March 9, 2015

Sleep Deprivation

I’m such a night owl. I hate going to bed early and most importantly I hate waking up early. But, with age I’m realizing that sleep is a very important thing and that it’s critical we monitor our sleep patterns and understand how to develop healthy habits especially when it comes to sleep. Otherwise, with age you will begin to notice a plethora of health problems because of inadequate sleep.

Sleep deprivation is a condition that occurs when a person lacks a proper amount of sleep; it can be chronic or acute. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause many problems to a persons health as he/she ages. In fact, studies have connected lack of sleep with a deterioration of the brain causing the brain to show signs of Alzheimer’s. Lack of sleep drastically affects the brain and its cognitive functions. Sleep deprivation causes the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that helps with working memory and logic and reasoning, to work on overtime. Studies have shown that the prefrontal cortex works harder in sleep deprived patients versus patients who slept a proper 8 hours of sleep. This proves that lack of sleep makes your body and mind work on overdrive to compensate for the negative affects caused by sleep deprivation. Many studies have also linked lack of sleep to serious health issues such as weight gain and loss, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and mental illness.

It is very important to get into the habit of sleeping early or on time to avoid dealing with some of the crippling effects of sleep deprivation. Primary school children need about nine to 10 hours sleep ensure proper functioning while at school. By increasing your childrens sleep schedule by only 30 minutes to an hour proves to dramatically improve performance in school. Teenagers require 9-10 hours of sleep. I know it’s especially difficult to convince your teenage children to sleep early, trust me, I was once a teenager and many nights I stayed up all night online and chatting on MSN or ICQ (I know I am really old now). It’s critical that teenagers get the proper amount of sleep due to the many societal pressures of making the right decisions during their youth. Finally, adults need about 8 hours of sleep.

With age, we naturally tend to require less sleep, however, you should be mindful of getting the required amount of sleep to avoid serious health issues. Avoid taking sleeping aids/pills as they form an unnecessary dependence and ultimately affects your natural biological clock. There are many things that you can personally do to help yourself fall asleep naturally. I find the best thing that works for me is having a late evening gym session before dinner. By the time I get back home, eat food, and then shower I am so exhausted that as soon as I lay my head on the pillow I am up the next morning at 7:00am without an alarm clock. Help yourself get into a better routine with your sleeping patterns. Find ways to get a better nights sleep and witness an overall improvement in your health.

February 25, 2015

Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid in everyday Personal Care Products

Read about the ingredients to avoid in our everyday personal care products.

For the past month or so I have been attending various seminars, discussions and group events held by The Big Carrot, all related to health awareness. Some of the events allowed me to gain valuable insight to products and ideas that I never knew existed and also educated me on topics that I knew little about, but, wanted to expand my knowledge on. So far, I’ve attended a movie night which featured a documentary called, Living Downstream on cancer survivor and ecologist Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D.. This documentary outlined topics related to cancer and its environmental links. I highly recommend this documentary to anyone who wants to know more on the effects of chemicals in the enviornment. Did you know that there are certain chemcials in our environment, like in trees and soil, that are unable to be broken down by natural means because they are so potent and keep accumulating over time? Well, that’s not all, there are many issues that our enviroment is facing thus, ultimately affecting us and our well-being.

Another seminar I am hoping to attend is on how to change the brain while allowing new chemicals to be formed to help produce healthy thoughts. This is especially important to me because this is something I am working on personally. The most important discussion I did attend to date, is on the Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid in Personal Care Products. After learning about this, I knew I had to share this with you all. Basically the most important thing I took away from all of this is, if you can’t pronounce it, it doesn’t belong on or inside of you. Take a look below at the list of all the chemicals that are used in every day products that we should avoid in order to live a healthier life. READ ALL YOUR LABELS!

