Life in the Time of COVID-19

Experts Read the Tea Leaves  by Katherine Tallmadge Washington Post 

Tea has been around for centuries. My Grandmother drank tea.  Rather unusual in a world where coffee reigned supreme.  She passed her affection for tea to my Dad who in turn passed it on to me.  But I do admit, I did not really appreciate it and enjoy it until I started working with a physical therapist.  She quickly became a good friend and I have dubbed her my Guru of Health. 

She introduced me and my office mates to some wonderful teas oh and yes some lovely “nibblies” as she calls them.  In addition to the exposure to teas, she introduced me to the concept of taking a few minutes for myself to enjoy the tea and de-stress.  OMG what a concept and it is such a simple one at that. Now I always have tea at work and I try really hard to take a few minutes for my cup of tea and my return to sanity.  I may not steep tea leaves but I do have a box of my favorite at work.

In a recent edition of Local Living in the Washington Post, which by the way is rapidly becoming my favorite section of the paper there is a wonderful article discussing the benefits of tea. Among the benefits of tea mentioned in the article are my two favorite ones De-stressing and help you to think. There are studies that L-theanine in combination with caffeine which are natural ingredients in tea reduces cortisol the stress hormone while improving mental alertness.  And the best part is tea is not a drug. I call that a win-win situation.  Read the article it is very interesting.  For those of you who might have missed the print version or live out of town I have included the link.  Oh and make yourself a cup of your favorite tea while you read it. Celestial Seasoning has all its holiday teas in stores now.  Nutcracker Sweet Black tea is my favorite.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/teas-health-benefits-seem-promising/2012/10/29/90014e06-1c5b-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_story.html