Tea TalkA site about General Health Tips

Hundreds of thousands of the elderly watch enough health shows and surgery broadcasts to believe they’re almost qualified doctors themselves. With much casual medical knowledge easily available on the subject of what to eat, how to exercise, and how all the medicines on the pharmacy shelves work, some people can effortlessly end up with some pretty strong feelings on how to maintain the body, in a state of good health. Anyone who sees a self-styled health expert go on like this, invariably thinks of the following lines from Tom Sawyer: ” [Aunt Polly] was one of those people who are infatuated with patent medicines and all new-fangled methods of producing health or mending it. All the “rot” [the "Health" periodicals] contained about ventilation, and how to go to bed, and how to get up, and what to eat, and what to drink, and how much exercise to take, and what frame of mind to keep one’s self in, and what sort of clothing to wear, was all gospel to her, and she never observed that her health-journals of the current month customarily upset everything they had recommended the month before.” Let’s look at a few of the health tips that the overenthusiastic get wrong all the time.

Eating healthy is wonderful, and important. But people love to get carried away with the dietary health tips. One rule they love is, “only eat raw organic foods”, because cooking destroys the “essentials” in foods. Some people love to save up all their money to spend on exotic small farm produce that’s carted over by a pony and Farmer Brown. In fact, “eating right” can so consume them, and take up all their energies, that they often have little time for anything else in life. Doctors actually feel that there is a kind of eating disorder associated with going too far with eating right. They call it orthorexia nervosa, and they feel it’s as serious as anorexia.

If there is any one thing among all health tips that deserves to be called a health demon, it has to be the multivitamin. Advances in an understanding of what vitamins were in the early 20th century, revolutionized public health. Quaint old diseases that were very common back then, scurvy from low vitamin C, beriberi from a lack of thiamine, rickets from low Vitamin D and such, came from how humanity then, had not enough food to go around. What people got to eat, didn’t supply them with the vitamins they needed. So, the health establishment began to recommend vitamin supplements. While those were excellent for the time, they aren’t really needed today, a time when reasonable nutrition standards are easily achieved all over. But the multivitamin habit is hard to kick, still. And from this comes vitamin overdosing. There were all kinds of reports now, that too much vitamin C can give you cancer, how too much vitamin E can give you a heart attack, and so on. The thing is, if you don’t have a clear health problem you need to take extra vitamins for, you’re best off leaving them alone.

And of course, to include something from outside of the diet, how about a runner’s knee? The health tips are always telling you that a regular run in the park, I can give you arthritis. The doctors got that from studying marathon runners long-term. But researchers have been following marathon runners long-term, and they find that nothing really happens to them after running for 20 years. They find that people who have sore knees and take a running, actually improve over time. If you have a good running technique, no one can fault you for exercise of this kind.

The basic rule with following health tips always seems to be, to follow your heart, and to not let an idea run away with you.

It seems that everyone is feeling a financial pinch these days as the economy continues to sag. We’re all trying to save money any way we can, while keeping our fingers crossed that our jobs remain intact. One of the easiest targets in any budget-slashing enterprise is the grocery bill because it’s one of the most flexible expenses. But there is a tendency to forgo the healthiest items on our lists, such as fruits and vegetables, since they’re often the costliest. It’s not a good idea to sacrifice your health in order to save a few bucks, however, so here are some ideas for how to eat healthy on a tight budget.

I’ll admit that it takes a bit of work to eat healthy on a tight budget, but it absolutely can be done. If you’re committed to following through, then you can still buy the ingredients for hearty, wholesome, nutritious meals that won’t put too much of a dent in your wallet.

The first thing you have to do is forget about buying prepackaged foods. It’s no secret that consumers pay a premium for the convenience of bagged salads, heat-and-serve breakfast sandwiches, and the like. You can save lots of money each week by making your own salads and meals with fresh ingredients. Moreover, a key component in how to eat healthy is avoiding the preservatives that often go into prepackaged goods, so you’ll actually be killing two birds with one stone.

Another thing to do is to use coupons or stick to items that are on sale. This sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how few people take advantage of coupons anymore. Shopping this way does take some discipline, so be prepared to make frequent substitutions. If apples aren’t on sale this week, make do with oranges instead. If beef has been slowly creeping up in price, switch to turkey or chicken. Most people who know how to eat healthy on a tight budget are very strict about the sales-only rule. It really makes a difference!

And finally, if the option is available to you, consider joining a wholesale club such as Costco or BJ’s. In addition to the typical gallon jugs of ketchup these places are known for, they also sell meats and produce. If you have enough room in your freezer, you can stock up on lean cuts of beef, pork, or chicken, and simply defrost them when you’re ready to cook. Similarly, you can purchase discount produce — as long as you’re sure you can use all of it before it goes bad. Loading up on vegetables and then making a couple weeks’ worth of stews and casseroles to freeze is something lots of folks do.

These are just a few basic ideas for how to eat healthy on a budget. I know it’s tempting to simply stop off at McDonald’s or Burger King and order off the dollar menu on your way home from work, but you won’t be doing your waistline any favors that way. Your health is worth the extra effort!

Anger is a completely normal, healthy human emotion, and a certain amount of it is necessary to our survival. It inspires powerful and often aggressive feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and defend ourselves when we are attacked.
When anger gets out of control and turns destructive it can lead to problems at work, in personal relationships, and affect the overall quality of life. Anger can be caused by both external and internal events, and like other emotions, anger causes heart rate and blood pressure to increase, in addition to the levels of the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. Over time, people can suffer physically and have chronic health issues arise because of their inability to keep triggers at bay. People with anger management issues get angry more easily and more intensely than the average person, and the notion that “letting it all out” helps is false, because it actually escalates anger and aggression, which doesn’t resolve anything.

