8 Ways To Incorporate Essential Oils Into Your Daily Routine

Photo credit: Brittany Neale

Happy, happy new year, everyone! 

Let's hope for a better, healthier and more wonderful 2019 for all of us. Any particular resolutions you have in mind? I am determined to live a healthier and more balanced life in the upcoming days. 

People are extremely powerful and sensuous beings. The abilities to work hard, play hard, and love deeply are embedded inside us. The smart person maintains control over every aspect of their beings and trains themselves to live life with quiet passion.


Photo credit: Joanna Kosinska

The 3-H’s

In order to use the powers of essential oils to help you live a balanced life, you begin with the 3-H’s. They are healing, health, and harmony. Identifying the essential oils that keep these three important things in order will put you on the path of perfect control. With perfect control, comes the depth of your power and the effects it has on everyone and everything around you. You do not have to display it, as it will be understated and evident. You don’t have to “do” anything except to find the keys that open the doors. Those keys are often found in particular essential oils. You now have the goal in site. Let us identify the natural essential oils that you can use daily to let you achieve them.

Healing

Of course, when we become ill, our bodies fight the illness until it is under control. But healing is a more complicated issue. Take a common cold for example. Long after you have fought through the cold, you are left with fatigue, aches and pains, and a general sense of feeling unwell. This is because it took your energy and resources to fight the sickness, Now healing extends into recovery. Below we will list oils that will assist in returning your body to health and will protect you from a relapse.

Lavender
Lavender is a well known essential oil for assisting in sleep. It also relieves headaches and body aches.The body recovers and restores itself during sleep. Lavender can be used daily. You can massage Lavender essential oil into the skin, but a steaming cup of lavender, peppermint tea at bedtime is a great way to inhale the properties of the oil and relax the entire body.


Peppermint
Peppermint is one of nature's superpowers. Peppermint is relaxing, it can be rubbed on, consumed in tea, or you can place a drop directly under the tongue. Peppermint is good for nausea, cramping, constipation, headache, energy, sinus issues, and fever. If you can only select one essential oil to keep on hand at all times, select peppermint.


Oil Blend
 - clove, lemon, rosemary, cinnamon, and eucalyptus

Mix equal parts of these oils into a single amber-colored bottle. This blend helps you rebuild your immune system. Consider signature aroma diffusers or rub 2-3 drops on the wrists. The blend is used to cleanse the body. It fights the symptoms of cold and flu. It relieves a sore throat and quiets coughing. It gives you more energy and opens the sinus and passages ways to clear breathing and break-up congestion.
Health

Maintaining your health is easier than recovering your health. That is why it is essential to eat healthily, get exercise, and drink plenty of water. There are essential oils to help you maintain your health. Remember, it is about balance. You are finding a daily routine that fits you well and is easy to maintain. 

Lemon essential oil
Lemon essential oil is an easy boost. Just add it to your water for flavor. Lemon essential oil gives you a boost of energy to make your metabolism stay at a steady rate. It is an antibacterial and antifungal oil, and adding just two drops to a glass of water helps you begin your day hydrated. You will clean your body of toxins and return for more.

Spearmint or tangerine essential oils
These essential oils are zero calories. Best of all, while you are hydrating your body, you are controlling cravings for foods that are not good for you. If you want to lose a few pounds, add a few drops of grapefruit essential oil.

Wintergreen, lemongrass, clove, and sweet orange
All of these oils are great for relieving tight muscles. Add 6-8 ounces of the oil of your choice to a carrier oil like coconut or olive oil and rub into your tired muscles. You can also mix it with water and spritz it on your face for clear and healthy skin and an immediate sense of energy.

Harmony

Life is good. You feel good, you are balanced and have everything moving in the right direction. Let’s induce that feeling of harmony with these great essential oils

Ylang Ylang
The fragrant oils extracted from a flower grown in the Philippines are much loved in the world of essential oils. They induce a sense of being loved and of well being.

Sandalwood
The woody fragrance of sandalwood is used in many perfumes. But on its own it is believed to keep the user balanced.

As you can see, there are many ways to use essential oils to enhance your life. Experiment with the oils and fine-tune a method that allows you to live your life to the fullest, every day. 

Cheers and have a heathier life with essentials oils!

5 Simple Tips for a Healthier Life

5 Simple Tips for a Healthier Life

Healthier life? Everyone wants it!

Sometimes, we all now what to do in order to stay healthy. Frankly, who doesn’t now the importance of exercise, nutritional food and avoiding stress. Easy to say, but when in comes to implementing it, we always have excuses.

