Follow these tips to help keep your brain—and your body—vibrant and healthy throughout your life…

Do:

• Exercise your body regularly and get involved in physically active leisure pursuits
• Keep your mind exercised! Engage in active learning throughout life and pursue new experiences
• Stay socially engaged with friends, family and community groups
• Maintain a positive attitude and a sense of control over your life
• Take steps to manage stress
• Eat a balanced diet, and focus on brain-healthy foods that are rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, and consider taking a multivitamin supplement that includes antioxidants and folate
• Mind your numbers: Lose any extra pounds, lower your cholesterol if it is high, and keep your blood glucose and blood pressure under control
• Get adequate sleep
• Get proper medical attention and treatment for any underlying health problems

Don’t:

• Drink to excess, smoke, or use illicit drugs
• Ignore sudden changes in mental status (but don’t be overly concerned about normal slips of memory like forgetting names or where you put the keys)
• Avoid going to the doctor if you notice changes in your physical or mental health
• Overlook the possibility of drug interactions that can affect mental functioning, especially if you are taking more than one prescription medication
• Become isolated in your home
• Think you’re too old to take up something new!

This takes a toll on the body and some illnesses are bound to crop up in the long run.  It is for this very reason that we all need to have NutritionFix.  Eating right is no longer a priority in our daily lives and hence having something to supplement our diet is what will save us from aches and pains or may be even more serious vitamin deficiencies in the years ahead.

Total calorie intake, a balance of fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins and minerals, meal timing and meal composition need to be reviewed.Nutrition Fix is the answer to all these questions.  A well balance Nutrition regimen is not always possible and hence you need the experience and advice of experts in this field.

Whether it is weight loss pills, dietary supplements, weigh building supplements, fitness accessories or beauty products, you will find the whole list of such Nutrition products at NutritionFix.com. NutritionFix.com caters to people far and wide by offering them quality products that have been tried and tested and which have withstood the test of time.  These products can be bought online and ordered on the internet while having them shipped straight from the company and delivered to your doorstep in record time and at no extra cost.

What is Coughs?

A cough is the body’s response to inflammation or irritation in the throat, larynx, bronchial tubes or lungs.

Tips to Control Cough

• Breathe the steam from a vaporizer, hot shower, or pan of boiling water. The moist air will soothe the airways and loosen sinus congestion and phlegm in your throat and lungs. A few drops of the oil of eucalyptus will help this process.

• Elevate the head of your bed. This will allow your sinuses and nasal passages to drain better and not create that “tickle” in your throat.

• Stop smoking. Passive smoke or other irritants, such as chemicals, can be a cause. Household cleaners, new carpeting, paneling and mattresses are some of the many possible sources of chemical irritants.

• Drink at least 8 eight ounce glasses of water. This is especially important if your cough is due to an illness. Water is the best expectorant you can take and will help thin the mucus and loosen the cough.

• Do not use over-the-counter expectorant cough remedies as they just suppress the symptoms and do not address the underlying problem. If you have the kind of cough with mucus you want to get it out of your respiratory system, not suppress it. Try one of the natural expectorant remedies below.

• Try eating hot chili peppers, horseradish or other spicy foods. They will help loosen mucus.

• During the winter, if your house is dry, use a humidifier and a cool-mist vaporizer in your bedroom at night. This will help thin the mucus. Be sure to thoroughly clean the vaporizer, as it can harbor bacteria.

• Drink hot tea to break up the mucus and open and moisten the airways.

• Cough drops or hard candy will help stop the tickle if you have a dry cough and will moisten the throat.

• Avoid foods that increase the production of mucus, such as dairy products, meat and fried foods.

• Hot packs placed on your throat and chest are very soothing.

Homemade Rosemary-Mint Mouthwash

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups distilled or mineral water
1 tsp fresh mint leaves
1tsp rosemary leaves
1 tsp anise seeds
Boil the water, add herbs and seeds, infuse for 20 minutes. Cool, strain and use as a gargle/mouthwash. If you wish to make up a larger quantity, double or triple the recipe then add 1 tsp of tincture of myrrh as a natural preservative.

Homemade Spearmint Mouthwash

Ingredients:
6 ounces water
2 ounces vodka
4 teaspoons liquid glycerine
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
10-15 drops Spearmint essential oil
Boil water and vodka, add glycerine and aloe vera gel. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly. Add spearmint oil, shake well. Pour into bottle, cap tightly.

