Yup, you guessed it. Sorry guys, though I think you should still be informed about the female body, you certainly don’t have to read this as it will contain girly subjects.
Several months ago when I started to experiment with different, more natural feminine products, I had no idea where I would end up. I definitely had no idea I would end up using cloth. When I started doing research my thought was, “What did women use when there wasn’t disposable cotton/rayon/whatever feminine products?” The only clue I had was a fiction book I read, one of the Outlander Series books. The main character was having her period while they were at a Scottish gathering and mentioned tearing part of her petticoats and using that. Beyond that I had no idea.
After doing a lot of research I discovered that you can find some nice, even dare I say – cute, cloth feminine pads. Besides being healthier for ones nether regions, it’s a much better idea for the environment. Way less waste. In fact, with proper care, your pads can last for years! Imagine all the pads you don’t have to throw away! And the money you will save!
I bought a sample pack from epicerma, an etsy shop that makes what she calls Moon Pads. There are plenty of other shops on Etsy that have similar items. Being a thorough person, I did research, read through a million etsy shop profiles and policies. Annie Rose, the owner, had all the things I considered important, organic cotton grown in the US, milled by union workers, dyed by her with gentle dye, not horribly expensive, and cute! I hated the idea of having white or cream colored pads that might end up looking dingy after a few months.
After a few months of using the sample pack I bought, I’m still singing her praises! I love them! In fact, I just ordered more, which should give me enough to last an entire period without worry about running out and using disposables – though I do still use organic cotton disposables. I’m excited. Though they won’t get here in time for my current period, I’m happy they’ll be there for the next one!
So if you aren’t happy with your current type of feminine products consider cloth, either paired with tampons (which I do sometimes) or all alone. They are, in my humble opinion(haha), a better option than the Moon Cup (though I haven’t tried it, something about it bothers me. Aunt Flow shouldn’t be held back so severly), tampons(though for the heavy days when I work, I use them – organic of course), and anything non-organic.
Before I go I want to say a little about non-organic tampons, pads, and toilet paper. Often times, especially if they are cheap, tampons and pads aren’t entirely cotton. They can contain rayon or nylon which are less safe for your lady parts. They are treated with bleach. If you read the label of a bleach bottle, it will warn you to not get on your skin, in any body opening such as eyes, mouth, or a cut, so why in the world is it being used on items that go where the sun don’t shine? Up against such delicate and permeable skin? How is that safe? Your body will absorb the toxin. Bleach, or specifically chlorine, is a poison, a disinfectant that kills just about everything. Your lady parts deserve something less toxic. They definitely don’t need to be disinfected. There are options that use organic cotton, not treated with chlorine. Just google it and you’ll see, or check out your local health food store. On that note, most toilet paper is treated with bleach to give it that nice fresh clean white color. This tissue paper, is used daily by almost everyone in the developed world – even men (unless they have chosen to use cloth there as well), on some of the most delicate skin in the human body. Seems like a bad idea to douse it with chlorine.
Rick and I switched to recycled toilet paper that isn’t treated with chlorine. There are a few options out there for this as well. The most well known is Seventh Generation recycled toilet paper, which in our area runs about $10 for 12 or so roles. It is surprisingly soft. Nothing like the cheap-paper-towel-rough stuff you find in public bathrooms across the US. Rick and I use Trader Joes toilet paper, which is about $4 for 12 rolls, much less expensive, and just as soft.
Really, is it too much to ask to be gentle to your bum and your lady parts? They are after all, supposed to last a life time. Make it easier for them to live healthy.
This will be our first spring in Bellingham. And since I have my trusty new Memoir phone, 8 pixel camera and all. I’ll be taking pictures like crazy!
This one, of a blooming cherry tree a couple of blocks from Western, though far from perfect, shows just a small part of Bellingham. The charm of the chosen street side trees, looking vibrant, even on a foggy, overcast spring day. I LOVE Bellingham!
The day I got my Bellingham office in September, I fell in love with this crazy old grate sitting on the floor. The house is ancient, so it only makes sense to have a nifty grate like this in a room. I feel lucky that it was in mine.
Yesterday I put a pretty candle holder, candle lit of course, in front of the grate for some added interest. With my trusty new camera first phone, the Memoir, I shot it. Little tweeking with photoshop (pays to be married to a computer guy) and I cleaned it up a little more. I like it. Nice divergence from the snot and neti pots posts(And videos! Let’s not forget those!).
