Tag: Poor

  • Crystal Meth Addiction – Signs Someone You Know Is Addicted to Crystal Meth

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    Crystal Meth is a pure form of methamphetamine, derived from either ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. It can be crushed and snorted, melted in a glass pipe and smoked, injected with a syringe, even eaten. Users experience feelings of euphoria, heightened senses, increased energy, a perceived increase in focus and feelings of power.

    The following is a partial list of observable signs a person is on the drug:

    1. Whatever the person is talking about pours out in a stream.
    2. If you have the chance, have the person stick out their tongue. A person who is on meth will be showing you a tongue in muscle spasms. It will look as if it has electrodes hitting different parts of it simultaneously.
    3. People who are on meth tend to sweat well beyond what is considered normal.
    4. Crystal Meth produces dilated pupils.
    5. A person taking it will repeat the same behavior over and over.
    6. You may notice an unusual breakout of what looks like acne, and the person will pick at the blemishes. Even if there is no apparent breakout the addict may pick at his skin for no apparent reason.
    7. You may notice (in some cases but not all) rapid weight loss, especially around the face.
    8. The person’s skin may be clammy looking or grey in pallor.
    9. The addict’s hygiene will be quite poor.
    10. Tooth decay is another common symptom of Crystal Meth abuse. Many people have lost a number of teeth from using the drug over periods of time. This is caused by severe calcium and vitamin deficiencies.
    11. Methamphetamine addicts are very active for periods that can last several days, even up to a week, followed by periods of sleep or depression.
    12. If a person has been taking Crystal Meth for a few days in a row, his jaw may “wind” or move in a sort of circle involuntarily.

    In addition to these symptoms, Crystal Meth creates severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies, causes inflammation around the heart, and causes inflammations on the skin. Meth users typically experience dramatic mood swings, going from elated excitement to feelings of deep depression, suicidal or even homicidal thoughts.

    Many Meth addicts start “projects” such as disassembling a radio, a piece of furniture or an appliance, and end up leaving it a big mess. They will often attempt to repair things by using parts from other things that are handy, creating an enormous mess of incomplete projects all around them.

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    Source by Steven Bruno

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  • The Catcher in the Rye: Mental Health Services and Social Connections for Children

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    The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, was required reading for my tenth grade English class. I remembered it as a story about the struggles of adolescence, the yearning for independence, and the reluctance to let go of youth. My son is now about the same age as I was when I read the book and we are living through his own nudge for independence, which sparked my interest to give the story another read. Before I began, I wondered what my take on the book would be at this point in life having survived adolescence and received training and experience in child development in addition to having a teen in the house. This reading accentuated the unresolved grief, family dysfunction, mental illness, and lack of social connectedness of the main character, Holden Caulfield, and how these difficulties exacerbate the issues experienced during the typical maturational process. As the country still debates gun control laws in the aftermath of Sandy Hook, and as we try to recover from the Boston Marathon bombing, The Catcher in the Rye reminds us about the importance of developing meaningful and genuine connections with our children and the need to address their mental health issues.

    The Catcher in the Rye begins as a flashback story about Holden Caulfield’s experiences leading up to his nervous breakdown prior to Christmas. Holden narrates the story while receiving inpatient psychological treatment on the west coast. The events begin at Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania, where Holden has been expelled due to poor academic performance, and conclude in New York City as Holden attempts to return home. During the course of his journey, Holden attempts to make connections with a number of people however, he fails miserably due to his social ineptitude, lack of appropriate treatment for what may possibly be bipolar disorder, and inability to believe that other people are capable of being genuine. Holden eventually makes it home and connects with his younger sister. By that time he has decompensated to the point that, even though he is no longer experiencing suicidal ideations, he feels disconnected, misunderstood, and alone. Holden decides that he is going to go away, to escape from society and the rejection, the loneliness, and the pain that he feels. However, Holden makes one last trip to see his sister Phoebe before he disappears. Phoebe’s caring, anger, and innocence provide Holden with the connection he is looking for; she is both a peer and dependent to him. Through Phoebe, Holden is able to cling to his childhood and put off making the leap to young adulthood and independence.

