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Sip of good health: 5 FMCG stocks for your portfolio

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Rating: BUY

Target: Rs 5000

Brokerage: Anand Rathi

Rationale: Asian Paints is a ‘Price Maker’; the category has no threat of price-led competition. There is less probability of: (1) loss of market share or (2) price-led competition. Demonstration of strong pricing power, despite lower volume growth and ability to sustain earnings growth momentum is a strong catalyst. With its weightage in the NSE, there is latent demand amongst investors.

Article source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/stocks-views/sipgood-health-5-fmcg-stocks-for-your-portfolio-_873774.html

Filed Under: good health

MOH to focus on efficient delivery, healthy living

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

PUTRAJAYA (May 20, 2013): The Health Ministry will continue improving the medical delivery system and encouraging healthy lifestyles among Malaysians, newly-minted minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said today.

Taking over his new portfolio, Subramaniam said increased focus will be placed on creating awareness and knowledge among Malaysians, especially on non-communicable diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

“Malaysia has one of the highest obesity rates in Asia, and the increase in these diseases (obesity and diabetes) is probably due to affluence; Malaysians now are used to living a cosy, comfortable life.

“We must feel proud to be healthy, and this lifestyle change is what we are trying to inculcate in them,” he told a press conference today.

The MIC deputy president, who is a dermatologist by training, said these diseases were a cultural issue due to lifestyles and habits practised by Malaysians, and that in order to combat this, the culture must be changed.

“We must connect lifestyle changes and awareness; these two need to work in tandem.

“If we have lots of awareness campaigns but the people don’t see the need to change their mindsets and lifestyles, then there would be no point,” he said.

Subramaniam, who formerly headed the Human Resources Ministry, also said that it was initially thought that these problems were only prevalent in urban areas, but rural areas were also showing signs of an increase in obesity.

“Therefore we will be focusing on all, everyone, in both rural and urban areas.

“It’s not just an urban problem; we need to look at the weaknesses in the system and address them,” he said.

He added that although Malaysia has one of the best healthcare services in the world, constant improvement in the delivery system is necessary in order to stay that way.

“I hope everyone in the Health Ministry will work towards doing the necessary to improve our delivery system; medical professionals must be obsessed with getting results,” he said.

Article source: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/703391

Filed Under: healthy living

HEALTH: GINGER / ASTHMA – VOA

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

May 19, 2013

Article source: http://www.voanews.com/content/health-ginger--asthma/1664081.html

Filed Under: health news

Is the health-care spending slowdown for real?

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

We all know that Stein’s Law will someday apply to health-care spending, which has risen from 5 percent of the economy (gross domestic product) in 1960 to almost 18 percent now. What we don’t know is how and when its share of the economy will stabilize. Will this result from spending controls imposed by Washington; or from delivery-system “reforms” that spontaneously cut “waste”; or from rationing, which limits spending by denying people treatment; or by some combination of these? As for when, could it be now?

Evidence of a spending slowdown is overwhelming. From 2009 to 2011, health spending remained at 17.9 percent of GDP, and actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) predict it will stay there in 2012 (final figures aren’t in) and 2013. If continued, this would have huge implications for the federal budget. Harvard economist David Cutler estimates the next decade’s savings at $770 billion. Health care’s stranglehold on other national priorities would loosen. Cutler is among those who think this is possible.

Writing in the journal Health Affairs — whose latest issue is devoted to costs — he and economist Nikhil Sahni argue that the slower spending reflects, at least partially, permanent changes. Drug costs are abating because there are “fewer new blockbusters,” and more drugs are “coming off patent” and can be replaced by cheaper generics. Hospitals are growing more efficient; since 2001, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has “reduced its rate of hospital-acquired infections by 85 percent,” they report. More cost-sharing (higher deductibles and co-payments) has curbed use, they say.

Cutler’s optimism isn’t universal. A study by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for Sustainable Health Spending attributes 77 percent of the spending slowdown to the Great Recession, the weak recovery and low inflation. People lose private insurance; their health spending falls, though it doesn’t disappear. Even those with insurance are more careful about out-of-pocket costs. In 2011, both hospital admissions and the number of filled drug prescriptions declined slightly, reports the Health Care Cost Institute. By this view, a stronger economy will cause health spending to reaccelerate.

