BlogHer - Conditions & Ailments - Comments

@beany, I'm glad the baking

Beth Terry — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:50:04 -0600

@beany, I'm glad the baking soda "shampoo" is working for you this time around. I am impressed, though, that you found a bottle of shampoo that would last an entire year. That's a good second choice, compared to most bottles that last a month.

@midnightbliss, if you do try the baking soda shampoo, please be sure and read the Guide and the Forum at the links I provided. Many people find that their scalp takes a few weeks to adjust if they have been using conventional shampoo and conditioner for a while. You may find you have a case of the greasies for a while until your scalp stops overcompensating for the lack of artificial moisturizers.

@LisaLaGrou, hope the baking soda soak works for you. I think it's a far better alternative than the chemicals in Efferdent. One person I spoke to said she adds vinegar to the solution to make it bubble like Efferdent. But after reading Melanie's post about not mixing vinegar and water, I don't think it's such a great idea.

@kazari, I do think the bubbles from the baking soda/vinegar can help to loosen baked-on yuckiness. However, it's not a good idea to mix them together in a bottle, as you'll end up with nothing more than salt water. Hope the deodorant works out for you! Please feel free to contact me at Fake Plastic Fish (http://fakeplasticfish.com) if you have questions.

@mashadutoit, I'm so sorry to hear about your poor dog, but glad the baking soda helped with the odor at least. That tidbit about little white dogs with the red around their eyes is very interesting. I've certainly noticed it but had no idea what it was from.

Beth Terry
www.fakeplasticfish.com
@fakeplasticfish
FaceBook

Doggy Uses

mashadutoit — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:31:22 -0600

That tip about dog urine burns on the lawn is interesting. Going to try that out.

But here is my baking poweder tip - its the only thing that removed the smell of dog urine and vomit from my carpet.

My Anna was incontinent for a while, poor girl, and would leave big wet patches wherever she was lying. Stank like you would not believe.

Nothing worked. Not enzyme cleaners, not vinegar. But sprinkling a very healthy layer of baking powder on the carpet and working it in - leaving for a while and then vacuming it out completely removed all the smell.

Also worked for the time both my dogs vomited fish liver onto the carpet. That was a bad, bad moment.

I need to look it up, but I believe its also good for removing those red stains that white dogs get around their eyes and lips. The red is actually a kind of yeast that grows in the hair.

I didn't know about deoderant...

kazari — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:50:44 -0600

But I've been using bicarb to clean my kitchen for ages. I'm asthmatic, so most of the nasty oven cleaners make me cough. Bicarb works great, though.

I do combine bicarb and vinegar to clean the stove - sprink bicarb, spray with vinegar, and the 'fizzle' cleans it for me!

http://myrope.wordpress.com

Thanks for the Soaking Retainers/Mouth Guards tip

LisaLaGrou — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:43:18 -0600

I, too, have to wear retainers at night to keep my teeth (which are somewhat loose) straight, and to help me when I grind my teeth as well. I use Efferdent to clean them and kill the bacteria. I can't wait to try the Baking Soda. Thanks so much for the tip!

wow i didn't know that

midnightbliss — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:11:36 -0600

wow i didn't know that baking soda has a lot of uses, I like to try is as a deodorant and as a shampoo. thanks

I first began using baking

beany — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:48:57 -0600

I first began using baking soda instead of shampoo in 2008. It was a failure. My hair was sticky, gooey, and smelled very unpleasant. I had switched straight from evil shampoo to baking soda. I gave up and switched to Giovannis after reading Crunchy Chicken's post. It worked remarkably well and I used very little shampoo and had one bottle last me nearly an entire year.

4 weeks back I decided to give baking soda another go, and it works now! No ickiness, no smell, no nothing. I think the crap that was in my head from using conventional shampoo (even the so called organic brands from Whole Foods) is all gone. I wash my hair about once or twice per week and my hair feels as soft as baby hair.

I'm so sorry for your loss...

Catherine Morgan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:31:36 -0500

I'm so sorry for your loss...I can't even imagine. Thanks for sharing your story, it's important for people to know that all medications do not work the same for all people.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Well...

loraleechoate — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:51:46 -0500

I am just starting to talk publicly about this, but I had a suicide attempt after the death of my baby from SIDS in 2003.

While I was obviously depressed, I was misdiagnosed with Bipolar disorder and put on a pharmacy. I absolutely KNOW that being on anti-depressants contributed to the utter deterioration of my mental state and lead to that dark moment. I did not start getting better until I went off of everything.

BUT.

I know that they are lifesaving for many, many people.

I have tried them a few times, each time is a no-go, so I stopped trying.

I wish that they DID work for me. It would make many things easier.

I agree...

