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Uses For Cucumber

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I received this forwarded email a couple of months ago. Posting to hear your comments if these tips work...


1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

6. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

7. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

8. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

9. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

10. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

11. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!


According to About.com a cup of sliced cucumbers contain the follow amounts of what is listed above:

•Calcium: 8 mg
•Iron: 0.15 mg
•Magnesium: 7 mg
•Phosphorus: 12 mg
•Potassium: 76 mg
•Zinc: 0.10 mg
•Vitamin C: 1.5 mg
•Thiamin (B1): 0.014 mg
•Riboflavin (B2): 0.017 mg
•Niacin (B3): 0.051 mg
•Pantothenic Acid (B5): 0.135 mg
•Vitamin B6: 0.021 mg
•Vitamin B12: 0 mcg

Sore Throat Home Remedies

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* Drink cider vinegar. This sore throat cure is found in several different remedies. Here are a few of the more popular ones:
**For sipping: Mix 1 tablespoon each of honey and cider vinegar in 1 cup warm water.
**For gargling: You'll need 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, and 1 cup warm water. Dissolve the salt in the vinegar, then mix in the water. Gargle every 15 minutes as necessary.


*Sip lemon juice. Mix 1 tablespoon each of honey and lemon juice in 1 cup warm water. Sip this mixture.

*Gargle with warm salt water. If you can gargle without gagging, make a saline solution by adding 1/2 teaspoon salt to a cup of very warm water. Yes, when your mother told you to gargle with salt water, she knew what she was talking about. It cuts phlegm and reduces inflammation. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in 1/2 cup warm water, and gargle every three to four hours.

*Gargle turmeric. Try this gargle to calm a cranky throat. Mix together 1 cup hot water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gargle with the mixture twice a day. If you're not good with the gargle, mix 1/2 teaspoon turmeric in 1 cup hot milk and drink. Turmeric stains clothing, so be careful when mixing and gargling.

Try Some Light Physical Exercises

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Try Some Light Physical Exercises


*Stretch your arms and back.
*Extend your legs, then relax them.
*Shake your arms, letting your wrists hang loosely so that your
hands feel nerveless and floppy.
*Do the same with your feet, shaking your legs one at a time so
that your ankles wobble freely and your feet feel loose.
*Gently rotate your neck and shoulders.
*Take several relaxed breaths.

These simple, enjoyable light exercises can be done as soon as you get out of bed. Just a minute you will feel to reduce tension and increase alertness and energy.

Maintain Your Energy Throughout The Afternoon

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Maintaining Your Energy Throughout The Afternoon

Sometimes as daily chores take their toll on us towards the afternoon, our energy tends to plummet. Here are simple ways to boost the highs and lessen the lows, helping you easily cope
with the rest of the day's work.


Break for energy. Short breaks speed up work and increase energy. When people take short breaks, they have a greater number of total accomplishments per day and also exhibit less
distress and fatigue. A 2- to 5-minute break resets your pace, allowing you to experience natural, powerful waves of energy that continue for up to 3 hours.

Reevaluate your task. Your energy is highest whenever you're doing something that is meaningful and exciting to you. On the other hand, whenever work is boring and monotonous, energy and alertness fade. During your breaks, stop and ask yourself why you are doing a task, where it is leading you or if you should shift your attention.

Be aware of the first signs of fatigue. For most people, signs of reduced attentiveness or energy appear about every half-hour or so during the day. The very first feelings of increased tension, tiredness, distraction, or anxiety are your cue that it's time for a break.

Catch a few naps if you can. Our bodies are programmed to gear down in the afternoon, turning down metabolism and body temperature and causing the dreaded mid-afternoon slump. You can wipe out a mid-afternoon slump very quickly with a 20- to 30-minute nap.

Smooth on an eye gel. If your eyes get fatigued at work, patting on an eye gel over your makeup can refresh them.

Stop staring. The eyestrain from staring at a computer screen can cause headache, fatigue, and related tension in your neck and shoulders. To combat eyestrain, look away from your
screen- or the papers you are working on, or anything you're staring at - every half-hour or so.

