4 steps to manifesting for free

There has been a lot in interest in the last year on what is called ‘cosmic ordering’ which basically means putting your request out to the Universe, God or whatever your belief system encompasses and waiting for it to turn up. In personal development circles the idea of manifestation – which is what is was called before it got a cool title and sold a lot of books – has been around for a long time. It relies on the fact that what you think about, and put energy into, is what you attract. On the simplest level, if you are single you tend to see happy couples everywhere, if wanting a family you see babies and children wherever you go. You haven’t consciously thought about it, there are no more couples, babies and children than there ever were – you are just focused on noticing them. I have used manifestation many times in my life from wanting to find the perfect place to live to wanting to go on a cruise – though I might have overdone it on that one this year as I have just been booked to speak on my 6th one! It’s not difficult, and if you have something you want to manifest in your life let me offer you – free – a simple four point plan to help you do it. The only thing that you need is a pen and a notebook and a commitment to follow this exercise every day for at least 30 days, or until you get your result. It usually happens well within that time frame, but let’s start out being realistic. What you are doing is creating your future – actually something you do every day anyway but this way you are doing it with a conscious intent to produce something you really want.

Step 1: Open the notebook and you are going to write down what is it that you want to create, and how you feeI about it. For example, given the state of the economy you might want to create some more money in your life. It is important you write in the present tense as if it is already happening, so you might write, “I am making £500 (or whatever you want), and feel relieved and excited about my life, and look forward to more fun in the days to come.” Your objective is to make the £500 a day, but you want to act as if you already have it – assume it is yours now. This is pretending, if you like, but what we think is as real to our subconscious as a physical event. If we think we have that money we are putting the energy in place to attract it. You don’t have to believe it, you just have to practice it = ‘act as if’.

Step 2: This is where it starts to sound new age and weird, but keep going anyway – what have you got to lose? Now write in your book “I support myself in making £500 a day, and am grateful for my life and income.” The key part of step two is, “I support myself in,” whatever it is and then being grateful for your life. A key element in manifestation is gratitude, so please don’t skip this part.

Step 3: This is where you can let yourself go and really enjoy yourself. What you are now going to do is describe, and write down, all your feelings, and what is going on in your life. So what difference will that £500 a day make to you? It’s not just about the money but about what it is going to do for you – see yourself enjoying the benefits of it, visualise really strongly your bank account with an entry each day of £500 going in. For example, you might write, “I am so happy that I am now making £500 a day. I feel so relieved. I am more relaxed. I can pay all my bills. I can do almost anything I want to.” See it running like a movie in your mind and really focus on all the feelings, the colours, the sounds for a few minutes every day and then write down what that experience was. This is not journaling, this is you specifically seeing yourself having whatever you want to manifest, fully experiencing it and writing the whole thing down every day. What will happen is that you become comfortable and familiar with the idea of having that amount of money every day and that in itself will remove any barriers of fear or unworthiness that you might unconsciously have set up.

Step 4: is where you get to say thank you for the lovely experience you have just had of seeing yourself enjoy what are manifesting. Say thank you to the Universe, Higher Power, Your God, Goddess or whatever you pay attention to. Don’t thank them in the future, again make it as if it has already happened, such as “Thank You so much for letting me make £500 a day and I’m very, very, very grateful for this opportunity. Thank you.”

Repeat Steps 1-4 every day for a month, and let me know what happens.

Want to boost your IQ

Exercise is the keystone for healthy living, but it is not often advocated to help you to boost your IQ. We already know that older people who exercise three or more times a week have a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Whatever your age, if you exercise regularly you have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of dementia, and even as little as 15 minutes of exercise, three days a week, cuts your risk significantly. One short, brisk, walk every day can make a real difference, but what is new is that recent studies have shown that some forms of exercise may actually help you think better, while others have little or no impact on your brain matter. Here’s three suggestions for what works, and what doesn’t, for those ‘little grey cells’.

