Tropical Health

8 Signs Your Stressed and How To Fix It Now

By Susan Patterson

While we all have bad days and stress is a normal part of life, when we’re overstressed it can wreak havoc in a number of ways, resulting in all sorts of physical and emotional symptoms. Sometimes, when we’re under chronic stress, those symptoms are more subtle, but if they aren’t addressed it can lead to more serious issues from depression to heart problems.

These signs say that your body is trying to tell you that you’re under too much stress, and it’s time to make an effort to change things now.

Insomnia

If you’re suffering from a lack of sleep, it could be due to high cortisol levels caused by stress. This “stress hormone” as its often called, is supposed to decrease at night to allow your body to rest and recharge. But if the stress response is constantly “on,” your going to have a hard time sleeping.

Frequent Headaches

When you’re stressed, all of that tension tends to build up, resulting in a tension or a stress headache. You know that dull, aching pain that feels like it’s wrapped around your head? If you’ve been getting these type of headaches frequently, you’re probably pretty stressed.

Your Jaw is Sore

If your jaw is sore, it’s probably because you’ve been grinding your teeth, something that’s common when you’re stressed out

Skin Problems

Stress tends to increase inflammation, which can lead to breakouts and acne. If your skin frequently breaks out, or you develop a skin rash like eczema, it’s a sign that you’re under a lot of stress.

Your Hair is Thinning or You Have Bald Patches

If you notice that you’re hair is falling out more often, it’s thinning, or worse, you have small bald patches, it could be due to excess stress. While it may be related to a particularly stressful event, alopecia can also be the result of chronic stress, which is when the immune system starts to attack hair follicles, causing hair loss.

Fatigue

If you don’t have insomnia and your fatigue isn’t connected to something obvious, like running a marathon or staying up too late, it could be the result of stress.

Anxiety

Everyone experiences some anxiety now and again, but if you’re anxious all the time, it could be that you’re overstressed. Anxiety is just one of the many ways your body reacts to stress.

Digestive Problems or Frequent Bellyaches

If you frequently suffer from digestive woes, it could very well be due to stress. Stress can actually cause a bellyache, constipation or diarrhea. Medical director of the Digestive Health Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina Kenneth Koch, MD told Everyday Health, “Stress can affect every part of the digestive system,” adding, “Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German writer, and philosopher, believed that the gut was the seat of all human emotions.”

Koch further added, “Although stress may not cause stomach ulcers, celiac disease, or inflammatory bowel disease, it can make these and other diseases of digestion worse.”

In a 2002 study reported by Prevention magazine researchers found that of the nearly 2,000 participants, those who experienced the highest levels of stress were over three times as likely to have abdominal pain as compared to their counterparts who were more relaxed. While the reason behind it isn’t totally clear, some experts believe that it’s because the intestines and the brain share nerve pathways. When your mind reacts to stress, your intestines are getting that same signal.

How to Fix It Now

If you’re seeing yourself among these signs, it’s important to address it as soon as possible. Here’s how you can fix it now.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Do the best you can to let worries roll off your back. Don’t let those inevitable little things like traffic or a grumpy grocery store clerk get to you. Remember, in the scheme of things, it’s all the small stuff that adds up, building and building until you feel like your head is going to explode. Instead of worrying about everything, make the changes you’re able to and then make a decision to accept that you won’t be able to change everything. If there is nothing you can do about a perceived problem, let it go.

Be Mindful

Focus on what’s happening right now, this very minute, and not what happened yesterday, last week or last year, or what might happen tomorrow or the next day. By concentrating on the present moment, it can dramatically reduce stress.

Practice Deep Breathing

Deep breathing offers immediate stress relief. Multiple studies have found that the practice of deeply inhaling, holding your breath and then slowly exhaling, to a count of five for each, can active lower cortisol levels which helps to reduce stress. Researchers have found that it can even lower blood pressure too.

In 2014 research reported in Frontiers in Psychology, volunteers were asked to count nine breaths in sequence. They used a keyboard to tap one key for each breath, and a different key for the last breath in each sequence, causing them to be more aware of their breath. At the end, the experts found that it resulted in a more positive mood in all the participants.

Get Moving

Just about any type of physical activity helps to relieve stress, but walking can be done pretty much anytime, anywhere. Even if you’re at the office, you can get up out of your chair and walk around the building or up and down the halls. At home, you can walk around the house or even up and down the stairs if the weather isn’t cooperating. Whenever you can, aim to get outside as the fresh air combined with exercise serves as kind of a “double whammy” for battling stress.

Exercise in Shorter Periods

If the thought of exercising for long periods is stressing you out, or causing you to skip it altogether, you should know that it can be just as beneficial to workout in shorter periods. Try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, but you can accomplish that by doing it 10 minutes (or more) at a time, for example, walking after each meal.

Get Sufficient Sleep

A lack of sleep contributes to stress, actually causing cortisol levels to rise. Aim to get seven to eight hours of sleep every night as often as you can. If you struggle, make it a point to change things by creating a more conducive environment, such as avoiding your cell phone, tablet or laptop about an hour before bedtime, and making sure all those little lights from your electronics are shut off. Wearing earplugs can be a big help if noise is preventing you from sleeping or waking you up at night too.

-Susan Patterson

5 Ancient Health Practices That Really Work

By Susan Patterson

Compared to ancient health practices, pharmaceutical medications have only been around for a relatively short amount of time. While there is little doubt that prescription medications have saved lives, many have been misused, abused, and/or come with a long list of side effects that are sometimes worse than the original problem.

For thousands of years, before those pharmaceuticals were created, all ancient cultures utilized natural healing practices, from 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic practices to herbal tinctures and well beyond. Those early cultures didn’t have access those highly-marketed drugs we have today, relying instead on the knowledge that was passed through generations.

While much of that information has been lost today with the introduction of new technology – or declared ineffective (including by some who don’t have our best interests in mind), some of the ancient practices traditionally used throughout millennia really do work, and come without all of those nasty side effects and/or the potential for addiction.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the world’s oldest healing practices. Part of traditional Chinese medicine, it’s been scientifically found to relieve pain by affecting multiple pathways and healing responses at the same time.

This ancient practice has the ability to:

  • Increase endorphin levels by activating the body’s natural opioid system
  • Diminish the pain response in the nervous system
  • Positively alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones
  • Reducing inflammation and swelling
  • Relaxing the muscles and stopping muscle spasms
  • Boosting blood circulation to an injured area
  • Promote tissue healing

A 2012 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine that involved nearly 18,000 patients from four different countries, demonstrated that acupuncture was significantly more effective for decreasing chronic pain, such as back, neck and shoulder pain as well as migraines, as compared to standard pain treatment alone.

