The Basics of Getting Pregnant

The Basics of Getting Pregnant

1. Stop using contraceptives. Some birth control methods have a longer "readjustment" period after stopping than others, so the time it takes for a woman's body to be again ready to become pregnant after discontinuing contraception varies. 
2. 

   Evaluate your physical health. Most women find it easier to conceive when they are in good general health. This includes being at a healthy weight, adequately addressing any infections or chronic illnesses, and speaking with a health professional about improving physical well being.

• If you currently have unaddressed diabetes, high blood pressure, significant extra body weight, bacterial or viral infections, mental health issues, or other serious health concerns, you may be able to improve your chances of conceiving by first resolving your health issues.

• In some cases, pre-existing health conditions can be aggravated or significantly worsened by pregnancy. Visit a health professional to make sure you are healthy enough for pregnancy and can adequately monitor your condition throughout the pre-conception and pregnancy phases.

• If you are postmenopausal (you have stopped menstruating completely) or if you have had a surgery that removed your ovaries or tied your fallopian tubes, you will be unable to get pregnant.

3. Have sex. With the exception of certain assisted fertility methods, getting pregnant requires having unprotected sexual intercourse.

• Pregnancy arises from the union of male and female sex cells; the sperm and egg must meet and travel down the Fallopian tubes to implant on the wall of the woman’s uterus. Without the introduction of sperm into a woman’s vagina, a natural pregnancy cannot be achieved.

4. Track your menstrual cycle. Use a calendar to take note of the day your period starts and ends each month. Half the battle for achieving a natural pregnancy may be learning about your body. Women are fertile for only a few days during each menstrual cycle. Knowing how to identify those days with over the counter tests or symptom tracking can help you target your sexual activity and get pregnant sooner.

• If you have regular cycles, you can often estimate the time of ovulation by dividing your cycle in half. For example, if your period usually lasts 28 days, you will likely ovulate around day 14 of your cycle (14 days after you begin menstruating). If you have a longer cycle, you may ovulate as late as 20 days after your period began.

5. Test for ovulation. Most pharmacies and drug stores sell ovulation test kits and tracking systems over the counter (without a prescription). Many can be used just like a pregnancy test, while others may come with additional hormone tests or ovulation calendar tools. If you want to track your cycle without tests, you can track your fertility through temperature and vaginal discharge.

• When your vaginal discharge is clear and stretchy, like raw egg whites, you are most likely fertile and should plan on having sex daily for 3 to 5 days from the day you noticed this consistency in your discharge. Once the discharge becomes cloudy and drier, you are less likely to conceive.

• Track your basal body temperature (BBT) daily by plotting your temperature when you wake up each morning to identify the days you are most likely ovulating. Look for a gradual or sudden rise in temperature (between 0.5 and 1.6 degrees F). Fertility is highest during the two to three days before your basal temperature rises so if you can observe any month-to-month patterns in when your temperature rises, you can predict the best time to conceive.

• Keep your stress under control. Illness and stress can both affect the timing of ovulation, making it difficult to predict.

6. Recognize the symptoms of pregnancy. If you have missed a period or if you are tracking your   menstrual cycle on a daily basis, you can often identify a successful conception very quickly.

• If you have missed a period, take an over the counter pregnancy test or visit a pregnancy center or physician’s office to confirm your pregnancy.

• If you have had an abnormally light period or if you cannot remember when your last period occurred, symptoms of nausea, fatigue, vertigo, mood changes, increased breast tenderness and changes in appetite may occur when you get pregnant. Each woman is different, so it’s difficult to predict what symptoms you may have. 

