2009 December | alternative health tips

Skin Rejuvenation Wonders That a Natural Organic Skin Care Product Can Do!

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2009

Natural and Organic skin care are very much talked about in these days. I myself also buy natural organic skin care products only. But it is important to check out the authenticity of these organic skin care products.

This is because a lot of product manufacturers are trying to sell their below standard products taking unfair advantage of the name “natural” and “organic”. Hence, it really becomes crucial to read carefully about the ingredients that these natural organic skin care products use, before you consider buying them.

Now you should also take note that you will not find any organic skin care product that is 100% natural. Even though even I believe that that natural path is the best path. Some degree of processing is definitely involved.

And, in fact, the combination of nature and science create wonderfully effective organic skin care products. The efficacy of herbal and organic skin care raw materials is enhanced by processing through scientifically proven technology.

What you should really be alert against is the unnatural and harmful chemicals like parabens or fragrances. Parabens are preservatives to improve the life of the skin care products. They have been known to cause cancer. Fragrances are the chemicals put in skin care products for nice smell, but can cause skin irritations and allergies.

So, after looking at the harmful substances to avoid in organic skin care products, it would be good to consider what kind of natural ingredients that one should look for which can play a vital constructive role in your skin health and rejuvenation.

One of the excellent natural ingredients that is being used successfully as part of a natural effective organic skin care is Phytessence Wakame. It is an extract from a special Japanese sea kelp. The beauty of this substance is that it enhances the level of hyaluronic acid in our body.

Hyaluronic acid works with the vital proteins-collagen and elastin in our body and helps our to skin remain young, supple and vibrant.

Besides that, Natural oils also play a very positive role as ingredients in natural organic skin care systems. This simple criterion to look for in this regard is whether the oil clogs your skin’s pores or not. Like for example, mineral oil is absolutely unsuitable for your skin and does a lot of harm, as it blocks the skin pores and almost chokes them from breathing naturally.

Some of the beneficial oils are-

Avocado oil – This special oil has proven its outstanding efficacy in increasing the production of collagen in the body. It has also shown great improvements in skin hydration.

Babassu – It is a part of the family of natural emollients. It plays a key role in maintaining skin moisture and softening and healing the skin that has wrinkles. It works particularly well on the thinner portions of our skin, like the area around the eyes.

Shea Butter – This is also a part of the family of natural emollients. It also plays a leading role in maintaining skin moisture. Apart from that, it also soothes skin inflammation, reduces dark spots from the skin and clears pigment inconsistencies. It works wonderfully well in clearing stretch marks.

This information clearly gives you an upper edge when you select the best natural organic skin care product for yourself.

You can explore many more of such wonderful natural substances at my website, where I have put in a detailed research on the effective role they can play in your skin rejuvenation.

DR Vijay Kumar
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/skin-rejuvenation-wonders-that-a-natural-organic-skin-care-product-can-do-718717.html

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Bed Bug Bites – 3 Common Herbal Remedies

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2009

Bed Bugs are pests and can never be pets. They are self declared enemies of men since time immemorial. They date back to as far as the time of the cave dwellers, to the classical Greece and the medieval times having been documented in ancient writings. They are never recorded or never have been treated as something that gives any pleasantries to humans, except perhaps from a mentally deranged person who will keep bed bugs in his house as pets. Always the experience is painful, annoying and health threatening. Yes these tiny little pests could give skin infection and trigger complication to a human body.

Having mentioned health which has now been always associated to supplemental food remedies and herbal medicines, This brings to mind on how could the wonders of herbal medicines be applied for bed bugs nuisances and painful bites.

Bed bug bites may appear as innocent red marks. At times they appear with patterns when they do selective bites if their victims move during feeding. But soon it could grow into swollen marks, scratches begin and skin could crack open into tiny wounds triggering infection. This becomes worse to people with low level of resistance to allergies.

Though it was proven medically that bed bugs does not transmit diseases and cause outbreaks on hepatitis, HIV or plague, it is the magnitude of infestation that holds the major concern. When the number of more people are bitten from all sectors of society including visitors from out of town, then it is alarming case of infestation. War is declared. All hands of support for different areas of concern are welcome. Herbal treatment is a non chemical method which is environmentally acceptable especially the health conscious sector.

