I hope that reading the title of this article got your attention. We are going to talk about energy management. You heard it right: I have used the big word ENERGY. I know you are probably thinking to yourself right now: “Here we go. She’s going to start talking about some esoteric concepts that don’t mean anything to me.”

Let me tell you that isn’t going to be the case. My intention here is to demystify the esoteric concept of energy from a simple and practical standpoint.

Here is what we will touch upon:

• What does it mean to be an energetic being?
• How to manage your energy in the way that works for you.
• How to recognize an “energy drain.”
• What is the difference between spending versus investing your energy.
• How to protect yourself from energy vampires.
• How food affects your energy.
• What to do to feel more energized and alive in your life.
• Tools and resources you can use to affect your energy levels and also to protect yourself.

Since this would be too much information to cover in one article, and I also don’t want you to go to sleep while reading this, I’m dividing it into two parts. The first part we will talk about managing your energy. The second part will cover how to protect your energy and tools you can use, and will be discussed in the next issue of Live Your Life.

Let’s start from the beginning. Why am I the person you should listen to? I don’t think you SHOULD do anything in your life. Yes you heard me right. However, if what I’m saying is making sense to you and you feel attracted to it, then by all means read and draw your own conclusions about what I’m sharing with you. I always believe in questioning and trying things for yourself. Otherwise, how will you find your own way in life? This is my platform to share my own experiences with you and what I have learned through those experiences.

So if you are still with me, here we go:

The first time that I was introduced to the concept of energy was when I was 20 years old. Coming from a conventional medicine background you can imagine my response to the energy concept. (Too bad you can’t see my face, because it would be so much easier to show you than to describe what that looked like back in the day.) It was kind of the same thing as talking about UFOs. Not something I ever knew about, had no tangible experience with, and on top of everything, I was coming from a very rigid place, which was, “If I can’t see it, smell it, or touch it, then it must not exist.” Does that sound at all familiar to you? I had 1,000 questions and I wanted to understand it NOW! I was functioning from my intellect and that is where I stayed most of the time. Why? Because that is where I was comfortable.

Here is the reason: There were events in my childhood so painful and overwhelming that at one point in my life I disconnected from my emotions.

The result was me disowning a very essential and important part of myself–my sense of knowing. Call it intuition. I found out years later emotions are your essential connector to your intuition.

Pointer #1: It is usually challenging to believe in something that you never had a tangible experience with (and know that it exists).

Pointer #2: If at some point in your life (due to overwhelming events) you disconnected from your emotions (which by the way most of us do), your sense of knowing (intuition) is greatly diminished or masked.

That is why lots of folks are having a hard time relating to the concept of energy. We don’t operate in those terms in our lives, on a day-to-day basis. However, that doesn’t mean energy doesn’t exist and it doesn’t affect our lives just because we don’t believe in it.

Nowadays, it has been scientifically proven at the base of everything is energy. We are energetic beings that vibrate at certain speeds. The sooner you’ll get this concept, the better off you’ll be.

Pointer #3: You are in charge of your vibration.

However, if you don’t know that, aren’t aware of the energy concept and the practical application of it in your life, you most likely are the victim of your environment and people around you. What do I mean?

Everything you interact with on a day-to-day basis (be it people, things you do, or behavioral patterns you engage in) influences your energy levels and how you function in the world. So how do you recognize an energy drain?

Here are some things to look for:

1. People you talk to or interact with (in person or on the phone), afterwards you feel tired and drained (people who complain a lot, people you look at and don’t feel right about, people who always just want to talk about themselves and their tragedies, etc.).
2. Places and circumstances that leave you feeling tired (places with a lot of people like subways at rush hour, movie theaters or shopping malls, places where violent things have happened–like the Twin Towers, etc.).
3. The food you eat–especially processed foods (those that come prepared in a boxes and cans, pizzas, hamburgers, chips, things you put into the microwave, sugar in any form, eating lots of red meat, and potatoes, overeating, etc.), after you eat them your energy greatly decreases.
4. Doing more than you can handle physically and emotionally, going to extremes.
5. Always taking care of others and not having time for yourself.
6. Mostly “doing” instead of “being.”
7. Having unresolved emotional residue from the past (like childhood trauma, things you had a hard time dealing with, etc.). These things create energetic weight you carry around and make it harder to deal with things on a day-to-day basis. Basically you expend twice as much energy.
8. Excessive use of alcohol, coffee, or other substances including medications and recreational drugs. Energetically they create a gunk in your system and put you out of your body, so the more you use them, it becomes increasingly harder to function in life and be present with what’s going on. They decrease your vibration.
9. EMF (electro magnetic frequency). This is a low vibration frequency that most of us are exposed to on a day-to-day basis from TV, microwave, computers, cell phones, fluorescent lighting, energy plants (nuclear or hydroelectric), airplanes, anything you plug into an electric socket (hairdryers, toasters, etc.).

In closing our talk about energy management, let me tell you how a combination of some of these or all of these things can result in your life.

• Loss of physical energy
• Being tired a lot
• Feeling overwhelmed in life
• Feeling depressed
• Low sex drive
• Reoccurring physical symptoms like eye strain, headaches, backaches
• What’s the point attitude
• Having hard time focusing
• Sleeping disturbances
• Inability to relax
• Inability to fully enjoy life
• Various physical and emotional ailments

Stay tuned for part two, where we will talk about ways to protect your energy and tools that have helped me that you can use to help yourself and take charge of your life.

