Back To School: Migraines in Children

I recently read a NYT article about headaches in children, particularly during the schoolyear, and I wanted to share this topic since it's Back-to-School time.

As a person who used to suffer frequent migraines, I was struck with empathy for these kids whose pain is being dismissed. Please take a few minutes to read the article (link above).  It's a good reminder of how important quality food, water, and sleep are for all of us to stay healthy and headache-free.

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.

Midnight Canning: Blackberry Jam and Apple-Mint Jelly

Friday night I went to my good friend Sadie's house to hang out and do some canning.  We had grand plans to make blackberry jam, apple-mint jelly, pesto, and I think there was something else (clearly we never got that far).  Let me start by saying that my friend Sadie is absolutely amazing!  She has an almost-2-year-old son who, as adorable and wonderful as he is, struggles with sleep.  You moms (and dads) out there know that this means Sadie now has a less-than-optimal relationship with sleep as well.  Knowing a little about the energy needed to get through those long nights, and the days that follow, makes all the things she does seem even more impressive to me (oh, did I mention she's also writing her dissertation?).  So, when I showed up at Sadie's house on Friday night and we sat down to a beautiful and delicious, homecooked dinner (I really should have taken pictures!) made from organic ingredients, 99% of which she grew in her backyard garden, I was humbled.

We enjoyed a leisurely dinner, a little Petite Syrah (gotta get those polyphenols!), and some great conversation (including a lengthy discussion about midwives, doulas, obstetricians, cesarean sections, and womens' intuition).  Then, around 10:30pm or so, we figured we'd better get cookin'.  Where had the time gone?  Ah well, we headed out to the garden in the pitch-black darkness to collect the herbs for our jelly and pesto.  It was absolutely gorgeous outside: the stars were dense and brilliant, the night was cool and crisp (you could feel autumn around the corner), and the air smelled of mint and basil.  We spent the next several hours making blackberry jam and mint jelly, largely from ingredients foraged from Sadie's garden and neighborhood.  I cannot wait to break into a jar of this blackberry jam!  We didn't get around to the pesto, but I left with a big bag full of fresh basil and wound up making that on Saturday (Thanks, Sadie!).

Some of you may be wondering what the point of this post is, where it fits in to the general health forum we've got going here.  Glad you asked.  My Friday evening with Sadie showcased so many things that I feel are integral to good health.  To name a few... Spending time with friends and family.  Nurturing good, supportive relationships.  Growing and cooking your own food.  Eating mindfully.  The importance of good sleep.  Trying new things (for us that meant apple-mint jelly).  I enjoyed every minute of it.  And now, days later, I can still feel the benefits of spending that relaxing evening with a good friend. 

It's not just food that nourishes us.  Not even close!

What non-food things in your life nourish you?  Can you find a way to make room for those things in your busy schedule?  Isn't it worth it?

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Do What You Love.  Get Moving.  Be mindful.

Tea for Daytime and Nighttime Relaxation

If I haven't already hinted at it in previous posts, I LOVE tea!  I love everything about it... filling my beautiful, orange Le Creuset tea kettle with clean, filtered water, choosing a special tea cup or mug, the anticipation of comfort while the tea is steeping, holding a warm cup in my hands, the aroma, the tastes, and the way I can use different herbs and different blends to achieve a desired result (calm, energy, clarity, headache relief, soothed stomach, and sleep).  Yes, preparing and enjoying tea, whether alone or with a friend, is such a simple luxury!

"Suppose you are drinking a cup of tea. When you hold your cup, you may like to breathe in, to bring your mind back to your body, and you become fully present. And when you are truly there, something else is also there -- life, represented by the cup of tea. In that moment you are real, and the cup of tea is real. You are not lost in the past, in the future, in your projects, in your worries. You are free from all of these afflictions. And in that state of being free, you enjoy your tea. That is the moment of happiness, and of peace."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

See there?  Do you see what just happened?  All I intended to do was fire off a quick post about one of my favorite packaged teas and it turned into a love letter to herbs and a plug for the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh.  Well, my good friends are surely not surprised by that. 

