Scientists at Stanford University say sipping a Peppermint drink or otherwise enjoying peppermint can make one pain free in as little as 10 minutes. Peppermint's fresh scent and flavor come from menthol oil, known to tamp down pain signals and soothe ache-causing inflammation. Note that one must be using real peppermint, not a peppermint flavoring. And be aware we are talking the aches that are caused by inflammation, not all pain.
This information caught my attention because I had never heard of banana tea, have you? The more I read about this, the more I realized we are definitely coming into the time of year where this information might come in handy. Fall and Winter are seasons where we do a lot of snacking. Whether it is in front of the TV watching sports, attending seasonal parties, etc, we are often snacking on salty snacks. Think popcorn, pretzels, etc. If you wake up the next morning bloated, especially in the belly area, you may want to try Banana Tea. Below is the information for making this remedy.
1 unpeeled organic banana, I would wash this thing well
3 cups water
Cut the ends off the banana and discard (do not peel the banana)
Place the water and banana in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Stain 1 cup of the liquid in a cup and sip.
Research shows the potassium counteracts the built-up sodium that causes retention, flushing excess fluids to relieve swelling in under an hour.
Well, there you have it, folks. I am so happy I was able to introduce you to this new morning brew. You can let me know how it works!! Actually, banana peel tea is touted in some circles as containing several medicinal benefits other than the bloating mentioned here.
If you have achy joints after minor chores such as gift wrapping, baking, gardening, etc, try making a natural remedy at home. Add a drop of clove oil or a pinch of ground cloves to a dollop of unscented hand lotion. Firmly massage the lotion into the sore spots. Studies have shown that the eugenol in the spice can block pain-triggering inflammation the same way prescription painkillers do, and without the side effects some pain meds may cause.
A friend of mine posted this. It is so on the mark; I am reposting it here. This is important information.
Many don't really understand what a serving is! A plate full of french fries is not a serving! A serving of french fries is basically 10 fries. Of course french fries come in many different sizes. Use your common sense when determining how many your serving should be. If you are eating the very thin matchstick fries, obviously 10 is not a full serving. However if you are eating those big ole steak fries, 10 may be more than a serving. The ten french fries that make up a serving are obviously average-sized fries. Why is this important? If you are on a diet for any reason, especially if you are diabetic or have a similar health situation, it is important that you don't fool yourself! To say, "I only ate a serving of french fries. I don't know why my blood sugar shot up," is fooling yourself if you ate a regular or large size serving at your favorite restaurant. Be responsible and eat only 1 serving, that is one real serving!
As if we need it, here is another reason to enjoy strawberries. Researchers at Chicago's Rush University suggests that enjoying fresh or frozen strawberries in your diet may keep your brain healthy for years to come. When investigators reviewed the diets of almost 600 older people, they found that the brains of those who ate the most strawberries had markedly fewer tau protein tangles, which have come to the forefront as a key marker of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers say pelargonidin, a compound in the strawberries, reduces brain inflammation to prevent these tangles from forming. What a tasty way to protect ourselves from a terrible disease.
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Here is another reason to eat your broccoli. A University of Georgia study around three years ago found that eating a cup a day of broccoli may cut edginess and anxiety by as much as 72%. Credit goes to the carotenoids; a nutrient found abundantly in broccoli. Carotenoids keep a group of nerve cells (the HPA axis) calm, reducing their production of troublesome stress hormones like adrenaline. If anxiety is a problem for you, you may want to increase your consumption of broccoli.
Today completes this series of post on resilience. Today we give the last two actions for getting started on the resilience RX mentioned in this series. The 10-point
Prescription for Resilience is the product of research by Dennis S. Charney, M.D. and Steven Southwick, M.D. We followed the information in WomansDay.com 2024. Below are the last two actions.
Phone a friend.
Continuing on ways to fulfill your prescription for resilience. Our third action (actions one and two were discussed yesterday) is to Laugh it off!
Who doesn't love a good laugh? There is a reason a good laugh makes us feel better. Humor is a hit of pleasure that spikes dopamine and other feel-good brain chemicals. It increases positive emotions, broadening our thinking. With a more open mind, it's easier to engage in the reappraisal and perspective-shifting that help us deal with tough stuff. Humor has been linked to the lowering of both anxiety and catastrophizing thought patterns. It also helps you feel closer to others, which shores up your support network, another big factor in resilience. Science suggests that memes or jokes that take direct aim at pain points can be especially effective because they manage to combine the positive (laughing, humor) with the negative (struggle).
Humor...
