Can Vitamin C Lower Blood Pressure?

Yes, in high doses, according to a new study. Findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were that Vitamin C can cause a moderate decrease in blood pressure. It's the dosage that is important since someone would need take 500 milligrams per day for eight weeks to see the positive effect.

While that is higher than the National Institutes of Health's recommended daily intake for adults of 90 mg per day for men and 75mg for women, it's below Dr. Weil recommendation. He suggest taking 250 mg of vitamin C each day, or higher doses - greater than 1,000 mg per day – for additional protection against the oxidative effects of air pollution and smoke. (Many of us take that amount as a maintenance dosage.) The reason Vitamin C is effective is that it is able to maintain or protect the body's levels of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide's function is specifically to help maintain healthy blood pressure.

Other research has shown that Vitamin C is a diuretic and therefore it can help rid the body of excess sodium and water which can lower blood pressure. Other natural remedies for lower blood pressure ( per Dr. Weil) include:
--Eat 8 to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
--Limit animal protein to 6 oz per day, emphasizing lean sources.
--Say no to salt. Those with salt sensitivity or a family history or hypertension may benefit from reducing salt to about one teaspoon a day (2,400 mg).
 --Use garlic, which has a modest effect on lowering blood pressure and may help relax blood vessels. Consume 4 to 5 servings of nuts, seeds and dry beans per week (2 Tbsp nuts or seeds, or 1/2 cup cooked dried beans).
 --Eat plenty of fish. Include at least three servings of fish a week, emphasizing cold-water fish like wild Alaskan salmon and sardines, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Take fish-oil supplements if you cannot get enough omega-3-rich foods.
 --Take calcium and magnesium. Inadequate intake of both of these minerals has been associated with high blood pressure. Women should get between 1,000 and 1,200 mg of calcium a day from all sources, while men may want to get no more than 500-600 mg daily from all sources.

Results Are In -- Zinc Helps Relieve Colds

Even though every friend you have has already told you that if you take zinc it will lessen the duration and effects of the cold, it's still nice to see studies that prove it.

In Dr. Sanjay Gupta's blog he reports that when researches went through all of the studies on zinc they concluded that " healthy adults and children who took zinc syrup, lozenges, or tablets within 24 hours of their first cough or sniffle experienced shorter and less severe colds than the participants who took a zinc-free placebo. Taking zinc reduced the odds that a person would still be experiencing symptoms at the seven-day mark by more than half."

Where do you find zinc? There are lozenges and syrups or you can find it foods -- nuts, seeds, meats, fruits and vegetables.

Salt Water Remedies for Colds

While it sounds too easy to be true it is. Salt water can be a powerful way to relieve cold symptoms. An article on WebMD, explains how to create a salt-water solution that can sprayed in the nasal passage or used in gargling.


For nasal congestion, salt-water rinsing helps break up congestion while also removing virus particles and bacteria from your nose.

Here's how to do make up a batch:

Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of warm water. Fill a bulb syringe with this mixture (or use a Neti pot, available at most health foods stores). Lean your head over a basin, and using the bulb syringe, gently squirt the salt water into your nose. Hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while squirting the salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain. Repeat two to three times, and then treat the other nostril.

And to relive a sore throat that often preceds a cold, you can use a half teaspoon of salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water four times daily.

Gargling with Saltwater

I'm sure all of us at one time or another got this advice from grandparents and aunts explaining that gargling with saltwater could help clear up a sore throat.

I remember doing this as a child but somehow in the middle of drinking all of my teas I forgot about this.

A recent article in The New York Times, cited a study reported in The American Journal of Preventative Medicine that a group of people who gargled up to three times a day saw a 40% decrease in upper respiratory tract infections compared with the control group.

Are you convinced? Use a half a teaspoon of salt in a full glass of warm water and gargle the solution for a few seconds before spitting it out.

Why is Sleeping so Healthy?

Just the other day I was taking a walk down by the lake at lunchtime with a colleague and she asked me why it was healthy to get a good night's sleep.

Suffice it to say sleep was eluding her.

While I explained it keeps your body in balance and thus creates a stronger immune system that is better able to fight out whatever is going around, it actually helps with more than that.

In a recent article on CNN about healthy habits, Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of the New York University-Langone Women's Heart Program is quoted as saying that, "lack of sleep has also been associated with hypertension, glucose intolerance, and belly fat -- all risk factors for heart disease."


The Washington Post ran an article a few years back pointing out that several reports from the Harvard-run Nurses' Health Study found that insufficient or irregular sleep was linked to a higher risk for colon cancer and breast cancer. The theory is that sleep disruption affects crucial hormones and proteins that play roles in these diseases.

