Blog Archives
Meditation and Movement for Self-Healing
This motivational and educational book, Meditation and Movement for Self-Healing, is inspired by Catherine Ayano Nixon’s four-year tenure at People Incorporated. This is where she worked with recovering addicts and individuals grappling with mental illness using holistic, non-medicated therapy techniques like yoga and tai chi. This engrossing book begins with a comprehensive guide outlining essential tools for practicing meditation either individually or in a group. It then delves into the definition of meditation, its healing properties, and the role of breath work and higher power in this practice.
Nixon’s writing style is remarkably fluid and effortless, creating an easily comprehensible and accessible guide for readers. This instantly puts the reader at ease and makes them comfortable with the process. This do-it-yourself book allows for a self-paced introduction to meditation, gradually guiding readers toward a deeper state of mindfulness by establishing a seamless connection between the mind and body, as promised in the book’s title. The author uses a unique blend of chakra activation techniques focused on specific organs such as the heart, pelvis, arms, and feet, combined with the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water, providing a comprehensive. This approach allows readers to combine elements and see how they are interconnected, giving them a greater awareness and grounding.
Whether you’re a fan of yoga, particularly the cat-cow pose, or you prefer self-calming practices, Meditation and Movement for Self-Healing can help you embark on your journey toward mindfulness, offering discipline and structure to support your efforts. Regardless of where you are on your journey, this book can provide invaluable guidance and assistance.
Pages: 80 | ASIN : B08K3W5NM8
The Ailing Nation: Lessons from the Bedside for America’s Leaders
![The Ailing Nation: Lessons from the Bedside for America's Leaders by [Nate Link]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51P7yTMvtaL._SY346_.jpg)
The Ailing Nation by Nate Link reflects on the economy of America over the past decades and how different sectors in the government have been impacted by a dwindling economy that does not seem to be getting better over time. Despite the poor economy, there have been some good innovations in the field of medicine which have led to better healthcare within hospitals making it one of the best sectors in the government. The book is filled with short stories by patients whose experiences help the reader understand the true state of the country.
Author Nate Link uses the incompetency showed by various characters within the hospital setting to portray how the nation is ailing. He uses his experience in the field of medicine to analyze and diagnose what the country could be ailing from and if there is a cure for that ailment. I am amazed by how he uses comparison in the book between a chronic patient and the long-term status of the US economy. The use of simple language, even when the author is expounding on the medical field, helps readers of different levels easily understand the views.
Short stories have been used effectively throughout the book to bring out the real situation of the country’s economic state. I love how he uses his medical knowledge figuratively to break down the economy, diagnose problems within the system, and give the current physiologic state as he terms it and then arrives at a possible treatment.
The Ailing Nation explores historical issues all the way up to issues plaguing us today, all reflecting on the economic status of America. The Ailing Nation methodically breaks down the United States economic status from a medical perspective while also providing a diagnosis along with a possible treatment plan, all while maintaining a steady, and intriguing, narrative flow that consistently informs its readers while capturing their attention.
Pages: 345 | ASIN: B08WJBBMFW
The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed
![The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed: How to Manage Food, Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus by [Jill Henry, Dave Henry]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EDKFItMwL.jpg)
The Greatest College Health Guide by authors Jill and Dave Henry is a resourceful health guide that will help readers maintain their physical and mental health during their college years. When students enter college life it becomes easy to lose yourself in your studies, and the parties, and forget about your health. With a crazy study schedule, long nights, early morning, fraternities, parties, and a poor lifestyle how can you make health a priority? This book breaks through all those barriers by providing simple but effective information and tips to help you stay happy and healthy. This guide to health will provide readers with healthy habits that will help them in college, and as adults.
Authors Jill and Dave Henry wrote this book to build health-awareness that students lose after awhile. A lot of the bad habits that are mentioned in this book are some that I myself have grown accustomed to during my time in college. These tips are helpful because they can eliminate a lot of stress that you have or will experience in college. The tone of this book is casual but is still perfect for someone to easily understand and take seriously.
