Stress of modern living and our standard American diet, which includes alcohol, fried food and fast food, strain our health, especially our Liver. Stopping eating by 7 pm may be the best thing we can do for our health. Looking to ancient Chinese medicine we find a clear explanation of why this is. In Chinese Medicine, qi, or energy, runs though the body through a series of twelve main channels, or meridians. For each meridian there is a two hour time period for which the energy is strongest.

According to Chinese Medicine, digestion is controlled by the Earth element. The organs which correspond to the Earth element are Stomach and Spleen. The Stomach meridian`s energy is strongest in the morning between 7 and 9 am, and the Spleen is strongest between 9 am and 11 am. Therefore 7 am to 11 am is the best time to eat because our digestive energy is strongest.

Twelve hours later the energy of our digestive organs is the weakest, and we should stop eating by 7 pm. Light meals of fresh fruits and vegetables or fresh juices are best if we are hungry in the evening since these foods are simplest to digest.

Digestion is naturally slower in the evening as the energy is weakest in those meridians at that time. Food stays in the stomach and tends to ferment leading to gas, bloating and discomfort. Energy is drawn from other organs to help digest food. Overnight from 11 pm until 3 am the energy is strongest in the gall bladder and liver. These organs cleanse the blood and control sleep. They become taxed when we eat late at night. We get indigestion, insomnia and a feeling of not being well rested in the morning. In addition, our joints may ache or become arthritic. Toxins get stored in our organs and joints when the liver cannot function properly.

Eating late at night strains our liver, drawing energy from it to help us digest food. There are liver flushes and herbs such dandelion and milk thistle to cleanse and regenerate the liver. Yet one of the best things we can do for the liver is to stop eating by 7 pm. Once the liver energy is not being drawn away toward digestion, the liver is able to function and heal.

When we stop eating at 7 pm, many symptoms, even those which seem unrelated to digestion such as pain and arthritis, will disappear. People often lose weight quickly as the body is able to rid itself of toxins. The meridians balance and naturally become stronger when energy is not drawn into digestion overnight.

Steps to rejuvenate the liver are:

Upon waking, drink the juice of 2-3 fresh squeezed oranges and 1/2 lemon blended with one clove garlic, 1 Tbsp olive oil and a sprinkle of cayenne.

Follow that with a cleansing tea of flax, fenugreek, fennel, comfrey or nettles and mint, which can be enjoyed throughout the day.

For lunch and dinner have fresh fruit or vegetable salad.

Herbs such as milk thistle and dandelion are beneficial for the liver. Milk thistle is often taken in capsule or tincture form, while dandelion root is often drunk as tea or taken as a tincture. Fresh dandelion leaves can be added to salads.

Sources:

Balch, Phyllis, A. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Avery Trade. 2006

Maciocia, Giovanni. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists. Second Edition. Churchill Livingstone. 2005.

Pitchford, Paul. Healing With Whole Foods. North Atlantic Books. 2002.

Xinnong, Cheng. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Foreign Languages Press. Beijing. 1990.

Gout is one of over one hundred forms of arthritis. Fortunately it is highly treatable. In recent years natural remedies for gout have become very popular. The primarily reason for this is that most gout medications have severe side effects, or are not safe long term. Natural remedies are safe to take and have no side effects. As an added benefit, most natural treatments contain ingredients that will help improve the bodies overall health. For these reasons, many medical professionals believe that natural remedies for gout are your best alternative.

Gout occurs when levels of uric acid are abnormally elevated causing severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness, and inflammation. Needle shaped uric acid crystals stab their way into joints rendering lightning bolts of pain. Over time, these episodic attacks can eventually lead to joint damage.

Obesity and an improper diet increase the risk of developing gout. It has been called the rich man`s disease because of its association with overindulgence of rich food and alcohol. But in fact it affects people of all ages, from all walks of life. It may be inherited or brought on by crash dieting, certain medications, overeating, stress, surgery or injury to a joint.

