After diet, lifestyle has the most significant impact on health. Our lifestyle must put the right amount of stress on the body and mind. If our lifestyle doesn’t put enough stress on our body and mind, we become weak. If too much, or the wrong kind of stress is given, we become exhausted.  The very important other side of the coin of stress or activity is rest.
 
The greatest balance in our lifestyle is between activity and rest. Right kinds of activity include moderate exercise, regular stimulation and use of the mind; including healthy interactions with our family, friends, co-workers and the world.
 
Although activity plays a huge role in health, the opposite, rest is equally important. In today’s world, the mind is usually too active while the body doesn’t get enough of the right stimulation from balanced foods and exercise or too much from excesses of chemicals, fats, sugars and proteins in the diet. A lack of protein, vitamins and minerals is equally as bad. This occurs in modern eating and some natural diets. In this article, I will focus on the importance of rest.
 
There are many ways within our lifestyle to give our mind a break. Less entertainment from television, the internet, and video games would help. Learning meditation is also a great rest for the mind. I believe that these suggestions would help everyone. The greatest rest, though, comes from our daily, sound and deep sleep.

Scientific research has indicated the following symptoms can arise from a lack of sleep; attention deficit such as depression, decreased mental activity, and concentration, lower immune function, dizziness, general confusion, high blood pressure, memory loss and weight gain.

According to a 2000 study published in the British scientific journal, researchers in Australia and New Zealand reported that sleep deprivation can have some of the same hazardous effects as being drunk.

Several large studies using nationally representative samples suggest that the obesity epidemic in Europe and the United States might have as one of its causes a decrease in the average number of hours that people are sleeping.

In traditional oriental medicine, which modern systems of macrobiotics draws upon, the balance of opposites are known as yin and yang. Rest and activity is one expression of this balance in day to day life. Simply put, activity of the body and mind is yang (an active state) while rest is yin (a quiet state). Both are necessary for good health.
 
During sleep our body enters into the greatest resting and rejuvenating state. This occurs because of the part of your autonomic nervous system known as the parasympathetic nervous system. This system when active, as it is during sleep, causes the body to conserve energy and absorb nutrition. Under the parasympathetic influence, our body rebuilds itself. Over a period of days, weeks, months and years all the cells of the body are replaced. This happens while we are sleeping.
 
Inadequate sleep leads to premature breakdown of the body which will lead to premature aging and a greater opportunity for degenerative diseases such as cancer. 
 
Another mechanism for this process is described by Allan Hobson, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center.

“To make a long and fascinating story short, it turns out that when animals are sleep deprived, a protein known as di-muramyl peptide accumulates in their spinal fluid. The peptides do not originate in the brain. Instead, they come from bacteria in the body, suggesting that sleep deprivation may enable bacterial growth and that sufficient sleep impedes bacterial growth.” The Chemistry of Conscious States: How The Brain Changes Its Mind by J. Allan Hobson. Copyright © 1994. Published by Little, Brown and Co.

In other words, sleep is the great rejuvenator, the time of the day that your body gets to go into the deep yin state of rest. Adequate and deep sleep aids all levels of health and well being.

What time you go to sleep makes a huge difference in health. During the day, the atmosphere as a direct result of the sun’s radiation, is full of positive ions. These ions signal your sympathetic nervous system to become activated. Our body, in response, uses up nutrients and energy for our daily activities.

In the evening as the sun retreats, the atmosphere is flooded with negative ions. Negative ions stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system into action.  The parasympathetic nervous system causes your body to go into the rebuilding and cleansing mode. All the tissues of the body are rebuilt while you sleep. Most of the toxins that our body makes and we take from foods are cleansed.

Going to bed earlier causes your parasympathetic system to work better at building and cleansing. This happens because the body is exposed to more of the negative ions when you sleep in the dark.

Part of the immune boosting effect was confirmed by a study of sleep in darkness with women with breast cancer. This study was published in December 1, 2005 issue of Cancer Research.

Researchers found that sleeping for several hours in nighttime darkness promotes a healthy blood level of a hormone called melatonin, which can significantly suppress the growth and proliferation of breast tumors. 
Melatonin is one of the hormones that aids the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system during sleep.
 