Homemade Fruit Teeth Cleaners
1. Rub a lemon rind on your teeth to remove brown stains. Rinse your mouth thoroughly afterward.

2. Clean your teeth with a fresh strawberry. Rub it over and between your teeth.
A very simple homemade mouthwash
Wash your mouth with half a glass of warm water containing a teaspoon of table salt.

Baking Soda Mouthwash

Mix 2 ounces of Water, 1/4 Teaspoon of baking soda or Sea Salt, 1 drop of Pure Peppermint Oil, and 1 drop of Tea Tree oil. This Homemade mouthwash recipe leaves a great refreshing minty taste in your mouth and helps prevent bad breathe.

The above are some of the best homemade mouthwash recipes. Hope you like them. Please send your feedback (look at the bottom of this page).

Also some Breath Fresheners
• Chew fresh parsley to sweeten the breath.
• Chew fennel seeds to freshen the breath.
• Chew anise seeds to freshen the breath.

• Chew a few peppermint or spearmint leaves or drink a cup of peppermint tea.

1. Take control of what you eat. Weight watchers should have complete control over what they eat. One should never have the habit of eating everything laid in front of them. Eat as much as required. In simple, do not over-eat.

2. More of fruits, vegetables and whole grains are important for daily healthy life. Increase the intake of unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These types of foods can be consumed in plenty without gaining weight. Meat can be included in ones diet, care should be taken that its lean meat and not the deep fried ones.

3.Eat more fiber. Fiber rich diet should be made an integral part of one’s meal. This not only aids in increasing the metabolism but makes us feel full sooner and stays longer in the stomach ensuring decrease in appetite. Refined grains like white rice and those used to make white bread and sugary breakfast cereals have had most of their fiber and nutrients striped away.

They turn into blood sugar (glucose) so fast that, like sugar itself, they can cause a spike in our insulin level. This tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it.

4. Cutting down on sugar is essential as the insulin spike caused by eating foods like white rice is even more dramatic when eating sugar itself. One has to be cautious on sugar in coffee and soda pop. It can add up quickly, and these drinks aren’t filling.

5. Too little of a good thing. Fat should not be totally eliminated from our diet for its required to maintain a healthy body. One should learn to differentiate between beneficial and hazardous saturated fats.

6. Eat frequently, but always eat slowly. Never skip a meal, and eat healthy snacks between meals. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs, provides consistent energy, and maintains metabolism efficiency. Human bodies are designed with survival mechanism which results in slowing down the metabolic activity when one tends to go on a crash diet or skips a meal to conserve energy. Eating slowly gives our body time to tell us they are full before we eat more than we need.

7. Consume lots of warm water. Consumption of lots of warm water not only burns the calories but also increases the metabolic activity.

8. Avoid fried foods. Fried foods, especially deep-fried, although they are tasty to eat contain a great amount of fat. While chicken and fish are usually leaner than beef, they can contain more fat than beef when they are fried.

9. Cut down on fat when you treat yourself to a Pizza avoid the luxury of the extra layer of cheese or mayonnaise. Eliminate the cream from your salads.

10. Exercise regularly. Exercise not only helps to burn calories, but your body will continue to burn calories at a higher rate even after you stop exercising. If walking is all you can do, then walk because it’s been proven to be great for you. But don’t sit too long. The human body is good at adapting. If you dig ditches without gloves, you will develop calluses to protect your hands. If you sit too long, you will develop extra padding to keep you comfortable!

Allergies are another common cause of dark circles. When you rub and scratch your itchy eyes, it irritates the skin and can break tiny capillaries beneath the skin, causing puffiness and discoloration. If allergies are the root of your problem, simply treat them or avoid what you’re allergic to. If your dark circles or puffiness are constant, you may have an undetected food allergy or an allergy to a chemical in your surroundings. Consult an allergist to determine what you may be allergic to.

Chinese medicine considers dark circles as a sign of weakness in the kidney network. Kidney weakness is due to exhaustion and overstrain coupled with lack of rest and relaxation. Since the kidney network in Chinese medicine governs the hormonal system, it affects the pigment melanin. It is said that unhealthy and depleted kidneys produce pigment deposit under the skin around the eyes and other parts of the face.

Many cosmetic problems can be attributed to vitamin deficiencies. Dark circles and puffiness are often thought to be due to vitamin K deficiency or a lack of antioxidants in the diet. Read Vitamin k spider veins

It is also believed that lack of the mineral iron can cause dark circles. An iron deficiency may point to anemia, which is a potentially serious medical condition that requires treatment. If you believe you may have anemia, see your family doctor to schedule blood work.

