Competitive swimmers are always in fantastic shape but even those who just swim for leisure and for pleasure know that they not only look great on the outside but feel just as good on the inside. The health benefits of swimming are almost unmatched by just about any other sport or exercise.  I have enjoyed swimming all my life – whenever and wherever I can.

Swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water. Swimming helps to exercise the whole body including the heart, lungs and muscles but with very little joint strain. It conditions the whole body and the best strokes for this are freestyle, breast stroke and backstroke. And don’t forget that even if laps are not your forte, there are plenty of other good swimming exercises. Try walking or running in water, which many people find easier to do than on land. Treading can be exhausting but it will help tone your legs and arms.

Here are many more health benefits:

1.  Swimming is a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise, helping to alleviate stress. You can let your mind wander, focusing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke, helping you gain a feeling of well-being so that you leave the water refreshed and ready to go on with the rest of your day. Swimming is so relaxing because it allows more oxygen to flow to your muscles and forces you to regulate your breathing. A pleasant side effect is the release of feel-good chemicals known as endorphins. Apart from the metaphysical benefits of swimming, research has shown that it can actually change the brain for the better through a process, known as hippocampal neurogenesis, in which the brain replaces cells lost through stress.

2.  Swimming provides a good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions because there is no stress on your bones, joints or connective tissues due to buoyancy and the fact that you weigh 1/10^th less in water. You can carry out a rigorous work out with a reduced chance of swimming injuries, putting the body through a broad range of motion that help joint and ligaments stay loose and flexible. With every stroke, as you reach forward, you lengthen the body making it more efficient in the water and helping to give you a good stretch from head to toe.

3.  Pregnant women benefit from swimming because it helps strengthen the shoulder and abdominal muscles, which can be strained when carrying a baby. Many people with certain health conditions such as arthritis find swimming particularly helpful because it is low impact, relaxes stiff muscles and isn’t weight-bearing. Swimming also increases circulation. When the human body is submerged in water, it automatically becomes lighter. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50% of its weight; dip down to the to the chest and that number reduces to around 25-35% while with water all the way to the neck, you only have to bear 10% of your own weight.

4.  Swimming can improve your blood pressure because studies have shown that a workout routine that includes swimming can reduce and possibly prevent high blood pressure, which in turn lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke.

5.  Swimming can even rectify your cholesterol levels because of its aerobic power, ensuring higher levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

6. Swimming keeps your heart rate up because it is an aerobic exercise. Swimming strengthens the heart by helping it to become larger and more efficient in pumping, leading to better blood flow throughout your body. The American Heart Association reports that just 30 minutes of exercise per day, such as swimming, can reduce coronary heart disease in women by 30-40%. In addition,swimming can also keep your endothelium in good shape. The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the arteries but which tends to lose flexibility as you age.

7.  Swimming is now recognized as one of the biggest calorie burners around, and it’s great for keeping weight under control. Of course the number of calories burned would depend on your make up and how hard you exercise but every bit helps.

8.  While swimming does not help with bone density, because you need weight bearing exercises for that, it does improve bone strength - especially in post-menopausal women. Every kick and every arm stroke becomes a resistance exercise, helping to build muscle tone and strength.

9.  Swimming improves coordination, balance and posture.

10. Swimming provides the perfect way to cool down on a hot day whether in a pool, lake, ocean, dam or river. Just make sure the environment you choose is safe. And when the weather is no longer hot, find a way to use a heated pool for year round exercise.

Swimming is a healthy activity that can be continued for a lifetime – so make swimming part of your regular exercise routine.

]]> http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/swim-as-often-as-you-can-for-at-least-10-health-benefits/feed/ 0 http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/6-homemade-cleaning-solutions-for-a-safer-home/ http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/6-homemade-cleaning-solutions-for-a-safer-home/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:34:40 +0000 Jane Chitty http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/?p=5927 Tired of buying and using chemical-laden commercial cleaning products or paying out extra for more natural ones? Then here are some formulas for you that can easily be made at home and, as well as helping to cause less damage to your environment, they save you money too.

1. Washing machine laundry soap – use just 1 tablespoon per light load or 2 tbs for an extra heavy load and, for the average family, this amount will last approximately 9 months and can be used in HE washers too. It will have a mild scent but you can add a few drops of essential oil if you want something more fragrant but please avoid artificial fragrances.

Ingredients:

1 x 4lb 12oz box Borax

1 x 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

1 x 3lb 7oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz

3 x bars of Fels-naptha soap (or you can use Ivory soap or Zote soap)

Optional 2 x small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (total 3.5lbs)

Method – grate all the soap – you can even use a food processor and put with the rest of the ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. Mix it all up and store in a large container along with a tablespoon size scoop to make it easier to use when adding to your washer’s dispenser. In the case of a HE washer, add to the barrel instead of the dispenser.

2. Natural fabric softener – use 1/3 cup of white vinegar which you can pop into the softener dispenser of your washer. Once the clothes are dry, there is absolutely no smell of vinegar.

3. Dishwasher detergent

Ingredients:

1 x 4lbs 12oz box Borax

1 x 3lbs 7oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

24 small packets of unsweetened lemonade drink mix, like kool-aid – (the lemonade will stain soap dispenser yellow so an alternative option is to use ½ to ¾ cup of citric acid instead which you can usually find along with canning supplies at your local store)

3 x cups Epsom salts

1 x Lemi Shine rinse aid – sprinkle a tablespoon in the bottom of the dishwasher

Method

Mix Borax, washing soda, salt and lemonade together in a very large bowl and put into a container large enough to hold whole batch if required. A pouring spout will make life easier and you just need 1 tablespoon per wash cycle.

These three recipes come from www.beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com while Shayla Groves of www.designfinch.com has the following suggestions;

4. All-purpose Cleaner

Ingredients:

¼ cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons baking soda

¼ gallon hot water

a few drops of essential oil (optional)

Method – combine ingredients in a bucket, stir and let the mixture cool before pouring into a suitable spray bottle.

5. Glass Cleaner

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1/4 gallon water

Few drops of lemon essential oil (optional)

Method – combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake. Wipe the glass surfaces with crumpled newspaper.

6. Furniture Polish

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method – combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well before use. Remember to store extra in the refrigerator to prevent lemon juice from souring.

Safer for the environment but also easier for sensitive skins, eyes and noses.

In fact, many academics, scientists, environmentalists and even the man in the street believe urban farming could be the green solution to future food shortages instead of relying on the worrying and downright dangerous GMOs as a way to resolve such shortages. It is all about trying to become more self sufficient and less reliant on others to provide for you. It is also about eating a more health-promoting and organic diet and even caring for a few chickens who will reward your devotion with a regular supply of free range eggs. Urban farming could be the answer to so many modern problems.

Only last year, there was a huge outcry on the internet when Julie Bass of Oak Park, Michigan was facing 93 days in jail after being charged with a misdemeanor. Her crime was planting a vegetable garden in the front yard. Julie explained that she planted the garden after her front yard was torn up for some sewer repairs. Rather than wasting the opportunity to start with a clean slate by planting a lawn, she decided to really put the area to use, and plant a vegetable garden. Her garden consists of 5 raised beds, where she grows a mix of squashes, corn, tomatoes, flowers, and other veggies. She was threatened and persecuted by her local council but in the face of such opposition, the council soon backed down. In her own small way, Julie was instrumental in sowing the seed (pun intended) whereby people were encouraged to start their own vegetable gardens or fruit orchards in place of water guzzling and labour intensive lawns.

Urban farming is generally practised for income-earning or food-producing activities, though in many communities the main impetus is recreation and relaxation. In the UK, town and village allotments have been popular for decades. An area of land is divided up into small plots and rented to interested people to grow veggies and fruit. Such urban farming can contribute to food security and safety in two ways: firstly, it increases the amount of food available to people living in cities and secondly, it allows fresh vegetables fruits, eggs and even meat products to be made available to urban consumers.

