Revitalise Your Health

Tibetan Medicine is almost solely based on herbal remedies, and has been around for over 2,500 years. It is called “gSoba Rig-pa”. Tibetans mostly live in India because they have been in exile since the late 1950’s. They practice Tibetan Buddhism.

There is a Tibetan Medical Institute in Northern India, where doctors studying Tibetan medicine attend for 7 years before earning a degree.

The underlying belief in Tibetan medicine is that all illnesses are caused by poisonous thinking which include dread, denial, and want. This concept ties to the principles of Buddhist philosophy.

The three poisonous thoughts are believed to be caused by poor diet, inappropriate behavior, and the imbalance of time and season. This concept is more complicated than this, but this simplification will give a general sense of it.

Cures are linked to all systems of the body working together. The elimination of sweat, feces and urine contributes to this harmony.

Similar to the Chinese “Qi”, the Tibetans have the Rlung, which is the overall life force that connects us to the universe. Rlung has five types:

1.Centered in the brain. Life grasping – controls breathing, intellect, sneezing and swallowing.

2.Centered in the chest. Upward moving – controls verbal ability and stamina.

3.Centered in the heart. All pervading – controls all movement like that of the orifices of the body and walking.

4.Centered in the stomach. Fire accompanying – controls digestion and metabolism.

5.Centered in the rectum. Downward cleansing – controls everything that is expelled from the body, such as babies, menstrual blood or semen.

Tibetan medicine usually handles sickness diagnosis by analysis of the tongue and urine. The spiritual element is also at play in Tibetan medicine, with much attention spent focusing on the type and temperament of spirits in the body.

Okay, when most people think about losing weight and eating, they think about dieting.  Well, unfortunately, all of the fad diets out there tend to cause people to gain weight.  Why?  Because they starve them to death and the person eventually breaks down and eats everything in sight because they are so darn hungry.  They also deprive them of the foods that they love.  This is not a way to lose weight, nor is it a way to live. You only cause yourself stress, which actually causes you to gain weight!

So, in eating right there are a few tips that you can follow each and every day and they’re not going to deprive you of the foods that you love, but treat those foods as luxury items so you enjoy them that much more.

Tip #13: Eat fresh fruit and vegetables that have high water content.  These are foods like tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupe, kiwi, grapes – you get the idea.  All of those fresh and flavorful juicy fruits and veggies are good for you.  These items contain about 90 to 95% water, so you can eat a lot of these and they will fill you up without adding on the pounds.

Tip #14: Eat fresh fruit instead of processed fruit.  Anything that is processed as more sugar.  Processed and canned fruits also do not have as much fiber as fresh fruits.

Tip #15: Increase your fiber intake as much as you can.  This usually means eating more fruits and veggies.

Tip #16: Veggies are your friends when it comes to shedding pounds.  There are tons of options here and you may even want to try some you haven’t had in the past.  The leafy green varieties are the best and you always want to work in a salad when you can.  Salads are packed with nutrients as long as you don’t pour too much dressing on and load them with too much cheese.  The leafy greens also have a lot of natural water.

Tip #17: Be intelligent about what you eat.  Don’t eat just to eat.  Animals eat on instinct; people eat when they know their body really needs it.  Don’t be an impulse eater.

Tip #18: Watch everything you consume from the food itself to what you top it with.  Garnishments and condiments can sabotage a healthy meal because they are typically high in fat.

Tip #19: Get a handle on the sweet tooth.  This doesn’t mean you can’t have your sweets; just don’t eat them as a meal.  Always remember that these sweets end up adding to an area that you don’t want them to add to. Don’t deprive yourself either though, because then you’ll eat twice as many as you should.

Tip #20: Set meal times and stick to them.  Try to have your meals at specific times and eat them at that time.  An eating pattern will help you to control what you eat and when you eat it.  Also, it really is better to have 5 small meals a day rather than just one or two huge meals.  Just eating once a day makes your body feel as though it is starving, which packs on fat instead of using it as fuel. Also, don’t wait until your starving to eat.  This only makes you overeat until you’re stuffed.

