Stress

Practical Advice for Dealing with Stress

This is for real! Avoid the drugs. Deal with your issues head on. LET GO! The Dali Lama (I am not a follower, but appreciate his wisdom) has said Follow the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all. Love what you do and do what you love is another quote that will set you free from the burdens of stress.

When you get down go outside on a clear night away from city lights and just look at all the stars. You are part of the universe! You’re place is here and now and one day you will advance to someplace special based on your actions. When everything you do in life becomes more about you than those around you it’s time for self reflection.

Life is about giving! Once you have experienced the joy of a selfless act (And you can define a selfless act by doing something for someone and telling no one) you’ll be hooked. Don’t ask why me, ask why not me? You have the capacity to suffer; you’ll get through this! You may have no other options at this point in time. Nothing is static; everything changes.

Make everyday as good as you can. Don’t be afraid to cry - each tear is a drop of stress leaving your body! Focus on the positive, the beautiful, the enriching while you continue to educate yourself to various treatments. This is not a pep talk. These principals work.

People will forget what you do, people will forget what you say, but people will never forget the way you make them feel!

The past is over, each new day brings new opportunity and new challenges. Only you can determine your future by the decisions you make today. Once you are well do not forget the plight of those still suffering!

Faith and Spirituality

We Are All Spiritual Beings

Regardless of your religion at a molecular level we are all atoms, beings that are electro chemical. Faith, energy, our brains, mood, stress, all play a role in healing. When we are emotionally stable and emotionally healthy we feel better, and we can heal faster.

Practice your religion, follow your faith; if you pray - then pray, if you meditate - then meditate. You will find some interesting information by searching online for “Violet Flame”, “Archangel St. Michael”, “Archangel St. Germaine”, “Buddhism”, “Higher Self”, etc. Find a doctrine that makes sense to you and explore. At the very least you will educate yourself to the fact that we as human beings are not alone.

What matters is you find your core belief system, you then practice it. Keep an open mind as there is much to be learned from all religions. And the “right” religions is merely the one you believe.

Sun Exposure, Sun Screens, Suntan Lotion, Sun Blocks

Did you know most sunscreens contain potential carcinogens and using them may actually be more dangerous than using no sun screen at all? Sun exposure “experts” are in constant conflict between telling people to stay out of the sun on one end and get plenty of good sun exposure on the other end. We believe that sun exposure is essential to a healthy life. Without light nothing can survive. The key is not to avoid the sun, but to avoid sun burn. Damage to the skin comes from the “Burn” not the exposure. And not all damaging rays can be filtered out by sun tanning products.

The KEY to Preventing Sun Related Skin Cancers is More than Just Sun Blocks

Many “experts” disagree on the dangers of sun exposure. While it is important to limit your exposure to the point where you do not burn it is of equal importance to get the “right amount” of sun exposure on your body. Sun exposure can be very dangerous or very healthy. The sun works with your body’s own cholesterol to produce natural vitamin D. The sun can also help regulate your body’s natural clock (circadian rhythms) improving sleep. This is great news for intermittent insomnia. Other potential benefits from Sun Exposure:

• Reduced PMS symptoms in women
• Help for those with skin condition Psoriasis
• Lower the risk of certain cancers - (Ovarian, Breast and Colon)
• Depression - sunlight makes you feel better!
• Skin Cancer! That’s right it may actually reduce your risk of skin cancer!

So what is the “Key”? That’s both a difficult and an easy question to address. Simply put the sun is good for you as long as you do not allow yourself to get burned! The flip side is it’s often difficult for an individual to tell when they have had enough exposure. Furthermore genetics and the color of our natural skin plays a large role in how much sun exposure we need to produce benefits and avoid the pitfalls. Ironically the very UVB rays that produce sun burn are also the rays which tell our body to produce Vitamin D.

So you want the right amount of exposure (Just don’t get burned). Personally I love the sun and try to get at least 15 minutes a day. The position of the sun and time of year determine the strength of the suns rays. The hours of 10am to 2pm mid summer in the northern hemisphere are the hours where the rays tend to be the most powerful (UVB Rays). You’ll feel this in your skin as during these times even when it’s cool outside you can feel the heat the sun generates. Please note that UVA rays are also very dangerous in that they are the rays which cause the premature aging and wrinkling effects in the skin. Unfortunately here in the United States there are very few sunscreens that filter UVA.

What kind of Sun Screen should I use?