I can hardly wait until I can get myself an awesome DSLR!
Per request of friend/reader Yoshi, I’m putting up a couple of youtube videos for a more visual approach to neti pot instruction.
The first is very thorough. The second is to the point and has no speaking whatsoever. It is just right though. Her approach seems to say, “Get off your ass and do it!” The first video I thought good because it’s done by a normal looking guy, not some crazy hippy chic. And he apparantly started to do it because of a suggestion from his wife whom watched Oprah.
Enjoy!
On a side note:
While at work today, surrounded by other hippy massage therapists (Yes, at the moment I have a job, as a fill in contractor. So it’s okay, I’m still in control of my schedule and am working for a respectable clinic, not an assembly line. I’m still damn the man, but setting up one’s business takes time when you are lazy and recovering from a rough year.), I was asked how I was feeling. Meh, I said, but I bought a neti pot and that and essential oils, are helping me a lot. No antibiotics for me! Each person had their own thing to say about neti pots and how wonderful they are. I love this hippy town!
I was reading through my recent favorite blog, The Pioneer Woman, and stumbled across a post that reminded me of a post I had done well over a year ago, Breathing Well.
On Pioneer Woman, her mother Gee, wrote a guest post about breathing. It’s lovely! I love the way both Ree(a.k.a. Pioneer Woman) and Gee write. To read it follow the link here: Guest Post from My Mom, Gee: Stress Reduction 101. Her mother sounds like a wonderful, kindred modern hippy spirit.
I’ve spent my sick time reading, devouring really, Ree’s site. She’s a ballerina city girl whom fell in love with a cowboy rancher. Her stories make me want to have four kids, live in the middle of nowhere(even more than I already do), teach Rick to ride a horse, dress him in Wranglers and a cowboy hat. Not that I don’t love him wearing his adorable baseball tees, making lovely websites and fixing the internet when it won’t bend to my will. But, her stories hit that spot in my imagination that loved Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables.
Thank you Pioneer Woman (and Gee too!) for the wonderful reads!
I will be singing the neti pot’s praises for a long time! I used it again this morning in and out of the shower. Let me say, I was very nervous, being a bit of a chicken when it comes to nose/sinus stuff. Yeah, so I had done it once before, but I was still nervous. Maybe it was because I had been in so much pain last night. Not from the neti pot experiment, but just from feeling like poop, forgetting to take my fish oil pills, sitting in a chair all day, not being able to nap properly, having a monstrous sinus and tension headache AT THE SAME TIME! It was so pathetic and bad that I cried four times, over silly things like dropping the chicken sausages on the floor and not being able to see where one rolled. Yup, that’s how ridiculous I am when I’m sick. But that’s not the point. The point is, today I feel much better. And today, I was able to get the water to come out the OTHER nostril! And I got to see it happen!
I tried it in the shower, still made the back of my eyes feel cool and tear. And I coughed a lot. Today though, I was brave and curious enough to try it in the sink – while watching myself in the mirror. Sorry, no photos, I still have some self respect, or is it self consciousness?
Per request of a friend and occasional reader, Yosh (hope you don’t mind the mention), of the modern hippy, I will be giving instructions and other information about using the neti pot.
First, what you’ll need is a neti pot. Funny I know. Can you tell I’m feeling better? Please wash your neti pot out and thoroughly rinse. You don’t want soap behind your delicate eyeballs – imagine that headache! Then decide where you are going to do it. Over the sink? In the shower? I suppose you could do it outside if you’d like. Where ever it won’t matter if you splatter. (Hahaha, rhyming too!) Measure out 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Unrefined is okay, I used it. I wouldn’t recommend any of the colored sea salt. No need to dye your sinuses, plus that might cause problems I don’t know about. I DO NOT recommend using iodized table salt, as brands like Morton’s actually contain dextrose, an artificial sweetener. Artificial sweeteners are not meant for sinuses! Let alone eating, but once again I digress.
Fill the neti pot with warm water. I used warm tap water, though when I get a filter I’ll probably use that. Mix until the salt is completely dissolved.