While there many urban farming schemes, you can also benefit from growing your own city vegetable garden. All you need is a window, balcony, patio, deck or roof that receives six or more hours of sun together with a few containers. These can produce an adequate supple of produce for you without the need for a large garden plot. With containers, you can grow anything from lettuce and tomatoes to beans and peppers. You can even grow potatoes and vine crops, such as squash and cucumbers. As long as there is adequate drainage, nearly anything can be used to grow vegetables.

Just remember that:

1. Smaller containers are used for more shallow-rooted crops like carrots, lettuce, and radishes. Vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, and beans will benefit from using containers that are big enough to accommodate their larger root systems. In fact, the use of five-gallon buckets is not uncommon. To make use of all available space, consider growing vegetable plants in hanging baskets too.

2. In order to help improve drainage and airflow, it may be a good idea to raise your containers about an inch or two off the ground with blocks. Place vegetables in a sunny area that is well protected from wind, which can dry out plants. Container plants usually require daily watering particularly when it is dry, hot and sunny.

I live in a mostly warm and sunny climate but only have a small city courtyard garden. In spite of this, we manage to have a successful urban mini farm! We have 4 blueberry bushes in containers, raspberry and gooseberry canes, a prolific lemon tree plus newly planted grapefruit and tangerine trees. We have a container garden for herbs plus two large deep containers for growing spinach, carrots, shallots, lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers and cabbages. The tomato plants have their own 5 gallon pots. Everything is organic including compost (we make our own in 2 compost bins) and fertilizer. It is great fun and very satisfying. The image for this post is our very own first cucumber!  The image for the front page of the blog shows the wonderful veggie garden of my friend in Maine.

If you plan on starting your own city vegetable garden, you will find so much help and advice on the internet. There are even specialist web sites and magazines devoted to the urban farmer so there is no excuse not to get going.

Dr Deepak Chopra has his insomnia protocol which I thought was well worth passing on to anyone who suffers from insomnia – however infrequently. His protocol tips are in bold. I have added my comments afterwards:

The natural human biorhythm is to sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. For many this means the unusual fact of being in bed with the lights out by 10 pim. So many people are sleep deprived because they go to bed too late but still have to get up early the next morning for work. So they never catch up though they may try to do so at weekends which is when they then put the biorhythm even more out of sync.

Decrease your mental activity after dinner. This means not too much TV or computer activity but perhaps a little light reading just before turning out the light.

Make preparations for the next day. To avoid the early morning rush the next day, get things ready the night before such as laying the breakfast table, putting out clothes to be worn, packing lunches and popping in the refrigerator and more. If you keep a diary, you can make a note of what you hope to accomplish the next day whether at home or at work.  You will rest more easy if you know that everything is ready for the morning.

Take a hot bath for up to an hour with calming fragrances. Use a drop or two of natural essential oils in your bath water and use the soaking time to let go of any daily stress. Healing Natural Oils can provide the natural aid you need to help with sleeping problems. H-Insomnia is a product that is perfect for a safe way to enjoy a full night’s sleep. This should be your goal.

Use your bed for sleep and sex only.

Turn all lights off. Make sure you are comfortable – not too hot and not too cold – relax and concentrate on your breathing while you start to relax.

Try reciting a mantra for five minutes. If you are religious, this could be the time for a prayer or if not, make this the opportunity to listen to soothing music like the sound of oceans waves breaking on the shore.

Something warm, like a hot water bottle, may help soothe your anxieties. It will also keep you warm in cold weather and soothe any painful areas of the body.

If you wake during the night, try repeating some of the techniques above or massaging your head or feet.

If you find it difficult to sleep in your bed, pick another area of the house to sleep in. And get to the root of the problem that might be causing the difficulty such a partner who snores, a room that is too hot or cold, a room that is too light, or the presences of electro-magnetic fields. All cell phones, cordless phones, laptops and other superfluous appliances should be put into another room at night along with their chargers etc.

In addition to Dr Chopra’s tips, remember:

1. When you wake up in the morning, strip back your bed to air it the old fashioned way while you are getting ready for the day. At the same time, open the windows wide (it is best to have windows open at least slightly at night anyway) to keep the air supply fresh and full of oxygen. Once you are ready, come back and make your bed. I am afraid that dust mites love it when you make you bed the minute your jump out of it so that they stay warm and snug!

2. Change your bed linen at least every 5 to 7 days and wash on a high temperature, using a natural laundry detergent and softener. It is a good idea to hang your duvet or blankets together with the pillows out in the sun for at least 3 hours on a regular basis. This helps to to get rid of dust mites, mould and mildew.

3. When changing your sheets, leave the new set off for a while and let your mattress air. Run the vacuum over it to get rid of dust mites and a good tip is to spritz with eucalyptus oil.

4. Keep the bedroom as minimalistic as possible to provide a clean and dust-free environment in which to relax and sleep. Always use natural and non toxic materials to clean and care for your bedroom area.

5. Melatonin is vital to ensure good sleeping habits and this is only produced during darkness so make sure your room is darkened when it is time to sleep. During the day, light stimulates that part of the brain that tells the pineal gland to decrease the melatonin level when it is daytime and light, and to increase it when it is night time and dark. The brighter the light, the bigger the decrease and the darker the dark, the bigger the increase of melatonin. If you find it difficult to sleep without some light, reduce any light source gradually to improve both the quality of your sleep and the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep.

When your bedroom is environmentally friendly, you will awake refreshed and energized so that your day will go so much better and your health and immune system will benefit.

Image via Wikipedia

Fortunately, lemons are easy to get hold of all year round, even if you do not have your own lemon tree. Lemons have so many health and other benefits that they should always be part of your diet and especially in the winter months. And don’t forget that it is not just the flesh and juice of the lemon – try to use the pith and the zest too.

1. Always start your day with a lemon as a glass of water with a slice of lemon will rehydrate your body after a long night’s sleep while supporting the kidneys and the digestive system. If you can drink more of the same during the day or add fresh lemon to your cup of black tea, even better. Then end your day with a glass of warm water with lemon before bed to help the body cleanse whilst you sleep.

 2. Use lemon to detox and cleanse that very hard working organ, the liver. Alcohol and sugar can really exact a heavy toll on the liver so give it a break by kicking the sugar habit, taking a rest from alcohol and including plenty of lemons (or grapefruit) in your diet to help to cleanse the liver while preventing toxins from spreading to other parts of the body.

3. The bitter taste of lemon helps the pumping motion in the bowels to spring into action for improved and regular bowel movements. So that lemon juice in warm water first thing has another benefit.

4. Of course everyone knows about lemon and vitamin C which together with flavonoids work to prevent infection. In addition, lemons contain citric acid, B-complex vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and fiber.

5. The vitamin C found in lemons helps to neutralize those free radicals that have been linked to aging and most types of disease. In addition, Vitamin C helps to boost the immune system while also assisting in the production of collagen which fights wrinkles by keeping the skin firm. This incredible vitamin helps the body absorb calcium and iron and has also been shown to reduce acne flare-ups.

6. Not only anti-infection, lemons have anti-viral properties too and can be very effective against all types of viruses including viral colds and flu.

7. Although lemons are acidic, strangely enough they interact with our body’s metabolism to have an alkalizing effect on the body’s fluids. This helps to restore the body’s PH.

8. A very important benefit is the presence of 22 anti-cancer compounds (including limonene which studies have shown slows or halts the growth of cancer tumors in animals while flavonol glycosides prevents cell division in cancer cells.

9. Rutin is found in lemons and its presence has been shown to improve the symptoms of eye disorders, including retinopathy in those who have diabetes. Another plus for diabetics is that lemons contain hesperetin which lowers blood sugar levels.

10. That citric acid found in lemon juice helps with kidney health by dissolving gallstones, calcium deposits and painful kidney stones.

So stock up a supply of lemons when you do your grocery shop every week and ensure a continuous supply of health benefits from this powerhouse of goodness.

If you would like to make your own sauerkraut, here is the recipe from a friend. She is a mine of information for all those good and healthy recipes we should all be using but so often don’t have the time or the inclination.

