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There are now many alternative and natural treatments to help people who suffer from headaches and migraines. In this article, I write about these type of remedies and also recommend the types of food people should avoid if they are always suffering from headaches and migraines.

There are many causes of headaches including:

Excessive amounts of alcohol

Over eating

An incorrect posture

Too much stress

Problems with teeth

Problems with a person eyes

It is important that we learn to deal with stress and to become more care-free. A lot of people react to stressful situations by turning to alcohol. This can only add to their problems and can lead to even more headaches.

If the person drinks to excess they may wake up with a hangover. If this happens to you I would advise you to drink plenty of water as you are likely to be dehydrated. Vitamin C is also useful to remove the alcohol quicker from your body.

If you are unable to live a stress-free life, it may be worth looking at alternative treatments. These are the types of natural therapy I would advise:

Osteopathy

Acupuncture

Homeopathy

Yoga

Tai Chi

The Alexander Technique

There are also certain foods and drinks which are a must to avoid for people who have regular headaches. These include:

Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit

Chocolate

Cheese

Alcohol

Migraines

Headaches are annoying enough, however migraines can be severely painful. I have suffered with migraines for a number of years and have now studied the subject seeking a cure. I am determined to not have to live my life, having these migraines regularly throughout the year, as the pain is unbearable. Maybe I am a bit of a wimp, but they really do cause me a lot of grief.

There are a number of reasons or causes for migraines. These include bright lights, certain foods or loud noises. I have to say that I think my own migraines are caused by stress and anxiety. I have always been a worrier and have suffered with a low self-esteem for most of my life. There are many reasons for this lack of confidence, which I will not bore you with at this stage.

I decided that I needed to deal with my stress as well as learning about how to eradicate the migraines.

I am now able to relax and have accepted that no one person is perfect. I realise that I will make mistakes and as long as I learn from them, then that is OK. Worrying does not help me in any case therefore I have to stop doing it.

I have also used alternative health therapies to help me to reduce my stress including:

Herbal remedies

Meditation

Yoga

Tai Chi

I still have headaches as I have to admit that I do like to have a few beers around once a week. I have not however had a migraine for around nine months now. I am a lot happier in life and have learnt how to manage my levels of stress. I regularly meditate and use other natural remedies as mentioned above. This is what has helped me and I hope it helps you to.



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A Candida yeast infection can display the following symptoms:

arthritis
autism
chronic hives
fatigue
digestive disorders
muscle pain
short attention span
headaches
memory loss
vaginitis
skin problems
impotence
hyperactivity
depression
hypoglycemia
menstrual problems
urinary disorders
respiratory problems
food and environmental allergies
learning difficulties

Candida infections have signs and symptoms that vary depending on the location of the infection. This infection is very common to women. Its signs and symptoms consist of a white discharge that is itchy and irritating to the vagina. It can affect the surrounding outer tissues of the anus where a moist patch appears on the contiguous skin of the anus. Candida yeast infections also cause pain during sexual intercourse and a burning sensation during urination.

Candida infections in infants and adults may become visible in different ways; oral Candidiasis (or thrush) is exhibited by thick, white patches on top of a red base and may appear on any area inside the mouth. Bleeding on the underlying tissue occurs if these white patches are wiped away. Without the white coating this infection makes the tongue appear to be red in color. Oral thrush is painful and can contribute to eating disorders.

Prevention of dehydration is a must for anyone who has oral thrush. This infection frequently causes elderly people to have sores and cracks at the sides of their mouth.

Candidiasis can also develop within hours of birth on the palms of a newborn baby. Candida organisms live on the skin and yeast overgrowth occurs if there is a breakdown of the skins outer layer. It is visible on the warm parts of the body such as diaper areas and skin folds. Superficial Candida skin infection may look like a red flat rash that has sharp scalloped edges.

Satellite lesions are smaller patches that look the same and may cause itching or pain. This kind of infection causes redness, swelling and softness of the fingernail. In male genitalia, Candida infection usually presents with dry, red scaly patches on the tip or head of the penis.

Candida infections can have an effect on various internal organs and cause pain or dysfunction to a person, especially if they have a destabilized immune system. Likewise, individuals with Candida infection may develop sensitivity to some foods. Other times there is food intolerance for dairy products and glutens. Food intolerance can be positively identified through The Detection Diet.

