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Most natural health advocates know that dandelion is a good liver tonic. But now research is showing that it's also a cancer fighter. This research discovery occurred at Windsor University in Windsor, Canada.

A Windsor University biochemist, Siyaram Pandey, reluctantly took up dandelion research from a Windsor oncologist's suggestion. Dr. Caroline Hamm noticed a few cancer patients who had been drinking dandelion tea seemed to be getting better.

Siyaram Pandey was initially skeptical. "She said it could be coincidental but it couldn't hurt to see if there is anything to it." So Pandey plunged into the research by working on leukemia blood samples with their own dandelion root extract. He and Dr. Hamm were amazed to find the leukemia cells were forced into apoptosis, or cell suicide.

More amazing to them was the fact that non-cancerous cells were left alone. In other words, the dandelion root extract targeted only the cancer cells, which is not true with chemotherapy pharmaceuticals that kill everything in their paths.

They experimented with other types of cancer cells in vitro (lab cultures) and found the same results. Their initial grant of $60,000 has recently been boosted with another $157,000 grant, bringing their total funding to $217,000.

Don't expect much from the medical monopoly

The research team has applied for Canadian authorization to proceed with phase one clinical trials. However, there is a high probability that this research will quietly vanish unless Big Pharma can figure a way to synthetically reproduce dandelion's active cancer fighting ingredients.

This sort of disinterest has already occurred recently in Canada (http://jaybanks.ca), so don't expect oncologists to be pushing dandelion teas for cancer. Natural cures cannot be patented. No patent equals no big money for Big Pharma, which equals no interest.

Beyond no interest there can be outright suppression, as there was with Canadian Nurse Rene Caisse's Essiac herbal tea that cured cancer patients and Laetrile in the USA. Thankfully, there is always knowledge and there will always be dandelions.

Perhaps one of the cancer patients Dr. Hamm noticed was John DiCarlo. He had been admitted to the hospital for aggressive leukemia treatments. All of the treatments failed and he was sent home to die. Someone recommended he try dandelion tea, and within a few months his leukemia was history. He was 72 years old when the cancer clinic pronounced him leukemia free.

Adding dandelion root powder to other natural cancer cures

Another dramatic story involved a USA Midwest farmer who cured his unremittingly painful prostate cancer with homemade dandelion root powder. He wrote up the instructions in a local newspaper, and the newspaper article was copied onto an internet news website complete with typos and all (http://www.rense.com/general74/DANDI.HTM).

The farmer, George Cairns, warns that creating the powder from dandelion roots has to be done exactly according to his instructions. A half teaspoon of the powder in water or juice daily, no sodas or hot beverages, will be sufficient to take care of cancer after a few months.

As you may have noticed, there are contradictions between the two anecdotal cures. One used tea and the other said no hot beverages. That happens occasionally in the world of natural cures.

That's why it's important to employ two or three do-it-yourself natural approaches for dealing with cancer. Avoiding sugar, processed foods, and meat is recommended as well. The cancer diet platform is organic vegetarian with juicing.

The freshness and quality of any herbal remedy is vitally important. Inexpensive and accessible dandelion root tea or powder can be added to any natural cancer protocols for more healing potential.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com

http://www.cbc.ca

http://zerotoherotv.com

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message1486676/pg1

http://www.whale.to/w/orthodox_herbs.html

About the author:

Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com

Source - naturalnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Tuesday, 8 May 2012 10:13 MEST

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In our everyday life we are exposed to a staggering variety of environmental airborne toxins. Toxin inhalation is perhaps the most insidious form of chemical exposure since we don't really think about it. In fact, we probably don't think about it because we subconsciously assume it is an unavoidable fact of living in today's world.

There are actually many ways we can minimize our exposure to toxic fumes, sprays, particles and the like. We can minimize the damage they can do to our lungs, eyes, throat and organs once they are absorbed into our blood stream.

Fumes from Household Cleaners

Household cleaners aresome of the worst offenders when it comes to toxic fume output. Studies have been done that show levels of toxic fumes test several times higher inside most homes than in the outdoor air. This is likely due to the multiple cleaning products used in combination with air fresheners, candles, perfumes, hair spray and other chemicals sprayed into the air in most homes on a daily basis.

