Just a quick post to let you know about Donna Eden’s 10-Day Joy Challenge, which starts tomorrow, June 1st. I’m not familiar with this specific energy routine of Donna’s, but I have done her 5-minute energy process off and on for a number of years, and recently featured it on Self-help Health when she offered a free 10-day challenge that focused on it. The 10 days was enough to get me back to doing the routine on a regular basis, because I could tell my physical, mental and emotional bodiesfelt better and more balanced by the end of it.
Anyway, I did a YouTube search to see if I could find an example of what the Joy Routine is going to be like and came up with this video from a previous challenge Donna hosted. Some of the moves are similar to the 5-minute energy process and it looks like the routine, once you know the various parts, will take only a few minutes to do, so I signed up for the 10 day challenge.
I have to saythatI really respect what Donna has done for the world of energy medicine and all the years she’s been helpingour bodies be healthier and more in balance. However, I’m not really a fan of her or her daughters’ delivery styles, which seem a little over the top and hyper to me, but maybe that’s just because I’m sort of laid-back and low key by nature and they’re always revved up from doing so many different energy routines . HA! So I don’t let the messenger(s) keep me from receiving the message. 🙂
If you’re interested in joining the challenge, and I think you’ll be glad you did, see Eden Method’s invite below and sign up asap, since it starts June 1st….
Do you sometimes find it hard to muster enthusiasm, hope, or joy?
You might be feeling just a little exhausted. Perhaps overwhelmed. Or even depressed.
That’s natural when your body and mind are under on-going stress.
Stress robs you of your joy.
And that’s NOT all in your head.
It happens energetically.
The good news is that joy can be generated even when things around you aren’t so great.
Like everything else in your body, joy (and wonder and awe) are energetic. They are carried in an energy system called your Radiant Circuits.
And when you’re stressed, it’s hard for the Radiant Circuits to source enough energy to light you up – making it difficult to access that inner spark of joy.
That’s why Donna created a Joy Routine.
It’s a simple routine that builds an energetic habit of joy when done repeatedly.
Donna is challenging all of us to do her joy routine for 10 days in a row so that we can collectively move out our stress and let inour joy.
P.S. The Joy Challenge is completely free. From June 1st thru 10th we’ll send out the same routine taught by a different teacher, every day, so you can follow along. The goal is to master a simple routine that will begin to lower your stress and turn on your joy. Since we know it’s not easy to make space in your day for self-care, we are “challenging” everyone to do it for just 10 days and you can access the replays anytime. You can unsubscribe from the challenge at any time.
p.s. Be sure to follow Self-help Health to receive helpful tips on a regular basis. And check out my website’s To Your Health page for even more useful information and resources for creating better health and well-being.
“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” SCOTT ADAMS
“Random Acts of Kindness” Day may be on a Friday this year, but the organization behind it hopes to remind you that being nice is an everyday endeavor.
Of course, being kind to people regularly is simply a great thing to do. However, research shows that those who help others reap a lot of benefits for themselves, too!
A “helper’s high”
According to research, placing the well-being of others ahead of our own without expecting anything in return, or being altruistic, stimulates the reward regions of the brain. Those feel-good molecules flood our bodies, causing a “helper’s high.” Volunteering, for example, has been proven to reduce stress and boost mood.
Not only that, but the same activity can lower the chance of cognitive deterioration and potentially help us live longer lives.
According to researchers, one reason for this is that compassion helps our sense of community and belonging. Studies show that this is a vital factor in living a healthier, longer life.
Lower blood pressure
Donating to others, often known as “prosocial spending,” has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure and improve heart health. In one study, hypertensive persons were instructed to spend $40 on themselves, while another group of people with high blood pressure were instructed to spend the money on others.
At the end of the six-week research, individuals who spent money on others had lower blood pressure. In fact, the advantages were comparable to those of a good diet and exercise.
Pain reduction
According to a recent study, giving appears to have the power to lessen our experience of pain. The study discovered that those who offered to donate money to help orphans were less vulnerable to an electric shock than those who opted not to. Furthermore, the less pain people felt, the more useful they believed their donation would be.
Why does this happen? The study discovered that parts of the brain that respond to painful stimuli appear to be quickly deactivated by the experience of giving.
Happiness
Researchers in the United Kingdom discovered that being kind can enhance happiness in as little as three days. The participants were divided into three groups: the first was required to perform an act of kindness every day, the second attempted a new activity, and the third did nothing. Happiness increased significantly in the groups that were kind and did novel things.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that you’ll feel much more joy if you’re inventive with your acts of kindness. Happiness researchers Sonja Lyubomirsky and Kennon Sheldon found that those who committed a range of acts of kindness throughout the week saw bigger improvements in happiness than those who repeated the same activity.
More good news? It appears that acts of kindness can be anonymous or apparent, spontaneous or planned, and as easy as complimenting someone or opening a door for them.
p.s. Be sure to follow Self-help Health to receive helpful tips on a regular basis. And check out my website’s To Your Health page for even more useful information and resources for creating better health and well-being.