I dove deep into the chapter about stress because I didn’t nurture my mental health until later on in my life. If I read a book like this during my time in school, I’m sure I would’ve saved myself from numerous panic attacks. Using healthy mental health practices is extremely important no matter what stage you are in your life. This chapter featured candid personal stories as well as handy stress management tips. These tips are useful because they’re simple and effective, perfect for the on-the-go student.
This health guide also touches on the effect that relationships have on a student’s mental health. From friendships to sexual relationships, this chapter explains why evaluating relationships are important. A lot of relationships that we’ve treasured in the past become meaningless in the future because we can only see people for who they are when we are no longer in a relationship with them. The authors write about relationships in a way that feels insightful yet conversational.
The Greatest College Health Guide delivers sagely advice with a bit of humor and lots of facts. This is a very handy guide that will ensure you live a happier and healthier life. Download it on your Kindle, keep it handy, and reference it often.
Pages: 264 | ASIN: B08BZWBRBR
Information That Will Actually Help
Beat Your Weight Beat Your Fat provides guidance and actionable advice readers can use to lose weight, live healthy, and keep the weight off. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The health, fitness and dieting world is a mess. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that’s dominated by false promises and quackery wrapped around slick marketing, prose, and/or desirable figures and looks in order to tempt the desperate to part with their money.
Sadly, it works really well at lining people’s coffers, but I’ve grown so tired and annoyed at it all and I just felt utterly compelled to give people information that will actually help and that will last.
I appreciated all the great realistic advice you provided in the book. What are the first steps someone can take on their weight loss journey?
Stop looking for magic.
Realise that there is no quick fix that lasts long term, so commit to change and the long haul.
Nurture your tenacity.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about weight loss?
I think the biggest misconception is that you can implement something temporarily in order to achieve your desired condition indefinitely. You can’t. You must change. And you must change in a way that’s agreeable to you so it stays permanent.
This is book two in your Body & Soul Series. What can readers expect in book three?
Exercise is what’s planned for book three. Beat Your Weight briefly touches on some of the reasons as to why exercise is good for us, but it doesn’t cover how. Book three will fill that gap with both the theory and practice.
Author Website: LifeGroup.life
There are so many weight loss books, diets, and plans now that disguise this fact, inventing new ways to wrap this basic fact up in a disguise in order to sell us something that looks shiny and new. But very little is new. It’s simply food group restriction (which results in a calorie restriction), and this commonality between diets of restricting food groups works for losing fat, but there’s a problem. And that problem is that the restricted food group can often be something that we like. So, sometime later, either after we achieve our chosen weight or when we’ve got tired of the restriction, we start eating the food group again. This, inevitably, results in us relapsing on our goals, gaining back fat and becoming overweight and obese again because we never actually learned how to fix the problem in the first place. We then often enter the yo-yo dieting phase where we go from one diet to the next in the hope that this one be the golden chalice and have the keys to the kingdom. Sadly, many of us end up stuck, confused, even resigned, only just managing the will to jump on the next hype train that tells us that losing fat can be easy.
Losing fat is never going to be easy though, nor is it going to be permanent if we keep jumping from one diet to the next due to not fully getting on-board with it. We don’t want to be doing stuff like this. We want to find a method that aligns with us, because finding a method that we like and can therefore stick to for good is how our fat problems remain fixed for good.
Healthy Dividends
Tricia Silverman brings a wealth of experience on nutrition and health in a compact and informative book. She teaches readers how to beat unhealthy food cravings and reveals that one can enjoy night outs in restaurants without breaking their diet. She uses some fad diets as examples of how to recognize a diet that is more harmful than useful. This book also comes with useful tips for self-motivation. Motivation is quite possibly the biggest enemy of healthy living. How do you motivate yourself to eat a healthy meal when there is fast food wafting in your airspace?
