Apple to Apples: Healing

Everyone has heard the adage, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Indeed it proves to be true. In varying forms ingested or used externally, apples can help cure various ailments without having to use OTC drugs or even prescriptions.

Dating back to ancient times, Apples have been utilized as a medicinal health resource, cleaning agent and even a food preservative. You often hear from an older relative how they may have used an apple slice to keep cake fresh or used apple cider vinegar to treat a sore throat.

Apples

You can help promote your health and reduce your costs at the pharmacy or local drug store by keeping your kitchen stocked with fresh apples and medicine cabinet complete with apple cider vinegar. Use apple cider vinegar at the onset of a cold, sore throat, relieve asthma, control blood sugar, address nighttime leg cramps, decrease mild depression, stop hiccups, lower blood pressure, treat indigestion, address arthritis or use as a daily tonic.

Amazing Healing Uses of Apples - Medicinal Miracle Fruit

Personally, I use organic apple cider vinegar for just about everything; especially as we approach the changing of the time and temperature that typically triggers the cold and flu season. I am a huge proponent of utilizing this form of apples since the fermented vinegar is rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements like potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, sulfur, phosphorus and healthy acids and enzymes. It is more concentrated and I prefer the brands that have a significant amount of sediment that rests at the bottom of the bottle...this is the good stuff.

It seems apple cider vinegar can address many of the reasons you would commonly make a run to your local CVS or Walgreens to buy a drug that may only just mask the symptoms and pain your feel. The benefit of apple cider vinegar is that you can treat the cause of your ailment thereby decreasing or completely eliminating your symptoms entirely.

How exactly does apple cider vinegar work? Or more importantly, why does apple cider vinegar work in remedy common ailments? In many cases, it's status as a miracle natural remedy is due in part to the result of the fermentation process: healthy enzymes, amino acids and the ability to balance PH levels in the body.

Internal Benefits & Treatments of Apple Cider Vinegar:

Reduces Lactic Acid buildup: muscle cramping,

Reduces inflammation of joints: arthritis

Maintains bone mass: osteoporosis and post-menopausal bone loss

Restores pH levels: colds, coughs, reduces headaches, indigestion, nasal congestion, ulcers, reduces yeast infections, promotes digestion and underweight condition
Adds Fiber via Pectin to body: lowers cholesterol, treats constipation and diarrhea, controls blood sugar levels,

Cleanses and detoxifies liver: treats mild depression, helps with weight loss

Contains antioxidants: protects eyes from cataracts and slows aging process

Antiseptic and disinfectant properties: kills harmful bacteria in the digestive tract related to food poisoning

External Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar:

Promotes healing of skin: burns, cuts, rashes, sores from herpes, athlete's foot,

Controls ear infections or "swimmer's ear"

Reduces foot odor

Controls itching of skin, scalp: insect bites, dandruff, ringworm, herpes/cold sores, poison ivy and poison oak,

Prevents acne and blemishes on the face

Decrease appearance of varicose veins (wrap legs in apple cider soaked cloth for 30 minutes twice a day--shrinks veins in 6 weeks)

Brightens blond and dark hair (vinegar and water rinse)

Once you start using apple cider vinegar as a natural remedy daily or just to address sore throat; you will find that your trips to the store and doctor will decrease and will be as big a fan as I of this amazing, natural remedy.

Amazing Healing Uses of Apples - Medicinal Miracle Fruit

Melissa Gallagher is the founder and president of Healthy Being, LLC. She is currently completing her Doctorate of Naturopathy and CNHP (Certification for Natural Health Practitioner) and fell upon natural health and healing as a means to combat a severe case of mono she had over 4 years ago. Ms. Gallagher's passion is in her ability to coach and council her clients in best practices for superior healthy. Currently undergoing the trademark process is her Healthy Living Consulting business where Ms. Gallagher works with clients in their offices or homes and sculpts individualized, targeted programs that address their health concerns. In addition to individualized health consulting Heatlhy Being launched Healthy Being in a Box: a product line that produces specific kits that contain a variety of specific vitamins and supplements, homeopathic products and herbal remedies that target various ailments and health covncerns. For more details please visit our blog at http://healthybeings.blogspot.com

Of course I don't need to tell you that fresh fruits and vegetables play a vital role in healthy eating habits. At the very minimum, you should eat five servings of produce each day. Seven is even better, and nine is really great.

