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Only a migraine sufferer understands the pain. Regardless of how the migraine starts the end result is the same – excrutiating pain that renders you helpless. Walking hurts, breathing hurts. Even thinking hurts.
People often discount migraines without any true understanding of the suffering a migraine can inflict. They treat migraine sufferers like hypochondriacs or drama queens. This is simply not so.
There are any number of painkillers and pills available to help curb the pain. The issue here is that many of these painkillers require repeat prescriptions and involve an ongoing cost.
The other side effect of many of the prescribed medicines is that they can help with the pain of the migraine headache itself but tend to have a “knockout” effect on the sufferer. Most migraine sufferers will be familiar with the “where did the day go?” effect of many of the stronger painkillers.
There are natural remedies to the migraine plague. They’re simple and cheap (if not free). None of these are to replace prescribed medication but can be used in conjunction with your medication to bring relief about faster. They also complement each other.
Dark Room
If you suffer from migraine headaches and an attack begins then find the quietest, darkest spot in your home and lay down there. The area or should also be relatively warm to allow you to relax faster. Your eyes should remain covered but open. This usually means using some sort of blindfold but a scarf, long handkerchief or other material works just fine. Keep your eyes open as much as possible because experience has shown that shutting your eyes to try and cope with the pain uses extra facial and jaw muscles that can just increase the problem and not cure it.
If an attack has already begun then follow the same routine and take whatever prescribed medication you have.
Relaxed Breathing
A migraine attack generally brings on a sort of anxiety attack in the sufferer. They know how much it’s going to hurt so their heart rate increases. This increase in blood flow makes the problem worse.
Once you’ve retreated to the quiet, dark area and covered your eyes from any possible stimuli then breathing is the next area to focus on. You must let your breathing relax. Panicked breathing will increase the pain you’re already experiencing.
To allow your breathing to relax follow these steps:
1. Take a long slow deep breath and exhale equally slowly.
2. Again take a long, slow deep breath. As you’re slowly inhaling focus on the sensation of the air filling your lungs. Feel the air filling your body. Once you’ve inhaled as much as is comfortable again exhale slowly. As you’re exhaling focus on the sensation of the air leaving your lungs and escaping through your mouth. Breathe out completely.
3. Repeat the process of inhaling slowly, focusing on the sensation of the air filling your lungs and exhaling slowly 4 or 5 more times.
4. By the fourth reptition you should notice that your breathing is far more relaxed and calm. Your heart rate should now also have lowered back to a resting rate and you may even feel slighly sleepy. If so embrace that feeling and allow yourself to fall asleep.
Lavender Oil
This is the final step in the process. Lavender oil is renowned for its medicinal properties and this is doubly so for migraine headaches. Lavender oil is cheap and completely safe to use. Only use pure Lavender oil for treating migraines – lavender scented fragrances or scented oils are useless. It must be the purest lavender oil you can find.
If you feel a migraine attack coming then grab your lavender oil. Place a single drop of pure, undiluted lavender oil on each temple or behind each ear. Also place 2 or 3 drops of undiluted lavender oil on the pillow you’re going to rest on.
Combined with a quiet, dark room and the deep breathing technique the lavender oil provides that final “punch” in the natural treatments. The scent of the oil will relax you and simply inhaling lavender infused air helps to ease the pain of a migraine almost immediately.

(C)Copyright 2005 Headache-Advisor.com
The Headache Advisor website offers information and advice on migraine headaches and other types of headache also.

There’s more to keeping you pearly whites precisely that than a bit of brushing and the odd visit to a dentist. Take a look at these dental dos and don’ts.

#1 Avoid Fizzy Drinks

Carbonated drinks (including the diet variety and sparkling water) can cause your teeth to look older than they really are. These drinks are so highly acidic that they can actually dissolve the upper layers of the tooth. They contain high amounts of phosphorus – a mineral that can leach calcium from your bones if you consume too much and some scientists believe they can weaken your jawbone, increasing the chance of losing teeth.

Some researchers believe calcium is first robbed not from your hips or spine but from your jaw, leading to tooth loss. We see a number of young people who have the jaws of much older people, because of poor dietary habits such as drinking soda, along with not getting enough calcium.

#2 Chew your Food

Foods that work on the teeth like detergents are foods that require chewing. Apples, celery and carrots clean teeth naturally and foods such a spinach, lettuce and broccoli prevent staining by creating a film on the teeth that acts like a barrier. Major strainers will take their toll on your smile sooner of later, so steer clear of tea, coffee, red wine, and highly pigmented foods such as cherries and blueberries anything in fact, that will stain a white shirt.

