As an alternative, the use of herbal medicine has done wonders for various illnesses such as cancer and heart associated problems. This can be attributed to the fact that the substances and composition that all extracted herbs offer are found to negate and improve the body components.

Weird as they may sound, taste or look, it is the healing effect that holds the truth towards a successful fight against diseases and illnesses. It is not purely a matter of relying on your doctor for advice but also a matter of taking into consideration that herbal plants are existent for a reason, a health reason.

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Today, calcium deficiency is one of the main concerns for women in their 30s or even early 20s. The great fear is that when we reach our 50s or 60s, osteoporosis would set in. That is why you can see a plethora of advertisements regarding calcium and different products supposedly containing adequate amounts of this mineral.

Because calcium is not that easy to acquire from the natural food that we eat everyday, the best course for the busy woman these days would be to take calcium supplements. There are a lot of different forms of calcium supplements – calcium caltrate, calcium carbonate, oyster shell or bone meal based calcium supplements, coral calcium, calcium lactate.

You have to be careful when choosing which kind of supplement you take. This is because calcium is not easily absorbed by our body. So the fact that you are taking supplements doesn’t mean that the body is actually benefiting from it. Different supplements may have different instructions on dosage and the manner of intake. You can ask our doctor to help you determine which supplement is the best for your needs.

So anyway, I was making lunch – pan fried slabs of yellow fin tuna. This stuff is really good, especially if you get the fish fresh from the market. So there I was happily pan frying the slabs when I lost my grip on one as I was turning it. unfortunately, some of the hot oil splashed on my left hand, burning the length of my index finger.

I immediately ran cold water over the burn as it hurt like anything and was quickly turning an angry red. After a few minutes, it still stung and was really bothering me so I turned to an age old remedy in my family – toothpaste. I spread – NOT RUBBED – some Colgate onto the burned area and almost immediately, the stinging sensation disappeared!

This made me think, did I do the right thing? Does toothpaste really work for minor burns? I looked it up on the Internet and found contradicting opinions. Some say that toothpaste should never be placed on burns while others highly recommend it.

I think that for minor burns that remain closed, toothpaste will work just fine. I can attest to that myself. However, I am almost certain that for second degree burns and burns that involve open wounds, toothpaste should never be used. What’s your opinion?

Enter the Nintendo Wii. With their new product line – aptly dubbed the Wii Fit – Nintendo is posed to capture a new market, if they have not already. So what is the Wii Fit all about? Time shares:

This is the genius of Shigeru Miyamoto, the famed game designer and mastermind behind blockbusters like Legends of Zelda, Donkey Kong and the many Mario titles. He has managed to take an activity that many people dread — exercise — and actually make it feel like a game. “What is most interesting to me is helping people find something within themselves and then drawing it out,” says Miyamoto, 55.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit comes with a wireless “balance board” that you set on the floor in front of a TV hooked up to the Wii console. About two feet wide and half as deep, the board is essentially a fancy scale, which not only measures your weight, but also detects your equilibrium with startling precision. To play Wii Fit, you stand on the board and go through a series of exercises/games that fall into one of four categories: balance, strength, aerobics and yoga. You can box, snowboard or hula-hoop. You can practice your tree pose and lotus position. Or you can play a tilting game that uses careful body movements to maneuver balls across a shaky platter onscreen, as you try to sink them into various holes.

For those of us who shy away from the more traditional forms of exercise, the Wii Fit may be our savior. I can’t help but think though, can it really replace exercise? What do you think?

Paper products are not naturally white. All white paper products are bleached with chemicals that leave behind a harmful residue of dioxin, a known carcinogen. This residue is found in coffee filters, diapers, lunch bags, napkins, paper towels, tissues and toilet paper. When dioxin enters the landfill as waste, it leaches into the soil, contaminating groundwater.

Sounds good to me. Wouldn’t it feel a bit strange having toilet paper that is not white? Come to think of it, I don’t really see those products in the supermarket all that much. However, the idea of using unbleached paper products – visual aesthetics aside – is a very good one. The question is whether or not these can easily be found where we shop. It won’t hurt to try looking for them, though.

Another point that Dr. Mao brings up is the use of natural cleaning agents. He suggests:

The first step is to completely stop using cleansers containing bleach or chemicals. These days, there is an abundance of natural cleaning products on the market, which are safe and will not pollute the environment.

This one I totally agree with. Vinegar is one of the best cleansers that I have used. I particularly like using it to clean my coffee maker. It also helps remove those odors that can be irritating. Of course, make sure you dilute it – one is to one is a good ratio.

Got any green tips for the health?

I think that we are all familiar with these methods – I am sure that you have your own “best cures” for the blues. Some people like to eat chocolate (or some other type of comfort food). I love ice cream! Other people go shopping. Still, other people would go on a trip.

Yet did you know that a short period of physical activity can help beat minor blues away? Yep, according to Amanda Gardner over at Yahoo Health, as little as 20 minutes of any kind of physical activity will do you a world of good. She quotes Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City:

“There’s such a pervasive feeling in this country that, if there’s a problem, there’s always a pill to fix it. This study is just reminding us that it doesn’t take much to actually have an effect even on your mood.”

I absolutely love this finding. This means that I can clean up my house once a week – this would take MORE than 20 minutes, believe me – and that will go a long way to help me feel better. Let’s get cleaning!

I think the tips from Mayo Clinic make a lot of sense:

• Use an oil-based lubricating cream, such as Aquaphor Healing Ointment, or lip balm containing petrolatum or beeswax.
• Apply lip cream, balm or lipstick before going out in cold, dry weather. Reapply several times while outside.
• Choose a lip cream or balm that contains sunscreen. Sun exposure contributes to chapped lips.
• Avoid licking your lips. Saliva evaporates quickly, leaving lips drier than before you licked them.
• Avoid using a flavored lip balm, which can tempt you to lick your lips.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Dehydration can contribute to chapped lips.
• Use a humidifier at home to keep air moist.

Aha! Flavored lip balm! I suppose I should try one that is not flavored. Or maybe, a product that contains beeswax would be better. I also found out that Burt’s Bees seem to work well for a lot people. Another option would be Neutrogena – they’ve always had effective products. I think I shall head on out to the drugstore tomorrow to check what they have – I’ll update you on this. If you have any recommendations, do share them with me, please.

Personally, I appreciate how a massage can relax and melt away the tension of a long day away. I need the pain-relieving effects of a massage, especially after 10 hours of walking. More so, I thoroughly enjoy the ambiance while having a massage – feel good music, scented oil, scented candle (of course, this is not always present). If you remember, though, we had a post way back last year on the health benefits of massages. Just to refresh your memory, it mentioned improved circulation, stress relief, pain reduction, and alertness as some of the health benefits of a massage.

One thing that was not mentioned there was how a massage can relieve migraine headaches. I think it can fall under pain relieving benefits but when it comes to migraine, we are talking about a different level of pain and an hour or two of having a neck and back massage just can’t be beat!