July 2006 Archives

Have you ever been ambushed by the sheer synchronicity of something playing on the radio that is an exact reflection of your thoughts and feelings at the time? Well, I have, and if you are as addicted to the car radio as I am, the same must have happened to you to, on several occasions. Songs often seem to be saying the things we want to say, and much better too.

Its not just the words and content of songs that have the power to soothe and reassure, or inspire and energize. We can be lifted by the mere snatch of a tune heard as we pass a street or shop – provided the tune resonates with deeper memories we have stored in us. Music is more closely linked to mood and feeling than perhaps any other direct sensory input, and the surprising thing is that it does not have to be ‘politically correct’ music like classical piano, or any of the zillion CDs that are sold as aids to meditation. Just listening to something we like seems to be the key to benefiting most from music.

In fact, valuable strategies to make music work for you, and how music relieves stress are available today, bringing us more insight into what we already know. Even patients whose brains have been impaired by accidents or illness have shown a revival of brain activity when a favorite tune has been played to them. Effects of music on memory were studied in a special experiment and the findings became popular as 'The Mozart Effect' because compositions by Mozart seemed to be improving students’ academic performance. While the ‘Mozart Effect’ has not been significantly reproduced, it is clear that music remains a very important element in our efforts to restore and revitalize the brain and repair the effects of stress.

In recent times, the breathing techniques of Himalayan rishis, or holy men, have been introduced to the contemporary world, through the efforts of the Art of Living Foundation. The years they spent cultivating their breath, and the complete mastery they obtained over it, is supposed to be the main reason behind the awesome prowess of these masters. From the 1960s, such Himalayan holy men were very much part of the allure of India for spiritual seekers from the West.

Sri Sri Ravishankar, the spiritual head of the Art of Living Foundation, has brought the focus of the world back to breathing through the Sudarshan Kriya, a core component of the Art of Living course that is a form of rhythmic breathing that rids the body of toxins and enables mind-body-heart balance.

If the Art of Living evidence is taken into account, then breathing is as much a part of our spiritual growth as it is of our physical well-being.

'Breathe...breathe in the air' sang Roger Waters breathily in the 1970s hit song from the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon. Breathing in the fresh air, or just breathing any way we want it, is a bigger symbol of freedom than perhaps anything we do. Breath, after all, signifies living itself in a way few other things we do can. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are all breathing and sharing the earth's atmosphere.

And yet, many experts remind us that we may be breathing all wrong. Yoga practitioners have long held that most of us engage in shallow breathing that does not ensure an adequate supply of life-giving oxygen to all the cells in our body. The true importance of breathing in yoga is linked to our overall energy levels. We may therefore be functioning at only a percentage of our actual capacity. Health professionals have documented the changed breathing patterns in panic attacks, or at other crisis points. By learning to breathe correctly at such times, we can actually reduce the overall impact of such emergencies on our health, they have demonstrated. Diaphragmatic breathing is taught as a remedy in such situations.

In fact, breathing correctly is sure to increase our well-being and promote health and longevity. But how many of us do find the time or inclination to consider our breathing in any serious fashion? Its a wonder we still continue to breathe unabated, in the context of some of the things we have to face everyday. And yet, breath is one of the first responses the human body shows to any powerful stimulus. Its not for nothing that, like the song by Berlin, the sight of a gorgeous woman is supposed to 'Take my breath away...' 

If breath is such a delicately balanced function, why not take the time to pay some attention to it every day? Or, if not, at least find the time and space to look deep at a beautiful landscape, and practise breathing deeply every so often.

Even so much attention to the very way we breathe air,  (as distinct from the very air we breathe) could bring some important dividends in the way we think, feel and work.

The omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) are vital nutrients essential to health. A family of polyunsaturated fatty acids, they protect against disease and can combat illnesses such as cardiovascular disease. In heart patients, omega-3 EFAs have been seen to decrease risk of arrhythmias, decrease triglyceride levels, decrease growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque and somewhat lower blood pressure.

