Has Your Wake-Up Call Arrived?

By: Kathy Caprino

A wake-up call is a resounding signal received that change is necessary in your life. Often we get this type of call when a crisis or deeply challenging situation has emerged.

Clients ask me, “What is crisis in our lives? How can we tell we’re heading into crisis, versus simply going through a really bad patch?” What are the signs of “breakdown,” as I tend to call it?

As defined in the Webster’s dictionary, a “crisis” is:

• An emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person’s life (as in a midlife crisis)

• The decisive moment (as in a literary plot)

• The turning point for better or worse, as in an acute disease or fever

• A paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function

• An unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially: one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome (as in a financial crisis)

• A situation that has reached a critical phase

Clearly, we’re taking about a “no turning back” situation – a time in which a re-evaluation is called for. The definition of “crisis” used in my new book Breakdown, Breakthrough (Berrett-Koehler, Nov. 2008, http://www.breakdownbreakthrough.com) pertains to the occurrence of a deeply troubling, heart-wrenching, or grueling event or series of events that brings you to a recognition, finally and irrevocably, that change must occur now. Crisis pushes you to your knees, and stretches open your awareness that to repeat this experience (or this feeling, event, or situation) again in the same way would be close to intolerable.

A wake-up call in the professional arena means that you suddenly know beyond a shadow of a doubt that how you work, what you work on, who you work with or who you are when you work, and where you work — these elements are causing damage to you, your life, your body, and your spirit. A wake-up call often seems to strike out of the blue, yet we rarely get to this point without some warning signs along the way. Crisis may look different for each person, but there is one unifying theme that defines it:

Crisis wakes up the individual who faces it. This wake-up call demands our attention, and often leads us to have a “breakdown” or compels us to “break down” once and for all what isn’t working, and shed it. Crisis reveals that significant revision in life or work is required immediately.

If you’ve had any of the following thoughts or considered these actions in the past six months, you may be heading towards a wake-up call, and now is the time to hear it, and embrace what it’s trying to tell you.

Have you ever:

- Allowed money and financial “benefits” to keep you in an abusive relationship at home or at work?

- Called in sick just because you couldn’t face what was on your plate that day?

- Flirted with sabotaging the work of your boss or colleague because s/he’s been so awful to you?

- Wondered to yourself, “What the heck is the purpose of what I do?”

- Snuck out of the office, and lied about why you are leaving, so that you could see your child’s soccer game (or performance, concert, etc.)

- Realized that you can’t remember the last time you did anything for yourself?

- Blamed yourself for “not fitting in” and feeling so alone in your current situation?

- Believed you might have a nervous breakdown just getting done what has to each day for work and for home?

- Fantasized frequently about another field(s) or area that would be very exciting to focus on?

- Sensed that you are missing important aspects of your family’s life, and will never get them back?

- Thought to yourself, “I don’t want to do this one more day.”

If you’ve had any of the above experiences and thoughts, you’re most likely heading for a major turning point in the road, and it’s time to grab control of the wheel.

Is a wake up call on its way to you?

If so, embrace it. Change is vital and good. Take this opportunity to explore your needs and wants fully, and realize they are not to be ignored. Uncover some potential new directions that excite you. You don’t have to know the “hows” right now. Just flesh out one area you’d deeply like to explore, then take a step to research it and test it out. The key is to sense how your energy feels when you consider and examine this new direction. If you feel good, then keep moving towards exploring it.

The first step on the path of aligning your life to your satisfaction is realizing that you’re stuck only if you perceive yourself to be. It’s never too late to reinvent yourself or your work (trust me – I’ve done it!), and expand your skills and abilities to reach toward a new direction that represents a better fit.

After all, aren’t you worth having a career and life you love? I know you are.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8254.shtml

Being Aware Of The Various Water Distillation Procedures

By: Jo Alelsto

Water is life. It is an essential part of our day-to-day living. It is not only important of our health, but it is also important for our comfort. Can you imagine yourself living in a day without water to drink or to wash your face with? But besides having enough water to get us through the day, another concern that arises is how safe the water we are using is, especially for drinking.

There are indeed so many things that bother us. How we can suspend aging and look younger than our age, global warming, global crisis, getting a nice home – these are just some of those. It is a good thing that having safe water to use has been taken into account, though. Different water purification systems are being employed to produce high quality and pure water. Moreover, the most common forms of purified water are distilled and deionized water.

So what are the water purification systems that we have at present?

