Reflexology For The Spirit

Healthy Blood Pressure – 6 Things You Can Do.

August 23, 2019 at 10:23 pm Comments disabled

We all have a blood pressure.  We don’t see it.  We don’t  feel it.  Unless someone checks our blood pressure, we don’t  know we have it.  And, unless someone tells us our blood pressure is bad, we don’t even think about it.

That makes high blood pressure a quiet killer.  While we go about our lives unaware of the situation, hypertension damages our blood vessels, heart, and eyes.  High blood pressure is a set-up for heart disease, stroke, dementia, and kidney disease.

So, pay attention to your blood pressure.  When your blood pressure is high, your heart is working too much to do its job properly.  This stresses your arteries.

So, what can you do to get your blood pressure down to normal?

For starters, STAMP OUT YOUR CIGARETTES.  Smoking, whether cigarettes or pipes, is not good for your arteries.  When nicotine reaches your blood vessels, they constrict –  which is not good for you.

GET A PET – Statistically, people with pets have healthier blood pressure scores.  So, what is the best pet for you?  I, personally, love dogs and cats.  But you don’t have to get something that barks and meows.  Birds, fish, snakes, even a gold fish  make good pets.   The important thing is to get one that is good for your situation.

DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY? – Find something that you really enjoy and can get interested in.  Drawing, writing, skating, running, walking, and a thousand and one other things can be just what you need to calm your hypertension.

GET RID OF YOUR EXTRA WEIGHT.  –  When you lower your weight you’ll have better blood pressure scores, you will also feel better and look better.    And, this is a segway right into the next suggestion:

NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING – Some foods encourage a good blood pressure score.  Fruits and vegetables are good.  Some people feel oatmeal has magical qualities.  You’ll have better luck with this if you get several  sessions  with a nutritionist whose training aligns with your health needs.

EXERCISE HELPS, TOO!  Yoga is good.  But, so is anything else you do regularly.  This includes almost any physical activity you like.  The important thing is to move.

Not included in this list is pills.  I think they are important and have been taking my blood pressure medication daily for decades.    Just like everyone else I know, I objected to them for a long time.  Once I admitted that I needed them, life became better.  This is a decision for you to make, though.  Everyone I know who takes a hypertension medication, including myself, went through stages of resistance.

After all, it’s hard to face up to needing a medication for the rest of my life.  But, once I matured into this reality, my health improved and my attitude about myself certainly got better, too.

Thanks so much for reading this article.  There are many other posts in this blog which will help you lower your blood pressure.  I hope you get time to check out a few of them.

Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

 

 

 

 

Maintaining Your Good Health – Inner Fitness for Life

July 28, 2019 at 10:06 pm Comments disabled

We each have an inner core, a spiritual center needing encouragement, support and protection.  Your inner core lets you travel through life with minimal bumps.  When encouragement, support, and protection are deficient in some way, you run a risk of developing a lack of self-confidence.  There are ways to give yourself a boost.  Life is easier with a strong inner core.

THINK POSITIVELY

Put yourself in a positive frame of mind before you even get out of bed.  Ask yourself:  “What can I be happy about?  What makes me happy?”

CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

Volunteer someplace.  Get a job.  Read a local paper.  Use your library.  Get into your community.

INCLUDE EXERCISE OF SOME KIND…EVERY DAY

In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the Fountain of Youth in what is now St. Augustine, Florida.  The Fountain of Youth still exists and keeps people everywhere healthy.  There is at least one branch of it in your neighborhood, located on the sidewalk or roadside where you can walk every day.  If that’s not a good option for you, the other nearby branch is in your local fitness center.  You’ll be healthier and your body will thank you if you visit one of these branches every day.

CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT

De-cluttering is a bit of a fad and it’s okay with me.  This grounding and uplifting exercise has become part of my daily schedule.  I spend fifteen minutes every day clearing out clutter in a room.  There are books written about it.  Reading one is a good idea if you need a starter boost.  Whether or not you read a book about de-cluttering, your inner self will be more fit when you adopt this habit.

REVIEW YOUR SITUATION

Now might be a good time to journal about important events in your life.  Or short stories.  Or poems.  Or anything that seems appropriate for you.  You don’t necessarily need to focus on what happened to you.  The important thing is what you did with what happened to you.

SUPPORT YOURSELF

Do something nice for yourself.  Think nice thoughts about yourself.  Your nice thoughts about yourself are a treat, a gift you give you give to yourself.  You deserve it.

Thank you for reading this blog post.  Please share this article on your favorite social media network.