Tricia Silverman is not fueled by popularity and certified by social media. She is an academically certified nutrition expert. Her advice is evidence-based and factual. Her programs have been top-rated by clients, beneficiaries, and peers in her field. She has a refreshing way of delivering her message. The tone in the book is light while still maintaining an air of professionalism. She engages the reader in her book right from the beginning with her warmth and demand for full participation. Her advice is practical and realistic. While some diet goals can be designed to make you fail, she keeps in mind that you are human. She knows that you need to build up to an expert level. This is why it is a nutrition staircase. Stairs are meant to be taken one at a time.
This book is an easy read that is both motivating and inspiring. It made me feel like healthy living is actually possible. It takes you, step by step, from a novice to a well-oiled healthy machine. The writing style is laid back with both original and borrowed nuggets of wisdom scattered all around. The language used in this book is simple and friendly. Like two friends sharing stories of their wellness journey. Tricia adds a personal touch by sharing her own story of struggles with weight as an obese child.
This book is everything a wellness guide should be. It is simple, engaging and backed by science. It comes from a place of expertise and experience. For all of that and more, this book deserves five stars out of five. It is a must-have for anyone looking to live healthy, prevent disease, and simply be happy. Tricia Silverman has done a wonderful job. This book is your own personal wellness coach.
Pages: 186 | ASIN: B07ZQMYSJ9
Enhancing our Capacities
Shantha Kumar Author Interview
Functional Nutrients For Brain Health is a perfect title for this book as it outlines the different foods that can cause different health effects. What is a common misconception people have about food and brain health?
As we enter a new millennium, we are endowed with astounding knowledge about our Universe and ourselves and it is in our best interest to use them to our maximal advantage. We have to strive to protect our environment, our health and well-being and continue the momentum in the right direction. For this, we have to harness and combine the wisdom of the past with the insight and progress gained in the current information era. Lifestyle options with adequate and nourishing food, exercise and rest are needed to cope with the challenges we face every day.
Thus, the focus of this book is to provide guidelines for preserving and enhancing our capacities of intellect and thinking with proper dietary practices. This is especially important as we have extended lifespans, a plethora of commercial food products, food supplements, food fads and drugs that may be baffling to consumers. With increases in incidence of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementias and symptomatic brain disorders like autism, a retrospective look into how diet can influence proper brain function can help alleviate these conditions.
The brain is the control center of the body and as such, it has to function ideally for the rest of the body to be in perfect health. Besides its role in coordinating motor and sensory functions, the human brain has a major function in higher-order thinking and information processing skills. The role of the brain in fact extends beyond the physical into the meta-physical realm and consciousness.
A common misconception that people have about food and brain health is that what is good for the body is also good for the brain. However, this may not always be true, because every system in the body is specialized and nutrient needs are based on this. A high protein diet may favor an athletic body but may not be an ideal composition for brain functional activities. Similarly, a ketogenic diet may favor weight loss but may not be the best fuel for the brain. Also, growing fetuses, infants and children can have different nutrient requirements than adults for proper brain development.
What were some topics in the book that were important for you to cover?
I would consider this book as a preliminary attempt to understand the relation between diet and brain health. There are contradictory views on the effects of foods on brain health and the diversity of dietary practices, cultures, food availabilities makes it challenging to discern the right foods to use and the wrong foods to avoid. The approach I used for my book is to look closely at “best practices” in cultures where brain health was a priority and use scientific data to support their dietary styles. Another approach was to look at studies where specific diseases were correlated to dietary principles and try to have a disease model with a scientific basis to fit into these conditions.
However, to make the book useful to consumers, I have some dietary guidelines, plans and recipes which is the ultimate goal and this is a work-in progress.
One thing that I discovered with some of the food discussed was that although foods have health benefits they often also carry negative affects. What is a food that carries more health benefits than negative affects?
The ideal food, especially for infants and children, is milk. It is a complete food with correct proportions of macro and micronutrients and fluids. For adults, adequate and optimal quality and quantity of nutrients is important and foods can be beneficial when this principle is applied. Foods should also be customized according to a person’s needs and health status to maintain the body in homeostasis.
Do you plan to write more book on health and well being?
