DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY PBS SHOW

I want to tell you about an important PBS special that is airing soon. I think every one of you should take the time to watch it.

It is called UNSTUCK, and in this new ninety-minute television program James S. Gordon, MD, founder and director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, brings to life his revolutionary book Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey out of Depression.The book and the PBS special start by asking a simple but profound question ...

Do you feel stuck?

Many of us do, at least from time to time, and in this television special Dr. Gordon provides a simple, yet extremely effective, seven-step method for getting unstuck. Whether you are caught in a mire of depression, stress, and anxiety, or are just a little confused, overburdened, or unhappy, this show will provide you the tools and techniques you need to free yourself from the bog of your thoughts and emotions and get unstuck once and for all.

As Dr. Gordon explains, when we are stuck it is an indicator "that our lives are out of balance." Rather than getting buried in these moments we can use them as "a wake-up call" to a journey "that can change and transform our lives."

Dr. Gordon's groundbreaking program, which he has successfully used in the U.S. and around the world, offers easy but powerful exercises that reduce stress and feel good, including "soft belly" and "shaking and dancing." One such exercise involves eating something small, such as a strawberry or a piece of chocolate, in a mindful way, to improve relaxation and happiness.

In his seven-stage program, Gordon discusses the benefits of:

• Food and nutritional supplements
• Movement, exercise, and dance
• Psychotherapy, meditation, and guided imagery
• Spiritual practice and prayer

The program will air nationally on PBS November 28th through mid-December. Check the link below to find show times in your area:

http://www.cmbm.org/downloads/Unstuck-PBS dates.pdf

You can also see a preview of the show by going here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_JG4XBeiKw

If you have ever felt stuck-and almost all of you have-I strongly encourage you to take an hour and a half and watch this show. It has the power to transform your life.

I also urge you to pledge to PBS during the Unstuck show. If you do, you'll not only support your local Public Television station, but also contribute to the amazing work Jim Gordon and his colleagues are doing to use the Unstuck method to help populations in the US and abroad who are traumatized by war and natural disasters.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

This is cut and pasted from Dr. Hyman's email of yesterday and I find him a very reliable source of good health advice.  View his website here

HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND a mistake that I have made

I should insert a little bit of advice here for those of you who are following along. Advice based on a mistake that I made in following Dr. Hyman's program to an Ultra Mind. I have mentioned before that this is a six week program of eating nutritional food, supplements and exercise and it really, really works well. I have tons of evidence of the health benefits of eliminating some foods that our bodies don't recognize as food, but a key element of the Ultra Mind Solution is reintroducing the foods on a controlled basis and then by using the detailed questioning he provides, finding out what sensitivities we might have to various substances. This is crucial in the effort to create a healthy body and mind. The knowledge of what we can eat without returning to some of our old symptoms is paramount to being able to lead a normal life including eating out at restaurants and with friends. Armed with the knowledge of our body's reaction to milk, gluten or sugar (80% of food allergies are found within one or more of these products) gives us the opportunity to make informed decisions when faced with a large variety of food choices.

The error I made was to continue on the eating program beyond the 6 weeks without doing the recommended testing. In my defense, I felt so darned good that I just wanted that to continue for an indefinite time and I was also trying to support some other family members in their efforts to find amazing health and lose weight by not flaunting foods outside the Ultra Mind program. When I decided to eat hockey arena food and drink wine all on the same weekend, I did the inevitable "dive" in energy and also experienced a number of other symptoms including a certain "bunged-up-ness." While this is dramatic evidence of the effects that some of this stuff we call food have on our bodies, I don't know which ones caused what. My advice to those of you who have decided to embrace the incredible feeling of health that comes with Dr. Hyman's program is to follow his advice on testing yourself with the various foodstuffs and rigorously recording the results so that you can continue to live a long and healthy life armed with the knowledge of how to do just that.

In addition to correcting my tendency for run on sentences, I will now spend a couple of weeks staying true to the program and then go through the procedure of determining if I need to avoid certain substances in the future. I seem to have some evidence, for the first time in my life, that I may have some sensitivities to more than just schmaltzy movies. Anyway, more next time on the 7 biological systems that need to be in balance to create an Ultra Mind. If you haven't tried this program yet, do yourself the biggest favour of your life and do it for 6 weeks.

HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND

I thought that this article would fit in rather nicely with the posts I have been doing about The Ultra Mind Solution since the health of our bodies is paramount to the health of our brains. I have known too many people lately, especially men, who have ignored the facts found in this news release. Some of them are no longer here to refute this evidence. Please pass it on to anyone that you think needs a bit of a wake up call.

Death from colon cancer preventable

United Press International
03-31-09

LOS ANGELES, Mar 31, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Improvements in prevention, early detection and treatment have greatly reduced the death toll from colon cancer, a U.S. researcher says.
"While colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States, it is the most preventable major cancer," Dr. Randolph Hecht of the University of California, Los Angeles, says in a statement.
Hecht and colleagues said any persistent symptoms -- blood in the stool, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, narrower-than-usual stools, abdominal pains -- should be reported to a doctor.
Researchers advise those at normal risk to begin having regular colorectal cancer screenings beginning at age 50. However, those with a personal or family history of colorectal cancer, other cancers or inflammatory bowel disease should talk to their doctor about starting screening sooner.
To lower colon cancer risk Hecht suggests:
-- Maintain healthy weight by eating a low-fat diet that includes leafy greens containing folate and other vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and beans that provide between 25 and 30 grams of fiber each day.
-- Drink alcohol in moderation and quit smoking. Alcohol and tobacco in combination is linked to gastrointestinal cancers.
-- Exercise at least 20 minutes three to four days a week.

URL: www.upi.com

HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND Hockey arena food

So here's my excuse for not adding another in depth report about the Ultra Mind Solution program I am on: I've just spent the past weekend in a couple of sports arenas during the annual Legacy Hockey Tournament and yes, I succumbed! It's the smell I've decided. French fries, hamburgers and all sorts of other deep fried goodies - geez, what's a guy to do???? Thursday night I was good - didn't order anything other than green tea - a rare sight in a hockey rink. Friday is a longer evening and so I ordered the clubhouse sandwich - with a green salad though instead of fries. That is the first bread, mayo and bacon I've had in over 2 months. The sluggish feeling on Saturday morning could be attributed to the 6 hours of standing on my feet the night before and then getting up at 6 AM Saturday for another round of the same. I did have a very healthy protein shake before leaving home and that held me in good stead until late afternoon when I went home to get ready for that night's alumni party. I must admit that I needed a nap after working out and before showering and having something to eat at home, then off to spend the evening catching up with old friends and drinking wine.
It was a little harder getting up Sunday morning to head out and it wasn't helped by the fact that I had to shovel 10 inches of wet snow off the driveway that had fallen overnight. When I got to the rink about 9:15, the smell of breakfast wraps was too much - yep, had one of those too, followed by a turkey and Swiss sandwich about 2:00 - more bread. The truth is, I was pretty sluggish all day Sunday and I know it was the combination of a lot of hours in the rink but also the food that I was eating. It is probably the proof that I required to show the powerful benefits of following Dr. Hyman's program. So now a couple of days of healthy food, working out, supplements and I should be as good as new. It really is interesting how food creates low energy and a certain fog-like haze in our brains. I would not have noticed that before going on this program but now it really is easy to see. I got home from the tournament on Sunday around 5:30, made a healthy dinner and fell into a vegetative state of mindless TV for the evening. Here's to a return to more energy!

HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND

When I was first exposed to Dr. Hyman's new book, The Ultra Mind Solution, besides being my usual skeptical self, I was actually fascinated by some of the testimonials of his patients who had reported some amazing results in themselves or their loved ones. When I delved a little deeper and began looking more carefully at the footnotes, I was blown away by the quality of the research and scientific evidence that was presented. Now, I will not pretend to be some sort of authority on highly technical, medical research data but I did randomly pull up some of the articles and research papers (isn't the internet grand?) and did plow through some of the conclusions to satisfy myself that the evidence actually exists and that, as best as I could determine, the results supported Dr. Hyman and his patients, in their discussions. So, armed with that bit of amateur sleuthing, I proceeded to go to his website and order the book. This took me to Amazon, where I made the actual purchase but, at the Doctor's request, I was able to link back to his website, quote my receipt number and download an unbelievable amount of information so that I could begin to participate in the program without waiting for the book to arrive in a few days. As far as I know, these are bonuses available to people who purchase his book in this manner and I don't know if it is available by just going to your local bookstore.

