The Ayurvedic Contribution to a healthy heart

For those of you reading who are unaware of Ayurveda, it is a form of Ancient Indian medicine which is widely practiced on the sub-continent and around the world. Indeed, it has been practised for over two millennia. The basic principle behind it is one of balance. Your body has its own unique constitution and to be in perfect basic harmony requires a diet, an exercise regimen and a lifestyle which helps correct any imbalances you may have.

The heart plays a particularly important role in Ayurveda as it is both the physical and emotional life force of the body. Your heart pumps blood around your body to give your cells life, but at the same time your emotions and stress levels have an important role in how your heart performs. Breathing patterns are dependent not only on your physical fitness levels, but also on other emotional strains and stresses in your life. Ayurvedic practitioners thus believe that your mind, heart and breathing are all connected, and to help keep your body in its best state you have to be in control of all three.

So how can you do this? While the importance of a healthy diet, mind and exercise cannot be overstated, Ayurveda offers a number of other techniques and methods that can contribute towards a healthy heart. One of the most important of these is Pranayama, a specific form of yogic exercise designed to help regulate breathing. The regulation of inhaling and exhaling is a key element that assists in calming the mind and strengthening the body. Often practiced after exercise or yoga, but really helpful at any time of the day as long as you don’t have a full stomach, one simple technique of Pranayama works by:

• Sitting on the floor cross legged
• Putting a hand on your heart and the other on the abdomen
• Tucking your chin in towards the chest to enable your spine to be extended
• Concentrating on inhaling deeply (through the nose) into the belly, then from the belly to the rib cage and then up towards the upper chest.
• Then exhaling slowly so the air is eliminated from the top of your chest downwards.
• Making sure to fully remove all the air by gently pressing a hand on you naval towards the spine so as to cue your body to expel from the lowest part of your lungs
• Then repeat slowly and deeply for 5 minutes.

This is just one basic technique that you can use. It can be of vital importance as reducing stress levels and keeping your heart in its most calm state can be just as critical for your heart’s health as exercise and diet. Balancing the heart, mind and body is something that makes perfect sense, and Ayurveda offers valuable contributions to achieving and maintaining this balance.

David Tully has written many articles on Ayurvedic medicine and is a regular contributor to Banyan Botanicals.

How to Use Holistic Medicine to Solve Back Pain

When most people hear the words “holistic,” they begin to think about some magical process people use to solve their health problems.  But, it’s actually grounded in a pretty sensible science, even though mainstream society doesn’t necessarily always accept it as a real solution to health problems.

But really, holistic medicine focuses on treating the whole person, rather than a single disease or condition.  A holistic doctor considers all areas of a person’s life, including your lifestyle, diet, social habits, emotional and spiritual values, and your physical condition.

How Might a Holistic Doctor Treat Back Pain?

He or she will listen to your biggest complaints, and then they engage in a process for treating your entire health, including your back pain.  This contrasts sharply to a medical doctor who may recommend back surgery.  Research studies have shown many times how health conditions can be caused or worsened by other areas of your life such as diet and your current mental well-being.

To know how a doctor will actually treat your pain condition, you’ll have to go in and actually visit one.  However, in a general sense, the holistic doctor will:

Perform an initial evaluation.  You’ll have your heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and other vitals taken.  The doctor will also perform a test on you that seems very peculiar.  You will raise your arm in the air while laying down, and he or she will test you to see how you react to different supplements.  The process seems strange, but for many people, it has produced noticeable positive results.

Recommend dietary changes.  Most often, they will recommend a diet low in sugar, high in protein, and that you avoid grains, which contain carbohydrates.  They make sure you follow the process, but understand changes will be made slowly.

Recommend supplements.  Nutritional supplements, those pills in bottles, will be recommended based on the results of the doctor’s tests.  The supplements help your body to achieve a state of balance, and when your body is balanced, you feel great.  An example would be taking a “Cataplex B” supplement to help reduce anxiety.  Then, assume the same process will be followed for your back pain.

When you Make the Necessary Changes, You Feel Great!

