Joint Health, Osteoarthritis & Cetyl Myristoleate

According to an article in the American Family Physician publication, Americans spend more on natural remedies for osteoarthritis than for any other medical condition. A number of these remedies bring with them unhealthy, and sometimes, unsafe side-effects. In looking for a safe, natural remedy, make sure you investigate Cetyl Myristoleate.

Harry Diehl
For over 40 years of dedicated service to the US government, Dr. Diehl worked for the prestigious , National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Laboratory of Chemistry of the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolic, and Digestive Diseases located in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1964, at the age of 40, Mr. Diehl became concernerned about a neighbor's pain and disability from rheumatoid arthritis. His condition deteriorated over time until he became disabled. The neighbor had a family to support, but his arthritis made that impossible. Diehl was a deeply religious man whose feelings overwhelmed him as his friend's condition worsened. Harry thought, "Here I am working for the US Government at the National Institutes of Health, and I have never seen anything that was good for curing arthritis." He decided to take the initiative to establish a laboratory in his home to immerse himself and embark on a search for something to relieve the pain and disability of his neighbor and the millions of people who suffer from arthritis.


Diehl patented his discovery in 1977, receiving a use patent for rheumatoid arthritis. He then sought pharmaceutical companies to conduct human trials with cetyl myristoleate, but none were interested in his discovery. Perhaps the lack of interest was because cetyl myristoleate was a natural substance and could not be granted a product patent, or maybe because drug companies know they will have to run through 25,000 to 35,000 substances before they find one that makes it to market. Diehl had made a major nutritional discovery, and no one was interested! Being a scientist, not a marketing expert, Diehl let his discovery lay dormant for about 15 years.

The National Institutes of Health offers this conclusion from one study: Use of a CFA topical cream is an effective treatment for improving knee ROM, ability to ascend/descend stairs, ability to rise from sitting, walk and sit down, and unilateral balance.

My personal experience, having used a cetyl myristoleate complex cream and having shared it with many others, is that this compound can appear to work miracles. I recently gave some to a woman who, now in her mid-40's, was experiencing the kind of knee trouble that made her worry that surgery, or perhaps something worse, was in her future. I suggested she give this cream a try and see what happens. "Everyone's body is different, and there's no harmful side effects with this."

Two days later, and voilà! She reported complete freedom from the problem. "I almost can't believe that its the cream, but its the only thing I did that was new."

This is the outcome for 99% of the people I've shared this with and each time is, while not a surprise, a definite delight!

In striving towards that Vital Balance in life, it has been important to me to choose safe, natural and effective tools that restore the body to it's healthy state. By living in a Wellness Home, I'm able to achieve this for myself and my family while bringing this opportunity to others.

Take 5 - Easy Steps To Bring Your Life Into Balance

5 STEPS TO BALANCE

1. It may be that for Flourishing Body you only need to replace soft drinks with water each day.

2. For Vibrant Mind, you may need to write one positive thing about yourself on a small piece of paper and carry it in your wallet or planner - read it at the beginning and end of each day.

3. For Thriving Family, take 5 minutes to write one reason you are grateful for each family member - then take the opportunity to share this with them.

4. For Enriched Community, put spare change into a jar and at the end of the month donate it to your child's school or arts group.

5. For Financial Freedom, listen to the free recording on Youtube of Earl Nightingale, The Strangest Secret each day. It's 10 minutes long.

Your Power to Heal

Where does the power of healing come from? Depending on your cultural and educational background it can come from drugs, herbs, needles, movement, stillness, cell salts, drumming, quantum field manipulation and many other sources.

There is a quote attributed to Hippocrates – “The natural force within each one of us is the greatest healer of disease.” This ancient wisdom is being affirmed today by science, as we learn more and more about the energy systems of our bodies. There is a way to become empowered in your own healing process.

Acupressure is just one, simple way each one of us can release and benefit from the healing energy within. Just below your collarbone, above your first ribs, you will find two indentations near your sternum. This is called your Elegant Mansion. You or your partner can press into these spots to vitalize your immune system, relieve breathing difficulties and reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression. If you are pressing them by yourself, cross your arms and keep your shoulders relaxed. Find the spots and at first, gently press. When you feel the points begin to soften, let your fingertips sink in. Breathe and let your mind release and relax.

