Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits as well as being tasty to drink! Some of my favourite teas are chamomile tea, jasmine tea and ginger tea. Each of these has a distinctive taste as well as health benefits.
Chamomile tea is a favourite herbal tea that many use if they have trouble sleeping. It has natural sedative, anti inflammatory and antispasmodic properties so is also good for cramps. Due to its calming benefits, it is often used to help relieve anxiety. It is rich in essential oil and can help the digestive system function properly. Chamomile is also very good for your skin and you can wet a cloth in the tea and use it as a skin cleanser or compress.
Jasmine tea is a combination of green tea leaves and jasmine flowers. It has a lovely jasmine scent and flavour with all the wonderful antioxidant properties of the green tea. Jasmine tea has long been used for its relaxing and warming qualities and is also soothing to the digestive system. This tea also may help lower cholesterol according to recent studies and may even help with longevity.
Ginger tea has powerful medicinal properties. It is reputed to be an aphrodisiac and can help freshen your breath! It has anti fungal and antispasmodic properties and can help soothe stomach upset by neutralizing acids and aiding digestion. Ginger is also reputed to help relieve nausea, motion sickness, dizziness, flatulence and even help to ease muscle pain.
To properly make herbal tea, use 1 tea bag per person or, if you are making it from the dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon of the herb. Add boiling water to the herb mixture and let sit for 5 minutes. Don’t let it sit for too long or it will start to taste bitter. Don’t drink it too soon or the herb won’t have imparted its flavour into the water enough. Typically herbal teas are taken “black” but you could add a little milk or some sugar or honey to taste if you like.
Do you ever struggle with things like distraction, insomnia, easy weight gain or energy crashes? I sure have, at various times. From talking to lots of people about their health, I’ve realized probably all of us have these symptoms to some degree. I’ll explain how your mind can be a trigger of many of these symptoms and how you can help it work better.
I’ve proposed that most of our modern symptoms can be traced back to the stress response. This response was a good thing when we lived like cavemen and cavewomen, but in the modern world, it gets set off far too often in situations in which it is no longer helpful. If we can keep this stress response in check, we will feel happier, have better relationships and fewer health issues.
As hard as we try to manage the many events around us, our mind alone can be one of the biggest triggers of the stress response.
It’s Normal To Be Fearful
Imagine your great, great, great (1,000 more greats) grandmother roughly 20,000 years ago. She is fast asleep near a fire when she hears a branch break from the dark forest nearby. She could assume it was something harmless (like the wind) and go back to sleep, or she could feel fear and panic and alert the rest of her tribe to a possible predator.
Those who panicked easily felt more stress, but also survived better and produced easily-panicked offspring, like us.
Mark Twain said:
I . . . have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
It is important to realize that all of our minds are fearful. This is normal. The moment we are free of distraction or habit, our minds start trying to figure out around which corner the next danger might be lurking. These imagined fears can turn on the stress response, even when they are fleeting or below the level of awareness.
Sometimes these fears are so strong that they break into the surface of our awareness in the form of annoying and intrusive thoughts:
“That will never work.”
“They are going to laugh at me.”
“Who are you trying to kid?”
“I can’t stand the way my hair looks.”
“Wow, the last thing I said really sounded stupid.”
When I was in college, I needed to have roommates in order to pay the rent. As annoying as some of them were, none were as annoying as the daily, self-chatter I heard from my own mind.
The Present Moment
The more focused your mind is in the present, the less it can upset you with unwelcome, possible, future scenarios. As we move through the day, our minds will become more and more detached from the present.
You may have heard that spending hours a day, for decades, on meditation can help calm this internal chatter. I’ve trained in many types of meditation over the years. Some seemed as complex as I imagine brain surgery would be and took over an hour each day to do properly. My best intentions and discipline would carry me along for some time in these practices, but inevitably, life and my other interests would get in the way, so I’d soon be off track. Maybe you have gone through this pattern with meditation also.
The good news is we now know it doesn’t take heroic efforts to get major benefits. By doing nothing more than lying down and resting for a few minutes, you can transform your mind and lower your stress response. You’ll feel more alert and energized, better focused on your goals, have fewer headaches, less digestive symptoms and sleep better.
A Simple Technique
Try this crazy, simple technique for just five minutes each morning for the next week, and see how you feel:
Set a timer for five minutes.
