What causes dry cough?
Why do people cough? It is mainly to clear the throat and keep airway free from irritants such as pollens and other particulates. Coughing is the body’s way of removing foreign material from the lungs and throat to heal and protect itself, apart from being annoying.

Onset of dry cough may be associated with illness such as allergies, bronchitis or exposure to irritants such as cigarette smoke, dust or chemicals. Any irritation to the lungs or trachea can be a cause of dry cough.

Home Remedies for Dry Cough

How to get rid of dry cough? Lets explore some herbs, foods, environmental and lifestyle changes as effective dry cough treatments. A humid environment is essential and it helps to use a humidifier in extreme dry climate to keep the atmosphere hydrated. Take care to keep yourself warm. Quit Smoking: If you are a smoker, give up smoking to prevent recurrent attacks of persistent dry cough.
Herbs to relieve dry cough
1. Ginger Juice: Ginger is a great cough remedy for all types of coughs. Mix fresh ginger juice with honey in a teaspoon and suck it. You could also add ginger to hot water and squeeze some lemon or add it to various herbs and spices and sip it throughout the day.

2. Onion Juice is a cough relieving syrup. Extract the juice from onion and in 2 teaspoon onion juice mix in 1 teaspoon of honey. Drink this honeyed onion juice mix.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar is known to heal inflammation, dry heaves and reduces the urge for persistent coughing.

4. Betel leaves with basil leaves, clove and ginger: Take a betel leaf, put in 3-4 basil leaves, a small piece of ginger, a clove and chew on it till the juices flow down the throat. This is very effective remedy to soothe dry cough attacks.

5. Rock candy: Suck on some hard rock candy to relieve unexpected dry cough spasms. Throat lozenges and peppermint candies soothe the throat and give instant cough relief.
A great way to stop dry cough in children is by sucking on hard candies.

6. Green tea with honey and lemon drink is a simple effective dry cough relief remedy.

7. Salt water gargles: Gargling with salt (1/2 teaspoon) added to a glass of warm-hot water at least three times a day is beneficial for spasms of dry cough.

8. Raisin Sauce: Grind 100 grams raisins into a paste in some water. Add sugar and heat it to the consistency of a sauce. Preserve this raisin sauce and eat about 4 teaspoons of this sauce daily at bedtime. You can eat spoonfuls of this sauce anytime during the day as well to ease the dry cough.

Diet for Dry Cough

Boost immune system with positive health behaviors such as eating a balanced diet, timely healthy food intake, eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains. Coughing after eating occurs in people who eat fried oily foods as it causes throat irritation. It is best to avoid fried foods, oily foods, high fat dairy products and especially when you cant stop coughing.

Cough may also be productive cough (in which there is mucus secretion from the lungs).
Home Remedies for Cough covers causes, symptoms, herbs, diet and natural treatments for productive cough.

• Home Remedies for Cough
• Home Remedies for Bronchitis
• Home Remedies for Cold

Diabetes (means to flow through a siphon) and Mellitus (means honeyed). Diabetes Mellitus (DM) refers to blood which is honeyed and has to be siphoned out through the kidney.

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder which results in increased blood sugar (blood glucose) levels due to insufficient or ineffective insulin hormone.

What happens in Diabetes?

In normal digestion, food we eat is converted to glucose, a sugar that the body uses for fuel. This blood sugar is carried from the blood stream into the body cells. To aid in use of this fuel, the body produces a hormone called insulin, which helps to move the glucose sugar from the blood stream into the cells. People with diabetes (diabetics) produce either insufficient or ineffective insulin, which means they don’t produce enough insulin or the insulin they produce does not work well enough to get the glucose into the body cells. As a result, the glucose continues to remain in the blood stream and does not get into the cells. The cells remain starved of energy and the blood has high sugar levels.

Signs and Symptoms of diabetes

• Polyuria (increased urination),
• polyphagia (increased hunger),
• polydipsia (increased thirst),
• pruritis (itching all over the body especially genital area)
• dehydration,
• blurred vision,
• delayed wound healing,
• tiredness/ lethargy,
• unexplained weight loss.

Causes of Diabetes

Cause for diabetes varies from genetic, viral, rheumatic heart, obesity leading to syndrome X can trigger diabetes, stress induced which results in disease like pancreatic cancer, pneumonia and so on. Accidents which damage the pancreas can affect insulin secretion and cause diabetes.

