ORADEVARA

Archive for June, 2011

Studies have shown that there is an increase in the number of children that have been diagnosed with autism. Until now, doctors have not yet found a cure to this illness which is why some parents want to experiment with alternative forms of treatment and one example is acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a holistic approach in treating and preventing certain diseases. Its main tool are very thin needles that are inserted to targeted points in the body. The body has about 400 of them linked through a system known as meridians or pathways. Once these are stimulated, these are supposed to create balance in the body.

Autism on the other hand is a brain disorder that is long term. This disease is characterized by deficits in language, social communication and cognition. Children who are diagnosed with this illness may also suffer from secondary problems such as aggression, irritability, stereotypes, hyperactivity, negativism, volatile emotions, temper tantrums, short attention span and obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Preliminary studies have shown that acupuncture may provide symptomatic relief to children suffering from autism. Although difficult at first, it is believed that it is rewarding in the long run. This is because while conventional therapy and treatment requires that the child stay still, acupuncture doesn’t. Some say it’s a quick prick at the vital points in the body.

A group of children in the US participated in a test to see how effective acupuncture is among children. There are 22 respondents and each of them was given the treatment once every other day for four months.

After the treatment 20 out of the 22 respondents showed remarkable improvement. In fact 2 of them has cerebral blood flow.  The only thing that did not change prior to treatment and after was the blood flow between the left and right cerebrum as it showed no differences.

Aside from traditional acupuncture to help children with autism, a preliminary study in Hong Kong is trying to see if tongue acupuncture can produce better results.

Results have showed that of 30 respondents in the test, majority showed functional improvement of various degrees depending on the age and severity of their disabilities. Some improvement was noticeable within a few TAC sessions, especially for drooling, spasticity (scissoring or tiptoeing), ataxia, and poor balance in walking. Functional improvement was noted after one to two courses of TAC. Most children tolerated TAC well, with only occasional pain and minor bleeding in some patients.

The reason why tongue acupuncture is being experimented with is because there is a connection between the tongue and the heart through the meridians that spread to all the organs in the body. It is believed that the points on the tongue can influence the state of the other body organs thus giving relief to the one suffering from autism.

But many believe that acupuncture alone cannot help autism sufferers. It has to be combined with other things like maintaining a certain diet to help improve one’s mood and communication schools. Although it is only short term, it is better than nothing until a cure is found.

When will the cure be found? Only time can tell as there are many other questions that have to be answered in order for doctors to further understand neurological disabilities. Doctors who are conducting research believe that an interdisciplinary approach is needed given that acupuncture has shown positive results in helping children with autism.

Why is it that merely saying the “D” word, you know “diet” brings immediate thoughts of failure to the minds of many men and women around the world? Could it be that we have all learned through trial and error that diets simply do not work? I know many of you are sitting back with jaws dropped at the moment. After all, this is an article about dieting, right? It is and it isn’t. Dieting is the kiss of death for many while a new phase in your life or lifestyle adjustment may be just the thing that will mean success for you and your fitness and health goals.

Eating for some is an addiction. Unfortunately, you can’t exactly give up eating all together as a smoker can give up cigarettes. I’m not applying by any means that giving up cigarettes is easy but how much more difficult would it be if you were forced to have three a day? At that point you may as well enjoy them every time the urge hits right? The same holds true for food. You must eat in order to survive. You cannot live without eating. This means that if food is a problem in your life, you must find a healthier way of viewing food.

Isn’t this where diets generally come in handy? The short answer is no. This is where diets often fail. Diets do very little to change how we view food. In fact, most diets only serve to tell us which foods are good, which foods are bad, and which foods (typically most of the foods we enjoy most) are strictly taboo. Diets begin by forcing people to feel deprived or punished. And no one likes to feel either of these things.

Even worse however, is that we punish ourselves further when we slip along the straight and very narrow pathways upon which our diets place us. This means that we are going to wallow in guilt over every little misstep we make until we give up all together and decide to over indulge once again and ignore the guilt all together.

