Seeking and Finding Wholeness

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sees the human body quite differently from Western Medicine. Instead of viewing ourselves as a collection of systems that work together, the Chinese view our being as a reflection of nature and it’s rhythmic cycles- each major body organ is related to one of the 5 major elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element is also associated with a season, and can be altered and affected by a variety of other correlations, including: color, flavor (food & drink), an emotional state, and one of the five sensory organs. For example, if you have an issue going on with your eye or sight, it is usually an imbalance that has incurred in the Liver qi.

Spring corresponds to the “Wood” element, and is related to the liver and gallbladder organs. According to the philosophy of Chinese medicine, the liver is responsible for the smooth flowing of Qi (energy) throughout the body. When the liver functions smoothly, physical and emotional activity throughout the body also runs smoothly. It is also said to contribute to our body’s resistance to external pathogenic influences, and is also believed to weigh our ability to plan our lives. The gallbladder provides the Qi to the sinews, effects the quality and length of sleep, and gives us drive and the passion to excel; to take the action necessary for our intentions to come to fruition. Dealing with adversity also comes under the role of the Gallbladder.

You can do things on your own to keep that liver happy, Qi flowing smoothly, and enjoy being in balance with this time of year, by observing:

Color: Green – Wear this color, eat young plants- fresh, leafy greens, sprouts, etc. Go outside and sit in a nice patch of grass, enjoy the return of the leaves on the trees.

Flavor: Sour – Try naturally sour foods like yogurt, raw sauerkraut, or fresh lemon juice in water. Use vinegar and olive oil for your salad dressing. Garnish your sandwich with a slice of dill pickle.

Emotion: Anger – find and use healthy ways of communicating and releasing pent up emotion. give yourself permission to be angry, but do not dwell in it- learn to let things go.

Sense organ: the Eyes – Rest your eyes occasionally by covering them with the palms of your hands. Do this a few times a day, for 5 minutes if you work a lot on the computer. Also munch on some Goji berries everyday- the Wolfberry is proven to have a huge effect on the way the eye functions. (ancient Chinese secret!)

These suggestions may sound simple, but little things will go a long way in helping you feel grounded and healthy. Overall, the best thing you can do during this change of season is get outside and move- stretch the body; the sinews, muscles, tendons, the areas most effected by this time of year want some fresh air and energy to come in, rejuvenating the liver, keeping your overall energy vibrant and working for you. Tai chi, qi gong, yoga, etc. are great activities to do at least a little bit daily. Enjoy moving that body! Love your body. I know this is not always an easy thing, but the more we love and accept ourselves just the way we are, the more we automatically heal, get better, and feel in balance with all of life.

If you have further questions, would like to schedule an appointment for a Shiatsu massage or counseling session, please use the contact info for me on the right side of this page- I’d love to hear from you!

Here’s some food for though, did you know that all (I mean every single) healing that you experience is 100% your body healing itself? medicine, doctors even religious and energy healers, they do not heal you, they assist your body in healing itself.

It’s nice to see this quote from Master Lin (i.e. Chunyi Lin), a QiGong Master and founder of the Spring Forest QiGong technique, basically validating this point, that all healing is self healing     

Hello my dear friends! It is very important to know that a qigong master never heals- the qigong master only helps and assists. The person has to heal themself.

By Chunyi Lin (posted May 11, 2010)

Master Lin was named 2010 Qigong Master of the Year at the 12th World Congress on Qigong/TCM in San Francisco, California on April 24, 2010.

These clips show information about the use of sun light in ancient medicine. Very interesting! I highly suggest you watch these.

Recent findings in the field of human photobiology reinforce the knowledge of ancient cultures.

This lecture takes you on a journey through the ages, always with a close look upon the relationship between man and sunlight, closing with the up-to-date recommendations how to meet the healing light for cure and prevention.

