3 Ways to Naturally Help A Hangover

No matter what your good intentions, it can happen that you might have raised a glass too many to see in the New Year and are faced with the effects of a hangover. If you have overindulged then there are some natural remedies that can help, but first let me just suggest that however you feel, before you go to bed do drink a large glass of water, preferably with some vitamin C to counteract the dehydration alcohol can bring.
Then in the morning, try these:

** Honey and Lemon may be something you associate with a cold, but it is a wonderful way to get plenty of liquid and the sugars that are also lost when you overindulge. Couldn’t be simpler, just squeeze a lemon into a mug, add honey and hot water then stir and sip. Please don’t substitute sugar for honey, as you need the fructose honey contains as it prevents the rapid change in alcohol levels that results in headaches. Plain sugar contains sucrose, which isn’t absorbed as quickly, so get out the honey jar and make several cups a day to help you recover.

** Rice, Soup, or Toast is what you need to give you some energy, and although you may not feel like eating you do have to give your body some fuel to start the rebuilding process. You don’t want a heavy meal, but some easy to digest foods are just what your body wants so either use an organic vegetable stock cube and make a cup of soup for yourself or if you can manage it have some plain toast, very lightly buttered and with no topping, or some plain boiled rice with just a little miso or soy sauce to flavour it.

** Slippery elm bark was traditionally used by Native Americans as a poultice for boils, ulcers and for wounds in general. If you were caught up in the obligatory hugging and kissing at the stroke of midnight then you might have a few bruises if the hugging got too enthusiastic, but generally it’s recommended for that irritated stomach that often follows over indulgence. It has been used to treat IBS because of it’s soothing effect on tissue and will certainly help calm down an upset stomach. It can be obtained in powder or capsule form, and personally I would get the capsules as the texture of the powder when mixed with water is quite gelatinous in nature and some find it difficult to swallow.

Nintendo Wii Fit or Not?

Did you get a Nintendo Wii Fit for Christmas with the intention that it will be an easy way to get fit? Well sadly, University of Mississippi study seems to show that it may be great entertainment, but has little effect on family fitness.

The study was conducted by Scott Owens who is an associate professor of health and exercise science. Obesity is a nationwide problem, both in the US and UK, so he was curious as to whether the Nintendo Wii Fit console could help families get more physical activity, increase the amount of exercise they did, and ultimately improve family fitness.

It must be admitted this is a very small study of only eight families over a six month period who were loaned a Nintendo Wii Fit to use for three months. The study was broken into two parts so that each family’s physical activity was charted during three months without a Nintendo Wii Fit and three months with it in the home.

Before the study each family’s fitness was measured by using an accelerator that charted their movement and physical activity over a period of five days. During the time they had the Wii Fit, each family was evaluated for aerobic fitness, balance and body composition. Software on the game consoles used individual profiles to track how much each family member used the games and how much movement was involved in that use.

What the study found was that children benefited, but not their parents. The children showed a significant increase in aerobic fitness after three months with the Wii Fit but after three months of home use produced the study found no significant changes in daily physical activity, muscular fitness, flexibility, balance or body composition for families as a whole.

A familiar scenario occurred which is seen in the annual sign up for the gym that takes place in the first week of January, in that daily Wii Fit use per household declined by 82 percent over the three month period. It went from 22 minutes a day during the first six weeks right down to only four minutes a day during the second six weeks.

It seems that the psychology is the same whether it’s the gym or the latest gadget – it’s great at first, but what needs working on is staying power and discipline – which if you had then you wouldn’t need an expensive gym membership or high priced electronic trainer!

More Proof that Tea can Reduce Risk of Diabetes by 25%

Researchers from Sydney University, Australia, have shown that drinking more than three cups of tea a day reduces the risk of diabetes. This is good news as in the UK, there are currently over 2.3 million people with diabetes and more than half a million people who have diabetes but aren’t aware of it. The incidence of the disease is increasing and this could be a simple way of reducing risk.

