Most of the human population experiences a headache at some time in their life. They come on unexpectedly and for different reasons. There are primary headaches, secondary headaches, cluster headaches, and headaches caused by our environment. Some headaches may be caused by a disease, stress, and by what you eat and drink.

A headache is a pain in a particular part of the head. It can be above the eyes, in the back of the neck, and behind the ears. Tension headaches are the most common form of headache. 90 percent of the adult population experiences a tension headache one time during their life. Women are especially prone to tension headaches. Men have headaches but not as often as women.

A headache may become intense and can turn into a migraine. A migraine is the most common form of primary headache. Studies show that as many as 12 percent of the adult population will have a migraine. They also affect children. Boys and girls are equally affected by migraines. That statistic changes after puberty when girls are more affected than boys.  Read more...

A vaginal yeast infection means that there are too many yeast cells growing in the vagina. Yeast cells are common boat in the vaginal area and the lower intestine. Once the yeast grows out of control it become a problem which results as an infection. Although these in sections are bothersome they are not usually serious.

Most yeast infections are cause by a type of yeast called Candida albicans. In a healthy vagina there are many bacteria and a small number of yeast cells. The most common bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus, help to keep other organisms, like yeast, under control. When something happens to change the balance of these organisms, or the environment, in the vaginal vault, the yeast will begin to grow out of control.

Things like taking antibiotics or high dose estrogen caused by pregnancy or hormone replacement therapy can cause this imbalance in the vaginal vault. Certain other problems such as diabetes or HIV infections can also cause this imbalance in the body.  Read more...

We’ve unwittingly scheduled our time so that it’s difficult to get off the roller coaster long enough to take stock of our lives and see that we are doing too much – we have too much on our plate.

We are making sure we take that thirty minutes per day for ourselves, praying or doing meditation, eating as well as we think we can, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, playing sports and numerous other things we’ve read about that might reduce stress. We’ve used time management skills in order to accomplish more. Tomorrow we wake up and repeat the entire process again. It’s no longer unusual – it’s accepted and expected.

We live in a society that values activity. A friend calls on the phone and asks what we’re doing. We answer, ‘Keeping busy.’ We’re so busy being active that we haven’t taken the time to consider alternatives to the methods we’re presently using to manage stress.  Read more...

Internally

* echinacea
* elder bark
* goldenrod
* goldenseal
* eyebright
* ground ivy
* ribwort

as an infusion, tincture

Good combinations:

* Eyebright with elderflower
* Ground ivy with cudweed, ribwort and goldenrod in tincture or with chamomile in an infusion

There are currently five well documented instances of migraines that are diagnosed more often than any other kind. Three of them are well worth studying in more detail, since they represent the most common complaints given by patients to healthcare professionals.

1. Children are most likely to experience abdominal migraines. It is uncertain if they are brought on by stress or nervousness, or if they simply occur as part of the neurological disorder. Like most other migraines they last from one to three days, and express themselves in abdominal pain that cannot be traced back to the ingestion of certain foods or problems with bowel movements. There has been a fair amount of research that suggests that children who present at a young age with abdominal migraines will as adults develop different forms of the condition.  Read more...

In an article published October 2008, Mayo Clinic researchers have proposed that most chronic sinus infections may be caused by an immune system response to fungus. Many studies at the Mayo Clinic have added evidence to the thinking that chronic rhinitis is caused by an immune reaction to fungus in the nose. The original study was published in September 1999 and has been reproduced and confirmed by a sinus Center in Europe.

Currently Mayo Clinic has 16 further studies being done to investigate the role of fungus in an inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract. Other researchers found that certain white blood cells are reacting to the fungus and producing the kind of inflammation seen in the sinuses. Researchers have found that healthy people did not have the same reaction. This evidence was so convincing that the National Institute of Health has given Mayo Clinic at $2.5 million grant to further investigate the response of the body to fungus.  Read more...

There are many treatments and medications available to those who suffer from migraines. The important first step to finding relief is to receive a diagnosis of migraines from your doctor or medical health professional. After the diagnosis is made a treatment plan can be devised based on your symptoms.

There are two categories of medications that are typically a part of most treatment plans for those who suffer from migraines. These categories are pain-relieving drugs and preventative medications. Pain-relieving drugs are used to abort the acute type of headaches are taken while a migraine attack is already in progress. The purpose of these drugs is to stop or at least minimize the symptoms you experience during a migraine attack.

Preventative medications are part of the treatment plan that involves a strategy to manage the frequency or severity of your migraines. The hope is that by managing the frequency and severity of your symptoms you will be able to control the debilitating nature of your migraine attacks and thus function better at work, school or in your normal daily routine.  Read more...

One in ten people are affected by the common inflammatory skin disease, eczema. Other skin diseases have similar symptoms to eczema, so it is wise to have a proper diagnosis from your doctor. Eczema commonly affects the hands, behind the knees and the elbows but it can also be found almost anywhere on the body. Eczema is extremely itchy and typical symptoms are thickening, scaly patches of skin that become red and fissured. Sometimes tiny blisters appear called vesicles that rapture, weep and eventually crust over.

There many different types of eczema which are allergic (contact dermatitis), asteatotic (affects the legs, manly in the elderly), atopic (affects the face, neck, elbows and knees), discoid (round lesions that affect the trunk and leg), lichen simplex (caused by irritation of the skin), photoallergic (caused by sunlight on sensitive skin), pompholyx (affects the fingers, hands and soles of the feet), seborrhoeic (affects the face and scalp) and statis (affects the lower leg).  Read more...

USING CRYSTALS

When using crystals the following factors are considered:

* the shape,
* colour and
* energy

The energy and consciousness of Crystals are used to:

* heal,
* balance,
* amplify,
* cleanse,
* bridge,
* focus,
* diffuse
* align
* and mirror

You get many variations of form, composition, colour and size – and although crystals can be grouped into types, they still each have a unique feel and energy.

Choosing a Crystal

There are several ways to choose a crystal

1. By gut feel. Trust your intuition to guide you to a crystal that resonates with what you need.
2. By looking up the meanings of the crystals and choosing a crystal that provides the energy that you are looking for.
3. By speaking to a healer or crystal therapsit, who can advise which crystal is best for you.

Cleaning your Crystals:

There are many varied opinions about how to clense your crystals. Choose whatever suits you and what feels right. Generally crystals are clensed periodically to booste their performance and to nurture them.  Read more...

At the first sign of a stuffy nose place 1 drop of Eucalyptus on the corner of your pillow.

This can sometimes even stop a cold from coming on. For young children use Eucalyptus Smithi a much safer oil.

Daily Aromatherapy tip from AromaThyme