Lie on your back.
Focus your eyes on a spot on the ceiling.
Count each time you breathe in.
If you lose count, start over.
When the timer goes off, you’re finished. That’s it.
It Really Does Work!
In my clinic, I’ve seen that this simple technique lowers anxiety scores and improves the measured levels of stress hormones, sleep and short-term memory. Some people see benefits in the first few days!
The reason this works is because it trains your mind to stay present through thinking about your breath and visually watching a fixed point. It is brief enough that you don’t get antsy and agitated, as many can during prolonged, formal meditation. By having your eyes open, it also keeps your mind from wandering as easily.
I challenge you to test it for just two weeks. Watch the nature of your mental chatter as you go along, and see if it improves. You might be surprised how much better you feel when you don’t have to deal with so many of what Mark Twain called, “the troubles that never happened.”
Menopause and Sex Life. Not two words you necessarily associate together but actually, the menopause can have a profound effect on your sex life, and not in a good way.
If you’ve had a healthy sex drive up to this phase of your life, it can make you feel under pressure to continue your sex life at the same level as before. Unfortunately, your body has other ideas! For a lot of women, they just feel too tired and then guilty at the fact you’re saying ‘not tonight’ again.
Be assured though, it’s totally normal to not feel in the mood!
Your ovaries stop producing oestrogen which can cause vaginal dryness and make sex painful and difficult, and over time lessen your desire as it just feels too much like hard work.
Hot flushes and night sweats also don’t exactly put you in the mood and make bedtime a sexy place to be! And the weight you’ve gained is seriously affecting your confidence and making you feel pretty rubbish.
Add to that a dip in your testosterone levels, which plays a key role in a woman’s sex drive and sexual sensation, and you can understand why so many women in their 40’s and 50’s have a reduced sex drive. Especially as our sexual desires naturally decline with age anyway.
The good news is you don’t just have to suffer through and accept this as your lot!
There are things you can do to help boost your sex drive and put you in the mood.
Here are few tips:
1. Diet. Certain foods have been found to increase libido:
– Magnesium rich foods including green leafy vegetables, beans and pulses boost levels of your sex hormones.
– Phytoestrogens such as flaxseeds and soybeans naturally mimic oestrogen in your body and increase your sex drive
– Spinach, garlic and coconut, can help boost your testosterone levels which affect your libido
2. Herbs can also be beneficial in helping to boost your libido, including ginseng which helps to boost testosterone, ashwaganda increases blood flow to the clitoris and other female sexual organs and maca root helps to balance hormones and improve sexual experiences and satisfaction.
3.If the feeling is more psychological, due to low mood and a lack of confidence in yourself, then talking about it can really help. Whether that is to your partner, a friend or a health practitioner, know that it is really common and you are not alone.
4. Building strong emotional bonds with your partner, doing things like holding hands, talking and cuddling can help build connection and intimacy with your partner, and put you in the mood.
5. Lubricants can make sex easier and more enjoyable. Go for a water-based one as the most natural way to increase moisture and maintain your vagina’s natural PH.
6. Exercise helps by boosting stamina and strength, which in turn increases your confidence and sex drive. Go for a walk, join a dance class, just do something that you enjoy!
So it is just another natural and normal phase of life and, if you follow the above tips, you can work with it!
A keto diet refers to a ketogenic diet, which is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carb diet. The goal is to get more calories from protein and fat than from carbs. It works by depleting your body of its store of sugar, so it will start to break down protein and fat for energy, causing ketosis (and weight loss).
One extremely popular version of a keto diet is the Atkins diet.
Read on to learn the benefits of the keto diet.
1. Aids in weight loss
It takes more work to turn fat into energy than it takes to turn carbs into energy. Because of this, a ketogenic diet can help speed up weight loss. And since the diet is high in protein, it doesn’t leave you hungry like other diets do. In a meta-analysis of 13 different randomized controlled trials, 5 outcomes revealed significant weight loss from a ketogenic diet.
2. Reduces acne
There are a number of different causes of acne, and one may be related to diet and blood sugar. Eating a diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates can alter gut bacteria and cause more dramatic blood sugar fluctuations, both of which can have an influence on skin health. Therefore, by decreasing carb intake, it’s not a surprise that a ketogenic diet could reduce some cases of acne.
