Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

Vitamin E - A Multi Talented Nutrient

Vitamin E is a very multi-talented nutrient that aids a healthy mind. As an antioxidant, vitamin E helps minimize free-radical damage.

It is stored in the fatty parts of your cell membranes as it is fat soluble.

Thus, it is exclusively capable of avoiding the fat molecules so plentiful in brain tissue from turning rancid.

Vitamin E protects both the fatty outer membrane and inner membrane of your nerve cells, thereby increasing your brain’s ability to transmit messages from cell to cell, and create energy within the cells.

Reduces Free Radical Damage

Vitamin E also reduces free-radical damage to your artery walls, helping to defend you against cardiovascular disease and its choking effect on blood flow to the brain. Numerous studies show that the risk of stroke is reduced by 53 percent with vitamin E supplements.

It also reduces the inflammatory effects of allergies, pollution toxins, and infections, which can eventually reach the brain and wreak havoc there.

Autopsies have given us visible evidence that vitamin E deficiencies cause the delicate axons of nerves to degenerate. MRI studies show that low levels of vitamin E in the blood are associated with brain damage due to impaired blood vessels in the brain or free-radical assault.

In these studies, subjects ranged in age from forty-five to seventy-five, and those with the lowest levels of vitamin E had seven times the damage of those with the highest levels.

Helps The Patients Of Alzheimer’s Disease

An amazing study of 341 patients with Alzheimer’s showed that 1,000 IU of vitamin E slowed the progression of the disease in more than half the people who took it - the vitamin had even better results than the Alzheimer drug it was being compared to.

In a Chicago study of 633 people sixty-five years or older, ninety-one people developed Alzheimer’s. But none of the twenty-seven people who were taking vitamin E supplements developed it.

Statistically, researchers would have expected four of them (15 percent) to have developed the disease by, the end of the four-year study.

It’s no wonder so many brain researchers are taking vitamin E themselves. And it’s no wonder that the American Institute on Aging believes vitamin E shows such promise as a brain saver that it has launched a study to investigate its effects.

The study engaged 720 Americans aged fifty-five to ninety who have what is called mild cognitive impairment (MCI); the study is designed to decide if vitamin E will delay further memory loss and prevent or delay Alzheimer’s in these people. About 75 percent of those with MCI are expected to improvement to Alzheimer’s.

Even if vitamin E supplements only cut this rate in half, it will be a significant step toward reining in the happening of this overwhelming disease. Cold-pressed vegetable oils, whole grains, nuts, dark green leafy vegetables, and legumes are the best food sources for vitamin E.

How to stay healthy in spite of being in debt

Doctors and psychologists see it all the time: people who have substantial debts are highly stressed and often in ill health. They can suffer from an inability to focus, lowered performance, depression, relationship problems, frequent colds, poor sleep, overeating, digestive disorders, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. Although the problem is widespread, medecine doesn’t understand it very well, mostly because of the difficulty in designing appropriate tests (see the Washington Post article “In Over Your Head? Ask Your Body.”). But perhaps a bit of ancient Chinese wisdom can shed some light on the mechanisms involved—and provide a few tips on how to stay healthy in spite of debt and other long-term stressors.

Central to all ancient Chinese sciences, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, is a view of nature called the Law of 5 elements. It’s a way of classifying things according to their main characteristics and describes how they interact. Things that have the same characteristics reinforce each other. Things that are different influence each other along specific energy patterns.

Being in serious debt is a situation that causes a lot of worry and anxiety. Because it usually goes on for a long time, chances are that the ongoing attack will eventually affect our health. While the pattern is the same for everybody, the exact symptoms vary from person to person, depending on our individual strengths and weaknesses.

Directly affected is the digestive system. It belongs to the same group as worry and anxiety, which increase its energy. When we worry too much for too long, eventually our digestion becomes overstimulated. This can trigger all kinds of digestive problems.

Indirectly affected is the heart. It’s responsible for physical and mental activity, for joy and happiness, and provides energy to the digestive system. But when the digestive system is overstimulated, it drains energy from the heart. Our energy goes down, our activity diminishes, we can’t focus or produce, we feel down, even depressed. And, of course, we’re at greater risk for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. In addition, low heart energy can easily upset our sleeping and make us gain weight.

These are the most common symptoms, but by no means are they the only possible ones. The excessively high energy of the digestive system increases lung energy and diminishes kidney and liver energy, all of which have their own associations, illnesses and symptoms. Both Chinese and Western medicine agree that stress can cause or trigger all kinds of health problems. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to protect our health in times of great stress, in addition to stress management and other coping systems.