Next, find the base of your sternum and measure three of your thumb widths up (often this is equal to 4 finger widths). This is your Sea of Tranquility. Just the name brings a sense of openness and you breathe a little easier. Using your thumb tip, press into this point. Yes, it’s hard bone under there, but if you breathe and listen through your thumb tip, you will realize the point is softening. Among other things, this point supports your immune system and relieves symptoms of tension and anxiety.

These are just two of hundreds of points within your body.
What does this have to do with the power to heal? When we are tight and tense, our power is blocked – physically, emotionally, creatively. Reducing tension and the negative effects of harmful stress is an important beginning to freeing your power to heal.

Collaborate with the healing practitioner of your choice and remember that together you are cultivating YOUR power to heal.

Summer! Sun! Fun! What Will You Be Wearing?

No, that's not the Blue Moon - it's a False-color image of the Sun's corona as seen in deep ultraviolet by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope.

"Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter wavelengths than visible light. Though these waves are invisible to the human eye, some insects, like bumblebees, can see them! (Image of the bumblebee is courtesty of Mark Cassino.)" From NASA.

UV is the reason we even have discussions about sunscreen. Our own Earth's atmosphere protects us from a significant portion of the UV radiation coming from the Sun and other sources. Yet, according to the World Health Organization: "Small amounts of UV are beneficial for people and essential in the production of vitamin D. UV radiation is also used to treat several diseases, including rickets, psoriasis, eczema and jaundice. This takes place under medical supervision and the benefits of treatment versus the risks of UV radiation exposure are a matter of clinical judgement."

The 3 different types of UV are shown on this picture from students at the Univ of Maine.

We can see that UV-C is completely blocked by the ozone layer and our concerns are the UV-A and UV-B exposure that we receive. We know that Ultraviolet radiation creates a health risk, but what about the commercially popular sunscreen we've all been told is safe and healthy for us?


SkinBiology.com offers this information: "For decades, irresponsible cosmetic companies and a small group of very vocal, publicity-seeking dermatologists have strongly advocated that chemical sunscreens should be heavily applied before any exposure to sunlight, even on young children. They insisted that such sunscreen use would prevent skin cancer and protect your health. This was despite of a lack of any adequate safety testing of these chemicals. (It should be emphasized that most dermatologists are much more cautious and careful.)

On the other hand, over the past decade, many scientists studying cancer have come to virtually the opposite conclusion; that is, the use of sunscreen chemicals may be increasing the incidence of cancer and that sunlight exposure may actually decrease human cancer rates and improve your health"

The Food and Drug Administration’s 2007 draft sunscreen safety regulations say: “FDA is not aware of data demonstrating that sunscreen use alone helps prevent skin cancer” (FDA 2007).

The Environmental Working Group shares the latest information on sunscreen's link to skin cancer, noting that most commercial sunscreen has not addressed UV-A exposure: The International Agency for Research on Caner has concluded that:

• Sunscreen use may decrease the occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma.
• Sunscreen use has no demonstrated influence on basal cell carcinoma.
• In intentional sun exposure situations such as staying outdoors for long periods of time, sunscreen use may increase the risk of melanoma (IARC 2001a, Autier 2009).

In evaluating sunscreens you may consider this information:

"Unsurprisingly, there is currently no sunscreen that meets all of these criteria. The major choice in the U.S. is between “chemical” sunscreens, which have inferior stability, penetrate the skin and may disrupt the body’s hormone systems, and “mineral” sunscreens (zinc and titanium), which often contain micronized- or nano-scale particles of those minerals.

After reviewing the evidence, EWG determined that mineral sunscreens have the best safety profile of today’s choices."

For an extensive report visit EWG's Sunscreen report.

As is true in all health areas, there is no silver bullet, no one magic pill kind of answer. We can take action in other ways to reduce our risk of developing skin cancer. ScienceDaily offers some excellent nutritional information: "Antioxidant vitamins with the ability to neutralize damaging free-radical molecules produced as a byproduct of normal metabolism and by ultraviolet light have been shown to be potentially important in protecting against skin cancers"

Ayushveda.com offers a simple approach to nutrition for skin cancer prevention with the added benefit of increased beauty and vitality for the skin. On WebMD.com, Georgiana Donadio, PhD, DC, MSc, founder and director of the National Institute of Whole Health in Boston reports, "Your skin is the fingerprint of what is going on inside your body, and all skin conditions, from psoriasis to acne to aging, are the manifestations of your body's internal needs, including its nutritional needs."