Don't let deadlines pressure you. Working under a deadline can make you tense your muscles and hold your breath - often unknowingly. To combat this fatigue-causing combination,
consciously think about breathing normally, then close your eyes and imagine yourself in a tranquil setting.

Stretch the tension away. If keeping sedentary at work all day saps your energy, try stretching. It gets muscles working, blood moving, and breathing going, all of which to perk you up.
Here are two quick moves that loosen muscles that are likely to tense up:
(1) Put your arms behind your back, and intertwine your fingers. Straighten and raise your arms until you feel a stretch in the chest, shoulders,and arms (do not bend forward). Hold for 30 seconds.
(2) While seated, intertwine your fingers and raise your arms overhead. Press your hands upward, lean to one side for 10 seconds, then lean to the other side for 10 seconds.

Banish Wrinkles By These Good Habits

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All these skin care and anti-skin aging tips I learned from salon professionals and by practice of my lovely MIL :)

Sleep on your back. You create wrinkles by sleeping on your side or belly, with your face on the pillow. You'll observe this in people who have creases on their forehead, running above their eyebrows. For some people, sleeping on their back eliminates this problem.


Take your vitamins. The best vitamins for your skin are B-complex vitamins, found in beef, chicken, eggs and whole wheat, and antioxidants--vitamins A, C and E--which are abundant in green leafy vegetables, carrots and fresh fruit. These vitamins help ensure healthy and young-looking skin. To assure the required amount of vitamins needed, try a food supplement.

Always use shades when heading out. This greatly reduces the occurrence of wrinkles in the eye area by avoiding bright light that makes you squint. One especially problem area for wrinkles is around the eyes--what we call crow's feet. These wrinkles often result from squinting, so one way to avoid them, or lessen their severity, is to wear sunglasses when you go outside.

Keep a stone face. Excessive frowning or smiling, or any other much repeated facial expression, emphasizes wrinkles. Be aware how often your facial expressions change--especially frowning and crying. The verdict is still unclear regarding facial exercises prescribed by some salons, as other experts advise against them, because excessive facial contortions only "aggravate" wrinkles.

Cease the smoking habit. Smoking is a big no-no if you want to prevent wrinkles. Smokers have more wrinkles than people who don't smoke, especially around their lips. That's because smoking robs the complexion of oxygen, decreasing blood circulation to facial skin and resulting in premature lines and wrinkles. Plus, anyone puffing on a cigarette is essentially doing a lot of repetitive facial movements that add even more wrinkles.

Go light on the bottle. The sobering fact is, excessive drinking causes your face to "puff up" the morning after, which temporarily stretches the skin. Subsequent shrinking brings your face back to normal but also causes wrinkles, says Gerald Imber, M.D., a plastic surgeon at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

Wash with the cool and mild. Excessive washing and scrubbing--particularly with hot water and harsh soaps--tends to dissolve oils that help nourish the skin, says Jerome Z. Litt, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. Dr. Litt says to wash with cool or lukewarm water, using a mild soap or cleanser such as Neutrogena soap or Moisturel sensitive skin cleanser.

Avoid the midday sun. I was once shocked to find a woman in her fifties enter a salon trying to find treatment for her premature wrinkles, and I know older women who looked better than her! She admitted, she frequents beaches during travel thereby exposing her to sunlight than a regular traveler.
Too much sun exposure is the leading cause of premature wrinkles. The trouble is, no one can avoid the sun all the time. But take note: About 95 percent of the sun's wrinkling rays occur when sun is at it's strongest--between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M.--says Stephen Kurtin, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. As long as you avoid those maximum-intensity hours, you're doing your skin a favor.

Stretching Exercises For Your Neck, Shoulders and Spine

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To avoid placing undue stress on your neck, shoulders, and spine while you're sitting, your head must be poised in a comfortable, centered position. Here's a simple way to make yourself more aware of the most comfortable position possible.

