Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine created by a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann. At the end of the eighteenth century he came up with the idea of homeopathy with the founding principle of like cures like, believing that the cures of the era did more harm than good. Common treatments of the era were leeching, blood draining and the like which often times were as dangerous as the disease. Due to Samuel's work and successful treatment with patients, homeopathy grew in popularity.

Further review of his methods from the current day lead credence that homeopathic treatment is nothing more than a placebo. His success was more a result of people recovering from their illnesses and not being killed by the cures of the age. Clinical trials and studies performed to test the validity of homeopathy found that homeopathy did not have any noticeable effect. Any benefit is purely the placebo effect. Some clinical trials have shown marginal success though reviewing procedures used during the trials revealed ineffective controls and other deficiencies that indicate the studies were flawed and unreliable.

Whether homeopathy works or not, the principles are fascinating. Samuel found in a book that Peruvian tree bark could treat Malaria and it generated the same symptoms as Malaria. He used the idea that "like cures like" or that a natural substance that causes the same symptoms in a healthy person as exhibited by the sick person is the cure. His next step was to dilute the substance as oftentimes it could be toxic in high doses.

The reason why scientists are skeptic of homeopathy is due to the treatment often being diluted to such an extent that no trace of the original substance remains. A third key principle was that there is only one remedy that cures all the symptoms. They treat the patient as a whole. The symptoms are a manifestation of the body's strength fighting the disease and should not be suppressed like traditional Western medicine does. These original ideas of Samuel Hahnemann are still practiced today.

Herbology and Herbal Remedies

Insomnia is not a disease but a symptom and there are a lot of ways to cure your insomnia without taking medicines that can leave you with long term side effects. However the most important tool to beat insomnia is a powerful mindset because anxiety is the biggest enemy of yours while fighting against insomnia. Understanding your insomnia is what you have to do but not knowing that you have insomnia. You should realize that you have a medical condition and try to find out the possible causes for it before taking up any treatment including home remedies.

If you have night shifts or habit of sleeping late, chances are high that you will get affected by insomnia at least in a very minor level. Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine leave even normal people sleepless so you should stay away from these things before seeking any insomnia herbal remedies. Insomnia herbal remedy will be usually very simple treatment techniques with natural resources that you can easily purchase. Be realistic when you go for any treatment because it may take some time to see the actual results of your treatment.

Some of the insomnia herbal remedies include

• Chamomile - The history of chamomile dates back to ancient Egyptian era and this herb is well known for its relaxing characteristics. Chamomile helps a person to get rid of itching and other allergic feelings which provide a person with insomnia a more relaxed mindset. This herb also has sedative properties which will help someone with insomnia to get better sleep.

• Kava Kava - Most of us are familiar with Kava Kava because it's widely used as herbal tea in several medication centers. Kava Kava has a lot of relaxing abilities including providing a person with relaxed mindset and relief from muscle aches. Kava Kava can be used as a very effective herbal remedy for insomnia.

• Valerian - Similar to Kava Kava, this herb helps a person to have a relaxed mindset by smoothening the patient's nervous system. Valerian is well known for helping people to come out of their anxiety but before taking any dosage of valerian, consult an expert.

• Aromatherapy - Insomnia is more of a psychological issue and a peaceful mind is the most important thing that can help you to get rid of it. This is why most of the natural treatment methods for insomnia focus on relaxation techniques and meditation. Aromatherapy can help a person to relax fast and will provide relief from joint and muscle pain. Undergoing aromatherapy can leave you with a mindset for adequate sleep.

Guided imagery

When was the last time you produced your own mental movie? I'm talking about daydreaming. Sometimes your dreams are about your ideal life. Other times your daydreams are the stuff of Stephen King novels. How about those scenes you rehearse in which you say the perfect words at the perfect moment, those words that eluded you that very afternoon?

With your daydreams you form images in your mind. You have your cast of characters in which you are the star, usually the hero. At times you're the hero in a Robin Hood sort of way knowing the perfect way to exact revenge. Guided imagery is like daydreaming. You have scenery, characters, dialogue and a plot. The difference is that you are not making it up on the spot. Someone is guiding you through the movie.

Guided imagery by-passes your conscious mind and moves you into the depths of yourself, where the purposes of healing, you release wounds of the past. You can even "re-write" your history with a structured guided imagery particularly developed for that purpose.

