Siberian Chaga Used in Russia as Cancer Drug

February 8th, 2010

If you discover a black, cancerous mass on a birch, you may be looking at a Siberian chaga mushroom. It can also, less commonly, be found growing ash, beech, elm or hornbeam.

Europeans have used chaga for centuries as a cure for digestive ailments, tuberculosis, and cancers of the liver and heart. [121]

The black “skin” was removed and the lighter inside boiled as tea. Being such a compact natural medicine made it a valuable, portable remedy for healers of old.

Modern research on chaga has mainly focused on its potential application as an anti-cancer remedy. In Russia, this usage was already approved as early as 1955 to treat lung, stomach, breast and cervical cancers. [122]

One modern study from 1998 showed that chaga extract did in fact inhibit growth of cervical cancer cell lines under lab conditions. [123] Another study from 1995 reported that an isolate of the active compound betulin first inhibited growth of melanoma cells in a lab, and then killed them. [124, 25]

Other research papers also confirm that some of the active compounds of chaga help retard the growth of cancer cells. [125, 126]

Although traditional healers used to peel off the black outside (probably because it looked unappetizing), the skin actually contains 30% betulin, a highly prized medicinal compound, [127] while the inside is rich in fungal lanostanes. So both parts would be valuable in preparing the tea.

Even better are chaga extracts that are made with not only the whole mushroom but also the mycelium, because the mycelium contains higher levels of medicinal proteins than the fruit body of the mushroom.

Other research has found chaga to possess powerful anti-viral properties. In 1996, two studies published results of inhibitory effects on both influenza virus [127] and HIV. [128] Considering the nature of viruses, the most likely scenario is that chaga works on viruses by enhancing the body’s own immune system, a theory confirmed by a paper published in 2002 and another in 2005. [25, 129] The same mechanism may explain the reported anti-inflammatory effect of chaga. [130]

Alcohol extract of Siberian chaga has been shown to help balance blood sugar. [131] It is also a powerful antioxidant. [132, 133]

As an amusing aside not related to human health, Siberian chaga may even be used as a tree medicine. Paul Stamets relates a story of a Quebec arborist using a chaga poultice to heal chestnut blight. Not only does it cure the tree, but the tree even becomes resistant to further infections of blight after having been treated. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any herb (or mushroom) except as advised by a licensed medical practitioner.

Credits: Thank you, Paul Stamets, for research references.

Dr. Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently specializes in medicinal fungi in partnership with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, an NC business offering Chaga Mushroom Extract and much more. For the scientific references to this article, go to the Chaga Extract page and click on any number indicating a reference.

Category: herbal remedies
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Some Natural Remedies Can Help You Relieve Heartburn

February 8th, 2010

It is essential to maintain the heartburn examination. However, You may not want to take any type of drug. There are natural remedies for you what can be used to get rid of heartburn. You need to pay attention to the lifestyle and habits. Then You will find some changes if you take will get relief of Heartburn.

Try to determine exactly what is causing the heartburn. First, write down everything you put in your mouth and whether or not you had symptoms. Record the severity of the symptoms. Look over the diary and see which foods seem to trigger the acid reflux symptoms. Find specific patterns in your diet that point to one or the other food that makes the symptoms worse.

Eliminate the foods from the diet that will reduce your symptoms of heartburn. It can be hard to give up on certain foods but the end result will make it easier. You might decide that you don’t need to eliminate a food but rather can just reduce its consumption to affect relief from heartburn.

If you find you eat too fast to get your heartburn symptoms worse,then you should try to eat slower to see if this can reduce the heartburn.Also drinking lots of soup or watter to help the food go through fast into the stomach to neutralize some of the acid.

The quantity of food what you eat everyday also affect your symptoms.You need watch what you eat and stop eating before you are full because the overeating is a major reason to cause heartburn.if you don’t eat on time,next meal you may overeat.Eat three square meals per day and include up to two snacks per day so you won’t allow yourself to get too hungry.