#3 Don’t take Drugs

Ecstasy causes jaw clenching in users. A study found that 60 per cent of ecstasy users examined had worn their teeth through the enamel and into the underlying dentine, compared with only 11 per cent of non-users. As for cocaine rubbed on gums, it restricts blood flow, traumatizes the tissue and inhibits nutrition of the gums. Remember gums keep teeth in place.

#4 Quit Smoking

Smoking causes staining of the teeth and bad breath and increases the risk of oral cancer and gum disease, as it constricts blood flow to the gums. In fact, some gum specialists feel it’s not worth providing advanced treatment for gum disease in smokers, as there is very little chance of improvement. Smoking one pack a day for 10 years can cause a 10 per cent loss of bone support. Long term studies reveal that most tooth loss in 19 to 40 year olds is associated with smoking more than 15 cigarettes a day.

#5 Beware Bleaching

A professionally applied whitening system will not damage teeth. But some over the counter bleaches are so acidic; they can cause surface loss and sensitivity.

#6 Stop Biting Nails

Habitual nail chewers damage more than their cuticles; they can damage their teeth, too. If you have weakened enamel, you end up with an exposed, dented, soft area in the center of the tooth. And that’s when the problem occurs. The denting is much softer than the enamel and if exposed to bad habits such as chewing nails, opening beer bottles, it will wear down. Often the middle part dissolves quicker than the outside and the brittle enamel is very prone to chipping, making the teeth look uneven and unattractive.

Cathy Gates also writes on Fingernail Fungus. More info: Nail Fungus Cure

Acne is a skin problem widely known and experienced by almost all of our people especially teenagers and young adults. When not given enough attention and care, acne can actually give you serious problems. Nowadays, doctors and advertisements offer us different products that might help solve our worries about acne. However, it is still better if you can actually cure it before seeing or consulting your doctor. There are actually acne home remedies that you can find and use inside your home or in your garden. All you have to do is to know how you can use that acne home remedy to finally say goodbye to your acne worries.

It’s not just for your teeth!

There is still no scientific basis nor findings yet that discusses how the toothpaste can actually lessen, if not cure, the spread of acne. In fact, it is one of the most widely used acne home remedy by people! It might be a result of trial and discovery that made the toothpaste serve not only to clean the teeth but also as an unusual acne home remedy! To use it, just apply it directly to your zits before sleeping. This is believed to help control the swelling overnight. Just make sure that it is not the gel but the paste.

The salty-sour way to get rid of Acne

It is actually previously proven that salt can be used as an acne home remedy. Just prepare a salt solution (salt added to warm water) and wash your face with it twice everyday. This will remove the excess oil in your face, the main cause of pimples. You actually have an option to add vinegar to it. Apply it directly on the affected area and leave for 15-20 minutes.

Fruity Procedures

Fruits are definitely not just for food! They are not only good for inner nutrition but can also be used as cure for outer health problems. You can actually use some of them to be your acne home remedy! One thing you can do is to place strawberry leaves just directly on the affected part. Another is by applying fresh lemon juice mixed with rose water in your face, leaving it there for 15 minutes. A continuous application of this for 15 days is believed to give you amazing results! On the other hand, ground orange peel added with water to make a paste and applied to the acne can also make your face free of acne again. Lime combined with rose water is also a recommended acne home remedy! Just apply it on your face and leave it for 15-20 minutes then rinse with warm water. Juice made of Papaya apllied on the affected area is another great option. In addition, a paste made of ripe tomatoes is also an effective solution! That’s so many great acne home remedies to choose from!

The power of the plant species against acne

Like the fruits mentioned above, there are herbs and other plants that also proved to serve as a good acne home remedy. You can try methi (fenugreek) leaves made to a paste and applied to stay in your face for 10-15 minutes. Two cloves of crushed garlic applied twice a day is another choice, just bear with the strong smell of this acne home remedy! A combination of witch hazel, tea tree and sweet fennel essential oils put into water can also give satisfactory results. Just always stir or shake it before applying to the swellings twice or thrice a day. Use cotton wool everytime you put it on.Aloe vera is also proven to be great as an acne home remedy! Just make a juice out of it and apply it twice a day for the fast healing of your lesions. Cucumber will never be out of the list for beauty regimen. Apply a paste of it as a mask and leave it for 30 minutes. A paste of ground radish, as well as ground sesame seeds are also very good options when curing your acne.

Take it in!

Paste or mask applied to the face is not only the way of curing acne.

Kirsten Hawkins is a freelance writer specializing in skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. Visit http://www.acnesolution411.com/for more information on acne and acne treatments.

