Be grateful and thank GOD for your blessings

If you feel depressed and not happy at times I want to cheer you up. Since you are reading this blog post therefore; you are already blessed more than two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, roof over your head and a place to sleep; you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have some small money in your wallet; you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If you are healthy; you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture; you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can practice any religion or belief without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death; you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful you are blessed. So have a great day, thank God or anyone you believe in for all your blessings, and remind yourself throughout the day how blessed you are!

Also just remember; "to believe earth was created by chance is like believing a tornado sweeping through a junk yard filled with airplane parts and then making it form a Boeing airplane".

Believe in God; at least you know someone loves you and looks after you. This way you will be much happier!

Garlic

Garlic is a great herb and has so many medicinal values. Its health benefits and medicinal properties have been known for many years.  It is great for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels and inhibiting blood clotting. It is also a powerful germicide, clearing acne, asthma, candida, diabetes and very good for cold and flu. The regular use of garlic may help prevent cancer because it protects against free radicals. Garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic. The body does not appear to build up resistance to the garlic as it does to regular antibiotic. 

You can use garlic to get rid of many insects, from slugs to mosquitoes. Garlic can help prevent people from mosquito bites. You can do this by simply consuming more garlic in spring and summer seasons. And fall and winter for prevention of cold and flu.

Did you know that Garlic is good for your bones and joints? It helps your bones to be stronger and prevent it from hurting, due to its anti-inflammatory benefits and being a pain retardant agent. If you would to fall and hurt your bones it won't be as bad as when you did not eat some garlic. Also it would help you to get better faster from a surgery of those sorts- Like Knee replacement surgery! 

 

If your family is prone to catching colds and flu you can put garlic heads(not peeled) like potpourri  all over your house, it will prevent you from catching colds and flu... cause it gathers all the germs. I think  this beneficial trait of garlic made it famous for getting rid of vampires. That is why you should not buy the already peeled garlics, because it has gathered so much germs by the time you get them at the store. You should peel them and use them fast. (This bold section was little sister's remedies not mom's. lol)

 The smell of garlic is because of its sulphur content and can be reduced by chewing fresh parsley(which is also good for us). Eat the garlic lightly cooked or have one clove in its natural state, raw. It has more effects raw than dried as powder or in capsules or fully cooked. I recommend garlics so much as to say don't marry someone that does not like garlics and onions for two reasons: One; since they don't eat garlic they most likely are not healthy. Second; they prevent you from eating them too or you feel bad to eat them because of its smell! If two people eat garlic they cannot smell it on each other.

Steps to a great Health and a long life

Prevention is always the best medicine. Always put yourself first and do not neglect your annual checkups. Avoid putting off important doctor appointments. You can try these simple and practical prevention steps to stay healthy. Here are some suggestions:

• Eat a healthy diet: Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Include one time per week lean meat, three times per week lean poultry, two times per week small and oily fish, few times per week beans, eggs, and nuts. Eat foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars.
  
• Be physically active: If you are not already physically active, start small and work up to 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity most days of the week. Walking briskly, mowing the lawn, gardening, dancing, swimming, and bicycling are just a few examples of moderate physical activity.
• Sex: Although Clara Meadmore age 105; Britain's oldest virgin procalimes her long life to celibacy; sex can make life and relationships more pleasant. Couples who are healthy and who can sustain an active sex life tend to live longer and be happier.
• Stay at a healthy weight: Balance the calories you take in from food with the calories you burn off by your activities. Check here many calculators to help you. Have your body mass index (BMI) calculated to screen for obesity. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.) You can find your own BMI with the BMI calculator on this site. A simple test for this is a good waist with no belly fat.
• Sanitary conditions: Wash your hands with regular soap as often as you can. If you go to the doctor's office or hospital be careful of the sanitary conditions there.

• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation: Have no more than one drink a day. A standard drink is one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.
• Do not smoke: Tobacco use is a leading cause of heart disease and cancer.   Learn from other people that kicked the habit. For tips on how to quit call the National Quit line: 1-800-QUITNOW.  
  

