Miracle cures?

I get annoyed with unwanted weight gain as much as the next person, but I think it is silly when consumers fall for fast weight loss gimmicks and end up spending their hard earned money on crap. If it took two years to put on that extra weight, you can't expect to pop a few hoodia pills and instantly be thin without changing your everyday habits. Miracle cures just don't exist.

Time and time again I have learned (through research and personal experience) that the only lasting positive changes come from changing many factors of your life for the better. Diet, exercise, and overall health all play a huge part in weight fluctuations. If you gain weight, take a look at where you have been slacking and make changes before it gets out of control.

Some things get better with age

One affliction I have been dealing with since I was a child is migraine headaches. I used to get them really bad in school, so we assumed they were stress related. I tried many different types of headache treatment, all to no avail. With most prescription treatments, the side effects are usually worse than the headache!

After graduating college, the headaches lessened in frequency from about one or two a week to about three times a month. Then when I was pregnant with my first child, I did not have one headache throughout the entire nine months. That was wonderful and led me to think that perhaps it was some sort of hormone imbalance causing them all these years. Since having children, I get headaches maybe once a month. I have found that if I feel one coming on, I drink a cup of sweetened green tea and lay down for twenty to thirty minutes and usually a bad headache can be prevented.

If I do happen to get a migraine headache these days, I opt for the natural approach of taking a nap in order for it to subside. I have never had a headache last more than one day, as sleeping always helps for me. I can't imagine people who get migraine headaches that last for days on end. I feel for them and I don't think I could handle that.

Holistic medicine

It is unfortunate that we feel embarrassed to tell our regular doctor about the herbal supplements or the holistic medications we take at home. Why is this? Our doctors should know everything about our health. Yet some doctors will make you feel silly for using alternative methods of medicine. Why does it have to be so "black or white?" Why can't the two go hand-in-hand? It seems like you have to go to a holistic medicine doctor who uses only alternative methods, or a regular doctor who practices traditional medicine.

It is very unusual for a traditional doctor to prescribe a natural supplement to cure your ailment, when in fact, that could be just what you need. But some herbal medications are dangerous for certain individuals and can counteract prescription drugs, so your doctor really must be informed if you choose to try an herbal remedy. The trick is to find a doctor who is open to natural remedies and can help you choose the ones that could benefit your health and well being.

Early in the Christmas Spirit

Today is the day after Thanksgiving, and almost the whole town is decorated in Christmas lights! Most of the commercial buildings and hotels have been done for a couple of weeks already, but now all the residents are following suit.

I must say, it seems to be contagious because we decided to put up our decorations today also! Maybe we can start a new tradition. Instead of the day after Thanksgiving being all about shopping, we can stay home with our family and decorate the tree and our house. We're such procrastinators, we have never shopped this early for Christmas anyway.

We've decided to spend the Christmas holiday here in our new Eureka Springs hometown, instead of traveling far away to spend it with other relatives. Of course, our parents are very upset about this, but we're sick of always trying to please everyone else and getting ourselves totally stressed in the process. Traveling during the winter with young children is stressful enough, then add all the holiday crap on top?? No, thank you. We'll just have a nice, quiet Christmas here at home with us and our kids.