I have recently been lucky enough to take a course with the Bach Centre and have been treating family and friends with the essences for some time. Here is a brief overview of Dr. Bach’s philosophy, along with the indications for each remedy.

Altogether, there are 38 different flower essences that help people experiencing various negative emotional states. For example, those who feel timid, depressed, resentful, fearful, insecure, overworked, tired or discouraged, the use of single or combinations of essences help. They have the capability to affect thousands of different states of mind.

The originator of the essences, Dr. Edward Bach, was a British immunologist and bacteriologist, a pioneer in the field of homeopathic body / spirit treatment. He devised this gentle and safe system of self-healing that treats the underlying emotional states that bring about bodily disease. Dr. Bach studied for years in the countryside, learning all he could about the specific healing properties of various plants.

Although the essences have been in use for over 60 years, it has not been proven how they actually work. It has been suggested that they act upon the brain’s neurotransmitters. Another theory is that they repair imbalances in the human energy field. Even so, the essences really work by concentrating on the emotional side of a proble; they help the body to body to heal itself.

The 38 Bach Flower remedies are classified in seven groups, each of which covers a range of emotional states that generate disease (dis-ease) of the psyche. Here is a list of remedies for the seven groups of emotional states:

Fear

* Aspen: For vague fears that lack a direct cause. Being fearful without knowing why.

* Mimulus: For fear of known things; poverty, illness, death, etc.

* Cherry Plum: For fear of losing control, insanity and doing harm to oneself or others.

* Red Chestnut: For those who worry excessively about their loved ones.

* Rock Rose: For terror and panic, to be used in emergencies. Ideal for children with nightmares.

Uncertainty

* Cerato: For people who doubt their own judgment and rely on the opinion of others. For those who distrust their own intuition.

* Gentian: A remedy for those who are easily discouraged after a setback, such as losing a job or failing a test. They tend to get depressed but always because of a known cause.

* Gorse: For feelings of hopelessness and despair. When the person is resigned to the fact that no more can be done, one step up from Gentian.

* Hornbeam: Used when one has the proverbial ‘Monday Morning Feeling’. When one feels unable to get through the day ahead.

* Scleranthus: For those who cannot make up their mind and agonize over the choice between two different things.

* Wild Oat: For people who have come to a crossroads but are uncertain which path to choose.

Insufficient interest in present circumstances

* Chestnut bud: For people who tend to make the same mistakes over and over again, and who do not learn by experience.

* Clematis: Indicated for the dreamy, ‘head in the clouds’ type of person. Absent minded, they tend to live in ‘a world of their own’.

* Honeysuckle: For those who are pre-occupied with thoughts of a happily remembered past, rather than the tedium of the present.

* Mustard: For the type of transient depression which comes down like a dark cloud, depriving one of one’s normal cheerfulness.

* Olive: A remedy that is used for mentally and physically run down people. Often needed after a prolonged illness or trauma.

* White Chestnut: For unwanted thoughts and ‘mental chatter’. The kind that goes round and round causing a troubled mind.

* Wild Rose: Used when someone has given up and has surrendered to life’s struggles, accepting their lot & making no effort to improve things.

Loneliness

* Heather: For those who are self-centered and want to discuss their affairs with anyone who will listen. Poor listeners themselves, they often make mountains out of molehills.

* Impatiens: Used for those who are very impatient and critical of other’s shortcomings. Very quick off the mark, they find other people too slow for them.

* Water Violet: For people who are aloof or feel superior to others. Often they withdraw entirely.

Over-sensitivity to influence and ideas:

* Agrimony: For those who hide inner torture behind a cheerful mask.

* Centaury: For those who are timid, quiet and weak willed, easily dominated by others.

* Walnut: Helps when someone is going through a transition in their life, by breaking the old patterns and establishing new ones.

* Holly: For suspicion and jealousy. Ideal for sibling rivalry issues.

Despondency and despair

* Crab Apple: For those who feel ‘unclean’ or feel ’spoilt’ by dirt, disease and who have an overwhelming urge to purge themselves of the ‘poison’.

* Elm: For those who are overwhelmed or worn out by the weight of responsibility.

* Larch: For those who lack self-confidence.

