A sore throat may have many causes and it is important to find the right sore throat remedy for the particular condition that you have.

Common Causes Of A Sore Throat

Laryngitis: inflammation of the larynx. This usually results in losing your voice.

Tonsillitis: inflammation of the tonsils. Common in children.

Mononucleosis or glandular fever: accompanied by swelling of the glands in the throat.

Strep throat: a streptococcal bacterial infection of the throat or tonsils, often accompanied by fever.

Symptom of a viral infection: a sore throat is often the first symptom of a cold or flu.

Candida albicans or oral thrush.

Some of these conditions can become serious if not successfully treated. If your sore throat remedy does not work and the irritation or inflammation persists for more than 24 hours, or if you have swelling or a fever, it is important to see a doctor. You may need antibiotics or other medication. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: anti inflammatory, antibiotics, antiseptic solution, bacterial infection, cancer, chemotherapy, fever, glandular fever, HIV infection, home remedy, ibuprofen, inflammation, irritation, Laryngitis, natural remedies, pain, sore throat, thrush, Tonsillitis, viral infection

Are there any home remedies for scabies that actually work, or do you need to use prescription medications in all cases? This article will consider the causes of scabies and the natural remedies that are available.

What Is Scabies?

Scabies is an intensely itchy skin condition caused by a tiny mite that burrows into the skin and lays its eggs. The itching is caused by our body’s allergic reaction to the mite. The first signs are small, itchy bumps or blisters, usually located on the inner area of the wrists or between the fingers or toes. Scabies is easy to recognize by the pencil-like lines that are caused by the mite passing along just under the skin.

Scabies is usually passed from one person to another by skin on skin contact. It is common in children who can pass it along during normal play. It can be caught by simply holding hands with an infected person. In adults it is sometimes transmitted during sexual activity and in that case may appear in the genital area.

Scratching the area will often break the skin and can lead to bacteria entering and causing other dermatological conditions, for example impetigo.

We can also catch scabies from dogs. The common name for scabies in dogs is mange. If you think your dog has mange, take it to the vet immediately and do not pet it until the condition has cleared.

Feline mange is not transmitted to humans, so you do not need to worry about catching scabies from cats.

Killing Scabies Mites

If think that you or your children have scabies you should see a doctor to have the diagnosis confirmed. A doctor will normally prescribe a cream which will kill the mites if used according to directions. However this medication is harsh and because it must be used all over the body, not only in the affected area, it can cause problems for people with other skin conditions such as eczema.

Keep in mind that the itching will continue for a few days even after the mites have been killed, because their bodies and waste products remain under the skin. If you see no new lines or itchy spots, that is a good sign that the mites may have been destroyed. However, keep watching and treating because any eggs that have been laid may still hatch.

Natural Remedies

The traditional Indian home remedy for scabies is to make a paste of neem oil and turmeric powder and apply it to the affected area. You can now buy prepared neem oil creams and lotions for scabies treatment.

Tea tree oil is another natural substance that has been used for scabies. You may find a lotion that combines tea tree, neem and turmeric. Tea tree oil can be harsh and should not be used undiluted on the skin.

Tea tree oil can be added to baths. Use 10-20 drops in a warm bath 2-3 times a day. This is a good preventive measure for people who may have had contact with an infected person, plus helping to treat anyone who is infected.

Chamomile lotion can ease the itching of scabies. Where scratching has damaged the skin you may want to use an anti bacterial cream or wash with anti bacterial soap.

Clothes And Other Fabrics

Unlike fleas, scabies mites do not hop. This means that they are less likely to be found in carpets and furniture. However, an infected person should always put on clean clothes after showering and change bed linen every morning or after a nap.

Do Natural Remedies Work?

Natural remedies appear to kill the mites in some cases. However, they work more slowly than the medication that the doctor will prescribe so a person will continue to itch and be infectious for longer if they use only natural remedies on a confirmed case of scabies. Home remedies for scabies may be best used as a preventive measure for other family members who are not yet showing symptoms, or where there is scabies in your child’s school class.

Tags: allergic reaction, blisters, eczema, home remedies, home remedy, impetigo, itching, natural remedies, neem oil, prepared neem oil creams, Scabies, Tea tree oil, waste products

Gout is difficult to treat but there are a few gout home remedies that you can use to ease the symptoms of this debilitating, painful condition.

