Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist
How God Changes Your Brain contends that prayer and meditation with God has shown to improve physical health and healing from illness. The authors conclude that meditation and other spiritual practices permanently strengthen neural functioning in specific parts of the brain.
How God Changes Your Brain Overview
How God Changes the Brain is based on new evidence culled from brain-scan studies on memory patients and meditating done at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Spirituality and the Mind. The studies were conducted by neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, therapist Mark Waldman and their research team.
THIS relates the story of a patient with a failing memory and came to the Center for help. He was taught the basic of Kirtan Kriya meditation as part of the study. After practicing for 12 minutes a day for eight weeks, the patient had greater clarity of mind, empathy and emotional equilibrium. His working memory also improved as much as 50 percent on some tests. The book also focuses on how-to methods that can be used by readers based on the research.
How God Changes Your Brain Research
The concept behind How God Changes Your Brain was that faith, along with prayer and/or meditation can improve brain function. Based on the evidence from brain scan studies on memory patients and meditating, a web-based survey of people’s religious and spiritual experiences, and the analyses drawings of God, the researches concluded that active and positive spiritual belief changes the human brain for the better. Even atheists who meditated on positive imagery could obtain similar neurological benefits.
The breakthrough discoveries were:
* Not only do prayer and spiritual practices reduce stress and anxiety, but also that just twelve minutes of meditation a day may slow down the aging process.
* Contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God reduces anxiety, depression and stress while increasing feelings of security, compassion and love.
* Fundamentalism, in and of itself, is benign and be personally beneficial, but the anger and prejudice generated by extreme beliefs can permanently damage the brain.
* Intense prayer and meditation permanently change structures and functions in the brain-alter values and the way reality is perceived.
How God Changes Your Brain Conclusions
The research reviews work of modern science and a practical guide to enhance physical and emotional health and to avoid mental decline. The authors explain the eight best ways to “exercise” the brain and guide readers through specific routines derived from a wide variety of Eastern and Western spiritual practices that improve personal awareness and empathy. For example, it is explained that yawning heightens consciousness and relaxation. “Compassion Communication,” a new meditation technique, is said to build intimacy with family and friends in less than fifteen minutes of practice.
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Natural Hair Loss Treatment For Your Hair
At the age of 50 more than half of males suffer from hair loss. The most common form of it is androgenic (or androgenetic) alopecia, also known as male-pattern baldness. According to scientific research, the primary cause of male-pattern baldness is the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT.) This hormone acts on the receptors in the scalp, which leads to the hair becoming progressively thinner until it is completely gone.
Thus, most baldness treatments block DHT in some way to prevent this effect. The most popular treatment is Finasteride (marketed as Propecia.) It functions as a DHT inhibitor, preventing most of DHT activity. Another popular drug for treating hair loss is Minoxidil (Rogaine.)
However, synthetic chemical drugs are not the best way to treat baldness. The first problem is that they have many side effects. For example, there are documented cases of erection problems in patients using Finasteride. Skin irritation, dizziness and increased heart rate are common side effects of Minoxidil.
The second problem is that chemical drugs are not universally effective. For example, Minoxidil was shown to work only for about 25% of men. As a result, users of synthetic drugs have to risk serious effects without being 100% sure that these drugs would work for them at all!
A good alternative is to use natural hair loss treatments. For example, Saw Palmetto is an herbal DHT inhibitor, which is not only cheaper than commercial drugs but also has no side effects. Currently there are natural treatments available in the market, which include Saw Palmetto as a primary ingredient. Another natural ingredient, which prevents conversion of testosterone to DHT thus reducing the overall DHT level, is zinc. All-natural baldness treatments may contain a combination of Saw Palmetto and zinc to provide an effective solution to prevent hair loss and induce hair regrowth without having side effects associated with synthetic chemicals.
Do Propecia Really Works ?
When a person is losing their hair they will try almost anything to stop it from happening. They will put their faith in almost any product or procedure that comes down the pike, hoping against hope that this one is really going to work for them. In the battle against hair loss, Propecia is one product that seems to have risen to the top, at least in terms of publicity. When you read the vast amount of press that this product has received many people say that it has been responsible for hair growing back on their heads. However, an enormous amount of publicity does not necessarily mean that a hair loss product actually works.
Although thousands upon thousands of people afflicted with alopecia have put their trust in hundreds of different products and spent millions of dollars, most of this time, effort and money has been spent in vain. Sadly, very few of these people have ever had any hair grow back on their heads. Even sadder is the fact that there is no shortage of people and companies out there that will market so called miracle cures for baldness, preying upon people who are desperate to get their hair back.
