Skin Prevention Tips

Add Moisture to the AirConsider investing in a humidifier for your home to combat the drying effects of heaters and furnaces. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the water to increase the healing power of the hydrated air. Try lavender, rosewood, or chamomile.
Bathe in Lukewarm Water
Hot water and soaps that contain detergents and anti-bacterial ingredients can dry out your skin. Bathe in lukewarm water and choose a mild soap or body wash containing moisturizer, glycerin or plant oils. Apply body oil while still damp to help seal in the moisture after bathing and then gently pat your skin dry with a soft towel.
Best Moisturizer - Water
The best way to hydrate the skin is to soak in lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
Diet and Skin Care
Increase your intake of essential fatty acids found in whole grains, nuts, seeds and certain types of fish. Cook with olive or canola oil and use olive or flaxseed oil in salad dressings. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated and moisturize your body from the inside. Greasy foods take a toll on your skin; try to eliminate saturated fats and fried foods from your diet.
General Skin Care
The skin is the largest organ of the body and often the most neglected. Taking good care of your skin should be part of your daily routine. Intact skin is our best defense against bacterial invasion. Winter weather often results in dry, itchy skin. Here's some advice on relieving irritation and revealing soft, smooth skin. Remember, a good skin care product doesn't have to be expensive to be effective.
Lotion While Damp
Lotion is much more effective for dry skin treatment if you apply it while your skin is damp after bathing rather than when your skin is totally dry.
Moisturize daily!
When choosing a moisturizer, look for healing ingredients such as plant extracts, plant oils, sea algae, lanolin, glycerin, Vitamins A, B, C, and E and pure aloe vera. Lotions with mineral oils, perfumes or alcohol may produce an allergic reaction or have a drying effect on the skin.
Shaving Moles Is a No-No
Moles should never be shaved off. There is always a possibility of infection, excess bleeding, or scarring. The only safe alternative is to see a dermatologist.
Sun Exposure
Avoid sun exposure during the peak intensity hours - between 10 am and 4 pm (10:00 - 16:00). The risk of burning also increases at higher altitude.
Udderly Helpful Skin Care
Two of the best products for easing dry skin, IMHO, are manufactured for healing cow's udders. Try Udder Cream and Bag Balm when your skin feels like alligator hide.
What's a Hygrometer?
Purchase an inexpensive hygrometer to measure the humidity in your home. Lowering your home's heat and using a humidifier will keep your home in the comfort zone and help prevent dry skin and hair.
Winter Skin Tip
If your skin tends to be dry and itchy in the winter, turn down the heat in your home. You'll be a lot more comfortable in a cooler house.

Vegetable Juices

Vegetables are important protective food and are highly beneficial for health and prevention of diseases. But the juices extracted from the fresh raw vegetables are more benificial as they furnish all the cells and tissues of the body with the elements and nutritional enzymes which they require. It is true that body can derive juices from whole vegetables, but fresh juices provide them in a manner in which they can most easily be digested and assimilated. Vitamin and mineral deficiency could be made up much more quickly by drinking fresh juice then by eating raw vegetables. Juice from vegetables listed below are benificial as mentioned for the ailments.

• Acidosis: Carrot, beet, cucumber and spinach
• Acne: Carrot, lettuce and spinach
• Allergies: Carrot, lettuce and spinach
• Anemia: Beet, celery, carrot
• Appendicitis: Carrot, beet and spinach
• Arterioscurosis: Carrot, celery, lettuce and spinach
• Vegetable juice and arthritis: Cucumber, beet, celery, carrot and watercress
• Asthma: Carrot, radish and celery
• Bronchitis: Tomato, carrot, onion and spinach
• Colds: Carrot, celery, onion and spinach
• Constipation: Carrot, beet, spinach and watercress
• Colitis: Carrot, beet cucumber and spinach
• Vegetable juice for diabetics: Carrot, celery, lettuce and spinach
• Dyspepsia: Carrot, beet, cucumber and spinach
• Eczema: Carrot, spinach, cucumber and beet
• Epilepsy: Carrot, celery and spinach
• Eye disorder: Tomato, carrot, celery, parsley and spinach
• Fatigue: Carrot, spinach, beet and cucumber
• Gout: Tomato, cucumber, beet, carrot, celery, spinach
• Headache: Carrot, lettuce and spinach
• Heart disease: Carrot, beet, cucumber and spinach
• Hypertension: Carrot, spinach, beet and cucumber
• Influenza: Carrot, onion and spinach
• Insomnia: Lettuce, carrot and celery
• Jaundice: Carrot, celery, spinach, beet and cucumber
• Obesity: Tomato, beet, cabbage, lettuce, spinach and carrot
• Piles: Carrot, spinach, turnip, and watercress
• Sinus problem: Tomato, carrot, onion and spinach
• Tonsillitis: Carrot, spinach, beet and cucumber

Garlic (Lahssan)

Garlic (Allium Satinum) has been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes (American Family Physician), Sanskrit records show its medicinal use about 5000 years ago and it has been used for at least 3000 years in Chinese medicine. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans used garlic for healing purposes. In 1858 Pasteur noted garlic’s antibacterial activity and it was used as an antiseptic and to prevent gangrene during world Wax 1.
Garlic has long been considered a herbal wonder chug with reputation for preventing everything from the common cold to flu to plague! Garlic has been used extensively in phytotherapy (herbal medicine). Raw garlic is used by some to treat acne and it is believed to be effective as a natural mosquito repellant.
Historically garlic has been used around the world to treat many conditions including hypertension, infections and snake-bite and some, cultures have used it to ward off eveil spirits. Currently garlic is used for reducing blood cholesterol and cardiovascular risk as,, well as and antimicrobial properties,

Pharmacology
The root bulb of garlic plat-it is used medicinally. It can be used fresh, dehydrated or as a steam distilled oil. Garlic has a high concentration of sulphurcontaining compounds. The thiosulfinates at including allicin appear to be the active substances in garlic. The an antimicrobial, hyperlipidaemic, antioxidant and antithrombotic effects that have been attributed to garlic are thought to be related to allicin and other breakdown Products. The antineoplastic effects may be related to the sulphur compounds or to other unknown components.

Uses And Efficacy
(a) Lipid-Lowering Effects
Many randomized clinical trials have studied the effects of garlic on lipid levels- Results from 2 meta-analysis conducted in 1993 and 1994 on effects of garlic on total cholesterol show a significant reduction in total cholesterol levels (9 to 12 percent) compared with placebo. A meta analysis published in 2000 that included these trials concluded that garlic is superior to placebo in reducing total cholesterol. A more recent meta-analysis of placebo -controlled trials using standardized dried garlic powder showed significant reduction in total cholesterol levels (19.2mg per dL) low density lipo-protein hpoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. (6.7mg per dL) and triglycerde levels (2 1. lmg per dL) at 8 to 12 weeks; these reductions were not sustained at 6 months treatment.
A Europeem trial comparing with a lipid lowering drug benzofibrate found them to be equally effective in decreasing lipids to statistically significant cant extent. One trial of garlic extracts treated in children with hypercholesterolaemia found no adverse effects but also no significant beneficial effect on lipids.

Antihypertensive Effects
The antihypertensive effects of garlic have been studied but remain controversial. In 1994 meta-analysis assessment of the effects of garlic on hypertension using 3 trials showed significant ant reduction in systolic blood pressure and 4 trials showed reduction in diastolic B.P. with garlic treatment compared with placebo. In a more recent meta-analysis, 23 placebo controlled trials were analysed. Only 3 trials showed a statistically significant reduction in diastolic B.P and one showed a statistically significant ant reduction in systolic B P in patients treated with garlic compared with placebo.

Other Cardiovascular Related Effects
A recent review of 10 trials assessing the effects of garlic on thrombotic risk showed modest but significant decreases in platelet aggregation with garlic compared to placebo. The same review analysed 12 trials of garlic supplements in diabetics and non-diabetic adults and only one trial showed significant decrease in glucose levels in non diabetic patients.
One observational study showed that regular garlic powder intake weakened age and pressure related increases in aortic stiffness.
Epidemoological studies from cohort studies have shown a decreased risk of stomach and colon cancer with high concentrations of garlic and other allium vegetables e.g. onion, leeks and chives.

Anti-microbial effects
Small studies have shown that garlic exerts antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram- negative bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Dietary garlic has been used in the treatment of infections particularly digestive, respiratory or dermatological infections from vaginitis to colds and warts

Contra-indications, verse effects and interactions
Ingestion of one to two cloves of raw garlic per day is considered safe in adults. The most common side-effects of ingested garlic are unpleasant breath and body odour : Consumption of excessive amounts of garlic especially on an empty stomach can cause gastro-intestinal upset, flatulence and changes in intestinal flora. There has been reports of allergy, dermatitis burns and blusters from topical applications of raw garlic.
Garlic appears to show no effects on drug metabolism. It has been suggested that patients taking anticoagulants use caution when taking garlic and it is prudent to stop taking high dosage of garlic 7 to 10 days before surgery because garlic can prolong bleeding bleeding time.

Dosage
Dosages generally recommended in the literature for adults are 4g (I-2 cloves) of raw garlic peper day or one 300 mg dried garlic powder 2 to 3 per day or 7.2g of aged garlic extracts per day.

