a lot of farmers give their farm animals a clove of Garlic to swallow because it prevents them from getting sick and it gets rid of the worms in the stomach and the intestines.
      A friend of mine told me that his parents had both died in an Auto accident and his Grandmother had raised him and his brothers. His Grandmother was born and raised in Germany. He said that every year when winter was approaching, his Grandmother would give each one of them a sliver of Garlic to swallow every morning. When others would get the Common Cold or the Flu, he and his brothers never got sick.
      If you are one who hates the taste of Garlic like me you can take Garlic in pill form, or you can swallow soft gels with Garlic Oil in them or you can cut the cloves into slivers and easily swallow them. This is the most common way that I use Garlic.

 2. Include Flax Seed In Your Diet.

      Flax Seeds are very high in Antioxidants. They are very healthy to eat. But Flax Seeds have to be grounded up before eating them, In a whole form the seeds will go right through your body and do you no good. So remember that the seeds need to be grounded up. Flax Seed is a natural laxative. So don't eat a lot of it all at one time or it will go right through you and give you the runs. But I want you to know that I have been eating Flax Seed a little bit at a time for over 20 years and my bowel movement is always comfortable. I have not had diarrhea or constipation for a long long time. Besides protecting you from the Colds and the Flu, Flax Seed is a Cancer killer and it will protect your body from most forms of Cancer. By the way I use a small coffee grinder to grind up Grain and Flax Seed to make my fresh hot breakfast cereals. When my wife grinds up wheat for homemade breads, rolls and muffins, she always adds a teaspoon of Flax Seed.
      My neighbor has grounded up Flax Seeds for over 20 years and he puts the grounded Flax Seed into his yogurt, his fruit juices and both his cold and hot cereals. He says when others all around him are getting the Common Cold and the Flu, he never gets sick.

 3.  Buy A Juicer And Juice Up Fresh Fruits And Vegetables During The Flu Season.

      No one can eat 30 or 40 apples all at one time but if you were to juice up 40 apples, it would not be to hard to drink all of that juice. The same goes with carrots. It is way easier to drink the juice from a lot of carrots then it would to eat them. The juice from both fruits and vegetables that were ran through a juicer, they are way higher in both Vitamins and Minerals then it would be to eat them. These fresh juices are way more easier also for the body to digest and to enter into the blood stream giving the body more balance. It also greatly builds up your immunity system and prevents you from getting the Common Cold and the Flu if you are drinking these fresh juices on a regular bases.
      A word of Caution for the first time users. This fresh juice will naturally flush out the poisons, the toxins and other impurities that are found in the body. You will experience Diarrhea for the first week or two. This is a natural process when the body is given a " juice flush ". So at first drink the juice sparingly until your body gets use to it. Let the Diarrhea pass naturally and then all will be well and you will not have any more Diarrhea.
      Most people do not use their apples and they will gladly let you come and pick them for free starting in July clear to the end of October. Many of these apples will have worm holes and that is OK. I just cut out the bad parts and then run the good parts through the juicer. As for the carrots you can grow all the carrots you want in your own backyard and they will be available all winter. Please read on Google Search---" Uncle Bob's Home Remedies-How to grow lots of Carrots ".

 4.  Eat Lots Of Fresh Home Made Chicken Soup During The Flu Season.

      Home made Chicken Soup is the number one Remedy for the Common Cold and the Flu and it is eaten by the mountain people, the country folk, Sheep Herders, the Jews and many countries all other the world. Chicken Soup will quickly bring balance back to the body before, during and after the Flu Bug is gone. Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup is OK to eat in a pinch, but the home made Chicken Soup is 100 times better and it will bring balance to your body way much better then any other soup.
      Basic Home Made Chicken Soup is very easy to make. You buy a whole chicken or you could buy chicken pieces like the drum sticks or the thighs. Boil the chicken in a large pan on low heat for over an hour or until the chicken meat falls off the bones. Remove the chicken and the bones from the chicken broth. Remove all the meat from the bones and put the meat into a bowl. Now add the following to the hot chicken broth carefully so that you will not burn yourself. Add diced up onions, add diced up potatoes, add diced up celery and then add diced up green and red bell peppers. Frozen Peas could also be added if you choose to do so. Simmer these Vegetables on low heat until you can poke a fork into the potatoes. Then add the chicken meat and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes. Raw Onions are excellent for people who have the Common Cold or the Flu. I always add raw diced up onions at the last minute for flavor and let it simmer for five more minutes. Put this soup into bowls and add salt and pepper until it is just the way you like it. Then if you wish and I do this I will add  pre-made flat egg noodles or dumplings. This Home made soup is very Yummy! You could also eat soda crackers with real butter on them and eat this with your soup. Enjoy!!!!

