Bad breath (halitosis)...

Do you have the impression that - despite all your endless efforts to floss, brush, rinse and chew gum - people tend to take a step backwards as soon as you come too close and open your mouth? This may be caused by several things, such as stomach problems, not correctly brushing your teeth, eating very spicy food, and of course only you and/or your doctor or dentist can find out the real reason, but why not start with the most simple solution:

It may well be that the cause of all this is... the condition of your tongue! Here, milliards of bacteria settle themselves in a nicely warm and damp environment. Not a very attractive thought, but the good news is: you can do something about it! Ask your dentist, pharmacy or larger chemist's for a tongue scraper. This - in combination with the above daily measures - will sweep away your bad breath.

Get sufficient sleep

During our sleep, the body is recharging and regenerating, in order to be ready to face the next day. Both quality and quantity of the sleep are important. According to ayurvedic philosophy (more about this subject in a next issue) the motto is "early to bed and early to rise..." because the time between 10 pm and 2 am is the most essential for the regeneration of the body. So again we have proof here that the old sayings weren't so bad...

Know your Omega facts...

Recent studies show that depression could be caused or worsened by:

• the intake of too much of the fatty acids called Omega-6. These are to be found in a.o. spreads and sunflower oil;
• too little of the Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in e.g. leafy green vegetables, seeds, nuts, oily fish and special supplements;
• too little of B-complex vitamins, which are essential for health nerves and brains. They are to be found in dairy products, liver, most vegetables, nuts, soya beans, cereal grains, bran, oatmeal and certain supplements.

Flying without fear or stress

According to studies, one in four of us would rather not fly and one in ten avoids it. According to British scientists of Psychology, fear of flying usually isn't just the one problem. Often it's a combination of fears, such as fear of confinement, of crashing, lack of control and heights. Experts in treatment of this kind of phobia say that e.g. a depression or an unrelated event can trigger the fear, so usually it is recommended to have a general mental health assessment to see which therapy is most suitable. Studies show that cognitive therapy can be very effective. This therapy may include relaxation techniques, finding out how a plane works and visiting an airport without flying. Hypno-therapy can also be very helpful in many cases.

Alcoholic Drinks

Did you know that the consumption of alcoholic drinks increases with the rythm and beat of the music playing at moment?

BREAK bad habits FAST.... don't skip BREAKFAST!

Recent studies show that people who have breakfast every day, are considerably less likely to develop obesity. Cause seems to be that reducing on or leaving out of calories early in the day will result in over-consumption later, and that the intake will be mainly junk foods (too much sugar, too fat). Studies have also found that people eating a daily breakfast rich in proteins, fibres, and carbohydrates and low in sugars, tend to be healthier and have a better concentration during the day. An ideal base for breakfast are cereals, breads and wholegrain foods.

Full-time stress

Don't get stressed by this fact, but it seems that tension affects one in five of the working population. According to recent research, our body is capable to cope with intense stress two or three times a month, but reality is that we live full-time with this situation!

Fortunately, there's a lot we can do to at least go down to "part-time" stress, like: avoiding anything with refined sugar and cutting down on our caffeine intake. And to create and boost tranquility, we should increase our intake of magnesium, which is to be found in a.o. seeds, nuts, pulses, whole grains, nuts and green vegetables. On top of that, but not instead of all the aforementioned nutricients, you could consider taking supplements. We advise you to consult your GP or dietist if you want to use supplements and of course you need to read the instructions on the bottle or box carefully.

More about supplements, vitamins, coffee, sugar and super foods: see elsewhere on the site.

Talking about stress... did you know that the average UK-inhabitant - working or not - spends no less than 27 days a year worrying? This means that the Britons are absolutely packed with stress during one hour and fourty-six minutes every day! I wonder what the score would be in the rest of Europe, or in the USA!

More about stress and worries on www.reallyworried.com.