Many people consider aromatherapy as ‘new age’ and perhaps even occult. In fact, it is anything but: Aromatherapy oils have been around for six thousand years and were liberally used by the Greeks, Romans and ancient Egyptians. Even Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, recommended aromatic baths and massage. It is said he used aromatic fumigations to rid Athens of the plague. In these modern, stressful times, aromatherapy oils might be just what we need.

Although aromatherapy fell out of use for a long time, it was re-discovered in the 20^th century when Rene Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist, saw that lavender oil healed his burned hand without scars. That motivated him to investigate further and, since then, many studies have been conducted on aromatherapy oils and the effects of the chemicals they contain.

Lemon grass, lemon balm, eucalyptus and citronella, for example, contain aldehydes, chemicals known for their anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, calming and sedative properties. Other chemicals called ethers are antiseptic and diuretic, harmonize the nervous system, relax muscle spasms or cramps, and act as an expectorant. Aromatherapy oils containing ethers include anise, basil, cinnamon, clove, parsley, sassafras, and tarragon.

What do you need for stress? That depends on what affect the stress is having on you.

If it’s making you anxious or nervous, try basil, bergamot, cedarwood, chamomile, clary sage, frankincense, geranium, jasmine, lavender, marjoram, melissa, neroli, or ylang-ylang. If the stress you’re undergoing is making you feel sad or depressed, add a little sandalwood, thyme or grapefruit. If you can’t sleep, add petitgrain or rose. If you’re in a state of extreme mental and physical fatigue, try cinnamon, citronella, coriander, ginger, grapefruit, lemon grass, peppermint, nutmeg or rosemary. For nervous tension, add palmarosa or vetiver.

Fortunately, although all those aromatherapy oils may help, you don’t need every one of them. Basil, lavender, melissa, and ylang-ylang, for example, address stress symptoms of all kinds. Any one of them may work for you. Choose one or two scents you like and start there to find something that’s effective.

In addition to using aromatherapy oils to perfume a room, they can also be used for massage. You can buy pre-mixed massage oil or create your own. Start with a base oil — something that penetrates the skin easily like sweet almond oil, pumpkin oil, avocado oil, oil of evening primrose, hazel nut oil or peach or apricot kernel oil. Jojoba wax, although not really an oil, is another excellent choice. Then mix in the aromatherapy oil of your choice and massage away. By the way, stay away from mineral oil — it blocks the pores and isn’t absorbed into the skin.

A good massage oil mix if you just want to get away from it all and relax is a combination of five drops each of frankincense and cedarwood, ten drops each of bergamot and ylang-ylang, and twenty drops of geranium. If you also have body aches and pains, try five drops each of peppermint and cypress, ten drops each of rosemary and black pepper, and twenty drops lavender.

After millennia of being ignored, aromatherapy oils are once again coming into their own. Think about how good you feel when you don your favorite perfume, relax in a sweetly scented bubble bath, cut the vegetables for a salad, smell fresh roses, or even get your first whiff of your morning coffee. Aromatherapy helps many people feel good physically, mentally and emotionally. And, yes, they may even help relieve stress. Give it a try!

Read more articles about natural ways to improve men’s and women’s health.

Fit as a fiddle, cold as a fish, sick as a dog, wise as an owl — of all the similes we use to describe observable characteristics, few ring quite as true as ‘busy as a bee.’ What exactly are bees so busy doing? In addition to building hives and stinging the occasional unlucky passer-by, they are also making it possible for about eighty plants to live into the future and, in the process, providing us with the perfect food — bee pollen.

Why is bee pollen the perfect food? Because it has every nutrient necessary to sustain human life. It’s packed with ninety-four known nutrients and is rich in digestive enzymes and amino acids — the building blocks of protein. And unlike many other foods and supplements, these nutrients are in a form that is easily utilized by the human body.

Some of the studies on bee pollen have shown remarkable results:

• It improves focus, concentration and memory

• Increases energy

• Jump starts a sluggish metabolism

• Strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory systems

• Helps prevent and treat arteriosclerosis

• Prevents nutrient deficiency as we get older

• Reduces recovery time after a serious illness or operation

• Strengthens the immune system

• Stimulates resistance to stress

• Helps balance hormones

What does this all add up to? A longer, healthier life. In fact, Dr. Nicolai Vasilievich Tsitsin, a botanist who was also the USSR’s chief biologist and a recognized expert on geriatrics, studied two hundred people over the age of one hundred twenty-five to find out why they live so long. These people live in completely undeveloped communities high in the Caucasus Mountains of the former Soviet Union. What was their secret? They were all beekeepers who, although they sold or bartered the clear honey from the combs, kept for themselves the residue at the bottom of the hives. The residue was rich in bee pollen, and a staple in their diet.