Some women develop diabetes during pregnancy called Gestational Diabetes which may or may not get corrected after child birth and delivery.

Diabetes Treatment and Management
Management of diabetes involves controlling diet, regular exercise, oral hypoglycemic drugs and insulin management. Diabetes dietary management is most important to control blood sugar levels.

Diabetic diet: In diabetes meals involve complex carbohydrates, high fiber, low fat and moderate protein foods. Eat food at regular timings and never fast or feast. The idea is to release the blood glucose into the blood stream intermittently so that blood sugar levels are in control. Avoid direct sources of sugar like white sugar, brown sugar, honey, jaggery, jellies, jams. Make sure that every meal contains some source of protein as it gives better blood sugar control. Coffee can aggravate diabetes as caffeine can cause functional hypoglycemia even with just 2 cups of coffee a day. Dibetes can be kept in control but never cured till date.

Home Remedies for Diabetes

Fiber For Diabetes
High fiber fruits like apple, pear, orange, papaya are great for diabetics. Soluble fiber present in oats, guar gum, papaya are also great in the diabetic diet.

Apple for Diabetes – Apple contains both soluble fibers (pectins) and insoluble fiber (in apple skin). Eating the fruit contributes fiber which helps keep blood sugar under control. Apple juice for diabetics should not be encouraged as juicing the apple reduces the fiber drastically. Hence eating the fruit is better option than drinking apple juice as a part of a healthy balanced diabetic diet. Drinking a cup of apple juice however is a good option during hypoglycemia when blood sugar levels are very low.

Flaxseeds for Diabetes
Flaxseeds help to keep blood sugar levels in control. Health benefits of flaxseeds are numerous and flax plays a positive role in combating various diseases.

Herbs for Diabetes
Plant extracts and herbal treatments are not unknown when used to treat diabetes. These herbs appear to be most effective, relatively non-toxic and have substantial documentation of efficiency. These herbs are believed to decrease blood glucose levels and possibly lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels.

Bitter Gourd, Fenugreek, Cinnamon, Onion, Cranberries, Blue berries, Asian Ginseng and Gingko Biloba are some herbs used in diabetes treatment.

• Apple for diabetes
• Asian Ginseng
• Home Remedies for Heart Disease

Cancer involves unregulated cell growth. It is of two types; Malignant (with metastasis which means cancer cells spread and affect tissues and organs) and Benign (tumor cells which are localized to an organ and do not grow uncontrollably or spread to other tissues or organs in the body). Benign tumors are not cancerous but could become malignant later on. Malignant tumors are more dangerous and need to be treated as early as possible.

What causes Cancer?

Causes of cancer are complex to understand although cancer is genetic in nature.  It is not known as to what a specific cause for a specific cancer is. How do you get cancer is still not very clear.

Risk Factors for Cancer
Substance abuse particularly use of tobacco, infection, radiation, poor diet, obesity, environmental pollutants, exposure to chemicals can directly damage genes or genetic components within cells and cause the disease. Heredity is a factor in a small 5-10% of cancers.

Symptoms of Cancer

The cancer is treatable if detected early.

Warning Signs of Cancer
Rapid weight loss is the first sign that should put you on alert mode for further investigations.
CAUTION needs to be exercised when the following symptoms are seen -

C hange in bowel or bladder habits

A wound that does not heal

U nusual bleeding or discharge

T hickening or Lump in the Breast or elsewhere.

I ndigestion or difficulty in swallowing

O bvious change in a wart or mole

N agging cough or hoarseness of voice.

Please contact your nearest Health Centre, if you have any of these warning signs.

Many times it is asymptomatic; which means no symptoms are seen and by the time it is detected, it is too late and the carcinoma has already advanced to Stage III or Stage IV.

Home Remedies for Cancer

Cancer treatment is usually surgery followed by radiation and/ or chemotherapy. Treatment options vary depending upon which part of the body has been affected, the extent of damage done and type of cancer. It’s important to know that diet is one of the most important supportive therapy in cancer patient care.

