A good dental hygiene is an important requisite of keeping healthy. It gives you confidence. Over the last few years, cosmetic dentistry has reached staggering new heights providing people with the best in oral care. Pain free dentistry seems to be the buzzword today. No more pain, no more suffering... just beautiful, glittering natural smile! In cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening, bleaching or swabbing is a common term. Although many people resort to teeth whitening in dental clinics under the supervision of dentists, it can also be done at home. Let's see how you can get glistening white teeth just by following these simple and easy-to-follow steps:

• Eat as much crunchy food as possible. Due to their acidic nature, apples, carrots, celery, pears and others have the ability to clean and whiten teeth naturally. The crunchier the food, the more abrasive it is and the cleaner it will get your teeth. They are actually a natural scrub for your smile. However, remember to eat them in their whole form rather than cutting them up or crushing them up for juices.

• Consume considerable amount of dairy products. Recent scientific studies have found that dairy products like cheese, milk and yogurt have minerals like calcium and phosphorus, which are great for strengthening teeth and improving their appearance and whiteness. They also make teeth's enamel much stronger.

• More and more strawberries. Yeah you heard it right! Malic acid, which is an important component in strawberries, helps to fade away discolorations in teeth which may result from tobacco or caffeine use, medication and other factors. The rough texture of berries helps in buffing the enamel giving a brighter, smoother appearance. A great tip would be to mix some crushed strawberries, half teaspoon of baking soda and a little lemon juice and applying the mixture on teeth for five minutes. Your teeth will shine brilliantly!

• It is a widely known fact that baking soda has teeth cleaning properties. However, it's always best to use it in moderation to avoid any enamel damage. Take a pinch of baking soda and rub gently along your teeth. Rinse thereafter for optimum results. Limited use of baking soda can enhance your teeth's whiteness considerably. Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide or salt mixture is also great to clean and whiten teeth naturally.

• If you have to drink a cola, wine or any other colored drink, do so with a straw. These drinks can stain your teeth, so avoid gulping them down. Use a straw to sip the drink directly into your mouth.

• Go for an electric toothbrush. They are great for removing stubborn stains which are generally seen on the teeth surfaces. Always buy a good brand for best results.

• Use teeth bleaching strips. They work well too. There are a range of teeth whitening strips available in the market today.

• Specially formulated whitening toothpastes are good too. Although they might not be able to brush off stains that are there for long and provide you with overnight results, using these toothpastes diligently can give you somewhat good results.

• Rubbing the inside of an orange peel on the surface of your teeth and also gargling occasionally with sesame oil or vinegar helps in natural whitening of teeth.

It's easy to get caught up in trying to hit a particular rep range with kettlebell workouts. So many times people are fixated on doing x number of swings, squats, etc. But, to meet most health and fitness goals, the true focus really should be on the WAY the exercises are being performed. Doing 1,000 crummy kettlebell swings or push ups can not only be a colossal waste of time, it can also be an injury risk.
Considering how so many people jump head first into workout programs with little to no coaching, it's easy to see how-while well-meaning-these efforts don't last. While exercising, someone can end up burning a lot of calories performing an exercise incorrectly, they'll also gain poor movement patterns either causing an injury during training, or during everyday like. That injury will no doubt start the unfortunate cycle of low activity, poor eating, negative thoughts, and zero progress.
Now, I don't want you to think that it's always the trainee or beginner's fault! Many times, new or misinformed personal trainers or fitness instructors won't take the time to really make sure their clients or students are performing the exercises correctly for the following reasons:

• Lack of coaching skills
• Lack of personal interest
• Doesn't "fit" their business model
• Thinks the client doesn't care, or the client actually DOESN'T care!
• Doesn't think the client will ever "lift heavy enough for it to matter"

BUT- every time we train, or even when we move during the day, we choose between getting something done, or injury. When we get in the habit of healthy movements, we can improve the quality of our lives for years ahead, and prevent injury in the present. Likewise, at some point either in or outside of the gym, we're going to lift or push or pull something very heavy-and doing correctly can make all the difference in the world.
An accomplished personal trainer or fitness instructor will work with you to fix movement patterns if necessary and to help you improve your performance of the exercises in question. A seemingly simple, but actually complex ballistic move like the kettlebell swing is a good example of where great coaching can make a huge difference to not only your safety, but will also determine how great your results will be. Besides, working out in this way will benefit your performance in any recreational sports or heavy lifting in the course of life.
Mindful movement can also be a great source of mental clarity and calm. So while you may (or may not) aspire to lift very heavy weights, or swing a giant kettlebell, your attention to detail during training sessions will improve your coordination, movement, and grace 24/7. So when beginning or getting back into an exercise program this year, find a qualified instructor or personal trainer who can help you learn and hone correct, safe exercise techniques-then prepare to succeed!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8214512

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8245088

 Yes, there is a difference between a remedy and a cure. A lot of people are looking for a remedy, but what they don't realize is that a remedy implies that you only treat the symptoms, and the condition is temporarily cured. A cure on the other hand is something that permanently resolves the condition, so that you never have to think about it ever again. In this article, you will learn how to do just that. It is extremely easy to cure hives. That wasn't always the case. The difference now is that we know exactly what causes it, and how to stop that cause.