Enjoy and don’t forget to have fun!

Click here to read Have More Energy - Part two

If you would like to use this article for your own e-zine, not a problem; however, you MUST include the following for the attribution block: Copyright © 2006 Erika Gombosova, Emotional Healing and Self-Discovery Coach, and LiveYourLife.us. Erika helps people process their emotional trauma in a safe environment, helping them to develop more energy, clarity, confidence, improve relationships with themselves and others, improve physical appearance, and help them to live life more fully. Learn more about Erika and Live Your Life, visit www.liveyourlife.us.

About the Author:
Erika Gombosova is an Emotional and Self-Discovery Coach. Based on her own business and life experiences, Erika has discovered there are certain elements (what she calls the inner game) that get in the way of succeeding and moving forward in business and in life. She designed the Self Reclaiming System, which helps women entrepreneurs to move past their old programming and internal limitations to create the successful businesses and live

Purchase the book: Why Am I So Grumpy, Dopey and Sleepy?

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Watch this video by Dr. Mercola to see why getting the flu shot makes no sense. Some reasons include:

The majority of the 30,000 “scare” flu deaths are really pneumonia related deaths and the flu only causes about 1,000 deaths a year.

Of the million who get the flu, most are elderly with compromised immune systems and more susceptible to pneumonia

Numerous studies report that the flu vaccine will not protect against pneumonia (obviously) and no study conclusively proves that the flu vaccine protects against the flu either.

Prevention is a much safer and saner way to avoid getting the flu in the first place. Please watch Dr. Mercola’s video for proven advice on health tips such as Vitamin D intake that will boost your immune system and protect against the flu naturally.

I’m always on the lookout for nutrients, foods and lifestyle information that will make our bodies and minds healthier and our lives happier, but this little gem has escaped my radar so far, and I suspect that mainstream awareness needs to be raised, starting now! This is about a simple and inexpensive synthetic amino acid related to common household vinegar called EDTA (EthyleneDiamineTetraAcetic Acid).

EDTA was developed by the Germans in 1931 to reverse heavy-metal poisoning from the ingestion of lead, mercury, aluminum, cadmium, and more, especially rampant from the battlefields from World War 1. Chelation therapy is not some new and trendy miracle cure, but for various reasons, it’s one of the best guarded secrets out there flying beneath the mainstream health conscious radar, known for health improvement. If you realize even one or two gains from a huge list of alleged benefits, EDTA deserves to be classified as an astounding miracle compound.

EDTA works on the principle of chelation therapy, and without being too technical, see “chelation” at Wikipedia, works by removing excessive levels of 13 minerals from your body — lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, and aluminum — all toxic heavy metals. It also removes calcium from arteriosclerotic plaque. That’s the stuff that hardens the arteries and constricts blood flow to and from the heart. Studies have shown that by reducing harmful plaque, EDTA reduces blood pressure in about 60% of high blood pressure patients. Not only that, EDTA can reduce or reverse the effect of a stroke, particularly after the stroke, but even as late as two years following a stroke and it can reduce the need for bypass surgical procedures. EDTA can greatly reduce the need for lower extremity amputations.

Now comes a whole laundry list of benefits, as if the above wasn’t enough. EDTA dissolves kidney stones and protects against iron poisoning and toxic iron buildup in the liver. Regular use has also been shown to improve memory as well as of cholesterol buildup in the liver, thereby reducing blood cholesterol levels throughout the body. By cleaning out our arteries and vessels, EDTA chelation reduces or relaxes excessive heart contractions, helping to normalize 50% or better, of irregular heart rhythms. The risk of heart attacks or strokes is greatly reduced, especially as we age.

EDTA chelation helps to prevent and reduce osteoarthritis. It reduces and alleviates the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Chelation helps to smooth skin wrinkles and aids in restoring softer and more youthful skin in general. In addition, it helps to lower insulin requirements for diabetics. It even dissolves large and small blood clots. Studies and clinical trials have also shown that EDTA chelation can reverse diabetic gangrene as well as restore impaired vision, particularly in the diabetic whose suffering from macular degeneration. Diabetics should undoubtedly talk to their nutritionists about EDTA.

EDTA chelation treatment can help patients with very advanced chronic diseases and in the majority of cases bring the patient back to normal functioning. The treatment can clean up the blood vessels and organs of even the most severely ill patients, and many times the patient can then be successfully treated with the usual conventional treatments. However, medical science in the U.S. seems to be geared more to curing the disease after it’s onset, rather than overall prevention. I just have to wonder why more press and education isn’t made readily available, stressing simple and effective remedies, such as the subject of this article.

If I were a conspiracy theory advocate, I would almost suggest, as many people have, that the amount of money involved in treating crisis conditions would preclude the revenue generated from illness prevention, or wellness advocacy. It may end up shaking the current status quo from it’s complacency, possibly revolutionizing health care, as currently practiced in America. How much better would it be if we could spend more resources and attention on keeping people well, rather than concentrating on trying to make people better after they are sick. We should concentrate on health improvement and maintenance, possibly embracing non conventional methodology presently outside the current confines of empirical medicine.

