Recently, I took away the very last part of me that attached myself to Western Medicine. Seeing as this does actually work and the fear that's drilled behind it, I had a hard time stopping. This above all else, would be birth control.
When I typed in, "How to prevent pregnancy, the natural way", I had a bit of a laugh to myself. Unfortunately, the issue of birth isn't something that can be stopped without a patch, shot, pill or ring and by ring I mean the Nuva ring of course. I can't tell you birth control won't help you to be baby-free until your ready but I can tell you the repercussions of taking the birth control pill. Condoms are a good replacement and although they can be annoying, if it means not sacrificing your body and avoiding having hormones released into your system, it remains a good thing.
What I experienced in my first few years of using birth control was minor hormonal changes, weight gain(but only in my breasts), combined with the annoyance of having to take it every day at a certain time and the thought of not being able to have kids in the future. Now, I'm 19 and for most people....knowing whether you want to have a kid might not be clear right now but why cut your ends short? Most people (excluding our parents) tell us this is just a hoax, and how are you supposed to know that these cases of women realistically, could have never been able to get pregnant to begin with. The truth is, there happens to be no evidence proving that birth control will cause infertility...but do we really want to risk it?
I encourage all of you to read carefully through the lovely leaflet that explains your birth control choice. After trying to avoid taking a pill each day I tried the Nuva Ring...after the Nuva Ring decided to suck....I stopped. Below are some of the things we aren't told about birth control...
Did you know that certain drugs may make your birth control become ineffective? This includes antibiotics, St. John's Wort, anti hypertensive drugs, drugs for diabetes, antacids and wait...Vitamin E?! It's funny that you can go to a doctor about these things and they won't tell you ANY of this. I remember going on antibiotics at least 3 times in high school and I've been on the pill since grade ten....not ONE person told me this.
That is why we must READ THE FINE PRINT people, there are things we should be aware of!
BE aware of breast cancer, circulatory disorders, gall bladder disease and liver tumours. Scared yet? Read around, there are stories of people almost loosing their life, stories of women who couldn't become fertile after birth control and this all happens more than we think.
Consider continuing birth control.
Read the side effects.
Consider the facts.
Friday, April 3, 2009
I think it's good to be in a place of your own to study. A stress-free environment that you feel comfortable in. This is why I skip out on the Leddy. The Leddy is filled with crazy stress and silence that in my eyes, can seriously drive a person crazy. Also, you can't just get on the dirty ground and de-stress with yoga, or you could turn into the crazy one. If you have a house full of roommates like current classmate Nicole, or live with your parents/siblings that don't know how to be quiet, try improvising.
Stay stress-free & goodluck with hell the next few weeks,
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Some of the herbs I have talked about before are helpful all year long through colds, the flu AND allergies.
Garlic, garlic, garlic. I just recently found out through research that dried or powdered garlic tablets are actually better for you than just eating raw garlic and including it in your diet. Although this does help and has several health benefits for you, most of the time the enzyme in raw garlic that is necessary to help your immune system is destroyed in the stomach before it can benefit you. So pick up some tablets folks!
Echinacea is a wonderful sidekick to enhance your immune system. I want to avoid ever being sick again so I'm going to begin taking 10 drops of Echinacea before every meal. This as I have read, and as I have experienced with getting over my sickness previously, really helps.
If you keep these two herbs in your diet every day, the chances of your allergies attacking you are slim. ALSO I would highly suggest keeping a natural sea-water decongestant by your side as it clears out everything in your nose without pills and allows you to breathe. I went outside to play with my cats one sunny day and their hair was falling out like crazy. I could barely breathe and my eyes were so itchy. But with the assistance of some water in my eyes and a little hyrdaSense up my nose....things were back to normal. I usually use hydraSense at least once a day.
Some other herbs that I have read about that will keep you breathing throughout the spring/summer seasons are: stringing nettle, ephedra and butterbur. All of these products work differently to reduce mucus and clear your nasal passages. Check another website for more natural remedies for the allergy season.
