Stumbling Toward Enlightenment

posted by Michelle Schoffro Cook, Care2
‘Tis the season for sunshine, barbecues, and mosquitoes.

Before you grab that DEET-based mosquito repellent in an effort to keep the mosquitoes at bay, consider that research at Duke University links diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) use to brain damage —no wonder the mosquitoes leave at the first scent of it. Perhaps we’d be wise to follow their lead and stay clear of the stuff. Check out my article tomorrow on the dangers of DEET mosquitorepellents.

Here are six natural options that mosquitoes hate and you’ll soon love. You don’t have to worry about DEET-induced brain cell damage or scratching yourself to death. And, if you still think that natural means less effective, keep reading. Some of these mosquito repellents are MORE EFFECTIVE THAN DEET!

1. Citronella
   The old standby. Be sure you’re using pure essential oil, not fragrance oil, which is ineffective and potentially dangerous. Most mosquito repellent products “containing citronella” are made with fragrance oil and should be avoided. If you’re applying citronella to your skin, dilute it in a carrier oil or natural moisturizer. A few drops per tablespoon of oil or cream is all that is needed.

   Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

2. Catnip
   Research at Iowa State University found that catnip essential oil 10 is times more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes. Mosquitoes will hate you and cats will love you. Like citronella be sure to use it diluted in a carrier oil or natural moisturizer.
3. Lavender essential oil
   Smells great and is a commonly used and effective mosquito repellent.
4. Soy oil
   Better yet, choose organic soy oil as the carrier oil for catnip, lavender, and citronella essential oils. According to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine soybean oil-based mosquito repellents are as effective as DEET-containing repellents.
5. NEEM seed oil
   “Neem oil” is extracted from a plant that grows in India. An ingredient in Neem seed oil has also been found to be more effective than DEET by researchers at the Malaria Institute in India. Both the US National Research Council and the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association have confirmed this finding.
6. Garlic
   Eat lots of fresh garlic—mosquitoes will steer clear of you since they hate the stuff. As an added bonus, so will vampires.

Michelle Schoffro Cook, MSc, RNCP, ROHP, DNM, PhD is an international best-selling and eleven-time book author and doctor of traditional natural medicine, whose works include: The Vitality Diet, Allergy-Proof, Arthritis-Proof, Total Body Detox, The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan, and The Phytozyme Cure. Check out her natural health resources and free e-newsletter at www.WorldsHealthiestDiet.com.

Natural Solutions magazine

A 2009 Mayo Clinic study found that of 1,300 people ages 70 to 89, those that had regularly engaged in mentally challenging activities, such as reading, playing games, and doing crafts, in their 50s and early 60s were 40 percent less likely to develop memory loss than those who hadn’t. Follow these simple steps to stay sharp as you age.

1. Hone your manual skills: Learn a new instrument, start quilting, build a model airplane, or get going on those carpentry projects you’ve been putting off. Such activities not only help promote hand and finger dexterity, they also foster the development of new neural connections.
2. Learn one new word every day: This engages the brain’s language centers, frontal lobe, and memory circuits. “It’s like aerobics for your brain,” says George Washington University Neurology Professor Richard Restak, MD.
3. Challenge your short-term memory: Although iPhones and BlackBerries may be convenient, they have one downside: They’ve robbed us of the need to commit things to memory. Do it anyway. Memorize your grocery list, your friends’ phone numbers, the US presidents in order, every state’s capital city. As the saying goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
4. Mix it up: Try a wide variety of mental games, from crossword puzzles to computer games. Experts say seniors tend to do what they’re good at–over and over again. While that may improve proficiency, it doesn’t form new neuronal connections or boost neurotransmitter production in the brain like new and diverse experiences do.
5. Be friendly: Engage in social activities as much as possible. Multiple studies have shown that living a solo life can vastly increase your risk of dementia. One recent Swedish study of 2,000 men and women found that people living alone at age 50 had twice the risk of developing dementia 21 years later than those who were living with a partner in middle age.
6. Shut the TV off: Research shows that those who watch minimal TV are as much as 50 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Keep working: Resist the temptation to retire early. A recent British study of 382 men found a significant association between later retirement and later onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Natural Solutions: Vibrant Health, Balanced Living offers its readers the latest news on health conditions, herbs and supplements, natural beauty products, healing foods and conscious living. Click here for a free sample issue.

By Vasant Lad, Yoga+

Take a hike!

Do you find yourself forgetting appointments? Losing your keys? Remembering faces but not names? Memory lapses like these are common, especially if you’re over 40. But they don’t have to be. According to ayurveda, you can give your memory a power boost at any age. Try the tips below and see if they work for you.

Stay Active
At least five days a week, take a 30-minute walk in the fresh air, or do 12 cycles of the hatha yoga series known as the sun salutation. Add inversions like the shoulder-stand and plow pose to increase blood flow to the brain.

Breathe!
Two yogic practices–alternate nostril breathing and anuloma viloma–stimulate the left and right hemispheres of the brain and improve memory. Or try this exercise: Stand straight with your eyes gazing forward. Gradually inhale, constricting the epiglottis (located just behind the base of your tongue) as you tilt your head back, looking up at the sky at the end of the inhalation. On the exhale, keep the epiglottis constricted as you slowly bring your chin to your chest, looking down to the ground. You’ll know you’ve got it right if it sounds like the ocean when you hold a seashell up to your ear. Repeat this cycle 7 times.

