(ARA) - There are many forces that can make your hair look listless, dull and unhealthy. From sun, chlorine and blow dryers to an unhealthy diet, any number of hazards can conspire to damage your hair. Fortunately, whether your hair is long or short, straight or curly, thick or baby-fine, there are certain habits that will help keep it looking its best.
1. Regular shampooing -- When you massage your scalp as you shampoo, it stimulates the oil glands to work more efficiently and brings natural oils into the hair, promoting bounce and shine.
2. The right products for your hair -- Use a shampoo that is pH balanced and that is formulated for your hair type. Conditioner should be nourishing but not heavy. Rinse with cool water for extra shine.
A good choice is Mane ‘n Tail shampoo, which won the Cosmo Girl 2003 Kiss of Approval award for best moisturizing shampoo. This gentle, pH balanced formula is fortified with moisturizers and emollients providing body and shine. It cleans without stripping the hair of its natural oils. Pair it with Mane ‘n Tail conditioner, an exclusive protein enriched formula which maintains, nourishes and conditions hair and scalp to aid healthy hair growth.
As the name suggests, Mane ‘n Tail products were originally developed for use on horses. They worked so well, “groomers started using the products on themselves to achieve the beautiful results they saw with their horses,” explains Devon Katzev, president of Straight Arrow Products, Inc., the parent company. The results spread by word of mouth, and the company introduced a line formulated for people in 1993. Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker are some of the many celebrities who have been quoted as counting Mane ‘n Tail products among their “beauty secrets.”
3. Proper hair care -- Never brush wet hair, which can lead to breakage; instead, use a wide tooth comb after you shampoo and save the brush for later. The tried-and-true “100 stokes a night” really is a good way to bring out the shine in your hair.
4. Protect your hair from damage -- Using a blow dryer, curling iron, hot rollers or straightening iron every day can take a toll on your hair. Use a shampoo and conditioner designed to protect your hair from these everyday assaults. Coloring, perming and relaxing your hair can also strip it of essential moisture and nutrients.
Mane ‘n Tail products help defend hair from the effects of styling tools. The conditioner’s essential moisturizing corrects the drying effect caused by sun, wind and use of bleach and peroxide lighteners. Both the shampoo and conditioner are safe on permed, relaxed or color treated hair. The conditioner is especially effective on thick or coarse hair. “Remember, horses’ hair is three times thicker than human hair, so if it works on manes and tails, just think how soft and silky it will make your hair,” says Katzev.
5. A healthy diet -- What you eat is reflected in the state of your hair. A hair-healthy diet includes a wide variety of foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables, and plenty of water. A daily multivitamin will ensure that your hair is getting all the nutritional support it needs. Stay away from processed foods, alcohol and cigarettes.
You’ll want to be sure that your hair products are pure and healthy, too. Mane ‘n Tail products were originally manufactured on the family farm (they’ve been around since 1970).
“While we don’t make the products on the farm today, we do manufacture them in a state-of-the-art facility at our headquarters in Bethlehem, Penn.,” says Katzev. “All Mane ‘n Tail products are designed to stand the test of our family tradition of quality and 100 percent customer satisfaction.”
The company has a full line of innovative hair care products that promote healthy hair growth, including a detangler formula for hard-to-comb hair and a hair strengthener that nourishes and repairs. Katzev is looking forward to the newest addition to the line, called Barrier, which will help achieve longer, stronger, healthier hair. “I consider this a revolutionary daily styling protection treatment,” he says of the new product, due on store shelves this summer.
More info
You can find Mane ‘n Tail products at most food, drug and mass retailers, as well as beauty supply, ag and tack stores. Visit www.straightarrowinc.com for more information.
Courtesy of ARA Content
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Henna and Indigo Application
By EveryDay Mehndi
Using henna and indigo for hair coloring can result in black, raven black, blue-black, purplish black or burgundy black hair. The exact color result depends upon your original hair coloring as well as how you use your henna and indigo in this process. Henna and Indigo application can be done in either a two-step or one-step process.
For a two-step process, your first step is to follow the instructions provided for using natural henna powder.
Mix your indigo with water 4 to 8 hours before using. Cover and allow the paste (about the consistency of yogurt) to sit for the 4 to 8 hours.
Always wearing plastic gloves, apply the indigo to your previously henna'd hair. I have my indigo ready to use immediately following rinsing the henna from my hair in a back to back process. You can do it this way or wait and apply your indigo later. Apply the indigo to your hair making sure to cover hair from roots to ends. Separating our hair into smaller sections will aid in this. When your hair is covered with the indigo, cover your hair with a plastic cap. Then cover with a towel or scarf. Allow the indigo to remain on your hair until desired color is achieved. Performing a harvested hair test will help you determine how long this will take.
Repeat applications of your henna and indigo will deepen the color results over time.
You can apply your henna and indigo in a single step. I recommend this for people who are not wishing to color gray hair and people with dark brown or black hair.
Mix your henna paste in a bowl and allow it to develop. Mix your indigo paste at the same time in a separate bowl. The longer your henna paste sits and dye is released, the more red the outcome will be. Allow your henna paste to sit for between 2 and 6 hours depending upon your desired results. When your henna paste and your indigo paste have each been allowed to sit a sufficient amount of time, mix the two together. Apply to your hair and allow to remain on your hair maximally 8 hours. A harvested hair test will allow you to determine if less time is required. For most people, fewer than 8 hours is required. The timeframes range from 1 hour to 8 hours depending upon the individual. The timing has to do with your desired color results and how well and how fast your hair takes color. A 50/50 henna and indigo mix will typically create the black shades described above. Different people will get different results in terms of blue-black or burgundy-black or black.
The one-step process creates a more gradual coloring of the hair and with each application, your hair will deepen and darken in color. If you chose the one-step process to cover gray, understand that your white hair may not become completely black with the first application. But with patience and repeat application, all of your hair will darken to the desired color.
Enjoy!!!
EveryDay Mehndi
www.everydayhenna.com
Using henna and indigo for hair coloring can result in black, raven black, blue-black, purplish black or burgundy black hair. The exact color result depends upon your original hair coloring as well as how you use your henna and indigo in this process. Henna and Indigo application can be done in either a two-step or one-step process.
For a two-step process, your first step is to follow the instructions provided for using natural henna powder.
Mix your indigo with water 4 to 8 hours before using. Cover and allow the paste (about the consistency of yogurt) to sit for the 4 to 8 hours.
Always wearing plastic gloves, apply the indigo to your previously henna'd hair. I have my indigo ready to use immediately following rinsing the henna from my hair in a back to back process. You can do it this way or wait and apply your indigo later. Apply the indigo to your hair making sure to cover hair from roots to ends. Separating our hair into smaller sections will aid in this. When your hair is covered with the indigo, cover your hair with a plastic cap. Then cover with a towel or scarf. Allow the indigo to remain on your hair until desired color is achieved. Performing a harvested hair test will help you determine how long this will take.
Repeat applications of your henna and indigo will deepen the color results over time.
You can apply your henna and indigo in a single step. I recommend this for people who are not wishing to color gray hair and people with dark brown or black hair.
Mix your henna paste in a bowl and allow it to develop. Mix your indigo paste at the same time in a separate bowl. The longer your henna paste sits and dye is released, the more red the outcome will be. Allow your henna paste to sit for between 2 and 6 hours depending upon your desired results. When your henna paste and your indigo paste have each been allowed to sit a sufficient amount of time, mix the two together. Apply to your hair and allow to remain on your hair maximally 8 hours. A harvested hair test will allow you to determine if less time is required. For most people, fewer than 8 hours is required. The timeframes range from 1 hour to 8 hours depending upon the individual. The timing has to do with your desired color results and how well and how fast your hair takes color. A 50/50 henna and indigo mix will typically create the black shades described above. Different people will get different results in terms of blue-black or burgundy-black or black.
The one-step process creates a more gradual coloring of the hair and with each application, your hair will deepen and darken in color. If you chose the one-step process to cover gray, understand that your white hair may not become completely black with the first application. But with patience and repeat application, all of your hair will darken to the desired color.
Enjoy!!!
EveryDay Mehndi
www.everydayhenna.com
Home Remedies For Shiny Hair
We all love our hair and would not mind taking that extra step to take care of it. For beautiful, lustrous and shiny hair use these simple home remedies.
• A tea and beer rinse is one of the oldest ways to bring shine to your hair. Boil used tea leaves in enough water, let it cool and then use this liquid as the last rinse.
• In the similar fashion you can use flat beer (i.e. after letting the fizz out). This is a great conditioner to be used for your hair.
• Lemon juice mixed with water can also be used as a last rinse to give your hair a shiny and bouncy look.
• A shiny look is also provided if you use vinegar for your final rinse.
• To bring that shine one can use honey to keep your scalp moisturized. You can make honey lotion for your hair by mixing 3 teaspoons of honey for pint of water.
• The use of henna as a natural conditioner proves to be very beneficial for your hair. It helps to bring back the bounce and flair of your hair which has been lacking for quite a while.
• You can add small amount of baking soda in the shampoo which, removes dirt and grease from your hair to give you the shiny look.
• To remove the dirt and other matter from your hair you can use one fourth cup of apple cider vinegar in one gallon of condensed water. This can be stored in the refrigerator and can be used every two weeks for clean, smooth, silky and shiny hair. The proper way to use this solution is to wet your hair with warm water, shampoo it later rinse it. Pour two cups of this mixture and leave it in your hair for sometime. The last stage is to rinse your hair with cold-water.
• To get that extra shine for your hair brew one cup of strong espresso, let it cool. Pour the espresso over your dry hair and leave it for 20 minutes. Rinse it to get the extra shine and glow.
• You can also make Egg shampoo at home which requires 1 egg, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon castile soap, 1/2 a cup water or herbal tea and last but not the least 5 drops of essential oils of your choice. Blend all these together to make an Egg shampoo which can bring shine to your hair.
• Many of us who want to clean their hair use shampoos. Try this for a change, massage baking soda into your hair and scalp. This absorbs oil and loosens the dead skin on the scalp. Rinse it thoroughly with water. In the initial stages the hair would be dry but after several weeks you would be dandruff free with smooth and shiny hair.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer
The Author
Sharon Hopkins webmaster for sites like http://www.hair-n-skin-care.com can do wonders for you with information provided in your very own home. Information on hair and skin care and knowledge about products is also given.
• A tea and beer rinse is one of the oldest ways to bring shine to your hair. Boil used tea leaves in enough water, let it cool and then use this liquid as the last rinse.
• In the similar fashion you can use flat beer (i.e. after letting the fizz out). This is a great conditioner to be used for your hair.
• Lemon juice mixed with water can also be used as a last rinse to give your hair a shiny and bouncy look.
• A shiny look is also provided if you use vinegar for your final rinse.
• To bring that shine one can use honey to keep your scalp moisturized. You can make honey lotion for your hair by mixing 3 teaspoons of honey for pint of water.
• The use of henna as a natural conditioner proves to be very beneficial for your hair. It helps to bring back the bounce and flair of your hair which has been lacking for quite a while.
• You can add small amount of baking soda in the shampoo which, removes dirt and grease from your hair to give you the shiny look.
• To remove the dirt and other matter from your hair you can use one fourth cup of apple cider vinegar in one gallon of condensed water. This can be stored in the refrigerator and can be used every two weeks for clean, smooth, silky and shiny hair. The proper way to use this solution is to wet your hair with warm water, shampoo it later rinse it. Pour two cups of this mixture and leave it in your hair for sometime. The last stage is to rinse your hair with cold-water.
• To get that extra shine for your hair brew one cup of strong espresso, let it cool. Pour the espresso over your dry hair and leave it for 20 minutes. Rinse it to get the extra shine and glow.
• You can also make Egg shampoo at home which requires 1 egg, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon castile soap, 1/2 a cup water or herbal tea and last but not the least 5 drops of essential oils of your choice. Blend all these together to make an Egg shampoo which can bring shine to your hair.
• Many of us who want to clean their hair use shampoos. Try this for a change, massage baking soda into your hair and scalp. This absorbs oil and loosens the dead skin on the scalp. Rinse it thoroughly with water. In the initial stages the hair would be dry but after several weeks you would be dandruff free with smooth and shiny hair.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer
The Author
Sharon Hopkins webmaster for sites like http://www.hair-n-skin-care.com can do wonders for you with information provided in your very own home. Information on hair and skin care and knowledge about products is also given.
Herbs For Healthy Hair
1. Sage: Excellent for weak hair.
2. Rosemary: Enhances dark hair
3. Chamomile: Promotes healthy hair growth.
4. Catnip: Promotes hair growth.
5. Burdock Root: Promotes hair growth and reduces hair from falling out
Hair Loss
Hair is a growth consisting of dead skin cells that are filled with a protein called keratin. (which is the main ingredient in your fingernails.) Each hair is encased and nourished by a follicle buried under the skin.
Loss or absence of hair, also known as alopecia is a hereditary and unavoidable condition. In some men it can be a side effect of medication, a dietary deficiency or hormonal imbalance.
You can help reduce the effects of hair loss from stress, trauma, shock or illness by increasing your intake of vitamin C found in fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus fruit and juices, parsley, broccoli, green peppers and black currants.
Take a vitamin B complex everyday or brewers yeast. Increase your intake of protein found in meat, fish, liver, wheat germ, dried cooked beans and peas, tofu, cheese, milk and eggs.
The Chinese believe that hair is nourished by the blood, and therefore influenced by the kidney & liver. Treatment is aimed at these organs using fleeceflower root, wolfberry fruit or mulberry fruit. Here are some great shampoos you may want to make:
HERBAL SHAMPOO - great for dandruff
4 tablespoons dried thyme boiled for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water. Strain and let cool before massaging onto clean damp hair. Leave on for 1 hour then rinse in warm water.
for more please visit the link
2. Rosemary: Enhances dark hair
3. Chamomile: Promotes healthy hair growth.
4. Catnip: Promotes hair growth.
5. Burdock Root: Promotes hair growth and reduces hair from falling out
Hair Loss
Hair is a growth consisting of dead skin cells that are filled with a protein called keratin. (which is the main ingredient in your fingernails.) Each hair is encased and nourished by a follicle buried under the skin.
Loss or absence of hair, also known as alopecia is a hereditary and unavoidable condition. In some men it can be a side effect of medication, a dietary deficiency or hormonal imbalance.
You can help reduce the effects of hair loss from stress, trauma, shock or illness by increasing your intake of vitamin C found in fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus fruit and juices, parsley, broccoli, green peppers and black currants.
Take a vitamin B complex everyday or brewers yeast. Increase your intake of protein found in meat, fish, liver, wheat germ, dried cooked beans and peas, tofu, cheese, milk and eggs.
