Natural Home Remedies Blog

Friday, November 17, 2006

The Use of Green Tea in Home Remedies

There are a plethora of natural home remedies from brown sugar to eliminate heartburn to corn syrup to control nausea that can be used by those who want alternatives to over the counter medications. More than a tasty, hot beverage, green tea is an important part of home remedies from skin and teeth care to general preventative measures and everything in between. For specific examples to ways to use green tea to get excellent benefits read below.

Green Tea and Skin Care

Positive skin effects in the area of skin care have been found with green tea. Acne and eczema are two specific areas. Green tea is a great, cheap alternative to the expensive toners and astringents used for acne. Green tea is used to make a concoction with other ingredients that can be applied to clean skin with a cotton ball. Some notice a decrease in the presence of acne by simply drinking the tea, even though you should be careful with the increase of the caffeine to your diet since this is linked to an increase in acne breakouts. Olive oil can also be added to green tea to make a treatment for eczema.

Homemade Mouthwash

Green tea can also be used as part of a homemade mouthwash in addition to skin care. You will have to avoid adding sugar and honey. The presence of fluoride in this light drink helps keep your teeth healthy by preventing tooth decay and strengthening your teeth and gums. The most basic recipe is adding the brewed tea to spring water. Although it can be added to other ingredients if you want to create flavors for your homemade mouthwash.

Preventative Medicine

Your overall health and well-being is thought to be helped by a daily intake of green tea. Free radical in our body can cause damage to cells and the tea is full of antioxidants that bind free radicals to our bodies. Cancer prevention has been linked to green tea through several studies. Green tea is also thought to promote an increase in metabolism as an essential benefit that helps burn fat and lowers cholesterol in the body. Green tea may also play a part in reducing the intensity of rheumatoid arthritis because of the antioxidants present in the tea. The benefits of green tea are a great reason to drink it whether it is to drink it by and open fire or to get rid of unwanted acne breakouts. Colin Holcomb is writer of Green Tea Information.

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

How To Prevent And Treat Sinus Infections Using Home Remedies

Sinus infections can be very persistent and debilitating. This article covers some very successful home remedies for the prevention and treatment of sinusitis that I have collected and developed over the years. I use all of these methods regularly and no longer have any problems with my sinuses (or colds and flu either!).

Let’s start with prevention. One of the very best ways to prevent and treat sinus infections is to keep your sinus areas (forehead and cheek areas) warm and the mucus membranes moist. It’s especially important to keep your forehead and cheeks warm when you sleep. Keeping a towel, hat or warm scarf over these areas as you sleep can really help. This also is a great treatment if you already have a sinus infection.

In addition, using a humidifier in the room where you sleep is an excellent way to prevent and treat a sinus infection. These two suggestions alone can help to prevent your problem, but if not, there are lots of supplements and foods that you can take to keep your immune system in tip top condition to treat and prevent sinus problems.

Using a natural nasal spray made with salt and baking soda has helped me a lot. The recipe for this home remedy is ½ cup water, ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of baking soda. Make sure that you use really clean bottled water or filtered water, otherwise you could make things worse. Shake the mixture well and put into a clean nasal spray bottle. This is also an excellent home remedy for allergies. You can use this nasal spray several times a day; it is surprisingly effective as well as cheap!

Vitamins and Foods for Treating and Preventing Sinus Infections

Vitamins, minerals and food supplements make great home remedies for sinus infections and of course they will also help to prevent them. I’m sure you’re aware that vitamin C is good, but getting some vitamin C from fresh foods is even more important. A recent study discovered that natural vitamin C from food had a stronger effect on keeping the immune system healthy than synthetic C (almost all the C you buy as a supplement at the store is synthesized).

A few high C home remedy foods to prevent and treat sinus infections are citrus (oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons), kiwi, cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, raspberries and black berries. Vitamin C is a good natural decongestant and will help to dry up inflamed nasal passages due to colds and sinus infections. I eat a whole peeled orange (the white part and pulp are very good for you, better than orange juice) every day during the winter to prevent colds and sinus infections.

Does your vitamin C supplement contain bioflavonoids? This is another important supplement for keeping mucus membranes healthy and restoring your immune system. You can find supplements at your health food store or get them naturally in the white part of citrus fruit as well as in the pulp.

Another very important supplement is vitamin A (not beta carotene). It helps to keep your skin and mucus membranes healthy. Don’t take more than 5,000 IU every other day as large doses of A can cause problems. Be sure to purchase a supplement that is derived from a natural source (usually fish oil, synthetic vitamin A is not recommended). Natural vitamin A is found in eggs, dairy products, liver and some fish.

Do you take a naturally derived mixed carotene supplement every day? No longer is beta-carotene enough. Several other carotenoids (lutein, alpha carotene, lycopene) are as important or more so than beta. You especially want to be sure that you get the natural versions of these supplements, not the synthetic. Recent research shows that synthetic carotenes may not help much at all and may even be bad for you. Just make sure that the label mentions natural sources for the supplement (such as palm fruit). Carrots, yams and colored fruits and vegetables such as all berries, broccoli, spinach, chard, romaine lettuce, winter squash and tomatoes are carotene rich.

Minerals and Other Supplements for Treating and Preventing Sinus Infections

Several minerals are important in keeping your immune system in top shape as well. Zinc is the most important of these home remedies. Many people take zinc lozenges when they get a sinus infection, but if you take zinc in advance, you can completely avoid the unpleasantness of being sick. Yet another important mineral is selenium. Be careful not to take excessive amounts of these minerals because they can be toxic in larger doses.

Another little known but very valuable home remedy supplement is NAC or n-acetyl cysteine, which is a powerful antioxidant that is a form of the amino acid cysteine. It helps to increase your body’s supply of the very important enzyme, glutathione contributing significantly to your immune system as it reduces congestion.

A few other immune system home remedies to consider are raw garlic, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, echinacea, grapeseed extract and chlorella/spirulina. Don’t forget about fresh raw fruits and vegetables. It may sound boring because everyone is telling you to eat your fruits and veggies but the truth is... raw foods are very healthful. They contain all the natural enzymes and nutrients that are cooked out of almost all prepared foods.

People who eat mostly raw food tend to stay healthier than people who eat a lot of prepared and cooked foods. For the best home remedy for a sinus infection, you could go to your local grocery store and look at all the tempting raw foods you’ll find there. Then take some home, make a big salad with fruits or vegetables, and enjoy!

In the winter, you can buy many types of frozen fruits to use in smoothies or to eat with yogurt. Frozen fruit still has lots of great nutrients to keep you healthy. Before adding any supplements or changing your diet, consult your health professional.

About the Author:T. McDonald is a lifelong student of medicine and alternative health. She’s an editor of the website http://www.diabetes-guide.org, the Diabetes and Health Guide where you will find information on the glyecemic index, weight loss tips and diets, diabetes, alternative sweeteners how to prevent breast cancer and much more.

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