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Understanding Cupping Therapy and Its Potential Benefits

A popular holistic therapy, cupping has been around for thousands of years. As a traditional Chinese therapy, cupping uses cups strategically placed on the body to pull the tissues, muscle, and skin outward, relieving tension. Many professional athletes and famous personalities have pushed the practice into the public domain after showing up to events with alien-like suction marks on their backs and necks, sparking debate about the practice's efficacy.

Massage Versus Cupping

Traditionally, athletes used massage to relax muscles, relieve pain, and improve performance, but acupuncturists — those who typically perform cupping therapies — argue that cupping is a superior practice.  A massage therapist puts downward pressure on the body, potentially causing more discomfort rather than relief. Using glass, plastic, or another material, Cupping converts suction into outward directional force, like a vacuum, to relieve chronic pain.

Advantages of Cupping

Practitioners cannot share enough about the potential benefits of cupping therapy. People use the treatment to improve circulation, relieve pain, release tension, and increase the body's detoxification processes. However, beyond the physical advantages, proponents of the practice speak to mental health benefits, such as stress and anxiety relief. While there is limited research on most holistic treatments, many people who experience cupping provide glowing reviews, talking about it helped with their headaches, chronic pain, allergies, skin conditions, fatigue, and so much more.

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Personal Experience

No one can tell you if cupping therapy will work for you, but from the moment those cups are placed on your back, you will know something is happening. The suction is almost instantaneous. While the experience is not painful for everyone, some people do say it hurts. Thankfully, if you feel any pain, you can tell the therapist, and they can relieve some of the pressure.

As the therapist removes the cups, there is a rush of relief—whether the release of the suction or the therapy working, you be the judge. However, there is no denying that you will leave the office feeling some relief.

Bruising Is Part of the Process

Not every person will experience bruising, but those that do will have them on average for up to a week. The marks can be subtle, or they can look like an ogre made out with your spine. It's a small price to pay if the therapy works, especially for those going through tremendous pain.

Duration of the Appointment and Frequency of Visits

The cupping process is not long, typically 15 to 30 minutes. The acupuncturists move pretty quickly after determining the correct placement for pain relief, and the cups do not need to sit on your body for very long.

If you find that the process works for you, you can get it done three times per week. However, most people recommend waiting for the bruises to heal before attempting another session. You can speak to your therapist to determine the proper schedule for your needs.

Cupping therapy is nothing new; although, it is currently trending. The Chinese have been using cupping therapy for centuries, along with several other holistic practices. While there is no guarantee the therapy will work for you, it might be worth it, especially for those suffering from chronic pain. What do you think about the practice? Will you give it a try? Leave a comment below.

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What You Should Know About Eating Yogurt for Gut Health

Hey there! Are you ready to talk about gut health for a little bit? I know, it’s not the most riveting topic, but the health of your gut is directly related to your overall physical and mental health. I’ve learned over the years that most gut imbalance issues don’t resolve themselves on their own. In fact, seemingly minor things such as occasional heartburn or excessive gas often turn into bigger problems down the road if you ignore them while they’re small.

Whether you have occasional digestive issues or you’re constantly fighting abdominal pain and other unpleasant symptoms, there are things you can do to restore the balance of your gut bacteria. One of those things is incorporating quality yogurt into your regular diet. Here’s what you should know about eating yogurt for gut health.

What Yogurt Can Do for Your Body

If you look at a spoonful of yogurt, you might think to yourself “this doesn’t really look that special.” But you’d be wrong! Hidden in that unassuming bite of delicious goodness are a bunch of microscopic bacteria known as probiotics. While the thought of little squirmy things on your spoon might make your stomach feel a little queasy, just know that the little guys inside yogurt are your friends. Think of them like microscopic superheroes getting ready to plunge into your stomach acid and beat up all the “bad guys” in there.

If you still need a little convincing that yogurt should become a regular part of your plan, here are some of the best things about yogurt.

