Recent Posts by Wendy

Fall Asleep Faster and Stay Asleep Longer With These Herbal Teas

I can remember the last time that I had a solid seven hours of uninterrupted sleep.  It was two and a half years ago. It was such a rare occurrence for me that I can tell you where I was (not at home) and what I did that day to make me so exhausted. More typically, I have to “encourage” my body to fall asleep with a night time ritual that promotes relaxation and sleepiness, such as turning off the computer a good hour or two before bedtime or taking a hot shower or bath. But staying asleep is another story.

Lately, though, I’ve been adding herbal tea to my nighttime routine, with mostly good results.  That’s because there’s a new generation of teas- or herbal infusions – with nighttime formulations that have more firepower than you’ll get with a basic Chamomile blend. So, if you need help falling asleep faster, or staying asleep longer, consider trying some of these herbal teas at bedtime as I have during the past several weeks.

If you’re new to tea drinking, I recommend starting with a basic chamomile blend. It just might be all you need to get some quality sleep.  I’ve been sipping Celestial Seasonings “Sleepytime Tea” for years, and at times, I’ve used as many as three tea bags at once to get a big dose of Chamomile, its predominant ingredient, as a natural sedative.  It often does the trick, especially when combined with a good book or calm music. Twinings brand “Bedtime Blend” is another pleasant-tasting tea containing the same blend of Chamomile, Spearmint and Lemongrass.

If you’re ready to take it to the next level, I suggest trying The Republic of Tea’s “Get Some ZZZ’s Tea. It contains Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss), from the South African Redbush shrub, and Passionflower.  Both plants are common ingredients in supplements used to alleviate anxiety and occasional insomnia. But what really sets this tea apart from others is the 20 mg of Valerian Root that’s contained in just one cup.  As described by Dr. Laurie Steelsmith in her book, Natural Choices for Women’s Health; ”Valerian root calms and restores your nervous system. It is especially helpful if you can’t get to sleep because your mind is racing.” According to the government’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM),  researchers have concluded that Valerian appears to be safe at recommended doses for short-term use (4-6 months).

When I was examining the ingredient list of Traditional Medicinals’ “Organic Nighty Night” Tea in Whole Foods, a woman walking by encouraged me to buy it. “It really works,” she said, and I have to agree with her.  Its base is a lemony-flavored blend of Spearmint, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Peel and Lemongrass.  But it’s the Passionflower, Chamomile, Linden Flower, Catnip and Hops that, when combined, seems to promotes relaxation.  Hops, which is the main ingredient in beer, is known as a relaxing natural sedative.

Finally, I tried Yogi “Bedtime” tea with “soothing caramel”  and vanilla flavors added. It’s mostly a blend of eleven botanical plants including Chamomile, Rooibos, Cinnamon Bark and Ginger Root. But I suspect it’s the California Poppy Plant and  L-Theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, that makes the difference.  Theanine has been shown, at least in larger doses, to help with relaxation and stress.

Now, before you try any of these herbal infusions, I have a few suggestions:

• If you have a medical condition, or you’re on daily medication, it’s important that you review the Tea’s ingredient list (usually found online) with your physician to make sure that there isn’t anything that will interfere with your treatments or prescriptions.

• If you’re interested in learning more about botanical supplements, I recommend visiting these two government websites; The National Institute of Health’s Center for CAM  and Office of Dietary Supplements. They are excellent resources for unbiased information. There’s an informative document on Sleep Disorders and CAM that you’ll find helpful as well.

• With these nighttime teas, consider one cup a normal “dose.” Don’t overdo it even if you love the flavor. Besides, if you drink too much, you’ll have to use the bathroom during the night and, well, that defeats the purpose of them, doesn’t it?

If any of these teas improve or even solve your sleeping problems, would you let me and others know in the comment box below?  Perhaps you can suggest another brand that has worked for you.

Calling All Menopausal Women….

An award-winning freelance journalist, Cheryl Weinstock, is working on a menopause story for PAUSE and would like to interview menopausal women on local and hormone therapy. Pause is a free, online magazine that focuses on Menopause and related midlife health issues. It’s published by The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Cheryl assured me that all interviews will be conducted with complete sensitivity and at a convenient time for the interviewee. You see, Cheryl is menopausal and on treatment, too, so she knows the lay of the land quite well.

If you’re interested in talking with her by phone, and don’t mind submitting a picture too, please contact her directly via her email at cherylpw@optonline.net.

