13 Natural Home Remedies for UTI Pain & Discomfort

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

If you’ve experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI), well, you understand there’s a reason the acronym rhymes with “cry.” You sit on the toilet darn near blubbering because you can’t pee but you feel like you have to-oh how you feel like you have to! And when/if you do manage to get a little out, it burns with the fire of ten thousand suns. Then you go about your day crunched over and cramping and absolutely miserable.

So what evil forces are at work here when you are suffering like that? Your urinary system is made up of your urethra, which carries urine out of the bladder when you pee, your bladder, which holds your urine, your ureters, which carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder, and your kidneys, which filter waste from the blood to produce urine.

A UTI happens when bacteria makes its way up the urethra. This can happen in any number of ways… you hold in urine instead of going to the bathroom, having a catheter, and for women not peeing after intercourse increases the risk. But no matter the case the result is the same - misery.

If your UTI goes on for more than a few days or gets worse, it is important to see your doctor. If the infection spreads through your urinary system and to your kidneys, you can end up with a nasty situation on your hands. But to fight them off in the beginning, here are some home remedies for UTI’s that can help get things flowing smoothly (and painlessly) once again.

When it comes to herbs that ease UTI’s, here are the main properties to look for:

Anti-microbial properties: Helps to wipe out the bacteria causing the infection.

Diuretic properties: Diuretics are used to treat a number of problems, and work by increasing the amount of sodium your kidneys excrete in urine. When they excrete sodium, they take water along with it, and the amount of fluid in your blood goes down.

Less fluid means less pressure on the arteries, this is why it’s used to treat high blood pressure. In the case of UTI’s we just want to encourage an increased amount of urine to keep flushing out bacteria and relieving discomfort.

Anti-inflammatory properties: When the lining of the urethra becomes inflamed it can cause serious discomfort. By lessening the irritating inflammation, you can relieve the associated pain. It’s no fun feeling scared every time you need to pee.

Anti-spasmodic properties: Anti-spasmodics can help relieve any painful spasm or cramp caused by a UTI. Generally, a spasm takes place in the bladder.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #1 - Drink Water - A lot of Water

This may not sound like the most extraordinary remedy, but it is one of the most important things you can do when you have a UTI. It can help flush out bacteria, and (almost) more importantly, it gives you something to actually push out when you pee!

A lot of home remedies for urinary tract infections are drinks because you should always be flushing fluid through your system to give it a helping hand in getting rid of the nasty bacteria.

You will need…

-An ice cold glass of fresh water

Directions

Drink like a fish stranded in the desert at the first hint of an infection. Get your 8 glasses, and then some more. Keep clearing out your urinary tract and you may be able to bounce back rather quickly-or at least be comfortable!

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #2 - Go Pee!

It may sound obvious, but when you need to pee-UTI or not- do it! If you hold it in, you increase the chance that bacteria will develop and multiply and cause an infection. If you do have a UTI, every time you pee you get out a little bit more of that bacteria. Even though it can be uncomfortable, peeing every chance you get is a vital part of recovering.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #3 - Drink ‘Soda

No, not soda as in a sugary soft drink, soda as in baking soda, that miraculous substance that can help anything from heartburn to, of course, UTI’s. Baking soda is an alkaline substance-the opposite of acidic-which means it can help neutralize or lessen the acidity of your urine.

If you find yourself resisting the urge to pee because of a burning sensation, baking soda can help ease the discomfort.

You will need…

-1 teaspoon baking soda
-8 ounces of fresh water

Directions

Stir the baking soda into the water until it dissolves, and then drink the whole glass. Do this first thing in the morning. Don’t do this for more than a week, or if you are trying to avoid salt, since baking soda is high in sodium.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #4 - Enjoy Parsley Water

Aside from the fact that it makes a wonderfully refreshing after dinner drink, parsley water can help relieve a urinary tract infection and speed up the healing process by acting as a diuretic. Diuretics are used to treat a number of problems, and work by increasing the amount of sodium your kidneys excrete in urine.

When they excrete sodium, they take water along with it, and the amount of fluid in your blood goes down. Less fluid means less pressure on the arteries, this is why it’s used to treat high blood pressure.

