Tai Chi May Ward Off Heart Disease in Seniors, Study Shows

Posted on by Tammy

A new study published online this month in the “European Journal of Preventive Cardiology,” shows seniors practicing the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi can boost their heart health, lowering blood pressure and strengthening muscles, the New York Daily News reported.

Researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University studied 65 elderly participants from Hong Kong, of which 29 were recruited from local tai chi clubs and practiced tai chi for 90 minutes a week over a period of three years, according to the report. Those who practiced the technique, which includes deep breathing combined with gentle movements, showed the following:

significant improvement in knee muscle strength
improvement in the expansion and contraction of the arteries (known as arterial compliance), which helps prevent cardiovascular disease
seniors in the study who didn’t practice had a 44 percent higher risk of heart disease than those who did

“This is the first study to investigate the possible effects of tai chi on arterial compliance by comparing older tai chi practitioners with non-practitioners similar in age and activity level,” said researcher Dr. William Tsang in the NY Daily News report. “The improvement in arterial compliance could have resulted from a combination of aerobic training, stretching, mental concentration and calm meditation during tai chi movement.”

Aromatherapy Himalayan Salt Lamp

Posted on by Tammy

Adding a Himalayan salt lamp or two in your home can do wonders. It releases negative ions into the air that bind with airborne pollutants, making them heavy so they fall to the ground – rather than having you inhale them! It’s ideal – especially for allergy sufferers!

Well, we found one that offers a new twist – it also diffuses essential oils. Standing 8 to 10 inches tall, the lamp includes a bulb, cord assembly and the aroma oil reservoir.

It’s available from www.spiritualquest.com at $44.90.

The Call of Sedona Meditation App Now Available

Posted on by Tammy

The Call of Sedona, a meditation guide app for iTunes and Android, follows the success of author Ilchi Lee’s New York Times Best-Seller, “The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart.”

The free version of the app transforms Ilchi’s words into an interactive multimedia experience, allowing users to make the spirit of Sedona part of their daily lives. It combines multimedia features and inspiration from the book offering a meditation guide full of images, music, videos, interviews and more.

The free version of The Call of Sedona app is available for download in both the iTunes App Store and Android Market. Some of the more predominant features of the app include: a Bell Rock audio guided meditation; 12 inspiring quotes taken from The Call of Sedona book; a video reading of a poem from the book; three Sedona scenery videos (including a Sedona night sky time lapse); and two video interviews with author Ilchi Lee.

Medicare Covering Dean Ornish’s Yoga and Meditation Program for Heart Disease

Posted on by Tammy

Medicare Part B, the U.S. government health insurance program for those 65 and older, is now covering the “Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease,” under a new benefit category, “Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation (ICR), according to a report by CNN.com. The first patients started in May 2011.

“The reason that I spent 16 years working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to achieve Medicare coverage for our program is that I knew that most insurance companies follow Medicare’s lead,” said Ornish in the report. “In other words, if Medicare covered our program, most other insurance companies would, as well. Reimbursement as well as science are primary determinants of medical practice. If it’s not reimbursable, it’s not sustainable.”

The Ornish program, which teaches a plant-based, meatless diet, meditation and regular exercise, is the only program scientifically proven to reverse heart disease currently offered in hospitals, clinics and physicians offices the Medicare and other private insurance companies are covering. Hospitals can now bill Medicare for their patient’s yoga and group discussion sessions, according to the report.

Additionally, overall adherence to the program has been 85 to 90 percent, after one year in hospitals and clinics that have offered it.

Helping patients make these lifestyle changes costs Medicare about $70 per hour, and patients can receive up to 72 one-hour sessions, according to the CNN.com report.

For more information on who qualifies for coverage, visit the Preventative Medicine Research Institute.

100 Percent Pure Black Tea Mascara

Posted on by Tammy

We shop for organic food, make sure our cleaning products are environmentally friendly, but then many of us fail to treat our skin and face with the same respect. Makeup has been known to contain a number of chemicals and toxins, yet many women apply it every morning without a second thought.

Well, we found the brand 100 Percent Pure, which offers cosmetics and skincare, and one of our most favorite mascaras in the world – especially for lengthening – is the 100 Percent Pure Black Tea Mascara.

There are no synthetic chemicals, artificial fragrances, petro chemicals, chemical preservatives, or any other toxins in any of the 100 Percent Pure products, and the mascara is pigmented with Black Tea or fruit pigments. It also includes ingredients like organic green tea and vitamin E.

The Black (our favorite) uses black tea; Blackberry is a shimmery black plum; Blueberry is a shimmery blue black; and Dark Chocolate is a shimmery black brown.

Right now, every order of $75 or more receives a Black Tea Mascara free! For more information, visit www.100percentpure.com.

Kripalu Yoga Shows Psychological Benefits for High School Students

Posted on by Tammy

Kripalu yoga classes have shown to have positive psychological effects on high-school students, according to a pilot study in the April “Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics,” the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

“Yoga may serve a preventive role in adolescent mental health,” according to the new study, led by Jessica Noggle, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Based on Kripalu yoga, the classes for the study consisted of physical yoga postures together with breathing exercises, relaxation and meditation. A total of 51 11th- and 12th-grade students registered for physical education (PE) at a Massachusetts high school and were randomly assigned to yoga or regular PE classes, with two-thirds assigned to yoga.

The students completed a battery of psychosocial tests, including tests of mood and tension/anxiety, before and after the 10-week yoga program. Both groups completed tests assessing the development of self-regulatory skills—such as resilience, control of anger expression, and mindfulness—thought to protect against the development of mental health problems.

Teens taking yoga classes had better scores on several of the psychological tests. Specifically, students in regular PE classes tended to have increased scores for mood problems and anxiety, compared to those taking yoga classes who stayed the same or showed improvement.

Furthermore, negative emotions also worsened in students taking regular PE, while improving in those taking yoga.