Now That's Weird! Size DOES Matter...for Women, Too

Dear Yin Weavers,

If you're not packin' plenty, you may be thankful after reading the following.  The rest of you may not be so thankful.

What size is your bra?  A D cup may also spell diabetes: Women who wore a bra size D or larger at age 20 were one and a half times more likely to develop type 2 than those who wore an A or smaller, even after researchers adjusted for obesity, diet, smoking, and family history, in a 10-year study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It may be that the fat tissue in a woman’s breast is hormonally sensitive and influences insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes, say researchers.

Prevent it: Incorporate high-intensity intervals into your exercise routine. In one study, adults who did six 30-second sprints on an exercise bike (resting for four minutes in between) improved their body's ability to metabolize blood sugar by nearly 25 percent after six sessions—enough to lower their risk of diabetes.

 For those of you who missed it, I posted a question on Facebook the other day that lead to a somewhat silly/somewhat useful conversation on how to manage sugar cravings.  Here's the question and here's what I got:

A couple of coolpeeps commented on my latest blog (about your smart fat), and it got me to wondering about cravings. I've found St. John's Wort helpful for reducing sugar cravings. Any other great ideas out there?

Sophie Hunter I found that sucking a clean pebble of amethyst help with any kind of craving. Put it in your craved for bottle if your craving is fluid. Make sure you cleanse the used pebbles by leaving them soak in salt water.

Anybody ever hear of that?  I did a little research on Amethyst Gem Elixir, and found this: 

The Eden Project Orgone Products sells the amethyst gem elixir: Our Amethyst Gem Alixir produces a calm, clear and focused mind. The stone for detoxification of Alcoholics, from the greek word 'amethustos' meaning 'non-inebriated' it has a dramatic purging... effect on the liver. Amethyst elixir acts upon the crown chakra, enhancing communication with higher aspects of self and helps in the overcoming of unwanted addictions. The elixir will supply your body with an overabundance of energy, reduce headaches and take pain away; aids in digestion and clears up the complexion. This versatile remedy also will stimulate the pituitary gland, facilitate the digestion of fats and sugars in regards to diabetes, relieve insomnia and hypoglycemia.

Oh, and the silly suggestion?

The Eden Project Sherri--all you need to do is put the words "Oreos & Milk" on a piece of paper and tape it to the side of a glass of water. The water will absorb the oreos and milk vibration. Drink up!

Donna Eden points out diabetes cannot be managed without keeping your spleen meridian strong. This is done primarily by sedating Triple Warmer (which drains Spleen chi) followed by strengthening Spleen Meridian. Refer to my earlier blog post to learn a quick way to sedate Triple Warmer. Other ways to strengthen Spleen meridian are listed here along with the page numbers from Donna’s book Energy Medicine:


1. Hold the acupressure points for sedating TW, followed by the points for strengthening Spleen (see p. 120).

2. Massage the Spleen neurolymphatic points on the torso (p. 84).

3. Hold the Spleen neurovascular points on the head (p. 274).

4. Tap the Spleen points (part of the three thumps in Chapter 3) several times a day.

5. Flush Spleen meridian by tracing it backwards one time and then forwards three times. You'll find a drawing on page 102.

6. Liver meridian is also often involved in diabetes (as well as hypoglycemia). You can follow the same basic steps described here for Spleen for balancing the Liver meridian.

7. Do the "Daily Energy Routine" to maintain better harmony in her body.

If you have Type One diabetes, you will probably always need to have insulin supplied externally. But I have seen these exercises be very effective in helping to keep sugar levels balanced and insulin intake reversed. I have also known people who have completely reversed Type Two diabetes following these exercises along with appropriate changes in diet and exercise.

And if you ask me, that's "sweet!"

Blessings,
Rose

Now That's Weird! Your Fat Has Brains

Dear Yin Weaver,

Well knock me over with a feather. Whoever thought fat was an endocrine organ? I mean, it's like finding out your slouchy, couch-potato brother just got accepted into mensa.  Yes, your fat is intelligent, in a common sense sort of way; it is always trying to help you know when you've got enough fat. 

Apparently, this "endocrine organ" releases a messenger called Leptin which tells the hypothalamus you've had enough to eat. I think, anyway. I'm a bear of little brain when it comes to reading scientific articles. So if you want to read it for yourself, and maybe draw a different conclusion, here's a fairly readable one on the subject of obesity and inflammation.