In the case of UTI’s we just want to encourage an increased amount of urine to keep flushing out bacteria and relieving discomfort. Parsley is thought to work by inhibiting a Na+-K+ (sodium and potassium) pump. By inhibiting the reabsorption, sodium levels rise.

To balance out the concentration, kidneys excrete more sodium in the urine. More sodium means more water which means an overall increased output of urine.

You will need…

-Roughly 1 cup of fresh parsley OR 2 tablespoons of dried parsley
-1-2 cups of water

Directions

Bring water to a boil and add the parsley if you are using fresh-which is preferable in my opinion. Reduce the heat so it simmers steadily and let the leaves infuse the water like this for 6-10 minutes. Strain the leaves out and drink the water hot. If it’s a hot summer day, pop it in the fridge for refreshing parsley “iced tea.”

If you use dried parsley, simply place it in a cup of boiling water, cover, and steep for 8 minutes before straining and drinking.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #5 - Chew Some Celery Seeds

Celery seeds also act as a diuretic, due mainly to one of the constituents of celery oil, butylphthalide. If parsley water just isn’t your thing, chewing a handful of celery seeds can help increase the production of urine. If you want to get some more fluid, make celery seed water (follow the method for dried parsley.)

You will need…

-A handful of celery seeds

Directions

Once or twice a day, snack on celery seeds right after a meal-it can also help with digestion, so why not? If you do this daily, some anecdotal evidence suggests it can help prevent UTI’s.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #6 – Cucumbers

This is an easy one for me- I love cucumbers! I don’t know why, but they’re one of my favorite snacks. While other kids at lunch were busy swapping candy bars, I was eyeing the cucumber slices.

Thanks to their high-water content, cucumbers are a great way to get to get extra fluid through your system when you find yourself having a hard time drinking enough water.

You will need…

-1 cucumber, sliced

Directions

Rinse and slice a cucumber - enjoy!

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #7- Maybe Avoid the 4 C’s

Chocolate, citrus, carbonation, and caffeine - these are 4 things that you should avoid if you find yourself getting UTI’s frequently. All of them can irritate the lining of the bladder, and potentially make it easier for bacteria to adhere.

Citrus will increase the acidity of your urine, which will make it even more painful to pee. When possible, try to steer clear of as much of these as you can - it’s not easy, but it can make life more bearable. On the other hand, some people can find citrus actually helps, hence the “maybe” in the title.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #8 - Use Heat

It’s not just peeing that hurts when you have a urinary tract infection-the inflammation and irritation can cause a constant, nagging discomfort that makes you feel painfully cramped up.

When this happens, applying heat over your bladder can bring some serious relief. The gentle warmth will relax your muscles, melting away the pain caused by spasms or inflammation.

You will need…

-A hot water bottle (or something similar)

Directions

Fill up your bottle with water that is hot, but still comfortable to the touch. It should be “toasty” not burning hot. It shouldn’t feel like a hot hard lump, but rather feel like a waterbed. This way, the surface of the bottle can lie flatter than if it was bulging and rounded with water.

Wrap it in a dishtowel and lie down, placing it right over your bladder. You can lightly rest your hands on it to increase contact, but don’t press on it-when you’re so uncomfortable it can be tempting to try and “push” the pain away, but it doesn’t work. Leave the bottle on for as long as needed.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #9 - Ginger Tea

No list dealing with any condition that involved any kind of inflammation would be complete without ginger. Its chemical make-up allows it to block prostaglandin synthesis, a process which creates little messengers (aptly called prostaglandins.)

Prostaglandins communicate about a variety of biological processes, such as inflammation. They also transmit pain signals to neurons. It can therefore help to prevent inflammation, reduce current inflammation, and reduce pain. This is the same process that OTC anti-inflammatory medications-just without all the nasty side-effects!

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #10 - Cranberry Juice

Cranberry juice is bit further down than you might expect on a list of home remedies for a UTI, but its helpfulness is not set in stone as much as people seem to think. The idea behind it is that the bacterium that causes UTI’s have fimbria (hair-like) appendages-that make it possible to cling onto the lining of the urethra. The combination of acidic substances in the juice may make it harder for the fimbria to stick to things, thus reducing chance of infection and/or making it harder for bacteria to multiply.

