In today’s age, even with health insurance, we still have high cost of preventative maintenance and co-pays. The blogs here are going to talk about things you probably have at home or can get at your local grocer. Making it easier on you to be healthy is what this is about. We just have to get back to the natural balance of vitamins and minerals we are missing when we use certain products.

We also want you to know it isn’t hard! No, you can’t just throw it in the microwave, but tossing a salad doesn’t take long and you can get someone in your family involved in helping and have a good conversation as well! Good attitude reflects enormously our health and those around us.

My first blog will be tips and some natural, tried and true things you may be in need of. If needed we can get further into subjects as we go.

Common problems and common cures:

If you have trouble sleeping, after you have supper, try a tablespoon (Tblsp) of Peanut Butter. If you don’t like Peanut Butter, try a bowl of ice cream. Preferably an all natural vanilla brand.

Acid Reflux? Your body naturally needs some of that acid to break down your food so that you absorb what you put into your body. Taking a daily regimen of OTC or prescribed medication for this, you could actually be making your problem worse. These medications can make you STOP producing this acid completely and then you are NOT getting anything out of your foods and your stomach isn’t really any better, and then it causes bowel problems as well. A very easy fix for this, a natural balance to get your acid back down to the natural levels, take a tblsp of Vinegar daily. Mix it with water or whatever you want. It will balance out the acids and your stomach will reap the rewards. Give it a month! At least. You have to balance back out.

This is flip flop season! Start getting those toes looking good! If you have a problem with ingrown toenails, you can try to control this by cutting a small v in the middle of the toenail. It grows together, pulling the nail out of the corners. Keep your cuticle oil handy because summer is hard on our feet with sandals and sun!

Summer Hair Frizzies: JoJoba Oil Treatments and conditioners. They rock and are so much cheaper than the salon, and most of the salons do about the same thing. If you have a portable hair dryer that fits around your head and blows, that is a mini-vacation man! You get to get away for 3–45 min!

To keep those heels from getting dry and cracked, use regular Vaseline and coat your feet in it, put socks on over them and sleep with it this way. This is a trade secret of feet models! It also keeps your cuticles soft and workable.

Always keep an anti-bacterial hand cleaner, it is useful for so many things!  My favorite thing to use it for is stinging bug bites when I’m away from home and have forgotten my bug guard (I’ll give the recipe for that in another blog;).  It may not work for everyone, but it does stop the itching for me.

Another all time favorite, especially now, is Evening Primrose Oil, especially now in Menopause.  I’ll devote a whole blog to it also but the benefits for women and hormonal changes are phenomenal!  You can purchase it OTC (Over The Counter) and read the directions for dosage.  As always, check with your doctor to make sure it won’t interfere with anything you already take.

It will be great blogging for you and sharing Natural Remedies and the latest breaking news in health!!

See you soon!  Jennifer!

Snack portions aren’t the only things that have increased wildly in size. Since 1977, hamburgers have increased by 97 calories, French fries by 68 calories, and Mexican foods by 133 calories, according to analysis of the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine looked at 63,380 individuals’ drinking habits over a span of 19 years. The results show that for children ages 2 to 18, portions of sweetened beverages increased from 13.1 ounces in 1977 to 18.9 ounces in 1996.

One easy way to short-circuit this growing trend? Buy smaller bowls and cups. A recent study at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, shows that 5- and 6-year-old children will consume a third more calories when presented with a larger portion. The findings are based on a sample of 53 children who were served either 1- or 2-cup portions of macaroni and cheese.