Over the last couple of years devices that generate hydrogen water have given people an easy way to up their daily quotient of extra H2 (hydrogen), which seems to promote better health in a variety of ways.
Read about hydrogen and some of its many benefits below and you may just want to add it to your daily routine as well!
“Over 500 peer-reviewed articles demonstrate hydrogen to have therapeutic potential in essentially every organ of the human body and in 150 different human diseases.” – Molecular Hydrogen Foundation
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a tasteless and odorless gas and has demonstrated various biological and therapeutic effects on many diseases, from acute illnesses, including ischemia–reperfusion injury, to chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative, and metabolic diseases.
H2 is non-toxic even when used at high concentrations and rapidly crosses different tissue barriers, including blood–brain barriers, and penetrates various organelles4,5,6. H2 interferes with reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living systems, a characteristic that supports its well-established antioxidant functions that lead to its frequent use to treat diseases associated with oxidative stress3,7,8.
Molecular hydrogen is applied in therapeutics through various delivery routes, including hydrogen inhalation (HI), oral administration of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) or hydrogen tablets, and hydrogen-saturated saline injections. The concentration of H2 in tissues after exogenous supply depends on the type of organ4 and the H2 delivery route9. The liver is the organ that accumulates more exogenous H24,9, which appears to significantly affect its homeostasis10. H2 protected the liver against various acute and chronic injuries in animal models by suppressing excessive oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death11,12. In addition to the liver, preventive and therapeutic effects were obtained for H2 in various animal experiments of disease models2,3 and clinical trials in humans13,14,15. The preventive aspect of H2 in disease models, its antioxidant effects7,8, its function in aging13,16, among many others17,18,19, are paving the way for the use of H2 in healthy people to improve body performance or as a preventive therapeutic strategy.
In a recent clinical trial that was evaluated in a cohort of young and healthy people, the effects of inhaling 4% H2 20 min per day for 7 days on exercise performance revealed ergogenic properties such as improved running performance and torso strength20. Although Sim M. and colleagues had reported the beneficial effect of H2 inhalation on the increase of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory response in healthy adults21, other groups found that H2 only reduced delayed-onset muscle soreness after running downhill22 or improved muscle function during exercise without any effect on blood oxidative markers23. These data suggest that still little is known about H2 performance under healthy conditions and therefore requires further research. As part of an effort to provide more data to help better understand the therapeutic functions attributed to the biological activities of H2 in health conditions, our laboratory has initiated a study that evaluated the effect of long-term (6 months) hydrogen intervention on the physiological function of healthy rats24. The study found that H2 induces a time-dependent alteration of different biochemical parameters, among which liver injury markers such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bile acid (TBA) were significantly reduced in the serum of H2-treated rats24, suggesting that liver physiology and functions could be positively affected by prolonged exposure to H2. In the present study, we used transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches coupled with biochemistry and micro-CT techniques to access the global effects of long-term H2 treatment on the liver and its relationship with body conditions.
MORE interesting and exciting information about the benefits of extra hydrogen….
By 2019 more than 1000 studies had been carried out on humans and animals in regard to the effects of hydrogen, and by 2021 over successful clinical tests on 170 diseases had been conducted. AND supposedly 40% of Japan’s population uses it on a daily basis!
*INHALED HYDROGEN
Inhaled hydrogen gas (H2) has been shown to have significant protective effects on ischemic organs. Clinical trials abroad have shown promise that treatment of patients suffering from stroke, cardiac arrest, or heart attacks may benefit from inhaling hydrogen gas during the early recovery period.
PERSONAL NOTE: I read somewhere where doing 30 minutes of inhaled hydrogen is as good as drinking 15L of hydrogen water. If so, then it would be great to do even 10 minutes and feel like you’ve gotten what you normally get by making a number of batches of H2 water to drink!
*RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
In one pilot study, 20 patients with rheumatoid arthritis drank 0.5 L/day of hydrogen water for 4 weeks. By the end of the study, all patients with early rheumatoid arthritis achieved remission and 20% became symptom-free.
Drinking hydrogen water 4-5 times daily improved gum health in 13 patients with inflamed gums after 8 weeks. It also seemed to increase blood antioxidants and the effects of non-surgical treatment. No conflicts of interest were declared. However, this study was small and its findings have not been replicated yet.
But it seems like extremely positive news for hydrogen water benefits!
Supplementation of hydrogen-rich water improves lipid and glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. For more information, check out the following link:
A more comprehensive list of possible H2 benefits includes:
*Improve athletic performance
*Reduce disease risk
*Promote cardiovascular health
*Improve cognitive function
*Anti-inflammatory properties
*Reduce side effects from radiation therapy
*Reduce stress and anxiety
*Slow down visible signs of aging
*Boost natural ATP energy levels
*Improve post-workout muscle recovery
*Reduce muscle fatigue
And here’s some info about the H2 device I recently started using….