Another skeptic is Paul Hewitt, research director for the Council for Affordable Health Coverage. He says that 70 percent to 80 percent of hospitals’ and physicians’ office costs are labor: all the doctors, nurses, administrators, aides and clerical workers. “Wages and health costs rise together,” he says. High unemployment has held down wages, which will increase if the recovery strengthens.

Two other pressures suggest higher spending.

First, the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) are scheduled to take effect in 2014. The CMS actuaries project that 22 million people will become insured and that total health spending will rise to 18.2 percent of GDP. The insured use more health services than the uninsured.

Second, an aging and sicker population automatically boosts spending. In 2009, per capita health spending for those 65 and over was $9,744 compared with $2,739 for adults 25 to 44, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation. As the elderly’s ranks swell, Medicare spending as a share of GDP will rise from 3.7 percent now to 5.1 percent by 2035 even if “excess” medical inflation vanishes, projects Harvard economist Michael Chernew in Health Affairs.

To stabilize total health spending as a share of GDP requires savings to offset these increases. The pressures to cut reimbursement (that’s already occurred for Medicare) and eliminate unnecessary or futile care — a.k.a “waste” — won’t abate. One new approach has been “consumer-directed health plans”: catastrophic insurance plans with high deductibles of $1,000 or more often coupled with “health savings accounts” to cover ordinary expenses. From 2005 to 2012, the number of Americans covered by these plans jumped from 1 million to 13.5 million, reports America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group. A Rand study found that families using these plans cut health-care spending by 21 percent.

“When employees see more of their own costs, they spend their money more wisely,” says Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute, which advocates these accounts.

For all its tumult, the health-care system hasn’t changed that much. Most Americans still consider health care a “right” that should not be compromised when people need it. Fee-for-service — which reimburses doctors and hospitals more for doing more — remains the dominant form of payment. These have been engines of runaway health spending. From 1993 to 2000, spending stabilized at 13.8 percent of GDP under the restraint of “managed care.” But a public backlash weakened this discipline. Whether the present slowdown suffers the same fate may depend on whether Americans are willing to modify long-standing attitudes and practices about how medical care is delivered.

Article source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-samuelson-is-health-cares-slowdown-for-real/2013/05/19/15bb0270-c0a9-11e2-8bd8-2788030e6b44_story.html

Filed Under: health news

Health minister attacks dental health protection

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Fluoride is an element naturally present in water, and at specific levels
improves dental health.

However, fluoridation of community water supplies
is under attack by the new health minister, despite its success in Israel in
reducing dental caries in children, with important health benefits especially to
poor and middle class population groups. When economic cutbacks are threatening
to worsen the situation of the poor in Israel, the minister, and the government,
should reconsider and retract her act to stop this important public health
measure.

Fluoridation when implemented by the ministry was challenged
legally, but supported by the Supreme Court. Unfortunately the minister
apparently believes non-facts and total distortions. As one example, the
minister claims that fluoridation causes cancer. This is untrue. Israel has had
fluoridation for much of the population since 2002. Data from the World Health
Organization European Region shows the total standardized cancer mortality rate
in Israel is low compared with those of Ireland (fluoridated since the 1960s),
Netherlands (not fluoridated) and the UK (limited fluoridation), and has
declined steeply in the past decade.

In July 2011, the American Public
Health Association reported: “Health advocates fighting myths about fluoridation
with science: Misinformation endangers oral health. Dental advances over the
past six decades mean that many Americans do not remember a time when tooth
decay and disease was a major national public health problem. But in the 1940s,
more than 15 percent of World War II recruits were denied the ability to enlist
in the Army because they lacked six pairs of opposing teeth. The adult human
mouth contains 32 teeth, and yet just 70 years ago a large number of 21- to
35-yearolds did not have even 12 good teeth.”

Much of the credit for the
nation’s better oral health can be attributed to the decision in the 1940s to
begin adding fluoride to public drinking water systems. According to the
American Dental Association, fluoridation reduces tooth decay in all age groups
by 20% to 40% “even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from
other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste.”

