RELAX

Before we start today, I want you to take a deep breath and tell yourself...

Everything is OK.                                                                

It's advice I've given to lots of folks lately...

Many are anxious about the current state of the world... There's unrest in the Middle East and a highly contentious election season in the U.S. If you turn on the news, the talking heads will have you convinced we're on the brink of a world war or total societal collapse.

I understand their fearmongering. It sells. If you ask someone, there's a good chance they'll tell you that things are worse today than they've been in decades.

I get why folks would believe that. But here's the truth...

Things aren't as bad as they seem.

A few years ago, I gave everyone on my team a book called Factfulness by Hans Rosling. It's a fascinating read, filled with facts and stories that are short and fun. I highly encourage you to check it out, as Rosling will convince you the world today is a great place. It's not all doom and gloom.

In the book, Rosling wrote...

When we are afraid, we do not see clearly. Critical thinking is always difficult, but it's almost impossible when we are scared. There's no room for facts when our minds are occupied by fear.

Of course, not everything is perfect. But in general, our lives today are better than the lives of our parents or grandparents. Overall, we're richer, more educated, and have better access to health care than ever before.

That doesn't mean we don't experience difficult times (like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic). But we're better prepared to get through them.

Part of that preparation is properly managing your portfolio risk.

And my good friend Porter Stansberry says now is one of those critical moments to prepare.

According to Porter, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have greenlit one policy that could decimate millions of Americans' wealth when the polls close.

During an emergency election broadcast, Porter shared which stocks to buy and sell before election day – so you won't risk getting caught on the wrong side of the coming divide.

Now, I don't always agree with Porter when it comes to his outlook on the future of America. Like I said, I think no matter what happens in November, we'll all be OK.

I've known Porter for two decades. In that time, he has made many controversial, even outrageous predictions... But he gives folks his honest financial recommendations and is one of the best investment analysts I know. And many of his seemingly unlikely predictions have come to pass.

So when Porter makes a big call, I hear him out. And I suggest you do, too. Even optimists like me should protect our portfolios against the possibility of disaster. Click here to watch Porter's broadcast now.

Let's dig into the Q&A... As always, keep sending your comments, questions, and topic suggestions to feedback@healthandwealthbulletin.com. My team and I really do read every e-mail.

Q: I'm a passionate black tea drinker, I drink a couple of cups at breakfast and one cup in the afternoon. Time of infusion is 3 to 4 minutes and I sweeten it with one honey spoon, no milk. What are the benefits? – C.N.

A: You're getting a ton of benefits from your tea and honey...

Black tea has three primary beneficial nutrients: catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigins. Catechins help protect your body from harmful inflammation... Theaflavins help the body manage blood sugar and body fat... And thearubigins are anti-inflammatory and help with bone formation.

Plus, black tea is great for overall bone health. A Japanese study followed women post-menopause and discovered that those who drank black tea had higher bone-mineral density. It also found that two-plus cups per day offered the most health benefits.

As for honey, it:

• Heals wounds
• Is antiviral and antimicrobial
• Fights inflammation
• Protects against cancer
• Lowers blood pressure
• Is antidiabetic
• Aids in weight loss
• Promotes heart health
• Is probiotic and prebiotic

As we've discussed before, the key is to get the least-processed honey you can find. Raw honey comes straight from the honeycombs in the hive. Once extracted, it's lightly filtered and jarred right away. Unlike unpasteurized and pasteurized varieties of honey, raw honey is not heated, so it still contains all of its nutritional components (i.e., vitamins and minerals). Unpasteurized honey is slightly heated during processing, so most of its nutrition stays intact.

Pasteurized honey, on the other hand, is exposed to high heat during processing. This gives the honey a smoother texture by destroying the naturally occurring yeast. However, it also destroys most of the nutritional components. This means pasteurized honey contains fewer antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and healthy enzymes than raw or unpasteurized honey. It also has less bee pollen and bee propolis, both of which help fight inflammation.

So keep enjoying your cups each day! Brew your black tea for around three minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (between 90 and 95 degrees Celsius). But just be careful how late in the day you consume caffeinated tea so it doesn't disrupt your sleep.

What We're Reading... 

• Did you miss it? Home prices have gotten out of control.

• Something different: What happens to DNA data if 23andMe goes bankrupt?

Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,

Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
October 4, 2024