Coconut

Coconut is such a wonderful thing and has so many healing qualities. Eating coconut can boost your state of health and vitality tremendously. As a matter of fact, eating a few tablespoons of coconut oil every day can even help you lose weight! This is because the structure of the fatty acids in coconut oil is of a special kind and even though it is a type of saturated fat it does not clog the arteries like other saturated fats do. Instead, coconut oil supports a healthy and well-functioning blood-system, with a healthy heart and clear arteries.
This means it lessens the risk for heart attacks, strokes and other heart-related diseases.
For people that really want to have a boost in their health, I recommend them to swap all their dairy products to coconut-based products instead. This alone can help you lose weight faster and you'll notice that you'll become more vital and energized. While dairy products slows down the metabolism, coconut oil instead increases it or balances it.
So you're doing yourself and your body a great favor if you begin to enjoy the wonderfulness of coconut :) You can enjoy it in so many different ways; coconut milk in your fruit-shakes, refridgerated oil as a spread on bread, as a salad dressing oil and so on.
Best thing about it is that it tastes so so great :) eating healthy does not at all need to be boring. And by using coconut oil and cream, it can even be rich!

Health benefits of Grapefruit

Grapefruit occupies a high place among the citrus family because of its flavour, appetizing properties and refreshing qualities.
The fruit is nutritive and refrigerant and possesses very much the same properties as orange, lemon and lime. The seedless variety is the best as it often contains greater amount of sugar, calcium and phosphorus. The nutritional value of the fruit varies with colour (white, pink, or red).
Red and pink grapefruits have a higher amount of vitamin A. It also has 325mg of potassium, 25mcg (micrograms) of folate, 40mg of calcium, and one mg of iron. Pink and red are high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that the body converts to vitamin A.
Grapefruit peel is candied and is an important source of pectin for the preservation of other fruits. The peel oil, expressed or distilled, is commonly employed in soft-drink flavouring.
Grapefruit seed oil is dark and exceedingly bitter but, bleached and refined, it is pale-yellow, bland, and like olive oil in flavour.
Grapefruit is an excellent appetizer as it promotes salivary and gastric digestion. It is an important health-builder and a tonic.
In spite of its sharp, sub-acid taste, the fresh grapefruit has an alkaline reaction after digestion. The citric acid of the fruit is oxidized in the human system and hence the effect is to increase the alkalinity of the fluids of the body. Its juice is beneficial in the prevention and treatment of acidity and many diseases caused by too much acid in the system.
The fruit is valuable in relieving constipation. The pulp, when wholly taken, supplies healthy bulk to aid bowel action. It is beneficial in maintaining the health of intestines and is regarded as a preventive food item against dysentery, diarrhoea, enteritis, typhus and other infective diseases of the digestive tract.
According to an expert, “grapefruit is a super thing in the food of diabetic patient. If grapefruits were eaten more liberally, there would be much less diabetes. A diabetic patient can use three grapefruits three times a day. A non-diabetic but with a tendency should use three fruits a day.
The juice of grapefruit is an excellent remedy for influenza as it helps in reducing the acidity in system and its bitter properties arising from a substance called ‘Marin gin, tones the system up. It quenches thirst and removes the burning sensation of fever.
It contains natural ‘quinine’ and hence is valuable in the treatment of malaria. This ‘quinine’ is also beneficial in feverish colds. It can be extracted from fruits by boiling a quarter of a grapefruit and straining the pulp. It is beneficial in the treatment of fatigue. Taking a glass of grapefruit and lemon juice in equal parts is an excellent way of dispelling fatigue and general tiredness after a day’s work.
Grapefruit stimulates the appetite and is used for digestive, stomachic, antiseptic, tonic, and diuretic qualities. Over the years a number of people have promoted the grapefruit as possessing a unique ability to burn away fat. People following grapefruit diets lose weight.
Grapefruit is high in pectin, a soluble fibre that helps lower blood cholesterol. Pink and red grapefruits are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that appears to lower the risk of prostate cancer.
Researchers have not yet identified lycogen’s mechanism of action, but a six-year Harvard study involving 48,000 doctors and other health professionals has linked 10 servings of lycopene-rich foods a week with a 50 per cent reduction in prostate cancer.
Other protective plant chemicals found in grapefruits include phenolic acid, which inhibits the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines; limonoids, terpenes, and monoterpenes, which induce the production of enzymes that help, prevent cancer; and bioflavonoid, which inhibit the action of hormones that promote tumour growth.
Some people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory disorders find that eating grapefruit daily seems to alleviate their symptoms. This is thought to stem from plant chemicals that block Prostaglandins, substances that cause inflammation.
People who are allergic to citrus fruits are likely to react to grapefruits, too. The sensitivity may be to the fruit itself or to oil in the peel. Grapefruit has serious interactions with many commonly prescribed medications. Its juice inhibits a special enzyme in the intestines that is responsible for the natural breakdown and absorption of many medications. When the action of this enzyme is blocked, the blood levels of these medications increase, which can lead to toxic side effects from the medications.
The grapefruit juice research suggests that flavonoids and/or furanocoumarin compounds are the substances that block the enzyme in intestines that normally metabolizes many drugs. The grapefruit juice-drug interaction can lead to unpredictable and hazardous levels of certain important drugs. These medications should not be consumed with grapefruit juice unless advised by a doctor: The juice of grapefruit is extremely rich in vitamin C and potassium. It can, therefore, be beneficially used as a medicine in scanty urination caused by liver, kidney and heart disorders.
Grapefruit pectin is a natural source of soluble dietary fibre and offers many other health benefits that are supported by scientific evidence. Scientists are studying grapefruit for its medicinal value in connection with the following conditions:
Heart disease and high cholesterol: Grapefruit has been observed to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. There is only limited research to support the use of grapefruit pectin in connection with heart disease in humans. It is not clear what dose is safe or effective.
Eczema: One study suggests that grapefruit may provide benefit for those with eczema. However, the study is small, and therefore it is unclear whether there is any benefit from grapefruit for this condition.
Many claim that grapefruit pectin produces a variety of health benefits in addition to those described above. It is now being recognized as a natural and tasteful means for reducing cholesterol and triglycerides.
The other benefits are: The waste from grapefruit packing plants has long been converted into molasses for cattle. After oil extraction, the hulls can be used for soil conditioning, or, combined with the dried pulp, as cattle feed.
A detoxification process must precede the feeding of this product to pigs or poultry. Old grapefruit trees can be salvaged for their wood. The sapwood is pale-yellow or nearly white, the heartwood yellow to brownish, hard, fine-grained, and useful for domestic purposes. Mainly, pruned branches and felled trees are cut up for firewood.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Teeth

No. 1: Sour can be just as bad as sweet.
Sugar isn’t the only dental villain that undermines healthy teeth. Acidic, low-pH foods -- sour candy, soft drinks, fruit juices -- soften teeth. The result: enamel erosion and diminished tooth size. “Citric acid is the worst acid for your teeth,” says Martha Keels, DDS, chief of pediatric dentistry at Duke’s Children’s Hospital. “We’re seeing acid erosion every day.”
Dentists’ worst nightmare: ultra-sour, ultra-sticky, ultra-sugary kids’ candies such as Warheads and Toxic Waste. Even sour gummy vitamins can be culprits.
“These sour candies, when tested, have a really low pH, nearing battery acid,” says Robyn Loewen, DDS, a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. “I liken it to an ice cube that’s been left on the counter. It melts the tooth.”
To make matters worse, children’s tooth enamel isn’t mature until a decade after their teeth erupt, Loewen says. Because it’s softer, “it’s more susceptible to the acid.”
Adults aren’t off the hook: Low pH fare includes sour mango Altoids and even sugar-free soft drinks.
If you’re going to consume highly acidic foods, do it during mealtime, Keels says. You’ll minimize the effects by consuming them along with other foods. Better yet, chew xylitol-containing gum, such as Ice Breakers Ice Cubes, Trident, or Orbit, Keels says. Xylitol fakes out bacteria and may even help prevent cavities. Also, gums containing Recaldent, such as Trident, will help teeth remineralize and resist tooth decay.
No. 2: Enamel is the hardest substance in the body, but it can break easily.
Ice, popcorn, and tongue and lip piercings can chip teeth.
And unlike skin, teeth can’t re-grow. “We’re not like beavers,” says American Dental Association spokesman Richard Price, DMD.
Dentists detest ice and popcorn. Eating a popcorn kernel is like eating “stone,” Price says. And ice is brittle. “You have a combination of something ultra hard and something ultra hard,” he says. Be especially careful if your mouth is full of fillings. “You wouldn’t run a marathon with a bad leg,” he says. “Don’t chomp away if your teeth aren’t as strong as they used to be.”
Dentists also “hate” piercings of the tongue and lip, says Nuntiya Kakanantadilok, DMD, director of the division of pediatric dentistry at Montefiore Medical Center. The metal jewelry harbors bacteria -- and can chip teeth.
A metal barbell-like tongue ring is especially bad. “Every time you talk, it hits your teeth,” says Paul Casamassimo, DDS, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and chairman of pediatric dentistry at Ohio State University.
A 2007 review study published in the American Journal of Dentistry showed that 14% to 41% of people with oral piercings suffered from tooth fractures and wear. They noted that piercing in the mouth may cause “significant oral deformities” and “may lead to tooth loss.”
To keep healthy teeth, treat them with TLC. “Don’t use your teeth as pliers,” Price says. “They weren’t made to straighten out the tine of the fork.”
No. 3. You can be missing teeth at any age. Although many people get a tooth, or all 32, pulled, some folks are born missing choppers. The most common missing ones are the wisdom teeth. The second most common is the lateral incisor, which is located next to the big front tooth. People can inherit missing teeth.
Still, the most frequent causes of tooth loss are gum disease and cavities.
A number of people find it cheaper and easier to pull all their teeth than to pay for fillings and implants. After all, implants can cost about $2,000 per tooth, whereas a cheap set of dentures can cost less than $1,000, Keels says.
Studies show that 22.8% of Americans 65-74 and 29.4% of Americans 75 and older wear dentures.
No. 4: Too much fluoride can be bad for your teeth. We know that fluoride is important for healthy teeth. But kids who ingest excessive amounts of this substance when they’re 8 or younger, when their permanent teeth are developing under the gums, can develop a condition known as fluorosis. Typically fluorisis starts out causing white spots, but they can become brown. Unfortunately, fluorisis stains are “intrinsic,” which means the dentist cannot simply polish off a surface stain.
Excessive fluoride causes teeth to become porous. The problem is not the water supply: Since 1950, the American Dental Association has recommended fluoridation of community water supplies because it makes teeth harder and more resistant to decay. The problem occurs when children ingest extra fluoride, typically by swallowing too much toothpaste. Unlike water, toothpaste “is meant to work only topically,” Kakanantadilok says.
To make sure children don’t swallow toothpaste, supervise them while they’re brushing. Tell them to squeeze out only a pea-size amount of paste so that they won’t accidentally swallow too much. Most cases of fluorosis involve children who used more than that. Kakanantadilok recommends that kids stick to fluoride-free paste until they understand that they need to spit it out, not swallow it.
No. 5: Braces can cause cavities. Brush well if you want your straightened teeth to be healthy teeth. Otherwise, food, bacteria, and acid stuck around braces can “slough the enamel away,” says Raymond George Sr., DMD, president of the American Association of Orthodontists.
The result can look bad.
“You actually start forming cavities around the brackets of the braces,” Kakanantadilok says. Even if the decay doesn’t fully develop into a cavity, it can cause “demineralization.” The result are light spots on the teeth. (As cavities progress, they then get darker.)
The tongue is nature’s toothbrush, Keels says. When people get braces, they tend to stop rubbing their tongue against their teeth because it’s not comfortable to hit metal. “You’re not tongue brushing any more,” she says. The result can be a build-up of “gunk.”
About 3.9 million U.S. kids are getting orthodontic treatment, and 1.1 million U.S. adults are, too, according to the American Association of Orthodontists. In the age of perfect movie-star teeth, adults want nicer choppers, too.
But it's not just about looks. Adults also want healthier teeth. After all, Keels says, “crowded mouths are harder to clean.”

