MyHealthCoach | Health Tips

Health Tips - Issue 12

If you want to keep the gains you make each time you exercise, avoid eating carbohydrate foods after you're done, including energy bars, which are usually high in carbs. That's because carbohydrate foods, along with sports drinks that are also high in carbs, can undo most of the gains that exercising provides. To maximize your gains, eat protein foods instead. Note: This rule does not apply to high performance athletes, who require carbohydrate foods to replenish their energy levels.
You probably know that vitamin B12 is one of the most important nutrients for healthy brain function and memory, and for maintaining your body's energy levels. You may also know that many people today are deficient in B12. But what you probably don't know is that vitamin B12 supplements become useless when taken in combination with most other vitamins. That's because it is destroyed when it and the other vitamins are digested. The only vitamin that does not cause vitamin B12 to be destroyed is folic acid. Therefore, if you supplement with B12, take it by itself or with folic acid and wait at least one hour before taking other vitamins.
Here's a surprising home remedy for treating joint pain-cabbage leaves. That's because cabbage is rich in a variety of anti-inflammatory compounds, all of which can ease the inflammation that causes joint pain. So, if you suffer from joint pain, try this: Take a few large leaves from a cabbage (either green or red cabbage will work fine) and bruise the leaves with a rolling pin. Then warm them in the oven or microwave for a few minutes. Once they are warm, place them over your sore joints and cover them with a towel, letting them set for 15 to 20 minutes. Eating cabbages and drinking cabbage juice can also help.
Do you suffer from constipation? If so, try drinking a small glass of wheat grass juice once a day. Not only is wheat grass rich in a variety of nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, and potassium, it's also a highly safe and effective natural laxative. In addition, drinking wheat grass juice regularly will also help replenish the growth of healthy bacteria in your intestines, further improving your digestion and elimination.
The next time you experience a mild headache try this remedy for quick relief. Apply a small amount of peppermint oil over your temples. Research has shown that doing so can ease mild headache symptoms safely and effectively. Drinking peppermint tea can also be helpful. (Caution: Do not take peppermint oil internally.)
Do you suffer from frequent migraine headaches? If so, try taking the herb feverfew once a day. Feverfew is available at your local health food store as a capsule or tincture. Either form will do. Research has shown that supplementing with feverfew can dramatically reduce the incidence and intensity of migraine headaches in as little as three months. You can also use feverfew to banish a migraine. Simply take it at the onset of symptoms and then repeat your dose every 30 minutes until you feel relief. Caution: Do not use feverfew if you are on blood thinning medications such as Coumadin, as feverfew can also thin blood. Always consult with your Health Coach before using any type of herbal remedy.
Do you suffer from low back pain? If so, try using the homeopathic remedy Rhus toxicodendron, which has been shown to be highly effective for relieving low back pain. You can find Rhus toxicodendron at your local health food store. Look for it in a potency of 30C and take two tablets twice a day. You should notice improvements in your back pain within two or three days.
The next time you experience sore muscles or joints, try massaging them with a small amount of the homeopathic remedy arnica cream. This simple home remedy has been shown to effectively reduce pain and swelling. You can also use arnica cream to speed the healing of bruises.
Trigger point therapy is a highly effective form of bodywork for relieving muscle aches, cramps, and pains. Here's a trigger point procedure you can do at home the next time you or a loved one suffers from muscle pain. Gently but firmly poke your finger into the affected area, noticing which points are most tender. Once you've located the tender points, press on them for 10 to 15 seconds and then release them. Repeat this process for five to ten times. (If you can't reach the points on your own body, have someone else do it for you.)
Want to live longer? Then get in the habit of staying calm, active, and organized. That's the advice of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) based on a recent study the NIA conducted. The study analyzed questionnaires of more than 2,300 people who participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging that began in 1958. The NIA researchers found that those who scored higher than average for emotional stability, physical activity, and organization lived an average of two-three years longer than their peers.