What Is Gout?

Gout is also known as metabolic arthritis. It is a form of arthritis caused by a combination of blood acidity and abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood. The uric acid forms crystals which are deposited on the joints, causing pain and distortion in the joints.

A gout attack will cause acute arthritis and it is intensely painful. The big toe is one of the most commonly affected joints. If the condition persists, then over a period of time the crystal deposits will form lumps around the joints and sometimes in other areas. These deposits are called tophi.

Diet is an important factor in causing gout. Genetic factors play a part and gout is more common in some racial groups than in others. It is more common in men than in women and it mainly affects people over 50.

Home Remedies For Gout

Ice packs placed on the affected joint are the best way to relieve pain other than medication. You can use an ice pack for 20-30 minutes several times a day.

During a flare up of gout you should drink plenty of water to help the body clear out the urates. Follow a low protein diet, avoiding meat, fish, sweetened foods and drinks, and alcohol.

Bicarbonate of soda is a traditional remedy which works for some people. However, this will raise sodium levels which can have an effect on blood pressure. Do not take bicarbonate of soda if you have been told to cut down on salt.

Potassium supplements have been suggested in some cases. Most fruit is high in potassium, especially bananas. Black cherries have been helpful for some sufferers.

Some people have reported good results from taking ginseng supplements. Another possibility is to mix turmeric and ginger and add this to food. Turmeric and ginger have anti inflammatory properties.

Doctors will generally prescribe medication, or you can take non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen from the drugstore. These are not natural remedies but may be something you are willing to take. However, do not take aspirin, which can make it worse.

Prevention Of Future Attacks

Anybody who has had gout in the past will be susceptible to future attacks unless they take preventive steps. The most important of these is diet.

The best diet for gout prevention is low in fat and low in protein. In particular, avoid beef and seafood which are high in animal based purine. Vegetable based purine does not seem to have the same effect.

It is also important to avoid certain foods and drinks which are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This is a very common sweetener in the USA and it can lead to hyperuricemia in blood. Just two soda drinks a day have been linked to an 85% increase in risk of gout. Beer should also be avoided.

Consumption of dairy foods, on the other hand, seems to lower the risk of gout.

If you are overweight you can greatly reduce your chances of having attacks of gout in the future by stabilizing your weight within the healthy range for your height.

Always consult with your doctor before trying any gout home remedies to check that they are suitable for your individual case.

Tags: anti inflammatory, arthritis, food, gout, home remedies, low protein diet, natural remedies, pain, United States

If you have been diagnosed with arthritis, you may be looking for an arthritis remedy. If your arthritis is not a suitable case for surgery right now, if you are hoping to avoid surgery or if you are waiting, you may benefit from various natural remedies that have been successful for other people.

The word arthritis means inflammation of the joints. There are two types of arthritis:

Osteoarthritis – caused by degeneration of the cartilage in the joints. Cartilage cushions the bones and allows joints to move smoothly. When it is worn away, the body tries to compensate for it by laying down extra bone. But this does not have the same properties as cartilage and the result is stiffness and pain. Osteoarthritis usually affects older people although it can develop in a younger person, especially where joints have been damaged by injury. Knees, hips and shoulders are the most commonly affected joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis – this is a very different condition, an auto immune inflammation of the joints. It is caused by a deficiency in the endocrine system and appears to have an inherited genetic component. For most people it comes and goes, often flaring up at times of stress or when the body is weakened by sickness. It may begin at any age. It generally starts by affecting the joints of the fingers and toes, often resulting in distortion which can be permanent.

Arthritis Natural And Home Remedies

There are reports that arthritis can be helped by a number of natural and home remedies.

Raw potato extract is a traditional remedy that has been used for centuries. Wash a medium size potato but do not peel. Be sure it has no green patches. Cut it into thin slices. Lay the slices in a bowl, cover with water and cover the bowl. Leave overnight. Drink the water in the morning.

Copper is believed to strengthen the muscular system, helping to maintain flexibility. You can either take a copper supplement, wear a copper bracelet or drink water that has been standing in copper overnight. However it is important not to have too much copper in the system relative to other minerals, or other problems could develop. So do not take copper to excess.

