SLEEP: THE KEY TO GOOD HEALTH

Sleep is very essential to good health; just as exercise and nutrition are essential for our overall health and wellness. Sleep nourishes and energizes the body, because it gives the body good rest, when you have a good sleep; you awake feeling refreshed, recuperated and ready for the days activities. The quality of your sleep directly affect the quality of your life, including your mental sharpness, productivity emotional balance, creativity and physical vitality. Sleep is medicine to the body soul and spirit, when the body does not get enough of sleep, it has a negative impact on the total man, the body becomes sluggish, having physical wreck, mental disturbances, headaches and social imbalance.  

Too little or too much of sleep has been linked to a host of health problems, like obesity, heart diseases, dementia, diabetes, Alzheimer, cancer, mood degeneration, poor mental health and lots more. Sleep advantages are numerous which includes:

1. Giving relieve from tension

2. Give rest to brain and body
3. Heal the body's vital organs

4. Rejuvenate and renew the body
5. Improves your memory
6. Reduces chances of getting sick

7. Gives the body a fresh start for the day

Sleep is a soothing balm to the soul,  we sometimes refuse to see the good side of sleep thereby depriving ourselves of good sleep, it is good for us to known that; the shorter you sleep, the shorter your lifespan. You can do yourself a lot of good by improving your quality and hour of sleep and by loving your bedtime.

The benefits of sleep impact nearly every area of our daily life. Making it obvious that sleep is beneficial. When you fail to get your required amount of sufficient sleep, you start to accumulate a sleep debt.

Sleep chart 

Sleeping too much or too little can have adverse effect on our health.

Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation is the condition where an individual get less of the hour of sleep that the body needs; which simply means the body is not having enough sleep. It can be chronic or acute.

Chronic
This state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness, weight loss or gain, it adversely affect the brain and its function.

Acute
This state refers to sleeplessness or a reduction in the usual total sleep time usually lasting one or two days

Some Causes of sleep deprivation
* Late night study
* Hormone imbalance
* Shift work
* Night browsing
* Night clubbing
* Late night movie watching
* Demanding house chores
* Demanding office jobs 
* Symptom of an undiagnosed sleep disorder

Symptoms of sleep deprivation
* Daytime sleepiness
* Yawning
* Moodiness
* Fatigue
* Irritability
* Depressed mood
* Difficulty learning
* Forgetfulness
* Inability to concentrate
* Foggy brain
* Clumsiness
* Food craving
* Diminished sex drive

Effect of sleep deprivation
Sleep loss have a profound impact on both our health and emotion.

Treatment
The treatment is to satisfy our sleep need is by paying back all accumulated sleep debt, and that is if there is no other hidden medical issues that causes sleeplessness, the negative effect of sleep deprivation will simply reverse when sufficient sleep is obtained

Depriving yourself of good sleep is cheating nature, sleep is good and it helps the body to heal itself without the use of medication, if you have been deriving yourself of good sleep you are gradually loosing your life by reducing your lifespan; you cannot cheat nature and get away with it. But the good news is that you can pay back your sleep debt to get back your life on course but make sure you avoid sleeping pills; it is not a good remedy for healthy sleep because of its injurious effects on memory. 

DEALING WITH STRESS

Stress is a key contributor to poor health, it is the body's response to pressure of life causing mental, emotional or physical strain as a result of anxiety, overwork, marital, and financial disorder, which will eventually give birth to frustration, depression, bad temper sleeplessness etc. Man is like elastic that has it's limit to stretch,  when a person is stretched/stressed, the body react and the result is health damaging. Everyone has a stress breaking point, when we are stretched to the maximum limit, it shows and tells on our person.
The good thing about stress is that it can be controlled by the individual before it degenerates into nervous breakdown which is a more dangerous state of mind that can easily lead to suicide or cause the individual to commit murder. Keeping stress in check will help you manage your overall health much better.

