Obesity and Health risk
Obesity is a health hazard, not a cosmetic problem.
A person who is 40% overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely, as is an average weight person, researchers say.
Obesity has been linked to several serious medical conditions, including -
Heart diseases and stroke
High Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Cancer
Gall Bladder diseases and Gall Bladder stones
Osteoarthritis
Gout
Breathing Problems such as Sleep Apnea (when a person stops breathing for a short time during sleep) and
Asthma
Obesity & High B.P.
Overweight people are twice as likely to have high B.P, a major risk factor for heart diseases and stroke than people who are not overweight.
Obesity and Diabetes
Overweight people are more than twice as likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes compared to normal weight people. By regular exercise and by reducing weight one can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
Obesity and Cancer
Several types of Cancer are associated with being overweight.
In women they are - Cancer of the uterus, Gall bladder, Cervix, Ovary, breast and colon.
In overweight men they are- colorectal cancer and rectal cancer.
Obesity and Gall Bladder Stones
They are more common on overweight people. It is not clear how being overweight may cause gall bladder diseases.
Obesity and Osteoporosis
Carrying extra body weight places extra pressure on the joints and wear away the cartilages (tissue that cushion the joints)
Obesity and Gout
Gout is a disease that affects the joints that is caused by high levels of a substance called Uric acid in the blood. The large amount of uric acid can form into solids or crystals like masses that deposit in the joints.
Gout is more common in overweight people and the risk of developing the diseases increases with higher body weights.
Obesity and Sleep Apnea.
Sleep Apnea is a serious breathing condition that is associated with overweight. The risk of Sleep Apnea increases as body weight increases. Weight loss usually improves Sleep Apnea.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
A Quiz for You
You don't actually have to take the quiz. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point, an awesome one. ..... Take this quiz:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Bollywood Best Actor award winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss India contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Bollywood Award winners for best actress awards
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz.
See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care. Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Bollywood Best Actor award winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss India contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Bollywood Award winners for best actress awards
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz.
See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care. Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Diabetes and Heart Disease.
According to the American Heart Associations statistics and estimation, heart disease and stroke are responsible for 2/3rd to 3/4th of deaths amongst people with Diabetes.
Heart Disease is found very common with people having Type 2 Diabetes.
What causes Heart Disease?
The most common cause Heart Disease for a diabetic person is hardening of the arteries which is a build up of cholesterol in the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrition to the heart.
These cholesterol plaques can break apart or rapture, causing blood clots and blocking the blood vessel. This can lead to heart attack. The same process can happen in all the arteries in the body, resulting in lack of blood to the brain, causing a stroke or lack of blood to the feet, hands or arms causing peripheral vascular disease.
People with diabetes are also at higher risk for heart failure, a condition in which the heart is not able to pump blood adequately. This can lead to fluid build up in the lungs, which cause difficulty in breathing or fluid retention in other parts of the body, especially legs that cause swelling.
Please note, chronic diseases like Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke can be prevented or controlled by slight shift in life style, food habits and with certain physical and mental processes and exercises.
To know more about prevention and control, we recommend to attend our workshop “Wellness and Holistic Health at Work” and the program on “Stress Management”.
Heart Disease is found very common with people having Type 2 Diabetes.
What causes Heart Disease?
The most common cause Heart Disease for a diabetic person is hardening of the arteries which is a build up of cholesterol in the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrition to the heart.
These cholesterol plaques can break apart or rapture, causing blood clots and blocking the blood vessel. This can lead to heart attack. The same process can happen in all the arteries in the body, resulting in lack of blood to the brain, causing a stroke or lack of blood to the feet, hands or arms causing peripheral vascular disease.
People with diabetes are also at higher risk for heart failure, a condition in which the heart is not able to pump blood adequately. This can lead to fluid build up in the lungs, which cause difficulty in breathing or fluid retention in other parts of the body, especially legs that cause swelling.
Please note, chronic diseases like Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke can be prevented or controlled by slight shift in life style, food habits and with certain physical and mental processes and exercises.
To know more about prevention and control, we recommend to attend our workshop “Wellness and Holistic Health at Work” and the program on “Stress Management”.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
"The Window"
The Window"
(Author unknown)
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
(Author unknown)
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
I WAS ALWAYS WITH YOU!
Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
Saturday, December 02, 2006
10 Diet Rules Meant to be Broken
Some food 'dos and don'ts are best ignored, experts say.
Do these diet truisms ring any bells in your mind?:
· Don't eat before bedtime or you'll gain weight.
· Skipping meals will help you take off the pounds.
· If you want to stay on a diet, eat at the same time every day.
Experts say these are among dozens of silly food 'rules' we often try to follow to the letter.
"Some are half-truths, some are complete myths, and some are clearly more harmful than others, but most of them won't help you lose weight or make dieting any easier," says Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, author of 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet.
Yet many of us persist in believing our weight loss programs won't be successful if we don't "follow the rules."
"In some instances, rules can offer hope, almost like a superstition," says Abby Aronowitz, PhD, author of Your Final Diet. "In other instances, they can offer the promise of control -- certain familiar food rules offer a sense of comfort."
In the end, nutrition experts say, many of the food and dieting rules we hold dear are meant to be broken - without guilt! Three experts gave WebMD the low-down on what they say are some of the silliest food rules around.
10 Food Rules to Ignore
1. Eating at night will pile on the pounds.
"It's the total calories you consume over a 24-hour period -- and more often, over a week -- that is what causes you to gain weight, and when you eat those calories doesn't matter," says New York University senior clinical nutritionist Samantha Heller, RD.
That said, because you may be more tired at night, your resolve may be lower, Heller says. So you may tend to eat larger portions, or more high-calorie foods, than you would during the day. But as long as you keep an eye on calories and portion size, feel free to set your hunger alarm to the time that suits your lifestyle.
2. It's best to eat at the same times every day.
"Eat when you're hungry, not when the clock says it's time to eat," says Somer. While it can help to keep some consistency to mealtimes, Somers says that forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry -- or forcing yourself to wait when you are -- only makes it harder to stick to your diet. If you must eat at a certain time - say, during a designated lunch hour at your workplace -- cut yourself some slack the rest of the day and eat only when your stomach says it's time.
3. Dieting with a buddy always makes weight loss easier.
No one doubts that companionship and common goals can pay off for dieters. But Aronowitz notes that there are some instances in which the buddy system may work against you and your buddy.
"If one buddy fails and the other doesn't, it clearly upsets the balance, and could cause tension and embarrassment," she says. Ultimately, Aronowitz says, weight loss is a personal journey. If you find it's easier with a friend, remember to compete only against yourself -- not each other.
4. Dietary fat keeps you feeling full longer, so you'll eat less.
This was a well-accepted food rule for many years. But Somers says new research has challenged this logic. It has shown that while fat does take longer to digest, "it's actually the least satiating of any food group -- so no, it will not help you control you appetite," Somers says. The foods likely to stave off hunger the longest are protein foods, followed by carbohydrates, then fats, she says.
5. When you blow your diet, you might as well wait until the next day to get back on track.
Nothing could be farther from the truth, Heller tells WebMD.
"Every meal matters, so if you ate that big old piece of birthday cake at lunch, get right back on track with your next meal," she says. "You don't have to have a full day of healthy eating in order for it to count."
6. Refusing food at a party or when visiting is rude.
"If you had diabetes, or a severe food allergy to something, you wouldn't think twice about turning down a food you weren't sure of -- and you should feel that same sense of priority in turning down a food that you know will blow your diet," says Heller.
7. Skipping a meal every now and then will help you lose.
"Skipping a meal means you will be so hungry at the next meal that you are likely to overeat," says Somer. Not only that, skipping meals can actually help lead to a slowdown of your metabolism, meaning you'll burn fewer calories, says Aronowitz.
8. Bread is fattening, nuts are fattening, pasta is fattening.
"It's not what you eat that contributes to weight gain," says Heller. "It's how much you eat that matters most."
Whole-wheat bread, for example, is a great source of nutrients, and it won't make you gain weight more than any other food with the same number of calories.
9. All calories are equal.
While it's true that 1,400 calories is 1,400 calories no matter how you slice the cheesecake, experts say certain foods have a greater ability to fill you up before they fill you out. These tend to be fiber-rich, water-rich foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Further, Heller says, you'll get more nutrients from, say, a 100-calorie apple than from a 100-calorie portion of white bread.
"All calories are equal if all you're doing is counting calories to lose weight," Heller says. "But if you care about how you are losing weight, or controlling your hunger, or the health of your body, then no, all calories are not of equal value."
10. If you don't clean your plate, you're wasting food
(don't forget those starving children Mom told you about).
Tying emotions to eating (like when you feel guilty about leaving food on your plate) sets the stage for emotional overeating, Aronowitz says. If you've been taught that cleaning your plate is the best way to show appreciation for a meal, she says, instead show your gratitude with verbal praise, by asking for the recipe, or by sending a thank-you gift or note the next day.
"Food is simply a source of fuel for the body -- not an emotional payoff or payment," says Aronowitz. If you just don't feel right leaving the table until you've cleaned your plate, she says, underestimate your hunger and put less food on your plate to begin with.
(WebMed)
Do these diet truisms ring any bells in your mind?:
· Don't eat before bedtime or you'll gain weight.
· Skipping meals will help you take off the pounds.
· If you want to stay on a diet, eat at the same time every day.
Experts say these are among dozens of silly food 'rules' we often try to follow to the letter.
"Some are half-truths, some are complete myths, and some are clearly more harmful than others, but most of them won't help you lose weight or make dieting any easier," says Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, author of 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet.
Yet many of us persist in believing our weight loss programs won't be successful if we don't "follow the rules."
"In some instances, rules can offer hope, almost like a superstition," says Abby Aronowitz, PhD, author of Your Final Diet. "In other instances, they can offer the promise of control -- certain familiar food rules offer a sense of comfort."
In the end, nutrition experts say, many of the food and dieting rules we hold dear are meant to be broken - without guilt! Three experts gave WebMD the low-down on what they say are some of the silliest food rules around.
10 Food Rules to Ignore
1. Eating at night will pile on the pounds.
"It's the total calories you consume over a 24-hour period -- and more often, over a week -- that is what causes you to gain weight, and when you eat those calories doesn't matter," says New York University senior clinical nutritionist Samantha Heller, RD.
That said, because you may be more tired at night, your resolve may be lower, Heller says. So you may tend to eat larger portions, or more high-calorie foods, than you would during the day. But as long as you keep an eye on calories and portion size, feel free to set your hunger alarm to the time that suits your lifestyle.
2. It's best to eat at the same times every day.
"Eat when you're hungry, not when the clock says it's time to eat," says Somer. While it can help to keep some consistency to mealtimes, Somers says that forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry -- or forcing yourself to wait when you are -- only makes it harder to stick to your diet. If you must eat at a certain time - say, during a designated lunch hour at your workplace -- cut yourself some slack the rest of the day and eat only when your stomach says it's time.
3. Dieting with a buddy always makes weight loss easier.
No one doubts that companionship and common goals can pay off for dieters. But Aronowitz notes that there are some instances in which the buddy system may work against you and your buddy.
"If one buddy fails and the other doesn't, it clearly upsets the balance, and could cause tension and embarrassment," she says. Ultimately, Aronowitz says, weight loss is a personal journey. If you find it's easier with a friend, remember to compete only against yourself -- not each other.
4. Dietary fat keeps you feeling full longer, so you'll eat less.
This was a well-accepted food rule for many years. But Somers says new research has challenged this logic. It has shown that while fat does take longer to digest, "it's actually the least satiating of any food group -- so no, it will not help you control you appetite," Somers says. The foods likely to stave off hunger the longest are protein foods, followed by carbohydrates, then fats, she says.
5. When you blow your diet, you might as well wait until the next day to get back on track.
Nothing could be farther from the truth, Heller tells WebMD.
"Every meal matters, so if you ate that big old piece of birthday cake at lunch, get right back on track with your next meal," she says. "You don't have to have a full day of healthy eating in order for it to count."
6. Refusing food at a party or when visiting is rude.
"If you had diabetes, or a severe food allergy to something, you wouldn't think twice about turning down a food you weren't sure of -- and you should feel that same sense of priority in turning down a food that you know will blow your diet," says Heller.
7. Skipping a meal every now and then will help you lose.
"Skipping a meal means you will be so hungry at the next meal that you are likely to overeat," says Somer. Not only that, skipping meals can actually help lead to a slowdown of your metabolism, meaning you'll burn fewer calories, says Aronowitz.
8. Bread is fattening, nuts are fattening, pasta is fattening.
"It's not what you eat that contributes to weight gain," says Heller. "It's how much you eat that matters most."
Whole-wheat bread, for example, is a great source of nutrients, and it won't make you gain weight more than any other food with the same number of calories.
9. All calories are equal.
While it's true that 1,400 calories is 1,400 calories no matter how you slice the cheesecake, experts say certain foods have a greater ability to fill you up before they fill you out. These tend to be fiber-rich, water-rich foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Further, Heller says, you'll get more nutrients from, say, a 100-calorie apple than from a 100-calorie portion of white bread.
"All calories are equal if all you're doing is counting calories to lose weight," Heller says. "But if you care about how you are losing weight, or controlling your hunger, or the health of your body, then no, all calories are not of equal value."