Dental Health

Good health involves more than just brushing. To keep your teeth and mouth healthy for a lifetime of use, there are steps that you should follow. Here's what you need to consider:

1. Understand your own oral health needs.Talk with your dentist, other oral health care specialist, or hygienist about any special conditions in your mouth and any ways in which your medical/health conditions affect your teeth or oral health. For example, cancer treatments, pregnancy, heart diseases, diabetes, dental appliances (dentures, braces) can all impact your oral health and may necessitate a change in the care of your mouth and/or teeth. Be sure to tell your dentist if you have experienced a change in your general health or in any medications you are taking since your last dental visit.

2. Develop, then follow, a daily oral health routine.Based on discussions with your dentist, other oral health care specialist, and hygienist and considering your unique general health and oral health situations, develop an oral health routine that is easy to follow on a daily basis. For example, people with special conditions - such as pregnancy, diabetes and other underlying diseases, orthodontic appliances - may require additional instruction and perhaps treatments to keep their mouth healthy. Make sure you understand the additional care and/or treatment that is needed, commit to the extra tasks, and work them into your daily health routine.

3. Use fluoride.Children and adults benefit from fluoride use. Fluoride strengthens developing teeth in children and prevents tooth decay in both children and adults. Toothpastes and mouth rinses contain fluoride. Fluoride levels in tap water may not be high enough without supplementation to prevent tooth decay. Contact your water utility to determine the level for your area. Talk with your dentist about your fluoride needs. Ask if fluoride supplements or a higher strength, prescription-only fluoride product is necessary for you.

4. Brush and floss daily.Brush your teeth at least twice a day (morning and before bed time) and floss at least once a day. Better still would be to brush after every meal and snack. These activities remove plaque, which if not removed, combines with sugars to form acids that lead to tooth decay. Bacterial plaque also causes gingivitis and other periodontal diseases.

5. Eat a balanced diet and limit snacking.Eat a variety of foods, but eat fewer foods that contain sugars and starches (for example, cookies, cakes, pies, candies, ice cream, dried fruits and raisins, soft drinks, potato chips). These foods produce the most acids in the mouth, which begin the decay process. If you must snack, brush your teeth afterward or chew sugarless gum.

6. If you use tobacco products, quit.Smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco products increases your risk of oral cancer and cancers of the larynx, pharynx and esophagus; gingivitis; as well as causes bad breath, tooth discoloration and contributes to other oral and general health problems.

7. Examine your mouth regularly.Become familiar with the appearance of your own mouth and teeth through frequent examination. This way, you will be able to catch any changes at an early stage and have these changes examined by a dentist. Look for the development of any spots, lesions, cuts, swellings or growths on your gums, tongue, cheeks, inside of your lips, and floor and roof of your mouth. Examine your teeth for any signs of chipping or cracking, discoloration, and looseness. If you experience a change in your bite or develop pain, call your dentist as soon as possible. An oral examination is particularly important to conduct if you are a tobacco user, since you are at an increased risk of developing oral cancer.

8. Visit your dentist regularly.The standard recommendation is to visit your dentist twice a year for check-ups and cleanings. Talk with your dentist about the frequency that is best for you considering your oral health situation.

9. Develop a partnership with your dentist.Don't be afraid to ask your dentist for more information if you don't understand a treatment or procedure. You should be able to have a free and frank discussion with your dentist about the following types of issues:

• What are the treatment options for a particular dental condition?
• How do these options differ in cost and in their durability?
• Do all the options solve the problem?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of each option?
• Of the dental treatments being recommended, which are absolutely necessary, which are less urgent, which are elective, and which are merely cosmetic?
• What are the consequences of delaying treatment?
• How much will the treatment cost?
• When is payment due? What method of payment does your dentist expect?
• Do you have a clear understanding of all fees and methods and schedules of payment?

A Healthy Diet for Type 2 Diabetes

Here's some good news: Healthy eating can have a dramatic impact on the symptoms and progression of type 2 diabetes and its frequent precursor, prediabetes. But the problem is that there's a lot of conflicting information out there. Just what does healthy eating with type 2 diabetes really mean? No sweets? Scheduled snacks? Low-fat, low-carb -- or neither?
To help guide you, WebMD turned to Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE. She's been a dietitian and diabetes educator for almost 30 years, and is the author of numerous books on the subject, including Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy, published by the American Diabetes Association.
How does a healthy eating plan for someone with type 2 diabetes differ from what everyone else should be eating?It doesn't. The nutrition recommendations from the American Diabetes Association echo the healthy eating guidelines for the general public. Everyone should be eating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and less saturated and trans fat. Remember that the type of fat matters to your heart and blood vessels. We've moved away from recommending a strict low-fat diet and shifted toward an eating plan that allows for a moderate amount of fat, provided you choose healthier fats, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
If you have diabetes and are trying to lose weight, don't take the drastic diet approach, like a low-carb diet. It might help you lose weight in the short-term, but there's not good evidence that it will help you keep it off. Here's my point: You're going to have diabetes for the rest of your life. You need to be thinking about minor doable changes in your eating habits that you can really maintain. Even small steps towards healthier eating result in big rewards, like lower blood glucose and improved blood pressure and lipids.
You also don't need a special diet to tell you how to eat healthy. Most people -- especially people reading WebMD -- already know. The big challenge is actually doing it day after day, year after year.
What is the connection between diabetes and heart and blood vessel diseases?The connection is huge. It is said that diabetes is a cardiovascular disease. But lots of people haven't realized it yet. They worry more about diabetes affecting their eyesight and kidneys. Yes, that can happen. But the fact is that people with diabetes suffer and die much more from heart and blood vessel disease. That's the real issue.
This is the key reason there's been a big change in the focus of diabetes management. It's no longer just about glucose control. It's at least -- if not more -- important for people to focus on controlling blood pressure and blood lipids, particularly LDL cholesterol. By the time someone gets diagnosed with diabetes, he or she may have already been living with serious risk factors for heart and blood vessel disease for years.

6 Serious Medical Symptoms

Here are six important flashing signals.
1. Paralysis of the arms or legs, tingling, numbness, confusion, dizziness, double vision, slurred speech, trouble finding words, or weakness, especially on one side of the face or body. These are signs of stroke -- or a "brain attack" -- in which arteries that supply oxygen to the brain become blocked or rupture, causing brain tissue to die.Symptoms depend on which area of the brain is involved. If a large blood vessel is blocked, a wide area may be affected, so a person may have paralysis on one side of the body and lose other functions, such as speech and understanding. If a smaller vessel is blocked, paralysis may remain limited to an arm or leg.If you have symptoms, call 911 right away and get to an emergency room that offers clot-busting therapy for strokes due to blocked vessels. Such treatment, which dissolves clots in blocked vessels, needs to be given within the first three hours after symptoms begin, but newer treatments may work within a longer time frame, says Birge, who is medical director at the Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton, Ga.Timing is urgent; fast treatment can potentially stop brain tissue death before permanent brain injury happens. "There is a time clock ticking as to when you might totally recover," Birge tells WebMD.

2. Chest pain or discomfort; pain in the arm, jaw, or neck; breaking out in a cold sweat; extreme weakness; nausea; vomiting; feeling faint; or being short of breath. These are signs of heart attack. If you get some of these symptoms, call 911 immediately and go to the emergency room by ambulance. Shulman and Birge also recommend that patients chew one regular, full-strength aspirin (unless they're allergic to aspirin) to help prevent damage to the heart muscle during a heart attack.Not everyone who has a heart attack feels chest pain or pressure or a sense of indigestion. Some people, especially women, the elderly, and people with diabetes, get "painless" heart attacks, the doctors say. Being aware of "painless" heart attack signs is crucial: a very weak feeling, sudden dizziness, a pounding heart, shortness of breath, heavy sweating, a feeling of impending doom, nausea, and vomiting.Both doctors say that it's important to learn heart attack signs and understand them in context. "Everybody has jaw pain. You don't immediately run and say, 'I've got a heart attack,'" Shulman tells WebMD. He is an associate professor of internal medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "But if you're also sweating and you have some of these other symptoms -- shortness of breath and so forth -- then that's going to tip you off that there's something much more serious happening."