Being a cancer survivor, I have to be extremely careful with my health. Not only that I have to work with the negative side effects of all treatments that I have to go through, including mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, medicines and more, but also maintain my health in general. It’s not always that easy and most of the time, the only enemy is myself!

But on the positive notes, I do believe that I can do it, or at least, try to do better. And for sure, there’s no harm in inviting others to do the same, right?

So here are 5 super simple tips for a healthier life a la Mama Bo et Obi.

Be happy and be grateful

I keep this mantra inside my heart and my head. That I am happy and I am forever grateful for that! 

Seringkali kita lupa bahwa kita dilimpahi begitu banyak berkah-Nya setiap hari, setiap saat. Aku masih suka berkaca-kaca kalau mengingat betapa aku masih bisa berkumpul dengan orang-orang tercinta, masih bisa ngebolang dengan anak-anak dan suami, masih bisa menikmati indahnya matahari pagi setiap harinya. Dan tidak ada alasan untuk tidak bahagia, apalagi tidak bersyukur dengan semua rahmat-Nya ini.

So please, if you don’t mind, repeat this whenever you can ... I am happy and I am grateful.

Drink plenty of water

This is a very important matter but we tend to forget. I have been trying to make sure that I  drink enough water every day. I bring my water bottle and tumbler everywhere, and I put big bottles in my office, cars and my bed room. 

And now I drink alkaline water most of the time as it works as great detox for me.

I also feel more hydrated and the water tastes good and fresh.

Exercise more and go out, relax!

Oh exercise. I have to admit this is the toughest part. I always find excuses to stop my yoga session, or avoid my static bike, or simply walk 10 thousand steps every day. I'm either too lazy to do thing or just too tired already from work and traveling. Occasionally I swim with my kids and enjoy out time on the beach.

But again, never give up on yourself and I always try to stay active and take fun forms of exercises. Those include long-enough shopping hours, taking the stairs (luckily I have three floors to explore at home).

And another important thing we need to do on regular basis is going out and relaxing!

Going to the beach, picnic, tracking, swimming, or doing whatever makes you relax and happy is highly recommended!

Eat more fresh veggies and fruits

How I love to eat more and more fresh veggies and fruits. The problem is that I’m not always in the position of having them with me. 

We Indonesians love veggies but we always cook them. And they taste good, indeed. And usually, we you eat outside, vegetables will come in the form of sayur asem, sop, lodeh, capcay, aneka tumisan, dan rebusan or steamed veggies. Sometimes they are also mixed in fried rice, fried noddles or even stew. But since they are cooked, the vitamins and important elements contained in them are gone

So, now I try to make sure that fresh veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, kale and more. As for fruits, it’s easier because they are indeed delicious. Obi, my daughter, and I are huge fans of oranges, mangoes, grapes, bananas, apples, pineapples and more.

Sleep enough

Indeed. We all need our sleep and we have to make sure that we sleep for a healthy dose of 8 hours a day. Now the question is.. have we slept enough?

Not in my case, unfortunately.

Sometimes because of the works as well as unnecessary complication from my ‘work’ and ‘dedication’ for my social media accounts. Like it or not, I have to dedicate some parts of my sleeping time to ‘fulfill my obligations’. Not a good habit obviously, but I guess many of you are doing the same thing. I have been trying to manage that and I think I’m progressing on this. I’m quite discipline in ensuring that my beauty, healthy sleep is fulfilled. So perhaps, you should try it too!

So, they are super simple tips you can immediately implement. Good luck with the implementation of it if so you wish. 

Stay happy and healthy!

Top Foods to Incorporate Into Your Diet for Breast Cancer Prevention

Top Foods to Incorporate Into Your Diet for Breast Cancer Prevention

blueberries are packed with antioxidants

Studies have shown that one out of eight women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. Even though medical science has revealed a lot about certain cancers such as breast cancer, there’s still a large amount of uncertainty surrounding prevention and treatment. However, it has been shown that incorporating certain foods into your diet can aid in preventative efforts. Here are just a few foods to include in your diet to help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Apples

Apples have countless health benefits, so it shouldn’t be all too surprising that they’re helpful in aiding breast cancer prevention. What is surprising, however, is that you have to eat the right part of the apple to reap these benefits. The peel of the apple, as it turns out, has the most nutrients when it comes to cancer prevention, so always keep the apple in its natural skin before enjoying it.