    One theme that I was more attuned to during this reading was the unspoken dysfunction of the Caulfield family. Holden frequently compares himself to his younger, deceased brother, whom he describes as brilliant and athletic, as well as his older brother, who has become a successful author. It is suggested that Holden is a challenging child, and somewhat of a disappointment to his parents as he has been unable to live up to their expectations. He has been expelled from at least four preparatory schools due to poor academic performance, he has difficulty socially connecting with others, and he has frequent mood swings. It is possible that Holden’s parents were drained from watching their youngest son battle with leukemia which left them with little strength to effectively deal with Holden’s grief and potential disability. In Holden’s eyes, they appear to have emotionally and physically divested themselves from him. He has little to no emotional family support and what appears to be very little communication with them. Holden is left adrift to navigate this tumultuous time in his life without support, understanding, and treatment. His efforts to reach out and communicate, including failing out of schools and getting into fights, are not understood as cries for help but are seen as personal shortcomings.

    Holden perceives most people as being phony, superficial, and hypercritical. This may in part be due to his social awkwardness, lack of maturity, and feeling of being abandoned by his parents. He is continuously let down by everyone that he reaches out to for help as they either don’t live up to what Holden has built up in his mind, or they try to take advantage of him. Therefore, Holden comes to believe that everyone is phony who doesn’t or is incapable of meeting his preconceived expectations. In addition, Holden clearly experiences moments of mania during the story, which are often followed by feelings of sadness to the point where he does express some suicidal thoughts. It seems that the lack of communication with his parents, the unresolved grief and guilt over the death of his brother, and the inability to effectively and appropriately connect with others result in Holden being unable to interact with others on anything but a superficial level. The exception to this is Phoebe. Her reluctance to let her brother leave provides Holden with the strength to go home and ask for help. However, in the end, Holden continues to suffer from a lack of love and feelings of loneliness. He states, “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” At this point, Holden continues to find it difficult to have genuine, meaningful relationships believing that when you open up to people that they will turn away from you in order to keep the relationship on a superficial level. Holden continues to be plagued by this emotional void and, while there is a hunger for social connectedness, he will continue to experience emptiness and rejection due to his quirkiness.

    For me, reading The Catcher in the Rye in high school highlighted the struggle for independence and Holden’s war on hypocrisy. On this reading, I was able to obtain a better understanding of the tragedy that occurs as a result of Holden’s parents being unable to provide him the emotional support that he needs to overcome his brother’s death and deal with his mental health needs. Holden’s repeated failure to socially connect and develop a meaningful relationship with anyone other than his sister and the lack of treatment for his mental health issues made me think of the recent tragedies in Colorado, Sandy Hook, and Boston. It reinforced the need to take mental health needs and services seriously; just because these conditions are unseen doesn’t mean that they aren’t debilitating. Feeling cared for and connected to others reduces the stress, stigma, and isolation that are associated with these conditions. It made me wonder whether these tragedies could have been avoided if the people involved had received appropriate therapy and treatment. They may have felt connected and accepted, and these tragedies may have been avoided. The message of being accepted and cared for from The Catcher in the Rye continues to be relevant to young people today as we all strive for acceptance.

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    Source by David Pino

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  • Book Summary: Tax-Free Wealth – How to Build Massive Wealth by Tom Wheelwright

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    I was lucky as a kid to have my father as a business mentor. When the time came and I entered the business world, I could not lean on him as he passed away young. The Rich Dad / Poor dad books were my saving grace when it came to financial education. Several of the concepts I knew about because of my father but the advanced strategies and the “how to” really came from the Rich Dad books. Tom is a Rich Dad advisor.

    Why is this important to me?

    I am not doing this summary to waste your time. It is my vision to provide concise action steps that you can adopt right now to enhance your financial life and career. If you want to continuously improve, you have to be committed to continuous learning. Lever the continuous learning with the right associations and you will succeed in your career.

    The Cash flow quadrant really sums up the essence of financial success. If you focus on the left side of the quadrant then you can make an OK income but if you focus on the right side then you can become rich. Robert Kiyosaki points out in Rich Dad / Poor Dad that the left sides of the quadrant people make money, pay tax and then spend it. On the right side of the quadrant people make money, spend it and then pay their taxes. This is a huge difference and can be the biggest success lever in your financial arsenal.

