​The future baby’s well-being is the ultimate concern that accompanies every expectant mother, and these worries can turn into real stress. Paradoxically, the first thing you need to do to have a healthy baby is calm down. Ann Borders, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Evanston Hospital, says that the inability to cope with stressful situations contributes to early delivery and low birth weight.

Stress increases the production of a corticotropin-releasing hormone (or CRH). In mothers-to-be, CRH influences the length of a pregnancy and the fetal maturation. The higher the CRH level, the sooner the labor day comes.

The surprising thing is, it’s the first trimester that matters the most. We used to think that to prevent premature birth, expectant mothers should mostly avoid during the last trimester. In reality, it’s quite the opposite. The pre-term delivery is provoked by an early rise of CRH, caused by stress experienced during the first weeks of pregnancy.

​Scientists have found that high cortisol levels can lower a child’s IQ. Normally, the placenta produces enzymes that break down cortisol, but it cannot cope well enough if the stress is too intense or too prolonged.

They have also confirmed that stress experienced during pregnancy may have an effect on the baby’s brain development. In particular, a study conducted by a Wayne State University team found that maternal stress influences brain connectivity and the organization of neural functional systems, making it less efficient.

These new technologies have also allowed researchers to understand that our brain doesn’t develop from the simplest to the most complicated systems. It turns out that the cerebellum, the stress-response center is one of the first things to develop, making the fetus sensitive to a mother’s stress from the very beginning.

​Surprisingly, the mother’s mood influences not only fetal development but also sleep. A 2007 study discovered that the expectant mother’s stress influences the baby’s sleep time.

The scientists examined babies ages 6, 18, and 30 months, measuring their sleep time and how often they wake up during the night. It turns out that children whose mothers experienced anxiety during their pregnancy period had sleep issues at 18 and 30 months. This happens because of cortisol that goes through the placenta and affects the brain area that is responsible for the baby’s circadian rhythm.

​A 2011 study has confirmed that maternal stress influences a child’s health in general. The results showed a higher risk of an early infection and mental disorders in children who suffered from stress in the womb. There are also other problems, like eye, ear, digestive, respiratory, skin, musculoskeletal, circulatory, and genitourinary diseases. It can also contribute to a child’s development of allergies and asthma.

A link was also found between stress and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. The influence of stress, in this case, turned out to be stronger than that of a smoking pregnant mother.

​Dr. Elysia Davis from the University of Denver says that a high cortisol level in a pregnant woman makes a child more prone to feeling stress in the future. This shows up almost immediately when the newborn’s blood is drawn by the hospital. These babies show a more intense stress response.

As toddlers, they experience fear when exposed to simple challenges like seeing a stranger entering a room or having a ball rolled toward them. Normally, a kid would joyfully join in the game, but these children freeze or run to their moms to feel safe again.

Mothers also noticed that these children show a more intense level of anxiety at preschool and school age and are more afraid of going to school.

​After reading all this information, you may want to avoid even the slightest stressful situation, hide from the world, and practice meditation day and night, but hey, leave that bubble alone!

Research shows that short-term stress doesn’t harm the baby. To know this, they measured the cortisol levels in expectant mothers’ saliva and the amniotic fluid after a stressful event, and found that short-term stress didn’t influence the fetus at all.

Long-term stress, on the other hand, does lead to an increase in CRH levels in the amniotic fluid, elevating the risk of the consequences described above.

Fortunately, stress isn’t something you can’t cope with. There’s always a way to keep it at bay. Here’s what you can do:
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• Be mindful of what you eat and when. Don’t miss your breakfast, eat more fruits and vegetables, fish, and whole grains. Try to eat at the same time every day.
• Exercise. Pregnancy doesn’t mean you should stay on the couch. Take a walk in the park, go to a swimming pool, or do low-impact aerobics. Exercising will increase the level of the happiness hormone, making you forget about the stress.
• Meditate. This awesome practice is known for decreasing anxiety, so why not try it?
• Surround yourself with people that make you happy. Chatting with family or meeting with friends who can support you and simply be there for you will definitely make your day better.
• Write down what troubles you. This simple practice decreases the intensity of the negative emotions you experience.
• Enjoy your hobby (or find a new one if the old doesn’t please you anymore). This will keep your hands and mind busy and won’t let you overthink things.
• Sleep more. This will not solve all your problems, but will give your body the rest it needs to keep you and your baby healthy.
• Talk to a specialist. If you cannot cope on your own, seek professional help. Your mood swings may be a sign of depression or the stress you’ve experienced might be too intense to manage alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

