Most people take at least one prescription medication for their health.
A friend spent a week with us and when I went to clean up the guest bedroom, I saw a line of nine prescription medicine bottles on the dresser. During a discussion I asked him how he was doing physically, and he looked surprised as he told me he was doing good. I told him I noticed all the medicines in the bedroom. He smirked and then started a story about going to his primary care doctor for what was diagnosed as gout, and was given a prescription. Blood testing also showed high cholesterol, which earned him another prescription, his blood pressure was high, one more prescription. He was also going through some personal challenges in his life, and got an anti-anxiety medication. When he returned six weeks later for his follow up appointment, he told his doctor about feeling worse. His doctor told him sometimes medications cause side effects, and gave him more prescriptions for the side effects.
His story is a common story, unfortunately. Most people trust their doctors and take their medications that are prescribed.
And sometimes they read about natural herbal medicines, vitamins and minerals that are helpful and takes these along with their prescription medication.
There is so much information about prescription drugs and natural herbs and supplements online. Some of it is not accurate, most of it is confusing.
I was recently notified about a web site that believes in educating the public about thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications, many of which have the potential to cause serious side effects. It has an easy to navigate online database that is constantly being updated with drug recall news, and provides comprehensive, unbiased information about serious side effects, complications, and interactions of commonly prescribed drugs.
http://www.rxdangers.com/http://www.rxdangers.com/
The site has been added to Calm Spirit resources. If you visit the website and have comments about it, please post them.
I hope it is helpful to you.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
A Living Meditation Practice to Move on My Life Path
This morning I watched CBS Morning Show and there was a feature about Wanda, the Disney themed park in Shanghai, China. It started with a man doing taiji (tai chi) with two Disney characters as part of the attractions. Wanda wants to keep Chinese culture in Western Disney.
I was drawn to the slow, deliberate movements of both the characters and the "human" as they showed a few seconds of the taiji. I could "feel" the qi (chi) and internally visualize it as the man did his movements. It was morning, so I went to the open space in our rental unit and did my taiji for the day. I could almost feel the man's qi working with my qi. It was one of the best taiji sessions I had. I do taiji daily and by myself, and have been doing it 20 years. For me, taiji, yoga, qigong are part of my morning routine, not a "class" I go to once a week: it's part of my life,
My experience today relates well to the book I'm reading, "Wherever You Go, There You Are". I did, and I was. Still am.
The remnants of our storm damaged home were removed yesterday. Watching it wasn't as sad as I thought it would be. It was actually joyful. I feel like I am accepting the circumstances and moving on. Having more time as we are living in a rental space has slowed me down, given me more time for reflection, like a living meditation.
There was also a shot on television of Minnie Mouse doll for sale in the Wanda park. Minnie was wearing a classic jade bangle bracelet, that was included with the doll for purchase. Sweet!
I was drawn to the slow, deliberate movements of both the characters and the "human" as they showed a few seconds of the taiji. I could "feel" the qi (chi) and internally visualize it as the man did his movements. It was morning, so I went to the open space in our rental unit and did my taiji for the day. I could almost feel the man's qi working with my qi. It was one of the best taiji sessions I had. I do taiji daily and by myself, and have been doing it 20 years. For me, taiji, yoga, qigong are part of my morning routine, not a "class" I go to once a week: it's part of my life,
My experience today relates well to the book I'm reading, "Wherever You Go, There You Are". I did, and I was. Still am.
The remnants of our storm damaged home were removed yesterday. Watching it wasn't as sad as I thought it would be. It was actually joyful. I feel like I am accepting the circumstances and moving on. Having more time as we are living in a rental space has slowed me down, given me more time for reflection, like a living meditation.
There was also a shot on television of Minnie Mouse doll for sale in the Wanda park. Minnie was wearing a classic jade bangle bracelet, that was included with the doll for purchase. Sweet!
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| Classic Round Chinese Jade Bangle Bracelets |
Thursday, May 19, 2016
I'm still reading "Wherever You Go, There You Are", a small portion daily prior to my meditation. It's amazing that wherever I open the book, it's right where I need to be, the chapter pertaining to something very relevant, important to me. That's how I started the book: I opened it and read, and now I am following the format until it feels like it's time to do something different.
