Rainbow - A natural light show on earth

A rainbow is may be the "one of the most spectacular light shows observed on earth".

There is more explaination of 'rainbow' but we call it a

“Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.”

An Irish blessing quote is:

“May God give you...For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”

Everyone should wish to have a friend, a lover or a well wisher who is ready to paint you a rainbow:

I'll Paint You A Rainbow

Grace E. Easley  

I'll paint you a rainbow to hang on the wall,

to brighten your heart when the gray shadows fall.

On a canvas of joy outlasting the years,

with a soft brush of sweetness to dry all your tears.

I'll paint you a rainbow with colors of smiles

That glow with sincerity over the miles.

On a palette of words I will tenderly blend

Tones into treasures of sunlight and wind.

I'll paint you a rainbow that reaches so wide,

Your sights and your sorrows will vanish inside,

And deep in the center of each different hue,

A memory fashioned especially for you.

So lift up your eyes, for suspended above,

A rainbow designed by the fingers of love...

Source of poem: "Inspiration Peak"

* “Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep believing, the dream that you wish will come true.”

Acupressure techniques for stress and relaxation

For general health maintenance, there are some acupressure techniques that you can do yourself for self healing. The techniques are simple and easy to learn. Acupressure is a no cost, easy and self help method of getting cure for common ailments and it doesn't have any side or after effects.

You just need to select an appropriate massage plan that suits your health need, perform it in the morning and evening and make it last 20-30 minutes each time.

In this article, you will learn some useful acupressure techniques for self-healing. We use a lot of alternative therapies to fight stress and depression which has become a part of our everyday life but acupressure offers a very good solution for this common ailment.

Acupressure for easing mental stress and relaxation

1. Sit still with eyes looking forward and teeth clenched, use the palm to pat evenly over the crown of the head, 20 times,
2. Press the thumbs on the inner sides of the eyebrows (Bl2) and knead 30 times.
3. Wipe the forehead with the middle knuckles of the index fingers, 30 times.
4. Press and knead the corners of the forehead inside the hairline (St8), 30 times.
5. Press and knead along the back of the head within the hairline with the thumbs, 30 times.
6. Knead the lateral side of the wrist (Ht7) on both hands, 30 times.
7. Knead 3-finger-breadths above the inner malleolus of each ankle (Sp6), 30 times.
8. Finish by rubbing the center of the soles of the feet (Kl1), 30 times.

The massage is helpful for insomnia, mental fatigue, absent-mindedness, drowsiness and listlessness. When kneading or pressing on particular points, there should be enough force to bring about numbness or soreness, while rubbing or wiping should create a feeling of warmth.

Source link for pictures and more information: 'Shen-nong'

* Download a slide show about the topic 'Acupressure for common ailments'

How to know the water we are using is safe and healthy for us?

In our daily lives we not only use water for drinking purposes but we bathe, brush our teeth, wash our clothes with it. Farming, ranching, food processing and a multitude of manufacturing processes use a great deal water, as well. The water we use for regular daily needs is treated on a huge level to make it safe for us. This post helps you learn how the water is purified to make it safer for humans.

We all know that water is an essential part of our life. Just a few lines to remember that

Importance of Water:

- Regulates body temperature

- Serves as a solvent for minerals, vitamins, amino acids, glucose and other small

molecules, aiding their assimilation into the body carries oxygen to all parts of

the body

- Lubricates the areas around our joints (especially important for athletes, people

with arthritis and those with chronic challenges, like back pain.

- Is necessary for chemical reactions in the body

- Acts as a shock absorber inside the eyes and spinal cord removes the waste products of our metabolic processes

Do you know the water we are consuming for drinking or cooking is safe and healthy for us?

The only way to know what is in your water is to have it tested. Water water treatment professionals can perform on-site tests for; hardness, iron (rust), pH, total dissolved solids, nitrates, chlorine and temperature.

If a city, water utility or other regulated system supplies your water they can provide you with the results from government mandated tests they’ve completed for a variety of contaminants. Keep in mind that they are not required to test for all contaminants.

While bad odors, unusual colors or metallic tastes usually indicate a drinking water contaminant, some contaminants are not so easily undetected. Lead is tasteless, odorless, and colorless and can find its way into your water via soldered pipe connections. Lead-based solder was used in homes built as recently as the late 1980s. How old is your home? What type of plumbing pipes do you have?