10. If you don't clean your plate, you're wasting food
(don't forget those starving children Mom told you about).
Tying emotions to eating (like when you feel guilty about leaving food on your plate) sets the stage for emotional overeating, Aronowitz says. If you've been taught that cleaning your plate is the best way to show appreciation for a meal, she says, instead show your gratitude with verbal praise, by asking for the recipe, or by sending a thank-you gift or note the next day.
"Food is simply a source of fuel for the body -- not an emotional payoff or payment," says Aronowitz. If you just don't feel right leaving the table until you've cleaned your plate, she says, underestimate your hunger and put less food on your plate to begin with.
(WebMed)
Thursday, November 30, 2006
We Campaign
'World Health Organization' states that
“If the major risk factors for chronic
disease were eliminated, at least 80% of
Heart disease, Stroke and Type 2 Diabetes
would be prevented; and 40% of Cancer
would be prevented.”
We, the WELHEALTH TEAM believes that,
If we are prepared to make some slight shift in our life style, food habits and understanding, many of the chronic diseases can be prevented or controlled.
Life is a journey we continue walking and ours is a journey towards Wellness and Health.
We need your support and association to prevent avoidable illnesses and bring Wellness and Health to all of us.
Let us make our short stay here Healthy, Happy and Vibrant.
Welhealth Team
We campaign for Wellness and Holistic Health;
We campaign against Illness and Ill health.
“If the major risk factors for chronic
disease were eliminated, at least 80% of
Heart disease, Stroke and Type 2 Diabetes
would be prevented; and 40% of Cancer
would be prevented.”
We, the WELHEALTH TEAM believes that,
If we are prepared to make some slight shift in our life style, food habits and understanding, many of the chronic diseases can be prevented or controlled.
Life is a journey we continue walking and ours is a journey towards Wellness and Health.
We need your support and association to prevent avoidable illnesses and bring Wellness and Health to all of us.
Let us make our short stay here Healthy, Happy and Vibrant.
Welhealth Team
We campaign for Wellness and Holistic Health;
We campaign against Illness and Ill health.
Dont We All?
I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work.
Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times."
"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't.
He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.
After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.
He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice.
"Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.
I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.
"Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true.
No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too.
No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.
Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.
Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."
Don't we all?
Monday, November 27, 2006
Pranayama & New modern science
Pranayama, the art of breathing correctly, is an ancient yogic exercise that practitioners believe can relieve Stress, enhance creativity, combat insomnia, reduce aggression, lift depression and much more.
New modern science is confirming many of these claims.
The average set of lungs is about the size of two footballs, but most people use only a third of that capacity, and in doing so, they lose what many experts say, is one of the greatest stress tension tools at their disposal.
“Slowing breath down and breathing to the bottom of our lungs begins to reverse the cascade of stress hormones and lower heart rate and blood pressure” says James S. Gordon, MD, founder and director of the Washington D. C . based Centre for Mind, Body Medicine.
Richard P. Brown, MD, an Associate Professor of clinical Psychology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, who claim Pranayama “can do in 20 hrs what I cannot do in 10 years with people” summed up results of breathing studies in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
New modern science is confirming many of these claims.
The average set of lungs is about the size of two footballs, but most people use only a third of that capacity, and in doing so, they lose what many experts say, is one of the greatest stress tension tools at their disposal.
“Slowing breath down and breathing to the bottom of our lungs begins to reverse the cascade of stress hormones and lower heart rate and blood pressure” says James S. Gordon, MD, founder and director of the Washington D. C . based Centre for Mind, Body Medicine.
Richard P. Brown, MD, an Associate Professor of clinical Psychology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, who claim Pranayama “can do in 20 hrs what I cannot do in 10 years with people” summed up results of breathing studies in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Top 10 Fitness Facts
Something you should know about Exercise
Want to be sharper at work? Feel less tired at home?
Spend some quality time with your spouse?
How about enjoying a cookie without guilt?
If you answered "yes" to all of these questions (and who wouldn't?), exercise is the answer.
Being physically active offers benefits far beyond the obvious. (Of course, an improved physique and a clean bill of health aren't too shabby, either.)
If you've been looking for the motivation to begin an exercise program or get back into working out regularly, here are 10 fitness facts that may help inspire you to get off the couch.
1. Exercise Boosts Brainpower
Not only does exercise improve your body, it helps your mental function, says certified trainer David Atkinson.
"Exercise increases energy levels and increases serotonin in the brain, which leads to improved mental clarity," says Atkinson, director of program development for Cooper Ventures, a division of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas.
All that makes for a more productive day.
"It is clear that those who are active and who exercise are much more productive at work," says Todd A. Astorino, assistant professor of kinesiology at California State University-San Marcos.
Improved productivity not only makes you a better worker, it makes things better for everyone in the workplace. Companies with less wasted work hours and less sick time end up with lower health care costs -- and an improved bottom line, Astorino says.
2. Movement Melts Away Stress
As much as it may stress you out just to think about exercising, once you actually start working out, you'll experience less stress in every part of your life.
"Exercise produces a relaxation response that serves as a positive distraction," says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. He says it also helps elevate your mood and keep depression at bay.
You're not the only person who will benefit from more happiness and less stress in your life. When you're less stressed, you're less irritable, Atkinson says -- and that could improve relationships with your partner, kids, and co-workers.
3. Exercise Gives You Energy
You might be surprised at how, say, popping in a workout tape for 30 minutes in the morning can change your whole day. When endorphins are released into your bloodstream during exercise, says Astorino, "you feel much more energized the rest of the day."
And when you improve your strength and stamina, it's easier to accomplish everyday tasks like carrying groceries and climbing stairs. This also helps you feel more energetic over the course of the day.
A common excuse among Atkinson's clients is that they're too tired to exercise, he says. While exercise may make you feel more tired at first, he says, that won't last long.
The physical tiredness you feel after working out isn't the same as everyday fatigue, he says. Besides, once your body adjusts to exercise, you'll have more energy than ever.
4. It's Not That Hard to Find Time for Fitness
The key, says Atkinson, is to use your time more wisely. Think about killing two birds with one stone.
Take your kids to the park or ride bikes together, and you're getting physical activity while enjoying family time, he says. Beyond that, go for a hike, take the kids swimming, or play hide-and-seek, tag, softball, or horseshoes in the backyard.
At work, he says, schedule a meeting on the jogging track or on the golf course.
Also, forget the idea that you have to trudge to the gym and spend an hour or more doing a formal workout. Instead, you can work short spurts of physical activity into your day.
"Everyone has 20 minutes," Atkinson says. "Everyone has 10 minutes to jump rope, and sometimes that's better than 20 minutes of walking or running."
Indeed, squeezing in two or three bouts of 15 or 20 minutes of activity is just as effective as doing it all at once, says Astorino. Vacuuming the house in the morning, riding bikes in the park with the kids in the afternoon, then taking a brisk walk in the evening can add up to an active day.
Recent U.S. government guidelines say that to lose weight and keep it weight off, you should accumulate at least 60 minutes of exercise a day, says Astorino.
But half an hour a day is all you need to reap the health and disease-fighting benefits of exercise.
5. Fitness Can Help Build Relationships
Think of what exercising with a partner can do for a relationship, whether it's with a spouse, a sibling, or a friend you used to go to lunch with once a week.
Not only that, says Astorino, but exercise is always more fun when there's someone to do it with. So plan to walk with your spouse after dinner every night. Meet your sister or that friend for tennis or an aerobics class instead of lunch.
Besides, Astorino says, people who have exercise partners stay with their programs and reach their goals more often than those who try to go it alone.
"For long-term weight loss, you need to have social support," Astorino says.
6. Exercise Helps Ward Off Disease
Research has shown that exercise can slow or help prevent heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis (bone loss), and loss of muscle mass, says Astorino.
It also helps ease some aspects of the aging process.
"Because exercise strengthens the muscles and joints, it is going to reduce your odds of having some of those aches and pains and problems most adults have, mostly because of the inactive lives they lead," Bryant says.
Provided you don't overdo it, he says, exercise can even boost immune function -- so you spend less time down with a cold or flu.
"There isn't a major health problem where exercise cannot have a positive effect," says Byrant.
7. Fitness Pumps Up Your Heart
Not only does exercise help fight disease, says Bryant, it creates a stronger heart -- the most important muscle in the body. That helps makes exercise -- and the activities of daily life -- feel easier.
"Your heart and cardiovascular system will function more effectively," says Bryant. "The heart will build up less plaque. It will become a more efficient pump."
And "when the heart becomes stronger, it pumps more blood per beat, so at rest, the heart rate is lower," says Astorino. "It's not going to have to beat as fast" to expend the same amount of effort.
Within only a couple days after you start exercising, Astorino says, "the body readily adapts to the stimulus it's getting and it becomes easier. You will feel less fatigue. It will not take as much effort when it comes to breathing. You shouldn't have as much pain or soreness."
8. Exercise Lets You Eat More
Pound for pound, muscle burns more calories at rest than body fat. So the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate. And, of course, you also burn calories while you're actually exercising.
All this means that "cheating" with a cookie once in a while isn't going to take you back 10 steps. "Can you eat anything? No," says Atkinson. "But you can afford to enjoy some of the things you really like when you exercise regularly. You can better get away with those things in moderation than you can when you're not working out."
9. Exercise Boosts Performance
After a few weeks of consistent exercise, you may feel your clothes fitting differently and see that your muscle tone has improved, Atkinson says.
You may also notice your newly pumped-up muscles in other ways, especially if you're a recreational golfer or tennis player, or like a friendly game of pick-up basketball, says Atkinson. Exercising consistently will strengthen your muscles, increase flexibility, and improve your overall performance.
"Your muscles will work much more efficiently and you'll gain a greater sense of endurance," says Bryant. In addition, he says, your reaction time and balance will improve.
10. Weight Loss Is Not the Most Important Goal
Weight loss is the reason many people exercise in the first place. But it's certainly not the sole benefit of an exercise program.
Bryant says the long-term goal of weight loss is sold too heavily to people starting fitness programs, and that can be discouraging. People have trouble sticking with something if they don't see results quickly.
"Really, they should think about the level of functioning in the activities of daily living," says Bryant. "That can serve as the motivation to keep them coming back for more."
So whatever weight loss goal you have when starting a fitness program, don't make it your only goal. Strive to feel better, to have more energy, to be less stressed. Notice the small things that exercise does for you quickly, rather than getting hung up on the narrow goal of the number on a scale.
"With a goal of losing weight and enhancing health, exercise has to become a part of a person's life, not an afterthought," Astorino says.
SOURCES: David Atkinson, certified trainer; director of program development, Cooper Ventures, a division of the Cooper Aerobics Center, Dallas. Todd A. Astorino, exercise physiologist; assistant professor of kinesiology, California State University, San Marcos. Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist, American Council on Exercise, San Diego.
Want to be sharper at work? Feel less tired at home?
Spend some quality time with your spouse?
How about enjoying a cookie without guilt?
If you answered "yes" to all of these questions (and who wouldn't?), exercise is the answer.
Being physically active offers benefits far beyond the obvious. (Of course, an improved physique and a clean bill of health aren't too shabby, either.)
If you've been looking for the motivation to begin an exercise program or get back into working out regularly, here are 10 fitness facts that may help inspire you to get off the couch.
1. Exercise Boosts Brainpower
Not only does exercise improve your body, it helps your mental function, says certified trainer David Atkinson.
"Exercise increases energy levels and increases serotonin in the brain, which leads to improved mental clarity," says Atkinson, director of program development for Cooper Ventures, a division of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas.
All that makes for a more productive day.
"It is clear that those who are active and who exercise are much more productive at work," says Todd A. Astorino, assistant professor of kinesiology at California State University-San Marcos.
Improved productivity not only makes you a better worker, it makes things better for everyone in the workplace. Companies with less wasted work hours and less sick time end up with lower health care costs -- and an improved bottom line, Astorino says.
2. Movement Melts Away Stress
As much as it may stress you out just to think about exercising, once you actually start working out, you'll experience less stress in every part of your life.
"Exercise produces a relaxation response that serves as a positive distraction," says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. He says it also helps elevate your mood and keep depression at bay.
You're not the only person who will benefit from more happiness and less stress in your life. When you're less stressed, you're less irritable, Atkinson says -- and that could improve relationships with your partner, kids, and co-workers.
3. Exercise Gives You Energy
You might be surprised at how, say, popping in a workout tape for 30 minutes in the morning can change your whole day. When endorphins are released into your bloodstream during exercise, says Astorino, "you feel much more energized the rest of the day."
And when you improve your strength and stamina, it's easier to accomplish everyday tasks like carrying groceries and climbing stairs. This also helps you feel more energetic over the course of the day.
A common excuse among Atkinson's clients is that they're too tired to exercise, he says. While exercise may make you feel more tired at first, he says, that won't last long.
The physical tiredness you feel after working out isn't the same as everyday fatigue, he says. Besides, once your body adjusts to exercise, you'll have more energy than ever.
4. It's Not That Hard to Find Time for Fitness
The key, says Atkinson, is to use your time more wisely. Think about killing two birds with one stone.