Fundamental to our wellbeing is food and rest. Both have evolved into complex sciences that are subject to serious study and frivolous and sometimes dangerous trends. Initially sleep would have been snatched; anything more than 15 or 20 minutes would have increased the likelihood of early man becoming prey to larger more powerful predators. In these circumstances soft ground or perhaps a broad tree branch would have sufficed for a quick rest. Even now when you are utterly exhausted you can sleep just about anywhere and in any position. With time we became more organized socially and technologically, with fire and weapons and larger groups we could settle and gradually leave the more nomadic lifestyle behind. Of course with security we could now group all those condensed periods of rest into a longer more conventional nights sleep. From that time to this we have searched for materials that will provide a barrier between us and the ground, something that is capable of changing any surface into a comfortable, safe and warm environment. Through time we have moved from straw beds to feather beds, springs to foam; finally arriving at memory foam. There is now a wealth of information relating to the necessity and benefits of a deep sustained rest as well as a better understanding of how this can be achieved. We now know that good health is interwoven with rest. A good nights sleep can has added benefits for our ability to concentrate and function normally throughout the day.

The problem with mass produced mattresses is they can only cater for general body shapes. The little bumps and curves that make us individual are left unattended. The muscles supporting these parts of our body never get the opportunity to relax. Where we feel this most acutely is the lower back and our neck. In both cases these muscles work all day to support large and uniquely shaped parts of our body. The lack of relief that an inadequate mattress brings can lead directly to lower back and neck aches, this is definitely not the way that you would want to begin a new day. The unique element memory foam brings to a mattress is to allow it to conform to each individual body shape. This means that no matter what size and shape you are you are going to get total body support. The muscles that previously remained tense can now relax and you can sink into that deep recuperative sleep we all need. The reasons why memory foam can succeed where other mattresses fail is due entirely to its unique construction. The structure of the foam allows it to react to both pressure and temperature.

The significance of this breakthrough is best illustrated by imagining you are floating perfectly level on a calm lake, your hips and head partly submerged in the water but every other point along your body in contact with the surface of the water. The effect is almost dream like. The effect of gravity has been minimalised and all the pressure on your muscles and skeleton have been removed. The effect of RESTORE® memory foam is similar. The unique construction of this material allows it to react to both temperature and pressure. The larger more prominent regions of your body meld to the foam while the curves of your spine neck and legs remain gently supported. The effect is the same regardless of your sleeping position. The other feature of RESTORE® memory foam that further enhances its effectiveness is its density. The high density of RESTORE® memory foam prevents any pressure build up where you are pressing most firmly against it, this is significant when you realise that the vast majority of people sleeping on conventional mattresses roll about during the night seeking more comfortable sleeping positions. This night time tussle is disruptive to not only your quality of sleep but to anyone else sharing your bed. If you are suffering from poor quality sleep then RETORE® memory foam mattresses and toppers could make tomorrow a better day for you.

Peter Robinson has developed the Restore Foam brand and a range of RESTORE® Memory Foam products to be market leading but extremely price competitive. A full range of memory foam matresses can be found via www.restorefoam.com

So you’re buying an elliptical machine? Elliptical machines give you a low impact, safe workout that burns a maximum amount of calories in the least amount of time.

But with all of the different elliptical brands out there, how do you choose the best one? Here are 5 key features to look for when shopping to help you find the very best elliptical machine.
1) Forward and Reverse motions

The ability to move in a forward or reverse motion adds variety and challenge to your workout. It works different sets of muscles and results in more calories burned overall.

This also reduces your risk of repetitive use injuries common with some treadmill and stair climber users. Most ellipticals have this option but it’s always a good idea to make sure.
2) Adjustable resistance

Quality elliptical machines will have a range of resistance levels. Increasing the resistance increases the calories burned. It also helps you continue to challenge your body as your fitness level improves.

Look for an elliptical machine that makes resistance changes simple (i.e. one-touch resistance adjustment) so that interval training sessions can be easily incorporated into your workout
3) Upper body workout arms

While you really don’t need these for an effective workout, many people prefer them. They do help to provide resistance training for your upper body – and again, result in more calories burned.

However make sure you don’t have to lean over while using them which can diminish the effectiveness of your workout (this can happen on many of the cheaper elliptical models).
4) Quiet operation

Look for an elliptical machine that is specifically designed to stay quiet. A truly well designed elliptical machine should be fairly quiet at all intensity levels.

Also – cheaper ellipticals can develop a squeak after a few months of heavy use so be careful to buy a quality brand of elliptical machine and steer clear of the cheap department store models.
5) Elliptical Incline

It used to be that only high end, commercial elliptical trainers like Precor offered this option however lately more affordable models like Proform and Nordic Track are offering incline on several of their machines.