​The research conducted on prairie voles, whose behavior and reactions are similar to humans, showed that stress may be beneficial if the baby has a supportive environment after birth. The cortisol rise the fetus experiences in the womb may promote developmental plasticity. Those subjects who experienced a high-quality of care after birth showed no signs of elevated anxiety.

Another study also showed that love and the strong bond created between a mother and her child was able to reverse the impact of stress experienced in the womb, even in terms of babies’ cognitive development.

Well, what else can we say: don’t worry too much! Your love and support is the main thing your baby needs. Talk to your belly bump, stroke it, sing songs to it — help your body send the fetus signs of your love and care.

​Everyone knows that the last phrase spoken is memorized better than the conversation as a whole. In fact, this effect doesn’t just work for conversations. For example, you have a really important job interview where you’re competing with other people. You’ll have an advantage if you can manage to see the hiring manager first or last: there is a greater chance that they will memorize and hire you. Of course, you’ll have to be as good as the other candidates.

​Imitating the behavior of a person you want to be like is actually a way to have the same character traits. It works the same way as the placebo effect: you basically make yourself think that you have a certain character trait, and over time, you really will. The most important thing is to do it as often as possible: if you do it only once a month, it won’t work.

By the way, the same works for emotions: in order to get yourself in a certain mood, start doing some things that are connected with this feeling. This means, for example, that in order to get yourself in a better mood, you just need to smile more often.

​Of course, this doesn’t mean you should hug people you barely know. But if you greet people with a smile and sincere warmth, sooner or later, they will feel the same toward you. The trick is, that you use positive emotions to make the other person feel that you are happy to see them. The other person will start with smiling back at you and over time, they will start to really like you.

​Imagine this: you are suggesting an idea at a business meeting and you want it to be accepted. Try to lead the conversation not in the direction of discussing the viability of the idea, but the details of its realization. For example, you want to plant trees in the neighborhood? Ask which kinds of trees are more preferable. You want to build a playground for children? Discuss the materials. This way, there is a bigger probability that the people will start to treat the idea as if it is already accepted and they are more inclined to agree with you.

​Procrastination is a really dangerous thing because “later” often turns into “never.” There is a really simple trick that helps to combat laziness: start doing something as soon as you remember it. The thing is, on a subconscious level, we always try to finish things. Make yourself do something and you will thank yourself later: even if you don’t complete it, at least you will do something which is definitely better than doing nothing.

​According to the theory proposed by psychologist Frederick Herzberg, dissatisfaction and satisfaction with a job depend on completely different factors. A comfortable environment and medical insurance, of course, make employees more loyal, but they don’t motivate them enough. If you want to make an employee more effective, it is not enough to just raise their salary: notice the success of their colleagues, create opportunities for professional growth, and make the job itself as interesting as possible.

​Marketers love this trick so much, but you can also use it in real life in order to get what you want. In sales, the least profitable price becomes the decoy. For example, you are faced with a choice: a small cup of coffee for $1 and a bigger one for $1.50. The difference is not really that much, so a lot people will choose the smaller one because it’s cheaper. But if they are offered a third option, the one that is twice as big as the first one not for $2, but for only $1.75, the picture becomes completely different: the biggest price will seem the best. Remember this trick when you are asking someone for a favor or trying to suggest your idea at a business meeting.

​Taking someone else’s position quickly in a conflict is not the best decision. You should be calm and reasonable. Stay neutral until you hear the arguments from both sides. This way you will demonstrate your ability to analyze things in an unbiased way. People will notice this and trust you more.

