Sabaidi Health Blog is a new blog created by Sabaidi Tea Co., Ltd , a gourmet tea company based out of Bangkok, Thailand. It was created as a way to offer our customers and others a free resource of a variety of Health information. Topics we have talked about include a Healthy Lifestyle, Herbal Remedies, Mental Health, Diet tips and Healthy Parenting. We are also looking to grow throughout the idea of General Health.

To help diversify, and add quality information, we are looking for writers. For all those interested in writing for Sabaidi’s Health Blog, please contact us.

We look forward to hearing from you…

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

I always try new techniques in trying to be a good parent. In trying to stay with my positive parenting methods, I have been using a reward for good behavior. I recently bought two “Ben 10” action figures and showed them to my 6 year old son. I did not give them too him, I only showed it to him. I told him, that if he is good, I will give it to him. That meant he had to listen, help Mom and Dad, eat his food, etc… After a day or two of him being good, I gave him the first one.

I kept the second, the one he wanted most, for later. The second would be a bit more difficult for him to acquire. He has year end tests coming up next week, so I gave him a test of my own; Math. I told him if he gets them all correct I would give him the second toy. Long story short, he did not do that good. I was disappointed, and so was he when I told him that I would not give him the toy because he did not do well on the test. He began to cry.

I guess that doesn’t really seem like positive parenting, but I think it is. More importantly I think it is reality. I took the opportunity to explain to him that in life, if you work hard, and you do good, you will have toys. But if you do not do good, and make too many mistakes you will have no toys. I think this is a simple explanation, and a true one, that he is closely feeling the reality of.

And with the pain being minimal, but allowing him to learn an important lesson in life, I think that shows that it is positive parenting. It was hard not to give him the toy when I saw him crying, but had I given it to him after he did bad on the test, I feel I would have not taught him anything. So maybe if he does well on his test review tomorrow, I will give him the toy then. We will see….

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Four men sat down to play.
They played all night till break of day.
They played for gold and not for fun,
with separate scores for everyone.
When they came to square accounts
they all made quite fair amounts.
Can you this paradox explain ?

(I think an important part of solving lateral thinking puzzles is to ask questions about the setting and situation to try to figure them out, so ask away…I will monitor the blog the best i can to answer them…)
If no one lost, how could all gain ?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

I just read a Headline in the news, and it said, “Experts Fear Global Warming May Harm Tuscan Wines !! “

Seriously, what a dramatic headline. I couldn’t help thinking, and growing a sense of concern and worry. Not the Wines…Anything but the wines.

I read this, and I think back to less than 2 months ago, where I heard that because of global warming a large piece of Ice has broken free from the polar ice caps, and is now floating south where it will melt, causing the water levels to rise in the future, potentially altering the coast lines as we know them.

Major locations such as New York City’s, Manhattan, may partially, if not completely, go underwater. That is a Hollywood storyline, and its happening for real.

And today as I was reading the Yahoo! “in the news” section I read the headline about the wines. I had to laugh. I read the first couple words, “Experts Fear Global Warming May Harm…, “ and an uneasy sense began to grow in my stomach. I was thinking, are more animals becoming extinct ? (I read a month or two ago, that Tigers are close to extinction. TIGERS. In fact, 10% of all vertebrates are endangered according to the IUCN Redlist. ). Or maybe the headline would have ended “The Ice is Melting !!” They built up the headline so well, only to read

“…Tuscan wines.”

I enjoy wine. I have for a long time; Italian, Spanish, Australian. And of course red wine has a list of health benefits. But with all the problems surrounding Global Warming now and in the near future, I think this headline is funny and a bit over dramatic.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

In 1968, Stanley Kubric came out with 2001: A Space Odyssey which was a journey through space, set to classical music. In 1971, regretting a decision to not be a part of Kubric’s movie, Pink Floyd created a masterpiece in the song, Echoes, on an over all amazing, yet widely overlooked album, Meddle. The song was written to sync with the last section of the movie, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite. After an incredible journey through space, the main character Dave, finds himself in this well kept house, seemingly by himself.

