In my practice, I work with patients to resolve a wide variety of health conditions. I also make recommendations for lifestyle and dietary changes based on individuals’ concerns and wellness goals. One healthy and easy adjustment that benefits almost every health condition is drinking green tea daily. Green tea is one of the three main types of tea, along with Black and Oolong. All three come from the leaves of the camellia sinesis plant, but each type differs in the processing.
Green Tea for Beauty
Some say that beauty is only skin deep, but inner-body balance will always lead to a natural and radiant outer beauty that shines with health! Cosmetically, green tea can beautify the skin when taken both internally and applied topically to reduce puffiness. It evens out the complexion by reducing acne, smoothing the skin and tightening the pores. Also, give Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture a try. It works!
Green Tea for Weight Loss
Also, green tea is an excellent part of an effective weight loss plan! Chinese Herbs and acupuncture for weight loss, along with green tea and other simple lifestyle changes, can be extremely instrumental in shedding those unwanted pounds.
A study from the December 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition1 shows that substances which are abundant in green tea extracts may promote weight loss. The study concluded, “green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. The green tea extract may play a role in the control of body composition via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.” Also, green tea may be useful as a glucose regulator, meaning it slows the rise in blood sugarfollowing a meal. Green tea has also helped aid weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate, causing those who use it to experience greater calorie burn.
Green Tea for Serious Health Concerns
The Oriental Medicine newsletter published in the all of 2006 by Pacific College of Oriental Medicine has a terrific article on green tea and its multitude of health benefits. Highlights from the article are as follows:
Results from recent studies suggest that green tea may be useful for the following conditions:
Atherosclerosis – the antioxidant properties of green tea may help prevent atherosclerosis, particularly coronary artery disease.
High Cholesterol – green tea has demonstrated an ability to lower total cholesterol and raiseHDL (“good” cholesterol) in both animals and people.
Cancer – research is showing that polyphenols in green tea help kill cancerous cells and stop progression.
Bladder Cancer – male bladder cancer patients in a study by the Saitama Cancer Research Institute who drank green tea had a substantially better five-year survival rate than those who did not.
Breast Cancer – polyphenols in green tea inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. Studies have shown that women with early stages of the disease who drank at least five cups of tea every day before being diagnosed with cancer were less likely to suffer a relapse after completion of treatment.
Skin Cancer – scientific studies suggest that components in green tea have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties that may help prevent the onset and growth of skin tumors.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) – Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis can be helped by the anti-inflammatory agents in green tea. Also, if green tea proves to be helpful in preventing colon cancer, this would be an added benefit for patients suffering IBD, as they have a risk for colon cancer.
Diabetes – green tea has been used traditionally to control blood sugar in the body and help regulate glucose levels.
Liver Disease – green tea appears to protect the liver from the damaging effects of toxic substances such as alcohol.
In addition to the illnesses mentioned above, green tea boasts the following benefits:
- preventing and hastening recovery from colds and flu
- aiding with the prevention and relief of type 2 diabetes
- blocking key receptors in producing allergic reactions
- aiding Parkinson’s disease sufferers
- slowing the HIV infection process
- maintaining healthy fluid balance
- relieving fatigue and stress
- boosting the immune function of skin cells
- relieving and preventing arthritis
- reducing the risk of stroke
- preventing osteoporosis
- reducing DNA damage in smokers
- delaying the signs of aging
- improving bone structure
- preventing dangerous blood-clotting
- boosting calorie-burning
Drink at least three cups per day of green tea—you’ll be taking the first step towards a healthier you!
