Hey everyone -

Over the past few days, some individual mods have received community questions and comments sent to them via the LJ message system. I wanted to take this chance to remind you all of our official email address - naturallivin at gmail.com, as posted on the userinfo page. All eight of us have access to this email and we all check it regularly. You're more likely to get a quick response from this email, and it helps us keep a record of any problems or questions that come up.


Thanks!

I know many people recommend using acidophilus vaginally to treat yeast infections and whatnot. I have some probiotics capsules that have acidophilus in addition to a bunch of other bacteria and I was wondering if it is okay to use these vaginally as well. the product i have is jarro-dophilus http://www.jarrow.com/product/228/Jarro_Dophilus_EPS

thank you.

So today we where finally able to go to Wal-Marts. I had read here before about acne treatments and such. I need to get rid of my acne not only to look and feel better for myself but I have a chance of getting better tips if I look even cuter. :D

Anyways I went and bought a few items that I read about. Milk Thistle (175mg), Lemon Juice, Witch Hazel, and some other antiseptic. My question now is how to use these items. Should I use them all in one day or is that too much for skin to handle? Should I do Witch Hazel morning and night and do the lemon juice once a week? I have no idea what to do.

Right now I think I'll do the milk thistle twice a day just to see if I can handle it. Then I'll go up higher if need be. I did want to get Epson salt to make a bath to soak in since I have really bad shoulder and back acne but our tub is not one you would want to sit it. Icky house mates make it nasty. Should these right now do a well enough job?

The last thing I'm trying is to drink lots of water. I can't do this during the day as I have a really weak bladder if even I don't drink anything but at night I know the bathroom is right there so I drink it all then. Will this still work ok?

So many questions. ^_^; Sorry.

I took my kitty with the swollen lip to the vet. Thank you for the advice. The Doc mentioned that my cat needs to have some teeth removed because of dental disease. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS!!! Really? Cats go to the dentist, and I have to pay $500 for my kitty to be put under so he can have his teeth cleaned and pulled. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks again!

My baking stone is my "natural" cookware, so I was hoping you guys could help me out.

We've been using a baking stone for a few years now. Unfortunately my roommate put soap on it today when she was washing it. I've been told that doing this will permanantly impregnante the stone with soap, and that it will leach soap from now till eternity--that this made the stone useless. Is there any way to get around this problem, like running water on it a long time? The stone had a couple of years of oil buildup, so it was pretty protected. I'm really hoping I don't have to toss this one.

Thanks everyone!

Edit: The soap was Dawn brand.

If I remember correctly, someone on this community was bemoaning the loss of Tom's of Main Peppermint toothpaste, which has been discontinued. I found a few boxes left at my local walmart, and was wondering if anyone was still looking for them. I'd be willing to buy and ship these if someone would pay me the cost of the product (four dollars and some change) plus shipping, (estimated two dollars.)

On the assumption that exercise is a natural way to good health, I bring you this question:

If you have an infection or similar illness that affects a localized area of your body but doesn't make you feel *sick*, is it better to carry on with normal exercise or to give your body a rest? Does raising your body temperature have either a good or bad effect on how your body fights infections, viruses, etc.?

(In my specific case, we're talking UTI and power-walking on a treadmill. Aside from the usual symptoms, I don't feel bad, but I can't decide if exercise is a good idea or not.)

but it's good, hence the theft:

So Obama goes on his Eurasian world tour, to packed crowds and international respect. He even nailed a three-point shot in a pickup hoops game with one of the troops.  Meanwhile, McCain can't get through a campaign stop without committing three new gaffes, and the only good news for him is that nobody's paying attention to him anyway.

It's no wonder that conservative columnists like Bob Novak are so seething with rage. Heck, they're starting to randomly run down pedestrians.

Elderly, homeless, and a tree-hugging pedestrian. Gotta be a registered Democrat.

Meditation + no sleep = unexpected nap. Hopefully, the meditation worked, though. :)

ETA: There is, however, something very comforting when someone you highly respect says he enjoyed your opening comments at your concert. *blush* (okay, NOW what's going to go wrong? *paranoia*).

