Hey Hey Hey!!
I know I have been gone for a while, but trust me friends, family and viewers...times are a changing! I've been so busy, people have been asking me how I have time for sleep. I do my best to make time, but right now, I have to take care of some responsibilities. One of them is this blog.
As you can see, I've got something new for you. I have smileys! I love them!
I'm so happy to be back in the swing of things and ready to help you with your health. I'm going to introduce new formats and more to my health blog. Hope you're ready!
Continuing from my last post, the "sniffles" are gone. Some herbal tea and rest kicked that to the curb. I have been working hard and making decisions regarding my career and future. My grandma is making progress but is still on life support. I am making progress too.
Last weekend, Friday and Saturday, it was over 75 degrees in NYC. As I walked through the streets of Brooklyn, I noticed something that caught my eye. Roy Ayers' "A Lovely Day" started to play through the headphones of my iPod and I took a deep inhale. As I exhaled, I focused on the most beautiful sight...The trees - they had begun blossoming with flowers and fruits.
As I continued to walk and stare, amazed at the sight before me, I noticed people entering the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I marveled at this miracle called Life. I was in awe of nature because, only 20 minutes earlier, I had been reading about Global Warming and its ill effects on this planet.
I took in another inhale. As I exhaled, I realized that this beauty comes with a price. I focused my ears and heard sneezing. My silent prayers for myself became spoken prayers for others. "God Bless You." A woman replied, "Thank you," and proceeded to blame her plight on allergies.
I can safely tell you that I haven't had allergies in a long time. I told you in the intro the various methods of better breathing I will discuss, however, the universe has opened up to me in such ways that I will talk about other things, as well. Let's just say I'm going to talk about things that I didn't plan on discussing for another 4 months (told you before I'm on a schedule! 
THE NOSE
Where is the source of all allergies? Where does breathing start? In the nasal cavity...starting with the nose. Let's take a look inside the nose. In order to provide clarity for better breathing, we must understand various nasal issues such as allergies and sinusitis.
Now, let's take an even closer look at the sinuses where all ills (allergies, sinusitis, etc.) manifest:
Sinuses are part of the nasal air and membrane system that produces mucus. Normally, the nose and sinuses produce between a pint and a quart of mucus and secretions per day. This mucus passes into and through the nose, sweeping and washing the membranes, picking up dust particles, bacteria, and other air pollutants along the way. The mucus then flows backward into the throat where it is swallowed, down into the stomach where acids destroy any dangerous bacteria. Most people do not notice this mucus flow because it is just a normal bodily function.
When you get a cold, allergies, or sinusitis, extra mucus is created. When the mucus is clear and watery, the body is acting to cleanse the sinuses/nasal cavity (preventative measure). When the mucus is thick, sticky, yellow or green, your body is fighting a bacterial infection (acute measure). So if your mucus is clear and watery, the body is attempting to clean your nasal cavity before any infection can take hold. Once your mucus is thick and a yellow/or green color, the infection is already in your system and your body is taking steps to fight it.
You can prevent an infection from entering your body or you can fight it as it happens. I used to get allergies every time the seasons changed. Fighting the allergies as it happened never worked for me. As I took preventative measures to fight my allergies, the amount of colds I got lessened as well. Even though I'm a fan of the preventative approach, I will discuss acute methods of fighting these dis-eases.
Acute Methods
Acute methods of fighting allergies, colds, and sinusitis are taking over the counter medication or seeing a doctor so he/she can give you prescribed medication. There are plenty of herbal and all natural remedies for your nose, throat and over all allergy symptoms (mostly in the form of pills or sprays).
Even though these methods are for acute symptoms (as they are happening right now), it still takes a day or two for them to kick in. Even if you do find something that will help quicker (Vicks for instance), the feeling is temporary.
Trust me, I love Nyquil. It's the only over the counter medication that works for me. I haven't used it in years but it helped me to sleep at night. Too bad once I awoke, the symptoms all came back.
When people take these types of medications (acute or preventative conventional medicine) you think that it's the medication that has cured your ailment. That is an incorrect assumption. All medication is supposed to aid the body in its own healing process. Taking something like cough syrup for a cough doesn't cure the cough....it only stops the mechanism of coughing, which is actually a way for your body to heal. So synthetic, natural, acute or preventative medications can do one of two things for you: aid in the healing process or mask symptoms of the healing process. According to the Herbal Help for Allergies website, Antihistamines (conventional medicine for allergies) merely block the action of histamine at receptor sites. In other words, they suppress the appearance of physical symptoms but do nothing to redirect the underlying cause.