Stress related diseases
1. Heart disease
2. Diabetes
3. Asthma
4. High blood pressure
5. Tension headache

Causes of stress
1. External                                2. Internal
    Noise                                         Envy
    Traffic                                        Anxiety
    Unpaid bills                               Fear
    Conflicts                                    Bad temper
    Marital problems                     Jealously
    Financial problems                  Frustration

Health related issues
Stress may cause
1. Loss of appetite
2. Overeating
3. Gastritis
4. Indigestion
5. Energy drain to low ebb
6. Mood swing
7. Insomnia
8. Loss of libido/ low sperm count

Treatment
There are no miracle drugs that will cure stress, not even the best of tranquilizer, though they may be of little help, the most effective solution is to find and address the source of your stress, make a list of what you think might be making you stressed up; when you get a full understanding of your problem, it will be easier for you to come back to full health and vitality; bringing you into harmony with self, family, friends and with God all the time.

Self test
1. Is something constantly on your mind?
2. What do you worry about most?
3. Does anything in particular make you sad or depressed?

Healthy way to cope with stress
1. Talking to loved one can ease anxiety
2. Getting enough rest/sleep can do lots of healing
3. Eat healthy diet; but don't over eat
4. Limit intake of caffeine
5. Take time off work; for vacation
6. Balance fun activity with responsibilities
7. Spend time with people you love
8. Exercise regularly

Stress is not an accident, prior to it comes excessive anxiety, worry and emotional strain or disturbance in one form or the other that makes one irritable, moddy, lacks concentration and depress
It is important to know how to manage or eliminate stress completely, once you know the cause; your life will run smoother and you will enjoy it the more, calmness and patience are the best dose. 

YOUR HEALTH! OUR BUSINESS

WATER (GIFT OF LIFE)

Water is an essential mineral and a health drink from mother nature, it is calorie free, clear, colourless, odourless and tasteless liquid when in its pure state and above all it is essential to life. You live healthy and better when you take water as recommended, yet few people follow the advice to drink as much as 8 to 10 cups of water each day.

It has been discovered that people drink water for different reasons;

Some drink water only when they are thirsty.

Some drink water only when they are dehydrated.

Some drink water only when they eat.

Some drink water when they are constipated.

Some drink water when they have hangovers.

While some enjoy taking water freely.

Lots of people out of ignorance have substituted water for carbonated and alcoholic drinks, but the truth remains that nothing can take the place of water

Drinking water make good sence, because water is a natural medicinal gift from God.

Health benefits of water

1. Water detoxify, rejuvenate and hydrate body cells

2. Increases blood oxygen level and nutrients absorption

3. Makes the skin look healthy and younger, thereby reducing the effect of wrinkle and aging, also eliminates body odour

4. Dissolves calcium in urine and reverse uric acid in gout, making it excellent for kidneys

5. Enhance immunity and assist in pain relieve

6. Energises the body to be less fatigue and reduces stress level

7. Water help the body to maintain it's fluid during frequent and excessive bowel movement

8. Reduces hunger and help in weight loss

9. Reduces cardiovascular stress and improves heart performance

10. Boost muscles, cushion the joints and prevent cramps and sprains

Water cures, water is good, water is liquid of life and nothing else can ever take it's place. Everyone who desire to stay strong and healthy must have an abundant supply of clean water each day.

Water therapy

Water has been used as a valuable therapeutic agent since time immemorial, it is an important measure in maintenance of health and prevention of diseases

Best time to drink water

1. Drink water early morning as you step out of bed; this will purify the colon and  help lubricate the digestive system for proper functioning making it easy for digestion of nutrients

2. Few minutes before you take your bath; to regulate body temperature and blood pressure

3. Drink water 20 minutes before and after each meal; for easy digestion

4. If you must drink water during meal; take hot or lukewarm water to aid digestion, cold water slows down digestion rate

5. Take water freely during the day time for rejuvenation and total overhauling of the body

6. Drink water 2 hours before bedtime; to aid digestion and bathe the cells while you sleep

When you do not take enough water the body will experience lots of crises; With dehydration; more water is moving out of individual cells and then out of the body than the amount of water that is taken in through drinking. Medically, dehydration  means the lost of body fluid that makes the body to lose its ability to function normally and then begins to produce symptoms related to the fluid loss.

