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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Here are 5 Effective Home Remedies for Bee Stings

If you are thinking of what can you do after being stung by a bee, read on here to find out about the 5 effective home remedies for bee stings you can use to help ease the discomfort.

Click HERE to Discover the 215+ Home Remedies, NaturalBeauty Recipes & DIY Household Products


When people find out I am a beekeeper, one of the first questions is inevitably “do you get stung a lot?” To which I can merely shrug and say “meh.”

The truth is the more you work around bees and the more comfortable you get, the less stings you’ll receive - but you’ll always get some.

Honey bees are quite gentle, and to sting is a suicide mission for them, so it’s not taken lightly. Some days your bees are crabby and you’ll get a couple of stings.

But most days they are fine with letting you rip the roof off their home, expose their precious brood, and handle the frames holding their priceless pollen, nectar and honey.

After enough stings, many beekeepers build up a tolerance to the venom, and while it still hurts, there’s a lot less of a reaction in the way of swelling, heat, and itchiness.

Bee venom, or apitoxin, is a colorless liquid composed primarily of proteins. It’s these proteins that cause the local inflammation and associated discomfort with a sting.

A honey bee can inject roughly 0.1 mg venom, and most adults-barring those with allergic reactions-can safely withstand 10 stings per pound of body weight.

I’ll have people say “I got stung once - I am terribly allergic, it got all swollen!” That’s actually not an allergic reaction - it’s a normal, localized one.

Anaphylactic shock, or a systematic reaction, (which are quite rare) are the only true allergic reaction there is. So don’t panic.

But having worked with bees for a while, and been stung, I have a few solid go to home remedies for bee stings to help ease the discomfort.

Home Remedies for Bee Stings #1 - Lavender Essential Oil

This is one of the only times I will recommend using an essential oil “neat”, or undiluted. When taking my course on aromatherapy, it was one of the rare exceptions that my instructor used as well.

Lavender essential oil is incredibly soothing, and it can ease discomfort, greatly reduce that infuriating itching, and help with swelling. If you aren’t comfortable using the oil neat, feel free to dilute it - it will still help.

You should make sure beforehand that you don’t get irritated by the essential oil, as the last thing you want is to make the sting even more uncomfortable.

You will need…

-1 drop of lavender essential oil
-a small amount of liquid neutral oil (if diluting.)

Directions

Apply one drop of lavender essential oil directly on the sting. Make sure the stinger is completely out before doing so. You can also dilute it 50/50 with a liquid neutral oil. Do this twice the first day, and one time the next day.

Home Remedies for Bee Stings #2 - Mud

For those times when you’re caught completely unprepared, mud will work just fine to help with the initial pain that comes with a sting.

You will need…

-Some dirt (or mud if it’s nearby)
-Water

Directions

Add enough water to dry dirt to make a thick but easily applicable mud. Cover the sting completely. When you get home, rinse clean and let it dry.

Home Remedies for Bee Stings #3 - Bee Balm

This simple blend of beeswax and essential oil (and honey if you’re feeling extra sassy, and ironic) makes the perfect little rub for sore stings.

Balms make a great home remedy for bee stings as they can be carried about in your purse or pocket in a handy little tin, and can be readily utilized the moment you get stung.

You will need…

-2-3 teaspoons of beeswax
-1 tablespoon of coconut oil
-4 drops of lavender essential oil
-A ½ teaspoon or so of raw honey
-A double boiler
-A little tin

Directions

Melt your beeswax and coconut oil together, and remove from the heat. Stir in essential oil and honey (if you’re using it.) Pour into your tin, put the lid on, and let it cool completely before use.

Home Remedies for Bee Stings #4 - Baking Soda Paste

Sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda) is a great bee sting home remedy that just about anyone can pull off.

All you need is baking soda, of course, and a bit of water. The baking soda will help relieve swelling, as well as soothe itching.

