Deb's Home Remedies & Medicinal Advice -- Proceed With Caution

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, nor play one on the internet. This information is based upon my own experience, as well as intense research on the web. Can't trust everything you read on the web. If you're reading this article and need emergency medical attention, CALL 911 AND GO TO THE ER!!! Please proceed with caution. I'm only someone who suffers with aggravating ailments like anybody else who has found some pretty cool solutions. Cheers! And please let me know if any of these remedies worked for you!

A few of my viewers over on Periscope Live had asked me to write an article based on a broadcast I had done a few months ago about my home remedies and experience with medicines. Yes, this is a bit unconventional, but everything I have experienced and researched has saved me---literally. I couldn't believe how many people came in just to hear about what I've experienced. Maybe I'm a bit over-zealous about medication and that it's just my anxiety that makes hesitant about taking certain meds....but that's just me. I can't help it. Some would say I suffer from hypochondria. Others may say that I'm obsessed with reading the side effects of any medication. But my question is: why aren't people concerned of what they put into their bodies? Doctors and nurses are baffled whenever I'm in extreme pain or in the ER, and even after my hysterectomy when I specifically said, "NO pain medication other than Toradol," -- they double dosed me on Morphine and Dilaudid. See, Toradol is just a super-duper anti-inflammatory that just. takes. away. the. pain... that's it. It doesn't make you high or anything. I always hear, "You don't want the Percocet?" No. I ended up taking Percocet a long time ago when I had back pain. Weeks after the pain was managed mostly by ice packs and Advils, I found myself saying, "Hmm, I have a headache, maybe I should take a Percocet just in case..." That's when it starts in -- the addictive nature of the beast. Sometimes, when the pain was really bad, I would pop one and have a glass of wine. I started to realize my behavior and immediately stopped. Sooner or later, the pills stop working, so either you need to take more, or grab a glass of wine with it, or you could just realize that this stuff is legal heroin. The biggest drug dealers are doctors. I went into the ER for chest pain after hearing that my mother wasn't doing well -- the day I was told she wouldn't be coming home and that she would most likely pass that evening. As I was getting tested for heart related issues, I started crying hysterically after I heard the news that my mom was leaving us for good. All of the sudden, the nurses all gathered around my bed and said, "You want Percocet? Dilaudid? Fentanyl?" I just stared at them and just said no.

Let's get down to smaller stuff, like Tylenol and Advil, also things that mix with natural remedies, especially turmeric. Everyone is looking for a quick fix as well as more natural ways to alleviate symptoms. So from my own research and experience, I will let you in on a few things, if you don't already know them.

Sshh, They Don't Want You To Know This! 
Did you know, that if you take a blood thinner of any kind along with turmeric, that you will increase your risk of internal bleeding? This also goes for vitamin E. If you take an aspirin every day for your heart, do not take turmeric, or you can take it every other day. Also, doctors will not tell you this, but taking vitamin E daily reduces your chances of having a blood clot (DVT). Has the same effects of the blood thinners they prescribe, but big pharma doesn't want you to know that. A very unpopular remedy is drinking a couple of glasses of wine per night. It's also a blood thinner. Only take ONE of these remedies to ward off any 'concerns.'

Did you know that acetaminophen can be lethal if taken around the clock, and/or if you have more than 3 drinks per day? It rips apart your liver. And remember, any Percocet or Codeine (oxycodone, hydrocodone) can contain "APAP" which is acetaminophen (Tylenol).

The Dangers of Ibuprofen
Did you know that ibuprofen can cause a heart attack only in individuals who have kidney problems or high blood pressure? Ibuprofen is known to wreak havoc on your kidneys, so if you have high blood pressure of kidney issues, speak to your doctor about it. It is not dangerous if you don't have these issues. But good to know, right?  I'm sure you already know that ibuprofen can cause stomach bleeding and ulcers. It strips away the natural mucus lining of your stomach, so when you eat acidy foods or let your stress hormones kick in, it's not the ibuprofen that makes the hole in your tummy, it just opens the flood gates and lets the evil acid eat away at your lining.