The best way to get a diagnosis of gout is for a physician to insert a needle into the affected joint, remove some fluid and examine it for uric acid crystals.

It is recommended that when an attack occurs, eat only raw fruits and vegetables for two weeks. Good idea to eat more of those anyway. Drink fresh or frozen juices such as cherry juice and celery juice diluted with distilled, not tap, water. Eat lots of cherries. A cup a day is said to stave off painful episodes. Strawberries and blueberries will neutralize uric acid. Other safe foods during an episode are rice, millet, starchy vegetables, green vegetables, corn, seeds and grains.

Foods to avoid and discourage another gout flare-up are: meat of any kind, sardines, scallops, shellfish, mushrooms, mussels, peanuts, mackerel, asparagus, alcohol beverages, and diet soda. Limit your intake of caffeine, cauliflower, dried beans and lentils, oatmeal, peas, spinach and yeast products.

Helpful herbs are: bilberry extract, turmeric, celery seed, chamomile, lady`s mantle (yarrow), peppermint or skullcap. Prescription for Nutritional Healing recommends 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams daily of alfalfa, a good source of minerals that reduces uric acid. Devil`s claw and yucca can aid in relieving pain. Other herbs to try are birch, burdock, colchicum tincture, hyssop and juniper.

Vitamin B12, vitamin E, folate, and the B family of vitamins are a part of nutritional home remedies for gout treatment along with regular exercise that improves circulation such as stretching, dancing, yoga, Tai Chi, and aerobics.

Drink as much water as you can to flush uric acid from the system.

Apply an activated charcoal poultice to draw out toxins. Combine 1/2 cup powdered charcoal with 1/4 cup ground flaxseed. Mix in warm water until it becomes a thick paste, apply to the joint, and then wrap securely. Caution, this will stain clothing.

Soak the affected joint for thirty to sixty minutes in a mix of hot water and activated charcoal.

Avoid taking high doses of niacin (over 50 milligrams daily.) Large doses of niacin can cause a build up of uric acid, triggering gout.

Your healthmate,
Deanna Dean
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ti...
http://ezinearticles.com/?Natural-C... Cures for Gout
Rachel Mork
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, fourth edition, Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

A cherished African food has been cleared for sale in the European Union, as the central regulators decided to remove the restriction on the sale of baobab fruit. Although it may seem illogical that the importing and sale of a healthy fruit was not previously allowed, baobab previously fell victim to the EU Novel Foods Regulation (EC258/97), which bans the sale of so-called `novel foods`. Although the fruit has been consumed across Southern Africa for centuries, the dried pulp of the fruit was only cleared for import in 2008; only now has the restriction on the whole fruit been lifted.

"The availability of baobab is timely with attention on South Africa with the World Cup taking place," said Gus Le Breton, chief executive of PhytoTrade Africa, the not-for-profit trade association which is the only approved baobab pulp supplier in Europe. "Consumers can now get hold of it directly for the first time and we expect food manufacturers to roll out their own baobab lines, from smoothies to cereal bars and confectionery as they take advantage of the booming market in healthy foods."

The coconut-sized fruit is reported to have three times the Vitamin C content of oranges and twice the calcium concentration of cow`s milk, and has gained the interest of several health food manufacturers. The taste is said to be a cross between pears and grapefruits.

The baobab fruit was not the first natural product to fall victim to the Novel Foods Regulations and it is unlikely to be the last. Although initially introduced to protect the public from genetically modified food products, recent years have seen many occasions where the legislation has been used to stifle the distribution of natural products. The legislation was used in 2009 to controversially prosecute Asphalia Food Products Ltd, a small Welsh company, who included ryegrass in a sleeping product; in this instance, the European Commission ruled that the specific genus of ryegrass used had not been `widely consumed` before 1997 and required extensive and expensive safety tests before being made available for sale.

Members of the public can expect to see a range of baobab products available within the next few months which, if the promotion of various `superfoods` is anything to go by, will no doubt be heralded by the marketing departments of many food companies.

References:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view...
http://www.anhcampaign.org/news/wel...
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredi...