Benefits of Reiki

• Creates deep relaxation and aids the body to release stress and tension,
• It accelerates the body's self-healing abilities,
• Aids better sleep,
• Reduces blood pressure
• Can help with acute (injuries) and chronic problems
(asthma, eczema, headaches, etc.)and aides the breaking of addictions,
• Helps relieve pain,
• Removes energy blockages, adjusts the energy flow of the endocrine system
bringing the body into balance and harmony.
• Assists the body in cleaning itself from toxins,
• Reduces some of the side effects of drugs and helps the body to recover from drug therapy after surgery and chemotherapy,
• Supports the immune system,
• Increases vitality and postpones the aging process,

What are the benefits of reflexology?

In general terms the benefits of reflexology have to do with the reduction of stress. Because the feet and hands help set the tension level for the rest of the body they are an easy way to interrupt the stress signal and reset homeostasis, the body's equilibrium.
Whether reflexology can benefit certain conditions and diseases in still under investigation. Further scientific study need to be done in order to come to some definite benefits of reflexology in regard to illness and disease.
Reflexology is a complement to standard medical care. It should not be construed as medical advice. It should not be a replacement to medical help. Please use it wisely. We care about your safety.
For additional information or an appointment (Jackson - Ann Arbor Mich Area)
Send an e-mail to Clare at healthypractices@directv.net

Mortality rates are 88% higher

Mortality rates are 88% higher in men with low testosterone, compared with men who have normal testosterone levels.
It's true that men can become distinguished looking with age, however, there is nothing distinguishing about the numerous symptoms associated with aging, such as - the beer belly, loss of muscle and strength, the "man boob" syndrome, difficulty sleeping, enlarged prostate, depression and low libido. In fact, one out of every two men over the age of 40 experiences erectile dysfunction... bet that's news to you!
By making easy-to-follow, natural and scientifically validated lifestyle changes, men can easily slow and even reverse the loss of testosterone and in the process enjoy their middle and later years with the kind of zest they displayed in their youth.
Writing by Brad King, author of Beer Belly Blues

Water or Coke????

I could not believe this..... Very interesting
WATER
#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated..
(Likely applies to half the world population)
#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak
that it is mistaken for hunger.
#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.
#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs
for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of
Washington study.
#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of
water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain
for up to 80% of sufferers.
#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term
memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on
the computer screen or on a printed page.
#8.. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of
colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast
cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop
bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water
you should drink every day?
COKE
#1. In many states the highway patrol carries
two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from
the highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke
and it will be gone in two days.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the
toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour,
then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes
stains from vitreous china.
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:
Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds
Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour
a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
away the corrosion.
#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola
to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into
the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.
Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix
with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
#8... To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke
into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run
through a regular cycle.. The Coca-Cola will help loosen
grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your
windshield.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
#1 the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.
It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric
acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major
contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the
commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place
cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean
engines of the trucks for about 20 years!
Now the question is, would you like a glass of water?
or Coke?

5 Foods That Help You Lose Weight by Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

Don’t get sucked into the idea that food is your enemy when you’re trying to lose weight. In fact, it’s just the opposite: Befriend the right foods, and the pounds are much more likely to peel off than if you just try to cut calories across the board. Here, five foods known by nutritionists to boost your body’s fat-burning potential
1. Oats
Wait a minute; aren’t oats a carb? Yes and no. Oats are a whole grain, and they’re high on what nutritionists call the “satiety index,” meaning oats have tremendous power to make you feel full. Not only that, they’re also high in soluble fiber, so they cut cholesterol and blood fat. Oats digest slowly, so they don’t raise your blood sugar, and they keep you feeling filled up well into the late morning. Old-fashioned steel-cut and rolled oats, with up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, are best, but even instant oatmeal has 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving.
2. Apples
To keep the pounds at bay, eat an apple–or two–a day. Numerous studies have found that eating an apple a half hour to an hour before a meal has the result of cutting the calories of the meal. Why? The fiber in the apple makes you feel full, so you eat less. Recent research suggests eating apples has other benefits, too; the antioxidants in apples appear to prevent metabolic syndrome, the combination of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and prediabetes that tends to accompany thickening around the waist. Also, apples are high in pectin, which binds with water and limits the amount of fat your cells can absorb
3. Eggs
Nutritionists have been trying for some years to restore the reputation of the lowly egg. No longer thought to be a cholesterol-booster (eggs contain a different type of cholesterol than that in humans), eggs are a concentrated form of animal protein without the added fat that comes with meat. Dietary studies have repeatedly found that when people eat an egg every morning in addition to (or instead of) toast or cereal, they lose twice as much weight as those who eat a breakfast that’s dominated by carbs.
4. Cinnamon
This simple spice appears to have the power to help your body metabolize sugar, according to surprising data that came out of a USDA study involving diabetics. Eating as little as 1/4 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon a day was found to reduce blood sugar levels and cut cholesterol from 10 to 25 percent. So add cinnamon to smoothies, sprinkle it on your cereal, or flavor your coffee with it.
5. Almonds and Almond Butter
Another counter intuitive choice; aren’t nuts and nut butters supposed to be incredibly fattening? Well, almonds are calorie-dense, but they also pack a huge nutritional punch–and they’re particularly effective in counteracting cholesterol and triglycerides. One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating almonds was as effective as taking a statin. Spreading almond butter on your morning toast gives you a nice protein boost while preventing the carbs in the toast from spiking your blood sugar

The Salt of the Earth: Its Probably Not What’s on your table.

