Top 5 Natural Remedies to Balance Hormones

Feeling a little off kilter? Maybe your hormones are out of whack. To bring them back into balance, Delicious Living suggests five top natural remedies to improve your quality of life.

1. Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that helps to calm the body's stress response and reduce the stress hormone cortisol. As an adaptogen, it helps bring into balance the adrenal and thyroid hormones. Additionally, it helps boost the immune system and increase energy.
2. Asian ginseng is also an adaptogen herb that regulates, normalizes and balances stress and reproductive hormones while alleviating a variety of symptoms, including fuzzy thinking, irritability and low immunity.
3. Dong quai is especially helpful for estrogen imbalances and relieving its symptoms of hot flashes, PMS and menstrual cramps.
4. Omega-3 fatty acids ensures healthy cell membranes that's necessary for hormones to easily reach their destination. Omega 3s are also helpful in maintaining and repairing hormone receptor sites.
5. Rhodiola is a well-studied adaptogen herb that has been found to improve thyroid function, increase energy, balance stress hormones, improve mood, stimulate mental performance and boost immunity.

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Wrinkle Reducing Biofeedback Technique

Looking for a natural, non-invasive alternative to Botox? In today's MyChelle Dermaceuticals newsletter, owner/founder Myra Michelle Eby describes how to relax facial muscles using a biofeedback technique. Sounds promising. If you're interested in giving it a try, here's what Eby says you should do:

"For those frown lines on your forehead and deep furrows between the eye brows, try this simple biofeedback technique: Place a piece of masking tape on your forehead while it is relaxed. As soon as you start to frown, you will feel a tightening of the skin and slowly but surely you will be able to control and reduce the mimicking of your forehead, therefore relaxing and reducing deep mimic lines in a healthy, natural way."

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Eat Right, Sleep Well

We all know we need sleep. It's good for the body and the mind. Some people choose to cut into those snoozing hours with busyness. Others simply can't fall asleep, while many can't stay asleep.

For those who long to rest soundly all night, but find it elusive, improving your diet may be the key to a good night's sleep. Definitive Guide to Sleep Disorders: 7 Smart Ways to Help You Get a Good Night's Rest by Herbert Ross and Keri Brenner offers 11 helpful tips for a sleep-conducive diet.

1. Avoid alcohol (or reduce your consumption considerably).
2. Avoid caffeine.
3. Identify allergenic foods and eliminate them from diet (ie. wheat, eggs, chocolate, milk, corn).
4. Eat an evening snack to increase tryptophan levels in the brain. It should primarily consist of a complex carbohydrate coupled with some tryptophan-rich food. (ie. turkey, chicken, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, bananas).
5. Increase your greens and other raw vegetables.
6. Avoid simple carbohydrates and eat whole grains, containing B vitamins.
7. Eat moderate amounts of protein throughout the day to help keep insulin levels steady.
8. Eat a variety of nutritious food.
9. Consume healthy fats such as olive oil and flaxseed oil.
   
10. Supplement with 1 gram of niacinamide (vitamin B3) at bedtime, which can help those who awaken in the middle of the night.
11. Supplement with 500 mg of chlorella at bedtime for added tryptophan.

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Beyond Peanut Butter: Nutritious Spreadable Nuts

If you think that peanut butter is your only spreadable nut option, you need to look beyond your jar of Jif. Today's spreadable nut options are numerous and each kind is packed with a different variety of nutrients. Here's a guide to help make it easy for you to pick the one that meets your individual needs.

Almond butter is great for athletes who could use this rich source of calcium, magnesium and potassium to strengthen bones and maintain normal muscle and nerve function. Additionally, these nutrients boost the body's immunity. Because almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E, studies have found that eating them may also reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Cashew butter is a great pick-me-up when you are low on energy because it's high in iron and protein, while also containing less saturated fat than other nuts. It's also chock full of B vitamins, which improve fat and protein metabolism, maintain healthy skin and muscle tone, enhance the immune and nervous systems, and promote cell growth and division.

Hemp butter has the perfect balance of omega-3's and omega-6's to help improve your mood and ward of depression.

Pecan butter is a great detoxifier because it contains a mighty dose of antioxidants from vitamins A, B and E, folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. It also contains the heart-healthy fat oleic acid.

Soy butter is rich in isoflavones, which studies have found have the ability to reduce menopausal symptoms, curb bone loss, combat cancer, and lower cholesterol and blood glucose. Soy is also a good source of protein, fiber and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

Tahini butter (sesame seed butter) can help slow cellular aging and detoxify the liver. It's high in protein and fiber, while being low in saturated fat compared to peanut butter. It's an excellent source of calcium, iron and vitamins B and E as well as the amino acid methionine.

Walnut butter is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help ward of the ill effects of fat better than olive oil. Eating a serving a day can lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

Source: Alternative Medicine (December 2007)

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Questioning Mammograms & Assessing the Risks

While the medical community touts the effectiveness and cost efficiency of mammograms, the risks are rarely mentioned. Alternative Medicine recently raised some thought-provoking issues about this standard breast cancer screening procedure. Many woman aren't aware of the negative side of mammography and they tend to overestimate its benefits, reports the health magazine.