The best sunscreen is clothing! I don’t use any sunscreen products preferring to get my sun exposure in limited and measurable quantities. I use a timer to make sure I do not overexpose my skin to the sun. But for those of you who are going to be out and about hiking, cycling, running or playing in the water this may not be an option.

While this is not an expose on the different brands of sunscreens available you will find that the commercial brands are much like commercial cosmetics (full of potentially toxic chemicals which may cause cancer). I can not say they cause cancer simply because there have been so few studies of the ingredients in the products in regard to use in blocking the sun. But you can search the net for sunscreens and cancer and find some studies suggesting that chemicals like PBSA and OMC are actually worse for you than no sunscreen (barring burning of course).

The real problem is these chemicals are tested in laboratory vials not on people. Once they are placed on the skin the reaction of the chemical to the skin can cause other chemicals to form. How does one test for that? Well the short answer is Money! No one is going to spend the money doing this research unless there is a big payoff for someone in the end. So while academia may pursue this venture or the government may offer limited grants to fund limited research don’t look for the big companies behind the commercial sunscreens to do anything more than keep pushing their products.

How about a Specific Brand?

While I like to endorse things I use I have not yet tried but will be trying soon an Organic Sun block called Natural Sun SPF 25 from Aubrey Organics. They also make a sun block specifically for children called Green Tea for Children SPF 25. As of this writing they charge $6.80 and $7.24 per four ounce bottle respectively. Dr Mercola sells this on his site for $6.95 and $7.85, and the company we work with Vitamin Shoppe (You’ll find the link in the upper right navigation bar) sells them for $5.12 and $5.44, but they are special order so it may take longer to receive. Please note by the time you read this the prices will no doubt have changed.

At these prices this product is no more expensive than the potential cancer causing sun screens the big commercial companies are selling. Buy from whomever is most convenient for you. But please remember that the sun can be your friend or your enemy to be on the safe side carry some of this Organic Sunscreen whenever you are not sure how long you will be in the sun.

Again the best sun screen is clothing!

Euthanasia, Suicide, Mercy-Killing, Right-to-Die, Physician Assisted Suicide

The act of taking one’s own life by means of self infliction. I have a lot to say on this subject, some good some bad. And while the cartoon picture is from the Simpson’s spinoff Futurama suicide is not a joking matter. Many commit suicide as a result of depression but many more consider and commit suicide as a means to escape chronic pain. Compassion and understanding are the key to the realization of why one would contemplate suicide. We are all going to die at some point, and there is so much argument about whether a person has a choice in the matter.

When is the Best Time to Commit Suicide!

Tomorrow! Always tomorrow! It’s an old joke with relevance.

Suicide as a Means to Escape Suffering

Take the religion out of the argument and we still have valid points on both sides. My purpose in putting up this page is not to open the realm of discussion of pro’s and con’s; rather to ask one who is now contemplating this potentially “final” release from the pain and suffering of disease to take the time to really put their condition in perspective and seek the help of others. No one should suffer needlessly in my opinion, but at the same time (And I am not counting on a technological miracle) one should really figure out if they are in the right state of mind to determine if this is the best method to STOP PAIN and SUFFERING.

I read many medical forums and suicide is mentioned in more subtle ways by those who have lost hope and are frustrated by the system, by the lack of concern of their physicians, and by the seemingly hopeless stream of disappointing medical tests and potential treatments.

This is a great big world we live in, and as a citizen of the United States of America I am but one of approximately 300 million individuals. I am not the only one suffering and neither are you! People recover from incredible tragedy, disease and circumstance. Suffering is intolerable for some and medication only lessens the quality of life for them. For others it may help. But I am not so ignorant of the rest of the world to believe that the only solutions to pain and suffering are available in the United States. As a matter of fact each time I think I have come to the end of the road I get on the Internet and begin to read. I follow a huge trail of information and end up finding even more things to try. There are 5 billion Chinese in this world of ours and they have illness and suffering too - and they have many other treatment modalities. Add in the European countries and you have plenty to look forward too.

How can one ever know they have exhausted their treatment options until they have explored the world? The human body is an amazingly complex and self sustaining vehicle for our brain/soul/whatever intelligence you want to believe in. The body does NOT want to die. So keep giving it a chance to do what it wants to do. I am never surprised by how many people who are in a state of despair and seemingly complete biological breakdown who have never considered what they are putting into their bodies. Food is the fuel of life, the right foods give the body tremendous healing power. Don’t give up until you have investigated your diet.