Of three kinds, ALA, EPA and DHA, these fatty acids must be obtained from diet as they are not efficiently synthesized in the body.

Oil-rich fish and supplements such as fish oil and cod liver oil are the most readily available sources of Omega-3. While fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in EPA and DHA, since fish also carries potentially toxic mercury, other sources of these fatty acids like tofu, soybeans, walnuts and flaxseed and its oil are recommended.

Heart patients may even be advised an Omega-3 dietary supplement.

Years of staying together is supposed to make spouses and partners begin to resemble each other. What's funny is that people and pets too have their likenesses - whether this is a result of proximity, or just one of those delightful coincidences that nature favors, is anybody's guess.

Take a look at some remarkable examples of these resemblances between people and their animal companions.

Now look at your sleeping pet... and at yourself in the mirror...any signs yet?

Some more on why people may find it soothing to come home to a cat or dog, a fish tank or a hamster. An invisible thread of trans-species love stretches across the universe, and people with pets grab pieces of this from time to time. Attachment to our animal companions is not just about possession, its about feeling the spontaneous welling up inside you of love - an emotion that erases the hurt and pain of others.

Well, humans can love anything on four legs or a hundred (think centipede!) but can dogs love cats? If you go by the life of Ginny, the dog who rescued cats, they certainly can. Ginny’s owner, Philip Gonzalez, described her as an angel, and for thousands of Ginny fans across the States, she continues to be remembered as one. How or why did Ginny begin her particular vocation of saving injured or sick cats? Find out more of this incredible evidence of trans-species love  or read the book about this wonderful canine angel.

Isn’t it reassuring to find such evidence of love and compassion between supposedly sworn enemies? It makes it easier to spare a kind thought about one’s unkind boss!

The best part about my eight-year old dog of indeterminate parentage and silken coat, Philo, is her being the perfect trap for unwary burglars as she lies there, sleeping. In fact, her sleeping form, along with the similarly reposing shapes of my two cats, a ginger and white tom, and a tri-colored calico female, has been the symbol of serenity in my household for the past many years.

How can life be bad, when there is such peace, one thinks as one looks upon Philo, shiny and asleep, or upon my tomcat friend (my daughter calls him the vanilla-with-honey bunny) dreaming delicious dreams with a faint twist of his whiskers?

Such thoughts continue to be with me even after I have had to leave Philo behind as the result of a recent separation, and move into a tiny house with just the two felines for company. What goes into our individual relationships with our pets? I like to think that our connection with animal companions is an expression of an innate human need to connect with the universal life current. With our animal companions we get life’s mystery in a form different from ours, speaking a different language, but nevertheless lovable and accessible. 

In fact, cats as pets have retained much of the mystery that makes them even more desirable. For a wonderful description of how the cat made his way into our homes and hearts without losing his independence, see Rudyard Kipling's story 'The Cat That Walked By Himself' .

If you are an incurable cat-lover, like I am, go to the truly definitive site about cats and their peccadilloes.

Accustomed to our pets as stress-busters, who soothe our inflamed emotions and frayed nerves, we may also become aware of another strange fact. The emotions and orientation of pet-owners has something to do with the temperaments of pets. A friend of mine has never had dogs that are friendly or calm. Over more than fifteen years, I have seen her have a succession of pooches, of different breeds, that all have the habit of barking at you and trying to bite your ankles from behind as you are leaving her home! The pet-owner has her own share of disturbed relationships, and is particularly prone to jealousy and envy in all her dealings with people.

Like many other elements in our environment, our pets finally reflect ourselves.

Should I or shouldn’t I? You’ve often debated the subject of enzyme, mineral and/or vitamin supplementation with friends and your family doctor.

The Connecticut Center for Health carries an interesting article on why you should opt for supplements. The article mentions that after more than 50 years, leading medical journals now recommend all adults take multivitamins. Both the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association have concluded that:

Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone.

Inadequate intake of several vitamins has been linked to chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.