As you can see from this post and the upcoming Part II, there are a number of ways to take in extra hydrogen and numerous positive effects on our health! And there are a number of companies offering various types of hydrogen generators these days, but that wasn’t the case several years ago when I bought my first device.
Recently I switched to the Ion Bottle Pro 3000 because it offered several features my old device didn’t have, including a nasal cannula inhaler attachment, a self-cleaning option, carry handle and lighter weight (for easier portability), and not only a 3 min. cycle, but also a 10 min. one for making super concentrated hydrogen water.
The Ion Bottles’ hydrogen generator ionizers are designed to produce pure molecular hydrogen, as well as help your water maintain premium neutral pH levels. They do this with the help of electrolysis and the Proton Exchange Membrane inside. There are two plates separated by this membrane; the bottom plate does not come into contact with the water, and pressure inside the membrane pushes oxygen O2 downward while allowing the light H2 gas to flow upwards. The bottles produce a negative ORP level down to negative -500 mV. Actually I’m not sure what that last part means, but I think it’s supposed to be a good thing. HA!
Ion offers several different devices, including the original 1600 model, which can produce up to 1600/1.6 ppb, while the Pro 3000 can produce up to 3000 ppb with its 10 minute cycle. Also, the Pro 3000 uses a new advanced membrane, it has a longer 1800 mAh battery, as well as the cannula attachment in the lid for inhalation therapy. The Pro model has a great built-in down vent that expels the oxygen and ozone, and if chlorine or other oxides are present in your water, it is designed to filter those, too, leaving your water with 99.9% hydrogen up to 3.0 PPM, along with the H2O present.
FYI, since hydrogen is the lightest molecule on earth, it will evaporate quickly. There’s many factors that influence evaporation rate, including water temperature, ambient air temperature, and if you are using ice or not. Ion’s tests show hydrogen in the original and pitcher models lasts anywhere between 10-15 minutes when opened. In the Pro 3000, since it has a more advanced membrane than the pitcher and original bottle, it will last upwards of 30 minutes in the water once the lid is opened. The beautiful part of a hydrogen generator is that you can always reinfuse more hydrogen if it’s been exposed to air too long, compared to single use pouch and canned hydrogen water competitors
FYI, there are also strict water ionizing machines on the market; these are larger units that require connection to your water outlet. While strict ionizer machines will slightly increase the molecular hydrogen, the goal of those machines is to increase or decrease the pH levels creating acidic or alkaline water, so it’s a whole different “ball game.” 🙂
If you would like to order one of the ION Bottles devices, use this link and the code BETTERHEALTH4U for 10% off. Adding hydrogen water to your daily routine could be an easy way to “up” your health quotient, AND could make a great health-promoting gift for friends and family!
p. s. Part II of the benefits of extra hydrogen is now available at this link, so be sure you read about how H2 can improve skin, antioxidant activity, immune function and more.
Here’s to being healthy & free in 2023!
p.s. Be sure to follow Self-help Health to receive helpful tips on a regular basis. And check out my website’s To Your Health page for even more useful information and resources for creating better health and well-being.
Steven Washington is offering another one of his free Qigong classes and I love that he always provides a replay for those who can’t catch it live. PLUS, he breaks it out into sections where you can pick which part(s) you want to focus on….pilates, calming Qigong, Mindful Meditation, or “all of the above”…..
Join Steven for this upcoming FREE Class!
January 24th, 2023
at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK
Extraordinary change can start with one small step… and this fun, free class with Movement Master Steven Washington is an easy way to get started/stepping toward a happier and healthier 2023!
Here’s what’s included:
30 minutes of Pilates strengthening and stretching exercises
30 minutes of energy-igniting and calming Qigong movements
A peaceful Mindful Meditation
Replay of the full class plus short and Qigong-only versions.
Also, Steven recently shared a new short 5 minute video to start off the new year. In it he briefly and humbly talks about a part of his past when his life was run by addiction, and how he found recovery and was able to become grounded, peaceful and courageous. At the 2:05 minute mark he teaches an easy to do flowing Qigong exercise to circulate the energy within your body and bring about emotional balance,….. something we can all use more of these days!
Here’s to being healthy & free in 2023!
p.s. Be sure to follow Self-help Health to receive helpful tips on a regular basis. And check out my website’s To Your Health page for even more useful information and resources for creating better health and well-being.
I think most of us have come to believe that laughter truly is good medicine, but I found this article especially interesting and enlightening as far as the different statistics between men and women, plus how it helps improve memory.Can’t think of a better way to improve my health, longevity and memory recall, as well as have a more fun-filled holiday season! 🙂
Laugh a Lot, Live Longer
Legendary comedian Bob Hope lived until 100, while comedienne Phyllis Diller enjoyed life until the ripe old age of 95.
Sitcom favorite Dick Van Dyke is still active at 94, as is movie comedy-maker Mel Brooks. And beloved actress Carol Burnett is following close behind, still cracking jokes at 87.
