Things You Should Avoid During Pregnancy
Sara Jameson

Pregnancy is a time where you have to be careful with yourself.Many factors affect the development of a fetus into a healthy child. Whether you like it or not there some activities you should avoid for the sake of your healthy baby. There are pregnancy risks that you have to aware of.

To help you knowing what they are, here is some checklist you might want to consider:

• Don’t drink alcohol! You going to jeopardize your baby’s development. If you don’t want to have low birth weight baby,and having medical problems, better stop drinking once you know that you are pregnant.

• Don’t smoke! Chemical inhaled while smoking may cause premature birth, miscarriage, bleeding, etc. Also it reduced the amount of oxygen that baby receives. What ever you are,don’t smoke and avoid second hand smoke.

• Don’t drink coffee. Caffeine in the coffee has been shown to affect fetal heart rates. Caffeine can also increase risk of stretch marks. If you can’t stop immediately, try to stop gradually.

• Don’t do too much exercise! No doubt if moderate exercise is helpful for mother's mental state and can increase oxygen flowto the fetus. However, too much exercise can be dangerous.Better you do activities like walking, swimming, and yoga.

• Don’t get near to chemicals substance! Be careful with unnatural chemicals, such as pesticides. If you consume vegetables or fruits, don’t forget to wash them. Or remove the outer surface of vegetables or fruit so pesticides which rest on the outside of the vegetable or fruit will be thrown away.

• Don’t consume drugs or herbal remedies that are not prescribed by doctors. What you consume might affect your unborn baby.

• Don’t forget to eat nutritious foods. Good nutrition is crucial to a developing child. At least you consume 400-1000micrograms of B vitamin (folic acid) which can be taken from leafy vegetables, orange juice, and beans.

• Don’t have multiple sex partners which may lead to birth and pregnancy complications cause by STD's risk. Once you infected by STD, you may have premature baby or low birth baby.

Preventing is better than curing. If you can prevent yourself by not doing those kinds of activities, hopefully you going to have a healthy and normal baby. Try to acknowledge this on your first month of pregnant.

About The Author: Sara Jameson writes her experiences in "TheVery Happy Pregnancy: Avoiding Stress and Depression." Check this out http://www.stage-of-pregnancy.info andhttp://www.earlysign-of-pregnancy.info

How to Use a Footbath with Herbs
by Rudy Silva

When you use a footbath and heat the water, the veins in your feet start to dilate. Over a period of 20-30 minute, the warm water affects your entire vascular system and you get an improved circulation of blood throughout your body.

By adding herbs to hot water, the minerals from the herbs enter the soles of your feet and move into you blood stream. What this means is that you can introduce into your blood stream a variety of herbal chemicals into your body using the footbath. During the your footbath, these herbal chemical will be quickly circulated throughout your body and get used where there is a deficiency.

The herbal footbath can result in improved health provided you pick the herbs that are beneficial to your health. You can start by adding herbs that are high in minerals. Most people are deficient in alkaline minerals and have an acid body. Adding minerals into your body is a definite plus.

Here’s how to prepare and use an herbal footbath.

- Buy these four herbs that are high in minerals -- alfalfa herb,parsley, horsetail herb, kelp herb. Buy 1-2 oz of each. This might cost you $10.00 or less

- Mix all 4 herbs

- Prepare an herbal infusion by boiling 2 - 3 cups of water.After boiling pull the water off the hot plate. Add 2 tablespoonsof the mixed herbs. Let this mixture sit for 20 minutes. The longer you let this mixture sit the stronger the infusion will be.

- After 20 minutes, start your footbath and press the heat button

- Strain the herbal infusion using a strainer and a cloth so that no herbal particles are included in the tea infusion

- Add the infusion into the footbath- Place you feet into the footbath for 20-30 minutes.Use the footbath every other day for 30 days before going to bed.Then take a 7-day rest before you use another herbal mixture. If you want to treat a specific ailment, find the herbal mixture and use it in your footbath. Use it every other day for 30 days.I have been using the footbath with herbs rich in minerals for 3 weeks and here’s what I noticed.-

Improved sleep- Less pain in my shoulder joint- More energy- Eyes see clearer longer though out the day- Warmer hands and feet

The footbath spa that I’m using is the Homedics model JetSpaUltra.I like this unit because it has a jet stream action and bubbling.It has a button for heat and a rotator to do manicuring. I don’tuse the manicuring but you might. My daughter of 8 years likes play with these rotating items. And, it is easy to fill and clean.

Copyright © 2005 Rudy SilvaAbout Rudy: Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid,and Fatty Acid ebooks. He writes a newsletter called"Natural-Remedies-ThatWork.com". For more information on hiswritings go to http://www.stop-constipation.com

Colorectal Cancer: Who's at risk?

*AGE
Some 90% of colorectal cancers occur in persons aged 50 and above.

*FAMILY OR PAST HISTORY
Particularly of colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer.

*DIET
Persons on a low fibre and high fat diet are eight times more likely to develop colorectal cancer. There is convincing evidence that vegetables reduce risk.

*ASPIRIN AND NSAIDS (group of painkillers)

*SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND OBESITY

*INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
Persons suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have a higher chance of developing colorectal cancer.

*DIABETECS


Adapted from ezyhealth & beauty magazine: Eleanor Yap