For non chemical methods, the washing with soap and water and applying ice are the most popular 1st aids. This is advisable to free the affected area of contracting bacteria through air or contact which could cause infection. Scratching is non chemical too but is not recommendable. In fact it is deplorable as this could open the skin and make the wound prone for infections.

The next big thing is the application of herbal medicine. This method is applied to stop the itching and minimize the pain. There are liquid or powdered forms which could be taken internally that boost immune system, correct imbalance of necessary nutrients and increase energy. Stronger bodies are more resistive to infections and complications.

Chinese herbal medicines are known to be good in bed bug bites. They are available in local Chinese drug stores.

The common herbal plants good for bed bug bites are as follows.

1. Plantain – These are actually common weeds found in parking lots, driveways and play grounds. To distinguish it from the other grass, its leaves have 5 parallel veins running along its length. A plantain has broad long thin leaves with tall seed heads. The narrow leaf plantain with small flowers are with long thin leaves. There are various Plantago species used for bed bug bites treatment.

2. Mud with herbs – they are known as the simplest poultice which means a moist form of medicinal substance. A herb concoction mixed with clay. Clay is a good medium as it does not form fungal spores. This may be applied with powedred arrowroots, potatos and mallow roots with grounded rice or oats.

3. Fresh Herb Poultices – These are pure herbs turned into poultices. These can be done by pounding through a mortar and pestle. Poultices are commonly done through chewing. Caution is required in proper recognition of the leaves. The safest to be chewed are leaves of oak and maple. If one is not sure of the type of leaves, leaves that are slick and shiny must be avoided. The shiny ones are usually not the type of leaves with herbal healing properties. If the taste is extremely bitter, it is neither the herbal one so spit it out at once. They are applied on affected parts with the use of a bandage. Other plants commonly used as poultices are plantium, wild geranium, yellow dock, wild mallow, chickweed and comfrey. The best herbal medicines for bed bug biters are those that were extracted from willow, maple, oak and hazel.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/bed-bug-bites-3-common-herbal-remedies-753571.html

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Acupuncture And Fertility – An Alternative Treatment

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2009

An alternative to “so-called” modern methods for the treatment of fertility is an ancient method of healing – acupuncture. Of course, it’s not a catch-all for couples that have been having problems having a baby. For example: Acupuncture treatment for couples with structural issues (i.e. blocked sperm or duct damaged fallopian tubes) are less likely to have success than couples with issues like inconsistent ovulation.

Working Principle of Acupuncture

The interrelationship of exactly how fertility and acupuncture relate is still less than completely clear. However, most acupuncture experts currently believe that acupuncture works by improving overall body functions by increasing blood flow to the genital organs and balancing blood hormone levels. This ability results in enhanced ovarian function in women and in men increased sperm production.

Invisible channels of energy run throughout the body, called chi, according to the traditional concept of Chinese medicine. Also called meridians, if obstructed at any one point, these channels of energy begin to build up in certain regions of the body or organs while other areas no longer get adequate energy to properly function. To alleviate obstructions needles are placed on select spots. Modern medical science is of the opinion that the use of needles helps to stimulate the nervous system and triggers the release of chemicals within the muscles, spinal cord and brain. This results in the body being put into a position to heal itself which is always the best method of healing.

Fertility in Women

Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that acupuncture is a good complementary form of therapy in women who are undergoing other forms of fertility treatments. One take on the positive relationship acupuncture generates in women is that it relieves the worry and stress they undergo while being treated fertility.

In addition, it’s been found that the success rate for women who are undergoing in-vitro fertilization is higher if the treatment is accompanied with acupuncture treatment. Another positive aspect of has been the ratio of ectopic (out of place) pregnancies and miscarriages has been found to be significantly lower for women who underwent acupuncture treatment.

Higher Rates of Pregnancy and Acupuncture

The causal relationship between fertility and acupuncture has also been studied. One example has been the number of pregnancies that were reported in women who were classified as hopeless by medical doctors but as a last desperate hope in getting pregnant turned to the use of acupuncture needles and actually got pregnant.

These studies have been challenged by the medical establishment who have argued that even without acupuncture such women could have gotten pregnant by using biofeedback (i.e. changing their thought patterns to positively influence their internal systems). While the opinion of the medical community remains divided on the issue of acupuncture and fertility, because it has been proven to be a safe procedure most doctors have no problem in giving their patients the go-ahead to give acupuncture a try.

