Sea salt soak for brittle nails

• 2 tbsp. – fine grain sea salt
• 2 drops – lemon essential oil or some lemon juice
• 2 drops – frankincense essential oil (optional)
• 2 drops – myrrh essential oil (optional)
• 2 drops – wheat germ oil (optional)

Add the ingredients to a small bowl of warm water. Soak your nails for 10 to 15 minutes, two times a week and then apply hand cream. You will notice the result very soon.

Beer, oil and apple cider vinegar nail soak

• 1/4 cup – apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup – olive oil
• 1/2 cup – beer

Heat olive oil (warm to touch). Mix well with beer and apple cider vinegar. Soak your nails for 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy your strengthened and nourished nails.

Cayenne pepper mask for brittle nails

• 1 tsp. – hand cream
• 1/2 tsp. – cayenne pepper
• 10 drops – water

Mix the ingredients well, apply to nails for 15-20 minutes, rinse. Leftover mixture can be kept in a fridge. Use 1-2 times a week.

Black currant nail mask recipe

• 1 tbsp – black currant
• 1 tbsp – wheat flour
• 1/2 tbsp – cream

Mash black currant with back of spoon until pulpy. Mix well with cream and flour. Apply the mixture on your nails, put on cotton gloves, leave it for 2 hours, then rinse.

Herbal nail treatment recipe

• 1 tbsp – dry chamomile flowers
• 1 tbsp – dry peppermint
• 2 tbsp – wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp – olive oil
• 1 cup – water

Pour boiling water over the mixed herbs. Allow steeping for 1-1 ½ hours, then strain. Blend well with flour and olive oil. Apply the mixture on your nail for 30 minutes, rinse.

Hot oil treatment for dry and splitting nails
Heat olive oil (warm to touch). Add some drops of lemon juice. Soak hands and nails for ten minutes. Put on gloves after the hot oil treatment and leave them for 20 minutes or overnight for best results.

Vitamin E oil helps strengthen and nourish nails and cuticles. Squeeze the capsule of Vitamin E oil and apply to your nails nightly. Massage in to help increase circulation to the nail bed.

To whiten your nails, soak your nails in water with lemon juice or lemon slices for about 10 minutes. It works!

And do not forget about basic nail care tips:

• Avoid prolonged exposure to water. Water dries your nails out, leaving them weak and more prone to breaking.
• Wear cotton-lined rubber gloves when you are cleaning and using chemicals.
• Do not remove cuticles from your nails – it can lead to nail infection. Apply some cuticle balm or oil and gently push back the cuticles, with the help of an orangewood stick.
• Never pull off hangnails, as it usually results in ripping living tissue. Clip the hangnails off, leaving a slight angle outward.
• Always file nails in one direction (from corner to center): filing back and forth can cause splits.
• Avoid acetone polish removers.
• In case you wear nail polish, avoid products with toluene, sulfonamide, or formaldehyde. Make sure to give your nails a break from time to time and leave them without polish for a few days.
• Avoid abusing your nails. Don’t use your fingernails as tools to pick or scratch things.
• Don’t bite! It is extremely destructive for nails and cuticles.
• Eat a healthy diet, containing plenty of fruits and vegetables, nuts, fish, whole grains and eggs. Nutrients that may be beneficial in treatment of nail problems: protein, calcium, vitamins A, B, C, D and E, folic acid, iron, and zinc. Drink plenty of water.

Immune system is a “shield” that defends our body’s cells against attacks by bacteria, microbes, viruses, fungi, free radicals, etc. The immunity has to be in perfect condition to perform its functions. These natural and simple homemade recipes will help you strengthen your immunity and protect your family from cold and flu viruses!

Vitamin cocktail recipe

• 1 cup – water
• 1 tbsp – honey
• 1 tbsp – lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp – crushed ginger root
• 1/6 tsp – cinnamon

Blend the ingredients. This cocktail is a great energizer and immunity booster.

Vitamin desert recipe (kids love it!)

• 1 cup – walnuts
• 1 cup – raisins
• 1 cup – dried pitted apricots
• 1 cup – dried pitted prunes
• 3 tbsp – honey

Grind nuts and dried fruit in a food processor. Add honey and blend until a smooth paste. Take 2 tbsp. daily.

Vitamin salad recipe

• 2 kiwis
• 2 tangerines
• 1 orange
• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp. – walnuts halves or pieces
• 2 tbsp – plain yogurt or sour cream
• 1/6 tsp – cinnamon
• 1/6 tsp – coriander (optional)

Peel and chop the fruits. Mix all the ingredients. Enjoy!

