Natural Cures Not Medicine: 07/19/13

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Naturally Reduce Anxiety 4 Ways

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1. What to eat. 2. Herbs that help. 3. Supplementation. 4. How to relax. FOODS THAT REDUCE ANXIETY: Water. Staying hydrated is an important way to reduce anxiety symptoms. Vegetables. Filled with fiber and vitamins, these can help regulate your body. Fruits. Get your carbs and sugar from fresh fruit, not refined sugars. Foods rich in tryptophan. This natural relaxation component can do wonders for your anxiety. Look at poultry, oats, soy and sesame seeds to get a good dose. Foods rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Fish, flax seed and winter squash might help with anxiety and depression. Foods rich in magnesium. A crucial vitamin that most of the population lacks, this can be found in tofu and black beans.

HERBS THAT HELP: Here is a short list:
Chamomile. A natural sedative, chamomile can be added to teas for a calming effect.
Fennel. Though this might not help with anxiety itself, it can help alleviate the symptoms.
Kava. This is proven effective for moderate to severe anxiety.
Catnip. Just as it relieves stress and promotes relaxation for cats, this works for humans, too!
Motherwort. This relieves anxiety, and is safe for pregnant women.
Hops. This can help fight off stress, insomnia and headaches.
St. John’s Wort. Known for fighting depression, this one might also help with anxiety, as the two can go hand-in-hand.
Skullcap. This is a natural sedative used to treat anxiety, restless leg syndrome and even epilepsy.
Passionflower. Much like kava, and good for mild to moderate anxiety.
Valerian Root. A very effective sedative that soothes tension and stress.

SUPPLEMENTS THAT HELP:
B Vitamins. B complex vitamins, especially B12 in hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin form, can help regulate the body’s response to stress. Foods high in B Vitamins include meats, fish, vegetables (especially leafy greens), whole grains and bran, beans and legumes, and certain nuts, including cashews and hazelnuts.
Magnesium. This mineral helps balance the neurotransmitters in the brain and keeps the nervous system working properly. You can take this as a supplement to get your recommended daily dose, and you can also get it from foods like bran, dried herbs, cocoa powder, seeds of the squash, pumpkin or watermelon, sunflower seeds and even molasses.

HOW TO RELAX:
The more relaxed you are, the better your body will be able to deal with anxiety. Here are a few ways to calm things down.

Massage and Acupuncture. Touch has been proven to help relieve stress and anxiety. Massage and acupuncture can help move energy through the body, as well as simply relax the muscles.
Breathing Exercises. Rapid breathing is a sign of an impending panic attack. Avoid this by practicing deep breathing techniques. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, breathing deeply enough that your diaphragm moves up and down as you breathe. Practice this until it becomes second nature.
Meditation and Yoga. Studies – and thousands of people – have proven that yoga and meditation can reduce stress, relieve anxiety, lower heart rates, lower blood pressure and give you a general sense of well-being. You can do this with a class, or in the privacy of your own home.
Warm or Hot Baths. A warm bath can help relax the muscles, ease aches and pains and give you quiet time to think, all of which can reduce anxiety. To make it even more advantageous, add Epsom salts – your body can absorb magnesium while you soak.
If the anxiety continues or worsens even with these natural remedies, there might be an underlying cause. In that case, speak with your naturepath or physician.

Homemade fruit infused vitamin water

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INFUSED VITAMIN WATER

Ingredients:

10 large strawberries

½ cup of sliced watermelon

¼ cup of mint leaves

6 cups of water

Ice

Instructions:
Fill the bottom of a pitcher with the ice cubes and top it with strawberries, watermelon and mint leaves. Fill the rest of the way with filtered water and let it cool.

Source: Raw For Beauty

Ultimate List of Natural Cures

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Common ailments normally respond very well to the treatment with herbal remedies and fruit and vegetables. Using alternative means to treat your ailments is a common practice in all areas of the world, with the most popular forms of alternative medicine being Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Yoga, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Magneto therapy, Shiatsu, Herbalism, Meditation, Aromatherapy, Bach Flower Remedies, Chromo therapy, Diet therapy, Hydropathy, and Reiki.

Here is a list of natural products (organically grown plants containing no chemicals is always recommended) that may be used cosmetically as well as for health and nutrition. The ailment is described in bold blue, and the treatment is followed in black. It is incredibly important to realize that going through a whole body detox to clear your issue and symptoms is often needed to truly feel your best. Consuming real, whole foods, high in raw fruit and vegetables, and removing all processed foods from your diet is the only way your body can truly heal.