Thurman Greco

Five Things You Can Do For Your Good Health

July 14, 2019 at 12:19 pm Comments disabled

Good health is not that hard to achieve.  Really.  When it comes down to a bottom line, five things are essential to establishing and maintaining your good health.

NOT SMOKING IS ESSENTIAL.

Do you smoke?  Reduce your habit to five cigarettes a day.  When you are  down to five, you can get to zero with little effort.

Join a smokers’ support group.

Hypnotherapy and Biofeedback both offer successful results for many smokers.

The bottom line is this:  Do whatever you have to do to give up this habit.

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT.

This is a high priority.  Losing or gaining weight to reach your ideal weight for your good health gets harder with every passing year so the younger you are when you work on your weight, the easier it will be.

Weight Watchers is a good support group.

An interested nutritionist can help you reach your desired goal and include specific foods contributing to your continued good health at the same time.  You’ll get twice the bang for your buck with a nutritionist.

An example of this:  If you need to gain or lose  weight and you have heart health issues, a nutritionist can work on the weight issues along with your heart issues.  I don’t know about you, but I love to be able to do a couple of things together.  I get all involved in the different aspects of synchronicity.

EAT MANY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Many wellness gurus teach five servings of fruits and vegetables are a minimum number for a well nourished person to eat daily.  This five serving recommendation is easy for me to pass on.  And, it’s also easy to have fun with.

I like the concept of thinking about which five fruits and vegetables will be on my  plate today.  Planning ahead for each day’s selection gives them focus and importance.

I also like the idea that advance planning gives me a chance to play and experiment a bit.  You can do this too.  It’s easier than you think.  All you have to do is choose one new vegetable or fruit each week.

Take it home and learn what it’s called.  What countries is it commonly grown in?  Learn how to cook it, store it, combine it with other foods, and finally how to eat it.

If you learn about one new fruit or vegetable each week, your dietary skills will be vastly different in a year.  Adventure!

EXERCISE REGULARLY.

This can be a drudgery or it can be fun.  Your good health options are open here.  Participate in  one or more activities  regularly.  The point is to keep yourself active  daily as you go throughout your life.

You can put in as much time or money as you want here.

You can also combine exercise with other daily habits. I wear an exercise watch which beeps when I’m not moving enough.  It also congratulates me when I’ve gone beyond my daily goal.

I went out and got a second job which requires that I stay off my seat and on my feet.  So, I’m making money while exercising.  I enjoy this a lot.

AVOID STRESSORS.

This can be a biggie.  Stress contributes to many health problems.  Like the sleep suggestion a few pages back, you’ll find a chapter on stress later in this book.  Things like meditation, walks, laughter, sharing, singing, nature bathing, journaling, drawing can help you avoid stress.

Stress relief is important – just as important as your diet and exercise.

Thank you for reading this blog post.  Please refer it to your favorite media network.

Thurman Greco

 

 

 

Maintain Your Good Health: Some Guidelines

May 26, 2019 at 2:48 pm Comments disabled

For me, much disease is preventable  when you maintain your good health.  Staying healthy doesn’t take a lot of time.  Small changes can make big differences.

Positive lifestyle habits contribute to a lifetime of good health.  This blog is filled with suggestions.  Throughout our lives we all make choices about how we are going to live our lives on a day to day basis.  These choices directly impact how and when our lives will end.

Developing a working relationship with your healthcare professional is essential.  Many people enjoy good health for years and feel they don’t need a doctor.  This can’t be further from the truth.  When an accident or illness strikes, you need to know a health care professional, his/her contact information, and you need to have had an appointment within the last year.

People who are never sick haven’t a clue about what to do when a bone is broken or a head is concussed.  They don’t speak hospital and they suddenly find themselves in a foreign land unable to read the directional signs.

Become aware of your body and how it works.  Know what to do when medical attention is needed.  Learn  first aid skills.

Learn to get a healthy night’s sleep.  Sleep is a core element of your good health.  It goes right along with knowing about your body and how it works.  Now, add healthy eating and good physical activity.  When you combine these stepping stones, you have a basic plan to maintain your wellness.

For me, there are several causes of disease.  Some are nutritional.  The first nutritional cause of disease is created by DEFICIENCIES in your diet.  Culprits here are sugar, white flour, processed foods, and added chemicals.

Half our population has DIGESTIVE ISSUES.  Many people have resigned themselves to living with them for the remainder of their lives.  Your body is made to heal your digestive issues because you have a built in abdominal brain which communicates with your cranial brain when there’s a problem.

This is where  prebiotics and probiotics  come in.  And where things like regular reflexology sessions  enter the picture.  And Reiki therapy.  And chakra healing.  Appropriate bodywork has a place in  maintaining your health and wellness life.

