Get Wellness

Watch and learn what manners are not

laurenhrubik — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:11:49 +0000

For all you women out there pay close attention to what I have to say in this blog. Simply put, if you are a woman act like a woman! I see too many females act, walk, eat, dress, and talk repulsively. It would disgust any man. It’s no wonder why so many of our good looking men out there are turning gay. To the foul women of the world it’s your fault. Learn some manners!

You might be wondering what manners have to do with health. It’s for your well-being that you know how to act like a lady. Once you understand what the word etiquette means and start practicing it you will begin to feel better about yourself. If you can’t learn how to be polite on your own, I suggest you take notes, lessons, or get a book on manners at your local bookstore. Please, I beg you, do the world a favor and act like a lady.

What not to do. Take the old man’s advice.

Surprise, Surprise

laurenhrubik — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:25:47 +0000

My friend Ashlee has always been struggling with heart problems. The doctors said she had a rare condition and that nothing could be done. Every time she thought she was having a heart attack she’d go to the emergency room and they would perform the same routine. They would hook her up to all these little sticky things and run a bunch of tests. It was the same cycle over and over. Finally, I took her to Dr. Dede Wu, a Chinese doctor who had studied cardiology in school. In her appointments she always starts off with a simple technique. She checks the pulse and can tell what is wrong with someone. Of course she can’t detect cancer or serious ailments to that degree, but she can start by diagnosing simple problems. On Ashlee, she detected that the problem wasn’t her heart. It was her lungs! To Ashlee’s surprise, she knew she had Asthma but she didn’t know that her heart was in good condition. In fact, I had my pulse taken as well and Dr. Wu said Ashlee’s heart was stronger than mine. I was astounded that such a small, simple technique could make all the difference in how we both perceived Ashlee’s condition. The other doctors in the past always said it was her heart that had all the issues.
I asked Dr. Wu what Ashlee could do to strengthen her lungs. There were many different effective natural things that she suggested but the most important one she told her to do was to steam a pear, drink the juice, and then eat the whole pear, including the skin, everyday. She said this would help hasten the healing of Ashlee’s lungs.

Podcast

laurenhrubik — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:43:52 +0000

My first podcast

Acai Berries!

laurenhrubik — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:25:28 +0000

Acai Berry? What Berry? Sounds like a Futuristic Fruit!

Wrong! Acai berry (pronounced “ah-see-ee”) is a tropical berry found in the Amazonian rainforests of Brazil that very much resembles a blueberry. In recent news it has been touted as the new “super food” because of its high antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are substances in foods that significantly reduce the adverse effects of free radicals such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen in the blood that affect many physiologic processes in humans. Some people even go so far as to say that Acai berry is the number one super food in the world! These claims do not go unsubstantiated, however. Acai berry has the highest ORAC score of any other kind of food. An ORAC score is the method with which the USDA measures antioxidant capacities of different food. For reference, the acai berry has an ORAC score of 167 while the pomegranate (the “super food” that was thought to have the highest antioxidant capabilities) only has an ORAC score of 106. Acai berry supposedly aids in weight loss, improves digestion, increases energy, and fights aging among many other things. In fact, there is even a University of Florida study that was recently released in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that showed when acai berries were introduced to human cancer cells, 86% of the cancer cells were destroyed. That’s one powerful fruit!

For more information on the acai berry, I recommend following the link below. And be careful not to be fooled by products that are benefiting of the acai berry craze before doing your own research.

Acai Berry

Relational Development Stages

laurenhrubik — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:40:53 +0000

Relationships tend to be one of the top emotional stressors in people’s lives. Sometimes you may wonder what went wrong and how can you fix a relationship that is going on with your best friend or a significant other. According to Ronald B. Adler, author of Looking In, Looking Out, there are 10 different models of relational development that I think you should know about. Hopefully this will give you a better understand of where you are in the relationship. I believe if you know where your relationship stands it will take much of the stress off of your relationship and yourself.

