Category: Natural Health

I am always pleased to see articles like this! A natural food that reduces Blood Pressure as well as any pharmaceutical drug! When my own BP was higher than I liked, I started taking an Ayurvedic herb called, Coleus Forskohlii. Now, it is important to point out that I am not on ANY pharmaceutical drugs! Coleus Forskohlii is very effective at lowering blood pressure, so it would NOT be appropriate to take it while on a blood pressure reducing drug! Anyway, my blood pressure came down to textbook normal levels, with NO side effects, or adverse interactions. To me, this is a great example of using an herb, which is basically just a food, to address an issue in the body. Now, coconut water shows just as much promise! This is awesome!

Coconut water shown to significantly reduce high blood pressure

“(NaturalNews) While doctors may be quick to write a prescription for blood pressure medication if your numbers are a little high, research shows coconut water is a highly effective natural remedy for lowering blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

A study published in the West Indian Medical Journal looked at whether coconut water and mauby (a tropical drink made from buckthorn tree bark) were effective in treating high blood pressure. Researchers tested the blood pressure of twenty-eight individuals for two weeks without treatment, and then again for two weeks during treatment.

Participants were divided into four groups: one control group received only bottled drinking water; one group received coconut water; one received mauby; and the last was given a combination of coconut water and mauby. Each participant drank about 10 ounces of their assigned formula twice daily.

Although it’s easy to tell the difference between drinking water and coconut water or mauby, none of the participants knew exactly what they were drinking or that it could have an effect on their blood pressure.

The findings revealed interesting results. In the coconut water group, 71 percent of participants showed a marked decrease in systolic blood pressure and 29 percent showed a significant decrease in diastolic pressure. The group drinking mauby or the combination of coconut water and mauby also showed significant improvement.

The group drinking ordinary water actually showed an increase in systolic pressure in 57 percent of the participants, with no significant change in diastolic pressure.

These results may be explained by coconut water’s unique nutritional content. Coconut water is rich in potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. All of these nutrients are linked to health benefits, including lowering high blood pressure. They also make coconut water an excellent way to hydrate your body without depleting vital minerals. Many health-conscious athletes choose coconut water over commercial sports drinks to replenish water, minerals and glycogen lost during heavy exercise.

The best coconut water is found in fresh young coconuts, which are green in color. This coconut water is fresh and raw, retaining its natural benefits in the purest form. Young coconuts can often be found in health food stores and international markets, but of course are most readily available in tropical regions. Commercial packaged coconut water is available as well, but these products are processed and pasteurized, and should be considered inferior to fresh coconut water.”

Alpha Lipoic Acid is a supplement that I take regularly. I fell a few years ago, and damaged my sciatic nerve. I was prescribed Gabapentin for the nerve pain, but as soon as possible, I got off that, and I am now taking ALA in place of the pharmaceutical drug. Better long term results, no side effects… a “win-win!” Plus, I get the added benefits mentioned in this article!

New reasons discovered for supplementing with alpha lipoic acid

“(NaturalNews) Alpha lipoic acid – a.k.a., ALA, linolenic acid, or a-lipoic acid – is a potent, versatile antioxidant that also serves to convert blood sugar into metabolic energy. Recent research has shown lipoic acid’s power to help repair nerve damage and possibly protect against Alzheimer’s as well as declining vision. And there are many more health issues covered by ALA than most know.

The more it is researched, the more it appears to be a miraculous substance that’s easy to supplement. The term ALA will be used throughout this article.

Unlike most other antioxidants, ALA functions in cellular water or fat. Though it is produced in our bodies, production wanes as we age. So supplementing with ALA is yet another approach to anti-aging.

It is unusual because it can actually recycle glutathione, considered the master oxidant because it recycles other antioxidants after they are used up from capturing free radicals. The ALA antioxidant even recycles the master oxidant.

That master oxidant, glutathione, is also critical for liver and overall health. Glutathione cannot be introduced into our systems directly because it can’t get past the GI tract. Its normal production from the liver can only be stimulated externally by precursors. So recycling glutathione is very helpful for maintaining high glutathione levels…

It chelates heavy metals, balances blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, protects against and repairs nerve damage for eye health, adds to bone density and cardiovascular health, protects the liver, offers cataract protection, and restores the master oxidant glutathione while capturing free radicals itself. Who could ask for anything more?”

I have always been fascinated by Ginger as an herb. It has remarkable properties! It is well known as a remedy for travel sickness, nausea, and indigestion. Due to it’s antispasmodic characteristic some people have used it to help ease menstrual cramps. In her book ‘10 Essential Herbs‘ author Lalitha Thomas describes the properties: ‘The major active ingredients in ginger are terpenes (quite similar to the chemical action of turpentine) and an oleo-resin called ginger oil. These two, and other active ingredients in ginger, provide antiseptic, lymph-cleansing, circulation-stimulating, and mild constipation relief qualities along with a potent perspiration-inducing action that is quite effective in cleansing the system of toxins.’