Directions

Add enough water to a bit of baking soda to make a paste. It should be thin enough that you can spread it over the sting, but not so thick as to not spread around or clump up and fall off.

If the sting is on your hand, covering it with an adhesive bandage can be helpful. Rinse clean with cool water before reapplying.

Home Remedies for Bee Stings #5 - Rhubarb Juice

Long before I was a beekeeper, I was a child running barefoot full tilt through the woods up at the cabin, mostly blissfully innocent when it came to stings.

One moment I was fine, and the next there was a sharp stabbing pain in my foot. I looked down to see a bumblebee stumbling away, and my first thought was how horrible I felt for stepping on it.

My next thought was “ouch.” Since it was a bumblebee, which can sting repeatedly as they have smooth stingers, there was no stinger to pull out.

I limped up to my friend’s cabin and her mom hurried out into her garden to grab some fresh rhubarb, whereupon she promptly squeezed some juice onto the spot where I’d been stung.

It was only a minute or two and I was back out running around. I couldn’t pinpoint the science behind it, but some questions don’t need answers!

You will need…

-A fresh rhubarb stalk

Directions

Break open the fresh stem of rhubarb and apply the juice directly to the sting. Repeat as needed (and note that this may stain your skin temporarily!)

You can also watch this Video HERE to learn about other home remedies for bee stings.

What to do when you get stung:

If you’re near a hive, calmly move away. Do not swat, or run, or wave your arms about. Don’t freak yourself out, as the more stressed you are, the more likely you are to upset the bees.

Quickly remove the stinger, as it releases pheromones that signal to other bees that you are a threat. This doesn’t mean they’ll all come swarming you, but it’s a good idea to get it out as soon as possible.

When you do remove the stinger, do not grab the end and pull it out. The venom sac is at the end and you’ll just squeeze more out. Take your nail (a credit card works well too) and scrape the stinger out.

By Claire Goodall (a bee-obsessed natural-convert from Minnesota) who is a holistic health lover. She is the author of Everyday Roots Book.

It's a Book that she creates to help you replace the toxic products and medications in your home with healthier, all-natural alternatives.

It contains 215+ effective home remedies and covers everything you will need to protect your family and save money every month.

For more details about her book, take a look at the Everyday Roots Book.



Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Here are 2 Ways to Avoid Using Pesticides and Commercial Fertilizer Forever

To truly help your garden thrive, and to avoid using pesticides and commercial fertilizer, here are 2 ways to achieve this by tapping into the environmentally friendly system of beneficial insects and companion planting.

Click HERE to Discover the 215+ Home Remedies, NaturalBeauty Recipes & DIY Household Products


I was recently out in Colorado, and I was just amazed at all of the wild Lupine growing. Everywhere I looked there were stretches of pale blue and rich purple flowers, and that reminded me of something very obvious that is also very easy to forget in this day and age.

It reminded me that long, long before pesticides and fertilizers were around, Mother Nature had come up with her own system for plants to grow, thrive, and flourish.

If you’ve ever been in the forest, a field of wild flowers, even just in your own backyard, you can see that system in all of the beautiful things doing perfectly fine on their own.

To truly help your garden thrive, and to avoid using pesticides and commercial fertilizer, take a lesson from nature and try tapping into the environmentally friendly system of beneficial insects and companion planting.

Avoid Using Pesticides and Commercial Fertilizer #1 - Get Bugged

You probably know what you don’t want in your garden, but do you know what you do want?

It will all depend on where you live and what you’re growing, but there is a myriad of insects that you can attract to your yard with various shrubs and plants.

A little bit of research on your zone can give you more detail, but below are a few common insects that are helpful for gardens.

The list isn’t terribly long, as companion planting is covered in this article as well, but it gives an introduction of the idea.

1. Bees

Before you go chasing bees away, remember that their hard work results in the flowers and food that you love surviving. Cross-pollination/pollination keeps crops and flowers healthy, diverse, and growing in new places, and also helps your plants propagate.

