Reflexology For The Spirit

spirituality of one's health

Acne is a Stressful and Spiritual Disease

Spiritually, you are at risk for acne when you experience excessive, unrelenting stress.  When this kind of stress enters your life, love and accept yourself as a perfect human being.  Build self-confidence, self-esteem, and value.

Extreme stress brings out extreme self-dissatisfaction.  You are under tremendous pressure from a person or situation in your environment.  This pressure never lets up.  Anger is also an issue.  (How can it not be, with intense pressure?)

Acne is a difficult disease.  First, you’ve got stress in your life contributing to the blemishes.  As if the stress isn’t enough, the blemishes are an embarrassment.  Then, acne itself is uncomfortable enough because blemishes can be painful, and especially with deeper inflammation.

RISK FACTORS

Stress, hormone changes, diet, family history of the steroids, climate, cosmetics

CHAKRA

Acne is a third chakra imbalance.

SUGGESTED HEALING SYSTEMS

Conventional medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Herbalism.  See a dermatologist if the acne persists.  It’s better to go early in the disease, before the scarring begins.  Scars stay with you for life unless you get treatment to prevent them or you get medical dermabrasion.

Regular visits to a reflexologist, Reiki, and chakra healing calm your emotional upsets, heal your body while promoting homeostasis.  Regular sessions manage the side effects of acne during treatment.  Regular exercise will help you work off some of the stress.   A good skin cleansing program is essential.  Your physician may prescribe antibiotics.

REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK

diaphragm, digestive system, endocrine system, face, immune system, intestines, kidneys, liver, lymphatic system, nervous system, solar plexus

Stimulate your lymphatic system regularly to reduce stress and eliminate toxins.

ESSENTIAL OILS

bergamot, cedarwood, clove, geranium, grapefruit, German or Roman chamomile, lavender, oregano, patchouli, rosemary, rosewood, tea tree, vetiver

THINGS TO DO

A good diet which includes plenty of water is important.  Skip the junk food.  Your food should be clean and avoid excessive fat, oil, sugar.

Manage your stress.  This means you need to develop coping skills such as self-Reiki, meditation, tai chi.  Read the chapter on stress.

IMPORTANT FOODS IN YOUR DIET

Almonds, beans, Brazil nuts, cantaloupe, carrots, chicken, eggs, fish, flaxseed oil, fresh fruits, garlic, leafy greens, melons, onions, oranges, oysters, peanuts, poultry, red bell peppers, salmon, sunflower seeds, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turkey, fresh vegetables, walnuts, whole grains, yams

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angel with bird

Thank you for being interested in wellness.

Thurman Greco

Maintaining Your Good Health – Inner Fitness for Life

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

Your Longevity – And a Healthy Living Attitude

The first step toward achieving your longevity goals is a healthy living attitude.

Healthy living is much easier when you feel what you’re doing is important and when you feel like you’re going to succeed when you  develop your new healthy habits.  Optimism is the necessary ingredient in a healthy living attitude.

Healthy living is a journey toward a goal.  You can travel on the healthy living attitude express every day if you know in your heart that you’re going to be successful.

One of the hardest things to do in life is lose weight.  The only thing harder is keeping it off.  And, really, the most important ingredient in this  whole lifestyle change is your healthy living attitude.

I know you can do it.  I know you can adopt whatever habits you need to achieve your longevity goals.  I know you can do it because I did it.  And, the one thing that made the difference  was my healthy living attitude.

I tried many times throughout the years to lose weight – to no avail.  Diets were depressing.  Blah. Blah. Blah.

This last try was different.  Why?  I experienced  an attitude adjustment which worked!  I’m not sure what happened.  I was just ready to be free of all the extra pounds.  It was  just time.  I was ready to let go of all the excuses that I’d been clinging to for years:  my bum thyroid, my menopause, a business which sapped my strength every day and took over 80 hours a week on a slow week.

