Archive for March, 2009

Bursitis Causes and Remedies

March 31, 2009 at 6:13 am · Filed under Remedies ·Tagged , ,

Bursitis is a condition in which a person suffers pain in the body joints, which hampers normal movement. The disease derives its name from “bursa”, which is the technical name for the sacs filled with a lubricating fluid that ensures easy bodily movement. When these sacs swell up, friction occurs between the bones and the tendons at the joints, causing mild to severe pain and hampering movement. Sometimes, the pain is accompanied by stiffness in the joints and redness and a burning sensation on surface of the affected area. Normal wear and tear of bone tissue, as well as related bone ailments like arthritis and gout, can cause bursitis. Bursitis mostly affects ankles, knees, hips and shoulders.

Bursitis Remedies

A few simple dietary measures may be adopted to prevent bursitis. It is primarily because of the lack of calcium and magnesium in the diet that bones weaken and lead to joint pains. Thus, eating food rich in these essential nutrients, like raw, leafy vegetables, and milk and milk products, is an effective way of countering bursitis. Drinking a glass of water mixed with apple cider vinegar and honey every morning also helps. You could also soak some mashed potato in a bowl of water overnight, and drink the strained water the next morning on an empty stomach. This supplies vitamin B12 to the body, which plays a crucial role in reducing swelling and pain in joints. Applying an ice pack on the affected region three to four times a day helps reduce inflammation. A mixture of cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar can also be used for external application. Massaging the joints with warm olive oil or with sandalwood paste are other popular remedies for joint pains. Adding lavender oil to your bath water is also known to help. Using turmeric powder in cooked food is also supposed to lessen joint-ache. Vitamin C aids the body in recovering from injury and is therefore especially helpful in healing weak and corroded joints. Drinking a glass of orange juice is a simple way of nourishing the body with this essential vitamin. Pineapple contains an enzyme that helps relieve pain and reduce inflammation, so drink a glass of its juice every day. Drinking sea water also helps, but only if you do not have high blood pressure.

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Home Remedies for Halitosis (Bad Breath)

March 31, 2009 at 6:00 am · Filed under Remedies ·Tagged , , ,

Halitosis is the technical name for the very common problem of foul breath. The most common causes for bad breath are gum and tooth decay. The formation of pus in oral abscesses can lend your breath a bad odor. It is because germs and bacteria breed in these oral cavities that they give out a foul smell. It is important, therefore, to maintain proper oral hygiene in order to prevent halitosis. Washing the mouth properly after every meal and brushing the teeth at least twice a day minimize the chance of oral infections and decay. Sometimes, diseases like diabetes, chronic gastritis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, problems relating to digestion, and infections in the nasal and throat cavity may also cause halitosis. Sudden changes in diet and fasting are some of the other causes of bad breath.

Remedy for Bad Breath

There are several useful home remedies to counter bad breath. Put some fenugreek seeds in a glass of water and heat it slowly over a low flame for about 15 minutes. Then strain the residue away and drink the liquid extract. Using avocado solution as a mouthwash effectively remedies bad breath as it is a natural disinfectant and kills bacteria responsible for the decay of food particles inside the mouth. Fruits and raw vegetables are extremely helpful in preventing bad breath, especially when their juices are consumed on a daily basis. Boil two cups of water in a pan, then add to it a good amount of roughly chopped parsley leaves, a couple of whole cloves and a pinch of ground cloves. Keep stirring this mixture while it cools and then strain it through a fine sieve. Use this solution as a mouthwash thrice a day to get rid of foul breath. Raw guava is a rich source of chemical acids and minerals that strengthen the gums and the teeth and cure oral infections, thereby curing halitosis. Chewing guava leaves also stops bleeding from gums and teeth and helps prevent mouth odor. Moreover, eating an apple or a guava after every meal is an easy and effective way of dislodging food particles from the corners and cavities of the teeth, which is essential to keeping the mouth free of germs and harmful bacteria. Using the twig of a margosa tree as a toothbrush is also a useful natural means of keeping the teeth clean. Besides these, non-vegetarian food, and food rich in carbohydrates and sugar should be replaced with nuts, whole grains, fresh salads and plenty of water.

