Natural Skin Care for the Beauty in You

    Organic skin care is, quite simply, the act of caring for your skin in a natural and chemical-free way. These methods allow your skin to care for itself, without the use of chemical treatments or synthetic materials. Organic skin care is about using sensible hygiene habits as you lead your daily life. In essence, natural skin care methods are no different from those used in general body care.

Let's explore what these natural skin care measures are.

     The first and foremost natural skin care step is: Drink plenty of water. Several glasses of water is needed every day. However, keep in mind that the eight glasses of water "rule" is not based on actual research, and is so often cited that it seems like a fact, but it is not. The amount you need varies in relation to the amount of other sources of water you consume, including vegetables and fruits. Water aids in flushing out the toxins from the body, in a natural manner. It helps in the general upkeep of the body and promotes good health for all organs, not just skin.

     Overall cleanliness is another inexpensive method of natural skin care. Daily bathing, wearing clean clothes and sleeping on a clean mattress/pillow are all factors of general cleanliness. After all, clean skin is the key to keeping the skin problems at bay.

     Regular exercise is the next thing to consider. Exercise increases the circulation of blood that helps in ridding the body of toxins and keeping you healthy. Exercise also helps in decreasing stress, which is the greatest obstacle of good health.

     It's recommended that you follow healthy eating habits and make smart food choices. Certain types of food, such as oily foods, are believed to cause acne. These should be avoided whenever possible. Your diet should include a healthy mix of various foods high in nutritional value. Raw fruits and vegetables are believed to provide freshness to your body and help aid in the removal of toxins.

    Good sleep is beneficial in maintaining good health and overcoming stress. As an organic skin care measure, adequate sleep is helpful in preventing slacking of the skin.

     Help bring out the natural beauty of your skin by reducing your stress levels. Too much stress can lead to overall health and body damage. Some of the natural beauty tips that were mentioned earlier, like drinking water, and getting enough sleep, are also wonderful ways to reduce stress. Other methods include exercising, listening to music, playing sports and exercising. Yoga provides strong anti-stress benefits, and it quickly becoming a popular activity around the world.

    Avoiding unnecessary exposure to the sun (by wearing long sleeved clothes, hat and umbrella) is another natural skin care strategy. Sunscreens are also highly recommended.

    You can find information on many homemade and traditional natural skin care methods and products. These natural, easy-to-use methods are quite effective and are typically inexpensive as well.

     It's also easy to find natural skin care products in the commercial market. There are natural products that include lavender oil, aloe vera and many more organic ingredients. They provide natural beauty without nasty side effects.

Give Your Child A Healthy Start To The New School Year

    The main reason we see thousands of cases of colds and flu throughout children can mostly be attributed to lax hygiene and parents who permit their children to attend school when they are sick. Millions of school attendance days and adult work days are lost each year due to schoolchildren becoming ill. Kids in school can also get and give strep throat, conjunctivitis (pinkeye), and impetigo. Because of the fact that one sick child can easily infect ten or more other children, parents with children who are sick should keep them at home. Sneezing, drooling, or touching an object transfers germs to the next person who picks up or touches that object. To reduce this problem, basic hygiene is needed. Studies have proven that kids catch fewer colds after they are taught to wash their hands regularly and their toys are disinfected three times a week. It is necessary to teach your children to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and then to throw the tissue away and wash his or her hands. Children can also pick up germs by petting a dog or cat, handling dirty underwear, and using public restrooms.

     Hand washing is an important prevention measure in keeping children healthy. The problem in a lot of schools is that they make it difficult for children to wash their hands. Some schools don’t always have paper towels or enough soap available. Because the purpose of school is to learn, there is nothing more important to learn than good hygiene. Regular hand washing is one of the best defenses against the spread of colds and gastrointestinal infections. Therefore, you should teach your children to lather the hands with soap for at least fifteen seconds and dry their hands with a clean towel. It may also be a good idea to provide your child with sanitizing lotion so that he may be able to protect against disease when a bathroom is not accessible.

