Do you or someone in your family have eczema or another common skin problem? If you look at the ingredients on commercial skin treatments, you may find evening primrose oil listed on the label. This powerful oil has been proven effective for treating rashes, dry skin, eczema, and even acne.

Evening primrose oil is taken orally over the course of the day to treat eczema or atopic dermatitis. It can be given to children and adults. Dosages are generally determined by weight and guidelines are printed on the label.

Another benefit of evening primrose oil is the anti-inflammatory properties in has. If you or someone you know suffers from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, you may want to suggest they supplement their diet with evening primrose oil. Reports show those taking this supplement have decreased inflammation and joint swelling.

Diabetes and diabetic neuropathy are common today due to more and more people developing Type 2 diabetes. Evening primrose oil has been shown to reduce the tingling, numbness, and sensation of loss that diabetics with neuropathy can suffer from. By supplementing the diet, evening primrose may help prevent the nerve damage associated with diabetes. The diabetics you know will thank you for suggesting they take this.

Evening primrose oil has been used for centuries and is a proven remedy for many common ailments.
You’ll find evening primrose at many larger discount stores in the pharmacy section, at pharmacies, and at health food stores. If you can find evening primrose plants, you may even want to learn how to make your own herbal remedies. Now you know about the benefits of evening primrose oil, you might want to get some for yourself.
We recommend this pack due to its high concentration and great value: Source Naturals Evening Primrose Oil, 1350 mg, Softgels, 120 softgels (Pack of 2)

Health care is a major issue in the news these days. Turn on the television and someone is most likely talking about it.

Whether you are fortunate enough to have health insurance or not, you are probably concerned with your health and that of your family. For those looking for alternatives to traditional medicine, you may want to look into the benefits of evening primrose oil.

Evening primrose has been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years among Native American tribes. Medical science has been studying this herb and found that it has healing properties which may be beneficial for a number of illnesses and conditions.

While all parts of the evening primrose plant can be used medicinally, it is the oil from this flowering plant that is most effective. Evening primrose oil is made by gathering the seeds of the plant and pressing them to release the oil. This oil contains gamma linolenic acid (GLA) which is an essential fatty acid.

One of the many uses of evening primrose oil is to counteract the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. This oil contains eight to ten percent GLA which is higher than many plants.

By using evening primrose, many women notice breast pain, bloating, depression, and cramps are reduced each month. Some women have even found the symptoms have disappeared altogether. There are a number of different formulas available. Follow the oral dosing instructions on the package to receive the most benefit from this oil.

Best of all, you can get it in a high concentrate for a not very high price. Comparison shop-we recommend this great value pack from Source Naturals:
Source Naturals Evening Primrose Oil, 1350 mg, Softgels, 120 softgels (Pack of 2)

Garlic may also bolster the immune system as a whole, which could mean garlic could help the body fight off illnesses that modern antibiotics aren’t appropriate for. You can find many supplements on the market which contain garlic. Quite often it’s mixed with Echinacea, which also acts to boost the immune system.

You don’t have to wait until you’re in the throes of a cold or the flu to start taking garlic. In fact, if you start taking garlic pills or eating garlic regularly, before you catch a cold or flu, it may be even more effective by preventing the infection in the first place.

Some research recommends taking large amounts of garlic to reduce recovery time if you get sick, but you may want to discuss doing so with a doctor, since garlic tablets can interfere with some prescriptions, particularly with regard to how they interact in the stomach and are digested.

Eating raw garlic is probably the best way to get the most benefit from it; however, making a tincture of 1/4 pound of peeled and separated garlic in 1/2 quart of brandy might be less offensive to others.

Place the ingredients in a clean glass jar with a lid. Seal the jar tightly and shake the mixture every day for two weeks. After the time is up, strain the jar and put the tincture in a bottle with a dropper. Take 25-30 drops a day to build up immunity.

You can also make a cough syrup out of garlic. Slice a pound of garlic and place it into a glass bowl. Pour one quart of boiling water over it and allow it to sit for 12 hours. Drain the water and add sugar to it until a syrup consistency is obtained. You can also add honey to make it taste better. Use this in place of over-the-counter cough syrups.

