Healthy Home Guide

4 Simple Ways to Fall Asleep Faster

Most of us really hate getting up in the morning. What’s even worse is knowing that we lost two or three hours of sleep because we couldn’t get to sleep and now we have to face a rough day ahead.

The terrible downside…

The lack of sleep will leave us feeling fatigued and stressed during the day. This can also lead to feelings of frustration and irritability which can have an impact on how we relate to the people around us.

If we are feeling exhausted our metabolism often drops (leading to weight gain) because we lack the motivation to exercise or even fork out the effort to prepare a healthy meal…which means we may be tempted to grab fast food and perhaps spend the entire evening on the couch.

Occasional loss of sleep doesn’t seem to have long term affects, but what if we are deprived of sleep on a regular basis? Just imagine the cumulative effect! We would likely feel lousy, lose our friends, gain weight, and be out of shape physically. That’s proof of how important sleep is to our well-being!

Obviously, we desire a good night’s sleep, but may find ourselves scratching our heads for ways to fall asleep faster. The good news is that there are some simple tactics that you can use to improve your chances of sleeping through the night.

4 Simple Ways to Fall Asleep Faster…

Don’t eat too close to bedtime.

Eat at least 2 – 3 hours before your scheduled bedtime so that your food will be mostly digested. If possible, avoid spicy foods or anything that might cause indigestion. Also avoid caffeine if it seems to over stimulate you and make you restless.

Try to get more active or schedule a time to exercise.

Your body needs to exert some energy during the day. Exercise and activity helps the body crave sleep at night. If you spend your day at the office where you sit at a desk for long hours, then scheduling some exercise time during the early evening can help improve your chances of falling asleep faster at bedtime.

Develop a bedtime routine.

We know that establishing a consistent bedtime routine works for children. The good news is that it works for adults too.

Develop a bedtime routine that you follow faithfully every night before going to bed. An example would be reading a chapter from a book, then having a drink of water before brushing your teeth and getting into bed.

Choose whatever works best for you. Eliminate a lot of activity and make your routine pleasant and peaceful as possible.

Pamper yourself.

Make yourself comfortable and relaxed as possible. Some people prefer sleeping with a fan on for a breeze or some type of white noise (an air purifier, for example) and some people insist on a night light.

Some people love to have socks on in order to be comfortable, but others would feel that their feet were suffocating. Other individuals cannot go to sleep without the tones and voices coming from the TV. On the other hand, some need absolute darkness and total silence.

Your goal is to determine exactly what you need and then try to create the perfect atmosphere that will help you drift off peacefully into a nice slumber.

Also, consider other things such as the position of your bed. Perhaps you’re too close to your window where you feel chilly drafts or hear too much noise. Think about relaxing fragrances that you might like to use. Many people enjoy the scent of lavender and other soothing fragrances.

If after trying the above techniques you are still having difficulty sleeping, you may want to seek professional help. Your doctor might want to run some tests to see if there are medical issues for your insomnia.

Over all, your main focus is to know what is necessary to create the best atmosphere for your bedtime in order to induce sleep. It pays to sleep well. Remember that sleep is very important to your well-being.

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Symptoms, Causes  and Prevention of Strokes

Causes of Strokes

Strokes are caused by a lack of oxygen to the appropriate area of the brain. Oxygen is of course carried through the body via the blood.

A stroke is a medical emergency as it can cause numerous types of complications and even death. A stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States and Europe. The effects of strokes can range in severity from extremely mild to paralysis. The affliction is limited to one side of the body – the side opposite the side of the brain that was oxygen deprived.

With some stroke victims that are affected in the limbs, they may still retain some control of their arms and legs. However, in some cases their muscles may shake so badly that the sufferer requires assistance with even the simplest of tasks. He may not be able to keep his balance well enough to walk and therefore may need a wheelchair.

