Cosmetic acupuncture

The therapy section of Health & Goodness is expanding and we now have articles and case studies on over 30 different therapies. Most of these are concerned with people's health, ut I've just added one on cosmetic acupuncture. It's interesting to see that cosmetic acupuncture is very holistic as people feel better in other ways than just looking better. Lynn Jaffee who wrote the article lists:

improved digestion, decreased stress, less menstrual discomfort, fewer hot flashes, decreased acne breakouts, and less TMJ symptoms, such as teeth grinding.

Seems a lot better than botox and/or plastic surgery!

Coughs and colds

If you're in the northern hemisphere now is the traditional time to suffer from coughs and colds, so I've got two articles for you on Health & Goodness:

one is written by me and focuses more on cold prevention

the other is by a naturopath and focuses more on natural cold treatments.

IQ and Vegetarian Diets

I'm basking in glory here as I was a vegetarian at 30:


A new study shows that children with higher IQs are more likely to become vegetarians. Researchers from South Hampton University analyzed data on 8,170 participants from the 1970 British Cohort Study and concluded that a higher IQ at age 10 was associated with a 38 percent increased chance of being vegetarian at age 30. The study included 366 vegetarians, which was 4.5 percent of the total sample.
Gale CR, Deary IJ, Schoon I, Batty GD. IQ in childhood and vegetarianism in adulthood: 1970 British cohort study. BMJ [serial online]. Dec. 15, 2006. Available at: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/ Accessed Dec. 15, 2006.

Toxic Chemicals

We are exposed every day to a whole range of chemicals - in food, in the environment and in our personal care products. Here's an article on toxic chemicals from a leading holistic dentist explaining what to look out for and what to do about it.

Biomechanics Of The Golf Swing

I love this quote from A A Milne:

"Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad."

If you don't want to be bad it, read this article on golf biomenchanics and see if it will help you to improve your game.

Traithlon tapering

I once did a beginners traithlon. I was so nervous and far older than virtually all the other women. They all seemed young and confident and to have the latest equipment, so I was quite intimidated, but I ended up coming half way up the field. I was so excited and thrilled.

Triathlon tapering is a hot topic - how mch training you should do in the couple of weeks befre the event, so I've added an article on this topic to Sport & Me.

Drug Company Charitable donations

This morning I received an email from a good friend:

Today, Bristol-Myers Squibb, the pharmaceutical monolith that charges nearly $1,000 for a 30 day supply of one of its HIV/AIDS medications, is donating $1 to the National AIDS Fund for each person who simply visits their website and "virtually lights a candle." The tally is near 800,000 now.

Sounds great and your instinct, of course, is to do it.

But I took a few minutes to look at their web site and this is what they say:

"For each virtual candle lit through December 31, 2006, Bristol-Myers Squibb will contribute $1 to the National AIDS Fund, up to a maximum contribution of $100,000, to benefit AIDS service organizations in underserved communities in the U.S."

In other words they get all this wonderful publicity for a measly $100,000 - it's a snip in any drug company marketing budget.

so I won't be lighting a candle.

Confidentiality in therapy

When I was a therapist I went to see my account. One of my clients worked there and I said, without thinking: "Hello, how are you?" This was in the nature of a polite, general enquiry that I would say to anyone I knew, and not a specific client-based question. Later that day she phoned me up very angry and asked me why I'd asked her this question in front of her work colleagues who did not know she was seeing me.

I was very taken aback, but it taught me a valuable lesson about how careful you have to be in the field of confidentiality.

This was all brought back to mind because I've just published an article by Colleeen E Swan on the topic of confidentiality in counselling. She describes some legal cases which just show how complex this issue is.

How To Have A Mental Breakdown!

This is a great article - tongue in cheek but making lots of important points about the mad things we do to make our lives more stressed.

Are you a carrot, an egg or coffee

This came to me via email and I thought you might enjoy reading it too:


A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to
make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water
and placed each on a high fire Soon the pots came to boil. In the first
she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she
placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying
a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl.Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her aughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did nd noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to
take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed
the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot,
it releases the fragrance and flavour. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest,
do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Online Diabetes Class

I got this info from the well respected Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine:

You are invited to participate in the Food for Life Diabetes online series. This exciting new series offers education on diet and diabetes, along with group support. The classes feature lectures by PCRM president Dr. Neal Barnard and cooking demonstrations by PCRM nutritionist Dulcie Ward, R.D.

The next class is Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. EST. Two more classes follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. Each session will last about 1 hour. You will need a high-speed Internet connection to participate. Additional computer requirements can be found here.

Click here to register for the remaining classes in the Food for Life Diabetes online series. Registration for the Dec. 6 class ends on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Children & Divorce

Divorce is a difficult time for eevryone, particualrly if children are involved. Jill Curtis has done lots of research on this subject and writes with sensitivity and compassion, so I'm delighted to be able to post one of her articles on Health & Goodness:

Children & Divorce

Scammers |Targeting Therapists

I thought this was worth passing on:

Massage therapists are now on the receiving end of a variation of anonline con. Here's how it works: An out-of-town "client" contacts apractitioner via e-mail wanting to schedule appointments for a time inthe future when he/she will be visiting the area. The appointments andtimes are scheduled. Shortly thereafter, the practitioner receives a cashier's check forthese services, but it's generally for much more than the originallyagreed upon price. The alleged client or a secretary of the clientcontacts the therapist, explains the mistake, and asks the therapist todeposit the check and simply refund the balance. The check appears toclear and the practitioner sends the overage back to the client only tolearn two weeks later that the check was a fraud. Now the practitioneris out whatever the overage was.If this has happened to you, visit the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) website, www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm, and click "File a Complaint" tofill out the form. You can also forward the offending e-mails tospam@uce.gov.Using caution and common sense will help you avoid the pitfalls ofInternet scams. For more information on Internet scams, visitwww.ftc.gov/spam/ or www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/cashier.asp.from: http://www.abmp.com/home/scams.html

Ethical consumerism

earlier this year we decided to sponsor the health and body section of Ethical Junction - you can see our clickable logo for Health and Goodness on all the health pages.

Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) has today announced it will sponsor Ethical Junction. CFS includes the Co-Operative Bank, the internet bank Smile and Co-Operative Insurance.

Great news for Ethical Junction, and yet another sign that people are interested in behaving ethically and not just in making money.

Salvestrols, Skin Problems & Cancer

If you look at my web sites you'll know I'm keen on salvestrols, so I was interested to get this email:

Hello, I have just read your article on the impact that salvestrols have on skin tumours. My Mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer two years ago, and is still receiving treatment for it. A friend of mine told me about someone she knew who had managed to rid herself of stage 4 cervical cancer by having conventional treatment and by taking 12 fruitforce tablets a day, so I immediately got my Mum to start taking them on a daily basis.
As well as having ovarian cancer my Mum had a basal cell carcinoma on her back which had been there for approx 5 years but she had never got round to doing anything about it. It would weep and bleed and would often be quite painful, however since taking fruitforce it has dried up and completely healed over. We were astounded!
We are still waiting to hear how my mum's ovarian cancer is doing but we are all very hopeful that the fruitforce tablets are working miracles!
Many Thanks
Michelle Thomas

Children with high blood pressure

A new study in the US found 21% of school children had HBP, especially the prevalence was higher among the overweight and Hispanic group. The study group were involving 1,066 children aged 10-12 from seventeen schools in Fort Worth, Texas.

21%! what does the future hold for these kids?

Read the full study.

Marriage tips

having a successful marriage or relationship needs work, but the benefits of having a supportive, happy partner are immense.

Since 1973, Dr. John Gottman has studied what he calls the "masters and disasters" of marriage. Ordinary people from the general public took part in long-term studies, and Dr. Gottman learned what makes marriages fail, what makes them succeed.

Here's his tips.

Advice for parents of sporty children

Being a parent always involves treading a fine line - we don't wnat to be too pushy, but we want to encourage our child too. May be there's no clearer place for this dilemma than in relation to sport. So here's some wise words from Dr. Patrick J. Cohn.

Stopping Junk Mail (UK only)

To stop those irritating marketing phone calls and cut down on the flood of tree wasting junk mail you can register with the official Mailing Preference Service and Telephone preference Service.

See websites www.mpsonline.org.uk and www.tpsonline.org.uk for all the details. By law, companies are supposed to check with them before sending you a mailshot, or telephoning you. It is a very simple process to register.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

the holday season will soon be here, and one of the first big celebrations is Thanksgiving in the US. If you are keen to eat less meat and be more compassionate, check out this article on how to have a vegetarian thanksgiving.