 5.  Drink A Hot-Tottie.

      This is very easy to make and it is excellent for both children and adults. Put some hot water into a mug and add a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, a heaping teaspoon of Honey and the juice that was squeezed from a half of a lemon. If you put the lemon into a cup of hot water for a minute, you will be able to squeeze more juice out of it. Both children and adults can drink these Hot-totties three or four times a day during the Flu Season or when you have a Cold. If you have a dry raspy or a sore throat or a cough, you could gargle with this hot-tottie and it is very soothing to a sore throat then you swallow it.
      Some people will put Blackberry Brandy into their hot-tottie because it has Pectin in it. That is OK but not necessary. If you have the Flu all ready and you would like to sleep way better at night, then give a teaspoon of Blackberry Brandy to children and a tablespoon full to adults and this will greatly relax you. Store the Blackberry Brandy in a cool dark place until you need to use it again as a medicine.

 6.  How Can I Overcome A Sore Throat Or A Cough During the Flu Season?

      I have found an easy way to overcome Sore Throat and those nagging coughs that often exist at the same time. I have tried many Remedies for sore throat and I am not impressed with most of them. But I have found a Remedy that seems to work every time I get a sore throat or a bad cough..The Remedy is simple. Before going to bed put some Hydrogen Peroxide into your mouth and gargle with it for a full minute. It will form up in your throat.. Then spit it out but do not rinse your mouth out with water. Leave the form in your throat all night long and generally the sore throat will be gone by morning. If your cough starts up again in the middle of the night then get up and gargle again with the Hydrogen Peroxide and again leave the form in your throat. If you swallow a little bit it will not harm you.  I will swallow some of if on purpose if the Peroxide is not getting to the lower parts of the throat. On the Peroxide bottle it does say that it is not for internal use and to keep it away from the eyes and to keep it away from children. Please remember this after using it for you sore throat.
      The main cause of sore throat is the presence of sugar in the throat before going to bed. Make it a general rule that no candy or pop after 6 pm and brush your teeth well before going to bed. The Peroxide should not be used by children under the age of eight years because they will swallow much of it. If your children have a sore throat then make a Hot-Tottie listed up above for them to gargle with before swallowing it.

 7.  Buy A Case Of Oranges And Or Grapefruits To Eat Before, During And Also After The Flu Season,

      Often Grapefruits will go on sale for 3,4 or 5 for a dollar. When this happens I will buy 40 or 50 of them. Also cases of Oranges are often sold at Christmas time for 10 to 15 dollars. These fruits are high in Vitamin C and the fruit juices will flush out the impurities and bring balance to our bodies. But for best results for the fruit to do it's thing it must be eaten by it's self and NOT with other foods.

 8.  Increase Your Intake Of Vitamins C And E.

      It is a proven fact that both of these Vitamins will greatly help to prevent the Common Cold and the Flu. It will also build up your immunity towards most types of Cancer. But during the Flu season it would be wise to take one of each in the morning and then again at night before going to bed.

 9.  Eat Raw Sunflower Seeds Every Day.

      Raw Sunflower seeds are very high in Vitamin A which is excellent for the Common Cold and the Flu. Roasted Sunflower Seeds will not work. The seeds that you eat and spit out the shells, these will not work either. The Sunflower Seeds that you will be eating needs to be 100% RAW, and make sure the store owner is selling you the raw seeds. Eat one or two tablespoons of these raw seeds everyday. Besides building up your immunity system towards Cancer and the Flu, you will also notice a great improvement in your eye sight after eating the seeds for 5 or 6 months. It improved my eye sight so much that I do not need glasses now to read. Besides this Raw Sunflower Seeds are a tasty treat and I greatly enjoy eating them every day.

10.  The Onion Remedy.

      I read this in a County Doctor Book that if you take a large raw onion and cut it in half and put it on a stand right next to where you are sleeping, it well help you to sleep way better at night when you are sick. The last two times that I have been sick and I had a hard time sleeping, I tried this Onion Remedy and it does work. If you have a stuffy nose the Onion Remedy will help to unplug it. Also if you grab the Onion and rub the onion juices all over your chest and then put the Onion back on the stand so you can breath in it's fumes all night long, both of these will greatly help the Common Cold and the Flu.