How to Have Sex to Get Pregnant

1. Have sex for up to 5 days before ovulation. A woman’s time of ovulation is the point in her menstrual cycle during which she is most likely to become pregnant. If you want to get pregnant as soon as possible, optimizing the timing of sexual intercourse can up the odds of conceiving during your upcoming menstrual cycle. Most women are actually infertile for the majority of the month, so don’t miss this important fertile window.
   • Because sperm can survive in the womb for several days, sexual intercourse prior to ovulation can increase the chance of pregnancy.
2. Have sex frequently. If you are not in a hurry to get pregnant, having sex 2 or 3 times each week may result in pregnancy within several months. During and before ovulation, aim for daily intercourse. Although healthy men generate sperm quickly and often have enough sperm to enable conception with multiple ejaculations per day, there is little evidence that having sex more than once per day increases the chances of getting pregnant.
   • In some cases, having sex only prior to ovulation and focusing solely on getting pregnant can actually reduce the likelihood of making a baby. Increased stress levels and partnership troubles may cause this reduction in fertility.
3. Do not use spermicides, lubricants, or chemical stimuli. Products aimed at enhancing pleasure or preventing conception should be avoided during intercourse if you are trying to achieve pregnancy.
   • If possible, avoid even basic lubricants unless sex is painful without it. If you must use lubricant, opt for canola oil, which does not interfere with sperm mobility and vitality like many marketed sexual lubricants.
   • Do not douche. Douching can upset the natural balance in the vagina and may interfere with the environment your body needs to help move sperm to your eggs, and to enable the fertilized egg to implant in the uterine wall.
4. Consider traditional methods of encouraging conception. Although many folkloric tips for improving the chances of getting pregnant are not supported by scientific research, it may not hurt to try.
   • Try to achieve orgasm after your partner ejaculates into you. The female orgasm helps pull sperm into the cervix, which may facilitate the movement of your partner’s sperm.
   • Lay on your back or angle your body with your knees in the air and your head on a pillow to potentially increase the chances of sperm entering your cervix and fallopian tubes.

Eat Foods that Make You More Fertile

• Avoid foods and drinks that may reduce your ability to conceive or harm a newly conceived baby. Some substances are harmful to your chances of conception, while others can harm your newly developing baby.

• Women planning to conceive should avoid alcoholic beverages for up to 2 months prior to attempting conception. This is especially true for couples who are having a difficult time conceiving.

• Avoid excessive caffeine intake – this includes both food and drink. Women who drink more than 3 cups of a caffeinated beverage daily are significantly less likely to get pregnant compared to women who consume 2 cups or less.

• Do not smoke or use drugs. Nicotine and illegal street drugs, such as cocaine or marijuana, can impair your body’s ability to get pregnant and develop a healthy baby. Tobacco affects cervical mucous in ways that may obstruct fertilization.Smoking also reduces sperm count and sperm health. Exposure to second-hand smoke can be just as counterproductive.

• Consumption of pesticides may also be linked to pregnancy difficulties, so now may be a good time for couples to choose organic foods.

• Avoid trans fat, often found in processed baked goods and sweetened foods. There is some evidence that a diet high in trans fat (especially relative to monounsaturated fat intake) can increase chances of infertility.

• Avoid questionably prepared raw fish, unpasteurized cheeses, sprouts, prepackaged foods that don’t look fresh, and lunch meats containing nitrates. These foods and other foods that are undercooked or improperly cleaned can lead to food poisoning or illness, reducing your chances of supporting a healthy pregnancy.

Eat foods thought to increase fertility. Traditional medicine and folklore have long held that certain foods promote or decrease fertility and sexual appetite. In recent years, scientific research has confirmed some of the potential biological mechanisms for certain foods’ perceived effects on fertility.

• Eat a diet rich in organic plant-based foods that includes grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. The antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals provided by these foods are thought to improve cellular health and even promote a healthy uterine lining.
• The right kinds of protein can help boost fertility; tofu, chicken, eggs, and some seafood are high in omega-3 fatty acids, iron, selenium, and other fertility-enhancing components.
• Consuming full-fat dairy products, such as whole milk or full-fat frozen yogurt, can potentially improve fertility over a diet of only low-fat or fat-free dairy.

3. Eat as if you were already pregnant. One of the best ways to prepare your body for conceiving and hosting a baby is to eat as if you were already nurturing a developing baby. Not only that, but following a healthy diet before pregnancy can be essential to conception and will make it easier to maintain a healthy diet during pregnancy.
   • This does not mean increasing your calorie intake, but it does mean avoiding fatty and sugary foods, high-mercury fish, caffeine, and alcohol while upping your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy or dairy substitutes like coconut and soy-based alternatives, whole grains, and lean protein sources.
4. Take prenatal vitamins. There is some evidence that iron, folic acid, and a good balance of essential vitamins and nutrients can assist in conception. For example, taking folic acid supplements before trying to conceive may reduce the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects.
   • The nutrients in prenatal vitamins are excellent to already have in your diet once you get pregnant.[10] As a bonus, you will already be in the habit of taking a prenatal vitamin once you are pregnant.
5. Encourage your partner to eat foods that promote sperm health. Men should take a multi-vitamin that contains vitamin E and vitamin C, eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and avoid excessive alcohol, caffeine, and fat and sugar intake.
   • Men should also make sure they get plenty of selenium (55mcg per day), as selenium is suspected to increase fertility particularly in men.