Tip – For information on the best acupuncture options, check out the links below.

Brian Winkels
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/acupuncture-and-fertility-an-alternative-treatment-98609.html

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Green Tea Health Benefits –learn What This Amazing Product Can Do for You

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2009

By the time you finish reading this, I hope that you, like me, will become captivated by this magic ingredient! It has been used for over 4000 years in Chinese medicine, and green tea health benefits have been proven in many areas.

Green tea is made by lightly steaming fresh tea leaves, while black tea is made from the same leaves but these are dried and roasted and therefore lose a lot of their medicinal power.

One of the major green tea benefits is that it is a powerful antioxidant, helping to reduce the damage done by free radicals.

Studies have concluded that it can help to prevent many forms of cancer, in part by inhibiting cell replication, a main feature of cancer.

These are truly amazing green tea health benefits. How many other natural products do we know that can actually prevent cancer?

Cholesterol lowering is another feature. Regular intake of green tea, or preferably, a green tea extract combined with other nutrients, has been shown to lower your LDL or bad cholesterol while maintaining your HDL or good cholesterol. This helps prevent hardening of the arteries and in doing so significantly reduces your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

More green tea benefits are helping to reduce the effects of aging and enhance your natural skin tone. Now this is one benefit we would all like to see! The list goes on and on.

The good news for all you dieters out there is that green tea benefits your weight loss too, by the fact that it contains EGCG, a very powerful antioxidant, over 100 times more powerful than vitamin C no less!

This functions by helping to naturally boost your metabolism, helping you to burn off more fat, without moving a muscle. Quite a desirable property to have I’m sure you’d agree.

Now despite these wonderful green tea health benefits, as I mentioned earlier, they can be even more effective when combined with other nutrients, in extract form, such as a supplement. Green tea in extract form is decaffeinated, so you get all of the benefits without the worry.

When the right ingredients are combined together, they have a more powerful effect than if used alone, and this is called synergy. This is a very important fact, not to be overlooked, if you want to get the most green tea benefits.

So in closing, I hope you enjoyed this short article on green tea benefits and are motivated to find out more about this and other health giving ingredients, and if you would like to learn more about the products which I personally take, why not visit my website.

Ric Hawkins
http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/green-tea-health-benefits-learn-what-this-amazing-product-can-do-for-you-727875.html

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Just How Natural Are The “natural” Ingredients In Beauty Products!

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2009

It is probably the best to just make your own “natural” beauty products if you want to ensure they actually contain “all natural ingredients.” There are several good companies providing organic based ingredients to facilitate making your own products. Natural cosmetics are easy to make in the home using nothing more than regular kitchen equipment.

This article takes a brief look at how beauty product manufacturers tell us what is in their products.

The market in beauty products has grown significantly in the last 25 years but in the last 10 years there has been an increasing interest in the ingredients contained within the lotions, creams and potions we apply so liberally to our skin – the largest organ of our human bodies.

Many main stream manufacturers still include a range of not so natural ingredients in their products:

- waste products from the petrochemical industry
- lead and other heavy metals
- products extracted from animal carcasses

Many of these ingredients are given scientific sounding names. While the cynic may say this is a deliberate attempt to confuse the consumer, a more charitable view is that this is done in pursuit of accurate labeling.

As a result of the heightened awareness of health matters and the confusion concerning ingredients and labeling, a new sector of this lucrative market has arisen, which is the need for natural skin care and cosmetics.

But just how natural is natural?

Many consumers require natural ingredients but are not prepared to accept the necessary compromise in product performance. A classic example is with the ingredient Sodium Lauryl Sulphate. This is a synthetic detergent derived from coconut oil and it appears in a wide range of shampoos, bath products, toothpastes and liquid soaps. It is what gives these products the luxurious bubbles and lather to which we have all become accustomed. A number of studies have suggested that this ingredient is harmful and many consumers now seek products containing an alternative.

Manufacturers then developed Sodium Laureth Sulphate, which is considered less irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulphate. When this was condemned, Ammonium Laureth Sulphate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate were substituted. Once again these are synthetic detergents developed from coconut oil and they are still considered to be an irritant. Some studies have also suggested they may be carcinogenic.

Unless consumers have knowledge of bio-chemistry it is almost impossible to discern what ingredients are natural and what are not. The SLS saga is but one example of this confusion.

It is ironic that a number of “natural” manufacturers aggressively promote their products by denigrating the products of competing companies – despite the fact that the ingredients they contain are essentially the same.

Consumers need to make themselves aware of the real meanings behind the mysterious names on their cosmetic bottles and jars and educate themselves about the various aliases they are likely to encounter.

Depending on the reasons for wanting to purchase natural products, some ingredients may be more acceptable than others. Take Lanolin for example. Lanolin is extracted from the fleece of sheep. It has been shown to contain a large number of chemicals used to kill parasites that may live on the sheep. Many eczema sufferers find that treatment with lanolin based products – despite the chemicals – helps to reduce symptoms. The benefits of Lanolin treatment outweigh the disadvantage of potential contaminants. This is a value judgment that individuals will need to make.

In conclusion, one of the best ways to ensure that your products are natural is to make them yourself. There are a growing number of companies providing organic based ingredients to facilitate home manufacture of products. Natural cosmetics are surprisingly easy to make in the home using nothing more than regular kitchen equipment. This may be an alternative worth checking-out.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

Connie Limon
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/just-how-natural-are-the-natural-ingredients-in-beauty-products-138419.html

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The Top Six Massage Techniques

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2009

Massage is probably the oldest and simplest existing form of medical care that it has been applied for relaxation, fitness, and other health purposes. Basically, massage therapy is a therapeutic technique that involves manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. It is the calming, therapeutic process of kneading, stroking, and pressing the different areas of the body to alleviate pain, relieve stress and tensions, or relax, stimulate and tone the body.

Well, as what most experts have said, massage, no matter how simple or complex the techniques involved, can really be a great healing system.

A number of massage techniques are available nowadays. The massage is commonly applied in different techniques and in different strokes. The techniques and strokes vary widely from the most delicate touch with the fingertips to the more focused deep tissue work. These techniques may even vary in speed as well as in pressure.

Below is a list of the top rated massage techniques. Read on for one of them might be the right option for you.

Deep Tissue Massage

The deep tissue massage, on the most basic, is a massage technique that focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue. It involves a number of slow movements, but generally the pressure is more intense as it aims to release the chronic patterns of tension in the body. The most common target of these movements and deep finger pressure are the contracted areas, either following or going across the muscles of the fiber, fascia and tendons. Usually, in this kind of massage, the therapists use their thumb, fingers and even elbows to apply the needed pressure.

Swedish Massage

Also included in the line of the top rated massage techniques is the so-called Swedish massage. Basically, this technique involves the use of kneading, tapping or calming strokes applied to the entire body to loosen sore joints and relieve muscle tension and pain. Well, what sets Swedish massage unique from the other massage techniques is that it involved five major beneficial strokes: effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement, and vibration. Although each of these strokes differ according to their movements and target points, all of them are developed to promote an ultimate feeling of being pampered.

There is one particular purpose that the Swedish massage is strongly holding to increase the flow of oxygen in the blood and release toxins that were trapped in the muscles. With this purpose alone, the Swedish massage highly works to shorten the recovery time from muscular strain

Sports Massage

Sports massage, as you may know, is a form of massage that is applied for sports purposes, hence the name. It is the technique of kneading and manipulating the soft tissues in the body to help athletes improve their performance, prevent and treat sports injuries. It is highly considered in the field of sports knowing that as the participation in sports becoming more popular at all genders and ages and as performances continue to improve annually, more is expected and demanded from the athletes. It is with this situation that athletes start looking for some effective ways to boost their performances, and sports massage is one of the best solutions they’ve ever discovered.

Heated Stone Massage

Heated stone massage, also known as la stone massage, is widely appreciated and accepted in the healthcare and bodywork industry today. Several clinics, spas, fitness centers, and other healthcare establishments have in fact considered it a very effective alternative to the regular massage therapy.

During the heated stone massage procedure, the therapists and the clients themselves will notice certain changes on the body temperature, including the heart and breathing rates. Heated stone massage is used to indicate such changes to determine the flow of the blood and the exchange of blood and oxygen in the body, allowing a sense of well-being in the end. That’s basically how the heated stone massage works.

Neuromuscular Massage

This is actually a form of deep tissue massage that is applied to the individual muscles. However, the main purpose of the massage techniques involved here is to increase the blood and lymphatic flow, while reducing the pain and release pressure trapped on the nerves. The neuromuscular massage techniques are also considered to release the trigger points which could help relieve headaches and the pain in your shoulder.

Rolfing

Rolfing also hit the line of the most well-known and widely performed massage techniques available. This technique, on the most basic, involves reeducating the body about proper posture. Yes, posture is given much attention here for the belief that posture highly determines health problems like headaches, backaches and joint pain. With that focus, the rolfing massage techniques no doubt seek to straighten and realign your body by working the myofascia, which is actually the connective tissue that assists to hold your body together. This tissue surrounds your muscles.

Nishanth Reddy
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/the-top-six-massage-techniques-72969.html

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Pancreatic Cancer and Its Alternative Treatments

Posted by admin on Dec 21, 2009

Pancreatic cancer affects the pancreas, an organ which forms part of our digestive system. It is caused in much the same way as most cancers, whereby abnormal growth in cells leads to a lump on the pancreas which then requires treatment.

Most pancreatic cancers begin at the head of the pancreas, but it is possible for them to start in any part of the organ. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is known as exocrine, which begins by forming in the cells lining the ducts. However, another type of pancreatic cancer is known as endocrine, which is characterized by the production of hormones, and this is much rarer.

Causes

There are no specific causes of pancreatic cancer, but as with many cancers there are a number of factors which can increase the risk of us developing the condition. Smoking is perhaps the most obvious thing that we can avoid to prevent getting the disease, but eating a diet high in fats and sugars, as well as taking relatively little exercise, being overweight or drinking too much alcohol can all increase our risk levels.

Symptoms

Pancreatic cancer is particularly difficult to diagnose because there are so many different possible symptoms. These include itchy skin, general sickness, diabetes, fever, producing dark-coloured urine, developing stomach pain, experiencing weight loss or developing jaundice. However, as these are also common symptoms of many other conditions it is not easy to find out whether we have become affected.

Standard Treatment

All of these vague symptoms mean that pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late, meaning the level of treatment required will be much more extreme.

Earlier treatment will often involve surgery, but if the cancer is caught later then this will usually mean being treated with chemotherapy, with all the nasty side effects that this can produce, such as sickness, rashes and fluid retention.

Radiotherapy is not used for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and is generally only being used in the later stages of the disease where it can help to slow it down.

Alternative Treatments

Due to the harsh nature of the standard forms of treatment, many of us choose to go with alternative treatments instead. There are a number of different types of alternative treatments available, and often they can work together to lead to the best results.

Bio-photonic light treatment is a natural form of treatment that has been seen to produce good results. This is concerned with increasing the energy levels of individual cells which have become damaged and weakened due to the cancer. Through a process of directing UV rays towards them, these cells are pumped full of energy to better help them to restore our natural energy levels, thereby helping us to deal with the condition.

This often goes alongside a very kind and non-invasive type of treatment consisting of emotional freedom techniques (EFT). This consists of a whole range of different treatments that aim to focus on our emotional healing and meridian balancing. It is based on the idea that many cancers and degenerative diseases are triggered by a particularly stressful or traumatic event in our lives, which distorts the positive balance of the cells within the body. The aim is then to reverse this process by balancing the cells.

It can consist of a certain level of counselling and therapy to get to the heart of the problem, and once this has been done we are then subjected to a certain amount of treatment though special appliances, which aim to restore the strength of our bodies to the levels seen before the disease took over.

There are also a few formulas which people can use as alternative therapies, two of which are Formula MVA and Formula PG. Formula MVA is a dietary supplement that works by boosting the immune system, thereby helping the body to naturally overcome the cancerous cells. It contains a whole host of natural substances, including Palladium, Vitamins B1, B2 and B12, and Acetyl Cystiene amongst others, and it aims to increase the energy levels in the cells. It can even be used alongside traditional treatments to lessen their damaging side effects.

Formula PG makes use of peptides which come from pig spleens, which have long been known to help patients with degenerative diseases. These peptides allow cells and organs to communicate better with their surrounding environments and each other.

All of these alternative therapies can be used individually or in combination to produce an entirely different type of treatment for cancer sufferers that do not suffer from the same painful side effects of conventional treatments.

Rob Griggs
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/pancreatic-cancer-and-its-alternative-treatments-709981.html

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