The reason fruits and vegetables are so important is that they are packed with micronutrients that help your body to support specific systems.

Fruit

They are also a great source of fiber. Plus fruits and vegetables are your best source of carbohydrates. Your body needs carbohydrates to produce energy. The carbs you get from produce are easier to digest than those you get from grains. (Carbs in grains are denser and "sticky," which makes them hard for your body to use.)

Here are five recommendations for the types of fruits and vegetables you should reach for most often. These will help your body fight disease, they'll lower your levels of inflammation, and they'll generally improve your health.

Berries

Brightly-colored berries like cranberries and blueberries are packed with antioxidants that help your body to fight disease and lower inflammation. In fact, when it comes to antioxidants, berries deliver the most of any fruit or vegetable.

Research shows that compounds in blueberries help your brain to stay healthy. 1 As you age inflammation and oxidation take a toll on your brain, even if it is disease-free. Your motor skills, cognitive function, and memory may all suffer. However, blueberries can make a difference. The polyphenols in blueberries help protect against diseases like Alzheimer's, they prevent age-related declines in function, and they may even help the brain to work better by enhancing its neuronal communication.

Other studies suggest that cranberries and blueberries both may protect against certain cancers, against heart disease, and against stroke. 2

In addition to all this, berries are rich in soluble fiber, which can improve your digestion and help to lower cholesterol levels.

Cherries

Cherries are rich in the antioxidant compound, anthocyanin. This compound may help relieve the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. In animal studies, researchers found that anthocyanin significantly improved the symptoms of arthritis. 3

In addition to anthocyanin, cherries contain a broad spectrum of flavanoids and phytochemicals-these are micronutrients that work as very specific antioxidants in your body. Together they can make a positive difference to your health at the cellular level.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus are rich in a compound called diindolylmethane, or DIM for short. DIM converts into indole-3-carbinol in your body. This compound helps to remove aggressive estrogen from your system. It also helps prevent new aggressive estrogens from being absorbed into the body.

This does your body two favors. First, it helps to bring your hormones into better balance. Second, aggressive estrogens are associated with breast and prostate cancers, so cruciferous vegetables help protect you from these deadly diseases.

Tomatoes

These tasty, versatile vegetables (or fruits, depending on who you ask) are rich in lycopene. Lycopene may reduce your risk of a number of cancers including colon, breast, prostate, and skin cancer.

Tomatoes are also a good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that serves many purposes in your body. It boosts the immune system, improves the health of your skin, and fights against many cancers.

Nuts

Okay, nuts aren't technically a fruit or a vegetable, but they do grow on trees, so I'm making an exception. Nuts are a rich source of minerals. Brazil nuts, for example, are one of the best available sources of selenium. Nuts can also provide calcium, zinc, iron, copper, and manganese. In fact, a 100 gram serving of mixed nuts a day delivers your daily-recommended amounts of all these important minerals. 4

Food is your absolute best source of the many nutrients your body needs for optimum health. These five foods will give you a wide variety of micronutrients, antioxidants, and minerals-the building blocks for a healthy, disease-free body.

The Top Five Healing Fruits And Vegetables

Mark Rosenberg, MD
Institute For Healthy Aging

http://www.vitalmaxvitamins.com
http://www.vitalmaxvitamins.com/blog

1 Lau FC, et al. "Nutritional intervention in brain aging: reducing the effects of inflammation and oxidative stress," Subcell Biochem 2007; 42: 299-318

2 Neto CC. "Cranberry and blueberry: evidence for protective effects against cancer and vascular diseases," Mol Nutr Food Res 2007; 51(6): 652-54

3 He YH, et al. "Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of cherries on Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats," Scand J Rheumatol 2006; 35(5): 356-58

4 Malinowska E, Szefer P. "[Investigation of the contents of essential elements in nuts, almonds and dry fruits]" Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig 2007; 58(1): 339-43