I have tired hands.  Working hands. Old hands.  And it shows.

When I was in my thirties, someone told me that you can always tell a woman's age by her hands.  Looking at my mother at the time, I knew that was true and as I have aged, I am starting to see my own hands become thin-skinned, spotted, and knarled a bit. 

I suppose I should consider myself lucky since although I have bumpy arthritic fingers (which can happen at any age), they do not hurt.  That said, I have always taken pride in my nails.

I do my own manicures, topping my mid-length nails with a coat of clear nail strengthener.  Side note: my toenails are pink but that is another story entirely.  Sadly, though, something happened over the summer months and by September my nails were in shambles. 

There were severe cracks and ridges that ran the length of the nail and as soon as there was even the tiniest bit of length, they crumbled.  Knowing that my eating and nutritional intake from real food was sound, I decided to attack the problem externally using essential oils.

Voila! 

My nails are now back to normal with very few ridges and cracks.  Even though my hands are not as attractive as they used to be, my nails look great.  Today I share the nail serum I came up with.  It uses just three, inexpensive essential oils and olive oil. 

Are you ready to have beautiful nails?

The post DIY Nail Serum for Damaged Nails by Gaye Levy first appeared on Strategic Living.

As I recall, the first time I dabbled using essential oils to manage my blood pressure was in early 2015.  At that time, my once perfect blood pressure had taken a leap from 120/80 to 160/90 and higher.  I pretty much freaked out and called my physician.  After calming me down, she told me to take a deep breath, monitor my BP daily for a couple of weeks, and if there was no change, secure an appointment so we could do some testing. 

Rather than wait, a few days later I decided to experiment with natural remedies before taking more drastic measures such as pharmaceuticals.  The rest, for me, is history. 

I found a combination of essential oils that not only worked to help manage my own blood pressure but also helped my husband and countless others who followed my original March 2015 post on Backdoor Survival.  To this day I still use essential oils in a salve form to maintain healthy blood pressure.  You will find the simple, DIY recipe below.

But first, let me speak to a concern that has bubbled to the top for all of us this past year.  That concern is how we will deal with health issues in the event modern medicine and western doctors are no longer available to keep us well. Or, as recent history has shown us when in-person doctor visits are curtailed but for all but the direst of circumstances.

The post Using Essential Oils to Manage Blood Pressure by Gaye Levy first appeared on Strategic Living.

In a shameless promotion, I want to share one of the best deals I have seen EVER from my favorite supplier of CBD oils, gelcaps, and powders.  This is for real:  Organica Naturals has a two for one sale running between now and Sunday night.  Everything in their store is included.  Everything!

What does this mean in practical savings? 

As an example, my husband uses the largest bottle of CBD capsules they sell.  The bottle of 240 capsules is normally $340, but with the BOGO offer, I get 480 capsules for the same price.  Smaller bottles start at $50 for 30 capsules so instead of a one month supply, you would get two months for the same $50.

For myself, I use Full Spectrum CBD oil.  Why not the capsules?  They are too strong for me since I only use 10mg to 20mg per day depending on my stress and anxiety levels. 

Keep reading for a recent testimonial from a Strategic Living reader and an update on how I am using CBD to deal with stress and anxiety.

The post CBD for Stress + CBD Holiday Deals by Gaye Levy first appeared on Strategic Living.

Last week I was asked about how I am currently using CBD and specifically, how my husband was using CBD to conquer arthritis and joint pain.  This was a timely question given that I recently developed a simple to make and simple to use rollerball/roller-ball formula using CBD oil, essential oils, and fractionated coconut oil. 

Why a roll-on formula? 

As much as I love using all manner of salves, including CBD salve, a rollerball bottle is super portable.  Furthermore, concocting a rollerball is as easy as adding CBD and essential oils to an empty bottle then topping with a carrier oil. There is nothing to melt, mix, or dissolve.  Not only that, chances are the CBD you already have on hand is an oil and not a powdered concentrate or isolate.  That means there is one less thing to buy.

I am thrilled to share my rollerball and essential oil formula with you and if it helps just one person get relief, the effort will have been worth it.

The post Create a CBD Rollerball for Joint & Arthritis Pain Relief by Gaye Levy first appeared on Strategic Living.

Using CBD oil as an over the counter remedy has gone mainstream.  Alas, from some of the feedback I have received, success using CBD is either boom or bust.  Digging further into how those in the "CBD is a bust" camp are using CBD, I have come to believe that the issue is dosing. 

Part of the blame sits on the shoulders of CBD vendors for providing unclear dosing instructions and confusing labeling. Additional confusion comes from the fact that each of our bodies is unique in the way CBD is metabolized.  All of this is very sad because CBD can be very effective in providing relief from anxiety, sleeplessness, and pain. 

In this article, I address the question of "How much CBD should I take?".

The post CBD Dosing: How Much CBD Should I Take? by Gaye Levy first appeared on Strategic Living.