Presented by Alexander Wunsch, Germany. Alexander Wunsch is an expert in vibrational medicine and photobiology. In his private medical practice in Heidelberg, Germany, he uses the Spectro-Chrome method in combination with electromagnetic fields, body sound application, Cranio-Sacral bodywork and Lüscher Color Diagnostic. He does research in the field of light effects on cellular levels and developed a number of devices for vibrational medicine, chromotherapy and electromagnetic environment testing. Alexander Wunsch holds a lectureship for “Health and Light” at the University of Technology, Business and Design in Wismar, Germany

Produced by Selim Özkan, Berlin

Will you take a moment, right now, to stop whatever it is you are doing, and close your eyes, then smile. Just feel that. What do you notice? Then open your eyes, continuing to smile. How does that feel?

It is not always realistic to go from feeling totally down in the dumps to smiling and feeling joyful. But consider this: when you smile, the brain secretes chemicals from neurotransmitters such as Endorphins, which reduce pain, as well as Serotonin and Dopamine, which affect the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), causing a positive shift within our entire being- the thoughts we have, the feelings we emit, and the state of our physical body. SMILING IS A NATURAL DRUG.

Have high blood pressure? Studies have shown there is a measurable reduction in blood pressure when smiling. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home- sit for a few minutes and take a reading. Then smile for a minute and do another reading. Do you see the difference?

Smiling is an interesting circle- you can start from either side of the spectrum: experience something happy, and find yourself smiling about it! Or take a moment to pause and smile, and you can experience the feeling of happiness. And when we take the time to experience the feeling of happiness, we become magnetic to more happy things to occur in our lives!

Over the past month, I take moments out of every day just to crack a big smile, for no good reason, other than to just do it and see what happens. And you know what? It has me feeling more confident. I feel healthier, and more vibrant. I feel magnetic to what I desire in my life, and more open to the awareness that as I do what I can do, from where I am at, to achieve what I have in mind, smiling more is instilling a greater sense of success, from within. I am seeing this being reflected in the reality around me- especially in my business! I then intentionally send this feeling out into the world, seeing success and prosperity filling everyone’s lives.

WHAT FUN! And it’s FREE! We can ALL afford to take 60 seconds out of every day, or perhaps every hour, to pause, smile, and just bask in the various effects it has on us.

We are powerful little creatures, with enormous capabilities. Our power rests in our choices- nobody can make you focus your attention on a particular feeling. We have free will to let any train of thought or emotion run it’s course through our minds and bodies. We can use our smile as a tool for transformation, for ourselves and for sharing! And finding the wholeness within ourselves.

Namaste,
~angie la

A friend told me about this little mindfulness program and website that I have used for the last 5 hours and found very useful. Time to let you know about it.

You can set it to ring at any time interval, once an hour, every 15 minutes or even at random times. I was excited to hear about it since I spend a lot of time on my laptop (probably too much time), I’m sure you can tell.

Anyway, it is a beautiful sound and every time I hear it I stop my typing, and take a deep breath and try to continue to deep breath, then it rings again and to my surprise I find that I had stopped deep breathing, so I stop what I’m doing and take another deep breath. You can use it as a reminder to breath, stretch, blink, look outside the window, drink water, etc..

If you install the software you can replace the sound file with any sound you like. However, the supplied bell sound is very nice. This bell reminder can remind you, as many times as you need to be reminded, to bring yourself back to your true home.

Find it here http://www.mindfulnessdc.org/mindfulclock.html

PS. If for some reason the link is not working contact me, I downloaded and saved the software on my computer and can send it to you. I scanned the software with Norton it says it’s safe, so is the website (as of 4/25/2010).

Many may sneeze here and there during the spring and summer seasons due to pollen, dust, and other particles in the air. Sneezing is our body’s natural response for protecting itself against harmful particles in the air. Most blame the plants and nature on their allergic reaction. In this article I hope to share one often overlooked allergen, that is not only sneeze-inducing but also potentially hazardous to health.

I am sensitive to the smell of chemicals, especially those sprayed on yards and lawns. When I visit a home improvement store, I literally cannot walk down the isle where pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers are shelved. If I find myself in close proximity, the smell disgusts me and can even make me feel sick, not to mention I start to sneeze.

