You are currently browsing posts tagged with health
photo illustrated by Kevin Wong
Article first published on Blogcritics
My daughter, a mother of three young boys, recently asked herself what she could do to help protect the environment and decided as a family they would do what they could. They were chosen as one of the three families in the nation to be spotlighted for their efforts. This past weekend as the film crews were working, I had the opportunity to listen to what they had accomplished. I was impressed with the fact that they didn’t have to dramatically change their lifestyle.
They walked to their local Farmer’s Market for their fresh foods – not to save money but because these foods were fresher and supported the local farmers. They headed up a fundraiser that saved a marine teaching station on the local pier used by school children and the public. They decided not to use chemicals to clean the house; sparkling water bottles were replaced with a sparkling water maker and regular water bottles were replaced with filtered tap water, saving space at landfills. This family was living in a manner that they felt was not only good for them, but also good for their community and the environment in general. They were developing habits and attitudes about their environment and educating themselves in the process. § Read the rest of this entry…
Photo illustrated by Matt Billings
A guest post written by Robert B. Clark, Committee on Publication for Florida
American jazz musician Charles Mingus, speaking of songwriting, once said, “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, is creativity.”
A Fox News Health article, “4 Secrets to Never Getting Sick” gives us four simple to stay healthy:
1) Get plenty of fresh air
2) Relax
3) Wash your hands
4) Get plenty of sleep § Read the rest of this entry…
photo illustrated by SCA
by Don Ingwerson
Article first published on Blogcritics.
How would you answer these questions? Would you like to live longer; be more flexible, centered, balanced?
According to “Tap into the Power of Prayer,” those who pray are able to demonstrate the above qualities to a greater degree than those who don’t pray. The article reports a landmark study in the 1980’s that states, “…prayer was tested in heart patients in a large hospital. Half of the patients were prayed for; half were not. The results revealed a significant therapeutic effect from the prayer.
Even more interesting, distant or intercessory prayer worked without the knowledge of the recipient, reports Larry Dossey, M.D. in his book In Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine.
§ Read the rest of this entry…
Michio Kaku - Photo by Campus Party Mexico
A guest post written by Robert B. Clark, Committee on Publication for Florida
Michio Kaku is a quantum physicist and co-founder of “string field theory”. When he was 16 he built a particle accelerator in his mother’s garage, blowing out the electrical circuitry in the house and causing his mother to ask, “Why couldn’t I have a son who plays baseball?”
His new book, Physics of the Future, spells out some amazing technological wonders that may await us in the not so distant future. How about accessing the internet through your contact lenses? Blink…and you’re online. § Read the rest of this entry…
Photo illustrated by asenat29's photostream
by Don Ingwerson
Article first published on Blogcritics.
Now that Christmas is over, I’ve been thinking about how giving and happiness relate. Not so long ago our family decided to adopt a family in need during the holiday season. It took a while to find a community agency that had a list of needy families, but with persistence we got the name of a family and the names and ages of the children. Christmas Eve we took our gifts to our adopted family.
They spoke little English and we spoke little Spanish, so communication was more felt than spoken. After we presented our gifts and visited for a while we prepared to leave, but this family invited us to join them in a community dinner around an outside fire pit. Sharing in that dinner, I felt that we had received more than we had given, and I deeply felt the good for my fellow man. Each Christmas, I find my thought returning to the family we shared Christmas with that evening. Yet, there have been other times when giving didn’t result in the same sense of satisfaction or happiness, and I wondered why.
§ Read the rest of this entry…
Photo illlustrated by SCA
A guest post written by Ken Girard, Committee on Publication for Massachusetts
Approximately one-fourth of the [United States] population are baby-boomers. That’s right—one-fourth. There are 76,000,000 of us (yes, I’m one…too). That’s an enormous market.
Where are they headed? Perhaps the larger curiosity is, where is their money headed?
According to The Washington Post (“AGING AMERICA: Baby boomers expected to spend tens of billions in pursuit of youthfulness”), there are immense financial gains to be made by an industry that is focused on helping boomers live up to the image of a forever-youthfulness that we were raised on. § Read the rest of this entry…
Photo illustrated by Virginia State Parks staff
A guest post written by Robert B. Clark, Committee on Publication for Florida
I live in an area with a lot of wonderful older people, “seniors” as they’re often called. I love seeing seniors walking on the beach, fishing off the piers, driving convertibles, playing golf and generally enjoying life in their later years. These are the true “senior moments”.
So it bothers me deeply when I read about Alzheimer’s disease threatening to demote seniors from their well-earned place and status to a lower level where their “senior-hood” can become a curse rather than a blessing. § Read the rest of this entry…
photo by Dae Ho Lee
by Don Ingwerson
Article first published on Blogcritics
Two years ago a friend mentioned that her daughter was appointed as a chaplain in a near by hospital. I remember at the time contacting her and asking if any materials were needed to share with patients. I don’t recall her response, but I got the sense from her that religious activities were not an integral part of the hospital’s operation. Instead, they were more of a support service – available upon call with a small office and maybe a small room for prayer. Wow, did I reach the wrong conclusion!
Recently, there has been much consideration given to the relationship between religion, spirituality, and health. Like all new areas of development, some wish to move forward with little supportive evidence while others wish to only refine what might be acceptable in their own field. However, a new breath of fresh air is blowing and individuals from all sides of this issue – connecting religion, spirit, and health – are looking into methods to treat the whole man. § Read the rest of this entry…
Photo illustrated by Jeff Wilcox
A guest post written by Robert B. Clark, Committee on Publication for Florida
Research shows that stress is a leading cause of serious health problems. When confronted with stress and the health problems it may cause, do we have any choice in the matter?
The Mayo Clinic’s website, in an article titled, Stress management, tells us that “Over time, high levels of stress lead to serious health problems” but then adds a hopeful note, “You don’t have to let stress control your life.” § Read the rest of this entry…
Photo illustrated by Torrey Wiley
by Don Ingwerson
Article first published on Blogcritics
We can’t deny it. It’s the season where more people are driven to finding happiness and being happy. In our daily life activities, what does this mean? For many people, happiness and satisfaction are thought to come from external events affecting them. But recent studies indicate that much of true satisfaction and well-being come from within, and that one is not born happy or unhappy – it is mostly a developed or a learned trait.
How can that be? We get a glimpse of how in a study by Professor Emmons, U.C. Davis Psychologist and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. He has found that “those who regularly practice grateful thinking improved their happiness score by 25%. Since being grateful improves one’s happiness, so do these same qualities reportedly have a positive affect on one’s health.” § Read the rest of this entry…
« Older Entries
