I heard a joke that if you’re in the drugstore at 2 a.m., it’s because something got up in you or you got up in something. In the case of bleeding hemorrhoids, they’re definitely a big enough reason to have you in the drugstore any time of day.

Bleeding hemorrhoids can be external or internal and are caused irritated and swollen hemorrhoidal veins and anal tissue. Often, internal hemorrhoids go unnoticed until they start to bleed after a bowel movement.

The most common cause of bleeding hemorrhoids is too much pressure on the renal and anal veins. Constipation can cause straining, but poor diet, too much sitting, obesity, pregnancy, and inadequate exercise can all lead to bleeding hemorrhoids .

The inflamed tissue and veins around the anus can be treated at home if they aren’t too severe. You should treat a bleeding hemorrhoid as soon as it’s noticed to avoid enlargement and increased pain. However, if there is heavy bleeding, severe pain, or if the hemorrhoid is prolapsed (protruding through the anus), see a doctor for treatment.

Home remedies and self-care practiced on a regular basis will usually relieve the symptoms of bleeding hemorrhoids. Suppositories, creams, ointments, and pads can be purchased without prescription to treat bleeding hemorrhoids.

Products containing corticosteroids act as a vasoconstrictor to reduce bleeding and itching. Using home remedies such as witch hazel, petroleum jelly, or aloe vera applied directly with a cotton swab are also effective and soothing.

A word of caution – avoid spicy foods and increase fiber in the diet. Increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables and consider adding a fiber supplement. Drink no less than six glasses of water a day and avoid drinking alcohol, sodas, and other caffeinated beverages to promote regular and healthy bowel movements.

It’s important to keep the anal area dry and clean to reduce itching and irritation. Consider using pre-moistened toilet towelettes to make wiping after a bowel movement less painful — you can gently pat the area dry after wiping.

Sitz baths or regular soaks in warm water will help cleanse and soothe inflamed hemorrhoids. You can also use a hair dryer set on low after bathing to avoid direct contact with the raw area. Limit yourself to 100% cotton undergarments to promote dryness.

Even if the area is itchy, try not to scratch as this will exacerbate the bleeding and inflammation. Products containing perfume or alcohol such as lotions, scented toilet paper, and body spray are irritants that should be avoided.

Finally, opt for loose fitting clothing that does not chafe the affected area. A doughnut-shaped foam pillow to make sitting easier can be purchased where medical supplies are sold. If bleeding hemorrhoids persist past a few days of home self-care, seek help from a physician who can present medical alternatives.

What do some people get colds every year and other’s don’t? Why do some people contract HIV but never succumb to AIDS? Why are there always a few people in the midst of a disease outbreak who do not get sick? Each individual makes lifestyle choices, the foods they eat, their environment, and genetic makeup combine to determine immunity.

We mentioned in an earlier article that food can have a big effect on how healthy the body’s immune system is. The type of foods you eat can either weaken or strengthen your body’s immune system, and this in turn will affect your overall health levels. If you have a disease such as HIV or Diabetes, your body’s immune system is already weak, so you must take steps to help make it stronger and more balanced. Everyone can benefit health wise from having a stronger immune system though, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is through the foods we choose to eat.

The human body is very much like a fine tuned machine. And when there is a problem somewhere in that human machine, the effects can be seen in ways that might seem completely unrelated. The fact is though, that everything we do to our bodies, and everything we choose to put in them, will have drastic effects on how well – or badly – the entire machine operates.

And the basis for the human body to work properly is nutrition. The body needs a large variety of vitamins, nutrients, minerals and other essential ingredients every single day. There are more vitamins than most of us can name, and there are also trace minerals and other nutrients we need too. Most importantly, we need the interaction of the full spectrum of fiber, phytonutrients, minerals and vitamins. Our plates should be a rainbow of color because that is where the most nutrition lies.

Just by choosing the foods which are known to be packed with a large variety of the nutritional elements we need, we can help supply what the body needs naturally. Instead of feeding ourselves vitamins and minerals that will keep our immune system strong and help us fight off diseases, we fill the body with junk that it must work extra hard trying to clear out. And since the body is so busy trying to clear out the junk we’ve given it, we’re more susceptible to germs and viruses which cause a wide variety of health problems.

