Vitamin D deficiency connected to high BP

People with low levels of Vitamin D are more prone to have stiffer arteries and inability of blood vessels to relax.

A study conducted by the scientist at the Emory/Georgia Tech. Predictive Health Institute resulted to a conclusion of lack of vitamin D can lead to impaired vascular health, contributing to high blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Vascular health and lower blood pressure were seen to the study participants who usually go under the sunlight, or by means of diet to increase their levels of Vitamin D.

Laughter Is Not The Best Medicine?

“Laughter is not the best medicine”.  That’s what a scientist has pointed out.

A recent study was conducted by Dr. Margaret Stuber, a psychiatry professor at University of California, about whether laughter truly helps patients.

After discussing and analyzing, she found out that laughter helps in mood improvement and lessening distraction, but she could not find a benefit from laughter alone (Discovery News).

Soak Up a Little Sunshine

Sunshine can be good for you. It kills germs, helps improve you mood., and allows the body to produce vitamin D. Yet while some exposure is good, too much can destroy the skin's elasticity and increase the risk of skin cancer. Enjoy sunlight and outside activities, but protect yourself from overexposure.


Friend or Foe?
Over the past few years, articles about the effects of the sun and the danger of skin cancer have driven many people into the dark. That's not all bad. Certainly you should use caution to avoid burning, but to avoid the sun altogether deprives you of one nature's great healing remedies. It's good to spend at least few minutes in the sunshine every day. Studies have shown that, for some people, lack of exposure to light causes depression. Taking a sunshine break will give your body a dose of vitamin D, and will act as disinfectant, killing bacteria on your clothes and skin.

Head Trauma

You've probably bumped your head at one time or another. Most head injuries are minor, resulting in simple cuts and bruises that can often be treated with basic first aid. However, a head injury can also be life-threatening. This is particularly true if it involves a loss of consciousness (concussion), even if only briefly.

Another concern after serious head injury is possible unseen bleeding that affects the brain. Bleeding on the surface of the brain or within the brain is serious, as it may compress and damage the brain. Skull fracture or neck fracture may also be a concern.



If any of the following occur after head trauma, seek emergency care and evaluation.:

Herbs as a Salt Substitute

We eat 1- to 20 times more salt than is needed. High blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke are among the sad results. By avoiding highly salted foods and reeducating ourselves to enjoy meals with little or no salt, we take a giant step toward better health.

What Do You Have to Lose?
You can shed excess water, lower your blood pressure, protect yourself against stroke and heart disease -- all this just by reducing the salt in your diet. It's a smart move. Are you ready to give it a try?

Cooking the Salt-free Way
It takes about three weeks for your taste to adjust to a low-salt diet. During that time food can taste pretty bland. Stick with it, however, and you will be rewarded when the delicious, natural flavors of food come out of hiding.

Hair Care 101

Hair -- every woman's crowning glory. With age and technology comes a pageant of hair products -- from shampoos to conditioners, from dyes to highlights, from treatments to toupees. Gone is Maria with her coconut oil. Along with these beauty enhancers, however, is the danger of damaging hair and turning it into a clowning tragedy instead.

Damage to the hair is usually caused by heat (irons, blow dryers, curlers, heat lamps, etc.), chemicals (color, perms, relaxers, poor chemicals, etc.), or poor diet (lack of proteins and essential fatty acids). Damaged hair stays as is until it grows out or is cut off.

Below are tips to help you prevent hair damage:

• Do not blow-dry hair completely. Leave a little moisture. If you really can't live without blow-drying your hair, just flip it upside down and dry only the roots on low heat.
• Never brush wet or damp hair

Meatless Main Dish for Vegetarian

Vegetarian is the oldest known diet to the human race. It is the most efficient and wholesome diet for us. Here are some reasons why discarding meat is a healthier option:

• Liability to take disease is increased 10 times by eating meat
• Meat is not essential to good health, strength, and endurance.
• Meat is a carrier of diseases, which are readily transmitted when flesh is eaten. 
• Meat is high in fat and cholesterol, a leading cause of coronary disease.
• The moral, intellectual, and physical capacities are depreciated by the habitual use of flesh meat. 
• Vegetarians enjoy better health and longer life expectancy
• Vegetarian diet chosen from nature's bona fide and healthful supply tends toward freedom of intellect and a sweetness and serenity of disposition, imparting strength to meet the challenges of life.

Here's a sample of simple recipe of a meatless main dish.

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin O2?

The Human body operates on oxygen. Make sure yours gets enough by exercising, keeping your house well ventilated, and pausing frequently to take slow, deep breaths. 

Air Inventory
Right now, without changing anything about the way you are sitting or breathing, answer the following questions:


1. How are you sitting right now? Is your spine straight, or are you slouching? Are your shoulders        
    rolled forward?
2. Observe your breathing for a few moments. Is is shallow or deep?
3. Do the clothes you are wearing, or the chair you are sitting on, restrict your breathing?
4. Is the room you are in well ventilated, or is it closed and stuffy?
5. Have you (or will you) exercise today?