While you can get odorless garlic tablets so your breath isn’t offensive, some of the essential ingredients which make garlic beneficial are removed in these. Taking enteric-coated garlic tablets will enable the garlic to remain intact until it reaches the location in the digestive tract where flu bugs, or viruses, reside.

If you’ve wondered how garlic can fight off flu bugs, it does so by having antibacterial, antiviral, and antibiotic properties. Start taking garlic before the cold weather sets in, to build up your immune system. If you do get a cold or the flu, keep taking it. The illness may not stick around as long as if you fight it with garlic.

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The cold and flu season is upon us and many people prefer to use natural methods to fend off germs and stay well. You may have heard about effective natural remedies. One of the suggested remedies is garlic. Can garlic fight off cold and flu bugs to keep you feeling great during the colder months of the year?

Flu, no matter which strain, can be dangerous if your body is already weakened due to other medical conditions or a weakened immune system. However, most people who come down with the flu usually recover within a week or so.

Of course, you know to cover your mouth if you sneeze or cough, wash your hands often, get plenty of fluids, eat a healthy diet, and get plenty of rest when you feel a cold or flu coming on. You can also add garlic to your repertoire of cold and flu season remedies.

Garlic has been used for hundreds of years in herbal medicine because it is a broad spectrum antibiotic. While doctors won’t generally prescribe antibiotics for viruses, garlic is much more than an antibiotic. The compound allicin has powerful antibacterial and antiviral properties which may provide more benefits than fighting off a flu bug.

If you suffer from heartburn you are not alone.  It can turn a relaxing meal into a four-alarm fire inside your body.  For those who are suffering with heartburn, here are fifteen foods that may be safe for you to eat.

What is heartburn?  Another name for heartburn is acid reflux.  Heartburn occurs when acid from the stomach moves backwards from the stomach, up into the esophagus.  When stomach acid comes in contact with such delicate tissue it can cause pain and discomfort.  Left untreated, heartburn can cause problems such as esophageal strictures due to the erosion of the lining there.

No one wants that to happen.  You may take medicine to control your heartburn, but the simplest thing you can do is learn what foods you can and cannot eat.  While most of the foods we will discuss here are on the heartburn-free side, each person is different.  Some foods that may really irritate your stomach and lead to heartburn may not faze someone else.

The way to know more about your heartburn is to find out your triggers.  These are foods, time of day and other situations that trigger heartburn.  Keep a journal of daily meal times and ingredients in foods to chart when heartburn occurs.

In the meantime, here are some foods that you can start with.  Just because you have heartburn doesn’t mean you have to starve or give up good taste.

1. Apples and bananas. T hese fruits do not contain a lot of citric acid.

2. Broccoli. Roughage cleans out your digestive system and contains lots of fiber.

3. Bread. You can eat white or multi-grain, but multi-grain is better for your health.

4. Extra lean red meat Cutting away the fat can keep that food from causing heartburn.

5. Graham crackers. They make a nice healthy snack.

6. Chicken breasts without skin. Lean meat can be cooked with the skin if it is removed prior to eating.

7. Fat-free cheese choices like low-fat cream cheese. Too much fat can get the heartburn going again.

8. Water. It hydrates the body.  If you don’t like water, add a flavoring packet.

9. Low-fat salad dressing. They do not contain the same fat content but will have the same taste yet with fewer calories.

10. Cookies. Many sweets have to be avoided but you can have a few like cookies, licorice and jelly beans.

11. Oatmeal and bran cereals.

12. Pretzels. The salted kinds are okay but avoid flavored ones.

13. Fish. Bake your fish to avoid adding fat.

14. Egg whites. Boil the eggs and discard the yolk.

15. Potato chips or baked potato. Stay away from the greasier form of chips or fried French fries.

Use these fifteen foods as a start for your diet.  Continue to monitor what you eat and when to keep heartburn at bay.