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

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/choruslinea1qms/90863557/

A number of people wonder if yoga can improve their muscle fitness and strength levels. While they recognize that yoga can help reduce stress and increase flexibility and overall health , when it comes to increasing muscle fitness people think it might the most appropriate exercise to do the job. But, according to experts, yoga can definitely make you stronger.

If you would like to really put your daily fitness routine in overdrive and get better results than you ever have in the past, you really should consider adding yoga exercises into your home fitness workouts. Unlike traditional weight building exercises, in yoga your body provides the resistance. While you are not likely going to produce the bulked up muscles of some weight lifters, you will certainly increase your muscle strength. In addition, some balance postures require enormous muscle control in order to prevent you from falling over. This helps to build and strengthen your muscles. Aerobic exercise is great for burning calories, and strength training works very well for strengthening your muscle groups, but yoga goes far beyond either of those forms of exercise and can benefit you both physically and mentally.

In addition to all its other benefits, yoga can help you improve muscle fitness and make you actually feel and be stronger. Whether you choose to use it as your primary means of strength training or you want it to supplement your other exercises, yoga can help your muscles grow fit, balanced, and strong. In fact, many poses in yoga are done very slowly or you are required to stay in a specific posture during several breaths. In fact, those who have experienced it, support that it is much more challenging to your muscles to hold a pose or do it slowly than it is to allow momentum to move you through an action.

Furthermore, while in weight training, you isolate a specific muscle as you perform an exercise and this leads to a short, tightened muscles, the muscles you develop during exercising yoga are more likely to be elongated, because as you are strengthening them, you are simultaneously lengthening them. Particularly, practicing yoga can help realign your muscles, so they are more balanced. You truly work your entire body when you practice yoga as you do not focus on an isolated muscle, but actively recruit the smaller muscle groups as well. Finally, since you are not overworking any specific muscle group, you are less likely to get injured.

Concluding, this type of exercising has a number of mental benefits, as the yoga positions and breathing exercises helped people focus inward rather than on the outward distractions of their lives. According to related literatures, Yoga is a science that has been in place for thousands of years in the Indian culture. It consists of ancient theories, observations and principles about the mind and body connection. Its aim is to unite the mind, body and spirit and if it is given the right tools and right environment, the body can find harmony and heal itself. Many support that this introspection helps them clear their mind and focus their attention on the more important things in their lives. In addition, regular yoga exercise routine can greatly reduced a person’s stress levels. Since many yoga poses and breathing techniques encourage extreme relaxation of body and mind those experiencing the mental benefits of yoga can get rid of their daily stress and its damaging influences.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles for http://forahealthywoman.com/ - In addition, Kadence also writes articles for http://iwomensworld.net/ and http://thenursingcenter.com

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Alternative medicines are coming back in a big way. The over dependence on allopathic and surgical methods to cure human maladies, and their corresponding side effects are encouraging patients to take to older and more natural means of cure. In order to relieve themselves of the painful and often futile solutions, which are offered by some of the allopathic procedures, a number of doctors are now prescribing natural treatments.

So, what are natural health therapies? Natural health therapies are as old as humankind and are perhaps the first curative methodologies to be recorded in human history. They depend on natural methods to solve ailments, without overt dependence on external elements. Today, any curative methodology depending on natural elements like herbs, plants and a set of exercises accompanied by naturally produced drugs, differing from the popular allopathic and surgical methodology comes under the purview of natural health therapy.

Also termed as Alternative Therapies in literature, these therapies try and cure the root cause of a problem, prevent the causes from recurring by advising a series of steps, and prescribe naturally available medicine like roots and herbs. Some of the common ones finding favor today are as follows:

Yoga as An Alternative Medicine
Yoga is a way of living. Yoga is a family of ancient spiritual practices that originated in India, where it remains a vibrant living tradition and is seen as a means to enlightenment. Today yoga is also seen as a natural way to keep healthy for prolonged periods by doing a set of asana and meditation. Asanas are the set of exercises, which form an important component in the holistic ways of Yoga. Greater evidence is being rediscovered from practicing gurus, which clearly suggest that Yoga is linked to better health and longevity. The set of exercises keep the body fit and the meditation keeps the mind calm. The perfect recipe for a happy body. Although originated in India, it now finds favor in the west.

Naturopathy and Ayurvedic Medicine
The use of naturally occurring herbs, plants and elements to cure diseases in the body is termed is naturopathy. The essence here is the word natural. The loss of vitamins and minerals in the body lead to its deficiency and naturopathy suggests that such deficiency must be replenished by natural means, or by plants and herbs available in nature. Naturopathy is often subscribed along with yoga and other forms of exercises. Ayurvedic medicines are made from the extract of roots and naturally occurring material like honey and its derivatives, leaves and plant extracts. The use of naturally extracted medicines finds mention in the history of a number of civilizations, but the word finds its roots in Sanskrit, an Indian language.

Homeopathy
The use of poison to cure diseases is the way of homeopathy. It finds increasing popularity in Eastern and South East Asian countries, although it originated in Germany.

Massages and Oil Treatment
This methodology finds mention in almost all the above procedures in some way or the other. Oil based massages are famous for their curative and relaxing properties, both to the mind as well as the body. Oils extracted from trees and roots are used in this therapy.

Acupressure and Acupuncture
The practice of finding pressure points or nerve points in the body and relieving the associated pain in the concerned organs in the body is an age-old therapy. It finds mention in Chinese, Japanese and European culture.

