Summertime means family vacations at the beach, outdoor sports and lounging by the pool. As the heat-filled season is fast approaching, be sure to follow a few simple summer safety tips to avoid sunburns and get the most enjoyment from your outdoor activities with the least damage from the sun:

• Spend small periods of time in the sun to avoid getting sunburned.
• Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 to avoid sunburn.
• Use a stronger sunscreen for sensitive areas: nose, lips and cheeks.
• Always reapply sunscreen after after swimming or showering.
• Avoid getting in the sun between 10 am and 2 pm when the sun’s rays are strongest.

If you notice any unusual discolored splotches or lesions on your skin as well as changes in the shape or color of freckles and moles, look for effective natural home remedies or check with your doctor immediately.

Having morning sickness? You need not worry anymore. Treat your nausea with cola and soda crackers. The natural home remedies worked for many pregnant mothers-to-be who suffer from morning sickness. The remedy is a non-caffeinated soft drink along with plain saltine crackers.

It is advised to let the cola lose its “fizz” first. Set out the opened container for an hour or so or overnight to let the carbonation escape.

Before knowing all of the effective natural home remedies for asthma, it is necessary to be equipped with the knowledge what starts this health condition. Listed below are some things that can trigger asthma attacks:

• cold or flu
• stress or emotional problems
• cold or dry air
• exercise
• air pollutants
• perfumes
• allergens, feathers, pollens and molds
• wood dusts
• alcoholic beverages
• flour, coffee and tea
• foods containing sulfiting agents (fruit juices, salads, shellfish, fresh and dried fruits)
• monosodium glutamate
• tartrazine (food additive)
• enzymes (found in laundry detergents)
• certain chemicals used in solvents, paints and plastics

It is common knowledge that arthritis is a group of diseases and mechanical abnormalities that leads to the degradation of joints. As initiative, here are easy and inexpensive tips that you can use to battle arthritis:

• Rest. The first and best weapon against arthritis is a good balance between rest and exercise. Getting a good night’s sleep as well as morning and afternoon rest periods are beneficial in taking pressure off weight-bearing joints and they also rest tired muscles.

• Balance your rest with gentle exercise. For it builds muscle strength and helps prevent stiffness and loss of motion. One of the best forms of activity against arthritis  is swimming in a mildly-heated pool.

• Heat. Use heat to relieve the pain that comes with the health condition by soaking in a warm tub. You also might try a heating pad or hot pack to help ease pain in sensitive joints. The elderly are not encouraged to soak in hot tubs and whirlpools because the water is often too hot and can cause unnecessary strain on the heart.

• Massage. Using heat and massage regularly provides great relief from arthritis pain and relieves your stiff, aching muscles.

• Ease up when it hurts. One of the best methods of relieving arthritis pain is simply reducing the stress on the sensitive joints.
• Get the right appliance. Walkers and properly-fitted canes can help improve your balance, relieve tired muscles and provide stability.

• Ease stress, improve safety. Simple devices in the home can also help ease stress on arthritis joints and improve safety. To get around better, consider using raised chairs and toilet seats, shower chairs, grab bars in bathrooms and nonslippery rugs and bathmats.

They are annoying and embarrassing to the eyes of the people around you. Before you squeeze them out or look for acne home remedies, you should be equipped with the knowledge of their causes and why some people are prone to these pesky skin problems.

Your skin contains sebaceous glands, which are oil glands that produce a special oil that protects your skin from dirt, dryness and harmful bacteria. These oil glands also help keep your skin smooth and healthy. When sebaceous glands start working overtime, they produce excess oil that starts collecting under the skin surface and when they mix with some dead cells, they form a hard plug. If this plug stays under the surface of your skin, it’s known as whitehead. If it enlarges and pushes out to the skin’s surface, it’s known as blackhead.

Do you ever wonder what makes blackheads black? The dark color is caused by a buildup of melanin, the pigment in the skin that is responsible for your skin color and for suntans.

It can happen to anyone.

The first thing to do is understand what acne really is - it’s not just a curse of adolescence because it affects all ages.

Acne is the clinical name given to the process that occurs when the oil glands in your skin get clogged up. Your skin contains oil glands known as sebaceous glands that produce a special oil, which helps keep your skin smooth and healthy as well as protects you from dirt, bacteria and dryness.

Unfortunately, the oil glands sometimes start working overtime. When this happens, they produce more oil than the oil ducts can handle. The excess oil begins collecting under the skin surface and there you have the beginnings of your pimple.

Most girls start noticing pimples around age 11 while most boys start seeing pimples by age 13. Many people also inherit from their parents the tendency to develop acne.

For most people, the acne is more of an inconvenience and embarrassment than a serious medical problem. Other possible factors of pimple outbreaks could be:

• exposure to industrial oils and chemicals
• stress and anxiety
• oily makeup and shampoo
• certain drugs

Many people try to avoid foods like chocolate, sodas and fried foods because they say it causes acne but scientists have not been able to prove this theory. However, if you notice that outbreaks increase after you eat certain foods, try to avoid eating them and look for acne treatments and natural home remedies.

Diarrhea caused by caffeinated soft drinks or even coffee is not common but some people do get a strong urge to have a bowel movement after consuming caffeine.

A common reflex, called the gastrocolic reflex, stimulates the colon to contract after a meal. It is unclear why our body has this reflex, and it is more easily noticeable in some people. Although drinking a soft drink is not equivalent to a large meal, the carbonation in the drink can dilate the stomach and lead to this reflex. Furthermore, caffeine can also stimulate the intestine, resulting in forceful colonic contractions and a bowel movement after consuming food or beverages with high caffeine content.

Constipation is a common disturbance in the digestive tract. This condition is caused by a lot of things such as insufficient intake of water, consumption of meat in large quantities, excessive use of strong coffee and tea, overeating and wrong combination of foods as well as irregular habits of eating and drinking. Faulty and irregular habit of defecation, weak abdominal muscles due to sedentary habits, lack of physical activity, and emotional stress and strain may also attribute to this health condition.

Nausea is the sensation of unease and discomfort that there is a need to vomit. The health condition can be acute or it can be prolonged as well as psychological or physical in origin. It can originate from brain or upper gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder) problems. Sometimes, it also may be caused by pain, motion, medications and diseases of many non-gastrointestinal organs of the body.

For treating gastrointestinal troubles, one of the most popular natural health remedies is the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast). Favored for its low fiber and zero oil content, BRAT is the best treatment for people suffering from gastroenteritis, nausea, dyspepsia or diarrhea.

High fiber foods make the stomach work hard in digesting, which may cause gas build up, thus doctors often recommend the BRAT diet for patients with diarrhea but it should be taken along with lots of fluids to prevent dehydration.