These are just a few of our comedy legends who lived well beyond the average life expectancy. It makes you wonder, what’s their secret?
Good genes, education and financial wealth may help these funny folks tip the longevity scales, but the latest research reveals another important factor that’s attainable by anyone: a sense of humor.
A large study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine reveals that women with a good sense of humor live longer, despite illness such as cardiovascular disease and infection. Their male counterparts also seem to be protected against infection.1
Your Body and Mind Love a Good Joke, Research Proves
Norwegian researchers conducted a 15-year study exploring the connection between sense of humor and mortality among 53,556 women and men in their country.
The team analyzed the cognitive, social and affective factors of humor that were addressed on the participants’ questionnaires.
Next, the researchers assessed death from specific conditions including heart disease, infection, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In a nutshell, the study shows that the greater the role humor plays in the participants’ lives, the better their chances of surviving until at least 70 years.
They found that women with high “humor scores” in the way they view everyday life– called the cognitive component in the study– experienced:
A 48 percent lower risk of death from all causes;
A 73 percent lower risk of death from heart disease;
And a notable 83 percent lower risk of death from infection.
These are substantial reductions in chronic disease and death!
But what might be most interesting is that these results did not completely translate to men.
In this study, men with a high humor score did have a 74 percent reduction in death from infection (compared with women’s 83 percent reduction.) But they did not have a lower risk of premature death from all causes.
What’s going on with these results?
The authors were equally baffled, but they suggested that any gender differences in the results may be because as men age, their humor scores dip slightly. (Don’t tell Mel Brooks that, though!)
Good Humor Positively Affects How You View Life
According to the authors, the cognitive component influences the way people view everyday experiences. It stands to reason that humor can serve as a buffer against the stressful situations of daily life and protects one’s health.
Additional research confirms the study findings that laughter is the best medicine.
A laugh does your heart good. A 2009 study at the University of Maryland Medical Center revealed that laughter and an “active sense of humor” can protect against a heart attack and prevent heart disease. The cardiologists discovered that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to exhibit good humor in a variety of daily life scenarios when compared to their peers without heart disease.2The researchers believe that laughter decreases blood pressure and improves blood circulation and oxygen intake.
Humor helps manage pain. Remember the movie Patch Adams, featuring Robin Williams? Based on a true story of a doctor who used humor to help his patients heal, it underscores how humor can be a great pain reliever even in a hospital setting. Studies suggest that laughter triggers the release of endorphins, promoting a sense of well-being, and even a reprieve from pain.3 What’s more, laughter also decreases the stress hormone cortisol so inflammation is minimized throughout the body.
Laugh more, remember more. That’s right, research shows that the more you laugh, the better your memory. Loma Linda University researchers dug into this premise in a 2014 study.4They examined the stress levels and short-term memory of 20 healthy adults in their 60s and 70s. One group was asked to sit in silence with no communication. The other group got to watch funny videos. According to the researchers, the “humor group had much higher improvement” in the ability to remember things. They experienced 43 percent better memory function following the funny videos compared to only 20 percent in the group that had to sit in silence before their cognitive testing.
I think the ability to laugh at ourselves as we age is so important, not only for our physical health but our mental health, too. Over the years I’ve talked to numerous alternative doctors, including many that treat cancer. They almost always tell me that attitude is vital to any recovery from diseases like cancer.
In fact, I recall one story where a cancer patient claims to have healed his cancer by watching old television comedies all day long for weeks on end! So, it stands to reason that good humor and laughter would also improve our lifespan.
These findings echo other research that we’ve explored on this site. Basically, those people who are positive, laugh easily and don’t take themselves too seriously seem to fare well in the longevity department.
If you aren’t feeling all that funny, try watching your favorite comedy on TV, or call a friend who never fails to make you chuckle. Laughing just feels good and best of all, one laugh seems to lead to another.
p.s. Be sure to follow Self-help Health to receive helpful tips on a regular basis. And check out my website’s To Your Health page for even more useful information and resources for creating better health and well-being.
For millions of years, humans were nourished by and lived in deep symbiosis with a beautifully biodiverse ecosystem. But we have lost our way.
We have systematically sterilized our environment and isolated ourselves from nature.
Now we are on the brink of a total collapse in our global food system. We are engineering the sixth great extinction on this planet — but it doesn’t have to be that way.
At this pivotal moment, can we find ourselves back into nature? Can we change our mindset from consumers to producers and co-creators? Can we establish cycles that are regenerative versus destructive?
You can be part of a future that is more diverse and more intelligent than the planet has ever expressed before. The paths are many, but they all revolve around reconnection — with each other, with farmers, with wisdom that is old and true, and with natural patterns.
To that end, this program gathers together thought leaders and changemakers, including special guest Charles Eisenstein, focused on regenerative agriculture, because healthy soil, communities, economies, and people all form one essential ecosystem.
This course runs from Nov 17th – 20th and is for…
Anyone who eats food!