I  woke up one day and realized I wanted to be free.  I faced up to the fact that I was  both the problem and the solution.

At that moment, my diet unfolded in front of me.  And,  I was off and running… away from failure, extra pounds, doubt.  The healthy living attitude took control.

I began cutting out carbs and started talking to my thyroid.  I also spoke to my body.  I knew  the extra weight  surrounding my body was no longer a necessary part of my self.  My new authenticity simply didn’t require so much protection.

My healthy living attitude was all  I needed to protect me.

I dieted for seemingly ever.  I didn’t buy a single new outfit for at least six months.  And, it was all okay.  Walking around in roomy clothing was fine for me.  I was free!  I was proud of the pounds I lost.

No one can do this for you.  When you have the right attitude about your family, your work, and your health, you can do just about anything.  You will see that all the parts of your life are connected and you can succeed at anything you care about doing.

When the time is right ,  your path will reveal itself to you.  Your job will then be  to show up as your authentic self and do the work.  When this happens, know that your success is already making its way to you.

You will learn to access your energy system  for direction, energy, motivation.  You will be inspired to follow the directions.  If something surfaces which  doesn’t resonate with you, leave it be.  Work with those things which touch your authentic self as you become comfortable with your  healthy living attitude.

Through trial and error, your inner authentic self will guide you to your success.   You will achieve your goals and you will learn that you are not broken.  You are, instead, finding yourself.

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

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, New York

 

 

 

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

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, NY

 

10 Easy Wellness Tips to Improve Your Nutrition

A good way to lower your risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes is to eat a steady diet of vegetables, grains, legumes, fruit, and dairy products with occasional servings of beef,  poultry, and fish.  This is good nutrition.

Butter is better.  Margarine often has hydrogenated fats which you don’t need.  Margarine also has artificial flavors, colors, etc. It’s better to eat moderate to small amounts of butter than margarine.

Want to add iron to your diet?  Prune juice is high in iron.  As a bonus, it’s also high in potassium.  Think of prune juice as good nutrition!

Want to eat nutritious foods?  Check out broccoli!  Broccoli is low in calories and high in nutrition.

Beans, lentils, and dried peas are good sources of edible fiber.  This translates to foods that are good for you if you want to lower your cholesterol level.  This translates to  better nutrition.

Having  a burger?  Skip the cheese and the bacon.  These two foods add about 250 calories to your burger and add a good deal more saturated fat and cholesterol.

Thinking about your heart health?  Eat fish once or twice a week. as good nutrition.

On a diet?  You can cut your calories by about half if you’ll eat your chicken without the skin.  This will also cut your fat content by about two thirds.

Skip the fruit containing dry cereals.  Most of them don’t have much fruit in the cereal.  If you want to eat cereal with fruit, add fresh fruit yourself.  Your cereal will taste better, look better, and be more nutritious.

Go for the popcorn.  Popcorn has fewer calories and fat than potato chips which makes it more nutritious!

Thanks for reading this article!  Hopefully you’ll find tips you can use for more nutritious eating.

Please refer this article to your favorite social media network.

Thanks Again

Thurman Greco

 

 

Your Sleep as a Spiritual and Healing Event

angel with cat

For all that’s written and spoken about sleep, we all know on some level that sleep is a complex, spiritual event necessary to maintain our health and keep the body and soul together.

I was recently quite ill with a “sinus infection of global proportions” as described to me by a healing friend.  My first tip off was when I decided on a Wednesday afternoon that I suddenly needed to rest.  Fortunately, I followed my body’s demands and crawled in bed.  I promptly went to sleep and woke up on Sunday morning.

On Sunday morning, I was quite tired but felt better.  I drank a lot of water, ate fresh fruit, and made it to the doctor’s office on Monday to find out what my problem was.  Within a couple of hours, I had had enough blood tests, x-rays, and other scans to learn that I not only had the enormous sinus infection but I also had pneumonia.

