Turpentine: The Healing Oil?
If you can find a better, holistic solution to your aches and pains, would you try it? Skip the Advil, because you’re in luck! Turpentine oil has been used as healing medicine for generations to remedy soreness and muscle pains.
Turpentine oil has been largely used as a paint thinner and brush cleaner. It’s used as a raw material in the synthesis of resins, oil additives, synthetic pine oil and campor, according to Britannica. The oil can be obtained through cooking wood pulp, steam distillation of shredded pine, or from the distillation of the exudates of tapped pine trees.
Turpentine oil is colorless, oily, odorous and flammable and creates a warming sensation when applied to the skin. Many notice an immediate effect after applying, and their pain is reduced within hours. Use a small amount to either massage or swab on the affected area. For best results, apply the oil 3-4 times daily until pain or soreness improves.
Turpentine oil can be used for many ailments:
- Muscle Pain
- Toothaches
- Lung Congestion
- Joint and Nerve Pain
- Cold Sores
- Sprains
- Cramps
Cautions
Please use this oil at your own caution, consult a physician to be sure this the right product for you. Be sure not to apply turpentine oil to any open wounds or swallow in excess amounts. You can use it on cold sores only before they erupt. You can add the turpentine oil to a humidifier or vaporizer to inhale and clear lung congestion.
Make sure to wrap or cover the areas of the body where the oil has been applied for better penetration and avoid staining clothes or furniture. Turpentine oil is flammable, so be sure to wash your hands after each application.
Turpentine oil’s smell is intense, and to some, unpleasant. You can mix it with your favorite essential oils to create a better smelling remedy. Other essential oils have their own valuable uses; find out which oils are best for you.
Scientists Finally Finished Mapping the Human Genome
Scientists announce they have finally completed the map of the entire human genome. Will the information contained within unlock our true potential for health and wellbeing, or is there another more expansive perspective on the role genes play in our lives?
After decades of research, scientists have recently announced the completion of the human genome, what some call “the genetic instruction book.” Widely used for guiding biomedical research, many experts herald this as a crowning achievement in the field.
Dr. Bruce Lipton is a cellular biologist and a pioneer in the field of epigenetics, which takes a comprehensive, cutting-edge approach to the understanding of our relationship to our genes.
“Most people are really excited about the fact that the human genome has been deciphered; they’ve identified how many genes are in the human genome,” Lipton said. “The original reason for the human genome was, it was thought the genes control all the characteristics of our life and therefore if I had a compendium of all the genes I could fix anybody who has a characteristic they want to change. Francis Crick, one of the cofounders of the story, came up with something called “the central dogma,” the belief that genes are the source of biological information.
“They’re translated into another form of nucleic acid called RNA. So, DNA goes into RNA which is like a xeroxed copy of the DNA, and then the RNA is used as a template to make the proteins of the body,” he said. “According to the central dogma, information only flows in one way — it flows from the DNA to the RNA to the protein. This led to an understanding called ‘genetic determinism.’ Genetic determinism is the belief that the genetic blueprint of your life is carried by the DNA that you inherited at the moment of conception.”