People who care about being a life-giving force on the planet
People curious about the regenerative movement and how they can be a part of it
People looking to unite family and friends around a hopeful, healthful vision for humanity
Join this course to…
Learn how human & soil health are intimately related
Discover why past movements – such as “organic” – failed to change the paradigm
Listen to the challenges farmers and agricultural businesses face
Understand what it takes to heal an entire ecosystem
Reconnect with where your food comes from
Explore what regeneration looks like in your life
“As you listen to the many voices in this program, I hope regenerative agriculture will move from an abstract concept to an engaged experience. You will not only better understand the realities of our current farming landscape, but also better understand your role as a stakeholder in this food system. Because at the root of what it means to be regenerative is also what it means to be human.” ~ Zach Bush, MD
We can completely overcome the common paradigm – not through an “anti” mission – but through an alternative mission. Not through an effort to be more “pro” this or that, and thus heighten the polarization of our culture, but to literally rise above the old arguments.
Buckminster Fuller said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
About Your Host
Zach Bush, MD is a physician specializing in internal medicine, endocrinology and hospice care. He is an internationally recognized educator and thought leader on the microbiome as it relates to health, disease, and food systems. Dr. Zach founded Seraphic Group and the nonprofit Farmer’s Footprint to develop root-cause solutions for human and ecological health.
About Farmer’s Footprint
Farmer’s Footprint is a non-profit supporting farmers across the nation who are bravely stepping forward and transforming chemically farmed acreage to regenerative agriculture. Their vision is to unite, inspire and accelerate the movement towards regenerative food systems as a means to restore human and planetary health.
And Steven Washington is offering another free Pilates/Qigong Fusion class just in time to get you in shape for Thanksgiving! Here are the details and sign-up link…
Join the party with a FREE class!
Tuesday, November 22nd
11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern / 7pm UK
It’s been 2 years since Steven’s first Pilates/Qigong Fusion class and he’d love you to join him in celebrating!
Your FREE, 65-minute class will include:
30 minutes of classic Pilates exercises to strengthen and stretch
30 minutes of energizing andcalmingQigong movements
A peaceful and relaxing guided Mindful Meditation
Replay of the full class plus condensed and Qigong-only versions.
p.s. Be sure to follow Self-help Health to receive helpful tips on a regular basis. And check out my website’s To Your Health page for even more useful information and resources for creating better health.
I’ve felt for a long time that there was no longer any real benefit from the annual “spring forward, fall back” routine. The switching twice a year seemed hard on our bodies and overall health, plus an unnecessary expense to the nation and the world (ever considered how costly it is to change the settings on Big Ben each time?!)
Both time systems seemed to have pluses and minuses; I just wanted to switch to one or the other permanently. So I was glad when I heard the US was finally set to end the practice next year and stay on daylight saving time. BUT then I read this article and felt like the lawmakers should have done a better job of researching all the data before making their decision.
I’ve done several posts in the past on the time change and its effects, and will post those links below. I know it’s always great to get that “extra” hour on Sunday in the fall, and the seeming “extra” sunshine in the spring (even though the actual amount stays the same :-)), but overall and long-term, this article makes me wish we could somehow be staying on standard time, not daylight saving, beginning next year.
Read this article from The Washington Post and see what you think….
Palace of Westminster with Big Ben
Why daylight saving time is worse for your body than standard time
An animated story of what science says about changing our clocks in the fall and spring
Within days, 48 states and the District of Columbia will reset their clocks and fall back into standard time. From a health standpoint, most sleep and circadian experts say we should stay there.
Experts say early-morning sunlight is key to maintaining our circadian rhythms, sleep-wake cycles and overall health. Phyllis Zee, a neurologist and chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said without that sunlight, we can slip into circadian misalignment — “when your internal body clocks fall out of sync with that of the sun clock and your social clocks.”
The concern with adopting a permanent change to daylight saving time, which the Senate has voted to do, is that it may chronically throw our bodies out of sync with the sun and lead to a variety of health problems, sleep experts say.
“We would be misaligned all year long,” said Beth Malow, professor of neurology and pediatrics and the director of Vanderbilt University’s sleep division.
How is it that one hour can have such a significant impact?
Your brain has an internal clock.
It helps keep time each day, making sure the right things are happening at the right moments inside our bodies, such as cardiac functions, metabolic processes, hormone fluctuations and sleep.
But for most of us, that internal clock runs slightly longer than 24 hours.
Luckily, the sun steps in to help us by sending signals to specialized receptors in our eyes.
Each morning, sunlight resets our internal clock by “pulling” us back into sync with a 24-hour day.
Then, after the sun sets, the lack of sunlight allows our bodies to produce hormones such as melatonin, which promotes sleep.
Similar to how sunlight in the morning can pull our internal clock earlier, light from any source too late into the evening can do the opposite and “push” our internal clock later.
This can interfere with our ability to sleep.
