Carlito Johnsons asked:


Taking good care of your physical and mental health can be a great challenge for anyone. There are certain things you must consider if you want to maintain good health long term and live with more energy and vitality. Proper diet and exercise are the first things to consider however one must not forget the importance of learning to manage mental stress. Here are some simple tips anyone can follow to attain better levels of health and fitness:

Tip 1: Eat more whole foods

It can be very difficult for most people to completely avoid processed and junk foods however do your best to minimize your consumption of these. Also most restaurants and fast food places have a healthy choices menu option so go for that once in a while as it is usually better in nutritional value than the other items on the menu. Bring a packed lunch to work whenever you can and use whole food ingredients that you cooked yourself that are free from preservatives and other chemicals that most processed foods come with.

Tip 2: Exercise properly

There is no doubt that exercise is critical in order to maintain optimal health. You need both cardiovascular and aerobic exercise in order to burn calories effectively and keep good muscle mass which is essential to maintain strength levels. Aerobic exercise can be done many ways including joining a gym, taking a one hour walk or using a treadmill or bike at home. It is always a good idea to have some fitness equipment at home as this will make it very easy and convenient to exercise which makes it more likely you will stick with it and see better results.

Weight training helps to build and maintain muscle mass, keep in mind that muscles are very effective at burning calories constantly so even women should weight train to add some muscle so that they can maintain a healthy weight for as long as possible. If you have never trained with weights before then it is important that you consider taking a few personal training sessions at a local gym to familiarize yourself with the exercises and the equipment so as to avoid unnecessary injury.

Tip 3: Manage Stress

Mental stress can also affect your overall health in a very negative way. Your mind can release chemicals into your body based on how you think and if you constantly worry or are always angry then your mind will release potentially harmful chemicals into your system.

Learn to control your mind through meditation and calm your thoughts as this will provide you with great stress relief and will also help you solve problems in your life faster as a calm mind can often see solutions more quickly than if you are worrying too much and have a ton of thoughts racing through your head. There are many ways to learn meditation, the simplest approach is to just get a book or take a local yoga class. Make it a habit to spend some time each day doing some meditation and apply the principles you learn even when you are not meditating. Consider applying some of these natural health tips to help you become healthier and stronger.

James Brown asked:


Since there are so many nutritional supplements on store shelves around the country, many consumers are turning to pharmacy technicians for advice on which nutritional supplements will provide the best benefits for the active lifestyle that most people lead. A store pharmacy has access to all the pertinent data for nutritional supplements and a pharmacy technician can explain the benefits of every ingredient in a pill, powder, or liquid nutritional supplement solution.

This information will be very beneficial to consumers who take nutritional supplements to enhance their quality of life. Some heart patients use nutritional supplements to improve blood circulation, and to clean the circulatory system of all impurities. The health advice of a local pharmacist will prove crucial because the information could keep the heart patient alive because they take these supplements along with heart medications that are designed to sustain life.

Some people want to ensure that they are getting enough nutrients into their bodies while they are dieting. Some nutritional supplements offered in powder form are designed to replace meals. Some dieters will use these nutritional supplement powders to reduce the number of calories in a diet plan and will know from the label on the nutritional supplement container exactly which vitamins and minerals they are getting for the money they spend.

Athletes might find nutritional benefits from a nutrition regimen that uses energy bars and drinks to sustain energy levels during all types of physical activity. A professional athlete must be careful about the nutritional supplements that are consumed because some additives could disqualify the athlete from competing in meets. Again, the product label will serve as a point of reference for every vitamin and mineral that is introduced into the body and the mixing agents that are used.

Bodybuilders use a variety of nutritional supplements during the year to achieve various goals. The health and wellness goals that are maintained through the use of nutritional supplements will be very important to bodybuilding champions. They know that judges will scrutinize every muscle in the body many times during the year and unhealthy eating habits will be very evident under the bright lights on the exhibition stage.

Some bodybuilding competitors might score fewer points than normal because their muscle tone will be under-defined and less impressive as those competitors who ate a diet low in fat and supplemented that diet with vitamins and fiber. The ability to hold a pose might decrease because the energy levels in the body would have been depleted by the abstinence of eating a week before a week. If that same athlete had followed a good nutritional program, then energy levels would not have been affected.

