Why Use a Herbal Toothpaste? – Meswak Toothpaste

Do you ever think of using natural products when you are thinking of your oral hygiene? Have you thought about what type of toothpaste you use when you brush your teeth in the mornings?  For years I have used the branded toothpastes that you can buy in the supermarkets, but somehow, whatever the promises on the side of the tube, my mouth never felt as fresh as I would like it to be.  However, one day my friend told me about a herbal toothpaste that she had started to use regularly and how much it had improved her bleeding gums.

The name of the toothpaste that she showed me was Meswak toothpaste, sometimes called Miswak toothpaste, and could be found in my local Asian shop.  I have started to use it every time I brush and already my mouth is feeling better and fresher.  So what is Meswak toothpaste?  Meswak toothpaste is a herbal paste that is derived from a shrub found throughout India, Asia, Africa and the Middle East called Salvadora persica.

Salvadora persica is also known as the toothbrush tree and local people would break off a small twig from the shrub to clean their teeth on a daily basis, and it was noticed that although many of these people had poor diets they still had excellent teeth and healthy gums.  Scientific research was undertaken and it was found that Salvadora persica had great natural antiseptic properties. Miswak was also recommended for use to promote oral health by the World Health Organisation in 1996.

Because of these wonderful healthy benefits it was decided to create toothpaste from the toothpaste tree and this paste is now call Meswak toothpaste.  Commercial brands contain many harsh chemicals, such as fluoride, artificial colours and sweeteners and sodium laurel sulphate that can have detrimental effects on our health when we ingest them into our bodies.  Meswak is a completely natural way to clean your tooth, and contains only natural ingredients.  It is also a suitable paste to be used by vegetarians, vegans and even the kids!  It does not have the minty taste that we generally associate with cleaning our teeth and freshening our breath, but I find that Meswak toothpaste has a fairly mild flavour with a hint of liquorice.

So if you want to move away from manufactured products, full to the brim of nasty chemicals, and start using more natural oral hygiene products, why not try out some herbal toothpaste?  If they do not stock Meswak toothpaste in your local supermarket or you do not have a local Asian shop, then have a look online.  You can find it easily on Amazon and will soon be able to clean your teeth and keep your teeth and gums healthy naturally and also be able to rest in the comfort that you are not putting any more harsh chemicals into your body.

Why You Should Eat That Tuna Sandwich?

Age-related macular degeneration or AMD is the most common cause of blindness in the old. Although there are currently around 200,000 sufferers in the UK alone, a suprisingly large number of adults have never heard of this devastating eye condition which impairs people's central vision. However, there is a bit of good news, as study undertaken at Harvard has revealed that if you eat oily fish, such as tuna, on a regular basis you will be lowering your risk of developing AMD by about 42%.

So what is so special about oily fish like tuna in helping to prevent age-related macular degeneration? Well, oily fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are also known to help protect you against heart attacks, help lower cholesterol, improve mental agility, reduce the symptoms of PMS and  help soothe the pain of arthritis. To gain this 42% protection from developing AMD, you would need to eat 1-2 portions of tuna or other oily fish every week.

If you are one of those people, however, who do not like fish, omega 3 is found in several other foods and you can also now buy omega-3 fish oil supplements.  So next time that you go out for lunch, make sure that you order that tuna sandwich or maybe make yourself some sardines on toast?

Benefits of Paraben Free Toiletries and Cosmetics.

So why is it a good idea to use paraben free cosmetics and toiletries? And what are parabens anyway? Well, parabens are chemicals used in cosmetics and foods as a preservative.  Parabens are derived from a chemical called benzoic acid  that are found in plants.  Because parabens are preservatives they are put into cosmetics and toiletries to improve their shelf life, which is a great benefit to the manufacturers and retailers. 

So what is the problem with parabens?  Parabens have been used for many years and been regarded as reasonably safe, but in recent years it has been suggested that parabens can be one of the contributing factors in the development of the disease cancer, especially parabens in anti-perspirant raising the risks of breast cancer.

To find out more about why parabens could be a danger in skin care products, read this informative article on the benefits of paraben free cosmetics and whether there are any natural alternatives to use as preservatives in cosmetics.

Eating Cherries and Drinking Cherry Juice - The Health Benefits

There are so many health supplements and articles on healthy eating available today, that it is no wonder that we get confused and wonder what are really the best things to eat to stay healthy.  Well research has shown that drinking tart cherry juice and eating cherries, provides you with powerful anitoxidants, vitamins and minerals.

The deep red colour of the cherry is provided courtesy of very powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, that help to protect our bodies from disease and infections, and can all help to slow down ageing. Anthocyanins are also strong, natural anti-inflammatories, so drinking tart cherry juice or eating cherries can also help to ease the pain of arthritis.

All cherries contain anthocyanins, but they are present in a much greater concentration in tart or Montmorency cherries, along with vitamin C, folates, magnesium and fibre.  Because this cherry juice is not sweet, it is drunk diluted with water, and is taken by athletes to help reduce muscle soreness after playing sport and to help keep their joints healthy.

Drinking cherry juice can also help with insomnia, help to protect you from heart disease, improve your immune system, help to protect you from developing gout.

So read the full Hub on the health benefits of cherry juice and cherries, to find out more vital information

How to Treat Corns and Foot Calluses

Our feet are very important to us, but do we really give our feet the pampering and attention that they need?  Corns and foot calluses are some of the very common problems that we experience with our feet and it is great to know how to go about treating corns and foot calluses at home.

Both corns and calluses are areas of skin on our feet that have thickened and hardened, with calluses typically being larger areas of hardened foot skin. You can also develop soft corns between the toes, where the thickened skin of the corn is kept soft by the sweating between the toes. Corns and foot calluses are unsightly and can become painful if not dealt with.  Corns and calluses can be caused by several things, like ill-fitting footwear and anything else that can cause friction on the skin of the foot.

There are various methods of removing corns and calluses at home, ranging from electric callus removers, pumice stones, rasps, liquid callus removers and corn pads.

So read all of the interesting Hub to find out which would be the best method of treating your corn or foot calluses at home

What Are The Symptoms of Strokes

Strokes are one of the common causes of death and can also leave survivors with major ongoing health problems.  But how many of us would recognise the symptoms of a stroke and know what to do?

Alison Graham has written a very informative Hub that outlines all the major symptoms of stokes and what the best course of action is.  Some of the major symptoms are problems with speech, sudden vision problems, weakness in the arms, severe headaches, dizziness, confusion and a drooping mouth or eye on the face.  Getting treatment quickly is imperative, so if you experience any of these symptoms of stroke, or recognise them in a friend or colleague, you need to seek medical treatment urgently.

Read on to find out more about recognising the symptoms of strokes

Improve Your Immune System with Smoothie Ingredients

Our immune systems protect our bodies from disease and from developing infections, so it make sense to look after our immune system and giving it a boost when we can.  One of the ways to give our immune systems a much needed helping hand is to drink smoothies containing ingredients that are brilliant for boosting our immune systems.

Alison Graham has written a brilliant Hub on what smoothie ingredients are best for helping us to fight off infections and stay as healthy as possible. These immune-boosting ingredients include goji berries, citrus fruits, probiotics, blueberries, cantaloupe melon, green tea, blackberries, strawberries and spinach.  All of these natural ingredients are full of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that your immune system needs to help protect you from the viruses, bacteria and toxins that can invase your body.

Read on for the whole of the Hub on smoothie ingredients to boost your immune system