Category Archives: ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Tips from fixing the room to finding health remedies in the kitchen.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, SEX & LIFE

Medical Zebra

Medical Zebra

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What have zebras got to do with medical issues, you may be rightfully wondering at this point. It seems like these are two things that operate in very separate spaces; one on the plains of Africa, the other in the deep and dark recesses of your mind. So what’s the link?

It all relates back to a phrase that medical students are taught during their training. For most medical students, they get into their field to be excited, to advance new medical studies, to immerse themselves in scientific breakthroughs. As a result, they are prone to taking a benign set of symptoms and seeing a bizarre, novel cause for them. It’s not through any negligence; but more a manifestation of their desire to be on the ground-breaking, cutting edge of science.

To try and temper this enthusiasm and bring them back down to earth, their professors will ask them to see symptoms as hoofbeats. To put the same problem to you: if you heard the rat-tat of hoofbeats around the corner and turned your head to see what was causing them – what would you expect to see? Horses – or zebra?

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For medical students, learning to realize that 99.9% of the time it will be the more generic, realistic horses is a big part of their training. Sure, maybe one day there would be a zoo outbreak, and it would be zebras careening towards them – but the rest of the time, it’s horses.

It’s a point that is pertinent to laypeople as well as the doctors of the future. We all have a tendency to expect zebra when really we’re just dealing with common or garden horses. That’s not to minimize the impact those horses might have (there’s always a chance of being stampeded by wild horses, of course…), but it is to say: look for the most likely cause first.

It’s something we don’t keep in mind when we suffer a health problem. And it can make things a million times worse.

Stress Is A Killer

There are no specific statistics on the number of people that stress kills every year, but if they were, we’d see it a prevalent serial killer. We know the numbers for those who die of stress-related illnesses, and they make grim reading.

If you are stressed, your immune system is lowered. Your neurological functioning is weaker. Your heart rate and blood pressure are negatively affected.

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So let’s say you have a symptom that you’re concerned about. Something that seems threatening, perhaps pain near ribs or a shortness of breath. You have a vague understanding that these issues are Bad Things, while not being entirely sure of the exact cause.

The moment you notice these problems, you begin to stress about them. You’re expecting zebra, at this point. It’s far too easy – with help from the never-useful Dr. Google – to assume that there is something seriously wrong. You convince yourself that you’ve not just pulled a muscle or any of the other myriad of mild causes for your symptoms – you’re dying. Your mind jumps to the worst case scenario. And thus, your stress begins to creep up.

How This Makes Things Worse

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There’s a very basic way this reaction can make things worse: it can interfere with tests. If you go to see a doctor with those symptoms, they will most likely run a basic blood pressure check. If you’ve been stressing, panic and anxiety eating away at you, then your blood pressure is likely to be high. Not necessarily because of the symptoms you’re experiencing, but because of your reaction to those symptoms. It becomes a false positive, potentially sending medical investigation down entirely the wrong route.

So How Do You Fight Back?

In truth, there is no easy way of dealing with this, no magic fix. Very few of us have active control over our stress response; it’s more something that happens to us rather than something we invite.

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The best way to cope with it is to ask family and friends for their opinion. Do they think it’s a concern? They can answer it without the stress hormone cortisol interfering with their decision-making process. Furthermore, if an issue becomes truly invasive, then seek a medical opinion – don’t just sit on both the symptom and your stress about it in the hopes it will go away. The chances are in your favor; you’re almost certainly just hearing horses – but there’s no harm in making sure.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Cook Up Some Changes! Ideas To Help You Transform Your Kitchen

Cook Up Some Changes! Ideas To Help You Transform Your Kitchen

Make It Practical

The most important factor in any kitchen renovation or redecoration is the practicality of it. Obviously the redecoration itself will be a hellscape of dust and mess, but during the actual design process you need to figure out what exactly you want from your kitchen and how to achieve it. Maybe you want to add more flavour to your cooking – if so, make sure that your spice rack is fully displayed. If you want to get better about recycling, why not add a trash can with multiple sections to make it easier for you? Whatever you want from your kitchen, from extra storage to more surface areas, can be achieved.

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Transfer Your Own Style

Before you make your final designs for your kitchen, take a walk upstairs and open up your closet. Look at what styles you love to wear, and consider how to transfer them to your kitchen. If you love bright colours then why not add an accent wall in your kitchen or crimson and blue tiles? If you’re more into neutrals, go for pale pine or granite surfaces along with white cupboards and storage. Make sure that the décor of your kitchen reflects who you are as an individual, and ensure that you add some art to make it even more beautiful. Finally, don’t forget the plants and greenery! If the rest of your house is filled with succulents and flowers – even if it isn’t! – you should make sure that you add plants to your kitchen. What about a little herb garden on the windowsill?

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Look Online For Inspiration

You don’t have to think of all your ideas yourself. Make sure that you look online at décor blogs and interior designers for some ideas that you would never have thought of yourself. Not all of us know intrinsically how to revamp your kitchen – we need help from the professionals, or at the very least, someone who’s done it already and knows what to do and what to avoid.

