Remedies for indigestion, headaches and kidney stones

Did you know that overeating or eating on the run could cause indigestion? Did you know that eyestrain could lead to severe headaches? In the following lines, I invite you to read more on this subject and I will offer you more tips taken from “Everyday Health Guide: 365 Tips for Healthy Living”.

First and foremost, fasting means complete rest. This is because during a fast our body uses up a lot of energy to remove the toxins inside us.

For this reason, during a fast it is advisable to avoid embarking on strenuous physical or mental activities. Fasts may be dry or juice-based. Dry fasting involves total abstinence from both food and water (or any other liquids); during the juice fast, we may drink only certain juices, the most recommended being those prepared from grapes, oranges or grapefruit.

Here is one of the tips offered in the guide:

“In cases of fasts in which fruit juices are taken, […] the toxic wastes enter the blood-stream rapidly, […] which affects normal bodily functions. This often results in dizzy spells, followed by diarrhoea and vomiting. If this physical reaction persists, it is advisable to discontinue the fast and take cooked vegetables containing adequate roughage such as spinach and beets until the body functioning returns to normal”.

Those who benefit most from fasting are overweight persons, as it helps them lose weight quickly – provided they make it through the first day without food, which is extremely difficult. As time passes by, the craving for food gradually decreases and fasting will become a pleasure.

Fasting is also helpful to seriously ill persons who typically experience a loss of appetite anyway. In this case, instead of forcing themselves to eat, the patients should stop eating until their appetite returns to normal.

Sleeping pills are ineffective for insomnia

One of the theories the guide advocates is that sleeping pills are not the answer to lack of night sleep. Why is that? Because, while being effective in the beginning, they are habit-forming and lose their efficacy as we continue to take them. Moreover, sleeping pills have a negative effect on our IQ level and may be fatal when taken before or after drinking alcohol. The side effects of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, low resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, low appetite, high blood pressure, kidney and liver problems and mental confusion.

What solutions do we have, though? We should go to bed and wake up at the same hours every day. Going to bed very early, at 10 p.m. for instance, is extremely helpful, because at this time we get the most restful sleep. Two hours of sleep before midnight are worth more than four hours afterwards.

The proper treatment for kidney stones is diet, not surgery

The number of people who suffer from kidney stones is huge, the more so as many of them are not even aware that they have this problem until the stones have grown in size and symptoms occur, such as pain in their lower back. If you are in this situation and you do not require an emergency procedure, consider making some changes in your diet before deciding to undergo surgery. To control the urine acidity or alkalinity, you should avoid foods that irritate kidneys, and drink plenty of water (more than 2 litres a day).

The foods considered irritant to kidneys are spices, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, spinach, rhubarb, watercress, asparagus, onions, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, meat. Carbonated drinks are also strictly forbidden.

Headaches? We have solutions!

Did you know that simply straining your eyes (for example, when you focus for some length of time to read a text that written in very small letters) could result in a headache? If your eyes are tired and you feel you are developing a headache, try the following exercises: move your eyes up and down and from side to side, rotate your head, stretch your neck forward and backward, clockwise and counterclockwise, three times each.

Another efficient remedy is to massage your neck gently. Then place a moist cool compress over your eyes and keep it there for a few minutes. This will help your eyes rest and recover easier after strenuous effort.

The guide claims that strong emotions may cause headaches as well. A job that has turned into a chore, feeling resentment against someone, all these create in your body a state of tension that may manifest itself as a headache.

If, after relaxing your eyes, your headache persists, seek professional help to make sure you are not facing a more serious problem.

The overlooked causes of indigestion

I am sure you had indigestion more than once and you probably blamed it on what you ate. It is true that what we put into our mouths and how we combine what we eat have an impact on our digestion. However, poor digestion is largely the result of eating too much or not paying enough attention to chewing.

The “Everyday Health Guide: 365 Tips for Healthy Living” points out: “The feelings of discomfort and distress in the abdomen are often caused by overeating, eating too rapidly or not chewing properly. Overeating […] produces a feverish state in the system and overtaxes the digestive organs. It produces excessive acid and causes the gastric mucus membrane to become congested. Hyperacidity is usually the result”.

Overeating forces the stomach, liver, kidneys and bowels to work harder. When the ingested food starts to decompose, the resulting toxins enter the blood and get to poison the entire system.

Another problem is that many people gulp their food without chewing it completely. When we do not chew properly and swallow the food in large chunks, the stomach will have to work harder in order to produce more hydrochloric acid, required for a proper digestion. Therefore, the level of acidity in the body increases. If, on top of everything, we eat in a hurry, a considerable amount of air gets into the stomach and causes burning, a stinging sensation or a bitter taste.

Source: “Everyday Health Guide: 365 Tips for Healthy Living – A Practical Daily Reference to The Nature Cure Using Foods, Vitamins, Minerals, and Food Supplements for Vibrant Health and Complete Freedom from Disease”

You may also want to read:
Old and New Remedies for Digestive Problems
Coloured juices for invigorating and remineralising

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