Most people will notice the effects of good and adequate sleep after a short time. There are some, though, who can’t fall asleep. There is quite a bit of research that indicates that this is related to a deficiency of the neurohormone, gabba.  Gabba is directly linked to diet and lifestyle. This hormone causes us to relax and sleep deeply by shutting down the stress hormones to the brain.
 
Make sleeping a priority. Work on sleeping the most during the darkest hours for great health benefits. Pleasant dreams to all! 

Black pepper has many therapeutic benefits. Traditionally, it is used to aid digestion, elimination and as an antidote to shellfish, fish and meat food poisoning. Black pepper has been found to stimulate the gastric or stomach mucosa.

In traditional Chinese Medicine, this seasoning is recommended to eliminate a stagnant stomach condition due to damp cold in the digestive tract. In plain English, this condition can create symptoms such as indigestion, bloating, and abdominal pain after eating and acid reflux.  Black pepper speeds up the digestive tract and the movement of food through the digestive tract.

Digestion

All stimulant herbs and spices speed up the digestive tract.  Black pepper is a cure for sluggish digestion, which is a major contributor to obesity, fatigue and a low metabolism. It is thought to stimulate the production of HCL or hydrochloric acid in the stomach. HCL production controls digestion by breaking down protein and stimulating the production of digestive enzymes from the pancreas. Without adequate stomach acid, digestion suffers.

Vitiligo

 A compound in pepper helps to cure Vitiligo, which is a skin disease that causes some areas of skin to lose its normal pigmentation and turn white. Through an investigation of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine herbal remedies, the active ingredient in black pepper, piperine, was discovered in research done in London to stimulate the skin to produce pigment. Topical treatment of piperine combined with ultra violet light therapy is much more effective than the other harsher, more chemically-based treatments for vitiligo. It also reduces the chances of skin cancer due to excessive ultraviolet radiation.

Respiratory Benefits

In the traditional Indian medicine of Ayurveda, pepper is added to tonics for colds and coughs. Relief from sinusitis and nasal congestion is created by taking black pepper. It‘s expectorant property helps to break up the mucus and phlegm depositions in the respiratory tract. The natural irritant quality helps you to expel loosened material through the act of sneezing or coughing. The elimination of mucus and phlegm aids in healing the infection that arose in this area.
 
 Antibacterial

All spices have powerful antibacterial and antiviral benefits. This is one of the protective benefits of eating spicy food in hot climates. Bacteria and virus grows easily in hot environments. The antibacterial property of black pepper helps to fight against infections and insect bites. In addition, pepper added to the diet helps to keep your arteries clean by scraping and clearing the walls, thereby helping to reduce atherosclerosis, the condition highly responsible for heart attacks and strokes.

Increases Bioavailability

Black pepper is added to Indian Ayurvedic and Chinese Medicine formulas to help in transporting the benefits of other herbs to different parts of body. In addition, it maximizes the efficiency of the other health foods that we consume. Adding black pepper to foods, not only makes the food more delicious, but in addition helps you better absorb the nutrients from food.

Brain Health and Neurological Health

Piperine, one of the key components of black pepper, has been shown in numerous studies to reduce memory impairment and cognitive malfunction. Chemical pathways in the brain appear to be stimulated by these organic compounds in black pepper. The research is still in its infancy but early results look promising for benefiting Alzheimer patients and those suffering from dementia other age related brain disorders. 

Peptic Ulcers

Numerous studies have shown that black pepper may have beneficial effects on gastric mucosal damage and peptic ulcers, due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. More research is still being done on this aspect of black pepper health effects.

Research continues into the benefits of this tasty spice.

How to Add Black Pepper to Foods
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• Use pepper during cooking and keep a pepper mill on your dining table so that you can add its intense spark to a host of different recipes that you prepare.
• Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and cracked pepper make a delicious salad dressing.

Cautions

All stimulant herbs and spices stimulate the body to action. If overused by people who are in a weakened or deficient condition, they can create a weaker condition. People who have irritable bowel or other similar colon conditions may find black pepper and other spices irritating to their colons.
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Other hot inflammatory conditions as in certain skin conditions may find too much black pepper can worsen the condition. When the condition improves, black pepper may be a helpful addition to a person’s diet that can improve the person’s overall condition.