Helloo !

• Coconut water settles the entire alimentary canal. It promotes quick healing of jaundice.
• Sugar cane juice helps cure hepatic dysfunction. The sugar content is extremely high and helps  the liver fight the disease/infection. Mix 1 lime in the juice to speed up the cure. Lime protects the liver cells from further damage.
• All fats must be stopped to control jaundice. Cream, butter and oils should be avoided for a period of 3 weeks. After 3 weeks their intake should be restricted.
• Fermented foods should not be eaten.
• Pulses and legumes should be avoided.
• Chelidonium, a homoeopathic medicine, is recommended to cure jaundice. It stimulates a slow liver and combats infection and toxicity. It ameliorates the pain and encourages healing. Chelidonium acts as a liver tonic.

Hyperhidrosis is the excessive sweating of the head, face, hands, armpits and feet. The sweating is erratic, unpredictable and uncontrollable. It is not dependent on hot temperature climates or conditions.

The following tips may help alleviate hyperhidrosis.

Drink more water to lower your body temperature
Drinking more water cools your core temperature and will alleviate some of the excessive sweating.

Drink green tea or sage tea at night
Tea contains an astringent property which will dry out oils and prevent excess moisture from escaping the skin. It essentially drys you from the inside out. In addition to helping your complexion, green tea will neutralize many of the toxins that create the pungent odor in sweat.

Avoid spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine
Onions, garlic, curry, coffee and a whole host of other ingredients are powerful triggers for hyperhidrosis sweating. Cut out some of these cultprits to see gradual but noticeable results. Add leafy greens and tea into your diet for a positive effect on sweating.

Soak in sage tea
Fill a large bowl with room temperature water, put a couple of sage tea bags in the bowl and let the tea dissolve. Soak your hands for 15 minutes in the bowl. Do this soak every day for 5 days to obtain noticeable results.

The sage tea will act as an astringent to dry the skin and prevent excessive sweating for many days to follow. If your hands tan from the tea, wash them with anti-bacterial soap to remove the sage tea residue.

It is advisable – and more convenient – to use either an electric or a hand-held blender to mix the ingredients of the following instant energy drinks.  All energy drinks should be consumed immediately after making them.

Ginseng tea
To prepare ginseng tea, steep five to six slices of ginseng root in one cup of boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. Add a teaspoon of honey.

Ginseng is a natural energy booster.

Banana energy drink
Take one ripe banana and one glass of skimmed milk. Blend the banana and milk in a blender. Add either a few figs, almonds, dates or raisins to the blender. Add a teaspoon of honey.

Bananas benefit your nervous system. Figs, dates and raisins contain natural sugars to boost energy. Honey nourishes digestion and boosts energy.

Soy energy drink
Take a glass of soy milk. Add a teaspoon of raisins or strawberries. Blend the ingredients in a blender. Add a teaspoon of honey.

Oatmeal energy drink
Take ¼ cup of oatmeal, 4 to 5 almonds and a glass of milk. Blend these ingredients in a blender. Add one teaspoon of honey in the drink.

Oatmeal contains fibre, vitamins and carbohydrates. It is a highly nutritious food.

Honey and bee pollen drink
Take a cup of warm water, one heaped teaspoon of bee pollen powder and one tablespoon of honey. Mix the ingredients together in a blender.  Add ginseng extract for an extra energy boost.

Honey benefits your digestion and is a quick energy booster. Bee pollen contains essential fatty acids and amino acids, and stimulates production of sexual hormones. Ginseng boosts energy and enhances digestion.

Egg yolk and carrot juice drink
Add an egg yolk to one large cup of carrot juice, then mix well with a fork. Add half a teaspoon of spirulina powder for an extra boost.

Carrot juice is highly cleansing and nourishing, and improves blood quality which helps relieve fatigue. Egg yolk stimulates sluggish, exhausted adrenal glands. Spirulina is a super-nutritious vegetable protein.

Soy milk, egg yolk and honey drink
Take a glass of natural soy milk, add an egg yolk and one tablespoon of honey. Blend the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Soy milk is a protein alternative for pasteurized cow’s milk. Egg yolk contains lecithin which benefits your brain and nervous system. Honey nourishes digestion and provides a rapid energy boost.