PARABENS – METHYL/PROPLY/BUTYL – Parabens are the most widely used preservative in personal care products, they stop fungus and bacteria from growing in creams and cosmetics. Especially if kept in a moist environment such as a bathroom. You will find them in almost all products such as shampoos, conditioners, mascaras, foundations and body lotion.
FORMALDEHYDE – OR FORMALDEHYDE RELEASING AGENTS DMDM HYDANTOIN DIAZONLIDINYL UREA, METHAMINE, QUATERNUM-15 AND MANY MORE – These ingredients are a concern because they are a slow release formaldehyde which continously release small amounts over time into the product.
PHTHALATES – Are a group of chemicals that are used to make plastics but is widely used in perfumes and nail polishes as well. These perfumes can also be used to scent body care products such as lotions, deodorants and body sprays.
PROPYLENE GLYCOL – Is an ingredient widely used in products from brake fluids to snacks. It is commonly used as a solvent in most body care products mostly found in lotions and deodorants.
ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL – Is used in many products as a solvent in perfumes and many other personal cosmetics. It can be used as an antiseptic and in oils to make them quick drying and fast absorbing.
SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE – Used as a surfactant, detergent and emulsifier in shampoos, body wash, face wash and toothpaste, a variety of personal care products.
PETROLEUM – MINERAL OIL AND PARRAFIN – These all come from petroleum and fall under the same umbrella. They are widely used in many personal care items along with cosmetics.
ALUMINUM – ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS – Found mostly in deodorants and cosmetics where it could become a potential health risk.
OXYBENZONE-OCTINOXATE – Most commonly found in sunscreen and moisturizers that contain a sunscreen.
ARTIFICIAL COLOURING – Widely used in cosmetics and nail polishes, or any personal care products that add artificial colouring to help with the cosmetic appearance of a product.

Here are some additional great links to look at for more detailed information on these ingredients and certain products;
www.Mercola.com
http://www.womenshealth.gov/
http://skinplicityofcary.com/

January 19, 2015

“Floating”

My intention for this year is to try as many new things as humanly possible. So, two weeks ago on a Monday night, I tried something totally new and different (for me), I tried “floating”. Floating is a new age therapeutic meditation or stress release technique or procedure that helps a person achieve sensory deprivation while floating in salt water in a dark tank or pod. The object of “floating” is to achieve complete sensory deprivation while becoming connected to ones self.

You can attempt active or passive floating depending on what you wish to achieve. If one wants to achieve relaxation, one would simply be passive and float and attempt to clear the mind. Active floating is different whereby one can perform different techniques. A person may perform meditation, mantras, self-hypnosis, or make use of educational programs to help achieve a certain state of awareness. Active floating allows the body to be in complete relaxation, thus, allowing the mind to become highly suggestible while taking in information into the sub-conscious and retaining it. This relaxed state can help in the healing process for many conditions such as stress, anxiety, pain, swelling, insomnia and jet lag.

A sensory deprivation pod/tank is about the size of an oversized bathtub or jacuzzi which closes and seals out sound and light. The tank is filled with water and uses epsom salt and magnesium sulfate in high concentration so that you achieve a complete weightlessness or “floating” sensation while in the tank. It is supposed to mimick the dead sea. There is roughly 1200 pounds of epsom salt in the tank, thus, creating such density that the entire body is floating with ease while keeping the head buoyant so not to drown.

Another benefit one gets from the tank/pod occurs because high concentration of magnesium helps enhance the therapy. Magnesium is absorbed through the skin due to natural molecular diffusion and plays a major role in correcting magnesium deficiencies in the body. Typically, magnesium is absorbed from the diet but in many areas of the world, over-cropping and other processes depletes necessary content of magnesium in our foods. The body naturally balances the levels of magnesium so there is no overload effect caused by the “floating”.

After trying “floating” I can honestly say I’ve already booked my next 5 sessions in advance. I plan to do this once a month for as long as I possibly can. I achieved such a state of awareness and connectedness with myself that I can’t even describe. I was able to hear myself, my true inner voice, calling me and guiding me. I was able to make definitive decisions that I wasn’t able to make prior to my session. I gained a confidence about myself after my session and I can’t even explain why, other than, it really helped me get inside my head and tell myself things that I already knew, but, avoided. “Floating” has definitely helped me open my mind and soul and I am looking forward to my next float session to uncover even more greatness trapped within myself.

“When I first tried a sensory deprivation tank, people thought I had lost my mind. In fact, I had found it.” ~ Ryan Lilly

January 12, 2015

Heart Attacks

Heart attacks can be extremely scary and debilitating. In fact, every 7 minutes in Canada, someone dies from heart disease or stroke (Statistics Canada, 2011c). Heart disease and stroke are two of the three leading causes of death in Canada. These statistics are based on 2008 data (the latest year available from Statistics Canada).

I am drawing attention to the topic of heart disease because my dad recently suffered his second heart attack. My dad had his first heart attack in 2009 and in less than 5 years he suffered his second attack. My dad and mom are my source of inspiration for writing about health and lifestyle awareness. After witnessing them deal with their medical challenges I knew I had to reach out to my community and raise awareness. I know there are many families out there that have suffered through similar experiences as my own family. Bringing awareness about certain common diseases or health problems will help others make better decisions pertaining to ones health and lifestyle choices.

Within my community, I noticed most of us tend to lead very similar lifestyles and have similar habits. Knowing this, I can’t in good conscience allow other families to go through tragedies all because of misinformation. I want to share some facts that could possibly help save someones life. By knowing some common signs of a heart attack you can save someone from suffering through a debilitating stroke and can prevent them from experiencing severe heart damage.

