Don't Put That On Your Face

Jeffrey Dorrian

One of the fastest growing hobby businesses of the last 10 years
is soap making. If you were to "google" the phrase "soap making"
you would come up with over 1.6 million indexed web pages on
this topic. The process of soap making can be a tedious somewhat
dangerous enterprise, which begs the question, why? Why are so
many Americans pursuing a task our colonial ancestors were glad
to be rid of? The trial and error method of soap making was a
long and thankless task that sometimes left the maker with an
unusable commodity after many hours of hard work. Oprah relates
how as a child her grandmother tried to teach her how to make
soap and she declined not seeing the purpose in her young life.



Have you ever looked at the ingredient list of a modern day bar
of soap? Common ingredients include DEA, Isopropyl Alcohol, BHT
and Triclosan. This is just a starter list. Can you imagine what
all these chemicals are doing to your skin? Most commercial soap
ingredients are petroleum based. This alone should be enough to
scare off the average soap consumer. The commercial soap making
process strips commercial soap of the best ingredient, glycerin.
This is then sold separately by the manufacturer as another
profit center for the soap company. Yet this is the main
conditional agent available in soap to soothe irritations and
protect the skin. Dermatologists across our country are doing a
brisk business remedying the consequences of the use of
commercial soap.



Along comes the natural handmade soap maker. Making soap from
common kitchen oils, including olive, soybean and coconut oils.
In home based soap making the natural glycerin is retained in
the soap. I would venture to say almost any handmade soap would
out perform commercial soap as far as enhancing the natural
properties of the skin. This would include both moisturizing dry
skin, and cleaning excess oil from oily skin. Handmade soap is
good for your body.



With a wide variety of fragrances now available to the handmade
soap maker the possibilities for great smelling soap are
endless. The most popular fragrances include lavender, vanilla
and the love or leave it fragrance patchouli.



Most soap makers I have talked to find soap making addictive.
They tell me the idea of creating a wonderfully utilitarian
product that one can use, share or even sell to the accolades of
others is euphoric. I must agree. One of the most exciting days
for me is delivery day from the fragrance company. Examining all
the new scents and imagining the newly possible fragrance
combinations, keeps me coming back to my soap making bench again
and again. I wish you many joys if you decide to venture down
the soap making highway. Find a good soap making book and take
your time. Don't be discouraged by set-backs, and check out some
of the many soap making forums for tips and ideas.



About the author:


Jeffrey Dorrian is the soap guy. Really, that is my website
www.thesoapguy.com. He has been making premium olive oil soap
for the past five years and now has customers in all fifty
states. "This is a true inexpensive luxury anyone can enjoy."

Buying, Storing And Preparing Apples

Cindy

When buying apples, look for those that are firm and brightly colored. Shiny red for Macintosh, Rome and red Delicious. Clear green for Granny Smith and golden yellow for Delicious. Always avoid bruised apples. When an apple is damaged, the injured cells release polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols in the apple, producing brownish pigments that darken the fruit. It's easy to check loose apples. If you buy them packed in a plastic bag, turn the bag upside down and examine the fruit.



Store apples in the refrigerator. Cool storage keeps them from losing the natural moisture that makes them crisp. It also keeps them from turning brown inside, near the core, a phenomenon that occurs when apples are stored at warm temperatures. Apples can be stored in a cool, dark cabinet with plenty of circulating air.



Check the apples from time to time. They store well, but the longer the storage, the greater the natural loss of moisture and the more likely the chance that even the crispest apple will begin to taste mealy.



When preparing apples, do not peel or slice an apple until you are ready to use it. When you cut into the apple, you tear its cells, releasing polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that darkens the fruit. Acid inactivates polyphenoloxidase, so you can slow the browning (but not stop it completely) by dipping raw sliced and/or peeled apples into a solution of lemon juice and water or vinegar and water or by mixing them with citrus fruits in a fruit salad. Polyphenoloxidase also works more slowly in the cold, but storing peeled apples in the refrigerator is much less effective than immersing them in an acid bath.



When you cook an unpeeled apple, insoluble cellulose and lignin will hold the peel intact through all normal cooking. The flesh of the apple, though, will fall apart as the pectin in its cell walls dissolves and the water inside its cell swells, rupturing the cell walls and turning the apples into applesauce. Commercial bakers keep the apples in their apple pies firm by treating them with calcium while home bakers will have to rely on careful timing.



