Heartburn, pain and discomfort caused by the stomach acids getting into the lower esophagus, is very unpleasant and can ruin a nice family dinner or a night out with friends, but is avoidable and treatable. If it is a chronic condition, then there may be a more serious cause for heartburn and a doctor should be consulted.

Heartburn may be caused by eating too fast and/or eating too much.

Eating chocolate, foods high in fat, and drinking beverages that contain alcohol can also cause heartburn; beer, in addition to milk, coffee, and sodas, increase the acidity of the stomach.

Lying down right after eating will probably cause heartburn, and even nausea. The lying down alters the direction of gravity and slows down/alters the digestive process. Standing or sitting up helps digestion. If you need to lie down, wait 2-3 hours after you eat.

Pungent/spicy foods, such as curry, jalapeno, and pizza with crushed red pepper, and acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus fruit, also tend to cause heartburn.

Most of the time, if you stay away from eating/drinking too much of the foods mentioned, you don’t lie down right after eating, and you don’t over-eat or eat too fast, you will avoid heartburn. Eating healthy (plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, minimal amount of greasy foods) and drinking enough water will also help you avoid heartburn.

If you have heartburn, drinking peppermint tea will help relieve it. Eating a few TUMS is also a popular remedy, but is loaded with food coloring. I prefer the peppermint tea .

Most headaches are tension or stress related. Others could be caused by musculoskelatal problems in the neck and upper back (massage can help in this case). Caffeine headaches are also common. If you are trying to cut down on the amount of coffee you drink, you will get headaches temporarily until your body gets used to the new routine.

Next time you’ve got a headache, take some time to relax. Remember that no matter how much work you have to do, you need to keep your sanity to do it. You don’t want to create more serious health problems by pushing yourself too far. Try catnip, chamomile, or peppermint tea. Combining catnip, peppermint, and chamomile, sweetened with honey, works as well. Passionflower also helps relieve headaches, as well as nervous tension, insomnia, and muscle spasms.

Aside from herbal teas, using lavender, chamomile, or rosemary in aromatherapy may also help relieve headaches.

Stress is quite an inconvenient feeling. You need to get a lot of things done, but you don’t want to do anything when you’re stressed. Different people react differently to stress, such as with anger, anxiety, depression, or fear. But reacting in these ways without release of the tension can result in illness. Stress can cause muscle tension, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, digestive disorders, psychological problems, and even cancer and heart disease. Stress can also cause weight gain or weight loss, depending on how you react to it.

Stress is mainly the result of emotional or psychological situations. The mind affects the body and the body the mind. If your mind is constantly worried or agitated, the body becomes tense. If the body is tense, then the mind reacts by altering hormone and chemical levels. The body then gets exhausted from adapting to the stressful situation and its day to day functioning begins to suffer. There are various ways you can deal with stress:

Physical exercise is one of the best ways, in my opinion, to relieve stress. It oxygenates body tissues and the blood, dissipates stress hormones, and relieves tension. Regular exercise helps the body relax by releasing tension buildup. I always feel a whole lot better, and less stressed, after I’ve exercised.

Deep breathing also helps oxygenate the body. It also helps still and calm the mind. Meditation and Yoga are also very helpful.

Make sure you are getting your vitamins. During stressful times, make sure you are getting enough Vitamin B complex (regulates nerves), Magnesium (muscle relaxant) and Vitamin C (supports immune system). It is important to take Vitamin C regularly and in divided doses (best after meals) because urinary excretion of the vitamin increases during times of stress.

Certain foods help stressful conditions: Fresh fruits and vegetables (uncooked), shitake mushrooms, potatoes, onions, yam, pasta, oats, whole grains, legumes (like lentils, peas, beans), fatty fish, salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, seafood, honey, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed organic canola oil

Fruit and vegetable juices, especially carrot, are also good in times of stress.

