IS Laughter GREAT Medicine?

Laughter IS Great Medicine

Here are just a few things you need to know about laughter

Health benefits:

·         people who have good sense of humor can chill out enjoy better health

·          a few minutes of laughter lowers stress hormones and raises the number of circulating antibodies which fight off disease for almost 36 hours Paul parasol the pleasure prescription

·          big smiles reset the neurochemistry of the brain toward more positive emotions says Dr. Cooper

·         laughter increases the immune system, increasing T-cell count and IGA and Beta cells it increases the endorphins from the brain which assist in managing pain

·         helps with breathing problems and respiratory conditions

·         100 laughs is equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine

·         it lowers blood pressure

·         10 minutes of laughter can give two hours of pain free sleep says Norman Cousins from “The Anatomy of an Illness”

·         We start laughing at 10 weeks old

·         by 16 weeks we laugh at least once an hour and buy four years of age we are cracking about every four minutes

·         by the time we get to 50 the average adult laughs about 15 times a day if they're lucky

·          laughter improves teambuilding communication skills and self-esteem

So find some friends and loved ones or just go hang out in your local mall and get a few laughs in. 

What Causes Psychological Distress? Are Emotional symptoms a sign of Mental Illness?

The Truth about the "Chemical Imbalance" Theory

by Dr. Mercola

Here is a video that everyone must watch and a must read article by Dr. Mercola and the epidemic of prescribing hundreds of thousands of people medications for conditions they may not even have.  PLEASE Watch, Read and Inform yourself!

Video and Full article Click HERE

What Causes Psychological Distress?

Answering this question is the holy grail of psychiatry. Even before there were psychiatrists, such troubles were blamed on things like evil spirits, or an imbalance of "humors."

• Is any of the diagnosing based on real medical science?
• How valid are the psychiatric diagnoses being handed out?
• And are the drugs safe?

The Physical Dangers of Medicalizing a Non-Physical Condition

Read the full article

Are Emotional Symptoms Really Signs of Mental Illness?

Clearly, there are "real" mental illnesses that can destroy any semblance of normalcy in a person's life. But are you mentally ill when you're sad for more than a couple of weeks?

Is losing zest for life a sign of mental illness?

• 700,000 adverse reactions per year
• 42,000 deaths per year

How in the world can drugs that cause over 40,000 deaths a year be permitted, let alone handed out like candy?

Read the full article here

What Does the Science Really Say about the Effectiveness of Psychiatric Drugs?

Please inform yourself and READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!  There is a GREAT video link to watch here as well.   

I know I have been victim over the years of being "prescribed " more than one type of medication for my imbalance...one in which I was NEVER tested for.  

QUICK TIPS FOR NATURAL WAY TO PEP YOURSELF UP!

Exercise 

Address your stress 

Eat a healthy diet 

Support optimal brain functioning with essential fats 

Get plenty of sunshine 

Watch the Video and read the FULL article with Dr Mercola's comments HERE!

Inform Your self.

I believe Total Health starts from the Inside out.  And it involves our inner and outer man working together.  

Soy Can Lead to.......

SOY- is it safe?

•  Soy isoflavones mimic estrogen so effectively that they are able to bind to estrogen receptors in your child's body and "turn on" the physical and emotional characteristics of puberty.
• Soy is anything but a health food. Not only is soy infant formula a terrible food choice for your growing infant, it can have adverse affects on your health as well. Unfermented soy contains goitrogens, substances that suppress thyroid function. When the thyroid is suppressed, a host of health problems result, namely:

•Digestive problems

•Food allergies

•Difficulty losing weight

•Anxiety and mood swings

•Insomnia

•Difficulty conceiving children

and so much more.