Overcome Common Fertility Problems

1. Visit a health professional if you have difficulty conceiving. Healthy couples under the age of 35 engaging in regular (twice weekly) intercourse should be able to conceive within 12 months (plus time for readjusting after discontinuing birth control).If you’re over 35, this time frame reduces to 6 months. If you are tracking your cycle and targeting intercourse, that window should shrink up to 6 months. If you have not conceived in the expected time frame, consult a health professional.
   • When couples are having difficulty conceiving, many common practices or health issues are to blame. Many physicians first recommend lifestyle changes – from losing weight and improving diet to beginning exercise and having sex more frequently – to address fertility concerns. Only after non-invasive, natural methods for improving fertility fail do many physicians recommend more stringent tests or lifestyle changes to achieve pregnancy.
2. Get tested for common fertility problems. Everything from illness and stress to excessive exercise and medications can decrease fertility.
   • Certain medications can prevent or complicate conception. Provide your health practitioner with a complete list of medications, herbs, supplements, and any specialty drinks or foods you are eating so that he or she can evaluate your list for potential fertility blocks.
   • Get checked for sexually transmitted infections. Some infections can decrease your ability to conceive, while others can cause permanent infertility if left untreated.
   • Women over the age of 35 and women who are peri-menopausal may experience difficulty in getting pregnant due to the natural decline in fertility that occurs as women age. In most cases, pregnancy can still be achieved but may take longer and require more targeted intercourse and lifestyle changes.
   • Have a gynecological examination. In some cases, women may have a removable tissue barrier that is preventing sperm from reaching the egg, or may have a physical condition that affects the menstrual cycle, such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. In general, it’s a good idea to have regular gynecological exams once a year to make sure that you’re healthy.
3. Consider in-depth fertility testing for you and your partner. If both you and your partner have been given a clean bill of general health by a physician, consider sperm testing and medical monitoring of your fertility.
   • Men should have a semen analysis to check the quality and number of sperm emitted during ejaculation. Additional male fertility tests include a blood test to check for hormone levels and ultrasounds that monitor the ejaculation process or sperm duct obstruction.
   • Fertility tests for women often include hormone tests to check for thyroid, pituitary, and other hormone levels during ovulation and at other times during the menstrual cycle. Hysterosalpingography, laparoscopy, and pelvic ultrasounds are more involved procedures that can be used to evaluate the uterus, endometrial lining, and fallopian tubes for scarring, blockage, or disease. Ovarian reserve testing and genetic tests for inherited infertility problems can also be performed.

Consider Fertility Treatments to Get Pregnant

1. Thoroughly discuss your next steps with your partner. Because fertility treatments can be expensive, stressful, and time-consuming, it is best to discuss the matter thoroughly and objectively with your partner before committing to the process
2. Speak with a trusted health professional before visiting a fertility clinic. A health professional who has no motivation for promoting a particular therapy or procedure can help you and your partner understand the basic options for assisted reproductive therapies.
   • Some procedures carry risks, and others may only be advisable in women without certain health characteristics. A health professional that has your best interest in mind will not promote the use of technologies that are not appropriate for your individual situation.
   • Many physicians can also give advice about understanding costs and insurance coverage and provide a realistic, unbiased idea of how long and how successful attempted reproductive assistance may be for you and your partner.
   • Ask for recommendations regarding particular fertility specialists or clinics, and get a referral if necessary.
   • Fertility treatments may also be useful for women over 35 and women who have difficulty carrying a pregnancy to term.
3. Visit a fertility specialist or fertility clinic. Set an appointment just to talk about your situation and your expectations for getting pregnant. It can also be useful to develop a list of questions you have for your first visit.
   • At your first visit, do not expect to have a physical evaluation or to begin treatment. Just show up ready to ask questions and learn about your options.
   • Ask about the clinic’s prices, success rates, and the types of fertility assistance they provide. Do not feel obligated to commit to a particular treatment center after a single visit; visit several and keep your options open until you identify the best clinic for you.
4. Ask about NaPRO technology to get pregnant. NaPRO attempts to correct individuals’ causes of infertility through improved, personalized fertility monitoring and targeted surgical intervention. In small trials, the process produced better results than In Vitro Fertilization, and the procedures involved in NaPRO may be covered by many insurance plans.
5. Consider using In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to get pregnant. IVF is considered the most effective and common method of achieving pregnancy through assisted reproductive technology.
   • IVF involves the removal of mature eggs from your body (or that of a donor) and its fertilization with your partner’s (or a donor’s) sperm in a laboratory, with subsequent insertion of the fertilized egg into your uterus to promote implantation.
   • Each cycle can last 2 or more weeks, but most insurance companies pay for few – if any – IVF cycles. The process is invasive and both the egg extraction and the implantation portions of IVF carry risks.
   • IVF is less likely to succeed in women with endometriosis, women who have not previously given birth, and women who use frozen embryos. Women over the age of 40 are often counseled to use donor eggs due to success rates of less than 5%.
6. Ask about Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). If your fertility troubles are caused by difficulties in sperm reaching the egg or by sperm inadequacies of your male partner, artificial insemination or donor insemination may provide a solution.
   • Artificial insemination involves the injection of sperm into the woman’s body to circumvent male ejaculatory problems. If the male partner’s sperm is infertile, a donor’s sperm can be injected into the woman’s body in an attempt to conceive as well. This process is often performed 1 day after ovulation hormones rise in the woman, and can be done in a doctor’s office with no pain or surgical intervention.
   • IUI may be used for up to 6 months before trying alternate, more expensive, and more invasive therapies. In some cases, the therapy can be combined with fertility drugs for the woman, and the injection of healthy sperm works the first time.
7. Ask about other fertility treatments. In some cases, fertility drugs may be sufficient for elevating fertility hormones and allowing natural conception. In others, fertility options such as Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)or surrogacy may be recommended.