One is carbon filtering. Carbon is a powerful absorbent, and its ability to absorb is enhanced by adding a slightly positive electrical charge. The product is then called activated carbon, which is being used in many standard home water filters. Granular activated carbon or GAC and powdered block carbon are often used by activated carbon filters. They help reduce or remove contaminants found in tap water such as pesticides and herbicides, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), chlorine, and radon.

Another method used is reverse osmosis, which is also known as hyperfiltration or ultrafiltration. This technique works by applying mechanical pressure to force pure water through a semi-permeable membrane while the contaminants are trapped in the tiny pores of the membrane. This technique filters water contaminants such as bacteria, chlorine and other treatment related products, dyes, heavy metals, and salts and sugars.

Deionization is also one technique used to purify water. Through this process, ions (charged atoms or group of atoms) are removed from raw water. These include cations from sodium, calcium, iron, copper and anions such as chloride and bromide. It is done by using specially-manufactured ion exchange resins, which bind to and filter out the mineral salts from water.

Distillation, on the other hand, is the process of boiling water and then condensing the steam into a clean container. This leaves most solid contaminants behind. The production of drinking distilled water is especially important to dry seaside areas where there is no sufficient supply of freshwater.

Also included in the list is UV water purification. It uses ultraviolet or UV light, which comes from a high intensity lamp, to treat water and make microorganisms harmless; UV light damages the structure of the organisms present in the water, making them sterile. Then there is water conditioning that reduces the effects of hard water. Water that has high concentrations of hardness salts, which are deposited in water systems subject to heating, can be treated with sodium carbonate or soda ash that precipitates out the excess salts.

Moreover, purified water is not only for individual consumption. It is also used in many other ways. Demineralized water, for instance, is used in laboratory testing and in the production of high purity chemical solutions.

There is indeed a great demand for pure water. Thanks to the water purification methods that have been developed, we have access to water that is free of contaminants. We give so much importance to cleanliness, and it involves the water that we consume, either for drinking, washing, and many other activities where clean water is required. Of course, clean does only mean unused water that comes out from our faucets. It also means free from contaminants that cannot be seen by our naked eyes.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8260.shtml

I Cured my Gout with Herbs – 5 Gout Herbal Remedies

By: Joe Barton

I recently was reading one of the hundreds of e-mails I get in my inbox and the subject said, “I cured my gout with herbs”. I was immediately interested in this e-mail because most of my customers find that their diet, beverages, vitamins or lifestyle changes can cure their gout.

However, this customer chose herbs to cure her gout which I thought was interesting. The e-mail went on to thank me for the Gout Remedy Report she recently purchased and also listed the herbs she experimented with. She found that some herbs worked very well for her but others had no results. Here is what worked for her.

By the end of this article, you will learn 5 herbs that may help you cure your gout at home.

5 Gout Herbal Remedies

1. Devil’s claw has been shown to reduce levels of uric acid in the body. Experts suggest taking 400 mg of the dried devil’s claw extract three times per day until symptoms have stopped. You can find this herb at any health food store.

2. Garlic has often been called the herbal miracle cure because it can help address all the aspects of the bodily functions and health. Eating 3-5 cloves of garlic daily can greatly increase your overall health and possibly help cure gout.

3. Hawthorn, like NSAIDs, is filled with anthocyanosides which are anti-inflammatory. In addition, hawthorn also contains flavonoids which have been shown effective in treating gout symptoms.

4. You should also try to supplement hyssop and juniper which have been shown to neutralize uric acid. As you probably know, uric acid is the cause of gout.

5. Parsley can act as a natural diuretic which can help your body flush out the uric acid. You can eat fresh parsley or make a tea with both fresh and dried leaves.

How to Cure Gout in 2 Hours

Herbal therapy is one way to cure gout naturally. However, there are numerous other ways to cure gout with your diet, vitamins, nutrients and even lifestyle changes. If you would like to know how to cure gout in 2 hours or less, please visit us today.

After a quick trip to the grocery store, you will be able to cure gout in literally hours.

http://www.cureyourgout.com/g1

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8204.shtml

The Truth about Top Facial Cleansers

By: Laurel Levine

How many of you truly believe what you see or hear when the cosmetics industry begins telling you about what the top facial cleansers on the market are? I should warn you that these companies are rarely honest in their assessment of the products that they are offering to you. You have to remember that they are simply out to make money.

