InsomniaInsomnia is a sleeping disorder when you have trouble sleeping, may last days.
You could just lie in bed and clear your mind and try to stay still inhales and exhale deeply a few times till you are completely calm and sleep. But for some of us we could use herbs.
It seems like every time I turn on the T.V., I see an ad for another new prescription sleep aid. You can find them from you pharmacist and over the counter in every shape and size. It’s like they’ve made the perfect sleep aid for every occasion, but what if you don’t want to take dangerous and possibly addictive chemicals to get yourself to sleep every night?
If you’ve tried all the other sleep remedies and nothings worked for you; before you make a trip to your doctor, make a trip to your local health food store. There you can find tons of natural supplements. While most of these remedies haven’t been clinically tested, they’ve been used for years in various cultures to naturally relax and get a good night’s rest. Check out these common herbal sleep remedies; one of which is bound to help you finally get some rest.
• German chamomile. This is probably the most widely publicized herbal sleep aid in recent years. Simply brew the tea and drink to relax your self into a peaceful sleep. The best part is that it’s safe to drink during the day when you just need to unwind; something no medical sleep aid can claim.
• Lemon balm. This is an herb often used in gardens for its lemony scent (it smells a bit like lemon wood cleaner); this is a great herb to calm your nerves. You can find it as a tea, capsules, or a liquid extract. This makes it extra convenient for every situation.
• Valerian root. This is one of the oldest and most widely used herbal sleep remedies. Unlike many other herbs, valerian root has been the subject of several clinical trials where it was found to help people fall asleep faster and get a more restful night’s sleep. It is also available in tea, pill, or liquid form.
• Catnip. Sure it sounds crazy, but that herb that makes your cats go wild can actually calm you down and prepare you for sleep. It contains chemicals similar to those in valerian root. In addition to being a sedative, catnip can also help with indigestion and heartburn. It can be enjoyed as a tea or taken in liquid extract form.
• St John’s Wort. This herb not only helps you fall asleep at night, it has also been indicated for treatment of anxiety and depression. Just be sure to take the prescribed dosage because too much can be harmful.
• Lavender. This is a safe relaxing herb that is so powerful, it has been shown to reduce and sometimes completely counteract symptoms of caffeine use. This herb is much more convenient because it comes in tea or and as an essential oil that can be massaged on, put into a bath, put on cotton balls to infuse into the air, or simply put on your pillow. Lavender oil is not only a great way to calm yourself; it’s also safe for use on children and babies.
STOMACH ACHE?
To me, this means gas pain. Herbs that relieve gas pain are called "carminatives" because they make you "sing" (carmen). Many aromatic herbs are carminatives, especially the seeds of members of the Apiaceae family including dill seed, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, anise seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. Just put a big spoonful in a cup, cover well with boiling water, steep five minutes, sweeten if you like, and drink.
Ginger is another readily-available carminative. Especially warming to the gut. You can make a tea with powdered ginger, or use up to a tablespoon of fresh ginger per cup of water for a strong brew. Ginger works best sweetened with honey. NASA found it would counter the nausea of space-sickness. You can also buy crystallized or candied ginger to take traveling with you.
The fastest remedy for gas pain is two capsules of acidophilus. I expect pain relief in 5-10 minutes. And I don't pay much attention to the expiration date on it. I keep mine in the refrigerator, and use them so rarely that I often have a bottle for ten years - and they still work.
Eating yogurt helps prevent gas pain, and can be used as a remedy, but it is not as fast as the acidophilus. A quart of yogurt a week is a good goal. And buy plain yogurt. No need to pay a fancy price for white sugar and poor quality fruit. Add maple syrup or honey and fruit of your choice, fresh or frozen at home. Make your own fantasy yogurt creation.
And the bitter tonic herbs mentioned above are also excellent allies to take long-term if you have frequent gas pains.
When I was in Spain I often had to eat late at night. Then I would take a sip of their very strong coffee, served in tiny cups. It had just the right amount of push to get that food into my digestive tract and still allow me to fall asleep at a reasonable time.
But most people in America drink coffee in the morning on an empty stomach. Might this be one reason so many are in such digestive distress? Instead of coffee, try this:
Put one ounce by weight of dried peppermint leaf in a quart jar and fill to the top with boiling water.
