Posts Tagged ‘natural sleep remedies’
Soft, supple, clear-looking skin can give a woman or man a youthful glow at any age. There are certain natural vitamins and nutrients that have been tested recently for their healthy benefits to the skin. Before discussing these, let’s take a look at some of the factors that can cause skin dryness, wrinkles, blemishes or spots.
The term “free radicals” has been appearing a lot in the nutritional news lately. These are highly reactive, damaging molecules in the body that have become unbalanced. They attack other molecules and modify their chemical structure. This can create a chain reaction that in essence causes the body to rust from the inside out. Essentially, this is a form of oxidation where oxygen has combined with other substances in the body.
Free radicals come from pollution, smoke, over-exposure to the sun, medications, drugs, infection, stress, toxic chemicals, a poor diet, and also as a byproduct of normal digestion and metabolism. Free radicals play a major role in the aging process, including the skin, and they also contribute to many degenerative diseases such as arthritis, heart disease and cancer.
Antioxidants are substances that can help to neutralize free radicals. Vitamins A, C, and E are well-known antioxidants that defend the body against free radicals and act to repair the damage.
Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a great promoter of youthfulness. Because this antioxidant isn’t produced in the body, it must be gotten from citrus fruits, deeply pigmented vegetables and supplements to maintain healthy levels. Most vitamin C creams perform as antioxidant formulas that protect the skin from damaging free radicals that can lead to wrinkles and prematurely aging skin.
One study from “Skin and Allergy News” showed that topical antioxidants applied to the arms and face reduced lines and wrinkles and also improved skin thickness and elasticity. Vitamin C can also benefit the skin by stimulating the growth of new collagen tissue (the protein fibers that make up connective tissues), which ultimately makes the skin appear smoother and firmer because it’s better supported by strong collagen underneath. Vitamin C products should be used for at least eight weeks to see a difference in the skin.
Vitamins A and E can are also beneficial the skin. In one research study from “Cosmetology”, various skin creams containing 5 percent vitamin A (in the form of retinyl palmitate) and 10 percent vitamin E (in the form of alpha-tocopheral acetate) were shown to increase skin moisturization and cellular renewal and to decrease skin wrinkling.
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is known as the “Universal Antioxidant”. It is made in small amounts in the body and is found in flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, walnuts and walnut oil. ALA acts as a powerful antioxidant and as a scavenger of both water and fat-soluble free radicals. It spares levels of other antioxidants such as vitamin C and E, which are naturally present in cells and it works to increase their levels.
According to “Skin and Aging”, this ability of ALA to be soluble in both water and fat, is what enables ALA to be rapidly available to skin cells. Use of ALA on the skin helps to promote and develop a supple, youthful and glowing appearance.
Make good use of antioxidants for beautiful skin!
This health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs. Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies. Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that get results, and therefore help people to avoid harmful drugs and their side effects.
Since 2009, their natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II has been keeping that promise — by soothing even the worst insomnia and helping everyone from teenagers to seniors to get a good night’s sleep. For more information visit http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com.
The abuse of prescription pain medications is at an all-time high. A recent White House study reported a 400 percent increase in the number of people admitted to treatment centers and emergency rooms for abusing prescription pain drugs. The increase was tracked during the 10-year-period from 1998 to 2008 and it spans every gender, race, education and employment level, and all regions of the country. A government representative from the Substance Abuse program said, “The non-medical use of prescription pain relievers is now the second-most prevalent form of illicit drug use in the Nation.”
A battle has been raging for some time between potent natural remedies and addictive drugs and medicines. This is mostly due to the lack of easily understood knowledge about which natural options have been proven effective. In 400 B.C. the “Father of Medicine” Hippocrates said to his students “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”. Mother Nature has provided us with two natural remedies for pain and insomnia that are backed by scientific studies as well as the test of time – calcium and magnesium.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) fact sheet on magnesium says that the mineral is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, and supports a healthy immune system. Calcium is needed to form bones and teeth and is also required for blood clotting. It helps lower colon cancer risk, helps control high blood pressure, and acts as an effective insomnia remedy.
Headaches are a common source of pain. Studies have shown that people with migraine headaches have low concentrations of magnesium in their body. The word “cephalalgia” literally means head pain or headache. In a German study of eighty-one migraine patients published in the journal Cephalalgia, 42 percent of the people taking oral magnesium reduced both the duration and intensity of their migraine attacks. They also reduced their reliance on medications to control migraines.
Adelle Davis was one of the first nutritionists to base her recommendations on scientific studies. In her book “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit” she says, “Calcium is a pain killer par excellence. One physician tells me that he uses no painkillers but injects calcium into the veins of patients suffering even excruciating pain and that relief occurs almost immediately.”