One-third of our food supply is dependent on bees, and they give a healthy boost to the economy as well.

In the U.S. alone $15 billion dollars a year in crops are pollinated by bees, this includes apples, almonds, cucumbers, alfalfa, berries…you name it. Also in the U.S., they produce roughly $150 million in honey annually. Their value goes far beyond monetary of course, but it shows just how much we really depend on them.

Another thing to keep in mind is that populations are decreasing, so anything to help them out is always a plus.

What they like

This is a brief list of plants/herbs/flowers/trees that bees find attractive. There are many options, so it isn’t hard to find one to suit your taste.

Keep in mind that Bees aren’t color-blind, and they actually prefer blue, purple, yellow, and white flowers. They also like ‘foraging’ in sunny areas, and are often times more responsive to native plants they are familiar with.

-Clover
-Poppies
-Sunflowers
-Zinnias
-Geraniums
-Tansy
-Dahlias
-Blackberries
-Echinacea
-Squash
-Thyme
-Sage
-Mints
-Honeysuckle
-Hawthorns
-Poplar
-Sycamore

2. Ladybugs

These friendly looking bugs may be pleasant to us, but they are aphids and a blackfly’s worst nightmare. One ladybug that lives for a year can eat over 5,000 aphids, so if you find them infesting a plant, don’t douse it with chemicals.

If you have ladybugs, once they reach the plant, they will devour the aphids quickly. If you find you are having a hard time attracting them, you have the option of ordering them online and releasing them into your garden (doing so at dusk will minimize the number that fly away.)

Also, you can drape a light netting or mesh over an infested plant and release the ladybugs beneath it-it won’t take them long to find the food.

What they like

-Wild mustard
-Calendula
-Dill
-Marigold
-
Nettle (which you can use for tea)
-Tansy
-Wild carrot
-Water (this isn’t a plant, but watering your garden helps them stay put)

3. Butterflies

Butterflies and flowers were made for one another-as an old French poet once said “The butterfly is a flying flower, The flower a tethered butterfly.”

Not only are they a joy to watch, but butterflies help pollinate your garden and keep it growing and reproducing. Butterfly gardens are also a great way to introduce youngsters to gardening, the importance of which can never be underestimated.

What they like

-Butterfly bush
-Lupine
-Pansy
-Mint
-Lilac
-Sage
-Purple coneflower
-Snapdragon

4. Green lacewings

These delicate, slow moving night-time feeders eat mainly nectar as adults, but as larvae, they have the nickname “aphid lion.” Available as eggs, these guys are less likely to wander then ladybugs, and a single larva can eat up to 200 aphids a week!

Provided there are enticing plants for the adults, they can be enticed to stay and reproduce to cut down on the aphids in your garden. They will lay their eggs off the ends of a plant with aphids to give the larva a good meal when they hatch, and will also eat certain mites and whiteflies as well.

What they like

-Angelica
-Caraway
-Dill
-Fennel
-Tansy
-Prairie sunflower

5. Big-eyed Bug

Not to be confused with the true chinch bug, which is a pest, a big-eyed bug are hardy insects that can survive in a wide variety of habitats, and eat pests such as spider mites and other small insects like whiteflies, cabbage loppers, aphids.

While not as pretty as a butterfly, they have hearty appetites and do well at devouring their meals! Another bonus is that they eat insects at all life stages-not just as larvae or adults. Although not terribly common, the big-eyed bug will feed on some nectar to sustain themselves if food is scarce.

What they like

A lot of things in the daisy family appeal to them.
-Marigold
-Chamomile
-Yarrow
-Common daisies

Avoid Using Pesticides and Commercial Fertilizer #2 - Companion Planting

Companion planting is a method of controlling/deterring pests by means of one plant acting as a decoy or deterrent for another.

You get the benefits of pest control, as well as the plants helping each other directly at times-for example, a taller plant could cast shade for a sun-sensitive one-and often times you attract beneficial insects in the process.