     When children are eating out or at a mass-prepared school lunch, they should first wash their hands. They should also avoid any raw food that doesn’t look washed such as raw fruits and vegetables. If you are unsure about the drinks that are served, have your child carry his own bottled water.

    In order to best fight back against these germs, you should enhance your child’s immune system by providing adequate nutrition and having your child take a multivitamin and mineral supplement every day. By eating sugar in the form of glucose, fructose, sucrose, honey, and orange juice, your child will significantly reduce his body’s ability to have an effective immune system starting within thirty minutes and lasting several hours. White blood cells will not have the ability to get rid of the bacteria the way they usually do. Food is the greatest challenge facing a child’s immune system. The new U.S. food pyramid suggests that we eat five servings of fresh vegetables daily. Although is sounds easy, only twenty percent of the population actually does this. It’s also very important to get enough protein in the diet along with water intake. It’s best if the 6-10 glasses (depending on the age of the child) does not contain chlorine or fluoride. Dehydration is a big factor in whether the child will stay healthy. Making the simplest changes in your child’s diet and lifestyle will help him or her to greatly reduce the number of illnesses he or she has each year.

Quit Smoking-It's About Time

    If you are not a smoker, it might be hard to understand what it feels like to have cravings. It is hard for a smoker to do simple things like go to the movies, take a road trip, or work a day with out a smoke break. These cravings can take over your life faster than you know. Often the cravings out weigh the health risks associated with smoking.

     Smoking causes health issues, the warnings are all over the place. The cancer risk is labeled on every box, along with the child birth defect warning and on TV there are anti smoking commercials. Non smokers don't understand why someone would start smoking at all, let alone why a smoker can not just quit. As you very well know, it is easier said than done.

     I am guessing this is not your first attempt to quite smoking. It is very common for a smoker to try and fail multiple times before succeeding. Unfortunately, this process can create a learned behavior. The thought is "if I failed once, I will fail again, I will ever quite smoking". This idea can cause self confidence issues making it that much harder to quit.

    Often there are emotional connections or fond memories associated with smoking that people find it difficult to give up. Some people feel, if they quit smoking they have to quit having that happy memory or good feeling, this is not the case but it is a very realistic thought to the smoker.

     Sometimes there are other connections that stand in the way of you and your goal. The connection can simply be a ritual. Every time you eat, go outside, get in the car, or talk on the phone you may have a cigarette. These rituals are learned behaviors and are obstacles that make it difficult for the person to quit.

     Many people fall into the thought that if they quit, they will gain weight. Weight gain can be caused from the same ritual or learned behavior that causes someone to smoke in the first place. People who are quitting might be more nervous from nicotine withdrawals, and therefore eat more or snack. Others might reward themselves with food instead of a cigarette. By learning what the trigger is can help you both quit smoking and not gain weight.

    I am sure you have tried many things such as nicotine gum, the patch, cold turkey or medications. Hypnosis for some is sadly a last resort. Hypnosis can assist you in may ways. Instead of using smoking succession aides, hypnosis deals with the root problem. It allows you to both develop and nurture your ability to quit smoking. It will help with self confidence and weight management also while you are trying to quit. It will also give you positive suggestions to continue to assist you on your path to smoking succession.

     Trying to quit is difficult but it doesn't have to be. Some might feel overwhelmed but you have taken the first step by acknowledging you are ready to quit. You need to decide the best way to deal with your addiction. But remember this, the longer you put it off the harder it will be to quit.