As he walks in, he sees himself in the mirror, and the song lyrics paint the picture,

Strangers passing in the street

By chance two separate glances meet

And I am you and what I see is me

This man sees himself, now aged from the traveling through time/space, 

and doesn’t quite recognize himself.  I am no longer who I was. 

And the lyrics go on:

And no one sings me lullabies

And no one makes me close my eyes

Two lines that strike a chord with me. Two lines, saying that it is I who decides for myself. I think that is true, in each of our lives we get to a point where there is no one who makes choices for us anymore. That it is our decision, and our responsibility to take care of ourselves. And if we choose not too, then no one does.

I think back to choices made by a child version of myself, and think are there any choices I could have made to help me today, and knowing I can not change the past, I think are there any choices I can make today, that will help me tomorrow. After all, what do we have but that which is yet to come?

This thought works its way into every aspect of my life. And I can not help but think of ways that I can adjust my life today, so that tomorrow, I will be better suited; Strong and prospering family, Financially stable, Physically Healthy, Mentally Healthy, Emotionally clear, and Guilt free.

I can not change what has already passed, but as today becomes yesterday, and tomorrow today, I will do what I can NOW.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

(This one was in a lateral thinking book, but it is based on a true story)

In 1996, the British government was faced with the task of slaughtering many thousands of healthy cattle in order to allay fears over the desease BSE, or mad cow disease. What proposal did the government of Cambodia make to help solve the problem ??

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

A man and his wife went on vacation. Two months later the man called the police to report the location of a body near the place where he had been on holiday. The police thanked the man and then asked why it had taken him two months to report the body. What was the reason ??

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

I have seen too many people eating oily, greasy, fat saturated foods, and wash them down with a Diet soda. If you are trying to lose weight, stay healthy, or Stay Alive, Diet soda is not the solution….Brian the Dog said it best, “Put down the fork !”

Or if you are going to keep the fork in your hand, use it to pick up a salad, or grilled chicken, pasta with a sauce you made yourself, an egg white omelet. We are almost a decade deep into the new millennium. “Fast food will kill you” is not a new statement. I don’t think being healthy is only for the prudent few.

It feels good to be healthy. Feeling sick is not fun. Taking medicine everyday, is not something you want. At least it is not something I want, and with medical technology and knowledge where it is today, I know how to give myself a good chance of avoiding that.

I will be the first to say, that some may go a bit overboard. I eat meat. I eat non organic foods. I love Doritos. I never drink diet soda or Diet juice (which I recently learned in a trip back to the US that there was such a thing as Diet Juice). But I always try to keep things in balance.

I try to eat non fried chicken and use an olive oil to cook it with. Not too much red meat, and when I do eat a steak, it’s a lean cut of beef. I try not to eat too many processed foods and chips. I drink tea and water most of the time, and soda occasionally.

Its 2007, everywhere you look there is information about being healthy, and not even necessarily “Being Healthy,” but not Being Sick. And if you are choosing not to listen, then I feel sorry for whoever has to take care of you.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

I think one of the hardest things to do as a parent, is to get your children to listen. You can always tell your kids to “be good,” which works, sometimes. But really, how do you get them to listen ? And I guess by that I mean, how do you get them to care?

Punishment obviously works. I think taking away privileges works well. Not letting my 6 year old son watch cartoons, works really well. He will do anything to watch cartoons, even math.

Honestly though, I hate always being the bad guy. For a while, punishment, intimidation and other negative parenting were my best ways of keeping him “good.” But as I found out, and can really see as I write this, that it was effecting our Father/Son relationship.

Recently, I have taken a new approach; Positive Parenting. I have been sitting down with him, and talking to him about his dreams. “What do you want to be when you grow up ?” I wanted to be Superman. He wants to be a Power Ranger. Similar goals I guess. And after he told me this, I talked to him about being a Power Ranger. I continue to talk to him about being a Power Ranger.

