Not Now I Have A Headache

Not Now I Have A Headache
Not Now I Have A Headache

Home Remedies – Facts or Quacks?

That’s what I recently asked myself. Myths and legends often have their basis in a grain of truth. Are home remedies based on truth too? A little research provided this unusual perspective on one of our most frequently-used medicines.

Are We Barking Up The Wrong Tree?

Not if it’s a willow tree! Chewing on willow bark to reduce fever and inflammation dates back to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC). Willow bark was used as a medicine in China and Europe for centuries because of its ability to relieve pain and lower fever. Early American settlers even found Native Americans gathering bark from willow trees to treat the same conditions.

What’s So Special About Willow Bark?

Willow trees, including the white, black, purple and violet species, contain a chemical called salicin. Chewing or pulping this bark releases the salicin. Once the bark is ingested, the body converts the salicin from the willow bark into salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is still used today to treat fevers, decrease inflammation, and even help heart disease.

There’s no need to gnaw on a tree like a beaver every time you have a headache. Nor is it necessary for drug companies to plant, grow, and harvest groves of willow trees and remove the bark. Today salicylic acid is produced synthetically in chemical factories as little white pills of acetylsalicylic acid. Perhaps you know it by its more common name…

Introducing The Miracle Drug – Aspirin!

That’s right – centuries of chewing on willow bark led to the creation of one of our most widely-used medicines: aspirin. Once the amazing curative abilities of the active ingredient in willow bark were recognized, ways were found to mass-produce it as a cheap yet effective product.

Originally hailed as a wonder drug, aspirin was found to have multiple medical uses. It serves as a pain reliever, fever reducer, reduces inflammation, and even acts to thin the blood to help prevent heart attacks. That’s a lot of power in seemingly ordinary willow tree bark.

Amazingly, this was not a discovery by a single person. As we had discussed above, many groups of people around the world were using this home remedy (or even cave remedy!) for thousands of years. This is definitely one home remedy I would classify as a fact, not a quack.

It makes me wonder though: how many trees did they have to chew on before they found the right one?

You can find free home remedies using the resources below. They might not be miracle drugs, but they can help you avoid the cost and embarrassment of common illnesses.

Read More

How Flax Seed Improves Your Health

How Flax Seed Improves Your Health
How Flax Seed Improves Your Health

More and more, health-conscious individuals are turning to flax seed and it’s inherent flax seed oil as a natural, affordable solution. Are you frustrated in your search for a natural food supplement? One that can help you feel healthier and lose weight? without side effects?

Flax Seeds Benefits the Entire Body!

Flaxseed is claimed to benefit every molecule in the body! It improves the quality of hair, nails, and skin, as well as helping to regulate bodyweight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and prevent arthritis and cancers.

What is Flax Plant?

The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fibre from which linen is woven, as well as seeds (linseed or flaxseed) and oil. The oil, also called linseed oil, has many industrial uses, it is an important ingredient in paints, varnishes and linoleum for example.

Flax is a grain crop which has several substances that can be healthy. It has fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and lignans. You can add flax to your diet by either using the flaxseeds or flaxseed oil. Both will add the essential omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA) to our bodies. We need this fatty acid and are unable to make it on our own. This fatty acid may help reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac death. It is believed that flax’s fatty acids, as well as fiber, help in lowering blood cholesterol.

Flaxseed has been a part of human and animal diets for thousands of years in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and more recently in North America and Australia, says Kaye Effertz, executive director of AmeriFlax, a trade promotion group representing U.S. flaxseed producers. As flax gained popularity for its industrial uses, however, its popularity as a food product waned, but it never lost its nutritional value.

What does Flax Seeds look like?

Flax seeds are slightly larger than sesame seeds and have a hard shell that is smooth and shiny. Their color ranges from deep amber to reddish brown depending upon whether the flax is of the golden or brown variety. While whole flaxseeds feature a soft crunch, the nutrients in ground seeds are more easily absorbed.

Today flax is experiencing a renaissance among nutritionists, the health conscious public, food processors, and chefs alike!

Read More

How To Overcome The Symptoms Of Gout

How To Overcome The Symptoms Of Gout
How To Overcome The Symptoms Of Gout

Gout is one of the oldest and most painful diseases known to man. In the middle ages a gout patient was described as someone who was rich, corpulent and aristocratic, particularly one with enormous appetite for food, drink and women. And it is almost and always associated with men.

The symptoms of gout are irregular, excruciatingly painful attacks that are felt in the joints although typically each gouty episode affects one joint at a time. The most commonly affected joints are those of the big toe, which becomes red and swollen, hot and painful so that even the weight of a bed sheet seems unbearable. Other joints such as the knees and elbows are also affected, but one at a time.

