It’s mentioned that Caesars soldiers introduced the stinging nettle into Britain. They grew the nettle alongside the roads of Britain. After walking for miles the soldier’s legs will ache and they would beat each other legs with nettle to soothe the aches in their legs. The roads and the nettle still exist to this day. Culpeper says that the juice of nettle with honey is safe and has medicinal properties that opens the passages and pipes of the lungs.

Today there are many uses for nettle. The extract of nettle mixed with alcohol serves as a stimulating hair tonic. Some rheumatic sufferers use fresh stinging nettle to beat their bare skin to relieve themselves from rheumatic pain. In the form of a juice, it reduces bleeding in the mouth. The juice also relieves painful hemorrhoids, when you take one tablespoon at a time for three times a day. Nettle has also been used topically to treat eczema and other skin rashes. Some of the active ingredients in nettle are histamine, formic acid, 5-hydroxytryptamine, Gallic acid, and Iron. According to the research of Dr. Herrmann and Neumann, after taking a glass of nettle juice the metabolic rate increased for hours. This was very useful when combined with therapies that remove toxins from the blood and for rheumatism.

Nettle juice is also good when combined with iron therapy for anemia. Nettle juice also helps control diarrhea and is a diuretic that helps in the elimination of uric acid. It also helps treat bladder infections and kidney weakness. Nettle juice can also be used for malnutrition. Nettle juice is so powerful or potent and is normally taken in small amounts at a time. When picking nettle, the part of the plant you want to pick is the top leaves. You may wear gloves when picking nettle.

Top photo credit: Nettle by Sir_Iwan

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In text photo credit: Nettle by Lord Manley

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When we look under a microscope at bacteria, we see that they are living things with one cell. They can have the appearance of balls or spirals. Bacteria are microscopic and some bacteria help to digest food, give the body needed vitamins, and destroy cells that cause disease. However there are infectious bacteria that can cause sickness. Many of the infectious bacteria release toxins that can harm tissue.
Viral infections are different from bacterial infections. Viruses are not living organisms like bacteria are. Viruses require a living host like people, animals, and some plants to grow or multiply. When a virus enters the human body it invades and take over the cell functioning. Viruses spread directly from person to person such as the flu and common cold.

Bacteria have one cell and are microorganisms that can grow on surfaces that are nonliving and reproduce by dividing. When infectious bacteria invade the body it can cause illness because of the toxins that can harm the cells they enter. These bacterial infections can be contagious, such as tuberculosis.
Antibacterial antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections such as Amoxicillin, which is a penicillin type antibiotic that is used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections. Antibacterial antibiotics stops the growth of bacteria from multiplying and growing. It prevents the cell of the bacteria from forming a wall around them.

The common uses of Amoxicillin are for the infections of the throat, pneumonia, tonsils, urinary tract, larynx, bronchitis, skin, gonorrhea, and middle ear. Amoxicillin oral can treat bacteria anthrax, typhoid fever, and intestine or stomach infection caused by anthrax. This may not stop the bacteria, but can stop it from growing or multiplying. Amoxicillin stops developing bacteria from forming the walls that surrounds them. The walls that surrounds bacteria keeps the bacteria cell contents together and protects bacteria from the environment their in. Side effects of Amoxicillin include heartburn, diarrhea, dizziness, itching, insomnia, vomiting, stomach pain, nausea, and etc. Amoxicillin can come in different forms including chewable tablets, liquid, capsules, and pediatric drops.

Top photo credit: Amoxicillin Close Up by rltherichman

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In text photo credit: Typhoid bacteria (Salmonella typhi) by Sanofi Pasteur

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In addition to enhancing your smile, straightening your teeth can also assist you in decreasing your risk for developing serious illnesses. According to Dr. Jacqueline Fulop-Goodling, an Orthodontics, crooked, unevenly spaced, and crowded teeth are more difficult to clean and tend to store more food and bacteria than straight teeth. The food and bacteria increases plaque and bacteria which can lead to tooth decay and periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection of the gums, periodontal ligament, and bone that can enter the blood stream, come in contact with major organs and cause complications.

Gum disease can cause the development of heart disease according to the American academy of periodontology. Gum disease can also contribute to premature birth and low birth weight, increase the risk of stroke, and is a serious threat to people who health is already at risk due to such things as respiratory diseases, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Straightened or properly aligned teeth can help keep tarter and plaque from building up. Tarter and plaque are causes of gum disease. Straight teeth make it easier for you to brush and floss and help gums have a tighter fit around the teeth. Therefore straighter teeth cause better gum health.

Today we have more advanced technology than we did before. This advanced technology makes it easier to straighten teeth and makes doing so less noticeable than previous times. For example, invisalign is a well-known technique that straightens teeth utilizing a series of clear custom made and removable aligners. Research has shown that invisalign can improve gum health more so than other teeth straightening techniques, because there are no wires or brackets to be concerned about and users of invisalign can take out the invisalign braces very easily on their own before and after meals to brush and floss their teeth. Invisalign can be taken out any time, but you have to keep them on your teeth for a certain amount of time each day for it to work and be effective. Other health benefits from straightening the teeth are improved speech and chewing and less strain on supporting bone and jaw joints.