* Oak: Used when a person overdoes things yet struggles on regardless. They often feel pain and lose strength.

* Pine: For those who are overcome with guilty feelings, who are overly self-critical and who blame themselves.

* Star Of Bethlehem: For people who have been subjected to a sudden fright or who suffer from shock.

* Sweet Chestnut: The remedy for desperate mental anguish. It is given to those who feel heartbroken and who contemplate suicide.

* Willow: For those who are so introspective and negative that they dwell on their misfortunes.

Over-care for the welfare of others

* Beech: For critical and intolerant types who don’t understand the shortcomings of others.

* Chicory: The remedy for those who are over-protective towards loved ones, and who are self-centered and possessive.

* Rock Water: For rigid individuals who are too hard on themselves. Thought of as perfectionists, they live by a rigid regime.

* Vervain: The remedy given to those driven individuals who try to convince and convert others to their way of thinking, sometimes fanatical.

* Vine: Leaders who tend to be domineering and controlling. Vine children tend to be bossy, demanding and aggressive.

When dealing with chronic kidney imbalances it is imperative to treat them holistically, this means contemplating and recognizing upsets in our emotional well-being, particularly when dealing with kidney problems since stress and volatile emotions, as well as depression, can have negative influences on them functioning at their full potential. Similarly, what physically goes into the body needs to be considered. In more cases than not this is a big factor, alongside stress. When I see how we, as a society, treat our bodies with processed, salt laden foods and chemically ridden meats I am amazed at the miraculous precision and constancy in which these little organs perform. How thankful we should be of our body’s persistence to take care of us even when we sometimes do not cooperate. However, ultimately these negative behavior patterns and neglect to nurture and nourish our bodies and minds creates dis-ease. And it is quite evident in our society, with all its illness. It is always important to keep the kidneys well watered, and with the onset or existence of kidney problems it is especially important to administer herbal teas therapeutically on a daily basis. Tonic Herb’s like dandelion, cleavers, chickweed, cornsilk are a few among many. It is equally important to recognize the specifics of your problem by looking at symptoms in order to determine what herb’s will be suiting. For example problems may be manifesting from inflammation or irritation in which case demulcent, soothing Herb’s like cornsilk and, or marshmallow can be administered. Or in cases of infections herb’s with a high volatile oil content that has an antiseptic action, like uva-ursi can be used. In cases of kidney imbalances high sugar foods must be avoided. As does caffeine, alcohol and chemical drugs. It is beneficial to keep the kidney area warm by taking hot baths and giving hot ginger poultices over the kidney area.

Cystitis can effectively be eliminated by following the same set of rules required for treating any imbalance or sickness in the body. For instance, a pure and simple diet is essential for combating cystitis. This means eating light easily digested whole foods. An herbal formula that has soothing and antiseptic qualities would be ideal. In the beginning stages or during mild bouts of cystitis a nourishing tea blend with soothing, antiseptic qualities can be used. Perhaps even a simple may be sufficient, (a simple would refer to using only one herb at a time) approximately 3-4 cups daily. However, if the infection is acute more deliberate and rigorous administering of herb’s can be under taken. For example, a formulation like buchu, uva-ursi, marshmallow, horsetail, and dandelion can be taken in 1\4 doses every 1\2 hour. In conjunction, in both instances, it may be useful to suggest capsules filled with disinfectant herbal powders like goldenseal and myrrh. (Remember goldenseal is an endangered herb, use it with consciousness). Pure cranberry juice is notorious for helping urinary disorders, and if one has a juicer and cranberries are in season, by all means…. Personally, I have found that consuming fresh garlic copiously will help eliminate almost anything.

Feverfew is a common perennial with daisy like flowers and is a close relative of chrysanthemum and chamomile. Originally from southeastern Europe, feverfew is now common throughout Europe, North America and Australia. The leaves and aerial parts have the medicinal properties.

The herb feverfew has a long history in traditional and folk medicine. Feverfew’s main traditional use was as a woman’s herb. The herb’s name came from its ability to lower fever. Its main application today is in the preventative treatment of migraine headaches. Other uses include fevers, arthritis and menstrual ailments.

