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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Where to Find Vegan Food

January 16th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

While it is good for your health and the environment, being a vegan can also be very inconvenient. There are not a lot of food choices available for vegans to purchase so they often have to make their own prepared meals and eat a lot of raw produce.

It is becoming more common to see vegan food choices at local restaurants as well as in your local grocery stores. Most grocery stores have some sort of meat and dairy substitutes available but you have to know what you are looking for since they aren’t always clearly marked. If you need help finding vegan food in your area, go to PETA’s website, http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/default.asp, for a vegan’s guide to grocery shopping.

Most areas have a farmer’s market that goes on much of the year if not year round. Vegans can find a wide variety of produce and other vegan friendly foods grown organically at the farmer’s market. Even things like sauces, salad dressings without any animal products can be found here.

A health food store is going to have more of a selection of vegan friendly food than a typical grocery store. The health food stores carry “meat” and “dairy” products made without any animal ingredients. Health food stores are growing in popularity and are found in most areas of the United States.

If you are having trouble finding vegan friendly good near you, look online. Many online stores carry a wide variety of vegan foods and will ship your order right to you at home. You can find many websites selling vegan food online.

Vegan Food at Restaurants

It used to be very difficult for vegans to eat out. The only options that any restaurants had that vegans could eat were usually a salad or two and even that didn’t use to be available at fast food places. Restaurants are more aware of the need to provide vegan options now even though the majority of people are meat eaters.

Fast food restaurants these days offer salads for those who want to eat healthy. Many restaurants offer at least a few vegan choices and sometimes will have a whole section of the menu for vegan foods. In larger cities, you may find vegan restaurants that cater exclusively to vegans. These places offer an entire menu full of vegan food choices. You can get on the Internet to see if you have a vegan restaurant near you.

It is getting easier and easier for vegans to find more varied food choices both at restaurants and at grocery stores. Now is a good time as any to think about adopting a vegan lifestyle for you and your family.

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