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Top Tips to Avoid Catching Winter Bugs

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Nobody wants to be ill over the festive season. Thankfully, there are lots of things you can do to reduce your chances of catching common winter viruses, such as colds and flus. Here are our top tips to help you avoid catching winter bugs. 

Get the right nutrients

One way of reducing your likelihood of catching a winter bug is making sure you eat all the right nutrients. Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is vital for good health and will help to boost your immune system. Fruit and vegetables contain anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and therefore help your boy to fight off infections more efficiently. 

Garlic and onions are particularly effective against warding off colds as they are both known for their antiviral properties. Luckily, garlic comes in supplement form, so you can get your daily dose without worrying about bad breath. 

Probiotics are also good for you and are thought to help boost your immune system, so will help you fight winter bugs. Nestle BOOST Optimum is a tasty supplement that contains probiotics and prebiotics such as Lactobacillus paracasei and Prebio, as well as vitamins and minerals to give you that added immunity boost this winter.

Sleep

You need sleep to recharge your body’s batteries and help you recover for the previous day’s stresses and activities. It should therefore come as no surprise that a lack of sleep will leave you feeling rundown and more prone to catching bugs. 

When you’re feeling tired and rundown, your body is less effective at fighting off infections. It’s therefore essential that you get enough good quality sleep if you want to stay as healthy as possible in the winter months. 

Wash your hands properly

If there’s one thing that we all learned from the covid pandemic, it’s the importance of regularly washing your hands to help reduce the spread of illness. Washing your hands thoroughly and regularly is vital if you want to avoid getting sick. 

Surfaces in public areas, such as door knobs and hand rails, can harbour all kinds of germs and bacteria, so always wash your hands carefully with soap and warm water after touching them. Also don’t forget to wash your hands after using the toilet, as well as after coughing and sneezing. Always carry antibacterial gel on your person just in case you don’t have access to a wash hand basin. 

Protect yourself and others

Try to avoid touching your face when you’re out and about because germs, such as the cold virus, can enter your body through your mouth, nose, and eyes. You might also consider wearing a face mask if attending public spaces with poor ventilation. Not only will this help protect you from catching bugs, it’ll prevent you from spreading germs to others, especially if you’re carrying something and are asymptomatic. 

One of the best ways to avoid getting ill with common winter viruses like the flu is to get vaccinated against it. You should also make sure you receive your covid booster to avoid catching, and spreading, coronavirus. 

Conclusion

By eating the right nutrients, ensuring you get enough sleep, washing your hands, and taking measures to protect yourself, you’ll be less likely to catch winter bugs. 

 

WhatIf Foods and Their Planet-Positive Mindset: In Our Spotlight for Vegan Month!

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WhatIF Plant Milk

WhatIF Plant Milk

I’d like to share the press release below with you in honor of November being World Vegan Month! While I am not a vegan or vegetarian, I am very, very interested in sustainability and healthy eating. For these reasons, I find myself drawn to many of the same delicious products my vegan/vegetarian friends (and my beautiful daughter Brittany) are drawn to.

I have not, yet, tried WhatIF Foods, but when I do I will add reviews to the self help blog and let you know all about them! Although the press release says they are available on Amazon, I’ve been unable (personally) to find them. They are absolutely on the WhatIF Website and Cergular (linked to below). ~ Joi (“Joy“)

WhatIF Foods and Their Planet-Positive Mission

Press Release and image used with permission.

WhatIF Foods is a “planet-positive” food and beverage company like no other. Their brand philosophy centers around a simple query: “What if sustainability is not enough?”.  WhatIF Foods seeks to transform the agri-food industry by advocating the practice of regenerative agriculture and lifestyle principles and practices to revive nature, restore lands and provide for the community. WhatIF Food’s planet-positive approach is a call to everyone to adopt a way of life that’s regenerative instead of simply being sustainable.

WhatIF Foods has completely integrated regenerative practices into its entire manufacturing and supply chain to replenish and restore natural resources — all while seeking to deliver balanced and healthy diets to everyone through their various natural, plant-based products.

The brand specializes in the production of noodles and plant milk products from a unique and underutilized West African crop known as Bambara groundnut or BamNut. Their products are available on their website, Amazon.com and select online retailers such as Cerqular.

WhatIF Foods is the only company in the world to utilize the Bambara groundnut in convenient food formats for the mass market. Their plant-based instant noodles are sold at $12.50 a pack which contains 5 noodles, oil and sauce sachets and seasoning packets, all of which are free of palm oil, artificial coloring and flavoring. WhatIF Foods’ BamNut Milk is offered in retail at $5.49 a carton and comes in three variants — BamNut Milk Airy, Barista and Everyday.