Chelation therapy is great stuff but it’s not a cure. There is no free lunch, so to speak. It can help in reversing some diseases very well, open blocked blood vessels, and restore circulation, but it is not a cure. If you don’t pay attention to diet, if you don’t stop smoking, if you don’t take the proper nutritional supplements, if you don’t exercise regularly, if you won’t make the lifestyle changes necessary for good health, then eventually you’ll be back to square one or worse. EDTA is very inexpensive, can be purchased over the counter, and is definitely worth a longer look. Thanks for reading.

About the Author:
I specialize in general interest short article content, especially for my own content sites. I love to write and I look forward to contributing many many more submissions, hoping people will find some useful or entertaining info. http://www.healthcontentsite.com

Buy the book: Everything You Should Know About Chelation Therapy

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I’ve just been to visit my grandma. She’s ninety two years old and is a remarkable woman. I aspire to be like her but there’s no doubt in my mind I never will.

I’m usually an optimist but I know my constitution is not as strong as hers and over the years I’ve abused my body in a way she never has.

Now don’t misunderstand here. I’ve never smoked or taken non prescription drugs. I rarely ever drink; have never had a tattoo and only my ear lobes have been pierced. I’ve not slept around or had unprotected sex so what makes me so sure I won’t live to be the same age as my predecessor?

Toxic chemicals and EMF - the legacy of progress and the chemical revolution since the 1940’s.

Since my grandmother was born the world has seen many changes. Advancements have been made in all areas and life is, or should be, so much easier. However, for every positive there is a negative and for every up there is a down.

The down is the pollution which invades our lives both inside and out and the irreversible effects it has on all of us. Our immune systems get weaker with every generation.

Let me explain.

When my grandmother was young, particularly during and after the First and Second World Wars food was very scarce. If you were lucky enough to have food on the table it was fresh, seasonal, full of natural vitamins and minerals and actually tasted the way it was supposed to.

You ate everything that was put on your plate, sitting at a table with the rest of your family. Meals were taken at a set time with no snacks in-between. Eating was a social occasion and if you weren’t there you went hungry.

People were rarely overweight. They walked or used a bicycle to get where they needed to go.

Fast forward to 2006 where even sitting down to a meal is a rare event. Most people eat snacks sitting at their desks, in the car, bus or train and family meals seem to be reserved for special occasions. Exercise is something to be scheduled in.

Food is mostly frozen, prepacked and microwavable. It contains fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, flavorings and colorings as well as the chemicals which leak from the packaging.

What it rarely contains unless organic is sufficient vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep us healthy, and it is now almost mandatory to take an effective daily multi-vitamin supplement.

However, that doesn’t appear to worry the majority of us. We seem more concerned with the size and appearance of the food rather than the actual taste or nutritional value. No-one considers we now need to eat several oranges to get the same amount of Vitamin C as my grandmother got from just one.

We ship produce thousands of miles around the world using up our natural resources, causing all sorts of pollution and global warming to satisfy our lust for year round availability. Just as our extended Christmas has lost its magic so has the novelty of strawberries and cream for Wimbledon and lettuce in the summer. Nothing is seasonal any more.

Legally our grocery stores have to check their sell by and use by dates but how many of us are conscientious about it at home? While the food may taste okay, who knows what lurks within? Sometimes I think food must have been embalmed rather than preserved as it has such a long expiration date.

Since the 1940’s and the so called ‘Chemical Revolution’ over 100,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced which simply did not exist prior to that date. Worryingly, very few have ever been tested for long term health effects either individually or in combination.

There are over 200 different types of cancer now and scientists agree that 80% of them are caused by harmful toxic synthetic chemicals.

Most of these come from our food but they are all around us and we cannot escape them. Many are in the products we use on our skin so the phrase “dying to be beautiful” could be taken quite literally.

My grandmother has never followed the cleanse, tone, moisturize routine, worn makeup, nail polish and perfume, or colored her hair. I, on the other hand have been guilty of all of the above.

Unlike me she’s never consciously sunbathed or spent hours on sunbeds. Having almost drowned as a toddler she never learned to swim so hasn’t spent time in chlorine filled swimming pools. Computers, mobile phones and until very recently, microwave ovens, have played no part in her life.

My grandmother never learned to drive and rode her bicycle until she was in her late eighties. I, on the other hand jump into the car and use it far more than I should.

I have a vacuum cleaner and central heating. My grandma is used to a hand brush and until relatively recently, coal fires.

All in all, my life is easy but I wish I could turn back the clock. If I knew then what I know now I think I’d have more chance of being like my grandmother. As it is, although forty years my senior, her memory is far better than mine.

She is a diabetic and takes medication but has never felt compelled to take vitamins and supplements. She has a home cooked meal every day, using meat and fresh vegetables.

To keep her brain active she does crossword puzzles and word searches and her hands are kept supple with knitting.

I take vitamins and minerals, probiotics and various other supplements every day just so my immune system can cope with the daily barrage of toxic chemicals to which I am unwillingly and often unwittingly being exposed.

I use certified organic skincare and personal products as that’s the only way to ensure I’m not absorbing toxins through my skin. I always assumed any product on the supermarket shelf would be safe but apparently not.

