How to get rid of Blackheads and Whiteheads NATURALLY!

Maintaining a clear and beautiful skin, takes time, consistency and effort. Dermatologist may recommend lots of products, but some of them can be expensive and may actually take a long time to work. You can, however, incorporate some home remedies for blackheads and whiteheads into your daily beauty regimen and in a few weeks, you will experience a drastic reduction or even total elimination of the problem.

Organic Toothpaste - Toothpaste is an effective blackhead and whitehead remover. Apply a thin paste to your infected areas and let it sit on your face for at least 25 minutes. You will probably feel a burning sensation when you apply the toothpaste, but this is normal and will pass. Once you remove the toothpaste, the top of your blackheads and whiteheads will disappear, but you still need to thoroughly wash your face to remove the buildup underneath. Repeat this home remedy every other day for two weeks.

Tomato - Tomatoes have natural antiseptic properties that dry up whiteheads and blackheads. Peel and mash a small tomato. Apply the tomato pulp to your blackheads and whiteheads before going to bed. Leave the tomato pulp on your face while you sleep and then wash your face in warm water in the morning.

Lemon -Wash your face in warm water. Then, squeeze the juice of one lemon into a bowl. Add in a pinch of salt and stir the mixture. Apply the mixture to your blackheads and whiteheads. Leave the mixture on for approximately 20 minutes and then wash your face with warm water again.

Lime - You can also use equal parts of lime juice and cinnamon powder and apply this mixture to blackheads. Leave it on overnight and rinse it off in the morning

Cornstarch - Mix about a three-to-one cornstarch to vinegar ratio into a paste. Apply it to your problem areas and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Remove the paste with warm water and a washcloth.

Yogurt - Mix three tablespoons of plain yogurt with two tablespoons of oatmeal. Add one teaspoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture. Stir the mixture thoroughly and apply it to the effective area of the face. Let the mixture sit for five to seven minutes then rinse off with cold water.

Almond or oatmeal - Mix either oatmeal or almond powder with just enough rose water to make a spreadable paste. Apply it to your problem areas with your fingertips first and then apply it to the rest of your face. Let it set for about 15 minutes and then rinse your face with cold water.

Rice - Soak rice in milk for 5 hours and then grind this in a blender until it is paste-like in consistency. Use the paste as a scrub on affected areas of the body.

Potatoes - Grate raw potatoes and then rub the area with the mixture. Wash it off after 15 minutes.

Fenugreek leaves - Crush some fenugreek leaves and mix with water to form a paste. Put this on the face for 15 minutes and then remove it. Do this every night to keep your face free of blackheads.

Coriander leaves - Mix some coriander leaves and a little turmeric powder with water and form a paste. Use this as a mask to eliminate blackheads.

Oatmeal -Grind oatmeal into a powder in a blender and then add some rose water. Use this on affected areas for 15 minutes and then wash it off with cold water.

Baking soda - Prepare a mixture of equal parts of baking soda and water and rub it onto your face or other body areas prone to blackheads. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water.

Honey is also good for removing blackheads. Spread honey on the affected area and remove it after 15 minutes.

Remember -Be gentle to your skin. Never pinch, scrape, poke, press, or squeeze too hard!

Tis the Season: Mistletoe Extract Doubles Survival Rates of Cancer Patients

Several studies have focused on mistletoe and its potential, positive effect on cancer. Though research is inconclusive, many of the studies show that mistletoe’s anti-cancer properties work to kill various cancer cells. Further, the Christmas decor could be an alternative to toxic chemotherapy.

One study focuses on mistletoe and pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer, with a mortality rate of around 80% during the first years after diagnosis. It strikes 44,000 Americans each and every year and conventional treatments haven’t been able to do much to prolong their lives.

This latest research, however, indicates it could offer assistance to those diagnosed with a deadly disease.

Carried out in Serbia and published in the European Journal of Cancer, the study began with 220 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. All participants received supportive care. The treatment group also received subcutaneous injections of mistletoe extract three times each week, with doses starting at 0.01 mg and increasing to 10 mg.