“If you normally peel your apple and toss away the colorful wrapping, you’re also tossing away a rich source of antioxidants, fiber, and other compounds needed for anti-cancer nutrition. Lab studies suggest that apple peel can actually fight the spread of cancer cells. The good news is that you don’t need exotic varieties -- this research used readily available Red Delicious apples, so add them to your breast cancer prevention shopping list,” writes Madeline R. Vann on Everyday Health.

Walnuts

Nuts have a wide range of health benefits, but walnuts, in particular, are known for their healthy omega-3 fatty acids. These one-of-a-kind nutrients help the body fight inflammation. Plus, experts say walnuts can help to literally slow down the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice. With this in mind, it certainly makes sense to keep a bag of walnuts in your pantry to enjoy as a snack or top with certain meals.

Fish

As another great source of omega-3 fatty acids, fish deserves a place on this list. Certain types of fish are also sources of lean protein and thus a wholesome part of an overall cancer prevention diet. This is especially true because many dietitians advise against the consumption of red meats and processed meats, which includes bacon and packaged deli meats. Instead, pick out some fresh sardines, tuna, salmon, or mackerel, which are omega-3 rich and ideal for cancer prevention.

Berries

Berries have long been considered a ‘superfood,’ and for good reason. Dark-colored berries like blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are full of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that may help to reduce the growth of tumors and breast cancer cells. With that in mind, grab a frozen bag of mixed berries during your next trip to the supermarket, or pick up some fresh ones to top a bowl of oatmeal or cold cereal.

Ultimately, it’s not difficult to incorporate these hearty foods into your diet as part of a cancer prevention lifestyle. Of course, it’s always best to consult your doctor for the most accurate and personalized preventative care insight.

I sincerely hope we all can benefit from all this goodness!

Stay healthy, people

What Happens to Your Body when You Drink Thyme Tea

What Happens To Your Body When You Drink Thyme Tea

tea time!

Being a small herb within the mint plant family, thyme is not only considered one of the most popular culinary herbs these days with a variety of usages, but it is also best known for a long list of medical properties which are beneficial for treating a lot of diseases and conditions. Aside from adding thyme to your meals, you could also try drinking this herb as tea as well. Indeed, drinking thyme tea regularly can benefit your health due to its abundance of important vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. Let’s discover some key benefits of thyme herbal tea and learn how it affects our body, either good or bad sides. 

10 Benefits of Thyme Tea for Health And Beauty

1. Alleviate Inflammation

The thymol found in thyme might help alleviate inflammation through suppressing some inflammatory pathways. This active compound might be helpful in fighting against peritonitis – the inflammation of peritoneum, which is a membrane covering the abdominal organs. 

2. Manage Blood Pressure

In accordance with a study which tested mice, thyme exhibited the ability to lower blood pressure. In more details, this herb reduced both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. It means that the Mediterranean diet, in which thyme is popularly used, could improve healthy blood pressure levels in human beings. Thus, thyme tea is considered a promising complementary natural medicine for hypertension.

3. Relieve Respiratory Disorders

This herb is widely used in traditional treatments for respiratory disorders. The bronchi and bronchioli are dilated by an extract in thyme. This extract also relieves respiratory airway at the same time. Thyme is also antispasmodic in nature, thereby contributing to relieving tonsillitis, asthma, and coughing. Ivy and thyme leaves are often combined together to cure cough and bronchitis as well.

it's good for our health

3. Act As A Mood Booster

Thyme can work on neurotransmitters, influencing the neurons’ activity and improving your mood. Furthermore, this mechanism may also lessen nervous conditions such as insomnia, depression and nightmares. You can take advantage of either thyme tea or thyme essential oil. Especially, thyme oil is widely used in aromatherapy for a boost in mood.

4. Provide Essential Minerals

You won’t believe that just two tablespoons of dried thyme leaves deliver 3.56 mg of iron, which meet the suggested daily iron value for a person. Thanks to its amazing source of iron, thyme tea supports the growth of red blood cells and boost energy for a healthy body. 

Lack of iron can be a reason for anemia, exhaustion and susceptibility to infections. It is also packed with vitamin K, manganese and calcium to provide your body with essential minerals. As the best aid used for normal blood clotting, adding thyme tea in your daily basis helps prevent other blood disorders. 

5. Alleviate Headache 

Owing to the monoterpenoid phenol named carvacrol, thyme tea has anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, drinking this tea daily can help you boost your energy levels and wind down with its mild scent. 

