Bored With Healthy Habits?

I am a health writer, but I am not a health freak. Don't get me wrong -- I absolutely love people who take their health seriously and do whatever it takes to look good and feel great. But having a healthy lifestyle does not mean that I don't live my life. When I go out I intend to have a good time. When my birthday comes around, I am dug into that chocolate cake deeper than a tick.

"Everything in moderation" is what my momma taught me, and even if it IS cliché, it is true. It is our habits that define who we are. The occasional vitamin C acid tablet doesn't mean someone is a health freak, or is even taking their well-being even somewhat seriously. Likewise, the odd beer or bag of buttery-golden popcorn does not make me a junk-food-junkie-junk-junk.

When living a healthy lifestyle, balance is key. Time and time again, when I have been far too strict on myself, verging on 100% raw food veganism, some stressful situation will come along and BAM! I fold like origami. I see this happen in my clients and in my friends as well.

Health is not about strict rules, diets, regimes and laws. It should be a natural expression of loving yourself, caring about how you feel and wanting to give yourself something wonderful. It shouldn't feel HARD. If you aren't enjoying it, then you aren't doing it right.

When things are looking too dull, do something different. Mix it up. Change something. Change yourself. Eat a breakfast filled with fresh, delicious berries. Add nasturtium petals and daisies to your salad -- they're edible and good for you! And most importantly, don't feel bad for enjoying your wine or having the odd ice cream. The worst thing to have with your meal is anxiety.

The Truth About Travel Supplements

Travelling can sometimes be complicated. Depending on which country you are intending to visit and how long you are going to stay there, you will have to become familiar with diseases and infections which you might come into contact with. In order to protect your health and well-being while on the road, in the air, or on the sea, there are a few supplements and herbal medicines which come in handy. Check with your naturopath and your doctor before you leave, making sure you have all the vaccinations and supplements that you might require.


Echinacea

Echinacea (E. angustifolia, E. purpurea) is a North American herbal medicine which has gained world-wide acclaim as a immune stimulant and modulator par excellence. When travelling to distant lands, there are few herbal remedies that will match Echinacea for providing both protection and treatment. In 2012 Griffith University in Australia published a placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial on air travellers taking Echinacea extract tablets (produced by Australian manufacturer Mediherb) Participants who took the Echinacea tablets before and during their air travel experienced significantly fewer upper respiratory infections, and the positive effects of Echinacea lasted up to four weeks after their flights.

Other studies have found that Echinacea was active against both swine flu and bird flu, helping to inhibit the replication of the virus while also interfering with their ability to bind to receptor sites. Echinacea is equally as effective against medication-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA, as it is against regular viruses.


Probiotics


Probiotics are steadily gaining in popularity around the world as research continues to find new health benefits from using them. Taking probiotics improves digestion, raises mood levels, and stimulates immune function. And when travelling overseas, it is possible that taking probiotic supplements may lend some protection against bacteria that cause traveller's diarrhoea. In a 2008 survey on people suffering from traveller's diarrhoea, researchers found that up to 23 percent of people who experienced traveller's diarrhoea self-medicated with probiotics. That's more than double the number of people who chose antibiotics  as their main treatment option.

In a review of research published in World Journal of Gastroenterology, probiotics containing strains of Saccharomyces boulardii were found to be significantly effective for a range of digestive problems, including traveller's diarrhoea. Other probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus and  Bifidobacteria are mentioned also in the study as being effective. Because probiotics are incredibly sensitive to heat, ask your naturopath, health store retailer or pharmacist about which brands are travel-friendly.

Sweet Wormwood

Sweet Wormwood (Artemisia annua) is an age-old herbal medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that has received enormous scrutiny from the scientific community since the 1970's, when its active constituent artemisinin was discovered. Artemisinin is incredibly anti-malarial, with a similar toxicity to malaria parasites as prescription drugs such as quinine. By itself, artemisinin is not well absorbed by the body. Often doctors will prescribe artemisinin to be taken alongside other analogs of artemisinin, such as artemethar, which have been chemically changed to increase their bioavailability.

A study published in Molecules in 2010 suggests that other flavonoids present in the leaves of Sweet Wormwood may enhance the bioavailability of artemisinin, creating a synergistic action when the whole plant extract is used. Findings like this confirm the benefit of taking Sweet Wormwood in the form of a herbal tea to prevent a malarial infection -- as TCM has recommended for thousands of years.

Ginger

Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most ancient traditional remedy for improving digestion and reducing nausea in the world. Despite it's long history of use, scientists are only beginning to understand how it works in the last 20 years. Ginger root reduces nausea from nearly every conceivable cause: pregnancy, chemotherapy, infectious disease, digestive illness, and motion sickness.