So the number one way to boost your body’s own immune system is to simply change the way you eat. Reduce the amount of sugar and simple carbohydrates you’re eating, because these are useless nutritionally for the body. Add more fresh vegetables and fruits, particularly raw ones, and add in some whole grains, good protein and fats too.

Resources: Balance My Immune System

Believe it or not, it is within your power to create positive thoughts allowing you to accomplish anything you set out to do. Can you really think yourself happy? The answer is a qualified yes. Here are the ways in which positive thoughts can help you accomplish many things in life.

Positive thoughts produce positive results. We can either bemoan our situation, or change it. We can be negative about an event or enthusiastic. President Lincoln once said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” If you really want to think yourself happy, then make up your mind to do so. It may be difficult to think happy in a world filled with hatred and violence. But it’s not impossible. One person, one idea, one positive thought can change society. How, then, can we make ourselves happy? By being a constant reminder to others that there is goodness in the world.

• Seek out positive people to associate with.
• Expose yourself to all the wonderful books, music and movies available.
• Find the one important thing in your life that’s important, and pursue it.
• Show kindness and respect towards others.
• Live life as if every day is your last.
• Use positive reinforcement wherever and whenever you can.
• Use visualization methods to view the positive aspects of life.
• Speak in a positive tone.
• Rid your mind of negative thinking with yoga and exercise.
• Let your expectations reflect your positive attitude.
• Allow peace of mind to envelop you.
• Become your own best friend.

There is a wonderful poem which clearly explains how unhappiness can thwart our every desire.

If you think you are beaten you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t;
If you want to win but think you can’t;
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose you’re lost;
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
It’s all in a state of mind.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger and faster man.

Happiness is not a genetic trait we are born with. It is ingrained in us by our parents and those we love. It is up to us, then, to maintain it, share it, and build our lives around it. Think happy, and you will be happy.

It is well known that iodine is needed to prevent disorders such as goiter, cretinism, and mental retardation. Although many medical professionals believe you only need enough iodine to keep goiter at bay, that’s not enough for the entire body to function well.

Insufficient iodine in the bloodstream can cause problems with hair loss, lethargy, depression, headaches, body temperature regulation, decreased libido, difficulty losing weight, dry skin, and painful menstrual periods.

There are many benefits to having adequate amounts of iodine –

• Helps the pituitary/adrenal response to stress
• Mucolytic (breaks of mucus)
• Antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic
• Prevents goiter, autoimmune thyroid conditions, thyroid cancer
• Needed to produce thyroid hormones (T3)

Iodine is an essential mineral that’s needed not just by the thyroid gland, but the entire body. School children who have iodine deficiency have a lower intelligence level and can experience learning disabilities. Pregnant women who get enough iodine are more likely to prevent miscarriages and give birth to healthy babies.

The brain, via the pituitary gland, produces polypeptides that stimulate hormones and glands. The brain also regulates the size of the glands and how well they produce hormones.

The thyroid gland, located at the base of the throat, plays a major role in metabolism, circulation, mood, temperature regulation, digestion, elimination, bone mass, elimination, cognitive function, and immune regulation.

In the early 1900s there was increased incidence of goiter in the western states. For this reason, iodine was added to salt, and the results were amazing. Goiter was significantly reduced. By 1951 less than .5 percent of school age children had goiter.

Since that time, the amount of iodine needed to prevent goiter is the gold standard for iodine intake; however, the rest of the body’s need for iodine was not considered. The recommended level for iodine stands at 150 mcg daily for men and women, 220 mcg daily during pregnancy, and 290 mcg daily during lactation.

In the 1960s iodine was added to baked goods as an anti-caking agent. Once slice of bread contained as much as the daily requirement of 150 mcg so there was plenty of iodine in the food supply even if people didn’t eat salt.

