The Natural Anti-Inflammatory Diet Breakfast

One of the secrets of relieving pain and chronic inflammation is understanding the potential of your kitchen. This is the food your prepare in your home and eat to rebuild your body. Just open your fridge, pause, and look at what your body will be made of tomorrow.

Food for thought? Good – Now we can get started.

In this articles we will create a wonderful natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant breakfast that will give you energy and a great start to your day. Interested? Excellent.

First I would like to introduce you to what I consider to be the greatest culinary invention of the last hundred years. The magical blender. No, not the juicer which separates the vital fiber from everything. Nor the food processor which does no more than a good knife and spoon and takes away the meditation from cooking.

Several mornings each week start with the Hamilton Shake, THE natural anti-inflammatory breakfast.

Nothing comes out of a plastic tub at vast expense from a health store, in fact this is very economical. It goes like this:

The Ingredients for an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

I usually cut a pear, which are my favorite, into chunks and put it in the blender.

Depending on what is in the grocers it could also be an apple, papaya, mango, kiwi, grapefruit, pineapple or something that catches my eye.

Then I add half a cup of my seed mix made from equal parts of sunflower, sesame, flax and pumpkin. This delivers Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3) and protein with all the goodies of the whole seed with its fiber. I buy a pound of each at a time. Mix them and store this in a big jar in the fridge.

Then I add berries. The dark berries, blueberries, blackberries and so on, are loaded with antioxidants called flavonoids and are just as good as the exotic, highly priced stuff from the Amazon. They freeze really well. My freezer is nearly full by the end of the season and this lasts the year.

This is the base. Then in go the super extras:

Tumeric is one of the very best anti-inflammatory herbs in nature. I can get fresh Turmeric in my local store, I put in a chunk about the size of the top joint of my thumb. This is a huge dose of curcumin with all the extras of the whole food.

I can also get fresh Burdock root, a wonderful liver and blood cleansing herb. A chunk the size of my finger goes in. This is called Gobo in Asia and eaten as a vegetable.

The Stinging nettle season is on where I live and I pick this from the wild. They don’t sting you when you blend them. The mix inactivates the sting and the natural minerals and anti-inflammatory action does you a power of good and suppresses allergies too. In goes a handful. They are great dried.

You can also cut up raw carrots or celery.

Here is the key: I put in all sorts of other things according to my mood and what’s looking at me out of the cupboard.

The only limit is your imagination and your growing level of knowledge.

Play with it. You will save yourself hundreds of dollars in supplements and drugs.

Add water and blend until smooth, adding cold or warm water (almond milk unsweetened is also fine) as needed to achieve your preferred consistency.

If you have more than you need for breakfast save some until later.

This mix, taken for breakfast or at any other time, is an excellent nutrient meal and a well tolerated delivery system for large quantities of nutrients and healing herbs.

Have fun and know that you are reducing inflammation, oxidation and pain.

Visit the link for more detailed information on Rowan’s anti-inflammatory breakfast. Rowan Hamilton is a Herbalist and writes about natural anti-inflammatory foods, among other health releated topics.

5 Natural Pain Relievers to Keep You in Comfort

What exactly will you do when over the counter pain medications are unable to help you? The only options that doctors can offer you are anti-inflammatory medicines or stronger drugs. You are right in being wary of strong medications because of the risk of developing an unhealthy dependence on them. Many drugs also have negative effects due to long term use such as thinning of the blood and stomach problems.

You do have many other options if you are willing to consider alternative courses of treatment using natural medications. If you have never used these options before, you will be amazed by how effective they are and that too without any negative side effects.

One of the most amazing natural pain killers available is Capsaicin. This is the active ingredient of chili peppers and while it causes the burning sensation that peppers are famous for, it also is able to desensitize nerve receptors for a short while. It is available in the form of creams for topical use and has a wide variety of uses from arthritis patients to migraine sufferers. If you have a pulled muscle or a sore knee, this cream can help reduce the pain considerably.

White willow bark is known as the herbal aspirin. It contains salicin as an active ingredient, which is what aspirin is made of. It is useful in treating joint pains, headaches and tooth aches.

Turmeric is another natural product that has very good pain killing abilities because it can easily bring down inflammation due to the activity of its active ingredient curcumin. Turmeric is found in all curry powders and gives it its characteristic golden hue. You obviously cannot eat enough curry to give you the required pain killing effect but you can get turmeric extract capsules in most health food stores. This product is great for treating inflammatory pains such as arthritis.

A surprising natural analgesic is fish oil. During the digestion process it breaks down into chemicals called prostaglandins that work like hormones to reduce inflammation in the body. You cannot get sufficient quantities of fish oil just by eating seafood; therefore you will have to dose yourself with cod liver oil which is easily available. You will be able to bring down your pain medication by half if you treat yourself with this health product.

Ginger is another anti-inflammatory product available in nature. It can be used for treating anything from headaches to sinusitis attacks. Brew a cup of tea with a lump of fresh peeled ginger in the pot and you will feel your discomfort melt away after you drink the concoction. For serious ailments such as migraine or arthritis you should make use of ginger extract capsules because this drink will not be able to help you.

