What Will the Future Hold for Our Health

There is a wave of awareness growing at the grassroots level these days, questioning what used to be the standard way of living a healthier life. We saw people rejecting flu vaccines during last year’s swine flu pandemic. Then, there are those who are going the traditional route to find their own healing. One can only wonder about the future trend of our health. Here are some predictions that are already visible on the world wide web:

1. An Exodus to Natural Healing

People are becoming aware that they have a choice: To choose those that are naturally healthy. We can see more people appreciating and purchasing alternative medicine in the hope of getting away from chemicals, synthetics, and preservatives. The fear of what these substances do to the body is a driving force in this journey and we will surely see a rise in demand for organic and natural products.

2. Preventive Medicine

Bio-nutrition is proving that there is virtue to be had in ancient wisdom. As people are becoming more aware of what they eat and its effect on their health, the rise on dietary supplements is growing. Because of stress and poor lifestyle diets, foods are not enough to supply essential vitamins and nutrients to the body. The future focuses more on preventing disease than curing it. We can see more people living until their 100th birthday as Science discovers new ways of prolonging your health and your life.

3. Emergence of New Products

Centuries ago, no one even knew what superfoods are. Because there will be a huge demand for food as the population grows, we will see more of those GMO or genetically modified foods in the market. Superfoods, synthetic or not, will also rise in the market. Energy drinks will become the new soft drinks and nutrient bars will soon replace processed snacks. It may not be totally better to your health, but they may present a better alternative for the hungry populace.

4. A Surplus of Weight Loss Products

Today’s unhealthy lifestyle choices will be tomorrow’s health nightmare. In the US alone, almost half of the population are at risk for obesity and more adults are obese in more than 2/3 of the states. With the rise of people having problems with weight comes a surplus of miracle weight loss products we haven’t heard of before.

5. A Wellness-Centric Age

With life becoming more stressful each day, people will be forced to seek out relaxation like a Holy Grail. Businesses in the health and wellness industry will truly profit from this as people want to get away to relaxing place to pamper themselves. Today, wellness tourism is creating a buzz in developing nations that offer health retreat for less – from Ayurvedic treatments, spa, to a soothing massage.

Whether the future of our health goes well or awry in the years to come, always put yourself as No. 1 on your list. Without good health, you won’t be able to do anything else. As early as now, try to make a change and live a greener, healthier life that’s lived in gratitude, joy and peace. Live Well!

I am Grateful

What Foods Will Aid You to Get Better Sleep?

Foods can help perk up or slow down your brain and you need to choose foods that are high in sleep-inducing chemical called Tryptophan, such as dairy products ( cheese & milk ), seafood, soy products ( soybean, milk or tofu ), poultry, meats, whole grains, beans, rice, lentils, hummus, hazelnuts, eggs, peanuts, and seeds of sunflower or sesame.

Is Drinking Warm Milk Helpful in Making You Sleep Better?

There is no scientific evidence that drinking warm milk can help you sleep better at nights. Although people may feel comfortable doing so, this myth can be related to the placebo effect of believing that it will really make you fall asleep.

How Do You Eat Right to Have Better Sleep at Nights?

It will always come down to one word: Moderation. You have to watch out your diet carefully and follow these healthy habits:

1. Don’t eat large meals that are high in fat before you go to sleep. This can make you stay awake at nights, not to mention, making your risk of weight gain higher.

2. Take a small snack several hours before bedtime so you won’t get awake suddenly at nights due to hunger pangs.

3. If you’re prone to heartburn, avoid eating foods that are spicy.

4. Don’t drink too much fluids before going to bed or it can wake you up at nights when you have to go to the bathroom.

5. Avoid caffeine at all costs before going to sleep. Know that this is a stimulant that keeps you awake. Try drinking your last cup of your favorite coffee eight hours before you go to sleep.

6. Avoid alcohol. Many think that drinking alcohol makes you more sleepy. Although this may be true, alcohol prevents you from getting deeper sleep, resulting to you waking up with a tired feeling ( or the worst hangover of your life ).