Studies seem to show that it does indeed help, however, it is the most effective on women who have had UTI’s before or suffer reoccurring infections. You also need to drink a decent amount of it to get the effects, and many people in the studies withdrew because they found themselves with a stomachache. All of that being said, it is worth trying-and you may just find that it really does work for you.

You will need…

-Cranberry Juice

Directions

If possible, get “real” cranberry juice, or at least juice that isn’t loaded with sugar. Drink a full 8 ounces glass three times daily. To potentially prevent infections, drink 1-2 daily.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #11- Blueberries

Blueberries are from the same genus as cranberries, Vaccinium, and may also help ward off potential UTI’s by affecting the fimbria of the bacteria trying to attach itself to the urinary tract.

Blueberry juice isn’t as easy to come by as cranberry juice (and is usually mixed with things like grape or apple juice), so try consuming these tasty berries whole instead.

You will need…

-1-2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions

Rinse your berries and enjoy them daily. They make the perfect addition to just about any breakfast; I absolutely love them in oatmeal.

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #12 – Horseradish

Originally from Europe and a member of the cabbage family, horseradish is known for spicy, pungent, sinus-clearing spread made from the white roots of the plant. A natural compound in the plant, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), has a strong antimicrobial effect.

While cranberries and blueberries may be bacteriostatic, meaning they inhibit the reproduction of bacteria, AITC is bactericidal, which means it kills bacteria outright. It does so by attacking the cellular membrane of the bacterium, making it impossible to be viable or survive.

You will need…

-1/2 teaspoons fresh horseradish (root)
-A grater
-A glass of water or milk

Directions

Grate the fresh horseradish and start by taking 1 teaspoon twice a day. The max dosage is 1 ½ teaspoons three times daily, stopping if stomach upset occurs. If you have a hard time with the spice, a glass of water or milk nearby can help. I find milk to be preferable as water can sometimes seem to spread the spice around!

Home Remedies for UTI Pain - Tip #13 - Cream of Tartar & Lemon

This is an old home remedy, not a shiny “this-new-study-just-found” type of remedy, but I love it anyways. Sometimes these old gems work better than anything else you can hunt down, and sometimes they don’t make any difference at all.

Cream of tartar may work because it changes the pH of your urine, making a less-friendly environment that makes it harder for bacteria to thrive in. Add in a bit of lemon or lime juice for vitamin C, and you’ve got a powerful bacteria-killing concoction that can dry a UTI right up.

You will need…

-1 ½ teaspoons cream of tarter
-Lemon or lime juice (preferably fresh)
-Fresh water

Directions

Stir cream of tartar into ½-1 cup of warm water. Add a dash of lemon or lime juice, and drink 1-2 times a day. This can also help prevent UTIs when taken daily.

Watch this video - Home remedies for urinary tract infection or UTI (urine infection)

P.S. Make sure to take a look at the Everyday Roots Book. 350+ pages of the best home remedies, natural beauty recipes, homemade cleaners and diy household products. View Remedies

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.

The Benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for Women’s Health

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

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for Women’s Health

Like blueberries, red raspberries grow wild up the north woods. I have many fond memories seeking out berry patches and eagerly plucking the little red gems off the plant. Unlike blueberries, I would never collect the raspberries, but pop them in my mouth right then and there. It wasn’t until I was much older that I would learn that there was more to the plant than just the delicious fruit!

What’s in Raspberry Leaf Tea for Women’s Health and What Does It Do?

Red raspberry leaves are known for easing the pain of menstrual cramps, but it can also help digestive woes as well as support heart health. It has also traditionally been used by pregnant women, as well as post-partum, the thought process being that it can ease labor by helping with pain as well as quickening the process, and “toning” the uterus. There’s quite a bit of mixed research on this, however, anecdotal evidence is extremely strong when it comes to its efficacy and I know of quite a few women who swear by it.

The leaves are rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron, as well as zinc and phosphorus. The leaves also contain a plethora of b-vitamins (B1-thiamine, B2-riboflavin, B3-niacin, B5-pantothenic acid, B6-pyridoxine, and B9-folate) as well as vitamin C.