In the 1980s it was decided there was too much iodine in baked goods, so iodine was replaced with bromide. Bromide is a halide, meaning it is in the same class as fluoride, chloride, and iodine. Since these elements are so similar, iodine receptors quickly fill up with these other elements and iodine is rendered ineffective.

It takes large amounts of iodine to displace halides such as fluoride and chloride. Evidence of this can be seen in the rising levels of thyroid related illness—thyroid cancer and autoimmune thyroid disorders such as breast, prostate, endometrial, and ovarian cancer.

Another reason for low levels of iodine in Western diets is chronic stress. Stress can greatly interfere with hormone production and disturb the brain-gland connection.

Do you know someone who is sensitive to temperature, depressed, constipated, etc.? The thyroid gland is the first place to look and the test is not expensive.

Be aware that even if your doctor orders a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test, the results may be skewered because your stress levels have driven your hormonal levels low or high.

In the case of a high reading ( 2.5-5) the thyroid is sluggish and not producing enough hormone. In the caser of a low reading the presumption is the brain thinks there is plenty of thyroid hormone and therefore isn’t producing much. So you can see that measuring the pituitary is not an accurate method. It’s more accurate to measure the free circulating hormone level in the blood.

According to the National Health & Nutrition Survey (NHANES), iodine levels in the US are down 50 percent. While we only need a minute amount of iodine for health—about a teaspoon full for our entire life. The problem is that the body does not store iodine, so we must have a regular daily intake of iodine.

Some of the reasons for iodine insufficiency are related environment. Hypertension, which is rampant in the US causes many people to avoid salt — further reducing iodine levels in the body.

Certain beverages are goitrogens–that is substances that decrease iodine uptake. Common goitrogens are –

• Chlorine in pools
• Splenda
• Fluoride in water supplies
• Bromide in soft drinks (Mountain Dew & Gatorade)
• Radioactive testing

Adding iodine to your diet is simple enough. The best natural sources of iodine are sea vegetables and kelp like Nori, Kombu, or Dulse.

FFP Laboratories offers the Iodine Loading Test where urine is collected throughout the day after ingesting iodine. If iodine levels are sufficient, 90 percent will pass from the body into the urine. The more that remains in the body, the greater the need for iodine.

Who should not take iodine? Have your doctor run a TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies) blood test. If it is positive, do not take iodine. There are some people who are allergic to iodine, but most often it is really shellfish they are allergic to.

If you have a family history of thyroid disorders or an existing thyroid problem, you should avoid iodine and seek medical advice.

Reference: Hypothyroidism Breakthrough

Although many Tibetans have lived in exile since  the Tibetan Uprising in 1959, the tradition of Tibetan medicine is still taught and practiced. Their traditional system of medicine is rather like traditional Chinese Medicine but with some important differences. It has been practiced for around 2,500 years. The headquarters of their Medical Institute is in Northern India, where their doctors are trained. Doctors of Tibetan Medicine are required to study for a minimum of seven years, where they learn not only the basics of their medicine, bit are required to learn poetry as well.

Tibetan Medicine is called “gSoba Rig-pa” (which translates as the science of healing) and virtually all of it is based on herbal remedies. They also make a type of pill(s) from precious metals which has had good results with the treatment of ailments such as arthritis, asthma, and ulcers, just to name a few.

Karen Sanders Interviews Yandron Kalzang

Tibetan medicine teaches that all suffering is caused by one or a combination of three poisonous ways of thinking — wanting, dread, and denial. This makes perfect sense when you think about the medicine in context with Buddhist philosophy, which teaches that these are the very three concepts that the Buddhist aspires to relieve themselves of.

“Cures” are based in the elimination of urine, feces, and sweat. When the good elements of the body all work together in harmony, the patient begins to feel better. The long term causes of sickness are one of the “three poisons”, which are believed to be caused by imbalances of time and season, poor diet and improper behavior. (Please note that this article has been extremely over simplified.)

