Natural Solutions for Better Hair

Having better hair doesn't have to mean hours at a salon or wrecking your wallet with expensive hair treatments. The fact of the matter is that many salon treatments may help your hair look better temporarily, but many of these treatments actually damage your hair. For instance, excessive coloring, perming, and highlighting actually stresses your tresses.

If you want better hair and you don't want to stress your tresses, try some of the natural solutions we discuss in this article. Most of these solutions are simple, practical, and can be achieved with ingredients in your kitchen cabinet.

Natural Solutions for Better Hair from the Outside In
Changing just a few aspects of your daily hair care regimen can give you better hair. You just have to know a little bit about how hair grows and is nourished. Consider a few of these natural solutions that can help your hair look and grow better:

Sun Protection: Like your skin, your hair can suffer from sunburn. Mild sun exposure can give your hair some great highlights, and won't do much damage. However, prolonged sun exposure, especially in the hours between 10 AM and 3 PM, can damage your hair. The results can be split ends, dry hair, and a general lack of health. Wear hats or use specially-formulated shampoos or conditioners that include sunscreen.

Comb Rather Than Brush: Depending on your hair type and fullness, try combing your hair rather than brushing your hair. The bristles on brushes can damage hair shafts, while broad-toothed combs don't. Obviously, people with super thick or curly hair may not be able to use a comb. If you have this kind of hair, choose a brush that has bristles with rounded tips to limit damage.

Treat Your Scalp at the Right Time: If you are going to use any kind of scalp treatment, timing is important. Scalp treatments are more effective when the pores are open, so the perfect time to apply any scalp therapy is just before you step into a warm bath. The pores in your scalp will be open and dilated, and thus more able to respond to any kind of applied treatment. After you have rinsed out your scalp treatment, consider rinsing your hair with cold water. The cold water re-tightens pores and has the tendency of leaving your hair shinier.

Natural Solutions for Better Hair from the Inside Out
The above tips help support hair health from the outside in. You can get better hair by supporting your hair from the inside out. Your lifestyle often has a big influence on the health of your hair. For instance, check out these simple natural solutions for better hair from the inside out:

• drink enough water
• get plenty of sleep
• eat plenty of healthy fresh foods
• exercise regularly (enough to sweat and open your pores)
• avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake

These lifestyle solutions are pretty much "no-brainers" because they support your body's general health as well as hair health.

Supplements are another way to get better hair. When it comes to healthy hair, most people immediately think of biotin. While taking oral supplements of biotin may help you have better hair, your body's ability to absorb nutrients plays a big factor in this supplement's effectiveness.

What often seems to work better is to support your liver as well as your body's level of probiotics. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver governs the head hair. If your liver is healthy, your hair will also be healthy. Eating foods that support the liver, such as leafy greens and sprouted greens, will help you have better hair. If you can't slow down enough to prepare fresh foods, consider adding to your diet a powdered supplement of sprouted greens that gently supports your liver health. Just mix the powder with any veggie juice and drink it down. Voila... mission accomplished!

Another way to support hair health from the inside out is to ensure that the probiotics that live in your gut are healthy and happy. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that live in your gut, and provide a variety of health benefits. These benefits include assisting with digestion, preventing harmful bacteria from taking up residence, and providing a first line defense against foreign invaders.

But when it comes to having better hair, probiotics are important for a different reason: they produce a variety of vitamins, including biotin. Probiotics also produce vitamin K, folic acid, and a variety of B vitamins. All of these support general health. Biotin helps with healthy hair growth. As always, the body seems to accept and assimilate the vitamins produced by its own systems rather than synthetic or other forms of vitamins not ingested in natural or whole foods. At the end of the day, it seems a better idea to take probiotics, such acidophilus and bifidus, orally rather than taking a single biotin supplement.

Better Hair from the Outside or Inside
Are you getting the message that natural solutions that produce better hair are simple, practical, and plain common sense? That's what we have discovered. No matter what "type" of hair you have, these natural solutions are equally applicable. More importantly, by boosting your hair's health using these solutions, you also support your body's overall health.

Now that's a no-brainer, right?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/karlitasway17/

Natural Solutions for Spring Activities

Spring has definitely sprung, and many of us are out in the garden, playing sports, and getting fit again! As a result, many of us are also dealing with the effects of getting active outdoors: cuts, bruises, sprains, sunburn, and picnic food!