3. May help reduce risk of cancer
The ketogenic diet has recently been investigated a great deal for how it may help prevent or even treat certain cancers. One study found that the ketogenic diet may be a suitable complementary treatment to chemotherapy and radiation in people with cancer. This is due to the fact that it would cause more oxidative stress in cancer cells than in normal cells.
Other theories suggest that because the ketogenic diet reduces high blood sugar, it could reduce insulin complications, which may be associated with some cancers.
4. Improves heart health
When the ketogenic diet is followed in a healthy manner (which considers avocados a healthy fat instead of pork rinds), there is some evidence that the diet can improve heart health by reducing cholesterol. One study found that HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels significantly increased in those following the keto diet. The LDL (“bad”) cholesterol went down significantly.
5. May protect brain functioning
More research is needed into the keto diet and the brain. Some studies suggest that the keto diet offers neuroprotective benefits. These may help treat or prevent conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and even some sleep disorders. One study even found that children following a ketogenic diet had improved alertness and cognitive functioning.
6. Potentially reduces seizures
It’s thought that the combination of fat, protein, and carbs alters the way the body uses energy, resulting in ketosis. Ketosis is an elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood.
Ketosis can lead to a reduction in seizures in people with epilepsy. The jury is still out on how effective this actually is, though it seems to be most effective on children who have focal seizures.
7. Improves health in women with PCOS
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that causes enlarged ovaries with cysts. A high-carbohydrate diet can negatively affect those with PCOS.
There aren’t many clinical studies on the ketogenic diet and PCOS. One pilot study that involved 5 women over a 24-week period found that the ketogenic diet:
The ketogenic diet may have health benefits – including quick weight loss. But it’s important to note that staying on the ketogenic diet long-term can have adverse consequences to your health. These include increased risk of:
kidney stone formation
acidosis (high levels of acid in the blood)
severe weight loss or muscle degeneration (for long-term use)
In many cases, immediate side effects of the diet may include:
constipation
sluggishness
low blood sugar
These symptoms are especially common at the beginning of the diet as your body adjusts.
Your brain and body’s primary and preferred source of energy comes from glucose. Because of this, a drastic elimination of carbohydrates isn’t typically a sustainable method of reaching optimal wellness.
Takeaway
Any drastic change in your diet can have potential consequences to your health. Because of this, you should always talk to your doctor or a nutritionist before starting a new diet.
If you’re interested in starting the keto diet, you should be extra careful to check with your doctor if you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, or heart disease.
Because you don’t want your body to stay in ketosis for too long, you’ll want to discuss other options for dietary changes for an extended period of time.
The ketogenic diet encourages the elimination of refined and processed carbohydrates. However, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Many health benefits come from a diet that includes a variety of nutrient-dense, fibrous carbs, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
Constipation is a condition of the digestive system where someone experiences tough bowel movements which happen less frequent than normal. Everyone has experienced constipation at some point in their life, and they can attest that it is not a very pleasant experience. Though it is not chronic, everyone would give anything to get their bowels back on track. The amount of time between bowel movements varies widely from one person to another.
Most people have them three times in a day while others have them twice or even once! However going for more than three days is enough to cause alarm. This is because food takes longer in the digestive tract which means the colon absorbs more water from the stool. This makes the stool hard and dry and therefore difficult and even very painful to eliminate.
Causes of Constipation
1. Low Amounts of Fiber in the Diet
Fibers act as cleaners to the digestive tract. Diets that lack fibers result in an unclean digestive tract. This, consequently, results in accumulation of food particles and wastes that block the passage and thus cause constipation
2. Physical Inactivity
People who are physically inactive, for example, those who are bedridden for several weeks, are more susceptible to constipation. This is because physical activity helps us maintain a high metabolism, and thus body processes such as digestion happen more rapidly.
3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
People who suffer from this condition suffer from constipation more frequently
4. Aging
As we grow older, our metabolic rate slows down. This results in a reduced rate in body functions such as digestion and thus cause constipation
5. Not Drinking Enough Water
This results in more absorption of water from the food which makes the stool hard. The result is constipation
6. Not Emptying Your Bowels when Needed
Ignoring this vital call of nature means the stool spends more time in the colon. As a result, more water is absorbed from it leaving it hard and dry.