Tip #21: Eat only when you are hungry.  Be sure to drink a glass of water first to determine if you really are hungry or if you are really thirsty.  Many people have the tendency to eat when they see food.  It doesn’t mean they are hungry; they just want to eat it.  Don’t eat anything you’re offered unless you really are hungry.  If you feel you must eat it out of being polite, just nibble, don’t have a meal.

Tip #22: Try not to snack between meals, but if you must have a snack make sure it is a healthy one.  If you travel a lot try to find healthy snacks and not junk food.
Tip #23: Veggies make great snacks.  They can get you through the hunger pangs if you are having them.  Carrots are great because they satisfy hunger and they are packed with nutrients.

Tip #24: Counting calories is a good idea for those must have food items.  If it is a packaged food item, then it will have the calories on the packaging.  Be sure to pay attention to serving sizes in terms of calories as well.  An Otis Spunkmeyer muffin is intended to be two servings, so you have to double the calories listed.  This is where food producers get tricky and you can’t fall in their trap.

Tip #25: Work off the extra calories by the end of the week.  If you feel you have splurged too much this week, be sure to get to the gym or go walking a little longer to work off those extra calories you have consumed.

Tip #26:  Stay away from all things fried.  If it is breaded, it is better that it is baked.  Fried foods are immersed in fat and oil.  Even after the excess has oil has been drained away, there is still oil absorbed into the food item itself.

Tip #27: Don’t skip meals.  You should have, at the very least, three meals a day, but preferably five small meals. This will keep you from getting hungry during the day and overeating out of starvation.

Tip #28: Just like fruits, fresh vegetables are better than those that are canned.  It is even better if you can eat your veggies raw.  When you cook them, you cook away the nutrients.  If you must cook them, try to boil them to the point that there is still some crispness to them.  Also, don’t soak them in butter.  If you can buy organic and pesticide free veggies, that is even better.

Tip #29: Don’t eat more than one egg per day.  It is best if you can reduce your egg intake to three a week.

Tip #30: Chocolates should be treated as luxury items.  Buy the good stuff and only eat them every once in awhile.  If you really savor each morsel, you’ll experience that much more joy in eating them and they will taste even better.

Tip #31: Eat foods from all of the food groups each day.  This is a great way to ensure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs and it helps to ward off any diet deficiencies.  Also, don’t eat the same foods all the time.  Experiment so that you don’t get bored with same old diet.

Tip #32: Try to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up.  This is the best way to give your body the jump start it needs.  Don’t wait until you are really hungry.  Breakfast is important, but you don’t need to stuff yourself.  The idea is that you’re breaking the fast from not easting all night.

Tip #33: Your diet should include all aspects of the food groups including carbohydrates.  In fact, your diet needs to be about 50-55% carbs.  Carbs are a great source of energy.  Those diets that prohibit carbohydrates are actually harming you and only making you crave them that much more.  Your diet should cause you to be deficient in anything.

Tip #34: Proteins should make up only 25-30% of your diet.  Far too much emphasis is put on meat as the main part of your meal.  In actuality, it should be considered more of a side dish rather than the main course.

Tip #35: Fats should make up 15-20% of your meal.  This is really all the fat your body needs.  A lot of this is going to be in your diet in the form of cream, sugar and the like.

Tip #36: Eat more white meat than red meat.  White meat includes chicken, fish and some other fowl.  Red meat includes beef and pork.

Tip #37: Try to go as vegetarian as you can.  This really is a healthier lifestyle, even if you can’t cut meat out completely.  The more fruits and veggies you can eat the better.  The more meat you cut out, the more fat you can cut out of your diet as well.  However, protein is important, so be certain that your option allows you to maintain good protein levels.

Tip #38: White bread is good, but high fiber multigrain breads are much better.  These breads are another way to add more fiber to your diet and they also have a good protein level.