Did You Know?

Eating a bag of non-fat popcorn, thirty minutes before bedtime, will help you achieve relaxation. The carbs in the food will make your body produce a neurochemical called Serotonin – making you feel good and relaxed. Just make sure your skip the butterfat!

You can also try deep breathing techniques, meditation, or binaural music to help you achieve the deepest stage of sleep. Sometimes, all you need is a makeover of your bedroom to make it more conducive to sleep. Always keep in mind that choosing health will always win when it comes to your battle with sleep. Sweetest Dreams!

Foods to Help You Sleep

Solving the Mystery of These Five Common Health Symptoms

1. Hair Loss

Normal: Losing an estimated number of 100 strands throughout the day
Why It Happens: This can happen due to hormonal changes, a sudden stop in birth control pills, during/after pregnancy
When to Worry: When you lose a lot of hair due to stress, mineral deficiency, or an over/under-active thyroid

2. Eye Twitches

Normal: Eye twitches after hours of doing computer work or having too much caffeine/nicotine
Why It Happens: You are under stress
When to Worry: If your chin thrusts forward as you blink since it can be an early sign of Meige Syndrome, a rare yet treatable neurological disease

3. Too Much Hiccuping

Normal: Hiccups can last a few minutes to hours; Some experience it once a month
Why It Happens: It is believed to be caused by electrical impulses in the vagus nerve, extending from the brain stem to the colon – to your heart rate
When to Worry: If you continuously hiccup for a day. You can check with your doctor to rule out irritations of the phrenic nerve.

4. Fingernail Discoloration

Normal: White spots on your fingernails are a result of an impact and not of vitamin deficiency.
Why It Happens: You accidentally put pressure on your nails ( like getting your fingers caught in a drawer )
When to Worry: If you see discoloration all throughout your fingers and toes, you need to see a dermatologist to rule out the possibility of a fungus infection or psoriasis. Pitted nails can also be a sign of autoimmune disorders such as reactive arthritis and inflammation of the joints, eyes, or urethra.

5. Numbness or Tingling

Normal: Numbness or tingling of your muscles and nerves can happen when you are exposed to extreme cold. This can be remedied by putting on a pair of gloves, warmer clothes, or immersing in a hot tub.
When to Worry: If you still feel tingling and numbness even in warm weather, you might have a pinched nerve in your neck or lower back, nerve damage, or even diabetes. Talk to your doctor about options on how you can live a pain-free life.

Your healthy choices will definitely help you lead a better lifestyle. Know that a happy mind means a healthy body. Try to live a life that’s stress and worry-free. If in doubt, you can simply take a time off and meditate your way back to natural healing. You have the power of choice in your hands so listen to your body when it speaks to you. Take care… of You!

Psychology of Fear, Anxiety, Stress & Anger

Fun & Easy Memory Tricks to Learn

What good way to start this week right by training the brain to be in constant vigilance. Your brain ages and to keep it working young, you have to exercise it like you do your body. Experts agree that any of these tricks will work wonders:

1. Visualize

Draw mind maps in your head or try to go mnemonics. Symbols or bold pictures can make your brain focus on it that the next time you see one, you’ll remember anything you associate it with. For example, you may try associating the number six with sticks.

2. Pay Close Attention

When you meet someone, try to listen to the name and ask the person to spell it for you. You may associate the name with any famous people you know, which helps you remember that person easily.

3. Explore with Your Senses

When you try to learn something new, use your sense of smell, touch, hear, sight, and taste. Your senses will send signals to your brain each time you need to recall something or someone. Try to learn not only with your mind, but with your emotions.

4. Remind Yourself!

Train your brain by keeping a habit, ritual, or routine that will help you remember things easily. If you need to put post-its in unusual places ( like your bathroom or garage ), do so. You can also try singing your shopping list to the tune of your favorite nursery song to help you remember. It’s all about being creative.

