Happy Days is my Favorite Theme Song

Oh boy, winter....

        Scientists have proven that a lack of sunlight can either worsen already existent depression or lead to a mild case of it. Meaning staying inside to much is not to good for those emotions of yours. But sometimes we can't escape it, like during winter when the sun pretty much never shows her face. It is also estimated that 19 million Americans suffer from depression, serious and mild cases. According to herbsfordepression.com "Prescription anti-depressant medications can produce side effects that worsen the symptoms of depression." Such as drowsiness, fatigue, agitation, violent behavior, etc.


Okay, okay. I get it. Depression is bad. What can I do about it?


        Well, for starters being healthy is a big factor, being active and eating lots of fruits and veggies. I've also heard oatmeal is helpful? And some people are really sensitive to the entertainment they are giving themselves, such as sad movies, songs etc. Most people don't even realize it, so you could try filtering what you're letting yourself watch and/or listen to. Aromatherapy is good too. A little rosemary or thyme oil behind your ears to smell throughout the day.  You can drink lemon balm tea, 1 to 2 times a day. This one's easy because grocery stores usually carry this tea. There are also a ton of other herbs out there that are claimed to help with depression, but possibly the most popular is St. Johns wort. A book I read suggested making a tea by steeping 1 to 2 tsp of St. Johns wort (per cup) in hot water for 10 minutes. Drinking 1 to 2 cups of this a day for 4 to 6 weeks.

If you have serious depression, I suggest seeking professional help. Lots of love and best wishes to you if so <3

If you have tried or do try any of the things listed above or have your own methods for helping depression, I'd love to hear how they worked out for you!

Cure For The Cold

The weather is finally acting like it should in fall!
My friends are excited about this. Me, not so much. For my I.S. (independent study) I chose to mainly focus on sicknesses and such that come with this cold weather.

I have recently been informed of a delicious and nutritious drink called Golden Milk. It's a warm drink that has many health benefits. It's a great treat on a chilly night. It can help prevent cancer, its a treatment for heart disease, it's an anti-inflammatory and it lubricates your joints so it helps prevent and cure arthritis as well as any joint pains. There are so many more but I'll keep it short n sweet. It's nice to drink before going to bed, so I make it for my mom, dad, and I at night. I've noticed it has been helping with my growing pains. It's also been cleaning something out of my system but I'm sure you're not going to want the details on that.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 1/8 tsp Turmeric
• 1/4 cup water
• 8oz milk (you can use almond milk, rice milk, or any kind you want. I use regular cow milk)
• 2 tbs coconut oil (you can use almond oil, but the original recipe calls for ghee. I just use coconut oil because I LOVE coconut. The oil you use will effect the taste.)

Directions:

• In a small sauce pan combine turmeric and water, bring to a boil and stir for 8 min. remove from heat.
• In another sauce pan combine oil and milk. bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the stuff on the bottom doesn't burn, then immediately remove from heat.
• Add the turmeric mixture to the milk mixture and stir until the milk is completely yellow. Serve warm.

Enjoy!


P.S. I've also heard that Golden Milk breaks up the mucus deep in the chest. This plus the fact that the warmth and oil soothes the throat means its probably good to drink when you have a cough or something of the sort.