Is the man depicted in the profile or frontal view? There is no right answer in this test. Just look at the photo and figure it out according to your feelings.

If you think that this is a photo of the man in frontal view, it might mean that:
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• You look into people’s eyes confidently, without any embarrassment, and can convince people with your words. You’re open to everything that is new, you take on risky business easily, and embark on the execution of even the craziest ideas with passion. You’re an active, easygoing, and a sociable person.
• You enjoy being in the spotlight and like to live a life full of exciting events and unpredictable pleasant twists and turns. You need constant movement since you cannot sit still for long in one place. Freedom is important to you, both in self-expression and in personal relationships. You’re afraid of attachments and the way they can change the flow of your life. You have your own opinion on any issue and are ready to defend it to the end.
• You’re an optimist who tries to find the good in everything. You inspire other people and charge them with your energy. Your healthy egoism doesn’t allow you to move away from your intended goals. New experiences, positive emotions, and adventures are crucial for you to feel satisfied.

If you think that the man is photographed in profile view, it most likely means that:
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• You’re a shy and modest person. It’s important for you to keep everything under control and you always try to predict all the possible scenarios. If something gets out of control, you get lost and nervous. You can be confused, but quickly find the composure to solve problems and overcome obstacles.
• You’re quite a secretive person who doesn’t make contact with everyone around you. You have a few really close friends who could replace dozens of new acquaintances. You’re ready to sacrifice your interests in favor of your loved ones. You are able to read the emotions and mood of people in their eyes. You are a delicate person who notices little things and follows their own feelings, but not generally accepted rules.
• You’re able to listen to others and examine certain situations critically. You’re a sensitive person whose kind heart is easy to hurt. By overcoming insults and unpleasant life moments, you become stronger and more enduring. You try to stay positive, you like to dip into deep thought, and you try hard to understand yourself. Harmony and inner peace are important for your well-being.

How it works: Vitamin E oil improves not only the actual nail condition, but also the nail bed. It is known for repairing and straightening damaged and brittle nails and healing the cuticles. It improves blood circulation and nail growth.

What to do: Apply the Vitamin E oil directly on your nails and nail beds.

How it works: Coconut oil is a good antioxidant, so it protects the nails from the negative effect of free radicals. Coconut oil also has very good antibacterial and antifungal characteristics.

What to do: Apply warm coconut oil on the nails and the skin around them and massage until it is absorbed.

How it works: Apple cider vinegar is very good for straightening nails, softening cuticles, and it also helps the nails to grow faster.

What to do: Add one tablespoon to a glass of warm water and soak it for a few minutes. You can repeat this daily until you are happy with the results.

​How it works: Tea tree oil is a very strong antiseptic and antifungal ingredient. Don’t apply pure tea tree oil, always dilute it with a carrier oil.

What to do: Mix 2 drops of tea tree oil with 1/2 tsp of olive oil, almond oil, or coconut oil, apply it to the nails and skin around them and massage for a few minutes.

How it works: Lemon is very high in Vitamin C, which accelerates collagen production and makes nails stronger. Lemon juice also contains alpha-hydroxy acid. This lightens the nails and heals any micro-cracks in the nails.

What to do: Squeeze half of a lemon, mix with 1 cup of warm water, and soak for 5-10 minutes.

How it works: Olive oil is exceptionally good for moisturizing and nourishing the nails. It's high in Vitamin E, which repairs any damage to the nails and stimulates their growth. You also can use olive oil as a carrier oil.

What to do: Apply warm olive oil to the nails. Massage for 5-10 minutes.

How it works: Egg yolk contains a high amount of Vitamin A and fatty acids which makes it very effective for strengthening weak, thin, and brittle nails and for smoothing and moisturizing the cuticles. To get the goodness level even higher, add some honey which has antifungal properties.

What to do: Mix one yolk with 1/2 tsp of warm honey, apply the mixture to the nails and the skin around them, leave for 15 minutes and wash.