Dark circles occur more frequently and are more noticeable with age, because as we get older, our skin loses collagen and becomes thinner and more translucent.

Under-eye Remedies
Reduce the puffiness and lighten your circles with these all-natural solutions.

1. For starters, be sure you are getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

2. What you eat counts! Eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and make sure you are getting all your vitamins and minerals. Be sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially cabbage, spinach, and other leafy greens. Eat at least 2 cups of organic fresh spinach everyday. Additionally, eat a handful of raw almonds (unsalted and unroasted) between meals. Avoid salty foods, as salt causes the body to retain water, which equals bloating and puffiness that is particularly noticeable under the eye.

3. Asian pear is a juicy and crunchy fruit that has long been prized by Chinese herbalists as a way to lighten under-eye circles. Asian (or Fuji) pears are packed with copper and vitamin C, antioxidant nutrients that help protect you from cellular damage caused by free radicals. When free radicals damage enough skin cells, signs of aging begin to appear. Copper is an essential component of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an enzyme that attacks these harmful agents when they enter the body via air pollution and other toxins.

4. Treat your skin while you sleep. Just before bed, lightly wet a washcloth with cold water and place over your eyes as you sleep. By morning, you should see an improvement.

5. Apply cucumber slices or cool tea bags to your eyes. Cucumber slices are famous for their ability to reduce puffiness, and the tannin in tea bags has been found to reduce swelling and discoloration. Lie down, close your eyes, and place fresh cucumber slices or cool, damp caffeinated tea bags over your eyes for about ten minutes every day.

6. Gently apply almond oil under your eye every morning and evening until you see improvement.

7. New skin-care technology has become available through years of intensive research; it is now possible to find creams and other products that can help you combat under-eye circles. A product I suggest is an all-natural anti-aging eye cream that lightens dark circles under the eye.

8. Avoid smoking, as it causes vascular problems that not only threaten your health, but also make your blood vessels appear more prominent under the skin.

Treating your skin will help, but there may also be an underlying cause. Imbalances in your life show up on your face and skin. You may consider seeing a doctor of Oriental Medicine to uncover the root imbalance and improve your overall health.

I hope you will take these tips and put your best face forward. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me

Recovery from alcohol abuse or dependence means finding a way to stay sober while changing your attitudes and behaviors. You will work to restore relationships with your family and friends and people at your job or school. You will need to find meaning and happiness in a healthy lifestyle that doesn’t include alcohol.

Recovery is not a cure. It is a lifelong process. It begins in treatment, but it doesn’t end when your treatment ends. There are 10 principles of recovery that can help you reach your goals and learn new things to help yourself. They help you gain self-confidence and respect for yourself. They make clear that you’re in charge of your recovery. How far you go is up to you.

To stay sober after treatment, focus on your goals. Find things to do, such as sports or volunteer work. Learn how to say no to alcohol and drugs.

Support

An important part of recovery is being sure you have support. You can:

• Develop and use social support and support groups. Support comes in many forms. You can find it in seminars and groups led by professionals, 12-step groups made up of others with drinking problems, and your relationships with family and friends. You can make support groups more helpful by being an active member.
• Connect with family and friends. They can help you stop drinking and stay sober by encouraging positive steps. For them to do this, you have to be honest with them about your problems and help them by trying.
• Take part in recovery group activities. You may have used alcohol to make friends or be with a social group. Your counselor or doctor can help you learn skills to make friends without drinking. For example, your counselor may help you find a social skills training class.
• Find a sponsor and work with this person. A sponsor is someone who has been in recovery for a long time and helps you stay alcohol-free.

Lapse and relapse

Stopping alcohol use is very hard. It’s not unusual to have setbacks, even years later. Very few people succeed the first time they try. Many people who are trying to recover from alcohol addiction will have lapses or relapses along the way.

• A lapse is the first time you use alcohol again after you have quit or brief episodes of alcohol use at later points.
• A relapse is not being able to stay sober over time. It can occur if you have a series of lapses close together or a lapse that leads to heavier alcohol use over a longer period.

A lapse or relapse doesn’t mean you or your treatment has failed. It may mean that you just slipped up. If this is true for you, accept the mistake and move on. Try to find out why you relapsed and make changes in your life so that it won’t happen again. You also may need more treatment or another type of treatment or more time in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

A relapse is most likely to occur in the first few months after you stop drinking. It’s smart to plan for a relapse before it happens. Your doctor, family, and friends can help you do this.