• Worry and anxiety can be diminished with anger and grief. Sad books and movies, stories about injustices and hitting a sand bag are all useful.
• Sweet foods and drinks, beef, fruits, dairy products and eggs increase the energy of the digestive system. It’s best to reduce them as much as possible, but without eliminating them completely.
• Bitter foods, such as coffee, cabbage, broccoli, etc., provide energy to the heart, but it’s likely to be drawn into the digestive system. It’s better to eat vegetables (particularly leafy greens) and sour foods: these nourish the liver, which not only provides energy to the heart but also diminishes the energy in the digestive system.
• Spices and pungent foods can draw energy away from the digestive system.
• Fish, seafood, tofu and other soy products, summer vegetables (cucumbers, etc.) and, if allowed, some salty foods, all help restore energy to the kidneys.

It’s best to experiment with these suggestions and adjust them as needed. Listen to your body; use what works and feels good and eliminate what doesn’t. And with a bit of luck, you’ll be able to weather the stress until the debt problem is solved.

Nature: The Great Stress-Reliever

We exist in an age when stress seems to be around every corner, at each office.

Presently our Modern life requires being constantly involved through Blackberry devices, e-mail, cell phones, and pagers.

You may feel as if your senses are constantly being bombarded, both at work and at home.

As a result, stress might have led you to the breaking point.

But there is a great worldwide stress reliever, one that is close to everybody.

Nature offers plentiful opportunities for relieving stress. It might seem old fashioned to group-home with nature, but it can be incredibly therapeutic, decreasing your stress level hugely.

Initial, you must be willing to take the time to drink in nature and all its beauty. Often, we feel besieged by commitments, so besieged, in fact, that we become guilty if we take time out for ourselves.

However, if we are to successfully battle stress, we extremely must reserve time for stress-relief, and nature can be one of the best stress relievers obtainable. Each season offers it’s own unique brand of stress relief.

In the autumn, the multi-colored leaves on the trees, the chomp of leaves under our feet, and lovely cobalt October skies can soothe us. By experiencing the beauty of nature, we can become more relaxed and better able to take on life’s challenges.

We can also gain a certain amount of confidence in battling the elements, helping to relieve our stress level. In the winter, we can take rapid walks through the snow, watching the flakes delicately drift down to earth. The rapid winds and cold temperatures can energize us.

In spring, we can enjoy the true riches of nature. We can experience the scent of flowers just beginning to blossom, the loveliness of plants that have survived winter’s scourge and listen to the birds cheeping in the trees.

Gazing at trees just beginning to bud can be incredibly comforting after a stressful day on the job.

For the meantime, in the summer, we can experience nature at its most lively. We can enjoy the scent of the grass after the lawn has just been mowed and watch the trees gently waving in the summer breeze.

We can revel in the sun’s rays, or enjoy the refreshment of a summer shower. Just a few minutes in the outdoors can decrease our stress level dramatically.

Nature-related activities as stress relievers

There are also a number of nature-related activities we can engage in order to relax. For instance, hiking offers a marvelous opportunity to see the magnificence of nature up close and personal.

Skiing allows us to enjoy winter’s beauty, while a game of Frisbee can be a marvelous lift on a summer afternoon. Because nature offers such a banquet for the senses, enjoying the outdoors can bring a sense of calm and calm to our lives that few other things can.

Some people have found a relaxing nature-related hobby in gardening. Planting flowers, trimming bushes, and weeding can help to relax both the mind and the body.

Others have found that backyard work can help to reduce stress. Such activities as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, or shoveling snow can help to remove us from sources of stress, giving us a much-needed break.

You may be so inspired by nature that you write poetry about the things you see and hear. Such writing can be enormously therapeutic, especially when undertaken outdoors.

Untruthful in a chaise laze under a tree, composing sonnets about flowers can get your creative juices flowing and lower your stress level in the process. You might be surprised how healing nature can be.

It can revive your senses, allowing you to see things you might have missed before. It can demonstrate to you the beauty of creation and give you a rehabilitated energy for life. It can give you with a welcome refuge from the world non-stop TV chatter and screaming stereos.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a nature lover, concise periods outdoors can give you a new sense of reason. With such a positive outlook, your capability to handle stress will be improved. In quintessence, spending a few moments outdoors is like taking a mini-vacation from the rigors of your daily life.

Why artificial sweeteners are no better than sugar

Ah, to be able to eat all manner of cakes, cookies, candy bars and other assorted sweets without having to pay the price of sugar overload! Such has been the dream of sugar addicts and diabetics—not to mention scientists and manufacturers—since the late 1800s, when saccharine, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered. Since then, there have been many more sugar substitutes, all promising better health and fulfilment of the sweet-tooth dream—but delivering only a dangerous delusion. Although these products provide zero calories, they’re still sweet, and therein lies the rub.

