The Amazing Versatile Classic, Baking Soda!!

What other product can brighten your teeth, de-funk gym socks, make chocolate chip cookies magical, minimize facial discoloration, put out fires, kill rats. and so much more??

Yes, it’s the beautiful, inconspicuous, but oh so familiar golden box of stuff that you have probably never noticed until you grew up, got your own apartment and went to the store. You bought a box, and put it on a shelf, not really knowing why it needed to be there, but now it felt like a real kitchen! Eventually, you read an article like this, or a friend made a few suggestions, and eureka! You began to unravel it’s mysterious usefulness. Now that you have grown up and become wise, you might keep a box in the kitchen, the bathroom, and in your gearbag, and you get to be the one to tell your friends why it’s so useful.  

I personally use baking soda on a regular basis for evening out my skintone, brightening my teeth, and adding to particularly odious loads of laundry.

 

How It Works: I could go through each individual item that baking soda can clean, but that would be rather redundant. Baking soda is a natural, gently abrasive type of salt crystal, found in it’s natural form in nahcolite deposits. It contains no harsh chemicals or corrosives, so it is safe to use on almost any surface. It has a mild antibacterial and anti fungicide reaction due to it’s alkalinity, and those attributes can be extended to a great many applications. It also deodorizes, by neutralization of the acidic decomposition activity.

When you introduce another element, like vinegar or table salt, you create a chemical reaction, due to the release of carbon dioxide that is activated by the acidic catalyst. This further activates the cleaning and deodorizing potential. When mixed with hydrogen peroxide, it becomes a whitening agent, that has been scientifically proven to whiten teeth, brighten skin tone, and reduce surface bacteria. (report).

Physical Benefits: Due to it’s organic composition, baking soda can be ingested in small quantities, and consumed with water, to alleviate common stomach acid, acid reflux, and heartburn. It may improve immune functions, and act as a mild deterrent to infection and colds. Before we had modern antibiotics, a common cure would have been a half teaspoon of baking soda, five drops of iodine, and five drops of colloidal silver in a glass of water, followed by a teaspoon of cod liver oil. (I am not a Doctor, just a commentator-this is not advice). I have tried it, however, with no negative effects, and I actually do use these suggestions for my own health when indicated. The same antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that make it an effective cleaning agent, can be translated to health and beauty when used in moderation, and the neutralizing chemical reaction that makes things puff up when you bake them, is the same agent that can relieve problems of over acidity in the body. Warning-the gas produced by the relief may cause you to burp or fart to release the excess gas. Small price to pay.

I also tried the baking soda hair removal protocol, (example video) with no success. I'm not saying it doesn't work, just that it didn't work for me.

Pest Control: I had a house a few years back that was great, until the next door neighbors did some remodeling on our shared roof access, and left an opening and a welcome mat out for the warf rats, which are an unfortunate but common squatter if you live near the beach. It gets cold in the winter on the Gulf Coast, and I could hear the rats scampering around in my attic. My cat would also pace up and down, growling at the ceiling, clearly disturbed.

I had read that if you can get a rat to eat a half tspn of baking soda, it will leave the building to look for water, and explode, because it can’t pass gas. This also works for cockroaches, and seagulls. (the seagull thing is illegal, I think). I’m not a big fan of killing creatures, but also not a fan of sharing my house with rats, so I made them some no-bake peanut butter and baking soda cookies. Shazam! No more rats. I only found one dead one that didn’t quite make it outside, and that was truly gruesome, I will say.

Rat Cookies

mix one half cup delicious peanut butter with two tablespoons sugar and one half cup baking soda. Roll into rat bite size balls, maybe with a cute little skull and crossbones stamp, and leave on a festive tray in the party area of the infestation room. 

Kid Stuff: Don’t forget the classic baking soda and vinegar volcano, dancing gummy worms, baking soda stalagmites, invisable ink, baking soda crystals, and the fire extinguishing process, in miniature.

It’s science!

I hope you enjoyed this article, and learned something that you can try or share with a friend. Many links and studies below.

