Kidney stones are unfortunately a fairly common occurrence. Incidents have increased by 70 per cent in the last 20 years, and this complaint which was once heard by doctors from middle-agers is now more prevalent in children. Luckily, there is much you can do to avoid these painful pebbles.

You should try to drink up to three quarts of water a day. Make sure it is only water you are drinking, as cranberry juice, grapefruit juice and ice tea can make it worse. It is also important to reduce your sodium intake.

If you are in the midst of kidney stone take-over, you need to avoid high-oxalate, stone-encouraging foods such as red meat, spinach, beets, wheat germ, chocolate, and peanuts. You should also limit vitamin C supplments to 500 milligrams a day.

Kidney stones are hard clumps of crystals, made up of calcium and oxalic acid or phosphate. They can be triggered by urinary tract infections, or by uric acid. They come in a range of sizes, from the size of a grain of sand to a golf ball! It’s important to get treated for urinary tract infections immediately. If you are particularly prone to these types of infections then increasing the amount of water you drink will do wonders for prevention of infections, and possible kidney stones.

Take charge of your health, increase your water intake, and decrease your sodium intake to try to prevent these nasty pebbles from invading your kidneys. Most kidney stones can pass through the urine, but others such as the golf ball sized ones may need medical intervention. When it doubt, get yourself checked out by your doctor.

Source: The Province

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 78-percent of American adults drink less than the recommended 8-cups or 2-liters of water per day. In fact, 43-percent drink less than just half that amount. While the actual amount of water a person needs varies according to several factors—size, activity level, environment, etc.—the general consensus is that the average person should consume about 2-liters of fluid each day.

All fluids, even alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, count toward the 2-liter goal, but most health professionals agree that water is best. It’s sugar and calorie free, and it’s the most hydrating option (caffeinated and alcoholic beverages act as diuretics, potentially leaving you more dehydrated). Here are some tips to help boost your daily water intake…

1. Keep a Bottle in Front of You

North Americans are lucky enough to have drinkable tap water, but sometimes, even this is isn’t convenient enough. Carry a reusable water bottle to more easily take advantage of sinks and water fountains. They’re available in a wide array of materials and designs, so you’re sure to find one that suits your style. Alternatively, keep several bottles of water in convenient locations—desk, car, purse or knapsack, etc.

Look for a water bottle that has volume markings so you can accurately track water intake. Or, personalize your bottle with time goals—marks that indicate where the water level should be at a certain time of day. This will help you visualize your goal and track your process.

An extra large coffee for breakfast followed by a garlicky pizza slice for lunch is the ideal combination for breath that scares off your coworkers for the rest of the day. And even if you watch what you eat at lunch and try to avoid common bad breath culprits (i.e., caffeine, onions, garlic, sugar) bad breath can still sneak up on you during the day thanks to naturally occurring-bacteria in the mouth.

However, if you find yourself facing an important date or meeting without a toothbrush, bottle of mouthwash, or stick of gum in sight, you can quickly neutralize an offensive mishap by reaching for these quick bad breath fixes…

1. An Apple

An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but it will also be sure to fix bad breath keeping your coworkers at bay! Sorry, my rhyming got the better of me there, but you get my drift: apples blast bad breath! But how?

The fruit contains a powerful set of oxidized polyphenols, powerful aids that neutralize nasty odor from the bacteria in your mouth. Plus, the actual motion of biting into a crisp apple quite literally scrapes away odorous bacteria from the teeth, gums, and tongue as you eat.

Let us start by saying that generally, in the U.S. public water is well-regulated and is, for the most part, safe to drink. That’s not to say that there aren’t any impurities that make it into your water supply in trace amounts. “Drinking water supplies in the United States are among the safest in the world. However, even in the U.S., drinking water sources can become contaminated,” notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In particular, people on well water in more rural areas could have a higher risk of health impacts from contaminants in their tap water, making regular testing important. That being said, here are seven substances found in municipal and well water that may warrant a water purifier at home if you’re concerned…

1. Human/Animal Fecal Matter

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a table of regulated drinking water contaminants, adding the “National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) are legally enforceable primary standards and treatment techniques that apply to public water systems.”

That being said, contaminants including Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia (generally in private wells) from fecal matter can make their way into water supplies, causing gastrointestinal illnesses and cramps from long-term exposure, notes the EPA.

The dreaded stomach flu can strike at any time — summer, spring, winter or fall. Unlike its less nasty cousin, the head cold, the stomach flu is virtually impossible to ignore or push through, as it often leaves people in a position where they simply can’t stray too far from the bed or bathroom.