• The claim that soy products can prevent osteoporosis, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia and protect you from cancer of the prostate, lung and liver is actually true but only if the soy is fermented

Soy formula sits on the same shelf next to formula made from cow's milk, and well-intentioned mothers have listened to doctors who told them that soy formula is an ideal alternative for colicky babies or those who are unable to tolerate milk based formulas.
However, according to a report done by Claire McCarthy of Harvard Medical School, very few babies benefit from soy formula, and I'm going to go one step further than that: soy formula is the absolute most dangerous food you can give your baby.
Let me explain why you should never feed your infant soy formula, what your alternative options are, and the best remedies for colic and diarrhea.
This article will also explain why most commonly-consumed soy products are anything but a health food for parents as well.

Please take the time to read through this Dr. Mercola Soy research article

Passion part 2

Many people flutter through life unfulfilled, unsatisfied, depressed and a feeling of no self worth.  This is why I am writing about this because as many of you have struggled with this I too have and these are some of the tools that have helped me. 

So in my last post we ended in talking about passions.
Lets figure out our passion.
Let me give you a few things to think about to help you rediscover your passion.  read the question and take a minute to answer mentally.

1. What do you love? When you love something it give you the energy to persist in that area, you have a desire to do it over other things. 

2. What do you hate? what bothers you with you think of it.  (this will help in understanding what you were created to solve, problems you are to figure out & possibly help others with)

3. What is something you would do even if you didn't get paid to do it? It brings you joy and satisfaction, it makes you fell happy and content....fulfilled

 4.  What are some goals in your life you would like to attain?


                                  Now take a few minutes and write it out. 
                                   - What are the top 3 thing you LOVE
                                        - What are your top 3 goals
                        - If you only had 6 months to live what would you do

AND  in 30 seconds write out the 3 most important things you would like to accomplish if time and money were not an issue. You had no physical or mental limitations.

                             Now the last is probably the most important. 
              Why you ask?  Because you CAN have, do or be those last 3 things!
Really you can.  It is just a matter of your passion....your purpose.  What do you think on during the day?  Do you think on what you don't have or can't do?  Well if you think you can fail, YOU CAN!
NOW how do you GET  those top 3 things?  It is with Intensity of Purpose.  You must intend on getting them and set your purpose each day to go out and get them, or work toward them.  They are not just going to rain down from they sky into your back yard for you to pick up in the morning.  You must work toward them.  You MUST have a desire to get them/ do them or be that person.  If there is no desire on your part it will not work. 
But first you must believe you have the ability to DO IT! and you can.

We were all created for a specific purpose, to do something in this world. No one is a mistake, or an accident, we all have a purpose and it is ingrained in us from the very moment of conception, it is just our job to figure out what it is we are gifted at, this usually is in line with our passion. That is why I asked those questions earlier, to help you discover your passion.


It is so very sad when someone loses their passion or has not figured it out. This is a major cause of depression. For when one is following his or her passion it is in line with their purpose in life they truly are fulfilled.

In the next article Ill give you some practical pointers to work it out!  Until then start believing in yourself! 
Start dreaming big, and rehearsing in your mind the top three things in DETAIL...Get a Vision!

Certainties of Life-Passion-Life Cycles

I have been thinking lately about the cycles in life.  First as big thinking, young adults how we start out full of ambition, vim and vigor with this great notion that we are going to make a difference in this world we have passion and enthusiasm, energy, ideas maybe not directed toward a particular  "thing" but and overall general sense of  I am going to make a difference.
This is fantastic!  A wonderful way of thinking it gives one purpose in the morning when the sun peeks over the horizon, a reason to pull their feet out of the warm cozy bed in the morning and place them on the cold uninviting floor.

SO we  continue on through life  five, ten, fifteen years, facing the certainties of life, the search for your one true love, career, the realities of monthly expenses and trading your time for dollars, family and other obligations we tend to get ourselves into.  Only the firey few  have the beginning enthusiasm they once did and it has effected their years, in a good way.

  The rest of us, Yes, we may still have the desire to change the world, to do something greater than ourselves but the cares of this life, the certainties, have consumed us and when we do get a break or what we call it here in America "a vacation"  or time off, we don't want to think about another thing to do,  we want to relax, or in some cases catch up on projects that have been neglected for some time.
And yes, hey we still have some sort of enthusiasm about something (hopefully) but not to do it ourselves as in the early years.  We don't want to be the patriarch, the ones to set out to change the world or a particular issue, but  we are totally willing to pitch in and help someone who has that ambition and not to mention the energy to go along with it. 

