How scents could boost your health..

Do you want to get a better night's sleep, reduce anxiety or increase your libido? The answer may be right under your nose, says Erin Kisby.

Of your five senses — hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch — it's your sense of smell that comes out on top for its ability to improve your overall health.
It's long been known certain aromas can bring on a flood of memories — evoking everything from joy to nostalgia — and this is because aromas are processed in the limbic system, a part of the brain that deals with emotions.

However, scientists are now discovering certain smells play a role in much more than mood, and may even have the ability to ease migraines, improve cognitive performance and prevent anxiety. So can you use fragrance to influence your health, outside of a research lab?
"You can absolutely use scent day-to-day to improve your wellbeing," says Dr Alan Hirsch from the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in the US. Here are some of the latest research findings and how you can use certain fragrances to your benefit.

Reduce stress: head for the park
Fresh air definitely has a positive effect on mood. There are a number of explanations why this occurs, and researchers from the University of Queensland have one: Freshly cut grass and green leaves release at least five chemicals that contain stress-relieving properties. However, if you're feeling tense and a walk in the park is out of the question, inhaling the scent of lemon, mango or lavender may also help to reduce stress levels, Japanese researchers have found.

Reduce anxiety: by peeling an orange
Everyone experiences anxiety and fear at times. However, if you're facing an event that is causing increased anxiety, a whiff of orange may help you relax, researchers at the University of Vienna have reported. The researchers found an ambient odour of orange essential oil reduced anxiety and improved the mood of patients waiting for a dental treatment, compared to a control group with no added aroma.

Have sweet dreams: smell the roses
Pleasurable fragrances may help you have a better night's sleep by improving your dreams. When researchers exposed sleeping participants to a rose scent, they reported having pleasant dreams. On the other hand, when the women were exposed to a negative scent, in this case rotten eggs, it provoked unpleasant dreams. Sleep soundly, and wake up on the right side of the bed, by keeping a sachet of rose-scented potpourri on your bedside table.

Boost libido: bake a pumpkin pie
Odours can soothe frazzled nerves, promote sleep, wake us up, lift our spirits and may even enhance sexual function. Of the fragrances that most turn women on, cucumber, lavender, baby powder and pumpkin pie rate the highest, the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation found. To get in the mood for romance, end dinner with a slice of pumpkin pie.

For the more information, see source: the November issue of Good Health.

Is alcohol making you fat??

Health experts say women are catching up to men in the beer-belly stakes — and it's our sedentary lifestyle, not genetics, that is to blame.

The 'wineglass'
Move over apples, the new figure shape on the weight-watching block is the appropriately titled 'wineglass' — coined by a British dietician to describe barrel-shaped ladies whose thick waist-line is a result of one too many tipples.

Jacqui Lowdon from the British Dietetic Association says the shape, which is characterised by a larger upper-body and a thinner lower-body, is usually most common in women after menopause. However, due to an increased consumption of alcohol by women under 30 the barrel-esque physique is now also becoming common in the younger set.

Don't blame it on genetics
This emerging trend is being blamed on extended drinking hours, social pressures and our inactive lifestyles, according to international health and longevity expert Dr John Tickell.
"The way we eat and drink is just so different to what they were 50 years ago," says Dr Tickell. "What happens now is that most of the kids don't go out until 10 or 11 or midnight, and they stay out drinking in clubs all night."

Add to this our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and our consumption of excess calories through alcohol and Dr Tickell says it's a recipe for the skinny-leg, big-belly look.

Health risks
If the unsightly beer belly isn't enough to put you off, perhaps the list of health risks associated with the 'wineglass' shape will. Dr Tickell warns, "It is terribly unhealthy. Wineglass equals high-risk diabetes, breast cancer, bowel cancer and all other cancers."

For more information see source: http://health.ninemsn.com.au/dietandnutrition/nutrition/694803/alcohol-is-making-women-fat