Ginger root reduces digestive inflammation markers to lower colon cancer risk

“(NaturalNews) Since ancient times, ginger has a long tradition of being very effective in alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. Modern scientific research has revealed that ginger possesses numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects. The result of a new body of research published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, demonstrates the specific anti-inflammatory action of the spice on the colon. Health-minded individuals will want to include ginger as part of their regular diet or include an organically harvested supplement to dramatically lower inflammatory risk markers for colon cancer.

Dr. Suzanna Zick, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, and her team assembled 30 patient participants to conduct the study. Each was provided with two grams of ginger root supplements per day or a placebo for a period of 28 days. After the test timeframe, researchers measured standard levels of colon inflammation and found statistically significant reductions in most of these markers. They also found trends toward significant reductions in a number of other colon cancer biomarkers.

A critical inflammation marker in the colon is known to be PGE2, a naturally occurring prostaglandin also called dinoprostone. PGE2 is the prostaglandin that ultimately induces fever, and is therefore an important marker researcher’s monitor to determine inflammatory levels in the body. Inflammation has been implicated in prior studies as a precursor to colon cancer, and ginger root supplementation effectively lowers blood levels of the prostaglandin to reduce colon cancer risk.

Dr. Zick is a Naturopathic Doctor developing plant and naturally occurring compounds that specifically promote health without the need for deadly pharmaceutical interventions. She noted on the research findings, ‘We need to apply the same rigor to the sorts of questions about the effect of ginger root that we apply to other clinical trial research.’ Dr. Zick concluded, ‘Interest in this is only going to increase as people look for ways to prevent cancer that are nontoxic, and improve their quality of life in a cost-effective way.'”

Yoga may be beneficial in the treatment of lower back pain. A major study from the U.K., published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, saw a real improvement in movement, and a reduction of pain.

Yoga Is Better for Back Pain Than Standard Medical Care, Study Finds

“Yoga is better at treating lower back pain than conventional medical treatment, according to a large-scale British study published Tuesday.

People with long-term back pain who undertook a 12-week course of yoga experienced more improved back function than those who received standard medical care, researchers from the University of York found.

The study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, saw 156 patients take part in yoga classes while a control group of 157 patients received standard care from the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS).

After three months, participants in the yoga group were able to undertake 30 percent more activities compared with those receiving NHS care, and also experienced a reduction in pain.

The main advantages were improved confidence when performing everyday tasks such as ‘walking more quickly, getting dressed without help or standing up for longer periods of time’ but not necessarily pain relief, the researchers said.

Dr. David Torgerson, from the university’s health sciences department, said, ‘Back pain is an extremely common and costly condition. Exercise treatment, although widely used and recommended, has only a small effect.’

He added, ‘Our results showed that yoga can provide both short- and long-term benefits to those suffering from chronic or recurrent back pain, without any serious side effects.’

Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research U.K., which funded the study, said, ‘This trial is part of our larger commitment to seek self-help solutions to this common musculoskeletal problem. There are compelling explanations why yoga may be helpful, and this trial lends powerful support to the wider use of this approach.'”

Once again, what we eat and drink can be a huge factor in determining our health. Coffee, in its most basic form, may be considered a food, or, an herb. And, it appears that among its many effects on our health, it might be protective when it comes to skin cancer.

Daily coffee may lower your skin cancer risk

Your morning coffee might do more than jump-start your day. Researchers say that daily caffeine jolt might also reduce your risk of developing a type of skin cancer.

‘Our study indicates that coffee consumption may be an important option to help prevent basal cell carcinoma,’ aid lead researcher Fengju Song, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, ‘Our study indicates that coffee consumption may be an important option to help prevent basal cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, with nearly one million new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. A diet that contains even a small protective factor may have great public health impact. The amount of caffeine consumption was inversely associated with risk…,’ meaning the more coffee consumed, the lower the risk of skin cancer.

The study could not prove cause-and-effect, however, and at this point the finding remains an association only.

Decaffeinated coffee was not associated with a decreased risk of basal cell carcinoma, and the researchers said any protective effect would likely be because of caffeine, a stimulant. The study authors also expressed surprise that coffee did not reduce the risk of two other types of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma and the less common but potentially deadly melanoma.

Earlier experiments in mice found caffeine helped reduce the development of squamous cell carcinoma by eliminating cells damaged by ultraviolet radiation, but that effect was not seen in the current study.

The results were scheduled for presentation Monday at an American Association for Cancer Research International Conference in Boston.”

Add to the many great benefits of Green Tea… helping reduce body fat!