Nature’s Flu And Virus Killers

    As the cold and flu season are quickly approaching, it is important for us to know and understand how viruses affect your body. We should also know the natural precautions that we can take to prevent the misery that accompanies these infections. Viruses, which possess a keen sense of survival, attempts to bypass your body’s immune system by growing in areas where the immune system has no access, mutating to alter their identity which results in a delayed immune response, and causing suppression of the immune system. Some good examples of viruses include HIV and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

     A viral infection can range from the common cold to something as fatal as ebola. However, the most common viral infections are the common cold and influenza. The common cold, rhinovirus, is made up of a single-stranded RNA nucleic acid molecule and is responsible for approximately fifty percent of common colds. It only infects the upper respiratory tract, but once infected our bodies make a specific antibody to avoid being reinfected by this strain of rhinovirus again. Influenza is classified into three categories: A, B, and C. The flu is most commonly caused by Influenza A, which often occurs in epidemics during the late fall and early winter. The most common victims of this viral infection are school children, leaving them ill for approximately forty-eight hours. Acute symptoms of Influenza A, which include chills, fever, headache, a cough, and muscular aches and pains, usually go away within two or three days. Those with chronic pulmonary disease, valvular heart disease, or heart disease are at risk for serious complications caused by this viral infection.

     Thankfully, there are a few medicinal herbs which can assist your immune system, allowing it to fight off unwelcome viruses. Echinacea, astragalus, reishi, lomatium, and licorice root are at the top of the list as the most powerful viral-fighting herbs. Additionally, maitake, elderberry, olive leaf, and St. John’s wort also exhibit great anti-viral actions and help to work against flu viruses. It is recommended that patients use a supplement which blends the following five herbs: Echinacea, lomatium, astragalus, reishi, and licorice root. Echinacea, which is one of the most widely studied herbs, has repeatedly demonstrated that it reduces inflammation and fever while boosting cell production in many studies. Echinacea also contains polysaccharides, which speed up production of interferon, which stops the viral invader from spreading into adjacent cells.

     Lomatium is a modulator of the immune system and a favorite amongst herbalists for colds, the flu, and other viral infections. Astragalus has been shown to boost the immune system and inhibit certain viruses including Coxsackle B virus. Reishi is a reddish-orange type of mushroom that contains polysaccharides with the highest levels of immune-stimulating properties. Studies involving reishi mushrooms conclude it yields good results especially in treating hepatitis and bronchitis. Licorice root, which has been a key ingredient in most Chinese herbal formulas for over 3,000 years, contains glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid which boot production of interferon. It contains active phytochemicals which display antiviral properties that are strong enough to overpower herpes simplex viruses’ type 1 and 2, certain flu viruses, and Epstein-Barr.

Natural Vitamin And Herbal Alternatives For Joint Health

    Joint tissue breaks down and arthritis sets in for a number of reasons, and there are several natural alternatives for joint health that can be use to prevent this and to treat affected joints.

   Thyroid problems can slow down the production of adrenal hormones that are responsible for the production of cortisone and cosrtisol. These are anti-inflammatories, that when unavailable or in low supply can result in joint inflammation. If you suffer joint pain in the mornings that tends to improve as the day goes on, then it is likely that is the cause since adrenal activity can improve as the day progresses.

     One of the main reasons for joint tissue breakdown is osteoarthritis whereby the cartilage wears down until it fails to provide the necessary protection against impact between the bones in a joint, or against the friction generated when two bones rub together. Injuries to joints can have the same effect, whereby an injury to a hip or knee can appear to clear up and then later the cartilage wears out sooner than expected. This can take several months or many years, depending on the severity and nature of the injury concerned.

     Continual wear and tear can also cause joint tissue to break down. Athletes and other sportspersons often suffer twenty years or more after retirement from their sport due to the gradual wearing down of cartilage while they were active. Once they stop, this continues to a lesser extent until the cartilage is eventually worn away sufficiently for it to stop protecting the joint.

     Problems with the auto-immune system can lead to rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation of the joints. This weakens them and can eventually completely destroy the tissue. In such cases the tissues in the joint tend to swell and become extremely painful. Gout can also damage joints, especially in the big toe. This is caused through a built up of needle sharp uric acid crystals. Another cause is a deficiency in sodium and potassium in the diet that are needed to help maintain calcium in solution. When these metals are in deficiency due, for example, to an adrenal problem or some other reason, calcium can deposit right in the joints, causing undue pain.