Top 20 Anti-Cancer  Tips

1. Reduce stress
2. Maintain weight as close to ideal body weight as possible. Stay lean.
3. Get Regular exercise
4. Limit dietary fat no more than 30% of total calories, less than 10% of total calories from saturated fats.
5. Stay away from hydrogenated fats.
6. Increase roughage – High fibre food intake between 25 -35 grams a day.
7. Five a day program: Make sure you consume 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
8. Antioxidants are helpful. Eat foods rich in Vitamin C, E and beta-carotene.
9. Replace red meat with fish and soya products.
10. Eat calcium rich foods.
11. Decrease exposing yourself to carcinogens – cancer causing chemicals, pollutants, irritants or substances in your diet.
12. Boost immune system to be able to fight off precancerous cells.
13. Consume foods that decrease growth or formation of potentially malignant cells.
14. Stay away from processed food as far as possible and eat fresh natural foods which are well washed several times before eating or cooking.
15. Avoid oil that is used for repeated frying and refrying.
16. Limit fried, burnt, smoked, fermented, salted and pickled food.
17. Whole grain cereals and pulses should be used as a source of energy and protein rather than refined foods like white breads, white flours or white rice.
18. Foods like green tea, flax, soy, garlic and onion are anti-cancerous.
19. Always maintain a positive mindset. Stay away from negative environments and people.
20. Wheatgrass juice works wonders for cancer patients but should be given under judicious advice of a dietitian or qualified nutritionist who monitors intake in relation to the blood profile.

Cancer Diet is a high protein, high calorie diet, low in refined sugars. The most important thing in cancer patient care is strong supportive family members. Caregivers who take care of oncology patients should take care to ensure a positive attitude, maintain good nutrition by following above guidelines. There will be times during patient therapy when there is appetite loss, changes in taste and fatigue. It is essential for the caregiver to exercise patience, love and proper care to ensure frequent healthy feeds and make sure that patient maintains his/ her ideal body weight as far as possible. Make use of high protein cancer supplements if needed, in addition to a healthy diet.

• What is Anemia?
• Vitamin A
• Immune System Boosters – I

Causes of Vitamin D deficiency

1. Strict vegetarians who avoid natural animal based Vitamin D food sources like fish and fish oils, egg yolks, beef liver may develop vitamin D deficiency.
2. Lactose intolerant people or those with allergies to milk and dairy products can develop Vitamin D deficiencies.
3. The body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Those who avoid the sun completely for any reason, mainly those who live in northern latitudes, remain in purdah, wearing burkhas (long robes and keep themselves covered totally) for religious or other reasons, or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure can develop a deficiency.
4. Dark skinned people have reduced ability to make vitamin D in their skin from sunlight due to the pigment, melanin. Older adults with dark skins are particularly vulnerable.
5. Malabsorption problem can affect the ability of your intestine to absorb vitamin D. Defective absorption may be seen in some diseases such as Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis and so on.
6. Malfunctioning kidneys may prevent conversion of Vitamin D to its active form.
7. Obesity: Vitamin D is extracted from the fat cells in blood, altering its release into the circulation. People with a BMI above 30 often have low blood levels of vitamin D.

Functions and Health Benefits of Vitamin D

1. Essential for absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorus from gastrointestinal tract.
2. In conjunction with parathyroid hormone (PTH), it mobilizes calcium from bone and increases the renal tubular reabosorption of calcium and phosphate.
3. Calcification of osteoblast cells of growing skeletal structures.
4. Vit. D has roles in immunity, reproduction, insulin secretion also.

Note that One microgram of cholecalciferol (D₃) is the same as 40 IU of vitamin D.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Toxicity

Vit. D has a serious toxicity.  An intake of 1000 to 3000 1 U/kg body weight almost 80 to 100 times the RDI, may lead to hypocalcaemia and of bones and of soft tissues.  Infants given excessive amount of Vit D may have GI upsets, bone fragility, retarded growth, and mental retardation.

Too much vitamin D can make the intestines absorb too much calcium. This may cause high levels of calcium in the blood. High blood calcium can cause calcium deposits in soft tissues such as the heart and lungs, Confusion and disorientation, Damage to the kidneys, Kidney stones, Nausea, vomiting, constipation, poor appetite, weakness, and weight loss.

