Health Square

I first stumbled on castor oil as a remedy for regrowing thin eyebrows. I had over-plucked my brows back in the nineties when it was the hip thing to have pencil thin brows, and they never did quite recover.  It became necessary for me to pencil in the “bald” spots and I missed the natural look of real hair where these spots were missing.

I read about castor oil as a remedy for thinning brows and hair, and thought I’d try it. I bought a hexane free, organic and cold pressed castor oil and started applying it to my eyebrows every night after washing my face.  After about three months, I noticed my brows were noticeably thicker (and they seemed to be growing in darker as well), and attributed it to the nightly application of castor oil.

I’m not the only one that this has worked for.  So, why would castor oil help you regrow hair – both on your head and the other two important places, the eyebrows and the eyelashes.

Castor oil is high in ricinoleic acid.  This acid is a very effective natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent.  This can help keep any fungus or bacteria from inhibiting hair growth.  Since the oil is also very thick, it may help to prevent hair loss simply by helping to coat the hair and protect it from falling out.

Castor oil is also high in omega 9 fatty acids, which are nourishing to both the hair and the follicle, as well as the surrounding skin.  Castor oil has a unique ability to be deeply penetrating, and this helps it to deliver its nourishment deeply into the pores and the follicles that produce hair.

It also has a high gloss, so it lends a lush glossiness and shine to the hair. A little goes a long way, and it is best to only add a tiny bit to the very ends of your hair instead of putting it up near the scalp if you’re just looking for a natural hair smoother.

Simply put about two drops on your hands and rub, then smooth through the ends.  If you use too much, there is a fine line between subtle shine and a heavy greasiness so go very light until you figure out the amount that works right for your hair type.

If you’re looking to regrow the hair on your head, you can use castor oil as a scalp treatment. However it can be tricky to get on the scalp without thinning it out with a lighter oil. You can add some melted coconut oil, apricot kernel oil or another lighter oil to help get it spreadable enough.

If you’re simply looking to help thicken hair that is thinning at the edges of your hairline, you can use pure castor oil, with a light hand of course.  Another use is to apply the oil to eyelashes to help thicken and strengthen them, as well as to help prevent thinning and shedding.

Many attest to the wonders castor oil offers for keloid types of scars and other scars that involve a lot of hardened scar tissue.  This is presumably due to its ability for deep penetration through multiple skin layers.

Because castor oil softens the skin so much, the thought is that this softening helps to break down deep scar tissue so it may be smoothed out.  In addition, castor oil has shown promise as a white blood cell stimulating agent.  Studies have also shown that castor bean oil helps reduce the inflammatory response in subcutaneous tissue.  This may be why it seems to speed wound healing, and may also contribute to its ability to reduce scarring more quickly.

Castor oil is also excellent for the lips.  Our lips needs constant protection against the elements. Although our lips regenerate and recover quickly, they also dry out and begin to peel when they are dehydrated.

Castor oil not only smooths the lips with fatty acids, but it also helps protect them due to its naturally thick and immovable nature. In other words, it doesn’t budge without being wiped off. It also imparts a natural shine to the lips, which makes it ideal for both improving the appearance and health of the lips.

Danna Norek is the founder of AuraSensory.com, which offers a line of natural body, skin and hair care products. The Herb Mint Citrus lip balm uses castor oil as one of the primary ingredients to add shine, moisture and protection to the lips (all naturally flavored).  Line also includes a Natural Shine Enhancing Shampoo (sulfate free), Deep Hydration Conditioner, natural deodorant and a popular MSM and Vitamin C Face Cream.

Source  : www.naturalnews.com

If you are looking for an easy trick to improve your life and overall health, than look no further. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning is a pretty simple routine to get into and will have tremendous effects on your overall health.

Since I started this simple and surprisingly healthy habit a few years ago, I definitely noticed the difference. Not only does the refreshing taste wake me up in the morning, it helps to kick start digestion and finalizes my body’s natural detoxification processes… And lemons are packed with vitamin C, B, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, enzymes, antioxidants, and fibers.
According to the Ayurvedic philosophy, choices you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to diseases or tear it down.
So what are you waiting for to jump start your day with this incredible easy morning routine. Its benefits are endless and I listed the 15 most important ones for you in this article.

1.    Improves Digestion

Lemon juice has a similar structure to your stomach’s juices and helps to loosen and flush out toxins from the digestive tract. Lemon juice can help ease indigestion, heartburn, and bloating. It also helps to move your bowels in the morning, hydrates your colon, stimulate bile production, and infuses water in your stool.

2.    Boost Immune System.

Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immunes system and fights cold and flu. But not only vitamin C is important for a good working immune system, iron is another important nutrient, and lemons improve the ability to absorb more iron from the food you eat.

3.    Hydrates Your Body

It is important to stay hydrated. Especially during the summer months. Plain water is best, but many people find this boring and are not drinking enough of it. That’s where lemon comes into play to make things more interesting. So feel free to not only start your day with lemon water, but drink as many glasses as you wish during the day to stay hydrated.