My skin care kit contains a natural, non-toxic sunscreen, moderation in my sun exposure, clean, healthy water, Jade GreenZymes™, and, True Elements™ Swiss Organic Skin Care.

Whatever your plan is, make sure it incorporates Balance - Vital Balance. That is the key to success.

Osteoporosis - Bone Health Promise

For older folks fighting osteoporosis, few things are as frightening as a bone fracture. If all those osteoporosis meds you see on TV were doing their job, you’d think this would be a shrinking problem. But a new study shows that bone fractures in osteoporosis patients aren’t just up – they’ve skyrocketed. These fractures increased 55 percent between 1995 and 2006, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. House Calls August, 2009

According to Care2 Greenliving

The bone disease osteoporosis affects all the bones in your body–including your jaw bone–and can cause tooth loss. The erosion of the jawbone can result in tooth loss, mild facial deformities and pain in and around the temporomandibular joint, which connects the upper and lower jaws. Alveolar bone, the kind of bone around the roots of the teeth, is susceptible to the process of osteoporosis. It tends to erode quickly when calcium is depleted from the body.

Calcium over-supplementation has been linked to heart disease and high blood pressure. It makes sense that when the body can't deliver minerals to the bones for deposit and conversion, the minerals will end up in the wrong places. When we understand the true role and function of our skeletal system, we see how these commercially conventional treatments fail miserably.

Prescription drugs all come with negative side effects. Period. The action by which the bisphosphanates work is to limit the activity of the osteoclasts - the cells that 'recycle' old bone material. The bones are not supported in growing new healthy cells with this type of drug. Washington.edu offers this clinical observation: The bisphosphonates cause dramatic reductions in the bone formation. This is seen on bone biopsies labelled with tetracycline. The graph shows the mineralizing surface as a percentage of the trabecular bone surface. With higher doses only 0.16% of the surface is still forming bone.

The idea behind the bisphosphonates is to hold on to the weak, old bone tissue for a while and allow the slowing forming new cells to build up and thereby create higher bone density. True. If you follow this course you will most likely see an increase in bone density over a period of time.

What isn't being highly promoted are the effects of diminshed bone resorption - the 'recycling'. That material - your bone calcium - is what your body uses to fuel and feed every organ and system inside of you. Your brain, your heart, your kidneys, your intestines, your.... you name it it needs your bone calcium.

Enter Bio-Replenishment.
Bio-Replenishment is a new approach to supplementation, not a vitamin, mineral, hormone, or prescription drug. Bio-Replenishment uses the body’s own chemicals whose levels decline over the years, restoring them to youthful levels and supporting optimum function of vital tissues and organs. These include absorption, transport and utilization of nutrients, distribution of minerals, nerve impulses, muscle movement, synthesis and release of hormones.

Visit the site to see informative videos that explain this bone health revolution. Natural, SAFE, and based on your bodies native chemicals - no alien, synthetic drugs - Bio-Replenishment is worth a thorough investigation on your part.

Jade Greenzymes - Safe! Concerns Regarding Jade GreenZymes®

Concerns Regarding Jade GreenZymes®

While Japan continues to suffer from the consequences of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake, the ensuing tsunami and nuclear accident, the factory and farm that produce Jade GreenZymes have not been affected. Jade GreenZymes barley grass is grown at the southwest tip of Japan, at the opposite end of the island and more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Since the winds will blow any radioactivity in a northeasterly direction, there is little chance of contamination to the growing area.

In addition, this year's growing season is already over—the Jade GreenZymes have been processed and are in the warehouse. Nevertheless, to ensure the highest quality and efficacy of our product, a third party, certified laboratory will test samples of each batch of Jade GreenZymes for radioactivity.

We will continue to monitor the situation in Japan closely and keep you updated with any developments.

Check out our earlier post about the benefits to your entire family of adding this power-packed nutrient to your day: A Green Family.

A Cleanse By Any Other Name....

Recently, we had guests from Spain stay with us while they were preparing for a concert during which they would be premiering new music. They shared with us that they begin each day with an Olive Oil, Lemon & Water cleanse.