  • It’s high in protein. Your body needs protein to maintain muscle mass, regulate your appetite and control your weight.
  • It’s good for digestive health. The key, though, is to look for the types of yogurt that contain probiotics. Otherwise, you’re missing out on one of the most important benefits yogurt can provide.
  • It has a lot of nutrients. Quality yogurt contains B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D (in fortified versions). These vitamins can help your body feel and function great.
  • It may prevent osteoporosis. Thanks to its calcium, phosphorous, potassium and protein content, yogurt is great for your bones. It can strengthen them and help you stave off unpleasant diseases such as osteoporosis.
  • It may enhance your immune system. Did you know many of your immune system cells are found in your gut? That came as a surprise to me. So if you want to build your immunity, you should start by giving your digestive system the probiotics it needs to thrive.
  • It could help you maintain your weight. Foods that are high in protein tend to reduce levels of hormones responsible for appetite. Additionally, there are several studies that show eating yogurt is associated with lower body fat percentage and body weight.

There’s a good, long list showing why you should start eating yogurt today. For best results, though, you need to stay away from the more sugary versions. Instead, opt for yogurt that is low in sugar and provides you with plenty of probiotics. You can even go with a plain version and add berries or fruits to sweeten it without all of the added sugar.

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Considerations for Those Who Are Lactose Intolerant

Some people are lactose intolerant, which means they can’t consume dairy products without experiencing unpleasant symptoms. If you are one of those people, you may be able to get some of the benefits of yogurt by simply consuming probiotics in supplement form.

Additionally, some people with mild lactose intolerance are able to consume kefir, which is a yogurt-like drink that contains lots of probiotics. The bacteria within kefir break down much of the milk, and some brands of kefir claim to be up to 99% lactose-free.

Whether you choose to get your probiotics from yogurt, kefir or supplements, you’re making a wise decision. Your gut and your health will thank you!

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My Favorite Lotions To Get Through Winter

Natural lotions can treat your hands, face and body to some tender loving care from all winter long. Here are my favorite lotion types and ingredients for protecting my skin during winter weather.

My Favorite Hand Creams for Cold Weather

During winter, I always keep three kinds of hand treatment close by. First, I have an intensive-care hand cream for deep moisturizing at least once a week. This will be your go-to at the first signs of knuckles that look red or cracked. Look for something with hyaluronic acid, a natural ingredient that can hold 1,000 times its weight in water! It sinks deep into your skin and holds moisture there longer.

My other mainstay is a nourishing hand lotion for applying several times every day. This type of lotion isn’t as thick, so it absorbs more quickly when you’re in a hurry. It’s designed to protect your hands against chilly weather. Some women use moisturizing lotion every time they wash their hands during winter. Here are some good natural ingredients for this:

  • Mango butter: Soothing and light, this smooth moisturizer also has antioxidants to block UV rays.

  • Coconut oil: This gentle oil hydrates and brightens skin, but that’s not the only reason I love it. It makes your hands feel amazingly soft and supple.

  • Glycerin: This is a fantastic natural humectant for keep your skin moist.

  • Ceramides: These are basically healthy fats that lock in moisture.

Last, I have a bottle of nighttime hand lotion by my bed for moisturizing before I go to sleep. This is a little thicker, but still not greasy. Go with something that has shea butter or cocoa butter for maximum softness.

The Best Face Lotions for Winter

Winter can dry out your face quickly. That means finding a good facial moisturizer that isn’t greasy or irritating. Almond oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, avocado oil and shea butter are all excellent choices. I also recommend trying essential oils (a few drops diluted with some of the carrier oils above):

  • Frankincense

  • Lemongrass

  • Chamomile

  • Lavender

  • Rose

  • Sweet orange

  • Sandalwood

  • Sage

These aromatic oils can help you relax while soothing reddened skin. They’re a perfect fit for pampering your face in winter. Essential oils have important healing compounds, such as vitamin A, vitamin C and other nutrients.

