Unnecessary Objects: A Month of Not Shopping

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In December, I watched the Minimalism documentary.

If you haven’t heard of the minimalism book or the documentary, it basically makes the assertion that we consume way more than we need in search of happiness. We fill our lives with objects and “keeping up with the Jones’” becomes harder and harder. With TV shows where celebrities show off their 10-car garage or their 150 pairs of shoes, with exploding house sizes that mandate that every room will need to be filled, and with clothing losing it seasonality from spring/summer and fall/winter to basically a new trend or fad item every week, it can be challenging to even come close to having enough objects and goods.

I decided to give this whole minimalism thing a try.

After watching that documentary, I promptly donated 3 suitcases full of clothes, shoes, books, and other stuff to charity. Still, I wanted to take it a step further. So, for the month of January I decided I would buy nothing. Okay, not exactly nothing—girl gotta eat—but no new objects. No shoes, purses, clothes, gadgets, scarves, hats, gloves, jewelry, artwork, technology, household items (furniture, pillows, lamps, etc.), kitchen utensils, or devices. My mother always said that money burns a hole in my pocket and that I am just desperate to buy anything, so I wondered how this would go.

Now that I am working from home, my boyfriend and I need a bit more space, and I get tired of watching him play video games while I am trying to work. Obviously, this meant I needed a new table for the guest room (because changing my preferred seat to one not facing the TV was too tough). Well, I put that off. I made the commitment not to buy anything unless it was absolutely necessary, and this wasn’t.

After this one snag, I sailed through the rest of the month. “What are you going to wear to your brother’s rehearsal dinner?” Mom asks. “I don’t know, something I already have.” “Did you get a new pair of shoes for the wedding?” “Nah, don’t need any.” I ignored the duty-free goods, the magazines showing me the newest trends, my beloved Amazon Prime, and unsubscribed from at least 50 different mailing lists that were assaulting me with all the stuff I need. Try that one out, it is so liberating to not constantly get emails about things you don’t really need (but stay subscribed to this one, because you clearly need to know all of this).

So what happened on February 1?

Shopping spree! Nope. You know what, it barely phased me. I barely noticed that I had gone a month without shopping. My bank account was noticeably happier which gives a security that objects and possessions simply cannot. And the best part of it all: I realized that I don’t need anything. I don’t need anything, and what a blessing that is. Few of us are in the situation where we genuinely do not need a single thing and I am at peace in knowing that it is not the object that can provide happiness. That happiness is already within me simply waiting to be acknowledged.

Give it a try!

Maybe you need fewer objects than you think you do. Try a 7-day minimalism challenge:

Day 1: Stretch for 10 minutes.

Day 2: Do not spend any money for 24 hours.

Day 3: Clean all the surfaces in one room of the house.

Day 4: Clean out your inbox.

Day 5:  Monotask.

Day 6: No media after 6 p.m.

Day 7: No email or social media until lunch.

Let me know how your week is going: #minimalismTFA and let’s do this together.

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Stevia: Is it safe?

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Stevia is a popular sweetener that is the purified extract from the stevia plant. The extract consists primarily of steviol glycosides which the body breaks down into absorbable steviol. The body does not store steviol glycosides, so it rapidly breaks them down and eliminates them. Because it is sugar-free, it doesn’t feed Candida, doesn’t feed oral bacteria, and doesn’t contain calories.

As stevia has gained popularity recently, there have been many blogs and websites contending that this natural sweetener is dangerous for human consumption. In this article, we will review data related to stevia and infertility, blood sugar, and mutagenesis.

Infertility

Stevia has been traditionally used as a contraceptive agent in Paraguay. However, whether or not it can cause infertility is primarily driven by data from two old studies.

In 1968, researchers conducted a study on the effects of stevia on the fertility of rats. In this study a small number of rats took very high doses of stevia. Researchers concluded that the rats given stevia produced less offspring than those who were not. However, given that researchers gave few rats a very high dosage in a short period of time, the author also concluded that the resultant failure to produce offspring could have been from an overdose. Therefore, the data is likely not reflective of standard, everyday dosing. Additionally, the author concluded that evidence did not exist to show that the reaction experienced by the rats can be extrapolated to humans.

In 1988, a study on female mice drew a similar conclusion that stevia can cause infertility. Critics of the study, including the Herb Research Foundation, contend that this study lacks the credibility, detail, and analysis required to be considered strong research. The authors themselves admit additional research in subsequent years has led them to the conclusion that stevia is safe for human consumption.

Since this time, researchers published other studies to demonstrate a lack of reproductive toxicity in female rats.

While the FDA has deemed stevia generally recognized as safe, they may continue to use the studies above as a warning sign for infertility, despite the lack of evidence to drive this conclusion.

Mutagenesis

There are a few blogs that contend that stevia can cause damage to DNA and nucleic materials. A 1996 study demonstrated that stevioside did not demonstrate mutagenic potential in six different bioassays. However, the steviol metabolite did test positive in two out of six tests.

A 2008 study investigated the effects of steviol and steviol glycosides on Wistar rat tissue. This study produced data that demonstrated no evidence that the compounds interacted with DNA. The data also did not display genotoxic damage.