As far as herbs go, chamomile and spearmint have relaxant properties. Chamomile or spearmint tea with honey once or twice a day when you’re stressed can help you relax. Passion flower tincture (1 dropperful a few times a day) reduces stress. Ginseng is also good to strengthen the organs of the body.

Aromatherapy is also very helpful in promoting relaxation and relieving stress. I find lavender and chamomile to be the most effective. Rose, bergamot and other citruses are also good for relieving stress.

Getting a massage once a week or two during times of stress is very helpful. Massage increases blood circulation and removes toxin buildup within the muscles. It calms the body and the mind, especially combined with aromatherapy.

Last but not least . . . just do what you have to do as fast as you can without affecting quality, stop volunteering for more hours or special projects when you know you have enough to do as it is, take a night or two during the week to go out with friends, spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, brother/sister, and turn that darn T.V. off when you know you have things to do . . . it sucks up your time and attention; put on some music instead.

Mint is a great household herb to have. It grows quite easily, but keep in mind that it will spread like crazy (if planted in the yard vs. a pot). Peppermint is the most effective, however, I have had success with spearmint too . . . but peppermint is more potent.

Mint is a stimulant. Try drinking a strong cup of peppermint tea instead of coffee in the morning. It strengthens the heart muscles and is generally cleansing and strengthening to the whole body.

Mint helps stomach or digestion problems in adults and children. Next time you’ve got a stomach ache, drink some peppermint or spearmint tea, or chew on some peppermint or spearmint leaves (after they have been washed of course ). If you’re son or daughter has a stomach ache, give them a little bit of peppermint or spearmint tea to drink, or a leaf or two to chew. Drinking mint tea or chewing on the leaves will also help with cramps (including menstrual). Mint is a harmless herb, unless you are allergic, so feel free to eat the leaves . . . you don’t have to spit them out after chewing on them. Drinking a cup of peppermint tea also helps with flatulence (farting).

You can put crushed fresh peppermint leaves on the forehead for a headache. You can also apply crushed mint leaves on insect bites or stings.

Also, next time you have a sore throat, try gargling with spearmint tea . . . after gargling, swallow a spoonful of honey.

Note: If you are trying to get rid of mint from your garden, wet the dirt where the mint is and let it soak for about an hour to soften the dirt. Then pull out the mint, roots and all. Just cutting them won’t do it.

If you’ve got dry skin, try using shea butter or cocoa butter . . . or both . Both are highly moisturizing and relieve dry, itchy skin. Don’t be afraid to glop it on, as long as you will be wearing clothing over the area so you don’t get shea or cocoa butter on everything. Keep in mind that either will be greasy, since they are butter.

A great website where you can find shea butter is www.africansheabuttercompany.com. They have tons of great shea butter products, including shea oil. They used to have cocoa butter too, but I don’t think they carry it at the time being. As far as cocoa butter goes, I use the 100% Cocoa Butter stick made by “Queen Helene.” I found it at Rite Aid . . . don’t know if it is carried anywhere else. You can also find shea and cocoa butter products at Whole Foods Market (”Jason” products are very good).

If your muslces are tired after a long day, or sore from a hard workout, try taking a eucalyptus bath. As the bathtub fills with warm/hot water, put up to 20 or 30 drops of eucalyptus essential oil in the water. Grab a small towel and make a support for your neck and then just soak in the tub for a while. If your muscles are very sore, you might want to do this for a few days in a row.

Garlic, part of the onion family, isn’t exactly perfume or cologne, but its characteristic smell comes with several healing properties. It purifies the blood and eliminates toxins from the body. Garlic reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, and clotting. It also helps remove stagnant food from the intestines.

Garlic is antibacterial and antiseptic. Its juice (after being crushed and grinded) can be used to disinfect wounds by washing the wound with it.

Garlic also helps cure the common cold and some flus. Holding a clove of garlic in the mouth, between teeth or in the cheeks, (for 15-20 minutes) and then eating it (yes, raw ) will help get rid of a cold, or even a sore throat.