Bee pollen is available by itself or with the other ‘bee’ nutrients propolis and royal jelly. Studies on propolis have shown it to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, and protect the liver. Royal jelly is used around the world to improve energy, stamina, and vitality.

So, what does bee pollen have to offer? Just about everything you need for day-to-day nutrition, and it is one of the most powerful anti-aging supplements available. Check it out.

Many people who have visible scars would like to get rid of them for cosmetic reasons. However, scars cause effects far more serious than how you look. In fact, scarring can interfere with proper nervous system function. Scars have been linked to a myriad of common physical complaints and illnesses that plague millions of people around the world. What can you do about scarring? You might try wheat germ oil.

According to research conducted in Germany, scars have been linked to just about everything from headaches and confusion to allergies, menstrual pain, heart and kidney disease, and prostate problems. And that’s just a small sampling of conditions.

How can scars be related to so many and such varied problems? To put it simply, proper function of the body is dependent on the nervous system delivering the right messages at the right time to the right place. Scars interrupt the electrical flows of the nervous system, resulting in a build up of electrical charge in the blocked area. When the build up becomes severe, the energy is released — and that can cause havoc, even in parts of the body far from the area of the scar.

The phenomenon is not dissimilar to the interference fields caused by power cables or other equipment with high current intensities. Normal conductivity can be restored by removing or blocking the source of the interference. In the body, that can be accomplished by removal of the scars.

How does wheat germ oil help? High in vitamin E and D, lecithin and proteins, wheat germ oil has long been known for its healing properties. Used topically, it improves blood circulation and helps with cell regeneration. It has been used to treat cellulite and to treat and prevent stretch marks and other types of scarring. Cases of scars completely healing after daily treatment with wheat germ oil over an extended period have been documented.

So, eliminating scars is important for far more than the traditional women’s health issues for which it is generally recommended. If you have scars and are having health problems that you just can’t seem to shake, give wheat germ oil a try. It could make you look better, and feel better.

Decades ago, when ‘health food’ was sold in every store and pharmacy shelves weren’t filled with bottles of vitamins, our parents and grandparents fixed whatever ailed us with remedies like cod liver oil, honey, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, and black strap molasses — to name a few. After many developments in the field of medicine and much research into both pharmaceutical and natural cures, some of these old-fashioned remedies have now proven to be just what the doctor ordered. Apple cider vinegar is one of them — find out what it can do for you.

Apple cider vinegar, also called ‘cider vinegar,’ is believed beneficial for several conditions: Constipation, headaches, arthritis, osteoporosis, indigestion, high cholesterol, eczema, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure and obesity are among them, but the list is much longer. In fact, some refer to it as the wonder drug.

How can apple cider vinegar cover so much ground?

It contains over forty vitamins and minerals — including beta-carotene, pectin, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, chlorine, sulphur, iron, and fluorine. It is also high in malic acid, which fights fungal and bacterial infections and helps dissolve the uric acid deposits that cause joint pain and arthritis.

Many people take it for detoxification. It helps the liver release the pollutants we breathe or absorb through the skin, and the chemicals we eat.

As if that weren’t enough, it can also help you sleep and give you energy.

Now you understand why it’s called the wonder drug.

However, not all apple cider vinegar is created equal. The refining process — which basically consists of over-processing, filtration and overheating — removes most of what the vinegar had to offer. To derive the full benefit, you need it raw, unfiltered, and unprocessed.

It’s available in pill form, or you can just drink it. The unrefined variety has solid particles in it called ‘mother’ — that’s where most of the nourishment is — which tends to settle at the bottom of the bottle. So, if you’re going to drink it, give it a little shake first.

Some people don’t mind the taste — just a few tablespoons in a glass of water will do it — but if it’s a problem for you, try adding raw honey. It’s also packed with enzymes and nutrients so you’ll get even more bang for your buck.

If you’re looking for a tonic to improve your overall health, give apple cider vinegar a try and find out if it works the same miracles for you as it does for others.