Products such as oven cleaners, ammonia based window cleaners, heavy duty industrial grease cutters and all-purpose and bathroom cleaners all contain chemicals in them that harm the delicate lung tissue when inhaled. Users are informed to wear protective masks around their nose and mouth when using these types of heavy duty cleaners.

The fumes and particle inhalation can result in nausea, dizziness, sneezing, uncontrollable coughing and watering eyes to name a few. This is because they use chemicals and surfactants such as benzene, bleach and volatile acids to cut through dirt and grease, all of which irritate human tissues.

You can reduce your exposure to these harsh cleaning chemicals by opting for more green options. Very hot tap water can also be used to clean a variety of surfaces in your home. Various types of vinegar, essential oils and even citrus fruit extracts or oils in a diluted solution also work well as multi-purpose cleaners.

Air Fresheners

One study showed that several commonly available air fresheners often tested high in toxic chemicals that were not even listed on the label. This included sprays, plugins, powders for carpets, fabric freshening sprays and more.

Many air fresheners can cause an itchy throat and eyes, irritated lungs, nausea, sneezing and can even instigate asthma attacks. Air fresheners are everywhere. Even if you do not use them in your own home, many public bathrooms, stores and restaurants use them heavily.

If you feel that a certain scent is aggravating your allergies or causing distress to your lungs or other tissues, simply try to minimize time spent in this environment. Ventilation will also help disperse harmful chemicals in the air and reduce their potency.

Perfumes, Hair Spray and Other Personal Care Spray Products

Perfumes are a major concern for inhaled chemical exposure since they often combine a cocktail of hundreds of chemicals to achieve their scent. Most perfumes are sprayed onto the body in a fine mist which increases the likelihood that they will be inhaled into the lungs upon dispersal.

Hair spray and other personal care items that use aerosol or fine spray for dispensation also increase risk of toxic exposure. Using pump dispensers or precision area-specific dispensers may help reduce the likelihood of inhalation. Covering or pinching your nose and closing your mouth may also help reduce exposure. However, choosing chemical-free products is the ideal choice for obvious reasons.

Sources for this article include:

http://lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=household

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723134438.htm

http://www.aerias.org/desktopmodules/articledetail.aspx?articleid=112

About the author:

Danna Norek contributes to several natural health blogs and websites. You can find information on her all natural lemongrass, lavender and tea tree oil acne soap, an all natural aluminum and chemical free deodorant (new, improved formula too), and natural body lotions with shea butter and coconut oil at Aura Sensory All Natural Skin Care (and very soon, natural, sulfate & chemical free hair care too!). You may also find information about general health, well being and beauty supplements at Herbal News Magazine.

Article Source - naturalnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Monday, 7 May 2012 12:04 MEST

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By Dr. Mercola

Dr. James Oschman is an expert in the field of energy medicine, with a Bachelor's Degree in Biophysics and a PhD in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh.

As an author of a number of books, he is widely recognized as an authority in the biophysics of energy medicine. In this interview he discusses the practice of "earthing," or grounding.

Every modern school of alternative medicine talks about "energy," although they may use a variety of words to describe it. But what is this fundamental "energy" you keep hearing about?

As Dr. Oschman went about to investigate, he found there is very good science that can help demystify this nebulous term. He wrote a number of articles for a journal published by Churchill Livingstone on the subject, and after some encouragement from the publisher, those articles eventually resulted in two books: Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basisi, and Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performanceii.

Dr. Oschman was also introduced to earthing, or grounding, and his research in this area has turned up some very interesting and compelling information about how the energy from the Earth can help you live a healthier life. He has recently written the Foreword for a new book by Clinton Ober, Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra and M. Zucker, entitled Earthing: the most important health discovery ever?iii published in 2010 (Basic Health Publications, Inc., Laguna Beach, CA.).

If you're like most people, you probably wear shoes with rubber or plastic soles for the better part of each day. Read on to learn why shoes might be one of the banes of modern existence.

The Emergence of "Earthing"

The concept of earthing, also known as grounding, was initially developed by Clint Ober. Stated in the simplest terms possible, earthing is simply walking barefoot; grounding your body to the Earth. Oschman was introduced to Ober via Jeff Spencer, the chiropractor for Lance Armstrong's cycling team and an expert in treating professional athletes. 

