Sacred Eden - May 2011 Magazine

S Eden restoring people Back to Perfection

Put Your Brain Power in Overdrive!

Hooray for Mom!

• 10 gift ideas for Mother’s Day • Fertility after 40 • Healthy eating tips for kids

Energyboosting Secrets, Revealed on p. 16!

Aromatherapy for Children

May 2011

Homemade Protein Shakes, p. 18

Coming to terms with Anorexia

Be the Fittest You’ve Ever Been— Speed Up Your Metabolism and Pace Your Workouts

Publisher’s Note

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o other being or entity has been offered so many paeans and offerings as a mother—be it a biological mother or a symbolical mother: in her many forms, she’s been worshipped, sung to, made the foundation of not just a family, but whole societies. And from the beginning of time and when all else is done and uncreation has arrived, there will be one mother who we’ll honor and to whom we’ll return: Mother Nature, or Mother Earth.

Needless to say, Sacred Eden takes much of the information we share with our readers from Mother Nature. From herbs to naturally-raised food, from preparations gotten by ancient cultures which gained their wisdom from nature, to holistic methods of healing…

This issue celebrates Mother’s Day two ways: the way the modern world sees it (such as the article “10 Great Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day”, page 4), and the way the ancients might have honored their mothers (by sharing age old pieces of wisdom, “Wise Woman Ways to Boost Your Energy,” page 16). We also have something for moms who prefer an alternative approach to the health of their children (“A Beginner’s Guide to Using Aromatherapy with Children,” page 12—just remember, though, to consult with your medical professional before embarking on any new treatments for your child); and something for those who prefer to back up their children (particularly daughters) health with traditional vaccines (“The Vaccine for All Women,” page 6).

This issue also celebrates womanhood as a whole, and addresses two sides of the coin when it comes to her body image: eating disorders (“All About Anorexia,” page 14), and losing weight the healthy way by upping one’s metabolism through proper diet and moderate exercise (“A Whole Body Approach to Fat Loss,” page 18).

Happy

Mother

(Nature)’s

Day!

And because everyone—not just women—strives for a balanced life, every issue of Sacred Eden magazine gives you a story or two to help you nourish your spirit and mind. This issue, it’s “10 Ways to Overclock Brain Activity,” page 9.

We may not all get along with our biological mothers; some of us might even be so unlucky as to have no loving memories of one as we grew up. No matter what relationship we have (or had) with our mothers—and for that matter, our children—we should all remember that there’s one Mother who’ll forever be giving of herself and her gifts so that we can fully reap the benefits of being always well, being always alive.

All She asks in return is that we treat Her well.

To Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

The Sacred Eden Team

Table of Contents 4

1

Features

A Note From the Publishers

Regulars

Healthy Solutions

3

9 Ways To Feed Your Soul By Simply Walking; 10 Easy Ways to a “Healthy-Diet” for Kids; 10 Great Gift Ideas For Mother’s Day; 10 Ways to Manage Work Stress for Women

Body

5

The Vaccine for All Women. Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer in young women. Unlike other cancers, though, it now can be prevented with a vaccine.

Here’s a gentle reminder to get your shots

6

The Two Sides of Exercise. How do you know if you’re overtraining—and how do you push your body to its maximum potential? We give you the answers

Mind

7

10 Ways to Overclock Brain Activity. A person with more brainpower has the more chances of success in every competitive field. Work it to win!

9

A Beginner’s Guide To Using Aromatherapy With Children.

Essential oils have benefited the lives of many the world over, and have a little bit of plant magic available to everyone!

11

All About Anorexia. An old disease made notorious by society’s pressures, this eating disorder is still as big a problem today as it was when it was first discovered

15

Spirulina: A Most Special Food. From the sea comes one of the world’s most powerful foods. If NASA thinks it an excellent source of nutrition for its astronauts, then it must be extraordinary indeed!

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Homemade Whey Protein Shakes. There’s more to bodybuilding supplements than just mixing them with water—time to get creative!

11 13

Wise Woman Ways to Boost Your Energy. From giving yourself alone time to getting the right nutrients, this article gives you all the secrets to battling fatigue

Nutrition

19

9

13

A Whole Body Approach To Fat Loss. Utilize a full body approach to fat loss and accelerate your results!

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7

Fertility After Forty. Can women still conceive healthily even if they move their biological clocks further and further down? Yes, especially when they use natural, herbal methods, says Susun Weed

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HealthySolutions 10 Easy Ways to a “HealthyDiet” for Kids

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reating a nutritionally healthy home is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the health of your child. To start, make smart food choices, and help your child develop a positive relationship with healthy food. Your children will learn their food smarts from your example.

1. Do not restrict food. Restricting food increases the risk your child may develop eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia later in life. It can also have a negative effect on growth and development. Also, by restricting food you will actually increase the risk of overeating later in the day, which will cause weight gain.

2. Keep healthy food at hand. Children will eat what's readily available. Keep fruit in a bowl on the counter, not buried in the crisper section of your fridge. Remember, your child can only choose foods that you stock in the house. By limiting “junk food” you will, by default, teach your child how to choose healthier foods.

3. Don't label foods as "good" or "bad." Instead, tie foods to the things your child cares about, such as sports, academics and hobbies. Let your child know that lean protein such as turkey and calcium in dairy products give strength to their sports and academic performance, the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables add luster to skin and hair and the carbs in whole grains will give them energy to play.

4. Praise healthy choices. Give your children a proud smile and tell them how smart they are when they choose healthy foods. Kids thrive on positive reinforcement!

9 Ways To Feed Your Soul By Simply Walking

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e live in a culture that honors Type A, driven behaviors. That includes exercise and for many people, it’s taken away the joy out of simply walking. Instead of seeing walking as something you must do to get in shape, see it as a gift of being alive and let yourself fully enjoy the experience.

1 Walk with deep awareness of how it feels to move your body.

2 Experience the act of walking as if you've never, ever done it before.

3 Be aware. Be present in the moment. Really feel your body as you're moving.

4 Pay attention to how your feet feel with each rolling step on the earth.

5 Notice the strength and power in your muscles.

6 Feel yourself moving in space.

7 Observe the wind on your skin and the temperature of the air.

8 Have a beauty feast while you're out. Notice the light coming through the leaves. See the flowers with fresh eyes.

9 Take a fresh look at the world as you move through it. Assume nothing. Experience the wonder of life as if you've never seen anything before. Watch the people as if you'd never seen a human before.

Let walking become a cherished and enriching part of your life. Turn it into something wonderful that you look forward to with both body and soul.

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5. Don't nag about unhealthy choices. If your child chooses unhealthy foods infrequently, ignore it. However, if your child always wants fatty, fried food, redirect the choice. You might try roasting potato sticks in the oven (tossed in just a bit of oil) instead of buying french fries. Or, if your child wants candy, you might make fresh strawberries dipped in a little chocolate sauce. Too busy? Then keep naturally sweet dried fruit at home for quick snacks. With consistent effort taste buds change and soon your child will be craving healthy foods.

6. Never use food as a reward. This could create weight problems in later life.

Instead, reward your children with something physical and fun--perhaps a trip to the park or a quick game of catch.

7. Sit down to family dinners at night. If this isn't a tradition in your home, it should be. Research shows that children who eat dinners at the table with their parents have better nutrition and are less likely to get in serious trouble as teenagers. Start with one night a week, and then work up to three or four, to gradually build the habit.

8. Prepare plates in the kitchen. There you can put healthy portions of each item on everyone's dinner plate. Your children will learn to recognize correct portion sizes.

Too often people go for seconds and even thirds just because the food is right there.

You might notice that you need less food to feel full!

9. Give the kids some control. Ask your children to take three bites of all the foods on their plate and give it a grade, such as A, B, C, D, or F. When healthy foods-especially certain vegetables--get high marks, serve them more often. Offer the items your children don't like less frequently. This lets your children participate in decision-making. After all, dining is a family affair!

10. Consult your pediatrician. Always talk with your child's doctor before putting your child on a diet, trying to help your child gain weight, or making any significant changes in the type of foods your child eats. Never diagnose your child as too heavy, or too thin, by yourself. If weight change is recommended, seek the help of a dietitian.

HealthySolutions 10 Ways to Manage Work Stress for Women

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omen are more prone to stress because of the many roles they play in life: as career woman, wife, mother, daughter, and friend. Women work way beyond the 9-to-5 shift, often having to rush home to cook dinner, help the kids with homework, and prepare the next day's office attire for the hubby. The stress and anxiety caused by endless tasks and impossible deadlines in a high-speed, high-tech world has made women's lives a living web of complexity.

Stress is a combination of fatigue, restlessness, depression, overfocusing, and over-all gloominess that is a consequence of overwork and other domestic or personal problems.

But there's still hope for over-worked, stressed women. Here are some practical ways for women to reduce and manage work-related stress: 1. Put up relaxing scenes within your sight. It could be a poster or a small painting with beautiful scenery. You can even download screen savers of beaches, waterfalls, clear lakes and other scenes that help create a serene mood.