Music Therapy
Music therapy is known to be a relieving past time since time immemorial. Kings and paupers alike have patronized it and its known curative properties are many. It is primarily a mind relieving therapy.

There are plethoras of alternative natural health therapies existing in the medical domain today. One has to choose it based on ones requirements. There could be many advantages of using a natural therapy as opposed to the current allopathic and surgical ones.

by Isabel Baldry
Isabel Baldry is covering a range of topics for various publications. To get more information about natural health therapies please visit http://www.abcnaturalhealth.com/ .

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/myyogaonline/457339126/

Meditation is healthy, safe and affordable. In fact it’s free. The only expense you’ll have is a meditation mat, which isn’t even necessary-at least from my experience. Meditation has been around for 5,000 years, and was originally a spiritual component of yoga. Through the years non-yogis adopted it, intuitively sensing and connecting the practice with greater peace of mind. Personally, I can’t say enough good things about meditation. Its use has rewarded me with less worry and much more energy. But I’ve never been one for anecdotal evidence. Let’s get to the science…

Transcendental Meditation
Recently, there’s an incredible amount of science tied into the benefits of meditation. The studies are endless and cover a variety of meditative practices. On Transcendental Meditation alone (mantra repetition) there are over 500 studies. Some are more noteworthy that others. A study in the Japanese Journal of Public Health found that through Transcendental Meditation, industrial workers sleep improved and their smoking decreased. Another study conducted at the MERU Research Institute, in Buckinghamshire, England found that the length of time practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program correlated with younger biological age and younger functional age.

Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation, which asks us to focus on our breath to facilitate awareness of the present moment, is another widely studied meditation technique. After studying the effects of 8-weeks of mindfulness meditation on participants, a 2003 report in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine concluded: “A short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function.” Impressive, but fairly vague. To get a more committed response to the benefits of meditation we have to turn to Taiwan. In 2002 their journal Chang Gung Medicine reported that “training in MM may be a medically superior and cost-effective alternative to pain medication for the control of headaches with no underlying organic causes in highly motivated patients.”

Stress Reduction and Meditation
What causes these positive physical changes? To answer this, other research has looked at the specifics of what happens in the body during meditation. . Researchers at the Maharishi School of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, found that meditation has an enormous impact on stress reduction. When they examined a group who had meditated for four months they saw that they produced less of the stress hormone cortisol. They were therefore better able to adapt to stress in their lives, no matter what their circumstances were.

Having balanced cortisol levels is essential to mental and emotional health. Notice I say balanced rather than none. We don’t want to completely eliminate cortisol. If we did we’d be dead. Even low cortisol levels can be dangerous. Not enough cortisol is the identifying trait of Addison’s disease. John F. Kennedy had this condition, which he denied passionately during his presidency. Yet during his term he regulated his levels through hydrocortisone (synthetic cortisol). The reverse of JFK’s condition is called Cushings Syndrome.

The five most common and noticeable changes of this condition include; red face and puffy cheeks; excess fat surrounding the collar bones, muscle weakness, and hypertension. But we don’t have to have Cushing’s Syndrome to be damaged by extra cortisol. The changes we experience may be subtle variations of these. Plus, the changes caused by excess cortisol are age dependent. Young people may stop growing and teenagers can develop acne. The mature among us aren’t safe either. Since excess cortisol damages bone-tissue those over age 60 may develop fractures related to osteoporosis. So it’s evident that if we can regulate cortisol, especially through a natural process, we owe it to ourselves to try.

“The brain waves of meditators show why they’re healthier. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex—brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.” Psychologytoday.com

Other Benefits of Meditation
Regina Drueding, MD, is a meditation instructor at Life Circles in Utah, USA. She quotes the benefits of meditation as follows: “more energy, improved quality of sleep, decreased anxiety, lessened chronological aging, improved concentration, improved visual acuity, increased alertness and heightened immunity.” She writes: “Besides the benefits mentioned earlier, meditation results in improvement of hypertension, sleep disorders, headaches, heartrhythm disturbances, chronic pain – pain due to cancer, infertility and irritable bowel syndrome. Following meditation, mental and physical refreshment result – and benefits are cumulative with regular practice.”

How to Meditate

Meditation is both simple and complex. It’s like defining the color orange: When you see it you know it. Similarly, the experience of meditation is best, well…experienced. In an article in New View magazine, Shippensburg University’s Dr. C. George Boeree describes the basics of Buddhist meditation. In summary, the beginner’s technique is as follows:

1. Sit or kneel comfortably.

2. The hands are loose and open with the palms up, one atop the other and thumbs lightly touching.

3. Head is upright. Eyes may be closed or open. If open they should focus on your hands or a spot nearby.

4. Beginning meditators should count upwards to ten on each exhale. Breathe in a relaxed and natural way. Then begin again at one and repeat. Continue to breathe naturally.

5. Continue for 15 minutes.

In my personal experience, I don’t find that the specific length of time is as important as repetition and persistence. To paraphrase, 10 minutes daily beats 15 minutes once a week. This brings me to another point: We all have different personalities and as such, different meditation approaches suit some more than others. Thankfully there are many varieties of meditation. Some varieties have sub-varieties.

