An estimated 70 million Americans currently suffer from some form of arthritis, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. And while arthritis will strike three out of five people over the age of 65, you’d be amazed at the growing number of young people who show symptoms of this disease.

Arthritis impacts the lives of two out of every five individuals who are 45 to 64 years of age.  And in the age group of 18 to 44, one out of every five will suffer with arthritis.  Even more amazing is the fact that nearly 300,000 children are known to have some form of this disease also.

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The primary goal of the practice of hydrotherapy is to expel the majority of toxins out of the body. It is widely held that the toxin buildup is a significant cause of body inflammation in addition to pain in the joints.

Hydrotherapy treatment has proven effective with patients who suffer from chronic health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

People with osteoarthritis do well by using warm and moist hydrotherapy treatments. For example the use of moist heat packs as opposed to dry treatments such as electric heating pads might be preferred. To relieve stiffness in the joints and to get rid of tight pain that is intense and very penetrating, try using a warm compress on the skin for a period of 10 to 20 minutes, approximately every four hours.

Other types of hydrotherapy treatments that can prove every bit as beneficial include exercising in a pool that is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or wading or swimming in a pool that is heated to the same temperature. In order to be effective the part of the body that is in pain must be immersed fully in the water.

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Peripheral Artery Disease (“PAD”), also known as Peripheral Vascular Disease, often has no symptoms.  And there are several conditions that can lead to poor circulation.  People who experience symptoms often mistake them for something else, like a back or muscle problem.  The most common symptom is painful cramping in the hips, thighs, or calves while walking, climbing stairs, or exercising.  This is because the muscles are not getting enough blood flow due to plaque buildup, creating a blockage in the arteries.  The pain usually subsides after the person stops exercising.

PAD can lead to open sores that don’t heal, injury or infection of the feet and legs, especially if you also have diabetes.  Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the extreme of this condition and can cause gangrene, which sometimes requires amputation of the affected limb.

Risk factors such as aging or a personal or family history of PAD, cardiovascular disease or stroke cannot be controlled.  However, other risk factors can be controlled such as cigarette smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.  Those who smoke are generally diagnosed with PAD ten years earlier than non-smokers.

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There are so many different foods that are good for us and should be made a part of a regular diet. Some however are not foods that you might think of and some are not foods that you might be used to eating often. Let’s take a closer look.

Flax seeds are from the flax plant that is rich in alphalinolenic acid (ALA). ALA is a type of fatty acid that is extremely effective at protecting against heart disease. ALA is often classified in the same group as the omega-3 fatty acids.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) it is worthwhile to health if you consume flax seeds on a daily basis because the omega-3 content is very good for the heart. To get the most benefit from the flax seeds consider consuming it with oil such as flax seed oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil or soybean oil.

Flax seeds are full of benefits for the human body. They work to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels; decrease the concern over the formation of blood clots; protect against a variety of cancers but especially cancers deemed as “hormone sensitive” ones such as breast cancer and prostate cancer and to keep blood sugar levels in check. Flax seeds also increase an individual’s vitality, energy and stamina and bring about a sense of calm and relaxation when a person is under a great deal of stress. Flax seed works to support the proper functioning of the immune system and it is instrumental in increasing metabolism in order to facilitate weight loss.

But the good news about flax seeds does not end there. Flax seeds are able to ease the discomfort of many types of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues such as arthritis, gout and lupus. Flax seeds are especially beneficial for those who suffer from skin problems such as excessively dry skin, psoriasis and eczema. Flax seeds have been shown to be a natural laxative which is good for those who tend to have problems with their bowels and they have also been shown through studies to benefit individuals who suffer from attention deficit disorder (ADD). This list is not exhaustive by any means as flax seeds have a great many benefits to health. It has not been proven conclusively and tests are still ongoing but it is believed that flax seeds play a role in the proper circulation of blood.

Yogurt is a food that you like or you don’t. If you don’t you owe it to yourself to try to like I it if you are prone to allergic reactions. A study done at the University of California found that individual who consumed two eight ounce cartons of yogurt that contained the live cultures lactobacillus bulgaricus as well as streptocus thermophilous each and every day were less likely to develop head colds and suffered ten times fewer allergy symptoms than those who ate no yogurt at all or yogurt that did not contain active cultures.

