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Nettles are painful to grasp, yet have healing properties which will be described below.
This paradox – both pain and healing coming from the same source – is a useful one for professionals, public officials, home owners, investors, and others interested in manufactured homes.
Why, you ask?
Because some home seekers find an unwarranted emotional reaction or ‘pain’ in the subject of manufactured housing. Yet, once embraced and understood, manufactured homes provide potentially millions of more Americans an amazing solution – a healing – to the otherwise high cost of U.S. housing.
For professionals, ’embracing’ the headaches and heartbreak that misunderstandings about manufactured homes may also be emotionally painful. Yet, the misconceptions will not clear themselves up.
The wise course of action is to embrace the issues – proverbially ‘embrace the nettles’ – and through an educational process, the healing social and economic properties of manufactured homes will be revealed.
The “Phrase Finder” tells us this interesting piece of folklore:
“Aaron Hill’s Works, circa 1750, contains the first example that I can find that advises that a nettle be grasped:
“Tender-handed stroke a nettle,
And it stings you, for your pains:
Grasp it like a man of mettle,
And it soft as silk remains.”
– The “father” of modern advertising, David Ogilvy, said -“Leaders Grasp Nettles.”
– Real estate and investment mogul, Sam Zell, said – “When everyone is going right, look left.”
– Sunshine Homes president John Bostick’s words of wisdom echo a similar point, “Easy Doesn’t Pay Well.”
The common thread in the above is this. It isn’t always the obvious or the easy path that yields the best results. Sometimes it takes work – grasping the nettle – to get the best outcome.
There are many sources of information on nettles online and their healing properties. The one selected below, comes from the University of Maryland Medical Center website.
“Stinging nettle has fine hairs on the leaves and stems that contain irritating chemicals, which are released when the plant comes in contact with the skin. The hairs, or spines, of the stinging nettle are normally very painful to the touch. When they come into contact with a painful area of the body, however, they can actually decrease the original pain. Scientists think the nettle does this by reducing levels of inflammatory chemicals in the body, and by interfering with the way the body transmits pain signals.
General Uses
Stinging nettle has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate (called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH). It is also used for urinary tract infections, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), or in compresses or creams for treating joint pain, sprains and strains, tendonitis, and insect bites.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Stinging nettle root is used widely in Europe to treat BPH. Studies in people suggest that stinging nettle, in combination with other herbs (especially saw palmetto), may be effective at relieving symptoms such as reduced urinary flow, incomplete emptying of the bladder, post urination dripping, and the constant urge to urinate. These symptoms are caused by the enlarged prostate gland pressing on the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). Some studies suggest that stinging nettle is comparable to finasteride (a medication commonly prescribed for BPH) in slowing the growth of certain prostate cells. However, unlike finasteride, the herb does not decrease prostate size. Scientists aren’t sure why nettle root reduces symptoms. It may be because it contains chemicals that affect hormones (including testosterone and estrogen), or because it acts directly on prostate cells. It is important to work with a doctor to treat BPH, and to make sure you have a proper diagnosis to rule out prostate cancer.
Osteoarthritis
The leaves and stems of nettle have been used historically to treat arthritis and relieve sore muscles. Studies have been small and inconclusive, but they do suggest that some people find relief from joint pain by applying nettle leaf topically to the painful area. Other studies show that taking an oral extract of stinging nettle, along with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), allow people to reduce their NSAID dose.
Hay fever
One preliminary human study suggested that nettle capsules helped reduce sneezing and itching in people with hay fever. In another study, 57% of patients rated nettles as effective in relieving allergies, and 48% said that nettles were more effective than allergy medications they had used previously. Researchers think that may be due to nettle’s ability to reduce the amount of histamine the body produces in response to an allergen. More studies are needed to confirm nettle’s antihistamine properties. Some doctors recommend taking a freeze-dried preparation of stinging nettle well before hay fever season starts.”
Embracing the actual and proverbial nettle – in all aspects of living – often yields benefits not found any other way. ##
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Submitted by Soheyla Kovach, to MHLivingNews.