How it works: Flaxseed oil is high in fatty acids, minerals, and antioxidants which makes this oil really effective for boosting nail growth.

What to do: Apply flaxseed oil on the nails and massage for a few minutes.

How it works: Almond oil is very high in Vitamins A, B, and E. It repairs, moisturizes, and nourishes the nails and softens the cuticles.

What to do: Apply warm almond oil to your nails and the skin around them and massage for 2-3 minutes. You can also use almond oil as a carrier oil.

How it works: Jojoba oil contains a few types of fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which makes this oil exceptionally effective for making nails stronger and thicker.

What to do: Apply warm jojoba oil on your nails and the skin around them and massage for 2-3 minutes. You can use almond oil as a carrier oil as well.

​To prevent a child’s bladder from becoming overly full during the evening, it is important to control the amount of fluid they drink late in the afternoon and right before bed. Let them have enough liquids in the morning and during lunch time, then slowly decrease the amount as the day progresses. Also, it is vital for a child to go to the toilet every night right before their bedtime. Make this part of their evening routine.

​There are certain types of foods that can irritate the bladder in young children causing them to have accidents when they are sleeping because they do not have enough bladder control. Avoid foods that are too acidic like fruit juices containing lemon, orange, pineapple, apple, or cranberry.

Avoid dairy products like milk or yogurt because dairy can cause your child to feel more sleepy and prevent them from waking up when their bladder is full. Also avoid hot chocolate, tea, coke, or any carbonated drinks that might contain too much sugar or caffeine. See here for the full list of products that can irritate the bladder.

​Children are naturally heavy sleepers, so sometimes it is hard for them to wake up when their bladder is full. The idea is to wake them up in the middle of the night and interrupt their sleep on purpose for a bathroom break to empty their bladder. This will help them be more alert and wake up in the middle of the night naturally to go to the bathroom on their own.

You can monitor the number of times your child goes to the toilet during the day and how often, and wake them up accordingly. For example, if your child goes to the bathroom 7 times a day, every 3 hours, wake them up every 3 hours. After that, you can gradually change it to every 4 hours and eventually to once a night. When they go a week without wetting their bed, stop. They will be trained to wake up on their own to go to the toilet.

​According to research done by the National Clinical Center, children might suffer from nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting) because they lack magnesium in their diet. Lack of magnesium makes the nervous system less responsive, so a child is unaware when they need to use the toilet.

There is no need to give your child supplements, just incorporate magnesium in their diet. Foods that are rich in magnesium are sesame seeds, avocados, bananas, salmon, legumes, and tofu. See here for the full list of foods rich in magnesium.

​Just like any doctor would recommend in any re-occurring situation that might be happening, it is important to keep a journal and keep track of everything that happened during the day. This will help you monitor your child’s habits, activities, food and fluid intake, and emotional and mental health.

This will also help you understand what might be triggering their bed wetting. Maybe certain foods might cause them irritation or different drinks might trigger a nervous system response. It is important to write everything down every day to help you understand the underlying cause of their bed-wetting.

​Have a chat with your child about how they feel emotionally, it does not have to be about their bed-wetting, but their emotional state in general. If they’ve gone through a change in their life, like school or any other emotional situation that might have caused them some stress or anxiety, this might be the cause of their bed-wetting. It will go away when they get used to the situation. In the meantime make them feel supported and not embarrassed. Let them know that you are there for them.

​Sometimes a bed wetting alarm could be the solution to this situation. There is a specific kind of alarm that gets clipped to their underwear and once it detects moisture it starts going off. There is a chance that the alarm might not wake your child up, but it will certainly wake you up.

Once you hear the alarm, wake your child up and take them to the bathroom. This will train your child to get up and go to the bathroom on their own.

It is important to use positive reinforcement and reward your child for activities that they can control. They cannot control bed-wetting. So if you reward them for nights that they stay dry, this could have a negative impact and make them feel like they’ve failed. Give them rewards that are related to things that help them avoid bed-wetting, like, for example:
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• Drinking water in the morning but avoiding a lot of fluids in the evening.
• Eating their meals that are rich in magnesium.
• Going to the toilet right before bed.

