Mind Body Spirit

Medical Benefits From Essential Aromatherapy Oils

When essential aromatherapy oils are used specifically for the medical properties of the plants involved, it would be to your benefit to learn about medical research that goes into making oil blends. Today, you can find many great companies that take pride in offering the public only the highest quality oils possible to ensure the essential oils work appropriately for the specific reason you are buying.

In addition to the plant used for making oil a key component but plants are also vital to our survival. Throughout history, experts have discovered that plants have a direct link to a person’s well being, physically, emotionally, and mentally. To understand value that plants offer, scientists and researchers have conducted hundreds of studies and the knowledge gained intriguing.

Look at prescription medicine as a prime example of how plants are used. It is estimated that as much as 30% of all legal drugs in America are based on plants. This shows that even pharmaceutical makers realize the importance of plants but with only 700 plants being used for essential aromatherapy oils, we can see that experts have just begun to tap into the true benefits that plants offer.

Even plants used today for making essential oil have been studied in depth by leading universities and research firms, each looking to identify all the therapeutic values offered. To accomplish this, every part of the plant is used and interestingly, each plant offers something unique. In other words, the roots, leaves, flowers, stems, bark, and even seeds have something of value that can be used to make essential oil. Read more…

Baby Steps to a Healthy Life

We all want to live a healthy life. The choices we make decide on how healthy that life will be. There are certain people that take the “health thing” pretty seriously. They have made a commitment to be healthy and more fit. How do you live a healthier life?

Here are a few tips.

Wash your hands often for at least 20 to 30 seconds. A dose of preventions is better than an ounce of cure. Avoid certain behaviors such as smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol and eating excessively. That can dramatically improve your health all in it self. There are easy ways to get started being more healthy.

Strengthen Your Muscles

Muscles tend to weaken as we age. If you want to prevent a that from happening in a BIG way, you need to practice weight bearing exercises on a regular basis. Weight training increases lean muscles tissue. It also encourages bone Density. Bone density starts to decrease in our thirties but we can combat that with regular resistance training. Weight training also jump starts your metabolism and helps you to burn calories at a faster rate. Read more…

Remake Your Life With These Seven Health Habits

If you realize you need to make some changes in your lifestyle-for the better–here are a few ideas to help you get started on the right track.

1. Keep a set of workout clothes and running/walking shoes in your car. That way, you won’t be able to use the excuse that you can’t work out because you would ruin your “good clothes”. If you’re at soccer practice with your kid, you can always change shoes and walk around the soccer field for some exercise.
2. Cut the size of portions that you put on your food. This could go a long way in helping you lose weight. One suggestion that you can consider is to use a salad plate for your dinner plate. That will give you the illusion that you have a full plateful, when indeed your portions are smaller.
3. Think orange. Eat and drink oranges and carrots. A daily glass of orange juice can reduce your risk of stroke as well as lower your cholesterol. Carrots can also go a long way in reducing your risk of stroke. Carotene (which is in carrots and other orange/yellow vegetables) can also lower the risk of cancer and heart attacks. Read more…

Essential Oils Recipes For Better Health

Although therapeutic properties associated with essential oils have been known about for many years, most people still associate these oils with aromatherapy. Yes, pure oils blended with plants are used to create wonderful aromatherapy products but they offer many additional benefits. As you will discover in this article, essential oils recipes can actually promote health, not just helping a person feel better but also, preventing illness.

To show you some of the essential oils recipes proven to support good health, we have provided some that you might try. Remember, along with known recipes, you can take time to learn about various plant options, properties of these plants, and the way in which notes (high, middle, and base) are used to produce oils that smell incredible while supporting health. With this knowledge, you have the opportunity to come up with essential oils recipes of your own liking and for your specific health issue.

It is also important to understand that in addition to essential oils recipes providing benefits for physical health, they also support good mental health. The following are examples of plants used in both instances. Read more…

Stress, Mood and Food

Globally, three out of five doctors visits are down to stress-related issues. That’s a scary statistic if you consider not only the financial drain on society, but also the psychological impact on families and relationships.

