Overlooked Natural Remedies for Common Health Issues

From floaters in your eyes to inflamed tendons, there are simple, natural remedies for everyday problems you can choose that may surprise you in just how effective and gentle they are.

We all have those nagging little daily problems that are enough to bother us, but not enough to seek out medical help for. Fortunately, there are natural remedies that provide easy answers to these common problems. From disappearing eyelashes to the occasional irritable bowels, you don’t have to look any further than nature for simple solutions.

Longer, Thicker Eyelashes, Naturally

Those mascaras and lash-lengthening products you’ve been using could be causing more harm than good. Before you leave your house in the morning, you’ve already been exposed to more than 100 chemicals from your cosmetics, soaps, and other personal care products, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The toxic load you are exposed to day after day adds up quickly and can have a lasting impact on your health – these chemical exposures have been linked to everything from breast cancer to asthma and autism.

Fortunately, there’s castor oil. Cold-pressed, organic castor oil applied to clean eyelashes before bed each night is an age-old remedy for thicker, healthier lashes that grow faster and resist breakage. The secret is in the fatty acids present in the oil that absorb easily and nourish all the way to the roots. You can use either an eyeliner brush or cotton swab for application, and it’s effective on eyebrows as well. Castor oil is sticky though, and will feel heavy if applied too thick.

Clear, Healthy Eyes: Relief From Floaters

Have you ever opened your eyes to see dark specks or strings moving across your field of vision, only to see them dart away when you blink? I’ve had many clients come to me concerned these are parasites, but these are actually floaters, a common problem as we age. The round shape of your eye is created by its vitreous fluid, which fills about 80 percent of the eye, and it shrinks as we age and gets stringy, which casts shadows and creates floaters.

I personally use Dexterity Health brand liquid MSM drops – just one drop in each eye a few times daily is all it takes. MSM has been shown to remove tissue particles and floaters, while repairing damaged tissues and improving circulation in the eye. This allows nutrients to pass through more easily, so those vitamins you’ve been taking for issues like macular degeneration can reach the tissues that need them.

Indigestion and Irritable Bowel Help

One of Russia’s best-kept health secrets has been Siberian Pine Nut Oil. This oil has long been studied and used there for digestive issues, from acid reflux to peptic ulcers, liver issues and irritable bowel. Rich in essential Omega 6 fats, amino acids, vitamin E, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt, and iodine, Siberian Pine Nut oil is chock full of nutrients known for their digestive healing properties.

One bottle of pure Siberian Pine Nut oil is usually all that’s needed to see improvement. One tablespoon taken 3 times daily, an hour before meals, for at least 21 days has been used in Russia to balance stomach acid, increase bile flow, and soothe inflamed gastric tissues. I introduced my Radical Metabolism clients to this wonderful oil and have heard nothing but good results in our Facebook group.

Trace Minerals for Tendonitis

For most people, eating a balanced, healthy diet full of nutrient-rich vegetables and essential fats is enough to keep tendons healthy and strong. But if your tendons are inflamed from exercise or repetitive strain, you may need more vitamin and mineral support. There are specific vitamins and trace minerals that are essential for the health of both tendons and ligaments.

Tendons and ligaments are made primarily from collagen, which needs vitamins A and C for healthy production, formation and function. Foods rich in vitamin A include oily fish, liver, grassfed cheeses and butter. I recommend supplementing with Time-C from UNI KEY Health, which contains a unique, time-released formula that keeps a steady supply of vitamin C flooding your tissues to enhance collagen production.

The metabolism of collagen also relies on the trace minerals manganese, copper, and zinc. I don’t recommend supplementing with copper and I’ve written extensively about this in my book, Why Am I Always So Tired?, but I do recommend manganese and magnesium supplements when tendon inflammation arises. In the body’s wise system of checks and balances, it keeps a balance between magnesium and manganese, just like there’s a balance between copper and zinc. In addition to Mag-Key from UNI KEY Health, I would supplement with 10 milligrams 3 times daily of manganese amino acid chelate.