Mindfulness meditation is one of these versatile practices. Perhaps it’s because its essence-awareness of the present moment-is so versatile. Mindfulness in our daily life can be practiced by slowing down and attending to our surroundings. What are our 5 senses telling us? We can use mindfulness in the middle of a hectic day, such as paying attention to our breathing when stopped at a traffic light. We can also use other everyday events as triggers for mindfulness. Buckling your seatbelt? Make this a reminder to return to the present. Really think about what you’re doing and the details of the experience.

The more traditional may benefit from a more formal mindfulness practice. You may sit in the identical form as in traditional Buddhist meditation- on a chair or kneeling. However, you may also sit with your legs crossed. Your eyes are closed and your posture is both straight and relaxed while your head remains upright. Focus on your breath and allow mental chatter to float by without regard. Thoughts, emotions and sensations will come, but don’t be influenced by them. Keep focused on your breath. If you are getting involved with your thoughts don’t worry-your efforts aren’t destroyed. The key thing is to bring your attention back to breathing and continue. This can go on for 5 minutes to 5 hours. It’s up to you.

Transcendental Meditation is another popular form of meditation. Generally, this type is practiced twice daily for a period of 15-20 minutes. Again, this technique involves sitting comfortably. Yet in contrast to basic Buddhist the eyes stay closed. Each student is given a mantra and is instructed to induce relaxation through use of this mantra. Since many of either can’t or won’t go to a formal TM class, a no-fail mantra I recommend is the classic OM. In The Heart of Yoga, T.K.V Desikachar writes that repetition of “OM” enables us to maintain mental and emotional calmness, overcome obstacles and enable understanding. It is the shortest of the mantras, and is said to be suggestive of God. If you’re uncomfortable with the religious aspects of OM I suggest a word that has positive meaning for you, such as love, calm or peace. Calm is an ideal substitute, since vocally it resembles OM.

Final Word
You may never, ever choose to meditate. Yet if this is your choice it may be valuable to question why. For a long time I was reluctant because of images of the dropout hippie 60’s. Yet when I tried it the experience overcame my reservations. If you try it the same may happen to you. If it doesn’t you haven’t lost any money, and you’ve gained a new experience.

“If you practice regularly, the benefits of meditation will promote a sense of calm and control, you’ll feel far more relaxed and happy. Your ability to concentrate will be greater. You won’t become stressed about things and you’ll feel more peaceful and relaxed about everything. One of the greatest benefits of meditation is learning to go with the flow and things that used to irritate you before simply become insignificant.” Project-meditation.org

Buy the: Folding Travel Zabuton Set

Resources:
Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact with God Through Meditation (Hay House Inc., 2003)

The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh (Beacon Press, 1975)

Galina Pembroke

Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

Standing meditation has a number of advantages over traditional meditation including a lower likelihood of falling asleep as well as the ability to connect with the earth if you practice outdoors because many people are not willing to sit directly on the grass for moisture, insect or weather reasons.

Standing meditation requires a great deal of physical and mental exertion and is surprisingly demanding. Your standing meditation should be done daily at the beginning of your QiGong practice if you want to achieve the maximum benefit. Aim for a minimum of 20 minutes to a maximum of two hours. Any more than that is quite difficult unless you are very young or seriously studying martial arts.

The Basics:

“To begin with, it requires standing with feet in a parallel position and about shoulder width distant from each other. Next, you can take a long and deep breath and say the word ‘aaaah’ each time you exhale. The next thing you need to do when practicing standing meditation is, while exhaling, to release the tension from your neck and shoulders as well as face in manner that will help melt away whatever was causing tension in those places.

You need to also concentrate on feeling the energy that is within you and as it settles into your legs and feet as well as hips and belly, it will help makes a strong connection between you and the earth. You can then bend your knees (only slightly) which will enable you to feel the softest of feelings at the back of the knees.” - Natural Health Blog

It is very easy to go through the motions of standing meditation without achieving any of the real benefits. Like any skill, it requires an open mind, willingness to learn, patience and decent instruction.

There are a number of levels to standing meditation, the art of “sinking”, principles (relax, center, ground, calm, whole) and postures. It is essential to keep practicing and become dedicated to changing oneself to fully experience this life and body altering form of meditation. An well written, humorous and informative resource on standing meditation (without having to reading a book) is “13 Questions About Standing Meditation.”

Taken from the 13 Questions, are the following true paraphrased quotes from sprititual people when asked about the right point of contemplation:

“Since ZhanZhang is on the border between ‘physical’ art and spiritual ['pure' meditation], the following (paraphrased) quotes are highly appropriate.
Krishnamurti: ‘It doesn’t matter what you chant. If ‘Peace’ helps you, use that. I use ‘Coca-cola’.
Seung Sahn: ‘It only matters (a) if you believe in the practice, and (b) you don’t stop practicing. The practice can be completely ‘wrong’, and it will still work’. -” Practicalmysticproductions.com

Buy the Books: Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body or Warriors of Stillness
(both books have explanations and diagrams & all necessary info for a standing meditation practice.)

I am a male, in my 50s, 5’ 11”. 190 lbs (I will tell you why this information is important in due course).

As a teenager, I played quite a bit of soccer and represented my country as a sprinter. At about 14, my knees were in such bad shape that I went through the process of consulting an orthopedic surgeon to do some repairs. Fortunately, the medical system was so slow that it took several months to put things in motion. My neighbor, who was a retired professional, European soccer player showed me his scarred knees and urged me to reconsider as his knees had got worse with every surgery.

At that point, one of my few moments of common sense as a teenager jumped in and I told my parents “no surgery”. I then took up hiking and swimming to strengthen the muscles around my knees.