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Canker Sores Remedies

March 26, 2009 at 10:20 am · Filed under Remedies ·Tagged , , ,

When you have canker sores, you will notice that you have small boils around your mouth and sometimes even on your lip. A canker sore starts as a tingling sensation that you may experience around your mouth. It is only after this that the first little bumps appear. These can only be felt as small bumps. In a day or so they grow bigger and change color. They may either become white or reddish white. You become truly conscious of them because they hurt when any particle of food touches his lips. Although canker sores can affect almost any body, you will find that more women are likely to suffer from canker sores than men. Canker sores could be caused due to stress that you may be felling, or else malnutrition. Women also develop these in keeping with their menstrual cycle.

Remedies for Canker Sores

  • An easy remedy involves mixing a pinch of baking powder with some water and dabbing at the sores.
  • Some people find that a certain ingredient in toothpastes, known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate actually causes the development of the sores. If you suffer from canker sores on a regular basis, then should consider changing your toothpaste.
  • You may also find that canker sores actually develop n reaction to some allergy that you are suffering from. You should keep a note of what you eat, especially during the time when the sores appear.  You should also avoid eating food that is spicy since this could be the reason for your canker sores.
  • In addition to this you should also drink lots more water. This will help the pain come down.
  • You can also use a used tea bag on your canker sores. This will help reduce the pain.
  • If the canker sores hurt very badly you can tie up a handful of ice cubes in a handkerchief and hold it against the sores. This will give immediate relief.
  • You can also try and effective and painless remedy. Slit the leaf of an Aloe Vera plant and extract the sap. Mix this with water and use this to rinse your mouth out during the day. You will find that the canker sores have disappeared.
  • You will find that applying a raw onion to the canker sores can reduce the intensity of the sores.
  • Sucking on and chewing on papaya tablets too will help reduce the canker sores.
  • You can use fresh plum juice as a remedy to the canker sores. You can simply rinse out your mouth with fresh plum juice.

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Edema Remedies

March 26, 2009 at 10:01 am · Filed under Remedies ·Tagged , , ,

Edema is basically the swelling of parts of your body due to the retention of fluids. Edema is usually noticed to have affected the lower part of your body and can make your feet feel heavy. When you have edema you find that any injuries that you may sustain take a long time to heal. When your body is retaining fluid you will also find that when you poke a finger in your skin, it leaves behind a mark which takes time to fill up. In addition to this you find that it affects the circulation of blood and makes it easier for you to develop infections of various types. You should remember that when you are suffering from water retention in your body, this itself is not the disease. This is an indication of something that is seriously wrong with you. Edema is therefore, not an illness; rather it is a symptom of an illness.

Natural Remedies for Edema

Hot mustard oil is one of the most effective cures for water retention in your body. You can warm the mustard oil and then, using your fingers, you can massage it onto your legs. Similarly, if you soak two teaspoons of mustard seeds and leave it out for some time, this can become a very effective remedy. The water in which the seeds have been soaked is used to massage the affected area. You can also use apple cider vinegar to massage the legs. Apple cider vinegar actually helps to remove all the water that has become lodged into all the nooks and crannies in the body.   You should also cut down on smoking and can even consider giving it up altogether. You should also make sure that your intake of alcohol is also reduced and controlled. You should eat food that does not have a high content of salt added to it. You will find that raising your feet to a height grater than your own, when you are sitting, helps reduce the swelling. You should also excise regularly since it has been found that doing this makes you sweat. Sweating not only helps your body get rid of water but also salt. Swimming is actually an excellent remedy for this since the pressure of the water on you body will force the excess water out of the body. You will find that rather than drinking normal tea, you should move to herbal tea since these are healthier than normal tea.