Drinking lots of green tea if possible,green tea can remove body’s toxins.Water will also remove bodily toxins.Don’t have sugary drinks like soda and juice. This drinks will trigger heartburn and you may feel even worse.

Try chewing gum during the day. You will make more saliva which will neutralize the acid in the stomach and in the esophagus. Chew sugar free gum to avoid getting cavities.

The above are some natural remedies for heartburn,It can certainly help you feel more comfortable. Try to find out what does work and what does not work.Don’t forget you are suffering from heartburn.Otherwise you will get your disease more worse.You can certainly return to medications if natural heartburn remedies don’t have any use for you.

Learn more about heartburn remedies. Stop by Anton Hulk’s site where you can find out all about natural heartburn remedies and what it can do for you.

Category: natural remedies
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Important Facts You Should Know About Insomnia

February 8th, 2010

What does the term insomnia means? In fact insomnia is person’s inability to fall asleep or to sleep for a long period of time. It needs to be said that sleep disorders or insomnia may be caused by different reasons. It may be the symptom of stress and worries or it may indicate some more serious states.

Don’t forget that although feeling sleepless once in a while is quite normal, you must take it seriously if it happens too frequently. When the insomnia becomes chronic you would need to address a doctor.

There is no doubt that when you are not able to sleep properly at night, you will not feel energetic during the day. As well you can feel sleepy but you are actually unable to sleep. Additionally those, who are suffering from insomnia have the poor quality of sleep.

One of the main reasons of insomnia is stress caused by various factors. Besides,there could be various reasons of this health condition which can be treated as per individual’s needs and health history.

Here we’ll give you several tips that work well for treating insomnia naturally.

First of all you need to ventilate your room regularly. The conditioner is not the best helper in this action because you have to take in fresh air as much as possible. It is better to sleep in a good-ventilated room full of fresh air. Besides the fresh air works wonders for repelling germs and other toxins.

As well you need to schedule your sleep timings. Even if you are working night shifts; try to go to sleep at the same time every day. If you have difficulty sleeping at night; do not sleep during day time.

One more useful advice is to think positive. It’s undoubtable that depression is one of the major causes of sleeplessness. When you are depressed because of any reason; you need to try not to think about the issue that disturbs you. In case you have problems in controlling your thoughts, meditation is a great way out for you. To start with you can try simple meditation techniques.

One more important thing is your diet. It’s a fact that diet plays an important role in causing insomnia. In case you have troubles with sleep, you’d better stay away from caffeinated drinks as much as possible. It is good to increase the intake of magnesium and Calcium. Becauselack of magnesium is can lead to sleeplessness.

Also if you want to sleep better you may need to change your old mattress for the new one. Select from Memory Foam Mattress or Adjustable Bed produced by TempurPedic.

Category: natural remedies
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Learn How Bacterial Vaginosis Can Be Treated With Natural Methods

February 8th, 2010

The typical medicinal treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV) is antibiotics. They are in general effective in eliminating BV symptoms, but the relief is usually short term. More than half the women would experience recurrent BV few months after the treatment. Some of them may only be symptom-free for a few weeks before BV recurs.

That is why many women have resorted to natural bacterial vaginosis cures. In the long run, treating BV with natural remedies is more tolerable, efficient and long-lasting than taking antibiotic medication whenever BV recurs. Natural cures are most likely to be cost-saving, too.

When we think about ‘natural cures’, obviously we are talking about treating BV using natural ingredients and resources, and also through appropriate nutrition intake and adopting a healthy lifestyle. You also need to understand that to 100 percent treat BV, you need to target its underlying cause. If you at this time urgently need to relieve BV right away, then read the 3 Days to Permanent Bacterial Vaginosis Relief review before you get a copy of this most popular BV cure e-book.