Those patients who started the study with a “good” prognosis and received no mistletoe extract lived 3.2 months, on average. Those with a good prognosis and mistletoe extract had twice the life expectancy, 6.6 months. Study participants who received a “poor” diagnosis averaged 2 months without mistletoe extract and 3.4 months with the treatment. Further, the participants treated with mistletoe extracts had feweradverse events than the others. They had only 16 events where those not treated with the plant had an average of 53!

This is far from the first study implicating mistletoe as a potential cancer treatment. It has also been linked to improvement in cancers of the breast, cervix, uterus, ovaries, stomach, colon, lung, and skin.

In addition to these cancer studies of modern time, folk medicine applications have indicated mistletoe in the use of treating strained muscles, toothaches, sores, itching, impetigo, ulcers, animal bites, and intestinal parasites.

One research with another study points out how the most effective extract comes from a species called Fraxini, which was extremely potent and safer than chemotherapy. Researcher Zahra Lotfollahi said:

“This is an important result because we know that chemotherapy is effective at killing healthy cells as well as cancer cells. This can result in severe side effects for the patient, such as oral mucositis (ulcers in the mouth) and hair loss. Our laboratory studies have shown Fraxini mistletoe extract by itself to be highly effective at reducing the viability of colon cancer cells. At certain concentrations,Fraxini also increased the potency of chemotherapy against the cancer cells.”

This initial study mentioned is important, though, as it is specific to this particularly deadly form of cancer. The researchers conclude:

“VaL (Ciscum album, mistletoe) therapy showed a significant and clinically relevant prolongation of OS. The study findings suggest VaL to be a non-toxic and effective second-line therapy that offers a prolongation of OS (overall survival) as well as less disease-related symptoms for patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.”

Source: NaturalSociety

12 Uses For Cloves - A Wonder Spice With The Highest Antioxidant Value

On the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale used by the National Institute on Aging in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to assess the antioxidant value of foods, clove has the highest ORAC score. Besides it's ability to prevent cancer, clove has incredible purification and protection properties within.

Cloves are a very common spice widely used all over the world. It is renowned for its rich aroma and flavour. 

1) Consuming a couple of cloves can help to cleanse your body from harmful toxins and microbes. This will help to boost your health.

2) Cloves help to protect the damage caused to your body's cells and help to stimulate energy in every part of your body.

3) Cloves help give you quick relief from toothache. Just place a piece of clove on the affected area, and gain instant relief.

4) The presence of eugenol, in cloves gives it a lovely aroma and helps in numbing dental pain and clearing out bacteria in the mouth.

5) You can also use cloves as a mosquito repellent. Clove can effectively help to ward off mosquitoes.

6) Cloves also have great anti-inflammatory properties. Use cloves to treat inflammation and infections.

7) If you are troubled with digestion problems, chew on a couple of cloves.

8) Cloves also aid with cardiac and diabetes health.

9) Due to its purification properties, cloves help in purifying your blood.

10) Ayurveda suggests making a tea to lessen, or prevent, colds and flu. It is also used as an expectorant, making it easier to cough up phlegm. Cloves are a natural painkiller and also attack germs, so they'll help you get rid of that sore throat.

11) Sometimes used as an aphrodisiac, cloves can also help men from reaching orgasm too early.

12) Cloves treats scrapes and bruises. They are pretty strong and can sting, so the best bet is to probably make a poultice with a little olive oil.

Just add cloves to your diet in the form of curries, soups and main dishes to gain maximum benefits.

Source: PreventDisease

10 Amazing Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar

I’ve mentioned many times on my facebook page how great raw apple cider vinegar is for your health. However, almost every time I post about it, a reader asks how to use it. It seems to me that a lot of people have heard that ACV is good for you, but they don’t quite know how to incorporate it into their lives. After all, it is vinegar, so you can’t just chug it straight from the bottle…yuk! This article will give you 10 different ways to use this miracle elixir!