People that lead busy lives can still find time to eat healthy and maintain wellness throughout the year. Nutritional supplements come in many forms and people can store nutritional meals in the form of a candy bar in the glove box of the car and eat when they are hungry and not just because they passed a fast food restaurant on the way to see a client. People that use nutritional supplements each day will find that they accomplish more each day. This is because the therapeutic qualities from the vitamins and minerals in one simple pill have improved the quality of life and have increased the amount of energy they have to draw on each day.

Nick Mutt asked:


Massage is a widely used naturopathy with several health benefits. Massage unites the fractured of bones. It relieves sprains and brushes. It is beneficial in muscle wasting. It regenerates the muscle tissue. The contractile power of muscles is increased by sticking and tapping. Effleurage, kneading and tapotement massage are used for relieving muscle pain.

Normally dry palms are used for massaging but if the skin is too dry or if the body is very weak, oil may be used. Til (sesame) oil is widely used for massage as it is specific for removing pain which is produced by vata. There are three humors which control the body viz-vata, a more or less a nervous activity, pitta – enzymes, digestive juice and bile. Kapha – a growth factor and material present in joint spaces lungs, throat, head, joints and stomach.

There are several herbal oils widely used in massage, they are maha masha taila of black gram used in wasting of muscles, marichadi oil of pepperused in phlegmatic diseases, karpasas thyadi taila of cotton seed oil used in nervous diseases, chandnadi taila of sandal wood used in bilious disorders. The massage is usually done for 30 minutes and for local massage 15 minutes. After massage, the oil is removed by a dry cloth and if needed warm water bath is given.

Avoid massage in tuberculosis, gonorrhoea and diphtheria. In fever, no massage is advised. Pregnant women should avoid abdominal massage. Massage is also not advisable in case of skin diseases. Abdominal massages should be avoided in appendicitis or tumors in the abdominal, gastric or duodenal ulcers and diarrhea.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

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Nick Mutt asked:


Massage therapy is no doubt an effective natural therapy that has tremendous healing properties. To get maximum benefit from this therapy you should know the principles of massage therapy and do’s and don’t while doing massage. Touch is both healing and comforting and what’s more you can enjoy the pleasure of it – both giving and receiving. Massage improves blood circulation; calms the nervous system; stimulates skin function; improves muscle tone and eases aches and pains in muscles and joints.

The basic principles of massage

Massage is a way of stroking the body, with variations in the length and depth of strokes. However, you should always direct firm strokes towards the heart, as this will be beneficial to the circulation.

Long flowing massage strokes with little pressure on the body are the most soothing and relaxing. This type of movement is called gentle, even pressure and is often used to start and finish a massage.

Patting or tapping the skin with your fingers quickly and slowly is stimulating and helps to increase blood flow. This is called tapotement. It is usually done on small areas such as the forehead, cheeks and neck.

Petrissage involves squeezing and releasing a muscle or part of a muscle group. A good example of this kind of movement is kneading dough. It is mostly done with both hands, particularly on the thighs and buttocks. Petrissage helps strengthen muscle fiber, remove waste products and ease fatigue.

There’s another type of massage movement called friction which creates just that. It involves rubbing the hands backwards and forwards across an area and is very warming and stimulating to the tissues.

Do’s and don’ts

Massage is a gentle healing art suitable for everyone from babies to the very elderly. Note the below points while doing massage -

Do not massage

• Any infected area

• A person who is feverish or has a raised temperature

• Over an area where varicose veins are present

• Over any unusual swelling or inflammation

• Bruised or broken skin

Before massaging do

• Check with the person about to be massaged whether any of the above apply

• Make sure the room is warm enough

• Warm your hands before massaging

Hope this article will help you to know the basic information about massaging in the right way!

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Read more about aromatherapy, ayurveda, yoga and massage therapy at Natural cures website. Read the benefits of herbal brain tonic, Brahmi to increase memory and concentration. Also know the benefits of anti-aging herb Amla.