Sweet Potato Pie
 Every other Thursday I will be posting pieces on various Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM). I think it is important for black women to explore all of their options when it comes to health and wellness and CAM is a part of that. Here is a piece that I wrote for LiveStrong.com that offers an introduction to several CAM practices and benefits: CAM, complementary and alternative medicine, refers to medical systems and practices currently not considered a part of conventional medicine. CAM treatments are split into five main categories, which include biologically based practices, whole medical systems, manipulative and body-based practices, mind-body medicine and energy medicine. Acupuncture is the most well known and most widely used healing practice from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a whole medical practice. Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and in the U.S. is one of the more common CAM practices. Acupuncture seeks to restore and maintain health by stimulating certain points on the body through the use of thin, stainless steel needles placed in the skin to stimulate various areas of the body. Acupuncture has shown to be of great help in treating addictions and weight loss. Massage therapy is one of the most practiced of the manipulative and body-based practices. It is also one of the few CAM treatments that is also used as a conventional medical treatment. Massage therapy has been around since ancient times. You can find references to it in ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek texts. Today, people use massage therapy for a host of health-related issues, such as pain relief, stress relief, depression and rehabilitating sports injuries. Ayurveda means the science of life and is a natural healing system that has its roots in India. As one of the whole medical systems, Aruyveda has gained popularity in the United States due to Dr. Deepak Chopra, an Indian-born doctor who uses a combination of Aruyveda and conventional medicine to treat his patients. Ayurveda is a holistic approach to medicine that seeks to integrate the mind, body and spirit to achieve overall health. Keeping the body in balance is believed to lead to overall health and contentment. Ayurveda uses a combination of yoga, meditation, herbs and exercise to achieve the optimum level of health.
Keep Reading.
 We already know, "Black don't crack," but if you'd like to enhance the natural youthful beauty Black women retain well into their older years, you may want to consider taking up yoga. From Prevention.com: Minimizes wrinkles Yoga can reduce stress by nearly a third, reports a German study of 24 women. As a result, clenched jaws and furrowed brows relax, helping to smooth away wrinkles. Yoga may also rejuvenate skin's glow by reducing oxidative stress, which breaks down skin's elasticity. In an Indian study of 104 people, oxidative stress levels dropped by 9% after just 10 days of yoga.
Slows weight gain During a 10-year University of Washington study of 15,500 men and women over age 45, those who didn't do yoga gained up to 13.5 pounds. Those who practiced regularly lost up to 5 pounds. Eases pain Yoga is twice as effective as stretching at relieving back pain, according to another University of Washington study that had 101 people with lower-back pain do either yoga or stretching once a week for 3 months. We all have those older relatives who are in their 60's and easily look like they are in their 40's, yoga just seems like it woul add a little "umph" to Black women's ability to age gracefully. Nesides, being healthier, slimmer and more relaxed is something we all can benefit from, regardless of age.
According to the CDC via BlackDoctor.org:
When youre on a mission to lose weight, slashing calories can help in the short term. But new research shows adding physical activity to the mix is what peels away the most stubborn pounds (think belly fat) and keeps them off for good. Those who dont exercise regularly (69 percent of women trying to lose weight dont work out, according to the CDC) risk a rebound.
Dieting without exercise cant zap the fat.
Exercise is just as important as diet if you want to lose belly fat. This isthe kind of fat thats associated with metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Researchers found that obese women who dieted for five month without exercise had no changes in abdominal-fat cell size, while those who combined exercise with diet saw their fat cells shrink by about 17 percent. So a dieter who exercises often have smaller fat cells and a lower risk of heart disease.
Exercisers stay slimmer.
Active people have an easier time maintaining their results over time. In fact, exercise without a diet plan is more effective for managing weight. For optimum results you should incorporate both a diet and an exercise plan into your lifestyle. This is just sad. Ladies, I think if we've beat any topic over the head enough on this blog it is the importance of exercise. The belief that diet is great but if you aren't moving then you aren't really doing anything. To get the body you want and to be healthy you're going to have to sweat. The article also points out that exercise alone is a more effective method of weight loss than diet. You get that? So yes, continue with the healthy eating but Move That Body!
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Do What You Love
Since I write about music over on my blog, Songs In The Key of Life, it's only fitting that I share one of my workout playlists that I use when I'm moving my body. Gotta have a soundtrack! - Dance for Me, Mary J. Blige
- Naughty Girl, Beyonce
- Real Love, Mary J. Blige
- Pon de Replay, Rihanna
- Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
- Touch It, Busta Rhymes
- Bad Girl, Usher
- Dancing In September, Earth Wind and Fire
- Just Fine, Mary J. Blige
- Get Me Bodied, Beyonce
- Ring The Alarm, Beyonce
- She Wants to Move, NERD
This is one of my many that I have created. I'll share more in the future. Tell me what's on yours in the comments.
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