Tip #39: Pork does not assist in weight loss in any way. The less pork you eat, the better off you will be when trying to lose weight.  Pork has a high fat content and includes food items such as bacon, ham and sausage.

Tip #40: Limit your sugar intake as much as possible.  If you must have sweetener in your coffee and tea, try to find an artificial sweetener that you don’t mind the taste of.  However, these things are not all that healthy either and should be limited as well.

Tip #41: Try grazing five to six times a day.  These are those small meals we discussed earlier.  Some people lose weight better when they never feel hungry and grazing on healthy food items can do this for you.  Plus, it keeps your metabolism working, which will burn fat naturally.

Tip #42: Don’t worry about cheating, but don’t cheat for a meal.  Eat sweets and your favorite cheat food for the flavor only.  If you want dessert after dinner, share one with the whole family.  You’ll get the flavor, but not the pounds.

Tip #43: Watch your fat intake.  Each fat gram is 9 calories.  If you know your total calories then you can figure the amount of fat in those items.

Tip #44: Take it easy on the salt and try to cut what you use in half.  Salt is one of the main causes of obesity.

Tagged with: healthy eating • lose weight • Natural Weight Loss

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) includes acupuncture, Qigong, herbal treatments, deep massage, and more. More than 25% of the world’s population practices TCM.

Several reputable groups, such as the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health, find traditional Chinese medicine to be a viable alternative to contemporary medicine.

Many parts of TCM began well over 3,000 years ago in China. The focus of TCM is Qi (pronounced “Chee”), which is the body’s energy that connects it to the world around us. It is believed that all disorders and bodily problems are caused by the misalignment of Qi. Acupuncture is one of the most widely recognized methods of bringing the Qi into alignment.

Herbal remedies are popular in traditional Chinese medicine. They are used to relax and calm the patient’s emotions to avoid depression, and provide a more positive outlook on the illness. This helps tremendously in the healing process. Ginseng and herbal green tea are the most popular herbal remedies in China.

Exercise, mainly Qigong (pronounce “Chee Kung”), is also an important part of traditional Chinese medicine. Qigong involves posture, meditation, and slow, calculated body movements. To learn more about Qigong, click HERE

When most people get sick, they look to conventional methods of medical treatment for relief and healing. There are alternative methods to treatment that are becoming increasingly popular.

What treatments are considered “conventional?” Prescription medication, traditional surgery, and computerized scientific testing are three examples of conventional medicine. Most physicians support conventional medicine in their practices, so when seeing a doctor, it is highly likely you will be advised to follow conventional medical advise.

The decision to use conventional medicine should be made by the patient and doctor on a case by case basis. An alteration to the type of treatment is sometimes all that is needed to feel better.

Alternative treatments include:

Herbal remedies
Massage (Click HERE to learn how to massage like a professional)
Meditation (Claim your free Deep Zen Meditation DVD by clicking HERE)
Acupuncture

Patients will often find themselves turning to alternative methods of treatment when conventional methods are ineffective or a medical problem has been deemed untreatable. Alternative treatments are designed to not only aid in pain relief, but also reduce stress and tension that can worsen chronic pain.

Alternative methods of treatment focus on the whole person; body and soul. Conventional methods strictly focus on the physical problems alone. For alternative methods to be effective, the patient must be motivated and believe in the alternative treatment’s ability to work.

Of course, any serious, life-threatening health problem should blend conventional and alternative methods for a comprehensive approach. Be sure to consult with your doctor to avoid complications. If planned well, you can take advantage of best of both types of medicine for a life that is comfortable and enjoyable.

Welcome to a new blog series which reveals 100 ways you can start to lose weight. To receive this entire series, please enter your name and email address into the form on the right. Let’s get going…

First and foremost, people don’t realize that what they drink is the first step in losing that first 10 pounds. In fact, most people don’t know that when they feel hungry, they may actually be dehydrated and they are really thirsty, not hungry. Water is remarkable as well. Over 66% of your body weight is nothing but water. This is also why water plays an important role in weight control.

