Were you aware that six in 10 US adults have a chronic disease? About 40% of the adult population even deal with two or more chronic health conditions! Heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and diabetes are among the most common health woes.
On top of those diseases are mental illnesses. As of 2019, almost one-fifth of the US adult population had a mental illness. Anxiety and major depressive disorders are some of the most prevalent.
All those facts should be enough to make you strive to achieve a healthy mind and body. After all, diseases of the brain and the body often co-exist.
To that end, we came up with this guide discussing some of the best ways to achieve optimal overall health. Read on to discover the top natural remedies you ought to give a try today.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of H2O
Dehydration may contribute to mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. However, researchers are still trying to find out how exactly it can cause such problems. Still, they found that inadequate water intake can heighten anxiety and depression risks.
One possible connection is that the brain’s mass is three-quarters water. So if the brain gets dehydrated, it may be unable to carry out its functions effectively. You may feel irritated and fatigued at the very least.
Plus, the entire body needs a stable supply of water for proper circulation and digestion. Joints need H2O for lubrication, and all other tissues need it for nourishment. Water is also a key component of all the organs; even the bones consist of 31% water!
That’s why drinking enough H2O is crucial to maintaining a healthy brain and body. So, make it a habit to drink no less than eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. Increase your intake every time you perspire a lot and if the weather is sweltering hot.
Feast on Tryptophan for a Better Brain-Gut Connection
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that you need to get from external food sources. These include turkey, chicken, eggs, milk, fatty fish (such as salmon), soy products (like tofu), and nuts.
You want to maintain optimal tryptophan levels since it’s crucial for serotonin production. Serotonin, in turn, is a hormone that impacts mood, stress, sleep, and even pain tolerance.
The gut accounts for 90% of the serotonin produced in the body. This is one of the reasons scientists use the term “brain-gut connection.”
Without enough tryptophan, your gut won’t be able to produce adequate serotonin levels. According to researchers, a lack of tryptophan can indeed lower mood. A deficiency of this amino acid may also raise depression and even aggression risks.
Serotonin deficiency may also come with symptoms like low mood and poor sleep. However, scientists still aren’t sure of serotonin’s exact role in these issues. Some believe that it may again be due to how tryptophan is crucial to serotonin creation.
In any case, you’d want to get enough tryptophan to keep your brain-gut connection strong. Be sure to build your daily meals with ingredients high in this amino acid. Your doctor may also recommend natural supplements if you lack tryptophan or serotonin.
Consider Trying Cannabidiol Products
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 500 compounds found in the cannabis sativa plant. However, in its pure form, it doesn’t seem to exert psychoactive effects. In other words, people don’t get high when they take pure CBD products.
What they may experience is an improvement in painful conditions, though. It may also be helpful for people with mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. Others who use CBD products say they use it to boost skin health or combat acne.
CBD products are available in oil, tincture, tablet, capsule, and chewable gummy form. As you shop for a CBD product, Purecraftcbd.com advises going for one without binders and fillers. For starters, these are additives that, while not always harmful, might be unnecessary.
For example, binders are substances that combine all other ingredients. In food supplements like soft gels and gummies, binders add to their hardness to keep them intact. The thing is, some binders have sugars in them, such as honey and gum arabic.
Fillers, in turn, are additive ingredients used to raise a product’s volume. These include stuff like cornstarch, cellulose (as in sawdust), and lactose. They may not be dangerous, but the more of these a CBD product contains, the less pure it is.
In short, the more additives there are in a CBD product, the lower its quality is. So, always pay attention to the label and make sure what you’re buying is free of these ingredients.
Add Some Heat to Your Meals
All peppers contain capsaicin, the compound responsible for their heat. It occurs even in the sweeter variety of bell peppers. However, it’s more abundant in the spicier kinds, including all sorts of chili peppers.
Capsaicin’s discovery took place in 1816. Since then, it has found many uses as natural remedies, particularly as a pain reliever. The less pain you feel, the less stressed you may get, which can then help your brain stay healthy, too.
Researchers found that capsaicin can help treat nerve and musculoskeletal pain. It may also be useful for osteoarthritis, overactive bladder, pruritus, and post-surgery vomiting.
Recent studies suggest that capsaicin may also benefit vascular and metabolic health. It also appears to help ease inflammation in tissues, especially the fat-holding ones.
Aside from capsaicin, peppers are also excellent sources of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Vitamin C, in turn, is an antioxidant that helps safeguard the body from oxidative stress.
Peppers have many other beneficial compounds, such as carotenoids and flavonoids. These are types of antioxidants, too.
A Healthy Mind and Body Is Key to a Happy, Long Life
People with healthy habits may outlive those with unhealthy practices by 13 years. The latter includes those with lifestyles prioritizing a healthy mind and body. Folks who are in good health also report having a higher quality of life, so they’re also happier.
So, why not take a page out of their book and incorporate healthy habits and natural remedies into your life, too? The more healthy practices you develop, the longer you may live and the happier you may become, too.
Ready for more guides on how to live healthily? Then please feel free to look through and read our other educational blog posts!