Out of the 10,500 plus synthetic chemicals used in the personal and skin care industry only about 11% have ever been assessed. Cosmetic manufacturers can use any ingredient apart from ten prohibited substances in their products and they are not required to undergo approval before they are sold.

That’s a bit worrying as your skin absorbs 60% of whatever you put on it.

Further, independent research has found that more than one third of personal care products contain at least one ingredient linked to cancer, and 70% of all products contain ingredients that may contain harmful impurities such as known carcinogens.

It seems my great grandfather was wise when he told my grandma if she was meant to have red lips she would have been born with them.

Technology has moved on and I keep my brain active working on the computer. The keyboard keeps my hands supple. However, it’s taking its toll.

My eyes are deteriorating faster than I wish and I dread the regular trips to the optician as I know they’ll be expensive. I get little exercise and certainly don’t feel as well as I should.

Daily I expose myself to radiation and wear a personal bio shield in the hope it will help reduce the harmful effects of EMFs - the electro magnetic fields around computers, cell phones, electric clocks, fluorescent lights, telephones, answering machines, hair dryers, microwaves and various other common devices.

Even with my best efforts I fear I’m fighting a losing battle. I can’t turn back the clock and undo the advances which we all now take for granted, but I know my generation is paying the price of progress.

That’s why I’ll never be like my grandma.

by Jean Shaw
About the Author: For details of the World’s First cosmetic, skin and personal care products certified to Food Grade Standards free of toxins and harmful synthetic chemicals see www.bestorganicsforhealth.com Jean Shaw is the author of I’m Not Naughty - I’m Autistic and Autism, Amalgam and Me www.jeanshaw.com

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We all live in a contaminated world and most of us realize we could benefit from some full body detoxification. But how many of us actually have the time to do 7 day juice fasts, the money to spend on clove capsules, dandelion root, black walnut tinctures, coffee enemas, and aged garlic pills, or the energy to deal with feeling horrible for 3 days straight from detoxing too fast? The easiest, cheapest, and safest way to detox is by assisting your body in its natural detoxification processes. Below are the 5 most effective ways to accomplish this goal.

1. Increase your Selenium
Chronic exposure to environmental toxins, including chemotherapy drugs, radiation and other toxic medicines, increases the requirement for selenium. Many of the benefits of selenium are related to its role in the production of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase. This enzyme is responsible for detoxification in the body and each molecule of this enzyme contains 4 atoms of selenium. Selenium supplementation has been found to protect the liver in people with alcoholic cirrhosis. Smokers, in particular, have depleted selenium levels and should make every attempt to increase the selenium in their diet. Foods sources of selenium are the safest and most easily utilized by your body. These include:brazil nuts, broccoli, brown rice, chicken, dairy products, garlic, onions, molasses, seafood, vegetables and whole grains.

2. Add some Zinc
Free radicals occur naturally in the body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet light, radiation, cigarette smoking, and air pollution) can also increase the number of these damaging particles. Free radicals are believed to contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of health problems including heart disease and cancer. Zinc can protect your body from the harmful effects of toxins by 3 separate mechanisms: -The antioxidant properties of zinc can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.

• Zinc is a constituent of the important antioxidant enzyme Superoxide Dismutase.
• Zinc is needed for the proper absorption of Vitamin E (yet another important antioxidant).
• Food sources include: egg yolks, fish, lamb, legumes, mushrooms, pecans, oysters, poultry, soybeans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, parsley, and kelp.

3. Go natural
Every day we choose to introduce toxic chemicals and compounds into our bodies, our cleaning supplies, lotions and shampoos, fruits and vegetables, even our medicines. Small changes in your shopping list can make a world of difference. As a rule of thumb it’s best to “go natural”. Try using baking soda or vinegar in place of your chemical-laden cleaning supplies. Buy organic produce whenever possible. Beware of your over-the-counter medications. Many contain unhealthy fillers, binders and flowing agents. Many antacids contain toxic aluminum. Aspirin and Ibuprofen can stress the kidneys. The absolute safest over-the-counter medications are homeopathic medicines. There are many versions of homeopathic medicines available, the least toxic of which are water-based homeopathics rather than lactose tablet or alcohol-based forms. Go to your local healthfood store or shop on the internet to stock your medicine cabinet with non-toxic homeopathic alternatives.

4. Stay hydrated
The body’s water supply is involved in nearly every bodily process, including digestion, absorption, circulation, excretion, body temperature, and nutrient transport. Help your body detox naturally by drinking enough water to allow optimal functioning of all these bodily processes. Drink at least 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. Caffeine is a diuretic so if you are a moderate to heavy coffee or tea drinker you should match each cup of coffee or tea with a glass of water. If you are drinking tap water make sure to filter it. If you purchase your water then steam-distilled is best.

5. Detox homeopathically
Many herbs may be effective in detoxification but the risk of side effects and interactions with other medications can make these a dangerous choice. Homeopathic medicines, on the other hand, have never caused side-effects or drug interactions in over 200 years of use. They work by stimulating the body’s natural healing processes. Homeopathic medicines are wonderfully inexpensive and easy to use. Many homeopathic products are available for any type of cleansing and detoxification: liver detox, lymph detox, blood & kidney detox, heavy metal detox and more. If you are unsure of what areas need detoxing in your body its best to start with a blood & kidney detox and then move on to a liver detox. If symptoms still remain then begin targeting with homeopathic formulas that address specific causes such as heavy metals, chemotherapy, etc.