Tip #1: Drink plenty of water. It is recommended that you drink 8 glasses per day, but that may take you some time to work up to. Your body needs a whole lot of water. Water doesn’t just flush all the toxins out of your body, but it makes you feel better and healthier. When you drink a lot of water you just begin to feel fit and this is the motivation you need to lose weight.

The best thing about water is you can drink as much as you want because it has no calories at all. When you’re drinking a lot of water, you eat less as well because you won’t feel as though you are starving to death. Remember, if you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water first and you’ll realize you were probably just dehydrated and not hungry at all.

The whole 8 glasses a day rule is really something you should strive for. The best way to do this and to measure your water intake is to buy a jug from the drug store or grocery store that is designed to hold exactly 8 glasses of water. These are great weight loss tools because you can fill them up, freeze them and as it melts throughout the day you have fresh and cold water. Or, if you don’t mind your water room temperature you can drink it that way as well. All that matters is that you’re getting in the water your body needs.

Tip #2: Start off your day with a fresh, clean glass of water. As soon as you get up in the morning, drink one down. This will help your body to get going because it won’t be fighting through dehydration. Also, after you drink a glass of water you won’t need to eat such a large breakfast. A glass of water wakes up all the digestive juices in your body and gets it well lubricated. You can always have your morning coffee or tea, but be sure to have a glass of water afterwards. Caffeine dehydrates you and you want to ward off dehydration.

Tip #3: Drink a glass of water before you sit down to eat. Water will naturally make you feel fuller so you don’t have to eat as much food.

Tip #4: Have a glass of water while you eat as well. Take a drink after each bite and you will feel full more quickly so you can leave the table feeling satisfied without feeling bloated. Drinking water while you eat will also help your food to settle more quickly, which also helps you to feel full faster.

Tip #5: Do your best to stay away from soda. All sodas are sweetened with lots of sugar. The more you can cut out of your diet the better. Also, diet soda is still soda. It may not have as much sugar, but it has other chemicals and components that are not good for your body either. It contains citric acid which inhibits weight loss. Remember, caffeine dehydrates you as well. Decaffeinated sodas still have caffeine in small amounts as well and just as much sugar, so they are not much healthier either.

Tip #6: Fruit juice isn’t as healthy as most people think either. Juice actually has a lot of sugar in it as well. If you are craving a glass of juice, drink fresh fruit juice instead of juice that has artificial flavors and coloring. It is even better if you can make your own fruit juice. Just be sure not to add sugar which adds to the calories. Instead of drinking fruit juice, eat more fruit. Fruit provides your body with much needed fiber as well as vitamins.

Tip #7: Go easy on the tea and coffee. They are pretty much harmless if you don’t add a lot of cream and sugar to them. It is the cream and sugar that becomes fattening. Think of it this way, when you have a cup of coffee or tea with cream and two cubes of sugar, you are essentially eating a piece of chocolate cake every time. Now think of how many pieces of cake you are eating when you have a Venti Starbucks Latte – yikes.

Tip #8: If you must have your tea and coffee, try to drink it black. Black tea or coffee actually has health benefits to it as long as you counteract the caffeine in your body with a nice big glass of water. Caffeine is also not good for you because it affects functions in your body, like your metabolism.

Another type of tea that you can drink freely is green tea. Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for over 4,000 years. It aids the digestive system and can help ease an overly full stomach and it has been linked to a reduction in cancer risk.

Tip #9: If you can say no to alcohol, then that is best. Alcohol beverages are not exactly good for you, although a glass of red wine does have heart benefits, most are just fattening. Beer is especially fattening. Cocktails are fattening depending on what they are made of. For instance, whiskey and Coke. The whiskey may not be fattening, but the Coke definitely is. Plus, after a few drinks most people get the munchies and when you’re feeling a little inebriated and hungry you won’t be able to make rational decisions regarding your diet and it’s usually late at night, just before you pass out from a night of drinking, that you overeat. The overall combination is just not a good one.

