Children also seem to know much better than adults how to get back to mother earth, grounding themselves, literally lying on the ground, whenever they might need it. Or walking barefeet rather than putting shoes on. (My son!!! Even at 15. And now that he has heard of the groundbraking new studies about how good it is to walk and run barefeet and that they now sell shoes with toes that make you feel like you were barefeet.... you know what he said) Lying in a meadow and watch the clouds go by, putting a smile on and come up with the greates ideas of play, the best stories of what or who they see in the clouds. All that is so important and we tell them to stop it? No, they should keep going and teach us! When was the last time you lied on your back in the middle of nowhere and just watched - and smiled. Could it become a little roitual of yours in your hectic day? Just grounding yourself and daydream. Daydream on prescription or as it says in the title - disciplined (because on your to-do-list).

Just imagine what could happen if you would allow yourself to get back to yourself, finding your emotions and your dreams and reawaken them. When we have to leave our emotions or our hearts at the door of the office we lose passion and purpose. So make sure you take them with you so they can show you what you really want and feel. And then act on it. Because in the long run it certainly is not healthy to detach yourself from your heart and emotions and that means you might even get back to a physically more healthy person as well not only to more emotional health.

So try it, turn off the world, go to a peaceful and quiet place, put on your smile and dream....... Yes it is also a form of meditation, I didn't want to call it that as many people would immediately say, oh god, that again. Too often as adults we are awake to the outside world but asleep to our inside truth. When we are awake to both worlds, we are truly empowered individuals.

Have a dreamy day

Barbara

Since then she has taken life on completely and fully, started partying, met heaps of new people, made really good new friends, made some very interesting experiences in various jobs and aove all in the way how you can handle various jobs and I guess one of the most important lessons was the law of attraction - well that it actually works.

What do I mean by this? Yesterday I took her and her dad to the airport, he has left for business and she has left for life lessons, meaning travelling Europe and what comes with it. As you prpobably can understand it was not easy for me to let her go but I can say that in the end it was easier than I thought, not even a tear, because I had reached a point where I felt like: right, enough of this forever lasting farewell feeling. Time for her to go and then I just deal with it. And that's what I did.

I have to admit I was a bit concerned about the long flight, not that she hadn't done it before, but without me..... Anyway, ever since she had understood that there was an area in the plane where it is more comfortable than where we always had to sit she kept telling me that she wants to fly Business class. As I never would stop her in her dreams I encouraged her to keep believing and work towards it with a good job, or a great business etc. Nearly every time we talk about flying she keeps telling us that she wants to fly Business class and how cool that would be. Yes, of course. But....

So last night, my son and I, the ones left behind, were on our way back from the airport, about 20 minutes into our tri, I recieva phone call from my husband. Oh my god, what did they forget, what went wrong (why do we always think like that) and it was - my daughter. Her words: OH MY GOD and you know where my heart was - in my toes. And then: I AM FLYING BUSINESS CLASS!!! They had upgraded them and she had reached her goal, dream, call it what you want, and I ma sure had a fabulous time in business class, probably knows every flight attendant and all the ins and outs of this prestigeous class.

So, definitely off to a good start and I hope she won't run out of good luck during her trip and have lots of great adventures....

Kepp believing, never doubt and it will happen!!!

Apparently memory gets a good boost from cerlery, capsicum and carrots. I know celery is not everyone's cup of tea but believe me you get used to it when it makes sense....

Perhaps one of our great shared fears is loss of mental capacity as we age. The thought of not recognising loved ones or being a burden to others is an unpleasant prospect. While the possibility of this happening can never be eradicated it is some comfort to know that some common vegetables might reduce your risk.

Capsicum and celery as well as carrots, olive oil, chamomile, peppermint and rosemary all contain a substance called luteolin. New research has shown that luteolin reduces the chances of memory loss by directly protecting neurons in your brain.

You have specialised cells called microglia, that live in the brain and spinal cord, which produce chemicals that cause inflammation to occur. This is usually stimulated by an infection and causes symptoms that often go with illness like sleepiness, loss of appetite, memory loss, and depression. This brain inflammation is also a central contributor to age-related memory problems.

During normal ageing the microglial cells have been shown to become dysfunctional and begin producing too many inflammatory chemicals.

This research showed that when exposed to a bacteria microglial cells do produce chemicals that can kill neurons. However, when the microglia were exposed to luteolin before being exposed to the bacteria, the neurons did not die.