2. Get organized. Use stick-on note pads. Color-code your notes, set an “alarm” in your computer to remind you of priority tasks. The key is to know what to do first.

10 Great Gift Ideas For Mother's Day

3. Time out. As they say, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Take some time out. Take a breather.

10. Weekend Getaway. A weekend retreat to a ski lodge could be great for the mom who needs a weekend to unwind.

4. Rearrange your workstation. Add a “homey” look to your workstation, put up photo frames of your family or favorite pet. When ever you feel stressed out just glance at their happy faces--and hopefully you'll find yourself smiling back!

9. Digital Camera. For the new mom, this makes a great gift. Children grow up so fast, catching those fleeting moments are important. With scrap booking becoming so popular, digital cameras also make a great gift for the scrapbook lover.

5. Get a plant. Studies show that looking at something green like a plant helps soothe your eyes after facing the computer monitor all day or after reading for a long time. Focusing on a green plant will have a soothing effect.

8. Charitable Donation. For the mom who never stops giving, she would be honored to know that a donation was given to her favor charity in her name. This is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

6. Exercise. Walking, climbing the stairs, or going out to run helps fight stress. Physical activity help get rid of tension. During a workout, your body releases endorphins which helps your body to relax. Endorphins also act as natural painkillers.

7. De-clutter. A cluttered workstation adds to your stress. Make your work environment more appealing by organizing your things and throwing away things you no longer need.

8. Set boundaries. Communicate and assert yourself, make your co-workers know when you are more available for chitchat—or when you mean business.

7. Buy a Tree or Star. Have that special mom immortalized for years to come. Have a star named after her or buy a tree in her name. With God’s love that star and tree will be around even if we are not.

6. A Night Out. New mothers would surely appreciate a night out of the house with some adult conversation and atmosphere. It's a simple request, yet such a grand gesture for those moms who just want an evening as an adult.

5. Spa Day. Whether her children are at home or have long since moved out, a spa day is great choice. Spa Days range from a whole package of all the goodies like mud baths and lunch or just a half hour of massage

9. Lessen your caffeine intake. Caffeine is popularly known as a stimulant, but too much of it adds to stress and may even lead to depression.

4. Jewelry. A great idea would be give her a pendant with picture of her child/ren in it or a bracelet, ring or necklace with the birthstone/s of children or grandchildren.

10. Eat a good breakfast. Don't skip meals even if you are in a hurry. Studies shows that if you make it a practice to eat breakfast every day, your body gets more the needed proteins to give you an energy boost to face the working day.

3. Gift Baskets. You can find Gift baskets that contain any and everything. There are baskets that are specifically designed for Mother's Day, but other choices include gourmet and fruit baskets, spa bsakets and candle baskets. Many places also make custom baskets.

2. Flowers and plants. This is the most common of Mother's Day gifts.

Nothing beats a bouquet of roses or her favorite flower.

1. The Star Treatment. Being a good mother is the hardest job in the world. Offering that special mom the star treatment for a day is a great gift. Start with allowing her to sleep in, followed by breakfast in bed and cleaning the house. Lunch and dinner preparation should be included along with bathing, feeding and dressing the children. Basically don't allow her to left a finger. Supply a good book or time for her to do what she wants.

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Body Cancer: 15 Warning Signs

By Radoslaw Pilarski

The Vaccine for All Women Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer in young women. Unlike other cancers, though, it now can be prevented with a vaccine. Here’s a gentle reminder to get your shots

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1. Losing weight at a rapid rate (among people not being on a diet), gasses, discomfort, digestive disorders, anorexia, recurring diarrhoea, constipation are the symptoms occurring most frequently in case of lung, stomach, kidney and large intestine cancer. If accompanied by a feeling of weakness, it can be a sign of blood loss or lack of proper elements building it.

2. Pain of unknown cause and long-lasting stomach-ache can be the symptom of large intestine cancer, lumbalgia can be the sign of kidney cancer, pain in the chest can result from lung cancer. Bone aches can be caused by metastasis.

3. Haemoptysis, long-lasting hoarseness (over 3 weeks), persistent cough or change of its character can be caused by lung or larynx cancer.

4. Change in color of moles and warts, ulceration and itching, ulceration of open wounds, burns and scalds can be the signs of skin cancer.

5. Excessive production of urine, backlog of urine, painful urinating, slow, time-consuming flow of urine, lumbago as well as backache can be the signs of prostate cancer.

ately, an anti-cervical cancer shot has gotten much attention--a vaccine available to protect women from the most common cause of cervical cancer: a virus called HPV.

6. Pain, vertigo, nausea, sight distortions (oversensitized sight, astigmatism), hearing impediment, upset balance and mental disorders can result from brain cancer.

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a common virus that affects both females and males. There are actually more than 100 types of HPV. Most of them are relatively harmless, like the ones that cause common warts on the hands and feet. For most people, the body’s own defense system will clear the virus. However, there are a few types of HPV you should really know about.

7. Swallowing difficulties can be a symptom of throat, larynx, esophagus and stomach cancer.

Genital HPV

9. Blood in feces, black feces, alternating diarrhea and constipation, mucus in feces, narrow (pencil-like) faeces are the symptoms of alimentary canal cancer, especially of large intestine and rectum.

About 30 types of HPV affect the genital area.

- Some are “high-risk” types (such as HPV Types 16 and 18) that can cause abnormal cervical cells and cervical cancer - Others are “low-risk” types (such as HPV Types 6 and 11) that can cause genital warts.

Genital warts are usually flesh-colored growths that are most often caused by certain “lowrisk” types of HPV. Anyone who has any kind of sexual activity involving genital contact can get HPV and genital warts--intercourse isn’t necessary. And many people with HPV do not have genital warts or any other symptoms, so they can pass the virus without even knowing it.

The warts may appear within weeks, months--or sometimes not at all.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 80% of women will have had genital HPV by age 50. It’s estimated that most people get HPV within their first 2 to 3 years of becoming sexually active.

A Cancer Vaccine?

The selection of vaccines developed for this purpose helps protect against the following diseases (these are diseases caused by the HPV Types in the vaccine (6, 11, 16, and 18)): - Cervical cancer - Abnormal and precancerous cervical lesions - Abnormal and precancerous vaginal lesions - Genital warts The vaccine is made for girls and women ages 9 through 26. The age range for women is based on the fact that HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that most women encounter within the first two to three years of being sexually active.

The vaccine is given as a series of three injections at 0, 2, and 6 months and is intended to prevent, not treat, the above mentioned diseases. However, you may benefit from the vaccine if you already have HPV. This is because most people are not infected with all four types of HPV contained in the vaccine. In clinical trials, individuals with one or more vaccine-related HPV types prior to vaccination were protected from disease caused by the remaining vaccine HPV types.

The main purpose of the vaccine is to protect women against the HPV types that cause cervical cancer. Men are obviously not at risk for cervical cancer so, at this time, there are no efforts to vaccinate men. Some men may choose, however, to get the vaccine simply for the partial protection it will give them against contracting genital warts. How effective the vaccine is at protecting men from genital warts has not yet been sufficiently studied.

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8. Feeling of fullness in epigastrium, aches and digestive disorders may be due to stomach cancer and other kinds of alimentary canal cancer, sometimes ovary cancer.

10. Blood in urine (without the symptoms of urinary tracks inflammation), dysuria (compulsive urination, difficulties in urination) can accompany the urinary tract cancer.

11. Improper bleeding from the genital tracks, pink or dark-red vaginal discharges, hypogastrium and lower limbs ache can be the signs of vagina, uterine cervix and uterus cancer.

12. Marks on skin and mucosus membrane (lips, oral cavity, genitals): not healing ulceration, change in marks or appearance, occurrence of new skin marks of some specific features (irregular distribution of pigment, vague line between the mark and healthy skin, quick growth of the marks, bleeding, dripping).

13. Breast tumors (by approximately 15% to 25% can be impalpable), ulceration, the retraction of nipple, asymmetrical nipples, change of size or the shape of a nipple, its swelling and the marks around it, enlargement of lymphatic glands in the armpit, extension of veins in the breast skin, ulceration of breast skin, shoulder swelling, flat efflorescene in case of the so-called advanced inflammation nipple cancer are often the symptoms of breast cancer.

14. Fever, tiredness, bones and joints ache, inclination to temporary anemia and bleeding, impalpable tumor of abdominal cavity, as a result of spleen enlargement, that can be detected in gastro-bowel test.

15. Pain and pressure in the upper right part of stomach, tiredness, anorexia and at a further stage of the disease a palpable tumor in the upper right part of stomach, inclination to jaundice and bleeding can be the signs of liver cancer.

Body Add Intensity To Your Muscle Building Workout If, however, your problem is lack of intensity, then you have to continue to overcome such a challenge and engender progress over time to reduce likelihood of regression.