There's also a paragraph in that article that will tell you exactly why too much fat will lead to chronic inflammation, and that inflammation can lead to dementia later in life. Yet another reason to start a diet. Here's a little tidbit which says the same thing from the oh-so-much-more-readable article I keep quoting here.

Jeans size

Adults who have larger abdomens in their 40s are up to 3.6 times as likely to develop dementia in their 70s, even if they weren’t overweight, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. One possible reason for the link is that compared with subcutaneous fat (the noticeable fat that lies just below the skin), visceral fat (the dangerous fat that surrounds the organs) secretes more of the inflammatory hormones that are associated with cognitive decline.
Prevent it: Eat a portion-controlled Mediterranean-style diet. Research shows that the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in foods such as olives, nuts, seeds, avocado, and dark chocolate prevent the accumulation of visceral fat.

Yeah, you just stick with that dark chocolate and those avocados, and your spare tire will soon be a thing of the past. Maybe. Because while your busy almost eating all the right foods (everyone cheats, right?), your stress level may be busy eating up all or at least some of the benefits. I'm telling you, this is a good article on obesity I'm quoting from. Listen to what it says about the relationship between inflammation, stress, cortisol and overeating:

The constant state of increased inflammation as described above then brings another hormone into play. That hormone is cortisol. Our adrenal glands react to this constant state of low grade inflammation by pumping out high amounts of cortisol. Under short periods of stress, cortisol is actually anti-inflammatory. It results in increases in blood sugar which gives us energy to fight a predator or a disease. However, when the body is constantly bombarded with high levels of cortisol, such as under chronic low-grade stress from work or social pressures, several deleterious effects occur. The first is that a “catabolic state” is created resulting in the breakdown of our muscle tissue for energy. This then triggers appetite, causing us to consume more calories than are needed. These excess calories are primarly stored as fat (especially visceral fat), due to high circulating levels of pro-inflammatory proteins like NfkB which block the effect of insulin, creating insulin resistance. High circulating levels of insulin promote further fat storage and prevent breakdown of stored fat.

What we're talking about here, people, is emotional eating, right? My husband and I started the South Beach diet a few months ago precisely because we were experiencing the results of insulin resistance--high cholestorol, high blood pressure, and an inability to lose weight. Well, I've lost weight and am loving the reappearance of my waist and a flatter tummy. My blood pressure is down, and I'm assuming the cholesterol is following suit.

What I'm not loving is realizing what an emotional eater I'd become in the past few years. I didn't realize I'd been giving myself all sorts of permission to eat whenever I felt stressed. Or to borrow an acronym from AA, whenever I was Hungry (emotionally), Angry, Lonely or Tired. So now I have to manage not only my weight but also my stress differently. Yet once again Energy Medicine comes to the rescue! Here're a couple of exercises I've found most helpful to dieting successfully. They're quick and dirty, and very effective. Try 'em! You'll like 'em!

Cover the Eyes

This exercise activates your radiant circuits, calms Triple Warmer and energizes spleen. If you’re dieting, but having a hard time breaking old eating habits (like emotional eating), do this exercise six times a day. Yes, six. It takes a nanosecond to do. A couple in the morning, a couple in the afternoon, a couple at night. Try doing it right before you eat.
• Place thumbs over index finger nails and hold "oh my God" points on the forehead with middle, ring, and little fingers until you take a deep sigh, yawn, or feel a release.

• Cover eyes with fingers. Inhale. Exhale.

• Inhale with eyes still covered. Exhale while dragging fingers across eyes and out to temples

• Inhale while dragging fingers up over ears, and exhale while dragging fingers down behind ears to shoulders. Hang fingers on shoulders at neck.

• Cross arms, placing fingers on opposite shoulders. Inhale, smoothing hands down arms to forearms. Exhale.

• Inhale, place hands flat across ribs under bust area.

• Exhale while sweeping fingers down legs and off feet at toes

• Inhale while sweeping fingers back up legs to under arms.

• Exhale while sweeping fingers down and off body at side of waist.

The second exercise will keep your adrenals healthy. A healthy adrenal will not dump the stress hormone cortisol into your system. Do this one from two to one thousand times a day. In other words, you can't overdo it.

Adrenal Neurolymphatic Massage

• Find your belly button.

• Move your fingers one inch out from, and one inch above your belly button.

• Massage deeply for 10-30 seconds.