If you seem to have trouble getting to sleep here's a home remedy that has worked for my children. I add essential lavender oil to a cotton ball and then apply it to a stuffed animal. You can apply to a sheet or even place in a saucer by your bed.

Home Remedies for Skin Care

I always remember saying that when I get to a certain age I will focus on my skin. Seems I'm at that age. Not wanting to use chemicals to preserve what nature gave me, I found a few home remedies for natural skin care.

These are anecdotes I've found on the web so take them with a grain of salt.

For skin blemishes:
-- Exfoliate using oatmeal. Mix with water and scrub on skin. Will remove dead skin
-- Toothpaste with baking soda to clear up skin. (I know people who do this and it works.)
-- For pimples -- mix ground nutmeg with milk and boil. Cool and apply to area letting it dry overnight.
-- For spots -- Peel tomato and potato and cut into small pieces and boil. Strain liquid. Apply to face for 20 min. Use once weekly


Facial Mask: Combine honey and oatmeal. Leave on for 10 min.

Moisturizer: Use a small amount of sweet almond oil

A Bath Makes Me Happy

While that might make me sound like a very simple soul, it's true. There is something about lying in the water, especially when you add a few drops of lavender oil, that causes you think that hope is still alive.

It seems that my belief in the healing power of baths are not a figment of my imagination. A study reported in Complementary Therapies in Medicine, found that people who take daily baths with lavender oil may experience improved mood, reduced aggression, and a more positive outlook.

To read more about the study click here.

Studies on lavender have found that this essential oil may be beneficial in a variety of conditions, including insomnia, alopecia (hair loss), anxiety, stress, postoperative pain, and as an antibacterial and antiviral agent, according to an article on the University of Maryland's Medical Center site.

Natural Ways to Reduce Fever

From Prevention Magazine, Eric Yarnell, ND suggests sipping linen flower tea.

This tea stimulates the hypothalamus to better control the temperature, and it dilates blood vessels, inducing sweating according to Yarnell.

Here's how to make it. Steep 1 tablespoon of dried herb (available in health food stores) in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes, then sip. Drink three to four cups a day.

For a high fever (above 102 degrees), take a tepid bath, which simply cools the body to match the water temperature. Bathe until your temperature decreases to 101 to 102 degrees, then sip linden flower tea to lower it even more.

There is also the homeopathic way to treat fever using Belladonna. You can get this at most drug stores now.

For more information about the use of homeopathy visit the National Institute of Health division called the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Click here http://nccam.nih.gov/health/homeopathy/ This is a great resource of studies done on a variety of natural modalities.

Keeping the Flu at Bay With Onions

I have heard of this a number of times when I have given lectures and people come up to me and tell me things that their grandparents used to do.

One that keeps coming up is the use of onions to ward off a cold or the flu. To prevent a cold you place a small onion in a new white cotton sock and kept it on overnight. Reports are that in the morning the sock was black having absorbed the bacteria. A friend of mine told me his grandparents used to do this.

Another anecdote is that by placing an unpeeled onion in a dish in a room where people had been sick the onion attracted the bacteria and kept it away from the other family members.

A shopkeeper placed bowls of onions around her shop to keep her staff healthy.

A friend of mine puts garlic in her socks when she feels like she is coming down with a cold. ( I put my garlic in chicken soup and eat it daily during cold season.)

So it's certainly worth a try.

Home Remedies for Nasal Congestion

I'm always amazed, and I don't know why, when I see home remedies that I have used with my family for years, show up on popular websites. On MSNBC, they suggested putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the floor of a hot, running shower and inhaling the steam that accumulates.
(Source: Benjamin Kligler, M.D., M.P.H., research director at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City. Isn't it funny to have to have a source for that?)

A few words about using eucalyptus to ease congestion. I do this all of the time and I will place a few drops on a cotton ball and have my kids breathe it in. Or they can set the cotton ball next to their pillow and inhale throughout the night. You have to be careful not to touch the oil. We have used satchels that contain eucalyptus and place that next to the pillow as well.

My personal favorite is to add eucalptus and perhaps other essential oils to a bowl of hot water and put a towel around my head forming a tent. And then inhale. It's very powerful and the hot water is great for the skin as well.

Many people use neti pots to ease congestion as well. To learn how to use this see Dr. Mehmet Oz's suggestions.

From Web MD come these two suggestions:

Use a Salve Under Your Nose

A small dab of mentholated salve under your nose can open breathing passages and help soothe the irritated skin at the base of the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus and camphor all have mild numbing ingredients that may help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw.