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Make It A Family Hub

One of the most important factors about your kitchen to remember is that it’s one of the most important rooms in the house and you need to decide what exactly you want it to be used for. If you have a separate dining room where you like to eat then you might just want a breakfast bar – but many families want a big dining table in the kitchen too, where your kids can do their homework while you cook dinner, and where you can all eat together while you chat and catch up on what happened to each other that day. Make sure that the table is comfortable, that it fits enough people, and that the chairs are easy to sit on for a prolonged period of time. If you have teenagers then you’ll probably know that it can be hard to coax some decent conversation out of them at the best of times, so it’s important to make the circumstances as welcoming as possible!

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, SEX & LIFE

Things Need to Change…

Things Need to Change…

Your home and the space that you live in can have a massive impact on your mood. It could be that you feel sluggish and unmotivated when you walk through the door, or that you go into a total state of relaxation and don’t want to do anything for fear of being snapped out of it. There are certain jobs that you can do around the home to make you feel a bit more fresh, get you moving, and have a long impact. Things that you won’t need to do again for a while, but make all the difference when they’re done.

Clean your blinds and curtains

Most people don’t realise that both curtains and blinds can get as dirty as anything else – after all, they are hung up in your home absorbing everything in the air that they possibly can. Especially in kitchens, you may find that any upholstery has a greasy sheen to it, or is a bit sticky/stiff to the touch due to the fumes that are emitted when cooking. Give them a bit of love and treat them to a wash.

Roller blinds can be hard to manage to get clean, but a simple wipe-over should suffice. Other blinds such as vertical blinds can be taken off and washed individually – a long and laborious task but one that will be worth the effort made when you see what a difference it makes to your room.

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Change your bed, change your mattress

A lot of people know that changing your bedsheets will lift your mood and give you something to look forward to upon your return, but few people know that your mattress is recommended by professionals to be changed at least once every eight years. It’s not an everlasting investment; mattresses change over time just as your body does, and they may not be changing at the same rate or in sync with one another. What started out as the best and most comfortable home for your body to sleep on can eventually turn out to be causing damage and discomfort, as much as you may think that it’s comfortable still to sleep on.

Read reviews on the best one to get for both your needs and your budget at sites such as https://www.mattress-guides.net/top-mattress-back-stomach-side-sleep-position/ – it’s best to see the pros and cons of each product before making your decision.

Go around the skirting of your home

You may not notice what places are getting especially dusty around your home until you’ve actually dusted them and noticed how the room has lifted. Go around the skirting boards and the doorframes of your home – any ledges which may be sticking out are in need of a wipe-down to get them back to how they’re meant to be. It’s strange how much it can do to lift your mood, but living and working in a clear and clean space can create this feeling.

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Wipe on top of your cupboards and wipe them out

Much the same as skirting boards, cupboards are often forgotten and neglected as something that will need a good clean more than once a year. In your kitchen, just as your blinds will have done, cupboards can get grease sticking to them quite easily – but again, just like blinds, it will only need a simple wipe-down if it’s not that bad.

The tops of cupboards are often forgotten, but they will need a clean too! There is so much dirt and dust that can gather on top of them, and once it’s all done you at least know that you don’t have to make such an effort for quite a long time. The sense of achievement out of doing such a mundane task is something that can be focused on for quite a while afterwards.

Go through your drawers and get out clothes

Take out all the clothes that you haven’t ever worn, have no intention of wearing again or that don’t fit you. Hold on to the stuff that you are sentimentally attached to and put to one side – everything else, put into a bag for charity, give away to friends or list for sale.

Not only will it give you the space to go out and buy things that you will want and love, but it will clear out so much unnecessary stuff in your life that could be otherwise holding you back; if you clear out a space in your drawers or wardrobe, you are clearing out a space in your mind.

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Rearrange your wardrobe to make everything fit

After arranging all of your clothes and chucking out those pieces that don’t warrant being in there anymore, rearrange your wardrobe to fit in everything neatly and try and couple up outfits together that you know will work. Organise sections for daytime, evening and office wear; what may take you a bit of time to accomplish now will save you tons of time in the future.

Declutter your life

The last step towards shaking off that sluggish feeling! It’s one thing to declutter your wardrobe, but a whole different level to try and declutter your house. Getting rid of everything that is unnecessary and brings you no joy is a hard thing to do, as we make up theories of when something made us happy and try to cling onto it for as long as possible – it’s part of our human nature.

However, there are some things that you will put to one side and throw away and you will never even notice that they have gone – you may have a faint memory of them in the future when you look back on old photos, but the impact that they are making when they are there is probably non-existent. This can include everything from books that have been read once and are shelved just for show, to ornaments that hold no worth or meaning to you. Decide what needs to go and make the change for the good of yourself and your health.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

BEAUTY, ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Nourish Dry Winter Hands

Nourish Dry Winter Hands

Winter comes and the skin does it’s best to protect itself, but we’ve all been there… painful, dry, cracked hands.

What can we do to nourish them in a way that’s long-lasting?

