Archive for July, 2013
Chicken Essence Research
July 26, 2013 Written by JPChicken broth has long been considered a healing and nurturing food in many cultures throughout the world. But, as with many traditionally revered foods, scientists rarely devote much time investigating the medicinal or therapeutic potential of such “old wives’ remedies”. Thankfully, an exception to this rule can be found in China, Japan and Malaysia. There, a variation of chicken broth known as chicken essence has been subjected to numerous animal, human and test tube studies.
Tags: Chicken, Fatigue, Stress
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Food and Drink, Nutrition | 6 Comments & Updates
Natural Oxytocin Boosters
July 17, 2013 Written by JPJust about everyone can relate to this scenario: You’re at a family gathering, a party or work and you experience one form or another of rejection. For many, the first instinct is to retreat from the situation i.e. leave as quickly as possible. But, a recent study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology suggests you’d be better off taking an entirely different tack. Namely, you may be able to improve your mood almost instantaneously if you stick around and force yourself to interact and seek support from those around you. However, doing so, may, in fact, require higher levels of oxytocin, a hormone that plays a pivotal role in breastfeeding, childbirth and many expressions of social connectedness.
Tags: Cortisol, Pets, Yoga
Posted in Alternative Therapies, General Health, Mental Health | 8 Comments & Updates
Reconsidering Honey
July 12, 2013 Written by JPAt this very moment, my opinion about honey is in a profound state of flux. On the one hand, I’m well aware that honey contains a relatively high percentage of fructose – a form of sugar that has increasingly been linked to adverse health consequences, such as fatty liver disease and obesity. But, why is it that so many learned, holistic advocates recommend it and use it in recipes? I believe I’ve figured out the reason why and have now come to terms with the rightful place honey ought to hold in my own diet.
Tags: Honey, Luo Han Guo, Stevia
Posted in Diabetes, Diet and Weight Loss, Food and Drink | 6 Comments & Updates
Garcinia Cambogia for Weight Loss?
July 4, 2013 Written by JPA few nights ago, I was on Twitter answering some questions, when I was besieged by an onslaught of tweets promoting Garcinia cambogia, a southeastern Asian fruit extract, as a potent weight loss agent. Rather than blow off these messages as commonplace “spam”, I decided to investigate. To be clear, I already knew all about Garcinia C. After all, it’s been on the US market as a dietary supplement for over 15 years. As far as I was concerned, it had come and gone with little fanfare like most other supplements of its kind. But, I wondered if perhaps there was some new, exciting evidence that was spurring this current buzz.
Tags: Appetite, Estrogen, Testosterone
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Diet and Weight Loss, Nutritional Supplements | 5 Comments & Updates