Symptoms of  Strokes

Symptoms of strokes usually come on very suddenly and seemingly without cause. Face weakness, arm dangling, and abnormal speech are the usual early signs of a stroke, but they can include any or all of the following:

-  Brief loss of consciousness

-  Dizziness or loss of balance

-  Difficulty speaking or understanding others

-  Sudden weakness or numbness of face, arm, etc. (particularly on one side of body)

-  Intense headache that comes on suddenly and unexplained

-  Sudden nausea

-  Blurred or dimmed vision

After these basic symptoms are noted the patient will be in an emergency room and at that time he/she will likely be assessed for the following:

-  Inability to move tongue from side to side or to protrude it

-  Inability to turn head to one side

-  Altered smell, taste, hearing, or vision

-  Altered breathing or heart rate

-  Decreased reflexes and sensations

-  Problems with balance

Prevention of  Strokes

Just as with other health matters, prevention is always the best way to deal with strokes. And the way to prevent a stroke is much like the way you would prevent heart disease or in general, live a healthy lifestyle.

First of all you need to control your blood pressure. You also need to insure that your diet is nutritious and healthy, including being low in salt and cholesterol, but rich in potassium. Regular exercise is advised and of course, smoking is frowned on.

Some suggested healthy foods that can help prevent strokes:

-  Almonds

-  Apples

-  Apricots

-  Blueberries

-  Carrots

-  Oat Bran

-  Rice Bran

-  Salmon and Tuna

The effects of stroke can affect victims in various ways, including physically, emotionally, mentally, or even a combination of any two or all three. The resulting dysfunctions are related to the areas of the brain that have been damaged. If severe enough, the stroke can result in coma or even death.

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Herbal Treatments for Epilepsy, Chorea, Lockjaw, Rabies and Hiccups

It is likely that you may not have experience in diagnosing and treating the following medical conditions, so if in any doubt do not hesitate to contact a doctor as soon as possible

What is Epilepsy?

A sudden deprivation of the senses, with a violent convulsive motion of the whole body, which after a certain duration passes off, leaving a degree of stupor and weakness. The causes are various, and care must be used to discriminate between it and hysteria. The nerves are affected. In children worms will occasion it, and I believe it generally depends on a great and rapid flow of blood in the vessels of the brain.

Herbal Treatment

Give a strong tea of Vervain, Burdock Seeds, and Capsicum and plunge the feet in hot water, rubbing the legs with Camomile Tea. If a child, give Pennyroyal and Ginger Root, and restore the equilibrium as soon as possible. If costive, give active purgatives. After the fits have abated give antispasmodics and tonics, as decoction of Peruvian Bark, 10 drams; Tincture of the same, 2 drachms; Tincture of Valerian, 30 drops. Mix, and take this three times a day.

What is Chorea Disease?

This disease is marked by convulsive actions, generally confined to one side, affecting the arm and leg; there is an unsteadiness in the fingers, twitchings in the muscles of the face, changes in the appetite, paleness, costiveness, flatulency, cold sensation running through the spine, noises in the ear, giddiness, and convulsive motions, palpitations, and the time of life is from twelve to fifteen years of age.

Herbal Treatment

Rectify checked perspiration, administer strong tonics, and dried Orange Peel, Valerian Root, and Quassia, of each 2 drachms; Buckbean, Centaury, and Calumba Root, of each 1 ounce.

Boil the whole in 1 quart of water and strain, to which add a teaspoonful of Capsicum. Dose: Two tablespoonfuls three times a day. For the bowels take equal parts of Rhubarb, Extract of Camomile and make them into small pills with liquor of Gum Arabic. Dose: Two pills at night. Keep the feet warm, and give a vapour bath to promote perspiration.

Mixed medicines made of herbs which are tonic, stimulant, and antispasmodic will serve for a cure. Black Snake Root is the best; Wormwood, Valerian, and Gentian are good.

Lockjaw Herbal Treatment

For a locked jaw, give some hot stimulants, such as a teaspoonful of Capsicum in a glass of sweetened hot water, poured into the mouth gently; place the sufferer in a vapour bath for fifteen minutes, and then put to bed, and apply hot bricks in wet cloths to the feet, and in less than an hour this will cure.

What is Rabies?

State of being poisoned  by the bite of a cat, or dog, or any rabid animal. Symptoms of rabies include anxiety, timidity, sighing, pain in the abdomen and stomach, dislike to liquids, a sense of suffocation, a discharge of viscid saliva from the mouth, shuddering, and paleness of the lips.