Suboptimal folic acid levels, along with suboptimal levels of vitamins B6 and B12, are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteoporosis and bone fracture; and low levels of the antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E and C) may increase risk for several chronic diseases.

It appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements.

Read the 22 reasons pro supplements mentioned on the site or refer 1stHolistic.com for yet another 24 reasons to reach for supplements.

Research increasingly indicates that complementing your daily nutrition with supplements reduces your risk of many chronic diseases, besides which it improves the quality and duration of your life.

Getmotivation.com has a page dedicated to leading motivational and leadership speaker Robin Sharma. In response to a question on what advice he (Robin Sharma) would give people wanting to lead a more inspired life, Robin says:

There are four “jewels” to a great life that need to be applied every day: First, get up early. Second, meditate and visualize. Third, read inspirational books for 30 minutes. Fourth, exercise. These four life rituals will transform the way you live and lead you to everything else you need to know, have and be. Trust me on this one.

Best known for his best-selling book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, Robin has many secrets for success up his sleeve. Robin’s own site lists his many audio, video and other resources for people needing a little boost to get where they want in life.

Read these quotes by Robin Sharma until you get a chance to browse through his writing:

The smallest of actions is always better than the noblest of intentions.

The place where your greatest fears live is also the place where your greatest growth lies.

Awareness precedes choice which precedes results.

Voltaire said, “The art of medicine consists of keeping the patient amused while nature heals the disease.”

Today medical science is discovering that laughter truly is a means to stay healthy.

Helpguide.org has the following snippets:

“When we laugh, natural killer cells which destroy tumors and viruses increase, along with Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells (important for our immune system) and B-cells (which make disease-fighting antibodies). As well as lowering blood pressure, laughter increases oxygen in the blood, which also encourages healing.” 

“Science of Laughter” Discovery Health Website

“Without humor one’s thought processes are likely to become stuck and narrowly focused leading to increased distress.” 

Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor

“Laughter is very powerful medicine. It can lower stress, dissolve anger and unite families in their resolve to overcome troubled times.” 

University of Nebraska

“Nothing is good or bad. It is thinking that makes it so.”

Shakespeare

“By the time a child reaches nursery school, he or she will laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh an average of 17 times a day.” 

“Science of Laughter” Discovery Health

So, do you feel like a laugh? Visit Aha! Jokes

“Yoga is about centering yourself, turning inward,” says Charlotte Sather, a Bellingham-based yoga instructor who has been practicing yoga since she was 16. “When you're surrounded by people half your size or smaller, it's pretty hard to focus inward.” Sather decided the rounder among us needed a yoga class.

And thus was born a yoga class for plus-sized persons. Michelle Theriault focused on this class in The Bellingham Herald. Apparently, such classes are now available in Seattle, San Diego and Bellingham. The classes are especially structured for those who aspire to experience the health benefits of yoga yet feel intimated by the presence of other students boasting of well-toned bodies. Sather’s classes focus on yoga poses that are aimed at weight control. She also modifies some poses to make yoga easier for heavier-set people.

Picture courtesy: Flickr.com

Read some quotes of a modern day guru, Deepak Chopra,

On happiness:

“Happiness is a continuation of happenings which are not resisted.”

“It is the nature of babies to be in bliss.”

On health:

“We are not victims of aging, sickness and death. These are part of scenery, not the seer, who is immune to any form of change. This seer is the spirit, the expression of eternal being.”

“The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.”

On aging:

“The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.”

“You can free yourself from aging by reinterpreting your body and by grasping the link between belief and biology.”

For more, visit his site at Chopra.com

Lingchi is a basidiomycete, lamellaless fungus belonging to the family of polyporaceae. It is also known as Lingzhi (in Traditional Chinese Medicine), Reishi, Mannentake and Ganoderma Lucidum. It is commonly referred to as “God's Herb” or “King of Herbs”. In fact, Lingzhi translates to “herb of spiritual potency” in Chinese.