Cap tightly and allow to steep for 4-8 hours. (OK to let it steep while you sleep.)
Strain the plant material out after the allotted time, squeezing it well.
Then drink the liquid: hot or cold, salty or sweetened, with milk or whiskey or what have you.
Refrigerate what you don't drink then. This will stay good in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
Peppermint helps move the intestines and make you feel really awake, just like coffee. I would not use it if someone were feeling nauseated, as it tastes vile on the way back out.
Heartburn
You still talk about the day you gobbled down a fourteen-inch pizza in record time. But what you don’t talk about is the pain you suffered that night in the wee hours of the morning. You almost thought it was a heart attack, but fortunately, it turned out to be only a mild case of heartburn! Well, you’ll be happy to know that you’re not the only sufferer. A large chunk of humanity is victimized by it.
What is heartburn?
Heartburn has nothing to do with the heart, it’s a digestive problem caused by an increase in the acid content of the stomach that rises up into the food pipe called esophagus. Why this happens is because, unlike the stomach, it doesn’t have a protective lining and gets inflamed and painful when exposed to the acid. Ouch!
You, and many more people like you, suffer from it at one time or another. And most, like you, take heartburn symptoms to be a heart attack, because the pain occurs behind the breastbone or the midline of the back and is impossible to ignore. The burning sensation can be so severe as to get you on all your fours begging for relief. However, it’s not as serious as a heart attack and can often be relieved by remedies for indigestion.
Why it happens?
There can be various reasons for heartburn. It can occur, if you eat a large meal, especially near bedtime. Smokers and those overweight, pregnant or wearing tight clothing are susceptible to it. It can also occur if you even bend a lot! In most cases, especially in the pregnancy heartburn, it’s the increased pressure that prevents the esophageal muscle to shut off the acid from the food pipe. For smokers, it is the other way round, as smoking relaxes the esophageal muscle allowing the acid in.
What can be done about it?
Market is chock-a-block with drugs for heartburn promising the moon. From Alka Seltzer to many other variants, there’s relief at every step. But this relief comes at a price - the side effects. It’s for this reason people are increasingly turning towards natural heartburn medication.
A number of home remedies for heartburn are available that give instant heartburn relief with no side effects. Let’s take a look at them:
Peppermint Oil:
The active ingredient in peppermint oil is menthol. It prevents gas build-up that forces open the esophageal muscle to cause heartburn. So, how do we use this oil? Take this oil as coated capsules or as three to four cups a day of peppermint tea. However, keep this oil away from children and people with high blood pressure and even women who are pregnant.
Natural apple cider vinegar:
Take one or two teaspoons of natural apple cider vinegar and raw honey in a glass of distilled water before meals to prevent heartburn. This combination also promotes digestion and neutralizes any body toxins. In case the taste of vinegar is a problem, take natural apple cider vinegar tablets and wash them down with honey water.
Other natural cures:
Eating several almonds a day or lemon or even its rind before meals is known to relieve heartburn. You can avoid heartburn by eating dried figs, fresh pineapple and dried or fresh papaya. These foods are loaded with digestive enzymes that counter heartburn.
Heartburn is certain to afflict you at some point in your life. So, it’s better to be prepared beforehand, than to run around when it does occur. Go in for natural cures for heartburn. And yes, don’t forget to make it a habit to lie on your left side. It helps relieve heartburn by keeping the stomach below the esophagus and preventing the acid from reaching it.
~Cayenne pepper~ prized for thousands of years for its healing power. Folklore from around the world recounts amazing results using cayenne pepper in simple healing and in baffling health problems. But cayenne pepper is not just a healer from ancient history. Recent clinical studies have been conducted on many of the old-time health applications for this miracle herb.
Many herbalists believe that Cayenne is the most useful and valuable herb in the herb kingdom, not only for the entire digestive system, but also for the heart and circulatory system. It acts as a catalyst and increases the effectiveness of other herbs when used with them.
Cayenne is a medicinal and nutritional herb. It is a very high source of Vitamins A and C, has the complete B complexes, and is very rich in organic calcium and potassium, which is one of the reasons it is good for the heart.
