Spring Cleaning....

Spring ushers in the new. It signals the end of winter and brings in new flowers, buds etc. Spring is the awakening of all that laid dormant during the winter. One must clear out the old to make way for the new. One must rejuvenate and remove the stagnant energy from our homes, our bodies and our lives. This can be achieved through a good detoxification program, spring cleaning your home and delving deep within yourself to clear out and move stagnant energy and feelings that you have carried and held for far too long.

Start with cleaning out your home and then help your body detox from the millions of toxins we ingest through our mouths, noses and skin. Be aware of the toxins that enter your body through your eyes, ears, thoughts and feelings.

For the body we recommend a wonderful detox shake to help fortify your detoxification pathways and organs in your body....https://nhh.nutridyn.com/dynamic-detox
https://nhh.nutridyn.com/clear-changer-10-day-program-with-ultraclearr-renew-vanilla

For the toxins that enter the eyes and ears we suggest a detox from social media, television and the news. Try to read an uplifting book, spend more time in nature, meditate and spend more time with loved ones and play more.
Pay attention to your toxic thoughts and feelings and find ways to resolve old hurts and disagreements. Change your thoughts and what you surround yourself with.
Allow your light and beauty to shine as your emerge from old patterns and ways of being into something fresh and new and promising. Let spring be the beginning of you blossoming and flourishing through summer.

Here is some more food for though on how to clean out your home...

Spring Cleaning

BY MADISYN TAYLOR As you sweep away the clutter blocking the flow of energy in your home, you sweep away some of the issues blocking you in life. As the last vestiges of winter depart, all of nature enters into a lively and animated state of renewal. In the springtime, earth's life energy is awakened from dormancy, and the cycle of life starts anew. We have the ability to sense this change taking place even before the seasonal flora around us blooms before our eyes. It is natural, therefore, that during spring many of us begin to feel the urge to clear away the clutter that has accumulated while we've enjoyed being sequestered in our winter nests. Now is the time to let the fresh breezes cleanse the energy in our homes. Spring cleaning is traditionally a way to welcome a new season--one in which we open our doors and windows to let visitors and the sunshine in. It is also a way to remove stagnant energy from our homes in order to prepare our personal space for the positive, verdant energy of spring and summer. As you sweep away the dust and clutter that has blocked the flow of energy in your home, you inevitably sweep away some of the issues that may have been blocking you in your life. Intention is important, so before you begin cleaning, ask yourself what needs to be cleansed, what can be discarded, and how you can make your home a reflection of your best self. Then, gather your tools and supplies around you--vinegar mixed with water makes a wonderful natural cleanser, and putting everything you need in a bucket with a handle will make it easier to move your supplies around your home. Once you've begun spring cleaning, you may find that with each piece of clutter you discard and each item that you clean you begin feel increasingly energized. Divesting yourself of unnecessary possessions can help you regain clarity of mind while cleaning your windows can help you refocus your vision. As you clean, invite healing and vital energy into your home and heart. When you've cleaned your home from top to bottom, create a floral arrangement with flowers from your garden, or buy a new plant at a farmers market. You may notice that your home feels newer, and brighter and full of new fresh energy. You also feel reawakened, rejuvenated, and alive. By cleansing your home, you can harness the vivacity and vigor of spring.

Reactions to life are often pre-programmed responses. What I mean by this is that we respond as we have been taught or as our experiences have taught us. We must become aware of our habitual responses and our pre-programming to be ale to change that. Many times we find it difficult to change these responses or behaviors even when we are aware of them. We must have a strong desire to change and the awareness to do so.

There are many modalities out there that can help us remove old patterns, energy and feelings and replace them with new, beneficial thinking. feeling and energy. I suggest utilizing the amazing array of tools now available to help s lead a fuller, healthier life. Some of these modalities are the different forms of energy balancing and healing (Reiki, healing touch, body alignment therapy, sound healing etc), EMDR, NLP, The emotion code, to mention just a few.
Moving our bodies and paying attention to how they feel and the energy tat moves trough them is a huge step in becoming more attuned to yourself.

Our Office specializes in many of the energy and emotional medicine that assists us in removing old blockages/patterns that o longer serve us in living a healthy full life or even the life we desire.
www.naturalhealthhaven.net

Here is a wonderful piece by Madisy Taylor that may help you understand what I am trying to say here....

