Top Ten Ways to Start Living a Low Density Lifestyle Now

In yesterday’s article I explained What the Heck a Low Density Lifestyle Is.

When you read the article, you should be able to wrap your mind around the concept pretty quickly, and I think you’ll agree with me that it makes a lot of sense.

Tomorrow I will begin the first series of the year, and it will be on Longevity. As you probably know, once I begin a series, I spend a few weeks looking at the theme of the series at an in-depth level. So in a couple of weeks, you’ll know more about Longevity than you ever thought you did.

But before I begin the series on Longevity, let’s examine the top ten ways you can start living a Low Density Lifestyle right now.

Yes, right now. Not tomorrow. Now. So let’s begin…

1) Open your mind. When you talk to someone, do you have a knee-jerk negative reaction to what they say? Open your mind to the possibilities that are out there, because it could cause you to change your thinking and expand the way you see the world. When you are closed minded, you shut off 99% of the world.

2) Listen to others. Don’t just be the one talking…listen to what others have to say – you will learn a lot that way.

3) Watch your expectations. It’s easy to expect others to do what you think they should do, or what you think is the proper way for them to behave and act. But everyone is different, and you should never impose your beliefs and standards on others. If you think someone is acting improperly, be aware if your perception is clouded by the way you expect them to act.

4. Beware the Curse of Knowledge. Don’t act like an expert, even if you know everything about the subject at hand. This ties in with the first point, to open your mind. The Zen master Shunryu Suzuki said, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” You may know a lot about a subject, and may be the go-to person on the subject, but at the same time, it’s best to be humble about your knowledge, because there is never an end to what can be added onto the subject. For instance, the Nobel-prize winning physicist Richard Feynman once said, “I was born not knowing and have only had a little time to change that here and there.” And if anyone had the right to claim firm knowledge on a subject matter, it was Richard Feynman.

5. Laugh. A lot. We all have a tendency to take ourselves too seriously. When you laugh you start feeling lighter of body, mind and spirit. You can just feel yourself open up.

6. Move. As often as possible. Especially in ways that accentuate flow. Try this: when you’re home, turn some music on that has a good beat to it, and start moving to it. In whatever way feels right. It doesn’t matter if you have two left feet, just visualize you’re channeling your inner Fred Astaire. Or inner Michael Jackson. Or better yet, inner you.

7. Dream. Dream big. Or even dream small. But just dream. John Lennon once said, “The dreamer lives forever.” And Mick Jagger, in Ruby Tuesday, said, “Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind.” We all have great dreaming capabilities, but it gets suppressed. You can dream at night during sleep, or during the day, in what gets misnamed daydreaming. It’s not daydreaming you’re doing when your mind wanders during the day. Instead you’re doing what we all have as an innate quality: seeing ourselves in a greater capacity, seeing ourselves in the life we were meant to live.

8. Think abundantly. It’s easy to think from a scarcity perspective, in which you see a world in which it’s every person for themselves, and you have to get yours before someone takes it from you. But what if you perceived a world in which it was ok to share and be generous and be compassionate with others? Remember the popular best-seller called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” by Robert Fulghum? That was the gist of the book, that what we all learned in kindergarten – to share, to play, to have fun, to enjoy each others company – are really the true lessons of life.

9. Live and practice a healthy lifestyle. Eat a whole foods oriented diet. Breathe deeply and relax. See a health provider who helps you to cultivate and enhance wellness. Don’t take drugs, or take as bare minimum as possible, and see them as a temporary bridge that you take only until your health is much better. Instead of drugs, take herbs and supplements.

10. Sign up for the free email course on this site. See the sign-up box on the upper right, below the video, or you can put your name in the pop-up box that shows up when you first come on the site. The course will help reinforce everything written about in the above list. And keep coming back to the site to read the articles. There are new articles on this site four days a week – Tuesday through Friday – on different aspects of living a Low Density Lifestyle. The different aspects are covered in a series format, and each series is written about for a few weeks. You’ll be glad you did.

Obesity Can Be Caused By Chemicals in Foods

In Tuesday’s article I discussed some of the dietary reasons for the increased rate of obesity in most countries around the world, and especially in the U.S.

I said how some of the main culprits are sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and an increased reliance of fast foods.

