Month: March 2010

Categories
Positive thinking

Cleansing the Heart of Your Existence

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Ways to Have a Healthier Home :-

Our homes are often our sanctuaries, keep your home healthy by using natural cleaning products.

Our homes serve as sanctuaries in which we are protected from what is potentially harmful. If we are not careful, however, we can inadvertently surround ourselves with substances that can be toxic to our bodies. It is precisely because we rely on our private spaces to serve as refuges from the world that we must exercise great care when choosing how we build, furnish, cleanse, and decorate our homes. Here are some suggestions for creating a healthier home:

1. Be a conscious consumer. If you buy products that contain wholesome, organic, and inert components, you will avoid most common household toxins. Read labels.

2. Your spaces will be as healthy as they are clean when you use natural cleansers and detergents. Almost everything in the home can be cleaned and disinfected using varying combinations of baking soda, vinegar, salt, tea tree oil, herbs, and gentle castile soap. Organic cotton slipcovers can be washed regularly to keep dust mites at bay and to keep us from close contact with furniture that may be off-gassing toxins.

3. Plants clean and add oxygen to the air you breathe when you place them in your personal spaces. Two plants in each room of your dwelling will rid the air of toxins and pollutants while balancing indoor humidity levels. Air purifiers are an easy way to have clean air and are especially useful in a bedroom. Try and clean your air ducts and furnace and change filters regularly.

4. Natural décor that incorporates pesticide-free wood and fibers, organically grown materials, and nontoxic paints and varnishes adds beauty to your house or apartment while lowering your exposure to unsafe chemicals.

5. Scents can help you maintain a hazard-free home. As you enter your home after an absence, pay close attention to the dominant fragrance you perceive. You may discover toxins that might otherwise have gone unrecognized.

6. Be aware of the water you drink and bathe in and consider adding a whole-house filter system.

7. Getting a good night’s rest is easier when your bedding is comprised of natural materials. Organic cotton sheets, down comforters, and wool fiber mattresses offer a wonderful alternative to standard bedclothes.

8. Negative ions are invisible molecules that promote whole-self wellness found in the clean air atop mountains and near rushing water. Equipping your home with a negative-ion generator or salt lamp will ensure that you feel alert and refreshed whenever you are at home.

9. If building a new home, consider carefully the materials you choose and research how much they off-gas toxins. You may not be aware of many glues and hidden substances. Choosing sustainable wood floors over wall-to-wall carpeting can be very beneficial to those with allergies and sensitivities.

Making a few easy changes in your home can provide years of healthy living for you, your family, and pets. A healthy home is a good foundation for living. And whether you use these suggestions or others, the best thing you can do is be aware.

Source: Daily Om

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Categories
Exercise

A Simple Stretch Loosens Back, Legs

Here is a very easy, yet amazing stretch that you can do anytime your back and legs feel tight. You’ll need a sturdy chair or, if you’re outside, you can use a park bench or even a small wall.
..…...CLICK & SEE
STEP-1.Stand in front of a chair or bench with your shoulders, hips and toes facing the chair. Inhale, shift your weight to your left leg and place your right foot flat on the seat of the chair. Make sure that your right heel is below your right knee. On an exhale, twist your rib cage, chest and shoulders to the right as far as possible. Check that your hips, knees and toes are still facing the chair. Reach your right hand out at shoulder level, palm facing out, thumb turned up. Place your left hand on your left outer thigh and gently press against it to increase the stretch in your spine. Gaze over your right shoulder while holding this position for three complete breaths. Return to the center and repeat on the other side.

STEP-2. Stand in front of a chair or short wall that comes to about hip level. Inhale, shift your weight to your left leg and place your right heel on the backrest of the chair or on top of the wall. On an exhale, twist your ribcage, chest and shoulders to the right as far as possible. Check that your hips, knees and toes are still facing the wall or chair. Reach your right hand out at shoulder level, palm facing out, thumb turned up. Place your left hand on your left outer leg and gently press against it to increase the stretch in your spine. Gaze over your right shoulder while holding this position for three complete breaths. Return to the center and repeat on the other side.

Source: Los Angeles Times

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Herbs & Plants

Ageratina Aromatica

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Botanical Name : Ageratina aromatica
Family  : Compositae
Genus : Ageratina
Synonyms : Eupatorium aromaticum – L.

