Many people think of colds and flu as inevitable and resort to going for a flu shot as a preventative measure or to taking plenty of medication in an attempt to cure colds and flu. Yet, by eating correctly, eliminating harmful foods, reducing stress and getting enough sleep, the immune system can be boosted to fight off colds and flu. Eat super foods and try simple lifestyle changes in order to combat sickness the natural way.

Boost the Immune System with Super Foods

Include fresh, organic vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, chicory, cabbage, garlic, mushrooms and spinach in the diet as often as possible to boost the immune system. Eat vegetables raw wherever possible to maximize health benefits.

Fruits to include would be lemons, grapefruit, oranges, bananas and dark colored fruit such as blueberries, black cherries, blackberries, black currants and black grapes.

Spicing up meals with ginger, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and cayenne will help to build the immune system in order to fight off colds and can even be taken at the onset of a cold to reduce the effects.

Croatian doctors are baffled after a teenage girl who fell into a mysterious coma woke up speaking fluent German.

The parents of the 13-year-old from the southern town of Knin said their daughter had only just started studying German at school and had been trying to read German books and watch German television - but had never been that good in German.

But since waking up the teenager has been unable to speak Croatian and even refused it, but communicates only in perfect German far superior to her mastery of the language she had when she was taken ill.

Did you ever wonder why such an alarmingly high percentage of Americans are obese, diabetic, depressed and suffering from cancer, heart disease, kidney disorders and skin problems? Now consider the fact that Americans pay more per capita for health care than any other nation in the world. Americans pay the highest prices, by far, for medications, medical imaging scans, blood work, surgeries, chemotherapy and hospital stays. And yet what does America have to show for it? The most universally diseased population in the world -- and a nation on the verge of bankruptcy caused in part by mainstream medicine.

But this isn't a slam on America itself: It's an indictment of the mainstream medical system that has been running a monopoly medical racket in America for roughly the last hundred years. Under the system of monopolistic medical practices enforced by the FDA, AMA, FTC and state medical boards, "mainstream medicine" has taken a nation that was once relatively healthy and turned it into a disease dystopia where patients are actually taught that nutrition doesn't work and that they must submit to patented chemicals in order to be "normal" or healthy.

Mainstream medicine has reached such a level of insanity that its corporations now claim intellectual ownership over nearly 20 percent of the human genome. This has all been done to create a corporate monopoly over human genes in the same way that mainstream medicine has already created an FDA-enforced monopoly over isolated chemicals -- many of which were ripped off from nature.

A new study just found that a diet with unlimited junk food desensitizes the pleasure centers of the brain. As a consequence, more and more junk foods were required to feel the same level of pleasure. The study used rats, but since rats and humans are wired pretty similarly in this region of the brain, the researchers think this might be the underlying cause of obesity and binge eating. In fact, the rats did keep eating until they became obese.

But what's really interesting is that by witnessing the desensitizing of the pleasure centers of the rats' brains, we're actually witnessing the deterioration of their brains - and these researchers were able to pinpoint the brain's deterioration to eating large amounts of junk food.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that junk foods deteriorate the brain because they actually deteriorate the entire body. In fact, processed foods, particularly junk foods, are at the root of a great deal of aging and disease. In addition, they overwork the liver and cause an accumulation of chemicals in the body - because junk and processed foods are often full of unnatural chemicals. Eating them also deprives our bodies of the whole foods from nature that we're meant to be eating. And these researchers found that this was enough to desensitize us to pleasure by deteriorating the brain.

University of Adelaide researchers have found evidence of a link between a common hormonal disorder in women and heart disease - and they're seeking more women to take part in a new study to confirm their results.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder affecting about 10% of women of reproductive age and is a leading cause of infertility.

A preliminary study - conducted by researchers with the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute and the Cardiology Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital - has exposed other major health risks and some common misconceptions about PCOS.

Curcumin's anti-inflammatory properties have been known in Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicines for thousands of years. It is the active ingredient of turmeric, which is a component of the curry preparations used daily in Indian and other South Asian cuisines. Since those cuisines have infiltrated the west, modern science has also been investigating the health benefits of turmeric and curcumin.

