Natural Health for Life: January 2008

Some people consider martial arts for exercise and then expect that they will have the added benefit of being able to defend themselves if necessary. However, that isn't necessarily true. The truth about martial arts is that while they are often great exercise trainers and can be useful for developing discipline, because they are based on a set of rules of encounter and generally expect a certain environment as well, the concepts don't transfer well to actual attack and combat situations. Expecting them to do so can actually give you a false sense of security and might lead you to put yourself at risk unnecessarily.

If you do feel that you would like to be able to protect yourself in situations that may arise, it makes more sense to learn close combat training instead of studying pure martial arts forms. If you cannot do both, combat training will still provide you with the benefits of exercise while giving you the tools you need to protect yourself.

If you decide to learn a method of self-defense, be sure to look into the qualifications of the trainer and choose a method that works. CloseCombatTraining is a world leader in self defense and has effectively trained people to protect themselves when necessary with moves that are easy to learn and can be practiced by anyone.

It makes sense to learn a method of protecting yourself, and the exercise is an additional benefit. However, it is also important to learn not to put yourself in situations that put you at risk, as much as possible. Not every situation can be anticipated, so it is good to be able to take care of yourself. But one should never take unnecessary risks either. For the sake of your life, health, and happiness, use both methods, preparation and prevention, to keep yourself safe and healthy.

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Cold Sores Revisited

We recently posted about the prevention of cold sores (fever blisters) using Solaray's L-Lysine with Beta Glucan (and Olive Leaf). Taking a couple of these at the first signs of lip tingling will almost always prevent the cold sore from appearing, and essentially "cure" it within a half-day or so.

Since that time, we have had experience with cold sores brought on by extreme stress which did not respond to the lysine capsules.

We want to add some suggestions for these kinds of situations. We still suggested continuing the Solaray L-lysine a couple of times a day, but added Nature's Sunshine VSC, which is a Chinese herbal combination that helps make the body inhospitable for viruses and thus discourages their replication. We used the concentrated form, one capsule every 4-5 hours. At the same time, we suggested Nature's Sunshine Tei-Fu oil

to be applied directly to the cold sore as often as possible. Tei-Fu is a combination of food-grade essential oils, mostly wintergreen, that helps dry up the blister.

For stress-induced situations like this, it is important to get enough rest.

It is also a good idea to take a good quality multi-vitamin supplement, add some extra vitamin E as well as higher doses of a B-complex, and get enough protein. Skullcap also helps the body deal with stress, and is doubly useful if the current life situation causes racing thoughts or trouble sleeping due to continuous thoughts. Astragalus is another adaptogenic herb that can be useful as well, and is an immune system tonic at the same time. Other adaptogens include Rhodiola and Maca, to name just a few.

We will be discussing adaptogenic herbs further in a later post.

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Choosing sports equipment

We've talked a lot lately about how great exercise is for your general health. There are the obvious benefits of staying fit, burning calories, keeping muscles in shape, stress relief, and heart health. When your sport is one where you interact with others and follow a set of rules and/or techniques, you gain the additional benefits of emotional satisfaction from social interaction as well as keeping your brain active and healthy as well. There are a number of sports that allow such interaction and development. Most of them have their own particular set of concerns for wellness, and generally there is equipment available to offer maximum protection for any particular sport. Tennis is one example. If you play tennis, it is important to also select the right equipment for your physical well-being. Tennis shoes and rackets are of the greatest importance.

Tennis shoes are the most important piece of equipment to consider for your overall safety as you play. Shoes intended for other sports generally are not acceptable. For example, if you have a great pair of running shoes, the heel should be well-cushioned in expectation of absorbing shock in a forward-only motion. In tennis, you must move quickly side-to-side (or in any direction really) and so require more support for the ankle in order to prevent sprains and/or broken ankles. Choose your shoes carefully. You may wish to look into a brand such as K-Swiss tennis shoes for features such as support and breathability.

If you are playing on a sunny court (and almost all of them are) you may wish to consider a hat or visor to block sun from your face as well as cut down on glare. Shock dampeners can be another useful accessory, cutting down on vibration. There are also wraps and braces available for your knees, elbow, wrist, etc. to help support vulnerable joints and ease stress, decreasing the risk of injury. You may also wish to purchase a grip trainer of some sort that will allow you to easily strengthen your grip and improve your game while further protecting your body.