In addition, just several sips of thyme tea a day can also eradicate melancholy and exhaustion, and decrease the potential risk of insomnia. Not only does tea help you control headache episodes, but the oil extracted from thyme is also known to relieve stress as well as migraine headaches. You just need to rub some drops of this oil on your forehead and temples, then relax until your headache pain goes away.

6. Lose Weight

Popularly regarded as a weight loss tea, drinking this brew before meals can restrain the appetite, make you feel less hungry while still boost energy and distribute vital nutrients for the body. The nutrition compounds presenting in thyme tea can also optimize metabolism and burn off fat effectively.

7. Treat Acne 

In addition to a wide range of health benefits, thyme tea also benefits our skin as well. It offers essential nutrients to help maintain skin texture and eliminate bacteria causing many skin disorders. 

Thyme has the ability to combat external factors that lead to acnes thanks to its antibacterial actions. Therefore, this natural gift is often found in the ingredient list of face cleansers and acne creams. Its function is to cleanse oily skin, working in conjunction with antiseptic properties to alleviate dermatitis and acne. It works well for most skin types and can also be used as a natural toner. You can easily make this toner at home by dabbing thyme tea on your skin to minimize wrinkles, tighten skin pores and reduce sunray damage. 

The following steps describe how to treat acne as well as skin issues at home using thyme tea:

• Steep thyme leaves along with witch hazel in boiled water for 20 minutes. 

• Soak a cotton ball in the liquid and apply to any affected areas on your skin.

• Rinse it off with warm water.

• Repeat this process twice a day. 

8. Improve Bone Health

Provided with a payload of excellent minerals such as vitamin K, iron, calcium and manganese, thyme brew plays an important role to nurture bone health. It supports the growth of bone and prevents the risk of bone disorders. 

9. Improve Vision

Having a rich content of vitamin A along with antioxidant, thyme tea helps enhance your vision health and reduce eye diseases. Thyme is also helpful in reducing the risk of getting other related vision issues, including macular degeneration, pink eye and conjunctivitis. You can apply a cool thyme liquid to the effected eyes by using a cotton ball and clean your eyes carefully to see its effects.

10. Protect Hair Condition

Thyme has long been known for its benefits for hair as it encourages hair growth and fixes various hair issues, such as hair loss, thinning and frizzy hair. It explains why thyme is a common ingredient in shampoos and conditioners. 

Thyme tea is often used as natural hair rinse in dandruff treatments, and works best when diluting with other herbs.

5 Side Effects of Thyme Tea

Apart from various health benefits, take a quick look to some potential side effects of this herbal brew that could happen to your body:

1. Nausea ​

Overtaking thyme tea to your body could result in nausea, which has typical symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, stomachache and vomiting. Its powerful chemicals along with active contents could counteract the effects of this tea if you drink too much for a long time. Just 1-2 cups per day is enough.

2. Allergy 

Similar to any other types of herbs, some people may react with thyme tea, especially if they also exhibit the same effect toward other Lamiaceae family plants such as rosemary, oregano and mint. For this reason, you may get breath shortness, skin rash, painful chest and some serious allergy signs. Stop consuming thyme tea immediately if you suffer from any symptoms listed above and ask for medical treatments. 

3. Pregnancy

It is advised from most healthcare experts that thyme tea should be limited for pregnant women because it can stimulate the menstruation and result in early miscarriage during the pregnancy. Likewise, it is recommended for breastfeeding women not to drink this brew without getting strict permission from healthcare providers. 

4. Heart Issues 

Some people who have chronic heart issues may get their conditions worse if they consume an excess amount of thyme tea. Therefore, it is better to stay safe and stick to small doses. Remember to consult your doctor before drinking it daily for better precaution. 

5. Bleeding Disorders

Be aware of any bleeding possibility if you drink thyme tea in large amounts, since it can slow down blood clotting. Give up thyme for at least two weeks before the scheduled surgery date to reduce the risk.  

Enjoy your tea...

About the author:

John Hughes is a Health and Beauty expert who has more than 5 years of experience in Health Care industry. For more health care tips on healthy living, visit him at the website TrueRemedies.com. There, you will find posts on natural treatments, recipes, healthy foods, and so much more.

9 Unexpected Foods That Are Bad For Healthy Bones

Have you had some issues with your bones? 

I do. 
And I guess each and everyone of us would love to have healthy bones.