Try out these tips:

The Two Sides of

Exercise How do you know if you’re overtraining—and how do you push your body to its maximum potential? We give you the answers

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s everyone knows, exercise is good for you. It helps to keep your weight down, helps to keep you toned, and helps to make you feel good. So then, if getting a little exercise is good for you, then it must be better to get even more and if getting more indeed is better, then it stands to reason that getting a lot would be even better. Sounds logical, doesn’t it? However, this is not always the case.

When you exercise with fairly high intensity, and you exercise that way often, there will come a time at some point when your body will begin to slowly start to shut down. People will get to this point at different times, depending on their fitness levels and exercise intensity and frequency. If, after exercise, you tend to feel more wore out than worked out, you may already be a victim of overtraining.

There are some signs that your body will give you both physically and mentally that will let you know that you are overtraining. It is wise to recognize these signs and act accordingly, before the problem gets to the point of causing you possible serious injury: * Decreased performance * Lack of motivation * Poor coordination * Loss of appetite * Chronic muscle soreness * Chronic stiffness at the joints * Chronic headaches * Longer recovery times * Loss of concentration * Reduced self esteem * Depression

You need to understand that whatever your exercise goals are, your body needs ample time to recover and adjust to the demanding loads you placed on it.

Sometimes people who are newcomers to the world of exercise will try to do too much too soon, and may ignore their body when it’s trying to tell them to take a break.

In the case of some who have been into exercise for a while, they will often view these signs as an obstacle and feel the best way to deal with it is to “work through it” or “tough it out”. For some others, the problems causing them to overtrain may be more psychological. Excessive exercise is now recognized as a legitimate problem, much like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.

For most, the solution to the problem is simply to exercise in moderation or cut back on the intensity from time to time. Use periodization in your routines.

When you feel the signs of overtraining coming on, reduce the intensity of your workouts for a while.

When you are ready to increase the intensity again (your body will let you know), then gradually start to pick it up again.

Know your limitations, and never try to compare yourself to others. There are some times when you should even just take a whole week completely off and do no exercise at all. This is like taking a vacation from work, it gives you body and your mind a chance to relax and rejuvenate so you can start again a week later nice and fresh.

1. Increase resistance - increasing the weight lifted in meaningful increments ensures the muscle is pushed beyond its previous point of failure thus maintaining the muscle building process. Aim to increase the weight when you reach six to eight reps and failure does not occur.

2. Change the exercise - to achieve maximal gains, all muscle fibers in a body part must be trained. Changing the angle (e.g to incline bench press) or introducing a new exercise will stimulate growth.

3. Reduce rest intervals - giving the muscles less time to recover before exposing them to further work has the effect of increasing intensity.

4. Pre-exhaustion - when an exercise involves two or more muscles, the weakest will prevent you from working the primary muscle to failure. The answer is to first isolate and tire the primary muscle before immediately moving to another exercise that works the set of muscles to failure.

5. Introduce supersets - this involves performing two exercises for the same muscle group without a rest interval. This means you have to utilize different muscle fibers which stimulate greater growth.

6. Use partial reps - at the point of failure you will not be able to complete the full range of movement for a given exercise. Completing a partial rep that uses only a segment of the lift will still work your muscles beyond the point of failure. This technique is especially useful to advanced bodybuilders as it allows them to increase intensity without adding extra routines that could cause overtraining.

7. Use isometric contractions - this involves holding the weight still at the point of failure to stimulate a static contraction in the muscle.

8. Employ forced reps - this involves completing one or more final reps after the point of failure has been reached. You will need the assistance of an experienced helper to attempt this.

Remember, if you exercise to the point of overtraining it is almost as bad as not exercising at all. www.SacredEden.com

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Mind

10 Ways to Overclock

Brain

Activity A person with more brainpower has the more chances of success in every competitive field.

Work it to win!

1. Physical exercise. Physical exercise strengthens your brain. Exercise benefits your brain cells. The blood vessels inside your brain dilate and increase blood flow when you engage in regular exercise. Exercise helps to eliminate toxins and allows oxygen and other nutrients to flow into your brain.

2. Mind exercises. Concentration and clear thinking are more or less automatic once you remove distractions. Learn to stop and watch your busy mind. As you notice things that are subtly bothering you, deal with them. This might mean making a phone call you need to make, or putting things on a list so you can forget them for now. With practice, this becomes easier, and your thinking becomes more powerful.

3. Eat a healthy breakfast. Start your day with a healthy breakfast.

Skipping breakfast affects your brainpower and performance at home, school or work. Minimize your eating during the day to mostly live raw fruits and veggies and their juices. This will help you detoxify and nourish your brain with essential nutrients and antioxidants to protect your brain from daily free radicals assaults.

4. Increase water intake. Given that your brain is about 80 percent water, the first rule of brain nutrition is adequate water to hydrate your brain. Even slight dehydration can raise stress hormones, which can damage your brain over time. Drink at least 84 ounces of water a day.

It is best to have your liquids unpolluted with artificial sweeteners, sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. You can use herbal, non-caffeinated tea, with flavors such as raspberry or strawberry, and make unsweetened iced tea.

Green tea is also good for brain function as it contains chemicals that enhance mental relaxation and alertness.

5. Keep journals and notebooks. All smart people write down their ideas, thoughts and observations. Writing things down lets your brain know that you value its ideas. How does it reward you? By providing more ideas and better ideas. Writing things down creates a feedback loop that makes you smarter. You objectify your thoughts onto paper and that helps you think about them in a more powerful way. This is a great way to improve your brainpower.

6. Think positively. Thinking positively enables you to access your higher thinking abilities. When you are positive and feeling good, your mind functions smoothly. Ask yourself emotion-leading questions like, “What am I grateful for right now?” and “Who do I love and who loves me?”

7. Make sure you sleep enough. Your brain is rejuvenated during those sleeping hours. Research from the University of California suggests that if you have been awake for 21 hours straight, your abilities are equivalent to someone who is legally drunk. Sleep allows your brain to process new memories, practice new skills and solve problems.

Therefore, a good night’s sleep is essential to boost your brainpower.

How many hours sleep constitutes a good night’s sleep will vary between individuals, but between 6 to 8 hours sleep is normally considered sufficient.

8. Use Creative Visualization. Use the power of Creative Visualization.

Creative Visualization is a technique that involves the use of mental energy to transform and improve the life of the individual who uses the technique. You can use your brain’s mental energy to improve your life because your imagination is incredibly powerful and, when used correctly, can enhance your life by creating what you really want.

Creative visualization can be used to accelerate learning, improve memory and motivation, and of course, improve brainpower!

9. Develop your creativity and your intuition. Creativity gives power to your thinking. Raw computation can be done by computers now, but humans provide the creative thought that shapes our world. Intuition can be an important part of brainpower. Einstein and others have relied heavily on their intuitive hunches.

10. Make a brainpower plan. It takes about 20 to 30 days of repetition to establish new habits, many psychologists will tell you. This means that when you create your plan for improved brainpower, be sure you plan to use that new problem solving technique, or eat those new brain foods for at least three weeks. You can use many of the brain boosters here and get immediate results, but it is creating new habits that will give you the most brainpower.

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Nutrition

Spirulina: A Most Special Food From the sea comes one of the world’s most powerful foods. If NASA thinks it an excellent source of nutrition for its astronauts, then it must be extraordinary indeed!

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pirulina is a blue-green algae which is believed to be the first form of plant life on earth (nearly 3.5 billion years old). Since its rediscovery in the 1960s, Spirulina has been exhaustively and extensively tested by scientists around the world.

Upon testing it, NASA found it to be an excellent, compact space food for astronauts (one kilogram of Spirulina is equivalent to 1000 kilograms of assorted vegetables). It’s got 100 times more Vitamin A than carrots, six times more protein than eggs (up to 70%). This protein is a called complete since it has 18 of the 22 amino acids that the body needs and being organic in form. Spirulina also has very high digestibility (up to 97%), ensuring proper utilization and assimilation of the food a person eats.

More Facts It has 50 times more iron than spinach Anaemia or iron deficiency is one of the most common health problems of our country.

Spirulina's rich content of natural iron and folic acid helps not only to greatly improve haemoglobin levels in the blood, but being organic, is 60 times more absorbable than synthetic iron present in most of the haematinics.

It has 7 times more calcium than milk 10 times more potassium than vegetables to help prevent hypertension.

It’s a one stop shop for anti-oxidants and Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), which dissolves these cholesterol and fat deposits, thus preventing heart problems.

Research suggests when Spirulina is taken with anti-cancer drugs, antibiotics and pain killing drugs, toxic side effects to the kidney can be significantly reduced and shorter

recovery times may be possible.

Extensive research studies have been carried out around the world. Some of the relevant findings listed here are based on scientific findings: For example, in a 1991 study in Belarus, 1,149 undernourished and radiation-poisoned children were fed with Spirulina. Within 45 days, doctors found T-cell suppressors and beneficial hormones rising, and in 83% of the children, radioactivity of the urine decreased.

benefit of the phytochemicals, these berries must be vine ripened and picked within the last 48 hours. You can also grow these small fruit trees and shrubs yourself and enjoy that fresh from the garden taste.

