Memory Verse: Psalm 69:21 They put poison in my food; in my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.

Introduction: Obey Your Thirst (Sprite) In this Psalm, terrible things are plaguing David. He’s seeking the Lord, as he has that sinking feeling, that desperate thing of alienation and abandonment… and they try to poison him and give him vinegar - GROSS! How Vile! Sometimes when we’re sick, we have that sinking desperate feeling, we call out to God, we call out for healing.

Assignment: Tell us the most vile “remedy” you’ve ever had to consume in order to be rid of that “plague”.  Was it something prescribed by a Medical Doctor? or was it an herbal remedy? We all know that Buckley’s commercial, it tastes awful, but it works.  Would you take this remedy again?  Did it work? Can you get your children to take it?

Too funny that this week's assignment would be about home remedies.

I just got done doing a gallbladder/liver flush.

My gallbladder has been giving me pain for a couple of months now and I have been doing my best to avoid those yummy BIG Peruvian french fries and other greasy foods but I knew that I'd better not ignore this too long or I'd end up needing surgery and that is the last thing we need to deal with around here.

So I did the old flush. This is how you do it:

Drink about 2 liters of apple juice a day for 3 days. I am a smaller adult so I only drank 1 1/2 liters a day. You can eat normally during those three days, no need to totally fast, but I am sure staying away from junk food is a good idea. Here apple juice isn't always easy to find but there were three liters at the grocery store a couple weeks ago so I grabbed them while I could get them. I mixed some of the boxed juice with freshly juiced apples...1. To help it all stretch and 2.Because some of the apples we found to juice were a little sour. Oh and look for a post soon on how to make apple butter with the lovely pulp left over from juicing the apples. :)

So at the end of the third day of drinking apple juice when you are ready to go to bed. It's also a good idea to eat light for supper if you can and not drink the last of your apple juice RIGHT before this next step.
When you are ready for bed, mix 1/2 cup of lemon juice with 1/2 cup of olive oil and drink it down. It's basically like drinking salad dressing without the seasonings. Bleh! Then lay on your right side for at least 2-3 hours if not more.

Some people have no trouble doing this and some people like me lay there (propped up a little too) trying not to lose my supper. For me usually after a few hours, (this time I made it all the way til 4 am) I have to run to the bathroom and empty everything. (I have to be honest, but I am trying not to give any more details, sorry) Then I can finally sleep and rest. Usually the next day I feel pretty horrid but tend to get rid of a nice bunch of green "stones" and then feel much better. Especially after eating and drinking things that don't taste anything like lemon juice or olive oil! (note: last night I ate salad without dressing.

And now I have more energy and my gallbladder and liver feel much better. So even though it IS one of the hardest remedies to take and going through the process is NO FUN, it is all worth it when I don't have to go to the Dr. with gallbladder pain and unnecessary surgeries. Yippee!

I don't make kids do this remedy. I don't know of a kid who'd need this.

I do however make my kids take liquid Lobelia herb for coughs. But it DOES help even if it tastes bad and smells bad on the chest. Anyone with an annoying cough can rub liquid Lobelia on their chest, feet and back (sometimes I use olive oil with it or even Vick's vapor rub) for fast relief and helps one feel more calm. Also take about 10-15 drops in a glass of water to help calm the coughing fits from the inside. Contrary to what some herbal books say, Lobelia is safe to take in small quantities like this.

I have a friend who also used it on her kids who had asthma and it helped keep it under control and even stopped attacks without medicines.

Lobelia can be applied directly to a tired, screaming baby's feet...you'd be amazed how fast they calm down and even fall asleep sometimes. It also works in the ears for ear infections combined with garlic or olive oils.

My disclaimer: Use these remedies at your own discretion, I am NOT an expert but these are things that I have been doing for years now, some my Mom used on me so I learned from her.

Oh Ladies, I’d love to see you in a photograph making that sourest of faces,  - remember that remedy and remake that face.. or get your kids to make that face with you.. can you do it without laughing?  Laughter makes the best medicine.

These are just for his Mom and Sister who I know will read this. :)

This really is what Arel does when I make him take something he can't stand.

Shane had to take mine a couple times because I was laughing too much over his faces