More than 30 million adults over 40 suffer from cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma, according to a recent study. The situation is getting worse and is predicted to double in the next 30 years. Although surgery is an option for some, prevention is possible with early detection and good nutrition. Multivitamins, and especially zinc, vitamins A and C, beta-carotene and anti-oxidants, may help.

The updated study, Vision Problems in the U.S., conducted by Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute, found that age-related macular degeneration rose 25 percent since 2002. Diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts are also prevalent and the incidence of these diseases is expected to increase.

Vision loss affects the quality of life for millions of Americans according to Prevent Blindness America. Educating the public to ensure they understand the need for regular eye care is of primary concern. As adult vision problems in the United States cost $51.4 billion annually, reducing vision problems could also save significant healthcare dollars.

To prevent eye disease, experts advise wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes from harmful UV rays, reading with adequate light, regular eye exams, a healthy diet, no smoking, and multivitamins.

Although several vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are specifically beneficial to the eyes - vitamins A, C, D, E, beta-carotene, zinc, other anti-oxidants and lutein being the most prominent - healthy eyes are dependent on overall good health. Diabetes, for example, is a major cause of eye disease and, along with eating a healthy diet, may be prevented with B complex vitamins, especially vitamin B3. Macular degeneration has been associated with vitamin A deficiency, and glaucoma with inadequate thiamine (vitamin B1) and B12.

In fact, some experts feel that a deficiency of even one nutrient can cause vision problems. Taking multivitamins, rather than just those designated for eye care, may be vital to save your vision.

June is Vision Research Month. For scientists and doctors, that research will be conducted in labs and through clinical studies. For the layman, this month would be best spent finding a good eye doctor and adopting a healthy diet, including a good multivitamin supplement.

Calcium is thought of primarily as the mineral that builds and maintains healthy teeth and bones and prevents osteoporosis. In fact, it does much more than that: The body uses calcium to generate a heartbeat and nerve and muscle function and to perform a host of other urgent biological processes that are even more important than the condition of our bones. However, there are many different forms of calcium and not all are created equal. Find out more about coral calcium supplements and why they may be your healthiest option.

Some people may wonder why they need calcium supplements at all. After all, we drink milk every day, why do we need more than that? While it’s true that milk is high in calcium, we need more than three eight-ounce glasses of milk every day just to meet the RDA requirement. That doesn’t sound so bad, but that’s if you’re under fifty. Post-menopausal woman need nearly twice that. That’s a lot of milk!

It’s also true that milk is not the only source of calcium. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products, although not as high in calcium as milk, are good sources, as are a number of other foods. Nevertheless, federal statistics show that 90% of men and 70% of women don’t get enough calcium in their diet.

To make matters worse, there is also the problem of absorption. Dairy, our best source of calcium by far, is one of the most difficult foods to digest. It has been estimated that between thirty and fifty million people in the U.S. are lactose intolerant — which means they cannot digest the milk or absorb the calcium. Milk is also the most common food allergy.

In a nutshell, that’s why we need calcium supplements.

So … why is coral calcium a better option than alternatives? Largely because of the other ingredients: The trace minerals that calcium requires to do its job. Coral calcium contains more than seventy trace minerals, and at least eight of those are vital to calcium performance.

Coral calcium also helps the body fluids become more alkaline. Many scientists believe that an acidic body reduces the level of oxygen in the cells. As cells with inadequate oxygen are unable to produce as much energy, this can lead to fatigue and a definite lack of get-up-and-go. Low oxygen levels also encourage tumor growth, make it difficult for the body to repair itself, hinder absorption of other nutrients and impair detoxification. Each of these factors leads to illness. In fact, high acidity and the resultant oxygen deprivation are now considered by many experts to be a major cause of several diseases.

Recent studies also show that calcium may help with weight loss — a major concern for tens of millions of Americans young and old.
Last but not least, coral calcium is economical: Because it’s easy to absorb, you may need half the amount of other forms. To help absorption, it’s best taken at the end of a meal along with a multivitamin. Vitamin D is especially important.
For healthier bones and teeth, to help prevent osteoporosis and problems with your heart, nerves and muscles, and to improve your overall health, check out coral calcium supplements. They may be just what you need to live a longer, healthier, and more active life.