Rlung is to the Tibetans what the Qi is to the Chinese, the life force which flows through us all and the universe. There are five types of Rlung;

1. “life grasping” which is located in the brain and controls intellect, swallowing, sneezing, and breathing.
2. “Upward moving” is in the chest and controls speech, stamina, and diligence.
3. “All pervading” Rlung is located in the heart, and controls movement, such as walking and the opening and closing of the orifices of the body.
4. “Fire accompanying” Rlung is responsible for digestion and metabolism, and is in the stomach.
5. The “downward cleansing” Rlung expels everything-feces, urine, menstrual blood, babies, and semen. This Rlung resides in the rectum.

With regard to what causes sickness-time and season, improper lifestyle or other imbalances-spirits are thought to cause the sickness if the time and place is disturbed. Different spirits can be disturbed during different times of the day or year, and consultation with a tantric practitioner is needed to determine if angry spirits are responsible for the patient’s ailment(s). If this is the case, chanting, meditation and prayer can be used to return the spirit, and herbs are used to alleviate-for example-pain, curing the symptoms as well as the dis-ease.

It is interesting to note that with regard to the sicknesses involved with an imbalanced diet, Tibetan Medicine does not recommend only raw foods, only certain foods, etc. The teaching is very strict with respect to a balance of all foods. They do not say to never eat butter, for example, but to eat a balance of raw and fatty foods.

Diagnosis is done primarily by testing urine and looking at the patient’s tongue. Heavy, thick, yellow or dark urine with a strong odor indicates a “hot” sickness, while clear, thin, or white urine indicates a “cold” sickness. The patient’s tongue is tested for color, smoothness, and hydration. The doctor will then take the patient’s pulse, and like in acupuncture, can tell much about blood flow and blockages by the number of beats and strength.

At the conclusion,  there will be a long list of questions to be answered by the patient, and treatment will consist of one of four recommendations, advice on diet and behavior, which is the first step of treatment, and/or prescribing medicine or surgery. Usually a change in diet or behaviors helps tremendously, to the point that medicine — other than symptom relieving medicine or surgery is not needed. Many patients use Tibetan Medicine as a preventative to stop disease in the very early stages.

If you are suffering with ringing ears, finding a treatment may seem overwhelming. There are many old wives tales and even over-the-counter remedies that claim to be a  treatment for ringing ears, but who wants to play musical chairs until you find the right one?  It is easy to get frustrated with all of it.

Take a Deep Breath

Yes, there are ways to treat and cure that horrid buzzing in your ears. The trouble is that different things can cause this ringing sound, and different things can cure it. So there is a good chance that you have already seen an effective ringing ears treatment. The question is which the right one for you is.

The Many Causes of Ringing Ears

Figuring out what is causing the buzzing, clicking, or humming in your ears can be the most difficult part of the whole process. In fact, sometimes it isn’t possible to figure it out at all. But it is important to try to figure out what caused it in order to figure out the best ringing ears treatment.

Often, damage to the ears is a contributing factor to the ringing. This damage could be something that happened as a child, such as ear infections, or it could have been something more recent, such as a blow to an ear or to the head. Also, damage from loud sounds can compound over time and cause.

For some people, blood circulation problems can be what causes the sounds they hear. Or in other cases, the ringing may not even be cause by any physical ailment, but instead by emotional or psychological distress. Obviously, each of these causes requires a different ringing ears treatment.

Common Treatments

There are many treatments for ringing ears that are used, and if you can figure out what is causing the problem you will have an easier time deciding what you should use. But even if you aren’t positive about the source of the symptom, you can still try a few different things and see what they do for you.

Some people try surgery as a ringing ears treatment, but this probably shouldn’t be your first choice. As with any surgery, there are risks that come with this. It also isn’t a surefire way to cure this problem. Many people experience the ringing coming back, and a few even claim that their ear ringing got worse after surgery.

You can easily find a list of natural treatments for ringing in your ears if you take a look around. Some of these involve herbal remedies such as gingko, or other supplements. Another popular ringing ears treatment involves relaxation massage or yoga to help with blood circulation.

There are also methods that can be used to relieve the symptom even if the ringing can’t be cured completely. White noise machines and therapy can help some people deal with the ringing.

No matter what is causing it, you should be able to find a ringing ears treatment that will at least make your symptoms more manageable.