Most of us assume that the only thing our body needs after a long night of drinking is a gallon of water and some serious sleep. Some of my friends drink Gatorade, this works. Some people take Tylenol and I'm sure that works too. But if you really want to feel good, you should know what your body NEEDS after a serious drinking binge. A hangover is caused by more than just dehydration but a lack of Vitamin A, B and C caused by a chemical action from alcohol in your system. Check out the linked website for a deeper look into what types of alcohol affects you more and why. If you wake up having a dry mouth, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and a headache, I've tested the ultimate hangover cure for you :)
Before you start drinking take a B vitamin so that the alcohol in your body is taking from something that IS there. I know most people don't enjoy drinking water while binging, so I would suggest taking away some of the sugar intake during your evening so decrease the headache in the morning. Before you go home make sure you stop somewhere to fill your stomach before you lay your head in a hangover MESS. Something greasy, cheesey, filled with carbs and salt. This might not be the most healthy thing in the world, but it always works. Most of the time, I get a veggie pita with lots of cheese and this fills my stomach every time! Try to drink a bottle of water in substitute for pop before you tap out as well. When you wake up, take another B vitamin right away, drink a bottle of water or some orange juice. I usually follow this routine every time I drink and it works like a charm. If I'm feeling a little more dizzy, I usually have a cup of ginger tea and it eases the nausea. A banana works for this as well.
If my routine doesn't work for you, I've read about a few other things that you could try. Feverfew capsules are apparently good for headaches. Apparently, sauerkraut is a perfect balance of acid/nutrition that some people swear by but I refuse to put that junk in my mouth. But if you are risKAY enough to try it, let me know!
Well... happy hangovers all,
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Here are some things that helped me in my 1 1/2 days at home, getting better. Aside from tea and soups...here are some of the ACTIVE ingredients I used to stop feeling sick.
COUGH DROPS. I love candy, but what I love more are things that resemble candy but have no sugar in them and also have nothing but natural goods packed into it. The natural way to go with cough drops would be something called "HEBRON". They taste great, they are Canadian and come in a few different flavours. I got lemon honey and wild cherry. The wonderful ingredients are as follows for the wild cherry kind: elderberry, wild cherry bark, licorice root, linden flower and the wonderful echinacea root. For the lemon honey kind (that does have sugar in it) : echinacea root, menthol stem and leaf, linden flower, thyme oil, honey and lemon balm. They both work the same for me but it all depends on your tastebuds.
This brings me to my next wonderful ingredient that unfortunately cost me $16 but was totally worth it!!! Echinacea is a wonderful ingredient that comes in vitamins or in an extract. I purchased the extract which is more expensive, but works like a charm. 12 drops on your tongue before every meal will bring you back to being healthy and it will keep you healthy. You can also mix it with a tad bit of water...but I like it straight from the bottle.
hydraSense is an amazing, amazing, amazing nasal spray this is 100% natural sea water that makes you breathe like never before. I always have problems with my breathing and nasal cavities that makes me have to blow my nose a billion times a day especially in the summer. My parents blame it on my nose ring, I blame it on the pollution and allergies. You turn your head to the right, spray stream into the left side and it will clear you out entirely. You then repeat on the other side. I got an 135 mL bottle on sale for $13, which again is so worth it.
Mentholatum's product called natural menthol rub is a great way of opening up any congestion by rubbing the ointment on your chest and neck. I put some underneath of my nose as well which really helps me to breathe right. This was $8 but also on sale. Apparently Shoppers knows when to impress you with sales during season changes. If you don't want to buy the menthol rub, you can make it yourself. The instructions are easy enough and it will probably save you a couple extra dollars.
As for now, I'd like to explain the most off-balance weekend I've ever had. I woke up on Friday with a nice vertigo spell...eeeee. This is so fun to wake up to, you just feel so great! Not. I think the only reason I get this is because sometimes I forget to sit down, or wind down. My cable has been out for a week apparently, I didn't catch on. You get the point...
I know there are many of us that fail to SLOOOOOW DOWN when required because with a University or College lifestyle, do we really have the time to? If you end up with mad spins for an entire weekend, I've got some tricks that could assist you in a steady vision.