5. Repeat

Are you trying to memorize a speech? Try recording your speech and play it over and over until it get stuck in your head. There’s a phenomenon called brain itch where people simply memorize songs because they’re played for the nth time.

A little bit of cheating using clues won’t hurt anyone, specially in the business of recalling important matters. Not everyone is gifted with a photogenic memory, but anyone can retrain the brain to think sharper. With healthy choices and lifestyle habits, having a healthy brain that can recall things as easy as A-B-C is more achievable than ever. Recall Better!

Mnemonics Memory Tricks to Remember Anything for Tests

Physical fitness is very important as it keeps your body moving, improving your overall stamina, flexibility and strength. Having a sedentary lifestyle exposes you to the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or high blood pressure – not to mention obesity. Being inactive for a long period of time can really do damage to your body and mind. Experts suggest that even 30 minutes of physical activity during the day can improve your health and it doesn’t have to mean costly visits to the gym.

How to Stay Fit and Healthy as a Family

1. Find an Activity that You’ll All Love

The biggest challenge here is to have a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy, from kids to adults. This summer, you can book your schedule for swimming, sailing, camping, hiking, or joining a fun run. Anything that keeps you moving!

2. Give Your Home a DIY

Involve your kids in a makeover of your home this summer by assigning them fun and easy-to-do household chores. You may try redecorating your home or arranging your lawn.

3. Go Outdoors

Nothing beats a great time outdoors, where even a 30-minute walk can do wonders. You and your family need fresh air and sunshine that will keep you motivated to get physical. Just make sure you have enough sun protection and that you take all precautions against heat stroke and dehydration.

4. Put a Limit

There’s nothing wrong with spending time in front of the PC or the TV, just make sure you have more time getting physical out there. Ideal time would be a maximum of two hours a day spent on these.

5. Keep It Fun

Sometimes, boredom can get in the way of getting fit and that’s why it is important to talk to your family on the activities you would all love doing. By having variety, you all get motivated to stay active, as well as helping you make a stronger family bonding time.

Getting fit is just one side of the fitness story. You need to maintain your healthy choices by eating the right foods and having a healthy lifestyle too. As parents, being a role model to your children will count a lot in how they will value a healthy living in the long run. Have Fun!

Make a Change for Family Fitness

10 Ways in Using Fruits for Household Cleaning

1. Cleaning Porcelain

Grapefruit, mixed with salt, is a great way to clean any soap scum from your bath tub or sink, without destroying its polished surface.

2. Cleaning Copper

You can rub any household item made of copper with a cloth soaked in lemon juice. Leave it to dry.

3. Cleaning Brass and Aluminum

Make a paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar. You can use it to wipe your brass and aluminum items. You may also sprinkle a dash of salt on a sliced lemon and rub it on brass. This works well with steel too.

4. Cleaning Leather

Don’t throw away those overripe bananas. Save the peel and use it to wipe on leather surfaces ( jacket, shoe, etc ). Then, wipe and polish with a lint-free cloth.

5. Bleaching Clothes

Squeeze lemon juice into your laundry detergent to make your whites – whiter. You may also mix lemon juice and baking soda to use for soaking stained clothes. To remove nasty dirt, stain, or grime, just apply lemon juice directly on the spot.

6. Deodorizer

Save those orange peels and let it dry. Its sweet scent will be great in deodorizing your closet or attic. You may place it in a breathable bag. For that nicely scented furniture polish, you can mix lemon juice with olive oil that your kids will love.

7. All-Purpose Cleaning

If you’re looking for an all-around solution, you can try mixing lemon juice, vinegar and water. Put it in a ready-to-use spray bottle.

8. Aromatherapy

If you’ve got a humidifier at home that picks up unwanted scents, you can try to spice things up by dropping 3 -4 parts of citrus juice in the water.

