There was a great interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air” recently about the surprising health benefits of yoga. Western science/medicine is learning more about the health benefits of this ancient spiritual practice. Yoga is not just about flexibility and meditation, it can also lower your blood pressure, improve cardiovascular function and lower the risk of various diseases.

Eli Broad, a science writer for the New York Times, has written a new book called The Science of Yoga, which explores the history, risks and rewards of yoga. There is much more to yoga than most people might expect.

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People all over the world drink over 2.25 billion cups of coffee each day. Coffee is one of the world’s most popular beverages and one of the world’s most-traded commodities. Over 150 million Americans drink coffee each day, consuming over 22 gallons of coffee per year, per person. People love coffee for the caffeine, the flavor, the stimulating effects, the ability of the drink to focus the mind and sharpen the intellect. But what is all this coffee actually doing to our health? Is coffee “good for you” or “bad for you?” How can we find out?
There have been many studies conducted about the health effects of coffee, but these studies often have unclear or contradictory results. Some studies show that coffee benefits our health or reduces the risk of certain diseases, while other studies show that coffee has health risks as well.
Here are a few of the overall benefits (and possible risks) that science seems to have discovered in coffee (Source: Wikipedia).

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