And while nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs known to human kind, I believe that force of habit may actually be the more powerful reason that quitting is so hard. Once the habit is ingrained, facing the thought of quitting seems about as torturous as having bamboo shoots driven under your fingernails!

For those of us who smoke (yes I will raise my hand and admit my own addiction), smoking is something we look forward to perhaps more than almost anything else; you think about having a cigarette before you go to sleep and think about having your first smoke in the morning even before your head hits the pillow.

Learning to quit smoking could be the most difficult challenge of your life. Photo by Sean....

If you really want to quit, there is only one real way to succeed; you have to make up your mind that you are going to quit and then take action. It’s really that simple. Sure, you can use nicotine patches, gum, hypnosis and all the rest, but without the will to quit, none of these gimmicks will succeed.

The choice is yours and yours alone. Nobody can force you to quit but you. And it may be one of the most difficult decisions you ever make … at least if you actually stick with it. Not for a month or a year, but truly once and for all decide to quit and never reverse course.

Ways to Help Make the Decision to Quit Smoking

Every smoker is different, but for some a good starting place is to actually write down, in vivid detail, all the reasons you want to quit smoking; to feel better, get more dates, save money, etc. Write them on post-it notes and stick them up all over the house. Print them out on a poster and pin it up on the wall, anything to keep the reasons in your face!

Set a Date to Quit Smoking

Pick some special date to quit. It could be your next birthday, the 1st day of the next month, whatever works. But set the date and commit yourself to going cold turkey on that date. Smoke up until then, but once you get to the committed date, there can be no turning back if you really want to quit.

Redirect Your Need to Smoke

Redirection is one of the most effective ways to quit; ask anyone who has succeeded and they will probably tell you that once they quit smoking, they found something else to focus their attention on … hopefully more, not less healthy. It would not be good to quit smoking and start, say, drinking heavily or eating a lot more.

Pick something like exercise, chewing gum or a new hobby to help redirect your attention. Forming a new habit will help you avoid falling back into the old smoking habit. I have one friend who chews like 2 packs of gum a day now; that’s what it took for him to quit smoking for good.

Dealing with Nicotine Withdrawal

Most smokers who determine to quit underestimate the challenges of nicotine withdrawal. This is why the patches, gum and all the other gimmicks are so popular. The problem is that you have to get past it sooner or later. You will feel fatigue and irritability; you may even get the shakes. Be prepared and be ready to test your determination. For the most part, nicotine withdrawal only lasts a week or two and then it’s behind you!

Resist Triggers to Start Smoking Again

Here’s the scenario most of us who smoke have already faced before: You determine to quit and you do actually quit for some period of time; a day, a week, a month or even several years. And then it happens; you have a bad day or break up a relationship, lose your job, a friend or loved one dies, etc.

And you tell yourself, just one, that’s it; I gotta’ have a smoke, but just one and that’s it. But it rarely ever is; once a smoker, always a smoker! All it takes is succumbing to the desire in your weakest moment and you are likely to relapse before you even know what happened.

Some people claim that it gets easier with time, but I don’t subscribe to that belief. I once quit for well over a year and then one day I was with friends, having a drink or two and somebody lit up. I thought “Man, it would be great to have a smoke right now,” and that was it. Within a week I was right back to smoking as if I’d never quit. Really, it can happen that easily.

Smoking Cessation a Day at a Time

Relapse is actually very common. Probably for every ten smokers who quit, only one of them goes successfully and never relapses. How you deal with it if and when it happens to you can make all the difference. If you get down on yourself about a relapse and tell yourself you just can’t do it, then that’s probably going to be your own truth. You feel ashamed, like you are a loser who just doesn’t have the self determination and wherewithal to quit.

But if you can accept that you are only human and prone to make mistakes, you can pick yourself up again and quit, even if you relapse several times. There is no shame in suffering a relapse; it’s actually very natural and happens to many smokers who quit.

The main thing to remember is what I started off with; only you can decide to quit and, if you have a relapse, only you can decide to start over again. The only thing that really matters is not giving up on your commitment to quit. Take it a day at a time but don’t ever stop trying to quit and stay that way.

BTW – Just so I don’t come off as a hypocrite; for the record at the moment I have relapsed and have not successfully determined to quit again. Hopefully somebody here will leave comments and help me find the will to try again soon!

