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The hidden danger of Christmas...
14th December 2007
Apologies for the late arrival of today's letter, but I became a victim last night...another statistic of this festive season.
I ache all over, my head's pounding, I feel nauseous and can barely speak.
No I haven't succumbed to a bout of manflu. Instead I've fallen foul of a far more dangerous threat at this time of year... the Christmas party.
I went to my first one of the season last night, thrown by a publishers in Bath. And boy did I hurtle headfirst into every pitfall.
I ate too much, I drank too much and I inflicted mental torture on others by dancing too much.
(Tip for men: if you ever want to deflect other women and keep your marriage safe, jig around to House of Fun by Madness for 3 minutes).
As a result, I woke up today feeling dreadful.
In fact, I'll probably feel bad for a day or two that's how long it seems to take me to recover from a night out these days.
Now, if I'd been sensible, I'd have eaten less (ie once), I'd have drunk in moderation, and I wouldn't have danced as if I was in one of those 24 hour dance contests they used to have in America in the 50s.
But there's the killer word... IF.
IF I'd been sensible....
The trouble is, life's not much fun if you're sensible all the time. We get bombarded with enough instructions about our weight and our health as it is... don't eat red meat, eat organic, don't eat cheese, run five miles a day, don't drink, don't wear that shirt (all right, that last one was Lara).
If we tried to follow everything we're told, we'd tie ourselves in a knot. And then a new batch of experts would walk up to us and tell us we'd been doing it wrong all along.
The natural remedy of letting your hair downIn my opinion, overeating and overdrinking is all part of the human condition. We like to have a blow out from time to time. It makes us feel happy, and the health benefits of feeling happy cannot be over stressed.
According to Dr Derek Cox, Director of Public Health in Scotland:
'If you are happy you are likely in the future to have less in the way of physical illness than those who are unhappy'.
And Andrew Steptoe, the British Heart Foundation Professor of Psychology at University College London, has also made an important discovery...
His research has led him to conclude that the happier you are, the more your body is able to fend off heart disease and stroke.
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'We know that stress, which has bad effects on biology, leads to those bad changes as far as health is concerned. What we think is happening is that happiness has the opposite effect and has a protective effect on these same biological pathways'.
A strong argument to don a party hat, don't you think?
In my opinion, it's all a question of balance. If you fancy a drink every now and then - have one. And occasionally have more than you should.
If you like coffee, have coffee. Just keep an eye on the number of cups you drink, and always try to drink a glass of water with each cup to rehydrate your body.
And as this is officially the season to be jolly, it's going to be pretty hard to avoid all the evils the health police keep shouting about, so why deny yourself a bit of fun? In the long term, it could make you healthier.
Having said that, I don't feel particularly healthy today, so here are a few tips to help you battle the 'day after':
Try this 'pregnancy snack' to fight bloating- Pregnant ladies are meant to like eating coal aren't they? I have to admit I've never come across one, so maybe it's a myth. However, it seems there is a health benefit to eating coal. Well, charcoal actually, and not any old charcoal, but one which has been 'activated' into a fine powder. This charcoal soaks up potentially toxic gases and particles as it moves through your body. And because charcoal can't be absorbed by the blood stream, it passes through you and out of your body, taking the toxins with it.
- Bitter orange has been used for centuries to curb indigestion. It also contains a handful of substances that help speed up the metabolic rate, which in turn helps eat up the calories.
- My personal favourite... peppermint has traditionally been used as a general digestive aid and is used to tackle indigestion and intestinal colic. I nearly always have a peppermint tea after dinner, and find it helps soothe a sore stomach.
And finally, as it's almost impossible to avoid eating and drinking at this time of year without boarding up your house and hibernating till the new year, here's something I think everyone should have handy...
The best way to clean your system once the party's overOkay, so you're going to go to a few parties, have a few drinks, and treat yourself to mince pies and mulled wine. Good on you!
But let's face it, this time of year WILL put an extra strain on your body. And one part of your body in particular - your liver. While we're merrily quaffing and scoffing, our liver is working tirelessly, acting as our bodies' bouncer and through out all the toxins.
But it could do with a little help from us, which is why I think every adult should consider trying this...
This packs a powerful punch of milk thistle, burdock, artichoke, curcurmin, and many other powerful ingredients to help your liver do its job properly - especially when it's working overtime!
To learn how to help your Liver this Christmas, click here
That's all for today. And I mean ALL. I don't think I can face going to the shops with Lara. I know, it's a crushing disappointment for me, but I'll just have to cope as best I can.
I'll be back again on Sunday, and hopefully by then Liverpure will have sorted me out. (Really - try it and see what you think).
Till then,
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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