Incline is not the same as resistance. It changes the incline of the elliptical motion and helps to work different sets of muscles for increased fat burning and toning.
So those are 5 key features that make up a quality elliptical machine. By looking for most of these 5 key features, you’ll be assured of finding the very best elliptical machine for your needs.

For more Elliptical Best Buys visit:

http://www.EllipticalTrainerReview.com/Best_Elliptical_Buys.html

Kathryn O’Neill is the chief editor for Elliptical Trainer Reviews, a consumer oriented website focusing on the home elliptical trainer market.

For the latest elliptical reviews and best buys visit http://www.EllipticalTrainerReview.com

Not all stress is created equal. Good stress can propel a person to excel, to reach new heights or to complete a big project on time.

Bad stress is not so good. Stress that stems from conflict or worries. Stress that keeps a person from sleeping and happiness. Stress that calls for relief. Here are three stress-relief techniques you can follow.

Meditation for stress relief.

Can there be a more obvious stress relief strategy than to bring your entire physical being to a calm? Meditation techniques often involve visualization of something calm, like a blank screen or clouds. Or it can mean clearing your mind entirely.

If stress is caused by how we allow our minds to captured by worries and fears, then replacing those worries and fears with calmer images is the obvious way to reduce stress.

You can sign up for a free online meditation techniques course at my website.

Exercise to reduce stress.

If relaxing to a state where even your blood vessels are almost still is the ultimate in stress relief, surely exercise, which gets even your blood pumping at breakneck speed, must be the ultimate stress demon.

Not so. Exercise is a big stress reliever. In fact, the bigger the muscles you exercise, the more less stress you will bear. That’s because exercise releases physical tension in the muscles.

Here’s another tip: exercise in water to reduce stress even more. Why? Because you are more buoyant on water; gravity takes a much gentler toll on your body, so the tension created in your muscles just by holding you up gets released. For the ultimate stress release, exercise in water. Or meditate in water. Or laugh in water.

Laughter reduces stress, too.

Yes, laughter also relieves stress. The muscles we use to laugh are those tense ones in our faces. When we loosen them, we release tension from our faces. We also allow more blood to flow to the pleasure centers of the brain (which might be why someone with a ‘good sense of humor’ is considered more attractive).

I think I will close with this excerpt from my newsletter, A Daily Dose of Happiness, which shows the value of a little creative humor:

“Little Lady was guarding the space between the trees, as I tried to kick her little ball past her.

“Then an idea struck me. Off to the side lay a large, purple fit ball that the kids like to be bounced on. A rushed over, rolled it into the clearing and kicked it toward Little Lady. ‘Giant Blueberry Soccer!’ I shouted. She laughed.

“For the next ten or fifteen minutes, we rolled and licked and laughed and shouted, “Giant Blueberry Soccer!”

“What a great family moment, stress relief, joy-injector, fun and more. My formula was simple, and you can do it too. Look around and find something that just would not belong, like a too-big ball. Then imagine what it might be, like a blueberry. Then thrust it into your situation with all the gusto you can apply.

“Have fun.”

David Leonhardt is the author of two happiness self-help books.

Among the many forms of treatment for High Blood Pressure, Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure is steadily gaining in popularity. As High Blood Pressure is a lifelong problem, the conventional medicines for High Blood Pressure include the taking of tablets every day for the rest of one’s life. Even when patients try to leave taking the tablets, the problem invariably recurs and patients are forced to return back to the tablet regimen once again. Thus, other courses of Hypertension treatment, where the medication turns to the methods close to the living and eating habits of people, are gaining popularity. Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure is being examined with greater interest nowadays.

Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure uses herbs, spices and food to overcome the problem. The source for this knowledge and the method of using them are being taken from traditional sources. The folklore of these traditional people contains several references to the herbs and spices and the potency and cures that can be obtained from them. Working on these sources of information, a set of herbs have been processed. These herbs are believed to have some positive effects in the treatment and control of High Blood Pressure.

The most common form of Herbal Treatment for High Blood Pressure turns out to be Ayurveda.. There is yet, no clinical proof available about the curative potency of the herbs used by Ayurveda practitioners. Most Ayurveda users for treatment of High Blood Pressure are told that the herbs provide maximum benefit to the patients, who have faith in this system of medicine. Most of the herbs used for Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure are eaten directly. They are generally pleasant to taste as the herbs are made on a base of honey, rice syrup and ghee or clarified butter.

The most common herbs used for treating High Blood Pressure is garlic. This source helps in breaking up toxins which lead to blood pressure. It also stimulates blood circulation and helps the digestive system. Even ginger is recommended for High Blood Pressure Treatment. Some Herbal Treatments for High Blood Pressure include celery, as this herb increases the flow of urine.