Tip #10: If you must have alcohol, try dry wine. Dry wine is better than your sweet wines, because sweet wines have more sugar! Dry wines have sugar, but most of it has been fermented away into alcohol and from a weight gaining perspective, dry is better.

Tip #11: Another word on coffee, that is not necessarily bad, but more interesting than anything. Some people have reported that when they drank black coffee before exercising, they lost more weight. There’s no scientific proof to back this, but nutritionists believe it may be caused by the body being forced to depend on fat for fuel. Hey, it’s worth trying if you can stand black coffee. Just remember to drink plenty of water during your exercise!

Tip #12: Avoid drinking excessive amounts of coffee, as it desensitizes your body to the natural fat burning effects that caffeine has. One or two cups (if the day’s really slow to get started) max.

To discover the top secret fat loss secret, click the image below.

Whether we’d like to accept this or not, we truly are what we eat. So it makes sense to put healthy foods in our body instead of junk food that will only make us look older before our time. This junk food leads to oxidative stress which is a major cause of accelerated aging. One top food that is known to reduce oxidative stress is cactus pear fruit (opuntia ficus-indica).

Scientists in Italy have proven that cactus pear reduced oxidative stress in healthy persons. They also found that cactus pear fruit helps balance a healthy oxidative state in your body while it lowers oxidative damage to lipids. This fruit will definitely improve your antioxidant status.

Eating cactus pear fruit also works to increase the vitamin E levels in your body. Scientists aren’t sure how, but researchers found that persons who took either vitamin C supplements or cactus pear fruit ended up with higher levels of vitamin E at the end of the study.

In the end, scientist concluded that cactus pear fruit will improve your oxidative stress and keep you healthier, but that taking vitamin C supplements at a same dose does not affect the body’s oxidative stress as much. So, eating a food is better than having to take the supplement. (Of course, there are times when only a supplement will do due to the type of supplement you need.) But in this case, food wins.

In the special report ‘Rejuvenate: Turn Back the Clock‘, you will learn about the “real” top foods which scientists have researched and have proven to be the most helpful in anti-aging. Learn more and start getting younger today at http://www.turn-back-the-clock.com

Tagged with: cactus pear fruit • stay younger longer • Super Foods & Nutrition

I have a gift for you today, a way for me to say thanks for reading here regularly!

It’s a free report entitled “Age Defying Nutrition - Eat Your Way To A More Youthful You” and it reveals the top anti-aging foods that you can eat to help you turn back the clock and look and feel younger naturally.

To receive access to the report, please enter your name and email address into the form below. You will be redirected to an extra special offer.

Today’s article discusses the health benefits of guacamole, plus a quick and tasty guacamole recipe.

But first, what is guacamole?

Guacamole is a thick dip made primarily from mashing avocadoes and mixing with chopped tomato, onion, lime juice, cilantro, apple cider vinegar and chilies. For extra taste season with salt, pepper and cumin.

Anyway, onto the health benefits of guacamole…

The avocado contains a carotenoid called Lutein, magnesium and monosaturated fats. The avocado helps to fight many forms of cancer (including breast and prostate) and improves skin tone. Some of the substances in avocado help to absorb nutrients in other foods.

The lime juice contains potassium and properties that strengthen the immune system. Research also shows that lime helps to cleanse the blood and liver.

The cilantro contains an abundance of antioxidants and relieves bloating, urinary tract infections and indigestion.

The apple cider vinegar has many health benefits. I wrote about the anti-aging benefits of apple cider vinegar in a post a few days ago. It is rich in enzymes, a natural germ fighter, improves digestion, helps reduce cholestrol, expels toxins and normalizes weight. Externally, it promotes a youthful body, maintains healthy skin and slows aging.

The onions in the guacamole recipe can help to lower high blood pressure, remove heavy metals from the bloodstream and help to fight many forms of cancer.

Here’s my favourite guacamole recipe for you to try.