Here's an easy way to help you more easily shed unwanted pounds: Take more time to chew your food. In today's fast-paced world where meals are often eaten "on the run," all too many of us don't even pay attention to what we are doing and tend to gobble down our food. Researchers have found that being more conscious while we eat and chewing each mouthful of food 30 to 40 times provides a variety of health benefits, including weight loss. Because food that is thoroughly chewed is far easier for your body to digest, less energy is used up during the digestive process, enabling the nutrients that the food contains to be used by your body more quickly. In addition, chewing food slowly and thoroughly makes it easier for you to notice and enjoy your food's flavors and aromas. As a result, you will start to feel full and more satisfied more quickly than if you gobble down your food. The end result is that you won't eat as much food per meal, thereby reducing your caloric intake. Research has shown that, on average, people who thoroughly chew their food consume an average of 70 fewer calories per meal, compared to people who eat food in a rush.
Want to improve your sleep? Then consider taking up tai chi. That's because researchers have found that the practice of tai chi, the Chinese system of gentle movement exercises, provides similar sleep benefits as sleeping pills, without the risk of dangerous side effects. In one double-blind study of more than 100 people who began the practice of tai chi, 63 percent of the participants experienced significant improvement in their sleep.
Here's a very easy and appealing way to ensure that you are getting a wide range of nutrients each day. Eat at least two different-colored fruits and vegetables with every meal. The more colorful your fruit and vegetable selections are, the more of a range of nutrients you will obtain from them because different nutrients give different colors to fruits and vegetables.
Here's another tip for getting a good night's sleep: Pay attention to what you do starting in the middle of the afternoon. To improve sleep, avoid drinking coffee or other caffeine beverages past 3 pm. Also avoid taking naps past 3 pm, as late naps can also keep you awake at night. Making lunch, instead of supper, your biggest meal, can also help promote better sleep, since having to digest a big meal in the evening can interfere with sleep.
Want to reduce your risk of developing cancer? Then make it a point to include garlic, onions, and leeks in at least one of the meals you eat every day. That's because research has shown these three foods provide some of the most potent anticancer benefits of all food groups, and are capable of suppressing cancerous cell growth by more than 80 percent.
To get the most benefits from the fruits and vegetables you eat, it's always best to eat them while they are fresh. But if fresh fruits and vegetables are not an option, choose to buy them frozen. That's because frozen fruits and vegetables are usually packed as soon as they are harvested and the nutrients they contain are preserved when during the freezing process. This makes frozen fruits and vegetables a much more nutritious choice than canned varieties.
The next time you experience a surface skin infection, as well as redness or swelling on the surface of your skin, immediately cover the affected area with a heating pad, at the highest setting that you can comfortably tolerate. This simple procedure can reverse just about any type of surface skin infection, according to research that found that heat acts to quickly destroy infectious microorganisms while simultaneously increasing the flow of oxygen to areas of skin infection. Note: For skin infections penetrating deep into skin tissue see your Health Coach or a dermatologist.
Here are some tips you can use to get the most out of your visits with your Health Coach:
- Before your visit, make a list of all questions you may have and bring it with you.
- Also write down all of your concerns related to any health problems you may have and be certain to bring them up during your consultation.
- If you don't understand the answer your Health Coach gives you, ask him or her to explain it to you more thoroughly until you do understand it.
- Bring a pad and pen with you so that you can write down your Health Coach recommendations and other matters of importance.
- If you have chosen to use nutritional or herbal supplements or any over-the-counter drugs since your last consultation, make a list of them and discuss them with your Health Coach.
- Always be honest when speaking with your Health Coach, both in answering questions and in relating your concerns.
- By the end of your visit, write down the action steps your Health Coach recommends for you and review them at the beginning of each day so that you remember to implement them.
Do you suffer from dandruff or an itchy scalp? If so, try this home remedy. Combine one cup of apple cider vinegar with one cup of water and add a few fresh mint leaves. Bring this mixture to a boil and allow it to continue to boil for another five minutes. Then let it set at room temperature for 12 hours. Afterwards, strain out the mint leaves and apply a bit of the remaining mixture to your scalp twice a day, thoroughly massaging it into your scalp. After you finish massaging your scalp, let your hair dry naturally, without rinsing it.
We've all heard the saying, "Laughter is the best medicine." Turns out it's true. Scientific research has shown that laughter relaxes muscles, reduces the production of stress hormones, relieves pain, reduces high blood pressure, boosts immune function, and strengthens the heart and lungs. So make it a point to laugh as often as possible each day. Not only will you feel better emotionally, you'll also be improving your physical health.