In order to have real success you must make a lifestyle change. This is the only way that you will be able to shed those unwanted pounds without experiencing the horrible guilt that so many dieters go through each and every step of the way with their diets. Set goals for yourself. Keep them aggressive but realistic for fitness, dropping pounds, and eating new healthy foods. Even if your goal is as simple as eating  5 vegetable servings a day it is a great place to start.

Change your way of eating. Then change your way of seeing food and you will experience amazing changes in your attitudes toward your health, your body, and even your fitness level. As the first pounds begin to drop you will begin to experience more energy and less pain when exercising. This should help keep you motivated to do even more as time goes by.

Do not think that long term weight loss goals will be as easy to achieve as the first five or ten pounds. Consistency is vitally important when making these lifestyle changes. Take each day as it comes and begin again the very next day. This means that even if you fall completely “off the wagon” today, you can start over tomorrow. The trick is in staying the course more days than not and learning moderation and balance when it comes to straying from the straight and narrow.

There are many ways to fail when it comes to dieting and I know people who have failed in almost every one I can possibly imagine. There is no way to fail, however, when you are making positive changes in your life that are getting positive results. It may take weeks, months, or even years to reach your goal. As long as you are making steady and continuous efforts and progress, you are doing many great things for your health and well being.

re you looking to improve your health?  If you are, you may want to start with organic foods.  Organic foods are known for being all natural.  Organic foods are not like many of the other foods available for sale in grocery stores, as there are no artificial additives added to natural, organic foods.  That is why many believe that eating organic foods can help to improve their health.

If this is your first time looking to eat organic foods or if you are looking to make a full switch to eating organically, you may be unsure as to where you can purchase your foods from.  After a close examination, you will see that you have a number of different options.  In fact, many individuals are surprised when they see just how easy it is to find and buy all natural organic foods.

Before covering a few of the many places where organic foods can be found available for sale, it is first important that you know what to look for.  For one hundred percent natural, organic foods, it is important to search for the certified organic label or sticker.  These labels and stickers are often prominently displayed on organic foods.  When you see these certified organic stickers or labels, you know that what are buying is “truly,” organic.  In fact, manufacturers cannot claim that their foods are organic unless they meet specific standards.

As for where you can find organic foods for sale, one of the most common places that organic foods are purchased from is locally.  When looking to shop locally for organic foods, you should have a number of different options.  One of those options is supermarkets or grocery stores.  Most have an organic food section.  Depending on the supermarket in question, this organic food section can be quite small, but a large number of products are often featured.  You just may not have as many organic food product brands to choose from.

Another way that you can go about finding organic foods for sale locally is by visiting an organic food store, also commonly referred to as a natural food store.  These are stores that specialize solely in the selling of all natural, organic foods.  Although many individuals find it easier to shop for organic foods at a grocery store or supermarket, as it can sometimes be more convenient to do so, specialty food stores are increasing popularity.  Now, many large cities and towns have them.  If you do have access to a specialty organic food store, consider shopping there, as you are likely to find the largest selection of products with reasonable prices.

As nice as it is to shop locally, you may not have a specialty organic food store to shop at or you may be unimpressed with the selection of organic foods at your local grocery stores.  If that is the case, you can also shop online.  There are a number of organic food stores that can be found online, with a standard internet search.  These food stores often sell organic foods from a number of different companies or brands.  There are also a number of organic food manufacturers that sell their own brands online.

In keeping with shopping online for organic foods, you may be surprised with what you can find available for sale.  In fact, many individuals mistakenly believe that shopping online for organic foods limits their selection of products, but it doesn’t have to.  For example, Earth’s Best Organic specials in selling food designed for babies and small children.  They sell organic baby formula, organic first foods, and organic meals and snacks for toddlers and preschoolers.  Diamond Organic, which is based out of California, sells a wide range of organic foods, including fresh vegetables.  It is also possible to find and buy frozen organic dinners online as well.

As highlighted above, there are a number of different ways that you can go about buying organic foods, both on and offline.  To help provide you with the best product selection, as well as the best prices, consider giving each method of shopping a try.