Top 7 Tips To Treat And Prevent Sore Throat

For the younger set a sore throat often means a day off from school, a television tuned to the Cartoon Network, and an extra bowl of ice cream. It almost makes the suffering seem worthwhile. Grown-ups, of course, don’t have the time for such pampering. We go about our daily business, thinking we can tough out the rawness, burning, and scratchiness that make it painful to talk, much less swallow food. But by day’s end, the sore throat has left us virtually speechless. We do tend to think that sore throat as kid stuff. But the fact is that every year about 40 million adults come down with one. Usually it is a symptom of a viral or bacterial infection. But it can also be instigated by irritants such as stomach acid, tobacco smoke, smog, dry heat, dust, pollen, and other allergens. Overuse is also a factor. Here are some tips that you can consider to adopt to relieve your soreness.

1. Address Any Allergies
Common allergies can cause postnasal drip, which irritates the throat. A throat that is itchy, not just painful, points to an allergic condition. If you have an allergy, an over-the-counter antihistamine may help relieve your symptoms. Antihistamine can have a drying effect, so be sure to increase your fluid intake while you are on the medication. They can also make you drowsy.

2. Line Up A Lozenge
Not all throat lozenges are created equal. The best ones contain glycerine. It keeps the throat tissue well-hydrated. You may find these lozenges at health food stores or specialty drugstores. It is also recommended avoiding lozenges that contain either mint or menthol. Both ingredients tend to be drying and are bad for the larynx.

3. Treat Your Beak
A stuffed-up nose can force you to breathe through your mouth, which irritates your throat. So taking an over-the-counter decongestant may help ease your sore throat as well.

4. Get Steamed
You can also keep your throat tissue moist with the help of steam. It is recommended that you run hot water in your kitchen or bathroom sink, then drape a towel over your head to trap the steam and inhale. Or you could just turn up the hot water in the shower to create a steam bath.

5. Have Some Tea, Honey
Tea with honey is a traditional sore throat remedy. You can boost its therapeutic benefits with this spicy twist. Stir into your tea 1 tablespoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon, then add ground red pepper to taste. The pepper probably has a mild anesthetic effect. It also stimulates the immune system.

6. Turn Down The Volume
If you must talk, then refrain from using your voice in an unnatural way. Do not try to talk over the loud noises. And do not try to project your voice at a pitch that is out of your range.

7. Think Twice About Gargling
Gargling can actually aggravate and prolongs a sore throat. Doing it once or twice with salt water might make you feel better by increasing blood flow to the throat area. But doing it regularly, especially mouthwash, can be very irritating. If you opt for an occasional saltwater rinse, then it is recommended to have a solution of ¼ teaspoon of salt in ½ cup of water. Just be sure to only rinse with, not swallow, the salt water.

Banish Baggy Eyes And Dark Circles

Do you wish to banish baggy eyes and dark circles around them? Think you need an expensive cream? Plastic surgery? Think again.
Our simple home remedy will cost you virtually nothing and you can have great results. You can really banish baggy eyes and dark circles.

How Did You Get Baggy Eyes? Dark Circles?
The bags and dark circles that you see under eyes can be the result of a number of things. First of all it may be (and often is) an inherited tendency. Next there are just people who are born with darker circles around their eye sockets.

Next they may be just part of the natural aging processes. Lack of restful sleep often results in bags and dark circles, and finally it may be due to environmental factors such as allergies, dehydration and crying. The truth is, the causes are not perfectly understood.

What is Technically Happening?
Aging causes our skin to get thinner. There is a break down of the lattice work under the skin formed by collagen fibers. This latticework acts to keep the skin tight and elastic.
Then, the thin skin, when seen in places without layers of fat (such as the skull or hands) gives a darker appearance...

With the skin around the eyes thinning, the blood vessels beneath and our own darker shadows of bone to begin to show through.
This may be worse due to genetic pre-disposition, but things like too much UV light and even smoking and worsen the effect.
Also a general lack of sleep or restful sleep is another culprit for baggy eyes and dark circles. It may have a lot to do with blood supply and oxygen in that area.

So, What Can be Done?
You may not be able to completely eliminate baggy eyes and dark circles, but you certainly can reduce them. Here are some real and effective tips to follow:

Drink plenty of fresh clean water daily and keep yourself hydrated
Take a 3mg tablet of melatonin (if your doctor agrees) each night, and try to get a more restful sleep Stop smoking
Wear refrigerated eye pack just before going to bed

Prepare a strong cup of tea with teabags, and then chill the bags with most of the water dripped out. Apply the teabags to closed eyes for 15 minutes during a nap or at the end of a long day.
Take collagen tablets, but consult your doctor to doses and frequency of such food supplements.
Consult your doctor if none of the above are helpful for you, as the problem may be related to something else that needs attention.