Vitamin tea recipes

Rose hip tea: 4 tbsp. of dried, crushed rose hips add to 4 cups of water. Boil for about 15 minutes. Allow steeping for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Apple tea: 3 apples (unpeeled, chopped) add to 4 cups of boiling water. Let it simmer slowly for about 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat and allow steeping for 30 minutes. Add honey to taste. Drink it within a day.

Cranberry tea: Mash 1 tbsp. of cranberries with back of spoon until pulpy. Add it to 1 cup of your favourite tea. Add honey to taste.

The diagnostic base of Ayurveda, the traditional Indian therapy, are the three aspects of body functioning – vata (wind), kapha (phlegm) and pitta (heat). According to Ayurvedic texts all disease is caused by either one or a combination of any two of the three. A combination of all three indicates an incurable condition.

Ayurveda perceives obesity as a cause of:

* Diet and lifestyle that results in accumulation of fat
* Lack of exercise and inactive lifestyle
* Sleeping in the afternoon
* High calorie intake or consumption of sweetened foods

Fat gets deposited in all living beings. Some amount of fat is necessary since it keeps the body moist, provides insulation from heat, protects bones from shock and stores energy. Excessive fat tends to accumulate mostly on the belly, hips and breasts. Left unattended, it leads to a vicious circle of inactivity. Obesity leads to further inactivity as obese individuals find it difficult to remain active.

Ayurveda has a four pronged treatment module for treating obesity:

* Herbs
* Diet
* Lifestyle
* Yoga

Ayurvedic herbs like Guggulu (Commiphora mukul) Punarnava(Boerhaavia diffusa) form a part of the herbal weight loss approach. These herbs improve the metabolic rate and help in faster burning of calories. An Ayurvedic physician may prescribe weight loss medications made from purely natural products and prepared according to the specific instructions mentioned in the ancient texts.

Ayurvedic diet for reducing weight takes into consideration the level of activity of the patient and then correlates it with basic nutritional requirements. The emphasis is on a balanced diet that includes food items from each of the groups, namely, milk, meat, fruit, vegetables and cereals. Avoid curds and prefer buttermilk instead. Allow an occasional treat but keep away from fatty and sweetened foods and drinks.

Small changes in lifestyles can go a long way in increasing physical activity. Climb stairs instead looking for the lift, walk down to buy groceries and bring children back home from school on foot. These provide healthy exercise without having to join a gym. Regular sexual activity too is a healthy exercise. Afternoon sleep is a big no-no in Ayurveda. It reduces the metabolic process of burning calories.

Yogic exercises are an integral part of ayurvedic weight loss solutions. Contrary to popular belief yoga is not an exercise program only. It is an age old system of establishing unison between the mind, spirit and body. Specific yogic postures for reducing weight go a long way in developing a positive attitude that can have a big impact on your efforts for combating obesity.

Anxiety Disorder can be a debilitating and all-consuming condition for many of those who suffer from it. Whether you are affected by Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder or one of the many other forms of the disorder, you may have investigated the option of using prescription medication as part of your treatment.

With over 19 million people in the U.S. alone reporting suffering from some type of it, anxiety disorder is the most common of all mental health disorders. Fortunately, anxiety disorder is highly treatable, and with professional help, it can often be completely overcome. Many times, successful treatment depends only upon individual or group therapy and learned relaxation techniques. In some cases, however, anti-anxiety prescription medication is also recommended. The most commonly prescribed anxiety medications are benzodiazepines, such as Xanax, because they tend to have fewer side effects than anti-depressant medications. But benzodiazepines also carry a risk of alarming side effects and can be highly addictive, spurring many people to seek safer, more natural alternatives.

There are many natural herbs for anxiety which have been proven to effectively ease many of the symptoms of anxiety with a very low risk of side effects. Just as with prescription medications, everyone reacts differently to natural medications, and it can take time to find the right combination and dosage for your body. There are many combination remedies on the market that include a mixture of effective ingredients, and that may provide you with long-lasting anxiety relief.

Passion flower, an ingredient that is often used in natural medicine, alleviates hyperactivity, anxiety, insomnia, nervous tension — and is even sometimes used to treat Parkinson’s Disease. Passion flower soothes and calms and can lower high blood pressure.

Lemon balm is a general restorative for the nervous system, can reduce blood pressure and also calm the digestive system.

