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Integrative Medicine

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David R. Hamilton, Ph.D.: Compassion: The Elixir of Life? New research suggests that compassion might be able to slow the aging process. Gerontologists (scientists who research aging) probing into why we age have found that a major part of the effects of aging may actually be collateral damage in the body due to inflammation. On the whole, inflammation is vital. It is part of the immune response that helps facilitate healing of the body. But the problem is that on the one hand inflammation helps us heal, but on the other it can also cause us harm. It is now known that inflammation plays a significant role in many serious diseases, and especially so in cardiovascular disease -- a major killer in the western world. The human nervous system controls levels of inflammation much like a brake slows a car down.

But it turns out that the vagus nerve doesn't have the same fitness in everyone. How can we exercise our vagus nerves? The anti-inflammatory properties of compassion have now begun to be studied. Maybe compassion is the elixir of life. Unified Humanity Theory | Unity. I am sure that most everyone has heard something to the effect of "We are One" or "we are all connected. " Many of us might even agree with this notion. The question is how many among us really grasp how profound a notion this really is? How many stop to think what a true belief in this means for humanity as a whole? I for one do contemplate the meaning behind these words on a regular basis. Although I do agree that each of us is inescapably linked and that a connection exists between everything in the Universe I cannot honestly say that my actions and thoughts are always in line with my belief. Learning the basics of compassion meditation.

Paul Stamets: Lion's Mane: A Mushroom That Improves Your Memory and Mood? Mushrooms provide a vast array of potential medicinal compounds. Many mushrooms — such as portobello, oyster, reishi and maitake — are well-known for these properties, but the lion’s mane mushroom, in particular, has drawn the attention of researchers for its notable nerve-regenerative properties. Lion’s mane mushrooms are not your classic looking cap-and-stem variety. These globular-shaped mushrooms sport cascading teeth-like spines rather than the more common gills. From these spines, white spores emerge. Lion’s mane mushrooms also have other common names: sheep’s head, bear’s head and the Japanese yamabushitake.

Lion’s mane mushrooms are increasingly sold by gourmet food chains. Lion’s mane mushrooms are increasingly studied for their neuroprotective effects. About a dozen studies have been published on the neuroregenerative properties of lion’s mane mushrooms since 1991, when Dr. Is this data conclusive thus far? Is this data suggestive of positive outcomes? The Island Where People Forget to Die. Photo In 1943, a Greek war veteran named Stamatis Moraitis came to the United States for treatment of a combat-mangled arm. He’d survived a gunshot wound, escaped to Turkey and eventually talked his way onto the Queen Elizabeth, then serving as a troopship, to cross the Atlantic. Moraitis settled in Port Jefferson, N.Y., an enclave of countrymen from his native island, Ikaria.

He quickly landed a job doing manual labor. One day in 1976, Moraitis felt short of breath. Moraitis considered staying in America and seeking aggressive cancer treatment at a local hospital. In the ensuing months, something strange happened. Six months came and went. I met Moraitis on Ikaria this past July during one of my visits to explore the extraordinary longevity of the island’s residents. In 2003, I started a consulting firm to see if it was possible to take what we were learning in the field and apply it to American communities. The data collection had to be rigorous.

Dr. “It just went away,” he said. Resources - Free Tools: Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Do you know the glycemic load of your daily meals? With this Glycemic Load tool, you can estimate the GL of your own and your patients' diets. Begin by building your own typical day's meals. Drag food items from the food selector on the left to the tray area on the right. Then consider these questions: Did your daily total exceed the target GL of 100 or less? Were you surprised by the glycemic load of your favorite foods? Can you find substitutions for the highest GL foods in your diet?

Glycemic response is a complex interplay of food chemistry and the body's biochemistry. How much sodium is in a typical American diet? Use the drop-down menu below the salt shaker to choose either a normal diet or a restricted-sodium (for hypertensive patient) diet. Drag foods from the food selector at the bottom to the meal timeline. You can remove a food by clicking the red X after the food item. Cranial Osteopathy, Craniosacral Therapy - Dr. Weil's Wellness Therapies. What is cranial osteopathy? Cranial osteopathy (also called cranial therapy or craniosacral therapy) is one variety of osteopathic manipulative therapies.

It stimulates healing by using gentle hand pressure to manipulate the skeleton and connective tissues, especially the skull and sacrum (the large, triangular bone at the base of the spinal column). Cranial osteopathy is based on the controversial theory that the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord, has subtle, rhythmic pulsations that are vital to health and can be detected and modified by a skilled practitioner. About five percent of physicians in the United States are doctors of osteopathy (DOs), and fewer than 10 percent of them rely on manipulation as a main method of treatment. However, some medical doctors and dentists have had training in cranial osteopathy. What conditions is cranial osteopathy used for? What should one expect from a visit to a practitioner of cranial osteopathy therapy? What is Dr. Find A Professional Near You.