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Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Sing For Your Health

Café Singer Edgar Degas
Café Singer
Edgar Degas
GNU Free Documentation License

A friend of mine posted on her FaceBook page a poster extolling the health benefits of singing which inspired me to write todays article. Here's a tip! Try singing and chanting for your health!

Singing, laughing and chanting make the sternum (the breast bone) vibrate which stimulates the immune system as the oscillations boost the thymus, a small gland in the chest behind the sternum which controls the production of the body’s key defense cells called T lymphocytes. When you sing or shout, pray or chant, laugh or listen to music, whether it be recorded or played live by many musicians, the Thymus is stimulated.

The early Greeks referred to the Thymus as the "Seat of Life Energy", but western medical science has not always understood the function of the thymus gland. Now the thymus is recognized as a gland closely related to the immune system, stress, and general well-being.  It directs life-giving and healing energies of the body, and is strongly influenced by an individual's physical environment, social relationships, food and posture.

The thymus becomes smaller and smaller with age and almost disappears in the end. It is largest and most active during the neonatal and pre-adolescent periods, but by the early teens, the thymus begins to atrophy.

Some researchers believe that different infections and cancers in old people are closely linked to the decline in T lymphocyte production. Hence, stimulating the thymus in some way either through laughing, chanting or singing can be helpful in maintaining or improving health as we age or experience illness.

Chinese Medicine uses Tapping the Thymus to help stimulate the production of T-cells, which are primary immune factors. Practiced daily, tapping will also increase the size of the thymus.

Vibrations in the throat also stimulate the Thyroid, the gland which produces hormones that regulate metabolism and the body’s energy consumption and body weight.

So now you know! The Fountain of Youth was inside YOU all the time. Keep laughing and singing for a long and healthy life!

What do you do to stay young and healthy?

Learn more about Chanting

Edited 4/30/17

Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Salt of Life

WEDNESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- If Americans cut just one gram of salt from their daily diet, there would be 250,000 fewer new cases of heart disease and more than 200,000 fewer deaths over a decade, a new study suggests. Read the rest of the story Here

The body actually needs sodium to regulate many of its functions, including heartbeat, nerve impulses and circulatory volume. It's only when consumed in excessive amounts that it reportedly contributes to high blood pressure, kidney disease and fluid retention.

Very little salt is required—perhaps less than a third of a teaspoon a day— to get the sodium necessary for good health. For this reason, avoid salt in highly processed snacks and convenience foods.

Use these tricks to reduce your salt intake:

* Substitute herbs, spices or citrus zest for salt.
* Rinse high-sodium foods like pickles, olives and canned vegetables and beans in fresh water before eating.
* Eat more fruits and vegetables. These foods are high in potassium, which complements sodium and contributes to a healthy balance of the two elements in the body.

Tip: Consider replacing iodized fine salt with a more pure coarse salt such as kosher or sea salt. Place a small bowl of it near the stove to measure out with your fingers. You'll consume less sodium and your food will taste better.

More about salt Here

Sunday, March 01, 2009

How Is Your Balance?


Do you ever feel like you're standing on a very small ledge? What do you do? With all the shifts happening in our world today, many people are finding themselves trying to balance on a very small ledge.

Balance is commonly seen as being a condition of stillness and rest. Yet, people cannot reasonably find a fixed point of balance in their lives because life is not static.The changing nature of existence means that we need to be re-adjusting constantly.

This process of continual re-adjustment, or 'dynamic balancing' occurs in relation to the changing nature of our lives and our environment. We cannot expect to be 'balanced' because nothing in our lives will ever remain stable and fixed.

What can you do? Stay focused on what you want to have in your life. What you focus on is what shows up!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Tai Chi, How to Breathe & Get More Energy

John Crewdson is another enthusiastic T'ai Chi Blogger. He recently posted about how most people have forgotten how to breathe properly. He points out that we all knew how to breathe as children, but that we forgot as we became adults and that we struggle because of it.

John writes that breathing "wrong" is bad for us over the long term. Because of the way most of us have learned to breathe we slowly loose lung capacity over the years. Our lungs stop working as well because we only use part of them, and as John points out, what we don't use, we lose.

To improve your breathing use your stomach to pull down on your diaphragm so your lungs can fill up with air. Let your ribs expand naturally. Don't lift your chest. Sometimes it's easier to do this lying down until you get the hang of it. Soon this way of breathing will become more natural to you again as you begin to feel the benefits of filling your lungs with more air. You will have more endurance, more energy, be more relaxed and think more clearly.

Regular T'ai Chi practice helps you do this naturally. Read more about T'ai Chi--Click Here.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

When Fresh Is NOT the Best

Did you know that herbs and spices are not just for making foods more tasty?

Recently I read an article by nutrition expert Kelley Herring about the benefits of using herbs and spices in your cooking. She says that when you add herbs and spices to your meals, you're doing yourself a big favor. Herring writes that recent research shows that many herbs and spices pack more age-defying, disease-fighting nutrients than the foods we use them on.

Herring believes using dried herbs will help you power up the flavor and boost the antioxidants in your meals nearly tenfold.

Herring provides the following information:

The Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity (ORAC) score ranks foods on their ability to neutralize free radicals.
Blueberries are extremely rich in antioxidants, ranking 6,552 on the ORAC scale. But Herring writes that doesn't come close to the antioxidants found in common herbs like basil and oregano.


