Avoid these 20 Bad Habits and Banish Doctors Forever

"We have made of our bodies living cesspools, and driven doctors to invent names for our diseases."  - Plato

We all have something we can do to improve ourselves.  Mark Twain tells of a doctor at the bedside of a very sick, elderly lady.  The doctor told her that she must stop drinking and smoking.  The lady said that she'd never done any of those things in her entire life.  The doctor responded, "Well, that's your problem, then.  You've neglected your habits."  Twain added: "She was like a sinking ship with no freight to throw overboard." 

What are your bad habits?  What is keeping you from feeling better?  Below is a list, with my opinion of the very worst first.  Go through this list and see what freight YOU can drop overboard. 

SMOKING kills over 400,000 Americans each year.  Each one of those deaths is completely preventable. 

ALCOHOL, in moderation may be good for you.  But in larger quantities, it damages brain and body cells.   Alcoholic beverages generally contain chemical additives as well. 

LACK OF SLEEP makes any problem worse.  There's rarely any real need to stay up late.  Turn off that TV and read until you are drowsy.  A good sleep each night beats most vacations. 

CHEMICAL ABUSE hurts your body.  Of course it does.  Chemical abuse includes over-use of prescription drugs as well as narcotic addiction. 

EXCESS USE OF OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINES is basically another form of chemical abuse.  Headaches are not caused by aspirin deficiency, nor are digestive problems due to insufficient  "TUMS" in your diet.  Look for the real   cause of illness. 

OVERWEIGHT by more than 20%?  If so, you can expect many more health   problems and a shorter life.  If you travel overseas, try playing "Spot the Americans."  They are usually the most overweight people in sight.  Lose that excess weight! 

DRINKING COFFEE is not harmless "Garfield" jokes notwithstanding.  If you "have to have your morning cup of coffee," then you are dependent on caffeine, which is a drug. 

EATING CHOCOLATE negatively affects more people than you might think.  Theo bromine and other chocolate chemicals may not be ideal for your body. Try something else instead. 

SUGAR is not your friend.  Avoid it and feel better right away.  You will notice fewer mood swings. 

WORRY is useless.  A one-hundred year old lady was (predictably) asked to give a single bit of advice that would help a person live a long time.  She said, "Well, I think that people should not worry.  95% of the things we worry about never happen, and the 5% that do you can't do much about anyway." 

DRINKING SOFT DRINKS.  If you are going to drink something, why not have something that is good for you?  Carbonated drinks erode tooth enamel (because they contain carbonic and phosphoric acids) and appear to promote kidney stones.

USING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS adds chemicals instead of sugar to your body.  What kind of an improvement is that? 

EATING MEAT is a tradition, not a necessity. 

EATING JUNK FOODS gives you extra calories and gives the big food corporations extra profits. 

EATING ANYTHING WITH AN INGREDIENT THAT YOU CAN'T SPELL EASILY means you need to read those food labels more carefully. 

WORKING TOO HARD.  Henry David Thoreau said that after years of hard work, the farmer really didn't have a farm... the farm had him.  We should work to live, not live to work. 

NOT CHEWING YOUR FOOD results in an enormous variety of health problems.  We are not wolves; slow down.  As my mother said to me, "Nobody is   going to take it from you."   Although it is clear from this statement that she was not watching my brothers, it is still true.

CONSTIPATION makes your body into a plugged sewer.  Eating a raw food diet, one-half cup of molasses or a can of sauerkraut will put an end to it. 

HURRYING YOUR MEALS almost guarantees poor digestion.  Put on some   music and relax.  My parents had the following mealtime rule: "No discussion of   money or politics at the table."  Not a bad idea.  Forget those high-pressure   business lunches. 

If you are going to do something FOR your health, you first should stop doing bad things TO your health.  Just what are you willing to do to get better?  If you limit your answer, you are limiting your success.  Do everything possible to enjoy good health.  Don't worry about being called a "health nut."  What are the others called, then?  "Disease nuts?" 

It has been said that Mother Nature will not be fooled... at least not for long.