Acupuncture is effective for many health problems in addition to easing the pain. It’s also be found to relieve anxiety, and even eliminate phobias or fears.

Acupuncture is also known to help ease anxiety as well as to eliminate or relieve fears and phobias. Research published in 2010 in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, found that just five minutes of acupuncture was able to diminish dental phobia. During previous dental visits, three of the 20 patients who participated as study volunteers had to be knocked out with a general anaesthetic in order to cope with their fears; six who suffered from dental phobia required strong sedatives, and in 14 cases, treatment had to be cancelled because the patient was unable to go through with it. After treating them with needles, placed at specific acupuncture points on the top of the head, all 20 participants were able to conquer their fears.

Reflexology

Reflexology, or at least some form of it, has been used to promote healing for thousands of years. While you might think it’s simply a type of massage, it’s actually closer to acupuncture as both practices rely on the concept of “qi” or “chi.” This refers to the theoretical life force that flows through every living thing.  While acupuncturist inserts needles into certain areas of the body to unblock stagnant qi in other parts of the body, reflexology is typically applied to areas like the hands or feet or hands in order to affect another part of the body.

There is evidence that reflexology was practiced in China as far back as 4,000 BC as well as in Egypt, as depicted in Ankmahor’s tomb. North American Indian tribes are known to have practiced a similar form for centuries. Today’s version was developed about 100 years ago but is still based on the ancient practice, with the belief that certain areas of the hands and feet are connected to other areas and organs of the body.

Reflexology is effective for:

  • Relieving pain
  • Reducing stress and inducing relaxation
  • Boosting the immune system
  • Improving circulation
  • Healing digestive disorders

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is just what it sounds like, as “hydro” refers to water. Basically, it utilizes water to relieve pain, as well as to treat illnesses. Originally used by ancient civilizations, including the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Japanese, it was referred to as the “water cure.” Many records have been discovered, reporting how soaking in hot or cold water had the ability to cure ailments. In fact, that’s why the Romans built their public bathhouses – eventually giving birth to our modern day spas.

Hydrotherapy is known to:

  • Relieve pain and muscle tension by triggering the release of endorphins and easing movement
  • Help heal injured muscles faster by increasing body temperature when using hot water, and improving blood flow
  • Strengthen the immune system due to increased blood flow that allows the lymph system to eliminate toxins and other unwanted materials
  • Encouraging detoxification by inducing sweating that helps to flush out impurities
  • Relieve stress and anxiety through the release of endorphins

Hypnosis

Hypnotherapy has been used by ancient people in religious ceremonies and rituals throughout history, but the hypnosis we know today, which has become much more mainstream in recent years, was first associated with an 18th-century Austrian physician, Franz Anton Mesmer who used a variety of hypnotic techniques like magnets to treat his patients. Mesmer was initially called a fraud, as the University of Maryland Medical Center reports, but it regained popularity in the mid-20th-century. It’s best known for helping one to cope with fear, anxiety, and phobias.  

The term “hypnosis” comes from the Greek word hypnos, which means “sleep.” Hypnotherapists bring deep relaxation to patients, putting them into an altered state of consciousness that can help one learn how to master their own state of awareness. This allows them to affect their own bodily functions and psychological responses.

Herbs

Using herbs to cure ailments dates back thousands of years as well. In fact, roughly 25 percent of the pharmaceutical medications prescribed today are derived from plants, and 11 percent of the 250 drugs on the World Health Organization’s essential medicine list is exclusively made from plants.

Herbs can be used to treat all sorts of acute and chronic conditions from depression and anxiety, to heart disease, inflammation-related conditions and just about everything in between. For example, peppermint leaves are famous for not only their taste and variety of culinary applications but for their medicinal benefits such as treating digestive disorders and soothing stomach discomforts.

Kava root has been recognized as one of the most effective herbal treatments for moderate to severe anxiety. Research in 2013 from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne in Australia was the first clinical trial supporting the use of the medicinal South Pacific plant. The experts found that kava may be as effective as current drugs aimed to treat anxiety, noting that unlike but with less potential for side effects or dependency.

-Susan Patterson

4 Things Every Woman Over 50 Must Do To Be Healthy

By Susan Patterson

Once you’ve blown out the candles at your 50th birthday, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be taking a ride on the hormonal roller coaster. While you’re likely more self-assured and ready to live life to the fullest, this can really throw you off track if it’s not managed the right way.

Typically perimenopause begins around 40, followed by a decade of fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone which occurs until eventually, your menstrual periods halt altogether. Before and during this time it’s more important than ever to manage your health as the hormone shifts affect nearly every system in your body.

When you have an imbalance of progesterone and estrogen, just some of the symptoms that can occur include fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, hot flashes, diminished sex drive, and the list goes on and on. There are also some more serious problems that can develop, as you have a higher risk of heart disease, colorectal cancer, and a weaker immune system. You may also experience some decreased brain functioning, especially related to memory and your ability to recall places, events and so on.

So what should you do to stay healthy and enjoy the highest quality of life possible? Read on.

Schedule in Regular Exercise

While you might be busier than ever, it’s even more important now to schedule in regular exercise. Physical activity isn’t just to help prevent weight gain or to lose stubborn pounds. It can help to battle inflammation, make your bones stronger, balance hormones and help you sleep better too. It’s also great for your brain, in fact, experts say that the amount of exercise you get is one of the best predictors of how well your brain works as you get older. In fact, studies have found that the more active you are when you’re older, the more dramatically your risk of developing cognitive decline is reduced.

You can do just about anything, no matter what you do, just move. The more enjoyable it is to you, the more likely you are to keep it up. So walk, hike, run, bike, swim, garden, dance, spin or jump rope, it all counts. It doesn’t have to be done in long periods either, you can squeeze it in in short bursts too.

Get Plenty of Rest

When you don’t get enough sleep it can affect just about everything in your body. People who get 7 to 8 hours of quality rest each night have been found to live the longest in numerous studies focused on sleep and aging. In fact, some, including research out of UC Berkeley, have found that deep sleep in our older years may be considered a “fountain of youth.”

When you don’t get sufficient sleep, the body interprets that as stress and triggers hormones that can cause weight gain, weaken immunity and make you more likely to get sick. With proper rest, you’ll be in a better mood, the brain will have a greater ability to store memories, and it can also promote a higher level of human growth hormone which has a role in building muscle and bone mass – all especially important as we age.

