:Forest Folk

Millions of people struggle with weight issues every yearand despite claims that a wonder diet can “work for everybody”, the fact is that each of those individuals have a medical history, a personality, or a lifestyle issue that affects whether or not that weight control technique will help them shed those pounds.

But while nothing works for everybody, there is something that will work for you…and the challenge is to find it, identify it, and stick to it.

For some people, appetite control is extremely difficult. Some weight loss programs try to tackle that problem by delving into the psychological issues behind food (these are the total lifestyle body makeovers, whose techniques include keeping a food journal and coming to terms with one’s body image). Others address the problem through metabolism, introducing or removing certain foods in one’s diet that are said to either trigger appetite. Still others, like diet pills, act as appetite suppressants. Other programs rely on nutritional substitutes, like heavy shakes that make one feel full and provide adequate vitamins and minerals, while reducing calories.

For others, it’s not appetite that’s problematic, it’s the kind of food they eat. Certain diet programs give very strict diet regimens that promote weight loss, because of the way the body digests the food. Some are short-term, meant to shed pounds over a limited period of time; others are long-term lifestyle changes. The success of these diet programs depend largely on the person’s weight loss goals and level of commitment. Needless to say, if you just want to drop a dress size for your wedding, you may not be ready to go into something long-term. But if you have health problems, and need to control cholesterol levels, then a short-term solution would not be very effective.

Other weight loss programs are closely tied with exercise routines. Of course, not all exercise regimens will appeal to an individual; some would find yoga interesting, while others would prefer something like belly dancing. The idea is that one picks what is most interesting to themthe more fun and enjoyment they derive from a routine, the more likely they will stick to it.

The mistake that many people make is that they don’t consider their own lifestyle or personality when they try a diet or exercise regimen; they go with what everyone else is doing, or jump on the weight loss bandwagon on the premise that it worked for so-and-so. While it’s okay to experiment with different regimens (wouldn’t hurt to try anything once), ultimately it is a search to find what is personally appealing.

Another secret to maintaining a diet or exercise regimen is to have very clear and realistic goals. “Be thin” is too general to be meaningful; pinpoint a number, and a date: “Lose 15 pounds by September.” And to avoid discouragement, that goal must be humanly achievable and should never compromise with one’s health. If a diet makes one dizzy, or radically affects one’s ability to be fully alert and functional, then stop immediately.

Luckily there is a wide variety of weight loss regimens. There’s bound to be one that will help one meet one’s goals and match one’s lifestyle.

Resources.eu.com is an online resource centre covering many topics including health and fitness and weight loss.

Comments Off

The origins of alternative medicine, also known as holistic medicine, can be traced back thousands of years to the very roots of medicine. Many millennia ago, physicians or healers would assess the sick person’s emotional condition in addition to their physical symptoms before beginning treatment. The roots of alternative medicine deal with the symptoms of the “whole” person, not merely the physical signs of illness. This is radically different from traditional medicine today.

In medicine today, people demand to be cured immediately, and the demand for medicines and treatments that do so is very high. Most physicians today are trained to assess physical symptoms and base treatments on that, without much consideration of the person’s emotional or intellectual state.

Since its inception, alternative medicine has survived the ages and stages of the field of medicine. Despite the prevalence of modern medical practices, there are still millions of people worldwide that take advantage of alternative treatments for ailments or well-being. Some of these alternative treatments include massage therapy, herbal remedies, and meditation. Massage is one of the most long-standing forms of alternative treatment, and it is highly popular today as a treatment for aches and pains, and as a means of stress release and relaxation. Most people probably don’t even think about massage as a type of alternative medicine.

Through the ages, every society has used their own forms of alternative medicines and treatments. There is over 5000 years of history and many types of treatments that were used far and wide, and many traditional medical treatments can even find their roots in alternative medicine from long ago.

Long ago in Europe, medical issues were treated by one of two types of healers, the physicians or the folk healers. The folk healers appealed to the poorer factions of society, in that they used natural treatments that were more affordable and easier to come by. Folk healers were often highly respected in these underprivileged sections of society. Folk healers often incorporated philosophy and religious faith into their healing practices, which helped to strengthen a sick person’s mind and spirit, as well as his body.

Eventually, folk medicine evolved into the traditional medicine we are familiar with in today’s world. With each passing century, many great advances have been made in treatments and cures for various diseases and conditions.

Despite the dominance of traditional medicine in the world today, there is still a place for alternative medicine. It is alive and well, and used by many people around the world through massage therapy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, meditation, and many other forms of alternative treatments. Many physicians now support many of these treatments, making them less alternative.

The origins of alternative medicine were very forward thinking. Alternative medicine has survived through the millennia because it has real validity, despite a great deal of ridicule through the ages. Though they do not have the immediate effect that many drugs and treatments of traditional medicine, they are a feasible option for a person to consider.

To discover more about alternative medicine visit http://www.greatalternativemedicine.info

Comments Off

Today 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 peoples 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.

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.

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).

Comments Off

Many people want to lose weight and nothing seems to worklow cal; high protein; no carbohydrates, etc. Of course, nearly everyone drops a few pounds, but then they gain it back, and sometimes more.

On a conscious level, people blame it on a sweet tooth, lack of exercise, or genetics. No matter the explanation there is something going on at a deeper level that is holding you back, and that is fear. Yes, fear. How could that be?

Hidden anxieties around weight loss can keep us ’stuck’ for years. Fear of:

• Unwanted attention from the opposite sex
• Being viewed as selfish
• Losing friends who are also overweight
• Others will have greater expectations What is your next success?
• Expecting more of oneselfi.e. what is the next major success?

It doesn’t matter whether you have 100, 50 or 10 pounds extra weight; those extra pounds can serve as protection from the outside world.

What can you do to overcome the fear? The first thing is to recognize the actual source of your fear. Sit quietly and focus your attention inward. When you feel peaceful and calm, ask yourself this question: What am I afraid of?

Several thoughts will come to the surface. Listen carefullyavoid dismissing or discounting them, even if you think it is trivial or unrelated. Allow your mind to keep digging deeper.

When you have completed a thorough examination, write down the thoughts that came to you. Do you see any patterns? Were there any surprises? Be kind with yourself as you discover your inner truth. Look at yourself with loving eyes, free of judgment and criticism.

After you have discovered the cause of your fear, shed some light on it by asking yourself:

-How does this fear serve me?

-What does the fear help me avoid?

-What does the fear offer me?
-Does the fear serve me in multiple ways?

FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is the feeling one resorts to as a way to protect oneself from future mishaps, disappointments or betrayals. Is my fear justified now?

Whether your fear is justified or not, process your fear by expressing your concerns to a trusted friend, family member or professional. Be sure the discussion takes place in a safe, relaxed atmosphere where your defenses are down. Then you will have a better opportunity to understand the fallacy of your fear.

When you understand the fallacy of your fear, it won’t seem scary and you will be able to confront and resolve your anxieties, without turning to food for comfort.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Author, Inspirational leader empowers people to view life’s challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Comments Off