Posts Tagged ‘natural medicine’

Depression And Diabetes

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Many people who are diagnosed with diabetes are overwhelmed with an onslaught of new information, medications, doctor visits and a feeling of helplessness. Diabetes can be frightening, particularly for anyone who is not familiar with the disease. We read about complications and insulin and medication and feel hopeless.

Many diabetics experience a period of denial when first diagnosed with diabetes. They refuse to believe there is anything wrong with them. While they remain in denial, the condition worsens. This can often lead to depression. Depression and diabetes often go hand in hand. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes have a greater risk for developing depression than other individuals.

The stress of management of diabetes can take a toll on an individual. There are new medications to take, blood sugar must be monitored frequently and a record kept for your doctor. There are frequent doctor visits and there may be several different medication combinations attempted in order to keep your blood sugar under control.

On top of that, people who have diabetes are often faced with sudden lifestyle changes. Foods that they once enjoyed are now taboo. An exercise regime is often recommended, which can be good for depression, but people with depression often have little energy to begin an exercise regime. As the depression continues, people often lose interest in monitoring their blood sugar levels and may even skip their medication.

Symptoms of depression include a loss of pleasure in every day activities you used to enjoy as well as a change in appetite. You may have trouble concentrating and have trouble sleeping. Or you may even sleep too much. Many people suffer from depression, but for a diabetic, it can be life threatening. Depression and diabetes is a dangerous combination.

People who are diagnosed with diabetes can empower themselves by learning as much about the disease as possible from the beginning. This can alleviate the feeling of helplessness that often accompanies the diagnoses. Ask your physician questions. Do research. Find out how you can help manage you disease. You need to take control of the situation right from the start and explore all the alternatives so it is your choices.

If you feel you are suffering from some of the signs of depression, ask your doctor to recommend a therapist or hypnotherapist who is familiar in dealing with people with chronic illness. Therapy can be crucial for a diabetic patient who feels isolated because of all of the extra work involved in treating their illness. Do not be afraid to discuss your illness with family and friends. Diabetes is a nothing to be ashamed of, it is a disease that affects millions of people. I always recommend that you find people that are willing to take the time to listen and provide you tools for your success.

If at all possible, join a support group for others who also have diabetes. Here you can not only find kindred spirits who are experiencing some of the same fears as yourself, but you can also learn new information. The challenge with support groups is also that sometimes the group can restrict what you want to accomplish as well. Make sure your support tools provide you with more choices and do not take away your choices. Remember you should feel better about a support group not worse ;) .

Any time someone is diagnosed with an illness, it puts them at risk for depression. Their world has changed and no longer could feel safe. Worse of all, they feel out of control or as their life has now become limited. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, take back the control and learn how to manage your disease. By empowering yourself, you will not only be able to effectively manage your diabetes, you will eliminate the depression.

Remember that improving your focus on the things you can do will be a big help in making sure you are not one of those depressed people.

Mystically yours,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine.

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High Glycemic Foods

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

In 1981, Dr. David Jenkins of the University of Toronto came up with a ranking system for carbohydrates based upon how long it takes them to break down into the system. Some carbohydrates break down very slowly and those release glucose gradually into the bloodstream and have a low glycemic index. For people who are diabetes, particularly those who are insulin dependent, a low glycemic index is preferable. These foods allow the insulin or medication to respond better to the blood glucose and allows for the sugars to break down more naturally.

Other foods are rated high on the Glycemic Index. These foods currently have high ratings and raise the blood glucose level quickly. High glycemic foods can be beneficial for people who are recovering from high exertion or those suffering from hypoglycemia. People with Type I or Type II Diabetes should avoid high glycemic foods as they can play havoc with the insulin or medication they are taking.

Some examples of foods that considered high glycemic foods include corn flakes, white rices such as jasmine rice, white breads and baked potatoes. People who have diabetes, either Type I or Type II, should avoid these foods as much as possible.

Other foods that are high glycemic foods include those with large amounts of white refined sugar or white flour. One thing a doctor will tell a patient on how to avoid high glycemic foods is to avoid anything white. This includes white bread, pasta made with white flour and even cakes or sweets made with refined white sugar or white flour.

High glycemic foods tend to take a long time to digest in the system of a diabetic. The glucose, or sugar, stays in the blood because the system of a diabetic is unable to process the refine sugars and flours. The glucose stays in the blood and in the urine causing the diabetic to frequently urinate, experience thirst and hunger more than the average person and sweat profusely.

After a while, this takes its toll on the system of a diabetic. The kidneys begin to hurt because they are not functioning properly. This is one symptom that diabetics often present with when seeking a physician. They also get blood in their urine and, in the worst case scenario, they faint or enter into an episode of semi-consciousness, confusion which can even lead to a diabetic coma. In some instances, a diabetic coma can prove fatal.