Curcumin/Turmeric Health Benefits

Don't confuse curry powder with turmeric. Turmeric is the substance that gives curry its yellowish color, while curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric that offers the health benefits known in earlier medical traditions and that is being discovered now in western nutritional medicine. Curcumin comprises five percent of turmeric.

Curcumin is both an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Epidemiological studies of people who have a high dietary intake of turmeric show a lower incidence of cancer among them.

Acupressure has become increasingly popular in the west in recent years, though it has been used for centuries as a natural treatment for various diseases. A traditional technique of Chinese medicine, it is similar to acupuncture but less known.

The underlying theory is that there is an invisible force or energy, called qi in Chinese, which has healing power. There are many points, called acupoints or meridians, which connect to the glands of the body. In therapy, pressure is applied at specific points to increase the flow of the qi, in and around the body through the point network. Pressuring acupoints ensures normal qi circulation.

Once a therapist diagnoses a particular ailment by acupressure, he or she provides some acupoints to the patient. Self-applied acupressure is a free treatment which is quick and effective in providing relief from many disorders, a unique advantage. Its effectiveness increases with regular treatment, including self-treatment.

Tulsi tea originated in India and the tropical regions of Asia over 5,000 years ago. This herbal wonder is respected and honored for its rich antioxidant and adaptogenic properties, both of which are beneficial to reducing stress and promoting mental clarity. Commonly referred to as Holy Basil, this sacred plant is a principle herb in India's holistic health practice of Ayurveda.

Tulsi is renowned for its health-promoting and disease-preventing properties, and is revered as being infused with healing powers. Known for its calming effect, this tropical plant promotes wellness by strengthening the body's immune system. It contains hundreds of favorable phytochemicals - plant compounds containing protective and health-boosting properties. The essential oils in Tulsi's green and purple foliage are an excellent source of these immune-strengthening phytochemicals.

The leaves of this aromatic plant are also rich in antioxidants. These vitally important nutrients help slow down the process of excess oxidation that can occur after prolonged periods of stress, and protect the body from disease by neutralizing free radicals which can harm your cells and tissues.

Hot and cold baths have been used for centuries and some of the benefits they bring include: increased energy, increased circulation, detoxification, and the clearing of negative energy. An easy way to replicate the spa experience of alternating hot and cold baths, and the primal experience of jumping from hot springs to cold rivers, is to simply alternate hot and cold water in your shower. Most of us are quite accustomed to warm showers and even the idea of introducing cold water can be intimidating. But once you've done it for yourself, you'll see it's really not that bad. Actually, you'll probably find it's quite invigorating.

It's best to start with hot and after a few minutes to use a blast of cold for a minute. Then use hot water again, repeat several times, and end your shower when you're ready. The hot should be hot and the cold should be cold - in fact, as long as you're not scalding yourself: the hotter the better and the colder the better. This can be done daily, but if you're clearing a negative energy dump or if you need more powerful detoxification, it can be done several times a day.

The extremes of hot and cold water cause your muscles to expand and contract which offers gentle detoxification as toxins are squeezed from your muscles. It also improves circulation and the benefits of improved circulation shouldn't be underestimated. When your body has poor circulation, it's impeded in delivering fresh blood to all areas of the body. As a result, the body can't cleanse the blocked and stagnant areas regularly - and toxins, filth and disease accumulate in these oxygen and fresh blood deprived areas.

Almost half of all children living in the United States will receive food stamp assistance at some point before they turn 18, according to a study conducted by researchers from Cornell and Washington Universities and published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Although food stamps were first introduced as a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program, they are now overseen by state governments. Researchers analyzed 30 years worth of data from food stamp programs around the country, finding that nearly 50 percent of all children will receive food stamp assistance at least once during their childhood, if not multiple times.

According to researcher Andrew Gelman, the findings rebut the common perception "that people are either on welfare or they're not." In reality, many families use food stamps and other forms of economic assistance to get through short-term difficulties such as job loss, professional transition, or other financial troubles.