Just breathe: Breathing deeply could help asthma suffers, according to new research fro the University Of Sydney, Australia.

The study was conducted on 57 asthma patients who were taught either how to do shallow nasal breathing with slow exhalations or to inhale and exhale in time with upper body movements or whenever they felt an attack coming on. After three months, use of inhalers in both groups had fallen by an incredible 86%.

Give your teenagers the edge in summer exams with a herb called Rhodiola which can help with memory and concentration. It has also been shown to help boost energy, and may also act like an herbal antidepressant.

In one study, Rhodiola was tested against a placebo in students during stressful exams. Their physical and mental performance was assessed before and after the exams. The students taking the Rhodiola coped better generally with the stress of the exams and experienced less mental fatigue.

Rhodiola has also been given to hospital doctors working night shifts to see what effect it had on their ability to perform certain tasks and their level of fatigue. The doctors took the herb for two weeks and it was found that their mental performance improved on tasks such as short term memory, calculations, ability to concentrate even when under stress from sleep deprivation and their energy levels were better than without the herb.

There are different species of Rhodiola herb and it is important to use Rhodiola rosea as it this kind that has the stress buster effects.

If you fancy a cruise this summer but are worried about seasickness try wearing some sea bands, available from most chemists.

They are a natural, drug free way to banish nausea. The stretchy wristbands work on the Chinese principle of acupressure, exerting a gentle pressure on acupuncture point Pericardium 6, known to help nausea. They work for travel and morning sickness and other types of nausea too.