Evidence suggests the Chinese used some of the first formulated herbal blends, especially for spiritual and emotional effects like peace. There’s no question that by the time Egypt came into power that various aromatics were already valued by religious people and traders alike, and each had a specific quality attributed to them.

Consider the story of Cleopatra who decorated her floor with fresh rose petals and had bowls of rose water in hopes the aroma would further inspire love in Marc Anthony. And even Hippocrates later wrote about aromatic fumigations as having various benefits.

Aroma therapy is a natural way to relax mind and body. Photo by ernestf2002.

Jump from there to the 19th century when the art of perfumery blossomed to great global status. Perhaps that’s why we find the French chemist Rene Gattefosse in 1928 talking about various fragrant oils and their uses in essential form. His book, written in 1937, is considered a classic in this field. For the home crafter there are two ways to approach aromatherapy.

The first is from the books and recipes pre-contrived on the subject that provide foundational insight into the psychology of aromas. However, it should be noted that scent is also a highly subjective and personal thing.

The second approach (and one that’s more fun if you like to tinker) is creating your own blends to which you personally respond most strongly. In either case, the basic safe proportion of essential oil to any base media is two drops of oil to one tsp. of base. If you‚re using this for massage, sweet almond oil is a great choice.

For relaxation, the traditional method recommends lavender, sage, bergamot, jasmine, and rose. On the other hand, for improved outlook and energy try geranium, rosewood, neroli, and bergamot. As an aside, both these two blends seem nearly universally recommended for stress.

If you know of other aroma therapy ideas please leave your comments for others to see!

Studies are beginning to show that completely sheltering your kids from bacteria and infections can actually make them more susceptible to some of them and additionally can actually cause the development of asthma and allergies.

Bacteria are vital to good health. Killing off the normal flora of the body does not assist us in fighting disease but rather, can actually cause it. Recent studies have shown that the more educated a parent is, the more likely their child is to develop asthma and allergies in part because of the parents concern about bacterial infections.

Dr Gerald Callahan, who studies bacteria at Colorado State University explains, "Before we knew the important role of infections, we were concerned about things like polio and rabies and yellow fever. Because of that when Fleming introduced Penicillin we went crazy with joy and began to slather everything with antibiotics. Now we are paying our dues for that over reaction."

New studies show that bacteria is an important part of our every day lives, but that does not mean hygiene is less important. Photo by pyza.

The best method of cleansing for our children is to put the antibacterial things by the wayside, and use plain mild soap and water to wash up, and to toss away the antibacterial sprays unless we are in the presence of something that consistently puts harmful bacteria in our way.

Teach your children to wash their hands thoroughly; for instance try having them wash long enough to sing the ABCs. But toss away your antibacterial soaps and use plain mild hand soap. Teach your kids about preventing disease, by good hand washing, covering their mouth when they cough, not sharing drinks and so on, and leave the antibacterial soap for the surgeons.

Do you have other tips on how to teach kids good hygiene? If so, please leave your comments and help inform others too.

Walking in a city park or on a concrete or indoor walkway requires little more than some good shoes and a companion to make sure that both of you remain safe.

A good walking shoe is necessary to prevent injury to the foot and to keep it from taking more of a beating than is strictly necessary. Some of the better shoes that will support the ankle and arch are Nike, Reebok or Skechers.

To select a shoe that will help you in your walking requires that you consider just a few things along the way

Look for a low heel that has support and bevels slightly inward. Selecting a thicker heel will make your foot slap downward rather than to gently roll down, and will also create an increase in the possibility that your shins will become sore from the impact.

When you walk your foot ideally comes down heel first and will gradually roll into a heel to toe movement. This is the natural pattern, so a sole that flexes readily and has more bend is necessary, nearly the opposite of a running shoe.

Choose shoes that are lighter in weight and breath well to permit the foot to receive air. The heavier style walking shoes are not really suitable because they too can add to injury and prevent the natural movement of the foot.

What is most important in a walking shoe is proper fit. Make sure that the toe has room to move, and that there is at least a half inch between the largest toe and the end of the shoe to allow for socks and for feet which will swell slightly, or increase in size as you walk. Choose a width that will permit your foot to move freely but not allow the heel to slip out of the shoe when you walk. No shoe that is chosen for walking should be tight, binding or pinching even when it is new. The idea that the shoe will “break in” is sound in some cases I suppose, but not when you are selecting them to walk.

