Coral

Avocadoes are back in season hurrah. All summer I ve been looking at the exorbitantly priced sad-looking specimens in the shops, refusing to buy, as I know they ll be disappointing. At the end of summer the price starts dropping, then come bargain bags of ten and you know that the season is back in full swing, the fruits will ripen to perfection in a few days they have to be bought still hard, or they squish in the shopping bag before you get them home . Once ripe, the creamy, mellow flesh is best eaten simply. Perhaps cut in half with olive oil and salt or a dash of vinaigrette dressing or just spread on bread. The avocado is one of the few green things that my children will reliably eat. Though I am a bit wary of making these sweeping statements, as they are quite capable, for no apparent reason, of turning against an old favourite, especially if it constitutes healthy eating. This, the avocado most certainly does. It is a rich source of Vitamin E, also contains a good amount of Vitamins B6 and C, potassium and is high in monounsaturated fats, which help lower cholesterol. So throughout the winter I know that they are getting all these nutrients in...

As we turn towards the new year, it is officially cold season. While most people know this, they do not know the nitty gritty details on the infamous common cold. The Nitty Gritty on the Common Cold Did you know that the most common illness the world over is the common cold. It is true. The average adult will catch the common cold two times each year. Kids under the age of 10 can catch it as many as 10 times a year, particularly if they are at an age where they are attending school with other children. You know how things get passed around when you are a kid. The common cold, of course, has a sophisticated medical name. It is acute viral nasopharyngitis. Common cold seems so much easier, but doctors will be doctors. As you might tell from the name, the common cold is actually a virus. In practical terms, it is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system that causes inflammation and such. When your upper respiratory system is inflamed, your air intake and exhale functions are impacted. This is why you cough, sneeze, hack, get sore throats and generally wish you were dead. The common cold typically lasts from three days to a couple of weeks if you...

To prevent problems when selling or using herbs: 1. Be certain you have the correct plant. Use simples. Understand that different preparations of the same herb can work differently. Use nourishing, tonifying, stimulating, and potentially poisonous herbs wisely. How could that happen. Common names for herbs overlap, causing confusion as to the proper identity. Herbs that are labeled correctly may contain extraneous material from another, more dangerous, herb. Herbs may be picked at the wrong stage of growth or handled incorrectly after harvesting, causing them to develop detrimental qualities. Protect yourself and your customers with these simple steps: Buy herbs only from reputable suppliers. Only buy herbs that are labeled with their botanical name. Botanical names are specific, but the same common names can refer to several different plants. Marigold can be Calendula officinalis , a medicinal herb, or Tagetes , an annual used as a bedding plant. If you grow the herbs you sell, be meticulous about keeping different plants separate when you harvest and dry them, and obsessive about labeling. For optimum safety, I prepare, buy, sell, teach about and use...

Although it s not my favorite thing to be in the world, I am a mouth ulcer. My street name is most commonly: canker sore. I ve got a fancy name, and that involves painful open sores that will exist in your mouth when the mucous membrane breaks. You might also choose to call me one of these other names: aphthous stomatitis or aphthous ulcer. Now that we have that out of the way... I will often being with a tingling or burning sensation in your mouth. This tingling or burning will exist in the place where the future mouth ulcer, canker sore, aphthous stomatitis or aphthous ulcer will exist. It won t take me longer than a few days to turn into the state of a red bump or spot inside your mouth, which will then be followed by an open ulcer. Once at the open ulcer state I will appear as a white or yellow oval with an inflamed red border. Modestly I will be approximately 3 mm wide, however, for quick bragging rights, I can reach up to and beyond 1 cm wide in extreme cases. If I ve done my job really well, you will be able to see a white circle or halo around the lesion. My main body, the ulcer, is often times very painful when agitated. This can also be...

Mumps is a fairly contagious viral disease although not as contagious as chickenpox and is caused by the myxo virus; it is something that has plagued the human race for centuries. Generally speaking, most cases of mumps are in children aged from 5 to 14 years, although cases in young adults are on the increase. Mumps is rare to be found in infants and babies. But fortunately, with the aid of modern medicine, a mumps vaccine can now be administered - but this only protects against mumps. However, it is far more common for the measles-mumps-rubella MMR vaccine to be given; as this immunizes the child against all 3 diseases in one go. Symptoms of mumps: The other most common symptoms of mumps include: headache fever with high temperature loss of appetite swelling and pain in the patotid glands loss of appetite stiff neck drowsiness nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are not usually serious, but mumps can cause some other serious and rare complications. These include arthritis, kidney and pancreas problems, deafness, and inflammation of the thyroid gland, inflammation of the brain encephalitis and meningitis. Medical treatment should be obtained immediately...