FOOD ALLERGIES AND HOMEOPATHY

Ever heard of someone developing a life-threatening allergic reaction from a tiny part of a peanut? Ever heard of someone having an asthma attack just after taking a spoon of cooked mushrooms? Or severe attack of migraine triggered by black pepper. These may sound strange, but are true!

These are intriguing for the medical world too as some important questions remain unanswered. Why some of us suddenly develop a strong allergy to a food substance that we have been eating so often? And why do they start so suddenly in life?
Many people think the terms ?food allergy? and ?food intolerance? mean the same thing, but they do not. Food intolerance is an adverse food-induced reaction that does not involve the immune system. Lactose intolerance is one example of food intolerance. A person with lactose intolerance lacks an enzyme that is needed to digest milk sugar. When the person eats milk products, symptoms such as gas, bloating and abdominal pain may occur.

High blood pressure in young people

High Blood Pressure Could Be Killing You While You Are Young
Research shows that high blood pressure starts much early in life and at times goes undetected for decades until it shows itself in symptoms. It usually, is one of the most common cause for heart disease. In an extensive research carried around the world for six years, a scientific panel learned that the problems in the cardiovascular system (heart and the vessels carrying blood) can begin at much lower blood pressure levels than previously believed .
It concluded that the risk of heart disease and stroke can begin to rise when blood pressure increases past 120/80. That?s why the panel developed a new range called ?Pre hypertension?- for readings between 120/80 and 139/89. People with blood pressure readings in the Pre-hypertension range are now encouraged to adopt life style changes to lower their blood pressure levels or else they would develop hypertension (high blood pressure) and become prone to heart disease and Stroke.
Blood pressure is measure of pressure exerted by the flowing blood on the walls of arteries .It is measured in two numbers ?systolic over diastolic?. Systolic the top number is the pressure exerted when the heart pumps the blood, diastolic the bottom number is the pressure exerted when the heart is resting between the two beats. People with blood pressure readings over 140/90 are said to be having hypertension.
Although Pathological causes such as Pheochromocytoma (tumor of the adrenal), coarctation of aorta (bending of a major artery) and renal diseases are not so common but need to excluded as being the cause for hypertension.. When no such cause is ascertained the increased blood pressure is called as ?Essential Hypertension?. Essential Hypertension in young is generally an out come of a faulty living habits- which mainly include improper diet, sedentary life style, alcohol and smoking. Genetic factors also play a role in its early onset. High blood pressure is dangerous as it makes the heart work hard and contributes to hardening of the arteries. It increases the risk of heart disease and stroke .It can also lead to kidney and eye diseases.
The treatment of prehypertension and hypertension in young requires a combination of a well rounded homoeopathic intervention and restructuring of one lifestyle .Homoeopathic intervention aims at treating the whole patient and not just the symptoms .Among many homoeopathic medicines that are found useful, Nux Vomica leads the table in treating essential hypertension in the young when the cause can be attributed to faulty living style i.e. . Sedentary living, overwork, stimulants etc. Ignatia and Kali Phos are helpful when mental stress are the key causative factors. Natrum Mur helps those who are addicted to high salt diet and also where long standing grief is the cause for elevated blood pressure levels. Medicines mentioned above are for information purpose only and should not be used without professional help

Sinus problem & homeopathic treatment

COME winter and it is time for all the cold-related illnesses. Sinusitis happens to be one of them. Although its occurrence is not always related to cold and can happen any time of the year, for those who are sensitive to the least chill in the air, sinusitis may be just round the corner. Homeopathic treatment can be of great help to those who suffer from sinusitis often during winter.
Sinusitis is the inflammation of the sinuses (hollow spaces) in our skull. These hollow spaces are linked to the nose from inside. The anatomical presence of these cavities makes our skull light for our neck to bear it. Sinuses also provide the resonance to our tone when we speak. So, the presence of the sinuses is not a problem but it is their inflammation (sinusitis) that causes distress. Inflammation can be acute, recurrent or of chronic nature.
Sinuses are four sets of hollow spaces in our skull. They are situated in cheek bones, forehead, behind the bridge of the nose and between the eyes and yet another set is situated in the upper region of the nose and behind the eyes. All of these sinuses have the same lining that is present in our nose. This lining produces mucus which is drained out of these sinuses through an opening in the nose. During an attack of cold or allergies (mucous membranes start producing more mucus during cold, etc.) swelling in the nose and sinuses can cause the drainage from the sinuses to get blocked. This blockage leads to the trapping of mucus in the sinuses resulting in the growth of bacteria and viruses.
The symptoms
The symptoms of sinusitis depend upon the sinus that gets affected. The morning headache when one wakes up is typical of sinusitis: blocked sensation: in the nose, heaviness and pain in the facial bones and head may occur due to the underlying inflamed sinus. Inflammation in the sinuses that are present behind the bridge of the nose and in-between the eyes can lead to swelling in the eyelids and the tissues around the eyes. Inflammation in the maxillary sinuses can cause pain in the upper jaw and teeth.
Sinusitis may be accompanied by other symptoms of nasal congestion, runny nose, fever, tiredness and cough that may aggravate at night. Post-nasal dripping of mucus can cause problems in the throat too.
A correctly prescribed homeopathic medicine can be a great boon to those who suffer from sinusitis. Homeopathic treatment aims at rebuilding one’s immunity towards such attack. Although it may take some time, a well-aimed homeopathic treatment can completely cure the chronicity and recurrence of this disease.
Homeopathic medicines Silicea and Kali Bichrome lead the homeopathic table in treating all kinds of sinusitis whether acute, chronic or recurrent. Silicea is very affective in treating sinusitis in individuals who are extremely sensitive to the least amount of chill in the air and often develop frontal headaches or heaviness during the attack of sinusitis. Kali Bichrome is helpful in cases where the discharges are very stringy, sticky and yellowish green or when the patient complains of a constant pain in the root of the nose. Other important homeopathic medicines like Hydrastis and Merc Sol also need special mention