Each home should of course have a first aid kit, but above and beyond that, particularly for any home with children, it is necessary to have a few items besides that will make life a little easier.

These small things should be stored in a central location so that everyone will know where to find them, but equally as important, will know where to put them back when they’ve finished with their use.

Having what you need, when you need it is important when you or one of your family members is injured in some way, or is sunburned etc. Its a bit late to find out after the injury that you don’t have what you need to care for it.

check your health cabinet monthly and replace outdated or missing items.

In your Home Health cabinet you should have:

A pediatric thermometer, or an Ear thermometer.

A hot water bottle

One or two ice packs and covers for them. (store the ice packs in the freezer to make sure they are ready for use at any given time)

Chemical cold wraps as well as a hot pack, that needs nothing more than being squeezed to become warm or hot respectively. (never lay them directly on the skin, but instead wrap them inside a wrap or in a washcloth or hand towel.

Burn ointment

Sunburn relief spray

Afterbit Insect stick

Bandaids

Gauze squares and wrap.

Adhesive tape.

Antibacterial spray

Antibiotic scrape ointment

Studies at Rutgers University show that we take in chemicals we should not take in while drinking water, but also while showering.
Taking in chemicals such as chlorine when we bath, is something we don’t want to do, since they can cause health ramifications when taken in over long periods of time.

In many cases, even if your water is of good quality, it has rust that colors it, and your clothing and will cause the algae formation as well.
If this sounds like your house then perhaps a whole house water filter is something you should consider installing in your own home.

Not only will it remove the heavy metals and chemicals that might be present in your water, but also the rusty water issues with your laundry and dishwashing as well as give you soft nice water rather than harder, more mineral filled water that will make cleaning easier.

With all the water problems lately and the large upswing in the demand for whole house filtration systems, many companies have gotten on board, who can’t back their claims for their device.

When you purchase a home filtration system, make sure that the one you select is not one of those which tends to exaggerate the performance of their equipment, or fails to document what they claim it will do.

Water treatment equipment is regulated rather heavily by the government, with some few states being far more regulatory than the rest. Those states include Iowa, California and Wisconsin.

Only companies who claims can be proven are permitted to sell equipment in those states.
If the company you are looking at does not do business in one of those states, chances are its because they are not permitted due to unsubstantiated claims for their equipment, and that company should be avoided studiously.

Companies that make wide sweeping claims such as, “contaminant removal” or “completely pure water” should be a red flag to you because for the most part, unless that claim is documented and can be proven, it isn’t reality.

For the most part, companies that make those broad sweeping claims, avoid doing business in states that are more heavily regulated, or can’t provide you with lab test data for the contaminants they claim their equipment will remove are companies whose product you don’t want to deal with.

Some of the better equipment, will in reality, cost less than those which cost a great deal more and actually don’t deliver what they say. A few whole house filters are reviewed below, along with pricing for the equipment as well as the annual cost to operate it.

The Rhino EQ 300, at a retail price of about 995.00 USD, will remove chlorine, particulates, and has an annual cost for its use of about 250 USD.

The Wellness MG retails for about 5950.00 USD, removes 99% chlorine, is certified to 500,000 gallons, will cost about 60.00 USD per month, with an annual operational cost of about 750.00 USD

ECOWATER, with an upfront cost of about 3000.00 USD, also removes chlorine, particulates, costs about 60 USD to operate and about 700 per year.

There are several other reputable companies who offer water filtration systems, among them, Culligan, and Sears Kenmore.

If you’re one of the folks who views the scales in a panic when January rolls around, here are a few ways to bypass that panic and avoid the holiday weight gain.

Approach your weight control responsibly, like any other aspect of your health and realize that you probably aren’t going to be able, or even want to avoid the tasty treats during the holiday season, because if you do, you are going to feel cheated.
Choose your foods wisely, but don’t limit yourself to bland boring far during the season.
Whats better by far is that you pay attention to the balance of what you eat, as opposed to attempting to eat only the foods that have no calories and no real taste.