The Remedies for Constipation
1. Add Fiber-Rich Foods to Your Diet
The main role of fiber in our body is cleaning the digestive tract. They clean up the system by scrubbing off food leftovers and waste particles and even soaking up the water, thereby treating and preventing constipation. Some of these foods include cereals, almonds, beans, barley, vegetables, and fresh fruits, among many others. You should also drink plenty of water
2. Mint or Ginger Tea
Research has proven mint and ginger to be handy home remedies to digestive problems. Methanol that is contained in peppermint has an antispasmodic effect which helps relax the digestive system’s muscles and thereby allow rapid movement of food. Ginger, on the other hand, helps the digestive tract generate more heat thereby speeding up digestion through increased metabolism as heat increases the metabolic rate.
3. Healthy Facts
Oils from avocados, nuts and olive oil help in lubrication of the digestive tract and hence ease constipation.
4. Lemon Water
Citric acid present in lemon juice helps stimulate the digestive system and also flush out harmful substances such as wastes. Taking a glass of fresh lemon juice every morning or adding lemon to your tea will not only help treat and prevent constipation but also make you drink more water every day.
5. Coffee
Coffee is a good stimulant to your body. It works by increasing metabolism through heat and thereby speeding up your trips to the toilet. Other hot drinks work just as well.
6. Water
Taking a cup of water after waking up is recommended. Water helps in peristalsis and therefore helps prevent constipation.
7. Massage
Massaging the abdomen also helps in relieving constipation. It achieves this by stimulating intestinal muscles that are involved during bowel movements.
8. Taking Honey
Honey is a natural laxative. Taking a cup of honey water will help loosen stools and hence prevent and even relieve constipation.
The best way to lose weight is to create a calorie deficit. While you can reduce the amount, you eat to do that, you can also give your metabolism a boost. Your metabolism is what controls a number of calories your body burns throughout the day. Boosting your metabolism will help to burn more calories leading to a larger calorie deficit without trying too hard.
To boost your metabolism, you need to eat the right foods. Great news about this is that the best foods are those that are naturally lower in calories. They’re also foods that are filling and overall good for you.
Not only do you improve your metabolic rate, but you end up eating fewer calories throughout the day by focusing on these specific foods. You will create a calorie deficit while protecting your health.
What do you need to eat? Well, it’s all about certain fruits. There are 8 fruits that you want to start eating more of daily.
Berries
This is technically multiple fruits on one, so you do get more than nine individual fruits on this list. Whether you like blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, you will find you get a metabolic helping hand through them.
Berries are full of fiber and water. That’s pretty much all you’ll find in most of them, although there are some natural sugars. The fiber and water (berries are almost 85% water) will help to keep you feeling much fuller for longer. Your body finds it harder to digest fiber, despite the fiber supporting your digestive system.
You can eat berries multiple ways to get the metabolic benefits. Eat them raw, put them on top of your porridge, or turn them into a smoothie. If you are going to blend, make sure you get the whole fruit rather than juice. With the juicing, you get rid of the fiber, so end up with more sugars.
You also support your overall health with berries due to some antioxidants in them. Blueberries and blackberries are among the best for antioxidants, but you can get so many health benefits from all.
Specifically, blueberries and blackberries are full of flavonoids, which help the body use up the leptin naturally produced properly. The leptin is used by the metabolism to burn fat.
Grapefruit
Insulin levels can affect your metabolism. There’s a fruit for that!
It’s all about the grapefruit. Other citrus fruits are good, but grapefruit is the best. Studies have shown that grapefruits (despite being naturally sweet) help to lower the insulin levels within the body. When there is more insulin in the body, the metabolism can’t burn calories effectively. Everyone has higher insulin levels on a morning, so you want to start the day with grapefruit to help manage those levels and make it easier to kick start the metabolism.
There is also plenty of vitamin C in grapefruit, which helps to support the immune system. When the immune system is working effectively, the rest of the body does.
Of course, the fiber count in grapefruit is also important. It helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer, meaning you eat fewer calories throughout the day. Not only are you giving your metabolism a boost, but you’re also creating more of a calorie deficit through eating fewer calories.
Watermelon
Watermelons are the best, but you can also get the following benefits from any melon. Yes, there are more than nine fruits on this list when you consider some melons out there.