In April 2013, the US
Surgeon-General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, officially endorsed community water
fluoridation, stating that, “Fluoridation’s effectiveness in preventing tooth
decay is not limited to children, but extends throughout life, resulting in
fewer and less severe cavities…. In fact, each generation born since the
implementation of water fluoridation has enjoyed better dental health than the
generation that preceded it.”

Every surgeon-general for the past 50 years
has endorsed fluoridation of community water supplies as a safe and effective
weapon in the war against tooth decay.

The minister met with senior
medical and dental professionals from the ministry and academia on April 8,
2013, along with a number of nonmedical anti-fluoridationists. All the
medical-dental participants strongly supported fluoridation. The minister was
given a detailed report of a nation-wide survey conducted by one of us (HSC),
which clearly showed the effectiveness of fluoridation, particularly in poor
communities.

The minister raised her view that the state should not
impose on people the level of fluoride in the water.

Several days later
she signed a decree that can potentially cease fluoridation in Israel within a
year. Her libertarian view has been refuted by leading ethicists, and by the
Supreme Court.

In nature there is no water without fluoride, but the
level varies widely and there is no basic right for any specific level. No
person has the right to deprive large, vulnerable parts of society (such as
children) of the beneficial effect of the fluoride.

The minister
expressed concern about that only a small fraction of the fluoridated water is
used for drinking; the majority is used for anything from washing clothes to
irrigating vegetables. She seeks other ways to achieve the same effect, but the
accumulated evidence of many decades, as stated by the US surgeongeneral, shows
that fluoridation of community water to a specific level is the safest and most
cost-effective method to prevent dental caries and its painful consequences and
achieve better dental health for the nation.

It is the responsibility of
the health minister and the government to use the best dental, medical and
public health professional judgments from within the ministry and
academia.

The professional support for fluoridation by leading medical,
dental, academic and public health authorities should convince the minister to
maintain our achievement in this field. Fluoridation is safe and costeffective
in preventing poor dental health and improves the health of our children and
adults, especially the poor.

Ted Tulchinsky is an associate professor,
Braun School of Public Health, the Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem.
Jonathan Mann is a professor and chairman of the Department of Community
Dentistry, Hadassah Medical Center. Harold Sgan-Cohen is a professor, Department
of Community Dentistry at the Hadassah Medical Center.

Elliot M. Berry is
a professor and head of Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolism and
director at the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Capacity
Building in Public Health, Braun School of Public Health at the Hebrew
University-Hadassah, Jerusalem. Rifaat Safadi is a professor and director of the
Liver Unit at the Institute of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Division of
Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center and Ronny Starkshall has a PhD from the Braun
School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Health-minister-attacks-dental-health-protection-313645

Filed Under: health news

CDC says 20 percent of US children have mental health disorders

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Childhood mental disorders that alter the way children learn, behave and cope with their emotions affect 13 percent to 20 percent of youths under age 18, the CDC said Thursday. They also cost families and society at large an estimated $247 billion a year in treatment, special education, juvenile justice and decreased productivity, it stated.

Although the prevalence, early onset and effect on society make childhood mental problems a major public health issue, only 21 percent of affected children get treatment because of a shortage of pediatric sub-specialists and child and adolescent psychiatrists, according to the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry.

“Our current health care system does not meet the needs of these children,” Martin J. Drell, the group’s president, said last week in a statement about the problem.

Making matters worse, fewer medical students are opting for careers in children’s mental health, while the current crop of professionals is aging out of the workforce. The dearth of providers means troubled youngsters in underserved rural and urban areas are less likely to get timely care.

“Children with serious medical conditions should not have where they live determine what kind of health care services they receive,” said Thomas K. McInerny, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The CDC report, “Mental Health Surveillance Among Children,” summarizes federal data and research from 2005 through 2011 to provide the agency’s first comprehensive snapshot of the nation’s emotionally troubled youths.

One recent study found that from 1997 to 2010, the rate of hospital stays among children for mood disorders increased from 10 to 17 admissions per 10,000 people.

Another study, which analyzed insurance claims, found a 24 percent increase in inpatient mental health and substance abuse admissions for children from 2007 to 2010. The report also found that the use of psychotropic drugs by teens had increased over the same period.

Greater awareness of mental health issues by doctors and parents, increased poverty stemming from the Great Recession and possible environmental factors could be playing a part in the increases, said Ruth Perou, child development studies team leader at the CDC.

