Aloe Vera to Cleanse the Colon and Detoxify the Digestive System

Using aloe vera for skin care and sunburns is well known, but did you know that you can also drink the juice of the aloe vera plant? Aloes are some of the most healing plants found in nature, made up of a large variety of amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Aloe vera juice can be it is also beneficial when taken internally, drinking it either an hour or two before breakfast, or just before going to bed.

Aloe is considered a bitter herb, and a cathartic – which means it is an excellent laxative. Aloe vera helps to ease constipation and prevent ongoing diarrhea, and promotes healthy regularity in the bowels – without drugs or chemical additives. This makes it an excellent choice, over and above some of the synthetic laxatives on the market, which can often send you running for the bathroom!

Aloe has natural healing and detoxifying properties, working gently within the intestinal tract to help break down impacted food residues and morbid matter from stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, bladder and colon, thoroughly cleansing the bowels. Since it has such a positive effect on the digestive system, aloe is an excellent remedy for irritable bowel syndrome, better known as IBS. Since this process helps to reduce intestinal bloating, as the symptoms begin to ease – so do the stress and discomfort. A toxic colon is the cause of a wide variety of illnesses, and aloe vera is one of the best single herbs to clean out the colon.

The Beneficial Healing Effects of Sea Salt Soaks and Baths

Containing over 80 minerals, sea salt soaks are very nourishing and soothing to both the skin and the elimination system. Sea salt soaks help remove lactic acid from the muscles, which is one of the reasons that sea salt baths are so relaxing. Lactic acid can cause stiff, weak and tired muscles.

Salt soaks can be taken as an entire body soak, using about a cup of sea salt to a hot bath (as hot as your body can take it comfortably), or use a localized salt soak - using a cotton ball and two tablespoons of sea salt to a cup of hot water, wet the cotton with the hot water and soak the affected area. Localized sea salt soaks are used to disinfect small cuts and bruises, as well as to keep piercings from becoming infected.

Herbal ingredients added to the sea salt bath can promote the soothing effects, or the invigorating effects, depending on your needs - or mood. For example, adding lavender will add relaxation and promote healing. Sea salts are often pre-packaged with floral, citrus, or herbs for added benefits.

Sea salt soaks increase blood circulation and stimulate the natural release of toxins through the body's largest organ - the skin. The salts kill bacteria and germs from the surface of the skin, leaving it soft and clean.

Diet and Exercise to Relieve and Control Restless Legs

Eat a whole foods diet, including plenty of foods high in B vitamins, such as sunflower seeds, cashews, brewers yeast, and whole wheat flour, as well as meat products such as beef kidneys and liver. High iron foods such as: red meat, black strap molasses, nuts, legumes are extremely important, and provide a wide variety of other naturally occurring nutrients necessary to maintain proper health.

Antioxidants, such as green tea, cranberries, cherries, and deep colored greens such as broccoli and collard greens should become an important part of the daily diet, as well as foods high in bioflavonoids with naturally occurring vitamin C, folic acid, and vitamin E.

Avoid constipation and greatly reduce the intake of refined sugars, drinking coffee, caffeine, cola and soda. Eat and drink foods that are rich in Vitamin A and beta-carotene, along with naturally occurring vitamin C and bioflavonoids, such as carrot, parsley, and celery juices, rhubarb, plum and prune juice can be especially helpful.

Along with proper diet, you may find it helpful to wear supportive leggings or stockings, which will help to increase circulation. Propping up the legs at night or adding a small board under the foot of the bed can reduce the buildup of excess fluids in the legs, which can also cause varicose veins.

Developing a daily exercise routine is essential to maintaining proper circulation in the legs, as well as throughout the body. Yoga, ballet, pilates, and tai chi are all excellent forms of exercise for the toning and strengthening of the leg muscles, followed by massage before you relax for the evening. If you don’t have access to a personal masseuse, you can opt for the store bought version!

Drinking Aloe Vera Juice Aids Digestion

One of the most common modern uses for the aloe vera plant is as a healing agent to burns, cuts, or other wounds, and to reduce the severity of scarring. Aloes are some of the most healing plants found in nature, and are considered to be in the bitter category of herbs, and is a cathartic herb, helping to evacuate the bowels. If you're not already aware of the fact that you can take aloe internally, check for some in your local health food store. It's not particularly a tasty drink, but the benefits are simply incredible, and aloes contain a large variety of amino acids, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. When taking aloes, it is beneficial to either drink it either an hour or two before your first meal, or just before bedtime. Since it has such a positive effect on the digestive system, it is an excellent remedy for irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. It promotes regularity, prevents and relieves constipation, and is an excellent laxative.

Aloe is one of the best herbs to clean out the colon. It should be considered superior to over-the-counter (OTC) laxatives, which can have a much harsher result and could even disrupt your day with their unpredictable effects. Aloe is a much gentler method of relieving your symptoms. Aloe is also an excellent alternative to OTC "colon cleanse" concoctions, as aloe works naturally to gently break down impacted food residues and morbid matter from the stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, bladder and colong, thoroughly cleansing the bowels. A toxic colon is the cause of a wide variety of illnesses. Since this process helps to reduce intestinal bloating, as the symptoms are eased the stress and discomfort subside as well.

