Holistic Health Library

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes we are surrounded by five energy fields. These five environmental elements – fire, earth, metal, water and wood – each correspond with certain body organs, such as the heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines, stomach, urinary bladder and gall bladder. The five different elements are associated with different times of the year also: fire with summer, Earth with late summer, metal with autumn, water with winter and wood with spring.
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Modern high-carbohydrate diets are a lot like the traditional diet of our ancestors which relied on whole grains, beans and vegetables. The breakdown is typically 80% carbohydrates, 10-15% protein and 5-10% fat. Foods encouraged include whole, unprocessed grains including brown rice, millet, barley and oats; a variety of vegetables and fruits, and beans, such as black, chickpea, lentils, lima and pinto. Generally these diets tell you to avoid meats, oils, high-fat dairy products, sugar, alcohol and caffeine.
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The South Beach diet is a diet plan that emphasizes the consumption of “good carbohydrates” and “good fats”. A Miami, Florida area cardiologist, Arthur Agatston, developed this diet for his cardiac patients based on his study of scientific dieting research. The diet first appeared in a book of the same name published by Rodale Press.
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For nearly 3000 years oriental cultures have harnessed the natural power of the earth to live healthier, happier, and more youthful lives. Today, there is a reemergence in the use of herbal supplements among American consumers. Many people are looking for new ways to improve their health, and they are often turning to natural remedies rather than pharmaceutical drugs.
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Just want to share some great questions and answers for those who are going to have their first massage. The following comes from a post from About.com in their Alternative Medicine section, called “10 Embarrassing Questions About Massage” by Cathy Wong.
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This is a wonderful pasta dish. If you are craving an Italian dish that will hit the spot… this is it! This also make a nice old world romantic dinner for two. Just add a salad, a little wine, light the candles, and Enjoy!
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Webster defines hypnosis as a trance-like state that resembles sleep but is induced by a person whose suggestions are readily accepted by the subject. That sounds simple enough but how the human mind works is very puzzling. Hypnosis has been a legitimate source of scientific investigation for over a hundred years, generally in the fields of psychology and medicine. Science has yet to fully explain how hypnosis actually happens, so for now hypnosis will remain something of a mystery.
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Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic and/or hydraulic force to oppose muscle contraction.
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Nowadays, it is very rare to find someone who isn’t taking a daily multi vitamin. The obvious benefit of taking a multi vitamin is to prevent deficiency. There is strong evidence to suggest that many consumers don’t eat a well balanced diet consisting of nutritious foods. As a result a majority of people, are lacking in a number of key vitamins. The human body needs vitamins to function properly. Each of the 13 essential vitamins (A, C, D, E, K, B12, and the 7 B-complex vitamins) provides the regulation of a crucial body function. When there is a deficiency, we are in danger of becoming seriously ill or even dying. Simply taking a daily multi vitamin you can reverse illness caused by dietary deficiencies.
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The obvious benefit of taking a multi vitamin is to prevent deficiency. The same thing can be said for minerals. Just like vitamins, minerals help your body grow, develop, and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to perform many different functions - from building strong bones to transmitting nerve impulses. Some minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain a normal heartbeat. Minerals are sometimes chemical constituents of vitamins but can also found in enzymes, hormones, bones and muscles. There are about sixty different minerals that make up about four percent of the body.
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