Archive for March, 2011

Sugar Isn’t Just Sugar

Thursday, March 31st, 2011 No Commented
Under: Diabetes

For as long as I can remember, we have been taught that the food you eat is metabolized and turns into sugar. Eating sugar on top of that raises your blood sugar levels even further. So in the end, everything becomes sugar and that has been that. No distinction has ever been given to different kinds of sugar. Glucose is really just sugar; fructose is really just sugar, and so on.

Well, guess what? That’s all changing and even mainstream medical researchers are coming to realize that this view of the things we eat and how they can affect our bodies is both simplistic and WRONG!

Recently, a whole bigger than the one in our ozone layer was blown in the old approach to sugar metabolism by cancer researchers. And though this article is primarily about diabetes, we have to look a little farther afield for a moment and then we can come back to the main topic here.

In a study recently reported in the journal Cancer Research, medical researchers took pancreatic cancer cells and fed them glucose and fructose, then observed the results. It turns out that these cancer cells metabolized each sugar differently, and fructose is the sugar that caused the cancer cells to replicate.

“These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation,” Dr. Anthony Heaney of UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center and fellow researchers wrote. “They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth.”

So now, you may be wondering just what refined fructose we are eating? And the answer is very simple and something you already know, but not by quite the same words. One of the main refined fructos suppliers to your body every day are products containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In pretty much all of the naturopathic literature for people with diabetes, the evils of HFCS have been discussed for years. Today, even mainstream researchers are coming to realize the possibility that this ingredient has dangers not realized before now. California has put a tax on sodas containing it to offset obesity and other health risks.

Do you have any conception of how prevalent HFCS is in our diet today? I surely didn’t until beginning to examine labels in the past 2-3 months. I was shocked to learn that you can find the stuff in a jar of processed peanuts. It’s common to find it in a simple loaf of bread. Recently, some friends and I noticed it as the first ingredient in a packet of coffee creamer!

U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup went up 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990, researchers reported in 2004 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And guess what has risen with an equally frightening proportion? Yup, you guess it: Type 2 diabetes. There’s certainly something here to think about. We may not fully understand how the linkage works yet between HFCS and Type 2 diabetes. But, it seems reasonable to suspect there could be one. More and more knowledgeable physicians have written extensively about a link, and their evidence is compelling.

The evidence is compelling, that is, unless you are lobbying with soda manufacturers. They’re still singing the same old song: Sugar is all just sugar. Fortunately for our health, this myth is slowly being debunked. Today, take action and begin eliminating HFCS from your diet. Start by examining labels of the products you buy. Examine labels on all food products because HFCS is quite prevalent in foods you’d never suspect. Then, find substitutes or make your own substitutes.

Dangers of a Processed Food Diet

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Nutrition

We all do it sometimes, but if you routinely feed your kids a processed food diet full of lots of sugary and fatty foods you might be doing more than encouraging them to put on weight, you might also be lowering their IQ. This is the finding of a British study that also saw kids who ate vitamin and nutrient rich diets actually brought their IQ number up.

It’s very likely that good nutrition promotes healthy brain tissue and cognitive development according to the researchers. Which is especially pertinent for children aged up to three as the brain is growing rapidly. And while doctors (and others) will tell you that eating healthy from a young age is important; this is the first study to suggest a direct link between diet and brainpower later on.

The work is based on data collected from a major investigation of childhood development that included just under 4000 children born between ’91 and ’92. The subject’s parents answered detailed questions about what their children ate and drank at ages 3, 4, 7 and 8.5 years. When they were eight and a half years old the children’s IQ’s were
tested using a standardized intelligence test for children.

The team identified three common diets

  1. A processed diet, which was full of fats, sugar and good tasting convenience foods
  2. A traditional diet, heavily reliant on meats, potatoes, bread and veggies
  3. A healthy diet that had lots of good for you foods, things like fruit, veggies, salad greens, fish, pasta and rice.

They then rated the diets on a point scale from most healthy to most unhealthy.

Children who were fed a lot of processed foods at 3 years old scored a lower IQ when tested at 8.5 years old than did those who ate a healthy diet.

