5 Amazing Honey Facts for better Health

By MakeUsesOf

Honey is usually associated with weight management and antiseptic properties. But apart from weight management, honey is quite useful in a lot of other things as well. Here's 5 amazing honey facts that you didn't know about:

1. Honey Makes Excellent Cough "Medicine"

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists honey as a demulcent, a substance that relieves irritation in your mouth or throat by forming a protective film. Research shows honey works as well as a dextromethorphan a common ingredient in over the counter cough medications, to soothe cough and related sleeping difficulties due to upper respiratory tract infections in children.

2. Honey Can Treat Wounds

Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished with the advent of penicillin. Now the use of honey in wound care is regaining popularity, as researchers are determining exactly how honey can help fight serious skin infections.

3. Honey Improves Your Scalp

Honey diluted with a bit of warm water was shown to significantly improve seborrheic dermatitis, which is a scalp condition that causes dandruff and itching. There was marked relief from itching and the scaling disappeared within one week. Skin lesions were healed and disappeared completely within 2 weeks.

4. Help Boost Your Energy

A healthy, whole-food diet and proper sleep are the best recipe for boundless energy, but if you're looking for a quick energy boost, such as before or after a workout, honey does the trick. What’s more, you can also achieve effective weight loss with honey!

5. Reduce Allergy Symptoms

Honey contains pollen spores picked up by the bees from local plants which introduces a small amount of allergen into your system. This helps activate your immune system and over time can build up your natural immunity against it.

The magical drink: Honey & Lemon Water

By MakeUsesOf

Here are 4 ways a blend of honey, lemon squeeze and warm water can assist you with weight management and staying fit:

1. Triggers weight management

Wondering how to use honey for weight management? Aside from purging your stomach, the blend of lemon juice and honey, goes a long way in assisting you with managing weight.

2. Better digestion

Drinking a glass of water with the honey, first thing in the morning helps to improve your digestive system. Honey is a simple carb, which is easier to digest and allows slow and steady absorption of sugar and limits the conversion and storage of fats.

3. Detoxify the body

Every morning after waking up, drink eight ounces of warm water with two tablespoons of crisp lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey. With this every day custom, the liver is given a strong, purging help. Furthermore, you can manage solid weight all the more effortlessly if the liver is functioning properly.

4. Boost your energy

Honey has amazing bacteria-killing properties. The boost of energy that honey can offer is yet another great health benefit of using honey. When you add honey to your diet, it can give you a nice energy boost and is much healthier than sugar or sugar substitutes that are available today.

Hypnotise yourself slimmer, faster, fitter!

By MakeUsesOf

Could using the power of your mind really help you to achieve your goals?

Struggling to beat your personal best, lift heavier weights or lose those last few pounds? 

Learning to hypnotise yourself could be the answer, according to Valerie Austin, hypnotherapist and author of new book Self-Hypnosis: Work with Your Subconscious Mind to Reach Your Full Potential.

‘Hypnosis allows you to reprogrammed your mind by removing old, unhelpful thoughts and replacing them with

New, positive beliefs and associations,’ she says. Best of all, you’ll see results fast, with minimal effort. ‘Once you’ve mastered self-hypnosis, which isn’t difficult to learn, it only takes a few minutes a day for two weeks to re-programme your subconscious to direct you to do what you want,’ Valerie adds. Just a few minutes every day for a fortnight? Even we can find a way to squeeze that in!

7 fat-burning & Weight lossing foods you need to eat to lose weight

By MakeUsesOf

Are you tired of exercising but not seeing results? You need to improve your diet. While many of us may believe, there are foods which can help burn those extra, unwanted calories. These foods will not only help you cut down on calories but will also increase your metabolism, trigger hormones that help release fat while also eliminating toxins that prevent your body from shedding those extra kilos. Listed below are 7 of the best fat-burning foods.

Best home remedies for tension headaches that really work!

