Remedy or rubbish?

The change in season has brought tornado warnings to the tri-state area as well as an overall uncomfortable-ness to my ears, nose and throat. Don’t get me wrong; I love this transitional period from summer to fall. September is my absolute favorite month. (Side note - Justin and I have a theory that September is the best time to travel anywhere in the world. We haven't been proven wrong yet.) Here in NYC, the temperature is a perfect mid 70-something and the sticky humidity of August is mostly gone. But something in the air is wreaking havoc on my ENT situation. And this has me thinking, which natural remedies are BS and which really do work?

So without further ado, let’s play: Remedy or Rubbish?

Gargling with salt water - Remedy or Rubbish?

Remedy.

The proof’s in the pudding.

Chugging orange juice when getting sick - Remedy or Rubbish?

Rubbish.
Despite a few studies that suggest that large doses of vitamin C may reduce the duration of a cold, most of the scientific evidence finds no benefit. Taking high doses of vitamin C is not recommended... High doses of vitamin C may cause headaches, intestinal and urinary problems, and even kidney stones.

Chewing on the (pickled) ginger that comes with your sushi roll - Remedy or Rubbish?

TBD…

I’m not sure about evidence proving its effectiveness, but my yogi friends agree that it can’t hurt. And I’ve read that in general ginger is good for you. It can boost immunity and much more. 

Sipping tea with honey - Remedy or Rubbish?

Remedy.

Personally I think it helps. And The Times agrees. This article explains that hot steam is soothing, and that tea with honey can alleviate symptoms of the common cold.

Using a neti pot with filtered water - Remedy or Rubbish?                                       
Remedy.

I’ve used my neti pot a few times. At first it was very weird and a little scary. But it does help lubricate the sinuses.

*Don’t be alarmed by the death by neti pot horror stories in the news as of late. Just be sure to use FILTERED water, not tap. (Neti pots sold at drugstores come with saline packets to disinfect your H2O.)

“If you talk about the general population, there are more common things to be aware of and worry about than a scary amoebic infection,” said Dr. Hagen, who is also the editor of “The Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies.” “It’s an opportunity to remind people to be cautious and use good cleaning approaches and maintenance of their neti pot. 

Ingesting Emergen-c at the first signs of sickness - Remedy or rubbish?

Rubbish.

First ingredient = fructose. Not worth it, and not necessarily natural. Also, there is some controversy surrounding Emergen-c’s main components. 

Be well!

A

P.S. Here are a few reputable remedies recommended by my Ayurvedic expert coworkers. I’ll be trying them ASAP and will report back on my verdicts…

Drinking a cup of hot water with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar

My friend Jonelle swears by its overall healing properties.

Using nasya oil

Apparently it does wonders for the nasal passages. I found this article online.

Taking probiotics on the reg, and especially when you feel a cold coming on

Reuteri is the strand my friend Brian recommends. Probiotics are said to be the first line of defense against congestion et al.  

Chewing on cloves

Cloves are supposed to have analgesic properties. I’ve been told that chewing on cloves produces the same effect as sucking on lozenges: they numb a sore throat and help clear sinuses. I’m looking forward to giving it a shot!

Petite treats

Just in time for Wellness Wednesday this post is about sweets. Counter-intuitive? Probably, considering our culture of super-sized portions and fad diets that don’t work. But I believe eating right can include dessert. And most non-Americans agree. Check out French Women Don’t Get Fat if you’d like to read up on the subject. Of course it really is common sense, this notion of eating everything in moderation, but for some reason we Americans (myself definitely included) are so intoxicated by the advertising, product placement and general ubiquitousness of “junk food.” Allow this entry to serve as a reminder that food is not the enemy and that portion control is key. I’ll try to adhere to this basic truth while prepping for my wedding, and I’ll start by practicing compassion for myself and not feeling so guilty when I indulge in delicious desserts. Here are a few of my favorites as of late:

Buttercup Bake Shop Pecan Pie

With or without vanilla ice cream, it’s perfection.