11.  Rub Your Chest With " Vicks Vapor Rub " Or Mentholatum.

      You just can not believe how much better you will sleep at night by rubbing either of these salves on your neck, all over yout chest and also put some up your nose before going to bed. This is the Remedy that our Mothers and Grandmothers would use on us when we were all children and guess what? This Remedy still works to this very day.

12.  Eat Cottage Cheese Mixed With Flax Seed Oil During The Flu Season.

      Buy a 16 oz container of Cottage Cheese and add a level teaspoon of Flax Seed Oil to it and stir it in well then eat this every other day with your regular meals. Flax Seed Oil is generally sold in most stores in the area where the Vitamins and Minerals are sold and it is not too expensive. A better Oil that can be mixed with the Cottage Cheese is Hemp Oil. This Oil is 20 times better in medical properties then that of Flax Seed Oil. The only problem is Hemp Oil is only sold in health food stores and it is way more expensive to by. But Flax Seed Oil mixed with the Cottage Cheese, this is a great medicine for the Flu and all forms of Cancer.

      Many of you are tea drinkers and there are some excellent Herbal Teas that will help you in getting over the Common Cold or the Flu. Some of these teas can be bought in a regular food store but the rest of them can only be bought in a Health Food Store unless you have the knowledge of knowing where to find these Herbs in the wild and gathering them yourself.
      Here is a list of Herbs to be used as teas for the Flu.  1.  Catnip.  2.  Sage.  3.  Peppermint.  4.  Blue Violet  ( Excellent )  5.  Ginseng.  6.  Nettle.  7.  Rosemary.  8.  Saffron.  9.  Sweet Balm.  10.  Tansy.  11.  Yarrow.  12.  Elder Flowers.  13.  Ginger Root.  14.  Golden Seal Root.  15.  Pennyroyal.  and   16.  Sarsaparilla.
      An excellent tea to drink for the Flu is to mix Bayberry Bark with Yarrow Flowers. My favorite is  " Dandelion Brew ". I will gather the Dandelion Roots and roast them in an oven until they are dark and crispy. Then I will boil the roasted roots in a double boiler pan for 20 or 30 minutes but add more water to the pan if it gets low. I'll put the drippings into a mug and add something sweet and milk. I call this " Dandelion Brew " and it is great for the Common Cold and the Flu.

      Generally during the Flu season the weather outside is cold. Dress up warm when you are outside even if it is for just a short time. It is important to cover your head, your neck and your hands. Also wear a heavy long sleeve shirt or a warm coat. Your body needs this protection from the cold and it will greatly help you from getting sick. When you wear shoes or boots in cold weather, always wear 2 or 3 pairs of socks. If you wear either one of these without the socks then you are asking for trouble. Not only will the socks help to keep your feet warm but it will also soak up the sweat on your feet.

      All of the suggestions up above are excellent Remedies for the Common Cold and the Flu. For best results it is wise to use a combination of these Remedies. My wife and I both use these Remedies and we practice them  on both our children and grandchildren. If you choose not to take the Flu Shot, I hope these Remedies will help you too the same as it has helped us. We will go to the Doctor if we really have to but when it comes to the Common Cold or the Flu We Can Do Our Own Doctoring.

Chokecherries,Huckleberries,Elderberries And Service Berries.