In December in the Archives of Internal Medicine the researchers published their findings after looking at seven studies carried out between 1966 and 2009 and involving 286,701 participants. They were looking at assessing the association between tea consumption and diabetes risk when they combined and analyzed the data, they found that people who drank three to four cups per day had an approximately 25 percent lower risk than those who drank between zero and two cups a day. In addition, those who drank more than three to four cups of tea had a one-fifth lower risk than those who drank no tea at all.

This confirms the results of another earlier study published this year and could have significant implications for people at risk of diabetes. It is believed that the protective effect of tea may be due to the antioxidants compounds it contains.

Fighting MRSA with A Pomegranate

I mentioned the power of pomegranates for your health about six weeks ago, and lo and behold no sooner do you mention one benefit than another rolls up behind it – just like buses. A team of scientists from Kingston University in South West London has discovered that the rind can be turned into an ointment for treating MRSA and other common hospital infections. MRSA is an important pathogen, an agent of a disease, that can cause infections in humans and is difficult to combat because it has developed a resistance to some antibiotics.

In a series of tests conducted over three years, Professor Naughton and researchers from the School of Life Sciences at Kingston have learnt that the infection-fighting properties of pomegranate were greatly enhanced by combining the rind of the fruit with two other natural products, metal salts and Vitamin C. “We have developed a topical ointment that can successfully attack a range of drug resistant microbes,” Professor Naughton said. “It’s a significant breakthrough and a striking example of the effectiveness of adding more components to create a more active product. The idea of using a foodstuff is unusual and means that the body should be able to cope more easily with its application; patients are less likely to experience any major side-effects”

I would add that it’s a significant breakthrough to see natural ingredients being used instead of chemical ones, so hurray for fruit power! The last word goes to Professor Naughton who said it was exciting to discover a new use for natural products. “It shows that nature still has a few tricks up its sleeve.” Amen to that.

Nutrition News for Preventing Breast and Colon Cancer

A couple of updates on new research on a spicy solution that could combat breast cancer and some new dietary strategies to prevent colon cancer. First, researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with a combination of spices to prevent breast cancer, and it was reported in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment last month.

The two magic ingredients are curcumin found in turmeric, that bright yellow spice much used in Indian cooking, plus piperine which is in black pepper. They’ve tested their spicy recipe in the lab on breast cells and found that the combination decreased the number of cancer stem cells that fuel the growth of tumours. The spices interrupted the self-renewal process that is characteristic of the cancer-initiating cells but didn’t harm normal breast cells.

Please note that the amount of curcumin and piperine they used was about 20 times as much as could be consumed through diet and won’t be tested on human volunteers until Spring 2010 in order to find out how high a dose of the spices that humans can safely tolerate. So don’t try huge doses on yourself as the results are not known yet, but an extra grind or two of pepper on your food and a curry a couple of times a week couldn’t hurt if you have a predisposition to breast cancer in your family. If you are looking for recipes I use schwartz.co.uk for herb/spice suggestions and they have a spiced pumpkin and prawn salad that sounds a winner for using turmeric in an unusual way.

Colon Cancer:

Two separate studies have suggested new dietary strategies for preventing colon cancer. An American study has found that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids cut colon cancer risk by nearly 40 percent and the main dietary source for that is found in cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel.

Another study, from Italy, found that a dietary supplement containing selenium reduced the risk of polyps recurring, also by about 40 percent. They looked at 411 individuals from 25-75 years old who had had one or more colorectal polyps removed. Half of this group received a supplement containing 200 micrograms of selenomethionnine (a combination of selenium and methionnine) plus other nutrients. Polyps recurred among only 4.2 percent of those taking the supplement compared to 7.2 percent of the placebo group.

