The Best Medicine May Sometimes Be Free

prescription drugsWhile modern medicine has provided the world with many miracles, it is not a failsafe treatment system nor even close to being so.

In fact, you may be at risk for unnecessary treatment, ineffective drugs, and even premature death when you see an allopathic medical doctor or spend time in a hospital:

Consider these eye-opening statistics:

  • “It’s estimated that 2.5 million unnecessary surgeries are performed each year, with hysterectomies, heart bypass grafts, lower back surgery, and angioplasty leading the list. Just two procedures alone, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) — known in the trade as cabbage — and balloon angioplasty cost $100 billion annually. With long waiting lists for CABG, you’d think it was vital for prolonging the lifespan of heart patients, but that’s a mistake. Current statistics suggest that about 3% of bypass surgeries extend life expectancy, with angioplasty scoring even lower at zero percent.” -  The Huffington Post
  • “The vast majority of drugs – more than 90 per cent – only work in 30 or 50 per cent of the people.  I wouldn’t say that most drugs don’t work. I would say that most drugs work in 30 to 50 per cent of people. Drugs out there on the market work, but they don’t work in everybody.” – Allan Roses, Senior Executive, GlaxoSmithKline Drug Company
  • “250,000 deaths per year are caused by medical errors, making this the third-largest cause of death in the U.S., following heart disease and cancer.” – Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association

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Need Help Quieting Your Mind?

If you’ve ever tried to meditate, you know it’s not a piece of cake.

Chances are, when you take a stab at it, you’ll find the thoughts coming fast and furious like a steep waterfall.  Alternatively, your mind may be dull so you just fall fast asleep.

In either case, it may seem hopeless and you may just want to give up.  But with the right help, learning to meditate can be far easier.

Some people will tell you that there’s no wrong way to meditation.  That’s simply not true.  There are best practices, so to speak, helpful tips, and even lesser known secrets that will make it far easier for you to quiet your mind and learn to maintain your awareness. Thus, it’s smart to work with an experienced teacher who can show you the shortcuts and help you avoid the pitfalls.

This is exactly the type of hands-on mentoring you will receive in the upcoming What Meditation Really Is online course, which is a guided introduction to basic meditation.  Here are the details.

What Meditation Really Is

May 2 – June 13, 2012 (6 sessions)

“This course offers an introduction to methods of meditation practice that are simple, yet powerful and profound. These methods can be practiced by anyone and are extremely effective for bringing inner strength, peace, compassion and understanding into your life.”

Curious?  Learn more about the What Meditation Really Is online meditation course.

[P. S. For the sake of transparency, this course is facilitated by my husband.]

Always Well Within is Two!

Cherry BlossomsThe spring blossoms of April herald my blog’s second birthday, a useful time to pause, reflect, gather lessons, vision ahead.

And celebrate, of course!  Very few blogs make it past the six month mark.  I’m almost as old as the Minimalist Woman!

Thanks to you – my extraordinary readers at Always Well Within – there’s a purpose to my words!

When I starting blogging, I lived within a small, cozy blog cocoon.  “Thrilled” described my response to having even a few visitors to my blog.  A single comment brought sublime joy.  My intention was to share, serve, and be of help.  As naive as it may sound, I had no notion of “professional blogging” and felt no pressure to get ahead in the blogosphere.

Blogging Year One:  Obsession and Addiction

But that was bound to change!  timethief, a favorite blogging mentor, often spoke about the place of social media in blog promotion.  There are more than 72 million WordPress sites alone in this world and that’s just one part of the action.  The chances of someone finding your blog is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.  Hence, social media as one “essential” aspect of blog marketing…if your wish is to have readers.

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It’s Never Too Late for Joy!

This is one of those remarkable not-to-be-missed videos, which illustrates how a simple act of kindness can infuse another person’s life with joy.  You’ll witness the miraculous transformation of a despondent, withdrawn elderly man to one full of love, joy, and life through the use of simple modern technology and the power of music.  The process demonstrates again that the brain can change when given the right “medicine.”

Enjoy and please share!

9 Ways to Positively Influence Your Health and Happiness

Smiling releases "feel good" chemicals in the body.

Smiling releases "feel good" chemicals in the body.

The scientific evidence has been steadily accumulating:  negative emotions like anger, fear, and sadness as well as the repeated activation of the stress response can have a negative effect on the immune system and may also put you at higher risk for a range of diseases.

On the other hand, research tell us that optimism typically has a positive affect on the immune system and one’s health.  According to researcher Suzanne Sergerstrom,

“…a number of studies show that optimists are in general both psychologically and physiologically healthier.”

Traditional Chinese Medicine also suggests that laughter, pleasure, optimism, and boosting your spirits in other enjoyable ways can have a positive knock-on effect for your immune system and general well being.  The “radiant circuits” – the meridian systems interconnected with the immune system – are thought to be highly responsive to your thoughts, images, and beliefs.  Shifting your mind set can sometimes have an instantaneous effect.

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The Raven Flies Again! Free Kindle Book April 6, 7 & 8 only.

The Raven Who Spoke with God by Christopher FosterMy dear friend Christopher Foster has written a handful of books, but the one he is most proud of is an animal fable entitled The Raven Who Spoke with God.

He describes it as an “allegorical tale about the unconquerable spirit at the core of our existence — that as we listen to its nudges in our heart will bring us safely through the challenges of our lives and reveal to us the unique gift that is ours to give.”

Over the years, the print version of the book slowly wound-down according to its natural lifespan.

But now, due to magical circumstances, the book is being reborn on Kindle!

The book’s regular price on Kindle  is $7.99.   But, as an expression of Christopher’s generous spirit, you will be able to download the book for free on April 6, 7 and 8th!

Just follow this link to his article Amazing Things Happen When Opportunity Knocks, where you can read about the deep lessons he’s learned as he moved through the unfamiliar process of publishing on Kindle and you can click on the Amazon link to the free download.

By the way, this book makes a wonderful gift for all ages. Like all Kindle books, it can be read on various devices besides Kindle such as your computer, iPad, or cell phone. Free app downloads for any device are available at Amazon.com.

Praise for The Raven Who Spoke with God

Just a few of the many recommendations for this remarkable book:

“It soars… (this is) no ordinary bird, and no ordinary book.” – The Sunday Oklahoman

“A magical fable that illuminates many truths yet never preaches. Gentle, touching, and a perfect vehicle for deep conversation.” – Communaissance magazine

“An incredible story so full of adventure and emotion that you cannot finish it without a gasp of joy.” – Kathryn Lanier, Innerchange magazine

Enjoy!  And please spread the word!  Share this special opportunity with your friends.

Are You Meditating from the Neck Up?

Here’s a taste of my latest post at the What Meditation Really Is Blog:

“Do you sometimes – or perhaps often – feel disconnected from your body?  Mentally overactive, an intellectual athlete, internet addict, or couch potato?

Maybe you are like my friend who reads a book while holding her yoga stretches or the reluctant exerciser who devours the paper while walking briskly on his treadmill.  It’s possible: you may exercise and still be relatively oblivious to the felt sense of your body.

When the mind is highly active, even meditation can become a stressful game of catching the thoughts or emotions before they catch you.  It can be like watching a tennis match, where all your attention is on the ball.  So much so that there’s a sense of meditating from the head up.”

Find out the solution!  Continue reading at The What Meditation Really Is Blog.  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments there.  With love, Sandra