What you should not do is:
Do not use Preparation H. It can be very harmful
Do not buy expensive creams, as they do not work
Do not just cover the problem with makeup, and forget about it. Try to solve it, not hide it.
Do not assume plastic surgery is the only option. Leave the option of the knife as a last resort.

Remember, in many cases, its just your genetic disposition, and then not much of anything can eliminate the baggy eyes and dark circles, but certainly, some of the remedies we suggest can really help.

Exploring The Benefits Of Deep Breathing

Feeling stressed, rushed and restless? Most of us do at some time or another, but when it becomes a regular event it can start having a detrimental effect on our health. Exercise is a great antidote to these kinds of feelings, but the problem is that our lives are so busy nowadays it can be difficult to find the time to fit any in.

Fortunately there are ways in which we can feel better about ourselves, calm our thoughts and generally improve our wellbeing, without even moving from our desk. We can even do it in our car before we drive to work in the morning; or maybe in bed last thing at night before we go to sleep.

The solution is deep breathing. Not only can it benefit our health, it is a quick and easy solution for reducing stress levels whenever they begin to rise. Breathing in through your nose and holding it briefly before letting the air back out through your mouth is the ideal way to do this; practising doing it slowly is the key to success.
It will help you even more if you pay attention to your environment when you do your deep breathing exercises. If your office has air conditioning, for example, you will improve your health even more, as it has the ability to cleanse the air and rid it of any impurities as well as cooling the atmosphere down to make it more comfortable.

Some people who suffer from certain afflictions such as hay fever for example actually get air conditioning installed in their homes, as it helps to rid the air of the pollen which makes the condition worse. Even indoors, deep breathing exercises can set off a nasty bout of hay fever in sufferers who don’t use air conditioning.
While air conditioning can benefit the health of people with specific respiratory problems like this, it benefits the rest of us too. Germs and bacteria find it much harder to thrive in air conditioned rooms, as the filters on the systems capture all the undesirable elements in the air – making sure it only sends clean, clear air back into the room.

Over time you will notice the benefits of doing regular deep breathing exercises on a daily basis in an air conditioned environment. Not only will your health improve, you will feel calmer and clearer, sharper and more alert. Many modern offices and working environments are now air conditioned as well, so make sure you take advantage of it while you are working.
The great thing about deep breathing exercises is that you can do them sitting at your desk – and no one need ever know. They might just notice the reduction in your stress levels though.

Food Intolerances And Allergies - Is It Just In Your Head

Food intolerance has become a major health issue today, dividing conventional and alternative medicine.
1. Are we a bunch of hypochondriacs?
"An astonishing 45% of us believe we are allergic to basic foodstuffs such as wheat and dairy - causing anything from headaches to bloating and insomnia." (1) So how do we get to a stage of leaky gut?
It is believed that through one of the most common digestive problems the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) arise.
It is believed by many health practitioners Leaky gut is associated with one of the most common digestive problems; irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

2. Definitions
Food allergy - Is a genetic condition that affects about 2% of the population. The reaction to the food can range from a rash to something very severe including anaphylactic shock. The RAST test confirms this by detecting the antibody (like IgE). Common foods associated with a genetic inherited allergy are: cows milk, soy, tree nuts, eggs, strawberries, bananas, chocolate, wheat, peanuts, fish, shell fish, beans and oranges. Those with a true food allergy if ever exposed to that food more than once will know about it.
Food intolerance/sensitivity - Involves any adverse reaction to foods, but whereby the immune system's roll is uncertain because the standard tests appear negative. There are other tests including the ones outlined in the Daily Mail but the validity of many is questionable.

So where does this leave the 45% who experience real problems like abdominal bloating, gas, diarrhoea after eating a particular food? Furthermore, according to the Allergy Clinic scientific studies have suggested that intolerance may trigger or worsen the symptoms of a range of common conditions including asthma, joint and muscle pains, headaches, migraines, sinusitis, hyperactivity, ADHD, chronic fatigue, and Crohn's Disease.

