Monday, February 23, 2009

Turning to Vedic Wisdom to Fix America’s Health Crisis

It’s time to do something about health care that doesn’t depend on the government.

The US health care system is going to be broken for the forseeable future, and only because I am now far enough away from it to have some perspective do I understand that it is the responsibility of each individual to take personal responsibility for his or her health. We have given it over to the government for the past fifty years with disastrous results.

A contemporary reinterpretation of ancient Vedic wisdom advocates a balance of body, mind and soul and offers Ayurvedic treatments to help optimize health and prevent illness.The simple practice of keeping your life in balance means you can avoid the health care system while waiting for it to get better (if it ever does).

And then I will remind you that here in India, people do not rely on the government because they cannot. The power goes in and out constantly, the streets have no curbs and sidewalks, all basic infrastructure is woefully lacking. And yet, life goes on because India has become a nation of entrepreneurs who do not depend for their well-being on “good” government. In the award-winning novel The White Tiger, the author talks about village hospitals in which the doctors never appear, because they are hired by the government to go to the hospital, but pay money to a clerk to check off a ledger that says they’ve already visited the hospital for the week.

You may think this only happens in India, but people in American hospitals wait long periods of time to see a doctor, too, although for different reasons.

In India, this leads people to learn on their own and to take more personal responsibility. It has developed a nation of entrepreneurs. In America, we are currently a nation of learned helplessness, standing in line at the government’s door waiting for our bailouts.

Health care for individuals in far back in the bail out line. If you are currently uninsured, or uninsurable, try reading Ayurveda to get a different perspective on what you can do for your own health.

(Written by francine on February 19, 2009 - 11:33am For: www.ushealthcrisis.com)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Top 10 Reasons for Getting Up Early

I don't always bound out of bed with grand expectations about the day ahead, but when I can hear my grandmother saying, "This is a day the Lord has made: I will rejoice and be glad in it," it helps. And when I get up at the early side of morning instead of the snooze-alarm side, ah, what a difference!

1. It stretches out the morning. You could even see it as a way of living longer.

2. There's no excuse not to meditate.

3. Or go to the gym.

4. You'll be sure and make your bed before you leave the house. Just remembering that you did that gives you a better day.

5. There's time for a real breakfast.

6. You get to see your city or town when it's fresh and new---just you and the street cleaners and the paperboys

7. You don't have to rush to get to work.

8. You can get to your desk with time to spare to straighten things up a bit, check personal email, and maybe start the coffee so the person who usually does that gets a pass.

9. You're starting your day in rhythm with nature. According to the time-honored Indian healing system of Ayurveda, there's a wake-up energy in the early morning from 5:30 to 7 o'clock or so, and a slow-down-and-help-you-sleep energy from 9 to 10:30 at night.

10. You join forces with giants. The bulk of great thinkers past and present were early risers. They didn't miss anything the day had to offer. Get up with them and you won't miss anything either.

(From - Beliefnet.com)