The harmful and annoying effects of these chemicals seems to often be missing in the mainstream awareness. I rarely hear talk about lawn chemicals and that throat burning chemical smell unique to these chemicals, how they are over used, abused, and often confused with the notion of a healthy lawn.

As I drove to work this morning, I could see chemical spraying vehicles from a local company proudly proclaiming “true green”. A sobering and sad reminder that summer is here. Don’t get me wrong, I adore summer. I loath the chemicals used in the summer.

I got to work, parked my car next to a lawn that was reeking with the chemical smell. As I exited my vehicle heading to my work place I sneezed.

Everybody wants that truly green lawn, right? Wrong, I don’t. I never use chemicals on my lawn, it is not the greenest, nor the prettiest, but that is not my concern. I value safety and doing no harm to others and nature more than a green lawn. My lawn is not polluting your air, making you sneeze or poisoning your air.

When you use chemicals on your lawn here is what you are doing: You are paying factories to make synthetic poisonous chemicals, tons and tons of them (due to consumer demand). You then pay them to package these in plastic containers (plastic waste), ship them all over the US (green house gases due to transportation). You follow that by doing your consumer duty, you grab the chemicals and spray them over your land. If you want better results, you pay a little more, and you get a vehicles assuring you “true green lawns”, this vehicles is one super pray bottle, it is filled with chemicals that should they be dumped in a pond would kill all the fish. You watch as they proudly spray that poison over your grass, you think it’s a small price to pay for the result, my beautiful green lawn is just around the corner. You also may believe the lie that your grass is safe to touch, lay down on, walk barefoot on, within 3 days or a week.

Once these chemicals have been manufactured in the factory (thanks to consumer demand) they are here to stay. When these are sprayed on your grass, so much of this chemical vapor goes into the air, on your trees, on your house siding, into your windows; the air blows this chemical residue on to your neighbors property, onto their vegetable garden, and into their open windows. The chemicals on the grass or in the soil don’t stay there either; sooner or later rain will push these chemicals down into the soil and eventually into ground water, it will pollute the soil for many years and ground water for decades. If you live close to a lake or marsh rain will wash off the chemicals into the lakes drastically effecting the ecosystem, killing fish increasing algae and effecting those who eat the fish and swim in the lake.

One often missed point, is that once you cut the grass, as the mower chops the glass and shakes it violently, these chemicals are released into the air again. Ultimately, the use of these chemicals and the impact they have on nature contributes to weakening people’s immune systems and causing cancer.

If you have children, seriously reconsider chemicals in your yard and lawn. Grass is very attractive, don’t turn it into a poisonous trap for your kids.

Respect your neighbors, you most likely do not throw trash into your neighbors house, yet you are ‘ok’ allowing the release of poison into the air that gets, not only inside your house but, into your neighbors house. If your neighbor is me, you may hear me sneezing as I smell this nasty chemical odor.

In the past I used to curse at these lawns when I sneezed, rather than thinking or expecting a ‘bless you’ I’d utter a curse. I’d blame the lawn, the property owner or ignorance. Today as the summer nears and the chemicals are again unleashed, I sneezed, I did not curse this time; I said “bless you” to the lawn.

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A great suggestion:

You can change what you want to change right now if you want to.

No excuses, no reasons, if it doesn’t change it’s your choice and you must deal with that.

There’s nothing, no-thing, preventing you from changing in the way you wish to change now, not your upbringing, your history, past lives, nothing!

There is nothing holding you back from becoming who you desire to be, except for the choices you make about who you believe you are.

Those things do not hold you, you hold you.

Nothing is holding you now that you do not want to be held by for your own reasons.

You can’t blame any other person, entity, energy, past. The blame game is gone, no excuses anymore

By: Bashar

Qigong is an ancient healing practice from China, which brings your mind, body, and heart energy together to achieve balance through active meditative movements and sitting meditations.

The Chinese call the energy in a person’s body “qi.” Qi works in this way: when qi flows smoothly in the body, life is good and you are physically and mentally healthy. When the flow of qi is interrupted, energy blockages form and can lead to physical or mental health problems. When qi totally stops, that is the end of life.