The neurons survived because the luteolin stopped the microglia producing the damaging chemicals (known as cytokines). Exposing the neurons to the luteolin had no effect so it is the impact on microglia that is saving the neurons.

The next step in the research was to feed luteolin to mice over a four week period. The aged mice (around two years old) that were fed luteolin did better on learning and memory tasks than did mice not fed luteolin. The level of inflammation in the brains of the old mice fed luteolin was also reduced to levels comparable with much younger mice (three to six months old).

All this talk of microglia, cytokines, luteolin, and neurons adds up to one thing: eat your vegetables (especially celery, capsicum, and carrots) if you want to keep your marbles.

Published in Wellbeing in October

For years I have warned my clients, my family and friends of course too, that they should be very careful and considerate when taking Neurofen or Voltaren or any of those strong pain killers.

Not only do they carry the risk of developing stomach ulcers but now it has also been revealed that they can contribute to stroke. Read more here

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/study-links-voltaren-and-nurofen-to-strokes-20100913-159d6.html 

and make sure to let everyone know. It is an important information.

Have a great day

Barbara

1. You’re tied to your desk – in the office and/or at home

Did you know that sitting puts 40% more pressure on your spine than standing? Sounds crazy but it is true. Problem is that of course during the day, when you are so engaged in your project because you have to meet that deadline or it is just soooo interesting, the last thing you think about is your posture, hence your back. And that regular getting up from the chair to stretch or to just have a little walk around just doesn’t happen. But that is actually a big mistake as your back muscles will weaken if you don’t use them, make them work. If your joints remain inactive they will lose their lubrication which ultimately leads to pain and faster aging.

What to do: Sitting at a 135-degree angle can reduce compression of the discs in the spine, so lean back slightly every now and then. Do it when you take a phone call, read on the computer or have a coffee breakMake sure your office chair supports the curve of your spine. Your lower back should be supported, and your head should be straight—not lurching forward—when you look at your computer screen. Get up and walk around for a couple of minutes every half hour—take trips to get water, use the bathroom, or have a chat with a colleague. Anything that gets you off the chair. And by the way, it pays to have an ergonomic chair. Even if the boss doesn’t pay for it, you should consider getting one yourself, considering the amount of hours you are spending on it.

2. Very regular long commuting

Just like at your desk, hunching over a steering wheel can tighten chest muscles and cause your shoulders to round which of course leads to bad posture and ultimately pain. Also many drivers tend to kink their body, particularly when driving an automatic car, because you are only using one foot and the other rests.

What to do: Make sure you sit at a 90-degree angle, close to the wheel so you don't have to stretch. Make sure your full back and your head rests at the seat in order to avoid the slouching.

3. Watch out ladies!

A heavy handbag may cause back damage that’s comparable to a sports injury!

When you constantly carry a heavy bag, your shoulders become imbalanced. Your body elevates the shoulder carrying the bag, which throws your spine off alignment. Doing this every day can cause back and neck  muscles to tighten and ache very quick.

What to do: Well, that’s easy answered. Carry the lightest bag possible. The American Chiropractic Association recommends that your bag—when fully loaded—weighs no more than 10% of your body weight. Alternate which shoulder you carry the bag with from day to day,  or when walking for a long time, change every half an hour or so. And if you need to take heavy stuff, consider carrying it in a backpack which also helps you with your posture. And there are some really stylish ones nowadays.

4. The good night sleep

Can’t remember the last time you replaced mattress? Your back may be in trouble.

A good mattress lasts 9 to 10 years, according to the National Sleep Foundation, but consider replacing yours every 5 to 7 years if you don't sleep well or your back throbs. A study at Oklahoma State University found that most people who switched to new bedding after 5 years slept significantly better and had less back pain.

What to do: Obviously go shopping for a new mattress. When you do replace it, go for one that’s not too squishy or too hard. Very firm mattresses can increase pressure on the spine and worsen pain, say Spanish researchers. A study of 313 people revealed that those who slept on medium-firm mattresses were more likely to report pain improvement than those on firmer ones. Many bedding companies now offer a 3 month trial period for the mattresses, so you can really test drive them and give them back if they don’t work for you. To help ease nighttime discomfort even more, tuck a pillow under your knees if you sleep on your back, between your knees if you're a side sleeper, and avoid sleeping on your tummy. And of course with a good mattress comes a good pillow. So make sure you have a pillow that gives you the maximum comfort and doesn’t kink your head too much which interrupts blood flow.

5. Thinking that back pain is normal

Many people don’t take their back pain serious as they think it is just normal to live with back pain. But trying to block out pain could make it worse, finds research from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

By trying to avoid the pain you compromise the bodies muscles even more which eventually leads to more pain.