There’s this common misconception that melons are full of sugar. Sure, they have natural sugar, and they taste sweet, but the sugar in melon is not the same as sugar in a cookie or brownie. Melons, specifically watermelons, will help to boost the metabolism and handle the potential sugar rush.
Watermelons are full of an amino acid called arginine. This amino acid improves the metabolism directly, helping you to burn far more fat throughout the day. Yes, it’s another fruit that has proven metabolism benefits through studies. Arginine makes sure that the weight loss is through the fat, as it helps to increase the muscle mass. This gives you another benefit since more muscle means your body burns more calories naturally!
It’s also worth considering the amount of potassium in melons—a nutrient that is more commonly associated with bananas. Potassium helps the metabolism by giving the body the right energy. When the blood sugar levels drop, the liver will produce a substance called glycogen to help keep it running. The glycogen helps to burn more calories without you feeding the body more.
How does melon come into this? Well, the potassium in melon supports the body’s ability to create the glycogen needed to support the metabolism.
Strawberries
Technically strawberries can be added to other types of berries, but they deserve a special mention on their own. When you want a fruit that is sugary and sweet, there are high chances that you think about strawberries. These summer fruits are naturally sweet, but they can get a bad reputation for this.
It’s time to ignore the myths. They’re excellent for their metabolism-boosting abilities. They’re packed full of vitamin C—yes, strawberries have vitamin C! It’s not just citrus fruits that are good for this.
The vitamin C helps to support the body’s metabolism, by encouraging the body to burn more fat. This will help you get more energy throughout the day, without consuming a lot of calories. A cup of strawberries will only give you 50 calories!
You’ll also get all the antioxidant benefits that other berries offer, supporting your immune system. And you curb those sweet cravings. You’ll feel like you’re eating something naughty, even though you’ve eaten very few calories in your dessert!
Apricots
How often do you see apricots in the store but then bypass them? Well if you want to improve your metabolism, you want to start eating them more. Apricots are one of the best fruits for iron.
Why does your body need iron? Well, the iron helps with the creation of red blood cells and supports the flow of oxygenated blood around the body. When the organs get the right amount of oxygen, they will function efficiently.
If your body doesn’t get enough iron, the metabolism will slow down. The body struggles to work harder, and you will start to feel fatigued. Your muscles can start to ache, and you’ll get a brain fog that affects your clarity and memory.
A serving of apricots will give you around 20% of your daily iron allowance. At the same time, you get a fruit that tastes sweet without the masses of calories.
Blood Oranges
These oranges are likely the least common in the supermarket, but you want to consider them. Blood oranges are packed with vitamin C, and will certainly satisfy those sweet cravings that you get daily.
Like with the strawberries, getting more vitamin C through blood oranges will support your metabolism. You’ll be able to burn fatter and store the muscle. By having more muscle mass, your body naturally has a stronger and faster metabolism. Your muscles need more energy than the fat cells.
You’ll also get more fiber through blood oranges, keeping your digestive system in check. It’s easier for your body to absorb the vitamin C that you’ve offered.
If you can’t find blood oranges, other citrus fruits are the next best thing. Oranges, tangerines, and satsumas are among the best to eat. Lemons can be good, but you may not want to eat the bitterness straight. Put some lemon slices in your water and start your day with a vitamin-packed treat.
Apples
Apples are one of the most common fruits in the home, but they are commonly overlooked for their benefits. Did you know that they are great for boosting your metabolism? This is just one of the reasons people say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. It doesn’t matter which type of apple you buy either. Choose one that you’re more likely to eat daily. If you can afford organic apples, you want to get them over others.
Eating apples will help to prevent metabolic syndrome. This is a disorder linked to diabetes, abdominal fat, and cardiovascular disease. Your metabolism slows down because of your illnesses, so you end up burning fewer calories throughout the day. Chances are you don’t notice this until you start to see the weight gain. It’s hard to recover the metabolism unless you eat the right foods, so you want to stock up on your apples.
You just need one small apple a day for the benefits. You can stock up on other protein-filled foods with the apples, and you’ll see an even better effect on your health. Studies have shown that eating an apple a day can reduce visceral fat (the dangerous fat around your middle) by 3.7% over the course of three years. You may not notice the difference initially, but you are putting your health first. Visceral fat surrounds your organs and prevents them working properly, affecting your metabolic health.