“Gong” means the “the flow of” or “the practice of.” Qigong, then, means the flow or practice of energy.

Qigong practice helps the qi (energy) in the body flow freely so the body stays in balance and healthy, which helps prevent energy blockages. It can also help heal energy blockages when the body is sick. Many people in China practice qigong, and many doctors teach their patients different qigong exercises and postures to help them heal.

QiGong relies on the art of deep breathing. Deep breathing is relaxing, it also increases the energy level in the body and more fully oxygenate your blood and has countless health benefits.

Qi, is pronounced “chee” and is written in many different ways: Chi, Qi, Ki, Ji, Chy, Kee. These are all the same.

Greetings and salutations!

the following is a message that I feel is very worthy of sharing with those of us who are seeking wholeness, especially on this day many call “valentines day”. This message was sent out yesterday from the founder and leader of Young Living brand essential oils. if you don’t know who or what i’m talking about then here’s my quick shpeel: Young Living is passionate and serious about producing therapeutic-grade products; Gary has the strictest standards for purity, potency and safety when it comes to the essential oils that Young Living produces, and he is passionate about bringing a higher quality of life to all of the world. if you are new to ‘essential oils’, they can be considered, but are far from limited to the word aromatherapy. they are basically considered the blood of a plant/tree/fruit/flower and this blood contains enormous healing potential, and is imbued with the intelligence of nature.

I am a distributor of these oils-
i use them in a variety of ways daily, on myself, on dogs, and in my massage and healing practice, so i have stories from using the oils myself, as well as from other people over the last year and a half, since I first heard about Young Living.

i hope you have a wonderful valentine’s day! know that i love you, and care for you so very much. You are an invaluable piece of the giant Cosmic Puzzle, I will say. and that is no small thing! I mean, your ability to realize grander dreams and desires for ourselves and others, is important. Your health, happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction in life IS IMPORTANT. i think you came here to this thing we call “Life” to evolve and achieve deeper fulfillment in your own unique and perfect way. And really, right here and now, you are doing that just perfectly. You are perfect, whole and complete. You are lovely. I love you!

if you would like to get to know more about the Young Living essential oils on your own, you can click here or just get in touch with me.

peace!

~angie

Ask yourself what do you need right now:

Do you need to breath deeply?
Do you need close your eyes?
Do you need to drink water?
Do you need to eat?
Do you need stretch?
Do you need to use the bathroom?
Do you need to relax and take a break?
Do you need to plan something?
Do you need to stop?
Do you need look away into the distance from whatever you are doing?
Do you need to stop eating that snack?
Do you need to go on a walk?
Do you need fresh air?
Do you need a nap (to sleep)?
etc …

Now that you’ve asked, will you give yourself what it needs?

The lesson here is to check in with yourself from time to time, listen to the most important person (YOU).

This sounds simple, doesn’t it?

It is, but sometimes when we are at work, studying or working a project and too busy with life, paying attention to others, we forget to pay attention to ourselves.

So,

from time to time,

Ask yourself

“What do I need now?”

&

you will be more present in the now and more alive

Ethan Z

I remember hearing my grandmother talk about how castor oil was used in the old days, especially when children got sick, had stomach aches or pretty much any ailment.  I know my aunts and mother hated the taste of this Oil. They would reluctantly drink some, braving the discussing taste. But, the logic was, and remains, that the taste meant this was good for you. They all believe, while the taste was horrible, that Castor oil did have a positive healing outcome.

I never had the pleasure of trying Castor oil. But I was curious, I found some at a local store and I was considering trying some, but the warning on the bottle that mentioned ‘external use only’ deterred me from ingesting it.

Besides the stories I heard from my grandmother, pretty much I did not know anyone else that used this oil as a traditional remedy. I understand how disgusting the taste could be, but I can’t help but wonder if this is oil is does in fact work, and if its effectiveness and usefulness in healing has been forgotten.

Middle easterners used it in the old days to deal with ailments, it is apparently effective on skin and acne and modern day medicines do contain elements extracted from Castor oil.