3. Tenderness and pain in the back of your lower leg, chest pain, shortness of breath, or coughing up blood. These are symptoms of a potentially dangerous blood clot in your leg, especially if they come after you've been sitting for a long time, such as on an airplane or during a long car trip. These signs can also surface if you've been bedridden after surgery. "Anybody is susceptible," Birge says. He adds that such blood clots are more common than most people and doctors realize. Blood is more likely to pool in your legs when you're sitting or lying down for long periods of time, as opposed to standing and walking. If a blood clot forms in your leg as a result, your calf can feel swollen, painful, and tender to the touch; you should be evaluated. If you get sudden chest pain or shortness of breath, a piece of the blood clot may have broken off and traveled through the bloodstream to your lungs. This condition can be life-threatening, so get to an emergency room without delay.
4. Blood in the urine without accompanying pain. Anytime you see blood in your urine, call your doctor promptly, even if you have no pain.Kidney stones or a bladder or prostate infection are common causes of blood in the urine. But these problems are usually painful or uncomfortable, which sends people to the doctor promptly.In contrast, when people see blood in their urine but feel no pain, some take a "wait and see" approach, especially if they just have one episode. "But you can't have this attitude," Shulman says. Lack of pain doesn't necessarily mean lack of seriousness.Cancer of the kidney, ureter, bladder, or prostate can cause bleeding into the urinary tract; when these cancers are small enough to be curable, they may not cause pain. So don't dismiss this important sign because, according to Shulman and Birge, "blood in the urine may be the only clue for an early diagnosis."
5. Asthma symptoms that don't improve or get worse. Asthma attacks are marked by wheezing or difficulty breathing. When an attack doesn't improve or worsens, a patient should get emergency care.If an asthma attack is left untreated, it can lead to severe chest muscle fatigue and death, say Shulman and Birge. Some people with persistent asthma hesitate to go to the emergency room because they've gone so many times before, or they need someone to drive them because they're too short of breath. So instead of seeking care, "They try to hang in there," Birge says, even if they need higher doses of inhalants or have decreasing lung function measurements when using a device to measure how well they move air out of their lungs.Because asthma makes breathing difficult, the muscles for breathing may tire and the volume of air exchanged by the lungs will decrease. As a result, a person's oxygen level drops while blood levels of carbon dioxide rise. As Birge and Shulman explain in their book, "A carbon dioxide buildup in the blood has a sedating effect on the brain, which may cause you to feel even drowsier. You may lose the motivation or energy to breathe.""A person with asthma who seems to be relaxing more, who seems to not be struggling for breath anymore -- even though they've been at it for six or eight hours -- may actually be worse. It could be a sign of respiratory fatigue," Birge says. Eventually, the person could stop breathing."They're really in a big danger zone," Shulman adds. Patients believe they're getting better when they're actually getting worse, he says. "They become sedated and seem to be peaceful when actually, they're dying."One of the most important considerations is how long an attack lasts, according to both doctors. "If you've been having labored respirations with the asthma not relenting after a period of several hours, even though you may be apparently doing OK, don't let it go any longer," Birge says. "Get on to the emergency room."
6. Depression and suicidal thoughts. Few people would put up with crushing chest pain or extreme shortness of breath, but many endure depression, even though at its extreme it can be life-threatening."Depression can be a very, very serious problem because people can commit suicide," Shulman says. "Some people will not seek care when they are depressed because they think that they'll be perceived as being crazy or not strong or not manly, and they have to understand that there is a chemical imbalance going on in their brain. It is a disease just like any other disease."Symptoms of depression include sadness, fatigue, apathy, anxiety, changes in sleep habits, and loss of appetite. Depression can be treated with medications and psychotherapy.If you have suicidal thoughts, you can speak to someone right away by calling national phone numbers such as 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-SUICIDE.Speak Up When You Think Something Is WrongDoctors are human: They can miss important diagnoses, including heart attacks. A patient's awareness and vigilance can make a difference, Shulman says."My feeling is, as a doctor, I want a patient who's informed. I'd rather have a patient who's informed, who's helping me so I won't make a mistake," Shulman says. "And I can be honest and say, 'I'm human. Don't be intimated by me because I have a white coat on. Don't be intimidated by me because I'm using big words.'"If patients can recognize potentially serious symptoms, they'll have more power when they go to the doctor or the emergency room, he adds. "You have enough to say, 'Well, have you ruled out this problem?'"

Food Mistakes That Can Get in the Way of Healthy Eating

Here are some common diet mistakes that even food-savvy consumers make:
Healthy Eating Mistake No. 1: Buying Fresh Produce for the Entire WeekOnce fruits and vegetables are harvested, they start losing some of their vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. So keeping them in the crisper all week long can mean robbing yourself of nutrition.
Instead, buy fresh produce every few days and supplement it with frozen fruits and vegetables. Frozen produce is harvested at its peak and flash-frozen immediately, which protects the nutrients from breaking down for up to a year in the freezer. Look for frozen produce with no sauces or syrups added.
Healthy Eating Mistake No. 2: Buying Too Much Processed FoodProcessed foods tend to have more sodium and saturated fat, and less fiber and nutrients. Instead, start with fresh, whole foods as much as possible. When you do choose convenience products, look for those that contain whole grains (like whole-wheat bread and hot dog buns, whole-grain tortillas, and whole-grain blend pasta), have no trans fat, and are low in saturated fat (like bottled marinara made with olive oil, light salad dressing made with canola or olive oil, and some broth- or tomato-based soups.)
Healthy Eating Mistake No. 3: Eating Out or Ordering Takeout More Often Than Not"According to our research, the average American adult purchases a meal or snack from a restaurant 5.8 times per week," says Annika Stensson, director of media relations for the National Restaurant Association.
Indeed, 46.4% of the American food dollar is spent within the restaurant industry. And much of that goes for takeout: Roughly 58% of restaurant traffic in 2001 was specifically for takeout and delivery, according to National Restaurant Association statistics.
One reason to eat more meals is to help prevent obesity. In a recent Agricultural Research Service study of men and women ages 31-50, those who got more of their total calories from conventional fast-food restaurants were likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI).
Of course, cooking at home more often isn't always easy. Here are several strategies that can help keep you from frequenting the drive-through:
Start with a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator. Some of my favorite ingredients to have handy for whipping up quick dinners are whole-grain pasta, bottled marinara and pesto sauces, whole-grain tortillas, shredded reduced-fat cheese, and canned refried beans. Get that slow cooker out of hiding and start collecting some slow cooker recipes you want to try. Invest a few minutes in the morning to assemble the ingredients, set the slow cooker on LOW, and leave for work. When you arrive home that evening, dinner is ready to be served. Try some fun and easy dinner options like soup and sandwich night, breakfast for dinner night, pasta night, salad night, baked potato bar night, or homemade pizza night (using whole wheat Boboli crust, whole wheat bagels, or tortillas for the crust).
Healthy Eating Mistake No. 4: Not Taking Advantage of Food SynergyDo you peel your apples or tomatoes? Do you eat your veggie-rich green salad with fat-free dressing? Do you like to peel and chop your garlic right before adding it into your stir-fry or sauce? If you answered "yes" to any of the above, you are decreasing the availability to your body of important nutrients found in these foods.
That's because there are all sorts of relationships between the various components within certain foods and between certain foods, a concept called "food synergy." For example, certain phytochemicals in apple peel account for most of apples' healthy antioxidant activity, so peeling apples isn't the healthiest way to go.
Also, it's a good idea to let your minced or chopped garlic rest for 15 minutes before proceeding with cooking, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. This helps ensure that the enzymatic reaction that begins when garlic is chopped releases as much of the antioxidant allyl sulfur as possible -- and thus maximizes the cancer-fighting benefits.
If you're dressing a salad or making a homemade marinara sauce, make sure you include some healthy fats, like avocado or olive oil. Eating a little "good fat" along with your vegetables helps your body absorb healthy phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables. So enjoy your salad with some avocado or a light dressing made with canola or olive oil. And add a drizzle of olive oil when you are whipping up a batch of spaghetti sauce.
And when it comes to tomatoes, for maximum nutrient value, don’t peel them, and eat them cooked and processed.
Healthy Eating Mistake No. 5: Avoiding High-Fat Plant FoodsThe three foods that come to mind are avocados, nuts, and olives, which are relatively high in calories and fat but low in saturated fat. These foods contribute smart fats to our diet, and they come with fiber and phytochemicals, too.
Moderation is the key here. So enjoy a quarter of an avocado on sandwiches and in salads, or a handful of nuts as a snack or added to your salad, cereal, or pasta. Use a light drizzle of olive oil in cooking. And add olives to salads, sandwiches, and casseroles, or eat them as a snack.