Take your kids to the park or ride bikes together, and you're getting physical activity while enjoying family time, he says. Beyond that, go for a hike, take the kids swimming, or play hide-and-seek, tag, softball, or horseshoes in the backyard.
At work, he says, schedule a meeting on the jogging track or on the golf course.
Also, forget the idea that you have to trudge to the gym and spend an hour or more doing a formal workout. Instead, you can work short spurts of physical activity into your day.
"Everyone has 20 minutes," Atkinson says. "Everyone has 10 minutes to jump rope, and sometimes that's better than 20 minutes of walking or running."
Indeed, squeezing in two or three bouts of 15 or 20 minutes of activity is just as effective as doing it all at once, says Astorino. Vacuuming the house in the morning, riding bikes in the park with the kids in the afternoon, then taking a brisk walk in the evening can add up to an active day.
Recent U.S. government guidelines say that to lose weight and keep it weight off, you should accumulate at least 60 minutes of exercise a day, says Astorino.
But half an hour a day is all you need to reap the health and disease-fighting benefits of exercise.
5. Fitness Can Help Build Relationships
Think of what exercising with a partner can do for a relationship, whether it's with a spouse, a sibling, or a friend you used to go to lunch with once a week.
Not only that, says Astorino, but exercise is always more fun when there's someone to do it with. So plan to walk with your spouse after dinner every night. Meet your sister or that friend for tennis or an aerobics class instead of lunch.
Besides, Astorino says, people who have exercise partners stay with their programs and reach their goals more often than those who try to go it alone.
"For long-term weight loss, you need to have social support," Astorino says.
6. Exercise Helps Ward Off Disease
Research has shown that exercise can slow or help prevent heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis (bone loss), and loss of muscle mass, says Astorino.
It also helps ease some aspects of the aging process.
"Because exercise strengthens the muscles and joints, it is going to reduce your odds of having some of those aches and pains and problems most adults have, mostly because of the inactive lives they lead," Bryant says.
Provided you don't overdo it, he says, exercise can even boost immune function -- so you spend less time down with a cold or flu.
"There isn't a major health problem where exercise cannot have a positive effect," says Byrant.
7. Fitness Pumps Up Your Heart
Not only does exercise help fight disease, says Bryant, it creates a stronger heart -- the most important muscle in the body. That helps makes exercise -- and the activities of daily life -- feel easier.
"Your heart and cardiovascular system will function more effectively," says Bryant. "The heart will build up less plaque. It will become a more efficient pump."
And "when the heart becomes stronger, it pumps more blood per beat, so at rest, the heart rate is lower," says Astorino. "It's not going to have to beat as fast" to expend the same amount of effort.
Within only a couple days after you start exercising, Astorino says, "the body readily adapts to the stimulus it's getting and it becomes easier. You will feel less fatigue. It will not take as much effort when it comes to breathing. You shouldn't have as much pain or soreness."
8. Exercise Lets You Eat More
Pound for pound, muscle burns more calories at rest than body fat. So the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate. And, of course, you also burn calories while you're actually exercising.
All this means that "cheating" with a cookie once in a while isn't going to take you back 10 steps. "Can you eat anything? No," says Atkinson. "But you can afford to enjoy some of the things you really like when you exercise regularly. You can better get away with those things in moderation than you can when you're not working out."
9. Exercise Boosts Performance
After a few weeks of consistent exercise, you may feel your clothes fitting differently and see that your muscle tone has improved, Atkinson says.
You may also notice your newly pumped-up muscles in other ways, especially if you're a recreational golfer or tennis player, or like a friendly game of pick-up basketball, says Atkinson. Exercising consistently will strengthen your muscles, increase flexibility, and improve your overall performance.
"Your muscles will work much more efficiently and you'll gain a greater sense of endurance," says Bryant. In addition, he says, your reaction time and balance will improve.
10. Weight Loss Is Not the Most Important Goal
Weight loss is the reason many people exercise in the first place. But it's certainly not the sole benefit of an exercise program.
Bryant says the long-term goal of weight loss is sold too heavily to people starting fitness programs, and that can be discouraging. People have trouble sticking with something if they don't see results quickly.
"Really, they should think about the level of functioning in the activities of daily living," says Bryant. "That can serve as the motivation to keep them coming back for more."
So whatever weight loss goal you have when starting a fitness program, don't make it your only goal. Strive to feel better, to have more energy, to be less stressed. Notice the small things that exercise does for you quickly, rather than getting hung up on the narrow goal of the number on a scale.
"With a goal of losing weight and enhancing health, exercise has to become a part of a person's life, not an afterthought," Astorino says.
SOURCES: David Atkinson, certified trainer; director of program development, Cooper Ventures, a division of the Cooper Aerobics Center, Dallas. Todd A. Astorino, exercise physiologist; assistant professor of kinesiology, California State University, San Marcos. Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist, American Council on Exercise, San Diego.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Breathing and Health.
Are we Breathing right?
All of us know how to breath. Breathing is something spontaneous, natural and automatic. So it seems foolish to think that we need to be told about breathing.
Yet, one's breathing becomes modified and restricted in various ways, not just momentarily, but habitually. We develop unhealthy habits without being aware of it. We tend to assume positions (slouched positions) that diminishes lung capacities and take shortened breaths. We also live in social conditions that is not good for the health of our respiratory system.
Scientists claim that there exist a strong connection between our respiration and our mental state. Improper breathing produces diminished mental ability. If you are tired or ill it is also reflected in your breathing.
It is known that mental tensions produce restricted breathing.
A sedentary individual when confronted with a disturbing problem tends to lean forward, draw his arms together and bend his head down. These body postures reduces the lung capacity. The more intense the concentration, the more tense the muscles become. The muscles in the arms, neck and chest contract. The muscles that move the thorax and control inhalation and muscular tenseness clamp down and restrict the exhalation. The breaths become shorter and shorter. After an extended period of intense focusing, the whole system seems to be frozen in a certain posture.
We become fatigued from the decreased circulation of the blood and from the decreased availability of oxygen for the blood because we have almost stopped breathing. As our duties, responsibilities and their attendant problems become more demanding, we develop habits of forgetting to breathe.
What's Wrong With The Way We Breathe?
Our breathing is too shallow and too quick. We are not taking in sufficient oxygen and we are not eliminating sufficient carbon dioxide. , As a result, our bodies are oxygen starved, and a toxic build-up occurs. Every cell in the body requires oxygen and our level of vitality is just a product of the health of all the cells.
Now the link between insufficient oxygen and disease is firmly established. The more oxygen we have in our system, the more energy we produce. (Researchers have found that the human body was originally designed to grow and operate at a 50% stronger concentration of oxygen than what's currently available.)
Shallow breathing does not exercise the lungs enough, so they lose some of their function, causing a further reduction in vitality.
Animals which breathe slowly live the longest; the elephant is a good example. Dogs breath fast and they have short life span.
We need to breathe more slowly and deeply. Quick shallow breathing results in oxygen starvation which leads to reduced vitality, premature ageing, poor immune system and a myriad of other factors.
Why Is Our Breath Fast and Shallow?
Of course there are several reasons but the major are:
1. Busy, hectic life style.
We are in hurry most of the time and our movements, actions and breathing follow this pattern.
2.Day to day Stress.
When you are in stress you breath more quickly and less deeply.
3.Emotions.
We get too emotional too easily. We get excited easily, angry easily, and most of the rest of the time we suffer from anxiety due to worry. These negative emotional states affect the rate of breathing, causing it to be fast and shallow.
4.Technology at work
Modern technology and automation reduces our need for physical activity. There is less need to breathe deeply, so we develop the shallow breathing habit.
5.Internal Pollution.
We are working indoors more and more. This increases our exposure to pollution. As a result, the body instinctively inhales less air to protect itself from pollution. The body just takes in enough air to tick over.
Breathing is the only means of supplying our bodies and its various organs with oxygen which is vital for our health and it is one of the ways to get rid of waste products and toxins from our body.
Why Oxygen is so vital?
Oxygen is the most vital nutrient in our bodies. It is essential for the proper and efficient functioning of the brain, nerves, Glands and other internal organs.
Four basic components which have to do with the generation and maintenance of the life process are proteins, carbohydrates, water and energy.
When looked at from the standpoint of their chemical makeup, the importance of oxygen becomes readily apparent.
· nitrogen + carbon + hydrogen + oxygen = protein
· carbon + hydrogen + oxygen = carbohydrates
· hydrogen + oxygen = water
· oxygen + carbohydrates = energy
All four of these vital elements of life...have at least this one thing in common- OXYGEN.
The makeup of the human body is largely composed of the element oxygen. Especially after you factor in the human body being about four-fifths water, with water itself being at least 33% oxygen.
We can survive without food for weeks and without water for days, but without oxygen we will die within a few minutes. If the brain does not get proper supply of this essential nutrient, it will cause degradation of all the vital organs of the body. The brain requires more oxygen than any other organ. If it doesn't get enough, the result is mental sluggishness, negative thoughts, depression and, eventually, vision and hearing declines.
Oxygen supply in our body, however, declines as we get older and if we live a poor lifestyle.
The process of oxygenating the human body works like this:
When a person breathes, there is an exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The oxygen, which is taken in by the body from the atmosphere around us, is picked up by the hemoglobin in the blood and distributed to all of the body's trillions of cells where, among other things, it is then used for another vital process called oxidation.
Any form of stress can cause oxygen deficiency. Stress due to chemical toxicity leads to a reduction in oxygen as the body attempts to detoxify itself by oxidizing accumulated toxins; emotional stress produces adrenaline and adrenaline-related hormones, requiring the body to draw down its oxygen reserves for their production and eventual oxidation; infection also depletes the body of oxygen which it uses to combat bacteria.
Even the stress of a chronically heavy workload will deplete the body of much needed oxygen.
Also a chronically acidic system-practically a "given" for most people in today's society-also causes the body to draw down its precious oxygen reserves. Doctors believe this often leads to a vicious cycle of toxin accumulation and oxygen depletion which eventually results in serious illness and disease.
Cancer has only one prime cause. It is the replacement of normal oxygen respiration of the body's cells by an anaerobic (ie., oxygen-deficient cell respiration).
In short, oxygen deficiency will result from any excessive stress, whatever the cause.
Oxygen purifies the blood stream.
One of the major secrets of energy and rejuvenation is a purified blood stream. The quickest and most effective way to purify the blood stream is by taking in extra supplies of oxygen from the air we breathe.
The Breathing Exercises, Pranayama etc., described in our programs are very effective methods for saturating the blood with extra oxygen.
So here are a few things about what oxygen do to our body:
Oxygen bums up the waste products (toxins) in the body, as well as recharges the body's batteries (the solar plexus). Most of our energy requirements come, not from food, but from the air we breathe.
By purifying the blood stream, every part of the body benefits, as well as the mind. Rejuvenation of the skin will start to occur.
Scientists have discovered that the chemical basis of energy production in the body is a chemical called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). If something goes wrong with the production of ATP, the result is lowered vitality, disease and premature ageing. Scientists have also discovered that oxygen is critical for the production of ATP; in fact, it is in fact its most vital component.
The work done at Baylor University in the USA has shown that you can reverse Arterial Disease in monkeys by infusing oxygen into the diseased arteries.
Yoga and Pranayama
The Yogis realized the importance of an adequate oxygen supply thousands of years ago that is why they developed and perfected various Breathing Techniques that will help to revitalize the mind and the body.
Pranayama - the science of breath control, consist a series of exercises intended to meet these needs and to keep the body in vibrant health.
For more details attend our programs.
All of us know how to breath. Breathing is something spontaneous, natural and automatic. So it seems foolish to think that we need to be told about breathing.
Yet, one's breathing becomes modified and restricted in various ways, not just momentarily, but habitually. We develop unhealthy habits without being aware of it. We tend to assume positions (slouched positions) that diminishes lung capacities and take shortened breaths. We also live in social conditions that is not good for the health of our respiratory system.
Scientists claim that there exist a strong connection between our respiration and our mental state. Improper breathing produces diminished mental ability. If you are tired or ill it is also reflected in your breathing.
It is known that mental tensions produce restricted breathing.
A sedentary individual when confronted with a disturbing problem tends to lean forward, draw his arms together and bend his head down. These body postures reduces the lung capacity. The more intense the concentration, the more tense the muscles become. The muscles in the arms, neck and chest contract. The muscles that move the thorax and control inhalation and muscular tenseness clamp down and restrict the exhalation. The breaths become shorter and shorter. After an extended period of intense focusing, the whole system seems to be frozen in a certain posture.
We become fatigued from the decreased circulation of the blood and from the decreased availability of oxygen for the blood because we have almost stopped breathing. As our duties, responsibilities and their attendant problems become more demanding, we develop habits of forgetting to breathe.
What's Wrong With The Way We Breathe?
Our breathing is too shallow and too quick. We are not taking in sufficient oxygen and we are not eliminating sufficient carbon dioxide. , As a result, our bodies are oxygen starved, and a toxic build-up occurs. Every cell in the body requires oxygen and our level of vitality is just a product of the health of all the cells.
Now the link between insufficient oxygen and disease is firmly established. The more oxygen we have in our system, the more energy we produce. (Researchers have found that the human body was originally designed to grow and operate at a 50% stronger concentration of oxygen than what's currently available.)