However, although it’s not known whether selenium alone was responsible for the difference or if other nutrients in the supplement played a role, it is a vital nutrient for everyone for good health. It is a trace element found in soil, and is essential for many body processes and is present in nearly every cell but especially in the kidneys, liver, spleen, testes, and pancreas. It acts as an antioxidant against free radicals that damage our DNA and is often included with Vitamins C and E to help fight against cancer, heart disease and even aging. Other benefits of selenium include protection against heart disease, and can help to increase male potency as well as being involved in the maintenance of hair, skin and eyes.

Good Sources of selenium are brazil nuts, poultry, seafood, and meats. Oats and brown rice can also provide significant amounts, but this can depend on the selenium content of the soil in which they have been grown, so go for organic for the highest amounts.

Safe Headwear for Toddlers

It is a truly magical moment when a child starts to crawl, but when they start to toddle it can bring up major anxiety and fear as they keep falling down as part of the learning process. Weird name, but the Oopsie is a functional and easy to wear head guard that is designed to protect toddlers from their occasional bumps as they try to maintain their balance.

It was designed by a doting Dad who was concerned when his son took regular falls while learning to walk and couldn’t find anything suitable to protect his head. He produced the Oopsie with a non-toxic EVA foam filling to absorb shock and cushion impact to the forehead, temples and skull soft spots.

It is easy to put on and simple to fasten the Velcro attached to the 2 pieces and is adjustable for different head sizes – obviously! Research has proved that toddlers are happy to wear it and the polyester and cotton cover comes in various covers and can be hand or gentle machine washed.

It would be an ideal present for an adventurous youngster, or rather their parents, and it costs £19.99. Stockists, and more information, from Baby Bumper www.theoopsie.co.uk or call 01373 301220.

Dry Eye Relief

Well who would have thought that dry eyes could be a sexist issue, but it turns out that more women than men suffer from it, though that may be because one of the prime causes is wearing contact lenses which is more common in women than men, particularly at menopause. One factor common to both sexes is that it gets more common as we age, with up to 33% per cent of people aged over 65 suffering from it.

Curiously dry eye can be a result of either not having enough tears, or losing too much of them through evaporation. It is the tear film that normally keeps the eyes moist and lubricated and having a moist, healthy eye surface is essential for normal vision.

Are You Affected?

There are several common symptoms, including:

• Irritation so the eyes may feel gritty or burning, but they don’t turn red unless another eye problem is also present

• Sensitivity to bright lights

• Slight blurring of vision from time to time.

Factors that can result in dry eye include medication, as some have this as a side effect like diuretics, some antidepressants, antihistamines, some anti-anxiety medicines, the contraceptive pill, and beta-blockers. Environmental factors play a part too and at this time of year having the central heating on too high creates a dry atmosphere and the old remedy of having bowls of water in the room is a good one. These days it is less common, but cigarette smoke is an aggravation as are driving or spending a long time in front of a television or computer. These last activities mean fixed vision, which gives you a low blink rate and that can lead to drying out of the tear film.

If you are suffering and have tried other eye drops, then there is a new solution that might help. Rohto® Dry Eye Relief combines Hyaluronic Acid and Tamarind Seed Polysaccharide in a unique clinically proven natural bi-polymer called HydraMed developed by the same Japanese company that brought us Deep Heat,that much loved English favourite remedy for aching muscles. Hyaluronic Acid is a naturally occurring polymer found within the human eye that has incredible water attracting properties. It can draw 3,000 times its own weight in water which greatly reduces evaporationand hence fluid loss from the eye. The two ingredients provides effective symptom relief by both lubricating the eye and helping to stabilise the tear film. The combination of the two natural ingredients means more fluid is trapped on the surface of the eye so it improves symptoms of stinging and grittiness as well as reducing damage to the surface of the eye. In a small clinical trial patients found it improved their eye condition by over 56 per cent and as it comes in a daily dose vial it is convenient to carry in your pocket or bag.