I once worked with a man I'll call Vince, who painfully told me of when he discovered his father was not trust worthy. Vince was about 6 years old. His father had taken him to the beach for a long promised adventure in the ocean. His father had Vince climb onto the float. They went into water well over the child's head.

Vince, now in his 30s, remembered his father calming his fears by promising that if anything happened, Dad would be there to take care of him. The trusting child was having a wonderful time floating on the water. Suddenly his father upended the float. The 6 year old, who could barely swim, flailed about in the water while his father laughed. Just when Vince was most terrified that he would drown, his father, still laughing, reached out and "saved" him.

Essential Oils

More and more people are concerned about the safety and side-effects of prescription drugs and medications. And with the health care debacle going-on in the United States Congress, and the high cost of health care generally, people are searching out alternative forms of healing. One type of alternative medicine that is gaining popularity is aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is simply the healing of ailments naturally by using the body's own, natural healing abilities triggered by the smell of certain chemical compounds contained in essential oils from plant.

Essential oils are the essence of a plant, distilled down and concentrated. The essence can be extracted from the leave, flowers, or even the whole plant and turned into an oil. These oils are then used as a treatment for various ailments. The oils can be used directly by application on the skin, can be mixed with carrier oils and turned into lotions, creams, or massage oils, can be taken internally, or can be used with a diffuser to spread the aroma of the plant into a room.

Some common essential oils used for healing are:

Lavender Oil: This is made from the flowers of the plant and is known to have a calming effect. This is a good choice for someone who has trouble relaxing or suffers from insomnia. A few drops of lavender oil placed on a pillow at night can help calm the nerves and make sleeping easier.

Lemon Essential Oil: This is made from the leaves or flowers of the lemon tree. Lemon is known for it's cleansing properties and when used as on the skin it can help with oily skin which in turn helps control acne. It can also be used to help relieve headaches.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil: This fragrant oil has been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac to help cure impotence and frigidity. Used in a diffuser in the bedroom, it can spark the romantic fires.

Chiropractic

D.D. Palmer founded chiropractic, a medical discipline, in 1890s. According to this medical science, the health of a person to a large extent depends on his nervous system, especially the spine. This medical science believes in healing through manipulations of body structures, especially the spine against use of drugs and surgery.

Since a small problem in spine can disrupt coordination between the body parts and brain, it is important to treat spine for the proper functioning of body. Therefore, an expert in chiropractic manually tries to fix joints and soft tissues to cure the patients.

Chiropractic is useful in cases of backache, neck pain, sports injuries, injuries caused due to accidents, migraine, and sciatica.

The Treatment

In chiropractic process, the doctor first examines the patient to find out the root cause of problem. The patient may be required to undergo some laboratory tests and X-ray. Doctor would ask him questions related to his medical history and lifestyle. Reflex hammers may be used to check reflexes. Once the doctor completes the diagnosis process, he will prepare a treatment plan.

There are two types of chiropractors - straight and mixers. Straight believes that innate intelligence, the ability of body to heal itself and Spinal adjustment are the best ways to treat health problems while Mixers use other healing method, like massage and acupuncture, along with chiropractic for treatment.

Depending upon the philosophy of chiropractor, the course of treatment is decided.

A human spinal column consists of thirty-one movable bones. Several nerves emanate from spinal column and any immobility or irritation of bones can cause the malfunctioning of body organs. A chiropractor would fix the problem through the following techniques.

Spinal Manipulation

This is the key method of treatment in chiropractic. In this method, the affected part of spine is manually manipulated to stimulate it and increase its mobility. The chiropractor may use different hand movements for this purpose. Sometimes, they also use different tools, like spring loaded tool, for spine adjustment and alignment. Electric stimulation techniques may be used in some cases.

Application Of Heat And Ice

The chiropractors may use hot and cold packs to reduce pain due to spasms and inflammation respectively. Heat is used to improve flow of oxygen to the affected area and expedite the process of removal of toxins while cold packs are used to reduce inflammation and hence reduce pain.

Fitness Program

Depending on the health problem, the chiropractor may design a fitness program, which may consist of different types of exercises for improving strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance. Attention is also paid to the emotional health of patient.