Luckily, we have some great natural solutions that can support your health, keeping you active and participating in your outdoor activities. Check these out, try them, and enjoy!

Japanese Ume Plum Tar for Too Much Picnic Food
For stomach upset, diarrhea or nausea. This can be found in your local health food store. A tiny amount of Ume Plum Tar will almost immediately improve the state of your digestive system and alleviate feelings of nausea.

Ginger for Travel
For nausea. Ginger in tincture form can be found in your local health food store. If you feel nauseous or motion sick, take 2 to 4 drops orally or in tea to alleviate symptoms.

Probiotics as a Natural Antibiotic
For supporting the immune system, preventing the onset of colds and flus, and improving digestion. Did you know that acidophilus is a first line of defense in your body? If you feel you are about to catch a cold or flu, take 6 to 8 acidophilus with spring water, then take 2 every 2 hours thereafter. Your cold will vanish before it starts. Taking bifidus at night ensures restful sleep and a full-spectrum probiotic prevents constipation.

Rescue Remedy for Any Kind of Stress
This wonderful Bach flower remedy can be found at your local health food store. Take 4 drops orally or put 4 drops in spring water and sip on it all day. Rescue Remedy relieves acute stress of all types -- mental, emotional and physical. This is a handy remedy to keep with you at all times.

Arnica 30x Homeopathic Remedy
For healing bruises and other soft-tissue injuries. Take the recommended dosage if you sustain this kind of injury. Arnica is available in most health food stores.

Blue-Green Algae for Energy
For a steady source of energy and immune support. While sugar and caffeine provide temporary sources of energy, neither are permanent and both can cause you to "crash. Blue-green algae, scientifically proven to support your immune system, provides a steady source of high energy and mental clarity to help you truly enjoy the spring season.

Natural Recipe for Cuts and Scrapes
Mix spring water with acidophilus and powdered blue-green algae into a paste. Apply to open cuts and scrapes, and either bandage or allow to dry in open air as needed. This mixture supports the body's natural healing processes, and can support skin healing without damage. This mixture also works well, diluted, for poison ivy or sunburn.

Antioxidants for Stress
For detoxifying the body. Stress and over eating are 2 of the major contributors of toxins to our body, which cause us to feel tired and unwell. Fortunately, taking anti-oxidants such as wheat sprouts and coenzyme Q10 can rid the body of these toxins.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/stackylynne/

Getting Fit: Natural Solutions to Ease the Ouch!

Between New Year's Resolutions and spring weather, a lot of people spend the first part of any new year thinking about getting fit. Sadly, statistics show that by February 1st of any given year 92% of people are no longer engaged in their New Year's Resolutions! And weight loss--thus, getting fit--tops the list of resolutions.

Luckily, spring weather usually offers people a second opportunity to think about getting fit. The thought of how one will look in summer clothes (think bikini and swimming trunks) gets people motivated all over again.

I know this happened with me! The spring weather had me out mowing the lawn, weeding, moving hoses... and panting like the last horse in the race! So, having been in the Marines in my youth, I decided to set myself up for a self-created Boot Camp!

Boot Camp: Can You Say Ouch?
What does boot camp look like for a 76-year old man? It may not look like the Marine Boot Camp I did in my youth, but nevertheless it is rigorous. In addition to the yard work inspired by spring, my Boot Camp involves:

• daily workouts on my Total Gym
• weight lifting with free weights every other day
• full yoga program on days with no weight-lifting
• light yoga daily

I had my wife measure my body before I began. I then set out to follow my program intensely and fully for two weeks. I decided two weeks was the optimum time to see whether the Boot Camp was the correct level of intensity.

The first three days, my mind was filled with this question: What was I thinking?

Yeah, can you say ouch? I expected there to be plenty of muscular soreness, but thought that I could alleviate that with the yoga. Unfortunately, I forgot that when you have not done a full yoga program for a while, that even the resting poses (such as down dog) don't feel restful at all!

Natural Solutions That Help
Luckily, being a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and a life-long student of health and nutrition, I was able to dig through my cabinet of natural solutions and come up with some supplements that would support my body as I went through my self-created Boot Camp.

Liver Support: Since the liver governs tendons, ligaments, and muscles, I added a gentle liver support supplement to my daily regimen.

More Stretching: I realized that my full yoga program was a bit much to do every other day, as some of the poses (such as the full regimen of Sun Salutations) were straining certain muscles and tendons/ligaments that were already tired. I replaced one of the days of full yoga with a gentler stretching program.