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Colitis – Causes and Prevention

March 26, 2009 at 9:29 am · Filed under Symptoms and Causes ·Tagged , ,

Colitis, the inflammation of the colon, can be traced to various reasons – from infection, to poor supply of blood or even to autoimmune reactions. Our colon, that is the large intestine, collects and stories the waste products after digestions. The colon is a long tube which pushes the food that remains undigested towards the anus from where it emerges as a bowel movement. Various illness or infections can cause Colitis. One of the most common of these is food poisoning, caused by various bacteria. When you suffer from these you have diarrhea and suffer dehydration. Another type of colitis, Pseudomembranous Colitis is caused when people have been taking antibiotics for some infection. It is the antibiotic that changes the normal bacteria in the colon and actually allows a certain bacteria to over grow. It is this bacterium that produces a toxin which causes diarrhea. When you suffer from this condition, you will have an infection and a fever though the diarrhea is not usually bloody.

Colitis Prevention

The easiest way to stay clear of Colitis is by ensuring that you don’t get any infection. For this you should eat food that has been cooked in clean surroundings. Don’t eat food that has been cooked outside. If you have to eat out, select a place that is clean. Avoid eateries which are by the side of the road since they could be polluted because of the location in which the food is cooked. Cook your own food at home and take special care with hygiene. Always wash your hands with soap before you begin cooking or eating. You should also wash all the vegetables and other things that you will need. Always wash every thing before you use it – knives, plate, and cutting board. You should not eat salads that have been cut some time before and left out. Drinking two cups of Aloe Vera juice everyday helps reduce your infection. You will also find that chopping cabbage and eating that raw and drinking cabbage juice can help reduce your problems. You should also drink vegetable juices of all kinds. Avoid eating processed food and when you are suffering from an attack, you should stay away from milk and milk products. Food items that contain white flour should also be strictly avoided. You will find that drinking more water will keep you from becoming dehydrated. Also, you should drink the milk of coconut.

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Gall Bladder Problem Symptoms

March 25, 2009 at 11:40 am · Filed under Symptoms and Causes ·Tagged , , ,

Our gall bladder is a small organ. It is located beneath that liver in our body. The role of the gall bladder is to act as a storehouse of bile. Bile is absolutely essential in the digestion of the fats in our body.  As with any other part of the human body, the gall bladder too has its shares of problems. The possible problems that you could face with your gall bladder is the production of gallstones, or an infection or even an inflammation of the gall bladder. The gall stones that develop are made of the crystallized cholesterol. This, in combination with bile acts as an obstruction to the passage of the bile. When a bile duct is blocked due to the gall stone, it can cause you to experience symptoms of nausea and vomiting. You may also experience a severe pain in the upper right section of your abdomen. When this happens your gall bladder is inflamed.  An inflamed gall bladder requires immediate attention since it could even cause a threat to your life.

Gall Bladder Diet

If you do not wish to suffer from the discomfort caused by an inflammation of the gall bladder, you should ensure that your liver and your colon are healthy. These two organs should remain free from any health problems if you want your gall bladder to function properly. The easiest thing that you can do in order to ensure that your gall bladder is healthy and functions properly, is to follow some simple points. For one thing, you should ensure that you don’t over eat. When you over eat, you have a tendency to put on weight. This can lead to obesity. Obesity actually causes a strain on the digestive system in our body. Also, a link has been found between obesity and gall bladder troubles. One of the easiest ways to avoid over eating is to eat raw fruits and vegetables. In attention to the advantage of ensuring that you don’t gain wait, you will find that raw food items contain an enzyme which actually help you to digest your food. This reduces the pressure of the organs which would otherwise have been involved in the process of digesting. You should stop eating processed food items. You should also stop eating fried food which is high in fat. It has often been observed that gall bladder attacks come soon after you have eaten such fatty food. When you eat processed food, they overwork your liver and gall bladder. eating food that has been cooked in a healthy manner by steaming instead of frying, should be eaten regularly. You should avoid eating too much butter or oil. The food you eat should actually help you cleanse your liver. You should drink apple juice, pear juice and beet juice, which are all helpful in cleansing the liver.

