How to Achieve Natural Headache Relief

June 26th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

We all get headaches from time to time. If you are lucky, a headache rarely happens to you. Others are not so lucky and have headaches on a regular basis. We all know how difficult it can be to get through the day with a headache that you just can’t shake.

There are a lot of medications for headaches at your local drug or discount store including aspirin and NSAID drugs. People who have migraines and other serious headache issues often require prescription medication. The problem is that using medication to treat headaches regularly can be hazardous to your overall health.

You can get natural headache relief and avoid these medications. Here are some suggestions:

  • White Willow Bark - White willow bark is what aspirin is made of. In its natural form, it helps relieve your headache but is less likely to cause stomach upset. You should not combine white willow bark with aspirin or NSAID medications. You can get white willow bark at a health food store near you.
  • Apples - Eating an apple every day has always been said to keep the doctor away and it may keep headaches away as well. For best results, eat a whole apple when your stomach is empty once a day.
  • Lemon - You can use lemons in a variety of ways for headache relief. You can make lemon tea with lemon juice and regular tea. You can also make a lemon paste from the skin and put that on your forehead. If you are overheated and have a headache as a result, try pressing lemon peels to your forehead.
  • Sandlewood - When crushed and made into a paste, sandlewood applied to the forehead can help relieve headache pain.
  • Cayenne Pepper - The capsaicin in cayenne pepper is known for its ability to increase the size of blood vessels, which helps relieve headache pain. Cayenne pepper is available in capsules or in the spice form. You can add a tiny amount of the spice to water or tea and drink for headache relief.
  • Rosemary - Rosemary also helps increase the size of blood vessels to relieve pain. Rosemary tea made by mixing fresh rosemary with boiling water and steeping is good for headache relief. Other ways to use rosemary are to inhale the boiled rosemary water steam or to use rosemary oil on your forehead.
  • Cinnamon - Headaches caused by exposure to cold can be cured with cinnamon paste applied to the forehead.
  • Eucalyptus - This herb is said to help tension headaches. Eucalyptus oil applied to the forehead will help relieve headache pain. You can keep a piece of cloth with eucalyptus oil on it with you and inhale that when you feel a headache coming on.
  • Ginger - Ginger helps relieve swelling, upset stomach and migraine headaches. There are many forms you can use including whole ginger, ginger capsules and ginger tea.

No one wants to have a headache but if you get one, there are many ways to relieve the pain. Often you can get more relief from natural headache relief than from medication. Consider an herbal remedy next time you get a headache.

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Fun and Healthy Halloween Treats

February 2nd, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

On Halloween, children only care about going to houses that gave out the candies and the yummy treats. In fact, kids would often go trick-or-treating to those houses not once, but twice (and maybe more) so they can get more of the loot. Between Snickers and apples, kids are surely going to go to the house that gives Snickers and skip the one that hands out apples.

But healthy Halloween treats don’t have to be a disappointment if kids have been skipping your house every year. You can hand out healthy treats that the kids will enjoy and their moms will approve of.

Most children love salty snacks or hot chocolate so consider giving those little trick-or-treaters small bags of pretzels or trail mix. Hot chocolate is good for a treat on a cold night. These are a good alternatives to candy.

Most snacks from cookies to fruit snacks can be purchased in single serving bags. You can get a reasonably healthy treat for the children and it will be sealed so the parents will approve. Or you could make up your own treat bags with any mixture you want of salty snacks for children that you know or for a party in your neighborhood.

Consider giving out coupons for candy bars or other sweet treats. This allows the parents to be in control of when their children get the treat and how much of it the kids eat.

You can also get coupon books for local restaurants that will let the children get a special treat one night. A pack of coupon books is all you need to be ready for kids on Halloween. You may even find a charity selling the coupons.

You can find great alternatives to candy and other food at a party store or from online party store websites. These kinds of treats can be used over and over instead of just being eaten. Puzzle books or coloring books make good treats as do small toys. Make sure you have different choices for all ages of children. You might want to buy in bulk to save money. It’s a good idea to have a variety of non-food Halloween treats on hand so you can give age-appropriate treats.

You can make Halloween healthy but still give out candy to the kids. Sugar-free candies are one choice. Another option is to get some yummy organic cookies or other treats from a grocery store or a bakery near you. The organic items have better sugars and less sugar overall. You can even find chocolates that are made with organic ingredients.

If you plan ahead, you can please the little trick-or-treaters come Halloween and still keep them healthy.

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Eating and Drinking Right This Winter

January 7th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

The best thing you can do for you body this winter is to stay hydrated. It is always important to drink enough water but this is especially true in the winter because the body needs extra water to make up for the water lost due to cold air. The cells in your body need to be hydrated in order to function properly. You should ideally drink about 8 glasses of water each day. Another benefit of drinking enough water is that you will possibly not eat as much because it will suppress your hunger.

You should make sure that every meal you prepare and eat this winter provides as much nutrition as possible. You can do this by including fruits, vegetables and a food item that’s rich in protein in each meal. You will have more energy and feel better because your body will be working better all day long.

It’s tempting to reach for the frozen dinners to feed your family especially in the winter but you need to find other ways to feed your family. Try new recipes that your whole family will like and that include a lot of fresh food. The prepackaged and frozen foods that are so convenient are also full of harmful things like fats, preservatives and more. Even if you have to do a little more shopping around to find good, healthy food for your family, it will be worth it.

A lot of people think there are no fruits and vegetables in season in the winter but this isn’t true. Carrots, broccoli and leeks are just a few of the vegetables that are available in the winter and you can also get citrus fruits and apples in season as well. The cost may be more for some produce that is in season in another country and has to be shipped here but it is worth the price to feed your family healthy food.

Often, winter weather, holiday stress and the lack of exposure to the sun can cause depression, which can lead to overeating. When we are depressed, we crave fattening comfort foods that we think will make us feel better. If you eat some fresh produce instead of the comfort foods, you will feel better and have more energy. The nutrients in the fresh fruits and vegetables will help you improve your mood and you will not be stuck in a vicious cycle of depression and overeating.

How often you eat is as important as what you are eating. We always hear the three meals a day rule but maybe we don’t hear that these should be smaller meals full of healthy foods. Between meals you should have healthy snacks like grains, fruits or vegetables several times a day. Eating healthy throughout the day will give you more energy and you’ll feel better all day long.

It’s important to find time to exercise especially in the winter. Even if you can only squeeze in 20 minutes a day to get your heart rate up, that will help. Getting a little exercise every day will give you more energy and you’ll feel better all winter long.

You can eat healthy this winter but it may cost you a little more and require a little more shopping around.

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