It’s Entirely Natural - Articles

One of the biggest problems we have today is dealing with stress. Everyone gets stressed from time to time. Stress is actually a normal function of the body.

Under certain conditions stress can be helpful. One in four people suffer from the adverse health affects that stress can cause. It is estimated that seventy to ninety percent of adult visits to doctors are due to stress-related complaints. These problems cost an estimated 300 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenses.

Even though everyone can suffer from stress, the way we experience can be very different. There are some common symptoms and causes, however. What causes one person to be highly stressed may not bother another in the least.

When we are anxious, hurried, worried or feel threatened, our bodies begin to tense up. This reaction probably benefited us in caveman days—the well-known “fight or flight” reaction which prepared us for battle and allowed us to hunt prey. In the modern environment, the stress hormones released do not dissipate in the way that they did in our early history—we feel stressed, but don’t engage in physical activity. As a result, these stress hormones attack the organs and create long-term problems if not dealt with adequately.

Constant worry or mental anguish creates chronic tension. This tension begins to take a toll on the body, mind and emotions. This chronic tension can result in anger, depression, fatigue, physical pain, irritability and many other unpleasant and undesirable reactions.

If we can identify what it is that causes stress, then we can effectively manage it. There are several common approaches to alleviating stress that can help most people. These approaches don’t have to use drugs, but a natural approach that can produce long-term beneficial effects.

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to plan ahead. We can’t know everything that will happen, but there is an advantage to getting there on time or even a bit early. Be prepared—and not just if you’re a Boy Scout. Plan to arrive early for appointments; if you’re held up in traffic, you still arrive at the meeting stress-free.

Be prepared also means: make sure that you have enough gas in your car, enough change for the bus, enough of the basic supplies at home such as food staples, and have extra keys made for those times when they get misplaced. Getting things ready ahead of time removes time-imposed stress. Prepare a lunch the day before. Pick out your clothes the night before.

Be prepared to wait. If you have a few minutes before the appointment, have a book or magazine handy. This will help you to deflect concerns about the upcoming meeting.

Get organized. Create a place for everything at home and at your workplace. Put things away when you are finished with them so that you know where they are. Learn to say no and to delegate responsibilities and chores when possible. Taking on too much will surely lead to stress. By making these simple adjustments you are taking a natural approach to stress management.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Stress Management.

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Tags: Anger, Depression, fatigue, hormones, Stress Management

The second principle of Reiki states: “namely today don’t get angry.” Even though this principle is rather short, it communicates well several ideas and truths. And all of them find practical application during the Reiki healing process. However, they are not only used for the Reiki healing processes, but also for changing one’s day to day consciousness, created by the interactions with the world.

Reiki teaching states that when person gets angry he or she looses the ability to observe the world. For, anger blocks your energy outflow, which joins the universal flow of energy. That is why when practicing Reiki it is crucial not to get angry about anything. The same way as it is with anxiety, anger can produce energy blocks and you will have to work on getting rid of them. Unblocking of these energy blocks is supposed to be done not only within the Reiki setting, but outside of the Reiki classroom as well.

If one follows the second Reiki principle of not getting angry, it is observed that the Reiki energies can change. If we can stop our anger we will be able to learn, observe and discover the small manifestations of the surrounding world. Becoming more observant of the surrounding world helps persons in developing different types of reactions.

Often times, anger stimulates our reflexes and evokes certain quick reactions. Such reactions are caused by nervous system responses, which communicated to your brain, to producing certain actions and reflexes in relation to someone or something. Such reactions, being rather impulsive, can in return evoke even greater anger accumulating around you. Thus, these reactions can block of the Rei, universal energy, from manifesting itself around you. However, if one responds to the surround energy with the full awareness of what is going on, instead of responding with anger, he or she allows those energies to make an outflow.

