Cancer and Your Spirituality
Spiritually, few diseases have an impact as strong as cancer. Grief eats away at your body. Carrying past wounds makes you fearful, angry. You attack yourself from the inside out. Finally, you are running on empty.
Cancer is a complex and life-threatening disease. It requires specially trained health care professionals. Your journey to wellness will be easier and more effective if your medical knows about any and all alternative remedies you use. Your recovery calls for conventional physicians and integrative medical techniques. In other words, use every tool you feel will work.
Include internists, physical therapists, nutritionists, bodyworkers, healers in your wellness team. Everyone is needed to care for you and give you a better path to success.
As with arthritis, there are many different forms of cancer. Your reflexology, Reiki, and chakra healing sessions, received 24 to 48 hours after chemotherapy help move the medication throughout your body more efficiently.
Regular sessions offer a deep sense of relaxation, homeostasis, pain relief, and reduce stress. If reflexology is not available, try other bodywork modalities. They can change your cancer experience. Safe, effective healing bodywork therapies offer nurturing in tandem with cancer treatment.
When you suffer from cancer, continue all your treatments, both allopathic and complementary. Your reflexologist will support your return to good health through all your treatments. Your sessions will be most effective when you combine reflexology with Reiki, chakra healing.
Do you practice Reiki? No? Now might be a good time to start. Self Reiki sessions can help with fear, nausea, and pain.
RISK FACTORS
The list is long: age, air pollution, diabetes, excess sun exposure, exposure to chemicals, family history, heavy alcohol consumption, obesity, polyps in colon, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, poor health.
Some professions believe cancers don’t need risk factors because many people get cancer who don’t have applicable risk factors or who are not exposed to them. This makes cancer a more spiritual set of diseases.
CHAKRAS
The location of your cancer tells you which chakras are affected. With cancer, the chakras need to be balanced.
Prostate and rectal cancer involve your root chakra. Cancers of your cervix, ovaries, uterus, colon, unbalance your sacral chakra. Cancers of your stomach, liver, intestinal tract, pancreas, unbalance your solar plexus chakra. Your heart chakra becomes unbalanced by breast and lung cancers. Lung cancer unbalances your throat chakra as well. Finally, brain tumors affect your crown chakra.
REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK
brain reflexes, endocrine system, digestive system, immune system, respiratory system, the lymphatics, circulatory system, nervous system, liver, solar plexus
ESSENTIAL OILS
Canadian red cedar, clove, dill, Douglas fir, galbanum, grapefruit, hyssop, Idaho balsam fir, lavender, ledum, maleleuca, myrrh, myrtle, nutmeg, patchouli, rose, sage, sandalwood, tarragon, thyme, tsuga, valerian, ylang ylang
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Consult with your nutritionist, your physicians, and your entire support team to choose vitamin and mineral supplements for your situation. Nutritional support will help decrease any side effects you experience. Some professionals believe you will recover faster, have fewer complications if you take nutritional supplements.
If you have questions about which supplements are best for you, I refer you to Village Apothecary, 79 Tinker Street, here in Woodstock, New York, 12498. I get all my supplements at Village Apothecary. I trust Neil Smoller’s advice.
THINGS TO DO
Normalize your cholesterol levels. Exercise. Use smart food choices, portion control to balance your weight. Staying active helps relieve fatigue, reduce anxiety, lift pain, boost energy, preserve muscle strength, protect bones. Avoid overexposure to sun. Skip the alcohol. The list, it seems, is endless.
If you read this section of the book, maybe you’re taking stock of your life. Now is a good time to search your inner self and seek those lost parts you’ve ignored for a long time. Move them onto your front row of attention. Nourish those feelings and thoughts. Put them in the spotlight. Your goal is to feel safe so you can heal.
IMPORTANT FOODS IN YOUR DIET
There’s a correlation between fat, meat, and cancer. Fruits, vegetables, fiber are necessary for you if you are trying to prevent or treat cancer. Nutrition is important.
Some well known cancer-fighting foods include green tea, garlic, soy, turmeric, and ginger. No one food can cure cancer. But a good diet can help your quality of life while you fuel your body. At mealtime, fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
DEFENSE STRATEGIES
Living well offers protection against many cancers. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet. Exercise regularly. Avoid tobacco and alcohol to prevent many cancers. Get a bit of sunlight every day. There is, however, no magic bullet.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Have I left my community behind? Is deep stress undermining my immune system? Can I be honest about my feelings?
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer it to your preferred social media network.
Thanks for reading this blog!
You Have on your Screen a Special Healing Blog
You have on your screen the blog with information I would love to have had when I was a young mother with two active, inquisitive children.
This is also the information I would love to have given to my daughters when they started their families. So now, I pass on this information to you as well as my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to use as they travel through life.
The information in this blog is a ticket to your healing adventures. After all, wherever you go, if you’re caring for someone else or yourself, you’re on a journey. This information has you covered.
I’m sharing information which took me decades to discover and organize. You’ll find it presented in easy, practical, uncomplicated ways to use in today’s world.
The information I share has stood the test of time. Medical training isn’t necessary to to read and understand the words on these plot posts.
For thousands of years, reflexology (for example), has been used to successfully treat health issues from common ailments to serious disease. Because I’m a reflexologist, you’ll find references to this modality on many pages. That doesn’t mean you need to be a reflexologist to read, understand, or use this book. It’s there for you if you want to adapt it to your needs. If you know nothing about reflexology, you can still benefit from its philosophy about health and healing.
Reflexology teaches you this: Your body is different every day.
My healing practice teaches you this: your body is not just physical. Indeed, your components include physical, mental, emotional, spiritual aspects.
Future blog posts will focus on your health, healing, and wellness. I’ve planned posts on your body systems. I’ll include important foods in each system as they apply to its healing.
I’ve planned future posts focusing on chakras.
I plan to list more and more ailments and remedies alphabetically.
Each entry will include spiritual qualities unique to that specific disease. I’ll be listing essential oils although I won’t be describing how to use them. That is a different subject entirely.
These blog posts are designed to be practical and easily adaptable to your needs. I hope you will enjoy them.
Thurman Greco
Please refer this post to you preferred social media network.
And, enjoy good health!
Healthy Blood Pressure – 6 Things You Can Do.
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
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
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
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.
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
Walking to Stay Youthful – Longevity Tips You Can Use
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
10 Tips Offering You a Longer and Healthier Life.
When you seek a longer and healthier life, you develop spiritual attitudes and habits which resonate with you. A longevity focused life is a lifestyle.
Before it’s all over, the lists in this blog may seem endlessly overloaded with things to do. But, that’s not the object of this series. My goal is to offer you information you can use to enjoy a longer, healthier life. Pick and choose from the choices, as you select the habits that resonate with your body, mind, emotions and your spirit.
EXCESS WEIGHT CAN RUIN YOUR LONGEVITY PLANS – So, what can you do about it?
For starters, realize that obesity triggers arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. These health conditions conspire to rob you of your longer and healthier life.
Getting the weight off and keeping it off is important. And, getting it off the sooner the better is what its all about. When I give my library talks about my wellness book “A Healer’s Handbook”, I spend a lot of time talking about all the things you can do.
Begin by eating fruits, soups, and vegetables, Eat as much of these foods as you want and eat smaller amounts of meats and breads as you work toward a longer and healthier life.
Skip chemical laden products that have been manufactured for you to eat. This means reading the labels. If you can’t pronounce the words on the ingredient list, then you don’t need to eat even one bite of that product.
USE A SMALLER PLATE – Pile it high with fresh salad greens or vegetables.
For a longer and healthier life, always begin your meal with a soup.
Plate up your food in the kitchen and don’t put serving dishes on the table with your food.
DON’T TRY TO LIVE WITH A SLEEP DEFICIT. – A longer and healthier life depends on a rested body. This is really the heart of the matter. I’ve written post after post after post about the importance of sleep for you and your life. And, after this longevity series, I plan to return to a few more blog posts about getting enough sleep.
