So we were thrilled to come across this handy tip for doggies who might have bladder problems.

The bitter plant dandelion, which is a well know diuretic can really help. It can also stimulate bile production in dogs who don’t have enough stomach acid, and it improves circulation in the liver.

You will need to use dandelion root and make sure you clean it thoroughly, before shredding it and mixing it into your dog’s food.

If you dog suffers from allergies or itching, a tincture made with dandelion root and cat’s claw, can also be beneficial because of its soothing properties.

I don’t know about you, but I love a simple fresh snack that bursts with color and flavor. As a board certified health coach and vegan, I look for simple recipes that are loaded with nutrients. This is one of my personal favorites. You can make it and store for up to a week and keep it for whenever you need a healthy snack.

Ingredients:

One 15-oz can chickpeas (2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed

2 cups spinach

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped finely

Juice from 1.5 limes plus 3 drops doTERRA Lime essential oil

3/4 cup fresh Cilantro plus 2 drops doTERRA Cilantro essential oil

1/2 tsp stevia (or to taste)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt/freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a food processor, add the spinach and pulse a few times until chopped very small. Add the processed spinach, drained chickpeas, and chopped onion into a large bowl.

2. In the food processor (no need to rinse the bowl), add the lime juice, cilantro, mustard, sugar, garlic, cumin, and olive oil and essential oils. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3. Pour the dressing on top of the spinach chickpea mixture and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for about 10 minutes to let the flavors develop. Serve over a bed of grains, quinoa or brown rice to make a great dish.

Note: The dressing has quite a bite to it, thanks to the lime and oil that I cut down, so please feel free to adjust the dressing to your taste buds preference! You may want more oil, less lime, etc.

If you like this recipe share it with your friends via FB, Pinterest or Twitter.

I want to hear from you! Please leave your comments in the box below.

XO, Hayley

P.S.  If you want to know where I get my essential oils, cause you know I only use the best, click HERE

Recipe adapted from Heather

Have you tried coconut water?

Coconuts are one of the most valuable super foods and the water from the fruit makes a delicious drink – the purest liquid second only to water itself, apparently.

Beneficial for electrolyte replenishment, coconut water contains a good amount of electrolyte-potassium.

The great news is coconut water is much better for you than most other fruit juices, energy drinks and soda, which tend to contain sweeteners and preservatives.

Weight loss

Low in fat, cholesterol and chlorides, coconut water reduces food cravings and keeps you feeling full – which can help if you’re looking to shed some pounds.

We’ve been drinking the Vita Coco brand and while it’s a little bit more expensive than other juices, it’s certainly very refreshing and we feel its health benefits outweigh the cost.

Did you know, coconut water is also great for diabetics as it contains the nutrients required to keep sufferers’ sugar levels under control?

If all that isn’t enough, the risk of kidney stones is greatly reduced because of the presence of minerals, potassium and magnesium in the drink. It’s also a good source of B-complex vitamins, such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates, and it’s rich in amino acids, enzymes, dietary fiber, vitamin C.

Coconut water works wonders for the skin as well, with researchers revealing it contains cytokinins which are beneficial for anti aging. When applied to acne, spots, wrinkles, stretch marks, cellulite and eczema, it’s also thought to clears up the skin, giving you a smoother complexion.

Well, who knew such a simple natural product had so many benefits? Have you tried coconut water?

Hair loss can be worrying  - and it’s not just something that affects men either. But for women it can be devastating and have a profound effect on confidence and morale.

If you are suffering from hair loss, you are not alone. It isn’t as uncommon as you may think.

The answer lies with mineral deficiency, according to a new French study.

Over an eight-year period, researchers analyzed serum levels of a certain mineral in over 5,000 women. They discovered that women with significantly lower reserves of this mineral suffered from severe hair loss.

In fact, this compound proved to be so vital for hair growth that the women who started with normal levels and later dropped to the verge of being deficient…increased their risk of severe hair loss by 28 percent.

So what is this vital mineral which can ensure you keep your healthy and full head of hair?

The answer is iron.

The French findings have also been confirmed by a second study carried out at the Cleveland  Clinic, which reviewed over 40 years of research.

The reason iron is so vital is that it transports oxygen to all the organs of your body – including your scalp, which needs oxygen to keep hair follicles healthy. And you need healthy hair follicles for hair to grow.

So why are so many women iron deficient? It could be the result of a number of things—blood loss, diet, absorption problems, chronic disease, and of course menstruation. So if you’re worried about hair loss, make sure you get enough iron in your diet.