Research studies have also showed that yogurt with live cultures is good at fighting yeast infections in women. Studies of women who suffered from recurrent yeast infections found that they develop seven times fewer of these infections when they regularly consumed yogurt with lactobacillus acidophilus.
 

Have you noticed that you do not seem to be as flexible as you were in your 20’s, 30’s or 40’s? As it seemed that you are getting less flexible as you work your way thru the decades? You are not imagining, your body does lose it’s ability to be flexible as we age. You may notice that your movement is not as smooth and it takes you longer to perform certain arm or leg movements. Bending and stretching may become difficult and you may experience stiffness or a “catching” in your muscles or joints as you try to reach something on that high shelf, or pick up that piece of paper that fell on the floor.

Normal flexibility means that you can balance and complete normal daily activities with comfort. Flexibility also helps you by reducing the tension muscles can undergo with activity and can improve your coordination. It also prevents injuries and gives you a sense of “body awareness”. Flexibility can even help with good blood circulation. You can imagine then, just how important maintaining your flexibility can be. Have you ever wondered how flexibility is measured?

The normal measurements of flexibility are the ability to:

• Raise your arms above your head 180 degrees
• Bend at your elbow 145 degrees
• Bend your neck 45 degrees to each side
• Arch your back at 30 degrees
• Move your hips 45 degrees
• Extend each knee in a straight line (0 degrees).

Flexibility can affect your joints (the connections between your bones), muscles and also your connective tissue between your joints and your muscles. Flexibility should be an important part of your exercise and fitness training on a regular basis. The definition of having normal flexibility is: the ability of a person’s body parts to bend while completing an action without breaking.

As we age certain aches and pain as well as being overweight can change our activity level and the inactivity changes our collagen structures within our body. Collagen is what binds our body parts and aids in healing broken bones and promotes wounds to heal by growing blood vessels to feed the area of injury. Collagen is the fibrous protein part of our bone, cartilage and skin and also other connective tissues in our body.

How to prevent or restore flexibility:

* If you have a sedentary job, take stretch breaks by flexing your knees, rotating your neck, rotating your shoulders, making circles with your arms and getting up and walking around the room, or if you can, take a walk outside even if it is just around the building.

* Stretch before exercising to improve flexibility and warm up your muscles so that they can stretch better.

* Maintain proper weight for your age and height.

* A good diet will assure that your body cells have the nutrients they need to function properly

If your healthcare professional feels that you are at risk for decreased flexibility you may be sent to a physical therapist who will measure your flexibility and show you exercises that you can do during therapy and at home to improve your flexibility.

One phase of herbal healing focuses on the stage of ”healing crisis” or “disease crisis”. Basically, as your body starts ridding itself of the various toxins and built up waste that’s been in your system for a great number of years, it will need time to adjust to those changes. And once the body realizes you’re finally starting to help it clean some really bad stuff out, it may accellerate that process, and this can lead you to think things are getting worse when they’re actually getting better.

In other words, once people start using herbal and alternative remedies to heal a major health problem, they often start feeling worse. Sometimes much worse. So they assume things aren’t working, and they stop what they’re doing. And this is a big mistake.

Once your body starts enters into the healing or disease crisis stage, this is a clear indication that things are actually working, and working well. The better they’re working in fact, the worse you may sometimes feel. This is because your body is accellerating the process of cleaning itself out. And the faster it’s able to do that, the faster you’ll feel much better.

If you’ve ever tried to stop drinking caffeinated sodas or coffee, or you’ve tried to stop smoking, then you may remember going through a withdrawal period. During that time, your body felt horrible without the substance it was used to having. This was your body cleaning itself of that substance though. Depending on what has to be cleaned from the system, you may have been physically sick to your stomach, or you may have had severe headaches for days.

A similar process happens when people start a new weight loss diet.If you decide you will lose weight by cutting out extra sugar from your diet for instance, the first step you might take is to stop drinking sodas. And everything is fine for a day or two, but then you start having a major problem with headaches. In fact, sometimes you may feel like you have the flu. And this is a normal part of the healing crisis your body is going through. It is finally able to start eliminating all the poisons and wastes which have built up within your system from eating so much sugar over the years.