Do you remember eating pomegranates as a kid? It was quite an adventure, and it could last for hours — dissecting it bit by bit to get at each one of those crunchy little morsels; stains on our fingers that seemed to last for days. I doubt many of us realized back then that this tasty fruit actually had nutritional value. It was just fun! So how did it become the raw material for healthful drinks and supplements in natural food stores across the U.S.? Once again, Western scientists have stumbled upon an ancient Eastern secret. Find out what the pomegranate can do for you.

Originating in Persia, cultivation of the pomegranate began its slow migration to the West. While the U.S.A. was still a colony — Thomas Jefferson planted pomegranates in Monticello in 1771 — it found its way to the new world. In the East, this delicious fruit is a symbol of life, fertility and regeneration, and the symbolism was not lost on the West. In fact, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists all feature the pomegranate in their coat of arms.

What earned the pomegranate this honor? There are currently at least eleven studies investigating its benefits, but earlier and preliminary research found it effective in improving cardiovascular function, lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and the risk of heart disease. It also enhances fertility — just like they said it did many thousands of years ago — reduces the symptoms of menopause and has even been effective at slowing the spread of cancer cells: A recent study conducted by University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) showed that a daily glass of pomegranate juice slowed the growth rate of prostate cancer, and a 2002 study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment also found it to inhibit the spreading of breast cancer cells.

It may also have antiviral and antibacterial properties and be effective in treatment or prevention of various types of infections.

What’s the secret ingredient? In fact, there are many: Vitamins A, C, E, B5 and potassium are among them, but the most noteworthy are antioxidants.

The importance of antioxidants really can’t be overly stressed. The cell damage caused by free radicals has been linked to cancer, atherosclerosis, emphysema, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. Many experts feel that free-radical damage doesn’t just accelerate aging; it actually underlies the entire aging process.

How can we incorporate these benefits into our daily diet? Since those early days, many of us have learned to eat a pomegranate without serious stains, but it still takes a long time to get through one — usually more time than we have to spare now that the long, lazy days of childhood are behind us. Fortunately, however, we can all still enjoy the benefits by taking pomegranate extract. And it may be just the tonic you need.

Roses are red, violets are blue, oranges are orange, and lemons are yellow. Is this a rhyme gone wrong? No, it’s the beginning of a recipe for good health. Each of these and, in fact, almost every plant — whether fruit, vegetable or flower — contains an ingredient that gives the plant its color and helps ward off natural predators. That ingredient is bioflavonoids and, in the human, their function is much the same. Find out why you need bioflavonoids, and how you can get them.

Bioflavonoids, also known as flavonoids, are sometimes called ‘nature’s biological modifiers.’ Their powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties boost the immune system to protect us from viruses, carcinogens and allergens, and help fight the free radical damage that can make us ill and old before our time — both inside and out.

What can bioflavonoids do for you?

Studies have shown that bioflavonoids help strengthen the walls of capillaries — the blood vessels that enable hormones, nutrients, antibodies and oxygen to travel to our cells — and help prevent bruising, bleeding gums and hemorrhaging in the brain and retina.

Bioflavonoids also help blood clots, protect us from carcinogens that invade the heart and blood cells, stop or slow the growth of malignant cells, and act as natural antibiotics.

But that’s not all. Bioflavonoids are vital elements in over three hundred different bodily functions. Here’s the rundown on just a few of the most widely known:

• Quercetin provides the quick response to an allergic reaction or inflammation. It’s also a powerful free radical fighter, can inhibit the spread of viruses, treat varicose veins and bruises, and may be helpful in the fight against many diseases including Alzheimer’s and cancer. Your best source of quercetin is apples — yes, an apple a day may keep the doctor away — but it can also be found in onions, blueberries and cranberries.

• Epicatechin is largely used for heart health as it maintains the integrity of the blood vessels. A study published in the January 16 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found epicatechin to be directly linked to improved circulation and other elements of cardiovascular health. Epicatechin is plentiful in blueberries and grapes, as well as some teas and cocoas. (That’s right, chocoloate!!)

• Polyphenols are more powerful antioxidants than both vitamins C and E and are the ingredients that give green tea its reputation as a health drink. In addition to fighting free radicals, studies have also shown polyphenols may boost the immune system, strengthen the cardiovascular system, and inhibit the development of cancer. Polyphenols are found in many foods, including grapes, green tea, soybeans and wine — some are even derived from tree bark.