The biggest risks of mammograms are the high rate of false-positives, which is about one in 10, and the exposure to radiation--a known carcinogen. The annual mammograms gives a much higher dose of radiation than a typical chest x-ray and has an accumulative effect on the body. In addition to exposing the body every year to radiation, many woman must have additional screening when they receive a false-positive, adding to further exposure. According to Alternative Medicine, this radiation exposure over a lifetime increases a woman's risk of developing cancer.

Additionally, a number of studies don't support the claim that mammograms save lives. In fact, two trials found no significant reduction in breast cancer mortality.

While Alternative Medicine looks at alternative options to mammography, such as thermography (digital infrared imaging) and ultrasound, none came up a clear winner. However, the one that holds the most promise is elasticity imaging, a new offshoot of ultrasound. A 2006 study found that when the hand-held device was used in correlation with a routine ultrasound exam, it was 99 to 100 percent effective at identifying malignant verses benign lesions.

Of course, a woman's best bet for beating breast cancer is taking steps to prevent it in the first place.

"It's far more important for women to focus on prevention," said Christine Horner, MD told Alternative Medicine. A crusader for women's breast health and author of Waking the Warrior Goddess, Horner said that a woman can reduce her chances of getting breast cancer by more than 75 percent through good nutrition, supplements, herbs and making the right lifestyle choices.

For women wanting to assess their risk of invasive breast cancer, the National Institute of Health offers an interactive tool at cancer.gov that can predict the risk for groups of women.

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Trading Generous Portions for Healthy Servings

The holiday season is practically here, and many of you will be asking yourself this question more than once between now and the new year: "Why did I eat so much?"

Everybody has an excuse for overeating this time of year, but one of the major reasons people overeat at any time of the year is that they don't understand the difference between a serving size and their idea of a portion. Super-sized meals may contribute to this confusion. Research even suggests cultural and social norms may make it difficult for people to choose appropriate portion sizes, according to this month's issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch.

To get an idea of what a serving is, read the Nutritional Facts panel on your food labels. You may find that one of your portions is equivalent to two or three of those servings. Studies have shown that the more food we heap on our plates, the more we eat even when we aren't that hungry.

Here are some helpful tips from the Harvard Women's Health Watch to make it easier to measure out the right portions:

• Train your eye: Measure out servings (not portions) of the food you commonly eat so you know what a single serving looks like.
• Change your tableware: Use a smaller bowl or a mug for cereal and a smaller plate at dinner.
• Control portions at home: To discourage second helpings, serve food in the kitchen and take it to the table on plates.
• Eat at regular intervals throughout the day: If you wait until you’re hungry, you’re more likely to overindulge at the next meal.
• Control portions while eating out: Avoid buffets and salad bars. Instead of a dinner, order a low-fat appetizer and a large salad with dressing on the side.

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Awesome Herbal Immune Booster & Cold/Flu Remedy

Yesterday, my husband was home sick from work with a 100.4 degree temperature. Unlike his usual energetic self, he was curled up with a blanket on the couch with our two-year-old daughter jumping on top of his listless body. The vitamin C and zinc supplements I insisted he take did nothing once the flu had taken hold.

So I headed to the health food store where I was determined to bring back the most powerful immune booster/flu buster I could find. Remembering that the "food concierge" at the store had once recommended a certain line of herbal tinctures for the cold and flu season, I grabbed the one that looked the most potent. I came home and proudly proclaimed to my husband that this would make him better by tomorrow.

Well, it worked! In the middle of the night, his fever broke and today his once heavy head is almost clear. He is nearly back to normal. I was so thrilled with the results that I called my sister this morning to tell her about my new discovery since the same bug is going around her family.

It's called Immune Defense Tonic by Herb Farm. It's a liquid herbal extract so it quickly gets absorbed into the body. I should note that Herb Pharm recently improved the formula, but most of the online supplement stores are still selling the old version. The bottles with the new formula reads: "Now Improved With Astragalus, Reishi & Schisandra". It can be purchased through Herb Pharms online store or look for it at your local health store.

Astragalus is an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine to support and enhance the immune system as well as prevent and treat common colds and upper respiratory infections. Reishi is also an ancient Eastern medicine hailed as the "mushroom of immortality". It is known to also boost the immune system as well as ward off cancer, heart disease, allergy symptoms and inflammation. Schisandra is an herbal adaptogen that is often used with other herbs to help bring the body back into a balanced state. Additionally, the tincture contains echinacea, which is also used to treat or prevent colds, flu and other infections by stimulating the immune system. Together, these herbs seem to work a miracle.

This tonic is now a definite keeper in my house. I also plan to buy the children's version, Children's Winter Health Compound, for my daughter as well. My goal for the rest of this winter is to nip the cold and flu in the bud as soon as it enters my home.

New Reason to Drink Green Tea: Fights Colds & Flu

The reasons for consuming green tea continue to pile up. In addition to preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease, lowering bad cholesterol, and aiding with weight loss, a new study has found that it can help prevent the common cold and flu.

