You Can Ignore Most Dietary Advice If You Follow 4 Simple Steps

Are you confused by the often contradictory health and dietary advice you find in the media? One day you read that carrots cause cancer, jaundice, and baldness. Then, a year later a new study comes out saying that if you don't eat a bunch of carrots every day, you'll die an early, painful death. Dr. Joseph Mercola says you can ignore most of the dietary advice you get from conventional channels if you follow four simple steps:

... Folks, whether you live in the US, the UK, or elsewhere, the current madness appears to be Universal... So, what's the answer?

Quite simply, you need to start thinking for yourself, and ignore much, if not most, of the health- and dietary advice you get through the conventional channels. Fortunately, "eating healthy" is actually far easier than most people think. Here's a quick and dirty summary: Read more

5 Natural Remedies for Urinary Infections

Urinary tract infections can be irritating and painful, but medical treatment isn't always necessary. Sometimes, natural remedies can relieve the symptoms.while preventing a more serious infection from setting in.

Home treatment for a urinary tract infection (UTI) is often enough to resolve the problem if the right methods are used consistently. In fact, using natural methods to treat a urinary tract infection at the first sign of symptoms may help prevent a more serious infection from setting in.

Symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Common symptoms of a urinary tract infection include:

- urge to urinate more often
- decreased quantity of urine passed
- pain during and after urination ( usually a burning or stinging sensation)

Symptoms of a serious urinary tract infection include nausea, fever, vomiting and constant pain in the abdominal region. If you experience these serious, please consult a professional.

Natural Home Remedies for a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Read more

Try Probiotics for Your Health!

Many unpleasant health problems can be rectified easily with probiotics, says Margaret Durst.

Acidophilus and other probiotics are familiar to many. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that inhabit our gut. The average healthy person has 4-5 pounds of these critters in their intestinal tract.

The word “probiotic” means “for life”. Probiotics have several functions that enhance our lives and are essential to good health. These include synthesizing vitamins B complex and K, enhancing immune function by crowding out yeast and parasites, producing enzymes, helping regulate blood cholesterol, improving digestion and colon function, and helping to prevent certain types of cancer.

Probiotics are important because many things can upset the delicate balance in our intestinal tract. These include use of antibiotics, steroids, oral contraceptives, radiation, chlorinated water, refined sugar, poor diet, poor digestion, constipation, stress, etc. Read more

10 Home Remedies for Acid Reflux

For fast-acting relief and long-term results, try these home remedies for acid reflux, says Edward Group.

Acid reflux is not a nice feeling. Food and acid splash into the esophagus (the muscular tube that takes food after swallowing into the stomach) causing uncomfortable reactions from belching to heartburn and in some severe cases, chest pains. Some individuals have experienced pain so intense they thought they were having a heart attack.

If a person experiences acid reflux on a regular basis, the acids will irritate the esophagus and this can advance to scarring, ulceration, inflammation and hemorrhaging.

According to authors and doctors F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D., if acid reflux persists for a very long period of time is may even lead to esophageal cancer.

Here are a few of my favorite home remedies for acid reflux: Read more

Artificial Sweeteners Encourage Weight Gain

Artificial sweeteners encourage weight gain nd a host of other health problems, says Joseph Mercola.

... Avoiding sugar is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle, but, instead of consuming a naturally low-sugar diet based on whole foods, some people are still trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Unfortunately, the belief that artificial sweeteners can allow you to have the best of both worlds is simply not based in reality. It's a carefully orchestrated deception. So if you're still consuming artificially sweetened foods, snacks and beverages because you think it'll help you manage your weight, please understand that you've been sorely misled.

In reality, "diet" foods and drinks ruin your body's ability to count calories, thus boosting your inclination to overindulge. This effect appears to be true for all artificial sweeteners.

Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States still recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as acceptable and even preferred alternatives to sugar, which is at best confusing and at worst seriously damaging the health of those who listen to this well-intentioned but foolish advice.

Artificial Sweeteners INCREASE Your Risk of Obesity Read more

A Beginner's Herb Garden

Learn how to keep herb gardening simple with essential plants and containers.

Gardening is a hot topic this week on MDA. Two days ago, Mark gave you the whys – gardening can be therapeutic, it can improve health markers, it can be a great way for people to move frequently at a slow pace, and the list goes on. It's also a great way to save money on organic produce, to maintain a constant (and self-replicating) supply of edible green things, and to get out into the sun. Let's just say that gardening is good for you on multiple levels, and if you've got the space and the time, you should probably give it a shot.

You might recall that in that same post, Mark mentioned his relative lack of horticultural mastery. This is true for me, too, and a lot of you guys out there as well. You might say that this Worker Bee doesn't fly far from the hive. Still, I didn't let that discourage me when the queen (er, king? I'm struggling to maintain the bee metaphor here without tripping over gender issues!) bee tasked me with starting a rudimentary herb garden and then writing about it. Read more

What Toxic Chemicals Have You Used Today?

Margaret Durst says your food, home, and personal care products often contain toxic chemicals that you probably aren't aware of..

Ingredients are important, but many of us are too busy to read the labels. They are important on everything we use from cosmetics, household cleaners, pesticides, drugs, food, water and so on. There are increasing links between the number of toxic chemicals that we take in and the number of health problems we have.

Part of the problem with the level of toxic chemicals we are now exposed to is that they tend to stay in the body. Once these toxins reach a critical mass, they can suppress your immune system and cause disease. Periodic cleansing is an important part of any natural health program, and it is as important to identify toxic chemicals in any products that you are still consuming and / or exposed to.

This is where becoming aware of ingredients matters. We live in a world where most of our food has some level of processing. Most of our cosmetics, shampoos and other toiletries are full of synthetic chemicals. On top of that, we use household cleaners, air fresheners, pesticides and many other products that fill the air we breathe with toxic chemicals. Read more