Headache Cure

I just came across this headache cure in an old book. I haven't had a need to try it for myself.
Take the juice of a lemon and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate soda. Mix and drink while fizzing.

If anyone tries it add a comment and let us know how it went.

Hypnotism - Stop Smoking

There are many ways to stop smoking. One of the most effective is hypnotism either used by itself or in conjunction with other methods.

What is Hypnotism?
Quite often we tend to think of hypnotism as something in the entertainment field rather than a serious topic that can have a beneficial effect on our health.
Hypnosis is a way of accessing your subconscious mind. During hypnosis one is in an altered state of consciousness. That does not mean that you are asleep or that you have no control over what you do. Wikipedia describes hypnosis as 'a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility, with diminished peripheral awareness'.

You must want to quit smoking for it to have any chance of working
For a person to use hypnosis to successfully stop smoking they need to be ready to quit. It is not a method to use if deep down you don't really want to stop. A person cannot be made to do something they don't want to do just because they have been hypnotized.

Is Hypnotism Effective
It has been estimated that using hypnotism to stop smoking is about three times more effective than nicotine replacement therapy. For those who have tried to quit by willpower alone and failed, hypnosis is 15 times more effective than going it alone.
As a bonus those who are worried about gaining weight when they stop smoking one study on using hypnosis for weight loss found it 30 times more effective than the control group in the study.

Ways to Access Hypnotism
Find a hypnotherapist in your local area.
Learn self hypnosis. There is actually quite a lot of information around about this.
Buy a product that combines both the above. There are many products out there that have been put together by hypnotherapists that you can use yourself in the convenience of your own home. These usually cost much less than sessions with a hypnotherapist and could be worth exploring. To get you started, one such product is the Hypnosis Vault. There are eighteen hypnosis sessions. When you buy one you get the other 17 included. Of course one of them is to Stop Smoking. Have a look and see how many of the other sessions would be of interest to you.

If you are a smoker and want to quit I wish you luck and success. I know it can be difficult but go for it. If one method doesn't work for you keep trying till you find one that does.

Good luck,
Jocelyn

Smoking Diseases

As you can see it has been quite a long time since I have added anything on my blog. Things have been a little chaotic lately. The reason for this was that my Dad, aged in his 80's has recently had a below the knee amputation.

Until you see someone trying to come to terms with losing a limb one has no idea of what that really means in terms of day to day life. However he is gradually doing more and more and still hopes that he will be able to learn to use an artificial leg.

The thing is that he lost his leg because of poor circulation and the leg virtually died. According to the doctors the reason for the poor circulation along with the emphysema and congestive heart disorder is the fact that for many years he was a heavy smoker. Even though he has not smoked now for many years the damage was done. Smoking diseases have really taken their toll on his body.
Before you rush in to thinking that there was no use in quitting I would say that had he remained a smoker he would have been dead many years ago. The sooner one quits smoking the less damage is done and the shorter the time one is a smoker the less damage is done.

Some Smoking Diseases

• Cancers - a variety of different types.
  
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Hardening of the arteries
• Breathing and lung diseases
• Diabetes
• Cataracts
• Impotence
• Reduced fertility
• Loss of taste and smell

Not a pretty picture. Perhaps if you are a smoker, finding out how you can quit smoking and improve your health is something you are interested in.
The "Stop Smoking...Once and For All" eCourse is a step by step 4 day battle plan to becoming smoke free in just 4 days. If quitting is your goal check this out and see if it will work for you.

Best of health to you all.

Jocelyn

More Dark Chocolate Antioxidant Benefits

While I am on the topic of chocolate health benefits, I couldn't pass this interesting article from Science Daily. The article is called "Cocoa 'Vitamin' Health Benefits Could Outshine Penicillin"

The reason they believe it to be so important is that there is a compound in cocoa called epicatechin. Scientists are crediting this compound with huge health benefits.
Norman Hollenberg, a professor of medicine, studied the Kuna people in Panama, and the benefits of cocoa drinking. These people can drink up to 40 cups of cocoa in a week. That is about 5 or 6 cups a day. He observed that the diseases of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes were reduced to a rate of less than 10%.

