A Leaf from Nature's Book: Tea Therapy

From cleansing the colon to detoxifying the body to soothing anxiety, herbal teas offer a variety of powerful health benefits and healing properties. Which herbal infusion is right for you?

This week a leading study from Queensland University, in Brisbane, Australia, revealed that drinking three cups of green tea a day for eight weeks may lower blood pressure and shrink fat cells, confirming the long-held belief of herbalists in the therapeutic effects of a warm brew.

Indeed, there are hundreds of different concoctions on the market, which claim to help treat everything from stress to digestive problems. But which one is right for you? Read more

Treat Depression with Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is an alternative theatment that uses the highly concentrated essential oils that are extracted from plants to treat symptoms and assist in the healing process. Green Herbal Remedies explains how aromatherapy can be particularly effective in dealing with stress, depression and stress related disorders.

To feel depression you don`t necessarily have to shut down yourself in a bed room and cut all con-tacts with social world. Depression also means condition in which you feel low with or without any reasoning. May be your day didn`t go that well. May be you have had a long and stressful week. May be you have been getting more moody than your regular self. All these symptoms point out that you are facing depression of varied degrees.

The good news is you can sit home and treat yourself out of depression with aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has showed positive results for depression. Though the root cause cannot be com-pletely treated but you will experience relaxation for mental fatigue. The aroma or the fragrance of various ingredients has a soothing effect on your mind and this will help you fall asleep. Read more

Intimacy Fights Stress

Researchers have found that the more physical affection couples engage in, the lower their level of the "stress" hormone cortisol.

Couples who hug, kiss and otherwise find ways to get close everyday may have fewer stress hormones coursing through their bodies, a new study suggests.

The findings, reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, point to one potential reason that close relationships -- and marriage, in particular -- have been linked to better health.

Researchers found that among 51 German couples they followed for one week, those who reported more physical contact during a given day -- whether it was sexual intercourse or just holding hands -- generally had lower levels of the "stress" hormone cortisol.

This was especially true of couples who reported more problems at work, suggesting that some physical affection between mates may be a buffer against work stress. Read more

Using the Powers of Hypnosis to Heal Body and Mind

Jane E. Brody tells how the powers of hypnosis can heal the body and mind.

My husband, Richard, smoked cigarettes for 50 years, having failed several attempts to quit on his own. When a friend told him in August 1994 that hypnosis had enabled her to quit, he decided to give it a try.

"It didn't work; I wasn't hypnotized," he declared after his one and only session. But it did work; since that day, he has not taken one puff of a cigarette. Read more

Using Sex for Weight Loss

Bedroom Olympics may be key to fitness and weight loss, according to FOX sexpert Yvonne K. Fulbright

Feed your libido and lose weight? Sounds like a too-good-to-be-true diet, until you really think about it.

Shagging can make you slimmer, if you do enough of it. It can also help the two of you fall for each other all over again. Requiring no monthly fee — dress code optional – you can "sexercise" yourself into shape. This is one gym membership you’ll never want to drop.

Combining sex and fitness is like killing two birds with one stone. Sex gets you fit. And being fit makes you want to have more sex. This is, in large part, because of all of the benefits a good sexercise routine offers, like: Read more

Do 5 Simple Things a Day to Stay Sane

According to a UK government report, people can do five simple things a day to stay sane.

Simple activities such as gardening or mending a bicycle can protect mental health and help people to lead more fulfilled and productive lives, a panel of scientists has found.

A “five-a-day” programme of social and personal activities can improve mental wellbeing, much as eating fruit and vegetables enhances physical health, according to Foresight, the government think-tank. Its Mental Capital and Wellbeing report, which was compiled by more than 400 scientists, proposes a campaign modelled on the nutrition initiative, to encourage behaviour that will make people feel better about themselves. Read more

Feeling down? Take a dose of Nature's Prozac

From St John's Wort to a stroll in the park, there are plenty of ways to beat the blues and remain buoyant and healthy.

... There is much that you can do to alleviate milder conditions and prevent them getting worse. Last week it was reported that the supplement St John's Wort is as effective as some antidepressants in lifting mood. “Getting outside, being active and talking are some measures that can be really beneficial,” says Farmer. Read more