The Health Benefits of Black Seed [Kalonji]

Black Seed has over 1400 years history of use. Many ancient books and text suggest the following traditional uses for Black Seed. But please note, that these should not be understood as cures or treatments for any disease or illness.
For Cough and Asthma
Apply Black seed oil to the chest and back.
Mix a teaspoon of Black seed oil in Boiling water and inhale the vapor twice a day.
Take half a teaspoon of Black seed Oil daily in the morning.
Cystic fibrosis
Massage the chest with black seed oil, and drink a mixture of one teaspoon black seed oil with a teaspoon pure honey, morning afternoon and evening.
Diabetes
Mix a cup of whole black seeds, a cup of Water Cress Seeds (Mustard seed can be used as an alternative), half a cup of pomegranate peel and half a cup of fumitory. Grind the mixture to powder. Take half a teaspoon of the mixture together with a teaspoon of black seed oil daily before breakfast for one month.
Diarrhea
Mix a teaspoon of black seed oil with a cup of yogurt. Drink the mixture twice a day until symptoms disappear.
Dry Cough
A teaspoon of black seed oil should be mixed in coffee and taken twice a day. Rub the chest and back with black seed oil.
Eye disease & impaired vision
Rub the eyelids and the sides of the eye orbits half an hour before going to bed with black seed oil. A tablespoon of the oil should also be drunk with a cup of carrot juice. Results should be apparent in one month, insha Allaah.
Facial paralysis & tetanus
Inhaling the vapor of black seed oil and hot water can help against facial paralysis and tetanus, and eliminates their causes, insha Allaah.
Flu & nasal congestion
Placing three to four drops of black seed oil in each nostril relieves nasal congestion and head cold distress.
Gall stones & kidney stones
Prepare a formulation of 250g of ground black seed & 250g pure honey, stir thoroughly before use. Take two tablespoons of this formulation and mix thoroughly with half a cup of hot water. Finally add one teaspoon of black seed oil. This mixture is to be taken every morning before consuming any food.
Remember:
A teaspoon of black seed oil mixed in a glass of orange juice with breakfast makes you active all through the day. A teaspoon of black seed oil mixed in a hot drink after supper gives you a quiet sleep all through the night.

Diseases and their cure inshallah

Asthma, Bronchial & Respiratory problems
Mix a tablespoon of black seed oil in coffee. Take twice daily. Rub chest with black seed oil every night and inhale the vapor of black seed oil in hot water.
Backache & other kinds of rheumatism
Mildly heat a small amount of black seed oil and then stroke the rheumatic area intensely. A teaspoon of oil should also be drunk three times daily.
Beard growth
Massage the beard area with black seed oil ensuring that the oil penetrates to the roots, this stimulates the growth of the beard and prevents premature hair graying.
Breast feeding (increase the flow of breast milk)
Prepare a mixture of 250g black seeds & 250g pure honey, stir thoroughly before each dosage. Take two tablespoons of this formulation mixed with one teaspoon of black seed oil daily.
Common cold symptoms and nasal congestion
Firstly fry whole black seeds, then finely grind them into powder. Soak this in black seed oil and any vegetable oil. Place three to four drops in each nostril (N.B. this will cause excessive sneezing).
For Hypertension
Take half teaspoon of Black seed oil with any hot drink at any time. Take 2 lobes of garlic on empty stomach. Apply Black seed oil to your whole body and expose it to the sun every three days, continue the treatment for a month.
For Heart complaints & Constriction of Veins
Take half teaspoon of black seed oil mixed with any hot drink daily in the mornings, this will liquefy the fats and widen the veins and arteries.
Inflammation of the Nose and throat
Put a few drops of oil in to a cup of boiling water and inhale the vapor. Take half a teaspoon of black seed oil with lemon juice daily.
For Headache and Ear ache
Apply black seed oil to the forehead, sides of face adjacent to the ears and behind the ears. Take half teaspoon of Black seed Oil and continue for about 3 days.
For Loss of Hair & premature Graying.
Scrub the scalp thoroughly with lemon, leave it for 15 minutes, wash away with water and shampoo and dry well, thereafter apply Black seed oil to the whole scalp, continue for a few weeks.
For Eye infection, Pain and Weak sight.
Apply Black seed oil around the eyes and on the eye lid before going to sleep. Take half a teaspoon Black seed oil mixed with carrot juice. For weak sight continue treatment.
For Backache and Rheumatic pain
Warm Black seed oil slightly and apply to the area thoroughly as you are massaging the bone, not the skin and drink half teaspoon Black seed oil for 15 days.
For Vomiting
Take half teaspoon of fresh ginger juice mixed with equal amount of Black seed oil, twice a day.
For toothache
Mix a half teaspoon of Black seed oil with warm water and gargle the mouth and apply oil on the affected tooth, it will alleviate pain quickly.

Tips To Burn Fats

Start Exercising
The first thing you should do in the morning to have some cardiac work out for at least half an hour. Studies have shown that having some aerobics as well as anaerobic (low impact aerobics, weight lifting, circuit training, swimming and walking) exercises in the morning, to be really effective in burning up to 4x more fat as opposed to working out at any other time during the day. Here's lies the reason:

Your body's main source of energy is the carbohydrates, which you get from eating your daily meals. As you sleep at night for 6-8 hours, your body burns up all those carbohydrates as energy for various metabolic functions that go on even while you sleep. So, when you wake up in the morning, your body doesn't have any carbohydrates as energy to use as it’s already been consumed by then and it seeks another source to gain energy instead, so it starts burning body fat.
So to utilize this cycle of the body, what you need is to take exercise early in the morning. Avoid eating breakfast because that will give your body some carbohydrates as a source of energy, which you don't need at that time. It has other advantages too. Your metabolism gets revved up immediately after your morning workout. It will keep the metabolism elevated throughout the day. An elevated metabolism throughout the day means that you'll have to burn more and more calories and thus lose more weight. If you exercise at night you may still burn fat while you workout but as soon as you go to sleep your metabolism will slow down and you'll miss out on all the extra fat that you can burn during the day. When you sleep your metabolic rate is always at its slowest. Also working out in the morning definitely reduces your level of stress throughout the day.

Having Breakfast is a stipulation.
Another way to keep your metabolism revved up all day long is to have breakfast without miss. Eating breakfast in the morning gets your metabolism started. Don't skip breakfast and wait until mid-morning or afternoon to eat, your metabolism will run slower causing you not burn any extra fat. You can think this way-Your metabolism is a fireplace that'll burn fat for you all day long if you can operate it correctly. When you eat breakfast you are basically adding a catalyst to aggravate the burning of the Fat. Eating breakfast will help stop those cravings you may have later on in the day and along with working out in the morning, eating breakfast will also keep you energized throughout the day.

Health Definition

1. Move your Body
Find new ways every day to move your body. Use the stairs rather than an escalator or elevator. Chase your kids, Walk your dog, play ball with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool; it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute cardiovascular class or body pump or kickboxing. Move more and feel better!
2. Cut the Fat
Don't eat the obvious fat in your diet such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats. Eat dairy products like cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts and even then in their low fat versions. Most are available in lower fat versions.
3. Reduce Stress - Stress busters come in many forms.
Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. Exercise is a great stress reducer; walk on the beach or in a park. Soak in a hot tub; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting irritated. Avoid difficult people when possible. . Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds…. then float on them.
4. Drink plenty of water:
Drink plenty of water daily. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water daily. Drink 2-4 glasses of water in morning before lunch. It all makes your stomach good in work, skin glow and you would not have any problem of kidneys.
5. Stop Smoking
All the experts agree on this one. Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to your health, people have been reducing their use of tobacco products. It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.
6. Reduce your exposure to Pollution
Not everyone can live in a smog-free environment, but we can all avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning where air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution deterrent. If you ride a bicycle in traffic, where a small pollution mask over your mouth and nose.
7. Wear Your Seat Belt
Statistics show that the wearing of seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes.
8. Floss Your Teeth
Harvard Medical School studied longevity and found one of the most important contributing factors was daily flossing! Flossing and brushing your teeth daily can make your Real Age as much as 6.4 years younger. These studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't?
9. Maintain a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthily and having a cheerful outlook on life. Yes, keep on smiling and laughing!

Daily Health Tasks

Just like brushing your teeth, healthy habits should be cultivated on a daily basis. The following is a guide to daily tasks:
Activity should be a daily occurrence. Walk, run or jump for a minimum total of 20 minutes a day.
Protect your skin. Sun block should be applied on face, neck, arms and hands even in the dead of winter. It protects against climatic toxins too. Moisturize skin daily.
Eat fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products and small amounts of protein. Avoid sweets and other processed foods.
Meditate or spend a minimum of five minutes daily in quiet time.
Find your spiritual self. Discover what inspires you, raises your level of consciousness, motivates you, and satisfies your soul.
Exercise your brain. Read, study, solve problems, and learn new skills. As does the body, the brain atrophies with lack of use.
Drink 6-8 glasses of water.

Contaminated Water Health Fact

Rain is the original source of all our drinking water. Raindrops are formed from the heavy vapor arising from the sea. As the clouds pass over the land, they condense into drops of rain. We are familiar with the fact that a rainstorm clears the air, washing it clean and free from dust and smoke.
Raindrops are usually free from germs, although they may contain a little dust and perhaps a few harmless microbes. Trouble starts when the raindrops strike the surface of the earth. The rain that collects on cultivated fields, farmyards, and city streets contains many different kinds of germs, some of which are harmful to man. Many of these germs have come from the digestive organs of animals and human beings and may cause serious intestinal diseases.
But the trouble is now always with water that falls onto the ground. People who use tanks and cisterns must also be careful. Roof water may be badly contaminated with germs from dust blowing up from the street. There is also the problem of germs from the droppings of birds. Tank or cistern water should always be boiled or sterilized.
The water from ponds and lakes is always contaminated. Much of this water may have washed down from the streets and highway. Or it may have been contaminated by people living in the vicinity. Even though this water may be sparkling and clear, it often contains harmful germs, such as intestinal parasites, liver flukes, hookworms, amoeba, typhoid, dysentery, and many more.
The most polluted water of all may be the rivulet rushing down a hillside just after a heavy shower of the rain. This is particularly true following a long spell of dry weather.
When rain strikes the ground, it divides and travels in two different routes toward the sea. Part of the water remains on the surface and flows into small streams, then into larger rivers, and finally reaches the sea. This surface water is always badly contaminated at first, but it does tend to purify itself by various means after some time elapses.
The other part of rainfall penetrates the surface soil. It supplies the needs of the plant world. Part of this water flows underground toward some stream or pond.
Most spring water is pure and free from germs. In passing through the different layers of earth, the germs either die or are largely filtered out. Well water is also pure, provided there is no surface contamination near the vicinity of the well itself. People living in the country need to take great care to keep their own water supplies free from contamination. Farmyards and barns are a constant menace because of the animal wastes on the surface of the ground. To guard against this, the mouth of the well should be set at a higher level and preferably some distance away from the barnyard, as shown in the picture. This will help to prevent pollution from animal droppings or human carelessness.