We lose water every day in the form of water vapor in the breath we exhale, and as water in our sweat, also in our urine, and stool, along with the water, small amounts of salts or electrolytes are also lost.

Our bodies are constantly readjusting the balance between water and salts losses with fluid intake. When we lose too much water, our bodies comes out of balance and this may cause crises for the individual if not immediately taken care of.

Three stages Of water dehydration:
1. Mild

2. Moderate

3. Severe

Mild and moderate dehydration can be reversed or put back in balance by water  intake, especially water that contain electrolytes (salt) that are lost during activity. If unrecognized and untreated, some instances of moderate and severe dehydration can lead to death.

Symptoms of dehydration

*Increased thirst

*Dry mouth

*Tiredness

*Decreased urine output

*Headache

*Dry skin

*Dizziness

*Blurred vision

*Weakness

*Always feeling sleepy

Signs of dehydration
Two early signs of dehydration are thirst and dark-coloured urine.
This is the body's way of telling the individual to increase water intake, it may seem hard to start but if you try, you will quickly get use to enjoying a clean and refreshing drink from mother nature.

ANGINA PECTORIS (CHEST PAIN)

Angina pectoris is the medical term for discomfort of the chest or simply called chest pain. It occurs when the heart muscle doesn't get as much blood as it needs. This usually happens because one or more of the heart's arteries is narrowed or blocked.

Angina usually causes uncomfortable pressure, fullness, heaviness, tightness burning ,choking, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest, these occur when there is a decreased blood oxygen supply to an area of the heart muscle, in most cases the lack of supply is due to a narrowing of the coronary arteries (the vessels that supply blood to the heart) as a result of arteriosclerosis, you may also feel the discomfort in your neck, jaw, shoulder, back or arm.

Angina is usually triggered by emotional stress, heavy metals, extreme temperatures, alcohol, cigarette smoking, physical exertion or after heavy meal, all of these increase the heart demand for more  oxygenated rich blood than the narrowed coronary arteries can deliver

Symptoms:
Pressure                Heaviness
Tightness              Squeezing
Weakness              Sweating
Anxiety                   Nausea
Cramping               Choking sensation
Indigestion             Heartburn
Dizziness                Aching across the chest
Shortness of breathe

Types of Angina

1. Stable angina: People with stable angina have symptoms on a regular basis and the symptoms are predictable e.g walking up a staircase causes chest pain for most people, the symptoms occur during exertion and last less than five minutes, they are usually relieved by rest

2. Unstable Angina: This is a precursor to heart attack, it is due to spasm and obstruction of coronary arteries, it warrant an immediate attention

Caution
Modification of lifestyle and diet are very essential in severe cases of angina
* Avoid smoking
*Avoid over exertion
* Avoid emotional stress
* Avoid cold weather, water and food
* Avoid exposure to smoke and car fumes
* Eat healthy diet
* Refrain from eating large meals
* Work on shedding excess weight

Treatment
* Take your blood pressure regularly and keep the record (regular checkup)

Herbs and supplements
* Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
* Take fresh garlic or garlic supplement
* Ginger, onion and beetroots are good
* Drink about 10 cups of water daily
* Take fish oil (omega 3 fatty acid)
* Parsley and Celery leaf
* Lemon and grapes etc.

Acupuncture
* This is the best form of treatment for all types of coronary heart diseases

The above diagram shows the referrer site for angina pain, the pain area should be scrutinized for further investigation for it could mimic other health problems
Please consult your health care provider if need be

EAT TO LIVE

Food is essential and it does a lot of good to the body especially when we eat right. Food gives energy, warmth, fight sickness, lower cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, and blood sugar, gives good vision, boost brain function, provide nutrients for growth and repair of body tissues, also supply nutrients that regulate various organ functions. When we eat right, we maintain our health, weight, heart, skin, brain and longevity but if not, we have a sick, malnourished, haggard looking body.
We should be more health conscious in our choices of food by choosing healthy variety of food.