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What causes Kidney Stones

March 25, 2009 at 10:58 am · Filed under Symptoms and Causes ·Tagged ,

The role of the kidney in our body is that of a filter. It actually removes the waste products from our body and also helps to keep a check on the levels of the chemicals that are essential for the functioning of our body. The urine goes from our kidney into the bladder. It passes through a narrow tube called ureter. When the bladder gets filled up we experience an urge to urinate. When this happens the bladder is emptied via the urethra which is a tube that is much larger in size than the ureter. In the case of some people the urine chemicals actually begin to crystallize. This is the beginning of a kidney stone. When the chemicals begin crystallizing and the stones are first formed, they are very small. However, these can grow from the size of a grain of sand to become as large as a coin. If the stone is in the kidney, it does not cause any trouble to the person who has it. However, when it falls into the ureter it dams up the small tube. Our kidney continues to make urine which continues to empty through the ureter into the bladder. This naturally enough causes pressure which can cause pain. However, it is only when you drink a lot of water and ensure that you urinate frequently that the kidney stone is actually pushed out of the ureter, thus relieving you of your pain.

Causes of Kidney Stones

There is no one accepted reason for the development of kidney stones. However, heredity could be one important reason to account for the development of kidney stones. It has also been found that people living in certain geographical locations around the world are more likely to develop kidney stones than people in other areas. This is possibly linked to the climate and it has been found that people who live in hot climates are more likely to develop kidney stones. This could be because the heat causes dehydration, which in turn causes the urine to become concentrated, so that the chemicals begin forming the stone. Diet is one of the most important reasons for the development of the kidney stone. If a person is susceptible to the development of kidney stones, then a diet that is rich in calcium can cause a stone to form in the kidney. People who eat medicate of certain kinds – medicine which are high in calcium, are more likely to be in danger of stones forming.

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Causes and Diet for Gastritis

March 18, 2009 at 10:07 am · Filed under Symptoms and Causes ·Tagged , ,

As the adage goes, everything that tastes good is bad for you, especially so with junk food, sweets, oily foods, caffeine and alcohol. It’s all bad because it’s harmful, particularly for a gastritis patient, as these foods are major contributing factors to gastritis, a painful problem that causes great discomfort and pain in your stomach. Couple that with irregular and excessive eating and it will inflame the lining of the stomach; in other words, cause gastritis. Common indications of gastritis include a loss of appetite, vomiting and nausea, headache and dizziness, with pain in the region of your stomach. Other than these very obvious symptoms, you may have other symptoms like bad breath, coated tongue and bad taste in the mouth, saliva overflow, insufficient urination and even depression. If the problem is chronic, people experience heartburn and fullness in the abdomen, especially after meals. If you avoid spicy and rich food, caffeine, alcohol, sweets, carbonated water, and pastries among others, you’ll never face the problem. However, even if you do suffer from the problem, you can solve it without having to take antacids, but with dietary alteration. Stop eating spicy, rich and sugary food to begin with. Have lots of water, but never along with meals because it dilutes the digestive juices and the process of digestion becomes slow. Don’t lie down or go to bed for at least two hours after dinner.

Diet for Gastritis

If the condition of gastritis is acute, one can go on a fast for two or three days and drink only warm water during this period. This will detoxify the body, and give relief to the stomach, which in turn will reduce the inflammation. You can skip this step if the condition is not that severe and start an all-fruit diet for three days, consuming only juicy fruits like melons, grapes, apples, pears, pineapple, oranges and peaches. Curd and cottage cheese are highly recommended if you have a gastritis problem. After the all fruit diet stage, start a balanced diet consisting of whole grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables, and fruits. Rice gruel is one of the easiest and best home remedy for gastritis. Patient can take 1-2 bowls of it 2 times a day. If the gastritis is severe, this gruel can be taken in a larger quantity. Rice gruel plays an important role in the formation of gastric juice. Before each meal, take half a cup of raw potato juice, which has medicinal properties. Drinking milk and honey in the morning also helps, as does tender coconut, which cools down body temperature, helps in digestion and is rich in minerals and vitamins.