The report arrived one week after National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 9 and as President Obama prepares to host a June 3 mental health summit at the White House in response to recent efforts to halt gun violence.

The report found that suicide was more prevalent among boys than girls and among non-
Hispanic whites and non-
Hispanics of other races than it was among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanic children.

Among children who died by suicide, the report found that nearly 30 percent made their intent known before the act and that 35.5 percent had a diagnosed mental disorder when they died. More than one in four childhood suicide victims were being treated for a mental disorder when they died, and 21 percent had made a previous suicide attempt.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was the most commonly diagnosed problem reported by parents. It affects about 7 percent of children ages 3 to 17, or about 4.2 million, Perou said. About 2.2 million children in that age group — about 3.5 percent — have behavioral or conduct problems, while nearly 2 million, or 3 percent, have anxiety issues, she said.

An additional 1.2 million children ages 3 to 17, or about 2.1 percent, suffer from depression, while 678,000, or just over 1.1 percent, suffer from autism, she said. Tourette’s syndrome affects 99,000, about two-tenths of 1 percent of children in this age group.

An estimated 40 percent of children diagnosed with one disorder have multiple mental health disorders, some of which can be linked to childhood criminal behavior, substance abuse and other risky behaviors. Among adolescents ages 12 through 17, nearly 5 percent, or 1.2 million, battle an illicit-drug-use disorder, Perou said.

About 1 million, or 4.2 percent, deal with alcohol abuse disorder, and 691,000, or 2.8 percent of adolescents, have cigarette dependence, she said.

— McClatchy-Tribune

Article source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cdc-says-20-percent-of-us-children-have-mental-health-disorders/2013/05/19/8c316b42-c0b3-11e2-8bd8-2788030e6b44_story.html

Filed Under: health news

From promoting krakens to promoting good health – Muscatine Journal

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Muscatine artist Andrew Anderson is accustomed to being in the spotlight for his unique artwork, including the giant Kraken balloon creature that wrapped itself around Muscatine buildngs in 2011 and a huge Mark Twain sculpture that appeared in Muscatine parades in 2010.

Now, Anderson is encouraging the public to paint the town blue.

As the Engagement Lead for the Muscatine Blue Zones initiative, Anderson will encourage Muscatine residents to become more aware of the many ways they can improve their health and quality of life.

Blue Zones are areas in the world where people live longer, healthier lives. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad endorsed bringing the elements that contribute to good health and longevity to Iowa through The Blue Zones project, a part of Branstad’s Healthiest State Initiative. In 2013, Muscatine was declared one of Iowa’s Blue Zones communities and now shares in a $25 million grant by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Healthways, a medical solutions firm.

Anderson said he’s enjoying watching momentum build as he and other members of the Blue Zones team work together to make their town a stronger, healthier and more joyful place to live.

— Cynthia Beaudette of the Muscatine Journal

Personal

Name: Andrew Anderson

Age: 35

City of residence: Muscatine

Family members: “My parents are Mark and Kari Anderson and I’m the oldest of five brothers and two sisters.”

Education: Bachelor of arts in management from the University of Iowa

Profession: Events and communications

Volunteer work: “I’m excited about being a new member of the Muscatine Convention and Visitors Bureau Board. I also do a lot of volunteering with my church, Church of the Living Water.”

How did you come to work for the Blue Zones Project?

I was invited to be a part of the early publicity efforts while Muscatine was competing to become a Blue Zones Project demonstration city. I didn’t know what the project was about but I went to the website and decided this was one of the most ambitious initiatives I had ever heard of! When Muscatine became a demonstration site, I applied for and was hired as Engagement Lead.

What does your position as Engagement Lead entail?

I manage the work of helping individual residents of Muscatine learn about the Blue Zones Project – what the benefits to people are and how they can participate. I work with about 40 people who are organizing activities like walking groups, cooking classes, and events for the Blue Zones Project.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Getting to work with the roughly 40 people I mentioned above is turning out to be one of my favorite parts of this role. They are some motivated people with a lot of experience and good ideas.

What is the most challenging part of your work?

Not getting to be hands-on with much of the engagement work. This initiative is on a pretty aggressive timeline and most of the work is done by volunteers. Do you want to help? If you want to volunteer, get in touch with me. We have a good volunteer orientation program.

