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Hugs Are The Cure for Lonely Hearts On Valentine’s

By: Nkechi Njaka, Msc

Hugs Are The Cure for Lonely Hearts On Valentine’s | The Organic Beauty Blog

Valentine’s Day can be such an upsetting holiday for single people. Especially, those of us who scour online dating sites, swiping left and then right hoping we may find true love, eventually. Some days (maybe even most days) it can feel fun and exciting; there are so many options! But then sometimes—like the week before, day before, even day of Valentine’s Day—online dating can feel exhausting, demoralizing, isolating and impersonal. Ironically, so, because traditionally, dating is meant to find romantic love where the end goal results in a sense of belonging and attachment. We all want that, right?

I want that too and believe that we are all deserving of such things. Regardless of where you are at in your journey to finding love and companionship, I have a suggestion that will reap the same neurobiological benefits.

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How to Shift Obstacles into Gifts

by: Nkechi Njaka, Msc.

What do you think– Is showing emotion a sign of weakness? Or strength?

How about when s/he doesn’t call? It means things are done. Over. Or s/he is simply busy?

You get constructive feedback at work. Your job is in jeopardy and your manager hates you? They want you to succeed and grow in your position?

You see where I am going. And I could go on. Our reactions to things like missing the bus, or a long line at Starbucks can easily ruin our day if we let it….That’s just it. If we let it. And let’s be honest, sometimes we do.

How to Shift Obstacles into Gifts | The Organic Beauty Blog

We let things mean things as though we have no control over our thoughts. Well, we do have control because it is a choice. Meaning is not found merely in people, places or things; meaning is what we choose to make things mean.

Therefore, everything is meaningless.

Yes, that is what I said. Nothing means anything, essentially. Sit with that. And don’t freak out.  Because any and everything can mean what we choose to make it mean. Feel empowered.

Our ego is an interpreter. One that first judges to make things right or wrong, good or bad. Evaluating, assessing, determining– creating little space for possibility and opportunity. This is especially true in a time of crisis. Fear, worry, anxiety, judgement and panic can prevent our minds so much that it is virtually impossible to think of what might serve us the most!

This became clear to me the other day. I was talking to my best friend on the phone and I was going over a date that I had the week before, and what I thought it meant for me and my future. Even as I type that, it is clear that I chose to make conclusions about one event to mean something about another, when I could simply just chose to make it mean something else. This is why she is my best friend.

She reminded me that what is important is that I continue to be excited about the things in my life that are so amazing and exciting (and there are SO many!). And that this one thing, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t mean what I told myself it meant. I need these reminders sometimes. Especially today, because I had an incredibly hard time shifting my perspective. ‘An incredibly hard time’ until I just made the choice to do so.

So how can we shift 180 degrees? On demand? There are 3 things that we can be in practice of to have this happen more readily. First is to ask ourselves this: What if wrong is right and bad is good and this obstacle is actually a gift?

If that question doesn’t open things up for you, then make these declarations:

  • This could me anything I want it to mean.
  • I can chose to suspend my judgement and not attach any meaning to this.
  • How I feel about this is not rooted in fact or can determine my future in any way.

Then identify one thing that you are truly grateful for!

8 Aphrodisiac Foods To Help You Feel Even Sexier!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

8 Aphrodisiac Foods To Help You Feel Even Sexier! | The Organic Beauty BlogLet’s face it, us ladies are often wired a little differently when it comes to sex.  (Hello 6 month dry spell of 2006!)  Sometimes we need a little boost to get us in the mood, and luckily there are a bunch of foods out there that can do just that!

8 Aphrodisiac Foods To Help You Feel Even Sexier! 3 | The Organic Beauty BlogDark Chocolate

As if you need another excuse to eat more chocolate, right?  Well, take this puppy off your guilt list.  Nibbling a square or two of high quality dark chocolate (think 65% dark or higher) a day has been shown to make women feel sexier and improve their sex lives!  In addition to tons of amazing antioxidants, dark chocolate is full of endorphins, anxiety busting tryptophan, and small amounts of anandamide and theobromine, which can destress you and help you get in the mood!  Go for a dairy-free, organic dark chocolate like Nibmor, which you can get at Whole Foods or your local health food store.

Raw Honey

Unprocessed honey is loaded with B vitamins, which help produce testosterone (which we ladies also need for a healthy sex drive).  It also has boron, which helps your body metabolize and use estrogen, a vital hormone for blood flow and arousal!  Dip some Granny Smith apples in honey for a yummy dessert, or use it to sweeten your tea!  My favorite is Wee Bee Naturally Raw Honey.

Nutmeg

A research study on rats showed that this yummy spice bolstered friskiness and sexual activity.  It has properties that simulate the effects of serotonin and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, relaxing the mind and body, and priming you for some lovin’.  Grate some nutmeg into your morning smoothie, into desserts and soups, or on some yummy roasted vegetables like squash!