1. Initiating
This is the first stage of the relationship where communication is usually brief and remarks about innocuous subjects like the weather are made. Usually greetings and nonverbal behaviors such as handshakes and hugs occur.
2.Experimenting
This is the part when you decide if you want to remain in contact with the person or not or to continue pursuing some kind of relationship. The experimenting stage is also one that is used to converse in small talk. It allows you to find out each other’s interests and what they are about.
3. Intensifying
This is when the actual relationship begins to develop. You could say this is when you become more than just acquaintances. The feelings you have toward one another become more common. Dating couples use the intensifying stage to express their feelings of attraction more openly and directly. It includes hanging out, flirting, joking, hinting, or nonverbal behaviors.
4. Integrating
This is the point at which your relationship strengthens on a deeper level. Parties take this on as becoming a single social unit. It could be the group you hang out with at school or the person you are dating. Either way, it is the stage at which a relationship becomes known.
5. Bonding
This is when the parties make public gestures so that everyone knows that the relationship exists both intentionally and unintentionally. Bonding is when commitment is know. It establishes the “friend” to your “best friend” because of all the stages that took place to get to bonding.
6. Differentiating
Once the bonding stage has ended differentiation occurs. The “we” orientation begins to shift to “I”. Differentiating is the point at which stress can happen. What was agreed upon once as, “Our weekend plans” are more like, “This weekend I’m spending time with my family.”
7. Circumscribing
From all of these stages the relationship has gone well without any bumps in the road. Sometimes this can last as long as a lifetime. For others, circumscribing is when communication begin to decrease between members in both quality and quantity. This alone can pass through many stages from circumscribing back to differentiating or intensifying.
8. Stagnation
This is when nothing is going on in the relationship. There is no initial passion and the relationship becomes a shell.
9. Avoiding
When stagnation becomes too unbearable, the members begin to create physical distance from each other.
10. Termination
This is the final stage in a relationship when parties make a summary dialogue of where the relationship has gone and how to end it.

The Master Cleanse

laurenhrubik — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:04:53 +0000

The Master Cleanse is a 10 day liquid cleanse and is also known as the Limonade Diet. In my experience, when I first heard about it, I doubted that I could ever survice the diration of the cleanse. However, I ended up “mastering” it. I found that the ingredients in the drink kept my energy up, suppressed my appetite, and detoxified my body. It’s a very unique cleanse that allows one to continue exercising, think clearly, and still be able to function throughout the day whereas most detoxifying cleases, though are still beneficial, drain you from all energy and are difficult to complete.

R&B/Pop artist, Beyonce Knowles, used The Master Cleanse diet to help shed 20 pounds for the film Dreamgirls.

The cleanse can be used for three things: detoxification, weight loss, or fasting. The ingredients that it would take to complete one day are as follows:

14 Table Spoons Lemon Juice
14 Table Spoons Grade B Organic Maple Syrup (Can be found at a local health food store)
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper – or to taste (as much as you can stand)
2 Liters/quarts of water

For more information on The Master Cleanse, I recommend clicking on the link I’ve provided to help you prepare yourself and know what to expect while on the cleanse, as well as some common misconceptions.

The Master Cleanse

Truths and Misconceptions

Natural Sleep Remedies

laurenhrubik — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:45:31 +0000

We’ve all experienced sleepless nights tossing and turning, wondering when we’re finally going to get some Zzzz’s. Sleep is very important in order to perform well the following day in our everyday tasks. Here are some natural sleep remedies that you might find to be very helpful in falling into a wonderful, deep night’s sleep.

Potatoes
I’ve heard it, you’ve heard it. “Get up potato head!” That’s exactly the effect you will have when you eat a baked potato before bed. Potatoes contain a lot of carbs and starches. With this, your body creates a lot insulin which triggers and releases tryptophan which, in turn, creates serotonin. This calms, relaxes, and makes you tired.

Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles. Levels of melatonin are affected by light. At night, levels begin to increase and in the day upon waking they decrease. It is not recommended to take melatonin supplements if you have depression, schizophrenia, immune deficiencies, or are pregnant or nursing. It is taken 30 minutes prior to bedtime.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Valerian root helps relieve signs of anxiety, stress, headaches, and nervousness, all of which keep us up at night. It also helps with reduce blood pressure and calms digestion. It can be taken in a tea form 40 minutes before sleeping.

Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is the most common tea used for calming and soothing. It is a very gentle sedative and helps relax your muscles, good for vital organ health, and of course, eases stress to help you fall asleep. This is taken 1-2 hours before sleep.

Jamaica Dogwood
Jamaica Dogwood is typically taken in tea form. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Jamaica Dogwood contains anti-inflammatory and sedative properties which treat nerve pain, muscle spasms, insomnia, anxiety, migraines, and calms the digestive tract.

That Time of Year…

laurenhrubik — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:55:40 +0000

It seems as though everyone is catching some form of the common cold these days. Whether they have symptoms of sneezing, congestion, sore throats, or runny noses, it’s still that time of year. Colds are spread through the air, such as sneezing or coughing, or by touching a contaminated object. There are over two hundred viruses that effect the upper respiratory system that causes the common cold.