    Tax-Free Wealth points out 24 Tax Strategies you can use on your way to Tax-Free Wealth. For the sake of time I will point out a few along with some commentary about each.

    1. Rule # 1 – It is your money, not the governments. People tend to run scared when it comes to taxes. Remember that you are the one creating the value and making the business work, be smart and utilize tax strategies to minimize tax and maximize your investment. The key here is tax avoidance NOT tax evasion. Every concept in this book is totally legal and encouraged by the IRS.

    2. Rule # 2 – The Tax Law is written to permanently lower your taxes. All financial plans need a solid foundation. This is why you simply can NOT focus on rate of return only. You can make a huge rate of return but if you can lose it because of a law suit or 50% gets eaten up in taxes then you will lose in the long run. 99% of the tax code is written as incentives to encourage people to start business. The reason the government does this is because businesses create jobs and that is the single biggest economic driver.

    3. Rule # 3 – The fastest way to put money in your pocket is to reduce your taxes. Businesses require investment. That investment is a business expense along with R&D, Travel and other business related expenses. You can combine vacation and work legitimately and write it off as a business expense. If you travel and sell items then go on sales calls in the vacation area. If you are a real-estate investor then travel where you may invest.

    4. 4. Rule # 24 – Build massive passive income through your tax savings. This is the strongest wealth builder in the book because you lever up compound interest, velocity of money and leverage. Utilizing these three vehicles along with investment stacking and you will be rich. The goal is to build your business and make the money there and turn it into passive income and then park the added money into cash flow investments like real estate. You want your money working harder than you do. You do not want to trade hours for dollars. Let me give you an example.

    In our software company there are two ways to build wealth and that is through intellectual property and maintenance agreements. These two things used together will build a company that can be sold for 2-4X revenues. Now to foster that investment with leverage, I use the “Infinite Banking Concept” to lend money to the business through “my own bank.” Now the money the business pays me comes back as investment income which means lower taxes. The new revenue the additional maintenance contracts bring foster new contracts. The next step is to use “good debt” to leverage our coverage and purchase more maintenance contract revenue with our software platform.

    In summary, you make money in your business and hold it in passive income generating assets using good leverage, velocity of money and compound interest.

    Tax-Free Wealth is a great resource that I encourage you to read. If you immerse yourself in these concepts, financial security and true wealth can be yours.

    I hope you have found this short summary useful. The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes habit. Habits form in as little as 21 days. One thing you can take away from this book is lever your financial education. If you take control of your education and schedule 30 minutes per day dedicated to this then you will reap results. You cannot put your financial future in the hands of somebody else. Take on the responsibility and good things will happen.

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    Source by Joe Mosed

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  • Astrological Combinations For Riches

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    There are various combinations for the riches in the horoscopes. Let us see which are the combinations for the big riches.

    A person born in a poor family having the following combination in the horoscope is sure to be a very rich person:-

    1. Jupiter is in the Quadrant in Cancer, Saggitarius or Pisces signs.

    2. Moon is in the 2nd, 8th, 10th or 11th house, in the sign of Taurus, Cancer, Saggitarius or Pisces signs.

    3. Mercury is in 2nd or 10th houses in the sign of Gemini or Virgo.

    4. Mars is in the 4th, 10th or 11th house in the sign of Capricorn.

    5. Venus is in the 2nd, 9th, 10th or 11th house in the sign of Taurus, Libra or Pisces.

    6. Saturn is in the 4th, 5th or 11th house in the sign of Acquarius or Libra.

    Saggitarius or Pisces

    If the Ascendent is Aries or cancer:- And the Sun is in the Ascendent, 3rd, 10th or 11th house and Saturn is in the 4th or 7th house in Libra,and Mercury and Venus are in 2nd house in Taurus then, the native is bound to be a very rich person.

    If the lord of Quadrent is in the Trine and Lord of Trine is in the Quadrent, or both are either in the

    Quadrant or in the Trine, the native is a very rich person.

    If a native has Cancer as his Ascendent and has Saturn in the 4th house (Libra), Mars in the 7th house

    (Capricorn), Sun in the 10th house (Aries), he is also very rich.

    Astrologically, in a horoscope the lord of 11th house is the main planet to give income.