If there is one product out there that people afflicted with balding conditions seem to be embracing it would have to be Propecia, or finasteride as the scientists who developed it in Merck laboratories call it. It is an FDA approved pill that men can take daily by mouth. In fact it is the first and only FDA approved pill approved for the treatment of baldness, and it has shown positive results for balding conditions on the vertex and anterior sections of the head, otherwise know as the top and middle front areas of the head. There is no solid evidence that it works for men with receding hairlines at the temples.
An independent panel performed a five year study on men aged 18 to 41 who took Propecia and the results were quite impressive. They studied photographic evidence and determined that most of the men who participated in the study began to see positive results 3 to 12 months after starting Propecia. These results ranged from a lot of hair growing back to a small amount of hair returning to their head. Subjects that did not see positive results after 12 months did not see positive results at all by the end of the study. However, this was an uncommon result as 9 out of 10 men involved in this study saw some degree of hair re-growth.
Although Propecia has received rave reviews, there are some downsides. One of the biggest ones is the fact that it can only be used by men. Although baldness strikes mostly adult males there are thousands of women and even children around the world who suffer from various hair loss conditions. They cannot take Propecia. Another downside is that some men experience certain sexual side effects. The most common of these side effects are a decrease in the desire to have sex, problems with erections and a decrease in semen amounts. These side affects occurred with less than 2% of the men studied and they disappeared once the men stopped taking the pills. This brings us to another downside, which is the fact that any positive results achieved with hair re-growth will be lost if you stop taking the pills. That means that if you want to keep the hair that grows back on your head you have to take the pills for the rest of your life. Most men would agree that it is a small price to pay to get their hair back.
Propecia is available by prescription only. If you decide that you want to start taking it you can visit your doctor and they will set you up. A lot of online pharmacies now offer U.S. licensed physicians that can give you an evaluation and write you a prescription over the phone or over the internet. Although there are some shady online pharmacy web sites there are many more that are reputable U.S. licensed pharmacies that sell FDA approved drugs. You just need to do a little research to find the good ones.
While there are many products and services out there that are claiming to be the latest cure for baldness it is important to keep in mind that most of them do not work. However, Propecia is not one of them. It is the only FDA approved pill for the treatment of hair loss. This is because an independent five year study has proven that 9 out 10 men show some re-growth of hair 3 to 12 months after starting Propecia. Some showed a little bit of success in re-growing their hair and some showed a lot of success. A very small percentage experienced sexual side effects. When you think about it, taking a pill every day is a small price to pay for getting hair to grow back on your head.
Yoga For Your Fitness
The yoga exercises can be distinguished in many forms, others which consist of asanas, warm-up exercises known as jattis, pranayamas, and kriyas along with other forms of yoga exercises and the more advanced exercises called mudras and bandhas.
Yoga has so many effects in our body depending on the way we use the exercises. It has simple yet effective movements that strengthen our body. These exercises tones body muscles and increase endurance and amplify flexibility through stretching.
The position of asanas is one of the best of all applications in lubricating joints, toning the muscles, and massaging the body. The postures deliver both mental and physical stability and energy. The Asanas exercises were developed centuries ago and developed by the yogis for everyday use. It maintains body balance and keeps it healthy and generates peace of mind. Asanas exercises the mind, ligaments, glands and muscles. In short, asanas is the practical way of self care and healthy living.
There are many yoga exercises that we can employ in. The exercises approached can be practiced and can differ greatly from one yoga routine to the other. The most vital point to remember from the beginning of exercising is that it is not merely a system of physical exercise; it is a way of life.
The effect becomes remarkable when they are made in the right way because asanas are very powerful. Both the mind and the body movements must be in harmony. It makes an essential matter to provide other materials of Integral Yoga.
Yoga is an exercise with something to do with involving and re-organizing your body in every level, and keeping in all our every day habits and ventures with knowledge and higher standards of proper living. Once you are engaged with the yoga exercises, you will notice the remarkable effect in your body almost immediately.
Yoga Health Benefits For Beginners
Yoga used to be viewed as an exotic, “Eastern” form of spiritual practice that requires austere discipline in the practice of hard-to-achieve postures. When yoga was first introduced to American audiences, it was taken up by the Ram Dass crowd but viewed somewhat askance by the average person. That has all changed.
These days, yoga is considered one of many mainstream forms of exercise and relaxation, and most people would agree that yoga provides an experience of enhanced well-being and physical comfort, while more enthusiastic supporters of yoga claim that it can provide deep, long-lasting relief from chronic disease, pain, premature aging, and will generally elevate one’s level of chi or life-force.