Magnesium and potassium are both macro-minerals, which the body needs in larger amounts to support proper functioning. Iron is a trace mineral-still important, of course, but we don’t need as much of it as macro-minerals. Below the recipe is a simplified and brief explanation for some of the most important constituents of red raspberry leaf, and how they help the body.

If you decide to consume red raspberry leaf during pregnancy, it is recommended that you wait until your third trimester. Start with 1 cup daily, and over the course of several weeks move up to 3 cups daily. Should you wish to start consuming it sooner, check with a holistic health care provider or your doctor for details.

You will need…

-2-3 teaspoons of dried red raspberry leaf OR 2-3 tablespoons fresh
-Water
-Your favorite mug
-Honey or lemon (optional)

Directions

Bring water to a boil and place your leaves in a strainer or tea ball in your mug. Fill the mug with fresh, boiling water and cover, letting it steep, for 6-8 minutes. Remove the leaves, add honey or lemon to taste, and enjoy!

Watch this video - Red Raspberry Leaf Tea For Women's Health

The Nitty-Gritty on Red Raspberry Leaf for Women’s Health & Why It’s Good

Magnesium

Magnesium is a co-factor over 300 enzyme reactions in the body. Needless to say-it’s kind of important. It regulates protein synthesis-one of the most fundamental biological processes-, muscle and nerve function-including nerve impulse, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm, as well as blood glucose control, blood pressure, and energy production.

It aids structural development of bone, and plays a role in the synthesis (basically, production) of DNA and RNA. If you need a little reminder, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self-replicating material present in just about every living thing.

It is the carrier of genetic information. RNA (ribonucleic acid) is present in all living cells, and essentially carries instructions for DNA regarding the synthesis of proteins. There’s really no simple way to sum up that process…but it’s important!

Potassium

Potassium plays a large role in smooth muscle function. Smooth muscle is the kind in your intestines, heart, etc. as opposed to skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle you think about contracting-like when you flex your bicep. Smooth muscle is subconscious-you don’t think about making your heartbeat, or your intestines contract to push food through. Potassium conducts electricity, along with calcium and magnesium, which regulates the impulses to move these muscles.

Calcium

Much like the other vital minerals, the body cannot produce calcium on its own-which is why it is so important to consume enough of it from healthy outside sources (I am not one to drink a lot of milk, so this was a “concern” for me growing up. Don’t worry-there are other ways to get what you need!)

Roughly 99% of the calcium in our bodies is concentrated in our bones and teeth, but it also helps nerves fire, blood to clot, and works with potassium and magnesium to contract muscles. It is, in fact, so vital to muscle function that your body will draw it from your very bones if you do not ingest enough.

Iron 

Iron is a mineral that has several roles in the body, the biggest one being the creation of healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Roughly two-thirds of the bodies iron is found in the protein haemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen from our lungs to other parts of the body.

Anaemia is when you don’t have enough haemoglobin and is usually when people start taking iron supplements. Exhaustion, a racing heart, restless legs, shortness of breath-all are common signs of anaemia. Women are at the highest risk.

Zinc/Phosphorus

Zinc is a vital part of the immune system, and also ties into the creation of proteins and DNA. Phosphorus, after calcium, is the most abundant mineral in the human body, with 85% of it being located in the bones and teeth. It works closely with calcium to build strong bones and teeth.

B/C Vitamins

In short, B complex vitamins do a variety of jobs, often times working together. They convert nutrients to energy, maintain skin and hair health, regulate stress hormones, and boost HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol.)

Vitamin C helps the body form and maintain some of its vital components, including blood vessels, skin, connective tissue, and bones.

When you take a look at the breakdown of the leaves, it’s not hard to see why they would be helpful for heart health, muscles, or even strengthening the uterus. There is no magic “super herb” out there, but red raspberry leaf tea is a great herbal tea to add to your daily routine to keep everything running smoothly.

P.S. Make sure to take a look at the Everyday Roots Book. 350+ pages of the best home remedies, natural beauty recipes, homemade cleaners and diy household products. View Remedies

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.

