St Johns Wort and Depression
May 6, 2008
The bright yellow flower of the St Johns Wort (hypericum perforatum) with it’s ray-like petals, represents the power of the sun that forces away the darkness. This already points to the anti-depressant effects of the St Johns Wort which are highly respected, even in conventional medicine.
St. John’s Wort, a perennial plant, has been used for hundreds of years to treat depression, unrest and anxiety disorders as well as nerve pain. For a long time, doctors and herbalists alike have known about its use as a sedative, but also as treatment for wounds, burns, insect bites, stomach ulcers and more. It is still used widely today and it’s effectiveness has been proven to a point where some insurance companies are now covering the treatment.
It is not a powerful drug — when used to treat depression — in the sense of bringing a quick recovery, but shows excellent long term results in many patients. The herb assists body and soul in the healing process and helps to build a solid foundation for a complete recovery.
Waist To Hip Ratio
May 5, 2008
Your health is affected not only by how much body fat you have, but also by where most of the fat is located on your body. Waist to hip ratio (WHR) analyzes the relationship between your waist and hip measurements to help you understand your body-type and current health status. Most people store their body fat in two distinct ways, often called “apple” and “pear” shapes.
These terms refer to where you carry excess body fat ? around your middle (apple) or around your hips and buttocks (pear). Carrying excess body fat around your middle increases health risks significantly more than carrying fat around your hips, thighs and other areas of your body.
To determine if you have a healthy WHR, first use a measuring tape to obtain the circumference of your waist, just above your belly button. Then measure the circumference of your hips at the widest part of your buttocks.
Five Steps To Success In Everything You Do
May 4, 2008
Five Steps To Success In Everything You Do
by: Ineke Van Lint
If you follow these 5 steps, no doubt you will get everything you want!
1. What you need first is to have a strong desire. A desire like a fire! Not like a little flame you have to stir to get some heat going. No, you need a strong desire, you must really want to have what you long for! If you want something badly, but you didn’t get it until now, it is your desire was not strong enough! You must really feel the desire to have it in your bones, in your flesh, in your heart. The desire is the starting point, because without passion nothing can happen.
Increase Your Training Intensity - Negative Repetitions
May 4, 2008
You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate progressively stronger muscular contractions, so this calls for an emphasis on finding ways to increase exercise intensity. This should not be confused with exercise duration as maximum training intensity will actually shorten the time needed to achieve maximal muscular growth.
In an earlier article I outlined the ways in which you can intensify your training. Here we’ll focus on the role that negative repetitions have to play in intensifying the training effect.
At the most basic level, human muscles have three types of strength:
1. Positive strength - the ability to raise a weight.
2. Static strength - the ability to hold a weight.
3. Negative strength - the ability to lower a weight.
Many bodybuilders concentrate primarily on their muscles’ positive and static strength but equal focus should be given to negative strength, or lowering the weight, if true muscle failure is to be achieved. You can emphasize this aspect of training by completing a set of negative reps after reaching positive failure.
Vitamin Information for Health
May 3, 2008
Vitamin C may be the most famous vitamin. Tens of thousands of British sailors were dying of the disease scurvy until they began taking limes and other citrus fruit along on voyages. The vitamin C in the citrus prevented the disease. Vitamin C also works as an anti-oxidant and supports the synthesis of collagen, which helps keep the skin healthy and youthful. A good way to get some daily vitamin C is to drink a glass of orange juice with breakfast.
Vitamin D is famous for saving children from the bone disease called rickets. This vitamin was so important to health it was added to milk. All milk products are now enriched with Vitamin D and the disease of rickets has been eradicated. This vitamin is important to maintain strong bones and joints.
Vitamin B became well known when it was discovered to stop the disease beriberi. Vitamin B actually includes a complex of the vitamins thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), cyanocobalamin (B12) pantothetic acid, choline and biotin. B vitamins help the body to breakdown carbohydrates. Choline is thought to help with fat metabolism. Vegetarians may not get enough of the B vitamins since they don’t eat meat, and may want to take a multi-vitamin supplement.
African American Spiritual Health and Healing
May 2, 2008
African-American people are natural caretakers. We do a great job of assisting and loving those around us. However, many of us fall short when it comes to taking good care of ourselves. We expend our energies giving to our kids, our jobs, our partners and others. Then, at the end of the day, we have nothing left for us. If this goes on for too long, we can begin to experience our lives as less than fulfilling.
Recently, more and more of us are becoming dedicated to the idea of putting ourselves first through radical self-care and self-love. If this sounds selfish, it’s only because we’ve been conditioned to value the needs of others over our own. But, consider for a moment that being run-down, exhausted and stressed-out lessens our ability to take care of other people. So taking good care of our selves is actually very unselfish.
Following are some great ways to care for your spirit:
Meditation is an important form of self-knowing and self-loving. It allows us to make contact with the spirit within by listening to our own truth.
Creating A Meaningful Life
May 1, 2008
Creating A Meaningful Life
by: Wendy Betterini
If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?
Sometimes we forget how fleeting life is. There are no guarantees. We might be here until we’re 100 years old, or we might check out in our twenties or thirties. We just don’t know. But most of us tend to trick ourselves into believing that we have all the time in the world. We procrastinate, hesitate and put off the things that are truly important to us.
If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, would you have any regrets? Would you feel a sense of loss for all the things you didn’t do? I’m not referring to major accomplishments like climbing a mountain. I mean the smaller, more precious moments in life. Would you regret not spending more time with your children or spouse? Would you feel disappointed that you never signed up for those dance lessons you’ve always wanted to take, or wrote the book that’s hiding in your heart?