Reactions to Life Events

BY MADISYN TAYLOR Our past experiences, can and do, influence our emotional reactions and responses to present events. Our experiences color everything. The events of the past can have a profound effect on how we see our lives now and what we choose to believe about our world. Our past experiences can also influence our emotional reactions and responses to present events. Each of us reacts to stimulus based on what we have learned in life. There is no right or wrong to it; it is simply the result of past experience. Later, when our strong feelings have passed, we may be surprised at our reactions. Yet when we face a similar situation, again our reactions may be the same. When we understand those experiences, we can come that much closer to understanding our reactions and consciously change them. Between stimulus and reaction exists a fleeting moment of thought. Often, that thought is based on something that has happened to you in the past. When presented with a similar situation later on, your natural impulse is to unconsciously regard it in a similar light. For example, if you survived a traumatic automobile accident as a youngster, the first thing you might feel upon witnessing even a minor collision between vehicles may be intense panic. If you harbor unpleasant associations with death from a past experience, you may find yourself unable to think about death as a gentle release or the next step toward a new kind of existence. You can, however, minimize the intensity of your reactions by identifying the momentary thought that inspires your reaction. Then, next time, replace that thought with a more positive one. Modifying your reaction by modifying your thoughts is difficult, but it can help you to see and experience formerly unpleasant situations in a whole new light. It allows you to stop reacting unconsciously. Learning the reason of your reactions may also help you put aside a negative reaction long enough to respond in more positive and empowered ways. Your reactions and responses then become about what's happening in the present moment rather than about the past. As time passes, your negative thoughts may lose strength, leaving only your positive thoughts to inform your healthy reactions.

Living life with Intent...

I know I keep sharing these pieces by Madisyn Taylor and it is because of how succinctly and easily she conveys these concepts and thoughts. I love to read them and they always seem to touch something within me, a recognition of a truth within myself.

I am constantly striving to live my life with intent, to be consciously aware of my actions and to be present in my day. Only in being present are we aware of our thoughts and the habits that we have around certain situations and circumstances and in the presence of the situation realization dawns and we have the power to change in that moment. In the moment we have the power to chose something different...to shift the energy.

Intent

BY MADISYN TAYLOR When we live with intent, we own our actions; instead of habitually performing them. We tend to associate the energy of intent with complicated or profoundly meaningful actions that require our full attention and effort in order to succeed. For example, walking a tightrope, taking a test, and taking a vow are all tasks that call us to be fully present and single-minded. However, intent can also be applied to everyday events, like eating breakfast or going to work. In fact, everything we do benefits from the presence of intent, which has the power to transform seemingly mundane tasks into profound experiences. You only have to try it to find out. Intent is one of the cornerstones of the Zen tradition of Buddhism in which monks work for years to develop the stillness and sharpness of mind to do only one thing at a time. Most of the time we are doing one thing and thinking of something else, or even doing three things at the same time, such as talking on the phone, doing dishes, and boiling water for tea. There is nothing inherently wrong with multitasking, which seems necessary at times, especially in the midst of family life. However, balancing this with a healthy dose of intentional activity can provide valuable insight into the benefits of doing one thing at a time, being fully present with whatever the task at hand happens to be. From the moment we wake up, we can apply intent to our situation by simply saying to ourselves, "I am aware that I am now awake." We can use this simple tool throughout our day, saying, "I am aware that I am driving to work." "I am aware that I am making dinner." Or even, "I am aware that I am breathing." As we acknowledge what we are doing in these moments, we come alive to our bodies and to the world, owning our actions instead of habitually performing them. We may realize how often we act without intention and how this disengages us from reality. Applying the energy of intent to even one task a day has the power to transform our lives. Just imagine what would happen if we were able to apply that power to our entire day.

Humanity....we are all one

I love the sentiment that Madisyn shares so eloquently in this piece. Our similarities are so much stronger than our differences. We all want the same things, joy, peace, love, laughter, acceptance and abundance.  Let us never forget our humanity and look at each other as fellow human beings and not as color or religion or geography or as insurmountably different. Humanity