4.    Boost Energy

Lemon water gives you an instant boost of energy and improves your mood right at the start of your day.

5.    Promote Healthy And Rejuvenated Skin

Lemons are a rich sources of antioxidants that prevent free radical damage. These free radicals are responsible for pre-mature aging of your skin. Vitamin C helps to maintain your skin’s elasticity to prevent the formation of wrinkles and decrease blemishes.

6.    Reduce Inflammation

Lemons have the ability to remove uric acid from your joints. Uric acid built-ups are one of the major causes of inflammation.

7.    Weight Loss Aid

Although lemon water on its own is no weight loss miracle, it can definitely help you to achieve faster and long term results. Lemons assist in fighting hunger cravings, boost metabolism, and give you a stuffed feeling, making it less likely to snack in between meals.

8.    Alkalize Your Body

Although lemons have a sour taste, they are one of the most alkalizing food sources on Earth. Too much acids can cause inflammation, obesity, and major diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

9.    Cleansing Properties

Lemons help your entire body to flush out more toxins to prevent built-ups and damage to your cells, tissues, and organs. It stimulates your liver to produce more enzymes and work more efficiently. Lemon juice works as a diuretic to keep your urinary tract toxin-free and can also change the pH levels which discourage bacterial growth. This is very helpful for people who often suffer from UTI (urinary tract infection). And like mentioned before, lemons loosen and flush out waste from your digestive tract and cleanse your colon.

10.Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties

Lemons have antibacterial and antiviral properties. They help fight the flu, cold, and soothe a sore throat. Although people who drink their daily lemon water every day are less likely to get these in the first place.

11. Reduce Mucus And Phlegm

Lemon water helps to reduce mucus and phlegm formation. People who drink cow’s milk are often more sensitive for mucus production. So starting your day with lemon water can definitely help to lessen mucus if you’re not ready to go dairy-free.

12. Freshen Breath

Lemons freshen your breath and fight mouth bacteria. Although lemons are great for your overall oral health, avoid drinking or using it undiluted. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so don’t brush your teeth with it, but have a glass of lemon water instead.

13. Boost Brain Power

The high levels of potassium and magnesium show beneficial effects on our brain and nerve health. Lemon water can give you the boost you need to fight depression and stress. It creates mental clarity and more focus, making it a great drink for students or people with busy and stressful jobs.

14. Anti-cancer

Lemon’s antioxidants not only protect your skin from ageing, but also reduce the risk of several types of cancer. They are great in neutralizing acids as well. Cancer loves to grow in an acidic environment. Alkalizing your body may stop cancer cells to grow and may reduce the risk of getting cancer in the first place.

15. Get Of Caffeine

Many people are able to get off caffeine by replacing their morning coffee by lukewarm lemon water. It gives a similar energy boost to wake your body and boost energy as one cup of coffee would.

How To Make Lemon Water

Making lemon water is super simple. It takes less than 5 minutes of your precious morning time. Just squeeze half a lemon in lukewarm water. If you weigh more than 150 pounds, use a whole lemon.
Why use lukewarm (or room temperature) instead of cold or hot water to make this healing morning drink? Well, hot or cold water takes more energy to process, so your first glass in the morning should be lukewarm or at room temperature to slowly wake your body and kick start digestion.
If you love the taste feel free to add more lemon water to your diet during the rest of the day, cold or hot. It adds up to your daily water need, is less boring than plain water, and adds tons of benefits for body and mind.


Source : www.naturalnews.com

Pain, headache, bloating, and frequent urination, for instance, are some of the common symptoms you might have always experienced on and off. However, at any point in your life, some symptoms you commonly experience might also persist for a longer period.

If this happens, don’t simply ignore what your body tries to tell you via the symptoms. The longer you ignore the worse the condition of the diseases that cause the symptoms will become.

Here is a brief guide that will help you to understand 10 symptoms so that when you experience them you will not take them lightly.

Breast swelling which occurs before women periods or during pregnancy can be a normal physiological change. However, other breast changes can signal cancer.

If you notice the skin of your breast not only swelling but becoming dimpled, a nipple inverting, tenderness, or slight discoloration of the skin to a deeper red or pink, it should trigger your attention.

What is dimpling? Dimpling, also known as peau d’orange, causes the breast skin to look like the pitting and uneven skin of an orange. It is a common sign of inflammatory breast cancer, a rare form of stage III or stage IV.

Breast infections can also have very similar symptoms. So, if you see skin or other changes in your breast, don’t delay to make an appointment with your doctor.

Abdominal bloating is a common menstrual symptom or can also be caused by food sensitivities.  Some food sensitivities make you feel bloated for a day or two, and the worse, for several days. However, abdominal bloating that lasts more than a week can be an early sign of ovarian cancer.

Many women often attribute its symptoms to other conditions, such as premenstrual syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, or a temporary bladder issue.

Besides abdominal bloating, other early ovarian cancer symptoms may include feeling full quickly after eating, difficulty eating, needing to urinate frequently, a persistent lack of energy, pain during sexual intercourse, changes in bowel habits (such as constipation), indigestion or heartburn, pain in the lower stomach, pain in the lower side of the body, and pain in the pelvis.