Happy Detoxing!

by Nicole Evans
About the Author: Nicole Evans is an alternative medicine researcher/developer turned medical student. She also works with King Bio, a homeopathic company dedicated to empowering people to safely and naturally improve their health. For cutting edge contemporary homeopathic medicines visit: http://www.kingbio.com/naturalmed/index.html

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The all too familiar story: no time to cook, kids are late for soccer practice and McDonald’s is on the way. Since it won’t take more than a few minutes to shoot through the drive through we’ll do the fast food stop. Or all too familiar story number 2: lunch hour at work and I need to pick up my dry cleaning, fill a prescription, and take the car to get gas and find time to eat. Sure enough Taco Bell is on the way and they have a drive through as well. These real life situations play out for all of us, millions of us, everyday. Since time has become one of our most precious commodities the sacrifice we make is often in our diet.

And yet it does not need to be this way. By following a few healthful practices you can still go to your favorite fast food chain and 30 years from now, live to tell about it. The key is knowing what to select from the menu and balancing that meal with the rest of the day’s food intake.

Choose Your Menu Items With Care
Choose a main dish item that is low in fat. As an example, when faced with the choice of a bacon cheeseburger or a regular hamburger, the regular hamburger wins every time. In the battle of the regular hamburger or the grilled chicken breast sandwich the chicken wins hands down. Why? Here’s an example:

Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich has 360 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 0 trans fat. Compare that to the Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic which has 580 calories, 29 grams of fat and 1.5
grams of trans fat. Put either choice with a medium fry and you have added another 440 calories and another 21 grams of fat. Choose, instead, the Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Chive and you add 320 calories and 4 grams of fat - a better choice indeed.

Choose side salads and salad bar vegetables as these provide extra vitamins and add dietary fiber. In addition they fill you up without adding lots of extra calories. Be sure to use low fat or non-fat dressing or, better still, a simple vinaigrette dressing. More dietary fiber can be found in the choice of whole wheat or whole grain buns and rolls.

If your sweet tooth kicks in have fresh fruit or frozen yogurt. Or go for the reduced fat ice cream versus the shake. Again an example, this time from McDonald’s: 16 oz. Triple Thick Vanilla Shake has 550 calories and 13 grams of fat. The Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Cone has 150 calories and only 3.5 grams of fat. Granted the lower calories alternative is not as decadent but it also will not clog your arteries by increasing your cholesterol intake and it will satisfy the sugar craving.

Watch Your Portion Size
Portion control is also a key element to successful fast food dining. Although many restaurants have discontinued the super size trend, most portions are simply more than we need to consume. These large portions look like real value when viewed in the monetary sense but when measured by way of their contribution to weight gain and its complications they are simply not worth it.

Choose the smallest size possible especially if you are having hamburgers or fried foods.

Share large or high fat items with someone else.

Eat half your order and take the rest home. Yes, I know we are supposed to clean our plates because there are children starving in China. At least that’s what many mothers over the years have been heard to say. The fact is being a member of the Clean Plate Club will also get you entry into the Fat Club, the High Cholesterol Club, and if your really fortunate the Heart Disease
Club.

Remember These 3 Key Points:

1. Reduce total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
2. Increase intake of whole grains
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables

Fast food is one of the great innovations of the 20th century. Here in the 21st century we need to manage how we take advantage of its limitless access. To do so will maintain a balance between food as satisfying fuel that keeps our human engine running and toxic waste that will eventually lead to shortened life spans.

Here is another option. Just don’t eat there. You don’t have to be a snob about it, as in “I don’t eat that crap” although you certainly can if you want to. The hardest part is having family and friends who frequently visit Burger and Fries land. It is like trying to quit smoking and working in a bar. I’m not saying to fire your friends and family but you could try to limit the time you spend with them to non-eating hours. It may help to try to hook up with some like minded friends which will make your life incredibly easier since Americans who don’t eat fast food are often considered unpatriotic.

Author: R. Adam Shore
About the author: R. Adam Shore writes about Physical Fitness along with Health and Fitness. For additional information and over 5000 articles about Healthy Lifestyles and other topics be sure to visit Physical Fitness Articles at www.physicalfitnessarticles.net

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This technique is a step by step guide that combines self-hypnosis and some self-inner guidance with the idea of balancing your chakras. Now it is not really important to know what your chakras are - in brief, they are regarded as central energy points in your body in Eastern medicine and philosophy. They have certain colors associated with them that are going to be integrated into this technique within your mind.

I know it made me feel wonderfully energized, refreshed and very well balanced afterwards.

Step One:
Find a place where you are not going to be disturbed for a while and allow you eyelids to close. Imagine that as you close your eyelids, they melt and relax into your face and begin to send relaxation throughout your body.

Create some expectation; we all know how hypnotic expectation is, don’t we? Tell yourself that in a few moments you’re going to enter one of the most relaxed states that you’ve ever known.

You can take yourself into self-hypnosis (if you don’t know how, go get my book) or use any good meditation technique or relaxation strategy that you know. Take a few moments to focus on your breathing and engage in the moment. Notice what you are thinking and feeling.