The Chinese believe that hair is nourished by the blood, and therefore influenced by the kidney & liver. Treatment is aimed at these organs using fleeceflower root, wolfberry fruit or mulberry fruit. Here are some great shampoos you may want to make:
HERBAL SHAMPOO - great for dandruff
4 tablespoons dried thyme boiled for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water. Strain and let cool before massaging onto clean damp hair. Leave on for 1 hour then rinse in warm water.
for more please visit the link
Hair Oil - A Need For Anyone And Everyone
Oiling ones hair is one of the most important things, if we want to take care of our hair. It is very necessary that hair is given proper treatment which would mean a massage with some of the most beneficial oils.
Having the right kind of oil for your hair is very important and so is oiling your hair. Many of us have a hectic schedule due to which, oiling and washing our hair holds the last priority. If you want healthy hair and one which lasts longer - oiling is the best remedy.
There are so many oils in the market which tells you tales about the benefits it provides. Before jumping in the bandwagon with others, check it from which company you are buying the oil. A trusted and known company is very important as there are many duplicates in the market.
Having good hair oil is not enough, eating the right kind of food also helps. Harmful foods such as canned and processed food which do not protect your hair instead damage it, should not be eaten. Fresh coconut is very good for your hair.
For beautiful and strong hair, massage your scalp with hair oil and leave it overnight. You can also use a steamed towel to cover your hair for half an hour for best results. This gives your hair a shiny and lustrous look.
Oiling your hair everyday would be too much to ask for. But do this at least thrice a week for beautiful hair. It does make a lot of difference if you keep doing this regularly as it is bound to show on your hair.
The massaging and oiling of your hair stimulates the blood circulation, which in return helps your hair. Due to the oil your hair is protected from the strong and hot sun rays. The oil also gives your hair that extra shine.
Some of the most popular and very beneficial oils which are being used for beautiful long hair with indefinite good qualities are
Jojoba Oil - can be used for dry hair as it helps to moisturize your hair properly. It helps to soften your hair and can be used to detangle your hair before shampooing.
Olive Oil - strengthens your hair and nourishes it due to inherent qualities it has. It helps to reduce stress and promotes the idea of healthy hair by providing elasticity to your hair.
Coconut Oil - is one of the oil which helps in the lubrication of the hair. The content in coconut oil like magnesium, potassium, calcium and iron happens to provide the best for your hair. It is very useful for damaged hair due to its ability to strengthen it.
Rosemary Herbal Oil - is very useful for the unwanted and flaky dandruff problems. Warm the oil slightly and apply it with the help of your fingers or cotton. Rub it well on the scalp and wrap with a hot towel.
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/sh_hairoil.html
Having the right kind of oil for your hair is very important and so is oiling your hair. Many of us have a hectic schedule due to which, oiling and washing our hair holds the last priority. If you want healthy hair and one which lasts longer - oiling is the best remedy.
There are so many oils in the market which tells you tales about the benefits it provides. Before jumping in the bandwagon with others, check it from which company you are buying the oil. A trusted and known company is very important as there are many duplicates in the market.
Having good hair oil is not enough, eating the right kind of food also helps. Harmful foods such as canned and processed food which do not protect your hair instead damage it, should not be eaten. Fresh coconut is very good for your hair.
For beautiful and strong hair, massage your scalp with hair oil and leave it overnight. You can also use a steamed towel to cover your hair for half an hour for best results. This gives your hair a shiny and lustrous look.
Oiling your hair everyday would be too much to ask for. But do this at least thrice a week for beautiful hair. It does make a lot of difference if you keep doing this regularly as it is bound to show on your hair.
The massaging and oiling of your hair stimulates the blood circulation, which in return helps your hair. Due to the oil your hair is protected from the strong and hot sun rays. The oil also gives your hair that extra shine.
Some of the most popular and very beneficial oils which are being used for beautiful long hair with indefinite good qualities are
Jojoba Oil - can be used for dry hair as it helps to moisturize your hair properly. It helps to soften your hair and can be used to detangle your hair before shampooing.
Olive Oil - strengthens your hair and nourishes it due to inherent qualities it has. It helps to reduce stress and promotes the idea of healthy hair by providing elasticity to your hair.
Coconut Oil - is one of the oil which helps in the lubrication of the hair. The content in coconut oil like magnesium, potassium, calcium and iron happens to provide the best for your hair. It is very useful for damaged hair due to its ability to strengthen it.
Rosemary Herbal Oil - is very useful for the unwanted and flaky dandruff problems. Warm the oil slightly and apply it with the help of your fingers or cotton. Rub it well on the scalp and wrap with a hot towel.
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/sh_hairoil.html
Create your own aromatherapy spa at home!
Create your own aromatherapy spa at home!
Source: ChilliBreeze
Need to de-stress, revitalize, or energize yourself after a month long hectic work schedule? Head for the nearest beauty salon. Better still, head for a spa. But what if you can get the same experience in the comfort of your home? To see how, read the article below.
The word “spa” is a Latin acronym for salus per aquam meaning ‘health from water’. The philosophy behind the spa is that total well-being of the body can be attained by focusing on three key things - wellness, fitness both physical and mental, and relaxation. Spas are only just catching on in India and are often very expensive. Here is how you can create an aromatherapy spa at home.
For a whole body spa
To begin make sure your bathroom décor is “spa-worthy”. A bathroom with pastel coloured walls is ideal. Pastel shades are relaxing. If that is not an option select light, pleasing shower curtains for your bathroom spa. A few aromatherapy candles can add to the ‘ambience’ of your spa. Next you need to prepare your bath with some essential oils. Lavender, chamomile, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, sage, rosewood and cedar wood are all essences that relax your body and calm your mind. If you want to feel refreshed, use lime, spearmint, lemon grass, or orange essential oils. Select the one you like the most. Turn out the lights and soak into your bath. Add a bit of soothing music to your routine and there! You have a spa as good as any professional one.
For a quick relaxing spa
If you do not have time for a whole body spa, a simple foot soak will give you the necessary relaxation. Fill a small tub that can accommodate your feet with warm water. Place a few marbles in it and add half a cup of Epsom salts along with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Soak your feet in the water and roll your feet over the marbles. This gives your tired feet an essential massage and you feel rejuvenated. Scrub your feet to get rid of dead cells and end with the application of a moisturizing cream.
While you are relaxing your body and your feet, why leave out your face? Place cucumber slices on your eyes to soothe them while you soak. Apply a face pack made of one mashed ripe banana mixed with one teaspoon each of honey and curd. This moisturizes your face during your home spa treatment.
Most people try to detoxify through diets, drinking plenty of water, exercise and more but a spa is the most natural way to detoxify and cleanse your entire system. A home spa treatment can mean much more than this.
Do you avoid spas because they are expensive and take too much effort to reach? Or do you think nothing beats the real thing? What’s your home spa treatment menu? Tell us all about it!
Source: http://www.window2india.com/cms/content/article11092007.jsp?aid=3796
Source: ChilliBreeze
Need to de-stress, revitalize, or energize yourself after a month long hectic work schedule? Head for the nearest beauty salon. Better still, head for a spa. But what if you can get the same experience in the comfort of your home? To see how, read the article below.
The word “spa” is a Latin acronym for salus per aquam meaning ‘health from water’. The philosophy behind the spa is that total well-being of the body can be attained by focusing on three key things - wellness, fitness both physical and mental, and relaxation. Spas are only just catching on in India and are often very expensive. Here is how you can create an aromatherapy spa at home.
For a whole body spa
To begin make sure your bathroom décor is “spa-worthy”. A bathroom with pastel coloured walls is ideal. Pastel shades are relaxing. If that is not an option select light, pleasing shower curtains for your bathroom spa. A few aromatherapy candles can add to the ‘ambience’ of your spa. Next you need to prepare your bath with some essential oils. Lavender, chamomile, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, sage, rosewood and cedar wood are all essences that relax your body and calm your mind. If you want to feel refreshed, use lime, spearmint, lemon grass, or orange essential oils. Select the one you like the most. Turn out the lights and soak into your bath. Add a bit of soothing music to your routine and there! You have a spa as good as any professional one.
For a quick relaxing spa
If you do not have time for a whole body spa, a simple foot soak will give you the necessary relaxation. Fill a small tub that can accommodate your feet with warm water. Place a few marbles in it and add half a cup of Epsom salts along with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Soak your feet in the water and roll your feet over the marbles. This gives your tired feet an essential massage and you feel rejuvenated. Scrub your feet to get rid of dead cells and end with the application of a moisturizing cream.
While you are relaxing your body and your feet, why leave out your face? Place cucumber slices on your eyes to soothe them while you soak. Apply a face pack made of one mashed ripe banana mixed with one teaspoon each of honey and curd. This moisturizes your face during your home spa treatment.
Most people try to detoxify through diets, drinking plenty of water, exercise and more but a spa is the most natural way to detoxify and cleanse your entire system. A home spa treatment can mean much more than this.
Do you avoid spas because they are expensive and take too much effort to reach? Or do you think nothing beats the real thing? What’s your home spa treatment menu? Tell us all about it!
Source: http://www.window2india.com/cms/content/article11092007.jsp?aid=3796
Sunday, April 6, 2008
How to Blend and Use Aromatherapy Oils to Relieve Pain and Stress : How to Make a Lavender Body Lotion for a Good Nights Sleep : Aromatherapy Tips
Learn how to make an aromatherapy lavender body lotion to aid in a good nights sleep, in this free video
Professional Pedicure Techniques
Noted aesthetician and licensed massage therapist, Eva Mileski , offers a complete guide to s... More»pa pedicures. Your clients will feel pampered and ready to go stepping after you apply these techniques. This video includes extensive foot massage, proper sanitation and sterilization, cleansing, nail clipping, nail filing, cuticle and callus removal, exfoliation methods, polish application, spa and paraffin treatments, essential oils, products and equipment, client consultation, and contraindications
Dog Training: How To Train a Puppy : How to Teach Your New Puppy to Stay: Video
Information, tips and techniques about how to teach your new puppy to stay on command in this free video clip
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
She Called
As the years passed by and I grew to an adult, looking at the alternative aspects of life was a passion that grew stronger every moment. The questions of What Why When How Where??????????? never seemed to cease and am lucky they didn’t or else I wouldn’t have a source of sustenance.
Many a times trying to figure out the nuances of the voices within and around, would put me into a state of flux, despair and sadness.However, I also understood that someday when the time is right the voices would guide me to understand myself better than before.
The voice and the shadows would guide and lead me, the intense energy and vibrations would call out to me………Oh! Would someone please please help me with an answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is what would run in my mind twenty four seven, believe it or not even if I said every breath and moment of my life.
Now I believed always that MAGIC WAS AROUND US AND IN US.
“Mind your language” is what my parents and the elders would always tell us at home, well apart from the decency quotient hidden in those lines, I have also understood why they would say that famous line, irrespective of wether they knew it or not. The reason being simple, “thoughts change into actions “and that is so true. If you say something means you thought about it at some point and hence it was out of your mouth directly intentionally or unintentionally, hence it at most times changes into actions.
From the family that I come, an orthodox Roman Catholic denomination, I have been lucky and am to date allowed following and believing in my instincts.
The circle does go round and around, and sometimes in a state of confusion with no one to guide and those who were there to do so would often mis lead me. Hence trying to find the Teacher was a major challenge for me. It is said that when the disciple is ready the teacher appears……….. now this sentence is very true, because with all the experiences I gathered in the past few years with spells and magic and the understanding of the connection I have with the universe I finally did find My Wiccan teacher, and I didn’t have to travel the seven seas for it.
I feel blessed and honoured to now be under the protection and guidance of Lady Ipsita Ray Chakraverti. In the beginning I was a bit apprehensive since I had been ditched and mislead a number of times by many so called Psychics or Spiritual tellers.
But let me tell you Lady Ipsita is not a person who would want to claim the THIS and THAT of the Wiccan world. A true Wiccan is what she is who allows the universe to guide her and allow her to help fellow Wiccans and the Youth. What I really find interesting is the method of her teaching, not loud, not theoretical, but something you would identify with, rather everything you would be experiencing in your life, and you would learn ultimately what it means to have those experiences.
After my first meeting with Ipsita, I understood myself better, and under her constant guidance I also have become a better person and yes needless to say, life has changed for the better.
This is why I named this article “She Called” , She as in the Mother Goddess, She as in the Universe, She as in Lady Ipsita.
No wonder they say correctly Wicca Chooses you and you don’t choose Wicca.
Blessed Be
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Chocolate Easter Basket
“Forget love -- I'd rather fall in chocolate!!!” The very thought of chocolate sets our mouth watering. There are a few stuffs that people feel very passionate about and one among them is chocolate. For the true chocoholic, just thinking about chocolate can evoke an enjoyable and delightful response. Be it a normal chocolate fan or a crazy chocolate enthusiast, chocolate
gift is an absolute delight for all of them. A chocolate gift basket is always overwhelming and satisfying for all the chocoholics for weeks, or may be for months. So, on this Easter delight all your loved ones who are chocoholics with Chocolate Easter Basket.
Chocolate Easter basket is a nice way to celebrate the springtime family. Overflowing with delightful treats, a gourmet chocolate gift basket suffices all your personal as well as corporate gift giving needs. Expression of love and affection is possible in a number of ways and one commonly followed method is gifting of chocolates. Chocolate Easter customized gift boxes personalize your special day, leaving a lasting impression with your loved ones. For instance, a chocolate gift box dressed in ribbon and bow and overflowing with drinking chocolate, Tanzania dessert sauce, dark chocolate raspberry bar, almonds and sweetened coconut dipped in milk chocolate, milk chocolate bar, dark chocolate mint signature bar, apricots pretzels, Jamaican rum caramel filled bar, cashew turtles and many more treats will surely delight your chocoholic recipient.
Dgreetings provides us with information on Chocolate Easter Basket.
gift is an absolute delight for all of them. A chocolate gift basket is always overwhelming and satisfying for all the chocoholics for weeks, or may be for months. So, on this Easter delight all your loved ones who are chocoholics with Chocolate Easter Basket.
Chocolate Easter basket is a nice way to celebrate the springtime family. Overflowing with delightful treats, a gourmet chocolate gift basket suffices all your personal as well as corporate gift giving needs. Expression of love and affection is possible in a number of ways and one commonly followed method is gifting of chocolates. Chocolate Easter customized gift boxes personalize your special day, leaving a lasting impression with your loved ones. For instance, a chocolate gift box dressed in ribbon and bow and overflowing with drinking chocolate, Tanzania dessert sauce, dark chocolate raspberry bar, almonds and sweetened coconut dipped in milk chocolate, milk chocolate bar, dark chocolate mint signature bar, apricots pretzels, Jamaican rum caramel filled bar, cashew turtles and many more treats will surely delight your chocoholic recipient.
