Anxiety is no stranger to any of us and in fact everyone needs to feel anxious sometimes, through this natural emotion the body enables a reaction which pumps adrenaline – the hormone stimulant into our systems.

Adrenaline is enormously important for spurring us on to do challenging and uncongenial tasks, helping us to cope with difficult situations.

Today, our lives seem to be ruled by constantly running from one emotional problem to the next, and unfortunately this is considered to be ‘normal’ life.

This is another excellent reason why ‘good food good health’ has to be part of everybody’s everyday regime, helping our immune system tackle the stress and strains put on our bodies.

Normal anxiety has almost always a cause of which we are aware – such as an exam coming up or an important interview etc, and causes different amount of pressure depending on the individual.

Anxiety becomes problematic when apprehension or worry is experienced for no apparent reason or when situations are deemed far worse than warranted.

A great deal of how we deal with anxiety depends on each individual and their outlook on life and character.

Even though anxiety is an emotional state, physical symptoms can be induced by it. Previously, it was believed that these symptoms were ‘all in the mind’, but it has been proven that some people really do feel pain and become ill from the effects.

The most common affect is of course the need to urinate frequently, of which I am sure we have all experienced, this is definitely myself before flying anywhere.

The most reported symptom of enduring anxiety is pain in the back, head, chest and abdomen. Some sufferers become nauseas and actually vomit. Diarrhoea, dizziness and muscular tension are also common problems.

In the worst cases panic attacks can sometimes occur which generally involve sweating profusely, palpitations and abnormally deep breathing.

For some chronic sufferers it is a vicious repeating cycle, as they can become anxious about being anxious, recurrent attacks that can happen over a period of years – this is known as chronic anxiety. In these cases medical attention should be sought.

Insomnia is another well-known side effect, and this again only adds to the anxiety felt by the sufferer by laying mulling over the problem that is causing concern, making the smallest of problem often seem a giant hurdle in life.

The best self-help to allow your body cope and keep good health under duress is to make sure you are eating good food. A diet rich in vegetables, raw fruit, salads and plenty of proteins will give you a good balance and help to keep your immune system on top.

Carrots, and especially carrot juice is believed to have a calming effect on the nervous system. Camomile tea is another favourite.

Many vitamins are said to help, Vitamins B and C are attributed to help in coping with anxiety and stress, functioning of the central nervous system is said to be improved with Vitamin E, and also calcium, magnesium and zinc minerals.

So by eating a varied nutritional diet these vitamins and minerals should be easy accessed for good food good health to be obtained, otherwise dietary supplements can be taken, but always check with your physician.

The other easy self-help method to try and overcome anxiety is breathing exercises. Controlled breathing exercises calm and relax you. If you have read my previous article on Visualisation Therapy, which I use for relaxation, you will see how easy it is to use and how it can have amazing effects on yourself and your outlook on life.

Many people who suffer from anxiety often tend to dwell on fears and problems making them ill, instead of being positive and this really needs to be addressed. Try to adopt a positive attitude and be kind to yourself, although make sure you are not too indulgent.

Chocolate really does have that good feel factor and a little of what you fancy can be helpful, as so can a glass of wine lift your spirits, but using this as a crutch or using too much obviously has its own side effects.

Aromatherapy is another good mood enhancing remedy, as we all know nice smells lift our spirit and essential oils are a good way of achieving this.

A combination of lavender, sandalwood, clary sage and basil help with panic and anxiety, but if you suffer headache with your anxiety or even muscle tension add camomile and marjoram essential oils.

Why not try using these oils in a pot burner while having a relaxing bath to rid yourself of your daily anxieties.

Listening to music is another great method that helps us to relax, why not try listening to some on a personal stereo or MP3 whilst waiting for that appointment or whatever it is that has you feeling anxious.

Music that appeals to us generally lifts our mood, and sometimes by listening to ‘natural sound’ such as water, whales etc can have a beneficial effect.