Now comes the fun or scary part. Remember, you will be breathing through your mouth through this, your nose will be busy. Lean forward, tip your head to about a 45 degree angle. If you aren’t leaning forward enough the gunk will flow down the back of your throat and make you sputter and probably gross you out a little. Stick the spout of the neti pot in one nostril. Make sure there is a good seal and the water won’t sneak out. Steady your hand if you are shaking. Very slowly tip the pot. Can you feel the water enter the bottom of your nose? Good. Keep pouring slowly and wait unti for a funny feeling behind your eyes. It’s almost out! Try to remember to breathe, but breath holding is acceptable if you don’t hold it too long. It’s a very strange sensation to be breathing while water is running through part of your breathing apparatus.
Something to remember is that you are in control of how much water flow there is. The more you tip the pot, the faster the water will flow. I’m a fan of slow flowing.
Also, the more you do it the better you will get, the easier everything will be.
Rinse through both nostrils. I didn’t use the whole saline solution that time. I was still getting used to it. I think I used about a third of it. Do what is comfortable for you, and what gets you the best results. I’ve read that some people use a whole pot for each side of the nose.
When you stop rinsing exhale gently through your nose to help the gunk out. Use a tissue or do this over the sink. I’ll say this again: Do blow gently to avoid hurting yourself. Also, don’t plug either side of your nostrils. Allow things to come out on their own, without the closing of one side.
Then wash your neti pot!
After you are done see how you feel. Can you breath better? I could. It felt strange, but good.
Some considerations:
I read that if you can’t blow your nose (though I’m not sure if this means “don’t have the ability” or “it hurts too much”) consult a health care professional first. If you are sensitive like me, go slowly, don’t rush it. Children should be closely supervised! Don’t share!
Where to get a neti pot?
I got mine from our local co-op. If you don’t have a natural food store, or supplement store, try a pharmacy. You can of course check online! Etsy has some cute stuff, if you’d like something handmade and unique! If I hadn’t been so desperate, and hadn’t put buying one off until the last minute I would have gotten one there.
One last note. Why use a neti pot?
It’s a great way to clean out your sinuses. If you are like me and have sinus trouble, use it. If you have allergies, use it. If you live in a polluted area, use it. If you live in a dusty area, use it. If you have a cold, use it. If you have pets, live in an old house, or live in a small place, or work in a poorly ventilated place, smoke, go camping, have kids, use it. “Have kids?”, you ask? Why not? You could win the gross out competition and show them that there are natural ways to deal with your sinuses. Just don’t let them play with it unsupervised. Maybe wait until they are older to show them, just in case.
Yesterday, a few hours before I tried to die from a horrible cold/sinus infection, I went to our co-op to get food and a neti pot. Yup, I could feel it, with each nose blow, each sneeze or almost-sneeze that caused my left eye to tear up(not my right eye – it was fine and well behaved), the pressure building that would cause my head to explode later that day.
I brought the little green box home and looked very suspiciously at it. Several people I know have used neti pots and recommended them to me. “They make you feel so fresh and clean.” “Use only sea salt or it will hurt.”
What?!? It’s going to HURT? “No, it will feel strange, but then you’ll get used to it.” What they didn’t know is every time I got lake water or pool water in my nose I dealt with horrible burning sensations and a terrible cough/gag reflex. Wonderful.
Despite being very nervous about it, I gave it a try in the early evening as I started to die. Might as well do something to help myself die a little more slowly and perhaps less violently. I followed the directions which called for 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a warm cup of water. (They recommended table salt, I thought they were crazy because it has other crap in it sometimes. Like dextrose. Yup, Morton’s iodized salt has dextrose! That’s for another post though.) I used unrefined sea salt because I don’t have regular table salt. The directions said to stir until the salt had fully dissolved. Pour into the pot. Then they mentioned some people just mix it in the pot. Right, didn’t read that far. I could have cut out a step. Then I was supposed to stick the spout of the pot in my nose and lean over a sink. I was doing it in the shower. Might as well not risk sputtering salt water and snot all over my clothes. Plus I was dying, er miserable, and the shower would make me feel better.
Well, it did feel weird. Once or twice it burned a little. Once or twice it threatened to go down the back of my throat. Gag. Bleh. Cough.
I used the hole pot, so about a cup of water. The funny thing was, I didn’t feel it come out of the other nostril. I’m pretty sure there was too much snot in my sinuses to let anything through. Let me tell you, even if it didn’t get fully clear, it did rinse out a lot of nasty snot. More than I thought possible. It did make my nose feel a little better. I didn’t get sick. Nor did I drown. But no satisfying spout of water out the opposing nostril. Oh well, it was my first try.