Dgreetings provides us with information on Chocolate Easter Basket.
Easy Crafts for Kids
Easter is a fun time for kids. They eagerly wait for the spring season with great excitement and thrill. So, on this Easter add a bit of spice to the celebrations of Easter with Easy Crafts for Kids. Dgreetings offers you a huge selection of crafts and activities to keep any child happy. These mentioned crafts are easy and fun ways to decorate and create beautiful treats. So, settle in and read some of the Easy Craft for Kids.
Painted Stones
Supplies:
Acrylic paints
Smooth flat stones
Markers
Paint brushes
Water
Method: Firstly wash and dry off the stones. Mix the paints and pour into paper cups. Then make your kid paint the dried stones. Continue until all stones are colored. Keep the colored stones aside to let the paint dry. Then your kid can draw simple designs with the marker pens. If they commit any mistakes use the water in the jar to wipe off. The water can be used to clean brushes. These beautifully painted stones can be used as paper weights or ornaments.
Easter Invitation
Supplies:
Construction paper
Scissors
Bunny cookie-cutters
Cotton balls
Markers
Pencils
Glue
Method: Firstly help your kid trace bunny cookie-cutter shapes with a pencil on the construction paper. Cut the shape out with scissors. Decorate the bunnies with ribbon or bow. Glue a cotton-ball tail on all the bunny invitation cards. Write all the party information on the inner side of the card.
Painted Stones
Supplies:
Acrylic paints
Smooth flat stones
Markers
Paint brushes
Water
Method: Firstly wash and dry off the stones. Mix the paints and pour into paper cups. Then make your kid paint the dried stones. Continue until all stones are colored. Keep the colored stones aside to let the paint dry. Then your kid can draw simple designs with the marker pens. If they commit any mistakes use the water in the jar to wipe off. The water can be used to clean brushes. These beautifully painted stones can be used as paper weights or ornaments.
Easter Invitation
Supplies:
Construction paper
Scissors
Bunny cookie-cutters
Cotton balls
Markers
Pencils
Glue
Method: Firstly help your kid trace bunny cookie-cutter shapes with a pencil on the construction paper. Cut the shape out with scissors. Decorate the bunnies with ribbon or bow. Glue a cotton-ball tail on all the bunny invitation cards. Write all the party information on the inner side of the card.
Easter Gifts for Men
Easter is the time to be with friends and loved ones and the time to share the warmth of your love and care. Exchanging gifts is an important aspect of Easter celebrations. Buying Easter gifts for men is not an easy task for all of us. We have to keep in mind the likes and dislikes of the man who will receive the gift. Whether you are a man or a woman, you need to keep in mind certain points before you set out to buy any Easter gifts for men.
Most men are gadget freaks. They are considered to be more rational and less emotional than women. Their emotions are supposedly attached with logic and common sense. At any occasion, even on Easter, men would love to have gifts which they can use. Anytime you can gift an iPod to a man, as it would enable him to refresh his mind with his favorite songs as he drives to office, or on the way back home. It is one of the ideal Easter gifts for men who love music. Buy him a standby for his mobile phone or for his iPod. It won’t require wall socket and it will be a blessing when his mobile phone or iPod runs out of charge.
Given below are some more interesting Easter gifts for men –
Cordless drill – men don’t mind getting it as a gift more than once. You can safely gift him one even if he has got a few of them.
Themed Easter gift baskets – - If he is a sports lover then gifting sports themed Easter basket would be a brilliant idea. Such a gift basket may contain items such as a book on sports, sports water bottle, sports ball gift box, etc. - Gourmet Easter gift basket filled with all the yummy things he likes. - A beer and wine gift basket is sure to add a smile to his face.
Hope these ideas on Easter gifts for men would come handy for you. For more information on Easter gifts, surf through the pages of Dgreetings.
Most men are gadget freaks. They are considered to be more rational and less emotional than women. Their emotions are supposedly attached with logic and common sense. At any occasion, even on Easter, men would love to have gifts which they can use. Anytime you can gift an iPod to a man, as it would enable him to refresh his mind with his favorite songs as he drives to office, or on the way back home. It is one of the ideal Easter gifts for men who love music. Buy him a standby for his mobile phone or for his iPod. It won’t require wall socket and it will be a blessing when his mobile phone or iPod runs out of charge.
Given below are some more interesting Easter gifts for men –
Cordless drill – men don’t mind getting it as a gift more than once. You can safely gift him one even if he has got a few of them.
Themed Easter gift baskets – - If he is a sports lover then gifting sports themed Easter basket would be a brilliant idea. Such a gift basket may contain items such as a book on sports, sports water bottle, sports ball gift box, etc. - Gourmet Easter gift basket filled with all the yummy things he likes. - A beer and wine gift basket is sure to add a smile to his face.
Hope these ideas on Easter gifts for men would come handy for you. For more information on Easter gifts, surf through the pages of Dgreetings.
Easter Lunch Recipes
Easter Lunch Recipes will make your Easter lunch hassle free. Easter Lunch is eaten both with family and friends. Easter lunch is a gala feast and is served with lamb, ham, fish, sliced meats, cheese, potatoes and other delicious dishes. So, settle in and read some delicious Easter Lunch Recipes.
Easter Lamb
Ingredients:
5 lb leg of lamb -- boneless
Black pepper
1/2 c dill -- chopped
2 tbs garlic -- minced
1/2 c parsley -- chopped
4 tbs oregano -- rubbed
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 c olive oil
Salt according to taste
Method: Preheat oven to 425F Blend together the vinegar, oil, parsley, garlic, dill, oregano, and pepper. Butter the lamb and pepper generously on both sides. Make some slits in the lamb. Marinate the lamb for 2 hours. Then squeeze the lamb and drain the marinade from lamb. Put lamb in the oven in for about 45 minutes. Let lamb rest before serving.
Easter Ham:
Ingredients
2 cups packed brown sugar
8 pound cured, bone-in picnic ham
Salt according to taste
Method: Spread about 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar on the bottom of the slow cooker jar. Then lay the ham flat side down into the slow cooker. Use your hands to rub the remaining brown sugar onto the ham. Cover, and cook on low for 9 hours.
Baked Chicken & Potatoes
Ingredients:
3-4 pound chicken cut into serving pieces
2 tbs Parsley
3 tbs Vegetable oil
6 Potatoes, peeled & quartered
Crushed tomatoes
1 ts Basil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Method: First pour enough oil in a large roasting pan to cover bottom of the pan. Place chicken in the pan and place potatoes between the chicken pieces. Sprinkle evenly parsley, basil, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper over the chicken and potatoes. Lastly, sprinkle with the grated cheese and the oil. Bake in 375 degree F. oven until chicken is done.
DGreetings gives you an account of Easter Lunch Recipes.
Easter Lamb
Ingredients:
5 lb leg of lamb -- boneless
Black pepper
1/2 c dill -- chopped
2 tbs garlic -- minced
1/2 c parsley -- chopped
4 tbs oregano -- rubbed
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 c olive oil
Salt according to taste
Method: Preheat oven to 425F Blend together the vinegar, oil, parsley, garlic, dill, oregano, and pepper. Butter the lamb and pepper generously on both sides. Make some slits in the lamb. Marinate the lamb for 2 hours. Then squeeze the lamb and drain the marinade from lamb. Put lamb in the oven in for about 45 minutes. Let lamb rest before serving.
Easter Ham:
Ingredients
2 cups packed brown sugar
8 pound cured, bone-in picnic ham
Salt according to taste
Method: Spread about 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar on the bottom of the slow cooker jar. Then lay the ham flat side down into the slow cooker. Use your hands to rub the remaining brown sugar onto the ham. Cover, and cook on low for 9 hours.
Baked Chicken & Potatoes
Ingredients:
3-4 pound chicken cut into serving pieces
2 tbs Parsley
3 tbs Vegetable oil
6 Potatoes, peeled & quartered
Crushed tomatoes
1 ts Basil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Method: First pour enough oil in a large roasting pan to cover bottom of the pan. Place chicken in the pan and place potatoes between the chicken pieces. Sprinkle evenly parsley, basil, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper over the chicken and potatoes. Lastly, sprinkle with the grated cheese and the oil. Bake in 375 degree F. oven until chicken is done.
DGreetings gives you an account of Easter Lunch Recipes.
easter blessings
Easter Blessings
As the deep Purple sunrise comes across the sky
Easter Morning is here and it makes me cry
This Holiday is sacred, the Resurrection of the King
Even in Heaven the Angles do preciously sing
This holiday has been commercialized, do you really see
A Parade in New York City, Egg Hunts with Baskets will be
The Children chasing Rabbits and eating Jelly Beans
Marshmallow chickens and expensive Bonnets by all means
Praising the Savior is what I will always do
The Inflatable sensations of the world holds so true
Jesus told us that, in every thing He did and said
The world then took Him and crucified him dead
So on this Easter Morning remember our Jesus Christ
Dresses might be pretty, yet they are quite so over priced
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Depression - hidden causes in the diet
Depression is a state of mind characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity. It can range from a mild affliction to a point where it severely affects the social functioning and activities of daily living of an individual. There are multiple causes of depression ranging from complex psychological and physiological factors such as lack of self-esteem, or perfectionsim to hormonal imbalances as seen in postpartum depression.
There is increasing evidence that diet may play a causative role in some cases of depression. The food production in industrialized societies uses intensive farming and processing techniques. This can contribute to depleted levels of omega 3 fatty acids, certain amino acids and other essential nutrients in the food we eat. Also over time our food choices and preferences have changed, which has led to a skewed ratio of fats in out diet.
Omega 3 is an important essential fats for the body. Its deficiency has been linked to depression, anxiety, aggressiveness and even insomnia. In some studies it was observed that patients suffering from depression have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their cell membranes. More startlingly, its deficiency worsens the conditions of ADHD children considerably. Research has shown that patients with bipolar depression who increased their consumption of foods containing omega 3 showed remarkable improvement in mood, which supports the role of omega 3 fatty acids in the treatment of depression.
Omega 3 is required in the diet and cannot be made within the body. Foods rich in omega 3 include oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, flaxseeds walnuts, olive oil, pumpkin seeds. Ensuring 2-3 portions of oily fish per week should provide adequate omega 3 in your diet.
Amino acids are also not produced within the human body. Tryptophan is an amino acid which is converted into serotonin in the body and is a natural relaxant. This can be used in the treatment of depression to assist with a good night’s sleep, treat migraines and even boost the immune system. Deficiency in the essential amino acid Lysine may cause fatigue, irritability and a lack of concentration. Good sources of lysine include meat, chicken, and eggs and legumes.
Carbohydrates are important in the fight against depression. They help to release the chemical monoamine serotonin. This chemical is found in the brain and is a mood-enhancer. It induces sleep and brings on relaxation. Depression seems to stem from reduced serotonin in the brain. Hence the feeling of satisfaction as soon as a person eats a meal with carbohydrates. Increasing complex carbohydrates that are absorbed slowly such as brown rice, whole grain wheat, bran, fruits and vegetables may be important in the treatment of depression, as this will help ensure a steady supply of serotonin.
Depression can also be intensified or even caused by deficiencies of folate, B12 and vitamin C and magnesium. In a major study, a direct link between low folate levels and neuropsychiatry disorder was established. It has also been suggested that an increased intake of folate can help reduce the high levels of homocysteine often present during depression. Foods rich in folate and vitamin c include spinach, broccoli, tomato juice, kidney beans, lentils and asparagus and increasing amounts of these foods in the diet could be useful in the treatment of depression.
Vitamin B12 is found in animal products such as milk, meat, cheese and yogurt. Vegans and strict vegetarians who do not drink milk products can be lacking in Vitamin B12. Elderly people often suffer from malabsorption of this vitamin due to a lack of acidity in the stomach (which assists in its digestion) and this can lead to mood disorders or even depression. Vitamin B12 is therefore a key vitamin to consider in supplementing for the treatment of depression.
A deficiency of magnesium is sometimes associated with forms of depression. A diet rich in magnesium such as nuts and grains, spinach, and meat may be beneficial in alleviating the symptoms of depression.
Depression is sometimes caused by the increased intake of alcohol and narcotic substances. We are all well aware of the initial euphoria that occurs with alcohol intake, however in the long term, alcohol abuse can contribute heavily to a depressive state.
Diet and depression may well have a cyclical relationship. Depression may be exacerbated by dietary deficiency in the first place and can go onto lead to a loss of appetite or apathy towards food and wellbeing. A dietary approach to the treatment of depression is by no means the whole answer but it could play an important role.
By James Balch
There is increasing evidence that diet may play a causative role in some cases of depression. The food production in industrialized societies uses intensive farming and processing techniques. This can contribute to depleted levels of omega 3 fatty acids, certain amino acids and other essential nutrients in the food we eat. Also over time our food choices and preferences have changed, which has led to a skewed ratio of fats in out diet.
Omega 3 is an important essential fats for the body. Its deficiency has been linked to depression, anxiety, aggressiveness and even insomnia. In some studies it was observed that patients suffering from depression have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their cell membranes. More startlingly, its deficiency worsens the conditions of ADHD children considerably. Research has shown that patients with bipolar depression who increased their consumption of foods containing omega 3 showed remarkable improvement in mood, which supports the role of omega 3 fatty acids in the treatment of depression.
Omega 3 is required in the diet and cannot be made within the body. Foods rich in omega 3 include oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, flaxseeds walnuts, olive oil, pumpkin seeds. Ensuring 2-3 portions of oily fish per week should provide adequate omega 3 in your diet.
Amino acids are also not produced within the human body. Tryptophan is an amino acid which is converted into serotonin in the body and is a natural relaxant. This can be used in the treatment of depression to assist with a good night’s sleep, treat migraines and even boost the immune system. Deficiency in the essential amino acid Lysine may cause fatigue, irritability and a lack of concentration. Good sources of lysine include meat, chicken, and eggs and legumes.
Carbohydrates are important in the fight against depression. They help to release the chemical monoamine serotonin. This chemical is found in the brain and is a mood-enhancer. It induces sleep and brings on relaxation. Depression seems to stem from reduced serotonin in the brain. Hence the feeling of satisfaction as soon as a person eats a meal with carbohydrates. Increasing complex carbohydrates that are absorbed slowly such as brown rice, whole grain wheat, bran, fruits and vegetables may be important in the treatment of depression, as this will help ensure a steady supply of serotonin.