Generally speaking, most bacterial gastroenteritis afflictions will pass in time. But there are a number of home remedies and general behavioral changes that can help speed up recovery time and get you out of bed and back to doing the things you love (like enjoying weekends withe the family) or need to do (like going to work). Let’s take a look at some of these simple remedies here.

1. Drink lots of (the right) fluids

Should you come down with the stomach flu — or something similar, like a bad head cold — chances are your doctor will tell you to take time off work, rest, and drink lots and lots of fluids. Of course, not all fluids are capable of helping you overcome a nasty stomach flu.

First and foremost, drink as much water as you can. Other drinks, such as green tea, low-calorie fruit juice, and sports drinks, may also help you start to recover. But you’ll want to avoid fluids that won’t do you any good (such as coffee, tea, and sugary beverages like soda) and especially those that could actually hurt your recovery (like alcoholic drinks).

Generally speaking, you want to eat something light and healthy — such as a yogurt, piece of fruit, or energy bar — prior to getting your workout on. That way you’ll have the energy to power through your workout without getting bogged down by the digestive issues that might accompany a heavier meal.

But what should you eat after your workout? In a lot of ways, that depends on the type of workout you enjoyed in addition to your fitness goals. If it was a fat-burning workout and your goal is to lose weight, you may want to focus on lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. The foods are similar if you had a strength-oriented workout with slightly more emphasis on protein (a protein shake is a good idea, for example). But what foods, more specifically, should you be eating after a workout?

1. Potatoes

If you’ve just finished a workout designed to burn as many calories as possible — in essence, a high-intensity cardiovascular workout — then you’ll want to restore much of the glycogen spent by your body. That means consuming carbohydrates, and there are few better carbs for this purpose than potatoes.

The good news is that potatoes are cheap, easy to find, and incredibly easy to prepare. Try boiling some potatoes before tossing them in garlic powder and salt and serving them alongside egg whites. Or, if your workout was a little later in the day, use tinfoil to wrap some potatoes with extra virgin olive oil and rosemary and bake in the oven or barbeque.

The importance of liver health cannot be overstated. Weighing approximately three pounds, it is a fairly large organ whose primary function is to “filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it to the rest of the body,” says WebMD.

Additionally, the liver removes toxins such as bilirubin and ammonia from the blood, and also converts the nutrients from digestion into forms that the body can use. And these are just a few of the functions the liver performs, making it essential to your overall health and well being. As such, it’s important to keep it in tiptop shape, and the following six tips will help you do just that!

1. Remove Certain Foods From Your Diet

The first thing you can do to help improve your liver function is to remove, or limit intake of, certain foods from your diet. Care2.com says to “avoid eating heavy, fatty foods since they just create more work for the liver.” This includes things like margarine, shortening and commercial oils.

Additionally, you should significantly reduce your consumption of any refined sugars, such as sucrose and fructose—which are often found in soda and fruit juices—as LiveInTheNow.com indicates they can “induce fatty liver disease, and cause liver inflammation.” The American Liver Foundation adds that you should also avoid refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice and regular pasta.

Roughly half the population is very familiar with ovulation, a key part of the menstrual cycle that involves the release of an egg from the ovary into the fallopian tube, making that egg open to fertilization by sperm. In most cases, this process lasts about a day, with the egg being reabsorbed by the uterine lining in the event it’s not fertilized.

What impact does this process have on a woman’s body? The answer to that question varies widely on the woman in question, with key factors being their overall health and family history. Many women will find the ovulation process uncomfortable, though some will actually experience significant discomfort and pain. In these cases, individuals may be required to take special medication to soothe reproductive system as much as possible, though there are some natural remedies that may offer relief. Let’s take a look at some helpful tips for managing ovulation pain and discomfort.

1. Eat Dark, Leafy Greens

For a few years now, dark, leafy greens like kale and swiss chard have been all the rage among nutritionists and fitness experts. That’s because these types of greens contain large amounts of calcium and magnesium, which together can act as a diuretic and may be able to assist in reducing the bloating many women feeling during ovulation.

Aside from that, the high levels of fiber in dark and leafy greens means they can keep the digestive system working as it should, thereby helping reduce feelings of bloatedness and constipation, both of which can become an issue during a woman’s period. Of course, because leafy greens contain very few calories, they can also assist in weight loss and the maintenance of a healthy diet.

