Herbal Remedies for a Good Night’s Sleep
December 7th, 2009 | 
Author: From Alternative Medicine and Natural Health Information by Primmy
Sleep is vital to good health, yet many people do not get an adequate night’s sleep. The average number of hours for the best rest possible is eight; however, did you know that 100 years ago, the average was nine to ten hours? These days, even eight hours is a dream. While occasional insomnia is no big deal, frequent sleepless nights can cause a host of health problems. If you are not keen on prescription or over the counter sleep aids, there are several safe herbal remedies that can help as long as you do not have any underlying medical conditions that prevent you from sleeping.
Tension Tamers
Sometimes, working late at night or experiencing great stress can cause insomnia. If you fall into this category, there are a few herbs brewed in tea form that can help you unwind so you can get some shut-eye. Catnip is a popular herbal ingredient in relaxing teas because it in non-habit forming and has light sedative-like qualities.
Chamomile is a well-known tension tamer which soothes the nerves and calms the stomach. Teas or even tinctures with passion flower have sedative-like qualities which help clear the mind and ease worry and anxiety. Hops, an ingredient in beer, is also an effective herb for mild insomnia and works best in teas and tinctures as well.
Herbal Sleep Supplements
Valerian is one of the most researched herbs for insomnia, mainly because it has been used for thousands of years. It is an unpleasant tasting herb which is the primary reason why the supplement form of valerian is best. It is a non-addictive insomnia remedy which produces sedative-like effects. It is important to note though that some people experience vivid dreams and other side effects such as changes in heart rhythm and blurred vision, so it may not be for everyone.
Kava kava is a popular herbal remedy and can be found in drinks as well as supplements. This herb soothes frayed nerves and helps you achieve a deep sleep. Some people may experience more dreams or even elation with kava kava and it may cause liver problems with extended use. It is best to take this effective herbal sleep remedy infrequently.
Skullcap is an herb helpful for insomnia, especially when you are suffering from restless legs or extreme physical exhaustion. California poppy is an herbal ingredient safe enough for children with sleep problems.
Physical Problems Caused by Lack of Sleep
If you have trouble sleeping several times a week and you are not quite ready to try prescription medications, herbal remedies can be quite helpful. There are a whole host of physical problems that can occur when you consistently do not get enough sleep and rest. Your memory becomes faulty and your capacity to learn is affected. Weight gain can occur and metabolism can slow down as well. Lack of sleep and rest can alter your mood causing impatience, irritability and even irrational thought. Lack of concentration is normal and you may even put yourself at risk and compromise your safety when driving or even operating machinery when you doze off during the day because of lack of sleep.
Sleep is important to a fully functioning immune system. When you do not get enough of it, you are more susceptible to illness. Sleep problems have also been directly linked to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and other heart health issues. Sleep is clearly a vital part of your overall health and herbs can help you achieve it. Talk with your doctor about the different herbal remedies for a good night’s sleep to make sure they will not interfere with any current health condition or prescription medication.
Young Adults Who Exercise Get Higher IQ
The results were published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study involved 1.2 million Swedish men doing military service who were born between 1950 and 1976. The research group analysed the results of both physical and IQ tests when the men enrolled.
The study shows a clear link between good physical fitness and better results for the IQ test. The strongest links are for logical thinking and verbal comprehension. But it is only fitness that plays a role in the results for the IQ test, and not strength. "Being fit means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen," says Michael Nilsson, professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy and chief physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. "This may be one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness, but not with muscular strength. We are also seeing that there are growth factors that are important." Read more…Researchers Find that Tai Chi Relieves Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee X-ray
Research done by Tufts University School of Medicine had concluded that men and women that are at least 65 years of age or older who’ve been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and who practice Tai Chi, improved their physical function and experienced less pain. Osteoarthritis is a prevalent form of arthritis that brings about a wearing away of joint cartilage. Chiropractors help quite a few people suffering from OA in a number of places in the body, including the knee joints. Knee pain and disability is one of the most commonplace dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system, second only to spinal complaints. In fact, an astonishing 4.3 million US adults over 60 years of age have been diagnosed with knee OA, according to the CDC, and it conjectures that by age 85, half of men and women in America may incur symptoms of OA. Knee OA causes pain, immobility, functional disabilities, and a diminished quality of life.
Are you wondering why so many adults develop OA? As with the majority of the musculoskeletal dysfunctions that we develop as we age, abnormal stress to a joint over the years is a major element. That is why as people age they are more susceptible to developing OA in their joints, including the knees. Incorrect function of the knee, poor gait, compensatory foot mechanics as the result of foot pain, and overload of the knee joint all cause undue stress on the knees. Over time arthritic changes in the knee joint develop. In addition to chiropractic therapies, chiropractors fully endorse natural, drug-free practices, such as Tai Chi (Chuan), that can help to reduce knee pain. A traditional style of Chinese martial arts,Tai Chi features slow, rhythmic movements that produce mental relaxation, as well as increased balance, an increase in strength, and more flexibility.
