Health Through Healing Hands

If you suffer pain associated with arthritis, fibromyalgia or gout, there are certain foods and food additives that can aggravate or cause muscle and joint pain.

One way to prevent pain is to avoid the foods or chemical additives that can be the root cause of the problem.

Although they may be some of your favorite foods, we all know that to relieve debilitating pain is a better option. Foods to avoid include tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes and eggplant. These foods contain a substance called solanine and when these foods are eaten they can produce severe pain in the joints and also the soft tissue. When buying packaged foods, you must take great care to read the labels. These foods are widely used especially in packaged meals.

Another substance that can cause pain is tobacco. Smokers, who suffer from arthritis, should be definitely encouraged to stop smoking.

To help with gout flare up there are certain foods here to be eliminated. The main foods here are red meat, organ meat and shellfish. Purines are a by product of digesting protein and these break down to form uric acid which is the main cause of gout. People should monitor these proteins because some may be more sensitive to one more than the other. Vegetable based proteins, chicken and fresh fish should be part of the diet for any gout sufferer.

If you suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia or any digestive disorders, you will find it much better to avoid wheat and gluten. By eating a gluten free diet, it may help reduce the pain in some of the joints.

So always read labels before purchasing any tinned or packaged product. Avoid products that will cause you pain. If you are a smoker please quit. It is a matter of improving you lifestyle while reducing any pain in your body.

To YOUR success

Sue McDonald
goBlogz

I was sitting here wondering what to write and suddenly I felt that I have to write about mindset. I have just watched a John Assaraf video and I find John inspirational. I met him last year and if any of you have seen  “The Secret” he was the one who had the vision boards that he opened up a box 5 years later after creating them, to find that the picture on one board was the exact house he bought.

John is very much into positive mindset and how to achieve all that you want. In the video I watched, he was talking about visualization. Now, what you have to do is visualize yourself getting whatever it is you desire.

Try this exercise. Hold your hand out in front of you with your eyes open. Look at your hand. Now close your eyes and see if you can visualize your hand still held in front of your eyes. You may have to practice this a few times but it can come very easily. If you are having trouble, visualize someone that you love and very quickly, you will be getting a mental picture of them.

If you practice this every day, and ask the Universe for whatever it is you want, you will find there is a way that you will receive it. The more you do this – the easier it gets.

For example, if you want a new car, visualize yourself behind the wheel and feeling how luxurious the seat that you are sitting in is. Or if you cannot do this in the first person, you can always do it in the third person. See yourself as you drive that car.

There is nothing too big or too small to ask for. If you are not well at the moment visualize yourself as super fit and healthy. All your positive energy will help you achieve whatever it is you want. The secret here is being consistent.

Every thought that has ever been or will be is out there in the Universe and all you have to do is ask for it. Anything is a thought first before it is brought to life. When an inventor wants to create a product, he first thinks about what he wants and how he is going to go about making it. This applies to any invention or product every made or created.

So start practicing today and see what you can achieve. The Universe will show you some way that you can receive what you ask for.

When we think of our overall well being and health, there is one area that a lot of us neglect. We neglect our posture and this should be our top priority.

When we were children, we probably had perfect posture because we were more fluid and moved a great more than we now do. Most of us tend to sit at our computers, either at work or at home, much longer than we should.

Basic posture requires that we have our spine and our abdominal muscles are equally strong for the best possible alignment. Posture, whether good or bad, will have a major effect on your body and your mood.  People who have good posture tend to be happier and out going and those that slump or slouch tend to be depressed and uncertain.

This can be changed but you have to be aware of every move you make. Here are a few suggestions that may help you change and improve your posture.

Walking – Ladies watch those high heals because they will throw you hips forward and this can cause shortening of some of the muscles and you will develop back pain. When you are walking your gait must be even, make sure the weight is evenly distributed between both side when you step out. The length of the step, on both the right and left foot, must be equal.

Standing – When standing ensure that the weight is evenly distributed and you stand on both feet. When you breathe in engage your stomach muscles and pull the shoulders back so you are standing straight. Be aware of the position of you head, do not let it lean to one side or the other but have it straight and looking forward.

Sitting at your computer –Always have you screen elevated off your desk so you are looking straight at it. Ideally when seated on your chair your hips should be higher than you knees. Keep you feet flat on the floor – hip width apart. Always stand up at regular intervals if you are working at your computer. It is recommended that you have a five minute break every 30 minutes – go and get a glass of water. Water is essential to keep you hydrated especially if you are working in air-conditioning.