Here are some basic facts about the heart and how it functions. The heart is a muscle. It works by carrying oxygen and nutrients in the blood. When the blood flows constantly and smoothly through the heart it gets energy and works properly. The misconception with heart disease is that it only has one condition, however, heart disease is actually a group of conditions that affects the function and structure of the heart. Take Coronary Artery Disease for example, it develops when a combination of fatty materials, calcium and scar tissue (also known as plaque) builds up in the arteries. These arteries supply blood to the heart and they are being blocked and clogged not allowing blood to flow smoothly. The plaque basically builds up and narrows the arteries and prevents the heart from getting enough blood.

Many Canadians die from heart attacks yearly because of not receiving medical treatment early enough. Many of the deaths related to heart attacks could be preventable if we all knew the tell tale signs of a heart attack and notice specific symptoms. By learning to recognize these signs you can significantly help someone or even potentially save a life. One of the most common symptoms of a heart attack is chest pain in both men and women. However, some people may not even experience chest pain at all, while others might feel a mild pain or slight discomfort or tightening sensation. Some may feel pain in an entirely different area of the body, while others feel a combination of several symptoms. Listed below are some of the most common signs of a heart attack that you should watch out for.

Chest discomfort – uncomfortable chest pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain, burning or heaviness
Sweating – sweating lightly or heavily, moist, feeling cool and hot simultaneously
Nausea – upset stomach, need to throw up
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body – neck, jaw, shoulders, arms, back
Light headedness – feeling dizzy or light headed and have difficulty keeping balance
Shortness of breath – uncomfortable breathing, pressure in chest

November 11, 2014

Numbers as Spirt Guides

Earlier I wrote about numbers and provided a guide of their meanings. I want to elaborate a little more on numbers and how they act as Spirit Guides. Numbers act as guides to help us make certain decisions or be concscious or aware of the decisions we need to make. Sometimes in life we come across certain difficult choices and during these times we come across signs. These signs may come in the form of numbers. You may notice sometimes that you look up at the clock at exactly 11:11 or 12:12 or 12:21 and etc.. Why is it that we notice these numbers precisely at the moment when we think of something critical to our well-being? Did you ever stop to ask why we notice them and what they mean when we notice them?

Below, I provided a list of the numbers and their spiritual meaning from the same site http://www.spiritual-path.com/numerology.htm from my earlier blog post. Please take a moment to read through the numbers and see what they mean.

“Below are the basic signs that Spirit Guides use to guide us in everyday life. They are not related to anything in particular, like your life path or life lesson in conjunction with astrological influences, as listed below. These signs guide us to the correct decisions on anything; from whether to carry an umbrella to work, to whether you should have a sandwich for lunch or a full meal. The reason for this guidance is for you to avoid an unpleasant experience, to provide you with something you will soon need, but don’t know yet, or even help you with decisions at work. These signs are listed with the specific interpretation, and it is up to you to apply it to your thoughts and feelings”. http://www.spiritual-path.com/numerology.htm

111, 1111 – This is the New Cycle sign. It refers to what is new, fresh, prosperous and progressive in your life. Seeing this sign after thinking or feeling something about a topic in your life indicates that these thoughts will lead to new and exciting things in your daily life. Your Spirit Guides are indicating that these thoughts are healthy, because change is the essence of growth.

222, 2222 – This is the ‘Train of Thought’ sign. Your Spirit Guides will show you this sign to support what you are thinking. For example, you could be working on something at work, and see this sign. It indicates that you should continue with the current focus or thoughts for a solution, as it will lead you to the right conclusion.

333, 3333 – This sign is the Cosmic ‘Yes!’ It indicates a ‘Yes’ to absolutely anything, and that it is the right decision for you. It indicates that something will happen, even if sometimes it isn’t what you expect, or when you expect it, because it is an explicit sign. For example, you may ask your Spirit Guides, “Will I ever get married?” And they reply “333!” So you think, “Great! I’ll be married soon!” But the ‘soon’ part is of our making; ‘Yes’ you will get married, but they don’t say when! Still, it’s something to look forward to!

444, 4444 – This sign is the Cosmic ‘No!’ It indicates a ‘No’ to absolutely anything. For example, you could think, “I’m really getting sick of this job.”, but then see the ‘444’ sign to advise you, “No, don’t think like that. You’re just a bit tired, so don’t let such temporary things sway your mind.” It could also be as basic as, “I could do with some Pizza for dinner.”, whereby the ‘No’ would advise you that it wouldn’t be a good idea.