As you probably know there are countless possible causes for hives. That's why doctors put the label 'idiopathic' on most urticaria symptoms. That means that the cause is unknown. The possible causes of urticaria range from a simple allergy, to a more complex vitamin deficiency. But in all those cases, the cause is still one. Urticaria is caused by an inability of the body to synthesize certain long-chain polyphenols. That sounds complex, but you don't need to know all about it in order to cure your urticaria. The home remedy for hives consists simply of enabling your own body to recognize the problem and to cure it. This is not done through a complex diet and exercise combination, as many experts will have you believe. It's just one simple thing that you are probably missing.

So, curing hives at home is easy - why my doctor didn't tell me so?

There are countless reasons for this. For one, society does not accept simple and natural cures, they think that they need to go to their pharmacy and get some complex-sounding pill, which will cure the problem. Hives is very similar to herpes or yeast infection. For example, the yeast that causes yeast infection is everywhere. Still, only a small percentage of people become affected by it. That's because of the natural balance of bacteria in your body. Fix that, and the yeast infection disappears. But still, doctors prescribe anti-fungal products which are designed to kill the yeast. That works of course - for a few months. After that time, the infection comes back, simply because yeast is everywhere and you cannot keep yourself from getting it.

That's exactly the case with hives. People who go the medication route will often find that they keep getting hives a couple times a year. There's even a term for that - 'chronic urticaria'. Of course, the urticaria is chronic simply because the root cause is still there, despite the fact that it can be easily removed. Keep in mind that the home remedy for hives works for virtually all cases of hives, including the more rare ones like water urticaria or solar urticaria, and will cure them in a few hours.

Living with hives

Despite the relatively easy way to get rid of hives at home, a lot of people will choose to get a cream or an anti-allergen pill, and then deal with the problem again when it shows up. By doing that, you are making a compromise with your health. Hives is a sneaky condition, and can often develop internally, and not only on the skin. That means that you may have a hives outbreak, without even knowing about it, because it is affecting muscle tissue, and not your skin. Of course, complications from hives are relatively rare, but they still point to a problem with your health, that needs to be resolved. That's why it is important to actively take measures to eliminate this problem from your life permanently.

Taking medication

We already said that urticaria can be harmful to your body, and doesn't just present a cosmetic problem. Well, that said, the most harmful thing about urticaria is taking drugs and medications to 'control' the outbreaks. Depending on the individual, urticaria outbreaks can occur anywhere from once a year to once a day. Drugs, used to control these outbreaks, like Allegra, Benadryl, Claritin, Promethegan and many more have one thing in common - they are harmful to your body. Almost all of them cross the blood brain barrier, despite claiming not to do so, and cause foggy brain. They control the urticaria outbreaks by stopping fluid from getting into tissues, which over time worsens urticaria if you are not taking the drugs - it causes a chemical dependence on the drug. All of those risks can be avoided very easily, but still countless people will suffer from them, because of one thing - blindly taking advice from doctors, without thinking for themselves, and doing their own research. Listening to doctors is good - they usually spend their entire lives learning about how the human body works, and how to get rid of health problems. That said, they follow protocol and prescribe the drug that will work the quickest, regardless of whether or not it will help the patient long-term. Also, many doctors are not aware of the newest discoveries in the health field, and still operate on knowledge, which became obsolete years ago.

Nut milk is an excellent healthy alternative to cow's milk and even better than soy milk. More and more people are trying it these days and not going back to cow's milk and with good reason too. It offers numerous health benefits and is packed with nutrients.

Nut milk does not contain lactose. This means that individuals with lactose intolerance, which is the inability to metabolize the lactose sugar found in cow's milk, can drink nut milk and do very well with it. It is also gluten-free so individuals with gluten allergies or celiac disease can also drink it and experience the health benefits.

Soy milk is an often-touted alternative to cow's milk, but is not actually a healthy alternative at all. It contains high levels of plant-based estrogens that are unnatural for human consumption. Consuming too much has the potential to throw off the balance of hormones in the human body. And that is not good. So we can avoid this all and just go with safe and healthful nut-based milk.