If you are what you eat, and you eat a lot of worthless stuff, dont expect good health.  If you provide your body with good food and a happy life style, you will feel better and look better. Lincoln said that anyone over age 55 is responsible for his face.  We are most likely responsible for even more than that.  

Cleanser, Moisturizer, Nourisher, Bleach, Toner, Anit-Blemish and Sun Protection - Naturally

Down the ages, Indian women have used simple, effective home-made remedies to look after their skin.

Skin Cleanser:

Found in your own kitchen is a simple, chemical free cleanser ? good ol? unboiled milk. All you need to do is dip a piece of cotton wool in milk and wipe your face with it. It also cleans unseen dirt and goes down into your pores. Another fine cleanser is almond oil, especially effective in protecting the delicate skn under the eyes.

Skin Moisturizer:

For normal skin care, you can take 1 cup of yogurt, 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mix it into a paste.  Apply it on your face as a mask and keep it on for 15 minutes.  Then clean it off with a wet tissue watch your complexion glow.  For dry skin, you could use a mixture of cooked oatmeal and honey; it will not only help moisturize the skin but also acts as a good cleansing agent.

Skin Nourishment and Bleach:

For nourishing your face try a protein mask.  You can prepare this mask by first soaking 1 tablespoon urad dal and 4 almonds in water overnight and then grinding them into a paste. You can then apply this protein mask to your face and wash it off after half an hour. This exceptional protein mask will not only nourish the skin but also bleach it. 

Wrinkle Prevention and Softer Skin:

To prevent wrinkles and soften your skin, you could try pure castor oil; it is known to slow down the aging process of the skin.

Skin Conditioner:

Another simple and excellent skin conditioner that can be made out of 1 tbsp. honey blended with 2 tbsp. cream (of milk). Leave it on for a few minutes and wash it off. It works like magic. 

Skin Blemishes:

For skin blemishes, you can try rubbing a raw potato on your face.

Sun-Protection Lotion:

It is summer time. Time to cool off. So let us wind up with a good home-made sun-protection lotion. Take cucumber juice and equal amounts of glycerine and rose water and make a concoction. This should be refrigerated. Try it, it is really cool.

How the Humble Lemon can Transform Your Looks

Lemon is considered to be a sacred fruit since time immemorial in various cultures of the world. It is also associated with rituals to drive away evil spirits, to break up the spells of black magic and to bring health and prosperity. Superstitions aside, lemon is a fruit which is good for health and can cure many diseases.

Lemon contains valuable acids citric, malic, potassium citrate etc, in addition to vitamin C. These interact with one another to help in the absorption of iron and calcium, improve haemoglobin in the blood and strengthen the bones. These acids also help in dissolving waste products such as uric acid, excessive fat and cholesterol. Because of its effect on the accumulated fat in the body, lemon juice was the first natural tonic given to weight watchers throughout the world.

Lemon is rich in vitamin C, the deficiency of which leads to rickets and defective teeth formation in young children and also causes gastro-intestinal disorders. Vitamin C plays a major role in the formation of collagen which is essential to keep the skin smooth, wrinkle free and soft.

Lemon as a beauty aid:

To improve skin texture and complexion, squeeze a fresh lemon in a glass of boiled milk and add 20 ml of glycerine. Let it stand for 30 minutes and then apply to the face, hands and other exposed areas of the body. Let it dry overnight and wash it the next morning. You will see gradual improvement in your skin with regular use of this face pack.

This preparation also helps to cure cracked heels and palms. It prevents pimples, freckles and dry skin. On application to nails, they became soft and healthy and it is the only cure to reduce brittleness of the nails.

Drink a glass of butter milk adding the juice of a half lemon every morning as a beauty tonic.

The paste of tender lemon leaves with a pinch of turmeric powder, works wonderfully to cure pimples, pimple scars, softens the skin and improves the complexion.

Mix 75 ml of tender coconut water with the juice of one lemon and 75 ml of carrot juice and take regularly to improve the output of urination and to cure bags under the eyes and generalized edema.

Lime juice for hair removing:

For safe, home-made wax to get rid of unwanted hair, mix lemon juice with dissolved sugar and apply over the skin. This can be regularly used instead of wax.