Preventative Methods
I was always a fan of preventative medicine. I never really liked pills or conventional medication, even as a small child. I figured I got it from my mom (she doesn't even like doctors) but now I see that I was always a "natural" kind of person...who liked to do things holistically.
So when I talk about preventative methods of healing, I mean methods that take time to work. Methods that take time to allow the body to heal on its own, without impeding any healing processes (fever, coughing, stuffy nose, etc.)
There was a time where I would have serious allergies four times a year. Every time the seasons would be in transition, I would have a bad head cold, stuffy nose, fever, and headache. You name it, I had it. Hay Fever and I were good friends.
I got rid of my allergies within 3 months. When people asked me how I got rid of my allergies, I would tell them "garlic" but it's so much more than that...and finally I can explain them to you. Let's start with Nose Cleaning
NOSE CLEANING
When I first practiced Islam (at age 11), I read many books. I needed to make sure my practice was perfect (yeah right). I read one book that explained how Muslims should bathe, brush teeth and the like. I only follow one of those suggestions now...and that is how to clean out your nose.
It's easier to do if you take a shower, but if you don't, don't worry. I'll get to you in a second
While in the shower, hold out your hand like a cup. Let the running water fill your hand. Keep your hand under the running stream of water. For beginners, hold the opposite nostril as you bring your nose to the cup of your hand. Then do a small inhale and a quick exhale.
You will probably have to practice this a number of times, to get it right. Some people would make the inhale too small and no water really gets into the nostril. Some people would inhale too deep. That leads to that burning feeling you get when you get the chlorine water up your nose. There have been times that I inhaled so deep and exhaled too quick and the water came out my mouth. That would make sense, if you look at the first picture of the nasal cavity above. You can see that the nose and mouth share the pharynx. Your body instinctively knowing that water is not air, will either send the water down the esophagus or will have the tongue make the water come out your mouth. It is very rare that your body will have any water (or liquid) go down the trachea, where your lungs lie. And that's the most awful feeling...sometimes worse than the chlorine burn you get!
When you do get it right, you can control how far the water goes up your nostril. When you bring down the water in an exhale, mucus and other particles will go with it. Do the same thing for the other nostril. I take it a step further (yeah I know TMI...but you love it 
If you're not a fan of a shower, while you're brushing your teeth or washing your face, you can do the same thing over a sink. It's a little more tricky because you have to bend in all kinds of ways to make sure that your nose is getting enough water but it's the same procedure.
Another (and better way) to clean your nose is with a Neti Pot. I haven't tried it yet but I'm hearing more and more good things about it. I'm going to get one next month, through my new part time job at the Integral Yoga Apothecary (yes, a link to the site will be in my "Health Related Links"). Instead of trying to describe it, I will provide a video, which shows you how to do it properly as well as exercises to do afterwards.
Both of these techniques will not only clean your nose, which will lead to fewer allergies, colds, and other nasal issues (do the Neti Pot/the nose cleaning every day...if you're scared, do it every other day until you get used to it). It will also help you to breathe better since you can get more air into your lungs without having to open your mouth.
HERBS
Another preventative method in treating allergies and sinus issues are with herbs. I always said that I would deal with these issues before getting into herbs and food as medicine, however, I'm in such a good mood that I can't help myself. As I explained before, people would ask me how I got rid of my seasonal allergies and I would tell them with garlic. Yes, garlic did help. However, there was another herb I was taking with the garlic that made a huge difference in getting rid of my allergies. When I started taking this herb, it was for anemia. I then found out later that this herb was probably instrumental in getting rid of my allergies. As I am healthier now, when I do have any kind of allergy (food or otherwise...I mostly have food allergies now that show up as hay fever symptoms..ie: beer), I would drink some tea with this herb and in a few days, I'm much better. What is this herb I'm talking about? It's my favorite herb: NETTLE LEAF aka STINGING NETTLES.
Garlic is a great anti-bacterial and anti-fungal herb. Nettle is great for seasonal allergies. According to two studies, Butterbur is a great herb for Hay Fever symptoms. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that is very helpful in inflammatory reactions, such as allergies and asthma (both inflammatory reactions to air and air-borne products). For those who don't know, a biofavonoid is a compound that is found in citrus fruits, cherries, blackcurrants and buckwheats. As a preventative measure, use these herbs as infused teas. As an acute measure, purchase tinctures, which are more concentrated forms of the herbs.