The cause of migraines is still up for debate. Different theories include instability of blood vessels, a platelet disorder, a nerve disorder, or a serotonin deficiency.

Stress, certain foods and beverages, and an upset in sleep patterns can cause migraines. Food allergies have also been connected to migraines. A large percentage of migraines suffered by women are related to their menstrual cycle.

Foods that result in raised serotonin levels in the body can cause migraines. Red wine, chocolate, processed meats such as cold cuts, hot dogs and sausage, aged cheeses, citrus fruits, and foods with monosodium glutamate (MSG) can be culprits.

Studies have shown food allergies/intolerances can play a major role in many cases of migraines. Most common are cow’s milk, wheat, chocolate, eggs, oranges, benzoic acid (food additive), cheese and tomatoes. There can be lots of other culprits. It’s not always the same foods for everyone. It is important to track the food you eat and symptoms to determine if there are dietary triggers and patterns of headache.

Regardless of the cause, feverfew is the most popular preventive treatment of migraine headaches. Feverfew’s anti-migraine action seems attributed to its lactones, which are rich in parthenolide. Parthenolide helps control and balance constriction and dilation of blood vessels in the brain.

Feverfew products with .2-.5% parthenolide standardized extract are recommended. Feverfew needs to be taken daily for anywhere for 2-4 months before it will work. It is not effective for an acute migraine attack.

People with allergies to the daisy family should not take feverfew. Taken as recommended, feverfew causes minimal side effects. Gastrointestinal upset and nervousness may be experienced. Chewing feverfew can cause mouth sores. It is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

An estimated one in ten people suffer from migraine headaches. Current anti-migraine drugs can have unwanted side effects. Feverfew appears to be a safe and effective alternative when taken daily in the prevention of migraines.

What many people don’t realize is that what they are calling “colds” is the body’s natural self-healing system doing what it is supposed to be doing. When something gets into the body, such as a virus or some bad bacteria, the body will naturally do what it is designed to do to rid itself of this invader. What most people will do is stop the process by adding drugs, thereby keeping the invader inside and having to eventually go through the cleansing process again AND also having to eliminate the drugs.

When you change your food program and start adding more natural foods, juices and higher quality water, the toxins and dead materials that are ensconced within your system will start to be eliminated. You may think you are getting “sick” and not realize it is one of the first steps to getting healthy. Many times when someone buys a house, they will “gut” it — meaning tear out everything they don’t particularly find to their liking. It doesn’t look good. When a body starts receiving new input, it needs to clean out the old to make way for the new. It doesn’t feel good.

When foods containing toxic substances such as caffeine are eliminated, energy levels tend to drop and many people experience headaches. Part of this is due to the lack of stimulation of the adrenals and the heart, and the cleansing process itself. Usually, the symptoms will end within about three days, and a new, more relaxed being evolves.

Other symptoms of the cleansing process will usually last 10 days to two weeks, or may only last a few days, then come back at another time for a few days.

What you need to do is give the body time to adjust to its new diet. If you move to a new home, you would give yourself time to adjust to the home itself and the environment surrounding it. You’ll take the time to find new routes to where you would normally go; find local stores, post office, service stations and if necessary, doctor, hairstylist, mechanic, etc. You would give yourself the time to adjust to the external changes. Is it uncomfortable at first? Of course! Just as it would be uncomfortable for the internal side of you when you change your food program. You need to give yourself time to adjust.

One thing many people experience is weakness during a cleansing. This is because your body only has so much energy. During this time, its focus is on purifying and eliminating toxins and dead tissue, so it can make way for healthier regenerated tissue. If, at this time, you add any of the things you’ve eliminated, such as coffee or tea containing caffeine, you will stop the process.

The cleansing process is broken down into three phases: Catabolism — where the focus is on breaking down and eliminating old tissue; Stabilization — where the amount of waste material being discarded is equal to the amount of new, vital tissue being replaced; and the third — Anabolism, which is the build-up phase. As your body becomes used to better foods, your assimilation of them will improve.

With a better food program, you may find that previous cravings are no longer there; you’re able to maintain your weight at a reasonable level; your mental faculties are more stable; you have more desire to live life to the fullest!