Coping with stress

Some people find that relieving stress helps them during recovery. Although there is little research to show that managing stress helps you stay sober, you may find that it helps you feel better overall.

Here are some things you can try:

• Write. Expressing yourself in writing can be a good way to reduce your stress level.
• Share your feelings. Talking, laughing, crying, and expressing anger are normal parts of the emotional healing process and help relieve stress.
• Do something you enjoy. A hobby or other healthy leisure activity can help you relax. Volunteer work or work that helps others also can be a powerful stress-buster and help you stay sober.
• Relax physically. This includes breathing exercises, massage, aromatherapy, yoga, and traditional Chinese relaxation exercises, such as tai chi and qi gong.
• Relax mentally. This includes imagery exercises, listening to relaxing music, self-hypnosis, meditation, and humor.

A healthy lifestyle

When you abuse or are dependent on alcohol, you often get away from some of the basics of good health. Part of recovery is finding your way back to a healthy lifestyle.

• Exercise and be active. This may give you something to do instead of thinking about alcohol, and it also can help reduce stress. People who are fit usually have less anxiety, depression, and stress than people who aren’t active.⁸
• Get enough sleep.
• Eat a balanced diet. This helps your body deal with tension and stress. Whole grains, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and protein are part of a balanced diet

Exercise should be a part of any long-term beauty enhancement program. With a good diet, stress management, and plenty of exercise, you can have a naturally toned face and body that will amaze your friends and family.

Stretching

As an important part of any workout routine, stretching increases muscle flexibility, reduces your chances of injury, and can improve your posture.

Stretching before your workout warms up your muscles and prepares them for more vigorous exercise; stretching after your workout cools down your muscles and can prevent soreness and stiffness later.

Your muscles and joints should feel relaxed when you stretch so if you experience any pain, ease yourself out of your stretching position and move on to less demanding positions.

Yoga and Pilates provide structured stretching techniques that can benefit your body’s various organ systems and functions, and if you prefer to exercise your artistic side, ballet is a wonderful way to stretch and focus your creative energy.

Cardiovascular Fitness

Conditioning your cardiovascular system can help you decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening diseases.

When you condition your cardiovascular system, your body’s demand for oxygen increases and your heart becomes bigger, stronger, and more efficient.

Aerobic exercise (steady, prolonged motion of large muscles) is an excellent way to improve your cardiovascular system; walking, jogging, running, swimming, and cycling are all forms of aerobic exercise.

For best results, you will want to increase and sustain your heartbeat to a target rate between 60-80% of its maximum capacity for at least 20 minutes a day, three times a week.

If you are just starting an aerobic conditioning routine, start out slowly and, as your body becomes more fit, gradually increase your workout until you work up to your target heart rate.

As with any other exercise program, you will want to consult with your healthcare professional to make sure that it is the right program for your needs.

Weight Training

If you’re apprehensive about weight training because you don’t want to look like the guys and gals in bodybuilding magazines, the following information should alleviate many of your concerns.

Lifting weights has become one of the most popular fitness activities for people of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds.

Even if you’ve never touched a weight, education and implementation of the right strength training program can help you increase muscle, tendon, bone and ligament strength, improve your metabolism, and lower your risk of injury.

Generally, if you’re a beginner, machines such as universal gyms are the best because they are convenient, tested for safety, and usually come with tapes and booklets that will help you begin a new strength training program.

Machines tend to be on the expensive side, so you will want to do some research before you purchase any home exercise equipment.

Free weights can be used to supplement conditioning provided by machines, and if you are involved in sports that demand strength training, you may actually prefer to use free weights since they allow you to work on certain areas that many exercise machines are not able to target.
Again, you will want to consult with your healthcare professional before you begin an exercise program or make significant changes to your existing program.

1- Soften your skin by filling a basin with warm water and add the juice of a lemon with one cup oatmeal. Soak feet for ten minutes. While soaking, rub the oatmeal all over your feet to exfoliate. Rinse with warm water.

2- Make a highly effective foot tonic by micro waving a cup of milk, one tablespoon dry mint leaves, one teaspoon rosemary & one teaspoon peppermint extract. Apply the mixture to feet with a clean, dry cloth. Brush off residue and wrap feet in plastic wrap. Wait 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly.