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Improving Your Vision Naturally

It’s estimated that one third of new cases of blindness could have been averted with preventive care. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t as conscientious about caring for our eyes as other parts of the body — even though most people say the sense they’re most afraid of losing is their sight.

The most common vision ailments are Myopia and Presbyopia; otherwise known as near-and far-sightedness. Both are ailments effect vision and the distance that is seen when looking at objects. Both ailments can be cured on their own if allowed. Almost all eye ailments are caused from bad habits learned as children, and strain on the eyes.

Myopia is caused by the eyeballs elongating. This ailment is caused by habits which include only looking at objects close up for long periods of time. This starts out in school age children who are forced to learn things from books and other materials requiring close contact focus.

Myopia becomes a problem due to strain on the eyes, pressure, anxiety, or frustration. The pressure young children have to succeed is enormous. When information is boring, it is hard to actually learn. Looking at material for long periods of time without a break can cause the eyes to strain on close up information.

Near-sightedness can also be contributed to mental strain and psychological issue. Myopia can be part of an anxiety or nervousness about the future. Subconsciously the person may be afraid of what lays ahead of them and are unable to look ahead to the future. In this case, they are comfortable where they are and feel safe in their close up world.

Presbyopia is the ability to see things in the distant but not things close up. Far-sightedness starts affecting people in their 40s. This is when the lenses start to harden. The muscles around the eye can still be train to force the eyes to contract even with harden lenses. This ailment is believed to be part of getting older, so we just accept the problem and get glasses. We allow our eyes to become lazy and learn to rely on artificial lenses to get us through each day.

Presbyopia can also be all in the mind. People start to look too far to the future and refuse to look at things right in front of them. They allow their focus to be on retirement instead of on fixing the leaking faucet today.

Both these ailments can be avoided by allowing the eyes to move around naturally each day. If you are studying something up close for most of the day, spend an hour or so looking at things in the distance. If you are looking at things far away grab a book and read some pages.

Reference: Vision Without Glasses | Herbal Vision Remedy

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Introduction to Self Hypnosis

By Holistic Health 4 Comments

If you are trying to stop unwanted habits, reduce stress, or conquer fears and phobias, self hypnosis may be worth looking into. If you hear the word hypnosis you may very well imagine a stage scene where a slick gentlemen says, You are sleepy . . . very, very sleepy.

This classic type of stage hypnotism is very entertaining; however it’s nothing like self hypnosis which is becoming an increasingly popular method to help alleviate a variety of health concerns. Of course hypnosis can’t substitute for the care and supervision your personal health care practitioner provides for you problems, but it is a wonderful complementary approach to use in conjunction with other methods.

The process of hypnosis involves placing an individual in a trance-like state often described as resembling sleep. Many contend that you are not at all asleep, but very much aware of your surroundings. Hypnosis does, though, place your mind in an altered, relaxed state. While in this state, your attention is much more focused than usual. You’re less critical and more open to suggestions.

And it’s this attribute that makes self hypnosis so effective in treating a variety of health problems. Self hypnosis naturally taps the inherent connection between mind and body. Science still isn’t sure exactly how or even why hypnosis is so effective at helping some people kick the smoking habit or lose weight.

Curiously, not everyone is capable of undergoing hypnosis. Even more curious is that this ability is not dependent on the talent of the hypnotist himself. Whether a person eventually succumbs to the suggested altered state of mind ultimately depends on the person undergoing the process.

Self hypnosis basically is a method that quiets and relaxes your body. It places you in an altered state, not unlike that of which is achieved in meditation. A vital aspect of this technique is mental imagery which helps you to focus inward. The imagery may involve the descending a set of stairs or visualizing a quiet spot that like a deserted beach.

Some individuals visualize walking barefoot through a forest with soft moss gently caressing their feet, a relaxing brook bubbling in the background and even the smell of the damp earthiness of the forest floor surrounding them.

This heightened relaxation is called an alpha state, after the type of brain waves produced under these circumstances. Then you begin to recite positive affirmations, like, I am fit, healthy and exercise daily. After you’re done, you come out of the alpha state by going up the imagined set of stairs that you descended originally or by slowly walking out of the visualized surroundings.