Digestion
Cayenne can rebuild the tissue in the stomach and the peristaltic action in the intestines. It aids elimination and assimilation, and helps the body to create hydrochloric acid, which is so necessary for good digestion and assimilation, especially of proteins. All this becomes very significant when we realize that the digestive system plays the most important role in mental, emotional and physical health, as it is through the digestive system that the brain, glands, muscles and every other part of the body are fed.
Heart
Cayenne has been known to stop heart attacks within 30 seconds. For example, when a 90-year-old man in Oregon had a severe heart attack, his daughter was able to get Cayenne extract into his mouth. He was pronounced dead by the medics, but within a few minutes, he regained consciousness. On the way to the hospital, he remained in a semi-conscious state, but the daughter kept giving him the Cayenne extract. By the time they got to the hospital, he had fully recovered and wanted to go home and mow the lawn. The doctor asked what she had given him, as he said it was the closest thing to a miracle he had ever seen.
If a heart attack should occur, it is suggested that a teaspoon of extract be given every 15 minutes or a teaspoon of Cayenne in a glass of hot water be taken until the crisis has passed. Dr. Anderson also knew of a doctor who rushed out into the parking lot and put cayenne tincture into the mouth of a man who had died of a heart attack while he was parking his car. Within a few minutes, the man’s heart starting beating again.
According to Dr. Richard Anderson, using cayenne and hawthorn berries together has a most incredible effect upon the heart. He believes that a regimen of cayenne and hawthorn berries for several months will greatly strengthen the heart, and possibly prevent heart attacks. He states further that if an attack were to occur in someone who had followed this regimen, chances are very good that no damage would occur. He tells the following story about his mother:
“I had her taking hawthorn berries and cayenne when she had a heart attack at the age of 79. Her diet had not been the best, and she was in an extremely stressful situation. While in the hospital, they found three blocked arteries and wanted to operate immediately. They did not think that she could survive for more than a few weeks if they didn’t operate. (How many have heard that story!) The doctors thought it would be very risky to operate, but they had her there, and there was a lot of money to be made. So they decided to take some tests in the hopes that they could find an excuse to operate. In spite of the fact that she had been taking lots of aspirin for her arthritis, smoked like she was the reincarnation of a boiler factory, and had just had a heart attack, they found that her heart was incredibly strong. In fact, they felt that her heart was stronger than most people in their 30’s! The good news was that not only did she survive the operation, but also she stopped smoking! Well worth the operation, don’t you think? In my opinion, that was the best thing the doctors ever did for her. Well, that is what hawthorn and cayenne can do for the heart, and every good herbalist knows it; every good doctor should also know it, but very few do.”
Emergencies
It is a good idea to always have some Cayenne extract on hand for emergencies. Dr. Anderson carries capsules of cayenne with him in the car and whenever he goes hiking, backpacking or mountain climbing. He says, “You never know when you may find someone having a heart attack or some other emergency.”
The following stories demonstrate only a few of the remarkable emergency uses of cayenne.
If a hemorrhage occurs in the lungs, stomach, uterus or nose, it is suggested that a teaspoon of extract (or a teaspoon of cayenne powder in a cup of hot water) be given every 15 minutes until the crisis has passed. The bleeding should stop in 10-30 seconds. The reason for this is that rather than the blood pressure being centralized, it is equalized by the Cayenne, and the clotting action of the blood becomes more rapid. For external bleeding, take cayenne internally and pour cayenne directly on the wound.
Pain
Capsaicin cream is well established as a modestly helpful pain-relieving treatment for post-herpetic neuropathy (the pain that lingers after an attack of shingles) peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain that occurs most commonly as a side effect of diabetes, but may occur with HIV as well as other conditions), nerve pain after cancer surgery and arthritis.
Capsaicin instilled into the nose may be helpful for cluster headache. (The fact that this has even been considered a viable treatment option shows how painful cluster headaches can be!)
Actual cayenne rather than capsaicin has been tested for pain as well. A 3-week, double-blind trial of 154 individuals with back pain found that cayenne applied topically as a plaster improved pain to a greater extent than placebo.
