Comfrey

Comfrey use for medicinal purposes have almost magical qualities! These healing properties are why Comfrey has been referred to as boneset, knitbone, and bruisewort since the middle ages and also has been known as the healing agent for fractures.
This is a big plant and can grow up to five feet tall. Its leaves are dark green, long, and oval-shaped, and they grow on the upright, branch at the top of the plant. Its flowers are soft, and bell-shaped can be white, pink, blue, or purple.
You can make a gel from the root, poultices from the leaves, tinctures, and compresses. It is a beautiful addition to the garden.
Comfrey's healing properties includes promoting new bone, muscle, and cartilage growth and protecting the skin comes from a chemical that is found in its leaves, Allantion. This makes Comfrey a valuable aid in healing burns, cuts, and major wounds and relieving inflammation. It's also an astringent, demulcent, and an expectorant.
Allantion is a protein that is found in many over-the-counter products for dry and irritated skin conditions.
The leaves are used for making poultices, compresses, and creams. The flowering tops are used in ointments and infused oils. The root is used for gels and poultices.
Comfrey ointment, gel, tincture, compresses, and poultices are used for treating bruises, sprains, fractures, wounds, ulcers, arthritis, skin irritations such as insect bites, burns, and relieving the pain and inflammation. Different areas of the world use it for different things including anemia and arthritis as well as taking it internally.
Comfrey contains alkaloid chemicals which can cause liver damage if consumed in extremely large amounts. Due to the risk of liver damage Comfrey is no longer considered safe for human consumption in the United States. The alkaloid chemicals are not absorbed through the skin, which makes the external use of Comfrey safe.
Prior to using Comfrey on a cut or wound, make sure the cut or wound is cleansed thoroughly. Comfrey heals the area quickly by sealing over the wound and if any dirt remains in the wound it could cause an infection by being trapped in the wound.
Comfrey is an herb worth growing in your garden and making use of its healing properties

Some Simple Remedies to Fight Fatigue

Stress, whether physical, mental or emotional is something that is always present in life. You get to find stress in your work, at school and at home. And because stress has the tendency to pile up, it often leads to one more thing, excessive tiredness or fatigue.
But while stress and fatigue seem to be inevitable, you have to know that it is not something without a remedy. You can always get rid of that excessive tiredness by sampling a few of these inexpensive tricks at home.
1. Try to get rid of excessive tiredness by taking time to exercise daily. That may sound off to some because exercise is always attributed to physical exertion and eventually more fatigue. But what those people fail to realize is that exercising helps your body produce more endorphins. And when you have a lot of endorphins in your body, you become happier, you become less stressed and in the long run, you tend to be less prone to fatigue.
2. Get a massage that will help you relax your muscles in no time. For best results, you may want to consider doing it at least once every two weeks or once a month at least.
3. Engage in aromatherapy sessions that will help you deal with stress. When you are in a spa, you can choose from peppermint, sandalwood, cedar and cypress scents that are all famous for inducing relaxation.
4. If you feel that your excessive tiredness is coming from emotional and mental stress, then look for a quiet place and meditate. To help you further with your meditation, you can use relaxing music and sounds like the sound of birds and the sea.
5. Lastly, if you are getting attacked by fatigue in the middle of the day when you still have a lot of things to do, then try getting a boost of energy by eating apples, carrots and cucumber. According to a lot of doctors, those fruits and vegetables will wake you up and get you going in no time

