This Easy 5 Minute Morning Exercise Will Change Your Life

It’s hard to make time for morning exercise, especially when we have busy lives and crunched schedules. What does your morning look like? Shower? Coffee? Breakfast? Then rush off to work?

Well slow down just 5 minutes and make time for this exercise. It’ll completely transform your life.

It’s called Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskara. It’s a 5-minute morning yoga routine that will help you tackle your day like no other. Not just that, it’s simple to do. Anyone can do it.

This is not a difficult exercise and is demonstrated incredibly well below:

The sun salutation has numerous benefits, among them:

1. Restores the nervous system
2. Strengthens the immune system
3. Promotes healthy lungs
4. Stimulates the digestive system
5. Reduces fat on the body
6. Improves kidney function
7. Encourages proper posture
8. Clears your mind of jumbled thoughts
9. Centers your energy
10. Prepares you perfectly for the day

http://simpleorganiclife.org/morning-exercise/

6 WAYS TO INSTANTLY STIMULATE YOUR VAGUS NERVE TO RELIEVE INFLAMMATION, DEPRESSION, MIGRAINES AND MORE

This post first appeared on Darou Wellness. Go check out their amazingly informative blogabout all things health related with advice from some of the leading Naturopathic Doctors in North America.

I read an article yesterday that has me extremely excited about the implications. The article is called “Hacking the Nervous System” by Gaia Vince (http://mosaicscience.com/story/hacking-nervous-system). In the article, the author describes the experience of a woman who suffered from severe, debilitating rheumatoid arthritis and her eventual treatment with a device which minimized inflammation by simply stimulating the vagus nerve. What this means, is that by activating the vagus nerve which works through the parasympathetic nervous system, we can greatly influence inflammation and the immune system. The role of the brain on body inflammation can be profound.If you suffer from digestive complaints, high blood pressure, depression or any inflammatory condition, please read on. Let me explain the possible implications step by step.

What is the vagus nerve?

First of all, the vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body which originates in the brain as cranial nerve ten, travels down the from go the neck and then passes around the digestive system, liver, spleen, pancreas, heart and lungs. This nerve is a major player in the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the ‘rest and digest’ part (opposite to the sympathetic nervous system which is ‘fight of flight’).

Vagal tone

The tone of the vagus nerve is key to activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Vagal tone is measured by tracking your heart-rate alongside your breathing rate. Your heart-rate speeds up a little when your breathe in, and slows down a little when you breathe out. The bigger the difference between your inhalation heart-rate and your exhalation heart-rate, the higher your vagal tone. Higher vagal tone means that your body can relax faster after stress.

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What is high vagal tone associated with?

High vagal tone improves the function of many body systems, causing better blood sugar regulation, reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, improved digestion via better production of stomach basic and digestive enzymes, and reduced migraines. Higher vagal tone is also associated with better mood, less anxiety and more stress resilience. One of the most interesting roles of the vagus nerve is that it essentially reads the gut microbiome and initiates a response to modulate inflammation based on whether or not it detects pathogenic versus non-pathogenic organisms. In this way, the gut microbiome can have an affect on your mood, stress levels and overall inflammation.

What is low vagal tone associated with?

Low vagal tone is associated with cardiovascular conditions and strokes, depression, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, cognitive impairment, and much higher rates of inflammatory conditions. Inflammatory conditions include all autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, endometriosis, autoimmune thyroid conditions, lupus and more).

How do we increase vagal tone?

In the article above, vagal tone was increased through a device that stimulated the vagus nerve. The good news is that you have access to this on your own, but it does require regular practice. To some degree, you are genetically predisposed to varying levels of vagal tone, but this still doesn’t mean that you can’t change it. Here are some ways to tone the vagus nerve:

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1. Slow, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing. Breathing from your diaphragm, rather than shallowly from the top of the lungs stimulates and tones the vagus nerve.
2. Humming. Since the vagus nerve is connected to the vocal cords, humming mechanically stimulates it. You can hum a song, or even better repeat the sound ‘OM’.
3. Speaking. Similarly speaking is helpful for vagal tone, due to the connection to the vocal cords.
4. Washing your face with cold water. The mechanism her is not known, but cold water on your face stimulates the vagus nerve.
5. Meditation, especially loving kindness meditation which promotes feelings of goodwill towards yourself and others. A 2010 study by Barbara Fredrickson and Bethany Kik found that increasing positive emotions led to increased social closeness, and an improvement in vagal tone.
6. Balancing the gut microbiome. The presence of healthy bacteria in the gut creates a positive feedback loop through the vagus nerve, increasing its tone.