Below are just a few examples of well-tested companion plant combinations.

1. Corn & Beans: Beans will attract beneficial insects that prey on corn pests, like leaf beetles and fall armyworms.

2. Cucumbers & sunflowers: A sunflower has sturdy stalks that provide support for cucumber vines, while the cucumbers broad leaves shade the soil and keep it moist, helping to reduce weeds.

Some people think that cucumbers yield better when planted with sunflowers.

3. Basil & Tomatoes: Basil and tomatoes are a great match when it comes to eating, and they’re actually a great match when planted together as well.

Basil helps ward off the spider mites, aphids, and whiteflies that may harm your tomatoes.

4. Strawberries & lettuces: Lettuce is a shallow growing vegetable, while strawberries stretch their roots farther into the soil. They make good growing companions as they aren’t competing for root space.

5. Legumes & *fill in the blank*: Legumes are one great hope for reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer. Given that the soil is proper for them, they convert nitrogen gas from the air into a plant available form, and add it to the soil, reducing the need for commercial fertilizer.

Legumes can lead to an increase in soil fertility, and are beneficial when grown in companionship with a wide variety of plants.

Companion planting does take a bit of research to make sure that one plant doesn’t actually interfere with another in any way, but it is an incredible way to improve your garden naturally. You can of course expand beyond pairs of two for companions.

What is gardening about, if not re-creating a little bit of that fascinating wild beauty, and benefitting from it, close to home?

It seems totally counterintuitive in my mind that you would soak your plants in chemicals to make them look good or “healthy”, especially when we can tap into a natural system that’s been proven (and safe) for ages.

Gardens are eco-systems, just look closely at a natural one - would you expect to see it still, and empty? Of course not, look closely and you will see a myriad of life, from birds to bugs and all the animals in between.
The next time you are tempted to pull out the pesticides, remember that there is a balance in nature that works beautifully and one that will help your garden truly come alive, if only you take the time to foster it.

You can also watch these 2 Videos – Video 1 and Video 2 for more ideas on how to avoid using pesticides and commercial fertilizer.

By Claire Goodall (a bee-obsessed natural-convert from Minnesota) who is a holistic health lover. She is the author of Everyday Roots Book.

It's a Book that she creates to help you replace the toxic products and medications in your home with healthier, all-natural alternatives.

It contains 215+ effective home remedies and covers everything you will need to protect your family and save money every month.

For more details about her book, take a look at the Everyday Roots Book.



Friday, August 26, 2016

12 Remedies for Fighting Fatigue and When You Always Feel Tired

Fatigue is a tricky thing because you have to not only figure out what’s causing it, but also be dedicated to overcoming it. Read on here to learn about the 12 remedies for fighting fatigue.

Click HERE to Discover the 215+ Home Remedies, NaturalBeauty Recipes & DIY Household Products


Our existences are anything but simple, and most of us will find ourselves overworked and exhausted from time to time-or all the time. Fatigue, true fatigue, is much more than feeling overworked and just being sleepy, although it can make you want to curl up in bed and forget the rest of the world.

Fatigue creeps into everyday life and effects your physical and mental well-being making it very difficult, if not impossible, to get things done.

My own personal struggles with fatigue at point strained relationships - it is hard for people to understand that horrible exhaustion unless they experience it themselves. To the outside world, you just look lazy when all you want to do is lie in bed.

Fatigue is a difficult thing to manage, as it is such a vague symptom or condition. There’s physical fatigue, emotional fatigue, fatigue as a symptom or as a disease in and of itself.

There is a good chance there’s an underlying medical condition causing fatigue, for example depression or low blood sugar, and this must be addressed before you can hope to get rid of the exhaustion.

But if you haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause of your fatigue (and of course you’ve had it checked out by a doctor) it can often times be traced back to a number of habits and lifestyles that seem to have a tendency to develop in the modern world.