I, myself, have always felt that a gentle form of cleansing is better since it doesn't send the body into distress over the avalanche of toxins suddenly released into the digestion.

I've utilized a number of different gentle tools throughout the years that create a healthful effect such as far-infrared sauna, skin brushing, milk thistle, charcoal, Jade GreenZymes™ , and, the combination of OsteoDenx®, CalDenx™ and Lactoferrin Gold 1.8®. I'd heard of the Olive Oil Lemon being used in a day-long intense type of cleanse but hadn't heard of it being used in this milder, daily form.

So, I began to do some research.

Lance Armstrong's website had this to offer:
Olive Oil, Juice and Garlic Detox
Consider a home-remedy cleanse. One possible quick detox is a weeklong morning flush drink that consists of olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice and garlic; ginger is optional. This drink is alleged to be an easy, at-home recipe for cleansing the liver. The Baseline of Health Foundation recommends that you perform this detox after a colon cleanse, heavy metal detox and a kidney flush. This simple recipe, however, has been used alone for generations.

Another site, Breathing.com gave an extensive explanation of the many aspects of using this type of cleanse.
Phase III (mandatory):
Drink fresh, organic un-pasteurized apple juice for three days preceding the liver cleanse. For these three days, eat frugally (little) if you must and then only small amounts of raw unprocessed fruit and/or vegetable salads, but every day take at least one full quart of high quality unfiltered (you should be able to see the sediments on the bottom of the container) preferable home-made organic apple juice. The pectin in the apple juice helps to soften and flatten the stones in the gall bladder and liver. This will also help their passage through the bile ducts. This semi-fast also empties the intestines of their food content and makes the collection of stones less problematic. Use a good juicer and make up 20-30 pounds of apples into juice and refrigerate. A Foodsaver with the Mason/Barr Jar adaptor will help the juice last longer.
If sugar from the juice in relationship to candida is a problem I believe that doing this cleanse is senior to candida worries - for three to four days - as it helps rid the body of parasites. Candida is a parasite as well. Those with diabetes or severe reactions from this cleanse need special guidance from a professional nutritionist or Natural Hygienist knowledgeable in this type of cleanse. The liquid E3live mentioned previously helps the blood sugar stay in balance.

And to add to the attractiveness of this morning glory beverage, DailyMail.com tells us that the lemon juice will help you lose weight, too.

Lemon juice is also one of the most concentrated food sources of vitamin C. Not only is this great for warding off colds, but recent research at Arizona State University suggests that people who eat fruit and vegetables high in vitamin C have more efficient digestive systems and are more likely to lose weight than those who don't.

In addition, lemon juice increases the acidity of the digestive system. This helps the body absorb calcium, which is then stored in fat cells. Research has shown that the more calcium there is in a fat cell, the more fat the cells burn.

It seems the humble lemon could be a powerful aid to digestion, and a useful diet booster.

Is it truly possible that such humble ingredients that are probably sitting on your kitchen counter right now could bring such powerful benefits?

There's one very simple way to find out - try the daily drink for 7 days or for whatever duration seems right to you. If you have any medical conditions or concerns, ALWAYS consult your physician before beginning any type of health regime.

Vitality and Balance absolutely require that toxins be moved out of the body in the way Nature intended. Find one or two nurturing ways to support your body and your body will support you in return one-hundred fold.

You Are What You Breathe!

Air Wellness™ Power5 Pro™

Its clear that the quality of our indoor air affects our health and wellness. A HEPA filter system has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack. Negative ions have shown measurable improvements in adrenal function, wound healing, depression and more. For example, a RCT comparing the short-term effects of bright light, an auditory stimulus, and high- and low-density negative ions on mood and alertness in mildly depressed and non-depressed adults found that the three active stimuli, but not the low-density placebo, reduced depression on the Beck Depression Inventory scale; the auditory stimulus, bright light and high-density ions all produced rapid mood changes—with small to medium effect sizes—in depressed and non-depressed subjects.

Considerable increase in vital capacity were observed by M.A. Vytchikova and A. Minkh in 1959, with the maintenance of blood sugar and blood oxygen levels. Thus, in a group of 9 sports students, Minkh found that ergometer endurance was increased by 260% in 32 days compared with a normal control group following the inhalation for 15 minutes daily of air enriched with 1.5 million negative small ions per centimeter.