A recent section I read was about escaping from "the world" by doing your meditation. When it's time to be doing something you need to do, and you choose to escape it by meditating, it's not helpful and is actually like taking a step backwards. One of the reasons for meditating is to lose your attachments. And escaping can be an attachment.
And that's exactly what I've been doing the past couple weeks. Since we are moving out of our home and having a new one built because of storm damage, I have until May 30 to get everything packed. My husband and I are both packing, but I have more "stuff" plus a business with inventory, so I have at least three times the "stuff" husband has, and I'm working a lot longer doing the packing. He leaves the house to play tennis every day just before noon, when he leaves, that's when I do my meditation. And instead of doing a meditation, then getting on with what I need to do, I've been making my meditation time longer. My regular meditation is 20-30 minutes and I've been making it last an hour to avoid packing things. And I've not felt good about it, but didn't understand why, because wasn't meditating an hour a "good thing"? Yes, it is, according to Jon Kabat-Zinn, but not if you're using meditation as an escape, and letting meditation become an attachment.
Interesting how I opened the book to that chapter.
A recent section I read was about escaping from "the world" by doing your meditation. When it's time to be doing something you need to do, and you choose to escape it by meditating, it's not helpful and is actually like taking a step backwards. One of the reasons for meditating is to lose your attachments. And escaping can be an attachment.
And that's exactly what I've been doing the past couple weeks. Since we are moving out of our home and having a new one built because of storm damage, I have until May 30 to get everything packed. My husband and I are both packing, but I have more "stuff" plus a business with inventory, so I have at least three times the "stuff" husband has, and I'm working a lot longer doing the packing. He leaves the house to play tennis every day just before noon, when he leaves, that's when I do my meditation. And instead of doing a meditation, then getting on with what I need to do, I've been making my meditation time longer. My regular meditation is 20-30 minutes and I've been making it last an hour to avoid packing things. And I've not felt good about it, but didn't understand why, because wasn't meditating an hour a "good thing"? Yes, it is, according to Jon Kabat-Zinn, but not if you're using meditation as an escape, and letting meditation become an attachment.
Interesting how I opened the book to that chapter.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Color Therapy, Colors of Jade, Colors of Chakra
My first trip to China in 1999 was to learn Chinese medicine, Qi Healing, and tai chi and qigong. Chinese medicine practices seem to agree with me, my philosophy, practice and go-to when I need healing.
My second trip to China a few months later was to continue a treatment the doctor had started with me and was working well. That's when I learned about jade use for Chinese medicine practice, and about meridians. Colors of jade are often used for balancing the meridians, and some of the Chinese jade that has all five colors of white, green, black / charcoal, red ("hong") and yellow. When I'm feeling out of balance, I look at and touch all my jade bangle bracelets, and always find one that "feels" like what I need. And it usually does help. The jade also gets a "glow" as I'm wearing it, so I know my body qi and the jade qi energies are working together.
I also do yoga as part of my daily practices. Yoga also uses colors that relate to the Chakras. The colors and locations have some similarity in both yoga and qi healing. But yoga has more colors, because there are more chakras than meridians.
Sometimes people who are searching for their path in life try many different methods, and try to practice them all. While trying them, if a person tries to practice them all, their life can get very out of balance, and can actually work against them. So I chose Chinese medicine as my practice. It's the Dao, being in harmony with nature, and is also were feng shui and yin and yang theories come from.
But I still do yoga and part of my daily practice.
Color therapy is becoming part of Western healing practices, The US government and medical organizations are trying to cut back on prescribing opiod drugs for chronic pain and looking for alternatives. Studies are being done about color therapy used with cognitive behavioral therapy to be helpful for both chronic and acute pain. I read an article today "Color Therapy Yoga Offers Fresh Perspective". The yoga teacher occasionally teaches a class that focuses on a certain chakra color and has colored sunglasses the students can wear to perceive everything through a certain color lens. The class participants find that by focusing on a color they can see a lesson rather than a problem in a situation. When interviewed for the article, the students felt moved by the experience, more focused and motivated. They not only got the benefits from the yoga practice, but also from the color exposure.
Perhaps this is a trend now. A Chinese practice that has worked for centuries now being incorporated into modern wellness.