Depression can also be intensified or even caused by deficiencies of folate, B12 and vitamin C and magnesium. In a major study, a direct link between low folate levels and neuropsychiatry disorder was established. It has also been suggested that an increased intake of folate can help reduce the high levels of homocysteine often present during depression. Foods rich in folate and vitamin c include spinach, broccoli, tomato juice, kidney beans, lentils and asparagus and increasing amounts of these foods in the diet could be useful in the treatment of depression.
Vitamin B12 is found in animal products such as milk, meat, cheese and yogurt. Vegans and strict vegetarians who do not drink milk products can be lacking in Vitamin B12. Elderly people often suffer from malabsorption of this vitamin due to a lack of acidity in the stomach (which assists in its digestion) and this can lead to mood disorders or even depression. Vitamin B12 is therefore a key vitamin to consider in supplementing for the treatment of depression.
A deficiency of magnesium is sometimes associated with forms of depression. A diet rich in magnesium such as nuts and grains, spinach, and meat may be beneficial in alleviating the symptoms of depression.
Depression is sometimes caused by the increased intake of alcohol and narcotic substances. We are all well aware of the initial euphoria that occurs with alcohol intake, however in the long term, alcohol abuse can contribute heavily to a depressive state.
Diet and depression may well have a cyclical relationship. Depression may be exacerbated by dietary deficiency in the first place and can go onto lead to a loss of appetite or apathy towards food and wellbeing. A dietary approach to the treatment of depression is by no means the whole answer but it could play an important role.
By James Balch
Detox Diets - the 24 Hour Detox Revitalization Diet
Much has been written and said about diets and detox, but here we are going to present a simple 24 detox diet to cleanse your system, make you feel better and revitalise you with energy, its simple and very effective.
This 24 hour detox diet can be used after a period of over-indulgence, or when you awake feeling poorly and will revitalize you quickly.
This detox diet should not to be used everyday.
24 Hour Detox Diet Basics
The basis for this detox diet is 4 glasses of ‘fresh' pomegranate juice, slow-cooked brown rice, a high-power vegetable salad, and 200 grams of raw almonds.
The combination will give you all the vitamins and minerals you need for your day, clear your body of toxins and oxidants, and give you plenty of energy to face the world. You will also lose a minimum of 600 grams to 1 kilo depending on your height and body weight.
Detoxing to cleanse your body
The pomegranate is a very powerful (the most powerful) anti-oxidant we know of in any food.
It has been shown to reverse and even prevent some cancers and heart disease.
The almonds will supply all the calories, oils, and proteins you need, without feeling hungry.
The salads are for bulk and all the vitamins and minerals that are gained from the eating of salads and vegetables.
The brown rice is also a wonderful antioxidant, and source of many vitamins and minerals that can be readily absorbed by the body.
The rules of this detox diet are simple:
1. No coffee or tea, or any soft drink. The ONLY liquids that are allowed are the 4 glasses of pomegranate juice and much water as you can drink.
2. If you are a smoker, try to stop for the 24 hours, or if you cannot, limit the cigarettes to as few as possible, and try not to inhale, but smoke the cigarette as you would a cigar.
3. Take a hot shower or bath both in the morning and in the evening, scrubbing the skin with a brush, loofa, or special skin cloth that will stimulate good blood circulation. Also going to a sauna is a wonderful idea. Spend as much time there as possible, taking your food with you.
4. Do not cheat; follow the diet plan. Eat ONLY when you are hungry, not by the clock.
5. Exercise by any means (walking may be the best) for at least 45 minutes during the day. This is very important.
Detox diet Morning Meal
One glass of pomegranate juice, with a handful of the raw almonds. Do not overfill your stomach; when you are about 50% satisfied, stop.
Detox diet Mid-morning Snack
One bowl of the brown rice, with some natural soya sauce, and some tofu if you feel you need protein. One glass of water.
Detox diet Lunch
One glass of pomegranate juice and a mixed green salad, as much as you wish. A dressing of virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, and salt may be used.
Detox diet Mid-Day Snack
One glass of pomegranate juice, with a handful of the raw almonds. Do not overfill your stomach; when you are about 50% satisfied, stop.
Detox diet Diner
The last glass of pomegranate juice and a large bowl of brown rice.
No more food should be consumed with this detox diet.
You will have taken over 1200 calories, and a host of wholesome and healthful nutrients with this detox diet if followed exactly.
Moreover, you body will have had 24 hours to rid itself of the toxins absorbed by over-indulgence, or simply daily city life (stress, pollution and processed food products).
During the day When using this detox diet feel fantastic and alert.
We advise to not follow this detox diet more than one day weekly, as it is not effective as a general everyday diet. It is however highly effective as a quick pick me up and cleansing diet.
For more sensible diet and nutrition advice visit our website for free articles, downloads, features and magazines.
This 24 hour detox diet can be used after a period of over-indulgence, or when you awake feeling poorly and will revitalize you quickly.
This detox diet should not to be used everyday.
24 Hour Detox Diet Basics
The basis for this detox diet is 4 glasses of ‘fresh' pomegranate juice, slow-cooked brown rice, a high-power vegetable salad, and 200 grams of raw almonds.
The combination will give you all the vitamins and minerals you need for your day, clear your body of toxins and oxidants, and give you plenty of energy to face the world. You will also lose a minimum of 600 grams to 1 kilo depending on your height and body weight.
Detoxing to cleanse your body
The pomegranate is a very powerful (the most powerful) anti-oxidant we know of in any food.
It has been shown to reverse and even prevent some cancers and heart disease.
The almonds will supply all the calories, oils, and proteins you need, without feeling hungry.
The salads are for bulk and all the vitamins and minerals that are gained from the eating of salads and vegetables.
The brown rice is also a wonderful antioxidant, and source of many vitamins and minerals that can be readily absorbed by the body.
The rules of this detox diet are simple:
1. No coffee or tea, or any soft drink. The ONLY liquids that are allowed are the 4 glasses of pomegranate juice and much water as you can drink.
2. If you are a smoker, try to stop for the 24 hours, or if you cannot, limit the cigarettes to as few as possible, and try not to inhale, but smoke the cigarette as you would a cigar.
3. Take a hot shower or bath both in the morning and in the evening, scrubbing the skin with a brush, loofa, or special skin cloth that will stimulate good blood circulation. Also going to a sauna is a wonderful idea. Spend as much time there as possible, taking your food with you.
4. Do not cheat; follow the diet plan. Eat ONLY when you are hungry, not by the clock.
5. Exercise by any means (walking may be the best) for at least 45 minutes during the day. This is very important.
Detox diet Morning Meal
One glass of pomegranate juice, with a handful of the raw almonds. Do not overfill your stomach; when you are about 50% satisfied, stop.
Detox diet Mid-morning Snack
One bowl of the brown rice, with some natural soya sauce, and some tofu if you feel you need protein. One glass of water.
Detox diet Lunch
One glass of pomegranate juice and a mixed green salad, as much as you wish. A dressing of virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, and salt may be used.
Detox diet Mid-Day Snack
One glass of pomegranate juice, with a handful of the raw almonds. Do not overfill your stomach; when you are about 50% satisfied, stop.
Detox diet Diner
The last glass of pomegranate juice and a large bowl of brown rice.
No more food should be consumed with this detox diet.
You will have taken over 1200 calories, and a host of wholesome and healthful nutrients with this detox diet if followed exactly.
Moreover, you body will have had 24 hours to rid itself of the toxins absorbed by over-indulgence, or simply daily city life (stress, pollution and processed food products).
During the day When using this detox diet feel fantastic and alert.
We advise to not follow this detox diet more than one day weekly, as it is not effective as a general everyday diet. It is however highly effective as a quick pick me up and cleansing diet.
For more sensible diet and nutrition advice visit our website for free articles, downloads, features and magazines.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Aromatherapy to Overcome Your Financial Fears
By Francoise Rapp
For many people, the menacing and overpowering awareness of their financial state is enough to keep them awake at night. And it's no wonder, since we spend so much of our daily lives doing mental accounting of our finances, paying bills, and watching our paperwork pile up. This financial anxiety can be paralyzing for some, keeping them in an endless poverty consciousness cycle that actually prevents them from attracting the abundance they so desire.
If you suffer from these self-sabotaging fears, it's time to learn how to release their hold on you. And you may be surprised to learn that the remedy is really no different than treating a physical ailment.
When you are sick, you take herbs and nurture yourself in order to regain your health. Apply this principle to your emotional state and use action to relieve your symptoms. Include a simple ritual and a customized aromatherapy blend to your daily routine and you will soon find yourself free from the financial fears that were holding you back.
Start by taking the following actions to welcome prosperity into your life:
-- Clear the Clutter --
Are you apprehensive about your accounting, allowing it to pile up and clutter your life? Consider the negative message that sends about your abilities to manage your finances. Eliminating clutter is a major principle in Feng Shui. When you clear it, you also eliminate the emotional clutter as well. Do a major de-cluttering this week. Make it a point to organize your papers, file your receipts, etc. Then, make sure to maintain your new sense of order.
-- Change Your Perspective on the Situation --
We are often reluctant to address our finances because we are afraid of what we will find. Will we find more debt? Will we discover we have less money than we need? Change your perspective today by doing an inventory of your life. Make a list of all your goods: possessions, relationships, success stories, health, etc. See how much you have on hand instead of how much you lack. And remember, no matter how bad it gets, there is always a way out.
-- Aromatic Blend to Transcend Your Financial Fears --
This blend will boost your confidence, willpower, and courage.
In a 10-ml bottle, add the following essential oils and fill with an organic vegetable oil:
· 5 drops Bay leaves Essential Oil
· 5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
· 4 drops Cinnamon Essential Oil
Anoint the solar plexus, lower back. Pour a few drops into the palm of your hands and breathe it in deeply. Use it in the morning, when feeling scared or anxious about a financial situation.
Order the oils you need to prepare your blend:
===> http://www.aromalchemy.com/aromatherapy/ouroils.html
-- Your 10-Minute Ritual --
This exercise will replenish your body and mind in positive energy, thus helping you attract abundance into your life.
Sit silently in a quiet place for several minutes. Visualize yourself surrounded by and absorbing a golden color within your entire body, each organ, each cell. Imagine it radiating out. Hold this vision for at least 10 minutes. Feel how your body is full of this golden color.
Pour a few drops of the aromatic blend into the palms of your hands and breathe it in deeply. Say the following affirmation three times aloud:
"I am the creator of my own wealth and take action today toward abundance."
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/fr_financial.html
For many people, the menacing and overpowering awareness of their financial state is enough to keep them awake at night. And it's no wonder, since we spend so much of our daily lives doing mental accounting of our finances, paying bills, and watching our paperwork pile up. This financial anxiety can be paralyzing for some, keeping them in an endless poverty consciousness cycle that actually prevents them from attracting the abundance they so desire.
If you suffer from these self-sabotaging fears, it's time to learn how to release their hold on you. And you may be surprised to learn that the remedy is really no different than treating a physical ailment.
When you are sick, you take herbs and nurture yourself in order to regain your health. Apply this principle to your emotional state and use action to relieve your symptoms. Include a simple ritual and a customized aromatherapy blend to your daily routine and you will soon find yourself free from the financial fears that were holding you back.
Start by taking the following actions to welcome prosperity into your life:
-- Clear the Clutter --
Are you apprehensive about your accounting, allowing it to pile up and clutter your life? Consider the negative message that sends about your abilities to manage your finances. Eliminating clutter is a major principle in Feng Shui. When you clear it, you also eliminate the emotional clutter as well. Do a major de-cluttering this week. Make it a point to organize your papers, file your receipts, etc. Then, make sure to maintain your new sense of order.
-- Change Your Perspective on the Situation --
We are often reluctant to address our finances because we are afraid of what we will find. Will we find more debt? Will we discover we have less money than we need? Change your perspective today by doing an inventory of your life. Make a list of all your goods: possessions, relationships, success stories, health, etc. See how much you have on hand instead of how much you lack. And remember, no matter how bad it gets, there is always a way out.
-- Aromatic Blend to Transcend Your Financial Fears --
This blend will boost your confidence, willpower, and courage.
In a 10-ml bottle, add the following essential oils and fill with an organic vegetable oil:
· 5 drops Bay leaves Essential Oil
· 5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
· 4 drops Cinnamon Essential Oil
Anoint the solar plexus, lower back. Pour a few drops into the palm of your hands and breathe it in deeply. Use it in the morning, when feeling scared or anxious about a financial situation.
Order the oils you need to prepare your blend:
===> http://www.aromalchemy.com/aromatherapy/ouroils.html
-- Your 10-Minute Ritual --
This exercise will replenish your body and mind in positive energy, thus helping you attract abundance into your life.
Sit silently in a quiet place for several minutes. Visualize yourself surrounded by and absorbing a golden color within your entire body, each organ, each cell. Imagine it radiating out. Hold this vision for at least 10 minutes. Feel how your body is full of this golden color.
Pour a few drops of the aromatic blend into the palms of your hands and breathe it in deeply. Say the following affirmation three times aloud:
"I am the creator of my own wealth and take action today toward abundance."
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/fr_financial.html
Battle With Burn-Out
By Tracy Brinkmann
Letting yourself reach the point where you are burnt out, worn down and used up is a threat to your dreams, goals and your life's happiness. The physical manifestation of burnout, or an overload of stress, is your body's natural response to the pressures you are placed under and that place it under during the course of your day. Worse yet when you place yourself in a stressful situation in your mind through worry and fret, your body reacts as if physically placed in that situation. Your body's natural defenses go into action.
Perhaps you are stressed and anxious about an upcoming interview, big presentation or sales meeting. But your body's natural defenses are reacting as if a gang of thugs cornered you in a dark alley. Your heart quickens, you become sweaty, and your thoughts are broken and scattered. Too much stress can actually wear you down, as your body fights to keep up this level of defense. You can easily see how this will negatively impact your effectiveness towards accomplishing your goals.
But at the root level the cause of the stress is more the issue than the stress itself. This root cause is what really can generate a sense of hopelessness, a reduction in productivity, bear a heavy weight on relationships, shatter dreams, and in some cases even result in chemical dependency.
However, you can learn to response to your stress and anxiety in a manner that will avoid these horror stories and stop the disaster before it destroys your road to success.
Signs that your stress is reaching the danger zone:
Bored (not just when there is nothing to do)
Do not feel appreciated/loved/cared for
Overly Tense
Aggravated/Frustrated
Short Fuse - quick to get angry
Frequently/Constantly tired or exhausted
Hate getting up in the morning (often don't)
Frequently being late to work, meetings, etc.
Skipping work
Frequently ill
Frequently Forgetting things (tasks, items, date etc.)