What do you like most about living in Muscatine?

I love how much easier it is to make a difference here than in some larger cities. For example, in Chicago, how likely is it that most people would be able to meet the mayor or other key leaders? People are very supportive here. I have found great mentors and people to learn from in Muscatine. I also believe there is a lot of undeveloped potential in our city. That combination makes Muscatine a great place.

If you could change anything about your community, what would it be?

More outdoor dining! I love the patio behind Guadalajara Restaurant downtown and I can’t wait until more places like that pop up.

Name someone who has been an inspiration to you.

Richard Branson. He is an adventurer, businessman and innovator. I am inspired by how he is both a visionary and a “doer.”

What is something about yourself that people may be surprised to know?

I hardly ever use a tent when I go camping.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Leading a small creative team that helps businesses and organizations with their publicity. And I would be pleased to be living in Muscatine!

Article source: http://muscatinejournal.com/news/local/education/from-promoting-krakens-to-promoting-good-health/article_d1fa0372-9cdb-5390-bc2e-1ef98843a4fc.html

Filed Under: good health

Walk to school week to promote healthy living

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

THOUSANDS of school children across Burton will be putting on their walking shoes to take part in Walk to School Week this week.

Pupils across the town are taking part in the initiative in a bid to promote healthy lifestyles and to reduce the number of vehicles parking near to schools – making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

To coincide with Walk to School Week, Staffordshire County Council will be launching two new walking buses.

Trained parents walk the children safely to school and everyone on the walking bus wears a high visibility waistcoat.

Robbie Marshall (pictured), cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Staffordshire County Council, said: “The walking buses are an excellent example of communities coming together, to provide this fun and healthy concept which has many benefits.

“The county council has been working with schools for many years, encouraging teachers and parents to promote the benefits of walking to children.

“We are a leading authority in the area for walking buses and we have more than 130 of them operating across the county.”

Article source: http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Walk-to-school-week-to-promote-healthy-living-20130519164734.htm

Filed Under: healthy living

Is Eating Breakfast Overrated?

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Not so fast. That old adage is facing more and more scrutiny due to increasing research. We have been told incessantly that skipping breakfast leads to fat gain, muscle loss, increased cravings, and moodiness. In fact, for some it could be quite the contrary. If you eat nothing but doughnuts and pasta and bread, yes, fasting cold-turkey would be a very unpleasant experience for you. However, if you are a healthy adult with a balanced, well-maintained diet and exercise regimen, skipping out on breakfast every now and again may actually be beneficial. I am not talking about simply skipping breakfast and eating a snickers at 10. I am talking about intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting has been shown to be extremely beneficial, promoting leanness, helping with hormone regulation, and even possibly decreasing the risk for cancer and diabetes.There are many varieties, so if you have any interest in fasting you should consult with a professional to see what works best with your habits and lifestyle. Popular protocols range from the 5/2 method (fasting two non-consecutive days of the week), to sporadic fasting once or twice a month, to daily fasting, as detailed in the Leangains 16/8 protocol by Martin Berkhan. In a 16/8 protocol, a person fasts for 16 hours of the day, and feeds for 8 hours. Usually, people schedule the fasting window to start at 8 or 9 at night, continue through sleep, and break the fast at noon or 1pm. Essentially, a person has a much later breakfast (yes, the true origins of the word “breakfast” refer to the first food to break the fast of sleep–so technically your first meal of the day is still breakfast), and fits their normal daily sustenance in a smaller window of time.

In a recent experiment, two groups of mice were fed the same amount and type of a high-fat diet, but one group only had access to this food for 8 hours of their day. Although the two groups ate the same type and amount of calories, those who ate only during that 8-hour window actually lived longer, were leaner, and actually more alert than the free-feeding mice, who became overweight and unhealthy. How can that be possible? This suggests that when you put food into your body is equally if not more important to what food you put into your body. Mind blown.

Speaking of eating, would you eat bugs?

