Asthma Home Remedy

As worldwide health issues go asthma is one of the most important; year on year, the figure for those contracting the condition rises. Asthma is a chronic, treatable disease that causes narrowing of airways in the lungs in response to allergens, making it difficult to breathe. This is a respiratory condition that when not treated properly can easily result in death, if the attack is not attended to in time or is severe.

Keeping a constant check on their condition is the most important step for an asthma sufferer. The specific medical treatment depends on the severity of the condition and the frequency of symptoms and specific treatments for it are broadly classified as relief medications, preventive medications and emergency treatment.

One form of relief for all patients is called a Bronchodilator which is designed only for less serious attacks but will be the only form of medication that mild sufferers will probably ever need. Other medication is available for asthma patients who have mild but frequent attacks like a mastcell stabilizer or leukotriene modifier and oral glucocorticoids for patients with a serious asthma condition. They will all still use a standard reliever as well.

The asthmatics themselves must also recognize just what situations or conditions trigger their attacks then they will be able to avoid those situations. Medical science has now confirmed that the poorer the air quality the greater the chance that this and other respiratory problems will occur.

The medication to help prevent and treat attacks is very effective but should only be used sparingly as longer term problems like tiredness, dizzy spells, liver problems, depression and even impotence can be the result of continued use. To help stop the rise in treatment associated problems many people with respiratory conditions are now using natural remedies to help treat the cause of the problem rather than drugs which are used to make the body's immune system kick in.

The purpose of the medication is to settle the body's hyperactivity which is caused as a result of the attack. It also helps soothe the effects by using a catalyst. The catalysts contained in the natural medications are different as they do not have any side-effects so reduce the stress on the system naturally.

Some yoga disciplines are based around breathing techniques and now many asthma sufferers are using these techniques to control their situation and improve their health. Nutritional supplements and good diet will help improve the immune response and the overall health of the patients. People with asthma should try to manage their condition as much as possible with complementary therapies to avoid further stressing their immune system with drug residues.

Lynn West is the creator of the Squidoo site Asthma Home Remedy1.
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Get Rid of Cellulite

The ‘orange peel' effect seen on some people's thighs and buttocks are fat cells beneath the skin and is known by the general term ‘cellulite'; people that suffer with this find it tends to affect them mainly from the waist down. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is a condition purely confined to women who are overweight because most carry additional fat anyway; the cottage cheese appearance so familiar with this condition can affect slim women as well.

You see as the collection of fats push against the connective tissue, it tends to cause the surface of the skin to dimple or pucker and visually look lumpy; giving you what is referred to as cellulite. After many years of research, scientists still cannot determine the exact reason for its formation or why some are affected more than others but there may be some connection between toxins that enter the body and how certain fat cells store them.

One thing is certain though and that is as a persons age increases, the amount of this fatty tissue increases in the same way that wrinkles also form which is probably due to the reduction of the two components that keep the skin looking young; collagen and elastin. It is classified as a hormonal imbalance experienced by women and seldom appears on males as normally fat stored in the thighs and buttock is the same as fat stored all over the body so no difference is observed.

Even women who do not appear to have cellulite may have them and sometimes this is visible when the skin is compressed as in the case of squatting or when it is pinched between the thumb and forefinger; however as most women suffer with at some stage it seems to be a perfectly normal condition. Many factors can influence the buildup; ranging from the sex of the person to their age, genetic make-up, skin type and skin thickness, all have a part to play in its formation.

One thing for sure is that technology has not as yet devised a miracle potion or treatment that can eradicate it completely. Where cellulite removal massage is offered at a clinic, all that is done is deep tissue massage which just masks the affect so it cannot be seen as readily.

Other treatments involve liposuction (to remove fats) and mesotherapy (injection of drugs into the affected areas) which is expensive and out of reach of the majority of women. Only temporary relief can be gained from both these procedures and liposuction despite its success at removing deep fat from large areas of the body, is not designed for the fats close to the surface as in the case of cellulite.

