Archives for January 2018

What does fish oil do? That may seem like a simple question, but the truth is that we really do not know everything that there is to know about it, yet. Researchers are still looking at "how" it works. But, there are some questions that we can answer.

There are numerous benefits associated with increasing your intake of omega3 fatty acids, which is what you find in fatty fish. It is also beneficial to reduce your intake of omega6 fatty acids and saturated fats, which are found in cooking oils, butter, dairy products, meats and egg yolks.

The best diets do provide some omega6 fatty acids, particularly linolenic acid, because it is essential to human health. It is simply that most people's diets are too high in omega6 and too low in omega three. Saturated and trans-fatty acids are not essential to the human diet. So, you could leave those out entirely, if you wanted.

Benefits have been seen in various parts of the body. So, here's a look at some of those.

What does fish oil do for the heart and circulatory system?

It acts as an anti-coagulant, preventing the formation of clots. It has been shown to increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which in turn may help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, because HDL particles pick up the smaller LDL particles and carry them back to the liver for reprocessing.

Omega-3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect on blood pressure and have some degree of anti-inflammatory activity. A recent study showed that some fish oils have more anti-inflammatory activity than others. Natural hoki oils seems to be at the top of the list. Inflammation plays a role in atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

What does fish oil do for the brain and nervous system?

The brain is primarily composed of fatty acids. The most abundant fatty acid in the brain is an omega 3 called DHA. DHA is not found in vegetable oils or plants. It is found in some kinds of marine algae. Strict vegans should choose a marine algae supplement rather than flax seed. Research has proven that flax seed supplements do not increase circulating levels of DHA.

Low blood levels of DHA are associated with depression and anxiety. Lack of these fatty acids, or an imbalance in the diet, may play a role in Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases. The nerves are surrounded by a sheath or membrane. 60% of that membrane is DHA.

What does fish fish oil do for the joints, skin, vision and digestive system?

Because of its anti-inflammatory activity, it is beneficial for arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, acne and inflammatory bowel diseases. The retina, a part of the eye that gathers light and transmits signals to the brain, is composed primarily of DHA.

Supplementation may be beneficial for preventing cataracts and age-related muscular degeneration. It is well known that the supplements prevent and tie constipation.

What does fish oil do for the immune system?

That's a new field of study. It seems that it may help prevent allergies and asthma. The benefit to the heart is most well known. Just remember, when you are buying supplements that all of them are not the same. Choose wisely.

Source by Valerie Rosenbaum

If you have acne and are not oil cleansing, what are you waiting for? Oil cleansing is probably one of the best holistic ways of getting rid of acne. Continue reading to discover more about the oil cleansing method including why it works, and great tips on how to make it work for you to eliminate acne without any harsh acne treatments.

Using oil to cleanse?

It sounds like something a crazy person came up with and maybe they were a little bit crazy!

If you are struggling with acne, you probably think that any type of oil is the enemy but it is important to remember that the reason that acne develops is complex and still not very well understood.

While it looks that it is mostly those with oily skin who seem to have acne (although it can affect those with normal or dry skin also), you may think that the reason for your acne is the excess oil production by the oil glands under your skin.

Acne is not just because of excessive sebum (oil) that becomes trapped in your pores. It is believed to also involve shed skin cells that mix with the oil and become trapped. When combined with the bacterium that cause acne (known as Propionibacterium acnes ) which release enzymes that lead to the inflammation of the hair follicle, it can lead to acne. Other types of acne are also due to hormone imbalance, stress, etc.

So oil is not the enemy per se although excess oil that clogs pores can help to set the groundwork which is why doing everything you can to ensure your pores are not clogged is key and cleaning is an important part of this.

The oil cleaning method – like eliminates like?

Cleansing is an important part of getting rid of acne but unfortunately too many products on the market fail at this simple task even those that are targeted for acne prone skin. Some may even contain acne fighting ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide but still not only be able to improve the skin but actually make your acne worse dependent on the characteristics of your skin and the reasons for your acne.

One reason that many of these products are not the solution is that many of them strip the skin of oil. Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide can be very dry especially when products containing these ingredients are used excessively.

By drying out the skin, it actually worsens the issue because excessively dry skin triggers the oil glands to produce more oil to compensate for this dryness leading to more clogged pores which provide the perfect environment for acne causing bacteria to thrive and the vicious cycle continues. Many of these products also contain many harsh skin irritants such as fragrance which can make your skin and acne worse.

