Olive oil is oil that is pressed from olives, the fruits of the olive tree. The process is incredibly simple.. you just press the olives and the oil comes out.

But there is still one major problem with olive oil… it isn’t always what you think it is. Some lower quality versions can be extracted using chemicals, or even diluted with other cheaper oils. Therefore, buying the right type of olive oil is incredibly important.

The best type is extra virgin olive oil. It is extracted using natural methods and standardized for purity and certain sensory qualities like taste and smell. Olive oil that is truly extra virgin has a distinctive taste and is high in phenolic antioxidants, the main reason why (real) olive oil is so beneficial.

Then we have regular, refined or “light” olive oils, which have often been extracted with solvents, treated with heat or even diluted with cheaper oils like soybean and canola oils.

You are always told to cut back on fats and oils. But this is not the case with the oil obtained from olive trees. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFAs) which is supposed to be a healthy dietary fat. Most importantly, studies have suggested that nature provided dietary fats to the olive in the exact ratio that human beings need them.

So this may be the prime factor why olive oil got well-deserved attention throughout the world, though it was primarily used in the Mediterranean diet for thousands of years.

Whether you add it to your salad or roasted vegetables, besides adding wonderful flavor to them, this liquid gold can be used as one of nature’s best healing wonders.

Here’s a quick preview of some important health benefits associated with the use of olive oil:

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How many times have you had an intense craving for cake right before your period was due? How many times have you wanted to bawl your eyes for no reason, or have had a splitting case of the dreaded migraine? When our hormones start to go a little haywire, things can start to look bleak.

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the human body. They travel through our bloodstream to each organ of our bodies and regulate various processes such as growth, reproduction and metabolism.

Some of the most common hormones are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone (sex hormones), adrenaline (energy hormone), melatonin (sleep hormone), cortisol (stress hormone) and thyroid (metabolism hormone).

The common symptoms of hormonal imbalance include migraines/headaches, craving for sweet food, acne breakout, urinary tract infection, facial hair growth, irritability, anxiety, excessive stress, insomnia, weight gain, mood swings, fatigue and depression.

Women experience greater hormonal changes than men, a sizable amount of which occurs throughout puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, post partum depression, premenopausal and, finally, menopause.

Some of the other common causes of hormonal imbalance include poor dietary habits, increased work and/or personal stress, birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy, caffeine and certain medications.

Below is a list of home remedies you can try to balance those fluctuating hormone levels:

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There are days when even the routine task of getting out of bed seems as daunting as an Everest expedition.

You struggle through work, drinking copious amounts of coffee but still feeling like every inch of your being is crumbling. The day ends with you skipping gym and eventually passing out on your couch.  We’ve all been there. This is what the average human being describes as a “lack of stamina”.

There are many reasons for this condition. The more common reasons are poor dietary and sleeping habits, increased alcohol and caffeine intake, smoking, lack of exercise, grief and mental stress.

Some more serious causes of fatigue and lack of stamina in some people may also be an overactive or an underactive thyroid, obesity, diabetes, physical deficiencies and hormonal imbalance.

If a person feels exhausted quite often, especially without any physical exertion, then that is a cause for worry and he/she must consult a doctor.

Meanwhile, there are numerous home remedies to battle lethargy and increase stamina.

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Most of you are living hectic lives where your work schedules and family lives hardly give you any time to relax.

Sometimes, you just want to unwind by yourself – a book in hand, your elbows propped up against the soft mattress and the din of the outside world fading away.The next morning while dressing for work, you decide to ditch the sleeveless shirt because your hideous, discolored elbows are better hidden away.

How many times have you stopped to wonder why that happens? The skin on your elbows, knees and sometimes even your ankles become darker than the rest of your skin when dead skin accumulates in this area and is further exposed to friction. Therefore, each time you prop our elbows and knees on the floor or rest your elbows on the armrest of a chair, you aggravate the dead skin making it darker.

You are negligent when it comes to exfoliating these areas and applying sun block. Old winter sweaters also tend to graze against the skin in these parts and make them rougher and harder.

So, the question is, how long will you deprive yourself of short sleeves and short dresses just because your knees and elbows appear dull and flaky?

Here are a few home remedies that can help you fix the problem:

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Onion is an age old remedy for different diseases. For years, it has been used in a variety of ways to fight germs, bacteria and infections. In fact, it has a special place in both Ayurveda as well as Chinese traditional medicine. To understand