The frightening thing is that there are literally millions of people throughout the world that hang on every word that these companies have to say. Much of this is due to the desperation that these people feel after trying products that have failed them time and time again. They are more and more hopeful that each new product that appears on the scene will actually be the one that they have been waiting for.

The reason that they have gotten disappointing results from the supposed top facial cleansers is due to the fact that very little of what goes into cosmetic products is actually useful to you. The truth is that the vast majority of the cosmetics companies currently in business use little more than chemicals in order to formulate their products, and this is a problem.

People don’t realize either the damage that these chemical agents can do to their skin, or the detrimental effect that they can have on their health. Entire groups of the chemicals most commonly used in order to formulate skin care products have been banned in many parts of the globe due to the toxic effect that they have on the body.

These top facial cleansers in most cases do not even have an antibacterial agent that works effectively without harming you. One of the most common of these has a known tendency to cause new strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria. How would you feel about using something like that on your skin every day?

There are natural antibacterial agents that are available that are just as good, if not better than these chemical elements are. These ingredients include active Manuka honey, and grape seed oil. All plant based ingredients have some level of an antibacterial effect, but these two may possibly be the best natural sources available.

The top facial cleansers should also have as ingredients compounds that are effective at cleaning the grease and grime from your skin with great efficiency. This dirt often gets trapped deep down in your skin, and the result of this is that it can clog your pores causing blackheads to form and possibly acne.

The two single best deep cleansing agents that can be found in skin care products are Kaolin, and Bentone gel. These are both extracts from types of clay that can only be located in New Zealand. They are known for their ability to gently draw dirt and grime out of the depths of your skin, and they are also helpful with issues such as inflammation of your skin.

Make no mistake about it. The top facial cleansers have got to be all natural, or no good results are going to come from you using them.

Visit my site to learn about more amazing natural skin care substances you have probably never heard of.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8231.shtml

The Best Skin Rejuvenation Plan!

By: Laurel Levine

What’s the best skin rejuvenation treatment available, today? There are actually a number of effective treatments. The one to choose depends on how much you want to spend and whether or not you are interested in cosmetic surgery. Assuming that you would like to know about more natural and affordable choices, here’s a look at what you can do.

Eat Your Veggies

Many people forget that the skin is an organ of their body. What you see on the outside is a reflection of what’s going on inside. When the skin’s appearance starts to degenerate with age, the skin’s health has been negatively affected, too.

The most powerful anti-aging tools that we have are antioxidants. Fruits and veggies are loaded with them. If you load up on them, too, you will feel better and over the course of the next six weeks, you will start to look better, too.

In addition to increasing the number of antioxidant that you eat, you can also apply some directly. Research has shown that a topically applied skin rejuvenation treatment containing coenzyme Q10 can reverse sun damage, reduce wrinkling and improve the skin’s moisture content.

This treatment takes about six weeks to work, too. In fact, any natural treatment takes 4-6 weeks, because that’s how long it takes your skin’s outermost layer to be fully replaced.

Sleep Tight

We all know that we need to get more sleep, but sometimes, it’s difficult. Sleeping poorly causes increased production of a stress hormone called Cortisol, which damages collagen fibers and the skin’s cells. Sleep well and your body produces more human growth hormone, which keeps your skin’s layers thick and firm looking.

Taking some time off to get a good night’s sleep and reduce the stress in your life is an effective skin rejuvenation treatment. Dermatologists have said that a woman can take a couple of years off of her appearance, just by reducing stress and sleeping well.

Respect the Sun

Much of the wrinkling, sagging, age spots and other things that you see are caused by sun damage or photo-aging. If you take the next six months and make every effort to continuously protect your face from the sun, you skin should start to appear smoother and more even toned. The coenzyme Q10 skin rejuvenation treatment, mentioned above will obviously help. But, if you don’t consistently protect the area, you will just redo the damage.

Always Use Moisturizer

Moisturizer helps to stretch out fine lines and wrinkles. The best moisturizers on the market contain a large concentration of coenzyme Q10, because of all of the benefits that have been associated with it, but there are some other ingredients that are just as, if not more effective.

The protein keratin, for example, stimulates the production of new cells and increases firmness. Wakame kelp extracts protect levels of hyaluronic acid, important for the skin’s smoothness. If it contains the right ingredients, your moisturizer can be a daily skin rejuvenation treatment that will make you look years younger, fast.