To prevent baked apples from melting into mush, core the apple and fill the center with sugar or raisins to absorb the moisture released as the apple cooks. Cutting away a circle of peel at the top will allow the fruit to swell without splitting the skin.



Red apple skins are colored with red anthocyanin pigments. When an apple is cooked, the anthocyanins combine with sugars to form irreversible brownish compounds. Apples can be process by drying. To keep apple slices from turning brown as they dry, apples may be treated with sulfur compounds but that may cause serious allergic reactions in people allergic to sulfites.



Besides, apple could also be made into juice. Clear apple juice has been filtered to remove the pulp. Ninety-eight percent of all juices, including apple juices, sold in the United States are pasteurized to stop all natural enzyme action that would otherwise turn sugars to alcohols, eventually producing the mildly alcohol beverage known as apple cider (non alcoholic cider is plain apple juice). Pasteurization also protects juices from potentially harmful bacterial and mold contamination.



Apples also have medical benefits. They are use as an antidiarrheal. The pectin in apple is a natural antidiarrheal that helps solidify stool. Shaved raw apple is sometimes used as a folk remedy for diarrhea, and purified pectin is an ingredient in many over-the-counter antidiarrheals.



Apples can also be used to lower cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber (pectin) may interfere with the absorption of dietary fats, including cholesterol. The exact mechanism by which this occurs is still unknown, but one theory is that the pectins in the apple may form a gel in your stomach that sops up fats and cholesterol, carrying them out of your body as waste.

About the Author: Cindy is the host of http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com, a Free Asian Recipes website dedicated to all things on Asian Cooking.

Source: www.isnare.com

Buy Natural Health Supplements - Look Out For Quality

Adam Minsky

When you buy natural health supplements it is important to ensure that you buy quality products. Whatever sort of remedy or supplement you are looking for, you should never compromise on the quality, even if it means paying slightly more. In order to ensure that a supplement or remedy is effective as well as safe - whether you are taking it to ease arthritis or some other disorder or simply to boost your health in general - it should meet certain standards. If you buy natural health supplements that are of lower quality you could find them ineffective or even unsafe.

The best way to buy natural health supplements is online, and this is for a number of reasons. Firstly, you can enjoy far more choice online, which means that you stand a far better chance of getting high quality dietary supplements or natural remedies for health care. You can also get some fantastic prices online, enabling you to get the perfect supplement for your needs without breaking the bank. In addition to all this, you can enjoy fast and convenient delivery right to your door, so you won't even have to leave the home in order to get your supplements.

Buying Supplements - Why You Need To Look For Quality

So, why is it so important to go for quality over price? Well, in short the cheaper supplements that offer lower quality could end up having little to no effect, which means that you could be wasting your money altogether. Buying the higher quality supplements means that you can enjoy the benefits in safety. And if you look out for special deals on the cost of these supplements, you could get them at a knock down price anyway.
About the Author

Adam Minsky runs http://www.nutritional-supplement-resources.com,
where he reviews all the latest trends in vitamin and nutritional supplementation.
If you want to keep up with the very latest information on Alternative Health Supplements then visit this site today!

Beta-glucan a safe bet for auto-immune diseases

Anonymous

Question : I HAVE a friend who is HIV+ with a CD 4 of 600+. Is there any natural and safe remedy for such a case? Is there a product which can eliminate the virus from his system?

Answer : CERTAIN nutrients may help in building up his immune system to fight the virus.

Beta-glucan, a long-chained polysaccharide molecule derived from the cell wall of the common Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), is an active, safe and potent immune regulator that improves the immune system without pushing it to over- reactivity. Hence it does not create complications for those with auto- immune diseases.

Beta-glucan accomplishes this by activating the immune response through the specialised immune cells known as macrophages to yield various therapeutic effects. Besides its immune-enhancing effects, beta-glucan has also been known to assist the body in regulating cholesterol levels, promote rapid wound healing and inflammation, protect against radiation exposure and prevent infection.

Combined with powerful anti- free radical nutrients such as beta-carotene, and selenium, polysaccharides and vitamins A, C and E with zinc in a formulation will help strengthen the immune system.

Several studies have indicated that the stimulation of the immune system by beta-glucan results in enhanced resistance to most virus, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections. A trial using beta-glucan to prevent infection in patients after undergoing abdominal and lung surgery or gastrointestinal surgery found that it significantly reduces the rate of infections. Investigators of the trial concluded that beta-glucan was safe and could potentially decrease life-threatening post-operative infections.

