Category: medicine

Herbs That Detoxify!

Posted Jul.09, 2009 under healthy life, medicine

Once the kidneys are detoxified, a healthy flow of nutrients are free to make their way to the scalp where they promote healthy hair growth.

Here are list of the top 10 most effective herbs for detoxification.

1. Camomile – a great relaxant and good for the stomach, which helps if you’re tense. It reduces inflammation and it’s a tissue healer – inhale the azulenes given off in the steam to soothe the inflamed mucous membranes of the nose, throat and chest.

2. Skullcap – skutellaria – improves functioning of nervous system; calming effect- it’s good if you’re frazzled .

3. Yarrow – tones the blood vessels and helps you purge toxins by sweating them out.

4. Peppermint – calming, good for the stomach, clears the head, relaxing – and it tastes nice!

5. Elderflower – decongestant, soothing to the mucous membranes; helps to clear out the mucous and catarrh that settles in the lungs of most smokers.

6. Ground Ivy – also decongestant and helps clear out mucous and catarrh.

7. Liquorice – this is an adrenal tonic, so it will perk you up and stop you missing the ‘hit’ of the nicotine quite so much. It’s also demulcent – soothing on the throat – so if you have a smokers cough, this will help. You can get liquorice root as sticks, that you can chew if you want to have something in your fingers and your mouth – good if you’re used to cigarettes as a ‘prop’ – and you can use chunks of liquorice root in the tea.

8. Sarsaparilla root increases the flow of urine and breaks up gas. Classified generally as a blood purifier, it is commonly used for various eruptive skin disorders.

9. Milk Thistle seeds are used for liver, gall bladder and spleen support. It is commonly used as a liver protector when consumed before meals and alcohol consumption.

10. Red Clover is a blood purifier that is mild and mineral-rich. It is good for the general prevention of health problems and may be consumed freely without any known side effects.

Your outer appearance is a pure reflection of how you take care of your inner body. A healthy body, mind, and spirit can be effected by many outside forces. Impurities can be hidden in our air, food, and water, and a build up of toxins can lead to poor digestion, fatigue, lowered immunity, and skin problems.

We urge you to start detoxifying easily by first starting off with some detox teas. There are so many brands which works effectively in detoxifying your body! Start living healthy today!

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How Antidepressant Drugs Work & Effect Us?

Posted Jun.14, 2009 under medicine

While not necessarily addictive, antidepressant drugs can cause serious side effects that lead to erratic behavior. Such side effects create a dangerous situation in the workplace, the home, while driving and in many other instances. Those antidepressant drugs of particular concern are tricyclic antidepressants.

Amitriptyline is an antidepressant drug that goes by the brand name Limbitrol. Nortriptyline is also a part of the tricyclic antidepressant family and is prescribed as Aventyl and Pamelor. Doxepin is used to treat both depression and anxiety and can be found under the names Adapin and Sinequan. Desipramine is sometimes also prescribed to treat eating disorders and withdrawal symptoms from cocaine addiction. It is sold under the name brands Norpramin and Pertofrane.

How Do Tricyclic Antidepressants Work?

Antidepressants work by helping to maintain certain levels of neurotransmitters, chemicals called serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. These chemicals help to regulate mood and modes of thinking. By elevating a person suffering from depression’s mood, antidepressants alleviate the feelings of hopelessness, sadness and the general lack of interest in living associated with their condition. The medication is typically taken as an antidepressant pill, but is also available in syrup form.

Effects of Antidepressant Drugs

Antidepressant drugs, especially tricyclic antidepressant drugs can cause a whole array of side effects. Side effects include, upset stomach, dry mouth, increase in skin sensitivity, insomnia, drowsiness, changes in sex drive, changes in appetite and confusion. Serious antidepressant side effects that require medical attention include constipation, difficulty in speaking, irregular heartbeat, trembling, stiffness of limbs and hallucinations. Tricyclic antidepressants also create an increased likelihood of thoughts of suicide and attempts in children and adolescents. Any sudden behavior changes, mood swings or extreme agitation should be relayed to your child’s doctor.

Signs of Tricyclic Antidepressant Overdoses

Someone overdosing on tricyclic antidepressants exhibits many signs and should be taken to a medical facility immediately. Warning signs of a potential overdose include seizures, dilated pupils, pounding or irregular heartbeat, hallucinations, difficulty breathing, severe drowsiness, and vomiting.

