05/21/05

Nutrition: Food: Fruit: Apples: Benefits

“Reach for an 80-calorie apple instead of more fattening foods, and you'll easily save hundreds, even thousands of calories over the course of a week. But apples have much more to offer than their low calorie count. In addition to slashing cholesterol and reducing your risk of lung cancer, diabetes, asthma, stroke and heart disease, apples have been proven to provide these waist-shrinking benefits:

They cut hunger for up to four hours…”

http://www.3appleplan.com/Success/Higbee_article.cfm

Posture: Footwear Modification

“Both corns and calluses are protective responses to extra rubbing or squeezing e. g. from

·           shoes that don't fit properly,

·           improper foot posture (a tendency to stand on the outer edge of the foot),

·           high foot arches,

·           improper walking,

·           bunions and hammertoes, and deformities in the foot or leg.

·           Also, calluses can appear anywhere there is excessive rubbing, such as the finger tips of guitar players, the hands of laborers or tennis players.”

http://webits3.appstate.edu/apples/health/CornsCallouses/corns.htm

Nutrition: Salt

*Salt on lips

**Makes lips dry

Breathing exercises

*Tips

**Keep one hand on diaphragm to increase proprioception, become more aware of breathing rate

Brainwaves: SMR

Cravings

*Drinking ice-cold water reduces cravings, and SMR? Or are these cravings associated with a desire to increase serotonin levels and to actually decrease SMR?

*Sometimes people crave foods they are allergic too; allergic reaction increases serotonin, and reduces SMR?

*WebMD: Curing Your Cravings (Page 2)

*Eating foods that eliminate cravings, such as apples, will actually help to increase SMR over time by reducing the consumption of foods that rapidly increase serotonin levels and blood sugar?

*"Consume fiber-rich carbohydrates with protein at each meal and snack. The soluble fibers found in oranges, apples, legumes [e.g. peas, beans, lentils], and oats are particularly effective in slowing the absorption of sugar. They allow a slow, steady release of sugar into the blood and help avoid the rapid rise in blood sugar associated with sugary or highly refined snacks. (Page 112)"

Book: Somer, Elizabeth, M.A., R.D. Food & Mood. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 1999.

*Barely audible noise (e.g. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy) increases SMR? Increase SMR by decreasing volume of radio, TV, computer?

Orienting response

*Decreased breathing increases SMR?

*Change theory on ‘My Theories’ page? Replace word ‘arousal’ with SMR? Internet use at first increases SMR, but over an extended period of time, decreases SMR?

*A rapid increase in serotonin levels reduces SMR, leads to problems with proprioception, breathing, thirst sensation?

*Sensory overload leads to a desire to reduce stress, reduce SMR, by rapidly increasing serotonin levels by exposure to light (e.g. light from a computer monitor)

**Why reduce stress and SMR? Beta-endorphins associated with stress are not sufficient? Adrenal fatigue?

**Desire to rapidly increase serotonin levels instead of endorphin levels?

Browsing in a store (not an online store) increases SMR?

Increase SMR by letting something slowly dissolve in your mouth?

*Peppermint flavor increases beta waves? (low beta? (SMR))

*Note: Don’t put food between teeth and gums—can lead to cavities between the teeth

*Good idea to avoid food that contains refined carbohydrates, and rapidly increases serotonin levels—unless, possibly, it is only consumed in small amounts, and over a longer period of time

Increase SMR with bright distractions such as crystals? Or do these bright distractions rapidly increase serotonin and decrease SMR?

*Distractions seem to be more effective when in close proximity

Increase SMR by correcting laterality, amblyopia and reducing sensory overload?

Breathing and SMR

*Slow-breathing exercises increase SMR?

*People with asthma, which restricts breathing, have more SMR?

Salt

*increases thirst sensation

Ions

*Positive ions, serotonin decrease SMR?

*Negative ions, melatonin (as melatonin increases serotonin decreases) prevent an overproduction of serotonin and increase SMR?

Bates’ ‘sunning’ exercise increases SMR?

*Can reduce light sensitivity

*Vestibular system: vision, inner ear, vestibulo-ocular reflex?

*Other Bates exercises also increase SMR?

Low SMR

*Sensory overload->Hypervigilence->low SMR

*Repetitive tasks cause low SMR, fatigue, laterality problems, amblyopia (going subdominant)?

Low SMR leads to fatigue, loss of interest, convergence insufficiency/accommodative insufficiency?

Withdrawal-like symptoms may be associated with an intolerance for SMR brainwave states

*Peniston/Kulkosky protocol of treating alcoholics with Alpha/Theta and Beta/SMR

*Low tolerance for SMR brainwave state may cause impatience

**Rushing through sunning exercise, pencil push-ups, breathing exercises

**ADD/ADHD like symptoms

**waiting is more stressful (‘Neuropsychology of Myopia’ article)

**aversion to exercise, other activities which require use of the frontal lobes such as reading (does not include reading words on a computer monitor)

**problems with interhemispheric integration: OCD

Vision: Eyestrain

*Sometimes activities which seem to be passive can actually cause eyestrain

**Staring at a computer monitor for an extended period of time without looking into the distance (accommodative insufficiency)

**Highway hypnosis from fatigue, sensory overload

05/08/05

Indoor Air Pollution:

Tips for improving air quality

*’Create your healthy home’ site

*Clean surfaces where dust and other particles gather

Organized Religion

*Prayers are affirmations (self-esteem)

*Effects of incense (e.g. breathing; relaxed, alpha-theta state; sense of smell, proprioception)

*Some churches use beeswax candles (negative ions)

Watching TV in the Dark:

MadSci Network: General Biology: 'Re: Does watching tv in the dark hurt your eyes?'

Shoulder shrugs

*important to lower shoulders slowly to avoid straining the trapezius (neck) muscles?

Night lights

*Problems with proprioception (need to have night light on when sleeping)

*Light sensitivity: Important for room to be totally dark when sleeping

*Can exacerbate nearsightedness

*Limit production of melatonin

*Links

·         http://www.create-your-healthy-home.com/nightlights.htm

·         http://www.create-your-healthy-home.com/nature/nightlights_nearsightedness_01.htm

·         http://www.create-your-healthy-home.com/nature/melatonin_01.htm

Lumbar Lordosis

Curved lumbar cushions promote lumbar lordosis?

Tinted Glasses

*Wearing tinted glasses during near-convergence activities (e.g. reading, computer use) is probably not the best solution for light-sensitivity problems

**Tinted glasses may exacerbate eyestrain (e.g. accommodative insufficiency, convergence insufficiency)--however tinted glasses may improve contrast if they reflect blue light

**Other solutions: Changing monitor settings such as brightness and contrast, using computer programs like Powerstrip to reduce color temperature, or creating a color profile

Weak Glutes

*Avoid sinking chairs—sinking chairs may cause more muscle tension in the hamstrings

Chronic Dehydration:

Symptoms:

*chronic cough (seems like bronchitis)

*dry throat

*post-nasal drip

Problems with Proprioception

*sensory overload

*lack of flexibility (brainwaves)

*tactile hypersensitivity

*aversion to exercise?

*carbonated beverages improve proprioception? Hot, spicy foods improve proprioception?