If you find it dogging your footsteps and dragging you down, don’t sink into despair, there are plenty of changes you can make and natural remedies you can utilize to fight the feeling effectively.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #1 - Get active

We’re awfully quick to assume that if we feel exhausted, we should take a nap. But have you ever noticed that if you lie in bed all day, barring recovery or illness, you feel more sluggish?

Your head may feel a bit fuzzy and achy, and you feel like energy was sucked out of your body, instead of replenished. This is because over-resting or sleeping has the exact opposite effect we want it to have, while exercise boosts our energy long-term.

If you are feeling fatigued and not moving around much, you may just need a good regular dose of fresh air to rejuvenate your body and mind. As a bonus, when you do rest, it will feel that much better and be that much more refreshing than if you’d sat around all day and done nothing.

Getting active also improves mood, thanks to the endorphins being released, and feeling gloomy is a major contributor to fatigue.

Note: Excessive or extreme activity can sometimes create feelings of fatigue, however you generally feel refreshed in the long term.

You will need…

-A good pair of shoes (optional, unless you plan on walking into a store.)

Directions/Advice

It is of the utmost importance that you keep your exercise regular to boost your energy, particularly long-term. Don’t set the bar too high in the beginning if you think you’ll easily get discouraged attempting a 4 mile run. Just lace up, slip on, or leave off your shoes and get outside.

Take your dog for a walk, go for a casual stroll-anything-even a little exercise is better than none. If the weather isn’t cooperating, turn on some tunes and come up with an indoor workout routine. As you get into the habit, slowly increase your level of activity.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #2 - Sip Some Potato Water

While a brimming glass of fresh potato water may not sound like the first thing you’d want to relax on a hot summer day with, it’s actually a great home remedy for fatigue.

Soaking slices of potato in water makes a potassium rich drink that can help you feel less tired and sluggish, as it replenishes a mineral many people have trouble getting enough of.

Like magnesium, the body does not produce potassium - we have to consume it from outside sources. Because our diets these days tend to lean towards being nutrient deficient, it’s no wonder we find ourselves lacking in the potassium department.

Potassium doesn’t give you a direct jolt of energy, per say, but along with magnesium (as well as chloride and calcium) it is an electrolyte that is vital for the proper functioning of our cells and the release of energy and the conduction of electricity.

Without enough of potassium, our muscles wouldn’t move properly and our nerve impulses wouldn’t fire right. By ensuring you have healthy levels of potassium, you can get an edge on feeling dull and tired all the time.

You will need…

-1 unpeeled potato
-8 ounces of fresh water

Directions

Slice up the potato (there’s no need to peel it- I realize I show them peeled in the photo but I went on auto pilot) and add to a glass of water. Allow it to steep overnight in the fridge, and drink first thing in the morning.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #3 - Boost Red-Blood Cells

Iron is important. Without it, our bodies cannot produce enough red blood cells. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, the iron rich protein that carries oxygen throughout our body.

Many people think of oxygen’s use ending when it enters our lungs, but it must travel throughout our bodies and get delivered to all of our cells and organs for them to function.

As you can imagine, a lack of oxygen would lead to a decrease in the bodies functioning, which will result in fatigue. This is called iron-deficiency anaemia.

To combat this, make a tea with nettle leaf (fresh is preferred but dry works as well.) Nettle is rich in iron, as well as vitamin C.

Vitamin C is relevant because it has been shown to help increase the absorption of non-heme iron (iron found in plants vs. fish, meat, etc.) which isn’t always absorbed as easily as heme iron.

Adding in some dandelion boosts the iron content of this tea even more but beware-it is bitter, so I recommend plenty of honey!

You will need…

-1 cup each fresh dandelion & nettle OR 2 teaspoons each dried dandelion and nettle
-1 cup of freshly boiled water
-Your favorite mug
-Honey!