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Preventing Colds and Flu Naturally

By Holistic Health 5 Comments

Preventing infections is one of the many rewards a lifestyle change can bring. Starting with small steps, such as increasing your vitamin intake or introducing herbal therapy into your home can help combat the many colds and flus that are passed around every day. Even if you contract a cold or flu, the better prepared your body is for the fight the more likely you are to get well quickly.

A good way to start preparing now for cold and flu season is by reducing your exposure to toxic chemicals in your environment. Wash your hands several times daily, dress warmly in cold weather and make sure you are getting plenty of sleep. Incorporate lots of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, herbal supplements, vitamins and some exercise. Another important key to bolstering your immune system is stress reduction. Stress is so hard on the human body that finding ways to reduce your stress level is vital.

There are many excellent natural remedies available to you for cold and flu treatments, such as 3-6 grams of vitamin C. Going against conventional wisdom, vitamin A can be even better than vitamin C; you may take up to 150,000 IUs per day for a week. While recovering from a cold or flu or to help prevent illness, add some extra garlic and onion to any dish you are cooking, as they both contain antiviral chemicals.

Supplements to ward off colds and flu:

Vitamins A, C, E – Highly beneficial antioxidant vitamins; helpful in maintaining a healthy immune system.

Beta-carotene – A carotenoid which makes fruit birhgtly colored; also helps prevent the buildup of toxins.

Selenium, zinc – Selenium is an antioxidant that works with Vitamin E to protect cells from free radicals and improve immunity; also helpful in white blood cell production. Zinc is key to the health of tissues and the immune system. Zinc is best absorbed when taken with food, specifically proteins.

Aloe vera – The juice of this rubbery plant is effective for numerous conditions including colds and inflammation.

Cat’s claw – From the Peruvian rainforest, a large creeping vine. Apparently helps everything from cancer to candida, to allergies, depression, and HIV. Highly antioxidant, antiviral, antitumor,and anti-inflammatory.

Echinacea – Increases production of white blood cells making it a valuable herb in fighting bacteria, viruses, and infection; boosts the immune system.

Sambucol – A natural product made form a black elderberry extract and is effective in inactivating virusess.

Garlic – Long known as a natural antibiotic, garlic contains the chemical allicin–a natural antibiotic.

Ginger – Used by the Chinese to treat morning sickness, travel sickness, indigestion, and nausea. Ginger also stimulates lung function. An infusion of finger and scallions is a natural remedy for colds and flu.

Goldenseal – Powerful tonic for mucous membranes.

Mushrooms, (maiitake, reishi, and shitake) – These mushrooms have been the focus of a lot of research in recent years. They stimulate the immune system and booster the body’s resistance.

Propolis – A resin obtained form the buds of some flowers and trees, propolis contains the natural antibiotic galangin. Galangin is used in various complementary remedies to treat low-grade infections.

St. John’s Wort – In Germany tablets of this traditional European herb are now prescribed for depression ten times more frequently than Prozac. It is also useful in treating Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Finding the right tools to avoid excessive antibiotic or synthetic drug use can save you more than money. A healthy nutrition plan is a great first step to helping your body prepare to prevent and fight infections. Herbs such as goldenseal, Echinacea, astralagus and lomatium can also be helpful. Working with a natural care practitioner, you can find the right combination for you. Always inform your healthcare provider of any medications or herbs you are ingesting, as they may interact.

Treatment for Colds and Flu

By Holistic Health 1 Comment

Unfortunately, little can be done to avoid catching colds. It is possible to try to avoid colds by staying away from all public places, such as shopping malls, church, or synagogues, and school. However, even this will not be effective in avoiding all contact with the cold viruses.

While it is probably sensible to avoid snuggling with someone who has a terrible cold, this also won’t do the trick completely, since people can have the cold viruses–and pass them on — before they feel sick with a cold themselves.

Some colds definitely can lead to bronchial infection and can be serious, especially in infants, whose bronchi are tiny and therefore harder to clear of infection. Bronchial infections can be more serious than an infection that stays in the nose and throat, but most often bronchial infections can be successfully treated.

In some cases, it may actually be helpful to get a cold. When we are exposed to viruses, our body’s immune system produces antibodies that will prevent infections with these same viruses when we are exposed to them at another time. Many infections are more severe later in life, so it’s good to get them early and get them over with.

When to call Your Doctor

If your temperature is above 100 degrees fahrenheit for three days or even goes to 103 degrees or higher.
If you have a sore throat combined with a fever that stays above 101 degrees for 24 hours–it may be strep throat which requires antibiotics.
If you have chest pain, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing–this may mean you have pneumonia, especially if you also have a high fever.

