Natural Health Remedies

Yawn. Things are getting a bit boring round here don’t you think?! Eat your greens blah, blah, blah… Don’t worry, I try not to take myself too seriously so here are a few unconventional health quotes for you to enjoy:-

1. Don’t eat me. I have a wife and kids. Eat them.

- Homer Simpson

2. My doctor told me to do something that made me slightly out of breath, so I started smoking again.

- Jo Brand

3. Never eat anything at one sitting that you can’t lift.

- Miss Piggy

4. The word aerobics comes from two Greek words: aero, meaning “ability to,” and bics, meaning “withstand tremendous boredom.”

- Dave Barry

5. I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and in fourteen days I lost two weeks.

- Joe E. Lewis

6. Muscles come and go; flab lasts.

- Bill Vaughan

7. All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening.

- Alexander Wolcott

8. To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.

- Gustave Flaubert

9. Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

- Redd Foxx

10. I don’t like food that’s too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I’d buy a painting.

- Andy Rooney

11. If you ever have to support a flagging conversation, introduce the topic of eating.

- Leigh Hunt

12. Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.

- Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina

13. Canada has never been a melting pot; more like a tossed salad.

- Arnold Edinborough

14. Eating words has never given me indigestion.

- Winston Churchill

15. I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.

- George Bush, US president, 1990

16. Seafood brought in by customers will not be entertained.

- Restaurant sign in Langkawi, Malaysia

17. Eat whatever thou likest, but dress as others do.

- Arab Proverb

18. The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

- Lucille Ball

19. Eat bread at pleasure, drink wine by measure.

- Randle Cotgrave

20. Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat.

- Jim Davis (Garfield the Cat)

21. The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.

- Mark Twain

22. Never invest in anything that eats or needs repairing.

- Billy Rose

23. An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.

- Winston Churchill

24. Mattie’s Restaurant and Yogurt Palace, “An alternative to Good Eating”

- Restaurant Business Card from Decatur, Texas

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If you have brittle nails caring for them can be a lot easier than you may think. Everyday tasks can have an effect on the condition of your nails however by taking note of the following, you can have your nails back to top condition pretty quickly.

How to Prevent and Treat Brittle Nails

Nail Polish Remover - If you like to paint your nails, be very careful about what you use to remove the paint. Many products contain very harsh ingredients such as acetone which strips moisture out of your nail. Look for products that are acetone-free.

Water - Simply being dehydrated can have a big affect on your nails. You can deal with this by drinking more water and rubbing moisturiser or olive oil on your nails.

Biotin – Many years ago researchers found that Biotin (one of the B vitamins) improved the strength of horses’ hooves. It turns out it not only works on horses but humans too! If you have very brittle nails you’ll need to take it in supplement form in order to get enough. 2.5mg per day is the suggested amount.

Thyroid – One symptom of an under active thyroid is brittle nails. Check with your doctor for further advice and/or have a look at the other symptoms of hypothyroidism to see if you have any.

Protein – Protein is made up of amino acids which are said to be the “building blocks” of our body. They are absolutely essential to our health because they create our cells and repair tissues. Not only will they reward you with strong nails but a healthy body in general.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) – We all know that EFAs are vital to our diets the problem is that most of us don’t get enough and we’re taking the wrong types of fat instead. Evening Primrose Oil contains Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) which has been shown to offer a huge range of health benefits including helping with brittle nails, hair, arthritis and PMS. Fish Oil is also supposed to very beneficial.

Vitamin Deficiencies - Other vitamins which you may be short of include zinc, iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin E and selenium. Brittle nails can be an indicator of poor diet and potentially other health problems. It’s always a good idea to improve your diet by eating more vegetables and/or taking a multi-vitamin or supplement specifically for improving nail strength.

OPI Nail Envy - OPI have a range of products which you paint on your nails to help if they are thin, brittle or ridged. My mum used it a while back to get rid of a very deep ridge on one of her nails. It worked amazingly well and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Let’s face it, nail fungus probably isn’t one of the nicest health topics to talk about but it is certainly one which affects a lot of people. The condition is caused by micro-organisms called Dermatophytes. It lives on the nail bed and eats the keratin which is the protein in your nail. Normally it will start at the end of the nail and work its way down to the base if left untreated. The end result is a nail which is thick and deformed and in some cases can affect the surrounding skin. Typically the big toe is affect first, spreading to the other toes later.

What Causes Fungal Nail Infection?

• Dermatophytes love warm and moist conditions such as sweaty socks and shoes. Buy cotton socks instead of nylon and used an anti-fugal powder if you suffer from sweaty feet.
• Sometimes the fungus can infect the nail via the skin. This can happen due to an ingrown toe nail or damage to the nail.
• If you have circulation problems, diabetes or HIV you have an increased chance of infection.
• If you suffer from athlete’s foot make sure you treat it quickly to prevent it turning into a fungal nail infection.

Treatment of Fugal Nail Infection

First of all before deciding what treatment to go for, please understand that it can take at least 3 months for the problem to go away. It can take 18 months for a nail to replace itself so this is not going to be a quick fix.