People who have Type I and Type II diabetes should be very mindful of which foods have a high glycemic index and avoid these foods in their diet. With proper diet, medication or insulin and monitoring of blood sugars, diabetics can lead a normal lifespan.

Diabetes is not a death sentence at all. It is simply a condition that many people possess that does not allow their body to break down sugars and starches through their system so that they digest normally. Diabetes is harmful to an individual who does not follow the advice of their physician, does not consume a proper diet and does not monitor their blood glucose levels. People who adhere to the medical guidelines concerning diabetes have just as much of a chance of living a normal life as anyone else.

Make sure to take our Free Assessment to receive your multi-page report that provides calorie consumption required and calorie burn estimates for your goal.

Mystically yours,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

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6 TIPS FOR SLOWING DOWN THE ADD BRAIN

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

If you are an adult with ADD, then you may be familiar that at times, slowing down is a very difficult thing to do. There are a lot of jobs to get done and so little time to get them completed. So your mind starts working in a high speed, trying to achieve it all and more, or getting upset about the actuality that it look as if it is not viable to get it all completed. As a result, you use up a lot of time constantly worrying, and very little time getting pleasure from life.

While slowing down is a complex ability to accomplish at times, it can be done. Here are 6 established methods to slow down the adult ADD brain:

1. Put Down Work

Fix up your business hours and stand by them. Even though at times it is essential to work overtime, do not do it unless you are directed to. You will work more competently during the day when the time you have to complete your job is fixed. And take a break on weekends – or at least 2 days a week. You should have time away from work.

2. Arrange for a Night out with Others

Nothing is more enjoyable than having a night out with people you like. This may well be with colleagues, friends, family, or members of a group you are a part of. Have a good time.

3. Make a Weekly Obligation (Like Taking a Class or Involving Yourself in a Group)

Find a reason to go out of the house and out of the office each week. Attend a class, if possible to learn something you for all time wanted to know how to do. Make certain that you *pay* for the class beforehand so you will not be coaxed to miss it out. Learn a new skill or volunteer for a service organization like the Optimist or a non-profit that shares your values.

4. Diary

Maintaining a diary compels you to stop, think over and act out. It aids you to deal with nervous tension and achieve clearness. Formulate the resolution to do it every day – even if it is merely for 10 minutes! Do not be bothered about sentence structure, syntax, punctuation, or flow since no one else ever has to see it. Keep your diary next to your bed as well to write any thoughts that might come during the night. This allows you to get back to sleep quickly so you feel refreshed the next day.

5. Meditate

There are a lot of diverse methods of meditation, but I have a preference for mindfulness meditation. This is merely the action of being there in the present instant – whether you are working, walking, or washing the dishes. Make an effort to keep your mind in the instant, and do not tag on worrying or troublesome feelings when they come up. It is all right to start on little by little, with 5 minutes spent in mindful meditation daily, and after that building on your performance as you happen to be more at ease. You can use our meditation timer to track your daily meditation. Remember also that we have hundreds of downloads for you to listen to as well and lots of great books you can download on our website.

6. Switch off Your Computer 2 Hours before Bed

Computers are rather interesting, in particular for ADDers. Frequently at times, you will find yourself sitting at your computer at 3 o’clock in the morning completely occupied in exploring something totally arbitrary. You just cannot move away from the pc and go to bed, and that is for the reason that the computer stimulates your brain. Switch the pc off at least two hours prior to going to sleep so as to suitably relax, and slow down, at night.

Mystically yours,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

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Improving Memory Using Memory Exercises

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

If you are a student struggling to study for a big test, you may soon learn that you will need the help of certain tricks to make your study life easier.  Many students of all ages benefit from learning memory exercises.  Teachers usually try to help their students by suggesting certain exercises that they themselves have used or that they have learned since beginning to teach.

Of course, each person must use whatever appeals to them.  What works for one won’t necessarily work for another.  This lesson has been demonstrated in the simple act of teaching a child to tie a shoe.  His concentration may be thrown askew and result in frustration when asked to try a new way to learn.  Maybe one parent teaches a different method, or the grandparents disagree on what is best.

Children with learning disabilities must learn constructive methods for improving their memories that are tailored to their own distinct capabilities.  A child who struggles may need to associate certain things with the same colors daily to remember.  Maybe they have certain shapes that help them remember, or smells.  A child who has sight impairment may learn to associate by touch or scent.  Grandma may wear the same perfume every day or Grandpa may wear the same cologne or after shave.

