In 2005, my husband contracted West Nile Disease. So did several of our family friends. But whereas some of them recovered, without noticeable muscle tremors, lung problems, or noticeable residual viral infection(s) and weakened immune systems, my husband was completely out of work for 14 months.

His hands shook, his vision blurred, he could hardly breathe. He fought high levels of pain, in his lungs and elsewhere, continuously. Doctors could do almost nothing for him, and admitted this. The most helpful thing they did was point him to eucalyptus oil, which we rubbed on his chest. They also provided him with several "helps" which we did research on, and discovered were as good as poison...a particular nasal spray among them.

Finally, after months of existing on beans and the foodstuffs we had stored up in our home (the way we've always done things, as did our parents before us), and watching my husband's hair turn greyer, and his eyes get dull from feelings of total failure as a husband, I decided to take matters into my own hands. He was beginning to show pre-stroke symptoms, as well.

I knew that onion poultices were often used for respiratory ills in years past, and I started there. The poultices helped, but my husband still struggled to draw breath within hours of stopping the treatments.

Then a friend told me about homemade boiled flax seed oil. An acquaintance of hers used it daily for a variety of ailments, and had taught her to make it. She had used it for her family to ward off coughs, sinus problems, and joint pain, among other things.

I decided even if the boiled flax seed oil didn't help my husband, it couldn't hurt him.

Accordingly, I bought a bag of whole golden flax seeds, and boiled a small handful with water, to produce oil. My husband hated the texture (slimy), but drank some anyway, as soon as it was cool enough...and felt good enough to do some work around the house within two days. For the past year, he had barely been able to get around, let alone do anything.

For several days, he drank some of the oil, and within a week, his lung capacity had doubled. He still had lung scarring, which he might always have, but he was able to work again, and has done so ever since. It is true that 8-hour days are long for him, and he rarely works more than 6 hours at a stretch, but his work (construction) is physically demanding, and the point is - he can support his family again. The flax oil gave him back his ability to live and work like an honorable man, and he can once again enjoy life.

You will need:

• Whole flax seeds, either brown or golden
• Drinking water
• A saucepan
• A jar to keep the oil in, preferably glass

Method:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and add 1-2 tablespoons of whole flax seeds. Decrease heat to medium-low, and boil, uncovered, for 8 minutes, or until the water begins to thicken, appears somewhat glossy, and has streaks that resemble egg-white.

Set aside to cool, then pour into a jar, and store in the refrigerator. Use within 10 days as, like all good oils, it will turn rancid.

Be sure to boil the flax oil at a low temperature, or it will foam up over the pan and make a mess of your stove!

In a book called Giants in the Earth, I came across a more complicated flax oil combination, used in a poultice for a man with a terrible cough. Because I have not obtained permission to quote from the book, I will describe the elements of this poultice, minus the religious overtones given in the book.

The poultice included:

• 4 large onions, chopped fine
• "Vile smelling stuff" from a bottle, poured over the onions, then boiled in a kettle a while

This "vile smellings stuff", from a later description in the book, must have included boiled flax seed oil (called linseed oil in the book), fresh milk, and some flour.

The above mixture was made into thick poultices, to be placed on the chest and back for 12 hours, and kept warm with heated cloths placed over them.

I have never used this particular poultice, but it makes good sense to combine onions and flax oil this way.

You should be aware that there are different varieties of oils derived from flax seeds, and that not all of them are edible. The type of linseed oil which is sometimes an ingredient in paint is poisonous to consume, as it undergoes a chemical process which allows it to dry.

Furthermore, the variety of flax seed oil which is sometimes sold in supermarkets will not necessarily help your lungs, though it can be healthy for you in other ways. The reason is simple, and, while I cannot explain it in scientific terms, I can tell you what it is:

I suspect the oil sold in stores is sqashed out of the seeds, instead of being boiled out. The homemade boiled oil has the ability to dissolve phlegm and other "gunky" matter, making it easy to clear from the body. Somehow, the "squashed" oil lacks this ability.

Even so, when you're just starting, take the health of your whole body into consideration. Especially if you have a sensitive stomach or bowels, consider trying only a small amount, say, a teaspoon the first time, then wait a day or two to see how it works for you. Some people have so much built-up mucous that the oil goes into overdrive trying to clear it out, and actually makes them feel sick at first. So go easy, and try building up to larger amounts.

Lastly, an elderly aquaintance told me he had used boiled sunflower seeds the same way we were using flax seeds. I did not ask him what variety of seed he had used. I suspect it was a common black oil seed - the type which is grown abundantly in this region, but which is not very palatable to anything besides birds and squirrels.

Recently my husband gave some homemade boiled flax seed oil to a friend who has struggled for years with emphysema. This friend nearly always has a smile, but will tell you straight-out that he'd just as soon be dead as alive. He has no quality of life.

Within a week, he reported that he felt the best he had in years.

He's bought himself some whole flax seeds, and keeps smiling broader than ever.