If you struggle to fall asleep or wake up frequently during the night there are a number of things you can do to help encourage longer, better rest such as keeping your room cooler, and turning all lights off, even the little lights from an LED display can prevent you from dozing off as they stimulate the brain. If noise is a problem, use earplugs too.

To help you fall asleep faster, sip an herbal tea like chamomile just before bedtime, enjoy a warm bath, perform gentle stretching exercises or deep breathing, and/or use essential oils in a diffuser or on a tissue placed under your pillow. Lavender, clary sage, chamomile, and sandalwood are some of the best essential oils to use for this purpose.

Follow a Healthy Diet

There is no one diet fits all, as everyone is different, some do better on vegan or vegetarian diets, while others do better on a Paleo or another type of diet. The main thing is that you eat as many whole foods as possible while avoiding the “junk,” many sugary and/or highly processed foods like fast food, potato chips, lunch meats, pastries, crackers, frozen meals and so on. While you don’t have to live on kale, the more organic vegetables, in a variety of colors, you eat, the better.

Don’t cut out all fat either, you need healthy fats like coconut and olive oil, as well as protein – foods like wild-caught salmon are ideal. For many, eliminating sugar and gluten can make a big difference, especially after 50. It helps to reduce inflammation, eliminate bloating, prevent weight gain and even address fatigue. While eating should be enjoyable when you think of your food as “medicine” you’ll fuel your mind and body with what it needs.

Take Supplements

While you should get as many nutrients as you can by eating a wide variety of healthy foods, you may want to cover your bases by taking a multivitamin that includes iron, zinc, folic acid, beta-carotene, vitamins B6 and B12, as well as C, D, and E. There are a number of herbs that can help keep hormones more balanced naturally too.

Black cohosh is one of the best-studied and most well-known herbs when it comes to treating perimenopause and menopause symptoms as it’s believed to support and help maintain proper hormonal levels. Many women have reported it to be highly effective and the University of Maryland Medical Center notes that a number of studies have confirmed this as well. Research from Germany showed that the herb helped to improve both psychological and physical symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes, anxiety and vaginal dryness.

A 2007 study of 120 women suffering from menopausal symptoms revealed that black cohosh was even more effective at relieving night sweats and hot flashes than the antidepressant Prozac. Other herbs to consider include maca root, sea buckthorn, and evening primrose oil. The maca plant grows high in the Peruvian Andes and has long been used by the indigenous people. The women who live in this region and consume it regularly are said to experience very few menopausal symptoms as it’s believed to aid in balancing hormones as well as improving energy levels. While there are only limited studies on it, the majority of women who’ve used it swear by it for relief.

-Susan Patterson

Health Benefits of Nut Butters and How to Make Your Own

By Susan Patterson

Of all the nut butter, peanut butter is the most famous. Supermarket shelves are filled with jar after jar of peanut butter, including those popular brands you probably grew up with as a child. But those typically highly-processed, commercial peanut butter aren’t what we’re talking about here. They’re loaded with all sorts of unwanted ingredients, including sugars and fillers. Even some “all-natural” brands (the term “all-natural” itself is pretty much useless), contains unnecessary additives.

Peanut butter may have won you over as a kid, but there is a long list of other nut butter, unprocessed nut butter made only from, you guessed it, NUTS! Nut butters that are organic, with no added oils or sugars are high in protein and healthy fats, providing your body and mind with the nutrition it needs without the junk.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, nut butter is a great vegetarian protein source too. In fact, peanut butter got its start when the creator of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, physician Harvey Kellogg wanted his patients to have a protein substitute for meat, so he created his own version of peanut butter in the late 19th-century. Less than a decade later at the St. Louis World’s Fair, it was commercially introduced, and ultimately played a key role in Armed Forces rations in both the First and Second World Wars.

There are many benefits to consuming unprocessed nut butter, just a few include:

Lowering the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Cardiovascular Disease

According to a 2014 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consuming peanuts (and peanut butter) can help prevent both coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease.

Over recent decades, multiple studies have demonstrated that people who regularly include nuts or nut butter in their diets are less likely to develop heart disease than those who rarely eat nuts. While saturated fat was once believed to be deadly, that’s not the reality. The body’s response to saturated fats in foods is to increase the amounts of both the “bad”l LDL cholesterol and the “good” protective HDL in the bloodstream.

When consumed In moderation, some saturated fat can be healthy. It’s eating an excessive amount, or eating unhealthy fats like trans-fats that actually promotes serious problems like artery-clogging atherosclerosis, the process underlies the majority of heart disease. Unsaturated fats, which make up the majority of the fat content in nut butter like peanut butter, help reduce LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Sunflower seed butter is a great option if you’re allergic to nuts. It provides 9 grams of protein per two tablespoons and is richer in magnesium, zinc, iron and vitamin E than peanut butter. No matter which type of nut or seed butter you buy, be sure to look for products that aren’t processed, they should contain just one or two ingredients at the most, and no added sugars, oils or preservatives.

Weight Loss

Nut butter can surprisingly be great for weight loss when consumed in moderation of course. While they’re high in fat, nuts satisfy hunger longer, which leads to fewer hunger pangs and snacking between meals as compared to other foods. Health experts say this is due to the presence of rich nutrients and fiber.

The author of The Small Change Diet, Keri Gans, RDN, says that almond butter is the type that provides the most bang for the buck. She notes, “Per serving it has one of the least amounts of calories, it’s a good source of protein and the most fiber of all of the nut butter.” Gans also says that it can play a “key role” in weight loss, for example, eating a breakfast that contains some almond butter helps to stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the rest of the day. When blood sugar levels are steady, you won’t become ravenous, lowering the risk of cravings, and you’ll have more energy too.

Protein and Other Important Nutrients

Nut butter is loaded with protein and other important nutrients in addition to healthy fats and fiber, like vitamin E and phytochemicals. Sunflower seed butter is ideal for those who have a nut allergy and it has a wonderfully rich flavor. It provides 9 grams of protein per two tablespoons and contains more magnesium, zinc, iron and vitamin E than peanut butter. Sunflower seed butter, in particular, makes an ideal base for a creamy sauce as well as for slathering onto celery sticks.

In the September 2013 issue of Today’s Dietitian food coach, author and nutrition counselor Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD, says, “Each variety offers something a little different, and all are beneficial in their own way. None of the nuts in them can be labeled bad for your health, and something positive can be said about every single one of them. I think they’re actually one of the best diet foods around because you can put it on bread or crackers, and they’re really satiating. It stays with you so you’re not looking around for cookies or some other empty-calorie junk food.”