Purifying Your Own Drinking Water

If there is any question about the purity of your own drinking water, you should boil it. Water is so easily contaminated. It soon becomes unfit for human use. Do not be deceived .Water that may look pure may be full of germs that you cannot see. If you have your own well, you should have the water tested by an expert from the public health department in your area.
City water supplies are not always safe, especially during the drier times of the year. Boiling the water for minute will destroy all harmful germs. That is why hot drinks are safer to use when you are away from home. But wherever you are, you must remember that the purest water can easily be polluted unless it is kept in clean vessels.
One of the best chemicals for purifying drinking water is known as calcium hypochlorite. This is now supplied in ampoules, one half gram ampoule being sufficient to purify thirty-six gallons of water. This is the process referred to as chlorination. Any good household bleaching solution will serve this purpose. They all contain sodium hypochlorite. Just add ten drops of bleaching solution to each gallon of water. This will destroy all the bacteria within half an hour. One quart of the bleaching solution will purify 1500 gallons of water. These bleaching solutions are simple and inexpensive. They are also quit safe.

Health Facts : Our worst Enemies

All too often we are out own worst enemies. Nature has been wonderful kind of us, endowing us with enormous vitality and power to overcome almost every types of illness. Then why are we so many sick? Usually because of their own foolish ways of living. Such as habits tend to weaken and destroy there marvelous bodies of ours, and then the victim wonder why they are sick!
Hidden enemies abound on every side. Tiny germs and viruses, tooo small to be seen bu the unaided eye, floating around the air breath. They lurk in the food we eat, in the water we drink, and even in the clothes we wear! Not all germs are harmful. Some are beneficial, but others are highly dangerous.
Everything we touch, taste, or handle carries with the possibility of disease. This means that within your body and mine there is a constat battle for survival against hidden villains that that are trying to destroy us. Fortunately, the forces within are usually more than a match for these dangerous parasites, other wise we would all quickly perish.
The remarkable powers of resistance against disease are always at work. They are even stimulated by the presence of germs and viruses, so that the hidden enemies may actually play as a usual part in helping to keep strong and healthy. But the great deal of our success will depend on how willing we are to be the wise and sensible law of health. Thanks to the modern scientific medicine, millions of people are now living longer and enjoy life more completely
Thus, modern medical discoveries are not only adding years to our lives but life to our years…

10 Ways to Keep Your Skin Healthy

1. Wash your face regularly.It is very important that you keep your face clean regularly, especially before going to bed. If you don?t wash your face before bedtime, all the bacteria, dirt, and dust you?ve gathered throughout the day will stick to your pillow and sheets. Thus, it will aggravate the acne and cause it to spread.
2. Change your pillow cases.It may be true that you always wash your face before you sleep. However, if you don?t shower before going to bed, dirt from your hair will spread to your pillow. If that?s the case, make sure you replace your pillow cases regularly. This may sound like common sense, but a lot of people often forget to change their pillows until after a few months. Make sure you replace your pillow cases at least twice a month. Sometimes, when you go home, you?re already too tired to take a shower, especially if you just came from a party. If you are a smoker, then make sure that you change your pillow the next day. Chances are, your hair will gather all the smoke, dust, and dirt from the party and spread them to your pillow.
3. Stop the habit of touching your face.Some people are not aware that they touch their faces very often. Sometimes, when you?re stressed, you tend to touch your forehead. There are also people who love picking at spots and pimples. Put an end to the bad habit. If you can?t help but touch your face, you have to keep your hands clean all the time. But if you touch a lot of things during your daily activities, like handle a lot of paper work, or work in a factory, etc., it will be best to get rid of your bad habit instead.
4. Eat healthy.It is important that you go on a proper diet if you want a healthy skin. You have to try to eat as little junk food as possible, but if you can?t control yourself, make sure you add lots of vegetables and fruits to your daily meals.
5. Drink lots of water.Drinking water is a very basic way to stay healthy, but then again, this is something people often take for granted. It?s always best to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Your body should be well-hydrated at all times. When you work out or sweat, make sure you drink more water to replace the fluid you’ve lost.
6. Avoid unhealthy sunlight.Sunlight is healthy if it?s not between 10 am and 4 pm. If you want to bathe in the sun, do it early in the morning. The sunlight after 10 am is bad for our skin, so make sure that you apply sun block if you?ll have to be under the sun during those hours.
7. Work out.Exercise is very important as it helps increase blood flow. It also allows oxygen to circulate throughout your body, which will in turn keep the skin healthy and vibrant.
8. Avoid heavy makeup.Makeup contains many different kinds of chemicals. If you put on too much make up everyday, your face will get irritated and acne will develop.
9. Always wear moisturizer.Even though you have oily skin, there are moisturizers that are specifically made for your skin type. Remember that your skin needs moisture so that it can stay supple and young.
10. Get enough sleep.Although it is true that you will sleep less as you age, it?s still best to have 8 hours of sleep daily if you want to keep your skin healthy. If you don?t get enough sleep, it will dry up your skin.

Heart Grows: Small Tube Begins to Form in the Tiny Embryo

Heart Grows. The heart is such a remarkable organ that perhaps a few words about how it develops and grows are order. This is how it all begins. Within the first two weeks after conception a small tube begins to form in the tiny embryo or unborn baby. Believe it or not, this is the forerunner of all the blood vessels in the body.
A few embryonic blood cells also begin to float around within these tiny vessels. This is beginning of the bloodstream. From these early developments the entire circulatory system of the body will eventually form. As the little tube expands and grows, it begins to twist in a certain way, forming at first just one single chamber.
This is the beginning of the heart! Within this enlarging area a septum or dividing wall begins to grow, forming not two but four chambers. The two upper chambers are known as the left and right atrium {or auricle}, the two lower, as the left and right ventricles.
Normally there is no connection between the right and left sides of the heart after birth. But special doors or valves open between the atrium and ventricle on each side of the heart, so that the blood may only flow in one direction.
This whole mechanism is surprisingly simple, considering the enormous amount of work this embryonic heart must do. However, any failure in the development of the septum or valves may lead to some form of congenital heart disease.

Stress Problems

As long as integrity prevails, we are able and willing to do the work that we have to do. However, things may happen that interfere with our integrity. These may be factors in our working tasks, in our work environment and in ourselves. As a result, it becomes difficult or even impossible to do our work. This may be a matter of not being able to attend to our work, of not willing to attend to it, or both. If we still have to do our work, this implies that we lose control over our own functioning. This may be the start of a stress process.
Stress begins at the moment that we must do something that we are not able and/or willing to do. This implies a serious loss of control, which our mammalian brain interprets as a threat to our existence. It responds by activating a biological process that we share with all other vertebrates. This, however, is only appropriate in situations that quickly demand intensive bodily action. Seen from a biological perspective, this is primarily about life and death situations. In situations of a different kind, such as at our work site, this process is less appropriate and can activate a lengthy vicious cycle. This negatively affects our effectiveness, motivation and creativity, isolates us and violates our well-being and health.
Though stress has gradually become something like a modern manifestation of evil in general, it may have a positive value too. At the level of our own life, we can interpret being troubled by stress problems as a signal that we apparently have to do something that we are not able and/or do not want to do. Some form of (self-) examination and some study of the environment may then help us to find out what exactly is going on and what we can do about it. What matters here is that we can use our own complaints as a signal that we have to change something, either in our environment or in ourselves. In this way, recognition of stress reactions can offer us an entrance to personal development and growth. This process fits in well with emotional functioning in general:
like and dislike, pleasantness and unpleasantness . . . are expressions of match and mismatch with sensitivities and set-points, embedded in behavior systems. They are, in principle, useful signals, for learning what situations to seek or avoid in the future and, more directly, for beginning or pursuing a given course of action, for terminating action or changing tacks.
The same idea of stress as a signal can be applied to an organisational context as well. Here too, such complaints can have an important signalling function. Work stress for instance is evoked foremost when employees find it impossible to keep their attention to their work sufficiently, because they are unable and/or unwilling to do so. So, many stress complaints at a clearly described spot in the organisation make clear that it is difficult there, or even downright impossible, to focus attention on the work at hand in a self-evident way. Apparently, something is the matter there, and probably something that has more undesired effects than just the individual stress complaints. As such, it may indicate that the present adaptation of the organisation to the environment is troublesome. When we speak of a clearly described spot, we can think for instance of a certain department, job, group of jobs or a certain floor.
So mapping stress complaints with the help of interviews and surveys can be used as a technique to trace bottlenecks, other systemic errors in the organisation and possible solutions and improvements. In this way, we make it possible to learn something about the systemic causes and other coinciding problems as well. This then may enable us to solve not only the individual complaints, but also to make structural improvements at the level of these causes. This opens up possibilities for a better adaptation to the outside world in general also.
The general objective of such interventions is to enable the employees involved to keep their attention on the work in a self-evident and pleasurable way. In realising this objective, the most important guidelines are challenging the organisation and its employees to strive in their work for:
more creativity, as well as more personal and professional development of those involved; better relationships and a better social climate; more work pleasure and higher motivation; greater effectiveness and better production quality.