"When Clint described the earthing phenomenon to Jeff, Jeff immediately called me and had me fly out to California to meet Clint and talk about what kind of research could be done to find out what is going on," Oschman explains.

"People have known for a long time that walking barefoot feels good. There are places in the world like Germany and Austria and Switzerland with communities where there is a tradition of getting up in the morning and going barefoot."

My own introduction to the concept of earthing was also through Jeff Spencer, some five or six years ago. I found it very intriguing, although I initially approached it with some skepticism. As you will soon see, it's a simple concept—to some it may appear too simple.

Fortunately, Dr. Oschman is now able to provide the scientific groundwork for understanding what actually occurs. In fact, his team has now published about a dozen papers on this topic.

What Happens to You When You Walk Barefoot?

Your skin in general is a very good conductor. You can connect any part of your skin to the Earth, but if you compare various parts there is one that is especially potent, and that's right in the middle of the ball of your foot; a point known to acupuncturists as Kidney 1 (K1). It's a well-known point that conductively connects to all of the acupuncture meridians and essentially connects to every nook and cranny of your body. Interestingly, grounding—or rather the lack thereof—has a lot to do with the rise of modern diseases.

How is this?

Well, Dr. Oschman's research into grounding has led him to better understand inflammation. I've discussed before, chronic inflammation is a primary cause of virtually all disease, from diabetes to cancer. And by looking at what happens during grounding, the answer to why chronic inflammation is so prevalent, and what is needed to prevent it, is becoming better understood.

When you're grounded there's a transfer of free electrons from the Earth into your body. And these free electrons are probably the most potent antioxidants known to man.

These antioxidants are responsible for the clinical observations from grounding experiments, such as:

Beneficial changes in heart rate
Decreased skin resistance
Decreased levels of inflammation

To better understand the science behind what happens during grounding and how it impacts the inflammatory response, Dr. Oschman begins by explaining what happens when you experience an injury.

"Even the slightest bump, if you bump the door, your immune system immediately responds by sending white blood cells (neutrophils) to the place of injury…

The neutrophils secrete a Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)… called free radicals, in what's referred to as an oxidative burst... These are like Pac-Man. They are very important molecules that tear things apart. If bacteria have gotten through your skin, these free radicals will destroy the bacteria very quickly. If you have damaged cells, the free radicals will break them apart so that there is a space for healthy cells to move in and repair the tissues.

That's known as the inflammatory response.

What we have discovered that is truly profound is this: we now understand why you get the inflammatory response, which has five characteristics: pain, redness, heat, loss of range of motion, and swelling. All of those are the five hallmarks of inflammation and it turns out that that doesn't have to happen.

Inflammation, which in medicine is considered an important part of the healing process, is really an artifact caused by lack of electrons in your tissues. What happens is, the neutrophils deliver the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) to the site of injury, but in so doing, some of those free radicals can leak into the surrounding tissue and damage healthy tissue. That's what creates the inflammatory response".

Interestingly, grounding research has now discovered that if you place your feet on the ground after an injury (or on a grounded sheet, or place grounding patches on the balls of your feet), electrons will migrate into your body and spread through your tissues. Any free radicals that leak into the healthy tissue will immediately be electrically neutralized. This occurs because the electrons are negative, while the free radicals are positive, so they cancel each other out.

"So really what is happening with grounding or earthing is that you're protecting your body from -- I call it, collateral damage," Dr. Oschman says. "Damage that was not intended to take place but does take place because we have disconnected ourselves from the Earth by putting rubber and plastic on the bottoms of our shoes."

Earthing as an Anti-Aging Strategy

One of dominant theories on aging is the free radical theory, which is that aging occurs because of accumulative damage to your body caused by free radicals. You get free radicals when you have an injury or chronic inflammation, from breathing, and from the food you eat, among other things. While you don't want to completely eliminate ALL free radicals, you do want to maintain a healthy balance of antioxidant electrons in your body to ensure the damage from free radicals doesn't' get out of hand.

Earthing can help accomplish this delicate balance.

There are three kinds of sub-models of the aging process caused by free radicals.