In fact, for each one-point increase in processed food consumption, there was a 1.67-point loss in IQ. What’s more, each one-point increase in eating a healthy diet resulted in a 1.2-point raise in IQ according to the researchers. The link held even after adjustments were made for factors like socioeconomic status, breastfeeding, home environment and the education of parents.

The key appears to be what the child was eating at age 3. Diet at ages 4 and 7 didn’t have an effect on IQ.

Experts believe that when a child’s diet consists mostly of processed foods high in calories and low in needed nutrients, their brains don’t get the compounds they need to develop and work properly.

We’re not talking about occasional intake – a slice of pizza on the weekend for instance, but rather a steady, regular diet of these types of foods. This can impact cognitive ability as well as cause poor behavior and impaired social skills.

Other experts agree that most of us don’t give much thought to the foods we (or our kids) eat and their consequences to our bodies, let alone our brains.

Moving forward the best advice is to start paying more attention to what your young children are eating… stay away from a processed food diet that is high in sugar and fat, and opt for fresh fruits and veggies as much as you can. A snack here in there isn’t forbidden… a steady diet of such foods is another matter.

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More Diet Tips

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Weight Loss

Some more dieting tips to help you on your journey:

First, when you work out mix it up. Try walking at a slightly faster pace than a stroll for a few minutes then pick up the pace to a jog or brisk walk for several minutes. Slow back down but do high knee lifts with every step for 2 minutes, and so on. Mixing up your heat rate allows you to burn more calories per workout and helps you feel better as well.

When you’re doing a workout try adding 5 pounds of weight. You can easily burn over 500 calories more with just this small addition to your routine. If you don’t want to hold weights, try using ankle weights and hand gloves with weights inside. This helps fee up your hands if that’s what you like. It’s also been shown that adding weights reduces the risk of osteoporosis in later years.

Just in case you didn’t already know, you need to remove junk foods from your diet. However sometimes it’s easier said than done. I have found that it’s much easier to avoid the temptations if I don’t have them in my house in the first place. I do my best (doesn’t always work) of only buying foods that are good for my body. Yet we all know that there are just times that chocolate (or whatever craving you have) just sounds WAY too good. In those cases, first of all wait at least 10 minutes to determine if it’s really a craving or boredom. If it turns out you still just have to have it, don’t gorge yourself. Eat only enough to get the taste and remove the craving, then put the rest away.

As long as you just take action your body will change. From personal experience though, instead of using a scale to track your results use a tape measure. Take measurements before you start this fantastic journey and then recheck those measurements weekly. This is a much more accurate way to track your progress, and more gratifying as well.

Just keep moving and changing things up so your body doesn’t get used to the same old routine and you will start to see the results that you are looking for. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t happen overnight. Remember the weight didn’t just show up that fast nor will it come off that fast. Have patience with yourself.

The Risk Factors of Pre Diabetes

Saturday, March 26th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Diabetes

Pre diabetes (or borderline diabetes) is not only associated with elevated blood sugar level. It is also connected with insulin resistance and excessive fat accumulation. However, functional anomalies within the body are not the only factor connected with it. The medical community has determined that there are underlying risk factors which are possible contributor to its occurrence on certain individuals.

The risk factors of pre diabetes are weight, age, family history, inadequate sleep, inactivity, and metabolic syndrome. The primary risk factor is weight because the more weight you gain the higher possibility of fat accumulation especially in the abdominal area. This can result to insulin resistance by the cells. Another risk factor is age which is connected to inactivity. People tend to be inactive as they start to reach the age of 45. Lesser activities mean lesser ways to use the glucose as energy.

Family history is also an important factor because borderline diabetes can be inherited and the incidence of occurrence is higher to persons with parents and other family members who have the same condition. Recent studies have also revealed that inadequate sleep is quite connected to borderline diabetes. Inadequate sleep triggers insulin resistance, and therefore people who sleep inadequate hours are more likely to be pre diabetic. Metabolic syndrome which is described as insulin resistance triggered by high blood pressure, high triglyceride level, and low good cholesterol level is also an underlying risk factor.