Look at how nutritious these milks are. Following is a list of some of the nutrients in popular types of nut milk:

Almond milk - twenty grams of protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus

Chestnut milk - low in fat, good source of fiber, B-vitamins

Pecan milk - nine grams of protein, potassium, vitamin A

Hazelnut milk - fifteen grams of protein, potassium, sulfur, calcium

Cashew milk - sixteen grams of protein, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A

Pine nut milk - twenty-three grams of protein, phosphorus, iron, niacin, thiamine

Walnut milk - fifteen grams of protein, magnesium, rich in potassium, vitamin A

You can make fresh nut-based milk very easily. Just take about one cup of your favorite nuts from the list above and four cups of fresh water and blend them in a blender. Then strain this through a nut milk bag. If you plan to store it in the fridge, you can even blend in some Irish sea moss, which will thicken the milk and prevent it from separating at all. But if you do not have that on hand, you can also just stir or shake up the nut milk before using it if you ever let it sit in the fridge too long and it becomes separated. Separation is natural. Just stir it up and it will still taste great and be just as healthful for you.

In our hectic time with longer working hours and a very busy schedule of our loved ones, it's often difficult to find the time to prepare home-made meals. And what happens when you don't have the time to cook? It's again pizza service or burgers, or a ready-made frozen meal from the supermarket.

But these kinds of foods are placing a strain on your budget, and studies have shown that they can have many negative impacts on your health. Fast food often contains lots of fat, and many ready-made meals are packed with unhealthy additives whilst lacking important nutrients.

Cooking yourself is a much cheaper and healthier option. With good planning, preparing your own food does not need to be time-consuming. In fact, you can prepare delicious healthy meals in half an hour or even less if you follow the tips below. 

Plan in advance what you will cook. A weekly plan before your shopping tour will ensure that you will have all ingredients you need. It also saves you the daily What-should-I-cook-tonight problem. Further, know your kitchen and keep it tidy. You will be much quicker when you know precisely where to find your tools and ingredients.

2. Keep your meals simple

It's usually quicker to use fewer ingredients than to prepare a complex dish with many different foods. Stick to a basic "vegetable + starch + protein" meal: One or two types of vegetables, a starchy food (rice, pasta or potatoes) and a protein-rich food (meat, fish, eggs or legumes).

3. Choose fast cooking foods

Some foods take longer to cook than others. A kilogram piece of meat will take much longer than a chicken filet because it's bigger. Potatoes take longer than pasta. And hard veggies like pumpkin and carrots take longer than mushrooms or marrows. If you are in a hurry, choose the foods that are done quicker, and leave the longer cooking ones for days with more time. Another great option is fruits and salads: They don't need to be cooked at all.

4. Choose foods that require little preparation

Foods that need to be peeled (e.g. potatoes or carrots) obviously will keep you up longer than the ones you just need to wash, like marrows or pepper. As for sizes, it's less work to peel one or two big butternuts than three to four small ones. If you can get foods that are already cut or small enough to use them (cherry tomatoes), even the better.

5. Use prepared foods

Supermarkets offer a large variety of canned and deep frozen vegetables or fruit that can save you a lot of time because you just need to warm them. Make sure the foods are not processed, and that no or little preservatives, colorants etc. are added. If it comes to seasoning your food, ground spices are helpful. They might not taste as strongly as the fresh ones but nevertheless will spice your meal up nicely.

As you can see, preparing healthy meals in a short time depends to quite an extend on your planning. If you make clever choices, cooking can be a fast job. That does not mean your menu must be restricted and boring. You can come up with many variations of ingredients, and use a variety of spices to give your meals different characters. If you follow the tips outlined above, you won't need to rely on take-aways and ready-made meals any more. You can prepare your own healthy food, be healthier and have more money for other treats. How about taking your family out to a decent restaurant and spoil them with quality meals for a special occasion?

Garlic, (Allium sativum), is a bulbous perennial plant related to onions, chives, leeks and shallots. The bulb grows underground with long green shoots emerging above. It's bulb consist of small sections called cloves. The plants are hearty, pest and disease resistant. Two subspecies are hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic is grown in cooler climates, softneck in warmer climates. Garlic is grown around the world, with China being the largest producer.


Garlic has been used for making culinary dishes and medicinally for centuries. It's rich in compounds: allicin, sulphur, zinc and calcium. It has a rich mineral source of selenium.

Garlic is a common flavoring in food. High organosulfur compounds in raw garlic are responsible for its strong, pungent, odor. Some scientist suggest using it as a food additive, can prevent food poisoning. Fresh garlic can kill bacteria: E-coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enteritidis.