A healthy diet must be:
1. Rich in fruits and vegetables
For vitamins and nutrients
Fruits and vegetables decreases the risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer.

2. A diet rich in carbohydrates:
For energy and brain power
Foods rich in carbohydrate are high in fiber, aids peristalsis and bowel movements
3. A diet rich in protein:
For growth and repair of body tissues
Protein provides amino acid which are require to build and repair lean body mass

4. A diet with healthy fat:
To maintain body temperature
Fat provides the body most concentrated source of energy also supply essential fatty acids required for good health and enable you to absorb certain vitamins

5. A diet low in sodium:
For healthy heart and kidneys
We should discourage the habit of taking too much salt or adding salt to already cooked food

6. A diet rich in dairy
For healthy bone to muscle strengthening. The dairy nutrients provide a variety of positive health benefits. It is a good source of calcium, vitamin D and potassium to build and maintain strong bones and help reduce the risk for stress fractures.

7. A diet moderate in sugar
For healthy teeth and pancreas
About one third of our total consumption of carbohydrate is sugar, a diet rich in sugar will lead the body into health problems like, obesity, diabetes, cancer, dental problem and lots more

Eating healthy food without overdoing the calories is of great importance; most people ignorantly increase their waist line at the dinning table, this is why eating excessive amount of any food even when considered healthy may be harmful.
When you are eating to live, you put your health first at every plate of food you are served. It is important to eat to live to avoid the need for drugs and to prevent sicknesses and diseases that are prevalent in our today's society.

The key to good health is "Eat to live"  Unhealthy food and poor eating habit is dangerous to the body, it is one of the primary causes of sickness and unhealthy state of mind, unhealthy foods are food that are not rated in the classes of healthy diet as listed above, meaning bad selection of food.

Poor habits are:
1. Eating at odd hours
2. Picking on food
3. Skipping meal
4. Purposeful starving of self (when not fasting)
5. Eating for pleasure (when not hungry)
6. Gluttony

The trend toward a healthy lifestyle calls for healthy eating and a desire to "eat to live" our food choices should be influenced by a strong wish to stay healthy and live longer, not living our life's on medication/routing drugs.

COLON HEALTH

The colon which is also called the large intestine absorbs water and electrolytes from solid waste, recycled it back into the body and the remaining raw material is stored as feces, these move through the colon by the action of peristalsis before it is removed through the rectum as stool.
A clean Colon will allow only water, vitamin and nutrients to be absorbed into the blood stream rather than releasing toxins and bacteria through the colon walls.

Colon cleansing:
Colon cleansing is a good way to improve your body's overall health and wellness by removing toxins from the gastrointestinal tract which can cause lots of health problems such as arthritis, allergies, asthma, blotting, constipation, indigestion, skin rashes, constant headache etc.
It is therefore essential to get rid of colon waste, toxins and buildups by simply detoxifying the colon, this will open the way for nutrients to filter into the body unobstructed leading to feeling of lightness strength and overall good health.

Why colon cleansing?
Gastrointestinal problems are much more in our today's society, because we eat lots of food lacking in nutrients required for healthy digestion.

Importance of colon cleansing:
1. Assist in weight loss
2. Improve digestion
3. Fight constipation
4. Kick start body metabolism
5. Maintain PH balance
6. Decrease risk of colon cancer
7. Fight osteoporosis
8. Increases energy
9. Makes the skin glow
10. Improve alertness and concentration

Cleansing method:
There are two main colon cleansing method
1. Colon cleansing through the rectum by the use of enema, colonic irrigation or colon hydrotherapy, this is a method of flushing out the colon by sending water into the body through a tube inserted into a persons rectum
2. Colon cleansing the oral way, through the use of laxative, herbal tea, supplements, concoction and diet

Colon cleansing diet:
This is a well balanced meal including more organic fruits and vegetables; fiber helps to regularize bowel movement's

Water:
Water keeps the body hydrated and help to remove the waste that sticks to the walls of the digestive system

Medicinal herbs:

Medicinal herbs can help clean and protect the colon. Simple herbs in the kitchen like aloe vera, fenugreek, fennel, chamomile, ginger and mint can do the magic without stress, avoid fatty, refined, processed, fried and junk food when cleansing for these foods speed up the accumulation of toxins and slow down the colon ability to detoxify.

