Greetings,  

How Many people today can't seem to get a good night's rest?  I found this on Newsmax and thought that I would share it.   Seems like too many people have to turn to dangerous drugs to try and get a good nights sleep.  You know that if you were to go to your doctor, I'm sure that he would be only too happy to prescribe you one drug or another.   Debbie and I always laugh whenever we catch a Drug companies commercial on TV.  Did you ever listen to the laundry list of Side Effects?  Check out this list...

Common side effects of prescription sleeping pills such as Lunesta, Sonata, Ambien, Rozerem, and Halcion may include:

burning or tingling in the hands, arms, feet, or legs

changes in appetite

constipation

diarrhea

difficulty keeping balance

dizziness

drowsiness

dry mouth or throat

gas

headache

heartburn

stomach pain or tenderness

uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body

unusual dreams

weakness

How they ever get someone to take them never cease to amaze us...  

Enjoy the info and let us know what you do to get a goods night sleep.  

All the best,  Lou & Debbie

Chronic insomnia can be caused by a number of factors including chronic diseases, medication, alcohol, stress, and shift work. The condition is more common in women and the elderly.If a good night's sleep eludes you, youíre not alone. About 32 million Americans suffer from insomnia, and the numbers are growing as modern life becomes ever more hectic and the population ages. Experts estimate that 50 percent of Americans over the age of 75 have chronic insomnia

Pharmaceutical companies are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to advertise and promote sleeping aids, but Newsmax Health expert Dr. Russell Blaylock says, 

The problem with drugs is that they rarely produce restful sleep and often plague users with a number of complications and side effects, including next-day drowsiness, sleepwalking and confusion.

Instead of popping a pill, try these tips for a good night's sleep:

Be consistent. Go to bed and get up at the same time, even on weekends. Varying your schedule on weekends will reset your biological clock.

Always go to bed by midnight. Staying up any later will also reset your biological clock.

Keep your room dark. Eliminate even night lights and bright clock dials.

Keep your bedroom cool. Even Ben Franklin advised using a cool pillow.

Wind down before bedtime. Avoid watching television and reading for one hour before bedtime.

Take a natural sleep cocktail. Before bedtime, take 1,000 mg of vitamin C, 120 mg of magnesium citrate, and 1 mg of melatonin to relax you as you drift off to sweet dreams. A just-released study found that even though people taking beta blockers to control their high blood pressure often had problems with insomnia, taking melatonin at night helped them fall asleep sooner and sleep longer than those who took a placebo.

Don't take naps during the day, especially after 3:00 p.m., and limit any naps to less than one hour.

Exercise regularly, but early in the day, and avoid exercising at night.  Exercise gives a boost to your metabolism which can keep you awake.

Don't eat large meals close to bedtime, and avoid spicy foods if you're prone to heartburn.

Avoid caffeine and nicotine. Caffeine takes eight hours to be eliminated from the body and smokers can be awakened at night by withdrawal symptoms.

Get comfy. 

Choose a mattress and pillow that's comfortable for you.

Drink a soothing cup of tea. Chamomile, valerian root, passionflower and catnip all help calm and relax

Start a nighttime routine. Bedtime rituals, whether a warm bath or listening to soft music, can signal your body that itís time to chill out and relax.

The Hidden Link Between Stress, Aging and Caffeine

Greetings,

Have you ever really thought about that cup of coffee you have every morning?  

We’ve been hearing for years how bad it is for our health, right? 

There are always two sides of the coin.

So, which side do you fall on?  This is one side. 

Let us know what you think. 

Look for another post we’re going to put up that  is the flip side, so check back again.

All the best,

Lou & Debbie.

The Hidden Link Between Stress, Aging and Caffeine

© Caroline MacDougall

It’s the common complaint you hear 

uttered by friends, family and co-workers throughout the day. “I just can’t get going without my cup of coffee!” What happened to the days of childhood when we used to bound out of bed with plenty of energy and we kept going at an energetic pace until night? Most people assume that age causes diminished energy supply, but the latest research is shedding new light on lifestyle practices that ultimately lead to fatigue. 

Although we reach for the coffee or teacup hoping to boost our energy, studies show that we are actually inducing a state of stress. Caffeine drives the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones that can remain in the blood stream up to 18 hours after consumption. These hormones produce the “fight or flight” response nature designed to help save our lives when every bit of energy was required to survive an impending disaster such as an attack by a foe. In today’s world, where we are more often sitting at a desk, driving in our car, or eating a meal, caffeine can put us into a chronic state of stress with no way for our body to burn off the extra fuel and hormones. Caffeine-induced stress can produce mood swings and insomnia, increase muscle tension, impair digestion and nutrition, restrict blood circulation to the brain, elevate blood pressure, create blood sugar swings, and accelerate heart rate. Yet the lines at the local coffee bar are still stretching out the door with people desperate for their next caffeine fix. 