Don't Give Stuff. GiveFun! GiveFun.com a gift certificate for a Gift Experience!

Homeopathy Study

Here's an interesting homeopathy study:

Homeopathy - what are the active ingredients? An exploratory study using the UK Medical Research Councils framework for the evaluation of complex interventionsTrevor DB Thompson and Marjorie Weiss BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006, 6:37 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-6-37
Published

13 November 2006Abstract (provisional)
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF and HTML versions are in production.

Background
Research in homeopathy has traditionally addressed itself to defining the effectiveness of homeopathic potencies in comparison to placebo medication. There is now increasing awareness that the homeopathic consultation is in itself a therapeutic intervention working independently or synergistically with the prescribed remedy. Our objective was to identify and evalute potential active ingredients of the homeopathic approach in a prospective formal case series, which draws on actual consultation data, and is based on the MRC framework for the evaluation of complex interventions.

Methods
Following on from a theoretical review of how homeopathic care might mediate its effects, 18 patients were prospectively recruited to a case series based at Bristol Homeopathic Hospital. Patients, who lived with one of three index conditions, were interviewed before and after a five visit package of care. All consultations were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Additional data, including generic and condition-specific questionnaires, artwork and significant other reports were collected. Textual data was subject to thematic analysis and triangulated with other sources.

Results
We judged that around one third of patients had experienced a major improvement in their health over the study period, a third had some improvement and a third had no improvement. Putative active ingredients included the patients openness to the mind-body connection, consultational empathy, in-depth enquiry into bodily complaints, disclosure, the remedy matching process and, apparently, the homeopathic remedies themselves.

Conclusions
This study has has identified, using primary consultation and other data, a range of factors that might account for the effectiveness of homeopathic care. Some of these, such as empathy, are non-specific. Others, such as the remedy matching process, are specific to homepathy. These findings counsel against the use of placebo-controlled RCT designs in which both arms would potentially be receiving specific active ingredients. Future research in homeopathy should focus on pragmatic trials and seek to confirm or refute the therapeutic role of constructs such as patient openness, disclosure and homeopathicity.

Only Natural Pet Store

Save 30% Off All Letterhead, Brochures, Flyers, Folders

Waste Food Nation

A World Cancer Research Fund survey has found that people in the UK throw out somewhere between ten and fifty per cent of the fresh produce they bought in any one week. Statistics show that on average people throw out 194kg of organic waste per year – this is the equivalent to 2800 banana skins.

The most commonly cited reason for this was because it goes mouldy (63 per cent) or that people forget that it’s there (31 per cent).

The research was conducted as part of Cancer Prevention Week which aims to raise awareness about the importance of eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. Scientific evidence from the expert report Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective concluded that people who ate a diet rich in plant based foods can reduce their risk of cancer by up to 20 per cent. Coupled with exercise and maintaining their weight this protective factor was increased up to 40 per cent.

Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables can also help to maintain a healthy weight. Other foods such as animal and saturated fat and alcohol are separately noted as increasing cancer risk and are also more likely to increase the likelihood of obesity. Being overweight or obese is, in itself, also a risk factor for cancer.

Karen Sadler, Head of WCRF says: “These are rather dismal findings. Not only in respect of the impact on people’s health but also on the environment. We really should make our health a priority and that means eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. What we eat really is integral to our health and the quality of our lives. Few people realise that what they eat today could have a huge impact on their risk of cancer in later life. Preventing disease is always going to be the best route to take and we need to encourage more people to follow it.”

The charity encourages people to start to make small changes to their diet. To ensure that food is not thrown away people can incorporate frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables as these all count towards the day’s portions. It is also helpful to plan menus ahead of going shopping.
The best way to add more fruit and vegetables is to existing meals – some chopped vegetables in your casseroles, curries or chillies, a salad with lunch or extra tomato and cucumber in your sandwich. Breakfast could include having a glass of juice and a banana or berries with your cereal.

Save 30% Off All Letterhead, Brochures, Flyers, Folders

I'm thinking of the changing seasons and the up-coming holiday season, so I've published an article on alcohol and seniors on Health & Goodness, and an article on what to take in a skiing survival kit on Sport & Me.

Don't forget that Vistaprint are running a sepcial offer for holiday and Christmas cards - click on the image below (on the Vistaprint site you'll need to use the dropdown menu at the top to change to your own country if you aren't in the US:

Drink more water

Drinking enough water is really important, so I love the part of the WaterAid site which reminds us how important water is. You can use the interactive form to estimate how much water you should be drinking, download a little pop up programme to remind you to drink water, and find tips and games too. It's definitely worth a visit.

All that is free, but while you're there you might like to think about making a donation to WaterAid's work in many different countries in Africa and Asia.

Snowboarding tricks

all the snowboarding tricks and terms are a mystery to me so it's good that there are people who enjoy writing about it in a way that beginners can understand and the more experienced can learn from. I've just added another article from Jakob Jelling on skidded turns and beyond to Sport & Me.

Tesco and vegetarianism

Tesco have lots of free leaflets and I've just been looking at one entitled: Understanding Vitamins.

In it I came across this:

Why might taking a supplement be beneficial? .....

Box 4. Following the latest fad diet?
* Cutting out meat, using meal replacements, or having a liquid only diet can cause problems
* Most fad diets involve cutting out foods that contain vital nutrients your body needs to work properly.

I cannot believe that Tesco consider cutting out meat as being "a fad diet"! But may be I can, apparently earler this year they billed a salad as vegetarian when it contained anchovies

yet another reason not to shop at Tesco!

This made me laugh

I hope it will make you smile too ...

A woman goes to the doctor for her yearly physical.
The nurse starts with certain basic items.
"How much do you weigh?" she asks.
"115," she says.
The nurse puts her on the scale.
It turns out her weight is 140.

The nurse asks, "Your height?"
"5 foot 8," she says.
The nurse checks and sees that she only measures 5' 5".

She then takes her blood pressure
And tells the woman it is very high.
"Of course it's high!" she screams,
"When I came in here I was tall and slender!
Now I'm short and fat!"

Going veggie

the veggie and vegan info on Health & Goodness is expanding all the time. I've just added a piece from the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation on how favourite meals can be adapted when you become veggie.

If you want something more adventurous, check out our free vegetarian and vegan recipes.

Fish Oils & Children

As many of you know I'm a long stading vegetarian, so I found this info from particularly interesting:

Clever capsules may spell disaster for kids…

The Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF) is shocked and appalled on hearing plans to provide more than 5,000 year 11 school pupils in County Durham with fish oil supplements which may harm health rather than improve it. Dr Justine Butler, health campaigner for the VVF says “Our main concern is that as a result of widespread industrialisation, all the world’s oceans are polluted with toxic substances such as mercury, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – which have entered the food chain. This is why the government recommends that girls and women who might have a baby one day and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding limit their intake of oily fish to two portions per week”.

A major review by Dr Lee Hooper from the University of East Anglia published earlier this year in the British Medical Journal looked at the effects of fish oil on heart health. One study Hooper’s team reviewed showed an increased risk of heart attack in men who took fish oil capsules. Hooper’s team suggested that the harmful effects of pollutants could build up over time to increase the risk of heart problems. In other words the damaging effects of mercury, dioxins and PCBs in fish may outweigh the beneficial effects of the ‘good’ omega-3 fats.

“The fish oil supplement companies insist that these pollutants are removed during processing,” says Dr Butler “but do you want your children to take the risk? In March 2006, the fish oil supplement manufacturer Seven Seas Ltd withdrew a number of batches of its own fish oil supplements because the levels of dioxins present exceeded statutory levels, less than a month later Boots too withdrew fish oil capsules for the same reason. In both cases the government’s Food Standards Agency assured us that ‘…there is no health risk associated with consumption of this product, [although] the level of dioxins found exceeds statutory limits’. These toxic pollutants are implicated in heart disease, cancer, infertility and can harm developing foetuses. To claim there is a ‘safe’ dose is irresponsible, particularly where children are concerned”.

“The good news is you don’t have to eat neurotoxins and carcinogens to get your omega-3 fats, there are safer plant sources including flax seed (linseed), rapeseed and soya oil, walnuts and leafy green vegetables. This benefits the environment as well; flax is a sustainable crop, fish are not. About one million tons of fish oil is produced around the world each year, this is unsustainable. This experiment could lead to an environmental and health catastrophe! Instead of looking for a magic bullet to improve our kids brain power, we should be encouraging them to eat better foods – less junk and more whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables”.