This is not a pep talk per se, but rather an exercise in reasoning. The power of positive thinking should not be underestimated. Material good, finances, and “stuff” do not matter to the ill. Get well and you will find a way to recover what you think you have lost. The most important part of life is human relationships. Live for those you love. Make a good decision.

Self Deliverance from Terminal Illness Video

For the rights of the terminal, or hopelessly physically ill, competent adult

Smoking Stop Smoking for Your Overall Health Not Just Cancer Prevention

Humans have been smoking for hundreds if not thousands of years, for many reasons. But now is the time to Stop Smoking and save your Health. This is not a lecture on why smoking is bad for you. I know many good people who smoke. I hear all kinds of reasons: “I like doing it”, “I don’t care if I die young”, “The years it takes off your life are at the end of your life”, “I’m addicted, I’ve tried and I can’t stop smoking”. The list goes on and on.

Logic would dictate that inhaling thousands of different chemicals into your body can not possibly provide health benefits. Most people don’t realize there is RADIATION in cigarette smoke. This can be as deadly as any of the chemicals you are inhaling. You’ve no doubt heard about the same chemicals used in cigarettes as in rat poison, so you don’t need a lecture. You simply need to realize that you are damaging your health if you smoke. It’s just that simple. Some peoples immune systems can handle the added burden, and some can’t. You are playing Russian Roulette with each cigarette. Everyone doesn’t die from smoking, but everyone does suffer some kind of negative health effect.

Smoking and Lung Cancer

I found this research - and I’ll be brief and only highlight the summary, but you should take careful note of what it says.

FACT: Only 10% of ALL Cigarette Smokers EVER develop Lung Cancer! (Keep reading for source shown below). Wow that sounds like an endorsement to smoke doesn’t it? Seems like pretty good odds? Only a 1 in 10 chance of getting lung cancer! Whoo hoo! Guess what? Lung cancer may not be the most disastrous effect smoking has on your health!

Smoking contributes to numerous diseases - some even more insidious than cancer. Try emphysema - being alive, and awake, but not able to get enough oxygen into your muscles to function. You literally suffocate to death! Try Degenerative Disc Disease (This is where the “shock absorbers” in your spine go flat) and bone spurs can develop, nerves can become pinched - sending unbelievable pains down your arms and legs, you can even lose control of your bladder. DDD is NOT reversible. Smoking attacks the whole body not just the lungs.

Smokers with low levels of the enzyme OGG1 were five to 10 times more likely to develop lung cancer than smokers with the highest levels, the team at Israel’s Weizmann Institute found. The enzyme called OGG1 or 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1. The enzyme fixes damage done to DNA by smoking and other environmental stresses and is one of a large group of repair compounds in the body. Up to 90 percent of all lung cancer patients are smokers, but only 10 percent of heavy smokers develop lung cancer.

Source: Israel’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Being a Quitter is Not Always a Bad Thing!

Do you need a reason to stop smoking? You need more than your own Health? Try visiting the local Cancer Hospital. Go online and look at pictures of people suffering the disease (No we will not post them here because it makes us sick to our stomach to watch people suffer, we want to help people become well).

Think of your children, your friends, your family, your future. Is it worth it to keep smoking? Smoking cessation may not be easy we understand this, but it’s not impossible, millions of people do it!

Don’t expect the Government to help. They fine Phillip Morris (And the whole industry) forcing them to run commercials about how to quit smoking, then they turn around and subsidize tobacco farmers. They will always have excuses and lies and tell you it will be devastating to farmers. Well at some point in life you have to take a stand. And the best way to do that is for each and every smoker to just quit smoking. If there are no smokers then there are no demands for the crop. It’s a simple solution to a dangerous habit. Please take control of your own personal health and stop smoking. Once you quit please read and heed the nutritional advice areas here at Health Synergy Rx, and get your health back. You may never be 100% again (Depending on your own genetics, how long and how much you smoked), but you can get better. And that’s better than getting worse.

STOP SMOKING * QUIT SMOKING * SMOKING CESSATION IS POSSIBLE!

Sleep and Insomnia

Insomnia is usually indicative of another medical problem. In order to cure sleep problems and get your circadian rhythms in balance you must find the “root” problem. At some point in life we have all suffered the inability to sleep. The key to restoring restful sleep is the same as all disease. You must diagnose the root cause of the sleep disorder. Often chronic sleep problems are manifest as a result of both physical and emotional distress. We invite you to explore this page and options which have helped the author obtain better sleep.