Anyone who has taken a few yoga classes will attest that even the gentlest series of yoga postures, if gone through under the guidance of an experienced teacher in a pleasant environment, can make you feel much better at the end of a yoga session than you did at the beginning. What causes this feeling, which can actually border on euphoria? Recent science points to several causes of the “feel-good” effect.
First, for the average sedentary person, just putting one’s body through a series of gentle stretches can release endorphins and initiate a “back-in-one’s-body” awareness that is a pleasant change from the more familiar “in our heads” state. This is a simple point but an important one. Many Americans experience themselves primarily as thinking beings, and we identify ourselves with our thoughts (likes, dislikes, etc). Meanwhile, our miraculous bodies hum along quietly underneath and alongside our thinking consciousnesses. In fact, many people don’t even recognize that they have bodies unless they fall ill or bark their shins on a coffee table.
What yoga does for the typical desk-bound or “in their head” person is that it gives them a sense of movement for movement’s sake that is entirely pleasurable (as long as they don’t push themselves too hard). Some people refer to this experience as “making friends with the body.” Slogans aside, the end result is that at the conclusion of a yoga session, one simply feels better-more relaxed, mentally clearer, calmer, more focused, and less hurried and worried.
In fact, most people have little interest in the modern science of mindfulness or the ancient tradition of the spiritual practice of yoga. Instead, they have found that when they show up for yoga class (or follow tapes or videos in their home) at least once a week, when they go through a series of yoga poses and let themselves breathe a little deeper for a time, they just feel better-physically and mentally.
But there’s only one way to find out for yourself, and that’s to actually try it. My advice is to Google “gentle yoga” or “beginner’s yoga” along with the name of your city of town, find a studio that looks appealing, and just show up for a class. If you keep an open mind and come willing to experience something new, you just may join the millions of other Americans who have come to view their yoga practice as an essential part of a healthy, happy, vibrant life.
Benefits of Yoga For Pregnant Women
Pregnancy is a very special time for a woman but not all of the effects are good ones! Many of the typical discomforts can be relieved by practicing yoga for pregnant women. This ancient Indian form of exercise offers a holistic approach to your well-being that will relieve the tension of both mind and body.
For women who were already practicing yoga prior to pregnancy, yoga for pregnant women will help them stay fit during and after the pregnancy. There are numerous poses that are used in yoga and each has its own benefits and targets specific areas. Performing the poses that target the right areas during pregnancy can help you get through the entire nine months with only minimal discomfort. It will even help you during and after the birth of your baby.
Experts agree that women who practice yoga for pregnant women during their pregnancy appear to be both happier and healthier. The added flexibility of their bodies aids them in labor and they can experience less labor pain. The poses of yoga stretch your muscles and also the other soft tissue including ligaments and tendons so that your body is prepared for the birthing process.
Other benefits of doing yoga for pregnant women include:
• A boost in circulation.
• Relief from associated aches and pains.
• Helps to reduce fluid retention that is common during pregnancy.
• Improves posture to eliminate back problems that can result from pregnancy.
• Teaches breathing techniques that are useful during delivery.
If you start yoga for pregnant women and have never taken yoga before, it is important to start classes with a certified instructor to supervise you. You will need to learn the poses and it is imperative that you learn to do them correctly. You should limit what you practice at home to what you have learned in class under supervision.
If you already practice yoga, then you should be able to find plenty of instructional information about which of the poses you should focus on during pregnancy. If you are in doubt as to which style of yoga will work the best for you, talk to a certified yoga teacher for advice. Different styles focus on the different areas of the body including the glandular and nervous systems, and the muscular-skeletal system.
If you are a beginner, then you should always talk with your doctor before beginning any exercise program and you should start slowly. If you don’t feel comfortable doing any of the poses, whether you are a beginner or pro, then don’t do it any more. You should stop doing those poses that require you to engage the tummy muscles early on. Any time that you feel nauseous or experience any pain, stop and call your physician immediately.
Yoga for pregnant women uses many of the poses that are practiced at any other stage of your life but there are differences. Don’t expect your balance to be the same and don’t try to accommodate your body into a position that is no longer reasonable to attain. The abdomen is one area that you don’t want to put any pressure or strain on and you should eliminate those poses even if you have used them for years as part of your regular workout. You should also take care not to overstretch since ligaments become naturally looser around the joints during pregnancy.
Fitness Tips For Men
Fitness is a way of life. You need to be aware of your fitness level and work towards improving it slowly and steadily. In the modern world, most men are fitness conscious and do whatever they can to sport a lean stature and a fit body. However, while aiming for enhanced fitness levels we must always abstain from quick fix methods and opt for healthier alternatives. A patient and logical approach is always desirable as it is safe for our system and sustainable in the long run.
