Health Tips

PRACTICAL HEALTH GUIDES

They are effective and easy to follow. Many are based on recent research, while others were known in ancient times. But they have all been proven to be effective. So keep this guide close at hand and make the advice it offers a part of your daily life.

1.         How to fight aging

Did you know that just walking for 30 minutes, 3 or 4 times a week is enough to combat aging? According to researchers at the University of California, one of the principle causes of deterioration of the human organism’s physical faculties is its diminished ability to metabolize glucose. And they showed that even leisurely exercise, like taking a walk, plays an important role in keeping glucose metabolism functioning smoothly. Do you spend the whole day sitting at your desk or in front of a computer screen? Why not get up occasionally and do a few minutes of physical exercise? Don’t worry about what other people think.

2.        Are you anxious?

Is worrying one of your characteristics? Well, stop! It is okay to worry, but at the right time. Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania tell patients who suffer from anxiety to regularly do a daily twenty minute “worry session,” always at the same time and in the same place. Collect your head full of worries during the day (don’t suppress them!) and then pour them out during your daily worry session. Exaggerate your worries to the point of absurdity - knit your brows, make faces, let the sweat flow, shake and cower as much as you like. In other words, make a caricature of the part of yourself that is always worried, and in so doing exorcise it. Eliminating worry will help prevent numerous psychosomatic illnesses, which result from living in a state of permanent anxiety.

3.        Care for your heart while you sleep

In which position do you sleep?

If you sleep on your stomach or on your left side, you are putting pressure on your heart with the extra body weight, while the heart has to continue pumping blood as usual. This additional burden wears the heart out more quickly. Think about it - you spend more than one third of your life sleeping!

To reduce the strain on your heart, sleep on your right side, or on your back. This simple technique will add years to your life.

4.        How to avoid cancer caused by smoking

If you smoke, you can greatly reduce the risk of contracting cancer by drinking carrot juice. This according to the German Doctor Hans Nieper, founder of Eumatabolic Medicine, a new alternative mode of treatment which has become very popular in Germany. The carotene found especially in carrots prevents and can even cure cancer. Dr. Nieper states, “If you smoke 60 cigarettes a day but drink 4 glasses of carrot juice, you will still be less prone to contract cancer than someone who doesn’t smoke but who doesn’t drink carrot juice.” Of course, if you don’t smoke and do drink carrot juice all the better!

5.        Avoid eye problems caused by T.V. and monitors

The eye was not made to be constantly focused on close objects. If your work requires that you stare at a computer screen all day long or if you watch a lot of television, stop from time to time to do a few eye exercises. For example, roll your eyes in large circles in both directions; look over to each side as far as possible and then go from up to down; or scan an imaginary text on the wall from left to right; or look out the window as far as you can following the horizon then return to a point right in front of you and begin again.

In this way, you will avoid long term eye problems; you will enlarge your inner space, and relax both your eyes and your mind.

6.        How to beat asthma

Asthma partially obstructs the bronchial tubes, making breathing difficult. The cause of asthma is still not known. But if you are an asthma sufferer, you can, through natural means, considerably reduce the number of asthma attacks you get.

A placebo study has shown that asthmatics who consume 1 gram of vitamin C per day had 4 times fewer attacks. When they stopped taking vitamin C, the attacks resumed with the same frequency as before (Trop. and Geog. Med., Vol. 32, Mo. 2, 1980).

As for magnesium, it also works wonders! Dr. Zack H. Haddad of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southern California conducted a study on thirty children suffering from asthma associated with allergies. Twenty of them drank a daily amount of mineral water rich in magnesium, while the others received no magnesium supplement. After three months, the first group had a higher level of magnesium in their blood, and they were able to breathe more easily. So taking vitamin C and magnesium is an excellent way to prevent asthma attacks.

But what can you do to breathe more easily during an attack? Simply drink 2 or 3 cups of strong coffee. By activating blood circulation, it eases respiratory blockage.

In addition, the American Lung Association recommends the following exercise:

1.       While standing, contract all your muscles. Keep them contracted for a few seconds.

2.      Release the muscles, like letting the air out of a balloon. Relax all your muscles completely until you feel like a limp cloth.

3.      Let yourself fall to the floor, and stretch out. Close your eyes and relax your face and your feet.

4.      Imagine that you are floating on water. Concentrate on the effect the earth’s gravity has on your muscles and on the pleasant feeling of being completely relaxed.

5.      Breathe gently and quietly, as if you were about to fall asleep.

6.      Open your eyes.

Practising this exercise when you feel an attack coming on, or once it is already started, will help you overcome your asthma condition.

7.         What to do when you get something in your eye

Got some dust in your eye? Or some other irritant like an eyelash or cigarette ash? You can use the following technique to help others as well as yourself.

Before doing anything, make sure you don’t do what you absolutely shouldn’t: rub or press the eye, lift the eyelid, or remove contact lenses without washing your hands.

How to proceed?

