Nature Knows and Psionic Success

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the IMST breathing exercise. In case you missed it, IMST can improve blood pressure and ease sleep apnea in just five minutes a day . In the old days, you’d have to put in 30 minutes of aerobic exercise to get results like that. Well, hold on to your hat because the power of breathing doesn’t stop there… I seem to “lose” my keys more frequently. I tell my husband with confidence that I’m not the one who had the remote control last when it’s sitting right next to me. I keep telling myself that there has to be an easy solution to the problem and luckily there is. If you’re experiencing your fair share of senior moments, too, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a breathing technique that can boost your brain’s memory center… In through your nose and out through your mouth If you’ve ever practiced meditation, you’re familiar with nasal breathing — the old “in through your nose and out through your mouth.” And, it turns out it’s beneficial for more than just relaxation. It actually helps you better consolidate, reinforce and stabilize your memories. In the Swedish study, reported in the Journal of Neuroscience , the researchers had participants learn twelve different smells on two separate occasions. They were then asked the participants to either breathe through their noses or mouths for one hour. When the time was up, the participants were presented with the old smells as well as a new set of twelve smells and asked to say if each one was from the past learning session or new. And, guess what… When the participants breathed through their noses between the time of learning and recognition, they remembered the smells better. And, […]

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Since 1960 , the percentage of physical activity at work has decreased by about 30 percent, largely due to the increase in office jobs that require sedentary work. We know that sitting is linked to health complications such as weight gain and increased risk of heart disease. In fact, one study even purports that people who exhibit sedentary behavior are more likely to die early . If you work in an office, chances are you spend more time there than you do at home, if you don’t count sleep . If you don’t optimize the place you spend 40-plus hours each week, you can’t really expect healthy habits to spill over into the rest of your life. And if you work from home, it’s even more critical to set up a workspace that’s conducive to healthy workplace habits, because an at-home workspace presents a unique set of challenges (like your couch calling your name just a few feet away). Here are five ways to stay healthy and comfortable at work. Protect your eyes If you’re like the average office worker, you spend about 1,700 hours per year in front of a computer screen, not counting the hours you spend scrolling on your cell phone, watching TV or looking at other devices. That’s a frightening statistic considering that the blue light emitted from our screens is associated with blurry vision, dry eye, sleep disorders and headaches. One way to deal with blue light exposure is to get blue light blocking glasses. They use filters to block or absorb blue light before it makes contact with your eyes. Wearing them throughout your work day may reduce eye strain, ward off headaches and result in a better night’s sleep. Blue-light blocking glasses from brand Felix Gray. Create visual resting spots Speaking of […]

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Many people find the prebiotic vs probiotic argument very confusing. They sound like they should be the same thing – but they’re not! Each has a very different but very important function in the gut, and both should be consumed daily to maintain good digestive health. Probiotic vs Prebiotic What Are Probiotics? To understand the difference, consider the prefix: PRO and PRE. The term “pro-biotics” literally translates as ‘for life’. That’s because probiotics help to promote good health! The official definition of probiotics from the World Health Organization is: [1] “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. This simply means that probiotic bacteria live in your gut, helping to break down food that you eat and helping your body to absorb nutrients and enzymes. Unsurprisingly, this supports overall health. Things that disrupt your levels of good bacteria include age, genetics, certain medications, alcohol and diet. Dysbiosis results when pathogens and yeast overwhelm the good bacteria and spread throughout your intestinal tract. This has been linked to intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease. It’s easy to source probiotics from food or supplements. Probiotics are naturally present in foods such as yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso and various pickled products. For convenience, you can also take probiotics in pill form. What Are Prebiotics? Prebiotics, on the other hand, means “before life” – because they are the food for your good bacteria! Prebiotics are a type of fiber that humans can’t digest. They actually belong to a group of dietary fiber called oligosaccharides. This group of compounds is in many foods and includes a variety of different non-digestible forms such as fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin and polysaccharides. [2] What this means is that prebiotics pass through your small intestine […]

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Overexposure to blue light could be hurting your eyes, sleep cycle (SACRAMENTO) — From televisions and smartphones to tablets and gaming systems, most of us are glued to our electronic devices. But is all of that blue light shining from screens harmful to our health? Melissa Barnett , principal optometrist at the UC Davis Eye Center , talks about the effects of blue light and what you can do to reduce the health risk. Using electronic devices at night without adjusting the amoung of blue light that shines from the screen can affect sleep. What is blue light? Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum — what the human eye can see. Vibrating within the 380 to 500 nanometer range, it has the shortest wavelength and highest energy. About one-third of all visible light is considered high-energy visible, or "blue," light. Sunlight is the most significant source of blue light. Artificial sources of blue light include fluorescent light, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, LEDs, flat screen LED televisions, computer monitors, smart phones and tablet screens. What are the health benefits of blue light? Blue light boosts alertness, helps memory and cognitive function, and elevates mood. It regulates the circadian rhythm, the body’s natural wake and sleep cycle. Sunlight is also important for the growth and development of the eyes and vision in children. Inadequate exposure to blue light can also contribute to the recent increase in myopia , or nearsightedness. Is too much exposure to blue light unhealthy? Blue-light exposure from screens is small compared to the amount of exposure from the sun. However, there is concern about the long-term effects of screen exposure especially with too much screen time and when a screen is too close to the eyes. How is blue light bad for health? […]