Even though cities generally use chlorine to disinfect water to prevent illness and disease, chlorinating is not a “foolproof” method. Unexpected outbreaks of microorganisms can still occur. And although it has been treated, city water may pick up contaminants as it travels through miles of distribution lines before it reaches your home.

The ways to make water safe for humans are:

Carbon Filters: Activated carbon can reduce chlorine, VOCs, tastes, odors, and in some cases, lead. Carbon filters are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles, from mini-filters that can be attached to the end of a faucet to in-line systems connected to a home's plumbing. Filter cartridges must be changed regularly to ensure optimum contaminant reduction. Note: Faucet mounted mini-filters may be less than effective. Mini-filters are one area where price may well indicate quality and level of protection.

Distillation Systems: Distillation systems boil water to reduce contaminants, then condense the steam that results and collect the water in a storage tank or pot. Since certain substances (including many contaminants but not all) don't vaporize they don't rise with the steam and are left behind in the boiling chamber. Note: While most distillers do not remove volatile organics, adding a carbon filter can provide a more effective system. Distillers use a great deal of energy, radiate a great deal of heat and must be cleaned regularly.

Note: When water is “soft” or “softened” prior to distillation the need to clean the distiller is greatly reduced.

Important: Distilled water most often has a low pH value (acid). My doctor does not recommend drinking low pH (acid) water. She tells me that most disease processes can not live in an alkaline body environment. She recommends drinking water with an alkaline pH, except. . . she does recommend drinking distilled water for people who are “stone” formers.

Ultraviolet Systems (UV): UV systems destroy microorganism’s ability to reproduce by exposing them to intense ultraviolet light… as a result, they die. Since they “disinfect” water rather than remove contaminants, UV systems should be installed with other filters; a sediment pre-filters and carbon post filter are common. UV bulbs must be changed regularly (generally once each year, depending on conditions) for the system to function properly.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems:

RO systems are recommended by the US Department of Health & Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the most effective ways of protecting residential drinking water. The best systems utilize a combination of carbon filtration and a semi-permeable membrane to reduce contaminants. Water is first filtered, then forced against a dense membrane, a portion of it passes through, while contaminants are left behind to be carried away by the effluent. These membranes are very similar to those used in kidney dialysis. Think “fresh squeezed” water when you think of reverse osmosis.

Reverse osmosis effectively removes dissolved salts (naturally occurring, as well as, from water softeners), suspended solids, dissolved chemicals and a wide variety of other contaminants that cannot be seen by the naked eye. When choosing an RO system, look for a unit with a high recovery rate (recovery rate = amount of water produced divided by amount of water used). Generally, a rate of 25% is considered efficient. R O filters should be changed, generally, every six (6) months and the membrane every two years, depending on what is in your water and the amount of water used.

Source of information: 'Natural Health Techniques'

Importance of water for human beings

More or less we all know that water is an essential part of our life. We can live for weeks without food but without water we can live only few days. Water is essential for our whole body. When our cells lose water they lose their shape.

Water plays an important role in digestion and absorption as well as circulation and is essential in the regulation of your body temperature, lubrication of joints and the texture of our skin. Water is the carrier of nutrients through the body and essential in the removal of metabolized waste material.

If you're active and exercise regularly, you should be drinking at least the minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. (2 liters) If you plan to engage in prolonged and strenuous exercise you should drink 500mls of water two hours before exercise to allow time for adequate hydration and excretion of excess water. While exercising vigorously, you should be drinking 150 ml to 350 ml of water every 15 minutes to match sweat loss. After all, sweat is 90-99 percent water.

Let's know how much of our water we retain in our bodies?

Between 55 and 65 percent of the human body is made up of water.

* Our blood is 83% water.

* Our brain is 75% water.

* Our muscles are 76% water.

* Our liver is 70% water.

* Our kidneys are 82% water.

* Our skin is 70% water.

* Our bones are 22% water.

* Even our fat is 20% water.

Why we need to drink enough water?

Because water regulates body temperature.

