Brittle nails are often caused due to a lack of calcium in body. And so consuming calcium rich foods like figs, milk and dairy products, dates, sesame seeds, almonds attack the root cause and help one get healthier nails.

Exposure to too much water, for example in case of those who do dishes or swim for long hours, can also lead to brittle nails. This can be avoided by wearing rubber gloves when working with water. 

Some other simple steps that can help in this condition are:

• Consume a biotin rich diet, that is cauliflowers, lentils and peanuts. Biotin thickens nails and prevents easy breakage.
• Apply moisturiser to your nails everytime you wash your hands.
• Use sesame oil to massage your fingertips and area around the nails.
• Almond oil or Olive oil can also be used to massage and help build stronger nails.
• Use a mixture of lemon juice and glycerine to massage and nourish the area around the nails.
• While they are brittle, keep your nails neatly trimmed.

Tags: home remedies, natural cure

Do you experience heartburn, have a bloated feeling? Belching, acidic burps? Feel like throwing up even after consuming small portions of food? You might be suffering from acidity. Acidity can be naturally cured and is easy to prevent. So before you start taking allopathic medicines, you may want to try one of these easy home remedies:

• Have a banana.
• Have a glass of cold milk. Be careful while trying this one. Some people find their acidity to get worse with milk. Works for most people I know though.
• Coconut water, coconut milk have a very soothing effect.
• Mix a tsp. of baking soda in water and have it while its still fizzing.
• Popping 2-3 walnuts or almonds helps (personal experience).
• Yogurt, fresh curd cool the linings and thus help counter acidity.
• Consume 2-3 dates.
• Orange juice or lemon juice help in acidity. 

To prevent acidity from occuring, keep in mind these preventive measures:

• Avoid stress. This is probably the most common reason for acidity.
• Avoid having meals at irregular timings.
• Do not go hungry for long periods of time. Keep a protein bar or some biscuits handy. Even if you don’t have time to have a sit down meal, be sure to pop in a biscuit anytime you begin to feel hungry.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks.

Remember to consult a doctor if acidity persists.

Tags: healthy eating, home remedies, home remedy, natural cure, Natural healing, natural health

Here are some simple home remedies for eczema:

• Apply coconut oil on the affected area.
• Apply lemon juice. Be careful though and avoid if there are wounds from scratching.
• Crush a few garlic cloves and use the juice to apply on the eczema. [Avoid applying if there are wounds].
• Apply un-boiled, cooled milk on the affected area for a soothing effect. 
• Boil a few neem leaves in water for 5-10 minutes. Let the water cool. When it has cooled, use this to wash the affected area. You can also ice-cool this water and use as cold compress on the eczema.
• If you have access to some sandalwood and can make fresh sandalwood paste, mix 1 tsp. of this paste with 1 tsp. of camphor. Apply on affected area. Will really soothe the skin.

Tags: ayurvedic remedy, home remedies, natural cure, Natural healing

Warm up 1 tsp. of mustard oil. Make sure its lukewarm and not very hot. Now, using a cotton ear bud or your index finger or a dropper, whatever you find convenient to use, put 1-2 drops of this lukewarm mustard oil in the ear that is aching. It works!

Using Ajwain (carom seeds): Boil 1 tbsp. of milk. When it boils, add ½ tsp. of Ajwain seeds. Filter it once it cools and use as ear drops.

Ajwain, Mustard Oil and Garlic: Add ½ tsp. of Ajwain seeds to 2tsp. of hot mustard oil. Add one or two flakes of crushed garlic. Keep heating oil till garlic turns red. Cool and filter. Use as ear drops.

Ofcourse, consult an ENT specialist if the pain persists.

Tags: home remedies, home remedy, natural cure

Do you find yourself tossing in bed for a long time before you fall off asleep? Do you get up in the mornings felling tired and drained of energy? You may not be getting proper and the  required amount of sleep. A good sleep acts as the best natural rejuvenator. Lack of enough sleep or insomnia can result in lethargy and lack of concentration and also affect overall health. It is important to get atleast 6 hours of sleep every night and an hour of sleep before 12 am is worth two after 12 am. So sleep early, sleep well and sleep enough for good overall health.

