Chiropractic medicine is believed to have been around since 1895. Chiropractors believe that joint mobility and anatomical alignment of the spine can exert inconceivable effects on your nervous system. Since the spinal column is so much a part of the nervous system, chiropractors think that manual adjustments can promote and improve the overall health of a person. Such treatment can reduce whatever is exerting pressure on the spinal cord, the chief neurological tissue.

When misalignment or fracture is found on any of the vertebrae, this is normally attributed to either an accident, a fall or even body tension. Whatever the cause may be, when your spinal nerve root is irritated, you will experience the reflexes of pinched nerves, usually resulting in severe back pain. That’s one reason for you to visit a chiropractor.

When examining a patient most chiropractors use the same approach as that of medical doctors. First is the consultation. Next is the discussion of your case history. Then this should lead to a physical examination. Further tests may then be needed such as laboratory analysis and x-ray studies.

Chiropractic care engages a drug-free and non-surgical methodology in treating the patients. It involves manually manipulating your body joints and adjusting your spinal column to bring a sense of balance back to your body. Thus restoring your health. This process is even believed to have disease prevention effects. When all is done, your joints should be able to have normal motion back again. Not only that, your body will have diminished nerve interferences, resulting in removal of stressful attacks, rejuvenating your whole body back into its healthful state.

The following will give a brief idea of how spinal joint mobility can actually be restored by chiropractic practice. Through using a highly trained manual sequence called chiropractic spinal manipulation, pressure is applied or forced to the joints that have been limited by muscle strain, inflammation and/or pain. This form of manipulation will relieve tightness and pain of muscles, and also promote general health. It also is found to be especially helpful in reducing back pain and in treating sciatica with disc protrusions.

As stated above, these types of manual adjustments can be very helpful in treating sciatica. They can help ease the irritations in the root nerves that are causing all the sharp pains, inflammation and muscle spasms usually associated with sciatica. Alignment adjustments and mobility manipulations are both safe and should be pain free. If there are discomforts during or after treatments, make sure to let your chiropractor know immediately.

The sounds you hear when a chiropractor makes adjustments to your joints are not the sounds of bones cracking. These are sounds of gases being released from your joints, incredible as this may sound. But they are actually the release of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide which have built up in your joints, causing them pressure. You should begin to feel wonderfully good after the chiropractor is done with this. There should be no discomfort unless your muscles are in spasm or you get overly tensed about the whole procedure. It’s quite important that you are able to relax in an adjustment session. Tensing up your body works against you and defeats what the chiropractor is trying to do for you.

Chiropractic care can be an incredible aid for maintaining a healthy pregnancy. From controlling nausea all the way to having a full term delivery. It could even help in shortening the time of labor and delivery! Most of the professionals have been trained to work with pregnant patients and so it is very safe for both the mother and the baby.

When modern medicine cannot offer any genuine relief for those with chronic back pain, it’s time for you to definitely check out chiropractic care. Instead of taking more pain-killers, and facing the possibility of surgery, you have a truly viable alternative here.

Many people who began visiting a chiropractor found out it made them feel much better than they had in years. When you keep your body in alignment, it returns back the favor by keeping you in better overall health. Taking constant medications does no good to your health in the long run. And nobody likes going for surgery either. So it should only be the last resort, after you’ve exhausted all other means.

Chiropractic care is now a century old practice and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. Real world results are confirming that these manual adjustments are bringing surprisingly good health benefits to patients. There are other issues of health where positive results are even surfacing because of this treatment. In areas such as allergies, headaches, adult and child ADHD, they can be either relieved or diminished by going to the chiropractor. As time progresses, it looks promising that many more areas of common health issues will likely be uncovered, which could responsively benefit from the chiropractic care approach.

About the author:
Pete Wyatt is a chronic pain sufferer. His wife has a neuro-stimulator implanted in her back and does not have any painfree moments. Their quest for information to deal with their pain resulted in the creation of their site at http://pain.3trends.com/

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A video primer on reflexology.