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  It does to me. 
So I ask myself why.  Why is it that before the certainties of life their was a drive to do and to be but as the years go by,  things are happening...... the bulb dims, the dreams the goals seems to get further away and harder to attain and we have less mental energy to think on them coming to terms that they may not ever happen.   But is that really true or is that a mind set that we place there ourselves or allow others to  for us? 

I do alot of reading, I love to learn and gain insight form many different perspectives, and recently a dear friend of mine game me this book and she inscribed it "May this encourage you to plan your obsession" needless to say I devoured the book  and am now on my 3rd read. 
The book is from the great Dr. Mike Murdock who is an amazing man and writes very easy to read and understand book with tons of information, wisdom and insight, so one read through is usually not enough, and it requires a highlighter to REALLY point out the stuff you need to sink in. 

Anyway I believe not only from reading though this book but as I stated before that this has been stirring around in me for quite some time and I have discovered something no matter where we are in our life, if we are caught up in the certainties of life or if we are just have no ambition or drive we must first of all figure out what our passion is. 
You must have one, everyone does but maybe it got lost and buried over the years.Think on this what do you love, what gives you joy when you think about it .  If you could do what ever you wanted with out time or money restraints what would you do? 
That is a clue right there as to what your passion is.

I'll continue more later and get more specific on how to find your passion and then what to do with it!

Be blessed in this day Friends.

Presentations - Speech- Motivational Talk- Business Meeting?

Presentations- Speech-Motivational Talk Business Meeting- whether large or small groups its important to act like you know what your talking about and have confidence.
 Here are a few outlandish yet real tips on giving a successful & memorable presentation:

• Start with a joke, then close with the same joke to indicate that the presentation is finished.
• Shouting makes everything more memorable.  Use major voice fluctuation to keep peoples attention.
• Make eye contact with your audience. (This is especially effective if you are crying)  Move on peoples emotions. 
• Keep your head up don't look at the ground people will thinks weeds are growing down there and look too...very distracting.
• Imagine that the audience is naked—they're doing the same to you; or at least they are trying to figure out if you wear boxers, briefs or bikinis.  

                                    Have a Great week everyone!

 

Total Health in 2011 Part 3-Success Takes Action

In the first article we talked about taking ownership of where & who we are today, and in the second post we talked about taking the limits off and thinking outside the box to compile a list of ideas to get you to where you want to be,  so today we are going to look at our list of ideas we compiled to make a  plan of action. 


A plan of action looks ahead.  You need to understand that the mind has NO limitation except what you put on it or what you allow others to put on it.  When reading through your list of ideas on how to be more successful don't start thinking you cant because if you think you can fail....you can. 


Former First Lady and author Rosalynn Carter wrote,


"You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you've tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk."




You need to ask your self, is what I am going after really worth it?  Am I willing to do what ever it takes to get it.  See most thing take something from us to attain, an investment of sorts, so what are you willing to give to get your desired results?  Time, Money, Effort, Energy, Extra hours out of your "free time".  Determine what YOU have to give in return to gain those things you want most. 


                             With that being said lets look at our list  and make a plan of action. 


Read through your list and  on a new sheet of paper write out the top 3 things you think will create the best results you desire.  Remember the last few things on your list are probably the BEST ones to put at the top of this Plan of Action.  Leave a bit of space under each item of action to make some notes. 


Now that you have your top 3  under each write a little something to elaborate on how you can put that into practice today. Write it out in present tense;  for example, Today I will..... I am....I have.....
Write it out as you already have it and it already look the way you want it to look. 


Your attitude and your state of mind is EVERYTHING!  That is all you have control over. 
You need to keep a positive mental attitude about the things you desire because as a man thinks in his heart so is he.