Make fasting a relaxing experience. Here are 4 ways to bring nature into your life…

This review from the University of California, Berkley concluded that alternate day fasting can decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease, decrease the risk for cancer, lower the risk of diabetes, and improve cognitive function while protecting against mental disease. Other potential benefits of intermittent fasting are…

Increased longevity. Fasting induces a state of autophagy in the body, during which cells maintain and repair themselves. They do not eat away at themselves, as is commonly misunderstood. It is this process that is thought to increase longevity. Check out these two UK articles–Express and BBC–about living longer with intermittent fasting.

Easy to follow. Intermittent fasting has been shown to be an easier-to-maintain lifestyle choice for people trying to lose significant weight than traditional dieting. Rather than constantly thinking about what you are going to eat next, it gets food completely off of your mind.

No “brain fog.” We have all heard that not eating every couple of hours can cause “mental fog.” If your body is wholly dependent on a constant intake of carbohydrates, this may be the case. However, while consuming a protein-and-veggie–rich diet, intermittent fasting can actually improve mental clarity, especially while in a fasted state. If our ancestors became foggy after a lack of food, that would be counter-productive for survival and their search for the next meal. Evolutionarily, it makes sense that our mental clarity actual improves in a fasted state, a la survival of the fittest.

Better insulin regulation. Do you get hungry soon after breakfast? This may be due to cortisol (aka your stress hormone) being at its highest around breakfast–about 30 minutes after waking. Cortisol has an effect on insulin that can cause a huge surge and rapid dip in sugar levels, leading to mid-morning, ravenous hunger in some people, regardless of a hearty breakfast. Recent research has also suggested that intermittent fasting can restore hormonal balance and possibly reverse Type II diabetes in some people.

According to this article from the New York Times, the studies between eating breakfast and thinness are misleading and not significant in their methodology. Skipping out on breakfast once in a while with the intent of fasting might actually be beneficial to your health. Give it a try! Of course, intermittent fasting is not for everyone. As with food, intermittent fasting is best done in moderation to reap its outstanding benefits. Always check with your doctor before making any drastic dietary changes.

Did you know some pregnant women crave dirt? Here’s the not-so-dirty truth about dirt…

Here’s another piece about challenging the Supremacy of Breakfast.

Article source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/is-eating-breakfast-overrated.html

Filed Under: healthy living

Heal Your Body, Heal Your Life

May 20, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Pick one of these three options:

1. I want to die from heart disease.
2. I want to die from cancer.
3. I want to die in the arms of my beloved after great sex and a long life.

If you picked No. 3, the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you. We are in the grip of a conspiracy spearheaded by food companies, pharmaceutical concerns and a medical establishment determined to ensnare you from cradle to grave. But did you know that people in the Amazon or rural China do not die from cancer or heart disease? Often, they die peacefully in bed.

Illness is seen by the shaman as an imbalance in a natural harmony that occurs when we’re disconnected from the invisible side of nature and have forgotten its existence. … Shamanic medicine works by upgrading the quality of the information of the luminous energy field (LEF) that instructs your molecules, cells and genes.

The LEF is the software that informs DNA, through the hardware, which is the brain and nervous system. The shaman understands that we are flesh and blood as well as the energy field that infuses the physical body, guiding its growth and repair. The mind-body connection we have been talking about in the West was never forgotten by indigenous people, who understood that emotions, thoughts, the environment and the invisible world affect our LEF, thus influence what is happening in our bodies. The way to heal the body is by upgrading the quality of the LEF. Then the body can stop manifesting disease and start creating health.

The first task is to repair your hippocampus with Omega-3 rich foods and supplements. Then you need to eliminate gluten and dairy from your diet, at least for a month to allow your immune system the opportunity to reset. If you are going through a healing process, you need to be off all grains. This will reduce the inflammation in your body and turn on the genes responsible for longevity and health. Next you need to detox, from the very inside of your cells. Then you have to repair and strengthen your mitochondria, the fuel factories and feminine life force inside every neuron and cell in the body. At that point, you will be primed to experience shamanic ecstasy and create exceptional health.

Excerpted from “A Cure for Modern Times: An American psychologist, trained by shamans, explains how to prevent and heal the illnesses of civilization,” by Alberto Villoldo, from the May/June edition of The Intelligent Optimist.

Interested in stories like this one? Sign up for a free issue of The Intelligent Optimist (formerly Ode magazine).

Article source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/heal-your-body-heal-your-life.html

Filed Under: healthy living