Revealing Here - 3 Homemade Cream Recipes for Arthritis and Joint Pain

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

Homemade Hot Pepper Cream for Arthritis & Joint Pain

The active component in hot peppers that gives them their heat is called capsaicin, and the hotter the pepper, the higher the level of capsaicin there is. While rubbing something that seems flaming hot onto your sore joints doesn’t initially seem like it would help arthritis, capsaicin cream is commonly sold OTC as a pain reliever.

Why?

Capsaicin depletes a neurotransmitter called substance P, which is responsible for sending pain signals to our brain. If we block the big P, we never get the memo that something is hurting, and therefore end up pain free.

Instead of paying for the arthritis cream at the store, try making your own. It offers great peace of mind to know what exactly you are absorbing into your skin, and it’s rewarding to make yourself.

Note: It is normal for there to be somewhat of a burning sensation when first applied. If you have sensitive skin, use with caution. Always wear gloves when handling hot pepper powder, and avoid any contact with your eyes. If you wanted to look extra awesome when you make this, a pair of goggles isn’t a bad idea.

Homemade Cream Recipes for Arthritis and Joint Pain #1 - Original Capsaicin Cream Recipe

You will need…

-3 tablespoons of cayenne powder
-1 cup of grapeseed oil (or any other oil like almond, olive, jojoba)
-1/2 cup of grated beeswax
-A double boiler
-A glass jar with a tightly fitting lid

Directions

Mix together 3 tablespoons of cayenne powder with 1 cup of your oil of choice and heat in a double boiler for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in a 1/2 cup of grated beeswax and continue to stir until it has melted completely and everything is blended together.

Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, and then whisk together. Chill for another 10-15 and then whip again before putting it in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid and storing in the refrigerator. It will keep for 1 ½ weeks-apply daily as needed for pain.

Watch this video - Miracle of Cayenne Pepper for Fast Joint Pain Relief - Dr Mandell

Homemade Cream Recipes for Arthritis and Joint Pain #2 - Super-Strength Cream

The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it has, making this cream super strength.

You will need…

-1 cup of beeswax
-4 tablespoons of Habanero powder
-4 cups of grapeseed or another oil, such as almond, jojoba, or olive
-Gloves
-A double boiler
-A glass jar with a tightly fitting lid

Directions

Combine 4 tablespoons of Habanero powder with 4 cups of grapeseed or olive oil in a double boiler. Let this mixture warm up over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. After it’s warmed, melt 1 cup of beeswax into the mixture and stir it until everything is smoothly blended together. Let it chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator and then whisk together.

Chill for another 10-15 minutes and then whip together once more before pouring into a glass container with a tightly fitting lid and refrigerating it. It should keep its potency for 1 1/2 weeks. Apply as needed for pain, stopping use if any irritation occurs.

Watch this video - 5 Amazing Treatments for Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Joint Pain That Work!

Homemade Cream Recipes for Arthritis and Joint Pain #3 - Little Bit Extra Cream

This cream includes the other notable anti-inflammatory’s and pain reducers turmeric and ginger, as well as cayenne.

You will need…

-3 cups of grapeseed oil, or any other oil like almond, jojoba, or olive
-3 tablespoons of ground cayenne
-1/2 cup of beeswax
-3 tablespoons of turmeric
-2 tablespoons of ground ginger
-A double boiler

Directions

Mix together 3 tablespoons of ground cayenne, 3 tablespoons of turmeric, and 2 tablespoons of ground ginger. Add this to 3 cups of grapeseed oil in a double boiler and stir until mixed thoroughly. Warm over medium heat for 5-10 minutes and then add in 1/2 cup of beeswax.

Stir until the beeswax has melted completely and everything is blended together, and then remove from heat and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes take it out and whisk it together and then refrigerate for another 10, blending it once more at the end.

Put in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 1 ½ weeks. Apply as needed for pain, but with this cream, rub in as much as you can and then let it dry before rinsing off. The turmeric will really stain.

When you use your cream, really take the time to gently massage it into each aching joint. The little bit of stimulation helps get your circulation pumping and circulates blood through your joints. This gets much needed oxygen and nutrients to them, which is especially good for osteoarthritis.