You will need:

1 half gallon glass jar for storage

1 medium sized cabbage shredded (preferably in your food processor)

Optional extras: half a daikon raddish, shredded carrots, juniper berries plus a tiny amount of red pepper flakes.

half cup of pure filtered water with 1 tablespoon of natural sea salt dissolved

1 cup water kefir as a starter (although not absolutely necessary, this will help to speed up the process). Incidentally, water Kefir is a lacto-fermented beverage made from sugar water, juice or coconut water. Here is a link to how to make your own http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water-kefir

Method

Pack all the cabbage and optional extra ingredients into the jar as tightly as possible using 2 or 3 cups at a time. Between each addition, use a potato masher to compact the cabbage even further before adding more and compacting again. Carry on until the jar is completely full.

Mix the salt water and water kefir and slowly pour over the cabbage mixture, giving it time to soak all the way through until the top of the cabbage is completely covered. Cap the jar with a plastic lid so that it is not quite air tight and place it in a pan (because the jar will leak) and cover with cloth to block out the light. Leave it on the kitchen counter for 3 days but check daily and add more water as necessary to ensure the cabbage is covered. After 3 days in the summer or 4 to 5 days in the winter, place in the refrigerator for another week or two. You can start to eat it as soon as it is in the refrigerator but if left a bit longer, the flavor develops more.

Don’t be put off by the fact that naturally occurring bacteria on the surface of the cabbage leaves thrive in this environment, chemically changing the cabbage and increasing its B vitamin content. We all know how long fresh cabbage can last in the refrigerator. Fermented cabbage lasts much longer than that – for weeks if not months.

The ideal way to serve sauerkraut is as an accompaniment to cold beef or sausage or as a side dish to pork chops or a pork roast. Another way is to brown pork chops in a pan and place on top of the sauerkraut in a casserole dish before baking at 320 degrees until the meat is tender.

Healthy sauerkraut is tasty, very low in calories, with no fat and no cholesterol but with plenty of fiber. Serve it at least once a week and you will get all sorts of nutrients – vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, iron, potassium, copper and manganese.

And if you want to get hold of ready made sauerkraut, you need to look for unpasteurized fermented cabbage. It is harder to find but you may be lucky at a health food store or you can order online.

Hundreds of everyday products contain parabens and the main reason for this is that parabens are widely used as effective preservatives by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. These paraben compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal

Parabens such as Ethyl, Butyl, Methyl, Propyl, and Parahydroxybenzoate are the second most common ingredient in skin care products after water. The very least of the side effects can be skin rashes and other allergic reactions.

However, many people have become very wary of parabens because they have been found in breast cancer tumors. In fact in a very recent study, researchers found parabens in the breast tissue of every woman examined plus they found extra examples of one type of paraben, Propyl, in the underarm region. This study was carried out under the leadership of Dr Philippa Darbre, reader in oncology at the University of Reading, who has spent years studying parabens and how they get into the body.

The other concern about parabens is that they can mimic the hormone estrogen, which is known to play a role in the development of breast cancers. In the July 2002 issue of the Archives of Toxicology, Dr. S. Oishi of the Department of Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Research Laboratory of Public Health, Japan, reported thaT exposure of newborn male mammals to Butyl “adversely affects the secretion of testosterone and the function of the male reproductive system.”

So how can you protect yourself and your family from parabens?

-  Start reading and checking ingredients on labels because a huge percentage of the products you buy for everyday use contain some form of parabens. It can be difficult to find products that do not use them and the problem with the cosmetic industry is that it is very unregulated so ingredients are often incorrectly listed. Look out for any chemical ingredient that ends in paraben as well as the E number followed by 3 digits (such as E218 which is another name for Methylsuch) as these codes could be used instead of the actual name of the paraben.

-  Change from commercial make up and personal toiletries to organic natural products instead. I never use commercial toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, face cleanser or moisturizer any more. True organic herbal products made from from high quality organic herbs and organic grain alcohol do not even need preservatives because they are shelf-stable for around two to three years.

-  Genuine castile soap (liquid or bars) has an excellent shelf-life of up to eighteen months or longer and requires no preservatives while a self-preserved 100% organic moisturizing body oil made from organic sunflower oil, organic cocoa butter, organic coconut oil, organic peppermint oil and organic spearmint oil can have a shelf-life of up to 18 months.

-  Remember to treat your skin in the same way as you would think about what you eat before consuming it. I have a friend who says she will not put anything on her skin that she would not spread on her toast in the morning. That is excellent advice as long as she is a healthy eater! If you happily spread coconut oil or raw butter on your breakfast toast, then this would be just as safe, gentle and healthy for your skin.

The good news is that there is a gradual phasing out of these preservatives occurring in the natural skin care industry. While preservatives are needed, there are all natural, nontoxic preservatives that are both safe and effective. Many smaller skin care companies proudly state the fact that they are paraben-free. While this is a great option for them because of the smaller quantity of products they make and sell, most larger skin care companies use parabens to enable you to get your supply of product no matter where you shop. So you are usually safer with smaller, natural companies such as Aubrey Organics, Dr Hauschka Skin Care and Weleda Skin Care. Look out for natural skin care lines that avoid toxic cosmetic ingredients and are created entirely from safe, effective botanical ingredients.

Healing Natural Oils is just such a company providing 100% organic essential oils safe and gentle skin care and treatment for a host of conditions such as wrinkles, acne, varicose veins, psoriasis, rosacea, eczema and many more.

]]> http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/the-perils-of-parabens-and-how-to-protect-yourself/feed/ 0 http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/the-link-between-restless-leg-syndrome-and-fibromyalgia/ http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/the-link-between-restless-leg-syndrome-and-fibromyalgia/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:51:28 +0000 Jane Chitty http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/?p=5813 Do you sometimes toss and turn in your bed at night, constantly fighting the urge to keep moving your legs? Now this is very disturbing for your sleep (and possibly for your partner too) but the condition known as restless leg syndrome or RLS has been linked to fibromyalgia according to a new study published in the October issue of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The link is so strong that those with fibromyalgia are 11 times more likely to have RLS than the general population.

There is already a similarity in that fibromyalgia and restless legs syndrome tend to keep sufferers awake at night, often  leading to serious sleep deprivation and insomnia.

Resless leg syndrome is a condition caused by a disorder in the central nervous system and the name really tells you exactly what it is. The disorder can worsen with age. The symptoms are unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move while trying to rest. Some describe the sensations as if there are insects crawling inside the legs together with a burning, creeping or tugging feeling. These sensations can vary from just plain uncomfortable or irritating to really painful and distressing. The big problem is that the condition only arises when you go to lie down, rest and try to sleep. Sufferers have difficulty both falling asleep and staying asleep so that that they suffer from exhaustion and the quality of their lives can be severely affected.

Fibromyalgia or FMS can cause severe pain and tenderness in muscles, ligaments and tendons. Shoulder and neck pain is common but some people with fibromyalgia also have problems with digestion, sleeping (insomnia) and not surprisingly, suffer anxiety and depression. Others have cognitive problems, making it difficult to remember or pay attention. Additional symptoms can include irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ)and numbness or tingling in the hands or feet. Sufferers may be extra sensitive to odors, noises, bright lights and touch. Fibromyalgia is often linked with the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and chronic fatigue syndrome.

This link between fibromyalgia and RLS was discussed in a Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study that followed 172 people suffering from fibromyalgia. 93% were female and the average age was fifty. They were compared with a control group of 63 people who had no symptoms of fibromyalgia and with an average age of 41. The researchers found that 33% of the fibromyalgia group also had RLS as compared to only 3.1 percent of the control group. Professor Nathaniel F. Watson of the University of Washington in Seattle commented: “Sleep disruption is common in fibromyalgia and often difficult to treat. It is apparent from our study that a substantial portion of sleep disruption in fibromyalgia is due to restless legs syndrome.”

Typically, the medical approach to treating both these conditions is with pharmaceutical drugs along with all too often harmful and toxic side effects. But there are more natural ways too.

If you suffer from RLS, you can help the condition by following these tips and, if your RLS is mild, these home treatment tips may well be sufficient.

