Vital Nutrients

GABA (Gamma aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid supplement that is gaining popularity for its anti-anxiety effects. Gaba is produced in the body from glutamic acid and acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. That is, it slows down activity in the part of the brain called the lymbic system, which is our emotional alarm bell.

Gaba is able to reduce stressful feelings such as anxiety, fear and panic. As a natural tranquillizer, Gaba can partially replace valium by binding to the same brain receptors, providing tranquillization. Gaba is available from health food stores.

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http://www.grannymed.com/

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I used to adore Thanksgiving. But not for the expected reasons - great food, big crowd, football games. I adored it because the power of these stimulants - gluttony, big crowd, football - enfolded my family in a cozy blanket of numbness. The numbness was dense enough to defeat the usual squabbles and snipings. And it allowed us to believe, for half a day, that we were indeed normal, even happy.

As a child, at some point during the endless feeding, I would slip off my chair and drop into the world under the table. Under the veil of the starched white table cloth, I could only see legs and shoes. The upside world of manufactured cheer was muted; and down below I had some quiet authenticity and some control.

Every year, in my down below, I untied my relatives shoelaces. I then retied one person's shoelaces to those of the person sitting in the adjacent seat. I did this with care and concentration. And every year, my relatives laughed as if this were a joke.

I knew it wasn't a joke, but it took me years of adulthood to figure out why I did this untying and retying. It's simple really, I was creating a unified family. One that had genuine bonds of untainted love.

This year, I do have genuine bonds of untainted love. With my life and love partner, Richard. With my brother and his family. With my friends. With my recently deceased father and with my self-involved mother. In some part I have illness and pain to thank. They pushed me to the edge and left me with no hope. In the place of no hope, in the down-below, I found something that tied me to life.

Am I grateful for illness and pain. Hell no! But I am grateful for the new meanings I discovered and for the love knots I learned to re-tie.

Grand Rounds is Up

at How to Cope with Pain. This is a very important blog for pain sufferers - full of useful info. Check out this weeks Grand Rounds - a collection of the week's best health care blog posts.

Natural aphrodisiac

Saffron (Crocus Sativus) is a small perennial plant cultivated in many parts of the world. It is a medicinal herb with several benefits. Traditionally, its flower stigmas are a well known aphrodisiac. Saffron is also believed to strengthen the appetite, soothe the alimentary canal, increase bile flow, clear liver stagnancy, help menopausal difficulties and relieve phlegm.

Saffron contains a poison that can damage the kidneys and nerves, and therefore should only be used sparingly.

A Good Laugh: Peter Sellers & the Beatles

Do you just need a good laugh? Sometimes, we need to escape from the strains of illness and the work of relationship. Call your partner into the room and invite him or her to watch this clip with you. It's Peter Sellers, the brilliant actor/comedian (you may remember him from the Pink Panther movies or Being There), in the character of Shakespeare's Richard III, reciting the lyrics from the Beatles' It's Been a Hard Day's Night.

Enjoy, and feel all right. (And if this doesn't make you laugh, let me know and I'll post another crack-up clip of a chicken dancing).

5-HTP IS MAKING ME BETTER

Ok so I have been taking the amino acid 5-HTP now for two weeks and at first I thought my anxiety had not improved. However now after two weeks I have to say that in a stressful situation I am much calmer, and I don't feel as if I am going to panic. The feeling that I like the most is that I am not worrying about anything nearly as much.

I have enough tablets for about another two weeks, so I think I will be getting some more. 5-HTP is available from health food stores although it is much cheaper online.

Has anyone else had experience of 5-HTP.
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THE SOLAR PLEXUS EXERCISE

The Solar plexus is located beneath the heart and behind the stomach in the centre of the body just below the rib cage. This exercise if done daily is said to prevent any disease associated with this area of the body, including diarrhea, constipation, diverticulitis, cancer, and other disorders.

Sit or stand and place both hands on the stomach, just below the rib cage. Inhale and feel the air expand your stomach. Then exhale and as you do so use your hands to push in and up your stomach. As you execute these motions turn your head towards the left side as far as you can, without hurting yourself.
Inhale once again feeling the air expanding your stomach. Exhale pushing your hands in and up into your stomach, and this time turning your head towards the right side.

This procedure should be carried out for about ten minutes per day.

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