The Many Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

But first, let’s talk about WHY you should be using apple cider vinegar. The benefits to raw apple cider vinegar are many. Apart from containing many beneficial vitamins and minerals, apple cider vinegar also contains acetic acid, potassium and malic acid. It can help regulate blood sugar, aid digestion, build muscle, clear skin, reduce bad cholesterol, prevent sickness with its antiviral properties, help remove toxins and aid in weight loss. It is also an alkalizing food, so it helps your body maintain good PH levels.

When choosing apple cider vinegar, you should always get raw (unpasteurized) with the mother like this one to ensure you will get all the benefits from it.

If you want even more ideas, this book is less that $4 and has a bunch of great tips on how to use apple cider vinegar for natural cures.

10 Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar

1. Drink 1-2 tablespoons ACV diluted in a glass of still or bubbly water with a teaspoon of raw honey like this (optional). You can also buy ACV drinks at some health food stores, I love this brand with added cinnamon–it tastes like apple pie in a bottle and it’s good for you too! You can also make a drink with ginger like this recipe.

2. Use ACV in place of balsamic vinegar in salad dressing.

3. Add 1-2 tablespoons ACV to your morning smoothie. Start with one tablespoon and work your way up. It is vinegar and can have a strong flavor, so be careful not to start with too much.

4. Use it as a facial toner to improve complexion and restore skin’s natural PH.

5. Use it to naturally treat dandruff.

6. Heal your sunburn quickly and naturally.

7. Use ACV as an all purpose cleaner. Mix equal parts water and ACV and add 2-3 drops essential oils like lavender or tea tree. (Find quality essential oils here)

8. Use ACV to soak your beans, legumes or grains to reduce phytic acid and make them more easily digested. Simply cover a pot of dry uncooked beans with filtered water. The water should come well over the top of the beans (they will expand), then add 1 tablespoon of vinegar per cup of beans to the water. The acidic medium helps reduce the anti-nutrients in beans that block absorption of vitamins and minerals.

9. Use ACV in your bath. Add ½- 1 cup to your bath water along with epsom salts and lavender essential oil for a relaxing and detoxifying bath.

10. Help treat yeast infections by adding 1 cup ACV to your bath or by adding 1 tablespoon to your water in the morning.

Source: HealyRealFoodVegetarian

10 Signs You Have A Thyroid Problem

It's estimated that as many as 25 million Americans have a thyroid problem, and half of them have no idea that they do.Hypothyroidism, or an under-active thyroid, accounts for 90% of all thyroid imbalances.

The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in the center of your neck, is the master gland of metabolism. How well your thyroid is functioning is inter-related with every system in your body. If your thyroid is not running optimally, then neither are you.

Here are 10 signs that you could have an underactive thyroid:

1. Fatigue after sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night or needing to take a nap daily.

2. Weight gain or the inability to lose weight.

3. Mood issues such as mood swings, anxiety or depression. 

4. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, irregular periods, infertility and low sex drive.

5. Muscle pain, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or tendonitis.

6. Cold hands and feet, feeling cold when others are not, or having a body temperature consistently below 98.5.

7. Dry or cracking skin, brittle nails and excessive hair loss.

8. Constipation.

9. Mind issues such as brain fog, poor concentration or poor memory.

10. Neck swelling, snoring or hoarse voice.

How does you thyroid gland work?

Thyroid hormone production is regulated by a feedback loop between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and the thyroid gland. Hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulates pituitary thyrotropin (TSH) synthesis and secretion. 

In turn, TSH stimulates production and release of T4 and T3 from the thyroid gland. When enough T4 is produced, it signals to TRH and TSH that there is enough thyroid hormone in circulation and not to produce more.  

About 85% of the hormone produced by our thyroid gland is T4, which is an inactive form of the hormone. After T4 is made, a small amount of it is converted into T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone.