1. DNA damage and mutation due to free radical damage

2.The mitochondrial theory. Mitochondria in every cell in your body carry out oxidative metabolism and a byproduct is free radicals. Eventually the mitochondria wear out or self-destruct due to excess free radicals

3.The protein cross linking theory, which explains why you get wrinkles in your skin. The proteins stick to each other, reducing the efficiency of enzymes

"It looks to me, from my study of biophysics and cell biology, like the body is designed with a semi-conductive fabric that connects everything in the body, including inside of every cell," Dr. Oschman says.

"I refer to this system as the living matrix. Those electrons that enter the bottom of your foot can move anywhere in your body. Any place where a free radical forms, there are electrons nearby that can neutralize that free radical and prevent any of those processes: mitochondrial damage, cross linking of proteins, and mutation or genetic damage.

So the whole fabric is basically an antioxidant defense system that is in every part of our body.

We have this material called ground substance which is part of the connective tissue. It goes everywhere in the body. It's a gel material and it stores electrons. So that if you go barefoot, you will take in electrons and your body will store them, and they will be available at any point where you might have an injury, or any point where a free radical might form..."

How Grounding Affects Your Blood

Another very important discovery, and one of the most recent, is that grounding thins your blood, making it less viscous. This discovery can have a profound impact on cardiovascular disease, which is now the number one killer in the world. Virtually every aspect of cardiovascular disease has been correlated with elevated blood viscosity. Dr. Sinatra has been coaching Dr. Oschman's team in how to measure blood viscosity using a method called zeta potential. It measures the potential on your red blood cells by determining how fast they migrate in an electrical field.

It turns out that when you ground to the earth, your zeta potential quickly rises, which means your red blood cells have more charge on their surface, which forces them apart from each other. This action causes your blood to thin and flow easier. It also causes your blood pressure to drop.

Another obvious implication of this is that by repelling each other, your red blood cells are less inclined to stick together and form a clot. Blood clots don't have to be very big to form like a pulmonary embolus that would kill you instantly, so this is a significant benefit. Additionally, if your zeta potential is high, which grounding can facilitate, you not only decrease your heart disease risk but also your risk of multi-infarct dementias, where you start losing brain tissue due to micro-clotting in your brain.

The Best Surfaces for Grounding

Clearly, the simplest way to ground is to walk barefoot outside when safe to do so. But what about urban or city dwellers who are surrounded by asphalt and concrete? Can you ground on those?  And what about natural surfaces—which ones are the most effective? There are indeed significant differences between various surfaces.

The ideal location for walking barefoot is the beach, close to or in the water, as sea water is a great conductor. Your body also contains mostly water, so it creates a good connection.

A close second would be a grassy area, especially if it's covered with dew, which is what you'd find if you walk early in the morning. According to Dr. Oschman, concrete is a good conductor as long as it hasn't been sealed. Painted concrete does not allow electrons to pass through very well. Materials like asphalt, wood, and typical insulators like plastic or the soles of your shoes, will not allow electrons to pass through and are not suitable for barefoot grounding.

Why Living in a High-Rise Could be Detrimental to Your Health

Additionally, there's a major difference between standing outside in your bare feet and standing outside in shoes. And, how high up you are, off the surface of the Earth, without being grounded also matters. Why is this?

Dr. Oschman explains:

"The Earth's surface is electrically charged and can push electrons up in your body. So from the top of your head to the Earth, there is a potential, which you don't feel because it doesn't cause any any particular current to flow, even though it can be a couple of hundred volts. If it did, it would give you a shock.

What happens is when the weather changes is that the potential can go up enormously. It can go from a hundred volts per meter to 10,000 volts per meter. That's pre lightning. We're talking about the potential that causes lightning to come to the earth. That voltage is well known and well understood…

This is the potential between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere, hundreds of miles up, which is very electrically active; charged by the solar wind, the charged particles that come from the sun. Those charged particles eventually reach the Earth by lightning and electrify the entire surface of the Earth so that anywhere you touch the Earth, there are electrons. They come originally from the sun, to the ionosphere, to the earth.

There is no lightning happening right here right now but somewhere there is lightning, a constant current flow from the ionosphere to the earth. Those are the electrons that your body needs for your immune system to function properly."