There are also factors of diabetes which are significant to women, gestational diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and women who developed this condition are of higher risks of being diabetic and contracting diabetes later in their lives. A common sign that a woman has gestational diabetes is giving birth to a child weighing more than 9 pounds. Another sex-dependent risk factor is polycystic ovary syndrome which is characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excessive hair growth and obesity. A woman with this condition has higher chances of being pre diabetic.

Some medical professionals associate these risk factors with the so-called social lifestyle factor like smoking, alcoholism and taking of prohibited drugs. Although these are not primary inhibitors of pre diabetes, they still contribute to the development of the condition. People who are engaged in these social stressors might develop depression and anxiety which can later be manifested through loss of interest in activities like exercises leading to gain weight. Social factors are indeed underlying secondary risk factors. Another proof is that, majority of people who are hooked on taking prohibited drugs experience an increase in appetite. Increased appetite leads to increased frequency of eating. More food taken means more sugar produced, the higher the risk of being pre diabetic and insulin resistant.

Pre diabetes risk factors are worth your attention. These risk factors can be used as your guideline to make necessary adjustments to your lifestyle. The implementation of healthy eating habits, and engaging in activities like exercises which uses the sugar in your blood as energy, are important steps to alleviate the chances of being pre diabetic.

Electronic Cigarettes Get the Grip Back on Stature

Friday, March 25th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Quit Smoking

Electronic Cigarette, a revolutionary product, an alternate to smoking cigarettes, is nearly a life saving gadget, having no tar or toxins; but without doubt, provides precise and exact dose of nicotine unlike traditional tobacco cigarettes. There are only two ingredients associated with these forms of cigarettes which are nicotine and small variety of water vapors. The liberty to enjoy these cigarettes anywhere and anytime, owing to them being non-flammable and harmless to health, is worth-praising, sense-snatching as well as an alluring phenomenon for cigarette lovers.

These cigarettes have cutting edge technology incorporated included, if you want to aptly provide the desired level of nicotine on the your body within a safe and healthy manner. Nicotine cartridges are available in various concentrations paving easiness for smokers to breakdown their intake. The smoke exhumed by electronic cigarettes, is identical and absolutely similar to that from real tobacco but without doubt is really a friendlier alternative to environment. It is indeed a new gadget just for this new era.

A few of its beneficiaries for the person’s life and life-style are:

  • Curtailment on the new world due to inhalation of smoke. The smoke dispersed by the electronic cigarette is although identical to that regarding the tobacco cigarettes, but leaves no stains or marks on clothes, teeth or fingers, and cause skin discoloration too.
  • Savings of up to 50% expenditure in this particular luxury way of living. Shiny things cost the maximum amount of less, yet be as durable as the tobacco cigarettes, thus making the electronic cigarettes “pocket friendly”.
  • Does not have any hazardous effect and calamity at one’s health, which might be invariably followed by tobacco cigarettes through carcinogens and other associated toxic by products.
  • Availability in different tastes for example mint, tobacco and apple, further enhanced by providing these flavors in varied concentrations of nicotine really enhances it suitability to a bigger scope of smokers.

The electronic cigarettes contain three parts

  1. Vaporizer with an inbuilt microchip,
  2. Rechargeable battery including
  3. Mouthpiece containing nicotine or nicotine-free cartridges, having the liquid inside opted flavor by way of the user.

Many of the three mentioned parts can be easily assembled through the user with no complexity involved. The rechargeable battery lasts for 10 hours along with the robustness of one cartridge can be compared to 12 normal cigarettes.
The advanced microelectronic atomization technology is utilized to breed up smoke, generating harmless nicotine vapors, apparently like smoke for an exactly similar experience as of smoking a tobacco cigarette. Smokers worldwide, who have made the switch, strongly swear to not switching back to the tobacco cigarettes ever.
Till the development of electronic cigarettes, the regular smokers and surrounding masses had to bear the humility put forth at them by society, family, neighbors and to their dismay, through the governments too. However, with the introduction these electronic cigarettes, there exists a major revamp from the lifestyle, acceptance factor and healthiness, whereby providing the smokers with the opportunity to regain their stature, with out to forego their most cherished activity of owning a pleasurable smoking experience.