These symptoms are indistinct and easy to overlook. Talk your gynecologist if you have unusual or persistent bloating.

Irregular periods are common in some women. But if you find your period suddenly becomes significantly heavier month after month and start bleeding between periods, or have pelvic pain, ask your doctor for an ultrasound (transvaginal) to check for possible ovarian, uterine, or other lower reproductive organ cancers.

Stool color can change from day to day that depends on the foods you eat and the herbal medicines or dietary supplements you take. For instance, iron supplements and may turn your stool black or tarry.

Black stool or bloody stool is rarely OK especially if it happens frequently. Black stool suggests your upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract bleeds, whereas maroon-colored or bloody stool suggests your lower GI tract bleeds. These are signs you should see your doctor to checking for bleeding.

There are many possible causes of intestinal bleeding. They may include hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcers, cancer, or other GI conditions.

Many people experience changes in the timing, amount, or the size of their bowel movement. These changes are usually caused by certain foods or medication. If it happens regularly over time and shows symptoms as the followings, it could be a sign of colon cancer.

Symptomsof colon cancer may include going to the toilet more often, diarrhea, constipation, a feeling that the bowel does not empty properly after a bowel movement, blood in feces (stools), pains in the abdomen, bloating in the abdomen, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen (maybe even after not eating for a while), and vomiting.

Other symptoms include fatigue (tiredness), inexplicable weight loss, a lump in the tummy or a lump in the back passage felt by your doctor, and unexplained iron deficiency in men, or in women after the menopause.

Vaginal bleeding after menopause is not considered normal. It can be harmless (as occurs in some women in the early stage menopause which refers to after not having a period for one year), but it could also be a sign of a serious health issue, including endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or cancer.

An upset stomach or stomach ache is so common which rarely means you have cancer. But if you experience unusual stomach cramps or are nauseous all the time that’s not getting better, see a doctor.

It can be something as simple as an ulcer, but it can also be a symptom of liver, pancreatic, esophageal, or colorectal cancer. Leukemia has similar symptom as well.

Modern life causes you to experience sleep deprivation and increased fatigue. However, a feeling of fatigue that persists over time could be a sign of a medical issue.

Possible causes of fatigue include congested liver, liver failure, chronic inflammation, sleep apnea, depression, thyroid disease, kidney failure, anemia, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, cardiovascular disease, or undernourishment.

Hypothyroidism, a condition in which your thyroid becomes underactive, is often an unrecognized source of fatigue.

Other hypothyroid symptoms include depression, lacking focus, constipation, cold intolerance, heavy periods, decreased sweating, weight gain, muscle weakness, joint and muscle pain, slowed heart rate, and pale, dry skin. High cholesterol; thin, brittle hair or fingernails; and puffy face, feet, and hands are also symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Unexplained weight loss is one of the first signs of many problems, including cancer. Consult your doctor if you find your weight plummets for no apparent reason.

Possible causes of unexplained weight loss include HIV/AIDS (presumably, as chronic emotional stress normally experienced by many people contracted this disease are said to be having a prolonged stress; some scholars such as professor Peter Duesberg believe HIV/AIDS does not exist as it’s merely a modern medicine invention), cancer, heart disease, celiac disease, diabetes, and thyroid disease.

Unexplained weight loss is also a symptom of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Many people are familiar with the term stroke but not many people know what a transient ischemic attack (TIA) refers to.

TIAs, known as “mini-strokes,” is a stroke that lasts only a few minutes that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is briefly blocked.

Symptoms of a TIA are like other stroke symptoms, but as the blood supply to the brain is temporarily blocked, they do not last as long. The symptoms appear suddenly, and include numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body, confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, difficulty walking, dizziness, and loss of balance or coordination. And most symptoms of a TIA disappear within an hour,

Because you cannot tell if these symptoms are from a TIA or a stroke, you should go to the hospital right away.

More than one-third of people who have had a TIA may possibly experience a stroke later in life.

Occasional intestinal issues (many people call it stomach issues) shouldn’t worry you much. However, chronic intestinal issues could be a sign of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Symptoms of IBS include abdominal pain and cramps, diarrhea, and constipation. Other related symptoms include bloating, belching, and reduced appetite.

IBS is more common in women than men and easy to ignore or dismiss as the symptoms are always mistakenly thought as an upset stomach, a bad meal, or due to food sensitivities.

IBS is treatable with dietary and lifestyle changes, and stress management. IBS that occur for a long period may result in other serious diseases such as cancer and hepatitis (due to leaky guts where food macromolecules are absorbed into the blood and over time burdens the liver).

Pain, bloating and belching can sometimes be signs of other serious health problems as well.

Some symptoms that you think are common, however, when ignored without you having tried to talk to your doctor about them might cost you in many ways – psychologically, physically, and financially.

Early detection of any illness/disease may help you prepare next course of actions as what type of intervention you could take that can range from making dietary and lifestyle changes, taking suitable supplements/herbs or going for any other necessary steps.

Source: www.naturalnews.com