My second trip to China a few months later was to continue a treatment the doctor had started with me and was working well. That's when I learned about jade use for Chinese medicine practice, and about meridians. Colors of jade are often used for balancing the meridians, and some of the Chinese jade that has all five colors of white, green, black / charcoal, red ("hong") and yellow. When I'm feeling out of balance, I look at and touch all my jade bangle bracelets, and always find one that "feels" like what I need. And it usually does help. The jade also gets a "glow" as I'm wearing it, so I know my body qi and the jade qi energies are working together.
I also do yoga as part of my daily practices. Yoga also uses colors that relate to the Chakras. The colors and locations have some similarity in both yoga and qi healing. But yoga has more colors, because there are more chakras than meridians.
Sometimes people who are searching for their path in life try many different methods, and try to practice them all. While trying them, if a person tries to practice them all, their life can get very out of balance, and can actually work against them. So I chose Chinese medicine as my practice. It's the Dao, being in harmony with nature, and is also were feng shui and yin and yang theories come from.
But I still do yoga and part of my daily practice.
Color therapy is becoming part of Western healing practices, The US government and medical organizations are trying to cut back on prescribing opiod drugs for chronic pain and looking for alternatives. Studies are being done about color therapy used with cognitive behavioral therapy to be helpful for both chronic and acute pain. I read an article today "Color Therapy Yoga Offers Fresh Perspective". The yoga teacher occasionally teaches a class that focuses on a certain chakra color and has colored sunglasses the students can wear to perceive everything through a certain color lens. The class participants find that by focusing on a color they can see a lesson rather than a problem in a situation. When interviewed for the article, the students felt moved by the experience, more focused and motivated. They not only got the benefits from the yoga practice, but also from the color exposure.
Perhaps this is a trend now. A Chinese practice that has worked for centuries now being incorporated into modern wellness.
Friday, April 29, 2016
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day
Tomorrow April 30 is World Tai Chi and Qigong Day.
I remember many years ago when it first started, it was regional, then moved to national celebration, now for several years it's a world event.
In 2003 before we moved to Florida, we were driving from Florida to Ohio on our trip home from a spring break week. I told my husband that we had to stop at 10 AM so I could do Tai Chi. As 10 AM approached, I saw a gas station on hilltop that looked like it was not surrounded by buildings, and told him to stop there. While he filled up the car with gas, I went to the back of the station that overlooked a valley and did my tai chi form. Then we got in the car and drove. I could feel all the energies of other people practicing and happy to be part of the 10 AM celebration at Eastern time. And my dear husband didn't make any wisecracks or roll his eyes.
If you play tai chi or practice qigong, wherever you are at your 10 AM, do your practice. If you don't do either, stop and breathe deeply for a minute or two and share in the good qi energies not only in your time zone, but around the world.
I remember many years ago when it first started, it was regional, then moved to national celebration, now for several years it's a world event.
In 2003 before we moved to Florida, we were driving from Florida to Ohio on our trip home from a spring break week. I told my husband that we had to stop at 10 AM so I could do Tai Chi. As 10 AM approached, I saw a gas station on hilltop that looked like it was not surrounded by buildings, and told him to stop there. While he filled up the car with gas, I went to the back of the station that overlooked a valley and did my tai chi form. Then we got in the car and drove. I could feel all the energies of other people practicing and happy to be part of the 10 AM celebration at Eastern time. And my dear husband didn't make any wisecracks or roll his eyes.
If you play tai chi or practice qigong, wherever you are at your 10 AM, do your practice. If you don't do either, stop and breathe deeply for a minute or two and share in the good qi energies not only in your time zone, but around the world.
 |
| World Tai Chi and Qigong Day Website |
Sunday, April 24, 2016
What Makes Smart People More Happy? More "Alone" Time
Psychologist have studied for years about what makes people happy in their lives, and how to increase life satisfaction. Studies date back to our ancient ancestors. They use what is referred to "Savanna Theory of Happiness" to explain findings of tests and analysis of a large national survey involving 15,000 adults ages 18-28.
They find that people who live in more densely populated areas tend to report less satisfaction with their lives overall. And they found that the more social interaction with close friends, the greater they report self happiness.
