Sleep: Nature's Best Medicine

There is absolutely nothing in the world that can take the place of sleep. We must not let the body go short on sleep, since there is simply no substitute for it. Experience and observation also tell us that bedtime has something to do with the going and coming of daylight. We are aware of the fact that sleep before midnight is more refreshing and relaxing than sleep afterwards. If we postpone our bedtime mainly to the hours after midnight, we will not derive the healing and strengthening benefits from sleep that we would by going to bed earlier, because the hours before midnight count double.

Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. The individual requirements lie generally between 6 and 10 hours. Anyone who cuts sleep short so that he can work more will soon notice that he has calculated wrongly. During the day his energy will decline and his efficiency will diminish. If we need much sleep in order to feel fresh during the day, we should not compare ourselves with those who get by with less. We must by all means obtain the amount that our bodies require.

People who are engaged in demanding employment are often so exhausted in the evening that they feel unable to cope with their duties. But how amazed they are the next morning, when after a good night's rest and refreshing sleep they are able to easily deal with what the evening before seemed an insurmountable impossibility. That is why no one appreciates sleep more and experiences its revitalizing powers better than those who have had a busy day. But he who instead puts it off because of other activities or by means of stimulants, should not be surprised if in time sleep fails to perform its duty.

Many people complain that they cannot sleep. Even children are often unable to do so. All of these disruptions are either connected with overdoing or with taking things that stimulate. Children not yet subject to work pressure can nevertheless have this problem if their parents neglect to observe the routine the children's age demands.

Years ago it used to be common for children to go to bed early. Today children often watch television late into the night. By thus resisting sleep they disorganize the natural sleep pattern. If in addition they have nutritional deficiencies, one need not wonder why their fresh, healthy looks disappear and become sick often. Children who are robbed of their necessary sleep over any length of time will become nervous and irritable and will gradually lose the benefits of invigorating sleep. This disadvantage cannot be corrected easily in later years.

The Benefits Of Vitamins A & B

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is a group of fat-soluble substances that play a key role in vision, development of bone and skin, and production of red blood cells. They are also important to the establishment of patterns in the human embryo. The applications of carefully limited doses of supplemental vitamin A in maintaining health are numerous. Vitamin A seems to prevent the progression of cervical dysplasia to cervical cancer. A Japanese study found that women with the lowest bloodstream concentrations of vitamin A were 4.5 times more likely to develop cervical cancer than women with the highest bloodstream levels of the vitamin.

The problem with vitamin A is that there is a possibility of birth defects if it is accidentally overdosed during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Unless otherwise indicated for special health conditions, women of reproductive age should limit consumption of supplemental vitamin A to 5,000 IU per day. Very high doses of the vitamin have, on rare occasions (approximately 1 in 5 million births in the United States), caused birth defects. A daily dose of 5,000 IU per day can be used safely during pregnancy but may not prevent cervical cancer.

Vitamin A and zinc deficiency produce the major complications of alcohol abuse, poor night vision, slow healing of wounds to the skin, depressed production of testosterone and estrogen, and poor immune function.

Alcohol interferes with the intestines' ability to absorb vitamin A and zinc. Night blindness is a serious health problem in societies in which women, in particular, are chronically deficient in vitamin A. Vitamin A supplementation greatly reduces but does not eliminate the problem. Zinc supplements added to vitamin A, however, nearly completely eliminate night blindness when the underlying cause is nutritional deficiency.

Relatively low doses of vitamin A are sufficient to prevent immune "burn-out" due to stress on the thymus during various kinds of infections. Vitamin A also makes antibodies more responsive to various kinds of infections, increases the rate at which macrophages engulf and destroy bacteria, and stimulates natural killer (NK) cells.

The first signs of vitamin A overdose are dry skin and chapped lips, especially in dry weather. Later signs of toxicity are headache, mood swings, and pain in muscles and joints. In massive doses, vitamin A itself can cause liver damage. Discontinue vitamin A at the first sign of toxicity.

Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is a term for a group of related compound including pyridoxal-5'-phosphate, pyridoxine-5'-phosphate, and pyridoxamine-5 '-phosphate, which are absorbed by tissues at slightly different rates. Deficiencies of vitamin B6 are associated with a number of diseases.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiencies cause increased sensitivity to testosterone in the skin. Women who have flare-ups of acne along with PMS often improve after taking vitamin B6. Women who develop acne during testosterone treatment usually benefit from taking B6. Vitamin B6 is useful in treating ADD and ADHD, preferably in its active form, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP).

Vitamin B6 was as effective as Ritalin in controlling "hyper" behaviors, and that the benefits of vitamin B6 supplementation continued for nearly a month after its daily use was discontinued. Vitamin B6 had an additional advantage in that it increased bloodstream levels of the hormone serotonin, associated with improved social orientation in ADHD.

Supplementation with vitamin B6 can help treat amenorrhea in women who have high levels of the hormone prolactin. This is the hormone that enables milk production, so vitamin B6 is most likely to help women who develop amenorrhea while nursing. It may also help amenorrheic women whose stores of the vitamin have been depleted as a side effect of using oral contraceptives or prescription drugs for asthma or epilepsy.

Vitamin B6 is important for children with asthma. In a study of 76 children with asthma, taking 100 milligrams of vitamin B6 twice a day resulted in fewer attacks, less wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness, and less frequent use of inhalers. In adults, vitamin B6 does not necessarily improve lung capacity, but taking the vitamin results in decreased wheezing.

A series of studies have found that magnesium and vitamin B6 used together are of considerable benefit in treating autism, considerably more than either supplement used by itself. Supplementation with magnesium and vitamin B6 reduces the excretion of homovanillic acid, which is a rough measure of the presence of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine in the brain. Presumably the combination of supplements reduces stress.

These are only a few of the applications of vitamin B6. Dosages range up to 500 milligrams per day, but taking more than this amount may cause tingling, numbness, or burning in the fingers or toes. Women who use oral contraceptives and people who take prescription medications for bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, tuberculosis, or seizures are at risk for vitamin B6 deficiency. If you take theophylline (Theo-Dur) for asthma and have any history of seizure disorder or unexplained loss of consciousness, you should not take vitamin B6.

Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a collective term for a group of B vitamins containing cobalt. Deficiency of this vitamin is associated with pernicious anemia, a particularly destructive form of vitamin B12 deficiency that causes blood cells to be broken down faster than they can be replaced. This form of anemia is called "pernicious" because it develops slowly over a period of at least 3-6 years and the damage it causes is well advanced before any symptoms appear.

Enhance Your Health With Yoga

Yoga, which means "union," from the Sanskrit word yukti, is an ancient system of practices. Developed in India, yoga aimed at integrating mind, body, and spirit to enhance health and well-being. Its principles were first set down systematically by Patanjali in the second century B.C. in the Yoga Sutras.

There are many different forms of yoga. In its original form, it was part of a larger spiritual and philosophical system, but yoga has also proven beneficial to millions of practitioners who have not been grounded in the original traditions and meanings of yoga.

Hatha yoga is the most widely known form of yoga in the West, and the most closely allied with Ayurvedic medicine. It includes three practices that have been found highly beneficial for health. They are:

1. Asanas: Yoga asanas involve a variety of physical postures and exercises. They help to align the spine and head, improve blood flow, induce a state of relaxation, energize glands and organs, and improve well-being. Some asanas have been used to treat specific medical conditions. In Ayurvedic practice, specific asanas have traditionally been prescribed to rebalance the doshas by stimulating the organs associated with the prevailing dosha.

2. Pranayama: Pranayama is the control of breath, from the Sanskrit prana, or life energy, and ayam, or control. Prana is the life force, and is roughly equivalent to such concepts as qi or chi in traditional Chinese medicine, or "vital force" in homeopathy. Yoga teaches that interruption of the flow of prana by such factors as stress, toxins, or improper diet can have a
harmful effect on physical, mental, and spiritual health. Pranayama breathing exercises are intended to remove such blockages. Pranayama exercises often emphasize slow, deep abdominal breathing.

3. Meditation: Dhyana, or meditation, is the third aspect of classical yoga, Meditative practices have been demonstrated to induce a relaxed state in the autonomic nervous system, which has a beneficial effect on other systems, including the immune system.