Directions

Bring water to a boil and place your herbs in a mug. Pour the boiling water over them and cover, steeping for 10 minutes. Remove the herbs, add plenty of honey to taste, and drink 2 times daily.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #4 - Get Some Ginseng

Possibly the “most famous of all Chinese herbs” - that’s a hefty title, considering Chinese herbal medicine dates back hundreds of thousands of years and is full of staple herbs and natural ingredients.

But Ginseng has a special place in history, although it’s many varieties can make utilizing it a little confusing. Ginseng refers to any one of 11 species of slow-growing perennials in the genus Panax.

Ginseng is found in North America as well as in Eastern Asia. It is often referred to as an “adaptogenic” herb, which means it helps the body adjust to stress-whether that stress is caused by being in an extreme heat or cold, hunger, or exhaustion/fatigue (just think adaptogens = adapt to stress.)

Ginseng is thought to help the body in coping with stress by improving the health of the adrenal system, which is the body’s command center when it comes to your hormonal response to stress.

Cortisol, the “stress” hormone, can effect if you sleep through the night, and dictate if you can fall back asleep, as it suppresses melatonin, which we need to have a regular sleep/awake cycle.

Too much cortisol, and you could be left feeling fatigued and exhausted because your sleep is disrupted. In the morning our cortisol levels are at their peak, and then gradually fall throughout the day, but if they remain too high, this diurnal rhythm will get thrown off, as will the precious sleep that you need to rejuvenate.

Having a bit of ginseng may help regulate your cortisol, and help you get the rest you need to function properly.

You will need…

-1 tablespoon of dried ginseng root OR 1 inch of fresh ginseng root
-1 cup of fresh water
-Honey/lemon to taste
Directions

Slice up 1 inch of ginseng root into small pieces, or place 1 tablespoon of dried ginseng in a tea ball. Cover with hot water and steep, covered, for 10 minutes.

Stir in honey and or lemon to taste and replace your morning coffee. Ginseng must be drank daily to have any effect.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #5 - Perk-Up With Citrus

I adore citrus in pretty much all its forms. From lemon juice to orange juice and everything in between, it never ceases to come in handy for home remedies, and it’s refreshing as all get up.

In the case of fatigue, start off your day with a glass of lemon water. The smell of a freshly sliced lemon alone will perk you up instantly, and the hydration will set your day up for success.

Lemon water helps a number of conditions - such as preventing constipation - but there’s something about it that just revitalizes a tired body.

If you find yourself dragging in the middle of the day, treat yourself to another glass. I couldn’t list off the chemical and molecular components of lemon water that fight fatigue, I can just say anecdotally that I (among many others) find it almost wondrous in regards to keeping up on energy.

Directions

Squeeze the half of a freshly sliced lemon/lime into a full glass of water. If it’s winter, make it warm water-if it’s summer, enjoy it chilled! Drink the whole thing, and repeat twice daily (with a mid-day boost if needed.)

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #6 - Make Your Own Energy Drink

Don’t turn to store-bought “energy drinks.” They are, I think, one of the most ridiculous marketing schemes to take over in recent years. You’re paying an absurd amount for something that is doing you more harm than good - and it’s really not going to wake you up in the long run.

It will, in all reality, probably make things worse. So make your own instead -  they’re delicious, satisfying, good for you, and will give you the wonderful long lasting energy you’re looking for.

You will need…
-1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
-1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
-1 ½ to 2 cups fresh water, depending on how strong you want the flavor
-1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
-2 tablespoons natural sugar or honey, to taste

Directions

Toss everything into a food blender and blend until the honey is dissolved, or just use some elbow grease and blend it by hand. Pour yourself a tall glass, drop in a few ice cubes, and enjoy.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #7 - Hello, Yoga

Like so many things that become trendy, yoga’s image has been somewhat distorted. If you avoid it because you think of it as a craze that attracts flocks of young folks hanging out before hopping over to the juice bar, just erase that thought.

Sure that might be part of it now, but yoga dates back to roughly 5th and 6th centuries B.C., well before stretchy pants became a staple of closets across western society.