Eating protein foods first will help you to feel fuller faster. No exceptions, eat some protein at every meal or snack fest.

Eat some raw veggies as opposed to the starchy potatoey type vegetables.

Eat a protein prior to consuming an alchohol, such as cheese prior to taking in wine, or sausage before beer.

If you know you are going to want to try some of those small desserts, then simply avoid the starchy things in the main course.

Plan ahead. Take note of all the choices before you fill your plate and preplan how best to maintain a careful balance between proteins, fats and sugars.

If you know that only cookies or other types of snacks will be served, take a bit of beef jerky or some other variety with you or snack on it on the way.

Water with lemon juice will help you to feel fuller so that you are not so tempted to eat so much of the sugary snacks.

Try to pay attention to whats available to you and make sure that during your holiday forays into snack world, you balance proteins, such as pate, chicken wings, sausage, or beef stick and cheeses, with any alcohols or fatty foods.

This will help you to control your appetite better and prevent your consumption of massive amounts of the wrong foods.

If you know in advance that you are going to overeat on perhaps the wrong foods, plan time for a workout the next day.
Twenty minutes walking of physical activity will help you to maintain control of your weight, and not have you trying to do what I call binge dieting when the holidays have come and gone.One of my favorite nutritionists is Lee Coyne who also happens to be the author of a super book called  Fat Won’t Make You Fat, recommends that the proper balance is 30/30/40.(30 percent protein,30 percent fat,40 percent carbohydrates) His books may give you a heads up on the way to select your foods so that you can control your appetite better and still enjoy the foods that you want during the holiday season.

This, researchers all concur is the time when we dream the most frequently and the most strongly. It is actually unknown which aspect of the brain controls dreams, or whether there is in fact any part of the brain that controls them. It is also unknown why we have dreams.

Humans spend about 5-6 years, or about a tenth of their lives in dreaming and it is considered to be one of the most necessary parts of our lives..In reality if you don’t sleep well, or if your sleep is disturbing to your sleep, and prevents it, that is the time to consider some method of treatment for your dreaming as it can and does cause such side effects as falling asleep at inappropriate times, such as when working or driving.

Dream History and Research
Both Freud and Jung said that dreams are an interaction between our conscious and our unconscious. They also believe, almost as one unit on this subject, that the dominant aspect of the dream is the unconscious. It is in fact finding a way to let the conscious mind know of its own state of awareness.

Jung also believed that the bizarre aspects of the dream were a language all their own, which he compared to poetry, and stated they were “uniquely capable of revealing” the dreams meaning.

Many companies, groups and psychics have over the years made a reasonable living at offering dream interpretations, yet no one is certain that this is possible. Certain key aspects of a dream may relate to a given event but even that is not a surety.

Nightmare Research
A nightmare is essentially a disturbing dream from which one has difficulty awaking or a dream will force some level of awakening. Emotional aspects of nightmares may be the feelings of anger, sadness, depression or guilt. .The most common outstanding feature of any nightmare is fear.

Nightmares will be very different from one person to another, and none of us can truly know how the nightmare originates or how it begins.

Nightmares seem to follow a certain scenario more than other however.
The most common is that of being chased, or trapped in some way.

Nightmares may at times be related to intense stress or deep emotional conflict which needs to be resolved before the nightmares will cease, such as in the case of a very traumatic event when the dreaming will come into being after the event plays out.

No one truly understands nightmare activity, or where it originates in the brain, nor has a significant amount of research been accomplished to permit us to know how to treat nightmares in most cases, although there has been an attempt made to find a method of treating nightmares.

Although nightmares themselves have not been specifically studied to find meanings for them, researchers determined that those who suffered from nightmares could benefit in many ways from being able to change them to lucid dream type dreaming.

They performed a pilot study late last year that showed a lucid dream treatment could be successful in lowering the frequency of a nightmare which persisted for days. The treatment they proposed consisted of being exposed to to mastery of lucid dreaming and lucidity exercises.

No one was able to determine what reason the treatment succeeded or what part of the treatment actually worked, however the experiment itself was billed as a success.