Understand also that the body runs in cycles. Even though you are eating better than ever, there will be periods of greater elimination. If the body tried to eliminate all the toxic waste and materials you put into it in a lifetime, it would kill you. (Interesting how it can hold so much in the tissues and still survive, isn’t it?)

Just remember, every time this happens, if you don’t do anything to stop it, in a few days, you’ll feel stronger and better.

A good, simple way to assist the body in purifying is to drink hot water with lemon juice. Lemon juice is a great kidney and liver purifier. And remember, the skin is considered a third kidney and also a third lung, so you need to keep this channel of elimination open — as you do all the channels of elimination.

The thing you want to remember is, don’t stop the process! Every time you do, you have to start over.

We psychiatric survivors have difficulty explaining to the nonmentally ill about how much we suffer mentally. The problem seems to lie in the fact that the general public has certain specific markers that indicate “illness”. If one is emaciated, has his or her leg in a cast, is sitting in a wheelchair, or is lying in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of all orfices, then to many people that is “real” illness. Mental illness is largely invisible in nature. What is a mentally ill person supposed to look like? We largely look like anyone else. But herein lies the stigma. If you don’t fit the conventional idea of illness then it is assumed you don’t work because you are just malingering, that you are on welfare because you are a bum, and when you can’t function up to par, you are just “irresponsible”.

We who suffer mental illness not only have to deal with horrific suffering and medication side effects, but we suffer as a persecute minority. It is socially acceptable to make fun of “crazies”,”loony tunes”, “psychos”, “bananas”, “nutbars”, whackos”. The sigma can be subtle also. Even saying you’re depressed may spark people into instant sermonizing. Have you noticed that when you have an emotional breakdown everybdoy instantly becomes amateur psychologists? You get tons of home spun advice, but not much help or listening going on.

There’s not a lot of sympathy out there if you should become suicidal either. Most people say that you’re just bluffing and that if you talk about suicide, then you really don’t want to die. However, studies have shown that most people who have killed themselves always leave clues and talk about suicide before dying.

It’s shocking to discover first hand that most people are incredibly ignorant about mental illness and hold to myths from the Dark Ages. Even more frightening, a lot of them don’t want to be educated about it. This is not because of a lack of information either. Rahter it seems to be a closed mindedness to the subject — an attitude of “I’ve got my own problems and I deal with them, don’t bother me with yours.” Our society gives the most positive reinforcement to those who are healthy, wealthy, and upbeat. The mentally ill are a target for stigmatization because we are often poor, depressed, and unemployed — divested of power. In short, society preys on the mentally ill more than the mentally ill prey on society. Have you felt the stigma lately?

Thank God for disability/SSI. Some of us are truly disabled or will go through a period of disability and without disability funds, how would we survive? In fact, most of us will endure a transition phase—that period of time between contracting rheumatoid arthritis and learning how to care for ourselves—and without an income, we wouldn’t be able to care for ourselves at all.

Once we get through that transition phase, though, how many of us are truly disabled? Is being too sick to work—say, 5-15 days a month—considered disabled? That’s a tough call…especially when a full-time job is simply beyond our reach. A part-time job may not be the solution, either…after all, who among us can predict when we’ll have our next flare? There aren’t too many employers can tolerate an absentee rate of 5-15 days a month.

Except for telecommuting employers, that is. More and more companies are learning to appreciate the advantages of telecommuting: low overhead, more flexibility for working moms and the “disabled”, and—surprise!—a higher production rate. And—since you can set your own hours—telecommuting is an almost ideal solution for people with arthritis.

What the Heck is Telecommuting?
Telecommuting is working at home while linked to the office by means of a telecommunications-equipped computer system. In non-techie terms, that means working on the Internet. Often, companies that offer telecommuting set up an extranet: an internal TCP/IP network that has been selectively opened to its employees. You may receive your assignments through email or you may have a “queue”, i.e. a list of assignments given to you through the extranet.

Telecommuting jobs run the gamut from menial (e.g. data entry) to highly specialized technical work…and each are reflected by their respective paychecks. Some companies contract out their telecommuting jobs—which means you are responsible for keeping up with your taxes—and others only offer part-time work. However, there is full-time telecommuting work out there, which means health insurance, paid vacation time and sick leave.