Remember you are where you are at today because of your thoughts.  Thoughts translate into words and words into action, so if you are reading this you  must be wanting to have things different in your life right?   OK, so from this moment forward you need to take charge of your thought and speak what you want.  I'm not saying ignore the reality you are in I'm just saying to change your mental attitude toward what ever situation and you WILL see change.  Your mental attitude effects the outcome of everything you do, say or have in life. 

Now that you have the top 3 action points and the positive affirmations below them I want you to  say them  daily.  read them until you believe them your self. 

It is a fact of life that if we have something in front of us and we say it enough times it will eventually come to pass.  That is the law of nature, that is how our brains were created.  When we renew our minds to whatever we are thinking on that soon becomes our reality.  You have to create a  passion and desire to see things come to pass because what you believe determines how you act and your actions create your future. 

So I encourage you now to keep this list in front of you, read it daily, before you go to bed at night so your subconscious mind can work on it while you sleep and  first thing in the morning so you have a plan of action for the day to keep you focused.   
Also think of other things to do throughout your day to implement to get you closer to your desired results. 

I encourage you to do this on a monthly basis, revisit your list of ideas and add new ones.  Don't have to many going at one time because that will get overwhelming, but choose 2 or 3 ideas and implement them regularly to keep the edge and to propel you forward. 

I guarantee you will see results as you keep your mind focused on the prize not on the negative things. 

Ill share more with you in the coming days on success and what it takes to get where you want to be!

Total Health in 2011 part 2 -Taking the Limits Off

Be a person of action, create the future YOU want to see, don't dwell in a pit of dispair over the past moaning over squandered time and lost opportunity that you can do nothing about. Take hold of the future that is happening NOW, carry it with swift feet.

When faced with doing something or doing nothing DO SOMETHING! Choose to Act, make the future yours today, Believe in YOU!

You were created for Greatness! Believe it...

In this article we are going to talk about taking the limits off!
In the part 1 we talked about writing down an area you want to see change in. Today we are going to Take The Limits Off and list some ideas, brainstorm if you like, on how to make change happen in that area of your life. What I want you to do is on a piece of paper, as I stated in the previous article it would be easier if you used a spiral note book to keep this all together; write out 40 or 50 ideas, again taking the limits off if you could do anything time, money, relationships, job status, were not an issue what would you do to change this particular situation in your life.
For example if you are in sales and wanting to change your income level some of the things might be to look for new clients, new ideas, study past successful sales people and use some of their tips.
 (think outside of the box)
If you have a relationship you want to see better or mended you could call, write a love/appreciation note, go to lunch, take a trip alone with that person etc…
What ever the area may be use your imagination, take the limits off, Think outside the “traditional way” of doing things, and write it out.
I say 40-50 but I would shoot for 50 because the first 10 may come easy but after you get up to 20 or 30 it gets a little tougher. But let me tell you it is usually the 49th or 50th idea that is the one that is going to catapult you to where you want to be.
Take some time, Go to a quiet space where its just you and really think about some ideas, borrow others ideas, but the key here is to write them down. When we write things down it makes them more than just an idea its tangible at this point.
Maybe keep a note book with you so that if something pops into your mind throughout the day you can write it down.

Take action, do it today because Today is the beginning of your future. So if not now when?

It has been said, maybe you have even heard, the definition if insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Is that what you have been doing, year after year, hoping and waiting for things to change? Well, take ownership of your life and start today!
I believe in you, you can do it! Start with this little step today.
In my next article we are gong to look at the list you are compiling and make a plan of action.


                                           Blessings to you- Sarah

Total Health in 2011 part 1 - Ownership

Part of living healthy is being in a healthy mental state.  You can eat all the healthy food you want take all the vitamins and supplements you want diet, exercise every day,  but if you are messed up in the head  :)   in your thinking you truly are not a healthy person. You will be physically healthy (partially) but mentally making crazy off the wall decisions in all areas of your life in turn causing you to become mentally and physically unhealthy in the long haul.
 See the WHOLE you has to be in good health.  So I want to give you some tips on how to have a healthy  mind and actually have GREAT over all health both physically and mentally.   But first let me pose few questions, I want YOU to ask your self these questions and honestly answer them, you don't have to answer them to anyone else but yourself, just be honest with yourself, that's the first step.    
      