1. Tea Tree – Tea Tree is a wonderfully potent natural antibacterial essential oil. Simply apply a few drops to the affected area a few times per day.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide – Either apply Hydrogen Peroxide to your nail with some cotton wool and allow to dry or soak in a mixture of 50% HP and 50% water.
3. Vinegar – soak your feet daily in 50% vinegar, 50% water. Soak your feet for at least half an hour and it’s recommended you do this three times per day. There is a surprisingly large selection of vinegars available including wine vinegar and coconut vinegar. You can use any of them but generally it is Apple Cider or white vinegar which is used for nail infections. The reason vinegar works is because it is acidic and fungi don’t like acid conditions.
4. Saprox – Saprox is a natural mud which is high in sulphur. Apply liberally to the toe and allow it to dry in. It is suggested that combining with another treatment will help speed up results.
5. There are a number of other natural treatments to try including: Vitamin E Oil, Oregano Oil, Thyme Oil and Essential Oil Cinnamon Leaf.

If you are bothered by fungal nail infection it is definitely worth trying natural remedies first. Although there are a number of prescription drugs you can take they are not always effective and can be harsh on the liver. If you are at all unsure please always consult with a doctor or chiropractor.

Sponsored Review Post for portable gas heater

Startling statistic isn’t it? Our governments are so concerned about the threat of terrorist attacks yet very little attention is given to the fact that the cold kills more people than Al Qaeda could ever dream of.

It’s not just elderly people that should be aware of cold winters. When we moved into our house this time last year I’m surprised none of us suffered from pneumonia. The heating wouldn’t work properly, the house had very little insulation and the windows were very drafty. I’m not sure what the exact temperature was but put it this way, ice cubes didn’t melt at “room temperature.”

Even if you have a well-insulated home you never know when your heating system will break down. And if it does break down and you phone an engineer, chances are they’re going to be very busy or charge you a fortune.

By owning a portable heater you can bring them out for use in emergencies or to supplement your existing heating system. You can even take them places that don’t have heating such as your garage.

A couple of years ago my manager’s heating system broke down and she had trouble getting some one out to repair it. If she had a portable heater things would have been a lot more comfortable for her family.

As I said before, digestive enzymes are my favourite supplement because without digestive enzymes we can’t get all the nutrients we need from our food. Although taking them in supplement form can very beneficial (especially if you suffer from indigestion), there are other ways to get the most from your food.

1. Vitamin A/beta carotene and Iron – A study carried out in Venezuela found that by adding either vitamin A or beta carotene to cereals-based diets, iron absorption increased by between 0.8 and 3 times. Some foods that contain vitamin A: Sweet Potato, Carrots and Spinach

2. Take vitamin C to absorb Chromium, Zinc and Iron – By simply drinking a glass of orange juice with a meal you will increase the absorption of Chromium, Zinc and Iron. Other foods that contain Vitamin C: Red and Green Peppers, Tomatoes and Broccoli.

3. Ginger – ginger has been used in China and India for around 5000 years as a “cure-all”. Just one of the reasons to include ginger in your diet is that it can help digestive movement through the stomach and stimulates digestive enzymes. Either use it in cooking, such as stir fries or curries, or drink it as a Tea.

4. Mint – Ever wonder why mint and lamb is such a popular combination? Well, it’s because mint aids digestion by stimulating the flow of bile to the stomach as well as calming the muscles of the digestive system. Perhaps it’s also the reason so many restaurants give out mints at the end of a meal?

5. Lycopene and Tomatoes – A tomato has been genetically modified to have 3 times as much lycopene as normal tomatoes. This may sound great but is there really any point? If you want to make sure that you have plenty of lycopene in your diet, simply grill or fry your tomato lightly. The heat naturally increases lycopene levels. Processed foods containing tomatoes such as ketchup and baked beans are also ideal.

6. Brown Rice – it was discovered over 100 years ago that some Javanese prisoners were suffering from beriberi whilst others weren’t. It was found that those who ate white rice had the disease but those who ate brown rice were fine. Some years later it was found that the reason for this is because thiamine/vitamin B1 is found in the outside of the grain (ie the brown bit).

I was brought up eating brown rice so I enjoy it but many people prefer white. If this is the case you can buy Rice Bran and add it to a milkshake/protein shake. It’s also a gentler way to get fibre in your diet compared to the likes of Psyllium which is quiet harsh on the stomach.

7. Never chew gum on an empty stomach – a lot of people like to chew gum because they think it’ll help them lose weight because they aren’t eating. The problem is that the act of chewing tells our body to produce digestive enzymes. Obviously when we chew gum nothing actually goes into our stomach which means our bodies are producing enzymes that it doesn’t need to.

As I explained in a previous blog post about digestive enzymes, we don’t have an unlimited supply of them. So by chewing gum on an empty stomach can cause problems later on with indigestion and malabsoption of nutrients as well as irritating the lining of your stomach.

8. Avoid drinking tea with your meal – although tea has many health benefits, it seems that we shouldn’t drink it with our meals. This is because tea generally contains caffeine and can interfere with iron absorption. This is particularly bad for women who tend to have lower levels of iron. Avoid drinking tea for an hour either side of a meal.

9. Some other foods that aid digestion – pineapple (contains Bromelain), papaya (contains Papain), figs, licorice and bean sprouts.