A Pain in the Neck?
My husband works a great deal at the computer for long periods of time. And, like most men, he refuses to take care of himself, minimalizing his pain, refusing to take pain relievers or getting massages. He will get into the hot tub, but that doesn’t relieve his pain, just reduces it. If it goes untreated for long periods of time, he develops pain in his neck, and pain in back of head. We were just on vacation and I persuaded him to get a massage; the masseuse told us that his shoulders were so hard that she had to work on them for a long period of time.
We are complex creatures, and the most complex part is our body. I find it fascinating how our body manages itself, and how the messages sent to the brain are interpreted. Many times neck and shoulder muscle tension can exhibit itself as pain in back of head. Cardiac disorders can exhibit themselves as arm, shoulder, neck or ear pain, kidney as back pain. it is important for us to know how to keep our body fit, and how to keep it from extreme amounts of stress. Are there exercises to help relax your neck and shoulders, certain things to avoid?
Prevent constipation and other health ailments with papaya
Constipation is a condition whereby the fecal matter traveling through your colon remains too long in your colon before traveling out of the rectum. You become aware that you are constipated if you have difficulty passing motion or take a few days to do one purge.
That said, if you are suffering from constipation, you have been advised to eat more fruits and vegetables to increase your fiber intake.
For fruit, have you considered having papaya as a constipation remedy or including it as part of your regular diet?
As a natural remedy, papaya not only aids digestion but also helps prevent constipation. It provides relief from piles and also has anti-cancer properties. Papaya has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels, prevents the formation of urinary stones, prevents intestinal infection by parasites and aids in the proper functioning of the body’s immune system. For lactating mothers, according to traditional beliefs, papaya also helps to stimulate milk production.
Papayas contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins (especially food with gluten). Concentrated amounts can especially be found in unripe papaya. This enzyme helps prevent the accumulation of mucoprotein (partially digested protein) in the body and lymphatic system. In fact, papain has been extracted to make dietary supplements for digestion. Thus, the unripe papaya is considered to have more healing powers for constipation than the ripe one.
Papayas are a good source of fiber. Its fiber is able to keep cancer-causing toxins in the colon away from the healthy colon cells. Those who are experiencing constipation or at risk of colon cancer should consider taking more papaya. Papaya’s folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, beta-carontene and vitamin E have been linked with reduced risk of colon cancer.
Additionally, the antioxidant nutrients found in papaya have also been proven to reduce muscle inflammation and the healing of burns and wounds.
The papaya fruit is slightly sweet, with a musky smell to it. It is now mainly cultivated in the warm tropical parts of the world but can easily be found in many supermarkets.
To prevent constipation and for all stated health benefits, here are three simple papaya recipes:
1. Papaya Milk Energy drink. Cut papaya and blend with milk in a 50/50 mix. Add honey if desired. Papaya milk is a good energy drink for growing children.
2. Papaya Salad (Thai Style). Shred green papaya and cut some tomatoes. For dressing, add chopped garlic, 2 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, cilantro, Thai basil, 1 teaspoon chopped mint, chili padi (optional) and sugar to taste.
3. Unripe papaya juice. Peel off skin and put in blender. This recipe is especially good for the lymphatic system and after a meal that is heavy in gluten.
Including papaya as part of your regular diet is a great idea for a healthy functioning body.
Sandra Kim Leong believes in using natural food and nutrition remedies for common health ailments. For more information, please visit her article resource site at www.food-diet-remedy.com.
Antioxidants: “Free” Radicals Are Costing You Plenty!
The 100 trillion (give or take a few) cells in your body are little energy machines….and in the process of making energy, they produce by-products, much like a car engine produces exhaust. The by-products are thousands of little “free” oxygen atoms or molecules that contain an unpaired electron. This imbalance makes them very unstable (radical)…so they must search out another atom from which to “steal” an electron.
Stephen Cherniske describes it this way in his book The Metabolic Plan: “Imagine there’s a dance where everyone has a partner. The room is “stable”, and everyone is happy. Suddenly the door opens, and here’s this fellow without a date. Not only is he alone (unpaired), but he’s incredibly good-looking. So this guy goes over and steals some other guy’s date. That guy is now unpaired (and angry), so he tries to cut in on another couple. And before you know it, the entire dance floor is filled with guys fighting over the available girls. In your body, free radicals wreak similar havoc.”