Oysters

 

This popular aphrodisiac is loaded with zinc, another testosterone-producing mineral, as well as amino acids that kick other sex hormones into gear.  But make sure to chew your oysters, as opposed to just slurping them, to maximize absorption of all the potent sexy nutrients!  Not a seafood lover?  Go for a 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds instead!

Dark Leafy Greens and Asparagus

You know you have to eat more greens, but how about better orgasms some good motivation?  Dark leafy greens and asparagus are super rich in folate, which regulates the body’s production of histamine, a chemical released during orgasm.

8 Aphrodisiac Foods To Help You Feel Even Sexier! 2 | The Organic Beauty BlogGarlic and Ginger

These spicy health-bombs increase blood flow to your whole body, but most notably, your sexy bits!  They increase arousal, sensitivity and sensation, and can take fooling around from fun to mind-blowing.  I try to use garlic in almost everything I make, from salads (just press a few cloves into your dressing!) to soups, and almost all preparations of veggies.  Ginger works great in Asian dishes, stir-frys, soups, or just a super easy ginger tea!  Rock my immunity boosting Honey Ginger Lemon Tea to keep coughs and colds at bay, AND spice up your sex life!

Salmon

Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, have been shown to not only reduce stress and boost mood, but also increase female libido, improve orgasms, and keep everything lubricated.  If you’re not eating wild Atlantic salmon twice a week, take a high quality fish oil supplement like NOW Super EPA!

Check out this delicious Valentine’s Day dinner menu that uses all these foods, as well as a bunch of male virility boosting foods as well!

Love Keeps Us Happy and Healthy!

By: Nkechi Njaka, Msc

Who doesn’t love love? Especially, on Valentine’s Day? Even the most bitter of us, who loses sleep in anxious preparation of an anti-Valentine’s Day event, still at the heart of her heart loves love and knows with every fiber of her being that love and happiness are inextricably linked.

Well, I am here to tell you that there is neuroscienctific evidence for this positive correlation. And that joining the mainstream masses in an overly capitalized Hallmark Holiday could increase your mood, even if you love in a non-romantic way.

Scientists have long been working to show how and even prove that love gives us health benefits beyond the obvious advantageous security of always having a date for Valentine’s Day. Researchers are not yet able to determine that romance trumps close bestfriendships or an affectionate/adoring family when it comes to health and wellness. But researchers are finding that sex, partnership, intimacy and caring for another all seem build a case for making us stronger– with health benefits that range from improved healing and management over chronic illnesses (which means living longer!).

How can we practice this on a daily basis… or, specifically, today with our Valentine’s Day date?

Doctors at the University of North Carolina have found that hugging may result in dramatically lower blood pressure as a result of boosting blood levels of oxytocin, the relaxing ‘cuddly’ hormone that plays a key role in orgasms, labor and breastfeeding. Oxytocin is linked to attachment and is a factor in bonding and monogamous pairing. In their fascinating study, researchers asked couples to sit close to one another and talk for 10 minutes, then share a long hug; their findings were positive, albeit small, changes in both blood pressure and oxytocin.

However, the power of frequent daily hugging was intense! The women with the highest oxytocin levels had systolic blood pressure that was 10 mm/Hg lower than women with low oxytocin levels—an improvement similar to the effect of many leading blood pressure medications, says Kathleen Light, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at UNC and one of the study’s authors. It’s amazing that something as simple as hugging can do that! In a recent study published in the Biological Psychiatry, there was support that Oxytocin was also linked to lower secretion of cortisol (a stress hormone) and when administered, cortisol aided conflict resolution in couples compared to their placebo-given controls.

Dopamine (the ‘feel good chemical’) is the key chemical in the brain’s reward system, a network of cells that is associated with pleasure and addiction. Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, recently conducted a study at Stanford University Medical Center in California, where his hypothesis was that love affected the brain in the same way many addictive drugs do, by targeting this “feel good” chemical in the brain known as dopamine, which was demonstrated by an fMRI (brain scanning machines that allow us to see areas of the brain when certain thoughts or emotions occur). So that saying ‘love is a drug’ seriously has some scientific validity.

Love Keeps Us Happy and Healthy! 2| The Organic Beauty Blog

So is love just chemistry?

In a nutshell, yes. Dopamine brings people together and oxytocin keeps them attached, studies show. Obviously there are other factors that contribute to who we find to love (eg. compatibility, geography, socialization, timing, to name a few). But it is fun to know that our bodies were designed to make experiencing love fun and healthy!

And now for the part where I tested this theory and conducted a little bit of my own research…. Actually, these findings more or less explain an experience I recently had. I was on a first date with someone and we spent the evening sitting very close (talking and sharing with maybe a bit of hand holding) and when the night was over, we exchanged a great bear hug. My thinking about him (and for-no-other-good-reason giddiness) for the next 24 hours could be evidence of that release of oxytocin. The fluttery feelings I had that made me want to experience more intimacy with that person is part of a very natural process of growing attachment. It’s wonderful to know that they also have some direct effects on lowering (my already low) blood pressure!

There is evidence that love improves long-term health and wellness. I would say that even if celebrating Valentines Day is merely a reminded to value love, it is worth celebrating!