Aerobic Training:
In 2006, Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois used MRIs to prove that aerobic exercise builds grey and white matter in the brains of older adults. Later studies found that more aerobically fit schoolkids also perform better on cognitive tests. Widely accepted now that aerobic exercise is one of the best things you can do to stay mentally agile into old age.
Impact on intelligence: STRONG

Weight Training:
It might make you feel good to have ripped muscles, but researchers have found only the most tenuous link between heavy resistance training and improved cognitive function.
Impact on intelligence: NEGLIBIBLE

Yoga:
You need as much oxygen as you can get, particularly for brain function, but under stress we tend to hold our breath and reduce our intake which can certainly affect our memory. Yoga can break that habit by helping you learn to breathe correctly which results in less stress and more oxygen.
Impact on intelligence: POSSIBLY STRONG

Home help for athletes foot

This common fungal infection thrives in warm, damp environments, such as the locker rooms, health clubs, public showers, and indoor swimming pools. If you have any of the following symptoms, it is important to check with your doctor first because your symptoms may be caused by another condition and you want to rule out that possibility before treating the condition yourself:

** Itching, burning, or stinging between the toes or on soles of the feet.

** Scales, cracks, cuts, peeling skin or blisters between the toes or on soles of the feet.

** Skin dryness on the sides or bottom of the foot

If the infection spreads to under the toenails, causing thick, crumbly, discoloured, or separated toenails, it is called onchomycosis and it can be very difficult to treat.

The best home help for Athlete’s Foot is Tea Tree Oil, not least because it is the most commonly used home remedy because of its antiseptic qualities and ability to kill many bacteria and fungi. Tea tree oil has a long history of traditional use in Australia – where it originates from – as a remedy for skin infections and it was also used by the British Army to help deal with Trench Foot in the First World War.

Prevention

Once you have treated the condition, here’s how to avoid repeat infection:

- Keep your feet thoroughly dry, especially between your toes

- Wear only cotton socks and change them daily

- Moisture and heat cause the athlete’s foot fungus to thrive, so where you can, avoid tight, closed-toe shoes and wear loose fitting shoes or sandals

- Never go barefoot in public places like showers at the gym or theswimming pool, wear flip-flops or jelly sandals

- Use a foot powder to keep feet dry

- Wash socks in the hot water setting of the washing machine to kill off any bacteria.

Natural insect repellants

If you are trying to live a more natural lifestyle then it makes sense to try and avoid the chemical insect repellents that are on the market. The most common of these are based on DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide) which is a very effective insect repellent developed in America some years ago but which can cause irritation to eyes, lips and other sensitive areas. Formulas usually have an oily feel and can cause skin reaction with some users and DEET damages certain plastics and fabrics. It is also less effective in low concentrations, but there is an increased reaction risk in high concentrations and it has a strong ‘chemical’ smell.

Natural insect repellents are usually based on the essential oils of Citronella, specific varieties of Eucalyptus, geranium, lemon grass, cedar or soy. One analysis of various plant essential oils found catnip oil to be promising for mosquitoes – or rather for avoiding their bites. Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus is often included in natural formulations and the active compound in the plant, extracted from the leaves and twigs, is thought to be p-menthane-3, 8-diol which can be chemically synthesized. The oil is thought to repel mosquitoes, biting flies and gnats and, according to Consumer Reports in the US, a lemon eucalyptus product called Repel received a higher overall score than the 7% DEET insect repellents tested.

Some natural repellents also make use of pyrethrins, which are naturally-occurring compounds with insecticidal and repellent properties. They are found in pyrethrum extract from certain chrysanthemum flowers and are safer to use on children, pets and plants. Pyrethrins are biodegradable and safe in normal use because of their low toxicity to mammals and the fact they don’t accumulate in the body. Although generally harmless to clothing and plastics, caution must be used if applied before going in the water as they are harmful to fish and amphibians.

Modern formulations have improved the effectiveness and reduced the need for frequent re-application and the use of micro-encapsulation technology has resulted in some almost odourless repellents. Their advantage is that they are not sticky; are environmentally friendly; safer on sensitive skins and most can be used on children. There is much less potential for skin irritation and they are much less harmful to plastics and fabrics.