How To Test For Antidepressant Drugs

While antidepressant drugs are a prescription medication with legitimate uses, they can be potentially dangerous to those who work in fields that require the operation of heavy machinery and other hazardous activities. There are many different kinds of drug testing kits that test for tricyclic antidepressants in one’s system, such as urine drug tests, saliva drug tests and hair follicle drug tests.

Having an employee that is under the influence of antidepressant drugs such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline or doxepin can be potentially dangerous, not only to themselves, but to other employees and the health of your company. That is why performing drug tests at your workplace to detect antidepressant use can keep your workers safe, your reputation sound and your company producing to the best of its ability.

As a parent, the prescription drugs your child or teenager is taking is obviously of concern to you. But the potential side effects of some drugs like tricyclic antidepressants are astounding and should be carefully monitored. To test your teen for amitriptyline use, nortriptyline use, doxepin use, desirpramine use and other antidepressant drugs that have been shown to increase the likelihood of suicidal thoughts in adolescents, a drug test kit can help to calm your mind and decide what is best for your child.

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Natural Cure For Asthma

Posted Jun.11, 2009 under health care tips, medicine

If you experience sudden bouts of breathlessness, you are suffering from asthma. When some dust, smoke or the scent of any odd flower or perfume will get you whizzing, coughing and gasping, you are suffering from asthma. These are just some of the allergens that can irritate your nasal passage. Other irritants are exercise, pollution or smog, a sudden change in weather, cold or any infection of the airways.

Though asthma attack can be scary, there is no need to panic. Besides following doctor’s medications, there are certain tips that you can follow to prevent asthma. First, it is important for you to guard yourself against dust mite allergies and hay fever. Take the following steps:

• Go for yoga: Performing simple yogic breathing where you exhale for twice as long as you inhale can prevent against future asthma attacks. This technique has been proven to be very effective. The effect of this breathing is similar to that obtained by the use of a corticosteroid inhaler. To do this breathing, close your eyes, inhale and then exhale naturally. Pause without holding your breath for one or two seconds before the next inhalation. This will allow the exhalation to complete naturally. Do not try to breathe deeply or slowly. But if there is a need to breathe deeply, you can do so till you can come back to breathing exercise.

• Avoid sleeping on full stomach: Sleeping while your stomach is full can aggravate your asthma. Asthma is caused by stomach reflux, which occurs when stomach acid goes back into esophagus. This causes the stomach contents to regurgitate into your mouth and then drip down into the airways when you are lying down or sleeping. Avoid heavy snacks and take an antacid to reduce your stomach’s acidity. Theophylline medications can also aggravate the asthma by increasing the stomach’s reflux. If you are on this medication and are experiencing stomach reflux problem, consult your doctor to reduce the dosage.

• Note your food sensitivity: Eating or smelling certain foods can trigger an asthma attack in some people. Foods like milk, eggs, seafood and nuts are the main culprits.

• Eat plenty of fish: Eskimos rarely suffer from asthma. Hence, some researchers conclude that eating plenty of fish may prevent asthma. The fishes more likely to have an impact on asthma are omega-3 rich fish like sardines, mackerels and herring.

• Take multiple vitamins: Taking a good vitamin/mineral supplement and having a diet rich in fruits and vegetables might help; since some nutrients have been shown to prevent asthma. People who take vitamin C and zinc are less likely to suffer more than the others. Increase your intake of citrus fruits, broccoli and peppers for vitamin C and beef, crab and oysters for zinc.

• Get relief from caffeine: Coffee has been shown to help people with asthma. It has the same effect as theophylline. A cup of a regular strong black coffee will have beneficial effect on asthma. But do not use caffeine as a substitute for or along with other medications and must be always used in case of emergency. When you do not have medications, you can have 2 cups of regular strong black coffee for instant relief. You can get relief, albeit slower, with hot cocoa or milk chocolate.

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How To Treat Bronchitis

Posted Jun.09, 2009 under health care tips, medicine

Bronchitis is a disease of the lungs commonly found in smokers and those who live in polluted areas. There are short term and chronic cases where the patient has an ongoing cough, often developing phlegm. Patients who have serious chronic bronchitis have an increased risk of death, often living only up to four years after diagnosis. There are ways to prevent the disease, though; and treatments are available.