Yoga isn’t just a form of physical exercise, but a spiritual one as well. It helps you calm your mind, focus your breathing, and tame inner turbulence (which can become very draining day after day.)

The actual physical part of yoga, like many forms of exercise, will actually boost your energy. The combination of mind and body work out can make you feel like a brand-new person, and is indeed even recognized as a form of alternative medicine to fight chronic fatigue by the Mayo Clinic.

There’s no need to even join a class (although I love having an instructor) - you can do yoga right at home.

You will need…

-A bit of self-discipline

Directions

Forget the trendy part and just try it. There are specific poses that help energize you, such as tree pose, downward dog, and cobra. Some require focus and attentiveness, others are more to strengthen muscles and increase flexibility, but all can help fight fatigue.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #8 - Love Your Licorice

Licorice root is an herb that I tend to go to when it comes to something like a sore throat, but one of its main constituents (glycyrrhizin) can actually help with fatigue as well, especially fatigue that is associated with less-than-optimal adrenal functioning.

Like ginseng, licorice root can help regulate cortisol levels. It actually helps boost cortisol, which may seem counter intuitive (read the ginseng remedy for a briefing on what cortisol does).

However if you aren’t producing enough of cortisol, your body can sometimes over-produce in an attempt to compensate. This can leave you feeling tired during the day, but laying wide awake and frustrated at night.

Cortisol requires a balance - too much and you’ll be unable to sleep, too little and your rest will also be disrupted.

You will need…

-1 tablespoon of dried licorice root
-1 cup of water
-Honey/lemon to taste

Directions

Steep 1 tablespoon of dried licorice root in boiling water, and covered, for 10 minutes. Strain, add honey/lemon to taste, and drink first thing in the morning.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #9 - More Magnesium

I mention magnesium a lot, but it is an important mineral that we really truly suffer a lack of these days. The body does not produce magnesium on its own – it is up to us (and our diets) to provide this essential nutrient.

The problem is that many diets these days suffer from a lack of good wholesome food. It is a cofactor in 300 plus enzyme systems that regulate a wide variety of biochemical reactions.

Everything from muscle and nerve function, protein synthesis, and energy production require magnesium. The best way to get the proper amount is to eat the right foods rather than take a supplement. Dark leafy greens, nuts, fish, whole grains, and bananas are all rich in magnesium.

You will need…

-Magnesium rich foods OR a high quality supplement

Directions

Include a healthy dosage of magnesium rich foods to your everyday diet, or take a high quality supplement. Adults should take no more than 350 mg/day in the form of supplements - while getting more in terms of diet isn’t necessarily harmful, it’s easier to take too much in the form of concentrated supplements.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #10 - Eat (and drink) good stuff

What is food to us? Why does it matter? It is literally our energy, it’s our fuel. We tend to overlook its importance in today’s society. It’s right at our fingertips all the time, and the old adage “you are what you eat” has faded into the background.

But if we skimp on meals or stuff our diets with sugary drinks and greasy, fatty, food, we won’t run right, or at all. You’ll find yourself feeling worn out and fatigued.

When we eat, our bodies break down the carbohydrates (sugars and starches) which are then broken down again into glucose (blood sugar) and absorbed into the blood stream.

Put simply, glucose is the energy needed for all systems to go, from our brains to our leg muscles to our heart, and everything in between. Now all carbs aren’t good for you - they must be complex carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates are made of long, complex (hence the name), chains of sugar molecules. This is turned into glucose, and gives us energy.

Simple carbohydrates, such as sugar from cakes and cookies, artificial syrup, candy, etc. provide essentially zero value to your body, contribute to weight gain (among other things) and will make you feel not so hot.

These simple carbs have only 1 or 2 sugars and are burned up quickly. You might get a temporary boost in energy as your glucose spikes, but you’ll crash pretty fast. Complex carbs will give you a steady, even, release of energy.