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Studies have shown that exercise increases blood flow to the brain and helps the body build more connections between nerves, leading to increased concentration, enhanced memory, stimulated creativity, and better-developed problem-solving skills. In short, playing sports helps your brain grow faster and helps it work better. 5 reasons why every student should get involved in sports Improves Concentration. Sports help you to focus better in every field of life. When you learn to balance that tiny ball on a table or that shuttle over the court, you can train your brain accordingly to act in everything you do. Time Management. ‘These 70 minutes of your life, final 70 minutes of your game’ When you know the importance of the time, every task is a cake walk. If it comes to studies we all know– Time management is the key to good grades. No fear of failure. Winning and losing is a part of any game that you play and when you learn to accept failure in life- be it studies or games, success comes to a step closer to you because you are not afraid to give it a try. Increased Confidence level. When you are not afraid to lose, your energy level is different from the rest of the crowd, hence helping you feel satiated with self-esteem and then no task is impossible for you. Sound Mind dwells in a sound body. When you are fit, ailments are at a bay that means more attendance and higher grades. When health supports you, you perform better. Words of motivation : For some students, sports can provide motivation for improved academic performance. Not all athletes are natural students. However, the grade requirements to stay eligible and play the sport they love drives them to overcome obstacles in the classroom and […]

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Source Getting to Know Dark Chocolates More This article tackles the significance of dark chocolate in improving human brain health. Among its many benefits are the following effects: Reduction of neurodegenerative illnesses Improvement of mood and performance in cognitive tasks Contains high antioxidant levels The Origin of Chocolates: A Brief History During the 15 th century, ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations of Central America drank finely ground bitter cacao beans mixed with hot water and chilies. These civilizations also used the same beans as a currency in trading raw materials. When Christopher Columbus was on his last journey to the New World, he came across a canoe with agricultural products which included cacao beans. He then brought these beans to Spain where people grew fond of its rich taste. With such popularity, the cacao beans were consumed in different ways (Kuwana, 2010). Source What is a Chocolate? Cacao beans serve as the major ingredient of chocolates. These are the seeds of Theobroma cacao plant that have gone through drying and fermentation. According to Bennion, Bent, and Bamford (1997), “Chocolate may be defined as a mixture of toasted cocoa beans and sugar ground down to a very fine particle size with or without the addition of butter.” It contains about 400 chemicals that can be grouped into fats, flavonoids, amino acids, and methylxanthine. A chocolate’s fat content is comprised of oleic acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid. Its flavonoids have flavanols and polyphenols. Tryptophan, phenylethylamine, anandamide, tyrosine, dopamine, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors form its set of amino acids. Its methylxanthine component has theobromine and caffeine (Arndt, 2009). How Chocolates are Made The cocoa beans undergo different processes for manufacturing chocolates. Initially, the cocoa beans are roasted to make the bean shells brittle. Later, the cocoa beans are transferred to a […]

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You’ve probably heard this scientific “fact”: You cannot grow new brain cells. Once they die because of injury, disease, or age, brain cells are lost forever. It’s a depressing thought. Fortunately, it’s completely wrong. In 1999, scientists confirmed that adult human neurogenesis is possible. Neurogenesis is the creation of new neurons or brain cells. [1] This discovery had a profound effect on the field of neurology. For the first time, it was proven that your brain power does not automatically diminish as you grow older. You can build your brain, just like you can make your muscles grow. And now, new research shows that even extremely elderly people can grow a bigger, stronger brain. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine . Scientists removed slivers of the hippocampus from people who had recently died. That’s an important region of the brain involved in storing memories. It’s one of the brain areas damaged by Alzheimer’s. [2] The researchers examined the brain tissue under a microscope. They found many examples of hippocampus cells that contained the protein doublecortin. The presence of doublecortin indicates that the cells were in the early stages of development. In other words, they were new brain cells. These new cells were found in the brains of people who were as old as 87. But the brains of people who had died from Alzheimer’s had very few cells with doublecortin. That suggests Alzheimer’s patients lose their ability to create brain cells. The study shows that under normal, disease-free circumstances, even people of advanced age can develop new neurons in one of the most important regions of the brain. Make Your Brain Younger There are ways you can promote neurogenesis in your brain to become mentally sharper, improve your memory, and stave off Alzheimer’s. But you won’t […]

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