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Heavenly Body Lotion for Snuggling the Cold Away

It’s not just your face and hands that can feel rough during winter. Hot showers can do a number your whole body. That’s why it’s important to hydrate every time you get out of the shower. Here’s one of my favorite DIY recipes:

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 cup beeswax

  • 1 tsp vitamin E oil

  • Several drops of vanilla bean fragrance oil

Use a double boiler to melt the beeswax and mix the other ingredients over low heat. Whip them well to get a nice texture. Put this mixture into a jar and let it cool, then viola, delicious-smelling body lotion!

These days, you can also find wet-skin moisturizers that you can apply directly in the shower. They’re a breeze for staying hydrated because you don’t have to wait for your skin to dry after toweling off.

Personally, I like to use a body lotion that has an alluring scent, since it makes my special someone excited about snuggling. He thinks it’s for romance, but it’s really because I’m freezing and I want to steal his body heat!
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Eat Well and Save With Your Spring Herb Garden

Even if you don't have a green thumb, growing herbs is a great starting point for the novice gardener. Not only will you enjoy the process of nurturing your little plants, but you'll also have a selection of delicious, nutritious seasonings to add to your meals. Sound enticing? Whether you have a large outdoor plot or a few small containers on your windowsill, get started in the garden with these six beginner-friendly herbs.

Basil

A Mediterranean-food mainstay, basil does well in pots indoors or out. To keep your plant healthy, snip the largest leaves each day and water every other day. Basil is an anti-inflammatory that helps the liver detoxify the body, and it's also an excellent source of fiber. Basil classically combines with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese for Caprese salad, but you can use its fragrant greenery in salads, wraps, sauces and cocktails.

Lemon Balm

The lemon balm plant, a cousin of mint, gets immediate points for its unbelievable citrus aroma. In fact, studies show that the scent reduces stress, boosts memory and soothes anxiety. This plant loves the shade, so it does well indoors, and should stay relatively dry. You can also plant lemon balm outdoors in the spring. As for eating, you can use the leaves as a substitute for lemon zest or lemon peel in just about any recipe. Try adding it to with seafood, salad dressings and even sweets or make lemon balm tea to combat GI symptoms such as indigestion and nausea.

Parsley

Traditionally used as a garnish, parsley has distinctive pointed leaves and grows best in moist soil in a cool but sunny spot. Parsley also has a much-deserved reputation as a nutritional powerhouse with an impressive supply of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that support heart health, build healthy bones and reduce the risk for some cancers.

To harvest, trim stalks when they reach about 5 inches in height. You can mince parsley and add to mashed potatoes, fish, grilled chicken and anything else you fancy.

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Rosemary

This hardy plant thrives with lots of sunlight and plenty of water, so it's a good choice for a bright spot inside or out. I love snipping the leaves to add to roasted potatoes, chicken, stews and other savory faves. Rosemary contains a compound called carnosic acid that wards off cancer. You'll also benefit from the aromatherapeutic effects of rosemary, with a scent that's said to sharpen memory and concentration. Plant your rosemary in the fall or spring. Some gardeners say you can take up to half the plant for a single use without affecting its health.

Sage

From stuffing to soups, sage adds an earthy flavor to dishes from cuisines from all over the world. Fresh sage leaves contain about 10% of your recommended daily vitamin K intake in a single teaspoon, and they're packed with antioxidants that ward off cancer, heart disease and inflammation. This evergreen plant thrives with relatively dry soil and lots of sun. The more sage leaves you harvest, the more your plant will grow! However, you should only take a leaf or two with each cutting. Start your sage plants about two weeks before you expect the final frost in your area.

Thyme

This leafy herb grows best in a hot, dry environment, where you can basically leave it alone. Dry soil, a sunny plot and a bit of fertilizer is all you need for a healthy thyme plant. Thyme is an immune-booster thanks to its rich vitamin C and vitamin A content. Harvest the driest leaves from your plant and steep in hot water to make a tea, or add a sprig to any savory dish simmering on your stove to enjoy a hint of woody flavor. The delicate flowers and small size also make thyme an attractive houseplant.

These six staples will have you growing and cooking with fresh herbs before you can say gourmet chef.

