**Perfume** Emeraude Has Been Discontinued... Now What?

 I love perfume, but have never been influenced by the price or brand. If I like the way it smells, I don't care who makes it. I felt that way even when I could afford to splash out a bit. Other than Shalimar, most of my favorite perfumes have been on the more affordable (or even cheaply priced) side. Right now, Lattafa is my go-to for perfume. They make beautiful scents that won't make you feel stupid for buying them when you will never have your name in the Social Register or have access to a Black Card. I like to say that Lattafa makes broke girls (and guys) feel beautiful. The fragrances are not cheap, but are not totally ridiculously priced. Also, I usually find mine via Amazon or eBay.

I'm rambling, so let me get back to my point.

They went and discontinued the poor woman's Shalimar. Yes, people, Emeraude is no longer being made and people are selling their stash for ridiculous prices... Cue my tears! I'm glad that I had gotten a couple of vintage Emeraude gifts. (I now have a "regular" Emeraude, and two vintage bottles. (Maybe I can trade them for eggs if things get tougher!) To be honest, you can still find some deals on eBay, if you want to chance it.

About two or two and half years ago, I bought a bottle from Amazon and also copped a couple of "vintage" bottles from eBay. I did it on a whim and, thankfully, I didn't really use any of the vintage bottles and didn't use up the newer one. Now I look at them and am so happy I have the 3. 

The Shalimar is what's left of a gift from
a niece when I lived in Anchorage.

By the way, I will probably never use the tiny bit left of the Shalimar. I appreciate so much that my niece got that for my birthday years ago!

Anyway. I had to dry my tears and get over it. There are other scents that fill the hole left by Emeraude. For ladies who wanted that Shalimar/Emeraude vibe for drugstore prices, I would suggest:

• Chantilly by Dana
• Youth Dew by Estée Lauder

I do think that Chantilly (the cheap one by Dana, not the vintage from Houbigant) comes closer than Youth Dew. Chantilly has the powdery softness of Shalimar and Emeraude while Youth Dew is "harder" and spicier. Both are lovely, and I find that Youth Dew has better longevity.

Now, here is where it gets wild. I tried layering Youth Dew and Chantilly - just for kicks - and... Wow! It elevates both scents to new levels. It's now become my favorite blend. Keep in mind that both fragrances can be found for under $35-$40. Seriously.

I will be honest and say that I actually like my YD&C blend better than Shalimar. That's because it has such good longevity. Even though my remaining Shalimar has aged to a point of deliciousness, it does not last long on my aging skin. That could be because of improper storage(?). My YD&C blend will last at least 5 hours before it dries down to a skin scent.

Go over to Fragrantica, Basenotes, or Wikiparfum and get the notes and accords for Emeraude (or whatever perfume you love). Look for the list of similar perfumes. Read comments for suggestions for dupes. Reddit is another good source of perfume info. Trust me, there is usually something similar out there.

Speaking of finding similar fragrances, I looked for the longest for anything even a little bit like Blanche Bête. Reading about it on Fragrantica, it's not a scent I would normally seek because it doesn't sound sweet or edible-like, but I got a sample from ScentSplit once and... Oh, mercy! That was such a gorgeous fragrance! The price, though, is nowhere in the range of my budget because... no Black Card, remember?

Blanche Bête is in a whole other galaxy away from my budget that the Webb telescope couldn't find it. It's hilarious that I didn't even know what the name translated to and assumed it was "Not For Broke Folk" (it's actually "White Beast").  I was some kind of thrilled when I found that some people think that Lattafa's Her Confession is a bit of a dupe. Well, now. I do love me some Lattafa, don't I? Hopefully, I will get my hands on some HC and find out how close to BB it is...

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I am working on a post about Lattafa perfumes. I like the affordability and quality. Over the course of about 3 years, I have built up a nice collection.