(1) Sit comfortably in an armless chair or on a bench, with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your eyes open while you read these instructions, but after you get used to this exercise, try it with your eyes closed. Breathe naturally and comfortably.


(2) Lengthen your neck, and let your head move up. As you raise your head, bring your chin slightly in, broaden your shoulders, and flatten your lower back.

(3) Gently lean your head to the left, then to the right. Finally, return your head to the most central, balanced position - that is, the place directly over your body where you can balance it without feeling any muscle strain.

(4) Move your head slightly forward and then back. Then find the precise center once again.

(5) While you do this, work with the following image: visualize yourself carrying a weight on top of your head. Your task is to push up against that weight, holding it in position so it won't fall off. If you keep in mind this image of a weight, you'll give your senses instant, valuable signals that will help balance and stabilize your head and neck.

Try using this awareness exercise whenever you sit down, when you're waiting in line, and when you are about to start some chore. Using these movements and this imagery enables you to relax your neck. You'll quickly and consciously choose where to hold your head with the least strain.

Eggplant For Skin Care Uses

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Eggplant is one of world's most widely eaten vegetables, but did you know that it is also excellent for skin care? Eggplant is packed with Vitamins A, C and E. This group of vitamins together has powerful antioxidant properties that save the skin from damage and aging. Antioxidants also protect the skin from photo-damage. It is one of the most important reasons behind the appearance of signs of aging as proved by research.


Eat eggplant For Gorgeous Skin

Regular consumption of eggplant provides the body with Vitamins B and K. These vitamins play a very important role in keeping skin cells replenished. Moreover, the presence of proteins and various minerals like, calcium, magnesium, potassium and selenium helps in maintaining the vitality and elasticity of skin.

Therefore, consume eggplant regularly. If you do not know how to begin, then try out some super healthy eggplant recipes. Good health and beautiful skin will come effortlessly!

Apply Eggplant For Beautiful Skin
Eggplant Juice

Applying eggplant juice regularly can help in lightening sun spots and pigmentation significantly.

Take about 2 tablespoons eggplant juice and add a few drops of lemon and orange essential oils to it. Dab a large cotton ball and apply evenly to clean face and neck. Keep the juice on until it dries off completely. Wash off with cold water and pat dry.

Do this at least once a day for best results. It is recommended that you do it in the night as lemon and orange essential oils sensitize the skin to the sun's rays for a couple of hours.
Eggplant Face Pack

Take a small bowl and mix together 2 tablespoons gram flour, 1 teaspoon eggplant pulp, 1/2 teaspoon honey and 2-3 drops of fresh lime juice. Stir in enough eggplant juice to form a smooth and thick paste.

Apply the mixture evenly to face and neck. Keep the pack for about 25-30 minutes and then remove by massaging in gentle circular movements with damp fingers. Wash off with warm water and pat dry.

Use this pack at least thrice a week for best results.

Follow all these tips to obtain the skin of your dreams!

Source:Philventures

Home Remedies For Gallstones

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Gone are those days when surgical procedures were the only way to eliminate gallstones. Thankfully, today we have a whole slew of non-surgical methods and a good deal of traditional home remedies to flush out bile stones from the gallbladder. From resorting to high-fiber diet to improving your water intake to losing weight, there are a number of home cures to help you tackle painful gallstones. Below mentioned are some proven home remedies for gallstones. Try one of these cures next time you are hit by an excruciating pain on your lower quadrant for quick relief.


Gallstones Home Remedies

Consuming about four tablespoons of lemon juice every morning on empty stomach for seven days can eliminate gallstones from your gallbladder. Follow it up with two glasses of water to flush out the bile stones entirely.

Drinking a blend of fresh juices like beetroot, carrot, and cucumber twice every day will help egest gallstones from the duct. Alternatively, you might try drinking a potion made from 30 ml of unprocessed sunflower or olive oils. Drink this concoction first thing in the morning and follow it up with 120 ml of lemon or grapefruit juice. Doing so will help dissolve the gallstones over a period and is deemed as one the best home remedies for treating gallstones.