How to Treat Heat Exhaustion?

During the long, hot days of summer-- especially with little breeze and high humidity -- it is possible for the body's natural cooling mechanisms to be overwhelmed.

The signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion often begin suddenly and may include faintness, rapid-heartbeat, low blood pressure, cold and clammy skin, nausea, and in fair-skinned people, an ashen appearance. If you suspect someone is experiencing heat exhaustion, see to it that the person:

• gets out of the heat into a cool -- preferably air-conditioned -- location
• lies down with legs elevated slightly
• loosens or removes most clothing
• drinks cold water or sports drink to replenish fluids

Health Benefits of Queen Mangosteen

Mangosteen is an evergreen tree that has leathery leaves and a round, purple or reddish-brown fruit that is smaller than a tennis ball. The bitter rind is inedible, and the juicy pulp fruit has about four to eight segment. Some says mangosteen taste ranges from strawberry, peach, vanilla ice cream with a very slight sourness. Others say it is a mix between lychee and grapes or pear and strawberry. 

Scientists have found the juice from the thick and rough rind of mangosteen to contain xanthones -- biologically active, natural chemical substances that have extremely potent antioxidants that can fight inflammation, bacteria, fungus infection, allergies, and even cancer. The greatest discovery to date is that xanthones can inhibit the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). 

The Versatile Eggplant: Does it have Egg contents?

Does eggplant, or aubergine as it is known worldwide, have egg contents, hence the name eggplant? Of course not! It's just that eggplant used to be small, white, and egg-shaped, when it was first discovered.

Eggplant is a vegetable highly prized for its deep purple and glossy skin. It comes in small, medium, or large sizes, and in pear or banana shape. Its mild, subtle taste and soft, cream-colored, somewhat spongy texture is never missed out in the menu lists of both restaurants and sidewalk eateries. 

While eggplant cannot boast about its nutritional content as compared with green and yellow vegetables, it does have nutritional, culinary, and medicinal merits.

High-Fiber Diet: A Body Detoxifier

Do you have difficulty moving your bowel? Are you suffering from atherosclerosis or hypercholesterolemia or diabetes? Something's wrong with your diet. One helpful dietary management is for you to go on a high-fiber diet!

A high-fiber diet is a modified balanced diet with higher fiber content. This is effected by including more fruits, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains in meal preparation. Fiber, the "forgotten nutrient,: is also called bulk or roughage. Its helpful effects never change. It helps reduce the amount of fats and sugar in the bloodstream. It makes the elimination of waste products faster thus preventing constipation.

Passionflower: Nature's Passionate Stress Solution

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnat) also goes by the name passion vine, apricot vine, or Corona de Cristo. It's a hardy, climbing vine that is noted for its beautiful flowers and tasty fruit. This perennial creeper is native to Central and South America, the West Indies, and the southeast region of the United States. The climbing tendrils can be trained so that the vine can easily grow on a trellis. The aerial parts are normally collected during the flowering and fruiting period and used either fresh or dried. The leaves and stems of the plant provide the mild sedative activity.

Passionflower was cultivated by Native Americans, both for its edible fruits and for its medicinal value. In the nineteenth century, it was a popular treatment for insomnia. Europeans learned about passionflower from the Aztecs of Mexico, who used it as a sedative to treat insomnia and nervousness. The plant was taken to Europe, where it is now widely cultivated and used in herbal medicine (as a tea or as capsules) in combination with valerian and lemon balm. There appears to be a synergism between the components in this mixture. This herbal preparation is a useful treatment for tenseness, restlessness, and irritability, and provides mild sedation without any addictive properties.

Cayenne: Spicing up your health!

What is Cayenne? It's a red hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes, and for medicinal purposes. Scientifically known as Capsicum frutuscens, cayenne prefers warm, moist, and nutrient-rich soil in a tropical climate.

Cayenne has healing powers. Its most active ingredient is capsaicin which has pain-relieving qualities. The capsaicin cream, when applied on the skin, can ease the discomfort of psoriasis, nerve pain, and arthritis. Be careful, however, not to apply topical capsaicin on cracked skin or open wound.

Resveratrol for Heart Health

" Red wine is good for the heart. " This tagline continues to intoxicate some people in the world since red wine merited attention as a health defender. This medical "breakthrough" has received different reactions from those who are directly associated with it. Drinkers groggily rejoice at the good news, health buffs defiantly question the issue, and the general population remains passively clueless at the real score of red wine.

What is the story behind the sudden promotion of red wine from health threat to "health protector"? Studies have shown that moderate red wine consumption lowers the risk of heart disease. The protective effect of red

wine is not due to its alcohol content, but rather to the presence of a simple non-alcoholic constituent now known as resveratrol.