Treating a cold or flu becomes almost routine to for most of us. We follow the same rituals to relieve symptoms, like cough drops for sore throats and to soothe coughing. We take daytime cold pills to get through work, even if we feel like zombies. We take the antibiotics we are given with the mistaken belief that doing something is better than doing nothing. The relatively unknown facts about antibiotics may change your mind.

The world health community is trying to make everyone aware that overuse of antibiotics is leading to resistant bacteria. Antibiotics do kill bacteria but leave the field open for mutant strains to multiply, potentially leading to drug resistant super-bacteria. The immune system may actually be hurt by the overuse of antibiotics as it replaces one of its functions.

While antibiotics attack the bacteria, they also affect normal cells. Evidence indicates that the use of antibiotics may actually lead to more repeat infections than is seen in people not treated with antibiotics. Some of the other side effects, such as destruction of normal bowel flora, can actually weaken the immune system leading to more infections.

Antibiotics address the final stages of a bacterial infection, the problem is this final stage bacteria may be there to help usher the debris of the infection out of the weakened body.

The destruction of bacteria in our bodies can result in the overgrowth of candida albicans, which may cause diarrhea or yeast infections. Disturbing the candida albicans, normal yeast that lives in our bodies, may progress to a more serious situation leaving our digestive systems a mess. A common antibiotic is penicillin, but there are serious allergic reactions for some and in others it can be fatal.

Suppressing our body’s natural systems like fever can actually prolong our illness and impair our long term health, since fever is the body’s way of burning up bacteria and viruses. There are important debates occurring about antibiotics and more and more health professionals are coming down on the side of prevention and natural remedies.

Prevention can be an effective, money saving routine that could potentially keep you well through the entire cold and flu season. Visiting a licensed herbalist now and putting a plan in action to combine nutrition, exercise, vitamin and mineral therapy with herbal treatments could save you a lot of trouble in winter. If you do catch a cold or flu your first stop should be your local health food store.

Instead of putting synthetic drugs into your body try some herbal teas, increased hydration, and rest instead. Always tell your herbalist or doctor any prescription medication or herbs you are ingesting as they may interact. Never be afraid of telling your physician that you would like to try some natural remedies and asking their opinion.

If you are a senior, it is vital that you discuss all plans with your physician. Remember, washing your hands is a free and very effective preventative measure that all of us can do to keep the world a healthier place.

Filed Under: Holistic Health Tagged With: cold and flu remdedy, colds and flu

Natural Cures For Uterine Fibroids

By Holistic Health 20 Comments

Millions of women suffer from fibroids and/or endometriosis during their reproductive years. The symptoms can include heavy bleeding in addition to frequent urination, pain during intimacy, constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, and chronic back aches. Obviously, these symptoms can affect quality of life at a time when women are raising children and trying to have careers.

Statistics show a large number women suffering with these problems end up having hysterectomies without ever understanding why these problems developed in the first place. Although not completely understood, it is known that fibroids and endometriosis have hormonal, nutritional, and stress triggers.

Fibroids are the most common of all tumors. They occur in 20-30 percent of women over age 30. While it is not known why these benign tumors develop, they are more prevalent in women of African descent. If uterine fibroids are small, many times the woman will have no symptoms.

In fact, many women don’t know they have fibroids until they have an internal exam. However, fibroids are estrogen dependent and can grow as large as a grapefruit — occasionally larger. Conversely, fibroids generally shrink in size after menopause when the ovaries stop producing estrogen.

Abnormal bleeding is the hallmark of endometriosis. Endometrium, or uterine tissue, grows outside the uterus. This results in excessive bleeding during menstruation and resulting anemia.

Traditional treatments include NSAIDS or hormonal therapy. Your doctor may prescribe a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone or a synthetic androgen such as danazol to stop the menstrual cycle and resulting anemia.

Traditional medicine offers several surgical options. Hysterectomy, as previously mentioned, is the complete removal of the uterus. Obviously, many women want to avoid this.

Another option is myomectomy which is the surgical removal of the fibroids, but again, depending on the location of the fibroids this may not be possible. Cryosurgery does not remove fibroid tissue but tries to destroy it by freezing it in place. Lastly, uterine artery embolization (UAE) injects polyvinyl alcohol into the arteries feeding the fibroids, thereby blocking its blood supply.