Some Reiki leaders also relate to this second principle as to allowing oneself to become a part of the higher consciousness. Though, when this consciousness is asleep, you may be moved to reaction instead of observation. By awakening this awareness you may substitute anger with different kind of observation and manifestation.

It can be said that by awakening of this consciousness one allows the Soul to become aware of the general universe flow and to open up to the surrounding goodness. Then this principle will work for healing. Using this principle for opening up one’s consciousness to the energy, one can learn to react in different ways and to change many things around him or her.

The second Reiki principle is often times used for unblocking the energy on the inside of people. When someone is released from anger and tension, such person can open up to creating new consciousness and awareness within his or her being, because such awareness allows one to observe and open up for the universal energies to flow through them.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Reiki.

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Tags: Anger, anxiety, Reiki, sleep, universal flow

Goldenseal, Latin name Hydrastis canadensis, is one of the most popular herbs used in herbal remedies today. Goldenseal has traditionally operated as a traditional healing herb of Native Americans, but it has entered the European herbal cabinet with of late.

Traditionally, the Cherokee used goldenseal as an herbal treatment for indigestion, local inflammations, and to improve appetite. The Iroquois used Goldenseal to treat heart problems, liver disorders, whooping cough and to treat fevers.

Goldenseal reached European shores by 1760. During the nineteenth century, Goldenseal had become a popular favorite with practitioners of the Eclectic and Thomsonian schools of medicine. In 1926, Goldenseal was included in the list of United States medicinal ingredients in the Pharmacopoeia.

The character of Goldenseal has alternately been described as bitter, dry, astringent, and cold. The plants constituents are described as resins, volatile oils, and alkaloids. Herbalists traditionally describe the actions of Goldenseal as astringent, a digestive and bile stimulant, a tonic, and a laxative. Goldenseal has also been used to reduce phlegm, to heal gastric mucous membranes, and to raise blood pressure.

The part of the Goldenseal plant that is most commonly used is the rhizome. The rhizome is traditionally harvested in the fall, and it is the main ingredient in many herbal remedies. Many traditional herbalists recommend the rhizome of the Goldenseal plant as an excellent drying and mucus-reducing remedy that works well for the gastric, upper respiratory tract. It is also used for the vaginal mucous membranes. The rhizome of the Goldenseal plant is also used to treat conditions involving the spastic colon (mucous colitis), nasal inflammations, and ear infections.

In essence, Goldenseal is very much an herbal remedy for ear, nose and throat problems. But it has many other applications as well. The Goldenseal plant is often used as an herbal remedy to treat gynecological problems. It can help reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms, and it has been known to ease the pain associated with premenstrual symptoms, especially symptoms linked to stagnation. The rhizome of the Goldenseal plant can often be found in commercial herbal remedies as a tonic.

Even though Goldenseal has proven itself to be a very effective healing herb, there are some cautions you use take when ingesting herbal remedies that feature Goldenseal as one of its main ingredients. For instance, Goldenseal is well known as a powerful uterine stimulant, so its use should be avoided women who are pregnant. Goldenseal is also well known as a hypertensive, so it should be avoided in known cases of high blood pressure.

Also, you should not use herbal remedies containing Goldenseal for an ear infection if you know that there is a risk that an eardrum is perforated. Another caveat: avoid ingesting fresh Goldenseal plant. Eating fresh Golden seal plant has been known to cause ulceration of the mucous membranes. It is a very potent plant. Also, if you suffer from digestive complaints, many herbalists recommend that you take barberry for these types of complaints because Goldenseal has recently become endangered in the wild.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Herbal Remedies.

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Tags: Anger, blood pressure, cold, goldenseal, Herbal Remedies

If every person had the exact same body type and exact same body chemistry, then it would be very easy to have one diet plan that would fit all people. Indeed, it would seem no diets would be needed at all. Because each person is different, not every diet is beneficial to every person. Food allergies, existing health problems, and other conditions all help predetermine what diets will work and what diets should be avoided. This also applies to low carb diets. There are many variations of low carb diets available, but they all have the same target of reducing carbohydrate intake.