The net effect of all of these changes is that your pain will be gone, you will have more energy, and your life will feel like quite the opposite of what it once was.  Holistic medicine won’t necessarily solve acute pain immediately, but it does get your health to a good place if you are willing to take the time to make certain lifestyle changes.

About the Author:

Dr. Ty and the back surgeons at the Brain and Spine Institute of California are here to help explain different ways to manage pain and use the best method to bring you to optimum health. BASIC Spine realizes that bodies react differently to specific treatments, and we are offering stem cell therapy as another option to help repair damaged tissues in your body.

5 Easy Steps to Boost Your Immune System

The Immune System is very important to our body’s health. Our immune system is our defense against germs and viruses that are trying to overtake our bodies and make us ill. If we have a weakened immune system, we are more susceptible to developing illnesses and diseases compared to having a strong immune system. Many things can be done to strengthen the immune system within our bodies to help in the war against bodily intruders.

Typically, the average immune system does a pretty good job at keeping illnesses at bay however, if we don’t consciously make an effort to strengthen our immune system, we are putting our body at risk of becoming ill more often and no one enjoys being ill or sick. The immune system is like any other system; it requires a certain amount of balance within the body to make it run efficiently, and this can make it difficult for researchers to know exactly how to boost this machine and keep it in top shape at all times. According to Harvard University, a lot of research has already been done on the immune system and researchers have found ways that may strengthen your immune system, but they are just in the preliminary stages; there is not one specific thing that can be done to make your immune system the best it can be. Despite these findings only being in the preliminary stages, there are some things you can do to help boost your immunity.

Diet

Although, not much research has been done on the effect of diet on the immune system, it has been proven that those who live in poverty and do not eat balanced diets become sick more often. The little research that has been done, shows that if you consume a diet that is deficient in Vitamins A, B6, C, and E, along with folic acid, copper, zinc, and selenium, you may become more susceptible to illness. Vitamin A plays a role in infections, while Vitamin B6 can depress the immune system if your body is not getting enough. All of these vitamins and minerals play an integral role in keeping your body healthy and your immune system strong. Most vegetables are full of these vitamins and minerals and should be consumed on a daily basis. If you feel that your diet does not have enough vitamins or minerals, take a daily multi vitamin and mineral supplement.

Vitamin C is well known to have immunity boosting properties and if your body does not get enough Vitamin C you may become sicker more often. It is advised that your take Vitamin C supplements especially when you are ill to boost your body’s ability to fight off the infection and rid it from your body.

You may also wish to incorporate more raw garlic into your diet as garlic contains properties that are shown to fight infections and viruses. Only raw garlic will give you the added benefits but it can be consumed in a variety of ways.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep every night is very important for a variety of reasons. During sleep, your body restores and repairs tissues and cells that you use throughout the day. When we get enough sleep, our body will produce more infection fighting cells. Adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. A good night’s sleep will not only help you feel better throughout the day but may also keep you from becoming ill in the future.

Exercise

The American Council on Exercise claims that getting more exercise in your daily routine can also work to make your immune system stronger along with improving your overall health. Exercise allows the body to circulate immunity cells while strengthening the immune systems ability to fight off germs. Exercise should be done moderately though as an exercise that is too intense lasting more than 90 minutes can have the opposite effect on your immunity.

Lighten Up

Stress can have a detrimental affect on your health and immunity. When you are stressed out, your adrenaline and cortisol levels increase which results in lowering your immunity levels. When you are under a large amount of stress, your body views the stress as being an intruder, the same as a virus or infection, so your body works to fight off the stress, in return, making itself weaker. This is why many people develop an illness during high levels of stress; your immune system does not have any time to rest and rebuild itself because it is constantly fighting the stress. Find stress reducing methods to use when faced with high levels of stress which could include meditation, deep breathing, exercising, or doing something fun. These are all ways to reduce the stress that is being inflicted on your mind and body.

Other things that play a role in weakening your immune system include smoking cigarettes, being overweight, drinking alcohol regularly, and high blood pressure. Keeping all of these things in check and following the above 5 steps will help to strengthen your immune system and keep you as healthy as possible in the future.

