Sometimes is the simple things that we do or don't do that make a big difference in our health and maybe even our lives. A study recently published in the International Journal of Cancer found an association between drinking tea at very high temperature and the risk of developing esophageal cancer. This was a big study and they followed the 5000 participants for more than 10 years. The results are rather staggering. Here they are: Overall, the study found that drinking 700 milliliters (ml) of "very hot" tea per day increased the chances of esophageal cancer by 90 percent compared with drinking the same daily amount of cold or lukewarm tea. So, what I get from this is that the inflammation caused by the hot beverage causes, on a day to day basis, inflammation that doesn't have a chance to diminish, and over time can lead to tissue damage and cancer. As the Greeks told us, everything in moderation (or pan metron ariston in Greek). Probably a good thing to keep in mind. 

I read a lot about studies that come out regarding health issues. Most of these are Western medicine studies. What we strive to do here at the Acupuncture Center is be as knowledgeable as possible about Western and Eastern medicine and how they might work together or separately to help our patients. That is our goal, no strings attached. And I am also just very interested in medical research and knowledge. Knowledge as they say is power, and the more I know as a practitioner and a fellow human allows me to help my patients, as well as myself to stay healthy. Anyway, I saw a study this morning regarding high blood pressure that is a good example of the fact that we don't know everything yet. This is obvious, but it is good to keep that in mind, to have a good amount of skepticism regarding what we really know to be the final word. 
The first article I suggest you look at is a study that shows that sometimes, especially in older people, high blood pressure seems to be a good thing. It also notes that 3 different medical organizations have 3 different recommendations for what it means to have high blood pressure. The first part is more interesting to me and kinda shows that whether or not you have high blood pressure is not the end of the story. You can read that article by clicking on this link.  The second story is a report on a study that concluded that taking a midday nap might be a good or better than taking blood pressure meds! Here is the 2nd story link.