Herbs for High Blood Pressure

Hypertension refers to the high levels of blood pressure, which is often considered as a lifestyle disease. Almost 90% of hypertension cases develop gradually through the years and do not have a specific cause, but there are some risk factors attached to this disorder. The risk factors include age, family history, obesity, pregnancy, stress, high levels of sodium intake, use of tobacco, lack of physical activity, alcohol consumption, deficiency of vitamin D and potassium. Hypertension is a very common disorder in adults, but nowadays, children are also prone to this condition. This is due to their unhealthy dietary habits, lack of physical activity and poor lifestyle.

With higher incidence of this disorder, more and more people are resorting to herbal medicine and other stress relieving techniques to tackle high blood pressure. Here are some herbs, which are found to be effective in controlling hypertension.

Garlic
Garlic has already proved its worth as a culinary herb, but has many health benefits too. It is believed to be very much beneficial in controlling hypertension and in promoting cardiovascular health. It is also good for lowering the levels of bad cholesterol and is antibacterial in nature. Some studies were conducted regarding the use of garlic supplements for controlling hypertension. The results were in favor of its usage in people with high blood pressure, but never use these supplements without consulting your doctor. It may cause side-effects, if taken with some prescription drugs.

Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba, a herb of Chinese origin, has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. It is found to be effective in lowering blood pressure, by dilating arteries and improving blood circulation. This in turn facilitates increased blood flow to the brain, which can help in enhancing the memory power.

Turmeric
This herb commonly used in Indian cuisine has many medicinal properties. The active ingredient in turmeric, called curcumin, which has antioxidant properties help to control bad cholesterol, and improves blood flow by making the blood vessels strong. Turmeric is also good for liver metabolism.

Hawthorn
Hawthorn, otherwise known as mayblossom, is a herb which has been used traditionally to treat hypertension. It is believed that this herb can enhance blood flow by opening the arteries. Hawthorn reduces the possibility of hardening of coronary arteries and strengthens the muscles of the heart. It is better to take hawthorn in the form of tea.

Ginger
Ginger is also popular as an indispensable part of Asian cuisine, but its health benefits include its ability to improve blood circulation, relaxing muscles around the blood vessels, aids digestion and prevents nausea.

Olive Leaf
The extracts of olive leaves are found to be useful in controlling high blood pressure. It can also help in normalizing irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia.

There are many other herbs used in the treatment of hypertension. They include a Chinese mushroom called maitake, mistletoe, rauwolfia, coleus forskohlii, lime blossom, saffron, asparagus and hibiscus. To ensure the efficacy of herbs, it has to taken in prescribed quantities and make sure that the herbs are of good quality too. Never start any herbal medication without consulting your doctor.

Vomiting Green Bile

Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It is required for the digestion of fatty foods. It is not usual to vomit bile in normal circumstances. However, certain medical conditions as well as unusual events may cause vomiting bile in some people. The presence of green bile in vomitus may cause you to raise an alarm. However, this condition does not necessarily warrant medical emergency. Nonetheless, in some cases vomiting green bile may signal an underlying medical emergency.

Causes

Many a time, people wrongly assume that they are vomiting bile, when in reality they are vomiting only green foods! Strange as it might sound, some coloring agents in foods may give a green color to your vomitus. However, when you vomit real bile, you see an almost fluorescent bright green color. Bile vomiting usually occurs when your body runs out of food to eject. Thus, occurrence of bile in vomit is more common when you vomit persistently. During the first few times, you will eject partially digested or undigested food. When the food is cleared out of your body, you will expel contents such as mucus and bile. Bile production is at peak after 20 - 30 minutes post meal. Thus, if you have persistent vomiting after meals, then you are likely to expel bile in vomit. Given below are a few causes of expelling bile in vomitus.

Alcohol and Medications
It is a well-known fact that alcohol abuse irritates the gastrointestinal tract and causes undesirable effects. When over drinking of alcohol is combined with bad food or food poisoning, you may suffer from excessive vomiting. Eventually, you will expel bile in the form of bright green vomitus. Apart from that certain alcoholic beverages such as cocktails may contain coloring agents, which may give green color to vomitus. In addition, certain drugs such as morphine, may cause chemoreceptor trigger zone to become active and expel the content of the stomach.

