Health And Safety

High Blood Pressure is caused by stress and a faulty life style. Smoking, excessive intake of common salt, high fat and low fibre diet, intoxicants, alcohol, tea, coffee, and refined foods is also one of the causes.

Natural Ways to Control High Blood Pressure

1. Keep your weight under control.
2. Avoid smoking.
3. Avoid alcohol and wine.
4. Cut salt and sodium from your diet.
5. Cut down all caffiene from your diet.
6. Reduce your fat intake.
7. Exercise regularly for atleast 30 minutes a day. If you get tired easily, you can do this in three 10-minute segments. You can even do some breathing exercises like yoga and meditation.
8. Take a good Multi-Vitamin.
9. Be sure to get enough fibre, potassium and magnesium in your diet. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, avocados, cantaloupe, grapefruit, honeydew melon, oranges, apples, pears, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, green peas, and squash. Also include foods like nuts, rice, wheat germ, onions, celery, whole grains, soy, kidney and lima beans and molasses.
10. Eat cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and halibut. They contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acid.
11. Follow a well-balanced routine of proper diet, exercise and rest. Get a good sleep of atleast 8 hours, because proper rest is vital to the body. Avoid any kind of stress, worries, anger, tension and haste. Develop a calm, content and cheerful attitude.
12. Avoid meat and eggs. Reduce your protein intake and stick to a vegetarian diet.
13. Take natural apple cider vinegar or natural apple cider vinegar tablets daily.
14. Garlic is regarded as an effective remedy for lowering blood pressure. Eat a few cloves of garlic. Garlic pills or powder make the blood thinner, so you need to be careful when you are taking any prescription drugs. It should not be combined with prescription blood-thinners such as Trental (pentoxifylline), Coumadin (warfarin) or with natural blood-thinners such as Ginkgo or Vitamin E. And do not take Garlic in the weeks before and after any type of surgery.
15. Indian gooseberry (amla) is also an effective remedy for high blood pressure. Take a tablespoon each of gooseberry juice and honey, mix together and drink it every morning.
16. Lemon is also good for controlling high blood pressure. Take some lemon juice everyday.
17. Grapefruit is also good for high blood pressure.
18. Watermelon is another valuable fruit for high blood pressure. Eat the melon along with the seeds. The seeds, dried and roasted, can also be taken every day.
19. Rice is the perfect diet for hypertensive people with salt-restricted diets. The calcium in brown rice, relieves the symptoms of high blood pressure.
20. Potatoes are also very good for lowering blood pressure. Eat baked potatoes.
21. Parsley is also very useful for high blood pressure. Make a drink by simmering 20 gm of fresh parsley leaves in 250 ml of water for a few minutes. Drink it several times a day.
22. The herb ‘Rauwolfia’ is the best for high blood pressure. The supplements may have certain side-effects, so take the herb in raw form, by using the root in a powdered from. Take half a teaspoon of this powder, thrice everyday.
23. Raw vegetable juices, like carrot and spinach juices, taken separately or in combination, is also beneficial for the treatment of high blood pressure. When taking in combination, mix 300 ml of carrot juice with 200 ml of spinach juice and have it daily.
24. Take some Cayenne Pepper. Mix one teaspoon of cayenne pepper in half a cup of luke warm water.
25. Eating Evening Primrose oil pills can also help high blood pressure. Take two pills everyday.
26. Taking oral calcium supplements will also help. Celery and celery oil is also beneficial. You can even mix Celery juice in combination with carrot juice and water. It is also beneficial for blood pressure.
27. Aromatherapy is also being considered as a remedy for high blood pressure. Inhale the oil of blue chamomile under stressful conditions. Or a combination of lavender oil, olive/sunflower oil and blue chamomile massaged under the collarbone every night is also said to give relief from high blood pressure.

Minor burns can be treated at home, but if your burn is very severe, go to a doctor. Here are a few remedies for treating minor burns at home:

1. The first thing you should do in case of a minor burn, is apply lots of cold water to the burn for 20-25 minutes. Don’t put ice on the burn, because some burns can only tolerate cold water.
2. Put honey all over the burn after applying cold water. Keep it on for several minutes. The honey will prevent any infection and heal the burns faster.
3. Peel a potato and place a small slice on the burn. The potato absorbs the heat and makes the blister disappear.
4. Lavender Essential Oil is also very good for burns. If your skin becomes extremely red, and there are blisters, apply some lavender oil on the burn. It will soothe the pain, and the blisters will disappear.
5. The egg whites are also very good for burns, even severe ones. Coat the affected area with egg white. When the egg white dries, re-apply it. This will remove the pain and pevent scarring.
6. Papaya is also good for applying to the burns.
7. Aloe Vera is also an effective remedy for burns. Take some some fresh aloe Vera and put it on the burnt area. Aloe works like a charm.
8. Soak the burn in cold milk right away. Or else, dip a cloth in cold milk and apply it on the burn. The stinging sensation will be gone.
9. Once your wound starts healing, take a vitamin E capsule, break it and pour the contents on the burns. This will prevent scarring.
10. If you live in States, you can buy a green tin of “BIG BALM” that you get in most wal-marts’ pet section. It heals and soothes the pain. It costs around $6.00.

