Self Help

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

November 17, 2022 by Joi 6 Comments

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

November 15, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

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?

November 14, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

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.

Why Choosing Natural Ingredients For Your Hair Will Help You Long Term

November 11, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

Society has become more aware of the importance of using more organic and natural products throughout our lives. The beauty industry is a popular place where you can make more informed choices, and there are plenty of options since companies are rebranding and making the switch to offer more natural products.

Your hair is an essential part of the body that needs nourishment, and if you haven’t already, making the switch to natural and organic haircare will help ensure that your hair stays vitalized for a long life. Hair products are usually applied directly to the scalp and then down the length of the hair.

Your hair is organic, so why not treat it as such? It’s important for your hair health and there are numerous benefits that natural ingredients can offer your hair.

Natural and Organic Ingredients

Before you examine all of the benefits, it’s crucial that you understand what ingredients to look for in your hair care. Many shampoos, conditioners and other products will claim to be “natural” or “organic”, but it’s not accurate and more of a marketing ploy.

Look for the following ingredients when searching for natural, organic hair care products:

Organic shea butter – enhances the natural color and shine of your hair.
Honey – honey is a fantastic natural ingredient that adds tons of moisture to restore shine and reduce frizz and dryness, as found in Gisou’s honey shampoo.
Coconut oil and aloe vera – other natural moisturizers that help keep your scalp from drying out and becoming flaky.
Tea tree oil – essential oils have so many benefits, and this oil has antiseptic properties to help keep your skin and hair healthy and free from irritation.

Benefits of Natural Ingredients in Hair Care

Choosing more organic hair products protects your hair from future damage, or even daily damage in places where pollution is high or you’re around a lot of airborne chemicals that can get into the hair. Here are some of the benefits that organic products offer your hair and health.

Mildness For Your Hair

Hair products that have more artificial ingredients tend to be harsher on your hair. They give the impression that they will work faster to improve your hair, but they usually are stripping your hair of natural oils that are needed that keep your hair healthy. These artificial products do damage to the hair follicles and to your scalp. Natural products are meant to be mild for as long as you use them.

Better For Your Skin

Your scalp is an important part of the hair, and artificial products can cause irritation to the skin. Other areas of your body can absorb these harsh chemicals as you bathe or shower, and you may even experience an allergic reaction. Organic and natural shampoos and conditioners prevent skin irritation and allergic reaction, since they are all natural. They are the best option for sensitive skin.

They Benefit the Environment and Provide More Value

Artificial and chemically made ingredients and products have a higher negative impact on our environment. They contaminate the soil and water when you use them, which can cause problems for the ground, wildlife, and more. With natural and organic products you can feel better around using them since they have harmless ingredients that break down easily.

Hair products can be expensive, but the difference in price with using more natural hair care products is a tiny margin. Plus, you’ll get more more value for the money you spent, and probably won’t even have to use as much of the product to see the difference it makes.

Natural Hair Care Products are Good For Your Body

What you put in your hair also affects your body, just like how eating healthier can be good for your hair. Natural ingredients found in hair care usually contain antioxidants. They assist the body in the removal of free radicals. Your hair holds a lot of chemicals, which have negative side effects. Do yourself and your hair a favor to ensure it stays healthy and shiny forever by using more organic products with natural ingredients.

How to Feel Better About Growing Older: Your Story Isn’t Over, It’s Just Getting Good!

September 29, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

Live. Love. Laugh… Then Laugh a Little More!

First of all, allow me to say that if you’re feeling unhappy, sad, or in any way negative about growing older or looking older, there’s nothing wrong with that! We feel how we feel and we are entitled to these feelings. So when I try to make you feel happier, I am not (in any way) suggesting you are wrong to feel sad or unhappy. I just want you to be happy – I like your smile.

The loss of youth, a youthful appearance, and of being able to do all we once did can be unsettling. In fact, isn’t it the last two things that get to us the most? I don’t know about you, but the number doesn’t bother me… even when I hit the fifties, I didn’t mind the number. I mean a number is just that… a number. I do mind not being able to walk as far or jog like I used to. I mind not being able to eat certain foods or eat late into the evening like I once did.

And boy oh boy, did I mind the peculiar things that began to happen on my arms (there used to be more tone and definition, if memory serves!), face, and (Lord have mercy) neck.

Seriously… why does the neck turn on a person so quickly?! The one body part it’s almost impossible to cover, camouflage, or paint?!?

We all have moments, don’t we? I almost never stress over appearance, I do my nails, spritz on my perfume, fluff my curls, apply makeup, ask my neck, “Why, though?” and get on with life. I have always (even as a teenager) cared 100 percent more about what was inside a person more than what was outside, including myself.