If these products truly delivered what they promise, if calories truly were the only yardstick by which to measure the effect of sweet foods on the body, then a simple test would show the superiority of artificial sweeteners. Take some people eating something made with sugar and some people eating the same food but made with a sugar substitute, follow them for a while and compare the results. Without a doubt, the second group would be healthier. That’s exactly what researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine did (see article sources below). They tracked some 9,000 people for several years and compared the health of those who drank regular sodas and those who drank diet sodas. To everyone’s surprise, the two groups had roughly the same risk of heart disease. Only people who drank less sodas altogether, whether regular or diet, were at lower risk. Clearly the artifical sweeteners fared no better than sugar. And the experts have no explanation—only theories.

An explanation can be found in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM, the taste of a food, among other things, determines how it affects us. For example, a cheese sandwich, a ham sandwich and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich affect our body differently, even if the sandwiches are adjusted to have the same caloric value.

Sweet foods have the characteristic of lowering heart energy. Over time, a diet that’s high in sweets is likely to cause heart problems. It doesn’t matter whether the sweetener is sugar, honey or an artificial substitute, the result will be the same.

There are a few easy steps you can take to minimize the risk to the heart:

1. reduce the amount of sweet foods and drinks in your diet
2. choose foods that are less sweet; in general, naturally sweet foods are better than foods made with concentrated sweeteners, such as refined sugar and sugar substitutes
3. eat more sour, spicy and pungent foods; they counteract sweetness
4. eat some beef or beans; they help sluggish digestion, which is often the cause of the craving
5. learn to listen to your body’s signals; it will usually tell you what your body really needs.

If you try any or all the suggestions above, chances are that you’ll soon be giving up artificial sweeteners for good—and improve your health and well-being in the process.

• Study: Diet Soda Linked to Heart Risks (AP)
• Diet, sugary sodas alike linked to heart disease factors (CNN)
• Cut out the sodas - cut down the metabolic syndrome risk! (News-Medical.Net)
• No safe haven: Diet sodas linked with health risks (Reuters)
• Soda linked to increased metabolic risk (Reuters)
• Soda linked to increased metabolic risk (Reuters)
• Study: Diet soda linked to heart risks (USA Today)

65 Wonderful Tips For Improving Self Confidence In You

1. If you start to feel anxious or self-conscious, find something to focus on and use all your energy to stay focused on that one thing.
2. Be assertive, not aggressive
3. Be prepared for other people’s words and actions
4. Know that you are good at many things.
5. Saying positive affirmations will improve your self confidence
6. Use positive self-talk
7. Take time to understand your true weaknesses
8. Know your strengths and remember them
9. Use positive words to describe yourself
10. Avoid being your own critic
11. Don’t over generalize
12. You can develop self confidence by stopping blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault
13. Don’t say yes when you mean no
14. Don’t take things too personally
15. Stop trying to read other people’s minds
16. Remind yourself that you are the boss of you
17. Remember that you are worthy
18. Learn the keys to compassion – understanding, acceptance and forgiveness
19. Practice of active listening improves self confidence
20. Get friends or family to support you as you gain confidence
21. Evaluate your beliefs
22. Don’t call yourself names
23. Stop giving in to “shoulds”
24. Remember that mistakes happen to everyone
25. Learn to be aware of yourself
26. Take responsibility for your actions
27. Replace bad habits with positive thoughts
28. Praise yourself when you do something good
29. Use visualizations to achieve success
30. Distinguish between your needs and your wants through which you can build self confidence
31. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want
32. Anticipate criticism from others, and be prepared to respond
33. Use feeling words
34. Writing specific affirmations yourself build your self confidence
35. Put affirmations on your calendar or post around the house
36. Set realistic goals for yourself
37. Stop doing things that hurt you
38. Work through anxiety
39. Prioritize to-do lists
40. Work through your fear
41. Use mantras to get through tough situations
42. Set a good example for your children
43. Help kids become self-confident
44. Praise your children when they do something good
45. Be a risk-taker
46. Put a positive spin on things
47. Use challenges as an opportunity to learn to boost your self confidence
48. Break large goals up into achievable smaller goals
49. Don’t get overly confident
50. Trust your instincts
51. Think of at least one positive trait per day
52. Stand up for yourself
53. Know that your ideas are important
54. Don’t take on other’s beliefs as your own
55. Connect with your family
56. Stop being judgmental
57. Practice of compassion will improve self confidence
58. Only take on what you know you can accomplish
59. Use constructive feedback to grow
60. Use a journal to learn more about yourself
61. Accept yourself for who you are
62. You can improve your self confidence levels by seeking professional advice when needed
63. Learn time-management and organizational skills
64. Recognize when others are bullying you, and
65. Learn to stand up for yourself