IS MY FRIEND AN ENERGY DRINK MONSTER?

I have a friend who has recently turned 40 and has started to be more active with his running schedule and want’s to keep his energy level up. Every time I see him lately he is pounding an energy drink. On more than one occasion I have opened the passenger door to his car and have found myself picking up empty energy drink cans up off the street from them falling out. Is my friend an energy drink monster?

He is a busy guy, he works hard, and his wife is away on business most of the week and spends his free time running his son to soccer practice or another like-minded activity. Like most of us we are forced to try and squeeze more work hours, and more efficiency out of each day, all the while trying to maintain our exercise routine so we don’t croak before we see 50.

He dropped by my house recently energy drink in hand, I had just made a pot of coffee and offered him one, its good coffee too and comes from my friends organic coffee plantation in Hawaii. He declined saying he would stick to his canned drink, I jokingly said, "that stuff will kill you." He did not stay long and was soon on his way fueled up and ready for a ten mile run. As he left I had this vision of him driving at a 100mph, sweaty palms gripping the steering wheel racing to his next destination like some hopped up meth head as his energy drink and anxiety ruled his actions.

My friend, lets call him "Reckless Dan" got me thinking, are energy drinks bad for us? It’s a big business, $9 billion to be exact.The industry leads us to believe that by drinking these energy drink elixirs you will be given the ability to maintain your focus and be able to increase your productivity or your sports performance by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, the energy drink industry for the most part is fueled by capitalism and not by your health, big surprise!

For those of you who are hammering energy drinks like Reckless Dan, really take a step back and think about what you are putting into your body on a daily basis, these drinks could be potentially causing you long term health issues. You are wreaking havoc on your blood sugar levels, I found by researching that causing an unbalance with your sugar intake leads to long term side effects associated with Aspartame.  Aspartame hides behind big name companies such as NutraSweet and Equal and is probably the most harmful substance added to food on the market today.

There are over 92 health side effects linked to aspartame ranging from eye problems such as blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound, headaches, migraines and (some severe) dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, memory loss, severe drowsiness and sleepiness, irritability ,aggression, anxiety, personality changes, insomnia. I have to stop this list here its giving me anxiety!

So, as you reach for your low cal, artificially sweetened drinks ask yourself if energy drinks are really the answer for all your productivity needs. If you suffer with an anxiety disorder, these drinks are not what you need and if you are not aware anxiety affects everyone around you. Please read my blog on this topic, it may help you.

Now that I have become aware of the effects of energy drinks, sugar additives on our health let’s find an alternative for your pre workout, long day at the office drink.

This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 small gingko or ginseng tea bags
• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 large or 2 small herbal tea bags

Directions

In a medium pitcher, brew all the tea bags in 1 quart of water. Add the lemon juice to a large pitcher. Add the sugar and the remaining water and mix well. Pour the tea into the lemonade mix and stir. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Hand Soap or Sanitizer

 I am not very good at touching anything in places where there are high volumes of people, grocery store baskets, hand rails, crosswalk buttons and most of all door handles. I am like a contortionist when it comes to using a public door handle, feet, elbows, they all come into play as I try to work my way around them. 

This winter has been particularly mild where I live in Georgia and spring is in the air, we are however still in cold and flu season, so keeping your hands clean is as important as ever. Hand sanitizers and wipes are a very popular way keep those germs at bay…or are they?

Hand Sanitizers

Formulas for hand sanitizers are very basic and so are the ingredients that go in to them. Most hand sanitizers are simply alcohol thickened to a gelatin with color and fragrance added to make them more appealing to the consumer. Some formulas contain a moisturizing agent, which can help a little but in truth are not effective. They are there to rebalance what the alcohol is doing and no the alcohol is not what you would order from your local pub, it is generally ethanol or isopropanol. Some of the better formulas contain vitamins and extracts, the amounts are so small I think that they are ineffective and are there for the “show” factor. 