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Natural Remedies for Chicken pox

March 18, 2009 at 9:59 am · Filed under Remedies, Symptoms and Causes ·Tagged , ,

Chicken pox, medically termed varicella, is one of those things that afflict us at least once in our lifetime. Children below 10 years of age are more prone to getting chicken pox, especially because of constant wrong feeding which weakens the immune system. Though it affects almost every one of us, it’s more likely to afflict those with a weak immune system, especially if one comes in contact with someone else’s infection, either by touching the fluid oozing from their blisters or using their clothes and towels. The first symptom of chicken pox is mild temperature, headache and weakness. Two days later, red blisters develop mostly on chest and upper back and then they break into scabs, which eventually fall off. It takes about 2-3 weeks to get rid of chicken pox completely. The biggest problem with chicken pox is the itching that follows. Especially when it affects children, they find it difficult to resist scratching, which may result in serious infections. If you have an infection, eat healthy to make your immune system strong. For the first three days, one can consume only fruit juices and vegetable juices (especially lemon juice) or go on an all fruit and vegetable diet for a few days.

Natural Remedies for Chicken pox

There are many natural remedies to relieve the irritation that chicken pox causes. Baking soda and water is one of them. If you mix half teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and give the infected person a sponge bath with this mix, it will dry the scabs quicker and decrease the itching. Similarly, water drained from cooking green peas can be used for a sponge bath to make the scabs and scars disappear. Pure honey when applied on the scars will get rid of them within three days. Applying Vitamin E oil on the scars also makes them disappear very easily. You can also bring comfort to your skin and get rid of itching by adding half a cup of brown vinegar mixed in bath water. Oatmeal bath is also another good remedy. For this, boil two cups of oatmeal in two liters of water for 15 minutes. Put the mixture into a cotton bag, tie the mouth and dip into the bathtub and have your child bathe in it. The oatmeal seeping into the water will bring relief when in contact with the skin. You can also have the infected person relax in the night by giving him herbal tea containing chamomile, cinnamon, basil, honey, and lemon. Lukewarm water mixed with margosa leaves also give relief.

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Tips to Ease Nausea during Pregnancy

March 18, 2009 at 9:42 am · Filed under Remedies ·Tagged ,

Usually we are at our freshest best in the morning. But the case with pregnant women is exactly the opposite. Especially in the first half of pregnancy, women feel nauseated and sick and often throw up too. There is no real explanation for this except for hormonal changes. And it’s wrong to think that there is no cure for morning sickness or nausea through the day.

Tips to Ease Nausea

Follow some easy tips to get through a pregnancy with relative ease.

  • Don’t get out of bed immediately after you wake up because nausea is triggered by a sudden change from horizontal to vertical position.
  • You can eat a whole wheat cracker or some such light snack, while still in bed.
  • To beat nausea through the day, eat a little food every two or three hours even if don’t feel hungry. You can nibble on a few potato chips, rusks, crackers or toasted bread.
  • Consume ample amount of liquids, like 10 to 12 glasses of water, fruit juice or herbal tea. Citrus fruits are a good cure for nausea, so adding a slice of lemon to the water or herbal tea will tackle nausea.
  • Eat melons, carrots, grapes, apples, pears and such fruits that have high water content. This will prevent dehydration and constipation.
  • Ginger is known to reduce nausea because of the chemicals gingerols and shogaols that calm down the intestinal tract, ridding one of nausea and vomiting. You can have ginger tea, pure ginger ale or ginger tablets. But, there are many health care practitioners who are skeptical about the use of ginger; so it would be best if you consulted your doctor first.

Apart from these, take a few precautions to ease nausea. Getting some rest through your day, lying down with a pillow under your head and legs will relieve nausea. Avoid jerky movements and move about slowly. Sit down after meals so that gravity can keep the food in your stomach and avoid nausea. The sense of smell is heightened during pregnancy. So smells that usually don’t bother may make a pregnant woman throw up. Smells that make you feel sick should be avoided. You can also smell a sliced lemon or lavender, which is known to please the olfactory sense. Before sleeping at night and if you wake up later, having a snack such like sandwich, curd, bread or milk as this will reduce the nausea in the morning. Follow all these and it will not only make you feel a lot less nauseous but also will be good for your baby.

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