Free information relating to all areas of Natural Health! http://www.natural-health.net.au Acupuncture hails from China and it's beginnings can be traced back over 2000 years, making it one of the world's oldest known health care systems! Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles into specific sites called acupuncture points, in... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/acupuncture http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/acupuncture Foods are classified as acid forming or alkalizing. Once you have eaten your food, and it is digested, it tends to make the body either acidic or alkaline. This may be quite different from the acidity or alkalinity of the food itself. Citrus fruits which are known to be acid... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/alkaline-foods http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/alkaline-foods Your fitness level is much more than your three-days-a-week regime at the gym! Fitness refers to your overall physical health, and to be healthy you need to be doing much more than just exercising a few times a week.(It certainly helps though, so no dropping that routine!). The ma... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/exercise http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/exercise In a nutshell, meditation is the practice and art of quieting the mind to all external and internal noises, in the form of unwanted thoughts, chains of consciousness and the generic sounds of everyday living. It is believed by most major religions and regular meditators that this practice of quieti... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/spiritual-development/meditation http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/spiritual-development/meditation Pawpaw ointment is any tincture, cream or ointment that contains pawpaw as an active ingredient. As well as being a rich and tasty fruit, pawpaw also has some properties that make it a very attractive topical application for skin irritations. Firstly, pawpaw is a strong antiseptic, making it a goo... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/pawpaw-ointment http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/pawpaw-ointment Apricot Kernels come from the seed of the apricot fruit. They kernels are bitter to taste but are very nutritious. They contain a compound called amygdaline, also known as vitamin B17. Apricot kernels are also called bitter almonds or apricot almonds. They are known to have... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/apricot-kernels http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/apricot-kernels Aromatherapy is the process by which plant oils, including essential oils, are utilised for their ocular and therapeutic properties to cure ailments as wide-ranging as stress to depression to irritable bowel syndrome! Essential oils comprise the major part of the aromatherapist's... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/aromatherapy http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/aromatherapy Welcome to nature performing miracles on a small scale. Crystal deodorants are literally what they claim to be. The roll-on variety is a solid crystal chunk (smooth, not shards of crystal that will grate your armpit), while the crystal mist varieties are crystal solutions that are sprayed under th... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/crystal-deodorant http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/crystal-deodorant Massage is the manipulation of the bone, ligament and muscle structure of the body, often with the purpose of relaxation, muscle recuperation or the release of energy blockages in the form of knots and tight spots. Soft tissues in the body are made more pliable after a manual pummeling, in short, a... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/massage http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/massage In the words of yogi master Eric Schiffmann, yoga is the spirit and practice of moving into stillness. Similar to meditation, yoga is the complete release of preconceived notions of what is possible and what is normal within our bodies, opening our body, mind and soul to limitless possibilities of... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/spiritual-development/yoga http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/spiritual-development/yoga Barley grass is the name given to the leaves of barley in the new growth stage when the plant reaches 12-14 inches. During the initial growth stages barley grass abso... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/barley-grass http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/barley-grass You've probably heard the words `holistic healing' touted all over the place, what with the increase in awareness of there being more to health than a couple of days a week at the gym busting those bicep curls. Holistic healing refers to the need to care for all aspects of o... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/holistic-healing http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/holistic-healing This shrub is native to the desert areas of Arizona, California and Mexico, and the hard nutty seeds of the jojoba plant (or goat nut) yield the waxy liquid known as jojoba oil. Apart from its funny pronunciation, jojoba oil has some seriously useful properties that make it no laughing matter in t... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/jojoba-oil http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/jojoba-oil Kinesiology is the study of movement. It is the science of how muscles act and coordinate to move the body. Kinesiology believes that each muscle in our body is wired to an inherent energy system within the body. By monitoring the muscle responses, a therapist can tap into a person's bio-computer t... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/kinesiology http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/kinesiology Chlorella is a single-cell algae that contains high levels of chlorophyll and a host of essential vitamins and minerals, making it one of the true superfoods for th... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/chlorella http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/chlorella Evening Primrose Oil is an extract from the attractive yellow-plumed shrub that is native to North America and Europe. The shrub gets its name from the ever-elusive flowers that only bloom for one day! That's right, a flower will open as the sun goes down and die away as the sun rises the next mor... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/evening-primrose-oil http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/evening-primrose-oil Homeopathy is an alternative system of treating people. It is different from the conventional system - allopathy- in its approach to cure and treatment. Homeopathy believes that "like cures like". Very small doses of a substance are given which would produce the same or simi... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/homeopathy http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/homeopathy With a repertoire of over five hundred exercises, Pilates is a physical fitness technique that was invented by Joseph Hubertus Pilates over seventy years ago for improving flexibility and strength of the human body. This method was initially used to rehabilitate the injured Second World War soldier... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/pilates http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/pilates Calendula Officianalis, otherwise known as Garden Marigold, Poet's Marigold or Pot Marigold is a small plant with yellow or orange petals native to Mediterranean areas. Calendula contains many antioxidants and flavonoids such as carotenoids, lutein, lycopene, gamma-carotene, rubixanthin and zeaxan... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/calendula http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/calendula Chlorophyll is a plant pigment that gives most plants their characteristic green colour. They help plants in photosynthesis which is the process by which green plants use sunlight to manufacture carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. Chlorophyll is capable of converting light energy which ca... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/chlorophyll http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/chlorophyll Breathing is a function that most of us take for granted. Whoever stops to stand and think about the way he breathes? Yet learning to breathe correctly is a technique that is essential to good health. It is a skill more than mere respiration demands. Breathing techniques can b... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/proper-breathing-techniques http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/body-work/proper-breathing-techniques Reiki, developed in the early 1900's by Mikao Usui in Japan is a form of "hands on healing". Derived from "rei" meaning `free passage' and "ki" meaning `universal life energy', it involves the transfer of energy from the practitioner to patient. Reiki also enhances the body's natural ability to hea... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/reiki http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/reiki Fasting has been a part of major world religions since as long as history has been recorded! It is an extended abstinence from food that may or may not be accompanied by abstinence from liquids as well. Sounds a little hardcore, huh? Well it doesn't have to be a full-blown 4... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/fasting http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/fasting Henna is a plant traditionally used by Indian women to create decorative temporary hand and body art. Henna, or Lawsonia Inermis, can vary in strength from a bright red colour to very little colouring property at all. The content of Lawsone in Henna depends on where it grows, if it grows in arid... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/henna http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/henna The conventional definition of therapy is the process undertaken in the treatment of a disease or illness. We're going to be speaking on broader terms, however. Disease is normally a word reserved for bodily problems. But let's break the word down...dis-ease. If we take the word dis-ease to mean an... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/therapy http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/therapy Fibre is the indigestible, bulky matter of plants, which passes through our digestive system relatively unaffected. Doesn't sound too important huh? Well think of what happens to the toilet system when it gets clogged and needs to be plunged...that's right! Fibre is our daily plumbing service, and... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/fibre http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/fibre As we age, our body's natural skin shedding cycle becomes steadily slower. That means that nature can sometimes do with a helping hand if we want to bring out the freshest and youngest skin we have. The various methods we use to naturally exfoliate our skin provide a variety of benefits to our bod... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/natural-exfoliation http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/natural-exfoliation TCM is a system of healing that can be traced back to at least 700BC, and is strongly rooted in the philosophies of the Tao (the ultimate way according to Chinese philosophy). According to the Tao, there are eight pillars of existence that must be adhered to in order to house a strong,... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/traditional-chinese-medicine http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/traditional-chinese-medicine Okay, so we all know by now that filtered water is in some way better for us than that chlorine tasting stuff straight out of the tap, I mean that part is obvious because for starters it tastes a hell of a lot better. Yep, the charcoal and other things in filters remove all the heavy metals, salts... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/filtered-water http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/filtered-water Azadirachta Indica, or the Neem tree, has been described as both `the wonder tree' and `the village pharmacy'. It has powerful insecticidal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties and has been used for centuries in traditional Ayurvedic and Unani treatments. Ne... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/neem-oil http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/skin-care/neem-oil Primal Therapy is a mode of psychotherapy which is said to cure neurosis. Neurosis is a mental illness which manifests itself as depression, anxiety or obsessive behaviour, but which cannot be traced back to any organic disease. Primal therapy is a therapeutic process which allows access to the so... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/primal-therapy http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/primal-therapy Grape seed extract is a natural plant substance which is - quite obviously!- extracted from grape seeds. These are the same kind of red grapes used to make wines. It is a concentrated source of antioxidants which help to protect our bodies from free radical damage. Antioxidants are chemical substan... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/grape-seed-extract http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/grape-seed-extract Naturopathy is all about going back to nature. It is a system of healing which believes that we fall ill only when we go against nature. All healing can occur within the body itself if only we know how. Given the right circumstances and conditions the body can stimulate its own healing powers. In... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/naturopathy http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/naturopathy A remedial technique developed to create lasting relief from pain of all kinds, bowen therapy subtly activates specific muscles and nerves with cross-fibre maneuvering in a way that gently resets the body's natural healing responses. Bowen therapy sites on the body correspond with points on the me... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/bowen-therapy http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/bowen-therapy The term `herbal tea' refers to any tea that is not made from the leaves of the tea bush. Peppermint, chamomile, rooibos and rosehip are all examples of herbal teas, also known as tisanes. Herbal teas can be made from the roots, leaves and berries of different plants and many are drunk for their st... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/herbal-teas http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/herbal-teas In its various form colonic irrigation has been practiced since ancient times to improve the health of the bowel and of the entire body. As long ago as 1000 years BC, the Ancient Egyptians recorded the use of colon hydrotherapy with various herbal recipes to treat constipation, fatigue, bo... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/colonics http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/natural-therapies/colonics Minerals are inorganic solid compounds which are essential in small amounts in the diet to regulate normal bodily functions. While there are numerous minerals known to us today, the huma... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/minerals http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/minerals Omega Fatty Acids are a type of fatty acid found in fish and fish oils, but also in foods such as wheat germ, soybeans, flaxseed, pecans, and walnuts. They are the "good fats"; but your body cannot manufacture them. So they must be obtained from your diet. They are known as the `Essential Fatty Ac... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/omega-fatty-acids http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/omega-fatty-acids Certified organic fruit and vegetables are those grown without the aid of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and the soil they are grown in must be certified chemical free for at least seven years! Organic meats are sourced from animals fed organic grains and veggies. Why Would I... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/organic-foods http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/organic-foods Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can be introduced into the digestive system through food. Probiotics are used to replenish the good bacteria which have been depleted by the use of antibiotics or other drugs. Our body is a warehouse of bacteria - good and bad. B... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/probiotics http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/probiotics Proteins are large, complex molecules that are made up of chains of amino acids. Some proteins are called complete proteins, as these contain all the amino acids required to build new proteins. Complete protein is mainly found in animal sources as well as soy products. Other proteins which do not c... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/protein http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/protein Spirulina is potentially billions of years old! It is a single-celled blue-green algae that is capable of thriving in briny water and infertile land. Being such a simple organism, spirulina is... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/spirulina http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/spirulina All food, even a bag of crunchy crisps or a bar of Snickers, has some dietary value. However, certain foods are nutritional powerhouses. These are the "Super Foods" which you should be piling on to your grocery cart and packing in your lunch boxes. What's So Super About Super Foods... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/super-foods http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/super-foods Vegetable Juice may be the quickest way to good health today. We all need raw food in our diet and vegetable juice is an excellent way to have a good quantity of it. Many people do the vegetable juice diet to lose weight; but drink it even without any such goals in mind and vegetable juice will do... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/vegetable-juice http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/vegetable-juice Vitamins are substances that are considered essential for life-sustaining functions in the body, and are classified as either water-soluble or fat soluble.... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/vitamins http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/vitamins Wheatgrass is a close relative of wheat, yet the two plants couldn't be further apart on the health spectrum. While the gluten intolerance and carb consciousness health waves are makin... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/wheat-grass http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/wheat-grass What are these mighty Cacao Beans? Cacao beans are, like the name suggests, the main constituent of that highly sought after treat, chocolate. Theobroma Cacao, literally translated to mean food of the Gods, was rare and highly sought after during... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/raw-cacao-beans http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/raw-cacao-beans The Goji Berry, Wolfberry or Lycium barbarum for the botanists out there, is a small, piquant and highly nutritious berry found around Northern China. This little red number boasts a number of impressive claims, including over 20 different minerals, an antioxidant and vitamin c rating h... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/goji-berries http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/goji-berries Raw and living foods have steadily been gaining in popularity with the health conscious for quite some time now. There is good reason behind this. People who swear by raw and living foods say that the process of cooking destroys the enzymes present in the fruit or vegetable. So it i... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/living-and-raw-foods http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/living-and-raw-foods It is as the Red Indians used to say, the panacea for all ills. Slippery Elm Bark powder is in fact one of the most versatile herbs known to man. It's Latin name is Ulmus Fulva but it is also known by other common names like Indian Elm, Red Elm, Moose Elm and Gray Elm.... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/slippery-elm-bark-powder http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/slippery-elm-bark-powder Yes. The ancient Egyptians used it. So did the Chinese. It was prevalent in ancient India too. Because it enhances the growth, fertility and longevity of queen bees, many believe that it will do the same for man as well. The ancient Egyptians even believed that application of royal jelly... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/royal-jelly http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/royal-jelly Enzymes are proteins that function as organic catalysts. At normal body temperatures most chemical reactions would be too slow to be of any use to the body. Enzymes decrease the amount of energy required to start a reaction and at the same time speed up the chemical reactions.... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/enzymes http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/enzymes Call it Peruvian Ginseng or Maca root, either way it looks like a radish and the Incans were busy ingesting it by the bucketload! The properties of this tuberous root have made it a proverbial hot-cake in health stores around the world in recent years, although the native growers of this... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/maca-root-powder http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/maca-root-powder There's a reason the natural health community have been going bananas over green vegetables since the get go. Quite simply, fresh green vegetables are among the healthiest food items you can treat your body to. They're all high in vitamins and minerals, have a high chlorophyll content, an... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/green-vegetables http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/green-vegetables Glucosamine is a naturally occurring amino sugar in our bodies that assists in the synthesis of proteins that form joint cartilage. Glucosamine sulfate is also a naturally occurring constituent of our bodies, and is part of these proteins that form the cartilage matrix. Glucosamine sulfate supplem... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/glucosamine http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/glucosamine Lecithin is a nice easy word we like to use to refer to Phosphatidylcholine, a very important component of the mucus layer in our large intestines. This mucus layer functions to protect the intestines from air-raids and flat out bomb attacks from colonic bacteria! As a dietary suppleme... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/lecithin http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/lecithin An antioxidant is a molecule that has the ability to prevent the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical process whereby electrons are transferred from one substance to an oxidizing agent. A very common form of oxidation is rust - it is formed by the reaction of iron with oxygen whic... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/antioxidants http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/antioxidants Melatonin is a hormone that is found in all living things, right from single-celled organisms to humans. In humans and other vertebrates, melatonin is secreted in the pineal gland at the centre of our brains. Production of melatonin in the pineal gland is largely dependent on si... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/melatonin http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/melatonin Chemical-free living is the embracing of a lifestyle that omits chemicals from as many aspects of life as possible. Say goodbye to cleaning products and hello to vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and essential oils! Long gone are the snail pellets and pesticides, replaced by chilli and garlic spray and... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/chemical-free-living http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/chemical-free-living Flavonoids are phytochemicals found in many fruits and vegetables. They are high in antioxidants and are responsible for the colouring of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Flavonoids include Quercetin, Epicatechin and Anthocyanadins and are the subject of much recent research for their all rou... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/flavonoids http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/flavonoids The Glycemic index is a numerical ranking system that ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels. A certain Dr David Jenkins, along with his associates performed tests on various foods and came up with a numerical value by comparing the effect of different foods... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/glycemic-index http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/glycemic-index Well we all know what lemon juice is for, don't we? Great in salad dressings, nice in cocktails, a bit sour if you drink it by itself. Great if you put a squeeze into a glass of filtered water to start the day with a liver cleansing drink. Well, it is not only for culinary reasons that we... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/lemon-juice http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/lemon-juice Psyllium is a plant also known as Isaphagula or Plantago the seeds of whose husk, when ground, produces mucilage. Mucilage refers to clear, colourless gelling agents specifically derived from plants that are among the best sources of soluble dietary fibre available. The mucilage produced... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/psyllium http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/psyllium Ok, so wort is different to wart in quite a fundamental way, it is just another name for plant, weed, herb, root etc. The reason St John's Wort is named after St John the Baptist is because it is in full bloom on his feast day, June 24th. St John's Wort is also known as Klamath Weed, Goa... http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/st-johns-wort http://www.natural-health.net.au/articles/nutrition/st-johns-wort