Lingchi is found in densely wooded mountains of high humidity and dim lighting. A large woody mushroom, it flourishes on the dried trunks or logs or stumps of decaying plum, guercus serrata or pasonia trees. It is said that out of 10,000 such dead woody sources, only 2 or 3 may be found to have lingchi growth. No wonder it is so scarce!

Fortunately, lingchi is now being cultivated commercially under special conditions making it easily available in the market.

Lingchi is systematically applied in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its place both as a medicine and as a dietary supplement is well-documented in Chinese pharmacopoeia since over 2000 years. The oldest Chinese medicinal text, known in Japan as Shinnoh Honsohkyo, accepted as a master text of Oriental medical science, classifies around 365 medicines into 3 categories: superior medicines, average medicines and fair medicines.

The superior category of medicines prescribed to prolong youthfulness, are referred to as “God's Herbs”. These medicines may be prescribed for long periods of time as their ingestion causes no side-effects. Lingchi is rated the most potent medicine in this category, say the numero uno medicine.

As an elixir of life, lingchi is known to increase vigor and vitality, largely achieving this through improved blood circulation by eliminating thrombi (blood clots or clumps that result from coagulation of blood) in the blood streams. Lingchi is effective against a wide range of diseases that arise from high serum cholesterol level compounded by a lack of blood circulation such as cholesterosis, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, fatty liver, hemorrhoid, tooth-infections, obesity, stroke, cerebravascular accident, coronary insufficiency, myocardial infarction and phlebitis, basically problems that arise directly from arterial blockage.

The intake of lingchi has no associated side-effects hence it is considered a highly effective preventative dietary supplement.

As an antitumour agent, scientists are researching the high concentration of polysaccharides found in high quality red lingchi specimens. Of the currently available anti-cancer agents, many are derivatives of natural substances, for instance paclitaxel (Taxol), and camptothecin (Hycamtin). In the case of lingchi, it is the presence of polysaccharides that links it to cancer remission, and why it is being increasingly prescribed as an aid to patients recovering from cancer.

The high concentration of polysaccharides also helps normalize blood-sugar levels and strengthen the immune system. Lingchi is also found to be effective in the treatment of problems related to allergic reactions such as typical dermatitis, bronchitis asthma, allergy rhinitis and chronic hepatitis.

Note: If you take regular medication for any medical condition, it is advisable to consult a doctor before starting on lingchi.

If you sometimes get bored doing a simple workout or jogging, this one’s for you. The Masala Bhangra Workout is based on the Indian Punjabi dance – the bhangra. Masala, meaning spice, just indicates what the workout is – a spiced up version of the bhangra!

Sarina Jain, the founder of Masala Dance & Fitness, Inc. is a fitness personality and choreographer. According to her, the concept behind the Masala Bhangra Workout is to introduce a traditional Indian folk dance into the fitness industry – a fitness workout for all age groups which is a great calorie/fat burning, muscle building exercise format.

A session includes warm up, teaching of moves, Masala Bhangra jam and cool down, all performed to the beat of drums (dhol). The dancer burns approximately 500 calories during one session. Whew! So if you aim to shed weight, head straight for a Masala Bhangra workout!

To order a Masala Bhangra Workout DVD or videotapes, call 1-877-4-MASALA or log onto Amazon.com

Longevity implies a long life (extended lifespan). As a science, it looks into ways to increase the expected life of humans with equal emphasis on health. The science of longevity stems from conservative genetic aging theories propounding that aging is pre-programmed into human genes, with certain genes accurately determining when the aging process should be switched on. The science also draws on the belief that exposure to environmental toxins and other factors damage cells with the adverse effect intensifying as a person ages.

The science of longevity is closely related with its clinical branch, anti-aging medicine. Anti-aging physicians increasingly believe that both the visual natural manifestations of aging and diseases typically associated with age may be prevented, or delayed by promoting optimal cellular health and positive behavior patterns. No wonder an entire range of mineral and vitamin supplements, herbal products and physical fitness therapies are in vogue.