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5 Reasons You Should Start Writing a Gratitude Journal

Sometimes people can get overwhelmed by the negativity in their lives despite plenty of sunshine and daisies outside. The problem with these cycles of sadness is they can become permanent fixtures in your personality library, meaning that it becomes challenging to experience any day without noticing its negative characteristics. While such an evolution sounds tragic, there is a straightforward practice you can incorporate in your day to improve mood and stave off pessimism: a gratitude journal.

Gratitude journals are only about accentuating the positives in your life. The best part, it's only a 15-minute practice. If you are not sure such a journal is right for you, consider the following five advantages.

1. Improves Self-Esteem

While it might sound strange, taking the time out of your busy day to acknowledge the good in your life can improve your self-esteem. When people spend too much time focused on everything wrong in their lives and the world, it is easy to begin thinking introspectively in the same way. Suddenly, the things you feel are flaws in your attributes get accentuated and hard to ignore, even when everyone else sees you as beautiful.

By writing and focusing on all that is good in your, the opposite happens. You see the positives, and any of those supposed flaws become an afterthought, a spec on an otherwise beautiful existence.

2. Creates a More Optimistic Worldview

In the same way that a gratitude journal can help you focus on positive attributes and bolster self-esteem, it can also broaden and create a more optimistic Worldview. If you surround yourself with everything ugly, concentrating purely on discouraging news, the positive stories and influences become buried and challenging to uncover. By writing for 15 minutes a day about things that you are thankful for, that make you happy, you begin to rewire your brain to find more of those feel-good things. In a way, gratitude becomes like an addiction, but with positive effects.

3. Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Most of the time, stress and anxiety are amplified when people focus too much on the negatives or problems they are facing in life. By shifting focus to positive experiences and feelings, your problems begin to take up less space in your head, and you begin to calm down and enjoy living.

In a way, a gratitude journal is meant to overwhelm your brain with positivity. It helps you psychologically push negative thoughts and emotions out of the way to make room for happiness and motivation. While gratitude will eventually make you a more joyful and relaxed person, it is a process and requires deliberate practice.

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4. Improves Quality of Sleep

Many people feel that nighttime is the worst time for worry and anxiety. Their homes are quiet, with nothing but their thoughts to fill the void. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for work or relationship problems for many people to start bouncing around in their heads.

A good way to silence these problems is through journaling. Instead of watching TV or browsing the social media rabbit hole before bed, spend 15 minutes with your gratitude journal. Spending that time with positive thinking can make sleep more comfortable and more sound.

5. Makes You Happier

What a gratitude journal comes down to is positivity. By focusing on the good in your life, you can become a happier and more fulfilled person.

Do you use a gratitude journal? If so, how has it affected your mood? Leave a comment below.

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4 Reasons You Should Be Drinking Cold-Pressed Juices

If you are not an avid health buff, it can be challenging to identify diet trends worth investment or time. Every year there are new fads that enter the marketplace with fancy or slick marketing strategies, making you feel like this diet or that diet is the answer. Unfortunately, most of those promises are lies, but that does not mean the premise of a healthy diet is a fib. Eating healthy typically falls into the realm of increasing fruits and vegetables, decreasing portion sizes, and maximizing nutritional inputs. While that might sound complicated, there is one beverage item growing in popularity that seems to pack quite a nutritional wallop: cold-pressed juice. There are at least four reasons you should be drinking this beverage if you aren’t already.

1. Increase of Overall Wellness

Cold-pressed juice is made from fresh produce, meaning it can increase your fruit and vegetable intake with just one bottle. By consuming more of the essential vitamins and minerals from cold-pressed juices, you inevitably improve your internal systems.

Many people argue about juices replacing produce intake, but there are a few things wrong with the denouncement of juices. First, no advocate is telling people not to eat fruits and vegetables in addition. Second, while juices do strip away some of the valuable fiber content, there are other ways to get your daily requirement. Finally, a cold-pressed juice does not rely on the same preservation methods used by most commercial facilities, like heat and oxygen, meaning that cold-pressed is a healthier option than other store-bought juices.