BY MADISYN TAYLOR We are human, we are family - we all look at the same stars, we all laugh and cry, we all love. When it comes to our families, we sometimes see only our differences. We see the way our parents cling to ideas we don't believe, or act in ways we try not to copy. We see how practical one of our siblings is and wonder how we can be from the same gene pool. Similarly, within the human family we see how different we are from each other, in ways ranging from gender and race to geographical location and religious beliefs. It is almost as if we think we are a different species sometimes. But the truth is, in our personal families as well as the human family, we really are the same. A single mother of four living in Africa looks up at the same stars and moon that shine down on an elderly Frenchman in Paris. A Tibetan monk living in India, a newborn infant in China, and a young couple saying their marriage vows in Indiana all breathe the same air, by the same process. We have all been hurt and we have all cried. Each one of us knows how it feels to love someone dearly. No matter what our political views are, we all love to laugh. Regardless of how much or how little money we have, our hearts pump blood through our bodies in the same way. With all this in common, it is clear we are each individual members of the same family. We are human. Acknowledging how close we all are, instead of clinging to what separates us, enables us to feel less alone in the world. Every person we meet, see, hear, or read about is a member of our family. We are truly not alone. We also begin to see that we are perfectly capable of understanding and relating to people who, on the surface, may seem very different from us. This awareness prevents us from disconnecting from people on the other side of the tracks, and the other side of the world. We begin to understand that we must treat all people for what they are--family.

Keeping the brain healthy and sharp

9 Tips to Keep the Mind Sharp

As we grow older, we may see changes in the ways our mind and memory continue to function. Certain cognitive processes may slow down, making it more challenging to learn new things or eliminate distractions that hinder our memory.1

Maybe you forgot the name of an acquaintance at dinner last week—or you just can’t remember where you put your keys. Situations like this can certainly be frustrating, but fortunately, there are a number of habits and exercises you can practice to help maintain your brain function. 

Here are nine tips to help keep the mind sharp:

1. Engage multiple senses.

Research reveals that the more senses you engage, the more active your brain.1 One study had adults examine a series of neutral images, each one paired with a smell.2 Later these adults were asked to look at different images (without the scent-associated pairing), and then indicate—out of all the images—which ones they’d seen before. Researchers found that participants had a better recall for the pictures that featured smells and that the brain was more active when they looked at those pictures. 

So to stimulate your mind, make a point of engaging multiple senses at the same time. Sign up for a pottery class, cook aromatic foods, or take a warm bath with essential oils. 

2. Aim to get enough sleep.

If you don’t get much rest, you’ll find that even simple tasks like running errands or cooking a meal take more effort than they should. Not getting enough sleep is also linked to focus issues and short-term memory problems.3

Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.3 

3. Make exercise a top priority.

Working the skeletal muscles can also help to work the mind.4 Exercise not only helps stimulate and strengthen the connections between the synapses, or brain cells, but it also promotes the development of new nerve cells. This makes the brain more efficient and adaptive.4

And research has shown that the benefits of exercise are linked to more than just the brain. Physical activity reduces blood pressure, stabilizes cholesterol levels, and lessens mental stress.5 Both resistance training and cardio offer a number of benefits.

4. Consume a healthy diet.

Surely, you’ve heard the term “brain food.” Good nutrition promotes both a healthy body and a strong mind. For instance, research indicates that people who consume a Mediterranean diet of fish, unsaturated oils, produce, nuts, and other plant-based proteins are less likely to experience cognitive issues or develop dementia.4

5. Enjoy a meaningful social life.

Cultivating friendships and simply getting to know new people can enhance the brain’s executive function, which includes our short-term memory and our ability to screen distractions.3 Even short conversations can help to sharpen the mind.3

And that’s not all: A fulfilling social network is also linked to lower blood pressure and a longer life expectancy.4 It all boils down to developing and preserving both our neurological and our social connections.

6. Reset with yoga or meditation.

In addition to relaxation, yoga and meditation are known to improve cognitive performance.6 By paying close attention to the thoughts, feelings, and sensations you experience, you can leverage multiple sensations at once, manage stimuli, and ultimately work your brain. 

7. Quit smoking—and steer clear of secondhand smoke.

Did you know that smoking is linked to a thinner cerebral cortex and mental decline?7 A number of chemicals in cigarettes have negative effects on the brain, and secondhand smoke has similar drawbacks.7

If you don’t smoke but spend a significant amount of time around friends or family who do, gently explain the risks and encourage them to quit. 

8. Get organized.

Rather than wasting precious mental energy trying to remember things you can simply add to your calendar or grocery list, take advantage of a planner or any other organizational tool you’ve been meaning to use. This could help to increase your focus.1

Similarly, think about removing clutter from your home and office to reduce distractions. Keeping key items like keys, glasses, and your gym bag in the same place can help to reduce the need to remember where you left these things.

