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The Array Of Benefits Offered By Herbal Tea

For centuries together, herbal tea has offered an array of benefits to mankind. Also called as tisanes, this tea is an infusion comprising of herbal ingredients, such as, various parts of a plant, like, leaves, roots, stems, fruits, flowers and seeds. With the growing popularity and lots of acclamation received by the tea from people living across the world, many are showing interest to choose a brand of herbal tea to stay fit and healthy. The rising reputation of this tea is due to its medicinal healing properties and other benefits it offers to you if you are a regular drinker.

The most renowned benefit offered by this tea is promoting the weight loss in a person. It helps to burn the fat cells present in your body thereby making you to lose weight. This way you might be able to shed a lot of unwanted calories in the body. So everyone should use herbal tea to lose weight. Also it boosts up your body’s energy level enabling you to lose excess body weight without any side effects. This happens due to the process of fat oxidation process caused by the natural ingredients in the tea.

This herbal tea is also loaded with anti oxidants that offer you the much needed protection against all forms of cancer especially in women. Also it ensures that your skin stays younger as it has excellent anti aging property. Also it helps you to eat less as it helps in reducing the craving for food and allowing you to eat in less quantity. This way you will not realise the hunger pangs every now and then and also stay fit as a result of eating sensibly. This way you will be able to reduce the weight drastically, as there is fewer calories in herbal tea.

Herbal tea is good for health, as well. If you are a regular drinker of this tea, then you can be confident that you are a heart healthy person as this tea has the ability to keep all the cardiovascular diseases at bay. This is possible as this tea helps the accumulation of bad cholesterol which is bad for your heart. It also plays a vital role in increasing the level of good cholesterol in your body. This makes your cardio vascular system more active and promotes weight loss. It also helps in improving the appetite of your body thereby burning the calories in the food and offer quick energy.

Even though there are lot of positive reviews about herbal tea, some might have a doubt lingering on their mind whether the herbal tea has some content of caffeine in it. But the answer is a strict no as there are only stimulants in this tea that helps to stabilise all your vital functions such as promotes respiration, increases the immune system of the body and also the essential nourishment for the body. This ensures that you stay fit and healthy all day long with regular consumption of two cups a day. This is the healthy tea as it aims in promoting good health in your body.…

How to Make an Infusion

One of the most common methods for herb use you’ll see today is infusions. They are similar to tea, and many herbalists use the term interchangeably, but they are not the same. They are the same in that they both use water and steeping the herb for a set amount of time to extract the active chemicals out of a plant. The difference lies in the strength of the end product. Teas are much weaker and can be easily sipped on as a beverage. Infusions are a much more concentrated medicine.

Infusions can be made with both hot and cold water.

Hot Infusion

A standard recipe calls for 1/2 to 1 rounded teaspoon (1/2 to 1 ounce) of dried herb. Pour boiling water (one cup water per teaspoon of herb) over the herb and steep for fifteen to twenty minutes. Strain the mixture, saving the water. Can be drunk warm or when cooled if desired. This method is usually used for leaves and flower to make instant medicine for drinking. The parts of the plant that are harder like bark, root, seeds, resin, bruised nuts, seeds, and buds can be used in infusions if they are powdered so they are then receptive to steeping in boiling water.

Cold Infusion

Steep the herb in cold water or cold milk for several hours. Wet, mashed herbs can be used internally as a drink or as poultices on the body.

Infusions do not have a long shelf life. They should be made as soon as they are needed. Making the infusion can be a healing process as well. While the infusion is steeping, inhale the steamy warm vapors. If you desire, tent a towel over your head to trap more steam to get a more concentrated steam treatment. This can act as a decongestant and prepare your body to receive the medicine you are creating. As you inhale the vapors, visualize your body receiving the medicine and your body healing. Studies show that such meditative visualization stimulate the immune system to fight many diseases more effectively.