When you hear the words barley water, some people may make a connection to beer. But the main difference is that barley water hasn’t gone through a fermentation process, so there’s no alcohol content. It has been consumed by many cultures for centuries.

According to Healthline.com, barley water can be strained or unstrained, and the unstrained version is high in calories, but low in fat. The strained version has fewer calories but also less fiber content, so it’s a trade-off. Either way, let’s get to the 12 benefits of drinking barley water…

1. Internal Cleansing

Without getting into the some of the false promises of popular “cleanses” and diets too much, NDTV Food says that barley water can actually help aid in detoxification through the urinary tract.

The source claims this is made possible by a group of sugars called beta-glucans, which are present in the cell walls of barley. “It therefore helps in cleansing the internal system of the body,” it adds. Other sources note barley water can help your kidneys function optimally, which is the natural way your body “cleanses.”

In addition to the heart, brain and liver, the respiratory system, including the lungs, accounts for one of the most important parts of the human body. Without properly functioning lungs, a person will struggle to find the air and energy to complete even basic physical activities.

The act of breathing involves bringing oxygen into the body, a necessary step in keeping our major organs functioning as they should. An individual who fails to receive sufficient oxygen is bound to suffer a range of significant health problems, including serious respiratory illnesses and heart disease. For that reason, it’s important to be aware of strategies that can help our lungs work as they should, thereby ensuring the rest of the body has the oxygen it needs to perform optimally.

1. Be Active

What’s more important — being thin or being active? In North America, where image is often considered all that matters, the emphasis is often on the former, even if that doesn’t mean exercising regularly. Generally speaking, someone who is thin because of genetics or a healthy diet will probably feel less pressure to be physically active.

And that’s a problem because a person who is thin and eats well but doesn’t exercise regularly will have lungs that operate far below their capacity. By failing to challenge their lungs with more intense physical activity, this individual may find themselves in a position where, should physical exercise be required, it could result in a significant health problem. For example, should they face an emergency situation that requires they engage in intense physical activity, they may not be able to perform that activity and they may sustain injury as a result.

We’re constantly bombarded with information about which nutrients we need to be consuming more of, and their benefits for the body. With such busy lives, it can feel overwhelming to try and eat all of the foods required to meet these needs.

So which nutrients are the most important to our overall health? They’re referred to as “essential nutrients” because they’re just that—essential. Not only because the body needs them to performs its day-to-day functions, but also because it can’t produce them its own. Therefore, they must be obtained through food sources or supplements. The following are 13 such essential nutrients and why the body needs them.

1. Protein

Protein intake is a hot topic right now, and for good reason! Not only is the nutrient essential for the formation of muscles, but Healthline.com says it also “provides the building blocks of the body… Every cell, from bone to skin to hair, contains protein.”

These building blocks that protein is made up of are called amino acids, of which there are 20 types. And while the body is capable of creating some of them, Dr. Axe indicates, “…nine of these are considered essential amino acids because they can’t be produced by your body,” therefore they must come from a person’s diet. To get an adequate amount, the source suggests eating a variety of protein sources, including “meat, eggs, dairy, nuts and beans.”

You’ve probably been told by someone — maybe a television show, website, or even a medical professional — that you should be drinking a lot of water each day. Some experts suggest individuals consume about two to three liters of water every day, which is roughly eight or nine glasses.

But, why, exactly, is it so important to drink that much water? What benefit can it provide to drink so much water instead of other types of beverages, like coffee, tea, soda, or juice? Let’s take a closer look at the importance of drinking a substantive amount of water each and every day.

1. Fuel Up

We often reach for something caffeinated — like coffee, tea, or an energy drink of some kind — when we need a boost of energy, but the truth is that keeping hydrated with water can often be all we need to fuel up.

That’s because water plays an important role in fueling our muscles, giving them the hydration they need to perform in an optimal fashion during physical exercise. Ever been working out or playing a sport and experienced a painful or uncomfortable cramp? Chances are you didn’t drink enough water that day. Additionally, staying hydrated can help you avoid painful muscle tears and pulls.

A blood clot can be very, very dangerous. This lump-like collection of blood platelets and plasma proteins doesn’t have to be large — often, it’s too small to even see — but by forming in a sensitive area, such as the location around the heart or in major veins leading to critical organs, can be deadly.

