Light Therapy: A Bright Idea
By Jackie Christensen, BS, HHP, NC, MH
Faculty Member of GCNM
Prehistoric tribes and entire civilizations revered and worshipped the sun for its healing properties. Using light to treat medical conditions (both physical and mental) came to be known as heliotherapy -- thousands of years ago. Helotherapy was the precursor to the therapeutic use of full spectrum lights. Herodotus, the "father of heliotherapy", wrote that exposure to the sun is necessary to help people overcome failing health. In winter, spring and autumn, Herodotus recommended that the patient should permit the rays of the sun to strike full upon him; in summer, this method should be used moderately because of excessive heat.
Light therapy works in a way that helps to balance the body’s rhythm with nature. Much of nature is made up of rhythms or cycles. Common rhythms include the four seasons and the twenty-four hour rotation of the earth. Similar to nature, the human body has rhythms. The circadian rhythm is the physiological processes that helps regulate the body’s internal clock, letting the body know when to sleep or wake. These rhythms are primarily linked to sleep/wake patterns, but they also regulate appetite, energy, mood, sleep and libido. Circadian rhythms control the timing, quantity and quality of the hormones and neurotransmitters the body produces and eventually secretes. There are clear patterns of core body temperature, brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this daily cycle.
When functioning properly, our circadian rhythms create circadian balance and respond to nature's cues, such as the morning light of a new day. The light will cue the body to produce cortisol, serotonin and other hormones and neurotransmitters initiate the end of the sleep cycle, cause blood pressure to increase and body temperature to rise. At sunset, the body receives another of nature's cues and responds to dusk and ultimately the night's darkness. As the sun goes down, the lack of light causes the body to produce and secrete the hormone melatonin to decrease blood pressure and prepare the body for sleep. When the circadian rhythm is out of balance, quantity, quality and timing of hormone and neurotransmitter secretion suffer and our bodies in turn suffer.
The entire spectrum of natural sunlight is essential for optimal functioning of all living cells in plants, animals, and humans. Wavelengths of light are similar to vitamins and minerals since humans also appear to require a broad spectrum of frequencies for physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Each wavelength entering the eye plays a specific role in our mind-body functioning. The human body requires food, oxygen, and sunlight to live. Therefore the lack of sunlight, just as a lack of any other nutrient can lead to disease.
The human body needs approximately 1/5-2 hours of sunlight a day. A decrease in mental efficiency and depression are the two popular signs of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Light therapy, has been used to treat SAD since the early 1980s and many mental health professionals now consider light therapy to be a standard treatment for seasonal affective disorder. Therapists are discovering more and more patients suffering from seasonal depression, unexplained lethargy and overall displeasure with their lives during the darker seasons of the year. If this sounds familiar, light therapy may be the answer.
Book Review
Water for Health, for Healing, for Life: You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty!
By F. Batmanghelidj
Asthma, allergies, arthritis, hypertension, depression, head-aches, diabetes, obesity, and MS. These are just some of the conditions and diseases that are caused by persistent dehydration. But there is a miracle solution that is readily available, all natural, and free: water. In WATER: FOR HEALTH, FOR HEALING, FOR LIFE, Dr. F. Batmanghelidj reveals how easy it is to obtain optimum health by drinking more water and supports his claims with over 20 years of clinical and scientific research. Thirsty readers will discover what they never knew, that water can actually: - Prevent and reverse aging - Cure asthma in a few days, naturally and forever - Eliminate pains, including heartburn, back pain, and migraine headaches - And much, much more.
Review Source: Google Book Search
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Motivation Article
What is Failure Anyways
By Nan Russell
Does it surprise you that only 400 cokes were sold the first year; Albert Einstein's Ph.D. dissertation was rejected; Henry Ford had two bankruptcies before his famous success; or Ulysses S. Grant was working as a handyman, written off as a failure, eight years before becoming President of the United States?
Rodin couldn't get into art school on three occasions yet became a great sculptor; Abraham Lincoln lost seven elections before winning the Presidency; Babe Ruth stuck out 1,330 times in route to hitting 714 home runs; and Oprah Winfrey publicly failed several diet attempts before becoming an inspiration for looking great after fifty.
