There is a popular Chinese saying that if one eats a plentiful amount of seaweed and sea vegetables, the hair grows stronger, thicker and blacker (which is always heavily sought after for Asians, as black voluminous and thick hair was a sign of beauty and youth). Though sea vegetables do wonders for the body and hair, there is another mineral Mother nature created that is often overlooked and not talked about as much—silica. Silica is a trace mineral that strengthens the body’s connective tissues – muscles, tendons, hair, ligaments, nails, cartilage, and bone – and is vital for healthy skin and bones.

aph-ro-di-si-ac : noun; 1. An agent (as a food or drug) that arouses or is held to arouse sexual desire; 2. Something that excites. (Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2010)

An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexuality and love. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable. Some people believe that aphrodisiac foods, such as bananas, oranges or oysters, gain their powers and reputation through their resemblance to sexual body parts. The same factor explains the trade in the phallic-looking horn of the rhinoceros. The magic of alcohol, especially champagnes and wines can best be attributed to their ability to lower one’s inhibitions. Other animal-based aphrodisiacs gain their reputation from the apparent virility or aggressiveness of the animal source, such as tiger penis. And then there are other foods, such as chocolate, that just make us feel good. In some cases it can be attributed to certain chemicals they release in our bodies, as chocolate has been proven to do. In others, it is that they excite many of our senses through a combination of taste, texture and appearance, and marketed to the masses on romantic holidays such as Valentine’s Day.

Trying to find libido boosters to improve their sex lives has been a hot topic throughout history, and people have gone to a lot of trouble—not to mention putting their health in danger, to come up with a list of real solutions. Today pleasure seekers have it easier because, as it turns out, the grocery store is the perfect place to find natural aphrodisiacs. Bonus: In addition to making sex a little steamier, nearly all these foods have health benefits beyond the bedroom.

Sound sleep is the foundation of good health. Most people need 6-8 hours of sleep every night to recharge their batteries.

Practicing good sleep hygiene and keeping the body in sync with the rhythm of day and night can help the body cope with sleep deprivation and give it an opportunity to boost the immune system, get stronger and heal.

By implementing just a few of these suggestions, you should notice a great improvement in your sleep and how you function during daylight hours.

In our society we put a premium on our waking hours and have the tendency to underestimate the importance of a full-night’s sleep. Millions of people who suffer from insomnia look for quick fixes instead of exploring the root causes of the problem. Sleep hygiene is an afterthought for many people. Evening is a time to allow our minds and bodies to turn inward to our subconscious. Sleep deprivation is the root of many health issues like memory impairment, a weakened immune system and stress that can lead to cardiac disease, heart disease and digestive disorders.

Exposure to the diminishing light at dusk helps regulate sleep hormones in the body. Excessive lighting at night, evening shift work, evening computing, video games, television and late-night eating all serve to counteract the body’s natural rhythms. It’s no wonder people have trouble sleeping. Rather than embrace nighttime as rest time, we tend to let our minds wander from one element of stress to another keeping us up for hours or perhaps an entire evening. We are then forced to approach the new day without having benefited from the regenerative powers that night time brings.

Yoga is an effective way to calm the mind, relax the body and release anxiety.  There is a small percentage out there that suffers from a phenomenon called Restless Leg Syndrome and they may find that with regular practice of the yoga poses below, they just might be able to get this condition under control.  I believe forward bends, backbends, spinal twists and poses that contract the thighs such as chair pose and lunges and/ or warrior poses are all beneficial but should be performed with awareness to the body and breath.

Those late night pharmaceutical infomercials asking viewers if they have difficulty controlling the movement of their legs and often feel a tingling sensation that keeps them from getting a good night’s rest is actually a real diagnosis in current medical books (though many non-western medicine practitioners would disagree). The laymen’s term is restless legs syndrome (RLS), and it is a disorder of the nervous system that affects the legs and causes an urge (voluntary) to move them. Because it usually interferes with sleep, it also is considered a sleep disorder.

It is celebrated as a natural and powerful energy drink, comparable to the caffeine in coffee, and comes from the South Americas with roots in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Yerba mate has been consumed in social circles in the form of a tisane and commonly sold as a tea because of the way it is brewed, steeped and prepared before consumption from a vegetable gourd.  People all over the world can find Yerba Mate in liquid, dry leaves and capsule form in health food stores.
Yerba mate has many beneficial healing qualities for the body, including stimulating the central nervous system, delivers immune boosting antioxidants, amino acids, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals and detoxifying the blood to prevent many times of chronic diseases and cancer. It is a strong anti-inflammatory and also helps to reduce anxiety and stress as well as decreases insomnia.

Though the younger generations of our modern times (those around the age of 35 and younger) would strongly argue that body art and tattoos are a popular trend and well accepted style to sport on the surfaces of the skin, there are definite more traditional, religious and conservative minds that frown at the thought of anything creating permanent marks on the body. As what some would say is  “becoming a fast mark of the 21st century” and “more than 30 percent of people under the age of 30 has one permanent body art tattooed onto the skin,” it is no wonder personal expression and free spirits can be confused with rebellious youth of new generations gone awry.

Need more energy in the morning and throughout the day? Do you find your coffee habit is growing but your energy is only fading? Well, if a crisp organic apple doesn’t do the trick, try this Incan superfood that has been used in the indigenous Andean societies as a source of whole body health nourishment, energy supplement and healing agent: the Maca root.Need more energy in the morning and throughout the day? Do you find your coffee habit is growing but your energy is only fading? Well, if a crisp organic apple doesn’t do the trick, try this Incan superfood that has been used in the indigenous Andean societies as a source of whole body health nourishment, energy supplement and healing agent: the Maca root.