If it hurts, it means you need it. You may be flirting with adrenal exhaustion.
Last but not least, I discovered a very inspiring on the use of energy medicine for weight loss, check out A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Scale, especially, June 2010 and on.

Blessings,
Rose

Now That's Weird! You're Wearing Your Heart on Your Earlobe

Dear Yin Weavers,

If you're wearing your heart on your sleeve, of course, it means you are making an open display of your emotions.  In terms of romance, this saying dates back to the days of jousting when knights would wear the scarf of their lady love tied to their arms.  However, Shakespeare also immortalized the phrase in Othello: 

But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve

for daws to peck at...

In other words, when you indiscriminately make yourself vulnerable, you leave yourself at the mercy of the jackasses...I mean jackdaws of life.  So be careful.  And meanwhile, pay attention to those ear creases.  It could save your life. 

Earlobe crease

Linear wrinkles in one or both lobes may predict future cardiovascular events (heart attack, bypass surgery, or cardiac death.) A crease on one lobe raises the risk by 33 percent; a crease on both lobes increases it by 77 percent, even after adjusting for other known risk factors. Though experts aren’t exactly sure, they suspect a loss of elastic fibers may cause both the crease and the hardening of arteries.

Prevent it: Keep your heart healthy in other ways: Slim down, and lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

Believe it or not, you could help save a life using energy medicine in the case of a suspected heart attack.  For starters, if the person is not breathing, administer CPR.  If they are breathing, make them comfortable.  Then follow these basic steps outlined in the article An Energy Practitioner's Guide to Medical Emergencies:

Do a “hook-up” (one hand in navel, one hand on third eye, push in and pull up).

Strengthen the heart meridian by tracing it forward. As you come to the end of the meridian, rapidly twist the ends of the little fingers back and forth with some pressure.

Deeply and vigorously massage the heart neurolymphatic points between the 2nd and 3rd ribs, just below where the collarbone and breastbone meet, especially if the person is unconscious. Do not do this massage for more than 10 to 15 seconds.

Hold one hand over the heart area and press deeply into the top of the pubic bone with the other hand for about 30 to 60 seconds (re-establishes electrical energy in the body and stimulates the penetrating flow)

Hold the triple warmer strengthening points (TW3 & GB41, then TW2 & BL66) if the person appears to be leaving the body. Speak calmly and ask the person to stay with you. If you have help available, have another person pulse the K1 points on the bottom of the feet.

Hold the spleen meridian strengthening points (Sp2 & H8, then Sp1 & Lv1).

If the heartbeat is erratic or if the heart is beating too strong, hold the small intestine meridian strengthening points (GB41 & SI3, then B66 & SI2).

If the person is conscious, stable and resting comfortably, hold the frontal neurovascular points to offer comfort until help arrives.

Don't know how to do all this stuff?  Well, you should learn!  Regional Eden Energy Medicine Classes are being offered all over the country.  I'm really excited one is being offered in Chicago starting in June.  Let me know if you are planning to take it!

Blessings,
Rose 

Now That's Weird! A Short Reach Could Mean Alzheimers

Dear Yin Weaver, 

Here's this week's weird news.  Read it and weep (or cheer, you long-armed luckies!).

Arm length

Have a hard time reaching the top of your kitchen cabinets? Women with the shortest arm spans were 1 1/2 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with longer reaches, found a recent study. (Find yours by spreading your arms parallel to the floor and having someone measure fingertips to fingertips; the shortest spans were less than 60 inches.) Nutritional or other deficits during the critical growing years, possibly responsible for shorter arms, may also predispose a person to cognitive decline later in life, say Tufts University researchers.

Prevent it: Put your appendages to good use with a hobby such as painting or pottery. A five-year study from the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center found that adults who spent the most time engaged in engaging leisure activities were more than two and a half times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who spent less time challenging their brains.

Oh, good Lord, I'm in trouble! I'm not even 50 inches across! Fortunately I've got a lot of other good things going for me. I don't drink, I don't smoke and I eat well. I love puzzles. I exercise, and I'm in a musical recorder trio (they say it's possible people who play an instrument in a group setting, i.e. a trio or symphony don't get Alzheimer's).  We play Medieval to Modern music and are given to making highbrow jokes during our practice sessions. 
 
OK, read between the lines, people.  I'm a nerd.  A nerd who practices Energy Medicine and also goes to weekday mass, which makes me a pretty interesting and complex nerd, if you ask me. 
 