How to Grow Your Hair Naturally

Friday, March 25th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Hair Loss

Falling and thinning hair and getting bald are just among the common problems that many people have encountered when it comes to their crowning glory and sometimes these problems can lead to frustrations. Of course, you won’t find it attractive losing your hair, but you can actually do something about it. In fact, you can find ways to grow it back naturally.

If you find yourself facing these types of problems with your crowning glory, may it be thinning or too much falling hair every time you shower or if you have noticed you are starting to go bald, here are a few tips that may be helpful in finding ways to grow back your hair naturally.

1. Nourish your hair with proper nutrition by maintaining a balanced, nutrient-packed diet. Yes, the health of your hair does not depend on how classy your salon is or how expensive your shampoo or products are. In fact, it boils down to what you eat. The health of your hair springs from the nutrients you are getting from the food you take. To help you maintain a healthy and promote its growth, check out what you eat. You have to have enough Vitamin B complex, B6 as well as Vitamins E and C in your diet to make sure you have healthy hair. Aside from these vitamin groups, you may also need daily doses of other vitamins and minerals to maintain the health of your crowning glory.

2. Get rid of habits that can deteriorate the health of your hair. Avoid smoking, caffeine and soda which do not only pose health risks but can also hinder good growth and health of your hair and skin. Cut your hair regularly. Especially if you have split ends and damaged ends, it is important to get rid of them to maintain a healthy growing hair and of course, a stronger one far from balding. You may also need to get rid of unnecessary combing and harsh brushing as well as too much exposure to the sun to avoid weakening of your hair.

3. Avoid too much exposure to hair chemicals and heat. With the aim of making your hair beautiful and shiny, you may be tempted to get the latest technology on salon treatments but keep in mind that these may cause your hair to be weaker and drier in the long run. In fact, too much exposure to heat, hot water and other salon treatment can stress it and make it more prone to damages as well as weakening, falling and thinning.

4. Use natural products to help grow your hair naturally. Coconut oil is said to make it grow stronger and darker. Coconut oil massaged regularly onto the scalp is also a good way to grow your hair naturally and treat hair loss. Ginseng is also another natural remedy that promotes blood circulation and promoting re-growth as well. Saw palmetto is another effective natural treatment to grow it back and in fact, it is a common ingredient in many hair re-grow shampoos.

5. Have regular exercise. Regular exercise promotes blood flow in all parts of your body and that includes promoting a healthy scalp which also helps in the re-growth of your hair as well.

You can start with these tips to re-grow your hair back. If you go for natural treatments, make sure that you are also well-informed. Re-growing your hair back cannot happen overnight, thus you have to be patient too.

Can You have Headaches By Simple Working Out?

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 No Commented
Under: Health care

Everybody understands that exercising regularly is something you must do if you expect to lose weight. No matter what everyone else endeavors to tell you, it is not achievable to lose weight without being active. What most people don’t realize however is that training can really be a pain. You are probably currently familiar with the fact that training can cause pain in your joints, your muscles and your back but did you know that it can also cause headaches? Unfortunately a lot of individuals suffer from exercise caused headaches but, thankfully, there is plenty you can to do treat and prevent them. Here is how you can do that.

Drink lots of water – you possibly have no doubt about that this is important on a regular basis, but it becomes even more important when you work out. Headaches are usually a result of being dehydrated and dehydration really can occur after a workout, particularly when you work up a good sweat (sweat drains the body’s water). Drinking a healthy volume of water prior to, during and after your workout will do a lot to help you keep the headache from setting in after you work out. It is often all you need to do to take care of any headaches that turn up post training as well.Proper warm ups and cool downs are extremely essential. Just beginning a exercise session can shock your system-blood will start rushing to the places you are working which takes it away from your brain and that can lead to the onset of a headache. Your brain requires time to adjust to the adjustments and a complete warm up and cool down lets your body to make those changes gradually. Breathe properly during your heavy exercising and weight lifting. Our brains require oxygen to survive as well as function properly. Most men and women will probably hold their breath if they do something that is hard but all that does is lower the amount of oxygen that gets sent to your brain. By practicing good breathing you keep the brain provided with ample oxygen and can ward off headaches.

