Archive for February, 2008

Miracle Cup: The Health Benefits of Green Tea

How do you fit a miracle in a cup?

For 4,000 years, the Chinese people have been using green tea as treatment for everything from headaches to depression.

Today, studies are conducted in Asia and the west in order to produce hard evidence of the health benefits of green tea. In the 1994 edition of the Journal of National Cancer Institute, the results of an epidemiological study stated that one of the health benefits of drinking green tea is that it can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by up to 60%.

The rich presence of catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the reason why green tea has so much health benefits. A powerful antioxidant, EGCG can not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells but can also destroy them without harming healthy cells.

The University of Purdue has also concluded a research on how a certain compound present in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing. Still another health benefit of green tea is its ability to lower down cholesterol levels and improve the ratio between good (HDL) cholesterol and bad (LDL) cholesterol.

The EGCG in green tea is a health benefit substance that can lower down LDL cholesterol levels and stop blood from forming abnormal clots (thrombosis), a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Green tea has more health benefits compared to other Chinese teas like oolong and black tea, all of which come from the plant Camellia sinensis. What makes green tea different is the process by which it is made. Green tea owes much of its health benefits to how the Camellia sinensis leaves are steamed. The steam process keeps the EGCG health benefit of green tea from oxidizing. With oolong and black teas, however, the leaves are fermented instead of being steamed, thus causing the EGCG health benefit to transform into another less medicinally potent form.

Aside from medicinal value, green tea can also offer other health benefits, especially in the fitness field. Drinking green tea can cause a person to burn down more calories. A recent study on the health benefits of green tea shows that the drink can help dieters. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, men who take both caffeine and green tea burn down more calories than men who only take caffeine or a placebo.

Another health benefit of green tea is its bacteria-destroying properties. The health benefit of green tea in this area is that it can help prevent food poisoning and also prevent tooth decay. The substances found in green tea kill the bacteria causing food poisoning and those that cause dental plaque to form.

Well known for its countless medicinal and health benefits, green tea is nothing short of a miracle.

The Complete Guide To Green Tea. Discover An Amazing And Powerful Key To Long Life And Good Health! Click Here!

For more articles on Green Tea

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Curing back pain with Chinese medicine

It is said that every one in ten people suffer from some sort of back problem at some time or another; it is one of the most common types of problem that sends us to the doctor and the hospital.

Back pain can vary from person to person in the area the pain is felt in and there are many different types of back pain and problems with the back. However, there is one form of medicine that is great for those who suffer from back pain and which many can find a great deal of relief in where other forms of medicine have failed.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to help deal with many problems and one of the problems it is known to have great success with is problems relating to the back.

In Traditional Chinese medicine the Chinese associate the majority of back problems with problems of the kidneys and as such many of the therapies and cures for back pain are aimed at that area. One of the most widely used forms of Chinese medicine for back problems is acupuncture.

Acupuncture therapy
Acupuncture relies on small thin stainless steel needles being inserted into various points on the body in order to remove blockages of the energy that flows around the body. “Chi” and which is very often trapped near the kidneys that is said to be the cause of some type of back pain and back related disorders. Depending on how long the blockage has been in place will depend on the amount of acupuncture therapy needed to remove the blockage and to eliminate the associated pain. Research and studies have shown that acupuncture has been very successful in treating various types of back pain and related disorders of the back.

Moxabustion
Moxabustion is another form of medicine which is widely regarded as helping people overcome back problems they have had for sometimes many years and people have turned to this as a last resort. This involves concentrated herbs being burnt or sprayed over the skin to warm up the channels containing the blocked energy.

Chinese massage
Chinese massage is a time old traditional form of medicine that is used to successfully alleviate the pain felt with back problems. Here a qualified therapist will use the hands to work on the meridian channels to encourage the chi to start flowing freely throughout the body. It is important that you choose a trained and qualified practitioner of Chinese massage to perform this technique especially if there is inflammation present in the area.