Pass the Mustard!
Did you know that if you have leg pain at night, that having one large tablespoon of good ol' yellow mustard can take the pain away? Athletes use this method a lot. It also helps with indigestion, due to having turmeric and vinegar in it.

The Benefits of Magnesium 
Another great source of relief from insomnia, muscle pain, leg twitching at night as well as constipation is magnesium. But be careful! Not ever source is the right one. I take Natural Calm, which is in a powder form. You put a half a teaspoon in a 6 oz mug or glass of warm or hot water and drink up before bedtime. Don't overtake this magic potion because you will be living your life in the bathroom. Trust that. Taking too much magnesium can lead to diarrhea. Also, taking the WRONG kind of magnesium can cause you to get sick as well. Everything in moderation. I wouldn't take this during the day, unless you plan on taking a nap. It makes you feel so relaxed -- not like Benadryl drowsiness, but a nice, tranquil kind of feeling --- and the best thing about it is, it's natural! The raspberry and lemon flavor sounds bad, but it's my favorite because it somehow reminds me of chamomile tea. It tastes sooooo good, especially in hot water in a cozy mug before bedtime.

Oooh That Smell!
Did you know that cutting up a large white onion and placing it onto your night stand can ward off flu and cold viruses, and even help with your respiratory system? It absorbs the toxins and viruses in the air. It also helps when ingested, but easy does it!  It was a medieval cure for the plague. When the doctor visited all of the people dying of the plague, he walked into another family's home who all appeared as healthy. The one thing he noticed was that they all had chopped up onions in every room. This is still thought to be a myth, but from MY OWN experience --- this really works! I had the flu really bad, and it shortened it greatly. It even got rid of my wheezing within one night. Amazing stuff. You just have to bear the smell of onions in your room, but at that point, you probably can't smell anything anyway.

Sometimes, Carbs Are Your Friend 
Foods can be healing. Sometimes food can be medicine. Most Chinese remedies have been proven to work better than traditional medicine. I remember when I was doing the Paleo diet, and I was on the keto plan, which means NO carbs whatsoever. I had insomnia for so long, I was starting to hallucinate! Finally, I decided that it was this diet wreaking havoc on my system. So as bad as this sounds --- for dinner one night, I had pasta. I slept for 8 hours. Sometimes, having a bit of carbohydrates can increase serotonin levels and make you sleepy. My body was on overdrive and couldn't fall into a deep sleep at all.

Stress Relief 
Last week, I was rushed into the ER for lower right quadrant pain. It was a mixture of calcification on my appendix, as well as a slight hernia, which needed no operation. The appendix wasn't inflamed so I am just leaving that alone for now. Anyway, while one of the nurses was hooking me up to the monitors, I noticed she smelled really nice. My blood pressure was higher, since I was in excruciating pain, and so was my heart rate. As soon as I smelled her, my heart rate and bp went down. I said, "You smell really good, what are you wearing?" She said to me, "And your vitals went back down to normal. It's working. I'm wearing 'Stress Relief' by Bath & Body Works. Many patients have told me that their pain lessened, and I know because their vitals always go back down to normal again." So needless to say, I bought a bottle of this and it has a smell of eucalyptus with a hint of patchouli. It's strange, because I've been wearing a perfume that has a hint of patchouli in it since I was 16 yrs old. It always calmed me down. It won't make you smell like a hippy --- it'll just give you a hint of deliciousness and a huge dose of calmness. I think aromatherapy does a lot because it can sometimes have nostalgic effects on us. So when I smell eucalyptus, I think of my childhood and when I smell patchouli, I think of calming meditation or getting a massage. There are other scents if you prefer. This one totally does the trick for me. Many people love the smell of lavender, which promotes relaxation and sleep.  

