Have you ever noticed the side effects listed on TV commercials or print ads for prescription drugs that are longer than the benefits of the medicine? Even over the counter medicines carry a list of possible side effects. The side effects can be minor, inconvenient, or serious and range from stomach upset to kidney damage to cancer. Now I totally believe in medicines and usually the benefits outweigh the risks. I personally have friends with medical conditions who have tried changing their diets, especially my friends with high cholesterol or high blood pressure, to no avail. Sometimes, no matter how healthy of a lifestyle you lead, you are just genetically predisposed to a medical condition. But what if, by making small changes to what you eat, you could ease pain, boost your mood, protect your heart?
*Do not ever stop taking doctor prescribed medicines without checking with your doctor FIRST!
The foods listed in this article are easily found, most are inexpensive, they taste good and are easy to fit in your diet.
FREE YOURSELF FROM PAIN WITH OLIVE OIL –
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Bothered by arthritis, backaches or other chronic pain? Try drizzling extra-virgin olive oil on your bread and salads and using it in place of other oils when cooking. Research in the journal “Nature” reveals that olive oil contains a compound (oleocanthal) that acts just like ibuprofen to ease discomfort by blocking pain-and inflammation-triggering enzymes!
WHAT ALSO WORKS….Fish Oil! In one study, back-pain patients who took 1,200 mg. of inflammation-taming fish oil daily experienced such profound relief after four weeks, nearly 60% stopped taking all other painkillers.
LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITH SESAME OIL –
If your blood pressure numbers have been creeping up, getting them back down is as easy as swapping your usual cooking oil with sesame oil! Patients suffering from high blood pressure despite taking calcium channel blockers (drugs that relax heart and blood vessels) made the swap-and 60 days later, the results were in: The patients’ average blood pressure plummeted more than 30 points, putting them back in the normal range, reports The International Journal of Clinical Chemistry. A unique compound in sesame seeds-sesamin-helps relax blood vessels, which reduces pressure.
WHAT ALSO WORKS….Not only does eating one whole egg per day not affect your cholesterol levels one bit, eggs contain a protein that acts like artery-relaxing ACE-inhibitor Rxs, reducing blood pressure! http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=668796
KNOCK OUT MENSTRUAL CRAMPS WITH GINGER! –
Next time menstrual cramps hit, brew a cup of ginger tea or nibble a few pieces of crystallized ginger candy. According to the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, women who take ginger supplements during their periods experience the same pain relief as women who take ibuprofen! Like the over-the-counter remedy, ginger blocks your body from forming pain-triggering compounds called prostaglandins and reduces inflammation, key causes of period discomfort.
WHAT ALSO WORKS…Sunflower seeds! Snacking on sunflower seeds, almonds or pine nuts a few days prior to menstruation, then throughout your period, reduces the severity of cramps. All are rich in vitamin E, which lowers the body’s output of prostaglandins, experts explain.
FEEL CHEERIER WITH CHOCOLATE! –
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Blue? Doctors at Florida’s Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies suggest you try a sweet remedy-dark chocolate! It’s loaded with compounds that act like a prescription mood-stabilizing medication (valproic acid)-but without the drug’s risk of harmful side effects, says lead study author Karina Martinez-Mayorga, Ph.D. Love berries? Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries contain similar mood-boosting compounds.
WHAT ALSO WORKS….Harvard research involving more than 50,000 women shows that drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily reduces your risk of depression 15%-and drinking four cups reduces it 20%.
CHICKEN SOUP CURES COLDS AND FLU FAST –
Grandma’s trusted remedy isn’t just comforting, it acts like an antiviral Rx to kill viruses and prevent the growth of new ones, so you feel better faster! Thank carnosine, a compound formed by the synergy of chicken and vegetables, reveals a new study in the American Journal of Therapeutics. For best results, heat up a can of chicken soup with vegetables at the first sign of the sniffles, then sip the soup throughout the day. The same study found that the virus-killing effect lasts only as long as the soup in your system. Boost the flavor! Add chopped celery as your chicken soup is cooking. The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that celery contains three compounds that, when heated, enhance chicken soup’s sweet and umami (meaty) flavors, making it taste more full-bodied and intense!
CONTROL YOUR CHOLESTEROL WITH APPLES! –
An apple a day really can keep the doctor away! So say Ohio State University researchers who found that one daily apple lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol in women an impressive 40% in just four weeks-which is better than some cholesterol-lowering statin drugs! Apples are rich in antioxidants that prevent free radicals from forming more LDL cholesterol in your body, which is similar to how statins work. What’s more, they contain pectin-a type of fiber that attaches to cholesterol in the gut and ushers it out of your body before it can be absorbed.
WHAT ALSO WORKS….Eat lots of other cholesterol-lowering foods-such as nuts, oatmeal, tofu, brown rice, plant sterol-enriched margarine and dark chocolate. Regularly consuming them is shown to lower “bad” cholesterol 20% after one year!
As I read this article and the claims made, I looked for other sources to research, which I included. Of course you can find sources and studies that don’t always mesh. But if by simply adding these food items to your diet, you could reduce symptoms without side effects or damage to your organs (which a lot of medicines can cause), why not try them? And again, always check with your doctor first if you have medical problems.