More Than A Salad Dressing, Olive Oil, The Health And Medical Benefits

For the last several years I've only cooked with olive oil. I started this after watching a news show and also reading some other material about the life span of Greeks and those who use olive oil as a main fat in their diets. Because my husband and I love Greek food and pastas, it was an easy transition. We don't eat any red meat or pork, but do consume a lot of fish and some chicken. But everything I cook is prepared using olive oil.

I've also used olive oil on my skin for many, many years. My skin just soaks it up. Unlike baby oil, it penetrates into the skin and does not give you that "greasy" feeling. We also use it as a base for making our own massage oils. We simply add to olive oil as needed. For example, if I have an upset stomache, I'll add peppermint oil and rub on my stomach for soothing. If we have sore muscles, we may add lavender to the oil and rub our bodies down. For energizing we may mix a little lemon oil with olive oil or even rosemary. It's my first line of defense along with prayer when anyone in our household is not feeling well.

Recently however I discovered another use for olive oil. My husband and I regularly drink aloe vera juice and try to also take cod liver oil. The new cod liver oils are not bad but can still be a little gaggy. From recent readings, I've discovered that olive oil is just as beneficial as cod liver oil in helping with the regulation of blood pressure and keeping the arteries clean, etc.

When trying to help settle my dogs tummy, I found olive oil to also be useful for medicinal purposes. Damsel (my boxer) had flatuation/gas and a little diarrhea. We attributed it to some changes in her diet. The fragrance of peppermint steamed through the house (lightly because their noses are so sensitive) did seem to help relieve her somewhat, but I knew she probably needed something internally. With us, I rarely take over the counter medicines, but I remembered that the vet had given our other dog Mylanta when he had a similar problem so we decided to give it a try. It helped some but I didn't want to keep her taking it for more than a couple of days, so I sought a more "natural" alternative. To my surprise, I learned that olive oil was very good for the stomach. It has been said to have helped many patients with long term constipation, and is helpful with food digestion and even ulcers. We started by just giving her a tablespoon. Within thirty minutes or so she was able to relax and sleep. Unlike the Mylanta, she's happy to take the olive oil and even goes to licking it off her chin whenever daddy misses a little. The next day she was back to eating and barking at every thing that moves. I'm sure to try it for myself whenever I have a problem with my stomach.

Here are some other things I learned - olive oil is actually good for cleansing of the digestive system, removing any bacteria and aiding in the prevention of problems such as stomach ulcers.

It is also said to have been useful in treating -

Urinary Tract Infections
Gallbladder problems
Arthritis (rub onto skin)
Lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol
Coughs, colds & sore throats (hold a teaspoon in the mouth as long as possible)
Chaffed skin, sores, cuts, scratches (applied to skin has a soothing effect)
Earaches (just a few drops of oil in the ear is said to be soothing)
Combating diseases such as cancer and diabetes
Promote healthy heart
Ulcers/Gastritis
Angi-Aging (apply to skin/wrinkles)
Natural Pain Reliever
Natural Anti-Inflammatory

Why is olive oil so beneficial? Well first off because if it's high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and net because it's loaded with antioxidants like vitamin e. I've now made olive oil a regular supplement for us, just taking a tablespoon of it a day. It is said that this is more beneficial as cooking with it can remove some of it's properties, thus not providing you with all of the nutrients/benefits.