Advantages of Telecommuting
Make Your Own Hours

The most obvious advantage, of course, is that—unless advised otherwise—you can absolutely work your own hours. Even better, you don’t have to work all those hours in 4-8 hour segments. Feeling sore? Getting stiff? So shut down the computer and knock off for a while; after you recuperate you can log on again. Or, if you are in a flare, you could work one hour on, one hour off or even hit the couch for a day! As long as you get your hours in, it doesn’t matter when you work.

No Outside Distractions

In fact, you’ll be surprised by how much work gets done without the distraction of office politics and gossiping office mates. Telecommuting is great for those with a wide independent streak: the rebel, the non-team player, or anyone who doesn’t appreciate a supervisor breathing down his neck every 15 minutes. And, since you don’t have those outside distractions, you are free to create your own distractions! Listen to Internet radio. Plug in a nearby TV. Sing “Take This Job And Shove It!” to the top of your lungs. You will absolutely not get fired for it (as long as you don’t type it!).

Fire the Babysitter

Along with the radio and singing, a crying baby is entirely appropriate in a telecommuting environment. In fact, many “non-disabled” working moms are transferring to a telecommuting position. Work while your children are in school or schedule work time according to the baby’s nap schedule.

Work in your Jammies

Or your bathrobe. Wear that T-shirt with the obscene slogan. Or work stark naked if that is your bizarre raison d’etre. Comfort is—for some of us—a major reason to telecommute. And the low overhead is not only for bosses…you save money on work clothes, dry cleaning, gas/auto maintenance, babysitting, etc.

Disadvantages
Loneliness

Alas, if you are truly a “people-person” (as opposed to fully 90% of us who tell prospective employers this because we think it’s what they want to hear), this is not the job for you. True, there is no office gossip but there is no office camaraderie, either. Also, if you are struggling with a problem, you can’t just pop into the next cubicle to ask for help…and waiting for technical support can keep you idle for hours.

Work Can Be Tedious

These usually aren’t glamorous jobs. Often, telecommuting positions are reserved strictly for clerical-type work; there isn’t much room for creativity. True, if you are proficient in DreamWeaver or Photoshop, you could probably get some freelance work in web design, but you’ll find many more data entry telecommuting positions than those for web design.

Pay is Often Low

Sad, but true. On the other hand, many telecommuting positions offer full benefits…and how much are you making on disability, anyway?

Where to Find Telecommuting Jobs
Department of Rehabilitative Services

I once asked my DRS counselor why DRS wasn’t doing more to create and/or find telecommuting positions for its clients. She replied that when government cuts their budget so deeply that each counselor had more than 176 clients apiece, it didn’t leave a lot of time for research and recruitment (Remember that next time you’re in the voting booth). Still, DRS does offer many vocational opportunities, including telecommuting positions, so it can’t hurt to register…and don’t wait for them to call you. Call them.

Employment Agencies

Personally, I haven’t found employment agencies—either government or private—to be very helpful in this regard…but that may not be the case in a large, metropolitan area. When you speak to them, be perfectly frank about your abilities and your limitations. Don’t soft-soap your symptoms or you may find yourself in a job that you can’t handle! Also, watch the fees. Some of these agencies are worse than loan sharks…tell your recruiter that you are only interested in fee-paid positions.

The Internet…But be Careful

Yes, Virginia, there are legitimate telecommuting jobs to be found on the Internet—but they are few and far in between. Here are a few tips to separate the scamsters from legitimate employers:

* Search “telecommuting”, not “work at home”
Stay-at-home moms and disabled people are easy prey for con artists. You can eliminate many “biz-op” scams by entering “telecommuting jobs” into your favorite search engine. There will still be plenty of con jobs listed, but you’ll be able to recognize them by the inflated promises. (By the way…no one is going to pay you to stuff envelopes. But you already knew that, right?
* Register With On-line Job Agencies
There are also many legitimate on-line job agencies…although some of them still don’t quite understand what is meant by telecommuting (e.g. one agency confused telecommuting with “willing to relocate”…still don’t understand that one).
* Forget About Better Business Bureau
Most people don’t realize that all you have to do to be recommended by the BBB is to pay a fee. If you get a complaint, you can clean your record by sending a one paragraph letter of explanation…even if the explanation is utter nonsense. Furthermore, if a business is completely unscrupulous, the BBB is not authorized to do anything about it…including divulging their nefarious doings to people clever enough to contact the BBB before working for an agency. Instead, watch for:
o Inflated promises i.e. “Get Rich!” “Retire Early” “Work Only Three Hours a Week!”
o No business address listed or offered
o Business is located in another country not regulated by the F.C.C.
o No actual job description, other than “Get Rich!” etc

Go After It!