During the day:

-  Reduce, or preferably cut out altogether, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco use.
-  Take iron supplements if you have low iron levels – but be sure to get tested first as too much iron in your system can be dangerous.
-  Try wrapping your legs in ace bandages or wear compression stockings to see if this helps.
-  Start an exercise program such as every half hour or hour at work, get up, stretch and walk around for 5 minutes. Do leg stretching exercises frequently.
-  Keep a sleep schedule so you have a record if you need to show your doctor.
-  If you have to go on a long car trip or long distance flight, make sure you exercise and stretch or just walk around as frequently as you can.

At bedtime:

-  Stretch your legs, do knee bends or rotate the ankles.
-  Massage your legs and use H-Restless Leg Syndrome from Healing Natural Oils for relief and treatment.
-  Relax with meditation, yoga or deep breathing.
-  Have a bath or soak your feet in hot water. Apply a hot water bottle or heating pad. Some people find comfort from a cold compression.
-  Try lying on your side with a pillow between your knees.

Natural remedies for fibromyalgia include:

-  Swimming or exercising in warm water for an hour or so three times a week  which can be very beneficial, helping to ease the pain and improve the quality of life. Any other low impact exercises will help keep muscles strong and flexible while also controlling weight and helping the person to remain active. Suggestions include walking, yoga, tai chi or pilates.

-  Colloidal silver has proven to be very effective in treating fribromyalgia. An initial daily dose of 2 to 4 oz can be reduced to 1 oz once the condition improves. Be wary of your source for this product – ensure it is reputable.

-  Anti-inflammatory spices in the diet such as turmeric, garlic, onions and ginger.

-  Supplements of calcium and magnesium which can help to relax tight muscles and calm nerves. Magnesium is a naturally occurring substance that calms nerve cells.

-  Organic apples and apple juice contain malic acid which will help relieve pain and generate cell energy.

-  Garlic, astralagus and echinacea are three important ways to strengthen the immune system while improving circulation.

-  Plenty of good sun exposure to increase vitamin D levels, or vitamin D3 supplements, can help reduce inflammation. Vitamin D deficiency is an important consideration in the management of fibromyalgia syndrome according to a recent study.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21894355

-  A deficiency in vitamin B12 is another possible contributing factor for this condition.

-  Increasing serotonin can lead to a reduction in pain signals. SAMe is a natural compound found in the body and is needed for optimum immune function while helping to maintain cell membranes. SAMe is also instrumental in the production and breakdown of neurotransmitters such as serotinin but also norepinephrine and dopamine. 5-HTP increases serotonin levels in the brain while reducing the number of tender areas in the body. Either of these compounds can be taken as supplements but not together or with anti-depressants.

- Taking Sugar D-ribose to improve energy production within cells.

- There are homeopathic substances to reduce muscle pain, including Rhus Tox (for stiffness and muscle ache that gets worse in cold weather), Cimicifuga racemosa (for muscle pain that feels like bruising (especially helpful when fibromyalgia affects the neck to mid-back) and Bryonia alba (for muscle and joint pain that is worse with motion).

The expert in the case of canned tomatoes is Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri, who studies bisphenol-A.  He quotes the problem as being that the resin linings of tin cans contain Bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Most of us have heard of BPA in plastics.

Unfortunately, and because tomatoes are high in acidity, this causes BPA to leach from the resin lining of the tin can into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s bodies now exceeds the amount that can suppress sperm production or cause chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals.

Fredrick vom Saal says: “You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young,” says vom Saal. “I won’t go near canned tomatoes.”

http://www.ecokaren.com/2010/02/7-foods-even-food-safety-experts-won-t-eat/

So what is the solution?

Change from canned tomatoes to buying those in glass bottles or jars (or if you get a large crop of tomatoes in your own garden, how about preserving your own?). Brands such as Bionaturae and Coluccio supply jars of tomatoes while Trader Joe’s and Pomi provide tomotoes in Tretra Pak boxes as an alternative.

For the cream of the crop, both in product and packaging, you can go to Eden Foods. They have recently announced the launch of their protective amber glass 14 and 25 ounce jars of organic crushed tomatoes and sauces in their line of shelf stable organic tomatoes. Apparently, they are the only tomatoes in the USA packed in amber glass to protect both the flavor and nutrients from light damage.

These products include:

- Organic Spaghetti Sauce
- No Salt Spaghetti Sauce
- Pizza Pasta Sauce
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Crushed Tomatoes with Sweet Basil and
- Crushed Tomatoes with Roasted Onion & Garlic

They are all now available in these new, protective amber glass containers.

Eden Foods decided to change to amber glass jars in order to avoid the presence of bisphenol-A (BPA) in high acid food cans because of the failure of the can manufacturers to make BPA-free cans specially for tomatoes.

Evidently, light can cause discoloration and affect the flavor of the tomatoes through chemical changes in food when they are in plain glass. Photo-oxidation (light damage) is systemic in food stores. This is because fluorescent lighting, in particular, reduces food quality. Amber glass is difficult to get and more costly, but offers the best protection for food. Of course, amber glass is also free of the endocrine disrupter chemical bisphenol-A (BPA).

And to add to your enjoyment, Eden Foods tell us that their organic crushed tomatoes and sauces are made exclusively from fresh, red, ripe, unpeeled Midwestern organic Roma tomatoes (also known as Italian plum) along with 100% organic herbs and spices – some with no salt added. While most sauces are made from tomato concentrates, Eden tomatoes only have to travel 45 miles before they are washed, hand sorted, cooked and jarred (all within hours of harvest) ensuring maximum flavor, aroma and nutrients. And of course it goes without saying that no processing aids or additives are used. All ingredients are listed on the label.

Roma tomatoes are ideal for canning and using in delicious sauces because they have few seeds. Worldwide, Romas are prized for their deep color, rich mild sweet flavor and low acidity while their dense, meaty flesh and low moisture content make them feel heavy for their size.  Added health benefits to enjoy are that they are the highest in the antioxidant lycopene. Organic versions are higher still in lycopene, giving the customer up to 14.4 milligrams of this highly acclaimed and protective antioxidant per serving.

Don’t forget to look out for fresh organic Roma tomatoes too as they are usually available in the USA from early November to the end of May from your local Farmers Market or the fresh produce department of your local store. The sweeter varieties are perfect for eating fresh or adding to salads or recipes.

These toxins include medications such as NSAIDS and statins, aspirin and Tylenol.

In addition, here are some other ways in which you can harm your kidneys:

-  Being obese

-  Through fluoride in your water supply

-  Using non stick cookware (Teflon)

-  Undergoing root canal treatment along with dental mercury amalgams

-  Exposure to toxic mold in the home and elsewhere

-  The use of pesticides and laundry detergents and other toxic cleaning matrials

-  Artificial sweeteners of all types

-  Consuming fructose, sodas and candies

Emotions can play a part with the health of our organs too, and the emotion often associated with problems with the kidney is fear so be mindful that if you are frequently fearful, you may well be affecting your kidneys and their function.

Kidney disease risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and age. Early detection and treatment can increase the life of the kidneys.  Remember too that high blood pressure can lead to or be a sign of kidney disease.

Kidney disease is called a ‘silent disease’ as there are often few symptoms but here some of the signs and symptoms:

-  Change in frequency and quantity of urine passed, especially at night (usually increase at first)
-  Blood in the urine (haematuria)
-  Foaming urine
-  Puffiness around the eyes and ankles (oedema)
-  Pain in the back (under the lower ribs, where the kidneys are located)
-  Pain or burning when passing urine

Later on, when the kidneys begin to fail, there is a build-up of waste products and extra fluid in the blood as well as other problems, gradually leading to:

-  Tiredness, inability to concentrate
-  Generally feeling unwell
-  Loss of appetite
-  Nausea and vomiting
-  Shortness of breath

Reduction in kidney function cannot usually be reversed.  However, if detected early enough, the progress of kidney disease can be slowed and sometimes even prevented but if kidney function is reduced to less than 10 per cent of normal then renal dialysis or a kidney transplant becomes necessary.

Dialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that removes waste products and extra water from the blood by filtering it through a special membrane (fine filter).