BV is a consequence of an imbalance that happened in the vaginal flora, where the protective lactobacilli bacteria are outnumbered by other varieties of bacteria inhabiting the vagina. This causes the acidity of the vagina to increase, which makes the surroundings especially unfavorable for lactobacilli to proliferate. So, your main goal is to restore the natural vaginal pH and vaginal bacteria balance.

It is hard to reinstate disrupted vaginal flora balance if you take antibiotic frequently, as the medicine destroys both the bad bacteria and beneficial lactobacilli. One of the natural cures for bacterial vaginosis that will help in this sense is to eat live yogurt every day. Live yogurt contains live lactobacilli bacteria.

You could also spread some yogurt over the vulva (the area near the opening of the vagina), or inside the vagina with the help of a tampon. If you use a yogurt tampon, let the tampon sit in the vagina for roughly one hour before removing it. Do this two times every day for 7 days. You should notice improvement in your BV symptoms.

To recover the natural pH of the vagina, adding a small cup of pure apple cider vinegar into your warm water bath will help a great deal. A warm bath like this can also be used to relieve vaginal itching and inflammation.

Other natural cures for bacterial vaginosis include boosting your immune system by consuming vitamins and dietary supplements, such as oral garlic capsules. A strong immune system will help you to better fight against the disease, so that you won’t need to rely on antibiotics for temporary relief but without getting rid of the disease for good.

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Category: natural remedies
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The Sciatica Disease Issue

February 7th, 2010

It would be useful for you to know that sciatica is perhaps the most widely spread disease of modern society. As you may know this disease is mainly caused by compression of the nerve in your back. Actually it always starts there and then goes down the leg. In fact, this is very tender nerve that may be easily irritated and then cause the pain. The symptoms are mainly presented by weakness, numbness and sensation of the lower extremities. What is the worst here is that when the pain appears, it increases gradually and then it may become even unbearable. The ground of this problem is mainly in the fluid that leaks from the herniated disk. The latter consequently irritates the sciatic nerve, which gets inflamed. The other feature that confirms the case of sciatica is the intensification of pain when you sit or stand long, laugh or sneeze, bend or caught etc. If your case is severe you couldn’t even move your foot as it becomes weak. As far as my personal experience may be taken into account, I would describe this pain as sharp shooting one, which goes from the back down to leg, and may even reach the foot. You should keep in mind that sciatic pain may be of different origin, so the symptoms may differ as well.
If it is difficult for you to move foot or even toes and your knee-jerk reflex is reduced, this means you have problems L4 nerve roots. You have problems with L5 nerve root if you feel weakness on the ankle and big or second toe. If you feel pain, your knee-jerk reflex is reduced and your foot is weak then probably you have problem with the S1 nerve root.
I would strongly recommend you to consult your doctor immediately when the symptoms become severe. As a matter of fact, this situation may mean that you have Cauda Equina Syndrome, which means that your nervous system is damaged. It is very rare disorder, but still it exists. The main its characteristics are uncontrolled bowel function, incontinence and strong weakness of the legs.
To the best of our knowledge, most of the people get better without any serious treatment such as surgery, for example. In most cases people get better after several weeks or months. However, sciatica may return and in many cases the symptoms become worse. You should also be aware that sciatica is also called as Radiculopathy and means that one of the discs performs pressure upon your radicular nerve root in the lower back. And, in fact, as there are different types of sciatica, consequently the treatment varies. When you know which one you have, you may start the treatment course.

To learn more about sciatica and sciatic nerve pain in particular - please visit this site with helpful sciatica-related info.

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Due to this if you are properly armed with the info in your sphere of interest you can be sure that you will in any case find the solution to any bad situation. So, please make sure to get back to this web site on a regular basis or - the least time consuming way of doing it - sign up to its RSS feed. Thus you will have your hand on the pulse of the freshest informational updates here. Blogging can be helpful, you just need to understand how to use them.

Category: natural cures for heart disease
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