I think I covered a great deal when it comes to the nose. Before I end this blog, I'm going to introduce Health Tips from my classmate, Matt Stokes. He's a great guy and health counselor. I hope you enjoy his health tips as much as I do.
#1
Bio-individuality
No single diet works for everyone. We are all different.
Even if you are lucky enough to come across a diet book that works for you, it’s theories are not going to work forever. We change as we age.
The only truly healthy diet is on-going, self aware and educated.
Your diet is a life long process, not a short-term destination.
Finding a way to enjoying the process is the key.
Courtesy of
Please let me know how this post works for you. I hope you enjoyed the smileys, the information, and Matt's Health Tips. Please feel free to leave any comments. If you want to email me, you can reach me at drea@dorightforyourself.org
In the meantime...
stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!
References - ImmuneSupport.com, healthlibrary.epnet.com, click on underlined text for other online references. Pictures provided by http://www.a-better-way.com/naturalhealthschool/nose_sinuses.html and http://www.entassociates.com/sinus1.jpg. Video provided by YouTube/Himalayan Institute - Varcho Veda.
UPDATE - When I was about to post this blog, I got a call from my uncle. My grandma passed on last night at 9:30pm, NYC time. I cried for a bit and then I felt...peace. I never smiled at anyone's death before. It has nothing to do with her not suffering physically either. Now, my grandma is unlimited. She is finally one with the universe. I'm at work right now...but I'm going to go home and process this. God is Good...and now, a mommy is with her sons. That's nice.
Stay Strong. Stay Being.
Greetings Everyone!
I hope that this time spent away from me has been productive and healthy. I want my words to reach you after you turn off the computer and live your life. People are telling me that as they go about their normal activities, they remember me telling them to drink water or check their posture and they feel better overall. That is a really good feeling...it makes me feel light and airy, which is especially good when my heart is heavy or full of worries and doubt. I get the same feeling when I breathe properly.
Breathing properly can heal you. It can take away physical, mental, and spiritual pain. The breath can do what pills still cannot do - heal your ailments, instead of masking them.
I know you're looking at me right now like, "Whatchutalkinabout, SeeLaH?"
Fix your "Arnold" face. LOL
Sit up straight. Stop crossing your feet (Tyesha!! hehehe) and make sure that your knees do not come over your toes. Your feet should be hip distance apart and be firmly grounded on the floor. Keep your shoulders down and back and your neck up. You don't need to stretch it too far up, but it should feel like your head is lifted from the rest of your body. Make sure your head is not tilted too far forward either. Lift your torso up so you feel like it's separated from your hips. Relaxed now? Feel better? Good. Because I didn't stutter (you know the rest) ;)!! HEHEHE
To truly understand where I am coming from, I have to break down the breath in two ways: Air and Life.
I have already explained to you the "air" aspect of the breath. You know how the respiratory system works and the benefits of the air you breathe to your cells and your life. However, this is the physical manifestation of the breath. There is another aspect that more people need to be aware of. People need to understand the balance between air and life.
Now the "Life" aspect of the breath is more...metaphysical. In Indian tradition, what I am talking about is called "prana." In Chinese tradition, it is called "Chi." The Western World calls it the "Spirit." This life force permeates through all things and is contained in the air we breathe. I can go on and on about how "Life" works and what it can do for you but I'm going to save that for the last part of this series, when I talk about the various methods for you to breathe properly and move forward into meditation. ;)
In the meantime, I'm sure you're wondering how to breathe properly in the first place. Matter of fact, I'm sure you've been waiting to hear how to do it since the last post!! LOL I'm sorry to delay you. Don't worry...I'm not Howie Mandel from Deal or No Deal. You don't have to wait until a commercial break to figure out how to breathe properly. :D
First thing I want you to do is understand where you are when it comes to breathing. So place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Breathe in regularly. Where do you feel most of the air? What rises when you inhale, your chest or somewhere else? If you feel the most air in your chest, then (obviously) you are a chest breather. If you feel it in your stomach, then you don't need me. LOL ;)
So for all you chest breathers out there, I want you to try the following:
- When you inhale, push your stomach out. Feel the air circle around your stomach.
- When you exhale, push your stomach in. As you exhale, all the air should go out of your stomach.
- I want you to look at the palms of your hands.
- Now flip them and press your sides. Your thumb should be at the front of your body and the rest of your fingers should be pressed against your back.
- The best place to put your hands is at the bottom of the ribcage. If you should be able to feel the last rib or two, if you're doing this correctly.
- As you inhale, you should feel the air around the bottom of your ribcage/middle of your back and you should feel your hands moving outward.