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
This condition is characterized by bouts of nausea and vomiting. Vomiting bile is very common in people suffering from this condition. There is no known cause for this condition. If you suffer from vomiting episodes for at least 3 times in a 6 month time frame, then you could be suffering from cyclic vomiting syndrome.

Bowel Obstruction
In normal contents, food content along with digestive juices are pressed downward, into the gut by peristaltic contractions. However, a vomit trigger may cause these contents to flow upwards and expel in the form of vomit. As these contents are already in partially digested form with bile mixed in them, you expel a green vomitus. Obstructions in intestine due to any reason are worthy of further investigation.

Bile Reflux
As mentioned above, bile is produced in liver and stored in gallbladder. The term 'stomach bile' is wrongly used as bile is not the product of stomach juices. However, a condition named bile reflux may cause the bile to get mixed with stomach juices and expel as vomit. Often, a gallbladder removal surgery (cholecystectomy) triggers this condition, hence it is also called postcholecystectomy syndrome.

Treatment

Treatment can only be suggested after diagnosing the accurate cause of vomiting green bile. More often than not, no treatment is required. If this condition is accompanied with nausea then medications to relieve intracranial pressure may be prescribed. Bile expulsion due to bowel obstruction may need to be taken seriously, more so, if you experience more than a few episodes of bile expulsion.

Vomiting bile is also common in infants and children. You may have to take your child to a doctor if she becomes very dehydrated or exhausted.

Vomiting While Sleeping

Vomiting, throwing up, getting sick, puking, whatever you may call it, it is one of the most unpleasant experiences that we go through. The reasons may be varied, but that does not take away the utter revulsion that we feel when the chunks of food and bile come swimming up and out of our mouths. Too graphic for you? Now imagine doing this while you are sleeping! Imagine waking up with the acrid smell of vomit in your nostrils and the disgusting flavor in your mouth. Yes, there are a lot of people who fall prey to vomiting while they sleep. It is one of the most discomforting experiences and can turn very dangerous if not taken care of in time. This Buzzle article will attempt to give you an insight on what could be causing this.

Why does One Vomit While Sleeping
There are a lot of people who suffer from involuntary bouts of throwing up in their sleep. While some of them may wake up just in time to rush to the bathroom, some of them are not so lucky. They end up puking in their sleep and wake up either in the middle of it or after it's done. What causes vomiting while sleeping? Let us see what the most probable cause could be.

Food: Sometimes, it may happen that you eat a particular food item that does not agree with you. You may not realize this at the time. But when you sleep immediately after eating it, the stomach juices react with the food, find it unacceptable and send it back out by way of vomiting. This may happen even if you are awake. But since you slept off, you may feel like it happened only in your sleep.

Acid Reflux: Another very probable cause of vomiting while sleeping is acid reflux. Acid reflux is a condition in which the food that one ingests is sent back to the food pipe, in the process inflaming and irritating the inner lining esophagus and causing ulceration in it. This can be very uncomfortable and cause other symptoms like heartburn too. Acid reflux is a very good possibility of you waking up to vomiting bouts.

Infant Vomiting in Sleep: If it's your baby that is suffering from this, then the cause is probably that he has developed gas in his stomach or has had too much milk to drink. So, he throws out the excess milk by vomiting. Make sure to burp the baby once you're done feeding him.

How to Prevent Vomiting While Sleeping
The causes mentioned above may or may not be the ones behind your vomiting spells. But there are some things that you can do to help yourself get some respite from this harrowing experience.

The first thing that you can do to get rid of waking up in the middle of the night with the smell and taste of vomit in your nose and mouth is to make sure that you stay away from foods that do not suit you. Greasy, spicy and oily foods top this list!
Next thing, sleep at least three to four hours after eating your food. Sometimes probably the short gap between the meal and the sleeping time can make the food churn and come up into the food pipe.
You can also try to change your sleeping position. Try to sleep atilt. This means try to sleep in a position that is slightly slanting, not completely straight.
You may also want to try out some natural remedies for acid reflux. They can help soothe the inflammation and ease the vomiting if it is indeed caused due to acid reflux.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that alcohol and caffeine can worsen this problem. So cut down on their consumption as much as you can to feel some relief.

If your problem of vomiting while sleeping continues for more than a couple of days even after you've tried different ways to get rid of it, make sure you consult a doctor. It is an unusual phenomenon and can lead to conditions like aspiration pneumonia too. So take care and get yourself treated soon.