Aching Joints (arthritis, joint pain, gout): stinging nettles (make into a tea – can also be used topically for painful joints after made into tea), cayenne pepper, grape juice, celery, comfrey, rosemary, St. John’s Wort

Aching Muscles: consume magnesium rich foods like spinach, swiss chard, squash and pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds and flax seeds. You can also rub apple cider vinegar on your muscle/cramp or use essential oils like basil, and marjoram.

Acidity: eat a high-alkaline diet rich in leafy greens and herbs. Cloves help with gastritis, and mint helps combat acidity and indigestion.

Acne: caused by bad diet, lots of processed foods – reduce amount of processed foods consumed and follow a whole foods, high raw lifestyle to help detox and regenerate the body. Tea tree oil helps combat acne since it is a strong antibacterial. Apply tea tree oil directly to your blemish in a little bit of carrier oil like jojoba oil.

Allergies (i.e., Hay Fever): make teas which help reduce allergen symptoms. Drink teas like nettle, and echinacea.

Alzheimer’s Disease: rosemary and high-antioxidant foods like berries to help strengthen neuronal connections in the brain.

Anti-inflammatory (arthritis, gout, inflammatory diseases): ginger, cayenne, and turmeric; these three foods combat the inflammatory response in the body. I like to juice these, about 4-5 inches per juice.

Anxiety: calm your nerves with chamomile and lavender. Practice breathing techniques, meditation & yoga.

Asthma: cayenne or lobelia. Decrease protein intake to 10% of your daily calories, and eliminate all milk and milk products. Eat organically grown fruits and vegetables and eat ginger and turmeric daily for anti-inflammatory relief.

Bad Breath: deodorizing herbs like parsley, dill, fennel and mint. Juice them, put them in smoothies, or salads.

Bloating: drink peppermint tea, or chew on some fennel seeds. Often caused by heavily processed foods and bad food combining (aka. eating sweet and acid fruits together).

Blood Pressure (high): basil and celery. Eliminate sodium from diet.

Blood Tonic: beets! They help re-build our blood cells and prevent anemia.

Boils: put a little bit of goldenseal or echinacea drops onto your boils to help them heal.

Broken Bones: eat lots of calcium rich plant foods like broccoli, leafy greens, bok choy and chia seeds. Get ample vitamin D from the sun (go sit out in the sun – use some coconut oil for a natural SPF).

Bronchitis: oregano oil, contains carvacrol which is a phenol anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory that eases chest congestion and eradicates disease. Take 5-10 drops of pure oregano oil in a bit of water twice per day until symptoms subside.

Bruises: arnica gel or aloe vera. Apply a cold press to your bruise and then apply these remedies after 10-15 minutes of cold pressing. Consume pineapple too! It contains bromelain which is a powerful anti-inflammatory.

Chills: ginger – helps stimulate digestive fires.

High Cholesterol: reduce animal products, and consume a high raw plant based diet. Eat lots of green foods like broccoli sprouts, chlorella, spirulina, sea vegetables, leafy greens and dark green vegetables (broccoli, bok choy, etc.)

Poor Circulation: cayenne pepper & ginger helps dilate blood vessels, which helps improve circulation.

Cold Hands: See poor circulation

Cold Sores: take L-lysine supplement, or use tea tree oil and garlic to kill the virus. Hold garlic on the cold sore, or use tea tree oil as a topical supplement.

Colds: eat lots of lemon, and drink plenty echinacea tea. Eat 1-2 cloves of garlic twice daily and drink 3-4 L water. Get lots of rest.

Poor Concentration: maca root and ginseng help improve concentration, as well as high-antioxidant foods like organic berries.

Congestion: cayenne pepper and ginger help open up sinus cavities.

Coughs: help soothe your throat with lemon and raw honey.

Cramps: rub some peppermint oil on your abdomen (dilute with carrier oil like jojoba), and my favourite, use a hot water bottle. Ginger tea also helps stop cramps and pain.

Diarrhea: eat more foods high in fiber like fruit and vegetables, and make sure to eat them raw to ensure you get live enzymes and pre-biotics to help ensure healthy gut flora.

Diuretic: celery and watermelon act as great diuretics.

Drug Addiction: plant medicines like ayahuasca have helped numerous individuals get over their drug addictions – do your research, use google. You will likely need to travel to peru if you want to see a true shamanic master healer.

Dry Skin: often a cause of a dehydrated diet. Eat hydrating foods like fruit and vegetables, and get rid of processed foods. In the mean time, rub coconut oil or jojoba oil on your skin.

Ear Infection: Make a warm mixture of salt water (1 tsp. salt to 1 cup water) and put in your ear 4 times a day until healed.