The term, “anger management”, commonly refers to therapeutic techniques and exercises practiced by someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger to control or reduce triggers. According to the American Psychological Association and various reliable online sources, the goal of anger management is learning how to control anger before it controls the individual, to reduce both emotional feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. The most common techniques recommended immediately before escalation of emotions is to stop talking, stop staring, and leave the room. Learning relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation will also help, in addition to stress management skills, learning empathy and forgiveness, and becoming optimistic instead of pessimistic. Prolonged mismanagement of anger can lead to serious physical and mental disorders, and if the individual is not proactive, whether by voluntary or involuntary means, the outcome could be disastrous.

Limits are placed on how far anger can take an individual, by laws, social norms, and hopefully common sense. People just can’t physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys them; they need to focus on something positive instead of losing control and dramatizing every life event. Fortunately for these people, there are many reliable self-help resources available online for people with anger issues, including online anger management counseling and education at www.angermanagementonline.com, featuring easy, fast, enjoyable classes, whether by court order or voluntary enrollment. For more information and resources on the subject visit the American Psychological Association at www.apa.org, and www.angermgmt.com for additional tips on managing anger.

Getting started with an exercise program can be confusing, especially if you’ve never exercised on a regular basis before. Whatever your goal is, just remember to start out at a comfortable pace and increase your amount of beginners exercise as tolerated to increase strength and endurance. You’ll be fit in no time if you stick to your guns and stay motivated. However, if it’s been a long time since you’ve exercised regularly, if you’ve been sedentary for over a year, if you’re pregnant, have diabetes, if you have any type of chronic health condition, like heart problems or high blood pressure, if you’re over the age of sixty-five and don’t currently exercise, if you’ve ever experienced chest pains, dizziness, or fainting spells, or if you’re recovering from an illness or injury, or if you’ve been diagnosed with any other medical condition or even if you haven’t, you should get a full check up from your healthcare provider and get a medical release before staring any type of beginners exercise program.

Before you start your beginner’s workout, get some good fitting shoes that are designed for whatever type of beginners exercise you’ll be doing, whether it’s walking, weight lifting, cross training, or playing basketball. Choose comfortable workout attire too, remember, think comfort, and wear whatever feels good to you. If you’re exercising outdoors, don’t forget to wear a hat and light colored clothing, in addition to sunscreen and sunglasses. Now you’re ready to set your weight loss and fitness goals. Make sure that your goals are realistic and attainable, and reward yourself when you reach your goal. It’s reasonable to lose one to two pounds per week, and you shouldn’t get discouraged if you hit a plateau. The less the body weighs, the fewer the amount of calories burned just moving around, so the more weight you lose the harder it will be to continue losing more.

Remember that the scale isn’t the only way to track the progress from your beginners workout. It can be quite discouraging to exercise for a long time and still weigh the same, when in fact; the body is gaining muscle and losing fat. To stay focused and motivated, track body fat percentage in addition to weighing on the scale to get a better idea of how much weight you really need to lose. And don’t be obsessed with either one. Check out your clothes fit and feel too; how you look is also a good indicator of how your beginners exercise program is working. Take measurements also to reassure you that you really are getting into shape, even if you can’t yet see it everywhere. Make a plan and stick to it to get the best results. Your progress will be slow but steady, and you’re apt to keep the weight off if you take it off slow. Good Luck!

Breast feeding babies are taking the lead over formula babies once again. Overwhelming data shows that not only is it great for the health of babies, but it’s good for moms too, and it’s certainly no secret that pediatricians favor the breast over the bottle. Breastfeeding also promotes bonding between baby and mom during feedings, and it is certainly easier than bottle feeding. There is never a need to worry about running out of formula or keeping it cold or warming it up, nor is there the expense of buying formula all the time. According to www.gather.com, an online breastfeeding resource sponsored by the Harvard Medical School, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be exclusively breast fed until at least six months of age, which means no juice, no solids, etc., and continue breastfeeding until one year of age.

Breast feeding babies may be the most natural way, but certainly not the easiest. It can be uncomfortable and slightly painful at first, but it gets better after the first few days and weeks as the nipples toughen up. Once the baby is latched correctly on the breast, the pain should subside, but if it continues the baby isn’t latched correctly. Continued pain during feeding or sore and cracked nipples are often a sign of incorrect positioning. Lanolin, expressed breast milk, and warm moist tea bags are helpful remedies that will promote healing of the nipples. And more friendly advice, all new moms should take advantage of the help offered by the hospital lactation consultant after delivery of the baby. Their support and expertise can make a huge difference in the initial breastfeeding experience. Many moms stop breast feeding babies for many reasons, such as, the baby wouldn’t take the breast, nipples were too sore, not producing enough milk, or feeling uncomfortable nursing in public. There may be a few obstacles when breast feeding babies, but it can be done, and successfully.

The La Leche League is a wonderful resource for new moms and their breast feeding babies, featuring all kinds of helpful advice and information on all aspects of breastfeeding. At the organization’s website www.laleche.org, mothers and moms-to-be can also find helpful information about pumping and storing breast milk, in addition to breastfeeding support and tips. Lots of questions are normal, and practice does make perfect. Breast feeding babies isn’t always easy in the beginning; it takes time, patience, and a commitment to get off to a good start. It’s certainly a learning experience for both mom and baby, but not one so difficult that it shouldn’t be given a try. Breastfeeding is convenient, it requires no advance planning, packing, or equipment, and it’s always available. Nurse the baby and the milk will come!