It all comes down to this: If you get enough sleep, you are going to have fewer health problems. With fewer health problems, you are on a path to a longer, healthier life.
JOIN A CONGREGATION. – Statistics show us that attending regular religious services has a strong, positive health effect resulting in a longer and healthier life.
Congregations offer a community of acceptance to members, an atmosphere which encourages good mental health, a stable social circle, and good immune function.
What this says to me is that our spiritual health is positively affected by a community atmosphere supporting our mental, and emotional beings.
LIVE WITH PURPOSE – Living with purpose influences mental, spiritual, and physical health positively. The way you live with purpose depends on you and your interests. The way you choose to give meaning to your life is completely up to you. Your choices are endless.
Before you get overwhelmed by this, begin by asking yourself some questions.
Does my plant need watering?
Does my dog need walking?
Am I concerned about my environment?
Have I always wanted to……………….?
This amounts to developing a sense of purpose in life by giving of yourself in some way for the benefit of others as you seek a longer and healthier life.
GET REGULAR REFLEXOLOGY SESSIONS – Well, of course I would believe this. I’m a reflexologist. However, if you are reading this article and you’ve never received a reflexology session, you can still achieve your longevity and wellness goals without receiving even one session.
The important thing here is to receive body work sessions regularly. And, in all honesty, there are hundreds of kinds of body work being practiced on our planet today. What’s important is that you receive some form of beneficial body work regularly.
If you don’t feel like you have the money for this bodywork, barter the sessions. I receive a Reiki therapy session every Monday afternoon. I exchange this session with a student. I feel like this is one of the most important things I do every week.
And, one of the most wonderful barters I did in my whole life was when I exchanged a reflexology session with an esthetician every week. What a fabulous time that was! Alas, she moved out of the state.
The bottom line is that we all need doses of the right touch for a longer and healthier life. Touch is important to our spiritual development.
MEDITATION IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND YOUR LONGEVITY PLANS. Do you meditate? Do you meditate regularly? If the answer to these two questions was “no” then begin by taking yoga classes. Yoga and meditation work together very well.
Have trouble scheduling meditation time? Join a meditation circle or form one where you meditate together weekly.
Meditation is grounding and offers major stress reduction. The positive health benefits of meditation ripple out to everyone and everything around you.
Make meditation a part of your life.
BRING NATURE CLOSER TO YOUR LIFE – How?
Walks in the park tend to lower your blood pressure.
Plants in your office or home bring their own calm.
Wilderness walks can be restorative.
Add wilderness pictures to office and home decor.
Nature sounds can be soothing as you listen to waterfalls, bird songs or ocean waves. My absolute favorite music is a CD entitled “Dolphin Music” by Ken Davis. It’s ancient as CD’s go, but I don’t want to be caught without it.
When you do these things, you protect yourself from stress.
BE OPTIMISTIC – You’ll live longer and feel better about your life when you look on the bright side of situations.
Build good relationships.
Refuse to see a crisis as insurmountable.
Accept change as a part of life.
Seek opportunities.
Maintain a positive view of yourself.
Finally, try to see things in perspective.
Thanks for reading this article. Please forward this blog post to your favorite social media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
10 Things You Can do to Live a Longer Life
When you establish everyday habits with a goal toward a longer life, you’ll know you are doing your best to get the most out of each and every day. Seeking a longer life is a serious quest because you have to decide not only how long you want to live but also what you plan to do with all those years you plan to have.
SUNSHINE HELPS YOU
Get out into the sun for a few minutes every day. Ten to 15 minutes of sun daily will help you store the “sunshine vitamin” which will help your body use the calcium necessary to stay healthy for a longer life and avoid osteoporosis.
THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon landed at what is now Saint Augustine, Florida, in search of the fountain of youth. He found it there. And, it still exists. Branches of the fountain of youth can be found today in your neighborhood. They are found on the sidewalk where you walk as you exercise. They are also found in the fitness center in your community.