Resist change
Procrastinates
Feeling hopeless (no light at the end of the tunnel)
Alcohol or drug consumption increasing
Having trouble with a number of these signs? Well then you could be doing battle with burnout. Burnout is a slow burn and can come upon you so leisurely that you do not even realize it. Listen to your body (and your friends). Knowing is step one to winning the burnout battle.
This topic does not go over well with some. Often it goes over the least with the determined, go-getters of the world. They say, "Bah, I'm just doing what I do best. Getting ahead, getting things done. Sure I burn the mid-night oil but that's how I get ahead." These highly motivated and un-wavering people are at the highest level of risk. They become inundated with their high expectations of themselves and their enthusiasm to achieve their dreams.
If you are passionate about being a success. If you feel the need to be in control all the time. And if you frequently over commit yourself with tasks and responsibilities, then you too are at risk of becoming a contender in the burnout battle.
Attitude and a positive viewpoint of your life will positively influence your vulnerability. As I said earlier, it is your attitude toward a demand or pressure rather than the actual demand or pressure that causes the stress. Learn to manage your stress. Now this sometimes means making the tough decisions. Remembering to take care of yourself, both mentally and physically. Accepting responsibility for your well being and making positive life choices. Take the time to list the things that are causing you undo stress (the root causes. List them all - even the ones that you enjoy but still result in stress. Once you complete the list, break it into two categories; conditions you can change and conditions you cannot change.
Sit down and work out a plan to resolve the stressful conditions that you can change. Then work the plan. Remember, coming up with the plan alone won't do it. You have to work the plan and remove the stress from your life and from you list.
As for the conditions that you are unable to change. Look at better ways to react to them. The conditions themselves aren't causing the stress; your attitude/reaction to the conditions is causing the stress. Some of the material I have shared with you in the past (last issue on Attitude for example) can prepare you to better react to these conditions positively. You can't stop these waves of stress, so learn to surf them.
Think Successfully.
Tracy
(C) Tracy Brinkmann, all rights reserved
SOURCE: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/tb_burnout.html
Letting yourself reach the point where you are burnt out, worn down and used up is a threat to your dreams, goals and your life's happiness. The physical manifestation of burnout, or an overload of stress, is your body's natural response to the pressures you are placed under and that place it under during the course of your day. Worse yet when you place yourself in a stressful situation in your mind through worry and fret, your body reacts as if physically placed in that situation. Your body's natural defenses go into action.
Perhaps you are stressed and anxious about an upcoming interview, big presentation or sales meeting. But your body's natural defenses are reacting as if a gang of thugs cornered you in a dark alley. Your heart quickens, you become sweaty, and your thoughts are broken and scattered. Too much stress can actually wear you down, as your body fights to keep up this level of defense. You can easily see how this will negatively impact your effectiveness towards accomplishing your goals.
But at the root level the cause of the stress is more the issue than the stress itself. This root cause is what really can generate a sense of hopelessness, a reduction in productivity, bear a heavy weight on relationships, shatter dreams, and in some cases even result in chemical dependency.
However, you can learn to response to your stress and anxiety in a manner that will avoid these horror stories and stop the disaster before it destroys your road to success.
Signs that your stress is reaching the danger zone:
Bored (not just when there is nothing to do)
Do not feel appreciated/loved/cared for
Overly Tense
Aggravated/Frustrated
Short Fuse - quick to get angry
Frequently/Constantly tired or exhausted
Hate getting up in the morning (often don't)
Frequently being late to work, meetings, etc.
Skipping work
Frequently ill
Frequently Forgetting things (tasks, items, date etc.)
Resist change
Procrastinates
Feeling hopeless (no light at the end of the tunnel)
Alcohol or drug consumption increasing
Having trouble with a number of these signs? Well then you could be doing battle with burnout. Burnout is a slow burn and can come upon you so leisurely that you do not even realize it. Listen to your body (and your friends). Knowing is step one to winning the burnout battle.
This topic does not go over well with some. Often it goes over the least with the determined, go-getters of the world. They say, "Bah, I'm just doing what I do best. Getting ahead, getting things done. Sure I burn the mid-night oil but that's how I get ahead." These highly motivated and un-wavering people are at the highest level of risk. They become inundated with their high expectations of themselves and their enthusiasm to achieve their dreams.
If you are passionate about being a success. If you feel the need to be in control all the time. And if you frequently over commit yourself with tasks and responsibilities, then you too are at risk of becoming a contender in the burnout battle.
Attitude and a positive viewpoint of your life will positively influence your vulnerability. As I said earlier, it is your attitude toward a demand or pressure rather than the actual demand or pressure that causes the stress. Learn to manage your stress. Now this sometimes means making the tough decisions. Remembering to take care of yourself, both mentally and physically. Accepting responsibility for your well being and making positive life choices. Take the time to list the things that are causing you undo stress (the root causes. List them all - even the ones that you enjoy but still result in stress. Once you complete the list, break it into two categories; conditions you can change and conditions you cannot change.
Sit down and work out a plan to resolve the stressful conditions that you can change. Then work the plan. Remember, coming up with the plan alone won't do it. You have to work the plan and remove the stress from your life and from you list.
As for the conditions that you are unable to change. Look at better ways to react to them. The conditions themselves aren't causing the stress; your attitude/reaction to the conditions is causing the stress. Some of the material I have shared with you in the past (last issue on Attitude for example) can prepare you to better react to these conditions positively. You can't stop these waves of stress, so learn to surf them.
Think Successfully.
Tracy
(C) Tracy Brinkmann, all rights reserved
SOURCE: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/tb_burnout.html
Herbal and Ayurvedic Remedies for Dark Under Eye Circles
By Tom Alter
Dark circles are formed under the eyes. They are dark blemishes that surround the eyes and thus spoil the appearance of the face. They are also known as eye circles and are sometimes referred to in slang as bags under the eyes.
There are many reasons why dark circles may occur. Knowing these reasons will help to avoid them and thus get protection from these ungainly blemishes on the face. These causes are:
1. Lack of sleep
2. Extreme tiredness
3. Improper diet and nutrition
4. Stress
5. Hormonal problems
6. Advancing age
7. Hyper-pigmentation of the skin
8. Exposure to heat and sunlight
9. Excessive intake of some drugs
Dark circles are caused due to vitiation in the vata and the pitta doshas. These are the elements governing the air and the fire elements in the human body respectively. It has been found that yoga is very beneficial in reducing dark circles. Pranayama and shavasana help the mind to de-stress. Such asanas are prescribed for people with dark circles.
Once the dark circles have appeared, it is very difficult to get rid of them. There are many cosmetic creams in the market that claim to eliminate dark circles, but dark circles can be only removed by a healthy lifestyle. There are some ways in which dark circles can be reduced. These methods are mentioned in this article.
Useful Herbs/Plants in the Treatment of Dark Circles
1. Apple (Malus domestica)
Apples contain tannin which helps in reducing dark circles. In addition, apples also contain potassium and the water soluble vitamins B and C which can replenish the lost nutrients in the skin under the eyes.
2. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
The cucumber is a very cool vegetable. For this reason it is used widely as a treatment for eye circles. The cool juices of the cucumber help the eyes to de-stress, which makes the dark circles disappear within a few days.
3. Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
The starchy content of the potatoes helps in the treatment of dark circles. Both the peel and thin slices of the potato can be placed over the eyes to get good results.
4. Rose (Rosa cordifolia)
No other treatment for dark circles is as common as the extract of rose petals, known as rose water or gulaab jal. Rose water soothes the eyes and removes their redness. It also rejuvenates the skin around the eyes. This reduces the eye circles. Rose water can completely eliminate the dark circles if used persistently for a few weeks.
Dietary Treatments for Dark Circles
Keep your diet very healthy if you want to get rid of your dark circles. Many Ayurvedic doctors would agree that the first treatment of dark circles begins with correcting the diet. The diet must not be too dry. Use lots of water in the preparation of dishes in the form of gravies, daals, soups, etc. Cook your food in a little fat to reduce the vata vitiation. Drink lot of water throughout the day. Also consume fresh fruits that have high water contents.
Home Medications
1. Cucumber is very beneficial in reducing dark circles due to its cooling effects. Cut thin slices of cucumber and place them directly over the eyes. Keep them for about fifteen minutes. Do this every night before going to bed. It will give a restful sleep and will reduce the dark circles in the morning. Cucumber slices are very beneficial when the dark circles are caused due to stress.
2. Another simple method is to dip cotton pieces in water and place them over the eye. Here water is the treating agent. Its coolness soothes the eyes. A better effect can be achieved by using rose water instead of simple water.
3. The peel of a potato can also be placed on the eye. Do this every night before going to sleep. Since potato peels can attach better to the eyelids, this method is preferable over cucumber slices.
4. Almond oil massage is beneficial in case you are suffering from dark circles. Ideally, the massage must be done at night time, and the eyes must not be opened after that until morning. So, this must be done when going to bed.
5. Prepare a paste of nutmeg in milk. Apply this on and around the eyelids before going to bed.
6. You can even put used tea bags around the eyes to get good results. The alkaloids in the tea help to renew the skin around the eyes.
The most important thing to remember is that you must not stress your eyes too much. This is a sure way of getting dark circles. Even when you are working throughout the day, take some time out (even ten minutes will do) to wash your eyes with cool water and then keep them shut. Do not think about any stressful thoughts when your eyes are shut. Divert your mind in thinking about beautiful things in nature. When you open your eyes after the ten minutes are over, you will feel as refreshed as though you have had a siesta.
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ta_eyecircles.html
Dark circles are formed under the eyes. They are dark blemishes that surround the eyes and thus spoil the appearance of the face. They are also known as eye circles and are sometimes referred to in slang as bags under the eyes.
There are many reasons why dark circles may occur. Knowing these reasons will help to avoid them and thus get protection from these ungainly blemishes on the face. These causes are:
1. Lack of sleep
2. Extreme tiredness
3. Improper diet and nutrition
4. Stress
5. Hormonal problems
6. Advancing age
7. Hyper-pigmentation of the skin
8. Exposure to heat and sunlight
9. Excessive intake of some drugs
Dark circles are caused due to vitiation in the vata and the pitta doshas. These are the elements governing the air and the fire elements in the human body respectively. It has been found that yoga is very beneficial in reducing dark circles. Pranayama and shavasana help the mind to de-stress. Such asanas are prescribed for people with dark circles.
Once the dark circles have appeared, it is very difficult to get rid of them. There are many cosmetic creams in the market that claim to eliminate dark circles, but dark circles can be only removed by a healthy lifestyle. There are some ways in which dark circles can be reduced. These methods are mentioned in this article.
Useful Herbs/Plants in the Treatment of Dark Circles
1. Apple (Malus domestica)
Apples contain tannin which helps in reducing dark circles. In addition, apples also contain potassium and the water soluble vitamins B and C which can replenish the lost nutrients in the skin under the eyes.
2. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
The cucumber is a very cool vegetable. For this reason it is used widely as a treatment for eye circles. The cool juices of the cucumber help the eyes to de-stress, which makes the dark circles disappear within a few days.
3. Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
The starchy content of the potatoes helps in the treatment of dark circles. Both the peel and thin slices of the potato can be placed over the eyes to get good results.
4. Rose (Rosa cordifolia)
No other treatment for dark circles is as common as the extract of rose petals, known as rose water or gulaab jal. Rose water soothes the eyes and removes their redness. It also rejuvenates the skin around the eyes. This reduces the eye circles. Rose water can completely eliminate the dark circles if used persistently for a few weeks.
Dietary Treatments for Dark Circles
Keep your diet very healthy if you want to get rid of your dark circles. Many Ayurvedic doctors would agree that the first treatment of dark circles begins with correcting the diet. The diet must not be too dry. Use lots of water in the preparation of dishes in the form of gravies, daals, soups, etc. Cook your food in a little fat to reduce the vata vitiation. Drink lot of water throughout the day. Also consume fresh fruits that have high water contents.
Home Medications
1. Cucumber is very beneficial in reducing dark circles due to its cooling effects. Cut thin slices of cucumber and place them directly over the eyes. Keep them for about fifteen minutes. Do this every night before going to bed. It will give a restful sleep and will reduce the dark circles in the morning. Cucumber slices are very beneficial when the dark circles are caused due to stress.
2. Another simple method is to dip cotton pieces in water and place them over the eye. Here water is the treating agent. Its coolness soothes the eyes. A better effect can be achieved by using rose water instead of simple water.
3. The peel of a potato can also be placed on the eye. Do this every night before going to sleep. Since potato peels can attach better to the eyelids, this method is preferable over cucumber slices.
4. Almond oil massage is beneficial in case you are suffering from dark circles. Ideally, the massage must be done at night time, and the eyes must not be opened after that until morning. So, this must be done when going to bed.
5. Prepare a paste of nutmeg in milk. Apply this on and around the eyelids before going to bed.
6. You can even put used tea bags around the eyes to get good results. The alkaloids in the tea help to renew the skin around the eyes.
The most important thing to remember is that you must not stress your eyes too much. This is a sure way of getting dark circles. Even when you are working throughout the day, take some time out (even ten minutes will do) to wash your eyes with cool water and then keep them shut. Do not think about any stressful thoughts when your eyes are shut. Divert your mind in thinking about beautiful things in nature. When you open your eyes after the ten minutes are over, you will feel as refreshed as though you have had a siesta.
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ta_eyecircles.html
The Power Within Us
By: Robert Elias Najemy
Do You Seem to Get Caught Up in the Same Old Reactions?
Through His example, Christ gave us the message that there is a great power within us and that we can do wonders if we believe in ourselves and the Divine. With that faith we even conquer death.
This divine power is within each of us. We are the temples of the living God. His power resides within us. Our lesson is to use it properly in
harmony with the universal laws of creation, so as to create harmony in our personal and communal lives. As manipulators of divine power, we are co-creators with the Divine.
Until now, we have been doing a poor job of using that power. We have created a world with a considerable amount of pain, injustice, inequality, loneliness, violence and famine.
We need to re-find that power again within us, and use it now together with its proper companion - love. Power without love, as man has used it until today, is destructive and ugly, similar to many of our cities. Power with love is harmonious and beautiful like nature.
The Power to Forgive
That power allows us to transcend our «small human egos», which hold on to our little resentments, hurts and anger. Christ gave us clear message with his attitude towards those who harmed him. As he spoke these words, «They know not what they do», he taught us the need to understand.
All negative behaviors are a result of our fear, insecurity and ignorance. When people harm us with their words or actions, they are acting out of insecurity and in ignorance of their and our unified divine nature. They are controlled by their programming and are not capable of doing otherwise.
As we grow into higher levels of consciousness, we will feel more secure and understand and forgive them. He forgave and prayed for those who killed him. This message has failed to seep into our hearts, even though two thousand years have passed since that powerful event.