"Geopathic Stress & Subtle Energy"

my new book "Geopathic Stress & Subtle Energy" is now available!

The first book I ever wrote was called "Geopathic Stress: How Earth Energies Affect Our Lives" - this has been out of print for some time.

The new book is NOT a reprint - the old one was 39000 words, this one is 47000 words. Lots of the original book has been reorganised and rewritten, so it really is different.

When I wrote the first book in 1994 it was pre the internet (at least for me), so I had very little contact with other people working in this field. For this book I've been able to make contact and get case studies and ideas from experienced dowsers and kinesiologists.

It's been a very difficult book to write as the concepts aren't that easy to convey, but I'm really pleased with it. I hope you will like it too.

You can get the book from bookshops, online stores or direct from us at our online store at Life-Work Potential. We have a special offer running in the online store if you buy my "Allergy A to Z" at the same time.

Here's the chapter headings and some excerpts:

Introduction Chapter 1 An Overview
Chapter 2 Effects Of Geopathic Stress
Chapter 3 Electromagnetic Energies Or Subtle Energies?
Chapter 4 Sources Of Geopathic Stress
Chapter 5 Types Of Geopathic Energy
Chapter 6 How Geopathic Stress Affects The Body
Chapter 7 Individual Sensitivity
Chapter 8 Detection Of Geopathic Stress
Chapter 9 Correcting Geopathic Stress
Chapter 10 Self Help & Protection For The Individual
Chapter 11 Conclusions
Appendix 1 Man-Made Electromagnetic Pollution
Appendix 2 Sick Building Syndrome
Appendix 3 Feng Shui
Appendix 4 Earth Energy Essences
References
Useful Addresses

Excerpts:
[Page 3] Geopathic comes from two Greek words: geo means 'of the earth', and pathos means 'suffering' or 'disease'. The word 'geopathic' literally means suffering or disease of the earth. Geopathic stress (GS) is the general term for energies emanating from the earth that cause discomfort and ill health in human beings. Because of their detrimental effect, they are often known as negative earth energies.

[Page 134 ..] It is clear to me that if you asked ten different GS practitioners to assess the same property, you would be likely to get ten different analyses and ten different solutions. Surely this suggests that this is just a mental construct with no validity? Maybe to the cynic it also suggests that these people are charlatans, robbing the gullible of their money and spreading unfounded alarm. Yet if the evidence presented in this book is reviewed dispassionately, this conclusion is not so easily reached.
The predictive studies by myself (page 18) and Giulia Boden (page 19) in business settings, which identified accurately where sick people would be working are difficult to explain away. What about the challenge that I successfully met to predict where people with headaches would be sitting in a lecture theatre (page 4)? How could I have known that the man on the TV programme suffered with leg or back problems, and that someone in the house probably had migraines (page 79)? Can the sceptics explain why the local cats all stopped congregating in a garden (just as I predicted, see page 22) once the GS was fixed in the house? What do the cynics have to say about the engineer who dowsed a negative energy line in a park and then looked up and saw all the trees as far as the horizon bending away from it? (See page 24.) What about the Neutralec Neutraliser that started out life as a solution to a carpet problem, and was found unexpectedly to be beneficial for people's health? (See page 113.) The dog that suddenly stopped barking (page 15) and the cows that were healthier and produced more milk (page 22) did not know that the geopathic stress had been fixed. How can the sceptics explain the dramatic drop in motor accidents at a traffic black-spot (page 16) after some quartz pillars were placed near the road? The study by Ann and Roy Procter (page 7) allowed for the placebo effect and still produced impressive results. Alf Riggs' uncanny ability to identify exactly where a cancer would be located is difficult to explain (page 78). All this suggests that there is something going on that has some validity.

Geopathic energies challenge our current understanding of how bodies work and what affects them. Michael Shallis in The Electric Shock Book remarks:"Electricity and magnetism can be seen as the intermediary between the material world and the ethereal world, touching us physically but also linking us to other realms of the totality of creation. It is through electromagnetism that we can perceive the subtle forces that operate in those intangible regions."Including knowledge of geopathic energies in our understanding of illness requires a much more holistic view of man: one which takes into account the role of ch'i, the subtle bodies, the meridians, the chakras, yin and yang. This view of man sees the importance of harmony and balance within the body, and also between people and their environment. Some of the frameworks from quantum physics may also be useful in deepening our understanding.

These unseen energies help to remind us that we are more than just physical bodies with a mind, that we have dimensions beyond that which our normal senses can understand. We have an energy presence that can be disturbed by other energy presences, and we ignore this fact at our peril.

I like to keep fit but I've never particularly enjoyed treadmills,but I know lots of people find it a great way to get some cardiovascular workout into their day. I've put a new article on Sport & Me that explains some of the different things you can do on a treadmill (hmmm... should I rephrase that!) and what the benefits can be.

I'm still enjoying my fitness training with advice on how to start getting fit.

Business Card Design

one of the things that really bugs me is how many practitioners do not what it takes to have a successful business. They concentrate on their therapy and often leave the marketing side to take care of itself.

No wonder many practitioners aren't very successful. On My Therapy Practice I have a look of articles in the running a successful practice section designed to encourage practitioners to be more business-like.

I've just added a great one from Sean D'Souza on business card design - he writes in a humourous way but makes clear points about what is and is not good business card design.

Take a read - what he says doesn't just apply to therapists but is relevant for anyone who is thinking of having business cards made.

Core strength and your abs

I've never had a flat tum, but I'm now beginning to think I can get one that is a lot more toned which considering I'm 59 feels like a great way to be going. I have been using the Global Health & Fitness program I talked about in an earlier blog and already I can see and feel the results. My tummy is definitely more toned and I can feel the increased strength in my core muscles.

I've just posted an article on Sport & Me on the latest thinking about getting a toned tummy and in it Ainsley Laing talks about the importance of strengthening core muscles and the pelvic floor muscles in order to get a flat tummy or a six pack as the fellas like to call it.

Core muscle strength is really important for all of us, and not just from a vanity perspective. It helps to protect our backs and make every day activities easier and safer.

HRT & Hearing Problems

I recently posted an article on My Therapy Practice about HRT affecting hearing. Shortly afterwards I received this email:

Hi Jane, thanks for the article - HRT could damage hearing - at last someone has acknowledged this! I took HRT for 2 months 6 years ago when I was suffering badly with hot flushes and night sweats, it was so bad my whole life was affected, so reluctantly I tried HRT. Within 6 weeks I had lost 50% of my hearing, it was very very frightening and I felt very isolated because suddently I couldn't hear people talking in the same room. I knew it had to be something to do with HRT because nothing else had changed, but I have never been able to get anyone to admit it, and in fact my doctor more or less told me I was imagining it !! I have never regained my hearing and it has made a huge difference to my life because I have lost a great deal of my self confidence because I can't hear properly and join in conversations. Be warned other menopausal women!.Julie Smitherman

I have found the best support for the menopause isn't HRT but is Neways Wild Yam & Chaste Berry Cream. Plus, of course, it's important to have a healthy diet,take exercise and find lots of things to get engrossed in and feel enthusiastic about.

getting fit

For the last 10 or so years I've been a keen cyclist, but recently I've lost enthusiasm and I have also been losing fitness, so i decided to try the Global Health & Fitness program. The program is personalised so it doesn't matter if you are just starting out or are an experienced fitness fan.

I was amazed how cheap it was - about 20 US dollars a month, and they have a very very cheap one month trial program. Cheap it is, but the information and personal support is vast. I constantly found myself saying - how can they give me all this for so little?

I have access to a personal trainer - mine is Dani Myers and she's great :-) She always answers my emails quickly. I've asked her about protein intake for vegetarians and about how to do crunches without hurting my neck, and she's sent me detailed advice which is great. She also gives me lots of motivational support too.

I went to visit my mum recently so she told me about the part of the program for people who are travelling, and that was simple and straightforward to use.

I like the fact that all the strength and felxibility exercises come with litle onscreen videos as well as a list of do's and don'ts, so you can really check if you are doing the exercise correctly- I also fantasise about looking like the woman in the video!

There are recipes, motivational quotes, fit tip of the day and much more. It has been money totally well spent for me. Why don't you give it a try?