Before picking up supplements or herbal remedies that claim to boost your immunity levels, be sure to check the labels and do your research. Many of these so called immunity boosters have not been proven to strengthen the immune system and many of these may just be a waste of your money. Follow the above guidelines for the best immunity strengthening results.

Researchers are presently working on studying the immune system more intensely along with the effects that certain foods and herbal supplements may or may not have on the immune system. As our body ages, our immune system becomes weaker, this is why older people tend to become ill more often. Respiratory infections and pneumonia are the leading cause of death in the elderly and this is why it is important to strengthen the immune system during the younger years so that it will remain stronger as you age.

What the Folks in Medical Scrubs Don’t Always Know

The situation has significantly improved over the last few decades, but one of the sad facts of life is that many medical professionals are still not as well versed as they should be on the topic of nutrition, the benefits of many supplements, and a number of related matters. Fortunately, you have the power to keep yourself educated and do what you think is best for your overall health.

After all, some things just make sense. Consuming fresh fruits and vegetables instead of highly processed sugar and fat-laden items seems like a no-brainer, especially after you’ve examined the ingredient list on many products; they sound more like an industrial shopping list than anything you’d ever want to eat. The same applies to whole grains as opposed to highly processed breads, pastas, and rice-based products. Also, we all know that staying on a diet that is not too high in calories has enormous benefits — no doctor we know of would disagree with us there.

As for supplements, while they largely remain controversial among the medical scrubs wearers of the world, those of us in the world of natural health know how terribly useful they can be. Countless people have fought the impact of arthritis using condroiten and glucosamine. Others have beaten down depression and avoided the side effects of psychoactive drugs by taking St. John’s wort, which clearly seems to be nature’s most widely used antidepressant. There are many other examples.

To be perfectly fair to our friends in the medical establishment, many of them are getting very hip to the importance of a more natural diet and the very benefits of at least some supplements. When shopping for doctors — and you should shop around for one if you can — try to select one who is at least open to the benefits of a healthily natural diet and intelligent supplementation. Trust us, most people who wear medical scrubs to work are actually quite smart, the trick is to find someone who’s also open to ideas they might not have been taught in medical school.

Giving a Yeast Infection to Your Partner – Myth or Reality?

A yeast infection is most commonly found in the vaginal area of a woman or inside of the mouth (also known as oral thrush). This type of yeast infection occurs when the Candida albicans fungus in our body grows, causing irritating symptoms.

When a woman develops a vaginal yeast infection, it is due to some sort of imbalance in the body, whether it be from taking antibiotics, pregnancy, a weakened immune system, or complications of diabetes, there are a number of reasons why a yeast infection may occur.

Women are not the only ones to develop a yeast infection. Although it is not as common, men can also develop a yeast infection of the penis, however their symptoms may not be as noticeable as a woman’s would be and the physical symptoms will typically not appear until the infection is more severe.

When a woman has a yeast infection, she and her partner may be a bit leery about having sexual intercourse, wondering whether or not she can spread the infection to her partner. There is no real proof that a yeast infection can be passed from one partner to another via sex. This is not to say that it is not possible for a woman to pass a yeast infection on to her sexual partner, but it is very rare for this to occur.

Since everyone’s body is different, some women may develop a yeast infection due to the presence of semen in the vagina, causing a change in the bacteria allowing the yeast to grow, however it is not something that the man directly passed on to the woman, or vice versa.

One of the symptoms of a yeast infection in both men and women is pain during intercourse. This is one reason that a person suffering from a yeast infection may want to steer clear of sex until the yeast infection has been taken care of. Many people may think that using a condom will help stop the spread of a yeast infection but this isn’t exactly true. If the condom contains spermicide, this spermicide can cause the fungus to grow and thrive even more, causing more irritation to the woman and increasing the chances of the man contracting the infection.

If a male suspects that he may have a yeast infection, he should look for some of the following symptoms: depression, increased fatigue, and memory loss. These symptoms can typically appear before the outward symptoms occur such as a red rash and thick white discharge from the penis. Once the physical symptoms appear, the yeast infection is most likely very severe and should be seen by a physician right away for treatment.