Here is the absolute standard of excellence in air filtration — combined with “green” technology. The Nikken Air Wellness Power5 Pro features multiple filter stages, including carbon filtration and a unique system that uses organic plant materials to neutralize contaminants. The final stage is a HEPA filter, just like those in hospital operating rooms, high-tech clean rooms and the laboratories of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Nikken added negative-ion generation to provide forest-air freshness, the exhilarating feeling produced by high levels of negative ions in natural settings. And as with all Air Wellness products, the Power5 Pro is engineered to operate without producing ozone – the toxic gas created by many home air filters that are now banned in California and other areas. The Power5 Pro features manual or fully automatic modes including sleep and quiet settings, and a sleek, lightweight design. It’s Energy Star certified to give you lower operating costs and help preserve the environment.

Here is an article from Preventative Medicine PS: "A recent published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that particulate air pollution, smog, increases the risk for myocardial infarction. The researcher, Ryan W. Allen, PhD of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada tells readers that by lowering indoor particulate air pollution levels by using ordinary high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration it appears that you can improve at least two markers of cardiovascular risk, microvascular endothelial function and systemic inflammation.

The researchers found that HEPA filters significantly improved endothelial function and reduced inflammation in these participants. Whether this might translate into fewer heart attacks is not yet known.

Dr. Allen stated in a subsequent news release, "Our main objectives were to evaluate the potential for a simple intervention to improve indoor air quality and reduce pollution-related cardiovascular health risks and to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to air pollution-related cardiovascular health problems."

While the exact connection between particulate air pollution and heart attack risk is suspected to involve a number of factors including oxidative stress. The researchers recruited 45 adults from 25 homes. Each person’s home was monitored for 2 consecutive 7-day periods, during which time HEPA filters were operated in the main activity room and in each participant’s bedroom. HEPA filters were operated normally during one 7-day period and without the internal filters in place during the other (ie, control) period.

The outcome was that the reactive hyperemia index, an indicator of microvascular endothelial function which marks the early stages of the atherosclerotic process and predicts cardiovascular risk and and mortality were reduced. This indicated to the researchers that blood vessels have an impaired response to changes in blood flow.

The researchers found that the air filters increased participants' reactive hyperemia index by 9.4% and decreased C-reactive protein by 32.6% but did not affect oxidative stress markers. Indoor fine-particle concentrations decreased by more than 60%.

"Our results support the hypothesis that systemic inflammation and impaired endothelial function, both predictors of cardiovascular risk, can be favorably influenced by a reduction of particle concentration.” Dr. Allen said. This research now adds to a growing body of evidence linking short-term exposure to particulate matter with a systemic inflammatory response."

No Such Thing As A Good Side-effect

It turns out that if your bones aren’t healthy then neither are you and it takes a lot more than density to give your bones the health they need.

For the past 14 years prescription drugs have been the most common answer, but those come with lots of warnings and serious side effects. In January of 2008, the FDA issued an alert highlighting the possibility of severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint and/or muscle pain in patients taking bisphosphonates. The agency is encouraging health care professionals to assess whether severe musculoskeletal pain in patients taking these, which are frequently prescribed to treat or prevent osteoporosis, could be attributed to their use of these drugs and to consider temporarily or permanently discontinuing their use.

The severe musculoskeletal pain that prompted the alert may occur within days, months, or years after starting a bisphosphonate and should not be confused with the acute phase response that sometimes accompanies initial administration of intravenous bisphosphonates and that also may occur with initial exposure to once-weekly or once-monthly doses of oral bisphosphonates, say FDA officials. The symptoms related to the acute phase response, which may include fever, chills, bone pain, myalgias and arthralgias, typically resolve within several days with continued drug use.

In contrast, the musculoskeletal pain symptoms described in the FDA alert may or may not resolve after discontinuing use. Some patients have reported complete relief of symptoms after they stopped the drugs, whereas others have reported that the symptoms diminish slowly or not completely - meaning, you may have some of these pain symptoms for the rest of your life.