The implications of such simple and basic practices on your overall health, and in particular on inflammation are far-reaching. If you suffer from an inflammatory condition, digestive upset, high blood pressure or depression, a closer look at vagal tone is highly recommended. We’ve known for years that breathing exercises and meditation are helpful for our health, but it is so fascinating to learn the mechanism by which they work. I hope this short article has inspired you to begin a meditation practice, as it has for me, and also to look for other means to manage the body’s inflammatory response.

References:

Forsythe P, Bienenstock J, Kunze WA.Vagal pathways for microbiome-brain-gut axis communication. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;817:115-33.

Kok, B, Fredrickson, B, Coffey, K, et al. How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone. Psychological Science 2013 24: 1123

http://theheartysoul.com/6-ways-to-instantly-stimulate-your-vagus-nerve-to-relieve-inflammation-depression-migraines-and-more/?t=LT

Your Body is Acidic. Here is what you NEED to Do

Noble prize Winner Dr. Otto H Warburg , who discovered the real cause of cancer, has found that the root cause of cancer is oxygen deficiency. Oxygen deficiency leads to an acidic state in the human body.  Dr. Warburg alsofound that cancer cells are anaerobic (do not breathe oxygen) and cannot survive in the presence of high levels of oxygen, as found in an alkaline state.

“All normal cells have an absolute requirement for oxygen, but cancer cells can live without oxygen – a rule without exception. Deprive a cell 35% of its oxygen for 48 hours and it may become cancerous.”

Our diet plays a vital role in maintaining proper pH levels in the body. PH balance is the balance of acid and alkaline in all fluids and cells throughout your body. Your body must balance the blood’s pH levels at a slightly alkaline level of 7.365 in order to survive. Unfortunately,  the typical American diet consists primarily of toxic and acid-forming foods like processed sugars, refined grains,  genetically modified organisms, and etc. This  leads to unhealthy acidic pH. An imbalanced pH can interrupt cellular activities and functions. Excessively acidic pH can lead to many  serious health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and heartburn. If you keep your body  in an acidic state for a long period of time, it can drastically accelerate aging. Robert O. Young   in The pH Miracle, says, that most health problems arise from being acidic. This is because parasites, bad bacteria, viruses, and candida overgrowth thrive in acidic environments.  But an alkaline environment neutralizes bacteria and  other pathogens.

Therefore, maintaining pH balance  is one of the important tools to optimizing your health.

Home remedies for acidity

Ingridients

1/3 tsp. baking soda

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar

Method

Mix everything together.  The acid/base combination will immediately begin to fizz. Keep adding baking soda until the fizz stops and then fill the glass with  8 oz. water.

Drink all at once. This home remedy will help neutralizes the pH and create  an alkaline-forming environment in your body.  It will help with  stomach acid and reduce acidosis.

http://complete-health-and-happiness.com/body-acidic-need/

This Simple Oil Protects Kidneys, Cure Diabetes And Is A Great Aphrodisiac

Cinnamon essential oil is one of the most versatile essential oils. Cinnamon is a sweet spice relished all over the world. It is also used as an herbal tea. Cinnamon is also used to extract an essential oil which has its exact sweet, pervading aroma which is very soothing. Cinnamon essential oil has a plethora of health benefits and healing properties.

Homemade Cinnamon Oil

MethodItems you will need: cinnamon sticks, a glass jar, preferably amber or green with a wide mouth and straight sides (for ease in straining out the substances), and olive oil.

Steps:1 – Get enough cinnamon sticks and stuff them inside the glass jar. Fill up all the empty spaces if possible.
2 – Pour the olive oil inside the jar until all of the cinnamon sticks are entirely covered.
3 – Place the glass jar in a warm place such as your window. Secure it so it won’t topple over. Leave the jar for about three weeks.
4 – Shake the jar daily. This will release the cinnamon oil from the base oil.
5 – After three weeks, the oil from the cinnamon sticks will be completely released and will be formed as cinnamon oil. Using a piece of cheese cloth or similar material, strain the cinnamon oil. You can also use your fingers to pull out the cinnamon oil from the sticks.
6 – Put the cinnamon oil in an amber bottle and store it in a cool, dry place.