Common Name :Small White Snakeroot

Habitat : Eastern N. America.Along the Gulf coastal plain from FL to LA, n., along the Atlantic coastal
plain from FL to MA; inland in the Appalachians to s. OH. Dry woods, thickets and clearings .Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade;

Description:
Herbaceous perennial growing to 1.5m. ; flowering August-October; fruiting September, October.. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.
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SIMILAR SPECIES: This plant is very similar to Ageratina altissima (Eupatorium  rugosum), but A. aromatica has notably thicker leaves, shorter petioles, and   crenate leaf margins. A. altissima generally grows in the woods, and A.  aromatica grows in open areas. The two species are known to hybridize, making  identification more difficult.

It is hardy to zone 4 . The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.A variety of well-drained open areas on acidic soils.

Cultivation :-
Succeeds in an ordinary well-drained but moisture retentive garden soil in sun or part shade.

Propagation:-
Seed – sow spring in a cold frame, only just covering the seed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring.

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Root.

One report says that the root is aromatic and suggests that it could be edible.

Medicinal Actions & Uses
Antispasmodic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Expectorant.

The plant is antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic and expectorant. It is used in the treatment of inflammation and irritability of the bladder, ague, pulmonary diseases, stomach complaints and nervous diseases.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Ageratina+aromatica

Click to access Ageratina_aromatica.pdf

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Categories
Exercise

Lifts for a Core Balance

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Develop your lower body as well as core strength with these challenging rear-leg balancing poses. You’ll immediately feel the work in your legs, buttocks, back and abdominals. Begin with your hands resting on the seat of the chair for added stability. Once you find your balance and feel comfortable with this pose, try the more advanced move by extending your arms out in front of you, resting them on the top of the chair.
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1. Stand facing a sturdy chair or a bench. Inhale, bend forward at the hips and place your hands on the seat of the chair or bench, making sure that your wrists are directly below your shoulders. Shift your weight over your right leg and slowly raise your left leg up to hip height. Be sure to keep both knees straight and both hips and shoulders squarely facing the floor. (The knee and toes of your raised leg should be pointed toward the floor.) Pause while holding your leg at this level for three complete breaths. Lower the leg and repeat on the other side.

2. Stand facing a sturdy chair or a short wall. Inhale, bend foward at the hips and lightly rest your hands on the top of the chair back or on the short wall. Shift your weight to your right leg and slowly raise your left leg up to hip height. Be sure to keep both knees straight and both hips and shoulders squarely facing the floor. (The knees and toes of your raised leg should be pointed toward the floor.) Pause while holding your leg at this level for three complete breaths. Lower the leg and repeat on the other side.

Source: Los Angeles Times

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Health Alert

Hourglass Figure not Always Healthy

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Having an imperfect body may not be all that bad, says a new article, which claims that ‘imperfections’ come with substantial benefits for some women.
………..
The report has been published in the December issue of Current Anthropology. The hormones that make women physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute fat from the hips to the waist, according to Elizabeth Cashdan, an anthropologist at the University of Utah.

So in societies and situations where women are under pressure to procure resources, they may be less likely to have the classic hourglass figure.

Cashdan’s hypothesis aims to explain a peculiar observation. Women around the world tend to have larger waist-to-hip ratios—more cylindrical rather than hourglass-shaped bodies—than is considered optimal.

Medical studies have shown that a curvy waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 or lower is associated with higher fertility and lower rates of chronic disease. Studies have also shown that men prefer a ratio of 0.7 or lower when looking for a mate.

The preference makes perfect sense, according to evolutionary psychologists, because the low ratio is a reliable signal of a healthy, fertile woman.

But in data that Cashdan compiled from 33 non-Western populations and 4 European populations, the average waist-to-hip ratio for women is above 0.8. If 0.7 is the magic number both in terms of health and male mate choice, why are most women significantly higher? That’s where the hormones come in.

Androgens, a class of hormones that includes testosterone, increase waist-to-hip ratios in women by increasing visceral fat, which is carried around the waist. But on the upside, increased androgen levels are also associated with increased strength, stamina, and competitiveness. Cortisol, a hormone that helps the body deal with stressful situations, also increases fat carried around the waist.

“The hormonal profile associated with high WHR (waist-to-hip ratio) may favour success in resource competition, particularly under stressful circumstances,” writes Cashdan.

“The androgenic effects—stamina, initiative, risk-proneness, assertiveness, dominance—should be particularly useful where a woman must depend on her own resources to support herself and her family,” the expert added.

In other words, trading the benefits of a thin waist for better ability to collect resources may be a good deal in certain societies and situations. And there is evidence that male mate preferences may reflect this trade-off, according to Cashdan.

Source : The Times Of India

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