Pain is a feeling that all of us would want to avoid, but often end up experiencing. Be it in the form of a headache, period pain, muscle ache or joint inflammation, an ache never leaves our side for too long a time.

The method that most of us follow to get rid of a pain is to pop an over-the-counter (OTC) painkiller into our mouth. While OTC medicines are effective in treating pain, they are also associated with a number of side effects, especially if used regularly or on a long-term basis.

Though many of us are unaware of this fact, there are a number of natural pain killers that can help relieve aches, without presenting the danger of side effects. In the following lines, we have listed some of the most effective natural remedies for pain, including the herbal ones.

Natural Pain Killers

Boswellia
Boswellia is the name of an Indian herb that has been found to be effective in treating the pain occurring from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Boswellic acids, the active constituents in boswellia, are responsible for bringing relief from the ache. This particular herb is available in the form of supplements as well as topically-applied creams. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: ache, aches, arthritis, back pain, chemicals, Crohn's disease, Dietary Supplement, Environmental Protection Agency, fibromyalgia, fish oil, gastritis, gout, headache, headaches, inflammation, inflammatory chemicals, lower back pain, migraine, migraine headaches, muscle cramps, muscle injuries, natural remedies, oil, pain, pains, peptic ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, sinusitis, South Africa

The very capable guys and gals at the Mayo Clinic have an article today about Bisphenol A health risks. This is something very new to most of us but it involves plastic containers that we store food in.

An important article in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association discusses the health effects of the chemical Bisphenol A. What is this compound and what are its effects? What might happen as a result of this study?

Bisphenol A is a chemical in plastics. It is widely found in the lining of food containers, plastic bottles, compact discs, carbonless paper, and many medical devices. It also is used to coat metal products (food cans and bottle tops), and even water supply lines. Some dental sealants also contain this ingredient.

Now for the Bisphenol A health risks. Animal studies done in the 1980s and ’90s identified that low doses of Bisphenol A have adverse effects on the brain, reproductive system, and metabolic processes related to insulin balance and liver function. It may also be related to cancer or even obesity and heart disease. Although it is not immediately lethal, studies show that greatest sensitivity to Bisphenol A occurs during periods of early development and that the substance accumulates over time in the body and environment. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Medical Association, cancer, dishwasher, Environmental Protection Agency, food cans, food containers, food in., heart disease, Mayo Clinic, medical devices, metal products, National Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, obesity, plastic food containers, plastic sports bottles, plastics, the Journal of the American Medical Association, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

I have state in the past that I do take a Omega 3 vitamin pill every day. My wife calls that pills “Heart Pills” or fish oil pills. So I have no idea how this will change if I ever have to take real heart pills. Anyway in the search around for health info around the net I found this great articles telling us why we should be taking Omega 3 vitamin pills 

Omega 3 is the latest buzz in the health and fitness industry. Doctors and researchers all over the world recommend the intake of Omega 3 vitamins to treat a wide variety of diseases.

While most of us have heard something or the other about these remarkable fatty acids, we are not sure about a lot of things concerning Omega 3. This article will deal with what’s, why’s and how’s of Omega 3 fatty acids.

What is Omega 3 Vitamins?
Omega 3 is the name given to a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids or essential fatty acids. There are mainly three types of essential fatty acids – Alpha-Linolenic acids (ALA), Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

The Alpha-linolenic acids break into DHA and EPA during the process of digestion, since these two fatty acids are most utilized by the body. Omega 3 or the essential fatty acids are vital for the healthy functioning of all organs but they cannot be synthesized by the body.

Sources of Omega 3 Vitamins
Dietary sources of ALA include dark green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed oil and Soya. DHA and EPA are found in oily fishes such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and sardines. The richest source of Omega 3 is considered to be fish oil since it consists of both DHA and EPA.

This brings us to a very important question. Why do you need fish oil or Omega 3 Vitamin supplements, when you could just eat fish regularly as a part of your daily diet?

Eating fish regularly can lead to deposition of toxins like mercury, metals etc in your body. This is because most of the rivers, seas and other water resources are becoming more and more polluted each day. However, fish oil supplements that are molecularly distilled are safe for daily consumption.

Molecular distillation is the process through which all toxins and contaminants are removed from fish oil at the manufacturing stage. Make sure you buy molecularly distilled, pharmaceutical brand Omega 3 supplements to ensure their purity.