Yoga has proven beneficial in treating a variety of medical conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, breathing problems, asthma, musculoskeletal problems, stress-related illnesses, and mood disorders. Yoga is also helpful in the management of pain, for improving respiratory endurance and efficiency of breathing, for muscle strength, and for motor control. It helps prevent musculoskeletal problems and is beneficial for people with arthritis and those recovering from bone fractures.

Yoga programs have shown the potential for helping to reduce heart disease by influencing such risk factors as blood pressure, anxiety, and negative reaction to stress. Yoga is an essential component of the cardiovascular program to manage and reverse heart disease.

A 1973 classic study by London cardiologist Dr. Chandra Patel applied yoga and biofeedback as a combined relaxation therapy. Five of twenty patients with high blood pressure were able to stop using their anti hypertensive drugs, and seven others were able to reduce their dosage by 33 to 60%.

According to an Indian study done in 1993, forty male physical education teachers who were already very fit practiced yoga daily for three months, and showed a significant reduction in blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body weight, with decreased autonomic or involuntary arousal.

A 1994 study of osteoarthritis patients found that after eight weeks of yoga training, pain, tenderness, and range of motion were improved.

In a controlled study of healthy female volunteers done in 1994 in Germany, one group of women practiced yoga while the group sat and read. There was significant improvement among the yoga group in psychological parameters, such as a higher score in life satisfaction, with a decline in excitability, aggressiveness, and psychosomatic complaints. Heart rate fell during the reading activity in the control group, but rose at follow-up. Among the yoga practitioners, heart rate remained low.

Because yoga lacks the risks of high-impact aerobic activities, research should be conducted to determine if yoga might be beneficial for people who are reluctant to engage in routine exercise, such as patients with heart disease and arthritis. Yoga may be particularly beneficial for older adults or individuals with disabilities. Beyond their physical and mental benefits, the practices of asanas, pranayama, and meditation have traditionally been believed to contribute to an integration of mind, body, and spirit.

Treatments for Allergies

There are many things you can do to help lessen your symptoms if you suffer from indoor or outdoor allergies. The first thing most doctors will tell you to do if you have allergies is to find out what you are allergic to by keeping a journal of your symptoms or by having a skin allergy test. Once you know what is causing your allergic reaction, you can try to avoid the allergens (what you are allergic to) if possible or you can try some of the tips listed below. You may be told what over-the-counter allergy medications the doctor recommends you use, or you may receive an allergy prescription to take.

Allergy Relief Tips:

Avoid the substances that you are allergic to if possible

Clean your house as often as possible to rid it of any dust, animal dander, or molds that may exist inside.

Stay indoors when pollen counts are high outside.

Over-the-counter allergy relief medications are fine unless you have a health problem other than allergies, such as asthma, are pregnant, are breast-feeding, are an older adult, or a child than you should talk to a doctor first before taking any over-the-counter allergy medication. Over-the-counter medications for allergies are also more likely to produce side effects that if experienced, you should consult with your doctor.

Immunotherapy (allergy shots) is another way of lessening the effect that allergens have on your body. You will first need to know what you are allergic to before receiving a series of shots so a skin allergy test may be needed prior to starting immunotherapy.

Depending on your health insurance plan, your prescription coverage may or may not be more expensive than the cost of over-the-counter allergy medications. The prescriptions given by your doctor will be better controlled for your specific needs and monitored by your doctor. Your doctor may even need to try you on several different medications or doses before you locate what works best for your allergies.

Your allergy relief needs may also change throughout the year as different allergens become active. Changes in your lifestyle, place of work, school and home environment may also change what you are allergic to; a new cat may trigger dander issues, someone at work starts wearing a new perfume or cologne that you are now reacting too. As changes occur in your environment (inside and outside) your treatments will need to be adjusted.

Other Treatments:

Natural Allergy Relief - Two popular natural relief remedies are the European herb butterbur (Petasites hybridus) and freeze-dried nettles which and a tonic made from the herb goldenseal and the ever-popular saline (salt water) nasal spray.

Antihistamines - Popular names such as Dimetapp, Chlor-Trimeton, Benadryl and Claritin and also common prescription antihistamines such as Zyrtec, Clarinex, Allegra and loratadine. These medications need to be taken continuously throughout the allergy season.