How to Make Your Own Nut Butter

As we mentioned, all you really need, and want, in a nut butter is ONE ingredient: nuts. Using only one ingredient also results in the creamiest nut butter possible. If you’re allergic to nuts, you can use seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds. If you have to add flavor, toss in a pinch of sea salt.

To make two cups of nut butter, you need four cups or any type of nuts or seeds (you can mix them if you’d like, for example, using one cup of almonds and one cup of cashews).  Roast the nuts in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 12 minutes and then transfer the roasted nuts or seeds to a food processor. Run it on high speed for 10 to 20 minutes – the actual time will be depending on how powerful your food processor is. Occasionally stop it and scrape the sides down a few times. Initially, it will have a fine powdery texture, but when it’s ready, it’ll be nice and creamy. If you want to add a little sea salt, you can do that too – and, if you prefer crunchy nut butter, add some chopped nuts. That’s all there is to it.

Your nut butter can be stored in a clean, lidded glass jar. It will last for a few weeks when stored in the refrigerator.

Yummy and healthy!

-Susan Patterson

4 Natural Face Masks You Can Make at Home

By Susan Patterson

Many of us think about going green when it comes to our homes, our cars, and other areas of our lives, but when it comes to our beauty routine, all of that goes out the window. On the top of our minds is how we can look our very best, but when it comes to beauty, it comes from the inside out, so applying chemical-filled products that can leach into our bloodstream and negatively affect our health is rather counterproductive.

Even if you’re thinking, “Well, I only use a few beauty products each day,” the problem is, what we put on our skin tends to build up in the body over time. Unlike food, things like cosmetics are not filtered through our digestive system which means there’s no way for potential toxins to be eliminated.

Many face masks and other beauty products contain parabens, a group of compounds that serve as preservatives. Those have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors. That means your traditional face masks and other products may contain ingredients that have been linked to breast cancer – who would knowingly want to up their risk? Experts have also found over a dozen chemicals in cosmetics that have been connected to potential health problems such as hormone disruption in teen girls and even cancer, according to the environmental working group.

Fortunately, there are ways to make your own face masks at home, with a variety of options for just about all skin types.

Acne-Battling Mask For Oily Skin

If you suffer from acne and/or frequent breakouts, you can make this very effective mask that can be used once or twice a week to eliminate acne as well as help diminish any acne scars. This is a simple DIY recipe that uses raw honey and apple cider vinegar, which offers numerous benefits to the skin.

Honey is practically famous for its ability to get rid of acne and soothe the skin, serving as a natural antibiotic to fight off bacteria that causes acne. It also provides an osmotic effect, which means it absorbs water in the wound and releases hydrogen peroxide. The acidity of the honey also works to prevent the growth of bacteria and offers powerful anti-inflammatory compounds which decrease redness that’s often associated with acne. With its natural sticky texture, it helps to pull out things like grime and dirt that are known to clog pores.

Apple cider vinegar provides antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral provides that helps keep bacteria at bay, and prevents zits from forming, keeping that acne under control, while the lactic and malic acids in ACV work to exfoliate, lessen red spots and balance the pH of the skin. 

This easy recipe calls for both honey and apple cider vinegar, along with sugar that acts as an exfoliant, breaking up scar tissue and unclogging pores. The green tea ingredient is well-known to fight acne by inhibiting the production of sebum by 50%, according to scientific studies. Research showed that it was even more effective than benzoyl peroxide!

Here’s what you need to make it:

  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp green tea, cooled
  • 5 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp raw, organic honey

Blend all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. For a thicker consistency, add a bit more sugar. Spread the mask across your face using a cotton pad, or your fingers. Gently massage it in for a few minutes which helps to boost circulation and remove dead skin cells. Allow it to remain for about 10 minutes before rinsing well with cool water.

Mask For Hydrated, Glowing Skin

For the ultimate mask that will help hydrate and promote elasticity, resulting in a “glowing” complexion, use this homemade option. It’s suitable for all skin types, with the honey helping to tighten your pores and hydrate your skin. It actually locks in moisture, while battling against microbes that can cause skin problems, in addition to providing some protection from sun damage, which will help prevent signs of premature aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. The extra-virgin olive oil can penetrate deep into the skin, providing rich moisture while also promoting elasticity and helping to eliminate blemishes for softer, smoother skin. Baking soda serves as a natural exfoliant. It helps to remove excess dirt, oil and dead cells from your pores in addition to boosting blood circulation to make your skin glow naturally.

To make it, you’ll need:

  • 1/2 tsp raw, organic honey
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well to create a fine paste. Wash your face thoroughly and then gently pat it dry, leaving it just a little damp. Gently apply the paste to your face and neck using a circular motion. Allow the mask to set for about 15 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. Pat your skin dry and repeat once each week.

Super Moisturizing Mask

Avocados contain healthy fats that are ideal for moisturizing the skin, as the oils are very similar to the natural oils in your own skin. Incredibly nourishing, these oils also help to protect the skin from daily stress and environmental factors. They can deeply penetrate into the skin, softening and hydrating flaky, dry patches too.

This DIY face mask is incredibly simple. All you have to do is mash the flesh of a fully ripe avocado and use the mashed avocado as the mask, gently spreading it across your skin, making sure to get to the extra dry areas. Leave it on for about 15 minutes and then rinse with cool or lukewarm water before gently patting dry. If your skin is very dry, you can also add a tablespoon of honey to the avocado for extra soft, smooth skin.

Mask for Hyperpigmentation and Dark Spots

Some women suffer from hyperpigmentation, a common but harmless condition in which patches of skin become darker in color than the normal surrounding skin. The darkening occurs when there is an excess of melanin, which is the brown pigment that produces normal skin color, forming deposits in the skin.

It’s easy to make your own mask for this too. Simply squeeze a few drops of lemon juice or a dab of apple cider vinegar onto the affected areas of your skin. Leave it on your skin for about 15 minutes before rinsing. Both lemon juice and ACV works wonders for reducing these dark spots and also clears up patchy skin as they serve as a natural astringent which exfoliates the skin and removes dead cells from the surface, for clearer, spot-free skin. Just be careful to use it in small amounts as too much could dry or damage your skin.

-Susan Patterson

Why Grounding is Not Just for “Hippies”

By Susan Patterson

Do you remember what it’s like to run around barefoot on the soft grass, or on the sand at the beach? When was the last time you went without shoes and really felt the ground beneath your toes? Many people haven’t enjoyed this sensation since they were a kid, although some have discovered the pleasures of what’s known as grounding, or earthing.