Tired of waiting for job offers? Then go after it! Dust off that resume, take your one suit to the cleaners, and hit the pavement. Don’t bother sending off your resume; if you do, you’ll be lucky to get a form letter in return. Wait until you are having a “good” day and visit a local company. Ask to speak to personnel or the manager and pretend that you are already on a job interview. Just because a company doesn’t already have telecommuting positions doesn’t mean that they can’t be created. In fact, many companies haven’t even heard of telecommuting, so educate them. Emphasize that you don’t want to be on disability, you want to work…the idea of someone who is already on disability—and deservedly so—who still wants to work is always impressive.

No Bites, Yet?

Okay, suppose you registered with DRS, you harass the employment agency at least once a week, you check the Internet daily and your hand is about to fall off from all those pre-employment handshakes…and nothing is happening. Maybe you need to learn some new job skills. DRS can be a big help in vocational training and finding the funds to pay for them. There are also a few online certification programs, like Brainbench, who can teach you PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, etc. for a fairly reasonable fee. Plus, more and more colleges and universities are offering online classes…perfect for the future telecommuter!

And if you think that your hands are too affected to type , ask DRS to help you pay for Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation software. It takes a while to “train” it, but if you practice enough, it can keep up with normal speech patterns, “learn” new vocabulary and even work online!

There is no shame in being on disability; that’s what our tax dollars are for, to take care of us when we need help. But never feel that just because you have arthritis, that you have no other options. There are always options…even when you have RA.

Sarcoidosis is a chronic, granulomatous, autoimmune system that no known origin or cure. A response is triggered by the body’s immune system when an organ or bodily system is no longer recognizable and it attacked like bacteria or viruses that don’t belong there. It can be a very uncomfortable existence, to say the least.

Sometimes when only the lungs are affected, it is possible that very few or no signs or symptoms show up. Of all people with sarcoidosis as many as half won’t exhibit any signs or symptoms. So as a result a patient might be diagnosed by accident, usually during an examination for other reasons. One common way is through a blood test that involves getting an A.C.E level.

You sitting there at your computer, thinking, ”how does a person have an illness and not know? What kind of illness would have no symptoms? That’s crazy.” Twelve years ago, I might have thought the same thing. Then I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. I had signs and symptoms but between talking to others and having to do a certain amount of research on my own, with sarcoidosis, it is possible. And let me tell you, it has been an education and an experience.

The signs and symptoms that I had experienced prior to finding out that it was sarcoidosis also were similar to those of the common cold, flu, bronchitis, and asthma. Believe me, that list could probably go on for miles. It was almost 2 years before being diagnosed and I heard diagnosis’ of everything I just mentioned and then some. I was getting this feeling that something was wrong. But because of what I was being told was wrong I was getting frustrated and feeling extremely crazy.

My experience probably isn’t unusual since the signs and symptoms can be minimal. And like me, someone else could feel the way I did-like booking a padded room at the local mental health facility.

Some of the signs and symptoms may include:

1. vague feeling of discomfort and fatigue,

2. fever,

3. weight loss,

4. shortness of breath,

5. cough, which can be chronic,

6. and raised skin eruptions.

In 80 to 90% of people with sarcoidosis, the lungs are affected.

These small inflammatory nodules, called granulomas, form in the affected tissue or system because the body’s immune system has identified it as not belonging there as if it were a bacteria or virus. So it tries to get rid of it.

Sometimes it can take awhile to show up. When it does, it can be devastating. It can be hard to diagnose. It can also take a long time to get to that diagnosis with the whole process of elimination and then the actual testing for it. Sarcoidosis doesn’t seem to be the first conclusion that anyone comes to, certainly not to those of us laypersons who hadn’t heard of it before and just said “HUH?”

