All Posts by Fred Lee

Hibiscus tea is a popular beverage that is consumed the world over, and many commercially available herbal teas contain some hibiscus in varying amounts. However, in addition to being enjoyable, researchers have found that drinking hibiscus tea actually lowered the blood pressure (BP) in pre-hypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. The findings were the result of a study supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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Nobody can appreciate the value of sleep more than a parent, especially when it involves a newborn. Scientific research is continually shedding new light on the importance of getting enough rest, especially in light of how sleep takes a back seat to our increasingly busy lifestyles. In fact, a new study out of U.C. Berkeley has determined that something as simple as an hour of napping time during the day can have a significant impact on our brain’s performance, even making us smarter.

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It seems as if stress and anxiety are an integral part of our week as we struggle to get to our jobs at the same time every day and fulfill our duties, irregardless of whether or not we have enough to do. In the end, if we’re not worried about getting there on time, we’re stressed about finding a way to fill those interminable 8 hours.

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It makes perfect sense that sitting in front of the TV or computer for days on end can contribute to obesity. After all, when you’re sitting, you’re not exercising, and any excess calories you consume are stored as fat rather than burned as fuel.

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When high starch foods like potatoes or breads are subjected to high temperature cooking, which includes frying, baking, and roasting, the heat can result in the production of acrylamide, which is believed to be a carcinogen that may be linked to breast cancer in humans. Food researchers, however, are discovering novel ways to reduce acrylamide in many of the foods that we eat, including potato chips and breads.

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It may strike some of us a hard to believe, but the reality is, for some people, happiness is a state that is difficult or seemingly impossible to attain. This situation may work against them in the long run, however, as experts gain a better understanding of how being happy might help us live longer.

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Long considered the epitome of healthy eating, it turns out that wheat bread might be displaced from its lofty perch by none other than rye bread. In a finding that surprised even researchers, it appears that while whole grain bread is without question good for you because of the fiber rich outer shell (bran) used in making it, bread made with white rye flour actually leads to healthier levels of insulin and sugar in the blood.

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Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in this country, and most healthcare professionals agree that high levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood increase a person’s risk for the disease. With this in mind, the trend has always been toward reducing saturated fat intake and replacing it with unsaturated fats. In other words, oils such as olive oil and canola oil are better for you than butter.

Or are they?

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If you are deciding whether or not to eat a healthier diet, then you might want to consider the following: researchers have found that a Mediterranean diet was associated with a decreased chance of having brain infarcts, which are small areas of dead brain tissue that result from lack of blood to the specific area. It can lead to thinking problems as well as speech impediment and memory diminishment. The most common form of brain infarction is a stroke.

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In the busy and driven world that we live in, one of the things that really seems to suffer is a good night’s sleep, regardless of our age. Whether we’re adults trying to earn our daily bread or kids heading off to school, it is not uncommon for us to be functioning with some degree of sleep deprivation.

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