But please do not let your kidneys deteriorate in the first place. Early detection of kidney disease can be life saving. Very importantly, lifestyle changes can keep your kidneys healthy.  Here are those 12 tips:

1.  Avoid contact with all the toxic and harmful items listed at the beginning of this article.

2.  Eat lots of  fresh fruit and vegetables (particularly the latter) together with grass fed beef and free range chicken and eggs.

3.  Stay away from sugars, sodas and artificial sweeteners, processed salty foods and the bad trans fats and change to natural salt and good fats such as butter from raw cream, olive oil and organic cocnut oil.  Stevia is a safe replacement for sugar.

4.  Try to drink only water instead of other drinks. This should be pure filtered water – at least 8 glasses per day.

5.  Maintain a healthy weight and of course this will be achieved through the other lifestyle changes that you make.

6.  Stay fit by at least 30 minutes of physical activity that increases your heart rate on five or more days of the week including walking, lawn mowing, bike riding, swimming or gentle aerobics.

7.  Don’t smoke and limit your alcohol to two small drinks per day if you are male or one small drink per day if you are female.

8.  Have your blood pressure checked regularly.  If you blood pressure levels are higher than they should be, lower them with natural remedies rather than statins which can actually lead to kidney damage.

9.  Do things that help you relax and reduce your stress levels.

10.  Spirulina (from a safe source) helps to protect your kidneys. As kidneys are one of the first organs to suffer damage after significant radiation exposure, Spirulina is used but research also suggests that spirulina helps protect from the nephrotoxicity of cancer treatments, antibiotics and analgesics.

11.  Please be aware that many people today are gluten intollerant and as such can suffer from gluten induced kidney damage. If you are not sure or are suspicious that you might be gluten intolerant, get genetically tested for gluten sensitivity.  If you have actually have kidney disease, make sure your doctor checks your 25 OH D levels (vitamin D).  Additionally, make sure that he measures for other nutritional deficiencies as well.   Malabsorption is a common cause of secondary diseases for those with intolerance or sensitivity to gluten.

12.  It cannot be overemphasized how important vitamin D is to your general health including the kidneys.  Vitamin D is not a vitamin at all but a steroid hormone that is probably the single most important factor in human health.  The optimum level for good health is to be between 40 ng/ml and 100 ng/ml and if you are not receiving sufficient sunlight exposure, the average adult needs to take a daily dose of 8000 IUs daily to elevate their levels above 40 ng/ml.

Remember that avoiding all toxins, taking regular exercise, along with a balanced diet and drinking plenty of water will help to keep your kidneys working well and in peak condition. 

Second only to the banana in the tropical fruit popularity stakes with Americans, the pineapple has many health benefits too making a bowl of fresh chunks of pineapple a great idea for a refreshing snack at any time of the day.  Best eaten on its own between meals without other food because pineapple is a great aid to digestion.

-  Fresh pineapple is full of bromelain which is a sulphur-containing, protein-digesting compound and the most important of the enzymes.  Enzymes are effective in reducing swelling and inflammation while assisting in the treatment of such conditions as acute sinusitis, sore throats, arthritis and gout. Enzymes in pineapple are used for treating rheumatoid arthritis successfully while also speeding up the tissue repair associated with general surgery, diabetic ulcers and injuries.

-  Pineapple also reduces blood clotting and aids in removing plaque from the arterial walls.

-  Those suffering from angina can consume pineapple because it enhances blood circulation in narrowed arteries.

-  Pineapple is a useful aid in building up healthy bones.

-  A good source of vitamin C, pineapple makes a welcome change to citrus and other vitamin C-rich fruit while offering an excellent protection againsts free radicals. Vitamin C (which is your body’s vital water soluble antioxdant) is invaluable for fighting and treating colds and flu as well as atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, asthma attacks and even the risk of certain cancers.  As pineapple is so rich in vitamin C, it means it is also good for oral health, helping to reduce periodontal disease and gingivitis.

-  Pineapple provides a rich source of manganese plus vitamin B1 which  are essential minerals and vitamins for energy production.

-  We all worry about our eye health especially as we age and along with other fruit, pineapple has been shown to help protect against macular degeneration.

For your information, these are the the nutritional values of pineapple as present in 100 grams:

Dietary fiber – 1.4 g
Sugar – 9.5 g
Vitamin E – 0.62 mg
Vitamin B6 – 0.111 mg
Vitamin B5 – 0.205 mg
Vitamin B3 – 0.495 mg
Vitamin B2 – 0.031 mg
Vitamin B1 – 0.079 mg
Vitamin C – 37.2 mg
Fat – 0.12 g
Protein – 0.54 g
Carbohydrates – 13.2 g
Zinc – 0.11 mg
Phosphorus – 10 mg
Iron – 0.29 mg
Potassium – 110 mg
Calcium – 13 mg
Calories – 50

So next time you see pineapples in the fresh produce aisle of your local store, go ahead and buy one or two.

Pineapples should feel heavy for their size and should look, feel and smell clean with no bad or mouldy marks on the outer surface. So give them the “feel in the hand” and “the sniffing test” before choosing. Remember that a pineapple stops ripening when picked so don’t select any that look too immature. Pineapples can be stored at room temperature but don’t wait too long before you enjoy their juicy sweet taste because they can spoil easily if left and forgotten.  You can wrap in a plastic bag and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or if you have cut up your pineapple, you can store unused pices in the fridge for a further day or two in an airtight container. Freezing pineapple will change its flavour.

You can cut and prepare your pineapple ready to eat by using a sharp knive and a cutting board.

Turn the pineapple on its side and slice off the top and the bottom of the fruit. Then turn it back up so the top is facing the ceiling and slice down the side rough skin all the way round until you are left with a juicy cylinder of fruit. Turn it on its side again and cut into slices. If the core of each slice is hard rather than soft, use the sharp point of your knive to make little cuts around the edge of the core and push it out.

Your pineaple is now ready to eat. Enjoy!

You can do this test by going to www.realage.com and logging in. It will probably take you about 15 minutes to complete especially if you have some general background information ready before you start – such as your weight, height, waist measurements, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The rest of the survey you should be able to do from memory. There are little tips all through the questionnaire to help you out if you are not quite sure about the various questions.

I found the test to be very extensive, working through different aspects of your health and well being. The initial general back ground questions are followed by your medical history including dental and eye health. If you give a positive response to any medical conditions in this part of the questioning, the survey will come back to follow up with more questions on such conditions as to treatment, medications and more.

The next page goes into your emotional background and you need to think carefully and be very honest here. Following on are questions about your education and work background along with the family income. Queries on your diet, vitamins and supplements are quite extensive as is the final set of questions on what form of exercise you do.

Once you start the questionnaire, please do not give up but keep on right to the end when you will be given your Real Age.

And it does not end there. There is a detailed plan for you – congratulating you on what you are doing correctly and steering you in the right direction for improving any aspects of your lifestyle. You can print out this plan (which runs into several pages) to keep and to follow. But read it on your screen as well because all through the plan are links to interesting pieces of information such as a special tracker to start a walking workout and to log your miles or the chance to take the RealAge Sleep Health Assessment to see how you rate in the sleeping department.

The plan is also peppered with healthy hints such as checking your skin regularly so that you can perform skin self-exams and learn how to spot potential problems like changes in moles or other skin marks. If you have any moles that concern you, these can be easily and safely removed with H-Moles from Healing Natural Oils.

Many of the suggestions are good and sensible. There are a few that I had issues with though and these I listed them here with my suggested alternative:

-  They recommend chewing gum (for lowering stress) as long as it is sugarless gum. Unfortunately, sugarless gum will usually have aspartame as an ingredient which is a particularly harmful and toxic artificial sweetener. In fact all artificial sweeteners should be avoided. Instead, find a gum that uses xylitol which is an alcohol sugar that is very good for oral hygiene.

-  Shake the salt habit. This should read “shake the processed salt habit” because we do need salt in our lives but it must be natural salt.

-  Stressing the importance of sun screen when it has now been found that sun screens can contain many harmful and toxic chemicals to such an extent that they can actually cause cancer. If you must use a sunscreen, find a natural one with safe ingredients. Sunscreens also block out the massive Vitamin D benefits of sunlight.