Other superfoods include: Chlorella, a small green algae which is loaded with, proteins, carbohydrates, all of the B vitamins, vitamins C and E, amino, enzymes and rare trace minerals

In 1989, the National Cancer Institute (NCAUSA) announced that chemicals called glycolipids or sulfolipids from blue-green algae were "remarkably active" against the AIDS virus.

Spirulina, a complete plant based protein that helps the auto immune system. It also contains trace mineral contents it helps with blood sugar maintenance and brain function.

It Also Has a Role in AntiAging

Sea vegetables (like seaweed), this would include seaweeds like kelp.

For centuries people have been searching for the fountain of youth. Basically it all boils down to one factor diet. The old saying “you are what you eat” holds true when it comes to anti-aging. Eating better is the key to better health and increasing your chances of living longer.

What do we mean by eating better? Here are a few points: Cutting down our salt, and pure sugar intake Cutting down, but not eliminating carbohydrates Eating more of these foods: Fruits Vegetables Legumes and lentils (peas, beans) etc Whole grain breads, rice and cereals All fish except for shellfish Added to this list are foods that give extra boosts of phytochemicals that help the immune system and a variety of body functions.

Blueberries, cranberries and strawberries all contain phytochemicals. These are readily available in grocery stores. However to get the

Broccoli sprouts, you can get these at many grocery stores in the produce section or at the health food store.

Quinoa, a grain protein and is a good source of fiber and complex carbohydrates.

Soybeans and soy products like tofu or soymilk. These are also available in the produce section of the grocery store.

Flax seed, a good source of Omega-3 oils, which are beneficial to those with heart conditions.

Diet is very important when it comes to antiaging and with these suggestions you can easily make a few adjustments to your diet. At first it is a little hard to adjust but once you get into good eating habits you will feel better and look better.

Plus you will be able to have more energy to do the things you want to do and get more out of life.

Research has proven that when you add exercise to healthy eating you can indeed prolong your life by just a few simple changes to your lifestyle.

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A Beginner’s Guide To Using

Aromatherapy With Children Essential oils have benefited the lives of many the world over, and have a little bit of plant magic available to everyone!

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ssential oils are pure aromatic plant essences--they are distilled from flowers, fruit, leaves, resins, roots, seeds, and wood. They are used for their healing properties the world over. In the United States, we have free access to essential oils--but with this comes with some important cautions: Only some of the essential oils available are suitable for children; others are not suitable for children and some are even dangerous to children (children, for example, with epilepsy should not come in contact with stimulating essential oils).

When using essential oils with your child, it is imperative that you find a reputable supplier of therapeutic-grade essential oils, using organic or wildcrafted varieties when possible. Synthetic copies of oils commonly used in perfumery are not appropriate, and may even be harmful to your child’s health. To maintain efficacy, essential oils should be kept in dark amber or cobalt glass containers, in a dark and cool location, away from the child’s access. Wooden storage boxes from craft can make a nice container for the bottles.

When used correctly however, essential oils can be of great benefit, and will not conflict with your child’s medically prescribed drugs. Always research the oil of choice thoroughly before using with your infant or child—always ask advice from a qualified practitioner.

Methods of Using Essential Oils

That said, essential oils can be a wonderful way of supporting your child's health, happiness and well-being. Essential oils can be very therapeutic and nurturing to both your child and you, the caregiver. Essential oils are used externally (on the outside of the body) in your child’s bath, body lotions, oils, creams, gels, compresses, foot baths, or in a oil warmer. The effects of aromatherapy will generally fall into one of three main categories: 1) Assisting in healing from minor illnesses and accidents, 2) Supporting your childís overall sense of well-being, and 3) Assisting your child in getting quality rest.

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There are two methods of using essential oils with your child INHALATION: through a diffuser, nebulizer, or adding to a humidifier reservoir, and TOPICAL APPLICATION: diluting the essential oil in a carrier oil and applying topically. Adding essential oils to a bath combines the two methods, though we will cover it under topical application.

For topical application, essential oils are diluted in varying strengths depending on the use and age of your child. The concentration can vary from one drop of essential oil per tablespoon of carrier oil, to a couple of drops per teaspoon of carrier added to a drawn bath, to an equal ratio of carrier and essential oil applied directly to your child’s feet (as in the case of gentle

lavender). In other words, there is a huge variation in dilution levels depending on the circumstances.

Mamas, do your research and then trust your instinct. Only you and your child baby know exactly what is right for your situation.

General dilution rate guidelines of essential oils in one ounce of carrier oil: Age of Child and amount of Essential Oil per One Ounce Carrier Oil for Topical/Massage Application: Newborn (Consult your primary care physician before use) 1-3 drops essential oil / ounce 2-6 months 1-3 drops essential oil / ounce 6-12 months 1-4 drops essential oil / ounce 1-4 years (unless very small) 5-8 drops essential oil / ounce 6-7 years 5-10 drops essential oil / ounce 9-12 years 5-12 drops essential oil / ounce 12 years to young adult 10-15 drops essential oil / ounce DO NOT USE AN ESSENTIAL OIL UNDILUTED on children’s skin, unless indicated to do so for a specific condition. If your child has very sensitive skin, it is important to test a small area before using a new single oil or blend. Keep essential oils away form the eyes. When using citrus oils-orange, bergamot, lemon, tangerine, mandarin, and lime--do not use where the skin will be exposed to sunlight for the next 12 hours. These oils are considered “phototoxic”, and can react from the sun's rays. They may be used in a bath, however, where they will be washed off the skin when the bath is done.

Essential oils are not to be taken orally (by mouth). When your child is taking medications, reduce the amount of essential oil by half the amount recommended for their age group.

Carrier oils for children Sweet Almond oil is generally regarded as the safest and best overall carrier oil for use with babies and children. Apricot kernel oil is also considered extremely safe with children over 6. Jojoba oil can be added at about 10% concentration for any blend--it has a soothing effect on the skin and is good for hair.

Topical Application Nurturing Touch Massage Recipes There is nothing better for any child than the loving, nurturing touch of a parent. A gentle hug, a smile, a kiss on the cheek all reassure the child and help the parent and child to bond. These everyday forms of connection are instinctual and children thrive from it.

Research shows that massage can help children’s growth both physically and emotionally.

In hospitals, studies done with premature babyís show that touch is an essential aspect of the children’s ability to thrive.

Using aromatherapeutic nurturing touch massage can be therapeutic

For an anti-anxiety blend: Try 5 drops bergamot, 1 drop lavender and 3 drops geranium--dilute to 10 drops per ½ pint of water for a room spray or use in a humidifier, or dilute to the appropriate level for your child's age if using topically. For alertness, try lemon, bergamot, grapefruit or pine, either singly or in a blend that pleases your senses (usually the best way to blend is to trust your nose!) to both the child and the parent. Using a light, conscientious tough you can massage your childís feet, arms, hands, back, abdomen, and even legs.

The massage should always be done with loving intention and the work is done in the direction that the blood flows-from ankles to leg; from wrist to shoulder, etc.

Here are a few suggested blends for this wonderful method--each is in one ounce of Sweet Almond oil: Restful Sleep--4 drops lavender, 2 drops Roman Chamomile Happy Child--3 drops Rose, 1 drop Neroli Calm and Relaxed--3 drops Petitgrain, 3 drops Neroli Emotional Nurturing--1 drop Rose, 1 drop Vanilla, 2 drops Lavender For a Baby oil blend, to be used as a moisturizer OR massage oil (note: the frequent washing of a baby's skin actually makes it difficult for them to retain vitamin C; application of a quality skin oil will help them keep adequate supplies of this important nutrient).

1 ounce of organic sweet almond oil or hazelnut oil 1 drop of pure lavender essential oil 1 drop of vanilla essential oil OR 1 ounce of organic sweet almond oil 2 drops of pure lavender essential oil 1 drop of pure chamomile (German) essential oil The above blends can also be added to the bath. One teaspoon with the following amount of essential oils added can be added after the bath is filled, per the age of the child: 3-5 years, 2 drops; 6-8 years, 3 drops; 8-11 years, 5 drops. Perhaps the easiest way to do this would be to make a full strength blend (without carrier oil) of your choice, then dilute as needed for the application.

Inhalation of Essential Oils For inhalation, one can apply one or two drops to a handkerchief and inhale, or add oils to a water misting bottle or humidifier. Calming essential oils that may be used are lavender (recommended for sleep--one to four drops can be placed under the pillow), Mandarin, Roman Chamomile, Ho Wood (an ecologically friendly replacement for Rosewood), Tangerine, Petitgrain, Vanilla, and Neroli. Use these oils singly, create your own blend, or use one of the body oil blends above without the

carrier oil. A few drops per quart of water in a mister sprayed throughout a room or added humidifier resevoir will do.