COFFEE!!!
I get so frustrated with the news. Coffee is bad for you...coffee is good for you...now it's bad for you...blah blah blah. Fugeddaboudid! Coffee is GOOD GOOD GOOD. I say this because of a couple of reasons. First of all, there've been studies done that showed people who drank coffee than those who didn't were less likely to have suicidal thoughts. Those who never had coffee or never drink it are more likely to be depressed or they have had suicidal thoughts. Google it. It has also helped me when I didn't have a rescue inhaler available for my asthma. One cup of strong black coffee works just as good as an inhaler. Big pharma won't tell you that. It also works like an allergy pill, which is why they say to drink coffee if you have a cold. It dries up your sinuses and works like a Claritin. Anytime I had a wheeze from an allergen or from my asthma, black coffee always took it away. It's a natural remedy. It also helps with pain relief, in addition to an anti-inflammatory. They put caffeine in pain relievers such as Excedrin. Coffee is also known to prevent certain types of cancer. Recent studies have said that previous claims of coffee dehydrating your body are not found that it actually hydrates you due to the water in it. Kind of makes sense, but remember, yellow---no good. Clear---thumbs up. That's just a little factoid you should all know.

Medicine Cabinet or Liquor Cabinet? 
Oh nobody likes to bring these wonderful remedies up, but what on God's green earth did people do back in the day before medicine became popular? Now, don't get me wrong, if you have a problem stopping at one or two drinks, stop reading this paragraph...now. Still reading? Ok, but I'm not responsible for your massive hangover tomorrow morning. Moving on... My mother, my best friend, the love of my life who is in heaven was a funny little lady with a whole lotta' spunk! I learned a lot about alcohol from her. She would "hush" me right now, but I'm still gonna carry on with this. People used hard booze for pain relief back in the day. I remember my grandmother always putting scotch on her toothache, as well as downing a shot or two for pain relief. (Or recreation possibly.) My mom always suggested that blackberry brandy was the cure for menstrual cramps. One night while screaming my head off, doubled over in pain, she said, "Here Deb," as she handed me a very large shot of blackberry brandy. She said, "Down it fast!" (Great role models, love you Ma!) So I did. Voila, the pain was GONE. This was in addition to the 800mg of ibuprofen I had taken. I had dysmenorrhea -- which is a debilitating type of pain some women get with their menstrual cycle. This is also why I had a hysterectomy. It killed my quality of life every month. It was my saving grace.

Vodka works differently. With my debilitating back pain due to the degenerative disc disease they had diagnosed me with, vodka on the rocks with some lemon took the pain away immediately. So it was vodka on the rocks, and also, my back on the rocks. Ice on everything! It worked better than Percocets. I kid you not. One glass usually does the trick. Try not to exceed that.

White wine has a special place in my heart, preferably Pinot Grigio. This is my drink of choice. It also has healing properties to it, like antioxidants, cancer prevention and lung disease, among others. If you have a sore throat, try drinking a healthy pour of white wine. It kills the bacteria that is associated with throat related viruses. It's also a cough suppressant. It works better than Robitussin. Again, big pharma will never let you know that. You can Google this info too. It works every time. I swear by this one! In fact, I swear by all of them through experience.

Having chest pain? Feel like you're having a heart attack? CALL 911 AND GO TO THE ER! But if you're stubborn like my dad was, all he used do was take a couple of shots of cherry heering. It's some type of liqueur that somehow, takes away angina pain, associated with heart problems. After he had a couple of shots, he was like, "Ok, I'm fine! Don't call 911!" And he was always fine. So, if you're in a place where there is NO possibility of going to the hospital or 911 getting to you, try this trick. Otherwise, GO TO THE ER YOU FOOL! I used to get really angry with him because he never wanted to see doctors ---ever. But, this worked well.