    A person will become very rich, through share market or speculation, if saturn is positioned in the 11th house in signs Libra or Acquarius.

    If Saturn (in sign Libra), or Mercury (in sign Virgo) or Moon (in sign Taurus) is positioned in the 11th house, the native earns huge wealth through the manufacture of machineries.

    Besides, in a horoscope, the 2nd house is the house of wealth.

    If the 2nd house is positioned by Venus in Taurus or Pisces, the native, becomes very rich through the

    business of white commodities like Silver, Cotton, Cotton Mills, Sugar.

    In a horoscope, 5th house is the house of speculation. If the 5th house is positioned by the Sun (in the signs Aries or Leo) or Jupiter (in the sign Cancer or Saggitarius), the native will get the huge money from race course and/or lotteries.

    In a horocope the 10th house is the house of Karma,

    If Saturn is situated in the 10th house in the sign of Libra or Acquarius,the native becomes rich through the business of oils.

    In a horoscope, the 8th house is the 11th (house of gains) from the 10th house (house of Karma), which if positioned by planets Moon (in sign Taurus), Mercury (in sign Virgo), Jupiter (in sign Cancer) or Venus (in sign Pisces), the native earns through speculation.

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    Source by Shashi Sharma

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  • The Central Theme of Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki – Look For Assets Not Liabilities

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    Rich Dad Poor Dad has been reviewed by many writers. The book, written in 1997 by Robert Kiyosaki, immediately became a success. The concepts expressed therein are the foundation of Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad book series.

    Rich Dad Poor Dad expresses a number of concepts that seem contrary to the established norms of accounting and finance. Robert Kiyosaki defines an asset as anything that puts money in your pocket and a liability as something that takes money away from your pocket.

    In Rich Dad Poor Dad and indeed the entire Rich Dad series, Robert Kiyosaki encourages his readers to look for assets and avoid liabilities. This is the key message to those who want to become wealthy and prosper financially.

    Based on the definition of assets and liabilities is the concept of making money work for you instead working hard for money. Money works consistently and diligently for a wise owner multiplying beyond expectations. You cannot become rich by working for money.

    You earn passive income when you get your money to work for you, a concept explored exhaustively in Rich Dad Poor Dad. Passive income is the foundation of wealth as it gives leverage to your efforts. After setting up an income stream, it continues to make you money while you sleep.

    The Rich Dad Corporation has three main shareholders: Robert Kiyosaki, his wife Kim Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. The three of them are co-founders of the RDPD Corporation under which they have produced a range of RDPD books.

    Kim Kiyosaki has written her own line of Rich Women, Poor Women which is based on the same basic principles expressed in Rich Dad Poor Dad but is directed to a different audience altogether. Riding on the back of her husband, Kim Kiyasaki’s books have also been very successful, drawing millions of satisfied readers.

    Robert Kiyosaki has influenced the lives of millions around the world through his books, helping many to become aware and get rid of doodads, thus eliminating liabilities from their financial life. He has conducted millions of seminars and training programs. He is dedicated to educating humanity in business principles and handling of personal finances, thus helping them to escape poverty.

    The Rich Dad Series gives many practical examples of how to grow money using real estate, the stock market and business. The books confirm Robert Kiyosaki’s qualities as educator and motivator, and his understanding of economics and money concepts. Employing skills as educator and his knowledge of money matters, Robert Kiyosaki has been able to build an empire on the concepts expressed in Rich Dad Poor Dad.

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    Source by Robert Mato

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  • Can Your Migraines Disappear With Orthomolecular Medicine?

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    Quantum Brain Healing addresses the root of the migraine problem before recommending the treatment protocol. The root causes of migraine headaches include stress, poor diets, neurotransmitter imbalances, endocrine hormone imbalances, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, mineral level imbalances between calcium and magnesium, pineal gland malfunction, electromagnetic field imbalance, and emotional trauma. It is possible for a migraine to be a secondary illness where the primary disease is a brain tumor. Migraine headaches are an important symptom of a brain tumor. A brain aneurysm may feel like a migraine. Migraines may accompany ADHD, epilepsy, diabetes, Crohn’s, heart disease, irritable bowel, depression, and bipolar disease. A comprehensive look at your medical history and diagnostic testing must occur to rule out more serious problems prior to treatment.

