Posted on: Aug 25, '08
Some Heath Tips - One should Know
Asthma: causes and home remedies
Asthma is an ancient Greek word meaning 'panting or shortdrawn breath'. It is an allergic condition resulting from the reaction of the body to one or more allergens, and is the most troublesome of respiratory diseases. An asthma patient gets frequent attacks of breathlessness, in between which he may even be completely normal.
Asthma Causes
Allergy caused by weather conditions
Asthma is caused by a variety of factors. It may be due to an allergy caused by weather conditions, food, drugs, perfumes, and other irritants. Allergies to dust are the most common..
Asthma Cures
Asthma treatment using Honey
Honey is one of the most common home remedies for asthma. It is said that if a jug of honey is held under the nose of an asthma patient and he inhales the air that comes into contact with it, he starts breathing easier and deeper.
Asthma treatment using Figs
Among fruits, figs have proved very valuable in asthma. They give comfort to the patient by draining off the phlegm.. Three or four dry figs should be cleaned thoroughly with warm water and soaked overnight.
Asthma treatment using Lemon
Lemon is another fruit found beneficial in the treatment of asthma. The juice of one lemon, diluted in a glass of water and taken with meals, will bring good results
Asthma treatment using Indian Gooseberry
Indian gooseberry has also proved valuable in asthma. Five grams of gooseberry mixed with one tablespoon of honey forms an effective medicinal tonic for the treatment of this disease. It should be taken every morning .
Asthma treatment using Bitter Gourd Roots
The roots of the bitter gourd plant have been used in folk medicine for asthma since ancient times. A teaspoon of the root paste, mixed with an equal amount of honey or juice of the tulsi leaves, given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent medicine for this disease.
Asthma treatment using Drumstick Leaves
A soup prepared from drumstick leaves, and taken once daily, has been found beneficial in the treatment of asthma. This soup is prepared by adding a handful of leaves to 180ml of water and boiling it for five minutes. After being allowed to cool, a little salt, pepper, and lime juice may be added to this soup.
Asthma treatment using Ginger
A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice, mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste, acts as an excellent expectorant in cases of asthma. The decoction of fenugreek can be made by mixing one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds in a cupful of water. This remedy should be taken once in the morning and once in the evening.
Asthma treatment using Garlic
Garlic is another effective home remedy for asthma. Ten garlic cloves, boiled in 30 ml of milk, make an excellent medicine for the early stages of asthma. This mixture should he taken once daily by the patient. Steaming ginger tea with two minced garlic cloves in it, can also help to keep the problem under control, and should be taken in the morning and evening.
Asthma treatment using Bishop's Weed
The herb bishop's weed has been found valuable in asthma. Half a teaspoon of bishop's weed should be mixed in a glass of buttermilk and taken twice daily. It is an effective remedy for relieving difficult expectoration caused by dried-up phlegm. A hot poultice of the seeds should be used for dry fomentation to the chest twice daily. The. patient can also inhale steam twice a day from boiling water mixed with ajwain. It will dilate the bronchial passages.
Asthma treatment using Safflower
Safflower seeds are beneficial in the treatment of bronchial asthma. Half a teaspoon of powder of the dry seeds, mixed with a tablespoon of honey, can be taken once or twice a day in treating this disease. This acts as an expectorant and reduces the spasms by liquefying the tenacious sputum. An infusion of five grams of flowers mixed with one tablespoon of honey, taken once daily, is also useful in this disease.
Diet for Asthma
carbohydrates, fats and proteins
The patient should avoid common dietetic errors. Ideally, his diet should contain a limited quantity of carbohydrates, fats and proteins which are 'acid-forming' foods, and a liberal quantity of alkali-forming foods consisting of fresh fruits, green vegetables, sprouted seeds, and grains. The patient should avoid foods which tend to produce phlegm, such as rice, sugar, lentils, and curds. He should also avoid fried and other difficult to-digest foods, strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, condiments pickles, sauces and all refined and processed foods..
Suggestions for Asthma
Fasting and exercises
The patient should also follow the other laws of nature. Air, sun, and water are great healing agents. Regular fasting once a week, an occasional enema, breathing exercises, fresh air, a dry climate, light exercises, and correct posture go a long way in treating the disease.
DRY SKIN & WINTER ITCH
As winter approaches, our bodies turn toward flannel, our attention turns toward cheap Florida airfares, and our skin takes a turn toward something resembling Melba toast.
You can blame that toasted skin on the warm, toasty air that heats our homes, schools and offices. When it gets cold, we naturally warm up the house. The problem is, unless you add humidity to your surroundings with a humidifier or pans of water near radiators, a heated room has only about 15 percent relative humidity-as dry as Death Valley. And that turns our skin dry, flaky, scaly and usually itchy (and always bothersome)
Plus, there are other irritants to make matters worse--wind, cold, soaps, water (which dries skin when it evaporates), even added stress. Put it all together and your epidermis can dry out quicker than Aunt Gizelda's holiday fruitcake.
