Migraines are a relatively common disorder, affecting about 10 percent of the population. An estimated 8.7 percent of females and 2.6 percent of males in the United States suffer from migraines.
They may occur anywhere from once a week to once or twice a year, and they often run in families.
One factor behind the higher incidence of migraine in women may be fluctuations in the level of the hormone estrogen; women typically get migraines around the time of menstruation, when estrogen levels are low.
A migraine is a vascular headache that involves the excessive dilation or contraction of the brain’s blood vessels.
There are two types of migraine, common and classic. The common migraine occurs slowly, producing a throbbing pain that may last for two to seventy-two hours. The pain is severe and is often centered at the temple or behind one ear. Alternatively, it can begin at the back of the head and spread to one entire side of the head ( the word “migraine” comes from the Greek (hemikrania). which means “half a skull”). It is usually accompanied by:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Tingling and numbness in the limbs that can last up to eighteen hours
A classic migraine is similar to a common migraine, but it is preceded by a set of symptoms referred to as a aura, which can consist of:
- Speech disorders
- Weakness
- Disturbances in the senses of vision and or smell
An aura can also consist of:
- Brilliant stars
- Sparks
- Flashes
- Simple geometric forms passing across the visual field
The most common symptom is an inability to see clearly. Visual disturbances may last only a few seconds or may persist for hours, then disappear.
Migraines occur most often in people between the ages of 20 and 35, and tend to decline with age. However, children too can suffer from migraines. In children, migraine pain tends to be more diffuse, rather than localized. Migraine can first show up in childhood not as headaches, but as:
- Colic
- Periodic abdominal pains
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Severe motion sickness
Any number of things can trigger a migraine in a susceptible individual, including:
- Allergies
- Constipation
- Stress
- Liver malfunction
- Too much or too little sleep
- Emotional changes
- Hormonal changes
- Sun glare
- Flashing lights
- Lack of exercise
- Changes in barometric pressure
Dental problems may also be a factor. Low blood sugar is frequently associated with migraine; studies have shown that blood sugar levels are low during a migraine attack, and the lower the blood sugar level, the more severe the headache.
Smoking can cause an attack because the nicotine and carbon monoxide cigarette smoke contains affects the blood vessels. The nicotine constricts them while the carbon monoxide tends to expand them.
Many different foods may precipitate an attack. Some of the most common offenders are:
- Chocolate
- Citrus fruits
- Alcohol (especially red wine)
- Any food that is aged, cured, pickled, soured, yeasty, or fermented
If you suffer from migraines, it would be best to omit from your diet foods that contain the amino acid tyramine, including:
- Aged meats
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Beer
- Cabbage
- Canned fish
- Dairy products
- Eggplant
- Hard cheeses
- Potatoes
- Raspberries
- Red plums
- Tomatoes
- Wine
- Yeast
Also avoid:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Aspirin
- Chocolate
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Nitrites (preservatives found in hot dogs and luncheon meats)
- Spicy foods
Women who suffer from migraines may benefit from the use of natural progesterone cream.
A study on the herb fever few found that participants who took the herb got an average of 24 percent fewer migraines than those who did not, and also that vomiting was reduced, with no side effects.
I suggest this product if you suffer from migraines
Breastfeeding, or lactation, is the natural way in which the mother of a newborn can feed her child instead of relying on cow’s milk or artificial formula preparations. A woman’s breasts are ideally suited for the task of feeding a baby, and nursing provides many wonderful benefits for both the mom and the baby that bottles and formulas just can’t!
Mother’s milk is:
- Much easier to digest
- Prevents constipation
- Lowers the incidence of food allergies
- Protects the baby from many infectious diseases
Nursing also:
- Promotes healthy oral development
- Satisfies suckling needs
- Enhances bonding and skin to skin contact between mom and baby
Breastfeeding is beneficial to the mother in that:
- Reduces the chance of hemorrhaging from the placental site
- gives the mother an opportunity to rest ( for a while at least)
- Encourages the uterus to contract, returning it to its pre -pregnant size
Breast milk contains high amounts of inositol, a B vitamin that plays a crucial role in survival and infant development.
In breastfeeding, as with anything else that is new and unfamiliar, problems may occur. The important thing to remember is not to give up. This is a very wonderful time in a mom and baby’s life, it passes very quickly, but will always be in your heart.
ENGORGEMENT
This is a temporary problem that most commonly occurs between 2-5 days after childbirth. It is caused by a combination of the increased blood supply to the breast and the pressure of the newly produced milk, resulting in the swelling of the tissues in the breast. A low-grade fever may be present; the breasts feel full, hard, tender, and tight; and the skin of the breasts is hot, shiny, and distended.
Recommendations
- Give baby short, frequent feedings. A feeding schedule of everyone and a half to two hours day and night should be maintained while engorgement lasts.
- Express milk between feedings to relieve pressure
- Apply moist heat for thirty minutes preceding each feeding, and massage the breast during feedings to help get the milk flowing. (stand in shower with warm water running on the breasts really help, or soak in the tub in warm water)
- Do not use nipple shields, as they can confuse the baby’s sucking pattern, damage nipples, reduce stimulation of the breast, and decrease the milk supply.
- Allow the baby to empty each breast completely at each feeding. This should take about seven minutes on each side.
PLUGGED DUCT
Incomplete emptying of the milk ducts by the baby, or the wearing of a tight bra, can cause a plugged duct. Soreness and a lump in one area of a breast is an indication of this problem.