**CKD** Things I Will Be Asking My Docs About

 I've gotten better about taking care of my health this past 8 or 9 months. I've also been hearing about a lot of supplements and other sources that might help slow the progression of my CKD. Of course, I won't be dabbling with anything until I ask my doctors, but I do have questions and here are some:

1. Is Nicotinamide something that I could be taking? I've heard that it might or might not be helpful in lowering creatine levels and/or promoting better GFR. I wonder if there is any harm in giving the supplement a shot. It is also supposed to be good for other things. (I only have "peek" access to some of the info - like this - and don't understand it anyway.)
2. What about N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)? I've heard about some of its potential benefits, but I don't know if it's safe for me with the other medications I take. If it's not helpful for CKD, is it helpful for anything else in my situation?
3. Saffron is supposed to be a good antioxidant - among other benefits. I also have seen info showing potential benefits for renal issues. This blurb from a National Library of Medicine page has me hopeful: "It seems that saffron supplementation had no significant effect on Cr as a renal function factor. However, BUN reduction was significant in the saffron group compared to placebo." Notice my emphasis. I also remember some hearsay from people in the East Indian and Mediterranean communities back in Anchorage that saffron is a medicinal herb for them.
4. What are some other herbs and spices that I can use in my food that might also benefit my kidney function? I already heed the warnings about what I can't have - turmeric and too much cacao are the two that surprised me...

So, yeah, I have quite a few questions. The frustrating thing is that I think I have asked about some of these before with other doctors. I can't remember though because my doctors keep leaving me! This time I am going to have my notebook ready.

What really frightens me these days is that, with the current White House administration, I might lose some (or all?) of my care. What if I'm out here having to fend for myself with ONLY herbs and supplements. It's a very real possibility, I think.

Anyway, make sure that you are not taking any of the information in this post as advice - other than telling you to always consult with your care team before you try anything! Please stay as healthy as you can and, if nothing else, be peaceful.

Peace

--Free

Hazards Hidden in the Home (and a Solution)

 I've blogged in the past several months about some health issues - coughing, colds, general unwellness. What I've spent time on recently, is trying to find the causes. Apparently, some of the problems have been hiding right under my (sniffling) nose. Here are some of the things I've dealt with:

• Coughing, sneezing, severe throat dryness, and other cold-like symptoms that have lasted for months. 
• Dry, itchy skin and scalp (in spite of moisturizing and treating carefully).
• A lot of white dust on plants, furniture, counters, the fan, and on my laptop.

These are not problems I've dealt with so much before. After some careful note-taking and light research, I narrowed the problem down to one thing: the extremely hard water from the tap. Seriously.

While I can't blame all the coughing and sneezing on the water, I can say that the water caused a lot of it. I know that because, when I remedied the water issue (to a great degree), some of the problems went away immediately and some began improving.

Iowa (or at least where I'm living) has water so hard that I'm lucky the faucet's not spitting out rocks. Also, it smells terrible. I almost never let dishes "soak" for more than an hour and I never drink it, and it really affects laundry. (The laundry situation got so bad that I've been carting mine over to my brother and SIL's to use their machine, as they have a whole-house treatment system.)

There are a lot of hidden hazards around a home. Most of us know to monitor carbon monoxide, check outlets and plugs for problems, and watch which laundry detergents and skincare products we use. We clean and sanitize our surroundings, and we try to maintain a decent level of general household order. To think that it was the tap water causing so many problems was kind of surprising.

Here's where the water comes in: I run a humidifier using tap water, and it finally dawned on me that it was the cause of all the white dust. Of course, I suspected this, but it still was a problem after I began using a pitcher filter system. I used a very popular filter brand and changed filters often. That did not help. I did some light research and changed up my situation. 

I considered a distiller, but the price gave me the vapors. I looked at delivery services but, again, the price (and lack of home space) put me off. I finally settled on getting a faucet filter system. Then I had to decide between horizontal or vertical... Decisions, decisions. At any rate, I now have a faucet filter system (from PUR) and, wow, what a HUGE difference. By the way, I chose the horizontal style since it seems a better fit for my smaller sink space.

Understand that I'm not pimping for PUR. There are at least a couple of other options, but they are more expensive and not that necessary for my single-user needs. I mainly want cleaner, filtered water for the humidifier and coffee pot. I'm not trying to wash dishes or use the filtered water for every little thing. I don't plan to go through gallons and gallons of water a month. The filter has already made a lot of difference.

When I run my humidifier now, I'm not having to blow that white dust out of the fan and computer and, most important, I'm not coughing throughout the night.