- When you exhale, you should feel your hands go back to the normal position.
I understand that these concepts maybe a bit difficult to understand...at first. I also know that for some people, especially those who are overweight and obese, this maybe even difficult to feel or see. That is where your mind comes in. Imagination is key when you can't actually understand or feel what I am asking you to do. If you put your hands at your sides and can't feel your ribs, that's ok. Imagine the breath traveling right under your hands. Imagine the breath moving your body outward and inward as you inhale and exhale (remember...proper breathing is inhale....push your stomach out. Exhale...push your stomach in. Inhale = outward, exhale = inward...it's sounds real opposing, doesn't it!)
You should also make it a habit to practice these breathing techniques using your nose only. If you have to use your mouth, only use it on the exhale. So I would prefer you to breathe in with your nose (mouth closed) and exhale out your mouth (nose open LOL). I only want you to practice this way if you have to. Otherwise, nose in and nose out.
Like I said in the last post, take your time with this. If you feel any discomfort, if you feel your heart racing or beating too fast, or if you get nervous because you feel like you can't feel your heartbeat, then stop what you're doing and return to your normal breath. Doing these breathing exercises helps you to relax. Most people feel calm after doing either one of these exercises three times (3 inhales/exhales).
So when you're stressed out, take these deep breaths. You can also breathe like this laying down in your bed or standing up. In my next blog, I will go deeper into these techniques by talking about methods to better your breathing as well as how breathing properly can help you to lose weight and help you to heal. I truly hope this works for you. Remember to take this slowly...it takes time to master. I'll see you next time.
In the meantime...
stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!
I'm going to explain a couple of things to you. Before I start, I want to tell you that most people's bodies are functioning in "emergency" or "survival" mode on a constant basis. This is because of stress, your mind-body disconnect, and other reasons that I will reveal in later posts.
The digestive process starts with your mouth.
The breathing process starts with your nose.
(I have tried my experiment with 5 more people and it was basically the same results as my last blog. I did notice, however, that people who are aware of their breathing and know how to breathe had less problems than those who did not.)
In the wintertime, the air is dry and cold. Since your nose likes to be moist, your body will naturally send mucus to your nostrils so that it can be moist (that's why when you breathe in the wintertime through your nose, the boogies will start to run down your nose. Clear mucus means that your body is trying to moisturize; thick mucus means that your body is trying to heal itself from sickness). Since your mind thinks that mucus is a bad thing (even though your body has a certain amount of mucus that is needed for many functions), it will want you to open your mouth so that you don't have nasal drip. This is where the mind-body disconnect comes in.
The problem with this is that your mouth should only used for breathing in emergencies. Your nostrils has hair in it to help trap and filter out dust and other toxins so that you lungs can take in air. When you breathe through your mouth, the air (with the dust and toxins) goes straight to your throat. This is the catalyst for a sore throat, which can lead to colds (head and chest) and flu.
Another thing people do that is a no-no is try to blow their nose (or suck the mucus in) while outside, in the cold. When you do this, you are making your sinuses even drier, which will cause the body to form more mucus, to moisturize and heal the damage caused. Constantly doing this (especially outside in the cold) will decrease the efficiency of your nasal functions, which can lead to head colds.
THE POWER OF AIR
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
It's one thing to talk about the respiratory system but it's even more amazing to visualize it properly to understand. Most people, myself included, learned from school that the respiratory system looks like this:
While this is not an incorrect description of the respiratory system, it is inaccurate and in a way, misleading. Let me show you this picture so I can better explain why I feel this way:
In this picture, you see some added organs - the diaphragm and the abdomen. The reason why the first picture is misleading is because it promotes chest breathing. When you breathe from your chest, you're actually putting extra work on your lungs. Proper breathing comes from the diaphragm and the abdomen.The purpose of respiration is to exchange gases. Oxygen comes in and Carbon Dioxide goes out (one process of elimination, the elimination of gaseous waste). When you breathe from the chest area like the lungs, air comes in but not enough to fully oxygenate the lungs, which in turn gives the blood and cells their necessary dose of oxygen. Breathing from the diaphragm ensures that the lungs are completely filled with air, which in turn properly oxygenates the blood and cells as well as fully excrete Carbon Dioxide. The abdomen complements the diaphragm by making sure the enough muscle movement is done in the lungs so that transporting nutrients (oxygen) and toxins (carbon dioxide) is done for the whole body.
What you need to understand is that the lungs are truly a filter. The upper part of the lungs filter out the carbon dioxide and the lower part of your lungs also aid in the movement of this filtering process to the lymphatic system and your blood.