This is why the oil cleansing method is one of the best ways of getting rid of acne naturally and without any harsh chemicals that strip the skin. That is not to say that you will not be able to find gentle cleansers that will not strip your skin and that contain good ingredients on the market. I am sure that if you search long enough and experiment long enough, you will find a cleaner that gives your skin everything you need.

But why go through all that when there is something very simple at your fingertips that makes all the sense in the world? It may sound crazy but oil is the best way to get rid of oil. That is the crux of the oil cleaning method. It eliminates the excess oil produced by your oil glands that are clogging up your pores and because you are using an oil, it will not dry out your skin therefore your oil glands will not be triggered into action to produce excess pore clogging oil.

Over time, these works as one of the best ways of getting rid of acne without your acne is of course due to hormone imbalance, stress, etc, and you may need to use other methods for getting rid of this acne such are stress management, balancing your hormones using various methods, etc.

If your acne is due to clogged pores (excessive oil + shed skin cells + bacteria), the oil cleansing method is one of the best ways of getting rid of acne. Do keep in mind that excess oil production can also be tied to the activity of the male hormone testosterone that both men and women have (although men have this hormone in greater amounts than women obviously).

Oil cleaning method basics

1. You will need hot running water or hot water in a bowl. You can do this in or out of the shower or bath. You will also need your oil or oil blend and soft clean washcloths.
2. You will massage an oil or oil blend preferably into the skin for two to three minutes as this helps to loosen the oil and unclog pores. Take your time to ensure all areas of your face and problem areas have been deeply massaged with the oil.
3. Steam your face or apply a warm washcloth soaked in the hot water to your face for a minute or two to further open up the pores allowing the oil or oils to penetrate the pores to help unclog them. The heat helps the pores open up. If using a face towel, once the first towel you use cools, replace it with another one and so on.
4. Use the warm towel to wipe all the oils from your face and viola, you are done with cleansing your face!
5. You may follow up with a moisturizer or a drop or two of the oil to moisturize your face but this is optional since many people find that their face does not need an additional moisturizer or oil following the oil cleaning method.

What oils to use?

Castor oil

Castor oil is used as the foundation of the oil cleaning method but depending on your skin type (oily, normal, dry or combination) you will use less or more of this oil.

Castor oil is the foundation because it is believed to be the best for using in this method because it has many healing and cleansing properties in addition to being anti-inflammatory which is why it is commonly used in many natural healing methods for various diseases and conditions and not just acne.

Other oils used

Other oils are usually added to castor oil because castor oil is a very thick oil and will pull the skin if used alone because it is not easy to spread. Other oils are added to make the blend easier to use and spread the oil on the skin. Many other oils also contain many healing and anti-inflammatory properties.

Common thinner oils added to castor oil include olive, avocado, grapeseed, apricot kernel, sunflower seed, sweet almond, jojoba, hazelnut, etc.

Best oil ratios for the oil cleaning method

• For oily skin use 30 percent castor oil to 70 percent other oil (sunflower seed oil, grapeseed and sweet almond oil are best)
• For normal skin use 20 percent castor oil to 80 percent other oil (sunflower, grapeseed, jojoba, apricot kernel, sweet almond oil are best)
• For dry skin use 10 percent castor oil to 90 percent other oil (avocado or apricot kernel oil are best)
• For acneone skin skin, the best oils to mix with castor oil are sunflower seed and hazelnut oils.

The above are just a general guideline. Play with the ratios and with the oils to see what works best for you. You can also add a drop or two of various other oils to this blend such as argan, tamanu, neem or turmeric oil (great for acne prone skin), etc.

Important tips for achieving glowing acne free skin with the oil cleansing method

1. For those with acne pronone skin, you may want to avoid using olive oil and coconut oil (coconut oil is comedogenic which means it clogs pores). Some people report a worsening of acne when they use these two oils either alone or in a blend. Jojoba oil may also be an issue for some people.
2. Keep a large supply of face cloths and clean them well.
3. Many of these oils are derived from nuts so you may develop an allergic reaction if you are allergic to nuts. If this occurs, stop and only use oils not derived from nuts (grapeseed, sunflower seed, etc).
4. Do keep in mind that this oil can be drying for some people so either reduce the amount used in the oil blend or eliminate it entirely. It is up to you but if you eliminate it, do remember that you will have to wipe your face very well.
5. Make sure your wash cloths are very clean and avoid using a fabric softener when you wash them to ensure that they are free of any residue or synthetics which fabric softener will leave behind.
6. For best results and for skin beneficial results, only use oils that are cold or expeller pressed, organic and unrefined as these contain the most healing properties without any other additives.
7. In addition, this cleaning method is one of the best ways of getting rid of makeup at the end of the day including eye makeup.
8. You probably only need to use the oil cleansing method once a day in the evening. All you may need to do in the morning is just wipe your face with a damp washcloth.