Based on the results of early studies in longevity, scientists are now reversing their belief that aging is an absolute process that cannot be influenced. Longevity research is aimed at understanding the biology of aging in order to promote longevity.

Longevity research has multiple facets, primarily focused on the prevention of age-related diseases and also dwelling on the effect of psychosocial factors and behavior patterns (such as psychosocial adjustment, alcohol consumption, diet, smoking, obesity, physical activity, marriage and education) on health and consequently, longevity.

Research in the prevention of disease implies measuring the levels of antibodies, enzymes, hormones and proteins in the body as it ages and linking the changes in these levels both with the aging process per se and the occurrence of specific diseases. The adverse effects on health of medications traditionally prescribed to the elderly are also studied.

An article by Guarente L. and Kenyon C. in Nature (issue 2000, vol.408, 255-262, p.261) titled Genetic pathways that regulate ageing in model organisms, reveals the aim of ageing research, “The field of ageing research has been completely transformed in the past decade. … When single genes are changed, animals that should be old stay young. In humans, these mutants would be analogous to a ninety year old who looks and feels forty-five. On this basis we begin to think of ageing as a disease that can be cured, or at least postponed. … The field of ageing is beginning to explode, because so many are so excited about the prospect of searching for - and finding - the causes of ageing, and maybe even the fountain of youth itself.”

The J. David Gladstone Institutes established in 1979 has three carefully structured disease-focused research programs. The Institute offers promise to all whose lives have been directly or indirectly affected by cardiovascular disease (heart disease), neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimers) and immunological breakdown (AIDS).

Deepak Srivastava MD was appointed director of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in May 2005. His work has benefited from California's vote to allow stem cell research. As a committed pediatric cardiologist and developmental biologist, Dr Srivastava sees immense possibilities in stem cell therapy. His team primarily focuses on two areas – cardiac developmental and stem cell biology and cardiovascular genetics.

Stem cell biology in cardiac development suggests the use of knowledge of stem cells to medically intervene in pediatric patients where cardiac cells do not develop naturally, thus causing pediatric heart malformations often resulting in death. Dr Srivastava’s current research looks into finding the markers to identify stem cells that have the potential to develop into heart cells and determining what cellular cues actually coax cells into transforming into cardiac cells. In essence, this is the process of cardiogenesis or formation of the heart. His research team is also looking into developing appropriate delivery mechanisms to place the steam cells in a pediatric patient and ensuring sufficient immune tolerance so that the cells are not rejected.

One early finding, published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, spearheaded by Dr Srivastava was his laboratory’s discovery of tiny RNAs called microRNAs that control whether cardiac progenitor cells continue to divide or turn into muscle cells.

Dr Deepak Srivastava’s – director of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease – team’s foray into cardiovascular genetics is aimed at discovering what gene mutations, single or multiple, evident or subtle, cause human cardiac disease. This research relies heavily on the array of tools for genomic analysis made available by the Human Genome Project. They also aim to be able to identify people at risk for such cardiac diseases. As an example, Dr Srivastava’s team has discovered mutations in a critical developmental gene that cause calcification of heart valves in rare families.

In another exciting discovery published in the journal Nature (November 2004 issue), Dr Srivastava and his colleagues discovered that thymosin ß4 (Tß4), a naturally occurring protein that is active in the developing heart, considerably enhances cardiac repair in mice if administered immediately after a coronary artery is obstructed. Apparently, Tß4 activates a protein Akt, which in turn renders heart muscles resistant to damage from oxygen deprivation. Bearing in mind the huge number of people worldwide who suffer from coronary artery disease, estimated at 13 million in USA alone, this finding holds an immense clinical significance. The fact that Tß4 prevents cardiac cell death by inducing them to a state of hibernation holds much promise for the further development of cardiac therapy.

Did you know that hypertension is the most common reason for which an adult American seeks health care? As more Americans suffer from the ill-effects of obesity, the incidence of hypertension is also increasing. At present, one of every three Americans has hypertension, but sadly, 30 percent of them are not aware of their disease. No wonder hypertension is called a silent killer, as by the time a person wakes up to his/her disease, the illness has already adversely affected their health. Hypertension is the single most important risk factor for stroke, the most common risk factor for heart disease and a leading cause of kidney disease.

