Natural cough remedies

Cough is very common for many. You might also feel like coughing when the person next to you start a small quiet cough. You keep telling yourself it is psychological but somehow, the cough is as contagious as a yawn!! Sounds familiar? You are definitely not alone! At least I am feeling this way too.

The good news is that natural remedies are out there, but for those cough that includes coloured flams, I strongly advise you to see the doctor for the medicine. Still, I am one of those individuals who do not like to see the doctor that frequently.

1) Honey with lemon

I learnt this remedy from my mum. She likes to squeeze the calamansi or lemon juice directly into the ice-mold. When it is frozen, she would indulge herself to the ice-cubes, with ice water that is sweeten with honey. As for me, I like to use her lime-freeze cubes in warm water for my cough. The calamsi contains vitamin C while the honey is harvested from the bees that visit from the natural flowers. Do take some precaution on the brand of honey as the cheaper ones may not be as effective. There are so many honey brands available but it's your body who will eventually tell you if the honey grade.

2) Manuka Honey (activated)

For quality honey, I look for activated manuka honey. It is more expensive than the market price and what makes it so special is the 'activated' word. The honey is extracted from Manuka flowers that contains anti-microbial properties. If you pick up a bottle of Manuka honey, you will also notice UMF, which means 'unique manuka factor'. The higher the number, the more beneficial it is, but so is the price.

You may also notice that this honey taste different from the usual ones (somewhat slightly medicinal) and it is semi-solid. You can simply scoop half a teaspoon and dissolve in warm water. As it may be hard to dissolve the honey, you can take it directly and keep it in your mouth to dissolve slowly; Imagine the honey is like a piece of gold in your mouth! But seriously, I think it's really value for money.

3) Instant Almond powder or syrup

When I am feeling more budgeted, I look for Almond powder or syrup to soothe my cough. I am quite surprise it works well for me. Even when I was young, I remember one of my aunties mentioned about the almond syrup that is good for her kids. I often take it in warm water to enhance in soothing the coughing throat; it somewhat leave a moist film on my throat. In case you are wondering what type of almond I am refering to, its sweet almond, not bitter almond.

4) Apple Cider Vinegar

Sometimes, I like the natural apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar to marinade my green apples. Apple cider vinegar is naturally extracted from fermentation of apple juice to hard apple cider, then a second fermentaion to apple cider vinegar. Sounds really sour and acidic? Intially, Yes; subsequently I get used to it. In fact, it is the sourness that provides the antiseptic properties for your cough. I particularly like the aged rice vinegar that is diluted with apple juice. However, remember to drink lots of water or at least gargle your mouth with water to remove the acids as it can corrode your teeth. And if you have osteoporosis problem, you are not advised to take it too regularly as well due to the potential loss of calcium that you are salvaging in your diet.

5) How about Chocolate?

Actually having chocolate might be a great way to stop your cough due to the presence of theobromine, but sadly, it didn't work for me. Usually, it would block my ears to indicate a potential sore throat and makes my ears slightly painful as well. Still, if this works for you, lucky for you then, but do take them in moderation.

Reference

1) Manuka Honey

2) Chocolate could be cough medicine

3) Cure a Chronic or Nagging cough

4) Apple Cider Vinegar

Shy about Urinary Tract Infection?

Urinary Tract infection (UTI) is common bacterial infection mainly at urethra (urethritis), bladder (cystitis) and kidney (pyelonephritis). If you suspect that you might be one of them, you might like to check the following common signs and symptoms:-

1) Frequent urination, usually in small quantity
2) Burning or painful sensation when passing urine
3) Bloody or chalky in urine
4) Foul smell in urine
5) Fever
6) Fatigue

For kidney infection, serious symptons may include abdominal pain, back pain, vomitting and even high fever. Women are more vulnerable to UTI as compared to men because the females urethra are shorter than the males. In addition, the urethra opening is also near to the vagina and rectum that can potentially cause infection. UTI can also occur if you frequently hold your urine and some urine may flow or reflux backwards into the bladder, ureters and kidneys. If the condition is not controlled, it may lead to urine crystallization at kidney and can cause kidney stones.