Home Remedies for Vitamin D deficiency

1. Expose the skin of your face, arms, back or legs to sunshine for 10-15 minutes, three times every week without applying sunscreen. This is enough to meet your body’s requirement of vitamin D. Indirect exposure to sunshine via a window sill or car windshield does not produce Vitamin D in the body.
2. Follow a well balanced diet that supplies the proper amount of vitamin D foods, Calcium and Protein foods. While this will not completely stop bone loss, it will guarantee that a supply of the materials the body uses to form and maintain bones is available.
3. Get regular exercise to reduce likelihood of fractures. Weight bearing exercises (walking, dancing, jogging, tennis), resistance training (stretch bands, free weights, weight machines, stretch bands), balance exercise like tai chi and yoga, even aerobic exercise such as cycling on a stationary bike and rowing machines are recommended.
4. Added Vitamin D supplements
5. Avoid drinking alcohol excessively.
6. Quit smoking
7. Prevent falls and likelihood of fractures.

• Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms
• About Vitamin D
• Vitamin A

Migraine Symptoms

Throbbing pulsating head pain is the most common symptom of migraine. The headache, at most times is one sided though it maybe on both sides. Other symptoms range from distorted vision, light and/ or sound sensitivity, nausea, vomiting. Many times it is mistaken to be sinusitis as sinus symptoms are experienced. But if the triggers of migraine are true in your case, then most likely it is migraine.

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Migraine Causes

What are the common triggers of migraine?
Exposing your head to direct sunlight, weather changes, skipping meals mainly breakfast, fasting, direct blast of the fan or AC, stressful travel conditions, noise and air pollution, emotional stress, repeated anxiety, physical exertion, second-hand smoke, bright lights, loud noise, change in sleep patterns, certain foodstuffs. Triggers like weather patterns are uncontrollable but others like diet and behavior can be modified. E.g When people oversleep and skip breakfast, it can offset a migraine attack. Such triggers can be easily controlled.

How do you get migraines?
Precise mechanism for migraine is unclear. Earlier theory said that migraine is a vascular disorder in which the blood vessels narrow, reducing blood flow to the brain which produce aura. Then the vessels dilate (open) causing pain. Newer theory according to Lipton states that migraine is a neurovascular disorder and the cause maybe the brain itself rather than the vessels and that changes in the brain affect the blood flow. Although exact mechanism for migraine is uncertain, people with migraines react to stimuli called ‘triggers’. Not every person has the same migraine trigger.
Evidence strongly links migraine to estrogen levels. There is a fall in estrogen just before a woman gets her period, which explains why some women get migraine attacks just before they get their period. During pregnancy, estrogen levels are high and several women do get migraine headaches at this time. At menopause, when estrogen levels are low, most women with migraine improve.

Migraine Diet – Foods to Avoid

Foods that could trigger a migraine episode include items with nitrates, such as lunch meats and hot dogs. Tyramine, another ingredient that may cause migraine attacks, is a substance in soy products, aged cheeses, smoked fish and hard sausages. Cheese and cottage cheese, cheese products, dark chocolates, fermented foods, excess tea and coffee (do not exceed 3 cups a day), monosodium glutamate which is present in Chinese food, aspartame sweetener, cold drinks, colas, ice added to cold beverages or juices. Eliminating these potential triggers may help protect you against migraine attacks.

Reducing intake of aspartame, an artificial sweetener and another potential migraine trigger, also may reduce an abdominal migraine.

Home Remedies for Migraine

What do I need to know about migraine?
Migraine triggers vary from patient to patient. You have to identify and avoid the factors which trigger your migraine headaches. It is handy to keep a list which is your trigger for migraine so you can avoid these as far as possible. Triggers may also vary from time to time in the same patient. The better the control of triggers of migraine, the lesser the medicine will be required.
1. Main treatment for migraine is to understand your migraine triggers and avoid them by making lifestyle changes. This can be a major challenge but this could reduce migraine symptoms and frequency.
2. Schedule your day well. Eat a well balanced diet at regular timings. Do not fast or skip meals.
3. Exercise regularly.
4. Avoid late night outings.
5. Avoid loud or sharp irritating noise.
6. Maintain fixed timings for meals and sleeping hours, neither too much sleep nor too little.
7. Take your medicines regularly as advised by your doctor.
8. Caffeine has a dual effect. Many times, caffeine can subside a migraine attack. Caffeine makes pain killers effective and hence used in many pain killers used for treating migraines. However, a lot of caffeinated coffee can trigger a migraine attack as well. Caffeine withdrawal can also be a potent trigger for headaches.
9. Keep a record of your attacks and possible trigger factors.
10. Some herbs for migraine headache treatment involve drinking herbal teas before bedtime or inhaling herbal aromas mostly for calming or sleep inducing effects. Herbs for migraine relief are feverfew, peppermint, passion flower, gingko biloba, white willow bark, valerian and chamomile. butterbur extract.