What to do: Accepting pain may be the best way to mentally cope. Be very conscious about the pain and if it hasn’t eased dramatically or is gone completely after a week you should seek help. The earlier you get in the better the chances of quick healing.

6. You Watch Too Much TV

Sitting in front of the TV for hours and hours a day doesn’t make your back very happy.

For one thing, excess TV time is probably cutting into exercise time, and I hope you know how important exercise is for a healthy back. In one Norwegian study of teens, those who sat in front of TV or computer for 15 hours a week or more were 3 times as likely to have lower-back pain as their more active counterparts. And even worse, with the TV often comes the bad food…..

What to do: Limit TV to what you really want to watch, instead of idly channel surfing. And instead of fast-forwarding through commercials, do some stretches or strength moves during the breaks, which will prevent muscle strain from sitting still too long. If you have a kid complaining of back pain, make sure he walks at least 1 mile daily; this can cut back pain in half and give his still-developing spine a chance to stretch out.

Okay, that’s it for today, I hope that helps and if you think so then please feel free to spread the information.

To a healthy back

Barbara

And of course amongst all that there is also a lot of talking about the foods we need, the ones we should avoid and those we shoucld have only very rarely as they are yummy but not really good for us. Keeping all this in mind is certainly not easy and today I can give you a list of 40 foods, none of them too extraordinary to be found, which you can use on a daily basis, knowing that you are doing yourself and your body a favor. May be it is a good idea to just make a list of the foods and have it in your wallett, so every time you go out for a snack, you just check on your list, what is good to buy.

Access the 40 good foods here

And by the way, of course food and eating also has an effect on pain, so the better the food you put into your body the stronger your body becomes and can fight conditions that might cause pain at some stage.

Have a good food week

Barbara

Going through my emails I received an interesting article about the wearing of high heels and the impact on the body. I am not at all a fan of high heels, neither on myself nore on other women. But I know that a lot of women like wearing them and a lot of women are required to wear them - office policy. How stupid. Of course from my own personal experience as a practitioner I know that women wearing high heels are often in pain and it can often lead to back pain as well. Hence I recommend all my female clients to ditch the high heels and look for still acceptable alternatives. They are out there, and guess what, the pain often disappears when they follow my advice.

Now I obviously do not have any scientifically backed research on the impact of heels on back problems or other pain, so I can only assume that there is a direct connection which of course has an impact on the wallett as well as it costs to get out of pain. And I was rather surprised when reading the article in my inbox the other day. http://www.wellbeing.com.au/newsdetail/The-verdict-on-high-heels_000186

I still think it is not our natural footing to be on our tippy toes the whole day just to look beautiful for whom ever and we shouldn't have to do it if we don't want to. We are beautiful as we are and who can't see that won't open the eyes by looking at high heels.

Your comments are always welcome

Have a lovely day

Barbara

My,   husband has spent the last 3 months in Germany - for business. Yes, 3 months. It was a long time but to be honest, it went so fast that I was actually surprised when he came back and I realised how much of the things I wanted to do I hadn't done yet. But I also had done a lot of fun things which I hadn't thought about before hand. So I guess in the end it all stayed in balance.

While he was over there I engaged him in a little bit of work for myself as well. And that meant he had to check out some things regarding Dorn Spinal Therapy. He had 3 treatments with different practitioners. He took a closer look at different St. John's Wort oil and what is in there and he also was supposed to check out books on the market to see if anything new has been added. And what can I tell you, nothing much has changed. That means, the treatment routine is pretty much the same as it used to be 16 years ago when I learned it and how I still teach it. The only difference seems to be that the pumping action when working on the spine has been replaced by constant pressure. But that could also just be a personal preference by the practitoner. So if you want to try it give it a go. The oil is still just the flowers diluted in olive oil but it is about double the price of the oil you can purchase through me. Guess that's because I don't pay staff yet to pick the flowers but do it myself..... Or may be Germany just simply is more expensive.

Regarding books there is a lot of them out there. But looking through them it really seems as if they all do talk about the same, just using different words. And regarding the digital media available - the est DVD is in english and available in Australia.... I hate bragging but I was really disappointed by what I was seeing there.

So all in all we can just keep hoting and there is no reason at all to call an advanced workshop or anything similar. And it just makes me really happy that Dorn Spinal Therapy is just simple enough to deliver results, but good enough to deliver on its simplicity exactly what we want. No changes needed. Fabulous! So what can I say, practitioners,please stay true to what you are doing and clients, congratulations on taking on the wonderful treatment of Dorn Spinal Therapy and hopefully you will be one of thousands and thousands of grateful clients around the world.