Still, the spectre of declining cognitive skills is one that haunts, especially as I watch my mother--a one-time brilliant doctor and watercolor artist--exhibiting signs of confusion, word-finding troubles and short-term memory loss in her late eighties.
 

Energetically there is plenty you can do to support brain functioning as well.  Stress can play havoc with our memory, for instance, because when we are "fightin' it or flightin' it" our brains are robbed of most of the blood and oxygen that helps us to think clearly, problem solve, take in information and remember things.  Here's an EZ exercise from Eden Energy Medicine that will help improve your memory while reducing the symptoms of stress. 

How to Keep Your Memory Sharp

For your memory to stay intact over the years, it is necessary for energies to flow freely through the suture lines in your skull. While these junctures tend to become less flexible with age, a simple procedure that will take about a minute each day can keep oxygen and cerebral-spinal fluids, as well as subtle energies moving through them:

1. Place your left hand over your heart and your right hand on the right side of your head, palm next to your right ear, fingers extended upward over your head.


2. Breathe deeply four times while holding this position - in through the nose, out through the mouth. Raise your body with the in-breath, relax it with the outbreath.


3. Move your right hand to the back of your head, and repeat the breathing.


4. Now place your right hand over the right side of your chest, your left hand by your left ear, and repeat the breathing.


5. Finally, place the palm of your left hand on your forehead with your fingers going up onto the top of your head and again use the same breathing.

Do this daily, perhaps when you first sit down at your desk, computer or TV, or while you are warming up the car, and you will not only be helping to retain your memory, you will be maximizing its effectiveness.

Well, that's all for today!  This is an extract from Energy Medicine by Donna Eden, btw.  You can buy the book and learn it for yourself, or check out their website for upcoming classes.  If you want to meet me, come on the Caribbean cruise in March.  I'll be a teaching assistant to Donna's five day training.

Blessings,
Rose

Now that's Weird! Leggy Ladies Have Less Liver Laments

Dear Yin Weavers,

Your liver is the largest physical organ in the body.  It is involved in digestion, metabolism, storage and distrubution of nourishment, filtration, detoxifcation, and immune function.  You'd think short legs wouldn't be a problem:  less body to nourish and protect.  But apparently that's not the case!

Leg Length Lament

If your legs are on the stocky side, you may need to take better care of your liver. In a 2008 study, British researchers found that women with legs between 20 and 29 inches tended to have higher levels of four enzymes that indicate liver disease. Factors such as childhood nutrition may not only influence growth patterns, but also liver development well into adulthood, say researchers.

Prevent it: Avoid exposure to toxins your liver has to process, which will keep it healthier, longer. Wear a mask and gloves while cleaning or working with any type of harsh chemical. Limit alcohol intake to one 5-ounce glass of wine or 12-ounce bottle of beer daily.

Saundra Bubniak also reminded me of how easy Energy Medicine can be for Liver Health:

A powerful, simple way for keeping your liver strong and clean while also supporting the flow of hormones through your bloodstream is to massage points on the hands and feet that stimulate liver function. Massaging your hands almost everyday, and massaging points on your feet whenever you take a bath, get in a hot tub, or sink into bed is a great form of self-care that not only helps your liver function better, it also keeps your hands and feet, which function as "energy antennae", open and clear.


Points on the feet that keep your liver clear are, the "V" where the big toe meets the second toe on the top of the foot, the area between the tendons of the two toes and the bottom of the foot at the same time, the areas on the top of the foot between the tendons of each of the toes, and after repeating on the other side, place your hands around the bottoms of each foot and squeeze the sides hard.

Finally, your liver is very important to hormonal health.  If you have PMS, sedating Liver Meridian can help immensely with groin pain.  The simplest way to sedate Liver Meridian is to lie down and place your fingertips where your legs attach to your body.  Rest for about two to three minutes.  See if that doesn't help. 

You can also sedate your Liver Meridian.  This is usually the most effective way.  Here's how: 

1.  Simultaneously place the middle finger of one hand on Liver 2 (inside of big toe where it meets the foot) and the other hand on Heart 8 (make a fist; see where the pinky touches the palm?  That's Hear 8).  Hold for two minutes.
2.  repeat on the other side.
3.  then place the middle finger of one hand on Liver 4 (a little dip in front of the anklebone) and the middle finger of the other hand on Lung 8 (on the crease of the wrist just below the thumb).

