Family Health Zone

How To Reduce Your Blood Pressure with Cucumber Juice

When it comes to using cucumbers, most of us just throw a few on our salad at lunch or dinner. And then there are some of us who have learned to use them to reduce puffiness around the eyes. But if you want the real benefit of cucumbers, then take them off your eyes and pop them into the juicer ... just not the same ones!

Cucumber juice can indeed help with your skin, but it’s actually more beneficial in reducing your high blood pressure. So, before you start taking some of those new blood pressure medications, or find that your current medication aren't controlling your blood pressure as well as they should, suggest to your physician that you want to try drinking a nice, tall glass of refreshing cucumber juice, a few days a week. Just remember, if you are under a doctor's care and treatment for high blood pressure, always talk to your doctor before making any changes in your diet. High blood pressure is nothing to fool around with!

There was a study done recently that showed foods high in potassium, magnesium and fiber can reduce blood pressure. In combination with a healthy diet these foods reduced the systolic blood pressure of the participants of the study, by 5 points and their diastolic blood pressure by 3.5 points.

So what’s this have to do with cucumber? Well, cucumbers are not only high in these three nutrients; they’re also a significant source of Vitamins A and K, folate, caffeic acid, and silica. They also contain a significant amount of Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that may also help to lower blood pressure.

Since cucumber juice isn’t exactly a high demand product, your best bet for drinking a quality juice, is to make your own. Making your own juice is great with any fruit or vegetable because you know what’s going into the juice and you know it’s fresh and full of live, active enzymes.

Cucumber is great for juicing because the water content is very high within the pulp. However, this means that most of the nutrients are actually contained within the skin. So try and buy un-waxed cucumber if possible because waxed cucumbers generally require pealing, removing valuable nutrient content. Buy your cucumbers from the refrigerated section of the grocery store and make sure to put them in your fridge as soon as you get home. They don’t stay fresh very long, so don’t wait longer than a day or two to juice them. Try to choose cucumbers that are firm, rounded, and that have a bright to dark green color. These are the best quality and will give you the best results.

If you want the benefits of cucumber juice, but just don’t think you will enjoy the taste, try mixing it with other juices. Carrot and Celery juices can both taste great when mixed with cucumber, plus they have great benefits of their own. If neither or those juices spark your fancy, use your imagination and start mixing. You probably don’t want to go too crazy, but if you can find a combination you like the taste of, you’re more likely to actually bother drinking the juice everyday.

A good tasting combination, if you enjoy the flavor of tomato juice is:

• 20 tbsp (300 ml) cucumber juice,
• 7 tbsp (100 ml) tomato juice and
• 1 tbsp chopped up parsley

In addition to lowering your blood pressure, cucumbers can improve your skin, help grow hair, nails,  and teeth, and even clean out your kidney. So, if you want to reduce your blood pressure while also promoting other factors of good health, why don’t you try throwing a few cucumbers in your juicer?

How Friendship Contributes to Good Health

We all know stress and anxiety are bad for us. If left unchecked, these emotional problems can have serious physical effects. We spend millions of dollars every year on yoga classes and videos, relaxation tapes, massages, spa visits, and herbal remedies, all in a bid to reduce our stress levels and live healthier lives. The truth is, there a great and easy remedy for stress relief that costs little no money: go talk to a friend.

For years, scientists have been aware of the fight or flight response. When we are confronted with a stressful situation, our bodies produce chemicals. These chemicals induce us to either stand up and fight the situation, or run away. This is how science has always viewed the situation, till now. The problem with this theory is that it was based on research experiments using solely male subjects.

Scientists believed that men and women responded the same way to stress; however, recent studies have shown that isn’t true. When women are confronted with stress, we produce oxytocin, the hormone associated with bonding. This response probably developed so a woman would protect her family instead of risking her life or abandoning them in a dangerous situation. Nowadays it means that when women are stressed, we seek out friendship.