555, 5555 – This is the ‘Change’ sign. It is seen whenever you have had a change of mind about anything, and is a reflection of your state of mind. It prompts you to ask, “Hmm, a change of mind. Where will this change lead me?” It relates to any subject where you have changed your mind, and advises you think a little about it first, and to be sure this new direction is really the one you wish to take.

666, 6666 – This is the ‘Imbalance’ sign. It indicates that your thoughts have gone off on an unhealthy tangent, that isn’t focused on anything but nonsense. You could be thinking normally about something, and then your mind takes a tangent into fantastical or unrealistic territory. Through this sign, your Spirit Guides are letting you know that you have slipped off the right track, and for you to step back to the last correct train of thought.

777, 7777 – This is the ‘Lesson Learnt’ sign. It indicates that you have made a realisation or learnt a lesson. Your Spirit Guides are showing you this sign to reflect that you have learnt something, for you to think about it, and ask yourself questions, such as, “What have I learnt? What does this mean to me?” For example, the lesson may be that you have discovered that your work no longer inspires you as it once did. You have made this discovery, and now it is up to you as to how you proceed.

888, 8888 – This is the ‘Phase About to End’ sign. Everything we do in our life can be categorised as a phase. From going to work to going shopping, all things are a series of short term phases. Your Spirit Guides will show you this sign when your thoughts will bring about the end of a phase, whether this end be natural or abrupt. For example, you could be making a Christmas present list, and once completed, you review it and think, “Oh, these five people don’t know each other, I can get them the same thing!” Your Spirit Guides could then show you the ‘888’ sign to advise that by following this plan, the phase of completing your Christmas shopping will very soon come to an end. You are being advised, but also asked to reflect upon your plan; sure, you’ll finish all of your shopping quicker, but will you be happy with the results?

999, 9999 – This is the ‘Completion of a Phase’ sign. It indicates the completion of a phase of thought or activity in your life. For example, you may think, “I’m not eating at that restaurant again!” Or, having reached your mental and emotional limit with a situation, think, “Okay, that’s enough now!” After which you’ll see the ‘999’ sign, reflecting the finality of your thoughts and feelings on a particular matter. Your Spirit Guides are showing you this sign as a reflection of your current mental and emotional state and that there is no going back from this point – it’s over.

000, 0000 – This is the ‘Unity with the Universe’. Your Spirit Guides will show you this sign to indicate to you that you’re doing fine; you’re thinking the right things, doing the right things, and in the right place, mentally and emotionally. Your Spirit Guides are saying, “Just carry on as you are!”

September 18, 2014

Numbers and what they mean

Recently, I have been fascinated with numbers and their meaning because everywhere I go I notice certain numbers. I kept asking myself why do I keep noticing numbers at odd times. Certain numbers would appear out of nowhere on signs, license plates, or I would draw my eyes to the clock at specific times. The constant noticing of numbers had me all wondering what is the relevance of this? So, I did some research and came across the meaning of certain numbers. I have copied this directly from http://www.spiritual-path.com/numerology.htm so please take a look at the site to get a more clear understanding of what these numbers actually mean.

What the Numbers Mean

Different numbers are considered to define different characteristics. Numbers can change for us throughout our lives but the numbers we were born with influence our character, behaviour, strengths and weaknesses. Below is a list of the most common interpretation of these characteristics:

Number 0 – Limitless, Unity, Nothingness, Boundless, Truth, Purity, Love, All, Alpha and Omega, Possibility, First Cause, Unmanifest, Breath of God, Unified Field, Source, Space, Consciousness, Cosmic Egg, God.

Number 1 – Beginning, New, Focused concentration, Goal-striving, Action, Independence, Originality, Courage, Invention, Leader, Self-reliant, Ambition, Pioneer, Will, Conscious Mind, Positive.

Number 2 – Duality, Division, Polarity, Choice, Gestation, Cooperation, Service, Harmony, Support, Waiting, Diplomacy, Patience, Psychic, Intuition, Adaptable, Empathic, Partnership, Mediator, Comparison, Receptive, Helper, Collecting, Reproduction, Balancer of Opposites, Subconscious Memory, Positive and Negative.

Number 3 – Trinity, Union of Divine plus Human, Manifestation, Positive, Negative and Neutral, Expression, Subconscious Mind/Imagination, Creative, Optimistic, Enthusiasm, Expressive, Charming, Humour, Fun, Attractive, Friendly.

Number 4 – Practical, orderly, patient, logical, hard-working, loyal, builder, steadfast, frugal, responsible, earthy, planner, materially creative, green thumb, even tempered.