At this time, I would like to concentrate on making my ideas and work useful by applying the knowledge base about diet and health into the actual practice of planning diets. Also, providing people with better awareness and information regarding scientific evidence and strategies, so they can make informed choices in their food habits.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Facebook
The evolution of mammals and humans is marked by a massive expansion of higher thinking abilities which has paralleled changes in associative regions of the brain and inter-neuronal connections.. This book aims to portray the role and influence of dietary factors in brain health and its intricate networks and has suggested menu options in diet planning for preserving healthy cognitive functions and preventing disease. With increasing life span, it has become a challenging issue to preserve the normal functions of the nervous system and prevent cognitive decline due to aging processes. The rising rates of diseases like obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, autism, depression disorders that affect personality and brain health can be countered by dietary practices that establish better equilibrium and homeostasis in the body and central nervous system. Thus, optimal brain health involves nurturing and maintaining these capabilities and the structural and metabolic networks in the brain. Some of the relevant macronutrients (Caloric Energy, Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats) and micronutrients (Vitamins, Minerals, Phytonutrients – Flavanoids, anti-oxidants, etc.) and their cellular and systemic functional roles in normal and abnormal health are discussed. Traditional practices in dietary control in cultures with a strong history of mental abilities have been used as the foundation for many of the recipes and suggested diet plans, while scientific advances in our understanding of the nervous system has been used as the rationale for some of the dietary modifications to achieve optimal cognitive abilities and preserve memory functions, especially in the aging process.
The Bell Curve of Humor
David Jacobson Author Interview
What do you find is a common misconception people have about humor?
The most common misconception about humor is you have to be born funny to use your sense of humor. Not true. Think of humor like a muscle, if you exercise it, it will get stronger, if you ignore it, it will weaken. Anyone can exercise their sense of humor and practice using it more.
I find that some people have a good sense of humor, while others do not. How does having a good sense of humor play into the habits you describe?
We are all on the bell curve of humor with some apparently more comfortable using humor and others less comfortable. Past negative experiences with humor, such as being teased or criticized for their sense of humor can definitely make one more hesitant to use their sense of humor. Some have even been mocked for the sound of their laughter. This discomfort can be overcome and practicing these humor habits can help one become more comfortable with their sense of humor.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Just in the concept stage right now, I’m looking at doing a book on the role of humor in leadership. I also have a children’s book in the works called “The Frog Who Couldn’t Jump” for children with arthritis.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
![7 1/2 Habits To Help You Become More Humorous, Happier & Healthier by [Jacobson, David]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41MTk8fT92L.jpg)
“7 1/2 Habits To Help You Become More Humorous, Happier & Healthier” is an easy and fun book to read. The practical applications on how to improve your sense of humor make this a ‘keeper.’ This book reveals the mysteries to improving your sense of humor to be happier, healthier, have better relationships and make you a more humorous person. This funny, uplifting and endearing book will teach you the secrets of using humor to decrease stress, cope with adversity and enhance the good times. It tells the story of one man’s rise from the depths of illness and chronic pain to the heights of success attributable to his daily humor habits. He explains his discovery of how the simple use of HUMOR can transform your life and the world you live in.
For Good Health
Shantha Kumar Author Interview
The Vegetarian Diet Guru is a guide that provides strategies to design diets for specific nutritional needs. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Diet plays a central role in determining the structural and functional basis of our living and is basic to our sustenance and productivity. Modern medicine has relegated the role of nutrition in our well being, and I wrote this book mainly to bring its importance to the fore and also provide individuals with the knowledge and means to be in charge of their dietary planning. Nature has provided us with a bounty of options to fulfill our nutritional needs but it is up to us to make the right choices for good health. I wanted to outline recipes that use natural, time-tested ingredients and combinations that utilize the latest scientific principles that enhance the value of food, while providing flavor, nutritional balance and variety.
In normal body homeostasis, all parameters fall within normal ranges and the body is on autopilot mode, with the various systems working in unison to provide robust energy, growth and vitality. However, in disease conditions, the body is off balance and requires additional monitoring, medications and diet therapy to function effectively. While the recipes in this book are based on vegetarian selections, they can substitute or supplement non-vegetarian diets as well, as the nutrients and their actions are very similar.