First off....DRINK lots and lots of liquids. Water especially, this helped me so much in the morning. I got on my feet finally and walked really slow to school and was feeling pretty good until my lab. Then all the different opinions had my head going crazy again. I got to work and realized computers were not a good choice. So, I headed home for the day to get some rest. I laid down until I had the guts to stare at a computer screen looking for natural answers.
Here are some remedies for a site all about Home Remedies:
Soak 2 tbsp wheat grain, 1 tsp poppy seeds (khus-khus), 8 almonds,8 water melon seeds and make a paste. Heat 1 tsp ghee(Ghee is made by simmering unsalted butter in a large pot until all water has boiled off and protein has settled to the bottom) fry 2 cloves in this add to the paste mix with milk and drink everyday for a week.
*I tried this, but only for a few days...weird, but hey it worked
Soak 1 tsp of alma (gooseberry) powder along with 1 tsp coriander seeds. Leave over night. Strain and add 1/2 tsp sugar and drink.
*These products can be found at Nutrition House
I hope this helps for anyone who gets the occasional spins because I know it isn't any fun. The main thing I do is train my brain. I know that sounds silly but with the useless pills I was given 8 months ago, I decided the Doctors idea to "train my brain" was better. So I would sit down and move my head super slow and do it over and over again until my head realized we weren't on a rollercoaster.
Native Remedies is another great site to refer to where you can purchase the products right online.
Just like giving blood can be tricky, so can matching your diet with your individual blood type. Throughout the recent posts, you’ve probably been asking questions like why does this matter and where is the connection?
If you can remember back to post one on eating right for your blood type, I said the study was based on patients who followed the diet based on a research from our ancestor’s blood types and diets. Numerous naturopaths have researched this study for many years. It has been effective on thousands of people including, myself. Amazingly, our blood type and diet connection still relates to those of our ancestors from literally AGES ago.
Your blood type controls the influence of viruses, bacteria, infections, chemicals and stress. The diet connection all lies within something called lectins. Lectins are abundant and diverse proteins found in all food. There is a chemical reaction when you put food into your body. Food affects each blood type differently. This diet supports your blood type for a diet that balances with your blood type instead of irritating it. According to the book I’ve been referencing to for the past four posts, “Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type”, just like our gender and blood type our diets too, are something already chosen for us.
Once you figure out your blood type, I DARE YOU to try this diet instead of any pills or crazy ideas you have up your sleeve. Depriving your body of its nutrients if you aren’t getting the right supplements is not a healthy way of loosing weight. This diet works! Try it out for two weeks and let me know how it works for you. You should feel increased energy, weight loss, a lessening of digestive complaints and improvement of chronic problems such as asthma, headaches, and heartburn.
I live by this diet. But, I actually have had the reverse effects. I have been eating what is highly beneficial for my body according to the book and gained around 10 pounds. The only thing I don’t follow is the meat section because I just started eating meat and will never think something like lamb/heart/buffalo/veal is at all appetizing. The reason why I gained weight from this diet is because my body is now receiving the nutrients it needs and therefore, I’m now a healthy weight instead of underweight. I couldn’t be happier! I was a vegetarian for close to two straight years and I was way too lazy to take any pills to substitute for the nutrients I didn’t get from meat, poultry and seafood so I lost way too much weight and was tired CONSTANTLY. According to my blood type, these are the most important foods for my body. The HIGHLY BENEFICIAL section of each post is a type of food that acts like a medicine to our body…and instead I was eating way too much food from the AVOID section, which typically acts as a poison against my blood type. So now that I am eating chicken, seafood and sometimes beef…. I feel a lot more awake and healthy.
As for now, I encourage all of you to go purchase the book, email me, or heck… go to chapters and read the book yourself. Learn more about blood type and it’s connection to disease, exercise, stress and so much more. Read about your ancestor’s and what your blood type really means.
Finally, I've reached the last blood type of the book which is blood type B. Blood type B has only a few restrictions in their diet but I suppose I'll let the summary and listing speak for itself...