Lucid Dreaming
A lucid dream is one in which the dreamer logically assumed that he or she is dreaming. It begins usually as a normal dream, and the dreamer concludes during the course of the dream that it is a dream and at that point usually for all intents and purposes is awakened by his realization. I had these frequently and was quite troubled really when I was told that I could not know, when i was asleep, that I was dreaming

Lucid dreaming has been well researched by several psychologist and psychiatrists as well as other researcher who thought to prove it false in the beginning. Lucid dreaming is now established as being a very real scientific entity.

If you are an insomniac, or your dreams disturb your sleep more than one or two days a week, do seek some help from your physician

High blood pressure, or hypertension, means that the pressure inside the walls of your blood vessels has increased.
This can happen because the blood volume has increased, the lumen, or vein has narrowed due to one of several reasons, or because a medication has created the problem.

Whatever the reason for yours, addressing it is absolutely necessary to your continued good health

If you believe that your blood pressure is high, don’t wait until you have other health issues to find out.

*How Do I Know If I Have High Blood Pressure?

The only real method of finding out whether or not you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure taken by a medical professional.

There are sometimes symptoms of hypertension, but very often there are none, until the stroke or heart attack happens.

*How Is Blood Pressure Tested?

Blood pressure is tested by the use of a sphygmomanometer, which is the typical blood pressure cuff that you see in the physicians office, or in the nurses bag.

It is wrapped snugly around your arm and then inflated.

The first beat that we hear as the cuff is deflated is the upper, or systolic blood pressure. This is the measure of the pressure against the arterial wall when the heart is at work, or when it is beating.

The second, or lower number in your blood pressure is the measure of pressure within that same lumen when the heart is at rest, or the diastolic pressure.

*Having Your Blood Pressure Taken
When your blood pressure is being measured, try to relax.
Hold your arm level with your waist, rather than permitting it to hang down at your side.

Never smoke immediately prior to having your pressure taken.

In today’s market and with new technical gadgets coming on daily, there is no reason why you can’t learn to take your own blood pressure and keep a careful record of it.

Machines are available at low costs that will take your blood pressure and not only take it, but also record electronically the last five or ten blood pressures.

Taking and recording your own blood pressure for several days will help you to determine if in fact it is high, in which case your physician can advise you on what to do.
When your blood pressure has been found high, a few things you can do. once you’ve visited the physician and gotten his or her approval.

get the right amount of exercise
try to eliminate needless stressors
lower your fat and salt intake
lose weight
STAY ON YOUR MEDICATION regimen.
Visit your doctor regularly and keep track of your blood pressure .

The main differences in the three are the basic underlying cause for the apnea. In spite of those differences, the result is that in each type of apnea, those who suffer from it will stop breathing repeatedly during the sleeping hours, sometimes as often as several hundred times per night, and at times, for more than a minute, which can cause some serious health ramifications.

Central Apnea:
Occurs when the brain simply does not process the breathing patterns properly. It can take place during the daytime, waking hours, or at night, and is not a true sleep apnea. The control center for breathing can occasionally fail to start or maintain the breathing process.

This is not uncommon in newborns, particularly those who are premature, because that aspect of the brain tissue is as yet immature, and the process of breathing is interrupted repeatedly, to the point that very often a monitor is used to assure they breath at reasonable intervals.

It is not common among adults although it does take place, making it the least most likely cause of adult sleep apnea.

Obstructive Apnea:
Is a process that occurs when the body tissue creates an obstruction to the airway. Sometimes cause by tonsils or adenoids, it happens most of the time during sleep, as during this time the tissue that is located at the base of the throat relaxed and is more likely to fall back toward the throat.

It is a very common condition and can affect as much as 3% of people( particularly children) who are otherwise very health individuals.

Sleep apnea creates several notable symptoms, among them snoring, difficult or labored breathing while asleep, air hunger, or gasping for air, and very restless unsatisfactory sleep.

School aged children who suffer from sleep apnea very often wake feeling unrested, and have difficulties in school due to the lack of a true restful sleep. They may have difficulty maintaining information in school and display a lack of attention in their school efforts.

A newly done study suggests that there is a strong link between sleep apnea and children who are prone to ADHD, because the sleep patterns are disturbed by the sleep apnea.

Although sleep apnea is a relatively minor health problem, it can create other problems which are less so.
Sleep apnea can be a causative agent in hypertension, some types of heart and circulatory diseases, memory difficulties and migraine headaches.