   Calcium and vitamin D deficiencies are commonly associated with arthritis sufferers, and protein deficiencies are also believed to be a contributing factor of rheumatoid arthritis, and it is also true that degenerative arthritis can accompany rheumatoid arthritis. This occurs in almost 40% of cases, and diet and nutrition are now being recognized as a major cause of both types. Deficiencies in folic acid or its natural form of folate, vitamin E, zinc and selenium have all been associated with degeneration of joint tissue, so it makes sense that a supplement of these substances can help to avoid these conditions.

    Standard medical treatment, however, is for the relief of pain and reduction of inflammation through the prescribing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Typical NSAIDs are aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. Although it relieves pain, paracetamol is not an anti-iflammatory. An alternative to blocking the inflammatory reponse is to help to regenerate the damaged joint tissue.

     However, reducing the inflammatory response to tissue damage does not address the underlying problem, but masks it. Not only that, but there are side effects associated with the use of NSAIDs. Excessive doses can create serious gastrointestinal problems, such as bleeding, ulcer perforation and even death is possible in severe cases. Anti-inflammatories cause gastric problems in up to 20% of cases

    The newer Cox-2 inhibitors act on the enzyme that causes the inflammation within the joint, and while these can be very effective, they are still masking the underlying problem. Incidentally, the Cox-2 inhibitors should not be used with NSAIDs, and both increase the possibility of a myocardial infarction or heart attack. Also, if you are taking aspirin to reduce the risk of heart problems, you should be careful not to use other NSAIDs since they can interfere with the effects of the aspirin.

     More effective in the long run is to treat the conditions with substances that deal with the cause of the problem. Vitamin C, for example, improves the lubrication effect of the synovial fluid in the joints, and vitamin E is a strong antioxidant that can help to repair damaged tissue and improve the circulation within the joints. Joints have very low blood circulation levels, which is a problem when trying to direct drugs to the joint tissues. Vitamin C is also good for improving the integrity of connective tissue. Zinc, manganese and copper are also instrumental in developing strong connective tissue and helping to repair the damage done to the joints.

     Horsetail is a commonly used herbal remedy that can be taken as a tea, tincture or in capsules. It is the richest natural herbal source of silicon, which is used by the body to form connective tissue and collagen. Damaged connective tissue is rapidly repaired by horsetail, and its strength and elasticity significantly improved. It is commonly used in the treatment of arthritis and osteoporosis.

     Cat’s Claw is used for its beneficial effect on the immune system, and frequently used successfully to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. However, this treatment is used more to help reduce the inflammatory effects of the condition than to effect a long lasting cure. Gotu Kola, also called Indian pennywort, is traditionally used for treating arthritis. The fresh leaves are effective in reducing the inflammation and pain, and help to improve the quality of life of arthritis sufferers. In Australia, it is referred to as ‘the arthritis herb’ and two leaves a day are said to be effective.

    Another popular remedy is MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), although it is claimed to provide pain relief rather than a cure. Amino acids also seem to help, and L-cysteine helps promote collagen and connective tissue. It appears to work best when taken in combination with vitamin E and selenium that are powerful antioxidants. L-arginine has a similar effect in the reconstruction of joint tissue, again helping to repair damaged connective tissues.

     There are therefore two approaches to treating both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, one providing pain relief and reducing inflammation, and the other repairing the damage done to the joint tissues. Vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and herbal remedies are used in both, though it is better to use a combination that provides pain relief and also helps to regenerate strong connective tissues in the joints.

     When using combinations of remedies it is important that possible interactions are understood, and you should always seek the advice of your physician when using non-prescription remedies of any kind.