POOR BLOOD CIRCULATION

Healthy blood circulation is essential for achieving the ultimate health.
The blood vessels carries fresh oxygenated blood with nutrients to the organs and tissues from the tip of the head to the toes while any congestion or blockage in the veins and arteries can deprive the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, extremities and other organs of the oxygen rich blood and cause a host of other medical conditions. Inadequate blood flow slows down healing from sickness and injury then further complicates already existing medical history.

Poor blood circulation is a silent killer, which can appear due to numerous factors

Symptoms are:
1. Tingling in the lower extremities
2. Numbness or pain from time to time
3. Muscle cramps
4. Cold hands and feets
5. Unpleasant sensation in the body
6. Water retention
7. Headache
8. Insomnia
9. Loss of libido
10. Mental acuity and lots more
The symptoms of poor blood circulation usually develop over time and therefore there is need to recognize them on time.

Blood clot can develop due to poor blood circulation caused by poor physical activities,
hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, smoking and drug abuse, blood clots can travel to the heart or lungs and block major veins and arteries, causing serious health problems like heart attack, stroke and even death. Inflamed and blocked veins and arteries caused by cholesterol, plague, or high blood sugar in diabetes patients cannot fully supply the extremities with nutrients and oxygenated blood necessary for their functioning.

Causes of poor blood circulation:
1. Cardiological issues
2. Neurological issues
3. Systemic health conditions
4. Obesity
5. Poor lifestyle choices
    a. Diet
    b. Smoking
    c. Alcohol
    d. Lack of physical activities

Treatments
1. Herb
The following help improve blood circulation
a. Garlic
b. Ginger
c. Ginseng
d. Peanuts
e. Fruits
f. Cayenne
g. Turmeric

2. Physical exercise and breathing exercise are important for persons with poor blood circulation

3. Therapeutic massage done by a professional will also help a great deal

4. Heat therapy e.g hot water bottle and tourmaline belts

5. Acupuncture is very appropriate for treatment of poor blood circulation

Poor blood circulation is not a minor health condition and should not be taken lightly

IMPORTANCE OF BREATHING EXERCISE

Taking just a few moments each day to practice some deep breathing exercises can decrease stress, relax your mind, body and can help you sleep better.
Breathing correctly is not only important for living longer but also to have a good mood and keep performing your best. Let us have a look at the benefits of deep breathing and reasons why you should make it a part of our everyday living.

1. Natural painkiller
When you deep breathe, the body releases endorphins, which are the feel good hormones and a natural pain killer created by the body itself.

2. Improves blood flow
When we take deep breaths, the upward and downward movement of the diaphragm helps remove the toxins from the body promoting better blood flow.

3. Increases energy level
Due to increased blood flow, we get more
oxygen into our blood. Increased oxygen results in increased energy levels.

4. Improves posture
Believe it or not, bad posture is related to incorrect breathing. If you don't believe, try it yourself. Try to breathe deeply and notice how your body starts to straighten up during the process. When you fill your lungs with air, this automatically encourages you to straighten up your spine.

5. Reduces inflammation
A lot is said that diseases like cancer only thrive in bodies that are acidic in nature. Deep breathing is said to reduce the acidity in your body, thereby making it alkaline. Stress also increases acidity level in the body. Breathing also reduces stress and thus the acidity.