Essential oils can also be used in a candle lamp or warmer--with the oil gently evaporated from the surface of a small bowl of water by the heat of a candle. An electric nebulizing diffuser is generally not recommended for use with children, as the concentration of oils in the air can be too high.

Last but not least, essential oils are wonderful antiseptics.

As Antiseptics Cuts and scrapes are simply a way of life for the little ones! A great blend for minor wounds is a 1:1 mix of Lavender and Tea Tree oil. The lavender is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and has regenerative “ketones” while the tea tree is a strong antiseptic used for many generations by native Australians. Use this blend in the water used for cleaning wounds, and apply a few drops to the gauze of a bandage ñ do not apply directly to the skin as it will be unnecessarily irritating.

On the bandage, however, it will be soothing and accelerate the healing process.

There are many, many diverse applications for essential oils for almost every conceivable minor ailment seen in childhood. The key is knowledge” finding a good practitioner, or reputable resource for your needs. For further reading, books by Valerie Ann Woorwood are excellent: "Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child" and "The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy"; for safety data, see "Essential Oil Safety" by Robert Tisserand and Tony Balacs.

The essential oils mentioned within this article are recognized as safe for most individuals--if you or your child are recognized as having a specific illness, and/or are under a doctor's regular care, please consult an appropriate practitioner before proceeding.

All About

Anorexia An old disease made notorious by society’s pressures, this eating disorder is still as big a problem today as it was when it was first discovered

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norexia Nervosa can be translated as “nervous loss of appetite”. This type of eating disorder has been affecting (mostly) the female gender for centuries, occurring in various cultural and ethnical groups around the world. The unusual behavior of people affected by the disease attracted the attention of various medical scientists throughout the course of history. Early data related to Anorexia Nervosa can be found in manuscripts written many centuries ago. Although they are very inaccurate, the first studies on this form of disease date back since the end of the 17th century. These early studies describe Anorexia Nervosa as a purely physiological disease, developed on the premises of physical dysfunctions.

More substantial data on Anorexia Nervosa has been collected towards the end of the 19th century, when the neuropsychological nature of the disease has been described for the first time.

The disease acquired the name “Anorexia Nervosa” at the beginning of the 20th century. In spite of its name, Anorexia Nervosa doesn’t involve loss of appetite at all! This inappropriate definition suggests a poor understanding of the disease in the past. People who suffer from anorexia don’t just “lose” their appetite; they simply refuse to eat properly.

Body Image Anorexics are overwhelmed by the fear of being fat and therefore they struggle to prevent this from happening. They become obsessed with food and they engage in unusual behaviors in order to lose weight. People who suffer from anorexia in time develop an altered perception of their body image, seeing themselves as “fat”. Regardless of their efforts to lose weight, anorexics constantly complain about their physical appearance and they are never satisfied with their achievements.

Nowadays anorexia seems to affect both sexes equally. Although there are some genetic and acquired physiological factors involved in the development of Anorexia Nervosa, the disease appears to be triggered by environmental and neuropsychological factors.

In modern society, the high incidence of anorexia in the young population is interrelated with the increased influence of the media over the masses. Due to a pronounced pressure exercised by the media and modern culture, many young people engage in unhealthy food behaviors in an attempt to achieve an image that closely resembles the topical ideal of beauty.

Dangers There are two kinds of Anorexia Nervosa: the restrictive and the compulsive kind. People who suffer from Restrictive Anorexia Nervosa usually have a very low body weight. They indulge in acts of self-starvation and also tend to burn the little food they eat through physical exercise, in order to lose weight. Compulsive Anorexia Nervosa, also referred to as Binge and Purge Anorexia, resembles the symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia is characterized by the consumption of large amounts of food and then getting rid of it by purging it from the system. Just like in the case of Bulimia Nervosa, Compulsive Anorexia Nervosa implies and alternation in eating habits, people suffering from it fluctuating between periods of scarce eating or abstinence from food and periods of binge-eating and purging.

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Persons with this kind of Anorexia Nervosa purge the food out of their bodies by vomiting or by taking laxatives and diuretics. They also tire themselves through long, sustained physical exercise in order to lose weight.

Unlike people with Restrictive Anorexia Nervosa, the ones confronted with the second type of disorder aren’t always underweight.

People with Binge and Purge Anorexia experience a lot of changes in their body weight. They resemble bulimics in physical appearance and behavior.

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa have a lot of things in common and in fact, people who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa may later become bulimics.

How to Spot it The most important anorexia symptoms are dramatic changes in physical appearance caused by inappropriate eating (usually people who suffer from anorexia have a lower body weight than the average), obsession with body weight, calories, food and exercise, refusal of eating normal amounts of food, irregular meals, attempts of replacing food with coffee, caffeine-based beverages and diet pills, unusual eating habits and rituals (playing with food, avoiding to swallow food or throwing it away).

Anorexia symptoms include dizziness, lack of concentration, migraines, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, nightmares, depression and loneliness. Persons with anorexia isolate themselves from the world, fearing that they won’t be understood by other people. Although they usually refuse any kind of social interaction, deep inside they long for acceptance and guidance. Anorexics experience considerable drops of self-esteem and self-respect and develop feelings of unworthiness. They often complain about their physical appearance, always considering themselves to be fat.

Women and girls who suffer from anorexia experience hormonal imbalances. Due to the lack of vital nutrients, their bodies produce less estrogen than usual, causing irregular menstruation. Sometimes menstrual periods even stop completely in the case of female anorexics that indulge in abstinence from food. Anorexia also affects the fertility of women and girls, reducing their chances of remaining pregnant. Hormonal imbalances also cause bone deterioration, leading to osteoporosis. Women and girls with anorexia have weak bones, teeth problems and fragile fingernails.

Other anorexia symptoms are low blood pressure, irregular heart activity, low body temperature due to bad circulation of the blood, muscular rigidity and abdominal cramps.

People who suffer from anorexia or other eating disorders expose themselves to a lot of dangers. Inappropriate eating and exhausting physical exercises seriously weaken the immune system of persons with anorexia, making them vulnerable to many diseases.

How a Princess' Secret Disease “...And that's like a secret disease. You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don't think you're worthy or valuable. You fill your stomach up four or five times a day--some do it more--and it gives you a feeling of comfort. It's like having a pair of arms around you, but it's temporarily, temporary. Then you're disgusted at the bloatedness of your stomach, and then you bring it all up again. And it's a repetitive pattern, which is very destructive to yourself.” Thus declared the late Princess Diana, mother of newly married William, now Duke of Cambridge, who struggled with an eating disorder and also admitted that she used to harm herself.

She also added in a television interview that she intentionally cut her arms and legs and had thrown herself down a flight of stairs on more than one occasion. The Princess first revealed her own battle with bulimia in 1992, when it was described in Andrew Morton’s controversial book Diana: Her True Story. In later interviews she spoke of the “secret disease” that had preyed on her for many years.

Bulimia is a type of eating disorder in which people are preoccupied with their weight and shape, often judging themselves severely and harshly for perceived flaws. People with bulimia experience episodes of binging and purging. During these episodes, they typically eat a large amount of food in a short period of time and then try to rid themselves of the extra calories in inappropriate ways, such as self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise. In between these binge-purge episodes, people with bulimia actually eat very little or often skip meals altogether.

A person with bulimia often feels a loss of control over their eating as well as guilt over their behavior. They are usually aware that their behavior is abnormal. Bulimia is currently very common in adolescent and young adult women. People with bulimia are often of normal or near-normal weight, which makes them different from people with anorexia, another eating disorder in which the person does not eat at all.

Probably the earliest and most obvious sign of bulimia is an over concern with weight and body shape. People suffering from bulimia will try to hide their binging and purging behavior from others. This secrecy often makes it difficult to identify the actual problem until a serious complication from the physical self-abuse occurs. People with bulimia may also complain of generalized weakness, fatigue, abdominal pain, and loss of menstrual cycles. Vomiting or diarrhea is also present on persons with bulimia without revealing that it is self-induced. People with bulimia often have constant stomach pain. In fact, bulimia can actually damage a person's stomach and kidneys as a result of constant vomiting. Bulimia can also cause a person's teeth to decay because of the acids that come up to the mouth while vomiting.

Studies have shown eating disorders occur more frequently in relatives of people with bulimia than in others. This frequency appears to be related to genetics, but family influences may also be important. Researchers have suggested that altered levels of the chemical serotonin in the brain play a role. Serotonin levels can be related to the development of clinical depression.

Experts also agree that cultural factors are very important in the development of eating disorders.

Television, ads and modern society's emphasis on health, in particular thinness, can greatly influence those who seek the acceptance of others.

Treatment People with bulimia often need several types of treatment. If a bulimic person's life is in immediate danger, they may need treatment in a hospital emergency department for such issues as dehydration, electrolyte imbalances or severe psychiatric problems. Treatment is generally done using a team approach that includes medical providers, mental health professionals and dietitians, all with experience in eating disorders. With proper treatment, most people with bulimia recover. For some, though, the condition becomes a lifelong battle. Periods of binging and purging may come and go through the years, depending on life circumstances.