I also had a physician who was angry at me, a daughter nurse who was angry at me, and several other medical professionals who were angry.

I doubt if I’ll have this experience repeat itself again.  And, I’m certain that this sleep, while highly therapeutic, may have needed some breaks for hydration, etc.

Nevertheless, I’m also convinced that, on some level, the sleep helped my situation.

I was fortunate because I fell  asleep without trouble.  Sleep is not always available to people who are ill or suffering with troubled health for whatever reason.

And, sometimes people are ill and need nothing more than a good night’s sleep to make things better.  So, encouraging a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is a good thing.  Sleep, experienced regularly, is important for wellness and good health in general.

What provision do you make for a regular sleep schedule which includes enough sleep every night?  Are you able to include enough hours to offer therapy to your self and lifestyle?

Is your pillow adequate for the job?

Truthfully, I’ve blogged many times and will blog many times more about all the things a person can do to get enough sleep.  Keep after your sleep until you are able to support your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

The first step involves honoring your self and your need to sleep well in order to live well.

Thanks for reading this blog post.  Please refer it to your favorite social media network.

Thurman Greco

Artwork provided by Jennette Nearhood

 

 

 

Healthy Kitchen

Our lives are often over full with  too much going on.  We’re all busy.  Working.  Caring for children.  Running errands.  Studying.  Volunteering.

Where is the time to shop for and prepare a leisurely, healthy meal?

Food can often be therapeutic.  But, sometimes it’s hard to serve a healthy, healing meal to someone. when everyone is overworked, underpaid, short of time, and out of space.

BUT…

there are things that can be done to make your  kitchen healthy and the meals easier.

Begin by making your kitchen a place where you want to be.  Are the walls a color that you like?  Is music that you like available in your kitchen?  Do your utensils work?

If the answers to your questions were “no”, it’s time to try to make your kitchen a place where you want to be.  Tackle one thing at a time and the room will soon be your favorite place.

Review your recipes.  Do you have a few recipes for meals that are nutritious, delicious, easy to prepare, and fun to eat?  If not, be on the lookout.

What you need is an arsenal of easy-to-prepare meals which you can rely on.  Start with a few slow-cooker recipes which you can use during the week.  This way, you can load the slow-cooker with ingredients before you leave for work, turn on the cooker, and return home at the end of the day to a delicious meal.

Do you have a favorite casserole recipe?  Prepare this dish on your day off and then have it ready to eat the next evening.

Eat together as a family at least three times a week…more if you can.  Make eating together non-negotiable.

Get your family members to help with the meal.  Setting the table, washing the dishes, taking out the trash can all be done by family members.

I’m living proof that it is possible, even easy, to cook and serve healthy, nutritious, delicious, clean food that is easy to prepare and doesn’t cost a fortune.

When you work at this, you’ll soon have a kitchen that everyone enjoys.  Your food will be delicious, easy to prepare, inexpensive, and fun.

Thanks for reading this post!

Please share this article with your favorite social media network.

Thurman Greco

 

 

 

 

Healthy Results

In this  blog post,  I deliberately chose  lifestyle changes which will offer you multiple health benefits.   This is part of a series of  healthy lifestyle tips  to improve your life.    Here are some new ones for you to choose from.  Try them out.  Some will work for you for a while.  Others will be habits you’ll adopt and live with.  These are all positive changes to improve your life.

GROCERY SHOPPING? – Choose whole, natural foods rather packaged or processed foods.

TAKE YOUR VITAMINS AND MINERALS daily.  Choose ones that you need to supplement your diet.  A nutritionist helps me choose the best supplements for my lifestyle situation, body type, age, and health.  Think of your daily vitamins as a sort of wellness insurance policy.  It’s hard to get all the nutrients we need each day.  Vitamins make the job a bit easier.