A disease crisis tends to last longer than a healing crisis does, and how long it lasts will depend on how sick you are. Usually your chronic health conditions will seem intensified during a disease crisis. If for instance, you have chronic sinus infections and problems, you might find that a lot of mucus is suddenly starting to drain from your head. If you’ve had chronic problems with bronchitis, you might discover you’re coughing up a lot of mucus from your lungs instead.

Though unpleasant and uncomfortable, this process is actually a very good sign. The body gets rid of toxins, waste, and bacteria in a number of ways: Through urine and excrement, through runny noses and coughing, through sweat, through fevers, and more. By taking medications over the years to suppress these natural disease fighting systems in our bodies, we’ve made the problems worse. So letting them out helps our bodies fully cleanse themselves and get rid of problematic germs and bacteria.

Healing your body using herbal supplements and remedies is yet another part of the overall whole body healing process. As we’ve mentioned previously, using herbal supplements can provide your body with a wealth of nutrients, vitamins and essential minerals it so desparately needs. Herbs also have healing properties too, and there are specific ones to use for specific reasons.

Using herbal supplements as vitamins is the best way to get started though, because when you take herbal vitamins you’re making sure your body gets the entire health benefits that plant is intended to give. When you take synthetic vitamins, those are often lacking in trace minerals and additional nutrients which herbs have naturally, so using herbal supplements as your daily overall vitamin tends to give you the best results fastest.

Taking herbal vitamins and supplements should be an important part of your overall wellness routine, but the types of herbal supplements you choose are very important too. If for instance, you buy herbal products which are simply synthetic vitamins in disguise, you may be disappointed with your results over time. Many products are sold on the market today, which are designed to look like natural products. These often say they “contain” a specific herb or multiple herbal ingredients. Unfortunately these products often also contain other preservatives, chemicals and harmful ingredients, yet they don’t contain enough actual herbal material to have much of an effect at all.

Buying one hundred percent natural herbal supplements however, particularly ones which have been grown organicly, is the best way to provide your body with the additional nutritional supplements it needs. Natural herbs have a wide variety of vitamins in them naturally, and they often contain trace minerals and nutrients which aren’t often found in synthetic vitamins.

Products which are one hundred percent herbal supplements come in gelatin capsules which can be opened up. If you open that gel cap and shake out the contents, you’ll find dried and crushed or ground herb inside. You can tell by the look, texture and taste that it’s the actual plant material and not some combination pill made in a laboratory.

The best two herbs to start with for overall nutritional and health improvement are excellent all around vitamins by themselves. One is known as parsley, and the other is known as alfalfa.

Parsley is rich with Vitamin C. In fact, it contains three times more than Citrus fruits do. It also comes packed with iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and much, much more.

Alfalfa is also packed with a large number of essential vitamins and nutrients. This herb also helps your body assimilate and use other plant based foods too, so it’s an excellent one to take when you want to make sure your body is getting the most of the new healthy foods and supplements you’re providing it.

Another completely natural way to start helping your body be able to heal itself, is to get more physical activity into your daily life. Most people feel like everyone tells them to exercise, and they have a hard time believing it can really help as much as it’s touted. In fact, some people think that “get more exercise” is simply a fall back answer for anything the doctor or other people don’t have more information about. And that’s simply not the case.

Exercise is a critical component to the whole body healing approach of alternative and natural healing. And that’s because it works. It helps your body start healing itself, and gives it the strength and stamina it needs to fight off a large number of bacteria and virusus we come across each day.

When you start getting more active each day, you start circulating more oxygen through your body. And oxygen is needed for your muscles to work properly, your brain to work well, your blood to clean out toxins and waste, and much more. By getting even a little bit of moderate activity each day, you get your body’s systems moving. And when things are moving, it’s difficult for bad stuff to collect in various places.

Heart disease for instance, is often caused by or contributed to from plaque and other deposits clogging up our arteries. Some types of arthritis are caused by calcium buildup on the joints. Each of these things and many others like them can be drastically reduced if not eliminated entirely simply by getting your body moving. By moving your body, the blood starts pumping faster, and it cleans out anything that may be stagnating and piling up in various areas of the body.

Now, most people hate the idea of exercising, and they have plenty of good reasons. For the most part, exercise is a lot of sweaty, hot work that’s boring and it makes you hurt too. And that’s where many people go wrong. Instead of finding something they enjoy doing that gets them moving more each day, they simply stop any kind of exercise at all.