What this means is that the higher up you are, separated from the surface of the Earth, the higher this potential would be, and the worse the implications for your health if you're not grounded. For example, if you live on the 20th floor of a high-rise and you're not grounded (using grounding technology, of course), the consequences to your health will be more significant than if you lived on the first floor. Likewise, when you wear rubber- or plastic-soled shoes, you are effectively shielding yourself from this beneficial influx of electrons from the Earth. For optimal immune function, you want these electrons to enter your body, so make sure you take your shoes off now and then!
Easy Ways to Incorporate Grounding Into Your Daily Life

Exercising barefoot outdoors is one of the most wonderful, inexpensive and powerful ways of incorporating earthing into your daily life and will also help speed up tissue repair and ease muscle pain due to strenuous exercise.

Dr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site, Mercola.com. You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies by going to his Report Page.

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Sunday, 6 May 2012 11:06 MEST

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World temperatures have remained almost stagnant in the last two decades,  new figures have revealed.

Temperatures across the globe rose by around a third of a degree last year from the average of 14 degrees Celsius recorded between 1961 and 1990.

In some years, temperatures rose by just 0.29 degrees C while in others they rose by .53 degrees.

The findings come as consumers feel the full force of a raft of environment policies introduced by the UK coalition and the previous Labour government in the name of climate change.

By 2030, ‘green’ policy burdens could cost families an extra £267 a year and have already raised current energy bills by £78 annually.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Saturday, 5 May 2012 10:35 MEST

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There is nothing like enjoying the fruits of your labor, literally! The seeds you just planted turn out as little shoots and flowers until they grow into bulbs and finally young little things waiting for their weaning. Picking the tomatoes and leafy greens you've been waiting to grow for weeks, can give you a feeling of achievement and pride bordering almost on being a parent.

If you don't have a green thumb, don't worry. Gardening, like all skills, requires time to develop. There isn't even a standard to follow. How you develop your garden will all depend on the resources on hand and how you want develop it.

Gardening as a hobby

Creating a vegetable garden is not rocket science. In fact, producing your own food and feeding your family in the process can be fun and inexpensive way of engaging in food production. It teaches you as well your family the value of self-reliance and food security.
You can indulge in this venture as a hobby and a source of physical activity, which contributes to the maintenance of mental health. As a means of making your own personal contribution, it is a delightful way to earn extra cash. The following are some techniques that you can use in plotting out your organic farming venture:

1. Avoid the use of chemical inputs - In organic farming, no chemical products like herbicides, pesticides or even fertilizers are used. Plants are allowed to grow without the intervention of chemicals allowing for safe handling from farm to plate guaranteeing a nutritious and healthy yield. Moreover, because no chemical inputs are used, it translates to large savings for farmers while keeping the environment safe.

2. Take advantage of the "biological fight"- In nature, agriculture can take advantage of organisms that are natural predators of parasites and are allies to plants. Insects like ladybugs and chrysopes feed on aphids, while frogs and birds eat insects, snails and worms. Welcoming these animals in your garden contribute to a healthy ecosystem that ensure your vegetables are safe from toxins.

3. Preserve hedges and thickets, replant along the borders to offer shelter and food to animals and insects useful to cultivation - To take advantage of the "biological fight," provide the necessary environment for insects and animals that feed on pests can take shelter and feed. Preserving hedges and thickets encourages these beneficial predators to stay in your property and assist in your efforts at organic farming. This symbiotic mutual relationship can help farmers improve their yield while providing a balanced and sustainable nature-friendly ecosystem.

4. Use cultivation - Cultivating the earth depletes it from nutrients. It is, therefore, necessary to give it fallow period, so it can regain what it had lost after a cropping season. This method allows for simplification of organic farming since it can provide some natural advantages. The interchange of different plants that undermine disease and pests is cost-effective, because it takes away pest control and disease prevention and is normally done as a commercial, agricultural venture that makes for an ideal option to farmers everywhere.

5. Use natural fertilizers -Nature has its own fertilizers. They are either of animal origin such as manure or plant origin, like green manure or organic leftovers from the kitchen. Fertilizers help the soil retain nutrients. Moreover, the introduction of legumes whose roots contain bacteria that convert nitrogen in the air to soluble nitrogen in crop rotation allows for keeping the soil's fertility intact.