To learn more tips about vitamins for healthy skin, and other incredible substances you’ve probably never heard of, visit my website today.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8227.shtml

Quitting Smoking by ‘Focusing on Breathing’

By: Suryanarayana Chennapragada

Here are some simple and effective relaxation techniques to gradually quit smoking, without spending time or money.

See this e-mail from Michael, well on his way – “I was smoking a pack and half a day. I had been looking for a way to quit that would not require more money and the same old results. I was introduced to the ‘counting breaths’ methods. After just a week of doing the method once in the morning and right before bed, I was able to cut down smoking down to around 15 cigarettes a day from the previous 20 a day, by doing nothing more than the method. I now do it throughout the day and I am down to about 4 cigarettes a day. My goal is to be smoke free within the next month. This is all due to doing the method: I am more relaxed, I don’t need to lash out at everybody because I am edgy. The best part is, it costs me nothing to do, except for my effort into it. I didn’t need any outside help like gum or patches; I did it on my own which is a great feeling. My wife has now started this method and we are slowly getting into our children to do it too. I highly recommend this for anyone of any age.” Michael S e-mail: mksmail800@verizon.net , April 23, 2009.

Reports from more smokers can be seen through this link – http://countingbreaths.com/annecdotes.html#Smoking. These people succeeded by using the simple technique of ‘FOCUSING ON BREATHING’. It can be practiced anywhere, any time. It induces relaxation, reduces stress and gradually weakens established habit patterns like helpless smoking.

HOW CAN I FOCUS ON BREATHING?

Practice the following modes keeping your eyes closed. You can also do it eyes open, but it is less effective.

(A) USE FINGER TIPS: Touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. Breathe in, breathe out, three times, counting in the mind, during the out breaths. During the first out-breath, count ‘one’, second out-breath ‘two’, third out-breath ‘three’. Repeat the 3 breaths, at each of the next 3 finger tips. When you get to the thumb, place the tip of the index finger at the base of the thumb and complete 3 breaths. Then switch to the other hand and repeat the process. Continue to practice, switching hands.

(B) USE FINGER SEGMENTS (without counting): Every finger has 3 segments, separated by 2 lines. Keep the thumb tip at the top segment of the little finger. Breathe in and out, one time, without counting. Shift the thumb to the middle segment and complete one breath. Move to the bottom segment and complete one breath. Now, move the thumb tip to the next 3 fingers repeating the same steps. When you get to the thumb, place the tip of the index finger on the segments of the thumb and complete one breath at each segment. When all the fingers of one hand are done, switch hands and repeat the practice. Practice as long as you like, switching hands. Don’t count in this mode, just breathe.

(C) COUNT IN THE MIND (without using the fingers): During every in-breath, feel the coolness in the nose, without counting. During every out-breath, count in the mind: first out-breath – count ‘one’, second out-breath – ‘two’ and so on. At some number, your mind wanders and you forget to count. Every time this happens, restart counting from ‘one’.

(D) FEEL THE BREATHS: During the in-breaths, feel the coolness inside the nose. During the out-breaths, feel the neutral or warm feeling in the nose. Don’t use fingers. Don’t count.

(E) STARING: Stare at a small spot, mark or thing: Select any small but prominently visible spot, mark or object, before you. While continuously staring at this target, practice any mode A / B / C / D.

(911) BREATHING OUT THROUGH THE MOUTH: Breathe in through the nose, feeling the coolness. Breathe out gently through the mouth, with slightly open lips, focusing on the sensation in the lips. In this mode, the out-breath is controlled and long.

WHEN CAN I PRACTICE AND IN WHAT MODE?

Try all the suggested modes. Use whatever works for you. Feel free to modify and combine the modes.

TO SLEEP: Everybody loves this time of practice and it is the most effective time to make a beginning. Initially use mode A. Then any mode A to D.

ON WAKING UP: This is another great time. Continue lying under the cover. Practice any mode.

HOME: Walking, cooking, cleaning, gardening etc. do not require thinking. These are very good opportunities for relaxing in any mode C to D / 911. See how many breaths it takes to brush teeth, toast bread, fill a cup, load the laundry and such repetitive activities.

WALKING: Use mode C. While walking continuously, feel the coolness inside nose, during every in-breath. During every out-breath, every time a foot touches the ground, match it with the number being counted. Repeat the same number, till the out-breath is completed. After a little practice, you will be walking normally while practicing in this mode. After some time, you can practice even while running and on the treadmill!