Whatever the cause of an eating disorder, the effects can be damaging, if not downright devastating and life threatening, such as the case of Princess Diana. However, the good part of it is that the decision by the princess to publicize her harrowing battle with bulimia resulted in double the number of sufferers coming forward for treatment. A study by the Institute of Psychiatry in London shows that reported cases of the illness rose to 60,000 during the 1990s after the Princessís revelation. Since she first spoke of it in 1994, the number has almost halved, a trend attributed by researchers to the “Diana Effect” that persuaded them to acknowledge and seek treatment for their condition.

Wise Woman Ways to

Boost Your

Energy

From giving yourself alone time to getting the right nutrients, this article gives you all the secrets to battling fatigue

By Susun Weed

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lmost every woman has, at one time or another, felt so fatigued she wanted to cry. But for some women, and for a variety of reasons-including menopause, caring for a new-born, working odd hours, chronic anxiety, and poverty, to name only a few--fatigue is a constant, not an occasional, problem.

Stimulants don't really give us more energy, though they are what many women turn to when they feel too tired. Stimulants create false energy, leaving us more exhausted at deeper levels. These choices also deplete our bones of their minerals, weaken our core energy, and prevent truly restful, restorative sleep. Even herbal stimulants, like cayenne and guarana, are, well, stimulants. They push us too hard and erode our long-term health.

Are there ways to boost energy that are effective and healthy? Here are some ideas of how to help myself when I feel bone-tired.

Be Gentle with Yourself The internal processes that occur during puberty, motherhood, menopause or any other profound change in your life require tremendous amounts of energy. Even if you provide yourself with very high quality nutrients and use your energy wisely, you may still feel unreasonably tired. Many cultures offer newborns and moms a quiet, alone month or more, allow menopausal women to retire for a year or more while they

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Change, and give grieving parents/partners/ children/friends time off from responsibility. If yours doesn't, if you can't, at least be gentle with yourself.

Give yourself a break: every hour, take a 60-second break. Breathe deeply; stand up and stretch; drink a glass of water or some herbal infusion. Schedule a regular time to meditate or take a nap every day. Small frequent rests help more than an extra hour of sleep; but do both if you can.

Set aside an hour a week to do something indulgent for yourself: a long soak in a hot bath, a manicure, a walk alone in a beautiful place.

Nourish yourself and you will have more energy to give to others.

Treat yourself to a massage once a month.

(It need not break your budget; find someone willing to barter for a skill or product you have.) A skilful massage releases tension, helping you get more benefit from your sleep and downtime, thus liberating more energy and helping you begin the upward spiral into increased vitality.

"Lower your standards." This advice, though difficult to hear, has been one of the most important guidelines for me in choosing a life that delights and energizes me. It helped me choose to let the floor go unswept, the dishes unwashed, the bed unmade, while I gardened, or studied, or even just went for a walk in the woods. When I do

the things I want to do I have lots more energy.

What are you doing that saps your strength and erodes your delight in life? Find a way to quit, or at least cut down on the time you devote to it.

List 10 Good Things About Fatigue, Laziness, Lethargy, and Procrastination I've found laziness to be my best guide to efficiency; lethargy has stopped me from taking foolish risks; and procrastination helps me find more efficient ways to proceed. Love and honor your fatigue for helping you conserve energy and giving you the time to find creative new ways to do the same old things.

Try Seaweed Seaweeds of all kinds help restore energy by nourishing nervous, immune, and hormonal systems. Make it a habit to eat seaweed as a green vegetable at least once a week. Try kelp in your oatmeal, wakame in your beans, kombu in your soups, hijiki salads, toasted dulse, sea palm fronds, and deep-fried nori!

Roots Counter that tired-every-day feeling: get down and get grounded energy from roots. Try a tincture of ginseng, siberian ginseng, yellow dock, or

7 Ways to Boost Your Energy 1. Stay on a regular sleep schedule. infusion after it has brewed 4 to 8 hours, even if you don't get a chance to strain the plant material out.

2. Avoid the sugar and caffeine roller coaster. Eat some protein and foods with a bit of fat in the morning. The brain needs protein and the body does not store it. You don’t have to eat very much--a glass of low fat milk, a piece of cheese, or a handful of nuts will get you going instead of pure carbohydrates like a plain bagel.

3. Take a 5 to10 minute power nap around lunch. Even if you just close your eyes and let your mind drift, you will be refreshed for the afternoon.

This is also effective anytime you feel yourself not concentrating, reading the same material over and over. Give in to the urge and completely relax for a few moments.

4. Drink more water and liquids.

Most Americans are in a constant state of dehydration from filling up on coffee, tea, and sodas with caffeine. This is very stressful to the kidneys and can cause irritation to the bladder. Keep a sports bottle filled with your favorite flavored water or just plain and keep it with you at all times. Set a goal--empty by lunch, refill, empty again by the time work is over. Carry plenty of water in the car too for you and your family.

5. Exercise regularly. This is easier said than done with a busy schedule.

A poor conditioning level causes you to be short-of-breath and your heart to race when just doing simple things like climbing a flight of steps or doing household chores.

6. A joke a day keeps the doctor away. Seriously, laughter has many beneficial effects on the body. The brain chemicals for experiencing pleasure, happiness, and peace increase with good, hearty laughs.

7. Avoid confrontations and situations with negative people.

They drain our energy if we allow them.

Be polite but avoid arguing or getting hooked into listening to their constant problems.

8. Take regular, daily supplements of the highest quality (the best are sold in the SacredEden store).

Eat More When you're too tired to eat, you get more tired.

(If this sounds like an old wives' tale, remember that old wives were the wise women. But, actually, it's the latest scientific thinking.)

In addition to at least one really good meal a day, eat high quality snacks hourly. dandelion roots. A dose is 10-20 drops of any one root, taken with meals.

Tired Blood?

You may need more iron: eat a spoonful of molasses or try a dropperful of yellow dock tincture several times a day.

Stir it up! Just don’t sit there!

Energy is attracted to energy. Get moving this way: stand up, feet shoulder-width, knees relaxed.

Swing your arms toward one side, then the other.

Let the shoulders and hips move as you twist your upper body. Let your arms move freely. Continue for a minute or two. Then, start rocking your tail bone, your whole pelvis, forward and back, forward and back, again for at least a minute.

Go Green The plants with the deepest green give you the most energy. A daily cup of nettle infusion increases energy without wiring your nerves. Nettle strengthens the adrenals, allowing you to tolerate more stress with less harm. And it nourishes your immune system, too.

To make: * Put one ounce of dried nettle leaf in a quart jar. * Fill to the top with boiling water. * Cap tightly and steep at least four hours (overnight is fine). * Strain and drink. * Refrigerate the remainder and consume within 36 hours.

(Leftovers may be used as a hair rinse or fertilizer for your houseplants.) I drink several quarts of nettle infusion every week. It helps me have the energy to teach all day and write for hours each evening.

Oatstraw Oatstraw infusion builds deep energy for the next day, especially when you have been riding an emotional roller coaster. Oatstraw nourishes the nerves, easing anxiety and improving our ability to live with uncertainty. Make it like the nettle infusion, using a full ounce of oatstraw to a quart of boiling water. You can drink it hot or cold, with honey or miso, or any other addition (juice, coffee, whiskey) you desire. Remember to refrigerate the

Though it seems contrary, St. Joan's wort tincture relaxes the nerves yet increases energy.

A dose is 25 to 30 drops several times a day, including before bed. You'll sleep better, ache less, and wake up with more energy and a brighter outlook on life.

Warming herbs such as ginger and cinnamon increase energy (but may increase hot flashes, too). Make a tea with 1 cup/250 ml boiling water and 1/2-1 teaspoon (1-2 grams) of the powder of any one of these.

Very tired women need more fuel, that is, more fat, in their diets, and best if the fats are also natural sources of vitamin E: avocados, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, tahini, and olive oil are good food sources. Herbs rich in vitamin E include nettle, seaweeds, dandelion, and watercress.

B vitamins build energy. Find them in whole grains, organ meats, sweet potatoes, avocados, egg yolks, fish, and whey. Both oatstraw and nettle infusions are good sources of B vitamins, as are red clover blossom infusion, peppermint leaves, and fenugreek seeds.

Low levels of potassium, iron, and iodine contribute to fatigue. Celery, cabbage, seaweeds, nettle infusion, and red clover infusion are excellent sources of potassium. Molasses, chocolate, seaweeds, nettle infusion, and dandelion leaves are all superb sources of iron. For iodine, seaweed shines, but sea salt, mushrooms, and greens grown in gardens fertilized with seaweed also supply significant amounts.