Have you or anyone you know used Castorl oil for medicinal purposes?

Here’s what Wikipedia says on Castor oil (retrieved 10/25/2009 6PM CST):

Castor oil in food

In the food industry, castor oil (food grade) is used in food additives,^[13] flavorings, candy (e.g., chocolate),^[14] as a mold inhibitor, and in packaging. Polyoxyethylated castor oil (e.g., Cremophor EL)^[15] is also used in the foodstuff industries.^[16]

Medicinal use of castor oil

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has categorized castor oil as “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE) for over-the-counter use as a laxative, with its major site of action the small intestine.^[17] However, although it may be used for constipation, it is not a preferred treatment.^[18] Undecylenic acid, a castor oil derivative, is also FDA-approved for over-the-counter use on skin disorders or skin problems.^[19]

Castor oil penetrates deep into the skin thanks to its molecular weight, which is low enough to penetrate into the stratum corneum. Castor Isostearate Succinate is a polymeric mixture of esters with Isostearic Acid and Succinic Acid used for skin conditioning, such as in shampoo, lipstick and lip balm.^[20]

Ricinoleic acid is the main component of castor oil and it exerts anti-inflammatory effects.^[21]

One study has found that castor oil decreased pain more than ultrasound gel or Vaseline during extracorporeal shockwave application.^[22]

Therapeutically, modern drugs are rarely given in a pure chemical state, so most active ingredients are combined with excipients or additives. Castor oil, or a castor oil derivative such as Cremophor EL (polyethoxylated castor oil, a nonionic surfactant), is added to many modern drugs, including:

• Miconazole, an anti-fungal agent;^[23][24]
• Paclitaxel, a mitotic inhibitor used in cancer chemotherapy;^[25]
• Sandimmune (cyclosporine injection, USP), an immunosuppressant drug widely used in connection with organ transplant to reduce the activity of the patient’s immune system;^[26]
• Nelfinavir mesylate, an HIV protease inhibitor;^[27]
• Saperconazole, a triazole antifungal agent (contains Emulphor EL-719P, a castor oil derivative);^[28]
• Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive drug (contains HCO-60, polyoxyl 60 hydrogenated castor oil);^{[citation needed]}
• Xenaderm ointment, a topical treatment for skin ulcers is a combination of Peru balsam, castor oil, and trypsin;^[29][30]
• Aci-Jel (composed of ricinoleic acid from castor oil, with acetic acid and oxyquinoline), used to maintain the acidity of the vagina.^[31]

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When it comes to hair, skin and nails, health equals beauty. One of the best ways to look good on the outside is to be good on the inside, in other words, to be healthy.

It’s no surprise that nutrition plays a crucial role towards our the health. Below you will see six tips that will help you give your body the nutrients it needs to keep it healthy on the inside and looking good on the outside:

• Stay Hydrated:
  Drink 64+ ounces of water every day
• Make Meals as Healthy as Possible:
  Eat fresh veggies and fruits. Avoid processed foods. Avoid fast foods. Avoid artificial flavors, preservatives, colors etc.
• Boost Nutrition and Energy:
  Try protein powder in a shake or a smoothie and take organic/all natural multi vitamins (not made in china).
• Get Good Fats Daily:
  Omega 3 and GLA essential fatty acids help keep your skin looking healthy and elastic. Learn more about fats here Fat the good and bad
• More Antioxidants:
  Antioxidants help you avoid skin damage from the sun, poor diet and pollution.
• Reduce Stress:
  Stress can easily lead to breakouts and wrinkles. Try meditation, yoga or other ways to achieve healthy relaxation

MSG is harmful to many; countless people get migraine headaches after consuming MSGs, including  myself. These people are more aware of the ingredients in their food. We read food ingredient labels carefully to make sure our food doesn’t contain MSGs. We also avoid Chinese food, fast food burgers, and Lipton soups, etc..

Did you know that “MSG” is only one term used to refer to Monosodium Glutamate and that other words and numbers are used?

