Herbal Food Supplements

Are you Making Mistakes with Herbal Remedies? Pt 6

When it comes to taking herbs, you may actually be unwittingly making a mistake that could potentially harm your health. Here is a look at one of the biggest mistakes that you could be making when it comes to taking herbs.

Are you making sure that you are taking your herbal supplements every single day, or otherwise on a consistent basis?

It is vitally important that you take your herbs and your supplements regularly as is recommended by the manufacturer in order for you to assess if they are actually working for you or not. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they begin to take an herb or a supplement, then they skip a day, and then they skip two days, and then after a while they believe that they have not seen any improvement and so they either stop taking the supplement all together, or they add other supplements in because they believe the first one was not working.

The fact of the matter is, you have to be consistent in taking your herbal remedies and supplements in order to tell whether or not they are actually working for you. One of the best ways that you can achieve this is by purchasing a daily pill organizer so that you can tell whether or not you have taken your supplement for the day. This will ensure that you stay on track. Keeping a pill organizer within reach will ensure that you really, truly benefit from the vitamins and supplements that you buy.

Filed Under: Herbal Food Supplements, Traditional Medicine Tagged With: Herb, Herbalism, Shopping

Are you Making Mistakes with Herbal Remedies? Pt 5

Are you being honest with your doctor about the herbs and the supplements that you are taking? One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they take supplements and herbs directly before or directly after having surgery without telling the surgeon about them. Your surgeon absolutely has to know about any herbs and any supplements that you are taking in order to prevent any complications from occurring. These types of herbs and supplements can actually interact with your anaesthetic, and it could potentially cause an excessive amount of bleeding.

There are certain herbs and supplements that you are simply going to want to stop taking at least two to three weeks before your surgery, including the following: Vitamin E, valerian root, licorice, St John’s Wort, kava kava, chamomile, goldenseal, ephedra, ma huang, feverfew, danshen, omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, flax seed oil, saw palmetto, coenzyme q10, glucosamine, ginger, chondroitin, ginseng, ginkgo and garlic.

Above all else, it is vitally important that your physician always know what you are taking in terms of herbs and supplements so that he or she can help you choose the right treatments and the right medications accordingly. It is important always to be honest with your physician about what you are taking to ensure that you are always in good health.

Filed Under: Herbal Food Supplements, Traditional Medicine Tagged With: Herb, Herbal Remedies, St John's wort

Are you Making Mistakes with Herbal Remedies? Pt 4

One of the biggest mistakes that you can make pertaining to herbs and herbal remedies is taking dieter’s teas and herbal laxatives thinking that it is going to induce regularity in your bowel movements. The herbs that are found in products such as these are known as anthranoid laxatives, and they include buckthorn, senna, aloe, rhubarb and cascara sagrada.

People that use these products can actually become unnecessarily dependent, and may end up using them for days, weeks, months or years longer than they are supposed to. Stimulant laxative chemicals like senna should never be used for a period longer than a week, unless you have express permission from your physician or some other licensed health care provider. When you use products such as these for an extended period of time, then it may cause your bowels to have difficulty moving all on their own. People who have taken these laxatives for too long a period of time have ended up with chronic diarrhea issues along with irregular heart rhythms, muscle weakness, liver impairment and kidney impairment.

Make sure that you talk with your primary health care provider about being able to wean off of laxatives in a gradual manner so that you can recover your normal bowel function again. The big key here is going to be to go about the process slowly, typically combined with taking a fiber supplement and making sure that you also get enough fluids as well.

Filed Under: Herbal Food Supplements, Traditional Medicine Tagged With: Health, Herb, Herbalism, Intestine

Are you Making Mistakes with Herbal Remedies? Pt 3

There are herbs, drugs and supplements that when you decide to take them together, you may actually be putting yourself at risk of bleeding. Certain types of medications known as anticoagulant drugs like warfarin and aspirin are blood thinners. What this means is that they are designed to keep blood clots from forming inside of your arteries. Their purpose is to reduce the risk for developing heart disease or a stroke. However, it is vitally important that you understand that when you combine these medications with supplements and herbs that are also capable of promoting the anticoagulant effect, then you can significantly increase the risk of bleeding and causing serious harm to your body.

Some of these herbs and supplements include willow bark, fish oil, dong quai, devil’s claw, goji, saw palmetto, ginseng, gingko, ginger, garlic, feverfew, danshen, coenzyme q10, chamomile and aloe vera. While these are all natural supplements that are generally healthy for you, they can cause a bad reaction when mixed with anticoagulant drugs. If you happen to be taking more than one of the aforementioned herbs, or if you are taking an anticoagulant drug, then you are going to want to consult your physician so that you can determine the best course of action from here on out. Make sure that your physician always knows what herbal remedies you are taking when a new medication is prescribed in order to ensure your good health.

Filed Under: Herbal Food Supplements, Traditional Medicine Tagged With: Health, Herb, Herbalism

Are you Making Mistakes with Herbal Remedies? pt 2

Are you Making Mistakes with Herbal Remedies?