​It is important to motivate your child to be responsible and independent to some extent. If they wet the bed one night, instead of letting them sit there and feel guilty and ashamed while you do the clean-up, show them nicely and very calmly how to change their sheets and ask them to help you.

Ask them to take their current clothes that they were wearing to the laundry and ask them to help you do the laundry. This will make them more appreciative of you and it will make them want to be more responsible when it comes to staying dry.

As mentioned at the beginning, bed-wetting is completely normal, but in some cases you need to consult a doctor when things do not seem to be getting better over time.

Consult a doctor if:

• Your child has constant accidents both day and night and they are over the age of 5.
• They are wetting the bed constantly in the evening and they are over the age of 7.
• Your child has gone months without wetting the bed and then suddenly start wetting the bed, and they are over the age of 5.

​It’s really easy to damage your enamel this way (especially if you use a hard toothbrush). Food and drinks disrupt the pH-balance in the mouth and make the tooth enamel a little softer for a short time. Dentists recommend brushing teeth at least 30-40 minutes after having a meal.

​Of course, nobody says that swimming is not beneficial for your health. But the problem is that the chemicals used to disinfect the water in swimming pools have a terrible effect on the teeth. In the 80s, American scientists published the results of a study that focused on the health of teeth of professional swimmers, 40% of whom suffered from tooth enamel damage.

So, what should you do? Try to keep the swimming pool water out of your mouth and swim in fresh or salt water in the summertime.

​Think about the way we drink tea or coffee at work. We pour the full cup of hot coffee and drink it in small sips, constantly talking to our colleague, and answering e-mails. While we are doing it, the coffee (especially coffee with sugar) is working on destroying the enamel of our teeth. So, it’s best to drink this beverage as quickly as possible.

​First, a cavity is an open source of infection that spreads from the tooth tissues to the gums and could then get into the bloodstream and affect the fetus. This could lead to premature birth and the baby having serious congenital diseases.

Second, periodontitis is also really dangerous because it might decrease the reproductive ability for both men and women. And even if conception happens, the baby might be born prematurely or with a really low birth weight.

​While taking care of your teeth, it’s best if you don’t get distracted by anything else. This is a process that needs to be done very attentively. And in order to teach your children to brush their teeth for a certain time, doctors recommend turning on their favorite song. It will grab your baby’s attention for 2-3 minutes (this is how long it takes to remove dental plaque and get rid of bacteria).

​Who would have thought that beans could damage teeth? It’s all about the phytohemagglutinin that they contain, it’s the protein that provokes quick cell division. If you have a tooth cavity, eating beans can lead to a granuloma. Of course, the risk is quite low, but it’s best to make sure you have no dental problems before you eat beans.

​Scientists conducted research with 273 volunteers who were 55 years old and older. And they came to the conclusion that people who don’t have all their teeth had a worse memory, were more irritable, and were more susceptible to mood swings. As a result, there is a theory that losing teeth makes the number of sensory signals that they send to the brain lower.

This is why dentists recommend using every opportunity you get to save a tooth. It’s great that today there are even technologies that allow you to reconstruct the tooth if you have only the root.

​Of course, if a child gets a cold once or twice a year, it’s perfectly normal. But if a person gets a cold too often in early childhood, they might have a problem with their bite. A person who can’t breathe through their nose is forced to breathe through their mouth. The facial skeleton is easily deformed at this age, and this might cause the lower jaw to move a little forward.

In this case, a dentist might recommend seeing a specialist first to make sure the nose is fine. Otherwise, the effort you put into fixing the bite can be useless.

​If you catch yourself always chewing on ice (or eating a lot of nuts), you can damage your gums and your tooth enamel. Your dental fillings are also at risk. The same goes for piercing your tongue: a piece of metal in your tongue is a source of possible mechanical damage to your teeth.

So, don’t use your teeth to open packs of food, cans of coke, and so on. It’s better to spend several more seconds to do it properly and not put your teeth in danger.