Number 5 – Adventure, change, freedom, exploration, variety, sensuality, unattached, curious, experienced, periodicity, knowledge seeker, knowledge teacher, traveller, imagination, child-like, playful.

Number 6 – Harmony, beauty, nurturing, love, marriage, family, responsibility, understanding, sympathy, healing, empathic, perfectionist, order, duty, comfort, service.

Number 7 – Philosopher, sage, wisdom seeker, reserved, inventor, stoic, contemplative, aloof, deep-thinker, introspective, spiritual, faith, esoteric, exotic, unusual, hidden, seeking perfection, ethereal, other worldly, enigma.

Number 8 – Achievement, abundance, executive, strength, self-disciplined, power, success, authority, psychology, entrepreneur, intensity, supervisor, provider, grandeur, material manifestor.

Number 9 – Endings, completion, humanitarian, compassionate, romantic, selfless, generous, philanthropic, loving, wisdom, idealist, artistic, spiritual healer, all allowing, other worldly, blending.

February 18, 2014

Nikola Tesla

I stumbled across an article, quite some time ago, about the 10 inventions by Nikola Tesla that changed the world. I thought it rather fascinating that I had no idea who Nikola Tesla was yet he played such a drastic role in the inventions we use every day today. We’ve all heard of Thomas Edison, but, did you know Nikola Tesla worked for Edison? Anyway, Tesla was eventually known as a “mad scientist” and many of his inventions gained popular interest in areas such as pseudosciences, UFO theories and New Age occultism. I guess we could say Tesla’s inventions were ahead of its time.

I have copied the list of the 10 inventions by Nikola Tesla and summed it up for you to get a general idea of how important he was to our modern day science and technology.

Alternating Current – Edison introduced DC current (backed by General Electric) which was costly over long distances and produced dangerous sparking from required converters (which eventually led to the electric chair). Tesla introduced AC which was a much safer and less costly form of current. He was able to demonstrate how safe it is by shooting a current through his own body to generate light.

Light – He didn’t invent light itself but he did invent how light could be harnessed and distributed. Tesla developed and used florescent bulbs 40 years before the industry “invented” them. He invented the first neon signs at the World’s Fair and the infamous Tesla Coil.

X-rays – Tesla played a drastic role in the production of medical diagnostics using x-rays. Electromagnetic and ionizing radiation was very popular in the late 1800s, but, Tesla believed that everything we need to understand the universe is around us at all times, however, we need to develop real world devices to help realize those perceptions and thus he helped with the fruition of x-rays.

Radio – Guglielmo Marconi is often known as the inventor of the radio, however, Tesla was actually the inventor of the first radio. Radio signals are just frequencies that need transmitters and receivers. Tesla demonstrated this in 1893 during a presentation. The U.S patent office awarded Marconi a patent instead of Tesla for the invention of the radio, possibly because of his financial backers in the States, who included Edison and Andrew Carnegie. This also helped the U.S. government (among others) to avoid having to pay royalties that Tesla claimed.

Remote Control – This invention was just a natural creation that came after the radio. This technology was not used for quite some time but the very first remote controlled model boat was demonstrated in 1898. This technology was taken over by the military in its pursuit of remote controlled war.

Electric Motor – Tesla’s invention of the electric motor with rotating magnetic fields could have freed mankind from the stranglehold of Big Oil. However, his inventions with electric motors were not funded because of the economic crisis due to the war.

Robotics – Tesla believed that all living beings were merely driven by external impulses. Thus, it led to his invention of robots.

Laser – Tesla’s invention of the laser is the epitome of how inventions and science can be used for either good or evil. Lasers have transformed medical history by ways of surgical applications. Lasers also occur in our current digital media. However, laser defence systems today, which include laser rifles and directed energy “death rays” are a prime example of how the government or military can use this technology to control and manipulate wars by way of fear.

Wireless Communications and Limitless Free Energy – These two inventions work hand in hand. The question rose amongst the elite – what good is energy if it can’t be metered and controlled? The notion that energy would be given away for free was preposterous. J.P. Morgan backed Tesla with $150,000 to build a tower that would use the natural frequencies of the universe to transmit data. This was the first wireless communications. This showed that the universe was filled with free energy that could be utilized to form a world wide web connecting everyone from everywhere. Tesla was dedicated to empowering every individual to receive and transmit this data virtually free of charge, but, as well all know, this never happened. We are charged ridiculous amounts of money to use limitless energy and to use wireless communications which also could be provided for free.

“I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success… such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything”. ~ Nikola Tesla

Was Lost then Found

A Journey into the mind, body and soul

Science & Technology