Using a hand cream can work for a matter of hours to minutes at a time. Replenishing oils is the only way to get down past the first layer of skin. Drinking plenty of water helps keep your skin hydrated. Consuming enough liquids during the day in the winter is just as important as getting your fluids in the warmer months.

If you need to apply something to the skin’s surface, using natural oils is the way to go. Most of us have them right in our kitchen. Lathering hands in coconut or olive oil can bring great benefit when left on the skin for at least ten minutes.

One oil I found to have amazing benefits is Argan Oil. (Greenesthetics.com has a great selection of sizes and prices.) It penetrates down deep, thorough several layers of skin. Here’s the bonus though, it absorbs into the skin so well, I don’t need to rinse my hands after applying.

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You can use all these natural oils on the body, face and hair with fabulous results and ultimate protection from winter damage.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, Responses from Tips, SEX & LIFE

7 Simple Tips for You to Treat Bacterial Vaginosis Effectively

By Guest Blogger, Rose Emma

7 Simple Tips for You to Treat Bacterial Vaginosis Effectively

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Vagina has always been a sensitive and troublesome area for women because a lot of things can go wrong easily and threaten the quality of their sex life as well as the well-being of their happiness. The most common vaginal infection is bacterial vaginosis which is backed up by the fact that 75% women at the age of 15-44 has it at least once in their lifetime.

Bacterial vaginosis happens when harmful bacteria in the vagina outnumbers good ones and gets out of control. It’s a mild infection and in some cases, it disappears on its own without any touch of medicines. But if you find the symptoms, including vaginal discharge, itching, burning sensation when urinating or foul smell, high chance you might get bacterial vaginosis. It’s not hard to combat this conditions, but if you hesitate to get treatment, you will put your health at risk of getting STDs and other severe infections.

Here we provide some of the most effective home treatments for bacterial vaginosis which are all easy to perform at home in order to completely manage the condition.

  1. Yogurt

It is recommended by many gynecologists to support the treatment of bacterial vaginosis with yogurt. Lactobacillus acidophilus – a good type of bacteria in yogurt holds the power to reestablish the pH level in the vagina.  One cup of yogurt in your daily diet also gives your immune system a happy boost, which helps our body fight against bacteria more effectively.

  1. Tea Tree Oil

The powerful antifungal and antibacterial properties make tea tree oil a hero when treating with bacterial vaginosis. It is very effective in killing harmful bacteria and alleviating the symptoms. The strong exotic odor also outweighs the foul smell caused by bacterial vaginosis, making you feel less concerned with the odor of the sensitive area.

How to use:

  • Mix a few drops of tea tree oil in purified water and clean your vagina daily.
  • Another option is to soak in a tub of warm water with a few drops of tea tree oil for 30 minutes.
  1. Fenugreek

Fenugreek is long known to be able to balance the pH level in the vagina as well as the level of hormone in the body. Fenugreek also regulates the menstrual cycle which plays a big role in the natural healing of the vagina. Fenugreek should be consume orally only.

You can add a tablespoon of fenugreek powder to your cup of yogurt. The effect will be doubled.

Or follow many others people who soak the seeds in water and drink the water in the morning before having breakfast.

  1. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil again proves its irreplaceable status in home remedies. It is packed with antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties which are very beneficial in treating bacterial vaginosis if you apply it in the right way.

How to use:

  • Drop coconut oil on a tampon and insert it into your vagina for two hours, rinse well with clean water and pat dry with a towel.
  • Include coconut oil in daily cooking to improve your immune system
  1. Hydrogen Peroxide

This versatile solution can be used to treat bacterial vaginosis effectively. 3% hydrogen peroxide can disinfect and control the development of harmful bacteria. It also helps relieve itchiness and pain caused by bacterial vaginosis.

How to use:

  • Make a solution from water and 3% hydrogen peroxide in the ratio 1:1
  • Cleanse your vagina with this solution 1 or 2 times a day. Remember to gently dry the area with a clean towel.
  1. Good Vaginal Hygiene

It sounds obvious, but it would be a mistake if we rule this out from the list. A good vaginal hygiene plays an important role in control the growth of harmful bacteria. If you don’t keep the area dry and clean, you can turn this area into a favorable nest for harmful bacteria to flourish.

It is also ideal if you can avoid intercourse until the doctor says your vagina are free from bacterial vaginosis to because those activities can bring harmful bacteria deeper in the vagina or transmit to your sex partner.

  1. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar again can amaze us by its ability to treat bacterial vaginosis. Its natural acidic compound restores the pH balance in the vagina and makes it an inhabitable environment for harmful bacteria.

How to apply:

  • Prepare a warm tub of water that is added 3 cups of apple cider vinegar; soak yourself in the tub for 15 minutes.
  • Another good option is to simply wash your vagina with a mixture of ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and water. You will see improvement in no time.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

Author’s bio: This article is written by Rose Emma – Senior Editor of Authority Remedies. She works as a health care expert in the field of Nutrition and Health for over 2 years after trained in Food and Nutrition Dietetics at Bluffton University. With all the experience she accumulates since college, she provides people with useful information about nutrition as well as helps them with their common health problems.