With the time change each spring to daylight saving time, we abruptly disrupt this important relationship between our brains and the sun. Here’s why.
Our internal clock evolved to align with the sunrise, sunset and a 24-hour day.
Likewise, the clocks we developed to schedule our days were conceived to align with the 24-hour solar day.
When we are observing standard time, noon is when the sun is generally at its highest point. Let’s call it solar noon.
For most of us, our watches and phone clocks dictate how we live large parts of our lives — when to wake up, be at work and go to bed.
Each March, when we switch to daylight saving time, our daily schedules shift by an hour.
Notice how now we wake up in the dark and leave work with more hours of sunlight left in the day.
But the sun doesn’t move. Solar noon, which is synced with your internal clock, is still at the same time as the previous day. Now your daily schedule and solar noon are misaligned.
Unfortunately, the internal clock in your brain can’t adjust as fast as your watch. It takes your internal clock at least one day to adjust to one hour in time change. And for some people, it can take longer than that.
One of the major problems with changing to daylight saving time is that it disrupts sleep. Your body isn’t yet ready to fall asleep at your usual bedtime, which is now an hour earlier.
And in the morning, your body wants its old wake time, too. But your alarm clock wakes you an hour earlier, so you can get to work on time. Now you’re cutting into your sleep at both ends.
This sudden one-hour shift each spring has been associated with more heart attacks and strokes. Automobile and other types of accidents also increase.
There is also a cumulative toll of circadian misalignment. Here’s what would happen if we stayed in daylight saving time all year long.
The summer solstice, around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, is the longest day of the year. In some locations, such as D.C., there may be nearly 15 hours of daylight.
Those extra hours of sunlight after work may feel nice, but having a later sunset close to bedtime can delay the onset of those sleep hormones, pushing your internal clock later.
Even though you may end up losing some sleep, during the summer you would still have early-morning sun to “pull” you back a little bit.
But let’s imagine if daylight saving time becomes permanent, as has been proposed. Six months later, during the shortest day of the year, on Dec. 21, you would have a different problem.
There would be a bit over nine hours of sunlight in D.C. during the day.
You would wake up in darkness, and the sun wouldn’t rise until you were well awake and already at work.
Because you already would have been awake for hours before the sun rose, it would be less capable of “pulling” your clock back into alignment.
If your internal clock doesn’t get “pulled” enough, it can’t reset itself.
So, your internal clock may remain slightly longer than 24 hours, causing you to drift out of sync with the solar day.
With each passing day, those extra minutes can accumulate. Over time, your internal clock and your real-world clocks move further apart.
This results in circadian misalignment, a mismatch between our schedules that tell us when to wake, “and what our outside environment wants us to do, which is to stay in bed and sleep because it’s dark outside,” Malow said.
As a result, staying in daylight saving time year round could put people at greater risk for seasonal depression in the winter months, experts say. Experts also say circadian misalignment can affect the production of important hormones such as melatonin.
Living chronically out of sync with our internal clock puts us at an increased risk for sleep loss, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, mood disorders and even certain types of cancer.
Melatonin has oncostatic properties, meaning it can slow the spread of cancer, said Charles Czeisler, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
But what would happen if we adopted standard time year round? Experts say we would eliminate the short-term health problems (and frustration) created by adjusting our clocks twice per year.
More importantly, our internal clock would stay in sync with the solar day.
With better circadian alignment, we may reduce the risk for many long-term health issues.
Circadian and sleep experts say there is a powerful biological case for staying in standard time year round. Changing the clocks doesn’t change the overall duration of sunlight in a day. With permanent standard time, at least you would be getting that light at the right time of day for optimal health.
Go here to read the article with animated graphics that help explain the whole thing further.
p.s. Be sure to subscribe to Self-help Health so you don’t miss any future posts. Also check out my Evolution Made Easier website’s To Your Health pagefor more helpful information, tips, tools and resources.
Disclaimer: Please note that any information here is provided as a guideline only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your physician, nutritionist, trained healthcare practitioner, and/or inner guidance system. Always consult a professional before undertaking any change to your normal health routine.
I don’t know about you, but the last couple of months have seemed especially tough on my nervous system and my emotions have been all over the place. So I was happy to be reminded in an e-mail from Astrid at FlowsForLife.com of this wonderfully easy JSJ energy routine to help bring a greater sense of balance and harmony to my body, mind and spirit!
Jin Shin Jyutsu Mediator
Something happens or someone says something and I find myself reacting badly. Or I overreact. I just can’t help myself! Not only that: insignificant things become big issues, and I am left feeling mentally, emotionally and physically drained. The good news is that harmony can be restored with this Jin Shin Jyutsu Mediator self help exercise.
But first: A bit about the ‘Trinity’ energies
Mediator energies are very closely related to the Trinity. These are Main Central and Left and Right Supervisor energies.