The fact that we seek out friendships when we face stressful situations still doesn’t explain why these friendships help women relieve stress. There are several aspects of friendship that help us lower our stress level.

• Help in time of need. We feel more stressed in a situation if we view it as hopeless with no way of escape. Having a friend there who will do anything for you can make a situation seem less hopeless because we know they’ll always be there to bail us out.
• Support. We can feel less stress in our lives if we learn to look at situations positively and cope with them accordingly. Having a friend there for support and encouragement can help force us to look on the bright side. A friend can also help us strategize and come up with solutions about how to deal with the situation.
• Laughter. A good hard laugh has been shown to lighten our mood, release stress, and give us a more positive outlook on life. Being around friends can help us smile and laugh, no matter how high our stress level is.
• An ear to listen. Sometimes we need to simply vent our frustrations out loud in order to feel  better. We don’t need feedback; we just need someone with an open mind to listen while we rant. A good friend can provide this kind of support.

So if you want to live a long, healthy, happy life, get on the phone and call up a good friend. If you can’t call a friend, go out and make a new one. You’ll definitely be better off for it.

How To Reduce Stress Naturally

Is there too much stress in your life? Is everything piling up and weighing you down? Perhaps you’ve tried pharmaceutical and herbal remedies, but nothing seems to work. You should try a proven natural therapy that has been used for generations to relive stress and make you feel better.

So what is this miracle cure that makes us feel so great?

It’s laughter. Laughter is nature’s way of easing tension and helping us relax. So take some time to laugh every day and you’ll be feeling better in no time.

So how does laughter work exactly? Well, laughter works on several levels to make us feel better and less stressed. First, laughter works to relieve stress physically. When we laugh, stress hormones in our blood, like cortisol, are actually reduced. Laughter also gives us a mini workout, which improves out health and releases hormones that make us feel happier. Lastly, when we laugh, it helps boost our immune system. The stronger our immune system is, the better we feel and the more prepared we are to combat stress.

Laughter helps us emotionally release stress as well. Our bodies are designed to release excess emotions physically, through acts such as laughing and crying. When we laugh, it releases some of our negative emotions as well. It can also change the thoughts that promote our emotions. Laughter helps us think more positively, worry less, and be less stressed. Even if laughter doesn’t promote positive thinking, it can make us forget about our negative thoughts and feel better.

If you’re laughing with friends or loved ones, you are also promoting social bonding. When we are bonded with people, it promotes supportive relationships that can make us feel more supported and less burdened, so we feel less stressed out about our situation.

So what do you do if life just isn’t that funny? What if you just can’t find anything to laugh at?

You fake it. That’s right, fake laughing. Consider one study done on forced laughter. Participants were asked to watch a movie and either not laugh at anything or laugh at the jokes whether they thought they were funny or not. After the movie, participants filled out a survey on how much they liked the movie. Believe it or not the people who laughed rated the movie as significantly better and funnier. Laughing, forced or not, improves the way you view the world and helps to fight stress from your everyday life.

In addition to stress relief, laughing has also been show to help you eat less, boost your immune system, increase your pain threshold, and even help you heal faster. So don’t delay. Whether it means going to a funny movie or laughing for no good reason at all, start laughing your way to a less stressful life today.

Grab a Glass of Juice Instead of Vitamins or Supplements

If you go into a health food store, or even a normal grocery store, you’re likely to find at least one aisle full of various vitamins and supplements. While these products may be helpful, they’re expensive, they can be a hassle, and they’re just not always the best way to get all the nutrients you need.

So, besides the hassle of taking a lot of pills every day, what’s so bad about supplements? While there’s nothing wrong with supplements, except that, they were designed to supplement a good diet, not replace it.

The best delivery system for vitamins and nutrients is the natural one. Supplements may not be digested or absorbed all the way, which means you don’t get all the benefits you’re supposed to. The only reason you should be taking supplements is if you can’t get the nutrients through your food, but unless you have some sort of medical disorder, or take certain prescribed medications, you can. You can get most of what you need from fruit and vegetable juices.