Frequent coughs and colds

I used to dread the winter because I would get one cold after another, with an occasional bout of flu thrown in to compound my misery. Now I hardly ever get one. What's changed? My health has changed.

I've put together an article on how to keep those dreaded coughs and colds at bay and what to do if you get one.

safety of eating meat

I am a long term vegetarian. Becoming a vegetarian for the first time over 45 years ago when I was about 12 years old. My family thought I was crazy and that I would get ill, so eventually I started eating meat again. I became a vegetarian again in my 2o's and feel that is the way we should go. I do not believe we need to eat animals to be healthy.

So I was pleased to come across the web site of the Physicians Committee For Responsible Diet. It is a nont-for-profit organisation working for preventive medicine and high ethical standards.

I have included one of their articles on the safety of eating meat on my web site Health & Goodness.

I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons - I don't think we should or need to kill animals, but this article also gives detailed selfish reasons why meat eating is a bad thing.

I hope you'll read it - particularly if you eat meat.

If you want alternatives, our vegetarian and vegan recipe section is expanding.

Strength training and weight loss

You may know that muscle weighs more than fat and that the body uses more calories to support muscle than it does fat, so increasing your muscle tone means that you need more calories to sustain you, and you will look and feel much beter. Life become easier when you are strong - carrying shopping, running up stairs are easier; loking at yourself in a mirror may become a whole lot easier too!

Here's a great article on strength training for weight management.

Read it and do it :-)

Golf in the off-season

For many golfers in the northern hemisphere their chances of playing golf are diminishing - shorter days and difficult weather conditions may make it impossible to have a game, but they don't make it impossible to improve your game of golf, so that next season you get off to a great start. Read this article that I've just publsihed on Sport & Me for suggestions on golf and the winter months.

Abundance

Some time ago I posted an article on living abundantly that I wrote myself. I've now posted another article on abundance - this time written by Michael Lee. It covers some of the same ground but offers other insights and strategies too. Abundance is easy - the difficult thing is believing t's this easy.

Snowboarding tricks for beginners

Snowboarding seems to be getting more and more popular so I've been adding articles to that section of Sport & Me. The latest tells the beginner how to do 4 basic tricks - the jump, the roast beef (strange name!!), the backside 180 and the Indy Grab. Intrigued check out this snowboarding for beginners article.

Basketball Tips

I've never watched a live basketball gamebut occsioally I come across it on the TV - it looks fast paced and exciting.

I've just added a new article to Sport & Me on how to be a better basketball player. Hope you people who love the game enjoy this basketball article!

EFT Emotional Freedom Technique

We have lots of therapists registered on our free internatonal therapist listing -over 3000 last time I looked. If you're looking for a therapist that's a good place to start, and if your a therapist it's a good place to register.

A lot of therapists use EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique so I've just posted an article on our web site that will give you some idea of what EFT is all about.

Golf and nerves

golf and nerves? they go together for a lot of people who feel very conspicuous being watched by other people. Here's some good tips for coping with nerves when playing golf - could be adapted for other sports too.

Allergy Questions & Answers

When I was a full time therapist I saw literally thousands of allergy clients. I've put together in this allergy article some of the common questions they asked me and my replies. I hope you enjoy it.

HRT & Hearing Loss

there have ben concerns about the safety of hormone replacement therapy for some time. It has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, for example.

I'm now 58 but haven't used HRT at all. The newest research linking the use of HRT to hearing loss makes me glad I made this decision.

People ask me what I've done instead. The answer is very straight forward: I have a life that is full of projects and interests, I exercise regularly and I use Neways Wild Yam & Chaste Berry Cream (Subvene).

HRT is for people who want a pill or poion to fix their lives, rather than realising that menopause symptoms are a sign of an inbalance, not just in your hormones but in your lfe.

Are allergies on the increase?

Some sceptical people say that there isn't a real increase in allergies - it's just down to an increase in diagnosis. I am sure that to some extent this is true, but when I was young I don't remember anyone having eczema (apart from me). The situation has changed. I've posted an article on our health and happiness web site about the increase in allergy symptoms.

While you're there take a look at a self-help allergy treatment technique.

Organic Food

An article in today's UK Guardian makes depressing and interesting reading. It says that the market for organic food in the UK is growing at 30% a year (hurray) but that the big supermarkets are pressing for more realistic (!!) UK standards for organic food.

Tesco, the biggest supermarket chain in the UK, says it is having to source some of its organic fod from abroad because the UK standards are too high. So if you buy your organic food from UK supermarkets, be aware that if it is imported from abroad the standard may not be what we expect. In the article it says:

"The Soil Association [that sets standards for UK organic farming] confirmed yesterday there was intensive lobbying from supermarkets to drop standards."

Read the full article.

Stress & Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a nasty complaint so I'm delighted topost this well-written articleon my web site. It's not suggetsing that people with fibromyalgia should just "pull themselves together", but it does suggest some good (and sensitive) strategies:

http://healthandgoodness.com/health/fibromyalgia_stress.html

Feed your brain to stablise moods swings and improve memory

many people are concerned about their memory as they get older. Ofen they think there's nothing that can be done about it, but this article suggests there are some lifestyle and nutrition changes that can be made to make things better:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/health/feed_brain_memory.html

these changes are also likely to help to stabilise mdd swings, so take a peak even f you don't consider yourself 'old'!

It's easy to blame our parents

yesterday I was talking to a firend about how much we could blame our parents for the way we've turned out. The conversation really started me thinking, and today I posted a new article on the web site on just that topic.

If we accept how we are is because of our parents we can end up stuck in pain and anger. Here's my suggestions as to how to tuen that round:

http://healthandgoodness.com/ManagingLife/blaming_parents.htm

Doctors & The Drug Industry

there are many life-saving drugs, but there's also a less glamourous and reassuring side to the drug industry. Do you know that for every 15 doctors in the US there's one drug rep? That's a startling statistic - drug companies would not be spending all that money unless they expected some return.

this and other disturbing facts are in my article:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Medical/doctors_drug_companies.html

What Kind Of Eater Are You?

more and more people are realising that dieting is not the answer, but haven't found a good alternative. There's interesting work being downe now on intuitive eating - learning to eat when you're hungry. Alice Greene has written an interesting article reviewing the other types of eaters. Knowing what you are can help you to become what you wnat to be, so check out this article:


What Kind of Eater Are You? by Alice Greene
There are so many different reasons why we struggle with food. Many of the reasons stem from what we've been told, the way we've been raised and the way we feel on a given day. It is liberating to know that the struggle isn't just because we are bad when it comes to eating well.

http://healthandgoodness.com/weightshape/what_kind_of_eater_are_you.htm

therapists, take your practice to the sun (or the snow)

I quite like it as the days get shorter and we need the heating on in the house, but I know lots of therapists hate it, so I was pleased to have this article by Deborah Marshall-Warren. I was mazed that it's possible to go and work in exotic places just for a few weeks if you want. She's written an article for our web site, and has a book that tells you even more:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Successful_practice/therapists_practise_abroad.html

therapists, take your practice to the sun (or the snow)

I quite like it as the days get shorter and we need the heating on in the house, but I know lots of therapists hate it, so I was pleased to have this article by Deborah Marshall-Warren. I was mazed that it's possible to go and work in exotic places just for a few weeks if you want. She's written an article for our web site, and has a book that tells you even more:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Successful_practice/therapists_practise_abroad.html

Losing weight and getting fit

Whatever the time of year there's always lots of people who want to lose wight and get fit. A lot of these people are looking for quick fix solutions, but the people who succeed in the long term know they need to take one day ata time. Here's a really good article on this theme that I've posted on one of my web sites:

Health & Fitness Is Not A 12 Week Program by Tom Venuto
You can avoid the on and off, yo-yo cycle of fitness ups and downs. You can get in great shape and stay in great shape. You can even get in shape and keep getting in better and better shape year after year, but it's going to take a very different philosophy than most people subscribe to.