Recommendations
- Check the nipple very carefully for any tiny dots of dried milk, and remove them by gentle cleansing. Together with frequent nursing on the affected breast, this should allow the duct to clear itself within 24 hours.
- Massage the breasts with firm pressure, from the chest wall toward the nipple to stimulate milk flow.
- Alter the position of the baby on the nipple so all the ducts are drained.
- Make sure you offer the affected breast first, when the baby’s sucking is strongest.
Almost all drugs have been found to enter a nursing mother’s mild, including Tylenol ( and the like), alcohol, amphetamines, antibiotics, antihistamines, aspirin, barbiturates, caffeine, cimetidine, cocaine, decongestants, Valium, ergotamine, Librium, marijuana, nicotine, and opiates (codeine, meperidine, morphine). Some of the effects these drugs can have on an infant include diarrhea, rapid heart rate, restlessness, irritability, crying, poor sleeping, vomiting, and convulsions, and of course some of these drugs may accumulate in an infant’s body and cause addiction.
Herbal remedies have been used for hundreds of years to encourage a healthy flow of breast milk and, despite the advances of modern life; nature’s wisdom still has the answers!
This is a wonderful natural product for breastfeeding
Autism is a little understood brain disorder that affects approximately 4 out of every 10,000 people. But every mom with a little one that shows sign of autism feels very alone at times. There are well over 100,000 autistic individuals in the United States.
Autism is usually diagnosed in early childhood (before the age of three) and is characterized by a marked unresponsiveness to other people and to the surrounding environment. Physically, autistic individuals do not appear different from others, but they exhibit marked differences in behavior from a very early age. While most babies love to be held and cuddled, autistic infants appear indifferent to love and affection. As they grow older, they fail to form attachments to others in the way most children do, and instead seem to withdraw into themselves. It is important to note that autism is not a mental illness.
Many autistic children also exhibit unpredictable and unusual behaviors that can range from constant rocking, to pounding their feet while sitting, to sitting for long periods of time in total silence. Some experience bursts of hyperactivity that include biting and pounding on their bodies.
Autistic children have learning disabilities, and are often mentally disabled. Speech development is usually delayed, and in many cases is absent or limited to nonsensical rhyming or babbling.
Some autistic children seem to have lower than normal intelligence, while others seem to fall into the normal range. Still others have low intelligence in most areas but almost supernatural abilities in others, such as mathematics or music. Most develop a strong resistance to any changes in familiar environments or routines.
The cause of autism is unknown. Studies comparing twins suggest that there may be a hereditary component to this disorder. Some experts believe that it is a result of some neurological imbalance or malfunction that renders the autistic individual painfully oversensitive to external stimuli. It is known that autism is not caused by parental neglect or actions, as was once believed.
Certain triggers have been implicated as possible precipitators of the disorder. These could include problems in pregnancy and birth, viral infections, exposure to certain environmental chemicals or pollutants, or even allergies to certain foods (i.e. gluten or dairy products).
There are also suggestions that autism may be caused by a reaction to childhood vaccines, especially those containing high amounts of mercury. More research is needed in this area.
There are also natural treatments for autism, including herbal and homeopathic remedies which can help maintain harmony, health, and systemic balance in the brain and nervous system, without side effects or sedation.
Here are some natural remedies
High Blood pressure usually causes no symptoms until complications develop, this is why it is known as the “silent killer.” Warning signs associated with advanced hypertension may include:
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Rapid pulse
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Visual disturbances
Blood pressure is usually divided into two categories, designated primary and secondary.
Primary hypertension is high blood pressure that is not due to another underlying disease. The precise cause is unknown, but a number of definite risk factors have been identified. These include:
- Cigarette smoking
- Stress
- Obesity
- Excessive use of stimulants such as coffee or tea
- Drug abuse
- High sodium intake
- Use of oral contraceptives
- Family history
Because too much water retention can exert pressure on the blood vessels, those who consume foods high in sodium may be at a greater risk for high blood pressure.
When persistently elevated blood pressure arises as a result of another underlying health problem, such as a hormonal abnormality or an inherited narrowing of the aorta, it is called secondary hypertension. A person may also have secondary hypertension because the blood vessels are chronically constricted or have lost elasticity from a buildup of fatty plaque on the inside walls of the vessel, a condition known as atherosclerosis. The narrowing and or hardening of the arteries makes circulation of blood through the vessels difficult. The result is high blood pressure.
Secondary hypertension can also be caused by poor kidney function, which results in the retention of excess sodium and fluid in the body. This increase in blood volume within the vessels causes elevated blood pressure levels.
When the heart pumps the blood through the arteries, the blood presses against the walls of the blood vessels. In people who suffer from hypertension, this pressure is abnormally high.
Whether blood pressure is high, low, or normal depends on several factors:
- The output from the heart
- The resistance to blood flow of the blood vessels
- The volume of blood
- Blood distribution to the various organs
If blood pressure is elevated, the heart must work harder to pump an adequate amount of blood to all the tissues of the body. Men tend to develop hypertension more often than women, but the risk for women rises after menopause and soon approaches that of men. A woman’s risk of high blood pressure also increases if she takes oral contraceptives or is pregnant.
Eat a high-fiber diet and take supplemental fiber. Oat bran is a good source of fiber.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, such as apples, asparagus, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, eggplant, garlic, grapefruit, green leafy vegetables, melons, peas, prunes, raisins, squash, and sweet potatoes.
Eat grains like brown rice, buckwheat, millet, and oats,
Take 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil daily.
Keep you weight down.
Be sure to get sufficient sleep.
It is important to support the solid health of the heart and circulatory system. Natural Remedies I suggest are
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