SET YOUR ALARM to go off 15 minutes earlier each day.  That way, you can slowly wake up .  You’ll have a few minutes to  stretch your arms, legs, hands, toes, feet, ankles, legs, neck and back.  This will bring extra oxygen to your entire body and get your day off to a good start.

MAKE YOUR MORNING DECISIONS THE NIGHT BEFORE.  That means you choose what clothes you’re going to wear the night before.  Choose what you’re going to eat for breakfast.  The more decisions you make the night before, the easier your morning will be.

KEEP  A TO-GO CORNER where you put all the things everyone is going to need as they run out the door.  This will include keys, wallet, book bags, gloves, hats, and whatever else will be needed.

CHOOSE A SHOWER.  It’s healthier than a bath.

DRINK A LARGE GLASS OF WATER.  You wake up each day dehydrated and you’ve been fasting all night so the water is good for you.

LISTEN TO FIVE OR TEN MINUTES OF QUIET MUSIC EACH MORNING.  You’re probably going to hear people talking all day long.  A few minutes of quiet music is helpful preparation.

KEEP YOUR BREAKFAST ROUTINE EASY.  Healthy breakfasts can include  granola,  whole grain cereals, cottage cheese, yogurt, hard boiled eggs.  Try spreading apple slices with peanut butter.  Don’t forget the blueberries! Substitute peanut butter for butter.

TREAT YOURSELF TO DARK CHOCOLATE AS A TOPPING FOR YOUR CEREAL.

Dark chocolate has lots of antioxidants to keep your arteries healthy.

Thanks for reading this blog post.

Please refer this article to your favorite social media network.

UPDATE:  The second edition of the Healer’s Handbook is officially published and available.  You can purchase it online at thurmangreco.com.

Thanks for your support.  Without your continued support, there would be no second edition of this book!  Thanks again!

Thurman Greco

 

Living Healthy

One path to better health is to practice preventive medicine.  But what exactly, does that mean?  Well, it means different things for every person because every person’s body is different.

And, to digress here, that’s a wonderful quality that I love about reflexology.  Our bodies are different every single day and reflexology recognizes and respects that quality.  Why?

Because, reflexology encourages homeostasis which is the balance of all the body systems.  And, because our body systems are different every single day, reflexology sessions note the differences and encourage the body to balance itself.

The result?  Better health!  Reflexology sessions promote better health because of the homeostasis.

And, health promotion is often the small things that we do each day to prevent disease and to balance our bodies.

Disease prevention is best practiced daily, as we develop healthy habits which encourage homeostasis.

Many of the things we do regularly are easy, inexpensive, positive.  Healthy living is something to be enjoyed by us all.

Join me on this journey to better health.

So, read this blog and the series of posts I’ll be writing to help you take  steps which will result in a healthy body and healthier lifestyle.

These blog posts will be somewhat spiritual because health is a spiritual condition.  I hope you  enjoy reading these upcoming posts as much as I am enjoying writing them.

Thank you!

Thurman Greco

Thanks for reading this blog post!

Please share this article with your favorite social media network.

And, buy a copy of the book “A Healer’s Handbook”.  It has many suggestions and much information about the spirituality of both disease and good health.

What is Healthy?

What is healthy, anyway?  We’re all concerned about our health on some level.  We try to eat better, exercise more, sleep more.  There are many components to good health, but, at it’s basic level, what is healthy, anyway?

For starters, a leaner body is healthy.  But, losing weight and keeping it lost can seem like chasing the Fountain of Youth.

And, of course, there is the old story about Ponce de Leon finding it.  The Fountain of Youth headquarters is in St. Augustine, Florida.  You can go there and visit it in a park setting.  But, you don’t need to travel all the way to St. Augustine  to visit the Fountain of Youth.  Branches are right in your own community, maybe even in your neighborhood.  Every fitness center around is a branch of the fountain of youth.  All you have to do is join up and use a fitness center.   The sidewalk in front of your home or office is also a branch of the fountain of youth.  All you have to do is get out there and walk briskly for thirty minutes or so every day.