More recently, Diane Wysowski of the FDA’s division of drug risk assessment says that since the initial marketing of Fosamax, known generically as alendronate, in 1995, the FDA has received 23 reports in which patients developed esophageal tumors. Typically, two years lapsed between the start of the drug and the development of the cancer. Eight patients died. In Europe and Japan, 21 cases have been logged with 6 deaths.

Two other serious side-effects that are linked to bisphosphonate use are death of the jaw bone, known as jaw necrosis, and chronically irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation.

Bone health is optimally achieved when there is balance between bone formation and bone resorption (minerals released into the body). We did this for the first 20 years of our lives with no problem. The body was investing in our bone health at a fantastic rate. We actually replace our bones 5 times by the age of 20. Over the course of our lifetime our skeletal system is replaced approximately 10 times. So you can see that from age 20 to 80+ the investment in bone health by Mother Nature is lessened.

Imagine you could turn back time and bring a youthful, hearty investment into your bone bank with no side-effects. Imagine replenishing the very thing that gave your bones the signal to be 18 again.

Now, imagine that IT'S REAL.

The Triple Bottom Line

It's HERE! It's NOW! The opportunity to own a PiMag™ Aqua Pour™!

Your purchase of one or two drawing entries puts you in the running to win a PiMag™ Aqua Pour™. Simply click on the Google Checkout button on the right for either one single entry - $15 or two entries - $25, and follow the instructions. An email confirmation will be sent to you.

Where does your entry fee go?

The proceeds of this drawing will be dedicated to creating Wellness Classrooms. These classrooms will provide school children with a healthier and more sustainable learning environment. One of the most often overlooked health issues for school children is air quality. We take for granted that because it's a classroom the air must be good for them. In fact, it's likely that isn't true. There are a myriad of sources of unhealthy, airborne contaminants: viruses, bacteria, mold spores, volatile organic compounds and more.

Learn more about Air Wellness® Technology and how it is designed to create the healthiest indoor air possible. A detailed explanation is also available on this video.

The EPA gives us one example of a school contaminant: PCBs in Caulk in Older Buildings First Step: Take Steps to Minimize Exposure

"Although this is a serious issue, the potential presence of PCBs in schools and buildings should not be a cause for alarm. If your school or building was built or renovated between 1950 and 1978, there are several immediate, relatively low cost steps schools can take to reduce potential exposure until it can be determined with certainty if PCBs are present in caulk used in the building and any contaminated caulk can be removed. Those steps include:

* Improve ventilation, including opening windows and using or installing fans where possible.
* Clean frequently to reduce dust and residue inside buildings.
* Use a wet or damp cloth or mop to clean surfaces.
* Use vacuums with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.
* Do not sweep with dry brooms; minimize the use of dusters.
* Wash children's hands with soap and water often, particularly before eating.
* Wash children's toys often.
* Wash hands with soap and water after cleaning, and before eating or drinking."

How does Indoor Air Quality impact student health and academic performance?
"Research links key environmental factors to health outcomes and students’ ability to perform. Improvements in school environmental quality can enhance academic performance, as well as teacher and staff productivity and retention."

Visit the IAQ Tools For Schools Program page and download the informative Key Findings pdf.

Guidelines for the drawing:

• When our goal of $2500 has been raised, the drawing will be held and the PiMag™ Aqua Pour™ will be shipped directly to the winner. All future filter and other component costs are the sole responsibility of the winner or their designee.
• If you would like your classroom to be considered as a recipient of Wellness Classroom technologies or if you would like to run a drawing of your own, contact Suzette Harbour at NovoHarbour@gmail.com or post a comment to this blog.

Top 3 Things Wrong With Your Sleep

If you're not doing enough of it every day things can go terribly wrong. If you're not doing it the right way it will seem as if you're not doing it at all. If you're not doing it in the right environment the best parts of it won't come to you........

1. The Wrong Amount

For example, this article, Sleep: Understanding the Basics, points out that "In humans, it has been demonstrated that the metabolic activity of the brain decreases significantly after 24 hours of sustained wakefulness. Sleep deprivation results in a decrease in body temperature, a decrease in immune system function as measured by white blood cell count (the soldiers of the body), and a decrease in the release of growth hormone. Sleep deprivation can also cause increased heart rate variability."

