Maggots and castor oil and old-fashioned forward thinking

Oooo yum! Castor oil! XD

Tonight I gave myself my second castor oil pack, according to the readings of Edgar Cayce. No, not any castor oil internally but an external pack made with flannel soaked with castor oil, put in place, and kept warm with a heating pad.

For whatever reason, my gall bladder hurts now and then. I've had an ultrasound done and there are no gallstones, and blood work shows that my gall bladder is functioning normally, so there's no reason I can think of to have it removed. The doctor said that gall bladders can become inflamed and painful for no obvious reasons.

I had tried a heating pad and ibuprofen over the years and frankly, got no relief. I try to stay away from over-the-counter analgesics these days because--and who knew?--taking recommended amounts of OTC analgesics for non-headache reasons can cause an attack called a medication-overuse headache in susceptible individuals by themselves in the absence of any other trigger so...Time to search for a non-drug method to relieve the discomfort.

I'm a fan of Edgar Cayce's readings as I've mentioned before. I don't agree with everything he said. He said a number times that people should only take from his readings what was "helpful and hopeful" and discard the rest. Humble man, major psychic, wrong on some important theological points. Right on many health issues.

I really, really would like to do a series on his readings and what I have been able to take from them and use. So many things to write about, so little ability...

The castor oil pack is applied for an hour to an hour and a half daily before bed for three days, then on the evening of the third day a tablespoon of olive oil is taken. Lay off for four days, then start the cycle again.

I'll let you know if I get any relief.

In other news from my blogging compatriot Marijke Durning, RN, of Help My Hurt (link on left too):

Maggots and infections: you may want to skip this post if this gives you the heeby jeebies!

Natural and non-drug ways to do what artificial chemicals do now is what this blog is all about. Marijke explains maggots and leeches in use today for infections and to maintain circulation in reattached limbs.

If I were to ever need this type of therapy, I'd have to repeat to myself..."they're only eating the dead flesh...they're only eating the dead flesh..." :p