Lavender is an excellent anxiety treatment and one of the best natural panic attack treatments. Lavender is a general tonic for the nervous system and a natural relaxant.

Valerian is a popular natural ingredient that can be used as a sedative and a painkiller. It is often effectively employed as a treatment for anxiety and for insomnia, as well.

You may find that with psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation exercises or support groups, or some combination of all of them, you do not need any medication. But if you do decide to explore the option of medication, natural treatments for anxiety can provide you with safe, effective results, without the risk of side effects that prescription medications pose. Natural medications are becoming increasingly popular as awareness of them grows, and you might find that they are the right treatment for you as well.

Herbal oil insect repellent
Use this oil every day when bugs are at their worst. As a bonus, your skin will be soft, conditioned, and pleasantly fragranced.

• 1/2 cup soybean base oil (it has natural insect-repellent properties)
• 15 drops each of the following essential oils: lemongrass, geranium, catnip
• 10 drops basil or eucalyptus radiate essential oil

Add all ingredients directly to a storage container (squeeze bottle or glass spritzer). Shake the mixture to blend, and allow it to synergize for 1 hour. No refrigeration is required, but for maximum freshness and potency, please store the blend away from light and heat and use within 6 to 12 months. Shake well before each use. During the height of bug season, you can use this herbal oil-based repellent as a bath oil, scalp massage oil and all-purpose body moisturising oil.

Lemony insect repellent spray
This light-textured natural repellent leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean and pleasantly scented.

• 2 cups witch hazel
• 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerine
• 20 drops citronella essential oil
• 20 drops lemongrass essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a 16-ounce spray bottle. Shake the mixture vigorously to blend. No refrigeration is required, but for maximum freshness and potency, please store the blend away from light and heat and use within a year. Shake well before each use. Apply liberally to skin as needed – approximately, every hour. Caution: This blend may stain white or pale-colored clothing.

Reference: Tourles, S. (2007) Organic body care recipes.

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• Avoid processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar and salt. Instead of using salt, substitute herbs and spices, such as oregano, basil, coriander, thyme, parsley, paprika or cayenne pepper, and season with lemon, garlic or vinegar, all of which support the detox process while adding flavour.

• Fresh, raw vegetables (e.g., broccoli, beets, leafy greens, cauliflower, onions, etc.) and fruits (e.g., lemons, grapefruits, tomatoes, pineapples, etc.), and whole grains (especially, oat) are a great food for detox since they help the body flush out toxins.

• Exercise regularly. Exercise (e.g. swimming, walking, yoga, dancing, etc.) is an effective method of cleansing many of your vital organs simultaneously.

• Drink plenty of pure water. You can also add some lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, which have great detoxifying properties.

• Herbal teas are used as part of many detox programs because of their healing properties.

• Try this cleansing tonic to help strengthen your liver:

1 cup of pure water
juice of a lemon
pinch of powdered ginger
1 tbsp flax seeds.

• Make a purifying herbal tea from:

1 tsp nettle
1 tsp peppermint
1 tsp dandelion root
1 tsp clover
3 cups cold water
Combine everything in a saucepan, bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and sweeten with apple juice if you wish.

• Detoxify your body by adding half a cup of sea salt to your bath as it fills up. Not only will it stimulate your skin, you’ll float better in it, taking the strain of muscles.

You can also make apple cider vinegar or ginger detoxifying baths. Add 1-2 cups of pure apple cider vinegar or 2-3 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger in your bath and soak in the tub for about 20 minutes. Hot water works better for detoxification (But be careful, if you have cardiovascular system diseases!).

• Dry body brushing before showering has also been shown to stimulate lymphatic flow and circulation and remove dead skin cells.

• Other effective methods for detoxification include sauna, massage, reflexology, acupuncture and acupressure.

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The basic theory of Chinese medicine is that all processes in the human body are interrelated and that they interact constantly with the environment. Chinese medicine identifies the lack of harmony in these processes and the environmental effects to arrive at specific treatments. A large proportion of this theory is based on the principles of Taoism. This is in consonance with the basic Chinese philosophy that human experiences produce an effect in the environment at all levels. Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on five basic principles.

- Yin and Yang or Heaven and Earth – Yin is considered to be the dark, negative, feminine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology while Yang is the bright, positive, masculine principle. This concept describes two primal opposing but complimentary principles.
- The Five Elements – Everything is considered to comprise of the five basic elements – metal, wood, water, fire and earth.
- Zang Fu – This describes the functions of the organs in the body and the interactions that occur between them.
- Meridian – The interconnected channels along which vital energy (Qi) circulates throughout the body.
- Three Jiaos – These are the three basic parts in which the body is divided in Chinese medicine. The system used in Chinese herbal remedies understands disease based on its location in the three Jiaos (burners) of the body: upper, middle and lower.