What to do?

1) Drink plenty of water

This will help to flush and clean your urinary tract from the acidic urine.

2) Drink the water (8 oz) containing 1/2 tsp of baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate)

Drink this for every hour will help to make your urine more alkaline

3) Take more fruits and vegetables; take less meat, fats and acid-producing foods

This was surprising to me at first, but fruits and vegetables can really alkalinize your urine. The most common juice is craneberry juice and even wolfberry juice. Alternatively, you can take diluted apple cider vinegar with honey. As meat and fats are 'acid-producing food', they should be reduced during the UTI. Caffeine should also be avoided as it can aggravate the UTI condition.

4) Massage your abdomen or visit a reflexologist

Use your favourite massage oil to massage the painful related areas can help to relief the pain and discomfort effectively. My favourite massage oil is lavender. Seeking a reflexologist to massage on the bladder acupoints on the back of your feet could help you to relief the pain as well.

5) There is always the doctor

For serious UTI conditions, I would advise you to visit the doctor as they would obtain a specimen to determine the culture before they administer the anti-biotics together with pain killers. Sometimes, the culture may be different so determining the culture can be useful for a more accurate diagnosis. Typical bacterial cultures that causes UTIs are be Ecoli, chlamydia or Mycoplasma.


Related references

1) US National Institute of Health - Urinary Tract Infections

2) Home remedies for Urinary Tract Infection

3) Mike Morin's GOJI juice website

4) Urinally Tract Infections

Cold shower is good for health

Do you know that cold shower helps to stimulate your blood circulation? With the improvement in blood circulation, it can also help when coping with depression. I am a living example. Recently I went into a depression and I found this dramatically improved my overall wellbeing.

Not only was I able to cope with the depression, I felt more energy and less prone to the viral flu and cold that is most vulnerable during these rainy season. I feel so good that I want to share about it. In the past, if you were to suggest a cold bath, I would put off that idea as I always take hot shower, and I mean really hot (almost scorching sort that fills the room with steam).

There is also study that shows taking cold shower is also good for your hair. And also the heat from the hot shower can spoil the hair strands too.

There was also a research done in 1990 at the Hannover Medical Scool where 50 medical students volunteered in a 6-months trial, where only half of the group takes cold morning shower. The results show that cold shower does have a significant resistance to cold as compared to the group that didn't take the cold shower.

In addition, cold shower that help boost sex hormone production, increase energy drive, improve blood circulation and immune system, prevent heart disease, improve nails and hair growth. I was also glad to find a yahoo group sharing about the benefits they found with cold shower.

Stimulate Blood Circulation

You must have heard the benefits of stimulating blood circulation. You understand that it can boost your energy, increase oxygen intake, relief stress and depression, and it can help your blood carry away toxic materials in your body. You have been searching for different ways to stimulate your blood circulation to keep yourself healthy and you know that a healthy living always begins NOW and not until you caught yourself into serious accumulative illness.

Let us review on the list of things that can help stimulate your blood circulation to health.

1) Breathe deeply
The simplest step to begin is to consciously breathe deeply in to a count of five, and then exhale slowly. Doing this a few times and you should be able to feel the difference. If you find this too boring, you can do the other methods that help you do the deep breathing more naturally as it adds excitement to variety.

2) Have a cold shower
Brrrrr!! Cold shower may truly be cold but undeniably stimulating. The thought of it already brings chills on my arms as I share this blog. There has been clinical study on students to evaluate its benefits so why not brave the cold water and try it? For the ladies, I won't encourage you to take the cold shower during menstruation period. If you are aching on your back, it would be good to start with a warm shower to relieve the pain before you switch to the cold tap.

3) Bare-feet-walk on stones with various shapes and sizes
If you can find them in your neighbourhood garden, do take some time to walk down the stone path barefooted. It is an economical alternative to foot reflexology. Though the position of the stones are cemented and fixed on the ground, you can customised the stimulation points on your feet where it is most tender. After the walk on the stones, it is good to rest your feet for a minute and remember to drink water.