The role of Reverse T3 is not well known, however, I do see it elevated in persons under extreme stress...

To complicate matters, T3 also gets converted into either Free T3 (FT3) or Reverse T3 (RT3). It's the Free T3 that really matters in all of this, since it's the only hormone that can attach to a receptor and cause your metabolism to rise, keep you warm, keep your bowels moving, mind working, and other hormones in check. The role of Reverse T3 is not well known, however, I do see it elevated in persons under extreme stress and those who have mercury toxicity.

And finally, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease, is the most common form of hypothyroidism and its numbers are rising annually. An autoimmune disease is one in which your body turns on itself and begins to attack a certain organ or tissue believing its foreign. 

I routinely screen all of my patients for autoimmune thyroid disease by ordering Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). 

Why is hypothyroidism so under diagnosed in the USA?

Many symptoms of thyroid imbalance are vague and most doctors spend only a few minutes talking with patients to sort out the cause of their complaint. 

Most conventional doctors use only one or two tests

Most conventional doctors use only one or two tests (TSH and T4) to screen for problems. They are not checking FT3, RT3 or thyroid antibodies.

Most conventional doctors use the ‘normal’ lab reference range as their guide only. Rather than listening to their patients symptoms, they use ‘optimal’ lab values and temperature as their guide.

Which lab tests are best to determine if you have a thyroid problem?

I check the below panel on each of my patients. Make sure your doctor does the same for you.

• TSH
• Free T4
• Free T3
• Reverse T3
• Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb)
• Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb)

What are the ‘optimal’ lab values for thyroid tests?

In my practice, I have found that the below are the ranges in which my patients (and myself) thrive.  I listen to my patients as well and take how they are feeling into account.

• TSH 1-2 UIU/ML or lower (Armour or compounded T3 can artificially suppress TSH)
• FT4  >1.1 NG/DL
• FT3 > 3.2 PG/ML
• RT3 less than a 10:1 ratio RT3:FT3
• TPO –
• TgAb - < 4 IU/ML or negative

What are 10 things you can do to improve your thyroid function?

1. Make sure you are taking a high quality multivitamin with Iodine, Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Vitamin D and B vitamins.

2. Take a tyrosine and iodine supplement to help with the FT4 to FT3 conversion.

3. Go gluten-free! If you have Hashimoto’s, try going completely grain and legume free.

4. Deal with your stress and support your adrenal glands. The adrenal glands and thyroid work hand and hand. I recommend restorative yoga and adaptogenic herbs, which support the adrenal glands in coping with stress.

5. Get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night.

6. Have a biological dentist safely remove any amalgam fillings you may have.

7. Watch your intake of cruciferous vegetables. There is a bit of a debate surrounding this.

8. Get fluoride, bromide and chlorine out of your diet and environment.

9. Heal your gut. A properly functioning digestive system (gut) is critical to good health. To learn more, click here. 

10. Find a functional medicine doctor in your area and have them run the above laboratory test and work with you to find our root cause of the thyroid imbalance.

Source: EatLocalGrown

Read more about -- Herbs that can heal your thyroid here:
http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2013/12/herbs-for-thyroid.html

How Garlic Can Save Your Life

Research on garlic indicates that it may provide an ideal low-cost and safe alternative to drugs and vaccines in reducing the three most common causes of death in the world.

In a world mesmerized by the false promises of pharmaceutical industry marketing copy, as well as inundated with aggressively marketed dietary supplements, many of which are manufactured by the same companies making a killing off patented chemicals (Bayer owns One A Day, Pfizer owns Centrum), it is reassuring to know that the kitchen pantry will never fail us...

Inexpensive, time-tested, safe and delicious, many spices are attaining recognition for being, quite literally, 'life saving,' which is likely one reason why, in ancient times, many were worth their weight in gold.

This time around, the health benefits of ancient 'folk remedies' like garlic are being confirmed by straight-laced men and women in lab coats. Which, when it comes to the conventional medical establishment, blighted as it is by the epistemological disease known as myopia, is considered the only valid way to ascertain the truth. Never mind the countless millions of people who, since the beginning of time, have used a different standard of proof: if it works and it is safe, then its true.