The Bambara groundnut was found to have special regenerative properties that allow it to rejuvenate depleted soils, essentially allowing the planet to recover itself. This low-maintenance, yet highly nutritious crop is central to everything that WhatIF Foods stands for in light of its advocacy to promote a healthy diet while transforming the agri-food industry and promoting regenerative business and agriculture.

Their many initiatives and innovations in regenerative agricultural practices haven’t gone unnoticed. WhatIF Foods is a finalist in the 2020 Liveability Challenge and part of the 2020 MIT Solve Class.

WhatIF Foods operates beyond being a food and beverage purveyor. The brand’s ultimate goal is to create a generation of regeneration advocates — passionately inviting people from all walks of life to join the #REgeneration. Learn more about their work and join the movement through their website and Amazon.

 

The Health Benefits of Green Tea (Time to Pour Another Cup!)

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Benefits of Green Tea

If you read a great deal about health and nutrition, you’re familiar with phrases such as  “…..could help reduce….,”  “….has the potential to….,”  “…might decrease your risk for…”  Writers and researchers have to pull out fence-riding words to protect themselves as well as their readers.

I perfectly understand that.  I keep a bag of fence-riding words by my desk.

Being familiar with the terminology makes me pay extra attention to the words used in health reports.  When a particular research produces data with clear cut facts, I sit up and take notice.

You may already know that my drinks of choice are coffee and tea. I drink at least 6 glasses of iced tea daily (a delicious assortment of raspberry, raspberry-peach, black, green tea..) as well as a mug of hot tea in the evening.

I believe strongly in the benefits of tea, so I feel even better about being such a fanatic.

I really love it when my love of health and nutritional information collides with my love for green tea.  And if you’ll notice in the information that follows, the words DO NOT ride a fence.

Green tea is known for being loaded with antioxidants and, of course, antioxidants are (in turn) are known for being loaded with many health benefits….

  • Lower your risk of heart disease
  • Help you lose fat
  • Protection against cancer
  • Improve your brain health

Green Tea Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease

In an issue of the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, researchers reported that people who drink green tea have better blood vessel function just 30 minutes later. Inside of an hour, your heart is already enjoying benefits.

For the study, researchers gave either green tea, hot water, or a beverage containing the same caffeine as green tea to a group of volunteers. The researchers measured the volunteer’s blood flow 30, 90, and 120 minutes after drinking their beverages.

After drinking green tea, the volunteers experienced significantly increased artery widening. The widening was evident after just 30 minutes. The other beverages (the caffeinated beverage and hot water did not produce any significant changes in the same individuals).

Read more about the health benefits of green tea on WebMD.

If you haven’t, yet, fallen in love with green tea, please give it another shot.

A Few Ideas to Help You Fall in Love with Green Tea:

  • Brew it yourself, then sweeten it with honey and lemon.
  • Add a little unsweetened fruit juice.
  • My favorite way to fix green tea: Combine your green tea bag(s) with bags of raspberry, peach, strawberry, or other berry teas. This combo is outstanding: Green tea, raspberry tea, AND peach tee. Trust me… it’s addictive.
  • Two words: Flavored Syrups (read about some of the absolute best flavored syrups for tea here)
  • Use the best bags of green tea – experiment until you find one you love (which means you’ll drink it!). My personal favorite is Tazo (Amazon link).

While on the subject of healthy eating (it couldn’t be more vital, you know), I’d like to share a few links with you:


Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Stress & Chronic Pain

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Look at Things Differently

Acupuncture continues to gain popularity as more studies find it effective in treating different illnesses. From chronic pain to stress, acupuncture has shown that it can provide relief and successfully deliver desired results.

It features fine needles inserted in the skin at specific points along the energy lines also known as meridians. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been successfully used for years.

The best part is that it not only addresses physical health issues but also impacts the mental body. It can improve your anxiety and stress levels to help control them and relieve the constant pressure. 

How Acupuncture Works to Treat Anxiety and Stress

You may be wondering how acupuncture relates to treating anxiety and how it actually works. Let’s explore a bit deeper to understand how and why acupuncture for anxiety is effective.

In Chinese medicine, the energy that flows through the body is called Qi (Chi). It moves through the energy lines known as meridians through the whole body. When your body is uneasy due to stress and anxiety, the flow of energy is disrupted.

Acupuncture helps to restore balance and facilitate an easier flow of energy through the meridians. Professional acupuncturists insert fine needles in specific energy points to help bring your energy back to its normal flow. 

Modern science explains that the fine needles are inserted away from your nerves to a certain depth stimulating feel-good hormones like endorphins. These hormones help reduce stress-inducing hormones like cortisol to help treat anxiety and stress. 

Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Stress and Anxiety

Studies show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders with fewer side effects compared to taking medication. If you are looking for alternative treatment options, acupuncture is worth consideration.