Treatments for Apnea will be dependent upon the underlying causative agent, but are necessary to assure a truly restful sleep and to prevent further problems.

They may include:
*Surgical removal of the tonsils or adenoids, to prevent the soft tissue obstruction.
*CPAP;(continuous positive airway pressure; the use of a nose mask which will force air through the airway, keeping it open during sleep hours
*oxygen administration
*medications which can aid to stimulate the breathing center.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of the process, which has found a place in the body of more than 25 million people the world over. More often than not, the extremities are the first to suffer from the pain, incluiding knees, elbows, fingers and toes, however it can also wreak havoc on the neck and spine, making its way into your body gradually, as you age and the fluids within the joints are decreased.

There are a lot of things that will affect your pain, among them fatigue, strong emotional states such as anxiety as well as ardent work over a period of time.

In the past, people were often, at the first twinge of pain, expected to make an appointment, gather medication and some mild exercises and live with what was left to them, however thankfully, with some experimentation , we’ve found that there are better ways sometimes to deal with it.

LEMON JUICE

Seems to work sometimes to help the pain of arthritis, however the reasons for it are not entirely clear.

It seems to work by the action of helping to erode away the joint calcification. Lemon juice has been used to cleanse the kidneys and alleviate arthritis pain and its accompanying stiffness in many sufferers while in others, it does not, but may in fact worsen their pain.

One word of caution to this one. Rinse your mouth thoroughly when you’ve drunk the lemon juice as it will also erode the enamel on your teeth to a certain degree.

Lemon tea is prepared by boiling four lemon leaves and three cups of water. Boil until water is reduced by about half. Add to this the juice of a lemon half, and a tablespoon of unprocessed honey, which has not been heated in any way.
This should be drunk at night, just prior to bed.

OLIVE OIL
Has been used in folk medicine as an arthritis treatment and has been discovered to have a basis in medicine as well.
The olives and olive oil are taken by mouth, and instead of animal fats they are used to prepare your foods. The way olive oil works appears to be dual in nature

“It is thought that the acids in olive oil interfere in some way with the immune responses that promote the joint inflammation in the body. Olive oil also contains antioxidants which relieve some of the inflammation.”
Moreover, it was recently found out that the olive oil does in some ways parallel the action of ibuprofen, which is an NSAID, or a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug, which is the drug most frequently prescribed to lower both pain and inflammation of the joints in DJD..

Both Ibuprofen and Olive oil have a chemical called oleocanthal, which means that in as many cases, both things will help you to lower your pain, and to limit the actual inflammation that causes the pain in a natural way.

They are not alike chemical in most ways, but they do share this one chemical and property, and the effect is actually quite potent, much as it is in ibuprofen.

Olive oil , aside from helping to control your pain will also help you to reduce your chance of heart disease when you replace animal fats with it.

STINGING NETTLES
This is a remedy which has its origins so far back into time that it is nearly impossible to be traced, however it has been a documented health provider for over 2000 years.

In nearly every community and country where stinging nettles grow they have been used to alleviate the pain and joint stiffness of arthritis and literally hundreds of thousands of people swear by their effects as an anti-inflammatory drug..
In some cases they are used as an infusion, that is to say, as a tea, however in most cases the routine included being stung by the plant.

This process is known as urtication, because of the raised welt that the stinging nettle plant leaves.
The nettle plant contains tiny hairlike stingers which, when activated give minuscule injections of a co-mingling of chemicals, many of which are not classified as anti pain, or anti inflammatory, however, one MD reported that she believed that many of the chemicals which were injected could create some type of anti histamine response within the body due to the injections of a histamine and while part of the body’s response might go to the injection site, the other part may in fact go to the joint to relieve that inflammation.

The natural methods for healing the swelling and stiffness that is part of arthritis are nearly as many as there are sufferers from the disease process.

Some will work for you, while others won’t as with any type of treatment methods known to nature or medicine.
Finding one that works for you will mean researching some of the natural methods of treatment, and choosing the one that is compatible with your system and your lifestyle.

In the end you may not find what you are looking for, but should you be successful and the pain subsides, and it can be done in a more natural way, isn’t it worth your time to explore?