Calcium supplements can also help some cases of arthritis. If you prefer not to take supplements you can take calcium in dietary form. Black sesame seeds (unhulled) are a good source. You will need to buy them from a health food store because most sesame seeds sold in supermarkets are hulled and are not a good source of calcium. You can grind them and add a little sesame oil to make tahini, or soak them for a couple of hours and sprinkle on bread or cereals.

Glucosamine sulphate is a supplement that can help reduce inflammation and pain in some cases. It is particularly good for less severe arthritis in the knee, and may help to prevent it worsening.

Garlic and turmeric both have anti inflammatory properties and can be included in your diet in generous quantities.

A mono diet of bananas, which are rich in potassium and vitamin B6, can be helpful in treating a flare up of rheumatoid arthritis. Eat only bananas for up to 3 days. Bananas should be ripe, i.e. starting to show brown spots on the skin.

Some foods appear to make arthritis worse and should be avoided. Trigger foods will be different for different people. You may have to cut them all out of your diet for at least 4 days and then reintroduce them one by one to feel the effects. This is a list of common trigger foods:

- sugar
- caffeine
- red meat
- dairy products
- citrus fruits
- corn
- wheat
- salt
- artificial sweeteners and other food additives

Generally it is good to keep the joints moving as much as possible to main flexibility. Mild osteoarthritis especially can be helped by regular practice of gentle forms of yoga and pilates. Be careful not to force your joints beyond a comfortable stretch.

Be sure to see your doctor if you believe you have arthritis and discuss with him or her any natural arthritis remedy that you are considering.

Tags: anti inflammatory, arthritis, dairy products, Food additives, health-food store, home remedies, inflammation, little sesame oil, Natural Arthritis Remedy Solutions, natural remedies, osteoarthritis, pain, rheumatoid arthritis, surgery

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 »

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

acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) has been a real sensation this year with many new products on the market promising everything from weight loss, antivirus properties and even help for people with Leukemia. Earlier this year Oprah put the acai berry on the top of a list of superfoods and you know how things go when Oprah talks about them, the little Acai berry has not been safe since. To me the real story of the Acai Berry is that it is a fruit berry that has strong antioxidant abilities but lets see what we can find out about Acai Berry and your health.

What is the Acai Berry

The acai Berry fruit, a small, round, black-purple fruit is about 1 inch in diameter, kind of like a grape and grows on a very tall tree. Two crops of fruit are pare grown per year. The Acai berry fruit has a single large seed that takes up a lot of the berry. The skin of a ripe berry is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of acai that it is.

The berries are harvested as food in the Amazon region of Brazil, acai palm (the tree it grows on) is incredibly important as it makes up a lot of the diet for the people in the area and is the biggest cash crop for it’s area of Brazil. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Acai Berry, amazon, Amazon jungle, Brazil, cholesterol controller, common infection, Concord, energy food, fight infection, food, food kind, Leukemia, natural remedies, north America, oil compartments, process food, Staph infections, vitamin a

Although there are no guaranteed natural remedies for fibroids, there are a few treatments that you can try which may help to reduce their size or at least prevent them growing further, and reduce the heavy bleeding that is often associated with uterine fibroids.

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors usually found in the womb (uterus) and are very common in women of childbearing age. They appear in about 25% of white women and 50% of black women. Some women may have them without knowing, but in other cases they can grow to a size where they cause pain and a noticeably swollen abdomen. The swelling may make a woman look pregnant. She will often have very heavy and painful periods.

Fibroids may cause pain at other times too, for example during sex. They can also interfere with pregnancy, either making it difficult to get pregnant in the first place or causing miscarriage, premature birth or bleeding during the pregnancy. If they press on the bladder they may cause incontinence as well as pain.

The cause of fibroids is thought to be hormonal. They almost always shrink or disappear after the menopause, unless a woman takes hormone replacement therapy. Genetics may also play a part in the causes of these uterine growths.

The standard medical treatment, if required, is surgery. In the past, the only option was hysterectomy, i.e. complete removal of the womb. Now it is possible in many cases to have what is called a myomectomy in which only the fibroids themselves are removed. If successful, this means that you can still have children afterward. The surgical procedure that is recommended will depend on the size and number of the growths.

If you do not need surgery or decide against it, you may want to look for a natural remedy that will help deal with the symptoms. Doctors will often recommend contraceptive pills but not every woman wants to take these. You may want to try the following home remedies that some women have found helpful. Consult your doctor first and again if the symptoms persist or increase.

Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV may shrink the fibroids. It certainly reduces discomfort in many cases, and unless there is some reason why you should not take vinegar, it will not do you any harm. If you are overweight you may find it has the added benefit of helping you to lose a few pounds. Take one tablespoon three times a day.

Molasses

Some women recommend molasses for reducing the size of fibroids. The usual dose is one tablespoon 3 times per day.

Be aware that molasses is high in calories, iron and copper. It is important to monitor your intake of all of these, as too much can cause other problems. Blackstrap molasses also contains sulfur which can thin the blood and may therefore increase the menstrual bleeding in some women.

Herbs

There are some herbal medicines that may help in some cases. Herbs that balance the hormones, such as agnus castus or yarrow, may be recommended.

Do not take blue or black cohosh which are likely to increase the symptoms.

If you want to try herbal medicine the best solution is to see a qualified and experienced herbalist who will take a full history, consider different possibilities and monitor the results of the suggested herbal natural remedies for fibroids.

Tags: fibroids, herbal medicines, home remedies, Hormone replacement therapy, hysterectomy, miscarriage, natural remedies, natural remedy, pain, premature birth, surgery, tumors, uterine fibroids

The most effective gall stone home remedy is a simple gall bladder flush. Yes simple – not the nicest way to spend a Saturday perhaps but for most people, better than needing surgery somewhere down the line.

First, loosen the stones by drinking an 8 oz glass of apple juice morning and evening for 4-6 weeks. This is a very important step and you should not skip it and try to do the flush right away, it just will not work.

The best kind of apple juice is home made by putting organic apples through a juicer. Next best, buy organic apple juice from a health food store. It must be made from whole apples, not concentrate, with no added sugar or other additives, and not the kind that will keep for months.

Try to eat healthy foods during these 4-6 weeks. In particular, make sure you are getting enough fiber so that your digestive system and bowels are working well. This may mean increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables above the famous ‘5 a day’.

Then you will need to set aside a day when you are home with no commitments. You are going to need to be in or near a bathroom most of the day.

The day before, you will do a short semi-fast. You will not eat any solid food this day. Drink your apple juice in the morning as usual and you can have another glass at lunchtime if you want.

If you have not done a juice fast before, do not worry, it is not as difficult as it may sound. Any time you feel yourself tempted to eat other foods, just remind yourself that it is only for one day and it needs to be done for the sake of your health. A lot of people do juice-only fasts of 1 to 7 days as a regular thing. In fact, there is even a fashion right now of 90 day ‘juice feasting’ where no solid food is eaten for 3 months. So you can do it for just one day, right?

In the evening, before going to bed, drink 8 oz of organic extra virgin olive oil mixed with 4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice from actual whole lemons. This mixture tastes something like salad dressing. You will probably need about 4 lemons, depending on size and juiciness. Do not use bottled lemon juice.

In the morning (at least 8 hours later) take a fast-acting natural laxative, either epsom salts or 10 oz citrate of magnesia (not milk of magnesia). You should then expect to need the bathroom often for several hours because you are going to have diarrhea.

In with the diarrhea you should find that you pass many little green stones like small peas. These are the gall stones.

Congratulations, you have successfully flushed out your gall bladder!

This process may be helpful for healthy adults but is not recommended for anybody needing medical attention. If you have any health issues consult your doctor before using this gall stone home remedy or other natural remedies.

Tags: diarrhea, food, gall stone, gall stones, health-food store, home remedy, natural remedies, surgery, virgin olive oil

Here is more info from my local pharmacy about Cholesterol, its types and preventing high levels of bad cholesterol.

Cholesterol is bad. Right? No!

A high total cholesterol level is bad. A high level of LDL cholesterol is bad. Cholesterol itself is necessary for good health. And HDL cholesterol is actually good for us.

We couldn’t live without any cholesterol at all, because this waxy material is used to form cells and produce hormones. About 80% of the cholesterol in our bodies is manufactured by our liver. The other 20% comes from the food we eat. As long as we have the right amount of cholesterol in the right balance, we’re okay. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: amputation, angina, bad cholesterol, chest pain, cholesterol, cholesterol level, coronary artery disease, diabetes, exercise, food, food groups, grain products, Heart and Stroke Foundation, heart attack, heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, levels of stress, lower-fat dairy products, milk products, natural remedies, pharmacist, stroke, vascular disease