The 40 adults chosen for the Tufts study were on an average 65 years of age, overweight, and with confirmed OA, but in otherwise good health. Participants were picked at random to participate in 60-minute “Yang style” Tai Chi sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session included a 10-minute self-massage and a review of Tai Chi principles, 30 minutes of Tai Chi movement, 10 minutes of breathing technique, and 10 minutes of relaxation.
Tai Chi incorporates many of the current exercise protocols for OA, such as range of motion, flexibility, muscle conditioning, and aerobic workout. Furthermore, researchers found that the “mental feature” of Tai Chi encouraged a sense of well-being, life enjoyments, and perceptions of health that assisted the participants in dealing differently with chronic pain. Compared with the control group, the group practicing Tai Chi experienced a substantial decrease in knee pain.
Full findings of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Posted in knee pain | 
Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, knee OA, knee pain, osteoarthritis, Tai Chi, Tufts University School of Medicine | 
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Close to Last Place and Still a Winner?
“Close to last place” isn’t generally a phrase we associate with success. In fact, very few things in life count much at all, it seems, if you don’t “win the gold.” Fortunately, this may not be an absolute when it comes to an extended lifespan. As a chiropractor in Santa Barbara, who has many middle-aged patients and who is also fully dedicated to encouraging my patients to exercise at every age level, I was very curious about the following study.
Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” of the nearly 4,400 healthy Americans in their recent study, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels doubled the risk of dying over the nine years of the study as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels. (To put it another way, those 20 percent who were almost at the lowest fitness levels.) This is the familiar “bad news/good news” outcome. It is obviously bad news if you are a confirmed sofa spud. However, it is undoubtedly good news for those who haven’t entirely embraced a sedentary lifestyle but are not, by any means, “exertive.” Apparently, those people who continue to be even moderately fit as they grow older may have a longer lifespan than those who are entirely out-of-shape, the study suggests.
The study included 4,384 middle-aged and older men and women whose fitness levels were determined during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006. For an average of nine years thereafter, the researchers pursued the study groups progress. The study considered such factors like obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. This, in and of itself, underscores the significants of being physically fit. In an email to Reuters Health, lead researcher, Dr. Sandra Mandic of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, wrote: “Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain the two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit individuals.”
Nearly two-thirds of the least-fit study participants were not getting the minimum recommended amount of exercise, which is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) five or more days a week. “These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity,” Mandic said, “particularly in poorly-fit individuals.”
After classifying the study group participants by fitness levels, the researchers found that 13 percent of those who were in slightly better shape had died during the study period. However, 25 percent of the least-fit participants had died during the same period. Only 6 percent of the most-fit group (i.e., the ones who “won the gold”, so to speak) had died during the follow-up period.
The notable finding was that overall, the five fitness-level groups showed little difference in their reported exercise routines over their adult lives, but where they differed was their activity levels in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”
And, of course, just think of the health benefits we could all derive if we sought to achieve the higher levels of fitness.
SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2009.
Here’s to a healthy future
A recent article in Time magazine addressed the condition of our current food system, which provides government subsided, low-cost food products to an overfed yet undernourished American public. While the cheap price tag is alluring, the long-term effects of this broken system have become second thought, ultimately leading to a string of unpleasant results. Our farm crops are doused with chemical pesticides and fertilizers, livestock are treated with hormones and medications so they can be bred industrially, and the percentage of food-related disease in humans continues to rise. At what cost are we negatively affecting our precious natural resources and our own health?
The good news is that the buzz words are circulating–sustainable food, eco-friendly, green living–but the truth is that public awareness isn’t enough. Let’s make conscious decisions to act in more socially responsible ways. Small changes can lead to big results. Imagine a world with more accessible, inexpensive organic food and a happy, healthy population!
Think about what you could do in your community, among your family and friends, and even around your dinner table to improve our environment. Shop at the local farmer’s market or join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, where you buy a share in a farmer’s crop for the season), encourage neighbors to grow gardens in their yards and swap produce, consider eating less meat, reduce your carbon footprint by using cloth shopping bags and reusable water bottles rather than plastic, and walk or bike instead of driving.
What other changes could you make to ensure the quality of our food and our future?
Remember, small changes add up.
Natural Remedies for Flu Symptoms
Good Hydration Is a Key to Good Health
Chiropractors, like your Santa Barbara Chiropractor, are real “fanatics” when it comes to making our patients aware of the importance of drinking enough water daily. The mantra is “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” Water, second only to air, is fundamental for human survival. Survival instincts, then, would presumably guarantee that we would drink enough water as instinctively as we breathe in air. (Most individuals are not breathing enough either, but let’s talk about why staying well-hydrated is so important.) You you cannot maintain or regain good health without drinking a sufficient quantity of water. Drinking plenty of water helps every cell, tissue, and organ in your body and maintains the proper function of every system. Your saliva, and the fluids surrounding your joints, are fundamentally water. Water regulates the temperature and metabolism of the body, and keeps the blood circulating. The improvement of nutrient absorption and toxin removal, as well as the reduction of heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, and headaches have been attributed to consistent hydration.
