Take Charge of Your Health in Event of a Disaster

Take time to reflect on the second anniversary of Katrina. It may have occurred in New Orleans that time, but none of us are immune from disasters, they can strike anyway. So, we need to prepare ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally each day for the unexpected. I'm not talking about being paranoid, waiting for doom to happen. I'm talking about being in the best state we can be in, so that whatever life will direct our way, we will do our best to handle it. Katrina was living proof that we may be on our own for some time. Emergency assistance does not always come when we really need it, it may come later than we were hoping. We have to take charge of our life, just as we must do with our health! It's our life, and our body!

Cinnamon helps Blood Sugar

Even if you don't have diabetes, it is a good ideal to maintain a steady blood sugar rate for better health. One food seasoning that has been found to be very effective in steadying blood sugar is cinnamon. As Jean Carper puts it, in the August 3-5, 2007 issue of USA Weekend, "cinnamon is sensational." She reports that "rapidly digested foods are more likely to spike blood sugar and insulin, factors that promote diabetes and overeating." In a study conducted in Sweden, even healthy people who added a teaspoon of cinnamon to foods, were able to have lower blood glucose levels.

So, how about adding a little cinnamon to your favorite dishes, like: sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, pudding, cooked fruit, breads and muffins. If you start to think about it, you can discover various dishes that you enjoy daily, that you can add a little cinnamon to.

Eating Whole Grains May Save Your Life and Your Health

I was recently reading a very interesting article in the USA Weekend, dated August 10-12, 2007. It was talking about how popcorn can help save your life. Popcorn, yes, popcorn. You see, popcorn is a whole grain. It pointed out that a study has found that "women over age 55 who eat the most whole grains are 35% less apt to die of an array of inflammatory diseases." The diseases included such things as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Crohn's disease, emphysema, gout, infections, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis.

The study revealed that a person would need to eat "at least 11 servings of whole grains a week" to receive the most protection against such inflammatory diseases. Whole grains can cover a wide variety of foods like popcorn, oats and oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, whole-wheat kernels, brown rice, wild rice, bulgur wheat, kasha, cracked wheat, quinoa, and various whole-grain cereals.

The article was written by Jean Carper in the EatSmart section of USA Weekend. She always seems to have very interesting articles on health and nutrition. Check her out.

Easy Stress Busters

We all hate STRESS, but it seems to be an unavoidable part of modern life. The worst part of stress, is that daily stress can lead to a number of health related conditions, such as: high blood pressure, heart disease, mental and emotional problems. So, I thought the quick stress busters suggested in the 8/5/07 issue of Parade magazine, was a great ideal. They were all quick and easy ways to combat stress in five minutes:

• MEDITATION Ranging from deep breathing to moments of silence, it serves the purpose of shutting out obsessive worries by focusing your mind and body on the present.

• EXERCISE Something as simple as the inversion position, can help remove stress. One move involved just lying in bed with your legs up in the air. This position helps to combat "the effects of gravity on your circulatory system and is thought to help with varicose veins."

• TALKING TO A FRIEND It has been found that putting feelings into words can help lessen stress. So, sharing your feelings with a few close friends, can help to reduce stress and depression. And, if you talk to a funny friend all the better, since laughter improves your mood and may boost your immune system.

• REFLECT ON DAY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS We usually lie in bed at night, stressing about all the things we didn't get done. Instead, we can build self-esteem, "a key factor in combating stress," by listing at least three things we did accomplish that day. What a positive way to end your day!

We may not be able to control all the stress that comes our way in life, but we can certainly find ways to lessen or even bust some of the everyday stress we are confronted with.

Preventing Bladder Infections

Everyone has heard about natural remedies to help prevent bladder infections (urinary tract infections - UTIs). The remedy that I have constantly heard about, and that seems to help most people, is cranberry juice. The experts seem to agree on this. In the July/August 2007 issue of Health magazine, it mentioned that cranberry juice appears to help because "it contains a tannin called proanthocyanidin, which keeps UTI-causing E. coli from sticking to bladder cells." But researchers are not certain how much cranberry juice a person would need to drink. So, it has been suggested that if you are prone to bladder infections (or UTIs), to drink one 8-ounce glass of cranberry juice a day. Of course, it doesn't really help matters to drink the sweetened juice cocktail that contains only a small amount of actual cranberry juice. There are, though, many varieties of unsweetened cranberry juices available. They are usually mixed with naturally sweeter juices like apple or grape juice, to help tone down the tart cranberry taste and yet make a very pleasant and healthy juice.

If a person gets bladder infections (or urinary tract infections) frequently throughout the year, a medical professional would be able to develop a long-term effective strategy of care.

It's nice to know that there are some natural remedies that really can work, without all the side effects that many medications present.