When you read the ingredients, if you are looking for MSGs, you should know all the terms used to identify MSG.

MSG can be referred to as:

• sodium glutamate (sodium salt of the non-essential amino glutamic acid)
• HS code 29224220
• E621
• Ajinomoto
• Vetsin,
• Accent

Are there other words used to indicate the presense of MSG in food that I missed?

EV Satie Guest Blogger

My Artificial Sweetener Nightmare

By EV Satie, Guest blogger

I was recently reading a great post on Dr. Mercola’s web site about the dangers of Splenda and it got me to thinking about my own personal experience with these harmful sweeteners.

Having had a weight problem my entire life and not being able to tolerate sugar (it made me want to eat and eat!), I did what most people do in my situation- I used artificial sweeteners. On top of that I am quite compulsive, so I used a lot of it. Drinks sweetened with Equal and Splenda were a daily staple, as well as packets and packets of Splenda, which I put in my coffee and on my food. It took me many years to face up to the fact that these so called “safe” sweeteners were really poising my body, and on top of that I had a chronic illness, which was exacerbated by anything chemical and highly processed.

Needless to say, I finally was willing to let all of them go about a year and a half ago, and although it was difficult, it wasn’t the hardest part of my withdrawal from them. About three days into it, I had a severe liver attack which lasted for almost an hour, and I had to lie on my back and deep breathe the entire time so that I didn’t throw up or have to head to the hospital. I had terrible stabbing pains in my side, burning in my intestines, and hot and cold flashes running through my body. Not a pretty experience at all! It has taken me months to heal my liver, and it still gives me trouble now and then.

The reason that I am sharing this with you is because I really want to get the word out about just how toxic these substances are! Splenda may be derived from sugar, but the end result is that it becomes chlorinated artificial sweetener once it has been molecularly altered.

Do you really want something like that in your body?

Please go to the following websites for more information:

• http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/10/New-Study-of-Splenda-Reveals-Shocking-Information-About-Potential-Harmful-Effects.aspx
• www.truthaboutsplenda.com

Do yourself a huge favor and stop using these poisons as soon as you can!

Written by EV Satie

Of

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My opinion on the use of drugs to treat mood-related issues has always been less than favorable. I have seen no reasons to alter the state of my mind with any drugs, ever.

I say, if you have anxiety or depression, this means there is a culprit behind it. You need to deal with the cause, and the emotion will become well balanced again. If you cannot deal with your emotions or thoughts alone seek a friend or a counselor.

You should not want to treat (and i use the word treat very loosely here because you are not treating anything with mood drugs) stress or depression and anxiety with mood altering drugs that rob you from your true self and usually get you hooked for life.

If you are experiencing unbalanced emotions or moods, I guarantee you there is a reason for it, whether it is a spiritual, a subconscious, a cognitive or even a physical reason; there is a reason. The reason may be an imbalance in any/or all of the eight dimensions of wellness (read about the eight dimensions of wellness here) All of these dimensions are interconnected so the cause of your lack of balance probably spans over many of these dimensions.

Do you really want to mask the problem, only to re-experience these emotions once the drugs wore off?  If you take mood drugs you are only dealing with a symptom, not the underlying causes. If you go on mood drugs you are likely placing yourself in an endless loop of drug dependency, stuck, dependent on an outside, manufactured, and expensive medications to keep you well. While, what you need is already available for free, inside of you. You need nothing to be well, all you need is yourself (or a person to talk to), certainly not drugs.

Identify the cause, the imbalances and deal with them, if you do this you’ll see your anxiety evaporate into thin air. Further, you will be empowered by your experience, you will gain experience and you will take control of your life. On the other hand, you could seek refuge in drugs and hide from the real problems.

I find meditation to be a great tool to combat emotional and mood issues. I often tell people: “Say no medication and yes to mediation”. Meditation is one weapon you got, for free, that is inside of you. All you have to do is use it.

Make the move now,

“From Medication to Meditation”

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Garlic, Good or Bad?

I came across this today, does anyone out there have more info on this?