Don’t forget to wear gloves when handling super spicy stuff (like the habanero) and stop using if it causes too much irritation.

Watch this video - All Natural Homemade Cream for Arthritis & Joint Pain

Important note on use!

If you don’t want the little bits of spices in there, follow the steps below to get a smooth infused oil to use in the cream (this makes it easier to get absorbed.)

Mix together your oil and spices for whichever recipe you choose to do. Heat over medium heat in a double boiler for 15 minutes, and then remove it to cool and infuse for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, strain through a cheesecloth and reserve the infused oil. After it is strained melt the beeswax in a double boiler, and pour in the infused oil. Stir until blended thoroughly, and then follow the same steps for chilling, whipping, and storing as above.

Warning: These spices stain. Do wear an apron or clothes, you don’t mind putting at risk when making these.

P.S. Make sure to take a look at the Everyday Roots Book. 350+ pages of the best home remedies, natural beauty recipes, homemade cleaners and diy household products. View Remedies

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.

What is the Best Way to Avoid Stroke and Heart Attack?

Click Here to Find Out How You Can Completely Clean Out the Plaque Build-Up in Your Arteries

Avoid Stroke and Heart Attack - How Paleo Cause Stroke and Heart Attack

Diets seem to come and go all the time, but the paleo diet has been going from strength to strength.

Have you felt tempted to try it?

If you’ve adopted “the caveman diet” for heart health reasons, then a new study in the European Journal of Nutrition might come as a shock to you.

For those who don’t know, the paleo diet promotes foods that hunter-gatherers would have eaten more than 10,000 years ago (in the Paleolithic era—hence the name) things like fish, lean meats, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds. It forbids foods like dairy products, grains, legumes, potatoes, added sugar, salt, and processed foods.

The new study—carried out by researchers from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia—investigated the effect of the paleo diet on gut health, since previous studies contradicted each other on this issue.

They recruited 47 people who had eaten a relatively healthy diet for the previous 12 months, together with 44 people who had eaten a paleo diet for at least the previous 12 months.

The paleo group was divided into a strict paleolithic group that consumed less than one serving of grains and dairy per day and a pseudo-paleolithic group that consumed more than one serving of these food groups per day.

Unsurprisingly, they found that the paleo groups were eating more fat than the other groups and that the strict paleo group consumed the most protein. They also discovered that the paleo dieters were not short of fiber, as one may have expected, given the lack of grains and legumes on their plate.

Still, that wasn’t enough to save the paleo crowd, as their blood, urine, and stool samples revealed a few unsavory truths.

Firstly, they had much more trimethylamine-n-oxide (TMAO) in their blood than the other subjects. TMAO is a compound that’s produced in our intestines, and too much of it spells bad news.

Almost all the research up to now says that it’s a major heart disease risk.

The TMAO levels were highest in the strict paleo group, the people that consumed almost no grains at all, so their heart disease risk goes way up.

So rather than Paleo, cut out this ONE ingredient (you didn’t even know you were consuming) to avoid stroke and heart attack…

Avoid Stroke and Heart Attack - The Tasty Treat that Cuts Blood Pressure and Cholesterol

Bad food tastes good. That’s part of the reason why it can be so difficult to beat conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It’s unfortunate that your cardiovascular health is not best friends with many of the sweet things in this world.

But if you do have a sweet tooth then we have some good news for you, because there is one fabulous feel good food that tastes great and can still help your health.

It can help make your heart healthier, reduce your blood pressure, cut your bad cholesterol, ramp up your brain activity and even pep up your love life.

Well, it shouldn’t be too surprising that chocolate is healthy given that it starts life as cocoa beans, which are loaded with flavanol. Flavanol is an antioxidant, one of those Swiss army knives of health that stops blood clots, boosts blood flow to the heart and brain, reduces high blood pressure, and lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke.

But it’s not the only antioxidant that cocoa beans are choc full of. There are even more of these helpful substances which are so beneficial to vascular health, and which also take the fight to free radicals—the harmful molecules which contribute to oxidation in the body.

