People use Tea tree oil in many different applications, but before we discuss one of it’s main uses, we need to know just what tea tree oil is, and where it originate from?

Tea tree oil originates from Australia and usually has a clear to yellowish tint. Tea tree oil is also known by another name called Melaleuca oil. Tea tree oil is derived from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia, which has several common names and among these common names are the Narrow-leaved Tea-tree and also the Narrow-leaved Paperbark. This tree is common to the New South Wales part of Australia.

Some of the uses of Tea tree oil when applied as a topical solution include as an Antiseptic and as an Antiviral, but the use that we are going to focus on is as a Fungal Treatment. Tea tree oil is one of the very few natural nail fungus treatments that has been recommended by doctors, over prescription drug remedies and has even been recommended by the Mayo Clinic as a therapeutic remedy.

Tea tree oil at 100% strength, should be applied to the infected nail surfaces and also to the effected tissue surrounding the nail. It may also be of benefit to purchase a shampoo or soap also with tea tree oil in them. It is important to wash the infected fungal areas several times a day, and make sure that the infected area(s) have been thoroughly dried before applying tea tree oil directly to the infected areas.

One of the things that should be pointed out is that it does take some time and some patience on the part of the person who actually has to administer the treatment. The treatment’s duration itself can take upwards of six months before the end result is attained.

Just how effective the tea tree oil treatment is, depends on just how severe a person’s degree of nail fungus actually is and the type of fungi involved, so just remember when it comes to the use of tea tree oil and nail fungus, patience is a virtue.

The key to a healthy balanced diet is not to ban or omit any foods or food groups but to balance what you eat by consuming a variety of foods from each food group in the right proportions for good health.

The five food groups on the eatwell plate are:

Fruit and vegetables

These should make up about a third of your daily diet and can be eaten as part of every meal, as well as being the first choice for a snack.

You should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. Research suggests this can help to protect against cancer, obesity and various chronic diseases such as heart disease. This is because of the unique package of nutrients and plant compounds they contain

Bread, rice, potatoes and pasta

This food group should also make up about a third of your diet and contains the starchy carbohydrates that are the body’s main source of energy.

When selecting products from this food group, choose unrefined carbohydrates over those that have been refined, as they will contain the whole of the grain. Wholegrain foods are rich in fibre and other nutrients that have many health benefits, and people who consume wholegrains seem to have a reduced risk of certain cancers, diabetes and coronary heart disease.

The final third of the eatwell plate is made up of three groups containing foods that need to be consumed in smaller proportions than the other two principal categories. These food groups also contain nutrients essential to our diet, so it’s important not to leave them out altogether.

Milk and dairy foods

These should be eaten in moderation because of their high saturated fat content, but they’re an important source of calcium, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth. Choose low-fat or reduced-fat versions.

Meat, fish, eggs and beans

This food group includes both animal and plant sources of protein, which is a major functional and structural component of all cells. Protein provides the body with between 10 and 15 per cent of its dietary energy, and is needed for growth and repair.

Healthy living

The balance diet and its benefit are really important for herbalife family foundation as they enhances the health and tell food is there to enjoy, which is often forgotten amid all the media hype surrounding various food items. Just remember to keep a check on portion size and energy density.

Food habits change slowly, but

• try new foods
• join a local cookery club to boost your culinary confidence
• have a positive attitude about food – it’s one of life’s pleasures

Exercise helps to maintain your body weight by balancing your energy intake (food eaten) with energy output (exercise).

Take small steps if you’re new to exercise – use the stairs instead of the lift at work, get off the bus one stop early and walk the rest of the way, or try to exercise with a friend.

Due to their nutritional and health benefits, it’s recommended that fruit and vegetables form the basis of your diet, with a minimum intake of five portions each day – about a third of your daily food consumption. Currently the UK averages two to three portions a day, so we’re falling well short of the benefits they can provide.

Fruit and vegetables should be incorporated into every meal, as well as being the first choice for a snack. Population studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables may have a lower risk of chronic disease, such as heart disease and some cancers. Health benefits can be gained from fresh, tinned (in natural juice), frozen, cooked, juiced or dried versions. Potatoes don’t count though, as they’re a starchy food.

How much is a portion?

• One piece of medium-sized fruit, such as an apple, peach, banana or orange
• One slice of fruit, such as melon, mango or pineapple
• One handful of grapes or two handfuls of cherries or berry fruits
• One tablespoon of dried fruit
• A glass (roughly 100ml) of fruit or vegetable juice
• A small tin (roughly 200g) of fruit
• 3 tablespoons of fruit salad or stewed fruit
• A side salad
• A serving (roughly 80g) of vegetables, such as frozen or mushy peas, boiled carrots or stir-fried broccoli
• Cooked dishes that contain significant amounts of vegetables may also count

So how do you ensure an intake of five portions a day? Here’s a typical plan:

• Glass of fresh orange juice or smoothie for breakfast = one portion
• Small pack of dried apricots for mid-morning snack = one portion
• Side salad with lunch = one portion
• Sugar snap peas and broccoli, served with main meal = one portion
• Strawberries as dessert = one portion

Do remember that some fruits contain many of their nutrients just under the skin, so eating them with the skin on can provide greater nutritional benefits and the maximum amount of fibre compared with just drinking the juice of the same fruit.