Step Two:
Using your imagination, begin now to sense that you are floating on a soft cloud, almost like it is a mist that is gentle, soft, and completely supportive. It melds and molds itself to the exact contours of your body, imagine that you settle deeply into it and take sufficient time to really develop that comfort.

Imagine that the cloud is a beautiful, soft yet strong, strawberry red color. Imagine that the wonderful red mist gently envelops your entire being. Sense that it is bathing you in a soft and gentle relaxation.

Let that red mist move throughout your body, drawing away anything unwanted, leaving you in a soft, peaceful state. Imagine that red color in each and every cell of your being. Let that red mist sink into the very depths of the center of your mind.

Spread that red all through you, reaching all the way down to the tips of your toes, all the way down to the very tips of your fingers and feel yourself in harmony with this natural red color as your body is feeling more and more balanced and alive.

Let the red mist focus around the base of your spine. Maybe you can even imagine that your spine vibrates in harmony with red and the entire area of the lower back and spine goes into a total relaxation. When you really engage in doing this, you can create some magnificent sensations.

Imagine and sense that you are in tune with nature and all of nature is in tune with you. Breathe that red, gentle mist in and now allow a little, tiny red bird to gently glide around you, wrapping your body in a soft, red, blanket of balance and relaxation.

If you are not a fan of birds, then you can of course imagine anything else - angels or a loved one, or that the blanket wraps itself around you unaided. Choose what suits you personally.

Step Three:
Having done this inside your mind, next up imagine floating on a soft, almost peach-like orange color. Allow yourself to be in harmony with this orange (just as you were with the red) and right around the area of your abdomen there is an energy center that vibrates with this color of orange.

Allow this orange mist to bring this gentle softness, this natural awareness to your body and feel it almost like a sponge, absorbing and releasing anything you might need to let go of, bathing you in a soft mist of peace, relaxation and comfort. Feel and sense anything unwanted being absorbed into the mist from all the parts of your body.

Allow this orange to penetrate your body and give you peace and comfort, feel the freedom as you do this. Feel yourself relaxing more and more as this orange mist flows in and around all the parts of your abdomen. Then in whatever way you feel resonates with you the best, imagine a little orange ribbon gliding gently and gently carrying the mist over and around and through your body, your body wonderfully at ease and relaxed. Take enough time to really enjoy doing this.

Step Four:
Now in your mind’s eye imagine yourself floating on a yellow mist, the soft color of lemon, beautiful, lemon yellow right there in the center of your chest.

Take all the time you need to really be in harmony with this color of yellow and the middle area of your body and the center of your chest is relaxing more and more as you can imagine that area has an energy center that vibrates to the color yellow. Breathe in the soft yellow mist, the comfort of that gentle softness with each breath that you take really let it flow throughout you now, let it move through your entire being.

Allow your body to be at peace as the yellow mist eases and soothes your body.

Imagine that all of nature is in tune with this yellow and you are in tune with nature. Feel the freedom of the atmosphere that you are creating in your mind.

As we did previously, now imagine a silky ribbon of yellow, floating gently around you, wrapping the mist of balance and awareness around your body with a blanket of gentle, soothing tranquility.

Breathe in the yellow velvety mist as it bathes you in a sea of peace, taking all the time you need to sense deep comfort.

Step Five:
Imagine that you are floating on a green mist, actually begin to see, sense, imagine and feel a green mist all around you, absorbing into your skin, feeling immersed, enveloped in that green mist, a beautiful color of green. Green as lush grass.

And as you breathe in this soft, green mist the gentle softness is all around your heart, and you feel your heart begin to relax all around that area, all the way up to the area of your throat. As you relax imagine that you can feel your heart opening, opening and connecting with the world around you.

Imagine that your chest and your heart area vibrates now to the color of green and feel the peace and the relaxation that that brings. Begin to feel this green bringing the relaxation all through your body, gentle softness, this wonderful green color.

Anything unwanted around your heart is being absorbed by that green, floating it away, drawing it away, leaving only peace, balance and comfort in its place. Each time that you breathe in the mist of the green, imagine and feel your body becoming even more limp, loose, safe, and comfortable.

Feel the green cleansing and freeing you, allowing your body to work in perfect harmony with nature just as it was intended to do. Then imagine a soft, silky green ribbon, floating around you… as with the previous steps.

Step Six:
Ok, so now just imagine yourself floating on a mist of blue. Just engage your mind in that idea that you are gently floating peacefully on this beautiful blue color. While doing that, allow your throat and your neck relax all the way up through the back of your neck and your throat and your neck are feeling calm and relaxed.

Breathe in the blue air and feel it drifting and floating throughout your entire body. Allow this gentle blue mist to draw up and soften and balance all the muscles in your body. Think that your body is at peace as the blue mist works through it and soothes it.

Imagine that the blue mist carries takes away anything unwanted, leaving only comfort, ease and safety.

Once again, imagine that all of nature is in tune with blue and you are in tune with nature. Your body has been perfectly designed to work in harmony with nature and so let all the natural processes of just ‘being’ occur for you while you are doing this.