Read the full article:

http://healthandgoodness.com/exercise/fitness_not_12_weeks.html

Vaccination Information

Lots of therapists are concerned about vaccination and PLOS Medicine have published two interesting articles this month, so I'm really pleased to use the editors' summaries for this on my site. I've put links to the full more academic articles so that people who wnat more info can check it out. The two articles are:

Frequency of Adverse Events after Vaccination with Different Vaccinia Strainsby Mirjam Kretzschmar et alSmallpox vaccination has some adverse effects, occasionally infecting the brain. As smallpox became rarer, the dangers of vaccination began to outweigh its benefits. Now, however, there are fears that smallpox may be used for bioterrorism.
http://www.mytherapypractice.com/bugs_drugs_allergies/vaccination_smallpox.htm

Reduced Antibody Responses to Vaccinations in Children Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenylsby Carsten HeilmannThe developing immune system may be damaged in some babies by exposure both before birth and after birth through breast milk to “immunotoxicants” such as polychlorinated biphenyls. This has implications for childhood vaccination programs.
http://www.mytherapypractice.com/bugs_drugs_allergies/vaccination_PCBs.html

Organic Cotton Clothing

it has been estimated that 25% of the world's insecticides are used on cotton crops. When I first heard that figure I was appalled. We eat a lot of orgnaic food so I'd assumed that the pesticide thing was pretty much taken care of... but hey I love cotton clothes.

So I was delighted to find the Seasalt brand in a local shop. Fashionable clothes made from organic cotton. In fact I spotted a top that I really liked and only then did I find out it was made from organic cotton. I'm sure there's lots of people wearing Seasalt stuff who don't care about the environment but just like the clothes, but I do so I'm really glad to be able to buy stylish well-made stuff that doesn't cost the earth (in either way).

If you're not lucky enough to live near a shop that sells Seasalt products, you can buy them online at http://www.seasaltorganic.co.uk

Lysozyme, Diarrhoea, Tooth Decay & Cleanliness

One of the things I really enjoy is linking different pieces of info together and (hopefully) providing a more coherent picture. I've tried to do this with some old research and some recent research on the digestive enzyme lysozyme:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Medical/lysozyme.html

Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes

our vegan abd vegetarian recipes are proving popular so I'm hoping to add lots more over the next few months.

I've just added one for a spicy, hot chick pea recipe. I'm a great fan of chick peas. If you are too, have a look at this and our other recipes:

http://healthandgoodness.com/nutritiondiet/recipes_index.html

How Can You Build Your Child's Self Esteem

Well, back from a rain soaked cycling trip (North Sea to the Alps - 12 days riding and it rained on 9 days and we were camping!!!). It's good to be back in the office and looking after my web sites again.

Although my children are now grown up, I still have an interest in how we can help youngsters lead happy and positive lives, so I am delighted to post this sensible article by Deanne Mascle on http://www.healthandgoodness.com :

How Can You Build Your Child's Self Esteem? by Deanna MascleAs parents we know that building our child's sense of self esteem is important. There is no simple strategy but there are several effective techniques parents can use to help boost self esteem in their child.

Deanna suggests 7 sensible, do-able techniques. If you're involved with chidlren do take a look:

http://healthandgoodness.com/babieschildren/build_childs_self_esteem.html

Giving up smoking

I used to smoke 40-50 cigarettes a day and I'm passionate now about the health ebenfits of not smoking. There's already several articles in the health section of http://www.healthandgoodness.com on smoking and health, and I've just added a new one tonight. Jonty is an ex-smoker and in this article he looks at the reasons to give up:

If you’re a smoker, you’re probably sick to death of the anti-cigarette lobby spinning out the same old lines about how you’re damaging your body and health. You’re not an idiot, you know all these facts.
to continue: http://healthandgoodness.com/health/why_stop_smoking.html

What To Do If Your Child Is Overweight

Sadly a lot of children are now overweight. Here's some sound advice from Jim O'neill on what to do about it:

http://healthandgoodness.com/babieschildren/child_overweight.html

Summer Fruit Smoothies

It's really hot here at the moment and there's lots of wonderful fruit around, so it's definitely time to make some smoothies. Here's some great advice from Kit Heathcock on how to do just that:

http://healthandgoodness.com/nutritiondiet/recipe_fruit_smoothies.html

Walking A Marathon

In 2001 I did the London marathon. I'd never done much running before, and looking back it was a silly thing to have done. Inevitably I pushed myself in training and so injured myself 3 weeks before the big day. I still "ran" the marathon but was in pain from about 2 miles in. I spent part of the time halucinating I was up a mountain because I was in so much pain!!

I've often wished I'd done it as a walking marathon rather than a running marathon. I don't think I would have been much slower and I would have enjoyed the training and the event a whole lot more.

If that idea appeals to you, I've just published an article on how to prepare to walk a marathon:

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/walking/guide/walking_marathon.html

happy walking!

Biochemic Tissue Salts

When my children were little and not well, they often said: “I want some magic tablets.” The ‘magic tablets’ got their nickname because of how quickly they dissolved on the tongue, and how soon they made my children feel better.

I really rate these gentle remedies for harrassed mums and dads, so I've just put a pice about them on www.healthandgoodness.com:

http://healthandgoodness.com/babieschildren/biochemic_tissue_salts.htm

Ethical Health

I'm really excited to be associated with www.ethical-junction.org. The site is undergoing a major revamp and I am sponsoring the health section. As well as this, I will be contributing to their newsletter - my first article is entitled "What is ethical health", being a moderator on the health forum and lots more.

I am delighted that the guys behind Ethical Junction recognise how well our beliefs and business practices coincide. This is how they describe what they do:

"Our Network provides information on positively screened ethical companies, organisations, products and services, linking you through to the ethical, environmental and sustainability markets."

Am I Drinking Enough Water?

It's very hot in England at the moment. Over the weekend John and I cycled on our tandem from our home in Penzance to Fowey, camped for the night and then cycled back. The round trip was over 100 miles. Because it was so hot I was really aware of how much I needed to drink a lot of water, but even when it's not hot and we're not exercising water is still very important. I was talking about it this morning to someone who didn't know how to tell if she was drinking enough water, so I have written an article for her and for people like her:

http://healthandgoodness.com/nutritiondiet/drinking_enough_water.html

Confidence

I've added a new confidence section to Health & Goodness. In general I have lots of confidence, but I know many people don't, so if you are one of these people take a look at thios new section:

http://healthandgoodness.com/symptoms/symptom_confidence.html

Kids & Exercise

I wish I'd done more to encourage my kids to take exercise when they were young, so I'm delighted to include this article on http://www.sportandme.com on taking your kids hiking:

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/common/children/hiking_with_kids.html

we need to get kids doing more to avoid the obesity epidemic that is developing!

Professional Web Sites For Therapists

I wrote an article on http://www.mytherapypractice.com/ about a great web site design and hosting package for therapists:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Successful_practice/web_site_package.htm

Maura Barry of Ireland is one of the first to take advantage of this. Her web site is http://www.green-healing.com/, and here's what she told me in an email:

"I found it extremely easy to set up and the help from Michael was fantastic,
he always answered my questions and was extremely nice to deal with. He
helped me through the whole process.

"I would also like to thank you for bringing the package to my attention as I
is extremely expensive to set up a website and difficult when you are not
computer friendly but this was amazingly easy and inexpensive."

I'm really pleased that she's so pleased!

Triathlons

as many of you know I'm a keen cyclist - I rode across America on my bike two years ago! Once I did a novice triathlon - swim, bike and run. I enjoyed it but have never repeated it.

It's interetsing to read in the paper that triathlons are the "in" sport now, so I've been putting more articles on this demanding sport on http://www.sportandme.com.

The latest one is "Ironman Triathlon-Run Equipment Choices" by Ray Fauteux. He offers lots of excellent, down-to-earth advice for the novice traithlete.

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/triathlon/guide/ironman_equipment.html

Golf and weight training

I've never understood the delights of playing golf - I prefer to go out on my bike - but I know there are lost of epople who do, so I've posted another golf article on http://www.sportandme.com:

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/golf/guide/golf_weight_training.html

Water Rowers

Some ears ago I bought a water rower, and it really is great. Close your eyes and think you'r eon a river.