Shallow breathing does not exercise the lungs enough, so they lose some of their function, causing a further reduction in vitality.
Animals which breathe slowly live the longest; the elephant is a good example. Dogs breath fast and they have short life span.
We need to breathe more slowly and deeply. Quick shallow breathing results in oxygen starvation which leads to reduced vitality, premature ageing, poor immune system and a myriad of other factors.
Why Is Our Breath Fast and Shallow?
Of course there are several reasons but the major are:
1. Busy, hectic life style.
We are in hurry most of the time and our movements, actions and breathing follow this pattern.
2.Day to day Stress.
When you are in stress you breath more quickly and less deeply.
3.Emotions.
We get too emotional too easily. We get excited easily, angry easily, and most of the rest of the time we suffer from anxiety due to worry. These negative emotional states affect the rate of breathing, causing it to be fast and shallow.
4.Technology at work
Modern technology and automation reduces our need for physical activity. There is less need to breathe deeply, so we develop the shallow breathing habit.
5.Internal Pollution.
We are working indoors more and more. This increases our exposure to pollution. As a result, the body instinctively inhales less air to protect itself from pollution. The body just takes in enough air to tick over.
Breathing is the only means of supplying our bodies and its various organs with oxygen which is vital for our health and it is one of the ways to get rid of waste products and toxins from our body.
Why Oxygen is so vital?
Oxygen is the most vital nutrient in our bodies. It is essential for the proper and efficient functioning of the brain, nerves, Glands and other internal organs.
Four basic components which have to do with the generation and maintenance of the life process are proteins, carbohydrates, water and energy.
When looked at from the standpoint of their chemical makeup, the importance of oxygen becomes readily apparent.
· nitrogen + carbon + hydrogen + oxygen = protein
· carbon + hydrogen + oxygen = carbohydrates
· hydrogen + oxygen = water
· oxygen + carbohydrates = energy
All four of these vital elements of life...have at least this one thing in common- OXYGEN.
The makeup of the human body is largely composed of the element oxygen. Especially after you factor in the human body being about four-fifths water, with water itself being at least 33% oxygen.
We can survive without food for weeks and without water for days, but without oxygen we will die within a few minutes. If the brain does not get proper supply of this essential nutrient, it will cause degradation of all the vital organs of the body. The brain requires more oxygen than any other organ. If it doesn't get enough, the result is mental sluggishness, negative thoughts, depression and, eventually, vision and hearing declines.
Oxygen supply in our body, however, declines as we get older and if we live a poor lifestyle.
The process of oxygenating the human body works like this:
When a person breathes, there is an exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The oxygen, which is taken in by the body from the atmosphere around us, is picked up by the hemoglobin in the blood and distributed to all of the body's trillions of cells where, among other things, it is then used for another vital process called oxidation.
Any form of stress can cause oxygen deficiency. Stress due to chemical toxicity leads to a reduction in oxygen as the body attempts to detoxify itself by oxidizing accumulated toxins; emotional stress produces adrenaline and adrenaline-related hormones, requiring the body to draw down its oxygen reserves for their production and eventual oxidation; infection also depletes the body of oxygen which it uses to combat bacteria.
Even the stress of a chronically heavy workload will deplete the body of much needed oxygen.
Also a chronically acidic system-practically a "given" for most people in today's society-also causes the body to draw down its precious oxygen reserves. Doctors believe this often leads to a vicious cycle of toxin accumulation and oxygen depletion which eventually results in serious illness and disease.
Cancer has only one prime cause. It is the replacement of normal oxygen respiration of the body's cells by an anaerobic (ie., oxygen-deficient cell respiration).
In short, oxygen deficiency will result from any excessive stress, whatever the cause.
Oxygen purifies the blood stream.
One of the major secrets of energy and rejuvenation is a purified blood stream. The quickest and most effective way to purify the blood stream is by taking in extra supplies of oxygen from the air we breathe.
The Breathing Exercises, Pranayama etc., described in our programs are very effective methods for saturating the blood with extra oxygen.
So here are a few things about what oxygen do to our body:
Oxygen bums up the waste products (toxins) in the body, as well as recharges the body's batteries (the solar plexus). Most of our energy requirements come, not from food, but from the air we breathe.
By purifying the blood stream, every part of the body benefits, as well as the mind. Rejuvenation of the skin will start to occur.
Scientists have discovered that the chemical basis of energy production in the body is a chemical called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). If something goes wrong with the production of ATP, the result is lowered vitality, disease and premature ageing. Scientists have also discovered that oxygen is critical for the production of ATP; in fact, it is in fact its most vital component.
The work done at Baylor University in the USA has shown that you can reverse Arterial Disease in monkeys by infusing oxygen into the diseased arteries.
Yoga and Pranayama
The Yogis realized the importance of an adequate oxygen supply thousands of years ago that is why they developed and perfected various Breathing Techniques that will help to revitalize the mind and the body.
Pranayama - the science of breath control, consist a series of exercises intended to meet these needs and to keep the body in vibrant health.
For more details attend our programs.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
A BEAUTIFUL PRAYER
I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No. You must grow on your own! , but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.
I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
May God Bless You, "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world"
"Even the word 'IMPOSSIBLE' says 'I M POSSIBLE' "
God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No. You must grow on your own! , but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.
I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
May God Bless You, "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world"
"Even the word 'IMPOSSIBLE' says 'I M POSSIBLE' "
LIFE IS A THEATER
Invite Your Audience Carefully
Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least
minimize your time with, draining, negative, incompatible,
not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships.
Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention.
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?
The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you...the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of Your Life.
"If you cannot change the people around you, CHANGE the people you are around."
Remember that the people we hang with will have an impact on both our lives and our income. And so we must be careful to choose the people we hang out with, as well as the information with which we feed our minds.
We should not share our dreams with negative people, Nor feed our dreams with negative thoughts.
It's your choice and your life..... It's up to you who and what you let in it......
Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least
minimize your time with, draining, negative, incompatible,
not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships.
Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention.
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?
The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you...the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of Your Life.
"If you cannot change the people around you, CHANGE the people you are around."
Remember that the people we hang with will have an impact on both our lives and our income. And so we must be careful to choose the people we hang out with, as well as the information with which we feed our minds.
We should not share our dreams with negative people, Nor feed our dreams with negative thoughts.
It's your choice and your life..... It's up to you who and what you let in it......
Job Burnout May Increase Diabetes Risk
Study Shows Burned-Out Staffers More Likely to Get Type 2 Diabetes
A new study shows that workers suffering from job burnout may be more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in Psychosomatic Medicine, comes from Israeli researchers who included Samuel Melamed, PhD, of Tel Aviv University's medical school.
The researchers studied 677 employed men and women in Israel for three to five years.
When the study started, participants were about 42 years old, on average. They were "apparently healthy," the researchers note.
The workers, who were employed by several companies, were split into five groups, based on job type:
Senior management
Middle management
Professionals (including engineers, teachers, lab technicians, and computer workers)
Nonprofessional workers
Self-employed workers
Participants completed a 14-item survey on job burnout, rating how often they felt emotionally exhausted, physically fatigued, and mentally weary.
Their ratings were based on responses to survey statements including: "I feel like my emotional batteries are dead," "I am physically exhausted," and "My thinking process is slow."
The results showed 348 workers had high levels of burnout; the other 329 tested low for burnout.
The workers also completed surveys about their medical history, smoking, drinking, physical activity, height, and weight. Most also got their blood pressure checked.
Over the next three to five years, 17 workers reported being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes in adults.
The highly burned-out workers were 84% more likely to report being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than those with low burnout levels.
Still, the vast majority of workers -- burned out or not -- didn't report a diabetes diagnosis. Only 3% of the highly burned-out group reported a diabetes diagnosis, compared to less than 2% of those with low burnout.
It's not clear exactly how job burnout might make type 2 diabetes more likely.
Melamed's team accounted for other diabetes risk factors, including BMI (body mass index, a measure of overweight), age, and sedentary lifestyles. Also, high blood pressure didn't seem to explain the findings, the researchers note.
Follow-up surveys conducted at the end of the study showed little change in burnout levels.
Further studies should be done to check the findings, write Melamed and colleagues.
Meanwhile, experts say you can better handle jobstress by assessing your situation, looking for possible solutions (including a new job), and using stress-busters such as exercise and relaxation techniques.
(WebMed)
A new study shows that workers suffering from job burnout may be more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in Psychosomatic Medicine, comes from Israeli researchers who included Samuel Melamed, PhD, of Tel Aviv University's medical school.
The researchers studied 677 employed men and women in Israel for three to five years.
When the study started, participants were about 42 years old, on average. They were "apparently healthy," the researchers note.
The workers, who were employed by several companies, were split into five groups, based on job type:
Senior management
Middle management
Professionals (including engineers, teachers, lab technicians, and computer workers)
Nonprofessional workers
Self-employed workers
Participants completed a 14-item survey on job burnout, rating how often they felt emotionally exhausted, physically fatigued, and mentally weary.
Their ratings were based on responses to survey statements including: "I feel like my emotional batteries are dead," "I am physically exhausted," and "My thinking process is slow."
The results showed 348 workers had high levels of burnout; the other 329 tested low for burnout.
The workers also completed surveys about their medical history, smoking, drinking, physical activity, height, and weight. Most also got their blood pressure checked.
Over the next three to five years, 17 workers reported being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes in adults.
The highly burned-out workers were 84% more likely to report being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than those with low burnout levels.
Still, the vast majority of workers -- burned out or not -- didn't report a diabetes diagnosis. Only 3% of the highly burned-out group reported a diabetes diagnosis, compared to less than 2% of those with low burnout.
It's not clear exactly how job burnout might make type 2 diabetes more likely.
Melamed's team accounted for other diabetes risk factors, including BMI (body mass index, a measure of overweight), age, and sedentary lifestyles. Also, high blood pressure didn't seem to explain the findings, the researchers note.
Follow-up surveys conducted at the end of the study showed little change in burnout levels.
Further studies should be done to check the findings, write Melamed and colleagues.
Meanwhile, experts say you can better handle jobstress by assessing your situation, looking for possible solutions (including a new job), and using stress-busters such as exercise and relaxation techniques.
(WebMed)
WHAT RESEARCHERS SAY......
Onions and Garlic May Prevent Cancers
Study Shows Eating Lots of the Pungent Herbs May Keep Certain Types of Cancer at Bay
Better load up on the breath mints; a new study suggests eating lots of garlic and onions may help prevent cancer.
Italian researchers found that people whose diets are rich in onions, garlic, and other alliums have a much lower risk of several types of cancer than those who avoid the pungent herbs.
Researcher Carlotta Galeone, of the Istituto di Ricerche Farmocologiche "Mario Negri" in Milan, and colleagues say the health benefits of onion and garlic have been touted for centuries, but few studies have been able to prove the benefits.
Pungent Cancer Prevention
In their study, researchers used data from several Italian and Swiss cancer studies to look at the relationship between onion and garlic consumption and cancer at several body sites, including the mouth, larynx, esophagus, colon, breast, ovary, and kidneys.
Overall, consumption of onions ranged from 0-14 portions per week among cancer patients and 0-22 portions per week among those without cancer.
Garlic use was also lower among people with cancer, except for those with cancer of the breast, ovary, or prostate.
Researchers found moderate consumption of onions appeared to reduce the risk of colorectal, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers.
The protective effect was even greater among those who ate the most onions compared to those who ate the least. People who ate the most onions also had a lower risk of oral and esophageal cancers than those who ate the least.
Moderate use of garlic was also associated with a lower risk of colorectal and renal cell (a type of kidney cancer) cancers.
Again, the anticancer effect increased with the more garlic they ate. People who ate the most garlic had a lower risk of all cancers except breast and prostate cancers, which are mainly associated with hormonal and reproductive issues, write the researchers.
Researchers say onion and garlic consumption could simply be a marker for a healthier lifestyle and a diet high in a variety of potentially cancer-fighting herbs and vegetables.
However, the protective effect of onions and garlic against cancer remained significant even when they controlled for total vegetable intake.
Their results appear the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
(WebMed)
Study Shows Eating Lots of the Pungent Herbs May Keep Certain Types of Cancer at Bay
Better load up on the breath mints; a new study suggests eating lots of garlic and onions may help prevent cancer.
Italian researchers found that people whose diets are rich in onions, garlic, and other alliums have a much lower risk of several types of cancer than those who avoid the pungent herbs.
Researcher Carlotta Galeone, of the Istituto di Ricerche Farmocologiche "Mario Negri" in Milan, and colleagues say the health benefits of onion and garlic have been touted for centuries, but few studies have been able to prove the benefits.
Pungent Cancer Prevention
In their study, researchers used data from several Italian and Swiss cancer studies to look at the relationship between onion and garlic consumption and cancer at several body sites, including the mouth, larynx, esophagus, colon, breast, ovary, and kidneys.
Overall, consumption of onions ranged from 0-14 portions per week among cancer patients and 0-22 portions per week among those without cancer.
Garlic use was also lower among people with cancer, except for those with cancer of the breast, ovary, or prostate.
Researchers found moderate consumption of onions appeared to reduce the risk of colorectal, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers.