6. It detoxifies the body
Carbon dioxide is a natural toxic waste that comes out from our body only through breathing. But when our lungs are compromised by shallow breathing the other detoxification system starts working harder to expel this waste. This can make our body weaker and lead to illness.
Stimulates lymphatic system
As our breathing is what moves the lymph, shallow breathing can lead to a sluggish lymphatic system which will not detoxify properly. Deep breathing will help you get the lymph flowing properly so that your body can work more efficiently.

7. Improves digestion
Breathing deep supplies more oxygen to all our body parts including our digestive system, thus making it work more efficiently. The increased blood flow due to deep breathing also encourages intestinal action which further improves your overall digestion. In addition, deep breathing results in a calmer nervous system, which in turn also enhances optimal digestion.

8. Breathing relaxes mind and body
When you are angry, tensed or scared, your muscles are tightened and your breathing becomes shallow. Your breathing constricts. At this time your body is not getting the amount of oxygen it requires. Long deep breathing reverses this process, allowing your body (and mind) to become calmer.

BREATHING TECHNIQUE 1
1. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound
2. Close you mouth and inhale quietly through your nose, counting to 4
3. Hold your breath for 7 seconds
4. Exhale completely through your mouth making a whoosh sound, counting to 8
* This is one breath, now inhale again and repeat the circle three more times for a total of four breathes

 BREATHING TECHNIQUE 2

1. Breathe in slowly through your nose and imagine that the breath is traveling up to the top of your head.
2. Then breathe out through your mouth, picturing the breath moving downward toward your spine. Repeat this circular pattern ten times

UNDERSTANDING YOUR LUNGS

Understanding what's going on in your lungs can help you feel more control over your breathing. Here’s a start…
When you breathe in, air enters your body through your nose and mouth. This upper airway warms, humidifies, and filters the air you breathe. The air continues down through the trachea (windpipe), into your bronchi (airways), and into your lungs. The air we breathe on earth contains about 21% oxygen.
The walls of the alveoli are about as thin as a soap bubble. Oxygen goes through these thin walls and into the blood where it is carried throughout your body. Oxygen helps fuel all the work your body must do to stay alive, move, and get you through your day.
A healthy adult lung contains an estimated 300 million alveoli!
After your body uses the oxygen, it becomes carbon dioxide, which travels back to your lungs and is breathed out.
Your lungs have a system, hair-like sweepers called cilia, to clean out the mucus. These cilia move mucus upwards, kind of like a conveyor belt.
When smoke and other pollutants enter the lungs, the cilia are often paralyzed or destroyed. This causes airways to become swollen and narrowed. The lungs should be elastic, able to stretch and then return back to normal size. Over time, lungs with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease lose their elasticity, get big and floppy, and make it hard for you to get air out.
The lung works with the respiratory system to allow us take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide; making breathing necessary for keeping us alive; damage to the lungs results in difficulty blowing air out and sometimes breathing in air, causing shortness of breath. The term lung diseases refers to many disorders affecting the lungs, while some lung diseases can lead to respiratory failure.

Some diseases of the lungs

Asthma
This happens when the lung air way is inflammed and become spasm causing shortness of breath and wheezing

Pneumonia
This is caused by bacteria infection in one or both lungs

Chronic bronchitis
This happens mostly due to smoke, causing repeated and frequent cough; making breathing difficult

Obesity
Also called hypoventilation syndrome, causes difficulty in breathing because of the extra weight of the individual on the chest, it can lead to long term breathing problem

Lung cancer
Mostly caused by smoking, and can affect any part of the lungs

Tuberculosis
It is a slowly progressive disease that affecs the lungs

Influenza
This is an infection caused by one or  more flu viruses

Whooping caugh
This is an infection of the air way and highly contagious

Treatment
The treatments of each of the disorders must be done accordingly but I will introduce us to how to keep our lungs healthy because breathing is necessary for keeping us alive
1. Stay in bed in a ventilated room
2. If you smoke quite smoking
3. Practice breathing exercise visit my blog on importance of breathing exercise
4. Do not stay in air polluted area
5. Stop all cold foods and water
6. Take a walk in the evenings
7. Take turmeric tea to fight inflammation
8. Take garlic to fight bacteria
9. Take warm lemon water to clean up the lungs
10. Take apple cider vinegar in warm water for lung cleansing