Athletes are distinctly at risk when it comes to problems produced by dehydration. “Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are,” said Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services. A high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts, according to researchers at Indiana State University. In fact, Pre-season physical examinations, in fact, found that 80 percent of football players exhibited dehydration.
Wondering how much water is enough water? Chiropractors, like the majority of other health care professionals, advise at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day for quite a few of our patients, though for our patients who are athletes, or for those who carry around excess weight or exercise or work in a hot environment, we propose even more. How can you tell if you, personally, are drinking an adequate amount of water? Your urine color is a good gauge. You’re well-hydrated if it comes out a light, pale yellow!
Posted in wellness |
Tags: chiropractors, drinking enough water, exhaustion, headaches, heartburn, hydration, hypertension |
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Chiropractic Internet Marketing: Free Course!
Dr. Jamie Phillips and her Chiropractic Marketing Team, have just put together
an outstanding free Chiropractic internet marketing course that is designed
to help chiropractors or any doctors, dentists or professionals for that matter,
get a handle on how to market their practices these changing times.
The course is called the “Ten Essentials of Internet Marketing” You can
find it at www.chiropracticmasters.com.
Posted in chiropractor |
Tags: chiropractic internet marketing, chiropractic marketing, chiropractic masters, dr jamie phillips |
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Here’s to a healthy future
A recent article in Time magazine addressed the condition of our current food system, which provides government subsided, low-cost food products to an overfed yet undernourished American public. While the cheap price tag is alluring, the long-term effects of this broken system have become second thought, ultimately leading to a string of unpleasant results. Our farm crops are doused with chemical pesticides and fertilizers, livestock are treated with hormones and medications so they can be bred industrially, and the percentage of food-related disease in humans continues to rise. At what cost are we negatively affecting our precious natural resources and our own health?
The good news is that the buzz words are circulating–sustainable food, eco-friendly, green living–but the truth is that public awareness isn’t enough. Let’s make conscious decisions to act in more socially responsible ways. Small changes can lead to big results. Imagine a world with more accessible, inexpensive organic food and a happy, healthy population!
Think about what you could do in your community, among your family and friends, and even around your dinner table to improve our environment. Shop at the local farmer’s market or join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, where you buy a share in a farmer’s crop for the season), encourage neighbors to grow gardens in their yards and swap produce, consider eating less meat, reduce your carbon footprint by using cloth shopping bags and reusable water bottles rather than plastic, and walk or bike instead of driving.
What other changes could you make to ensure the quality of our food and our future?
Remember, small changes add up.
Chiropractor Santa Barbara: Yes, You Can Get Adjusted While You're Pregnant!
Your Chiropractor Santa Barbara knows that you have questions about getting chiropractic adjustments during your pregnancy That’s why it is important for you to know that it is a great idea to get your spine checked while you are pregnant and to get adjusted, too.
You’ve probably noticed that your body is going through quite a lot of changes, and these changes will continue as the pregnancy progresses. One change that goes basically unnoticed is your body’s increased production of the hormone elastin. This hormone is designed to relax the tendons in the pelvis. This relaxation allows the pelvis more flexibility during the birthing process to make delivering the baby easier.
This process, despite the fact that it functions superbly in assisting the mother during labor, can produce much discomfort in the months leading up to the birth. The elastin is being released in larger amounts as the months go on, which allows the pelvis to become increasingly more unstable. Add to that the gradual increase in the size of the baby and uterus, and you have the recipe for severe low back pain. As a chiropractor I see many pregnant women in my practice for a variety of symptoms, but generally it is for their low back pain.
One side benefit of having your spine and pelvis checked by a chiropractor regularly during your pregnancy is that it has been shown to actually decrease labor time. Why do chiropractic adjustments help? Simply put, if the pelvis is where it needs to be, the muscles contracting during the labor process are more efficient because they don’t have to fight past misaligned joints.
Not only can chiropractic adjustments help you with your low back pain and other associated symptoms, such as heartburn, nausea, swelling, etc., but it is actually good for both you and your baby. And, if needed, certain trained chiropractors can help mothers who have a breached baby. This is done by using the Webster Technique, a low force manipulation of the uterus that helps to get the baby into the appropriate position for birth. A simple Google search on the Webster Technique can give you much more information.
In summation, not only is chiropractic safe for pregnant women and their baby, it is also very beneficial in helping with the symptoms associated with pregnancy. To any pregnant women reading this, please go to see your Santa Barbara Chiropractor. Chiropractic care can make you quite a bit more comfortable in the months of your pregnancy, and it can even make the labor process easier.
Posted in pregnancy |
Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, heartburn, low back pain, pregnancy, Webster Technique |
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