Blog | The Health Sessions

Armchair Journey: 9 Travel Memoirs for a Mental Escape

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” – Mason Cooley

Great stories transport you to a different world. They can take you back in time, through different regions or even to a fictional universe. Especially travel memoirs will introduce you to exotic cultures and customs.

But a good travel memoir doesn’t just bring you on an imaginative trip around the world – it also reflects on how those experiences took the writer on transformative journey inwards. You won’t just get insights about tourist landmarks, foreign traditions and cuisines, but also about who you are and your place in this ever-changing world.

If you loved reading Eat Pray Love or Into The Wild, which other books could offer a mental escape? Take a look at this mix of classic and recent travel memoirs to take you on an armchair journey.

5 Ways a Chronic Illness Will Affect a Relationship

This article is written by Miranda Davis.

Studies show a chronic illness affects patients and their partners. Apart from relationship dynamics, chronic illness changes the participants’ personalities. This is especially true if a chronic illness occurred midway into the relationship.

Even if your partner was already battling a chronic illness when you met, seeing the love of your life in pain is heartbreaking. Here’s how chronic illness affects relationships.

14 Winter Citrus Recipes to Brighten Up Your Day

They’re one of most popular ingredients for crushing colds: winter citrus.

And it’s not hard to see why. Citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C, which helps keep your immune system strong. What’s more, those juicy oranges, lemons and mandarins contain powerful antioxidants that protect your brain and improve your heart health by lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Of course you can make fresh orange juice of add a slice of lemon to your cup of tea to get these health benefits. But if you don’t want to throw away those treasured fibers or consume too much fructose, it’s best to enjoy winter citrus as a whole fruit. You could star citrus fruits in porridges and sweets, put slices in salads or add a zesty element to your sheet pan dinner.

Before you go all-in on winter citrus, it’s important to know that grapefruit interacts with common medications like cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood thinners, pain medication, certain antidepressants and antiviral drugs. So if you’re taking prescribed meds, please check with your doctor or pharmacist if it’s ok for you to consume grapefruit.

With that crucial note in mind, bring a burst of brightness to dark days with these 14 winter citrus recipes!

Do You Know the Warning Signs and Symptoms of Bowel Cancer?

This article is written by Aimee Harrington.

Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the world. Every year, over 104,000 people in the US are diagnosed with bowel cancer, and is predicted to kill over 50,000 people in 2020. Unsurprisingly, living with a chronic illness such as bowel cancer is extremely difficult. Not only do you have to get over the range of emotions and feelings of fear that come with a diagnosis of cancer, your body also has to go through painful surgery which can potentially change the way your body functions forever.

Bowel cancer surgery that removes part of the colon, sometimes leaving you with a stoma bag, is something that many people have to endure, in an attempt to combat the figure of over 20,000 people in the UK losing their lives to this disease every year. But, getting used to your body functioning in this new way takes time. Relationships can suffer and your confidence can be affected .

Do you know the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer? Are you aware of the risk factors? Let’s take a look.

How You Can Strengthen Your Immune System by Understanding Its Functions and Needs

This article is written by Sarah Peterson from Zuma Nutrition.

Our bodies are made to survive, to regenerate and reheal in order to thrive. Like all animals, we humans are led by instincts that keep us fed, hydrated, rested and energized in order for the body to function perfectly and regenerate from possible injuries. The human body by default does everything to destroy disease-causing organisms, using protective mechanisms to prevent the body from falling ill, but it can also heal itself when the disease is stronger and defeats the guards.