Licorice is a sweet herb that is known for its medicinal qualities for thousands of years. It is a purple and white flowering perennial, native to the Mediterranean region and central and southwest Asia. Licorice root has been used traditionally as a general tonic and respiratory support. It acts as a powerful anti-oxidant in the body. It has also been used to sooth coughs and skin. Licorice root is used in many herbal preparations to treat stomach and intestinal ulcers, lower acid levels and coat the stomach wall with a protective gel. It is rarely used alone and is a common component in herbal teas as a mild laxative, diuretic, and for flatulence.

Health Benefits of Licorice:

• Used to relieve coughs and sore throats
• Aids in digestion and helps to ovecome other stomach problems
• Eases menstrual cramps in women
• Used to treat constipation, bronchitis, inflammation, and arthritis
• Used to treat peptic ulcer, and chronic gastritis
• Increases the libido and sexual power
• helps in seasonal allergies and congestion
• Good for lungs
• Supports the adrenal glands
• Useful for conditions of fatigue
• Gives lymphatic energy
• Maintains proper sugar balance
• Used in candy making. And as a flavoring in beer, soft drinks and tobacco
• Used traditionally to treat tuberculosis and diabetes in China
• Its extract - Liquiritin, is used for the treatment of a skin pigmentation disorder called melasma
• Used by Bodybuilders as a supplement
• Used by Singers to ease throat irritation and strengthen the voice
• More recently, studies are being conducted to explore the possibility of protection against cardiovascular disease. Licorice also shows promise as a possible chemo-preventive against cancer

Precautions

Always consult your doctor before using licorice or its supplements. Avoid using licorice in large doses for long periods of time. Do not use it for longer than 4 to six weeks, without medical advice. Pregnant and nursing women should not use Licorice. People with high blood pressure, heart disease, cholestatic liver disorders, liver cirrhosis, hypertonia, hypokalemia, or kidney problems should not use licorice. Do not give it to children.

And never exceed the recommended dosage prescribed by your doctor. Exceeding the dose may actually be detrimental to your health. These precautions apply to all sources of licorice, including capsules, lozenges, tablets, tinctures, teas or dried herbs.

Side Effects

Excessive use of licorice may raise your blood pressure. Even a lot of licorice candy can raise your blood pressure. It can also cause water retention, headache, potassium loss, hypertension, edema, hypokalemia, and in rare cases, myoglobinuria. Even chewing licorice or licorice flavored products can put you at risk for licorice toxicities and other possible side effects.

Possible Drug Interactions

When used with thiazide diuretic medications, this may result in potassium loss. Sensitivity to digitalis glycosides may also increase with loss of potassium.

Teenagers who think that piercings are the order of the day and they are a way of showing that you are one among the hip crowd, need to do a rethink. We often hear stories of piercings causing infection and problem, but here are two recent cases in point that will make you sit up and take notice.

A teen from Crawfordsville, who decided to get her breasts pierced for her 18th birthday is now facing reconstructive surgery after a flesh-destroying infection forced doctors to remove her left breast. The doctors have also removed her lymph nodes and infected skin up to the collar bone. The girl was diabetic and the piercing created an entry point for bacteria, which left her susceptible to infection. She is on an aggressive antibiotic regimen and has already undergone three surgeries. She faces several more, including eventual breast reconstruction.

In another case, a mom was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for a pierced navel case, in which her 13-year-old daughter nearly died of an infection her mother ignored for weeks. The girl got an infection from a bellybutton piercing and her weight eventually dropped from 115 pounds to 75 pounds. These teens’ families are shaken and heart broken.

So all you guys and gals out there, who are thinking of getting some piercings in the name of fashion, get your act straight and drop the idea. Because this is more riskier than you can ever imagine, and you never know, where it might eventually lead you. There are other ways of remaining ‘in’ and trendy. And there are better ways to utilise your life, and not waste it in something as timid and as useless as a piercing around your navel …..

Pumpkins, and their seeds, are very famous food among both Native American Indians who treasured them both for their dietary and medicinal properties. The leading commercial producers of pumpkins include the United States, Mexico, India and China.

Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are flat, dark green seeds. Some are encased in a yellow-white husk, although some varieties of pumpkins produce seeds without shells. Pumpkin seeds have a malleable, chewy texture and a subtly sweet, nutty flavor. While roasted pumpkins seeds are probably best known for their role as a perennial Halloween treat, these seeds are so delicious and nutritious, that they can be enjoyed throughout the whole year.
BENEFITS:

• Pumpkin seeds are a very good sources of the minerals phosphorous, magnesium and manganese other minerals including zinc, iron and copper. In addition, pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein and monounsaturated fats.

• Pumpkin seeds do not increase the level of damaged fats (lipid peroxides) in the linings of the joints, a side-effect that actually contributes to the progression of arthritis.

• Pumpkin seed oil avoids hormones from inflicting damage on the cells of the prostate, which helps to reduce cancer development.

• The seeds contain a significant amount of L-tryptophan, which is beneficial in battling depression (although it is believed the seeds don’t have enough to treat major depression, they can be used as a preventive measure).

• Pumpkin seeds can improve bladder and urethra function. They also help in avoiding the formation of kidney stones, even though the ingredient responsible is unknown.

• They prevent hardening of the arteries and help regulate cholesterol levels.

• A common folk remedy in Germany uses pumpkin seed oil to treat tapeworms.

• When buying pumpkin seed oil it is important to check that the label doesn’t list too much sunflower seed oil. Some manufacturers add a lot of sunflower oil to reduce costs since extracting oil from pumpkin seeds is a tedious and complicated process.