The other who has done us harm, was simply bringing to us the results of our past choices, present beliefs and the lessons which we have chosen to learn at this time. It is a test. It is our opportunity for spiritual growth.
We need to understand that the other is acting out of ignorance, insecurity and fear.
We need to understand also that this event is happening to us for a reason to test our wisdom, strength and love.
We have everything to gain by forgiving that person.
We forgive not for the other's sake but for ours. We are the ones who suffer as long as we do not forgive and forget whatever has happened. We are immersed in our own negative energy, which deteriorates our emotional harmony as well as our nervous, endocrine and immune systems.
There is, however, a great difference between suppressing anger and transcending it through wisdom and love.
In the first case we ignore reality. In the second case, we need to connect to the Truth.
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ren_powerinus.html
Do You Seem to Get Caught Up in the Same Old Reactions?
Through His example, Christ gave us the message that there is a great power within us and that we can do wonders if we believe in ourselves and the Divine. With that faith we even conquer death.
This divine power is within each of us. We are the temples of the living God. His power resides within us. Our lesson is to use it properly in
harmony with the universal laws of creation, so as to create harmony in our personal and communal lives. As manipulators of divine power, we are co-creators with the Divine.
Until now, we have been doing a poor job of using that power. We have created a world with a considerable amount of pain, injustice, inequality, loneliness, violence and famine.
We need to re-find that power again within us, and use it now together with its proper companion - love. Power without love, as man has used it until today, is destructive and ugly, similar to many of our cities. Power with love is harmonious and beautiful like nature.
The Power to Forgive
That power allows us to transcend our «small human egos», which hold on to our little resentments, hurts and anger. Christ gave us clear message with his attitude towards those who harmed him. As he spoke these words, «They know not what they do», he taught us the need to understand.
All negative behaviors are a result of our fear, insecurity and ignorance. When people harm us with their words or actions, they are acting out of insecurity and in ignorance of their and our unified divine nature. They are controlled by their programming and are not capable of doing otherwise.
As we grow into higher levels of consciousness, we will feel more secure and understand and forgive them. He forgave and prayed for those who killed him. This message has failed to seep into our hearts, even though two thousand years have passed since that powerful event.
The other who has done us harm, was simply bringing to us the results of our past choices, present beliefs and the lessons which we have chosen to learn at this time. It is a test. It is our opportunity for spiritual growth.
We need to understand that the other is acting out of ignorance, insecurity and fear.
We need to understand also that this event is happening to us for a reason to test our wisdom, strength and love.
We have everything to gain by forgiving that person.
We forgive not for the other's sake but for ours. We are the ones who suffer as long as we do not forgive and forget whatever has happened. We are immersed in our own negative energy, which deteriorates our emotional harmony as well as our nervous, endocrine and immune systems.
There is, however, a great difference between suppressing anger and transcending it through wisdom and love.
In the first case we ignore reality. In the second case, we need to connect to the Truth.
Source: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ren_powerinus.html
Beauty and Skin Care
The Maharishi Ayurveda Approach
By: Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.
“Every person is born perfect. Inferiority is a mistake of the mind, a cloud covering the light. Dissolve the clouds by observing a balanced life with healthy habits. Nourish your mind and body. Connect with your own inner self. Celebrate your own magnificence and your beauty will always shine through.” - Dr. Rama Kant Mishra, renowned Ayurvedic physician and dermatologist
The Three Pillars of Beauty
Maharishi Ayurveda (MAV), the modern, consciousness-based revival of the ancient Ayurvedic medicine tradition, considers true beauty to be supported by three pillars; Outer Beauty, Inner Beauty and Lasting Beauty. Only by enhancing all three can we attain the balanced state of radiant health that makes each of us the most fulfilled and beautiful person we can be.
Outer Beauty: Roopam
The outer signs of beauty - your skin, hair and nails - are more than just superficial measures of beauty. They are direct reflections of your overall health. These outer tissues are created by the inner physiological processes involved in digestion, metabolism and proper tissue development. Outer beauty depends more on the strength of your digestion and metabolism, the quality of your diet, and the purity of your blood, than on external cleansers and conditioners you may apply.
General Recommendations for Outer Beauty
As we will discuss, the key to skin care is matching your diet and skin care routine to the specific skin type you have. Meanwhile, there are some valuable recommendations for lustrous skin, hair and nails that will be helpful to everyone, regardless of skin type.
1. Diet: Without adequate nourishment, your collagen layer thins and a kind of wasting takes place. Over time, your skin can shrivel up like a plant without water from lack of nourishment. To keep your skin plump and glowing:
A. Eat fresh, whole organic foods that are freshly prepared.
Avoid packaged, canned, frozen, processed foods and leftovers. These foods have little nutritional value and also they are often poorly digested which creates impurities that localize in the skin. The resulting buildup of toxins causes irritation and blocks circulation depriving the skin of further nourishment and natural cleansing processes.
B. Favor skin nourishing foods.
1. Leafy green vegetables contain vitamins, minerals (especially iron and calcium) and are high in antioxidant properties. They nourish the skin and protect it from premature aging.
2. Sweet juicy fruits like grapes, melons, pears, plums and stewed apples at breakfast are excellent for the skin in almost everyone.
3. Eat a wide variety of grains over different meals and try mixed grain servings at breakfast and lunch. Add amaranth, quinoa, cous cous, millet and barley to the wheat and rice you already eat.
4. Favor light, easy to digest proteins like legume soups (especially yellow split mung dhal), whole milk, paneer (cheese made from boiling milk, adding lemon and straining solids) and lassi (diluted yogurt and spice drinks).
5. Oils like ghee (clarified butter) and organic, extra virgin olive oil should be included in the diet as they lubricate, nourish and create lustre in the skin.
6. Use spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and black pepper to improve digestion, nourish the skin and cleanse it of impurities.
7. Avoid microwaving and boiling your vegetables. They lose as much as 85% of their antioxidant content when cooked in this way. Steaming and sautéing are best.
FOR MORE PLEASE VISIT : http://www.pioneerthinking.com/dnl_skincare.html
By: Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.
“Every person is born perfect. Inferiority is a mistake of the mind, a cloud covering the light. Dissolve the clouds by observing a balanced life with healthy habits. Nourish your mind and body. Connect with your own inner self. Celebrate your own magnificence and your beauty will always shine through.” - Dr. Rama Kant Mishra, renowned Ayurvedic physician and dermatologist
The Three Pillars of Beauty
Maharishi Ayurveda (MAV), the modern, consciousness-based revival of the ancient Ayurvedic medicine tradition, considers true beauty to be supported by three pillars; Outer Beauty, Inner Beauty and Lasting Beauty. Only by enhancing all three can we attain the balanced state of radiant health that makes each of us the most fulfilled and beautiful person we can be.
Outer Beauty: Roopam
The outer signs of beauty - your skin, hair and nails - are more than just superficial measures of beauty. They are direct reflections of your overall health. These outer tissues are created by the inner physiological processes involved in digestion, metabolism and proper tissue development. Outer beauty depends more on the strength of your digestion and metabolism, the quality of your diet, and the purity of your blood, than on external cleansers and conditioners you may apply.
General Recommendations for Outer Beauty
As we will discuss, the key to skin care is matching your diet and skin care routine to the specific skin type you have. Meanwhile, there are some valuable recommendations for lustrous skin, hair and nails that will be helpful to everyone, regardless of skin type.
1. Diet: Without adequate nourishment, your collagen layer thins and a kind of wasting takes place. Over time, your skin can shrivel up like a plant without water from lack of nourishment. To keep your skin plump and glowing:
A. Eat fresh, whole organic foods that are freshly prepared.
Avoid packaged, canned, frozen, processed foods and leftovers. These foods have little nutritional value and also they are often poorly digested which creates impurities that localize in the skin. The resulting buildup of toxins causes irritation and blocks circulation depriving the skin of further nourishment and natural cleansing processes.
B. Favor skin nourishing foods.
1. Leafy green vegetables contain vitamins, minerals (especially iron and calcium) and are high in antioxidant properties. They nourish the skin and protect it from premature aging.
2. Sweet juicy fruits like grapes, melons, pears, plums and stewed apples at breakfast are excellent for the skin in almost everyone.
3. Eat a wide variety of grains over different meals and try mixed grain servings at breakfast and lunch. Add amaranth, quinoa, cous cous, millet and barley to the wheat and rice you already eat.
4. Favor light, easy to digest proteins like legume soups (especially yellow split mung dhal), whole milk, paneer (cheese made from boiling milk, adding lemon and straining solids) and lassi (diluted yogurt and spice drinks).
5. Oils like ghee (clarified butter) and organic, extra virgin olive oil should be included in the diet as they lubricate, nourish and create lustre in the skin.
6. Use spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and black pepper to improve digestion, nourish the skin and cleanse it of impurities.
7. Avoid microwaving and boiling your vegetables. They lose as much as 85% of their antioxidant content when cooked in this way. Steaming and sautéing are best.
FOR MORE PLEASE VISIT : http://www.pioneerthinking.com/dnl_skincare.html
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Invisible Force of Energy
by Gail Rodgers
Energy is the hottest commodity on the market today. We need it at every level of life, whether material, physical and even spiritual. Though its force is invisible it drives not only the economy of the world but also the economy of our own lives.
Energy is big business. Producing it brings jobs that fuel the market place. It brings revenue fueling corporations and governments. Without its invisible force, engines stop and every area of life is affected.
Fuel in affects energy out
In our own lives we know that the food and exercise choices we make fuel our bodies. The choice of input directly affects the energy levels of output. It’s also important to consider what fuels our spirits. Energy is also a need on the spiritual side of our lives. How we fuel our spirit greatly affects our well-being. With the increasing stress in life and relationships many feel a growing deficit within.
Recent surges in exploration of spiritual energy have proven that it too is fast becoming big business. Many want to cash in on the confusion and emptiness that is openly acknowledged. You can have your future told or buy an object said to bring luck or peace, for the right price. Advertising slogans are also showing a strong spiritual awareness. Many companies are now pitching serenity right alongside a new car, chocolate, even household paint. The promises of peace in exchange for your dollar are plentiful. Yet spiritual hunger only grows.
Fueling the spirit
Spiritual peace comes not from a set of religious standards or specific rituals or objects. These may bring some degree of comfort for a short time… but true fueling of our inner spirit comes only from a relationship with the living God. Spiritual fulfillment comes from inviting God to share the journey of life with is.
Millions around the world have come to know the lasting inner peace that comes when we realize we need God’s forgiveness. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided that. We need only believe and invite Him to walk with us through every area of our lives. Changed lives are the evidence of the reality of God’s power in an individual … changed lives that were once empty or hopeless…changed marriages and homes that wondered if change was even possible.
Jesus is the Source of hope and strength. He alone is the Source of all we need to fuel us within our spirits. He alone can be depended on to meet the need of the heart that is close to running on empty.
If your spirit feels empty or depleted today from the cares of life, why not invite Jesus to share the journey with you? He alone can fuel the deep places of your heart with new life and new energy. Take the step of faith today. You will never regret it! It’s as simple as praying this prayer…
God, my spirit often feels empty. I am running on empty as I hurry through my days. I believe that You sent Jesus to be my help and my strength. Forgive me for going my own way. I invite You to walk beside me and to bring new life into my soul. Lead me and guide from this day on. Amen.
Energy is the hottest commodity on the market today. We need it at every level of life, whether material, physical and even spiritual. Though its force is invisible it drives not only the economy of the world but also the economy of our own lives.
Energy is big business. Producing it brings jobs that fuel the market place. It brings revenue fueling corporations and governments. Without its invisible force, engines stop and every area of life is affected.
Fuel in affects energy out
In our own lives we know that the food and exercise choices we make fuel our bodies. The choice of input directly affects the energy levels of output. It’s also important to consider what fuels our spirits. Energy is also a need on the spiritual side of our lives. How we fuel our spirit greatly affects our well-being. With the increasing stress in life and relationships many feel a growing deficit within.
Recent surges in exploration of spiritual energy have proven that it too is fast becoming big business. Many want to cash in on the confusion and emptiness that is openly acknowledged. You can have your future told or buy an object said to bring luck or peace, for the right price. Advertising slogans are also showing a strong spiritual awareness. Many companies are now pitching serenity right alongside a new car, chocolate, even household paint. The promises of peace in exchange for your dollar are plentiful. Yet spiritual hunger only grows.
Fueling the spirit
Spiritual peace comes not from a set of religious standards or specific rituals or objects. These may bring some degree of comfort for a short time… but true fueling of our inner spirit comes only from a relationship with the living God. Spiritual fulfillment comes from inviting God to share the journey of life with is.
Millions around the world have come to know the lasting inner peace that comes when we realize we need God’s forgiveness. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided that. We need only believe and invite Him to walk with us through every area of our lives. Changed lives are the evidence of the reality of God’s power in an individual … changed lives that were once empty or hopeless…changed marriages and homes that wondered if change was even possible.
Jesus is the Source of hope and strength. He alone is the Source of all we need to fuel us within our spirits. He alone can be depended on to meet the need of the heart that is close to running on empty.
If your spirit feels empty or depleted today from the cares of life, why not invite Jesus to share the journey with you? He alone can fuel the deep places of your heart with new life and new energy. Take the step of faith today. You will never regret it! It’s as simple as praying this prayer…
God, my spirit often feels empty. I am running on empty as I hurry through my days. I believe that You sent Jesus to be my help and my strength. Forgive me for going my own way. I invite You to walk beside me and to bring new life into my soul. Lead me and guide from this day on. Amen.
Learning to Love My Body
by Stacy Carto
I'm doing something I thought I'd never do again - working as a full-time model in New York, this time in the plus-size market. For six years, I worked full-time as a straight-size model. But I got out of the business after battling bulimia and coming to the conclusion that it wasn't right for me to continue.
Bulimia had a hold on my life, and I constantly struggled to be thin enough. I felt so guilty. I found freedom and have and have been abstinent for eight years. But my struggle with bulimia is another story.
A plus-size model - who, me?
After I quit modeling, I remained in the industry doing hair and makeup. At a photo shoot one day, a stylist encouraged me to get into modeling again, but as a plus-size model. I laughed! I had said I would never model again unless I could work just the way I was.
I didn't really consider plus sized modeling until I was in Florida and started thinking about making some extra money alongside my make-up career. Shortly after that I started working at a local church and stopped thinking much about modeling. But soon after I got representation in Miami with a plus-size agency.
While I am considered small for that end for the industry, there was plenty of work. My agent kept trying to get me to do it full time and really put some effort into it, but a full-time modeling career was not one of my desires at the time. A year and a half later I felt it was time for me go back to modeling. I can't believe that I am 31 years old and back in New York!