9. Insect Repellent

Whether you use citrus for candle-making or if you want to use it on your exposed skin, these will help keep mosquitoes and gnats away. If you got an itch from a mosquito bite, rub it gently with the inside of a banana peel. To get rid of flies, you can put all those overripe bananas in a zip lock bag, leave it half open, and wait for an hour. All the flies will be attracted to the bag, where you can zip it and throw away in your trash.

10. Pet Training

Barking dogs can be a big nuisance at night and you may train them to stop by squirting lemon juice in their mouths. You can also mix orange peels and ground coffee, distribute it over the place where you want to keep away from cats.

Choosing to go natural doesn’t only have to stop with what you eat, but you need to make healthy choices as well. By doing any of these, you save on dollars spent on chemical cleaning products, lowering your risk of catching household products-related illness and injury. Keep It Clean!

How to Use a Banana in Seven Unexpected Ways

Top Reasons Why Diets Fail

If you have been frustrated with weight loss gimmicks that don’t work, you are not alone! To live healthy is a long-term goal and the reason why you’re not achieving this with your diet is:

1. You Lack Discipline

Keeping off the pounds and having a healthy life is more than just what you eat, it’s mostly mental. If you don’t have the discipline and commitment to make healthy choices, your efforts will be in vain. Before you even start a weight loss program, make sure your mind is set and focused on one goal.

2. You Have Unrealistic Expectations

Only a hen sat its way to success. If you think you’ll lose an inch off your waistline by simply snacking on your miracle diet each day, you are set for failure. The problem with these diets are the promise of an instant result and we all know that this is temporary, that you may go back to your normal eating habits and gain weight.

3. You Starve Yourself

Many of these wonder diets that promise instant results are void of essential nutrients that will keep the body healthy. These diets deprive your body of whole foods and just doesn’t fit in with what’s normal. Why is this set to fail? Simple. You live in the real world where people eat real foods. If you do drastic measures like cutting down your calories, your body will go on a starvation mode and your metabolism will go slow.

4. You Believe It to Be the 100% Solution

You are what you eat, but diet is only just half of the equation. You need to manage your life, do physical activities, and ditch your bad habits. Are you living a balanced, healthy life?

5. You Feel Super Guilty of Slip-Ups

Accept that you are only human and that anytime, you can be tempted to indulge. Instead of being harsh on yourself for giving in to your cravings, you have to turn the tables and make something that will work. For example, try a reward system. If you managed to live by healthy standards for the week and achieved your goals, you can give yourself a reward with a benefit, like having a bite of your antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.

Don’t blame it on the food alone. Keep in mind that it is still your decision whether to pig out on unhealthy food or not. Try planning a healthy eating program that will sustain you all day, making you feel more energized than any energy drink out there. Eat Well! Be Well!

Why Diets Fail

Excessive Sweating: A Closer Look

When you sweat, your body release a salty liquid from your sweat glands in the form of perspiration. This helps your body stays cool. Sweat is typically found on the feet, on your palms, and under your arms. Just how much you sweat depends on how many active sweat glands you have. Did you know that a person is born with two to four million of it?

Causes of Excessive Sweating

Sweating a lot is caused by an underlying condition like infection, chronic disease like cancer, anxiety, panic attacks, or hyperthyroidism ( overactive thyroid glands ). Other contributing factors are stress, alcohol, caffeine, morphine, fever drugs, exercise, fever, low blood sugar, menopause, spicy foods, warm weather, and withdrawal effects from alcohol or drugs.

Natural Cures for Excessive Sweating

If you sweat a lot, you need to be very vigilant about your hygiene and make sure you always stay clean by washing your body and changing your clothes often. You have to drink plenty of fluids as well and stay in a place with cool temperature. You can also try these natural remedies:

1. Natmur

This natural cure can help reduce excessive sweating and that clammy feeling.

2. Tea Tree Oil

Known for its antibacterial effect, this popular herb is used for skin care and other health issues. Not only will you be germ-free, but you’ll smell good as well.