Are you turning to natural products like herbs in order to boost your energy “naturally” because you are feeling tired all the time?

If you are feeling weary, tired or completely lacking energy on a constant basis, then you should visit your primary care physician rather than just attempting to mask the symptoms with a trip to your local health food store. Although supplements and good diet can be beneficial in some circumstances, your absolute first step is going to need to be to ensure that the cause of your fatigue is not some kind of underlying condition. There are actually a number of different conditions that are capable of presenting themselves in this manner, including depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleeping disorders like obstructive sleep apnea, asthma and anemia. It is important that you rule all of things out before trying to change your situation using herbal remedies and other health supplements.

Fatigue is also a symptom of a number of other conditions including some infectious diseases, diabetes, heart failure, liver disease, kidney disease, Addison’s disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, malnutrition and a side effect from taking certain medications. As such, it is important that you go and visit your primary health care provider first. Your physician will ask you some questions, ensuring that the right examination and tests are done so that these conditions can be ruled out and you can figure out what is actually causing the tired feelings.

Filed Under: Herbal Food Supplements, Traditional Medicine Tagged With: Chronic fatigue syndrome, Herbalism, Sleep disorder

The Social Evolution of Cialis

Sometimes a drug is just a drug. Amoxicillin, for instance, has aided people in fighting infection for years, but it’s effects don’t normally translate beyond the individual and the infection itself. However, there are some drugs, like Cialis, that have a long lasting effect on the patient and have had an effect on society as a whole.

For years men have had problems in the bedroom. Whether it be health related, or stress related, there are plenty of people who have found it hard to perform and it has impacted them physically as well as emotionally. While there is no reason to be ashamed of these problems there has long been a stigma that has left men feeling embarrassed. Cialis has done so much to change the perception of men who have erectile dysfunction.

Cialis was a breakthrough medically before it was anything else. The drug, by increasing blood flow to the penis, has allowed for men to achieve erection and maintain it throughout sexual activity. With many insurance companies paying for it there is a growing number of men who are having the kind of sex life they deserve and are no longer having to deal with the shame of having ED.

But Cialis has been far more revolutionary than just helping in the bedroom. Cialis has done it’s job to erase the social stigma that comes with having ED. Where men were embarrassed to admit their lack of performance in the bedroom they are now able to proudly admit that they are not alone. There are now millions of men who share the same struggles and take the same drug. This makes it feel like it’s not about their manhood but rather about science and health. There is an overwhelming sense of relief these men feel that they can buy Cialis online, admit they have a problem and get the help that they need.

Filed Under: Healthy Tips, Herbal Food Supplements Tagged With: Erectile dysfunction, Men's Health, Tadalafil

Fasting for Health

Fasting is an effective way to cleanse and purify the body. This process also helps to center the mind and body. Fasting provides the opportunity for the digestive system to rest which will provide energy to the body that would normally be used to absorb and process food. Individuals who practice fasting report that the process clears the mind and provides a centered feeling that allows free concentration and meditation. A significant amount of self control is required of those who choose to fast. The act of fasting should only be used to cleanse the body. The results will include a restoration of balance within the individual.

A fast normally lasts between one and three days. The one day fast may provide rest for the digestive system but will not provide a total detoxification. Prior to beginning a fast the body should be prepared by simplifying the diet. Normal meals should be replaced with a lite diet. On fasting days solid food should be eliminated and replaced with a liquid diet of either fruit or vegetable juice. These two food group types should not be mixed. Water should included in the liquid fast along with the juices. A water only fast is possible but should be preceded by consulting a practitioner for advice.

Strenuous activity should be avoided during a fast due to the lack of energy that may be experienced. Your body will spend this time releasing toxins that will be eliminated in many ways. Skin should be kept clean and free of products that may normally be used. These products block the pores of the skin which may prohibit detoxification.

Breaking a fast should be a gradual process that include introducing small amounts of non acidic foods into your diet. Continue to add food items until you are at the point of eating normally.

Filed Under: Healthy Tips, Herbal Food Supplements Tagged With: Detoxification, Fasting, Health

Do Coffee and Cigarettes Just Naturally Go Together?

: Image via Wikipedia

Some would say yes, that you simply cannot have one without the other. These, however, may be the ones who are the most affected by cigarette smoking restrictions or even outright bans in workplaces and other public areas. For them, the decision may be between having coffee or a cigarette, as it may be very difficult for them to do both.

For these people, an electric cigarette may be the answer. An electric cigarette does not produce real tobacco smoke that contains the tars, nicotine, and other chemicals that are found in regular tobacco products, nor is there the lingering odor of cigarette smoke. Further, an electric cigarette does not produce any ash and the “smoke” that is produced is simply exhaled water vapor.

If smokers are in the workplace, they may ask their supervisor if smoking an e-cigarette in designated non-smoking areas is allowable. They can explain that the “smoke” is simply water vapor, perhaps scented with menthol or other flavorings.