Exercise can actually be a lot of fun though, if you think of it in the terms of doing fun things you enjoy. If you like swimming for instance, then go do that several times each week - it’s wonderful exercise. Maybe you enjoy gardening, dancing, or yoga instead. If so, then go do them regularly. These are all forms of exercise. There are also fun sports such as basketball, tennis, volleyball and many others - all of which are excellent ways to get your body moving well, and get you the exercise you need to start being healthier.

One very important aspect of naturally healing your body of a variety of health related diseases and problems is to alter you eating habits. A modern day Western style diet is filled with junk. Not just in the form of empty calories - although there is plenty of that too - but the foods we choose to eat are filled with preservatives, chemicals, hormones, drugs, and any number of things that affect the human body.

If the additives, preservatives, chemicals, and downright strange things weren’t enough, most people hardly ever eat fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fiber, or healthy fats and proteins either. All of this combines to create major health problems for people of all ages.

As part of the full body approach to healing though, changing what you eat is an extremely important step. In fact, one of the reasons that herbal supplements work so well for so many people, is because they’re like eating condensed vegetables. It’s a healthy meal in a pill essentially.

Since most modern bodies are deprived of even the most basic vitamins, nutrients and essential minerals they need to stay healthy, taking an herbal supplement gives them much needed elements they haven’t been able to get anywhere previously.

Using food to help heal your body is not difficult either. In fact, it really just takes a few simple steps. It’s difficult to adjust to the changes mentally and emotionally sometimes though, so persistance, determination, and self control are required.

First you’ll need to cut out as much simple sugar as you can from your daily eating. Sugar is quite possibly the number one cause of most major health problems known about today. White flour is another item that needs to be cut from your diet too though. Neither table sugar nor white flour has any nutritional value for your body.

Use natural sweetners such as honey or organic maple syrup, or switch to artifical sweeteners instead. Instead of white flour, start using whole grain based products.

Add fresh vegetables and fruits to your meals. Fresh and raw are best, and organic is essential to help stop the build up of excess chemicals and toxins inside your body. Eating cooked fruits and vegetables is fine too, but the raw ones are the most nutritional for you.

Don’t neglect meats and fats. There are healhty proteins and healthy fats that are critical for your body’s nutritional needs, and these food items should be eaten on a regular basis too.

Many people have started looking for alternative approaches to medicine, wellness and healthcare these days, because of the prohibitive costs for prescription drugs, and because many of these synthetic medicines come with dangerous side effects these days too.

As these people grew up on home remedies, they discovered that their Mom or Grandma would tell them to do seemingly strange sounding things - such as putting tea on a sunburn - to take care of any number of health and wellness problems that arose. Herbal remedies have been around for centuries too though.

There’s actual evidence of people using herbal remedies and medicines as far back as 25,000 B.C.  Many people don’t realize this important fact either: Almost every synthetic prescription drug on the market today is based on one form of herbal or natural plant substance.

Like prescription based medications though, herbal supplements can come with
side effects. Most herbal supplements in fact, can be used for a wide variety of
complaints. Instead of buying separate pills for individual complaints like you do
when buying synthetic medications, often times you can buy one or two general
herbs to take care of multiple things at once.

When you hear people discussing herbal remedies and supplements, you can find one or more of them talking about how the remedy simply does not work. They’ll claim they tried it and nothing happened, so they believe herbal remedies are a bunch of old wives tales or voodoo of some kind.

If however, you talk to a large enough group of people who have tried various prescription medications for a specific ailment, you’ll also find the exact same thing. One or more people will go on about how the medication is worthless and didn’t do a thing for them.

You see, every person’s body is different. And even when people are diagnosed with the same disease, that diagnoses is more of a general label or category than anything else. Everyone’s body reacts differently to different things, and everyone’s health problems, symptoms, and diseases also produce different results too. Because of this, the exact same medications will produce different results for different people. And the exact same herbal remedies will too.

Not only does everyone’s body respond differently to various things, but sometimes people try to diagnose themselves - and they get it wrong - while other times doctors will select a diagnosis that isn’t quite right either. So when you try to treat a specific problem or condition the wrong way, you’re not likely to get much, if any, decent results from the treatment.