      For anyone that lives in any of the Western States in the USA, going Chokecherry or Huckleberry picking in the Fall is very popular. The Fruit of these two and Elderberries are made into Jams, Jelly, Muffins with fruit, Pies, Wines and Pancake Syrup. The Service Berry is also made into pies because both Service Berries and Huckleberries do make a good Blueberry substitute. But Service Berries are more common as a snack berry. Most of the time when Service Berries become ripe they have no sugar or juice in the berry. When you try to eat them they are dry and tasteless. But I check on these berries every year and sometimes they are plump, sweet, juicy and really Yummy to eat. They are so good to eat that after I have visited the tree, the fruit will be all gone and there will be none left for anyone else. When it comes to eating Service Berries I guess I am a little pig.
      There are lots of stories to be told over and over again that is centered around going Huckleberry and Chokecherry picking and I plan to tell some of my stories. All of these Berries are very high in Vitamin C and they also have a lot of Pectin in them. If  you were to store any of these berries in your freezer they would make good medicine in controlling a once in a while case of Diarrhea. The Pectin in the fruit is whats doing the job and these fruits will also help you to overcome any constipation. When ever either one of these problems take place, all you have to do is make a Berry Pie and eat your problems away. Of course you can also take Pepto-Bizmo.
      One year we had a Family reunion in Island Park in the State of Idaho. It is a family tradition to eat a Pancake Breakfast with Real Butter and Chokecherry Syrup. Eggs and Sausage is also served but the Pancakes and the Chokecherry Syrup with some whipped cream on top is what everyone wants. This is really a special treat for Breakfast. Later that morning several of us went on a hike with a Lady Ranger. She gave us a history lesson on both the Indians and the Mountain Men who use to live in this area. She told us about the wild animals that live there and she gave us the names of several plants that we had passed and what the Indians used to do with them. Then we came to a Chokecherry bush and it was loaded with cherries but they were not ripe yet. She said that this was a Chokecherry Bush but do not eat the berries. They are very poisonous. Everyone in our group told her that they were not poisonous and we had just got through eating pancakes with chokecherry syrup on them. She said she had never heard such a thing and the information that they were poisonous came from a Ranger Book.
      In a way the Ranger was telling the truth. If you were to eat the Chokecherries right off the tree they do not taste good and they will somewhat choke you as you try to eat them fresh. The seeds inside the berries have a poison in them that can make you very sick if you were to swallow a bunch of them. My wife will take the freshly picked cherries home and boil them in a large pot. The juice is a dark Purple-Red color. She will boil the cherries twice and then combined both juices together. The juice is put into both quart size and half gallon glass bottles and boiled in a water bath and when the bottles cool down the lids will seal onto the bottles. When ever we need some Jelly or Pancake Syrup,  sugar and or Pectin is added to the juice and boiled on the stove making both Jelly and Syrup. I have noticed though that after a good heavy frost in the fall, any of the chokecherries that may still be on a tree, the frost will make the cherries sweet and good to eat without the choking effect. But most generally when a heavy frost comes there is generally no more cherries on the tree.
      Just like the Chokecherries  Do Not Eat The Elderberries Raw. They Will Make You Very Sick!!!!
 But after you have cooked the berries then they are OK to eat. Elderberries makes a great tasting pancake syrup, jelly and a yummy pie. The Mountain Folk know how to make a great tasting Wine or Brandy from the Elderberries. A tea that is made from the cooked Elderberries or the flowers will help a person to overcome a Cold or the Flu.
      I would like to say a few more things about the Chokecherry before I quit. The Indians enjoyed using the stout sticks on the Chokecherry Bush. They made a strong powerful Bow that was excellent for hunting, and it kept it's spring way longer then any other wood. Remember these words of wisdom just case we may have to rely on some other weapons besides guns. The Bark from the Chokecherry Bush made into a tea made an excellent gargle. This Gargle will get rid of all the gunk and unwanted matter that may collect in your throat. I have personally tried this Gargle and it does work. If you were to swallow some of it that is OK because this tea is also good for an upset tummy. Another thing that this Gargle will do, it will tune-up your vocal cords. If you could not sing before this Gargle will allow you to sing for the first time and if you already have a lovely voice this Gargle will make it more beautiful. I kid you not !!
      When going Huckleberry picking the berries are quite small and it takes 2 or 3 hours to get a gallon container full. The Huckleberry Plants generally grow on the east side of a mountain slope. So when one goes Huckleberry picking you have to go way up into the mountains and it takes most of the day to pick a few quarts of the berries. My wife and I will take lunch with us and have a picnic while berry picking. Plus there is a great feeling when you are in the mountains and enjoying the great outdoors. In my eyes this beautiful mountainous area is God's Country.
      One time many years ago, the Huckleberries were as big as pie cherries plus the plants were just loaded with the berries. They were plump, very sweet and juicy and you could pick a whole gallon in less then a half hour. We picked several gallons that day and a lot of people were there picking the berries. That was a fun day picking the fruit and visiting with other people and making new friends. At the end of the day, we started back home and we passed a chokecherry bush that was heavy with lots of big berries. My wife could not pass them up so we stopped the car and she began picking. On the other side of the road was another chokecherry bush and my wife sent me over there to pick those berries also. Right next to this chokecherry bush was a small service berry bush and it was loaded with plump juicy berries. I did pick all the chokecherries and when I left all the service berries were gone also. I ate them all. That was one of the best days we have ever had for both chokecherry and huckleberry picking.
      Only a few weeks ago my wife asked me if I was interested in doing some fishing in the mountains and while I was fishing she would pick chokecherries. Well, on the way to the fishing hole we passed by several chokecherry bushes and we had to stop at each one and pick all the berries. At the fishing hole there were several bushes loaded with chokecherries just up the road. I dropped my wife by the berry bushes and I drove to a near by campground to use their bathroom and all around the bathroom were chokecherry bushes with maybe 4 gallons of chokecherries. This was way more berries then where my wife was picking. So I picked her up and took her by the bathrooms and she picked all the berries and by the time that I had caught my limit in fish she had also picked all the chokecherries that were up the road also. That was a good day for both fishing and chokecherry picking.
      I read this story in a Big Foot book and I hope you will enjoy it. A man went huckleberry picking all by himself because his wife had to work that day. After he had been picking for an hour, he heard a noise and when he looked up the hill there was a Big Foot sitting on the ground eating the berries about 300 feet away. The man kept staring at him because this was the very first Big Foot he had ever seen. The Big Foot looked at the man and then stood up and began walking towards the man. The man dropped his bucket and ran down the hill and got inside of his car. When he looked back at the Big Foot the creature was sitting down and was eating the berries the man had picked. When the berries were gone the Big Foot began walking towards the car and the man started his car and got out of there. The Big Foot might have had the same feelings as Casper the Friendly Ghost. While the Big Foot was running down the hill he was saying: " I just want to be your friend ".
   