And in yesterday’s article, I showed you how Kellogg’s is trying to fool the public into thinking that a breakfast cereal that is laden with sugar and junk is a food that can boost your immune system.

No wonder obesity is, according to the World Health Organization, a global epidemic! With friends like these, who needs enemies!

But there’s another category of foods that can lead to weight gain and obesity – the chemicals in your food, even if those chemicals don`t contain a single calorie.

To understand this, you’ll need to realize that the liver is your primary detoxification organ. Your liver is also your primary fat-burning organ. Therefore, the more unnatural chemicals you consume on a regular basis, the more time and energy your liver needs to spend detoxifying you. But, the more your liver is consumed with the role of detoxification, the less time and energy it will have for burning fat.

For instance, it’s safe to say that pesticides are poisons: their primary purpose is to kill living organisms, and most non-organic foods are laden with pesticides.

Now, these pesticides don’t transform into non-toxic, safe entities once inside the body.  As the pesticides enter the body, the body’s defense mechanisms send signals that poisons have entered.

How does your body deal with a poison?  By attempting to neutralize it. This means your body attempts to render the poison harmless, and then remove it , generally through normal elimination channels, such as through your colon. Your colon is the primary organ used to eliminate toxins from the body, and the liver is the organ most often responsible for rendering poisons harmless.

But what happens when people eat unnatural chemicals on a regular basis?

Then the liver becomes overwhelmed with the need to detoxify all of those chemicals and poisons, and the poisons start backing up into the blood.

Your liver is also the great warehouse of the body, and so it also stores toxins and poisons that it was unable to neutralize. It does this to keep those poisons out of your bloodstream and from circulating in your body.

This can be taxing on the liver – it can be overwhelming trying to detoxify all of the chemicals being consumed on a daily basis; in addition it is trying to store all the poisons that it wasn’t able to neutralize.

Some estimates are that three fourths of the average person’s liver is used to store toxins that the liver was unable to render harmless.

No wonder that for so many people losing weight is virtually impossible: Their primary fat burning organ is overwhelmed with another task, and it’s become only half functional.

Not only will this lead to weight gain and an inability to lose weight, it can also lead to diabetes, because the liver plays a vital role in the uptake of blood glucose, and if the liver is not fully functioning, its ability to do the work it needs to do with blood glucose can be severely impaired.

And guess what? Like obesity, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions.

So what to do about it? A couple of things.

The first is to try and stop consuming chemicals in your diet on a regular basis. This generally means giving up processed foods as best as possible, and eating organic foods as much as possible. Plant-based foods, particularly vegetables, are very liver friendly.

This will prevent many new chemicals from entering your body, and is a tremendous step in the right direction. But what about those poisons already stored in your liver and circulating in your blood?  Sometimes it takes more than changing your diet to clear out the accrued chemicals residing in the liver.

That is why over the years there have been a number of natural/herbal approaches that have been developed to cleanse the liver.

Milk thistle, vitamin C, selenium, beta carotene, vitamin E, and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) are all powerful antioxidants which are helpful in liver detoxification.

The amino acid SAM-E plays an important role in liver health, in addition to helping with depression. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage in the diet have been shown to enhance liver detoxification. Besides using them as foods, you can also juice with them.

The B vitamins, including riboflavin and niacin, also are helpful in liver detoxification.

Coffee enemas, used in Gerson Cancer Therapy, is also something that can detox the liver.

The Swine Flu: For Better or Worse, the Vaccine Race is On

The last article, on Herbal Approaches to the Swine Flu, was to be the last article in this series on Herbal Medicine.

But before I end the series, I want to present you with one more article.

This article is actually not about herbal medicine, but about the swine flu and the push to get a vaccine for it.

One of the things I discussed in the last article on Herbal Approaches to the Swine Flu was the nature of viruses.

I said how because viruses can mutate, sometimes at whim, it’s not always the best thing to try and eradicate it with drugs, and that by trying to destroy it with potent medications, the virus strain can mutate into something stronger and uglier.

And yet, many countries are racing to create a swine flu vaccine, and hoping to inoculate as many people as possible.

There is so much fear tied into the swine flu, what with it being labeled a pandemic, that people will accept what they are told and be willing to be vaccinated, if a vaccine is found.