9. Manage stress.

People who are depressed, stressed, or anxious generally score lower on cognitive tests.4 While this doesn’t necessarily point to cognitive decline, stress management tools like a healthy diet, exercise, and adequate sleep—tools we’ve discussed at length in this post—can keep your stress in check. 

References:

1. Harvard Medical School Staff. 7 ways to keep your memory sharp at any age. Harvard Health Publishing, HEALTHbeat. Accessed January 22, 2019.
2. Keller A. Odor memories: the first sniff counts. Current Biology. 2009;19:21. 
3. WebMD staff. Keep Your Mind Young and Sharp. WebMD. 2017. Accessed January 22, 2019.
4. Harvard Medical School Staff. 12 ways to keep your brain young. 2006, updated 2018. Harvard Health Publishing. Accessed January 22, 2019.
5. American Heart Association Staff. Stress and Heart Health. 2014. American Heart Association. Accessed January 22, 2019.
6. Gothe NP et al. Differences in Brain Structure and Function Among Yoga Practitioners and Controls. Frontiers in integrative neuroscience. 2018;12:26. 
7. Preidt R. Smoking Linked to Damage in the Brain. WebMD, HealthDay. 2015. Accessed January 22, 2019.

High-Fat Diet Adversely Affects Gut Microbiota

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Higher-fat diets have unfavorable effects on gut microbiota, fecal metabolites and plasma proinflammatory factors, researchers from China report.

"The higher-fat diet was associated with significant and potentially detrimental changes in long-chain fatty acid metabolism, resulting in higher levels of chemicals that are thought to trigger inflammation," Dr. Duo Li from Qingdao University told Reuters Health by email. "These effects may sow the seeds for the development of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease, such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, over the longer term."

In China, the recent transition from the traditional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to one higher in fat and lower in carbohydrate has been associated with a dramatic increase in the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Previous research has linked high-fat diets with reductions in human gut microbiota diversity and richness, changes that have been postulated as a major trigger of metabolic impairments associated with obesity.

Dr. Li's team compared gut microbiota and fecal metabolomic profiles as well as markers of inflammation in 217 healthy adults who had been randomized to one of three diets for six months: a lower-fat diet (20% fat, 66% carbohydrate), a moderate-fat diet (30% fat, 56% carbohydrate), or a higher-fat diet (40% fat, 46% carbohydrate).

All three groups lost weight during the intervention, and the weight reduction was significantly greater in the lower-fat group than in the higher-fat group, as were reductions in waist circumference, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and non-HDL-cholesterol.

The lower-fat diet was associated with significantly increased microbial community diversity relative to the higher-fat diet. The higher-fat diet decreased the abundance of Faecalibacterium and increased the abundance of Alistipes and Bacteroides, whereas the lower-fat diet increased the abundance of Faecalibacterium and Blautia.

The higher-fat diet was associated with significant decreases in the concentration of short-chain fatty acids, compared with the other diets, while the lower-fat diet was associated with decreases in two cometabolites (p-cresol and indole) that have been linked to host metabolic disorders.

Plasma concentrations of several inflammatory markers were increased during the higher-fat diet and decreased during the lower-fat diet, the team reports in Gut, online February 19, 2019.

"These findings provide confirmatory evidence that nutritional guidelines in countries in a state of nutrition transition should advise against increasing intakes of dietary fat," the researchers conclude. "The results might also have relevance in developed countries in which fat intake is already high."

"We suggest that fat intake for the general healthy population should not be more than 30% of total energy," Dr. Li said. "We also suggest that the general healthy population should use polyunsaturated or monounsaturated plant fat, such as soybean oil, rape seed oil, peanut oil, olive oil, etc. for cooking."

Dr. Stefano Menini from Sapienza University of Rome, who recently sought to differentiate metabolically healthy from metabolically unhealthy obesity, told Reuters Health by email, "These findings indicate that increasing the dietary content of fat induces microbiome changes similar to that observed in human obesity and type 2 diabetes, even without increasing calorie intake and body weight. A Western-style diet, that is typically enriched in fats and deprived of fibers, may alter the gut microbiota structure and activity regardless of its obesogenic action, with ensuing adverse effects on intestinal permeability, systemic inflammation, and metabolism dysregulation."