Great sources of iron include lean meat, oysters, dried beans, eggs, spinach, kale, and raisins. To make sure your body is properly absorbing iron, make sure to include vitamin C rich foods in your diet as well.

If you are suffering from hair loss, as well as upping your iron intake, you can also make other improvements to your diet and lifestyle. Did you know that ayurvedic herbs such as ashwaganda, and traditional Chinese medicines such as dong gui can also  be of benefit. Members have access to our Natural Cure for Hair Loss and Alopecia and can get a copy by simply clicking here.

Not a member yet? No worries, simply click here to join and start reaping the benefits today.

You may even be finding that it’s actually not that easy to lay completely still, discovering exactly why this is described in traditional yoga practises as a master pose. Savasana (corpse pose or relaxation) is often undervalued, but I hope that by the end of this blog all you’ll want to do is lay down and relax!

Now, I’ve been around the yoga circuit for nearly 20 years and it always saddens me when I hear about classes where relaxation is not included, dismissed as being an expendable part of the yoga experience.

Not so at an Inside Out yoga class! Because all our tutors are fully trained in traditional yoga practises we recognise the immense benefits of savasana and always end our sessions with a relaxation.

For a series of recent lesson plans, I researched and made a list of all the benefits accredited to savasana. I was amazed!

There wasn’t an area of the body that didn’t positively benefit from relaxation (when done properly).

In my previous blog post I mentioned some of the more obvious benefits of relaxation and here are a few of the less obvious:

• Beneficial to brain wave patterns – as fatigue and tension are removed we become more mentally alert.
• Blood becomes slightly more alkaline, therefore it doesn’t leach calcium from the bones, reducing the risk of oesteoporosis.
• Helps to realign the spine – instead of fighting gravity, all the muscles of the back can be relaxed consciously, which we can’t even do during sleep.
• Nourishes cells with oxygen (which is why it is anti-ageing!) and helps remove lactic acid (which is why don’t ache or feel as fatigued after a yoga session as compared to other forms of exercises. Don’t believe me? Try it after your next workout!)

I also discovered that 30 minutes of good relaxation is worth 2 – 4 hours of sleep!
Now, this really interested me.

For many years I suffered bouts of insomnia, sometimes sleeping just a couple of hours a night, for 2 or 3 weeks at a time, yet I never really felt exhausted. Throughout this period of my life I had a regular yoga practise, including relaxation and meditation, which I knew instinctively supported me.

I also found that when I was laid awake in bed I was able to draw on my yoga experience and practise relaxations, which not only gave my physical body the chance to rest but also allowed me to accept the situation ie. I didn’t spend the night worrying about my lack of sleep, fidgeting or getting upset.

So in the morning, whilst I wasn’t as fresh as I might’ve been after a full 8 hours sleep, I was still able to function quite normally!

So I hope this has further convinced you of the benefits of relaxations and enthused you to go and lay down somewhere warm and quiet for 10 minutes!
Happy relaxations until next time.

Isabel x

To read more about Isabel, visit www.yogainsideout.co.uk

You’ll need:

* Four small or three large unwaxed lemons, roughly chopped

* 1 litre of cold water

* 140g of caster sugar

* A food processor

To make:

* Add the lemons, sugar and half the water into a food processor, blending until the lemon is finely chopped – ensure the lid is on tight, no-one wants to be covered in lemon juice.

* Next, simply pour the mixture into a sieve over a bowl, pressing through as much of the juice as possible.

* Top up the mixture with the remaining water.

* Serve with ice and a slice of lemon (attached to the side of the glass) and enjoy!

What’s your favorite weekend recipe?

And it’s not a minor risk, either. The 12-year study suggests that women with depression are twice as likely to have a stroke.

Don’t suffer in silence

Thousands of women aged between 47 and 52 were monitored and it was revealed that those with depression were a staggering 2.4 times more likely to have a stroke than those without the condition.

A team from the University of Queensland analyzed the results from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s health in the first large-scale study which looked at the link between depression and stoke in women.

However, researchers took into account factors which can affect stroke risk, such as age, socioeconomic status, lifestyle choices like drinking and smoking, and physical activity levels, with blood pressure also being considered.

What do you think of this recent news?

Are you a NaturalCures.com member? If yourself or a family member is suffering from depression or a stroke, they can access the relevent Find a Cure reports FREE of charge by heading to this page.

The researchers are warning people to steer clear of these supplements, as they may contain prescription drugs like Viagra, in a bid to ‘make them more effective’, states an article on the UK’s Daily Mail website.