The information found within this article is intended only for your information and education. It is not intended to be a treatment or prescription of any kind. It is most assuredly NOT a substitute for a visit to your health care practitioner and should not be used to take the place of proper medical care.

While natural products do have a solid place in holistic care, no one should self diagnose, nor avoid regular care from a proper health care provider.

Biblio:
Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science
Phytochemistry: Ibuprofen-like activity in extra-virgin olive oil
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v437/n7055/abs/437045a.html

Mother Earth News:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2002-02-01/Nix-Arthritis-Aches-Naturally.aspx

Sensible Health – Arthritis Pain:
http://www.sensiblehealth.com/allergy.html

In our world of malpractice and malfeasance, it is more than simply desirable for us to take control of our own health care, it is critical that we do so and that we do so decisively using research and knowledge to protect our own interests. with knowledge and planning.

Communications with our physicians, nurses and other health care providers as well as our own private documentation of visits and the ability and willingness to ask questions of the providers are necessary to assuring our care is safe and geared toward our symptoms and our lifestyles.

Too often we permit our physicians free reign to do as they will, asking only minimal questions and believing that the physician knows best in our care, and to a fine point this may be true, yet, taking an active part in our own care can benefit us in many ways.

Prevention of illness is not only the province of our physician, but also our own responsibility.

Health care consumers of all ages are encouraged to take control of their own health and that of their family and to assure proper care, good diagnosis and treatment for all members of the family.

A health care seminar can educate you on how to disagree with your physician respectfully, how to ask questions and express your concerns regarding your own care.

In some cases knowing when to disagree has in fact saved the life of a person who was knowledgeable about their own care, such as in the case of an allergy to a medication that was included in a blended med prescribed by a physician.

Knowing when to get a second opinion about a proposed care, a unique treatment or a surgery that you believe is not strictly necessary is a wise move on the part of the client of any health care practitioner.

In order to wisely administrate your own health care, knowledge is the real key.

In an effort to gain that knowledge, health care seminars are extremely helpful. Illness, especially grave illness is a stressful time, making learning at that point hard to do.. it is a time when making decisions is based sometimes on emotion and not on knowledge unless it has been learnt prior to becoming ill.

To know something about the care you are receiving is paramount to getting good and safe care.

Education, information and enlightenment into the health care mystery is the only real assurances that we have that we are enjoying the best health care and in turn the best health that we possibly can.

Health care seminars address issues that will impact your health and that of your family, and as a consequence, the quality and quantity of your lives.

Isn’t that worth taking a day out of your schedule for?

Concern for our own health related issues has motivated some of us to take a hard look at the ORAC Scale that can help you to determine the best foods for lowering your risk of those diseases and increasing the positive effects of your food intake.

The up side of the oxidation issue is that there is a remedy and its not a super expensive one that only the most wealthy among us can afford to commit to.

Antioxidants afford some very powerful and extremely effective tools in your bodies’ fight to protect itself against the ravages that oxidation can cause.

Tufts University Researchers, in an effort to find a way to measure the antioxidant capacity of certain foods have developed a means to measure the capacity of foods to absorb the radicals.

The test is known as the ORAC scale, and is in fact a reasonably accurate measurement of the ability of the foods to provide for radical uptake.

There is of course a catch, as there always is.
Sometimes measurements of any kind can be misleading and the ORAC Scale numbers are no different than any other type of scale. They are only good so long as you read them carefully and know exactly what they mean.

When you view something such as Coriander and your mind says.. AHA.. read a bit further into the research.

The level of antioxidation , or to use the more correct terminology, Ferric reducing power, you will need to place it firmly in your mind that different densities of food will weigh differing amounts and that the scale is based on the intake, or amount, of100 gram servings..

Therefore – When you see the clove oil, or coriander values, your heart leaps and you say, all I’ve got to do is eat just a bit of clove oil or coriander and I’m home free. No, you aren’t. Using for example nutmeg, which, when ground has a density of 0.4733 grams/milliliter

That makes it roughly 7 grams/tablespoon or 2 grams/teaspoon.

10 grams would be 5 teaspoons, therefore 100 grams would be about twenty five teaspoons of nutmeg that you have to eat to get the ferric reducing power numbers that you see on the charts.

A food with a lower value, will probably be more dense, weigh more and give you a far better method of consuming that amount of ferric reducing power.