What to Avoid Some women report greater fatigue on days when they've eaten frozen or raw food. Traditional Chinese Medicine says eating raw or chilled foods, especially cold drinks and raw juices, contributes to fatigue because you have to use your internal energy to warm up the food before you can digest it. The more tired you are, the greater your need for well-cooked foods, like nourishing herbal infusions and healing soups.

"Energy-producing" foods/drugs/herbal supplements such as coffee, guarana, caffeinated drinks, and excessive amounts of black tea or chocolate will create greater fatigue in the future.

A Whole Body Approach To Fat Loss Utilize a full body approach to fat loss and accelerate your results!

By The Fitness Consulting Group

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hat’s the secret to losing body fat and keeping it off?

Ask 100 different fitness experts this question, and you’ll probably get 80 or more different answers.

That’s one reason why fitness and fat loss gets so darn confusing--everybody seems to have “the answer.”

You’ve got 101 different theories about how to induce fat loss, including super-slow training, heart rate training, circuit training, Pilates, yoga principles, high-rep weight training, and aerobics.

When it comes to nutrition, there are even more fad diets than exercise theories. The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet, Eat 4 Your Blood Type, Low Fat, Low Carb, Low Calorie, The Zone--even Dr. Phil has a diet book.

Well, here’s something to simplify things for you: Work the whole body each session! No tricky split routines, no bodypart training--just training the body the way it was intended to function, as a whole.

Human movement, stabilization, balance and strength are the results of a whole body approach to strength training. Until recently, the fitness industry had forgotten how to incorporate the entire body in exercise programming.

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The human body has over 600 muscles, all intended to work as one complete and complimentary system. Traditional exercise programs have neglected the majority of these muscles by training in a one-dimensional environment. This type of training handicaps the body from performing the way it is designed to function.

Work as a Whole Training in a fixed plane environment leads to isolated results, muscle imbalance, and injury. In contrast, the whole body approach to resistance training prepares participants of any fitness level to achieve great improvements in body composition and function better in daily life as well.

The three-dimensional environment of training movements, not individual muscles, enables the body to become efficient in both static and dynamic environments. Participants achieve balanced, long lasting, effective results.

This method is fun because it is a whole body approach. The same movement patterns that we used as children (pushing, pulling, twisting, lunging, squatting, stepping and balance in multiple planes) are the core of your approach to fat loss. From beginners to the most advanced exercise fanatic, this approach to fat loss and fitness will provide fun and effective

workouts and lasting results.

10 Tips To Maximize Your Metabolism.

1. Consume enough for your body’s needs. Eating too little slows your bodyís metabolism the same way eating to infrequently does. If you want to lose weight, do not slash your calories too drastically. Instead, cut out some of the extras in your diet--things like soda, juice, packaged goods or candy. Processed foods tend to be high in fat and calories and low in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

2. Eat more often. Get into the habit of eating every three to four hours or at least four times a day. Eating frequently stabilizes blood sugar, when blood sugar drops too low you want to eat--a lot. By keeping your blood sugar stable you can control your appetite and keep you metabolic rate high. When you go many hours without eating your body will compensate by slowing down to conserve energy--this effect hurts your weight loss efforts.

3. Don’t skip breakfast. The morning meal jumpstarts your metabolism and helps to prevent bingeing later in the day. A cup of coffee does not count--the caffeine and added sugar may give you a bit of energy and suppress your appetite for a little while it is sure to back fire into severe hunger and you will be more likely to overeat later.

Breakfast should include complex carbohydrates like whole grain (granola or oatmeal), along with some protein and fat (low-fat yogurt or milk), will keep your energy levels even and hunger in check.

4. There are many kinds of healthy fats available such as nuts, fish, olive oil, and flax oil. They can be the substitutes for processed carbohydrates.

5. Consume less of sugar so that insulin production is regulated and you will thus burn calories easily.

6. Eat about one gram of protein per pound because the excessive fat content will be drained away.

7. Remember that alcohol will work against the people planning to lose weight. It prevents fat burning and contains hundreds of calories.

8. Green tea and water are the best forms of beverages that do not affect the metabolism process.

9. Eat protein at every meal. Protein will help to reduce your appetite, it takes more energy and time to digest, in effect you feel full longer than eating carbohydrates alone. Research shows that eating more protein can help you lose weight without cutting calories. Try these protein possibilities: turkey on whole wheat; hummus and pita; vegetarian chili; fruit and nuts; or protein snack bars that contain 12 or more grams of protein.

10. Hold off on snacking. Many of us grab a snack for quick energy when we are feeling tired.

But do not confuse true hunger with fatigue. If you are feeling tired go for a 15-20 minute brisk walk. This will raise your heart rate and give you a boost of energy. Follow it up with a large glass of cool water. If you are truly hungry have a protein and complex carbohydrate rich snack like; whole wheat crackers and peanut butter or cheese.

Full body training is an extremely effective way to loose weight as involves dynamic, whole body movement that increase caloric expenditure. Training movements instead of individual muscles can also help change body composition by increasing muscle mass, increasing growth hormone output, raising metabolism, maximizing caloric output, and ultimately decreasing body fat.

Law of Thermodynamics Now, regardless of how great your workout is, food intake is the key factor that will either make you or break you as far as fat loss goes.

The only way that the human body drops body fat is by being in what is called a calorie deficit. This brings us back to Law of Thermodynamics. This law states that if you eat more calories in a day than you burn you will gain fat, if you burn more calories in a day than you eat you will lose fat, and if you eat the same amount of calories in a day as you burn you will remain constant. This is a law! It is as true as the law of gravity and it is how the body works.

Knowing this, it is simple. If you want to lose fat you need to adjust you daily calorie intake so that you are into a calorie deficit.

You need to get your calorie count low enough to begin fat loss, but at the same time keeping it high enough to remain healthy. The second step to optimizing you food intake is by spreading your food out evenly throughout the day. Ideally, you want to be on a five meal per day plan. By spreading your calories evenly through five small meals your metabolism works its best for you. When you constantly give your body

food with small meals your body does not feel the need to store fat.

On the contrary, when eating large, infrequent meals your body feels the need to store some food as fat for it is unsure as to when it will be fed again. Get on a scheduled meal plan that your body will respond to. Five meals a day, approximately three hours apart works great. A healthy start point for your protein, carbohydrate, and fat ratio is 25% of your food coming from protein, 60% of your food coming from carbohydrates, and 15% of your food intake coming from fats.

Industry Secret Now, here’s an industry secret: If you want to lose fat and you are unsure of how many calories you are supposed to eat and are not in a position to hire professional assistance, barring any medical conditions, a simple formula to follow is this. Take your body weight and add a zero on the end. Use that as your general guideline, split the number evenly among five meals per day and your body should be in a calorie deficit. For example if you weigh 180lbs., add a zero, so you’re now at 1800 calories. Divide that over five meals per day, and you should be eating 360 calories per meal. Keeping each meal balanced approximately 60% carbs, 25% proteins, 15% fat, you’ll be eating in a healthy way to lose weight. (Note, if you have any medical conditions always consult with your physician first.)

How quickly will you see results? Although results will vary with each individual, full body training coupled with a proper nutrition program will help you achieve greater results than most other programs in less time. The results can come quicker and be longer lasting.

Fertility After Forty Can women still conceive healthily even if they move their biological clocks further and further down? Yes, especially when they use natural, herbal methods, says Susun Weed

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he most fertile years of a woman's life are those between 18 and 28. Even into the mid-thirties, it is usually fairly easy to conceive and carry a pregnancy to term.

During these years the hormones that control ovulation, enhance conception, and ensure a healthy pregnancy are usually made easily and in generous quantities. And detrimental life-style choices have not had decades of repetition to create chronic problems.

But more and more women are waiting until their late thirties, early forties, even late forties, to have children. Is this too late? Are these destined to have high-risk pregnancies? Will these children have more birth defects?

The answer to these questions--and others like them--is "no!" for wise women who enlist the help of green allies to increase fertility, ensure conception, prevent birth defects, and promote a healthy pregnancy and an easy delivery.

INCREASING FERTILITY; ENSURING CONCEPTION Increase your chances of conception by meditating. Cultivating a calm attitude, not surprisingly, enhances fertility. Even taking a quiet five minutes alone just for you, free of all responsibilities, can bring big results if done frequently enough.

Use lunaception to time your ovulation so you have the best odds of conceiving. It's fine to have sex in the weeks before ovulation, especially if the sex is focused on the woman and her orgasm, but do save your best efforts for those three nights when your "moon" is full and bright and ready to frolic.

Orgasm on the part of the male is necessary for fertilization. The woman's orgasm does increase the possibility of conception. Women who experience orgasm after their partner (up to 40 minutes after his ejaculation) have the very best chance of becoming pregnant.

Red clover is the single best remedy for women over 40 who want to conceive but can't--even if there are medical reasons for not conceiving such as blocked tubes, diabetes, ovarian cysts, internal scarring, or endometriosis. There are many heart-warming success stories I could share about red clover! But suffice to say, drinking 2 to 4 cups of the infusion of the dried blossoms (neither tincture nor tea nor pills will work for this application) seems to do wonders for fertility, no matter what your age.