Here are some tips to help you do just that…

• Avoid having tea or coffee at night.
• A glass of warm milk before retiring to bed helps.
• Make sure you have your meal atleast 2-3 hours before sleeping.
• If possible, have a warm water bath just before sleeping.  Use a calming essential oil (lavender, sandalwood) in bath.
• Try to sleep at the same time everyday.
• Wake up early. If you get up early in the morning, you fill feel sleepy and tired by the end of the day. And thus be able to sleep in time and get sound sleep too.
• Exercise during the day. Physical exercise done earlier during the day will help you get a good night’s sleep.
• Eat well during the day but make sure you have a supper of a pauper. However, do not go to bed on an empty stomach.
• If you find it difficult to sleep because you are too stressed or too excited, switch on some soft, meditational music. Switch off all lights and try and relax. Imagine each muscle of your body relaxing and breathe slowly and deeply as you do so.
• Avoid watching TV in bed or just before sleeping.
• If you have a habit of reading just before sleeping, make sure its something light.
• Lavender has a soothing, calming effect on the nerves. Drop a couple of lavender oil drops on your pillow and see if it works for you.

Tags: home remedies, natural cure, natural health

Our sedentary lifestyle and invariably wrong sitting posture often cause back pains. While the main attempt should be to attack the cause, that is not sit for long hours, get some exercise, sit on an ergonomic chair and ofcourse sit in the correct posture, we do need an immediate way out when the back becomes stiff with pain.

• Lie down and rest: If you are at work, you do need a pain reliever for immediate effect. However, if you can afford it, get some bed rest.
• Get a soft, soothing massage with lukewarm mustard oil. Better still, make your own massage oil…you can make a good quantity and keep for future use. Here is how you make the massage oil at home:

Heat 1/2 litre of mustard oil. Put 25 gms. fenugreek seeds, 10-15 cloves of garlic, 2 tsp. ajwain (carom seeds) and 10-12 neem (margosa) leaves into the oil. Now, heat over a slow flame taking good care that no oil spills. Otherwise it can be hazardous. When the oil is well heated, the ingredients will turn black. Remove from fire and let it cool. Once it cools, sieve and bottle.

Note that massaging with this oil is good for relieving joint pains too.

Tags: ayurvedic remedy, home remedies, natural cure, Natural healing

Halitosis is a term used for bad breath. My fellow contributor gave some interesting home remedies to counter bad breath. I am going to take it a step further and elaborate on what causes bad breath.

There are several causes of bad breath. The most common being:

• Dry mouth – Not having enough water, taking medication that causes dryness in the mouth can cause bad breath. The reason is simple. Our saliva controls the growth of oral bacteria. A dry mouth helps bacteria to build up and hence causes bad breath
• Certain foods, for example taking raw red onions can cause bad breath
• Smoking
• Consuming certain drinks (even tea and coffee) can lead to bad breath
• Poor oral hygiene, not brushing often or well enough can cause halitosis
• Any gum diseases
• Stress

Home remedies for bad breath:

To counter bad breath, attack the root causes. And so if you look at the list above, here is what one needs to do to remedy bad breath:

• Have plenty of water. And have frequent sips.
• When you consume foods and drinks that cause bad breath, make sure you brush your teeth soon after.
• Avoid smoking Its not good for your health anyway.
• Try and brush your teeth after every meal, if possible. If not, then atleast after breakfast and before retiring to bed.
• Use a dental floss every night to clean your gums.
• Bust stress. 
• This one is more reactive than preventive, but popping peppermint, clove or an elaichi(green cardamom) helps.

Know of any more natural, easy ways to tackle bad breath? Do share!