Diet

Most chiropractors focus on the overall wellness of patients. Therefore, sometimes they suggest a diet plan aimed at improving the strength and immunity of the body. They may also prescribe nutritional supplements.

Chelation Therapy

Though little-known, chelation therapy is a considerably used therapy, especially when it comes to removing toxic metals from human bodies. The human body can become a house of various unwanted metallic substances, such as mercury, lead, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, barium, nickel and so many others. When that happens, there are definitely various side-effects observed in the body. These metals can reach proportions that are quite harmful to the person's wellbeing. The therapy of chelation attempts to remove all such hazardous metals from the body of the person.

Why Is Chelation Therapy Needed?

Skeptics feel that the proportion of metals in the human body can never reach drastic levels. However, that is quite untrue. We have always been surrounded by a lot of harmful elements, and that has only increased in present times. Metals come into our body through the products that we use-cosmetics, shampoos, paints in the homes, foods that we eat, medicines and so on-and there is nothing we can do about it. These substances are present in everyone's bodies and over time they begin showing their drastic effects.

By chelation, this can be averted. The therapy aims to remove these metals by introducing other chemicals into the body, which can chelate (bond) with these metals and then remove them through excretory routes. Such compounds are known as chelating agents. There are a lot of chelating agents that are commonly used, and some of them are specific for the removal of particular metals.

Chelating Agents

A list of common chelating agents is given below:-

1. Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (commonly known as EDTA, used mostly for people with heart ailments)

2. Ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA)

3. Diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)

4. Alpha lipoic acid

5. Dimercapto-propane sulfonate (DMPS)

The most commonly used chelating agent is EDTA. This substance is provided to the patient in the form of a drip over a period of a few days. EDTA bonds with the unwanted metals that are present within the body and effectively removes them. EDTA is commonly used in people with cardiovascular problems, because it is considered to be quite safe.

Chelation and Weight Management

Chelation therapy is bestowed with several benefits apart from its main purpose of curing people from excessive metal deposition in their bodies. Some chelating agents have been found effective in removing cholesterol as well. So, this method could be an answer for people who are trying to manage their weight.

The method remains the same-a suitable chelating agent is administered as a drip over a number of sessions. The therapy begins taking effect after a few sessions when the cholesterol starts getting removed, and the health benefits are experienced.

Bio-Feedback

Biofeedback is a form of treatment wherein patients are trained to enrich their health by the use of their own bodies signals. Both physical therapists and psychologists use this technique, the first to treat stroke victims and the second to help anxious and tense people to relax. Other specialists also use Biofeedback to help patients manage pain. It was in the late 1960s that the word "biofeedback" was coined.

Most of us have used biofeedback without knowing that we are doing so. For example when a thermometer or a scale tells you that you have fever or that you have gained weight, you take action accordingly to reduce the fever and your weight. These two devices "feed back" information for you to act upon. In the same way, practitioners of biofeedback use sophisticated instruments to detect a person's bodily functions and use the information so gained to gauge and direct a line of treatment.

The biofeedback instrument is something like a sixth sense for a person. It allows them to "hear" or "see" an activity, for example, the electrical signals generated by muscle activity. These electrical signals are transformed into a form that the patient can either see or hear like a flashing bulb or a beeping sound when the muscle grows tense. The patient then tries to slow down the flashing or the beeping. The patient is taught to adjust himself so that the muscles relax. The therapist acts as a trainer and guides the patient as to how to improve his performance.

Today biofeedback is used to treat a long list of conditions that include

• A variety of pain conditions that include tension headaches, headaches and migraine,
• Digestive system disorders,
• High and low blood pressure,
• Raynaud's 's disease (a blood circulation abnormality that causes extremely cold hands)
• Paralysis and such other disorders and
• Epilepsy.

Specialists who provide training in this field include psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists, internists, dentists and nurses. Some form of relaxation exercise is taught to the patients and to identify those triggers that set off their symptoms. Guidance as to how to cope or avoid stressful events, changing their habits, gaining self-control are also taught. They are made to understand that feelings, thoughts and behavior deeply influence physical health.

If you feel that a biofeedback training might be of benefit to you, you should discuss it with your healthcare professional or your physician. They may conduct tests to determine whether your condition can be cured using conventional therapy. Some neurological tests may also be carried out. No responsible practitioner of biofeedback will treat you for hypertension, headaches or other conditions without doing a complete set of tests.