Green tea shown to fight obesity

“(NaturalNews) Pennsylvania State University researchers have discovered yet another impressive property of green tea – it can slow down weight gain and counter obesity. This recent study analyzed the health development of a test group of obese mice that were fed a high-fat diet mixed with green tea extracts, and compared it to that of a control group of obese mice that were fed the same diet, without the green tea compounds. The mice in the test group gained weight at a much slower rate than the mice in the control group, and they appeared to be in better health overall.

Assistant professor of food science in agricultural sciences, Joshua Lambert, who was part of this research, explained that ‘in this experiment, we see the rate of body weight gain slows down.’

Green tea is believed to have originated in China, although many Asian cultures traditionally prepare and consume this type of tea. It is produced from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have only undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea has the highest content of antioxidants among commonly consumed foods and beverages, and that is why it has consistently attracted scientific attention over the last few decades.

Green tea can also provide the body with considerable amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, and trace elements (including chromium, manganese, selenium and zinc). Both animal and human studies have revealed that green tea has the potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and to help with the prevention of tooth decay by improving bone quality and density, as well as to fight against different forms of cancer.

The study recently conducted at Penn State had the test mice on a high-fat diet enriched with Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (or EGCG), which is an important compound found in green tea that is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. These mice gained weight at a 45% slower rate than the control group of mice, who were on the same high-fat diet.

The mechanism of action is believed to be linked to how the body absorbs fats. The analysis of fecal matter from the test mice revealed that they eliminated 30% more lipids than the mice in the control group, which implies that green tea may reduce lipid absorption.

Assistant professor Lambert explained: ‘[T]here seems to be two prongs to this. First, EGCG reduces the ability to absorb fat and, second, it enhances the ability to use fat.’ Moreover, green tea had no impact whatsoever on appetite, as both groups of mice consumed roughly equal amounts of food. To match the EGCG quantities used in the study, a normal person would have to drink around 10 cups of green tea per day; however, Lambert assures us that only a few cups per day may also help obese individuals control body weight.”

The husk of the Psyllium plant (that surrounds the seeds) is a beneficial cleansing agent. If you want to clean out your colon, then psyllium is the way to do it! Psyllium expands to several times its original size when mixed with water. As it moves through your colon, it bulks up and softens your stool. In fact, you may notice that your stool will become darker, and thicker, when using psyllium. Natural health practioners believe that this is due to old fecal matter being dislodged and cleansed from your colon.

Psyllium does not taste very good, but, fortunately, it can be combined with juices, to help make it more palentable. Some people can have allergic reactions to psyllium, so be careful using it! Start slow, and see how your body reacts to psyllium use.

Psyllium use is often combined with bentonite for a full cleanse. Psyllium and bentonite can help to eliminate parasites and candida, but shoudl be used with other treatments for a full effect in this area. Bentonite is a medicinal powdered clay which is also known as montmorillonite.

“Naturopathy is a philosophy which encompasses a view of life, a model for living a full life. The word naturopathy is a Latin-Greek hybrid which can be defined as ‘being close to or benefiting from nature.’” — Stewart Mitchell, Naturopathy: Understanding the Healing Power of Nature

A traditional, classical naturopath specializes in wellness. That is to say, teaching clients how applying natural lifestyle approaches can act to facilitate the body’s own natural healing and health building potential. The traditional naturopath does not undertake to “diagnose” or “treat diseases,” but rather recognizes that the majority of sub-health conditions are cumulative lifestyle effects, and that the underlying cause of what we call “disease” (or, “dis-ease”) is improper diet, unhealthy habits, and environmental factors which cause biological imbalances leading to a weakening of the bodies’ natural defenses and subsequent breakdown in health. The practice of Traditional Naturopathy is not considered the practice of medicine and is currently legal in all 50 states.

The practice of Traditional Naturopathy is recognized as a common occupation at the Federal level (U.S. Congress 1928, 1929, 1930 and 30 Federal Court rulings between 1958 and 1978) and as such it is a profession protected under the 14th and 9th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Several states have also made this stipulation either by statute or in the Courts.

All disease (dis-ease) is a “lack of ease” or lack of homeostasis in the body. What Allopathic (medical) doctors call diseases are only symptoms of a greater underlying problem. Disease is nothing more than a manifestation of our bodies trying to correct imbalances. These Imbalances are due to faulty nutritional patterns, improper rest, stress management and other lifestyle considerations which over time can result in a weakening of the body. By the time disease appears on the scene it is very late in the game!

Our body tells us early on when there is a problem and we can either respond to these “messages” or try to suppress the symptoms the body uses to tell us there is a problem. You can take Tylenol, or other drugs, to suppress the symptoms and they will help for a while but, unless the underlying problem is corrected, eventually the symptoms will no longer be suppressed by these drugs and one will need to take stronger and stronger drugs to quiet the body’s message.