Antony Wilton agrees with me, so I've included his article "Water Rower, Like A Cruise Down The River Without Getting Wet" on http://www.sportandme.com:

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/rowing/guide/water_rower.html

emotions and biology

I've just posted two interesting articles by Tom Harrison on http://www.mytherapypractice.com:

Depression & Obesity Go Hand in Hand
by Tom Harrison
People who are "fat but happy" are likely the exception rather than the rule. Read more on this at:
http://www.mytherapypractice.com/psychology_emotions/depression_obesity.html

and

Early Childhood Neglect Leaves Biological Mark
Children who are deprived of a loving caregiver in their early years may experience abnormal activity of vasopressin and oxytocin, two hormones essential to forming social bonds and achieving emotional intimacy. Here's the full article:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/psychology_emotions/early_childhood_neglect.htm

Using a heart rate monitor

I've put a new article on using a heart rate monitopr for training on http://www.sportandme.com

I found that buying a heart rate monitor really helped my training - stopped the fooling myself that I was training hard when I wasn't. Here's the link to the article:

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/running/guide/heart_rate_monitor.html

I love staying at the Veggie Barn in the UK New Forest (http://www.veggiebarn.net/)whenever I go to visit my son and his family, so I've been adding some of their wonderful recipes to htp://www.healthandgoodness.com. The latest one is Vegan star anise custard:

http://healthandgoodness.com/nutritiondiet/recipe_vegan_star_anise_custards.htm

makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

Back Pain

back pain is the second most common form of pain to head pain. Here's some great advice from the Duke University Health Center on how to avoid it:

Exercise regularly. A program that includes 30 minutes of low-impact aerobic activity such as walking, cycling and water aerobics several times a week will help tone back muscles.

Build muscle strength. Conditioning exercises that focus on your back, abdomen, hips, and legs can help support your spinal region.

Read the rest at:

http://healthandgoodness.com/health/preventing_back_pain.htm

cheers Jane

Tennis - the mind game

Well summer seems to have finally arrived in Cornwall, so I've put an article on tennis - the mental part on http://www.sportandme.com.


Here's the beginning of it:

Learning how to play tennis can be either a wonderful or a very frustrating experience. It depends on whether your approach and expectations to the game are realistic and whether your coach and his way of teaching the game of tennis are the best for your starting level of play.

When you start learning how to play tennis you probably don't know much about it. You've seen how good players play and they seem so effortless and the game seems easy. You decide that you want to try it too and enroll in one of the lessons at your local club.

There are 2 main areas when you are still learning how to play tennis:

Technique (footwork, body, arm action)
Tactics

And here are the main mental points for these two areas of your beginning lessons:

1. Be aware - when you learn how to play tennis you are soon overwhelmed with lots of information.


You can read the full article here:

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/tennis/guide/tennis_mental_game.html

Bacteria and fungus can travel miles

an interesting story i the press recently about how bacteria nd fungus can travel 1000's of miles and still be alive. They can even travel between continents. For more on the story:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/bugs_drugs_allergies/travelling_bacteria.htm

Therapies in Bosnia

Phoenix-Aid is a newish, small charity working in Bosnia. Run from England two therapists go to Bosnia and tecah Indian head massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and more. I've just posted an article about it on our practitioner web site:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Miscellaneous/therapies_in_Bosnia.htm

if you like what you read, how about supporting them?

eating beans and peas

I love beans and peas.I particularly like sprouted chick peas. It's easy to do. I just soakthem for about 10 hours, drain and rinse them and then leave them without any additional water. I rinse them 3-4 times a day. I like them when the sprout is just appearing (which takes no time at all). John likes them when the the shoot is about to sprout some leaves. He dosen't always get a chance to eat them, as I've often eaten most of them at the eralier stage!

I've just posted an article on the benefits of eating beans on Health & Goodness web site:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/nutritiondiet/eating_beans.htm

running and thinking

here's an intersting artcile I've just posted on http://www.sportandme.com on running and thinking - have you ever thought about what you think about when you run?

read this article and start thinking!

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/running/guide/runners_think.html

Looking after children's teeth

I've had lots of problems with my teeth, so when I came across this clearly laid out info on looking after children's teeth I was very keen to have it on the Health & Goodness web site:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/babieschildren/taking_care_childs_teeth.htm

Pollution

A shock story in the UK Guardian today:

"The top five companies (EON UK, RWE Npower, Drax, Corus, and EDF) produced between them more than 100m tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2005. On average, the country's 26m private cars produce 91m tonnes each year."

So, that's alright then, we don't need to worry about driving our cars do we? Well, actually we do - these comapnies do not produce carbon dioxide for the fun of it, thye do it to provide us with the electricity, steel and other things we want.

so of course industry needs to do more, but so do we as individuals

the full article is available at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1775689,00.html

aromatherapy for children

Misty Cech is so knowledeable about essential oils, so I'm delighted to have been able to add a new article from her to http://www.healthandgoodness.com. It's explaining to parents and carers how to use essential oils with children:

here's a direct link:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/babieschildren/aromatherapy_and_children.htm

Are You Responsible Enough to Lose Fat?

Here's an excellent article by the ever-lively Lynn VanDyke

Are You Responsible Enough to Lose Fat?

by Lynn VanDyke, Trainer and Fitness Nutritionist

Seems like an odd question for a personal trainer to ask her clients, but I do. I have a theory that not every one is willing or able to accept that the sole outcome of their fitness and nutrition program is based on personal responsibility. There are a few circumstances in which an individual has no control over their weight gain or weight loss, but for the majority of us our results can be expressed by our resolve.

A few things prompted me to write this little article about personal responsibility. One is a television show that I watched last night. Other reasons include a few emails I received this past week and a personal friend’s comments to me. Each of these situations taught me something rather interesting. Something I already knew, but didn't quite think about until now.

There is a race to melt fat, tone up, slim down, and feel great about your body before the summer hits. Have you noticed an increase in diet pill commercials lately? What about exercise gadget infomercials or new diet books? The dreaded warm weather means many of us are about to bare skin that we'd rather keep hidden.

In this frenzy to shed the weight I have been receiving a bombardment of emails from folks looking for a magic solution. They are convinced I know something they do not. A few emails this past week blew me away. One of them accused personal trainers of knowing the secret to weight loss, but thought they refused to tell anyone the answer so they wouldn't lose clients. Another email practically begged me to spill my guts about my training program because the person thought I had a super-duper program that only personal trainers use.

Admittedly I got a bit upset at first. I mean do people actually think personal trainers know the secret to fat loss, but are unwilling to share it with others? Nonsense. We share it with folks all the time. It’s all about eating well and enough and being active out often. And just for the record my nutrition and exercise routine are the exact same routines I talk about on my site and in my ebook. I actually follow my own advice!

Two other things worth mentioning happened to me within the past week as well. I watched a television show about changing your family lifestyle. The point is to become active and eat healthy so that children grow up healthy. I loved the idea behind the show and that is why I watched. About half way through this particular episode I was in shock.

The children, aged 8 and 10, were actually eating better and becoming more active. They were following the rules the nutritionist had set for them. They were healthier and happier. Guess who was unwilling to change? Mom! She sat out on her front porch swing, smoking a cigarette, and talking to the camera about how this show was supposed to be for and about her children and not her. Therefore she should be able to eat when and what she wants.

Lastly I had a friend approach me and tell me how lucky I was to be fit. She went on to talk about how she wishes she could go kayaking and hiking as much as I did. She talked about how I am so lucky to work in the fitness industry and what a coincidence it was that I enjoyed my job. She went as far as to say she wishes she could have some of my luck.

Between those few emails, the television show and my friend’s comments it became abundantly clear that many people lack personal responsibility. Each scenario boiled down to one basic tenet- only you are responsible for you. No one can make you lose fat. Not even me! I cannot force you to stick to an exercise program. I cannot demand you kayak more or love your job. I wish I could, but I cannot.

Only you can make changes in your life. You are the only person who can create a happy, healthy, vibrant, loving and thriving life. I can provide the tools and motivation, but you are the master of your destiny. You are the sole force that determines how successful you will be in your life. Ask yourself these questions:

- Do you love waking up in the morning because you are excited about your day?

- Are you truly happy with your body?

- Are you thrilled with your personality?

- Do you really believe that you are in control of your life?

- Do you acknowledge that your thoughts are not enough? Action is key.

I help many people find a path to joy through living healthy and fit lives. I can beyond a shadow of a doubt proclaim that once you push aside the excuses, once you really step up to the plate, you will hit a home run. There will be hard times, but with the proper tools, motivation and goals you can and will overcome them.

Personal responsibility is the main success factor in fat loss. It is not luck that I find time to hike and kayak. It is not coincidence that I love my job. We all have 24 hours in a day. How we decid to spend that time really determines our life’s outcome. Watching 4 hours of television each night is not conducive to you if your goal is fat loss. It’s all about personal responsibility and doing what you know is right for you. So I ask, are you responsible enough to lose fat?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lynn VanDyke is the head trainer at http://www.strength-training-woman.com . Her wildly popular ebook, Melt the Fat, comes complete with over 100 exercises, 160 daily menus, 63 ways to stick with it, 100 strength training routines, 800 healthy meal suggestions and loads more. Learn more by visiting: http://www.Melt-the-Fat.com

Male Cancers

I've been wanting to put more on my web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com about this topic, but haven't had time to do the necessary research, so it was great to get an article packed with info on this topic from Zahida Parveen.