Grounding is a concept based on the idea that if you walk around barefoot on any natural surface you’ll reap healing benefits. While it may sound like some sort of New Age, hippie idea, those benefits are based on scientific research. Studies have found the health benefits derived from grounding are based on the relationship between the body and electrons in the earth. Our modern lifestyles tend to separate most of us from direct contact with our planet, but this research suggests that the disconnect with the earth may be significantly contributing to unwellness and physiological dysfunction.

 

The Journal of Environmental and Public Health reports:

“It is an established, though not widely appreciated the fact, that the Earth’s surface possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons. Mounting evidence suggests that the Earth’s negative potential can create a stable internal bioelectrical environment for the normal functioning of all body systems. Moreover, oscillations of the intensity of the Earth’s potential may be important for setting the biological clocks regulating diurnal body rhythms, such as cortisol secretion.”

While grounding has been sweeping the holistic health scene in recent years, it’s a practice that’s long been used. In fact, Native Americans and other indigenous people instinctively knew for centuries to walk barefoot, or in leather shoes, and to sleep on the ground in order to recharge their bodies’ batteries. While this vital connection seems to have been forgotten, it’s making a big comeback.

Here’s Why You Really Need to Start Grounding

It is believed that the connection to the Earth’s surface plays an important role in the prevention of disease and also offers a number of health benefits, including reducing chronic pain, lowering stress, improving sleep, increasing energy, and even supporting good cardiovascular health. The influx of free electrons that come from the surface of the earth helps to neutralize free radicals and reduce chronic as well as acute inflammation, known to be the root of a wide range of health conditions and accelerated aging.

Let’s take a closer look at those benefits.

Decreasing inflammation and battling free radicals

Inflammation is a necessary part of the body’s immune response, as its attempt to heal itself after an injury, a battle against foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses, and repair damaged tissue when it becomes chronic, can lead to a wide range of health issues, many of which are serious. It’s been associated with diabetes, obesity, arthritis, celiac disease and a long list of other ailments. A report published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine explains: “Inflammation is now recognized as an overwhelming burden to the healthcare status of our population and the underlying basis of a significant number of diseases. The elderly generally bear the burden of morbidity and mortality, which may be reflective of elevated markers of inflammation resulting from decades of lifestyle choices.”

Thanks to the electrons from the Earth’s surface, grounding helps to reduce chronic inflammation, as well as neutralize free radicals, to prevent premature aging and help heal or decrease symptoms of disease and illness, as some free radicals can leak into surrounding tissue, damaging otherwise healthy body parts, increasing pain and swelling.

For the very same reason, it’s important to eat lots of antioxidant-rich foods, we should practice grounding, with those electrons from our planet serving as a natural antioxidant to battle free radicals and resolve chronic inflammation.

Reducing stress hormones

Chronic stress is well-known to lead to many health problems, and it can severely affect one’s quality of life, but by practicing grounding, it can help reduce stress. Research into the effects of grounding found that about half of the volunteers who took part in it demonstrated “an abrupt, almost instantaneous change in root mean square (rms) values of electroencephalograms (EEGs) from the left hemisphere of the brain.” Those changes are considered to by experts to indicate both reduced stress reactions and positive changes. The majority were also found to have decreased blood volume pulses, which suggested a dramatically higher reduction in overall stress levels.

Supporting cardiovascular health

Both the reduction of stress and lower inflammation also contributes to better cardiovascular health. Dr. Stephen Sinatra of the HeartMD Institute notes that one study he was involved in, published in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, showed how grounding can contribute to a de-stressing and balancing effect on the nervous system, and as a result, on heart function.

Better sleep

Yet another study, this one from 2007, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine showed that connecting the human body to the earth while sleeping (such as camping under the stars), can normalize daily cortisol rhythm and improve sleep. It makes sense as stress hormones like cortisol impact the natural circadian rhythm, energy and the ability to enjoy a good night’s rest.

How To Practice Grounding

As regular physical activity is a must, you can enhance its benefits by exercising outdoors as often as you can, such as going for a walk in nature. That will help you reap the even greater benefits that come from connecting with our planet and synchronizing with its natural charge. Exercising barefoot outside is an ideal way to incorporate grounding into your life.

Of course, going barefoot can be something that you do just as often as you feel comfortable, but you might find that over time you enjoy it so much that you naturally kick off your shoes as often as you can. Initially, aim to practice grounding, or going barefoot, for 20 to 40 minutes at a time in grass, sand or dirt. If you can’t easily go barefoot, there are alternatives, including grounded footwear such as minimalist earthing or grounding shoes. By staying connected either barefoot or wearing earthing shoes, unwanted positive ions are absorbed which helps to neutralize and release harmful free radicals in the body.

-Susan Patterson

7 Benefits of Herbal Tea and Top Teas You Should Drink

By Susan Patterson

While you may think herbal tea is similar to standard green or black tea, it actually has quite a few differences, including the fact that most don’t contain caffeine. It’s made by steeping the roots, stems, flowers, petals, leaves, seeds, roots and stems of all types of plants and flowers, and is available in hundreds of different varieties. Some herbal teas are quite common, such as chamomile, while others are more obscure. Depending on the area in which you live in the world, different types are easier to find than others.

The health benefits of herbal tea can vary greatly, depending on the composition. A single ingredient or a combination of various herbs and flowers may be used. Drinking herbal tea is often recommended for those who want to naturally improve their health, or simply relax while sipping a tasty, refreshing brew.

Most herbal teas contain a variety of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, but the specifics will depend on this exact herbs and plants that used in the tea. Some of the more common health benefits include a feeling of calm and relaxation, helping one to fall asleep easier, lowering inflammation, protecting against disease, relieving pain, boosting the immune system, supporting the digestive system, serving as a detox for the body and even enhancing cognitive function.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of herbal tea and the top teas that you should drink for your health.

Powerful Antioxidants

Many herbal teas are loaded with powerful antioxidants, such as quercetin, which I long been known to help protect against a wide range of illness and disease including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. In addition to this potent compound, it also contains a high concentration of two lesser known antioxidants, aspalathin and nothofagin. These polyphenol antioxidants work to battle free radicals which can help slow the aging process, reverse visible signs of aging and protect against disease. Those substances also provide nerve relaxing properties that may even help to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Cleansing and Detox

Spices have been made into teas and used medicinally for thousands of years. Many offer anti-inflammatory, antiulcer and antioxidant activities and can even be used as an analgesic. Ginger is considered one of the best detoxifying herbs, frequently recommended in cleansing programs and detox diets. The healing portion of the plant is referred to as the rhizome which is the thick underground stem. The stem can be steeped in water used as a tea as part of a cleansing program as it’s believed to cleanse the body by stimulating the digestion process, circulation, and sweating. Its digestive actions may serve to cleanse the build-up of waste and toxins in the colon, liver and other organs too.