The main problem with infusions is their taste. Most healing herbs do not taste very good and are quite bitter. This is nature’s way of discouraging overdose, but if you can’t swallow your medicine, it does not good. To help make your medicine a bit more palatable, mix in sugar, honey, stevia, milk, lemon, herbal drinks, whatever tastes you think will help you get it down. If you still can’t manage, try another method instead. Practice with infusions does make it easier as you become more accustomed.…

Type 2 Diabetes and Sexual Dysfunction!

Sexual problems are common and are often associated with type 2 diabetes. But please be aware these problems affect other people too, especially as people get older.

Type 2 diabetes is rather a dramatic condition, it creeps up on you whilst you are not looking. It brings along with it symptoms such as:

memory loss

feeling hungry even after eating

affects the quality of your sleep at night

interferes with concentration levels at work

it can increase urination during the day or night

Many changes were taking place in your body, often for ten years before the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was made. The drama of diabetes becomes obvious when complications start to appear.

Sexual dysfunction and infertility are amongst the cruel complications of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Within ten years of diagnosis, many men notice changes in their sexual performance:

by age 60 more than half of all men with diabetes experience erectile dysfunction

9 percent of men in their twenties experience impotency also

The cause is excess blood sugar … it damages the nerves and blood vessels of the penis. When the nerves are damaged sensory information from the nerves cannot be transported and an erection is not triggered. So poor circulation means the blood flow is inadequate to cause and sustain an erection

Good blood sugar control can prevent erectile dysfunction and, at an early stage, can reverse symptoms. The results of a study published in the International Journal of Impotency Research on September 17, 2009, showed that the higher the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level was on the one hundred men who took place in this study, the greater the degree of their erectile dysfunction.

The hemoglobin A1c level is the name for the test used to measure your average glucose control over a longer period of time. It is important to know the HbA1c reflects an average of your blood sugar levels, the higher your HbA1c the more uncontrolled your blood sugars. Normal levels should be less than 5.9.

Health care providers have difficulty telling male patients about this particular danger of poorly controlled diabetes. Once these problems develop, medications such as Viagra, can help men to resume sexual functions. If damage progresses and medications don’t work anymore, penile implants and vacuum devices can get the penis erect.

Diabetes can also interfere with adolescent girls and young women … high blood sugar levels can cause yeast infections and vaginal inflammation. These too rob women of sexual enjoyment. If diabetes complications involve the nerves and circulation to the womans’ genital tract, she may be unable to experience the normal pleasure associated with sex. But these problems are less likely to occur when blood sugar levels are controlled.…

Green Tea to Improve Health

Green Tea has long been valued in China for its contribution to good health. Popularity of the tea in the United States continues to grow, showing that it is a natural source of antioxidants. These antioxidants help protect the body from accelerated aging and increased risk of diseases. Decades of research show that the tea inhibits the development of undesirable cell colonies, thus making it the healthiest tea available.

Green tea has higher contribution to health than other teas, because of the way it is dried. It is organically grown and the traditional drying technique used with it prevents the tea from the negative effects of fermentation. The products come in potency levels. Some supplements contain low potencies of the active polyphenols, while others go as far as using un-standardized tea leaf powder.

It has been prove that green tea is bursting with health benefits. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, which has been know to help prevent cancer, recover from the harmful cholesterol, and protect against damage caused by free radicals.

1. Medical Benefits

Green tea has many medical benefits, and is also know for prevention of the following diseases: Cancer, Rheumatoid Arthritis, High Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Disease, Infection, and Impaired Immune Function.

2. Promotes Weight Loss

The leaves of the plants help raise metabolism in the body. By increasing the amount of calories burned in a 24-hour period,it promotes weight loss.

3. Prevent Bad Breath

An element found in the tea decreases the growth of odor-causing bacteria. It is mention that drinking a cup or two of it may help maintain fresh breath.

4. Reduce Smoking Risks

Cigarette smokers who drink up to six cups daily reduces their susceptibility to risks caused by the toxins emitted in cigarette smoke.

5. Beauty Remedy

Green tea may be use to freshen up the face and sooth tired or strained eyes. It can be apply to spots and blemishes to lessen their visibility.