• Breast health(women): If your mother, sister, or daughter has had breast cancer, have mammogram earlier than recommended times. check with your doctor about whether you should take medicines to prevent breast cancer.
• Estrogen Use for Menopause (Hormone Replacement Therapy-women): Do this only with natural remedies. Do not use estrogen for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or other diseases. 
• Tests and Drugs: Limit amount of x-rays and body scans in your life time to very few if you can. Do not use antibiotic drugs so often that your body gets used to them.  Also try to use natural remedies to prevent and remedy simple illnesses.
• Immunizations: Older people need a flu shot every year. You can prevent other serious diseases, such as pneumonia, whooping cough, and shingles, by being vaccinated. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the vaccines you need and when to get them. 

• Breast Cancer(women): Have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years.
• Cervical Cancer(women): Have a Pap smear every 1 to 3 years if you have ever been sexually active. If you are older than 65 and recent Pap smears before you turned 65 were normal, you do not need a Pap smear.
• Colon screening: Have a test for colon polyps or cancer. Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you.
• Emotional Health: Your emotional health is as important as your physical health. Make sure you get a sound sleep every night. Everyday make sure you surround yourself with happy people and when you get a chance laugh, laugh and laugh. If you have been sad, or hopeless over the last 2 weeks or have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things, you may be depressed. Talk to your doctor about being screened for depression.
• Diabetes: Take this seriously. Have a blood test for diabetes if you have high blood pressure.
• Prostate(men): Always check for different variations of prostate disease which include nonbacterial, acute, and chronic.
  
• Blood Pressure: Have your blood pressure checked every year. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.
• Cholesterol: Have your cholesterol checked regularly. High cholesterol level is over 200.
• HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infections: Talk with your doctor about HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection screening if any of these apply:
  • You have had unprotected sex with multiple partners.
  • You have used or now use injection drugs.
  • You exchange sex for money or drugs or have sex partners who do.
  • You have past or present sex partners who are HIV-infected, are bisexual, or use injection drugs.
  • You are being treated for sexually transmitted diseases.
  • You had a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985
  Osteoporosis (Bone Thinning-mostly women): Have a bone density test at age 55 to screen for osteoporosis. If you are younger than 55, talk to your doctor about whether you should be tested. You may need to have this test again after 4 or more years.
• Education: Educate yourself with natural remedies using good old advise here at http://momsremedies.blogspot.com 

Every body is different. Always feel free to ask your doctor or nurse about being checked for any condition, not just the ones above. If you are worried about diseases such as glaucoma or skin cancer, for example, ask your doctor about them. And always tell your doctor about any changes in your health, including your vision and hearing.

Don't skimp on buying good food

In these bad economic times we might want to save money and skimp on buying good and a little more expensive food. If you love yourself and your family, don't! When you read the labels on different foods; you notice that cheaper food contains more fillers; such as water, white and bleached flour, corn, wheat gluten, sugar and corn syrups that are all bad for you. Food that is made out of natural and whole ingredients might be more expensive,  but it can help keep your family healthy therefore avoiding those extra doctor bills! It also keeps them from putting on extra weight. Cheaper and most processed food brings your sugar level up very quickly and down in 1/2 to one hour after their consumptions. That is why you crave for more food when the sugar level comes down in a very short time after you have eaten a full course. Skimping this way; makes your family eat more often. But when you give them a better food to eat and a little more expensive, they eat smaller amount of the healthier food. They also are getting more nutrient needed by body and less fillers. 

Don't skimp on buying fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetables have become pricey. But, rather than cutting back, use the following tips to spend less.  Organic produce is even more pricey, 50% to 100% more than regular produce. Rather than giving up altogether, focus on buying organic fruits and vegetables where organic matters most and buy non organic produce where the farmers use less or no pesticides. Such as onions, garlic, most herbs, most cold weather vegetables(spinach, radishes) avocado, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi and banana.

You can save on fresh product by visiting your local farmers' market or produce stands, and by buying what's in season and by buying what's on sale when you are at the grocery store.  If you really need a vegetable and is not available fresh opt for frozen not canned. Skip the soda and sugar loaded beverages and baked deserts. 