 

Top photo credit: Invisalign first tray by haleyhughes

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In text photo credit: 168/365 by Xelcise

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Psoriasis is a skin disease that has white scales on lesions that shows up on the skin. It weakens the skin and joints. Psoriasis is described as red, silvery, thick and scaled patches or lesions on the skin. It is a chronic disease that affects the skin and sometimes the nails with yellowish spots, white color pits, ridges on the nails, and nail edge thickness. Psoriasis can be irritating and itchy and can appear all over the body. It appears mainly on the arms, legs, elbows, knees, chest, and buttocks. It can also affect the underarms, skin behind the ears, and genital areas. It rarely appears on the scalp and face.

Dry skin is one of the causes of psoriasis. If you have psoriasis you will find irritations or lesions with bright silvery colored scales. The lesions come in different sizes on the skin and are always dry and rarely become infected. Psoriasis is a defect in the skin mechanism in which the skin grows and replaces itself. The defect is caused by the metabolism of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for reproducing cell tissues. The development of psoriasis can be due to heredity which is a huge role or factor. Some factors that may cause an outbreak are emotional and physical stress, diet, and certain medications.
To calm psoriasis down you should eat an appropriate diet and avoid spicy foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Also eating curd and boiled bitter gourds can be very helpful. Experts recommend omega-3, fatty acids, beta-carotene, zinc, and folate to reduce psoriasis. Pectin, guar gum, and psyllium which are soluble fiber are helpful for binding toxins. You should also consume flaxseed oils, and folic acids. Folic acids can be found in spinach, beets, turkey, peas and oranges. Also eat omega-3 which can be found in fish such as trout, salmon, tuna, sardines, and herring.
There are some homeopathic remedies for psoriasis too that can be very effective. You can try or research more about sulphur, mezereum, sepia, and graphites just to name a few. Before trying any of the items mentioned above make sure you do your research on correct dosage, side effects, and etc. You can even try essential oils such as jojoba oil, almond oil, avocado oil, vitamin E, and buttermilk to reduce psoriasis. Visit your dermatologist or doctor, try remedies, and research more for more healthy skin.

Photo credit: is what it is. by Mysi Ann

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Adding flax seeds to your diet comes with many health benefits. They are very healthy for the body. It can assist in decreasing your risk of developing cancer, arthritis, and heart disease. It can also serve as a natural laxative. It will be a great idea to add flax seeds to your diet.

There are different ways you can consume flax seeds. You can consume them from flax seed oil, raw flax seeds, flax seed supplements, and consuming foods that contain flax seeds. The best way to consume flax seeds is to eat them raw. Raw flax seeds have the best nutrients because they have not been processed. A lot of people grind flax seeds up and add it to their dishes such as salad, oatmeal, cereal, salad, desserts, and etc. Many people state that flax seeds add a nutty flavor to dishes such as pancakes and cookies. Remember that the minute you start cooking flax seeds some of the nutritional value along with essential omega 3 fatty acids will be lost. When making muesli, flax seed is a good choice over oils you normally use for muesli. You can utilize flax seed in many recipes or eat a tablespoon of flax seeds a day.

Many people eat liquid supplements or capsules daily to add essential omega 3 fatty acids to their diet.
Some things to take note on is that flax seeds can go bad fast so do not buy too much flax seeds at one time. They should be stored in a dark, dry, and cool area inside the refrigerator or freezer. Eat flax seeds within a few days of grinding them. If you have a reaction or allergy from eating flax seeds you should talk to your health care provider. Many wonderful health benefits are offered by the essential omega 3 fatty acids, mucilage, and lignin in flax seeds. Consuming flax seeds in different forms including raw, oils, and supplements can boost your health.

 

Top photo credit: Brown Flax Seeds by HealthAliciousNess
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In text photo credit: tablespoon of flax seeds – _MG_8879 by sean dreilinger
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Honey is a wonderful alternative to refined sugar when cooking desserts or sweets. Honey is considered healthy, while refined sugar is not. Honey is slowly metabolized by the body compared to sugar. Although honey is healthy it can be a little challenging to cook with. Many people don’t know how to cook with honey. Once you learn how to cook with honey it becomes easy to cook with.

One challenge of cooking with honey is that it burns easier than regular sugar. This challenge is usually solved when you bake or cook with honey at a lower temperature. Another main challenge when cooking with honey is that it’s liquid. Using honey can mess up some dishes if you don’t adjust the recipe for the liquid honey adds. You can make most easy quick breads, yeast breads, muffins, and etc. with honey without having to make adjustments. You should decrease the amount of liquids in recipes for cookies, cakes, and etc. to account for some of the honey. Honey is easy to add to pies because they are already somewhat liquidly. You can replace the sugar with honey into your pie and if the pie filling seems too runny, just add thickener before adding it to your pie shell or crust.

Sometimes when cooking with honey, the flavor can be a problem. If you don’t want the flavor of honey to be dominant, then there are some things you can try. Use honey that has a very mild flavor, this can be a very pale clover honey. Generally the more pale the honey is then the milder the flavor and the sweeter it is. If you want, you can try using part honey with other sweetening ingredients such as stevia, agave nectar, apple juice concentrate and even sugar if you want.

Top photo credit: Honey pot with some honey by MyTudut
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In text photo credit: butternut squash pie sweetened with honey. not a huge hit by cafemama
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