“Balanced, strong immune system, tolerant digestive system, most flexible dietary choices, dairy eater, responds best to stress with creativity, requires a balance between physical and mental activity to stay lean and sharp”
Meats and Poultry:
Lean red meats: women and children: 2-5oz weekly, men 4-6 oz weeklyAfrican: 3-4 times a week, Caucasian 2-3 times a week, Asian 2-3 times a week
Poultry: women and children 2-5oz a week, men, 4-6 oz a weekAfrican: 0-2 times a week, Caucasian: 0-3 times a week, Asian: 0-2 times a week
Highly beneficial: lamb, rabbit, venison, mutton
Avoid: bacon, chicken, ham, heart, duck, goose, pork, quail
African: 4-6 times a week, Caucasian: 3-5 times a week, Asian: 3-5imes a week
Highly beneficial: cod flounder, grouper, hake, pike, salmon, sardine, sea trout, sturgeon
Avoid: anchovy, beluga, clam, crab, crayfish, eel, frog, lobster, mussels, octopus, shrimp, snail, turtle
Dairy and Eggs:
African: 3-4 times a week, Caucasian: 3-4 times a week, Asian: 5-6 times a week
2 oz. of cheeses:
African: 3-4 times a week, Caucasian: 3-5 times a week, Asian: 2-3 times a week
4-6 oz. of yogurt:
African: 0-4 times a week, Caucasian: 2-4 times a week, Asian: 1-3 times a week
4-6 oz. of milk: African: 0-3 times a week, Caucasian: 4-5 times a week, Asian: 2-3 times a week
Highly Beneficial: Cottage cheese, farmer feta, goat cheese, goat milk, mozzarella, ricotta, sour cream and yogurt
Avoid: American cheese, blue cheese, ice cream, string cheese
Raw: 1 cup, prepared 3-5 times a week
Cooked or steams: 1 cup 3-5 times a week
Highly beneficial: beet leaves, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, garlic, kale, mustard, parsley, potatoes, sprouts, peppers, yams, potatoes, brussels sprouts, jalapeno, mushrooms, lima beans
Avoid: artichoke, avocado, corn, olives, radishes, tofu
Fruit and Juice:
3-5 oz, 3-4 times a week 8 oz, 2-3 times a week
Fruit: bananas, cranberries, grapes, papaya, pineapple, plums
Juice: cabbage, carrot, cranberry, pineapple, grape, papaya
Fruit: coconuts, pomegranates, rhubarb, star fruit
Highly beneficial: olive oil, “most nuts and seeds are not advised for type Bs because they contain lectins that interfere with type B insulin production”, kidney beans, lima beans, red soy beans, navy beans, millet, oatmeal, oat bran, rice bran, spelt, brown rice, essene bread, Ezekiel, fin crisp, rye crisps, rice cakes, soy flour, wasa bread, oat and rice flour
Avoid: corn oil, sunflower oil, kidney and lima beans, aduke beans, black beans, peas, lentils barley, seven-grain, rye, cornmeal, shredded wheat, cornmeal, cornflakes, cream of wheat, corn muffins, bagels multi-grain bread, rye crisp, wheat bran muffins, whole wheat bread, buckwheat, pasta
African: 0-2 times a week, Caucasian: 0-2 times a week, Asian: 0-2 times a week
Highly beneficial: lamb, rabbit, turkey, mutton
Avoid: bacon, beef, buffalo, chicken, ham, heart, duck, goose, pork, veal, quail
African: 3-5 times a week, Caucasian: 3-5 times a week, Asian: 4-6 times a week
Highly beneficial: tuna, cod, grouper, hake, monkfish, ocean perch, pike, red snapper, sailfish, salmon, sardine, sea trout, shad snail, sturgeon
Avoid: anchovy, barracuda, beluga, clam, conch, crab, eel, frog, lobster, octopus, oysters, sea bass, shrimp, turtle
Dairy and Eggs:
African: 3-5 times a week, Caucasian: 3-4 times a week, Asian: 2-3 times a week