Healthy Hair Tips

• Before washing your hair, always brush/comb it. It will help remove all the dirt from your hair, while shampooing.
• Give an oil massage to your scalp at least once in a week. Keep the oil overnight and wash your hair in the morning.
• Whenever you feel that your hair is dirty, give it a wash. Don’t forget to apply a conditioner as well.
• Use lukewarm warm for washing your hair and for the final rinse, try to us as much cool water as possible.
• Avoid using hair dryer as much as you can. Rather, squeeze the wet hair; blot it with a towel and then let it air-dry.
• Never ever use a brush in your hair when it is wet, let it dry first. Otherwise, you might end up losing a lot of your hair.
• Cut down on refined, processed and canned foods. Stick to fresh food items as much as possible.
• Stay away from hair styling products as much as you can. Avoid exposing your hair to extremely hot or cold conditions.
• Get your hair trimmed every six to eight weeks, so as to prevent as well as get rid of split ends.

What causes dandruff? Well, you see, our entire skin, from our scalps to the soles of our feet, sheds dead skin cells on a daily basis. We get a complete coating of new skin every 28 days or so, but we hardly even notice it.

Our bodies also play host to a lot of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, feeding off on the sebaceous oils that our skin produces. Our scalp in particular is home to a kind of fungus called malassezia fungus, and its food is the oils produced by the hair follicles of our scalp. Dandruff happens when, for some reason or another, the malassezia fungus goes crazy and irritates our scalp, causing the dead skin to shed a lot faster. So, instead of shedding the dead skin cells of our scalp for a month, the shedding happens in less than two weeks, and the oil that our hair follicles produce cause these dead skin cells to clump together and become dandruff. Until now, the factors that trigger this phenomenon with the malassezia fungus are still the subject of research.

Dandruff is an embarrassing hair condition, and it can recur despite your best efforts. But with proper hair care, the recurrence of dandruff can be controlled. The best way to keep the flakes at bay is to shampoo your hair every day – picture perfect hair.

Dandruff can, of course, become stubborn, so if washing everyday with your regular shampoo does not stop the flakes from becoming haywire, the next best thing to do would be to start using anti-dandruff shampoos. Look for anti-dandruff shampoos . To keep your scalp from developing immunity to these shampoos, go ahead and rotate brands at least once a month.

For optimum results, you can lather your hair with the shampoo of your choice twice. The first wash will clear the scalp of the flakes and the oil buildup. The second one would let the chemicals in the shampoo get absorbed by the scalp – haute hair.

You can also try homemade remedies to wash the flakes away and to keep the dandruff from recurring. What is considered the best homemade remedy to dandruff is a vinegar wash. Mix two teaspoons of vinegar with six teaspoons of water and rub it against your scalp before you go to bed, then wrap your head with a towel. Apply the same solution to your hair once again in the morning when you wake up, then rinse it with water. You do not have to worry about the smell of vinegar in your hair, as the smell of vinegar does evaporate eventually.

Whatever you do, never, ever scratch the clumps with your fingernails. It will cause wounds on your scalp.

Dandruff is an embarrassing hair condition, but it is not unmanageable. Just take good care of your hair and the flakes will go away.

Fresh juice is a wholly different thing than processed juice. The health benefits of fresh juice are just utterly amazing when compared to really any other form of drink. We will take a brief look at some of them here.

The first benefit of fresh juice is that it contains such a high degree of the nutrients and vitamins that are so absolutely good for us as humans. It invigorates the body and the juice immediately begins to do its healing and energizing work on your body.

Another benefit is that you can combine so many different types of fruit and even vegetables in your drink in order to catch nutrients that are present in this or that one. So, with one fell swoop you can attack the sickness in your body on many different fronts. My husband frequently makes juice that contains carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and kale all in one glass. These vegetables are so good for you, but it would be hard to sit down and eat a whole plate of these. It’s no trouble to drink them though; the sweetness of the carrot juice make the whole concoction delicious.

Another health benefit of drinking fresh juice is that you can get a lot more vitamins into you at one time. It is a lot easier to drink five oranges than it is to eat five oranges. The juice goes down faster and you don’t have to chew it. Your body doesn’t even have to expend energy breaking it up, because that has already been done by a mixer.

And while, it’s not technically a health benefit I’d be remiss to not mention how delicious fresh fruit juices are when they are made with a juicer. My family has a tradition of drinking fresh squeezed orange juice with our breakfast on Christmas morning. This past year, my husband juiced the oranges in our new juicer and we quickly learned that we had never really tasted orange juicer before. The juice was so light and creamy; it was really like drinking dessert.

Studies have shown that a regular diet of fresh juice helps to prevent cancer, heart disease, and other ailments from occurring. It is really amazing that such a simple thing as natural juice can have such a powerful effect on a complex system like the human body. And why wouldn’t you drink it, when it can taste so good. Isn’t that the most important part of eating.