The next time you are in pain do not hesitate to reach for one of these natural analgesics. Make sure that you check with your doctor first just to make sure that you will not suffer from any adverse reaction.

I am basically a graduate at the University of Hamburg and you can get awesome articles and valid information from the ones which I submit specially for you to take a look at. Check out Pain Images, Pain Graphics or Pain Pictures.

Types of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

There are steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The most common ones include:

A-Steroids

• beclomethasone (Beclovent®, Vanceril®, Becloforte®)
• budesonide (Pulmicort®)
• flunisolide (Bronalide®)
• fluticasone (Flovent®)

B-Non-Steroidal

• sodium cromoglycate (Intal®)
• nedocromil (Tilade®)

 

Corticosteroid Inhalers

Corticosteroid drugs are the most effective Preventers. They work by reducing and preventing airway inflammation, swelling and mucus.

They must be used regularly and do not have an instant effect. This means they have no value whatsoever if an effect is needed straight away.

The Side effects of Corticosteroid Inhalers
There are few side effects at low doses

• High doses might cause growth suppression; studies have shown children whose asthma is not controlled don’t grow as quickly as other children.
• side effects, in general, are usually restricted to the throat:
  • hoarseness and sore throat
  • Thrush or yeast contamination which can be prevented by rinsing the mouth and gargling, Using a holding chamber can also help prevent side effects.

 

Corticosteroid Tablets

Corticosteroid tablets or Prednisone®:

• These are used when inflammation becomes severe
• They reduce inflammation, swelling & mucus, and help bronchodilators work better
• They start to work within a few hours, but may take several days to have a full effect
• They are often used for short periods of time just to get the inflammation under control

There are lots of side effects if used on a long-term basis such as water retention, bruising, puffy face, increased appetite, weight gain and stomach irritation.

 

Other Preventers

Other preventers are Intal® and Tilade®. They are non-steroidal and again used to reduce inflammation.

• sodium cromoglycate (Intal®)
  - for mild asthma
  - this can protect against the effects of cold air and exercise
  - it requires 4-6 weeks to be effective
  - it has few side effects.
• nedocromil (Tilade®)
  - is similar to Intal®
  - is requires 3-4 weeks to be effective
  - it has a bad taste
  - it has fewer doses/canister; therefore, you will probably need more than one canister per month.
• ketotifen (Zaditen®)
  - is used for mild asthma
  - it can be useful for asthmatics who also suffer from hay fever
  - it helps to reverse inflammation of the airways
  - it can be used orally and comes in tablets or syrup
  - it requires regular use of 8-12 weeks to become effective
  - it’s side effects include drowsiness and weight gain

 

Bronchodilator Medications (Relievers)

Bronchodilators are the most extensively used medications for controlling unexpected asthma attacks and for preventing attacks brought on by physical activity or exercise. Theophylline is a bronchodilator that works by relaxing the muscles surrounding the airways.

These:-

• Are rescue medications, therefore are used only when needed, and rarely on a regular basis (unless the asthma is under inadequate control)
• Provide quick relief of symptoms shown
• Relax the muscles of the airways
• Are useful with exercise induced broncho-spasm
• Are usually in blue devices

Types of Bronchodilator Drugs

The most common bronchodilators are:

• B 2-Agonists
• Anticholinergic Inhaler
• Theophylline

• B 2-Agonists
• - salbutamol (Ventolin®, Apo-Salvent®, Novo Salmol®)
• - fenoterol (Berotec®)
• - terbutaline (Bricanyl®)
• - pirbuterol (Maxair®)

B 2-Agonists are rescue medications which:

• Relax the muscles around the airways which allows the breathing to become much easier within minutes.
• Are used only when needed and rarely on a regular basis, unless the asthma is under inadequate control.
• Make the airway muscle less likely to contract.
• Are usually in blue devices.

When to use B<SUB2< sub>-Agonists

• to relieve symptoms of cough, chest tightness, wheezing and shortness of breath
• a few minutes before exercising or before exposure to any trigger known that might worsen asthma

Side effects of B 2-Agonists include:

• trembling
• nervousness
• flushing
• increased heart rate

• Anticholinergic Inhaler

Atrovent®

Atrovent opens the airways by blocking signals from the nervous system which cause the airways to become contracted. It takes one to two hours to reach its maximum effect; therefore, it shouldn’t be used as an immediate emergency medication.

Side effects
There are few side effects, a bad taste is probably the only one.

• Theophylline
• - TheoDur®
• - Uniphyll®
• - Phyllocontin®
• -TheoLair®
• Theophylline is an oral bronchodilator which works directly to relax the airway muscle.

It can be used at night-time if shortness of breath disturbs sleep or more frequently if the asthma condition is very severe. Theophylline levels can be affected by other medications – so it’s important the physician is aware of all medications asthmatics are taking, including over-the-counter drugs.

Side effects include:

• - Diarrhoea
• - Nausea
• - Heartburn
• - Loss of appetite
• - Headaches
• - Nervousness
• - Rapid heart beat
• - Upset stomach
• - Theophylline is not now commonly used in the treatment of asthma