Feel the comfort increasing within you as the blue mist fills every cell and every muscle and now imagine that silky ribbon, floating around your body, gently touching your body with a blanket of blue mist, bathing you in a sea of total relaxation.

Step Seven:
Finally, imagine yourself floating on a misty cloud of violet, a beautiful violet-rosy color, a very soft combination that creates a nice lavender color.

Imagine that the soft color of violet, that very soft purple, penetrates your body and allow yourself to go deeper into your own mind. Imagine that you draw this purple into your body. Feel that beautiful color bringing you serenity and peace.

Ensure that you feel safe and comfortable on this beautiful soft purple mist. Tune into nature, tune into this natural feeling with this violet color you are in and begin to breathe in the gentle violet mist. Breathe it in and feel the muscles of your mind working in harmony with the way that nature intended.

Feel yourself totally relaxed, feeling the wonderful things that are happening within your body at this moment.

Step Eight:
Now inside your mind, imagine a combination of all the colors you have been thinking of throughout this technique form a rainbow and surround you. Imagine that they combine to form a beautiful white light, purifying, cleansing, filling your body and your mind with the glorious sense of comfort, rejuvenation and balance.

Right there at the top of your head, bring that light in, a beautiful clear bright light, floating all the way down through your entire body, filling all the spaces between all of the cells, bringing you the comfort of knowing that you deserve to have the experience of a peaceful, balanced, energized life.

Step Nine:
Now allow yourself to be completely immersed in this beautiful rainbow of the energy of life, you allow your mind and your body to be very receptive, very open to creating the experience that you want and that you deserve.

Bask in the colors for as long as you like.

Step Ten:
When you are ready, you can allow yourself to come back to the awareness of the place that you are in. Tell yourself that when you open your eyes, you feel very balanced, very balanced and energized. Then open your eyes, wiggle your fingers and toes, reacquaint with your surroundings and enjoy being more balanced and refreshed.

Take some time to really balance yourself and get recharged in this way - it is so lovely to do so. Even if you think that chakras are nothing more than new age hocus pocus, this is still a wonderful exercise that is very relaxing and energizing. You don’t have to believe in something for it to be real.

Author: Adam Eason
About the author: Adam Eason is a UK based, renowned consultant, speaker and best-selling author. Please visit his website for a vast range of personal development resources and to receive your amazing free, instantly downloadable hypnosis session for ultimate relaxation and the sensational free ebook ‘The Happy Brain Manual’ filled with techniques, tips and strategies to make more of your brain: http://www.adam-eason.com Thank you.

These problems were largely overcome after the publication in the Journal of Advancement in Medicine in 1993 of a study by L.T. Chappell et all, who looked at the effects of chelation therapy on nearly 23,000 patients. Of them, more than 85% showed an objective benefit from chelation therapy. Since that time, the number of success stories has continued to increase.

Unfortunately, the problem of toxins such as heavy metals accumulating in our bodies has also been increasing. We are repeatedly told by environmentalists that planet earth is getting more and more poisoned from the build up of toxins including lead, mercury, aluminum, cadmium, arsenic and others. The adverse effect on human health of these heavy and light metal poisons has become so great that a name has been assigned: Toxic Metal Syndrome. It has been estimated that more than 90% of all the people living in the industrialized world have at least one of the health problems associated with living in a toxic environment.

Listed below are only a few of the behavioral, structural and functional abnormalities linked to three of the most problematic toxic heavy metals:

Mercury
Depression, hallucinations, obsessive-compulsive behavior, chronic fatigue, suicidal and aggressive behavior, anxiety and attention deficit disorder.

Lead
Spinal cord alterations, kidney damage, increased heart rate, suppression of the immune system, birth defects.

Copper
Skin problems such as eczema and rashes, headaches, muscle pain, decreased red blood cell count, cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis, convulsions and seizures.

Detoxamin EDTA works differently from traditional chelation therapies, in that it does not have to be administered as an intravenous drip in an outpatient environment by trained nurses or other medical personnel. Instead, Detoxamin EDTA is available in a suppository form that can be used in the privacy of one’s own home. In severe cases, it is recommended that one suppository be taken every night for 90 days.

For less severe cases, such as individuals who are interested in chelation therapy for prevention or anti-aging, Detoxamin should be taken every other night for 180 days. In addition, supplementation with vitamins, minerals and trace minerals should also be taken on a daily basis.

Author: Robert Scheer
About the author: Robert Scheer works as a free lance writer as well as consulting for the Detoxamin EDTA Info web site.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/martin_heigan/458939532/

Depression is a common condition, affecting millions of Americans across all walks of life. Many are seeking relief through natural remedies for mild to moderate depressive states; healing from, or transforming through, these states can be effectively supported with ‘alternative’ medicine, especially when precisely applied. Pure essential oils have been studied in clinical arenas for their efficacy in lifting mild to moderate depressive states, with promising results.

Clinical research has shown that natural, pure essential oils stimulate multiple regions in the brain, including those controlling endocrine, immune, and limbic (emotional center) functions. Essential oils have a direct and profound effect on the deepest levels of the body, emotions, and psyche. Through inhalation, essential oils have a strong and immediate influence. Passing through the capillary beds of the sinuses and activating the olfactory nerves, the oils’ vapor, produces direct and powerful effects - the most immediate being on the emotions. Our emotions and our sense of smell have very strong ties - perhaps more than with any other of the other four senses. It is said that your body will react to a smell on a physiological level (excitement, sedation, etc.) before you can even think about it!