Recommending soy foods such as tofu, soymilk and anything made from whole soy beans.  However, soy can be incredibly healthful, but only if it is organic and properly fermented. The risks of consuming unfermented soy products far outweigh any possible benefits. In fact the vast majority of soy at your local market is not a health food. Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of whole non-GMO soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities—protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products.  In fact 91% of soy grown in the US is genetically modified (GM) to impart resistance to the toxic herbicide Roundup. While this is meant to increase farming efficiency and provide you with less expensive soy, the downside is that your soy is loaded with this toxic pesticide. And this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the worrying health side effects of soy.

In spite of these few reservations, most of the advice given on this site is very helpful and encouraging and I know you will benefit from doing the RealAge test and printing out your own plan at the end.

Do yo

As we all know only too well, obesity rates in the United States have skyrocketed with 66 percent of adults being overweight or obese.

According to Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleep: ”When you’re sleep deprived, your body produces more ghrelin, a hormone that tells you to eat more, and less leptin, which signals you to stop eating.”  For example people who sleep only four hours a night are more likely to choose high-carb, sugary and starchy foods over healthier picks, a recent University of Chicago study found.

James Maas, PhD, a sleep researcher at Cornell University and the author of Power Sleep, points to increasing evidence that chronic sleep deprivation raises the risk of weight gain. Maas also blames those same two hormones: leptin, which helps the brain sense when you’re full, and ghrelin, which triggers hunger. The less sleep you get, the lower your leptin levels – and the higher your ghrelin.  He says: “Many people think they’re hungry when they’re actually sleepy. Instead of a snack, they need some shut-eye.’

The reverse is also true as eating certain healthy foods calms your nervous system and triggers a sleep-inducing hormonal response, helping you rest better at night.

Staying in bed longer or having a short nap during the day can actually keep you from gaining weight. The less sleep you get, the less efficiently your appetite-regulation system works.

So if you have weight problems, then it appears to be important to work on any sleep deprivation or insomnia issues at the same time.

Here are some more interesting facts about sleep from James Maas as presented in his book “Sleep for Success” co-authored by Cornell graduate student Rebecca S. Robbins.

• Most people overestimate the amount they sleep each night by nearly one hour;

• If you fall asleep within five minutes, you are sleep deprived, since the fully rested person takes 20 minutes to fall asleep;

• Women sleep less soundly with a partner than men do.

• Every additional hour of sleep reduces a child’s risk of obesity by 9 percent;

• One drink of alcohol on six hours of sleep has the same effect on one’s ability to drive a car as three to four martinis on eight hours of sleep;

• Most high school and college students get 2.5 hours less sleep per night than recommended. Grades in high school and college are directly related to sleep length.

Changing to a healthier lifestyles will help both your insomnia and weight gain: plenty of regular exercise, drinking lots of pure filtered water, ditching the sugars, the sodas and all processed foods; eating whole living foods with lots of fresh fruit and veggies along with healthy fats; going to bed earlier and enlisting the help of a natural essential oils product H-Insomnia from Healing Natural Oils.

Image via Wikipedia

The number of asthma cases keeps on growing. Can you believe an increase of more than 300% over the last two decades? Asthma affects an estimated thirty million Americans including many children. This inflammatory condition, typically of the upper airways, results in symptoms of chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. When the symptoms are especially severe, it can be extremely stressful for the sufferer.

Asthma can be treated with two types of pharmaceutical medications: long-term control and quick-relief medicines. Long-term control medicines help reduce airway inflammation and prevent asthma symptoms while quick-relief medicines relieve asthma symptoms that may flare up.

If you have asthma, you probably spend a lot of time using various inhalers and nebulizers. Often, these contain glucocorticoids (steroids) which can have major side effects when used long term. These side effects include: cataracts, osteoporosis, adrenal insufficiency, weight gain (with a possible dramatic increase in abdominal fat), Type 2 diabetes and behavioral changes such as extreme anger.

In addition, other inhalers contain drugs which dilate the bronchi allowing more air in but, at the same time in many users, these drugs cause very rapid heart rate, tremors and insomnia.

Of course these drugs can be life saving but it is important to look at other safer ways to improve asthma symptoms.

Triggers for asthma include allergies, certain drugs, pollution and severe stress.

Some sufferers are finding that their symptoms respond well to natural treatments for asthma. One natural alternative is inhaled glutathione an antioxidant which is usually deficient in those suffering from asthma. The body produces its own glutathione unless a poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation have depleted your reserves, leaving you susceptible to unrestrained cell disintegration from oxidative stress, free radicals, infections and more.

Other ways to treat and even prevent the symptoms of asthma naturally are with these suggestions:

- By testing for gluten intolerance and/or other food allergies as it has been found that many with asthma also have a gluten or other sensitivity. In such cases, their immune systems are so busy fighting their food, that they don’t have left over immune resources to fight the environment.

- By increasing the intake of animal-based omega 3 fats and by reducing the intake of omega 6 fats – the ratio between these two fats is very important. If the balance is distorted it can lead to the type of inflammation that causes asthma.

- By getting regular exercise especially out in the fresh air. Research has shown that exercise in asthmatics leads to an improvement in maximum ventilation and maximal oxygen uptake; in work capacity; and in maximum heart rate.

- By testing your vitamin D levels. Most important of all is that if you get your levels to about 60 ng/ml or higher, there’s a strong likelihood you may not experience the symptoms of asthma any more. The vast majority of today’s population is vitamin D deficient – that is below 30 ng/ml – so that even the medical community is beginning to realize the importance of raising vitamin D levels to protect against a large number of diseases and health conditions including asthma. You can raise your levels by exposing as much skin as possible to sunlight during the 2 hours either side of noon (with no sun block) for as long as it takes for your skin to turn a light pink. The darker your skin, the longer you need.  Do this as often as you can. You may still need to supplement with vitamin D3 and the suggested optimal dose is 8000 IUs per day until you reach above 60 ng/ml. You will then need to maintain that level.

There is a nostalgic trend for people to trace their family trees by going back several generations or as far as they are able. If there is not a lot of actual evidence in the family archives, many will use such web sites as myheritage.com to help them on their way. However, there is another important aspect to tracing your family history that you might not have thought of.

That is your family’s medical history because this could hold vital information about your own health and that of your children.

Many common conditions are passed down through families but there may also be less well known conditions that are genetic in nature that would be helpful to know about. The more common ones include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, mental illness, osteoporosis, birth defects and even memory loss.

Your first port of call when putting together such information is to chat to your parents and your grandparents as well as any uncles and aunts and get them to rack their brains for what they can recollect. Write it all down. It will form the basis of your family’s medical history. Once you have exhausted that source, then there other ways and means to find out more.

It is very important when collecting your family medical history to obtain accurate, complete records. A three generation set of records and information is the ideal goal to aim for. It is rather a tall order but you should set out information in the following format for each family member:

-  First and last names (including all married and maiden names for women where appropriate).

-  The current age, or age at death.

-  Exactly how people are related to each other, noting if any brothers and sisters have different parents or if anyone was adopted.

-  In the case of twins, you need to know if they are or were identical or fraternal.

-  Note if any family member married a blood relative eg. first cousins.

-  The country your ancestors came from eg. Jewish ancestors could be Ashkenazi Jews (from eastern Europe) or Sephardic Jews (from Spain or certain middle eastern countries). This information can be important because of the prevalence of some genetic conditions in certain ethnic groups.

-  Note the cause of death and if an autopsy was performed plus any history of miscarriages or babies who are deceased.

-  Include any illnesses, birth defects, or mental retardation in family members. A bonus would be the names of hospitals or medical centers where treatment took place plus the age at which illnesses occurred or any surgery was performed and why.

-  Also include any particular lifestyle habits that might be relevant such as a history of tobacco use, alcohol or drug use, obesity or an occupation that might be hazardous.

Aim to be as accurate as you can when compiling a family medical history as this can be a valuable tool for both your family members and your healthcare providers.

In addition, forewarned is forearmed. If you do your own research about a family condition and know what you might be up against, in many instances you can adjust your diet and more as a preventative measure.