The attacks usually last for about two weeks and then subside, recurring at some time in the future. The reoccurrence of the attacks varies

Read More

Children And Acid Reflux

Children And Acid Reflux
Children And Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is a condition normally associated with adults. Sadly, many children also suffer the effects of acid reflux.

This desease, also referred to as gastro-esophageal reflux, occurs when stomach contents churn and rise up into the esophagus, the tube connecting the stomach with the mouth. A muscle between the esophagus and the stomach, known as the lower esophageal sphincter, is responsible for keeping the stomach closed off until food is swallowed. The lower esophageal sphincter then opens up and allows the food into the stomach before closing again. Although Acid reflux can begin during infancy, it can carry over into early childhood.

Though quite common in children, most people are not aware of it’s occurrence. In most cases, the process of gastro-esophageal reflux occurs quickly, the acid comes up into the esophagus and then rapidly goes back down into the stomach. In this case, the esophagus suffers no damage. However, if the stomach acid stays in the esophagus, it damages the esophagus lining. In some cases, the stomach contents rise up all the way into the mouth, only to be swallowed again. This process causes a number of symptoms such as a chronic cough, or a hoarse voice. More serious symptoms can include difficulty in swallowing, wheezing, and chronic pneumonia.

Anyone who suspects that their child is afflicted with acid reflux, should have the child seen by his or her pediatrician. After examining the child and evaluating the symptoms, the doctor may run tests to diagnose whether acid reflux is present. Often, the doctor will begin treatment before testing for acid reflux.

In one of the tests, called an upper GI-series X-ray, the child’s X-ray is taken after being given a glass of barium to drink. This particular test is successfully used to locate hiatal hernias, blockages, and other gastrointestinal problems.

Another test, thought to be more effective than the X-ray, is the endoscopy. Typically, the child is sedated and put to sleep during the test. An endoscope, which is a thin, flexible plastic tube with a camera attached to the end, is then placed inside the throat. With the help of endoscope, the doctor is directly able to examine the esophagus lining, stomach, and a portion of the small intestine. The endoscopy also allows the doctor to perform a biopsy rather painlessly.

Yet another test, the esophageal pH probe, may also be used. This test consists of using an extremely light, and ultra-thin wire with an acid sensor tip and inserting it through the patient’s nose and into the lower esophagus. This method is used to detect and record the presense of stomach acid in the esophagus.

Read More

Toads And Warts

Toads And Warts
Toads And Warts

It was a popular myth in the old days that you can get warts from toads. Not true – now we know that’s bogus. Warts are actually benign tumors of the epidermis caused by a virus. The virus responsible is the human papillomavirus, a double-stranded DNA-virus.

The virus resides in the bottom layer of the epidermis and replicates into almost normal-looking skin. Different sub-types of the human papillamavirus cause different types of warts. Some subtypes also cause cervical cancer and other more obscure types of wart-related cancers.

Another myth about warts is that they have “roots” but warts do not have “roots”. They only grow in the top layer of skin, the epidermis. When they grow down, they displace the second layer of skin, the dermis. The underside of a wart is actually smooth. Warts are caused by a virus that enters the body through a break in the skin. The virus grows in warm, moist environments, such as those created in a locker room or in your shoes when your feet perspire and the moisture is trapped.

Warts normally grow out of the skin in cylindrical columns and they do not fuse when the wart grows on thin skin such as the face. On thicker skin, the columns fuse and are packed tightly together giving the surface the typical mosaic pattern. Dark dots can sometimes be seen in a wart and it is actually blood vessels that have grown rapidly and irregularly into the wart and have thombosed or clotted off.

Warts can occur in people of all ages, but hit most often children and young adults. They spread by direct contact, simply by touching the wart. Most warts resolve within weeks or months, some may take years. Although that is unusual and persons prefer to treat the warts very quick.

It appears that a person’s susceptibility to warts and the time it takes for them to go away is related to the individual’s immune system. People who have immune-related diseases tend to have more warts that last longer.

What kind of treatment is there?

Most warts can be treated with simple over-the-counter remedies. For those that are resistant to these measures, there are other types of treatments that are effective.

In your local drug store you may find good working remedies. Try it and if it works, great. If it does not work you lost a few days and some dollars. Then you will perhaps search for a professional opinion from a doctor and they will probably recommend you some of the following treatments.