What is the right amount for you? According to the National Sleep Foundation statistics Americans sleep an average of 6.9 hours per night on weekdays and 7.5 hours per night on weekends. According to emedicinehealth.com - "In adults, sleep of 8-8.4 hours is considered fully restorative. In some cultures, total sleep is often divided into an overnight sleep period of 6-7 hours and a nap of 1-2 hours.

Some people may need as little as 5 hours or as much as 10 hours of sleep every day. The period of time a person sleeps depends also on the fact whether he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Sleeping too little creates a "sleep debt." This debt needs to be adjusted by sleeping for longer periods over the next few days. People who sleep less have an impairment of judgment and reaction time."

Not every source agrees on the best way to refill your sleep bank - but for most just going to bed an hour or so earlier at night may be the simplest formula. Create a quiet time without tv, computer or bright lights starting at 9 pm, then plan to put all lights out by 10 pm. Remove every possible electric device from the bedroom and make it dark. Calming breathing exercises are helpful to settle the mind and relax the body.

2. The Wrong Way

Yes, Virginia, there is a wrong way to sleep. Leaving lamps, tv or music players on will interfere with your sleep pattern. The onset of darkness signals the body to increase the level of melatonin in the body.

According to WebMD - "Your body has its own internal clock that controls your natural cycle of sleeping and waking hours. In part, your body clock controls how much melatonin your body makes. Normally, melatonin levels begin to rise in the mid- to late evening, remain high for most of the night, and then drop in the early morning hours.

Light affects how much melatonin your body produces. During the shorter days of the winter months, your body may produce melatonin either earlier or later in the day than usual."

Every source agrees that a regular sleep pattern is critical to receiving the optimum benefits from your sleep. There is even evidence that irregular sleep patterns can contribute to the occurrence of migraines as noted here - “Sleep routine is very important,” Dodick says. “People with migraines need to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day. If they get up at 6 a.m. during the week they need to do the same thing on Saturday and Sunday.”

3. The Wrong Environment

We've already discussed the need for reducing light and electronic devices in your sleep environment. Two other critical factors in the optimum sleep environment are your mattress and your air.

Some key qualities an excellent mattress will have:

1. made with organic and sustainably produced materials, such as natural latex rubber and organic cotton and wool covering

2. naturally antimicrobial

3. specially designed surface nodules that provide subtle, effective massage

4. RAM™ - patented radial-axis magnetism that produces a series of overlapping magnetic fields

The air you are breathing will either deepen your sleep or create stress on your body's filtering system, which prevents you from experiencing restorative sleep. Air that is clean and ionized will support your body in sleeping more deeply. Several studies have been done that show the positive effects of negative ions for example:

• Effective Pain-Killer. In Philadelphia Dr. Kornblueh studied brain-wave patterns and found evidence that negative ions tranquilised persons in severe pain. Burn cases at Northeastern were immediately put in a windowless, ion-conditioned room. In ten minutes, usually, the pain was gone. Morphine, customarily administered in such cases, was never necessary. Patients were left in the room for 30 minutes with the treatment repeated three times every 14 hours. In 85 percent of the cases no pain-deadening narcotics were needed. Northeastern's Dr. Robert McGowan reported "Negative ions make burns dry out faster and heal faster with less scarring."
• A great deal of research was also carried out by Dr. Albert Krueger in California - One of his first discoveries was that a surprisingly small amount of negative ions could kill and take out of the air, the types of bacteria that cause colds, influenza and respiratory infections. He then went on to keep large groups of mice in various concentrations of ions, some positive, some negative and some in normal balance. In 1960 a scientific paper was published on the results. The conclusions were almost identical to those of Dr. Sulman. An excess of positive ions led to overproduction of serotonin which initially created hyperactivity, leading to exhaustion, anxiety and depression. He also found that an excess of negative ions appeared to have a calming effect, and a reducing of serotonin levels in the brain. (Negative ions were actually substituted for a pharmaceutical tranquiliser on one occasion - with identical results). The series of experiments were then extended to include rats, guinea pigs and rabbits as well as insects and plants. The results consistently supported the original findings. On one occasion, mice were kept in a sealed container until the oxygen was almost used up and they were on the verge of suffocation. The remaining air was negatively ionized - and the mice revived!

Courtesy of D J Clarke Electronics.

Its commonly understood that a trip to the mountains or to the shore will bring an infusion of energy - what may not be as commonly known is that this is directly related to the higher occurrence of negative ions in these locales. This chart provides more detail.