The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, specifically studied a decaffeinated green tea extract, containing standardized amounts of two immune-activating plant components--L-theanine and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

The study found that when compared to a placebo group, 32 percent fewer participants taking the green tea extract experienced any cold and flu symptoms. The green tea users also reported almost 23 percent fewer illnesses lasting two or more days.

The green tea extract given to the study participants is equivalent to 10 cups of green tea per day. Those hoping to benefit from drinking lots of this tonic should note that green tea contains about 30 - 60 mg. of caffeine per cup. To avoid insomnia, drink decaffeinated green tea or take it in supplement form.

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Low Glycemic, Naturally Sweetened Pumpkin Pie

As the baker in my family, I'm assigned every year to bring a couple of pumpkin pies to my aunt's for our Thanksgiving gathering. I'm also expected to keep with tradition and make them according to my great-grandmother's secret pumpkin pie recipe--which is loaded with refined sugar.

After swearing off sugar a number of years ago, I decided to create a version that I can eat and enjoy so that I don't miss out on all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that pumpkin has to offer.

My pumpkin pie recipe uses agave nectar as the sweetener. Agave nectar is a staple in my pantry because it's sweeter than sugar or honey, but has a lower glycemic index than either, and best of all, it's natural. It's even suitable for diabetics.

Here's my twist on this holiday classic that now even my family can't resist:

Naturally Sweetened without Sugar Pumpkin Pie
(and whip cream)

2 cups pumpkin puree*
(or 15 oz. of canned organic pumpkin)
1 9-inch pastry crust
¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp melted butter
3 eggs
¾ cup agave nectar
1/3 whole milk
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Real Whipped Cream Topping
1 pint heavy whipping cream
¼ cup agave nectar
1 tsp real vanilla

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, blend together two cups pumpkin, spice and salt. Beat in melted butter, eggs, agave nectar, milk and cream. Pour filling into pie shell.
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Refrigerate until serving.
3. To make whipping cream, pour one pint of whipping cream into chilled mixing bowl and add agave nectar and vanilla. Beat with chilled beaters until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until serving.

* Pumpkin puree: preheat your oven to 450 F. Then, cut the top of the pumpkin off and remove the seeds and membranes. Cut pumpkin in half and place it face down in a baking dish. Add about a half an inch of water to the pan to keep pumpkin moist. Bake about 45 minutes until fork tender. Scrape the soft pulp from the skin into a food processor or blender. Pulse until pureed.

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Nourish Skin with Homemade Pumpkin Exfoliator

If you haven't thrown out your Halloween pumpkin yet, you can recycle it by serving it up as a nourishing skin exfoliator--chock full of rich vitamins, amino acids and enzymes--just like the hottest beauty products out right now, but for a fraction of the cost. This homemade, natural treatment will gently exfoliate the skin like an alpha-hydroxy acid to minimize fine lines, age spots, freckles and rough skin.

To make your own pumpkin puree exfoliator, preheat your oven to 450 F. Then, cut the top of the pumpkin off and remove the seeds and membranes. Cut pumpkin in half and place it face down in a baking dish. Add about a half an inch of water to the pan to keep pumpkin moist. Bake about 45 minutes until fork tender. Scrape the soft pulp from the skin into a food processor or blender. Pulse until pureed.

Daub the puree on your face and let it set for about 10 minutes. You may feel a tingling sensation. Wash off with warm water and enjoy your smoother skin.

The pumpkin puree will keep several days in the refrigerator, but you can freeze some of it to use later.

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Choose Olive Oil like Wine to Reap Health Benefits

The numerous health benefits of olive oil have made it a household staple. However, to reap the most from this heart-healthy monounsaturated fat you need to choose your olive oil like a wine connoisseur would select a fine wine, reports the Mayo Clinic, which recently published several tips to help consumers choose wisely.

First, they recommend choosing extra-virgin or virgin olive oil, which come from the first pressing of olives. These unrefined oils are the more flavorful varieties, containing higher amounts of polyphenol antioxidants, which combat inflammation and free radicals.

Additionally, make sure your olive oil is fresh because the fresher it is, the more antioxidant power it contains. Check the packaging date when you buy it. It should keep up to two years, but make sure to store it in a cool, dark place.

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Break Smoking Habit with Fruits, Veggies & Dairy

Everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are good for you, but smokers trying to quit their habit may find them especially helpful.

A recent Duke University study found that consuming fruits, vegetables, dairy and water made cigarettes taste bad. On the other hand, drinking alcohol and coffee as well as eating meat was found to make cigarettes taste even better.

These findings may lead to a "Quit Smoking Diet" or even a taste altering gum or lozenge to deter smokers from lighting up, said lead researcher Joseph McClernon.

While 70 percent of about 44 millions Americans who smoke want to quit, only five percent succeeded last year, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. But McClernon is hopeful that eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones will help increase those numbers.

"With a few modifications to their diet -- consuming items that make cigarettes taste bad, such as a cold glass of milk, and avoiding items that make cigarettes taste good, like a pint of beer -- smokers can make quitting a bit easier," McClernon said.

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