Sitting in a comfortable chair – If you are sitting reading do not look down to read but lift the book up. If you are watching television make sure that your head is facing forward and you so not have to twist your neck. Do no slump in the chair and try to maintain you back against the back of the chair.

Sleeping – It is important that you have a firm mattress to sleep on this ensures that you body weight is evenly distributed. If you have a soft mattress you will be probably creating a curve in your spine and over time this can result in back pain.

At all times of the day, be conscious how you are sitting, standing or walking. Allow yourself a massage once a month as this will help reduce the stress that can build up in your shoulder area from constantly sitting in front of your computer.

To YOUR success

Sue McDonald

Yoga is not an exercise it is a practice. Yoga is intended to redirect your entire body to make it all come together. Yoga works the mind combined with the body to make it fall into place, which helps one to improve personal overall life.

Everyone needs a little help one time or another to get their health and thinking on track.  Practicing yoga brings the perfect out of all of us, teaching us to meditate and at the same time, helps relieve that awful stress. Along with helping to relieve stress, yoga strengthens our limbs, mind, refreshes us and even helps us lose weight. Our energy level will increase because we feel better.

When starting to practice Yoga take it slow and easy. Don’t force your body into the different postures all at once.  If you do more than your body says it can do, you could hurt yourself.  Like any exercise program, you need to go slowly and stick with it.  You might not notice a difference right away but hang in there and it will come in time.

Don’t go out and buy all new exercising cloths just to practice yoga.  All you need is sweats and a comfortable loose fitting top.  Maybe after awhile you might want to buy a yoga mat but most gyms will furnish them. Wherever you are you can practice using a towel for the floor mat they work just as good.

If you’re a person that can’t stand and if you are not flexible, this can be done in a chair.  So, stand or sit. You can become the person you’ve always wanted to be.  Make those muscles stronger and get that mind into shape along with feeling better and you’ll get to your goal.

Do you have allergies; the nose runs and your eyes water, you are congested, and just don’t feel good especially in the cold weather?  Practicing Yoga can help strengthen and balance the immune system with its slow breathing and posture.  The nervous system will relax and it calms down the virus.

Is it hard for you to fall to asleep or stay asleep?  Try laying on the bed or floor before crawling into bed.  This is a good time to practice meditating to relax.  Lay on your back with the palms up and start at your head.  Start with the head and relax it then the neck and on down slowly until you reach your feet.  Practice as often as possible and this one will help you sleep once you’ve relaxed the whole body.

You can practice Yoga at the office sitting at your desk, in the park anywhere you can meditate. When sitting in a chair twist from side to side, rotate your head side to side and to the front and back, put you arms above your head and stretch. While doing these movements in your chair as you relax shut your eyes and let all thoughts come in and go out.

Stressed and need to learn how to breath slow and then sleep will come, Yoga can be useful for all ages from children to Grandma and Grandpa. The children can practice to strengthen the mind and body by standing beside you and Grandma and Grandpa can sit in the chair.  Strengthening and relaxing along with the meditating is good for everyone. It all gets easier to you.

Yoga can also be good for your heart. The heart will become stronger, someone who suffers from epilepsy can benefit from practicing Yoga because it stimulates the brain; some people in a study that was taken says it decreased the amount of seizure’s they were experiencing. Yoga is known to help the mentally handicapped by relaxing their minds, letting them think well.

I’ve given you a few ideas on why a person might want to try practicing Yoga so go for it and enjoy.

This is the type of yoga that I practice, Shiatsu Yoga - in fact this is my teacher.

Well – just finished a gym workout session and I may take a break over the Christmas festive season – but just because I will not work out at the gym it doesn’t mean I won’t do some form of exercising.

My husband has actually given me a Wii for Christmas but I had to know about it. It is a bit difficult for some people to keep a secret. I am thinking ahead – I think I might use that for my exercise for the holiday period. It should be a lot of fun. I bet the kids will show me a thing or two.

The problem that a lot of us face, over the holidays , is the amount of eating and drinking we seem to indulge in. Yes, I am guilty too – we catch up with friends and family and what do we do? We tend to eat, drink and talk and not a lot of time left for the exercise regime. We exercise the facial muscles but not much more.

Over the years I have developed a few tricks. I am very selective about what I will have to eat if I am just catching up with friends – nothing that is greasy. Try sticking to just one drink and heaps of water. I even take a plate that I know has healthy options for me. I like carrot and celery sticks. I try and avoid potato chips because they are very moreish and it is difficult to stop at just a few.

What ever you do this year – enjoy! Remember we can all start thinking ahead for the New Year’s resolutions, regarding a healthy living or lifestyle change – but if you make a resolution – stick to it for more than a day or a week!!!

