Home Cures and Treatmentsfor common ailments

Whether you are walking, standing or lying in bed at night, your muscles are constantly contracting and relaxing. As a result, they need a lot of nourishment.

While you can’t entirely prevent muscle cramps entirely, choosing the right foods will make them less likely to return.

There are certain minerals, that help the message get from the brain to the muscle and tell it to contract and how much and then to relax. The minerals are calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium and they are known as electrolytes. These minerals play a role in helping the message get through. If you don’t get enough of these minerals, or have sweated them out, a muscle may not get the signal to relax and this can cause a painful cramp. Here are links to some supplements, but listed below are the foods that contain these supplements. If you are on the go….supplements work.

Magnesium is one of the most important because it helps the other electrolytes do their jobs.

1. You can get magnesium from tofu, spinach and Spanish mackerel.
2. Include dairy in your diet for calcium, a cup of fat-free milk for example has 300 mg of
calcium.
3. Bananas and potatoes have potassium.
4. Say no to sodium because there is enough of that is the other food you eat.
5. Drink at least 16 oz of water or juice each time you work out to get the necessary minerals.
6. Dodge cramps with carbs. Muscles need more than electrolytes and water to function well. They also need glycogen, a sugar that comes from carbohydrates.

During the Holiday we are surrounded by all kinds of rich, fatty foods. Of course if we could eat in moderation, it would be helpful, but (my excuse) “we only get these tasty morsels once a year.” Of course, this leads to heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux. I will include in this post a few natural remedies that just might help. I will add some links where some can be purchased.

1. When you have stomach cramps caused by indigestion, sip some peppermint or ginger tea as your after-dinner drink.
2. In the case of acid indigestion, thoroughly chew a teaspoon of dry rolled oats, then swallow them. The oats not only soothe the acid condition, they also neutralize it.
3. Eating one large radish will banish all the symptoms of discomfort if radishes agree with you. Do not eat them if you know it will cause you more discomfort. Some people keep daikon (a Japanese radish) in the refrigerator for this purpose. 1-2 tablespoons of this grated with the meal is an effective digestive aid.

4. Mix a tablespoon of honey and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water will bring some relief.
5. 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds steeped for 10 minutes in a cup of boiling water and then strained should make you feel better.

6. Eat, drink or take some form of papaya after eating and it will help combat indigestion. The potent digestive enzyme papain is contained there.

7. Eat a 1 inch slice of a raw potato will give some relief as well.

Some or at least one of these natural remedies should bring you some relief from indigestion and make your after Holiday celebration a bit more comfortable.
ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY WITH FUN, FOOD, FAMILY AND BE SAFE.

Every year more and more Americans are joining a special group: those who’ve lived to age 100. While most of us probably won’t join t his group–on average, we can expect to live to our mid to late seventies.. Our life expectancy is much longer than it was in 1900 when the average person didn’t live to be 50.

Researchers now know that one of the most important contributors to heart disease, wrinkles, cancer, arthritis, and many of the other problems of aging is the same process that causes a variety of objects around us to deteriorate.  It’s called oxidation. The same air that gives us life is what causes iron to rust, fruit to turn brown and your body’s cells to break down and age. Through a series of chemical changes, oxygen molecules in our bodies lose electrons, making them unstable.  These unstable molecules are called free radicals.  These free radicals steal electrons from the healthy cells in our body and then more free radicals are created.  They damage more and more cells every day until our health pays the price.

To control this destructive process nature provides antioxidants which are compounds in foods that can stop free radicals from doing harm.  They come between free radicals and your body’s healthy cells offering up their own electrons and preventing yours from being damaged.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants and can protect you from disease.  Supplements of vitamins C and E are a good idea, but they shouldn’t take the place of diet rich in fruits and vegetables.  The quickest way to get vitamin C is to have a glass of grapefruit juice, an orage, or half-cup of red bell pepper slices–each provides more that 100 per cent of the Daily Value.

Vitamin B 12 is essential for maintaining healthy blood and nerve function. You can get plenty of vitamin B12 in meats and other animal foods.  Clams are the top performers: One small steamed clam provides an astonishing 9 micrograms of Vitamin B12.  Chickpeas and Potatoes bring in the B6. Beans and fresh asparagus are good sources of folate.

Extra Calcium and vitamin D are essential to prevent bones from becoming brittle. Moderate amounts of dairy food and fat-free milk can provide the Daily requirements of these essentials.

EAT LESS…..LIVE LONGER

Even though we may need to eat more of certain foods in order to live longer, researchers are finding that the opposite can also be true.  People who eat less may live more years.

Experts think that calorie restriction “resets” your metabolism so it works more efficiently, and the body shifts its focus from growth and reproduction to long-term survival.  When you take in fewer calories, your body naturally produces fewer free radicals as it turns food into energy.  Thus, you have less oxidative damange.  Eating a “Prudent” diet that provides the nutrients you need without excessive calories may be the key to a longer life.

One of the top selling books on Health and Weight loss is Fit over 40. You may want to check this out.