Archive for September, 2008
Listening to music does wonders to alleviate stress. Music has always been a great healer. Music is a significant mood-changer and reliever of stress, working on many levels at once. Among the first stress-fighting changes that take place when we hear a tune is an increase in deep breathing. The body’s production of serotonin also accelerates. Music was found to reduce heart rates and to promote higher body temperature - an indication of the onset of relaxation.
In addition to the wellness supplements you are taking, consider adding a calming music CD to your collection.
The following are general guidelines to maximize the effectiveness of the music.
To wash away stress, try taking a 20-minute “sound bath.” Put some relaxing music on your stereo, then lie in a comfortable position on a couch or on the floor near the speakers. For a deeper experience, you can wear headphones to focus your attention and to avoid distraction.
Choose music with a slow rhythm - slower than the natural heart beat which is about 72 beats per minute. Music that has repeating or cyclical pattern is found to be effective in most people.
As the music plays, allow it to wash over you, rinsing off the stress from the day. Focus on your breathing, letting it deepen, slow and become regular. Concentrate on the silence between the notes in the music; this keeps you from analyzing the music and makes relaxation more complete.
If you need a stimulation after a day of work, go for a faster music rather than slow calming music.
When going gets tough, go for a music you are familiar with - such as a childhood favorite or favorite oldies. Familiarity often breeds calmness.
Take walks with your favorite music playing on the walkman. Inhale and exhale in tune with the music. Let the music takes you. This is a great stress reliever by combining exercise (brisk walk), imagery and music.
Listening to the sounds of nature, such as ocean waves or the calm of a deep forest, can reduce stress. Try taking a 15- to 20-minute walk if you’re near the seashore or a quiet patch of woods. If not, you can buy tapes of these sounds in many music stores.
If you haven’t already done so, please visit the site where you will find a wealth of products to help you maintain a life of wellness. There are nutrient supplements, natural skin care products, and herbal remedies. Look it over and let me know what you think. If there are products lacking, let me know and I may be able to add them. Let me know if there is anything I can do to make the site work even better for you. That’s www.thehealthylonglife.com. Wishing you good health.
More than ever before in the history of mankind, we need to have healthy livers to break down the chemicals that have crept into our environment. If you talk to radiologists and gastroenterologists who are looking at people’s livers today they will tell you that the condition “Fatty Liver” affects more than 50% of people over the age of 50!.
Common causes often include; incorrect diet, excessive alcohol intake, adverse reactions to drugs and toxic chemicals, and viral hepatitis. Dr. Cabot believes it is because modern-day medicine has become sidetracked into treating the symptoms of diseases and not the causes. Excess weight is a symptom of liver dysfunction and not solely due to the number of calories you consume.
We have been attacking the symptoms of weight excess with fad diets, obsessive high impact aerobics, stomach stapling and toxic drugs, such as appetite suppressants, laxatives and diuretics. We have failed to consider the underlying cause of LIVER DYSFUNCTION and indeed we have virtually ignored the hardest-working organ in the body, with dire consequences. You can correct that with an herbal supplement providing a natural liver cleanse.
What are the functions of the liver?
It is responsible for the production of bile which is stored in the gallbladder and released when required for the digestion of fats.
The liver stores glucose in the form of glycogen which is converted back to glucose again when needed for energy.
It also plays an important role in the metabolism of protein and fats. It stores the vitamins A, D, K, B12 and folate and synthesizes blood clotting factors.
Another important role is as a detoxifier, breaking down or transforming substances like ammonia, metabolic waste, drugs, alcohol and chemicals, so that they can be excreted. These may also be referred to as “xenobiotic” chemicals. If we examine the liver under a microscope, we will see rows of liver cells separated by spaces which act like a filter or sieve, through which the bloodstream flows. The liver filter is designed to remove toxic matter such as dead cells, microorganisms, chemicals, drugs and particulate debris from the bloodstream. The liver filter is called the sinusoidal system, and contains specialized cells known as Kupffer cells which ingest and break down toxic matter.
Lowering LDL cholesterol is currently the primary focus in preventing atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Most doctors now believe that the benefits of lowering LDL cholesterol include:
* Reducing or stopping the formation of new cholesterol plaques on the artery walls;
* Reducing existing cholesterol plaques on the artery walls;
* Widening narrowed arteries;
* Preventing the rupture of cholesterol plaques, which initiates blood clot formation;
* Decreasing the risk of heart attacks; and
* Decreasing the risk of strokes. The same measures that retard atherosclerosis in coronary arteries also benefit the carotid and cerebral arteries (arteries that deliver blood to the brain).
Doesn’t that sound like a great reason to take an herbal supplement which can help lower cholesterol levels to protect you?