My humble suggestions are whether you’re healthy or sick:

1. See a doctor for regular check-ups, like once every year.

2. Don’t be afraid of asking questions or even asking for a second opinion if you think it is needed.

3. If your doctor is rushing through your examination, free feel to tell your doctor to slow down, that you have questions or concerns. If the doctor can not do this for you, go over his or her head. Switch doctors if nothing else works.

4. Make sure you understand what is being done with your care. After all it is your body and you have the right to know. Medical professionals and personnel get busy.

5. In summary honest communication is important

It is your body and your health. Take care of it. Healthy or not, it will go far.

Weight training will benefit just about everybody, but there are certain principles you should follow to get best results. Let’s look first at sets and repetitions. A repetition (rep) is one performance of the exercise, and a set is a group of repetitions. Your goals define how many repetitions you should do. Once you know that, you can decide how heavy the weight should be.

The most often recommended number of reps is 8-12, and this is a good middle ground. This is the best range for muscle building and will give you some strength and endurance as well. Men will see their muscles grow, and women will see theirs firm up. Women will not get as big as men, because of hormonal factors. Very few women will get “big” from a weight training program. Working with light weights and very high reps, aside from some initial gains, is basically a waste of time as far as muscle toning is concerned.

To work more on strength, work in the 4-8 rep range. If you go over 15 reps, you will be working mostly on muscle endurance. Some endurance work can be helpful, but, aside from some specialized goals, you may be better off getting most of your endurance from practicing your sport or cardiovascular exercise. These ranges work for most people, but you can expand the range to 6-15 and experiment to see what works best for you. You should be doing your exercises with a slow, controlled movement and good technique. One set per exercise will work fine for the average person who doesn’t want to spend too much time working out. If you want to do more, you will get better results, but not near, say, twice as much from 2 sets as one. Three sets per exercise works well, but over 4 you get to the point of diminishing returns. If you are lifting weights that are heavy for you, you should do one or more light warm-up sets per body part, whether you are doing 1 work set or several.

Choose a weight that is heavy enough that you are fatigued by the last rep in the range you choose. Stop one rep short of absolute muscle failure (where you can’t do another rep). You can always grind out another rep by compromising your technique, but that doesn’t count. A spotter is essential for free weight squats, bench presses or flies, military presses, triceps extensions, or any other exercises where the weight is over your body. If you work out at home without a spotter, make sure you stop well short of muscle failure, where you’re sure you could do another 2 or 3 reps. You will still make good gains. Always put safety first.

Beginners can start with one set of 8-12 repetitions for 8-10 exercises. Start with a light weight and 10-15 reps for 2 or 3 weeks, concentrating on learning exercise form before you step up to weights that will cause fatigue. If you are advanced and looking for more stimulation, try working a muscle building program of 8-12 reps for 4-6 weeks, alternating with a strength program at heavier weights and fewer reps, and an endurance component, if you wish.

How often? Don’t work the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. If you work your whole body in the same workout, 3 days a week such as Mon., Wed., and Fri. is best, but if you can only do 2 workouts a week, space them out as best you can. Some advanced trainees train each body part only 1 or 2 times a week, but most people should work out at least twice a week.

You need to rest a little between sets to allow your muscles to recover enough to complete the next set. If you don’t have to rest, the weight you are using is too light. For muscle building, rest 30-60 seconds, and for strength, at least 3 minutes. Endurance training uses short rest periods, about 30 seconds.

To summarize: General fitness, 1 set of 8-10 exercises covering major muscle groups, 8-12 reps, 45-60 sec rest, 2-3 times per week. Bodybuilding, 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, 2 or more exercises per body part, work each body part 2-3 times per week, 30-60 sec rest. Strength, 3-4 sets 4-8 reps, 1 or more exercises per body part, 2-3 times per week, rest 3-5 minutes. Endurance, at least 1 exercise per body part, 1-3 sets, 12-20 reps, 30 sec rest.

Tempo is important. Each rep should take at least 3-5 seconds. Lift to a count of 2 and lower to a count of 3. You can go slower if you like, but faster reps do not recruit the muscle properly and can lead to injury.

