Slow Down, Relax and Breathe

We live in a society that is always on the go. Whether we are jumping out of bed to commute to work, going to pick up the kids at school, running to the grocery store or stopping off for a late dinner, we go...go...go from the time we wake up in the morning until we fall back into bed each night.

Just living in this society can cause a bit of stress because the more we go, the more likely we are to feel tension, worry, irritability, frustration or even hopelessness. The sympathetic nervous system, often called the fight-or-flight response, is almost continually activated because when we get caught up in the go...go...go that continual activity can lead to things like poor concentration, fatigue, poor sleep, restlessness, as well as physical and emotional tension. According to Cathy Wong, N.D., the combination of chronic stress, poor sleep, poor diet and long hours can deplete the body and lead to a condition known as “adrenal fatigue.”

Well, I live in this world and deal with these issues so I turned to the experts and asked, “what can people do to slow down and regroup, even if it is just for a minute or two?” The answers I got were as varied as the experts I turned to, but they were all good and I definitely think a few are worth sharing here -

Relaxation breathing is something anyone can do anywhere – it takes virtually minutes to do and calms you down immediately. Breathe in through your nose, hold that breath and count to five as you concentrate on the position of your shoulders and hands. Now, let the air out through your mouth in one breath. Do this a minimum of three times. Don't hyperventilate, do it slowly and you will notice immediate results.
-Dr. Patricia A. Farrell www.drfarrell.net

1. Focus on taking “diaphragmatic breaths.” Let your abdomen expand with each breath in and notice the sensation of the air in your nostrils, lungs and abdomen.
2. You will note a variety of thoughts. Do not resist the thoughts; just gently let them go. As you let the go, focus back on the breath.
3. Do not resist the physical sensations you may notice. Relax one body part at a time working either up from your feet or from your head down.
4. You can either continue to focus on your breath, or if you prefer, focus on a repetitive phrase like “one,” “peace” or “calm.”
-Dr. Jay Winner www.stressremedy.com

Get moving - Simply standing up and moving will bring more oxygen to your brain and help you think more clearly. Put your work on hold and go for a brisk walk. Chances are good that simply getting away from your desk and taking your focus off your work or your problem will generate a creative idea or two.
- Lynn A. Robinson, M.Ed. www.LynnRobinson.com

Laugh! People will wonder what you're up to. How long has it been since you've had a rolling-on-the-ground laugh? A true belly laugh, that that rises up uncontrollably when you're completely tickled? Too long? Laughter is good for your soul, your mood and (as some studies have shown) your immunity. People who laugh a lot have a more robust immune system than those who don't. So look for funny things around you and take the opportunity to laugh!
- Laura Stack, www.theproductivitypro.com

It's the little things sometimes, that moment in traffic, at your desk, in the school-drop off lane – wherever you are, take a moment, relax and breathe, your day may just go a little bit easier, a little bit slower and clearer - most importantly, you may just enjoy it all a little bit more.

Coughs, Colds and Proteolytic Whats?

Ahhh January – the holidays are behind us and cold and flu season is right on schedule. Coughs, fevers, sore throats and the dreaded cold are making their post-holiday rounds spreading moans, groans and sick days. Vitamin C, chicken soup, throat lozenges and aspirin are always wise choices, and even boosting the immune system with Echinacea, Oregano and Elderberry supplements can take the edge off.

But did you know there is a little something you can do for yourself each and every day that will not only boost your immune system but also greatly improve your overall health? Something that can send a cold or flu bug packing before you even get sick? In a word...or make that two words...think proteolytic enzymes.

When we are living and eating from the modern diet – things like white flour, white rice, pasteurized milk, processed cheese, chemically preserved foods, soda pop, candy, TV dinners – well you get the idea, when everything we eat has been cooked and processed, we force our body to divert its production of enzymes away from the proteolytic enzymes designed to govern our metabolic functions into enzymes designed to break down dead protein in our diets.