Main Central is the energy that connects each one of us to the Universal Source of Life. It flows down the front and up the back of the body in an oval, keeping us harmonized with source energy. I often describe it as the trunk of the tree. Because of this, it regenerates all of our other individualized energy functions. To harmonize Main Central you can simply do the Main Central Exercise.
If Main Central is the trunk of the tree, then the Left and Right Supervisor are the two main branches. The Left Supervisor ‘supervises’ the left side energies. It flows down the front and up the back of the left side, also in an oval pattern. The same happens on the right side of the body. There is a simple exercise to harmonize the Left and Right Supervisors.
So again, Main Central along with the Left and Right Supervisor form The Trinity.
On to the Diagonal Mediators
The Diagonal Mediator Energies ensure that the left and right side energies of the body are in balance. In essence, they ‘mediate’ between the two sides, making sure that left and right side are also in harmony with Main Central.
Mary Burmeister wrote: “It is of vital importance to keep [The Mediator] functioning properly for the total supply of energy to the whole man.”
What happens when Mediator is not harmonized?
Mary also said that ‘this energy is the cause for disharmony in the body’. Let’s look at that in more detail.
Fundamentally, attitudes are at the root of all disharmony. By attitudes I mean Worry, Fear, Anger, Sadness and Trying To’s (or Efforting).
These attitudes are born at the level of the Mediator energy.
The way I see it is that we all experience emotions such as Worry, Fear, Anger, Sadness and Trying To’s – we are human after all. It’s when we get ‘stuck’ in one of these emotions that they become an ATTITUDE.
How does that feel, to get ‘stuck in an emotion’? Well, I feel angry all the time. I am reactive and I overreact. I worry all the time and I just can’t stop. I’m anxious about everything. The smallest thing makes me cry. Life isn’t fair! Life isn’t fun! And on and on. You get the picture.
It’s pretty draining, isn’t it? Can’t think straight, let alone find the energy to function optimally from day to day.
Exhaustion is also a good indicator that mediator is overloaded.
Jin Shin Jyutsu Mediator also helps
So apart from balancing the emotions, it also helps take fatigue out of the body. Great for allergic reactions, especially if they affect the nose and eyes. Use it when your shoulders are tight and achey.
Self help exercise to harmonize Mediatorenergies
The following self help exercise harmonizes Left and Right Diagonal Mediator energies. Practice it every day for a few minutes or for as long as you like! Start with the side that you feel is the most tense. If you don’t know which side that is, then start with the left Mediator.
I find it really comfortable to do this exercise while lying in bed and placing pillows and cushions where I need them.
The left Mediator flow: Place the right hand over the left shoulder and place the left thumb over the left ring fingernail. At the same time, bring the knees together. Relax the hands. Hold for 3-5 minutes, or longer, until you feel relief.
Tip: When lying in bed and knees are together, I like to flop my feet out to the side. It’s easier to keep my knees together that way.
The right Mediator flow: Place the left hand over the right shoulder and place the right thumb over the right ring fingernail. At the same time, bring the knees together. Relax the hands. Hold 3-5 minutes, or longer, until you feel relief.
Mary Burmeister, a foremost teacher of this Universal Art said: “Happiness is the measure of our HARMONY.”
p.s. Be sure to follow Self-help Health to receive helpful tips on a regular basis. And check out my website’s To Your Health page for even more useful information and resources for creating better health.
Too funny! I just saw a post on Facebook about interesting uses for cucumbers and was going to do a post on them when I did a search here and realized I’d already featured the information in a 2013 blog I’d completely forgotten about. It was perfect timing to be reminded of all the unusual uses because both my bedroom and bathroom doors recently developed squeaks and I don’t have any WD-40, so I was thinking about trying coconut oil as a remedy, but now I think I’ll go the cucumber route.
Anyway, I figured, with cucumber season just around the corner here in the southeast, it was time to remind myself and others of the health benefits and versatility of this underappreciated “warty green wonder.” And btw, one of my favorite healthy things to drink is made by throwing a chopped up organic cucumber into the Vitamix, along with a couple of organic celery stalks and some lemon or lime juice and water. Simple and very light and refreshing!
Cucumbers belong to the same botanical family as melons (including watermelon and cantaloupe) and squashes (including summer squash, winter squash, zucchini and pumpkin) and are made up of 96 percent water, so they are a great source of hydration for the body. They are also loaded with Vitamin A, which protects the body from free radicals and lowers the risk of various cancers and illness due to damaged cells. Vitamin A also has many other important functions, including aiding normal bone growth, white blood cell development and normal blood cell functioning, and eye health.
Cucumbers are also a good source of Vitamin K, which is mainly responsible for making some of the proteins the liver requires for blood clotting. It plays a role in building bone and other tissues of the body, as well. And a 100 g serving (around 3.5 oz.) of cucumber contains approximately 150 mg of potassium. This mineral aids in metabolic functions and plays a role in the development of muscle tissue. Adequate potassium is also necessary for maintaining normal electrical activity of the heart. Cucumbers also contain other beneficial minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.
