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Hidden Health Secrets of Lemons

Did you know the Ancient Egyptians believed that eating lemons and drinking lemon juice was an effective protection against a variety of poisons, and that recent research has confirmed this belief?
There are many health benefits of lemons that have been known for centuries. The two biggest are lemons’ strong antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers and their use as a weight loss aid because lemon juice is a digestive aid and liver cleanser. Lemons contain many substances--notably citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene--that promote immunity and fight infection.

These are well-known health facts about lemons. But there’s so much more to this little yellow fruit. Whether you use them in the form of juice, teas, drinks, dressing, poultices or in the bath, take advantage of lemons’ natural healing power.

Abolish Acne
Lemon contains citric acid, which can be effective in treating acne. The vitamin C found in citrus fruits is vital for that healthy glowing skin while its alkaline nature kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne. In addition to drinking lemon juice with water first thing in the morning, here are some suggestions on how to prepare a homemade acne treatment using lemon:
With your finger or a cotton ball, apply fresh lemon juice on acne and leave it overnight.

Wash with water the following morning.

There may be an uncomfortable sensation of burning at first, but it will soon disappear.
Mix one part of freshly squeezed lemon juice with an equal part of rose or honey water.

Put the mixture on affected areas for at least half an hour.

Wash it afterwards with water.

This application should be repeated twice daily, ideally in the morning and the evening.
Abandon Your Anxiety
Research has shown that lemon balm has a calming effect and therefore may be able to help remove fatigue, exhaustion, dizziness, anxiety, nervousness, and tension.

It is also believed that inhaling lemon oil helps in increasing concentration and alertness.

It can therefore be used as a room freshener in offices to increase the efficiency of the employees.

If you’re feeling tense sprinkle a few drops of lemon balm essential oil (Melissa officinalis) on a handkerchief to inhale
Canker Sore, No More
The proven antibacterial and antiviral properties of lemons can accelerate the healing process in the case of cankers.

Mix the juice of freshly squeezed lemon into a glass of lukewarm water and rinse your mouth with this solution;

do this three times a day.

There may be a burning sensation when the lemon juice comes into contact with the canker, however, the more frequently you use it, the less burning there will be.
Leave the Fever
Chills and fevers may be due to a variety of causes, but the lemon is always a helpful remedy. Here is a method that can ease symptoms: add the juice of 1 lemon to a cup of hot water with honey and drink at once, then every 2 hours until the fever or chill subsides .
Erase Eczema
If you suffer from skin infection such as eczema, a lemon wrap may offer relief.

Add 8 drops of lemon essential oil to 1 cup (250ml) lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of liquid honey.

Honey also has anti-inflammatory effect and strengthens the healing power of lemon.
Soak a linen cloth in the liquid, squeeze out the excess, and gently place the cloth on the affected area for 15 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day.

Not only will this ease the infection, it will counter the overwhelming urge to scratch.

Fight Fatigue
Long distance walkers, world travelers, and explorers look upon the lemon as a Godsend.

When fatigue sets in, they might suck lemon juice by piercing the top of the fruit with a straw, giving themselves a quick-acting medicine and a lovely refreshment.
Explorers also use lemon for protection against many infections of the tropics.

A small amount of lemon juice will quench thirst more effectively than many times the amount of water.

Experienced travelers declare that when they add lemon juice to ordinary drinking water, in various localities, it acts as an antiseptic and prevents illness due to allergy to different water supplies.
Lemon oil also seems to be able to stimulate brain activity so whenever you feel tired for no reason or are finding it hard to focus or concentrate, add 4 drops of lemon oil to a water-filled aromatherapy lamp. Alternatively, drink a glass of lemon water every few hours.

Bundles of CURIOSITY, Energy & Laughter

Daddy is right here...wrestling Xavier...Look Xavier WON!

Enjoy the moment...(s)...Only One Chance to LIVE...

DO IT TODAY!

5...Quick Way to Calm Down

Find Some Water

While watching Disney's "Pocahontas" the other day with my daughter Katherine (yes, I do get some of my best insights from cartoons), I observed the sheer joy the main character shows upon paddling down the river, singing about how she is one with the water.