For people who are prone to the problem, there are no magic treatments for selective removal but there are now a number of creams on the market which are designed to help hide the effect it brings. The most successful regimes so far are to adopt regular exercise, a good nutritious low-fat diet plan and reduce extra weight where possible.

Water too is useful as it has the effect of flushing out toxins that accumulate and are thought to be partly responsible for the cellulite; in addition to this smokers are urged to quit or reduce their smoking which is an effective way for toxins to enter the body.

Lynn West is the co-creator of the Squidoo site Cellulite Get Rid of
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Lower Back Pain

For many people who suffer with back pain, they live in constant agony; affecting almost every type of activity, only back pain relief medication seems to help for a while. The problem with pain relief medication is that it doesn't help the cause of the problem, just merely makes it a little more bearable.

Any type of medication should only be used with the supervision of a doctor but especially when it is taken on a regular basis. It is not difficult to injure your back, especially if you are a manual worker but long term problems can also be the result of poor body posture or from an accident.

However, back pain is usually caused by a lifting accident or from lifting incorrectly and it is normally the lower back that suffers. There are a number of natural back pain relief methods that mean you will not have to rely on drugs. One of the simplest but also underused remedies is just the act of stretching which can bring relief to tense muscles as well.

Another type of treatment uses reflexology to massage the feet. It is a very old natural therapy which helps to relieve many chronic ailments. Reflexology can also help to improve the body's blood circulation and relax muscles.

Acupuncture is used frequently by people suffering spinal agony by giving them back pain relief just as it has for thousands of years, although, only recently in the West. The use of needles in Traditional Chinese medicine could be over 5,000 years old. The Chinese believe we all have this special energy force flowing through us, when we become sick it doesn't flow correctly. Acupuncture needles when inserted at particular points can release this energy. Whilst acupuncture is used for many conditions, it is frequently used for pain relief and many people claim to have excellent results from using it.

Tai Chi is also another ancient Chinese discipline which is basically a type of exercise similar to yoga except it is slower. Tai Chi focuses on breathing techniques and is a great way to relax your back. Whilst it involves some stretching and breathing exercises it is not too strenuous which means that anyone, young or old can take part in Tai Chi.

Natural back pain relief should really start with more frequent exercise which will not only help ensure the back is more flexible but help prevent spinal problems.

You don't have to live in pain..there are solutions...

Lynn West is the co-creator of the Squidoo site Back Pain Lower
If you Learned something this article on Back Pain,
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Alzheimers Treatments - Scientific Breakthrough Discovers Root Cause

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disorder of the mind that gets progressively worse with time; other types of dementia include Parkinson's disease and Huntingdon's - which isn't entirely restricted to the elderly. Alzheimer's is estimated to affect 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 causing problems with the memory centers of the mind; although current diagnosis is not perfect, the accuracy levels are up to 94 percent at best, 87 percent at worst. The world started focusing on the disease only about thirty years ago although was first discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer, a German physician; even though it has been scientifically studied for many years, knowledge surrounding this disease until very recently has been minimal.

Studies show that your greatest risk of acquiring Alzheimer's is advancing age. Many people experiencing the first signs of Alzheimer's are unwilling to admit to themselves or others that there is anything wrong.

While the mental abilities of an Alzheimer's disease sufferer can be improved anything up to six months with the use of prescribed medication like Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine, no medication has been discovered that will reverse the debilitating life wasting disease.

Today's top medical scientists, doctors, microbiologists and nutritionists now believe that our human diet for the past 100 years has greatly contributed to the increase in this very modern disease.

They maintain that our two million year old genetically handed down bodies were made to run on water, seeds, nuts, grasses, herbs, roots, fruits, vegetables, and cereals

Only for the past 100 years have we humans been regularly consuming and running on: sugar, sweets, biscuits, crisps, chocolate, cola and soft-drinks, fats & oils, cigarettes and alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, and chemicals, pesticides and preservatives (loads of them).