Caution! Please Refer to the List of peppers Under Capsaisin, Cayenne is MUY MUY CALENTIE!!
CapsaicinCapsaicin is a vanilloid, the heaviest of this class of compound in nature. Others include Vanillin, present in vanilla and the wood used to age wine, Eugenol, present in bay leaves, allspice, and cloves, and Zingerone, giving ginger and mustard their distinct flavours.The capsaicinoids in chilli bind to a receptor in the lining of the mouth. This is the same receptor that registers pain from heat, thus the effect is a burning feeling. This is a result of the flow of calcium ions from one cell to the next. The pungent molecule has an electron poor area, which is attracted to the electron rich area on the receptor protein. Repeated exposure to capsaicinoids depletes these receptors, enabling you to eat hotter chillies and feel the same effect. The pain caused by this leads to the release of endorphins.High concentration capsaicinoids are toxic, and so painful as to be incapacitating. Capsaicin can block the production of certain neurotransmitters, preventing nerves from communicating with each other. Capsaicin cream is also used to lower the sensation of pain in such conditions as arthritis, and other painful chronic conditions.
Chillies are high in vitamin C (about twice that of citrus fruits), dried chillies are very high in vitamin A, and red chillies are a great source of b-carotene. Chillies have antibacterial qualities, and contain bioflavinoids, anti-oxidants most common in apple juice.
!!CAUTION!! DONT EAT TOO MANY PEPPERS TOO MANY PEPPERS MAY CAUSE STOMACH ULCERS! YES THEY ARE GOOD FOR YOU BUT TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING BE BECOME A BAD THING! BEWARE THE INSIDES OF SOME PEPPERS CAN BURN YOUR SKIN IF YOU DO NOT WASH HANDS THROUGHLY!
Runners High
Some who said they had experienced a runner’s high said it was uncommon. They might feel relaxed or at peace after exercising, but only occasionally did they feel euphoric. Was the calmness itself a runner’s high? The runner’s-high hypothesis proposed that there were real biochemical effects of exercise on the brain. Chemicals were released that could change an athlete’s mood, and those chemicals were endorphins, the brain’s naturally occurring opiates. Running was not the only way to get the feeling; it could also occur with most intense or endurance exercise.
Running does elicit a flood of endorphins in the brain. The endorphins are associated with mood changes, and the more endorphins a runner’s body pumps out, the greater the effect.The idea was to use PET scans combined with recently available chemicals that reveal endorphins in the brain, to compare runners’ brains before and after a long run. If the scans showed that endorphins were being produced and were attaching themselves to areas of the brain involved with mood, that would be direct evidence for the endorphin hypothesis. And if the runners, who were not told what the study was looking for, also reported mood changes whose intensity correlated with the amount of endorphins produced, that would be another clincher for the argument.The data showed that, indeed, endorphins were produced during running and were attaching themselves to areas of the brain associated with emotions, in particular the limbic and prefrontal areas.
Ambidexterity
Ambidexterity is the ability to use both your hands with equal ease or facility, but if you're armless, it could be your feet! In fact, it is quite advantageous in certain sports and martial arts to be able to use both your feet with equal facility. The Greeks encouraged and tried to promote ambidexterity because it was simply logical in sports and battle to be adept with both hands instead of one. By combining the Phoenician style of writing right to left with their own left to right system, the Greeks created a reading and writing system called boustrophedon, where the lines ran alternately right-to-left and left-to-right. With alternating sweeps of the eyes back and forth, reading was more swift and efficient.
Fleming, Einstein and Tesla were all ambidextrous. Benjamin Franklin was also ambidextrous and signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with his left hand. U.S. Left-handed and ambidextrous people have 11% larger corpus callosa (the bundle of nerve fibers joining the right and left sides of the brain) than right handed people. An autopsy of Einstein's brain revealed a larger profusion of superficial capillaries interlacing the cerebral cortex than the average brain, as well as an additional amount of glial cells.Also, people that can play an instrament has a bigger corpus callosum than left and right handed people.
Dogs and Music
Two recent studies have shown that the behavior of dogs can be affected by the type of music they are hearing.