Study Up
Memory is like a muscle–if you don’t use it, you lose it. Exercise your mind by memorizing a new prayer, poem, or Sanskrit scripture, reciting it every morning until you know it by heart. Then start learning a new one.

Feed Your Brain
According to ayurveda, memory-boosting foods include sweet potatoes, okra, spinach, oranges, carrots, milk, ghee (clarified butter), tapioca, and almonds.

Detoxify Your Body & Mind
A five-day mono-diet of kitchari (an ayurvedic rice and bean dish) will cleanse your system of ama (toxic residue), which can weaken memory–and lead to illness as well. To make kitchari, double rinse 1 cup each of basmati rice and yellow split mung dal. Add the rice, dal, and a small handful of chopped cilantro leaves to 6 cups of water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat to low and cook partially covered for 25 to 30 minutes. Eat kitchari garnished with freshly chopped cilantro and a teaspoon of ghee three times a day for five days to cleanse your body and mind.

Herbal Rx
Ayurvedic scriptures have a special classification for memory-boosting herbs: medhya (translated as “that which improves memory”). Some of the best herbs in this category include brahmi, jatamamsi, bhringaraj, and shanka pushpi, which can be found online or at Indian grocery stores. Here are a few ways to get these herbs into your system:

Make a Memory-Boosting Tea
Steep 1 teaspoon total of the four herbs listed above in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Strain and drink on an empty stomach twice a day.

Oil your Nostrils
According to ayurveda, the nose is the doorway to the brain, and thus, to memory. That’s why the smell of a particular flower may remind you of the day you strolled through Central Park in New York City, or why a waft of marinara sauce reminds you of family get-togethers. To stimulate the olfactory bulb (the nerve center in the brain that is responsible for your sense of smell) place 5 drops of warmed brahmi ghee (which you can purchase online) in each nostril at bedtime, lying down on your back with your head tilted up to the ceiling. Then inhale gently several times to help move the oil into the sinuses.

World-renowned ayurvedic physician Vasant Lad, BAMS, MASc, is the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute (ayurveda.com) in Albuquerque, NM.

By Veronica Peterson, Editor, Healthy & Green Living

What would Valentine’s Day be without an opportunity to mention the three-letter word that gets everyone so riled up? Yes, you guessed it–I’m talking about at a little S-E-X. So, let’s chat, shall we? Beyond being just one-heck-of-good-time, medical studies report that an active sex life contributes to a longer and more fulfilling life. So come on, everybody’s doing it (or at least the lucky ones), and here are five reasons for you to join in:

1. Sex boosts your immune system. “Honey, I have a headache,” may now be the best reason to have sex! A startling number of physicians are now recognizing how sexual and emotional health affect our entire well being. In other words, how our brain directly impacts our immune system. “We know that people who enjoy a regular, satisfying sex life (i.e. regular orgasms) are less stressed, less depressed and generally more well physically, mentally and emotionally,” says Wendy Strgar, loveologist and CEO of Good Clean Love. In a recent article, Dr. Paul Pearsall, director of Behavioral Medicine at Detroit’s Beaumont Hospital, concludes that many of his patients had experienced sexual dissatisfaction prior to a heart attack. He also claims that sexual contentment leads to less severe headaches and reduced discomfort from arthritis in both genders.

2. Sex burns calories. Oh yeah, forget those fad diets and get busy gettin’ busy. A mere 30-minutes of sex burns 90 calories and while that may not sound impressive, at an average of three times a week, you’re burning 5 pounds in a year! Or, according to Forbes magazine, having sex just twice a week for a year will burn off the equivalent of seven huge spaghetti dinners. Seconds, anyone?

3. Sex relieves pain. Orgasm is one serious narcotic! Oxytocin, a naturally occurring chemical in the body surges during and after climax while working in conjunction with a few other endorphins to make sure you feel no pain. In his book, How to Treat Arthritis, rheumatologist Carter V. Multz asserts that sex can reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation associated with arthritis, headaches and menstrual cramps.

4. Sex decreases aging. “Use it or lose it” has never been more applicable. Regular sex releases a plethora of “happy” chemicals into your bloodstream, including testosterone. As we age, our testosterone levels decrease. Sex is a wonderful way to build your reserves back up, helping build new bones and muscles while putting a youthful glow on your face. According to a study by Dr. David Weeks, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland and co-author of Superyoung, men and women who reported having sex an average of four times per week looked approximately 10 years younger than they really were.

5. Sex is great for depression. “The release from orgasm does much to calm people. It helps with sleep, and that is whether we talk about solo sex or sex with a partner,” says Jennifer Bass, the head of information services at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction in Bloomington, Ind., in a recent MSNBC article. Researchers believe that sex helps the brain produce serotonin which, in turn, prompts new neurons to grow. Most chemical, antidepressant medications, like Zoloft, work to increase serotonin levels. These drugs take three to four weeks to begin working–about the same amount of time required for new neurons to form. One reason these drugs could be an effective treatment is because they increase cell growth–just as sex does.