It's no wonder that our bodies are Breaking Down. Yes, diet is the single biggest influence on the Alzheimer's condition.

The simple and overlooked truth about Alzheimer's - and many other modern diseases - is that it's infinitely more important to pay attention to what you put inside your body, than to have to deal with the symptoms that drugs can fight on the outside.

Scientists have now discovered... that Alzheimer's CAN be reversed with natural means! You see, in the West, we have an abnormal amount of these "modern diseases"... that practically don't exist in "undeveloped" parts of the world. This has been known for a long time, and for years, these scientists have wondered why.

Well they finally discovered why. They discovered that it is our modern lifestyle that is actively causing these diseases... and that...our modern western diet is having a major impact on our bodies wrecking havoc in the form of Alzheimer's and other modern diseases.

What scientists have now discovered is... that the "Root Cause" of Alzheimer's is the modern lifestyle, causing your body to become diseased by acids, sugars, carbohydrates, excess fats and uric acid (all very common in our modern diets) keep flowing through our bloodstream.

Because our body is a very delicately balanced organism, whatever you ingest can radically destroy that delicate balance...

Here's what leading scientist, Dr Robert O. Young, has to say about the ROOT cause of Alzheimer's: "There is only One Sickness and One Disease, and this one 'sickness' is the over-acidification of the body due primarily to an inverted way of living, thinking, and eating... there can therefore be only one remedy and treatment, and that is to alkalise the body and break the cycle of imbalance, thus allowing us to experience the energy, vitality and true health we're all meant to have."

Dr. Young is an American microbiologist and nutrition scientist and known as one of the top research scientists in the world. His findings are currently sending shock waves throughout the scientific community.

Published in noted medical journals and having conducted tests in collaboration with the John Hopkins Medical School, his findings are irrefutable and indisputable.

Owing to an increase in the life expectancy of people living in the industrialized world, Alzheimer's disease has become a major health issue and is the fourth largest cause of death in the United States. It is not just the human cost of Alzheimer's that has to be taken into consideration; there are also the monetary costs. The cost of providing care and treating patients is already costing 40 billion dollars every year with this figure expected to increase. Last year the National Institute on Aging spent half of its annual budget on research into age related disease, they are now testing over three hundred compounds at any one time.

One of the few factors that you can change to alter your risk of developing dementia is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Begin now to alkalize the body. Think about what you are eating. Develop the habit of eating a healthy well-balanced diet.

For those of you who have already been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, with this new scientific breakthrough there is now hope that a change to an alkaline diet can gradually bring balance to your body and can gradually reverse day-by-day the effects of Alzheimer's.

CM Britt is the co-creator of the Squidoo site Alzheimers Treatment. CM Britt specializes in researching and writing articles on emerging treatments and remedies for health related issues. If you found this breakthrough Alzheimer treatment information interesting, empower yourself even further by visiting our Alzheimer's Treatment site. Alzheimers Treatment

Move over, chicken soup!

Local residents share remedies and ways to prevent colds and flu

As if the ice, snow and cold weren’t enough, it also happens to be the perfect time of year to get sick. So, take mom’s advice — and that of any health professional: Wash your hands. Eat healthful foods. Don’t skimp on sleep. But if you’re cooped up in a cubicle — or classroom, factory, truck cab — surrounded by co-workers and others sniffling and sneezing, it’s inevitable you’re going to get sick. Right?
Not necessarily.

A few weeks ago we asked you, our readers, to send us your best cold concoctions — home remedies or tried-and-true over-the-counter products. We didn’t try them (luckily, we haven’t needed to), and don’t swear by their effectiveness (especially giving tequila to youngsters and wearing icy socks).

But we did ask Ann Thurston, a family nurse practitioner for Memorial Health System, to weigh in on your neighbors’ best suggestions for beating that cold, or avoiding it entirely.