2 oz. of cheeses:African: 2-3 times a week, Caucasian: 3-4 times a week, Asian: 3-4 times a week
4-6 oz. of yogurt:African: 2-3 times a week, Caucasian: 3-4 times a week, Asian: 1-3 times a week
4-6 oz. of milk:African: 1-6 times a week, Caucasian: 3-6 times a week, Asian: 2-5 times a week
Highly Beneficial: Cottage cheese, farmer feata, goat cheese, goat milk, mozzarella, ricotta, sour cream and yogurt
Avoid: American cheese, blue cheese, brie, butter, buttermilk, ice cream, parmesan, provolone, sherbet, whole milk
Cooked or steams: 1 cup 3-5 times a week
Highly beneficial: beet leaves, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, dandelion, eggplant, garlic, kale, mustard, parsley, potatoes, sprouts, tofu
Avoid: artichoke, avocado, corn, olives, mushroom, peppers, radishes
Fruit and Juice:
3-5 oz, 3-4 times a week8 oz, 2-3 times a week
Fruit: cherries, cranberries, grapes, figs, gooseberries, kiwi, lemons, grapefruit, pineapples, plums
Juice: cabbage, carrot, celery, cherry, cranberry, grape, papaya
Fruit: bananas, oranges, rhubarb, star fruit, pomegranates, mangoes
Highly beneficial: olive oil, nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, walnuts, beans(navy, pinto, red, red soy), green lentils, millet, oatmeal, oat bran, rice bran, spelt, brown rice, essene bread, Ezekiel, fin crisp, rye crisps, rice cakes, soy flour, wasa bread
Avoid: corn oil, sunflower oil, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower butter and seeds, kidney and lima beans, aduke beans, black beans, buckwheat, cornmeal, cornflakes, cream of wheat, corn muffins
Blood type O is considered to be “the hunter”….and I am blood type O, so when I gave vegetarianism a trial run for a few years I was quite discouraged by this book. But if you are a vegetarian, no worries, do not become discouraged…there are enough things to keep you healthy in this book.
The Hunter summary:
“Meat eater, hardy digestive tract, overactive immune system, intolerant to dietary and environmental adaptations, responds best to stress with intense physical activity, requires an efficient metabolism to stay lean and energetic.”
Meats and Poultry:
Lean red meats: women and children: 2-5oz weekly, men 4-6 oz weekly
African: 5-7 times a week, Caucasian 4-6 times a week, Asian 3-5 times a week
Poultry: women and children 2-5oz a week, men, 4-6 oz a week
African: 1-2 times a week, Caucasian: 2-3 times a week, Asian: 3-4 times a week
Highly beneficial: Beef, Beef ground, lamb, mutton, liver….
Avoid: Bacon, Ham, Goose, Pork
Type O’s can digest and metabolize meat due to their high stomach-acid content. It is important however, to balance this with vegetables and fruits to avoid over-acidification.
All Seafood 4-6 oz
African: 1-4 times a week, Caucasian: 3-5 times a week, Asian: 4-6 times a week
Highly beneficial: cod, halibut, herring, pike, rainbow trout, salmon, stripped bass, white perch….
Avoid: Barracuda, cat fish, herring(pickled), octopus, conch, caviar
Type O’s should eat seafood recommended amount because most seafood’s are an excellent source of iodine which regulates the thyroid function.
Dairy and Eggs:
Type O’s should restrict their use of dairy products. All dairy products including, eggs, cheese, yogurt and milk all suggest no more then 4 servings a week. Soy products are excellent and high-protein alternatives to consider.