Uncovering the root of your anxiety is necessary to help alleviate this problem and talking things through with a good friend can really help or in more severe cases a psychiatrist can be of assistance.

I feel that our outward look on life really does help or aggravate our fight with anxiety throughout our lives, and that by eating good food for good health and keeping a positive attitude can only help to fight the symptoms, maintaining a healthy immune system to keep our bodies in tip top condition.

Remember visualisation is positive food for the brain.

Sandra & Ted

We all seem to be looking for that one thing that will make us feel better, defy the ever ageing process and allow us to live longer.

Recently I have been asked many times ‘what can I do to keep feeling and looking young’. I always say there are many things we can do but the main aim is for a healthy body and healthy mind.

It would be great if we could just pop along to our local supermarket and buy a product to do this, but this is where we need a reality check – as this is never likely to happen.

Through the ages eternal youth and longevity have been sought after, with hundreds of different potions promising wonders.

Today, we still pop thousands of ‘pills’, use ‘anti-ageing’ products, grind our bodies at the gym and even resort to plastic surgery; we are spending big bucks trying to put off the inevitable.

We all know that a healthy life style – ‘good food good health’ should be a way of life for everybody.

By consuming good food makes you feel good and this shows on the outside. Your skin and hair shines and glows when you are getting the right minerals and vitamins from your diet, but along with your nails are the first to show signs of deficiency.

So eating a natural well balanced diet really does go a long way. If you can cut out most processed food, relieving your body off all the additives they contain can make a fantastic improvement.

Tests carried out on some of the regular additives to popular processed foods have shown that they can make you feel lethargic, irritable, and some people have allergies. The amount of salt hidden in some of these foods is also horrendous.

I believe that a healthy mind is really one of the most important things that keep you feeling young, and that your outlook on life is responsible also for affecting your health. Having a healthy body and mind go hand in hand and really do compliment each other. I am a great believer in ‘visualisation’ a technique we can all use to calm us down and relax. This is what I use when I feel tense, such as the dentists surgery, I just imagine myself on a gorgeous beach, the sun beating down on by body while I listen to the sound of the sea. I feel better just by typing that.

I wrote an article earlier this year on visualisation therapy and was amazed at the response of how many people had never heard of this, but who had then put some of the techniques in practice and said they benefited.

I use visualisation-breathing exercises regularly – diaphragmatic, as I suffer from COPD and have found these really help and always feel clearer and calmer afterwards, our youngest daughter used this before and during her driving test, which she passed first time and said that she amazingly felt really relaxed and was sure it helped, whether this really did help pass the test or not it certainly had a claming effect, so now she is going to try it on her A level exams later this summer.

Visualisation is the rediscovery of an ancient art used for healing. There is some good literature and videos on visualisation available at http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Research has just shown that going to church can be beneficial in helping us to live longer, it showed that attending church once a week gave a 30 percent less chance of dieing during the eight and half year study that was undertaken.

That’s great and fantastic for churchgoers, but I believe that it could possibly be the affect of meeting others, socialising and interacting that lifts your spirit, so if by going to church, mothers union or any other event gives us a sense of well being and achievement can only be a benefit in making us feel good about ourselves, giving us a healthier outlook on life.

Relaxation is a must too. We all have busy lives, but we must find our own ‘space’- time to be able to unwind, and it does not have to cost the earth.

What can be easier than a lovely relaxing bath, you can make it really mood enhancing by adding a few drops of essential oil or by using fragranced candles, remember to lock the door so you are not disturbed, it also costs little.

Laughing is a great way to de-stress, whether it is on your own relaxing and watching a funny film or with friends helps immensely. We all feel 100 per cent better after a good laugh, and time seems to fly by when we are happy and what is great laughing seems to be infectious and cheers up people around us.

Music is a great way to lift our spirits, and nowadays with Ipods and MP3 players we do not have to inflict our preference of music on any one else. I feel lost without my MP3, I listen and sing along to myself when I am walking the dog or doing the housework, even listen to talking books, at the moment I am learning Spanish and has given me a real sense of achievement, if I can do it anyone can, and in turn boosts confidence and sense of well being.