Sleep Disorders

Balancing your body’s natural clock (circadian rhythms) improving sleep may require you to make some serious lifestyle changes. Sleep disturbances are more common as we age (due to changes in our body chemistry). Intermittent insomnia and chronic insomnia are totally different problems requiring different approaches. While I continue my research into getting a good nights sleep might I suggest you consider doing your own research on:

• The benefits of sun exposure
• Montmorency Tart Cherries and Cherry Juice Extracts (Contain Melatonin)
• Melatonin supplementation
• Sleep Cycles and REM Sleep
• Any medical condition that you are suffering from that occurred prior or about the same time as your difficulty sleeping

I have a lot to say on the subject of insomnia (I suffer greatly, sleeping only a few hours at a time after lying in bed for hours on end). Insomnia MUST be corrected in order to live a healthy life and feel your best. I will publish my findings on how long one should sleep, how to optimize circadian rhythms, etc. as I come to my own conclusions and improve my own sleep. I can tell you that I have had some success with improving my sleep slightly by eating tart cherries.

It’s important that you “prepare” for sleep. Taking time to turn off all the electronics (No TV in the bedroom), proper hygiene (Clean Sheets, brushed teeth, and a nice warm bath before bed help). Your room should be as dark as possible (If you must get up during the night consider a low power night light). Learn about Mattresses (Most people have no idea about “out gassing” chemicals in mattress materials or the chemicals used as fire retardant and required by law). Eat light after 5pm. Avoid stimulants like caffeine. These are just some of the ways to help you get a more restful sleep. You need to create a sleep environment. You also need to get in a pattern or routine where you sleep and rise at the same time each day, including weekends.

What about sleeping pills?

In my humble (yet very biased) opinion pills do way more damage than help. Chemically altering the brain to accomplish what the body does naturally only masks the problem. In fact it may DELAY your recovery to full natural pleasant sleep. While I have firsthand knowledge of how difficult it can be to sleep when you are in pain (I suffer excruciation neck problems) I also know how ineffective sleeping medications (or those drugs prescribed for sleep) are a dead end road that will only cause you MORE SUFFERING.

I tried Trazadone, Ambien, Clonazepam (Huge Mistake) and other drugs that should not have been prescribed for sleep like Gabapentin. None of these pills work long term. On me they didn’t even provide temporary relief. Learn from my mistakes. You MUST find the SOLUTION the CAUSE of your problem before you can treat it. The brain is not begging to be bathed in risky chemical solutions.

When you can’t sleep it’s your body telling you something is wrong. You will NEVER solve your problems if you mask the symptoms and quit looking for the root cause. If you are an SSRI’s (and other antidepressants) or any Benzodiazepines (Tranquilizer) user you are headed for long term hell. I am neither a fan of Scientology or Tom Cruise, but when he says that Drugs “mask” your problem and do not provide a solution he is dead on. I’d rather be dead right than dead wrong. Over 100,000 people die each year in the United States as a result of prescription drug contradictions. Don’t be one of them. Sleep is too important to mask with chemicals. Trust me on this - I suffered greatly at the hands of the insidious drug Clonazepam.

While herbs and natural foods contain chemicals (such as the hormone Melatonin) I have not come across one individual who has died from any non-allergic reaction to a substance contained in a whole food product. Pleasant Dreams.

And a final thought for those of you suckered into drugs via TV advertising. The sleep Medication Lunesta is NOT NEW. The chemical has been available in the UK for more than 12 years at the time of this writing. I would suggest you find out the chemical name of any brand name drug you are considering for ANY ailment and research it extensively. Other countries approve drugs much faster than the USA’s FDA, so there is often very good clinical information already published from other countries.

Get Bent! Recumbent that is! The Fun Way to Ride a Bike!

Exercise is essential to fitness and optimal health. My exercise of choice is cycling so I want to share it with you and how it can help you. I can no longer ride the bicycle due to the potential risk in jarring my degenerated neck and making it worse. This was a big blow to my fitness regime as I love the sport of recreational cycling. The photo pictured here is of a friend on his carbon fiber “Carbent” brand recumbent bicycle.