About the Author

www.medical-explorer.com

Best Home Remedies Against Thrush

Charlene J. Nuble

The overgrowth of the fungi Candida Albicans is responsible for the onset of Thrush, which is also know as Yeast Infection or Candidiasis. Thrush is not a serious disease but it can cause great discomfort for its sufferer. The best thing you can do then you think you have thrush is to see a doctor immediately. There are also many over the counter medicines that are effective in treating thrush.

But aside from seeing a doctor and using over the counter medications, there are many things you can do at home to treat thrush.

1. The first thing you should do at the onset o thrush is to clean the affected area by washing it with plain water. It is not advisable to use soaps, shower gels and bath gels because these products can worsen the infection. Make sure that the affected area is always clean, cool and dry.

2. When you have thrush, avoid using lubricants and spermicidal creams. These products can make your conditions worse. You should also avoid latex condoms because latex or rubber can cause irritation.

3. Do not let synthetic fibers or materials touch the affected area as doing so could cause further irritation. You must wear clothes or undergarments made from natural fibers so as to minimize irritation.

4. Stress can trigger thrush this is why you should learn to relax and fight stress. Do not put yourself in stressful situations as much as possible and try to learn different stress-reducing techniques.

5. Make sure that your partner does not have thrush before having sex.

6. Melaleuca Oil is an effective remedy for thrush. You can buy Melaleuca Oil at alternative medicine and herb stores.

7. Aside from Melaleauca Oil, another effective natural remedy for thrush is Aloe Vera gel which can also be bought in alternative medicine and herb stores. Apply the Aloe Vera gel to the affected area.

8. Avoid oral contraceptives and broad spectrum antibiotics when you feel you are susceptible to thrush.

9. Individuals suffering from iron deficiency anemia and diabetes are more susceptible to get thrush than those not suffering from these diseases. So if you suffer from these diseases you must be doubly careful in avoiding thrush.

10. Avoid alcohol, steroids and too much sugar if you feel that you are susceptible to thrush. These substances can prohibit the growth of Candida Albicans.

11. You can also put natural yogurt to the areas affected by thrush to minimize irritation. Yoghurts have ingredients that can combat inflammation.

12. Food is one of the main triggers of thrush. Avoid dried fruits, dairy products, products with yeasts, mushrooms, pickled vegetables and fruits, monosodium glutamate and smoked fish and meat as these can trigger thrush. You can also try to follow a restricted diet for at least one month. The restricted diet can help you determine the particular foods that triggers thrush. You can then avoid these foods to avoid acquiring thrush.

13. Probiotic supplements that support friendly fungi in the gut such as acidophilus are also found to be effective in treating thrush.

14. If your thrush is persistent and does not respond to home remedies then you should begin to see a doctor. You should never ignore a persistent thrush infection. Or else it could lead to a much worse condition.


Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

About the Author:

Charlene J. Nuble 2006. For answers to All your frequently asked questions about thrush, please go to: http://thrush.candidaanswers.com/

Read more articles by: Charlene J. Nuble



This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com

Benefits of Alternative Medicine

Ruby Boyd

With the growing number of people being affected by newly
discovered chronic degenerative diseases such as AIDS and
chronic fatigue syndrome, Are you worried or wondering....

Is it possible to maintain good health?

What your body needs to function properly?

Why conventional medicine is becoming more complicated and
costly and in some cases simply ineffective?

A growing number of people are turning to alternative medicine and
natural healing--simple, traditional low-tech methods of preventing
illnesses and solving everyday health problems.

Do you have unanswered questions on....

Why are people flocking to health food stores, with their
lotions and potions, and what keeps them going back for more?

What to do if you or someone in your family falls ill?

Are these therapies really old wives tales or can they really
work?

Even mainstream doctors have begun to recommend natural drugless
therapies' to treat both everyday complaints and serious illnesses.
Dietary modifications, for instance, has become the weapons of
choice against a number of diseases that would have been treated
mainly with prescription drugs a generation ago.

It is now known that many conditions are caused by the wrong
diet and can be reversed by the right diet.

Heart disease, cancer, weight problems, arthritis, diabetes,
high blood pressure--they can all be treated to some degree
with foods.

Natural therapies found in alternative
medicine are actually much older than Western treatments such
as surgeries and antibiotics. Experts estimate that herbal remedies
and Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, has been around
for 5,000 years.