Whether it’s me or someone else, I am infinitely attracted to a great sense of humor, a love of life, a non-judgmental attitude, and a personality that draws you in its direction. We live in a world that focuses entirely too much on appearance (thanks a lot social media, selfies, and fad diets). How much better would it be if we praised personalities, compassion, being well-read, etc.

NOTHING in the world wrong with wanting to be healthy, look your best, and feel your best – but what’s going on INSIDE is so much more important and I’m willing to die on that hill.

If you’re reading this, odds are you’re feeling a little (or a lot) down about aging. Whether it was something you saw in the mirror (it was the neck, wasn’t it?) or something you weren’t able to do as well as you once were, you may simply have a case of the “sads.”

I want very much to see if I can help you get past the sads and dive head-first into the glads like a puppy in a pile of leaves.

Below are a few tips and tricks of the trade I’ve learned in the fabulous fifties (they really are fabulous in many ways):

Keep a sense of humor – it will serve you well! I’ve listed this first for a reason – I think it may just be the most important one. Having a sense of humor and being able to see the humor in most situations is vital throughout life, but never more so than in the golden years (50-100+). When you’re laughing, you aren’t ignoring things that bother or bug you (more about those in a minute), you’re simply letting them know you will NOT be brought down by them. You will NOT allow them to trample on your joy or let the air out of your happiness. Laughing doesn’t just feel good, it is healthy for your body and mind. I highly, highly, highly recommend watching The Golden Girls and (if colorful language doesn’t offend you) the Grumpy Old Men movies. They’re hilarious and will absolutely remind you to laugh. The Golden Girls could actually be prescribed therapy for us women who are growing older. They wear it so well and have so much fun with life, it reminds us that we can too!
Eat right, sleep right, and keep your doctor’s appointments. I want to see you happy, but I also want to see you healthy. Some people get a certain age and they do all they can to avoid doctors. Horrible idea! Getting a great checkup could make a world of difference in how you feel. So very often, someone feels “off” or “not quite themselves” and bloodwork shows that all they need is a little more Vitamin D or Iron. Both of these make a whole world of difference in how you feel. I’ve also found that Magnesium is something else that helps a great deal. Be sure to ask your doctor about each of these. Also, be sure you’re eating right and getting enough sleep. Both are vital to looking and feeling your best.
Address those things that bug you! If you don’t like something about yourself (weight, hair, skin… whatever), research ways to improve it and get to work. Once you start working on something, you feel instantly better – long before you see even a hint of improvement, you feel a world better.
Don’t focus on what LEFT… focus on what REMAINS. If you’ve suffered a loss in relationships, family member, health, a pet, home, business, or you feel like you’ve lost a piece of yourself, try very hard not to focus too much energy on what you have lost (or even perceive that you’ve lost). Focus, instead, on what or who remains. It’s a trick many use when dealing with an empty nest. They go from focusing on the child or children who had the audacity to leave the nest (how dare they grow up?!) and they focus on who and/or what remains. When you feel every bit of your age, try to switch your focus to the fact that you’re still bright, still funny, and (on some days) even downright sassy. Don’t spend too much time looking at those gray hairs… look, instead, at how your eyes still sparkle. It sounds simple, but it is absolutely therapeutic. Focus on what remains. Focus on what remains. Focus on what remains.
Do not look to the future with fear or sadness, look instead at the life you’ve lived with awe and gladness! Think of the love, the laughs, the things you’ve seen, and the things you’ve done. Your life is a wonderful story and it is in NO WAY over yet! Heck, the best chapters may still lie ahead.

I don’t want to keep you much longer, I want you to get out there and enjoy your wonderful life, but I’ll just leave you with this. The next time you’re thinking anything like…

“I can’t do this, I’m too old…”
“I will never be okay with how I look..”
“What is with these creaking knees?”

… I want you to think back on your life. I want you to name times when you were your own hero. Did you overcome cancer, a gallbladder operation, an especially bad car wreck, or a scary trip to the emergency room? Have you had to say goodbye (for now!) to your mom, dad, husband, wife, or other loved one at a funeral home? Did you have a dream home you had to drive away from… or close a business you worked half your life for? Think of the times you’ve had to step up, be tougher than you ever thought possible, and come walking out of the rubble… maybe even limping at first. Now tell yourself, “I’ve lived through the worst. This will be a cakewalk.”

Be your own hero. Hey, you’ve done it before… you’re good at this!

Make each moment count double and stay in the fight! ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Your Story Isn’t Over… It’s Just Getting Good!

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

Green Tea Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease

Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Stress & Chronic Pain

How Acupuncture Works to Treat Anxiety and Stress