More Sleep: Never one to sleep a great deal, I have discovered that sleep is a wonderful natural solution for helping the body recover and recoup energies expended through extensive exercise.

Cellular Support: Since my Boot Camp was asking my body to build a bunch of "new" muscles and enhance my current body structure, I also decided to add a natural supplement to boost stem cell production.

The results? At the end of two weeks, with the addition of the above-mentioned natural solutions, I am ready to expand my Boot Camp regimen. I am excited that at age 76 I am able to do these physical exercises. No, I can't do pushups Marine-style anymore... but hey, at least I CAN do pushups. I am thrilled!

How about you? How are you going to renew, refresh, and rejuvenate your body this year for health and happiness?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.


Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/armedforcesgear/photos/

How to Get Clear Skin with Simple Home Recipes

Want to know how to get clear skin with ingredients from your kitchen cabinet? Then read on to learn a few simple home recipes that can keep your skin glowing, healthy, and vibrant. There's nothing we love better than "kitchen table health," and these kinds of home-made recipes are the epitome of this kind of health! The great thing about these recipes is that the ingredients are right at hand, and are easy to integrate into your regular skin routine.

How to Get Clear Skin Part 1: Exfoliation
The first step for having clear skin is exfoliation. Our bodies keep producing new skin cells to replace old and dying cells. The new skin cells look vibrant and glowing, but the problem is that most of the time they are hidden under the older skin cells on top. To get that fresh, young, and glowing look, the first step is to get rid of the old skin with exfoliation. Exfoliation is the process of using a slightly coarse substance to "rub away" the older skin, revealing the clear healthy skin cells underneath.

Here is one of our favorite home recipes for exfoliation. Integrate this easy recipe into your skin routine twice a month and your skin will thank you. Plus, you will love the results!

Mix 1 part cornmeal with 1 part organic oatmeal, and store in a sealed container. (If you have sensitive skin, mix 1 part cornmeal with 2 parts organic oatmeal for a softer scrub.)
To use this mix, dampen your face (or any part of your skin you want to exfoliate) with warm water. Pour a handful of the mixture in your palm and gently rub it on your skin. If the mixture starts to feel too dry, just add more warm water. After you are done scrubbing, rinse the area with warm water, and then pat dry. Moisturize as usual (or see step 3 for deep moisturizing).

How to Get Clear Skin Part 2: Cleanse
Once you have exfoliated your skin, you are ready to move onto step two in the process for getting clear skin ... cleansing. By using a cleansing mask, you can cleanse and tighten your pores, giving your face (or any skin) a clean healthy look. Again, the following recipe can be made at home with ingredients that are in your fridge or kitchen cabinet. Add this recipe into your skin routine once a week to keep your pores clean and your skin glowing. This simple recipe works well, and gives you that requisite salon "funny green face" look.

Mix 2 capsules of acidophilus, 2 capsules of enzymes, and 2 capsules of blue-green algae with spring water to form a paste.

To use this recipe, apply it evenly over your face, paying special attention to any problematic areas, such as the oily T-zone. Avoid putting this paste around your eyes. Allow the paste to dry, and then rinse with warm water. Pat dry and moisturize. The acidophilus and enzymes will pull toxins and other pore-cloggers out of your skin, while the blue-green algae provide direct nourishment to your skin cells. This formula also works well on skin problems elsewhere on the body, including feet that have that dang itchy foot fungus.

How to Get Clear Skin Part 3: Nourish and Protect
Once you have integrated exfoliation and cleansing into your skin routine, the final step is to nourish and protect your skin. Exfoliation and cleansing are great, but without this last step the first two steps can dry out your skin. Use this home-made nourishing and cooling mask after each time you exfoliate or cleanse your skin using the above two recipes.

Mix the whites from 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt. Be sure to mix well.

To use this mixture, apply it to your face and leave it on for 2-4 minutes. Rinse well afterwards with warm water, and then pat dry with a soft washcloth. Moisturize with a lotion that will continue to protect and nourish your skin all week--preferably an antioxidant lotion. NutraBeautiful is an amazing restorative lotion that works for all skin types. Burt's Bees products are also wonderful. Or use your own favorite lotion that you love! Moisturizing is an essential part of any healthy daily skin routine.

So ... now you have three great recipes that you can at home for "salon style" pampering. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/zaggora/motivation/

Are You a Mutant and Can You Help It?