Don't panic about pinpoint accuracy.  Meridian points have a range of a dime to a quarter.  So if you have your finger in the general area, you're probably fine! 

Blessings,
Rose

Now that's Weird! Tall Women Die Younger

Dear Yin Weaver,

Check out this tidbit from Your Body's Ten Weirdest Health Clues.

Women taller than 5 feet, 2 inches may be missing a gene mutation that helps them reach their 100th birthday, according to a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


Prevent it: Take a page from the habits of California’s Seventh-Day Adventists, who have one of the highest concentrations of centenarians: Quit smoking, and cut back on alcohol and eating meat.

I'm not convinced I want to live to be a centenarian, but apparently--despite my 5'6"--I have a better chance because I'm a non-smoking, tea-totalling quasi-vegetarian.  Well, actually, a chickafishaturkatarian.

Changing habits can be hard, hard, hard!  Fortunately, there are more support systems available than ever before for people who want to quit smoking, drinking and overeating.  In addition, Eden Energy Medicine can help with this effective technique drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine: 

The Temporal Tap

Begin by identifying a habit, attitude, or condition in your life that you would like to change. Then describe the change in a single sentence, and state it as an affirmation in present time as if the condition already exists. For example, you could say, "I joyfully receive abundance in my life," or "Right now, I am prosperous," or even "I always have more than enough money to pay my bills." Affirmations can be anything you wish to become true and operative in your life. They can be specific, such as, "I easily and successfully attract 5 new customers every day," or general, such as "There are plenty of customers for my services." And they can be used to increase success, no matter what your career choice: "I am making good money being a writer, artist, mechanic, hairdresser, etc."

It is important that the statements are in your native language or the one you are most comfortable with, in your own lingo, and aligned with your own values. For easy recall, make them short and to the point.

To perform the Temporal Tap, start tapping at your right temple in front of the ear canal and continue tapping on the scalp around the top edge of the ear until you reach the back center of the ear, just opposite where you started. The active spots are only along the upper half of the ear, from front center to back center. Tapping with all your fingertips bunched together ensures that all the points along the Temporal-Sphenoidal (T-S) line are stimulated. Say your affirmation while you tap; repeat this procedure three times.
Do this several times a day, waiting at least 30 minutes before repeating the same affirmation. You can tap for as many different affirmations as you wish as long as you can easily address them all several times a day. Reinforcement is part of the process. Once your affirmation has become a part of your life, you can replace it with a new one.

By the way, I shamelessly stole this information from an online article.  If you want to read it in full (well worth it!), click here.  You can also read Donna Eden's variation in her award-winning book Energy Medicine.

Blessings,

Rose



Now that's Weird! Finger Length Can Predict Risk Level for Osteoporosis

Dear Yin Weavers,

I found this interesting little tidbit online today.  What do you think of this?  Is not the body fearfully and wonderfully--and puzzingly--made?

Finger length


Women whose index fingers are shorter than their ring fingers may be twice as prone to osteoarthritis in the knees, found British researchers. Those with this predominately male characteristic tend to have lower levels of estrogen, which may also play a role in the development of osteoarthritis, say researchers.
Prevent it: Strengthen the muscles surrounding your knees. While sitting, straighten each leg parallel to the floor 10 times; hold each rep for 5 to 10 seconds.

As my mother-in-law used to say, "Innnn-ter-es-tinnnnggg!" 

Here's another exercise I used almost daily for about six months.  This Eden Energy Medicine tool is taken from Donna Eden's book, Energy Medicine for Women, and it reversed my osteopenia!   It'll take you less than two minutes, and is also good for trimming tummy fat.

The Bone Saver

1. Place your arms out in front of you, take a deep breath in, hold your breath, and push the heels of your hands hard against each other.
2. At the same time, squeeze your stomach in toward your spine, tighten your buttocks, and tilt your pelvis forward and up.
3. When you want to exhale, instead take three more rapid breaths in through your nose while holding the above posture.
4. Then exhale slowly, as if blowing through a straw (your stomach will tighten naturally).
5. When it feels like your exhalation is complete, blow three more rapid breaths out through your mouth.
6. Relax after each round.  Do several rounds.
7. Repeat the entire sequence, except this time bend the fingers of each hand, hook them into one another, and try to pull your arms apart so there is isometric tension at your fingers and in your arms and shoulders.

Peace and strong bones,
Rose