Health Benefits of Cinnamon oil

Diabetes
Add 1 drop of cinnamon essential oil to food after it is cooked. One good way to use it is to mix this one drop in salad. Consuming just 1 drop of cinnamon essential oil provides nutrients from cinnamon. It helps to lower blood glucose levels and has a stimulating effect on the pancreas. Cinnamon essential oil from the bark contains cinnamaldehyde which exerts this strong blood glucose lowering effect.

Protects Kidneys
Cinnamon essential oil has a protective effect on the kidneys. It has been found to prevent the kidneys from damage induced by alloxan. Similarly, it can protect the kidneys from damage by environmental toxins and reduce its workload.

Urinary Tract Infections
Women are especially prone to infections in the urino-genital tract, although it affects men too. These infections are generally bacterial or fungal. They can be treated by taking a warm water sitz bath with essential oils in it. Use essential oils like cinnamon, eucalyptus and tea tree essential oil. Add 10 – 15 drops in this water bath. It provides quick relief from UTI and other infections in a few applications.

Arthritis
Cinnamon essential oil is used with other anti-rheumatic essential oils to make massage oils for relief from arthritis. Add 4 – 5 drops of cinnamon essential oil in a base oil like mustard oil. Warm the oil gently. Now massage the painful joint with this oil combination. Regular massage once a day provides quick relief from arthritis.

Depression
The aroma of cinnamon essential oil is warming and uplifting to the senses. Inhale directly from the vial of cinnamon essential oil for about 1 minute. Its warming aroma soothes the mind and helps one overcome negative feelings.

http://complete-health-and-happiness.com/this-simple-oil-protects-kidneys-cure-diabetes-and-is-a-great-aphrodisiac/

This is What Happens When You Put Cut Up Onions in Your Socks While You Sleep

Our skin absorbs what we put on it, which makes the surface of our skin important for health. We need to be conscious about the things we apply to our skin. Choosing natural and organic ingredients helps lessen the amount of toxins entering the body. One study proves that substances applied to the skin can permeate into the deeper tissues and pass through the body’s lymphatic system. (1,2)

A perfect demonstration of this is to try the ‘garlic breath’ test. Simply rub some fresh garlic on the soles of your feet and within 15 minutes, your breath should smell like garlic. This fact proves that what you put on your skin circulates throughout your body. (3) Garlic is known to fight a cold or cough, (4) but what about onions?

Onions can purify blood

Onions are allium vegetables, rich in organosulfur compounds and quercetin. Sulfur is considered a master antioxidant. It recycles other spent antioxidants, creating glutathione. Quercetin is an antioxidant flavonoid found in fruits and veggies, but occurs in considerably high amounts with allium vegetables. (5)

Studies reveal that onions can enhance antioxidant status in the body, protect kidney poisoning, reduce breast cancer risks, lower the risk of prostate cancer, and more. (5) In Chinese medicine, onions help purify blood without needing to ingest it. Benefits can occur when the onion is applied via the neural pathways of the feet. (6)

Onions are known as air purifiers and when applied to skin, they can kill germs and bacteria. In addition, onions contain phosphoric acid (the stuff that makes you cry), which upon entering the bloodstream, purifies the blood and kills bacteria or germs. (6)

Feet are a direct link to the organs of the body

In Chinese medicine, the feet contain meridians, which are connected to the body’s internal organs, and help explain why grounding is important for one’s health. Meridians are electrical pathways to each organ within your body. Did you know that there are 7,000 nerve endings on the soles of your feet? (6) There are more nerve endings per square centimeter in your feet than anywhere else on the body! (7)

One of the cheapest ways you can open up meridians and help purify internal organs is to cut up onions and put them in your socks along the soles of your feet while sleeping. Three simple steps:

1. Cut up organic onions of your choice (red, white, or yellow) into slices.
2. Put the onion slices in your sock on the underside of each foot.
3. Go to bed. (6)

The Most Affordable Way to Remove Fluoride from Tap Water

The dangers of drinking water that contains high levels of fluoride are well known. Some of the known side effects of drinking water that contains fluoride are dental fluorosis, reduced intelligence in children and adamaged nervous system.