Using the oil cleansing method is one of the best ways for getting rid of acne.

Source by Jenny Mays

Electronic Arts' phenomenal NCAA collegiate football video game swept over millions of gamers in US. Since it's been created, more and more video game aficionados went gaga over it because it never ends on being developed – each year, new interesting features get included. These addictive video game features, especially the latest versions of the game, include:

– Dynasty mode

– ESPN

– fight songs

– tuned up game play

– special teams

– campus challenges

– ability to create and edit players and names

– released for PlayStation and Xbox

– allows well-performing players to lead by example (Leadership Control)

Aside from the fun that the real NCAA football brings and now has been converted to game series, as mentioned, it is now made available to modern game console players, particularly PS2 and PS3.

Many NCAA football enthusiasts, to have more fun, prefer to customize their games by changing the names of their players in their teams. However, there's the common newbie player dilemma of not knowing how to download the NCAA rosters to their PS3 systems. What? You're one of them? Do not fret here's how you can download the NCAA rosters for your PS3.

a. On your flash drive, create a folder for your PS3 to facilitate the transfer from your computer to the flash drive.

b. Download the SAVEDATA.zip file to your computer. After downloading it, extract the file to your desktop using WINRAR.

c. Now insert your USB storage device into your computer's slot.

d. Open the USB storage device. It should display a window on your computer.

e. You create a new folder on your USB storage device and name the folder PS3. It's important to name it PS3 so that your PS3 system will recognize the roster folder

f. Find the SAVEDATA file extracted from SAVEDATA.zip.

g. To save the file on the USB storage device, you can drag the SAVEDATA folder or copy and paste SAVEDATA folder into the PS3 folder located in the USB storage device.

h. To load it to your PS3 system, without putting the game in the system, start PS3. Sign in only with the username you dedicated to the roster file.

i. Plug in the USB device into the USB slot of the PS3.

J. Go to PS3 menu to get to the "Game" section.

k. Scroll down to "Saved Data Utility, then click" x ".

l. Pick "USB Device", then press "x".

m. Pick "NCAA Football 08" or any NCAA Football game version. Click "triangle" then "copy".

n. The file will be copied to the hard drive of the PS3 system. Just insert NCAA 08 or any version and voila! You're ready to play with your freshly-downloaded rosters!

Source by Brian Kaldenberg

The anti-properties of organic coconut oil are many: anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial. It’s amazing that something found in nature can be so good for so much. This tropical oil has many uses, which is what I will go over in this article.

It can be consumed in the daily diet or used as an all natural beauty product for the skin and hair. I, personally, use it both ways mainly because I love the way I feel and look. I will go over how organic coconut oil can be used for personal care, oral health, for babies, general health and wellness, and applied externally to the skin.

For personal use, or as an effective beauty product, organic coconut oil can be used effectively as an eye cream for bags, wrinkles, and puffy eyes, as a head to toe moisturizer, as a preparation for the skin before and after shaving, as an effective deodorant, and hair conditioner.

I use it to moisturize my whole body after my morning shower. Occasionally, I will massage into my ends and leave in for 20 minutes before washing out. This protects my hair against split ends and just keeps it looking healthy. It really works great as an all day effective deodorant by adding some to baking soda and applying under the armpits.

I am going to brag about how great organic coconut oil is for oral health. I put a little on my toothbrush with some regular toothpaste every night when I brush my teeth and in the morning. My last dental appointment showed I had three cavities. Well, after having them taken cared of, my next dental visit six months later and after six months of brushing with organic coconut oil… no cavities. It really works.

Some other uses for personal care include: lip moisturizer, massage oil, make-up remover, all natural and safe personal lubricant, and body scrub when mixed with sugar and massaged into the skin, then rinsed off. It will also form a protective layer over cuts and scrapes while speeding up the healing process. Also excellent to stop the itching and burning associated with bug bites.