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Health Systems Strengthening

Health Systems Strengthening

In areas affected by war and disasters the health care systems are often totally disrupted. As a result, health care services are almost impossible to implement due to the lack of medicines, facilities and experienced personnel. On the other hand, these situations offer the opportunity to revise, change and improve upon the old system possible.
A well functioning health system responds in a balanced way to a population’s needs and expectations by:

• Improving the health status of individuals, families and communities
• Defending the population against what threatens its health
• Protecting people against the financial consequences of ill-health
• Providing equitable access to people-centered care

Models and strategies

Building effective health systems in fragile states includes much more than the direct service provision. Good governance is an essential element in any functioning health system, and in fragile states there may be no government at all, or a rigid authoritarian rule that does not care for public services. In both cases there are alternative solutions: one can install governance on the local levels, one can install governance within the population. There is the crucial role of civil society – which often needs to be repaired too. In most fragile states there is therefore a continuing dynamic between reducing immediate vulnerability; achieving specific health outcomes; building a more lasting and equitable health system; and building the capacity of civil society. We support local authorities with the development of new models. HealthNet TPO uses its experience derived from other countries for knowledge transfer and strives to work in a participatory way with all stakeholders. Subsequently, local policy makers determine the most suitable strategy. Examples of this experience of HealthNet TPO are in Cambodia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, DR Congo, Burundi and Sudan. The support to health systems in these countries are at different stages of development, with varying roles of international organisations like HealthNet TPO. Health care systems are only sustainable if the local and regional authorities have ownership through input in making the choices which models suits their country and culture best.

The focus of HealthNet TPO is on capacity building without taking over ownership and service delivery. It often stimulates the quality control and improvement of information systems. The required technical expertise and support offered varies from management skills to the development of financing systems. Read more about our activities in capacity building.

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Top 10 Ways to Avoid Contracting an STD

Top 10 Ways to Avoid Contracting an STD

The best way to avoid contracting a sexually transmitted disease is not to have sex. However, that isn't a choice that most people are always willing to make. Once you have chosen to have sex, there are ways to reduce the risk of contracting an STD. How? Well first, you need to know yourself. Second, you need to know your partner. And third? You need to know about condoms and safer sex.

1. Practice Safer Sex Every Time You Have Sex Safer sex, with a condom, female condom, gloves, and/or other appropriate barriers, only works if you are consistent about it. Make up your mind to have safer sex every time you have sex. If your sex life involves intercourse, anal or vaginal, determine that you'll never have sex without a condom. If you or your partner is at high risk of STDs, be consistent about barrier use (dental dams, condoms) during oral sex as well. Barriers are not 100% protective against all STDs, but they will greatly reduce your risk.