If you realize that the headaches are happening on a regular basis and the things that you have been trying usually are not helping you prevent them, you need to talk to your doctor. Your doctor will be able to help you determine if your headaches are caused by something going wrong in the course of your workouts or if they could be caused by your diet. You may need to take prescription medication to help keep the headaches under control. Your doctor should be able to support you in finding a way to keep on working out and losing weight without having to deal with the headaches.None of us really wants to experience a headache; we do almost everything we can to keep them away. Thankfully you don’t have rule that says you merely have to suffer through them. If you take the proper steps and have the right knowledge, you could totally avoid your headaches!

Easy Ways To Stop Smoking Within A Few Weeks

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 No Commented
Under: Quit Smoking

Smoking is undoubtedly the utmost concern worldwide because a smoker intakes carcinogenic material, tar and chemical substances while smoking. Every day, millions of people die due to smoking related diseases including lung cancer. Many smokers try hard to quit this addiction, but lack the inability and will power to stop smoking. If you also want to quit this lousy addiction, but you are unable to gather the strength to stop; there are few easy ways to stop smoking within few weeks.

Few easy ways to stop smoking

1. Nicotine addiction causes such psychological effects which makes it difficult for the smoker to quit smoking. In such case, try Nicotine replacement therapy. This therapy consists of products such as gum, inhaler, nasal, spray and patch, all of these works as stop smoking aids.

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These aids deliver small doses of nicotine which slowly helps in quitting smoking. It is quite common to form an addiction to nicotine that is present in cigarette; hence, quitting it suddenly is not so easier, but this aforementioned method can make it easier to quit.

2. There are several prescription drugs which work wonderfully as stop smoking aids. If you stop smoking suddenly, you will certainly go through the withdrawal symptoms which are often extremely disturbing.

Many such drugs are designed to reduce the cravings and symptoms of withdrawal. Stop smoking drugs like Zyban and Chantix work on that part of the brain which stimulates the senses to smoke.

If you don’t possess the will power to quit, even these drugs also can’t guarantee you 100% result. The main thing is all upon you, whether you genuinely want to quit or not.

3. There are also many herbal stop smoking products in the market that can be used as a natural nicotine replacement medication or drug. However, some herbs are non-addictive, but can reduce the cravings for nicotine. These herbs create the same effect on brain as that of nicotine. Some of the herbs present in non smoking drugs help in the after withdrawal symptoms such as irritability and the quitter’s flu.

4. You can gradually cut down the use of cigarette each day. Hence, it will result in lowering down your cravings for a cigarette. For instance, suppose you smoke 7 to 10 cigarettes a day, next day you can probably cut it down to 6 or 9 and then afterwards again by one.

5. You can also delay the schedule of smoking. For instance, you can avoid smoking at the time of craving. This will certainly delay the smoking schedule, and hence, it will gradually affect on lowering your smoking habit. In this way, you can curb on your smoking habit easily, and within few weeks, you will get the finest results.

6. Sometimes, you may require a strong plan to stop smoking such as deciding the date, taking the support from friends and family and understanding the after effects that you may face after quitting. Avoid cigarettes and throw them from all the usual places such as from home, office, car and many more. Last, but not the least talk with your doctor for nicotine replacement medications.

7. There are other methods as well which helps in stop smoking such as nicotine vaccination, behavioral therapy, acupuncture and hypnosis. Ultimately, these are the easiest and commonly used ways to stop smoking within few weeks.

How to Manage Healthy Blood Pressure Naturally

Sunday, March 20th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Hypertension

High blood pressure is one of the most serious risk factors for coronary disease, kidney disease, stroke and heart attacks. It has no symptoms of its own, earning it the nickname of the “silent killer.” Treating hypertension has become a multi-billion dollar a year industry, headed up by pharmaceutical companies that offer expensive pills and medications with serious side effects. In many cases, hypertension can be controlled naturally through lifestyle changes, diet and natural supplements.

