Natural Holistic Health Blog

Inspired by Better Basics for the Home, by Annie B. Bond (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

I once bought active royal bee jelly for a skincare formula I was making, and decided to feel what it felt like on my face, so I massaged a small amount into my skin.

In a few minutes I noticed my skin tightening. I decided to go look in the mirror, and low and behold I looked like I had just had a face lift! While putting royal jelly on straight is too tightening to wear comfortably for very long, I formulated a royal jelly face lift cream that feels good and gives the look of a face lift too! Here is the formula:

The Royal Jelly Facelift Cream

This easy skin cream only takes 25 minutes to make! Use ‘active’ royal jelly available in health food stores.

* 2 1/2 ounces blended oils (see “What are the Best Oils for Your Skin,” below)
* 1 1/2 ounces coconut oil or cocoa butter
* 1/2 ounce beeswax
* 4 ounces distilled or purified water
* 2-3 teaspoon active royal jelly
* 30 drops grapefruit seed extract (available in health food stores)
* Essential oils of choice (optional)

Filed under: Beautiful Skin, Oil Recipes by Dee
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1. Substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg in baking
2. Try lean ham, Canadian bacon, turkey bacon and reduced fat sausage and bacon instead of regular sausage and bacon.
3. Season vegetables with lemon, garlic, onion, chives or pepperinstead of animal fat.
4. Have cooked dry beans and peas instead of meat occasionally; or substitute for part of the meat in casseroles.
5. Bake, broil or boil with liquid vegetable oils in place of animal fat.
6. Eat moderate portions (3* 4 ounces) rather then large servings of lean meats and poultry.
7. Select lean cuts of meat and trim visible fat; remove skin from poultry.
8. Try reduced fat or fat free varieties of milk, cheese, ice cream, sour cream and yogurt.
9. Enjoy all types of seafood, including shellfish and canned fish packed in water.
10. Make an egg omelet using egg whites and either one or no egg yolk.

The Beef on Cholesterol

You often never hear anything good about cholesterol, but it actually has some very important functions in the body. Cholesterol is a fatty, wax* like substance that helps the brain and nervous system operate normally, and it’s used to make cell walls, hormones and vitamin D.

Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Health & Vitality, Heart, Blood, Circulatory by Dee
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What causes airborne allergies, hayfever and allergic rhinitis?

With every breath we take, we breathe in millions of microscopic particles such as dust, pollen, plant spores, viruses, bacteria and even pollutants in the form of chemicals in the air.

Many of these particles are filtered and removed by the nose and respiratory system, while others enter the body. If the immune system is strong and healthy, it can ward off infection against pollutants, viruses and other harmful airborne substances that may enter the body.

Normally the immune system will ignore harmless airborne particles entering the body such as pollen, house dust, animal dander, etc. In some people, however, the immune system misinterprets these harmless particles and identifies them as being dangerous to the system.

This triggers a release of a substance called histamine, as well as other inflammatory compounds in the body, which cause a condition called ‘allergic rhinitis‘ and hayfever.

People who develop allergic rhinitis in warm weather, wind or at spring time are generally allergic to grass, tree and flower pollens. Those who have this reaction all year round are probably also allergic to house dust, mold or animal dander.

Filed under: Herbs For Health, Home and Family, Respiratory Conditions by Dee
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Boil three large carrots and puree in a food processor. Add 5 tbsp. yogurt and mix well. Apply in an upward motion, and leave on for 15 minutes, then splash off with warm water.

Makes a soothing, moisturizing mask that leaves dry skin soft and silky.

Originally posted 2006-06-07 11:14:11.

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Filed under: Beautiful Skin, Herbal Recipes by Dee
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by Warren Matthews of Xtend-Life

Glycation…a simple explanation to a complex problem…

Glycation is even more dangerous to your health than free radicals! It is important that you understand what it is, how it is caused and how to protect yourself against it.

In order to appreciate the problems associated with glycation there are some basic biological facts that you need to be aware of.

Firstly, the role that proteins play in your body!

Proteins are valuable biological molecules which are found in almost every part of your body and have a variety of functions. They are present inside the cells making the life of the cell possible. Without them you would not survive as these proteins are needed to carry oxygen and nutrients to the tissues.

Proteins are made up of strings of different amino acids. To function properly they need to be ‘free agents’. In other words they need to remain as singular molecules to move around and perform their tasks.

So far, so good…

However, proteins have ‘enemies’ that they are exposed to every day. These ‘enemies’ are in the form of…glucose molecules, sugars, and similar chemicals known as aldehydes. All these molecules can be referred to loosely as glycating agents.

Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Health & Vitality by Dee
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Green Tea Contains The Following:

Tannins – A group of simple and complex phenol, polyphenol, and flavonoid compounds. Produced by plants, all of the tannins are relatively resistant to digestion or fermentation. All tannins act as astringents, shrinking tissues and contracting structural proteins in the skin and mucosa.

What Does This Do For You?

Having a cup of green tea after a meal can aid in digestion. Green tea has been used for thousand of years in Asia as a digestive.

Catechins – Catechins are a category of polyphenols. In green tea, catechins are present in significant quantities, more specifically; epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG makes up about 10-50% of the total catechin content and appears to be the most powerful of the catechins – with antioxidant activity about 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E.

A cup of green tea may provide 10-40mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant activity greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries.

What Else Does This Do For You?

Well having a powerful anti-oxidant coursing through your system after a heavy workout is just what you need to curb free radical damage.

Filed under: Herbs For Health, Health & Vitality by Dee
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Neroli and chamomile oils are well known for their healing qualities.

* 10 Drops neroli essential oil
* 5 Drops chamomile essential oil
* 6 Fl. Oz. Unscented baby bath liquid

Mix the oils with the unscented bath liquid. Use as you would any bubble bath.

Originally posted 2007-03-17 15:18:52.

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Filed under: Scent Recipes, Scented Baths by Dee
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When you feel as if you’re coming down with a fever, the best thing you can do is take an over-the-counter (OTC) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as Motrin or Tylenol to make it go away… right? Not necessarily, says Thomas A. Kruzel, ND, a naturopathic physician in private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, and past president of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. In fact, in most cases, the answer is no.

According to Dr. Kruzel, fever is one of the body’s most effective weapons for fighting disease, and usually the best thing you can do is to let it run its course and do its job. Forcing a fever down can cause an illness to last longer or even to possibly be worse than it might have been if the fever were allowed to burn it out. To clear away any further misconceptions or misunderstanding, Dr. Kruzel shared more thoughts on what a fever does and how to best cope with one…

FEVER CAN BE YOUR ALLY

We are constantly bombarded with pharmaceutical ads for OTC fever and pain relievers. The result: Our culture has developed a fear of fever, when in reality fever can be our ally. In children, for example, fever’s destruction of bacteria is an important way to build up young immune systems.

Filed under: Health & Vitality by Dee
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What is meditation?

The basic idea generally associated with why people meditate is that during our day we are constantly subjected to sensory input and our minds are always active in the process of thinking. We read the newspaper, study books, write reports, engage in conversation, solve problems, etc etc. Typically, as we do these normal activities we engage in a constant mental commentary, sort of an inner “The Drama of Me.” Usually people aren’t fully aware of all the mental thought activity that we are constantly engaged in.

Meditation allows all this activity to settle down, and often results in the mind becoming more peaceful, calm and focused. In essence, meditation allows the awareness to become ‘rejuvenated’.

Meditation can be considered a technique, or practice. It usually involves concentrating on an object, such as a flower, a candle, a sound or word, or the breath. Over time, the number of random thoughts occuring diminishes. More importantly, your attachment to these thoughts, and your identification with them, progressively become less. The meditator may get caught up in a thought pattern, but once he/she becomes aware of this, attention is gently brought back to the object of concentration. Meditation can also be objectless, for example consisting of just sitting.

Filed under: Meditation, Stress & Relaxation by Dee
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Ever wish you could afford to pamper yourself like the celebrities do? There’s no need to dish out your dough to exclusive spas when you can feel like a movie star right at home! This alluringly fragrant milk bath will delight your senses, uplift your mood and clear out the toxins.

What You Will Need:

* 3 Cups Powdered Milk
* 1/4 Cup Oatmeal (ground into powder)
* 1/3 Cup Almond Meal (ground into powder)
* 1/3 Cup Baking Soda
* 1/3 Detoxifying and Uplifting Aromatic Blend
*10 drops lemongrass essential oil
* 9 drops grapefruit essential oil
* 7 drops geranium essential oil

Prepare your Detoxifying and Uplifting Aromatic Blend by pouring your essential oils into a 10-ml bottle and then adding an organic vegetable oil to fill.

* Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
* Store in an air tight container until ready to use.
* Scoop 1/3 of the mix into a muslin bag or even a facecloth.
* Tie closed securely with ribbon or a rubber band.
* Attach the bag to the faucet, allowing the warm water to run over the bag. Add 1/3 of the aromatic blend to your warm bath water and indulge! Soak for at least 15 minutes, deeply breathing in the delightful floral citrus fragrance.

Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Detox, Immunity, Infection, Health & Vitality by Dee
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