2. Preservation of Nutrients

Because cold-pressed juices do not rely on heat and oxygen, the drink maintains its high nutritional value, rich in antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals essential to your overall health. While you might lose out on fiber content, you will not be missing enzymes or vitamins that are often lost during the commercial juicing process.

Another benefit of cold-pressing is the amount of juice you get from the squeeze. Because of the hydraulic-like process, you get the most juice from cold-pressing than any other process, including pasteurization methods.

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3. Increased Immune System Efficiency

Did you know that antioxidants and vitamins A and C help boost your immune system? Cold-pressed juices maintain the nutrients that feed the good bacteria in your body, staving off and suppressing pathogenic bacteria. If you want to increase the consumption of antioxidant and vitamin A foods, choose juices with watermelon, spinach, or carrots. For drinks to increase vitamin C intake, try juice recipes with oranges, lemons, or broccoli.

4. Maximum Energy Boost

While fiber content is essential to a healthy diet, without the pulp, your juices can be absorbed into the body rapidly, meaning you can receive a quick energy boost after drinking one beverage. Some nutritionists recommend clients drink one cold-pressed juice first-thing in the morning on an empty stomach to supercharge their energy levels for the day ahead.

Have you ever heard of cold-pressed juices, and do you think you might give them a try after reading this article? Every diet can benefit from the addition of fruits and vegetables, even in juice form, especially if they are cold-pressed to maintain vital nutrients. Leave a comment below if you have a favorite cold-pressed juice recipe or are curious about any other benefits from this rewarding diet trend.

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4 Healthy Snacks To Keep at Your Work Desk

Work desk

Snacking often gets bad press. People talk about it like it's always a bad idea. However, healthy snacks can be good for you and can help keep your blood sugar stable, among other things. The key word here is "healthy." When you're already hungry and, let's face it, maybe a little cranky, as well as short on time, it can be challenging to find a truly healthy snack. A good tactic is to prepare ahead and keep some good, non-perishable foods ready to hand at your workspace.

Hardy Fruits

Fruits are good for you, right? They are, as long as they are not loaded with added sugar. Whole fruits are better for you than dried because they contain plenty of water. A serving of fresh fruit fills you up much more than a tiny serving of dried fruit. When choosing fresh fruit to keep at your desk, reach for types that last a while and are not easily bruised, such as apples, oranges, and grapefruit.

Nuts

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are good sources of protein and fat, which can help you feel satisfied at snack time. You may not want to take nuts to work, since so many people have severe allergies, but seeds and seed-based spreads can serve the same purpose. If you would usually snack on peanut butter, try sunflower butter or shelf-stable hummus. If you prefer a crunchy texture, try dry roasted sunflower seeds or chickpeas.

Homemade Granola

Whole Grains

If you eat grains, choose whole grains. The easiest way to fit whole grains into snack time is to purchase pre-made snack bars, granola bars, or whole-grain crackers. You could also keep some quick-cooking oatmeal on hand. The trick to choosing healthy, whole grain snacks is to read and understand the label. Don't be fooled by claims such as "all natural." Instead, check for added sugars and unpronounceable ingredients. If you can't find snack bars or granola without tons of added sugar, oil, and the like, find an easy recipe and make a big batch on Sunday night. Then you can have some ready to go all week.

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Non-perishable Vegetables

Everyone knows that veggies are mostly healthy, but they can be challenging to keep in a drawer because they often spoil quickly or require refrigeration. If you want to incorporate more vegetables into snack time, get creative. If you can keep a cooler bag at your desk, pack some extra carrots or sliced peppers every day, and save them for later in the afternoon. You may also be able to find dehydrated soup mixes without a lot of unhealthy added ingredients. Hot soup is a fantastic warming snack on a cold day. You can also find simple canned soups that you can microwave, as long as you remember to also keep a microwave-safe container with you.

As mentioned earlier, the most critical ingredient in a healthy snack is preparation. Take your favorite ideas from this list, write them down, and stick them on your refrigerator. Then, on Sunday nights, you can run through your list and make sure you have plenty of healthy snacks prepared for the following week.