• Oligomeric proanthocyanidins do just about everything — strengthen blood vessels, fight free radicals, and inhibit the destruction of collagen, the protein that supports many tissues throughout the body, gives us strong bones, hair and teeth, and provides the structure that keeps our skin firm. Where can you get them? The black chokeberry has the highest content found so far, but they are also found in pine bark, grape seeds, grape skin, certain red wines, bilberries, cranberries, chokeberries, black currants, and green and black teas.

Bioflavonoids work in tandem with vitamin C — they are somewhat interdependant. In fact, researchers have found that many of the functions attributed to vitamin C are actually performed by bioflavonoids.

If you’re looking for an overall boost, bioflavonoids are one of the best choices you can make. They’re available as supplements with vitamin C, or by themselves. Many people currently taking vitamin C alone really notice the difference when they add bioflavonoids to the mix. Give them a try. With so much to offer there’s really nothing to lose, and a lot to gain.

There are two places you find braids of garlic: Hanging in the kitchen of any chef worthy of the name, or formed into a wreath on the door of someone trying to ward off evil spirits or vampires. While this article is not about vampires, it does cover a number of health conditions that are sucking the life out of millions of people around the world. Find out how garlic can help you ward off some of the most virulent vampires of the 21st century.

The new vampires aren’t found in Transylvania, and we don’t know them by names like Dracula, Blue Beard, Bathory or Rasputin — instead, we’re defending ourselves against high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, cancer, blood clots, and a plethora of bacteria. Fortunately, while garlic’s ability to ward off Dracula et al, may be a myth, scientific studies have proven it effective in addressing these health problems.

According to an article published by the pharmacy department of Wright State University in Ohio, the benefits of garlic have been the subject of about 2500 studies. Some have proven it effective in lowering triglycerides and low density lipoproteins (LDL — the ‘bad’ cholesterol) while increasing high density lipoproteins (HDL — the ‘good’ cholesterol), others have shown it to inhibit the formation of blood clots, and still others have found it to lower blood pressure and decrease the incidence of cancer, especially in the GI tract.

Health care experts also extol its virtues for stabilizing blood sugar, treating arthritis, asthma, colds and flu, insomnia, liver disease, sinusitis, and yeast infections. It may also prevent ulcers by inhibiting the growth of helicobacter pylori, the ulcer-causing bacterium.

What makes garlic such a potent disease fighter? A rich combination of about 20 phytochemicals with antioxidant and antibacterial properties that help detox the body and mop up free radicals; several sulfur compounds that promote healing; and a wide range of vitamins and minerals including calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C.

Eating raw, crushed garlic may not be acceptable unless you live on a desert or deserted island, but fortunately, it’s also available in capsules or as an oil. You can even find it with added parsley (a natural breath freshener) to tone down the odor. However, if you do notice a lurking stranger with raven hair and a widow’s peak, pale skin as smooth as marble with a slight bluish tinge and slightly pointed teeth, forget the garlic oil, pills and capsules — head straight for the produce section of your local grocery store and get that wreath braided and onto your front door, pronto.

In 1990, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health launched the Human Genome Project (HGP). The goal? To identify the genes in the human body, to determine DNA sequences, and to make them accessible for further study that might enable us to better our lives. Humans being the most complex and sophisticated species, researchers expected to find at least 100,000 genes. Instead, they found about 25,000 — just 300 more than a mouse. However, continued research found another influencing factor — the epigenes: chemical switches that turn our genes on and off without altering the genes themselves. Several substances are known to flip those switches, and include folic acid.

During the HGP, researchers gave folic acid to obese mice with fertility problems and either prostate or breast cancer. While it didn’t change anything for the mothers, they nevertheless had healthy pups free of their mothers’ adverse physical conditions.

This is good news for women who are or could become pregnant. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 70 percent of all brain and spine birth defects could be prevented if every woman of childbearing age took folic acid daily. Studies have also found it to lower the risk of premature birth and low birth weight, and it may prevent a baby from developing a heart defect, cleft lip, or cleft palate.

However, the good news about folic acid doesn’t end there: It may also play a role in protecting us from the all too common diseases many of us suffer as we get older. Studies have linked folic acid deficiency to anemia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Folic acid also lowers homocysteine levels — shown to be significantly elevated in people with blocked arteries - and thereby reduces our risk of heart attack and stroke.

Does folic acid alter our genes? In a nutshell, no. But it could drastically affect our health, our quality of life, and the development of our children, their children, and so on down through the ages. To live a longer, healthier life, give folic acid a try. And don’t forget to pass this information on to your daughters.