Salicylic acid is very common and an effective over-the-counter treatment. You have to do a consistent application every day. The best way to use salicylic acid is to first pare the wart with a blade, pumice stone or a small scrub brush. Soaking the wart in warm water will aid to get a better absorption of the medicine. Salicylic acid is then applied to the wart and allowed to dry. Occluding the treated wart with a band-aid or piece of tape also improves the absorption of the medicine. This procedure should be repeated daily.

If the wart is resistant to your treatment, your physician may recommend an office procedure to remove it. After a local anesthetic is applied, the physician may use liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart and dissolve it. To avoid scarring or damaging other tissues, this method removes only the top portion of the wart. The treatment must be repeated regularly until the entire wart is dissolved. Alternatively, the physician can cut out the wart.

The human papillomavirus is not killed by cryotherapy and is released into the surrounding tissue. The immune system will usually take care of the virus. You will have a blister as a side-effect of the treatment. Nothing to think about unless you have the warts on the bottom of the foot. Then you should perhaps choose another treatment.

Some warts will go away, your immune system take care of them. If not, you will have a number of treatments available that will most certainly work well.

Read More

Vitamin B - A Complex Mix

Vitamin B - A Complex Mix
Vitamin B - A Complex Mix

Vitamin B is more often referred to today as the B vitamins to better relate that it is actually a group of 8 different vitamins, with varying functions and sources. B vitamins, like vitamin C, are water soluble, which means that extra levels of B vitamins are excreted by the body, though small amounts are stored in the liver and toxicity, while rare, is possible.

Most people will recognize many of the B vitamins by name. They include thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin (B1, 2, and 3, respectively), as well as folic acid (B9). The other four B vitamins are less commonly referred to and are: pyridoxine (B6), cyanocobalamin (B12), pantothenic acid, and biotin.

The B vitamins serve many functions in the body, including the breakdown of different kinds of foods into energy, maintenance and protection of the nervous system, production of blood cells, and maintenance of healthy skin.

Deficiencies of most B vitamins are rare, because they are found in many different food sources. While sources abound though, deficiencies can exist if someone has a condition that affects their ability to absorb or use B vitamins. Whole grain breads and cereals contain thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and folic acid. Milk contains riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin). Foods with lots of protein like eggs and meats contain B vitamins, especially red and organ meats.

Alcoholics, along with being susceptible to many other health problems, can be vulnerable to thiamine deficiency, also known as beriberi. Alcohol prevents the body from properly absorbing thiamine and many alcoholics also do not eat otherwise healthy diets, so they are doubly prone to lacking this and other vitamins.

Riboflavin is very active in the maintenance of skin and other tissues, so deficiency of this vitamin can cause skin lesions and dermatitis. There has been a lot in the news in the past couple of years about the importance of folic acid for women of child bearing age. Women who have adequate levels of folic acid when they get pregnant are less likely to have babies with neural tube defects. The folic acid must be present before pregnancy because these types of birth defects occur in the first weeks of pregnancy, and oftentimes women will not even know they are pregnant yet.

You may have heard of people getting B12 shots because of a deficiency of this vitamin called pernicious anemia. This occurs particularly in people over 60, because as we age, our stomachs have less ability to produce the substance intrinsic factor, which must combine with B12 taken through food or oral supplements in order to be absorbed by the body.

Read More

Acid Reflux Disease

First of all, acid reflux is not a disease. It is an acquired condition which can be completely healed by eating properly. I wonder if people had acid reflux, gerd and heartburn a thousand years ago. I sincerely doubt it. I believe it is a symptom of the quality of the food we eat today, our eating habits and the stressful times in which we live.

People who eat convenience food on the run can’t expect to enjoy proper digestion. Proper digestion requires chewing food well and not diluting the digestive juices with liquids, the worst of these being carbonated beverages. And of course all the fat associated with convenience food makes the situation worse. Most people who go to fast food chains eat a burger with fries and a large soda. The employees are trained to push the soft drinks on the customers. They look at you as if you are nuts if you opt to skip the big soft drink.

People today are always in a hurry, always late, both parents working and commuting to those jobs. There seems to be no time to shop for and prepare quality food. Children are forced to be self sufficient from an early age. They prepare their own meals, microwaving food which has little food value and is loaded with sodium and fat.

We are raising a generation of future acid refluxers. The parents are no better off, grabbing junk food to eat in the office. No wonder so many people suffer from acid reflux. I’m sure that the big pharma are thrilled at the prospects of future sales.

The medical community wants us to believe that only prescription drugs are the answer for the symptoms of indigestion. Of course this is not true. Antacids are, at best, a temporary fix and they are loaded with harmful ingredients such as sodium and aluminum. PPI drugs (proton pump inhibitors) like Nexium and Prilosec should only be used for eight weeks, at most. It says so right on the package, but after eight weeks what are we to do? Furthermore, these drugs only mask and hide the symptoms and have hundreds of harmful side effects. They don’t heal the condition! They only make the drug makers rich at our expense!