If you’re eating an unhealthy diet, chances are you’re eating bad carbs, and that means you aren’t turning a whole lot of your food into energy-which is likely why you’re fatigued.

Keep in mind the following tips and questions:

Content ratio: The higher the sugar and the lower the fiber the worse the carbohydrate. Use that as a general guideline to indicate which carbs are good or bad.

Know the good from the bad: The word “carbohydrate” has been tossed around a lot, first we hear they are good, then all of a sudden they’re bad for you.

The answer is they are both, but we can easily separate the good from the bad. You need the good, so educate yourself and don’t steer clear of carbs altogether or you’ll get drained.

Fiber, fiber, fiber and more fiber: Foods high in fiber are digested slower than foods with very little fiber, avoiding spikes in blood sugar levels. Examples are whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans.

Is it refined? Is it processed?: Foods like white bread and white rice are stripped of fiber and full of simple carbs. Avoid along with the obvious things like fast food, sugary goodies, soda, etc.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #11- Nip the Naps (kind of)

Naps are beautiful. There’s nothing like having the luxury of being able to snooze in the middle of the day and wake up feeling refreshed and brand new. It is, actually, healthy to take time for naps to an extent.

They reduce exhaustion, sharpen your working mind, improve your mood, and make you more alert. But they’re also a double edged sword when it comes to being one of your home remedies for or tiredness - have you ever taken a long cat nap and woken up feeling groggy, disoriented, and more exhausted than before?

I know sometimes I get so sucked into a nap I can barely wake myself up and when I do, I probably wouldn’t pass a sobriety test because I am so out of it. It’s the classic “too much of a good thing” scenario.

Your biological clock gets thrown off when you sleep too much, and it messes with your cells energy cycles. This makes you feel tired, groggy, and “sleep drunk.” That drunken feeling is called sleep inertia, and it happens when you wake up abruptly from slow-wave sleep.

Because a nap doesn’t take you through a full sleep cycle, you often times get woken up out of slow wave sleep. This can seriously impact how you function-sleep inertia can take anywhere from 2-4 hours to dissipate. But, there is a proper way to take a nap-you just need a smidgen of self-control.

You will need…

-A cozy place to nap

Directions

The brain enters slow wave sleep after roughly 20-30 minutes, so limit your time to a “power nap.” Unless you’re extremely sleep deprived, a 20 minute or so nap should leave you feeling refreshed and awake, not groggy, fatigued, and tempted to go back to sleep. Set aside a time not too close to bed time to treat yourself to an energy boost.

Remedies for Fighting Fatigue #12 - Special Spinach

As cliché as it may sound, Popeye really was onto something with spinach and the energy/strength it gives you. Rich in iron, it can help boost red blood cell count, therefore providing you with more energy and fighting anaemia.

Spinach is also full of magnesium-1 cup of spinach contains 39% of the recommended daily intake for magnesium. Early research shows that it may even improve muscle function during a workout.

You will need…

-At least 1 cup of spinach

Directions

Enjoy at least 1 cup of spinach daily, raw or cooked.

You can also watch this Video HERE to learn about other remedies for fighting fatigue from Dr. Holly Phillips

Fatigue is a tricky thing because you have to not only figure out what’s causing it, but also be dedicated to overcoming it. This is, of course, made all the more difficult by the fact that you’re exhausted all the time.

One of my favorite sayings is “seeing the obstacle is one thing, getting around it is another.” Remember there are two halves to the battle, and the latter - actually getting around said obstacle-is usually the hardest. Stick with it!

By Claire Goodall (a bee-obsessed natural-convert from Minnesota) who is a holistic health lover. She is the author of Everyday Roots Book.

It's a Book that she creates to help you replace the toxic products and medications in your home with healthier, all-natural alternatives.

It contains 215+ effective home remedies and covers everything you will need to protect your family and save money every month.


For more details about her book, take a look at the Everyday Roots Book.

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