Carrot, apple, egg yolk and honey drink
Take a glass of natural soy milk. Add one finely diced carrot, half a finely diced apple, one egg yolk, one tablesppoon of honey and some ginseng extract (3-9 grams in liquid or granulated form). Mix all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

There are three main differences between a netbook and a laptop:

• Netbooks are smaller and more portable than laptops. The screen size ranges from around eight to 11 inches, while a standard laptop will have a screen measuring around 15 inches.
• Netbooks use lower powered processors, such as Intel’s Atom Processor, which are good at preserving battery life, but not so good at dealing with intensive applications such as video editing.
• To save space, Netbooks do not have an optical drive, so you won’t be able to play CDs or DVDs on it. Almost all laptops come with an optical drive.

Swine Flu, also referred as Novel H1N1, is a new influenza virus causing illness in people.  The virus is contagious and spreads from person-to-person worldwide, in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread, that is, usually by coughing or sneezing. You can also become infected by touching an object belonging to an already infected person, and then afterwards touching your mouth or nose.

The symptoms of Swine Flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Sometimes also diarrhea and vomiting.  So far the majority of people who have been diagnosed with Swine Flu have recovered without needing medical treatment, however, there have been reports world-wide of hospitalizations and deaths occurring. Those who are considered at ‘high risk’ with this virus are young children, teenagers, pregnant women. Also, anyone who with the following existing medical conditions: diabetes, heart disease, asthma, kidney disease, suppressed immune system, heart disease, neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders. In these cases, complications may develop.

A Swine Flu vaccine is  currently in production and may be ready for the public within the next couple of months. (I will update here as soon as I hear about it). During the current epidemic of Swine Flu priority use for antiviral drugs is to treat hospitalised cases and those in the ‘high risk’ category.

If you suspect that you may have Swine Flu it is recommended that you stay indoors at home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care. Keep away from other people as much as possible to keep them from becoming sick too. If your sympthoms are severe, last longer than 5-7 days, or you know that you fall into the ‘high risk’ category, then you must contact your medical centre immediately.
Emergency warning signs in children that will definitely need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Emergency warning signs in adults that need urgent medical attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

More in-depth information can be found at NHS Choices (UK).

This interesting article below is written by Nathan Wei, who  is a nationally known board-certified rheumatologist and author of the Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit.

A cramp is caused by anything that interferes with the muscle’s natural ability to contract and relax. Take a foot spasm, for example. When feet are flexed for propulsion while swimming or when tight bedsheets force your toes downward, the muscle tendons become overstretched and the nerves extending through your foot and into your calf can become hyperexcitable. When this happens, the nerve signals become confused, according to Robert Nirschl, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. The result: a painful cramp. “Your muscles may get the message to contract, but not to relax,” he explains.
Continue reading More information on leg cramps

The mineral , potassium, helps in the contraction process for muscles throughout the body, and the heart requires this substance for the proper regulation of blood pressure.

Low potassium level symptoms may involve several different areas of the body at once. Commonly, the symptoms affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as the kidneys. However, it has been found that the heart may be affected as well as the nerves that run throughout the body. The muscles are often affected as well.

Many experience cramping sensations in the muscles of the legs and/or the arms. The cramps can often be quite severe and can result in a form of paralysis that makes it very difficult to move the limbs with ease. This is often accompanied with weakness that makes movements and other activities involving the limb that is affected difficult. Some individuals may experience high levels of nausea when their potassium is low. This nausea may be accompanied by bouts of vomiting. For individuals that experience these symptoms, it is common for bloating in the abdominal area to be experienced. The muscles in the abdominal area may also begin to experience mild to severe cramping. Blood pressure may rise drastically, or it may drop suddenly. If it drops, many will faint. If it increases, symptoms such as chest pain and headaches may occur.

Psychological complications may also be experienced when potassium levels in the body drop. These complications may be as simple as depression or as serious as having hallucinations.

The symptoms of low potassium levels can commonly affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as the kidneys.

If you experience any of the above symptoms over a prolonged period of time, are experiencing discomfort and are concerned, it is advisable to visit your local GP or clinic and arrange to have tests done to check your level of potassium.

This at-a-glance chart shows how to distinguish between the different types of cups of coffee you can order at a bar/restaurant, i.e. how the variations of quantities of coffee, water and milk/cream can produce surprisingly various flavours and textures. You may even want to experiment making these for yourself at home, and then chose a favourite.

Be aware that this home video of the bathing of my pet ‘canary’ was done with good intentions at the time.

Arthritis is a problem that is not merely confined to the aging population – even young children, teenagers and athletes suffer from this disease. Arthritis is a disease that takes many forms; the two most common of which are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis does damage in a ‘wear and tear’ degenerative way. Rheumatoid arthritis causes harm by way of inflammation.
Continue reading Cause and treatment of arthritis