You can add to your family medical history by applying for medical records and/or death certificates for different members. Death certificates are particularly useful as they usually contain all the relevant information about cause, place and age and may even give the name of the hospital that treated the deceased. Death certificates may or may not include information about other medical conditions that did not contribute to the cause of death. They can be obtained from the records office in the state where the family member died. A small fee is usually charged for a copy of a death certificate.

In the case of your own medical records, you can apply for these from the appropriate facility but if you wish to apply for a family member’s records, then you will need their permission or in the case of a deceased person, their next-of-kin’s permission.

Compiling such a family medical tree is quite an undertaking but you might find it a very worthwhile and interesting exercise with valuable benefits for both you and your family.

- You can buy rice milk from a health store for every day use.

- You can use coconut oil instead of butter. My grand daughter has a milk intolerance and when we were switching her over to new things instead of dairy, we called the coconut oil “magic butter” because it disappeared when we spread it on her toast or her bread. She was tickled pink to watch this happen and quickly ate up all her food!

- You can buy delicious organic, raw chocolate when you have a craving for a chocolatey treat. You can use this to make homemade healthy chocolate spread or in fact any recipe that calls for chocolate. Substitute any sugar with stevia and you will have a much healthier dessert, confectionery and other chocolate treat.

- Another suggestion is to use raw nut milk made from almonds or cashews instead of dairy milk.

To make 6 cups of milk you will need these ingredients and equipment:

1 cup raw almonds or cashews.

2 cups of filtered water for soaking.

6 cups filtered water for blending.

1 quarter cup of honey, some dates or some stevia (as an optional extra if you feel the need for sweetening).

A fine mesh filter for a smoother consistency.

A blender.

Method

Soak the almonds or cashews in 2 cups of filtered water overnight or up to 24 hours before draining them under water.

Blend the nuts plus the 6 cups of water on high until you get a smooth mixture.

Add your optional sweetener and blend for a further few minutes.

Pour the liquid through a mesh filter into a jug for storage in the refridgerator for up to a week.

In addition, you can ring the changes with these extra flavors:

- A few tablespoons of carob or cacao power for a delicious chocolate nut milk drink.

- A cup of strawberries.

- Some vanilla beans.

- A couple of bananas for a banana milk shake

- Or bananas and raw cacao for a banana chocolate nut treat

One word of warning:  nut milk is so delicious, you may well become addicted, so ration your intake! Although it is quite high in calories, nut milk does have a very high nutrition value so is a wonderful food for a growing child either with cereal or as a drink on its own.

For a hot chocolate dairy free recipe go to http://drbenkim.com/hot-chocolate-smoothie-recipe

There is a helpful guidebook available called Dairy Free Made Easy by Alisa Fleming which has recently been updated and expanded in paperback format at a very reasonable price of $10.

Within this complete dairy-free living resource, you will discover over 225 different dairy-free recipes with numerous options to satisfy dairy cravings, while focusing on naturally rich and delicious whole foods.  In addition, there is a comprehensive guide to dairy substitutes which explains how to purchase, use and prepare alternatives for butter, cheese, cream, milk and much more – from scratch. Grocery shopping Information is in another section to give you suspect ingredients lists and label-reading assistance as well as food suggestions and money-saving tips.   A detailed calcium chapter identifies calcium-rich foods and supplements while helping you to understand other factors involved in building and maintaining strong bones. Finally, an in-depth health section explains dairy, details the signs and symptoms of various dairy-related illnesses, and thoroughly addresses protein, fat, and nutrient issues in the dairy-free transition.

Please be aware that some people only find they have a problem with pasturized dairy and not with unpasturized (or raw) dairy.  So this is worth investigating.

Starting a new year off on the right foot could mean a change in diet and what better than adding more raw food either by having a higher component of raw food included in each and every meal or by making one meal every day wholly raw.  There is a huge and growing movement towards eating raw with many Hollywood celebrities joining in.

On the rawfoodlife.com website, they explain the science of a raw food diet:

A raw foodist is someone that eats 75-100% living, nutritionally-dense organic uncooked and unprocessed food (and drinks pure, live water), enjoying delicious meals that optimize your health by alkalizing your body. At that rate your elimination system can get rid of the toxins created when you cook. But when you eat more cooked food you are consuming acidic toxins faster than your body can eliminate them so they back up, disrupting your body’s delicate acid/alkaline balance, a major cause of excess weight and disease. Heating food above 118 degrees F. causes the chemical changes that create acidic toxins, including the carcinogens, mutagens and free-radicals associated with diseases like diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Cooking also destroys the live enzymes that aid in digestion and health.

A high raw diet includes:

-  Raw honey, coconut oil, raw dairy butter and cheese or almond butter used as a spread.

-  Bowl of raw cereal – oats, seeds, nuts and dried fruit with almond milk or raw dairy milk.

-  Lots of green juices or smoothies – see a great recipe below.

-  Rich raw salads full of different types of lettuce, rocket, celery, carrots, tomatoes, onions, grated raw beetroot, peppers and more.

-  Coleslaw salad with chopped up raw cabbage, grated carrots and apples, a hint of raw onion, some raisins and mixed with a home made salad cream.

-  A wrap “sandwich” with lettuce wrapped around avocado, raw hummus and other raw veggies.

-  Nuts and nut cheeses but no more than a handful of nuts a day because too many can make you feel sluggish. This is because nuts are rich in oils that can slow down the cleansing properties of other foods.

-  All kinds of seeds both sprouted and unsprouted.

-  All types of raw fruit as well as ice cream made with just pure fruit.

-  Raw chocolate desserts.  One of my favorite is to melt a bar of dark organic chocolate and when it has cooled, beat in 4 free range egg yolks.  In the meantime, whip up 4 egg whites until stiff and then fold in the chocolate mixture.  Pour into 4 bowls and leave in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

If you don’t know where to start, then one way is by drinking a daily green smoothie. They are so delicious and are almost a meal in themselves. Here is the recipe to get you going on your new road to raw!

Ingredients

4 apples.

3 to 4 large spinach leaves or a handful of baby spinach which has been rinsed well. If you can use organic then so much the better. Spinach is so good for you and full of nutritions and yet you will not even notice the taste of the spinach – excellent for any anti-veggie children (or adults) who will be none the wiser! Spinach has concentrated health-promoting phyto-nutrients to provide powerful antioxidant protection.

1 pear.

3 ripe bananas (this is a good way to use up bananas that are a little bit past their “sell by date”).

Half an avocado.

1 cup of freshly squeezed apple juice or 1 cup of coconut milk or 1 cup of unsweetened organic plain yogurt.

Add a cup of crushed ice when the weather is hot.

Method

Clean, peal and chop all the ingredients into chunks before adding to your blender. Use on high speed until your smoothie is really smooth. You can always add a bit more liquid if it seems too thick. Pour into glasses and enjoy with friends or family.

Once you have got used to this recipe, you can ring the changes with other raw ingredients to build up your own repertoire. You will soon find that raw food meals leave you feeling vital and full of energy.

I keep a daily list in my page-a-day actual diary (I am not a fan of electronic diaries) with all the healthy things I need to remember to do each and every day and I will be the first to admit that not everything on that list gets ticked off every time but at least I can see where I am letting myself down so that the next day, I will perhaps achieve more.

This list includes reminders like to:

-  Take my vitamins along with a spoonful of coconut oil. Most important in my book are my vitamin D, my vitamin C (along with other vitamins and minerals) and a salmon oil capsule for Omega 3. Coconut oil has become known as one of the top nutritious health foods and is now described as “the healthiest oil in the world”.

-  Do my daily resistance exercises to strengthen my arms and do away with the problem of flabbiness along with those exercises given to me by my chiropractor to strengthen my joints. A regular visit to your chiropractor can get to the root of many health conditions in a natural way.

-  Go for a walk or a swim – the best time to do your exercise is in the morning as research has shown that this is the most successful way of sticking to a daily routine so that commitments during the day are less likely to get in the way. Even if you have only twenty minutes to spare, get out there nice and early so your exercises are done and out of the way.  A total of 150 minutes  per week is the optimum amount of time to spend on exercising for a healthier you.