For all of your healing crystal needs, don’t forget to visit Naked Fairy Apothecary shop!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/530011268/moonstone-and-crystal-bracelet-for-your

killing ratshttps://www.ratrelief.com/does-baking-soda-kill-rats/

kid stuff https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/25-fantastic-baking-soda-experimentshttps://www.hellowonderful.co/post/25-fantastic-baking-soda-experiments

T’was the night before Christmas, and I accidentally stabbed myself with a box cutter.

How to treat a puncture wound.

The following story is not to be taken as medical advise, or even as good advise, I would just like to relay an incident that occured about a week ago, and share how I handled it, and what I could have done differently.

The morning before Christmas Eve, I had gotten up at around 4a.m. to drive my relatives to the airport, for one of those great bargains at awkward times kinda flights. Returning to a dark and quiet kitchen, I decided that it would be a good idea to pry the mold covor off of an orgonite pyramid I had been working on, with a brand new, very sharp razor knife.

“I don't want to die without any scars.” ― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

seven days after The Incident

It's dark, I am tired, I am holding a slippery object and a razor knife.

So, there’s the obvious errors. Needless to say, in one deft move, I plunged the pointy end deep into my palm, just under the thumb, and probably made it jaggedly worse when I jerked it back, in one of those slow motion moments of “uh-oh, I think this could be bad”.  

What I did

Not neccessarily perfect, but it was adequate

1. Make sure it's clean

To get an idea of the severity of the wound, and also to prevent infection, run it under cold water. Preferably using a sink or faucet, but whatever is available is better than nothing. Ask yourself if you’ve had a tetanus shot lately. (no).

3. Apply some kind of antibiotic

I released the pressure long enough to douse the wound, which was pretty much bleeding profusely, with iodine and colloidal silver. That is just what I happened to have onhand. Neosporan or something might have been useful, too. assessing the damages, I figured it  might require three or four stitches, but not unless I absolutely had to go that route. Hospitals are expensive, and full of sick people. I might come out worse than I went in. (I told myself, to justify my actions).

2. Attempt to stop the bleeding

Holding a washcloth, or whatever is handy, apply firm pressure, and hold the injured area up above your heart. I did this while deciding whether or not to seek medical attention. I probably should have, but decided against it.

4. Secure the injury with a non stick bandage of some kind, and wrap it up tightly, but not so tight that the remaining fingers lose circulation.

Again, using what was lying around, and digging through my gear, I came up with some gauze, first aid pads, and M3 waterproof masking tape. I realized the dressing was too tight when the rest of my hand got cold and turned a little blue. Re wrap.

5. Ask for help

Later in the day, I hunted down some friends to help me dress the mess properly. It was still bleeding a lot and hurting deep in the punctured area. My friends re washed the area, and held the wound shut while we applied a liquid bondo product. This is tricky, as it will seal the site, but it’s not all that strong, so once it dries a bit, hold it in place, bandage, and wrap up tight again, holding the site together. It was only then, when I was with others, and felt safe, that I had a nauseated cumulative emotional reaction. Funny thing about stress responses.  

6. Watch for signs of infection, change the dressings, keep it clean, and stabilized.

I didn’t change the dressing for a day or two, but the liquid skin bondo held up well. (note: this may not be an option in other types of  injury, I just got lucky on that). I kept it in place with a variety of creative stabilizers, and made my other hand black and blue by over using it, and trying to compensate for the lack of two opposable thumbs. I also stuck a flat piece of elite shungite in the bandages, and treated it repeadely with iodine and silver. It healed up really quickly, and I learned a thing or two.

What I learned is that, even if you think you know how to handle your own tools and weapons, we can still make careless mistakes. If this had been just a little worse, I would have sought professional treatment right away. Know people that will respond to a phone call, or better yet, will answer their door if you have to just show up needing help.

featured suggestion. Amber and pyrite
While you are healing up, you might want to wear or carry some baltic amber, shungite, bloodstone, or pyrite. https://www.etsy.com/listing/540004182/pyrite-and-baltic-amber-for-immune

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