5 Reasons You Need To Drink Lemon Water Every Day

 Lemon water has amazing benefits for the body.  In Ancient Egypt, the potent health benefits of lemon were widely recognized.  Today it seems that most people are unaware of the incredible effects lemon juice can have on the body. It is best to drink it with warm or hot water, first thing in the morning.  All you need is a fresh organic lemon, pure water and, if you would like, a little bit of cayenne. Here are 5 reasons you should drink lemon water every day:

1)  It’s The Cheapest, Most Effective Detox Method

Fresh lemons are affordable, especially in comparison to all the expensive pills and supplements that claim to ‘cleanse’ and ‘detox’ your body.  Fresh, warm lemon water helps to loosen hardened matter and toxins in the digestive tract, and stimulate peristalsis— the waves of muscle contractions within the intestinal walls that keep things moving. Lemon juice also dissolves uric acid and other toxins, making it easier for the body to excrete them.

2)  Aids In Digestion

Drinking lemon water regularly can have amazing effects on the gastrointestinal tract, as the citric acid in lemons helps to break down food, strengthening the process of digestion and elimination.  Lemon is one of the only foods on the planet that has more anions than cations in its atomic structure.  In English, lemon juice has a similar atomic structure to saliva, hydrochloric acid, bile and other digestive enzymes and fluids of the stomach!

3)  An Excellent Boost of Nutrients

The juice of a lemon contains natural electrolytes, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc, manganese and selenium.  Many essential minerals required for the human body are present in lemon juice.  As for vitamins, lemon juice is a great source of vitamin C, and contains traces of vitamin E and A, retinol, folic acid, choline, as well as B vitamins including thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and folate (vitamin B9)!

4)  Helps Your Liver

The liver is part of the body’s natural filtration system and plays a central role in all metabolic processes in the body. It works 24/7 to neutralize toxins, and break down what we eat.  When the liver is weak or not functioning at its best, it can put stress on the kidneys and other organs.  According to A.F. Beddoe, author of Biological Ionization as Applied to Human Nutrition, lemon (and lime) aids the liver in producing more enzymes than any other food. The properties in lemon juice which help to dissolve uric acid, toxins and aid digestion puts less work on the liver to do its full-time job.

5)  Kills Harmful Bacteria In Your Body

Lemon juice is a natural anti-septic, with anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.  It is used in natural cleaning products for this purpose, but it also safely and effectively helps to control harmful bacteria in the body.  Fresh lemon juice even helps to destroy the bacteria of malaria, cholera, diphtheria, and typhoid.  Drinking water with the juice of fresh, organic lemons is like giving your body a blast of safe, natural cleaner for your insides!

If you’ve never made lemon water for the purpose of detoxifying, regenerating and nourishing the body, you may be wondering how to do that.  Instructions for making a morning glass of lemon water are listed below!

You Will Need:

• 1 organic lemon
• 1-2 cups of distilled or filtered water
• a kettle or stove-top pot

Heat up the water, but don’t bring it to a boil.  If the water is too hot, the nutrients and enzymes will be lost.  Instead of using a kettle, I heat the water in a pot for about a minute.  Cut the lemon in half and squeeze a reasonable amount of juice into the warm water.  If desired, you can add cayenne pepper and 100% pure maple syrup to create a sweet, cleansing drink.  The formula of lemon, cayenne pepper and maple syrup is used in a fasting program known asThe Master Cleanse.

And this fancy gadget to the right is a classic glass citrus juicer. I recommend investing in one if you want to make lemon water a habit.  They usually range from $5 – $15, but I got mine for free from my nana. (Score!)  There are other small gadgets on the market used for juicing lemons, and there’s always the option to just squeeze the lemon by hand!

Making lemon water part of your daily routine is sure to improve 

Source: http://erinjanus.com/

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Popular supplement is culprit in itchy rash

Kava kava is derived from a native western Pacific Islands plant called Piper methysticum.

A 55-year-old man in California who went to a dermatologist with an itchy rash over his face, torso, abdomen and scalp turned out to be suffering from a side effect of taking a popular supplement called kava kava, according to a recent report of his case.