Exhaustion: sleep! Get to bed regularly and get rid of stimulating foods which disrupt our sleep patterns (caffeine for instance).

Fluid Retention: see diuretics.

Gastric Ulcer: eat cabbage! Probiotics in cabbage and the high fiber content are great for healing ulcers of all types.

Headaches: drink 1 litre of water and your headache will likely disappear. If not, try eating some cayenne pepper which will dilate blood vessels and release tension in the head.

Heartburn: Drink 1-4 oz. aloe vera juice.

Itchy Skin: use soothing essential oils like peppermint and lavender.

Jaundice: cleanse your liver and kidneys with dandelion leaves, and dandelion root.

Kidney & Liver Problems: cleanse with dandelion, beet root and herbs (parsley, cilantro, watercress, fennel, arugula)

Menstrual Problems: Chaste berry, and sweet potatoes help regulate hormones.

Nausea (morning sickness, motion sickness): include plenty of ginger in your diet! 4-5 inches in a healing green juice will leave you feeling amazing.

Nosebleeds: this might sound crazy but individuals with nosebleeds who have snorted cayenne pepper have found that this cauterized the blood vessels in their nose, stopping the bleed and permanently stopping future nosebleeds! It hurts and stings during the actual snorting but if you want a quick and easy way out, this is the way to do it. Otherwise, use a cold compress on your nose to help tighten blood vessels and slow blood flow.

Osteoporosis: get rid of dairy and animal products which contain acidic protein that is neutralized in the body by alkaline minerals like calcium which is leached from the bones. Eat calcium rich plant foods like broccoli, chia seeds, kale, bok choy and leafy greens.

Overactive Thyroid: get rid of gluten – it increases the autoimmune attack on your thyroid. Eat foods rich in antioxidant molecule Glutathione which boosts your body’s ability to modulate and regulate the immune system, dampen autoimmune flare-ups, and protect and heal thyroid tissue. These foods include asparagus, broccoli, peaches, avocado, spinach, garlic, squash, grapefruit, and raw eggs.

Parasites: parasites hate chlorophyll (what makes plants green). Eat lots of green leafy herbs and vegetables.

Psoriasis: eliminate all dairy and animal products from your diet. Eat whole, fresh raw fruit and vegetables. Get rid of chemical-containing household products and body creams. Soothe the skin with coconut oil (slather it on your skin).

Rashes: coconut oil is a great way to get rid of rashes. It is an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. Slather it over rash area. Also use aloe vera which is cooling and soothes the skin.

Relaxation: chamomile tea helps relax the mind & body.

Scalp Problems: put olive oil in your hair, until evenly coated. Wrap in warm towel and let your hair and scalp soak up the oil. Rinse with warm water and shampoo your hair with a chemical-free, natural shampoo like Dr. Bronner’s.

Scars: rosehip seed oil or vitamin E oil are great at diminishing appearance of scars. Rosehip seed oil actually repairs damaged skin. Put these oils on 3 times a day, for a month or two, and watch your scars disappear!

Sore Gums: chew on some cloves throughout the day.

Sore Throat: ease sore throat pain with ginger tea and echinacea tea.

Sprains: rub peppermint oil on top of area that is sprained.

Stomach Aches: ginger and peppermint tea help ease an upset stomach.

Varicose Veins: caused by poor circulation. Eat things like cayenne peppers and ginger to help stimulate blood flow.

Warming the body: ginger – helps stimulate digestive fires.

Wounds: tea tree oil and oregano oil


Originally posted on Live Love Fruit

12 Natural and Healthy Snacks for the Kids This Summer

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Summer is the time of year when most families find themselves constantly on-the-go and in a never-ending flurry of activities. Offering a variety of healthy snacks can be daunting even for the most healthy conscious parent and because of this is often placed on the back burner.  Idealy children should snack every 3-4 hours to keep insulin levels normal and to provide the extra vitamins and nutrients their growing body needs.  Below are some easy and healthy snack ideas that can help you plan delicious and nutritious snack foods for your children and their friends!  But…shhhh!…don’t mention the “healthy” part.


1. Provide organic fruits such as grapes, orange slices, cherries and strawberries washed, sliced and ready-to-eat in a cool-looking bowl in the fridge. Kids will love the convenience and will be refreshed by cold fruit on those hot summer afternoons.  If you are traveling, place ice packs in a cooler and put the sliced fruits in baggies.

2. Make popsicles out of freshly juiced fruits or organic, no sugar added fruit juice. Add some banana or strawberry slices to the mixture. Peach, Mango and Strawberry-Orange popsicles will earn you the parent-of-the-year award!

