Heal Thyself

Imagine a bouquet of beautiful red roses. It probably stirs up thoughts of your first love or a special anniversary. Turns out that roses themselves, and not just your true love, may relax and reenergize you: According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the scent of roses can lower stress levels, thanks to a chemical found in many flowers known as linalool. Rats were exposed to stressful conditions in the presence or absence of linalool. Inhaling the chemical caused levels of lymphocytes and neutrophils, immune system cells that are elevated in times of stress, to return to near baseline. Linalool also inhibited the activity of 109 genes that kick into gear during stressful events.

A dozen roses never smelled so sweet.

In Other News:

An Orange Rind Will Help You Unwind:
Calming news for fruit-lovers: The Vitamin C in oranges regulates coritsol and blood pressure levels after a stressful situation, while the magnesium in apricots not only fights stress but relaxes your muscles as well.

Downward Dog at Your Desk:
A pilot study published in the Journal of Health Education and Behavior shows that doing 20 minutes of yoga alone at your desk, in addition to one hour weekly group meetings at lunch, reduces stressful feelings by more than 10 percent. Subjects also reported better sleep quality.

Love for Lavender:
Lavender is a particularly potent stress-reliever (subjects exposed to it experienced less test-taking anxiety), and it's also known for its ability to cure insomnia. Case in point: This Michigan woman got great sleep, felt relief from fibromyalgia pain, and became an entrepreneur, all thanks to lavender!