These Books Can Help You Keep Your Fitness Resolutions Even If You Only Have 15 Minutes for Exercise (And I’m giving them away)

How are you doing with your new year’s resolutions? I’m betting that one of them included a commitment to exercise on a regular basis. It’s only four weeks into the year, but if the thinning crowd at the gym is any indication, this is the time when you see who’s serious about their fitness and who isn’t. If you’re in the latter camp, you MUST watch this engaging 10 minute video that explains why exercise is the single best thing you can do for your health. If this doesn’t motivate you to get with the program, nothing will.

If you do watch the video by Dr. Mike Evans, an Assoc. Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, you’ll learn that even a half hour of daily exercise can be meaningful. Consider these recent research findings that he explained more fully in his talk:

• Just one hour a week of activity reduced the incidence of heart disease by almost half in one study.
• For every increase of 10-minutes in your walk to work, there’s a 12 percent reduction in your likelihood of getting high blood pressure.
• Compared with persons who watch no television, those who spent a lifetime average of six hours a day watching TV can expect to live five years less.

If exercising at least 30 minutes a day seems out of the question, given home and work responsibilities, take a look at Joan Pagano’s exercise books. Joan specializes in full-body strength training that can be done with minimal equipment at home, in the gym or on the road. They’re illustrated with step-by-step photos … [Read more]

The Link Between Wrinkles and Bone Density

Is it possible that deep brow furrows are an early indicator of osteoporosis later in life? The findings of a recent study suggests that the more wrinkles a woman has in her early menopause years, the lower her bone density, putting her at risk for bone fractures. The association may seem like a stretch at first. But Dr. Lubna Pal, an endocrinologist who led the research at Yale’s School of Medicine, explained:

(Bones and skin) share common building blocks — a group of proteins called collagens. As we age, changes in collagen occur that may account for age-related skin changes… and also contribute to deterioration in bone quality and quantity.

In this study of 114 women in their late 40s and early 50s, none of whom were on HRT, skin wrinkles at 11 sites on the face and neck were measured and participants underwent DEXA scans. The researchers found that women with the worst wrinkles had the lowest bone density scores. Conversely, those with firm skin and the fewest wrinkles, particularly in the forehead area, had greater bone density.

If this research is further substantiated, and skin does in fact provide a glimpse into the status of the skeleton, it may be possible to determine our bone strength by simply looking in the mirror.

A Wallet-Friendly Approach to Fitness. No Gym Required.

January is a time for setting new goals…and crowded gyms. It happens every year. Resolved to get fit and healthy, new members (or those who have been MIA) fill up group classes and the wait for using the cardio equipment becomes too long for my schedule. So, I’ve learned to be patient because I know that in just one month, most of them will be gone and I can return to my own, stress-free pace. Until then, I hit the outdoors for long walks and do Pilates floor exercises at home. It’s always a fresh reminder that there’s really no excuse for not exercising especially when there are so many fitness resources available on the web to help plan workouts and monitor how we’re doing. Here are just a few examples:

Visit the website of the American Council on Exercise and click on “Get Fit” to view their exercise library and illustrated workouts. You can indicate your target body part, experience level, equipment needed and workout type. This is the website for the organization that certifies fitness trainers, so you’ll find good instructions here. While you there, try out their handy fitness tools and calculators for estimating percent body fat, daily caloric needs, heart rate zone and BMI (Body Mass Index).

For Pilates enthusiasts of all levels, there are plenty of online videos by master instructor Elizabeth Larkam (whom I’ve taken classes with) as well as podcasts that you can download onto your phone or tablet and take with you anywhere. And you’ll find excellent instruction videos on YouTube including this one.

If you enjoy working out with an exercise ball, you’ll find tips and workout ideas in a series of free videos on this website. For core exercises using the fitness ball, watch these slide show demonstrations produced by the Mayo Clinic.

For a more individualized approach, check out Daily Burn, a new “personalized fitness platform” that delivers HD-quality, daily video workouts that are tailored to fit your unique fitness needs and goals. The videos are streamed to your computer, smart phone or other mobile device such as iPad or Android. There’s a membership fee of $30/month, but if this works for you, it’s considerably less than paying for a personal trainer.  They offer a free, 7-day trial if you want to give it a test run.

Finally, if you want to monitor your progress, check out the Free Fitness Tracker, where you can set fitness goals, track and measure progress and access their workout library of 300 exercises. As a member, you can even upload your own exercises to share with others.

If you’ve discovered other no-cost or low-cost online resources for fitness workouts, please let me (and other readers) know in the comment box below.