I used to suffer from acute GERD. I confess that I too ate on the run. I didn’t chew my food properly. I washed everything down with soda and became addicted to a PPI drug – that purple pill. It was so easy and convenient. I could abuse my body and not suffer for it. I thought that drug was my salvation until that illusion came crashing down on me.

After several years of taking this drug, my condition became worse and I was told to double the dose. I began to feel sluggish and tired. My vision suffered and my blood pressure soared. I realized that these were probably side effects of this PPI drug. Perhaps I was suffering from malnutrition? How does the body digest and assimilate food without stomach acid?

I did a computer search and found that there were hundreds of possible side effects. I was shocked at what I found! I was harming my body and I wanted to stop taking this drug! But when I tried to stop taking the PPI, the acid pumps, which had been shut off, went wild and produced more acid than ever before.

I can’t tell you how much I suffered. My esophagus was constantly burning and l feared that I would suffer permanent damage. I couldn’t sleep at night. I was afraid to eat or drink anything but water. My friends didn’t understand my problem. They would call and say, “Let’s go out for Southwestern barbeque”. Of course, I couldn’t. I loved to eat hot chili sprinkled with raw onions and jack cheese, but it was now my worst nightmare. My life was becoming unbearable!

I was determined to beat this illness. My doctor couldn’t help me – no one could tell me what to do. I had to heal myself. I became completely dedicated to finding the answers. I studied and researched. I wanted to discover naturopathic treatments as opposed to drugs. I searched high and low for natural remedies that might actually cure acid reflux. I tried every possible remedy and healthy diet I could find. I made myself a virtual guinea pig.

In the end, I found that the answers to the acid reflux problem are really quite simple. With a few changes in lifestyle and with the help of natural remedies, one can absolutely beat the acid reflux syndrome, without the use of drugs.

Remember, that the reason this condition exists in the first place, is due to a damaged esophagus. Let the esophagus heal by not eating the same foods in the same way that caused the damage. Loosing weight, exercising, chewing properly, drinking sufficient amounts of water and elevating the head at night, are all simple things that anyone can do to improve this condition.

There are also many natural ingredients found in any health store, which can help during, what I call, the acid reflux recovery period. Herbs, such as slippery elm and marshmallow have wonderful healing properties. Aloe vera juice, licorice and natural honey can sooth the esophagus and assist in the healing process.

I had to take control of my life and assume responsibility for my own actions. I managed to turn things around. I did heal myself of the acid reflux condition. With a little knowledge and discipline, anyone can do the same.

Read More

How To Remove Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are very hard mineral deposits that happen to form in the kidney. They start off like a small microscopic particle and after a period of time develop into stones. These are formed when urine is highly concentrated. Due to this level of concentration the minerals and other floating particles in urine form into crystals which over a period of time turn into hard mass and later into a stone. Finding out kidney stones is not that easy as there may not be any sign or symptom to detect it.

These stones cause lot of pain when it happens to break and move towards the bladder. The stones tend to pass out from the body which causes pain. If the stone happens to be big it may block the flow of urine causing pressure. This pressure causes stretches and spasms which pains a lot.

Some of the different kinds of stones found in our body are

*Calcium Stones is one of the most common stones found in the body. Due to excess calcium in urine these stones are formed.

*Uric Acid Stone is nearly found in 10% of patients. Due to digestion uric acid is produced. If the acid level reaches beyond a certain level or is excreted, it may not dissolve resulting in formation of uric acid stones

*Struvite Stones are known as the infection stone. These are developed when urinary tract infections leads to a chemical imbalance of urine, enabling the bacteria to spread quickly and developing into these stones.

*Cystine Stones are one of the rarest stones to be found in aperson. It is an amino acid, which is built in urine to form a stone. The disease which causes cystine stones is hereditary and one should take extra care for that.

Some ways due to which cystine stones are removed is by surgery. These are some of the ways to surgically remove the stones.

* Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)

* PCN (percutaneous nephrolithotomy-lithotripsy)

* Endourology (endoscopic removal or manipulation)

* Parathyroid surgery

* Ureteroscopic stone removal

* Open surgery

By avoiding some of these things in your routine life you would skip surgery completely. They are:

*by taking good care of your health

*having at least 8-10 glasses of water

*getting yourself checked with doctor on a monthly basis

*taking your medication to prevent stones

*there is a good possibility for the stones to recur so be extra careful

Read More