Cucumbers have not received as much press as other vegetables in terms of health benefits, but this widely-cultivated food provides us with a unique combination of nutrients. At the top of the phytonutrient list for cucumbers are its cucurbitacins, lignans, and flavonoids. These three types of phytonutrients found in cucumbers provide us with valuable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits.
ANTIOXIDANT & ANTI-INFLAMMATORY BENEFITS
Cucumbers are a valuable source of conventional antioxidant nutrients including vitamin C, beta-carotene, and manganese. In addition, cucumbers contain numerous flavonoid antioxidants, including quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, and kaempferol. In animal studies, fresh extracts from cucumber have been shown to provide specific antioxidant benefits, including increased scavenging of free radicals and increased overall antioxidant capacity. Fresh cucumber extracts have also been shown to reduce unwanted inflammation in animal studies. Cucumber accomplishes this task by inhibiting activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes like cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2), and by preventing overproduction of nitric oxide in situations where it could increase the likelihood of excessive inflammation.
ANTI-CANCER BENEFITS
Research on the anti-cancer benefits of cucumber is still in its preliminary stage and has been restricted thus far to lab and animal studies. Interestingly, however, many pharmaceutical companies are actively studying one group of compounds found in cucumberâ”called cucurbitacinsâ”in the hope that their research may lead to development of new anti-cancer drugs. Cucurbitacins belong to a large family of phytonutrients called triterpenes. Cucurbitacins A, B, C, D and E have all been identified within fresh cucumber. Researchers have determined that several different signaling pathways (for example, the JAK-STAT and MAPK pathways) required for cancer cell development and cancer cell survival can be blocked by activity of cucurbitacins. Eventually, we expect to see human studies that confirm the anti-cancer benefits of cucumbers when consumed in a normal, everyday meal plan.
A second group of cucumber phytonutrients known to provide anti-cancer benefits are its lignans. The lignans pinoresinol, lariciresinol, and secoisolariciresinol have all been identified within cucumber. Interestingly, the role of these plant lignans in cancer protection involves the role of bacteria in our digestive tract. When we consume plant lignans like those found in cucumber, bacteria in our digestive tract take hold of these lignans and convert them into enterolignans like enterodiol and enterolactone. Enterolignans have the ability to bind onto estrogen receptors and can have both pro-estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects. Reduced risk of estrogen-related cancers, including cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus, and prostate has been associated with intake of dietary lignans from plant foods like cucumber.
And here’s a great little list of 13 Uses For Cucumbersby Matt Agorist, at REALfarmacy.com…
Cucumbers are very easy to grow and make for a delicious treat. But did you know they can prevent hangovers, or clean the kitchen sink? Below is a list of tips and tricks you can do with cucumbers that you do not want to miss!
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemical in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don’t have time for a massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath; the photochemical will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing; also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!
And check out this great little recipe for fat flush water that uses cucumber:
I just received an e-mail about this workshop from The Shift Network and immediately signed up, Thought some of you might be interested in it, too…..
What if growing older didn’t have to be synonymous with a decline in physical health or mental acuity?
What if there was an ancient wisdom system that’s just as impactful today — full of practices that provide the path to a meaningful, disease-free, graceful life?
During the recent Qigong Summit, celebrated master Robert Peng introduced Jieqi Qigong, which is associated with your vertebrae, and offered a simple movement and meditation practice to improve your spinal health.
… helping you age with energy, strength, clarity, and grace — and unlocking your own fountain of youth.
Qigong’s 8 Cycles Movement is a series of gentle Qigong exercises you can safely practice to energize your body, calm your mind, activate your energy centers…
… and massage your internal organs — leaving you feeling nourished and invigorated so you can live a healthier, more vibrant life.
Be guided in the movement practice of Playing the Tai Chi Ball (one of the 8 Cycles Movements), to improve balance between your brain and body, harmonize your yin and yang energy, ease inner emotional turmoil in times of crisis — and nourish your body, mind, and spirit
Explore the physical, mental, and energetic disconnections that result when the left and right brain hemispheres are out of balance — and how Qigong can empower you to restore this balance
Discover the Hegu acupressure, part of the 312 Meridian Healing Protocol — and explore how a simple acupressure exercise can ease pain in your head, face, neck, and shoulders
Learn Qigong’s secret for easing stress, cultivating inner joy, and experiencing contentment, calm, and peace
Discover how to cultivate and nourish your Qi to achieve balance in your 3 energy centers (or dantians) and your central meridian — the “Four Golden Wheels” that represent the wisdom, love, vitality, and harmony in your life
These modalities can help you feel more connected to others and the world around you, more content with yourself, and more hopeful for the future.
p.s. Be sure to subscribe to Self-help Health so you don’t miss any future posts, and tell your friends to do the same.
Disclaimer: Please note that any information here is provided as a guideline only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your physician, nutritionist, trained healthcare practitioner, and/or inner guidance system. Always consult a professional/your inner knowing before undertaking any change to your normal health routine.
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