Further to my last post, I would like to let you know more about phobias. Phobia can best be described as a number of symptoms, that when exposed to certain objects or situations, bring on this effect of unreasonable but lasting fear. These objects usually pose little or no danger but the proximity or thoughts about these things can cause intense anxiety for the sufferer. Most adults who suffer from this anxiety associated with phobias recognize that the fear can be excessive and unreasonable but they do not know how to overcome it.

What are some of these phobias? Some people have an intense fear of animals including mice, dogs, snakes and spiders. This is probably the most common type of phobia.

Another phobia is that of your environment like the fear of heights, the fear of falling, the fear of storms and the sound of lightening and the fear of water. For some sufferers, the fear such as going into public places, leaving the safety of their house, getting into an elevator, flying on a plane or simply going into any confined area is very real. These are just a few of the phobias – there are several others.

Some of the symptoms for the sufferer include heart palpitations, excessive sweating, anxiety and distress, shaking, difficulties in maintaining normal breathing and some people experiencing dizziness and fainting. Any phobia to the sufferer causes anxiety, some may even say terror.

Everyone can experience some type of phobia. Usually they appear in our teenage years and adulthood but can occur at any age. Children suffer from specific phobias but these usually disappear as they grow. One of their main fears is often being afraid of the dark.

The exact cause of any phobias is unknown but it may be a learned behaviour or as a result of witnessing a related event. If we take snakes for example, most of us have been taught to avoid or run from them and this is our learned behaviour. This fear has been passed down to us by our parents.

Phobias can be treated. Although phobias are not always easy to treat, ask your medical practitioner for advice. The treatment can involve a combination of therapy and medication.

What is a “phobia?”

The best way to describe a phobia is that it is an anxiety attack or an anxiety disorder that occurs when we are exposed to situations, places or objects that of which we are fearful.

It can be described as an irrational fear but that does not help the sufferer to be told this. To them the fear is real and during an attack, they can experience some of these symptoms. They may experience a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, trembling and an urge to run or flee from the situation. Usually people who suffer from a phobia will try and avoid the situation, place or object that causes them anxiety.

A common fear or phobia amongst children is the fear of the dark. This will require affirmative action by the parent or guardian to help them overcome this. Usually leaving on a light will reassure them and help. Phobias are common and while other than childhood fears, phobias and fears usually develop during our teenage years and early adulthood. You may, as a child, been told never touch a spider and now ever time you see a spider you want to avoid it at all costs. This is a learned behavior that was drilled into you when you were young.

Phobias, to the sufferer, definitely cause a lot of anxiety and stress. If the situation can not be avoided, it is always a cause of concern to face the situation for the sufferer.

The best advice for any sufferer would be to seek medical help and advice. Phobias can be overcome and your doctor will be able to advise you.

Phobias may take time to cure but there have been several breaks through in recent years. One has been Thought Field Therapy (TFT). This system is based on tapping the various meridians of the body and the use of affirmations and was devised by American psychologist, Doctor Roger Callahan. Another similar treatment is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). If you suffer from a phobia, you may like to investigate both of these treatments.

Being fit and healthy is how we all should want to live. Our body and health are our most valuable assets. It is important that we take care of our selves and our loved ones.

When you want to maintain your health, one of the best ways is cardio training.

What Is Cardio Training?

Cardio training elevates the heart rate and uses the large muscle groups of the body.

Some exercises that will get the heart elevated include, walking, jogging, aerobics, football, cycling, rowing, snow skiing, kick boxing and swimming. You may be a member of a gym and they may have a cardio circuit set up.

 What Benefits Do We Get From Training?

1. You will gain increased energy

After a few weeks of cardio training, you will notice that your energy levels are starting to increase along with your endurance. You will be able to train for longer periods. If you started with 30 minutes of exercising you will be able to increase your time even up to 60 minutes.

2. Cardio Training Helps Prevents Diseases

Regular cardio training could help prevent heart disease. We know that it can help prevent a variety of diseases including diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. Cardiovascular training strengthens the heart and the lungs and also increases bone density, which in turn, can help prevent Osteoporosis. People who prefer the lower range of exercise like walking or slow jogging can prevent these diseases.

3. A Way to Control Your Weight

Cardio training burns calories faster. If you want to lose weight, it is a great way to move those pounds. Along with a healthy diet, depending on what training you are doing, you will see a loss of weight. If you are overweight, you should contact your health practitioner to ascertain which the best exercise is for you.

4. Lose Body Fats

Even though some people do not consider themselves over weight, they will find that if they are carrying any extra fat, this training will certainly burn it off as long as the also have a healthy diet. Regular training will make the body leaner.

