The Formulated Podcast

Today's podcast concerns natural home remedies for dealing with dermatitis.  Although not contagious, living with dermatitis can be uncomfortable for the person with it.

We mentioned a few medications you can use in the recording, but some of them were a mouthful, so I'm going to list them her for your convenience:

Emollient creams can be used to soothe and soften the affected areas.

Corticosteroid creams can be used to reduce inflammation.

Alitretonin can be used to treat severe cases of dermatitis.

Homeopathic remedies include:

Rhus Toxicodendron 6C - for poison ivy type rashes

Sulphur 6C for red, burning, itching or scaling dermatitis symptoms (especially irritated by heat and water) 

Urtica 6C for itchy, stinging, blotchy rashes and cracked skin

If you want to free yourself from suffering and the repeated Karmic rebirth into this kind of reality, you can choose the 8 fold noble path and lead a more spiritual life.  

The 8 noble paths are:

When we use the experience of daily life to "see" how the actions we take, what we do, think and say can harm not only ourselves but others as well.

When we do harm to ourselves and others, we are setting ourselves up for more suffering.  It's better to follow a righteous path than continue living a life of suffering.

Look around you at the "things" you've collected over the years.  I can bet that everything you bought went like this:

It becomes old news or a white elephant after a few months.  Sometimes it works wonders as a flower pot, TV stand, Bookshelf or doorstopper.

Pretty soon your most recent purchase suffers the same fate as the last one.  You keep repeating the cycle, over and over again.  But, one day, a fire breaks out.  Your house is gutted and you have nothing left but the clothes on your back.

You're devastated.  You end up living with some folks for a few months until you can get alternative accommodation.  

You finally get the opportunity to move into a new place, but something's happened to you.

You no longer feel the need to fill your home with "stuff."

What happened, why do you feel so empty, why does it feel like your life is pretty much over, yet here you stand, alive, but not feeling like you used to?

Do you really want to know what you're experiencing?  

You had a taste of true freedom.  A taste of what it's like to have no burdens, no attachments and no "stuff" to constantly worry about.

You see, we all seem to believe we need to have more "stuff" in our lives to feel whole, to feel like we've accomplished something.  But that's not true.

All the "things" we surround ourselves with are impermanent.  The things, people and situations we find ourselves with/in, are all there for a short time.  At any moment they can be lost/or move on their own.

So why do we put ourselves through suffering to attain more things?  It's because of the ideals we've learnt from others.  It's the perceptions of others that have made us believe that we should be doing these things, because it is just the way things are and doing these thing is "normal."

There is a difference.  There is normal and there is insanity.

Stating attached to the idea that you need to have more stuff to be happy is just insane.  It's actually the opposite.

The less you have, the less you have to worry about.  Right or wrong?

Yes, I get it, we need to have certain people and things in our lives in order for us to function in society, so how can we end our suffering?

The answer is actually simple - We need to detach from the thought of being in control and owning things.  When we realize that noting is truly permanent, nothing is really in our control, and we let go of the need to have things, we can find peace.

We need to stop jumping from one shiny possession to the next.  Stop jumping from one conquest to the next, but be content and happy with what we have at each moment of the day.  

Each day, we need to contemplate on what we have done, what we said and how we treated other people.  When we keep those things in mind, we can make changes to our beliefs and actions to end our suffering.

Psoriasis can be quite an irritation condition to have.  It's often an inherited condition, but other external factors like stress, poor diet and bad skin regimens can cause a breakout.

The most common symptoms are dry scaling patches of skin, which may crack and bleed.  Sometimes the sores can become infected.  When this happens, it's time to see a doctor.

There are a number of ways to treat and live with the symptoms.  Find a way to de-stress.  You can do Yoga, Thai-Shi or meditate.  If you are Ok with using medicine, you can find many topical treatments to treat the affected areas.

Foods rich in omega 3 fats are good treatments for psoriasis.  Home remedies include making topical creams.  Food is your best ally - fish, nuts, seeds, fruit and leafy green vegetables are your friends.

Whatever path you choose, there is a way to live with psoriasis.  If however, you really are depressed with your attempts to live with it but nothing works, then you should consider seeing a doctor for medical advice.  

As we age everyone gets wrinkles.  You can't stop aging, it's inevitable.  But your can live with wrinkles and try keep your skin looking younger and more supple by taking care of a few basic things from day to day.

You can use Aloe Vera gel straight from the plant or you can apply a topical cream to wrinkle prone areas.  Add more oily foods to your diet to ensure your skin has the right nutrients.  Hydration plays a huge part in preventing wrinkles, so you're advised to stay hydrated and avoid the sun and sunbeds.

Have a listen to the podcast and let us know if you've learnt anything from the episode.  If you've got other remedies that you use at home, let us know here and we'll add your voice notes tot he show.

To end suffering we need to understand that suffering begins with our thoughts and actions related to the reality we create for ourselves.  It is not because of real circumstances that exist, but because of the things we tell ourselves to be true, even though they aren't.

When one begins to understand that our thoughts create our perceived reality we can learn ways to put aside our pre-conditioned ideals and see the true reality of each situation.

The mind is a powerful tool that has built in features.  Everything that you've heard, seen and absorbed since your birth has shaped your self identity or the "ego."

The "ego" is your filter.  It contains all your beliefs, projections, biases and everything else that's been influencing you your whole life.

To train and master your state of mind and "ego" will take time.  Once you learn to put aside all of these perceived ideals, you can greatly reduce or even eliminate suffering from your life.

In Buddhism it is understood that we are all the masters of our lives and it's we that create our own suffering.  We suffer because we attach ourselves to things, people, situations and events.

When we are forced to let go of the things we've attached ourselves to, we become upset because we feel that we have lost something of value.

What we need to learn as people is that it doesn't serve our higher interests to attach ourselves to anything.

Nothing is permanent, nothing is set in stone and we should never expect to be in the possession of anything for eternity.

The more we let go of expectations, the less we attach to things, the freer and happier we can be with our day to day situations.

Although eczema isn't a debilitating skin condition, it can be very irritating to the person who has it.  The main problem that causes eczema to begin with is that there is a lack of moisture.

Eczema is often triggered by stress and the best way to treat it is to try remove yourself from stressful situations.

To treat the symptoms, use topical creams, don't use harsh soaps, try stay away from any chemicals that will dry your skin, try not to use hot water and ensure you keep the affected area moisturized.

Do you suffer from or have someone suffering with Acne.  It's not really a disease, but can be genetic.  The cause is testosterone. There are however a number of means of dealing with and to a greater extent, manage the symptoms that will enable anyone to live comfortably with the effects of Acne.

You will often find acne reducing in winter and getting worse in summer.  Do yourself a favor if you have acne - get about 10 to 30 minutes of direct sunlight onto the affected areas everyday (Just don't do it between 10h00 and 14h00 or when the sun is at it's hottest).

Try keep your hair short if you have acne, as this can distribute oil across your skin.

I briefly touch on conventional treatment, natural remedies, homeopathy and things you need to avoid and what to use in order to better manage acne in your life.  

In this episode we discuss the cause of suffering and the truths behind the suffering.  I briefly explain each of the truths and give you the tools to identify them in your life and then leave you with a choice.