6. Monitor seasonal conditions - Keeping tab on the environment to schedule the right moment to carry out treatments against certain diseases affecting plants can be identified, thus resulting in the use of the necessary products at the right time, saving money, time and effort.

7. Consider using raised beds -This method is advantageous for controlling aching backs and can help keep weeds at bay while saving space for other uses. Raised beds mean you don't have to walk on your beds, and they are no wider than a couple of meters. You can reach anywhere in the bed without stepping on the soil and once undertaken, the garden won't require some heavy digging.

Gardening is neither a new concept nor is it a fad. It is the oldest and most practical means of producing food. Organic vegetables are prettier, healthier and tastier than their non-organic cousins. Moreover, it benefits not just you but the environment as well as the animals that live of the land, resulting to a balanced and healthy ecosystem.

Article Source - naturalnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Friday, 4 May 2012 10:02 MEST

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I was feeling a little blue because my mother had been laid off from her job and she had lots of bills to pay. It left me wondering what was going to happen to us now. But it reassured me some when my mother told me she was relieved to be leaving since her boss wasn't the nicest person to be around.

I got off the college shuttle bus and started walking. That's when I heard piano music and singing rising above the noise of the people and the traffic. I walked a little slower so I could find out to where it was coming from. Through the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a carriage next to her.

She was singing songs about love, keeping on trying, and not underestimating the power within yourself. The way she was singing comforted me a bit. I stood there watching her play for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must take courage to perform on your own in the middle of a crowded New York ferry terminal.

So I stood there listening.

She must have felt my presence because she would occasionally look in my direction. By now I was telling myself that if she could perform in front of hundreds of people she didn't know the I could at least tell her how good she sounded. I walked over and put some money in her carriage and she said, "Thank you." Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, "I have been going through a rough time lately, but you've made me hopeful again."

"I'm happy that I could help," she replied. "Why are you so sad?"

"Well, my mum told me she had got fired from her job, and that made me sad. I'm not so sure what to do ..."

"You see, here's the problem," she explained. "The way you were walking, your head was down. Don't look defeated, because opportunity come in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it. You should smile more ... lift your head up."

I smiled faintly, amazed by how she was encouraging me. So, I asked her, "Why are you playing the piano in the middle of a crowded place? I've seen you do this more then once."

She explained to me that she sees a lot of negative people in the world and she tries to alleviate the pain and bring more positivity by sharing motivational music. She told me that when she wasn't making music she studied psychology. So, that was how she knew some of the things she was telling me.

I smiled a little wider because I knew that she was doing a good thing. So, after that we parted, my heart touched and lightened by a musical soul!

Article Source - helpothers.org

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Thursday, 3 May 2012 09:16 MEST

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Mood:  bright

Surely it’s what many of us dream about while trudging into the office during another April downpour.

Why not escape the rat race and the grey skies to live on a sunny tropical island?

Brendon Grimshaw has done just that. In 1962, the Yorkshireman bought Moyenne - a small island just half a mile wide - in the Seychelles for the princely sum of £8,000, and he has been living there ever since.

The sprightly 86-year-old wakes to the sound of rustling palm trees and the Indian Ocean lapping against the shore.

He spends his days caring for the island’s tortoises and birds that also call it home.

When he bought Moyenne, it was overgrown with scrub so dense that coconuts could not fall to the ground. But Brendon worked tirelessly to transform the island into his own little patch of heaven.

Living in this unique wildlife reserve, he has survived tropical storms, sharks, ghosts, a coup d’etat in the Seychelles and a mercenary raid.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Wednesday, 2 May 2012 11:02 MEST

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Mood:  happy

Action for Happiness has developed the 10 Keys to Happier Living based on a review of the latest scientific research relating to happiness.

Everyone’s path to happiness is different, but the research suggests these Ten Keys consistently tend to have a positive impact on people’s overall happiness and well-being. The first five (GREAT) relate to how we interact with the outside world in our daily activities*. The second five (DREAM) come more from inside us and depend on our attitude to life.
 
1. GIVING: Do things for others

Caring about others is fundamental to our happiness. Helping other people is not only good for them and a great thing to do, it also makes us happier and healthier too. Giving also creates stronger connections between people and helps to build a happier society for everyone. And it's not all about money - we can also give our time, ideas and energy. So if you want to feel good, do good!
 