All we have to do is look back in history, to 1976. That was the last time a swine flu pandemic occurred, and fear over what it could do then was rampant.

Vaccines were pushed and 46 million people in the U.S. got inoculated.

A significant percentage of people who had shots had adverse reactions, and many of those reactions were neurologically severe.

Here’s the deal: when you try and manipulate viruses and try and contain them, you are playing with fire, because they have the intelligence to rise up and mutate into something toxic.

And a vaccine is an injection into the body of the virus that is being combated, in an attempt to get the person being inoculated to develop an immunity to it.

And that’s why I said, in the Herbal Approaches to Swine Flu article, that an herbal approach to the swine flu is the wise thing to do.

When an herbal remedy meets a virus, it doesn’t try to eradicate the virus as much as it tries to harmonize with it and help the virus to settle down, stop mutating, and ease off on its manifestation of symptoms.

And so, I present to you the above two-part video, from 1979. The videos are from the CBS news show Sixty Minutes, and is a look at the 1976 swine flu vaccination campaign, and the adverse reactions from it.

The point of showing the video is for us to learn from the lessons of recent history.

And to help guide us to a more gentle, healthier way of living, that of a Low Density Lifestyle.

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Herbal Approaches to the Swine Flu

I’ve been talking about herbal medicine for the last two weeks, and to close the series I want to take a look at if there could there be herbal remedies for the swine flu.

The swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus has been getting a lot of press in 2009, ever since an outbreak began in Mexico in the wintertime.

This is not the first appearance of the H1N1 swine flu virus. Swine flu was first identified in the flu pandemic of 1918, and since then it has remained a strain that rears up from time to time.

There have been swine flu outbreaks in the U.S. in 1976 and 1998, and in 2007 there was an outbreak in the Phillipines.

The influenza virus is actually quite common in pigs.

So, in other words, the swine flu is nothing new. It’s just a different strain of the influenza virus.

And because viruses can mutate, sometimes at whim, it’s not always the best thing to try and eradicate it with drugs. Because by trying to destroy it with potent medications, the virus strain can mutate into something stronger and uglier.

That’s where the herbal approach could be the wise thing to do. When an herbal remedy meets a virus, it doesn’t try to eradicate the virus as much as it tries to harmonize with it and help the virus to settle down, stop mutating, and ease off on its manifestation of symptoms.

To that end, there have been a couple of herbal approaches in the works to deal with the swine flu.

One is occurring In Mexico, where the Mexican higher education body the National Polytechnic Institute

(IPN) has reached an agreement with the Beijing-based China Medical University to cooperate in medicinal plants research as part of the efforts to contain the H1N1 flu outbreak.

Guillermo Perez Ishiwara, the IPN’s head of postgraduate studies and research, said Monday that herbal therapy could work to fight the flu strain that has killed 83 and infected 4,541 people in Mexico.

IPN is already seeking plant-based anti-viral medicine in a bid to tackle the H1N1 flu virus, Perez said.

“We are seeking to find in the two herbal traditions plants that serve as anti-virals. Some of the components of the herbal formulas may stimulate the immune response, which mean they could become an alternative in preventing any outbreak that may come in winter,” he said.

“This is a virus that will emerge in a recurring manner and not just in the next winter season,” Perez said, urging researchers and scientists from several institutions to work harder and join hands to fight the virus.

Javier Grandini Gonzalez, director of the IPN’s National Medicine and Homeopathy School, said both Mexico and China are excellent in herbal medicine study.

And the second development is from a pharmaceutical company, Vanguard Pharmaceutical Corporation, that has recently produced a naturally derived product formulated to aid against strains of influenza by strengthening the immune system.

Called Swine Guard, the formula combines traditional Chinese medicine with many extracts that have proven to boost the immune system as well as offer many other benefits in the fight against influenza.

Swine Guard is formulated with:

Shikimic Acid, a traditional Chinese medicine to treat influenza and colds by strengthening the immune system and by functioning as an anti- inflammatory.

Echinacea Extract, which stimulates the immune system, prevents upper respiratory tract infections, is a mild antibiotic that fights strep and staph infections, and produces interferon which increases antiviral activity by improving the migration of white blood cells to attack foreign microorganisms and toxins in the bloodstream.