There are a couple of websites I suggest you go to look for natural insect repellents who are based in the UK. The first is the Deetfree Natural Insect Repellent which is based on natural oils including Rosemary, Sage, Artemesia, Chrysanthemum Parthenium, Tea tree Oil, Lemon Eucalyptus Oil), Calendula, Lavender, Wild Mint and Thyme. www.naturalcollection.com.

Another effective natural alternative is based on an old Indian herbal recipe used for generations to stop insects biting both humans and animals. It is made without using any chemicals (including no DEET, Citronella, or CFC’s) and instead has ingredients that include Neem oil (a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of an evergreen tree – Neem Azadirachta indica) plus Bergamot, Rosemary, and Eucalyptus. This one also comes as a handy pocket size spray, details on their website at www.neemco.co.uk

Finally, would you believe an Avon product has many supporters as being a great mosquito repellent? Apparently the Avon Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray contains citronella so you can ward off the mosquitoes and condition your skin at the same time! It is being used by some customers on their pets, dogs, cats, and horses to keep the flies away – and presumably to keep them smelling sweet.

Juice benefits for Alzheimer’s

A recently concluded study which investigated Alzheimer’s disease in older Japanese populations living in Japan, Hawaii and Seattle, has found that people who drank fruit and vegetable juices more than three times a week had a 76 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those who drank juice less than once per week.

This ten-year study was based on the fact that there is a very low incidence rate of Alzheimer’s disease in the Japanese population in their native country, but when Japanese people in the USA were studied they were found to have almost the same incidence rates as Americans have. Obviously this indicates that environmental factors like diet and lifestyle are important contributors to disease risk, but that the benefit of drinking juice was most apparent in those people who carry the genetic marker linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease — the most common form of the disease, which typically occurs after the age of 65.

Further research is being done on exactly what types of juice that would bring most benefit but from a natural healing viewpoint the most likely would seem to be pomegranate, cherry, red grape juice, red wine and fresh juiced vegetables. The researchers say that their findings are not yet conclusive so cannot be guaranteed to prevent Alzheimer’s but common sense would indicate that freshly juiced fruit and vegetables have all their essential minerals, vitamins and enzymes and would certainly improve overall health generally if not Alzheimer’s specifically.

Belly laughs and blood pressure

When I was a child a day trip to Blackpool was a highlight of the summer holidays and my favourite thing was to go to the funfair and stand in front of an enormous machine called the Laughing Policeman.

You put your penny in the slot (it was a long time ago), and the large animated figure would rock back and forth consumed by laughter.

It was contagious: you couldn’t stand there, or be within six feet of it, without joining in. Evidently that was my first experience of knowing just what was good for me, and the foundation of my later career as a health writer! Now it seems that the Laughing Policeman’s inventor was a man who knew not just how to make people feel good, but was also unwittingly helping them lower their blood pressure too. Now a wonderful piece of research from India has shown that when 200 workers at an IT call-centre in Mumbai, India, were given 20-minute laugh-yoga sessions they had significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. I imagine that working in any call centre must be very stressful, and so this could be an ideal – and economic – way to increase the health of the workers. The study was reported by Dr Madan Kataria to the American Society of Hypertension and if you want to emulate it, then the laughter therapy involved breathing exercises along with laughter that starts as a gentle “hee, hee, hee” and builds to a raucous “ha, ha, ha.” Apparently it’s the full out belly laugh that really makes the difference. I can hear the voice of the Laughing Policeman echoing across the years in full agreement.

Of course you could always call in an expert, and I happen to know one. Anne McDonald actually follows the work of Dr Kataria and is based a little bit nearer to us in Dublin. She is a qualified ‘laughologist’ if you need one in your place of work and I can highly recommend her, though you may have a stitch in your side for several hours afterwards from being overcome by a strong case of hysterics. If you want to contact her, visit her website at www.mcdonaldcoaching.com for a wealth of delights, including her own artwork.

Cancer survival – Surprising findings

It has just been reported in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology that a study done in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has shown – perhaps surprisingly – that many cancer survivors don’t follow healthy lifestyles.