A tension headache can be characterized as a mild to moderate headache that feels like a tight band around your head. It is also one of the most common type of headache whose exact causes has not yet been determined. Usually brought about when someone is stressed or tense, this headache usually radiates from the nape of the neck to the front of the head. While this sensation and its intensity can vary from one person to the next, the pain can be quite debilitating, causing sensitivity to light and fatigue in some people. While you can pop a painkiller to beat the pain and power through the day, there are a few natural ways to beat the pain. Here are some quick and simple ways you can use to thwart the pain. 

1) Rest your eyes: Since eye strain is one of the most common reasons for a tension headache, it is best you rest your eyes when you have one. Usually when you do have a headache you will tend to be sensitive to light so take the opportunity to rest your eyes and keep any bright lights away from your eyes. A good way to do this is to close your eyes while to sit comfortably on a chair, rub both your palms together so that they become warm and then place them per your eyes such that your fingers overlap. Stay like this and allow the warmth and darkness to relax your mind and eyes. Breathe in deep making sure your back is straight. A great way to better this tip is to switch off your computer screen (as you might need to do this while you are working) and the lights if you can. Alternatively, you could also find yourself a slightly dark corner. Once you have done this three times, slowly open your eyes. This should help reduce the intensity of your headache.

2) Light pressure: One of the easiest ways to get rid of a tension headache is to apply a little pressure on your eyelids. Close your eyes and cup them with the palm of your hands. Apply pressure for around 2-3 minutes and release. You might experience blurry vision for a few seconds; however, do not be alarmed. You will be feeling better as a result. You can also close your eyes and press the point between your eyebrows with your ring finger. Make sure the pressure is not too much and press down for only so long as you feel comfortable. This point helps in relaxation and calming the mind.

3) Peppermint teabags: Wet peppermint teabags are also a great way to relieve a tension headache. All you need to do is wet the tea bags, cool them for a little while and place them on your eyes for about five minutes. The peppermint and tea leaves help soothe your eyes thereby relieving your headache. 

4) Ginger Tea: Ginger is a great remedy for headaches as it contains compounds that help reduce inflammation. Know to be able to reduce inflammation as fast as an aspirin does, ginger is a great natural remedy for a headache. All you need to do is steep some crushed ginger (a one-inch-long piece should suffice) in some water. Alternatively, you could add it to some green tea (without milk) for relief. If you tend to have tension headaches often, you can also sip on this tea before bed. It will help you relax and get enough rest helping to keep headaches at bay.

5) Chamomile tea: You can treat tension headaches at home by sipping on some chamomile tea. The tea has a number of beneficial compounds that will help relax you by easing the pain caused by a tension headache. To find relief brew a cup of tea making sure the tea bag to soaks for around seven to ten minutes before you drink it. If you want, you could sweeten the tea by adding a little honey. Sip on this mixture slowly while it is still warm to help reduce the pain. 

6) Lavender or peppermint oil bath: There are some health experts who swear by the fact that footbaths can help relieve tension headaches. When you immerse your feet in warm water, it helps draw blood to both your feet. Therefore, this helps ease the pressure exerted by the blood vessels in your head on the muscles of your head leading to a headache. Add a few drops of lavender or peppermint oil to your bath as the aroma as these scents help relieve stress and calm the mind.

Here are a few things you shouldn’t do if you have a tension headache 

Popping pain killers: While it may seem like the right course of action, having pain killers to reduce the pain caused by tension headaches might not be your best option. Some experts believe that having OTC painkillers like aspirin or acetaminophen can increase the incidence of headaches as it sensitizes the brain to pain signals. 

Avoid coffee: There is a genuine reason you should avoid caffeine during a headache. Caffeine has been known to helps shrink swollen blood vessels, and therefore being a great remedy for headaches. But once the caffeine wears off your headache will be back, in some cases worse than before. 

How you can prevent tension headaches 

You can avoid the occurrence of tension headaches by ensuring that you do not stare for too long at the computer screen at work. Also, ensure that you remain hydrated by drinking a lot of water during the day. Finally, get a good 6-7-hour sleep at night to avoid such headaches.