Archive for May, 2010

Natural Remedies For Fibromyalgia Pain Relief

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder characterized by acute pain in the muscles and joints on the application of pressure on the body. Other symptoms of the fibromyalgia syndrome include fatigue, stiffness in the joints leading to sleep disturbances, slower bowel movements causing digestive system ailments, difficulty in swallowing, tingling and numbness, and even cognitive dysfunction.

The major causes of fibromyalgia could be stress, improper serotonin metabolism, genetic predisposition, certain physiological factors, and deficiency of growth hormone.

There are various remedies to relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia, one being acupuncture. Acupuncture is a complementary medicinal technique, which involves the insertion of very fine needles on specific points of the body, referred to as acupuncture points or meridians. The needles are inserted for the purpose of relieving pain.

Although acupuncture is not a permanent cure for fibromyalgia, this ancient traditional Chinese therapy is effective in relieving the pain in the muscles and joints, which is a primary symptom of fibromyalgia. However, it doesn’t alleviate the secondary symptoms of fibromyalgia like sleep disturbances and fatigue.

Home Remedies To Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain

As such, it is best to employ acupuncture as a complementary therapy, along with other home remedies. Some of the highly effective home remedies to relieve fibromyalgia are:

  • First of all, you must consume a balanced diet which is rich in fiber or roughage. You must include foods like cabbage, carrot, radish, beet root and onion as salads to relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
  • Coconut water is helpful in alleviating fibromyalgia.
  • As stress is a major cause of this affliction, you are recommended to resort to stress relieving measures like meditation and yoga. This will relieve fibromyalgia pain and sleeplessness as well.
  • Avoid consuming fatty and oily foods, aerated drinks, and packaged or canned foods.
  • You should consume honey and lemon juice to cure fibromyalgia. Take two teaspoons of lemon juice and honey each, mix them in lukewarm water, and drink the mixture.
  • An intake of ripe cherries is also a good remedy to relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. You can cook ripe cherries in jaggery and butter and consume this mixture al least three times a day.
  • You are also recommended to consume fresh orange juice mixed with cod liver oil to relieve fibromyalgia.
  • Raw papaya seeds also help cure fibromyalgia. You can grind the papaya seeds and consume the paste with water.

Acupuncture is effective in relieving fibromyalgia pain, but not the other symptoms of the disease. As such, you must deploy acupuncture in conjunction with other home remedies, or alternatively, allopathic treatment to permanently cure the affliction.

Medicinal Properties Of Oregano Essential Oil

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Oregano essential oil is manufactured from the fresh leaves of oregano. This oil is extracted through the process of steam distillation. There are many components of this oil which give it effective anti viral, anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti allergenic, and digestive properties. In Greece, this oil has been used since ages for its disinfecting and anti-bacterial properties. The oil was not only used for treating bacterial and fungal infections, but also for protecting food from spoiling due to bacterial invasion. The oregano plant does not grow in the plains and is only found on elevations or hilly regions. The word oregano itself means ‘Delight of the Mountains’.

Health Benefits Of Oregano Essential Oil

There are many other medicinal properties of the oregano plant for which it is very famous.

  • The anti viral properties of the oil helps you fight against infections and boost your immunity against viral infections like pox, common cold, and mumps.
  • The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of the oil also help boost overall immunity, protecting you from different kinds of infections and disorders like urinary tract infection, cholera, typhoid, infections of the skin, sores, and infections in the ear, nose and throat. Due to its properties, the oil can be used both externally and internally.
  • Oregano oil is also considered to be an excellent antioxidant. Consuming oregano oil on a regular basis can help protect you from free radicals and the damage that they do inside your body. The antioxidant properties of this essential oil slow down the ageing process, protecting you from cancers and muscular degeneration.
  • Oregano oil can also be used for the treatment of inflammation. It can be applied externally on sores or areas of the body which are inflamed.
  • Alternatively, the oil can also be consumed to treat internal inflammation, if any.
  • Parasites, such as round worms, lice, and tapeworms can also be kept away by using the oregano essential oil. You can apply the oil on your skin to protect yourself from mosquito bites, head lice and bed bugs.
  • The sedative properties of oregano essential oils can also be utilized for treating allergies. The oil helps the immune system to calm down so that it stops producing histamines—chemicals which cause allergic symptoms.
  • Since the oil also aids in digestion by causing the body to secrete more digestive juices, it is also used to cure indigestion and other digestive problems.
  • Some of the other benefits of oregano oil include the healing of infections like athlete’s foot, psoriasis and skin eczema. If you have infections caused by E. Coli, oregano oil can be used for treatment.