Allergies

An allergy is what happens when your body's immune system reacts to something that is normally harmless. The substance that causes the allergy is called an allergen. Spring is a very beautiful season of rebirth, and growth. In the early spring, the major problem is wind born pollen from trees. In late spring, grasses start to cause trouble. As the weather becomes warmer and nature wakes up; many people find themselves not enjoying outdoors and find themselves with runny nose, itchy eyes , wheezing and shortness of breath, coughing, dry itchy throat and tongue, diarrhea, vomiting, itchy skin or rash. The worst springtime allergy signs and symptoms occur during hot, dry or windy days when there's a lot of pollen, allergens and mold in the air. If you are one of those people that also have allergies indoors, the mold and mildew can be the cause of year-round indoor allergies. The spores they release into the air can be inhaled and are the potential allergen. Mold allergy symptoms are similar to other allergy symptoms and include sneezing, runny nose, and congestion. Just like other allergies, minimizing contact with the allergen is important. With mold and mildew, reducing dampness is crucial. Common damp areas in the home include the bathroom, kitchen, and basement. 

Avoiding the allergen is the most effective treatment, but usually not possible all of the time. If you’re unable to stay indoors to ride out the season, then you will need to figure out how to best manage your allergies. Let's learn how you can eliminate or reduce your allergies: 

- Filter the air in your house and car by using air conditioning or air purifiers. Use a micron allergy-grade filter in your ventilation system.

- Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.

- Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.

- Use protective covers on your bed and pillows to keep mold, dust and dust mites from escaping into the air. Wash sheets and blankets in water heated to at least 130 F (54 C).

- Regularly vacuum with a small-particle or HEPA filter and dust often.

- Rather than carpet, choose hard floor surfaces such as tile or wood where mold and dust mites cannot thrive. 

- Make sure your home doesn’t have places where moisture collects to avoid mold growth. If you come back to your bathroom next day and you feel it is still wet or damp; you probably producing a lot of mold. It takes only one day for mold to develop. 

- Stay indoors on dry, windy days — the best time to go outside is after a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air. Avoid outdoor activity in the early morning when pollen counts are highest.

- Delegate lawn mowing, weed pulling and other gardening chores that stir up allergens.

- Remove clothes you have worn outside; you may also want to shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.

- Ban your pets from your bed or couch — pollen clings to pet's fur.

- Don't hang laundry outside — pollen will stick to them.

- A protective mask can be worn if you need to work outside when the pollen count is high.

- Check your local TV ,radio station, local newspaper, or internet for pollen forecasts and current pollen levels.

- If high pollen counts are forecasted, start taking your allergy medications if you are taking them before your symptoms start.

- Close doors and windows at night or any other time when pollen counts are high.

While some allergens can be “blocked”, there will likely be some left in the environment. It may be necessary to use conventional medicines when allergy symptoms are severe, there are therapies that can be used in conjunction with or as an alternative in mild or moderate cases. If you take prescribed medication, please talk with your doctor before adding new supplements to your regimen.

A saline solution can be used to rinse out your nasal passages. This will clear mucus and washes away allergens, therefore reducing their impact on your nose. It also helps reduce the risk of bacterial infections. Which in turn helps many people to avoid using antibiotics.

The simplest way to rinse out the nasal passage is with the neti pot. It looks like a little tea pot. It originates from a centuries old yoga tradition known as Hala neti. Always follow product instructions on how to prepare the saline solution and make sure you follow the recommended techniques for proper irrigation. Many allergy sufferers have found nasal irrigation to be the single most important thing in their seasonal allergy-fighting arsenal.

Eating an “anti-inflammatory” diet will also help. In addition to avoiding food allergies and food sensitivities, also eat plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and foods rich in omega-3 fats. Limit sugar and saturated and trans fats as these promote inflammation. Good food sources of omega 3 fats include fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and anchovies. Flaxseed and walnuts are the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fats. 

Herbal extracts of the shrub butterbur may have some effectiveness in preventing seasonal allergy symptoms. If you do try butterbur, be sure to use a product that's labeled "PA free" which indicates its potentially toxic substances were removed. Other alternative therapies for seasonal allergies include cat's claw, choline, goldenseal, stinging nettle, belladonna and bromelain. Some people also claim locally produced honey helps reduce allergic reactions. Some people claim that probiotics, acupuncture and hypnosis may help with seasonal allergy symptoms. However, there's no solid evidence supporting the effectiveness of these treatments.