Getting a good nights sleep of at least six hours gets the day off on the right foot, cat naps are excellent too, research has found that even twenty minutes during the day is the equivalent to a couple of hours sleep at night. A good time to do the breathing exercise is just before going

to sleep.

Eating fresh fruit and vegetables regularly need not be expensive if you can get to your local market or farm shop, where seasonal and local grown are excellent quality.

Gentle exercise and walking is good for all of us, keeping the body and mind supple, be realistic more strains and breaks happen when people throw them self into a heavy exercise programme. I do a lot of walking and use dance for exercise, mainly because its fun and really enjoy it and is just as good a work out.

So by eating a good balanced varied diet ‘good food good health’ gives our body the best chance, helping our immune system to combat the stress and strains we endure daily, and using as many of the relaxation methods possible will make you feel good on the inside and the outside.

Sandra & Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Currently we have 60 great titles ranging from; Diet and Nutrition, Exercise, to beauty & Grooming. This site has some of the best ebooks on health and recreation available to download directly onto your MP3 or Ipod players.  Click here to learn more

Sandra Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Did you know lurking at the back of your kitchen cupboard you probably have a jar of honey that good old grandma gave you and has never seen the light of day.

Well if you have children and they have coughs, colds or sore throats, honey is great for helping to alleviate the problem.

As we always say you are what you eat and that ‘good food good health’ is the basis for a healthy life and healthy outlook on life. By adding honey to your diet is definitely a step in the right direction.

For centuries the healing power of honey has been legendary, and new research finds that it truly is a ‘miracle of nature’.

This golden sticky liquid made from nectar by bees is full of antioxidants that are great for us, and also antimicrobial agents that help to fight infection.

So now you can see why it is time to add this golden nectar to your regular shopping list, as its uses are endless and is the healthiest way to s

weeten your diet, being completely natural and not refined or processed like other sweeteners.

Honey was used abundantly in ancient times, especially being spread on wounds to stop infection, prevent gangrene and improve recovery, and therefore was an important item on the battlefield – a fore runner to antiseptic cream today.

My grandparents swore by a mixture of honey, a dash of vinegar or lemon and a little boiling water mixed together as a remedy for coughs and colds. I remember taking this many times, and especially just before bed it really did help. It was great for sore throats too.

Recent research carried out has shown that it easily outperforms a pharmaceutical cough suppressant that is widely used in many of the popular children’s medicines on sale today.

The key active ingredient in many over the counter cough mixtures is Dextromethorphan or (DM), and is even used in flavoured syrups as well, but was found not to work as well as a spoonful of ordinary buckwheat honey given before bedtime.

They found honey did a better job of reducing and soothing the frequency, severity and bothersome nature of coughs and colds, thus giving a positive effect on the child and parent by enabling a better quality of sleep.

During the tests DM made no appreciable difference to symptoms compared when offering no treatment at all, unlike honey.

Researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine in Pennsylvania said ‘Our study adds to the growing literature questioning the use of DM in children, but it also offers a legitimate and safe alternative for physicians and parents’.

Recently in the United States there have been deaths in young children linked to over the counter cough and cold remedies, and it was disclosed that they have been found to cause serious side effects in children under the age of two.

Some of the same ingredients used in the American remedies are also included in some British brands as well – including some of the most popular, but if taken at the correct amount and intervals have been deemed safe.

Therefore if we can use honey, with it being completely natural must be a plus and with its great flavour should be easier to administer to our little ones.

The researchers also suggested that parents that regularly bought expensive cough medicines might be wasting their money.

As always, medical assistance should be sought with persistent coughs and colds whether in children or adults and if honey is great for children then it is also excellent for adults as well.

Being able to use natural substance and knowing there are no additives is a great bonus, when you look at the length of the list of ingredients on some cough remedies it is amazing, especially today when we are trying to be more aware of what we put into our bodies.