No, don't take that the wrong way ...when we ask you whether you are a mutant, we aren't asking if you are some kind of freak or are from Mars. We just refer to the fact that the average rate of human DNA mutation is roughly 100-200 new mutations per generation (from mother to daughter, for instance--read more at http://bit.ly/Yt7snU).

That sounds like a lot of mutation, but scientists have identified that a lot of these mutations are harmless. So don't lose too much sleep over this number. In addition, the normal processes of the human body can and do "repair" mutations in the DNA, both between generations in the family, and during your lifetime.

Causes of Human Genetic Mutation
Obviously, you can't change the mutations that occur in translation from your parents' DNA to your own. These errors in replication occurred during the very early parts of your life, during conception and gestation. But what about now? What about your life from now moving forward? Can you reduce the amount of genetic mutation that occurs?

YES.

Why are we so certain? Well, consider some of the more ordinary causes of genetic mutation:

• stress
• physical trauma
• environmental agents and toxins
• poor nutrition

If these sound like factors that you feel like you can control, then you can affect the health of your genetic material. Sounds pretty right? Do some meditation, cut down on stress, eat healthier, reduce your exposure to environmental toxins ... you get the picture, right?

Let's Add More to the Picture
We personally know that you can affect genetic material because we have seen it in our lives. We also have read studies that show that better nutrition, for instance, can turn certain genes on or off.

It's well known in the scientific community that the juvenile diabetes (type I) gene is turned on in children who frequently drink cow's milk or eat foods high in MSG. Yet children who eat a healthy diet high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals tend not to get juvenile diabetes.

At the other end of the spectrum, research shows that the development of cancer is the result of many genes being switched on over a period of time, making older people more likely to develop cancer. Phytochemicals, the colored pigments in plants that protect them from the harmful effects of UV radiation, have been shown to inhibit the activation of cancer genes or by preventing the cancer gene's instructions from reaching its destination.

For instance, one kind of cancer gene may send instructions to certain enzymes to produce a special protein that will promote the growth of cancer. In the presence of phytochemicals, however, those instructions never reach their destination, the special protein is not formed, and cancer never occurs.

A Story About a Cat ...
And here we feel the need to add an anecdotal story about genetic change being affected by nutrition. True, this is a story about a cat and not a person, but the story is so startling that we felt we had to include it here. We had a friend who bred hairless cats. The "hairless" trait in cats was bred-in, capitalizing on a specific genetic change that produced cats with no body hair. This friend heard about the health benefits of supplements like blue-green algae, so she began feeding her cats this supplement. Lo and behold ... her prize-winning hairless cats got healthier. The only problem? They ALL started growing hair!

Does that tell you something about one's ability to affect one's genetic material? Read more about the effect of blue-green algae on genetics here.

Stem Cells Play a Role, Too
Then there are stem cells. Stem cells are the undifferentiated cells our bodies produce that can replace any cell in the body. Recently Deepak Chopra and other scientists like Dr. Rudi Tanzi (see a preview here) have been discussing the importance of one's own stem cells in developing the super brain. It turns out, according to their research, that when brain damage occurs, repair can happen when the body has enough access to stem cells. Taking certain supplements can increase our own production of stem cells by up to 70%. Sounds pretty good for supporting our body's natural inclination to heal or replace damaged or mutated cells! Learn more here.

So ... want to avoid being a mutant? Just kidding ... but you can definitely affect the factors that cause cellular mutation. We've given you some tips in this article, and you can read more by looking up studies on the super brain and other research by scientists in this field. Mutation is part of being human, but it doesn't have to affect your health!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/webcod/

Ready to Learn How to Have More Joy in Your Life?

Are you ready to figure out how to have more joy in your life? If so, then this is the article for you. Nope, this isn't an article about how to be more productive, how to be a better multi-tasker, or how to juggle your life more efficiently. Nope, this article is about the good stuff in life ... joy! Most of the time we write about how to live a healthier life by making practical lifestyle changes, but every now and then, we need to "go off script" and write about other stuff ... like joy.

After all, if you don't feel joyful in your life, why bother? We humans are not meant to be cogs in some great work machine. We are fully-functional emotional beings who are equipped to feel an entire range of emotions, from rage to boredom to joy. So today, we talk about joy!