4) Go for a exercise
It has always been reccomended by many doctors and other professionals that jogging helps to relief stress, depression, fatigueness and you are virtually jogging your path to good health. If you are unable to jog due to some medical reason, swimming or walking is a good alternative as well. If it is too boring, trekking to mountains or waterfalls may fit your lifestyle.

6) Go for a body massage or foot reflexology
If you are looking for a no sweat alternative, you can always pamper yourself to body massage. Thai massage is said to help rejuvenate while Javanese massage uses oil to massage and ease muscle and joint pains. When you are travelling in Thailand or Indonesia, I encourage you to look out for their massage service. However, if you are pregnant or have some serious back injury, I would not reccomend this treatment unless it is done by a professional who understands your condition. To receive the full benefits, it is also not advisable to eat large portions of food for at least two hours before the massage as it may take longer for the body to relax. However, if there is a need, take some light food instead.

7) Invest on a foot or body massager
If all else is too much of a hassle and you prefer to enjoy it in your cosy home, you can always invest in a good foot or body massager. Usually, it should take about 15 to 20 minutes for each massage. Remember to drink lots of water after the massage.

For the above methods, it is also not advisable to eat large portions of food for at least two hours before the massage as it may cause indigestion and for massaging, it may take longer to relax especially if caffiene or highly sugared food is taken. However, if there is a need, take some light food instead.

Cold and Flu Home remedy

During wet and cold season, I often dread the anticipated cold and flu spread. It is so common especially in Singapore where you can hear the commuters in trains and buses orchestrate the cough, one after another. This kind of orchestra isn't really something you would want to hear, particularly within confined and crowded space.

That's why I constantly search for remedies. The few of the tried and tested natural remedies work to a certain degree:-

1) lemon juice with honey
2) popping in Vitamin C sweets
3) gargle with salt
4) sleep extra hours
5) put a few drops of lavendar on burner bath
6) put salt in the coke drink
7) drink isotonic beverage

By the way, I avoid lozenges that is 'cooling' as they usually make my throat more irritable and dry. Drinking more water wouldn't really help much in relieving the irritable throat either.

Prevention is always better than cure. Though the spread of cold virus is unavoidable from a droplet of a sneeze, we can reduce the virus spread. There are some useful preventive remedies that I find quite effective:-

1) Wash your hands at all times and avoid touching your face, nose, ears, eyes and mouth
2) Exercise regularly (at least 3 times a day)
3) Sanitize your working, playing and sleeping area at least weekly
4) Manage your stress well before they manage you

If you already caught the cold, it is best to visit your doctor to give you the right medications for your condition. As for me, I take panadol (2 dose, 3 times), rub salt at the entrance of the throat and gargle the excess, take lots of fluids and rest as much as I can before I start begging at my doctor's doorstep for fast relieving remedy. Any better alternatives?

Colour therapy for Headache

Do you have a really bad headache after a stressful day? Sick of taking panadol for every time? If you do, you can try this method that works quite well for me. I call this method visualising colour therapy.

You only need about 10 to 15 minutes alone to do this exercise in the bus, trains, garden or your bedroom. If you find the surroundings too noisy or distracting, look for a quiet spot. As for me, I find it quite comfortable doing this exercise in the train because I often sleep through the journey. Close your eyes and take turns to visualize these four colours, one at a time; starting with red, yellow, blue and then green. Do this slowly to focus on each colour and repeat the cycles.

As you visualize, imagine that you are surrounded by the intensity of the colour. You may experience the intensity on your head as you visualize red and yellow colour. This is perfectly normal because you will deepen the relax the moment you switch to blue and green colour. Each colour has its own functions.
In case you find it hard to visualise the colour, the colour chart above should be able to help you as a guide. From my personal experience, I found:-

Red- pressure on pain points,
Yellow- release the pain points that seems to unblock the passage or path of the veins
green - to bring the passage or vein paths to a 'let-go' mode,
blue - to widen or relax the vein paths.

You may need to do a few cycles of visualizing until you feel the tension in your head starts to fade away. Sometimes, you might subconsciously identify th other parts of your body that is not relax and you can then release the tension on the spot. So far, the four colours work fine for me but for variety, you may add more colours. Be headache free