The protective effect was even greater among those who ate the most onions compared to those who ate the least. People who ate the most onions also had a lower risk of oral and esophageal cancers than those who ate the least.
Moderate use of garlic was also associated with a lower risk of colorectal and renal cell (a type of kidney cancer) cancers.
Again, the anticancer effect increased with the more garlic they ate. People who ate the most garlic had a lower risk of all cancers except breast and prostate cancers, which are mainly associated with hormonal and reproductive issues, write the researchers.
Researchers say onion and garlic consumption could simply be a marker for a healthier lifestyle and a diet high in a variety of potentially cancer-fighting herbs and vegetables.
However, the protective effect of onions and garlic against cancer remained significant even when they controlled for total vegetable intake.
Their results appear the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
(WebMed)
Monday, November 20, 2006
Commitment to Excellence
What are some of the elements of a self –initiated and self-directed program to develop personal and professional excellence?
Consider the following.
1.Develop an appreciation of what excellence is in the area in which you want to specialize.
Ask yourself,
‘What are the skills I need to develop that will equate to excellence in my particular field?
‘Who are some role models in my field that I can study and emulate?
‘What are some of the key result areas I should be aiming for that would equate to excellence?’
2. Understand Excellence is not a destination, it is a journey.
The rewards come from each step that is taken. And the rewards vastly outnumber and outweigh the amount of effort that has to be expended.
3. List the many benefits that will accrue to you as a result of becoming excellent in your career.
Benefits come in the form of emotional and material rewards. In both cases, the market only pays excellent rewards for excellent performance, average rewards for average performance. You can expect to get out of something only in proportion to what you put in.
You will truly feel great as a result of doing something in an outstanding and exemplary way.
4. List the things you need to do and the obstacles you must overcome in your quest to become excellent.
What people do you have to meet, what courses do you have to take, what books do you have to read, what skills do you have to develop, what efforts do you have to expend, what time commitments do you have to make, what sacrifices do you have to endure, all in the name of personal excellence?
5.Commit to these steps, no matter what, knowing that this is the price you have to pay to reap the rewards you want.
A commitment to excellence is a small price to pay for a life-time of joy and satisfaction. You cannot hide from the world. Change, challengers, and difficulties – these will never go away. Nor should you want them to. What you need to do, however, is to rise up in spirit and temperament to meet them head on, to welcome them indeed, to indulge in them. Challenge life to challenge you! In this way you shall truly find what you are really made of.
(Compiled)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PRACTICE POINTS
1.Identify with something bigger than just your career or professional goals. Identify yourselves with your passions and aspirations which are much greater than your career tracks
2. Avoid your day with a clutter of things and ideas in our mind. Cultivate the law of one pointed attention by taking up just one thought or idea in the morning and reflecting on it for some time. Practice the same again when you go to bed.
3. Creativity comes from doing ordinary things differently.
eg. write with left hand, Choose a new route etc.
4. Do not loose sight of reality.
Do not judge or blame anyone.
5. Practice Deep Breathing & Pranayama.
Consider the following.
1.Develop an appreciation of what excellence is in the area in which you want to specialize.
Ask yourself,
‘What are the skills I need to develop that will equate to excellence in my particular field?
‘Who are some role models in my field that I can study and emulate?
‘What are some of the key result areas I should be aiming for that would equate to excellence?’
2. Understand Excellence is not a destination, it is a journey.
The rewards come from each step that is taken. And the rewards vastly outnumber and outweigh the amount of effort that has to be expended.
3. List the many benefits that will accrue to you as a result of becoming excellent in your career.
Benefits come in the form of emotional and material rewards. In both cases, the market only pays excellent rewards for excellent performance, average rewards for average performance. You can expect to get out of something only in proportion to what you put in.
You will truly feel great as a result of doing something in an outstanding and exemplary way.
4. List the things you need to do and the obstacles you must overcome in your quest to become excellent.
What people do you have to meet, what courses do you have to take, what books do you have to read, what skills do you have to develop, what efforts do you have to expend, what time commitments do you have to make, what sacrifices do you have to endure, all in the name of personal excellence?
5.Commit to these steps, no matter what, knowing that this is the price you have to pay to reap the rewards you want.
A commitment to excellence is a small price to pay for a life-time of joy and satisfaction. You cannot hide from the world. Change, challengers, and difficulties – these will never go away. Nor should you want them to. What you need to do, however, is to rise up in spirit and temperament to meet them head on, to welcome them indeed, to indulge in them. Challenge life to challenge you! In this way you shall truly find what you are really made of.
(Compiled)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PRACTICE POINTS
1.Identify with something bigger than just your career or professional goals. Identify yourselves with your passions and aspirations which are much greater than your career tracks
2. Avoid your day with a clutter of things and ideas in our mind. Cultivate the law of one pointed attention by taking up just one thought or idea in the morning and reflecting on it for some time. Practice the same again when you go to bed.
3. Creativity comes from doing ordinary things differently.
eg. write with left hand, Choose a new route etc.
4. Do not loose sight of reality.
Do not judge or blame anyone.
5. Practice Deep Breathing & Pranayama.
Monday, November 13, 2006
THE PRAYER OF ADJUSTMENT
Our Father-
Creator of all races and colors of men-
Cause me to see
In them, aside from all seeming differences,
What I see in myself:
The same basic feelings and desires,
The same dreams and ambitions,
The same love of home and family,
The same inexpressible urge for a deeper understanding of self,
And a knowledge of God and the Universe,
Cause me to realize
That, however high or low in the scale of development my fellow humans may be,
I bear a kinship to them of whatever race and color,
As children of the same Creator,
Cause me to understand
That, since a part of God, the Great Intelligence, indwells each human soul,
We are each partakers of Your “I AM” Consciousness,
In the process of evolving our souls by the manner in which we react to the associate experiences,
We are having on this earth,
Cause me to sense
The harm I am doing to myself by permitting age-old prejudices against any race or color or individual
To continue to exist in consciousness,
Thus keeping me from acceptance of the true brotherhood of Man under the Father ship of God.
Cause me to be tolerant
Of the imperfections of my human brothers,
As I would wish them to be tolerant of me and my short comings,
Let me resolve
To apply this tolerance in relation to loved ones and friends in particular,
With the determination to change those unhappy qualities in myself which need changing,
As a first step toward inviting a similar change in others,
To this end,
I pray for the strength, the patience, the spirit and the will,
To carry me forward, each day, in the service of my fellow humans,
As my contribution toward a happier life and a better world tomorrow.
Creator of all races and colors of men-
Cause me to see
In them, aside from all seeming differences,
What I see in myself:
The same basic feelings and desires,
The same dreams and ambitions,
The same love of home and family,
The same inexpressible urge for a deeper understanding of self,
And a knowledge of God and the Universe,
Cause me to realize
That, however high or low in the scale of development my fellow humans may be,
I bear a kinship to them of whatever race and color,
As children of the same Creator,
Cause me to understand
That, since a part of God, the Great Intelligence, indwells each human soul,
We are each partakers of Your “I AM” Consciousness,
In the process of evolving our souls by the manner in which we react to the associate experiences,
We are having on this earth,
Cause me to sense
The harm I am doing to myself by permitting age-old prejudices against any race or color or individual
To continue to exist in consciousness,
Thus keeping me from acceptance of the true brotherhood of Man under the Father ship of God.
Cause me to be tolerant
Of the imperfections of my human brothers,
As I would wish them to be tolerant of me and my short comings,
Let me resolve
To apply this tolerance in relation to loved ones and friends in particular,
With the determination to change those unhappy qualities in myself which need changing,
As a first step toward inviting a similar change in others,
To this end,
I pray for the strength, the patience, the spirit and the will,
To carry me forward, each day, in the service of my fellow humans,
As my contribution toward a happier life and a better world tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
THE HUMAN YEARS!
On the very first day, God created the cow. He said to the cow, "Today I have created you! As a cow, you must go to the field with the farmer all day long. You will work all day under the sun! I will give you a life span of 50 years."
The cow objected, "What? This kind of a tough life you want me to live for 50 years? Let me have 20 years, and the 30 years I'll give back to you." So God agreed.
On the second day, God created the dog. God said to the dog, "You are supposed to do is to sit all day by the door of your house. Any people that come in, you will have to bark at them! I'll give a life span of 20 years."
The dog objected, "What? All day long to sit by the door? No way! I give you back my other 10 years of life!" So God agreed.
On the third day, God created the monkey. He said to the monkey, "Monkeys have to entertain people. You've got to make them laugh and do monkey tricks. I'll give you 20 years life span."
The monkey objected. "What? Make them laugh? Do monkey faces and tricks? Ten years will do, and the other 10 years I'll give you back." So God agreed.
On the fourth day, God created man and said to him, "Your job is to sleep, eat, and play. You will enjoy very much in your life. All you need to do is to enjoy and do nothing. This kind of life, I'll give you a 20 year life span."
The man objected. "What? Such a good life! Eat, play, sleep, do nothing? Enjoy the best and you expect me to live only for 20 years? No way, man!....Why don't we make a deal? Since the cow gave you back 30 years, and the dog gave you back 10 years and the monkey gave you back 10 years, I will take them from you! That makes my life span 70 years, right?" So God agreed.
AND THAT'S WHY.... In our first 20 years, we eat, sleep, play, enjoy the best and do nothing much. For the next 30 years, we work all day long, suffer and get to support the family. For the next 10 years, we entertain our grandchildren by making monkey faces and monkey tricks. And for the last 10 years, we stay at home, sit by the front door and bark at people!
The cow objected, "What? This kind of a tough life you want me to live for 50 years? Let me have 20 years, and the 30 years I'll give back to you." So God agreed.
On the second day, God created the dog. God said to the dog, "You are supposed to do is to sit all day by the door of your house. Any people that come in, you will have to bark at them! I'll give a life span of 20 years."
The dog objected, "What? All day long to sit by the door? No way! I give you back my other 10 years of life!" So God agreed.
On the third day, God created the monkey. He said to the monkey, "Monkeys have to entertain people. You've got to make them laugh and do monkey tricks. I'll give you 20 years life span."
The monkey objected. "What? Make them laugh? Do monkey faces and tricks? Ten years will do, and the other 10 years I'll give you back." So God agreed.
On the fourth day, God created man and said to him, "Your job is to sleep, eat, and play. You will enjoy very much in your life. All you need to do is to enjoy and do nothing. This kind of life, I'll give you a 20 year life span."
The man objected. "What? Such a good life! Eat, play, sleep, do nothing? Enjoy the best and you expect me to live only for 20 years? No way, man!....Why don't we make a deal? Since the cow gave you back 30 years, and the dog gave you back 10 years and the monkey gave you back 10 years, I will take them from you! That makes my life span 70 years, right?" So God agreed.
AND THAT'S WHY.... In our first 20 years, we eat, sleep, play, enjoy the best and do nothing much. For the next 30 years, we work all day long, suffer and get to support the family. For the next 10 years, we entertain our grandchildren by making monkey faces and monkey tricks. And for the last 10 years, we stay at home, sit by the front door and bark at people!
Food for Thought
People always come into your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are. They are there for a reason,you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die, Sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilleed; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.
When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season. And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.
LIFETIME, relationships teach you a lifetime of lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway);, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. Thank you for being part of my life.....
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are. They are there for a reason,you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die, Sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilleed; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.
When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season. And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.
LIFETIME, relationships teach you a lifetime of lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway);, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. Thank you for being part of my life.....
Monday, October 30, 2006
WELLNESS & HOLISTIC HEALTH
What if you could have a Healthy Future with Total Physical Fitness and Vibrant Vitality?
We all need it for ourselves as well as for our family.
This state of health is in our easy reach.
"WELLNESS & HOLISTIC HEALTH AT WORK & HOME"
This is a workshop that combines several disciplines to bring the Mind, Body & Soul together. It takes you to a level of Total Fitness.
We should understand that 'feeling healthy' and 'being healthy' are two different things.
This workshop helps you to understand "WHY" and " WHAT" one need to do to maintain holistic healthy life and 'HOW' to do it.
Proven processes and tips in the program helps the participants to comprehend and follow certain simple shift in life style and food habits that can help them-
-to prevent and control various common illnesses and ailments
-to manage and cope with day to day stress, tension and fatigue whether at work
-to prevent obesity and manage ones weight and maintain healthy image
-to seek peace of mind and body by exploring the spiritual side of healthy habits
-to acquire the habit of regular, simple mental and physical exercises and HOW
-to develop more awareness on the food; what we should eat and what we should
and many more......
contact us for further details.
We all need it for ourselves as well as for our family.
This state of health is in our easy reach.
"WELLNESS & HOLISTIC HEALTH AT WORK & HOME"
This is a workshop that combines several disciplines to bring the Mind, Body & Soul together. It takes you to a level of Total Fitness.
We should understand that 'feeling healthy' and 'being healthy' are two different things.
This workshop helps you to understand "WHY" and " WHAT" one need to do to maintain holistic healthy life and 'HOW' to do it.