A person with AIDS typically contracts the yeast infection known as esophagitis in the upper gastrointestinal system. This condition may seem like oral thrush, but this type of infection extends down from the mouth, into the esophagus until it reaches the stomach, it causes painful ulcers around the gastrointestinal system, so that even swallowing liquid is difficult. Food is not fully absorbed when the infection spreads out into the intestines, and the danger of dehydration is present to people with such condition. If Candida yeast infections reach the bloodstream, people gets sick with or without fever. And the spreading of this infection throughout the brain causes acute changes in behavior or mental function.

If you suspect you are suffering with Candida, you should first consult your primary care physician before taking other steps.



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Did you know that asthma is in the top 10 hospitalizations reasons for the United States ? If you think about it its not that weird because over 19 million people suffer from asthma in the US.

Statistics show that more and more people keep complaining to their doctors about their current asthma treatment and as a result alternative asthma treatment is getting more popularity amongst asthma patients. In the long term alternative asthma treatment is better because it works on an other level. Unlike antibiotics it works in a natural way.
Asthma reflects the health of the lungs, the immune system and the adrenal glands so this means that alternative asthma treatment has to work mainly on the lungs and on the immune system.

There are several alternative asthma treatments available:

Herbs
- Valerian : helps keeping down the stress so asthma patients can control their breathing.
- Ginger : helps to calm down the lungs, helps for easy breathing.
- Garlic : prevents the accumulation of mucus in the lungs.
- Elecampane : used to help healing a bronchitis it dries up mucus secretions.
- Ephedra : Chinese drug in bronchodilators. (now banned by the FDA)

Yoga
- Helps to concentrate and relieve the asthma patient of stress symptoms.
- Helps to learn new breathing techniques.

Diets
- Asthma is often triggered by allergic reactions. Its important to know if the asthma
patient is allergic to some ingredients so they can be included in the diet.

These alternative asthma treatment methods have been proved to work and are all safe to use. These new methods are interesting for people who have been using inhalers, nebulizers and other asthma medications. These products help for immediate asthma problems but in the long term you will see that alternative asthma treatments help you to get rid of your asthma.

For more information on alternative asthma treatment go to http://www.cure-my-asthma.com

John Mallon.



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Bipolar Disorder – What is it and what are the symptoms?

What is Bipolar Disorder?

I’m not going to try and give a medical definition here of bipolar disorder. There are plenty of those around on the internet if you care to do a search. I am simply going to give you my opinion, based on my experience.
Bipolar disorder was formerly known as manic depression and this term for the disorder is still used in some quarters today. Bipolar disorder, as the name suggests, involves mood swings between depression and elevation plus all points in between. It does not only affect your mood however. It can affect your behaviour, your thought patterns, sleep patterns and feelings. These affects may be minor or major, but the effects of bipolar disorder in whatever its form require management and treatment. Untreated, a person who suffers from bipolar disorder can be well and truly on a path of self destruction. Indeed, the suicide rate amongst bipolars is quite high.

Interestingly enough, bipolar disorder is referred to as a mental illness, yet if this is true and it is something in the mind, then how is it that it is treated with drugs? No-one has yet identified specifically what or how bipolar is caused, but the most common suggestions are that it is something to do with cells and activity in the brain. The brain is the organ we know least about, but it is a physical organ. That being the case, perhaps we should be referring to bipolar disorder as being as much a physical illness or disorder as diabetes.

Bipolar disorder is a chronic disorder. That is, once it has been diagnosed you’ve won the lottery. You have it for life.

The symptoms of bipolar disorder are broken up into two groups for all intents and purposes. These are depressive symptoms and manic symptoms. Manic symptoms are broken down however into a further sub-group known as hypomanic symptoms.

Depression

  • Feelings of nothingness, a total “void”
  • Feelings of sadness and/or anxiety
  • Wanting to cry, but unable to do so
  • Crying uncontrollably
  • Remaining in bed for days
  • Contant tiredness and fatigue
  • Complete loss of interest in things you enjoyed
  • Ignoring daily responsibilities and/or personal hygiene
  • Loss of self esteem
  • Inability to make even simple decisions
  • Wanting to die
  • Suicide ideation
  • Restlessness, anger or irritability
  • Mania

  • Filled with energy, too much to burn
  • Extravagant spending, even with credit cards
  • Increased sexual activity and desires
  • Going without sleep but not getting tired
  • Feelings of extreme superiority
  • Delusions of grandeur
  • Reckless behaviour even at personal risk
  • Rapid speech
  • Racing thoughts
  • Grandiose ideas and schemes
  • Inappropriate behaviour
  • Total self confidence, being “bullet proof”

A lower form of mania also can exist which is known as "hypomania". Symptoms of hypomania can include all of the above, but to a lesser degree. A person in a hypomanic state may exhibit many of the above symptoms but only to the point where they appear to be very happy or cheerful. Consequently, it is not as visible or easy to diagnose as a full blown manic episode.