Apply Hot or Cold Packs Around Your Congested Sinuses

Either temperature may help you feel more comfortable. You can buy reusable hot or cold packs at a drugstore. Or make your own. Take a damp washcloth and heat it for 55 seconds in a microwave (test the temperature first to make sure it's right for you.) Or take a small bag of frozen peas to use as a cold pack.

Sweat Away A Cold?

A Sauna or steam bath might just be the route to go to prevent cold or flu viruses. A 1989 German study found that people who used a sauna got half as many colds as those who didn't. One theory is that when you inhale air that is hotter than 80 degrees, it's too hot for the cold and flu viruses to survive.

Dr. Andrew Weil, also believes a sauna is a great way to sweat out the toxins and also improve general circulation. He cites a Finnish belief that says a sauna can produce a quart of sweat per hour.

People who have high blood pressure or heart disease should check with a physician before using a sauna.

A Simple Fast Could Help Your Heart

In a recent article on AOL, a study reports that fasting for one day a month could help alleviate some heart problems. The study, based in Utah, found that people who skipped meals once a month were about 40% less likely to be diagnosed with clogged arteries than those who did not regularly fast.

The regular fast that was studied was based on the Mormon tradition of fasting the first Sunday of each month. The researches believe that the fast forces the body to dip into fat reserves to burn calories. The fast also gives the body a break from being constantly exposed to sugar and having to make insulin to metabolize it.

For many years the holistic tradition suggests fasting as a way to cleanse the body.
In her book, Holistic Living Guide and Journal : 180 Days of Healthy Living, Stephanie Richards, ND recommends a fast of 1-3. After preparing the body for a few days before she suggest drinking only the following during the fast:
- Purified water
- Organic green tea
- Diluted (50/50) organic fruit and vegetable juices ( no orange or tomato)
- Vegetable broth- 3 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 2 beets, 2 heads of cabbage, 1/4 clove garlic, onion and turnip
- Dandelion tea ( detox herb)
- Milk thistle herb ( a good detox herb)

Her site has a variety of information and useful tools as well.

Natural Remedies To Have In Your Medicine Cabinet

I have always found it interesting to hear that doctors keep a variety of natural remedies in their homes. A recent article from Bottom Line Personal (Oct. 15, 2007 issue) had an article about what a pharmacist kept in her medicine cabinet.

Here are some:

Tea Tree Oil - This can be used instead of an antibiotic ointment for cuts or burns. She also uses it diluted to gargle to kill germs that cause sore throats. But don't swallow after you gargle. I have found that in a face wash it's great at getting rid of acne.

Ginger - Suzy Cohen, Rph, the pharmacist, quoted a study that said that people who took ginger for nausea caused by motion sickness did better than when they took the drug, Dramamine. I have used it for years. I take it before I drive on long trips and even sometimes when I get dizzy from staring at my computer all day. In Canada they sell it in little pill forms that look like regular drugs and those work. I usually just use the the herb pill form.

Rhodiola Rosea - This can be used for stress, although my Dad uses this to give him energy. It's made from the root of a Siberian plant and can normalize levels of brain chemicals that affect mood. It also enhances serotonin which increases feelings of well-being.

Arnica Cream - This is the weekend warrior's best friend. It can ease sore muscles and any pain that comes from trying to do much too soon. I use it for back pain and neck aches as well. It works fast. The cream form is best but I have used in it a homeopathic pill when I smashed my toe into a door and it worked quickly as well. ( I'm not the best at walking in high heels!)

Chicken Soup To The Rescue Again

Never thought I'd get such good advice from the Wall Street Journal when it comes to health but on Oct. 2 the headline read Cough Drugs For Kids Spark Concern: ... Some Doctors Advise Traditional Treatments. And one of the treatments was the ever popular, generations- strong remedy -- Chicken Soup!

Other home remedies include humidifiers, steam baths, saline drops in the nose and hydrating fluids.

The serious part of all of this is the harmful and even fatal effect of some of the ingredients in cough syrup especially for children under 2 years of age. The article quoted FDA figures of 54 deaths in children related to decongestants containing pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine and ephedrine from 1969 to 2006 and 69 deaths linked to antihistamines with diphenhydramine, brompheniramine and chlorpheniramine. Most of these deaths were in children under the age of 2.

A Healthier Generation

It turns out that all of my talking and education has had an effect and I have lived to see it! Since he was 4 years old I have been treating my son with vitamins, herbs and home remedies. It fact, it was due to a bout with bronchitis when he was 4 that I begin looking into and adopting holistic methods for him and my family.