Eventually, if the underlying problem has not been addressed, the body will begin to break down structurally. It is at this time modern medicine is finally capable of diagnosing something is really wrong and offer interventions to fix the structure, but still medical doctors fail to address the underlying problem.

Naturopathy concentrates on identifying destructive aspects of the lifestyle in the early phases, when lifestyle changes can occur to bring long-term benefit. Before symptoms manifest and long before a diagnosis can be rendered, these destructive aspects of our lifestyle can be identified and corrected. Once corrected, the body automatically begins to correct itself. Diagnosing disease and illness is totally unnecessary to correcting the underlying problems which result in disease and illness.

A true healer does not waste his time concentrating on naming diseases but rather on identifying those underlying factors, which if not addressed, will eventually result in the manifestation of disease and illness. These factors can be identified and corrected long before it is even possible to make any diagnosis. Even after a diagnosis is made, the same concepts of healing used by Traditional Naturopaths are equally effective, because once balance is restored the body automatically heals itself!

From my web site, Classical Naturopathy

Aloe Vera gel is a natural disinfectant. It is very beneficial as a natural salve and treatment for minor burns. In fact, my mother used to keep Aloe Vera plants handy for just such a use in the kitchen! It is also a soothing balm for sunburn! It can help relieve itching, scrapes, and insect bites. It is a powerful natural aid to help counter digestive disorders such as IBS or IBD. Aloe Vera gel is known for its mucilage, which is a thin clear jelly-like substance obtained from the parenchymal tissue that makes up most of the inner section of the plants leaves. This mucilage gel contains substances such as glucomannans and pectic acid, which are both carbohydrate polymers.

Pure Aloe Vera gel is also antibacterial. It promotes healing. It can help with cuts, constipation, headaches, digestive disorders, burns, stomach ulcers, irregular bowel movements, premenstrual syndrome, skin cancer, stomach disorders, skin disorders, infections, arthritis, IBS, inflammation and allergies!

Aloe Vera gel is, in essence, a complex water storage matrix, which contains mostly water. When you dehydrate Aloe Vera gel, you are left with a very small amount of powder.

Aloe Vera supports these organs and systems: large intestine, stomach, heart, liver, lungs, skin, the immune system, the intestinal tract, the spleen, and the digestive system.

Aloe can reduce or eliminate scars. Aloe vera maintains female hormone regulation. Dried powder is used for hepatitis, liver problems and constipation. It should be used with caution since, the concentrated dried leaf is a powerful laxative. It is also effective against intestinal worms and parasites.

In short, Aloe Vera gel is mainly used for its healing, soothing and moisturizing capabilities. The benefits of Aloe Vera gel can be credited to its many nutrients such as: vitamins (C, folic acid, B1, B2, B3, and B6), calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and copper.

How can an algae be a superfood? Most people today don’t eat algae! Well, turns out, it is, and is very beneficial to your health! Low calorie, and nutrient rich, it is something to consider in terms of your diet, or supplementation!

Spirulina – Packed with protein, B12 and iron

“(NaturalNews) Spirulina, a blue-green algae, is a superfood by any definition. It has been used since the 16th century by the Aztecs and North Africans. It was later rediscovered by the French, who later opened the first Spirulina processing plant in 1969, and soon after in Japan, Thailand, California, and Hawaii. Its nutritional benefits are impressive and vast, making it an invaluable food especially for vegetarians, vegans, anemics, diabetics, and those who cannot take in enough nutrients in their diet due to economics or location.

Spirulina is not a sea plant, but is found mostly in fresh water lakes and thrives in very warm water that is 85-112 degrees Fahrenheit. Blue-green algae like spirulina are what give bodies of water a dark green appearance. Spirulina is named for its shape since it forms swirling, microscopic strands. There are over forty thousand varieties, which only need a little bit of water and some sun to grow. It is able to grow by itself in the wild, and not on a farm with the help of humans. After it grows, it is harvested and turned into a thick paste, and then dried. Then it is packed into a powder or turned into a tablet or granulated so it can be filled into capsules.

Spirulina contains a high amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is about 60-70% protein, which is greater gram for gram than both red meat and soy. It also contains all of the essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein; this is not very common in plant foods. It contains a large amount of Vitamin B12, which is very difficult to find in other plant foods. That is one reason why Spirulina is such a great choice for vegetarians. Spirulina is very rich in iron, which is the most common mineral deficiency. Spirulina also contains calcium, magnesium, and Vitamins A, B, C, D and E. Due to its ability to withstand high temperatures, it is able to retain its nutritional value during processing and shelf storage. Many other plant foods will deteriorate at these temperatures. It only contains 3.9 calories per gram and still has all of these great benefits. It is a low calorie, nutrient dense food.”