If You Want Brain Power Add Meditation

January 30th, 2010 By: Brittany

Brain research is beginning to produce concrete evidence for something that Buddhist practitioners of meditation have maintained for centuries: Mental discipline and meditative practice can change the workings of the brain and allow people to achieve different levels of awareness.

Those transformed states have traditionally been understood in transcendent terms, as something outside the world of physical measurement and objective evaluation. But over the past few years, researchers at the University of Wisconsin working with Tibetan monks have been able to translate those mental experiences into the scientific language of high-frequency gamma waves and brain synchrony, or coordination.

“What we found is that the longtime practitioners showed brain activation on a scale we have never seen before,” said Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the university’s new $10 million W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior. “Their mental practice is having an effect on the brain in the same way golf or tennis practice will enhance performance.”

Davidson’s research is consistent with his earlier work that pinpointed the left prefrontal cortex as a brain region associated with happiness and positive thoughts and emotions. Using functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) on the meditating monks, Davidson found that their brain activity — as measured by the EEG — was especially high in this area.

Davidson concludes from the research that meditation not only changes the workings of the brain in the short term, but also quite possibly produces permanent changes.

Source: Washington Post

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Exercise Proves Helpful for MS Patients

January 29th, 2010 By: Brittany

Exercise appears to protect the brains of people with multiple sclerosis, new study findings suggest.

Researchers assessed fitness, cognitive function and brain structural changes in 21 women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).

Patients who were classified as being highly fit performed much better on cognitive function tests than less-fit patients. MRI scans also showed that higher levels of fitness were associated with greater volume of gray matter, which is linked to vital brain processing skills, and less damage in parts of the brain where MS-related deterioration occurs.

“We found that aerobic fitness has a protective effect on parts of the brain that are most affected by multiple sclerosis,” study lead author Ruchika Shaurya Prakash, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University, said in a news release. “As a result, these fitter patients actually show better performance on tasks that measure processing speed.”

The researchers also found that fitter MS patients showed less deterioration of brain white matter, which are fibers that connect gray matter areas.

Source: MSN Health

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Best Rated Prenatal Vitamins

January 28th, 2010 By: Brittany

Is it true that not all prenatal vitamins are created equally? Yes, this is very true. When you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant it is best that you research vitamins, or ask a Naturopath what they recommend.

So, what are 3 well worth investing prenatal vitamins?

1. New Chapter Organics Prenatals- these are organic, probiotic, whole-food complex vitamins. New Chapter’s nutrients are food based, they are recognized by your bodies as wholesome, nourishing food, digested easily and soothing to a pregnant woman’s sensitive GI tract. They do contain soy, so if you are soy sensitive you may have to look at another brand, newchapter.com.

2. Standard Process Catalyn and Folic Acid/B12- Standard process is worth every penny. They are one of the most nourishing supplements you can take. Standard process can be bought at most Nautropaths offices, and online at standardprocess.com.

3. Thorne Research Prenatal- Basic Prenatal is a comprehensive supplement formulated with the special needs of pregnancy in mind. Manufactured with none of the additives and coatings usually found in mainstream prenatal tablets, Basic Prenatal includes only the most bioavailable nutrients, thorne.com.

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Spiritual Parenting

January 27th, 2010 By: Brittany

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Man Risks Life While Saving Grandson

January 15th, 2010 By: Brittany

PORTLAND, Ore. — A La Grande man is in a burn unit after risking his life to save his grandchild from a burning house Monday night.

Jim Smith is recovering at Legacy Emanuel Hospital from burns to the top of his head, face, arms and 70 percent of his back after charging into the blaze on Ash Street in La Grande.

Smith was sleeping in a camper parked in the driveway when a neighbor pounded on the house’s front door to alert the children’s father, Steven Lane, to the fire.

Lane rushed upstairs to get 2-year-old Alexis and 4-year-old Austin. Ashley, 7, was able to break a first-floor window and escape on her own.

But 6-year-old Aaden was still in the basement.

When Smith heard the boy was still inside, he headed toward the blaze.

“I had to go through the flames to get into the house because it had already engulfed the whole porch area of the house and the back porch. The computer room was all in flames. Then, down in the basement, it was starting to burn down through the basement to Aaden’s bed,” he said.

Smith said he found the boy asleep, wrapped him in a jacket and looked for a way out.

“I was beside myself. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared to death,” he said.

Smith, who was not wearing a shirt or a hat, carried Aaden up the stairs and escaped through the garage.Aaden suffered a burn on the back of his hand. The other children weren’t injured.

The childrens’ mother, Crystal Voyles, said she returned home Monday night after being called about the fire.She rejoined her family in a nearby church parking lot.Voyles and her children called Smith “Papa Jim, our hero” after the fire.

“I didn’t let go of (Aaden) and he didn’t let go of me until we found what we needed to find — everyone that was in that house,” Smith said.

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Meditation On A Schedule

January 10th, 2010 By: Brittany

This is a good meditation to do on a schedule. It is 3 minutes and can be used anywhere you have internet. I gave this to my husband and his co-workers and they love to use it at work. It is also a good way to take a 3 minute break away from hyper kids and stressed out friends.

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Have You Heard Of Adrenal Fatigue?

January 9th, 2010 By: Brittany

Adrenal Fatigue is very common. Many of us who carry stress or prolonged stress have some level of adrenal fatigue. If you are dealing with hormonal issues, sleep issues, or even wait gain the adrenal could be under moderate stress. It is important that we take care of them by making a few healthy choices as well as supplements.

What do the adrenals need?

-Protein

- Vitamin C

- Vitamin B5

Find a way to help your body calm down. There are many stress management techniques and a good way to calm your body down is to find one that fits well with you and your schedule. Many popular stress tools are yoga, pilates, meditation, EFT, massage, journaling, and walking.

The best way to get your body and adrenals back on track is to see a doctor who specializes in adrenal and thyroid fatigue. Many Naturopaths are trained to effectively treat and help patients in this area. This is important because they can prescribe the right diet, supplements, and vitamins that you need specific for you.

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