Pear is believed to do wonders for gallstones and is extremely good for your gallbladder health. Eating pears in abundance will help soften the bile stones and cleanse the gallbladder.

Herbal tea extracts made from aromatic plant like St. John's Wort can help melt gallstones, flush out kidney stones, and flush out toxic substances from the body. Just brew four to five leaves of these herbal plant in boiling water until the quantity has reduced to half, strain the decoction and drink it several times in a day to eradicate gallstones.

Wine, of all things, can help thwart the risk of gallstone attacks largely. Consuming half a glass of beer or wine can cut down the number of attacks. However, stay away from going overboard with your drink.

Source: Philventures

Nine-Day Blood Cleansing

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FIRST DAY -


Cut six cloves of raw garlic. Cook for 7 minutes in one-third glass of water. Pour the cooked garlic and broth into an 8 ounce glass and fill the glass with skimmed milk. Goat's milk is best. Drink it before retiring.
Take the minimum requirement of calcium lactate in the mid-afternoon.

SECOND DAY -

Repeat the entire procedure of the first day.

THIRD DAY -

Repeat the entire procedure of the first and second day.

FOURTH DAY

Take an 8-ounce glass of sauerkraut juice first thing on an empty stomach. This in most cases produces good elimination. If the elimination does not take place, follow up one half hour later with an 8-ounce glass of warm fresh grapefruit juice or take a laxative.

Continue with fresh fruits and vegetables. Take the minimum requirement of calcium lactate in mid-afternoon.

FIFTH DAY

Repeat the procedure of the 4th day with sauerkraut juice, etc. Continue with fresh fruits and vegetables. Take the minimum requirement of calcium lactate in mid-afternoon.
THE SECRET WEAPON AGAINST DISEASE.
Take the "BLOOD WASH" by starting the day with a quart of fresh orange juice. Take a quart of grape juice, unsweetened, around noontime. Use fresh grape juice when in season. Take a quart of pineapple juice (unsweetened) fresh if available, around 3 o'clock PM.
Finish the day with a quart of fresh orange juice in the evening. The juices should be taken at intervals until they are consumed and they should be sipped through a straw.

SIXTH DAY

Repeat the procedure of the 4th and 5th day, with sauerkraut juice, etc. Take the minimum daily requirement of calcium lactate in mid-afternoon.

Eat an abundance of green salads, the greener the better. The dressing should consist of pure apple cider vinegar, honey, paprika and some water. Shake well and serve cold.

Drink an abundance of green vegetable juice, the greener the better.

The following green vegetables are recommended: celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley, cucumber, onion, cabbage, rhubarb and papaya. (Although it is a fruit, papaya is included because of its remarkable therapeutic qualities.)

SEVENTH DAY

Take the minimum daily requirement of calcium lactate in mid-afternoon.
Eat an abundance of green salads, the greener the better. The dressing is to consist of sesame oil, pure apple cider vinegar, honey, paprika and some water. Shake well and serve cold. Drink an abundance of green vegetable juices, the greener the better. The following green vegetables are recommended: celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley, cucumber, onion, cabbage, rhubarb as well as papaya.

EIGHTH DAY

Continue with fresh fruits and vegetables. Take the minimum daily requirement of calcium lactate in mid-afternoon. Drink all you can of the following fresh fruit juices :orange, grapefruit, apple, papaya, pineapple, coconut, blackberry and cranberry. If you are troubled with arthritis, ulcers, acidosis, colitis, emphysema, heartburn, psoriasis, or hay fever, replace the citrus juices with alkaline juices, such as apple, papaya, coconut and acidophilus milk (which is highly alkaline.)

NINTH DAY

Continue with fresh fruits and vegetables. Take the minimum daily requirement of calcium lactate in the mid-afternoon. Drink all you can of the following fresh vegetable juices: carrot and celery (best combined, parsley and spinach (combined) cabbage, cucumber and papaya.