Although this helped considerably, my knees never fully recovered and I was known to use a cane during my bad days in my 20s. Exercise made the situation livable, however, with no major problems until about the time I hit 50 and I hurdled a barrier and landed with a twist on my left leg tearing the inner meniscus (did I mention I weighed about 230 at the time?)

The ensuing few months were extremely painful. The doctors recommendation was to take pain killing medication and live with it. I did so for about 2 weeks until the reality hit me. If I did this, within a few years I would have a messed up my knees, kidneys and liver from the medications. I took the arthroscopic surgery option and the results were successful.

About one year ago I lost my balance on a step ladder. Following a demonstration of senior acrobatics I felt a stinging in my right knee. I should add here that I was one of the 47 million Americans that had no health insurance because I could not afford it. I made the decision to see a doctor, my third visit in 20 years (I have been fortunate in this area, it also resulted in me not taking any antibiotics in more than 20 years).

My doctor did a complete physical examination. I weighed 245 lbs; my cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and AIC (diabetic measure) were all extremely elevated. I was also diagnosed with a torn meniscus; the only cure for which I was told would be surgery. Not having any insurance the thought of prescriptions for hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes, plus the cost of surgery were options that would not even start to consider.

I made the decision, to go the healthy and sensible way. I changed my eating habits using small portion therapy, foregoing red meat and in fact, adopting an almost vegetarian diet. In addition I walked for an hour each morning, covering 4 miles, resting every 3 days or so to give my knee a chance to recover. I noticed however that with each recovery it felt a bit better.

My further research suggested that as we get older, cartilage does not repair itself as the blood supply is reduced. The recommendation was for stretching exercises, using yoga. While I believe in yoga I never really had the proper techniques but gave it my best try anyway. The improvement was very noticeable but there was still enough pain that I could not yet jog on the treadmill.

My next phase was to supplement my diet with calcium and vitamin D as being lactose intolerant, I determined that not using dairy products meant I would need to supplement my diet with calcium. Vitamin D, because I was not getting sufficient sunlight in the winter months.

The results have been dramatic, for the first time last week I actually able to jog during my morning exercise with hardly any knee pain. Now I can hardly wait to get back on that treadmill and see how fast I can go.

Overall, I went from being obese, sometimes walking with a crutch, to jogging, and a much more acceptable weight (the process is ongoing). My cholesterol, AIC, blood pressure are all excellent. I took the Real Age test accessible from this site) and physically, I am 10 years younger than I was when I started this journey.

This site has been my resource for just about all the information I have used to change and extend my life, which is now a lot more fun.

Author: Spence Pentland

Qigong is most often referred to as any set of breathing and Qi circulation techniques that are capable of improving health, preventing illness, and strengthening the body. Qigong is slow meditative exercise for the body, the breath, and the mind.

‘Qi’ is the vital force behind everything, everything is ‘Qi’ at differing densities; quoting Einstein, “matter = energy times the speed of light squared”. ‘Gong’ is cultivation, effect, attainment. Qigong can be translated as ‘cultivation of vital force’. It regulates the balance of Yin Yang energy returning the body to a balanced, normal physiological state.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the human body is treated as an integral system of interrelated networks with different physiological functions. This integral system uses the energy pathways to link the organs and other human systems into a unified whole, making the communication and interaction between parts of the body possible. The energy that flows in the energy pathways is called Qi. It extends internally to the organs and externally throughout the body, completing and interrelated system of networks.

Traditional Chinese Medical Qigong is a compilation of effective preventative, healing, and strengthening exercises derived from a long history of the Chinese people’s experience with nature and living in harmony with it.

Qigong is studied not merely for the health and strength of the body, but as an attempt to understand human nature and its interactions with the environment and the universe as a whole. Realizing that humans are part of nature, any attempt to understand human physiology inevitably involves the study of wholism.

From commoners to scientists, martial artists to government officials. Qigong studies span the masses of the Chinese population.

“Qigong practices can be classified as martial, medical, or spiritual. All styles have three things in common: they all involve a posture, (whether moving or stationary), breathing techniques, and mental focus. Some practices increase the Qi; others circulate it, use it to cleanse and heal the body, store it, or emit Qi to help heal others. Practices vary from the soft internal styles such as Tai Chi; to the external, vigorous styles such as Kung Fu.” - National QiGong Association

Supporting Research into the Health Benefits of Qigong
Qi Gong is a practice which combines relaxing movement, breathing and visualization. It is a tool to make Qi circulate in order to preserve one’s health, cure diseases and prolong life. The consistent practice has been shown to foster development of a profound inner calmness and non-reactivity of the mind, allowing individuals to face, and even embrace, all aspects of daily life, regardless of circumstances.

Science has proven the complementary healing effects of Qigong in medical science. Qigong can relieve chronic pain (including low back (6)), reduce tension, increase activities of our immune system (even at the genetic level (2)), improve heart health, mediates neuroendocrine responses (10), improve eyesight, and influence blood flow & biochemistry (1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10).
There is also proof of its positive effects on depression (4), and stabilization of the autonomic nervous system and the emotional state (5). It induces a state of relaxation via the induction of alpha brain waves and the release of serotonin (8). Jang & Lee randomized study put forth Qigong as an effective complementary therapy for managing the symptoms of PMS (9). It has also been concluded that visualization was an effective intervention for long-term smoking cessation and abstinence in adult smokers (3). The Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical School, study of the ‘Use of mind-body medical therapies’ stated that ‘much opportunity exists to increase use of mind-body therapies for indications with demonstrated efficacy’ (11).