       1.  Did I write some new years resolutions and if so  how am I dong in them? 
       2.  Are there more days of me not reaching toward my New Years resolutions & trying to forget I
            ever wrote them than days of actually trying to go after them?
       3.  Do I continually think of things I haven't completed and make my self feel guilty?
       4.  Am I a dreamer who is often disappointed with how things are turning out in my life?
       5.  Do I continually strive to "do it better" or "make situations change" with not much luck?
       6.  Do I write personal/work goals out on a continual basis always seeming to write the same thing
           (that never gets accomplished)

IF you answered YES to ANY of these questions what I am going to write about over the next few weeks is for YOU!  Don't be discouraged if any of the above questions or ALL of the above questions describe you. If that is the case then you are with  95% of the American public, and the whole goal here is to help you who want to, to get out of this rut and climb out. 

So for the first tip I want you to take ownership. 
What do I mean by ownership.  Well Ownership of where you are today and how things are today in your home and work situation, your relationships etc....  Now I know and totally understand that some of us get dealt a good deck of cards in life and some of get the short straw, but regardless of which one you get it is how you react to it that makes all the difference in the world.    Is it fair that things that happened to you?  NO but how are you acting about it?  How you react determines your future and your health.
       Think about that for a minute if you get so upset and fire off your mouth at your boss or co-worker do you think you work situation and relationships there will be the same?  If they are not the same wont that effect you EVERY DAY you go in to work and see those people?  Of course it will.  So take ownership of your reaction to EVERY situation. 

Take ownership today of where you are at in your life and make a conscience decision that NO MATTER WHAT, YOU are going to make a difference, you aer going to commit to making the change in what ever area you want to see it in. 

                             Now remember change is a process its not an over night success so this
                                         will take some time, determination and some patience. 
                                                       But I believe in you, you can do it!

SO what I want you to do is to think of an area that you REALLY, REALLY want to see change in; it could be any area and write it down.  Write out I want to see change in  ____________.  (work, marriage, relationships, finances, my temper etc....) I will make forward steps in the right direction EVERYDAY to make this come to pass. 

When we write it out it gives us a visual, and it acknowledges in this natural world that we want to see change in that area.  Now  under this you can jot down some ideas that you might think would help you to make some change in that area.  for example if it is relationship you want to make changes in write out some things you could do to improve this relationship.  Call more, send a note, talk heart to heart tell them what on your mind, air out any frustrations to get thing cleared up and so on...

I encourage you to maybe get a note book so when I do ask you to write stuff out you will have it all in one place. 
 Next time we will do more of a brain storming activity to help with what to do. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you come back to continue on the journey to total Health!

The Buck Stops Here!

 I believe that Healthy Living starts with  Healthy  thoughts & decision making and taking ownership and control of our lives.  I came across this guy somewhere, some how and his name is Andy Andrews.  One of the articles on his website is about just that making decisions and taking ownership its titled The Buck Stops Here. 

Here is a small excerpt from his note and Ill attach a link for you to read the whole thing.


My thoughts will be constructive, never destructive. My mind will live in the solutions of the
future. It will not dwell in the problems of the past. I will seek the association of those who are
working and striving to bring about positive changes in the world. I will never seek comfort by
associating with those who have decided to be comfortable.

When faced with the opportunity to make a decision, I will make one. I understand that God did not
put in me the ability to always make right decisions. He did, however, put in me the ability to make
a decision and then make it right. The rise and fall of my emotional tide will not deter me from my
course. When I make a decision, I will stand behind it. My energy will go into making the decision.
I will waste none on second thoughts. My life will not be an apology. It will be a statement.
The buck stops here. I control my thoughts. I control my emotion


                                Please go here to read the whole thing.