Recumbent Bicycle Riding for Health and Fitness

Prior to my neck injury I was a cycling fanatic. I still am. If you could see the pleasure and smile on my face as I ride you would understand. I have full Doctor and Physical Therapist permission - actually encouragement to get back on the bike! It’s hard but I am trying my best to work myself back into shape through cycling.

Cycling and Back and Neck Injury am I crazy?

Nope! Perfectly sane (well at least in my own mind). And I know what you must be thinking - back pain, neck pain, and riding a bicycle do not mix! And you are right and wrong. You see I do not ride an ordinary bicycle. I ride a recumbent bicycle! Because I am so passionate about riding I created a site to list all the manufactures of Recumbent bicycles it’s called Recumbent Bicycle Source. I would encourage you to visit and learn how comfortable riding a bicycle can be. And if you are worried about your age or balance you are worrying needlessly, because you can buy a recumbent trike!

So what is a Recumbent Bicycle?

Simply put a recumbent bicycle is the most comfortable bicycle made. Instead of the traditional “Diamond Frame Wedgie”. I bet you can guess why they call them Wedgies! That’s right it’s that tiny piece of leather, plastic, or whatever it’s made of that is wedged tightly into your private parts. In the bicycle world they call this a seat. In my world I call it a torture device! After years of pounding my body on a Mountain Bike (Wedgie seat) I decided my body was ready for a smoother more comfortable and pleasant cycling experience. So I researched and invested in a Recumbent Bicycle.

Many think of a recumbent bicycle as a “Lawn Chair” with wheels. If you are old like me you might remember having a plastic “Big Wheel” as a child. Yes it’s kind of like that. But until you have ridden one you just can’t know the freedom, fun, and pure excitement of cycling pain free! Many of the Recumbent Bicycles and Recumbent Trikes really are that comfortable. Some of the higher performance style “bents” are not as comfortable, but still light years ahead of the old diamond frame bikes.

You rest your back comfortably in a nice wide seat eliminating the need for padded crotch shorts and special gear. Your head and neck are upright eliminating the awkward (and dangerous) head forward position traditional bicycles cause. It’s very bad for your posture to be bent over and then force your head up so you can see.

Cycling and Safety

“Bents” as they are affectionately called are actually much safer than traditional bicycles. Because you ride closer to the ground if you do crash you typically slide on your side as opposed to being thrown over the handle bars. I have crashed on some slick pavement in the rain (I got caught in a summer downpour a mile from home) and I just skidded. There is some danger of leg injury if you crash at high speed (and always wear a helmet regardless of type of bicycle), but it’s much less than on an upright. There is also some danger that cars will not see you as easily because you are lower to the ground so invest in a bicycle flag and perhaps a helmet mirror (The small mirrors that attach to your helmet and look kind of like the Dentist’s mirror). Ride at your most comfortable pace and get out and enjoy cycling again.

What about performance are they fast?

Guess what? The land speed record for a bicycle was set on a specially modified recumbent bicycle (Just over 80mph!). Once you get above 20mph your body position and wind resistance will play a significant role in how fast you can go. Recumbent Bicycles allow you to ride just as fast if not faster than on an ordinary bike! In physical terms it takes an exponential amount of effort to increase even a few extra miles per hour because the wind is making you work so much harder. On a recumbent your body (Aerodynamic Profile) causes much less wind resistance so you can go faster with less effort.

In fact on my bike I have little or no trouble keeping up with the “Bike Jocks” (You know the guys all decked out in $100’s of dollars worth of special clothing). And I’m not a spandex kind of guy. I like to wear regular clothes, I like to ride for fun. I usually cruise along at 16 to 18mph. On my highly specialized Mountain Bike (which I no longer ride) it was a chore to maintain 15mph on the street. So I actually go faster with much less effort now! In fact it’s sometimes fun to pass them just to see the looks on their faces. I can go as fast as 30mph on the flats for about a mile before I get so tired I have to slow down (well at least I could when I was in shape). Try that on an upright!

Have you ever seen a smile on one of those “other” guys faces? They look like they are in pain all the time - because in a sense they are… their bodies are in awkward and uncomfortable positions. They have all the gear but are they having any fun?

Why Do Recumbent Bikes Cost so Much?

This is the only downside, they tend to cost a bit more. They use the same components as “ordinary” bicycles, but there is more material and more design issues to get the geometry just right. But the real culprit is there is such limited supply (few manufacturers) that they have to charge more to stay in business. And the quality of the average recumbent is much better than an average diamond frame bicycle.

Happy riding!