When a team of researchers led by Deborah Wells, an animal behaviorist employed by Queens University in Belfast, Northern Island, exposed 50 dogs in an animal shelter to Vivaldis, The Four Seasons, Greigs Morning and other classical pieces, the dogs became calm and laid down.
When the researchers played music by Metallica and other heavy metal bands, the dogs became agitated and began barking.
Pop music and radio talk shows seemed to have little effect.
A similar research project conducted at the Rehoming Center of the National Canine Defense League in Evesham, England yielded comparable results.
"It is well established that music can influence our moods," said Wells. "Dogs may be as discerning as humans when it comes to music."
"Dogs have a taste in musical styles just as people do," said Alison Jaskiewicz, cofounder of the Canine Freestyle Federation, which is dedicated to broadening the scope of dog training by adding choreography to it. "If you move dogs to different types of music, you will see their preferences reflected in their bodies, in their eagerness to move, in their tail set, in their ear set, etc."
An Arizona Animal Welfare League has started playing classical music to calm animals at its no-kill shelter.
The music comes courtesy of Scottsdale residents Scott Goldberg and Hannah Romberg, who paid for the installation and service for the Muzak system that provides the music continuously via satellite, said Cheryl Weiner, the league's Vice President.
A United Kingdom study published in the journal Animal Welfare revealed that shelter animals overwhelmingly spend more time in a relaxed state when exposed to classical music.
Goldberg said he noticed the calming effect of music on his two cats and two dogs, and he wanted to extend the service to the shelter animals.
There are other benefits.
"The dogs bark less and are more relaxed when people visit the shelter," Weiner said. "Visitors stay longer and spend more time with animals, so more may be adopted."
A new study gives the strongest evidence yet that obesity surgery can cure diabetes.
Patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs were five times more likely to see their diabetes disappear over the next two years than were patients who had standard diabetes care, according to Australian researchers.
Most of the surgery patients were able to stop taking diabetes drugs and achieve normal blood tests.
"It's the best therapy for diabetes that we have today, and it's very low risk," said the study's lead author, Dr. John Dixon of Monash University Medical School in Melbourne, Australia.
The patients had stomach band surgery, a procedure more common in Australia than in the United States, where gastric bypass surgery, or stomach stapling, predominates.
Gastric bypass is even more effective against diabetes, achieving remission in a matter of days or a month, said Dr. David Cummings, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal but was not involved in the study.
"We have traditionally considered diabetes to be a chronic, progressive disease," said Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle. "But these operations really do represent a realistic hope for curing most patients."
Diabetes experts who read the study said surgery should be considered for some obese patients, but more research is needed to see how long results last and which patients benefit most. Surgery risks should be weighed against diabetes drug side effects and the long-term risks of diabetes itself, they said.
Experts generally agree that weight-loss surgery would never be appropriate for diabetics who are not obese, and current federal guidelines restrict the surgery to obese people.
Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, and researchers are furiously pursuing reasons for the link as rates for both climb. What's known is that excess fat can cause the body's normal response to insulin to go haywire. Researchers are investigating insulin-regulating hormones released by fat and the role of fatty acids in the blood.
In the Australian study, all the patients were obese and had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the past two years. Their average age was 47. Half the patients underwent a type of surgery called laparoscopic gastric banding, where an adjustable silicone cuff is installed around the upper stomach, limiting how much a person can eat.
Head injuries fall into two categories:
*external (usually scalp) injuries
*internal head injuries, which may involve the skull, the blood vessels within the skull, or the brain.
Fortunately, most childhood falls or blows to the head result in injury to the scalp only, which is usually more frightening than threatening. An internal head injury could have more serious implications because the skull serves as the protective helmet for the delicate brain.
External (Scalp) Injury
The scalp is rich with blood vessels, so even a minor cut there can bleed profusely. The "goose egg" or swelling that may appear after a head blow is the result of the scalp's veins leaking fluid or blood into (and under) the scalp. It may take days or even weeks to disappear.
*If your child is not an infant, has not lost consciousness, and is alert and behaving normally after the fall or blow:
Apply an ice pack or instant cold pack to the injured area for 20 minutes. If you use ice, always wrap it in a washcloth or sock; ice applied directly to bare skin can cause frostbite.