Buying a water purification system that removes fluoride can get really pricey. A lot of us are stuck with dangerous fluoride in our water. The majority of people get those mini-water filters which don’t remove fluoride. But here is a secret (which a lot of people do not know about) – you can remove fluoride naturally with just one ingredient – TULSI PLANT (find it here)  It’s the most affordable way known to us!

The Most Affordable Way to Remove Fluoride from Tap Water

This incredible ground breaking discovery was done by researchers from Rajasthan University. Though we do have means available to us to remove fluoride from water with fancy purification systems, not all of us can buy them. However, this natural method is not only cheap, it’s safe and effective. What researched did is they soaked 75 mg of Holy Basil leaves in 100ml of water that contained over 7.4 parts per million of fluoride. After soaking the leaves in the water for 8 hours, they discovered that the fluoride was reduced to only  1.1 parts per million. In fact, the world health organization acknowledges that the safe level of fluoride in drinking water is between 0.5 to 1 parts per million.

What’s the Tulsi Plant?

Tulsi has been used for centuries in Ayurveda medicine as one of the main medicinal plants that possesses great healing powers.  Both leaves and stems of the plant are used in medicine. The Tulsi plant is one of the most sacred, most reverent herbs in India. The Tulsi plant contains oleanolic acid, carvacol, linalool, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, eugenol,  and other active compounds that have been proven to exhibit unbelievable health benefits. The Tulsi plant also possesses powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also exhibits analgesic, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, antibacterial and antifungal properties. It’s used as a traditional Ayurvedic remedy for fevers, bronchitis, coughs, colds, malaria, cures rheumatism, arthritis, diabetes, relieves spasms, and even used as an insect repellant.

http://complete-health-and-happiness.com/affordable-way-remove-fluoride-tap-water/

The Cold Truth About Rice… Brown vs White (Ayurveda)

BY JULIE BERNIER

Poor white rice has a bad rap in the US.  So much of the world depends on it as a core part of their diet, but somehow it’s been rumored as unhealthy with a stigma of little nutritional value and a cause of weight gain.  Ayurveda (ancient India’s timeless science of life) believes otherwise.

There are a few foods that Ayurveda has established as good for everyone, year round, and rice is number one on the list. No matter what your prakriti (constitution, as everyone is unique) and no matter what season, rice holds a place in the diet.

However, there’s a time for white rice, and a time for brown. Ayurveda doesn’t judge rice simply on its fiber content and calorie count as a Western perspective might, but takes into account who’s eating it, when they’re eating it, and what happens to the rice throughout digestion.

WHITE AND BROWN

White and brown are obviously quite different. A grain of brown rice is encapsulated by the bran. This outer shell is full of fiber, B vitamins, and trace minerals. When the bran is removed through milling the rice is white. White rice inevitably has less fiber than brown, but it still has nutritional value and provides protein and energy. And since its outer shell has been removed it is much easier to digest.

For this reason white rice is recommended when digestive ability is low. According to Ayurveda this naturally occurs in the summer and warm months. At this time of year our agni, or digestive fire, is at its weakest. We should adjust our diets accordingly, choosing lighter foods that are easy to digest.  This makes white rice a better choice than brown in the summer.

Since brown rice is somewhat heavy to digest it is best consumed in the cooler and winter months.  This is when agni is at its strongest. The digestive system can handle heavier foods like brown rice better than it can in summer. No matter what time of year, brown rice can also be soaked for a couple of hours before cooking to help with digestibility.

Ayurveda takes into account not only the season but also the individual. For those who always have very good digestion and a strong agni, brown rice is generally a good choice. For those with more sensitive digestion and weaker agni, white rice is the way to go.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR RICE?

There’s one more factor to consider- how the rice was processed. Instant, precooked, and regular old white rice, which is often coated with glucose and oil, have little nutritional value. As for all foods, organic and minimally processed are always better. Aromatic, nutty flavored white and brown basmati rices are considered in Ayurveda as the best.

Minimally processed white rice doesn’t deserve its bad reputation. It’s all about who’s eating it and when. The general rule is to go for white rice in the warmer months and brown rice in the cooler. If you’re one of those people who could practically digest rocks then yes, take advantage of brown rice’s nutritive value year round. If digestion is a little slower, go with white. As the rest of the world already knows, there’s definitely a place for rice in the diet.

http://www.realfarmacy.com/cold-truth-rice-brown-vs-white-ayurveda/