While essential oils are among the most common and high powered sources of antioxidants, they will require a bit more to be of the values that you need.

Fruits, such as raspberries will give you roughly the same effect for a lot less intake of raspberries.
Common sense is in order here.

TOP ORAC Fruits and Vegetables, per 100 gram serving
Goji Berry (Lycium Barbarum) 25,300
Kale 1,770
Prunes 5,770
Garlic clove 1,662
Pomegranates 3,307
Spinach 1,260
Raisins 2,830
Yellow Squash 1,150
Blueberries 2,400
Brussels sprouts 980
Blackberries 2,036
Alfalfa sprouts 930
Cranberries 1,750
Steamed Spinach 909
Strawberries 1,540
Broccoli Flowers 890
Raspberries 1,220
Beets 840
Plums 949
Avocado 782
Oranges 750
Red bell pepper 710
Grapes, Red 739
Beans, Baked 503
Cherries 670
Beans, Kidney 460

Some of the current nutritional issues have been in play for many years, but we are just very slowly becoming aware of the importance of them.

While most of us are aware of nutrition in the sense that we need to eat certain foods in a specific amount to provide for the vitamins and minerals that we need to remain healthy, we aren’t specifically eating for a certain goal, such as keeping our hearts healthy or lowering our risk for certain types of cancers.

The awareness of the subject just isn’t there, and in all honesty, too often given the pressures of day to day life and the harried pace of today’s working families we simply don’t have the time to eat as well as we should.

Taking that time, however is imperative to give our children a good start in nutritional awareness and to prevent the obesity which is so rampant in our society today.

Weight Control and Obesity

Eating for weight loss, and weight control takes a bit more planning, and some research into the right foods to eat at the right times during the course of the day.

It is imperative that we teach our children as they grow, basic good eating habits in order to prevent the continuation of the obese parents obese children cycle.

Fast foods do have a place and can be used as they are necessary but that necessity should be once in a while, not every day.

Taking the time to research which fast foods will be less fatty, and more healthful is needed, since most places that offer fast foods now also offer low fat, low calorie answers for the health conscious consumer.

Taking into consideration the necessary foods to include in our diets to remain healthy and to keep our weight within acceptable limits while planning meals is something that we all need to do, yet find difficult due to time constraints.

Preventative Eating

Using specific foods to assure our continuing health is an idea whose time has come.

Certain aspects of foods such as antioxidants, are known to help in the fight against cancer, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

Many of these such as heart disease are largely preventable given the right type foods. We can assess our risk for these health issues taking into account factors such as age, body type and heredity, and plan for their prevention using less fatty foods, leaner meats and more fiber and vegetables to prevent the development of such health issues as arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.

Maintaining a healthy weight isn’t enough since other factors enter into play along with that weight such as a family history of heart related or diabetic illnesses.

For the child onset diabetic is is imperative to follow a careful regiment of diet and exercise to prevent the onset of diabetes related issues such as retinopathy.

Varying Nutritional Needs in the Population:

-Specific dietary needs will enter into play dependent upon factors such as age, health and nutritional status and special cases such as pregnancy or lactation.

The diabetic will of course require some considerations in his or her diet due to the lack of insulin production in the body.

Preparing foods for this type disease process requires research and planning to keep fat intake as low as possible, while providing for the overall nutritional health, particularly in a diabetic child.

Due to their diverse activity level keeping their glucose elevated will be challenging at best on some days, while less effort will be required on days when they are more sedentary, such as when weather prohibits outside activity.

The woman who is pregnant or lactating will require additional intake of proteins and iron as well as minerals to assure not only our own health but that of the child we are providing nutrients for.

FOOD SAFETY:

Given the issues that we see in food preparation and safety in recent months and in light of some very wide reaching recalls, providing for the safety of our foods is more than just assuring that things are properly stored and put away in a timely manner after meals., although those things too are important aspects of providing for the good nutrition of our families.

Today’s food safety means being aware of those things which have been recalled, or are considered unsafe to consume, using such means as the Internet, television or specific web sites which are geared toward dissembling information that the health conscious consumer will need.

Bearing in mind that those things we wish were safe sometimes are not, stay current on food and beverage recalls on a weekly basis.