Tag Archives: mind

Wearable Health

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Is monitoring your health just a bracelet away? It’s a 2013 trend that’s catching on to people’s wrists across the country. Similar to a trendy watch, these bands–like the Basis–monitor your sleep, heart rate, calories burned, body temperature, etc. With a USB or Bluetooth these gadgets send data right to your computer or smart phone, so you can monitor and track your stats.

A friend of mine got a sleek white one as a Christmas gift and recently showed me how it worked. She was excited to more accurately know how many stairs she’s climbed in a day or how many calories she’s burned.

Other tech devices are catching on, too. And some recognize that simply monitoring body activity isn’t going to cut it. Take, for instance, Huff Continue reading →

Put a “Be” before Healthy

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So often the emphasis is on the “doing” not the “being” when it comes to caring for one’s health. People do all sorts of things, from taking daily medications to undergoing treatments and procedures to find out if they are healthy or not. Yet despite all these efforts, health can still be illusive.

All this emphasis on the doing is adding up to a high-cost health care system in the U.S. According to a recent New York Times article, “When it comes to medical care, many patients and doctors believe more is better. But an epidemic of overtreatment — too many scans, too many blood tests, too many procedures — is costing the nation’s health care system at least $210 billion a year, according to the Institute of Medicine, and taking a human toll in pain, emotional suffering, severe complications and even death.”

I know a woman who juggles a busy family life and active career, while staying physically fit and involved in her community. She recently went through several routine cancer screenings that resulted in a very stressful few weeks. She had a hard time sleeping and Continue reading →

Spiritual Healing: Alive and Well in the World

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Today’s guest blog is written by Kim Shippey, avid reader of books and articles on spirituality, and Boston-based writer and editor. You can also read his columns in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly print and online publication.

Note to readers: A complete review of this book will appear in the September 24 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.

A recent book by Frederick Gaiser, Healing in the Bible (Baker Academic, paperback), opens up many of the areas discussed in these blogs, including the relationship between modern medicine and healing through one’s faith.

Gaiser is professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in Minnesota, where he has taught for more than 30 years. He offers expositions of nine texts from the Old Testament and six from the New, as he strives to put into perspective the contemporary church’s understanding and exercise of healing, touching at one point on the work of Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Not for one moment does Gaiser discount the role played by physicians in daily life, but having traveled and taught in Southern and East Africa, he has come to  appreciate that Western medicine has no monopoly on truth. Continue reading →

Going for Gold

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The Olympic Games are as much about winning medals and giving the performance of a lifetime as they are about the ability to stay calm under pressure.

There are more than a few Olympic athletes this year who have captured the hearts of audiences with a special sparkle. One of the youngest swimmers on the U.S. Olympic team is 17-year old, 6-foot-1 Missy Franklin, who’s been called “Olympics’ All-American Sweetheart.” Her incredible strength and stamina in the pool, her constant smile and energy, her love of the sport all add up to a winning combination both in and out of the water.

Franklin’s positive attitude seems to cancel any pre-performance jitters. And what a bright spot her joy is for her training-ground of Aurora, Colorado after the recent tragedy the city endured. She’s going home with four golds and a bronze, with a world record in the 200m back. “I can’t think of a better way to end. I am the happiest girl alive,” she told the press.

Beyond the powerhouse bodies and physical training, dealing with the stress of the competition really comes down to the athlete’s mental state. And given the fact that stress is increasingly linked to disease–and the reason behind most doctor visits–it’s worth paying attention to effective ways to handle pressure. Continue reading →

3 Things for Your Health Today

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For today’s news and culture update, here are 3 ways to get you thinking more about your health:

1. Take a vacation!

Getting away, unplugging…it can all add up to better concentration, less stress, and other  health implications. But what does this really mean? Since we can’t take vacations all the time, I found myself appreciating the daily moments I take to be alone with God in prayer–unplugged and listening. Those moments and hours can feel just as good or better than a vacation. Although I certainly appreciated the 5 days I recently spent relaxing away from my desk with my husband. Perhaps you’ve recently taken a breather yourself. What did you notice about its effect on your well-being?

Read: Want to stay healthy? Take a vacation

2. What you don’t know, can’t hurt you . . .

Surprised by what you know about placebos? Try nocebos, or the negative effects that can come from thinking something is harming you when it’s only a suggestion. When one guy Continue reading →

Positive Results via Placebo

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If you follow my blog regularly, you know I’m interested in the placebo effect. I came across an article and a video that I thought might further stir thoughtful discussion on the topic. As always, share your thoughts!

Read:

Don’t Underestimate the Placebo Effect

Watch:

“In this episode of Good Life Project TV, author/entrepreneur, Jonathan Fields, interviews famed psychologist, behavioral-economist and bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and The Honest Truth About Dishonesty, Dan Ariely.

In his late teens, a horrific accident burned 70% of Dan’s body and sent him into the Continue reading →

A Smile a Minute

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Here’s one of my first blog entries that I wrote back in April. Enjoy the second round!

Perhaps the simplest remedy for an ailment is right under your nose: A good laugh.

“Safer than any big pharma pill-of-the-moment and free of harmful side effects, laughter is one of the easiest things you can do to promote healing and well-being,” writes Dr. Frank Lipman in his recent HuffPost blog Comic Relief: The Healing Power of Laughter. He goes on to say that in his 20-year medical practice patients who tended to laugh a lot also tended to heal “better and faster than those who didn’t.” Continue reading →

The price of forgiveness

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How much does forgiveness cost?

That’s what popped into my thoughts as I paced the isles of our local Staples store. All I could think about was what my husband had just confessed.

“You WHAT? You DIDN”T!” Was my first reaction to the news that he’d borrowed (without asking)–and then lost–my Bose quiet comfort headphones (a gift from my husband), along with my iPod (with a lot of personal stuff on it), for a recent business trip. How could he leave them out of his sight at the airport terminal? Unthinkable! Add to that no travel insurance.

So now I was facing a sheepish husband in the Staples store while I added up the damage. That’s when I eeked out a prayer and heard, “How much does forgiveness cost?” Continue reading →

Is God “good for you”?

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Today’s News & Culture update:

I listened to this Talk of Iowa public radio broadcast that explores the relationship between physical health and religion/spirituality. A doctor is interviewed on the program who says, “You absolutely cannot separate physical health from the mind/body/spirit. I have incredible technology at my fingertips, but ultimately my career has become more of a ministry in healing. When you’re dealing with healing someone, not just treating them, you have to take into account not just the physical dimension, but the emotional and spiritual dimension.” Continue reading →

Mindful of our future

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This past week I attended a talk by Dr. Howard Gardner at Framingham State College. His comments keyed off of his latest book, “Five Minds for the Future” in which he describes the types of “minds” needed for forward progress and innovation.

Dr. Gardner is author to over 20 books and a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education. His audience was largely educators, which I was interested in since my children’s elementary school adopted his famous theory of teaching to “multiple intelligences.” This teaching principle acknowledged that children have varied ways of learning and processing information, so teachers would offer a variety of ways to complete assignments to help all students feel successful in school. I saw that first-hand with my children.

His 5 “minds”: Continue reading →