Decongestants - Popular names like Sudafed, 4-Way Fast-Acting Nasal Spray or Afrin Nasal Spray are examples of decongestants that most people are familiar with. These drugs help to decrease the nasal congestion by making the blood vessels constrict (narrow) and to reduce the flow of blood to the nasal passage.

Ask your doctor about anticholinergic nasal allergy sprays, steroid nasal sprays, allergy eye drops, leukotriene inhibitors and also mast cell inhibitors.

Allergy Prevention

An allergy occurs when the body overreacts to the things which don’t typically cause problems for most people. These things are called allergens and the body overreacts to the allergens which causes the symptoms of allergies. The most common allergens include pollen from trees, grass, and weeds. Most allergies occur in the spring, typically late April and May, and are often due to tree pollen. Allergies that occur in the fall, late August to the first hard frost, are often due to ragweed. Mold is a common cause of allergies and is common where water tends to collect, such as shower curtains, damp basements, and window moldings. It may also be found in rotting logs, hay, mulches, compost piles, and leaf piles. This allergy is typically worse during humid or rainy weather.

With so many substances potentially causing problems, it’s logical that allergic diseases are among the major causes of illness and disability in the United States. Thirty-five million people suffer from upper respiratory symptoms that are allergic to airborne pollen. An allergy is a reaction of a person’s immune system to a normally harmless substance. Allergies can be more than just bothersome. While some allergies cause symptoms of rhinitis like sneezing, watery eyes, and runny nose, some may also cause skin irritations like itching, hives, or eczema.

There are no controllable risk factors for adults who wish to decrease their risk of developing allergies. This is due to the fact that allergy development is not related to lifestyle habits. Early childhood exposure to common household microbes, environmental bacteria, and fermented foods may help to reduce a child’s risk of developing allergies as they get older. Childhood exposure to pets, especially during the first year of life when the immune system is still developing, has been associated with a decreased risk of allergies to pet dander. Children are also at special risk of lung damage and illness from inhaled secondhand smoke so children of parents who smoke are at an increased risk for other respiratory illnesses including asthma.

Most risk factors for allergies are out of the control of anyone, it is possible to reduce allergy symptoms by limiting exposure to known allergies. Healthy eating habits and exercise can further strengthen the immune system and help avoid unwanted allergic reactions. Allergies have a genetic component. If one parent has allergies, the changes double that each child will also have an allergy. If both parents have allergies, it is much more likely that their children will also have allergies. Adults typically do not lose their allergies, but children can sometimes outgrow them. There are also people born with a genetic predisposition to allergies, but sometimes they do not develop well into adulthood.

The best way to keep allergy symptoms in control is to minimize the contact with the things which trigger them. Typical allergy triggers include pollen from grass, trees, and weeds, animal dander, dust mites, and mold spores, both indoor and outdoor varieties. To avoid pollen, allergy sufferers should stay indoors during hot, dry, and windy days in the spring, summer, and fall. It is also best to stay indoors in the early morning when the pollen counts tend to be the highest. When an allergy to an animal is the case, is best to not touch the fur or feathers of the animal. Pet allergens may also be found in the saliva of the pet, especially in cats. The easiest way to avoid triggering pet allergies is to avoid animals altogether.

Options for Female Hair Loss Treatment

Causes of Female Hair Loss

There are a number of reasons for female hair loss and as such, a need for female hair loss treatment. One of these reasons is the female body makes more testosterone than it would normally (women have small amounts in their bodies), or medical conditions involving hormones, as well as, autoimmune problems, or a thyroid disorder, to name a few.

The point is the causes are different and women’s hair loss is different from men’s in several ways. Also hair loss for women can happen at any age, unlike men’s, which typically occurs when they grow older. It is also a different type of hair loss, as with women it can occur all over the head, whereas men tend to see hair loss mostly on the top and at the temples.

Things to Think About

Since female hair loss can be caused by several medical conditions it is extremely important for a woman who is suffering from it to be checked out by a physician. Conditions such as sluggish thyroid, for example, can lead to more serious symptoms and health issues besides hair loss. Diabetes and other serious disorders can also cause hair loss. It is important not to try to find a female hair loss treatment until you are certain what is causing your hair loss after consulting your physician.