When a yeast infection occurs inside of the mouth, this is known as oral thrush. There is a slight possibility of passing oral thrush onto your partner during oral sex or receiving oral thrush from a partner who has a yeast infection on their genitals. If you have sexual intercourse with someone infected with oral thrush, it would be smart not to kiss your partner or let them perform oral sex on you, or vice versa if you have oral thrush. You should also ensure that you wash your hands thoroughly after touching your partner if he or she has a yeast infection as this increases the chances of you contracting the infection if your fingers touch your mouth or any other area that may be affected by a yeast infection.

Some people believe that the more sexual partners a person has, the more susceptible they are to get a yeast infection or that a yeast infection is the direct result of having many sexual partners. This is clearly not true considering how rare it is to pass a yeast infection on to someone else via intercourse, and the number of things that can cause a yeast infection to occur. It is easier to contract a sexually transmitted disease than it is to contract a yeast infection and a yeast infection is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease.

Many things can be done to prevent a yeast infection from happening, such as proper hygiene, not wearing tight fitting clothing, and wearing panties with a cotton crotch instead of nylon, but refraining from sex with a partner who has a yeast infection is really up to the individual.

If you think you have a yeast infection, you should check with your doctor to ensure that it is indeed a yeast infection and not something else. Sometimes, the symptoms of a yeast infection can be similar to that of a more serious illness or problem including various sexually transmitted diseases. If you are not sure what your symptoms are stemming from, then you should abstain from sex so that you don’t pass something more severe onto your partner. If you have a yeast infection, you should be sure to get it taken care of quickly so that the symptoms do not spread or become worse. You should abstain from sex for a day or two after treating a yeast infection so that the infection does not re-occur or become irritated again.

When it comes to a yeast infection, it is really up to both partners whether they wish to take their chances with having sexual intercourse and the possibility of contracting the infection. Most likely, the unaffected partner will not develop a yeast infection from the infected partner, but it is not a 100% guarantee that it will not occur. Sex can also cause the infected partner to experience more pain and irritation, while also giving the Candida yeast the perfect environment to thrive and grow in. This may cause the person suffering from a yeast infection to notice their symptoms more after intercourse. It is always the best choice to use every preventative measure possible to keep from developing a yeast infection.

How Echinacea Can Protect You This Winter

As winter approaches, our bodies become more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. It’s no surprise that during these cold months, the rates of flu and the common flu rise drastically. However, there are many things that you can do to help prevent such illness for you and your family. Echinacea, for example, is one of many safe, natural herbs that have been known to improve the immune system and help fight colds—especially during the winter months. After all, Echinacea is commonly believed to boost the immune system and reduce the length and severity of the common cold.

Echinacea is an herb native to the Midwest. It bears pink or purple flowers, has one primary cone and is found on tall stems. The active, natural chemicals found in Echinacea are: alkamides, glycoproteins, polysaccharides, flavonoids and volatile oils. It is currently distributed in three primary forms: Echinacea pallida, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea. Because these different products utilize various parts of the plant, the effectiveness of Echinacea may differ from one specific product to another. These forms are available in tablets, capsules, extracts and ointments.

Native Americans were thought to have used Echinacea to treat health issues more than 400 years ago. Today, herbalists recommend Echinacea for those wishing to boost their immune system and battle infections. Studies indicate that the herb is effective in relieving pain and reducing inflammation. The herb also contains properties similar to those of antioxidants. Other reports indicate that has antiviral effects. In fact, many individuals have used Echinacea to treat everything from vaginal yeast infections to athlete’s foot.

You’ll like find Echinacea as an ingredient in many natural supplements, herbs and other medications. This is why anyone taking Echinacea—or any medication—should talk to their doctor about potential side effects. It should be noted that Echinacea is considered natural and safe.