So perhaps we should keep honey in the bathroom cabinet as well as the kitchen.

Yet again you can see that we are what we eat, so just remember good food is good health.

Sandra & Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Did you know that Diesel Fumes are destroying our Health?

Most of us today drive, and in many families each member possesses their own vehicle, and being honest we too can be counted in this category.

Ted and I have our own cars and so does the eldest daughter, the youngest will be starting driving lessons next week on her seventeenth birthday and would love her own car, and I guess we are just like every other family up and down the country.

But do we really need them? If we all knew the damage that we are doing to ourselves perhaps we might think twice and cut back.

With the amount of cars and lorries on the road today, especially in towns and cities, we all know pollution from fumes are bound to build up, but did you realise that our health suffers, our arteries are being clogged up by these fumes, leading to an increase of strokes and heart attacks.

Pollution is causing deadly hardening of the arteries through a chain reaction in the blood, from the exhaust emissions of cars, busses and lorries.

This is really bad news for people who suffer from chronic heart disease and lung conditions. Staying outside when pollution levels are high for any period of time should be avoided, to minimise any problems.

I find this quite disturbing as although I feel and look completely healthy, through contracting bronchial pneumonia as a teenager and having a really nasty chest infection two years ago, I am now considered to have COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

I am so pleased that the new ‘no smoking in public enclosed areas’ has become law, so now we can enjoy having a drink, eating a meal or dancing in a club, with clean air around us and our clothes and hair still smell fresh. More importantly not breathing in second hand smoke. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, but I do wonder how many I have passively smoked without knowing it and how its damaged my health.

For some time now scientists have known about the link between strokes and heart disease with pollution, but only recently have found through a new study that blood vessel inflammation is caused by fine particles of diesel pollution, these particles ‘work’ with an artery clogging cholesterol which then switch on the genes to cause the inflammation.

I think we all know that we are guilty of causing pollution, but we have grown up enjoying our freedom, myself too, and it is so very hard to give up or change out ways, but small changes really do help.

There are several schemes where people can share driving into work; I do this with my friend three days a week. Not only is it beneficial to the environment, it saves money through only one parking and petrol payment and obviously less wear and tear.

The school run is one of the biggest offenders, when our vehicles probably are lucky to get off choke. We were lucky with our primary school being only 800 metres or so from home, that we always walked, but the pressure was there from the children who saw others being ferried by car, living just a couple of doors away, who did not get cold or wet. So some days it was a battle but the only time I gave in was due to illness.

Park and ride schemes are good, keeping more vehicles out of our town centres helping to eliminate some of the pollution. Unfortunately in our area these services do not run on Sundays or bank holidays, when nowadays towns are just as busy as a regular working day.

Not only does the pollution cause us great harm, but also our wildlife and plants. Many trees in cities and towns are dying because of the fumes. We really do need to act now, however small, to try and curb some of our wasted journeys.

I have heard people saying, we do not have to worry as we live in the country side and the air is of good quality, but if we all think like this and carry on as we are the country side is going to suffer as well.

For our health and our children’s health we really should all be trying to cut back, a study found that new asthma cases are on the increase in general but has sharply elevated in children over the last decade. These findings were especially high in areas where there is more pollution from exhaust fumes.

Do not forget good food is good health

Sandra and Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Do you ever wonder how marvellous our brains are, or just take it for granted like every other organ in our body?

Visualisation therapy is something everyone can use to make them selves feel better and more positive about their health and lives, and we actually do it without knowing – in our dreams.

I believe a positive attitude is like good food for your brain of which our bodies feed off, just the same as ‘good food good health’ makes our bodies strong – a positive attitude keeps our minds strong.

Have you ever wondered why some people just seem to always be feeling on top of the world, running their family life and holding down a career? Well these people have a positive attitude and see things clearly and balanced.

Then we see other people who go from one problem to another who are often very negative in their thoughts, and who always believe they are unlucky as it seems ‘bad’ things only ever happen to them.