How you prepare it for culinary uses can make a difference in whether or not you're receiving, maximum, health benefits. To reap full health benefits use it immediately after crushing. Crushed garlic releases an enzyme, alliinase, causing the formation of a colorless liquid, allicin. Allicin is a health beneficial, organosulfur, compound. Finely chopped and crushed forms increases allicin production.

Raw garlic is often cooked before eaten. Research indicates cooking heat inactivates alliinase, diminishing health benefits of garlic. Some research claims microwaving garlic, completely, destroys allicin. "The Journal of Nutrition", published in 2001, indicates 60 seconds of microwave heat and 45 minutes of oven heat both block garlic's anti-carcinogenic activity. Crushing it and allowing stand time of 10 minutes before 60 seconds of microwave heat, preserves some anti-carcinogenic activity. Crushing garlic allows time for alliinase to work before heat inactivates it.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARLIC

Anti-viral, Antioxidant, Anti-bacterial, Anti-clotting, Anti-inflammatory, Reduce Blood Pressure, Protect Heart, Lower LDL Cholesterol, Regulate Blood Sugar, Lower Risk of Cancer, Improve Iron Metabolism, Increase Circulation, Prevent Weight Gain, Boost Immune System, Reduce Atherosclerosis.
Garlic is used for different ailments: common cold, fever, coughs, headache, sinus congestion, gout, asthma, bronchitis, stomach ache, rheumatism, stress, fatigue and more.

TIPS

- Learn how to grow garlic, organically.

- Store garlic as indicated on package. Store fresh garlic away from light and moisture.

- Garlic is available in clove form, capsules, tablets and an oil. It's found in products, with an odor or odorless. Odorless products are made by aging garlic, which are generally less effective.

- Garlic is generally safe for most people when taken orally. Know the proper dosage and do not exceed it. Use it as directed on package, by your health care provider or pharmacist.

BENEFITS OF GARLIC - (Skin)

Garlic has large amounts of allicin with anti-fungal, anti-aging, antioxidant and skin smoothing benefits. Allicin increases antioxidant levels, combating free radicals that cause skin damage. Prevent pre-mature aging skin. Combat fine lines and wrinkles. Reduce free radicals. Improve firmness, tightness and overall appearance of skin. The allicin and sulphur content in garlic increases skin's elasticity. The sulphur content enhances blood flow, giving skin a natural glow.

Topical use of garlic oil or gel treats fungal infections: ringworm, jock itch and Athlete's foot. Some people use it for treating warts and corns, but its effectiveness is uncertain. Prevent tick bites. Prevent the appearance of stretch marks. Get rid of blackheads, reduce pore size, combat acne.

CAUTION! Do not apply a thick layer of garlic oil/gel to skin. Over exposure to garlic can damage skin, burning and blistering it. Do not use if allergic to garlic.

BENEFITS OF GARLIC - (Hair)

The allicin in garlic increases blood circulation to the scalp. Reduce hair fall and stimulate new hair growth. Reinforce hair roots, remove scalp toxins and enhance hair texture. Get rid of dandruff and prevent its re-occurrence.

DIY GARLIC RECIPE: Add a clove of garlic to your shampoo or conditioner for use once a month. CAUTION! Excessive use of garlic in shampoo/conditioner can cause dryness of hair/scalp. Add small amount of honey to combat the garlic scent. Honey is a natural hair conditioner too.

BENEFITS OF GARLIC - (Nails)

- Get Rid of Yellowing.

- Prevent Cuticle Infections.

- Get Rid of Dull or Brittle Nails.

DIY GARLIC RECIPE: Add few drops of garlic oil to cuticle cream/lotion.

GARLIC CAUTIONS!

Garlic isn't recommended in all situations. Consider safety tips and cautions before use. Garlic hasn't been thoroughly evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (FDA), for safety, purity or effectiveness. All of garlic's potential risks may not be known. The FDA states garlic/garlic oil as "GRAS" substances, generally recognized as safe for public use.

- Do not give garlic supplements to children. Consult physician, first.

- Consult your health care provider before use, especially, if you have plant allergies.

- Do not take garlic supplements when pregnant or breast-feeding, since its effects on unborn or nursing infants are unknown.

- Raw garlic can have side effects: bad breath, burning sensation in mouth or stomach, heartburn, gas, nausea, vomiting, body odor and diarrhea.

- Can increase or prolong the risk of bleeding. It can affect blood clotting and blood sugar levels. Consult your health care provider before taking garlic, if you have a bleeding or blood clotting disorder or diabetes. Consult your health care provider if on blood thinning or other medications.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8238992