Microcrystalline Cellulose, which fortifies blood vessels, aids in the repair and maintenance of vital lungs, and improves the lymphatic system.

Ascorbic Acid, which is an antioxidant that enhances the immune system, helps regenerate wounds, protects against effects of stress, and helps prevent certain cancers.

Goldenseal Root Extract, which enhances the immune function, relieves stress, and is an energy booster.

Burdock Root, which purifies the liver, neutralizes most poisons, and detoxifies the system.

Licorice Root Extract, which treats sore throats and rejuvenates cells of the digestive system and liver.

And Shaitake Mushroom, Astragulus Root Extract, and Pau D’Arce Extract, all of which work to enhance the immune function.

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Dang Gui – The Queen of all Herbs

For the last two days, I told you about ginseng, which is known as the King of all Herbs. I told you about how remarkable an herb it is in terms of its healthful benefits.

Today, I want to tell you about an herb that is second only to ginseng in popularity in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Because of this, I have crowned it the Queen of all Herbs.

This herb is Dang Gui, also known as Dong Quai and Tang Kuei. It’s Latin name is Angelica Sinensis.

It is also called the female ginseng, because of its prized value in women’s health, but it is an herb that is not just for women.

Like ginseng, Dang Gui has adaptogenic properties, which means that it helps you deal with stress and the effects stress has on the body. Like all adaptogens, it strengthens the immune system and balances the autonomic nervous system.

Dang gui has been used historically to treat women’s health disorders.
It contains phytoestrogens, which are chemicals found in plants that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body.

Dang gui is said to help balance women’s hormone levels, both restraining and supplementing the body’s production of estrogen as needed. It is used to treat menstrual and menopausal symptoms, including migraine, cramps, mood fluctuations, and hot flashes. It is also said to help speed a woman’s recovery from childbirth and symptoms of low energy/chronic fatigue.

Dang gui helps relax the smooth muscles throughout the body, which makes it a potential treatment for a variety of illnesses. Not only does dang gui relax the smooth muscles of the uterus, but it also keeps the smooth muscles in the arteries dilated, helping to maintain regular blood flow and heartbeat.

Dang gui has been used to treat angina, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat. Some studies have shown that the antispasmodic, dilating effects of dang gui may help treat chronic pulmonary hypertension in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dang gui contains phytochemicals that help boost white blood cell production and fight inflammation, and may improve liver and kidney function. It is traditionally used to treat inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, and is currently being studied for its ability to prevent or treat cancer, liver and kidney disease.

Like ginseng, dang gui can also be used as an aphrodisiac.

Interestingly, dang gui possesses the distinction of being one of the few good non-animal sources of Vitamin B12.

In Chinese Herbal Medicine, dang gui is in the category of blood tonic. It is believed to strengthen the yin and blood, and is a core ingredient in many women’s health herbal formulas.

It can help to regulate the menstrual cycle, relieve menstrual pains and cramps, and is an ideal tonic for women with heavy menstrual bleeding who risk becoming anemic.

One of the most famous formulas in Chinese Herbal Medicine is Si Wu Tang, which is Four Substance Decoction. It contains dang gui; bai shao, which is white peony; chuan xiong, which is ligusticum; and shu di huang, which is Chinese Rehmannia.

This is a time-honored formula that tonifies the blood, and is used for many women’s health issues.

This formula is the base formula, and can either be used by itself or in some variation.

One of the most famous variations is a formula that strengthens both the qi and blood. This formula’s name is Ba Zhen Tang, or Eight-Treasure Decoction. It consists of dang gui and all the ingredients of Si Wu Tang listed above.

It also contains ginseng; licorice; fu ling; which is poria; and bai zhu, which is atractylodis.

This formula is another famous formula in the annals of Chinese Herbal Medicine.

Dang gui is also often used in China as an ingredient in cooking, which is an excellent way to take it in and use it as a blood tonic.

And so, if you include dang gui in your herbal arsenal, it will help enhance your health and wellness, let you experience healthy living, and allow you to live a Low Density Lifestyle.

It doesn’t get any better than that.

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Ginseng – King of the Herbs, Part 2

In yesterday’s article I told you about ginseng, which is known as the King of the Herbs.

Today I will continue with my discussion about this prized herb, which although native to Chinese Herbal Medicine, is really valued all over the world.