Proven processes and tips in the program helps the participants to comprehend and follow certain simple shift in life style and food habits that can help them-
-to prevent and control various common illnesses and ailments
-to manage and cope with day to day stress, tension and fatigue whether at work
or home
-to prevent obesity and manage ones weight and maintain healthy image
-to seek peace of mind and body by exploring the spiritual side of healthy habits
-to acquire the habit of regular, simple mental and physical exercises and HOW
to make this enjoyable
-to develop more awareness on the food; what we should eat and what we should
avoid eating.
and many more......
contact us for further details.
The mind-body connection
Medical science is making remarkable discoveries about the relationship between your state of mind and your mental and physical health. Researchers have found that one function of the brain is to produce substances that can improve your health.
Your brain can create endorphins, which are natural painkillers; gamma globulin for fortifying your immune system; and interferon for combating infections, viruses, and even cancer.
Your brain can combine these and other substances into a vast number of tailor-made prescriptions for whatever ails you.
The substances that your brain produces depend in part on your thoughts, feelings, and expectations.
If your attitude about an illness (or life in general) is negative and you don't have expectations that your condition will get better, your brain may not produce enough of the substances your body needs to heal.
On the other hand, if your attitude and expectations are more positive, your brain is likely to produce sufficient amounts of the substances that will boost your body's healing power.
Your physical health also has an impact on your brain's ability to produce substances that affect your mental well-being.
An illness or injury that causes long-term physical stress can lead to chemical imbalances in the brain. These imbalances may lead to depression and other mental health problems.
Your brain can create endorphins, which are natural painkillers; gamma globulin for fortifying your immune system; and interferon for combating infections, viruses, and even cancer.
Your brain can combine these and other substances into a vast number of tailor-made prescriptions for whatever ails you.
The substances that your brain produces depend in part on your thoughts, feelings, and expectations.
If your attitude about an illness (or life in general) is negative and you don't have expectations that your condition will get better, your brain may not produce enough of the substances your body needs to heal.
On the other hand, if your attitude and expectations are more positive, your brain is likely to produce sufficient amounts of the substances that will boost your body's healing power.
Your physical health also has an impact on your brain's ability to produce substances that affect your mental well-being.
An illness or injury that causes long-term physical stress can lead to chemical imbalances in the brain. These imbalances may lead to depression and other mental health problems.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
THE LIGHTER SIDE...........
Matrimonial ads
FISHERMAN
Wife wanted, must be able to dig, clean, cook worms
and clean fish. Must have own boat with motor. Please
send photograph of motorboat.
SALESMAN
Once in a lifetime offer, to get yourself the
original, genuine article. One of the most handsome and
smartest bachelor's around is now looking for a wife.
And you could be the lucky one he chooses! Has own
house, car and successful career!
ECONOMIST
I am in demand of a wife. Supply is great though my
requirements are high. However the Elasticity of my
demands should not bear too heavy a burden
upon the national interest.
MATHEMATICIAN
Wife required to complete the formula of my life. Must
be numerate and understand complex algebraic
logarithms. Needed to help further my family
unit.
IT CONSULTANT
Well there is definite room for improvement in my
life. The speed of my current flows of information and
processes is slowing down and the injection of a wife
into my life is bound to improve efficiency.
Compatibility could be an issue.
BUSINESS MAN
Wife wanted for company.
POLITICIAN
I feel there is a need in this world, to improve the
ways we live, to harmonize the processes of life and
to build upon past differences and short comings. I
believe that we the people need someone to share our
lives. To feel the joys of parent hood, and bear the
social responsibilities, as we should in a civilized
society..... ......... ... (etc
etc and never getting to the point)
CAR DEALER
Wanted a sturdy, reliable, low depreciating wife.
Should be in excellent working condition. Resale value also important!
FARMER
Wanted a wife from good stock. Required for breeding.
LAWYER
I hereby propose to solicit myself as an eligible
candidate for the post of wife after marriage. The
person whom I'm looking for should be strictly -a
girl. The girl should be strictly a girl, with
evidence to support this view that she is a girl. The
girl should be willing to surrender to the service and
jurisdiction of My Lord i.e. Myself. Any objections
would be overruled and will not be sustained. Apply in
limited confidence as all liabilities are null and
void in the event of failure on our part of any
kind whatsoever.
PILOT
Wife required to complete my life. Please, only level
headed applicants. She must not have her heads in the
clouds, but have her feet firmly on the
ground. Her heart must be in it for the long haul. And
she absolutely must also be aerodynamically sound!!!
BANKER
Wanted wife who takes interest in me and credits me
with her service.
SHAAYAR
Burri muddat keh baad eik arazoo jaagi hai, Key hum
bee shaadi shooda ho
jaayeh, Kya bahaana shaadi karaney ka.......... .....
joh kurrey sarey
sarey, Yeah mai butaatah hoon ......... Kyoon key
yaroo ub khud ghur keh
kaam hotah nahee sarey sarey.
ACCOUNTANT
Required a girl - 5'8' & 36' 24' 36' with a good head
for figures. She must
be averse to making unnecessary expenditure and her
very nature should be
one of generating as few expenses in my life as
possible. She should profit
from a nice personality and be a credit to her family.
SHARABI
Wanted a girl. Girl's father should preferably have a
spirits factory. I am an occasional alcoholic who
drinks only when friends come round. Friends
come round only seven times a week. Girl preferred who
can carry me from bar to ghar-bar. Meet personally in
a bar or send drinks for trial. Sample should be
ample.
MINICAB DRIVER
Hello! Hello! number 9 calling. This is number 9 I'm
calling from x-ud, a wife is needed to pick me
up. Driving license not necessary, but map
reading skills are a bonus.
BEGGAR
Allah kay naam peh koi eik biwi dey dey, Doosrey kee
nahi to upni hee dey dey, Allah terah bullah kurrey,
Tujhey eik key balley doh dey dey, Hillery
hogi toh Monika bhi dey dey!
BUILDER
Wanted a wife to help build upon the foundations of my
life. Must be homely
and willing to build relationship from the ground up.
DOCTOR
I am looking for a wife to cure the emptiness in my
life. However if you feel the need for a second
opinion then it's fine by me.
ARMY COMMANDO
My mission in life is to find myself the perfect wife.
Successful applicants must be able to use a penknife
and a compass. She who dares
wins. Camouflage provided.
RACE CAR DRIVER
A model wife required to fit in with my fast track
life. Must be able to
keep pace!
ASTRONAUT
I'm searching for a wife to fill the space in my life.
Someone to share my universe. Must have looks that are
out of this world!
FISHERMAN
Wife wanted, must be able to dig, clean, cook worms
and clean fish. Must have own boat with motor. Please
send photograph of motorboat.
SALESMAN
Once in a lifetime offer, to get yourself the
original, genuine article. One of the most handsome and
smartest bachelor's around is now looking for a wife.
And you could be the lucky one he chooses! Has own
house, car and successful career!
ECONOMIST
I am in demand of a wife. Supply is great though my
requirements are high. However the Elasticity of my
demands should not bear too heavy a burden
upon the national interest.
MATHEMATICIAN
Wife required to complete the formula of my life. Must
be numerate and understand complex algebraic
logarithms. Needed to help further my family
unit.
IT CONSULTANT
Well there is definite room for improvement in my
life. The speed of my current flows of information and
processes is slowing down and the injection of a wife
into my life is bound to improve efficiency.
Compatibility could be an issue.
BUSINESS MAN
Wife wanted for company.
POLITICIAN
I feel there is a need in this world, to improve the
ways we live, to harmonize the processes of life and
to build upon past differences and short comings. I
believe that we the people need someone to share our
lives. To feel the joys of parent hood, and bear the
social responsibilities, as we should in a civilized
society..... ......... ... (etc
etc and never getting to the point)
CAR DEALER
Wanted a sturdy, reliable, low depreciating wife.
Should be in excellent working condition. Resale value also important!
FARMER
Wanted a wife from good stock. Required for breeding.
LAWYER
I hereby propose to solicit myself as an eligible
candidate for the post of wife after marriage. The
person whom I'm looking for should be strictly -a
girl. The girl should be strictly a girl, with
evidence to support this view that she is a girl. The
girl should be willing to surrender to the service and
jurisdiction of My Lord i.e. Myself. Any objections
would be overruled and will not be sustained. Apply in
limited confidence as all liabilities are null and
void in the event of failure on our part of any
kind whatsoever.
PILOT
Wife required to complete my life. Please, only level
headed applicants. She must not have her heads in the
clouds, but have her feet firmly on the
ground. Her heart must be in it for the long haul. And
she absolutely must also be aerodynamically sound!!!
BANKER
Wanted wife who takes interest in me and credits me
with her service.
SHAAYAR
Burri muddat keh baad eik arazoo jaagi hai, Key hum
bee shaadi shooda ho
jaayeh, Kya bahaana shaadi karaney ka.......... .....
joh kurrey sarey
sarey, Yeah mai butaatah hoon ......... Kyoon key
yaroo ub khud ghur keh
kaam hotah nahee sarey sarey.
ACCOUNTANT
Required a girl - 5'8' & 36' 24' 36' with a good head
for figures. She must
be averse to making unnecessary expenditure and her
very nature should be
one of generating as few expenses in my life as
possible. She should profit
from a nice personality and be a credit to her family.
SHARABI
Wanted a girl. Girl's father should preferably have a
spirits factory. I am an occasional alcoholic who
drinks only when friends come round. Friends
come round only seven times a week. Girl preferred who
can carry me from bar to ghar-bar. Meet personally in
a bar or send drinks for trial. Sample should be
ample.
MINICAB DRIVER
Hello! Hello! number 9 calling. This is number 9 I'm
calling from x-ud, a wife is needed to pick me
up. Driving license not necessary, but map
reading skills are a bonus.
BEGGAR
Allah kay naam peh koi eik biwi dey dey, Doosrey kee
nahi to upni hee dey dey, Allah terah bullah kurrey,
Tujhey eik key balley doh dey dey, Hillery
hogi toh Monika bhi dey dey!
BUILDER
Wanted a wife to help build upon the foundations of my
life. Must be homely
and willing to build relationship from the ground up.
DOCTOR
I am looking for a wife to cure the emptiness in my
life. However if you feel the need for a second
opinion then it's fine by me.
ARMY COMMANDO
My mission in life is to find myself the perfect wife.
Successful applicants must be able to use a penknife
and a compass. She who dares
wins. Camouflage provided.
RACE CAR DRIVER
A model wife required to fit in with my fast track
life. Must be able to
keep pace!
ASTRONAUT
I'm searching for a wife to fill the space in my life.
Someone to share my universe. Must have looks that are
out of this world!
Monday, October 23, 2006
'Changes in diet and lifestyle are medically effective'
Interview with Dr. Dean Ornish.
(Author: "Stress, Diet & your Heart", Dr.Dean Ornish's program for reversing Heart Disease")
Dr. Dean Ornish's schedule in India bore few signs of the low-stress lifestyle he advocates.
After a brief tour of Tamil Nadu, speaking to both doctors and patients on the transfiguration of cardiac medicine he has helped bring about, Ornish spent a few hours in Mumbai en route to Kathmandu.
On his way from the airport to meet some patients in downtown Mumbai, Ornish gave Frontline his only interview to the media during his recent visit to India, the first in two decades. What would otherwise have been a brief interaction was extended by Mumbai's chronically snarled traffic.
Excerpts from the interview to Praveen Swami, in which Ornish described both his work and its philosophical foundations:
In essence, your work seems to suggest that a very low-fat diet, quitting smoking and drastic changes in lifestyle can help combat coronary heart disease. These seem on the face of it to be very unexceptionable ideas. Why did the medical establishment in the United States at first react with hostility to your findings?
I think 23 years ago, when I conducted my first study, there was a lot of scepticism that these changes could affect the progression of coronary heart disease. Medicine is by nature conservative, and I think scepticism in science is a good thing. Over time, though, after we've published studies over these 22 years demonstrating that in most people the progression of coronary heart disease can be stopped or even reversed, that scepticism has changed. The idea that heart disease is often reversible has become mainstream. Most cardiologists now accept that idea.
The scepticism now is: can people do it? The issue is not whether reversing heart disease is possible, but whether people can change their lifestyles to this degree.
To address that question five years ago, my colleagues and I at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute started a multi-centre demonstration project where we began to train hospitals throughout the United States to answer some basic questions.
One, is it possible to train other teams of health professionals to be as effective in motivating their patients to change their lifestyles as we were?
Two, could people in diverse parts of the country make and maintain comprehensive lifestyle changes?
And three, could this be not only medically effective but also a cost-effective alternative to bypass surgery and angioplasty for most patients?
We published our findings in November, in a special issue of the American Journal of Cardiology. The answers to all three questions were yes, for most patients:
77 per cent of patients were able to make and maintain comprehensive diet and lifestyle changes for at least three years and were able to avoid the bypass surgery or angioplasty that they otherwise were eligible for.
Insurance companies calculated savings of an average of almost $30,000 a patient, because it is far less expensive to teach someone how to change their diet and lifestyle than to cut them open.
You have also said that you are now achieving similar results for patients with prostate and breast cancers. What is the status of that research?
We are conducting the first randomised control clinical trial to see whether a similar type of diet and lifestyle intervention can slow, stop and perhaps even reverse the progression of prostate cancer. I think we are at a similar stage with respect to prostate and breast cancers and perhaps a few others where we were with respect to heart disease 22 years ago. There is epidemiological data, animal data, and anecdotal case reports in humans suggesting that at least in some patients in the early stages the progression of prostate, breast and perhaps colon cancers may be affected at least to some degree by intensive changes in diet and lifestyle.