Summer Gifts for Women

Summer is one of the best seasons when one can relax and enjoy. Though, sometimes, the heat can become unbearable during summers. Most people find it a relief to come out of the house after the chilling winters and bask in the sun for hours. As summer is a refreshing change from winters, it is also the best time to pamper our loved ones. Most women have a hectic time throughout the year, trying to balance their home, family, kids, relationships and career. So, it would be a good idea to present them with some great summer gifts and indulge them in things that they would love. So, if you want to do something for the women in your life (it can be your wife, mother, girlfriend, sister or just a friend), you need not wait for their birthday or anniversary to pamper them with a gift. Rather, you can consider summer as a special occasion, and give them a gift that will make this season more memorable for them.

Summer Gift Ideas for Women

Just like any other gift, when you choose a summer gift for a woman, you must make sure that it is something that matches her interests. This is extremely important, for her to actually like the gift. Another thing that you have to remember is, that the gift should be something that she can use during summers. With this note, let us take a look at some of the really cool summer gift ideas for women. Here, you will find some more summer gift ideas for her.

Gift Basket
A summer gift basket with a lot of essential things that a woman can use during the season will be one of the best gifts. Look for a wicker basket and fill it with some summer essentials like a pair of flip flops, sun block or sunscreen, beach towel, sunglasses, etc. Adding some fresh flowers into the basket will give the gift basket a really nice touch. If she is a book addict, place a book by her favorite author, or one she has been wanting to read for a long time, to complete the summer gift basket.

Summer Clothes and Accessories
Clothes are something that majority women love to have. Even if their wardrobe is overflowing with clothes, they are still glad to shop for more. In this case, getting a woman some summer clothes will surely be appreciated. Some of the really cool summer dresses which you can get for a woman include halter dresses, maxis, frocks, skirts, swimsuits, shorts, cotton t-shirts, etc. Along with clothes, you can also add some accessories like a huge hat, belts, sandals, etc. However, before you start shopping for summer clothe and accessories, make sure that you know her taste well. If you are not very clear about it, you can either take the help of one of her friends or get a voucher or hamper of her favorite clothes store.

Spa Treatment
As most women like to be get pampered, a gift certificate for a spa treatment at her favorite salon will be a great idea. Some of the beauty treatments that you can arrange for her at the spa include body massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, hair spa, etc. This gift can become really exciting, if you keep it as a surprise. Get an appointment at the salon or spa beforehand, and take her there on the said day. And only when you reach the salon, should you tell her about the gift. I am sure that this gift will be loved by every woman.

Holiday
Another great summer gift for a woman would definitely be a week-long vacation or a holiday. One of the best places that you can visit during summer is a beach. However, there is no hard and fast rule regarding this. If the woman is of an adventurous type, take her to places where you can go trekking or may be where you can indulge in some adventurous sports like river rafting, bungee jumping, parasailing, etc.

Apart from these gifts, a great gift that you can give a woman is a time off to do whatever she wants to. If the person you want to give a summer gift is a busy woman who has tough time shuttling between work and home, a great gift would be to give her a time off from her busy schedule. For instance, if your wife is always busy with housework, kids, job, etc. take up her responsibilities for a day and let her do things that she normally does not get time to do. I am sure that this would be the ideal gift that any woman will definitely appreciate.

Zinc for Acne

Many people ask, when there are so many natural ways to treat this skin problem, why to use zinc for acne. This is because zinc targets the root cause of acne. It is a known fact that androgenic hormones like testosterone regulate the amount of sebum (oil) released into the skin by the sebaceous glands. Zinc is mainly responsible for keeping the production of hormones in equilibrium. Hormonal imbalance resulting from zinc deficiency can lead to surplus production of sebum. As a result, oily matter clogs the skin pores that are located on the superficial skin. Bacteria that are already present on skin increase in number, and thrive in the blocked pores. Too much bacterial presence causes skin infection, eventually causing acne. Zinc tries to restore normal hormonal balance, thereby helping to clear acne. No wonder zinc is considered to be one of the best acne treatments.

