Personal care products make up a multi-million dollar industry. While there are many wonderful products on the market that help us feel better, look younger or solve minor medical issues, most products from simple petroleum jelly to the most advanced skincare lotion contain potentially harmful chemicals. Are the chemicals worth the positive effects we gain from the products? Read on to find out more.
In this time of rising expenses, it’s a great time to reevaluate the amount of meat in your diet. As a cost-saving measure, think of increasing the number of vegetarian meals you eat in a week. It could help your waistline and cholesterol, too. According to the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “The production of animal-based foods—particularly beef—is responsible for about half of the food system’s greenhouse gas emissions…cattle use far more resources than they produce in edible food, including about 45% of grain produced in the U.S.” Reducing our reliance on meat has many positive impacts.
Everyone experiences some heartburn or reflux every once in a while, but if it’s a regular occurrence, you could be dealing with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This happens when stomach acid regularly enters the esophagus, and that acid irritates the esophageal lining. Over time this irritation leads to discomfort and pain. Read on to learn more about GERD and how you can help your body heal from its effects.
This isn’t new information, but it’s a sad fact: As delicious as sugar tastes, it isn’t good for us. According to Dr. Frank Hu at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease– are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.” Sugar, especially when consumed in sweetened beverages, tricks our brains into turning off the appetite-control system. Drinking (and eating) too much sugar has a double effect: it makes us feel less full and makes us crave more of it. This makes Americans prime candidates for Type 2 diabetes, among the other health problems mentioned above. So what can we do to promote a reasonable intake of sweet things, especially for those who are diabetic or pre-diabetic?
Some get sick, head to the doctor, and ask for antibiotics to get healthy again. It’s tempting to look for a fast solution and waiting to heal is difficult. In our culture, we are used to instant answers. Our bodies take time to heal, and studies show that as many as one-third of all antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. Often the best cure is treating the symptoms and giving our bodies time to recover.
It’s becoming more common to see spas offering IV therapy proclaiming the benefits of their vitamin cocktail, and hydrating effects. These centers advertise that IV infusion does everything from cure hangovers to boost your immunity. Some even suggest that their treatment is more efficient than staying hydrated, following a healthy lifestyle, and even just taking their medicine orally. Can these really treatments improve our health? Read more to find out.
Stretching usually feels great, and can keep us limber as we age. Exercise programs abound that tout the benefits of yoga, pilates, and stretching. These programs have been shown over time to benefit the person exercising. Now, the latest trend is face yoga to give your face a youthful appearance. What’s fact and what’s fiction regarding this exercise program?
Since the mid-20th century, the government and the milk producers of America have promoted the health benefits of milk. Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) promote milk as a healthy option in their ad campaigns and literature. Some studies show milk is beneficial for humans up to age 35. But after that, do adults still need milk? Many studies show that milk isn’t all that it is advertised. “What are the unique nutrients that dairy has that nothing else has? Nothing,” says Christopher Gardner, a professor and nutrition researcher from the Stanford Prevention Research Center. “It is true calcium is easier to get from milk than just about anything else. That is totally true. But you can get calcium from lots of other things.” Dairy shouldn’t necessarily be avoided at all costs, but some prudence when consuming it is worth bearing in mind.
Scientists have long been interested in studying inflammation in the body. Inflammation has been noted in Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and even the aging process itself. In and of itself, inflammation has a purpose. It eliminates things like bacteria, tumor cells, even splinters, from our body. So if you’ve ever had swelling at the site of a splinter, this is your body’s way of trying to eliminate the invading culprit. In isolated incidents, this inflammatory response lasts a day or two. The problem becomes when inflammation is chronic. This leads to infection-fighting chemicals, naturally produced in the body, fighting our healthy tissues.
March 1, 2022
Education, Healthy Food, Healthy Living, Nutrition 
Leave a comment 
garden, indoor gardening
With COVID cramping activities outside the home, and supply chain issues and staffing issues playing havoc with products we need, even the calmest among us can get agitated. Finding a stress-reducing activity that also yields a tangible product may be exactly what you need right now—indoor gardening. Growing your own produce is one way to be assured you’ll have some fabulous fresh food options at your disposal.
