Tag Archives: women

about those chocolate cravings…

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so a very official book came across my desk when i worked at the library. it’s called “The PMDD Phenomenon” – about PMS and PMDD – written by Diana L. Dell, M.D., FACOG (certified in OB-GYN and Psychiatry).

so i flipped through this book to see what women might be able to do to relieve some of those nasty PMS symptoms, and i was SO excited to find this:

…chocolate contains compounds that can increase levels of neurotransmitters, including the all-important serotonin. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (which improves mood), methylxanthines (which act like stimulants), and N-acylethanolamines (which can chemically alter the functioning of serotonin and other neurochemicals, and help to create a sense of well-being). Further, it has been suggested that chocolate increases serotonin production in the brain. Even the American Dietetic Association acknowledges that chocolate cravings are common, and that rather than deny this powerful force, women can find ways to incorporate chocolate in moderation into their healthful diet.

finally, someone official telling me i’m NOT crazy! i KNEW it!

having any cravings today??

Girl Talk: The Diva Cup

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gentlemen, may i encourage you to divert your eyes from this post and subsequent comments.

yes. we need to have some serious girl talk.

this not a joke.

NO BOYS ALLOWED

yes.

boys.

no more reading.

and don’t even think about touching the comments button on this one.

if you are still reading, you might consider whether or not you have serious self control issues.

i’m just sayin.

k?

thanks!

*******************************

alece (yes, i am blaming this on you giving you proper credit) recently drew my attention to this contraption – as a pad/tampon alternative:

i’m not even sure if it’s real.

what do YOU think? any testimonials out there?

seriously, we NEED to talk about this.

there are some women out there that you need to know about

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these women have recently written their way into my feed reader, and into my heart. so i will present them to you in reverse alphabetical order, simply because i can:

Serendipity – wanna know what it’s like to leave Islam and your family behind to follow Christ in the States? she’ll tell you what it’s like – the good bad and ugly.

Sarah Markley – she writes from the heart. she is real and sensitive and wise. she has a way of spinning the everyday into a lesson that will take over your heart.

Debra Parker Design – is it her style? is it her smile? is it her photos? is it her passion for Haiti? is it her struggle to be a Godly woman? i think its all of these things – these things that draw me back to what Debra Parker has to offer the world.

Cindy Beall – wisdom, wisdom, wisdom, wisdom, wisdom. and GREAT cheekbones, too. this woman weaves words in a way that puts a hurtin’ on me. but, dang if i don’t keep coming back for more.

Cathi Stegall – she dropped one comment on my blog, and i spent the next 30 minutes thrilled by what spills out of her head: short… and sweet… yet tangy… all at the same time.

am i missing anybody? who would you add to this list?

the official scientific study on women’s friendships

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its official:

  • girlfriends are good for our mental stability
  • girlfriends help us live longer
  • the lack of girlfriends has the same physical effect as smoking or obesity on a woman’s health.
  • girlfriends make us happier. seriously.

its true! its true! just ask the two female researchers from UCLA who conducted this study a few years ago. their conclusions led them to propose a female counterpart (“tend and befriend”) to the well-known “fight or flight” theory that has been around for decades.
inspiration for the “tend and befriend” research started when these two female researchers began to notice that, when they were stressed, they didn’t exhibit “fight or flight” behaviors that everyone has heard of. instead, they gathered together and talked and cleaned and talked and cleaned and cleaned and talked.

sound familiar, anyone?

they did some digging and discovered that 90% of the subjects that participated in the famous “fight or flight” studies were actually men. which meant that this long-established stress response theory was based on male-generated findings.

which meant the exhibited “fight or flight” response may not be characteristic of women.  hhhmmmmm….

so, they conducted their own study and discovered that, under stress, women seem to gather to talk through worries.  along with finding friendships as a means of coping with stress, we also have a pattern of cleaning things and caring for others when stress hits us. [duh!]

why is this official scientific study important? well, because there are actually physical/chemical/hormonal activities underneath this “tend and befriend” pattern.  these behaviors release significant amounts of “oxytocin” in our brains, lowering our level of stress and producing a sense of calm and contentment. [ahhhh........]

thus, the “tend and befriend” theory emerged!

the full big worded, scientific report is here

a more “reader friendly” article reviewing the report is here

so…. next time you get stressed out, find a girlfriend and talk through things (which we always do), then go clean the house (which we always do)… if neither of these things work, then grab the nearest chunk of chocolate you can find, because there’s also research to suggest that chocolate is like a happy drug for the female brain.