Apparently they are more likely to be non-smokers (82.6% to 91.6%) than adults in the general population (79.5%) which with the worldwide smoking ban is not so surprising, but the fact that they are not more prone to exercise to recommended levels, or to have a healthy diets with the recommended ‘five a day’ of fruit and vegetables, certainly is.

In a study of more than 9,000 patients with a history of various cancers, it was seen that a staggering 80.9% to 85.2% were not following the healthy eating guidelines. This is despite evidence that shows that those patients with a history of cancer had a significantly improved quality of life if they followed the three golden rules of survival: exercise, no smoking and plenty of fruit and vegetables. In fact, only about one in 20 of all the patients were following all three recommendations, so if you have a cancer survivor in your family make it a point to see they understand how important a healthy diet is to live a longer, and better lifespan.

The key factors in keeping your kidneys healthy

As we get older, it is vital to keep your kidneys functioning at their optimum best and there are two very simple ways to do that which I will explain shortly.

First do you recognise the amazing job your kidneys do for you? Each one is not much bigger than a pack of playing cards and weighs only 4-5 ounces and yet they handle nearly 25 percent of the total amount of blood that your heart pumps while you’re resting and they consume the same amount of your body’s supply of oxygen. They need all that blood and oxygen because they have five critical functions to perform for you:

1. Keeping your blood clean by filtering it of waste products and eliminating these waste products from your body as urine.

2. Helping maintain your body’s fluid composition.

3. Stimulating the production of red blood cells in your bone marrow by secreting a hormone called erythropoietin.

4. Helping maintain your blood pressure by producing an enzyme called rennin

5. Convert vitamin D to its most active form for use by the body.

One of the most vital functions your kidneys carry out for you is in the process of creating urine through an incredibly complex filtering system and tip number one is to make it easier for it to do that by drinking plain water when you are thirsty. Small amounts drunk regularly is better than a large amount in a short period of time.

Those two tips for keeping our kidneys health as we age?

The first is to not eat too much protein as it leads to greater workload on your kidneys, which must filter a by-product of protein metabolism called blood urea nitrogen (BUN) out of your blood. How much is too much? Well, if you have healthy kidneys, you can safely eat up to half of your body weight (in pounds) in grams per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and are in good health, you can safely eat up to 75 grams of protein from minimally processed foods per day. If you have problems with your kidneys, you should certainly decrease this amount to reduce the strain on your system. If you are not sure, then ask your doctor to monitor you as there are tests you can take to determine how well your kidneys are processing protein.

The second is not to take Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin on a regular or frequent basis as they are known to cause kidney damage and disease. Such over-the-counter pain medications probably don’t pose significant danger if your kidneys are relatively healthy and you use them for emergencies only, so we are back to my cold again – thank goodness I don’t get more than 2 or 3 a year!

In the USA, one in nine adults has kidney disease and the best advice as ever is to be preventive and proactive. The same old boring, essential, stuff about a healthy non-processed diet, plenty of rest, exercise and freedom from stress. Take your body on holiday every day and get out into the fresh air – your body, including your kidneys, will thank you for it.

Painful Hands?

If your hands are painful, do you know for sure whether what causes it? You could have arthritis or might it actually be Carpal tunnel syndrome, one of the most common forms of Repetitive Strain Injury? About three in 100 of people in the UK suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and it is characterised by pain, tingling or numbness in the hand.

About half of all carpal tunnel cases are work-related, and it a ccounts for the highest number of days missed at work compared to all other work-related injuries or illnesses. The condition develops when the median nerve in the wrist becomes compressed as it passes through the carpal tunnel, the narrow passageway of bones and ligaments on the underside of the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. Symptoms include:

· difficulty holding objects
· difficulty performing repetitive movements without pain
· numbness, burning pain, tingling in hand or wrist that increases at night

Some professions are more vulnerable to this condition than others. Particularly at risk are musicians, particularly pianists and violinists, hairdressers, reflexologists and masseuse, manual labourers, computer operators, and even surgeons. If you already have arthritis or any rheumatic conditions then this again can increase the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome as can conditions such as obesity, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and diabetes.

