5 Steps To Health
5 Steps To Health
Herbs for Health
Five Simple Steps to Overall Health and Well-Being
More and more men and women are turning to alternative health options. After
years and years of believing that "Doctor" was synonymous with "God", we are beginning to reclaim the care of their bodies and minds. We need to learn to read and understand our own selves. Learn to sense the feel of our own heart beat, hear the music our blood makes as it courses through our veins, feel the rhythm of our muscles as we move through life, enjoying all that the Mother has given us. Indeed, we need to take back the responsibility of our own health.
I hear from people almost everyday who have told me horror stories of medicine chests full of drugs prescribed by doctors for every complaint from monthly cramps to ovarian cysts , breast cancer, blood pressure, you name it. They all tell me that for every drug prescribed for a specific problem, several others have to be taken also to counteract the side effects of the first. They feel discouraged, depressed, mentally and physically exhausted. Many are suffering from stress and anxiety brought about by their medical problems and by the frantic rush of everyday living. Our Mother didn't intend for us to live this way!
There are many things that can be done to dispel the dis-ease in our
lives. There are alternatives to prescription drugs, as well. Dietary
changes, herbs, reflexology, acupressure, meditation, massage, vitamin
therapy, life-style changes, to name a few. All of this is beyond the
scope of these pages, here we will concentrate on the wonderful herbs
that can be used, and some indulgent behaviors to experiment with.
First
- learn to say "NO".
For so many of us, this is one of the hardest words we've ever had to
speak. Don't let your "superman ,super-woman" self agree to so many tasks and
projects that you are over-whelmed just thinking about getting up in the morning. There are only so many hours in the day, make sure that you schedule a few of these hours for yourself.
Second
- be nice to "YOU".
Take time out on a regularly scheduled basis to pamper yourself. Lock
yourself in the bathroom for an hour or so, light some candles, turn the
lights down, add a gorgeously scented oil to the tub, just relax during
this time. Leave orders that you will respond to nothing short of the
house burning down, and then maybe not! No phone calls, no mommy-this, no honey-that, no nothing but you indulging you. If a bath isn't an option, try meditation-time, perhaps journal-time or book-time, anything that allows you to have some time to yourself. What ever "time" you choose, schedule it, stick to it and let others know that this is your time and that it is just as important as anything else.
Third
- get plenty of rest.
The time that we spend sleeping is the time that our bodies and minds
spend building new cells, healing, gathering energy for the day to come. Some studies have even found that men and women who get the proper amount of sleep don't seem to gain as much weight.
Fourth
- exercise!
Researchers have found that those of us who spend our days in mentally exhausting pursuits need physical exercise to re-energize. The reverse holds true, of course, those of us in physically demanding activities often need a "brain-teaser" to enable our physical stamina to rebuild.
Fifth
- eat right.
This doesn't mean eat less! Eat quality, more raw food. In our modern, youth oriented, physical world, young and skinny seem to be the physical traits we "must" aspire to. It's a better idea to give our bodies more fuel, to create more energy. It takes more energy to burn fat than to store it. So, if we aren't giving our bodies enough fuel, the body goes into "starvation mode" and it stores the very fat that we are trying to lose. If our bodies think we are starving it won't release calories to burn fat to create energy, so we don't have the energy necessary for normal body or mind functions, much less for any emergencies.
Plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, less fat (however, the body needs
some fat for lubrication and ease of waste disposal), watch the processed sugars and carbohydrates. Eat sparingly on animal products
Don't forget water, the "magical elixir of life". Not enough water taken
during the day can cause the body to retain water, our kidneys then don't function properly, our bladders are more prone to infection. Water
provides our bodies the medium to wash away toxins and waste and not drinking enough water can even cause dizziness or lightheadedness!
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