The man was taking kava kava to help him quit smoking, according to the doctors who treated the man and authored the case report. The man had been taking the supplement for about three weeks, mixing it with water to drink it as a tea and also placing the supplement under the tongue.

The case report shows how important it is for patients to tell their doctors if they are taking any supplements, said study author Dr. Maryam Asgari, an investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research in Oakland, California. [The Truth About Herbal Supplements for Stress]

The man might have been particularly susceptible to experiencing such an adverse reaction from kava kava because he was also taking an anti-anxiety drug called citalopram (sold under the brand name Celexa), according the case report. Kava kava is broken down by the same enzyme system as citalopram, and so taking both may have worsened the man's adverse reaction to the supplement.

The case also shows that doctors should take detailed histories of their patients' use of supplements, because supplements may interfere with the medicationspeople take, Asgari told Live Science.

In the man's case, the doctors treated his rash and told him to stop taking kava kava, and the rash went away after nine days of treatment. But then the man started taking the supplement again, and his face became flushed and itchy, although no rash occurred this time. After this episode, he stopped taking kava kava completely and the rash didn't return.

Kava kava is derived from a native western Pacific Islands plant called Piper methysticum, which is believed to have pain-relieving, relaxant and anti-anxiety properties, the researchers wrote in the study.

It is not clear how many people may be using kava kava, as many doctors do not ask their patients about supplement use in general, Asgari said.

The patient in the case report had a history of depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and high levels of fat or cholesterol in his blood. He had been taking anti-anxiety medication for several months, and medication for high pressure for several years.

The investigators determined that kava kava probably affected the man's sebaceous glands, which are the oil-producing glands of the skin, and are typically concentrated in the areas of his body where the rash appeared.

Previous reports have described other adverse reactions to kava kava, Asgari added.

Some of those reactions have included skin inflammation and rash. With more excessive kava kava use, problems such as liver damage, kidney dysfunction, malnutrition, weight loss and alterations in blood cells and platelets have been reported, the researchers wrote.

The case report was published online Sept. 12 in the journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology.

Source:http://www.foxnews.com/

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The medicine that helped me forget about cancer for three days

Pins and needles and scan results— so it goes for me every eight weeks. During my last appointment, my doctor informed me that my tumor marker numbers were rising, which often means something is brewing. This makes waiting for CT scan results even more nerve-wracking.  

As of yesterday, all is well. The scan looks stable, which means there has been no growth of the cancer in my liver. As long as it doesn't advance, life is good.

I spent the last three days with my dearest girlfriends— the five of us take a short trip together every year. We have done this for 23 years since meeting at Mommy and Me Classes when our children were 18 months old.

We talk about the stresses in each of our lives, but mostly we laugh. I requested this trip be a "C-free zone." I didn't want to hear the C-word at all.

We took long walks and rented bicycles. We each enjoyed a massage and sat in the hot tub. The girls did a strenuous workout together while I enjoyed yoga. It was only two nights, but we all went home feeling relaxed and filled to the brim with love.  

No amount of therapy could come close to what these days delivered. Women are the best. Whether it's a sister, a high school girlfriend or another person you enjoy being with, togetherness is the best medicine, so I highly recommend surrounding yourself with those loved ones in your life.

An added dose of medicine in my life is my father, who recently arrived from Cleveland for a visit. Three of my siblings also live in Los Angeles, so we all get the chance to see him. Remember “I love LA”? That song perfectly encompasses my feelings about the state today. Temperatures are reaching 88 degrees, and we're about to get into my car and drive up the coast— for no other reason than to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.  

With Easter approaching, and the impending family gatherings that will come with the holiday, perhaps there is someone you can think of to take with on a girls’ (or guys’!) trip. How about calling an old college roommate or buddy? My dad still does that at age 88, even as many of his friends have passed.

I hope you also will think of someone with whom to share my blog if you would like, and share your comments on your favorite pastimes with your friends— be it an annual trip or another activity.

Noreen Fraser is living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. She is the Founder and CEO of the Noreen Fraser Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to funding groundbreaking women's cancer research. To stay in touch with Noreen, please 'LIKE' The Noreen Fraser Foundation onFacebook and follow her on Twitter.  Noreen can be contacted via email atnoreen@noreenfraserfoundation.org.

Source:http://www.foxnews.com/

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