Dry skin and winter itch share a lot of symptoms with eczema and dermatitis, and some of the remedies for those problems can bring relief. But the key to making the winter season a merry one, itch-wise, is keeping your birthday suit well protected.
Here's how.
Keep skin moisturized. Probably the most important thing you can do to prevent and treat dry skin is to
moisturize daily with a cream-based moisturizer, advises Sheryl Clark, M.D., a dermatologist at The New
York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. "An oil-free moisturizer is recommended for those
who tend to break out. Also, those with sensitive skin should choose a moisturizer without perfumes or
lanolin." The brands most highly recommended by experts include Eucerin, Complex 15, Moisturel,
Aquaphor and Aquaderm-all available over the counter.
But don't get soaked. You don't need expensive skin creams to keep skin moisturized. "Nothing beats
plain petroleum jelly or mineral oil as a moisturizer, " says Howard Donsky, M.D., associate professor of
medicine at the University of Toronto and author of Beauty Is Skin Deep. In fact, he acids that virtually any
vegetable oil or hydrogenated cooking oil--from Crisco oil to sunflower or peanut oil--can be used to
relieve dry skin. But note: They do feet greasier than commercial moisturizers.
Don't be too hyper about your hygiene. "Bathe in cool to tepid water as briefly as possible and no more
than once a day," according to Michael Ramsey, M.D., clinical instructor of dermatology at Baylor
College of Medicine in Houston. "Cleansing lotions are more gentle than soaps, and they're just as
effective at removing dirt," adds Leonard Swinyer, M.D., clinical professor of medicine at the University of
Utah in Salt Lake City. And don't use a washcloth--just your fingertips. If you must use soaps, stick with mild
brands such as Dove, Aveeno or Basis.
Add some oil to your bath. Make the most of your tub time by adding a bath oil rich in moisturizers- -even
when you apply creams after bathing.
Again, there's no need for the fancy stuff: Plain ol' castor oil is an excellent, low-cost choice. "It's one of
the few oils that will disperse in water, and it won't leave a ring around the tub," says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D.,
professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and author of The Honest Harbal.
Make your own bath oil by mixing 1/2 cup of castor oil with ten drops of sandalwood-, pine-, rosemary-
or mint-scented oil and storing it in a closed jar. Add one teaspoon of the mixture each time you bathe.
For those who prefer store-bought brands, Alpha Keri body oil, Geri-Bath and Nutraderm bath oil are highly recommended.
Caution: Be careful in the bathroom, because these oils can make tubs and floors extremely slippery.
Dry yourself damp. After bathing, pat your skin almost dry-never totally dry with a towel. While the skin is
still damp, apply your moisturizing lotion. "It's more effective to apply moisturizer to damp skin
immediately after bathing than to put it on totally dry skin, because the moisturizer is what holds the water
in," says Kenneth H. Neldner, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Dermatology at Texas
Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. "A couple of pats with a towel will make you as dry as
you want to be before you apply the lotion. You're trying to trap a little water in the skin, and that's the
fundamental rule in fighting off dryness." If you have dry hands, he advises keeping some moisturizer near
each sink in the house and using it as needed.
Be wary of wool. Clothing made of wool--or any other fuzzy or heavy material--can be particularly
irritating to excessively dry skin, says Stephen M. Purcell, D.O., chairman of the Department of
Dermatology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and assistant clinical professor at
Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. "The last thing itchy skin needs is to have
something scratchy over it. Cotton is probably the best material to wear, since polyester blends can also
be irritating to some people."
Shave before bedtime. Shaving is tough enough on your tender skin, but meeting the cold reality of Old
Man Winter right afterward makes your dry skin even worse, adds Dr. Swinyer. Unless you're hampered by
severe five o'clock shadow, shave before bedtime, when your puss won't be subjected to such a drastic
change in temperature.
And avoid eye-opening after-shaves. Their high alcohol content is too drying and zaps remaining
moisture during this mean season, adds Dr. Swinyer.
Wear baggy, loose-fitting clothing. In addition to being more abrasive, tighter clothing traps perspiration,
which softens the outer layer of skin, breaks down its protective barrier and worsens dry skin, says
dermatologist Rodney Basler, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebras
ka Medical Center in Omaha. But looser-fitting clothes, particularly in "breathable" fabrics like cotton,
allow perspiration to be absorbed naturally.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions
on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The
responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.
The service is provided as general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the
medical advice of your own doctor.
Tags: heath tps
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