Most of the Herbal Treatments for High Blood Pressure stimulate the kidneys. These treatments control blood pressure, because most of them are diuretic. Similarly, hawthorn is used as a sedative for heart related problems .Nutmeg, kelp and cardamom are also introduced for the Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Indian herbs like arjuna, jalamamsi, shankhapushpi and manjishta are used by Ayurveda clinics for Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

Online entrepreneur Sara Jenkins, is dedicated to helping others and their needs to succeed in life by offering free tips everyday. To learn more about her free tips program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to articles and FREE bonus how-to books and resources, visit www.TipsEveryDay.com

“Pee-ew! You smell like a skunk soaking in sardine nectar for a week.”

OK, so I can be a little candid every now and then. It’s not something I would say to Attila the Hun during a pre-battle pep rally. But it was not Attila the Hun standing in front of me. It was just my buddy Bart.

“Pee-ew! You have bad breath.”

So when the phone rang that night, the last person I expected to greet me in a cheery voice was Bad Breath Bart. “Hey, Happy Guy. I’m feeling great,” he said. “Want to guess why?”

“You just won the gold medal for the ten-meter turkey toss?”

“Nope,” he replied. “But thanks for the tip. I’ll start training for it tomorrow.”

“OK, I give up. Why do you feel so great?”

“Because I discovered an easy way to cure bad breath,” he declared. “Want to guess how?”

“You bought a book on stopping bad breath and you are following the instructions?”

“Sa-ay, that’s a good idea,” Bad Breath Bart said. “But that’s not it. My plan is even simpler. I covered up my bad breath.”

“Bart, that won’t work. Since Julius Caesar first invaded Paris and declared ‘Veni Vidi Vino’, people have been trying to cover up their breath. But mint just is not strong enough.”

Editor’s note: I’ve already had my say on the great mint conspiracy in a previous column on toothpaste.

“Bingo!” he shouted. “Mint is too weak, so I found something stronger. Want to guess what?”

“You’ve been rinsing with five-week-old milk?”

“Nope.”

“You’ve discovered that cologne is best taken internally?”

“Nope.”

“You downed a bottle of vanilla extract, mistaking it for beer?”

“Nope.”

This guessing game was giving me headaches and foot cramps. “I give up, Bart. What’s your secret to curing bad breath?”

“Garlic,” he declared.

“Garlic?”

“Garlic. Now nobody can smell my bad breath, because all they smell is garlic,” he beamed.

“Garlic?”

“Of course, there are some side effects,” Bad Breath Bart noted. “For instance, my pet vampire has run away. And this afternoon I blew a kiss to my wife, and she slammed the door on my face.”

“Can I offer an alternative, Bart? Something that won’t put your nose in a cast every time you get the irresistible urge to blow at your wife?”

“Sure.”

“Try using some mouthwash with cetylpyridinium chloride in it. That always works for me.”

“Wow. That’s a mouthful,” Bad Breath Bart exclaimed.

I was glad to have finally given Bad Breath Bart a mouthful that would actually help him cure his problem. I did not anticipate the call I would receive the very next evening.

“Hey, Happy Guy. Thanks for the tip,” Bad Breath Bart said. “That cetlip… cettap… centapyr… That unpronounceable mouthwash ingredient is superb.”

“Excellent!” I was thrilled that he had taken my advice and that it was working so well.

“Yeah. It really tastes great,” he continued.

“Tastes great?”

“You bet. And so filling, too.”

Suddenly I felt an ominous sensation closing in. “What do you mean by ‘filling’?”

“After taking that cetilp… cettep… certip… that unpronounceable concoction, I don’t feel hungry anymore,” he explained.

“Bart, what did you put in that concoction?”

“Oh, the usual – ten scoops of ice cream, a cup of milk, a bag of chocolate chips, half a banana, some corn flakes, a wombat’s ear and the juice out of the maraschino cherry jar,” he responded.

“But that won’t stop your bad breath.”

“Oops. I also added that cetip… cetpe… certilp… that unpronounceable ingredient,” he added. “It sure tasted good.”

Just then, my wife entered the room. “Honey, I just made you one of your favorite banana-strawberry milkshakes,” she said with a smile.

I looked at the glass she placed in my hand. I looked at it from the top. I looked at it from the bottom. I looked all around it.

“What are you looking for,” she asked.

I knew she would not believe me. “Chocolate chips and corn flakes.”

David Leonhardt is a freelance writer in eastern Ontario. Read a longer version of how to cure Bad Breath Bart. You can also read about stress relief breath techniques.