In 1983, Dr. Stephen Turner, along with other Mayo Clinic investigators launched a multidisciplinary research collaboration between the University of Michigan and Mayo Clinic, called the Rochester Family Heart Study, which continues to this day.

Dr. Turner dedicated his career to understanding the genetic basis of essential hypertension (high blood pressure with no identifiable cause). Apparently, he is now an internationally recognized expert in a field that includes nephrologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, radiologists, geneticists and epidemiologists.

If your parents had or have hypertension, you would do well to read up on this research and its findings, well-presented on Discovery’s Edge, Mayo Clinic’s Online Research Magazine.

Recent research at Harvard Medical School reported in the March 16, 2006 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine indicates that a kind of natural "killer" cells cause asthma. The related article indicates that an estimated 17 million-20 million people in the United States suffer from asthma, and cases of it have been increasing since the early 1980s, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Every day, in this country, 30,000 people suffer an asthma attack, and 14 people die from the disease.

Scientists so far knew that asthma occurs when the body’s immune-system cells identify harmless inhaled particles such as dust or pollen as external irritants (enemy) and as a result, work to constrict airways causing typical asthma symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing or coughing. Scientists believed that T helper cells were responsible for this adverse reaction.

However, a research team at Harvard has now found that most of the trouble-raising cells in the lungs of asthmatics aren’t helper cells but a little-known group of natural killer cells. In general, killer cells enjoy the reputation of destroying disease-causing invaders, but this special group wages war on otherwise normal lungs.

The finding means that physicians may not be treating asthma sufferers with the right kinds of drugs. For example, natural killer T cells seem to be resistant to the corticosteroids in widely used inhalers.

It is interesting to note that for many, the closest they come to bliss is during sexual experiences. In fact, many believe that romantic and thence sexual exchanges are the way to experience bliss.

Is this true? Is sexual release a manifestation of true bliss?

Not really. A sexual experience is typically an experience involving two persons seeking fulfillment from each other. This implies that you get into the act, so to speak, looking for an experience of union. Hence, you associate whatever high you feel during the union with bliss.

However, imagine a bliss born in your own mind, of its own inherent power.

You could bring it on (shall we say) whenever you desire and hold onto it for as long as you want. Sounds better than sex?

That, in truth, is true bliss.

Picture courtesy: www.flickr.com

Since as far as we can recollect, man and woman have been considered two sides of one coin. It is believed that each has its own characteristics and when the two are put together, a union perfect in nature is created.

In the The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm said that the basis of our need to love lies in the experience of separateness and the resulting need to overcome the anxiety of separateness by the experience of union.

Does this mean that we can never feel complete in ourselves? What about those who choose to remain celibate and abstain from sex?

It may be said that such persons seek wholeness or the absence of fragmentation within.

Is this achievable?

In the words of David Bohm, “Men have been aware from time immemorial of this state of apparently autonomously existent fragmentation and have often projected myths of a yet earlier ‘golden age’ before the split between man and nature and between man and man had yet taken place. Indeed, man has always been seeking wholeness – mental, physical, social, individual.”

Picture courtesy www.flickr.com

Albert Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” An astute observation indeed. In order to estimate the power of imagery, you need only recall the last time you saw a horror movie and broke out in goose bumps, or remember the last time you waited in anticipation to eat your favorite food and felt yourself salivating at the thought of the tasty meal.

Both these are instances of the body reacting to a mental picture or your imagination. For the sake of defining this facet of imagination, perceive it to a sequence of thoughts that are practically and directly linked to your sense organs, or faculties of hearing, touch (feeling), taste, sight and smell. 

Imagery’s relation to health is direct in that it affects your physiology by allowing you to access your body’s chemical processes. A true yet easy to establish mind-body connection. Positive imagery implies using positive thoughts (affirmations) that focus positive healing energy on your body’s cells.