Here's how these herbs stack up, according to Herring:

ORAC Score of Oregano

* 13,970 (fresh)
* 200,129 (dried)

ORAC Score of Basil

* 4,805 (fresh)
* 67,553 (dried)

Apparently dried is sometimes better than fresh!

Herring suggests that we buy organic dried herbs and store them in opaque containers, away from light and heat. And replace your herbs every six months to get the most flavor and free-radical fighters out of your shaker.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

T'ai Chi Offers A Way To Fight Stress

A study done by Kaiser Permenente found that unmanaged stress was the root cause of about 70 percent of patients' health problems.

That means "If you can get rid of stress, you can avoid 70% of health problems."

Deepak Chopra, M.D., world-renowned physician and author who integrates mind, body, and spirit into health and healing, has said that every pharmaceutical is already in the human body, and natural techniques can trigger the release of those chemicals to promote healing.

"That's really what Tai Chi and Qigong are designed to do, by using gentle movements and breathing techniques to constantly cleanse stress from the body," to remove the blocks and allow the flow of energy.

Author Bill Douglas writes
"Whether you are stressed out, continually exhausted, treating a health problem, or just wanting to get in shape and feel young again, Tai Chi is just what you need. Tai Chi goes right to the heart of everything we do by healing and cleansing the central nervous system. Tai Chi helps us to let go of all the nervous tension that bogs down our mental computer system (like getting a general tune up every day). This makes everything inside us work better, which often makes the world around us seem better, too."
In only 20 minutes a day, you can gain the health benefits of Tai Chi Chuan: increased strength and energy, better balance, and improved bodily awareness. Excellent for beginning students, those who want a low-impact alternative to jogging or aerobics, and those with limited time for exercise.
The most immediate health benefits of t'ai chi practice are improved posture, flexibility, balance, circulation, metabolism, and neuro-muscular function, and a strengthened immune system.  ~~ Terry Dunn
Visit my blog Tea and T'ai Chi

image Tai Chi Guy by DCMatt
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)

updated 4/30/17

Friday, May 09, 2008

Healthy Earth Friendly Lawns

Growing a healthy, earth-friendly lawn
Photo by Bess Mendiola

Leukemia or a Weedless Lawn?

This was the headline of an article from today's Care2 newsletter. Annie B. Bond writes about something big that has happened in Canada, and she’d love it if we would all celebrate by urging our state governments to follow the Canadians’ lead.

The provinces of Ontario and Quebec have both banned the use of cosmetic pesticides! These are the type you put on your lawn and spray on your rose bushes.

Astonishingly, Annie writes, Home Depot is listening and voluntarily stopping the sale of traditional pesticides in Canada and replacing them with eco-friendly versions.

I agree with Annie that this is big news because the reason for this action is to protect the health of pregnant women and children. Research shows that children who are exposed to pesticides and herbicides have a higher risk of leukemia, among other things.

According to Organic Style magazine, You can have an organic lawn that is lush and lovely, and there are so many reasons to go natural. Pesticides and herbicides are linked to neurotoxicity, birth defects, cancers, organ damage and more.

To find out more about this issue and what you can do visit my site Non-Toxic Lawn Care

Click Here to Order Perennial/ Annual Wildflower Seeds for your backyard.

Photo License (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Updated 4/25/15

Friday, March 28, 2008

Almonds For Your Health

Shelled Almonds
Almonds 

Did you know that almonds are a healthy snack and that they have been proven beneficial for weight loss, and can help to combat a number of health problems? In a recent installment of Healthy Eating with the Gallands, from Care2.com, the benefits of eating almonds are covered.

The article states that almonds are more than a delicious snack, they are packed with nutrition that can help reduce your waistline and improve your health. Studies indicate that almonds may provide important nutritional support to combat diabetes, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, inflammation and obesity.

The article also says that almonds help your Heart and Waist. It states that almonds are a source of nutrients that can facilitate weight loss and can help your heart. When overweight Americans used about a 2/3 cup of almonds per day as part of a weight-loss diet, they increased weight loss by 62 percent more than when following a standard weight loss diet and had a 50 percent greater reduction in waist circumference. (I think 2/3 cup might be too much).

And did your know that almonds are a good source of the minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium.

The article points out that almonds help reduce High Blood Sugar. It mentions exciting research that shows almonds may help to fight The Insulin Resistance Syndrome, also called the Metabolic Syndrome, which affects 40 percent of U.S. adults. It is characterized by an expanding waistline, insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing diabetes. According to the article, research done at the City of Hope National Medical Center in California found that incorporating almonds into a weight loss diet produced a decrease in insulin resistance that was twice as large as with a standard weight-loss diet. Diabetics showed almost twice the improvement in blood sugar control when they lost weight on an almond-enriched diet than a standard diabetic weight-loss diet.

To read all about the amazing power of almonds and pick up some pointers on how to incorporate more of them into your diet check out the complete article at Care2's Annie's Green Living Series

More Notes:
For more info about the health benefits of Almonds Click Here

Almonds Photo Credit
Edited 1/23/2016

Tuesday, March 25, 2008


I try to keep my life balanced. In many areas the learning curve is high for me. In some areas it's really a challange. I'm not in the medical field and I don't think of my self as a writer. What I am good at is research and reporting what I discover.

This blog will be a journal of my research and experiments for living a balanced life, spiritually, physically and financially.

I invite you along on my journey as a friend, reader and as a contributor.

To boldly go....