ETA 2: It's also rather odd watching yourself on playback. I find myself going 'who is that and why is she wearing my clothes?' and 'how the hell did I get cheekbones?' (answer: I plastered them on with blush).

is there anything i can do for my kittens before i get them spayed? they're going in next wednesday morning. are there any herbs or supplements i can give them beforehand to help them stay calm? thanks

Im in the big Sigg vs K.K debate right now. Honestly my big issue is finding one! Im going to spend some time tonight going through the archives here and some websites where I can shop. 

Question though..does anyone have any opinons on either of them and accessories? I need some sort of way to carry it..even if its a loop or something. In a Nanny so we do a lot of parks..zoos..etc. Especially when I hear that they tend to sweat and get cold. Any thoughts? 

I intend on building an earth sheltered home in the next 5 years and would love to hear about other peoples experiences, what they love and what they'd change?  Contracter stories and ways to increase the off grid sustainability?

TIA 

Hi, My name is Esther, I live in Massachusetts and this is my first post :)

Anyway, I wanted to ask for good websites or places(in MA) to buy everything we need to start brewing our own beer. Actually, the story behind it is that I am leaving the country to be in Canada for about 4 months, and I know that my boyfriend tends to like to drink beer when he is bored. So I challenged him; he is not allowed to buy one bottle of beer the whole time I am gone. He needs to learn to brew his own, or he can't have it.

So any good online tutorials, and good "starter kits" that aren't too expensive and as natural as possible would be awesome!

Thank you!

My boyfriend loves those fruity raspberry shaving gel for shaving. I am attempting to clear out all products that are not natural. Are there alternative natural products that foam/gel and smell fruity?

hi everyone, 
you've been such a great group and all. thanks for welcoming me. :) i've been packing up this week to go back to the border of the usa & mexico, a place that i call home known as the Rio Grande Valley :) 
so to thank you in a way, i was wondering any of you wanted something from mexico. i know sometimes shipping from another country is pricey, so if i can find it i will mail to ya for cheaper.  

just thought i'd put it out there. take care and see ya'll in august. i leave this weekend so i'll still be posting comments before i leave :-p 

edit: i might have to retract on this, i didn't realize how bad it was back at home that going to mexico wouldn't be the best idea. they've been without electricity and water for well over 17 hrs and then longer if closer to the gulf. our area was hit by hurricane dolly and i just saw some relief pictures of crumbled houses and flooded streets, but what distrubed me the most was a pix of this man throwing colorox and dried soap onto the streets in a 'cleaning effort'. humm....i wonder what else people are doing to 'clean up'.

Dawn Page receives £800k payout for brain injury caused by high-fluid diet
July 23, 2008

A mother of two has won more than £800,000 at the High Court after she claimed that a radical detox diet left her brain-damaged and epileptic.

...

Within days of going on “The Amazing Hydration Diet” she began vomiting and, less than a week after starting the diet, suffered a massive epileptic fit. She was taken to intensive care but doctors were unable to prevent permanent brain injury.

Mrs Page now suffers from epilepsy and a “cognitive deficit” that affects her memory, concentration and her ability to speak normally. She was forced to quit her job as a conference organiser, suffers from frequent mood swings and relies on her husband, Geoff, for help around the house.

...

In September 2001 Mrs Page paid Mrs Nash £50 for an initial consultation. She said that she was advised to drink four pints of mineral water per day as well as the tea and other fluids that she normally drank.

After a few days she started vomiting but was allegedly assured by Mrs Nash that it was “all part of the detoxification process”.

---

That part I italicized in the last sentence is something I've heard very often around here. Make sure you read long and hard about each side of the detox debate before you decide to go on one!

I put Trader Joe's Soy Protien powder in my fresh fruit smoothie every morning..then I remembered that I thought I heard that women shouldn't consume a lot of soy products. Should I find something else? Any recommendations for a good non-soy based protien powder? Or is it maybe ok to do the soy powder?

I've had kidney stones once in my life and from the pain in my side I'm afraid I may have another one. I've tried drinking olive oil mixed with lemon juice. Does anyone know of any other home remedies that work?

Is there a brand of powdered sugar out there that DOES NOT have cornstarch as an ingrediant?

I would like to use it for creating frosting, but my daughter is allergice to corn.

Thanks!