Our bodies can be toxic, all the way down to your CELLULAR  LEVEL.  Read the labels on the foods you buy.  If you can’t pronounce a word or words you read on the ingredients list, put the item back on the shelf.

CHRONIC INFLAMMATION is big on the list of cause of disease.  As you work to develop good health, you’ll get up close and personal with chronic inflammation if you go about this the right way.

When it comes to your good health, it all comes down to this:  Eat whole foods.  Eat nuts.  Use olive oils.  Eat grass fed meats.

A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE will age you as fast as anything.  As I walk down a sidewalk, I see people who move and those who can’t.  Be the one who moves, not the one who doesn’t .  10,000 steps every day is a good start.

POOR SLEEP HABITS are huge on the list of habits which cause disease.  Sleep  regenerates.  Sleep organizes.  Sleep rehabilitates.  Sleep is therapy.

Get enough of it.

When it comes to PRESCRIPTIVE AND OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINES,  take only the minimum you need.  The same holds true for medicinal herbs.  The bottom line is that anything that can change your body for the better can also change it for the worse if it’s not appropriate for you, your health issues, your body, your age.

We all need a reason to get up in the morning – every morning.  SMILES are necessary to your good health.

SOME BASIC WELLNESS GUIDELINES:

Good quality, nourishing food is essential.  This statement does not promote one diet for all.  The diet nourishing you may not nourish me at all.

The part of the statement, good quality, is the one size for all part.  In order that what you eat does the best for your wellness, health, and physical fitness, it must be good quality.

Pure air and water are essential.

All of us need adequate warmth and shelter.

We each need a reason to get up every day.

Balancing work, play, and rest is important.

Everyone needs a positive sense of self worth.  We all need positive feelings about our spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical selves.

Thank you for reading this post.  Please forward it to your favorite social media network.

Enjoy your continued good health!

Thurman Greco

Spiritually, your back is your support for life.

March 19, 2019 at 9:34 pm Comments disabled

Spiritually, your back gives you strength.  It honors you.  Your spine contains your central system and your central blood supply.  You register every experience, feeling, impression, and thought in your spine.

Your lower back holds financial support and your core beliefs.

Your middle back supports your move forward in life as you release the past.  Your middle back holds love.

Your upper back deals with your emotional support of others and self.  It deals with guilt, shame, fear, anger, resentment.

Back aches are spiritual events.  What may offer relief for one person may not work for another.  In spite of all the modern, 21st century techniques, cures, and therapies available for back injuries and health injuries, you may respond positively to reflexology, Reiki therapy, and Chakra healing.

Lifestyle changes will help if you discover physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual causes of your discomfort.  When that happens, you can make adjustments to get rid of the pain.  Then, you can figure out what you need to do to keep the pain and discomfort from returning.

These changes may include things like developing a posture encouraging spinal alignment.  You may learn specific exercises offering you relief.

Several times throughout your day, talk to your back.  Is it in pain?  Does stretching help?  Are your shoulders scrunched up against your neck?

As time passes, you’ll find you are learning the language of your spine.  Once you learn this, you can listen to what your spine says to you and follow its instructions.

To avoid back pain, respect your spine and don’t overwork it.  The three basic rules of respect include proper lifting techniques, exercises to build strong back muscles, and proper fitting low heeled shoes.  Following these three guidelines, you’ll prevent accidents and reduce spinal alignment stress.

When you consult with a physician about your back pain, select a person who gives you confidence.  If you seek a massage therapist, acupuncturist, physical therapist, schedule your appointments so they’re 24 to 48 hours of one another to take advantage of synchronicity.

Yoga helps.  I’m fortunate that there are many yoga teachers in my area.  Through the years, I’ve found two teachers who know about spinal health and focus their classes on this specialty.  Carolyn Abedor teaches Iyengar Yoga when she focuses on therapeutic spine health.  Kathy Karey teaches yoga and focuses on repairing injured spines.

Massage and physical therapy are beneficial for chronic pain.  Chiropractors work to improve your condition without adding more strain to the spine.

If you don’t know a yoga teacher, massage therapist, chiropractor or physical therapist, this is a good time to look for one.

CHAKRAS:

Lower back pain focuses on the first chakra.  Middle back issues focus on second and third chakras.  Your upper back deals with fourth and fifth chakras.

REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK:

nervous system, muscular system, urinary system, skeletal system, sciatic nerve, liver and solar plexus

ESSENTIAL OILS:

basil, clove, cypress,  eucalyptus, fennel, ginger, lavender, marjoram, nutmeg, peppermint, ravinsara, Roman chamomile, rosemary, spearmint, thyme, vetiver

OTHER THINGS YOU MAY TRY:

Throughout your day, check your posture, your seating positions, and the height and angle of your work surfaces.