Herbal Treatment

(1) Take a vapour bath and give a strong tea of Capsicum.

(2) While in the bath administer a teaspoonful of Lobelia Seeds, half as much Capsicum and Valerian Root in half a cupful of Raspberry Leaves for an emetic.

(3) Give an injection of the above in a pint of Raspberry Leaf Tea, and keep up perspiration for two days; stimulating teas of Valerian, Raspberry Leaves, and Capsicum; anoint the wound with Tincture of Lobelia.

Hiccups are spasmodic affections of the stomach and diaphragm, arising from some peculiar irritation.

Herbal Treatment

Take a little Peppermint Water and Lemon Juice; If it arises from acidity in the stomach give Oil of Anise.

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Herbal Treatments

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4 Health Benefits of Adding Soy to Your Diet

Soy has long been used as a healthy substitute for many food ingredients. The bean has been touted for decades as a source of numerous nutrients, including protein, amino acids, calcium and fiber. And more recently, it has been discovered that soy also contains phytochemicals that boost its benefits to our health.

1. Soy Benefits the Heart

Scientists have been studying soy’s benefits to the heart since 1909. Soy has been found to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, while preserving HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Soy also contains lecithin and Vitamin E, two natural antioxidants that are good for the heart.

Another heart benefit of soy is the fact that it contains the isoflavone genistein, which is thought to reduce blood clotting. This could help prevent both heart attacks and strokes. Genistein is also believed to help prevent the formation of artery plaque.

2. Soy Protects Against Cancer

Many types of cancer have been linked to elevated hormone levels. Excess estrogen, for example, has been associated with numerous types of cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. The isoflavones found in soy, genistein and daidzein, are being studied in relation to the prevention and treatment of these and other hormone-related cancers.

These components of soy are believed to prevent and sabotage the growth of cancer in a number of ways. They can prevent estrogen from entering cells, and they may block genes and processes that are necessary for cancer to take hold, grow and spread. Studies have also shown genistein to activate helpful genes that promote the self-destruction of cancer cells.

3. Soy Helps Create Healthy Bones

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients we can consume for healthy bones. Using soy as a replacement for animal foods allows us to keep calcium in our diet, as a number of soy foods are high in calcium. In addition to calcium, soy contains magnesium and boron, two nutrients that enhance the effects of calcium.

4. Soy Fights Hot Flashes

Hot flashes and night sweats are two of the most bothersome symptoms of the menopause. Research has shown that menopausal women who consume soy flour each day have a large reduction in symptoms such as hot flashes.

How Can I Add Soy to My Diet?

There are many foods available that contain soy. Soy milk can be used as a substitute for cow’s milk, and soy flour is a healthy substitute for wheat flour. Tofu is a popular soy-based food that can be eaten alone or used in recipes. And fresh green soybeans, known as Edamame, can be cooked and eaten alone or used in recipes.

Soy has numerous health benefits. It provides us with several essential nutrients, and studies have proven it helpful in the prevention and treatment of many ailments. Adding soy to your diet is very worthwhile, whether you are battling health problems or just want to improve your overall health.

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Soy Isoflavones Extract

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Foods that Raise and Lower pH Levels in the Body

Proper pH levels are essential to good health. If our blood is too acidic or too alkaline, it can trigger defense mechanisms that may compensate for the problem at hand, but could potentially cause other problems. We can protect ourselves, and possibly turn these problems around, by eating foods with the proper pH.

Acidosis occurs when our blood pH is too low. It is associated with fatigue, and it is also found in sufferers of many chronic diseases, including cancer.

Some foods that can help raise your pH level and restore good health are the following:

Slightly Alkaline Foods:

Note: These foods are only slightly alkaline, and can be used when your pH is only slightly low.

* Peas
* Watermelons
* Apples
* Blueberries
* Pears
* Grapes
* Onions
* Bananas
* Raspberries
* Peaches
* Tomatoes
* Oranges
* Lemons
* Apricots
* Grapefruits
* Potatoes (sweet or white)
* Strawberries
* Tangerines
(more…)