Many alternative medicine remedies began with scientific research
or clinical impressions reported by physicians working with safe,
natural substances.

But we live in a generation now that has been cut off from this
age-old tradition of self-reliance. Healing and health care
have become almost--the exclusive province of duly licensed
physicians. While doctors and other professionals-are indeed
great to have around, what is not so great is when you cannot
do anything without them.

Shouldn't we be able to do something to save our health--maybe
even our lives--without a doctor?

What happens when medical help is not so readily available?

What happens when doctoring simply does not work?

Some of us go to doctor after doctor, and still no help. Is
that the end of the line?

While antibiotics have saved millions of lives, they have not
really solved some resurgence of germs that are turning up in
new forms that do not respond to conventional therapies.

There has been a real shift in the way people think about their
health. Rising health care cost is a factor in the recent surge
of interest in alternative medicine.

Many people are attracted to the alternative physicians emphasis
on treating the whole person--body, mind and spirit. Most
importantly some physicians use intensive counseling to help
patients find out whether aspects of their daily lives, such
as job stress, marital problems diet or sleeping habits might
be behind their symptoms.

In this age of managed care and impersonal group practices patients
find this individualized approach of alternative medicine
particularly appealing.

One of the principal goals of natural healing is to break the
cycle of dependency and allow people to be more in control of
their own lives.

Alternative Medicine

www.a1-natural-health-and-beauty.com

About the Author

Ruby Boyd is the owner of www.a1-natural-health-
and-beauty.com, a website that offers
information on how to achieve health and beauty fitness goals
naturally.

You may contact me at:
3rdsista@bellsouth.net

Bad Breath, Halitosis And Home Remedies

Pieternel Van Giersbergen

When the Webmaster of www.breathbadgone.com asked me to write an article on halitosis (bad breath) I was thrilled. Strange, you say, that I should be enthused about the subject of halitosis (bad breath)? As an RN for over 25 years I have smelled many, many kinds of breath/ halitosis, and found that breath is a wonderful diagnostic tool. It can tell me how sick the patient is, and sometimes even what they have. I once worked with a wonderful doctor in the emergency room, who asked me what I smelled in the breath of a particular patient. We both felt we smelled a candida/yeast infection, and sure enough, that's just what it turned out to be! Bad breath/ halitosis is always a sign that something else is going on, and I'd like to share with you a few interesting cases and general principles in this regard.



I have a friend who is a sensitive person. We were sitting at a table and I asked him how his day was. He said OK, but his breath was bad and his stomach seemed upset. After I asked a few more questions he finally let on he that he'd had an argument with his employer. As he was telling his story he drank the big glass of water I had given him. And as soon as he'd unburdened his feelings and the water was gone… so was his bad breath/ halitosis. The moral of this story… dehydration and emotional issues can both affect our breath.



Many patients who come to the emergency room have bad breath. Simply giving them fluids (water or salt water intravenously) not only helps their primary condition, but the bad breath as well. You don't have to be in the Sahara desert to get dehydrated. Everyone needs to drink abundant water each day.



Small babies do not have bad breath/ halitosis when they are healthy. Bad breath (halitosis) is a sign that something is wrong and needs attention. Healthy toddlers don't have bad breath either, so when babies, toddlers or growing children develop bad breath, the following factors usually play a role: dehydration, stress, wrong foods, bad digestion and poor dental health.



Indeed, these are the same top causes of bad breath in adults, followed by digestive problems and infections, for which one should seek medical help. A great remedy for infections of all kinds, whether viral/ bacterial/ parasite and candida, or yeast, is Oil of Oregano. Oil of Oregano is an all-natural remedy that is as strong as pharmaceutical antibiotics, but with no side effects. It is also a great first aid remedy to have on hand.



I could go on and on about the distinct varieties of bad breath smells among those who drink alcohol, who smoke, who have diabetes, internal bleeding, liver diseases, or cancer. But I will spare you the unsavory details. The point is to focus on clean breath, and to heal the underlying causes of bad breath, which will give you better health and more enjoyment of your life. By welcoming bad breath/ halitosis as an opportunity to take preventive measures, you will be doing yourself a world of good.



May your breath be sweet!



Pieternel van Giersbergen



© 2005 Pieternel van Giersbergen. www.pieternel.com

About the Author:

Pieternel has been an R.N for over 25 years. She develops natural products for preventive health and is an expert on natural health issues. This article was written for www.badbreathgone.com

Source: www.isnare.com