Here's a direct link to the page it's on:

http://healthandgoodness.com/health/male_cancer.htm

New articles for therapists

I've been busy adding new articles to http://www.mytherapypractice.com:

What Does It Take To Experience Transformation?
What does it take to experience transformation in the domains of our lives where we have never experienced mastery?

Teeth Braces & Tongue Studs
Dental amalgam, teeth braces and body piercing can cause major health problems for their owners.

Avoiding Medical Errors
Most of us strive as therapists to help our clients/patients so much that they do not need conventional medical treatment, but here's some good advice from the Duke University Medical Center for when they do:

Getting Referrals
Alternative/complementary therapists tell me everyday that the way they generate the most new clients is through referrals. Yet they don't seem to grasp the power of this statement.

Web Site Promotion
Do you have a web site already or are you thinking of getting one? Are you concerned about web site promotion and search engine optimization? Here's some tips on how to do it better.

Osteopathy & Low Back Pain
by John C Licciardone , Angela K Brimhall and Linda N King
Reviewing research in the USA and the UK on how successful osteopathy is at treating low back pain.

I'm also making good progress with my revised book on geopathic stress. I'm aiming to have the book ready for its first proof reading by the end of May

Exams looming?

I'm so glad I know longer have to take exams. For those of you who do, I've posted some exam tips on Health & Goodness:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/ManagingLife/exam_prep.htm

Free Nutrition & Exercise Assessment

Kristoph Thompson writes a lot of sensisble stuff on exercise. I have some of his articles on http://www.healthandgoodness.com and http://www.sportandme.com.

So it's good to see he's offering a free diet and exercise analysis on his site - you complete a diary for 3 days and then send it in. To learn more go to:

http://www.kristoph.co.uk/

Amnesty International Urgent Action Programme

This is a simple way in which you may help literally to save someone's life - you're busy but what could be more important than that?

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/happiness/amnesty_international.htm

Tennis - Being An Attacking Player

I've just posted an interesting tennis article on http://www.sportandme.com on whether attacking tennis players are born or made. It's at:

http://www.sportandme.com/docs/sports/tennis/guide/tennis_attacking_player.html

Auschwitz & Life

I have spent the last week in and around Krakow in Poland. This is the nearest big town to Auschwitz and Birkenau. One of my sons is doing research there - on why young people choose to visit Auschwitz, so I took the opportunity to go there too. I've always been curious about the place, and a couple of years ago I read Victor Frankel's "Man's Search For Meaning" which I found very moving. In preparaion for my visit my son recommended I read Primo Levi's "If This Is A Man" and "The Truce". Again moving and thought-rpovoking books.

I was nervous about visiting the actual place, but went anyway. The display cabinets - spectacles, human hair, shoes, documents, shaving brushes, clothes has a numbing effect. Standing in one of the gas chambers .. viewing the place and the gallows where a camp commandant had been hung after the war .. standing in front of a wall where the inmates were shot ... seeing the punishment cells - as if just being there wasn't punishment enough ..

The most disturbing bit for me though was at the end when I climbed into one of the guard towers at Birkenau - I shivered and felt sick. It took me a few minutes to realise why - suddenly I no longer imagined myself as an inmate, now I was one of the people who perpetutated the horror.

I'm still processing my feelings about my visit, but in some strange way that I can't quite get to grips with yet irt affirms life and not death.

Verbal Questioning Skills For Kinesiologists

this book is published in German by VAK Verlags GmbH. I have just received a request from them to let the University of Dortmund have a copy of the manuscript to make a braille version of the book. Of course, I said "yes"

CAM Case studies

I've started putting more case studies on http://www.healthandgoodness.com but I'm a bit frustrated as I have a lot of kinesiology ones (particularly health kinesiology) but not so many of other therapies. I know there are lots of good practitioners and amazing stories out there, but I need to hear about them, so if you're reading this and your a therapist think about your clients and send me a storyor two. If you've ever been to a practitioner and got a positive story to tell I'd like to hear about that too ..

today's piece of inspiration

Inspiration of the Day:
A dangerously obese man has captured the heart of America by walking alone across the country to lose weight and find his soul. Steve Vaught was in a car accident in which two people died, sending him into years of depression and comfort eating. Hitting 400+ pounds, he realized that he would die if he carried on. After a year and more than 2300 miles on the road, his journey has become a symbolic quest for a better way of living. In response to a $5m commercial offer, he says, 'But how much does my integrity cost? I have done this walk to get my integrity back. I am not going to sell it.'
http://charityfocus.org/php-bin/qad.php?n=2334

Abundance

I've just read an interesting article from Kalinda Rose Stevenson on abundance. Here's a bit that made me smile:

the ones who live in abundance know how to receive. Those who live in lack don't.
One of the real reasons so many of us struggle with lack in our lives is that we internalized the words, "It is more blessed to give than receive." This Bible verse, taken out of context, sets up a value judgment: Giving is better than receiving.
I'm not going to do the critical work involved in telling you what the Greek words mean, or putting in these words in their biblical context. Let's just look at the words themselves and ask what is wrong with this kind of universalizing statement.
Consider breathing. You breathe in and you breathe out. Somehow, we all got the idea that it is okay to receive when we breathe. What if you decide that it is better to breathe out than to breathe in? You can't live very long before you realize that breathing is a cycle. If you want to continue to live, you need to receive air into your lungs as much as you need to breathe it out.

If you want to read more, here's the link:

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=165037

Animal Testing Of Drugs

A catastrophic drug safety trial which left six healthy volunteers
fighting for their lives with multiple organ failure was the result
of "a powerful pharmacological effect of the product in humans",
found the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
The "unprecedented reaction" in the first human phase I safety trial
of the drug TGN1412 had not been seen in animal tests at much
higher doses, yet was not due to a dosing error, product
contamination or manufacturing problems.

Click below for the full story on NewScientist.com/news:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8956

So, surprise, suprise, animals and humans do not necessarily react in the same way to drugs. Do you remember thalidomide which was safe on pregnant rodents but not on pregnant women.

I believe that animal testing is fundamentally wrong, and that it's not as useful as some people beleive it is.

Bikini Body Here I Come

Lynn van Dyke writes upbeat sensible advice for women who want to be fit and healthy. Here's a good example:

Bikini Body Here I Come- 5 Great Reasons Not to Jump Into the Fad Diet or Crazed Workout Routine
by Lynn VanDyke

Summer is fast approaching. This is the time of year where everyone who fell off the New Year's weight loss bandwagon suddenly becomes frozen with fear. They realize that they have not met their goals to have a bikini body by this summer. Panic sets in and unfortunately so do bad decisions.Warmer weather and beach vacation plans are a sign of fad diets, intense workouts, and miracle fat loss pills. People looking to slim down by summer need results and they need them fast! I am here to give you 5 great reasons not to jump into the fad diet or crazed workout routine.

1) You Will Destroy Your Metabolism. Any diet that restricts your caloric intake, eliminates a food group or contains the word "cabbage" will not work. Not eating 5-6 small healthy meals per day will hurt your metabolism. It will slow down and become sluggish. The only way to rev it back up is to eat more healthy foods in the right amounts.

2) You Will Gain Back the Weight- Plus Some. It's happened before. As soon as you stop taking the miracle pill or as soon as you stop doing cardio for an hour every day the weight comes piling back on- plus some. You must make a lifestyle change to keep unwanted fat away for good.

3) You Will Be Quite Moody. Not eating or restricting your calories will leave you moody and sleepy. Sure you may have lost 3 pounds, but no one wants to be around you. Losing fat the healthy way will leave you feeling refreshed, energized and absolutely glowing with charm.

4) You Will Be Heading In the Wrong Direction. Not only is excessive exercise bad for you, but it also takes time away from reaching your goals. 3 weeks of over-exercising is 3 weeks not working out responsibly. It moves you further away from your goal of a bikini body.