While preventing metabolic syndrome, apples will also help to fill you up. They are packed with water and fiber, helping to support your digestive system and making it easier for your intestines to soak up all the nutrients and absorb them for later use.
Your body finds it much harder to digest fiber out of all the other food groups. It will break the apple down over the course of the day, helping to increase your metabolism by 10%.
You also get plenty of vitamins B and K from apples, which also help to protect the health of your metabolism. The B vitamins support the adoption of carbs, fats, and protein into energy for your body to use throughout the day. Vitamin K helps to metabolize the protein in the body, as well as aiding with the blood flow.
Pears
The last fruit on the list is closely linked to apples. Pears have many of the same benefits, particularly the vitamins and fiber contents. You get all the vitamins B and K that your body will need for the metabolic support. Your body finds it easier to turn the food groups into energy throughout the day.
Of course, pears are also packed full of fiber, which will help to keep you feeling fuller for longer. You will only eat 96 calories in an average pear, making it the perfect snack. The juicer the better when it comes to pears, as the water content will help the fiber make you feel full sooner.
Make sure you eat the pear skin. This is where most of the fiber is. Rather than drinking pear juice, opt for a pear smoothie made from the whole fruit.
Organic coconut oil is considered to be one of the best products for the skin. It is often used as an ingredient in many other skin care products but it’s also great in its pure form. Many products from lotions and creams to soaps and body washes contain coconut oil because it has numerous skin care benefits.
All natural coconut oil may be the perfect skin care product for you! Whether you want a great moisturizer or a superb anti-ageing product to use on your skin.
I’ve put together below a few of the benefits you can get from using coconut oil in your skin regimen.
Reduce scars and shine.
Coconut oil contains an important antioxidant for skin: vitamin E. It is great for skin because it controls shine, helps to even out complexions, and reduces the appearance of scars from acne and other skin conditions. And like all antioxidants, it helps to combat free-radicals.
Prevent skin irritation and infection.
This is another one of the many interesting coconut oil benefits. The oil is full of antiseptic fatty acids that fight bad fungi and bacteria in the skin. When used daily, coconut oil can help stave off infections like athlete’s foot, warts, and more.
Penetrate lower layers of skin.
Coconut oil gets to the root of skin problems by being able to penetrate deeply into the skin. It’s naturally small molecular structure makes it easy for skin to absorb. The oil doesn’t just sit on the surface masking skin problems.
Slows down the ageing process.
There are many, many anti-ageing products out their today. One of organic coconut oil’s greatest benefits is its anti-ageing properties. It is a rich source of antioxidants. As briefly mentioned above antioxidants combat the free radicals that attack our skin. This helps to slow down the ageing process because it means that coconut oil protects the connective tissue that keeps skin supple.
Moisturize skin.
Coconut oil is also incredibly well-known for being one of the best moisturizers for skin. It penetrates deep into the skin and gives it a healthy glow. It helps get rid of dead skin cells and makes skin feel smoother. Coconut oil is such a great moisturizer that it is even known for helping to soothe eczema and psoriasis. Also, coconut oil is also often used as a treatment for dry scalp conditions like dandruff. In conclusion,
If you want the best looking and softest skin ever try coconut oil. Coconut oil will make your skin smoother, and much softer than you ever could imagine. You’ll reap the beauty rewards.
It’s funny that “the one organ in our brain that thinks is often the one we think less about”. The brain is the most important organ in our body and it’s time we pay more attention to its health and welfare. Here are 8 habits that harm your brain.
Not Sleeping Well
Lack of proper sleep is a bad habit that can significantly hurt your brain. It negatively affects the hippocampus causing a deficit that leads to forgetfulness.
Having Too Much Time to Yourself
Alone time can be great for thinking, reflection and mapping out your dreams and goals. However, when the solitude is too much it can damage the mind and body. It can typically cause brain decline, affect the quality and efficiency of sleep making it less restorative, erode arteries, create high blood pressure, undermine learning and memory and generally take a toll on health; although, most of these effects are gradual and experienced over the course of time.
Eating Too Much Junk Food
Regardless of the fact that you are the kind of person that can eat whatever you like and remain in shape, it is important not be excessive in your intake of junk foods. This is because parts of the brain linked to learning, memory and mental health are smaller and less developed in people who excessively consume junk foods. Natural foods like berries, whole grains, nuts, green leafy vegetables preserve the brain function and slow mental decline.