I told you about the different types of ginseng, but one thing I didn’t tell you is the root of the name Panax ginseng, which is the botanical name for Asian Ginseng.

The botanical/genus name Panax means “all-heal” in Greek, and shares the same origin as “panacea.” So even to the ancient Greeks, ginseng was an herb that was seen having strong restorative powers.

Ginseng has been studied extensively for the last 20-30 years in China, Japan, Korea and Russia and has been found to have many beneficial qualities.

First and foremost it is an adaptogen, which means it increases the body’s resistance to stress and strengthens the immune system. Studies show that it significantly improves the body’s capacity to cope with hunger, extremes of temperature, and mental and emotional stress.

Furthermore, ginseng produces a sedative effect when the body requires sleep.

Ginseng has also been found to have anti-inflammatory effects. A recent study by a team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong isolated 7 constituents in ginseng, called ginsenosides, which showed immune-suppressive effects.

They found that these ginsenosides were able to inhibit the expression of genes that caused inflammatory actions in the body.

Ginseng has also been found to have anti-cancer properties, and a recent study found it can improve survival outcomes for breast cancer patients.

One study of ginseng’s effects on cancer was done with lab rats. It showed that while both white ginseng and red ginseng reduce the incidence of cancer, the effects appear to be greater with red ginseng.

Ginseng is also known as an aphrodisiac, and to help men who suffer from sexual dysfunction.

A 2002 study by the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (published in the annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) found that in laboratory animals, both Asian and American forms of ginseng enhance libido and copulatory performance.

And In 2002, a double-blind, crossover study of Korean red ginseng’s effects on impotence reported that it can be an effective alternative for treating male erectile dysfunction.

Ginseng can also be used for Type II diabetes, as it has been found to lower blood glucose.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginseng is seen as having tonic, restorative, and sedative properties. In the Chinese Herbal materia medica, it is placed in the category of Qi Tonic, and its abilities range far and wide.

Even the elderly prize ginseng as a tonic that helps increase longevity, but for that matter, in China and other Asian countries, ginseng is taken by people of all ages because of its health-giving capabilities.

In Chinese Herbal Medicine, single herbs are never taken – people take herbal formulas, which are usually many herbs compounded together.

But ginseng is the exception to the rule, and is the only Chinese herb that people take by itself. Again, that is because of its prized abilities.

So there you have it about ginseng, the king of the herbs. If you want to stay healthy, live a long life, and live a Low Density Lifestyle, I suggest integrating ginseng into your life.

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Ginseng – King of the Herbs, Part 1

I’ve been focusing on herbal medicine in this series. The main point of this series is that incorporating herbal medicine into your medical needs can help you to reduce the need for drugs. And by doing so, you can become healthier and more in synch with living a Low Density Lifestyle.

In yesterday’s article I told you about 10 herbs that are good for stress. One of the herbs I mentioned in that article was Ginseng.

Today I will focus on Ginseng, which is known as the King of the Herbs.

Ginseng is part of the materia medica of Chinese Herbal Medicine, and is the most famous herb in the pharmacopeia. It has been valued for its remarkable therapeutic benefits for at least 7,000 years and was so revered that wars were fought for control of the forests in which it thrived.

An Arabian physician brought ginseng back to Europe in the 9th century, yet its ability to improve

stamina and resistance became common knowledge in the West only in the 18th century.

Ginseng is native to northeastern China, eastern Russia, and North Korea, but is now extremely rare in the wild and increasingly becoming endangered, due in large part to high demand for the product in recent years, which has led to the wild plants being sought out and harvested faster than new ones can grow (it requires years for a ginseng root to reach maturity).

There are two main types of ginseng: American ginseng, known as P. quinquefolius, and Asian ginseng, known as Panax ginseng. Asian ginseng can be either white or red ginseng.

In the U.S., there are woods grown ginseng programs in Maine, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia, and United Plant Savers has been encouraging the woods planting of ginseng both to restore natural habitats and to remove pressure from any remaining wild ginseng.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, American ginseng strengthens the Yin energy and calms the spirit, while Asian ginseng strengthens the yang.