In countries where people tend to eat a low-fat, plant-based vegetarian diet, the incidence of prostate cancer is only a fraction of the incidence of such cancer in the U.S. Now, more accurately, they have the same rate of incidence of microscopic prostate cancer that we have in the United States, but there it tends to stay microscopic and of no critical significance. So it seems it may not so much be the initiation of cancer but the progression or promotion of cancer that is affected by diet and lifestyle through a number of factors.
When individuals from those countries move to the United States and begin eating and living as we do, the incidence skyrockets. If you look at sub-groups in China and Japan who tend to eat a typical high-fat American-style diet, they also have very high rates of prostate and breast cancers.
We are doing this study in collaboration with the Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Centre in the United States and the University of California, San Francisco. We take men who have biopsy-proven prostate cancer in the early stages, and who have elected not to be treated conventionally for reasons unrelated to our study. They get randomly divided into two groups. Half of them go through my programme and half of them don't and then we compare them and see how they do.
How receptive have audiences in India been to your ideas? There has been an enormous fascination with technology in cardiac and other forms of medicine, both among doctors and patients. You advocate very different approaches to the problem.
I have found people to be very receptive, and I am encouraged by that.
This is because so often developing countries like India tend to imitate the American way of living and they are unfortunately imitating the American way of dying. It is so avoidable.
Even in our country we cannot afford to do bypass surgery and angioplasty on everyone who needs it.
Last year we spent almost $20 billion on those two operations, which, if they cured heart disease, would be one thing, but they don't. At best they temporise, they buy you time. No study has ever shown that angioplasty prolongs life or prevents heart events in stable patients. Bypass surgery does so in only about 2 per cent of the people who undergo it.
So in most patients the major reason to have bypass surgery or angioplasty is to relieve angina, chest pain. But if people make intensive changes in diet and lifestyle, we have found that similar reduction in angina can occur from these alone.
We found a 91 per cent reduction in angina within weeks when people made big enough changes in diet and lifestyle.
So changes in diet and lifestyle are equally effective medically, and in some cases more so because in a bypass you temporarily get better and then the problem, more often than not, comes back. It is the same with an angioplasty.
Whenever I lecture, I usually show a cartoon of doctors mopping up the floor from a sink that's overflowing, without first turning the tap off. You're literally and figuratively bypassing the problem.
If we don't treat the underlying cause, either the same problem comes back or you get a new set of problems or side effects, which you may not have anticipated. On a health policy level, you may be faced with painful choices.
Your body has a remarkable capacity to begin healing itself. In this case of heart disease this process of healing is much quicker than we had once thought possible - if you treat the underlying cause, if you give it a chance to begin.
I'm not against bypass surgery, angioplasty or drugs. In an emergency they can be life-saving. But most people, if they were willing to make big enough changes in diet and lifestyle, have an alternative that is much less expensive, much less traumatic, and in the long run much more effective. Even better, of course, is prevention.
So, rather than eating a high-fat, typical American diet and importing our illnesses and our problems, it would be better if people in India and other Asian countries become more aware of the value of what they already have.
Do you find it difficult to persuade patients that just eating better or living happier, more emotionally fulfilling lives can actually help them combat what appears to them to be a life-threatening condition?
No, I don't, because I don't try to convince anyone of anything.
I'm not trying to change people. I'm simply trying to give people information that they can use to make informed and intelligent choices. I used to try to change people, and I realised it was counter-productive. This is because even more than feeling healthy, people want to feel free and in control.
As soon as I tell them not to smoke and to eat this, to do this and not to do that, they want to do just the opposite. That's just human psychology.
The first dietary intervention that failed was when God said 'Don't eat the apple'! That didn't work. And that was God talking. I'm not going to do better than that.
My role as a scientist is to do the best scientific and medical research that I can to find out what's true, and then act as a medical educator, writing in medical journals, and then to get the information out to the general public through interviews like this one. Whether someone decides to quit smoking or not is a very personal decision. It's their business. I don't tell people what to do, but I do believe people deserve to know what the facts are so they can make informed choices. My experience has been that when people really know how much these things matter, not just to how long we live but to how well we live, then I think most people are willing to make these changes.
To me, there's no point in giving up something unless I get back something better. Not just 50 years later, but a week or two later. The paradox for many people, and it certainly was for me, is that when people make big changes all at once, most people find they feel so much better so quickly that the choices become clear and for many people worth making.
I found this when I was 19, and I made these changes. I gave up eating meat, which growing up in Texas I had been used to four or five times a day. I had more energy. I could think more clearly. I smelt better. My girlfriend told me I tasted better (laughs). I think one of the most effective anti-smoking campaigns was not pointing to the risks of emphysema or lung cancer, but asking people whether they wanted their lover to feel they were kissing an ashtray. It puts everything in the here and now.
One of the criticisms levelled at the medical establishment in India is that it emphasises methods of treatment that are technology-intensive and expensive because doctors profit from these technologies. Advanced heart medicine has been criticised as pandering to a rich people's disease, which is sucking away resources from more pressing issues that confront the public health system. How would you react to this on the basis of your interactions with doctors here?
I think most doctors are genuinely interested in the welfare of their patients. But these are the things we are trained to do, and at least in the United States these are the things that Medicare and insurance reimburse.
So if we are trained to do drugs and surgery and we are reimbursed for doing drugs and surgery, then we do drugs and surgery. It is not because doctors are interested only in money. Most doctors are generally interested in service, in helping their patients, but they don't know any better. And then doctors in India naturally look to the United States as a world leader in medical technology, and they look towards us and want to copy how we do things.
My hope is that people can understand the value of what they have here already. Twenty years ago, when I last visited India, I spoke at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi to a very sceptical and sometimes hostile group of physicians about the value of yoga and a vegetarian diet. It was almost as if these things were their illegitimate stepchild!
Now, the All India Institute is offering programmes based on my work. Things have come a long way.
(Compiled with thanks to Frontline)
(Author: "Stress, Diet & your Heart", Dr.Dean Ornish's program for reversing Heart Disease")
Dr. Dean Ornish's schedule in India bore few signs of the low-stress lifestyle he advocates.
After a brief tour of Tamil Nadu, speaking to both doctors and patients on the transfiguration of cardiac medicine he has helped bring about, Ornish spent a few hours in Mumbai en route to Kathmandu.
On his way from the airport to meet some patients in downtown Mumbai, Ornish gave Frontline his only interview to the media during his recent visit to India, the first in two decades. What would otherwise have been a brief interaction was extended by Mumbai's chronically snarled traffic.
Excerpts from the interview to Praveen Swami, in which Ornish described both his work and its philosophical foundations:
In essence, your work seems to suggest that a very low-fat diet, quitting smoking and drastic changes in lifestyle can help combat coronary heart disease. These seem on the face of it to be very unexceptionable ideas. Why did the medical establishment in the United States at first react with hostility to your findings?
I think 23 years ago, when I conducted my first study, there was a lot of scepticism that these changes could affect the progression of coronary heart disease. Medicine is by nature conservative, and I think scepticism in science is a good thing. Over time, though, after we've published studies over these 22 years demonstrating that in most people the progression of coronary heart disease can be stopped or even reversed, that scepticism has changed. The idea that heart disease is often reversible has become mainstream. Most cardiologists now accept that idea.
The scepticism now is: can people do it? The issue is not whether reversing heart disease is possible, but whether people can change their lifestyles to this degree.
To address that question five years ago, my colleagues and I at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute started a multi-centre demonstration project where we began to train hospitals throughout the United States to answer some basic questions.
One, is it possible to train other teams of health professionals to be as effective in motivating their patients to change their lifestyles as we were?
Two, could people in diverse parts of the country make and maintain comprehensive lifestyle changes?
And three, could this be not only medically effective but also a cost-effective alternative to bypass surgery and angioplasty for most patients?
We published our findings in November, in a special issue of the American Journal of Cardiology. The answers to all three questions were yes, for most patients:
77 per cent of patients were able to make and maintain comprehensive diet and lifestyle changes for at least three years and were able to avoid the bypass surgery or angioplasty that they otherwise were eligible for.
Insurance companies calculated savings of an average of almost $30,000 a patient, because it is far less expensive to teach someone how to change their diet and lifestyle than to cut them open.
You have also said that you are now achieving similar results for patients with prostate and breast cancers. What is the status of that research?
We are conducting the first randomised control clinical trial to see whether a similar type of diet and lifestyle intervention can slow, stop and perhaps even reverse the progression of prostate cancer. I think we are at a similar stage with respect to prostate and breast cancers and perhaps a few others where we were with respect to heart disease 22 years ago. There is epidemiological data, animal data, and anecdotal case reports in humans suggesting that at least in some patients in the early stages the progression of prostate, breast and perhaps colon cancers may be affected at least to some degree by intensive changes in diet and lifestyle.
In countries where people tend to eat a low-fat, plant-based vegetarian diet, the incidence of prostate cancer is only a fraction of the incidence of such cancer in the U.S. Now, more accurately, they have the same rate of incidence of microscopic prostate cancer that we have in the United States, but there it tends to stay microscopic and of no critical significance. So it seems it may not so much be the initiation of cancer but the progression or promotion of cancer that is affected by diet and lifestyle through a number of factors.
When individuals from those countries move to the United States and begin eating and living as we do, the incidence skyrockets. If you look at sub-groups in China and Japan who tend to eat a typical high-fat American-style diet, they also have very high rates of prostate and breast cancers.
We are doing this study in collaboration with the Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Centre in the United States and the University of California, San Francisco. We take men who have biopsy-proven prostate cancer in the early stages, and who have elected not to be treated conventionally for reasons unrelated to our study. They get randomly divided into two groups. Half of them go through my programme and half of them don't and then we compare them and see how they do.
How receptive have audiences in India been to your ideas? There has been an enormous fascination with technology in cardiac and other forms of medicine, both among doctors and patients. You advocate very different approaches to the problem.
I have found people to be very receptive, and I am encouraged by that.
This is because so often developing countries like India tend to imitate the American way of living and they are unfortunately imitating the American way of dying. It is so avoidable.
Even in our country we cannot afford to do bypass surgery and angioplasty on everyone who needs it.
Last year we spent almost $20 billion on those two operations, which, if they cured heart disease, would be one thing, but they don't. At best they temporise, they buy you time. No study has ever shown that angioplasty prolongs life or prevents heart events in stable patients. Bypass surgery does so in only about 2 per cent of the people who undergo it.
So in most patients the major reason to have bypass surgery or angioplasty is to relieve angina, chest pain. But if people make intensive changes in diet and lifestyle, we have found that similar reduction in angina can occur from these alone.
We found a 91 per cent reduction in angina within weeks when people made big enough changes in diet and lifestyle.
So changes in diet and lifestyle are equally effective medically, and in some cases more so because in a bypass you temporarily get better and then the problem, more often than not, comes back. It is the same with an angioplasty.
Whenever I lecture, I usually show a cartoon of doctors mopping up the floor from a sink that's overflowing, without first turning the tap off. You're literally and figuratively bypassing the problem.
If we don't treat the underlying cause, either the same problem comes back or you get a new set of problems or side effects, which you may not have anticipated. On a health policy level, you may be faced with painful choices.
Your body has a remarkable capacity to begin healing itself. In this case of heart disease this process of healing is much quicker than we had once thought possible - if you treat the underlying cause, if you give it a chance to begin.
I'm not against bypass surgery, angioplasty or drugs. In an emergency they can be life-saving. But most people, if they were willing to make big enough changes in diet and lifestyle, have an alternative that is much less expensive, much less traumatic, and in the long run much more effective. Even better, of course, is prevention.
So, rather than eating a high-fat, typical American diet and importing our illnesses and our problems, it would be better if people in India and other Asian countries become more aware of the value of what they already have.
Do you find it difficult to persuade patients that just eating better or living happier, more emotionally fulfilling lives can actually help them combat what appears to them to be a life-threatening condition?
No, I don't, because I don't try to convince anyone of anything.
I'm not trying to change people. I'm simply trying to give people information that they can use to make informed and intelligent choices. I used to try to change people, and I realised it was counter-productive. This is because even more than feeling healthy, people want to feel free and in control.
As soon as I tell them not to smoke and to eat this, to do this and not to do that, they want to do just the opposite. That's just human psychology.
The first dietary intervention that failed was when God said 'Don't eat the apple'! That didn't work. And that was God talking. I'm not going to do better than that.
My role as a scientist is to do the best scientific and medical research that I can to find out what's true, and then act as a medical educator, writing in medical journals, and then to get the information out to the general public through interviews like this one. Whether someone decides to quit smoking or not is a very personal decision. It's their business. I don't tell people what to do, but I do believe people deserve to know what the facts are so they can make informed choices. My experience has been that when people really know how much these things matter, not just to how long we live but to how well we live, then I think most people are willing to make these changes.
To me, there's no point in giving up something unless I get back something better. Not just 50 years later, but a week or two later. The paradox for many people, and it certainly was for me, is that when people make big changes all at once, most people find they feel so much better so quickly that the choices become clear and for many people worth making.