The power of the mind is a powerful force, and we need to be able to put ourselves in the right ‘mind set’ to be able to unleash this and benefit our health by reinforcing positive feelings.

There are so many views from specialists saying that we have lost use of some of the features our brain used thousands of years ago, even though through evolution we are far more advanced in many other aspects.

With visualisation therapy you use mental pictures. Making images is a natural mental process that occurs every night during dreams and visualisation is very similar, but this involves making a deliberate attempt with the conscious mind to imagine particularly beneficial events.

I believe that mind and body are not separate – well literally I know they are, but a body with out a mind or a mind with out a body just doesn’t work, but that they affect each other directly so that thoughts have physical effects as well as mental ones.

Visualisation works in that there is a close link between emotions, images and sensations. Our emotions are accompanied by physical sensations such as a sad face when we are unhappy or a deep sigh, as is a laugh or smile when we are happy, and so images call up emotions and emotions are experienced in terms of images.

I bet like me you can picture a funny event that has happened to you or a loved one that brings a smile to your face, and then people around you wonder what you are smiling at.

One of the best visual images I use to make myself feel better, and I am sure a lot of you do it as well is to imagine laying on a hot sunny beach faraway from any body, listening to the breeze in the trees and the crash of the waves. This relaxes me and always lifts my mood as well and seems to make by body feel warmer.

This is visualisation.

This is what I use when I feel tense or want to unwind after a hectic day, and is especially good in the dentist’s waiting room!

In everyday life people often tend to dwell on fears and problems, making them ill, instead of being positive.

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

I use visualisation for relaxation and breathing exercises, as you will know if you have read other articles I have written that I suffer from COPD- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

For this condition I do practice breathing exercises- diaphragmatic, to ensure natural full use of the whole lung, and whilst doing this I visualise a circle in front of me, imagining I am drawing one half of the circle with my breath as I inhale and the other half when I exhale.

Continue to do this until your circle seems as smooth and as round as you can make it. Then after this spend a few minutes visualising your breath in travelling from the tip of your toes up your body along your spine to the top of your head and your breath out the reverse, through your head, down your spine and legs to your toes, this has the added benefit of enhancing the effect of muscular relaxation and most of us could do with this.

I also visualise a shield, I am not sure if that is the right word, but a protective layer around my lungs and internal organs that defends from external viruses, that goes round and round like a vortex – writing this makes it sound silly like something from ‘star trek’, but I just apply it every morning when I get up like clockwork now.

I repeat this process several times, and when I first started I would sometimes giggle at myself and have to start over, but I have mastered it now and the mental picture is so easy for me to recall that I can do this exercise anywhere such as commuting to work or even walking the dog!

Visualisation is the rediscovery of an ancient art used in healing from early times and was used by ‘witchdoctors’ or ‘shamans’ in Africa and South America, and was an integral part of most oriental therapies.

Many people will link this to ‘voodoo’ where the power of visualisation and thought was used and was said to have a strong hold on any person it was cast – although the person had to believe, so this just shows if you believe something how great an effect it can have.

Visualisation has been studied many times over the years and today is often used for relaxation in cancer patients.

Edmund Jacobson, an American, who in the 1920’s discovered that when a subject visualised himself running the muscles in his legs would twitch involuntary, and the same for other images and corresponding parts of the body.

It does not cost anything to do visualisation; it just takes a little time and practice, although you can go to a practicing therapist first to teach you the techniques.

There can be great benefit even if only used for relaxation to de-stress us from our busy lives. So do not forget to take time out to relax and eat a healthy diet as good food is good health and a healthy mind is a healthy body.

The other proven way of course is to listen to binaural music. Depending on what you want to achieve the music applies to that part of the brain to apply all its energy to this task whether it is sleeping, thinking or even giving up smoking. See our link in our resource box for Quantum mind power for more information.

Just remember good food is good health.

Sandra & Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com