The important part of getting appropriate amounts of nutrients from juice is that you choose the right variety of juices. Different juices contain different vitamins in varying concentrations. Here’s a list of the vitamins and minerals contained in popular fruit juices.

• Orange: Vitamin C, Most B vitamins, potassium, foliate, and thiamine.
• Grape: Potassium, manganese, is rich in antioxidants.
• Pink Grapefruit: Vitamins C and A.

If you really want to stay healthy without supplements, you’re going to have to break down and start drinking vegetable juices. You may have avoided them in the past because you don’t like the taste, but these juices are great for you and don’t have the high sugar content that fruit juices do. If you just can’t take the taste of vegetable juices, try masking the flavor by adding some fruit. There are also a couple of companies out there that market bottled vegetable juices that are actually quite good.

Here are some of the power veggies that contain the most vitamins and minerals

• Spinach: Thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), foliate, vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc
• Beets: Calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, choline, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Be sure to mix this one with another juice.
• Broccoli: Thiamine, vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, sulfur, and potassium. It’s also high in fiber and protein.

If you want the most potential from your juices, you have to make sure they’re 100% percent juice without preservatives and additives. You can do this by checking labels, or by simply making your own juice. If you make your own juice, throw whole fruits and veggies in the juicer. The juicer will take out the solids and you’ll get a juice with greater nutritional value.

You may also want to invest in a good quality juicer. It can be a great investment and you may not need to bother with supplements or vitamins again.

Battling Fatigue? Try some Grape Juice

You work hard during the day, and in the evening you deserve to take a break, relax, and get some rest. But how tired is too tired? If you come home so beat that you don’t even want to get up and move, you shouldn’t lie around waiting to feel better. You should get up and do something about your fatigue. Why not try a great natural energy booster? Grape juice.

The most obvious way grape juice helps fatigue is by adding iron to your diet. Iron deficiency is common, especially in women. It can cause severe fatigue and leave you feeling completely burnt out. Don’t drink dark grape juices if you are anemic (low on iron). Dark grape juices contain chemicals that can actually lower the level of iron in your system, worsening the problem. Stick to white or light grape juice for the best iron boost.

If your feeling extra tired after a workout, you probably need to replenish iron lost from sweating. Drinking grape juice will not only give you more energy, but also help with muscle fatigue as well.

Have you ever noticed how tired you get when you’re feeling under the weather? If you’re constantly  feeling burnt out, it may be because your immune system isn’t working properly due to poor diet or excessive stress. You’ve probably heard that wine contains powerful antioxidants that help keep your healthy. Well, grape juice contains antioxidants as well but doesn’t make your drowsy like alcohol can. If you drink it regularly, these antioxidants can help boost your immune system, leaving you feeling healthy and energized. Antioxidants have also been shown to fight heart disease, prevent Alzheimer’s, and decrease the signs of aging.

You should be wary of drinking grape juice if you have a specific disorder that is causing your fatigue. People with fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, and chronic fatigue syndrome are actually cautioned against drinking grape juice because it contains too much sugar and can actually worsen fatigue.

When drinking grape juice to fight fatigue, you should be careful what brand you choose. Many “juices” are actually grape drinks or cocktails. These beverages have extra sugar added to them. While sugar may give you a boost in the short term, eventually your high will wear off. You’ll probably crash and feel even more burnt out than you were in the first place. For the most benefit, find 100% grape juices with all natural ingredients. If you can’t find a brand you like, just get some grapes and make your own.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t just deal with your fatigue, beat it and improve your health at the same time with an energizing glass of grape juice.

5 Natural Remedies for Menopausal Symptoms

There are many uncomfortable things all women face as they get older, and perhaps the most uncomfortable, is menopause. Not only do women going through menopause experience annoying and painful physical and emotional symptoms, they’re also at a much higher risk of developing dangerous problems such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

If you’re going through this change, you’ve probably seen a doctor and discussed medical treatments, but before you start on hormone replacement therapy or other drastic treatments, why not consider treating your menopause the natural way.