Possible Treatments for Female Hair Loss

Female hair loss treatment is more complicated than male hair loss treatment because there can be serious health issues connected to it. So, once you have ruled out a serious health condition what are some natural treatments for female hair loss? One option and one which many women choose is hair transplant, another is to take a DHT blocker which works in women much the same way it works in men by preventing the testosterone in their bodies from changing into DHT and affecting the hair follicle.

Another possible option is Lasercomb, which is an expensive laser treatment that makes the hair, appear thicker, this one is FDA approved as well. A final possibility is Toppik, a treatment you apply to the scalp, which actually conceals your hair loss. Since different things cause female hair loss than male hair loss and can strike at any age, there are different options for treatment. Female hair loss treatment can be different than male hair loss treatment.

Dealing with Hair Loss after Pregnancy

Many women experience hair loss after pregnancy. It is a normal occurrence, and doesn’t need any treatment, as your hair is simply returning to its pre-pregnancy state.

Normal Hair Growth

Hair normally goes through a cycle of anagen—the growth phase—and telogen—the resting phase. Anagen lasts four to seven years, when the hair grows about ½ inch per month. After the growth period, the hair goes into a resting phase, which usually lasts about three months. Then the hair follicle enters anagen again, growing a new hair and pushing the old one out of the follicle, so that it falls out. Some of our hair follicles are in telogen all the time, and we normally lose 50 to 100 hairs a day.

Hair Growth During Pregnancy

One of the things that makes pregnant women beautiful is their thick, luxurious hair. That’s because the hormones of pregnancy keep most of the hair follicles in the anagen state, or growing. If you normally lose 100 hairs a day, and your pregnancy lasts 280 days, that’s a lot of hair that you get to keep during that time.

What Happens After Pregnancy

When the baby is born, however, hormones change rapidly, and all those hair follicles go into the resting state, or telogen, at the same time. Remember, telogen lasts about three months, so about three months after the baby is born, all 28,000 of those hairs fall out about the same time.

Unfortunately, all of your hair is falling out at about the same time you are experiencing a huge emotional letdown from pregnancy and you’re sleep deprived. It can be enough to send a girl over the edge.

Taking Care of Yourself

When you have hair loss after pregnancy, it’s time to do something for yourself. Have daddy or a friend take care of the baby for a few hours and get thee to a good hairdresser.

The most effective way to manage hair loss after pregnancy is to get an attractive new do. Have your hairdresser give you a good cut, and maybe some highlights or new color. Ask for a style that you can manage easily on your busy schedule, but that looks great on you.

Try out some new volumizing hair products, too. Shampoo, conditioner, mousse, and hair serum can make your hair look and feel thicker and fuller than it really is. Pretty barrettes and clips help you feel and look prettier, too.

Hair loss after pregnancy is normal and natural. You’re not going bald; your hair won’t all fall out. You’ll just lose the “extra” hair that you accumulated during your pregnancy. You are just as beautiful as a new mom as you were before you got pregnant, but you probably don’t have as much time to spend on your hair. A new hairdo that’s easy to maintain can make you feel as lovely as you look.

The Power of Grapes for a Healthy Heart

Heart disease is prevalent these days, thanks to poor dieting and exercise habits. Heck, women are starting to die from it at a faster rate than the men! It is rather shocking to know that in many cases, the heart disease could have been avoided. Luckily, for some it is not too late to make changes. You can still improve the cardiac health and revitalize your body into lean, mean heart disease fighting machine.

It's a simple thing really but did you know that grapes have the power to reduce or turn back the trend of heart disease? There are some powerful components in this vine fruit like flavonoids which are powerful antioxidants that can help reduce blood pressure, prevent blood clotting, vamp up the cardiovascular system and even reduce cholesterol levels.

Flavonoid Power
The standard for maintaining your health in the face of heart disease has long been taking the aspirin a day approach. However, many diet studies have shown that daily consumption of flavonoids can actually be more effective. Of course, you have to adopt other healthier lifestyle choices like a better diet and exercise.