Rebuild Your Physical Body With Holistic Healing & Holistic Health Secrets

    Holistic health is something that can change your life and in many areas. Most people start turning to this type of work because of where their life has taken them or something has gone wrong with their health. Think about why you clicked on reading this article. There are many things that can go wrong but it is working on healing them holistically to enhance our life in all ways.

    Our physical bodies are always telling us in some manner what is good and what is not good for us at any given time. Many people, however, overlook these signs until they are so huge that they are literally staring us in the face screaming on an energetic level "Fix Me!"

    Our symptoms are signs that these things have gotten out of hand. Think about an upset child if you do not pay attention to him, what does he do? His temper tantrums get worse and worse. Well so do our symptoms if we neglect them.

    Energetically our bodies give us these signs on a daily basis; such things as feeling tired, drained, weak, anxious, stressed, and many other warning signs for us to pay attention to. We are constantly running from point A to point B on any given day that we ignore some of the basics that are literally put in front of us until our energy is so drained, weak, and scattered that we turn to medical doctors and then alternative holistic healing for help. Even if you are at this point in your life, there is always hope!

    Paying attention is key and once you can accomplish this you will see that nothing is ever, and I do mean ever, set in stone. You can change your life and in many ways through the power of healing from within and by means of alternative ways.

    Even if you have something that has been in your life for a very long time, you can still change and heal this. Remember nothing is ever set in stone. The wonderful thing though is it all depends on how you want to work with it. But a good rule of thumb the longer you have experienced it the longer it may take to heal.

    You want to really pay attention to the signals and signs you are receiving as these are the biggest keys to your healing process in life and understanding your own energy and physical body. You do not want them to become overwhelmed with negative emotional issues but rather face them head on before they get out of hand.

    You have to remember that nothing is ever to big to conquer, heal, and cure in your life and your energetic and physical body. It is up to you to harness this power, pay attention to the signs, practice, and heal from within. There are many tools you can tap into for this and you can start today healing your own life in so many ways that you will be surprised at how much better you feel after your take the first step!

Cold Turkey Has Proved To Be The Most Successful Way To Stop Smoking Oakland

    There are many options to stop smoking Oakland. You could try NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) with patches and gum, or prescription medication, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, or cutting down gradually. Research has, however, proved that the cold turkey method is the most successful. This involves quitting without any aid whatsoever.

    If someone asks you why you smoke, your answer will probably be the same as all smokers. You will say that it is enjoyable. You may genuinely believe this but, biologically, it is not true. Next to heroin, nicotine is the most addictive substance in the world.

    If a smoker does not maintain a supply of it in the bloodstream, he or she becomes anxious, irritable, and tense. As soon as the nicotine is replenished, these symptoms disappear. Once the craving is satiated, the smoker does indeed feel good again, hence the so-called enjoyment factor.

    For many people, the idea of going cold turkey brings to mind suffering, emotional pain, and desperation. The truth is that it's easier to stop this way than any other technique. There is less suffering and a much shorter withdrawal period. Most importantly, it has shown to have the best chance of long-term success.

    If you decide to go cold turkey, the nicotine content in your system will completely disappear in 2 or 3 days. In this period, you will definitely experience withdrawal and cravings. But, the good news is that the cravings diminish in frequency and intensity as each day passes. The key is to conquer one day at a time and be proud of your efforts.

    After the nicotine has left your body, any cravings that occur are purely psychological. This is due to the fact that your brain has been trained to depend on nicotine. NRT can help, but the day will come when this supply of nicotine will have to end. The same happens if you try to gradually cut down. These techniques can put you into a chronic state of withdrawal because your body is still demanding its fix.

    If you choose to stop smoking Oakland with the cold turkey method, stay away from certain trigger situations. These include drinking coffee, socializing with friends who smoke, and going to bars or clubs. Drink plenty of fresh fruit juice and water to help your system eliminate the nicotine. When experiencing a craving, take some deep breaths and remind yourself that it will pass after a few minutes.