Hypoglycemia

Low blood sugar is of particular concern especially in patients taking anti-diabetic medications. Studies have shown that in these patients stevia lowers fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar. In the same study, stevia also reduced very low density lipoprotein (the worst kind of cholesterol) and triglycerides.

In rats with diabetes induced by alloxan (a drug that causes destruction of beta cells in the pancreas, inducing diabetes), stevia decreased blood sugar. It did this without hypoglycemia, unlike the sulfonynurea medication, glibenclamide. It also opposed alloxan-induced pancreatic cell death and leads to beta cell revitalization.  Similarly, in rats with streptzocyn-induced diabetes, stevia lowered fasting blood sugar and triglycerides, as well as improved liver function tests.

Allergic Reactions

Stevia is a natural product and a foreign substance in the body, so it is possible to be allergic to it. However, stevia allergies appear to be exceedingly rare. If you suspect an allergic reaction, please contact your physician or pharmacist and do not continue to take stevia.

References

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Reflections on Christmas

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The time of holidays can be a joyful one. A time to gather with friends and family, eat comforting food, play games, and reunite with people you only see maybe once a year. It can also be a time for reflection.

Yesterday, my cousin (who has 2 children, a full-time job, a husband who works nights, and is 9-months-pregnant) found out that her daughter (a bold 7 year old woman in her own mind) had eaten a couple of spoonfuls of sugar for breakfast. I know what some might be thinking. Ugh, how could that happen? Wasn’t someone watching her? Aren’t you worried about diabetes? Um, no. My cousin’s response was priceless: “How did that work out for you?”

As we go into the Christmas season we have the opportunity to do many things:

We can stress because we have 2 vegetarians, a vegan and 6 carnivores at the party. We can worry more about the crystal and the bone china than on the fun of the party. Or, we can be gentle with one another and use the season to relax, recharge, and reflect on how grateful we are for the past year.

My cousin’s response to her daughter reminded me of the clear ability we have to make decisions that bring us joy or bring us strife. She could have freaked out or gotten on to her daughter for eating something unhealthy, for being defiant in front of others, for revealing what some could perceive to be inadequacies as a mother. Instead she was gentle with her and just let it go. Now, I’m sure if she were eating sugar for breakfast every morning it would be a different decision, but, for now, does it really matter? Probably not.

Her comments also lead me to think: How did all my bad decisions serve me in the past year?

I’ve already admitted that I accomplished none of my Oola goals for the year of 2016. Here again, I have a choice. Do I beat myself up and get set in all those bad habits for the future? Or do I just let it go and look forward to the future.

I am going to start the year with more reflection and positive momentum.

I will be doing a dryathalon in January to give me more mental space to allow light and blessings in, I will be traveling on new adventures to Taiwan and Hong Kong, I will watch my brother get married and go back to the snow in Salt Lake City. All of that is in January alone. By spring I will be teaching yoga. All the while, working to ensure that I continue to bring you content and education that matters. No matter what the new year brings, it will be a journey.  What will you discover in 2017?

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, a peaceful Kawanza, a Festivus for the rest of us, and a blessed and prosperous New Year!

Public service announcement: The holidays are not easy for everyone. If you or someone you know is struggling and thinks life is not worth pursuing anymore, know that your voice is valuable and there are people want to hear your voice. Before you take action call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or find them online for live chat.

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Basil and Epilepsy

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Basil and Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a disorder where brain neuron activity is abnormal. This may lead to symptoms as mild as blank stares to as severe as tonic-clonic seizures with loss of consciousness and arms and legs flailing. Though widely purported online as contraindicated for use in epilepsy, there are no precautions or contraindications to basil for people with epilepsy or seizures mentioned in the Natural Standard or in Natural Medicines Database. Actually, many traditional and cultural medicine remedies for epilepsy included basil. Studies suggest that basil may be safe for use in people with epilepsy.

Two common varieties of basil are Ocimum basilicum (Sweet basil) and Ocimum sanctum (Holy basil).

Data on How Basil Can Help

The mechanism for why basil may affect abnormal brain activity is not fully understood. Regardless, studies have shown holy basil extract to decrease convulsive activity in electroshock models. Eugenol extracted from sweet basil has also been shown to decrease action potential in nerves in animal models. Preliminary research indicates that basil may help to alleviate mental fatigue and increase alertness, while simultaneously decreasing anxiety. Additionally, studies of basil, basil extract, and basil essential oils have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective properties.

Basil interacts with barbiturate medicines including phenobarbital, pentobarbital, secobarbital, and lethargy. As a result, barbiturates given with basil may increase sedation. Use of diazepam for seizures or anxiety may cause amnesia, and basil may lessen amnesia. Data regarding the combination of other medicines used for epilepsy and basil are lacking.

Caution!

Use basil with caution in people with hypothyroidism, as studies have shown it to decrease blood levels of thyroid hormone (T4). It may also inhibit sperm production, act as a spermicidal agent, and inhibit fertility, so people who wish to become pregnant should use it with caution. Studies have shown basil’s possibility to lower blood pressure, thin blood, lower cholesterol, or lower blood sugar, so people who take blood pressure medicines, blood thinners (anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications), anti-diabetic, or cholesterol reducing medicines should take caution.

References

For a diet that can help reduce symptoms of epilepsy, check out this blog post.

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