Georgetown Cupcake Honey Banana Cupcake

Hands down the best cupcake in NYC, and probably in DC too. (Thank you for the introduction Leah.)

Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Milk Chocolate Almond Ice Cream Bars

Justin and I have been eating these just about every night this summer. I think we single-handedly bought out our grocery store’s stock. 

Mueller’s Bakery Classic Crumb Cake

If you find yourself at the Jersey Shore, this crumb cake is worth the stop. The crumbs to cake ratio is perfect, and it’s really moist. 

Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch Gelato

Talenti is my new favorite gelato brand. It’s AMAZING. And the little plastic pint containers can be re-used for small snacks like raspberries.

Enjoy!

A

Another one bites the dust

Celebrity couples are infamous for their lack of longevity. Everyone knows that. Not everyone gets seriously sad when a celeb couple parts, but I do. I admittedly get disproportionately upset about celeb breakups. After all, they’re real people – just like us! – capable of heartache and all (unless of course they’re participating in publicity stunts). Regardless, breaking up is hard to do. And I over-sensitively empathize with each and every star. So of course it pained me to hear about the demise of Amy Poehler and Will Arnett’s union. Even though I don’t watch either of their TV shows. 

The one celeb couple I have the utmost faith in is Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson (despite the fact that they had an affair while Hanks was with his first wife.) I once read a quote in Us Magazine that stuck with me, about the secret to their healthy marriage. According to Wilson it’s that Hanks makes her lattes, they talk five times/day, and he makes her laugh. But of course true compatibility must play a part. When it comes to famous peoples’ relationships, there is in fact a method behind the madness. The New York Times even published this article about the science behind celebrity breakups. Enjoy the data!

A

P.S. Now that I’m on the knot I’m automatically receiving [the nest] newsletters… For the most part these emails are just accumulating as unread, but this article caught my eye. 

image via usmagazine.com

Getting Down & Dirty at the Farmers Market

The Union Square Greenmarket holds a special place in my heart. Back when we were just friends and Justin was still courting me, we spent an afternoon meandering around the market’s stalls packed with natural peanut butter, zucchini bread, beautiful flowers and so much more. Justin probably doesn’t remember that afternoon, but I can tell you what I was wearing. (I have a fickle memory; I remember specific outfits from especially enjoyable afternoons years ago, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you the names of any of my high school history teachers.) Anyway the USQ Greenmarket can get crowded, especially on weekends, but it’s worth the brief moments of claustrophobia. See below for a few pics I took on my iPhone while passing through the market a few weeks ago.

In the past I’ve liked to browse in the summertime but buy in the fall – when the merchants have in-season apples, along with apple cider, pumpkin bread, etc. But the market always has organic goodies and nutritional snacks like wheatgrass shots, and I’ve been reading that farm-to-table food in general has some surprising but incredibly beneficial qualities, all stemming from dirt. Apparently eating dirty Farmers Market food is really good for us. Yes – produce with a little soil on it. In Spontaneous Happiness Dr. Andrew Weil says there are benefits to exposing our hands and noses to dirt. Back in 2007 Discover magazine published an article titled “Is Dirt the New Prozac?” which reported on the results of a study of the “hygiene hypothesis.” This hypothesis, as summed up by Weil, said: 

The recently popular idea that living in environments that are too clean accounts for the sharp rise in the incidence of asthma and allergies in developed countries over the past century. Proponents of the hygiene hypothesis argue that excessive cleanliness deprives young people’s developing immune systems of routine exposure to harmless microorganisms in the environment, such as soil bacteria. Without this exposure, our immune systems might not learn to ignore such molecules as those in pollen or pet dander.

And there’s more useful info…

Pursuing this line of reasoning, some researchers have tried treating people with a common and benign soil bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae. Preliminary results indicate that injections of a killed vaccine made from it can alleviate skin allergies. The vaccine has also been found to reduce nausea and pain in some lung cancer patients and, surprisingly, improve their general quality of life and mood…

The takeaway?