Because of the two types of mania, bipolar disorder is broken down into two groups, that of Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2 and it is here that I will quote from the American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th Ed.

Bipolar 1
Characterized by the occurrence of one or more Manic Episodes or Mixed Episodes. Often individuals have also had one or more Major Depressive Episodes.

Bipolar 2
Characterized by the occurrence of one or more Major Depressive Episodes accompanied by at least one Hypomanic Episode.



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By atherosclerosis the inside of the arteries are thickened, hardened and stiffened, causing the space for blood flow to be narrowed or closed. This will decrease the oxygen supply to local or distant tissues.

The primary symptom of this is pain, poor organ function and bad general condition. The further consequences are tissue damage, sometimes acute damage because by stop of blood flow caused by a sudden blood clot formed in the narrowed areas.

THE MECHANISMS AND CAUSES OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

The inner walls of the arteries consist of an innermost layer of endothelial cells (surface cells) and under these a layer of smooth muscle cells. The changes by atherosclerosis take place under the endothelial cells and in this muscle layer. The changes consist of: A certain degree of cell proliferation or tumour, gathering of cholesterol and fat. Deposition of calcium salts. Deposition of blood elements like fibrin.

The deposits are called atherosclerotic plaque or atheroma. Atherosclerosis is one of several types of artery thickening and hardening. A common name for thickening and hardening of arteries is “arteriosclerosis”. Often atherosclerosis is also just called arteriosclerosis.

The development of atherosclerosis probably begins by a damage in the endothelium. This damage causes cholesterol and fat to penetrate into the vessel walls and deposit there. This also induces cells to proliferate. Later also calcium salts are deposited.

Factors that cause endothelial damage and thus atherosclerosis are:
-High content of cholesterol in the blood.
-High content of blood fat and especially saturated fat.
-Inflammation in the blood vessels. A sign of such inflammation is the presence of a substance called c-reactive protein.
-High amount of oxidation agents in the blood.
-High blood pressure.
-High content of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood serum, and low content of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of a protein molecule and fat or cholesterol. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol or fat from place to place.
-Diabetes.
-High age.
-Smoking.
-Men have a somewhat higher chance of getting this condition than women.
-High content of the amino acid homocystein in the blood serum.

Many of these factors are ultimately caused by a bad diet and lack of daily exercise.

THE SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Since atherosclerosis can affect all body parts, the symptoms will vary. However, general symptoms from the affected body parts are:
-Decreased performance, easy to tire out.
-Pain by physical activity, so called anoxic pain.
-By severe impairment of blood flow, tissue damage or sores can occur.

When the heart is affected, the symptoms will be:
-General bad condition.
-Anoxic pain from the heart and surroundings by physical activity, called angina pectoris.
-Feeling of not getting enough air, or breathing problems.

Atherosclerosis can cause blood clots that close the blood flow. There are several ways this can occur:

-The atherosclerotic plaque can rupture, making a sore in the inner wall of the vessel. At such a sore blood can coagulate, making a blood clot.
-The atherosclerotic plaque itself can grow to close a blood vessel.
-Blood coagulated at an affected area can tear loose, float with the blood stream to another place and prop a blood vessel at the new place.
-A portion of the plaque itself can tear itself loose and clog another blood vessel.

When the heart is stricken by a blood clot, heart tissue is suddenly destroyed, a condition called heart infarction, causing sudden heart failure or death.

When a blood clot strikes the brain, brain tissue is destroyed or impaired, causing paralysis, decreased consciousness, coma or other sudden functional impairments.

THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Atherosclerosis can be prevented and to some extend be cured by these measures, of which most are lifestyle adjustments:

-Eating just a little or moderate amount of fat.
-Eating just a moderate amount of sugar.
-The fat eaten should be a blending of different types of unsaturated fat from sources like: Olive oil, rape oil, sunflower oil, soy oil, walnut oil and fish. Then you will get enough of mono-unsaturated fat, omega-3-unsaturated fat, and omega-6-poly-unsaturated fat, but not too much of any of them.
-Eating much fish and just a little red meat.
-Eating a good amount of fruit and vegetables each day.
-Supply of enough vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
-Only consuming moderate amount of salt.
-Stop smoking.
-Getting high blood pressure treated if lifestyle measures do not bring blood pressure down.
-Daily exercise fitted for one’s own condition.
-Eliminate stress in the daily life and at the job.
-Stressing down and getting enough rest.