Start Training to Get the Benefits

There is no better way to improve your overall health than by starting a cardio training regime.

What exercise you pick is your personal preference.

Today is the day you start. Take yourself for a walk around your neighbourhood. Start with a 30 minute walk and as your endurance improves you will be able to go for longer walks. As your fitness level increases it is advisable to increase the intensity of your training.

Avoid training just before going to bed. Training will elevate your energy levels and it would be difficult to get to sleep.

Never train on an empty stomach. Have a snack about 30 minutes before you are due to start training. If you have a snack only, you will burn it off while you are training.

One point to remember, you have to train on a consistent basis, about 5 times a week. You will also benefit from enjoying the surroundings and breathing the fresh air. You can elect to train by yourself or with a friend or you may simply want to take your dog for a walk. What ever exercise you do you will get great health benefits from cardio training.

submit your site FREE Web Directory

Some detox diets are controversial so therefore care and advice should be sought before starting one.

Detox diets are undertaken to clean out your system of toxins and poisons. They are not recommended for everyone especially if you have any medical condition such as diabetes or a heart condition, also not recommended for anyone suffering from an eating disorder. Teenagers are another group that should not use a detox diet because it will rob their bodies of important vitamins and minerals that their bodies need during this phase of growth and development.

This type of diet is not specifically designed for you to lose weight but this could be one of the side effects. There are also some other bad side effects that you may suffer like headaches, fatigue, hunger and skin problems such as acne.

During this diet, you will eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. The vegetables are mainly raw so that you are getting the maximum benefit from the natural vitamins and minerals. Over the next few days, because you have eliminated certain foods from you normal diet and you may be taking some type of tablet or powder laxative that you have bought from your pharmacist, your system will start to clean itself. Eating natural foods like fruit and vegetables will improve the function of the liver, kidneys and intestines.

Because you have changed you diet and you may also be taking some form of laxative, be prepared to make frequent visits to the bathroom. During this time, you should drink lots of water and fluids to prevent dehydration.

There is no medical evidence at the moment that these diets are effective.  The body normally does its own cleaning process. When you are healthy, and you have a good diet, it should not be necessary. If you think you should commit yourself to doing this diet, it may be advisable to seek medical advice first. Remember it could be detrimental to some people if they have some known health conditions.

There are other diets that maybe more suitable for you.

We all have different IQs but there are ways to increase the capacity of your brain. If you believe that you can boost you brain power and experience better results – then there is help available for you.

These seven steps as shown here are going to boost your brain and keeping it working perfectly.

1. Have a regular exercise regime

It is not particular important what exercise you get involved with because something as simple as walking is fine. As you get fitter, after a period of time, increase the intensity of your workout.

When you work out, there is a release of neurochemicals. Endorphins are released and this makes us feel happier and if you feel happy this will create a more positive effect in the brain.

2. Take Diet Supplements.

We have often heard that natural supplements are good for our health and therefore good for our brain. Omega 3 comes to mind. These supplements are available from you local health store, your supermarket or on line.

3. The Beneficial Effect of Using Your Brain

Just as you exercise your body, you must exercise your brain. This can be done through a variety of different methods. It may be as easy as engaging in conversation with friends and family or you may even play some type of educational game. This could even be a game on line. Crossword puzzles make you think and learn. Any form of activity that stimulates the brain is good.

4. Playing Games

Find games that have a good effect on your brain where you are forced to think. There are several games on line that could be what you want but avoid any that do not require much thought. There are also several gaming consoles that may suit you. Play games that increase your power of thought and in turn increase you brain function.

5. Choose an Educational Hobby.

Choose something that interests you where you can learn something. For example, you may want to join a class and learn how to write a book. You should be able to learn more on the subject than you already know. An educational hobby is designed to use parts of the brain that you do not normally use.

6. Enjoy Your Sleep.

Sleep is a time when the body and mind recharges itself. The amount of time we sleep should be between six to eight hours per night. If you like to take a power nap during the day, ensure that it is for a maximum of 20 minutes. This works well for some people because they feel regenerated and can tackle more in their day. Never deprive yourself of sleep – this is what allows the brain to function better.

7. Relaxation.

Always allow time for relaxation. Because we are often rushing to get things done, not only does our body get tired but also our mind. Many people find that even exercise can be a form of relaxation, in particular, yoga. Meditation is also a great way to relax the mind. Just allow yourself time to wipe all the worries out of your mind. Which form of relaxation you choose, will allow you to feel healthier and happier and increase your brain’s performance.

To YOUR success

Sue McDonald