Ayurvedic Medicine

Holistic ayurvedic medicine which originated in India and dates back over 5000 years, and is one of the oldest scientifically based systems of medicine known, it is based upon observation, diagnosis, treatment and further observation and has been refined over the centuries.

Unlike many forms of ancient medicinal practices which have long since been forgotten, Holistic Ayurvedic Medicine is going strong and is now gaining a well deserved following in the West, one of the reasons that Ayurveda has survived is that it has always been at the cutting edge of the actual science of medicine and has balanced what has been learned in the past with what is scientifically known today.

It is a complex system that takes into account a whole body approach to illness and disease and unlike modern medicine which treats only the symptoms in many cases Natural Ayurveda medicine treats the symptoms in conjunction with the cause of the illness hence it is very often referred to as a natural remedy, Oxford English "a means of putting a matter right"

There are a large number of natural ayurvedic remedies available that have been proven to help treat just about every single medical illness or ailment known, there are literally many thousands of herbs many poisonous however, and of these many hundred are commonly used in ayurvedic medicines.

Avuryeda medicines are just that medicines and should not be confused with supplements which are with certain exceptions harmless, Ayurveda Medicines are not they are mainly based on herbs or herbal extracts as in fact are over 25% of modern medicines and can lead to complications if taken in conjunction with other herbal or conventional medicines, and so it is important that the practitioner is actually qualified in Holistic Ayurvedic Medicine.

Aromatherapy and Flower Essences

Making a Mother Essence

Although many flower essences may be bought in stock bottles at a store, it is possible to make them from scratch in your own backyard or nearby environs. In fact, this was Dr. Bach's original intent. The materials needed are simple and easily obtainable and it only takes a few hours time. Making a new flower essence is fun and rewarding.

When making an essence, care should be taken to identify the flower as to correct species. References (such as the Peterson Field Guides) are helpful in this.

The most common technique for making flower essences is the "sun infusion" method. For this, you need the following in your essence making kit.

Your Essence Making Kit

* Warm, sunny weather (spring to late summer). You will need uninterrupted sunshine from early morning to early afternoon (about 3-5 hours, usually). You should pick a place that is protected and somewhat secluded (so the emotional environment is controlled). An occasional cloud is not a problem, but considerably cloudiness (or shadows from trees or buildings) can noticably weaken the remedy.

* A glass pan without designs or patterns. It doesn't have to be very big.

* Water. Preferably spring water, especially if it's allowed to "charge up" in the sunlight first. If from a natural spring, be sure it is pollution-free! Tap water is not acceptable.

* Brandy (about 80 proof) to use as a preservative.

* Plants with the appropriate flowers. They should be at the peak of their bloom. Use only healthy looking flowers; avoid any that "feel" wrong intuitively. Don't take too many flowers from a single plant.

* Scissors to cut the flowers.

* Storage bottles for storing the essence. Should be dark colored to protect the remedy.

* A funnel (preferably glass) for pouring liquids.

* A big pan or pot for sterilizing all equipment in boiling water. Stainless steel or ceramic is excellent; avoid aluminum or plastic at all steps of the process. All equipment should be sterilized about 20 minutes and air-dried before starting to make the essence.

The Sun Infusion Method

To make the essence, find "your spot" on that sunny morning near the flowers you will work with. You should be started by 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning, at the latest. As the person's state of mind is considered important to the process, you should make sure the setting is peaceful and protected; your own emotional state should be calm and receptive. Place the pan on the ground and pour in enough water to cover the bottom (it doesn't take much). Quartz crystals may be placed around the pan to focus the energies, but should not be placed in the pan (the remedy would pick up the crystal's energies as well as the flower's).

Next, pick the flowers and add them to the glass pan of water. You should "tune into the plant" before cutting any flowers, to sense which ones should be used. Ideally, cut the flowers and let them drop right into the pan, without touching or handling them. If this is infeasible cut them and transfer the flowers immediately to the pan, with a minimum of handling or waiting (no more than a minute or two). Cut enough flowers to cover the bottom of the pan. Choose flowers from a number of plants. And make sure to thank the plants for their gifts afterwards!