6. Antiseptic Properties

Green tea is also know to treat minor cuts and rashes, and are an effective treatment for sunburn. The teas inhibit the expression of antigens made by the body, substances that can trigger an immune response.…

Herbal Tea and the Many Benefits of Green Tea

Sipping a nice cup of herbal tea is a long-standing tradition in cultures all around the world, and not just because of the great taste. Green tea, for example, has been consumed in Asia for thousands of years, much to the enjoyment and health benefits of the population. Hundreds of studies have been conducted to determine just how and why green tea (and other herbal tea) seems to make such a difference in health and vitality.

Herbal tea is used medicinally for all types of purposes. An upset stomach may be calmed by a cup of strong peppermint tea. Sleeplessness can often be overcome with a dose of chamomile tea. It is even thought that various herbal teas, green tea among them, have the ability to prevent cancer in the human body. Just the act of brewing and drinking a cup of herbal tea can be calming, as the aromas delight the drinker and the warm liquid soothes the throat.

Some of the most interesting medicinal uses for herbal tea include:

o Burdock to clean the blood, regulate blood sugar, and for anti-inflammatory uses

o Cardamom to improve digestion, reduce gas, and calm stomach cramps

o Cinnamon to calm upset stomachs, relieve menstrual cramps, and regulate blood sugar

o Dandelion as an expectorant or diuretic

o Fennel to soothe coughs, stimulate appetite, and relieve stomach cramps

o Ginger to ease stomach and menstrual cramps, relieve nausea, improve circulation, and alleviate cold and flu symptoms

o Kava Kava to relax muscles, reduce anxiety, promote urinary tract health, and promote sleep

o Lemon balm to reduce anxiety and relieve stomach upset

o Licorice to sooth coughs and sore throats, improve digestion, and ease menstrual cramps

o Nettle to relieve diarrhea and constipation, sooth coughs, and support the liver and kidneys

o Rosehips to relieve headaches and prevent bladder infections

o Rosemary to relieve cold symptoms, ease headaches, improve circulation, and lessen joint pain

o Sage to improve digestion, relieve coughs and lung congestion, and to soothe the nerves

o Skullcap to relieve PMS symptoms and reduce anxiety

o St. John’s Wort to lessen anxiety, improve mood, and promote relaxation

o Valerian root to promote relaxation and sleep, relieve stomach cramps, and calm the nerves

o Yarrow to stimulate appetite, improve digestion, and relieve cold symptoms

Green tea is probably the most well-known and studied of the “herbal teas.” With a wide range of scientific studies to back up the experience of thousands of years, sources ranging from The Journal of the National Cancer Institute to the Mayo Clinic have found exceptional benefits to green tea and its components. In addition to potentially preventing cancer, green tea has also been credited with lowering the risk for heart disease, lessening symptoms of arthritis, preventing tooth decay, and playing a role in healthy weight loss.

Most green tea is made from the Camellia sinensis bush, but herbal tea will include other botanical elements, including leafs, roots, stems, and even the flowers of various plants. It is possible to make “tea” that doesn’t use Camellia sinensis at all, although this would more accurately be referred to as an “herbal infusion” or “tisane” than as an herbal tea.…

Type 2 Diabetes – What Is Diabetic Gastroparesis?

Diabetic gastroparesis is a condition by which the food takes too long to empty from the stomach. It is a possible complication of diabetes, although other people can experience this condition without being diabetic. It’s basically a type of neuropathy, otherwise known as nerve damage, which can also cause other secondary effects for diabetics.

The nerves damaged are the ones that control the automatic muscular activity of the stomach. This disrupts the normal emptying process, and the stomach ends up behaving like a floppy bag. Food is normally squeezed out of the stomach in a matter of hours, but when gastroparesis is present, stomach emptying is variable and food may even remain in the stomach for days. This condition can make it impossible to control diabetes, especially in diabetics who have an injection of insulin before each meal. Because the absorption of food is completely unpredictable, it is impossible to make the normal calculations about the type of food and the dose of insulin.