Thank you for reading this blog post.

Please share this post with your preferred social media network.

Thanks again.

Thurman Greco

Eczema – a skin condition we all need to know more about

January 31, 2019 at 1:35 am Comments disabled

Spiritually, if you have eczema, you have a negative attitude toward unpleasant events in your life.

Eczema is a fairly common skin condition  becoming more and more common.  Your skin becomes inflamed as it  reacts  to soaps, detergents, household chemicals, food, house dust, and other irritants.

Itching, red, inflamed skin is the first step.  It’s followed by flaking skin and a rash  appearing on legs, hands, face, neck.

In children, eczema likes the inner knees and elbows.

If the condition doesn’t improve within a week, you need to see a medical professional.

Looking at the bigger picture, eczema is also a reaction to stresses in and around you.  And, we can probably all agree that life is becoming more and more stressful.

The best way to treat eczema is to identify, remove, and avoid the allergens.  Your goal is to control and relieve  symptoms.

Looking beyond the emotional, mental, and spiritual  stress, we are all more and more stressed by the chemicals we come in contact with daily.  The soaps we clean with and the food we eat are becoming more and more laden with more and stronger chemicals as time goes by.

Eczema begins as itchy blotches on your skin.  The redness begins later.  The three culprits here are allergies, stress, and immune system overload.

These  three situations respond positively to regular reflexology, Reiki therapy and chakra healing sessions.

An important first step in treating eczema beyond regular  sessions is for you to identify the triggers which set off your bouts of eczema.  These may be animal dander, anger, cleaning products, drugs, foods, fragrances, poor circulation, house dust, .

All is not lost.  You’ll benefit from a little sun every day.

Because eczema is a situation resulting from immune system overload, a clean environment is critical.  This includes  your air, body, car, home, work place, water.

When toxins are cleaned out, your health will have a chance to improve.  Then, your reflexology sessions will be able to more effectively manage eczema’s side effects.

Eczema responds to conventional medical treatments as well as mind-body therapies.  In addition to reflexology, Reiki therapy, and chakra healing, meditation helps.

Although this may seem like  a daunting task, cleaning up your body and the environment is easier than you might think.  For starters, throw out all your cleaning supplies and cosmetics and replace them with non-toxic products which won’t exacerbate the problem.

A good next step is to clean up the diet by cooking and eating only the foods which have no artificial colors, flavors, additives.

It has been said that health begins and ends in the colon.  A colon cleanse followed by a liver cleanse is in order.  When  your environment is cleaned up and your body cleaned out, it will be easier to  cope with stressful situations.

CHAKRAS:

Eczema is a fourth chakra issue.

REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK:

immune system, nervous system, lymphatics, digestive system, circulatory system, liver, solar plexus

ESSENTIAL OILS:

bergamot, frankincense, geranium, helichrysum, juniper, lavender, myrrh, neroli, peppermint, sweet orange, tea tree, yarrow,

EFFECTIVE FIELDS OF HEALING:  Conventional Medicine,  Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Herbalism

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES:  Keep damaged skin moist using an oil-based cream.  Apply emollients liberally and frequently.

TREATMENT GOAL:  If you can avoid the itch-scratch-itch cycle  and avoid potential infection, your situation will be much better.

Thank you for reading this article.  Please refer it to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, New York

Water, Health & Longevity – Know Where Your Water Comes From!

January 24, 2019 at 1:10 am Comments disabled

Do you buy bottled water?  Do you drink water out of the tap in your home?  Do you drink water from a fountain at work?

Where does it all come from?  Not all water, either bottled or from a faucet at home, is safe to drink.  To put this article’s message bluntly:

  • – – – – YOUR WATER MAY BE MAKING YOU SICK! – – – – –

You need to do two things:

For starters, if you buy water, find out where it comes from.  Find out what the bottlers do to it before it gets to you.

I drink  bottled water exclusively because I want the water I drink to meet acceptable levels of cleanliness and purity.  I go for ultra purified water.

If you fall on the side of spring water, you also need to know what the levels of cleanliness and purity are.  And, you need to know how often your water is tested.  What are the results of each periodic test?

Do you drink tap water at home?  Where does this water come from?  How often is this water tested?  What are the reports?  Where do they come from?  How pure is this water?

Beyond that, what about the pipes bringing this water to your home?  The pipes in my home are older than I am which puts them in the over-80 range.  I do not drink water from these pipes.

And, I do not drink from water fountains.