Return the pan to its "spot" and let it sit in the sun for 3 to 5 hours. It's best to stay with the flowers throughout this stage of the process -- gardening in the backyard is a good way to pass the time and stay in tune with the flowers. Let sit until early afternoon or until the flowers "feel tired" or "ready to wilt." Remove the flowers (preferably with a leaf from the same plant, so you don't touch the flowers or the water) and set them aside. Pour the water from the pan into a storage bottle (using the funnel); add an equal portion of brandy, as a preservative. The bottle should be shaken between your hands for a minute or two to "fix" the remedy.

Mixing Stock Bottles

The mother essence is rarely used by itself, but is diluted to the stock potency or medicine (dosage) bottle potency. To make a stock bottle, you need:

* One ounce eyedropper bottles, preferably dark colored. Sterilize all bottles!

* A mixture of 1 part brandy, 3 parts water (spring or distilled) for the inert carrier substance.

* 2 to 7 drops of the mother essence.

Put an ounce of the brandy/water in the bottle and add 2 to 7 drops of the mother essence. The exact number of drops is not too important, though some people love to argue about it. The bottle should be shaken in your hands for a minute or two (or until it "feels" done) to potentize the stock bottle. This "dilute and shake" technique is more or less the standard method in homeopathy for potentizing a remedy.

Acupuncture For Headache

The acupuncture treatment of headaches and migraines has been extensively researched, and a systematic review of the evidence by the Cochrane collaboration concluded that for migraine acupuncture treatment is at least as effective, or possible more effective than treatment with drugs, but without the side effects. They also found that treatment by acupuncture was effective for chronic tension-type headaches.

According to the theories of Chinese medicine, pain is caused by stagnation. In the ancient language of acupuncture, headaches and migraine are caused by 'Qi Stagnation' around the head and possibly neck.

There are many ways of categorising headaches and migraine according to the Chinese theory. The location, nature of the pain, severity, and accompanying symptoms are all used to get a detailed picture of what is causing the attacks. The acupuncturist will also ask about your general health, take your pulse and look at your tongue.

All of this information is then used to determine your Chinese Diagnosis. This is a very precise way of looking at the causes of your headaches or migraines, and it allows the acupuncturist to work out a treatment that is specific to your symptoms, and overall health.

Headaches are often related to stress or can occur along-side fatigue, muscular pains or insomnia and migraines are often accompanied by nausea, dizziness and aversion to bright lights. In all of these cases, acupuncture can be used to treat the root cause of the problem as well as dealing with the manifestation.

In many cases tight muscles in the neck and shoulders can contribute or even cause headaches or migraine, and acupuncture can be useful to relax the muscles and often has dramatic effects. If you have held tension in these muscles for some time you may not even realise that they are the cause of the problem. Some acupuncturists may also use Tui Na (Chinese massage) alongside the acupuncture treatment.

Holistic Health Care

In an ever increasing fast-paced society, many of us take the easy road of self neglect and procrastination thinking we are doing fine because we feel fine. Fast-food commercials dance in our heads, as the solution to our ever demanding race to keep up. Only later we scramble for a practitioner in the time of need... Mildred Carter, one of the pioneers of reflexology, stated in her book, 'Body Reflexology,' "whenever we feel pain anywhere in the body, even the slightest twinge of a pain, it's the body's method of sending you a signal, and if palpated and rubbed out, may prevent future illness, although the actual dis-ease may be far removed from the original site of discomfort..."

Prevention is far superior for health care than treating the illness or dis-ease in progress. This is not to say, that the illness or dis-ease can not be eliminated--it can, but it generates a sense of fear and vulunerability, which exacerbates the illness or dis-ease. This is the very reason the quick fixes for symptoms are the staple for Traditional Western Medicine.

Given the proper support and adequate care, the body can heal itself. As Louise Hay says in her book, Heal Your Body, "...no matter how dire their predicament seems to be, I KNOW if they are WILLING to do the mental work of releasing and forgiving, almost anything can be healed. The word 'incurable,' which is so frightening to so many people, really only means that the particular condition cannot be cured by 'outer' methods and that we must GO WITHIN to effect the healing. The condition came from nothing and will go back to nothing."