​As it turns out, you shouldn’t throw away baby teeth. They contain stem cells that can later be used to regenerate into neurons, bone, and even cardiac cells. They can save your life and even help with the treatment of diabetes. But in order to be able to use them, you need to keep the cells alive. So, when you see that your baby needs to get a tooth removed, don’t do your yourself. See a dentist who will remove it properly and store the tooth under the required conditions.

​Nowadays, a sedentary lifestyle is an ordinary thing. In the evenings, we go home by car or by public transport and take a seat at home where we then watch TV or chat online with friends.

Without moving, the level of endorphins and other hormones responsible for happiness reduces. Everyday 30-minute walks or 2 workouts a week will make you more energetic and satisfied, no matter what happens in your life.

​We all know that “working from home” doesn’t necessarily contribute to happiness. But it turns out that places like cinemas, restaurants, and other places we like to visit don’t always let us enjoy our lives either.

But if you spend some time outdoors in an unknown place, you’ll become happier and your self-esteem will improve. Psychologists call this method “adventure therapy.” And it’s worth noting that it doesn’t matter whether you’re going to a different country or to a neighboring village where you’ve never been, either way, you’ll become happier.

​It’s really important to not just to pay attention to what we do but also how we do it. For example, let’s imagine 2 girls. One of them is angry because she has to clean her house: she’d rather be on a date in a fancy restaurant, but no one invited her. Another girl is just washing the dishes and she’s glad she has some time to herself to clean the house.

In the first case, the girl will feel exhausted and in the second case, the girl will feel more relaxed. Our ability to live in the here and now and never let our fears, regrets, and memories disturb us makes our lives more interesting.

​To make our life meaningful, we have to not only take but also give. Acts of kindness make us satisfied and feel significant.

Here’s some good news: even the tiniest good actions can cheer us up. Buying someone a present, writing a note, or even painting a wall are all things that lead us to believe that we have a purpose in this life and that someone needs us.

​Even in the age of individuality, each person still needs to belong to a group. And it’s not only about our closest friends and family members. To be truly happy, we need to feel connected to other people.

According to different studies, this quality helps us defeat diseases, it reduces our levels of stress, and it makes us feel more confident. And it doesn’t matter what group you belong to: it could be a football club, a game club, whatever. You just need to feel like you belong to something.

​We need creative hobbies not for money and fame, but for our health. It’s been proven that the process of creation reduces the level of stress, improves our mood, and helps us fight against depression.

Don’t forget that creativity isn’t just about singing and painting, it can be anything that requires your unique approach. Plant some flowers, choose the color of your walls, do household chores, and turn your imagination on — that’s all it takes!

Happiness isn’t something you have to aim for. It consists of tiny things, so we can create it at any moment. Do you have any habits that stop you from being happy?

​The fears you had when you met your ex are gone — the nervous jitters aren’t there and the anger you had toward them is long gone. You’ve started to relate to your past with warmth and gratitude because it has given you many good things.

All these signs mean that you have moved on and have stopped replaying all your past emotions over and over again. You have instead started to focus on your future and build new relationships.

​As paradoxical as it might sound, you are never as ready for new relationships as you are at the moment when you are not ready for them at all. All because at this moment you don’t feel sad that you are single, you don’t sit at home waiting for love, and you don’t keep checking your phone for new messages every now and then. Instead, you are filling your life with something that is really interesting to you.

​When we are in a relationship, we subconsciously start to adopt the interests of our partner. After breaking up, these interests still stay with us. And after some time you might realize that kayaking is not something that you really like, while your granddad’s old forgotten camera that is buried deep in your closet is something that can bring you real pleasure. You start doing what you really like or what you’ve always wanted to try.

Besides that, you have your own friends who you communicate with and not because you are obligated to do it but because you genuinely want to do it. To cut the story short, you are ready for a new relationship if your life is no longer focused on just one person.

