What do tigers have to do with health?

It's the Year of the Tiger. A dynamic and powerful year. But how will it affect your health? I found this great newsletter from a TCM:
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/23890/2010-forecast-year-of-the-tiger/

Do I have to believe in acupuncture for it to work?

Every now and then I’m asked if acupuncture works only if you believe it will work. I won’t refute that the mind is powerful and will influence the body. In fact, I hope that people will use their minds to help their healing.

But, acupuncture works even despite your beliefs. It has been shown to increase the release of endorphins (your feel good hormones), your body’s own morphine (painkillers), and a variety of other chemicals that help in symptom relief and healing.

It has also been shown to increase blood circulation.

And, even change the way that the brain signals. In fact, when the brain has been scanned using a functional MRI during acupuncture, the same point used traditionally to help the eyes lights up the part of the brain that relates to vision. When a different point is stimulated, a different part of the brain lights up.

Western Medicine has about 200 year of scientific methods of observation and testing of hypotheses to prove its effectiveness. Chinese medicine has about 5000 years.

So, to borrow an Olympic phrase, "Do you believe?"

Cannabis linked to schizophrenia?

Basically, this article writes of a link between marijuana use and (mostly) schizophrenia. Not that pot use will cause psychosis in all users. The study suggests that if you have a tendency for psychosis, then marijuana use could potentiate the illness, e.g. cause it to start at an earlier age. For those who wonder if cannabis use might not cause psychosis, and might instead just be because those with psychoses are more likely to smoke pot to manage their illness symptoms, that may not be the case. Or, at least not the only factor. That's because cannabis use preceded the onset of psychosis by several years. Here's the article:

Evidence Accumulates for Links Between Marijuana and Psychosis
Michael T. Compton, MD, MPH

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/719139?src=mp&spon=17&uac=81951DV

My dog loves lettuce!

Yes, my dog eats (and loves) lettuce. She holds it between her paws and pulls it apart to chew bit by bit, just as she would a treat. Since I had never seen a dog do that before I wondered if it's ok to give her lettuce...or cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. I never thought to feed her a whole salad, but didn't want to be poisoning her with the bits I did give. After all, I remembered we used to feed grapes to our old dog Pebbles (the people who had her before us named her). I now know that grapes are poisonous to many dogs. Luckily Pebbles was ok and lived for nearly 16 years, but better safe than sorry!

I found this site for what not to feed your dog: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat

And, if you have a cat, here's one for your cat: http://pets.webmd.com/cats/slideshow-foods-your-cat-should-never-eat

Dyes in even the most natural-seeming foods...

...and they might be contributing to health problems.
http://blogs.webmd.com/health-ehome/2010/03/just-say-no-to-blue-green-red-and.html

Oats for your immune system

Have you eaten your oats today? These grains are immune boosters, rich in B vitamins (stress reliever), E, folate, magnesium, selenium, zinc, and more. They contain flavonoids that help break down cholesterol and are thought to prevent cancer, particularly colon cancer. They are well-known for their high fiber content, but did you know that the silica in them is anti-inflammatory and can help soothe the digestive tract? And, as a bonus, they can help in weight loss as their energy is slowly released, keeping you full longer and staving off hunger pangs.
And, if you are suffering from the itchiness of eczema, psoriasis, Chicken Pox, bug bites, or other, you can tie a muslin bag of oats over the tap when you run a bath. Soaking in that bath will bring you relief.

Olympics and Paralympics Review and Remembrance

If you would like to add your own story, a friend is trying to create a book to commemorate the Olympics/Paralympics. This is her blurb and the link to her blog where she is gathering stories:

Hello everyone

Laurie Johansen and I are writing a book about the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Paraolympics.

Throughout the Olympics so many people felt and experienced the incredible, positive energy of the Olympic Spirit, generated by the Olympics. It didn’t matter if you were in Vancouver, or across the other side of the world, the Spirit was felt. But no one could really define what “it” was.. we hope to accomplish this and more through the book.

This book will be a collaboration of people trying to define what “it” was, what “it” means to each one of us in our own worlds and what we can do to maintain that spirit and use “it” in our daily lives.

We invite you to join us in this collaborative process by expressing your thoughts, feelings, insights and experiences on our blog, With Glowing Hearts, http://withglowing-hearts.blogspot.com , or by emailing Sue (sue@suestudios.com) directly with photos and stories.

We would like to gather many perspectives – torch bearers, volunteers, athletes, tourists, Canadians, and international people from around the world – young and old, from all walks of life. Let us record our memories in print before they fade and give expression to the spirit and dynamic of the Olympic essence that touched us all.

Thank you for all of your help, contributions and support.

Susan Chepelsky

Another reason to buy organic and wash your fruits and veggies VERY well

Check out this video from Australia about 2 chemicals that are sprayed on many fruits and veggies and nuts. The chemicals are endosulfan, an insecticide, and carbendazim, a fungicide. As far as I can find, they are still allowed for use in Canada and the US, though they have been banned in many other countries because of their risks for cancers, birth defects, neurological damage, hormone disruption, and more.
http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_296563/Poisoned_-_New_60_Minutes_Report_On_Pesticides?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=poisoned&utm_content=body&utm_campaign=march-31-2010

Motivating yourself to action

So often we have things that we want to do, but for whatever reason we don't. Sometimes it's a matter of not having the time. Sometimes it's because we don't WANT do something, even though we know we should or have to do it. Sometimes it's because we keep forgetting that task.

How do you motivate yourself to do the things that you like to do and want to do and actually do do? Is it a feeling you get? Feeling happy to have done something that makes you do that thing? Maybe you picture the completed task? Is it someone else's praise that helps you? Is it because you scheduled it in your iPhone, Blackberry, other PDA, or paper calendar? Did you set everything up the night before to make it easy to accomplish the task the next day, like laying out your clothes or writing out your "to do" list? Is it just a regular part of your routine now?

Find the things that make you successful and use those methods to do something difficult today.

I finally finished my March e-newsletter! That's what motivated me to write this blog. I used a few of these methods to accomplish this task. I had someone remind me to do it. I remembered how good it feels to complete the job. I love checking something off of a "to do" list that I created on my Google homepage. I prepped ideas last night so that I could write it all out today. Now, all I have to do is the same thing in April, just a bit earlier as there are only 30 days in April!

Curious...what do you think?

What do you think of this video? To those who may be offended, please note that there are crude lyrics in this song.
http://www.cafeoflifepikespeak.com/Videos/Licensed%20To%20Pill.swf