Another piece of equipment that is of greatest importance is the racket. Choose a brand that offers stability and an ergonomically shaped grip that allows better contact and transfer of force, such as the Babolat Rackets with their "smart grip" technology. A good grip will transfer more power into the racket as well as control the amount of twisting, further protecting the wrist joint.

Whatever your sport, do the necessary research and be prepared to invest in the proper equipment that will help you to enjoy your game to the fullest while protecting you from injury and joint stress. And above all, have fun!

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Rehab referrals

While our main goal is promoting a healthy lifestyle through good nutrition, exercise, and use of natural herbal supplements, vitamins, etc., sometimes there are bigger issues in the way that must be dealt with first. As a service to our readers who may be seeking help for treatment of drug or alcohol addiction for family members or other loved ones, we would like to suggest a referral service for drug treatment and rehab.

Whether you are seeking an alcohol rehab program or a program for treatment of a drug addiction, there are many programs and facilities available. Virtually everything can vary between different programs. For example, some programs may be offered in a clinical surrounding and feel like a hospital stay, while others aim for a more serene environment including a home-like atmosphere with landscaping and water features. There are often sensory adjustments that a person recovering from an addiction must face, and the program chosen to assist with the rehab should be sensitive to these issues and have options in place to help the person being treated to adjust. Also, depending upon the particular substance the person is recovering from, the withdrawal symptoms can be anywhere from mild to very intense and alarming. The program chosen should have the expertise and experience necessary to help the person cope with these symptoms.

Preparing the person for exit from the program is also important. Not only must the body be free from the substance and no longer craving it, but the person should deal with with certain psychological and emotional factors as well in order to have the best chance at remaining clean. Programs that offer a chance at social interaction and developing friendships with clean and sober people are helpful, as are those that help build self-esteem and assist the person to identify life goals in order to become more motivated to stay clean. Drug rehab has many facets, and paying attention to all the relevant factors helps build a more successful and stronger person who is more able to avoid relapses.

The best course of action is to research the available choices and compare factors that may affect the eventual success of the rehabilitation. Counselors who can help you consider all of the various details and choose the best fit in a program for the individual needing treatment can be very helpful.

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Alternative Medicine - herbs

Alternative medicine means different things to different people, but generally it would include treatments that are outside of "conventional" medicine, or that which you would expect to receive from traditionally-trained western MDs and physicians.

The most commonly thought of complementary alternative medicine involves the use of herbs as agents to feed those systems in the body that require the substances in the herbs to return them to normal health. There are many herbs in use throughout the world for the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, some of which have been used traditionally for thousands of years.
So many herbs are active on a number of body systems, and so will include in their list of uses things that may seem completely unrelated. However, our bodies are complex, and will use these substances in a number of ways according to our own need, so a single herb can often be used for a number of different conditions.

While synthetically derived substances are not easily "recognized" by the body, and so offer greatly increased risk of various side effects and other problems, herbs themselves should not be universally seen as "safe" simply because they are natural. Substances in herbs are active within the body, and it is essential to realize that, while rare, sometimes there are interactions between different herbs, or sometimes they can have an effect upon various prescription medications. Also, the practice of standardizing herbs can produce a more powerful extract that, if taken to an intense level, can produce a substance that acts differently in the body. For this reason it is prudent to educate yourself, as well as to consult someone familiar with alternative medicine guidelines, when using herbs. Of particular note are the cautions not to use particular herbs during pregnancy, for example, or while using prescription drugs (anti-depressants are some of the ones that most commonly interact with herbs).

This is not intended to scare the public, or make you think that "herbs are unsafe." Quite the contrary, in the vast majority of cases it is the synthetic drugs that cause side effects, injury, and even death. Our only intention is to inform the public that processing methods can affect the strength of herbs, and that there are a few instances of herbs that should not be taken together, herbs that should not be given to persons with certain conditions, and herbs that should not be taken with prescriptions. One should not assume that just because it is an herb it is safe to take in any way one chooses. (If that were true, you would essentially be saying that an herb has no effect, and thus why would you be taking it anyway?)

Standardization is generally noted on the label, and reputable sellers of herbs know which products are potentially too strong and will take steps to ensure that their customers do not purchase an inappropriate level. For example, an herb that is extracted at 2,000:1 needs to be handled carefully.

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Information for increasing and maintaining health through the use of natural supplements, natural products, holistic services, sound nutrition and physical excercise. The usual FDA required disclaimer: "The information on this site has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease."