The Art of YOGA!

Yoga is all about feeling good; feel the blood surging through your veins, the energy pulsating through your nerves, the bliss coursing through your whole being. Yoga is for everyone regardless of age, gender, color, or religion; from the healthiest to the sickest; from the richest to the poorest. Yoga is for the body, mind, and spirit. You learn to use your body, breath, and mind to stretch, relax, and energize yourself. Yoga is highly therapeutic. So get up and experience the art of yoga!

According to medical scientists, yoga therapy is successful because of the balance created in the nervous and endocrine systems which directly influences all the other systems and organs of the body. Yoga acts both as a curative and preventive therapy. The very essence of yoga lies in attaining mental peace, improved concentration powers, a relaxed state of living and harmony in relationships.

Through the practice of yoga, we become aware of the interconnectedness between our emotional, mental and physical levels. The ultimate goal of yoga is to make it possible for you to be able to fuse together the gross material, physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual levels within your being.

Physicians and scientists are discovering brand new health benefits of yoga everyday. Studies show it can relieve the symptoms of several common and potentially life-threatening illnesses such as arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, diabetes, AIDS, asthma and obesity. Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness, increases body awareness, relieves chronic stress patterns, relaxes the mind, centers attention and sharpens concentration.

Basketball Fuse

Basketball is one of the greatest sports played in the whole wide world. I bet if Aliens known about this game they would try this out. Or they maybe had played this sport already. Remember the Space Jam, where Michael Jordan himself plays versus the Alien basketball squad Monstars.

Well at present it’s the most talked about sport. Especially the NBA is nearing to the start of the new season on October 30, 2007. Most of the people talked about who’s going to be the champions this season. Would it be still the Spurs who will be defending the title after winning the championship game versus the Cavaliers, who had determinedly arose fro being the underdog carried by King James Many are betting on the monster line up of Celtics in which they had the two biggest names acquired from this season trade market. Namely Ray Allen acquired from Seattle Supersonics and “The Big Ticket” Kevin Garnett. This two had a biggest fuse in the trade business in the whole NBA league. But the question is, would they make a difference?

Despite from that two big names there are still some who’d like to make a fuse around the league. There is Shawn Marion from Phoenix Suns would liked to be a traded also. He said in one of the interviews "I'm tired of hearing my name in trades," Marion told the paper late Tuesday. "I love my fans in Phoenix but I think it's time for me to move on."

Well it’s for us to find out who or what team will come out on top again in the new season of the one of the greatest games in history. BASKETBALL.

Sleeping Breathless

Sleep apnea (apnea is a Latin word meaning “without breath”) is a serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops long enough during sleep to decrease the amount of oxygen and increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood and brain. In sleep apnea, breathing stops or becomes very shallow for periods of 10 to 20 seconds or longer many times during the night. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation.

The most common signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring and choking or gasping during sleep and being sleepy during the day.

Having a physical exam and providing your doctor with information about your sleep will help to diagnose sleep apnea. Your doctor may also want you to have special sleep tests. A sleep test, called polysomnography is usually done to diagnose sleep apnea. There are two kinds of polysomnograms. An overnight polysomnography test involves monitoring brain waves, muscle tension, eye movement, respiration, oxygen level in the blood and audio monitoring. (for snoring, gasping, etc.) The second kind of polysomnography test is a home monitoring test. A Sleep Technologist hooks you up to all the electrodes and instructs you on how to record your sleep with a computerized polysomnograph that you take home and return in the morning.

Treatment is aimed at restoring regular nighttime breathing and relieving symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. Treatment will also help associated medical problems, such as high blood pressure, and reduce the risk for heart attack and stroke. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. CPAP is a machine that blows air into your nose via a nose mask, keeping the airway open and unobstructed.

Vein Strain

Crossing your legs may be the most popular way of developing varicose veins (those purplish knotted veins found at the skin’s surface, usually behind your calves). Veins become varicose when their valves (Tiny flaps which help bring the blood up to the heart) malfunction. When this happens, gravity takes its course and the blood fails to get pushed up. “Your blood is somewhat trapped and remains stagnant, thus distending the veins,” says Dr. Valerie F. Gosiengfiao-de Vera (chief resident of dermatology, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital). Here are ways to improve your blood circulation:

1. WORK OUT. Physical activity helps the blood in your legs to flow, so get a move on.
2. CHOOSE YOUR SHOES. Avoid high heels when you can. Low-heeled shoes don’t strain your calf muscles as much, which is better for your veins.
3. TAKE A BREAK. Be mindful. If you’ve been standing too long, sit down. Or vice versa.
4. LOSE WEIGHT. Being overweight puts pressure on your legs, causing a strain on circulation.
5. UNCROSS YOUR LEGS to avoid distended veins. This relieves pressure in your legs.

SOURCE: marie claire, March 2006

LOW FAT Diet

For a regular healthy diet, it is recommended that of the total calories eaten, no more than 30% should come from fat. However, certain diseases and medical conditions can make it difficult for the body to tolerate even that much fat, so a low-fat diet may help people with these conditions. Such conditions include gallbladder disease, malabsorption of nutrients, and fatty liver.

A study conducted last 2006 shows little evidence that following a low fat diet reduces the risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or even heart disease. Still the best way to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease is to have a regular mammogram and screening for colorectal cancer as well as having regular check-up with a doctor. And just include in the diet low in fat and cholesterol.

What foods are high in fat?

1. Dairy foods (whole milk, ice cream, creams)
2. Fatty red meats
3. Butter is not only high in fat, but saturated fat as well
4. Oils are fat, although some may have lower saturated fat.
5. Egg yolks, which are particularly high in cholesterol.
6. Cheese
7. Processed meats (sausage, salami, hot dogs, bologna)

What are some foods that are low in fat and better to eat?

1. Fruits
2. Vegetables
3. Fish and shellfish
4. Cereals, rice
5. Pasta
6. Nuts and seeds
7. Vegetable oils are preferable to butter

But I suggest, the best way to reduce risk of diseases and to have a healthy lifestyle, have a well balanced diet, control weight, and have a regular exercise.

Apple

The apple if you have read the bible the apple is called the forbidden fruit. It is both the fruit of sin and the fruit of knowledge. It is state in the book of Genesis chapter 3 verses 1 to 13 that Adam and Eve were lured by the evil snake to eat the apple which is forbidden by God to be eaten. But still they were deceived to eat it. And as a result they were exiled from the Garden of Eden.

At present an apple is a fruit that many like to eat. As the saying goes “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” Because there are a lot of benefits eating this fruit, according to chm.bris.ac.uk the benefits of apples are as follows:

1. Reduce blood cholesterol

2. Improve bowel function

3. Reduce risk of stroke

4. Prostate cancer

5. Type II diabetes

6. Asthma

7. Improve lung function and reduce the risk of respiratory diseases

8. Play a role in inhibiting ageing-related problems, preventing wrinkles and promoting hair growth

9. And a good source of lots of vitamins such as potassium

So why is apple a forbidden fruit? Is it still a sin every time we eat this fruit? With lots of benefits from this I think God would reconsider.