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The Best Alternatives to Peloton in 2021

One of the reasons Peloton bikes are so popular is that they’re more than an exercise machine: They’re a lifestyle. Unfortunately, this particular lifestyle also costs a pretty penny. What if you don’t have upwards of $1,900 to spend on exercise equipment? You can save money by choosing smart alternatives.

The Best Features of Peloton Bikes

Peloton-style bikes are sleek, stylish and state-of-the-art. Four main features make this type of equipment stand out:

  • Virtual classes: One of the biggest things that makes Peloton bikes popular is the online experience. You can access live group workouts, exercise to awesome videos, hang out with friends in a virtual community and follow your favorite instructors. And let me add that you can do it all in your pajamas.

  • Touchscreens: An essential part of the Peloton experience is a touchscreen that lets you interact with content as your working out. Most people use this to follow virtual instructors or imagine they’re mountain biking in the wilderness. This working mom may or may not secretly use it to watch Netflix and burn calories at the same time.

  • Ride customization: This part is pretty unbelievable. Some Peloton-style bikes control the way your workout feels as you’re riding. Online instructors may even be able to tweak these settings for the group. Let’s say you’re taking a virtual mountain biking class. As you “climb,” the bike makes you work harder for it, and “going downhill” gives you a chance to rest.

  • Fitness apps: At first, an exercise app doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. It may not take long before this is one of your favorite features, however. Keeping track of distance, speed, heartrate and other stats helps keep you motivated. You can see how active you’ve been today, this week, this month and this year.

Before you go shopping for a Peloton or similar exercise bike, take some time to think about which of these features is most important to you. That way you get a killer exercise option for less.

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My 3 Favorite Alternatives To Peloton Bikes

Choosing high-quality exercise bike alternatives can save you a LOT of money. They're not a Peloton, but they offer most of the features of one. Here are my three favorite options in a nutshell:

  • Bowflex C6: This bike has no membership requirement. You can use online workout apps and classes from YouTube for free, or sign up for whatever fitness subscription you want. Plus, solid quality for a budget price is hard to resist.

  • Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX3: What helps you save money here is that you can use your own tablet instead of buying a special touchscreen. With a $1,040 price tag ($1,400 with subscription), you’ve just saved almost $1,000.

  • ProForm Studio Bike Pro: With this option, you pay $39 monthly for a subscription but get the bike for free. It has all the top-tier features you expect, including adjustable touchscreen and resistance control. The catch is you have to keep the subscription for three years, bringing the grand total to $1,400 (still less than $1,900). If you can only afford to pay a little each month, this is a great solution.

Connected bikes are an awesome solution for helping busy moms stay in shape. You get a whole-body workout with on-demand virtual classes at any time of day. There’s no searching online for exercises or scheduling dance classes ahead of time. You just hop on the bike, turn on the screen and start burning belly fat!

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Are You Using Antacids More Than You Should?

For most people, taking antacids every once and a while isn’t a big deal. You probably need to pop a few after a big family meal with all the trimmings. Super Bowl parties are another notorious cause of heartburn. But if you need antacids for getting through normal meals during the week, something’s not right.

How Much Antacid Is Too Much?

Always follow the instructions on the antacid’s label. If the bottle says to only take two or three tablets, only take two or three tablets! Taking way more than the recommended dose can cause a lot of problems. Calcium is great in small amounts, but too much can be toxic for your kidneys.

You also need to be careful not to take antacids too frequently, even in recommended doses. Antacids are definitely not designed to be taken every day. If you have heartburn more than two times a week, you should make an appointment with your doctor to find out why.

What Are the Possible Side Effects of Taking Too Many Antacids?

1. Constipation

Any time you change the way your gastrointestinal tract works, it can cause unwanted digestive side effects. One of the most common side effects of overusing antacids is constipation. Even worse, this isn’t a one-time thing. For people with this problem, the constipation usually only goes away by stopping antacids.

2. Osteoporosis

If you take a lot of antacids containing aluminum, it increases your risk of osteoporosis. Aluminum acts like a sponge than can flush calcium from your blood stream and steal it from your bones, weakening them.