​While you’re not in a relationship, you have the chance to store up so much warmth and tenderness that you can warm up the half of the world with all of your reserves. And the moment when you understand that not only do you want to be hugged and supported, but also that you yourself are ready to hug another person and support them — means that you are ready for a new relationship.

​You are able to watch love stories again without tears and be truly happy if your friends get married or confess their deep feelings for each other. You are not jealous of friends and of those who have found their happiness before you because you know that one day it’s gonna happen with you too.

​The thought that you’ll have to talk about yourself once again and that you’ll have to learn about another person from scratch when you meet a new person doesn’t bother you anymore. Instead, it sparks your interest.

All because enough time has passed after the breakup and you feel like charming and being charmed again.

​With all the time that you spent alone, you have learned to draw your boundaries correctly and now you know for sure which features in a partner will match yours. You can easily say “No” to any person if you see that relationships with them won’t lead to anything good.

In order to not forget something, it’s recommended to make a list of qualities you’d like to see in your future partner.

​Your boundaries might be strict, but at the same time you also understand that there might be something that your future partner won’t like in you. You are ready for discussions and are able to compromise. For example, you are ready to give up your bad habits and develop new ones, reconsider your opinion about some things, and even try something new.

Honey is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes. It also acts as an antioxidant to fight off free radicals.

Garlic contains compounds that boost the white blood cells’ ability to fight against some viruses. It is important to crush garlic instead of chop it because during the crushing, the main component, alliin, turns into its active form.
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• 1 cup of raw honey
• 8-10 cloves of garlic

Place the garlic in the glass jar and fill the jar with honey. Let it rest at room temperature for 3-5 days and place it into the fridge afterward. It’s ready to use after that time. Take a teaspoon of honey with a piece of garlic once a day.

Curcuminoids, active components in turmeric, have many health benefits, anti-viral properties — and its immune-boosting properties are only part of it.

Ginger has very strong anti-bacterial and anti-viral characteristics which help support the immune system.
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• 3 cups of hot water
• 1 cm turmeric root, peeled and grated or 2 tsp of powdered turmeric
• 1 cm of a piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Boil water and add turmeric and ginger. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Add honey or lemon to taste.

Lemons are exceptionally high in Vitamin C, which makes them an excellent booster for the immune system.
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• 1 cup of warm water
• juice from 1/2 a lemon

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into some water and enjoy. Because vitamin C is very unstable, it’s better to prepare the lemon drink just before use.

As we already mentioned above, ginger is very effective as an anti-bacterial and anti-viral product and lemon is very high in Vitamin C.

Cayenne pepper is high in Vitamin C and also in beta-carotene and antioxidants, which help your body fight against nasty bacteria. Cayenne pepper is quite spicy and raises your body temperature activating the immune system.
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• 2 cm of a piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients and sip. You also can add a teaspoon of honey and a small piece of crushed garlic.

Honey and ginger can also be used in combination with licorice and echinacea roots.

Echinacea can be called a superpower herb because the entire plant has a very effective immune-boosting property.

Licorice is not just a candy, it’s actually a root with very high anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant characteristics. This makes it a very effective immune-regulator. It’s not recommended to use all the time, just use it for 4 to 6 weeks.
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• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of licorice root, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup of echinacea root, peeled and grated
• 1 cup of honey
• 2 tbsp or 5 cm of a piece of ginger

Boil water, add echinacea, licorice, and ginger and simmer for 45 minutes. Then let it cool and add honey.

​Mushroom extract has many health benefits and has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Mushrooms are believed to be a very unique immune-boosting food for its ability to prevent immune cells from sticking to the walls of the blood vessels. There are a few types of mushrooms with strong immune-boosting powers, such as shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, and tremella. Each type of mushroom can support the immune system differently and blending some of its extracts will give maximum benefit.

This juice is not only full of vitamins and great for boosting the immune system, but it is also very yummy!

Spinach is called a superfood for a reason, it’s loaded with many vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C, and it’s also high in beta-carotene and antioxidants which helps our bodies fight infection and viruses.

Oranges are loaded with Vitamin C which is essential for fighting against the flu or a cold.