So how do they work? When you work them in to your hand ‘most’ of the living bacteria are killed, the alcohol bursts the cell wall and the organelles leak out. If you notice advertisements for hand soap they will say “kills 99% of germs” have you wondered what that 1% is doing? That one percent’s spore is immune to alcohol and is a trouble maker that encourages its buddies to unite and that is when the bacteria starts its cycle all over again as soon as you touch something else. 

Do they work? 

Yes, they work like the label claims they will, although there testing is done in a lab and not in human conditions on human skin. Soap and hot water is more effective because it removes all the microbes present. Another added bonus are non-microbial chemicals are removed and that’s a good thing because they can make you equally as sick. I see people obsessed with the pump bottle sanitizers, overuse generally results in drying out the skin and creating very small cracks, a haven for bacteria to nestle. 

Bottom Line

Hand sanitizers are a good option in a pinch or when that nasty public water closet is inevitably out of soap! However, you can't beat good old-fashioned soap and water in the battle to fight disease-causing germs.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer recipe

• 1/4 c. aloe Vera gel (as pure as you can get)
• 3/4 c. rubbing alcohol (at least 91%)
• 1/8 c. vegetable glycerin (optional) (if omitted, use an extra 1/8 c. aloe Vera gel)
• 10 drops essential oil

Pour everything into your food processor or blender and let it go on high for a minute or two. Bottle and use as you would any hand sanitizer. Keeps for 6 months or more.

Why use glycerin? I added glycerin to mix to add extra softening. 

Note: I have played around with this recipe quite a bit over the years, adding more glycerin will make your hands feel sticky. You do not have to use glycerin however.

Here’s a list of antibacterial and/or antiviral essential oils and how they can affect your mood/nerves with their fragrant action:

• Cinnamon: Reduces drowsiness, enhances concentration, may decrease headache pain – one of the most antiseptic essential oils out there.
• Lavender: Relaxes, rejuvenates, relieves headaches and migraine pains; a good choice if you’re going to use it on kids (over the age of 2), as it induces calmness
• Lemon: Rejuvenates, helps ease depression and sadness, energizes
• Peppermint: Calms frazzled nerves, energizes, improves mental clarity
• Tea Tree: Maybe not the best-smelling option, but it’s VERY antiseptic and antibacterial – use this if you care less about the smell and more about nuking the germs – but tea tree oil does promote calmness and mental alertness
• Rosemary: Extremely effective in helping with information retention, alertness, and memory
• Geranium: Milder, but the most floral of the bunch: Lifts moods, eases PMS, promotes relaxation (one of my personal favorites when I formulate).

How we can cope with stress

When stress has risen to a point that you feel that it is out of control and you are going to blow up inside. Those horrible things that cause stress can cause a lot of wear and tear on your body and mind. Bills, hidden fears, bad decisions, responsibilities, consequences, can bring an abundance of stress and we all have it in our lives.

I wrote on my facebook wall yesterday stating I was worried about a situation, a friend posted a reply, 'are you stressed' I honestly did not know how to reply because I am such a literal person, and yes stress is in my life, always has been, always will be. It's how I cope with it that makes a difference and the rebound effect has a significant effect on not just your friends and family but their friends also.

Life is too short to take everything personal, so why not move ahead and deal with the troubles by relaxing a little more. Friends are great and we need them so don't isolate yourself. If you have good friends they will recognize your problem, help if they can, and soothe you when they cannot.

How can we cope with stress?  A stress management system has to be put in to effect when you feel like you can’t take any more and you feel like your body is going to explode. Stress can lead to some major problems if we do not learn how to cope with it and manage our emotions. 

There are several ways to relieve stress; exercise is at the top of the list even if your body feels in a state of paralysis you have to move about and get those endorphins working. Music is a great stress reliever, meditation; self-talk, visual, contrasting and comparing can be a great way to find your own stress management system. 

It’s important that you find what works for you before you cause harm to yourself or to people around you by reason of reaction. A moment of out of control anxiety can have a lasting effect on us all. Take back control!