Knee Joint Pain Relief With Massage Therapy

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Knee pain is something that can really cause a lot of discomfort. Apart from the constant pain, problems in the knee also severely restrict mobility. Though the knee is a strong joint, it is also one of the most used and most injury prone ones. Since the knee also carries the entire weight of our body, the wear and tear is also quite extensive.

As your age increases, the joint of the knee naturally deteriorates, causing additional pain and discomfort. In the long run, knee pain can be extremely frustrating and difficult to manage. Fortunately, there are many home remedies which can be used to ease the pain and increase the range of motion. In some cases like injuries and fractures, the knee requires medical attention. Those who suffer from chronic conditions like arthritis and rheumatism may also need medical attention.

Some of the common causes of knee pain include arthritis, injuries of the ligament, meniscal tear or ACL tear, injuries of other surrounding cartilaginous tissue, patellar tendonitis, dislocation of knee cap, Osgood Schlatter disease, chondromalacia patella, Baker’s cyst, plica syndrome, bursitis, gout and osteochondritis dissecans.

Knee massage is one of the most effective ways of decreasing knee pain. You can gently massage your knee with your hands.

  • Before you massage your knee vigorously, warm it up, using both your hands. With your left hand, massage the outer part of the knee with gentle and slow moving strokes, and with your right hand, stroke the inner portion of the knee. Move your hands along the length of the mid calf to the lower part of the thigh, repeating the slow gentle motion.
  • After a brief warm up, continue with a more invigorating massage. Press the muscles firmly against the bones, applying pressure on the muscles.
  • Now, moving your hands along the length of the knee, use the fingers and the thumb to pick and pull at the muscles. As you pull, also give a gentle squeeze to the muscles. While doing this, keep your fingers relaxed so that you don’t end up pinching yourself hard. Repeat this for some time, moving your hands from the top of the knee to the groin and then moving back to the knee, reaching down to the middle of your calf.
  • Follow this with an even deeper, friction massage. For this massage, simply use the tips of the middle finger of both the hands. Just like before, start applying pressure from the top of the knee and move towards the inner part. Continue making a circle around the knee, using the force in your middle fingers. Repeat several times for maximum comfort.

Essential Oils For Rosacea Natural Treatment

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Rosacea is a skin condition, which is chronic in nature. This condition mostly affects adults. It is characterized by small red colored bumps on the skin which can appear either scattered or in concentrated clusters. Their presence can be seen on the face, especially around the nose. The symptoms of rosacea may improve or worsen on their own with time. However, it can recur anytime and is therefore considered a cyclical condition.

The treatment of Rosacea is often costly and intrusive. Most of the times, the treatment is not very effective too. The causes of the disease have not yet been identified, because of which exact cures have also not been found. There are however, certain factors which may have some affect on the disease. Some of these factors include sensitivity of the skin, stress, heredity, exposure to extreme temperatures, chemical exposure, food allergies, and certain drugs.

If you are already suffering from the disease, it has been seen that spicy foods, corticosteroids and alcohol can worsen the symptoms. Though the doctors have not been able to find any permanent cure for this disease, there are plenty of alternative therapies that you can try. Though these alternative therapies do not promise any results, they are free of side effects and cannot worsen your symptoms any further.

Aromatherapy For Rosacea Cure

Essential oils and aromatherapy have been successfully used to treat patients of Rosacea. Since essential oils have been historically used for skin care, it is safe to presume that they may have a better effect on skin than over-the-counter drugs. For thousands of years, aromatherapy has been used to treat skin ailments in countries like China and India. Essential oils are even used in most of the cosmetic formulations that are sold commercially.

These essential oils are pure oils, extracted from various parts of plants. They are usually applied directly on the skin where there is appearance of the disease. However, if rosacea is spread all over the body, you can add a few drops of the therapeutic oil to your bath and soak your body in it.

Some of the most effective oils for this therapy are eucalyptus oil, vetiver oil, lavender oil, chamomile oil, clary sage, tea tree oil, sandalwood oil, frankincense oil, rosewood oil, cedarwood oil and helichrysum. Make sure that these oils are of the best quality. If you use oils which are not pure or are mixed with other low grade ingredients, you may end up aggravating the symptoms.