Natural cures for winter bothers

These easy tricks help you sail through this chilly season looking and feeling as healthy as you do on sunny summer days!

A sweet way to keep hemorrhoids at bay

To dodge hemorrhoids (and speed healing if you're uncomfortable now), eat a heaping cup of oranges, mandarins or other citrus fruit daily. French scientists say anti-inflammatory flavonoids ease swelling, itching and pain, plus strengthen blood-vessel walls so hemorrhoids are less likely to form.

Lower blood pressure with R&R

Chilly weather can make arteries tighten, raising blood pressure by 12 points this time of year. Thankfully, carving out a little time each day to relax on the couch with a snuggly blanket and your favorite craft, magazine or book can trim up to 15 points off blood-pressure readings in one week, say Brown University researchers. Those cozy, soothing breaks activate nerves that keep arteries relaxed and open on even blustery days, helping your heart beat a little easier.

OR SAVOR A CHOCOLATY TREAT!

Turns out the secret to lower blood pressure is a tasty one: British investigators revealed that nibbling on 2 oz. of dark chocolate daily helps block winter blood pressure surges, often within two days of the first decadent dose. Credit dark chocolate compounds called flavanols that keep heart rate steady and arteries relaxed.

Banish back pain with a snowy view