The reason it has been claimed that American ginseng promotes Yin while Asian ginseng promotes Yang is that, according to traditional Chinese medicine, things living in cold places or northern side of mountains or southern side of rivers are strong in Yang and vice versa, so that the two are balanced.

Chinese/Korean ginseng grows in northeast China and Korea, the coldest area known to many Koreans in traditional times. Thus, ginseng from there is supposed to be very Yang. Originally, American ginseng was imported into China via subtropical Guangzhou, the seaport next to Hong Kong, so Chinese doctors believed that American ginseng must be good for Yin, because it came from a hot area. However they did not know that American ginseng can only grow in temperate regions. Nonetheless the root is legitimately classified as more Yin because it generates fluids.

Most North American ginseng is produced in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia and the American state of Wisconsin.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Panax/Asian ginseng strengthens the Qi and Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness, and stimulates the body. Panax Ginseng is available in two forms:

The form called white ginseng is grown for four to six years, and then peeled and dried to reduce the water

content to 12% or less. White ginseng is air dried in the sun and may contain less of the therapeutic constituents. It is thought by some that enzymes contained in the root break down these constituents in the process of drying. Drying in the sun bleaches the root to a yellowish-white color.

The form called red ginseng is harvested after six years, is not peeled and is steam-cured, thereby giving them a glossy reddish-brown coloring. Steaming the root is thought to change its biochemical composition and also to prevent the breakdown of the active ingredients. The roots are then dried.

Red ginseng is frequently marinated in an herbal brew which results in the root becoming extremely brittle. This version of ginseng is traditionally associated with stimulating sexual function and increasing energy. Red ginseng is always produced from cultivated roots, usually from either China or South Korea.

There are other plants that are called ginseng, but they are actually from a different family or genus. These include:

* Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Southern ginseng, aka Jiaogulan)
* Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng)
* Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Prince ginseng)
* Withania somnifera (Indian ginseng, aka Ashwagandha)
* Pfaffia paniculata (Brazilian ginseng, aka Suma)
* Lepidium meyenii (Peruvian ginseng, aka Maca)
* Oplopanax horridus (Alaskan ginseng)

Tomorrow I’ll be back with more on ginseng, so tune in tomorrow.

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10 Herbs That Are Good For Stress

Stress is such a major component of so many people’s lives – most people are stressed out to the max.

Stress is not good for the health, as it can cause many health problems. It does not allow you to experience healthy living. And it will also keep you in a High Density Lifestyle mode.

Everyone has stressors of one kind or another in their life. The key is to manage stress and channel it. Yoga, meditation, exercise, walking in the woods, and journaling are some of the ways to enjoy some stress relief.

There are also herbs that can help you manage stress. Here are a few of the herbs for stress relief:

1. Licorice Root contains a natural hormone alternative to cortisol, which can help the body handle stressful situations, and can help to normalize blood sugar levels as well as your adrenal glands, providing you with the energy necessary to deal with the stressful situation at hand. Some claim licorice stimulates cranial and cerebrospinal fluid, thereby calming the mind.

2. Passion flower is considered a mild sedative and can help promote sleep. Passion flower also treats anxiety, insomnia, depression and nervousness.

3. Kava Kava, an herb from the South Pacific, is a powerful muscle relaxer and analgesic. Kava Kava is also effective at treating depression and anxiety associated with menopause.

4. St. John’s Wort has been used medicinally since Hippocrates time. Even during the Renaissance and Victorian periods it was used for the treatment of mental disorders. Though it presents itself as an unassuming, flowering perennial, St. John’s Wort was shown to be more effective than Prozac, according to a recent study, in treating major depressive disorders.

5. Lavender is effective at reducing irritability and anxiety,

promoting relaxation, a sense of calm and sleep. It is also a powerful anti-bacterial agent, and can work to balance hormones and stimulate the immune system.

While lavender can be consumed in a tea, it may work best as an essential oil that is breathed in by way of a diffuser or, in the case of stress and sleeplessness, an eye pillow.

6. Valerian calms people who are agitated, but stimulates those who feel fatigued, according to one Italian study. During World War II, the British used Valerian tincture to treat nerves shattered during bombing raids on London.

7. Ginseng and Siberian Ginseng can help you handle stress by sedating or stimulating your central nervous system, according to your body’s needs. Studies conducted in China showed that Ginseng also increases your brain’s utilization of amino acids, which is important because when you are under stress, your body uses more protein than usual.

