Mind. Body. Spirit. Integrative Health.

A blissful herb blog!

2012-01-18T17:06:00.003-05:00

I found this blog today and really loved it. http://www.angelic-herbs.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!

Looking deeper

2011-10-03T15:35:00.000-04:00

This site interests me because there is so much information and it is all without advertising! I love the concept of Whole Systems - the universe is a system of systems that break down into more and more systems. The human body - a whole system, made up of the circulatory system, digestive system, musculoskeletal system...and more. The earth we live on - the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere. Each system a complex, intricate, interwoven set of smaller systems. Our body systems would not function without the Earth's systems. At some level, you reach unity. The Tao teaches this.

Peace Manifesto

2011-03-10T09:26:00.001-05:00

I was inspired today to blog for the first time in years by a bumper stick that read "I'll take God and Guns, You can have Obama." And I thought to myself...

You sir (and it was a sir) can have all the religions of the world. And all the guns, the wars, the hatred, the anger, the blaming, the awful fruits of all of that.

I will take everyone who has a spirit of love, who has a heart for peace, who has a mind to seek truth, who has the compassion to understand the pain of others, who has the will to seek justice, who has the strength to admit their own failings and the strength to accept the failings of others.

I will take everyone who wants to live in a clean planet without pollution and chemicals, who thinks it is important to have food that is healthy and safe to eat, water that is clean and safe to drink and air that is clean and safe to breathe. I will take everyone who thinks those things are more important than vanity, pride, luxury, and excess.

I will take anyone who doesn't forget when they look to the sky for their "Father" that below their feet is their "Mother", without whom they would not be able to live, and that all of us and every life on the planet depend on the same "Mother". I will take anyone who embraces life and all that it entails.

You can have the rest, as long as you take it with you when you leave the planet to me and those who are with me. Perhaps you and the "God"-war-hate seekers would prefer Mars.

Peace, Love, Health, and Life.

Green is more than a color

2008-10-20T14:30:00.003-04:00

Today, the world is awash with greenwash - what I mean is that companies have learned that green sells and the people want environmentally friendly products and even services. So they put a green tint on an old shoe and try to sell it as a new green shoe.

You don't have to be a granola cruncher to know how to be green. True "green" living isn't just buying organic foods and products - it means looking at everything you do and buy and put on your body. It's how you think about your choices - do I drive somewhere to check out prices or look online first?

The impact of not being green is a burden on our bodies - a chemical burden. We are not aware of it but it exists. Check out this link to read about it.

And what is really scary is that we might be unknowingly exposing those we love (our children) to dangerous chemicals even when we are trying to keep them safe: see this blog.

Sloan Barnett wrote a book (Green Goes with Everything) which I am going to buy - she says it is filled with tips and ideas about how to make our lives more green. There is a simple body burden quiz on her site. Take it for a shocking surprise.

A great blog on Lao Tzu

2008-10-15T17:59:00.001-04:00

This is a wonderful blog - it says so much and is based on one of my favorite paths - Daoism.

Chemical Sweeteners

2007-11-19T11:46:00.000-05:00

It is part of "conventional wisdom" that sugar is bad...simple sugars rob the body of nutrients. This has been a part of the mantra of health advocates for years. We are also told that:

we need to control carbohydrate consumption
sugar intake is linked to diabetes
we are a carb-addicted society

All too true...but what about those who are really diabetic or want to control carbs and turn to artificial sweeteners? My father was a diabetic and used saccharine, nutrasweet and Splenda. Many of my friends and family use those products. Yet, they are probably MORE harmful than refined sugar because they are basically just chemicals. Splenda, which many think is just modified sugar and should be benign, is most likely the worst of them all...containing the highly toxic chlorine.

There are many alternative that are natural and healthy. I use raw, organic sugar in moderation. Fructose (not the processed high-fructose corn syrup, but plain fruit sugar) and Agave syrup are good choices and Stevia, a South American herb, are all healthy alternatives to chemical sweeteners that won't make a huge impact on your blood sugar. I have used Stevia and it is great (as drops) in iced tea or hot tea.

Before you dump chemicals into your body, do some research first! And don't rely on research funded by the companies that make these products...they are known to be biased and untruthful. Check out Dr. Mercola's web site (http://www.mercola.com/) and search his site for Splenda or Nutrasweet. What you will learn might change your mind about how you sweeten your life.

Link to excellent web site

2007-10-06T16:41:00.001-04:00

Really nice site with some great info.

Introduction

2007-10-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

Hi, My name is Amy and I am interested in the mind-body-spirit link to wellness and heath. I feel like there are three aspects to our beings - our body, our consciousness and our spirit and these things are tightly linked. Illness could be attributed to a misalignment between any of these aspects of our being. I know, for instance, that there has been a great deal of research on the effects of our mental state on our health. It is very well known. And there has also been a good deal of research on the effects of spiritual practice on health and healing.

My goal with this blog is to highlight this information and discuss it with any and all who are interested.

If you have any personal stories to tell related to this topic, please feel free to post.

Thanks.