Blood clots tend to take formation in the veins in a process known as deep vein thrombosis. They’re most often formed in the legs but are also known to emerge in the heart, lungs, brain, and pelvic area. Often, blood clots are formed by lack of activity — possibly due to sitting at a desk for extremely long periods of time or undergoing surgery and being confined to a bed — physical trauma to the body, or obesity. In essence, it can strike just about anyone who’s struggling with their weight, has been injured, or has been sidelined due to surgery. But what can you do to counteract this problem? Are there any foods that can actually help prevent or overcome blood clots?

1. Anise Oil

Anise is a plant that produces a brilliant flower and, when harvested, its flesh has a very tart taste. It’s used sparingly by chefs who can find and afford it. Beyond its culinary purposes, it’s also popular for its medicinal uses, including helping fight inflammation, prevent infections, and relax muscles. It can even help improve blood flow and reduce pain associated with blood clots.

To use anise oil for medicinal purposes, add two or three drops to a glass of water and then drink the mixture down. You can also rub some of the anise oil into the area affected by a blood clot; this is most effective if the blood clot is visible and near the surface of the skin, such as in the legs. Repeat either application two or three times in a 24-hour period.

Your liver – it’s a very important organ in your body, but it’s also one of the most neglected and abused. While drinking too much can be detrimental to your liver’s health, so can eating the wrong foods.

Fortunately, eating the right foods can help your liver do its job a little better – which is mainly to filter blood from the digestive tract before it’s returned to the rest of the body. Here are 14 foods that are liver-friendly…

1. Sip Some Java

Yes, a good ol’ cup of Joe is good for the liver, at least according to Healthline.com. “Coffee is one of the best beverages you can drink to promote liver health,” it notes.

The source backs up this claim by citing studies that show drinking coffee on a regular basis lowers complications (including permanent liver damage) in patients with chronic liver disease. The benefits are attributed to coffee’s ability to prevent buildup of fat and collagen, “two of the main markers of liver disease,” it adds.

An acute ear infection is anything but “cute”. Often accompanied by a nasty and painful fluid buildup in the eardrum, the fluid can cause a pressure-filled headache, and even be tinged with blood or pus.

If your ear infection gets to this point, you should make an appointment with your doctor immediately. However, while you wait for your appointment, there are a few techniques you can use to remove the pressure and fluid in your ear.

Here are 15 easy ways to find relief from inner ear fluid…

1. Steam Treatment

A home steam treatment—employing a warm towel and a warm bowl of water near your affected ear—will help open the Eustachian tube (the tube that attaches to the middle ear is where fluid typically builds-up) so the fluid can escape. To prepare, fill a large bowl with boiling water, cover your head with the towel, and hold your ear over the steam bath. You can even add anti-inflammatory herbs like chamomile or tea tree. Just make sure you don’t stay under the towel for too long – 10 or 15 minutes at a time is safest, and if you get lightheaded, stay sitting down until it passes.

Sometimes the steam from a shower is good enough to loosen the fluid more and get it out of your ear. Allow steam to build up in the shower, and then take your time going through your body cleaning routine. A long shower may do the trick to get the fluid out. If not, try using the previously mentioned steam bowl.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals all over the world cope with depression each and every day. Depression is defined as “A condition of mental disturbance, typically with lack of energy and difficulty in maintaining concentration or interest in life.”

While many of us have suffered from (what we think is) depression at some point in our lives, others having been coping with it for years. Luckily, there are some small things you can do to help manage your depression and keep you on the track to happiness.

You may not know it, but the foods you eat everyday could be affecting your state of depression. There are foods that help and hurt depression sufferers. For the sake of this article, we’ll be focusing on 14 types of foods to help manage depression – along with examples of each.

1. Carbohydrates

Not all carbohydrates will boast positive results when used to help manage depression but, what many experts like to refer to as, “smart carbs” will. Carbohydrates are linked to strong levels of serotonin, which will help boost your mood. WebMD says that it hasn’t been proven, but experts believe carb cravings could be linked to low serotonin activity. The source also advises to limit sugary food intake and quench your carb desires by eating smart carbs like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

One of the most crucial but largely misunderstood parts of the body is the pancreas, a small gland that can be found just to the rear of the stomach and in the upper left part of the abdominal area. If you’re not familiar with the pancreas, note that its primary functions are twofold: first, to assist digestion through the production of enzymes that help break down our foods and assist the body in absorbing their nutrients. Second, the pancreas helps with maintaining our blood sugar levels, which it does by releasing insulin and glucagon into the blood stream on a regular basis.