Raw: 1 cup, prepared 3-5 times a week
Cooked or steams: 1 cup, prepared 3-5 times a week
Highly beneficial: artichoke, beet leaves, broccoli, garlic, romaine lettuce, onions, horseradish, dandelion, leek, parsley, peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, seaweed, spinach, turnips
Avoid: avocado, eggplant, mushroom, olives, red and white potatoes, corn, cauliflower
Fruit and Juice:
3-5 oz, 3-4 times a week
8 oz, 2-3 times a week
Fruit: figs, plums, prunes,
Juice: black cherry, pineapple, prune
Fruit: blackberries, melon, oranges, strawberries, rhubarb
Juice: Apple, cabbage, orange
Highly beneficial: linseed oil, olive oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, beans-pinto, peas, black-eyes, Ezekiel bread, essene bread
Avoid: peanut butter, peanuts, cashew, poppy seeds, kidney beans, red lentils, green lentils, cream of wheat, shredded wheat, cornflakes, pumpernickel, wheat bread, high-protein bread
All of these suggestions are based on a study done of our ancestors and their diets. It was successful with many patients who were willing to try this diet for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight. I don’t eat much meat but chicken and very occasionally beef and I am in love with cheese and yet I am quite healthy so there are ways to work around things that you don‘t enjoy or enjoy way too much. Organic is also important because really, can chemicals be good for ANYONE? I highly doubt it.
Smile. Dance. Sing. Listen. Talk. Write. Feel. Exercise. Relax. Sit.
Well, I reviewed my now 13 hour day and I know I got in my 8 hours of sleep, I had a nice black coffee in the afternoon......and then realized the problem, I ate pretty much nothing all day. I was a tad bit busy, so I didn't get a chance to make a meal so all I had was a fruit smoothie, some bolthouse farm juice, a banana and a honey sandwich. I went to Yoga, came home and started reading and then found myself, an hour and a half later in now, a dark room, bummed and on the same page. Like one of my fine readers pointed out, moderation is key. So, I’m here to inform you in all things healthy, including fruit, you need to maintain some balance within your daily diet.
It’s also important to buy organic fruit because it is the most healthy for your body. Some of the fruit that is grown today has a higher amount of sugar than the fruit that is grown in a natural environment.
Refer to the food triangle to maintain a healthy balance throughout your day!
Eat good, feel good…
Sunday, February 1, 2009
If you’re really against the idea of garlic… try eating fruits, vegetables and yogurt on a daily basis and they should protect you from catching the flu. Also, alfalfa is a tonic for your entire body and also protects you as it stabilizes the strength of your immune system.
If it’s too late and you have caught the flu I have a few ways you can get better fast. It is important to not eat too much so your body can focus on healing as you try including these natural virus killers:
1) Kelp pills are known to activate your immune system and fight against virus
2) Ginger, cinnamon and peppermint tea soothes your stomach
3) Broths, soups with lots of onions, spices, garlic and cayenne or hot sauce will relieve congestion
4) Vitamin C enhances the activity of white blood cells
5) Water will clear out your system
4)Lomatium dissectum is a plant used by Native Americans to stimulate white blood cell activity 5) Elderberry can also stimulate the immune system
If you’re having a hard time finding some of these ingredients that are more natural, the following website provides a list of all the health food stores in Windsor: =Ontario&vCitytxt=Windsor&vCountryIDtxt=1
Nutrition house in the Devonshire mall provides a lot of knowledge about their products and can order products in if they don’t have them. I would recommend trying this store.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
1. Ginseng tea is one of the best ways to get energy whether it is through a capsule or through an extract. It is important however, not to mix ginseng with any caffeine. Energy drinks might wake you up, but they will throw you on the ground in about 4 hours…hard.
2. The vitamin B12, which I take daily will really help keep your energy high and keep your hormones level as well! If you’re a vegetarian, I’m sure you know about this pill and take it daily as well because B12 is found mainly in meat and dairy products. If your intake of meat and dairy are high throughout a day it is most likely you have a good amount to maintain your energy/hormone levels.
3. Exercising will also increase your energy levels. and I’ve tried the body/mind challenge at the St. Denis centre and it really works to wake up my body and give me a little motivation for the night ahead of reading.
