Dr. David Williams, an Alternative Health doctor for 25 yrs., has been researching health issues. This is an article from his News Letter, Alternatives.
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Life is about choices we make. According to the Journal of American Medical Association (2002: 287:177) 90% of illness is affected by YOU! Only 10% of your health is affected by a physician or hospital.
How can this be? Researchers are learning that we have ‘markers’ or epigenomes that turn our genes on and off. This means that our
Lifestyle, Environment, and Stress can turn our genes on and off. Epigenomes seem to be more important than genes.
Therefore, we need to take responsibility for our own health!
LIFESTYLE: choose to eat a healthy diet, don’t smoke
STRESS: reduce the amount by finding ways to deal with it, such as exercise, meditation and pray.
ENVIRONMENT: limit or rid your surrounds of chemicals
Daily Ideas are:
Think GREEN foods, lessen the acidic foods you eat
Eat raw fruits and vegetables
Juicing
Clean your liver and colon through simple cleanses or fasting
Take supplements/herbs
Be aware of what your body is saying to you
Resolve any anger or emotional issues
We are learning that we have the ability to keep ourselves healthy or if we have illnesses we can reverse them by making different choices. This is an exciting time to live in. However, change can be scary and difficult. Medications are quick ‘fixes’ though the cause is not fixed. The symptoms are just covered up. So it is time to take a look at your health and decide what changes do you need and want to make so you can life a healthy life?
“May you never know the disease you prevent” by Jay Vanden Heuvel, PhD
Do you know the facts about High Fructose Corn Syrup? There are new ads on TV by the Corn Refiner Association that makes you believe that it is perfectly safe. Check out their website: www.sweetsurprise.com But be sure to BE IMFORMED. Look up at least three sites to verify information! Another site to check out is: www.pubmed.gov. Here is an article from pubmed.gov related to High Fructose Corn Syrup and Soft Drinks.
World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jun 7;16(21):2579-88.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common clinical condition which is associated with metabolic syndrome in 70% of cases. Inappropriate dietary fat intake, excessive intake of soft drinks, insulin resistance and increased oxidative stress combine to increase free fatty acid delivery to the liver, and increased hepatic triglyceride accumulation contributes to fatty liver. Regular soft drinks have high fructose corn syrup which contains basic sugar building blocks, fructose 55% and glucose 45%. Soft drinks are the leading source of added sugar worldwide, and have been linked to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The consumption of soft drinks can increase the prevalence of NAFLD independently of metabolic syndrome. During regular soft drinks consumption, fat accumulates in the liver by the primary effect of fructose which increases lipogenesis, and in the case of diet soft drinks, by the additional contribution of aspartame sweetener and caramel colorant which are rich in advanced glycation end products that potentially increase insulin resistance and inflammation. This review emphasizes some hard facts about soft drinks, reviews fructose metabolism, and explains how fructose contributes to the development of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and NAFLD.
PMCID: PMC2880768 Free PMC Article PMID: 20518077 [PubMed - in process]
If you have weight issues, I strongly encourage you to learn what you can about HFCS. You might want to try to lessen the foods you eat that contain HFCS and see for yourself if it makes a difference.
Taking charge of your own health will help you have good health. We have so many foods to choose from that we now live in a world where we need to be informed. We no longer can assume that all foods available to us are healthy for us. The media is there to sell a product and many of the marketing practices do not tell the Whole Truth. You can make educated decisions that will give you Good Health.
There seems to be a direct correlation between our self-confidence and our attitude and degree of success. The better our self-confidence the more positive is our attitude and in turn, the higher our degree of success in anything we do.
So why don’t we put our energy into building our self-confidence? We have a habit in our society to try to get rid of the symptom not the cause, so many times we feel frustrated or defeated as we try to make changes in our lives. When we get sick, we usually try to get rid of the symptoms, only to have new problems because we don’t understand that the cause needs to be addressed if we want to get rid of the illness for good. Knowing the cause is a big step to making positive change.
So how do we build our self-confidence?
It doesn’t improve overnight and we need to work on it everyday!
A pleasurable experience does the body and mind more good than stressful experiences does harm so create pleasurable experiences, which in turn helps you feel good about yourself. You will be more willing to do those things each day as well.
*Make a list of 10 things that are physically pleasurable to you. Do one thing on that list every day.
*Focus on what you do have and what you can do. It is easy to forget just how blessed we are. Be sure to express gratitude often for your talents and what you do have. Remember that what you focus on multiplies.