Then they found that life satisfaction who live in densely populated areas was twice as high for individuals with low IQ than for high IQ individuals. And more intelligent individuals were less satisfied with life if they socialized with their close friends more frequently. The findings suggest that those with more intelligence and the capacity to use it are less likely to spend so much time socializing because they are focused on other long term objectives. For example, think about really intelligent people you might know. Maybe the person is a writer working on the Great American Novel, or a human rights lawyer working on a program to protect vulnerable people. To them, the time they spend on social interaction detracts them from pursuit of their goals, which affects their overall satisfaction with life.
And think about intelligent people you know who have worked long hours and days during their working careers on projects that are very important to them, then they reach "retirement age". They stop working, and realize they don't have an adequate social circle to help them enjoy their retirement time. Often these people will continue working through their lifetime on projects that were important to them.
We are all social creatures. But the amount of social activity that makes us happy can vary. And this "Savanna Theory of Happiness" is an explanation for the different in happiness in high and low intelligent people.
Now that's sure an interesting theory to meditate on.
They find that people who live in more densely populated areas tend to report less satisfaction with their lives overall. And they found that the more social interaction with close friends, the greater they report self happiness.
Then they found that life satisfaction who live in densely populated areas was twice as high for individuals with low IQ than for high IQ individuals. And more intelligent individuals were less satisfied with life if they socialized with their close friends more frequently. The findings suggest that those with more intelligence and the capacity to use it are less likely to spend so much time socializing because they are focused on other long term objectives. For example, think about really intelligent people you might know. Maybe the person is a writer working on the Great American Novel, or a human rights lawyer working on a program to protect vulnerable people. To them, the time they spend on social interaction detracts them from pursuit of their goals, which affects their overall satisfaction with life.
And think about intelligent people you know who have worked long hours and days during their working careers on projects that are very important to them, then they reach "retirement age". They stop working, and realize they don't have an adequate social circle to help them enjoy their retirement time. Often these people will continue working through their lifetime on projects that were important to them.
We are all social creatures. But the amount of social activity that makes us happy can vary. And this "Savanna Theory of Happiness" is an explanation for the different in happiness in high and low intelligent people.
Now that's sure an interesting theory to meditate on.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Coloring Books for Therapy-Balance Body, Mind and Spirit
Coloring books for adults have become very popular. My mother-in-law
who is in her 80's has a stack of them. She and friends also have a
weekly coloring book group activity. I gave one of my girlfriends a
coloring book for her birthday last month. She asks me if I want to put
on of her colored pictures on my refrigerator, like we used to do when
we were in elementary school.
Coloring can be psychological transformation. It gives a sense of freedom, a childlike innocence, pure and simple joy. It's not only fun,; it helps you get in touch with your creative, artistic side. Since it works with a positive and creative part of your brain, you may find it helps you accomplish tasks in your home and at work joyfully and more quickly than it used to take to do those tasks.
Coloring can help you de-stress, relieve anxiety, and even achieve a meditative state. It calms the mind, grounds and balances, and increases your feelings of joy and contentment.
Coloring therapy has been used for years with adults and children in counseling and health centers. It's being used more for helping people with chronic pain and other health problems, especially senior citizens who could benefit more from coloring than
taking medications. Coloring is even being used in addiction recovery therapy.
/
Some intuitive people also choose jade by the color that appeals to them. They also know intuitively the color related to the meridian and qi energy that needs balancing.
Wearing your jade while coloring can be a healing experience, for your body, mind and spirit.
Coloring can be psychological transformation. It gives a sense of freedom, a childlike innocence, pure and simple joy. It's not only fun,; it helps you get in touch with your creative, artistic side. Since it works with a positive and creative part of your brain, you may find it helps you accomplish tasks in your home and at work joyfully and more quickly than it used to take to do those tasks.
Coloring can help you de-stress, relieve anxiety, and even achieve a meditative state. It calms the mind, grounds and balances, and increases your feelings of joy and contentment.
Coloring therapy has been used for years with adults and children in counseling and health centers. It's being used more for helping people with chronic pain and other health problems, especially senior citizens who could benefit more from coloring than
taking medications. Coloring is even being used in addiction recovery therapy.
/
Some intuitive people also choose jade by the color that appeals to them. They also know intuitively the color related to the meridian and qi energy that needs balancing.
Wearing your jade while coloring can be a healing experience, for your body, mind and spirit.
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