Herbal back remedies
Herbal medicine is sometimes prescribed either on its own or is suggested to compliment acupuncture. When back pain is the problem certain herbs are combined together which will help to strengthen the kidneys and to encourage the channels to open up and widen to allow the flow of energy so that blockages are non-existent.

Again there is no ready made recipe to cure back pain; you should visit a qualified Chinese herbalist to have the remedy made up for you, depending on where the back pain is will depend on the combination of herbs needed.

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Alternative Health Medicine vs. Standard Medicine

by Laurie Raphael (Copyright)

Is there any way to accurately compare alternative health medicine to standard medicine? This is a question that many people have on their minds. After all, if you are sick you may want to look into both ways of doing things. The only problem with this is that you need to know the pros and cons of both alternative health medicine and standard medicine. Compiling this information on your own can be a difficult task to say the least.

There is one main reason that many people look into alternative health medicine. Do you know what it is? In most cases, the reason for this is that standard medicine is not working for them. If you find yourself in this position, alternative health medicine is something to look into. After all, if it is going to help you to get better does it really matter how it happens?

Most people who avoid alternative health medicine do so because they are afraid of what it is all about. Remember, alternative health medicine is not nearly as popular as more traditional methods. For this reason, you get a lot of people who stay away from alternative health medicine because they are simply afraid of what it will bring.

If you are interested in learning more about alternative health and standard medicine, you should look into the pros and cons of each one. You may even want to see doctors who practice both types of medicine. This will give you the best chance to determine the pros and cons of each type of medicine.

Overall, both alternative health medicine and standard medicine have a lot to offer. There is no way of saying for sure which one is better for you. Only you can determine if alternative health medicine is better for you, or vice versa.

—————————————————————————————————–
Visit my Alternative Medicine website featuring
herbal remedy, healthy living, yoga, meditation
and much more:
http://youralternativehealthmedicine.com

Sign up for my Newsletter at: altmedbasics@getresponse.com

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Arthritis and Natural Pain Relief

Arthritis is an inflammatory disease that typically attacks
the joints in the body. Even though it can happen at any
point in our life, arthritis typically occurs in those that
are older than 55 years of age. An interesting thing is,
however, not all arthritis is the same. In fact, there are
dozens of different conditions that fall under the term of
arthritis that would actually have different causes at the
root of the problem. This can make it difficult for
diagnosis and treatment as each individual must be treated
as unique.

Although medical science does not do much for us in the way
of treating our arthritis, natural medicine does offer some
solutions that many have claimed have helped in a large
way. The good thing about natural arthritis relief is that
it does more than treat the symptoms, such as inflammation
and pain. What it does is get to the root of the problem
and attempt to cure it from there. That is what most of us
are looking for anyway, a natural cure and not simply a way
to overcome the symptoms that we are experiencing.

One of the most popular natural arthritis cures was made
famous by radio personality, Paul Harvey. It is known as
the gin soaked raisins arthritis cure. It is a simple
matter of soaking a dozen raisins in gin overnight and then
eating them throughout the day. There is not enough
alcohol to have an effect on you but many have claimed
amazing results in a short period of time.

Another way to treat your arthritis naturally is through
the use of herbal supplementation. There are many
different herbs that are found in the wild that have
anti-inflammatory properties and may actually help to treat
your arthritis from the root cause. Even though none of
these herbs are proven to help, far too many people have
claimed that they have given them relief for it to be a
coincidence. The real problem lies in deciding which
supplementation routine you’re going to take and then
sticking with it for the long term.

One of the easiest ways to do this is through the use of an
all in one herbal supplementation program. Not only will
this help you to be able to stick with taking the herbs, it
keeps them in the correct proportion. It may even contains
some herbs that you did not consider taking in the first
place and helps them all to interact with each other in the
proper way. Because your arthritis condition did not
happen overnight, you cannot expect to cure it overnight
either. Going with an all in one supplement will help you
to be able to take this for the long term and be successful
with combating your problem with arthritis.

Suffering from arthritis pain is not necessary, especially
when so many people have been helped by means of natural
supplementation. Because each of us are individuals and we
deal with our problem on an individual level, it’s nice to
be able to find something that treats the root cause of our
inflammatory disease. By starting today and sticking with
it for the long run, you may be able to enjoy a pain-free
future.

—————————————————-
Learn more about Arthritis and joint pain relief at
http://www.1thinkhealthy.com/arthritis.html

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Clearing The Clutter Out Of Your Life. Your Path To Personal Freedom!

When my home is clear, my mind is clear, and so this year I
took advantage of the time off during the holidays to clear
the clutter out of my life.

I spent several days over Christmas and New Year’s Eve
going through all of my stuff. I discovered a lot about
myself and my things. I have over 700 books, and some of
them I didn’t even know I had.

I love books! Just being surrounded by them makes me feel
great. As if all that knowledge will seep into my brain,
just by being in the same room with them. I find them
comforting to read and also just to look at on the shelves.

I have hundreds of cassette tapes and CD?s and DVD?s as
well, and this week I found several that I thought were
long gone. I discovered items in the cupboards that I had
totally forgotten about. I found things I once cherished
and felt so happy to see them again, the way you would a
long lost friend. I felt compelled to do this de-cluttering.

I am not really sure why. Perhaps because a New Year was
right around the corner and I wanted to start it being
clear in all areas of my life. When my home is out of
balance, I feel the same way myself, and so, I needed to
make things right. It feels wonderful to walk around here
now. Much more alive and free and easy.

Today, I am going to think about, get clear about, what it
is I would like to accomplish in this new year. I am going
to think about the things that would bring me joy and a
sense of fulfillment. I am not going to make a list of
things I must do, should do, have to do. No! I am goint to
make a list of only those things I have always truly longed
to do.

Last year, I took a class from a woman who is a ?doer?.
She usually has about 15 projects on the go all the time,
and accomplishes almost all of them, one after the other,
and while I felt a great deal of admiration for her, I
couldn?t help but also feel exhausted just watching her.

We live in a world where ?doing? is considered much more
important than just ?being?. We place much more importance
on what a person ?has to SHOW for themselves?, than what a
person IS!

Sometimes, it is fun to get things done, and sometimes, it
is not. Sometimes, it just feels right to do NOTHING! When
I was sick several months ago, this became so clear to me.
I had no choice but to just lie down and rest and do
nothing, and turn everything over to a higher power. Part
of me felt so relieved. Ironically, things worked out just
fine without me being there trying to make something happen.

I guess the point I am trying to make here is: do whatever
you feel called to do. If that means cleaning out your
cupboards, then do that. If it means setting yourself some
significant goals for the New Year, then by all means get
out your pen and paper and make your list.

You may find yourself listing as one of your goals: time
for yourself, time to just sit and daydream, time to listen
to the birds sing and watch the flowers grow, time to walk
in a forest and hear the message in a babbling brook, time
to delight in a beautiful sunrise and mellow in the setting
sun, time to be alone and revel in your most cherished
memories, time to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of
camomile tea.

Dear Heart, my wish for you this New Year is that you take
the time to laugh, and dream, and cry, and plan, and sing,
and dance, and savor, and devour, and watch, and witness,
and meditate, and contemplate, and remember, and forget,
and allow, and wish, and just BE, the beautiful, wonderful,
resourceful, brilliant, spectacular being, you already are.

—————————————————-
Veronica Hay is the author of In a Dream, You Can Do
Anything, A Collection of Words, An Extraordinary
Collection Of Writings That Will Uplift You, Motivate You,
Inspire You, And Gently Guide You Along The Inner Path Of
Your Life. An Inspirational CardShop in an E-Book One
Price, One Time Purchase, Unlimited Use This e-book is
truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Click Here: http://www.insightsandinspirations.com

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