COUGH/SORE THROAT

- TO STOP A COUGH: Place a heating pad under a heavy book (or use a bean bag-style heating pad) and keep it on your chest. The heat stops muscle spasms and can also loosen phlegm. Licorice tea also helps calm your throat. Also: Try Mucinex. “The first time I took it I had that heavy feeling in my chest and knew it was full of mucus. I took a Mucinex and the next morning it was gone.”
— Lisa Cadman, Colorado Springs

Thurston says: All of the above work, especially Mucinex, which is “one of my favorites.” She also suggests laying a warm, moist towel over the face to help clear nasal passages. Drinking warm fluids such as tea or chicken soup can also help clear sinuses.

- TO STOP A COUGH, rub Vicks VapoRub on your feet before bed and cover with socks.
— Donna Stark, Colorado Springs

“I don’t know about that one. I’ll have to try it and see what happens,” Thurston says. “If they’re putting it on their feet, they may be doing other things as well, so that’s why that might work.” Thurston also suggests using Vicks VapoRub as directed — on the chest — and running a humidifier at night.

- AT THE FIRST SIGN OF SNIFFLES OR SORE THROAT, take a pair of cotton socks, wet the foot and wring them out. Place them in the fridge or the freezer. Next, soak your feet in the hottest water you can tolerate. Grab your frozen cotton socks from the freezer, head to bed, put on the cold socks and a pair of wool socks over them. You will wake up in the morning with dry socks and, hopefully, no cold. “At times I have done this several nights in a row if I feel the sniffles or sore throat trying to come back. It works best if you get right on it. If you wait till you are sick, it is not as effective, but it still helps.”
— Georgell DeMello, Colorado Springs

Thurston’s unsure about this one but says it won’t hurt to try.

STUFFY NOSE

- TO CURE A STUFFY KID: Take a very strong yellow onion — the kind that would make you cry while cutting — and right before bedtime cut it in half and place it on a nightstand. The next morning the child will more than likely be draining quite a bit — the irritation to the nasal passages helps to rid the nose of excretions quickly.
— Kirsten Williams, Colorado Springs

“I know that’s an old-fashioned cure,” Thurston says. “It can’t hurt to try, and if it works you’re looking at something that’s nontoxic and doesn’t have dangerous side effects.”

COLD/FLU

- “EVER SINCE I WAS A CHILD, my mother gave us this tea that her mother often gave her and her siblings when they were sick . . . I have continued the traditional home remedy to this day and both my wife and I swear by it so much that my wife affectionately refers to it as ‘Grandma Rangel’s Tea.’”

Grandma Rangel’s Tea:

Fill a medium to large pot with water. Cut at least four to six medium lemons and squeeze the juice into the water. Break a handful of whole cinnamon sticks in half over the water and add them to the pot. Bring the ingredients to a boil. Remove from the stove. Ladle the hot liquid into a coffee mug, and add a half-shot to a shot of tequila per serving. Then add honey and sweeten to taste. Crawl under the covers and drink the tea as hot as possible before bed or a nap. The tea essentially puts you to sleep and allows you to get the rest that doctors call for in order to help relieve the symptoms. Tradition has it that sweating the cold out as a result of drinking the hot tea can work wonders. The regimen continues until you’re over the symptoms.
— Mike Leyba, Colorado Springs

Lemon breaks up mucus and booze can put you to sleep. That being said: “I wouldn’t use it on kids,” Thurston says. Or if you’re an alcoholic.

- GARGLE WITH LISTERINE or hydrogen peroxide at the start of cold symptoms. After you gargle, brush your teeth, gums and tongue with Listerine or hydrogen peroxide. Do this a few times per day. “I will gargle with the Listerine, then a few minutes later use the peroxide full strength. It sure lessens the time with a cold, and sore throat.” — Rosanne Fahrenbruch

“I’ve had patients use Listerine for sore throats and have gotten good results with it,” Thurston says. “I would use the peroxide half-strength if I was going to use it at all — you certainly don’t want to swallow it.”

- “I HAVE BEEN MAKING AND USING COLLOIDAL SILVER for over ten years as a cold and flu remedy. I find it very effective, especially if you start at the very onset of something coming on. One can buy colloidal silver in the stores, but it is very expensive. I make it using a home-built silver generator, which consists of three 9-volt batteries, two silver rods (99.999 percent pure silver), some wire leads with little clips on the ends and a glass jar. “It is ready to drink in about three minutes. I also have added to my remedy snorting small amounts to get the silver into the nasal passages. This also helps me sleep through the night. I have recently added Yin Chiao (Chinese herbal remedy) and Young Living’s ‘Thieves’ essential oil to my arsenal of cold remedies.” — Richard Sandquist, Colorado Springs

“Silver has some antibacterial properties,” Thurston says. But, “there is a danger with using colloidal silver. If you take too much of it you can get a bluish cast to your skin, which is permanent. Though the proponents of it swear that it works.”

PREVENTION/FIRST SIGNS OF SICKNESS

- DRINK VINEGAR WATER EVERY MORNING. In a large (16-ounce) glass of warm water, add at least 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar.

“I started out with 1 teaspoon and have gradually worked my way up to a tablespoon. In the evening if I’m feeling like I’m coming down with something, I’ll drink an extra cup” (1 teaspoon of cider vinegar in 1 cup of water). “To stop a cold, it also helps if I take a massage on a Ceragem massage table, which is an amazing stress releaser.” — Donna Stark

Vinegar is a mild diuretic, but Thurston is unsure the effect of vinegar on colds.

- GET A FLU SHOT. “During my childhood and early adult life, I had three or four bad colds every year. I got my first flu shot when they were first given. I never had another cold or flu for ten years.” — Curtis McGaha, Colorado Springs

“Excellent idea,” Thurston says. “Especially if you have any chronic illnesses.”

- “IN 1983, I WAS LIVING IN ITALY in a damp house and suffering from the flu at least four times a year and innumerable colds, sniffles and congestion.
“I had read Dr. Linus Pauling’s brief on megavitamin theory a few years prior and was desperate for something that would keep me somewhat immune. Each trip back to the U.S., I stocked up on 1,000-milligram Vitamin C tablets, 1,000 IU Vitamin E gels, multivitamin/mineral tablets, and some calcium and zinc tablets to round it out. At first I went to the specialized vitamin shops, but over the years I have found the store brand vitamins in Sam’s and Costco just as effective. Each day I took one 1,000 mg Vitamin C, one 1,000 IU Vitamin E, a multivitamin/mineral, zinc and calcium tablet.

“I caught the flu a couple of times the first year but fought it off by taking as many as four (doses of) 1,000 mgs of Vitamin C and four (doses of) 1,000 IUs of Vitamin E (E really soothes the raw throat if you bite the gel capsule open and let it drip down into the infected area). I was usually up and functional the next day. I took those results as a good sign . . .

“Take your vitamins, get enough sleep, keep your nasal passage and throat moist, wash your hands frequently — you will not get sick as much or at all!” — David Lee, Colorado Springs “Vitamin C seems to help lessen the length and severity of a cold,” Thurston says. “Zinc seems to do the same thing.”

Multivitamins help maintain your immune system, and Vitamin E is an antioxidant. A few things to consider: Too much Vitamin C can result in diarrhea. Vitamin E is fat soluble, so unlike watersoluble vitamins, if you take too much, your body can’t get rid of excess through urine.

“I wouldn’t recommend taking more than 400 units of that,” Thurston says.

- “I DISSOLVE ONE PACKET OF EMERGEN-C in four ounces of water. Drink. Repeat just before meal and bedtime.” Then take two Shaklee Sustained Release Vita-C tablets and continue taking two tablets every few hours.