By high cholesterol levels that do not react properly to lifestyle measures, cholesterol lowering medication can be used, such as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

By serious local narrowing of an artery, surgery to clean out or widen the artery is sometimes performed. Sometimes the artery is replaced by a graft taken from another body part or by an artificial vessel. When this is done in the heart, it is denoted as bypass surgery.

Alternative treatment to clean out the arteries is an option. There is for example a treatment consisting of using the substance EDTA to carry constituents of plaque away from the arteries. The molecules of this substance have the ability to grip around other molecules, for example cholesterol molecules, and carry them away. There is however a controversy about the effectiveness of this treatment, called chelating therapy.



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Medications
The classical use of medications for alcoholism is to encourage abstinence. Antabuse (also known as disulfiram), for instance, prevents the elimination of chemicals which cause severe discomfort when alcohol is ingested, effectively preventing the alcoholic from drinking in significant amounts while they take the medicine. Heavy drinking while on antabuse can result in severe illness and death.

Naltrexone has also been used because it helps curb cravings for alcohol while the person is on it. Both of these, however, have been demonstrated to cause a rebound effect when the user stops taking them. These do allow a person to overcome psychological addictions to alcohol, but they do not treat the neurochemical addiction.

In more recent studies it has been demonstrated that the use of naltrexone while the alcoholic continues to drink can result in extinction of the neurochemical addiction. Referred to as the “Sinclair Method”, this technique is used with good results some US states and in Finland but has failed to penetrate much of the world because of the long-standing bias against any treatment that doesn’t involve detoxification and abstinence.

Rationing
Rationing or other attempts to control use are increasingly ineffective as pathological attachment to the drug develops. Use often continues despite serious adverse health, personal, legal, work-related, and financial consequences.

Detoxification
Detoxification programs run by medical institutions often involve stays for a number of weeks in specialized hospital wards, where drugs may be used to avoid withdrawal symptoms. In severe cases, detoxification may lead to death. To that point, even a simple “de-tox” can involve seizures, if not properly monitored.

Post Detox Therapy
After detoxification, various forms of group therapy or psychotherapy are recommended to deal with underlying psychological issues leading to alcohol dependence. It is also used to provide the recovering addict with relapse prevention skills.

Aversion therapies may be supported by drugs like Disulfiram, which causes a strong and prompt sensitivity reaction whenever alcohol is consumed. Naltrexone or Acamprosate may improve compliance with abstinence planning by treating the physical aspects of cravings to drink. The standard pharmocopoeia of antidepressants, anxiolytics, and other psychotropic drugs treat underlying mood disorders, neuroses, and psychoses associated with alcoholic symptoms.

Group Counseling
In the mid-1930s, the mutual-help group-counseling approach to treatment began and has become very popular. Alcoholics Anonymous is the best-known example of this movement. Various branches are available for family members of the alcoholic or commonly referred to as the co-dependents. Other groups include LifeRing Secular Recovery and SMART Recovery.

Prevention
Some programs attempt to help problem drinkers before they become dependents. These programs focus on harm-reduction and reducing alcohol intake as opposed to cold-turkey approaches. One such program is called Moderation Management.

Nutritional therapy
Another treatment program is based on nutritional therapy. Many alcohol dependents have insulin resistance syndrome, a metabolic disorder where the body’s difficulty in processing sugars causes an unsteady supply to the blood stream. While the disorder can be treated by a hypoglycemic diet, this can affect behavior and emotions, side-effects often seen among alcohol dependents in treatment. The metabolic aspects of such dependence are often overlooked, resulting in poor results.

Return to normal drinking
Although it has long been argued that alcoholic dependents cannot learn to drink in moderation, research by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) indicates a small percentage of individuals in the US whose dependence began more than one year earlier are now drinking in moderation. In contrast, a high percentage who undergo naltrexone use-reduction therapy are capable of normal drinking habits. Use of Naltrexone involves taking the medication an hour before any drinking occurs in order to maintain this.

Societal Impact
Today, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are major public health problems in North America, costing the region’s inhabitants, by some estimates, as much as US$170 billion annually. Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence sometimes cause death, particularly through liver, pancreatic, or kidney disease, internal bleeding, brain deterioration, alcohol poisoning, and suicide. Heavy alcohol consumption by a pregnant mother can also lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, an incurable and damaging condition.