What we all tell ourselves is to wash our hands and don’t drink after other people. This is very true. However, the best way to prevent a cold is to stimulate your bodies natural defenses. This means boosting your immune system and making sure to stay strong and healthy during the most vulnerable time for you to get sick. Most colds last from three to ten days. Over-the-counter medications can actually prolong the cold because it suppresses your bodies natural ability to flush out the virus.

A big “NO NO” is to consume any sugar for the duration of your illness. Sugar keeps you from healing because it decreases the number of white blood cells. This includes orange juice! Orange juice actually contains more sugar or natural sugars than vitamin C. Also, avoid dairy products while your sick. It encourages mucus production and can make you even worse.

For ways to boost your immune systems and knock out that cold!

Water and U.S. Government

laurenhrubik — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:25:09 +0000

Water is the river of life. It is a basic necessity that everyone needs. However, if it is not safe, it can do more damage than good. The quality of water that people consume is the issue at stake.

I believe the US Government has the responsibility to ensure safe drinking water primarily to protect against sickness and disease for her residents. It is unfortunate but chlorine and other contaminants exist in the water that the government provides. It is obvious that water has to be cleansed in a way that is both efficient and cost effective. By limiting the amount of chlorine in water and encouraging the use of water filters and bottled water will help the overall health of American residents.

Threats to safe drinking water are improperly disposed chemicals, animal wastes, pesticides, and human wastes stated by the US EPA. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has thoroughly evaluated alternatives to its use of gaseous chlorine as a primary disinfectant.

The results of drinking from water that is impure and contains chemicals are devastating long term. If water is not properly treated, it can be a huge health risk. Luckily, the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed by congress in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water. However, impurities still remain.

Chlorinated water is incredibly damaging to the human bodies arterial walls which helps cause the number one death in America, coronary heart disease. Diet alone is not the only cause for Americans poor health and sky rocketing statistics on heart attacks. It also causes kidney, bladder, and colon cancer due to skin absorption through bathtubs, swimming pools, and hot tubs. It takes approximately 30 seconds for something to be absorbed by the skin and passed through the blood stream.

The tap water we have available to us has little structure in the molecular makeup. It is referred to as physically bound which makes it difficult for our cells to absorb. Dr. Timothy Brantley, author of The Cure, states that if our cells are properly hydrated, they swell up causing an anabolic reaction. This causes increased fat burning capabilities, enhanced immunity, less free radical damage, fights against premature aging and tissue degeneration.

A transition from chlorine to a safer source of “technology” is not able to be carried out for metropolitan and many other drinking water systems, and would result in risk tradeoffs that could threaten public health. For this reason, the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, or any other federal agency cannot be given the power to override local water disinfection choices.

Water is the key to health. If there is clean water for the people of the United States, it will solve many of the health issues. The US Government should be responsible to ensure safe drinking water for the her residents by enforcing chlorine levels to reside and promoting safe drinking water through bottled and filtered water.

The citizens of the US should have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In all these cases, the government has the responsibility to provide a good life source to make sure that her citizens reach that dream.

Until my next ranting,
Lauren

Edible Facials! What?!

laurenhrubik — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:19:14 +0000

That’s right! It’s truly possible to make edible, organic facials that you can lick right off your face or at least your friends face. Delicious homemade facial recipes will leave your skin feeling beautifully nourished, while knowing every ingredient that you put on your skin. For those of you with sensitive skin that seems to react to practically anything you put on it, these homemade recipes will naturally help bring to balance the results you wish to see. These facial masks are easy and a blast to make and entertain with. One recipe that I made with a group of my girl friends while watching the latest reality show is called the Banana, Honey, and Yogurt Mask. We put half on our face and ate the other half. It was delightfully tasty!

Ingredients
1/2 banana
2 tablespoons plain organic yogurt
1 tablespoon Honey
Instructions
Mash the banana with a fork and then mix in yogurt and honey. Apply to your face evenly. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with cool water or soft wash cloth.

Remember, it takes approximately 30 seconds for something to absorb into your blood stream. Why not do it with natural and edible things? The health benefits to these ingredients are as follows:
Bananas are packed with essential vitamins such as vitamin C and K. These help bring elasticity and moisture to your skin.
Honey is natures immunity system builder and is wonderful for soothing and repairing your skin. It provides antioxidants to your cells and fights against free radicals that have caused aging and oxidation.
Yogurt helps refine your pores and has properties that help reduce oiliness.

For more edible facial recipes.