Caffeine addiction is rampant in our society. Caffeine is the only unregulated drug in our food supply. There are no requirements for the quantity of caffeine to be labeled on foods or soft drinks. Most people don't know that their coffee flavored ice cream or yogurt may be supplying a hefty dose of caffeine just when they want to relax at the end of a hectic day. Mothers don't suspect that the root beer and orange soda they are giving their children may also contain caffeine. Students studying late at night don't realize that caffeine restricts the oxygen flow to their brain up to 30% and impairs memory retention. Under the guise of alertness, caffeine has fooled them into thinking they will be better prepared for their exams in the morning. 

While the adrenals are busy pumping out cortisol to send energy to the muscles and divert energy from the digestive and immune systems, there is a very important hormone they aren't making: DHEA. It turns out that the adrenals have to reduce their production of the most important anti-aging hormone your body requires for youth and longevity in order to produce the stress hormones that ultimately weaken your immune system and impair your health. DHEA is the mother hormone for all the sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone as well as it increases your brain's serotonin levels naturally. So if you've been feeling down in the dumps and your lover no longer interests you, check out how much caffeine you are consuming daily in that coffee mug of yours!

The caffeine industry created a nice deception to make you think you're not drinking that much caffeine. It turns out that a cup of coffee is not your normal 8 oz cup, but a mere 5 oz cup. So when you read that a couple of cups of coffee a day shouldn't be any problem to your health, think of one 10 oz mug because that is what they are actually talking about. When you add to that the statistics for caffeine content in a cup of coffee brewed at popular coffee bars, you'll find out that you can expect up to 300 mg in that 10 oz cup, not the 150 mg you might find in a cup of coffee from your own coffee maker. 

Decaf coffee drinkers who think they have  witched to a healthier choice will be surprised to find out that a Stanford University study showed that decaf coffee raises the cholesterol higher and faster than regular coffee. A cup of decaf coffee still contains around 7 mg of caffeine. Plus, the beans chosen for decaf coffee have a higher acidic content than regular coffee to compensate for flavor loss during the decaffeination process. Since antacids are the top selling over-the-counter drug in America, it is evident that many people suffer from the acidity of coffee! 

With all this bad news about our favorite legal drug habit, you may be wondering what is my alternative? Stephen Cherniske M.S., the author of Caffeine Blues (Warner 1998) recommends switching to caffeine-free herbal coffee. Herbal coffee, made from carob, chicory, barley, dates, figs and almonds, can be brewed right in your same coffee maker. It contains significant amounts of potassium to give you a natural energy lift. Potassium is added to sports recovery beverages because it helps your muscles and brain recover from fatigue. Herbal coffee is also alkaline for your system unlike coffee and tea which are highly acidic. Plus, chicory has high levels of inulin that is food for your digestive flora. Inulin will help establish a healthy colony of bifidus bacteria in the colon where they create B vitamins, help you absorb your minerals like calcium and iron, and enhance your immune system. If you depend on caffeine to drive your elimination, bifidus bacteria will help you become regular without dependency on stimulants. 

Kicking the Caffeine Habit

Caffeine withdrawal headaches can be incapacitating. Often they are accompanied by fatigue as your body starts to recuperate from its former caffeine-driven pace. But it is not as hard as you may think to ease yourself off of caffeine if you use a two week weaning program. By slowly reducing the amount of caffeine you consume daily, you can avoid those withdrawal headaches and help your adrenal glands recover. You may be surprised to find in 2 to 3 months that you feel better than you've felt since you were a child and once again, you have an abundance of energy and enthusiasm for life! 

It may interest you to know why you get a headache when you skip your morning cup. Caffeine acts a as powerful vasoconstrictor in the brain. That is, it constricts blood vessels in the brain and decreases circulation and oxygen supply by up to 30%! When caffeine is not present, the sudden increased circulation causes headaches. While this keeps millions of people addicted to the caffeine habit, the good news is that you can avoid this pitfall by slowly weaning yourself off caffeine over a two to three week period. 

Start by mixing your normal coffee 3/4 to 1/4 caffeine-free herbal coffee. Gradually reduce the percentage of your coffee over a two-three week period until you are drinking 100% herbal coffee. You should be able to avoid the headaches and also gradually adjust your body to less reliance on stimulants. 

Try these herbal tonics to help rebuild adrenal health and detoxify the body: 

Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) 

Panax Ginseng (Panax ginseng or quinquefolius) 

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) 

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) 

Ashwaganda (Withania somnifera) 

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum)

Some heavy coffee drinkers experience "brain fog" in the first month or so of quitting caffeine. Good nutrition along with a bioenergetic supplement coupled with some herbal extracts including gotu kola and gingko biloba will help you clear that fog and restore your normal brain clarity. 

Beware of products parading as energy uppers that simply contain more harmful stimulants. Many of them depend on caffeine from lesser known sources such as guarana, kola nut, and yerba maté, or ephedrine from Ma Huang. 