• Home Remedies for Headache
• Home Remedies for Asthma
• Home Remedies for Hives

Anger is a natural healthy emotional response to intense dislike, criticism or frustration or anything that we perceive as a threat. It is normal to experience anger. There are varying degrees of anger ranging from mild irritation to full blown rage. Anger problems arise when we don’t know how to control anger. When anger turns into rage and fury, it clouds our thoughts and fair judgement and we are likely to behave irrationally which we may possibly regret later. Appropriate anger management techniques are necessary to express anger productively and to avoid it from escalating and resulting in harm such as a physical or verbal attack.

Causes of Anger

Anger causes are varied and numerous. Some of the most common causes for anger are feeling insulted, humiliated, embarrassed, disappointed, disagreement, frustration, rudeness, prolonged sickness, physical or mental illness, fatigue, failure, being teased or bullied, inability to meet deadlines, bad service, loss of a loved one or death, divorce, heavy traffic jams, abuse, addictions, financial problems, sexual problems, substance abuse, theft, injustice and even hunger or pain.

Symptoms of Anger

Physical signs of anger maybe teeth grinding, jaw clenching, profuse sweating, fast heartbeat, breathlessness, hot flashes at the neck and face, dizziness, trembling lips, hand fidgeting or nervous clasping of hands, pacing around, stroking chin with hand. You may start shouting, crying or become sarcastic and abusive.

Uncontrolled unresolved anger which is not channelized in the right way or goes unexpressed, can lead to emotional and mental problems, particularly mood swings, eating disorders, low self esteem, depression and anxiety, social isolation, self injury, substance abuse such as alcoholism, smoking or drug abuse.

Stress response to Anger
When we get furious, our body releases the stress hormones, such as epinephrine, nor epinephrine, adrenaline, nor adrenalin and cortisol. The heart rate increases, blood pressure, body temperature and breathing rate increase. The raised heart rate, blood pressure, and release of hormones prepare us physically for remedial action – which is either to fight or run away at top speed (fight or flight response). Frequent repeated episodes of anger can result in lowered immunity and make us easy targets for illnesses like headache, backache, high blood pressure, heart disease, skin diseases, stomach upsets or irritable bowels, insomnia, stroke and so on.

Home Remedies for Anger Management

Anger Management Techniques

Controlling anger requires a conscious effort to train the mind to calm down. This can be done in a number of ways. Here are some simple step by step home remedies or anger management techniques to manage your anger.

1)      Divert Your Mind: Quickly start counting from 1 to 10 slowly and then backwards. This can work wonders to diffuse anger and cool your temper.

2)      Keep your mouth shut. Avoid speaking when you are angry or you may say something you could regret later.

3)      Get away from the situation or person immediately to avoid a confrontation and give yourself time to calm down.

4)      Calm Down: Once you are calm, you can get time to verbalize the issues with the object of your fury calmly and non-emotionally. Remember to discuss the issue assertively, not aggressively to find a wise solution to the problem.

5)      Deep Breathing, Pranayama, Yoga and other meditation techniques are very helpful to stabilize your mind and help you think clearly.

6)      Physical exercise like a jog, brisk walk or swim are great ways to control anger immediately as they are channelized positively.

7)      Stress relief techniques and relaxation techniques give you a better grip on your emotions and control anger and your response to it effectively.

8)      Counseling: Psychotherapy, self help groups, self help books help you focus on solving the problem rather than pointing fingers at anyone.

9)      Do not hold grudges or resentments for long as you will seethe and internalize them to harm yourself in the long run. Learn to forgive and move on.

10)   Identify your anger triggers: This is beneficial to you as you can find effective ways of dealing with anger and frustration in the future.