As you are reading this, every single one of your 100 trillion cells is sustaining free radical “hits”…up to 10,000 of them every day. That’s every cell, getting hit 10,000 times a day by these nasty, damaging atoms/molecules!
The really bad news is that it’s not just our own cells producing “exhaust” that creates free radicals. Get a load of these other causes: diets low in highly varied plants, machines and factories spewing out free- radical pollution, increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and cigarette smoke. Every puff on a cigarette sends tens of billions of free radicals deep into your tissues. And the National Cancer Institue estimates that more than 50,000 Americans are killed by secondhand cigarette smoke every year.
Free radicals are greatly responsible for the wrinkles and lines on your face. But beneath the surface of your skin is where the real damage is caused by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Free radicals produced by UV radiation damage the DNA - the genetic blueprints of the cells. This causes the cells to start dividing abnormally. If this damage is not repaired it results in skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology reports that malignant melanoma claims the life of one American every hour. See? It’s about more than just the wrinkles on your face.
Your body is under attack, and there is no shortage of published medical literature stating that free radical damage contributes to nearly all disease states: cancer, age-related brain degeneration, cardiovascular disease, and more.
However - do not despair! There is GOOD NEWS! And you can take action STARTING RIGHT NOW to do something about this!
What is an Antioxidant? The Fire Department! The Police Force! The Special Forces Unit!
Antioxidants are your first line of defense against the damage that free radicals are bound and determined to inflict on your cells. So, what are antioxidants, where do they come from, and how do I get them?
“Back in the day” - for centuries, our ancestors ate diets high in natural fruits and vegetables. You may have heard of the “hunting and gathering” diet? A study was done with a tribe of present-day hunters and gatherers, and it was noted that there were seventy-five different plants in their daily diet! And, these plants made up 70 percent of their total calories - equal to 20 servings per day. That is a high antioxidant diet! Plus, they didn’t smoke, weren’t subject to pollution, drank plenty of clear mountain spring water, and were part of a close community.
We face free radical exposure hundreds of times more than what those tribespeople face. We are so civilized that we eat very few antioxidant rich foods, we’re totally stressed out, and we think we can compensate for all of this with a multivitamin. That’s like throwing a glass of water on a huge forest fire!
Take a closer look at the average American diet, which includes less than 10 types of plants, most of which are low in antioxidants. Even though the US Department of Agriculture has been begging us to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, surveys show that less than 8 percent of Americans actually do this. Look at this statistic: the quarter of the population that eats the fewest fruits and vegetables has more than TRIPLE the heart disease rate compared to the quarter of the population with the highest intake.
OK, OK….enough guilt-tripping! I’m no better at this than you are, believe me! That’s why I am always looking for a solution to this dilemma without having to totally turn my life upside down trying to change the entire way I eat and feed my family.
The solution proposed by a growing number of scientists is to take antioxidant supplements. In 1993, two studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed that supplemental antioxidants can decrease the risk of heart disease by 26-46 percent. Additional research suggests that antioxidant supplements can also reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
I heard an interview with a Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas School of Health Science (an expert in antioxidant research) and he explained that our brains are particularly susceptible to damage from free radicals, and that supplementation with powerful antioxidants is a key to maintaining brain function!
Yea! Now THIS is something I can DO! The question is: which supplements?
* Alpha Lipoic acid
* Folic acid (from foliage of dark green, leafy veggies)
* Vitamin B12
* Green Tea (polyphenols)
* Spices: cayenne, garlic, tumeric, cumin, rosemary, oregano, and paprika
* Whole food powdered green drinks
* Whole food purple/red fruit concentrates
* Coenzyme Q-10
* Selenium
* Ginkgo biloba
I recommend you order The Metabolic Plan by Stephen Cherniske. His book will give you all the detail you need to make wise choices.
Here’s to your health!
Edi Sowers is a Life Strategy and Business Coach who helps professional women working from home achieve critical balance between their professional and personal priorities. Visit http://www.lifehousecoaching.com to sign up for her free weekly articles in “Blueprints for a Dream Life.” Visit http://www.sowerse.oasiswellness.com to learn about the company Edi’s chosen for her supplement “home.”