Smoking is the leading cause of bronchitis so it is highly advisable to quit. Quitting smoking can reverse the effects of chronic bronchitis and allow patients to lead a more healthy life. Drinking plenty of fluids will also help acute sufferers. Though acute bronchitis is not nearly as serious as chronic, it can cause complications if left untreated.

Early diagnosis and treatment is critical in successfully reducing the symptoms associated with bronchitis. Antibiotics are often prescribed to help eliminate infection. Also, inhalers are generally used to help temporary flair-ups such as coughing and wheezing. This can help the patient breathe more comfortably.

In more severe cases, oxygen therapy may be necessary. The patient may use an oxygen tank to help breathing and respiratory functions. In extreme cases, a lung transplant may be necessary to replace one or both diseased lungs. Because lung transplants require a donor that is matched closely to the patient, these are sometimes difficult to accomplish. There are also risks involved such as rejection of the new lung and reactions to medication.

A healthy diet and exercise program are also recommended for easing symptoms of bronchitis. Regular aerobic exercise is helpful in expanding lung capacity and assisting in breathing. Walking is a great low impact exercise for those suffering from bronchitis. In addition, breathing exercises can be helpful. Learning how to take slow, deep breaths will help strengthen the muscles and relax the patient.

For acute bronchitis it is recommended to stay away from dairy foods as this will increase the amount of sputum generated, complicating symptoms. Instead, use cayenne pepper, garlic and chicken stock as they are all mucus clearing foods. Aromatherapy using eucalyptus will help soothe irritated lungs and help regulate clearer breathing. Warm compresses or hot showers can also clear mucus and help steady breathing.

Bronchitis can be a minor affliction cured within a few days or a chronic condition that requires more radical treatment. Use of antibiotics and natural remedies are helpful for acute bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis may require additional steps such as inhalers, oxygen therapy and even surgery. Bronchitis is, however, preventable. The most important preventative is to not smoke and to stay away from second hand smoke.

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The Hunt For the Ultimate Online Pharmacy

Posted May.12, 2009 under medicine

With the massive campaign of advertisements that appear throughout the World Wide Web and e-mail ads that flood your mailbox, it is very difficult not to note the growing number of Internet pharmacies. Having the promise of convenience and profitability, a large number of people who need medication to benefit from these sites. However, having said that there are a large number of Internet pharmacies, it becomes a challenge to discern what is legitimate and which are false. How can a consumer find the best place to buy drugs online?

Here are some tips to distinguish a legal Internet pharmacy from fraudulent ones:

1.    Check your local pharmacy board.
Local, land-based pharmacies are inspected thoroughly and are required to meet certain standards before they are allowed to operate and sell medicine to the public. The same goes with online drugstores. The National Association of Board of Pharmacy requires its applicants to meet certain requirements before they are certified as a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site or VIPPS. Your local pharmacy board should have a list of the different Internet pharmacies that have met the state’s local standards and have been certified. You should also be able to check which online pharmacies are allowed to dispense prescription medications to your state.

2.    Buy only from online pharmacies that ask for valid prescription when needed.
As with buying from a local pharmacy where a valid prescription is necessary to obtain prescription medication, the same rule applies to purchasing prescription medications over the Internet. This is also one way of telling that the online drugstore you’re buying from is following the rules created for VIPPS.

3.    Buy only from Internet drugstores that have a licensed pharmacist to assist you.
The service of a duly licensed pharmacist ensures you that someone will be able to properly address your questions regarding medications that you’re ordering from their website.

4.    Beware of ridiculously low-priced medications.
It is true that different websites market drugs at slightly different prices, and at times, discounts may be given for bulk orders on drugs. But quality medications come at a standard price. An unusually cheaply priced medication may be a clear indication of counterfeit drugs.  You may receive medications that have already expired; get drugs that have a higher or lower dose than what you require; or be given medicine that has a hidden component which may cause an undesirable drug interaction or allergic reaction to your body.

5.    Look for online pharmacies that have an easy-to-understand privacy and security policy.
This is to ensure that your chosen Internet pharmacy has safeguard policies to protect you and the information you’ve submitted to their website.

6.    Never submit information without doing a background check on the online pharmacy.
This is the most important thing that you must remember. There are hoax online drugstores out there and everybody is a target. It is best not to put yourself at risk of identity theft or credit card fraud by not giving out your private information to a website without checking out its credibility.

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