Why do I need Omega 3 Vitamin fatty acids?
Omega 3 fatty acids are the building blocks of our cell membranes and neurological system. They play a crucial role in many functions of the body. There are endless reasons why you should make these essential fatty acids a part of your diet.

Omega 3 fatty acids reduce the Triglyceride level in the blood and protect against cardio-vascular diseases.

They prevent the platelets from clogging and control the cholesterol levels in the blood.
It helps in maintaining a radiant, clear and healthy skin.

Pregnant women are advised to take fish oil supplements which help in the healthy development of brain and retina in the infant.

Fish oil helps in fighting against eczema, psoriasis and other skin problems.

Fish oils act as antidepressants which is why they are used to treat diseases like depression and schizophrenia.

Thus, for a healthy heart and mind, it is essential that you make   Omega 3 vitamins a part of your daily diet.

Micheal Thomas is an editor for a series of health related websites. Learn about the best fish oil capsules that we ourselves use daily after extensive product comparisons and research over at http://www.omega-3-fish-benefits.com

Tags: depression, eczema, Editor, Environmental Protection Agency, fish oil, fish oil capsules, Fish oil helps, fish oil pills, fish-oil supplements, flaxseed oil, heart pills, Micheal Thomas, oil, Omega 3, omega 3 fatty acids, omega 3 vitamins, pharmaceutical brand, psoriasis, schizophrenia, vascular diseases, vitamin pill, vitamins

Melamine was the biggest problem in the dog food recall a couple of weeks ago that was a result of dangerous dog food killing animals throughout north america. After that food scare some people started looking at the human food sources that may have melamine in them.

Today the FDA came out with a press release that stated that food for people does not seem to be dangerous. Here are a couple of quotes from that press release.

There is very low risk to human health from consuming meat from hogs and chickens known to have been fed animal feed supplemented with pet food scraps that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds, according to an assessment conducted by scientists from five federal agencies.

In the most extreme risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid food a person consumes in an entire day was contaminated with melamine at the levels observed in animals fed contaminated feed, the potential exposure was about 2,500 times lower than the dose considered safe. In other words, it was well below any level of public health concern.

The risk assessment is an important new science-based component of the continuing federal joint investigation into imported wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate from China that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds.

The risk assessment was conducted by scientists from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This team is now compiling a scientific assessment of the risk to animal health associated with ingestion of animal feed containing melamine and its compounds.

Hopefully now we will not have to worry about melamine and can concentrate on all of the other issues from pesticides to salmonella in our food.

Tags: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, China, couple, dangerous dog food killing animals, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, dog food, Environmental Protection Agency, fda, feed, food, food and drug administration, food health, Food Safety and Inspection Service, food scare, human food sources, pet food scraps, potential exposure, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Over the last few years tattoos have become more and move common. I should know as I have no tattoos but my wife has several and is right now planning to get another with an integration of our two kids names in this one. This new tattoo started me thinking about how people usually go through the process of getting a tattoo and all of the sterilization methods and the importance of safety in a tattoo parlor.

First of all there is a real sense of menace that permeates most tattoo parlors. The staff are covered in tattoos and the customers tend to be the same. Tattoos are still a bit of an anti establishment type of attitude so the first time customer can sometimes feel a little intimidated to ask safety questions, please don’t.

The industry is regulated by state and local officials, but not the FDA, and there is no such thing as an agency-approved tattoo pigment or ink. The FDA is considering more involvement, said Dr. Linda Katz, director of agency’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors.
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I found this article at Sign on San Diego. It is a geat article on the value of these “other” egg products that we see in stores. I only eat eggs on the weekend when I am hungry for a bigger breakfast with the kids and have always wanted to know more about these eggs. I bought them once and they tasted like eggs but just never bought them again…

Remember the days when shopping for eggs was just a question of large or jumbo?

Today’s supermarkets present dizzying choices: “free-roaming,” “omega-3,” “100 percent organic,” “cage-free,” “compatible with cholesterol-reducing diet,” “natural sunlight,” “hand-gathered,” “vegetarian diet,” “high vitamin E,” “humane harvest,” “vegetarian hens with roosters.”

It’s a trend born of the egg’s new and improved nutritional rap and fueled by the zeal of low-carb dieters. And these designer eggs bear designer prices.

So what makes them different? It boils down to two things: what the hens eat and how they are housed.

Technorati Tags: egg, supplement, nutrition, fitness
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