Now that you understand what organs are truly used for breathing and a basic understanding of how this works, I'm going to leave it here. Next time, we are going to get into how to properly breathe through the diaphragm and exercises that can help you attain that kind of breathing. I will also go further into how the breath can affect parts of your body and do amazing things like ending pain (yep, you read right). This will lead into techniques that can help you to breathe properly and gain better understanding of this complex process of breathing.
Until then,
stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!
References - put your mouse over the pictures to see where they have come from. I will write the links out very soon. :)
Right now in NYC, it's about 17 degrees outside. I can't speak for all the West Coasters and those down south, but Canadians will agree that it's really cold. For the past month or two, I've been watching the movements of people, when they are walking in the wintertime. For the most part, people have their heads bent, shoulders up and mouths open.
Sounds weird doesn't it? Not the heads bent or the shoulders up but the mouths open. What's really weird about it is that if you were to ask any of these people if they realize that their mouths are open while they walk, they will say "NO!" However, most people don't even think about their mouth when they walk.
Now, I didn't tell you this before but my chiropractor told me that if your head is down (neck is bent) for more than 10 seconds, there is a problem. Your neck should not be held in this position for long periods of time. Yet, most people in the wintertime do exactly that (as if their 2 scarves and head coverings aren't enough). Reading the last series, I'm guessing you can gather that keeping your shoulders up for long periods of time is not a good idea either. I said to you in the past that good posture leads to good breathing so it's safe to glean that your neck bent and your shoulders up will cause problems not only for your neck and shoulders but also your breathing will be affected.
"So what does this have to do with your mouth open?," you might ask. I'll get to that very soon. Trust me. ;)
I know first hand what cold can do to muscles. When I was working at MTV, I had a bad car accident. We already discussed how my neck was affected. So 6 months since the injury and I'm at work, doing my job like a busy little bee. I had moved to a different cubicle and the previous owner busted the vent so that "he could get air." As the cold air hit me, I felt funny...after a while, I couldn't move. It was painful to move my neck or even my legs. My chiropractor had to come to my job and practically help me thaw out. The cold maybe good if something is swollen but not in my case. Cold constricts and heat expands muscles. So if you're helping the cold to constrict your muscles and then you go in heat and they expand (even though you might still be in the bent neck/shrugged shoulders position unconsciously), wouldn't that make them a bit confused? I truly don't know how colds and flu happens to people (or why) but one theory most people have is that they are in the cold for too long and then go into heat (or naturally speaking, weather changes from really cold to unseasonably warmer temperatures). I can't speak for your nose or your throat, but when it comes to the aches and pains that comes with colds and flus, my theory seems very plausible.
Let's try an exercise:
Put your chin to your chest and shrug your shoulders. Keep your head and shoulders in this position for as long as you can and try to breathe through your nose (do this for at least 10 breaths). Notice the changes.
I asked 10 people at my job to do this exercise. Of them, 2 people's face turned red, 4 people had problems breathing (and their mouths opened wider with each inhale/exhale), 1 person felt winded and weak after doing it, and the other 2 people said that their neck and shoulders hurt (no problems with breathing...however, they were the only 2 people that did this exercise standing up). I explained to them that when posture is bad, breathing is affected (hence the reason why people's face turned red or others opened up their mouths).
When your neck is bent and your shoulders up, you're actually cutting off a good amount of circulation to your head. Your mind will think "ok...since I can't get enough air from my nose, I'll just get it from the mouth." Your mouth opens to take in air. However, your body doesn't receive enough (if any) of the benefits of this air. If you're standing, you may not feel a difference in your breath, but your body will take on the stress and your brain will receive it in the form of pain or discomfort.
You know, I shouldn't chuckle when I say this but I can't help myself. I had to chuckle because every time I said this to a person at work, they looked at me shocked and then says in a low voice, "I really do that, don't I?" It's really crazy that in the wintertime, people walk around with their heads tucked into their chest, their shoulders shrugged up and their mouths open! And you're wondering why you get sick and feel pain!!? ;)
I think I'm going to end it here right now because I have some of my "guinea pigs" at my desk, asking me more questions. heheehe They're telling me that it's a lot of information that they just took in. Instead of bogging you all down, I'm going to let you marinate with this, savor this flavor, and beg for more "health food." Next time, my plate will be full with why air is so important, which organs are used for breathing, and what breathing really does for your body.
Until next time,
Stay Strong, Stay Healthy and Fight dis-ease!