In order to determine if the low carb approach is safe for you, it is best to see your doctor. If the doctor you see does not have your family health history and yours, then you will need to collect as much information as possible before going to your visit. Your doctor will make his/her assessment based on your past health condition, and also the conditions that your family is predisposed to having.

Surprisingly enough, you inherit some of your carbohydrate utilization and storage tendencies, along with many other health traits. When you are collecting family history, you will want to start with your immediate family. Every disease and surgery should be recorded, as well as any chronic diseases. If there is a personal or family history of diabetes, this should be very carefully noted. Diabetes affects more than 15 million Americans and can be very dangerous in combination with a low carb diet.

Once you have collected health history information about your immediate family, then move on to extended family, like aunts, uncles, and grandparents. The more information that you provide to your family doctor the better he or she will be able to determine if a low carb diet is safe for you.

In order to further determine the safety of a low carb diet for you, your doctor will want to run some basic tests. These include checking your blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels (both HDL and LDL). Since different people metabolize carbohydrates in different ways, what may be a safe level for you (and therefore not need changing at all), may need curbing in someone else.

As effective a tool as low carb diets are in the weight loss arsenal, they are not suited for every person. Certain people have personal or genetic health factors that would make trying low carb diets dangerous. Therefore, you will need to see your doctor before starting this type of diet. You will also need to learn as much as you can about your family health history, and assemble a profile of your past and current health conditions.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Nutrition & Health.

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Tags: Anger, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, diet, low carb diets, Nutrition & Health

Learn How to Relax

There are a few simple things that you can learn that will allow you to calm down and relax.

Take Deep Breaths:

Breathe from your diaphragm. When you breathe from your chest, it won’t relax you like deep breathing will. Picture in your mind your breath coming up from way down in your abdominal area.

Slowly repeat a calming word or phrase such as “relax,” “take it easy”, “it’s ok.” Repeat the word or phrase to yourself while breathing deeply.

Imagery can help to relax you. Visualize a relaxing experience. You can think of something that is a memory of a fun and relaxing time you had - like at a beach. If you can’t think of a memory, use your imagination.

Try doing yoga-like exercises that relax your muscles and make you feel much calmer.

Practice these techniques on a daily basis, so they become second nature to you. Then you will be able to use them automatically when you’re in a situation that may make you angry.

Change the Way You Think

People who express anger often tend to curse, swear or speak in highly emotional ways. This response reflects the way they think. When you become angry your thoughts can tend to become overly dramatic.

Try replacing these dramatic thoughts with more rational ones. An example may be instead of saying: “This is just unbelievably terrible. It’s a disaster,” you might think this instead: “It’s an upsetting situation and it’s certainly understandable that I am upset, but it’s not the end of the world. I can deal with this. My getting angry is not going to solve this problem. I need to stay calm and think rationally in order to find a solution.” Be aware of using words like “never” or “always” when you are talking or thinking about yourself or others. This leads to negative thinking and is counterproductive and usually not accurate.

Words like these can also fuel your anger and alienate others around you who might otherwise want to help you to come up with a solution. In situations where you are upset, having others around who sympathize with you and can help you to solve the situation is preferable to alienating others and scaring them away.

Expressing anger in a non-productive manner is not going to solve the problem and it is not going to make you feel better about the situation or about yourself. Expressing anger in an uncontrolled manner may make you feel worse about yourself and the situation. You could even make the situation worse during your outburst.

Thinking the situation through in a logical manner can defeat feelings of anger. Anger, even when it is understandable and justified can easily become irrational, uncontrolled, and unproductive if not contained and redirected.

Unpleasant situations happen to all of us. Who hasn’t been ill-treated by a consumer-related incidence? It happens, and while in the midst of situations like these; keeping your cool and staying in control, will assure that you will have the best outcome possible.

One good strategy to master is - Problem Solving

Taking positive steps to coming up with a solution to what is upsetting you can help to make you feel better:

1. Analyze what the problem is by identifying all participants and events that created the problem
2. Gather information regarding the subject of the problem
3. Understand the dynamics involved from all angles.
4. Brain-storm all possible solutions and scenarios or consequences.
5. Make a plan of action and a goal as to when to accomplish your solution.

Not all problems have solutions despite our hope that they do. Sometimes all we can do is learn how to cope with the situation in a healthy, positive manner; if a solution is not possible.

Another good strategy is to be able to listen well and to communicate with all parties involved in the event or situation. Take the time to really hear what others are saying. Others who are involved can help you to understand the problem better. Having the ability to be able to communicate both your feelings and your thoughts on the matter will allow you to express your feelings in a constructive manner.

Try not to get defensive if others criticize what you say. Not everyone agrees with everyone else. We as individuals will naturally have different opinions. A discussion is only a discussion if all parties remain in control and can actively listen to what others are saying without judging too quickly.

A little bit of humor can diffuse a potentially explosive situation at times. Being able to laugh at yourself can at times help to make you feel better about something that may otherwise have upset you. We’ve all made mistakes, right? It happens, it can’t be undone, and sometimes the best thing we can do is say “wow that was a dumb thing to do, but it happened and I’ll just fix it and laugh at my clumsiness.”

Give yourself a break from the rigors of life. Working too hard can make us grumpy and more easily prone to bouts of anger. Make sure you schedule some personal time for rest and relaxation.

Use these strategies for controlling your anger. Check out some anger management books from your local library for some more great strategies.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Anger Management.

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Tags: Anger, Anger Management, yoga

Anger has been proved as a root cause for various problems like anxiety, heart attack, etc. But, as the saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way”. Among various techniques to control and manage anger, one very effective technique is relaxation. It can be done in many ways and makes your mind and body relaxed to relieve you from anger. One may need to learn the correct technique to get complete results.

Breathing

Controlled breathing is a very effective way of getting calmed down. The method has a logical reason behind it; anger makes us breathe faster, but if we just do the opposite of it, i.e. if we just start breathing slowly by taking deep breaths, the problem is solved even before it started. The important point to be noted is that you should take deep breaths, involving your diaphragm, not shallow breaths using just your chest. Next important thing to be followed is that the processes of inhaling and exhaling should be very slow.

Whispering soothing words like ‘calm down’ while exhaling even enhances the effectiveness of the technique. So, whenever you feel like getting angry on something, make a habit of taking in and out slow deep breaths to control yourself.

Imagery

This relaxation technique helps relaxing from anger and fills the person with positive feelings and calmness. This technique can be applied by someone else or by the person affected himself. It involves painting an imaginary picture of something you enjoy. It can be a scene of your favorite destination, having you there enjoying and smiling. Completely involve yourself in the scene and see yourself doing all the fun activities that you love to do. See your near and dear ones there. This will make you forget the tension and anger. In no time you will feel relaxed and smiling. This is the key to effectiveness of this technique. Our body and even our facial muscles become stiff on getting angry. Smiling, not only relaxes mind, but it relaxes our facial muscles as well.

Other Relaxation Techniques

Other than breathing and imagery techniques, there are various other ways too, to control anger and anxiety. For example, saying relaxing words to oneself in a low soothing voice, acupuncture, meditation, etc. These techniques just distract you for some time, from the situation that is making you angry, and gives you time to control your emotions and anger.

Before getting angry over some issue, try and clarify the matter with the person concerned. This may even solve the problem without your getting angry over it. Meditation is also very helpful in controlling anger. Concentrate and practice deep breathing, along with saying positive and relaxing words. Once you have controlled your anger, you have assured a happy life for yourself.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Anger Management.

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Tags: acupuncture, Anger, Anger Management, anxiety, relaxation techniques