More and more scientific evidence points to the fact that omega-3 FAs are important for human health and normal development. It is becoming increasingly clear a person who follows a western diet with a low fish content is exposed to omega-3 FA deficiency and an imbalance in the omega-3/omega-6 ratio.The following foods and supplements are rich sources of omega-3 FAs:
Fish - mackerel, herring, salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies, trout and sturgeon
Fish oils - cod liver oil, salmon oil, tuna fish oil
Salmon oil capsules
Plant sources - flaxseed, canola, walnut and soya oils
You will benefit by adding omega 3 supplements to your regimen along with the nutritional supplement you are currently using.
What is Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a fatty substance (a lipid) that is an important part of the outer lining (membrane) of cells in the body of animals. Cholesterol is also found in the blood circulation of humans. The cholesterol in a person’s blood originates from two major sources; dietary intake and liver production. Dietary cholesterol comes mainly from meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. Organ meats, such as liver, are especially high in cholesterol content, while foods of plant origin contain no cholesterol. After a meal, cholesterol is absorbed by the intestines into the blood circulation and is then packaged inside a protein coat. This cholesterol-protein coat complex is called a chylomicron.The liver is capable of removing cholesterol from the blood circulation as well as manufacturing cholesterol and secreting cholesterol into the blood circulation. After a meal, the liver removes chylomicrons from the blood circulation. In between meals, the liver manufactures and secretes cholesterol back into the blood circulation.
If your cholesterol has been tested and is higher than it should be, you have choices as to how to lower it. Diet and exercise are crucial, but prescription drugs are also often recommended. With those, there are usually adverse side effects. Another choice is to use a natural herbal product which has been shown to reduce the cholesterol levels. Herbal remedies have been used successfully for centuries with great success. In addition, it doesn’t hurt to use omega-3 supplements to help keep cholesterol levels in check.
Since your liver is a very important organ dealing with cholesterol, it’s a good idea to also use an herbal liver cleanse product.
Tea tree oil or melaleuca oil is an extract from the melaleuca tree. Tea tree oil is a clear to light gold in color and is said to be an essential oil. It has many purposes as an herbal remedy.
The two major applications that tea tree oil has is as an antifungal and an antibacterial. It is preferable over prescribed medication for certain ailments like yeast infections because it is mild in its effect and doesn’t become a necessary part of a person’s life like some prescribe medications do because of their addictive properties.
Another name for aloe vera is aloe medicine. This succulent plant most likely originated from Northern Africa and traveled around following human trade because of the medicinal value of the plant and its value as a natural medication. There are no naturally occurring aloe vera plants in the United States, though there are some forms of aloe that grow in the North African wilds.
Aloe vera gel is used today as a body nutrient. It is said that aloe vera can protect the body from harmful environmental factors and dryness. As a healthy lotion alternative that has healing properties, aloe is unrivaled.
Once again, I can’t stress enough the need for a nutritional supplement since few or none of us get the optimum amount of vitamins and minerals from our diet. It’s also essential that we get enough Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3 supplements can do that for us. If you eat sufficient omega-3 FAs, you will be protected against the following diseases and conditions:
Heart disease - omega-3 FAs lower the risk of developing heart disease and can reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack by 30%.
Blood clots - omega-3 FAs make blood less sticky and prevent blood clots.
Hypertension - omega-3 FAs lower blood pressure.
High blood fat levels - omega-3 FAs lower ‘bad’ cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood.
Breast cancer - high omega-6 and low omega-3 FA levels may predispose women to develop breast cancer.
Colon and bowel cancer - omega-3 FAs may prevent colon cancer.
Rheumatoid arthritis - research results indicate that omega-3 FAs may help to prevent this crippling disease.
Crohn’s disease - there is some indication that the omega-3 FAs may help to alleviate chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Fish oil supplements will provide the optimum amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Anxiety if a part of 21st century life and we’ve all felt it. Sometimes, it’s a normal response to something like a sports competition or an exam. It only becomes a problem when it becomes excessive. Types of anxiety that are a problem:
Anxiety Attack
There is really no difference between an anxiety attack and a panic attack in the psychology profession and the two are treated as interchangeable terms that describe one and the same thing
Anxiety Attack Symptom
There are therapies available that help to control an anxiety attack symptom. A lot people suffer from stress as well as anxiety
Depression and Anxiety Disorder
There are way too many people out there who are suffering from depression and anxiety disorder
Separation Anxiety
Separation Anxiety is a very unfortunate event that often occurs is when the child bids a teary and tantrum-filled goodbye in his early years
In addition to relaxation techniques, there are natural herbal remedies which can help to promote inner calmness, help balance unsettled emotions and promote healthy feelings of well being. In fact, natural remedies have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years to support the healthy functioning of the brain and nervous system.
I highly recommend an herbal supplement in lieu of prescription drugs. This can reduce anxiety without the harmful side-effects of many drugs.