This book has more than 150 recipes. My favorite recipe was the Green Chilies Curry. What is your favorite recipe from the book?
My favorite dish from this book is Masala Okra Curry. Okra is a valuable vegetable in vegetarian diets due to its multiple benefits. Okra is high in fiber, being a rich source of soluble pectins and gums that lower cholesterol, insoluble fibers that aid digestion, and mucilage containing polysaccharides and glycoproteins that lower blood sugar. Other carbohydrates include low glycemic neutral sugars galactose and rhamnose. Okra seeds have 20-40% essential unsaturated fats, and also, rare in vegetables, high amounts of protein, made up of amino acids lysine and tryptophan which are usually lacking in cereal-based vegetarian diets. Okra is also rich in polyphenols and catechins, which provide exogenous anti-oxidant defense against lipid peroxidation and increase endogenous glutathione peroxidase for stabilizing intracellular redox status. This powerhouse of nutrition in this recipe is combined with tomatoes, onions and spices which add to its value. This curry can be a side dish to accompany rice, rotis or complement other menus.
What is a common misconception you find people have about dieting and how they can overcome it?
The common misconception about diet is “one size fits all”; however, people are very unique with respect to their dietary needs, tastes, cultural preferences and health status. Thus, menus have to be customized taking individual factors into consideration. Often, it is difficult to find the right solution for dietary problems and information sources can be confusing or misleading, sometimes even dangerous. In addition, there are plentiful natural, prepared and commercial foods to tempt our palate. In these cases, it may be best to follow safe or tested alternatives that are proven to be effective.
Another common aspect of diets is their content and how the combination of foods affects their assimilation. That is why knowledge of nutrient values helps to precisely target the recipes and menus towards meeting the requirements as closely as possible. Often, with diets and nutritional health, a holistic approach works best rather than an isolated, symptom-based approach. The dieter should aim at harmonizing various body systems in the most optimal way, gearing towards maintaining equilibrium and normal function. Diet should be the first line of action in preventing disease and always have a supportive role in curing and ameliorating abnormal conditions.
Some diets can give results for a short time, but may not be practical for the long term, but here the diet plays a timely role to correct deficiencies or excesses and normalize after which, one can switch to a maintenance diet. Also, some degree of experimentation or trial and error can be allowed with diets and individuals can tailor their diets according to how their body reacts to foods. In the final analysis, a good diet is one that makes you feel happy, energetic and healthy.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
In this book, I have explained basic principles of Nutrition and Diet Planning in health and some abnormal conditions. In my next book, I would like to provide further details, better understanding and additional resources for healthy diet planning. Dietary practices are very personal and it takes time for people to commit to change. Diet should be habit forming and in tune with our lifestyle and modifying them according to our needs is a lifelong process. I would like to provide convincing arguments for food choices, simplified menu planning and food preparation strategies, dietary guidelines for other specific conditions and equip people with knowledge, freedom and practices to plan and use their diets optimally for the health and well-being of their family. As we delve deeper into our knowledge about what, how and why our body works, we realize that we have to reclassify foods and nutrients further into sub-categories that work in a coordinated manner. Although all this information may not fit in a book, I would like to popularize these ideas and publish at appropriate times to reach a larger audience.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Facebook
“The Vegetarian Diet Guru” is a nutrients-based menu planning guidebook that explains and provides strategies to design diets that meet nutritional specifications according to individual requirements. There are low-calorie recipes for weight loss; low-glycemic carbohydrates based recipes for blood sugar control in pre-diabetes and diabetes; rice, millets and oats-based recipes that can be used for individuals with wheat gluten hypersensitivity; high fiber vegan and vegetarian recipes for gastro-intestinal health; high protein dishes using lentil bean and dairy proteins to lower BMI (Body Mass Index) and increase muscle mass for vegetarians.
Available on Pothi.com
LITERARY TITAN 