Arnica Mont

Plants are always popular in the food department. Even the most plant-blind person still has to eat them. Archaeozoology documents the history of the potato, a plant that had an important impact on human history. Over at Wiggly Wigglers Karen profiles the Dandelion. Fruit Species profiles the Sugar Apple – Fruity’s coverage of tropical fruit is enough to generate real homesickness. Green Me says “If you love me, give me strawberries” and encourages people to eat organic strawberries. Jamie McIntosh of Suite101: Organic Gardens blog encourages expectant mothers to eat – and garden – organically. In a quest to eat locally produced food, Green Me learns how difficult it is to find non-GM beet sugar. Larry of botanizing marvels at the artichoke and the orchid, while discussing evolutionary history and Darwin. AppleJade talks about getting a jump on spring planting. And It’s Easy Being Green has a review of Michael Pollan’s new book In Defense of Food, while Erin at Gastronormous talks about his earlier book, The Botany of Desire.
Also on the topic of food, Jeremy of the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog discusses his adventures using informatics to stalk wild peanuts – and lays claim to a new verb! At Desertification Willem discusses some of the challenges associated with the important work of promoting local fruit species in Africa. Jan TenBruggencate at Raising Islands talks about the role of seaweed in the diet of ancient Hawai’i.
At its best, the blogosphere is a conversation. I commented on an article in Nature Biotechnology which discusses the evolution of resistance in Bt cotton. Both Tangled Up In Blue Guy and Karl Mogel at the Inoculated Mind discussed some of the implications of the paper. While GM crops are a mixed bag, there are some very real benefits in crops like cotton. It’s also a great example of the application of evolutionary theory to real-world problems. I also discussed a paper on cyclotides, a group of very interesting insecticidal compounds in plants that appear to act by damaging midgut cells in insect larvae, thus stunting their growth.
Finally, there’s no way you can talk about plants without getting into their visual beauty. I could link to any post at Botany Photo of the Day, but I really love today’s Aristolochia elegans. Kallen at Biojournalism welcomes the flowers of Spring. The Reluctant Botanist profiles Alectryon excelsus also known as Titoki or the New Zealand Oak in his “Plant of the Week” feature.
This concludes this edition of Berry Go Round. The next edition will be hosted at Greg Laden’s Blog. You can submit your blog article to the next edition the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found at the

Capsicum

(Solanaceae) native to the Americas, where it was cultivated for thousands of years by the people of the tropical Americas, and is now cultivated worldwide. Some of the members of Capsicum are used as spices, vegetables, and medicines. The fruit of Capsicum plants have a variety of names depending on place and type. They are commonly called chilli pepper, red or green pepper, or sweet pepper in Britain, and typically just capsicum in Australian and Indian English. The large mild form is called bell pepper in the US and Canada. They are called paprika in some other countries (although paprika can also refer to the powdered spice made from various capsicum fruit).

Negative Effects of smoking

Dear god…. the transition from the physical to the physiological withdrawal is rather INSANE! I have done all the research and you all know me well enough that I also read the studies. This day has been the hardest. Actually it has been the the night that is the worst. I have found the physiological to be far more intense and less controllable. My brain is apparently screaming for some dopamine.

Structure of Teeth

The three main parts of a tooth are the crown, neck and root. The crown (the part of the tooth you see - above the gums) is covered by a protective, bony layer of enamel, and the root of the tooth is covered by a sensitive, bonelike substance called cementum.
A hard substance known as dentin surrounds the pulp, which contains nerves (sensing heat, cold, pain, and pressure) and blood vessels (nourishing the tooth).