* 3 ripe, medium Avocados
* Juice from 1 Fresh Lime
* 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro
* ½ Tsp Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* 1 Tsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
* ½ Tsp Cumin
* 2 cloves Garlic
* ¼ cup finely chopped Onion

Enjoy!

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In a recent article in the NYTimes titled ‘Wrinkle Removers, Backed by Science’, we found that there are 3 wrinkle removers proven to work through scientific research. What more could we want than to know the truth and to avoid the costly mistakes many of us have been through?

As we all know, our skin ages on a daily basis. But with good nutrition we can limit the damages free radicals. This is not part of the studies’ results, but is indeed information found in the Special Report, Rejuvenate: Turn Back the Clock. There are healthy foods and then there are “more nutritionally endowed” superfoods. In our studies we offer the top anti-aging foods that are not typically found in the average list. One such food is the superfruit guava. With its red, yellow and orange pigments it packs in four times more vitamin C than an orange. It also contains the much desired omega 3 fatty acids and a high punch of fiber. It is anti-inflammatory as well. You will learn about more such superfoods that are proven to be anti aging and rejuvenative thanks to research studies. But back to the main topic…

According to the article in the NYTimes regarding wrinkles, a recent review in The Archives of Dermatology concludes that three anti-aging treatments are proven clinically effective: the topical application of retinol; carbon dioxide laser resurfacing; and injection of hyaluronic acid, a moisture-retaining acid that occurs naturally in the skin. Each depends on the same mechanism, the interaction of skin cells called fibroblasts with the collagen they produce.“This is an area where there’s a lot of hype and not much substance,” said David J. Leffell, a professor of dermatology and surgery at Yale who was not involved in the review. But, he said, this study is “good science.” (Bakalar, 2008)

To learn about the recipe used by a famous naturopathic doctor in her anti-aging, beautifying routine, please check out Rejuvenate: Turn Back the Clock. This is the next best thing to a facelift without the side effects. It is proven, one of the authors of our special report tried it for herself and she has definitely beautified and regressed aging in just a few weeks time.

We are here to help in any way we can…here’s to rejuvenation and looking younger longer!

References:
Bakalar, N., (2008), Wrinkle Removers, Backed by Science, NYTimes, Aug. 18, 2008

If you haven’t yet downloaded your free report ‘Age Defying Nutrition - Eat Your Way To A More Youthful You‘ then go do it now! Download it from HERE.

To keep your skin glowing, a must-have, yet inexpensive treatment is apple cider vinegar. Apple Cider Vinegar will balance the pH of your face while preventing breakouts. It also tones your face. Every morning and every evening use a cotton ball to apply a mix of 3 parts purified water to 1 part vinegar. This will improve your skin and prevent sagging because it gets the circulation moving to your skin.

To also keep your skin glowing splash nettle leaf infusion on your face. You can also generously spray the infusion on your hair to make it lustrous and give it strength that no other hair treatment ever will. Rinse or leave it on overnight. Apply infusion to your face daily and give your hair a protein-rich, mineral and vitamin infused treatment twice a week. To prepare, grab a handful of dry nettle leaf infusion and add 1 liter of hot boiling water. Seal tightly in a glass jar and cool. After 4 hours this just about “magical” infusion is ready to use. Store it in the refrigerator. It will last about 3 days.

For more age-defying secrets, a must read is the special report title Rejuvenate: Turn Back the Clock. In it you will learn lots of proven and researched treatments that will keep you looking younger and feeling your best. You’ll feel good enough to live your best life when you apply the techniques and recipes in the inner and outer beauty special report.

In it, you will also learn the next best treatment to a facelift that keeps you wrinkle free and gorgeous; Plus, tips on how to literally lift your eyes to prevent under eye sagging. (It has nothing to do with shaping your eyebrows.) Though you have to do it daily starting today. It’s easy, fast and effective! Find out how this special report will change your life, transform your beauty, and turn back your clock by clicking HERE