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3. Muscle Pain and Weakness

The main active ingredients in antacids — calcium, sodium and magnesium — are called electrolytes. These minerals are good for your body in balanced amounts, but when electrolyte levels get too high, your muscles can start to malfunction. Trembling hands, muscle spasms, sudden weakness, severe fatigue and soreness are a few of the things you may notice.

4. Kidney Issues

I you get kidney stones, steer clear of antacids containing calcium; a high amount of this mineral can trigger the formation of new stones. Also, people with poor kidney function should avoid taking antacids completely.

5. Stomach infections

Overly acidic stomach acid can trigger the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but turning down the pH too much creates problems of its own. That’s because your stomach acid also helps protect you against harmful bacteria. Using antacids too often can weaken your immune system, making it easier to get infections in your gastrointestinal tract.

6. Trouble Breathing

Your body needs a stable pH to work correctly. Neutralizing excess stomach acid is one thing, but overdoing it with antacids can start to affect the acidity of your blood, too. This can lead to major problems, slowing breathing, making you feel sleepy and causing extreme tiredness.

How Can You Prevent Heartburn Naturally?

Honestly, there are a lot better ways to prevent heartburn than popping a bunch of antacid tablets:

  • Lose several pounds

  • Avoid greasy, high-fat foods

  • Eat healthy protein

  • Take your time when eating

  • Try slippery elm tea or chamomile

  • Don’t lay down after eating

  • Don’t drink alcohol

One of the best natural “cures” for heartburn is figuring what foods are triggering it and avoiding them. For me, it was soda. Ever since I decided to replace sugary drinks with fresh smoothies and nuts, my tummy has felt a LOT better. And I lost weight at the same time, so win/win!

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Why You Should Care About Reducing Food Waste

If you're like most Americans, cleaning out the fridge is part of your weekly routine. You check to see which leftovers can be served for lunch and which ones should get dumped. Then there's the produce drawer, where you may find stuff you had completely forgotten about (and may not even recognize). The USDA estimates that 30-40% of the US's entire food supply ends up being wasted. That's huge! Even if less food than that gets thrown away in your household, it's still a bummer, especially if it's something you were looking forward to eating.

Every pound of wasted food has a cost, and not just in your grocery budget. Labor, energy, water, and other resources were used to produce that food, and more of the same resources will be expended in hauling it away to a landfill. As you can see, food waste is more than a personal or household problem. The good news is that there a few simple tricks to help you waste less, starting right now.

Plan Ahead

If you already meal plan, you know it's the best thing ever. If you haven't tried it yet, jump in! It's not as hard as you might imagine. You know those tried-and-true recipes you tend to fall back on for busy weeknight dinners? Go scribble those onto your calendar for next week. See? Done. To take it a step further, first check your freezer, fridge, and pantry and base your recipe choices on what you have on hand. If you're not convinced that this simple step can help fight food waste, think about this: Have you ever gone to the grocery store and grabbed something that looked yummy, only to have it shrivel up and die in your fridge before you could figure out how and when to prepare and serve it? This brings us to our next point...

Shop With Purpose

With your meals all planned out for the week, you're less likely to impulse-buy something that will later go to waste. All you need to do is look at your meal plan and then shop your kitchen first. Whatever you still need is what you'll buy at the supermarket. When you're intentional about your purchases, you not only waste less; you also avoid falling into the trap of buying lots of junk food. Double win!

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Preserve What You Can

You don't have to learn canning and dehydrating to preserve leftover food. What you should do is make sure anything you put in the freezer is wrapped and labeled well. The same goes for the fridge. If you plan on packing dinner leftovers as lunch later in the week, write the date on the container so you don't end up throwing out perfectly good food just because you aren't sure how old it is.

Donate Intentionally

Donating to a local food bank is an excellent way to fight food waste and give back to your local community at the same time. However, if the food you give away is out of date or otherwise unusable, the donation center may throw it away anyway.

Who would have thought that wasting less could make such a big difference in the world and save you time and money at the same time? Do you already meal plan? What's the best advice you have for someone who's just starting out? Let me know in the comments!