·             Examine your eye. Is it red? Swollen? Is it tearing? What do you feel? Does it itch? Burn? Is your vision blurred?

·             Let nature do its work - it is usually effective. Tears and natural eye movements will usually get rid of the irritation.

·             Try rinsing your eye with some warm water, or with drops. You can pull on the skin around the eyes, but don’t touch the eyelid.

·             If this doesn’t work, wash your hands, and then lift both the upper and lower eyelids to locate the irritant. Is it on the inside of one of the eyelids, or is it stuck to the eyeball itself? Pour some sterilized, warm water on your eye to flush the irritant out.

·             If you can’t locate the irritant or if the discomfort persists after you have removed the particle, you would better consult a doctor.

8.        A few tricks for treating insect bites

You don’t have to sit back and just passively put up with insects, especially those that like to bite (mosquitoes, wasps etc.). Eat asparagus and your sweat will develop an odor that repels insects. Or apply lemon oil to your skin. If you are bitten, there are natural substances to soothe the irritation. Aloe vera has extraordinary powers of soothing skin disorders. It is available in forms for both internal and external application in most health and beauty stores.

If you have one of these amazing plants growing at home, cut the tip off one of the leaves (the leaf will heal itself). Apply the pulp and juice to the itching or swollen area. Lightly boiled cabbage or leek makes an excellent analgesic poultice. Of course, if you are hiking in the woods, you might have a little trouble finding cabbage! Plantain also works well. Cut it and rub it to get to the juice then apply it to the affected area.

9.        Stop catching colds

As much as possible, avoid coming into close contact with infected persons, especially if they cough or sneeze. A person with a cold is extremely contagious: he or she fills the air with fine particles of saliva or mucous which transport the virus microbe. Even if the person is careful to wipe his nose with tissue or a handkerchief, the microbes will be transported to his hands.

And studies have shown that these viruses are transmitted through hand contact. So if you have to shake hands with someone who has a cold, you would better wash soon after!

What can you do if you do catch a cold?

It is useless to take antibiotics: they have no effect on viruses. However, there are certain substances found in alcohol which help decongest sinuses, that is why a good hot toddy can work wonders.

But take care of your liver: a toddy is just as good with a little rum as with a lot. You don’t have to get drunk to get better. You don’t even have to drink it - just sniff some strong alcohol like cognac or brandy and breathe in the fumes.

10.      Use heat to cure

Everyone has heard about how good a sauna feels, and of the relaxing effect of a steam bath which bathes you in hot vapor. But there are other heat treatments which are equally beneficial. Heat relaxes the muscles and ligaments. When applied locally, for example, with hot towels, it can ease muscle spasms. It can also reduce arthritic pain. Heat dilates the blood vessels, which in turn activates circulation.

Applied to a wound, it can prevent infection by helping white blood corpuscles and fresh oxygen surround the area more quickly.

11.       How to combat fatigue

First make sure you are sleeping enough.

Is your nutrition sufficient? In general women need at least 1200 calories per day and men 1500.

Avoid monotony: a varied diet will be more likely to provide the nutritive elements you need to conserve your energy. The sensation of fatigue may be stress-related, especially when you experience emotional stress. Do you feel tense at work or at home?

Lastly, don’t neglect physical exercise. Tired or not, get out in the fresh air every day. Walking is the minimum effort necessary for staying in shape.

12.      Prevent high blood pressure

Research has shown that people whose diet is rich in potassium (vegetarians for example) are less likely than others to develop high blood pressure. Calcium is also beneficial. Fortunately, potassium and calcium are abundantly present in a large variety of foods. Fruits, vegetables, beans, fish, fowl and lean meats are full of potassium.

Calcium is a little more restricted. Foods rich in calcium usually also contain large amounts of sodium and fat, which can increase blood pressure. However, moderate amounts of milk are recommended, as well as yogurt, almonds, bananas, grapes, broccoli, potatoes, beans, tofu and sardines.

13.      Iron strong health

Without iron, there would be no hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin gives red corpuscles their color. And it is the hemoglobin that carries oxygen to all parts of the body. If you lack iron, an insufficient supply of oxygen in your hemoglobin will produce sensations of fatigue, headaches and shortness of breath.

Men don’t have to worry too much: most men have a reserve of iron stored in their body that could last 3 years! But women, because of the menstrual cycle, need twice as much iron as men. And the amount is even higher for pregnant women. Vitamin C doubles the amount of iron the body absorbs: so it is a good idea to add a glass of tomato or orange or grapefruit juice to every meal.

On the other hand, tea reduces the amount of iron absorbed by 50% and coffee by about 39%.

14.      Aging with a healthy body and mind

Did you know that sexual activity can keep you looking good as you age? Studies conducted in Sweden have shown that elderly people who have sexual partners have much more vitality and a better memory than those who do not. So don’t let your golden years deprive you of the pleasures of sex!

Just forget about the obsession of having to “perform” - the final result is less important than the stimulation itself.