This method of self-hypnosis is a perfect marriage between the Eastern and Western concepts of health management and overall well-being.” NaturalHealthBlog
Try the Seishindo meditation out for yourself at NaturalHealthWeb.com and learn more about Seishindo at seishindo.org

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

It is such a sad tribute to modern medicine that we are so disconnected from our whole selves that we fail to think of our bodies, minds and souls as one. The medical system is so dehumanizing and objectifying that doctors have unfortunately succeeded in separating our bodies from our real selves for treatment.

While modern medical practitioners may believe themselves to be healers, only the human body is capable of healing itself. Likewise, a person cannot heal from emotional or psychological trauma if they are not willing to heal.
Medical doctors place bandaids over our injuries and can mend broken pieces and can even drug away the symptoms and pain, but true healing always takes place internally.

Rather than a single minded focus on healing itself, perhaps it is better to let it go and find patience and acceptance to achieve the deepest healing, as Heart of Healing suggests:

“An intensive focus on healing can result in the kind of goal orientation that makes it impossible to relax and enjoy what you have right now. I haven’t in any way abandoned my focus on health and healing — it’s a way of life for me, but I have been learning to let go of the outcome of my efforts. This kind of acceptance, for me, has become the ultimate meaning of healing.” Heart of Healing

There is a reason why music and art aid the physical healing process. People with pets heal faster. Laughter is truly the best medicine. Your mental state can drag your physical health up or down like a hot air balloon.

Purchase Music for Healing

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

Indian massage can be your solution for looking gorgeous, smelling splendid and feeling on top of the world! Read this article to find out how this ancient art of touch can help you in your complete rejuvenation.

Touch is the most basic mode of communication between two human beings. Due to the fact that massage involves this magic touch, massage promotes health—both psychological and emotional.

How?
Massage improves circulation, supports neurological functions, helps in digestion by providing gas relief and strengthens overall immunity.

Massage act as stimulant for the skin receptors and the nerves and triggers off the ‘feel-good’ hormones, especially the endorphins. This helps the nerves and muscles relax. Massage also helps alleviating pain simply by refusing to receive pain signals from brain.

The end result is: you get a feeling of complete relaxation—both in your body and mind. With tensions and stresses gone, you gain back the keenness of your senses.

How Indian Massage Therapy is different
Massage takes different approaches in different parts of the world. The Indian massage therapy or the Ayurvedic massage has been practiced since antiquity. Massage has always received a scientific perception in the writing of the Scholars of ancient India. This traditional Indian technique was based on Ayurvedic Doshas and Marmas—the pressure points in the Western reflexology. Here are some basic points:

The focal point in Ayurvedic massage technique is: different pressure points of the body. As a healing agent, Indian massage involves the use of different types of touch and pressure or flowing movements.

Ayurvedic massage is applied to the skin in a way so that the tissues underlying it are relieved of muscular tension and pains. This form of massage may involve either particular parts of body—as for example, Indian head massage—or full body massage. Indian massage often involves the use of different types of aromatherapy oils—hot or cold. All of these result in relaxation of the body and promote a sense of overall well-being.

Indian Massage—an experience of lifetime
In the interior of India, you will get to see people receiving massage in the corners of the streets for a few rupees; although they often lack formal training, they have acquired the art as a part of community tradition.

But for a life changing experience, you should visit a luxury Indian spa where trained and experienced masseurs will offer you traditional Ayurvedic massage for a holistic rejuvenation. Here are some of the varieties of Ayurvedic massage you can experience in the different parts of India, especially in the Spa Resorts in Kerala, in southern fringes of the peninsula.

Panchakarma treatment
The gentle process that promotes deep cleansing without discomfort. This is a massage technique that helps eliminate toxins from the body accumulated in areas like the lymph, circulatory, and immune systems.

Abhyanga Massage
The fastest toxin expelling technique - this is a luxurious full body indulgence with medicated oils containing herbs and ingredients that pacify the unbalanced Vata, Pitta, and Kapha energies.

Ayurvedic Head Massage
The technique that ends mental fatigue - this massage is done with oils containing herbs that pacify the nerves and stimulate the brain for better functioning. This massage can be your ultimate solution for getting rid of emotional fatigue, confusions and for enhanced clarity of mind.

