Natural Health Remedies

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This is the time of year when many people take on extra jobs or start thinking about finding a better paid job in order to pay for the excesses of Christmas. Unfortunately job interviews and stress also tend to go hand-in-hand. It certainly is for me.

Here are a few tips based on my mistakes at interviews:-

1. Leave the House in Plenty of Time – There was a really cold snap once when I went for an interview. I had been sitting around for ages waiting for a train when someone came up to me and told me the trains had been cancelled. Oh great! I had no idea what bus to get so went home in hope that my Mum could drive me into town. Unfortunately the car still had to be de-iced which then took some time. We finally go the car started when en-route it (temporarily) broke down.

Luckily I had left so well in advance I was perfectly on time. Phew!

2. Take Note of Interviewer’s Name – Once I totally forgot to take note of the name of the person I was to be interviewed by. It’s a bit embarrassing to be asked by the receptionist who I’m there to talk to when I have no idea!

3. Be Prepared to Repeat Yourself – My boyfriend told be that a good interviewer has a conversational tone in their questions – ie they don’t totally rely on reading questions off a paper. Unfortunately most interviewers don’t have this skill. Whenever they asked me a question I’d try and answer as fully as possible, unwittingly answering the next couple of questions on the sheet. This meant I had to repeat myself which made me feel a bit of a prat.

4. It Could be Worse – My cousin has just been accepted into the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He told me a bit about the gruelling interviews he had to go through and I have to admit to felling a bit ashamed for getting stressed about the uneventful interviews I’ve been too. It’s somewhat ironic though that he wants to join the Army because our Granddad successfully got out of the Army be pretending to be insane! I assume my cousin didn’t mention that fact at any of his interviews.

• If you want more job interview tips and other career advice check out Secretarial Careers.

So you think garlic gives you nothing but bad breath? Well, OK, it does, but it’s also one of the healthiest foods you can eat. For centuries, garlic has been considered a “cure-all” and is said to be able to treat just about every ailment from the cold to the Plague! I don’t think there are too many Plagues about these days so here are a few other ways you can use garlic to improve your health:-

Acne – Most people at some point in their lives suffer from acne to some degree. Companies make a fortune selling facial washes and creams to help. The problem is that there are many reasons for acne including hormones, diet and stress. Although garlic on its own is unlikely to cure acne, it can certainly be used in conjunction with other treatments.

Garlic is thought to work because of its antibiotic and blood cleansing properties. When using garlic in your food, make sure your crush and chop it up. This will help release the active compounds. Another way to take garlic is by placing a few cloves in a bottle of olive oil and then drizzle it over a salad.

Cardiovascular Health and High Cholesterol – If you enjoy eating Mediterranean or Far Eastern food you’ll notice that garlic is used a lot. The good news is that people from areas also have low incidences of cardiovascular disease.

Cholesterol can be a confusing area of health. On one hand it is essential whilst on the other hand it can kill us. This is because there are two types of Cholesterol – HDL and LDL. The latter type is considered bad. Modern medicine has found that garlic contains allicin which scavenges hydroxyl radicals (OH). This is turn is thought to prevent LDLs from being oxidised.

Unfortunately a number of studies that have been carried out have shown mixed results. It only goes to show how much more seriously natural remedies needs to be taken. Of course, we all know that there’s no incentive for drug companies to research natural products due to the lack of financial reward. If you have problems with high cholesterol go ahead and take some garlic. Just make sure it’s part of a balanced diet and you don’t ignore your doctor’s advice.

Antioxidant – Allicin naturally increases antioxidant enzymes atalase and glutathione peroxidase in your blood. It can help against the damaging effects of nicotine and slows the aging process of your liver by inhibiting lipid peroxidation.

Anti-Bacterial – Garlic has 1% of the potency of penicillin and can ward off a number of bacteria such as Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli, Cryptococcal meningitis, Candida albican and Staphylococcus. The problem with most antibiotics is that bacteria develops resistance to them, however this is not the case with garlic.

These benefits were first realized back in the early 19th century when English priests caught infectious fever. The French priests, who ate garlic everyday, didn’t.

Blood Clots – Clinical trials, which were published in the Journal of Hypertension, showed that the blood pressure of volunteers was reduced 1 – 5% after taking garlic supplements. This may not sound a lot but this small reduction can reduce the chance of a stroke by 30-40% and heart disease by 20-25%

What about Garlic Breath?

Despite all the health benefits of garlic you may feel that “garlic breath” is too much of a deterrent. If this is the case you can take Odorless Garlic Supplement instead.

Some Pointers about Garlic:-

• Garlic is most effective when crushed or chopped and when raw.
• One clove a day will improve your health and 2-3 cloves will help prevent a cold.
• When cooking garlic wait until the last 10 minutes of cooking to add the garlic.
• Be careful about taking too much as it can irritate your digestive system.
• Don’t microwave garlic as this kills the active ingredients.
• Don’t take garlic instead of a healthy balanced diet.
• Garlic supplements may interact with certain drugs such as anticoagulants.
• Always consult a doctor if you are unsure about anything.

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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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.

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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.