What can you do about it?

Well painkillers, cortisone injections, splints and surgery (usually the final option) are the conventional route to go. However, my personal experience of a small sample of people I know that have had it done is that it needs to be carefully considered before you go under the knife. It can be painful and success is certainly not guaranteed, even orthopaedic surgeons admit that although surgery can cure night symptoms and transient tingling, if the nerve has been damaged as a result of carpal tunnel syndrome it probably won’t fully recover and complications from surgery can include complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS),which will permanently affect hand function.

On the alternative front, there are several options available:

1 Acupuncture can relieve the pain as it releases natural pain-relieving chemicals into the body, promotes circulation and balances the nervous system. If you can’t abide needles, then Acupressure will do the same job but usually takes a little longer to be effective in my experience.

2 Vitamin B6 deficiency has been associated with carpal tunnel syndrome in several research studies. If your diet is low in food sources such as sweet potatoes, avocados, brown rice, sunflower seeds, chick peas, salmon, pork, chicken, turkey, potatoes, bananas, and mangoes then supplementing with 50 mg 2 to 3 times a day is the suggested dose. At particular risk of B6 deficiency, in addition to poor diet, are those using oral contraceptives or HRT. The maximum intake of B6 from all sources should be less than 200 mg a day, unless otherwise recommended by your doctor or nutritionist.

3 Vitamin B12 – a study looked at the effectiveness of vitamin B12 for people with carpal tunnel syndrome due to overuse of the nonparalyzed arm after a stroke. For two years, 67 people in the study received 1500 mcg of vitamin B12 a day, and the remaining 68 did not. After two years, there was significant improvement in the group taking vitamin B12 compared to the untreated group. B12 is normally found in organ meats, and vegetarians may find they need supplemental amounts via injection which is often available on the NHS.

4 Enzyme supplements such as bromelain, found naturally in the juice and stems of pineapples, which are believed to help with the digestion of protein and may help to reduce tissue swelling associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. It can take several weeks to notice results.

5 One of my favourite homoeopathic remedies is Arnica, and in a double blind random study by the Department of Plastic Surgery of Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex, they found that arnica can speed up the recovery of hand surgery compared to a placebo. They used a combination of tablets and arnica ointment and saw a significant reduction in pain after two weeks.

The Diced Diet

With the sun shining, and prospect of swimsuits by the sea beckoning, it might be time to think about a detox diet to get you in shape. There are plenty of versions on the market, but not many that are 100% natural and that you don’t buy in a can or a box but create yourself in your own kitchen.

Basil Shackletona South African rancher, devised something called the Grape Cure and is a big fan of raw foods, which many find to be very beneficial in healing a number of conditions. He claims the diet has great cleansing properties, and, if eaten regularly as a main meal during the day, will actually detox you and if you eat it five days a week it can cure rheumatism and skin rashes, and it is a guaranteed cure for normal constipation. That last one is clear when you read the ingredients list for one meal:

Ingredients:
· 2 ounces of well-washed raisins
· 1 medium eating apple
· 1 ripe and well-washed tomato
· 2 ounces mild milk cheese such as Gouda
· 2 ounces dry-roasted peanuts (no oils, fats, or salt)
· The juice of half a fresh, ripe lemon

Obviously organic is preferred, and if you want to try it then you start by washing the raisins several times in hot water, put them in a cup and allow to soak in really hot water for about ten minutes. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into another cup and add the drained raisins so that the juice just covers the raisins and leave for up to 20 minutes – the longer you leave it the sweeter the end result will be.

In the meantime, wash the tomato, cut into small pieces, and place in a bowl. Cut the cheese into small pieces add it to the tomato and tip in the peanuts. Finally add the raisins and lemon juice to the bowl, stir thoroughly and the meal is ready to eat. To gain the best benefit, you must eat it within 15 minutes of it being ready or the ingredients lose their natural vitamins and minerals through the being exposed to the air.

Eat slowly, chew it well, and don’t drink any liquids until two hours after the meal. For maximum health benefit, if you are trying this for a week as a detox, cut meat out for that time as well.

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