3. Put together (in advance) pre-portioned bags of snacks such as healthy granola (no sugar!), snack bars, etc. so that they are ready to grab for a healthy snack on-the-go.

4. Keep a bowl of pre-cut veggies such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, squash, etc. in the fridge. Make up several fresh healthy dips in which to dip the veggies.

5. Make your own “healthy” trail mix and pre-portion it into snack bags.

6. Peel and halve bananas, put wooden sticks into the end and freeze. Banana Pops are delicioius and provide potassium.

7. Using a Vita Mix or one of the high speed blenders one can make a very healthy ice-cream using frozen fruit, stevia/xylitol/honey, organic cream/milk/almond milk/hempseed milk and vanilla.

8. Keep a jug of our healthy Summer Thirst Quenchers in the fridge.

9. Apple Sandwiches with Granola and Nut Butter (Almond butter is best!) Your children will LOVE making these fun and tasty treats.

10.  Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies make a great cookie-break snack- gluten free and delicious!

11.  On especially hot afternoons, treat your children to a Fresh Strawberry Milkshake made with almond milk!

12.  Baked Sweet Potato Chips.  Easy to make and your children will love them.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice sweet potatoes no more than 1/8″ thick.  Place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with unrefined coconut oil. Bake for about 15 minutes or until chips are lightly brown.  Add some Himalayan Crystal Salt.  Serve with homemade salsa or dip.

Snack time for your children doesn’t have to be laden with chemicals often found in pre-packaged foods, high-fructose corn syrup or refined sugar.  Include your children in the planning and preparation.  They will enjoy the time spent with Mom or Dad and you will be teaching them important healthy eating habits even when all they want is a quick snack.

Source: Oasis Advanced Wellness

10 Important Facts About Fluoride

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In this video attorney Michael Connett summarizes 10 basic facts about fluoride that should be considered in any discussion about whether to fluoridate water.



Fluoride also calcifies your pineal gland, your natural third eye. Check out our related article on how to naturally decalcify your pineal gland: http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2013/02/how-to-decalcify-your-pineal-gland.html

5 Ways you are Exposed to GMOs Without Eating Them

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You don’t have to ingest GMOs as food in order to be exposed to them. There are plenty of other ways that GMOs come into our lives in many other forms.

Beauty Care Products
Many beauty care products like deodorant sprays, lotions, and facial cleansers, contain GMO derivatives. Look out for denatured alcohol which is simply ethanol made from BT corn. Also be weary of creams made with soy protein isolates, or dehydrogenated soy ingredients as these are also likely GMO.

Cotton
Is that shirt that you have on right now Organic? GM cotton covers more than 15 million hectares on the planet is accounts for more than 70 percent of all cotton grown. Chances are that your cotton swabs and balls are also GM Cotton.

Ink
While soy ink is marketed as an alternative to petroleum based products it is made from GM soy beans. Soy ink is printed on a variety of items from newspapers to magazines. It is also readily absorbed through the skin.

Hand Sanitizer
Not only do hand sanitizers fuel the creation of antibiotic resistant super bugs but they also contain ethanol made from GM corn.


Gasoline


When you go to the pump and see those little stickers that are appearing everywhere that say “May Contain up to 10% ethanol” you can rest assured that it is not ethanol derived from organically grown corn. The idiotic government subsidies shoved into the horribly inefficient process of ethanol production are ending up as fumes in traffic that you and I are breathing in.

Source: REALfarmacy by Matt Agorist




Water Is Life For The Human Body

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The majority of us are chronically dehydrated and don't even know it. Did you know that when you are chronically dehydrated your body actually stops feeling thirsty? Also, often times when you feel hungry, it is just another way your body is trying to tell you it is thirsty.
It is impossible for your body to function properly while dehydrated.
You may have problems concentrating
Your blood slows down creating high blood pressure
Muscles can ache, cramp or you may even wake in the night with a Charlie Horse
Your liver does not function up to par which slows down your body's detoxification creating illness and diseases. Cancer occurs when your body cannot eliminate the toxins faster than you put them in. This is why the liver is vital for healing cancer
Your skin becomes dry and crusty. If you are looking to look younger, drinking plenty of water will help.
There are a lot of figures out there which will tell you how much water to drink but I'm going to say that if you don't drink at least 100 oz a day, your body is paying for it. Also, almost everything else you drink such as soda, coffee and alcohol all dehydrate you. This figure may sound high but your body will help you. The more water you drink the more your body tells you that it is thirsty. Build up to this number slowly if you need to. Just keep improving.


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