Raw Garlic and Ginger

Growing old means that good health is no longer a given. Little ailments, pains and aches don't go away on their own as they used to. At least not as readily as it used to.

Sore thumb

For example, I managed to hurt my thumb while working in my mother's garden back in October. My thumb became painful and weak. I could grab, but not push with my thumb. It was the sort of little thing that should have passed on its own over a few days. But my thumb stayed sore and numb for weeks without any sign of improving.

I was starting to think that it was permanent, possibly rheumatism of a sort. So, I started looking for ways to simply live with it.

Other things have improved

However, other ailments have shown signs of improving lately. I have not had any back pain in a long time. Not even now, in the middle of winter.

A patch of dry and sensitive skin has also disappeared. But two toes on my right foot are still infected with fungus, despite initial improvements. My daily routine of washing, massaging and applying oil on them is merely keeping them from getting any worse.

Experimenting with garlic and ginger

So, I had the idea that my toes might benefit from some additional help. Since I'm massaging them in order to help blood flow, I figured I should look for foods that do the same.

Looking this up on the web, I found raw garlic and ginger mentioned among a list of other things.

We have both of this in house, so I figured I try it. A bit of both, like a supplement of sorts.

Unexpected improvement

The effect was pretty much immediate. But not for my foot, which remained unaffected.

It was my sore thumb that improved. So much so that it has just about completely healed by now, exactly one week after I started the experiment.

Effects come and go

I've been experimenting with different remedies for well over two years now, and I've noticed that some remedies lose their effectiveness over time. I was enthusiastic about cumin seeds for a while. But I no longer take them. Now, it's garlic and ginger.

It's as if my body gets accustomed to remedies, forcing me to change every now and again. There's no permanent fix. Just a set of things that work. So, there's a constant need for change.

But there's so many things that work, at least for a while, that the need for change can be met with a great cycle of change. Things that stop working will eventually start working again. Cumin seeds may be just the thing for me in the future. But for the moment, I'm sticking with the perfect breakfast.

Conclusion

There are three types of ailments, and three types of remedies. The ailments are:

• skin problems
• digestion problems
• muscle and joint problems

and the remedies are:

• oils, and cremes applied to the skin
• herbs, seeds and spices taken as dietary supplements
• healthy diet and exercise

For every ailment, there's a set of remedies, some of which are only effective for a while.

The trick is to experiment and cycle through the options available to us. Try things, pay attention to effects, and keep up anything that has a positive effect.

If there's no noticeable improvement after a few days, the remedy isn't working. If there's a noticeable decline, some important remedy has been terminated, or some bad habit/food has started.

Wellbeing is the measure of success. Awareness of its presence or absence is therefore key to success.

Ginger cross section

By Sanjay ach at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link