By: Danniyal Shahid, Medical and Business Development, Saagara

Often times, I come across random facts that I just happen to remember. Not long ago, I learned that Japan is the largest consumer of green tea. My reaction was, “Oh cool”. Then, I came across a study suggesting that green tea can help prevent prostate cancer. This becomes even more interesting in light of the fact that Japan has one of the lowest rates of prostate cancer in the world.

The ancient brew has been linked with just about everything healthy, from boosting your immune system to preventing chronic diseases. Polyphenols, the active ingredients found in green tea (and many other fruits and vegetables, at that)  inhibit proteins responsible for tumor growth and migration, namely, the Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

In theory, the explanation is simple. When tissue grows, more blood vessels grow within it, and they need VEGF for growth sustainment. Block the supply of VEGF, and the growth cannot be sustained, thus killing off the tissue. While high expression VEGF is seen in a variety of cancers, the study was conducted on patients who were about to undergo prostate removal surgery due to the enlargement of prostate from either hyperplasia or cancer.

By: Danniyal Shahid, Medical and Business Development, Saagara

When I heard that stress kills, my first reaction was how is that even possible and I completely blew the notion off. Later on in life, I had my fair share of stressful days in med school and beyond. Not so surprisingly it came at a cost. I would get sick more often and it took me longer to recover from common ailments (like the flu). I lacked energy, was less productive, and the final blow came during my yearly physical when I found out that I was borderline hypertensive.

So what was really going on?

Stress, of any kind and sort is related to a multitude of changes to the body. When our mind and body are under stress, it adapts and prepares us to cope with it. There is a surge in stress hormones - mainly, cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline - this process is commonly known as the fight, flight and fear response. The main problem here is that, if this mechanism is active for a longer period of time, it has a negative effect on the body.

By: David Haas of the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

According to the American Cancer Society, yoga is beneficial to those suffering from the side effects and symptoms of cancer. In addition to other forms of physical activity, yoga can help cancer patients feel better physically and mentally. Whether you are in treatment for mesothelioma or another type of cancer, adding a little exercise into each day can help you find relief from the side effects and symptoms that are adversely affecting your quality of life. Use these forms of exercise to relieve some of your symptoms and improve your quality of life:

Yoga

Cancer treatment can leave you feeling nauseated, sore and anxious. The calm, controlled movements of yoga help combat stomach upset, vomiting and nausea. They also help loosen your joints and improve the flexibility of your muscles to help reduce soreness in the body. Because yoga involves a great deal of deep breathing, it also helps to calm your body and mind.

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, we at Saagara took it upon ourselves to find the best “shamrock” smoothie: one that would give us a boost throughout the St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

We had four recipes to choose from, all of which our staff concocted themselves. Some, as we discovered, were not as tasty as the others. We all rated them (1-5 stars) for taste and festive green color (St. Patrick’s day is all about being green!)

There's a war going on between natural medicine and pharmaceutical medicine, especially with regard to anxiety and mental health. Those that argue for traditional medicine often point to the empirical studies proving their efficacy. Those that promote natural and alternative medicine often point to the serious side effects caused and created by the pharmaceutical counterparts, and argue that there are effective natural options available that make pharmaceutical medicine a needlessly harmful option.

It's an interesting debate that has passionate supporters on both sides. But the reality is that there isn't a "right answer." Both sides are right, and both sides are wrong. It all depends on what the medicine is being used for.

Remembering the Power of Non-Substance Treatments
Before even beginning the debate, it's important to remember that you do not necessarily need to take a supplement simply to combat your anxiety. There are several powerful calming techniques, like yoga and Pranayama. As safe as most herbal remedies are, there is no nutritional supplement that compares in safety to treatments that do not require any ingestion. Before taking any medicine or supplement, consider these healthy, substance free alternatives.

When to Take Natural Remedies
There is no denying that pharmaceutical drugs have a lot of side effects – side effects that can disrupt your life almost as much as anxiety. They also have serious problems with dependency that force you to continue to take these medications for potentially the rest of your life. Those reasons do (and should) lead others to want to pursue natural options for their anxiety before ever considering those man-made chemicals.

Saagara’s Pranayama breathing demo course is now available on Facebook. Learn how to relax your mind and relieve anxiety while experiencing a relaxed meditative state. Pranayama’s simple and intuitive guide to deep breathing allows you to progress at your own pace and achieve the lasting benefits of deep breathing practice. Practicing deep breathing for just 15 minutes a day can not only relieve stress but also help with migraines, high blood pressure, depression, COPD, and asthma. The Facebook version of Saagara contains only the beginner sequences, check out Saagara for more information on getting the full version of Pranayama.

Andrew

Try a free stress relieving breathing demo now

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