Treatment

Foods High in Zinc
Looking for foods that heal acne? Including zinc rich foods in the diet will serve the purpose. This is one of the easiest options that allows to reap benefits of zinc. Daily intake of foods high in zinc is a natural remedy to combat acne successfully. Following are foods, considered to be a rich source of zinc:

• Oysters
• Fortified Cereals
• Dried Watermelon seeds
• Vegetables like potatoes and beans
• Lamb
• Roasted beef

Zinc Supplement
Besides taking foods high in zinc, do not forget to add zinc supplements to your diet. This is because, it is observed that in today's times, crops are cultivated with extensive use of fertilizers. This can eventually deplete the content of zinc in foods. So, to be on the safer side, and to ensure adequate intake of zinc, one has to take it in supplemental form. Today, zinc supplements are sold under various brands, but it is found that all do not work to relieve acne. So, which is the supplement that can deliver the best results? OptiZinc is one of the best supplements that can work wonders to get rid of acne. When using OptiZinc, avoid taking birth control pills as they contain a high amount of copper, which can reduce your ability to absorb zinc. In other words, too much copper can bring down blood zinc levels. Thus, this supplemental form of zinc for acne won't be effective to restore natural appearance of the skin if birth control pills are being used. The daily required dosage of OptiZinc may vary from 50 mg to 200 mg, (consult a doctor before starting any supplemental dosage) depending on the severity of the skin problem.

Topical Cream
Skin imperfections like acne can be successfully treated with zinc creams. For acne free skin, one can certainly rely on these topical ointments. These topical acne skin care products have proved to be effective to clear acne fast. A point to note that zinc oxide creams are prescription ointments and therefore cannot be purchased without a doctor's recommendation.

Treatment for Scars

Skin healing with zinc has several advantages. It not only repairs the damaged skin at a faster rate but also ensure that scars do not appear, after the skin condition heals. It is best to prevent these unwanted marks than to use acne scar removal products. Zinc promotes growth of new skin cells and boosts production of collagen (a type of protein in the inner layers of the skin that keep the skin elastic and smooth) which benefits to prevent acne scars from occurring. So, besides curing acne, zinc does not allow scars to form. Thus, using zinc for these skin problems is one of the best methods to keep acne scars at bay.

In addition to the above mentioned zinc for acne treatment, one can also opt for natural acne remedies like application of aloe vera juice or a paste of cucumber on the affected area. Drinking plenty of water (7-8 glasses) everyday is equally important to get rid of acne as sufficient water intake flushes of the toxins responsible for causing this skin problem

Lumps on Neck

In the neck and head region, our body has numerous lymph nodes that can get swollen due to infection or some other problem. This lump might be just a harmful skin lesion or it could be cancerous. You will not know about the true nature of this lump unless you get yourself checked by a good physician who will refer you to a specialist if need arises.

Presence of a Lump on Your Neck
To decide whether the lump is harmful or not, it is necessary to consider:

• Its size
• Its consistency
• Its attachment
• Its pulsation
• Its color
• Its tenderness
• The area where the lump is found

Usually, the area behind/below the ear, area below the jaw, collarbone region along with lateral and anterior neck get lumps. Upon finding a lump in the neck, most people jump to a conclusion that it is a tumor. However, you can not run the risk of diagnosing it on your own as there are also numerous other causes which can lead to the formation of a lump in your neck region. Below are some of the causes of neck lumps.

Skin Boil: A tiny lump on neck is seen due to a hair follicle that has become infected. It may become itchy and painful. Pus may form in the boil which may cause inflammation. It is usually harmless and goes away on its way or with the help of topical medications.

Sebaceous Cysts: A swollen hair follicle or skin irritation may cause a cyst filled with yellowish goo. The sebaceous cyst is tender and painless. A small sebaceous cyst is harmless and cures on its own. However, if the size increases, it may need advanced treatment.

Lipoma: This is a soft and movable benign tumor that is seen as a lump on neck under the skin. Most of the time, it does not cause any pain and can be removed easily by cosmetic surgery.

Swollen Lymph Nodes: The reasons for swollen lymph nodes in neck region can be common cold, viral infection, bacterial infection, sore throat, strep throat, tuberculosis, epiglottitis, syphilis, toxoplasmosis, peritonsillar abscess, etc. To treat a swollen lymph node, you need cure the underlying problem after which the swelling will subside.

Goiter: The huge lump on neck caused by goiter is mostly due to iodine deficiency. Proper medications at an early stage can prevent big lump on neck. Goiter may cause the expansion of the lump on the side of neck. Goiter lumps that are very large in size or malignant have to be surgically removed.

