Mental Wellness: Ear Aches from Noise Pollution

Constant noise exposure can lead to cardiovascular related diseases and affect our natural hearing sensitivity. As we know audio or sound levels is measured through decibels, and the legal decibel safe limit for humans is 40 decibels, anything beyond that disrupts our sleep patterns, and at the range of 85 decibels, the sound level and texture will lead to hearing damage and hearing loss. So tone down the noise pollution around you and give your ears a break.

Unplug those Ear Plugs
Those iPod earplugs and larger-than-life headsets at full blast will sure damage your hearing over time. It won’t hurt to cut down the volume on the ear tech once in a while.

Rage against the Machinery
Living next to a busy intersection filled with honking cars, a construction site, a factory, an airport or even a videoke bar is well into the nightmare scale of noise pollution. We can't possibly avoid these places all the time, but there are ways were we can minimize their effects.

Non-stop Yapping
Human-created noise is as much as annoying as it really sounds. It can eat you up emotionally and tear you apart particularly if you have noisy scream-fest neighbors, a constantly nagging partner, a loud barking dog that keeps you up at night. Find a way to de-stress your life from these daily noise pollutants.

If you find it quite impossible to avoid machinery noises, human-created noise or disruptive noises, at least find time during the day to take a quiet walk, even some little "Me" time to meditate and relax can help uplift your mood. Getting unplugged and switching off the noise as much as possible can do wonders for your mind, emotional wellness and mental state.

Cutting the Calories and Eating the Right Brain Food

One of the main reasons to cut the calories is to slow down the brain cells rapid decline. A study conducted by the University of Florida on lab rats on a specific food diet (40% restricted calorie-intake) turned out that the rats had higher levels of beneficial protein that protects against neuron death.

In a twist of brain food irony, another group of US researchers have found out that people who consume folic acid or folate supplements in large doses may end up in a faster state of mental decline when older. So too much of a good thing is really bad for you, make sure take supplements in moderation and never in heavy dosages.

A Gingerly Solution: Ginger Hot Compress

Ginger root is known as an herbal remedy for osteoarthritis and rheumatism. It has anti-inflammatory properties that relieves and soothes arthritic conditions. Here’s a natural ginger remedy you can do at home.

First, a ginger massage. Grate and unpeel a handful of fresh ginger root. Squeeze and extract the fresh ginger juice through a blender. Add a drop of olive oil. Gently rub the ginger blend on your arthritic area. You may store the remaining mixture for later use.

Using some of the extract and pieces of grated ginger root create a hot compress by dipping a hot cloth in the juice. Wrap the grated pieces of ginger root in the cloth and put the cloth over the inflamed and painful area. Place a hot water bottle on top of it and wrap a towel around to keep the ginger poultice in place. Make sure the cloth is not too hot, be careful not to burn yourself. After awhile you will feel the warm yet comforting burning sensation of the ginger working on your inflamed joint.

And while you’re well into your ginger therapy, relax and drink some ginger tea!

Enjoy Great Skin at Any Age without Breaking the Bank

Stop fretting about lines and creases, they do happen when we reach a certain age, but that doesn't mean we can't have a flawless face at any age- we can age gracefully and minimize the lines.

When wrinkles begin to form, you should ante up on your anti-aging beauty regimen and does not include going for surgical intervention. A diet and sleep pattern intervention is enough to turn the clock around.

• Firm skin with the basic body rule- 8 or more glasses a day. This is true to form and keepng skin hydrated will also make it have a natural glow.
• Sugar means Sagginess. Notice how some of us have that plumpy or edema-like bulge on our faces, that's the sugar talking! Sugar causes cell inflammation, so go easy on the sweets.
• Avoid Sun Damage. Too much UV rays exposure contribute to rapid aging of the skin, be vigilant with the SPF.
• Heal with Vegetables. Get as many anti-oxidants into your system from Vitamin A and E rich foods such as broccoli, spinach, tomatoes and berries. That cucumber is not just good on your eyes, its also good for a bite!

The Truth about Coffee: Caffeine has its Health Perks!

Good news for Caffeine addicts everywhere, if you can't give up the frap- well why not the frap keep it!

On the March-April issue of EatingWell Magazine, researchers are trumping the positive effects of coffee on the human body. Yeah, so we can all get jiggy with a few more shots of espresso.

Coffee has great antioxidant properties which keeps the average heart healthy. Coffee can stop the long term haul of  inflammation on the arteries.

Coffee can battle Diabetes Type 2 by regulating our blood sugar. Coffee drinkers who are into 4 or more cups each day may have lower risk of diabetes by boosting our insulin sensitivity. 

But that is not to say that Coffee doesn't have its downside, we all know how super jittery we can all get after a few cups. Or how our bodies develop a caffeine tolerance and disturb our sleep cycles.

But with these new findings on coffee, we can now enjoy our coffee cups, not just sugar-free, but guilt-free as well.