Archive for the ‘home remedies’ Category

red clover for respiratory problems and skin detox

Monday, November 19th, 2007

red clover or Trifolium pratense is used for chronic chest problems such as whooping cough, asthma, and bronchitis. Flowering tops of the red clover are used. people with thin blood should exercise extreme caution when using herbs like Red clover and should do so only under physician supervision. There have been several small studies of less than 6 months for effect of red clover on menopausal symptoms and they have had mixed results. because of the shorter duration of these studies , results of an estrogen like substance in red clover on women is not yet determined.

it is very important to talk to your doctor before taking any dietary supplements since the effects on hormone-sensitive women as well as breastfeeding women are not known.

red clover is also used to detox skin or reduce skin problems or blood purifier for various skin condition. its effect on acne has not been studied in large trials.

How painkillers work – how aspirin works?

Friday, July 7th, 2006

Aspirin has become such a common pain killers that sometimes people use that as part of home remedies for natural health. however taking aspirin is different from natural cure. Pain is felt by the brain because of impulses that are carried to the brain and that’s where painkiller focus. Painkillers do not remove the cause of the pain and do not by themselves help heal the wounds or causes of pain. There are many categories of pain killers – Aspirin, NSAIDs, Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and other powerful pain killers that should be taken only under strict medical supervision.

Some pain killer affect the sensors that detect the damage and produce the signals. Some painkiller reduce the intensity of the signals as they travel to the brain. Some other groups of pain killers work on the brain. So the brain may get the pain signals but will not interpret it since they get blocked or changed in some way.

Some painkillers like aspirin are called anti-inflammatory. They reduce swelling and soreness of inflammation where body is feeling the pain. Since the inflammation itself causes the pain , when aspirin reduces the inflammation, the pain perceived by the body is also lessened.

Aspirin works by stopping the production of body chemical known as prostaglandins. prostaglandins are the key to activating the inflammatory response and production of pain, and fever. When tissues are damaged, white blood cells flood to the site to try to minimize tissue destruction. Prostaglandins are produced as a result.

Aspirin works by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, COX-1 and COX-2, which is critical to ultimate creation prostaglandins. Aspirin essentially works by inhibiting or blocking an enzyme that is key to the synthesis of prostaglandins is blocked. This in turn relives pain effects and fever.

Aspirin Side Effects: However like many modern medicines Aspirin can also have other side effects. For example although it may help in preventing blood clotting in coronary heart disease, but at the same time if there is injury while taking aspirin long term, then it may lead to more bleeding than normal. This problem is likely to occur depending on the amount of aspirin and duration aspirin dose.

PainKillers, Use with caution: even though many of the painkillers are availble as OTC or over-the-counter drugs, they tend to have lot of long term side effects if proper recommendations are not followed. It is important to consult doctor if you are planning to take these pain killers for more than a day or so. In no event should you exceed what is recommended on the labels. Sometimes the result of exceeding the dosage can be long term and irreversible.

NSAID use may have some benefits to ovarian cancer

Friday, July 7th, 2006

Aspirin that has been used by many as some common pain killer home remedy may have some benefits to reduce ovarian cancer risks. Regular use of common painkillers or NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen may be associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer. However this study is too early and hence researchers are not yet recommending these drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen solely for possibly preventing ovarian cancer.

Asprin helped the most with risk reduction being strongest at 37 percent. Tylenol (that contains acetaminophen) also helped albeit slightly less compared to aspirin at 22%

All the painkllers (example acetaminophen) also may have significant side effects such as liver damage if not taken properly. It is important to understand that this information should not be considered conclusive until more scientific testing is done.