2. Get Tested Regularly, and Encourage Your Partners To Do The Same Want to avoid getting an STD, and spreading STDs to your partner? Be consistent about getting tested and treated. Whether or not you are at high risk for an STD, you and your partner should strongly consider being tested before entering a new sexual relationship. If one or both of you is at high risk of disease, you should be tested even more frequently. And, if you're being treated for an STD, wait until you're done with treatment before resuming sexual activity. Otherwise you and your partner could end up just passing it back and forth.

3. Have Sex Only Within A Mutually Monogamous Relationship Two people who have sex only with one another don’t have any opportunity to bring a new STD into the relationship. If you and your partner have been tested and are healthy, remaining faithful to each other is a very good way to reduce your chances of contracting an STD. However, it is important to be honest with yourself about whether you and your partner are both truly faithful. If you are always consistent about practicing safer sex, even with a long-term partner, you will feel more secure, and it can also take the “trust” issue out of the equation.

4. Know Your Limits When in the throes of passion it can be very difficult to use your brain. Once your clothes have started to come off is, therefore, not the time to start thinking about how far you want to go with your partner that evening. Before you head out on a date, think about your plans for the night. If the opportunity arises, do you want to have sex? Are you comfortable with fooling around a little, but not with oral sex or intercourse? If you make a rational decision before you leave your apartment, you’ll not only be prepared to safely act on it, but you’re far less likely to end the evening doing something you’ll regret.

5. Talk To Your Partner If you can't talk to your partner about sex, you can't talk to them about safer sex. Clear, open, and honest communication is important in all aspects of a relationship, including the sexual. It is important to be able to talk comfortably with your partner not only about safer sex and STD testing, but about monogamy and whether your relationship is or isn't exclusive. In all cases, try your best to focus on the truth as opposed to what you think your partner wants to hear. Improving your communication skills will not only make your sex life safer, it will make it more fulfilling.

6. Don't Drink Or Use Drugs Before Having Sex It's difficult to make responsible choices about your sex life if you're starting out impaired by drugs or alcohol. When you are under the influence, you are more likely to choose to have sex with someone you wouldn’t otherwise have picked as a partner, and less likely to be able to successfully negotiate safer sex. If you do plan to go out drinking, or use other substances, make up your mind beforehand what, and who, you really want to do. Then tell your friends, or write it on your hand, so that you stick with your plan. Also, if you’re on birth control and you vomit, your pills could lose some effectiveness.

7. Be Comfortable Saying No You never have to have sex. If you don’t want to have sex at all, or just not right then, that’s ok. Sex is not something you owe someone because they bought you dinner, and anyone who is going to break up with you because you won’t sleep with them isn’t someone you should be dating in the first place. It's your choice to say yes to sex, and it's also your choice to say no. But, when you do say no, mean it. Don't feign no and hope your partner will try to change your mind. Similarly, if your partner tells you no, listen. They'll know you respect their decisions, and, when they say yes, you can believe that too.

8. Be Responsible For Your Own Protection Part of making responsible sexual choices is being prepared to enact them. It doesn’t matter if you're male or female. If you’re going to have sex with someone you should be prepared. This is not only a matter of emotional preparation, but practicality. Bring your own safer sex supplies. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll have extras. That’s much better than the alternatives. There’s nothing quite so frustrating as being ready to go and having to drop everything to find a store that’s still open and selling condoms. The other alternative, going ahead without them, shouldn't even be an option.

9. Know How To Please Yourself Sometimes it’s impossible to get sex off your mind. You think about it constantly; you fantasize about it; you simply want it. This can make it tempting to jump into bed with someone just to have sex, not because you like them, or even because you particularly want to have sex with them. Unfortunately, this is a good way to end up with regrets. One way to avoid this, or to avoid making a bad decision if you end up in a situation where you want to have safer sex, but there are no supplies around, is to know how to please yourself. There’s nothing wrong with masturbation, and no sexual partner is safer than yourself

10. Remember That Your Brain Is Your Most Important Sex Organ Lots of people talk about the brain as the most important sex organ, because it is where the vast majority of arousal happens. The brain, however, is also your most important safer sex organ. You can use it to inform yourself, and to be aware of risk factors, transmission methods, symptoms, and methods of prevention. You can use it to help you pick your partners sensibly, and decide what you do and don’t feel comfortable doing with them. The decision to make your sex life safer is the first and most important step in reducing your risk of STDs.