Natural cocoa, which is what these people used, contains high levels of epicatechin. Epicatechin and other flavanols give cocoa a bitter taste and so they are removed from commercial cocoas. I saw some raw cocoa in the health food shop today, maybe that would be one way to get this important compound.

Other sources of the flavonoid epicatechin are: white tea, green tea, dark grapes especially in the skins and seeds - hence also red wine, apple, apricot and blueberries.

So for good health chocolate really could be a great addition to the diet. Of course keeping the sugar content low at the same time would be something to keep in mind. I am thinking of using raw cocoa and rapadua (dehydrated cane juice) to make a healthy chocolate drink. No milk of course because it seems that using milk with cocoa inhibits the absorption of the flavonoids and antioxidants.

Enjoy good health,

Jocelyn

A Surprising Food to Benefit Health: Chocolate

Here are some other chocolate health benefits.

Blood Pressure

One of the reasons that chocolate can be beneficial to blood pressure is that chocolate antioxidants called flavonoids help relax blood pressure. This is because they enhance the production of nitric oxide and also because they help balance certain hormones in the body
Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide signals the blood vessels to dilate or expand. It has a role in transporting oxygen to the tissues. It is produced when the body relaxes. Anything that helps the body to relax, or anything that combats stress, can help the supply of oxygen to the cells and reduce blood pressure.

Cholesterol

Dark chocolate can lower LDL cholesterol by up to 10%. Remember to eat dark chocolate. Antioxidant levels in dark chocolate are much higher than milk chocolate or white chocolate.

Endorphins

Chocolate helps to stimulate endorphin production. It seems that eating chocolate causes more endorphins to be released into the brain. Endorphins can help to reduce pain and decrease stress levels.

Serotonin

Chocolate is high in the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan causes an increase in the release of serotonin. An increase in the serotonin level helps a person's mood to be better. The anti depressant action of serotonin is well known.

There are over 300 different chemicals found in chocolate. Undoubtedly there are benefits in chocolate that have not yet been discovered in a laboratory. However many people would attest to the fact that they feel good when they have eaten some chocolate. Perhaps we don't really need to know every action of this delicious food. It is good to know though that amongst other nutrients it contains potassium, magnesium and vitamins B1, B2, D and E.

Enjoy good health,

Jocelyn

Health Chocolate: Dark Chocolate Antioxidant Rich

Chocolate antioxidants are known as flavonoids. Chocolate makers have been experimenting with new ways of processing and manufacturing chocolate that will retain a lot more of the flavonoids. That is good news because it is the flavonoids that give chocolate health benefits that have been found to be helpful regarding heart attacks and strokes.

The flavonols in cocoa help prevent clogging of the arteries by preventing oxidization of cholesterol in the bloodstream. They also help to make the blood platelets less sticky and so less likely to clump together and cause clots.

High antioxidant chocolate is dark chocolate as it is much higher in flavonoids than milk chocolate. So go for the dark every time. Look for chocolate that has at least 65% cocoa in the ingredient list. My favorite has 72%. Dark chocolate has been reported to have about 8 times the antioxidants of strawberries.

Scientists are still doing studies to find out more about how the chemicals in chocolate benefit health. They are now able to isolate some of these chemicals and study them separately. However it is always possible that it is the synergy of all of the components of chocolate that cause it to have the benefits that it seems to have. So why wait for scientists to deconstruct the cacao bean? Enjoy small helpings of dark chocolate as part of your regular balanced diet and reap the benefits of one of nature's delicacies.

Have good health,

Jocelyn

Chocolate for anti aging and youthful skin

Had to share this Reuters Life article about chocolate. The chocolate makers of the world claim to have developed a chocolate bar to fight wrinkles and slow the aging process. The claim is that eating 20 grams of the chocolate each day may boost elasticity of the skin and improve skin hydration. This could help the prevention of wrinkles.
It is the chocolate antioxidants or flavanols in the cocoa bean that come up with the goodies. The chocolate makers are saying that they now have better ways of keeping more of those flavanols during the process of making the chocolate.
Hurrah for chocolate.

Enjoy your good health

Jocelyn