Foods That Fight Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is the body’sse to harmful stimuli such as pathogens, damaged cells, irritants, or infection. Inflammation is the body’s way of attempting to protect itself by removing injurious stimuli and initiating the healing process. The inflammatory response causes a cascade of biochemical events within the body. Swelling, redness, pain, heat, and loss of function can appear within minutes or hours of harmful stimuli. During acute inflammation these symptoms will cease once the stimulus is removed.  Prolonged inflammation, which is known as chronic inflammation, can lead to a wide range of degenerative disease such as hay fever, periodontitis, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, eczema, IBS, depression, and Parkinson’s. Chronic inflammation occurs when the inflammatory response in the body malfunctions and doesn’t completely stop releasing pro inflammatory immune cells. This causes simultaneous destruction and healing because the excess immune cells damage healthy areas of the body which cause a more inflammatory responses. Slowly but surely inflammation can spread throughout the body. To reduce chronic inflammation a healthy diet loaded with anti-inflammatory foods is needed. Cut out trans fat and refined carbohydrates and replace them with natural anti-inflammatory foods, which were once so prevalent in our diets. Include a wide variety of these foods in your diet to rid your body of inflammation and bolster your immune system. Read more...

Foods Filled With Antioxidants

Antioxidants have been getting a lot of buzz recently and for good cause. Antioxidants fight against free radicals, which can cause cell damage or death. This can lead to increased signs of aging, disease, and lowered immune systems. Foods filled with antioxidants provide the body with vital nutrients and energy to fight disease, infections and aging. Read more...

 

The Most Popular Types of Massage Therapy

 

There are over 100 different types of massage practiced in today’s society. Each one uses different techniques, strokes and instruments throughout the massage to accomplish the ultimate goal of healing. For each different type of massage there is a specific training, hands on hours and state licensing test before the masseurs are able to practice their craft. The different massage techniques are similar in their philosophy that massage therapy is the manipulation of muscles, ligaments, tendons, skin, fascia, and joints of the body. Read more...

Why People Gain Weight

Weight gain is normally an unwanted side effect of overeating, insufficient physical activity, slow metabolism, excess stress, health problems, and consumption of medications. It is rare that anyone is happy about gaining weight. Rather most people are trying to lose weight. Weight gain can be attributed to eating an unhealthy diet, not getting enough exercise, having too much stress, or even to health problems.   To find out why you’re gaining eight take a look at your lifestyle to find the areas where you can improve your life and stop unwanted weight gain. Read more...

Better Health-Live Your Life to the Fullest

Health should be the most important thing in one’s life. Even if at times we don’t always think so. However, our lifestyles are so fast paced that sometimes we don’t stop to realize we need to take care of our health everyday. We were born with just one life and one body.  Health used to be defined as the absence of disease, however now health is achieved through the presence of complete physical, mental and social well-being.  Several factors including biology, environment, lifestyle and healthcare services determine one’s level of health. Optimal health is an on going process of continuing to maintain and improve lifestyle and environment. Read more...

Add These Foods To Your Diet For Weight Loss

Why do we eat?  The most basic reason is hunger, however with the growing rate of obesity this shows us that people eat for more reasons than just hunger. People eat out of boredom, loneliness, hunger, or deprivation. All of which can lead to excessive overeating and added weight gain. By choosing the right foods to eat when you are actually hungry you can limit cravings to eat for these other reasons. Superfoods contain essential nutrients that the body needs to properly function. When the body is functioning optimally it will speed up your metabolism, boosting calorie burning, making it easier to lose weight. Superfoods contain fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, which play a role in how your body responds to calorie absorption and fat cells. Superfoods tend to be lower in calories and take the body longer to digest. This leaves you feeling fuller for longer, giving you less reasons to eat unneeded calories. They also provide the body with a steady flow of energy, keeping the metabolism working to burn more calories. By adding these foods into your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks you can lose weight and feel great. Read more...

The Importance of Vitamin C

         Vitamin C plays a vital role in how the body functions, even though it is only considered a micronutrient. Vitamin C is essential to immune function, iron absorption, bone building, wound healing, healthy skin, blood pressure and eyesight. Because vitamin C is vital to so many of the bodies functioning maintaining appropriate levels within the body is important. Vitamin C acts as a catalyst within the body, speeding up chemical reactions using less energy. Without these catalysts due to a deficiency, normal body functions breakdown, exposing the body to disease.