Now he's going off to college next week and as we were gathering his things together he said to me to make sure that he has all of his vitamins as he needs to take them to college! I had him repeat his request just to make sure I had heard it right.

As he's 18 and it's his choice now and not mine, I'm so glad that he sees that these methods work and he wants to continue with them. My hope is that he will pass this along to the family he has one day and each generation will benefit from natural health.

Small Healthy Accomplishments-- A Natural Stress Reliever

If you are like me you stress out about not taking more actions to become healthier. Well I found out last week that you if you take a little step the rewards are much greater than the effort required.

I decided to change my eating habits in an effort to finally get those few extra pounds off. I started with trying to drink more water. It's an easy step and you can do it in one day -- 8 glasses. The side effect is that you feel so full that you don't want to eat much. I found my sweet cravings begin to dissipate. So I took advantage of that to eat healthier foods and less food in general.

Why not increase exercise while I'm at it? I added that harder Pilates tape and hit my community Rec center more often.

And I got an unexpected result. I feel peaceful. It might be the fact that I have accomplished a little towards my goal of losing weight. It might also be because I am actively doing something and not getting upset with myself for putting it off. But I suspect the real reason is that the exercise brings out the "happy hormones" and melts away the stress.

I am just so amazed that such a minor accomplishment can make me feel so good!

Humming Your Way To Sinus Health

I'm always amazed when I hear natural health techniques on a regular radio station. Driving into work this morning, I was listening to the WAVE station in my market and in between songs the announcer says that humming along to a song can actually help you alleviate some symptoms of allergies since the increased air that comes from humming can open up your nasal passage way, thus easing congestion.

An article called Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity on Yahoo Health explains.
"Studies have shown that humming improves the output of nitric oxide, an indicator of effective sinus function. Additionally, humming is similar to the traditional practice of chanting, by which sound waves draw out positive responses from your body and spirit. For improved airflow and an improved mood, humming is one healthy habit."

Funny the guy on the radio never mentioned that this is similar to chanting!

Remedies For Joint Pain

With spring finally here, if you are like me you are exercising like crazy. Determined to shed those few pounds that crept in over the winter, I'm exercising at my local Rec daily, doing tapes at home and during my lunch hour at work I walk. Of course my legs are a little confused by all of this action and are complaining.

For immediate pain I use arnica -- a cream that is homeopathic. It has no odor and works very quickly, just rub in on. Next I hop in a tub filled with Epsom salts. This old-time remedy really works. But I also add some drops of lavender oil to relax my body as well.

Another remedy I just heard of comes from the newsletter Bottom Line -- cabbage leaves. Seems the leaves contain anti-inflammatory compounds. It works for arthritic joints as well to reduce pain and swelling.

Here's how to apply it: Use a knife handle to bruise one or 2 larger, outer dark-green leaves from a head of green cabbage. Then warm the leaves in a steamer or oven. Wrap them around the sore joint, cover with a towel and leave in place for 15 minutes.

An Internal Spring Cleaning

OK, so you clean your house for spring, or the holidays. Then you clean your yard. What about a spring cleaning for your internal body?

Although this is certainly a delicate subject and I don't exactly feel comfortable talking about it, I must. There is a wonderful, easy-to-make drink that really does a good job of -- let's just call it -- internal spring cleaning.

Originally I got the recipe from a radio talk show host but I have seen various versions on other health sites.

To one glass of filtered water add 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon. Add one tablespoon of organic maple syrup. Then shake in some cayenne pepper. Take as much as you can stomach on the cayenne pepper. Start with a little then increase.

Try it. I'll say no more.

Color Yourself Healthy

Is there a reason that carrying around a red purse gives you energy? Or is it just nice to be fashionable? Turns out that colors do affect how we feel. Some people feel the affects by wearing the colors others use a chakra-light oil.

Eastern philosophies explain that our bodies are arranged in 7 chakras or energy systems and each is associated with a color.

An article in First magazine ( June 26, 2006) analyzed the colors:

Red - when the color red is placed on the root chakra (which is located in the pelvic region) it restores energy

Orange - can eliminate feeling of doubt. Place the oil in the sacral chakra (located near the belly button)

Yellow- clears out your thoughts when placed on the solar plexus chakra (this is located between the navel and base of the sternum)

Green - creates positive feels of love, understanding, peace and harmony when placed on the heart chakra (located at the center of the chest)

Blue - relaxes the nervous system. Oil can be applied on the throat chakra (located at the center of the neck)

Indigo - increases intuition when placed on the third eye chakra (located in the middle of the forehead)

Violet- activates spiritual energies and inner strength at the crown chakra (located on top of the head)