Health Tips

Easy and cheap tips for a healthier life

Try Abayanga - Sesame oil massage

Basically, you warm sesame oil and rub it over your body before your shower. According to Ayurveda (ancient Indian medicine), abyanga can tone muscles, calm nerves, lubricate joints, increase mental alertness, promote softer, smoother skin, increase stamina, improve sleep, and eliminate impurities from the body. Frankly, I don’t know if it can do all that. I do know that it helped me eliminate dry, cracked skin without resorting to lotions with questionable ingredients. The downside risk: a clogged shower drain.

Add Affirmations

To many, Louise Hay is the queen of affirmations. According to her and others, positive thoughts, those that reflect life as you want it to be, can create a healthier and more fulfilling existence. You can find some stock affirmations on the web.  But to be truly effective it is best if the affirmations are personal and have some energy behind them.  They must also be present tense and positive.  No “will happen”, “has happened”, don’ts, won’ts, shouldn’ts, and nevers allowed.

Ditch Microwaves

What you might not know is this: eating microwaved food can be harmful to your health.

Studies show (the short list):

Microwaved food can diminish red blood cells, impair white blood cells, and raise cholesterol

Microwaving food creates new compounds not found in nature, some cancer-causing

Toxic chemicals from containers can leak into the food

So if microwaves can cause health problems when cooking food, what are they good for? They are great for killing bacteria on wet sponges and cloths. They are also super at heating neck and shoulder wraps. 

Drink hot water - Ushnodaka

So why hot water?  Ayurveda views the digestive process as a fire burning your food.  You wouldn’t want to pour cold water on that fire to put it out.  In Ayurvedic  terms undigested food causes ama and ama clogs your system, leaving you sluggish and prone to disease.  This simple act can (according to Ayurveda): improve joint pain, strengthen digestion, relieve heartburn, aid weight loss, ease symptoms of a cold, cough, and fever, and detox the body.   

While some sources suggest sipping ¼ cup of hot water per hour, I like the one that says, “Keep it simple.  Just drink hot water.”