Celery is also high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, which helps make the immune system active and efficient.

Ginger is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.
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• 2 cups of spinach
• 2 oranges
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Juice all ingredients and drink.

Echinacea is a well-known immune stimulating herb. There are lots of echinacea varieties, but only 3 spices prove to have immune system boosting characteristics — Echinacea Angustifolia, Echinacea Pallida, and Echinacea Purpurea. So if you’re planning to make the tincture, make sure that you choose the right one.
​

• dry echinacea
• vodka

Fill half of a glass jar with dried herbs and pour in vodka until the jar is nearly full, leaving a bit of room for the herb to swell a bit. Seal tightly and let it rest for 4-6 weeks at room temperature, shaking it every few days. After 4-6 weeks, strain the herb and store the tincture in an amber bottle. At the first sign of a cold take half a teaspoon 3 to 4 times daily.

​Andrographis is an herb that has been used in Indian and Chinese natural medicine for centuries as a cold remedy and preventative supplement. It comes in capsules and tablets. For preventative purposes, it can be taken in low to moderate doses.

​Yes, you have read this correctly. A few years ago, a Canadian professor came up with the idea that eating boogers might be good for your immune system because you’re just taking a small number of germs back into your own body, so it’s sort of like a no-cost vaccination.

Now, when you stop laughing, we should probably mention that the professor said later that there is no real study about the snot-eating treatment and he just wanted his students to think about if something like that was possible and be engaged in the conversation. “Get the student to think rather than just sit there taking down notes,” he said. Well, he certainly got our attention!

Keeping a good posture goes a long way in maintaining good health, including keeping your joints healthy, said Dr. Benjamin Tow, an orthopedic and spine surgeon at Mt. Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

"Shoulder, back, neck and knees are very common problems because we are active people, we move our joints all the time. The joints can give us a lot of problems as we age, or as we become more active," Tow said.

To ensure healthy joints as one ages, Tow advises training the body to maintain a good posture at all times, avoid chronic overloading-meaning, excess weight-that can lead to faster degeneration of the joints, and to always warm up before exercising. When in pain, stop exercising to allow the body to recover first instead of aggravating the injury.

"Taking care of the joints should be a lifestyle process. Smoking is bad for the joints. Joints can last a lifetime if we don't damage them with injuries," he said.

GOOD POSTURE

"A lot of joint problems can be prevented by good posture, by not overloading, and by doing moderate exercises."

Tow said production workers who need to keep on looking down, or people who keep looking down on their devices like laptops and phones, are prone to joint injuries since these activities encourage bad posture.

Women who constantly carry heavy leather bags should be wary of chronic overloading of their joints. It helps to ditch the high heels, too.

The effects of poor posture on the neck may not be felt when people are younger, Tow said, but is a certainty when they hit their late 40s, 50s and 60s.

The joints connect the bones, bear the weight and provide stability and mobility. They are partly made up of ligaments and cartilage. The cartilage functions like a lubricant cushioning the joints so the bones do not rub together. Understanding how they function and how one's lifestyle and overall health can affect them is crucial in case one develops arthritis, gout or osteoarthritis.

PREVENTION

But instead of popping supplements to supposedly keep the joints healthy, Tow said people should focus on avoiding overloading the joints and avoid damaging it, as prevention. Most people do not develop symptoms until a significant joint damage has occurred, although symptoms may manifest as early as 18.

Symptoms of joint damage include redness and swelling, and tenderness and warmth. It may also include limping, locking of the joint, loss of range of motion of the joint area, stiffness and weakness.

TAICHI, YOGA

Stretching and practicing tai chi can help, Tow said. Yoga helps to make the muscles stronger, he said, and while strengthening the muscles is helpful, the fact that yoga can improve the posture is in itself a big plus.

Glucosamine, the popular supplement said to increase lubrication and decrease inflammation and therefore help manage pain, has weak scientific evidence to prove efficiency, he said.

"Taking glucosamine is like taking ginseng-there's not strong evidence behind them but there's no harm in taking them," Tow said.