TCM includes theories, diagnosis, and treatments (based upon above principles). Some of the concepts that are used in TCM are:

- Herbal medicine – The use of herbs for their therapeutic value.
- Acupuncture – A treatment that involves inserting the tips of needles at specific points, called meridians, on the skin.
- Qigong – A system of breathing exercises that help in maintaining and improving health.

Patented Chinese herbal medicine normally comprises of several herbs and other ingredients that are powdered, mixed and bound (usually by honey) to form pills. Each herbal medicine is a mix of many herbs and is tailor made. The essence of each herb is extracted by boiling the herb twice over a period of an hour.

Traditional practice of Chinese medicine means preparing a specific concoction for a specific ailment for a specific patient. It is only after the practitioner identifies the problem and understands the patient’s internal balance of yin and yang that he proceeds to prepare the remedy. For example, an herb of yang (or hot) nature is used to treat a patient who has a general cold body constituency.

Another factor that is considered is the taste of the herb. Pungent tasting herbs are used to direct and vitalize, sweet to harmonize bodily systems, bitter for dispelling heat, salty for purging and easy elimination of wastes and bland herbs as diuretics. The meridian denotes which organ the herb will act upon.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a phrase coined by the People’s Republic of China for exporting Chinese medicine. In fact there is no equivalent word in Chinese. Some specialists have tried to incorporate modern scientific theories into TCM and tried to establish a relation between the yin/yang principle and pro and anti oxidant balance. There have also been efforts to find a scientific basis of its natural remedies as contained in acupuncture, breathing exercises and massage so that the benefits of the practice can be used to benefit more people.

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- Apply a simple baking soda and water past directly to bites and leave on for at least an hour.

- For an anti-itch bath, add ½ to 1 cup backing soda to running lukewarm water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

- Apply a drop of lavender or tea tree essential oil directly onto each bite to reduce inflammation and help prevent infection.

- Make a solution of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 3 parts water, and rinse the irritated area. Repeat this procedure several times until the itching decrease in intensity.

- Apply a drop of neem base oil to each bite. Neem is a naturally cooling oil with antibacterial properties. It relives many types of skin irritations.

- Spray or dab pure aloe vera juice (chilled feels especially nice) directly on bites. It soothes the skin and relives itchiness.

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But there are times when such feelings refuse to go away due to the strong impact that certain events may have of on our psyche. Such episodes also do not fall under clinical depression because, to be classified as clinical depression, at least five symptoms of depression that include anxiety, sleeping and eating disorders and inability to derive pleasure need to be consistently present for more than three months. These symptoms need to be severe enough to affect normal work for the condition to be unequivocally classified as depression in the medical sense.

Transient depressive feelings can be caused by minor disturbances in the balance of brain chemicals that are responsible for emotional wellness. But in most cases, it is an environmental factor like physical illnesses, anxiety about future and other such incidents that cause emotional distress.

Such incidents do not merit the need for antidepressants or sleeping pills since they have their own adverse side effects that can harm you significantly. It is better to opt for natural remedies like herbal teas that provide a better and safer solution to the problem.

Herbal teas have multiple medicinal benefits that include easy elimination, aiding the body in fighting disease and relaxing tense nerves. Most herbal teas are so safe that they can be taken daily in recommended quantities without the fear of any kind of side effect.

There are many combinations of herbal teas that can be prepared to provide health benefits. Depressive mood and anxiety normally lead to a disturbed sleep and some of the herbs that are used as herbal teas have mild sedative effects that help in attaining sound sleep. Chamomile, passion flower, jasmine and lemon balm are the most prominent of herbs that have a relaxing and soothing effect on the nerves. These can be ingested in the form of herbal teas on a daily basis. Ginger tea has powerful anti fungal, anti spasmodic and digestive properties in addition to the other benefits mentioned above.

Physical illnesses are also a major source of frequent emotional upsets. Taking herbal teas on a regular basis can increase your immunity and prevent medical conditions. The strong antioxidant properties of herbal teas help in eliminating and preventing accumulation of toxins in the body.

Based on these properties, herbal teas positively affect the overall emotional health of a person and therefore can provide an excellent alternative to conventional drugs.

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