Natural Health

Misletoe As A Cure For Mesothelioma

The 5th Mesothelioma UK Patient & Carer Day will take place in October, at the Novotel Hotel, St Pancras.

This annual event attempts to give mesothelioma patients, carers and families the chance to share their experiences of living with the condition. There is a chance to raise issues and ask questions and many expert speakers participate to provide up to date and unbiased information and guidance.

Dr Maurice Orange from Attwood Clinic will be there discussing mistletoe therapy. For over 80 years, mistletoe extracts have been used as a complementary therapy in the treatment of cancer.

Mistletoe extract is no quick fix, and as with nearly all medical treatments, mistletoe has a different affect on different people, although it has been found to stimulate the immune system, which strengthens the body’s natural defences, meaning infection and illness can be more successfully fought.

Mistletoe can also induce apoptosis in cancer cells, which is when cells self destruct which can help stop tumour growth, or in some situations even reverse it. The DNA in healthy cells can also be protected by mistletoe, which means when a patient is undergoing chemo therapy, the damage to healthy cells can be reduced, making the whole process less traumatic on the body.

Finally, mistletoe can induce an inflammatory reaction, together with a mild fever. This can be a welcome effect for cancer patients as they often feel the cold much easier and keeping warm is important to encourage an active immune system and a well functioning metabolism.

It is not only medical changes that sufferers have reported, with research showing that many sufferers also find themselves feeling stronger, less likely to catch colds and bugs and find their appetite isn’t as weak as normal.

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How To Lower Triglycerides

With all the limelight focused on the negative effects of having too much cholesterol in the body, it is easy to overlook that high triglycerides levels are also a cause of heart disease and death. It has recently come to light that elevated blood levels of triglycerides increase our risk of strokes and heart attacks by sixty percent. So what are these triglycerides?

Triglycerides are a type of fat, and in fact, are the most common type of fat in the body. One of the main causes of high triglycerides in the body is consuming too many calories and these surplus calories get converted by the body into triglycerides. Cholesterol and triglycerides together are the only kinds of fat that exist in our blood.

The main contributors to high triglycerides levels are the health condition diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, low physical activity levels and too much alcohol. Excess blood cholesterol levels is also a major risk. The good news is that there are natural way to lower triglycerides.

If you have been tested and found out that you have high triglyceride levels then the most important change to start with is your diet. Cutting back on the carbohydrates and especially sugar, sugar should actually be eliminated all together, is the best way to start lowering triglycerides naturally. 1/3 of a triglyceride molecule is actually made up of sugar, so by cutting out sugar we make a big step in the fight against high triglycerides.

Complex carbohydrates are the best carbohydrates to eat, good examples include oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain breads and beans. Refined carbohydrates should be toned down considerably because they have a similar effect in the body as sugar. Alcohol, which is very sugary, turns readily into triglycerides and needs to be cut down to no more than 5 drinks per week and even better - none!

Eating a lot of foods rich in saturated fats contribute heavily to high triglycerides. More than half of the fat in saturated fat is triglycerides. So it is important to cut down on foods high in saturated fats like red meats and dairy products and instead eat foods high in unsaturated fats.

For healthy monounsaturated fats (which have been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides naturally) olives, olive oil and avocados are a great choice. For heart healthy polyunsaturated fats, fatty fish is the way to go. The AHA (American Heart Association) promotes regular intake of fatty fish as a great way to lower our triglycerides.

Besides eating less sugar and refined carbohydrates, drinking less alcohol and increasing one’s intake of unsaturated fats, the other key lifestyle change for lowering triglycerides naturally is exercise. The more calories we burn by exercising the less chance they have of turning into triglycerides. A combination of lifting weights and cardiovascular exercise like jogging and cycling is the way to go.

For some more great informtion about natural methods for reducing triglycerides then we recommend checking out How to Lower Your Triglycerides.