The photos are not the best, but if you can imagine the gunk I had to constantly clean from the fan and the computer, you can imagine the damage from breathing that into my lungs.

Constantly blasting it to get 
rid of this dust!

Had to clean this EVERY day

That's horrible. And I even run an air purifier! And for anyone thinking I'm an idiot for not realizing the problem sooner, well, what can I say? At any rate, it's almost weird not to have to clean everything every single day. 

I do miss the Alaska tap water, that's for sure. I never even had to think about it and surely never had to buy drinking water...

So, yeah, this kind of made me go, "Duh!"

The PUR faucet filter system was really a lot more reasonably priced than I expected. The Brita system was up in the high 40-dollar range (and came with 2 filters), while the PUR ran me just over $27 with tax, and came with only one filter (but has better ratings). By the way, I was running Brita filters in the pitcher and that didn't work so well against the dust.

I got it from Walmart
for the same-day delivery

As I said, there are systems from other brands but, for my limited use, the PUR works perfectly. It was super easy to hook up and get running. (I do have a funny story about getting the original aerator off the faucet. I was frustrated to the point of literally crying before I realized I was just turning in the wrong direction. So much for righty-tighty, lefty-loosey... My brother is still laughing about it!)

I guess I'm sharing this (as embarrassing as my ignorance is) so that you will take a look around your own home. There could be something simple that is causing you problems. 

Oh, another benefit of having the filter is that my coffee sure does taste a lot better. No kidding.

Peace

--Free

**Frugality Tip** Milk & Sugar Alternatives **UPDATED with a recipe**

 **This is for those trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents**

Sugar Alternative:

I already posted about panela and why I have replaced sugar with it. It's cheap (but I've found a tip for getting it cheaper), and it's low glycemic. It also is lower in calories for the same amount of sugar.

The first tip is to buy it in the blocks vs buying it ground. I bought the first couple of bags already ground. I like it so much that I use it almost completely in the place of sugar (I'm still learning how to use it in baking), so I go through the ground too fast. Buying it in the blocks is much cheaper, but I have to grind it myself and I have to store it very carefully. Grinding it is not hard (I use a grinder or a grater, depending on how much I want at a time). To store and protect it against humidity, I vac-seal it. I will make some smaller sealed bags of it for longer-term storage and seal a few smaller bags for more immediate use.

NOTE: don't confuse panela with "raw sugar", brown sugar, or turbinado sugar. (Here is some info on different sugars.)

Milk Alternative:

Evaporated milk is milk that has had half the water removed. My mother used it back in the day for certain recipes just because it added a better flavor than whole milk. I have started using it recently to save money. Living alone, I don't use enough milk on a regular basis. Whole milk tends to go bad, and then I run out of ways to use it (in baking or making pancakes, for example). I have been buying an excellent powdered milk from the Netherlands. It has more fat and flavor than a brand I previously used. (It made my recent Favorites list.) However, I am worried about prices going up so I have cut down on my subscription of that, stopped buying coffee creamer, and instead started using evaporated milk. 

Pros to using evaporated milk:

• Price (generally affordable if bought in bulk)
• Shelf stable and so saves room in fridge.
• Used as is, adds a very nice richness to coffee and tea.
• Can be rehydrated to a whole milk form.
• Convenient all around.

From my own experience, when I try to use unsweetened cream or half-and-half to coffee (to save calories), I miss that slight touch of creaminess from the sugars. Evaporated milk does add something, and I am not missing the sugary (and pricey) creamers. I can add panela if I want (and I notice that I don't use much panela when I add it!).

NOTE: don't confuse evaporated milk with sweetened condensed milk!

Keep your head up as we deal with higher food and living costs. I know who is truly in control.

Peace

--Free

UPDATE: I found an eggless brioche recipe to try. I am going to use panela sugar and evaporated milk. Wish me luck!!

Living With CKD (and the Blessings)

As someone who lives with chronic kidney disease (brought on by the sarcoidosis, apparently), I find that it can be tricky to get on a balanced diet - and one that doesn't suck! I'm pretty sure I've said this at least 20 times or more, but I wish doctors knew more about nutrition than they seem to. 