Although a lot of the stress we encounter is out of our control, there is much we can do to enable us to deal with it more effectively, from breathing techniques to regular exercise and importantly good nutrition. But to do this, we must understand what stress is and how it impacts the body.

Stress

Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand, whether it is caused by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant conditions.

Acute stress is the most common form of stress. It comes from demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. Acute stress is thrilling and exciting in small doses, but too much is exhausting.

Prolonged exposure to stress becomes a problem and can leave you feeling unable to cope with daily challenges. Heavy workloads, insomnia, physical illness, excessive alcohol and stimulants (tea, coffee, smoking and social drugs) are common physical factors that contribute to chronic stress whilst psychological issues like depression and anxiety are contributing factors.

The stress response is controlled through hormones secreted by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). The HPA axis regulates many body processes including digestion, the immune system, mood and emotions, sexuality, energy storage and expenditure. Chronic stress will eventually lead to an imbalance in the hormones adrenalin, cortisol and DHEA. Imbalances in these hormones may lead to decreased energy production, blood sugar problems, memory impairment, cardiovascular disease, increased weight gain and reduced immunity. Identifying adverse effects of stress in the early stages can help to prevent more serious problems down the line. Read more…

Aikido and Technology – Why Aikido is Good For Children and Adults

It is no secret that the human body grows weaker as it is used less and when life becomes easier. While this is not necessarily a reason to make your life more difficult, it is a reason to take a good, hard look at ones everyday interactions, as well as gain some perspective on the evolution of technology and how we may be going backwards by trying to move forward.

The technological advances we have all around us have made life, in many ways, much easier than it may have been 10 years ago, but have we become better as a result? Its a worthy question and one worth delving into, especially when it comes to our children and their future.

Elevators, escalators, cars, video games, computers; all of these things have rendered once firm and strong muscles weak and flaccid from lack of use. Our minds have become weaker as we utilize calculators, computers, and video games to do much of the thinking for us. Children, especially, are becoming less creative and have far less patience and focus as a result of all the technological stimulation that is such a prevalent part of their lives.

The paradox of technology and innovation is that, instead of creatively or constructively utilizing all of the time thats been freed up by our gadgets, we tend to use the time to sit back, relax, and demand to be entertained by yet more electronic stimulation. Read more…

17 Tips For Holistic Good Health – Or How I Found Mine After Years of Illness

As a busy homeopath and mother, my time is valuable. After detours, mistakes and years of searching for the healthiest ways of living, I’ve boiled down my research and time tested tips to a simple seventeen. Here are my top all-time favorites:

1. Stay calm. The world is not as scary a place as the media and other self serving concerns might lead us to believe. When I’m anxious or worried I repeat “Be still and know that I am God”. This gives me inner peace to know that God is protecting all of us. No matter who you believe God to be, pray or study daily. If you’re Catholic, say your rosary. If you’re protestant, read your bible. If you’re Jewish study your teachings. Don’t miss out on the importance of faith.

2. Don’t watch TV, or spend unproductive time on the Internet. After working in the field of media, I learned that it is not in our best interest to be subjected to most forms of media as a steady diet. Protect your children from it as well.

3. Eat like your great grandparents did. Eat whole, real and “untampered-with” foods. Make your meals yourself. It takes longer, but the rewards are worth the effort. There is something therapeutic about chopping fresh vegetables and creating soup from homemade stock. And you’ll earn a reputation as a good cook!

4. Learn enough homeopathy to be able to treat yourself and family for life’s little unknowns. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know. Homeopathy is timeless and enduring. At the very least, find yourself a credentialed, experienced homeopath and use his/her services liberally.

5. Stay away from conventional medications as much as possible. Most meds are dangerous and at best superfluous. Every drug has a healthy counterpart either homeopathically, as a kitchen cure or an herb. (My CD “Homeopathy First Aid; Perform in the Storm” is available my homeopathy website.) Learn the safe alternatives and use them with confidence. Save the use of modern drugs for life threatening situations only. Read more…