I use being a Power Ranger as a destination and try to talk to my son about the road that will lead him there. At 5 years old, I think the reality of these fictional characters is not in question. So if he wants to be a Superhero, than I tell him I will help him be one. I am positive about it.

I ask him what he thinks it means to be a Hero. I talk to him about what I think it means to be a Hero. Whenever he does something I don’t think he should do, or if he is not being “good” I break out the Hero card. “Do you think a Power Ranger would do that.” “If you want to be a Power Ranger, you can’t do that (or you need to do this).”

I don’t think he really understands exactly what I am saying, or the whole concept of future, but I hope that it will plants positive seeds in his 6 year old brain.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Many people have heard and seen the many advertisements about tea and its various cures and benefits. Some of the most famous are weight loss, cancer fighting, and therapy for Headache and Migraine pain.

After drinking tea for years, including Organic Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Herbal Teas such Lemongrass, I have found that I don’t really know if I am fighting cancer inside my body. But I do know that tea can greatly help me to balance out a stressful time, and provide therapy for the pain caused by migraine headaches.

Simply drinking tea, especially some of the herbal blends specifically mixed for the occasion, can help with headaches, and you will receive all other benefits from the actual tea itself. But only drinking the tea in itself will not allow you to fully maximize all the potential, especially in regards to headaches and migraines. Because not always, but sometimes, drinking tea is about Drinking Tea.

I drink tea all day long. Cup after cup (Thank you, Tea Stand) I drink with no sense of traditional practice, or religious afterthought. I just drink it. But when I have a headache (from stress, migraine, sinus headache, caffeine, or many other reasons), just drinking tea isn’t always best. That is when my tradition comes out.

I don’t use special pots, or time honored traditions. There is nothing wrong with them, but I rarely have time for that, and growing up in the United States, there are no time honored tea drinking traditions. I always used tea bags (low quality as they were my only option, and didn’t know any better).And even now living in Thailand, even though I am closer to tradition, I still do not have time for this. My Migraine, Headache, and Stress Therapy takes less than five minutes. Usually, that is all the time I have (which is mostly why I have the headache in the first place).

I begin with my weapon of choice; a double chamber gourmet tea bag. High quality loose tea, easy to use tea bag, reusable; three of the reasons why. I spread out the tea inside, and then I put the bag into my mug. With the tea bag ready I pour steaming hot water over it. A little bit too hot to drink. When the cup is full, I bob the tea bag in and out of the water for a minute or so, and let it sit for a minute (maybe longer, depending on how strong I want the tea, how many times I have used the tea bag already, etc.) After the tea is ready, I take the tea bag out of the cup, and hang it on my tea stand. With green teas and Oolong teas, this is especially important. If you leave the tea bag in the cup too long it can get very bitter.

Now that my tea is ready ( a process which took maybe two minutes) I am ready to relieve myself of the pain from this nagging headache. With the cup still steaming, I cup my hands around the mug and slowly breathe in the steam. Slow, deep breaths.

Focus on the breathing. Forget everything else.

I do this three to five times, or until the tea has cooled down a little so that I can begin drinking it. It is still hot, but I won’t burn my tongue or lips if I drink it. Then I take small slurping sips. The hot water is important not only for the steam but also for these first few sips. The hot water slows down your drinking, and also helps to clear out your head.

Focus on the sips.

After this 5 minute vacation, where I have quickly practiced deep breathing, I am generally feeling better. Sometimes I find my body is dehydrated, causing me to have a headache. Drink the tea and you will feel better with that.

Maybe this 5 minute Migraine, Headache, Stress Therapy is loosely based on tradition, and doesn’t sound too complicated, but it helps me. I am sure that all in this hectic world can appreciate 5 minutes where life is slowed down to practice a tradition that is fast, easy, and that really helps to alleviate life’s little inconveniences; the pain of headaches, migraines, and stress.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!