With all of the changes taking place in society today and having an affect on everything in our lives, we need to be aware of how much stress we have on a daily basis. This is serious stuff.
The level of stress we are having now seems higher than ever. People don't seem to understand the effect stress can have on the body. If not dealt with, it can eventually kill you. How do you deal with stress? And yes, it is okay to have a little but not for an indefinite period of time.
One of my favorite things to do for stress is to sit quietly for a few minutes. As you are sitting alone, imagine breathing in deeply a white, cleansing light. Feel the warmth and love it is providing at this moment. Visualize this light coming in through the top of your head and circulating down into your body. Start in your head, go to the neck, the chest, the arms, the torso, down the legs and out of the feet. As you are visualizing this light in your body going through your body say, "I release any pain,tension, hurt, dis-ease or discomfort." Do this a few times and remember to breathe deeply. Try to do it everyday at the same time.
It helps me so I hope you will take time to try it for yourself.
Have you ever suffered from a migraine? I am so fortunate that I have not. I have had a few headaches in my life, but very seldom.
People usually describe a migraine headache as a throbbing, very intense headache. Often there will be blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, nausea, vomiting, eye pain, and the intense head pain.
Headaches usually are a result of the arteries of the brain and scull (the dura mater that covers the brain and the cranial nerves), which are infected, pulled, inflamed, stretched, compressed or irritated.
Headache sufferers have benefited from the drug-free, natural methods used by Chiropractors for over 100 years. You may want to start going to a Chiropractor on a regular basis.
Keeping a journal and becoming aware of what you eat/drink, what is going on around you (your environment such as noices, changes in weather, etc) , maybe could provide you with some answers as to what to start eliminating that may be the cause.
Foods such as: dairy products, eggs, chocolate, coffee, wheat and wheat products, nuts and peanuts, red wine, MSG, artificial sweetners, alcohol and some food additives can be the cause of migraines. Also stress, anxiety, fatigue and missing meals will be cause for some people. Most people end up having to go into a dark, quiet room and going to sleep to get relief.
Here are a couple of alternatives that may offer some relief:
Feverfew – taken daily over several months, many sufferers will have a dramatic decrease of migraine activity. This can also be taken preventatively.
What's feverfew made of? Feverfew products usually consist of dried feverfew leaves, but all parts of the plant that grow above ground may also be used for medicinal purposes. The migraine-relieving activity of feverfew is believed to be due to parthenolide, an active compound that helps relieve smooth muscle spasms. It also helps prevent the constriction of blood vessels in the brain (one of the leading causes of migraine headaches). Parthenolide also inhibits the actions of compounds that cause inflammation. (This is from www.umm.edu - University of Md. Medical Center)
Aromatherapy – apply several drops of lavender on a warm cloth and place on the forehead. This can often take the edge off the pain on an attack.
Lavender essential oil has a calming scent which makes it an excellent relief for stress, migraines, headaches, depression, nervous tension and high blood pressure. It also helps to induce better quality of sleep, thus commonly used for treating insomnia. Try to buy high quality oils.
Stay cool - being hot tends to trigger migraines. Avoid hot tubs, saunas, and going out in hot weather.
Make sure you are drinking enough water daily.
Try tai chi, yoga or the Alexander technique - therapies that promote relaxation and reduced physical stress.
In this economy, stress is already at an all time high. People are just trying to deal with the usual daily ups and downs and now what? People we know losing jobs, or not being able to find one, life savings disappearing, losing a home, etc.
When you catch a cold, what is your body trying to tell you?
A new study came out at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. They used 153 healthy volunteers. Their sleep patterns were studied for two weeks prior to being locked into a hotel room for five days. Then they infected each one with a cold virus.
What they found is that the people who spent time in bed tossing and turning, getting less than 7 hours of sleep, were three times more likely to develop sneezing, sore throat and other cold symptoms.
It is already known that sleep is important to our immune function.
Until now, there hasn't been any evidence that minor sleep disburbances can influence the body's reaction to cold viruses.
Do you know how much sleep do you require nightly to maintain your health? I am sure you don't need any added stress of catching a cold or worse, the flu! Make sure you get the sleep you require to stay healthy.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 4:12PM