Setbacks, disappoints, rejections and unsuccessful attempts were not failures to these people. They were steps to their success. That's the difference between people who are winning at working and people who aren't. How you deal with your setbacks (big or small) will determine your results. You see, failure is not the lack of success. Failure is staying down when you trip or stumble. It's giving up, checking out, or shutting down.
I wasn't a failure when I was fired from my first professional job, although for awhile I felt like one, and I could have been if I'd lost my confidence and given up on my career aspirations. I wasn't a failure when I was passed over for a coveted promotion I'd worked years for, but I could have been if I'd let that setback determine my future. And I wasn't a failure every time I pitched an idea that got turned down, but I could have been if I'd stopped pitching ideas.
You see, in twenty years in management, for every "yes" I've gotten in my career that's visible, there's least five "no's" that aren't. For every success I've achieved, there's at least as many misses. Yet when we look at other people's successes, we miss the struggles, frustrations and disappointments that came before them, so we think their success was easy.
How you view your disappointments, falls, and setbacks will impact your success. Do you see them as stepping stones or brick walls? People who are winning at working live Ralph Waldo Emerson's words, "Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories."
People who are winning at working don't blame others for what's happened to them, and they don't use other people's definitions for success and failure. They use their own. They know it's not failing to miss their mark, change paths, re-assess goals, try something new or adjust direction. To them, failure happens when they stop trying to achieve their personal best.
Article Source http://www.ArticleBiz.com
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Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. He is author of Hitting Your Stride: Your Work, Your Way (Capital Books; January 2008) and host of "Work Matters with Nan Russell" weekly on webtalkradio.net.
GCNM Faculty Profile
Jackie Christensen BS, HHP, NC, MH
GCNM Instructor
Jackie has a passion for education, holistic health care, and people. Her many achievements include earning a Holistic Health Practitioner Diploma, Nutritional Consultant Certificate and Master Herbalist Certificate with the Global College of Natural Medicine. She has also received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Disorders with a Minor in Community Health from Minnesota State University. Jackie understands the importance of holistic health and incorporates it in her own life daily through a healthy diet, yoga, and conscious living. She is a wonderful resource for GCNM students with her holistic focus, and additional strengths in both customer service and administration. Jackie is an enthusiastic member of the faculty student support team and greatly enjoys helping students learn more about holistic health. She has been kind enough to share some more details about herself and her interest in health and wellness.
My interest in health and spirituality began at a young age. As a child I remember lying in bed waiting for my mother to leave for her 5:00 am yoga class. After she left I would get up and turn the TV to a station which taught a yoga series and have a practice of my own. I now attend yoga workshops and retreats with my mother. Sometimes even my grandmother attends!
After high school I attended Minnesota State University. I changed my major several times. I wanted to study health care/education, but I was not sure which direction to go. During college I took a break and went on a soul searching journey to India. This was a real awakening for me. I learned a lot about myself, religion, and the world. After traveling to India my perspective on life changed, I realized the value of life experiences and I wanted to see the world. My final semester I enrolled in a study abroad program in Australia. There I studied spirituality in indigenous cultures and myths and rituals of the South Pacific. After graduation I traveled to New Zealand and hiked New Zealand Great Walks. These are a set of premier trails through some of the best backcountry in the world. There I reconnected with my love for nature. Next, I went to Fiji and participated in kava ceremonies. In Fiji the chief or head of the ceremony mixes the kava powdered root with water in a large hardwood bowl, and then strains the root through a cloth to keep out the grit. Guests are arranged in a circle and are seated crossed legged on the floor. Each guest is offered a small bowl made from half of a coconut, containing the kava.
When I returned to the states I had a BS in communication disorders, a minor in community health, and many wonderful experiences. As my interest in finding deeper meaning in life and spirituality grew I decided travel to South America. There I studied the basis of shamanism, traditional medicine and indigenous cultures in the Amazonian tribes. I worked on a method of inner healing that works simultaneously in the physical, energetic and mental bodies, allowing us to clean ourselves in those levels; and observe realities that are usually hidden in normal circumstances. This situation allowed me to understand and to be reconciled with my spirit, with others, and the universe. It was a truly mystical experience.
In an effort to combine my interest in spirituality and health I came to work at GCNM, and also completed their HHP, NC and MH programs.
Learn more about the Global College of Natural Medicine by logging on at http://www.GCNM.com, where you will find details on the school, its programs, tuition, and contact information.
Search online for values in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