From GARLIC – TOXIC SHOCK! Reprinted from Nexus Magazine, Feb/Mar 2001. Source: From a lecture by physicist Dr. Robert C Beck, DSc, given at the Whole Life Expo, Seattle, WA, USA, in March 1996.

The reason garlic is so toxic, the sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates the blood-brain barrier, just like DMSO [a sulfoxide], and is a specific poison for higher-life forms and brain cells. We discovered this, much to our horror, when I (Bob Beck, DSc) was the world’s largest manufacturer of ethical EEG [electroencephalography] feedback equipment.

We’d have people come back from lunch that looked clinically dead on an encephalograph, which we used to calibrate their progress. “Well, what happened?” “Well, I went to an Italian restaurant and there was some garlic in my salad dressing!” So we had them sign things that they wouldn’t touch garlic before classes or we were wasting their time, their money and my time.

I guess some of you … are pilots or have been in flight tests… I was in flight test engineering in Doc Hallan’s group in the 1950s. The flight surgeon would come around every month and remind all of us: “Don’t you dare touch any garlic 72 hours before you fly one of our airplanes, because it’ll double or triple your reaction time. You’re three times slower than you would be if you’d not had a few drops of garlic.”
Well, we didn’t know why for 20 years later, until I owned the Alpha-Metrics Corporation. We were building biofeedback equipment and found out that garlic usually desynchronises your brain waves.

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I have been researching clean drinking water; after a number of months of research, I am convinced the only water anyone should drink is distilled water. I am looking at building my own water steam distiller, since I rather not buy one for $100 + My distiller will run on ‘any’ heat source, which may come in handy when camping (or when there is no electricity).. I discuss these here:

Checkout this discussion: Is There Any Good Water To Drink Out There??

Find out how to buy or build a distiller and share your ideas here: Water Distillation at Home

I will soon share my design and resutls.

I used multiple resources and created a comprehensive wellness tracker work sheet that you could use to track everything related to your wellness (physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, etc..). I put this in a PDF format here for anyone to download free of charge. No registration required, simply right click and save the file.

Click here to download the Complete Personal Wellness Tracker

I had a few nutrition classes over the years, I also have a few books that had sheets you could use to track food intake. The problem with these sheets is that they don’t track enough. A person is not just what s/he eats, we are complex (emotional, mental, spiritual, etc..) beings and there are a lot of (inner and outer) environmental variables that effect us.

One day at a physical therapy meeting, the physical therapist suggested I track my food intake to find what is causing my migraines. He suggested using a tracking sheet very similar to the one I am giving away here. He then made a comment that these sheets only track food intake, so they ignore many other things.

It felt as if he read my mind. I took that thought and did the research, comparisons, and came up with this tracker sheet that will help you track way more than just food intake. It tracks many variables that ultimately have an effect on your overall wellness.

You now can keep track of your expectations, emotions, sleep, mood, weather, physical exercise, plus more.

This sheet is self explanatory, I hope that no instructions are needed. My only instruction to you is to remember this sheet is a self-help tool. Use it for your own benefit, no one will read it so don’t worry about spelling and neatness, this is for you only, to help you track variables that may be effecting your wellness. As long as you can make sense of your notes then you’ve been successful in tracking the variables.

There is no such thing as a perfect tracking sheet. This one is a general attempt to facilitate to the needs of many. You now have to take it and personalize it. If you have something you want to track that is not on this sheet, simply write it in, any white space will do, the margins and bottom part of the sheet are god spots for these additional notes.

Once enough data has been collected you could reflect back at the notes, and see patterns, find behavior, thoughts or actions and what effects they produce.

Your feedback is important, this is not the first version, and will not be the last. If you want to ad a variable to track please let me know. I am working on the next version and will publish it once it’s completed.

I give this away to you, asking for nothing, sending you wishes of well being.

Stay well.

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I am a guy that loves soup, I have soup when I’m cold, when I’m sick, when I have a migraine, at restaurants, for dinner, over lunch, etc… I have been migraine free for more than a week now, and a couple days ago I ate soup. Within an hour of eating it I had a headache. Luckily, the headache did not develop into a full blown migraine, I considered it a mini migraine, this prompted me to check the ingredients on the soup.