With CKD, there are so many foods, beverages, and herbs that I have to avoid or carefully limit. It's still so wild to me that a lot of the things that are part of a healthy diet for a "normal" person are not good at all for me and other CKD patients. Just when I get to the age and have "developed a palate", I can't enjoy all the green and leafy veggies or some of the most plentiful fruits. Here are a list of ordinarily healthy things that I need to limit (with reasons listed in parentheses):

• Dairy - I pretty much limit it to my coffee & tea... (phosphorous, protein and potassium)
• Avocados - I didn't fall in love with them until a few years ago. (potassium)
• Dried fruit - I used to drink a tea made with dried fruit. Delicious! (potassium)
• Collard greens - A Southern or "soul food" staple! (limit due to potassium)
• Spinach - limited for the same as greens
• Beef jerky - best snack in the history of ever! (sodium)
• Raisins - best snack after jerky- and dates which are a recent fave (potassium)
• Bran cereal - another "really?" one... (potassium, phosphorous and sodium)
• Sweet potatoes - there goes my low-cal sweet potato pie! (potassium)
• Tomatoes & tomato products - just shoot me! (potassium)
• Anything canned or ready-to-eat - not a huge problem since I like to cook my own food. (sodium)
• Anything pickled - even those with "less sodium" (sodium)
• Orange juice - and I do love me some good, cold O.J. (potassium)
• Whole wheat bread - like, really?!?!? (phosphorous and potassium) and the same goes for...
• ... Brown rice - I actually stocked up one before I knew better 

As if that isn't awful enough, potatoes are on the no-no list because of potassium, potassium, potassium... Oh, and I have to limit protein intake. What the heck, right?

Of course, there are other options - especially when it comes to fruit, and I have come to like having a lot of berries in the freezer. The thing is berries are generally more expensive when looking for snacking produce. On the plus side, frozen is almost as good as fresh and are more affordable.

Here is what is on my general shopping list:

• Pineapple juice and pineapple chunks. I get Dole because it tends to be the best as far as taste and ingredients. I use the juice to make smoothies or to make the less tasty beverages easier to go down. Keep reading...
• Cabbage - both red and green. I eat these as "steaks" or simply sautéed and seasoned. Since I cannot chew so well currently, I either juice the green ones and simmer the red ones for the liquid. And this is where that pineapple juice comes in! It's amazing that just a little bit of pineapple juice can make cabbage juice bearable. If I add a little more pineapple juice, the cabbage juice (or water) is actually pleasant.
• Apples. I don't really love apples and have to be in the mood for them, But, again, if I add them to salads or juice them, they help add flavor.
• Fish. Salmon is my go-to fish, but it's hard to find good salmon. Halibut and cod are my other favorites, but salmon is easier to eat without teeth so, for now...
• Shrimp. This is probably my favorite food that's allowed. However, it can be expensive. I try to buy when it is on sale. As I write this, I have some vac-sealed in the freezer that I found on deep sale about 2 months ago. I can't wait til I can chew! (I try to find the best kind of shrimp, which can be tricky when shopping on a budget.)
• Broccoli was a top fave when I was healthier. I will still eat it (raw with a bit of dip or lightly steamed). It's one of those things that is healthy because it might lower creatinine levels, but it also has a lot of potassium.
• Pasta is a favorite - even more so now because it is soft. I eat this either in casseroles (with tuna and/or cheese) or as spaghetti. If I make my own sauce, I can control the sodium and other "bad stuff" better.
• Pinto beans are a HUGE favorite. I can eat them so many ways - in soups, stews, with rice, with ground beef (or... ground turkey ~sigh~), or with cornbread. I always use dried beans, and I soak them overnight (to get rid of some of the potassium) before cooking them. They are so filling and comforting to eat. (I have a goal to start adding chickpeas and lentils into my diet.)
• Tofu - I'm back and forth on this. Sometimes, I find it's great to have around. It surely does bulk up some stews and soups where I'm low on ground beef. Since it basically takes on whatever flavor you give it, it's pretty ideal. It's usually affordable, so there's that.
• Turkey - I am only just recently adding this to my diet. I find that it's soooo much cheaper than ground beef. The trick is to add a little bit of olive oil and seasonings - and don't think too hard about it being turkey and not beef! What I cannot do is turkey bacon. That stuff is just a dry, crumbly mess in the mouth. Yicky!