Increased oxidation opens the way for LDL cholesterol—the bad sort—to start forming plaque on the arterial walls. As a result, they become narrower and more rigid, which is a perfect recipe for heart attack and stroke.

There are many things in the environment that can cause damage to the body, like pollution, cigarette smoke, and even too much sunlight, and antioxidants help to mop up the effects of all of them, before they can do their damage.

But it isn’t just the free radicals that help put chocolate on a par with health foods. There’s also the fat content. The majority of fat in chocolate comes from cocoa butter, which contains oleic, palmitic and stearic fatty acids (and you’ll find Oleic acid in olive oil too). It’s monounsaturated, which means it is heart-healthy and a proven blood pressure reducer.

The palmitic and stearic fatty acids are saturated fats, but still, research has found that they don’t hurt your cholesterol levels, which is odd but welcome news!

It’s now well established that chocolate can lower stress levels and improve a person’s sense of well-being and happiness. This is probably down to the fact that it’s great at boosting the production of endorphins, the brain’s natural happiness chemicals. And you also get serotonin in the mix, the body’s own antidepressant, too.

It’s worth mentioning that the brain releases these happiness chemicals when we’re in love, so when people say that they love chocolate, they really do mean it.

The only fly in the ointment with chocolate is the high sugar content. That’s why we’d recommend dark chocolate over milk chocolate every time. Choose the dark stuff with at least 65% cocoa content. Current research leads us to believe that 3 ounces (85 grams) of chocolate a day will give you all of the health benefits without the sugar rush.

Watch this video, to avoid stroke and heart attack - Strategies to Prevent Heart Attack and Stroke in the Workplace

As good as chocolate is for you, it can’t handle the job of lowering your blood pressure all on its own. For that you’re going to need something else, and these 3 simple exercises are the answer to lowering your blood pressure down to 120/80 right away…

And cholesterol control is more than chocolate can handle on its own too, so try this step-by-step approach that will get you back to healthy levels in less than a month…

Avoid Stroke and Heart Attack - Shingles Increases Your Risk of These Two Deadly Conditions

A recently published study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that people at risk of shingles are also at risk of heart attacks and strokes because of the virus that causes shingles.

Shingles comes from the Herpes Zoster virus. It first causes chickenpox, usually in childhood, then it bides its time, lying dormant in your body until it shows up as shingles when you’re older.

But how does it cause stroke and heart attack?

The authors of the new study used medical data relating to South Koreans. This gave researchers extensive demographic and medical information for 570,000 people.

519,880 of them were observed between 2003 and 2013 and in that time 23,233 were diagnosed with the Herpes Zoster virus, primarily because they developed shingles.

The scientists created a comparison group with selections based on demographic and medical information.

The shingles group suffered 1.34 more strokes per 1,000 person-years than the non-shingles group did. They also suffered 0.8 heart attacks more per 1,000 person-years than the non-shingles group did.

The risk was highest for people under 40 and for those who had had shingles in the past year.

The fact that the youngest people with few cardiovascular disease risk factors experienced the highest risk was surprising, as we would usually expect older people with clogged arteries and higher blood pressure to experience strokes and heart attacks.

The authors looked at previously published studies to help them suggest why shingles might increase the risk of cardiovascular problems.

When active, the Herpes Zoster virus can replicate right next to arteries. This causes inflammation in those arteries which, in turn, can cause them to block or burst.

Even when dormant, the virus is constantly reactivated at a level that causes no symptoms. When this occurs next to arteries, the same thing happens.

The virus tends to move through your nervous system to the center of your body, where you have the largest arteries.

The virus increases both your blood pressure and negative emotions.

The virus compromises your immune system, which then puts you at risk of medical problems, including cardiovascular ones.

This all points to why we should live healthy lifestyles. Being healthy is the best way to be ensure that your immune system is strong enough to resist the shingles virus. It tends to attack people who are older with weaker immune systems, so the healthier and stronger we can keep ourselves, the better we can resist it.

Watch this video, to avoid stroke and heart attack - Does aspirin help prevent stroke and heart attacks? - Mayo Clinic Radio

If you have high cholesterol, learn how to eliminate it by cutting out the one ingredient explained here (maybe it helps with shingles too)…

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