Thankfully, most cases of gastroparesis can be treated using a combination of drugs, diet and insulin management. In rare cases, a feeding tube could be required. Antibiotics have been used with variable results. In recent years, specialists have treated gastroparesis by injecting botulinum toxin into the muscles at the outlet of the stomach. Early results of this procedure are promising.

Gastroparesis can come about in people who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. When someone has this condition and eats a meal, their food seems to sit in their stomach for hours and hours. This is called delayed gastric emptying. The nerve that controls the movement of food through the digestive tract is called the vagus nerve. If it is damaged or doesn’t work at all, the stomach muscles and intestines cannot properly move food along. This causes the food to be slowed or stopped along the way.

Diabetes can be the cause of damage to the vagus nerve just like it can cause other kinds of nerve damage throughout the body. Since the stomach cannot move the food along fast enough, this can lead to blood sugar levels that are high and out of control. The high blood sugar levels continuing throughout the body causes more chemical changes in the nerves. This in turn damages blood vessels that are carrying nutrients and oxygen to the nerves.

What are the symptoms of gastroparesis? They include things like:

abdominal bloating,

gastroesophageal reflux,

heartburn,

nausea,

weight loss,

erratic blood sugar levels,

throwing up undigested food,

feeling full early when eating,

stomach wall spasms, and

lack of appetite.

Symptoms can be mild all the way through to severe, depending upon the person. There are several complications associated with gastroparesis including bacterial overgrowth since food sits in the system too long and has a chance to ferment. In addition, food can have time to harden into solid masses, called bezoars, which can obstruct the stomach. This is a very dangerous situation.

Gastroparesis can be diagnosed in several ways including:

a barium x-ray,

barium beefsteak meal, and

a gastric emptying scan.

The doctor can also do something called gastric manometry which measures the electrical and muscular activity in your stomach. Blood tests can also be ordered, but they won’t be conclusive for gastroparesis without other tests. Your doctor may also choose to do an ultrasound and/or an upper endoscopy to rule out other conditions.…

Blurred Vision – One of the First Signs of Diabetes

This is an era of speed. Everything in today’s era is fast. We want quick results, quick searches on internet and fast-food. As diabetes is reaching to the proportions of epidemic, a large number of people are losing complete or a part of their sight.

Would these diabetics be able to live in such a fast paced society with the partial vision? How would they survive in such society if their vision keeps on decreasing?

Diabetes is the number one culprit of blurred vision. American Academy of Ophthalmology advocates that diabetics have 25 folds greater risk of losing complete or a part of their site or experiencing blurred vision without the presence of any other disease. Don’t you think this 25 percent increased chance is a scary figure?

You must have already heard that blurred vision is one of the early signs of diabetes. But the figure released by American Academy of Ophthalmology is even more alarming.

In the early stages of diabetes the blurred vision comes and goes. This is the early signs of diabetes. It happens as the blood sugar levels becomes better or get worse. With the passage of time the constant increased blood sugar level starts to damage the vessels of the blood at the back of the eye retina. The longer a person has a diabetic life the more he is at the increased risk of suffering from partial loss of vision. This loss of vision because of diabetes is termed “Diabetic Neuropathy”. The diabetics who have a poor control on the level of the blood sugar generally develop eyesight deterioration within 15 years. You must not think at this stage that 15 years is a longtime as you must never play with your eyesight.

There are two types of eyesight damages because of diabetes

Non Proliferative

Proliferative

The later one is more severe but rare. The former one is generally known diabetic retinopathy. Retinopathy is the result of damages to the tiny blood vessels, which break because of increase in blood sugar level and rupture.

Generally no action is required except for the better blood sugar control

Proliferative retinopathy is a rare and a serious case. It is an uncommon growth of tiny blood vessels in the inner side f retina. The bleeding of these blood vessels, result in blindness or partial vision loss. Early detection of the problem is the key to better treatment. Laser surgery at the right time can help to put a stop at the leaking of these vessels. However the part of the vision that has been lost can never be reversed.…