8. Schizandra has a regulating effect on the central nervous system. Studies show that this herb quickens responses and makes people more alert while actually stimulating the nervous system. A 1983 study conducted in China showed that Schizandra relieves headaches, insomnia and dizziness and calms a racing heart. It has also been reported to control anger and aggression.

9. Skullcap was originally a Native American herb traditionally taken for menstrual problems. Today, it is mostly used as a tonic and sedative for nerves in times of stress. It helps to support and nourish the nervous system, and calms and relieves stress and anxiety. It can also be used when stress leads to muscular tension and pain.

10. Lemon Balm has a long tradition as a tonic remedy

that raises the spirits and comforts the heart. It is widely valued for its calming properties. 17th century British writer John Evelyn wrote that Lemon Balm “is sovereign for the brain, strengthening the memory and powerfully chasing away melancholy.”

So there you have it – 10 herbs that can help you with stress and calm your spirits. These are all great tools to manage stress, give you stress relief, and help assist you in living a Low Density Lifestyle.

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Turmeric – A Great and Outstanding Herb

I’ve been writing about herbal medicine all week. I’ve been saying how using herbs can be a great way to achieve better health and wellness, and to experience healthy living.

In yesterday’s article, I told you about a number of herbs that had excellent medicinal capabilities.

Today I want to tell you about Turmeric, which is one of nature’s greatest wonder herbs.

Turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family, is commonly used in Indian cuisine as curry powder. It is native to South Asia.

Turmeric has been used historically as a component of Indian Ayurvedic medicine since 1900 BCE to treat a wide variety of ailments.

Here is a list of ailments that turmeric is beneficial for:

Alzheimer’s disease
Antibacterial
Anti-inflammatory
Antiseptic
Arthritis
Breast cancer
Childhood leukemia (reduced risk)
Colorectal cancer
Cystic fibrosis
Depression
Fat metabolism
Inflammatory skin conditions
Liver detoxification
Lung cancer
Multiple myeloma
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
New blood vessel growth in tumors
Pain reliever
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Tumors
Weight management
Wound healing

Studies have shown that turmeric has anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-arthritic, anti-ischemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition it may be effective in treating malaria, prevention of cervical cancer, and may interfere with the replication of the HIV virus.

In India, turmeric is readily available and has been used by many as an antiseptic for cuts, burns and bruises, and has also been used as an antibacterial agent.

It is said to contain flouride, which is beneficial for teeth. In some countries, turmeric is also taken as a dietary supplement to help with stomach problems.

In Japan turmeric tea under the name of Avea, is sold as a treatment for depression.

Pakistanis also use it as an anti-inflammatory agent, and remedy for gastrointestinal discomfort associated with irritable bowel syndrome, and other digestive disorders.

In Afghanistan and North West Pakistan, turmeric is applied to a piece of burnt cloth, and placed over a wound to cleanse and stimulate recovery. Indians, in addition to its Ayurvedic properties, use turmeric in a wide variety of skin creams that are also exported to neighboring countries.

In the latter half of the 20th century, curcumin was identified as the ingredient in turmeric that was responsible for most of the biological effects of turmeric.

According to a 2005 article in the Wall Street Journal, research activity into curcumin is exploding and the U.S. National Institutes of Health had four clinical trials underway to study curcumin treatment for pancreatic cancer, multiple myeloma, Alzheimer’s, and colorectal cancer. Curcumin also enhances the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which supports nerve growth.

There is evidence that piperine, found in black pepper, improves the absorption of turmeric. In 1998 researchers at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India found that curcumin taken with 20 mg of piperine increased the absorption of curcumin by 2000%, with no adverse effects.

This means that a low dose of curcumin (or turmeric for that matter) could have a greater effect in terms of health benefits when combined with black pepper than a large dose of curcumin or turmeric would.

Dosages between half a teaspoon three times a day of a mixture of 16 parts of turmeric powder to 1 part of ground black pepper, and two teaspoons of turmeric powder and half a teaspoon of ground black pepper per day have been recommended.