You Play Loud Music with Earphones or Headphones
Placing the volume of your earphone or headphone at full volume can permanently damage your hearing. It can also cause brain problems involving loss of memory or inability to remember things easily, and loss of brain tissue in your later years. This is most likely because the brain has to work so hard to understand what’s being said around you that it can hardly store what you’ve heard into your memory.
Immobility
The body was made to move and the longer you remain unmoving and inactive the more likely you are to suffer from diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia and high blood pressure which can all negatively affect the brain in the long run. You don’t have to start high-intensity workouts or start running marathons, just take a walk around your house more often or engage in an activity that gets you moving.
Smoking
At this point, it has already been established that smoking is bad for your body. Aside causing lung problems, smoking also shrinks the brain. It makes your memory worse, makes you more forgetful and leads to problems like heart disease, dementia, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, lung cancer etc.
Overeating
We are familiar with the saying, “too much of anything is bad”. Too much food, even of the right and healthy kind of food, can hinder the brain from building up a strong network of connections to help you think and remember. Overeating can also lead to obesity which is linked to a number of brain problems like food addiction, impulsive and disinhibited eating and in some cases cognitive problems.
Staying Indoor or In the Dark for Prolonged Periods
For the optimum health of the brain, it is important you expose yourself to natural light as often as you can. This helps to prevent depression and keep your brain working well. Staying in the dark or without natural light for prolonged periods, can slow your brain and cause a decline in the brain.
Before we start, it is essential to define body heat in order to be aware of this particular health condition. It is more commonly referred to as “heat stress”. A common cause of body heat is exposure to high temperatures that are not suitable for the body. The normal temperature of the body lies between the ranges of 36.5–37.5 degrees Celsius. Inability of the body to cool down and bounce back into the normal range refers to body heat. It is crucial to identify the symptoms that indicate this uneasy state of the body. These include sleeplessness, a sort of burning sensation in the eyes, uneasiness in the stomach, ulcers, digestion problems like acidity and gas. In some people, it can impact the heart rate, leading to rapid heartbeat among many other symptoms.
There are innumerable causes of body heat. Residing in places with extreme temperatures, exposure to heat wave is not uncommon. When individuals do not take the required precautions to avoid suffering from dehydration, it can lead to a fatal condition known as a heat stroke. In this condition, people are unable to control their body temperature and fever rises uncontrollably. This could be life threatening if not diagnosed at an early stage.
Surprisingly, the clothes that we wear play a significant role in maintaining our body temperature. Clothes that are synthetic trap moisture and thus lead to high body temperature. A more serious problem is the thyroid gland that becomes more active and changes the temperature of the body. Prolonged fever or infections are also predominant causes of high body heat. Certain neurological disorders and medicines that are not prescribed by doctors can cause this condition as well.
Eating very hot and spicy food is a contributing factor that gives rise to heat. So people who insist on consuming oily and fried food must be careful. In the field of Ayurveda, they often distinguish between foods that are hot in nature and those that have a cooling effect. Thus nuts must be avoided. Diets that are rich in proteins, especially for people who are fitness enthusiasts, must be controlled. Protein rich foods are a storehouse of heat causing agents. Meat, eggs and cinnamon powder are all prime sources that can cause potential damage, leading to rise in body heat.
According to Dr Anju Sood, expert nutritionist, she suggests certain precautions and measures that must be undertaken to remain hydrated and within the bounds of normal body temperature. These are as follows:
1. Extraordinarily high consumption of room temperature or cold water
Water has the potential to cool down the body. One can consume or dip one’s feet in a bucket of cold water to keep body temperature under control.
2. Tender coconut water
Having coconut water can be beneficial in two ways. Firstly it is a form of fluid and thus is a water-based drink. Secondly, it is very rich in minerals and vitamins which are crucial in cooling down the body.
3. Peppermint and mint
As we are aware, mint or pudina leaves have a perennial cooling effect. It is a spice that can be added to any drink, such as a lemonade and produce the desired effect.
4. Fruits and vegetables
Almost all propagators of health food are insistent on consuming fruits and vegetables like bitter gourd, cucumber, tori, watermelon, etc. All these are extremely rich in water and have a nourishing effect. But watermelon must be consumed in the first half of the day as it is very rich in fiber. Consuming it in the latter half of the day might not be good for the stomach.