Q: What do you do to help others?
 
2. RELATING: Connect with people

Relationships are the most important overall contributor to happiness. People with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier and live longer. Close relationships with family and friends provide love, meaning, support and increase our feelings of self worth. Broader networks bring a sense of belonging. So taking action to strengthen our relationships and create new connections is essential for happiness.
 
Q: Who matters most to you?
 
3. EXERCISING: Take care of your body

Our body and our mind are connected. Being active makes us happier as well as being good for our physical health. It instantly improves our mood and can even lift us out of a depression. We don't all need to run marathons - there are simple things we can all do to be more active each day. We can also boost our well-being by unplugging from technology, getting outside and making sure we get enough sleep!
 
Q: How do you stay active and healthy?
 
4. APPRECIATING: Notice the world around

Ever felt there must be more to life? Well good news, there is! And it's right here in front of us. We just need to stop and take notice. Learning to be more mindful and aware can do wonders for our well-being in all areas of life - like our walk to work, the way we eat or our relationships. It helps us get in tune with our feelings and stops us dwelling on the past or worrying about the future - so we get more out of the day-to-day.
 
Q: When do you stop and take notice?
 
5. TRYING OUT: Keep learning new things

Learning affects our well-being in lots of positive ways. It exposes us to new ideas and helps us stay curious and engaged. It also gives us a sense of accomplishment and helps boost our self-confidence and resilience. There are many ways to learn new things - not just through formal qualifications. We can share a skill with friends, join a club, learn to sing, play a new sport and so much more.
 
Q: What new things have you tried recently?
 
6. DIRECTION: Have goals to look forward to

Feeling good about the future is important for our happiness. We all need goals to motivate us and these need to be challenging enough to excite us, but also achievable. If we try to attempt the impossible this brings unnecessary stress. Choosing ambitious but realistic goals gives our lives direction and brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we achieve them.
 
Q: What are your most important goals?
 
7. RESILIENCE: Find ways to bounce back

All of us have times of stress, loss, failure or trauma in our lives. But how we respond to these has a big impact on our well-being. We often cannot choose what happens to us, but we can choose our own attitude to what happens. In practice it's not always easy, but one of the most exciting findings from recent research is that resilience, like many other life skills, can be learned.
 
Q: How do you bounce back in tough times?
 
8. EMOTION: Take a positive approach

Positive emotions - like joy, gratitude, contentment, inspiration, and pride - are not just great at the time. Recent research shows that regularly experiencing them creates an 'upward spiral', helping to build our resources. So although we need to be realistic about life's ups and downs, it helps to focus on the good aspects of any situation - the glass half full rather than the glass half empty.
 
Q: What are you feeling good about?
 
9. ACCEPTANCE: Be comfortable with who you are

No-one's perfect. But so often we compare our insides to other people's outsides. Dwelling on our flaws - what we're not rather than what we've got - makes it much harder to be happy. Learning to accept ourselves, warts and all, and being kinder to ourselves when things go wrong, increases our enjoyment of life, our resilience and our well-being. It also helps us accept others as they are.
 
Q: What is the real you like?
 
10. MEANING: Be part of something bigger

People who have meaning and purpose in their lives are happier, feel more in control and get more out of what they do. They also experience less stress, anxiety and depression. But where do we find 'meaning and purpose'? It might be our religious faith, being a parent or doing a job that makes a difference. The answers vary for each of us but they all involve being connected to something bigger than ourselves.
 
Q: What gives your life meaning?
 
* The first five keys are based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing developed by nef as part of the UK Government's Foresight Project on Mental Capital.

by ActionforHappiness.org

Article Source - dailygood.org

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Tuesday, 1 May 2012 10:53 MEST

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Mood:  chatty

A grief-stricken electrical engineer believes he has found a way to communicate with his dead daughter eight years after her death.

Using his expertise to design and build a series of electromagnetic detection devices, Gary Galka claims to have even recorded his eldest daughter Melissa saying, 'Hi Daddy, I love you.'

Devastated by his girl's death in a car accident on her way home in 2004 at the age of 17, Gary and his family claim they started to experience unexplained phenomena at their Connecticut home days after the fatal accident, according to the Hartford Courant.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Monday, 30 April 2012 01:09 MEST

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