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Archive for April, 2009

Crutial Health Issue – The Use Of Natural Medicine

Sunday, April 26th, 2009


Natural medicine dates back to ancient civilizations when people always turned to nature for natural therapies that helped their physical and emotional body obtain balance and order, relieve pain, improve health and treat illnesses. Since time immemorial, man has recognized that nature has countless elements just waiting to be discovered as helpful remedies in mans health maladies.

In fact, Hippocrates, considered to be the father of medicine, used countless botanical extracts and solutions available in nature to cure diseases as well as improve health and overall well being. Aside from herbal sources, natural medicine also uses therapies such as homeopathy, traditional Chinese and Oriental methods and other natural essences from the earth. They have been proven to be safe and have no side effects to say the least. Even modern medicine is slowly gaining interest in incorporating natural medicine with conventional medical practice.

One famous practice in natural medicine is aromatherapy where essences from plants such as flowers, leaves, seeds, twigs and bark are extracted to create essential oils whose scents are believed to help change moods, relax the mind and body, and treat certain ailments especially when coupled with other natural medications. Proofs that natural medicine is safe and that their efficacy is there is the fact that for centuries up to now, traditional Chinese and other Oriental methods of medicine are still widely practiced and some modern medical practitioners even in conventional medicine have adopted these methods. Of course the most common among natural remedies is the use of herbal plants.

Herbal medicine is common in almost all cultures around the world and its use dates back to thousands of years ago. Although plants and plant parts such as flowers, leaves, twigs and barks, are solely used, some cultures mix with these herbal extracts some animal or mineral products. The medicine may be in the form of tea, tablets, capsules, or any other forms of extracts.

A lot of food supplements and vitamins also incorporate plants essences as important ingredients. Natural medicine also includes other non-medicinal based healing and treatment such as mere exposure to sunlight or a get away to a place where there is fresh air and tranquil environment. Along with these other methods are forms of mind and body relaxation techniques that are primarily helpful in combating stress are meditation, massage, hypnosis, and mind and body exercises such as yoga and tai chi.

There are many proven benefits that natural medicine can bring about and with the rising costs of synthetically manufactured drugs and medicines; you might just find the perfect remedy that has always been in nature. Of course there should always be the intervention of a doctor and an expert in alternative medicine to make sure that the best possible ways of incorporating alternative medicines with conventional drugs will be of best benefits for you. Also, there is no better practice in preventing illnesses and promoting and maintaining a healthy body and well-being than to live the right life: proper and balanced nutrition, adequate rest, exercise, and a healthy disposition in life.



Vitamins C as the Key Ingredient for Healthy Life

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009


Vitamins are required by the body in tiny amounts (hundredths of a gram in many cases) as the key ingredient for Healthy life. We get vitamins from three sources viz. Foods, Beverages and Our own bodies – vitamin K comes from bacteria within our intestines and vitamin D is produced with the help of ultraviolet radiation on the skin. Some important key benefites of Vitamin C in our body are as follows:

Vitamin C is also important because it helps protect the fat-soluble vitamin A and vitamin E as well as fatty acids from oxidation. Vitamin C prevents and cures the disease scurvy, and can be beneficial in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia.

Vitamin C may help prevent lead poisoning, and some scientists believe it can be used in the treatment of cancer.

In addition to preventing Scurvy, vitamin C has been shown to reduce the length of colds and to alleviate their severity.

Most forms of cardiovascular disease, joint disease, cancer, eye disease, thyroid disease, liver disease, and lung disease require special emphasis on vitamin C intake.

Ingesting a healthy level of vitamin C has been shown to have an impact on the presence of cholesterol in the body. This means that vitamin C can help prevent gall bladder disease and some heart problems.

Vitamin C is most commonly known for aiding in the function of the immune system. Maintaining healthy vitamin C levels during the cold season can keep you healthier during the time when the immune system may be weaker.

Decreased vitamin C levels in the lens of the eye have been associated with increased severity of cataracts in humans.



Green Living Homes That You Create

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009


In today’s marketplace, Green Living Homes have taken on a different connotation and seem to inspire different emotions as well.  In these economic times, it seems that you can’t do Green Living Homes without some sort of a major overhaul of your home , or so it seems.  When a new administration enters the White House, somebody or some group seems to think they may have a voice.  In America, the Green lovers are of the mindset that the next President will be so for them.

Granted, I am not coming at you from an environmentalist mindset.  In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.  I am of the mindset that a lot of the Green thinking borders on the “Guilt” aspect that characterizes  you  as bad if you aren’t Green for some reason.

Quite honestly, the Green movement can be a bit radical in its propagation of their overall message and, from a design standpoint, the lens that I often gage things, the materials have not been there to justify a Green Living Home.  That has begun to change with some great new design materials that has started to spark the interest of the design community, and, more importantly, become more reasonable from a price standpoint.

Now, here are some things you can do to be more Green just by making changes in the things you do everyday and in future design changes that you may be making in your home.

First, if you are about to do an Interior Design change, look at your electrical systems.  There can be a tremendous waste in your electrical output systems.  Even if you are not doing Interior Design changes , walk around your home and see it there are ways you can reduce some of you electrical waste.  If you just did some minor changes in the way you used your electricity by making sure appliances are turned off when not in use, etc, you could probably realize a 6% to 20 % difference in you bill each month a recent study showed.

From a Design standpoint, it goes without saying to spend the extra money for the  energy efficient appliances.  An option that is not as difficult to do these days, but still needs to be thoughtfully considered.

There are some simple changes from a lighting standpoint by changing out some of the bulbs that are claiming to be more efficient.  I am not talking about going crazy and just start changing them out, but when you need to make a change, do so then. 

Also look at you filters in heating and air conditioning units.  My Dad was a heating and air guy for years and was always shocked as to how people just wouldn’t take the time to change the filters which would cause countless dollars in repair bills yearly.  There are some pretty decent filtration systems, but are still a little pricey compared to regular ole filters.

Finally, from a Kitchen Design standpoint, Bamboo and cork flooring should be considered in Interior Design, as they are dynamic looking.  Kitchen cabinets can also be redone with similar alternatives to wood which can like just like exotic woods. 

There are some great looking Metal and Stone alternatives which are also good for Kitchen counters and cabinets and a great product, IceStone, one brand of recycled glass used to create countertops for kitchens and bathrooms that generally ranges between $100 and $150 a square foot. 

The point is that there is finally coming into the market place a great plethora of products that are Green focused to design and live in your  Green house.  With the changes you can make from a Design standpoint and just the changes you do by walking around the house, you can be Green.  Just don’t let it be out of guilt. 

It’s kind of like when I used to eat Twinkies that I loved so much and said that sooner or later there would be a low-fat version, and I was right. 

Its the same with going Green.  They’ll catch up.