Relaxation Techniques: Slow, diaphragmatic breathing and conscious muscle relaxation can help to manage stress by calming body and clearing mind of stressors.

Social Supports: Sometimes, all it takes to relieve stress in your life is to talk about stressor with a close friend or family member. Pet therapy has also been reported to relieve stress.

Dietary Changes: Stress suppresses immune system and can cause or aggravate such conditions as heart disease and ulcers. Dietary changes, such as reducing coffee and other caffeinated beverages can reduce jitteriness, restlessness, anxiety, and insomnia that might magnify effects of stress. Also whole grains promote production of brain neurotransmitter serotonin for a greater sense of well being.

Herbs: There are many natural supplements that can be used to elevate mood and help you relax. St. John's Wort, SAM-E, Lithium Orotate and marijuana are all popular herbs that are useful in relieving stress. Herbs known as adaptogens, such as include Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), ginseng (Panax ginseng), wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), borage (Borago officinalis), licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), milk thistle (Silybum marianum), and nettle (Urtica dioica) may also help to alleviate stress.

Aromatherapy: Essential oils of lavender, chamomile, geranium, rose, neroli, sweet marjoram, and ylang-ylang are commonly recommended for stress relief. They help to reduce anxiety and tension and can be used in massage, added to a bath, or inhaled through a vaporizer.

Treating Stress

Acupuncture: Stress causes tension that disrupts flow of qi. Acupuncture can help to restore harmony and induce a state of deep relaxation.

Massage: A regular massage in which practitioner uses such techniques as rubbing, kneading, and pummeling, can be very beneficial in management of stress. It can help to increase blood circulation, reduce pain, and relieve muscle tension. Massage also helps to release endorphins, substances that have a mood-enhancing effect. Have your massage therapist use a product called “NOPAINE” to massage tender points. “ NOPAINE” is available through http://www.ghchealth.com.

Natural Medication: If stress is affecting your health, you may wish to see your natural health care provider to determine whether or not a specific herb may be helpful in relieving stress.

Therapy: Cognitive therapy helps people lessen amount of stress they feel in their lives by teaching them how to reframe or mentally reinterpret stressors that are causing problems.

For more information on Dr. Group or coping with stress, anxiety or depression naturally go to http://www.stress-anxiety-depression.org.

Exfoliants: Moisturizers and cleansers that contain exfoliants help to improve appearance of skin by sloughing off dead cells on skin's surface. They may also help to smooth out skin's appearance and even out discoloration from overexposure to sun. Since older skin does not naturally lose dead skin cells as easily as younger skin does, an exfoliant may be a good product for skin that appears rough and sallow with age.

Retinoids: Topical vitamin-A based products called retinoids have made significant advances in reducing appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. They help to temporarily “plump up” area around a wrinkle and diminish its visibility. This is not a solution for long term results.

Herbals: Green tea and other herbal antioxidants can be applied topically or taken orally to fight free radical damage to skin and approve its overall appearance.

Supplements: Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring cellular antioxidant that has shown potential in prevention and treatment of several diseases, such as heart disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. It is also utilized in many moisturizing products for its wrinkle reducing properties.

Deciphering The Ingredient Label

You may be wondering why skin care products come with such a confusing labeling system. The Food and Drug Administration receives many requests each year to decipher language of cosmetic and personal care product labels. But while they empathize with consumers, there really is no way to change labeling and keep information accurate. The ingredients need to be listed by their chemical names because that is essentially what they are. Even though a product may be marketed by its trade name, this name will provide little clue as to identity of its ingredients. But despite technical language of skin care product's label, it is possible to glean some useful information. Ingredients must be listed in sequence based on how much is included in formula. As a consumer, you can compare similar products by seeing where a particular ingredient falls in list. For example, if you have sensitive skin, you may want to avoid a product that lists alcohol as its first ingredient, but one with alcohol as one of last ingredients may not aggravate your skin. Of course it is best to avoid alcohol completely.

For more information on natural skin care go to http://www.skin-care-support.org.