Additionally, alcohol abuse and dependence are major contributing factors for head injuries, motor vehicle accidents, violence and assaults, neurological, and other medical problems.

Alcohol addiction is a treatable disease. If you are an alcoholic or are a family member of an alcoholic, contact your physician for the most current treatments available.



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Many people have arthritis symptoms and don’t realize it. It takes a while to get full blown arthritis. It’s something that gradually builds up and before you know it, you have arthritis and are seeing your doctor for medication. Any medication you take does not address the cause of arthritis and will not improve your condition.

If you show any arthritis symptoms, then expect to have arthritis 4-10 year down the road. Typically when people have symptoms, they just ignore them and actual don’t recognize them as arthritis symptoms.

Here is a list of arthritis symptoms that you need to look out for. Each person will show different symptom because of the nutritional make up will be different.

Dry scalp with dandruff
Dry skin which shows a whitish in different parts of the body
Ear has no ear wax
Fingernails that are brittle or splitting
Premature color change to gray
Skin wrinkles in the neck area
Ringing in the ears
Complexion color is pale
Stretch mark which appear after losing weight
Rectum itching
Accumulation of dried flakes at the corners of the eyes
Nose is constantly itching
Feeling stiffness when getting up in the morning
Hands and legs get cold and clammy
Bleeding gums
Teeth have etch lines
Varicose veins in the legs
Being sterile

From this list of arthritis symptoms, you can see that many symptoms relate to your body being dry. One of the causes of arthritis is the lack of essential oils. If you lack oil in your body, you will have dryness throughout your body. You will lack the oil that provides the lubrication to the body joints.

You can have one or many of these arthritis symptoms. If you do, you can start at any age using the oils good for preventing arthritis. You can start eliminating those foods that are detrimental to your joints and health. Some times it takes awhile to eliminate specific foods from you eating habits. So the sooner you start the better.

Without the proper oil reaching your joints, your joints will slowly degrade. The cartilage of your joints will be dry and this causes friction. This friction causes heat that will help in the slow degradation of your joints. Because the cartilage has no blood vessels, nutritional oils cannot be directly delivered its cells. Oils have to be absorbed into the cartilage by osmosis.

Look over this list of arthritis symptoms and decide if you have one or more. Remember, arthritis takes many years to appear after the symptom does.



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If you or someone you know has a history of cancer, it is important to be aware of the potential health consequences from cancer and its treatment. Frequently, patients and families are not informed or do not recall discussions that occurred during the stress-filled days after diagnosis about such potential problems as pain, depression, infertility and other physical and emotional changes. Regardless of whether problems are temporary or permanent, most can be managed.

To begin to address the many and varied health-related needs of long-term cancer survivors, the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) recently released a report, based on a July 2005 symposium, that offers action strategies and recommendations.

“The late effects of cancer and treatment for survivors diagnosed as adults remain poorly documented,” said Pamela J. Haylock, MA, RN, symposium co-director, cancer care consultant and doctoral student at the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing in Galveston, TX. “Yet up to 75 percent of survivors have some health deficits related to their cancers and therapies. Knowing about potential risks and learning and using risk reduction strategies are important steps in survivors’ recovery.”

Nurses recommend that cancer survivors heed the following advice:

• Incorporate regular exercise, stress management, a healthful diet and weight control as part of a healthy lifestyle.

• Schedule regular health checkups.

• Ask your oncology team for a written summary of your cancer diagnosis, treatments, tests and recommended follow-up once treatment is complete. Create a folder to organize diagnostic and laboratory reports, and give it to your current health care provider to make a copy for his or her records.

• Ask your nurse or physician to help you and your caregivers learn about possible long-term effects of your cancer therapy and ways to prevent or minimize them. Effects differ from person to person; therefore, educating yourself is important.

• Inform physicians and nurses about your previous cancer history, treatment, current medications and long-term effects you may experience, including infertility, early menopause, indigestion, dry mouth or taste changes, constipation, diarrhea, sleep issues, fatigue, dry skin, memory loss, changes in thinking, vision or hearing problems, depression, relationship/sexuality issues, anxiety, confidence issues, pain, tingling, or numbness or swelling in the fingers and toes.

• Look for resources to assist with any physical, emotional or financial issues that you may experience.

Helpful Internet sites are www.acor.org, www.cancer.org, and www.canceradvocacy.org.



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