As a medium for health, positive imagery that follows positive thinking falls under a branch of medicine that is referred to as psychoneuroimmunology, using the mind to influence the body’s well-being.

In the words of Dr. Martin Rossman, co-founder of the Academy for Guided Imagery, “The imagination is probably a person's least utilized health resource.”

Even though it is a resource that is freely available and extremely cost-effective. So why are positive affirmations and imagery so rarely used?

Perhaps the reason for this is a lack of awareness of the mind-body connection, as well as a poorly developed mind eye, the eye that is the key to unleash the power of imagination. How well do you envision yourself and your future through the eye of your mind?

Just as a task that has been visualized through to its every logical step, becomes easier to implement, so to a body that is constantly and clearly visualized as healthy is one step closer to actual health. The keys are constant and positive visualization or imagination. Health needs to be worked at, albeit easily by affirming a state of wellness. Allow your mind to work on your body as a canvas by projecting a healthy you.

Picture courtesy: www.flickr.com

It is now well known that an individual’s belief systems play a pivotal role in his or her relations with the external world that is, culture, economics, religion, society etc. So too, your belief sets have a profound impact on your inner world, which encompasses your mind, which in turn has a bearing on your body that practically manifests as health or illness. A small yet significant, style-related component of your belief set that affects your judgment and projection power is whether you veer towards being an optimist or pessimist?

It is safe to state that positivity in various degrees is the core of an optimistic belief set. When juxtaposed with health, this aspect is paramount because it has the potential to influence, positively or negatively your state of well-being.

Find this hard to believe? Think of the scientific reasoning for the positive effects of a placebo on health. A placebo is a medicine that is ingested or treatment applied that offers no benefit per se, other than allowing the recipient to believe that he or she has received medical assistance and will therefore heal.

There lies the crux. Healing is a positive process. A placebo sets in motion a positive mental response that in turn, serves as catalyst to initiate the patient’s self healing process. It’s all in the mind, as they say.

The mind has the capacity to stimulate the body’s immune system. However, as it would be beneficial not to have to resort to placebos, your mind needs to be able to project affirmative statements on a continuous basis to your body, irrespective of whether you are healing a sick body or maintaining a healthy body.

Picture courtesy: www.flickr.com

Harmony Guru wishes all of you a happy Independence Day!

The damaging effect of a negative approach to life, or call it negative thinking, as opposed to positive thinking, lies in the fact that such thought processes become a regular pattern or a habit, and that thoughts arising in your mind have the power to permeate all the cells of your body to propagate your negativity to develop matching biochemical changes. How does this happen?

This answer lies in mind-body medicine. Dr. Candace Pert's many published articles and book Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine, explain that in all functional disorders, or psychosomatic illnesses, that is, diseases or conditions (aches/pains) that you have brought on yourself or aggravated by your negative thinking, it is a certain set of bio-chemicals called neuropeptides, that carry your emotions to receptors located on cells throughout your body.

Besides this, neuropeptides also administer the functioning of all the seemingly automatic functions our body performs, breathing, digesting etc. So all negativity arising in our thinking system or our mind soon enough becomes known to and affects all our body cells.

In Dr. Pert’s words, these neuropeptides are the “biochemical correlates of emotion.” And the system of messenger molecules and receptors represents a “psychosomatic communication network” that is the physiological link between the mind, the emotions and the body.

Sadly, even in this age of information overload, mind-body medicine is still largely a vague term, not understood or perhaps, not believed by the masses. The result is an increasing trend towards psychosomatic illnesses, so much so that it is reported about 70% of all illnesses are psychosomatic, or caused by mental stress.

In an article titled Positive Thinking for Your Health, Michael Nudel and Eva Nudel, Ph.D, claim that “psychosomatic illnesses can worsen when given special attention. Instead of paying direct attention to pain or illness, every time a negative thought occurs, say something like, ‘It will be better than I think.’” 

Got the message? Think positive.