Detoxification enhances the body’s natural cleansing process, allowing it to build better defenses against illness and disease in addition to boosting blood circulation and preventing clotting.

Supporting Better Digestion

The health of your digestive system is essential for your overall health. There are multiple teas that can support better digestion and soothe the intestinal system, including treating ailments like gas and nausea.

Ginger, for example, offers healing and detoxifying properties that are likely due to its high concentration of gingerol and shoga which provide anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects on the gastrointestinal system. These properties help to sustain digestive enzymes which neutralize acids, supporting the entire digestive process. As a result, stomach discomforts such as gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation can be relieved.

Relieving Insomnia

Certain teas are also considered to be a safe and effective insomnia remedy. Herbal teas lack caffeine but may contain a high mineral content, including magnesium, calcium, manganese, zinc, and iron, which are all known to encourage calm and relaxation in addition to reducing sleep disturbances. Some herbal teas are believed to indirectly help one to sleep better by inducing a feeling of calm, promote relaxation and improve the quality of sleep.

More Beautiful Skin

Some teas like red bush tea even contain hydroxy acid which is commonly found in those expensive skin products for promoting healthier skin. It’s been shown to minimize acne when applied directly to the skin twice a day, but drinking this herbal tea may also help from the inside out, sipping to improve eczema, psoriasis, and even the pain and itch of sunburns. Just apply a freshly brewed and cooled tea bag to affected areas to soothe and heal inflammation and drink a cup too.

Supports a Healthier Heart

Many herbal teas contain powerful flavonoids that can aid in regulating blood pressure and enhance the stability of capillary arteries. This results in a reduction of cholesterol buildup and blood clots, lessening the chances of heart attack and heart-related disease. It also contains a potent antioxidant known as chrysoeriol, which can improve circulation by preventing the activity of an enzyme known to trigger cardiovascular disease.

Brain Health

Certain herbal teas can support brain health too. For example, turmeric tea.  A study conducted in 2014 suggested that a compound known as aromatic-turmerone can increase neural stem cell growth in the brain by as much as 80 percent when taken in specific concentrations. The experts concluded that this compound could help those who suffer from diseases like Alzheimer’s, as well as stroke victims to recover brain function.

The top herbal teas to drink for your health include:

Chamomile. Chamomile is rich in antioxidants such as apigenin, caffeic acid, chamazulene, chlorogenic acid, chrysoeriol, gentisic acid, hyperoside, isoferulic acid, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, luteolin, malic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, rutin, salicylic acid and sinapic acid. That’s a whole lot of antioxidants, and they have a key role when it comes to lowering inflammation that can lead to illness, disease and cell damage. Chamomile is best-known for its calming properties and great to drink for better sleep.

Roobios. Roobios or Redbush tea also contains an abundance of powerful antioxidants, including quercetin, which is known to help protect against all sorts of illness and disease including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It also contains a high concentration of two lesser known antioxidants, aspalathin and nothofagin which are polyphenol antioxidants that help fight free radicals which can help slow the aging process, reverse visible signs of aging and protect against disease. It’s also known to relieve insomnia and improve digestion.

Lemon balm. Lemon balm is a member of the mint family, and its leaves have an especially pleasant but mild lemony aroma. It’s filled antioxidants and contains a powerful compound called eugenol, a natural anti-inflammatory that’s known to soothe aches and pains.

Ginger. Ginger is famous for its ability to relieve digestive woes like nausea and stomach upset. Israelis researchers have found that it offers dramatic effects for heart health, including reducing cholesterol levels, preventing the oxidation of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and lowering the risk of atherosclerosis.

Turmeric. Heart Disease is the world’s No. 1 killer and something that’s been extensively studied for years. There are also many different things, including turmeric, which can help reverse its progress before it’s too late. Curcumin, a powerful compound found in turmeric, helps to improve the functioning of the endothelium, which is the lining of the blood vessels.

Other super healthy herbal teas include:

  • Peppermint
  • Hibiscus
  • Echinacea
  • Sage
  • Rose Hip

-Susan Patterson

Pesticides Are Probably In Your Produce – Why You Should Go Organic

By Susan Patterson

When you’re walking down that grocery store aisle, particularly in the produce department, there’s something very important you should keep in mind: the pesticides in those fruits and vegetables. While it’s something you’re likely to be concerned about already, with a 2015 Consumer Reports survey revealing it was a concern for 85 percent of Americans, many still aren’t sure if those worries are justified, especially considering the cost of buying organic produce averages around 49 percent more than standard produce.

But is saving a little money in the short term really the best decision when it could put your health in jeopardy? In the long run, you may save big when it comes to medical bills and, of course, the quality of your life.

Renowned holistic physician Dr. Mercola recently focused on the latest pesticide residue report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, noting that it found “about 85 percent of the more than 10,000 samples they tested contained pesticide residues.” Another report, he writes, compiled by the FDA and released in November 2017, also demonstrated that the majority of fruits and vegetables in the U.S. were contaminated with pesticide residues.

The FDA’s sampling of nearly 6,000 foods discovered that fruits and vegetables are most frequently contaminated with pesticide residues, with 82 percent of domestic fruits and 62 percent of domestic vegetables containing these potentially harmful chemicals.

All that means that there’s a very good reason to go organic, considering the many different pesticides that are probably in your produce if you don’t. Those pesticides can attack your health in multiple ways, including these.

Cancer

No one wants to hear the dreaded “c” word. That diagnosis, sadly, has been linked in more than 260 studies to pesticides, including lung, liver, brain, breast, prostate and other cancers. Even indirect exposure may be harmful to children due to parental exposure during gestation, or even before conception. Research published in Environmental Health Perspectives linked parental use of pesticides with a higher risk of brain cancer in children. “Parental exposures may act before the child’s conception, during gestation, or after birth to increase the risk of cancer,” the researchers noted. When parents are exposed to the pesticides, they added, those may also play a role in the different cellular changes that lead to cancer.

Infertility and Birth Defects

There’s another way pesticides can impact your children – or, your ability to have them in the first place. In fact, one of the most well-known negative impacts of pesticides is infertility. It’s continuously found to be a result of exposure to chemicals like atrazine, a weed killer used in agriculture and golf courses. It’s even been found in our tap water and is commonly found in apple and peach orchards as well as strawberry fields. Other research, which tested roundup on mature male rats found that within 1 to 48 hours of exposure, their testicular cells rats were either damaged or killed.