Your lungs are amazing and important for breathing, keeping it healthy is a smart idea; it will give you a healthy life, respiratory and lung free diseases; and your lungs will thank you for life

TYPES OF HEADACHE

There are over 100 type of headaches but classified into primary, secondary, cranial neuralgia and others

1. Primary headaches - This can affect the quality of life by causing significant pain and disability examples are cluster, tension and migraine headaches

2. Secondary headaches - Are those that are due to an underlying structural or infectious problem in the head or neck example is sinus headache

3. Cranial neuralgia - This is inflammation of one of the 12 cranial nerves coming from the brain that control the muscles and carry sensory signals to and from the head and neck the most common is trigeminal neuralgia.

The symptoms of headache depend on the 

type

* Sinus headaches

Is a broad group of medical conditions ranging from inflammation of teeth infection to dental pain, it usually come with a fever 

* Cluster headaches

This may occur several times a day and may happen unexpectedly but does not last long, it may be very painful and sometimes accompanied by watery eye, nasal congestion or a running nose

* Tension headaches

This is the most common type with the ache around the head especially around the temples or back of the head and neck. It is believed that these are caused by contraction of neck and scalp muscles, change in brain chemicals and stressful life.

* Migraine headaches

This is a throbbing painful headache usually on one side of the head, it may be triggered by stress, hormonal imbalance, and others like caffeine and insomnia 

* Rebound headaches

This is caused by overuse of painkillers, it is said that too much medication can cause the brain to shift into an excited state causing more headaches, it can also be triggered by withdrawal from drugs as the level of medicine drops in the bloodstream

EAT COLORS FOR YOUR HEALTH

Eating colours for your optimal wellness is of great importance because it is the best way to getting all the vitamins and minerals the body needs.
Here are the most common food colors and their beneficial attributes:

1. White colour foods: These have a wide range of beneficial nutrients, such as anthoxanthins, sulfur, and quercetin. The substances boost the immune system because they are anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory, which helps the body fight infections.
Examples of white foods include garlic, onions, cauliflower, and radish.

2. Green colour foods: These get their color from chlorophyll, a natural blood purifier that supports the liver and kidneys in the elimination of toxins. Among many other nutrients, green foods also contain high amounts of Vitamin K, which is necessary for blood clotting and building strong bones.
Examples of green foods include broccoli, spinach, green beans, and celery.

3. Yellow colour foods:These are rich in Vitamin C, which helps reduce inflammation, prevent allergies, and maintain healthy skin, due to its’ ability to combat free radicals. Yellow foods also contain citrus bioflavanoids, which strengthens the collagen in your skin, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage.
Examples of yellow foods include lemons, pineapples, yellow peppers, and bananas

4: Orange colour foods:  High in beta-carotene, which our bodies transform into Vitamin A and antioxidants. These nutrients aid in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and infections by supporting an important part of the immune system: our mucous membranes. Beta-carotene also helps maintain healthy eyes and skin.
Examples of orange foods include carrots,   turmeric and oranges.

4. Red colour foods: Rich in the phytonutrients lycopene and anthocyanin, which greatly benefits the circulatory system by helping build healthy cell walls. This improves blood pressure, organ function, and circulation. Red foods also offer sun protection from harmful UV damage.
Examples of red foods include tomatoes, watermelon, beets, and red bell peppers.

5: Purple colour foods: These contain the most antioxidants of all the colors and therefore contribute to overall health, disease prevention, and longevity. They also raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, and help maintain a healthy brain.
Examples of purple/blue foods include blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, and purple cabbage.

A healthy diet includes fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of colours; these gives you variety in food and help you get essential nutrients.