Still having chest pain, but it's sort of sharp and stabby? It feels like someone poking you under the rib somehow? CALL 911 AND GO TO THE ER!!! Or you can drink a beer. Usually, when the pain is felt like a sharp little pin poking you, or a bubbly type of discomfort under your left or right rib -- it's usually a big ball of gas. Blame this method on my mom! I remember a time I came downstairs and I was holding my chest and said, "I have to see a doctor mom! I'm having chest pain." She asked where it was and then said, "Drink a beer, Deb!" Lovely. She convinced me it was gas, and after chugging one beer down, I let out the most obnoxious belch -- it nearly shook the glasses in the cabinets. Pain gone.

My beautiful mother. RIP
Feeling cold? Drink red wine. It's also good for your heart and promotes antioxidants from the grape seed. It's probably the healthiest types of alcohol out there. I'm not much for red wine, but when I'm freezing from being outside too long or it's just a cold winter night, red wine is my go-to.

Acid Reflux/Ugh Muy GERD!
"Don't eat this, don't eat that, that's too acidy, that's too spicy." From my own experience from suffering with acid reflux and GERD is this: your food isn't the problem, unless you're eating total junk food. Healthy foods, like fruit, veggies, garlic, onions and spices -- even hot spices are not the culprit for your heartburn. I've gone to get two endoscopies so far, all to tell me that I had "gastritis." I had one incident where there was significant stomach bleeding that was leading to an ulcer and had to stay in the hospital for three days having nothing but a liquid diet. Looking back, I had back issues and was debilitated for three entire months. My go-to round-the-clock meds were NSAIDS -- ibuprofen, mainly Advil. I popped them like Pez. Again, like I said above, NSAIDS will tear apart the mucus lining of your stomach, making food your 'so called' enemy. Keep in mind, it's not only NSAIDS that will irritate your stomach lining. Medications like antidepressants, and yes -- all of them -- are irritants to the stomach just like NSAIDS. Read the warnings on the label. Everyone says, "Stop reading the side effects!" Well, maybe the side effects include STOMACH BLEEDING! So please, always read up on your medication labels, even if it's a CYA warning, you still know what you're getting into. I always thought my dad was crazy for telling me to drink apple cider vinegar for heartburn and stomach bleeding. I'm like, "That's like putting salt on a wound! Get outta' here with that!" UNTIL I tried it. Ever since I've been putting two tablespoons of Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother -- I have no idea what that means ha) --- my heartburn is next to none. Reflux is nearly gone. I don't get that gnawing pain in the pit of my belly. It also gives me incredibly energy! Limiting my NSAID intake, I can now eat spicy foods and squeeze lime in my drinks and dishes again!

Where Will You Be When Your Tummy Wreaks Havoc? 
Sometimes we run into tummy problems, like food poisoning or stress related incidents that stem from IBS. Other times, we create our own tummy problems by drinking way too much the night before. This puts in the bad bacteria, leaving our gut screaming for help, which leaves us living in our bathrooms. If you're planning to go out and have a beer or ten, make sure you pop a probiotic with 2 billion live cultures. Acidophilus is my go-to, but others work just as well. It replaces the good bacteria so your stomach will stop having a war. When I used to drink too much in the past, this was my plan. I always would take it before, but sometimes, you just never know when those drinks would sneak up later that evening, so taking it afterwards wouldn't hurt either. Either way, it's all GOOD.

I hope this info helped you. This info is based purely on experience as well as my own research and "secrets" from doctor friends. If you truly need medical attention, please disregard this article and go straight for medical help. I am NOT a doctor nor claim to be one. I'm just someone who suffers with pain and ailments like the rest of you. I'm just sharing what worked for me.

If you're on here because you either have chest pain, lower right abdominal pain or any other type of medical emergency, CALL 911 AND GO TO THE EMERGENCY FOOL! GET OFF THE INTERNET! With love...

For more of Deb's articles, please visit: www.debrapasquella.com or join her on Facebook and Twitter. Check out her cooking blog for some of her famous recipes! Feel free to watch Deb's live broadcasts over on Periscope as well!