High blood sugar “Hyperglycemia”

Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar occurs when levels of sugar in the blood go above range. The correct range for a normal person is to have blood sugar levels between 80-120 mg/dl. Doctors tend to try and keep their diabetic patients under 160 mg/dl. When blood sugar levels go above these ranges the result is hyperglycemia.
What is the cause for high blood sugar? Hyperglycemia can be attributed to various reasons. Here are some of the more common reasons for an episode of high blood sugar for diabetics.
Too many carbohydrates or sugar in a meal. (ex. Pizza or spaghetti contain high amounts of carbohydrates) Carbohydrates turn into sugar after consumption. Not taking enough insulin. Sometimes errors can occur when administering insulin. If that happens your body will not get the proper dose of insulin it needs.
Sick days or emotional stress. Not getting enough exercise.
There are warning signs for high blood sugar. The diagram below shows some of the common side effects that occur when experiencing hyperglycemia.

There are several measures to take when experiencing high blood sugar. These include:
1. Drink water. By drinking liquids you can flush the excess amount of sugar out of your body. It is important that you drink something that does not contain sugar.
2. If your blood sugar continues to stay elevated you will want to monitor for ketones and ketoacidosis. Your healthcare professional needs to be contacted and will assist you if the blood sugar is staying consistently out of range.
3. An increase in your insulin dosage. Contact your healthcare professional to help you make a decision.
4. Exercise. If your condition allows you, exercising will help to bring sugar levels down.

The Seven Dangers

DON'T ACT THE 7 ACTIONS BELOW AFTER YOU HAVE A MEAL.

DO NOT SMOKE
Experiment from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes (chances of cancer is higher).
* Don't eat fruits immediately - Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2 hr after meal or 1hr before meal.
* Don't drink tea - Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the Protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.
* Don't loosen your belt - Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted & blocked..
* Don't bathe - Bathing after meal will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.
* Don't walk about - People always say that after a meal walk a hundred steps and you will live till 99. In actual fact this is not true. Walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.
*Don't sleep immediately - The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine. LET THEM BE AWARE....... ....

Health Tips

• To avoid diseases like hepatitis and Typhoid, eat 5 basil leaves everyday.
• For tooth ache, keep a clove on the affected area.
• Have a mixture of gingelly oil and egg, for 3 days, for menstrual disorders.
• You will get a great relief from menstrual pain , if you have a gooseberry daily.
• Boil the leaf of Malabar nut, squeeze its juice and add egg white. It subsides cough.
• Eat the powder of dried ginger and cumin with sugar for relief from cough.
• Have the mixture of mustard paste and honey for good relief from cough.
• For a good relief from cough, mix equal quantities of basil juice, honey and ajwain juice and drink on an empty stomach.
• Chew some cumin and sugar for relief from stomach pain.
• Have a mixture of lemon juice and honey when you are suffering from cold.
• If you have bad breath, drink at least five glasses of water in the morning.
• Stop nose bleeds by putting a few drops of pomegranate juice into your nostrils.
• For nagging cough and chest congestion, boil 3 cups of water with 2 fresh betel leaves and 4 crushed peppercorns, till the water is reduced to half. Strain and drink every morning and night with a teaspoon of honey.
• For relief from toothache.. Take two basil leaves, a grain of salt and a pinch of pepper powder and press against the affected tooth.
• For minor rashes on the skin.. add few basil leaves in your bathing water before you bathe.
  For fever and cough of children, give some honey mixed with water.
• The juice of carrot and tomato, mixed with a little honey is good tonic for children.
• A teaspoon of the powdered pomegranate skin taken with water early in the morning will not only purify the blood but also will serve as a good de- worming agent
• Chewing raw guava leaves is an excellent quick fix for diarrhoea
• If you are suffering from acidity, drink a glass of water with a piece of jaggery dissolved in it, after meals.
• Drink basil water everyday, it helps in keeping throat infection and cough at bay. !!

Vegetables Makes Beautiful

Kheera(Cucumber)
Kheeray ka rus(juice) ya katlay(slices) ankhon per rakhne se ankhain tar-o-taza(fresh) mehsos hoti hain, shayad yeh apko pata bhi ho, lekin kya apko pata hay k kheera aik cleanser bhi hay jo jild ko naram(soft) kerta hay usay tar-o-taza banata hay.
Is k liye kheeray ko pees ker us mein thora milk mila ker paste bana lain aur chahre per mask ki tarah laga lain aur sokhne dain, jab sookh jaye tau thanday pani se chahra saaf keren,app pehli hi bar mein is ka wazeha fark mehsos karain gay .
*oily skin k liye kheeray k katlay kaat lainn aur un katloon ko chahre per neechay se uper ki janib ahista ahista rub karain, is se jild ka izafi(excess) tail khatam hota hay, yeh skin ka excess oil khatam kerne k liye behtreen cleanser hay

Aloo(Potato)
Aaloo gher mai dekha hoga, khaya bhi hoga, lekin kya ap sab jante hain k aalo jild se daagh dhaboon ka safaya kerta hay?...Kache aloo ko kuchal ker un ka Arq nikaal lain phir chehre per lagain.
Jild ki cleansing k liye bhi is k katlay istamal kiye jate hen.
Is ka regular istimal jild ko stiff rakhta hay.
Ankhon ki swelling bhi khatam karta hay.
*ankhon k liye katlon ki soorat mein ya kuchal ker unhe malmal mai potli ki tarah bandh ker bhi istamal kia ja sakta hay

Papeeta (Papaya)
papaya mein paye jane wale enzymes jild ko naram o mulaaim rakhte hain aur jild se dead particles ko saaf kerte hain.
Papeetay k goday mai sookha doodh(milk) ya jo(barley) ka ata mila ker face mask ki tarah lagane se rangat nikharti hay, yeh azmooda mashwara hay is per amal kerk bataye ga

Narangi (Orange)
Narangi k chilkon ko dhoop mai sukha ker powder bana lain aur kisi Jar mai mehfooz ker lain. Required amount powder ki lay kar is mein milk shamil karain aur thick paste ki soorat chehray, neck, hath aur paaon per ubtan ki tarah lagayen, khushk honay per mal ker utaar lain aur saaf pani se yeh hisay dho lain.
Rangat nikharne aur jild ko narm karne k liye yeh ubtan behtreen hay.

Gajar(Carrot)
Hasaas aur nazuk skin k liye Gajar ka istimaal intihaye mufeed saabit hota hay
*gajar kaat ker pani mein boil karain phir in ka achi tarah paste bana len is paste ko mask ki tarah chehre per lagayen.
Rozana aik gajar ka juice aik glass milk mein mila kar pene se bhi rang saaf hota hay aur nikharta hay, yeh azmaya howa hay

Skin Allergies

Beautytipshub provides complete information on the medication and treatment of skin allergies. You might suffer from skin rashes, itchiness, swelling, dry skin problems, 'hives', dermatitis and a host of other skin problems. You can try out simple home remedies which are effective in providing a cure to these skin problems. These however, are notapplicable for severe cases of skin allergies. You might need to consult a dermatologist or a doctor in such cases.

Treatment of Skin Allergies

• First, you should determine the cause of the skin problem. If the allergy is due to a certain food, drug, detergent or any other thing, you need to first avoid the irritant.
• Avoid smoking as it aggravates the allergic condition.
• Consumption of processed food products, bleached flour and white sugar should be put at bay.
• Consuming Vitamin C is helpful for allergies.
• Poppy seeds mixed with lemon juice are also a good remedy.
• A mixture of sandalwood paste and lemon juice is beneficial for skin rashes.
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them.
• Fruit juices are helpful for allergic conditions.
• Boil oats and strain. Pour the liquid in an ice tray and freeze. Gently rub the ice cubes over the affected areas.
• Extract the juice from wood apple leaves. Mix the liquid with cumin powder and apply on the skin. This is a beneficial treatment for hives or urticaria.
• You can also boil ginger rhizome, chamomile, marshmallow roots, peppermint and Echinea in a sauce pan. Drink a cupful this mixture, two times a day. This is a good cure for skin allergy.
• Apply a mixture of soda and Indian plum juice to prickly heat.
• Sugarcane juice is also a good alternative for prickly heat during the summer season.

Useful Herbs for Skin Allergies
There are a lot of herbs that provide an excellent cure for various skin diseases. These are enlisted below-

• Holy basil and sandalwood paste are good for rashes and itchy skin.
• Cassia is a good remedy for hives.
• Madhuca Indica or madhuca is a good cure for skin infections.
• Henna is an effective cure for boils and inflammations.
• You can use sarpagandha or rauwolfia for skin itches.

Besides these, there are lots of antibiotics, corticosteroids and other medications which are useful for skin problems and allergies. These, however, needs to be taken after consultation with a dermatologist.
Note: You might develop allergic reactions to any o the ingredients mentioned above. In such cases, please desist from using the same.

What Is An Allergic Reaction?

Clearly, your body's immune system plays a very important role in your allergies. Allergies belong to a category of immune system responses called hypersensitivity responses. If the immune system is not involved, it is not, medically speaking, an allergy.
People often confuse reactions from irritants in the environment -- like a runny nose from cold air, smoke, or perfumes -- with a true allergic reaction such as hay fever, which is an immune system response to an allergen such as ragweed. Some people develop an itchy, red rash after contact with certain chemicals such as a harsh laundry detergent, but if the immune system isn't involved, it is an irritation, not an allergy. Likewise, someone who suffers from bloating and diarrhea after drinking milk or eating dairy products may have an intolerance , not an allergy, to lactose, a natural sugar found in cow's milk, because they lack the enzymes needed to digest lactose. However, this picture can get murky because some people are, in fact, allergic to one or more of the proteins in milk. This illustrates how tricky it can be to determine a diagnosis and design a treatment.