Seeing the fashion industry through new eyes
As I get back into the business this time, it is so different. I am better prepared me to go into the battlefield. And it is a battlefield! Although many things in the plus-size industry differ from the straight-size market, one thing remains the same: these women need hope. The emptiness is there. I can see it in their eyes.
Today I called my agency to check in for the morning. In a somber, quiet voice, my booking agent said that of the models on our board, a beautiful 21-year-old who graced the cover of Mode magazine, had committed suicide over the weekend. Though she was on the rise to great success, she felt so alone, so sad, that she felt she could not live any longer. This grieves me deeply.
Living without hope
I then thought of a conversation I'd had recently on the plane ride back from Germany with one of the models I had worked with. She also is very successful and has done many covers and campaigns. But on the plane she told me of her alcohol problem and her need for help.
These women need hope. I found that hope in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you'll experience life to the fullest.
~ Stacy Carto has been in the fashion industry for 14 years. Her career has taken her internationally to countries including Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece, Australia, and Switzerland. She has appeared in magazines such as Mode, Vogue, Glamour, and New Woman. Presently, Stacy and her husband reside in Florida. For information about plus-sized modeling, Stacy recommends www.plusmodels.com
A Healing Journey
secret -concealed from general knowledge or view, hidden. (Webster's Dictionary)
There are different kinds of secrets. Some are things hidden from our understanding, sometimes called the mysteries of life: how they built the pyramids, miracles, unexplained events. There are military secrets - confidential military matters, the CIA and spies. There are the secrets that are methods or formulas based on successes: if you send in your hundred dollars, you can receive a secret blend of tea/cream/pills guaranteed to make your cellulite disappear. Don't we wish. There are the secrets where others share confidences with you.
Then you have the secrets that are of the personal nature - things that we have done ourselves, or had done to us, or been involved in that we don't want anybody to know about. Usually it is something that is not socially or morally acceptable.
There are different kinds of personal secrets:
Cheating - Perhaps on an exam, just looking over onto the next person's paper.
Lying - Even distorting the numbers on our income tax.
Stealing - We eat those grapes, walking down the aisle in the market, and we haven't paid for them. That may be a stretch, but then maybe there's a history of stealing- stealing as a teenager. Maybe its embezzlement.
Sexual secrets - Things like affairs, crisis pregnancies that may have ended in adoption or abortion that you haven't told anybody about. Maybe it was prostitution. Molestation. Homosexuality. Addiction to pornography. Incest.
Drug addictions - This could be anything from sleeping pills to cocaine to heroin.
The list goes on.
We keep secrets for many reasons. We conceal out of fear and shame. We fear rejection. What if - if we expose ourselves and lay ourselves bare - we are abandoned by our friends, our family, or perhaps even ridiculed by our enemies. We fear that our projected persona would become tarnished if we showed who we really are. We may feel that to be acceptable to others we must look good at all costs. Perhaps we keep secrets in a futile attempt to erase our past.
Abortion is a secret that many people keep. We can transpose the same dynamics from this onto any personal secret. Abortion is an issue that is highly charged and can be very political, but my intent is to discuss this subject with sensitivity and compassion.
A Woman's Secret-Abortion
In the general population, about one in four women has had an abortion. Tracy, Lynn, Kate, Donna and Muriel all shared this secret. The first four are not their real names, but their circumstances are all true. Muriel, the fifth woman, openly writes and speaks about her abortion experience and her healing journey. As one of our volunteers at Post Abortion Community Services, she has given permission to use her real name.
When I first met these women, and learned something about themselves and their lives, they each presented with an array of symptoms specific to what is called Post Abortion Stress - also called Post Abortion Trauma or Post Abortion Syndrome. For whatever reasons the woman has had an abortion, she can enter a kind of relief phase from two to five years. That phase is starting to shorten simply because many women now have access to information and pictures that they wouldn't have in the past - fetal development, ultrasounds, and other literature. Following that relief period, some symptoms that women describe are:
Guilt/survival guilt - "I took the life of my baby. I feel badly about it now. I wish I weren't here."
Anxiety and panic attacks.
Psychological numbing - "I don't feel happy; I don't feel sad. I feel nothing. I feel devoid of emotion." One woman in a group, after she told her story, was asked: "What was it like to tell your abortion story?" She said: "I felt like I was up in the room . . . and I watched myself, looking down, telling my story." It was as if she couldn't bring her emotions together with the actual details of what had happened in her life.
Depression - Many women have, at some point after their abortion, felt suicidal.
Anniversary syndrome - On the date that the baby would have been born, or on the date of the abortion, sometimes women feel different, kind of crazy. Some women re-experience the abortion in flashbacks.
Child-bearing/fertility anxiety - Women may become preoccupied with becoming pregnant again. There may also be an interruption of the bonding process when they do feel that they are ready to have a baby.
Eating disorders.
Alcohol/drug abuse - Behaviours that only mask the pain.
Brief, reactive psychosis - One woman described walking down a city street on garbage day. As she passed the alley, she "could hear babies crying from the garbage cans." She had a break with reality. Another woman woke up one night after her abortion, and she looked at her hands and said: "I've got blood on my hands." She said: "I went and I tried to wash this off my hands and it wasn't coming off."
These symptoms are primarily the result of three things:
A. The inability to process the fear, the guilt and the anger surrounding the pregnancy and the abortion.
B. The inability to grieve the loss of the baby - because it is a pregnancy loss, there is a child-bearing loss.
C. An inability to come to peace with herself and others involved in the abortion decision.
Many other factors may affect the situation, such as the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. Was it an affair? Was it incest? Was it rape? Was the person unmarried? Were the rules about having sex broken? Each of these circumstances will bring a set of dynamics that will affect the woman's situation.
Another factor is support - what sort of support did she have? Was she in a situation where either the boyfriend or the husband was pressuring her to have the abortion? Did she pressure him to agree to the abortion? What about family and friends? Did she tell anyone? Did she cross her own moral and ethical boundaries?
The type and the legality of the abortion are also important to the woman's experience. We see many women from both sides. There are nine or ten different types of abortion, depending on the stage of pregnancy. So the woman who was awake, for example, would experience something very different from the woman who was under general anaesthetic. Her memories would be very different if she were at a clinic because she sees, she hears, she experiences and she remembers what people say to her. The woman under general anaesthetic - as is usual in a hospital - will remember the before and the after. If it were a medical abortion - where she is going to abort in her own home - this will make a difference as well. She will be reminded of that everywhere she goes in her own home. If it's a second or third trimester abortion, she's going to be fully awake to go through labour and delivery.
Tracy came for counselling after keeping her abortion a secret for twenty years. She had a later term abortion, and it was illegal. Lynn arrived for her first appointment through the back door from the alley. She was frightened that she would be seen coming into our office. Lynn took part as a subject in an experimental project to test medical abortions. She aborted in her own home.
Kate was adamant that she could not be in a post-abortion group with anyone who worked in her field. She was quite well-known and she was terrified that anybody in her profession would find out her story. She came for counselling five years after her abortion. Her abortion was an early term abortion and it was legal. Donna came for counselling more than twenty years after her illegal abortion. She was a teenager at the time of her abortion - her mother had arranged it and was present in the room at the time of the abortion, where her daughter gave birth to twins. Muriel came twenty-two years after her two abortions. Both were first trimester, both were approved by a hospital board, so they were both legal.
At the time of their abortions, each of the women was single. Donna and Tracy are now married and they've told their husbands. Muriel, Kate, and Lynn are currently single. Generally, for those who were involved in the decision-making, the abortion was a part of their lives that they chose to keep secret.
The Deep, Dark Place
Secrets imprison, they breed suspicion, and at times they can paralyse us with a fear of being found out. They are parts of us that we hide, that we keep undercover. It's kind of musty, dank, and dark in that place; nothing flourishes there except fear. It's often shrouded in shame, guilt, confusion, and - in the case of abortion - there may be mixed maternal messages for the woman. If you're not talking to anybody in the isolation of this dark place, that fear will mount.
The post-abortive woman will sometimes revisit her decision, asking herself: "Did I do the right thing? Have I done something wrong?" Or even: "What have I done?" Even a glimpse of the answer can be too painful or terrifying to face, let alone allow anyone else to see.
Somewhere in the pain and fear, consciously or unconsciously, the decision is made to conceal and to compartmentalise: "I'm not going to touch it. And no one else is going to touch it either." This might seem very strange in a society that is quite open about abortion. Yet women who've had abortions usually do not talk about it again - it usually doesn't come up in conversations. So although there is great permission for abortion, there is not great permission to talk about it. There continues to be tremendous stigma around abortion.
Building the Walls
No matter what the secret we have, we employ defence mechanisms to keep the pain at bay - to keep ourselves from going to that dark place. We can avoid people, situations and anything that gets us too close to that secret. We can deny it exists, or that it even holds any power over us. We will forget, either consciously or unconsciously. We may even try harder to make up for the shame we feel: "I'll do better, I'll work harder, I'm going to be more successful."
It may seem that our secrets, even small secrets, are benign. Yet secrecy runs deep, and it can take hold of us in ways that, perhaps, we had not even anticipated. Protection is of utmost importance to us: protection from pain, protection from being found out.
The secret, then, prevents us from intimacy, from the ability to self-disclose, and from the ability to be vulnerable with another person. It isolates , it restricts and it chokes.
This poem was written by a young woman eleven years ago. She came to a post-abortion group as a university student. She felt that she could not explain herself clearly, that she could not open up. This is a woman who had begun to look at her secret, but remnants of the isolation remained.
Babies everywhere,
Not mine.
I feel foolish,
But I want to get pregnant again.
I'd never have an abortion again.
But getting pregnant now would be stupid.
Mixed feelings:
Want a baby,
Glad I don't have a baby,
Want to get pregnant,
Scared of it.
Alone.
Leave me alone.
Don't deserve love,
I killed my own child.
Don't get too close,
Don't touch me.
I'll only hurt you,
Push you away.
Curl up in a ball,
Just me.
No one else,
No one can touch me.
Shut you out,
Shut the world out.
Alone,
Not lonely.
Yes it is lonely.
Lonelier when I'm with lots of people.
Feel detached,
At odds with myself, the world, everything.
I stood among them, but not of them,
In a shroud of thoughts which were not their thoughts.
Escape.
Go away to a cabin in the woods.
Just me and the birds, animal, and small children.
The only ones who truly accept you as you are,
No questions,
Unconditional love.
No questions.
Alone.
Me and my dog take off.
Candles, flames, fire, warm,
All-consuming.
Just sit and stare into the flame,
Imagine myself curled up inside the flame,
Fire all around me.
Surrounding, protesting, isolating.
No one can touch me.
Cocoon, protection,
Womb-like.
No worries, no fears, no thoughts.
Change, metamorphosis, become better,
Emerge whole, complete.
At peace.
Light, warmth, acceptance.
Love.
Love is patient, love is kind.
Faith, hope and love, these three.
But the greatest of these is love.
Love my baby.
Imagine myself pregnant.
See myself with the child,
Teaching, loving, molding.
Never let myself think of it as a baby before.
Tired.
Want to sleep forever.
Want to dream of paradise,
My child and I together.
No one else.
Don't want to share her with anyone.
Don't touch me.
Don't be nice to me.
I'll cry
Salty tears down my face,
Wet my pillow
Before I even realize I'm crying.
Something inside of me is empty.
It's broken, it's missing.
Irreplaceable.
Punishment, jail, bars.
No public sentence,
Only an eternity locked up inside myself,
Alone, tired, exhausted.
When a post-abortion group meets, we ask each woman to describe pictorially what her abortion pain looks like. How would she describe it? We call that the abortion wound. One woman described it as being in a body bag. You're dead. She said: "I feel dead. I want out. Wrapped up in barbed wire . . . I can't touch out without getting hurt, and nobody can touch me without getting hurt." Caged. A shattered teacup. In a dark hole, can't get out.
Muriel described her abortion wound as being up against a brick wall that she could not see over. Some years after her description of that wall, I came across a diagram that expressed the secrecy and isolation of abortion. The woman behind the brick wall.
On the outside of the wall, there are flowers and ivy growing - life flourishes. On the inside of the wall are feelings: hopelessness, shame, numb, sad, lonely, hurt. She lives within the wall: "Often this isolation is not apparent to the person living behind the wall or to the significant others in her life." This way of living has become her normal lifestyle; she got used to it. In fact, if a woman has lived long enough behind her wall, she may not even remember her life outside the wall. She feels that people let her down when she needed them, and probably not only when she aborted. So she builds the protective wall even higher.
It takes a lot of emotional energy to hold up that wall. A person has to work very hard to keep it looking good, so that nobody will find out what the secret is.
The Journey of Healing
The wall we hide behind with our secret really protects us from being free. It protects us from letting others in, from getting close and from being real. Herein lies the dilemma: we'd like to be vulnerable, we'd like to be transparent, we'd like to be intimate. But what is the cost?
The cost is being exposed - the unravelling of the secret, the consequences that might bear out, seeing ourselves as we really are.
Tracy, Lynn, Donna, Kate and Muriel, despite their fears, did not want to live as they lived. They took the first step of telling their secret. With quiet courage, they placed that first phone call. They spoke with a post-abortion counsellor, and in subsequent weeks, the unravelling began. Each woman started on her journey of healing, where she was able to sort through her fears, her questions and her emotions to grieve the loss of her baby and move into forgiveness and resolution.
Think of a person's healing journey as peeling an onion. If you think about peeling an onion, there are usually a lot of tears. The "onion" comes away in layers, and each layer represents something different. It could be some healing for anger, healing for humiliation, for depression, for unforgiveness, hatred, sadness, hopelessness, despair, shame, grief.
Grief over losing the baby.
There is freedom at each stage, as you are exposing what's been in the dark, and it comes into the light. But even good intentions to deal with a secret may not relieve the core issue. And that is the one of lingering guilt.
It is in the healing journey, I find, that we are often led to our spiritual journey. As more layers are removed, and more of those outside issues are dealt with, we get closer to the core of who we are. We are exposed for who we are. Sometimes if we rest quietly, and allow ourselves to see who we really are, it can be terrifying. Because we see people who are capable of evil. We are sinful people.
We don't like to use that word very much. When I wrote that down, I thought: "Oh, I don't know if I want to write that." But it's true, we really are. We hate to admit it. It can be a frightening realization that shatters our impression of who we thought we were. Yet if we don't run away from this place, we begin to see a yearning that arises - a yearning for forgiveness, that can't be assuaged by or from within ourselves.
We can't deal with the forgiveness. We try many things. We try doing good work. Sometimes we try punishing ourselves. It doesn't work. When we come to the end of that, we're left with our core again. The prison walls of guilt are still there, they still loom large. It's here that we're faced with our need for God.