If you’re already pregnant, it’s crucial to avoid pesticides, as they’ve been linked to all sorts of birth defects, including glyphosate, which is the primary active ingredient in the top-selling herbicide Roundup. Yet, that compound is not even tested for by the FDA. Environmental Health News reported:

“Neither FDA nor USDA has routinely tested for glyphosate despite the fact it is the world’s most widely used herbicide, and testing by academics, consumer groups, and other countries has shown residues of the weed killer in food. The FDA said in early 2016 that it planned to start testing for the weed killer, and documents show that one FDA chemist reported finding residues in honey and in oatmeal products, but overall results of the program testing have not been released publicly.

Details of the testing program are being kept secret, and in the documents released by FDA through the FOIA, large blocks of information are blacked out. FDA declined to comment about the status of the glyphosate and 2,4-D testing, including when it might publish some results.”

Diabetes and Obesity

Pesticides have been strongly associated with obesity too, and as obesity and diabetes often go hand-in-hand, it makes sense that these chemicals also have a connection to diabetes. Scientific research discovered there was a higher prevalence of obesity in people with high urinary concentrations of a pesticide called 2,5-DCP, one of the most widely used pesticides on Earth. The findings showed that these chemicals can create insulin resistance in fat cells, and were revealed at the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting.

Negative Effects to the Nervous System and the Immune System

Pesticides can have many short-term consequences too, for example, organophosphates have been shown to affect the nervous system, including excess salivation, stomach pain, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea. Multiple studies have shown that pesticides alter the immune system in animals, making them more susceptible to disease.

More Affordable Ways Go Organic

While it’s true that most organic foods cost a little more, they generally bring a better value, in terms of providing more health benefits, and they often taste better too. At the same time, if you’re on a budget, it can be tough coming up with that extra cash. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to save money while going organic. By taking advantage of these tips, you might just find that going organic is a lot easier than you imagined.

Buy local. Buying local can be significantly cheaper than food shipped from miles away, and it also helps to contribute to the betterment of your community and area farmers. Visit a farmers market and talk to local farmers about their practices. They may not have USDA organic certification, which helps to keep their prices lower, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they use pesticides or other potentially harmful substances.

Grow your own. You don’t have to own a farm or acres of land to grow your own food. Many fruits and vegetables can be grown in containers or in hanging pots right on your patio. You might plant an herb pot in your kitchen so that you always have fresh herbs on hand for cooking, as organic herbs tend to be some of the priciest items at the grocery store.

Search for coupons and other discounts. Many organic food companies offer printable coupons on their websites. If you have a few favorite brands, consider joining the company’s social media page to stay updated on special sales and discounts. There are also organic coupon sites with some great deals, such as Organic Deals, Healthsavers and Mambo Sprouts.

-Susan Patterson

 

Why Your ‘Stinkin Thinkin’ Is Killing You

By Susan Patterson

Your thoughts are a lot more powerful than you probably imagine, with the ability to affect your health and well-being for better or worse.  Just as the power of positive thinking can be used to improve health and happiness, negative thoughts have been linked to all types of health issues, and, they may even be killing you.

Does your blood start to boil when someone cuts you off on the freeway, or when someone gets into the checkout line with far too many items over that 10- or 15-item limit? You’re not harming the offender, you’re harming yourself by basically cutting your life short, says molecular biologist and 2009 Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn and health psychologist Elissa Epel, who studies stress and aging.

The Telomere Effect

The authors claim in their book, The Telomere Effect, that negative thoughts harm your health at the DNA level. They say that a positive frame of mind, along with eating and sleeping well, “can help reduce chronic disease and improve wellbeing, all the way down to our cells and all the way through our lives.”

On “CBS This Morning,” Blackburn explains that “telomeres are like the caps at the end of your shoelaces that protect them from fraying but on tips of our chromosomes.” Those with longer telomeres, she says, “have lower death rates from cancers and some diseases.” Epel added that “long-term stress or negative thinking can actually shorten your telomere length, while different types of meditation appear to strengthen them.”

Basically, telomeres appear to respond to what’s going on in your life, the authors said. They’re actually listening to your thoughts, which is why of the approximately 65,000 thoughts the mind processes a day, it helps to be aware of the negative and positive styles of thought. The authors warn that pessimistic thoughts shorten telomere because when a pessimist develops an age-related disease like cancer, that illness tends to progress faster and the victim dies earlier. Continuously ruminating over a difficult situation is destructive too, as it causes stress to stick around in the body long after the reason for it has ended. If you become anxious or depressed because of it, the telomeres become even shorter.

Types of Stinkin’ Thinkin’

Stinkin’ Thinkin’ is a phrase that originated in Alcoholics Anonymous as a way to describe the kind of thinking that could easily lead one back to drinking, but over time it came to be used to describe any number of self-destructive thought processes, like that Inner Critic we call the “voice” of such thoughts.

While it may sound funny, there’s definitely nothing funny about it. This type of self-speak fosters a bad way of thinking, making you believe that bad things will happen to you, that you don’t deserve good things or that you’ll fail, and it comes in many different forms, according to Psychology Today.

Do you recognize any of them?

You see everything in black or white. This kind of all-or-nothing type of thinking sets you up for failure. If a situation doesn’t turn out just like you thought it would, you see the experience as a complete failure – for example, you’re on a diet and decide to indulge in one small cookie. You tell yourself that now you’ve gone and blown all of those hard efforts, which makes you feel even more guilty so you end up eating the entire package.

You overgeneralize. You see one negative event, like being rejected from the guy or girl of your affections, or not getting that coveted job, as a total defeat, with thoughts like “I’ll never be good enough to get ___.”

You dwell on single negative details. You concentrate on the negative so that your reality is much darker. For example, you get lots of positive comments about the speech you just gave, but one person says something slightly critical so you obsess over that reaction, ignoring all of the positive.

You jump to negative conclusions. Even when you don’t have all, or any, of the facts, you immediately jump to the negative conclusion. For example, perhaps you pass someone you know on the street, but they don’t bother to say hello. You conclude that it was an intentional effort to avoid you, but the reality was, the sun was in their eyes and they didn’t even see you.

You predict things will go badly. You often assume things will go badly – for example, you have to take a test and tell yourself you’ll never pass, or you’re heading out on a first date, wondering why you’re bothering to go in the first place because he or she will never like you.