What’s worse is that it’s been reported that the drugs are sometimes untested versions of the prescription medications, which means in some cases they may not be safe. We’re appalled at this shocking news, are you?

Suffering from impotence? Don’t forget you can access any one of our Find a Cure reports – including this impotence one - completely FREE of charge if you’re a NaturalCures member.

For many years, I have been involved in education and research projects aimed at understanding the human consciousness, most specifically mental health and well-being. Our work has been to develop a simple hand-held technology to restore emotional balance using many of the principles of eastern medicine. You can read more about our technology on the www.naturalcures.com website or by going to www.ichingsystemsmembers.com.

In the course of our research, we came to see that we live in a highly organized universe, meaning that every living creature, including and most especially children, has a specific set of requirements if that living creature is to grow and thrive. If we look at a simple orchid plant, we can see that the plant must receive a certain amount of light, water, nutrients, etc., if the plant is to thrive and grow. We cannot place the plant in the freezer or leave it out in the desert without water and shade, if we want the orchid to grow.

Children also have very specific requirements. They must be cared for in a highly specific way if they are to thrive and grow. Yet, when it comes to schooling our children, we seem to have forgotten these essential principles. Please know that, like most parents, I sent my son to school. I even had the idea, like many parents, that earlier would be better. I wanted him to succeed and get good grades and be his best. What I did not realize back then was how harmful education practices could be. It was not until I became involved in mental health research, years after my son started school, that I realized how much harm had been done.

I have thousands of pages of information about the realities of education practices. For this article, I would like to focus on two points. Be sure to know, this article is not an attack on teachers. Good teachers are amazing human beings who often sacrifice their own well-being in an attempt to protect children from being harmed. Maybe this helps to explain why so many good teachers I know are so tired by the time they hit their late thirties and early forties.

Friends

Consider for a moment the fact that before children go to school, their lives are driven by what we could call their Internal Timing Mechanisms. This means that children wake up each day when their bodies are ready to wake up. They eat when they are hungry. They rest when they are tired. They play hard when they feel like it. They ride their bikes or play ball, for example, until they are done. They spend time with friends when they feel like it, and sit alone and watch television or read when they need some quiet time. Even children growing up in somewhat disturbed families retain a certain amount of their internally driven mechanisms.

Then, all of a sudden, starting on the first day of school, children are forced into an Externally Driven system. Children stand when they are told to stand and sit when they are told to sit. They study what they are told to study, whether they are interested in the subject or not. They are told when to stop studying, whether they are ready to stop or not. Children are told when to eat, use the bathroom and when to exercise. They are told to stop exercising, whether they are done or not. They are told when to talk to their friends and when to stop. In short, the child’s entire school day is regulated by an External System. From what we can see, within a year or two the children’s natural timing and phasing mechanisms collapse and they surrender into the externally driven system they are exposed to every day.

System

Now this may not seem so serious at first glance. But, in reality, each human being is a highly organized and very individualized entity. Each consciousness is an electrical system, something well understood in acupuncture medicine. If you think about the consciousness in terms of a series of math codes, you could say that our systems run on timing mechanisms that produce open gates and closed gates. So little Billie gets up in the morning and has an open gate for physical exercise. He pulls out his bicycle and takes a ride. Then that gate closes so he stops riding and the gate to take a rest opens. Then, he rests until he gets hungry and the rest gate closes and the hunger gate opens.

Itching to read more? We know we are! Keep an eye on NaturalCures.com; we’ll be bringing you our brand new site soon and the rest of Mary’s excellent article.

Well, it really is your lucky day, as we’re bringing you a reminder that this month’s natural health newsletter is available to view here on the site, absolutely FREE of charge to our members. Simply head to this link and click on the May newsletter to download.

You’ll then be able to enjoy the newsletter – which this month focuses on allergies and asthma and is bursting with top hints, tips and, of course, news.

Discover which is the worst city in the US for allergies and find out how to alleviate symptoms in pets. You can also enjoy our brand new feature – ‘On the Couch with…’ which sees us get cosy on the couch with a different NaturalCures expert each month. This month we spoke to Marek Doyle – the UK’s only nutritionist/personal trainer/allergy therapist to find out more about the man, his life and loves – don’t miss it!

Not yet a member? You can sign up now and enjoy a whole host of great perks, including fantastic discounts and free books!

Pssst: We’re also busy working on the June newsletter as we speak, so do keep your eyes peeled in early June and be the first to read it.

PS: Go on, have that cookie – we think you deserve it. Just make sure it’s organic!