I write all the time about the benefits of meditation.  You already know how wonderful it is and all the great things it can do for your life.  But here’s some news: scientists can now see the benefits of meditation in the blood!  It’s true.  In a study published in the Public Library of Science, researchers have discovered that people who meditate can better suppress stress and that this shows with fewer stress-related genes in their blood.  When they trained a group of non-meditators how to meditate, they saw a significant decrease in the stress-related genes in their blood.  Another study from the University of Wisconsin found that people who were taught to meditate after a vaccination developed more antibodies to the virus than people who did not meditate afterward.  Dr. Dean Ornish from the University of California at San Francisco is studying the effects of meditation on prostate cancer.  His research is helping to show that meditation, combined with better nutrition and moderate exercise, can favorably alter gene expression in prostate tissue.

psmeditation.com

About 45% of adults snore occasionally, and 25% snore on a regular basis.  Problem snoring is more common in men, people who are overweight, and snoring can get worse as we get older.  Snoring can affect our health, because we don’t sleep as well at night.  At it can also affect our relationships, because many couples can’t even sleep in the same room at night because of snoring.  But there are some ways that we can stop snoring.  Here are some tips from the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center:

1. Change your sleep position.  Snoring most often occurs when you are lying on your back.  In this position the tongue falls towards the throat.  When you sleep on your side, air gets through more easily.

2.  Lose 10% of your body weight.  Bulky neck tissue, which comes with excess weight, increases snoring.  Even a modest weight loss will help with this.

3.  Avoid alcohol and sedatives.  Both alcohol and sedatives such a sleeping pills can inhibit breathing and lead to snoring.

4.  Use steam before bed.  Nasal congestion is a big cause of snoring.  To reduce congestion inhale some steam, or take a steam shower.

5.  Try nasal strips.  Over the counter nasal strips have been found to provide some relief from congestion and may also help prevent snoring.

Snore No More Pillow

Runes are an ancient Germanic alphabet, used for writing and divination.  The word “rune” means mystery, or secret.  The runes originated in northern Europe about 100 B.C.  Runic inscriptions were found in North America, leading to speculation that the Vikings arrived in the Americas long before Columbus did.  All of the symbols are made with straight lines, because they were originally cut into wood or stone.  The Rune stones are a kind of oracle that can be used when seeking advice.  They aren’t so much a fortune-telling device, as they are an analytical tool.  You state a circumstance, ask a question, and pull a stone out of the bag.  Each stone is imprinted with a symbol, which corresponds to a word or phrase.  You look up the meaning, and then figure out how it applies to your situation.

The Healing Runes (box set)

In the Chinese tradition, Quan Yin is the goddess of compassion.  Her name means “one who hears the cries of the world.”  She has a sweet and merciful disposition, and is recognized and loved all over the world.  Quan Yin is known as a bodhisattva, a being who chooses not to enter Nirvana in order to come to the aid of others.  The story is told that she was at the gate of enlightenment, Nirvana, which opened for her because she had led such a pure and virtuous life.  But as she stood before the threshold, she heard cries of suffering coming from the world’s beings.  She was so profoundly affected by this pain that her heart shook, and she could not yet leave the world behind.  She took the vow of a bodhisattva: “I will not reach final liberation until all other beings have been liberated.”

Did you know that about one third of the space in landfills is taken up with organic waste from our yards and kitchens?  This waste is perfect for composting!  By spending just a little time, we can help out with the landfill problem and also enrich the soil and improve the health of the plants in our own backyard.  Compost is best when made up of a combination of “browns” (carbon rich materials) and “greens” (nitrogen rich materials).  For browns think dried leaves, straw and wood chips.  For greens think grass clippings, and kitchen scraps.  To collect kitchen scraps, keep a small compost pail on your kitchen counter, and bring it outside to your compost pile every few days.  Keep the pile covered with browns to reduce flies and critters from coming around.  Good kitchen compost material includes melon rinds, carrot peels, tea bags, banana peels, and apple cores.  If you want to use egg shells, crush them up because they decompose slowly.

Ceramic Compost Keeper

Hamsa means “five” in Hebrew.  The hamsa is a symbol used in charms and jewelry for protection, it is also known as the protecting hand.  An alternative Jewish name for the hamsa is the hand of Miriam, referring to Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron.  One of the Islamic names for the charm is the hand of Fatima, in reference to Fatima Zahra, the daughter of Muhammad.  In recent years, peace activists in the Middle East have chosen to wear the hamsa as a symbol of the similarities of origins and tradition between the Islamic and Jewish faiths.  The hamsa can be worn with the fingers pointing up or down.

Silver Hamsa pendant

There’s been a lot of talk about the MUFA diet, also called the “Flat Belly Diet” so I thought we’d break it down a little bit.  MUFA stands for monounsaturated fatty acids.  These are basically the fats that are found in plants.  There are five categories of foods that are rich in mufas: plant oils (including olive, flaxseed and canola), nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, and dark chocolate.  In the MUFA diet, the idea is to satisfy hunger by including these good fats in our diet every day. The diet plan says to eat one serving of mufa at each meal, and to eat four meals a day, of 400 calories each.  While this may reduce our daily caloric intake, research shows that a diet rich in mufas also prevents the accumulation of belly fat, which is linked to heart disease.  The plan also calls for vegetables and whole grains in addition to the mufas, as well as exercise and stress management.

Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian spiritual practice.  It looks like a long word, but it is actually easy to pronounce.  It sounds just like it is written; you pronounce every letter.  Ho’oponopono allows us to remove blocks that keep us from getting what we want in life.  In this practice the objective is to allow the Universe to take our painful thoughts and neutralize, or purify them.  We actually neutralize the energy that we associate with that person, or place, or thing.  To do this we go through a technique called clearing.  Whenever we have a negative thought, or feel negative energy around us, we say: “I am sorry.  Please forgive me.  Thank you.  I love you.”  We continue to say these simple words until we feel that we have released the negativity.  And we repeat them again whenever the negativity crops up.  Releasing negativity helps us to feel lighter, and clears our head to handle any situation with more grace.  Ho’oponopono teaches us that life is easy, we’re the ones who make it seem difficult!

The Easiest Way – on amazon

We can’t really escape the soundtrack of modern life – from the alarm clock to the computer, the telephone, home appliances, and of course, traffic.  But for many people, there’s a noise inside their heads that can be louder than what’s going on outside.  Over 50 million Americans experience some form of tinnitus and there are those who don’t realize that the ringing in their ears has a name. Of those 50 million, 12 million are estimated to have severe tinnitus where they seek medical treatment.  Tinnitus is often caused by prolonged or sudden exposure to loud noises.  Other causes include stress, chemotherapy, head and neck trauma, sinus infections, or multiple sclerosis.  So far there is no cure, but we do have a better understanding of tinnitus, and what we can do about it.  Research at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has determined that tinnitus is more a ringing in the brain, than a ringing in the ears.  There are new treatments being developed every day.  Some people have seen results from homeopathic treatments.

Tinnitus: Turning the Volume Down

My father, exceptionally healthy and fit, had a stroke two years ago.  Thankfully, he recovered, but we are still learning about some of the effects to this day.  Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist who had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for.  One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke.  As it happened, she studied and remembered every moment.  She made a video explaining her experience.  This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness, of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.  The video is just 18 minutes long, and the video and transcript are both posted on my friend’s website.  Here’s the link:

http://urbandharma.org/udharma12/stroke.html