Managing your blood pressure naturally requires a commitment to healthier living, which is more difficult – but in the end far healthier and more effective – than taking a daily pill for the rest of your life. If you’ve been prescribed medication for hypertension by a doctor, be sure to keep taking it and discuss what you’re doing with your doctor so that he can keep an eye on things and re-evaluate your need for medication on a regular basis. For some people, even adopting healthy habits and abandoning unhealthy ones won’t be enough to bring hypertension back to normal. Many others, though, find ways to manage blood pressure naturally without the use of medication with all of its side effects.

1. Exercise regularly to help lower blood pressure naturally.

Regular activity is one of the best ways to lower your pressure naturally. Exercise is effective in lowering pressure because it helps release nitric oxide, a substance that helps keep your blood vessels open. When you exercise, your heart pumps more blood through your veins, which stimulates the endothelial layer – the inner surface of your blood vessels – to produce more nitric oxide, which in turn keeps the blood flowing through your veins by keeping them wider and more able to carry more blood through your veins.

2. Substitute plant sterols for higher cholesterol animal fats.

Plant sterols are naturally found in nuts, beans, vegetables and whole grains – in essence, they are plant-based fats. Unlike cholesterol, fat from animal sources, plant sterols and stanols seem to help increase the good cholesterol in your blood, which helps lead to lower pressure naturally. Many herbal supplements include plant sterols along with other herbal substances that help lower your blood pressure.

3. Cut back on the amount of salt you use.

Sodium has been implicated in hypertension. One of the most important ways to lower blood pressure is to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet.

4. Eat a heart healthy diet.

Grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruits are another natural way to lower your blood pressure. They contain substances that support the functions of your heart, liver, kidneys and digestive system, making them more efficient at using nutrients and disposing of waste, thus lowering blood pressure by reducing cholesterol and plaque buildup in your veins.

5. Take support supplements.

There are many dietary supplements on the market that help support your efforts to lower your pressure. They can be a valuable way of adding support nutrients to your daily intake. Talk to your doctor about which ingredients in herbal supplements can help lower your blood pressure naturally – and be sure to let him know about anything that you take so that he can monitor your blood pressure and adjust your medication if needed.

Hair Restoration Products

Saturday, March 19th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Hair Loss

Men are already vulnerable to the genetic disorder of baldness. When the factors like tension, competition and pressure adds up, then they aid in increasing the hair fall among the men. Once they experience hair fall, these men need to visit the experts and clinics to restore the lost hair. They often take to using of hair restoration products in order to get the desired results quickly and efficiently.

What are hair restoration products?
According to the medical terms, the phrase hair restoration products may signify any substance or product (preferably chemical) that aids in the process. Premature hair fall and baldness can be treated both with the help of surgical methods known as hair transplant methods as well as application of the restoration products.

But there is a subtle difference in the conditions of usage in both the cases. While baldness has to be treated with hair transplant procedures, the premature falling of hair can be treated at an early stage with the hair restoration products. In most of the cases, these products do not have any effect if an individual has become bald.

Types of hair restoration products
There are many kinds of products available in the markets that are meant for hair restoration.

The most commonly used restoration products include

  • Propecia: Though this product is quite effective, it is costly and can be bought only through prescribed medication. This product is available in both tablets as well as in form of drops. This has to be taken daily under the constant supervision of the doctor who has prescribed it. It is effective in treating hair loss especially in men.
  • Rogaine: This product was once extensively used to treat the problems related to blood pressure. But now this product is being extensively used to treat the problem of hair loss in both men as well as in women. The effectiveness of the Rogaine has made it one of the most trusted and premier products meant for hair restoration.
  • Procerin: Most experts are of the opinion that Procerin does a far better job than the likes of Rogaine or Propecia. The Procerin contains vitamins and minerals and work by stemming the secretion of the DHT chemical. In most of the cases, the increase in the DHT level results in the loss of hair. The Procerin has been specially developed to stop the DHT from transforming into the male hormone testosterone.

The net is filled with information related to various other hair restoration products like the restoration shampoo or the various hair restoration solutions. It is however advisable to consult a doctor before ordering these products. So consult your doctor today and bring an end to your problem of hair loss.