Heart attacks usually are the result of blood clots traveling through the blood vessels which encounter the plaque or fatty deposits that are on the walls of arteries. When the clots stick to these deposits, they can effectively block blood flow, causing heart attacks. Aspirin helped prevent the blood clots from being to sticky so as to prevent them from latching onto the plaque build-up. Flavonoids help do the same thing.

Flavonoids can be found in a number of foods and grapes top the list, specifically the dark colored kinds like red and purple. Not only do they prevent the stickiness of blood clots but they also provide anti-inflammatory properties for your body. The color pigments in the grapes are linked to anthocyanins, a powerful flavonoid with these properties. Other foods that also have these anthocyanins include deep colored berries as well as certain seeds.

Aspirin is not tolerated well by all people as it has the power to produce ulcers and other gastrointestinal side effects. Therefore, the flavonoids found in grapes are good news for these people. In fact, these powerful antioxidants help thin the blood enough for better flow and can actually prevent coronary artery disease, all the while protecting the stomach.

These flavonoids can be consumed by eating the dark red and purple grapes. However, these may not always be available in the produce section of your grocery store. You can get similar benefits from drinking dark purple grape juice. Remember, the powerful antioxidants are linked to the darker colors so the lighter white grape juice will not work. Red wine is another way to garner these flavonoids with the great antioxidant powers. Because it is an alcoholic beverage, only a glass is day is recommended.

The good news about consuming these grapes, juice or wine is that the effect of these flavonoids lingers on for several days. So if you cannot consume them every day that is ok. It is still working its magic on your blood and cardiovascular system.

Understanding Heart Disease in Its Many Forms

Heart disease is a broad term that actually describes a number of different afflictions of the heart. Under the heart disease umbrella, there are at least 8-10 types of diseases and all of them together are the primary cause of death in America as well as the United Kingdom and Canada. To understand this vicious killer, you have to understand the different types of heart disease.

Here is a breakdown of some of those leading types:
1. Coronary artery disease – This type of heart disease afflicts the arteries and is produced by the build-up of plaque within the arterial walls that provide the oxygen-rich supply of blood to the myocardium. Some of the symptoms of this plaque build-up within the arterial walls includes heart attack and angina (chest pain). Half a million people die each year in the United States from this heart disease.

2. Cardiovascular disease – This type of heart disease encompasses all of the diseases that affect the blood vessel system, specifically the ones that lead to and from the heart as well as anything that affects the heart itself. Men predominantly get cardiovascular disease that affects the muscle of the heart while the women suffer primarily from affected blood vessels. Atherosclerosis is one type of cardiovascular disease and conditions such as diabetes and hypertension also contribute to this form.

3. Cardiomyopathy – This heart disease affects the muscles of the heart itself called the myocardium. There are two sub-parts to this particular type of heart disease – extrinsic and internal cardiomyopathy. In other words, the disease could affect the outer part of the muscles or the inner part. Metobolic disease, nutritional deficiencies, congenital defects, alcoholism and other conditions can cause cardiomyopathy. This condition can cause sudden death in some seemingly normal people or even arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat.

4. Congestive heart failure – Also sometimes called congestive cardiac failure or just heart failure, this type of heart disease is the result of any physical abnormality which could impair the function of the heart itself, such as the ability to properly pumped oxygenated blood throughout the body or even the ability for the heart to fill up with blood in order to pump it out.

5. Ischaemic heart disease – The primary cause of this type of heart disease is the inability to supply enough blood to all the body organs to function properly. This disease is related to coronary artery disease and can be caused by years of smoking, high cholesterol levels, hypertension and more.

6. Hypertensive heart disease – This brand of heart disease is the result of consistent high blood pressure. Various conditions can contribute to this type of disease, particularly diabetes and obesity.

7. Valvular disease – This type of heart disease involves one or more valves within the heart by impairing function. There is the aortic valve and mitral valve located on the left side while the pulmonic and tricuspid valve is located on the right hand side. Any or all of these can become impaired causing this disease.

8. Inflammatory heart disease – When the tissue surrounding the heart or the heart itself swells or becomes inflamed, this causes inflammatory heart disease. There are several types: myocarditis which is inflammation of the heart muscle and endocarditis which is the inflammation of the heart valves or other inside layers of the heart muscle.