Tolerating intolerances
One way of defining intolerance is by saying what it isn't: It isn't the result of an overzealous immune system response. Typically it is a response to a chemical or the consequence of an insufficiency of a natural compound. For some people, the caffeine, theobromine, and methylxanthine in tea, coffee, chocolate, and cocoa cause symptoms of acid reflux, jitteriness, or insomnia. The chemicals in red wine can cause migraines in some people; monosodium glutamate (MSG) in Chinese dishes bothers others -- although the latter is not as common as people tend to think it is. Other people suffer discomfort from milk products because their bodies produce little or no lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose in milk), a condition that can worsen with age.
As with allergies, avoidance is the first line of treatment for intolerances. Specific strategies may help alleviate the intolerance. For example, for lactose intolerance, you may be able to boost your lactase levels by taking nonprescription supplements available in retail stores, although the benefits are variable. If you suffer from digestive disturbances, check with your doctor rather than attempting self-diagnosis.

Stress Management Tips for Managing Stress

Stress consumes your time and energy and weakens your immune system. It causes restlessness, unhappiness, impatience and anger. It can harm your life, ambitions, relationships and health. There is no doubt that it would be much better to live without it.There are various methods to reduce, control and manage stress. Some stress management techniques may suit some people, and other techniques may suit other people.
In my opinion, one of the best methods for stress management is meditation. It exerts a calming effect on the body, nerves and blood pressure, reduces restlessness, and brings peace of mind, detachment and equanimity. To experience the benefits of meditation one needs to meditate everyday, but the problem is that not everyone has the discipline, will and desire to meditate, even when realizing the benefits of meditation.In this short article I don't intend to analyze the reasons for stress, nor describe programs for stress management and reduction. I only want to suggest some tips to help you reduce stress.
It is not always possible to control or eliminate the reasons of stress, but it is possible to act and behave in certain ways that could reduce or alleviate it. You cannot always control the conditions of your life and circumstances, but you can learn to choose not to be internally influenced by them too much.
The following tips for stress management serve as first aid against stress. They will not prevent it altogether, but they can reduce or alleviate it.Tips for stress management:
# When you feel stress is building up within you, if possible, stop what you are doing and take a short walk.
# When stressed, drink some water or juice.
# When under stress, take a few slow deep breaths.
# Eat some food you like, because food can calm down restlessness and nervousness.
# Listen to your favorite music.
# Do something that you like doing.
# Watch a funny movie.
# Repeat affirmations to calm you down, such as:
- My mind is getting calm.
- I am relaxed and happy.
- I can meet any situation with calmness and inner strength.
- Everything is going to turn out great.
- I feel how my body, feelings and mind are getting calmer.
# Think, and persuade yourself about the futility of stress, and how much it is better to live without it.
# Exercise your inner freedom, and do not to let other people thoughts, opinions, words and actions affect you.
# Engage in sports or physical activity.You can manage stress if you put your mind to it. It requires some effort and time on your part, but the rewards are great. Follow the tips, but also remember that the more peaceful your mind becomes, the less stress you experience. The more inner peace you possess, the less anxiety, stress and fear you experience.

Twelve Secrets to Living Without Stress and Anxiety

Everyone would agree that life can be happier and healthier, without stress and anxiety. Your attitude, your expectations, and the way you think, have much to do with whether you get stressed and anxious easily, or can stay calm and positive. Below you will find a few secrets and tips that can help you.

Please remember that everything you read can only help, if you think about what you read and put it into practice.

1. Anxieties, fears and worries feed on your attention. The more attention you give them, the stronger they grow. The less attention you give them, the weaker they get.
2. Learn to let go. Don't hold on to unpleasant memories and oppressing thoughts.
3. Don't depend for your self esteem on what people say or think about you.
4. Don't always seek the approval of other people.
5. Don't promise more than you can deliver.
6. Plan carefully your time in respect to tasks, chores or goal.
7. Develop the habit of emotional and mental detachment.
8. Leave early wherever you go, and you will avoid the stress and anxiety of not arriving on time.
9. You can choose to let thoughts of fear and anxiety build up in your mind, and you can choose to refuse admitting such thoughts into your mind.
10. You can choose to be upset by circumstances, and you can choose to keep calm and in control of yourself. This is a matter of choice, attitude and training.
11. Too much attachment is a sign of fear. Let go of fear and attachment.
12. A positive attitude reduces stress and anxiety.

Water

Water facts...
No matter where you live, a wet region or a dry region, pure drinking water is of utmost importance to your body. The average human has about 50 quarts of water in his or her body. Most of this water is found between the cells, bathing and lubricating them.
The wettest part of the body—blood—is 83% water; the driest – tooth enamel – is 2 percent.
Only 1% of the world’s water is drinkable, the remaining 99% is either unusable seawater or ice. There won’t be more water, or new water, just the same molecules, used or stored, evaporated or frozen, re-circulated and reused by human and beast, for better or worse, forever.

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The Importance of Water...I know most of us have heard that we need to drink 8-10 glasses a day. WOW! That seems like a lot.
I know it has been hard for me to drink that much, but once I found out how much water does for me, I decided it was worth the effort...
One glass of water shuts down the midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study. The lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen , or on a printed page. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
Water:
washes our cells helps us maintain a good thinking process helps us maintain a healthy weight or lose excess weight and helps our body maintain good health in all ways
All this with the simple process of drinking good water, something we take for granted.

How to Improve your Health

Learn the simple steps to living a healthier and happier life!Concern over health and how to improve your health has become a topic more and more of us think about and try to implement in our lives. Advances in medicine have helped us live longer lives and have allowed us to overcome some of the ills and infections that used to kill many people. Vaccines have helped prevent illness and death. They have eliminated diseases like smallpox and have helped against rabies, diphtheria and the plague.
Here are some things you can do to increase your wellness and start down the path to improve your health:
Diet and Nutrition - Your diet does a lot in determining your overall health and wellness. What you put into your body does make a difference. "It's easy to buy into some pretty popular nutrition misconceptions -- myths and half-truths that ultimately find us making far fewer healthier food choices than we realize," says New York University nutritionist Samantha Heller, MS, RD. Read labels, don’t trust all the advertising and always try to get whole foods and not processed substitutes.
Some of the things you want to make sure you get enough of in your diet are fiber, antioxidants, soy, and water. These things along with a well balanced nutritional intake of whole foods and supplements can go a long way in reducing disease and increasing wellness.
Weight - Maintaining a healthy weight is critical to improving your health. You don’t have to be as thin as a rail – this is actually just as unhealthy as being overweight – you just need to keep the excess in check.
It all begins with attitude. Start by changing how you feel about yourself, your body and your eating habits. Change to a can do attitude where you start to do what’s right for you. Simple moderate exercise, eating a healthy breakfast (no skipping allowed), reducing your calorie intake by not taking just one more are all small things we can do to get in better health by being at a better weight.
Don’t go for the fad diets that don’t work or at best get you to lose weight for a while but then just put it back on later. A slow and steady change will help you lose the weight and keep it off and it will be much healthier for you. Get plenty of whole foods, protein (quite often a good soy protein can give you what you need without adding fat to your diet) and drink lots of water.
Water is critical to the health and wellness of your body. It helps rid you of toxic build up and it is needed for normal cell processes to work. Another side effect of water is that it can make you feel full without adding the calories so you will eat less.
Exercise - Aerobic exercise is very important to maintaining and improving your health. It has been linked to cancer prevention, reduction of osteoporosis, helping with depression, lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and of course obesity and weight control. It can also help with cognitive functions – meaning you can think more clearly and work more efficiently.
Aerobic exercise makes most of us think of joining a gym or having to run several miles everyday. This is just not the case. You can keep it very simple and still achieve benefits. Walking is one of the best exercises out there. It is simple, easy on the joints, doesn’t cost us a lot of money and it can be done pretty much anywhere. To get a benefit from walking, you just need to make sure that it is aerobic. That means you want to walk at a pace that leaves you feeling "warm and slightly out of breath". One good way to start is the 5 out 5 back plan. Just walk 5 minutes away from the house and then you are force to walk 5 minutes back. Increase the time out as your health and fitness increase.
Stress Management -Most of us live with some type of stress everyday. It has just become part of our lives. It has also become one reason we don’t always feel our best and why we are susceptible to feeling run down and ‘sick’.
Reducing stress can help now and our long term health. Stress keeps our bodies from functioning at their best and slowly wears on us. Find way to relax, to have that ‘me’ time where the pressures of the day can be pushed aside.
Try to simplify your life. Our world has become so fast paced and ‘in your face’ – ‘do it now’ that we just don’t have time to sit and watch the clouds or the rain or…. One simple way to gain a little sanity is to disconnect from the fast pace, try just turning off the cell phone. Just leave it behind for an hour.
But, no matter how much we work on getting rid of the stresses in our life there will always be something that causes us stress. Luckily, there are ways to help us overcome the stress nutritionally.
Avoiding Toxins - With all of our advances and science and technology, man has come up with many great things to improve our quality of life. However, we are learning that some of these things that are there to improve actually produce side affects that can hurt us and our health – now and in the future.
One of the best ways to maintain your health is to wash your hands. We touch so many different things with our hands things that might have been cleaned with toxins or touched by something unhealthy that by just washing, you can cut down on many unwanted health affects.
Adequate Sleep -Giving your body the sleep it requires is a great way to keep it healthy. During sleep your body regenerates and rejuvenates. It is absolutely imperative to get enough sleep, but getting more doesn’t always mean you are getting better quality sleep. Click here to read about the importance of sleep and how a good sleep program can improve your life in so many ways.
Quit Smoking - Despite the many warnings and the known health risks smoking is still prevalent around the world. Quitting this habit can not only improve your health drastically and improve your chances of preventing future disease; it can relieve you of a financial burden. Just think if you applied all the money you spend on cigarettes on healthy nutritional supplements how much you could increase your health and wellness.