Dealing With Allergies Naturally

Thursday, March 17th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Allergies

Having allergies can be one of the worst, most maddening conditions to strike an otherwise happy, healthy individual. Allergies are doubly bad in the sense that they make a person dread the change in seasons, which by all rights, should be a something to look forward to. Depending on how much you trust statistics that govern large groups of people, it seems as though persons suffering from allergies are on the rise, or at least persons buying medication to help alleviate the symptoms of allergies. But many people don’t like having to rely on medicine, especially powerful prescription drugs that often come with a variety of unwanted side effects. But are there any natural ways to deal with allergies that are actually effective? The answer is yes, but some of them may take a little bit of time to have effect.

There are a number of different steps a person can take to start dealing with their allergies in a proactive, though not prescriptive measure. One of them is to eat lots of raw honey that’s locally produced. Honey that comes from your local area will have trace amounts of the allergens that are causing a negative reaction from your body. By eating the honey year round that contains these allergens, you’re allowing your body to build up an immunity to the allergies that flare up each year. Now, depending on how strong your allergies are, this method can take quite a long time to start really having an effect. If you are a major sufferer of allergies, this method can actually take up to 2 years, according to some reports, to really begin to lessen the effects of allergies. So if you’re going to go this route, make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, and make sure the honey you’re eating is both raw and produced within 50 miles of where you live.

Another good method for dealing with allergies is to buy the right kind of air purifier. Air purifiers and the technology behind them have come a very long way in the last decade, and some air purifiers out on the market today can very effectively remove allergens from the air you breathe. In years past, this has been an area that many air purifiers have struggled with. But in recent years, air purification technology has been pioneered by some unlikely entities, most notably NASA, who engineered an air purification technology for use in their space stations that attacks and removes just about every kind of containment from the air.

Another tip for dealing with allergies naturally is to eat natural herbs that are known for there anti-histamine and other effects. Among them are the herbs marshmallow, nettles, acerola cherry, cayenne, and ginger. These natural herbs and spices promote an overall state of health and wellness in the body, as well as give the body a boost in its ability to deal with allergies. Eating these herbs and spices on a regular basis, along with eating raw honey that’s locally produced can be a powerful way to help your body get used to the allergens in the environment and not have such a strong reaction to them in the future.

Improve Your Health With A Thai Massage

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 No Commented
Under: Main

Of all the ways to relax and improve our general health and well-being, there is one activity, therapy, call it what you like, that has proven effective over hundreds of years. For some reason, in the Western world it is done by women much more so than men. It originated in India and can, on extreme forms, appear impossible for physically normal humans. However, anyone can do it and start at any age they like. What is it? Yoga! There are various levels of yoga, and probably as many reasons why people do it, but there is no doubt that it can help them. Also, there are some alternatives that may, or may not, be helpful.

Yoga comes from several religions in the area, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Its name also has different meanings in several languages. And, as mentioned before, there are plenty of reasons for doing it. Traditionally, believers in whichever religion perform yoga to discipline their minds and bodies and become closer to their god or gods. Nowadays, the activity happens in modern air-conditioned gyms and is taught and performed by those from all walks of life including professionals and housewives. In Buddhism, for example, it is used in some mild forms when meditating. In Thailand, there are plenty of people who do yoga, on a serious or very relaxed basis, to improve their health or even just as an easy thing to do at the fashionable gym. Thai massage the lazy person’s yoga, is maybe an extreme way of doing nothing while having your body put through some gentle therapy and exercise. It would be wrong to totally disregard Thai massage as a therapeutic, easy exercise, as there are plenty of benefits of a good Thai massage, but one needs to make sure it is administered properly. Otherwise, there could be no benefit, or even some negative affects.

To call Thai massage a lazy person’s yoga would probably be fair for those who know what they are talking about, but the phrase should not be overused to make Thai massage appear either a waste of time, or a viable alternative. Yoga is a very old, religiously traditional activity. It has been so popular in the East that those in the West have taken it up. Thai massage has also been around for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years and it too is connected to religion with its use in Buddhist meditation. One of the main differences being that one you can do alone, and it probably stimulates blood flow and improves discipline more than the other, which requires a masseur or masseuse and the recipient can relax, do nothing or even sleep.

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