And on a last note I just wanted to invite everyone who is interested to take a look at an event which is coming up in Sydney in September and where we can see the likes of Richard Branson, a real business hero in my eyes, and Tony Robbins amongst many other inspiring people. To check it out please click here.

So, that's it from me today, I have packed my bags and ready to hit the slopes in NZ from tomorrow onwards. Very excited and really looking forward to holidaying with my family. Will tell you about it when I am back next week

Barbara

Lots of talking has been done and I am sure, just like myself you are tired of talks which no one understands anyway and that in the end don't seem to bring any of the desired results anyway. Politicians only do act on what is popular to get more votes and changing our lifestyle or saving in order to make a better future certainly is not popular to most voters - even though it should be. So non wonder that not a lot is really happening in the area of saving our environment.

Like the plastic bag discussion. How long have we heard talks about banning plastic bags in shops or make them not free anymore but as far as I am aware there is only Bunnings Warehouse that charge for plastic bags. And of course ALDI, a german supermarket because Germany has been charging for plastic bags for about 15 or even more years. And people accept it, bring their own bags or use the boxes sometimes available which they hopefully then put into their recycling box.

Ever since coming to Australia I was hoping that eventually we would catch up to what is happening in Europe on the "green front" but I realise that it takes a long time and it won't be the radical political leaders in this country but the people, just like you and me, that make change happen. And when you think about it, that is the case with a lot of things. Which puts us into a quite powerful position although it always takes confidence to see it as such. Because hardly anyone notices it or mentions it publicly. Apart from sometimes, and today is about one of these some times.

Last week I was listening to the radio and they interviewed a woman who, together with others, started a website called www.onemillionwomen.com.au and their goal is to get 1 Mio. women to reduce their carbon foot print collectively by 1 Mio. tons of carbon dioxide per year. Sounds impressive and so it is. But for each one of us it doesn't require a lot of things to change but the things we can change are all very helpful and hopefully model like so others will follow. And the plastic bag issue is probably the easiest one to solve along with stopping to buy bottled water and take your own water. We all know, it only takes 21 days to change a habit and we can change so many bad habits into good habits and help our environment and ultimatley our children. So of course it is very important to involve the children as well because it is their future world and they have to learn early what to do to make it a great place to live.

So please go to www.onemillionwomen.com.au and find out what it takes to reduce your CO2 emission by 1 tonne per year. Let's do it together and feel the power!!! Of course this issue is not only related to men and may be one of you guys will set up the website www.onemillionmen.com if it doesn't exist already. Or just do what you need to do to contribute to CO2 emission reduction because it just is good!

Enjoy your day, feel free to leave a comment and if you find it worth your while please pass the link to the blog on to others.

Barbara

Here is the information and if you would like to know more please contact Scott at07 5441 7397

Traditional trainings International

Registration Form

 Authentic Hawaiian / Kahuna Training Workshop

10 day workshop learning an authentic old family linage of Hawaiian massage. Training provided from one of the last true kahuna’s and island elder Allen Alapai. Allen Alapai was selected by his grandmother from 30 grand children to be trained traditionally as her apprentice in the family linage of healing massage arts. This level 1 workshop will provide training and knowledge as handed to Allen by his grandmother. Inclusions include

• Hawaiian Protocol, Prayers, and Chants
• (PULE prayer, MELE songs, OLI protocol, chants)
• Cleansing Rituals
• HO`OPONOPONO (Releasing Process)
• Lomilomi Techniques
• Basic HULA (dance) 

 A true authentic Hawaiian cultural experience which are fast disappearing from the old ways to the modernised western versions. Experience it before it disappears.

Visit Allen Alapai’s Website :- www.allenalapailomilomi.com

4^th to 13^th October / Surfair, Marcoola, Sunshine Coast

Positions Limited - $1750

For more Information / Bookings Contact

Scott Strand  - 07 54417397

...............................................................................................................................

Traditional Trainings International

Registration Form / Minimum Deposit Required $450 ( Remainder before course starts)

Bookings Required by the 20^th July

Name............................................. Contact...................................................................

Address..........................................................................................................................

And if you want to attend just copy and paste this form and send it off to him

How good would it be to have a trip to Hawaii and make it a business trip. Especially as winter is coming down on us....

If you are going, let me know how it was and enjoy it

Barbara