They can also explain that the water vapor is not the same as “secondhand smoke” that is produced by a regular cigarette. There are no tars or other chemicals, and the nicotine liquid itself has been filtered through the water vapor.

If the e-cigarette smoker is told that it is all right to smoke an e-cigarette in designated non-smoking areas, and if co-workers do not object (some may be sensitive to even the “smoke” caused by the water vapor), then the pairing of coffee and a cigarette can occur again. If, however, the answer is no, or there is objection from co-workers, the e-cigarette user may have to make the decision of which one is more important—the cigarette or the coffee. Hopefully they all choose the coffee, as it is nowhere near as dangerous as a regular cigarette!

Filed Under: Healthy Tips, Herbal, Herbal Food Supplements, Treatments Tagged With: Cigarette, Electronic cigarette, Nicotine, Tobacco smoking

Alternative Medicines and Therapies: Urine Therapy

: Image via Wikipedia

Seeing the term â€œurine therapyâ€ certainly causes a degree of intrigue. Also known as uropathy, urotherapy or urinotherapy, urine therapy is the use of human urine for medical and cosmetic purposes.

Now Iâ€™m sure that intrigue has transformed into some expression of disgust.

However, donâ€™t count urine therapy out just yet. While, scientifically, there has been little research done to fully support the effects of urine for medical purposes, there are other uses, like in the nitrogen-based chemical called urea, which is typically made from mammal urine and used as an ingredient in dish soap and as a stabilizer in nitrocellulose explosives

Another example is urokinase. High levels of urokinase in the urine appear to be correlated with the malignancy of a tumor. It is for this reason that researchers are looking into the creation of a drug that inhibits cancer cells. However, the American Cancer Society does not currently support the usage of urine as an anticancer agent, since research is still limited.

Though possibly a wives’ tale, there is some record of individuals using their own urine as an acne treatment, harvesting urine from early morning bathroom breaks, applying it directly to acne (including the face) with a washcloth or brush and then washing their face after it dries. There is no research to support the effectiveness of this acne treatment method.

Modonna has claimed to use urine therapy to help cure atheleteâ€™s foot that often occurs frequently in avid dancers. Dolores Oâ€™Riordan from The Cranberries claims that urine therapy aided in relieving calluses on her fingers when she first learned to play guitar.

In a September 2007 interview, British actress Sarah Miles claimed to drink her own urine over the past 25 years. She believes it helps her with allergies and has other health benefits. Sheâ€™s not alone. Other celebrities that have claimed to drinking their own urine include MMA fighter Luke Cummo, author J.D. Salinger and boxer Juan Manuel Marquez.

Itâ€™s likely that urine therapy wonâ€™t become the next big trend among health fanatics any time soon, since most people canâ€™t get past the smell.

Filed Under: Chinese Medicine, Herbal, Herbal Food Supplements, Traditional Medicine Tagged With: American Cancer Society, Cancer, Health, Luke Cummo, Research, Sarah Miles, Urine, Urine therapy

Fight Cold and Flu Year Round with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Fight the common cold and flu year round, drawing on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to stay healthy in every season. Besides preventing exposure to pathogens by frequent hand washing and avoiding infected persons, upping our immunity helps fight off cough and cold.

In order for the body to defend itself against disease, it needs adequate rest. Sleeping is the only time the body can truly repair itself; in the context of TCM, our Qi, or energy flow, and blood are restored only during rest. Diminished qi compromises the body’s ability to fight off disease.

Another way to keep our body’s qi at a strong and healthy level is to minimize stress. Illness moves in when we let ourselves get run down, particularly in winter months. Winding down in autumn and winter is part of the natural cycle to rest and restore. Avoid physical stress by staying warm, covering the neck, keeping out of the wind, eating comforting and hearty meals, and getting extra sleep to help restore the body’s defenses. Living in accordance with the natural rhythm of the seasons will give the immune system the boost it needs to ward off cold and flu.

Nutrition also plays a big role in maintaining a healthy immune system. Eating a diet based on whole foods—unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—keeps the body strong. Cooking with herbs and spices like fennel, anise, onion, turmeric, cumin, clove, coriander, basil, cinnamon and garlic aids digestion and strengthens qi. Drinking plenty of water and other fluids like warm ginger tea also helps balance the immune system, particularly when the body is coming down with something.

Herbal therapies are an important part of TCM, and can aid in warding off illness. Astragalus, an immune-boosting herb, may be used in combination with zinc and vitamin C; many others may be prescribed by a TCM practitioner, who will evaluate each individual’s circumstances.

Finally, acupuncture has been known to boost immunity and ease flu symptoms. Because Chinese medicine takes a holistic approach, a combination of treatments tailored to each person may be used to treat colds and flu.

Filed Under: Chinese Medicine, Herbal Food Supplements, Traditional Medicine Tagged With: Common cold, Health, Traditional Chinese medicine