Full Body Steam
Expelling toxins with the help of steam - this is a full body massage technique, much different from ordinary sauna; here the steam contains vapors of detoxifying and balancing herbs. However, the head and neck areas are excluded in this massage. In addition of relieving body from toxins, it also moisturizes and dehydrates the skin giving it a baby soft glow.

Shirodhara
The ultimate stress reliever - this amazing technique involves trickling of a warm stream of mixture of cooling and balancing herbal oils and medicated ghee over the forehead in a continuous flow. To enhance the effect, the treatment is carried on in a quiet, soothing atmosphere. If you happen to suffer from any one of these: chronic neuro-muscular disorders, hypertension, insomnia, depression, anxiety, headaches or restlessness—- Shirodhara is the technique you must give a try to get rid of these menaces for once and for all.

For generations, Indian massage has been trusted for having a powerful effect on the mental and emotional well being of the individuals.

Come and experience the difference yourself!

About the author:
Tania Penwell provides information on Indian massage and other types of massage for Savvy Cafe - your guide to living life to the fullest!

Buy the Book: Indian Head Massage: with Fold-out back cover - the massage routine in full colour photographs

A Funny Thing Happened
Not long ago, I was riding my bike on a familiar trail near my home. I was deeply engrossed in possible topics for articles downloadable from our Natural Healing Tools web site.

The trail is about 20 miles long. Three to four miles of it run under large power lines towering over the path. Suddenly, it hit me - the topic of my next article. EMF! That buzzing sound overhead was coming from those power lines just above me. No, I couldn’t see the field of energy emanating from the lines, but I sure could sense that I was passing through an area I wasn’t comfortable with. Then, I remembered that I usually picked up my pace a little when I reached this stretch of trail, probably out of a sense of self-preservation.

Trying to not overreact, I remember thinking, “Hey, what you can’t see won’t hurt you…right?” I thought a little longer, then got the hell out’a there!

Over the last several years, I’ve speculated about the numbers of artificial energy sources - sources of EMF, or Electromagnetic Fields - that fill our environment. I, perhaps like you, question just how safe places like the path under the power lines are, despite overt signs of harm. Here’s where I come down on the subject of EMF. Just my opinion, but based on a growing body of hard evidence and many hours of in-depth investigation.

A Little About EMF
As a kid, I remember learning that our Sun, Earth and other bodies naturally radiate electromagnetic energy of varying frequencies and intensities. Perhaps you’ve experienced the low electromagnetic frequencies generated by a lightning storm - you can feel the lightening.

Our sun is a natural source of EMF. We’re told to use sunscreen to protect us from UV radiation. The Northern Lights are actually solar radiation colliding with the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Without the protection of the atmosphere we would be bombarded with harmful, much more intense and potentially fatal radiation.

But these are natural sources of electromagnetic radiation and there’s only so much we can do about them. What about the new forms of artificially generated radiation? Modern technology has introduced countless new sources of electromagnetic radiation.

Some estimates suggest that humankind today is subjected to 100 to 200 million times more electro-magnetic radiation than our distant ancestors. One hundred to 200 million times more! How can that possibly be good for us? The sources? Those power lines I mentioned earlier, but also computers, TV’s, radio towers, cell phones and microwave ovens, to name just a few.

One recognized authority on the subject of EMF, Robert O. Becker, states in his book “Cross Currents” (pg.188), “We have now almost reached a state in which the entire electromagnetic spectrum has been filled up with man-made frequencies. Our electric-power systems oscillates (operates) at 50 or 60 times per second (50 - 60 Hz), just above the highest naturally occurring frequency of 30 Hz. Our microwave beams operate at billions of times per second and are getting even closer to the trillion-cycle frequencies of visible light. We have filled the previously empty electromagnetic spectrum between these two extremes with man-made radiation that never existed before on Earth. And we did it in less than eighty years.”

Here’s the problem.
We’re the guinea pigs! In a sense, we have been silently recruited to participate in some ongoing experiment that will impact us long-term in ways we can only imagine. Only through the outspoken concern of people and groups has the issue of what many call “electropollution” been brought to the forefront.

According to Becker, there is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that exposure to man-made electromagnetic fields results in significant abnormalities in the physiology and function of living organisms. The potential risks to human health, he says, are well documented.