You magnify the importance of perceived flaws or problems. Exaggerating the importance of those things in your head, or minimizing your desirable qualities is stinkin’ thinkin’ too. Also known as the “binocular trick,” you see that little zit on your forehead as a huge target, other people don’t even notice. But they do see your twinkling blue eyes, something you take for granted.

Persistent Worry

While all of those forms of stinkin’ thinkin’ can lead to premature death and many other health issues, negatively impacting the quality of your life, the persistent worry is a big one. As Erma Bombeck once said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair. While it gives you something to do, it gets you nowhere.” Except, we should add, to worse health. Those worrisome thoughts are known to weaken the immune system, which in itself can lead to all sorts of health issues, something proven by scientific research, including digestive problems, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Just think about it this way: when you’re scared, for example, can feel your heart start to race, an obvious sign that your thoughts and your body are interconnected.

Giving Up That Stinkin’ Thinkin’

Replacing those negative thoughts with something more positive can have the opposite effect, improving both mental and physical health. There have been numerous studies that have confirmed the power of positive thinking, showing optimism can promote healing, enhance overall health and lead to a longer life, with pessimism often bringing the opposite effect.

One of the best ways to give up that negative type of thinking is to be grateful what you do have by taking the time to write down what you feel gratitude for each and every day. Regular meditation, perhaps focusing on a certain positive thought, has been found to relieve stress, promote relaxation and better sleep, lower the heart rate, reduce cortisol levels and provide an overall sense of well-being.

The next time you have a negative thought – stop. Think about turning it around to something more positive and look forward to enjoying a much happier, healthier, longer life.

-Susan Patterson

 

Health Benefits of Olives and Why You Should Eat More

By Susan Patterson

While most people are familiar with the many health benefits of olive oil, the olives that the oil is extracted from has a lot to offer as well. Technically classed as a fruit that’s derived from the Olea Europea tree, olives are harvested in September, but available year round. Olive trees are some of the oldest trees ever harvested by humans, a practice that dates back more than 8,000 years.

Olives are tasty eaten on their own, tossed onto a pizza as a topping, in a salad, popped into a martini, and in a wide range of meat and poultry dishes. They have sweet, salty, sour, bitter and pungent flavors that are singularly complex, making them a must for any home cook. Despite what many believe, there are no green olive trees. An olive’s color indicates its ripeness, with green olives ripening and becoming black olives, transforming from green to light brown, to an intense red and purple, before eventually becoming a deep, dark black. The darker an olive is, the riper it was likely to be when it was harvested from the tree.

While there are over two dozen types of olives, the five most common types of olives are:

  • Kalamata – These common, widely available olives come from Greece and are usually preserved in oil or vinegar, used to add a salty depth to things like couscous dishes and dips.
  • Moroccan salt-cured – These black olives with a wrinkled appearance have an intensely bitter flavor that makes them good in a tagine or a braised chicken dish. They’re cured in salt before being preserved in oil.
  • Picholine – These olives originally come from France and are often used in martinis as well as for snacking.
  • Cerignola – These large olives come from Italy and are quite meaty. They can be black or green and have a sweet bite. They’re great as part of a cheese board.

Olives contain dozens of nutrients that support overall health, with numerous recent studies coming to the conclusion that no matter the variety, they are incredibly powerful when it comes to anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants. Olives are also a rare fruit in that they contain anywhere from 11 to 15 percent fat, with nearly three-quarters of that fat oleic acid, a healthy monounsaturated fatty acid that’s been associated with a number of health benefits like reduced inflammation and a lower risk of heart disease. It may even help to battle some types of cancer.

Olives are also high in fiber and are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, iron, copper, and calcium. They contain many plant compounds too, including leuropein, hydroxytyrosol, oleonalic acid, and quercetin, all of which have been associated with numerous health benefits.

Here’s a closer look at why you should really be eating more of them.

Improved Heart Health

High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol and well-known risk factors for heart disease, but thanks to the oleic acid in olives, eating them can improve your heart health to reduce your risk of disease. They help to regulate cholesterol levels and protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, according to scientific research. Some studies have also demonstrated that olives can lower high blood pressure. The experts have found that study participants typically experience a reduction in total cholesterol as well as LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and LDL to HDL ratio, all of which reduces the risk of heart disease.

Reducing the Risk of Cancer

In Mediterranean countries, the incidence of cancer (as well as other chronic diseases) is lower than in American and other European nations. Experts believe that at least one of the reasons behind this is the high consumption of olives throughout the Mediterranean, as the fruit contains phenols that serve as chemoprotective and therapeutic agents which act against cancer. In experiments, they were shown to have the ability to disrupt the life cycle of certain types of cancer cells found in the stomach, breast, and colon.

Better Bone Health

Interestingly, the rates of osteoporosis, a devastating bone disease that is characterized by reduced bone quality and bone mass, increasing the risk of fractures, is also lower in Mediterranean countries. That’s led scientists to speculate that olives are also playing a part in better bone health. A number of studies have found that some of the plant compounds in olives, as well as olive oil, may help prevent bone loss. While these studies were conducted on animals, and more human studies need to be conducted, experts say this research that links a Mediterranean diet and olives to lower fracture rates is promising.

Reducing Inflammation

Inflammation is an essential part of the body’s immune response. It helps us to heal after an injury, fight off foreign invaders such as a bacteria and viruses, and repair damaged tissue. The problem is when it becomes chronic. Chronic inflammation is the root of many health conditions, including being linked to arthritis, diabetes, celiac disease, obesity and many other ailments.

Olives and olive oil have well-documented anti-inflammatory properties thanks to their high level of phytonutrients. They help to reduce inflammation in a number of ways, including by decreasing levels of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), a very common pro-inflammatory messaging molecule. One of olives unique phytonutrients, oleuropein, has been found to reduce the activity of an enzyme that’s been linked to unwanted inflammation.

Supporting Brain Health

Olives and olive oil are great for brain health too, including having the ability to battle age-related cognitive decline, due to reducing excess inflammation, oxidative stress and other factors that can lead to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Consuming olives can even help lift one’s mood, leading to clearer, more focused thinking, as the brain requires a significant amount of fatty acids, which both olives and olive oil has. Olive oil has even been associated with a lower risk of depression. Research from Spain’s University of Las Palmas, demonstrated that when comparing study participants who consumed trans fats regularly with those whose dietary fat consisted primarily of olive oil, the trans fat consumers had a 48% higher risk of developing depression.

So use olives in your dishes regularly, and turn to them whenever you’re in need of a tasty snack, they’re a fabulous way to support your good health.

-Susan Patterson