“Along with the Vitamin C, I allow Mannatech’s ImmunoStart to dissolve in my mouth. I take one ImmunoStart following each time I take the Vitamin C.” — Valerie Sprenger, Colorado Springs

“I think it’s probably pretty good,” Thurston said of Emergen-C packets. She hasn’t heard of the other two.

- “IT SEEMS LIKE YOU CAN USE a prevention method several times before it loses its effectiveness. One that has worked many times for me is the Wellness fruit juice drink from Odwalla.”

Also: “I love Zicam swabs. The idea is that a cold replicates in your nose, and so that’s the place to fight it — by killing the germs there. I use it if I feel a cold coming on, but I also use it if we’ve been somewhere with a lot of people sneezing.

“If you’re sick, try to stay home! Don’t walk around church, Wal-Mart, the DMV sneezing on everyone!” — Lisa Cadman

Thurston on Zicam: “Zicam’s probably a good thing to do; it’s got zinc in it.” Thurston on staying home: “Yes, so you don’t get everyone else sick!”

IS IT FLU?

Especially at the onset, it can be tricky to determine whether you have a cold or the flu. Here are the most common flu symptoms, some of which may overlap with a cold:

- Fever, usually high

- Headache

- Tiredness, often to the point of exhaustion

- Cough

- Sore throat

- Runny or stuffy nose

- Body aches

- Diarrhea and vomiting, particularly for children If you think you have the flu, see a doctor so you can be tested, particularly if you’re 65 or older, have a chronic medical condition or are pregnant. Young children should see a pediatrician right away. Anyone in these categories runs an additional risk of complications. Treatment at the onset of illness can significantly reduce the duration of the symptoms.
SOURCE: National Institutes of Health

FEND IT OFF

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call January and February the peak of the flu season. Take these steps to safeguard yourself.

- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

- Wash your hands often; make sure kids do the same.

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

- Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. For more tips and to track flu outbreaks around the nation, see cdc.gov/flu.

BY MELISSA CASSUTT
2008-01-27 21:48:00
THE GAZETTE
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0152 or melissa.cassutt@gazette.com
http://www.gazette.com/articles/cold_32457___article.html/thurston_flu.html

How the Flat Belly Diet Can Help Women

With spring quickly approaching, everyone, including myself, is very eager to attempt to lose weight. There always seems to be new fad diets that are released to anyone who will listen. So what is the latest craze for this year? The Flat Belly Diet seems to be the most popular so far for 2008.

It does have many things that appear to be beneficial at first glance. The one problem that many women seem to have a problem with is losing their belly weight. Belly fat is actually the most dangerous fat on your body, especially for women who have just recently had a baby. In a new book titled the Flat Belly Diet the editors, Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass, say they have found the secret.

The Flat Belly diet is basically a diet that focuses on Monounsaturated Fatty Acids also known as Mufa. Scientist have found that by using a particular nutrition plan and a few motivational tips you can lose up to 15 pounds in just 32 days. The monounsaturated fatty acids are considered to be good fats. By basing your diet on these so called good diets, you can very easily lose the belly fat, according to their book. Your focus when you are on this diet are the five flat belly foods which include, oil, nuts & seeds and chocolate, olives, and avocados. All they recommend is one serving of these foods per meal in addition to watching your calorie intake.

What I really like about this diet is that it seems very easy to achieve. Especially since they mention that exercise is optional and not necessary to lose the belly fat. This diet focuses on health and energy. The total calorie intake for the day is about 1600 which means that you can eat about 400 calories at each of your meals. It is recommended that you have at least four small meals a day. The best part is that it is very easy to stick with this diet just by including the five ingredients in your daily foods. For example when it comes to the oil you can use peanut or canola oil to make stir-fry. Or you can use olive oil to pan fry your food. Or your can choose to use the nuts and seeds as part of a salad. You can visit their official website for some recipe ideas by clicking here.




http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/610921/how_the_flat_belly_diet_can_help_women.html
By renee, published Feb 19, 2008