Finding Balance And Health With Yoga

Title:Finding Balance And Health With YogaWord Count:768Summary:Have you heard about the Gunas? No, they are not Disney characters! According to yoga thereare three basic qualities or energies that make up everything. They are, rajas, tamas and sattva.Rajas is the energy of action, change and movement. Rajas is the fuel of passion and fire.Rajasic energy is also associated with the day light hours. We obviously need rajasic energy tocreate energy to move successfully throughout our world and lives. When we have too muchrajasic ene...Keywords:health, balance, yoga, happiness, peace of mind,Article Body:Have you heard about the Gunas? No, they are not Disney characters! According to yoga thereare three basic qualities or energies that make up everything. They are, rajas, tamas and sattva.Rajas is the energy of action, change and movement. Rajas is the fuel of passion and fire.Rajasic energy is also associated with the day light hours. We obviously need rajasic energy tocreate energy to move successfully throughout our world and lives. When we have too muchrajasic energy we might appear to the outside world as extremely busy, go go go, do do do!Does this sound like you? Maintaining a high degree of rajasic energy leads to burn out! Whenrajas is out of balance the mind and body are overstimulated, the mind becomes restless and youexperience a lot of uncontrollable thoughts.

Foods that are rajasic include: spicy food, fried foods, coffee / caffeinated beverages/stimulants/ fish, eggs, chocolate, foods that are very bitter, sour, dry and salty. Eating in a hurryis also considered rajasicTamas can be thought of as the opposite of rajas. Tamasic energy is associated with a state ofinactivity and inertia, heaviness and darkness. When tamas is out of balance your ability toreason becomes clouded and you might experience the darker emotions such as anger or greed.Just as there is more rajasic energy present in daylight hours, tamasic energy is present duringnighttime. People who are very tamasic might be depressed or appear lazy. Generally speakingdisease states are tamasic.Examples of tamasic food include: meat, alcohol, tobacco, onions, fermented foods ?vinegar orstrong cheese, stale food or over ripe food, overly processed food or chemically treated.Overeating is considered tamasic.Sattva is energy that is in a state of harmony and balance. Positive mental and emotional statesof joy and intelligence are associated with sattva. A person who was experiencing a lot of抯sattvic energy would appear very happy. Sattvic energy also is consistent with healing statesand in Ayurveda (yoga sister science) sattvic energy is actively cultivated. Sattvic energy ismost present during the times between light and dark- in other words dusk and dawn. A personon the yogic path is focused on developing sattva and for this reason yoga asana and meditationare classically performed at these times.Foods that are sattvic include: whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, pure fruit juice,legumes, milk, butter, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds, honey and herb teas.It is important to realize that we all have all three gunas within us. And while this is true wetend to have a predominant guna. Based on the descriptions above can you figure out whatyours is? It is good to be aware of this because once you are aware of your predominant guna抣then you can predict how might react to certain life circumstances as well know your strengthsand weaknesses. You l know when you will tend to be thrown out of balance and what youwill need to do to bring yourself back into balance.You also might have times in our lives when one guna is more active then another. Perhaps youhave very active time and very productive (rajasic). Or a period when you have been depressed(tamasic). Or a time when we are very balanced and in tune with your spirituality (satvic).Another way the gunas show up in our lives and directly effect us is through the food we eat.Consider for a minute the average American diet with overly processed and chemically treatedfoods which are very tamasic. Modern science now confirms that these food items are directlylinked to major illnesses including cancer, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. As mentionedabove too much tamasic energy leads to disease states. We also know that foods in their wholeform such as grains, fresh fruits and vegetables (sattvic foods) are life sustaining and bringhealth and energy.Do you practice yoga postures (asana)? How do the gunas show up here? Is your asana practicefiery and passionate? Was your practice was slow and lazy? Or was it balanced?It is probably becoming clear to you by now that to be healthy, happy, and live a balance life itis important to cultivate sattva in your life. This can be done by:

Reducing rajas and tamasBecoming aware of when you are out of balance- which guna seems most present?Increase activities and environments that produce positive thoughtsEating a healthy, sattvic oriented dietCertain herbs (subject for another article)The practice of yoga: pranayama (breathing practices), asana (postures), meditationTitle:Information To Help You Make Health Care DecisionsWord Count:346Summary:Armed with good information, you can be your own best advocate when it comes to makinghealth care decisions.Keywords:Information To Help You Make Health Care DecisionsArticle Body:Armed with good information, you can be your own best advocate when it comes to makinghealth care decisions. That means not only gathering information on specific medical conditionsand the latest treatments, but asking questions and seeking advice during your doctor visits.But where can consumers get reliable and accurate health care information? In many cases, it'sfrom prescription drug advertisements. Studies show that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisingstarts important conversations about overall health and disease between doctors andpatients-conversations that may lead to new diagnosis and better treatment.According to a Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital and Harris Interactivehealth care survey, for example, one-quarter of adult patients who consulted a doctor afterseeing a DTC ad received a new diagnosis. Some of the most common new diagnoses includedhigh cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and depression. These conditions are often undertreatedand underdiagnosed in the general population.\"Direct-to-Consumer advertising plays an invaluable role informing physicians and patientsboth about disease and new and lifesaving medicines,\" says Pharmaceutical Research andManufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson. \"Educationaladvertising empowers patients to seek guidance from their doctors, which can lead to earlierdetection and treatment of diseases.\"Guiding PrinciplesPhRMA recently issued new guiding principles to further improve the educational value of

prescription drug advertising. Through these principles, pharmaceutical companies pledge toprovide even more accurate information to patients and doctors about health and disease theycan use. Key elements include:• Companies should submit all new DTC television advertisements to the Food andDrug Administration before releasing them for broadcast.• DTC television advertising that identifies a product by name should clearly state thehealth conditions for which the medicine is approved, as well as the risks associated with themedicine being advertised.• Companies should spend an appropriate amount of time educating health careprofessionals about new medicines or new therapeutic indications before beginning the firstdirect-to-consumer advertising campaign.PhRMA represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies,which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier and moreproductive lives.Title:Unlocking the Health Benefits of CeleryWord Count:521Summary:This article talks about the health benefits of celery. This vegetable was once used as a folktreatment until recent medical studies backed the health benefits of celery. Because of the manyhealth benefits of celery, regular consumption of this vegetable is encouraged by manynutritionists and other health experts.Keywords:fatigue, diet, relaxation, insomniaArticle Body:Many vegetables are known for their numerous health benefits. Diets composed of morevegetables can reduce the risk of chronic disease and other health ailments. Vegetables cansupply the body of necessary nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are vital fordevelopment and maintenance. Many vegetables contain disease-fighting phytochemicals, thatcan help reduce the risk of different kinds of cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, anddiabetes. Celery is one vegetable that has many health benefits. Aside from being a source ofgood food, it is also used as alternative medicine. Its leaves, seeds, roots. and stems are used totreat urinal retention, kidney disease, hypertension, and even certain sexual disorders.Celery is an excellent source of Vitamin C that is essential for promoting a healthy immune

system. It also helps alleviate the symptoms of colds. Vitamin C inhibits free radical damagethat may trigger inflammatory conditions like asthma and arthritis. This vitamin is alsobeneficial in promoting a healthy cardiovascular system.Medical research shows that celery contains active compounds called pthalide that are essentialin reducing the blood pressure. Pthalide works by relaxing the muscles of the arteries thatregulates the blood pressures which allows the blood vessels to constrict. Healthy blood vesselsmay help prevent stroke, heart attack, and other heart ailments. The benefits of celery inreducing blood pressure is also attributed to its high contents of potassium, magnesium, andcalcium. High consumptions of these minerals have been associated with reduced bloodpressure.A food regimen which contains celery may help prevent cancer because of the anti-cancerproperties. This vegetable contains coumarin which essential in the prevention of free radicalsfrom degenerating the cells which is a leading cause of cancer. Coumarins may also enhance theactivity of white blood cells, these cells defend the immune system and eliminate harmful cells,including cancer cells. Celery also contain acetylenics that have been shown in some scientificstudies to stop the development of tumor cells.Other health benefits of celery may include the following: * Diseases of the kidneys (nephritis) * Diseases of the pancreas * Diseases of the liver and gallbladder. * Rheumatism * Neuritis * Constipation * Asthma * Catarrh * Pyorrhea * Diabetes - leaves * Dropsy - roots * Brain fatigue * Acidosis (the condition of depletion of alkaline reserve or bicarbonate content of thebody, celery being an alkaline food. * Anemia, no doubt due to the presence of iron, some protein and Vitamin * Obesity * Tuberculosis * Improvement of teeth, no doubt due to the presence of calcium. * Calms the nerve and give relief in cases of insomnia.In addition to these health benefits, celery contains many active ingredients that has made thisvegetable a very important plant when it comes to promoting good health. It contains balancedcontent of minerals, vitamins, and other necessary nutrients. Celery also contains importantconcentrations of plant hormones and other essential oils that may regulate the nervous systemand promote a sense of relaxation Some studies also claim that the celery is may also promotestimulating and positive effects on the sexual system. Because of the many health benefits ofcelery, regular consumption of this vegetable is encouraged by many nutritionists and otherhealth experts.