Recently, a lot of information has been brought to my attention about the importance of getting good quality salt in your diet. I imagine you’re shaking your head; we always hear that we’re supposed to avoid salt.
It appears salt has gotten a bad rap. Like all things your body needs to survive, too much – or the wrong type – can be a problem. Recent research associates salt with strokes, calcium deficiency and osteoporosis, fluid retention, weight gain, stomach ulcers and stomach cancer. But all this research points to refined, processed, chemically altered, common table salt, or refined sea salt – but not unaltered holistic, mineral-rich crystal salt.
Essentially, every cell in the human body depends on the presence of sodium. We find sodium diffused throughout the fluid between the cells. And each cell is like a small ocean containing salty water. Inside the cells we find primary potassium. These two minerals – sodium and potassium – need to be in constant, dynamic balance so the cells can exchange incoming energy with outgoing, depleted fuel.

Sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) are two of the primary electrolytes. The others are calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), chloride (Cl-), phosphate (PO43-) and hydrogen carbonate (HCO3-), plus other significant mineral salts. Electrolytes regulate the hydration of the body, blood pH, blood pressure and are crucial for nerve and muscle function. The muscle tissue and neurons are considered electric tissues, able to conduct electricity. It’s the electrolyte activity in the body that activates the muscles to contract.

Without sufficient levels of the key electrolytes, muscle weakness or severe muscle contractions may occur. Electrolyte balance is normally maintained by eating salt or drinking electrolyte-containing substances.

Water and salt regulate every metabolic function of the body, including functions of solid matter itself. Your body is constantly monitoring these minerals and working to maintain their delicate balance. Without salt, it is said, we couldn’t exist for a moment.

Not all Salt is the Same

There is a tremendous difference between table salt and crystal salt. In its natural state, salt consists primarily of the elements sodium and chloride, but it also contains up to 82 other naturally occurring minerals.

Manufacturers of table salt view these important trace elements as impurities. So, since the advent of industrial development, most of the salt we use has been stripped of its inherent mineral content through a process that “chemically cleanses” and reduces it to only its most fundamental elements, sodium and chloride.

This table salt is not a natural element and is considered poison to the body. Additionally, additives increase the salt’s aggressive profile. As common as iodized salt is to our tables, so are the number of diseases attributed to it. The body recognizes this chemically enriched sodium chloride as toxic, and tries to get rid of it as quickly as possible. This causes a constant overburden on our excretive organs.

Other processed foods that we eat aggravate this situation. In almost every refined product, salt is used as part of the preservation process. So, in today’s normal diet, the body receives more salt than it can get rid of.

The body now ties to isolate the overdose of salt. In this process, water molecules surround the sodium chloride in order to neutralize it by ionizing it into sodium and chloride. For this process, water is extracted from our cells; the body has to sacrifice its most precious cell water in order to neutralize our salt intake. The dehydrated body cells die.

Natural, unrefined salt crystals – with all of their important trace elements – behave differently in the body. Here are just a few of the claimed benefits of pure crystal salt,
when consumed properly:

• Regulates your blood pressure, in conjunction with water
• Extracts excess acidity from your body’s cells, particularly the brain cells
• Balances the sugar levels in the blood
• Generates hydroelectric energy in your body’s cells
• Enhances adsorption of nutrients through the intestinal tract
• Clears mucous plugs and sticky phlegm in the lungs, particularly in those afflicted
with asthma and cystic fibrosis
• Clears up congestion of the sinuses
• Provides your body with a strong natural antihistamine
• Regulates sleep
• Prevents gout
• Helps the kidney to pass excess acidity into the urine
• Is a strong anti-stress element for the body
• Helps maintain muscle tone and strength
• Strengthens bone structure (Osteoporosis, in many ways, is a result of salt and
water shortage in the body)
• Prevents muscle cramps

The information on salt is interesting and worth digging into further. When I first heard this information, I shook my head too, because it never ceases to amaze me how much conflicting information there is out there when it comes to health and proper nutrition. In my research on salt, I found this quote. Be well.
“.. all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and , therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And, when we go back to the sea. ..we are going back to whence we came.” -John F. Kennedy
By: Janee Kuta-Illiano Reprinted with permission