You can use the ancient art of acupressure for allergy relief.

Not to be confused with acupuncture, the placement of needles at specific points on the “energy meridians” of the body, acupuncture involves only gentle manual pressure to treat a variety of illnesses in ways that defy a truly scientific explanation, but which nonetheless work.

In the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, allergies were thought of as “wind” conditions. That means that they came in on the wind, but also that they start “as fast as the wind” and they were very superficial, not really causing genuine disruption of the body as a whole, just causing sudden disagreeable symptoms.

Getting rid of “wind evils,” in the theory of two thousand years ago, involved activating the same kind of energy involved in elimination of waste from digested food and drink, the energy of the intestines. Exactly why the ancient masters of Chinese medicine might suppose that the energy of the large intestine somehow was connected to the space between your thumbs and index fingers is a subject that can’t be explained in just a few hundred words, but the acupuncture point there, known as LI4, is one of the most important for elimination.

And if you can get some relief from your allergies, do you really care whether the theory behind acupuncture admits easy scientific explanation? Try this:

Locate the webbing between either one of your thumbs and the adjacent index finger.

Apply a gentle pressure to the skin, pushing toward the bone that supports your index finger. Within a few minutes, you should feel fewer allergy symptoms, notably less runny nose.

The idea behind this kind of acupuncture is that somehow pressing on this point encourages the same kinds of energy that are involved in defecation, only the “waste” that is eliminated is the energy brought in on the wind. Just a few minutes pressure should be enough.

Traditional acupressure recommends some combinations of pressure points for special situations.

To increase the effects of pressing the LI4 point on the hand, apply gentle pressure to the ST44 point between the second and third toes on either foot. This combination is meant to expel “wind energy,” what we would call allergic inflammation, from the face, and also to relieve any kind of tension over the jaws. You massage the webbing between the toes about half an inch (10-12 mm) into the space between the toes, against the bone joining the toes.

When runny nose is a special problem, Traditional Chinese Medicine theory suggests rubbing the area 1-2 inches (3-5 cm) above the heel. This is the site for acupuncture needles whether the problem is too much mucus or sinuses that are too tight, and pressing the area produces a similar result.

It’s very hard to go wrong with acupressure between your thumb and index finger, between your second and third toes, and above your heels. Nonetheless, there is a cautionary note in the ancient literature: None of these maneuvers are recommended during pregnancy, to prevent the possibility of stimulating the uterus. It’s also mandatory to avoid pressing broken skin, torn muscles, areas of cancer or infection, or broken bones. For everyone else, these simple acupressure techniques cost nothing and usually work.

Most people assume that being skinny is healthy…well certainly it has to be healthier than being fat, right? Wrong! Being too skinny has just as many health risks as being too fat and unfortunately not enough media attention for the skinny guy to know about it.

For starters, even though you would like to believe that you are too skinny exclusively because of genetics, the fact is that you probably aren’t eating enough which means your body isn’t getting enough nutrients to maintain proper cellular function. This coincides with a lowered immune system which opens the door for being susceptible to a myriad of viruses and other illness and taking longer to heal than most people.

Next on the list is the risk of osteoporosis which is a condition of thin, porous bones. As you age and muscle tone decreases, your bones will become particularly vulnerable to breaking because they are too thin and do not have adequate support from your muscles to protect them. It is important to increase your calcium, vitamin D and magnesium intake as well as increase weight bearing exercise in order to prevent and counteract osteoporosis and maintain strong, healthy bones throughout your life including in your old age. You don’t want to spend your final days in and out of the hospital, wearing casts and/or sitting in a wheel chair, do you?

Anemia is another common health problem in those who are underweight. Its main cause is not eating a healthy balanced diet that is rich in iron (lean red meat, fortified cereals and green leafy vegetables are your best sources). Anemia is characterized by decreased blood cells and symptoms may include: shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Please check with a doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any of these symptoms and be sure to include more of the foods listed above in your diet. The iron naturally occurring in food is more easily assimilated in the body than iron in a vitamin pill, so keep that in mind.

Other health risks associated with being underweight are varied. Most hormones in your body, including sex hormones and those necessary for proper brain function, need fat to be properly transported throughout your system. Even though your main goal is adding lots of hard muscle to your body, chances are that your body fat is also very low and may need to be improved as well (don’t worry, you won’t be “getting fat”, the muscle will all that anyone notices). Bodybuilders love to sculpt down to a 4% body fat (which is about the bare minimum for survival), but they usually only do this for competition because having a little more fat on your body is actually much healthier. Also, you will have a difficult time adding muscle to your frame if you are starting out with a body fat percentage this low. You should strive for a range of 6 to 17%, especially if you intend to increase your physical activity level.

Do you need to lose weight? Check out our powerful tips to help you lose weight.

1) You should eat fruit and vegetables before the main course. Fruit and vegetables have very few calories for the amount you eat. You should eat at least 8-10 servings of fruit and vegetables daily.

2) Eat less. More often. You should try to avoid big and heavy meals. Chop up big meals into smaller meals throughout the day. It will keep you from feeling hungry.

3) Chew gum to trick yourself. Sometimes we eat to feel flavors in our mouths. Chewing gum can occasionally satisfy our desire. When you pick chewing gum, you should pick sugar-free chewing gum to cut down on sugar.

4) You should brush your teeth a few hours before bed. It will keep you from eating before bed. You should stop eating at least three hours before bed.

5) Do your grocery shopping with a diet plan in mind. If you do not have junk foods at home, you cannot eat it. So when you shop for your grocery next time, you should not buy a big bucket of ice cream.

6) Drink water. Soda and juices have too much sugar and calories. It is advisable to avoid drinking soda and juices. You should set a limit to yourself.

7) Get calories from foods, not beverages. Eating an apple is better than drinking apple juice.
Some people do not like to have leftovers. So they eat everything. Sometimes you must learn to let go.

9) If you can avoid drinking alcohol beverages, you should stay away from them. Alcohol beverages have too much calories

10) You are what you eat. It is very important to eat healthy.