3. Sage

Acting as a natural antiperspirant, sage can be drank in tea form or applied as an oil or tincture directly to your skin.

4. Burdock

This herb helps the body eliminate fluids by other means, like the lymph, colon, and the kidney. It is commonly taken as a tincture, which comes with a bitter taste.

5. Astralagus

Native to China, this herb has a mild diuretic property which helps relieve excessive sweating. This herb has a mild and sweet taste, as well as Flavonoids.

Always ask your health care practitioner about the safety of natural remedies before you give up on medical treatments. The simplest cure is to use an antiperspirant deodorant for your sweaty underarms. Since stress can also trigger excessive sweating, you better make an overhaul of your lifestyle and make healthy choices. Make sure that you use only the best, natural skin care in town. Get Your Sweat Checked!

Herbal Cures for Armpit Sweat

Quick Ways to Relax Your Mind

Stress is an everyday reality we face, and you may not always avoid outside triggers, but you can definitely tame your mind. Get your cortisol levels under check with these mind relaxation techniques:

1. Controlled Breathing

When you are under stress, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Your brain needs all the oxygen it can get to stay focused. Learn how to control your breathing under panic situations by taking a long deep breath through your nose, holding it for a few seconds, and exhaling slowly through your mouth. Repeat up to 10 times until you feel relaxed.

2. Meditation

Even 15 minutes of deep meditation before you go to sleep can make you feel brand new the next day you wake up. Choose a private place that’s far from distraction and meditate. Cleanse yourself from negative thoughts and if you need more help, you can always use music to help you reach your inner zen. Yoga and Tai Chi are the most popular meditation techniques among many.

3. Massage

There’s no replacing human touch when it comes to relaxation, even with all the massage gadgets and chairs around. Get a full-body massage once a week to help soothe your body and mind and make sure it’s done by a certified professional. You may request for an aromatherapy oil to give you that reviving effect.

4. Shut Down

There’s no sense thinking about things that have a one-in-a-million chance of happening in reality. Shut off those worries and fears from your mind when it’s time to go to sleep, or just think of the word ’sleep’ itself to help you sleep better at nights.

The mind is like a sponge and it can handle just enough. At the end of the day, when your energy has been used up, you need to recharge and relax. Your healthy lifestyle and choices can definitely help in the process. You have to put your best efforts to get the relaxation you crave for. Let Go… Relax..

Simple Relaxation — A Guided Meditation

Effective Ways of Boosting Your Brain Power

1. Relax

All those stress and worries bombard your brain with information it doesn’t need. Did you know that you can think better when you’re relaxed? So, before a major meeting or making a big plan, take time to chill out. Studies say that meditation can help boost your concentration.

2. Love Your Fruits and Greens

Rich in antioxidants, fruits and vegetables help get rid of toxins and free radicals that damages every cell inside your body ( including those of your brains ). Snacking on berries, especially blueberries, are said to help improve your memory as it contains compounds called Anthocyanins.

3. Explore

From learning something new, playing word games, to that travel adventure — these are all mentally and visually stimulating that will help fight signs of mind aging and lessen the risk of you catching Alzheimer’s Disease. Besides, you need to take a break and have fun.

4. Take a Walk

Did you know that taking a few minutes of walk can elevate your glucose levels? This is essential to your brain’s memory power. This is why doctors keep on nagging you to exercise daily, not only to keep your body healthy, but your mind as well – not to mention making you feel happier and more confident about yourself.

5. Choosing the Right Supplements

If you’re taking vitamins and minerals, make sure they are top-grade and chemical-free. Your healthy choices will definitely save you from future, negative consequences. Stock up on Coenzyme Q10, which is an antioxidant that helps combat free radicals and speed up energy production in your brain cells.

Overall, you need to take control of your body and get yourself checked for any signs of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It’s all about moderation that will help your brain as sharp as a knife. Learning to live your life in the NOW is the key to making your mind focused and worry-free. Relax!

How To Improve Your Memory