1.      Unfortunately, prescription drugs are usually offered as a remedy for such illnesses and they can be dangerous if used over a long period of time. The demand for alternative medicine has skyrocketed because many of them offer relief from symptoms without the side-effects linked to prescription drugs but natural remedies are not meant to be long-term treatments, although they can offer relief in the short-term. It is very important that you do your homework and research to increase your knowledge of any herb or vitamins to make sure it is the right thing for you to take. It is also a good idea to consult your family physician in order to ensure that the alternative treatment is safe for you.

2.       St. John's Wort is one of the most popular anti-anxiety herbs on the market. After taking St. John's Wort for as little as two weeks, you should notice a difference in your anxiety level. Valerian Root is another herb you might want to try. It is especially helpful in combating insomnia because of its sedative quality as it helps to lull the central nervous system to sleep. Vitamins can also provide an effective treatment for anxiety and B-complex can help produce neurochemicals, which in turn, assists in the synthesis of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Kava Kava is considered to be one of the strongest anti-anxiety remedies in the world. Another aid to combating anxiety is Passion Flower because it helps to calm the central nervous system, leading to feelings of peace. 

3.       Exercising should make you feel less anxious. Your muscles become less tense and you will be calm and relaxed after at least 30 minutes of your favorite type of exercise. 

4.      Insomnia is one of the most dangerous side-effects of stress. It can rob you of your energy, strength, and endurance. There are some steps you can take to improve your sleep. You can make sure that your bedroom is conducive to sleep by finding the most comfortable bedding available, decorating your room with soft, subtle colors, and eliminating clutter or other signs of work in progress. Try not to do work in bed and avoid watching TV. You want to try to eliminate stimulants from your sleeping area which could prevent you from falling asleep. If you like to read in bed, make sure that you read something light that will not engage your mind as you are trying to fall asleep.

5.       Enjoy your time by making a hobby out of it.

Above all find a way to love your life, it’s worth it!

Non-Toxic Cleaning

Today’s blog was inspired by my neighbor Shelby who has just stepped away from a large house cleaning company and setting a new and positive path of being her own boss.

Always wanting to encourage people to live healthy in all parts of their lives I asked if she was using environmentally safe Eco-friendly products and offered some tips on making her own if she was not.

Making your own cleaning kit is not hard, not to time consuming and is very cost effective, they also really work. They are better for your health, not just because of being chemical free; they are also good if you are susceptible to depression. 

Have you ever noticed spraying furniture polish and shortly afterwards noticing a change in your mood, or a slightly thick headed feeling. The petroleum distillates and solvents in commercial furniture polish are highly neurotoxic. Replacing commercial furniture polish with a homemade formula is at the top of the list of priorities for establishing a healthier home, along with oven cleaner and pesticides. 

Furniture Polish

1/4 cup vinegar plus a few drops of oil—makes for a much better wood cleaner and polish. The vinegar pulls the dirt out of the wood, and the few drops of oil lubricate the wood so that it doesn’t dry out. The best oils to use are the ones that have the longest shelf life; I like olive oil and always readily available in my kitchen.

I also like to use noncommercial linseed oil, mixing a little treacle to it can help the tone of the wood. More you use the darker the wood, add a little alcohol also makes it spread easily.

Window Cleaner
1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

Oven Cleaner
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set while you take on another task. You can easily wipe up the grease because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

All Purpose Spray Cleaner
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

Vinegar Deodorizer
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off. Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

Mold and Mildew Cleaner
In my opinion nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I’ve used it successfully on moldy tents, a moldy shower curtain, and bathroom tile. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days. Tea Tree oil is a great astringent and antiseptic. The Australian army used to put it in their soldiers first aid kits.

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. This makes two cups.

Creamy Soft Scrum

Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.

Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

Clear drains.

Pour ½ cup of baking soda down a clogged drain then follow with a ½ cup of vinegar. Cover the drain to keep fizzing action inside. After the fizzing subsides, follow with a liter or two of boiling water. For very clogged drains, you may need to follow the boiling water by “snaking” the drain with a piece of wire or a straightened wire hanger. If you don’t achieve success the first time, repeat the entire process.

Remove stains from clothing. Combine ½ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda and 3 cups water in a spray bottle for a pre-wash natural laundry stain remover. Spray the solution on stained clothing then wash as normal.