The cultivation or preservation of ones health through the complimentary practice of Qigong plays an integral part in any persons path to wellness and the accomplishment of their goals. Join a class, read a book, buy a video.

Buy: The Essential Qigong Training Course: 100 Days to Increase Energy, Physical Health & Spiritual Well-Being

Qigong is catching on in the United States but is still relatively new to most people. If you are interested in pursuing Qigong you can search for a teacher at the National QiGong Association or start out with a Tai Chi class which you can find at many health clubs. There are many Qigong books and videos available if you want to see how great it makes you feel in the privacy of your own living room.

References:

1. The application of qi-gong therapy to health care, Li TY, Yeh ML, Tri-Service General Hospital.

2. Genomic profiling of neutrophil transcripts in Asian Qigong practitioners: a pilot study in gene regulation by mind-body interaction. Li QZ, Li P, Garcia GE, Johnson RJ, Feng L, Microarray Core, Center for Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.

3. Guided health imagery for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence, Wynd CA, Nursing Program, University of Akron College of Nursing, Akron, OH 44325-3701, USA.

4. Qigong exercise for the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: A randomized, controlled pilot study, Schmitz-Hubsch T, Pyfer D, Kielwein K, Fimmers R, Klockgether T, Wullner U, Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

5. Nonlinear analysis of heart rate variability during Qigong, Lee MS, Rim YH, Jeong DM, Kim MK, Joo MC, Shin SH, Center for Integrative Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, College of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Korea.

6. Randomized, controlled trial of breath therapy for patients with chronic low-back pain, Mehling WE, Hamel KA, Acree M, Byl N, Hecht FM, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.

7. Qi-training (qigong) enhanced immune functions: what is the underlying mechanism? Lee MS, Kim MK, Ryu H, Center for Integrative Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea

8. Appearance of high-frequency alpha band with disappearance of low-frequency alpha band in EEG is produced during voluntary abdominal breathing in an eyes-closed condition, Fumoto M, Sato-Suzuki I, Seki Y, Mohri Y, Arita H, Department of Physiology, Toho University School of Medicine, 5-21-16, Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan. 9. Effects of qigong on premenstrual syndrome: a randomized placebo-controlled study, Jang HS, Lee MS, Department of Nursing, Wonkwang Health Science College, Iksan, Korea.

10. Endocrine and immune effects of Qi-training, Lee MS, Kang CW, Ryu H, Moon SR, Professional Graduate School of Oriental Medicine and Center for Integrative Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea.

11. Use of mind-body medical therapies, Wolsko PM, Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Phillips RS, Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Spence Pentland of Vancouver BC Canada received his five year Doctor of TCM education from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Vancouver. To complete his studies he spent 500 hours at Anhui Hospital of TCM Hefei City, in the Peoples Republic of China. He is a licensed and registered member of the Canadian Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, and practices at Acubalance Wellness Centre (Acubalance Wellness Centre Vancouver BC) where he treats only Men’s reproductive health (Mens Reproductive Health Information) and Women’s fertility issues (Infertility Information).

Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

by Marci Javril

Your body’s health is a complex system of mini-systems, just like a global village of its own - there are hills and valleys, eruptions and frozen areas, streams, oceans, and there are sometimes swamps. These areas of stagnation don’t need to be treated with disdain - rather, they can be held as hidden treasure lands able to give forth fertile, recoverable items that are usable and actually add to the richness of the whole system. The trapped energy in stored fat or tension can be released through deep breathing, allowing the normal cleansing functions to harmonize themselves more quickly. With this attitude, let’s talk about your internal riverway and the water treatment process that your body performs.

Get friendly with your highways and byways - the lymphatic system is responsible for transporting wastes, returning filtered blood particles, and transporting the immune response (lymphocytes). It is your internal shower - the ongoing action of the liquidy part of blood (plasma) “leaking” into the spaces in between the cells - like water permeating a sponge, the lymph is meant to go everywhere - grabbing up and carrying along extraneous or foreign particles and cells, flowing all the waste products toward the main water filtration stations (lymph nodes). The patrol brings the invaders to the station and a battle may ensue. We may realize our immune system is responding to an alarm because the warriors (lymphocytes) multiply and do the body’s main defending in the node areas, making them swell when we fight a cold or other diseases.

The blood is pumped by the heart, but the lymph is pumped mostly by muscle contraction, along with the respiratory diaphragm movement. When we do deep, complete breathing, exercising and sweating, we add to the body’s ability to cleanse itself of toxins and waste products - we pump the lymph along its riverway. The branch of yoga studying the breath is called Pranayama, prana being the Sanskrit word for Life Force or Vital Energy.

We all seem to realize it’s important to take our cars in for regular tune-ups, repairs, oil changes, radiator coolant flushes, gas and air filter changes, etc. But what about our bodies? Who changes the air filter in our lungs? and cleans out the oil filter in our gall bladder? or flushes out the blood cleaning mechanism in our spleen, kidneys and bladder? The intelligence of the human body is so elegant that, merely using our breath, we accomplish the minimum cleansing program. The diaphragm is beautifully situated where all the filtering organs are latticed into its movement, and they benefit greatly from the repetitive squeezing and releasing of cellular elements.