Let's build healthy, strong bones!
picture: Pixabay

Building healthy, strong bones needs two key nutrients, which are vitamin D and calcium. While calcium supports the teeth and bone structure, vitamin D helps improve the absorption of calcium and bone growth. Most of us know about what to eat for healthy, strong bones – anything that is full of calcium and vitamin D. However, just as important, but less regularly discussed, are foods and beverages that weaken your bones. This article will show you 9 unexpected foods that are bad for healthy bones.

1. Coffee

Similar to soda, coffee could reduce the ability of your body to absorb calcium, thereby hurting your bone health. Therefore, you had better reduce your intake of coffee to less than 3 cups per day. In the morning, instead of having several shots of espresso, you can reach for an apple as an alternative. Apples can provide you with more energy than a cup of coffee thanks to its high content of simple carbs.

picture: pixabay

2. Sodium-Rich Foods

Before reaching for the bag of potato chips, think again. It is said that sodium-rich foods may cause our bodies to lose calcium and result in bone less. The more salty you consume, the more calcium you lose. In essence, salt causes excessive calcium excretion via kidneys. Nutrition experts recommended taking under 2,300mg of salt per day and you will be fine. This intake amount should be reduced further if you have other health conditions like high blood pressure.

3. Iron-Rich Foods

Iron is beneficial for our health, we all know that. Nonetheless, the time you take it matters. Most foods that are bad for healthy bones are a direct result of interfering with the absorption of calcium, thereby causing bone loss. If you are eating calcium-rich foods, you had better avoid iron-rich ones to maximize the amount of calcium absorbed.

4. Soy Products

Soy products are also in the list of foods that are bad for healthy bones because they may interfere with calcium absorption. Actually, soy products like tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy beverages are rich in the bone-building protein, but they also have plant compounds which may hamper the absorption of calcium.

5. Alcohol

Is drinking alcohol bad for your bones? 

The answer is yes. 

When drinking alcohol, it acts like a calcium-blocker, which prevents the important bone-building minerals from being absorbed into your body through the foods you eat.

Heavy drinking also disrupts the process of bone remodeling by preventing the bone-building cells (osteoblasts) from doing their job. As a result, your bone will become weaker and your healing is also interfered.

Instead of drinking alcohol, you can choose beverages that are lower in alcohol. They may taste as good as alcohol, but are not hard on your bones.

6. Sugary Snacks

Do not go overboard on sugar, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Despite there is no proven link between sugary snacks and their negative impacts on bones, the harm to bone health might be resulted from consuming too much added sugar while not getting enough essential nutrient-rich foods. If you want to indulge your sweet tooth, choose cranberries, prunes and other antioxidant-rich fruits. Antioxidants are healthy nutrients for bone health.

7. Hydrogenated Oils

Hydrogenation process that turns liquid vegetable oil into the solid oils used in baking, damages vitamin K found naturally in oils. Vitamin K is necessary for strong, healthy bones, and vegetable oils like olive oil and canola oil are the 2^nd best source (dietary) of such key nutrient.

Instead of eating pastries and bread bought from bakeries or baking your bake goods (because they contain hydrogenated fats, you ought to eat more dark green leafy veggies like spinach, collard, Swiss chard, etc. They are rich sources of vitamin K, an important bone-boosting nutrient.

8. Vitamin A-Rich Foods

Vitamin A-rich foods include eggs, liver, dairy products, and vitamin-fortified foods. They are rich sources of animal-derived vitamin A, also known as retinol. Despite vitamin A can improve eye health, clear acne, amp up your immune system, taking too much of it may weaken your bones. For example, if you take more than 3 ounces of beef liver, you may stimulate bone breakdown or osteoclast activity. To control your risk of over intake of vitamin A through foods, you should switch to non-fat or low-fat dairy product and consume egg whites instead of whole eggs.

9. High- Protein Foods

Taking too much protein, particularly animal protein, may take the bone-building nutrient – calcium – from your bones, causing weakened and brittle bones and a higher risk of pain and injury.

In fact, diets that are high in protein may interfere with calcium absorption. For example, if you eat red meat excessively, you may hurt your bones.

Conclusion

Knowing what to eat and what not to eat for healthy, strong bones are important because it helps protect your bones in the old age. It also enhances your life quality and boasts your longevity, and reduces the risk of falls, injury, osteoporosis, arthritis, brittle bones and joints. Avoidance of the foods that are bad for healthy bones above will help improve your bone health.

Stay healthy, everyone!

About the author:

John Hughes is a Health and Beauty expert who has more than 5 years of experience in Health Care industry. For more health care tips on healthy living, visit him at the website TrueRemedies.com. There, you will find posts on natural treatments, recipes, healthy foods, and so much more.