    Migraine headaches can be caused by food and environmental allergens. Avoid nitrates, MSG, artificial sweeteners, and foods high in tyramines including red wine, cheeses, and chocolate. Stay away from carbonated beverages, soy, peanuts, pickled foods, non-organic coffee, chocolate, food dyes, food additives, or refined foods. It is very important include protein in your breakfast each day. Avoid all genetically modified foods and eat local or organic fruits and vegetables. Include fresh salmon, avocado, walnuts, almonds, and omega 3 and 6 essential acids in your diet.

    Identify allergens in your diet and avoid them with dietary changes including the G.A.R.D. Diet or the Elimination Diet. The Rotation Diet follows a different theory that allows exposure to each food once each four days. The immune system calms down when there is not frequent exposure to the allergen. Gluten may be a trigger for many people with migraines. Try to keep a food diary for at least one month to identify the foods that may be your triggers.

    Many people with migraines may experience problems with pollution and environmental triggers. These may be avoided or eliminated with hard work. Otherwise, this can be dealt with by reducing stress and improving overall diet and health. Stress may be improved by changing jobs, a divorce from an abusive one, a new job, a new hobby that you enjoy, volunteer work, and watching comedy on TV or at the movies. Stress can be reduced with Yoga, tai chi, and Qi Gong. There are several alternative therapies that can help migraines such as neurobiofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, and Bach Flower Remedies.

    Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) is great at improving migraines with patent herb formulas and liquid herbal extracts which can be used along with auricular laser therapy, auricular acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, and traditional body acupuncture. These therapies usually require two weeks to see improvement. The acupuncturist may recommend several months of treatments depending on how long you have experienced the migraines.

    © Dr R Stone, MD-India

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    Source by R Stone

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  • The Best Shingles Diet to Cure Shingles

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    Shingles, medically known as herpes zoster, is a result of the reactivation of the dormant varicella-zoster virus in individuals who have previously had chickenpox. The dormant virus stays in the dorsal root ganglia of the sensory cranial and spinal nerves. When an individual becomes immunocompromised (weakened immune system), the virus is reactivated and comes out in the form of shingles. Shingle flare-ups can become very painful. One way to alleviate shingle flare-ups and to help the immune system fight off the infection is to follow a shingles diet.

    One study about shingles diet suggests that consumption of foods that have a high proportion of lysine to arginine might help reduce the severity or extent of the disease. Arginine and lysine are amino acids; amino acids are what form the protein in the body. The two, however, have different functions. Lysine is gives the raw material needed in the production of collagen. Collagen is responsible for wound healing and plays a part in bone growth. Arginine, on the other hand, is one of the components of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is important in keeping a healthy and normal blood pressure.

    Arginine is found to encourage the growth of herpes simplex. Lysine, meanwhile, offsets the effects of arginine. Because of these, the two amino acids compete with each other for the absorption of the affected cells. And since the virus which causes herpes simplex and herpes zoster are related, it is believed that a diet consisting of high lysine: low arginine foods can help individuals suffering from shingles as well.

    A shingles diet which contains high lysine includes plenty of meat, fish, and poultry. s. Farm-raised poultry should be preferred than those found in the wild as they contain less arginine and more lysine. Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt should be included in a shingles diet as they are also rich in lysine. Legumes and soybeans are also great sources lysine.

    Since arginine encourages shingle flare-ups, a shingles diet should comprise of low arginine foods. Some multi-vitamins contain arginine; these kinds of multi-vitamins must be avoided. A shingles diet should also minimize, if not avoid, foods including chocolate, white bread, brewers yeast, nuts, and oats.

    And since shingles is mainly due to poor immune system functions, a good shingles diet must help the immune system fight off the infection. Zinc and Vitamin C are a must in keeping the immune system healthy. Vitamin C is found mainly in fruits and vegetables; oranges, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, potatoes, and peppers are great sources. Zinc, on the other hand, can be found in legumes, whole grains, poultry, red meats, and oysters.

    Proper diet is always a part in the management of any disease. The best shingles diet, consisting of foods rich in lysine, zinc, and vitamin C, should be followed in order to cure shingles faster and to minimize the symptoms of the disease.