Tags: ayurvedic remedy, bad breath, home remedies, natural cure

This is a very simple and convenient remedy that I heard from a fellow tweeter @emergencyoh. When you have a headache thats driving you crazy, try chewing on a cinnamon stick. As simple as that? Wow! Sounds like something thats quick and easy to do even when you are at work, though you need to carry a few cinnamon sticks in your bag. Am going to try it the  next time I have a headache.

Headaches inflict us so often and for different reasons. Some of the common ones are:

• Flu
• Lack of sleep
• Lack of oxygen and natural light
• Stress
• Excessive heat

Honestly speaking I don’t like the idea of taking medicines anytime headache strikes. And so try one home remedy or another. I’ve found different things to work for me at different times. And the most common ones:

• If at work, the first is to treat myself to a cup of strong tea.
• Use a herbal headache balm. I always keep one in my bag.
• Get up from my desk and take a shortish walk. 

But my all time favorites are:

• Apply a herbal balm on the forehead. Take a short nap. Get up and have a good cup of tea or coffee. Super if its flu
• Or go out into the open for a walk. Nature walk works wonders if the headache is because of lack of O2, natural light or because of stress!
• Catch up with someone you like to be with, go out, have a good chat and a good laugh even if its over trivial things. Sounds odd but it often works for me. Especially when I am stressed.

Tags: healthy living, home remedies, natural cure, Natural healing

Age spots or liver spots or sun spots are pretty harmless discolorations* that normally occur on the face and neck, arms and hands. However, they are not very pretty looking and those of us who have them want to leave no stone unturned to get rid of them. But before I go into what can be done to get rid of them, let me point out that age spots take years to form, and hence don’t expect them to instantly disappear with any of the natural, home remedies. 

Why are age spots or sun spots formed?

Age spots, unlike what their name suggests, are not exactly age-related. Yes, they are common in those above 50 years in age or so but are also found in 30 year olds. The main reason behind the formation of age spots is exposure to Sun. And hence the name sun spots. And that also explains why they appear on sun exposed parts of the body. 

How to prevent age spots from forming?

• Cover the Sun exposed parts of your body with a good sunscreen half an hour before you step out.
• As with any other skin trouble, drink plenty of water to flush out toxins.
• Include antioxidants like aloe vera, citrus fruits and nuts in your diet.

Home remedies for age spots -

If age spots or sun spots have already developed on your face or hands, you could try one of these home remedies. Remember though that they won’t act like a magic wand!

• Take the skin of a lemon (should still have some juice in it) and rub the inner juicy part on the age spots. This will lighten them considerably if used regularly.
• Rub onion juice on the affected areas. This will cause the upper layer of skin to peel off and its acidic nature, like in the case of lemon, will cause the spots to lighten.
• Garlic juice, for the same reasons as in the case of onion juice, helps with the Sun spots.
• As in other skin conditions, applying aloe vera pulp on the spots helps too.
• Apply Apple Cider Vinegar on the age spots. Because of its acidic nature again, it acts as an exfoliator and lightens the spots.
• If the spots have a rough texture, applying castor oil helps.
• Almond oil can also be applied on the liver spots. It is rich in Vitamin E and helps smooth out and lighten the blemishes.
• Potato juice or orange juice can also be used to lighten the liver spots.

*It is advised to have a Doctor examine the spots as spots on the skin can sometimes be related to certain diseases, deficiencies or liver malfunction.

Tags: ayurvedic remedy, healthy living, home remedies, natural cure, Natural healing

Fully ripe olives are purple-black in color. These black olives are natural artery protectors. They contain mono unsaturated oils which help lower the bad (LDL) cholesterol without lowering the good (HDL) cholesterol.

Olives are rich in Vitamin E and therefore good for the skin. And hence is also considered a very good anti-oxidant.

Olive oil is known to be beneficial in ulcers and gastritis. It is easy on the stomach. Olive oil is said to prevent the formation of gallstones in the body as it activates secretion of bile and pancreatic juices. It also aids in metabolism and finds wide use in the Mediterranean diet.

Tags: ayurveda, ayurvedic remedy, healthy eating, High Cholesterol, natural cure, natural cure for heart ailments, natural health