Ways To Successfully Enforce A Toenail Fungus Treatment

Toenail fungus, also known as Onychomycosis, is a common disease affecting the nail. Its symptoms include yellow, cloudy toe nails that are brittle or crumbly when touched. Although the condition is usually painless, the disease is very unsightly and embarrassing so, to avoid the public shame and eliminate it, a toenail fungus treatment must be implemented. In most cases, simple at-home remedies will suffice. While more complicated cases may require a doctor’s treatment.

When dealing with an infected toenail, the first step is to keep the area completely dry as fungus thrives in water. Keep the affected foot outside or wrapped up during showers. It is also advisable to wear rubber or plastic bags while doing the yard work or gardening. Removing any nail polish will also allow the nail to heal faster. Avoid wearing socks and shoes as well, opt for open toed sandals and flip flops instead.

When dealing with toe nail fungus, a popular home remedy is equally mixing apple cider vinegar with hydrogen peroxide. Soak or anoint the infected toe in this solution each day several times. Both of the substances should be able to sufficiently dry out the fungus in a few weeks.

Another homemade cure involves a bit of regular old bleach. Mix in a few tablespoons fulls of bleach into four cups of warm water and soak the infected toe in it for a couple of minutes. Repeating this process each day will yield results in a matter of weeks. After treating the toenail, be sure to completely dry it afterwards.

If soaking the infected nail in homemade remedies isn’t doing the trick then over the counter topical creams may be able to. The creams can be obtained without a prescription at any pharmacy or drug store. And although more expensive than their home remedy counterparts, they usually yield satisfactory results in a few days.

If the over the counter drugs don’t work, prescription medicines can be used. Oral meds will can help the body eliminate and fight off any fungus that’s taking over your toe. They work by delivering quick clinically proven medicine to the affected toe via the blood stream.

Removal of your toe’s nail is next and should only be an option when all the others have failed to succeed. The process should be carefully and neatly finished with a clean scalpel or sharp tool. A physician or nurse will be able to do the procedure if you aren’t able or willing to. And while it is pretty drastic, in many cases, cutting off the affected nail has prevented the fungus from growing or spreading any further.

Although toenail fungus is not a life threatening or serious ailment, particularly bad cases should still be examined by a doctor. Repeated cases of toenail fungi that are also showing signs of drug resistance could be signs of a more serious complication. Often, when the body is unable to eliminate a simple bacteria or fungus, something more sinister could be at play. Your physician will be able to both rid your toenail of the fungus and make sure you’re completely healthy.

Finding the best toenail fungus treatment is imperative for your overall health. Search for the best nail fungus treatment through reading product reviews.

Skin Inflamation In Dogs

We are inclined to think of dogs as being tough; animals that can take care of themselves; animals that are far more in touch with nature than we humans are and we sort of admire them for it, in a way. However, the truth is that dogs come under many of the stresses that we do including pollution and junk food, even though they do not have to do the nine-to-five or sit in traffic jams, which are of our own making anyway.

Most of the stresses that dogs suffer are not of their own causing, they are our fault too. These stresses often manifest themselves in much the same way as they do with us in neuroses, anti-social behaviour and skin problems amongst other ways. In this article, I want to talk about some of the most common sorts of canine skin irritation, not all of which can be ascribed to human activity.

The prime cause of bad skin in dogs is fleas in the town and fleas and ticks in the countryside. The cause of the irritation is these parasites’ spittle. A dog’s immune system can handle a few fleas, but the trouble comes when he is infested. Temporary infestation can happen fairly easily, but normally it is a symptom of neglect. If a dog was groomed every week, the problem would not get out of hand.

Often a neglected dog will look mangy because he has pulled his hair out and injured his skin with continuous scratching, try to rid himself of his tormentors. If the dog had remained in a pack like it was born to tens of thousands of years ago, it would be groomed every day by its companions. A domestic dog relies on its owner to do this for him. You could liken it to a child crawling with lice waiting for its parents to do something about it.