Clearly I will be returning to the topic of herbs, teas, and tisanes.  For now, though, I want to recommend one lovely tea in particular: Nighty Night Tea, produced by Traditional Medicinals.  When I can't blend my own relaxation/sleepytime tea (my "Relaxi-Tea") for whatever reason, I turn to TM's Organic Nighty Night tea.  Traditional Medicinals is a wonderful company and their ingredients are Organic and Fair Trade Certified.  The Nighty Night tea is marketed for nighttime relaxation and I have found it very useful for helping me get relaxed and sleepy in the evenings (on really tough, wired nights, I've taken 2 cups).  But you can also drink this tea in the morning or during the day if you're feeling anxious, on edge, or overcaffeinated (you know when you go 1 cup of coffee too far?).  This tea is safe and caffeine-free, but teas with a heavy chamomile component are generally not recommended for women who are pregnant or nursing, so use your best judgement there.  Also be warned that I have recommended this tea to friends in the past and they were instantly hooked!

If you want to try out Nighty Night tea and can't find it at your local grocery or health food store, I've included a link to purchase it at Amazon.com.  If you end up going that route, check out some Thich Nhat Hanh books as well: Peace Is Every Step is a great place to start.  Makes for some really peaceful morning or bedtime reading.

Do you have a favorite tea or relaxation ritual?

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Relax Well.

What’s Your Sleep Story?

 

I woke up this morning feeling particularly well rested. I slept for about 8 hours last night and had the luxury of not forcing myself out of bed early this morning. And this well-rested feeling got me thinking about the importance of good sleep.

I have had an interesting relationship with sleep throughout my life. I’m told that, as a kid, I avoided sleep as long as at least one other person in the world was still awake (didn’t want to miss out on anything, you know?). I don’t remember being that obstinant (and can’t imagine it). My memories of sleep from childhood include nightmares about the Wizard of Oz (tornados and angry apple trees), sleep walking, sleep talking, and waking up with my feet on my pillow. As an adult, I experience periodic bouts of insomnia (not fun!) but other times I can’t seem to get enough sleep. And I still have the occasional tornado nightmare.

What’s your sleep story?

We all have different needs when it comes to sleep, but the average person should probably be getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. Recently, though, Harvard Medical School reported that a survey found that an increasing number of Americans are sleeping less than 6 hours per night and that 75% of Americans experience some sort of sleep difficulties several times a week. This is troubling because many studies have demonstrated that sufficient sleep is important for maintaining good health. Lack of sleep has been linked to many conditions including poor memory, moodiness, increased risk of accidents (at work and while driving), poor metabolic function and weight gain, immune suppression, disrupted hormone function, and hypertension.

Many factors can influence our ability to get a good night’s sleep, including seasonal changes, emotions, stress, caffeine, medications, and our sleep environment. Because sleep is so important to your overall health, take a moment to reflect on your own sleep patterns and consider the following recommendations for getting good sleep:

1. Develop a regular schedule of sleeping/waking times.
2. An Ayurvedic approach recommends going to bed between 9:30 and 10:30pm and waking up between 5:30 and 6:30am. (Those of you who know me will be surprised to learn that I have experimented with this schedule and really loved it, but you have to make it a habit!)
3. Avoid alcohol and food for 2-3 hours prior to bedtime.
4. Exercise: regular exercise can help regulate your sleep.
5. Allow yourself to wake up without an alarm clock whenever possible (at least weekends?).
6. Minimize noise and light in your sleep environment.
7. Avoid extreme temperatures in your sleep environment.
8. Caffeine: avoid caffeine for 4-6 hours prior to bedtime and limit overall use of caffeine.
9. Avoid television and computer screens for at least 1 hour prior to bedtime.
10. Develop a bedtime ritual – this might include enjoying a calming cup of herbal tea or a relaxing bath or shower before bedtime.

 Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Sleep Well.