Set aside at least 20 minutes for your workout, exclusive of warmup, and try to keep the workout at 45-60 minutes. If you work briskly, you will get best benefits in 45 minutes, as growth hormone tends to decline after that. You can be flexible with workout time. For instance, if you usually work out for an hour but only have half an hour on a given day, just cut back on sets, but don’t skip your workout.

Work the large muscles first, as fatiguing small assistance muscles first may keep you from getting the most out of the large muscle exercises, although this is sometimes used as an advanced technique. The sequence would be legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, abs. Do all the exercises for the same muscle group before you go on to the next, if muscle building is your goal. Start your workout with an aerobic warm-up of 5 minutes or so, and finish with some stretching, making sure to stretch the muscles you worked.

There are a number of factors contributing to the aging process, not the least of which is our bodies’ inability to produce these hormones like they once did. Aside from not needing these hormones, genetics provide few reasons for the slowdown in their production.

You received more of these growth hormones via your mother’s breast milk when you were a baby. This is the reason that babies who are not breastfed do not develop as quickly as those who are breastfed. One theory regarding the reason that our bodies slow down production of this hormone is that it has only been in the last century that the average person has survived to be older than 50 years of age. This offers the body no incentive to waste energy on the production of these hormones.

If you examine the matter carefully, you will conclude that most likely they are correct. A couple of millennia ago, which is a blink of the eye in terms of man’s history on earth, few humans survived forty years, so these hormones did not evolve. The farther back in history you look, the shorter the average life expectancy was. Cavemen were probably lucky to live to be a year old and were most likely considered to be quite old by the time they became sexually active at the age of thirteen.

The problem that we have now is that we live for a longer time and now need these hormones to maintain our bodies’ health and live a productive life.

Athletes, in an effort to prolong their careers, have come under fire in the last decade or so, for using human growth hormone HGH supplements. Natural hormone production in an athlete’s body, the very process that initially provided them with athletic abilities, slows down in a person’s thirties and forties. The true controversy comes into play when young athletes who are still in high school try to use these supplements to provide benefits that they normally would not have had. But let us understand the difference between artificial growth steroids and Human Growth Hormone Supplements. Artificial growth steroids such as those utilized by the East German Olympic Team in the 1970’s are synthetic muscle growth hormones that can cause serious issues. Human Growth Hormone Supplements are the essential and non-essential amino acids that are required by your body to produce these hormones on its own.

It does not take much to realize that these natural supplements could have a beneficial impact on your quality of life. As you get older, less of these compounds are being produced, which results in less vigor than you had previously. I guess the fact that when these same athletes were forced to stop taking these natural body building blocks, their performances declined sharply, giving us the best proof we have regarding the effect these amino acids have on the quality of life as we age. If you want to retain or get back your zest for life, these human growth hormone building blocks may hold the answer.

Is your diet unhealthy? Are you eating unhealthy, fast food daily? Processed fast food contains various chemicals and preservatives which will accumulate over time and become toxic. Are you regularly purchasing items like sodas, chips and frozen food? These foods contain toxins in the forms of chemicals and preservatives that will stay in the body.

We are exposed to toxins during the entire course of our lives. An entire lifetime. It’s continuous poisoning. Our body endures the toxic accumulation until it falls apart, at which point the damage has become serious and, in some instances, permanent.

A variety of products are available to help cleanse the body. There are also plenty of diets available that claim that toxins can be eliminated from your body if you consume a particular food or beverage — whatever the latest craze is. The diet may work at first.

It’s likely that available studies with good results support them. Now that your body is detoxified, what should your lifestyle be? Will you continue to eat toxic foods or drink alcohol or smoke? If you do that, you are just cleaning up your system to go pollute it all over again. It will help tremendously if you start eating unprocessed foods.

It is imperative that you quit smoking and the use of alcohol. Discontinue your toxic food intake, things like chips and soda. Making your own meals will be a desirable thing to do. You could need to learn how to cook. If you can’t cook, ask someone who can to do it for you.

Our bodies have the remarkable capacities to heal. The body will naturally cleanse itself of toxins once a healthier lifestyle is achieved. Today is the best time to start a healthier lifestyle.