 The American Journal of Physiology published a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled study in 2002 that showed Ginger root significantly reduced motion sickness in participants when motion sickness was artificially induced. Whether you use Ginger tea, Ginger tablets or liquid Ginger extract, it's a handy herb to keep on hand when travelling by sea, air or car, if you know you have a sensitive stomach.

Andrographis


Andrographis (A. paniculata) has a range of benefits that may make it an appealing choice for travellers, depending on where they are going and what sort of diseases they are concerned about. If you know you are going away, Andrographis is a fantastic herbal extract to take to support immune function and stimulate your defences in general. Both the whole plant extract, and its isolated constituents called andrographolides, are active against bacteria and viruses responsible for respiratory illnesses such as tonsillitis and the common cold.

Andrographis may also offer protection against malaria. According to a study published in Alternative Medicine Reviews in 2011, Andrographis has shown activity against two different strains of malaria parasites, including plasmodium berghei and plasmodium falciparum. In addition, the roots have shown adaptogenic, antioxidant, anti-protozoal, antiparasitic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. One clinical study in China showed that ethanol extract tablets of Andrographis helped to cure 88 percent of dysentery cases, and 91 percent of acute gastroenteritis cases.

Fairy Tales, Mother Holle and the Creative Journey

Fairy tales and folklore has always featured a huge role in what keeps me going as an artist and a writer. Creative Every Day has recently posted a guest blog, written by yours truly, on the role fairy tales and inspiration play in the creative journey -- and how one particular fairy tale has recently helped to keep me afloat. Please check out my article on Mother Holle and the Creative Journey.

Does Creativity Lead to Better Health?

"It doesn’t matter if you are painting, writing poetry, journaling, sketching, or making pottery — the simple and timeless act of creating something out of nothing, and operating from that quiet and primordial place within you, initiates changes within your body." - Joel Le Blanc

The TLC International Art School in Wellington, New Zealand has recently published a feature article of mine detailing the links between creativity and health, and the scientific research that proves the link. I studied at TLC several years ago during a very difficult time in both my personal life and in my health, so it somehow feels that I have come full circle to have published this article for them in particular.

This is a very exciting time for me in my professional life and I just hope that this article, and future articles to come in this area, may help some people in their journey. 

TED Video On Mind/Body

"The body speaks to us in whispers, and if we ignore the whispers, the body starts to yell." - Lissa Rankin, MD. 

Watch this TED video on the connections between the mind, creativity, and physical health. Lissa Rankin, doctor and professional artist, is a great speaker with a lot of important points to make in this video.

 Creative block, loss of connection to self, and ignoring your intuition can all easily lead to health problems, and this speech is a timely reminder how important it is to take a holistic approach to one's health and well-being.

You can also visit Lissa's blog on personal growth and health at Owning Pink.

Creativity, Reading, and Eye-Strain

Well, now I've done it.
I've got eye-strain and it hurts like hell. Every time I so much as blink, it feels as though I've been lifting weights with my eyelids at the gym, and I forgot to do stretches afterwards. For me eye-strain is probably one of the top health hazards of being a writer. Normally it isn't an issue, but during weeks like this one -- late nights reading and editing articles, working 10 hour days at the computer, and spending my entire day off reading "The Painted Boy" by Charles De Lint -- usually leads to me walking up looking like I've had a stroke or something.

What's the cure? Well, usually time. Plus some eye exercises and lots of breaks away from the computer. Going for walks and focusing on trees and buildings in the distance usually helps. Also, taking a break from reading novels often does the trick, too.

It's painful to stop reading though, isn't it? -- especially when you are currently enthralled in the characters, the world, the language of a particularly good book. Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist's Way", actually recommends that writers and artists take time away from reading books. It's part of the process of breaking through creative blocks and unleashing potential. Television, books, news, articles, friends -- we are always TAKING IN information and ideas.

According to Julia Cameron,  we should stop stuffing our heads full of 'stuff' for at least a week, and get quiet and real to the voices, the fluxes, the ebbs of our inner selves. That is where our creativity is. That is where our art comes from. From the well inside of our hearts -- and if we plunge into it -- like the protagonist in the Grimm's fairy-tale "Mother Holle" -- we find another world, entirely different to the one we live in everyday, with its own magic, hardship and journeying.

Perhaps my body is telling me something.

Five Reasons Why You Should Exercise

 A teacher once told me that if he could have put the benefits of exercise into a pill and sell it, he'd have been rich -- and he was right. Whether you are working in a studio, toiling away at a computer, or staring blankly at a notebook, as a creative person one of the most important keys to wellness (and the one of the easiest things to forget to do) is exercise. Being physically active is a powerful process for the mind, body and soul -- and when done regularly, you will notice significant improvements in your health, and in your creativity.