In his book “The Body Electric” (pg.327), Becker states, “Three dangers of EMF overshadow all others. The first has been conclusively proven: ELF, electromagnetic fields vibrating at about 30 to 100 hz, even if they are weaker than the earth’s field, interfere with the cues that keep our biological cycles properly timed; chronic stress and impaired disease resistance result. Second, the available evidence strongly suggests that regulation of cellular growth processes is impaired by electropollution, increasing cancer rates and producing serious reproductive problems. Electromagnetic weapons constitute a third class of hazards culminating in climactic manipulation from a sorcerer’s-apprentice level of ignorance.”

So, what are the implications?
Let’s look at what’s known. All of those electrical devices with which we surround ourselves - office machines, computers and other devices that get plugged into a wall socket - all operate at a frequency of 60Hz. The huge power lines that cover over 500,000 miles across the United States operate at 60Hz. Studies show that these 60 Hz frequencies (ELF, extremely low frequency) have damaging effects on all life forms of life. These frequencies are suspected of contributing to or even causing depression, suicides, psychosis, cancer, leukemia and a number of other physical and mental problems. Scientific evidence also indicate these frequencies can influence our genetic material during cell division, possibly linking chronic exposure to the origins of cancer (Becker, above).

Then there are those devices that operate at the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum, like our cell phones. Cell phones use microwaves that oscillate at billions of times per second. What are the long-term effects of using devices that operate at billions of time per second? We simply don’t know. This is an area that is much less understood. What can we do to protect ourselves? Here’s what I do and don’t do. Again, this is what I think and believe based on compelling scientific evidence and hundreds of hours of investigation. Follow your conscience.

* Don’t position your electric clock radio in close proximity to your head.

* Minimize all electrical devices in your bedroom.

* If you sleep with an electric blanket, turn it on before you get in bed and unplug it when you get in. Never keep it on while sleeping.

* Avoid waterbed heaters.

* Sit at least arms length away from your computer.

* Stay back from appliances when running - microwave, electric range, all of them.

* The larger your TV screen the further back you should sit (a readily available hand held meter will test EMF and help you determine how far back you should be).

* Stay at least ½ miles away from TV or radio towers.

* Avoid long conversations on cell phones and always wear an earpiece (above 2 minutes has shown alterations in electrical activity of the brain for at least 1 hr. after use.)

* Don’t wear your cell phone on your belt or in a pocket while it is on (you are still absorbing radiation)

* Use a landline instead of your cell phone whenever possible.

* Limit your time spent under fluorescent lights (they produce much different magnetic fields compared with incandescent bulbs.

* Before you buy a home have it tested for high levels of EMF.

* Consider proper grounding of household wiring.

* Use protective devices that have been tested in areas where there is increased EMF exposure (workplace, home, vehicle).

In the meantime ………
We’re just now beginning to understand how electromagnetic fields affect living organisms. More hard knowledge and wider awareness are needed to help us make wise choices and ensure a safe future of the generations to come. We continue to see newer advances in technology that outpace the research being done to warn us of potential dangers. Most people continue to enjoy the comforts of these new technologies but never think about the consequences of using them.

The choice to use or not use these new devices and how often or long to use them is an individual one. I’m unwilling to let the never-ending new sources of EMF work their way into my home, my car, my clothing and my work area without questioning and limiting my exposure to them. For my money, no exposure and very limited exposure is the way to go. Until there are uniform guidelines based on hard scientific evidence about how much and how long are safe for each type of device, I choose to do without or do with less.

It’s time we stop letting ourselves be guinea pigs. It’s time we start insisting that those elected or appointed to protect us do their job. It’s time to find out what is and isn’t happening to us after hours, days, weeks, months and years of exposure.

Looking for a little protection from the harmful effects of EMF? Check out the Circuit Sweeper on our Natural Healing Tools.com web site. For heavy EMF conditions the Circuit Sweeper’s 12 Pointed Resonator adds a protective broadcast to the area surrounding the Circuit Sweeper, giving you two sweeps in one unit. I have them in my home.

About the Author:

James P. Urban DC is the president of Natural Healing Tools Inc., a company providing health and wellness tools and current up-to-date information geared towards a healthy lifestyle.

Buy the Book: EMF Balancing Techniques

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