Tips

Lavender Oil Can Help Combat Office Stress

For those looking for a convenient and fast way of combating stress at the work place, there is Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is a holistic treatment that works as a natural stress buster that can be easily fused into your work environment with immediate positive benefits for conditions like lack of concentration, depression, agitation and of course stress.

Essential oils that form the basis of this treatment are derived from flowers and have calming effects on the central nervous system, thereby relieving you of stress and increasing concentration levels. One of the aroma oils that work well to relieve office stress is Lavender Oil. It is a stress buster that not just wards off tension but also relieves you of mental exhaustion and agitation arising out of office nuances. It also improves concentration.

You can use lavender in a diffuser, which heats the oil and allow its molecules to harmonize with the atmosphere to keep you relieved. You can also put just a drop of oil on a cotton ball and place it near your work station. Soon you'll find the fragrance working for you.

Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Does My Antiperspirant Contain Aluminum?

Aluminum, a common ingredient added to antiperspirants to stop skin sweating, may be linked to breast cancer, a study by British scientists found.

The researchers tested breast samples from 17 breast-cancer patients who had undergone mastectomies. The women who used antiperspirants had deposits of aluminum in their outer breast tissue. Concentrations of aluminum were higher in the tissue closest to the underarm than in the central breast.
There are certain metals that are toxic to humans; they are poison and most people do not understand this. They are NOT nutrients in small quantities. One of these is Aluminum.

Unfortunately, if you use antiperspirants, you are most likely exposing yourself to aluminum -- the heavy metal that's been linked to Alzheimer's disease now possibly breast cancer.

Aluminum salts can account for 25 percent of the volume of some antiperspirants.

Antiperspirants work by clogging, closing, or blocking the pores that release sweat under your arms -- with the active ingredient being aluminum. Not only does this block one of your body's routes for detoxification (releasing toxins via your underarm sweat), but it raises concerns about where these heavy metals are going once you roll them (or spray them) on.

Given that antiperspirants are used on your armpits, the aluminum salt concentration is highest near your breast tissue. Further, when women shave under their arms it can result in a higher aluminum-salt absorption rate due to the damaged skin.

A 2006 study found that aluminum salts can mimic the hormone estrogen, and chemicals that imitate that hormone are known to increase breast cancer risk.

Fortunately, reducing your exposure is pretty simple -- simply ditch your antiperspirant and deodorant.
You can find aluminum-free varieties in your local health food store.

Source: Mercola.com

Getting A Goodnight's Sleep

A good night's sleep is as important to good health as a nutritious diet and regular exercise. Experts tend to agree that the majority of people require about eight hours of sleep each night. However, roughly 40 percent of Americans get fewer than seven hours of sleep on weekdays, and 71 percent get fewer than eight hours of sleep. Some scientists are investigating connections between insufficient sleep and depressed immune function.

If you are having some problems with sleep, chances are your health is suffering in some way and could be showing up as minor issues or chronic ailments. There are some ways you can correct your sleep problem and boost your health with a few simple rules:

• Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.
• Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin.
• No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom. It is too stimulating to the brain and it will take longer to fall asleep.
• Wear socks to bed. Due to the fact that they have the poorest circulation, the feet often feel cold before the rest of the body. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night wakings.
• Get to bed as early as possible. Our systems, particularly the adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11PM and 1AM.
• Keep the temperature in the bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many people keep their homes and particularly the upstairs bedrooms too hot.
• Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.

Mangosteen Super Fruit - Anti-Inflamatory

Don't confuse this tart, exotic, Asian fruit with Mangos. This super fruit is mostly available in juice or soft gel and is now classified as a supplement due to it's medicinal and health enhancing properties. Mangosteen has been used for thousands of years in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.

One of the most beneficial aspects of the Mangosteen is a nutrient called a Xanthone. Xanthones are biologically active plant phenols that help seek out and destroy roaming free radicals that can endanger good health*.

Many claim Mangosteen helps reduce inflammation, especially sports related swelling, arthritis and general joint pain, as well as many other ailments.

*Source: Trace Mineral Research, Ultra Laboratories. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Why High-Fructose Corn Syrup Is Damaging

Drinking high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the main ingredient in most soft drinks throughout the world, increases your triglyceride levels and your LDL (bad) cholesterol. These effects only occurred in the study participants who drank fructose -- not glucose.

Consumption of beverages containing fructose rose 135 percent between 1977 and 2001. Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only cheaper to make, it was also much sweeter (processed fructose is nearly 20 times sweeter than table sugar), a switch that has drastically altered the American diet.

In 1966, sucrose made up 86 percent of sweeteners. Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used are made from corn.

Read more from Dr. Mercola

*Source: Mercola.com. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.