It reminded me of how universal the mood effects of water are, and how healing.

On the rainy or snowy days that I can't walk the double stroller over to our local creeks, I do something the global-warming guys say not to;

take a long shower,

imagining that I am in the middle of a beautiful Hawaiian rain forest.

"Water helps in many ways,"

writes Elaine Aron.

"When overaroused, keep drinking it--a big glass of it once an hour.

Walk beside some water, look at it, listen to it.

Get into some if you can, for a bath or a swim.

Hot tubs and hot springs are popular for good reasons."

Water is very THERAPUTIC...I ACTUALLY CANNOT MOVE IN THE MORNINGS until I've had a shower...seriously...Water actives me!

4...Quick Way to Calm Down

Go Outside

This is a true lifesaver for me.

I need to be outside for at least an hour every day to get my sanity fix.

Granted, I'm extremely lucky to be able to do so as a stay-at-home mom.

But I think I would somehow work it into my schedule even if I had to commute into the city every day.

Even if I'm not walking or running or biking or swimming, being outside calms me in a way that hardly anything else can.

With an hour of nature, I go from being a bossy, opinionated, angry, cynical, uptight person into a bossy, opinionated, cynical, relaxed person.

And that makes the difference between having friends and a husband to have dinner with and a world that tells me to go eat a frozen dinner by myself because they don't want to catch whatever grumpy bug I have.

3...Quick Way to Calm Down

Find Some Solitude

This can be challenging if you are at work, or at home with kids as creative and energetic as mine.

But we all need some private time to let the nervous system regenerate.

I must have known this back in college, because I opted for a tiny single room (a nun's closet, quite literally), rather than going in on a larger room with a closet big enough to store my sweaters. When three of my good friends begged me to go in with them on a killer quad, I told them, "Nope. Can't do it.

Need my alone time, or else none of you would want to be around me.

Trust me."My senior year I went to the extent of pasting black construction paper on the window above my door so no one would know if I was there, in order to get the hours of solitude that I needed.

Be creative.

Find your space.

Any way you can.

Even it involves black construction paper.

2...Quick Way to Calm Down

Close Your Eyes
Gently let the world disappear, and go within to regain your equilibrium.

Ever since my mom came down with blepharospasm (a neurological tick of the eyelid), I've become aware of how important shutting our eyes is to the health of the nervous system. The only treatment available for this disorder is to have surgery that permanently keeps your eyelids open (you need to moisten them with drops, etc.).

Such a condition would be living hell for my mom, because in closing her eyes she regains her balance and proper focus.

The only time I recommend not using this technique is on the road (if you're driving).

1...Quick Ways to Calm Down

Anxiety zappers that can rescue you from daily stresses By Therese J. Borchard

I'm easily overwhelmed.

When my kids' exuberant screams reach a decibel level my ears can't tolerate, when Chuck E., the life-size "rat" at the pizza place, starts doing his jig while flashing arcade lights blind me, or when I open my email to find 100 messages--

I feel a meltdown coming on.

Which is why I came up with seven quick ways to calm myself down.

I turn to these when I don't have time to call my mom and hear her tell me, "Everything is going to be fine."

They keep me centered and grounded for as long as possible, and they help me relax my body even during those times when screaming kids and dancing life-size rats converge.
Get the first calming tip.

1. Walk Away

Know your triggers.

If a conversation about global warming, consumerism, or the trash crisis in the U.S. is overwhelming you, simply excuse yourself.

If you're noise-sensitive and the scene at Toys-R-Us makes you want to throw whistling Elmo and his buddies across the store, tell your kids you need a time-out.

(Bring along your husband or a friend so you can leave them safely, if need be.)

My great-aunt Gigi knew her trigger points, and if a conversation or setting was getting close to them, she simply put one foot in front of another, and departed.

Smile!

Abe Lincoln said,

"People are about as happy as they decide to be."
~happiness is an INSIDE JOB!~