Four of the five women - Tracy, Donna, Kate and Muriel - all experienced the relief that comes in sharing their secret within the safe company of a selected and trusted few. One of the women decided she wasn't ready to do that yet. Three of them, as they got closer to the core, moved into the next depth of the spiritual.
They received forgiveness, rest and peace in the safety of Jesus Christ. He is the very Son of God. He has the power and authority to forgive - the power and authority to reconcile us to God and the power and authority to bring restoration in our lives. We can be free women, authentic women, vulnerable women, transparent, truthful, capable of intimacy, and healed women.
Where we can't break through that prison wall, Jesus will do it on our behalf. He tells us He loves us while we're still deep in the muck of the darkness of the secret, even if we say: "Forget it God, I don't want anything to do with you." He still loves us. Jesus has already provided for our forgiveness, and He's already provided a way to turn our lives back to God. A 360-degree turnaround. A new beginning, a fresh start. All we need to do is put our hand in His, trust Him and follow Him out.
Secrets are a prison. In the Bible, Jesus says: "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
If you would like to know more about how you can experience forgiveness, click here to begin your Journey of Joy.
ANGIE CÔTÉ, RN, RPN is the Program Director of Post Abortion Community Services in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Their client services include Abortion Recovery Weekend Retreats, Individual and Group Counselling. For information and registration call 604 525-0999.
Quench the Thirst of Frizzy Hair
by Diana Dudas
"Why is my hair so FRIZZY and dry, coarse or brittle?" The simple answer - your hair needs moisture. 90% of us suffer with dry, brittle or frizzy hair because our hair lacks WATER!
Oil and Water
For years we've been told that out hair is dry because we are lack natural oils. We've been told that if we brush vigorously 100 times a day, or if we nurture our hair with hot oil treatments then we are sure to be blessed with beautiful, shiny locks. This might be the case, if you have young, virgin (hair that is not chemically treated) hair. But this is certainly not the case for permed, coloured or naturally curly hair. What contributes to frizzines?
Condition of the cuticle - Under a microscope, a cuticle looks like shingles on a roof. When the hair is in good condition, the tiles or cuticle layers are tight together giving the hair a smooth appearance and lots of shine. When hair is in bad condition, is curly or has poor porosity, the cuticle layers are lifted. The light is absorbed instead of reflected and there is no shine.
Porosity - Is the ability for hair to be able to absorb and retain moisture. Hair that has poor porosity will not be able to absorb or retain moisture as well as hair that has good porosity. Hair that cannot retain water can become permanently dry.
Product build up - Once the hair is coated, the problems start. Moisture cannot permeate through the wall of product build. Oils cannot diffuse when there is product build-up, they just sit on top of the cuticle layer, useless. Using any kind of hot styling tools such as blow dryers or hot irons, adds to the damage and decreases the shine.
Getting Rid of the Frizz
Hair in great condition has a moisture (water) content of at least 8% and the right balance of protein and natural oil. Most of us produce enough natural oil to keep our hair healthy, but lack the moisture.
After having a chemical service (colour or perm) your hair's moisture level can drop as low as 2%, drying the hair and causing split ends. The same will happen with constant use of blow-dryers and hot styling tools. If the moisture level is not restored to it's optimum 8% by the use of good moisturizing products your hair will ultimately become brittle and possibly break. Give your hair some TLC to combat frizzies and bring back the shine
Use moisturizing shampoos that are designed to restore your hair's moisture level to its optimum 8%.
Use intense conditioners that will help to repair damaged cuticles, improve porosity, elasticity and general health and appearance of your hair.
Avoid product build-up by using products that contain natural ingredients.
Avoid hot oil treatments, heavy cholesterol type conditioners, petroleum-based and silicone-based products. Also avoid hairsprays, mousses and gels that have a high alcohol or butane content.
Our hair needs MOISTURE, MOISTURE, and MOISTURE! Who needs to add moisture more than most? People with naturally curly hair, chemically treated, hot styling tool users or people who live in hot sunny and arid climates.
Used with permission.
~ Diana Dudas is an expert with more than 28 years experience in the beauty industry. She has answered over 2000 questions for allexperts.com and has had her work published in many well-respected beauty magazines both online and off.
More on Frizzy Hair:
Controling your frizzy hair
Add Shine to Your Hair Without Weighing it Down
Beauty tips, trends and how-to's from the experts
"Why is my hair so FRIZZY and dry, coarse or brittle?" The simple answer - your hair needs moisture. 90% of us suffer with dry, brittle or frizzy hair because our hair lacks WATER!
Oil and Water
For years we've been told that out hair is dry because we are lack natural oils. We've been told that if we brush vigorously 100 times a day, or if we nurture our hair with hot oil treatments then we are sure to be blessed with beautiful, shiny locks. This might be the case, if you have young, virgin (hair that is not chemically treated) hair. But this is certainly not the case for permed, coloured or naturally curly hair. What contributes to frizzines?
Condition of the cuticle - Under a microscope, a cuticle looks like shingles on a roof. When the hair is in good condition, the tiles or cuticle layers are tight together giving the hair a smooth appearance and lots of shine. When hair is in bad condition, is curly or has poor porosity, the cuticle layers are lifted. The light is absorbed instead of reflected and there is no shine.
Porosity - Is the ability for hair to be able to absorb and retain moisture. Hair that has poor porosity will not be able to absorb or retain moisture as well as hair that has good porosity. Hair that cannot retain water can become permanently dry.
Product build up - Once the hair is coated, the problems start. Moisture cannot permeate through the wall of product build. Oils cannot diffuse when there is product build-up, they just sit on top of the cuticle layer, useless. Using any kind of hot styling tools such as blow dryers or hot irons, adds to the damage and decreases the shine.
Getting Rid of the Frizz
Hair in great condition has a moisture (water) content of at least 8% and the right balance of protein and natural oil. Most of us produce enough natural oil to keep our hair healthy, but lack the moisture.
After having a chemical service (colour or perm) your hair's moisture level can drop as low as 2%, drying the hair and causing split ends. The same will happen with constant use of blow-dryers and hot styling tools. If the moisture level is not restored to it's optimum 8% by the use of good moisturizing products your hair will ultimately become brittle and possibly break. Give your hair some TLC to combat frizzies and bring back the shine
Use moisturizing shampoos that are designed to restore your hair's moisture level to its optimum 8%.
Use intense conditioners that will help to repair damaged cuticles, improve porosity, elasticity and general health and appearance of your hair.
Avoid product build-up by using products that contain natural ingredients.
Avoid hot oil treatments, heavy cholesterol type conditioners, petroleum-based and silicone-based products. Also avoid hairsprays, mousses and gels that have a high alcohol or butane content.
Our hair needs MOISTURE, MOISTURE, and MOISTURE! Who needs to add moisture more than most? People with naturally curly hair, chemically treated, hot styling tool users or people who live in hot sunny and arid climates.
Used with permission.
~ Diana Dudas is an expert with more than 28 years experience in the beauty industry. She has answered over 2000 questions for allexperts.com and has had her work published in many well-respected beauty magazines both online and off.
More on Frizzy Hair:
Controling your frizzy hair
Add Shine to Your Hair Without Weighing it Down
Beauty tips, trends and how-to's from the experts
White Chocolate Berry Soufflés
BERRY MIXTURE
Frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained 2 cups 500 mL
Granulated sugar 1/2 cup 125 mL
Orange-flavoured liqueur (such as Grand Marnier) 2 tbsp. 30 mL
Hard margarine (or butter) 1/2 tsp. 2 mL
Granulated sugar 2 tbsp. 30 mL
SOUFFLÉ
Hard margarine (or butter) 2 tbsp. 30 mL
All-purpose flour 2 tbsp. 30 mL
Milk 1/2 cup 125 mL
White chocolate baking squares (1 oz., 28 g, each), chopped 3 3
Egg yolks (large), fork-beaten 2 2
Granulated sugar 3 tbsp. 50 mL
Egg whites (large), room temperature 4 4
Icing (confectioner's) sugar, for dusting 1 tbsp. 15 mL
Berry Mixture: Combine first 3 ingredients in medium frying pan on medium. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and mixture is slightly thickened. Cool.
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC), see Tip, page 81. Grease six 1/2 cup (125 mL) ramekins with margarine. Sprinkle each with 1 tsp. (5 mL) of second amount of sugar. Tilt ramekins to coat bottom and side of each. Gently tap to remove excess sugar. Place ramekins on baking sheet. Divide and spoon berry mixture into each.
Soufflé: Melt margarine in small saucepan on medium. Add flour. Heat and stir for 1 minute. Add milk. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes until boiling and thickened.
Add chocolate. Heat and stir until chocolate is almost melted. Do not overheat. Remove from heat. Stir until smooth.
Combine egg yolks, granulated sugar and about 2 tbsp. (30 mL) milk mixture in small bowl. Stir into remaining milk mixture. Heat and stir on medium-low until sugar is dissolved. Transfer to large bowl.
Beat egg whites in medium bowl until stiff (not dry) peaks form. Fold about 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mixture until almost combined. Fold in remaining egg whites until just combined. Divide and carefully spoon mixture into prepared ramekins. Bake for about 20 minutes, without opening oven door, until puffed and set.
Dust with icing sugar. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
1 serving: 331 Calories; 10.6 g Total Fat (3.3 g Mono, 0.6 g Poly, 5.8 g Sat); 87 mg Cholesterol; 53 g Carbohydrate; 2 g Fibre; 6 g Protein; 106 mg Sodium
Reprinted from The Egg Book © Company's Coming Publishing Limited
Laugh a little: It's good for your health
by Rusty Wright
Had a good laugh recently? Need one?
Stressful days can invite comic relief. Doctors realize that laughter can enhance physical and mental health. Now it seems even looking forward to laughter can be good for you.
WebMD reports that Lee Berk, MD, a University of California Irvine medical professor, and his associates have for years investigated how moods affect immune systems and illness. They've found laughter has a role in fighting viruses, bacteria, cancer and heart disease.
Stress can hamper your immune system; a good chuckle can help.
Berk found earlier that watching a one-hour humorous video reduced stress hormone secretion and helped the immune system counter viruses and bacteria.
But there's more: Berk now says the mere anticipation of laughing can help. He studied ten men, measured their stress signs, and told them that in about three days they would see a humorous video. In each man, spirits lifted before viewing the video.
Two days before the viewing, depression was down 51 percent, confusion 36 percent, anger 19 percent, fatigue 15 percent and tension 9 percent. Right after the viewing, depression and anger were both down 98 percent, fatigue 87 percent, confusion 75 percent and tension 61 percent.
Berk feels anticipating humor brightens life and affects health. He calls this influence the "biology of hope." Berk says, "Positive anticipation of humor starts the ball rolling in a sense, in which moods begin to change in ways that help the body fight illness. We believe this shows that even anticipation can be used to help patients recover from a wide range of disorders."
Moral: Planning humor can benefit your health.
Watch a funny movie, spend time with humorous people. Tell your boss, professor, clergy or club chairperson to liven up their speeches a bit if they want healthy employees, students, or members. Put laugh-breaks on your calendar, since anticipation is part of the therapy.
A Jewish proverb observes, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Paul, a first-Century follower of Jesus, emphasized hope: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope. . . ." Those biblical writers have some good advice now and then, practical stuff for everyday life.
The other day, a friend sent what he claimed were comments from federal employee performance evaluations. Maybe because I've encountered a groundswell of administrivia-creating bureaucrats recently, some of the remarks left me roaring . . . and feeling much better. With apologies to the many capable federal workers, know anyone like this?
"Since my last report, this employee has reached rock bottom and has started to dig."
"I would not allow this employee to breed."
"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
"He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
"Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together."
Those biblical writers would probably tell me to pray for those who hassle me, advice I should heed. But this laughter-break lifted my spirits and got me going again.
So, laugh more. You'll like it. And say, have you heard the one about. . .
Related Reading:
10 Great stress reducers
Remembering how to smile
Jokes and humor index
~ Rusty Wright is an author and university lecturer who has spoken on six continents. "Real Answers" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com. Visit our website at www.amyfound.org.
Had a good laugh recently? Need one?
Stressful days can invite comic relief. Doctors realize that laughter can enhance physical and mental health. Now it seems even looking forward to laughter can be good for you.
WebMD reports that Lee Berk, MD, a University of California Irvine medical professor, and his associates have for years investigated how moods affect immune systems and illness. They've found laughter has a role in fighting viruses, bacteria, cancer and heart disease.
Stress can hamper your immune system; a good chuckle can help.
Berk found earlier that watching a one-hour humorous video reduced stress hormone secretion and helped the immune system counter viruses and bacteria.
But there's more: Berk now says the mere anticipation of laughing can help. He studied ten men, measured their stress signs, and told them that in about three days they would see a humorous video. In each man, spirits lifted before viewing the video.
Two days before the viewing, depression was down 51 percent, confusion 36 percent, anger 19 percent, fatigue 15 percent and tension 9 percent. Right after the viewing, depression and anger were both down 98 percent, fatigue 87 percent, confusion 75 percent and tension 61 percent.
Berk feels anticipating humor brightens life and affects health. He calls this influence the "biology of hope." Berk says, "Positive anticipation of humor starts the ball rolling in a sense, in which moods begin to change in ways that help the body fight illness. We believe this shows that even anticipation can be used to help patients recover from a wide range of disorders."
Moral: Planning humor can benefit your health.
Watch a funny movie, spend time with humorous people. Tell your boss, professor, clergy or club chairperson to liven up their speeches a bit if they want healthy employees, students, or members. Put laugh-breaks on your calendar, since anticipation is part of the therapy.
A Jewish proverb observes, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Paul, a first-Century follower of Jesus, emphasized hope: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope. . . ." Those biblical writers have some good advice now and then, practical stuff for everyday life.
The other day, a friend sent what he claimed were comments from federal employee performance evaluations. Maybe because I've encountered a groundswell of administrivia-creating bureaucrats recently, some of the remarks left me roaring . . . and feeling much better. With apologies to the many capable federal workers, know anyone like this?
"Since my last report, this employee has reached rock bottom and has started to dig."
"I would not allow this employee to breed."
"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
"He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
"Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together."
Those biblical writers would probably tell me to pray for those who hassle me, advice I should heed. But this laughter-break lifted my spirits and got me going again.
So, laugh more. You'll like it. And say, have you heard the one about. . .
Related Reading:
10 Great stress reducers
Remembering how to smile
Jokes and humor index
~ Rusty Wright is an author and university lecturer who has spoken on six continents. "Real Answers" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com. Visit our website at www.amyfound.org.
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