It can’t hurt to kick up some dirt and not be afraid to inhale a little dust when you’re digging in the garden. You can also expose yourself to beneficial mycobacteria by eating vegetables fresh from the garden—if you don’t scrub off every speck of dirt. 

For us city folk without gardens or even yards, growing veggies on our fire escapes is one option. The other option is to buy food from the local Farmers Market.

A

P.S. The Union Square Greenmarket is open:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
8 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

P.P.S. The New York Times recently published an article titled “Dirtying Up Our Diets” which makes the same argument as laid out above: 

Over 7,000 strong and growing, community farmers’ markets are being heralded as a panacea for what ails our sick nation. The smell of fresh, earthy goodness is the reason environmentalists approve of them, locavores can’t live without them, and the first lady has hitched her vegetable cart crusade to them. As health-giving as those bundles of mouthwatering leafy greens and crates of plump tomatoes are, the greatest social contribution of the farmers’ market may be its role as a delivery vehicle for putting dirt back into the American diet and in the process, reacquainting the human immune system with some "old friends."

Read on here.

P.P.P.S. I love visiting different city’s Farmers Markets when traveling in the States. It’s a great way to learn about each locale’s culture and of course find yummy snacks and even souvenirs. My friend Rachel and I brought home jam from the Santa Barbara Farmers Market. I’ve also perused the Boulder Farmers Market, which is really extensive and awesome. 

FNI (AKA “Fashion’s Night In”)

I’m with this girl: http://www.refinery29.com/fno

Yikes.

Tonight is Fashion Night’s Out (FNO). If you’re not familiar with the event, it involves over 700 stores (in NYC alone) extending their hours to promote brands and offer discounted and limited-edition merchandise, along with free drinks and musical performances. There will be hoards of people going from store to store for the free goodies. It’s basically a Halloween for the 20-something set. Some of the “costumes” are of course ridiculous. And the situation is especially appealing for wannabe models who don’t eat candy but do enjoy GWP’s. (That’s retailer lingo for “Gift with Purchase.”) Oh and there will be celebrity appearances.

I will not be making an appearance. I’m opting out of participating in this evening’s festivities. I don’t love shopping, and I definitely don’t love shopping among packs of people. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate fashion or need a little something something every now and then. But I’ve learned to do the lunch-break errand and also capitalize on my weekdays off for when I must visit the department stores on Fifth Avenue and the tourist-friendly boutiques in Soho.

And what’s more I’m beyond having FOMO. I’m happy being a homebody, much unlike my 25-year-old self, and much to the dismay of my still-rowdy girlfriends. Tonight I’ll probably be virtually window-shopping on Pinterest and ThreadMatcher while sitting in front of the “boob tube” (as Justin calls it) watching this guy at the DNC. The best part: I won’t need to dress up.

A

P.S. For dressing down during this dreary Fashion Week, my essentials are Hunter rain boots and my new-ish Tatula hooded military jacket from Artizia. 

pic via http://cdn1.kimkcdn.celebuzz.com/

Introducing: Wellness Wednesdays - On H2O

After a gluttonous Labor Day weekend in Maine (lots of lobster rolls, ice cream, s’mores, etc.) I feel like I need to detox and up my water intake. I’m not feeling motivated enough to do anything drastic (and really healthy) like cut out refined carbs or sugar, so I’ll start with my tried and true feel better basic: H2O.

Back in high school I read in a magazine (maybe Seventeen or Cosmo) that drinking lots of water is the key to great skin, weight loss and more. I don’t know if guzzling 3 liters of water each day is all that effective – but I do know that I feel better when I drink tons of water. So I’ve been doing just that consistently (and kind of obsessively) since high school. Back then I stocked my car with Poland Spring sport bottles and downed them throughout the day. Today I stock my desk at work with 1.5 liter bottles from Gourmet Garage. (And at home I refill them from our Pur water filter – which I highly recommend.) I think my extreme water consumption is worth the excessive amount of pee breaks I take throughout every day. And recently this notion was (once again) reaffirmed by a magazine: this time, Self. Self’s September issue devotes a section to “10 foods for radiant skin” and includes a side-note on water:

Is water really a miracle potion?