You should find it in pharmacies, but if you want more information visit the company’s website at www.rohto.co.uk

Pleasing the Vegetarians This Christmas

If you are stumped when faced with a relative or visitor coming for Christmas who is a vegetarian, don’t panic and overload them on Brussels sprouts as you will all regret it! I have found a free 90 page guide to having a veggie festive season and you can download it from the website of the only vegetarian TV Channel I know of so click here and stop worrying! www.VeggieVision.tv

Breast Cancer Survivors and Soy Foods

Because we know that breast cancer is promoted by oestrogen, any woman who has had breast cancer tends to avoid foods that contain it such as tofu and soy milk. The most common source for many women is soy, a plant that has chemicals with oestrogen-like and anti-oestrogenic properties — which makes it a tricky area if you are a regular soy consumer.

A study has been ongoing since 2002 in China to study the effects of soy on breast cancer and analysis of the research suggests that eating soy, even in large amounts, may not be harmful after all, and may even reduce recurrence and death from the disease. Researchers based at Vanderbilt University in Houston, Texas and the Shanghai Institute of Preventive Medicine have looked at the first four years of follow-up of two groups of women breast cancer survivors. The first group consumed soy from naturally occurring sources, such as tofu or soybean and took in more than 15.3 g of soy protein a day and the others who had less than 5.3 g per day (less than half acup of soy milk, which has 7 g of soy protein.)

The women who had the higher intake had a risk of death from breast cancer four years after diagnosis of 7.4% and the risk of recurrence was 8%. Women who had the lower intake had higher risks: a 10.3% risk of death from breast cancer and an 11.2% risk of recurrence. Although not all experts are convinced that it’s safe to begin advising women to add soy to their diet, they do agree that there is no need to avoid soy altogether – particuarly in its natural forms – though supplements should be avoided by those who have had breast cancer until more analysis of the research has been done.

Natural Help For Thinning Hair

Hair loss or thinning has a profound effect on emotional and mental wellbeing. My good friend Jasmin who runs a natural cancer hair help site made me aware of the unhappiness that can result from the change in your appearance and it affects far more than those who have had treatment for cancer.

In a recent study, its not just men who are worried about hair loss as an increasing numbers of women in the UK are suffering too with 84 percent experiencing low self esteem and over a third feeling depressed as a result of their hair thinning. However the saddest statistic to me is that 97 percent of women asked felt they would be embarrassed to admit hair loss as society considers it socially unacceptable and 52 percent find themselves making excuses not to have sex with their partner because they feel less attractive as a result of hair problems.

The study was carried out by Trichologist, Sara Allison RGN MIT and world renowned Psychologist, Dr Linda Papadopolous on behalf of Vitabiotics Tricologic, a specialist vitamin supplement to help women maintain healthy hair growth. The reasons for hair loss are generally around stress , nutrition and hormones and although many women go to their GP’s for help with hair loss they are not well placed to deal with it. You would do better consulting a pharmacist or a specialist such as a Trichologist.

Most women’s ‘solutions’ to the problem revolved around comfort eating and avoiding going to the hairdresser and there has to be a better way than this to cope. Well, there is because Vitabiotics Tricologic had launched a helpline for women, which went live on Monday 7th December 2009. You can contact them weekdays on 0845 612 9606 between 9-6pm and from the calls they receive they are producing a booklet answering women’s most commonly asked questions on hair loss and thinning. Which presumably they will tell me about and I can let you all rush to get a copy.

Natural Help

Hair loss is a function of good nutrition, so get the diet right, and enough oxygen and blood supply to your scalp so a gentle daily head massage with help. On the supplement front, if you want to improve the thickness and strength of your hair, and its condition then Vitabiotics have two separate Tricologic treatments for men and women as they are formulated for the different needs of each sex. Both have a complete spectrum of 26 nutrients, including biomarine collagen, L-Cystine and special plant derived nutrients, which play a role in scalp health and hair follicle metabolism. The bio-active nutrients of are delivered via the blood stream directly to the hair roots for maximum benefit to help counteract the effects of aging on the hair. More information at www.vitabiotics.com

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