* serves as a solvent for minerals, vitamins, amino acids, glucose and other small molecules, aiding their assimilation into the body
* carries oxygen to all parts of the body
* lubricates the areas around our joints (especially important for athletes, people with arthritis and those with chronic musculoskeletal problems)
* is necessary for chemical reactions in the body
* acts as a shock absorber inside the eyes and spinal cord
* removes the waste products of our metabolic processes

What happens when we are dehydrated?

Dehydration increases muscle glycogen use, which leads to premature fatigue. A slight 3 - 5% decrease of water in the body can lead to light-head ness, headaches, dizziness and nausea. In fact, when you're dehydrated by just 4.3 percent, your performance drops by 22%. A 7% decrease can lead to hallucinations or worse, major organ stress.

Dehydration also raises the body's core temperature, which can lead to delirium, heat stroke or in extreme cases, death. The solution, of course, is to keep hydrated and drink plenty of water.

With two thirds of the earth's surface covered by water and the human body consisting of 75 percent of it, it is evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth. Water circulates through the land just as it does through the human body, transporting, dissolving, replenishing nutrients and organic matter, while carrying away waste material. Further in the body, it regulates the activities of fluids, tissues, cells, lymph, blood and glandular secretions.

An average adult body contains 42 litres of water and with just a small loss of 2.7 litres he or she can suffer from dehydration, displaying symptoms of irritability, fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, weakness, headaches and consequently reach a state of pathology. Dr F. Batmanghelidj, in his book 'your body's many cries for water', gives a wonderful essay on water and its vital role in the health of a water 'starved' society. He writes: "Since the 'water' we drink provides for cell function and its volume requirements, the decrease in our daily water intake affects the efficiency of cell activity........as a result chronic dehydration causes symptoms that equal disease..."

Drinking enough water can boost your brain powers

Water is involved  in all bodily functions: digestion, assimilation, elimination, respiration, maintaining temperature (homeostasis) integrity and the strength of all bodily structures. Your body, being primarily water, requires sufficient daily water replacement in order to function efficiently. 

Important factor is the amount of water necessary for our body to function at its peak performance. Bearing in mind again that your body is about 75 percent water it is easy to understand that water must be your body's most essential daily ingredient. Your body looses each day about 2-3 litters of water through elimination, urination, perspiration and respiration. However, this may increase during illness, high performance, exercise, pregnancy and nursing. The beverages most people choose to consume are often counter-productive in promoting hydration. Coffee, tea, alcohol, soft and sugary drinks are all diuretics and will cause not only the loss of water the are dissolved in, but they will also draw water the bodies reserves. In normal conditions your body needs to replace the fluids it has lost throughout the day. Most of fluids should be replaced by drinking pure water. The rest you should get from fruit, vegetables and their juices. 

Attention must be given that the elderly and children are meeting their daily requirements. Dry mouth is not the only indication of dehydration, in fact it is the last sign. You need to acquire the habit to drink water even when you think you don't need it and eventually your true thirst mechanisms will be reawaken. Signs to look for that identify with dehydration are constipation, headaches, indigestion, weight gain, fluid retention, dark and pungent urine, and their associated pathologies colitis, kidney stones, bladder and urinary track infections to name only a few.

Loma Linda University researchers found that drinking five or more 8-ounce glasses of water a day could help lower your risk of heart disease by up to 60 percent - exactly the same drop you get from stopping smoking, lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol numbers, exercising, or losing a little weight.

How drinking water can boost your brain powers?

A glass of water can boost your creativity as well. If you’re properly hydrated you’ll have more energy, you’ll feel healthier, you will become more alert and aware of your surroundings. If your brain is functioning on a full reservoir it will function at full capacity and you’ll think better and faster. A glass of water is a great boost to your creativity. You’ll find ideas are easier to come up with and they’re likely to be more unique. Your mind will work easier and it won’t seem like such a strain. All that and it’s one of the simplest changes you can make in your life.

Bring Instant Increase in Brain Power:

1. First thing in the morning have a glass of water. Go ahead and have your coffee or whatever afterward, as I said we’re not making this hard core.

2. Around lunch, have another glass of water along with whatever you planned for lunch.

3. Then grab a glass around 3:00 or somewhere in there, especially if you’re starting to feel like you’re slowing down.

4. One glass of water with supper.

More related articles:

* 10 Reasons to Drink More Water

* I Drink, Therefore I Am: Water - the Elixir of Life

* Need to Increase Your Brain Power?