by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
Sometimes all you need is a nice, warm bath. It’s funny that a tub of hot water can solve so many of life’s problems, or at least feel like it! Lucky for us, there’s a bunch of different ways of taking a relaxing bath, and you probably have most of this stuff anyway!
Epsom Salt
Epsom salt comes in different scents that claim to do different things. While it’s not clear that the magnesium sulfate actually ‘detoxes’ you, some people think that the magnesium and sulfate enter into your bloodstream, which can be beneficial for managing stress. There aren’t enough studies to prove that epsom salt actually works like this, but they smell really nice and a hot bath will help you relax.
Baking Soda
So you don’t have epsom salts? No problem. You probably have baking soda in your kitchen, and that’s all this bath needs! Baking soda baths are generally used to soothe different inflammations of the skin. So if your skin is acting up with a rash, putting some baking soda into your bath might be the cure you’re looking for!
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is another soothing bath made possible by ordinary cooking ingredients. Oatmeal really packs a punch, too: according to this article, “Avena sativa, the oat plant, is high in calcium, chromium, magnesium, Vitamin A, and various parts of the Vitamin B complex.” Your skin can reap those benefits by putting a cup or two of plain oatmeal oats in a sock or hose and letting it soak in the bath, and voila!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Weirdly, apple cider vinegar is a good thing to add to a bath. It’s actually quite the multi-tasker! According to this article, adding ACV to your bath can have several different health benefits, such as: fighting fungus, soothing sunburns, getting rid of body odor, making your hair shiny, reduce feet odor and athlete’s foot, and relieving joint pain.
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Health
If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably someone who is pretty invested in their own health. We live in an age of information, so it makes sense that we want to do everything possible to be proactive about our health. The downside to having so much access to information, though, is that it can be difficult to know what exactly to look for. Beyond that, though, it’s difficult to know what is worth spending money on, especially as companies create so new products marketed as necessary for our health.
Such is the case with vitamins. Taking multivitamins has been a popular idea for awhile: the idea is that we don’t get enough of the vitamins we need in our daily diets, so we should supplement our diets with a single multivitamin, or an assortment of vitamins tailored to our individual needs. It seems intuitive that, if we aren’t getting a certain vitamin from our meals, we should try to get them from elsewhere.
But—and here’s the zinger—those multivitamins you’ve been taking might not be doing much. Or anything at all.
According to this article from Harvard Health, there isn’t conclusive evidence that multivitamins have much effect on your health. While there isn’t much evidence that taking multivitamins can actively harm you, there is similarly a lack of evidence that multivitamins perform in the way they are advertised.
The article recommends that you take these steps until we know how beneficial or damaging taking multivitamins can be:
- Ask your doctor if you really need to take a multivitamin. Could you have a vitamin deficiency?
- Assess your diet. Do you eat as healthy as you could? Is anything lacking?
- Do you want expert nutritional advice? See a dietician. Also, Medicare beneficiaries get an annual “wellness: visit with their primary care providers.
- Do not take high doses of specific vitamins, especially A and E. These may actually be harmful. Some research suggests that generous daily doses of vitamin D could be helpful.
It seems like the takeaway is that the best way of getting the vitamins that you need is through your diet. And if you think you need other vitamin supplements, talk to your doctor!
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Health
Steamed Mussels in a White Wine Broth
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Servings: 2 (generous)
Ingredients
2 pounds mussels, cleaned
1 tablespoon butter
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
splash heavy cream
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
salt and fresh ground black pepper
lemon wedges for serving
1 baguette, warm for serving
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot with lid over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, stir in the shallot and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, white wine, and mussels then give them a good toss. Cover the pot with its lid and cook until all mussels have opened, 6 to 10 minutes. If any mussels do not open, discard them.
- Remove the pot from the heat then stir in the cream and parsley. Taste the broth adjust to taste with salt, pepper, or more cream.
- Serve in big bowls with lemon wedges and plenty of warmed bread to sop up the broth.
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Health
(Coffee drinkers might want to sit this one out.)
Green tea might be one of the best drinks you can consume, besides water. Not only is it chock-full of antioxidants, it has several other health benefits that make this beverage worth your while.
Here are 10 cool health benefits of green tea, according to this article.
- There are bioactive compounds in green tea that can improve your health.
- These compounds can improve your brain!
- Green tea can help you burn fat.
- The antioxidants found in green tea might lower your chances of getting certain kinds of cancer.
- Green tea mightalsobe able to protect your brain from degenerative diseases in old age.
- Green tea can even kill bacteria, which protects your teeth!
- It might lower your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
- It might reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- Green tea can help lower your risk of obesity.
- Green tea might even help you live longer!
While some of these health benefits don’t have a lot of evidence behind them, it is clear that green tea can offer some pretty good benefits to your overall health.
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Health
We’re always looking for new ways to deal with stress. In today’s day and age, there seems to be thousands of methods we’re supposed to use to limit our stress. The amount of options we have is simply overwhelming, and the choices we’re presented with range in quality: some things seem pretty legit, while other proposed methods of dealing with stress seem a little gimmicky.
That’s why it’s important to do something that really works. After all, you want a way to reduce stress that doesn’t stress you out. Luckily for you, I know of a tried-and-true way of calming yourself down, and it’s absolutely free. Meditation is a great way of restoring a sense of calm and balance to your life. It’s an ancient practice that finds its origins in not one single culture, but in many. It’s considered to be a really strong technique in order to combat mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
Meditating isn’t something you can just sit down and do perfectly the first time. It takes a lot of focus and practice in order to get to the point where you’re reaping the benefits of the meditation sessions.
Meditation is so powerful because it combines a sense of spirituality and science.
According to WebMD, “Meditation is a simply technique that, if practiced for as few as 10 minutes each day, can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health, and achieve a greater capacity for relaxation.”
There are several popular meditation techniques. (This website goes into greater detail.) Two of the most common methods are called concentration meditation and mindfulness meditation. According to this site, concentration and mindfulness are both very important in developing strong meditation skills.
One of the best things about meditation might be the fact that you can pretty much do it anywhere. At your desk, in your (parked!) car, in a bench outside your office. If only ten minutes of meditation can make a difference in not only your day, but also your life, why not try it?
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