I found this when I was 19, and I made these changes. I gave up eating meat, which growing up in Texas I had been used to four or five times a day. I had more energy. I could think more clearly. I smelt better. My girlfriend told me I tasted better (laughs). I think one of the most effective anti-smoking campaigns was not pointing to the risks of emphysema or lung cancer, but asking people whether they wanted their lover to feel they were kissing an ashtray. It puts everything in the here and now.
One of the criticisms levelled at the medical establishment in India is that it emphasises methods of treatment that are technology-intensive and expensive because doctors profit from these technologies. Advanced heart medicine has been criticised as pandering to a rich people's disease, which is sucking away resources from more pressing issues that confront the public health system. How would you react to this on the basis of your interactions with doctors here?
I think most doctors are genuinely interested in the welfare of their patients. But these are the things we are trained to do, and at least in the United States these are the things that Medicare and insurance reimburse.
So if we are trained to do drugs and surgery and we are reimbursed for doing drugs and surgery, then we do drugs and surgery. It is not because doctors are interested only in money. Most doctors are generally interested in service, in helping their patients, but they don't know any better. And then doctors in India naturally look to the United States as a world leader in medical technology, and they look towards us and want to copy how we do things.
My hope is that people can understand the value of what they have here already. Twenty years ago, when I last visited India, I spoke at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi to a very sceptical and sometimes hostile group of physicians about the value of yoga and a vegetarian diet. It was almost as if these things were their illegitimate stepchild!
Now, the All India Institute is offering programmes based on my work. Things have come a long way.
(Compiled with thanks to Frontline)
Sunday, October 22, 2006
INSPIRING.......
Which One Are You ???
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it.
She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.
The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.
He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl.
He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.
Turning to her, he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?"
"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied.
"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes."
She did and noted that they were soft.
He then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee.
Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique.
After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
"Which one are you," he asked his daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
Which one are you? When problems come (and they will) how will we react? Will they make us weak, hard hearted or will they cause us to change into something worthwhile?
Think about it.
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it.
She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.
The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.
He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl.
He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.
Turning to her, he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?"
"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied.
"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes."
She did and noted that they were soft.
He then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee.
Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique.
After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
"Which one are you," he asked his daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
Which one are you? When problems come (and they will) how will we react? Will they make us weak, hard hearted or will they cause us to change into something worthwhile?
Think about it.
A Tribute To Rose
Lovely Rose at 87
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" She gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed, she cleared her throat and began:
"We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You have got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
Remember, growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
"Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."
(Compiled)
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" She gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed, she cleared her throat and began:
"We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You have got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
Remember, growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
"Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."
(Compiled)
Thursday, October 19, 2006
THE LIGHTER SIDE...........
A man prays for guidance: "Oh God -- What should I do with my life? What do you expect of me? What will happen to me after I die? What is the meaning of life?"
For a while, Creation is silent.
Then a booming voice, sounding severely impatient, shouts from heaven:
"READ -- THE -- FAQ!"
Tom arrives in London on a foggy day. He wakes up the next day and it's foggy. It's also foggy the day after that, and the day after that. And the day after that.
Going out to lunch, he sees a young child and, out of despair, asks,
"Hey kid! Does the sun ever shine around here?"
The child replies, "No idea, mate. I'm only 8."
Teacher: "What's the nation's capital?"
Pupil: "Washington DC"
Teacher: "What does DC stood for?
Pupil: "Dot com."
Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church,
"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
Little Johnny jumped up and yelled, "Because people are sleeping!"
There was a doctor, a civil engineer, and a computer scientist sitting around late one evening, they got to discussing which was the oldest profession.
The doctor pointed out that according to Biblical tradition, God created Eve from Adam's rib. This obviously required surgery, so therefore that was the oldest profession in the world.
The engineer countered with an earlier passage in the Bible that stated that God created order from the chaos, and that was most certainly the biggest and best civil engineering example ever, and also proved that his profession was the oldest profession.
The computer scientist leaned back in her chair, and with a sly smile responded, "Yes, but who do you think created the chaos?"
For a while, Creation is silent.
Then a booming voice, sounding severely impatient, shouts from heaven:
"READ -- THE -- FAQ!"
Tom arrives in London on a foggy day. He wakes up the next day and it's foggy. It's also foggy the day after that, and the day after that. And the day after that.
Going out to lunch, he sees a young child and, out of despair, asks,
"Hey kid! Does the sun ever shine around here?"
The child replies, "No idea, mate. I'm only 8."
Teacher: "What's the nation's capital?"
Pupil: "Washington DC"
Teacher: "What does DC stood for?
Pupil: "Dot com."
Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church,
"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
Little Johnny jumped up and yelled, "Because people are sleeping!"
There was a doctor, a civil engineer, and a computer scientist sitting around late one evening, they got to discussing which was the oldest profession.
The doctor pointed out that according to Biblical tradition, God created Eve from Adam's rib. This obviously required surgery, so therefore that was the oldest profession in the world.
The engineer countered with an earlier passage in the Bible that stated that God created order from the chaos, and that was most certainly the biggest and best civil engineering example ever, and also proved that his profession was the oldest profession.
The computer scientist leaned back in her chair, and with a sly smile responded, "Yes, but who do you think created the chaos?"
TRY THESE TONGUE TWISTERS
1. If one doctor doctors another doctor does the doctor who doctors the Doctor doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or Does the doctor doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?
2.If Freaky Fred Found Fifty Feet of Fruit and Fed Forty Feet to his Friend Frank how many Feet of Fruit did Freaky Fred Find?
3.A tutor who tooted the flute, tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor, 'Is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?'
4.Billy Button bought a buttered biscuit,did Billy Button buy a buttered biscuit?If Billy Button bought a buttered biscuit,Where's the buttered biscuit Billy Button bought ??
5.Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,wheres the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
2.If Freaky Fred Found Fifty Feet of Fruit and Fed Forty Feet to his Friend Frank how many Feet of Fruit did Freaky Fred Find?
3.A tutor who tooted the flute, tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor, 'Is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?'
4.Billy Button bought a buttered biscuit,did Billy Button buy a buttered biscuit?If Billy Button bought a buttered biscuit,Where's the buttered biscuit Billy Button bought ??
5.Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,wheres the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
INSPIRING.......
The Grandfather
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table, but the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. he asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let's be wise builders.
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table, but the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. he asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let's be wise builders.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Some facts we should be aware of.........
World Statistics
(WHO)
1000 000 000 people are overweight in the world. (It is growing up very fast)
Without action, 388 000 000 people will die in the next 10 years because of chronic diseases.
One quarter of all chronic disease deaths occur in people under 60 years of age.
Each year at least..
4.9 million people die as a result of tobacco use
2.6 million die as a result of being overweight or obese
4.4 million people die as a result of raised total cholesterol level.
7.1 million people die as a result of raised Blood pressure.
Why is it so?
Due to-
Unhealthy Diet and Life style
Physical inactivity
tobacco / Alcohol use
Deaths in 2005
From Chronic Diseases 35 000 000
HIV/AIDS 2 830 000
T.B. 1 607 000
Malaria 883 000
Cardio Vascular Diseases 17 528 000
Cancer 7 586 000
Chronic Respiratory Diseases 4 057 000
Diabetes 1 125 000
Half Truth!
“Everyone has to die of something”
Certainly everyone has to die of something, but death doesnot need to be a slow, painful or premature.
Most chronic diseases do not result in sudden death. Rather they are likely to cause people to become progressively ill and debilitated especially if their illness is not managed correctly.
Death is inevitable, but a life of protected ill-health is not.
Chronic diseases prevention and control helps people to live longer and healthier lives.
-------------------------------------
(WHO)
1000 000 000 people are overweight in the world. (It is growing up very fast)
Without action, 388 000 000 people will die in the next 10 years because of chronic diseases.
One quarter of all chronic disease deaths occur in people under 60 years of age.
Each year at least..
4.9 million people die as a result of tobacco use
2.6 million die as a result of being overweight or obese
4.4 million people die as a result of raised total cholesterol level.
7.1 million people die as a result of raised Blood pressure.
Why is it so?
Due to-
Unhealthy Diet and Life style
Physical inactivity
tobacco / Alcohol use
Deaths in 2005
From Chronic Diseases 35 000 000
HIV/AIDS 2 830 000
T.B. 1 607 000
Malaria 883 000
Cardio Vascular Diseases 17 528 000
Cancer 7 586 000
Chronic Respiratory Diseases 4 057 000
Diabetes 1 125 000
Half Truth!
“Everyone has to die of something”
Certainly everyone has to die of something, but death doesnot need to be a slow, painful or premature.
Most chronic diseases do not result in sudden death. Rather they are likely to cause people to become progressively ill and debilitated especially if their illness is not managed correctly.
Death is inevitable, but a life of protected ill-health is not.
Chronic diseases prevention and control helps people to live longer and healthier lives.
-------------------------------------
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
United Nations Development Programme
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.
The 8 MDGs break down into 18 quantifiable targets that are measured by 48 indicators.
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Progress so far.....
G1.Global poverty rates are falling, led by Asia. But millions more people have sunk deep into poverty in sub- Saharan Africa, where the poor are getting poorer.
Since 1990, millions more people are chronically hungry in sub- Saharan Africa and in Southern Asia, where half the children under age 5 are malnourished.
G2. Five developing regions are approaching universal enrolment. But in sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than two thirds of children are enrolled in primary school.
G3.Death rates in children under age 5 are dropping. But not fast enough. Eleven million children a year — 30,000 a day — die from preventable or treatable causes.
G4. More than half a million women die each year during pregnancy or childbirth. Twenty times that number suffer serious injury or disability. Some progress has been made in reducing maternal deaths in developing
regions, but not in the countries where giving birth is most risky.
G5. AIDS has become the leading cause of premature death in sub-Saharan Africa and the fourth largest killer worldwide. In the European countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and parts of Asia, HIV is spreading at an alarming rate.
G6. Malaria and tuberculosis together kill nearly as many people each year as AIDS, and represent a severe drain on national economies
Tuberculosis is on the rise, partly as a result of HIV/AIDS, though a new international protocol to detect and treat the disease is showing promise.
G7. Achieving the goal will require greater attention to the plight of the poor, whose day-to-day subsistence is often directly linked to the natural resources around them, and an unprecedented level of global cooperation.
Access to safe drinking water has increased, but half the developing world still lack toilets or other forms of basic sanitation. Nearly 1 billion people live in urban slums because the growth of the urban population is outpacing improvements in housing and the availability of productive jobs.
G8. The United Nations Millennium Declaration represents a global social compact: developing countries will do more to ensure their own development, and developed countries will support them through aid, debt relief and better opportunities for trade. Progress in each of these areas has already begun to yield results. But developed countries have fallen short of targets they have set for themselves.
------------------------------------------------------
To make this call a great success all of us have a responsible role to play-
How?
By making ourselves healthy,
By making our family healthy,
By helping others become healthy.
change our unhealthy life style, food habits and stop abusing our mind & bodies.
When individuals are healthy , Nation becomes healthy.
-----------------------------------------------------
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.
The 8 MDGs break down into 18 quantifiable targets that are measured by 48 indicators.
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Progress so far.....
G1.Global poverty rates are falling, led by Asia. But millions more people have sunk deep into poverty in sub- Saharan Africa, where the poor are getting poorer.
Since 1990, millions more people are chronically hungry in sub- Saharan Africa and in Southern Asia, where half the children under age 5 are malnourished.
G2. Five developing regions are approaching universal enrolment. But in sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than two thirds of children are enrolled in primary school.
G3.Death rates in children under age 5 are dropping. But not fast enough. Eleven million children a year — 30,000 a day — die from preventable or treatable causes.
G4. More than half a million women die each year during pregnancy or childbirth. Twenty times that number suffer serious injury or disability. Some progress has been made in reducing maternal deaths in developing
regions, but not in the countries where giving birth is most risky.
G5. AIDS has become the leading cause of premature death in sub-Saharan Africa and the fourth largest killer worldwide. In the European countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and parts of Asia, HIV is spreading at an alarming rate.
G6. Malaria and tuberculosis together kill nearly as many people each year as AIDS, and represent a severe drain on national economies
Tuberculosis is on the rise, partly as a result of HIV/AIDS, though a new international protocol to detect and treat the disease is showing promise.
G7. Achieving the goal will require greater attention to the plight of the poor, whose day-to-day subsistence is often directly linked to the natural resources around them, and an unprecedented level of global cooperation.
Access to safe drinking water has increased, but half the developing world still lack toilets or other forms of basic sanitation. Nearly 1 billion people live in urban slums because the growth of the urban population is outpacing improvements in housing and the availability of productive jobs.
G8. The United Nations Millennium Declaration represents a global social compact: developing countries will do more to ensure their own development, and developed countries will support them through aid, debt relief and better opportunities for trade. Progress in each of these areas has already begun to yield results. But developed countries have fallen short of targets they have set for themselves.
------------------------------------------------------
To make this call a great success all of us have a responsible role to play-
How?
By making ourselves healthy,
By making our family healthy,
By helping others become healthy.
change our unhealthy life style, food habits and stop abusing our mind & bodies.
When individuals are healthy , Nation becomes healthy.
-----------------------------------------------------
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