*Observe your child carefully for the next 24 hours. If you notice any of the signs of internal injury (see below), call your doctor immediately.
*If the incident has occurred close to bedtime or naptime and your child falls asleep soon afterward, check in every few hours to look for twitching limbs or disturbances in color or breathing.
Suspected Internal Injury
The brain is cushioned by cerebrospinal fluid, but a severe blow to the head may knock the brain into the side of the skull or tear blood vessels. Any internal head injury — fractured skull, torn blood vessels, or damage to the brain itself — can be serious and possibly life threatening.
Different levels of injury require different levels of concern. It can be difficult to determine the level of injury, so it's always wise to discuss a head injury with your doctor. A clear indicator of a more serious injury is when a child loses consciousness or has signs of confusion.
Call an ambulance if your child shows any of these symptoms:
*unconsciousness
*abnormal breathing
*obvious serious wound or fracture
*bleeding or clear fluid from the nose, ear, or mouth
*disturbance of speech or vision
*pupils of unequal size
*weakness or paralysis
*dizziness
*neck pain or stiffness
*seizure
*vomiting more than two to three times
*loss of bladder or bowel control
If your child is conscious:
Do your best to keep your child calm and still.
If there's bleeding, apply a sterile bandage.
Do not attempt to cleanse the wound, which may aggravate bleeding and/or cause serious complications if the skull is fractured.
Do not apply direct pressure to the wound if you suspect the skull is fractured.
Do not remove any object that's stuck in the wound.
Concussions
Concussions are also a type of internal head injury. A concussion is the temporary loss of normal brain function due to an injury. Repeated concussions can result in permanent injury to the brain. However, it's possible to get a concussion that's mild and just requires observation.
One of the most common reasons kids get concussions is through sports, so make sure they wear appropriate protective gear and don't continue to play if they've had a head injury.
If your child sustains an injury to the head, watch for these signs of a possible concussion:
"seeing stars" and feeling dazed, dizzy, or lightheaded
*memory loss, such as trouble remembering what happened right before and after the injury
*nausea or vomiting
*headaches
*blurred vision and sensitivity to light
*slurred speech or saying things that don't make sense
*difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions
*difficulty with coordination or balance (such as being unable to catch a ball or *other easy tasks)
*feeling anxious or irritable for no apparent reason
*feeling overly tired
Sometimes western medication does not work for your headaches and magrains.If western medication does not work it is best to try out
herbal medication.
Peppermint tea is a very popular natural migraine headache remedy. As a natural relaxant, it is often beneficial for migraine sufferers who might also be suffering from a combination of migraine headaches and tension headaches.
(Chrysanthemum Parthenium), a flower that grows in abundance in England and, one would assume, gardens in similar climates, is a very popular herbal migraine treatment. It’s not uncommon to find this plant in teas meant to help prevent or relieve migraines and headaches. Yogi makes a good tea called Head-Aid with feverfew.
Willow Bark tea is another great natural headache remedy. Where as feverfew is often ingested as a preventative migraine therapy, white willow bark tea is taken when the symptoms of a headache are present. Willow bark works like any aspirin does because it contains salicylate, the active ingredient in many pain medications.
Causes
The causes of chronic daily headaches are not well understood. For primary chronic daily headaches, possible factors may include:
Medication overuse
Abnormal response of the brain to stimulation, such as muscle tension or tissue inflammation
Abnormal function of brain structures that suppress pain
Changes in the nervous system due to frequent headaches
Stimulation of the central nervous system due to stress, infection or trauma
Genetic predisposition to increased pain sensitivity
Injury to or painful stimulation of the upper spine
Secondary chronic daily headaches may be caused by various underlying diseases or conditions, including:
Inflammation of the arteries (giant cell arteritis)
Inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis)
A new, abnormal formation of tissue (neoplasm)
Infection
Sleep disorders (such as obstructive sleep apnea)
Herbs Are always best because herbs keep you healthy through out your life and you cant get addicted to it like medication. Since herbs are natural it's healthy but medication and suscriptions are only good for the illness but does no good when the senorio is over and kids can be smart with child proof caps you never know when they might secretly be taking them but with herbs they could live a healthy life and those are the medications that don't need child proof caps.