So the curve…I did a little research and was SO happy to find out that coffee is actually great for your body! (minus the sugar, with a little bit of skim milk.) It was under my belief that coffee was my one weakness and that if I was going to fake anything, it might as well be my energy levels. However, coffee (beans) actually has a lot of protein, many oils and organic acids like B vitamins and iron that benefit "detoxifying" your body. It’s best/the most healthy to buy coffee beans fresh, grind them and make your coffee right away. If your interested in different ways of "detoxifying" your body, check out these sites:
DRINK UP friends,
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Have you ever asked yourself, if you continue getting headaches and continue taking Tylenol, will it stop working before your head stops hurting? According to my bible, “The World’s Greatest Treasury of Health Secrets”, 70% of people who take over the counter pain killers(such as aspirin and ibuprofen, etc) suffer from “rebound” headaches. Rebound headaches are caused from taking more than the recommended amount of the medication you are using. After a period of time, your body begins to adapt to the pills and your headache worsens each day. This can also severely damage your liver, especially if you are consuming more than three alcohol beverages a day.
I read that one of the most effective ways of reducing or completely curing a headache is by participating in a little creative visualization. Now, I know we all have a little creativity in us, (especially my fellow bloggers) so this shouldn’t be too difficult and works for most people. Close your eyes and relax in a dark room or wherever you can at the time of a headache. Imagine a red light in the middle of where your headache is occurring. Take 5 minutes to slowly dim the light and allow it to disappear. Once it has fully disappeared your headache will too!
If you don’t like the idea of using a little mind power, I have a few more tricks up my sleeve.
1. Take a magnesium oxide supplement of no more than 600 mg per day and/or 80 mg of feverfew extract. Both have zero side effects and work even against migraines
2. Drink two or more cups of apple or apricot juice
3. If you are suffering from some alcohol/sugar withdrawals drink lots of water and eat olives, or anchovies
4. If you find yourself having caffeine withdrawals after midterm time, chew a juicy piece of lemon and drink lots of water
5. If you have a tension headache, you can do some neck/back exercises and for those to who it applies, practising a little sexual activity relieves a lot of stress and tension headaches
The next time you get a headache or are suffering withdrawals from the two best things on this planet, caffeine and sugar, test these natural ways out and I promise you won’t regret it.
“You should pick up those pills and start taking them immediately if you want to see any results and oh, have a good night”, she glared at me and turned her back and called out another name.
Still irritated and crying, I decided it would be in my best interest to pick them up. I now anxiously waited for the drugs and then got lectured by the pharmacist about the side-affects. I sat down in my car and noticed how massive and dark these pills were and decided I wasn’t going to take them. I got home, threw them in some cabinet and went back to bed.
I went to my own doctor later that day, sat down, got helped nice and quick and told him about the unpleasant diagnosis I received earlier that morning. I told him I didn’t want to take any pills and I was there for one particular reason, to find out whether it was true so I could receive some sort of peace of mind and maybe a little revenge of the sort. Shocked, he did the same procedure, still shocked…told me it wasn’t true and really hoped I didn’t start taking those prescription drugs or they could have a serious affect on my body. YIKES!
I decided that morning I’d never become a part of the medicalization world, that it is indeed full of “IT”. As I recently learnt in one of my women studies courses, the medical model is the discovery of medicine that in some perspectives, treats the human body as a machine. Due to the fact that most prescription drugs get rid of your symptoms and quite fast, people have began to depend on this model.
I realize that there are some things that doctors need to be there for and that most doctors know what they are talking about. For most of our issues, doctors can be trusted because they probably spent long enough educating themselves with medicine and diseases, etc. However, what I truly believe is that people are forgetting to help themselves. Some of these prescription drugs or even over the counter drugs can have serious affects on our bodies in the long run. You try to heal one thing and put yourself at risk of something else. Doctors don’t have to answer everything for us. If we practised a more healthy lifestyle then perhaps we wouldn’t find ourselves in the emerge at such ridiculous hours and being falsely diagnosed by an overly stressed doctor.
Soooo basically, with this experience and a few more unpleasant ones, I’ve decided I want to discover natural ways of boosting my health in a preferably cheap manner. It's important to realize that sometimes the fast and easy ways of helping ourselves can not be the best way out. Trust what your mind and natural products can do. Save the doctors for the most dire needs, the illnesses or injuries we are not physically able or educated to heal ourselves.
In the mean time, I’ll dig deep but stay tuned, stay healthy and trust yourself.