What are the Health Benefits of the Pomegranate Fruit?

If you have never eaten a pomegranate, you don’t know what you’re missing! Pomegranates are not just a fruit; pomegranates are a super food filled with healthy vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. With more and more research being done on the health benefits of pomegranates we are learning more about how this powerful fruit can keep our bodies healthy. Read more....

Vitamins that Treat Acne

 

In Naturopathic medicine, the belief is that acne is caused by imbalances within the body. These imbalances can be mental, physical or spiritual. Physical imbalances include toxicity of the blood and lymph nodes and deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals. Due to the inadequate American diet, the limited amount of exercise and sleep, and the extensive amount of stress that we deal with on a daily basis, vitamin and mineral deficiencies have become more and more prevalent in today’s society. Therefore the best acne treatment would be supplementation of adequate vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are essential for the health of skin, hormone balance, and a strong immune system. The vitamins and minerals that impact acne are vitamins A, B, C, E and zinc, and chromium.  They not only influence the occurrence, and reoccurrence of acne but also the amount of acne that can appear on the skin.  By adding these vitamins and minerals into your diet, you can eliminate acne from your skin and can have a healthy and radiant complexion.  Read more...

The Many Uses of Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has been growing in popularity since the 1970’s, but was discovered for its powerful antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties in the 1920’s. Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is extracted from the tea tree plant also known as Melaleuca Alternifolia. An oil is said to be essential when the extraction bears the scent or essence of the plant. Tea tree oil is clear with a hint of yellow and has a strong, medical scent, due to its chemical compounds terpineol, cineol, pinene, and terpinene. Initially used in aromatherapy and naturopathic medicine, tea tree oil is now being use in all sorts of medical and home applications. Read more...

Stave Off Disease With Anti Aging Foods

       
     When people think about anti aging, they mainly think about their skin health, however anti aging pertains to the whole body not just its largest organ. Signs of aging appear as we get older and our metabolism slows, our bones brittle and our joints become stiff an achy. Premature aging occurs visually on the skin, internally on a cellular level and ultimately increases the risk for disease. Signs of aging range from wrinkles, and fine lines to weight gain, memory loss, declining muscle mass, bone loss, vision loss, gum disease, tooth decay, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s all of which can be avoided. Degeneration in the body is inevitable however through the appropriate nutrients you can stave off aging temporarily. A healthy diet filled with fruits, vegetables, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, whole grains and the occasional dark chocolate, red wine, coffee, tea, and nuts will reduce cellular damage from free radicals and keep chronic inflammation at bay. You can reduce your risk of diseases associated with aging and ultimately lead a longer and healthier life. Read more...

Essential Oils to Treat Acne

Have you tried every acne treatment that you could get your hands on, both over the counter, and pharmaceutical but had no success at treating your acne? Are you just thoroughly fed up with your acne? If you feel like you have tried everything and still haven’t gotten the results that you want then maybe it is time you tried a natural acne treatment such as essential oils. Natural acne treatments consist up organic, or natural products that don’t contain chemicals or additives that can actually harm your skin.  Organic products are better for your skin because they don’t contain harsh chemicals that can hurt or dehydrate your skin. Natural remedies that use fruits, vegetables or extracts from plants and herbs are better for the body because they are grown from the earth and contain phytochemicals that are great for our health. These products normally have medicinal qualities that act like an anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic or analgesic. Not only will it promote healthy skin but also it will clean and clear up any sign of acne. Now is the time to try essential oils to treat and cure your acne. Read more...

More Reasons You Need to Eat Breakfast In The Morning

   Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And it really is! Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism, provides your body with essential nutrients, helps maintain a healthy weight and protects you from disease. Even with the facts about how important breakfast is, 30% of Americans still skip breakfast. Why? Because many people feel they don’t have the time for breakfast or they don’t like breakfast foods, or they think that by skipping breakfast they can avoid adding extra calories to their diet and lose weight. However, none of these reasons are good enough or factual enough to actually skip breakfast altogether. Making time for breakfast has enormous health benefits and can actually help to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Here are some powerful reasons to start or continue eating breakfast in the morning. Read more...