For mom and baby, it can be used as an effective nipple cream to help heal and nourish dry, sore, and cracked nipples due to breastfeeding. Mom can apply to baby’s bum to treat diaper rash. If the baby has cradle cap, applying it daily will help nourish the scalp and eliminate it. Breastfeeding moms can consume 3 1/2 tablespoons per day to enrich the milk supply.

Did I mention that it can be used to treat different skin conditions when applied externally and when taken internally. These include psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema. For general health and wellness, it will help the body to absorb minerals and vitamins, stimulate the metabolism, and help with digestive problems including irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s Disease.

The medium chain fatty acids in the coconut oil make it responsible for increasing the metabolism, giving you lots of energy, improve thyroid function, help the body to reduce fat, increase muscle, and assist with weight loss and controlling cravings. It will also help to level the blood sugar.

When taken internally, some more uses for coconut oil include: hot flashes, hemorrhoids, kills head lice, thrush, HIV, gallbladder pain, mononucleosis, painful menstruation, kills parasites, candida, autism, high cholesterol, chronic fatigue, circulation, depression, and give you a stronger immune system.

When applied topically, organic coconut oil helps with athlete’s foot, canker sores, herpes, genital warts, acne, and sore muscles. Wow!! Don’t worry, it’s easy to include it into your daily diet. Simply use it in place of butter and oil used for cooking, sauteing, baking, and in all recipes. I add to my coffee, tea, or fruit smoothie.

You can even feed to your pets, cats and dogs. It is just as healthy for them as it for you. It can be added to their water or food bowls every day. Who knew organic coconut oil can be good so many things and have so many uses. It’s something that can be easily found in any organic health food store or online. When are you getting yours?

Source by Melissa M Fitzpatrick

You'd rather wonder if you knew that peppermint is actually a breed bought on earth by combination of two others. Its actually a cross breeding between watermint (scientific name is Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Scientific name: Mentha spicata). The plant's origins are in Europe but it is now widely grown across the globe.

Initially it was treated as species, but globally it is now agreed upon as to be a hybrid. The major use of peppermint lies in the use of its oil. Peppermint is usually considered to be the oldest known medicine for more than 10 thousand years. Menthol is the major constituent of peppermint which makes its use viable in various product range, ranging from ice creams, mouth fresheners, chewing gums and tea.

The oil extracted from peppermint contains chemical compounds like mentyl esters, menthone and also menthyl acetate. Peppermint has been the earliest and famous flavor for the confectionery. Many shampoos and soaps contain peppermint oil in it, in order to provide a cooling and soothing sensation on skin when applied. In fact here is one technique which will beautify your bathing hours. Put few drops of peppermint oil in your bathtub or bucket of water that you are using to bathe, and then have a head bath with it. You'll find that your head ache has vanished and your body has admitted a pleasant scent.

If at all you are suffering from any kind of indigestion, then there is no other better medicine than the peppermint oil. If after every meal, a glass of water mixed with few drops of peppermint oil is taken, it would not only taste good, but also will improve your bodys digestion abilities.

Peppermint oil also has many healing abilities. This oil eradicates abdominal cramps, takes care of bloating and gas trouble. It aids in a better production and circulation of digestive fluids. Just in case you were wondering how you could include it in your day to day life, all you have to do is put a few drops of peppermint oil into your boiling tea, cool it down and drink. This should solve all your small, stomach related ailments. Peppermint oil can also be used externally, for treating common cold, various fevers and common flues. It has a cooling effect on the body and promises relaxation in many respiratory ailments. And for the same reasons it is widely used in spas for body massages.

Peppermint also contains antiseptic properties, so it is widely utilized in varieties of toothpastes, as it helps the teeth fight decay and germs, and especially; removes bad breath. One thing to be taken care of though is the fact that, even though peppermint oil is widely used in various home remedy methods, one should not use this oil when there are heartburn, as it can cause the sphincter that lies in between the stomach and the esophagus to relax, which again can cause worsened heartburn.

Not just on our body, but peppermint oil can also be used as an ant repellent. Mix peppermint oil and water in equal proportions and then spray in home around the ants liberty areas, and you'll notice within a day or two that ants have disappeared, and you should not have them back at least for a week or two.

Source by Jacob Jarden