Our global village is ecological, too, in that it will reuse anything sitting around too long, So all the garbage (unused sugar, fat, protein) sitting around in your backyard (or front porch..?!) will be held in a hydro-culture (ground substance) waiting to be sent out as waste or turned into useful calories. If it sits too long in one spot, the sediment of the river’s flow is deposited in hard immobile impactions (colon) or soggy, swampy pools (edema), making ripe ground for holding disease pockets. The largest organ of elimination is the skin, so it’s important to perspire and to exfoliate (dry skin brushing). We also eliminate through the colon, bladder, and the lungs. When one organ isn’t working efficiently or being given an opportunity to contribute, the other organs have to take over the extra toxic waste. This can, for example, lead to skin eruptions when the colon is not moving at least 1-3 times a day. Most people need to drink more water. Formula (your weight divided by two = how many ounces per day you need)

It is important to always eliminate whatever we can no longer use. Once we have assimilated and absorbed, transformed and integrated something into ourselves, we are meant to harmoniously and efficiently get rid of all the parts that are not useful or no longer need to be held in reserve. Another intrinsically elegant element in our design as human beings, is the metaphor of our physical and emotional lives. Once we can let go of our habits, grudges or unneeded negative reactive patterns, we can breath easier in our daily lives.

Your internal organs depend on your deep breathing and muscle tone in order to be squeezed, re-oxygenated, flushed, and efficient in their functions. They also depend on the muscles that hold them up from gravity - the hammock or sling that is the bottom or pelvic floor for the abdominal cavity - the PC muscle group (pubococcygeus). Re-discovered in this century by Doctor Kegel, the diamond-shaped area where this group of muscles weaves the base sphincters together is also known in ancient yogic studies as Muladhara, or the Root Chakra. Learning how to hold or lock (Muladhara Bandha) and elevate the internal hammock is a Pranayama technique developed for increasing Vital Force. Once activated, it flows from the base of the spine up to the crown, and charges up each one of the neural plexes (chakras) as it moves. With this, the body has an abundance of energy for cleansing, relaxing, and rejuvenating all the internal organs. It creates a flow of electro-magnetic activity that harmonizes and reconnects the breaks in the continuous circuitry.

Yogis and the ancient Chinese have known that in order to be self-sufficient and isolated in the mountains, the body needed to be flexible, efficient, sensitive, and sturdy. They designed physical techniques for internal cleansing that needed to be done either manually or by one’s own body’s mechanisms. Using the anal sphincter lock and upward draw, the indigenous Polynesians and Egyptians drew sea water into the colon, for a natural enema effect. In order to gain instead of losing energy during love-making, tantric practitioners use these recycling techniques for preserving sexual energy. Pumping the base chakra with specific breathing and visualizations are meditative techniques that can lead to full-blown spiritual visions and inner blissful states. Most of us are not going to practice in that way, nonetheless, we can learn a great deal from this approach. Engaging the muscles of the Root or Base Chakra physiologically creates pressure on the cerebral-spinal fluid and repercusses along the dura mater and throughout the spinal column to the brain. Thus, massaging the perineum with our isometric exercise, we can affect the entire brain system. This brings a profound state of heightened relaxation, and is the basis for tantric yoga abilities - for the woman, to become full body and multi-orgasmic, and experience the Valley orgasm more easily - for the man, to sustain an erection all night long, controlling ejaculation, and also to become full body and multi-orgasmic. Extended states of bliss are said to be youthening and harmonizing to the brain and hormones. (Shorter periods of excitement and pleasure are equally as valuable, says my housecat).

Here’s an interesting and alternative way to massage your own internal organs - Standing comfortably, let all the air out of your lungs and belly, and while trying to keep it out, allow your belly to move in and out - feel the swishing inside as you move all the viscera around with your muscles during the exhale (Uddhiyana Bandha & Nauli’s). This kind of plunging action also occurs when you activate the perineal area with the Kegel contraction, known as an Upward Draw in Taoistic studies. First, you have to find your pelvic floor. Since ultimately, you will be elevating, or pulling the muscle more inward and up into the torso, there are no outward signs that it is contracting. All other muscles should be relaxed - isolate this group completely.

Find the urethral sphincter by starting and stopping the flow of urine. Only do this initially to ensure you are using the right muscles. For women, you could insert your finger slightly into the vaginal opening, and squeeze as though you would pull it up into the vaginal canal. For men, watching to see the reaction of the penis moving slightly, you can determine if you are activating the right group of muscles. At first, just “chewing gum” style will suffice (clench, release, clench, release). But that is only half of the fibers (short twitch). The endurance and tensile strengthening (long twitch) comes from holding and sustaining the clench, and actually increasing the grip force and drawing the muscles upward.

Most people think that Kegels are for women after childbirth, but they are actually for everyone! Men in particular can benefit because of the increased circulation to the prostate gland. Because men tend to be more yang, they are holding a contracted sphincter, and women being more yin, will become more and more flaccid. Thus, men need to use the exercise as a way to elasticize and relax the area, bringing fresh blood, vigor and sensitivity. And of course, women need to tone and strengthen, activate and juice up the area, making more and more of the cells alive and available.

Enjoy creating the inner fire you will begin to sense as you develop your inner yoga - feel a surge of vital force moving from a deep place, rising through your body. This is simply your own physiology responding to your intention to pump energy. It works!