Garlic alleviates respiratory problems. Next time you are congested and have trouble breathing, crush some garlic and inhale the smell in long deep breaths.

Garlic powder is a remedy for athlete’s foot. Sprinkle the powdered garlic on wet feet and let it dry (don’t put socks on until dry).

Do your pets have intestinal worms or other parasites? Try feeding them a clove garlic with their food everyday (for a small pet, try 1/3-1/2 a clove). Garlic has been shown to get rid of worms and parasites in pets, and in people. Garlic, when given with your pet’s food, will also help keep fleas off. Also, if your pet is sick and doesn’t want to eat, put a little garlic in their food . . . they like the strong smell and should eat. Just be careful . . . too much garlic can give your pet an upset stomach.

And, if you don’t mind smelling like garlic, eating raw garlic everyday will help keep mosquitoes away.

Note: For the healing properties of garlic to be potent, the garlic must be used raw. Also, a whole lot of garlic is not always a good thing . . . some say it can damage the liver when eaten excessively.

Eucalyptus is a tree, whose leaves have healing properties. Essential oil of eucalyptus is also used for healing purposes.

Getting hold of eucalyptus leaves isn’t easy if there isn’t a tree around, but they would be quite handy for minor wounds. After the wound has been cleaned, wrap up the wound with clean eucalyptus leaves under the bandage. Eucalyptus oil is also said to help if applied to a minor wound, but I would advise against it because it is very potent and may cause further irritation. I would put a few drop of the essential oil in water to dilute it (as best as it can, since the oil will stay separated from the water), then soak a soft cloth in the water and put that on the minor wound.

Eucalyptus also helps to get rid of a cold, a flu, and even helps with breathing problems (that are not too severe); it is antiviral and kills some forms of bacteria. Using the essential oil in aromatherapy is very beneficial, especially during the cold and flu seasons. It helps reduce phlem and congestion in the throat, sinuses and lungs. If you feel like you might be getting a cold, or if your friends are getting colds, you should have eucalyptus aromatherapy at home.

Eucalyptus essential oil in a hot bath is helpful as well, in the case of sore muscles or minor cuts and scrapes (although a hot bath may be very uncomfortable in the event of cuts and scrapes. Just put several drops into the bathtub as it is filling, then soak in it.

Note: Tea tree goes very well with eucalyptus.

Warning: Eucalyptus essential oil should never be taken internally. It is highly potent, and toxic if swallowed and could cause severe complications.

Acne is often the result of a stressed liver. Greasy, fatty foods, chocolate, junk food, and foods with lots of preservatives are all hard on the liver and tend to have acne associated with them. The most obvious thing to do is eat healthy foods, but something else you can do, which I have had personal success with, is drink detox tea once or twice a day for no more than 2 or 3 weeks consecutively . . . If you go too long drinking detox everyday, there may be adverse effects. The tea box will usually also have directions. Detox tea is made with herbs that cleanse and promote the healthy functioning of the liver and kidneys. My acne starts to go away after about a week of drinking detox tea twice a day (it depends on how bad my acne is). Most markets have Detox Tea, although I usually buy mine from Whole Foods. Traditional Medicinals, Yogi, and Triple Leaf have good detox teas.

There are some easy and natural ways that can treat nausea:

Ginger is one of the most popular treatments to help reduce nausea. You can add ginger powder, or fresh ginger root (one or two small, washed cut pieces) to tea, but be careful not to put too much because that can make the nausea worse. Drinking ginger ale (real ginger ale, as in made with real ginger) also helps.

Rice can also be used to reduce nausea. Rice, which soothes the stomach, should be cooked and eaten, but in small amounts . . . you don’t want to throw too much food into an already sensative stomach. You could also add some cinnamon to your rice, since cinnamon also helps.

Peppermint and Spearmint are good as well. Drink peppermint or spearmint tea, sweetened with honey if you need it sweetened . . . do not use sugar. Also, if you happened to have peppermint or spearmint growing in your garden, you can wash a few leaves and eat them.