In both Naturopathy and Ayurvedic Medicine, essential oils are considered to enhance the flow of essential life force (the’Chi’) and brighten mental clarity and luminosity. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, essential oils in general are medicines for the Shen, the spiritual essence that resides in the heart. Used consciously, essential oils positively enhance mental and emotional states. Further, the medicinal properties of essential oils, through their ability to support healing of the physical body, can also be of great benefit to the heart and mind. A study on the effect of aromatherapy on pain in patients with arthritis found that receiving massage with essential oils significantly decreased both the pain AND depression levels.

Following are some oils that have a reputation for positively affecting Chi and Shen, directly influencing the state of the psyche and emotions. The oils may be used in aromatherapy massage blends (a particularly effective method incorporating the support of a caregivers’s touch), and diffused into any space for activation of the brain’s limbic centers.

Bergamot (pressed from the peels of bitter oranges) has a strong reputation for its ability to uplift the mind and emotions. In Chinese medicine, this is a result of balancing the liver energy or Chi; this organ being considered the center of the eternal soul. Bergamot has the ability to both relax the nerves and invigorate the spirit; with these actions, this important oil can be helpful for a variety of depressive condtions. Sweet orange, a close relative, works in a similar fashion, with a slightly sweeter aroma.

Neroli, distilled from the flowers of the tree producing the Bergamot fruit, also regulates the Chi - and like Jasmine oil, inspires a feeling of comfort. Neroli is called for where the depression is a result of nervous and emotional exhaustion. The aroma of Neroli may help access and release repressed emotions. Neroli is additionally indicated for individuals who, in order to escape from emotional pain and suffering, cut themselves off from their feelings and senses.

Chamomile is wonderful to use when the depression manifests in a moody, irritable, dissatisfied outward expression - generally ‘cranky’ - associated with stagnant liver-chi. This flower oil is earthy, rich, and grounding with subtle uplifting qualities. Chamomile can be most effective as a small component of other blends, creating a synergy of anti-depressant action.

When depression is of a Fire (overly aggressive) nature, it often involves an imbalance of (or distinct lack of) joy and love - the root emotions of the heart and mind. Joy is an extension of spiritual essence’s innate sense of harmony and perfection, an experience of emotional and spiritual well-being. Rose oil may have a profound effect on this state, and is thought the premier heart opening aromatic, bringing joy, uplifting and restoring balance.

The evergreen oils are freqently very pleasing to men. Black and Hemlock Spruce, Balsam Fir, Juniper and Pine essential oils are centering and inspiring to the mind and emotions. Diffusing these oils alone or in combination creates a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere, and many find these aromas help motivate them in completing otherwise arduous tasks at home or in the office.

What follows are a few recipes for uplifting and releasing depressed emotional states - use your intuition to find the right one. Most often in the therapeutic use of essential oils, the oil or blend you find most attractive will be the one that serves you best. Don’t be afraid to try new things, have fun, and enjoy yourself!. These blends may be used in a diffuser or in a massage base at 5% concentration (unless where a carrier oil is indicated) - blends with carriers are intended specifically for aromatherapy massage.

• For opening the heart:
  1 part Rose 3 parts Sandalwood 1 part Sweet Orange or Bergamot; also 3 parts Jasmine, 1 part Ylang Ylang, 1 part Sandalwood.
• For invigorating and inspiring:
  3parts Bergamot, 1 part Ylang Ylang, 1 part Grapefruit; also 2 parts Bergamot, 2 parts Clary Sage, 1 part Frankincense; also 3 parts Bergamot or Sweet Orange, 2 parts Clary Sage 2 parts
  Frankincense; also 1 part Lemon 1 part either Jasmine or Neroli.
• For nourishing or ‘comforting’:
  1 part (Roman) Chamomile 1 part Vanilla 10 parts in the carrier oil of choice.
• For uplifting and softening with a floral and earthy aroma:
  1 part Neroli 1 part Vanilla 1 part Orange 1 part Sandalwood; also 1 part Chamomile 1 part Bergamot 1 part Helichrysum.
• For depression with negativity, try Bergamot, Chamomile, Helichrysum, Neroli, Orange, or Spikenard.
• If there is a marked lack of joy, try Rose, Jasmine, Melissa, Patchouli, Rosemary or Ylang Ylang.
• If over-thinking and worry are causing blockage, try Cardamom, Frankincense, Lemon, Marjoram, Myrrh or Vetiver.
• For overwhelming regret and remorse, try: Clary Sage, Cypress, or Pine.
• For inability to cope with overwhelming situations, try: Rose Geranium, Ginger, Juniper or Thyme.

While aromatherapy can provide support in many cases, it may not be the answer for everyone. Seek professional assistance in any case where one is losing the will to live, or any other seemingly impossible situation. Aromatherapy has few contraindications, and can be used effectively as an adjunct to other treatments; one should consult their care giver to ensure there are no contraindications with any prescribed medication.

About the author:
More information on a great variety of aromatherapy applications is available at the author’s website: http://www.anandaapothecary.com/essential-oils.html

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/cuorhome/6331840/