Pelvic Floor Exercises for Women and Men

•Use abdominal breathing. Count to 10 for one cycle. As you exhale (1….2…..3…..4….5), begin to squeeze the pelvic floor tight, and as the exhale continues, increase your sense of drawing the base upward inside the body (6…..7…..8….9…..10) like a freight elevator, slow and strong and weighted. Then slowly inhale and release the muscle, allowing it to slowly lower and fully relax. Allow the sensation of a slight bulging out when you reach the “ground floor”, the way a freight elevator drops slightly lower and then returns to neutral. The relaxation phase is most important for men. Attempt to fully isolate the pelvic floor and avoid using any abdominal or buttocks muscles. Do 15 cycles 3X a day to improve tone.

Isometric and resistive exercises promote: circulation, activation, elasticity, responsiveness, strength, and endurance. The pelvic floor muscles are sometimes called the Love muscles and will activate all functions of this area. Any muscle that you exercise and put your conscious intention into will respond better, faster, longer, stronger and more often.

Perineal release through massage or activation through pelvic floor exercises has been shown to have a dramatic effect on vaginal tone after childbirth. It also affects the elasticity of the opening, allowing for the possibility to avoid an episiotomy. After such a procedure, sustaining one’s internal yoga practice will have a strong impact on recovery of all functions in this area.

Poor tone of the urogenital diaphragm has been shown to be related to: incontinence, hemorrhoids, organ prolapse, constipation, premature ejaculation, impotence, lower libido, non-lubrication, prostate disease and PMS so it is vital for both men and women to exercise internally as well as externally for optimum health.

Buy the Book: Sexy Yoga

Marci Javril, Vital Energist, is a Certified Somatic Therapist, spiritual counselor and movement therapist. She gives tutorials in Lymphatic Clearing© and Abdominal Integrity, including internal organ release and detox. Ms. Javril also coaches interested people in Pregnancy & Infant Massage, and Post-Surgical Intervention. Her work focuses on the art & science of rejuvenation, enriched by many years in the performing arts and in depth studies in Kriya Tantra Yoga. Marci has been in private practise since 1984 and can be reached for consultations at (866)-551-0062 or (310)-306-9838. See credentials on web site: http://VitalEnergyCenter.com or contact by email: MJavril@VitalEnergyCenter.com

About the Author:
Marci Javril, Vital Energist - expert bodyworker, ordained minister, tantra yoga educator, movement therapist. Marci combines her many talents as a performing artist and heealer, to bring more vital energy awareness into every aspect of life.

Internal Yoga for Sexual Vitality ©M.Javril,1998 originally published in the “Wet Set Gazette”, Pasadena, CA - Spring 1998 reprinting with permission granted

Author: Robert Rickover

Joseph Pilates and F. Matthias Alexander were important pioneers in thinking about how the human body functions, and how to improve that functioning. Their ideas, carried on today as the Pilates Method and the Alexander Technique, have had a profound influence on many other fitness training and somatic education programs.

One of the most striking parallels between these two men’s work is the sweeping view they had of the health challenges facing mankind today, and of the wide-ranging benefits that would come about if their ideas were put into practice. They both spent many years experimenting and working on themselves, making their own bodies as laboratories, as it were, for testing each new idea. They both also acquired considerable experience in working with others to improve their functioning and they both repeatedly offered to demonstrate their methods to anyone in authority who would take the time to investigate them.

In each of their first major publications, they express frustration with the direction the human race is taking and make urgent calls for remedial action based on their discoveries. At the start of “Your Health“, published in 1934, Joseph Pilates writes:

“Daily, from sunrise to sunset, radio, newspapers and magazines broadcast to the world how to maintain health, how to regulate health, what to eat, what to drink, even what to think.

“This conflicting information… (has caused) nothing less than confusion (to those) who are so unfortunate as to hear or read the diametrically opposed viewpoints of our so-called guardians of our health, since it is rather the exception than the rule, that these instructions are in agreement in their ideas and methods.

“To one who has devoted the major portion of his life to the scientific study of the body and, to practical application of natures’s laws of life pertaining to the natural development of coordinated physical and mental health, and to the prevention rather that the cure of disease, the misinformation I have so often listened to or read borders closely on the criminal. Why? Because the acceptance of many of these popular yet bogus theories not only results in the squandering of untold millions of dollars, but, more seriously, can and does actually shorten the lives of uncounted millions.”

Apart from not mentioning television or the internet, one would have no way of knowing this was written over seventy years ago. We continue to be subjected to conflicting advice about almost everything related to health - nutrition, exercise, posture, prescription drugs, to name but a few examples.

“The Alexander Technique is an intelligent way to address and solve body problems. Many people are mystified by their own back pain, excess tension or lack of coordination. They often see problems in their joints or muscles as structural, unchangeable. …As students learn the Technique, they are surprised they really can make lasting changes in the way they walk, their degree of muscular tension, or in the shape of their posture. They learn how dynamic and changeable the body really is.” JohnHenes.com

Clearly Pilates was addressing major heath issues, issues that are not susceptible to any kind of quick fix. The same is true for Alexander. In the opening pages of his first book, “Man’s Supreme Inheritance”, written in 1918, Alexander devotes a great many pages to the same concerns voiced by Pilates. Some idea of the flavor of Alexander’s writing can be found In his Preface to the First Edition of the book. Here Alexander explains why he feels the need to put forward his ideas immediately, even though they were still in a preliminary state of development:

“…there are many reasons why I should hesitate no longer…chief among them being the appalling physical deterioration that can be seen by any intelligent observer who will walk the streets of London or New York, for example, and note the form and aspect of the average individuals who make up the crowd. So much for the surface signs. What inferences can we not draw from the statistics? To take three instances only: What of the disproportionate and apparently undeniable increase in the cases of cancer, appendicitis, and insanity? For that increase goes on despite the fact that we have taken the subject seriously to heart. Now I would not…say that because the increase in these evils has gone hand-in-hand with our endeavours to raise the standard by physical-culture theories, relaxation exercises, rest cures (and therefore) the one is the result of the other; but lacking more definite proof on the first point, I do maintain that if physical-culture exercises, etc., had done all that was expected of them they must be considered a complete failure in the checking of the three evils I have listed.”