WAITING (sitting or standing): Whenever you wait, you get bored and restless: for breakfast, lunch or dinner to be ready, computer to boot or web page to load, standing in a line, sitting at doctor’s office etc. These are opportunities for mini relaxation. Practice any mode.

TRAVELING in Car / Bus / Air plane: Any mode.

DRIVING: Every stoppage at a red light is an opportunity for micro relaxation. Practice mode (E) with the red light as the target. Similar opportunities arise in a traffic jam and at the toll gate.

WORK PLACE: Whenever you walk in the parking lot, hallway or work area, practice walking as described above. During work, whenever you lose concentration, mind wanders, any part of body feels tight or you feel tense, break for 2-3 minutes. Practice any mode.

RESTING (sitting or lying): Practice any mode.

PLAYING GAMES: When waiting for the ball to reach you, feeling frustrated or angry on losing ,to refocus on the game etc., practice any mode.

EXERCISING: Practice on the tread mill in any mode A to D. When using weights or resistance training, breath out through the mouth, with a ‘haa’ during the strenuous movements. Breathe in, deeply, during the light return movement.

UNDER STRESS: When angry, anxious, panicky or in pain, use (911) mode, many times to get relief. Switch to other modes for a while and back to (911) till the crisis eases.

When you practice one or more of the modes, especially before sleep and on waking up, you will feel a general sense of calmness in mind and relaxation in body. The urge to automatically reach for a cigarette gets gradually weakened. Unintentionally and without feeling any pressure, your rate of smoking will gradually reduce, as reported by Michael and others. One such person who was smoking 10 cigarettes a day even reported developing aversion to smoking! The results may be slow in coming for some people.

One appealing feature of these methods is that they do not prescribe any rules regarding time, place, posture, length of practice or regularity. If you are already using conventional methods like nicotine patches, these relaxation practices will add strength to them. If you have any questions, see the FAQ in the web site http://www.countingbreaths.com. If you need help, e-mail me at csrao@countingbreaths.com’ Good luck in kicking the butt without spending time or money!

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8236.shtml

The Link Between Your Emotions and Your Eating Patterns

By: James Pendergraft

There is actually a link between your emotions and how you eat, and the reasons why a woman gains or loses weight often has a connection to how she feels at that time. There are a lot of reasons why women gain and lose weight due to how they feel. Some of the weight gain reasons include the feeling of finding solace in food when they are depressed or feeling sad. Weight loss reasons may revolve around feelings of guilt or due to bad experiences and trauma.

Weight Gain Due to Emotional Eating

Some women gain weight and wonder why. One reason that they don’t know why is because they are so used to turning to food for comfort every time they feel sad or down that it seems to become the norm and they don’t even notice it. They may gain the weight during a rather problematic period in their life and are eating for solace more than usual due to an increase in the emotional distress they are feeling. This then results in gaining weight during such a period. Other emotions that can trigger emotional eating or binging include boredom, jealousy, restlessness, shame, anger, and others. The spontaneity in which they eat when feeling any of these is due to the feel-good feeling that food brings, and when a person feels any of these bad emotions, they usually turn to the quick pick-me-up that food usually provides.

Weight Loss, Weight Gain, and Eating Disorders

Another well documented link between emotions and eating is the link between traumatic experiences and eating. When a woman experiences certain traumatic events in her life, there is a tendency for her to suffer from eating disorders that can lead to weight loss or weight gain. Some of these problems are results of an experience they had and this experience gets implanted in their brain and alters their eating patterns. An example of this would be the girl who was told she was fat when she was a child, was ridiculed for her weight, and was even hurt physically because of it. This can result in the girl growing up battling with eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia due to that traumatic experience. Another possible scenario when it comes to emotions, experiences and eating problems is when a child grows up without proper guidance and lack of attention. She then seeks comfort and solace in food and chances are she could end up being obese or overweight due to the constant eating she might indulge in to fill the emotional gaps that she finds in her life.

Coping with Emotions to Stop Irregular Eating Habits

While this may seem an easy enough solution to stop irregular and unhealthy eating patterns, coping with your emotions to return to a normal eating lifestyle can be complicated. Using food to cope with certain problems and emotions can be such a deep-seated habit and is such an easy one to return to that it will take time and help to wean oneself from this. The first step would be to acknowledge the presence of this problem and the next step is to find help either professionally or from someone close and supportive of you and your goals to get you to stop from seeking emotional comfort from food.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_8241.shtml