Inflammation is a leading cause of pain. It can cause pain or other disfunction anywhere in the body. Common sites of inflammation are muscles, joints, respiratory system, arteries, digestive tract, or even widespread inflammation of body cells.

Everyone knows that inflammation of muscles and joints causes pain. People are only starting to realize that respiratory inflammation is associated with allergies and asthma and that inflammation of the arteries is associated with heart disease. Inflammation can be not only painful but also dangerous.

There are prescription pharmaceuticals for combating inflammation. But some of us prefer to try traditional remedies before resorting to drugs. And interestingly a group of naturally occurring rare antioxidants called betalains have been scientifically proven by medical research to fight inflammation.

Ancient traditional remedies used by native peoples often worked quite well. Some of them are still used in modern medicine, though some have been refined and updated to be even more effective. Some of them, though, work best in their wholistic original form. That is why so many people in our modern culture still use, and benefit from, traditional remedies.

For centuries, native peoples of the Americas have relied on the Nopal cactus (Opuntia Ficus Indica) fruit for relief from inflammation and the pain it causes and to promote overall health. Nopal cactus fruit juice contains the scientifically proven antioxidants, betalains.

But not all of us live where the Nopal cactus grows. The juice of the Nopal cactus fruit is now available as juice in a tasty well wellness drink called Nopalea. The drink is said to help your body neutralize its inner toxins, reduce inflammation and promote optimal health.

Nopalea is provided by a 12-year-old company whose mission is to help people pursue physical, emotional and spiritual health. It contains no preservatives.

Over 3 million bottles of Nopalea have been sold. You can try it for free (if you pay $9.95 for shipping) by calling 1-800-203-7063.

I love giving people things that will make their lives better, especially health-related items. You do have to exercise tact and make sure the gift is something they want, not just something you think they need.

Here’s what I have on my personal health and fitness wish list. Maybe you would like to compare it with yours—or may be it will provide some suggestions for hard-to-please people on your gift list.

Yoga mats, zafus

Gravity table

Pilates equipment

Massage oils, massage tables, and soothing music to listen to during massage

Meditation cushions, candles, music, and art

Essential oil sets

Flower remedy gift sets

Baskets of herbal teas

Tai chi, jazzercise or martial arts, meditation, yoga or dance classes

Vitamins and nutritional supplements

Books on alternative therapies, longevity, sports medicine, and nutrition

Skin care and body care products made with natural ingredients

Potted plants of culinary and/or medicinal herbs

I’m sure you can think of more.

Be creative, because these are the kinds of gifts that could save a life, or extend the enjoyment of life, for someone you love.

What’s on your health and fitness wish list? Almost everything I’ve listed can be ordered on line, often at great Savings—so you can please the people on your list—and buy yourself some great health and fitness items, too, and start the new year right.

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Are you ready to learn all about the Acai superfood for superior health?  Movie stars and doctors think that this purple berry is one of the most powerful natural foods on our planet.  Oprah Winfrey believes that Acai is the ultimate food for longevity!

The reason why so many people believe in this Amazonian purple berry is because it works!  There is another side to this story and that is you have to be careful where you buy it from.  If you buy it from a source that is not reputable and it’s not 100% pure Acai, then you will not benefit from this superfood. Read the rest of this entry »

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Our new sister site, New Alternative Health Ideas, is a great place to explore many alternative healing modalities by watching videos.

http://www.newalternativehealthideas.com/

When this site started, we displayed health-related videos, but for various reasons we quit using them. These are better videos, and the whole new site is devoted to them. So I hope you will try it out and let us know how you like it.

Topics include

There are various weight loss trends out there that aim to reduce calorie intake to such low numbers that failure is inevitable. Starving the body is not the optimal way to lose weight.

Real weight loss starts with a healthy body and with old eating habits filling the colon with toxins and built up food, a colon cleanse is a start in the perfect direction. People tend to think a colon cleansing is all about relieving constipation, but this is not the sole benefit of a cleanse. When food builds up in the intestine, absorbing vitamins and nutrients becomes harder and health is negatively affected.

What types of Foods Build Up in the Colon to Stop Weight Loss?

A long time ago, diets consisted of foods that could be grown and prepared naturally. The body easily digested these foods and the colon could process the food and eliminate it from the body without trouble.

With the introduction of processed foods and fast food, the colon could no longer work effectively and old food was left stuck to the sides of the intestines without being eliminated. In regards to weight loss, reducing calorie intake is not enough to get the colon back on track. Read the rest of this entry »

There is no worse feeling that a person can have than that of anxiety. It can be a very debilitating condition that can take over a person’s life very quickly if they do not learn how to treat it.

Here we will take a peek at some things that people can do to help themselves learn how to treat anxiety on their own. This may work for some, but there are times that you may need the help of a professional.

Breathing techniques are one way that people try to calm the body’s reactions to the triggers of an anxiety attack. Doing some deep breathing can be an easy form of relief for some people as long as they make sure that they perform the exercises properly. Rushing through them will not help you in the least.

Exercise is another thing that people have tried, and some have found that it too can be a huge help when learning how to treat anxiety. Try stretching exercises or Yoga as these are ways that help the body and the mind relax and focus on other things than what is happening. This can be the best way to calm yourself down which in turn can prevent matters from getting any worse than they are.

Other people have found that there is a lot of truth in the claims that come with regards to the relaxing qualities of herbal remedies. Teas are one of the most commonly used herbal remedies that is used today. People use these for all sorts of reasons, and anxiety is one of them. Read the rest of this entry »

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According to researchers, about 20 million Americans suffer from some sort of mood disorder. And even the most cheerful of us sometimes have down days, experience grief, or maybe just get overwhelmed by circumstances such as overwork.

What if you could stir up an instant mood-elevating drink when you need one? One with natural ingredients that are actually good for you? Apparently now you can.

A new mood drink product called MoodBoost comes in foil packets that you mix up in water for a quick mood adjustment. Ingredients include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbal extracts—with no artificial sweeteners and no caffeine.

The mood drink includes ingredients that have been associated with raising the levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters that help alleviate seasonal mood swings, control stress, and simply make people feel better.

This is especially interesting, because extensive medical research in Europe, where herbs are often prescribed by medical doctors, has shown that St. John’s wort, one of the ingredients in MoodBoost, is a natural antidepressant that is as effective in alleviating depression as antidepressant drugs, but without the side effects of prescription drugs.

Additional important ingredients include 5-HTP, vitamin D, Rhodiola rosea, vitamin B12, L-tyrosine, L-glutamine, magnesium, and zinc. Other medical research has shown that many people do not have enough vitamin B-12, vitamin D, and certain amino acids, such as L-tyrosine and L-glutamine.

What about the taste? The manufacturer has added tropical flavors, so the drink may actually taste good. And anyway, if you are depressed, it would be well worth mixing the powder into a small glass (or bottle) of water and chugging it down. I plan to give it a try.

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