There are over 200 pages of support material, including what may be the most important part of his program, the self testing questionaire. I began reading the material and quickly realized that this was no "late night TV info schlock." This was an incredibly detailed examination and discovery process designed to produce very valuable feedback about the participant's physical and mental health. At no time in my life have I ever had a doctor ask any of these questions, let alone spend the time to explain what was going on in my body. I completed the entire question and scoring part over the next couple of nights and read the explanations and easy to understand recommendations based on the results of my own tests. I learned about a new area of medical practice called Functional Medicine and began to see the relationships between the food I was eating, the vitamins and minerals I was missing and the life I was living. I really didn't have any idea that some of the limitations, physical and mental energy, thought processes and mood were so inter-related and dependent on what I was injesting. My eyes were opened in a way that was supportive and encouraging by someone who has experienced personally and through his patients, the symptoms and solutions in his book. All of this gave me the confidence to "give it a try."

I made the decision to enter into the Ultra Mind Solution about the middle of January and start the 6 week program. This was made very easy because of the recipes and food shopping lists contained in the support material, along with a daily half hour excercise program that consisted of walking. I had finally found a use for the electronic clothes hanger in the basement, sometimes called a treadmill. I will share some of the results that I began to experience immediately and then report some of the longer term benefits that have continued to surprise and please me to this day, in future blogs. In the meantime, take a look yourself at Dr. Hyman's Ultra Mind Solution.

HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND Food for Thought

In the past two postings, I have been extolling the virtues of a book by Dr. Mark Hymen entitled the Ultra Mind Solution in which he offers a plan that I have been following for about 10 weeks now. The process of regaining the brain health that each of us can benefit from starts with the nutrition that we feed our bodies. There is a raft of scientific evidence available that shows the direct relationship between what we use for nutrition and what is happening in our brains. This evidence is no longer circumstantial nor is it just anecdotal, but it is now being reported in respected medical journals world wide. A perusal of Dr. Hyman's website and reading his book will give the curious person interested in their own health, an overwhelming amount of substantiated evidence to show that the processed foods that have become dietary staples are killing us. The evidential links between diet and ADD, ADHD, Alzheimer's, dementia, anxiety and depression are overwhelming and yet, the medical/pharmaceutical industry continues to treat only the symptoms with addictive drugs with side effects that should scare the hell out of us.



One of the biggest processed food culprits is MSG and its many names and forms found in virtually every packaged food, sauce and restaurant meal. The incredible harm this addictive chemical is foisting upon an unsuspecting public is studiously avoided by the very institutions that are supposed to protect our food sources and ultimately, us. I haven't even mentioned the relationship between MSG and obesity that has been proven time and again and then of course, the link between that obesity and all the physical damage it is causing to our hearts, joints, organs and brains, but you might find this an interesting source:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/442155/monosodium_glutamate_msg_the_addiction.html?cat=5

I recently read somewhere that to be truly healthy, we should never eat anything that our grandmothers wouldn't recognize. Food labels are supposed to show us what is inside the package and then an uneducated public is somehow supposed to understand the various chemical names and what they are. In addition, the FDA and its Canadian equivalent, have an incredibly long list of substances that are not required to be revealed on the labels. Perhaps it is true that if our food has a label on it, maybe we shouldn't eat it. That's enough preaching by me for one day but as a student of life, I rely on the teachings of learned people who have used their training, intelligence, creativity and common sense to present us with information that makes a real difference in the lives of people everywhere - maybe even you and I. If you haven't checked out Dr. Hyman - try it now .

HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND Introduction

Just after New Year's Day of this year, a trusted friend sent me an email outlining the virtues of a book he had just read called The Ultra Mind Solution. What he had to say about it was fascinating to me for several reasons, not the least of which was that following my 60th birthday, I had begun to buy into the line about certain symptoms of aging. On one level, I really didn't feel 60 but on several others I had begun to notice some things like despondency in areas of physical activity, a bit of an inability to remember some things (names, grocery lists, and so on) and more moodiness bordering on anger. In addition, I had begun to realize some limitations that were becomming more noticeable all of the time like my inability to read for any length of time without feeling tired, a serious dive in my energy level after eating and speaking of eating, I had spent the entire Christmas holiday season with my snout firmly buried in the trough of goodies.
I was none too pleased on Xmas day to open my wife's gift of workout clothes and a gym pass, nor was I pleased to overhear her comment to a family member about how we were both going to join weight watchers in January. Naturally, the contrarian in me became a little more active, even if the rest of me didn't. The truth of the matter was that I knew I was going to have to do something soon but I have a natural distaste for commercial diets that equate weight loss with health and whose marketing strategy is to keep you coming back as long as possible. That whole approach doesn't pass the common sense test as far as I am concerned. I had the notion that my weight had ballooned due to overeating and that once I cut my intake quantity, I would somehow glide back to my ideal weight without too much trouble. The "trouble" was, I had been thinking that way for decades and I was wondering if it was too late. The other truth is that I had never really made the connection between what was happening to my mind, or at least, in my brain with what I was shovelling into my mouth.
I had never really expressed these concerns to anyone, especially about "losing a step or two" in the brain department and in my arrogance, thought that I would magically find a pill that would return me to the physical specimen of my youth but the effort it took a year earlier to get into shape to learn to surf was a lot harder than I expected. One of the other motivators that began appearing on my horizon was the number of friends that had begun to show signs of premature aging and in some cases, die.
Over the next few blog postings I will offer some insights on health that you can put to the test right away. I will use the Ultra Mind Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman as a base to tell you about the 7 step solution that you can use right now to "unleash your body's hidden ability to dramatically improve mood, memory and thinking speed," as observed by Mehment Oz, MD, who has endorsed the book. I will use my own experience over the past 9+ weeks to demonstrate and share the secrets to realizing a level of health, both physically and mentally, that most of us didn't know was possible. The best part of this entire process is that you can try it for just 6 short weeks and the results will astound you. We often hear about the Mind/Body connection and how we can think ourselves sick, but this turns that upside down and I promise that you will see the incredible difference available to you when you heal your body and heal your mind, as a result.

HEALTHY BODY: HEALTHY MIND

I held it in my hands last night! I held the answer to something that has been puzzling me since the beginning of the year - what "project" am I going to undertake in 2009. I have the solution in hand and will reveal all when I have moved a little further towards its execution. In the past, I have undertaken some projects like gliding and surfing. I had a notion about learning more about internet marketing, website building and so on, which I have fully embraced but these things are not physical enough, so I needed something else - I found it in a moment of inspiration yesterday. All will be revealed in a few weeks.
Something else that held promise, but didn't quite fit the bill as an adventure project, was getting my body and mind into shape and that is coming along extremely well and I have decided to devote several editions of this blog, starting next week, to how that process is going. I will use myself and some of the changes I have noticed as an example of how this amazing program works. So, starting next week, there will be blogs available here with specific information, based on a program created by Doctor Mark Hyman. I will offer facts, proven by the doctor and witnessed by myself, links to more information, how-to's, exact excercise regimens and their results, enthusiastic encouragement sprinkled with some of my special brand of arrogant, militaristic shouting, recipes, eating tips for home and away and a lot of other stuff designed to arm you with the information to make life enhancing changes in your own life. A lot of the changes that I have noticed, frankly I didn't even recognize as issues, prior to this program. So, if you want more energy physically and mentally, more altertness, better sleeps, keener focus ability, a more positive outlook, less anxiety, better temperment and a bunch of other physical improvements that I will reveal - oh, did I mention that I have lost 32 lbs in 10 weeks - not to worry, it's just a side effect, but I may need a new picture, if only I knew a photographer....
If you, or someone you know, might benefit from the personal knowledge of an "ultra mind solution" then may I suggest that you go to "Google Reader" and create an automatic feed from this blog so that you, and they, can be automatically updated when I post this information - it starts next week. Please forward this to anyone you know that might be interested - I promise to keep it clean and sane - honest!