Self Health Pages

Fruits That Are Important or Essential to Your Health

Aside from it is a pleasure to eat, fruits is loaded with vitamins and nutrients that are indeed useful to one’s health. Here are some fruits that are valuable or important to your diet.

Kiwi – Small but terrible, this fruit from New Zealand is a great source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E and fiber. Its vitamin C content is two times better than that of an orange.

Apple – As the popular cliché goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” True enough apples has a 100% Vitamin C content as it is packed with the powerful antioxidants and flavonoids which facilitates Vitamin C to activate, lowering the risks of having colon cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Strawberry – Living to its billing as being a protective fruit, strawberry contains the most antioxidants among major fruits as it defends the body from cancer-causing, blood-vessel clogging free radicals.

Oranges – Two to four oranges a day helps you avoid colds, reduce your cholesterol level, eliminate kidney stones and lower risk of colon cancer.

Watermelon – one of summer’s coolest treat literally, watermelons, cool and delicious is comprised of 92% water but mind you, it is rich in gluthatione, which helps your body to bolster and strengthen the immune system. Packed with lycopene, which is also good in warding off cancer. Watermelons also have Vitamin C and potassium.

Guava – Has a great amount of Vitamin C and also rich in fiber, that is good against constipation. P

Papaya – Also has great dose of Vitamin C and is in abundance of Carotene which is good for your eyes.

How to Care for Your Eyes and Ways to Prevent or Avoid Blindness

Here are some tips, cues or pointers to keep your eyes healthy or avoid diseases:

1. Women who are capable of giving birth should have rubella vaccine. If you are planning to have children, you may get a rubella vaccination. Less expensive and simple, it is a way of protecting your baby from a retina disease and disability.
2. If you have suspicion that your child has problems with vision, have him/her see and eye doctor for proper refraction and screening for amblyopia.
3. Wear sunglasses when basking under the heat of the sun to protect you from ultra-violet (UV) rays.
4. Don’t abuse your eyes. Avoid reading in the dark or in a moving vehicle, for this will surely create eyestrain.  So also, rest your eyes when using computer at a long time.
5. Be cautious with eye safety while at work or playing. Avoid letting your kids play with sharp-pointed objects especially when there are no adults to watch over them. See to it that child’s school Chemistry class or laboratory have goggle while conducting various experiments. If any chemical gets in to the eye of your child’s eye, wash it immediately with ample amount of water. Wearing protective goggle whilst doing carpentry is a must too. Never remove any tough object in the eye with a hair strand or a tweezer, if in case an accident happens. Call an eye doctor to remove the object from the victim.
6. Do not utilize eye remedies like extracts from some herbs, breast milk or even urine which traditions tell so. Herbal extracts may contain fungi, urine maybe infected with bacterium that can be attributed by gonorrhea. Consult an expert eye doctor to have a proper diagnosis and treatment.
7. Control your blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol. Eyes can be affected by hypertension, diabetes mellitus and astroscleorosis.
8. See and consult an eye ophthalmologist if ever you reach the age of 40. Diseases that can cause blindness like Glaucoma have no signs or symptoms.
9. Always seek second opinion whenever your eye doctor tells you to have an eye surgery.
10. Check the credibility of your doctor. Select an eye doctor that you are comfortable with and you can trust.

Avoiding or Preventing Travel Health Problems or Woes

While traveling on a long trip by plane or any form of vehicles sometimes there are some health problems we will encounter. Here are some problems we might meet along the way:

Jet Bloat and other gastrointestinal problems – A very common problem among those who travel. This can be caused by eating late at nigh or eating spicy foods, which can give you heartburn and indigestion. Carry often antacid or other charcoal pills, when you eat too many beans or being in jet bloat because from a cabin (pressure changes on the airplane can cause jet bloat).

Fluctuating cabin pressures are relatively mild but good enough to inflate everything inside your tummy and intestines a little. Dulcolax, drinking lots of water and eating foods high in fiber such as pecans and almonds may treat constipation too.

Eating small amount of spicy foods and citrus fruits may help you prevent indigestion. To keep intestinal on check drink water or juice on the plane instead of soda or other carbonated drinks. Extra servings of cooked veggies, nuts and peeled fruits may also aid in avoiding constipation.

Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT  – If there is swelling, pain or peculiar redness building in one of your legs or finding some difficulty in breathing, don’t hesitate to go to the nearest hospital. Treatments for this include intravenous injectable or oral dose of blood thinners. DVT is caused by blood clots in your legs or pelvis, especially when you sit in a tight position in a corner just like in the airplane cabin for two or in a congested corner of any type of vehicle. To avoid DVT, see to it that you can stretch your legs during a long travel or flight. Get up every two hours or walk in the bathroom every two hours, to have added blood circulation in your body. Ask your doctor about some drugs and compression stockings if you are likely to have blood clots during the travel.

A List of Wonderful and Beneficial Herbs for Healthy Living

The power of herbs is widely tapped even in the ancient times. The natural healing powers of these wonderful natural herbs are used to treat and cure serious diseases. Here are some popular herbs and their medicinal benefits:

Basil – A common herb that is ubiquitous in Italian menus. This herb are used to cure or treat  constipation, diabetes, diarrhea, respiratory disorders, impotence and allergies. This herb also helps digestion and can give instant relief when one is experiencing gas problems in the tummy.
Chamomile – Chamomile tea (a cup) is said to give your body relaxation. Drinking chamomile tea before going to bed after a hard day work is inched to calm you down. Chamomile can also effectively relieve and reduce the effect of menstrual cramps, hemorrhoids and colds and it can also provide faster healing with wounds.

Although very useful this herb tends to give allergies. Before trying chamomile see to it that you are not allergic to it. Caution should also be taken, since chamomile is not good for those who are pregnant.

Cayenne Pepper – There are some books that cite the healing wonders of Cayenne peppers. According to herbal experts, this herb is very useful since it is a high source of Vitamin A and C, calcium and potassium. Cayenne also promotes proper digestion by way of aiding your body generates hydrochloric acid, which is important in digestion. Cayenne can also be utilized to have a healthy skin and get rid of itching.

Licorice Root – Often taken for granted this herbs is a powerful anti-depressant and can be used for asthma, baldness, body odor, bursitis, chronic fatigue, colds, dandruff, tooth problems, gout, skin problems, yeast infection and many more.

It is indeed a welcome relief to learn various herbs with very valuable medicinal benefits for they are cheap and accessible. It is also helpful to seek or consult a herbal expert first to know how to use them well. Some herbs can be very valuable but can also cause some unwanted problems when taken in wrong quantities.

Effective Way to Preserve Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are indeed vital to our daily diet and the same time purchasing them has an effect with our budget. With these factors we need to keep our fruit and veggies fresh the longer time possible. To lock the nutrients of your fruits and veggies and save precious bucks and prevent them from rotting early and premature spoiling is to separate them. Many Fruits and vegetables emits ethylene when they ripen, a gas that can produce spots on the other produce and/or make other crops become soft and mealy.

Here is the list of which farm products that emits ethylene and which is not:

Produce that emits ethylene:

Apricots, Avocados, Bananas, Melons, Kiwis, Mangoes, Nectarines, Papayas, Peaches, Pears, Rum and Tomatoes.

Produce that are sensitive to ethylene:

Apples, Asparagus, Broccolis, Carrots, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Green Beans, Lettuces, Potatoes, Squash and Watermelons.