TEA FOR YOU AND YOU FOR TEA (THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF TEA)
by Nicole Niemiec

Tea is the most popular drink in the world. Its soothing fragrance and taste creates a sense of calmness and alertness not experienced in any other drink.

Besides being an enjoyable and relaxing drink, did you know tea also has healthful effects on your body? The people of China have been drinking tea for thousands of years, partly because of its health effects. Tea has been shown to:

• Reduce cholesterol.
• Boost white blood cell production in order to help you ward off infection.
• Lower blood pressure.
• Aid in digestion.
• Fight tooth decay with elements of fluoride.
• Combat fatigue with the stimulating effect of caffeine.
• May help prevent strokes.
• Decrease the risk of some types of cancer including  breast, skin, lung, stomach, prostate, and colon. (This is especially true with green tea. A recent study showed  that drinking 2 or more cups of tea per day can reduce your risk of cancer.).
• Drinking a cup of ginger tea per day can help reduce joint swelling, morning stiffness, and pain, as well as improve your joint mobility due to its natural anti-inflammatory effects.
• Green tea is loaded with healthful antioxidants.

So the next time you want to relax and enjoy a healthful drink, consider taking a sip or two of tea. Not only will you find it relaxing, you will enjoy its health benefits as well.

If drinking tea is not something you care to do, you can still get the benefits by taking green tea extracts in a supplement. Look for one with at least 80% polyphenol content (the part of the tea that inhibits cancer causing genes

Nicole Niemiec is an occupational therapist with 10 years of experience working with patients of all ages and illnesses. Nicole has seen firsthand how poor health habits can affect your body. She developed her site, http://www.healthy-insights.com to provide information to assist you with leading a healthy lifestyle in order to enhance and prolong your quality of life.