Natural Health Solutions

It's no secret that age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness among the elderly in industrialized countries. It affects more than 10 percent of white adults over the age of 80, and is the number one cause of central vision loss for people 60 years of age and older in the United States.

What is age-related macular degeneration? Just what its name suggests - degeneration of the macula, which is located at the back of your eye in a tissue called the retina. Your maculae are what allow you to see fine details in the central portion of your field of vision. This is why people with even the most advanced cases of macular degeneration do not experience total blindness - some peripheral vision is almost always maintained as long as there isn't a concurrent condition that affects peripheral vision.

During the past few weeks, I've had an unusually high number of people ask me what they can do to relieve nasal and sinus congestion.

The first suggestion I have is to read an article that I wrote about How to Avoid Nasal Congestion.

The second suggestion is to wash our your nasal passageway in the following manner:

1. Stand over your bathroom sink, turn on the cold water, cup your hands together to form a basin-like shape that allows the cold water to pool.

Have you ever wondered what makes the muscles around your eyes twitch and flutter from time to time? The answer to this question is relatively simple. And so is the remedy.

All of the six hundred plus muscles that exist throughout your body and head are supplied by nerves that originate in your brain. If you take it from the top, your brain induces a signal that travels down through your brain stem and spinal cord and out through peripheral nerves to reach each of your muscles. The flow of electricity through this pathway is what allows you to have motor control over your muscles.

Earlier this year, I wrote an article that included several steps that you can take to reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

I just read a study in the September 2005 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention which suggests that eating at least five portions of certain vegetables and fruits each day can reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 50 percent.

An interesting study in the September, 2005 edition of the journal Heart provides useful guidance on how to use music to decrease stress and promote good health.

We recently had a guest at our fasting clinic who was startled to find that on day 7 of her water-only fast, she could no longer feel a uterine fibroid in her lower abdomen that she had been carrying around for years.

Over the years, I've noticed that a growing number of people are reporting "dry eyes" during my initial evaluations. The most common complaints are burning, stinging, and scratching sensations. People who wear contacts often report that their eyes feel unusually uncomfortable.

LI-4The next time you have a headache and want quick relief without pills, try some acupressure on your own hand. It's super simple to do and can provide significant relief in a matter of minutes.

The best point to stimulate for relief from headaches and general aches and pains throughout the body is LI-4. LI stands for large intestine, in case you're wondering. LI-4 is located in the soft, fleshy web that sits between your thumb and forefinger. You can use the thumb and forefinger of one hand to stimulate this point in your other hand.

When I was a kid, it seemed like I always had a stuffy nose. Sometimes, my nasal congestion was so bad that I had to keep my mouth wide open in order to breathe. There were even times when I couldn’t fall asleep because I felt like I couldn’t breathe at all.

A kind nun from Ireland recently consulted with me about an ear problem. Here's what she wrote:

"It seems to be a problem with wax because when I lie down at night they block and when I get up they un-block, but sometimes I can't hear anything in my right ear for about 3 days. I have been putting in warm olive oil at night for about 4 days now. Do you have any suggestions for me?"