Ask a Groovy Gal (Well-Being & Health)

ASK A GROOVY GAL
TFG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JILLIAN SWARTZ ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
JUST FOR THE HEALTH OF IT

I have chronically dry skin. I've tried many creams and while some work, none make my skin as soft as I wish it was. What do you recommend?—Laurie, Cumberland, Indiana

I am absolutely wild about the Climb On! Products (www.climbonproducts.com) featured on August's Must Have It List. The company sent me testers to try and I am sold. Toward the end of my pregnancy, I got bumps on my arms. Two dermatologists told me that it was hereditary and there was really not much I could do about it. Two nights into applying the Climb On! Crème ($26), not only was my skin as soft as butter and as glowy as J Lo, but the bumps were starting to go bye-bye—and now they are totally gone! My husband loves the Climb On! Lip Lube ($3)—and he's tried every chapstick-type-thing out there. I also am living for the Climb On! Bar because it's refurbishing my heels, which used to look great the day of the pedicure and then promptly return to dry and not-so-cute. Every night I pack on the Bar ($8.75) and every morning I marvel at my smooth and lustrous tootsies—yes, I am way serious. I live for results and these ones are instant and lasting. Oh, and the best part is that all the products are 100% all-natural—score!

Everybody's talking about white tea lately. What's better for you: green tea or white tea?—Jeanette, New York, NY
Tea in general is a true panacea, inhibiting cancer growth, preventing arteries from clogging, wiping out viruses and more. Both green and white tea—and black and oolong—come from the same source: Camilla Sinensis tea bush. Whether a tea is green, white or other is determined after it is plucked. Green tea reduces the risk of developing arthritis; boosts impaired immune functions; deactivates viral infections, including herpes; lowers LDL cholesterol levels; reduces blood pressure; lowers blood sugar; helps prevent cardiovascular diseases; stimulates the body to burn calories and fat—because of its EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that inhibits the growth of cancer cells—without increasing the heart rate. I like the organic Gracious Green by Zhena's Gypsy Tea ($5.99, www.gypsytea.com)—any tea that touts its ability to reduce wrinkles is tops in my book. I also think the company itself is cool and worthy of my patronage. Click here to read more about this mom-propelled company. White tea, the tea du jour, has many of the same miracle effects as its green sibling, even though some experts avow it to be even better for you. White tea help boost your body's immune system by fighting off viruses and infection-causing bacteria. It's also got small amounts of fluoride and other nutrients that keep teeth and gums healthy by staving off tooth decay, plaque and even bad breath. Because white tea is made from immature tea leaves, picked before the buds are opened, the leaves endure less processing than the other kinds of teas mentioned. As such, it is closer to its natural state and, thus, more polyphenols, the power-packed antioxidant that kills cancer-causing cells, are preserved than in the other teas. White tea also protects your heart and circulatory system by thinning the blood, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. White tea even helps reverse some sun damage because it's a voracious free radical eater. The jury's still out about whether or not it helps with weight loss like its green counterpart. Sense of Peace from Zhena's Gypsy Tea ($5.99, www.gypsytea.com) is heavenly.

Everyday I walk home from work and I pass a playground (though I am not a mommy, I know that many a mommies spend a large part of their days there). Today I saw a mother causing a scene and smacking her (if I had to guess four year old) child. I found this to be so upsetting that I wanted to jump in and smack her! What does one do in this situation? Ignore? Watch? Say something? I am so disturbed by this and I know it goes on all over. Help!—Jodie, Hoboken, NJ

Oh, this is such a good question. The same thing happened to TFG's Publisher, Amy, once when she saw a parent kicking her child at a local Babies R Us. The mother of the child saw Amy's distressed face and yelled at her to mind her own business. She didn't know what to do either. My first instinct would be to approach the parent to see really what was going on. Perhaps the forced interaction would diffuse the situation a bit—on the other hand it could serve to exacerbate it. You can also call the police, if you think the situation really requires such a response. Taking action isn't easy; often times we're just paralyzed by fear of mishandling such a situation. Obviously, I am as confused as you are, so I called in for backup: the esteemed Dr. Michael Kaplan, TFG's resident child psychiatrist in private practice and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center in New Haven, CT. Here's what he had to say:

“This is a tough question. We live in a society in which we are most often in contact with people we don’t know. In the old days, everyone was born, raised and died in their village or neighborhood and there was a sense of a community raising their children. There is a lot of evidence suggesting that the spike in urban crime over the last few decades is due to adults losing their “policing role” over the kids in the neighborhood. This is probably true for non-urban settings as well. Adults used to know every kid and his mother—and would let misbehaving children know that. Who didn’t live in fear of the phone ringing at night with a negative report from a neighborhood parent? That simply happens infrequently today.

We are, unfortunately, powerless when we see “bad parenting” out in public. Clearly, if a child is being abused, a report, which can be anonymous, filed with Child Protective Services can and should be made. If we witness poor parenting from friends, that might be a time to inquire about stress at home. Rather than address the behavior directly, which might lead to defensiveness or hostility, a gentle show of support might allow your friend to express other conflict or frustration in their lives that is leading to a breakdown in parenting.”

Click here to read more about how to handle bad behavior in our article “The Discipline Dilemma.”

Click here to read about Jillian's life in the 'hood—motherhood.