Here are 5 natural supplements that can help you solve your menopause problems:

Soy. Soy protein contains chemicals called isoflavones, which act as a mild estrogen and can help with the hot flashes and night sweats. It may also help keep your bones healthy. Just be sure not to take too much. About 50 grams of soy protein per day is enough. Getting excessive amounts of soy may actually be harmful.

Black Cohosh. This supplement can be used to alleviate hot flashes, help with mood changes, and even help you sleep better. While it has been tested and found to be safe, studies have only been conducted on a 6 month trial period.

Red Clover. Taking this supplement daily has been shown to not only decrease the number of hot flashes (one study showed a 58% decrease!); it can also help stop some of the long term health problems associated with menopause. Red clover contains isoflavones and may decrease loss of bone mass, improve cardiovascular health, and may even protect you against certain cancers.

St John’s Wort. Along with physical symptoms, many menopausal women also experience symptoms of depression. St Johns Wort can be taken up to two years to help alleviate mild depression. Do not begin to take it if you’re already on an antidepressant prescribed by your doctor because there can be serious interactions.

Vitamins and Minerals. You probably already know that you should take a calcium supplement to help decrease bone loss, but did you know you should also take magnesium to help you absorb and use all that extra calcium? You should also increase your intake of Vitamins E and C to help with estrogen absorption. You should be able to find a quality multivitamin for older women that will give you these nutrients and more.

There are a few things you should be aware of when thinking about using these or any other herbal remedy.

First is that you should consult your doctor before you take anything. Many people equate the word “natural” with “safe”, but these remedies can have harmful drug interactions and side effects. You should also take care to buy only supplements of a high quality. Check ingredients, look for seals (and research what the seals mean), and ask around on health websites or with a medical professional.

Garlic as a Cancer Fighting Tool

The more scientists study garlic, the more benefits they find from eating it. For instance, did you know garlic can not only prevent cancer, but may also be able to help treat it? There are many benefits in this great little food.

Scientists have done various studies to determine why garlic can fight cancer so well. The main cancer fighting compound in garlic is a chemical called allicin. Allicin is what gives garlic its distinct smell; it also protects the garlic plant from organisms that may attack it. Allicin isn’t the only anti-cancer chemical in garlic. Garlic also contains allicin-derived compounds, as well as other chemicals that aren’t even related to allicin. That’s what makes garlic so special; it contains a whole slew of compounds to fight off cancer and help keep you healthy.

If we compare cultures that have large amounts of garlic in their diet to cultures that get very little of these foods, we find that the cultures with higher garlic intake have less incidence of cancer. While we cannot definitively say that garlic is the cause of this difference, other studies have shown its preventative power. Studies have found increased garlic intake to be associate with a decreased chance of colon and stomach cancers. We also know that garlic helps fight a wide variety of infectious diseases. This means our immune system has to fight microorganisms less and can focus on preventing cancer cells from growing.

There have been many studies in humans and animals that show garlic to help not only with preventing cancer, but also in helping to treat it. It is considered most effective in fighting cancer of the stomach and esophagus because it helps to lower nitrite levels. Garlic has been proven to lower the death rate in stomach cancer patients. In studies of general cancer patients, garlic was found to cut tumor size in half in one study, and produce significant improvements of symptoms in over two-thirds of the patients in another study. While garlic should not be your only weapon in battling cancer, it can be a powerful tool to give you a leg-up in the fight.

Te benefits of garlic do depend on what kind of garlic you eat and how it is prepared. Most studies have found garlic to be equally effective whether it is raw or cooked; however, if you cook the garlic, wait at least 15 minutes after peeling before you cook it. You can also get the benefits from garlic power or compressed garlic oil. Don’t rely on aged or spray dried garlic; they don’t have the same benefits.

If used properly and regularly, garlic can be a powerful tool in preventing or treating various cancers.