During the winter, or for anyone with a compromised immune system, it’s important to take precautionary steps to ensure that you remain safe and healthy this winter. In addition to proper medication and herbal care, consider other health tips to stay healthy this winter and keep your immune system strong:

1. Eat well. Make sure you are eating nutrient-rich foods. Doing so will help the body naturally fight off infection. Consult your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet. However, consider vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean protein as part of your overall balanced diet.
2. Get plenty of rest. Sleep is your body’s natural way of rebooting itself. Make sure that you go to bed around the same time. Doing so will have positive effects on your immune system.
3. Wash your hands. Bacteria and viruses can be found anywhere. Make sure you use soap and water before every meal and each time after you use the restroom.
4. Consider a flu shot. Many clinics and even grocery stores offer free flu shots for the season.
5. Drink plenty of fluids. Make sure you are drinking water and natural juices to help ward off infection. Your body requires water and other fluids to naturally boost your immune system and work properly.

As you can see, there are many considerations to get ready for this winter. It’s important that we each do our part to reduce the spread of disease. Make sure that when possible, you avoid contact with others if you do become sick. Keep in mind that even after an infection presents itself, it’s important to still take precautions to help your immune system. Doing so will not only help you heal faster, it will make you less likely to contact another illness. Echinacea is one of the best kept secrets for helping fight illness and keeping our immune systems strong during the winter months. Are you interested in helping others maintain healthy lives?

 
This guest post is brought to you by Kara Taylor, who is a freelance writer who obtained her health care degree online

The Benefits of Vitamin B3 and Its Relationship to Diabetes

The eight B vitamins are essential to leading a healthy lifestyle.  Of those eight, vitamin B3, otherwise known as niacin, is a main factor in the metabolization of carbohydrates into glucose, which is then burned as energy.  It is a complex vitamin that works to keep your eyes, hair, and skin healthy.  Niacin also helps to control your cholesterol levels in your blood, and is beneficial in improving your circulation.  It is essential to replenish on a daily basis as this vitamin is water soluble and will be removed from the body in the form of waste.

What are the benefits of vitamin B3? Nutritionists have been recommending that those who are suffering from fatigue or depression look to increase their daily intake of niacin.  An increase in niacin will metabolize more carbohydrates, giving you more energy.  This is believed to help you boost your desire to be more productive, thus improving your overall outlook on life and curing your depression.

Niacin has also been found to help control your cholesterol levels.  This vitamin lowers the levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in the blood, reducing your risk of heart disease.

Diabetes and How it Relates to Niacin

People who suffer from diabetes have a metabolic disease where they have high blood sugar.  High levels of sugar in the blood can cause frequent urination, thirst, blurred vision, fatigue, or weight loss. People will have high blood sugar for one of two reasons.  First, their body doesn’t produce enough insulin.  Insulin causes cells in the muscle, liver, and fat tissues to suck glucose from the blood and store it as glycogen.  The second reason is that although the body is able to produce enough insulin, the cells in the muscle, liver, and fat tissues don’t respond to it.

There are 3 types of diabetes.  People with Type 1 diabetes fail to produce their own insulin, so they are required to give themselves insulin injections.  Those with Type 2 diabetes suffer from a resistance to insulin, where cells refuse to work with insulin properly.  The third type is Gestational diabetes in which pregnant women who don’t have diabetes experience high blood sugar levels while pregnant.

Individuals with Type 2 diabetes usually have high levels of fats and cholesterol in their blood.  Because of its effectiveness in controlling cholesterol, niacin can be an effective solution to lowering the risk of heart disease in these individuals.  However, one needs to be careful.  Niacin can raise blood sugar levels, leading to hyperglycemia.  Anyone with Type 2 diabetes needs to be particularly careful when increasing their levels of vitamin B3, monitoring their blood sugar levels frequently.

Other Niacin Side Effects

Aside from the possibility of increased blood sugar levels, an increased intake of niacin can cause flushing of the skin which can last for varied lengths of time depending on the individual.  People have also been found to develop a rash from taking large amounts of niacin.  Itching and dry skin, sweating, chills and tingling have also been reported with 30-60 minutes of taking a niacin treatment.

Sam Ken writes about various health topics but especially focus on nutritional supplements, and provides tips on how to benefit most from vitamins, minerals or other health supplements. Visit his website to learn more about niacin side effects or vitamin B3 in general.

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