Caroline MacDougall is an herbalist with 25 years of expertise designing caffeine-free herbal beverages. She has designed herbal beverages for The Republic of Tea, Yogi Tea, Uncle Lee's Tea, Seelect Teas, and Teeccino Caffé.

Allergy relief without drugs?

Greetings,

We live in North Carolina and every year about this time all everybody's talking about is the pollen and how it’s affecting their allergies.  It pretty bad this year - there's 

a thin coating of yellow pollen everywhere you look.

It is especially bad for people who are here for the first time, their sinuses just aren't used to the assault that’s coming.

Medical statistics tell us that 1 in 3 people suffer from some form of allergies!

So what’s one do if you’re like us - and don’t want to pollute our bodies with drugs?

First, lets talk about what exactly is an allergy.  Medical science labels it as an abnormal reaction to a substance that’s usually considered harmless.  This reaction causes your immune system to respond.  There lies the problem -  your body can’t tell the difference between harmful invading pathogens and something harmless like pollens and dust. 

Our body’s confuse these harmless invaders with something that's really bad  - and it starts producing histamines, whick causes inflammation.  

You know what comes next, watery eyes, runny noses, sneezing, itching, skin reactions, fatigue, hives and even mood changes . . .

This is where if you watch TV, you’re supposed to run to the store and load you body up with some OTC drug of your own choosing or with some wonder drug your doctor prescribes.  

All this does is mask the symptoms (with another foreign substance, a drug that your body has to eventually get rid of).

Often we’re told we should just avoid the things that cause us to have allergic reactions:

 flowers – grass – mold – dust mites – pollen – pet hair

Then we're told to remove or minimize rugs and carpets in our homes, to dust and vacuum often.  We're told to bath our pets often and to keep them off our furniture and beds. 

Then there’s the foods to avoid:

 animal fat – milk and milk products – eggs – wheat – coffee and worst of all – chocolate!

Then don’t forget there’s those additives in the food we eat and all the environmental chemicals found in and around our homes -

cleaning products – soap powders – air fresheners.

There are other factors that may have an impact on your allergies:

•  Eating habits during the first year of life, like not being breast feed, eating solid foods too soon, like gluten, corn, wheat and oats. 

•  Poor eating habits.  Not properly chewing our food, having an imbalance in our stomach acids, having low digestive enzymes and even drinking too much before, during and after meals. 

•  There is also the presence of parasites, worms and other bad bacteria in the body.

•  Stress.  When we experience emotional or mental stress this affects our hormones and this can make us more susceptible to having allergic reactions.

•  The food we are eating.  Today foods have additives, colorings, sulfates, MSG and who knows what else that is contributing to more problems with allergies.

•  Lack of proper nutrition.  Let’s face it, we don’t eat a balanced diet and most don’t bother taking good supplements either.

•  Eating or craving the same food.   Sometimes the food we crave the most may actually be the ones that are making our allergies worse.

So where does that leave us?  Do we all rip out our carpets, ditch our pets and live in a bubble?

There are things you can do that aren't quite so drastic.

Choose products that are free of harsh chemicals.   Many of the products you see advertised on TV have toxic ingredients and they’ve been known to aggravate allergies.   We’ve found that buying products off the web or in natural and/or holistic stores might be a little more expensive up front, but you'll use less and they'll last longer, so it works out in the end.

Eating spicy foods is really good for you! Remember the last time you bit into a hot pepper or ate at that Indian restaurant?   Those hot peppers are great at opening up your sinuses!   I'm firmly believe that the more you eat hot spicy food, the more you'll like it...

One thing Debbie & I do on a regular basis is to flush out our sinuses with a saline solution.  We make our own, but you can buy a spray bottle of saline in the store.  We use a home remedy we got off a friend years back, and have been using it with great success since then. 

Start with a bottle of regular saline, dump it into a pan and then warm it on the stove (if you already have a bottle, just add a pinch of sea salt to the water). Then add 12 drops of Grapefruit seed extract and one teaspoon of Xylotil.  Stir until mixed completely.  Let this cool down and put back into the spray bottle.  You can spray this as often as needed to alleviate your allergy symptoms. This has been a real blessing for us and we hope it’ll be one for you too.

My good friend Dr. James Winer also told us to use a hydrogen peroxide mix.  Fair warning though, while this works great, it hurts like the “you know what” when you do it, especially if you have a sinus infection.  Simply mix a solution of 50% water and hydrogen peroxide and snort this up your nose (then hold on to the sink ;-).  This really cleans out your sinuses and kills off the infection - but don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Other natural remedies you should consider are to start a regular exercise program.   Adding lots of green leafy vegetables and fruit to your daily diet.  Add natural organic food and supplements to your daily diet.  Anything you can do that will strengthen you immune system would benefit you greatly.  

If you have been doing anything that works and is natural, we’d love to hear about what you’ve done yourself to beat the allergy blues.

All the best,

Lou & Debbie