There are times when the teachers have a learning method that is different from the parents’.  When the child asks the parent for help with homework, an argument may develop because the parent will use a different method to get the same result.  Sometimes if the child is taught not to argue with the parent, this could result in a bad mark on the work that is turned in.  This is where consistency and cooperation is successful in the parent/teacher relationship.

Have you ever made up a silly, but rude song about someone who offended you?  This was a great memory exercise, even though it could be construed as mean.  Music is a helpful tool, especially for teaching small children to improve their memories, although it is usually not used in a derogatory way.  Comedians make jokes with rude songs, which often results in the audience remembering the comedian simply because the music acted as a tool to cement the person into memory.  Maybe you don’t even recall the words, but simply the tune, the results are the same.

Rhyming games are a very helpful memory tool.  An endless number of people have grown up enjoying the antics of the characters in Dr. Seuss stories!  Many of the words don’t even make sense and mean nothing in reality.  But they served to help a person remember the story because of the rhyming effect.

The key to memory exercises is repetition.  You must teach yourself to perform the actions over and over.  Like always putting your car keys in your purse so you won’t lose them.  If you have trouble getting your children to school on time because they spend too much time finding their backpack or shoes, have them learn to place the items in the same place each evening.  These little memory tricks are sure to make your boss happy if they get you to work on time each day!

Mystically yours,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

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Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight roads that connect to paths and trails . We will experience many roads as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

There are no guarantees.

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent.  There are too many possible outcomes, which you really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life.  But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
·    Get as many information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

·   Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

·    Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option. Many people understand pros and cons but they do not take the time to completely understand them.  I like to use a simple format when looking at pros and cons:

1) What will happen if I take this road ?    2) What will happen if I do not take this road?
3) What will not happen if I take this road?  4) What will not happen if I do not take this road?

If you ask yourself these 4 questions when making a decision you will better understand the decision and outcome.

·    Trust yourself and make that decision.

Now that you have assessed all your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions always lead to right ones later.  So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems and growth. The important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own journey. Whether it is the right decision or not, you will grow and learn from it. Embrace whatever the outcome. Learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future from the decisions you are making today.

Mystically your,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

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Healing Irritable Bowel Syndrome the Natural way

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

Medications are not the only way to control Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. There are also natural means that can help in curing IBS. Unlike any other type of illness such as cancer, brain tumors and others, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not as severe but the discomfort that it causes patients is enough to disrupt their social lives.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common disorder that affects a great number of Americans. As a matter of fact approximately ten to fifteen percent or more of the Americans population is suffering from IBS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects the intestines and the stomach. Other terms used to refer to IBS are as follows: mucous colitis, nervous stomach, spastic colon, spastic colitis or irritable colon.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is often classified as a functional disorder, which means that it is a primary abnormality that affects the physiological function of the body. It simply cannot be diagnosed in a traditional manner such as blood test, x-ray and others. Why? Because IBS is a complicated disorder wherein symptoms are not clearly defined whether they are caused by the malfunctioning intestines or gut or by the autonomic nervous system that seems to alter the regulation of bowel motility or the sensory function.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain and others. These discomforts are caused by changes in the bowel pattern. There are various treatments available that involves medication, diet and some natural means.

Colonic Massage, Mind/Body Healing and Fiber-rich Foods
There are natural ways of controlling IBS symptoms such as colonic massage and mind/body healing. For the colonic massage you can perform this while sitting on the toilet or while lying down and bending your knees. Try to make a fist using your right hand and gently massage your colon by creating circular, digging motion with your knuckles.

Begin with the lower right quadrant of your abdomen and then work up making circular motion under the right side of your ribcage. Do the same with the left quadrant of your abdomen and try to massage your groin or pubic bone. The main objective of this exercise is to induce bowel movement plus it also helps in relieving colic in newborns since it force out gas as well as stool. But remember for newborns minimal force should be applied when doing this exercise.

You must be wondering why apply mind/body healing to control Irritable Bowel Syndrome? IBS often cause emotional and mental stress, which often aggravates symptoms. So in order to control IBS it is very important that patients be encouraged to sick out therapies that make use of somato-emotional release.

The somato (or body) emotional release is rooted on the belief that trauma is sometimes stored in the tissues of the body and not just in the mind or soul of patients. These traumas need to be eliminated in order for healing to happen. There are various somato-emotional release therapies available that patients can choose from such as craniosacral, reiki, acupuncture and other types of energy healing exercises.

Eating fiber-rich food is also a natural way of controlling IBS. However make sure that you include fiber in your diet little by little since abrupt consumption of fiber may cause gas and may trigger symptoms of IBS. Likewise, it would also help if you would try to take note of foods that you eat. List those foods that trigger IBS symptoms in you and avoid eating them.

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

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