Natural Health Solutions

If you suffer with seasonal allergies, you're well aware of how a sudden onset of scratchy and watery eyes, violent sneezing, and a constant runny nose can hamper your day. Sometimes called hay fever or allergic rhinitis, seasonal allergies affect tens of millions of people throughout North America every year.

What causes seasonal allergies? When an outdoor or indoor allergen comes into contact with your body, your immune system may trigger the production of an antibody called immunoglobin E, also called IgE. If this happens, the next time that you are exposed to that allergen, IgE antibodies in your body release a chemical called histamine, which sets off a series of chemical reactions that can result in any of the following eliminative reactions:

Over the weekend, I was at a park with our boys when I felt a colossal wave of pain hit one of the toes of my right foot. After scrambling to get my sandal off, I looked inside to find a bee that was curled up and unable to move.

Fortunately, I knew not to try to pluck the bee's stinger out with my fingers, and ended up feeling fine within a couple of hours.

If you experience intermittent neck pain and/or stiffness, you may benefit from a simple routine of stretching and strengthening the dozens of skeletal muscles and ligaments that line your neck.

The most important requirement for healthy ligaments and muscles is steady blood flow to these tissues. And stretching the ligaments and muscles that line your neck is the most effective way to promote and maintain a rich supply of blood in this region.

Few health challenges can generate as much pain as a chronic anal fissure. This article explains how an anal fissure develops, and how to promote healing of an anal fissure using natural methods.

Have you noticed that your fingernails grow more quickly than your toenails? If not, the next time you clip your fingernails and toenails on the same day, take note of how quickly they grow. I'm confident that you will find that your fingernails need another trim at least a few days before your toenails do.

Are you curious about why your fingernails grow faster than your toenails? The answer is simple:

After posting some recommendations on casual shoes and sandals for healthy feet, a number of readers wrote in asking about supportive dress shoes.

For the past few months, with the help of a few good men and women in my extended family, I was able to assess about a dozen pairs of dress shoes that made it onto my research list.

Updated on February 6, 2009

For years, the standard protocol for treating a sprained ankle has been the R.I.C.E. method - Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. While this protocol typically prevents further damage and allows for gradual healing of a sprained joint, sports medicine practitioners are finding that sprains tend to heal most effectively when the injured joint is exercised as soon as possible.

What follows are guidelines that I generally recommend when looking to fully recover as quickly as possible from a sprained ankle:

If you feel somewhat brittle and easily predisposed to suffering from strains and sprains, I encourage you to visit a health practitioner who provides myofascial release treatment.

Myofascial release, also called "skin rolling," is often provided along with other treatments like massage, stretching, and joint mobilisation and manipulation. The vast majority of registered massage therapists, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, and osteopathic physicians have training with myofascial release.

Comfortable and supportive shoes or sandals can go a long way in protecting your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine from injury.

When you're without footwear and working indoors on hard flooring, I encourage you to consider using an anti-fatigue mat to provide all of your major weight-bearing joints with cushioned support. Here's one that we have by our kitchen sink:

If you're at risk of experiencing vision loss due to macular degeneration, or you just want to make sure that you're doing all you can to prevent the development of macular degeneration and cataracts as you get older, you want to ensure regular intake of a special group of carotenoids and other select nutrients.