In addition to pineapple, apple, and grape juice (and cabbage water/juice), I do drink a lot of water, and I am learning to take my coffee and black tea with a lot less cream and/or sugar. I actually enjoy a good cup of Tetley's with just a little bit of milk or cream (not creamer, but cream).  My cold beverage favorites are cold herbal teas or pineapple juice - but I use the pineapple to make the other things less bland.

By the way, here are some things I do for a better diet:

• Cabbage Juice - (I prefer to juice green cabbage because it's usually sweeter than red cabbage.) To avoid pulling out the loud juicer, I use a blender. I wash the cabbage really well, then put the first batch in the blender with a little water. I strain out the juice and use that juice (and a little more water) until I have blended all the cabbage. I strain the pulp really well to get all the juice, then I freeze the pulp to add to smoothies. (I add fruit juice for flavor.)
• Cabbage Water (or pot liquor) - (I prefer this for red cabbage because it's kind of ick(er) when just juiced.) I boil some water and put the cabbage in just long enough to leech the flavor. I find that it tastes better when it's not overcooked. Plus, I can eat the cabbage later. (My mother would just cook the cabbage and save the "pot liquor".)
• Coffee with less cream & sugar - I personally have a hard time drinking black coffee, but I can take it with a little cream. The Luzianne brand red bag coffee is the best one I have found if I have to drink it black. For other brands/brews, for drinking without sugar and just a little bit of plain cream (or half n half)  I like to add a bit of cacao powder. Somehow that makes the coffee more palatable. 
• Alternative to white or brown sugar - I love to add brown sugar to coffee and cereal, but I have found that panela is lower calorie and has some of that brown sugar richness. (I use a powdered panela.)
• Water - I didn't always appreciate plain water, but in Anchorage, the tap water tasted amazing. For the past four or more years, I am very conscious of my water intake. The guideline from my kidney doc is to drink enough so that my urine in a pale yellow - not clear. Drinking too much water depletes minerals and stuff. I find that I prefer my water to be room temp - not cold. My SIL is the opposite (and I always keep some in the fridge just for when she visits!). I also try to remember to add a pinch of Celtic salt to my first glass of water each day. If you find it difficult to drink enough water, try using a straw or experiment with the temperature of the water. 

I hope that this helps someone. I'm sure that it will help you understand how CKD can affect someone's life (and diet).

Peace

--Free

Homemade Rice Krispies?

 I just finished watching a video with instructions on how to make homemade rice puffs. I always loved Rice Krispies as a kid, but the idea of making my own was daunting. The guy at Food Tech 101 on YouTube truly blew my mind. His channel is so worth checking out!

This is what is generally in most rice puff style cereal from the stores:

This is what Food Tech 101 dude used:

• Parboiled rice (you can buy it parboiled)
• Salt (he used black salt, which I never heard of before this)
• Heat

That's it.

If you are impatient, he gets down to business at about the 4-minute mark.

What???!!!???

You know I actually have parboiled rice (bought on accident!) and I have salt (which you can use and re-use). I will be giving this recipe a try.

Check out my man's channel and just be sure to give him a thumbs up. He deserves it for the work he put in.

I'm going back over to see his DIY cornflakes...

Peace

--Free

Dental Update #8 Worst Is Over. I Hope!

 So. I still have no teeth. But I do have the pins in for my bottoms plate.

At the last appointment, I had another scan done, and the doc was pleased to let me know that I have lots of bone - enough for at least 2 pins on either side of the bottom, which will give more stability to that plate. Because I have a deep arch (?) to my upper front gum line, the top plate will be secure enough that I might not ever have to use adhesive. 

Am I bummed that I have to wait up to 3 months to have teeth? Of course. But, once I got the pins in (and that is the last of the nasty work), the only thing left is doing the impressions for my actual dentures. That should be in a few weeks. The doc wants to make sure my gums are completely healed from the pin surgery.