PREVENTING BIRTH DEFECTS Boosting your nutritional status makes birth defects less of a worry. Women who drink 2 to 4 cups of stinging nettle infusion daily and eat cooked leafy greens as well as lettuce salads are getting the abundant folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals needed to create a healthy baby. (Tinctures, pills, and teas contain little or none of these important nutrients.)

Vitamin E is an especially critical nutrient for fertility after forty and freedom from birth defects.

Freshly-ground wheat flour, cold-pressed oils, and nut butters are all good sources of vitamin E,

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as are stinging nettle infusion and most cooked seaweed, such as kelp. The man's vitamin E level has as much, if not more, bearing on freedom from birth defects as does the woman's vitamin E level.

Avoid heat, both of you. Hot tubs, even prolonged soaking in a hot bath, can cause temporary (up to several months) sterility in some men. In women, it can endanger the early embryo and trigger a miscarriage or birth defects.

Avoid drugs, both of you, including alcohol, tobacco, coffee, as well as over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs (except those you absolutely need). Your liver needs to be strong and so do your kidneys, so you can conceive and gestate a child. Instead of alcohol, which damages the liver, drink herbal infusions or alcohol-free wine or beer. Instead of tobacco, which may contribute to birth defects and low birth weight, try smoking a little dried peppermint, or, better yet, go for a walk. Instead of coffee, which challenges the kidneys, you may wish to drink green tea or black tea, or try coffee substitutes, especially the one made with dandelion roots. Instead of drugs to ease everyday aches and pains, use the gentle herbal remedies in this book instead.

EMOTIONAL ISSUES Ambivalence about pregnancy and parenthood is normal and natural. But the older a woman gets, the more complicated her emotions about it may be. Add to her emotional soup pot strong opinions from family and friends, confusing information spread by the popular media, and fear-inducing pronouncements from "helpful" medical professionals, and that pot will be in danger of boiling over. Herewith then, some wise woman hints for keeping your cool in the midst of overt and covert confusion.

Contrary to current opinion, having children in your forties is ordinary and common worldwide.

The Bible mentions several women having children in their fifties. What is unusual and unique to our time is having a first child in one's forties. Our mother’s, mother’s, mothers were having their fifth or eighth or tenth child when they were in their forties, not their first. If people tell you it just isn't done, close your eyes and call upon the spirit of your great-great-great-great grandmother, then smile and tell them it seems utterly ordinary to you.

Feeling tense and distressed about choosing or refusing motherhood? Motherwort tincture is my favorite calmative. A dose of 10 to 20 drops helps clear your mind, eases your tension, and assists you in discerning the best path to follow.

Bach flower remedies excel as helpers when you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Try: Aspen when you feel anxious, apprehensive, or afraid of the unknown.

Mimulus when you are dwelling on a specific fear.

Elm when you feel overwhelmed or inadequate.

Red Chestnut when you are afraid for or worried about your baby to be.

Rock Rose when you are trembling, shaking,

or weeping from anxiety or fear.

Regular gentle massage or Reiki treatments not only help you calm your distress, they also guide you in creating a strong center that's resistant to being pushed around by other people's opinions.

Massage and/or Reiki also help prepare your mind/body for a healthy pregnancy and a safe birth.

SPECIAL ALLIES FOR PREGNANT WOMEN OVER FORTY The single most important herb for pregnant women over forty is comfrey (Symphytum uplandica hybrids). The leaves of the mature plant contain an abundance of constituents beneficial to mother and babe, including generous amounts of minerals, alantoin, proteins, and many vitamins.

The minerals in comfrey help ensure healthy nervous system growth; the fetus’s developing brain uses the proteins. And the alantoin helps the mother's tissues become stretchy and elastic.

Aging can lead to increased stiffness and brittleness in bones and muscles, making pregnancy more arduous and painful, labor slower and more difficult, and injury more likely during birth. The hormones of pregnancy, which help soften and relax the pelvic tissues, may not be produced in adequate amounts. Comfrey comes to the rescue! Comfrey creates flexible and strong tissues throughout the body especially mucus surfaces (including intestines, uterus, bladder and vagina), the bones, the ligaments and tendons, and the skin.

Regular use of the leaf infusion, at least a quart a week, promotes a safe delivery by: • strengthening uterine muscles and preparing them to work easily and well • strengthening perineal tissues so they become resistant to tearing • strengthening uterine ligaments so the uterus does not prolapse • strengthening the bladder and increasing resistance to bacterial infection • strengthening the vagina and helping to promote an environment hostile to infection • providing easily assimilated minerals to prevent eclampsia and other complications • helping the bones of the pelvis flex and open during birth • increasing iron in the blood and thus forestalling post-partum hemorrhage.

I harvest the flowering stalks when they are fully formed; and I am careful to use the cultivated garden comfrey, which grows very tall and has purplish, pinkish, bluish flowers. I avoid wild comfrey, which stays rather small even when flowering, and has cream-colored, white, or yellowish flowers.

Some people feel that comfrey is not safe to use during pregnancy. Some people feel comfrey is not safe to use internally at all. I disagree. The roots of comfrey do contain compounds that are best avoided during pregnancy (as do all parts of the wild plant). In fact, I rarely use comfrey root because of the possibility of liver congestion, and I strongly caution those who have had hepatitis, chemotherapy, or alcohol problems to strictly avoid comfrey root. Yet even these people can benefit from use of comfrey leaf infusions.

Another important herbal ally for women over forty who desire a child is chaste tree (Vitex agnuscastii). It has been used in Africa and parts of Europe for several thousand years to discourage the male libido. In women, the effects seem to be the opposite! It may also be a fertility enhancer.

Most importantly, chaste tree is a strengthening tonic for the pituitary gland, the master control gland for the endocrine system. Daily use of the tincture of the berries (1 dropperful/1 ml 2-3 times daily) had been shown to increase progesterone - the hormone of pregnancy--and luteinizing hormone--which promotes conception. Because it can lower prolactin levels, chaste tree is best discontinued during the last trimester of pregnancy.

Dong quai (Angelica sinensis) is not recommended for women over forty. In general, this herb promotes blood flow to the uterus and surrounding tissues. This can promote the growth of fibroids and increase the risk of post-partum hemorrhage.

Ginger is a better warming tonic; motherwort is better at relieving pain; and raspberry is better at preparing the uterus for birth.

Homemade Whey

Protein shakes There’s more to bodybuilding supplements than just mixing them with water—time to get creative!

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ome people find that the flavor of the protein shake powder they paid good money for quickly gets boring. This is when people start to experiment a little by adding other ingredients to make their protein shakes taste a little better.

You can soon turn your boring, often tasteless, protein shakes into mouthwatering bodybuilding or dieting delights.

All you need to have to get started is a blender and a little imagination.

Choosing What to Put in Your Protein Shakes Not only do you want to create the best tasting shakes but you should also aim to make the most effective protein shakes for your dieting requirements. There’s no point throwing full fat ice cream, chocolate sauce, peanut butter and full cream milk all together to create a wonderful tasting fat gaining shake.

Think about ingredients that will boost your shake's protein content.

For example, you could throw a handful of nuts into the blender for a little extra protein without making the shake much thicker. You could add a few raw egg whites (if you are worried about eating raw eggs you may be able to find treated egg whites in cartons at your supermarket). You could always simply dump an extra scoop of whey powder in there as well.

Make sure you have enough liquids. If you get a little too carried away you may discover your shake is easier to eat with a spoon then drink from a glass. When you first start creating your shakes it is a good idea to add your liquids (water, fat-free milk, fruit juices, etc.) in stages so that you get your desired consistency.

Here are some tips when choosing your ingredients:

Examine the nutritional information for each ingredient and consider the impact it will have on your dieting goals. For example, you may be opting for fat free (skimmed) milk if you aren't trying to gain weight.

Try to keep as many of your ingredients as natural as possible. A good example of this is using natural peanut butter instead of regular peanut butter. The natural version has better protein content and also natural fats that are important in your diet.

Always know what your goal is and make your shakes accordingly. If you are trying to shed the fat you will be skipping the types of ingredients that add too many carbohydrates and fats while trying to increase the protein content.

Fresh fruit should be used whenever possible. Fruit contains the carbohydrates that will fuel your workouts and your day.

The complex sugars in fruit are important to any diet (unlike the simple sugars in sweets, sodas, etc).

Think of how you might create a unique flavor. You can try things like cinnamon, vanilla, honey, coconut milk, etc. Once you get the hang of this you will see the possibilities are endless.

Three Quick Steps 1 Always add your main liquid source first so that everything else you add afterwards is easily blended.

2 add your protein powder and give your blender a quick “burst”.

3 Add the rest of your ingredients and blend until you get the right consistency. At this point you may want to add a little more liquids to tweak your shake’s thickness. Throw in five or six ice cubes to make your shake more refreshing.