Coincidentally, acupuncturist, whose treatments are covered by many major insurance carriers, are utilizing a similar protocol when they palpate along the body's surface areas, known as meridians, to locate tender points, or points of pain, which are then needled, to correct various conditions. They are known to practice massage and acupressure which are also documented to mirror the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture.

Deepak Chopra, MD stated in his book, "The Book of Secrets' that "the human body runs on dual controls. If you heal it from the outside by material means, it will respond. If you heal it from the inside by subjective means, it will also respond..." Arthur Miller stated, "I think one must finally take one's life into one's arms."

Holistic Healthcare practitioners are dedicated to empower you to find nurturing links to your health and wellness.

Holistic Healthcare practices include:

• Acupuncture
• Aromatherapy/flower essences
• Ayurvedic medicine
• Bio-feedback
• Chelation therapy
• Chiropractic
• Craniopathy
• Essential Oils
• Guided imagery
• Herbology/Herbal remedies
• Homeopathy
• Hydrotherapy
• Hypnosis/Regression
• Iridology
• Massage
• Meditation/Visualization
• Mind, Body, Spirit healing (using the unconscious mind)
• Movement and exercise therapy
• Naturopathy
• Nutrition therapy
• Osteopathy
• Reflexology
• Reiki/energy medicine
• Relaxation response
• Therapeutic touch
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

How does one find Holistic Healthcare practitioners? Every community has resources: Natural food stores, natural vitamin and supplement stores. Hi Health, Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, Wild Oats Market, Trader Joe's, AJ's Fine Foods.

Importance of Natural Nutrition

People often ignore the importance of natural nutrition in their lives because they are too busy to think about what they are eating. The whole idea of eating a healthy nutritious diet has lost its importance due the increasing availability of cooked and processed foods in the market. As far as natural nutrition is concerned, every person should think what they are eating and then try to make changes in their diet if they are not eating the right food.

Every human being in this world should focus on eating natural nutrition which includes eating natural foods which nature has made for our pleasure and health. It is for sure that if you give attention to natural nutrition then you would be able to keep yourself away from many diseases in life. Your body would be stronger and your physical appearance like your skin and hair would be more shiny and healthy.

It is best to eat natural nutrient and take all kinds of minerals, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants from natural foods. If you look closely, then there is a huge list of fruits and vegetables which have got all kinds of minerals, proteins, irons, vitamins and what not. But our ignorance has led our ways open to many diseases and illness because we overlook this natural nutrition. Instead we try to take this nutrition from the supplements and vitamins.

Keep reminding yourself that you are what you eat. So, if you want to maintain a healthy life and want to delay aging then eating natural food is the best idea which would help you in doing so. It is best to stay away from processed foods and oily foods as much as possible because they do nothing other than harm to our internal system.

Eat Nuts

It's no accident that a walnut looks like a mini-brain. Nuts are brain food. It just so happens that the brain is 60 percent fat and nuts have the perfect kind of fat to keep the brain clear and sharp. Nuts have omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids.

There are lots of people who seem to be essential fatty acid deficient, particularly omega-3s. We eat too many unhealthy fats in our diets that cause problems with all kinds of health issues. Raw nuts, eaten in small quantities every day, do not lead to weight gain and provide lots of benefits.

The essential fatty acids in nuts make them a good addition to the diet to lower the risk of heart and circulatory problems. Small portions of raw nuts can reduce unhealthy cholesterol markers in the blood. The fats and lecithin found in nuts feed the nerves, brain and glands, providing the building blocks for hormones and other chemical signalers in the body. Nuts also improve immune function, reduces cravings and aids in intestinal elimination.

Nuts have about twice as much protein as cereal grains and if you combine nuts with legumes, seeds and grains you are providing the body with a complete balance of amino acids. Nut milks are another good source of amino acids and proteins. In you combine whole grain cereal with nut milk, you provide your body with a complete protein to start your day.

The amino acid lysine is low in all kinds of nuts, while the amino acid L-arginine is high. Nuts also contain chromium, which is a mineral that regulates sugar cravings and insulin response. Nuts are also a good source of magnesium, which regulates nerve and muscle enzyme action. Magnesium also helps the body metabolize essential fatty acids which are also contained in the nuts. Nuts contain zinc. copper, manganese, selenium, choline, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, Thiamine and Vitamin E. They are a powerhouse of dense nutrition that also supplies linoleic acid along with vitamins and minerals.