To be honest, after hearing about some other people's ordeals, I am happy that my doc took the long way around. My gums are totally healed up from my extractions. I had enough room for 3 pins to be put in to anchor my bottom plate, and I have been healing really well from each procedure. I am happy that I have a careful, caring and conscientious dentist. 

Funny thing: the whole time I knew I was going to have pins put in, I thought they were going to be in the back part of my mouth. I even told people that I was having pins put in the back. Nope. The pins are in the front. Because I was so numbed during the procedure, I couldn't really tell where the dentist was drilling and stitching. Because I thought he was working at the back of my mouth, that is where I felt all the pressure and movement. It wasn't until he was finished, and I saw the work that I knew the pins were in front. (My brother laughed at me because the dentist had clearly said where the pins would be placed!) Whatever. The best thing about that appointment was there was very little blood, and it was put me in the home stretch.

Apparently, I will be able to just clip in my bottom plate and not have to worry about it lifting or shifting. I can't help but wonder what my younger self would have thought of all this. 

What a journey this has been. I am so thankful for getting to this point. I can remember being so disappointed when the dentist at a community center wouldn't take me on because of my other medical issues. I can't blame him for being wary, and now I am SO glad that he didn't do the work. He did my neighbor's teeth, and she stopped wearing them after a couple of weeks. They were free (our insurance covered the clinic's work and plates 100%), but are useless. She is saving to have her teeth done by the dentist I use. 

I so love my family for going through this with me (and, you know, footing the out-of-pocket costs!). I do know how blessed I am.

Peace

--Free

Necessary Resistance

 I don't normally talk a lot of politics here. However... In light of the new alliances among the tech bros and the expected changes to things that affect my personal budget, I am on board with a necessary resistance.

People in my income bracket don't have a lot of power, but can choose how to use the little bit that we have. For me, this means choosing very carefully how, where and when I spend the few dollars I have in this game. 

For years, I have supported Amazon and Walmart. Amazon probably gets as much as 80% of what I spend in total on household goods and the few "luxuries" I allow myself. That's going to slow way down. Walmart gets most of what I spend for food and toiletries. That's also going to slow down. 

The 99% is not very active.
 Let's change that

I cannot afford to count on the fairness of the rich, so I will start spreading my pennies locally as much as I can. There are hometown grocers, butchers, and mom and pop general stores. For convenience (and price), I have often neglected those places in order to get the few perks offered by the big boys of merchandise and retail. 

Not that anybody with any power is going to hear about this, but I am going to do my small part as a Have Not to protest being used and taken for granted by the Haves and Want More crowd. It's a small resistance, but, if I'm reading the internet "room" right, there are a lot of us. Pennies make dollars and individuals make movements.

By the way, I don't like the way the terms "antifa" and "woke" have been dirtied. I am proudly anti-fascist and everyone should remember that the term "woke" originated in the 1920s or 30s, not just when extremist liberalism hijacked it. So fight fascism and stay woke.

And just so no one misunderstands, I totally support capitalism, but that's not what's happening here. It's only fair capitalism without leveraged "monopolism." Capitalism is only truly capitalism if it is open and fair. 

Peace

--Free

It’s Not Just the Hibiscus…

 Last weekend, when I was trying to find the source of my cough, I came up with hibiscus as the culprit. It was a large part of the problem, but not the only one.

Back about 8 weeks ago, I started regularly using a lip-smacking delicious seasoning called Anchor Original Chicken Chippy Salt. The stuff is freaking addict-ta-licious. I was putting it on almost everything except cereal.

Since my cough mostly (but not completely) went away when I stopped drinking hibiscus flower tea, I started to look at other things. I eliminated another med for one day and that wasn't the problem. The newest part of my diet was the Chippy Salt. As much as I hated to, I gave that up - just for one single day. And that was when my cough - itchy throat and all - dissipated. 

I do have a slight head cold, with some sneezing and chest congestion, but the whole itchy-throat situation that I couldn't relieve with anything - not honey, cough drops, juice, etc. - that was gone. Almost immediately.

By the way, to let you know how tasty that Chippy salt is - especially on burgers or fries - I had to think for a moment about how to just live with an itchy throat and irritating cough. I feel this dude here:

The seasoning is amazing. But its effect is so powerful that I had to scour and re-season my cast iron skillet. Just the residue of the salt (from where I'd seasoned my ground beef) was enough to cause a reaction.

