7 Ways to Prevent Chronic Headaches

Did you know that headaches are one of the leading types of chronic pain? A headache may sound like a fairly minor ailment, but chronic headaches can be debilitating to the people who suffer from them almost every day. Dr. Mark Wiley reveals the "integrated mind-body approach" he devised to relieve his chronic headaches.

... After personally suffering from painful migraines for nearly 30 years, I devised an “integrated mind/body approach” to prevent headaches of all kinds from taking hold in the body. Indeed, the key to ending headache pain is proactive avoidance of its causes rather than reactive treatment of its symptoms.

Major headache triggers include chemicals in food and beverages and even toxins in the body and air, as well as harboring stress and missing sleep. In order to reestablish cellular balance, one must remove the toxins and stressors that tax the body or learn to deal with them in new ways. For most people, this means a major lifestyle change. Here are seven ways to start: Read more

How do you keep your children and yourself from getting sick? Be proactive with Vitamin D, probiotics, and immune boosters, says Margaret Durst.

‘How do I keep my kids from getting sick?’ is a question I get asked a lot this time of year. I think it is an important question for adults as well as kids – especially as we head into the holidays. It always seems to me that some of the worst cold and flu outbreaks occur right after the holidays.

I have several theories. The first is about exchanging bugs (virus and bacteria) with our cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, etc. The second theory is our exposure to extremely rich food, upsetting our digestive tract which holds a significant part of our immunity. The third theory is about cold cloudy days without enough sunlight which reduces our daily vitamin D levels.

I don’t get very concerned about my first theory. It is a necessary part of family life which I wouldn’t want to be without. So see if you can have the biggest Christmas ever and make sure you see everyone you are even remotely kin to. Follow the advice below to keep your immune system tuned up so that the virus and bacteria do not take hold in your system. Read more

How to Avoid Packing on Holiday Pounds

Men's Health magazine's Matt Bean tells how to enjoy holiday eating while avoiding packing on the pounds.

It's easy to gain weight during the holidays, at all those parties and big dinners.

But, says Men's Health magazine Senior Editor Matt Bean, you can enjoy yourself without expanding your waistline by eating right. You just have to know what to eat, and what not to.

Men's Health is out with a book called "Eat This, Not That," a guide to the good and bad foods in your life, geared toward helping you make smart food choices all year. And Bean says the holiday season is a case in point. Read more

4 Myths about Arthritis

There are many misconceptions that surround arthritis. Learn the difference between the facts and the myths about arthritis.

A common misconception about arthritis is that it is an inevitable part of ageing. In fact, while osteoarthritis (OA) - the most common form of the disease - does tend to affect older people, it is not caused by ageing and it does not affect everyone. And there are increasing numbers of younger sufferers.

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Here, Philip Conaghan, professor of musculoskeletal medicine at the University of Leeds, debunks myths about the condition. Read more

Sage: The Natural Antiseptic

Do you need an antiseptic around the home but are loathe to use potent antiseptic agents? Sage is an extremely effective natural antiseptic that can be used to treat a number of conditions.

Sage is found in most kitchens as it is a favorite herb especially when cooking poultry.

It is a useful herb that not only adds aroma and flavor to your food but is also of medicinal use.

It has been used since the ancient times as an antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, astringent and anti-ageing herb.

Sage is a natural antiseptic herb that can be used to treat a number of conditions. Read more

Have a Healthy, Herbal Christmas

Victoria Lambert reveals the medicinal properties of ten seasonal plants.

From the holly and the ivy to mistletoe and myrrh, it wouldn't be the festive season without traditional plants. But increasingly doctors think they could offer practical benefits year round.

James Wong, an ethnobotanist and presenter of this week's festive edition of BBC Two's Grow Your Own Drugs, says: "The natural benefits of our favourite Christmas plants are being uncovered all the time. But we can learn a lot from the past, too. Cherokee Indians, for instance, used to drink an infusion of spruce needles to help them stave off scurvy and keep the airways open."

However, you need to be careful when building a festive apothecary – mistletoe, for instance, is highly poisonous to humans. "You might want to stick to mince pies," says Wong. "You can't go far wrong with a dose of nutmeg and cinnamon." Read more

A Glass or Two of Champagne Really Does Lift the Heart

Champagne made with black grapes shares the benefits of red wine for heart and blood circulation, scientists have found.

Fizz made with black grapes shares benefits of red wine for heart and blood circulation, scientists find


Scientists are delivering some unexpected cheer this Christmas. They have found that a couple of glasses of champagne a day are good for your heart and blood circulation.

Nor, they believe, are the benefits limited to expensive fizz: cheaper alternatives such as cava and prosecco may offer similar effects. Read more

Homeopathy: Nanopharmacology at Its Best

Homeopathy is a 200-year-old medical system whose theories conflict with those of regular medicine. Patients are treated with tinctures that carry an "energetic imprint" of substances that provoke the very symptoms they're suffering from. The rising profile of homeopathy has produced something of a dilemma in the world of medicine: how does homeopathic medicine work?