• Home Remedies for Stress
• Home Remedies for Insomnia
• Yoga for fitness and good health

Causes of fatigue

There are numerous causes for fatigue and exhaustion signs and often there may be one or multiple factors.

Insomnia or Lack of Adequate Sleep: Are you getting enough sleep? Sleeping too less can affect your concentration.

Sleep Apnea causes disturbed sleep, which makes you feel exhausted. It briefly stops your breathing at different times during the night. This disruption wakes you up for a few seconds although you might not be aware of it. So in spite of sleeping eight hours, you end up feeling fatigued the next day.

Poor Eating Habits: Your eating habits are also to be blamed if you feel sluggish. While eating lesser than what your body needs is harmful, eating wrong foods is also a problem. This can result in severe micronutrient malnutrition, that is, vitamin-mineral deficiencies and serious health problems.

Sometimes the foods you eat can also cause tiredness. These hidden food allergies make you feel very sleepy after a meal and can be related to a mild intolerance to something you have eaten. Such allergies don’t cause itching or hives, but are enough to make you feel tired. Do a food allergy test if you think your diet is to blame. Skipping breakfast oftentimes leaves people drained of energy.

Iron Deficiency Anemia: Find out if you’re anaemic. Occurring more commonly among women because of their menstrual cycle, anaemia is an iron deficiency known to cause fatigue. Ask your doctor for iron supplements and include iron-rich foods like lean meat, liver, shellfish and beans in your diet.

Mononucleosis or the kissing disease is a contagious viral infection transmitted through the saliva. This can cause intense fatigue and weakness.

Dehydration also causes fatigue. If you’re thirsty, it means you’re already dehydrated.

Depression is not just an emotional disorder – it has physical ramifications as well. Feeling tired all the time, getting headaches and loss of appetite are the most common symptoms. Visit a psychiatrist if you think you need professional help to get over your problem.

Hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid gland slows down your metabolism. This leaves you feeling sluggish and can make you put on weight.

Fatigue Symptoms

Symptoms of fatigue are usually weakness and a person being always tired. Fatigue symptoms are non specific and usually a cluster of symptoms which can range from headache, irritable nature, poor concentration, insomnia to stomach upsets.

Home Remedies for Fatigue

Chronic constant fatigue needs a lifestyle modification plan.

Experts recommend at least 6-8 hours uninterrupted sleep every night. Make sure to follow a regular sleeping schedule and keep your cell phone switched off at night. For sleep apnea, visit a sleep expert.

Most fatigued people tend to have poor eating habits. They skip meals or eat the wrong foods. Seek help from a dietitian for a proper diet suited to your nutritional and health needs. You will get proper guidance to follow a balanced diet that keeps your blood sugar in a normal range and prevents that feeling of tiredness when your blood sugar drops. Some tips to remember are, to never skip breakfast and include protein and complex carbs in your meals. Get your hemoglobin levels checked to make sure you are not anaemic. Make sure you eat iron rich foods such as green leafy vegetables and meats. Stay hydrated. Your body needs water to keep cool and work well. Keep sipping on water throughout the day. Take steps to think and stay positive.  Exercise regularly and stay healthy and fit.

Essential Oil – Citronella oil used for fatigue has an uplifting and positive effect and an antidepressant.

• What is Anemia?
• Pregnancy Workouts
• Home Remedies for Insomnia

Insomnia Causes

Emotional Disturbances: Mental stress, anxiety, fatigue due to overwork, over excitement, suppressed feelings of anger, jealousy, hatred or brooding over any negative thought are some emotional triggers to a disturbed sleeping pattern. Even worrying about falling asleep can cause insomnia.

Smoking: An unsuspected cause of irregular sleep schedules can be due to smoking which irritates the nerves of the digestive system.

Caffeine: Stimulants like tea, coffee, regular sodas (caffeinated fizzy drinks), some energy drinks contain caffeine. If these are consumed before bedtime or in the late evening, it can cause loss of sleep. Know about health effects of caffeine.

Over-eating at night or Skipping Dinner: Abdominal discomfort can arise from stomach disorders such as dyspepsia, constipation, eating a heavy dinner, stuffing yourself with food late at night or skipping dinner altogether for some reason. This can prevent you for a good night’s sleep.

Insomnia Symptoms

Repeated compromised quality and duration of sleep can cause loss of concentration, coordination, memory lapses, unstable emotions, confusion during daytime and persistent changes in sleep patterns.