How to Have More Joy -- Simple Ways
The emotion of joy often springs up unexpectedly in our lives, such as when we smell the sweet scent of spring flowers or when we hear some funny quote out of the mouths of babes. But we can also learn to live joyfully, on purpose, just as we can learn to laugh on purpose (you've heard about laughter therapy, right?). Check out these two simple natural solutions to a more joyful you!

Practicing Joy
Experts have actually studied the process of joy and written some great tips on how to have more joy in your life. Here are some links to web pages where you can learn about being joyful on purpose. These experts know what they are talking about ... and it can't hurt to try these tips. All you'll lose is a little time!

11 Things We Know About Joy
14 Ways To Find Joy
How to Find Happiness in Unexpected Places

Eating for Joy
In addition to practicing the "art of joy," you can also eat your way to a more joyful sense of being. It turns out that there is a chemical basis for the feeling of joy, mostly related to the health of our brains and our guts. Get the details in this article

So ... at the risk of sounding like a pun, follow these tips and "enjoy"!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/scarletsun/cultures-from-around-the-world/

How to Have a Healthy Brain: Eat These Brain Foods

If you suffer from "brain farts," "brain fog," or other possible signs of poor brain health, then you'll want to know about the brain foods we discuss in this article. The fact of the matter is that you can literally eat your way to a better brain. This is important for all the obvious reasons, such as the fact that we literally can't do anything without our brains. However, did you also know that your brain is the most energy and nutrient-hungry organ in your body? Yup, it's an energy and nutrient hog. So you definitely need to feed your brain if you want a healthy brain.

But--and here's the kicker--your brain is not only a hog when it comes to nutrients, but it's also quite picky as to which nutrients it allows in past the "blood brain barrier." Only certain types of nutrients can get past the barrier to your brain, so feeding your brain with healthy brain foods can be slightly more complicated than you might think. But, don't stress your brain worrying about this. We will explain it all in clear detail below.

Get a Healthy Brain by Feeding It Brain Foods
The sad fact is that most Americans are starving their brain cells because they eat a SAD diet--that is, the Standard American Diet. The SAD diet lacks almost all the nutrients necessary to feed your brain! So how do you feed your brain? Before we can tell you that, we have to explain about the blood brain barrier, or BBB.

The BBB is just what is sounds like--a barrier that restricts which types of molecules can pass through and reach your brain. In layman's terms, the BBB basically only allows very small molecules (such as oxygen, hormones, carbon dioxide) to pass through. Other types of small molecules, such as glucose, can also pass through the BBB, but they have to first be paired with the appropriate proteins before they will be allowed to pass. As you can see, trying to feed your brain with the right brain foods that will pass through the BBB is a little more complicated than you might have thought at first.

What Kinds of Brain Foods Really Feed Your Brain?
Your brain has several types of "preferred" foods, namely glucose, essential fatty acids, and certain amino acids. Let's take a closer look at each of these.

Glucose
Glucose is basically sugar. It's not table sugar, but the sugars that your body extracts from digesting simple and complex carbohydrates. Best food sources for glucose include whole grains, complex carbohydrates, AFA blue-green algae, dark chocolate, and, in a pinch, a glass of juice. Skip the simple sugars found in candy bars because you will experience a brain crash after getting a temporary brain high from eating said candy bar!

Essential Fatty Acids
Did you know that "fat brains" are happy brains? It turn out that our brains are made up of about 60% fat, so our brains are always starving for essential fatty acids like omega-3. To get essential fatty acids to your brain, feed yourself brain foods like seeds and nuts, avocados, AFA blue-green algae, and deep water fish.

Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which your brain needs to function well. Your brain needs a variety of different amino acids to be well-fed. These amino acids include glutamine, GABA, isoleucine, phenylalanine, arginine, taurine, methionine, valine, lysine, glycine, leucine, alanine, and histidine. While you can certainly supplement these separately with capsules, it's much easier to eat healthy whole foods. These healthy brain foods are no different than the foods you would find on any healthy lifestyle diet plan: fruits and vegetables, plenty of unsaturated oils (olive oil is a good choice), and a variety of whole grains.

Dine well on brain foods and you will not only have a sharper mind, but you will also feel better. A healthy brain produces better moods, as scientific studies have recently indicated. A healthy brain is crucial no matter what kind of lifestyle you have or what levels of stress you cope with in your life. So eat right, rest well, and enjoy!

Photo Credit: http://pinterest.com/beccapdx/fitness/

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.