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    Source by Bob Carlton

    Views: 0

  • Uncovering the Weight & Lifestyle Connection

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    Why do some people have a harder time losing weight than others?

    Some people have really low metabolisms due to inborn genetic conditions. Others develop hormone-imbalance disorders like hypothyroidism later in life, which can also make losing weight nearly impossible without proper treatment.

    However, the most common cause of delay in weight loss is actually lifestyle choices.

    If you are already dieting and working out and you still aren’t seeing any progress, it’s time to do a lifestyle check to see if you have any “weight loss traps” holding you back.

    What are “weight loss traps?”

    Weight loss traps are habits, beliefs and general lifestyle factors that can slow down your progress in slimming down. To say that only diet and exercise are needed to slim down is an oversimplification. There are many other factors that affect a person’s weight.

    Factor #1: Daily Routines

    How do our daily routines affect weight loss?

    Daily routines have a definite impact on the weight loss process. If people evaluated their main routines at home or at work, they would immediately see why the weight isn’t coming off.

    If you grab cheeseburgers or tacos for lunch and you skip breakfast on most days, your metabolism is probably very low and your body isn’t burning calories at an optimum level.

    Poor eating habits often have precedents. For example, if a person doesn’t have time in the morning to prepare breakfast, it is likely that they often sleep late and wake up in the morning with only minutes left to shower and dress for work.

    It’s important that you slowly change your daily routines to fit your new lifestyle requirements. Otherwise, your body will not be able to shed fat efficiently.

    Factor #2: Stress Levels

    How stressed are you on most days?

    If you answered “very stressed” or “extremely stressed”, your level of stress may also be preventing you from losing weight.

    In addition to the mental strain that stress creates, physiological stress also affects cardiorespiratory efficiency, nerve health and even your digestive health. In short, when you are mentally stressed, your body (including your vital organs) is stressed too.

    In this situation, the only viable option is stress management.

    There are many stress management techniques available, from meditation to massage therapy. Some individuals like playing subliminal recordings with ambient sounds to relieve themselves of stress. Explore your options and see which technique will be the most beneficial for you.

    Factor #3: Sleep Quality

    Sleep is the only time that the body can start renewing and repairing itself. When you are actively losing extra weight, your body needs even more sleep so that your muscles and organs can repair and reconfigure themselves to function more efficiently.

    What happens when you don’t get enough sleep at night?

    Lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can affect your ability to exercise. Your metabolism is also slower and the digestion and absorption of nutrients also slow down.

    Having less than 6 hours of sleep every night can also cause physical stress which further reduces your metabolic efficiency. In short, if you want to melt away those extra inches, you have to give your “fat burning machine” the rest that it needs.

    How can you get better sleep at night?

    No Gadgets – If you are going to sleep, leave your tablet computer and smartphone on the bedside table or even farther away. Watching TV is also a bad idea as it makes your mind more active, making sleep harder to come.

    Aromatherapy – Starting with the ability to relax your mind and body, aromatherapy can vastly improve your sleep habits. Getting to sleep, staying asleep, the quality of sleep you are getting, and the ability to wake up refreshed are all quality sleep habits that aromatherapy can help you with.

    Lights Off – Current research shows that having even a small amount of light present during bedtime can affect sleep quality. It appears that we instinctually associate any form of light with sunlight and therefore, wakefulness.

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    Source by Josee Smith

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  • A Look at the Difference Between Prosperity and Success

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    Is there actually any difference between a prosperous man and a successful or rich man? Or are they mere synonyms? If they are different which group should a Christian belong to? Which should reflect in a Christian? I would like to make an analysis with the Bible and on that base we could differentiate and draw a conclusion.

    “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shall make thy way prosperous and then thou shall have good success.”

    Joshua 1:8(KJV)

    We could see it is God’s will that we be both prosperous and successful as we abide by his word daily. We could also say that prosperity is different from success or riches but they are related as the bible also made us to understand. What is then the difference between this two? Is it possible to be rich and not be prosperous or is it also possible for one to be prosperous and not rich? Who is a prosperous man? These questions would be answered from the Bible.

    “With God you will be both prosperous and you will have “good” success. But without God you can be only be successful”.