5) You'll Be Known as a Yo-Yo Queen. You know what I am talking about. People will know that you are taking the easy way out. They will also know that in 3 weeks you will not be working out anymore. They may even place bets on how much fat you gain after you realize restricting calories and over-exercising is not a long-lasting or permanent solution to fat loss. Prove them wrong!Deep down we all know that the only way to permanently lose fat is to adopt a healthy and fit lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle means eating enough healthy food throughout the day. It involves carbs, proteins and healthy fats. A healthy lifestyle also means a responsible and safe workout program. A great program will include strength training, cardio and regular rest days.It is possible to melt the fat and have a bikini body by summer. There is no secret workout plan, there is no miraculous pill, and there is no new diet that will give you long lasting happiness. If you are serious about fat loss then do it right this time around. Get a great plan and get moving. Summer is coming!

Lynn VanDyke is the head trainer at http://www.strength-training-woman.com . Her wildly popular ebook, Melt the Fat, comes complete with over 100 exercises, 160 daily menus, 63 ways to stick with it, 100 strength training routines, 800 healthy meal suggestions and loads more. Learn more by visiting: http://www.Melt-the-Fat.com

Intuitive Mind

Here's a great quote from Albert Einstein:


The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. -- Albert Einstein

it's today's quote from the 'quote a day' service from www.charityfocus.org

To Do Before I Die

I've just come across a really nice web site:

www.2dobeforeidie.com

Bird Flu

here's some up-to-date info on the bird flu:

Research in the Netherlands and the USA has shown that while human influenza viruses are able to bind with receptors in the windpipe, H5N1 binds only much deeper inside the lungs. This makes it more difficult for the virus to infect humans, because the virus is less likely to reach the inner lungs than the windpipe. The H5N1 virus is also less likely to spread from human to human. Coughing and sneezing easily transmits viruses that have multiplied in the windpipe, but not those located deep in the lungs. If H5N1 manages to mutate so that it can replicate in the upper respiratory tract, a pandemic becomes more likely. Scientists are constantly monitoring the virus for this mutation.

To see all that I've written on this check out this web page:

http://healthandgoodness.com/health/bird_avian_flu.htm

overweight - have you given away your power?

I've posted an article with this title on the Health & goodness web site.

Here's the first bit of it to whet your appetite :-)

If you’re unhappily overweight, is it because you’ve given away your power?

Do you let others decide on your portion size?
When you eat in a restaurant, buy a ready meal, buy chocolate or an ice cream, do you let the producer decide what is the amount you should eat by finishing whatever the portion size happens to be?

to read the rest go to:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/weightshape/weight_power.htm

Reflexology

I've been adding case studies in the 'symptoms' section of Health & Goodness:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/symptoms/index.htm

Here's a remarkable case study from Hannah Shine, a reflexologist in Bishops Stortford, Herts, UK:

Angelika came to see me with severe earache in her left ear and a high temperature. I decided to give her a reflexology treatment.While doing the ear reflex by the little toe, I felt what can only be described as a "grain of rice" under that reflex. It was very painful.I worked on it and she went home. I got an email 2 days later headed "weird stuff"..... Angelika explained that she forgot to tell me that 3 weeks ago she went to get some new contact lens. The optician put the lenses into her eyes; she decided she did not like them and he removed them using a suction pad. He found that he had only half a lens from her left eye in his suction pad and looked on the floor, couldn't find it, looked in her eye and couldn't find it and presumed it was lost somewhere on the floor. Angelika went home and her eye felt very uncomfortable. She went back and he still could find nothing. She went to the Eye Unit at the hospital and they could not find anything in her eye on examination....Angelika was emailing me to say that 2 days after the reflexology treatment she woke up, rubbed her eye, and lo and behold, half a contact lens was in her hand!! I asked her to check her foot and tell me whether the "grain of rice" lump under her little toe was still there and she checked and said it had gone!!! At the same time, her earache also was cured.So, although there is no physical link between the eye and the ear, somehow a reflexology treatment released the offending contact lens to be expelled by the body.

What an impressive case study!

animal experimentation

As a vegetarian I find animal experimentation unacceptable. I also believe that it is not the immensely useful instrument of research that it is claimed, because many of the results from animal studies are not replicated in humans.

Here's the start of a letter I've just come across in PLOS:

"The only people who don't know in 2005 that animal research is irrelevant for human disease are those who don't understand it or those who benefit from it. As a physician, clinical researcher, and former animal researcher, I know that though they are our closest genetic relatives, primates have failed as research models virtually whenever they have been used."

Read the full letter here:

http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10%2E1371%2Fjournal%2Epmed%2E0020278

Friendship & Peace

this is a wonderful project involving children in India sending letters of friendship to children in Pakistan:

http://www.friendswithoutborders.org/

and

http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/11sumit.htm

a simple thing, but I'm sure it could have a profound effect on at least some of the children involved, breaking a cycle of hatred.

Foetal life and subsequent health

Here's an intersting article from the London Times:

"Want to be thin, enjoy a long and happy life untouched by dementia, with a low risk of depression, cancer and arthritis, and have lots of children? The good news is that medical researchers may have found the secret of such a healthy, successful life. The bad news is that the blueprint was laid down during the nine months before you were born"

The article goes on to say that there's a debate about how strong the effects of "foetal origins of disease" are. The basic principle is that the foetus adapts to the nutritional environment of the womb (no mention of psychological environement) under the assumption that this will be the nutritional environment later. If there is a match between these two then the person will have the resources to cope with its environment, but if the womb environment is differnt from the subsequent environment then problems occur.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2682-2078125,00.html

Drug Companies

I've just been reading some interesting research on drug company leaflets:

"Three out of 20 brochures distributed to family doctors by drug companies [in the USA]exaggerated the benefit of treatments, a study published this week has found. "

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/332/7541/568-c

the machinations of the drug companies are being monitored and publicised more and more. The findings are not reasssuring, but it is reassuring that the medical profession are now looking closely at this area.

Geopathic Stress & Subtle Energy

This is the title for my revised book on geopathic stress!

Today I feel really excited. Up to now I have seen revising this book as a chore that I didn't particularly want to do - it felt like going back over something from the last century (I wrote it in1994!), not an exciting new project, but that's changed today.

I've been expanding the part about whether GS energies are electromagnetic or subtle energies, and I've realised that I want to make this the ecentral thrust of the book - in a way I want to look at subtle energy through the prism of geopathic stress - or is it the other way round? mmm I'm excited

geopathic stress

finally I'm getting abck to revising my book on geopathic stress. I've decided I'm going to have to be disciplined and put aside at least one hour each day to work on it. I haven't done anything for severeal months because of revising http://www.healthandgoodness.com and launching http://www.mytherapypractice.com and http://www.sportandme.com, plus launching the forum and the therapist listing, and there's still a lot fo work involved, but I will just have to work more slowly on those things.

Also John's mum who lives with us and is 92 has shingles so I'm needing to spend more time looking after her than I usually do.

Life's definitely very full!

Appreciation of beauty and excellence

I thought this was very good - it's taken from the newsletter of Coaching Towards Happiness http://www.coachingtowardhappiness.com:

Seligman and Peterson (2003) make the important point that it is sometimes necessary to “strip away layers of snobbery to be sure what it is that we are valuing: someone’s appreciation of life’s finer things and moments, or merely his or her ability to afford them” (p. 520). Price may or may not reflect real value. People can savor a simple meal prepared at home as well as an elegantly presented meal at an expensive restaurant. Whether one is evaluating a dining experience, a painting or a companion, there is abundant truth in the old adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While many will make superficial judgments that inaccurately assess value, the “beholder” whose strength is an appreciation of beauty and excellence may find deeper qualities that others miss. Self-styled arbiters of what is beautiful and good often err in their appraisals.

Happiness

I like this:

Happiness is not a destination, it's a journey. Happiness is not tomorrow, it is now. Happiness is not a dependency, it is a decision. Happiness is what you are, not what you have.

It's from the daily email from http://www.brahmakumaris.org.uk/thoughts/tft.asp

Soft Drink Safety

A worrying story in today's online Guardian newspaper:

Soft drinks on sale in the UK have been found to contain benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. Benzene is produced when the drinks have the preservative sodium benzoate and vitamin added to them. The two can interact to form the carcinogen.
The Food Standards Agency ordered the soft drinks industry to survey its products last year when tests in the United States found benzene in soft drinks sold there. In tests of 230 products, levels of up to eight parts per billion were found in some drinks. The legal limit of benzene in drinking water is one part per billion. There are no legal limits on benzene in soft drinks. The brand names of drinks containing benzene have not been made available.

You can read more on this story at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,1721479,00.html