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.