It is commonly assumed that homeopathic medicines are composed of extremely small doses of medicinal substances. And yet, does anyone refer to an atomic bomb as an extremely small dose of a bomb? In actual fact, there is a power, a very real power, in having atoms smash against each other.

Homeopathic medicines are made through a specific pharmacological process of dilution and vigorous shaking. However, when skeptics say that there is nothing but water in homeopathic medicine, they are proving their ignorance, despite the incredible arrogance in which they make these assertions. Dr. Martin Chaplin, a respected British professor who is one of the world's experts on water, has verified that "homeopathic water" and "regular water" are not the same, and his review of almost 2,000 references to the scientific literature on water (!) confirm this fact (Chaplin, 2009). Read more

7 Herbs and Spices That Warm You Up

If it's cold where you live, herbalist Brigitte Mars says you might want to increase your intake of foods that warm you up.

When cold weather strikes a chilling blow, it makes sense to consume healthy, warming, concentrated foods. Dark orange vegetables such as sweet potatoes, winter squash, and carrots provide immune nourishing beta-carotene and the warmth of the orange ray.

Grounding roots (especially those that grow in cold climates) such as onions, rutabagas and turnips can help one better acclimate to the seasons. Other warming foods include arugula, mustard greens, and watercress. Nuts, seeds, and their butters make excellent warming and insulating snacks. Icy cold drinks can cool you quick. If consuming food from the refrigerator, take the item out and allow it to get to room temperature before eating.

The flavor associated with winter is salty and rather than relying on table salt, learn to enjoy the wonderful mineral rich seaweeds such as kelp, nori, hiziki, and dulse which can be used to season food. Celtic or Himalayan salt contain more minerals, as indicated by their colors. Black colored foods such as black sesame seeds, uncured black olives, and chia seeds make wonderful warming winter condiments.

Culinary herbs that help us feel warmer and improve circulation include: Read more

Eat Your Way to a Healthy Immune System

If you trust natural remedies more than you do flu vaccines, Dr. Joseph Mercola's list of the twelve best foods you can eat to protect yourself from the flu is a good place to start.

The 2009 flu season is upon us.

Staying well while those around you sniffle and sneeze requires that you extract as much nutrition from your diet as you can, loading up on the foods that pack the biggest nutritional punch.

Avoiding processed foods, grains and sugar will go a long way toward strengthening your immune system. However, you can do even more by selecting foods that are loaded with specific immune boosting nutrients.

Eating a diet rich in the following foods will be far better for your health than loading up on handfuls of supplements, or worse yet, falling victim to vaccines that expose you to health risks far worse than influenza.

Below, I have outlined what I consider to be the absolute best foods you can eat to help protect yourself this season, although the list is certainly not exhaustive. Read more

Natural Flu Fighters - Oranges, Lemons, Black Cumin, Honey

Distrustful of swine flu vaccine, many go for herbal remedies instead, such as oranges, lemons, black cumin, and honey.

Fears both about swine flu and the safety of the vaccine against it have sent Saudi housewives rushing back to traditional remedies in the hope of protecting their families. Sales of oranges, lemons and especially black cumin and honey have risen as a result. It is believed that these items, consumed daily, can strengthen the body’s immunity and protect against the H1N1 virus.

“I force my children to drink lemon and honey every day so that they do not get infected with swine flu. It has really frightened us,” said Manal Saeed, a teacher.

A firm believer in alternative remedies, she said mixing these natural herbs with fruits and honey was better than medicines that might weaken the body. Read more

Does an Onion a Day Keep the Common Cold Away?

Balkan Insight surveys the natural remedies used in the Balkans, especially those used to prevent or cure colds and flu.

Some put their faith in the hands of the medical profession, others, it seems prefer more natural remedies.

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Garlic and onion, along with the ultimate Serbian cure, sljivovica, many in the market told us, would make us untouchable by the virus - if I consumed them every day.
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10 Health Benefits of Vinegar

Learn the amazing health benefits of vinegar and the best ways to use it to treat ailments and improve your health.

Many of us are aware of the many ways that vinegar can clean just about anything, from your windows to the outflow pipes of your air conditioner. However, how many of us realize the health benefits of vinegar?

Fifty years ago, a daily dose of an apple cider vinegar and honey tonic was used to ease arthritis pain. During the last thirty years or so when many "wonder" drugs came on the market, they replaced many of the home made remedies
of our grandmothers. As we keep exploring ways for improve health, we are starting to see some medical professionals supporting those old time cures of the past. This is not to say, we should get rid of drugs, but at least, they are qualifying what our grandmothers always knew. And if I have any choices in my life, it will be to go as natural as possible with my health.

Vinegar is a weak acid. History goes back to Hippocrates' time when it was used as a medicine and antiseptic. Here are some areas that can help you by using vinegar in your health. Read more