Using your fitness center regularly or walking briskly for a half hour each day will decrease your risk of developing diabetes.    This will keep you on the path toward good health.  And, while you exercise to protect yourself against diabetes, skipping sugary soft drinks and juices will help.  And, if you have diabetes, find out from your health care professional how much exercise you need every day to strengthen your body as you work with this disease.

Trips to a fitness center and/or the healthy walks will help you develop a healthier heart and will help you reduce your risk of heart disease.

What is healthy?  Visiting your local fitness center or walking helps you feel, look, and act better.  It will also reduce your cholesterol levels.  Add some dietary tips when you want to be healthy and you’re thinking of cholesterol.  Use olive oil more often when you substitute it for less healthy oils, for example.

A brisk daily walk will strengthen your bones.  You can also garden.  Actually, the more things you can think of that will get you off your seat and on your feet, the better.  And, while you’re getting off your seat, try walking a little faster on the sidewalk and running a little faster on the treadmill.  A more intense workout will help you feel better.

What is healthy?  Lowering your stress level is one way to improve your health.  Hug your pet.  And, if you don’t have a pet, can you hug a neighbor’s pet?  Can you go to your local pound and walk a dog there?  If you go to your pound and walk a dog briskly for a half hour, you’ll be doing two beneficial things at once!

And, what about your memory?  Blueberries help.  So do crosswords, scrabble, your local newspaper.

And, finally, what is healthy?  Connection is healthy.  Humans like to be connected to one another.  This can mean different things to different people.  Taking a class in something will help.  Meeting the other people at the fitness center will strengthen your connection to your community.  There are a million ways to get connected.  A church, synagogue, or temple is there waiting for you.  The important thing is to share yourself.

So, here are a few ways to help you define what is healthy for yourself.  Find something you like and share yourself.

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

Thurman Greco

The second edition of this book is on the way! Thanks to all of you who are using this book.

Thurman

 

 

Ten Good Tips!

Can I offer you Ten Good Tips that will improve your life significantly and still be easy to adapt to your lifestyle?

I hope so!  Well, they may not all be super easy to become a part of your life but don’t hit the  escape button yet.  Please just read these Ten Good Tips and see how many of them you already do and how many of them will be easy for you and how many will be a challenge.

I honestly believe this list is going to be easier than you think.  Just, give it a try.

Please.

Drink a cup of tea each day and then drink seven more cups of water throughout your day.

Walk 10,000 steps a day.  Actually, this may be a lot easier than you think.  Many people already walk 10,000 steps daily.  If that doesn’t work for you, try to walk for thirty minutes every day.

Can you quit smoking?  Have you already quit smoking?

Every day, sit down and put your feet up.  Get quiet for five minutes.  That’s all.

Reach out to a friend every day.  Just to say “hi” if nothing else.

Enjoy a piece of chocolate every day.

Sleep well.

Eliminate prefabricated foods from your diet.  You know what I mean.  The instant macaroni and cheese that I lovingly call “yellow death” and the canned chili with ingredient words no one can pronounce.   And, don’t forget the peanut butter with an ingredient list that takes up half the label.

Switch over to olive oil based salad dressings to control cholesterol.

Skip sugary soft drinks and bubbly sodas that have sugar substitutes instead of sugar.  Either way, your body won’t miss them.

Add blueberries to your diet to enhance your memory.  I buy frozen wild blueberries in bulk to cut their cost.  Wild ones actually have more nutrients which are found in the skins because wild blueberries are smaller than the farmed ones.  I put them over plain yogurt.  Love it!

I’ve added a couple extra items to the list so you’ll have a choice.

Thank you for reading this article!

Please refer this blog post to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

The Second Edition of “A Healer’s Handbook” should be available within about two weeks!  Thanks to every for your support of this book!  Thurman