This article focuses on two issues.  The first issue is that of cleanliness.  The second issue is about the money.  You may be paying money for water that is neither clean nor even safe.   You may be wasting your money.

Your water costs may be a rip off.

We all want to buy food, drink, and cleaning products that are healthy.  Water is our healthiest drink.  Water keeps us hydrated.  It has no calories and is necessary for our bodies to function.

When you are a good water consumer, you  may enjoy better health.

Thanks for reading this article.  Please forward this post to your friends and share it with your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, New York

 

 

Longevity Breathing – an Easy Step to Better Health

January 14, 2019 at 2:54 pm Comments disabled

I often go through a good bit of my day without even thinking about how I’m breathing, forgetting completely that the easiest and most powerful way to stay healthy and promote good longevity is breathing right.

When we’re faced with traffic snarls, an unhappy coworker, a missed deadline at work, lack of exercise, or children with stuffy noses, automatic stress responses are all too common.  Our breathing becomes shallow, rapid.

Heart rates speed up, neck muscles tighten, teeth grind, and on and on.

There is something you can do.

You can learn – and practice –  proper longevity breathing techniques.

There are many different  breathing techniques.  I use one, in particular, a the moment I realize that stress is staring me in the face.

I always use it when I’m in a doctor’s office and I know I’m going to get my blood pressure checked.  I don’t have White Coat Syndrome, but my blood pressure definitely rises when the cuff is  put on my arm.  Sometimes, my blood pressure even rises when I walk into the doctor’s office.

So, I just cut this increase off at the pass.  I use this longevity breathing technique anytime I need to calm myself and control my emotions.  Here is what I do.  And, you can do it too.

I breathe in deeply through my  nose while mentally telling myself it’s time to be calm and lower my blood pressure.

When you breathe in deeply through your nose, focus the origin of this inhale  deep in your abdomen.  Hold this deep breath for a few seconds.

Then, exhale slowly as you breathe out.  Remind yourself that you are breathing out stress.  Let your inner self know that you are  lowering your blood pressure when you exhale this deep breath.

This deep inhale and exhale pattern works in traffic, in the doctor’s office, at work.  It works anywhere you see stress running straight toward you.

Take about four inhale-exhales and mentally check in with your body.  Observe how your body is calming itself.

Take about four  more inhale-exhales if you need.  The goal here is to be calm, grounded, solid, alert.

You  can train these inhale-exhales to work for you.  Practice them when you aren’t super stressed.  Practice them several times daily at randomly selected moments.  The goal is to become comfortable with the results of this breathing pattern.

Thank you for reading this article.  Please share it with your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, New York

 

 

 

 

Walking to Stay Youthful – Longevity Tips You Can Use

January 10, 2019 at 1:54 pm Comments disabled

Walking is my favorite fitness and longevity activity.  I like it because I can enjoy  it almost anywhere.  I ‘ve adapted my walking  pace to my changing age, abilities, health and  lifestyle.

Walking served me well during my young mother years.   Pushing a stroller was a good excuse to air out the babies and myself.

Later, through my jobs, walking was an important lunchtime activity.  Lunchtime walks gave me energy to make it through the afternoon at a desk.

As a senior, walking  keeps me moving – an extremely important benefit.  As seniors everywhere will tell you, we use it or we lose it.  Walking  keeps me going.

Walking can cost little to nothing.  No fancy memberships are needed.  No expensive outfits are necessary.  It’s adaptable to indoors as well as out.

And, best of all, it doesn’t take special skills, training,  talent, or money.  Walking works for me because  baseball, volleyball, tennis, golf, ballroom dancing, never did.  All walking takes is a little time, enthusiasm,  and interest.

I’m sharing a few tips with you so your walking exercise will be more fun and beneficial.

For starters, a pair of WALKING SHOES and socks will help you move farther and faster with fewer problems.

Dress in layers.  As you walk, you’ll warm up.  Wear COMFORTABLE CLOTHING  in layers so you can stay comfortable and keep from overheating.

Walking doesn’t require a lot of fancy warm ups.  BEGIN EACH WALK SLOWLY, calmly.  Then, if you plan to increase  your pace, you can take a warm up break.

When you walk,  think about your abdominal muscles and your posture.  They    define your WALKING STYLE.  Open shoulders, a straight spine, and stable abdominal muscles will give you strength and confidence to move.

When the time is right on your walk, give yourself a SPEED BURST  of about a minute or so.

Finally, give yourself some LONG, LUSCIOUS STRETCHES  after walking.

Thank you for reading this article.  Please refer it to your preferred social media network and share it with your friends.

Thanks again

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, New York

 

 

 

 

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