1. Clean your teeth after eating by toothbrush and dental floss. Use a correct toothbrush, and brush and floss correctly.
2. Visit the dentist regularly. Periodontal disease of gums is common in adults and in older people. The dentist can remove plaque from teeth, reducing the number of bacteria – a key to helping prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
3. If you experience the following, then you have chances of a periodontal disease:
   Gums bleeding during brushing
   Red and/or swollen gums
   Gums that have pulled away from the teeth, Pus between the teeth and gums
   Bad breath
   Loose teeth.
4. Don’t ignore gums that bleed when you brush or floss or changes in the way your teeth fit together when you bite.
5. Ask your dentist about cosmetic options for improving the appearance of teeth that are stained or chipped.
6. Don’t use tobacco products; they can increase your risk of gum disease and cancer of the mouth and throat.
7. Don’t chew on hard objects that could crack a tooth.
8. Wear a mouth guard when playing active sports.
9. Eat a balanced diet for good overall health, selecting a variety of foods from the five main food groups (bread, cereals, and other grain products; fruits; vegetables; meat, poultry, fish and alternatives; milk, cheese, and yogurt), and limit snacks.
10. Eating sweetened cereals dry is bad for teeth, always add milk.
11. Drinking frequent cups of tea or coffee with sugar added will increase the risk of teeth decay.
12. When less saliva is available on very hot days, one should not consume foods containing sugars that stick in the teeth.
13. Chewable vitamin C tablets with or without sugar are acidic and are a hazard for not only children’s teeth but also to adult’s teeth. Do not use lemon juice for whitening because vitamin C will cause the teeth to lose calcium damaging teeth quicker than anything else.

1. Have regular family meals.
2. Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks.
3. Be a role model by eating healthy yourself.
4. Avoid battles over food.
5. Involve kids in the process.

But it’s not easy when everyone is juggling busy schedules and convenience food, such as fast food, is so readily available.

Here are some ways to incorporate all five strategies into your routine.

Family Meals

Family meals are a comforting ritual for both parents and kids. Children like the predictability of family meals and parents get a chance to catch up with their kids. Kids who take part in regular family meals are also:

• more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and grains
• less likely to snack on unhealthy foods
• less likely to smoke, use marijuana, or drink alcohol

In addition, family meals offer the chance to introduce kids to new foods and to act as a role model for healthy eating.

Teens may turn up their noses at the prospect of a family meal — not surprising because they’re busy and want to be more independent. Yet studies find that teens still want their parents’ advice and counsel, so use mealtime as a chance to reconnect. Also, consider trying these strategies:

• Allow your teen to invite a friend to dinner.
• Involve your teen in meal planning and preparation.
• Keep mealtime calm and congenial — no lectures or arguing.

What counts as a family meal? Any time you and your family eat together — whether it’s takeout food or a home-cooked meal with all the trimmings. Strive for nutritious food and a time when everyone can be there. This may mean eating dinner a little later to accommodate a child who’s at sports practice. It can also mean setting aside time on the weekends, such as Sunday brunch, when it may be more convenient to gather as a group.

Makeup removers are important for clean skin. In Europe, women thought for ages that water was bad for the skin as a makeup remover. In France some women still think that using tissue and make up removers will prevent your skin from drying. Most women with normal skin should use a cleanser at night to remove makeup, cellular debris and the grime of the day. Although a rinse-off cleanser will cut through most face makeup, eye makeup can be a lot harder to remove and requires a product with a lot of oil. Makeup removers or cosmetic make up remover is a must to have around. Stubborn eye makeup requires a gentle solvent that is removes mascara and rinses off easily.

In order to use your makeup removers properly, the best way to remove makeup is to shake a few drops of make up remover on a cotton ball and dap away. If you need an oil-free product there are inexpensive cosmetic remover products available that work really well in removing dirt and oil. When removing your makeup always use a very gentle touch, use a delicate, gliding movement when caring for your skin to avoid wear and tear. By removing your makeup regularly your skin will look healthy and will protect its natural tone.

1. Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it’s a stress buster. Think ‘move’ in small increments of time. It doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that’s great when you’re up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it! Keep in mind weight management is essential for good health and herbalife emphasis the importance of weight management .

2. Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!

When eating out you never really know how your food is prepared. Therefore, your best bet is to prepare and cook your own food. When you eat out many of the foods you are ingesting are cooked in butter or other fattening ingredients, which is exactly the stuff you want to stay away from.So Hebalife asserts importance on cooking at home in order to cut fat and lose weight

3. Quit Smoking
The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we’ve seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or ‘tough guy’ stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Stop Smoking just one cigarette…. the next one.

4. Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.

5. Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can’t live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It’s a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: ‘Smoke gets in your eyes’…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.

6. Wear Your Seat Belt
Herbalife suggests seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.

7. Floss Your Teeth
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it’s because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don’t? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body’s boss.

8. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
There’s a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can’t be unhappy when you’re smiling or singing.