In their analyses of the sad state of human affairs, on occasion both men veered into the realm of the bizarre. Pilates, for example, viewed masturbation as “the curse of mankind” and Alexander had some strange ideas about vaccinations and about “primitive peoples”. I think it’s fair to say that these were aberrations that did not take away from the important discoveries these men made.

“Many of those who are drawn to the health benefits of practising pilates are also interested in the Alexander Technique and there’s little doubt that your mind and body can benefit from both.” Pilates.co.uk

About the author:
Robert Rickover is a teacher of the Alexander Technique living in Lincoln, Nebraska. He also teaches regularly in Toronto, Canada. Robert is the author of “Fitness Without Stress - A Guide to the Alexander Technique” and is the creator of The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique website at http://www.alexandertechnique.com

Buy the Book: The Use of Self

If our heart, arteries and veins are lined with various waste products such as salts and fatty acids, then the volume of blood which can pass is diminished and the ability of these vessels to expand and contract is severely limited. Thus we have conditions such as arteriosclerosis, high and low blood pressure, heart blood flow deficiency and general circulatory deficiency.

Natural Effective Solutions for Circulatory Problems:

1. Carefully observe guidelines for healthy eating. Avoid cooked oils as much as possible (except for coconut oil), white flour, meat, white sugar, and any foods, which have been over processed or have chemical additives.

2. Eat whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits and a little raw unheated vegetable oil each day.

3. Occasional fasting helps to purify the blood vessels. One could fast on apples, pears or brown rice or do a juice fast for a few days. If one wants to do a longer fast, consult your doctor. Fasting on grapes is considered one of the most effective ways to purify the blood.

4. Vitamins and antioxidants help with better circulation: A, C, E, and Lecithin, B complex (especially B3, B2).

5. Alternating hot and cold baths help the blood flow to penetrate into all parts of the body. In general finishing with a cold shower helps stimulate circulation. Consult your doctor as to whether this is for your specific case.

6. Dress warmly so as to allow your blood vessels to be relaxed and let blood flow.

7. Swimming in the sea all year long helps to keep the circulation flowing and the body vital. One must be regular. If you cease for a period of time, your body will lose its ability to adapt to the cold water in the winter.

8. Nettle tea and beating the extremities with nettles is a folk remedy for increasing circulation to the extremities. This may be painful while doing it, but it brings results.

9. Reflexology massage can be used to bring circulation to organs, which cannot be affected by other means. By massaging the reflex point on the bottom of the foot we are able to bring blood flow to the various interior organs, so as to revitalize them.

10. Swedish muscular massage can be used to bring better blood flow to the various extremities.

11. All forms of movement and activity are helpful, i.e. running, walking, dancing, swimming, playing, sports and yoga. These are a must for those with poor circulation.

12. Breathing facilitates the return of the blood through the veins to the heart. When we breathe deeply and slowly, we help the blood to return to the heart an also move the lymph through the system. Deep breathing every day is an essential for those with circulatory problems.

13. When we relax the blood vessels, our blood flows freely to the various parts of our body. We tend to obstruct the free flow of blood through unconscious tensing of the various muscles and also the blood vessels themselves. Relaxation is essential for healthy circulation. Perform deep relaxation daily, imagining the blood vessels opening and the blood flowing freely to the parts of the body which have insufficient circulation.

14. Various forms of heat, such as hot compresses, hot water bottles, and electric heating pads can be used to increase the circulation momentarily to various parts of the body.

15. Physical Exercises

• The abdominal area is considered the furnace of the body, where heat and energy are produced. Sluggishness and tension in this area can impede our general flow of energies and also blood. Thus, you will need to do a number of exercises to stimulate and vitalize the area of the abdomen.
• The endocrine system regulates our overall metabolism. You would do well to learn and employ specific exercises for rejuvenating and harmonizing the endocrine system.
• Add other exercises for the various joints such as the shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, hips, knees, ankles and toes according to where you need better circulation. Even if our problems are located at the extremities such as with the fingers and toes, we have to open up all the other joints, which come before them. Although the symptoms may be in the extremities, the cause may be in one of the preceding joints. It is usually at the joints that the circulation gets blocked.
• Ensure good circulation to the brain by lying on your back next to a wall and placing your feet up on the wall, so that the blood flows into the lungs gaining oxygen and then into the brain oxygenating and bringing nutrients to all the cells of the brain. This is essential for the pituitary and hypothalamus and thus for the endocrine and autonomic nervous system and thus for all bodily and mental functions.

16. Observe to see if emotional factors are involved. You may have an unconscious holding and a need for control of feelings or expression, which is also restricting the free flow of blood. If you are suppressing your emotions, learn to express them in effective and positive ways (without hurting others).

When we care for our body and mind, they serve us much more efficiently.

May you be well on all levels of your being.

For more about creating natural health go here http://www.HolisticHarmony.com/archives/health/
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