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Alternative and Healthier Energy

It’s very important for me to manage my stress. Life is hard. Living with two chronic illnesses makes my life more challenging. I don’t let my paranoid schizophrenia or my Crohn’s disease take me away from my dreams. I manage my illnesses, work with my stress, and inspire myself to live functionally, fully and passionately.

Taking care of myself is extremely important. It can be challenging but appetizing. I’ll start with appetite. My medication for paranoid schizophrenia has a sedative effect, and because of my Crohn’s disease I need to avoid high caffeine and lots of simple sugars. I need things in my diet to combat the fatigue and stress from these two illnesses. I use organic and herbal teas to combat the sedateness, stress and fatigue from my illnesses. I have found them to be beneficial. I also enjoy the taste of my teas and they improve my digestion.

They call me the “Tea Man.” Every morning after breakfast I have one cup of hot organic Chinese green tea. It has a great mellow taste, but yet it’s energizing. It is filled with antioxidants and it only contains a small amount of caffeine. It only costs me 6 cents a day. I love it.

After lunch every day I boldly drink a boiling cup of hot organic ginseng tea. My Ginseng tea combines different blends of Korean, Siberian and American ginseng with Jamaican sarsaparilla and other blends. It is good. I use two tea bags for a stronger effect. I enjoy the taste but it’s acquired. The tea has a great energizing effect and it sets my endorphins for concentration and peak awareness. It’s great to have before getting back to work. I can really groove. I still get a nice buzz off it after every cup. It hits the spot. “It’s legal.” Ginseng improves my stamina, circulation and digestion. It costs me 57 cents a day. I need it. Wow, it’s good.

Because I have Crohn’s disease I eat 4 to 6 smaller meals a day instead of three big meals. It is better for my digestion and metabolism. So every day after my third meal, which is between lunch and supper, I have a hot cup of organic joint comfort tea. This tea contains a blend of herbs that includes turmeric root, yucca and decaffeinated green tea as well as others. It also includes two milligrams of caffeine. This tea has a wild aroma and it tastes awesome. It does help soothe my joints, which reduces inflammation just enough for me to notice an improvement. It also gives me energy. This comes at a time of the day when my energy typically has gone down before supper and my joints usually would start to ache. Now I feel less pain and I feel satisfied until supper. It also costs me 57 cents a day.

About one to two hours after supper I enjoy my fourth and final cup of tea a day. It is Celestial Seasons Caffeine Free Herb Tea. This is the biggest mug of tea I have a day. I use one tea bag but I have about 1 and a quarter cup of steaming water with it. This tea has a comfortable taste. It stays hot for a while. Herbal tea helps energize me for my evening and it sets me up for a peaceful sleep. My evenings are a time when I take my medication for schizophrenia. This medication quickly makes me drowsy. Before I drank herb tea I use to fall asleep within 30 minutes to an hour after taking my medication. Eight o’clock was just too early for bed. I also used to wake up late and sedated. Now, it’s different. The herb tea I drink combats this effect and instead I slowly get tired over the evening and into the night. I sleep well and wake up early.

There are many things I do to take care of myself. These include eating well, exercising, praying, meditating and getting social support. Drinking organic and herb tea is one way I supplement my diet to manage my illnesses. These teas are a tool I use to help create energy, and to balance my highly functional life. Organic and herb teas help to counteract the fatigue, sedative feelings and stress caused from my medication and illnesses. They help me relax and I enjoy them.

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