Helping Acid reflux

According to researches, diet is the major factor in triggering acid refluxes. Food we eat stimulates stomach into producing the acid. Acid is an important ingredient for digestion. It breaks down the food. Some food disturbs the balance of digestive system and stomach overproduces the acid. When you eat and how you eat directly affects the cause of this problem. Changing the manner of eating can prove to be very helpful and it will help digestive system to work more efficiently.
Eating smaller portions, chewing food thoroughly, taking smaller mouthfuls of food will be very helpful for the digestive system to work properly. Instead of taking three meals in a day, prefer to take various smaller meals. This will help to dilute the tummy acid and keep digestive tract moving. Maintain at least two hours between last meal and bedtime. While we sleep acid can easily move towards upper part of digestive system. So avoid sleeping after taking meal.
Be aware of what you are eating. It will help you to know the kind of food that is increasing the acid reflux problem. Maintain a food diary and note down things you eat. Eat foods that are rich in fibre. Fibre keeps whole digestive system moving and healthy. Avoid taking caffeine, fatty foods and carbonated beverages. Avoiding unhealthy eating habits will surely prevent the acid flare-ups. Whenever fried food, spicy food and junk food are ingested in stomach, it will increase the acid formation. Person suffering from acid reflux must avoid this kind of food intake. These foods trigger the acid into upper digestive system.
Being aware about the food we eat is the most effective remedy to prevent acid refluxes. It is quite natural that many of us will find that it is quite difficult to live with above mentioned preventions. All in all prevention mentioned above is the only way to avoid frequent acid refluxes. But there are still some remedies which can keep acid refluxes in check.
1. Ginger - Taking ginger supplement in regular basis will increase the production of digestive fluids and saliva. It relieves indigestion. It has antispasmodic action on stomach. In simple words it helps to control muscle action that can affect digestive tract. It reduces acid refluxes and calms cramping stomach.
2. Swedish Bitter - This traditional herbal tonic is used to deal with this problem. In Europe, people are using this herb from several years. It has worked for them effectively and it is a well know remedy in Europe.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar - It might surprise you that apple cider vinegar is practically very useful in this problem. People might wonder how apple cider vinegar is useful to keep a check in this problem. Consuming it will help enzymes to break down food easily. It also keeps a check on the amount of acid production. It helps food to digest easily and quickly, and it also prevents from acidity.
4. Milk - Milk is a beverage which is usually always available in everybody's refrigerators. A glass of milk can give a quick relief. Whenever you feel acidity or heartburn, pour a glass of cold milk and drink it slowly. Milk helps in the production of enzymes and dilutes the acid produced in the stomach.
5. Water - It may sound surprising but water is very effective at the time of acid refluxes. Eight to ten glass of water is very necessary for the body to work properly. Water plays an important role in digestion of food. It dilutes the acid and wash anything down that might be causing problem.
It is very important to keep our digestive system healthy. Every part of our body depends upon the food we take. Each and every organ is affected by our digestive system. When food is digested properly different parts of digestive systems absorbs the necessary elements and provides energy for the body. Indigestion and wrong eating habits will result in the form of acid refluxes. So be aware while eating food and live a healthy and problem free life

Treating Gout

There are many different types of arthritis, and one common type that affects many people is Gout. Gout can often be very painful, and often affects the toes, knees, and ankles. Walking with gout can be difficult for many people, and stairs are often equally distressing. Learning ways to treat this condition as well as make adaptions in your home can make it much easier to cope with it.
Most medical professionals agree that Gout is caused by a build up of uric acid in the body. This is usually a signal that there may be something disrupting the normal kidney function in the body. While doctors will often acknowledge this, they typically do not have many different treatments available to help one, other than to recommend taking painkillers. However, this can be dangerous, since pain killers can easily become habit forming and cause even larger problems than the arthritic pain.
For this reason, after getting a proper diagnosis from a doctor, many people turn to natural home remedies. There are a number of things that people will try, and it is important before trying any of them that you first consult with a doctor, since natural does not always mean safe.
Often making dietary changes can help relieve some of the pain. Drinking lemon juice each day, eating cherries, and drinking cranberry juice are all ways to help your kidneys function better. Some have had success with various herbal supplements, such as Swedish bitters as well. Epsom salt soaks can often help with relaxing the joints and the pain, as well as detoxify the body.
If you do not have any success with dietary changes or supplements, the next step is to try to make your home more comfortable. If stairs are an issue for example, you may want to install a stair lift or consider finding a home which does not have steps.
Being diagnosed with Gout does not have to mean you have to suffer. Making a few dietary changes and making your home more comfortable are all things you can do to help relieve the pain and get back to enjoying life as you should.