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• Proper Food Combining Can Dramatically Improve Your Health

A Few Things You May Not Know About Parsley

Parsley is quite a wonderful and nutritious herb! Most people know that it's great for the breath after eating garlic, but not too many know what a power packed veggie it really is. Parsley is loaded with vitamin A, just like it's relative, the carrot - but parsley contains nearly 30,000 I.U. per ounce! Parsley is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, and would be similar to eating the same amount of spinach. It is also quite rich in vitamin C and iron.

But what else could parsley help you with? Parsley is a diuretic, which means that it can help you shed extra water weight, or help combat water retention, especially during menstruation. But don't over do it, just drop a teaspoonful intoboiled water, and slowly simmer for 10 minutes. You can drink it like you would any other herbal tea.

If you prefer fresh parsley, try adding a small handful into your salad, or drop it into your soup as you would with fresh kale. For an extra special treat, you can eat your parsley in a wonderful dish like tabouli (which is made with lots of parsley), falafel (also contains parsley), hummus, and lettuce folded into flatbread, and either topped with tahini or yogurt mint sauce. Yum!

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Natural Food Sources of Calcium

Most people assume that to increase their intake of calcium, they should drink more milk. Milk from a cow is not the healthiest beverage, and in fact can cause more harm than good. The pasteurization process and homogenization destroy enzymes and vitamins, and supplements are added to create the illusion of nutrition in milk. If your body does not receive enough calcium from your diet, it will begin to take calcium from your bones. If your body takes more calcium from bone than it replaces, bones can become weak and brittle, causing them to break easier and more often. Calcium deficiency could also cause muscle cramps and spasms, and eventually lead to osteoporosis. Calcium is necessary for proper muscle contraction, blood clotting, nerve function, regulating the passage of nutrients through cell walls, and even helps prevent and ease insomnia.

It is entirely possible that a person can obtain nearly all of their daily requirements of calcium through other foods, and the end result would be a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Of course you can eat and drink the foods that taste the best to you, but knowing the choices that are available and which ones you like can help you alter your diet without sacrificing taste. Below are some healthy choices of natural sources of calcium, as well as other vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that lead to a healthier body. Remember that even when fruits and vegetables of your choice are out of season, you can still find fresh-frozen alternatives in your grocer's freezer!

Fruits

Oranges, blackberries, kiwi fruits, tomatoes (yes, they are a fruit!), limes, strawberries, lemons, grapes, apples, cantaloupes, bananas, avocados (not a vegetable!), and peaches.

Vegetables

Artichokes, peas, summer squash, broccoli, kale, collard greens, lima beans (actually they are a legume), winter squash, spinach, carrots, and asparagus.

Nuts and Seeds

Almonds, brazil nuts, pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, chestnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, filberts or hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and pine nuts or pignolias.

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Getting Nutrition When Fresh Fruits and Vegetables are Out of Season

For thousands of years, people have lived and trived in farming communities and eating the food that grew well in each season. This meant that to get certain fruits or vegetables year round, they had to be preserved, jellied, canned, or in some of the colder areas of the world, frozen. In many regions across the globe, people have adopted super fast eating habits and forgotten what it means to really eat healthy.

So what have we gained with this high-technology, super fast paced, eat-on-the-go lifestyle that we've created? Well, not really much of anything. In fact, we are loosing out on some of vital life-giving foods that we were meant to eat. Healthy to some has been reduced to ordering a burger flame broiled instead of fried. It's not that everyone should go so far as becoming lacto-ovo-vegetarians, I mean, you can if you want to, or even vegan for that matter, but everyone can benefit from knowing what foods you can get the most nutrition from in every season. Taking advantage of what is in the store during each season, along with healthy portions of whole grains, protiens, and carbohydrates.

We do have alternatives, some are more nutritious than others. If you have time, you can read the labels on frozen varieties. Not all frozen foods are created equal! Processing can take much of the nutritional value out of foods, and the less the fruits and veggies are processed, the least amount of vitamins and minerals are lost. Canned varieties are also a substitution if necessary, but because most of the products are heated during the canning process, much of the nutritional value is lost. Some of the natural nutrients present in fresh foods are sensitive to heat, and are destroyed when they reach certain temperatures.

For an indepth look into the nutritional content of many of the produce available on the market today, check out Dr. Decuypere's Nutrient Charts. You can learn what produce you may need in your diet to optimize your health. Some people can even get their daily requirements of nutrients by diet alone, without unhealthy chemical vitamin supplements. Keeping brown or whole grain rice and beans, a wide variety of other whole grains and legumes, oats, whole grain flour, and plenty of herbs and spices, you should be able to put together some very healthy meals, and some pretty healthy doses of B vitamins! If you enjoy meat, these ingredients will open up the possibilities of a nutritional meal. Even if you're not a total health nut, and just want to get a little more nutrition out of your diet, your healthy alternatives are limited only by your imagination. Remember this tip when serving up a meal: The more colorful and fresh the food is, the healthier it is. In other words, choose a wide variety of "colors" when selecting produce to get a wide variety of the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that are needed by your body on a daily basis.