YOUR PATH OF REJUVENATION

Now you have started on the path of rejuvenation and formed new food habits. There are certain important rules which will help you in attaining them. The following should be adhered to:
Eat only young, tender vegetables. If meat is eaten, limit it to once a week and make sure it is young and lean. Eat broiled beef liver twice a week, fowl twice a week (without skin) and seafood three times a week. Limit starchy foods severely, especially if you are over 40. Limit white flour and sugar entirely from your diet. Instead, eat an interesting chemical meal which contains all the necessary elements. Large green salads with dressing made of sesame oil, fresh apple cider vinegar, honey, paprika and some water, should be taken regularly. Don't stuff yourself with bread. One slice with each meal is sufficient. Whole wheat germ, whole wheat and soya breads are recommended. Eat bran for roughage. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of distilled or spring water daily. Don't drink water during meals. A cup of plain yogurt before retiring is a must. Drink a glassful of fresh lemon juice (one lemon) in warm water three times daily. This has proven to be most effective in the elimination and mucus and keeping your weight normal. For in-between snacks, eat fresh fruits such as dates, figs, apricots, raisins and nuts. Drink two glasses of buttermilk daily.

FOODS TO AVOID

White flour products, white sugar products, hard water, old vegetables, coarse, matured meats, pork, muscle meats, excessively fatty foods, salt food high in animal fats, adulterated foods. Carbonated drinks, processed food, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, sweets of all kinds, condiments of all kinds, sauces, gravies, saccharin, synthetic sweeteners, synthetic pills, drugs in the form of laxatives and sedatives and especially homogenized milk - which is highly mucus- forming or any cow's milk.

Atkins Diet and Low Carb Diets

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Are low carb diets safe? How safe is Atkins diet? Are low carb and Atkins diets dangerous to your health? These are burning questions for dieters all over the world.

I have personally tried low carb diets and Atkins diet and these diets made me lose weight very quickly. However not only did I lose body fat weight, I also lost muscle weight. I had very obvious muscle and fat loss because I can visually see my reduced muscle mass in the mirror.

This certainly isn’t healthy. Furthermore, the more muscle mass that you lose, the less toned your body shape is. The end result is that you will end up thin and yet looked flabby with lose skin.

The frustrating part will be that after you are off the low carb or Atkins diet, you will very probably gain back all the weight that you have loss and even more. This is because your muscles are active and they continuously burn calories. Since you have less fewer muscle mass now, your body’s metabolism or capacity to burn calories slows down tremendously.

In other words, when you put on weight again, you are putting on body fat instead of muscles if you do not exercise. You will be fatter and less healthy than before you went on the low carb or Atkins diet. To compound matters, because of lesser muscle tissues resulting in lower metabolism and thus lesser calories being burnt, you are going to get fatter.

Since then I have stayed off both low carb and Atkins diet. Both types of diets are almost similar as they require you to cut down drastically on your consumption of carbohydrates. Atkins diet went a step further by advocating almost no carbohydrate consumption for 2 weeks before adding some carbs to your meals gradually thereafter.

Besides losing muscles, how safe are low carb diets?
Low carbohydrate diets for weight management are far from healthy, given their association with ketosis, constipation or diarrhea, halitosis, headache and general fatigue to name a few.

Doctors warn that the diet increases protein load on the kidneys and alters the balance of acid in the body. This also results in loss of minerals from the bone stores and affect bone strength. Doctors go on to say that, “Our most important criterion should be indisputable safety and low carbohydrate diets currently fall short of this benchmark.”

Dr Atkins, the creator of the Atkins diet died in 2003 after he was alleged to have slipped on an icy road and hurt his head fatally. However his medical report stated that he had a history of heart attack, hypertension and congestive heart failure.

Were Dr Atkins medical conditions related to his low carbohydrates diet is anybody’s guess. Do you want to take the risk by going on a low carb diet? I don’t think I will. If I ever want to lose weight again, I will rather go on the proven method of healthy eating and regular exercises instead of jumping on any fad diets without doctor's instructions.