Tuesday 26 June 2012

How To Relieve Menopause Symptoms - Getting A Handle On It



It's no big secret to most women that they will some day have to face the effects of menopause. This may not be a big deal to some, but to others it can be a devastating change in life that takes its toll in many different ways. Common symptoms include a decreased or absent libido, night sweats, and hot flashes. They may not sound all that bad, but to any woman who has gone through them, they can put a lot of extra stress on the body throughout the course of the day.

Not being able to sleep well at night, as the result of the symptoms of menopause, and being expected to live your life normally can have a cumulative negative effect on your health; physically and mentally. While it may not always be easy to find relief from the symptoms of menopause, it's possible. The key is to take the right steps to reduce the harmful effects and pain that menopause can have on your system. It comes down to finding the remedies that work best for you. Not all methods will work the same for everybody, so you may need to try several things before finding something that works for you.

Keep in mind that there are many choices out there to ease the effects of menopause, and there are even certain vitamins that may help. A lot of doctors simply will not prescribe hormone replacements to patients who could potentially benefit from them, due to the risk of dangerous side effects. While hormone replacement therapy has been shown to dramatically improve the symptoms of menopause, it has also been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer, and this has been shown in more than one study. That's one reason why a lot of doctors will suggest alternatives such as natural menopause remedies for some of their patients. Again, how effective they are will vary from woman to woman, but they are definitely worth trying if they will bring relief.

To be fair, anybody experiencing constant irritability, mood swings and hot flashes would be willing to try just about anything to ease their symptoms. One herbal remedy that a lot of women have found success with is black cohosh. While a common vitamin cure for hot flashes is vitamin E, which you can take in supplement form, or try to increase in your diet.

Another thing that helps to ease menopause symptoms is to have good overall health. In fact, before taking anything else, you should take a look at how healthy you are. While it may not be much of a consolation, women have handled menopause forever, without the need for prescriptions or special remedies. Either way, you should know that it may take some trial and error to find the best solution for you, but that relief is entirely possible if you stick with it.

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Tuesday 12 June 2012

Home Remedies To Assist With Ear Pain



Earaches can be quite severe and excruciating and when one occurs you will usually go straight to a doctor to get some help to clear it up as soon as possible.  The problem with earaches is that they often occur at night and as such it isn't that easy to see a doctor in the middle of the night.  When an earache occurs at a time that is difficult to get an appointment with a doctor, it is helpful if you know some home remedies that can help you in the meantime.  Also, if you are susceptible to earaches and suffer from them frequently, it can be handy to know some remedies that may help with the pain.

Some home remedies can be made with ingredients that you already have in the home.  Remember though that everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for another, so if one remedy doesn't work then you might want to try another one.  Once you find one that works well for you then you will have that tool at your disposal whenever you need to use it.

Home remedies for earaches are all natural too which can often be better than using synthetic medications, although with severe ear infections you should consult a doctor and receive proper treatment.  Home remedies will also save you money compared to prescription medications, so for a mild ear infection it is definitely beneficial to use your own home remedies.

A common cause of ear infections is fungus - sounds terrible I know but unfortunately we can have fungus growing in our ears which can cause a lot of pain.  A mixture of 50% water and 50% vinegar is a great solution to get rid of fungus.  Combine the water and vinegar and apply a few drops into the infected ear, let it sit in the ear for a few minutes then gently rinse with warm water.  This mixture is more effective if you use it at the first sign of earache.  In a severe case of ear infection this might not have as much effect.

A warm compress can also help ease the pain of earache.  A warm compress works by stimulating the draining of any pus building in the ear which will then relieve pressure on the ear drum.  The warmth of the compress can also help to give some pain relief.  You can use a warm wheat bag or if you don't have one, put some rice in a sock, tie the end so it can't spill out and warm it up in the microwave for about one minute.

Lemon juice is also a very effective home remedy for ear aches.  The bacteria that causes an ear infection are base pH.  Lemons have an acidic pH so if you put a few drops of lemon juice into the sore ear it neutralizes the base, changing the pH so that the bacteria can no longer thrive.  It usually only takes a few drops of lemon juice for the effects to take place.

One last home remedy is Hydrogen Peroxide which is often found in the medicine cabinet in most homes and is generally used for cleaning wounds to kill any germs.  A few drops into an infected ear will help to kill any germs within the ear and it also helps to flush the ear canal helping to relieve the pain.

These are some very effective home remedies for treating earaches but you really should consult with a doctor if the pain persists or is severe.  If you have a severe ear infection then you will need something stronger than these home remedies. Read More..