It's just as well. There are a lot of ingredients in the Chippy Salt I was using:

Salt (70%), Wheat Flour, Flavour Enhancers (621, 635, 327), Wheat Starch, Onion Powder, Sugar, Maltodextrin (from corn and tapioca), Food Acids (330), Anticaking Agent (341), Flavours, Spice, Beef Fat, Bell Pepper Powder, Herbs, Soy Sauce Powder, Seasoning, Caramel Colour (150c).

I have since gone back to using Celtic sea salt as my primary seasoning for meat and fish. Sometimes, I use a blend of that with some Old Bay, onion flakes, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper, and a bit of Liquid Smoke. 

When I get my teeth, I will be able to eat from a more varied menu, and I'm sure I will really miss the Chippy Salt then...

But I listen to my body and, as much as my taste buds love the Chippy Salt, the rest of my body disagrees. So majority rules.

As far as finding tea to replace hibiscus, one of my brothers and I spent hours searching ones that I can drink. I have to take into account that I have CKD and sarc so it wasn't easy. What I ended up with is the Butterfly Pea tea (which I love), my good old chamomile, and Hydrangea. I wanted to try astralagus (or milkvetch), but information about its effects are conflicting. Some sources claim it's good for kidneys, while others claim the opposite. I have a tiny bag, so I will finish that off in very tiny servings over the next several months. It's said to be good at lowering blood pressure, but possibly overworking the kidneys. I do wish that doctors knew more about herbal remedies... In the meantime, I have to be really careful.

Peace

--Free

DISCLAIMERS:

I am no medical, herbal or nutrition expertise at all. Do not use anything based on what I blog about. Talk to your own care team before you do or use anything you see online.

I am not/will not be compensated for anything linked to or mentioned in this post.

Is Hibiscus Causing My Cough???

Chile! I am thunderstruck right now.

Since I talk about almost everything here, I'm sure I've mentioned the persistent cough I've been struggling with. I'm talking about a cough I've had off and on since last summer. It had finally gone away for a while, and I was so relieved. I was able to get more sleep than normal, and my voice was returning to normal. Until... 

Friday, after my dental appointment, I relaxed with a cup of hibiscus tea for the afternoon. I'd been so stressed that my blood pressure was up. That night, I had a little more hibiscus with chamomile.

By the middle of the night, the cough was back. Nothing helped. I spooned down a teaspoon of honey. Nope. I drank some water. Nope. I turned the humidifier from Low to High. Nope. Finally, I just got up and pulled out a new box of Kleenex.

When I was a young lady, I once developed a rash on my arms and across my chest almost overnight. It was a sprinkling of itchy, goosebumps-looking things across the skin. I made it through the workday without alarming anyone with my scratching. When I went to my mother (of course, I did!), she took a look and asked if the rash was anywhere else. It wasn't. She checked the fabric of my blouse (polyester), then she asked what I'd washed it in. And there it was. I had used a scented handwash detergent.

Mom told me that whenever something starts to ail you right out of the blue, to think of anything new or different you are using, eating, drinking, etc. 

When I realized that my cough had gone away then returned - all out of the blue - I took Mom's long-ago advice. My memory is bad (can you tell?), but I knew right off that I'd not been drinking my usual pre-bed hibiscus tea - until I did again...

I did some internet searching and, yeah, it most likely is the hibiscus. I had the same reaction when taking Lisinopril for my blood pressure. So the tea is causing my cough. It has to be the hibiscus tea because the coughing didn't happen when I was drinking green tea or chamomile, or the aronia berry tea (which is also good for my BP). 

Of course, I stopped with the hibiscus. I still have about a quarter pound of the leaves left and those will go to my SIL.  She's had hibiscus tea and it never made her cough. I guess I am glad and mad at the same time. I got the leaves way back in May of last year and paid a little over $9 for a pound. I'm glad I was able to stretch the bag out for this long, and mad that I can no longer enjoy delicious hibiscus...

Maybe this will help someone else. I never would have guessed the hibiscus if not for using Mama's advice. Too bad I didn't think of it sooner.

Peace

--Free