Can Caffeine Harm You?

I just put up a Green blog about natural energy drinks. My husband is an energy drink junkie, but I’ve never seen the appeal. Plus, if I have too much caffeine, my heart flutters and that’s no fun. But, can energy drinks be harmful to you? The Food and Drug Administration did an investigation into Monster energy drinks after five deaths were believed to be linked to them. The investigation comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the mother of a 14-year-old girl who died after drinking two Monster drinks within 24 hours. Her autopsy showed a caffeine … Continue reading

Raise a Mug of Coffee to Your Health

As a coffee lover, I looked for excuses to drink it. However, I never thought that health benefits would become one of those excuses. I have long thought of coffee as a guilty pleasure or that one last thing to give up to attain good health. How could I give up my wake up coffee or my coffee drink to get me through grocery shipping? With so many delicious options from hazelnut to mocha to vanilla lattes, the temptation was far too great! I knew that coffee with be with me forever despite any harm that could come of it. … Continue reading

Can Herbs and Supplements Increase Your Milk Supply?

As soon as the word is out that you are breastfeeding or planning on breastfeeding, the advice will start to come out of the woodwork. Hey you should be used to it from fielding all of that baby advice when you were pregnant, right? I remember that when I was nursing my first child, or was it my second (these things can blend over the years), my husband came home with a curious little can. It was a remedy for increasing your milk supply. A co-worker had generously given it to him for me, when she found out that we … Continue reading

Moms-to-Be: Work Stress Can Be Harmful to Your Baby

A Dutch study published in the American Journal of Public Health took a look at work stress in the first trimester of pregnancy — and the impact it can have on an unborn child. More than eight thousand pregnant women participated in a survey focused on employment and working conditions — they were asked about the number of hours worked per week and their stress levels (among other things). More that seven thousand women continued in the study, and were in contact with researchers again after giving birth to report the weight of the newborns. The results? Women who worked … Continue reading

Why Taking Care of Yourself Can Boost Your Sex Life

When you take care of yourself you are helping your marriage, especially when it comes to sex. Work, kids, the house, the in laws. All of these things demand attention, and there are only so many hours in the day to get done what needs to be done. Very often, married couples collapse into bed exhausted at the end of the day. There is always someone else’s needs to be met. We over stress ourselves, skip exercising and live on a diet of caffeine and leftover chicken nuggets from the kids. The problem is that when we don’t take care … Continue reading

Caffeine Linked to Underweight Babies

Here is one more reason to avoid caffeine, especially if you are pregnant. A new study published in the British Medical Journal found that even a little caffeine during pregnancy can put your baby at risk for being born with a low birth weight. In fact, the study examined the consumption of caffeine from multiple sources, including tea, cola, chocolate and even prescription drugs. Even a little use of caffeine is linked to slower fetal growth. Underweight babies are subject to a number of problems, including some that occur later in life, such as heart conditions, high blood pressure and … Continue reading

American Idol News: Paula’s Blunder

If you watched American Idol last night, you might agree with Simon – it was “officially the strangest show we’ve ever done.” Last night, Ryan Seacrest told everyone that he or she would sing two songs. But, unlike the usual format, they would not hear from the judges until after the second song. Therefore, everyone sang his or her first song and it was a true snoozefest in my opinion. I thought my original favorite, Brooke White, would do great with Neil Diamond since she has a Carol King/Carly Simon feel to her singing. But no, she chose to sing … Continue reading

Stimulant Drugs: How Much Do You Know?

Drugs have become everyday commodities that parents and teenagers must learn to deal with in effective and responsible ways. As a parent, it is natural to want to protect your child from the influence of drugs, but we can’t be there all the time to watch over our teenagers. And while we can adopt the “just say no!” attitude, it helps if we actually know what we are saying no to. Therefore, this is the first in a series of some of the most common street drugs readily available to our children and each one outlines the common immediate effects … Continue reading

How Serious Is Your Racing Heart?

When I was in college, I had a frightening period of heart palpitations. After lots of tests (including wearing a Holter monitor) we figured out that it was most likely stress related. That didn’t make it any less frightening when my heart was thumping away for no apparent reason. What are heart palpitations? Any irregular or extra heartbeat can be called a palpitation. You may feel a thumping in your chest or a sinking sensation. A person may have them many times throughout the day without even noticing them! Heart palpitations are more easily felt when we lay down — … Continue reading

Why Yoga Might Help You Quit Smoking

You may have already gone through several cycles of trying to quit smoking just over the past month of forgotten and renewed resolutions of the New Year. Before you resign yourself to just trying again next year, see if anything here gives you motivation to try again. Becoming more aware of how your body feels and of your breathing patterns is one of the most easily experienced side-effects of practicing yoga. A simple, Gentle Yoga class could provide you with enough body awareness to firm your resolve. The focusing exercises, combined with poses and breath, allow you to better feel … Continue reading