Working with licensed NYC acupuncturists gives you the confidence you need to explore a different approach to relieve anxiety and stress. Acupuncture remains one of the best alternative treatments with incredible benefits. These benefits include;

 

Improves Mood

Acupuncture helps improve overall mood and emotional regulation to help you process and react to different situations better. Improved moods help reduce anxiety and stress ensuring that you are calmer to deal with things that come up. 

Going for your acupuncture appointments will leave you feeling happier which will help reduce feelings of anxiety and help you manage your stress responses. 

Enhance Mental Clarity

Brain fog may affect your mental clarity and tamper with your decision-making skills. This may leave you feeling stuck or stagnant. These feelings can lead to stress and feelings of anxiety.

Studies have shown that acupuncture can help improve cognitive function which can in turn help clear out brain fog. This will help enhance your mental clarity, allowing you to make better decisions while relieving stress and anxiety. 

Promotes Better Sleep

Sleep deprivation is a major cause of stress and anxiety. It throws off your circadian rhythm and leaves you feeling exhausted. This later affects your work and health leading to a more stressful situation. 

Acupuncture is effective in treating insomnia and will help promote better sleep to ensure that you get enough rest. Doing this will help reduce stress and anxiety. 

Boosts Your Energy

After your acupuncture sessions, you’ll often find that you are more energetic and excited to get things done. This boost in your energy helps you get things done and relieve stress and anxiety about incomplete tasks. 

Relieves Body Pains

Pain can cause stress to the body leaving you feeling worse. However, acupuncture has been shown to be effective for chronic pain to help give you relief and reduce the stress on your body.

Are You Doing All You Can to Prevent Diabetes?

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Protect Your Health and Protect Your Eyes

I was sent the following press release to share on the self help blog and I am more than happy to share it with you. While I would have shared it anyway, the fact that diabetes has touched me, personally, ensured that I would publish it right away.  I lost my mom in early 2006 – she was far too young to die. She had lived with diabetes for many years and I saw the daily struggles with what can often be a really unkind, relentless disease.

I hope you’ll read the press release below and share it with others in your life. I also hope you will begin doing all you can to prevent diabetes (you’ll find wonderful advice in this content). Here’s some especially wonderful news… even if you are said to be “pre-diabetic,” you can turn it completely around and dodge the proverbial bullet by adding simple, healthy habits and choices to your life.

Finally, if you have weight to lose… it is absolutely in your best interest to shed the excess pounds. You don’t have to do it overnight, mind you! Simply eat better, make better decisions, and sit less.  ~ Joi (“Joy“)

Diabetes is Leading Cause of New Blindness in Adults; Many Don’t Know They Have It

According to the 2022 National Diabetes Statistics Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 11% of the U.S. population (approximately 37.3 million people) has diabetes.

The study also found that 38% of adults 18 and older in the U.S., some 96 million people, have prediabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults from 18 to 64, according to a Prevent Blindness news release.

Dr. Daniel Laroche, a top New York City eye specialist, said, “To help prevent diabetes, it is essential to have an excellent diet with salads, vegetables and fruits, and reduce bread and rice intake. Exercise 30 minutes a day. Meditate for 15-30 minutes a day. Drink green tea, and reduce sleep apnea and snoring by sleeping on the side and not directly on your back. Controlling weight helps to reduce diabetes and retinopathy.”

Many people with diabetes may not know about the damaging effects the disease can have on vision. “Regular dilated eye examinations are essential to detect diabetic retinopathy early and provide vision saving treatments when ready,” he added.

Dr. Laroche is a glaucoma specialist who wants people to be aware that glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and retinopathy can begin to surface between the ages of 40 and 70.

“Over time, these diseases can lead to blindness, so it’s best to address them as soon as possible,” said Dr. Laroche. “We have new treatments with earlier surgical options that can help preserve (or restore) their vision with faster recovery times.”

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in African Americans and people from the Caribbean, and the simple way to prevent the devastating effects of glaucoma is to maintain regular eye visits.

“Eyesight or human vision is one of the most important senses,” Dr. LaRoche said. “As much as 80 percent of what we feel comes through our sense of sight. By protecting the eyes, people will reduce the chance of blindness and vision loss while also staying on top of any developing eye diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts.”

About Dr. Daniel Laroche

Dr. Laroche is an exceptional glaucoma specialist in New York. He studied and received his bachelor’s degree from New York University and a medical doctorate with honors in research from Weil Cornell University Medical College. He underwent a medical internship at Montefiore Hospital and finished his ophthalmology residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington D.C., where he was the chief resident in his third year. He later completed his glaucoma fellowship at New York Eye and Ear.

For more information about Dr. Laroche, please call (212) 663-0473, Manhattan office; (718) 217-0424, Queens Office or visit: www.advancedeyecareny.com.