Short answer: Yes

We know it’s not earth-shattering advice, bit if you want great skin, guzzling H2O is nonnegotiable. Beyond doing its obvious job—water dissolves nutrients from food and helps transport them to skin cells.

How much do you need?

The Institute of Medicine suggests up to 11 cups a day. We know! But don’t freak out. Remember that many veggies and fruits contain a lot of aqua. (An apple provides about ½ cup.)

I don't eat an apple a day but hopefully my high intake of water will continue to keep excess weight, dry skin, etc. at bay.

A

P.S. I realize that using plastic bottles isn’t all that green. But rest assured I do recycle – despite Justin’s annoyance at having an extra bag of disposables in our tiny kitchen.

Californication Part 3: Napa

Napa trips have become a family tradition. For the past few years we’ve gone to Northern California in late summer or early fall for wine tasting, fine dining and relaxation. Of course there have been some moments of bickering – My family is very much like a dysfunctional but extremely loving Brady Bunch – but overall any time spent together is fun and full of love. What’s great about our crew is that we actually like each other. Which is lucky considering we’ve survived divorce, remarriage et al. I feel extremely fortunate to have my amazing non-nuclear, and growing, family. 

And speaking of feeling fortunate, this year’s Napa visit had extra special meaning: We were celebrating the 10-year anniversary of my Dad’s stroke. A “stroke-aversary,” if you will. Ten years ago on August 11, out of the blue, my Dad suffered a massive stroke. In layman’s terms: He randomly contracted a rare infection in his blood that caused a blood clot and ultimately a stroke. He had to undergo months of rehabilitation but fortunately he was OK physically. One side of his body feels a bit numb sometimes, but he can do all the important stuff like play golf, dance his crazy dance moves and, soon, walk me down the aisle. He does have aphasia, which makes communicating a lot harder than pre-stroke. He’s a brilliant doctor who still maintains his extensive medical (and general) knowledge, but it takes some extra time to process information and communicate his thoughts. Initially after the stroke my Dad couldn’t say his own name. He eventually relearned his entire vocabulary, starting with some curse words thanks to my stepbrother Brandt. Anyway he’s doing remarkably well and there was (is) definitely cause for celebration. My Dad now calls August 11 his birthday – and this year he turned 10.

My family believes in celebrating the good stuff, and Napa is one of our favorite spots to celebrate – so much so that Justin and I have decided to plan Napa nuptials. But first thing's first; a recap of this past trip:

We drove some more along the precarious PCH from Big Sur to Napa – but I admit the views were worth my having a bit of angst. See below.

Side note: People in California pull over along the roads to take in the views. There are outlooks carved out for just this purpose: pure appreciation of beauty. I can’t imagine this happens much on the East coast… But I really value the idea of taking a moment to really be in the moment and stop and smell the roses (or salt water).

We stopped in Carmel for lunch. We didn’t spend much time there but the town seemed adorable. Next we took a wedding-venue-hunt detour before meeting my family for our annual Napa adventure. 

This trip we tasted at a few old standbys (Caymus, Duckhorn and Stagecoach) along with a few new gems (Krutz, Paul Hobbs, Rafanelli and Ridge). We also visited extended family (my Grandpa’s cousin and his wife) that live in Healdsburg on a gorgeous vineyard. And we ate at some delicious restaurants (Brix, Farm, Redd Wood) and got sandwiches from Soda Canyon Store – the cutest old-town feeling general store (stocked with top quality wine, of course).

Overall the stay was a delicious celebration. And I’m looking forward to going back again soon to plan our wedding! I’m so excited to be celebrating there once again with even more friends and family.

A