According to Jon Barron, director of the Baseline of Health Foundation, supplementing with digestive enzymes at mealtime can ease that burden on the body so that it no longer has to divert it's resources. Supplementing with proteolytic enzymes between meals means that the enzymes can go straight into the bloodstream and augment the proteolytic functions that are occurring in your body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

So what does this mean for your immune system? How can a proteolytic enzyme actually make a difference as to whether or not the cold your kids bring home from school will affect you? Simple. Barron writes that the primary vehicle the immune system uses for destroying invaders is enzymes. Macrophages for example literally digest invaders with proteolytic enzymes and supplementation significantly improves the ability of your immune system to do its job. Not only that, bacteria, molds, viruses and fungi are protein/amino acid based and proteolytic enzymes taken between meals literally go into the bloodstream and digest these invaders before they take hold.

Proteolytic enzymes are available in any and all health food stores. Barron recommends that whatever brand you choose needs to have a lot of protease – at least 200,000 HUT, 300,000 if you can find it. Make sure that your enzyme not only has protease, but a variety of types – allowing it to work optimally in a variety of pH ranges.

Here's to a cough and cold free season!

Eating Well in the Modern World

For me eating clean, organic foods is not arrogance, not a statement of “look how PC I am”, or “look how well I eat”. It is not arrogance, unless you enjoy paying seven dollars for a pound of chicken - to me that is not fun at all. It's just plain stupidity. In all truth, eating organic is a pain in the ass. I get so tired of having to filter through all the labels, misleading advertisements, advertorials, and food industry hype coming from both camps. I just wish that it was harder for the people who don't care about their health instead of the other way around. Healthy food should be the norm, not the exception, and it says a lot about our culture that it has gone this far backwards.

Yeah, I really relish going all over town burning $3.00 a gallon gas just to find the spelt bread I like. Oh, and then there's the fact that it's $5.00 a loaf. I really like that too. Wait, then it's over there to another health food store to find the organic cilantro, if they have it, and it's not rotten. And then hit the local big grocer on the way home to get the few things they carry that I can eat, (or they were out of at the health food store) because it's a little cheaper. Oh, and now throw in the Wal-Mart factor. They are starting to carry a lot of good, really cheap organic foods, so I stop there even though it raises my guilt - as well as my stress level - but hell it's $4.99 a bottle for organic olive oil, and it tastes better than the $12.99 bottle from the health food store so what's a budget conscious guy like me supposed to do?

I can't even enjoy a simple, occasional meal out any more, because every time I do I feel like crap for days while my body cleans out all the MSG and other toxins contained in almost all aspects of the food supply. Eating well isn't something I can necessarily afford to do, but it is something I know that I cannot afford not to do. The alternative is to be slowly and knowingly poisoned. Which the dude cannot abide. So at the end of the day, I pray. I pray for a day when healthy food is the norm and not the exception. When people who want to eat unhealthy food have to struggle to find bad-for-you-food like I have to search for the good, clean food. A day when consumer watchdog agencies protect the consumer, and not the corporations.

No sir, eating well in today's world is not fun, not fun at all. And navigating the modern food climate can be a nightmare if you don't have a road map. That is the very reason for this blog. To shorten the learning curve and make it easier for people to eat better, and be healthier, without spending a fortune, or the rest of our lives doing it. So I'll shut up now and go back to my eggs, cheese, and apples. See ya -

Ho, Ho, Hum...

Tis the Season for happiness, togetherness, giving, receiving. Well you get the hint, “great tidings of comfort and joy.” But what if happiness isn't the prevailing theme? What if loneliness, sadness, and even depression are what you are feeling?

Not only is that not good for your mental health, it is also harmful to your physical well being. In Lessons From The Miracle Doctors by Jon Barron, he points out that depression can by as hard on your physical body as stress, which we all know can be a killer. “Your body is a product of your thoughts. The cells of your body have receptor sites for the various neuro-hormones you produce. Your immune cells, to use just one example, have receptor sites for each of those hormones. When you are happy, you produce a set of neuro-hormones that are picked up by the cells of your immune system. These particular neuro-hormones tell your immune system to jack up – which it does. In other words, happy thoughts improve your health. However, when you are depressed, the opposite happens. The neuro-hormones your body produces literally shut down your immune system. In effect, negative thoughts can actually kill you.”

Spend this day focusing on happy. Look around you and be grateful for the things you do have, give no energy to those things you don't. If you are alone, go to a soup kitchen and volunteer, if you are sad write a list of five things that make you happy. Go to the video store, read a good book, be grateful for the moment. If you spend enough time and energy focusing on what you are grateful for, the things that bring you down will lose their strength. Spend this day in gratitude, your body will thank you for it.