Catherine Morgan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:12:29 -0500

Thanks for taking the time to talk about your personal experience with depression and anti-depressants. I totally agree with everything you've said...especially that taking anti-depressants is nothing to be ashamed about.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Depression & Risk of Suicide

pookielocks — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:06:50 -0500

I was first officially diagnosed with depression at age 19. My dr. told my mom to watch for increased suicidal tendencies. He explained that when kids/adults 1st go to the dr for depression, they're usually sooooo far down in the hole that they don't have the energy to go about acting on suicidal thoughts. as the meds start to work, they feel "better" & are more likely to act on those suicidal thoughts. i agree with that school of thought as i've been there and experienced it. i believe adults are more likely to take a step back & think through those moments & remember they have reason to live (like family, children, job etc) than teens and children are. by nature, they are more likely to be impulsive and in-the-moment.

i'm 32 now & still on meds. i'll most likely always been on some form of anti-depressant, but i am not ashamed by this. it's a chemical imbalace not unlike diabetes/insulin. i don't agree with shoving meds down every sad person's throat, but they work for me. meds do no solve interpersonal problems or issues, but they do help those of us who have a chemical balance be able to lead a more stress-free life than we would without them.

My latest BlogHer Post - Dolphins: The Truth About Our Friends From the Sea
SBAB &

Regarding Teenage Depression

Frances Ellen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:47:35 -0500

I agree with Tserisa that depression must be treated on a case to case basis especially where teenagers are concerned. The problem with young people is that there is a fine line between normal teenage angst and abnormal teenage depression. A parent must be careful to avoid putting the notion into a youth’s head that there is a pill to cure everything. Once an anti-depressant is prescribed, there must be careful follow-ups every year to determine whether the pill is still necessary or not.

I hope I do not come off sounding like a person who is anti antidepressants. There have been instances when help, in the form of medications, has been crucial in my own life. My fear is that if you do not encourage a child to swim against a strong current by using his own inborn skills while he is a teenager, you may be forming an adult who will be unable to withstand a nasty rip-current when it hits later in life.

I’m saying: be careful, be sure, and then do what you must. A child’s life depends upon your choice. Make your best educated decision.

Frances Ellen is the Narrator of the Story of Nadia - The continuing fiction story of a card reader named Nadia. She is also the voice at Frances Ellen Speaks

Yes, this one really strikes me as a money-making machine

LucindaA — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:55:03 -0500

more than an actual concern for health. Grrr...

I think Retin-A misses the mark

Cellulite_Analyst — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:10:27 -0500

I have to agree with Jennifer. I struggled with adult acne my whole adult life. I tried Accutane in college and then used Proactiv and other benzoyl peroxide products throughout my twenties. While these products might work to stop the acne (a symptom), they won't heal the underlying problem.

Retin-A works by decreasing the amount of oil emitted from the oil glands. But why is the body producing all that excess oil in the first place? I didn't find a real cure for my acne until I consulted a lymph drainage specialist (I recommend the Upledger Institute if you are in South Florida). She helped me figure out that the root cause of my adult acne is fluoride! It's a condition called fluoroderma, and I suspect it is much more common than we think.

I'm sure not everyone's acne is caused by fluoride, but I do think that we miss out on a chance at real healing if we rely on acne medications that treat the exterior symptom instead of the interior cause.

The Cellulite Analyst http://www.CelluliteInvestigation.com

Thanks for your comment....

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:21:44 -0500

Thanks for your comment...I totally agree.

:-)

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Pro-Meds

Willful Woman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:05:35 -0500

I have to say that the benefits of antidepressants most definitely outweigh the risks. I think the increase in the use of antidepression meds has to do with the fact that our society is finally getting more educated about mental illness. Medical breakthroughs have been made and people suffering from these diseases don't have to suffer in isolation or in institutions or in silence their whole lives any longer. There are viable treatments. There is not quite the same amount of shame associated with admitting you suffer from depression as there was in decades past. The stigma is beginning to lift. Depression and anxiety are debilitating and complex diseases that have stunted and prematurely ended too many lives.

The alternative is pushing people back into suffering in shame. Institutionalizing people, making them suffer in silence, lobotomizing them or giving them electric shock treatment (although even that has come a long way.) I think it is irresponsible to raise only the red flags of antidepressants when they have saved so many people's lives. There are still so many people out there who feel they should be able to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" all by themselves without any help from anyone else even when they are in the middle of a mental health crisis. Playing on people's fears about antidepressants only discourages them from seeking help. Discussing the pros and cons of any medication with a trusted physician is how one decides when and what kind of medication to use. Do we use too much pain medication as a society? Should we just suck it up and accept that pain is a part of life? Do we take too much cholesterol-lowering medication in this country? Should we just deal with the fact that heart attacks are a part of life? If you are genetically-prone to a disease, you need to watch out for it. If it heads your way, you treat it. That's depression and anxiety. Period.

Always a... Willful Woman @ www.besidethestonewall.com Visitors always welcome! Bring your stories to share!