Dietary guidelines for women suffering with uterine fibroids recommend a high fiber, whole food diet with plenty of raw vegetables and fruit. It is also suggested that you maximize your intake of green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli.

It is also suggested that your diet should include sea vegetables which are high in iodine that is required for thyroid function. Sometimes an under active thyroid can be associated with uterine fibroids.

While traditional medicine does not know the cause of uterine fibroids, herbalists know that fibrin, the sticky substance that forms a scab or scar when exposed to air, is also the primary building block of fibroids.

In a previous article I explained the benefits of sea herbs and vegetables. Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosis) or fucus for short, is a fibrin solvent. An natural remedy for fibroids is as follows:

Bladderwrack & Flax Seed

Dried cut Fucus
1 ounce of ground flax seed
2 ¼ pints of distilled water

Moisten dried cut Fucus with a pint of distilled water. Put this aside. Boil 1 ¼ pints of water and pour in the flax seeds. Simmer 5 minutes. While still hot add the first pint you put aside and strain through a strainer. Return the entire pot to the stove. When it starts to boil, remove it from the stove.

You can add a pound of honey and flavor with nutmeg or cinnamon. Store in wide mouth jars and keep in a cool place. Recommended dosage is a wineglass 3 or 4 times a day.

Because Fucus is high in iodine it is not recommended for anyone with hyperthyroidism, pregnant, or nursing.

Reference: Natural Remedy For Shrinking Fibroids

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Discover The 7 Natural Remedies For Arthritis

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Arthritis is an ailment that is characterized by inflammation of the joints and comes in a hundred different forms. Modern science has come up with several conventional medications for arthritis but because of the adverse effects that these drugs often cause, more and more people are turning to natural remedies for arthritis pain.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and occurs when cartilages in the bones wear away leaving the joints with no cushion that allow for smooth movement. Pain occurs as a result of the friction created when the bones rub against each other. This is common in older individuals whose cartilage has deteriorated over time.

Other types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes chronic joint inflammation and gout which is brought about by an excess of uric acid in the body. Most types of arthritis are usually manifested through the swelling, stiffness, or pain in the joints.

Following are some of the more common natural remedies for the relief of arthritis.

1. Apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is one of the most versatile natural remedies for many ailments and is also effective for the relief of arthritis. It contains a high level of potassium that can dissolve deposits of calcium in the joints. Its alkaline content counters the acid buildup in the joints that cause swelling and pain. Mixed with 1 tablespoon of honey in a glass of water, can be taken to give relief to arthritis pain.

2. Garlic. Used for centuries as a natural disinfectant, garlic is one of the most effective remedies for arthritis because it also contains anti-inflammatory properties that can help alleviate swelling and consequently pain caused by arthritis. It can be taken raw or cooked and is also available in tablet form.

3. Turmeric. Turmeric, with origins in Ayurvedic medicine, contains the substance curcumin that has anti-inflammatory properties effective for joint swelling. Turmeric added in moderate amounts to the regular diet can help prevent the pain caused by arthritis.

4. Essential oils. Massaging essential oils into the affected areas can also provide relief from the pain brought about by arthritis. Some of the oils that can give a soothing effect include eucalyptus, wintergreen, peppermint, cedar wood and sandalwood.

5. Vitamin supplements. Vitamin C and E can be powerful vitamin supplements as these rid the body of free radicals which destroy the joints. Vitamin D produces collagen and paired with calcium promotes healthy bones. Studies have also shown that people who suffer from arthritis have a deficiency in Vitamin B6 and taking supplements of this will help restore your body’s supply of this.

6. Exercise. Joint movement is essential for arthritis sufferers and regular exercise is vital in maintaining healthy joints. Exercise helps reduce joint stiffness and pain. Even for patients who experience severe pain, gentle movement exercises are recommended to maintain the mobility of joints and prevent stiffness.

7. Foods to take. Fish, like salmon, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that can be beneficial in reducing the symptoms of arthritis. Load up on green and yellow vegetables and fresh fruits to take advantage of their high beta carotene and vitamin C content that serve as natural antioxidants.

As with any medication it would be best to consult your doctor before taking supplements as natural remedies for arthritis to ensure that these are suitable for your particular condition.

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