Archive for the ‘Holistic Health’ Category
Anxiety is one of the most common psychosomatic conditions, characterized by the intense stress response, fear and panic, in response to a stimulus. Usually in anxiety the response is out of proportion to the causative factor and at times, there may be no clear cause for the anxiety, not even to the sufferer. Anxiety itself is an emotional state and triggers the release of adrenalin, the main stress hormone, which then has a physiological effect on the body. Adrenalin increases the heart rate, may slightly elevate the pressure, dilates the pupils and mobilizes the body’s glucose stores to provide for increased energy needs.
Hypertension is a persistent elevation of the blood pressure where the systolic pressure (pressure when the heart contracts) is greater than 140 mm.Hg and a diastolic pressure (pressure when the heart relaxes) is above 90 mm.Hg. However, other factors have to be taken into consideration, especially when evaluating an increased systolic pressure before diagnosing a patient with high blood pressure.
Body hair varies in type, thickness and length and specific growth patterns are seen in men and women. Typically women have finer, downy hair (vellus type) on most of their body and thicker hair (terminal hair) on the pubic region and armpits. In some women, this thick terminal hair may begin to grow on the chest, face (beard or moustache/mustache), back and thighs. This condition is known as hirsutism where higher than normal levels of male sex hormones in a woman’s body triggers this hair growth pattern.
Swine flu (2009 H1N1 flu) is a viral infection that causes a range of symptoms similar to the seasonal flu and was initially transmitted from pigs to humans. The virus is a mutation of the type A influenza virus from humans and birds and most of the cases we now see is due to person to person transmission. While the media hype around swine flu and deaths due to the infection continue to create widespread concern, the reality is that in a healthy person, swine flu is not the deadly virus that it is portrayed as.
Period pain is often accepted as a regular symptom associated with menses but is usually an indication of a hormone imbalance. Painful periods may occur as a symptom in many menstrual disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome but in healthy women, period pain should signal the need for medical intervention.
A herbal or homeopathic female hormone stabilizer is intended for use in any condition where regulating the female hormone levels will ease the associated signs and symptoms. These conditions may include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, dysmenorrhea (painful periods) or an irregular menstrual cycle. A natural female hormone stabilizer should not be used in conjunction with an oral contraceptive or any other hormone replace or modulating therapy.
Reflexology was originally known as reflex therapy. Reflexology is a holistic method of treating the entire body, which involves pressure on reflex points found on the feet, hand, and ears. Reflexologists regard the feet as a mirror image of the entire body, with the left foot representing the left-hand side of the body, and the right foot the right hand side. Reflexology teaches that a vital energy, or life force flows between the organs of the body via zones (meridians), permeating every living cell and tissue. If at any time this energy becomes blocked, the part of the body related to the blockage will become affected.
Anemia is term for a number of conditions causing low blood iron levels mainly due to the reduced concentration of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an essential component of red blood cells and are responsible for the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide through the blood. Hemoglobin is composed of iron bonded to proteins. The low intake of iron, loss of iron through bleeding or abnormal utilization of iron in the body will result in anemia.