Exercise is a premiere activity for a longer life. It doesn’t matter much what exercise plan you have. Running? Weight lifting? Self Defense? Yoga? Whatever you choose, you need to like it enough to do it several times a week. For me, regular exercise is the Fountain of Youth in action!
STAY CONNECTED
Be a part of your community. The most important thing is that you develop strong social ties. You can get active in a church or synagogue. Or join a book club. Donate time at a library or food pantry. Collect stamps. Whatever you do, choose something you’ll enjoy and show up regularly. Your blood pressure will go down. Your immune system will improve. Your heart will work better. You will have yourself on a path to a longer life.
DRINK TEA
Take time each day to enjoy a cup of tea or a glass of iced tea. Relax, and refresh.
While you enjoy your tea, know that it will boost your immune system because tea is rich in antioxidants which fight cholesterol and cancer. Tea loves to fight free radicals. W hen you drink more tea, you’ll be drinking fewer soda drinks which don’t have the antioxidants and can’t fight diseases like cancer and cholesterol.
GET RID OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS.
Stress is not a problem in and of itself. Stress is a word describing how you respond to an event causing mental tension and worry. I do not know anyone whose life is not filled with stress. Stress affects your health when it weakens the immune system and contributes to disease.
I’ve written much about stress in my book “Healer’s Handbook” and in other articles in this blog.
Reiki therapy and reflexology are good anti-stress activities.
Exercise, meditation, a positive mental attitude work to support your ability to shed stress.
DEVELOP YOUR STRENGTH
There are many, many kinds of exercise. Choose one that works for your body and your lifestyle. But, whichever one you choose, include strength training. Strength training is every bit as important as cardiovascular workouts because the strength we develop and maintain in our back, core muscles and legs is what is going to keep us upright as we age and live longer. Strength training keeps the spine straight. Strength training prevents falls. Check with your healthcare provider when you begin a strength training fitness program.
My physical therapist, Carolyn Abedor, teaches a weekly yoga class which she calls “Posture”. I attend this class every week and depend on it to help straighten my spine, my core muscles and my legs.
CHOLESTEROL
Do you know your scores? It’s a good idea to learn, if you don’t. Once you know your cholesterol scores, you’ll be more interested in things you can do to make your self healthier for the long haul.
VOLUNTEER
Statistics show us that people who volunteer live longer than those who don’t. Do you have time in your life to give of yourself? If so, choose an activity which puts you in direct contact with people at least an hour every week.
This task is probably mandatory if you are seriously interested in longevity.
GIVE UP A FEW THINGS
Multitasking creates unnecessary stress and the efficiency gains you experience aren’t that much of a plus in your life. This becomes real when you find yourself caught in a trap of serving demanding people and situations which steal your energy.
Your spirit will tell you when it’s time to reduce your To-Do list and learn to say “no” to demanding people. Simplifying your life can become a spiritual process.
HALT HYPERTENSION
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common cardiovascular disease in America. There are three things to know about hypertension:
For the most part, hypertension is preventable with proper diet and lifestyle.
Many people suffer with hypertension and don’t even know it.
Hypertension leads to kidney failure, damaged eyesight, cognitive impairment, and other situations.
There are four things you can do about hypertension:
Cut down on salt.
Lose excess weight.
Keep moving.
Pitch the cigarettes.
DODGE DIABETES
Diabetes is a disease which, in many cases, can be prevented and controlled. Like hypertension, diabetes is a silent disease for many people.
And, if you are interested in living a longer life, you need to respect it because diabetes can trim 10 years off your life expectancy.
If you think you have diabetes, or if you have diabetes, get yourself on the correct eating plan, get active, and do the things your healthcare provider tells you to do.
Thank you for reading this article! Please share it with your favorite social media network.
Hopefully you found some things which will benefit your search for a longer, healthier life. More tips will follow soon!
Thanks again.
Thurman Greco