Thyroid Problem: The thyroid gland is located in the throat region. So, any malfunctioning of the thyroid gland can cause lumps on neck. Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease and other hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism diseases may cause hard lump on neck. Hypothyroidism is mainly caused due to under-production of the thyroid hormone whereas hyperthyroidism is due to over-production of thyroid hormone.

Thyroid Cancer: Thyroid cancer can be a reason behind lump on the neck. The lumps are generally benign types. The few that are malignant have to be terminated surgically.

Tonsillitis: Swelling of the tonsils may lead to lump on the neck. A person suffering from tonsillitis may experience pain during swallowing and coughing. Antibiotics are prescribed by doctors for recovering from tonsillitis. In some cases, they also recommend the removal of tonsils.

The other diseases that may be responsible for lumps on neck are glandular fever (mononucleosis), branchial cleft cyst, lymphoma, carotid body tumor, otitis media, mumps, rubella, cystic hygroma, laryngocele, oropharyngeal cancer, pharyngeal pouch, thyroglossal cyst, etc. Infections can also give rise to lumps under the skin or on the back of neck. A growing lump on neck in children can be fatal and have to be diagnosed as soon as possible. On the other hand, it's also not out of the ordinary for kids to have mobile and non-tender lumps on their neck which goes away on their own.

A lump on the neck that hurts can be dangerous and has to be immediately shown to the doctor. The reasons for lump behind or below the ear can vary from simple things like allergies to disastrous ailment like cancer. Any lump on neck region that is larger than a pea-size is worrisome. If it disappears on its own in two week's time, it may be harmless. However if it grows or hurts, the best way out is to rush to your physician.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.

Dark Urine Causes

The normal color of the urine is light yellow. Although, occasionally, due to the foods or the medicines that a person is taking, the urine color may change to dark yellow, orange, red, pink or brown in color. Certain medical conditions too are among the causes of dark urine. Let us know in detail, why the urine color changes and gets brown, dark yellow and blood tinged, followed by some advise on the treatment for this condition.

Dark Brown Urine

Medicines
If a person is taking certain drugs and medicines, such as the antimalarial drugs or the drugs that treat a urinary tract infection or laxatives which contain cascara or certain muscle relaxants, it can produce a dark brown colored urine in the person.

Health Conditions
A person who has some sort of liver disorder, such as hepatitis or tyrosinemia, a hereditary disease, can get a dark brown colored urine. A kidney disease, known as acute glomerulonephritis, which makes removal of excess wastes and fluids from the body difficult, is another cause behind dark brown urine color.

Orange or Dark Yellow Urine

Diet
Excess intake of foods which are rich in vitamin C, such as oranges and carrot juice, can make the urine orange in color. Taking B complex vitamins is another reason why the urine turns dark. In this case, the urine will be dark yellow in color.

Lack of Fluid Intake
Lack of fluid intake causes the urochrome to concentrate, making the urine to appear orange or yellow. Thus, dehydration is another common cause behind dark yellow urine.

Medicines
Certain medicines, such as phenazopyridine, which is taken to treat a urinary tract infection, chemotherapy medicines, certain laxatives and blood thinners such as warfarin, can cause the urine color to change to dark yellow or orange.

Red Urine

Diet
Intake of foods which have a natural red color, such as beets and blackberries, can give the urine a pinkish or reddish color.

Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions, such as urinary tract infection, kidney disease, kidney stones, bladder cancer and kidney cancer, can cause urine to change to red color. This is because these diseases cause urinary bleeding, resulting in the appearance of red blood cells in urine. In fact, hematuria, a condition in which there is blood present in urine, is one of the main causes in children.

Treatment

If the condition is temporary, then probably the causes will be harmless, such as intake of certain food or drugs. However, if it is accompanied by either of the symptoms, such as changes in skin color, pale stools, a continuous change in the color of the urine, and blood in the urine, a medical professional should be contacted immediately.

The doctor, in order to diagnose the causes will make the person undergo blood tests, urine tests, urinalysis, kidney ultrasound, liver function tests and bladder ultrasound. The doctor will also examine whether some other symptoms, such as a strong smell or a burning sensation while urinating are present. He will identify the time pattern of the change in urine, color of the urine, what foods or drugs the person is taking and the medical history of the person, to arrive at the dark urine causes. Based on these, he suggests the treatment.

As can be seen from above, dark urine can be harmless in some cases and fatal in others. So any change in urine color, which lasts more than a couple of days, should be referred to a doctor without fail.