    In the book of Luke 16:19-31 Jesus gave us the parable of a rich (successful) man and a beggar called Lazarus. The man was successful, he had wealth but was not prosperous because his riches were not affecting the lives of the needy or the poor, his wealth was for him alone and for whom he dimmed fit. He was only a rich man.

    “And the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man; and he was in his master’s house. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper”.

    Genesis 39:2-3(KJV)

    Joseph was a prosperous man but he was not rich materially at that time and because he was prosperous his master’s house was blessed. If you see a prosperous man, the blessing of the Lord in his life will radiate and affect the lives of others positively. Prosperity and success (riches) is not limited to material (Money) and tangible things, you could be rich in talents and so many other useful things but the fact still remains that you should affect lives. A prosperous life blesses the lives of other with what God has given him/her.

    “When riches or success are used to bless lives to the Glory of God it becomes prosperity”.

    Point 1

    Riches or success could be gotten from God or by man but prosperity is only from the Lord. For a man to be prosperous he must abide by God’s word Joshua 1:8. The bible said and the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. Prosperity here should not be confused for influence.

    Point 2

    As Christians we should use whatever God has deposited in us to bless others. This is when we will be recognized as prosperous.

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    Source by Hanson Chidi Otuneme

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  • Does God Heal Today?

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    I’d never faced this decision before… I didn’t know what to do. When I was first diagnosed with the HIV virus, I read innumerable articles on it and later suffered from an information overload and depressing confusion. One article would speak in favor of taking the highly toxic HIV/AIDS medicines, and then I’d read another one that spoke against it with just as convincing of an argument.

    As a Church of God member, I knew we encourage members to have faith in God and teach doctors have their place but that it is very limited. As I told my doctor: “Miracles have no side effects and are for free.” We’re all familiar with the poor lady in the scriptures who spent all she had on doctors and wasn’t any better for it and then Jesus mercifully healed her.

    I cried out to God: “I don’t know what to do. What should I do? I know you can heal me, but what am I supposed to do for myself?” And shortly thereafter called my mother, who simply said: “You could always try the medicines and if you don’t like them, you can always stop taking them.” How logical!

    I immediately began my HIV drug therapy, my AIDS “cocktail.” I know some who have taken meds with few side effects but I could hardly walk when I first started — it was worse than being a staggering drunk — and the nightmares were out of this world…when you finally fell asleep. Later I regained my balance but the nightmares, nightsweats and irritability continued. I would be drenched like I had just gotten out of the shower and I would have some tingling in my arms and legs. Regardless, I strictly adhered to the program for over a year and then said enough was enough. I admit it reduced the HIV viral load to “undetectable” (although it’s still lurking).

    I decided I wanted quality over quantity of life. I would rather feel good for less years than have more years in misery. At least that sounded good. Again, I saw stories on television about others who praised the meds and were near death and bounced back, but one thing is sure: everybody is an individual and everybody must make up their own mind about whether or not to take medicines.

    My infectious disease doctor wanted me on the meds and encouraged me to try another regimen. So I tried nine pills a day of this with two a day of that and endured for several weeks and then said I would rather be dead and stopped again. Later I went on other drugs, and took Bactrim to fight off infections and although I didn’t have any serious side effects, I just didn’t feel right. I actually felt so much better off the drugs!

    So I created my own program: on drugs for 6-8 weeks to knock my viral load down (because I start to get scared as it escalates) and then go off them. I discovered it’s called “Systematic Treatment Interruption” which some studies suggested was good but now the consensus appears to be it’s bad, although I’m skeptical about the lucrative drug industry, a view that has been reinforced by Dr. Peter Duesberg.

    I’ve seen Scriptures where God promises to forgive all your sins and heal all your diseases (Ps. 103:3), and wonder why God hasn’t removed this self-inflicted dreaded disease from me since I have confessed and forsaken my sins (Jer. 30:15, 17). (Some have diseases through no fault of their own). I also know AIDS has helped me to stay celibate, as the Bible prescribes for all singles, and that God says, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9).

    I’ve had miraculous answers to prayer; I’m confident God can heal:

    “I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me sore, but He has not given me over to death” (Ps. 118:17-18).

    Thy will be done.

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    Source by David Ben-Ariel

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