We all know that garlic is not shy to make its presence known. The smallest culinary dose is enough to suffuse the entire body with its aroma. Garlic also permeates the research literature: the biomedical database known as MEDLINE, provided by the National Library of Medicine, contains 4245 study abstracts on garlic, a number of which we have indexed and organized for your use on our site:Health Benefits of Garlic.

A cursory perusal of the literature there indicates that garlic has a significant role to play in preventing or treating well over 150 health conditions, ranging from cancer to diabetes, infection to plaque buildup in the arteries, DNA damage to mercury poisoning.

In fact, a strong argument can be made (pun intended) that expanding the availability of garlic around the world as both a food and a medicine could prevent millions of deaths annually. According to World Health Organization statistics, the populations of poorer countries die manly from causes directly connected to communicable infectious diseases, which incidentally are not caused by a lack of vaccines, rather, primarily through under-nutrition and malnourishment, lack of sanitation and hygiene, as well as the adverse physiological consequences of the depression and stress associated with poverty.  The greater use and availability of garlic might provide a perfect alternative to global vaccine initiatives, the use of which are driven less by compelling scientific research, and more by political and economic forces. Garlic is easier to acquire and distribute, and can often be grown by the affected persons or communities affected, making it essentially free.

Garlic Versus #1 Cause of Death for the Poorest Countries

As far as the research goes, garlic has immensely powerful anti-infective properties, experimentally confirmed to kill the following:

This is an impressive smattering of research, but it is likely only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to garlic's ability to fight infection.  Remember, a lack of scientific proof does imply a lack of efficacy. Given that conventional antibiotics are not only failing, but driving bacteria and viruses into greater lethality, we can't wait around for the multi-billion dollar clinical trial-based drug approval process to turn its attention to a non-patentable natural substance.  Such a profit-oriented approach would be highly unethical. 

Garlic Versus the Developed World's #1 and #2 Killers

The research on Greenmedinfo.com shows garlic has value in 167 health conditions or disease symptoms, but the greatest density of research indicates garlic's role in preventing and/or treatingCardiovascular Disease and Cancers, the two primary causes of death within high-income countries.[27]   

This is an interesting finding. The drug industry has been fantasizing about a so-called 'polypill' for quite some time, an idea involving mixing various patented medicines together for a condition like heart disease (e.g. blood pressure, cholesterol, blood thinner), but to no avail. Patented chemicals have far too many side effects, so when you mix them together, you only compound their multitudinous chemical toxicities. Natural substances, on the other hand, and especially those which play a role in culinary traditions as "spices," appear to have the opposite karma. Namely, they have far more 'side benefits' than 'side effects.'

Garlic's cardioprotective effects include:

Here is a quick review of the cancers that garlic has been found to kill:

Garlic, like so many other complex foods, contains a wide range of phytocompounds that articulate at least 150 distinct physiological responses in the mammalian body (see our 157 pharmacological actions list on the Garlic Research page).

How can this be so?

One explanation is that all foods contain not only physical building blocks, e.g. carbs, proteins, lipids, and are not only a source of energy (caloric content), but contain gene and epigene regulatory information. There are 'packets' of energy and information contained within the conformational state of the biomolecules found within these plant tissues. Our co-evolution with the plant kingdom for the past half a billion years has resulted in the very genetic/molecular fabric of our body depending on certain key compounds from plants in our diet, delivered in natural form, not irradiated, overly-cooked, petrochemically-farmed. Garlic's ability to fit like a key, into many different types of locks (an impossible feat for monochemical 'magic bullets'), reflects an likely infinitely complex intelligence in the relationship between plant and animal species. Which speaks to how important foods are not simply as 'medicine,' but that from which our bodily health grows organically, and without which disease is a natural consequence.

Source: GreenMedInfo