There are many ways to add nuts to your diet - you can eat them raw as a snack, chop them and put them into s salad, grind them and use them as a flour in cookies and breads, chop them finely and use then as a breading on zucchini sticks, add them to dips, make butters out of them and the list goes on.

Herbs And Supplements To Fight Acne

In our world, there is a lot of hype about some miracle herbs that can cure your acne in 24 hours. That is something impossible. Avoid buying into these types of advertising hype, so that you won't get scammed. I have been around the field long enough to know what works and what does not. If you are looking for natural remedies to cure acne, you need to have a mindset that herbal, organic, natural cures are most of the time useless and not worth your money. In this little article, I will show you information that can possibly save your thousands or hundreds of dollars on acne medication.

If you are trying to treat your acne with natural herbs and supplements, those that are listed here are confirmed and tested to be superbly effective on acne. Any other herbs that you see elsewhere should be approached with a sense of doubt first. No point spending money on useless junks, right?

1. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is made from extract of the natural tea tree. It possesses strong anti-bacterial properties that are capable of killing the major contributing bacterias easily. Without a shadow of doubt it is as strong as any acne medication out there, if not better, in terms of less risk of getting affected by side effects, less irritation, natural, cheap and effective. You can hear me talk about the effectiveness of tea tree oil non stop if you ever get to see me in person. It has worked wonders for me and several friends of mine.

2. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is another magical herbs that you can use right away to get immediate results (almost) on your acne condition. It contains a number of beneficial vitamins and minerals that can prevent acne and replenish the skin. Aloe vera also is proved to be very effective in healing acne scars. Make sure you use aloe vera to your advantage if you are to get rid of acne.

3. Ginger Juice

Drink ginger juice twice a day. Two glasses of ginger juice can do a lot to treat your acne. Since acne is basically an inflammatory disorder, the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger should not be overlooked. Ginger also is proven to improve your immune system and hormonal secretion, both aspects have major role in treating or causing acne.

4. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is used world wide by dermatologists as acne treatment regimen. Vitamin A strengthen skin issue of your face, and thus prevents future acne and gives you a clear skin. The lack of this vitamin also causes some mild acne condition.

Best sources of Vitamin A are not from pills, but should be obtained by natural foods such as carrots and other vegetables.

5. Vitamin E

Vitamin E has the ability to accelerate the healing process of your skin. It makes the repairing process of your skin smoother and faster. Vitamin E also combats aging.

6. Zinc

Zinc, when taken, is proved to be able to boost immune system. With a strong immune system, you can eliminate p.acnes easily. Zinc also improves the absorption and effect of Vitamin A.

In this article, I have shown you some of the world's best herbs and supplements to treat acne. If it is possible, for all of the above, you should use only natural ones and not artificial herbs or supplements.

Herbs Supplements

The history of herbal supplements is very wide due to the fact that this was the type of treatment that was used by most people world wide. In general, plants have been known to have health benefits both to the body and mind. The type of plant will determine the benefits it provides.

One should note that the whole plant will not be the one to have the benefit but only a part of it like the roots, stem, seeds, flowers etc. Supplements can be defined as substances that are meant to aid in increasing levels of a particular chemical or substance in the body. When you think about it, most of the supplements that will be found in the market today will be found to be used for helping the body to be able to acquire certain amounts of minerals and nutrients. In the past, there were herbs which were known to be used to treat certain diseases and others were used to treat external injuries. Examples of the different cultures and their use of herbal supplements are shown below.

The first example we are going to use is that of Ancient Babylon. There are archaeologists who discovered a burial site that was over sixty thousand years old. Such a site was found to have herbs like the marshmallow root. These are one of the oldest findings which will prove that in the past people used to use herbal supplements. In later years, these people were found to have been putting records of the uses that they had for their herbs.

This was done through the use of clay tablets which were said to be dated to as early as the years 2600 B.C. of which the use of the herbs and remedies the had for certain sicknesses have been found to be in use in most parts of the world today. Egypt is another example of a country which used herbs as supplements. This was a result of finding writings that dated back to millenniums which were written in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Aloe Vera is an example of the seven hundred plus type of herbal supplements that is being used in Egypt during 1500 B.C. and it is still in use today.