*Each day do something that challenges your abilities. It may be simple, like calling someone you need to call but don’t really want to. Or do something difficult like learning a new skill. Keep pushing your limits. It can be stressful but very rewarding when you have gotten through it and see that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
*Practice positive self-talk at least once a day. Three times a day is best but at least once a day will help you see yourself in a positive view. You are talented and special. You need to keep reminding yourself as you go through a day that might not have the positive energy that you are looking for.
Weed out disappointments, frustrations, diminished ambitions, unfulfilled expectations and anger about what has gone before or what has not yet come.
To take control of your health, you need to first activate your emotional and mental well being. Yes, we can eat healthy foods, drink more water each day, add fiber to our diet, take vitamins and even exercise. However, all these will be little steps and will not be as beneficial, if we do not find peace within.
Stress and inner conflicts such as disappointments, frustrations, anger, etc. affect our physical health. These things become chronic stressors on our system. Cortisol increases which in turn forces our adrenal glands to over work. We lose energy. We then don’t sleep well. Chronic fatigue sets in. It becomes a vicious cycle that taxes more of our organs and our physical health slowly deteriorates.
Therefore, addressing physical needs does not take care of the root cause. Our emotional well being is where it all begins. By letting go of the past and being in control of the present, you will look forward to the future. Your physical health will be so much stronger. You will be productive and like who you are.
The best way to tend to your emotional and mental well being is to strengthen you self-image. And of course, to do that you use Positive Self-Talk every day! Make it a part of your day. Remind yourself that you are special and you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
Set those goals and listen to the Positive Self-Talk CD’s. Get direction, support and encouragement from me, a certified Life Coach. I can keep you focused and motivated as you work toward nurturing your well being.
Remember: Tend To Your Secret Garden first to start the Natural Healing of your whole body.
What do we do when we know we need to make changes in our life but don’t know how to make that move, aren’t motivated or are fearful? Sometimes it is easier to stay where we are, even if it hurts, rather than challenge ourselves. Why do we want to possibly fail?
Here are a few things that might MOVE YOU FORWARD:
1. Focus on doing one new thing. Little steps lead to big steps. It could be as simple as speaking first when you see someone new or listening to a relaxation tape to get started in letting go of anxiety. Writing down one goal for the week and focusing on that might be a first step or practice saying positive things one day, etc. Remember that it took a long time to get where you are now so it will take a while to get where you want to go. Compliment yourself for that little step that you do take.
2 Perhaps asking yourself some questions will motivate or direct you to where you want to be. See if any of these questions help to motivate or guide you to action:
What possibilities for action exist?
What can I do?
What am I willing to do to get what I WANT?
If I wanted to be fully self-responsible right now, what would I be doing?
3. Make a list of what can happen to you if you make a change in your life. Then star the one thing that would be the worst that could happen. Now go through the list and ask yourself what you could do if that happened. Remember that you are in control of your life.
4. Listen to this presentation on fear by Steven Horne. http://www.treelite.com/downloads.php You might find some of his suggestions helpful.
5. Tell yourself: My response is my responsibility. It is easy to blame others or circumstances for the unhappiness we feel about our life. However, that doesn’t help us find the inner happiness or peace we are looking for. Our actions and attitude make the difference and guide us to where we want to go. Believe in yourself.
It is your time to MOVE FORWARD and to take control of your life. There is no perfect path to follow so if you make a mistake or falter in your steps that is ok. We learn from mistakes. At least you are trying to reach for what you really want.
It is during the beginning of the New Year that we seem to make resolutions to ‘change our ways or habits’. We have good intentions but many times lose site of these resolutions as we go through each busy day. Change can be difficult. Trying to break a bad habit takes time and much effort.
This year try taking a different approach. Rather than looking at the negatives in your life, focus on the positives. Instead of making resolutions, try writing down goals. Look forward. What is it that you want to accomplish? Write it down. Then write down two things that might get in your way to reach your goal. And lastly, write down two or three actions that you can do to start working toward your goal. Work on two or three goals. These could be in any areas of your life. If you would like more direction or support, I’d be happy to help you. Call me at 585-346-7334.
To keep you motivated, practice saying positive things. Become more aware of your positive and negative statements or comments. Every time you catch yourself saying something negative, rephrase it into a positive statement. With practice, this will become easier and be said more naturally. Also, praise yourself. Each of you has grown up with hearing many more negative comments than positive about yourself until you believed them. Now you act on what you believe, whether they are true or not. You want to reprogram yourself. To do that you can use what is called ‘positive self-talk’. Look at your goals and write a short paragraph related to your goals telling you in a positive way what kind of person you are. For example, repeatedly throughout the day tell yourself that you are a wonderful, competent person or that you are a very organized and reliable worker. Read your paragraph at least twice a day each day for at least a month. If you would prefer, you can buy a set of Dr. Shad Helmstetter’s Self-Talk CD’s that work on each area of your life. Just contact me at 585-346-7334.
