Okinawa Hai fallback

CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO

I aspire to be hippy enough to know the answer to this question. But, alas, when that fever strikes and my body shivers nothing can keep me from a shot of Nyquil. So I guess that keeps me out of the running for the crunchiest girl on island.

Furthermore, I don’t even know what this stuff does or what it is?

Calendula. Is that some kind of dandelion by-product?

Tea-tree oil. Good for hair?

Acidophilous. Keeps a summer home in yogurt?

Arnica. The Chronicles of Narnia?

Grapefruit seed extract. A natural and harmless sedative for a toddler prone to flailing on the floor because Mom put in the wrong DVD again?

I digress. Kim has a serious question. Ignore me.

Are there any stores to buy homeopathic or natural remedies locally. I’m looking for things like arnica, calendula, grapefruit seed extract, tea tree oil, acidophilous (the good stuff that has to be kept in the fridge). I actually saw Hylands teething tablets at the exchange which surprised me, but none of the rest of it. Any ideas?

16 COMMENTS

  1. Arifoglu outside of Foster by the SeaWall has a ton of different oils, it’s where I purchased my tea tree oil and aloe Vera oil. In addition to numerous oils, they also sell loose leafs teas and spices and other random goodies! Hope this helps

  2. Hi Toree,

    Re: Tennenkobo, I thought they only sold essential oils and Bach remedies there. Where are the homeopathics displayed? Or do they only sell creams and not the tabs?

    I do need to get some more and VitaCost is just TOO slow with their shipping.

  3. Tennenkobo

    Hours: 1200 – 2000 Tuesday through Sunday

    Phone: 098-933-0030

    Directions: Coming out Kadena Gate 2, continue for several kilometers until you pass an AU and San A on the left, then a Kanehide on the right. The road will curve to the left and you’ll see a two story building on the right called Strawberry massage. Turn right immediately after Strawberry – there is a sign that says “Antoten & Dining”. (If you go down a long, windey hill and pass 329, you’ve gone too far). Take the second right and an immediate right around the fence of a large signal tower. Tennenkobo is just beyond the tower on the right.

  4. Aviva,
    Your bunny is too funny! I’m having a looney tunes flashback. On a serious note though, I can totally relate. I can’t count the times that I have been out and about wishing I had someone to translate. It can be tough being new in a foreign country. Best of luck with your studies.

  5. This is off-the-true-topic, but as far as we Euro-linguists attempting to do Japanese in written form, I’d highly recommend taking a stab at the Hiragana character set (just a few more than double the members of our familiar Roman alphabet).

    I’ve slacked off BIG time lately but I have learned enough to figure out that a LOT of writing is NOT Kanji (which I have give up hope of ever learning) & would be quite pronounceable & then possibly familiar when sounded out. Of course, I never turn down native support (aka Japanese-reading friendships) in seeking understanding. However, don’t write off all written forms of Japanese!

  6. Sorry if I offended you, Ortona. Yes, it was sarcastic – and I am enrolling in a Japanese class. None of my ancestors are from America and I have a very good understanding of the lack of understanding Americans have of all things foreign – not to mention the lack of respect. I do not, however, ever expect to be able to read Japanese which is why being friends with some locals would be a great idea.

  7. Aviva I’m sure your comment was in jest. However, it comes across as mean spirited and ugly. Maybe we should learn the language instead of hoping someone will translate everything for us or expect everything to be in English.

  8. I forgot to mention this: if you order from Vitacost, during checkout it will ask if you have a coupon code (I don’t remember exactly when that happens, but there’s a box you fill in). The following code– WZ56ACB–gives you a 5% discount off your entire order.

  9. I’m in the states right now, but my favorite place to order supplements, tea tree oil, acidophilus, etc. is Vitacost.com. They’re based in Florida, but do ship via USPS to APO/FPO address. Standard shipping is only $5 regardless of how large your order is, and their prices are MUCH lower than anything I’ve found around town or online. Also, my experiences with customer service have been great.

    I know they carry tea tree oil, various kinds of Primadophilus (including the chewable kid’s kind), calendula cream, arnica, Hyland’s products, etc. They carry a nice selection of natural personal care items (Tom’s of Maine, JASON, Nature’s Gate, Burt’s Bees, etc.), and have their own line of vitamins/minerals that have been great for us. I hope this helps.

  10. First, if you’re getting yourself a personal menu translator then I want to come too!

    Second, here’s a quick run-down if anyone is interested:

    Calendula makes great diaper rash cream. Any skin irritation I guess, but when I open up a diaper and see a sore red bottom, a little calendula cream fixes up by the next diaper change.

    Acidophilous is the same stuff you find in yogurt, but concentrated into powder or pill form. I love the stuff and Mia and I both take it daily (except that we’re out now!) I could write pages about the benefits of acidophilous, but don’t worry, I won’t bore you. 🙂

    Arnica is great for the bumps and bruises that toddlers are so prone to.

    Tea-tree oil and Grapefruit seed extract are a natural antibiotic and antifungal and can help with thrush or yeasty-diaper rashes.

    So there I’m out of the crunchy-closet now!

  11. (I’m pretty sure it’s “hippie” – am I right? Meredith, you’re classic.)

    Kim – I’m thinking your best bet might be to befriend a local. On Friday I’m going to meet a local teacher at a friend’s house, I can pass this question along. I’m thoroughly excited to snatch her up in my claws and put her on a leash to bring her to restaurants and shops to make her translate everything for me.

    I just want to pet the bunny. I’ll be gentle with the bunny….