Tea Time!

With the cooling temperatures my lack of circulation demands that I find convenient ways to warm my hands and feet. The feet have a simple solution of socks, or several pairs of socks. I've even stumbled upon these 'hi-tech' heat generating socks that could have been made specifically for me! Cute patterns, cute colours and so snuggley!

Now, hands are a different story all together. I am constantly writing, typing and using a calculator. As you can imagine, having fingertips 3 times their normal size while trying to do these functions is highly frustrating (although I love the thought of nice fluffy, snuggley gloves too). What I've started doing is drinking tea- like a mad woman. I constantly have a cup of the herbal variety warming my hands in a most wonderful manner. There is nothing like letting some hot tea ward of the cold on your fingertips and steam up your glasses on a cold day.

As you can imagine, I didn't just start drinking copious amounts of tea willy-nilly. No, there are good reasons for the teas I drink, other than them being able to warm my hands.

First and foremost is the traditional (or probably any variation of) green tea. I think the most commercial reason to drink this is for the benefits of the anti-oxidants. They're great but there's so many more benefits! Green tea is known to help with memory and brain power, and even help with the treatment of Parkinson and other degenerative diseases. There's some general light information here, and for the skeptics, or fact-demanding people (like myself), some studies can be read here, here and here.

Next  on my list is peppermint tea. Not only does is smell and taste delicious, but its good for upset tummies, regular pins-and-needles and is a relaxant. Some reading on peppermint tea studies.

Finally, my comfort tea: chamomile. I've been sipping chamomile before bed since I was a child. It's soothing, and a proven relaxant. It helps with the stresses of uni, warning of the common cold and a  myriad of other ailments.