-  Do a daily oil pulling session. I take a couple of teaspoonfulls of sesame oil into my mouth first thing before eating or drinking and swish around between my teeth for a good 15 minutes while I do kitchen chores and make the tea. Spit it out and rinse with some water and then a mouth wash of natural salt in water for a squeaky clean bacteria-free mouth and white teeth. http://www.amoils.com/health-blog/oil-pulling-and-5-natural-steps-to-improve-your-health/

-  Rebound 100 times on my mini trampolene – remember that 2 minutes of bouncing on the trampoline is equivalent to 6 minutes of running, 10 minutes of swimming or 22 minutes of walking.

-  Strip off for a session of sunlight exposure for my vitamin D levels while grounding (or earthing as some will call it) by lying on the grass at the same time. This should be done during the warmer, sunnier months between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm for maximum benefit. Stay in the sun until your skin starts to turn pink.

-  Drink 8 glasses of filtered water – spread through out the day.

-  Use a maintenance drop or two of H-Arthritis from Healing Natural Oils on my hand twice a day – I use this because I had a very swollen joint in one of my fingers. The H-Arthritis reduced the size of the swelling considerably and I now use it every day to make sure the swelling stays down and to keep any hint of arthritis away. My mother suffered from very arthritic hands so I am rather aware of this condition.

As you can see, there is an extensive list of stuff that I could so easily forget without my reminder!

My diary also serves as a monthly list of income and expenditure so that I can budget the household and general expenses without too many tears.

I also keep a long term list (at the back of my diary) for the things I want to accomplish during the coming year  in the way of home and garden improvements, admin chores and other stuff that would otherwise never get done. When you get to the end of the year, it is great to see how much has been achieved (often with the help of my DIV savvy husband) with perhaps the satisfaction of there only being one or two items that have to be carried forward.

A blackboard in the kitchen is the place where I make a note of food, cleaning items and toiletries that need to be replaced or topped up whilst inside my cupboard door is a weekly and permanent schedule for various household tasks and chores that have to be done on a regular basis.

Finally, as a writer and editor working from home, I have to keep a schedule in my daily diary of my assignments and tasks that need to be done.  And that is it!

Image via Wikipedia

WD-40 is a nationally renowned product in the US and has been for many years. There are loads of uses and I will list many of these later in this post. However, some of these suggested applications involve putting WD-40 on your skin to prevent arthritis pain in the joints or using as a lure when fishing. I would not be happy about recommending such practices for a product that is petroleum based.

Although WD-40′s formula is a actually a trade secret and the product is not patented in order to avoid completely disclosing its ingredients, WD-40′s main ingredients (according to U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet Information) are:

-  50%: Stoddard solvent (ie mineral spirits – primarly hexane which is somewhat similar to kerosne)
-  25%: Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant – carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40′s      considerable flammability)
-  15+% Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)
-  10-%: Inert ingredients

The German version of the mandatory EU safety sheet lists the following safety-relevant ingredients:

-  60-80%: Heavy Naphtha (petroleum product), hydrogen treated
-  1-5%: Carbon dioxide

It further lists flammability and effects to the human skin when repeatedly exposed to WD-40 as risks when using WD-40. Nitrile rubber gloves and safety glasses should be used. Water is unsuitable for extinguishing burning WD-40.

So you can see from this that WD-40 is certainly not green and should be handled with care. The State of California does not require a Proposition 65 (cancer warning) label on it.

Here are all the different things for which you can use WD-40:

1. Protecting silver from tarnishing.

2. Removing road tar and grime from cars.

3. Cleaning and lubricateing guitar strings.

4. Restoreing and cleaning chalkboards.

5. Removing lipstick stains.

6. Loosening stubborn zippers.

7. Untangleing jewellery chains.

8. Removing stains from stainless steel sinks.

9. Removing dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.

10. Removing tomato stains from clothing.

11. Keeping glass shower doors free of water spots.

12. Camouflaging scratches in ceramic and marble floors.

13. Keeping scissors working smoothly.

14. Lubricating noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.

15. Removing black scuff marks from the kitchen floor.

16. Removing bug guts from the finish on your car.

17. Giving a children’s playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.

18. Lubricating gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.

19. Lubricating tracks in sticking home windows, making them easier to open.

20. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.

21. Restoring and cleaning padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.

22. Restoring and cleaning roof racks on vehicles.

23. Lubricating and stopping squeaks in electric fans.

24. Lubricating wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.

25. Lubricating fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.

26. Keeping rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.

27. Removes splattered grease on stove.

28. Keeping bathroom mirror from fogging.

29. Lubricating prosthetic limbs.

30. Removing all traces of duct tape.

31. Removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.

32. Spraying on the distributor cap to displace the moisture and allow the car to start.

Please remember that this is a petroleum based lubricant and you should wear gloves, safety goggles and be in a well ventilated area when using it.

Image via Wikipedia

A growing band of knowledgeable consumers are turning away from commercial brands of toothpaste because they have become aware how they are loaded with toxic chemicals including the now discredited fluoride. In fact, instructions on commercial toothpaste packaging warn against swallowing toothpaste (as if that will keep you safe).

Fluoride should always be avoided as much as possible.

Fluoride ‘fills in’ holes in teeth and bones before the body has an opportunity to correct the holes with proper minerals.  Fluoride actually creates weaker teeth and bones. Fluoride is also a neuro-toxin.  Make sure to brush with fluoride-free toothpaste and use filtered water with fluoride-eliminating filters. In addition to the sodium fluoride in commercial toothpastes, there are artificial sweeteners, artificial colorings and other toxic chemicals.

You may not be swallowing toothpaste but the oral mucosa in your mouth will still absorb these harmful ingredients.

A simple homemade tooth paste can be made by mixing coconut oil, aluminum-free baking soda, and a couple of drops of peppermint oil.  Add a drop or two of tea tree oil to your homemade toothpaste to benefit both your mouth and gums and avoid plaque build up or gingivitis.

Here is the recipe from http://saveourbones.com/the-bone-healthy-toothpaste-you-can-make-at-home/

Save Your Smile Toothpaste

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
3 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 small (individual) packet of stevia
20-25 drops of peppermint oil – adjust to taste – such as Vitacost 100% Pure Peppermint Oil – 4 fl oz

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in a tightly sealed container.

Instead of peppermint oil, you can ring the changes with spearmint essential oil, clove oil or rose oil.

When using this toothpaste, sometimes give it a rest for a day or two and use just the plain organic coconut oil because baking soda can cause abrasions to the teeth if used continuously every day.

You can also substitute the stevia for xylitol which has a natural sweet taste.

Another homemade toothpaste recipe is to use 3 ounces of fluoride-free water to which is added 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide. Mix together in a container which can be sealed. Tip out a small amount onto a saucer when it is time to clean your teeth and keep dipping your toothbrush into the mixture. Just one word of warning about this recipe is: do not use it if you have amalgam fillings because they contain mercury and the peroxide releases this toxic mercury from the fillings.

Make yourself a natural mouth wash to use after cleaning your teeth. This is also excellent to prevent gum recession. Add a teaspoon of natural salt (such as Himalayan salt) to a quarter cup of water. Swish through your teeth for a few minutes before spitting out again.

If you wish to buy a natural toothpast, Trader Joe’s has a great one which is all natural, no fluoride and antiplaque. The ingredients include fennel, propolis and myrrh. This comes in a large tube and is very cost effective.

Another safe toothpaste to buy is Melaleuca which works especially well for sensitive teeth and has amongst its ingredients, xylitol and myrrh oil. In addition to cleaning your teeth, it fights tartar, removes plaque, whitens teeth and freshens breath.

A friend of mine uses Miessence toothpaste which she confirms is a good, safe product but pricey. She makes it go further by putting a minute amount of the Miessence paste on her wet brush before dipping into her own tooth powder which is a blend of 60% xylitol to 40% baking soda. She confirms that xylitol is an alcohol sugar that is very good for oral hygiene.

Take that special bit of effort to make your own safe and natural tooth paste that will neither harm your bones nor your general health.