You can cure it and prevent it occurring by bathing your dog in insecticidal shampoo as directed on the label and dusting him and his box with flea powder regularly, say, in combination with his weekly grooming.

A similar looking condition is mange. Mange is caused by minute parasitic mites burrowing under your dog’s skin. Again, your dog can deal with a few mites, but an infestation is grave. It can also be contracted by humans, but our bodies usually clear the problem up. However, your dog will be driven to desperation by an infestation of mites.

If you cannot find scores of fleas on your dog, it is probably mange, also known as scabies. You should be able to catch this early if you notice red, perhaps bleeding patches of skin. Your vet or pet shop can sell you something to heal it fairly quickly.

Mosquitoes can be as much, if not more of a bother to dogs than they are to us. Mosquitoes harass dogs on the snout and genitals, but you cannot put DEET or other lotions for humans because they will lick the chemical off resulting in stomach problems. You can apply lemon juice or oil scented with grated lemon rind and lemon juice, since mosquitoes detest lemon smells.

If your dog’s skin problem does not fit into any of these categories, then he is probably suffering from an allergy or pollution of some sort and you will have to take him to a vet.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on many subjects, but is at present concerned with indoor mosquito repellent. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Mosquito Repellent For Dogs.

Why Dogs Can Be Scratching Themselves

It is heart-breaking for dog owners who care about their pets to watch them scratching constantly. Itchy skin can become such an annoyance that a dog will pull all its fur out of a patch and then still scratch its skin red raw. If this happens to your dog, then you know that something is seriously wrong.

It could be a matter of canine psoriasis, but this is very improbable, if your dog is on a healthy diet. No, nine times out of ten, it has to do with an infestation of fleas or, less commonly, ticks. Therefore if you see that your dog is constantly scratching a spot, inspect it. That spot will usually be on the dog’s back just in front of its tail - one of the favourite places for fleas to collect.

So, the first thing to do is look for fleas and comb most of them out. This can best be carried out in the garden or you may get an infestation in your house as well, although if your dog has fleas this severely, then your house is probably already infested.

Once you are sure that the itchy skin problem has to do with fleas, you can get on and take care of your dog. Go to your vet’s or your pet store (which is almost certainly cheaper) and get an insecticidal shampoo and flea powder for your dog and a permethrin based insecticide for your house. If they have a soothing canine skin cream, a small tube of that will come in handy too.

Leave the dog in the garden and get out the vacuum cleaner. Open the bag and give it a good squirt of permethrin or flea powder and zip it up. Vacuum clean your house from top to bottom in order to pick up fleas and any loose eggs.

Do not overlook the furniture and the curtains. When you have finished, spray the curtains, furniture and carpets with permethrin and put your own bedding on a boil wash.

Then take your dogs basket and blanket outside and shut the door. Do not go back in for an hour at least. Meanwhile, shake out the dog’s basket and blanket and sprinkle it with flea powder. Now you can turn your attention to your dog.

Give him a systematic bath in the insecticidal shampoo following the instructions on the label. When he is dry, apply some skin cream or olive oil on to his red bald spot. It is best not to use human skin cream because it contains chemicals and your dog will lick it off, unless you put a ruff around its neck.

You may have to do all this twice in order to kill the new hatchlings, but some insecticides will eradicate the eggs as well. Once you have got your dog back to normal, brush and bathe him more often in the future and be watchful for fleas.

Another constant source of annoyance to dogs is mosquitoes. Mosquitoes normally bite dogs on the snout and the undercarriage and they suffer the same problems from bites as we do, except they do not whine about it.

Do not apply DEET or any chemical because the dog will lick it off and it is not to be taken internally. Instead, try a lemon based natural fragrance as mosquitoes detest the smell of citrus. Put a few dabs here and there every hour or two when the dog is outside after dark.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on many subjects, but is at present concerned with indoor mosquito repellent. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Mosquito Repellent For Dogs.