I always read ingredients, but somehow I assumed that all soup was healthy and I overlooked reading the ingredients. I was surprised to find MSG (Monosodium glutamate) in the ingredients of my soup. I decided to take action.
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Fats are essential to your body and health. Fats help your body absorb nutrients, they help your nerves function, they keep your cells’ membranes (walls) healthy, keep your skin and hair healthy, and much more. The most important organ in your body, your brain, is basically made off 50% fat.

All fats are not created equal, however. Some fats promote your health, others increase the risk of heart disease, cancers, and even cause aging and general sickness.

So what should we do? Your goal is to replace all bad fats with good fats in your diet. This article provides some guidance

The Bad Fats:

• Saturated Fats are Found In:
  Animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Some plants are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.
  Effects:
  Raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).
• Hydrogenated Fats/Oils
  When liquid oils are “hydrogenate” trans fatty acids are formed.

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There are some foods that people should avoid. Health researcher Mike Adams said, people should avoid foods that contain ingredients known to cause cancer, such as refined sugars, refined grains, hydrogenated oils, MSGs, and nitrates. This is all common-sensical. Check the list to see if you already knew about these foods.

This article lists five foods that may just be the worst foods ever.

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What does being healthy mean? What do you mean when you refer to yourself or someone else using the term “healthy”? Have you paused to consider the ways in which we use the word “healthy” and what “healthy” ultimately refers to?

Here, together, we will look at this word and at the idea of being healthy. We will find what being healthy really means. We will also see how the eight dimensions of wellness and the seeking of wholeness relate to health and being healthy.

Defining being healthy (having health) may be easiest when defining the lack of health. It’s simple really; when something hurts or feels abnormal in your body, you know right away that you are (or that a part of your body is) now unhealthy. So, does being healthy mean the lack of pain? Is this a good enough definition of health?

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I recently visited an aunt that I haven’t seen in a couple months, and she made the comment that I looked relaxed and more attractive. No I am not selling myself or bragging here, seriously. The point I’m making is that she, without knowing of my recent lifestyle changes, saw a difference by looking at my face. The way I felt emotionally and physically must have influenced my facial features.

Personally I did not notice the difference, but others have and they’ve pointed it out to me by either saying that I looked more attractive or more relaxed, and that they like it better this way.

I guess, experiencing meditation, mindful meditation, guided imagery, breathing exercises, experiencing life force, or whatever you do to relax, reduce stress in your life or be healthier does have an impact on you face (and on your soul, behavior and body’s posture). It makes you look more attractive!

It does make sense, doesn’t it? Your face will reflect your body or emotional status. In addition, having your body under stress and your facial muscles under constant tension will show on your eyes, mouth, forehead.. It also make sense that all this causes wrinkles.

Have you had a similar experience??

If you have please leave a comment to let me and other know.

Thanks

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Stress is very common these days, this article has very simple tricks to help you let go of that stress before it turns into chronic stress. Enjoy!

1. Be present with whatever you are doing and whoever you are with.
2. Notice something beautiful on a daily basis (e.g., trees, clouds, flowers).
3. Walk, work, and eat at a relaxed pace.
4. Take a short break after meals to relax.
5. Go outside at least once per day and notice nature even if simple, such as the weather, scenery, etc. Allow yourself to enjoy and appreciate nature.
6. During the day, as often as possible, notice and tension in your body (jaw, neck, diaphragm, shoulders, etc.). Breathe deeply and gently stretch and relax any tense areas.
7. If you notice your mind racing or worrying about the past or future, take a minute to breathe deeply and gently focus on something in the moment such as your breath, scenery, birds. Try an emotional shift.
8. Wear comfortable and loose clothing when possible. Take off your shoes when you can.
9. Leave work worries at work.
10. Avoid holding in feelings day after day, avoid holding negativity, release and let go off those feelings before you go to bed.

More to come in future articles