Logically, the first step towards a healthier life would be to undergo a series of fitness tests. In the current stressful work place environment, sedentary desk jobs do nothing but generate lethargy. Therefore it is almost imperative to check your fitness levels at the outset. These tests will tell you exactly where you stand and what the improvement areas are, keeping factors like family history and health disorders in perspective. Once you arrive at the results, your problem areas would be exposed and formulating an ideal fitness program for you will be easier.
Next, it’s important to chalk out your fitness exercise regime. Here you need the able guidance and professional expertise of a personal trainer or a fitness instructor. He is the right person for suggesting the correct exercises which would prove beneficial for you. Most able trainers work closely with dieticians and medical practitioners, and can suggest exercises suited to typical health conditions. They would also explain the dos and don’ts categorically, to avoid any unwarranted hassles.
Now that your fitness regime is set, the next most vital tip would be to get some much needed fitness coaching. A fitness coaching session proves beneficial in more ways than one. Firstly, it helps you acquire the right mindset before starting on a fitness program. It teaches you ways to keep yourself motivated and inspired, throughout the program. Also a fitness coaching session will provide you with vital professional information which will help you tackle your fitness program logically. This will help in maintaining the right focus.
Once your workouts are in place it’s time to take a look at your daily diet. Simple steps like switching from high calorie to low calorie foods, reducing oil intake, drinking plenty of water etc, can go a long way in enhancing fitness levels. Avoiding junk and substituting them with whole grains, cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables are habits that will surely have a positive impact on your system.
The next tip is to take a close look at your lifestyle. Incorporating lifestyle changes, towards making it healthier is very important for improving fitness levels and a healthy life. You need to do away with bad habits like excessive drinking, smoking, late night partying etc, in order to help your fitness regime work. Continuing with such unhealthy practices can nullify all the positive impacts of your fitness diet and exercise. Therefore, you need to look at the situation from a broader perspective.
When aiming at improving fitness levels, try to adopt a coherent approach and work towards good health and great living.
Four Fitness Tips For Your Health
A body building program is usually very difficult to structure and at times people structure some which either are too much above what they can do or too lenient to produce any results. This is why this guideline will act to the advantage of a body builder who is serious and willing to be successful.
Tip 1: Consider a trainer. This is one key issue which many people have been ignoring for a very long time. But it is necessary to have a specialist who knows well about the different programs and how they can suit you. From such kind of experience, they can be able to provide guidelines to an individual body builder, putting some professionalism into the program and therefore increasing the chances of success and reducing possible injury occurrences. A trainer in general will give advice on diet, sets, repetitions, recovery and many others critical issues concerning body building.
Tip 2: Enroll in a gym. This has been an issue of contention but still remains as one of the most relevant steps. Working out at home is very challenging affair since there are a lot of disruptions. Especially for parents, it becomes very hard to train at home because of the marital responsibilities. The family always needs you and there are always some upcoming issues when one is around. This is why you cannot spend some few minutes of your time without being asked to intervene or provide something. Therefore, working out in a gym is much favorable. It helps one to be in a more friendly environment where the goal of every person is to exercise and there can be very few or no disruptions at all.
Tip 3: Be confident. The reason why many people fail in body building, it is all because of not trusting their instincts. They tend to be influenced by other much more that they decide on themselves. This makes them failures because of doing what may not be fit for them. Being confident in what you do is very necessary, in the process of body building, you will meet many people having different opinions may be on what you can do to gain muscles effectively but this should be taken literally as just their opinion. When one tells you to try a different workout, never fall to such blunders, the way you phrase your program is well enough to be your success and by changing it you make things even harder for you. This is why you will find yourself with multiple injuries and develop weaknesses as a result of bad and strict and bad programs.
Tip 4: Respect recovery. This is another area where most people fail because of not adhering to it. The moment you have done exercises and in the process injured yourself, there is no need to push your body further. This is because excessive workouts make the injury worse. Some people have a misconception that rest makes someone lazy but it would be rather good you recover first than end up risking even your own life.
Fitness Tips For Reduce Fat
Nobody likes fatty cheeks or double chin. It is against the normal form of fitness, wellness and beauty of an individual. Many people choose liposuction as the remedy in such crisis to look normal. The reality is that if you do some simple exercising, the body loses the fat including the extra facial fat.
If you gain weight, the first signs are seen on the face. The face becomes heavy, cheeks become flabby and you carry double chins. You can cover these flaws with expert makeup, but the agony remains as it is. The simple and safe way to get rid of this problem is to do certain facial exercising including the exercising of the full body. When you lose the gross weight, the facial fat goes away as well.