In a recent study of 497 women, calcium was shown to be an effective pain reliever. The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was called “Calcium Carbonate and the Premenstrual Syndrome: Effects on Premenstrual and Menstrual Symptoms.” Within two to three months, the women who were supplemented with 1200 mg of calcium daily, were able to reduce their pain symptoms by 54%, while the women not on calcium actually experienced an increase in pain.
In addition to pain relief, Adelle Davis also recommends calcium as an insomnia remedy. She says: “A calcium deficiency often shows itself by insomnia, another form of an inability to relax. The harm done by sleeping tablets, to say nothing of the thousands of dollars spent on them, could largely be avoided if the calcium intake were adequate.”
Regarding the use of nutritional remedies containing calcium and magnesium for relief of pain and remedying insomnia, certain formulas are more effective than others. The combination of minerals included and the presence of cofactors in the product are key. Formulas should contain a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnesium (twice as much calcium as magnesium). The original research on this recommended ratio appeared in 1935 in the Journal of Physiological Reviews and was made on the basis of long-term metabolic studies in men and women.
One natural insomnia remedy showing good results is Sleep Minerals II, made by http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com in Glendale, CA. This sleep remedy contains calcium, magnesium and vitamin D — all combined in a softgel with carrier oils for rapid absorption.
Sleep Minerals II has had beneficial results with lessening pain and relieving insomnia. Corrine E. of Alberta Canada says: “I have used many types of sleeping pills during the last 20 to 25 years to try to help cope with chronic insomnia from the chronic pain, and none of them have helped me for as long or as consistently as Sleep Minerals II. This sleep remedy has made a big difference for me. I am on my third bottle. I ran out between the first and second and realized just how much it was helping my sleep.“
The war between natural remedies and toxic medications can be won in our very own medicine chests by keeping some powerful forms of calcium and magnesium nearby. For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html
With the National Sleep Foundation reporting that six out of ten Americans suffer with insomnia several nights a week and 25% of the U.S. population uses sleeping drugs (known as “hypnotics”), an increasing number of people these days are looking for natural sleep remedies. In recent research studies, it was discovered that both walnuts and tart cherries contain significant levels of the natural sleep hormone melatonin, and may therefore be a natural, food-based way to get a better night’s sleep.
Russel Reiter, Ph.D., a professor of cellular biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center says, “Relatively few foods have been examined for their melatonin content. Our studies demonstrate that walnuts contain melatonin, that it is absorbed when it is eaten, and that it improves our ability to resist oxidative stress caused by toxic molecules called free radicals. Walnuts also contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to inhibit certain types of cancer and to keep the heart healthy.”
Melatonin is best known as a sleep remedy. It is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, located in the center of the brain. At night or in the dark, the pineal gland releases melatonin to regulate the sleep cycle. The body produces less melatonin with advancing age. While melatonin doesn’t require a prescription, it is a potent hormone. If too much is taken, it can make it more difficult to wake up and may result in daytime grogginess. It is best used under the supervision of a doctor. Nutritionists recommend that melatonin is best consumed as part of a whole food or whole food supplement.
In another study done at the University Of Texas Health Science Center, researchers discovered that the tart “Montmorency” cherry also contains a significant level of melatonin. Cherries are available in concentrated supplement form and can be taken in the evening to improve the quality of sleep. Other ways cherries can be eaten include dried cherries, frozen cherries and cherry juice. You can add dried cherries to yogurt, granola, salads and baked foods. Cherry juice should be diluted with water or sparkling water as it is high in natural sugars.
The brain can also be assisted in its melatonin production by taking calcium supplements. William Sears, M.D. writes: “Calcium helps the brain use the amino acid tryptophan to manufacture the sleep-inducing substance melatonin. This explains why dairy products, which contain both tryptophan and calcium, are one of the top sleep-inducing foods.” It’s important to note that a balanced ratio of calcium and magnesium is important to overall health, and that these two minerals should be taken together for best results.
Digestibility and absorption are important factors in selecting the best forms of calcium and magnesium to use. For example, Sleep Minerals II from http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com is a natural sleep remedy that contains six types of calcium, three forms of magnesium, boron, Vitamin D, Vitamin K and horsetail herb — all combined in a softgel with carrier oils. Oils such as evening primrose have been shown to increase mineral absorption, reduce calcium excretion, and increase bone density.
Corrine E. of Alberta Canada says: “I have used many types of sleeping pills during the last 20 to 25 years to try to help cope with chronic insomnia and none of them have helped me for as long or as consistently as Sleep Minerals II. This sleep remedy has made a big difference for me.”
So, if insomnia and sleeplessness have troubled you, be sure to keep your cupboard stocked with natural sleep remedies and use them well to make insomnia a thing of the past.
For more information on Sleep Minerals II, visit http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html
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