Foods to Fight Acne Breakouts

            For years people have been saying that pizza, French fries, chips, cookies and junk foods cause acne breakouts. In actuality there is no proven evidence that shows the connection to specific foods causing acne. Eating unhealthy carbohydrates sets off a chain reaction within the body causing the release of insulin, changing hormone levels in the body, which increases oil production and cellular multiplication. Increased sebum and cellular turnover can clog pores causing blackheads, zits and pimples. That’s why it’s important to eat a healthy diet rich in essential nutrients. Read more...

Homeopathy For All Your Ailments

             Homeopathic medicine is just one of many alternative medicines making a comeback in the U.S., which is strange since homeopathy is the second most commonly, used form of medicine in the world. Homeopathy like many of the other alternative medicines is based on the body’s innate capacity to heal itself. With homeopathy a minute dose of a natural substance is consumed to stimulate self-healing. The basis for homeopathy is centered on the idea of “like cures like”. This means that the substance that causes symptoms in a healthy individual will also cure those same symptoms in a sick person. Read more...

Essential Oils for Skin Care

Natural skin care products and remedies are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. Beauty products and skin care products are advertising their use of organic and natural ingredients to promote the change. More and more women prefer these organic and natural ingredients and products because we have seen the harmful effects that chemicals can have on our skin, body and appearance.  Essential oils are the next great natural skin care product. Essential oils are extracts from plants and herbs that contain the essence, smell and properties of the plan from which they were extracted. In regards to skin care, essential oils are natural, non-greasy oils that tone, rejuvenate, and enhance the natural beauty of skin. Essential oils can treat acne, eliminate scarring, reduce blemishes, smooth wrinkles, and make age marks disappear. Essential oils can be added to creams, lotions, shampoo, moisturizers or carrier oils to be applied to the skin. When used on a daily basis essential oils can eradicate eczema, psoriasis, inflammation, infection, acne, discoloration, sunburns, and almost any skin condition, problem or irritation that you may have. Here is a list of helpful essential oils for your skin care needs. Read more...

Why is Protein Important for the Body?

Proteins are compounds that consist of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. They are produced on the ribosomes of a cell and made up of amino acids that are linked by a peptide bond. However, all of this is biology of anatomy and to the common person it doesn’t mean very much. To the individual passerby a protein is understand by the food sources that represent it such as meats, eggs, dairy, seeds, nuts, and legumes. Most people know that protein is a necessary part of their diet and some people even know that it helps in building muscle. But most people have no idea how important protein is to the body.  Read more...

Naturopathic Medicine

  Today’s healthcare system has become a lot more diverse than in the past. Not only are there a wide variety of doctors specializing in everything from head to toe and specific conditions and disease, but also there are hospitals, clinics, and medical offices available to treat your every ailment. So with all these options, how do you know where to go and what type of physician and treatment to choose? Read more...

Herbal Medicine in Modern Society

Have you ever tried a natural or herbal remedy to cure a condition or possibly for everyday usage? Some people think of herbal remedies are a ruse to lure people in and buy products. However now a days even medical doctors are realizing the benefits of natural herbal remedies.  Herbs have been in use for over 5,000 years with several different cultures including Sumerian, Greek, Egyptian, Arabian, Roman, German, Swiss, and English. Read more...

Reasons to Stop Smoking for Good

Smoking is a trillion dollar industry, recruiting new smokers on a daily basis. People don’t normally choose to start smoking rather they are brought in due to the social interaction and the “cool” aspect. Thousands of people try to quit smoking however many fail. It’s an addiction, which causes potentially life-threatening disease. Even though most of the risks of smoking are well known to smokers and non- smokers alike, these facts don’t deteriorate the amount of smokers out there. If you really are interested in quitting smoking but just haven’t found the right way, then maybe you should find your reasons.  What is going to make you stop? Read on to find some reasons you should quit smoking. Make your own list of reasons, which may include some list below. Mark a day on your calendar that you are going to quit and stick to it. This will keep you motivated. Read more...