July 19th, 2008 cate
Where have I been? Living in the middle of nowhere, buried under a rock? I swear, I’ve just heard about the miraculous substance called Vinegar. Supposedly apple cider vinegar that is cold pressed and unpasturized is best but did you know there are like a gazillion ways to use vinegar, not just in recipes?
It can prevent and treat a wide range of health problems, it cleans and purifies the home, and adds zest and nutritional value to food. Find out everything you wanted and needed to know about The Healing Powers of Vinegar
. This fascinating book traces the origins of vinegar to ancient Greece and Egypt and follows its history to the present day. You’ll read advnice from leading alternative health practitioners as well as medical researchers. There’s great detail about the healthful ingredients found in two of the most important vinegars: apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar, explaining the benefits of their vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids. Here, you’ll find the latest research about cutting-edge nutrients found in these two vinegars, including a new class of antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and protect against heart disease.
You will also see beauty tips and household hints as well as over 100 recipes that team-up vinegar with other nutritious foods for a healthier and longer life.
Read other people’s review of this book and find out more about the power of vinegar.
Posted in articles, body, books, depression, diet, eco living, fitness, general, healing, health, herbal medicine, kids, lifestyle, natural beauty products, news, online self help, organic, pain, parenting, popular, real food, recommendations and favorites, safe products, self improvement, seniors, wisdom, you should know | 1 Comment »
May 16th, 2008 cate
Did you know that many of the drugs you’re prescribed, can actually HARM you? It is so shocking that these things are supposed to be helping us but in most cases, they don’t. They simply feed the greedy pockets of big pharmaceutical companies. How do we know which drugs do damage?
The 24-Hour Pharmacist- is the perfect pill for anyone seeking insight on overall health from a resource that is thorough and fun to read. With chapter titles such as “Frazzled, Frustrated and Freaked Out: Coping with Anxiety and Stress” to “More Jiggle, Less Joint Pain: What You Can Do About Arthritis” you get the sense that the author well knows what course to recommend but also truly enjoys educating others. One feature I found especially enlightening were the sections in each chapter entitled “Suzy’s Secrets From Behind The Counter”. Here is where she (Suzy) offers great little insights to live by with a perspective that only a pharmacist can give. One good example of this is in the chapter about weight loss where she explains that some drugs can make you hungry. Included in her list are sedatives and tranquilizers, antidepressants, allergy pills, female hormones and diuretics. Wow, who knew?
Read more about it here: The 24-Hour Pharmacist
Posted in body, books, dangerous / warnings, depression, general, healing, health, herbal medicine, hope, kids, online self help, organic, parenting, recommendations and favorites, safe products, self improvement, success stories, wisdom | No Comments »
February 27th, 2008 cate
From the guardian:
“Prozac, the bestselling antidepressant taken by 40 million people worldwide, does not work and nor do similar drugs in the same class, according to a major review released today.
The study examined all available data on the drugs, including results from clinical trials that the manufacturers chose not to publish at the time. The trials compared the effect on patients taking the drugs with those given a placebo or sugar pill.
When all the data was pulled together, it appeared that patients had improved – but those on placebo improved just as much as those on the drugs.
The only exception is in the most severely depressed patients, according to the authors – Prof Irving Kirsch from the department of psychology at Hull University and colleagues in the US and Canada. But that is probably because the placebo stopped working so well, they say, rather than the drugs having worked better.
“Given these results, there seems little reason to prescribe antidepressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, unless alternative treatments have failed,” says Kirsch. “This study raises serious issues that need to be addressed surrounding drug licensing and how drug trial data is reported.”
The paper, published today in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine, is likely to have a significant impact on the prescribing of the drugs. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) already recommends that counselling should be tried before doctors prescribe antidepressants. Kirsch, who was one of the consultants for the guidelines, says the new analysis “would suggest that the prescription of antidepressant medications might be restricted even more”.
The review breaks new ground because…”
Continue
Posted in articles, dangerous / warnings, depression, general, health, news, online self help | No Comments »
February 14th, 2008 cate
Some people hate Valentine’s Day with the passion of a thousand suns and are known to spend the day binging on junk food, chocolates, booze and whatever can fill a “gap” if you know what I mean. (I mean an emotional gap!!!) – calling today, “I hate Valentine’s Day so leave me alone!”
Others will spend today watching depressing movies, perhaps love stories with the most sad endings ever imagined by some wicked French film maker that can’t resist concluding a film with everyone dying at the end, or at least one person jumping out the window.
Anyway. Don’t do that. If you’re date-less today, gather some of your other solo Valentines and watch happy romantic comedy movies together. That way, you’ll feel good and it’ll give you some hope that there IS hope! In any case, just have a fun, lighthearted day today and you won’t feel the need to eat crazy fattening foods.
Here are some happy love story movies (romantic comedies mostly) suggestions:
1. Death at a Funeral
2. Rushmore
3. Shakespeare in Love
4. Annie Hall
5. Serendipity
6. French Kiss
7. The Wedding Singer
8. Roxanne
9. Meet the Parents
10. Splash
11. Much Ado About Nothing
12. Reality Bites
13. Amelie
14. Moonstruck
15. Shall We Dance?
16. Notting Hill
17. Sleepless in Seattle
18. Muriel’s Wedding
19. So I Married an Axe Murderer
20. Music and Lyrics
Posted in depression, dvd, film, general, healing, hope, inspiration, laugh, personal development, personal growth | No Comments »
January 24th, 2008 cate
If you think the title of this post sounds a bit geeky, you’d be right. Optimism one point OH sounds happy but is a serious little software application that identifies the triggers of depression. It helps make strategies to maintain long lasting mental health.
When people have mental health issues, particularly with depression, it takes a huge effort to get better and recover, but the greatest challenge remains in trying to stay well from that point on.
With Optimism software, users actively learn about their depression. They monitor patterns in their life and begin to see the various internal and external factors that affect their health. Once these factors are realized, it makes it easier to take control and leave depression far behind them. Users will no doubt learn a great deal about what really triggers depression. Maybe it’s a certain food or lack of sleep. Perhaps it’s from watching disturbing films or from a stressful work environment. Optimism helps people focus on specific triggers and they’ll know what to avoid if possible. Users will learn so many important things about themselves, and this will help them control their lives better.
Optimism features:
* Prompts users to keep a health record of all things that impact their mental state of being, both positive and negative. From there, it helps find strategies to stay healthy.
* Charting Changes – Optimism charts users’ triggers, symptoms and healthy activities to be able to identify relationships between the three in a simple, visual way.
* Reports – Optimism generates reports that document the triggers, symptoms and healthy activities so users can print records or helpful history to email to their health provider.
Optimism is quick and easy to use, only taking 2 to 3 minutes each day to enter data, and only a little bit longer to look more closely at the charts.
People, work on getting rid of (if not controlling) your depression, and stay mentally healthy. Try out this software and plan your health. Create a “Stay Well Plan,” which can be seen as a dynamic document that you adjust as you learn more about managing your illness. Print or email it to your health provider or aids, so they know how to help you stay on track.
Download the free demo now (for Mac)
NOTE: PC version should be released some time next month (February). I’ll post it when it’s available.
Posted in depression, general, healing, health, hope, news, online self help, personal development, personal growth, recommendations and favorites, safe products, setting goals | No Comments »