TREATING HEADACHE WITHOUT DRUGS

There are many natural and alternative ways of treating headaches without the aid of medication, but the first thing to do is to investigate the cause and then treat accordingly.
1. Take a walk
Getting close to nature as much as possible is one of the best way to treat headaches
2. Sometimes taking a nap is good medicine for the head, it relieves tension, and stress
3. Applying ice pack to ease the throbbing in the head by placing it on the fore head, temples or the back of the head to help relax muscles and relieve pain
4. Having a relaxing bath and shower treats stress and tension headache
5. Clear your mind of all disturbing taught and do breathing exercise
6. Eating healthy meal if your headache are often caused by hunger
7. Drinking lots of water is essential for treating headache because dehydration can cause reduction of blood and oxygen flow to the brain
8. Always stay away from noise pollution and too much if lighting
9. Avoid headache inducing substances like nitrates and nitrites, these are found in meats,  monosodium glutamate (MSG) caffeine and alcohol
10. Use clove, ginger, turmeric and galic  to treat your headache by preparing a soothing drink with each
11. All aromatic herbs like holy basil, pepper mint etc are of great benefit for treatment of headaches
12. Make a hot drink with cinnamon and add a pinch of apple cider vinegar to help ease headache
13. Eat lots of apples because it helps alleviate headache, it has nutrients that helps balance the alkaline and acidity levels in the body
14. Giving yourself a head massage (acupressure) to apply pressure on the part of the head that is arching or on the acupoints for headache.

15. Acupuncture is the best way to treat all types of headache, but this involve the use of needles on certain points of the body by a trained acupuncturist to bring about holistic healing to the individual or simply apply pressure on the points, this process is called acupressure.
The diagram above is the best acupoint to treat pain and ache, it is called large intestine 4 (Li4)

If your headache persists investigate the cause and seek medical attention.

HEADACHE

Headache is a pain arising from the head or upper neck of the body, the pain originates from the tissues and structures that surround the skull or the brain, the pain may be dull, sharp, throbbing, mild, constant or intense. Sometimes it become so normal that it is not taken seriously enough to be addressed as it should be.
Must people will take the easiest solution available which is analgesic pills of which are various types in the market/drug store.
Frequent headache can affect productivity, there is also an increased risk of depression in those with severe headache. Chronic headache patient can develop a tolerance to painkillers, causing them to need more medications to stop the pain, eventually it will get to a point where not taking medication will trigger the headache as the body attempt to withdraw from the drug

CAUSES OF HEADACHE

1. Stress
2. Insomnia
3. Boil
4. Eye problem
5. Water dehydration
6. Too much of caffeine
7. Alcohol
8. Brain tumour
9. Lack of sugar in the blood
10. Food loaded with monosodium glutamate (MSG)
11. Food lacking fiber thereby causing constipation

BE YOUR OWN HERBALIST

As Hippocrates (the father of medicine) rightly said, "let food be your medicine and medicine your food" there are lots of different herbs for different uses, made available by nature itself. A person who prefers to treat ailments the natural way should take the time to compile a simple list of some common herbs and keep these herbs at hand to quick and easy use.

The use of herbal combination for healing or cleansing purposes is important for quick result and these herbs can be used in tables, capsules, tincture, or extract form as wellbas in bath and poultices. 

There are some herbs that help to keep the body in better shape, equipping the body with the necessary elements to fight off the cancer cell or arrest its progressive destructive states e.g turmeric, garlic, tomatoes, mistletoe etc. 

There are some that help improve body immunity e.g lemon, Aloe Vera etc

Some are good for fighting arthritis e.g ginger, tamarind

The use of herb is considered safe and good for human consumption

HERBAL THERAPY

With the increase of diseases, illnesses and ailments turning to just Orthodox treatment is just not enough. The use of herbs as a form of treatment is considered normal and accepted world wide, it is an old age form of treatment even before the development of medical science, and it is fast gaining popularity and also becoming a sought after style of healing for the modern world.
Naturally there is little or no side effects in the consumption of herbs because of its natural elements when compared to chemically based or synthetic medications