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10 Home-made health remedies
13th July 2007
I've been writing like a maniac this week.
By this I don't mean I've been writing while wearing a giant banana costume and singing the Azerbaijani national anthem.
I mean I've been hard at work... on a book.
'A book?' you cry.
'Yes, a book!'
I told myself I wouldn't tell you about it UNTIL I had completely finished it, but it's nearly there and I feel pretty proud of myself.
It's all about the secret, awesome healing power of.... of...
AHA you'll have to wait. But I promise, you'll be the first to know.
Not ONLY that, this week I've also been going through my archives to pick out some of my favourite 'kitchen cupboard remedies'.
By that I mean inexpensive, everyday stuff that you can find in your cupboard. Or pick up really quickly and easily from any local shop.
Check these out...
Look after your eyesight with liver and carrotsVitamin A is essential for keeping your eyes strong. It also helps them adapt to changes in light, and can treat nightblindness.
The richest sources are liver, fish liver oils, milk, milk products, butter and eggs.
Liver is particularly good because vitamin A is primarily stored in the liver of animals and humans.
You should also boost your intake of betacarotene, which is converted into vitamin A inside your body. Go into your cupboards and root around for some carrots, spinach or butternut squash.
(Did your mother ever tell you that carrots could help you see in the dark? Well, perhaps she was right!)
A vinegar remedy for headachesIn my wife's opinion, Apple Cider Vinegar is an amazing cure for headaches and migraines.
The trick is to take it at the onset of symptoms. Just mix 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar in 8oz of water, and take it two times a day. Add a tad more vinegar if it's a real pounder.
And other vinegar tip... for diabetes!Consuming vinegar before a meal can help those who suffer from Type 2 diabetes.
Carol Johnston, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University, discovered this when she tried to develop the perfect menu for diabetics.
She found that taking two tablespoons of vinegar before a meal reduces the blood sugar 'spikes' you get after eating.
We all get these surges of glucose and insulin but for diabetics they are so powerful that they can cause problems like heart disease later in life.
Luckily, the type 2 diabetics who consumed vinegar saw this spike reduced by 25%.
And even more excitingly it also reduced these spikes by 50% for those people with signs of future diabetes.
I would say that the best way to have two spoons of vinegar before a meal would be to choose vinaigrette dressing on a tasty salad.
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Give your libido a lift with asparagus!Asparagus is rich in vitamin E, which is considered to stimulate the production of testosterone and may be important for a healthy love life.
It's apparently very good for both female AND male libido levels.
And if you can't be bothered with all that 'nonsense', it's just really nice and healthy anyway, especially wrapped in bacon and cooked in the oven.
Or for the really strong stuff...
Ginger- the instant bedroom boosterGinger is stimulating for your whole body. It can wake you up, give you an energy boost, and immediately stimulate your blood flow and circulation.
Not surprising, then, that a couple of hundred years ago it was considered a bit of an aphrodisiac.
Here's what to do if you need a little love boost: Simply take an ounce of fresh ginger and juice it up with quarter of a large watermelon.
Drink, and Bob's your uncle.
Or so they say, anyway!
Toothache? Try green teaGreen tea can help prevent the pain of toothache. This is because it contains numerous compounds, polyphenols as well as tannin, that act as antibiotics.
How a lemon can relieve asthmaTo ease the symptoms of asthma there are two different lemon remedies that you can try.
The first is to prepare a strong drink lemon and boiling water, add a teaspoon of honey, and drink while inhaling the steam.
Another one is to take half a spoonful of lemon juice before each meal, and just before you go to bed.
Ease ulcer pain with cabbageDuring the early 1950s, Dr Garnett Cheney found that peptic ulcer patients who drank 4 glasses of raw cabbage juice daily quickened the healing process and relieved the pain.
So drink cabbage juice: a quart of cabbage juice daily can heal your ulcer more quickly. Choose only fresh green cabbages in season.
You can also try celery juice for a similar effect.
Suffer from Sciatica? Here's a strange banana tipBananas are rich in potassium, and large amounts of potassium seem to have helped some sufferers.
Exactly why potassium helps is one of life's little mysteries, but if it works, why ask questions! Try loading up on potassium rich foods such as bananas, oranges and potatoes.
Or try a cup of nettle tea to ease inflammationNettle has been used for centuries to treat dozens of ailments, including sciatica, because the active compounds in the leaves have been show to reduce inflammation.
No - so fair enough - you won't have them in your food cupboard... but they're probably growing outside your house!
Watch out - there are more where these come fromI had a lot of fun picking out my favourite kitchen cures and there are dozens more.
But if you've got any little-known tips you'd like to share with myself other readers, drop me a line.
As always, I can't offer one-to-one advice, but I can publish the best ideas in future letters.
And finally...
If you're been browsing my website you'll notice I'm making some changes. This is to make it easier to find what you're looking for.
You can still search for remedies as usual, but if it looks a bit chaotic over the weekend, please bear with me as I try to get to grips with it.
Pesky technology!
Yours, as ever
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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