Turmeric is undergoing research for potential benefits against a variety of cancers. In addition to cancer in general, some forms that it is being tested against, or may be useful against, include:

Breast cancer
Leukemia
Melanoma
Multiple myeloma
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer

Turmeric is also considered to inhibit H. pylori, a bacteria which may provoke cancer.

So there you have it on turmeric, one of the truly great herbs around. Another great thing about turmeric is that you can use it either in cooking as a spice, or as a medicine.

Either way, you can’t go wrong if you use it as a regular part of your health practices. If you do, you’ll be well on your way to healthy living and living a Low Density Lifestyle.

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Tags: Health And Wellness, Herbal Medicine, herbs, natural health, turmeric

A Look at Some Herbs Used for Healing

June 25, 2009 by Michael Wayne  
Filed under Health And Wellness, Herbal Medicine

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As I’ve said from the beginning of this series on herbal medicine, herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine on the planet.

They can be formulated in many ways, as I pointed out in yesterday’s article. Whatever way they are used, they can be very helpful in cultivating health and a better sense of wellness, which can then allow you to experience healthy living, along with living a Low Density Lifestyle.

Today, I’m going to mention a number of herbs and briefly say what their benefits are. Some of the benefits are based on lab testing.

After today’s article, I’m going to get more specific and focus on different herbs and discuss their beneficial properties.

But for today, here’s a look at a number of herbs:

Aloe vera has traditionally been used for the healing of burns and wounds.

Aloe vera

Agaricus blazei mushrooms may prevent some types of cancer.

Artichoke may reduce cholesterol levels.

Blackberry leaf has drawn the attention of the cosmetology community because it interferes with the metalloproteinases that contribute to skin wrinkling.

Black raspberry may have a role in preventing oral cancer.

Butterbur has been used traditionally for abdominal cramps and constipation.

Cranberry is effective in treating urinary tract infections in women with recurrent symptoms.

Echinacea extracts can limit the length and severity of colds; however, the appropriate dosage levels may be higher than is available in over-the-counter remedies.

Elderberry may speed the recovery from type A and B influenza.

Feverfew

Feverfew is sometimes used to treat migraine headaches.

Garlic may lower total cholesterol levels.

German Chamomile has demonstrated antispasmodic, antiinflammatory and cholesterol-lowering effects in animal research. In vitro, chamomile has demonstrated moderate antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and significant antiplatelet activity, as well as preliminary results against cancer. Essential oil of chamomile has been shown to be a promising antiviral agent against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), also in vitro.

Ginger can decrease nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Purified extracts of Hibiscus seeds have some antihypertensive, antifungal and antibacterial effects.

Lemon grass can lower total cholesterol and fasting plasma glucose levels.

Milk thistle

Milk thistle has been recognized for many centuries as a liver tonics. Research suggests that milk thistle extracts both prevent and repair damage to the liver from toxic chemicals and medications.

Black cumin has demonstrated analgesic properties in mice. In vitro studies support antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and immune modulating effects.

Oregano may be effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria.

Pawpaw can be used as insecticide.

Peppermint oil has benefits for individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.

Pokeweed is used as a homeopathic remedy to treat many ailments. It can be applied topically or taken internally. Topical treatments have been used for acne and other ailments. It is used to treat swollen glands and weight loss.

Pomegranate has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in mice.

Rooibos

Rooibos has traditionally been used for skin ailments, allergies, asthma and colic in infants. In an animal study with diabetic mice, aspalathin, a rooibos constituent, improved glucose homeostasis by stimulating insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells and glucose uptake in muscle tissue.

Rose hips – Small scale studies indicate that rose hips may provide benefits in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Sage may improve memory.

Shiitake mushrooms are edible mushrooms that have been reported to have health benefits, including cancer-preventing properties. In laboratory research a shiitake extract has inhibited the growth of tumor cells. In addition, both a water extract and fresh juice of shiitake have demonstrated activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Soy and other plants that contain phytoestrogens (plant molecules with estrogen activity), such as black cohosh, have benefits for treatment of symptoms resulting from menopause.

Stinging nettle is effective for benign prostatic hyperplasia and the pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Stinging nettle

In vitro tests show antiinflammatory action. Stinging nettle has also been shown to reduce total cholesterol.

Valerian root can be used to treat insomnia.

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Tags: Health And Wellness, Herbal Medicine, herbs, natural health

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