5. Drinking milk along with honey
Add a tablespoon of honey in cold milk and it works wonders.
6. Sandalwood
It is available in a number of forms such as soaps or powders. Applying this or rubbing it regularly on the body has a cooling effect. Ayurvedic beliefs use this as a constant source of cooling down the body.
7. Pomegranate Juice
It can be mixed with almond oil and had on a daily basis. It is an excellent remedy to control body temperature and can be consumed by all age groups.
8. Vitamin C rich foods
it is a good cure for internal and external heat. Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, etc should be consumed daily during the hot months. According to the experts, drinking high levels of caffeinated products must be avoided, along with alcoholic drinks. All these products are harmful and are capable of rising body heat. Being aware of the consequences of the food we eat should not be taken lightly. Sometimes, unknowingly we consume foods that are detrimental to our health and well-being.
Get ready for your prettiest, most confident year yet. Kick your skincare routine into high gear with these blemish-busting and pimple-preventing tips to get flawless skin by the time you head back to school.
1. Always wash your face before bed. Not washing away the day’s grime? You’re asking for a breakout. Stash cleansing wipes on your nightstand for nights when you’re too tired to move.
2.Don’t skimp on sudsing. Wash your face for 30 to 45 seconds with a dime-size amount of cleanser. That’s how long it takes to clear dirt and oil off your face.
3.Use lukewarm water when washing your face. Hot water dries out your skin, and cold water won’t open up your pores.
4. Be gentle. Scrubbing too hard leaves skin rough and red. Skip harsh scrubs and even washcloths, which can be too rough on your face and can cause irritation. Use your hands instead. Be sure they’re clean, or you’ll transfer acne-causing dirt and oil right back!
5.Suds up your cleanser in your hands first. It helps activate the ingredients, so they are more effective when applied to your face!
6. Don’t skip your morning wash. Hairstyling products get absorbed by your pillowcase then transfer to your skin — if it’s not cleared away in the A.M., it’ll clog your pores!
7.Try a cleansing brush. Sometimes even after you wash, there’s makeup left on your skin, and that buildup leads to breakouts. Using an exfoliating brush with your basic cleanser loosens and removes the leftover makeup that has seeped inside your pores! The brush can get deeper into your skin than just your soaped-up fingers.
8.Don’t overwash. If your skin still feels oily, instead of washing again (which can make your skin produce even more oil!), try an astringent after cleansing.
9. Exfoliate. The trick is to remove the layers of dead skin cells and dirt that are blocking your pores — and your skin’s natural glow. Products with alpha hydroxy and lactic acids exfoliate gently to make you look radiant.
10.Wash, then exfoliate. When washing, first use a mild face wash to cleanse your skin. Then, lightly massage exfoliator onto your face. This may seem redundant, but before you exfoliate, you want a clean canvas, so that the exfoliant can focus on digging out the stubborn dirt and oil that are stuck deeper inside your pores.
11. Turn on the rinse cycle. Leftover cleanser equals leftover dirt and oil. Rinse with tepid water till skin feels clean and smooth and no longer slippery or soapy.
12.Exfoliate in the shower. The steam helps open pores, so the grains can really dig out the grime!
13. Pat skin dry. Rubbing can rub skin the wrong way.
14. Fight acne with a 3-step approach. If you have acne, dermatologists recommend fighting it with a three-step regimen: a salicylic acid cleanser, a benzoyl peroxide spot treatment, and a daily moisturizer.
15. Unclog pores with an all-natural treatment! Whip up a spa-worthy mask right in your own home using strawberries—they’re a great natural exfoliant! This mixture will help smooth bumps and unclog pores. Mix together equal parts mashed strawberries and plain yoghurt. Spread the mixture on clean skin and leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Follow with alcohol-free toner and moisturizer.
16. Use a clay mask. The ingredients will penetrate deep into your skin and clean out excess oil and bacteria. It’s also an exfoliator to open pores and get rid of the gunk clogged inside!
17. Keep it simple. Too many products can irritate and too many steps may tempt you to skip.
18.Step away from the pimple. Popping can cause infections, making the sitch worse. Instead, dab a sulphur treatment on problem areas morning and night. It brings down swelling until your zit disappears.
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