Of course, that begs the question — what happens when the pancreas experiences trauma, such as through the development of pancreatic cancer? And what can we do with our diets to help in the fight against this form of cancer? Let’s take a look at some good and bad foods to consume if you’ve been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

1. Mushy Foods

As with many forms of cancer, pancreatic cancer can make it difficult for patients to eat, particularly if they’ve been put on an intense treatment plan, such as chemotherapy. For that reason, may doctors recommend patients eat mushy foods that are easy to consume and digest and pose the lowest threat of causing indigestion.

So, what do we mean by mushy foods? A few examples include apple sauce, mashed potatoes, mushy peas, yogurt, cottage cheese, and pureed fruits and vegetables. Soups and stews are also good choices. For more, talk to your doctor, as your unique health situation may require other foods not listed here.

During the long months of winter, when the days are short and the nights are long, most of us pine for sunlight, which seems to be very hard to find in the months following Thanksgiving and before Easter. But as they say, there is such thing as ‘too much of a good thing,’ and longer exposure to sunlight during the summer months poses a huge health challenge for people the world over.

To help with this, we’re told to lather on the sunscreen before heading out — even if it’s just to run to the supermarket. For those days on the beach, there’s a need to apply and consistently re-apply sunscreen, particularly after going for a dip in the water. But even the most thoughtful or paranoid sunbather can forget to apply sunscreen every hour or so, and the results can be pretty disastrous: a painful, stinging sunburn that can last for days and make sleeping or even wearing clothes incredibly uncomfortable. So, if this happens to you or someone in your family, what home remedies are available to help overcome this pain and discomfort? Let’s take a look at some popular options.

1. Take a Bath

One of the simplest and easiest ways to help alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with a blistering sunburn: go for a bath. Even just soaking the skin in some cool or lukewarm water can help restore some of its elasticity and moisture, providing relief for as long as you’re in the bath and a little while afterwards.

Just be careful about what you put in that bath with you. While it’s always tempting to use this opportunity to apply all kinds of fancy, scented soaps, shampoos, and conditioners, some of these substances can lead to the skin becoming dry, a particularly upsetting result for anyone recovering from a stinging sunburn. Instead, try dissolving some epsom salts in the water; this can help cool and soothe the skin without drying it out.

So about a year ago, I started drinking a tall glass of lemon water first thing each morning. The natural concoction is touted for it’s beneficial effects on your overall health—from boosting the digestive system and immunity to encouraging natural cleansing. Not only that, but a simple squeeze of fresh lemon is jam-packed with potassium, vitamin B and C, calcium, magnesium, antioxidants, and iron.

Here are a whopping 17 dreamy reasons to wake up to lemon water…

1. Promotes Healthy Hydration

Water is essential for health and energy. However, many people don’t appreciate the taste of plain old H20. Try squeezing a small sliver of lemon in your water—and voila—the tangy citrus takes the flavor up a notch without adding calories from sugar. In fact, you can slice a few lemon wedges to toss into your water bottle to promote healthy hydration all day long!

If lemon isn’t enough, you can also add sprigs of fresh herbs, think fresh mint or fresh basil. A few slices of scored cucumber will also add a bit of crispness to plain old water without adding any calories, refined sugars, or fake flavors. If you don’t favor the taste of lemon, you can also add some sass with other types of citrus. Try wedges of lime, mandarin oranges, or pink grapefruit.

As the name suggests, irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is definitely a point of irritation for those affected by it. The condition itself is an umbrella issue within which can be found many smaller and more recognizable problems, from heartburn and upset stomach to cramps, diarrhea, and constipation. People with IBS typically struggle with at least one of these problems on a regular basis, to the point where it can make carrying out even the most basic of daily activities rather difficult and exhausting.

That’s why it’s so important for people with irritable bowel syndrome to learn about the causes and triggers of IBS. Put simply, if you understand what behaviors are likely to result in problems like heartburn and diarrhea, you can take effective steps towards preventing these outcomes. On that note, let’s take a look at some popular causes of IBS symptoms…

1. Eating Highly Processed Foods

Although this rule may not apply to all individuals with irritable bowel syndrome, frequently eating highly processed foods can often lead to digestive problems like upset stomach and constipation. Examples of these foods include processed meat like sausage or hot dogs; processed baked goods, like muffins and cookies; and processed salty snacks, like potato chips.

The problem is that many processed foods contain chemicals designed to enhance the product’s flavor and allow it to remain on the shelf for a longer period of time. These chemicals are not always easy to digest and can cause issues like cramps, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. If you’re experiencing problems of this kind, take a close look at the processed foods that are currently a part of your regular diet and consider cutting them out in favor of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.