It’s about time for another post about maintaining or reclaiming better health. Perfect timing since my nose is stuffed with recycled toilet paper in lieu of tissue paper. (That’s what happens when you almost never get sick – you run out of tissues and don’t think about getting more, until it’s too late.) Yup, I officially have a cold. It’s been a year and a half since I’ve had a cold. It’s been several months since I was officially sick. Score one for the modern hippy! It’s the little victories that count.
”How did you get sick?” – Rick asked me. I have no idea. Maybe it’s because my good sleep has disappeared again. Maybe it’s because along with the quality, the quantity has been down for a couple of weeks. There have been nights – very fun of course – where I didn’t get to sleep until 4 a.m. I haven’t done that since I was 20. Even if that is the cause of my drippy nose and left eye – it was worth it. A very good friend is leaving to do military stuff far away very soon. So what if I didn’t sleep the way I should have?
I digress… a lot…
So what to do once bad germs are ravaging your nasal passages, ears, throat, and general sanity? The modern hippy way of course!
1. Rest – get as much sleep as possible. Even a boring old, stick in the mud, M.D. will tell you that.
2. Drink lots of water, filtered if you can.
3. Don’t eat or drink sugary things. Sugar feeds bacteria.
4. Eat well – meaning no junk food. Your body needs real nutrients, not empty calories.
5. Take it easy, kick back, say “No” – let your body do it’s job of kicking the hell out of the germs you’ve recently acquired.
6. Drink some herbal tea like echinecea (as long as you aren’t allergic to rag weed).
7. If you have essential oils, pull them out and get ready to use them! Think lemon, eucalyptus etc.
8. Wash your hands – even a school kid will tell you that.
9. Try to stay positive – I’ve heard that if you are in the better mood you’ll health faster. Also, who really wants to be in a bad mood?
10. a. Experiment! Carefully of course. Call your friends for ideas on healthy ways to deal with a cold. Or check here!
10. b. Don’t be stupid. If you are horribly sick, not getting better, go see a doctor or a nurse practitioner. They are there for a reason.
What am I doing? I chose not to make cake – remember the sugar thingy. I’m drinking a lot of water, though I don’t have a filter yet. I’m making more tea – tasty tea that even Rick likes. The fun part, that appeases my inner Little House on the Prairie lover, is that it’s tea from scratch (just like a modern hippy would make).
Homemade Cold Care Detox Tea
Quick Recipe:
All you need is organic ginger root, organic peppermint leaves(stems have flavor too if you are using something you dried – like I am) and a couple of slices of organic lemon.
Slice the ginger thin. More surface area for the hot water to work on. And through in the whole slices of lemon, rind and all. Rind contains nutrients as well, though I’m not sure what’s killed by the hot water.
Let it steep in boiling hot water for 10-20 minutes, depending on how strong you want it.
Effects of this tea:
1. Warming – I’m not kidding, you will start to feel toasty. The thought is that raising your body temp will help to kill the nasty bugs.
2. Diaphoresis – fancy word for sweating. Good because it’s a way for your body to detox.
3. Peppermint will sooth a sore throat – it’s an analgesic – fancy word for pain killer.
4. It’s tasty – this is always a plus when you are feeling under the weather and you really want cookies and milk. Or whatever.
5. Ginger root, lemon, and peppermint all contain essential oils. Each of these oils work well for colds flus, among other things.
Note: I suggest, if you have any interest in theraputic aromatherapy pick up The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils by Julia Lawless. It’s a brilliant reference book – I bought one for a friend I love mine so much!
Best essential oil reference book
Note: These photos were taken with my new phone, the Memoir, old one need to be retired. I think this takes pretty fantastic photos. It will work while my point and click limps along – until I get myself a gorgeous DSLR.
Hey, I'm Missy. I'm a "damn the man" kind of girl. Nature lover finally living in an awesome town - Bellingham! This blog is devoted to my obsessions(becoming more eco-friendly and photography and pets) and concerns(health and cooking)and a bit about my life.
I do a few reviews on my site. I want to say that I have never been paid for any of them. They are my honest opinion. Mine is not an opinion that can be bought. Even if one day I am given anything for a review, it will remain an honest opinion from a modern hippy.
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