A new website (www.nihseniorhealth.gov) created by the National Institutes of Health focuses on information specifically for those 60 and over, including age-specific topics such as arthritis, balance problems, hearing loss, and Alzheimer’s disease. Besides addressing these issues, this free site uniquely accommodates the physical challenges senior citizens face.
As one who has used and abused my body for more than half a
century, I barely give it a passing glance in the mirror, figuring what’s done is done. But on this particular morning, as I donned a two-piece swimsuit in preparation for my first Hellerwork session, I paused to take stock. Reflected in the mirror was a disturbing sight. My right shoulder sagged at an angle. Body weight obviously shifted right to protect an arthritic hip. From top to bottom, the entire side looked like it was pulled taut by a rope.
In the New Year, 40 percent of Americans will resolve to exercise more, 13 percent will vow to eat better, and 7 percent will resolve to cut back on tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, or other drugs, according to a survey conducted at the University of Washington’s Addictive Behaviors Research Center. In addition, only an estimated 40 percent will achieve their primary resolution on the first attempt. So what can you do to be more successful in sticking to your resolutions? Researchers recommend the following:
·Be committed to make the change.
It was a life-changing event — like walking into another world. It shattered my illusions.” “It was the most profound experience of my life.” “The experience was awesome. So much input — visual, kinesthetic — experiencing and exploring with other adventurers. I feel privileged to have had this opportunity.”
What are these people so excited about? The answer might surprise you. They are all bodyworkers trying to put into words the incredible experience they had participating in a human cadaver lab.
Breathing is the first action we take as an autonomous being, and we continue to do so until we give up this body. From the first breath to the last, we exist dependent upon an energetic exchange between inner and outer environments. Without breath, we perish. We can survive for weeks without food, for days without water, but we will die if deprived of air for more than a few minutes. To live is to breath.
Ready to lose weight in a healthy way? Following are some tips for savvy weight management courtesy of Ellie Zografakis, registered dietician and owner of Nutriformance in St. Louis, Mo.:
Aromatherapy is unique among the various forms of natural healthcare for its chameleon-like ability to adapt to a wide range of contexts. It flourishes as a research-based branch of botanical medicine, as a natural partner of therapeutic massage, as a vital component of natural skin care, and as a marketing device for the cosmetics industry. No other natural therapy is so multifaceted, versatile, and — to the frustration of the purists — so exploited.
For some, it’s the smell of bedlinens dried on a clothesline. For others, it’s the whispery scent of fresh rain. For me, it’s the delicate fragrance of rose. There’s no scent that evokes emotional memories for me like the sweet petaled rose.
The purported benefits of aromatherapy are so taken for granted in our society that aromatic products, whether truly infused with essential oils or not, abound on store shelves. Choose from an assortment of candles, bath and beauty products, or diffusers for home and office to cure what ails you. The claimed effects run the gamut from mood enhancement to specific healing properties.
For both parent and practitioner, there’s often no greater frustration than being unable to soothe a child’s pain, especially an infant. A 1-year-old child’s cries tell us so much, and yet so little. Body language is often the biggest clue as to what ails him. And while Tiffany Field, a researcher at Miami’s Touch Research Institute, and others have scientifically proven that massage can provide great comfort to a young child, touch can be an even stronger therapeutic tool when combined with aromatherapy.
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