The Heath Benefits From Eating English Walnuts.

      What are English Walnuts ?  These are a light brown and some what round nut that is rough on the outside. One end of the nut is round and the other end has a point on it. When you crack it open the nut on the inside looks like a Human Brain. These are also called White Walnuts and a lot of people buy them both shelled and unshelled at the store. They are eaten as they are right from the bag as a snack or people will chop them up into small pieces and add them to cookies, cakes or a topping to go onto ice cream. The unshelled ones are bought commonly throughput the year while the shelled ones, that you have to crack open, these are often bought at Christmas time. I have notice that when people buy the shelled mixed nuts, the Walnut are always the last nuts left in the bottom of the bowl and yet it is one of the most healthiest of all the nuts to eat.
      Because this nut is shape like a Human Brain, is it a healthy food for the Brain ?  Yes it is !  It is an Antioxidant Food that is rich in Fiber and it feeds the Brain. It also provides good Cholesterol that will surround the Brain to help it to perform and think way much better. Yes, the eating of 5 or 6 Walnuts everyday is healthy for both your Body and your Brain. Believe it or not the eating of these Walnuts will help the body NOT to get the Cancerous Diseases. So it is very safe to eat more Walnuts everyday. Some of the other Health Benefits from eating Walnuts are listed below.

 1. English Walnuts have Vitamin A, the B-Complex Vitamins and it is very rich in Vitamin E. These Walnuts also have the following Minerals:  1.  Potassium  2.  Calcium and  3.  Magnesium.

 2.  Walnuts eaten as a food will get rid of the Free Radials in our bodies because it is an Antioxidant.

 3.  Walnuts have Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients in them that will help to get rid of both Infections and Staff that may be found in the body.

 4.  The eating of English Walnuts everyday will greatly reduce the risk of both Prostate and Breast Cancer.. This is a proven fact.

 5.  Eating Walnuts everyday will help to control both Diarrhea and Constipation.

 6.  Because Walnuts provide the Brain with Fiber, Oxygen and Good Cholesterol, it will help to prevent both Alzheimer and Parkinson's Disease.

 7.  Walnuts have a rich source of Heart Healthy Mono-Unsaturated Fats and they are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

 8.  The eating of Walnuts will benefit the Heart and the Circulatory Systems. It will cause the Blood Vessel Walls to be soft and flexible.

 9.  It will stop excessive clotting in the Arteries.

10.  Because of the minerals that are found in Walnuts it will help to lower our Blood Pressure.

11.  Walnuts are a great food source for those who have Type 2 Diabetes and for those who do not have Diabetes, the eating of English Walnuts will greatly lower the risk of future health problems.

12.  Other Health Benefits that come from eating Walnuts are weight loss and Walnuts will help to create strong Bones. It will help to boost up your memory and it will greatly strengthen the nervous system.

13.  The leaves on the tree will make a great Bug Repellent. Rub these leaves on your arms and face and all over your clothes. It will repel mosquitoes, flies, bees and fruit flies.

14.  The Walnut Husks when they turn to a dark brown or almost a black color, the insides of these husks can be rubbed onto your grey hair as a natural brown dye. Then rub Vinegar onto your hair and you will have beautiful brown hair until you again cut your hair. I have done this to my own hair and it does work. It will make you look 20 years younger. One year for Halloween I rubbed the green husks onto my hair and it gave me green hair for over a month. But in today's world green hair will help you to blend in with others who dye their hair with every color of the rainbow.


      As you can see above English Walnuts are indeed a very healthy food. Not only for our bodies but it is also very healthy to our Brains. You can't go wrong from eating lots of English Walnuts.