Insomnia Home remedies

Sleeping pills are not recommended for insomniacs as they tend to be habit forming, lower IQ, dull the brain, are less effective with repeated use and have severe side effects.

Simple Home Remedy for Insomnia
A regular sleeping schedule is essential. Go to bed at a fixed time every night and wake up every morning at a fixed time. You can set an alarm or reminder to help you with this.

Diet for Insomnia
Insomnia diet means eating a balanced diet at regular meal timings. Stay away from refined foods like sugar, white flour and food products made with it, colas, chocolate, tea, coffee, energy drinks, alcohol, fried and high fat foods. High salt intake worsens insomnia so it’s best to limit high salt foods or those which contain high sodium such as preservatives, coloring, flavorings and such chemicals. People who stay awake late at night tend to indulge in emotional eating and eat all the wrong unhealthy foods, which adversely affects their health. Often vitamin-mineral deficiencies are common in insomniacs.

Warm Milk and Insomnia
A glass of warm milk boiled with a pinch of turmeric in it is very effective for sound sleep. Milk contains amino acid tryptophan which is converted to serotonin in the body. This is known to have calming and soothing properties which induce sleep.

Yoga for Insomnia
Yoga tones up respiratory, glandular and nervous systems besides mental and physical relaxation. Yoga poses effective for insomnia patients are shirshasana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, uttanasana, viparit karni, and shavasana.

Exercise for Insomnia
Meditation or pranayama cause instant relaxation. This is an effective easy strategy for inducing sleep. Regular physical exercises during daytime regularize hormones, reduce stress and enhance the quality of sleep at night. Avoid vigorous exercise before bedtime as it can energize you rather than calm you down.

Hydrotherapy for Insomnia
Water therapy treats insomnia effectively. A warm bath before retiring to bed, applying hot packs to the spine before bedtime or hot fomentation to the spine, hot foot bath or an alternate hot and cold foot bath, or cold hip bath with feet in hot water are useful time-tested methods to treat insomnia.

• Home Remedies for Dark Circles
• Why am I so fatigued?
• Home Remedies for Migraine

PMS Causes

Hormonal changes mainly low progesterone levels in the body prior to a period are believed to be the main cause for pms.  Premenstrual syndrome could also be caused due to calcium-magnesium imbalance.

PMS Symptoms

The most common pre menstrual symptoms are cramps, bloating, premenstrual aches and pain, headache, irritability, mood swings, depression, breast tenderness and food cravings. Some women experience dizziness, sweating, palpitations, nausea, stomach problems, fatigue, swelling due to water retention on face, hands and ankles. PMS symptoms vary from woman to woman but these are the most common ones.

Remedies for PMS

Get PMS help for premenstrual tension, fatigue and pain relief by trying these simple natural remedies for pms syndrome.

1. Salt water bath: Hot bath with a teaspoon of salt added to bath water helps to relieve muscle cramps and pms joint pain.
2. Aromatherapy for PMS: Healing Essential Oil Tub Bath – Prepare a healing oil with 3 drops geranium, 3 drops clary sage and 2 drops ylang ylang. Mix this into a teaspoon of dispersant such as sweet almond oil, mustard oil, sesame, full fat milk or alcohol. Pour this aromatic oil mix into a tub bath filled with warm water. This essential oil blend which seeps into the skin along with inhaled fumes, is relaxing. Scented candles and a dim lighted environment soothe and calm the mind.
3. Comforting Massage: Your partner can express his love and understanding by giving you a massage from day 21 of your cycle to the end of the cycle. Pay special attention to lower back, stomach, feet and breasts. Do this twice a day. Or you could visit a spa and ask for a deep tissue massage given by professional massage therapists. This is a great de-stressor as it releases tension knots and can relieve premenstrual tension.
4. PMS diet: A menstruating woman who eats small, frequent healthy foods can help to keep her blood sugar in control and minimize food cravings. Restrict salt, and caffeine intake as they worsen water retention. Increase potassium intake, restrict refined sugar intake. A wholesome PMS diet would be one with lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fish. Soyabeans and alfalfa seeds are particularly beneficial to reduce hot flashes and PMS symptoms.
5. Herbs for PMS: Chase tree herb is a great PMS cure to relieve cramping pain. Add 10 drops of chase tree extract in a glass of water and drink this. Yarrow tea is great to relieve your pms cramps instantly.
6. Nutrition supplements: Magnesium supplement of 1000 mgs per day relieves pre menstrual symptoms.
7. Evening Primrose Oil Supplements: EPO or evening primrose oil is a rich source of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), an essential omega 6 fatty acid. GLA is involved in forming prostaglandins which play a positive role in balancing hormones. Studies have shown that women who take 500 mg EPO capsules 6 times a day for the whole month got relief from PMS symptoms particularly irritability, depression and breast pain.
8. Regular exercise: Daily exercise is highly beneficial to reduce pms symptoms mainly the mood swings.

