JOURNAL
Green Tea: The Next Superfood
In recent years the popularity of green tea has skyrocketed, due in large part to its perceived health benefits. In several peer-reviewed studies, drinking green tea has been linked with health benefits in key areas ranging from increased metabolism to reduced memory loss. Participants use of the leafy plant during clinical trials also demonstrated preventive properties, including decreased LDL levels, reductions in heart disease, and lower rates of certain cancers.
More than a little stressed out?
Do you find yourself feeling angrier, agitated, and short of patience? Is it becoming more difficult to relax and focus on the things you enjoy? Do you lay awake at night dwelling on the day’s conflicts, unpaid bills, or other common stressors? When stress becomes overpowering it can leave us feeling powerless. It can cloud our judgment, and limit our ability to think lucidly. Moreover, allowing ourselves to become puppets in the hands of our stressors can take a heavy toll on both our physical and mental health.
Fight the Flu Not Your Body
As we head toward Autumn and cooler weather, our attention often turns to preventing illnesses we're likely to face. Those of us who ride city busses and subways are particularly susceptible, especially in cities like San Francisco where commuters pack BART cars like sardines. Fortunately, the body's immune system is our first line of defense against attacks from germs, bacteria, and viral agents like the flu.
Effectiveness of Acupuncture?
When western medicine fails to adequately alleviate a patient’s pain, many turn to acupuncture or other forms of alternative medicine to find relief. As practiced for more than 2,500 years, acupuncture is widely accepted as a remedy for a variety of diseases, and reliance on this art as an alternative treatment has increased worldwide particularly since the 1970s. Moreover, acupuncture has been shown to improve neurological disorders, severe to moderate dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps), and to relieve chronic pain in children and adolescents. By example, a comparative study in which patients with ischemic cerebro-vascular disease, also known commonly as a stoke, who were treated with acupuncture, were compared with those treated with conventional drugs (Chen, et al. 1990).
Television and Obesity
In a 1990 survey, respondents in the United States were asked to identify an activity or activities that consumed a significant portion of their time. Surprisingly, the survey participants ranked television watching as number three after work and sleep (Hive Health Media, 2012). Currently, American households watch an average of 8 hours of television programming each day. More hours than a typical grade school student spends in class or preparing homework.
Organic vs. Non Organic
According to the findings in a recent Stanford University Study, fruits and vegetables sourced from organic suppliers turn out to be no higher in nutritional value than their factory farmed counterparts. Moreover, these foods are often far more expensive than their non organic counterparts, leading some experts to conclude that consumers are overpaying for these products.
What would a city governed completely by women look like? Author Jean Brittingham thinks she knows.
In Saudi Arabia, a women-centric city may be just what the women there need. A utopian society where women hold all the cards. According to author Despite the obvious benefits, some feel the added isolation might only further degradation of women’s rights in a country where little prevail.