It's no wonder we don't feel wonderfully energized when we spend time in the office, or in our car. Most of us have experienced the shift in energy following a storm as well. Providing clean, ionized air while sleeping is definitely a step in the right direction for experiencing optimum benefits during the night.

"Positive ion exposure, or the lack of sufficient negative ions, may cause serotonin hyperfunction syndrome or "irritation syndrome." This condition may include sleeplessness, irritability, tension, migraine, nausea, heart palpitations, hot flashes with sweating or chills, tremor or dizziness. In addition, elderly persons may become depressed, apathetic and extremely fatigued.

Human mood disorders (depression) are effectively treated with drugs which specifically block the reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic axon terminal, for example fluoxetine (Prozac) and Zoloft. This suggests that positive ions may play a part in this condition and the condition may be safely treated with negative-ion therapy." Nikken Research Institute White Paper

Sleep may be the most a natural thing in the world - and it should be. What gets in the way for us are the conditions in which we live today. Too much light at night, high levels of stress, poor air quality in our homes, poor mattress quality - there shouldn't be metal springs underneath you while you sleep.... the list goes on and on. You can take control over this most important time in your day - correct the amount of sleep, the way you sleep and the environment in which you sleep. Make your home a Wellness Home - make your life a 5 Pillars life.

Sweet dreams.

5 Steps to Creating Health and Balance In Life

"As we all know, our results are only as good as our plan. My mentor, Mr. Shoaff, taught me that it's not what happens that determines the major part of our future, because what happens, happens to us all. Instead, he taught me that the key is what we do about it. If we start the process of change by developing a plan, doing something different in this next year than we did the previous year, it won't matter how small those efforts start." Jim Rohn

What areas of your life could benefit from change? Would you like to see more physical health? What about greater peace of mind? Do you have the kind and amount of time you'd like with your family? Are you free to make the kind of contribution to society that you'd really like - that will make you proud of who you are? Would receiving abundant financial compensation for your work make it easier to achieve those other goals?

The first six months of the year have nearly passed. It isn't the usual time to make resolutions, but if there can be Christmas in July why not evaluate those New Year's resolutions and make course corrections if they aren't taking you where you want to go?

HOW CAN I MEASURE MY PROGRESS?

I suggest you make a small circle, about the size of dime, on a piece of paper. Then draw a circle about the size of a salad plate around it. Make 5 dots on the smaller circle at evenly spaced intervals. Each dot represents the key areas of health and balance. The outer circle represents having achieved total balance in these areas.

Draw a line straight out from the first dot on the small circle -this one represents Flourishing Body - toward the outer circle which represents 100%. Let the line end where you feel you are between 0 and 100.

Repeat this for Vibrant Mind, Thriving Family, Enriched Community and Financial Freedom. The lines may all be different lengths, some may reach the 100%, in other cases, none of them will reach the 100%.

Take a different color pen or pencil and trace a line connecting the ends of the 5 lines you've just drawn. If that were a bike tire how smooth would your ride be? If the lines don't reach 100% is your tire under-inflated and are you struggling to make headway in your journey?

This exercise can give you some idea of where you are in your life - would you like to reach 100% in each of the areas of health and balance? If so, write one action that you can do today to move yourself in the direction of balance.

5 STEPS TO BALANCE

1. It may be that for Flourishing Body you only need to replace soft drinks with water each day.

2. For Vibrant Mind, you may need to write one positive thing about yourself on a small piece of paper and carry it in your wallet or planner - read it at the beginning and end of each day.

3. For Thriving Family, take 5 minutes to write one reason you are grateful for each family member - then take the opportunity to share this with them.

4. For Enriched Community, put spare change into a jar and at the end of the month donate it to your child's school or arts group.

5. For Financial Freedom, listen to the free recording on Youtube of Earl Nightingale, The Strangest Secret each day. It's 10 minutes long.

As Jim Rohn said at the beginning of this post: If we start the process of change by developing a plan, doing something different in this next year than we did the previous year, it won't matter how small those efforts start. A plan doesn't have to be huge in order to begin the process of change. So, take one small step this month in each area - really small.

Enjoy your progress and let your success with these small steps build your confidence that bigger changes are possible and that you can be, do and have the life you dream.