• Home Remedies for Anxiety
• Home Remedies for Depression
• Bone Spur Home Remedies

Fever Diagnosis

A thermometer which records rectal temperature of 100.5°F or above should always be considered a fever. A rectal temperature up to 100.4°F (38°C) may be entirely normal. Lower temperatures might also be a fever, depending on the person. Normal body temperatures vary. In children, temperatures can vary by 1-2 degrees up to 2 years of age. Temperatures in children particularly can be raised by physical activity, emotional upheavals, heavy clothing, medications, high room temperature, and high humidity. Adults are less likely to have temperature variations, except women during their menses when temperature variations occur by 1 or more degrees.

Fever classification in degrees Celcium and degrees Farenheit

In an adult fever with temperature above 104 degrees farenheit (i.e. high grade fever) is undesirable for cardiac patients. It increases heart beats and makes the heart work harder, can cause arrythmias (irregular heartbeats), chest pain and even heart attack. Brain fever occurs with fever over 106 degrees Farenheit and can result in dehydration, seizures and brain damage.

Causes of Fever

Causes of fever vary from infections, allergic reactions, hormonal disorders, hypothalamus damage and certain illnesses.
Fevers are commonly related to common cold, flu and viruses. Some diseases that can cause fever are pneumonia, urinary tract infection, viral hepatitis, cancer, whooping cough, malaria, lyme disease. Some fevers are side effect of some medication (an allergic reaction), particularly those taken for high blood pressure and seizures. Damage to the hypothalamus (located at the base of the brain) which regulates body temperature can cause fever. Excessive exercise in hot weather and hormonal disorders like hypothyroidism, chromocytoma and other hormonal disorders can also cause fever. Fever in teething toddlers is common and usually subsides by itself.

Symptoms of Fever

Common fever symptoms are headache, general weakness, muscle pain, burning of the eyes, perspiration (sweating), loss of appetite, dehydration, shivering. High grade fever can result in irritability, confusion and even hallucinations. Other symptoms of fever may vary depending on the cause for fever.

Fever Natural Remedies

Fever management with natural curative measures such as dietary care, herbs and certain lifestyle changes play a very positive role in healing and early recovery.

Home Remedies for Fever

1. Diet for Fever: Chicken soup for fever is the most popular American fever remedy. Drink plenty of water, soups, juices and such fluids to compensate fluid losses that occur with fever and help bring down body temperatures. Consume a soft diet. Avoid raw foods until fever subsides since they can be a source of infection.
2. Rest: Good rest and sleep is essential for an early recovery from fever. Avoid sudden changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature.
3. Remedy for Mild Fever: Lie down and tuck in a well covered blanket. Crush 10-15 raisins soaked in water, strain and drink the water. Ginger tea is also very soothing especially if you have cold or congestion.
4. Bathe in cool water. This helps in bringing down the body temperature. Avoid spending long hours in the water.
5. Remedy for High Fever: Ice water sponging on the forehead is a very effective natural remedy for high fever. Dip a thin towel in some iced water and place it on a hot fevered forehead. This helps to bring down the high temperature. Repeat by dipping the towel in iced water again and place on forehead. Follow this procedure for at least 10 minutes or till fever subsides.

Try these natural cures for fever as far as possible, rather than giving aspirin or antibiotics. Consult a physician if fever does not subside. It is worthwhile to note that while fever is usually because of infection or diseases, hay fever occurs due to allergies.

• Home Remedies for Hay Fever
• Home Remedies for Heat Stroke
• Home Remedies for Cirrhosis