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OUR HEALTH IS THE ROOT OF LIFE

OUR HEALTH IS THE ROOT OF LIFE

Won't you help me doctor beat

Musicogenic epilepsy is a neurological disorder where epileptic seizures are uncontrollably triggered by music. Gloria Estefan's Dr Beat is a catchy 80s pop song where she calls for medical assistance because music is irresistibly moving her body, moving her soul and affecting her brain. Coincidence? I think not. Doctor, I've got this feelin' deep inside of me, deep inside of me I just cant control my feet, hen I hear the beat when I hear the beat Hey doctor, could you give me somethin' to ease the pain cause if you dont help me soon gonna lose my brain gonna go insane Despite Ms Estefan's requests, painkillers are unlikely to help with the acute effects of seizure. First-line treatment is usually a rapid acting benzodiazepine and long-term stabilisation with a common anticonvulsant such as sodium valproate. While her concerns about her mental health are understandable (people with epilepsy are at a slightly higher risk of developing mental illness), the majority of people with the condition lead full and active lives, so her fear of insanity is largely unfounded. There are many cases of musicogenic epilepsy in the medical literature but, unfortunately, only a few few are freely available online. One is particularly interesting though and is available as a pdf file. It's a 1957 article published in Psychosomatic Medicine that reports three fascinating cases, including a girl who had her seizures triggered by swing music that induced, among other things, hallucinations of a smartly dressed couple. For those of you wanting something a bit more up-to-date though, YouTube has the a Dr Beat Mylo remix Dr Who video mashup. Same symptoms, new medical staff.

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Top 10 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

Top 10 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

There are lots of reasons why I enjoy a hot cup of tea: I love the aroma of various flavors of tea; holding onto a hot tea mug warms my hands on a cold winter morning; sipping tea in front of the fireplace is a great way to relax. And those are just the feel-good reasons. If you're not drinking tea yet, read up on these 10 ways tea does your body good and then see if you're ready to change your Starbucks order!

1. Tea contains antioxidants. Like the Rust-Oleum paint that keeps your outdoor furniture from rusting, tea's antioxidants protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.
2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee. Coffee usually has two to three times the caffeine of tea (unless you're a fan of Morning Thunder, which combines caffeine with mate, an herb that acts like caffeine in our body). An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. If drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or interferes with sleep -- switch to tea.
3. Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear. A 5.6-year study from the Netherlands found a 70 percent lower risk of fatal heart attack in people who drank at least two to three cups of black tea daily compared to non-tea drinkers.
4. Tea protects your bones. It's not just the milk added to tea that builds strong bones. One study that compared tea drinkers with non-drinkers, found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking and other risk factors. The authors suggest that this may be the work of tea's many beneficial phytochemicals.
5. Tea gives you a sweet smile. One look at the grimy grin of Austin Powers and you may not think drinking tea is good for your teeth, but think again. It's the sugar added to it that's likely to blame for England's bad dental record. Tea itself actually contains fluoride and tannins that may keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and gums.
6. Tea bolsters your immune defenses. Drinking tea may help your body's immune system fight off infection. When 21 volunteers drank either five cups of tea or coffee each day for four weeks, researchers saw higher immune system activity in the blood of the tea drinkers.
7. Tea protects against cancer. Thank the polyphenols, the antioxidants found in tea, once again for their cancer-fighting effects. While the overall research is inconclusive, there are enough studies that show the potential protective effects of drinking tea to make adding tea to your list of daily beverages.
8. Tea helps keep you hydrated. Caffeinated beverages, including tea, used to be on the list of beverages thatdidn't contribute to our daily fluid needs. Since caffeine is a diuretic and makes us pee more, the thought was that caffeinated beverages couldn't contribute to our overall fluid requirement. However, recent research has shown that the caffeine really doesn't matter -- tea and other caffeinated beverages definitely contribute to our fluid needs. The only time the caffeine becomes a problem as far as fluid is concerned is when you drink more than five or six cups of a caffeinated beverage at one time.
9. Tea is calorie-free. Tea doesn't have any calories, unless you add sweetener or milk. Consuming even 250 fewer calories per day can result in losing one pound per week. If you're looking for a satisfying, calorie-free beverage, tea is a top choice.
10. Tea increases your metabolism. Lots of people complain about a slow metabolic rate and their inability to lose weight. Green tea has been shown to actually increase metabolic rate so that you can burn 70 to 80 additional calories by drinking just five cups of green tea per day. Over a year's time you could lose eight pounds just by drinking green tea. Of course, taking a 15-minute walk every day will also burn calories.

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