You will start seeing little changes in your life. Your day will go more smoothly. You will be interacting more with positive people. You might sleep better or feel healthier. You will increase the number of times that you are pleased with yourself. You will feel empowered. Amazing things will keep coming into your life. Believe me, amazing things have and continue to happen to me!
Lastly, be sure to express your gratitude for what is in your life, for the positive or good things that are happening each and every day of your life. A suggestion is to start your day expressing your gratefulness for what you are starting your day with. Then at the end of each day be sure to review your day and express your thankfulness for the good that has happened. You will see your life move forward.
As you see, my blog entries seem to repeat three specific things; setting goals, thinking and talking positively and expressing one’s gratitude. These are powerful tools that can bring positive change into your life. Are you ready to make a difference and move your life forward?
The Holiday Season can be one of the most difficult times for those who are alone or feel lonely. Both can bring much stress and in turn, illness or depression.
For those who are alone, it might help to write down a list of things you can do during those days so you are focused on activity and not the lonely feeling. Plan to have a couple of movies available. A suggested movie is, “The Secret”. It helps you see that you do have control over your life. It emphasizes that ones attitude can make a big difference. Have puzzles, video or computer games. Have a good book available. One book is, “What To Say When You Talk To Your Self” by Dr. Shad Helmstetter. These are just a few ideas to help distract you from being alone. Loneliness is a feeling and we can change those feelings by focusing on what we have control over or what we can do at the time. We can redirect our thoughts which in turn will help overcome those negative feelings.
For those of you who feel lonely but are among people, I suggest that you write down what you expect of yourself, family and others during these holidays. Many times our expectations are unrealistic or so rigid that when something unexpected happens we get upset, blame ourselves or feel others are not living up to what ’should’ be. By writing down your expectations you can read them and reflect on whether they are realistic. Remind yourself that these might not be met and ask yourself how will you deal with these things.
Remember that happiness does not come from material things or from others. It comes from within. Being aware of what you want from these holidays can help you be patient with yourself and others or not read into how others are reacting to you. Try to appreciate the moment. Be aware of the positive things happening to you each day or at each event. And always express your gratitude for what you do have though it might not be what you want or are use to. There are others who have it worse than you.
As stated in October’s blog, We all face adversity in life, it’s how we react to it that determines our joy in life.
May you find peace within yourself during these special times.
As the Holiday Season begins, a good way to deal with all the extra things you feel you need to do is to WRITE DOWN your goals. Start with two or three over all goals. Write down a couple of obstacles and then how you will overcome those obstacles. Then each day write down what two or three goals you want to accomplish for the day. Write down the obstacles and then the actions you plan to take to overcome those obstacles.
Cross out each action as you accomplish them and CELEBRATE. Give yourself a compliment, hug, cheer. In some way congratulate yourself.
Remember that you need to WRITE the goals down. You will have a much higher rate of success when you write your goals down. And be sure to do this at least once a day. It is a great habit to get into and you will see wonderful rewards!!
This is a great way to manage stress and enjoy this busy but wonderful season.
When we deal with our everyday life, we can become overwhelmed. We can lose our motivation to continue on. Our failures from the past cause us to second guess ourselves and in turn, we question why we should keep trying.
During these times, it is important that we focus on the challenge at hand and remind ourselves that each day is a new day. Failures or mistakes can help us learn and become stronger in our belief in ourselves. This helps us look forward and realize that we can make our present better.
We have the ability and the choice to make our present time as positive as we want. Challenges can be seen as a heart ache, as an insurmountable event. We can beat ourselves up and question why this is happening to us or we will never get over such a happening.
However, trying to see the positive in a situation can help us bring good things to us. Yes, it isn’t always easy but if we practice thinking and saying positive things during the good times, we will be able to find the positive thought to say when we are fasted with adversity.
We can start listening to ourselves when we talk to someone. When the conversation is over, we write down or ask ourselves, “How could we have said that in a more positive way?” We try to ‘catch’ ourselves being negative and rephrase the statement with positive words.
Another way we can practice is to start a “Gratitude” Book. We begin with writing in a journal all the things we can think of that we are thankful for. Then each day we list at least three things that we are thankful for. Ideally, we do this twice a day, once in the am and once before we go to sleep. We do this for at least 30 days so it becomes a habit.
Each day we have a choice to face life in a positive way or in a negative way, no matter what comes our way. We are blessed with choice. Only we determine what kind of day and life we will have.