Possible sources of food intolerance
There is a strong suggestion that the increased permeability of the gut wall, known as leaky gut syndrome (LGS), is behind food intolerance. The basic premise behind LGS is that large molecules pass through the weak (leaky) gut wall and enter into the bloodstream. This results in calling to arms the body's defensive mechanisms like white blood cells that produce antibodies to destroy the invaders.

So how do we get to a stage of leaky gut?
It is believed that through one of the most common digestive problems the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) arise.
According to Dr. Dan Rutherford, GP, IBS is the commonest condition seen by doctors and some estimates suggest that as many as one in five of the adult population in the UK suffer from it at any one time.

So what is the source of IBS?
Experts give a range of probable causes including:

• Poor diet (including eating foods our bodies are not accustomed to)
• Toxins
• Lack of stomach acid or digestive enzymes
• Drugs (antibiotics, cortisone)
• Dysbiosis (leading to a bad bug overgrowth, e.g. Candida)
• Stress
• Inadequate chewing

As you can see this is a controversial topic because of the lack of hard evidence.
The Daily Mail (Tuesday, March 7th, 2006) contained an article called "The Allergy Fraud" from the reporter Charlotte Dovey. After receiving a RAST test (a blood test indicating an allergy) from a Harley Street doctor she was told she suffered from no food allergies. Then Ms Dovey compared the RAST result with other various methods of allergy detection from alternate medicine practitioners. Or as the reporter put it: entered the "wacky world of food intolerance testing".

Now Ms Dovey, who was told by various alternate practitioners that she was intolerant to a range of foods like wheat, dairy and citrus (when the RAST test showed no allergies) concludes: "if I took this advice, my diet could be dangerous. Basics such as wheat, gluten, sugar and lactose are staples". (However this I believe is an incorrect statement as I have personally seen amazing transformations from people giving up two commonly considered intolerances; wheat and dairy.)

What is interesting to note is the health columnist for the Daily Mail is Dr. John Briffa, author of Bodywise. Dr. Briffa is widely regarded as one of Britain's foremost experts in the field of natural health. His book is an excellent source on the various causes of excess weight including food intolerance.
Dr. John Briffa has come up with a 10 question test as a guide to whether food intolerance may be a problem for you.

The following questionnaire is designed to help you ascertain whether food sensitivity is a problem for you. Score each question as indicated, and then add up your total score.
1. Do you feel lethargic soon after eating?
No 0 points
Occasional or mild problems 2 points
Frequent or severe problems 4 points

2. Do you often feel better if you don't eat?
No 0 points
Marginally better 2 points
Much better 4 points

3. Did you have problems such as colic, glue ear, ear infections, eczema, asthma or recurrent tonsillitis as a child?
No 0 points
Yes, occasional problems 3 points
Yes, frequent and/or severe problems 5 points

4. Do you have recurrent, unexplained symptons?
No 0 points
Occasional or mild problems 2 points
Frequent or severe problems 4 points

5. Do you suffer from excess mucus or catarrh formation in the throat, nose or sinuses?
No 0 points
Occasional or mild problems 2 points
Frequent or severe problems 4 points

6. Do you feel particularly drawn to certain foods such as bread or cheese?
No 0 points
Occasionally 2 points
Frequently 4 points

7. Do you have dark circles under your eyes?
No 0 points
Yes 2 points
Frequent or severe problems 4 points

8. Do you suffer from fluid retention? (Tight rings, puffy face or ankles and a weight which fluctuates by two or more pounds
from day to day are classic signs.)
No 0 points
Occasional or mild problems 2 points
Frequent or severe problems 4 points

9. Do you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome?
No 0 points
Occasional or mild problems 1 points
Frequent or severe problems 2 points

10. Do you suffer from eczema, hives (urticaria) or undiagnosed rash?
No 0 points
Occasional or mild problems 2 points
Frequent or severe problems 4 points

Interpreting your score 0-9:food sensitivity is unlikely10-20:food sensitivity should be considered as a possibility and testing is recommended21 and above:food sensitivity is very likely and testing is highly recommendedSo what are the options if you have food sensitivity? Apart from the various tests conducted by allergy clinics a food elimination diet is one of the most common methods practitioners use.

Your 3d Coach
Craig Burton
References
1. The Allergy Fraud, Charlotte Dovey, Daily Mail, March 7th, 2006
2. Nutrition and lifestyle coach manual, Level 2, Chek Institute, 2002
3. www.allergyclinic.co.uk
4. www.netdoctor.co.uk
5. Bodywise, Dr. John Briffa, CIMA books, 2000