What is Lupus?

Lupus is an inflammatory, chronic, autoimmune disease; it affects the connective tissue and blood. There are two kinds of lupus. SLE (Systemic lupus erythematosus) this one is very serious and can be fatal. This is a condition that affects the body's organs in addition to the above-mentioned connective tissue and blood. DLE (discoid lupus erythematosus) this affects the exposed areas of the skin mostly, and may sometimes affect the joints.
The symptoms of lupus can vary and do according to the severity of the illness and the affected organs, if any. SLE, the more serious type, can occur suddenly. It will seem like a very bad infection accompanied with a fever. It can also appear slowly sometimes over years. As the effects can come on slowly with random episodes of fatigue and fever, soreness in joints or what appear to be growing pains in children; it can eventually deform the joints and cause muscular contraction.
Some of the more common symptoms are rashes on the upper chest, elbows, neck and/or face. With DLE, the rash will begin with a red color, it will be circular may be thickened in areas and can also leave scars and occurs mostly on the scalp and face. It can also cause hair loss. There is a characteristic "butterfly-shaped" rash that is found with SLE, and this is found on the bridge of the nose and the cheeks. These rashes do not cause scarring or permanent hair loss.
A few other symptoms are ulcers on the mouth and nose. A swelling of the fingers and hands along with a sensitivity to light, pericarditis which is an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart, an iron deficiency, kidney disorders, anemia, pleurisy, which is an inflammation of the lining of the lungs, and high blood pressure. In children it is not unusual to see swollen lymph nodes.
SLE is considered to be severe if a life-threatening disease accompanies it. Otherwise it is considered to be mild if the main symptoms are the fever, joint pain, pleurisy, pericarditis, rash and headaches. If SLE is serious then under a doctor's care immediate corticosteroid therapy must be administered. This is a chronic condition so remission can occur and random periods where you are symptomatic will also occur.. So, if in remission for a long period of time do not jump to the conclusion that the disease is gone. You will need to do blood tests for anti-nuclear antibodies and you may also need skin biopsies.
The following 8 symptoms absolutely must be present for a diagnosis of lupus and they are: low white blood cell or platelet count or hemolytic anemia, mouth sores, abnormal cells in the urine, ANA antibodies in the blood, joint pain in more than just one joint, so arthritis, butterfly rash on cheeks, psychosis or seizure and light sensitivity. This is according to the American Rheumatoid Association.
There is a 100% connection between food allergies and lupus. And lupus, in 90% of the cases, strikes young children and young women.
There are drugs that can cause false-positive readings of SLE; they are hydralazine, beta-blockers and procainamide. Also environmental stresses and even birth control pills can exacerbate lupus symptoms.
What To Do
If not already on an organic diet then change the diet to one that is natural and organic. Limit your dairy intake, polyunsaturated oils and beef products. And of course, screen for allergies and avoid any food you test sensitive to. Increase green, orange and yellow vegetables and do eat wild caught fish several times a week.
Herbs that will help are: Echinacea, licorice, red clover, pau d`arco and goldenseal. Also supplementation with Swedish bitters with each meal will help to increase hydrochloric acid production and drink an infusion of nettle twice a day.
Hydrotherapy may also help and offer some relief, sitz baths, hot and/or cold compresses, day spas, an alternative health care professional can direct you to some of the other forms of healing and relief. You will also want to ask your practitioner about hyperthermia, artificially creating a fever in order to boost the immune function - this has been very effective for eliminating heavy metals, toxins, bacteria and viruses.
Juice that will help is that of celery, black currant oil, carrot, flaxseed oil and garlic.
Helpful supplements are: vitamin A with beta carotene, vitamin B complex, vitamin B5, B12, selenium, essential fatty acids, zinc, vitamin C magnesium, proteolytic enzymes taken away from meals, digestive enzymes take them with meals, the amino acids L-cystine, L-cysteine, L-methionine, and HCL with each and every meal as it is that lupus patients are often deficient in HCL.
PABA cream can be applied topically and will help ease the symptons.