"These findings might even be undervalued relative to real-world conditions," explained Dr. Menini, who was not involved in the work. "In this study, soybean oil was added to reach the desired amount of dietary fat. Whether saturated fats of animal origin led to the same changes in gut microbiota and fecal metabolites needs to be studied further. It could be that the type of fat, in addition to the quantity, can influence the composition and activity of the gut microbiota, and that a Western-style diet, which is particularly rich in saturated fats, can induce even more unfavorable alterations than those induced by a diet reach in soybean oil."

Dr. Debby P. Y. Koonen of University Medical Center Groningen, in the Netherlands, who studies various aspects of the gut microbiota and was not involved in the new work, told Reuters Health by email, "Of particular interest are the results on the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the study. They are in line with the increasing number of publications that highlight a protective role of SCFAs in numerous diseases."

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2BOL4yn

Gut 2019.

Living in-Spirit rather than in-ego

Wayne Dyer had many, many wonderful words of wisdom to share with us during his lifetime. I am inspired by this message that he delivers so eloquently.....(thanks to HayHouse for still spreading his words of wisdom)

"Thanks to the world we live in, we’ve developed many habits that are the direct result of living almost exclusively “in-ego” rather than in-Spirit. This will stress how to gain awareness of these ego habits, how to immediately protect ourselves from these onslaughts, and how to develop alternate strategies to ensure that we remain connected to Spirit—even in the face of a blitzkrieg that’s designed to take us away from living an inspired life. I’m not suggesting that there’s a conspiracy to keep us from living in-Spirit. My contention is simply that when a majority of society members are raised and persuaded to believe in the illusion of ego, then that society will develop and evolve firmly committed to that false self. It would then be natural for such a society to put forth messages designed to promote the idea of the importance of ego and all of its inherent ideas—and we’re fully immersed in just such a society. I once heard Swami Satchidananda lecture about this subject of the collective ego and its unceasing impact on all of us. He looked at the two words heart and head, the symbols for Spirit and ego, respectively, and confirmed that we’re in-Spirit when we act from our heart. Swami also observed that the word heart contains two words, he and art, and that leads to the thought that he and his art make up the heart.  The word head, on the other hand, also contains two words—he and ad—which leads to the thought that he and his ad make up the head. Swami reminded us that the head is an advertisement—that is, it’s the ego looking for recognition. He then asked a question I’ve never forgotten: “Why is it that lovers call each other sweetheart and not sweethead?” And he reminded us not to despise the head or symbolically cut it off, but rather to let our heart (that is, our feelings) lead, and the head will then follow, rather than the other way around. To that end, this chapter provides three steps to help us transcend the ego’s uninspiring energy. They are: becoming aware, cultivating a defense, and developing our own alternatives.  Some Suggestions for Transcending Commonplace, Uninspiring Energy When you find yourself being exposed to media onslaughts that are decidedly uninspiring, listen to your very first impulse and switch off! Turn off the television or radio, leave the movie theater, put the magazine down, and affirm: I no longer wish to be in the energy field of anything that isn’t a vibrational match with Spirit. Be aware of brazen attempts by pharmaceutical companies to profit off of your presumed maladies, with advertising telling you to consult your doctor for some new medication. Let the ad be a reminder that you’re an instrument of health; by doing so, your body will react to the messages being sent by your mind. Remember that your body/mind is the greatest pharmacy ever created. It has an unlimited potential for creating well-being, since that’s where it originated from in the first place! Say it out loud! By this, I mean, that you shouldn’t be afraid to make unusual or provocative affirmations. For example, you might avow: I won’t attract any further illness to my life. I’ll never allow myself to feel old, feeble, or frail; and I refuse to allow Alzheimer’s, cancer, or any other infirmity into my life. I don’t vibrate to frequencies that are designed to keep me from being in-Spirit. Always remember that you’re a being who was created out of love. Write this out, place in a conspicuous place, and repeat it to yourself: I live in a Divinely Inspired Universe. I have nothing to fear. I trust in myself, and when I do so, I trust in the very Wisdom that created me. Convince yourself (as I have) that when you live on purpose and “take care that [you do] not cheat your neighbor,” then you’re watched over by a “Senior Partner” Who knows that you’re both living and vibrating to the same spiritual frequency.  Work at developing your faith each and every day by taking time to be quietly in conscious contact with the Creative Source of your being. When you take time to meditate and commune with Spirit, not only will you feel revitalized, but you’ll adopt a defense system that can’t be penetrated by efforts to uninspire you, no matter how frequently others may attempt to do so. Ultimately, you’ll find that you won’t even bother to invite uninspired energy into your life via the media—or any other source, for that matter."