Exercises are simple
You do not have to change the routine exercising currently being followed by you. Do not stop aerobic workouts or yoga if you are practicing them regularly. Keep it in mind that, you need to reduce the fat from the whole body. Hence, just include a few simple exercises for the facial fat accumulation.
(a) Close your eyes and put fingers on eyelids. Now, try to bring eyelids down with the eyebrows going up. It helps toning the forehead portion of the face. Continue for five minutes every day. You may find deposition of fat under eyes. Relax and try to make an up and down movement of eyeballs keeping eyes closed. Imagine seeing an object in this position and continuing this for at least 15 minutes. Draw eyebrows up as far as possible in this exercise. Never open eyes during the exercise. Relax by counting 1-10. Repeat it for 10 minutes every day.
(b) Wash your hands and fingers properly before you start this exercising. Put a finger in your mouth and suck it with as much force as possible. Count 1-10 and stop and withdraw the finger from the mouth. Repeat it at least for 10 times a day. It will definitely help you to regain the normal shape of your cheeks.
Next, Tilt the head backwards and put pressure on both cheeks against the palm of your hands and try to create a laugh keeping your mouth closed. Continue it for 10 minutes every day. Your cheeks regain the earlier looks once again.
(c) Tilt the head backwards slowly and smoothly until you feel pressure on the neck. Try to move the jaw from right to left and left to right. Perform this for five times a day to tone up the neck and shoulder muscles to lose fat.
(d) Sit straight and tilt the head slowly backwards and look to the ceiling with the face parallel to the ceiling. Try to put the lower lip on the upper one by keeping the mouth closed and count 1-10. Relax and repeat it for 10 times a day. Sit on a chair and tilt the head backwards and face the ceiling. Move the head in a circular motion keeping lips closed and count 1-20. Relax and repeat the feat for five minutes a day to get rid of double chin problem.
(e) Open your mouth as much as possible until it hurts lips, chin or cheeks and count 1-10. Relax and repeat it for five minutes a day. It helps to tone up facial muscles and at the same time supports effective blood circulation, which ultimately helps in reducing facial fat.
Skin Care is Important
Good skin care is essential to graceful aging. Babies have smooth, soft skin that is wrinkle free and moist. Over time harsh elements in the environment wear on the skin making is dryer and tougher. With age comes wrinkles and sagging in the skin. Good skin care can slow down the harmful effects of time and the environment.
Before good skin care can be attempted, it is important to have a thorough understanding of how the skin operates. Skin consists of three layers. The inner most layer is the subcutaneous tissue. The tissue in the subcutaneous layer contains fat cells, which insulate the body. The middle layer is the dermis. The dermis contains the connective tissues. The outermost layer of skin is called the epidermis. The purpose of the epidermis is to protect the inner skin from environmental contaminants. Cells in the epidermis continuously travel from the inner most part of the epidermis to the surface, flaking off once they reach the top. The cells in the epidermis become thinner over time. Less collagen is produced causing skin to lose its elasticity. This causes the skin to sag and wrinkle. The number of sweat glands also decrease over time leading to dryer skin. As people age, cells in the subcutaneous layer become smaller also contributing to the sagging and wrinkling. UVA and UVB radiation from sunlight thin the epidermis even more. They also contribute to a faster breakdown of collagen in the dermis.
Good skin care requires cleansing and moisturizing. Cleansing is essential to remove dirt and dead skin cells. It helps to prevent pimples or acne. Cleansing, however, can dry out the skin. Cleansing removes the oil on the skin, which retains moisture. As a result moisturizers are needed to restore water to the skin and protect the skin. Special liquid cleaners are recommended over using traditional bar soap. Liquid cleansers can be made with moisturizer to combat the drying agents in the cleansers. The type of cleaner chosen depends on the skin type of the person using it. Vitamin E is often included in good skin care products as it helps moisturize the skin. It also maintains elasticity. The type of moisturizer used is important as well. A heavier moisturizer should be used at night while a thinner, lighter moisturizer is recommended for daytime use.
Good skin care requires a lot of effort. A regime of cleaning and moisturizing should be followed everyday in order to be effective. Avoiding exposure to the sun and tanning is ideal to prevent the harmful effects of radiation. Application of sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 is helpful as well. Smoking should be avoided. A healthy diet is beneficial in improving the elasticity of the skin. Drinking water is essential to good skin care. Water helps the body function better. It also cleans the pores from the inside. It re-hydrates the skin, which helps the skin stay moist. Keeping good habits in addition to good skin care will help the skin age gracefully and beautifully.








