Keys to the New Year 2010 Decade
This new decade begins with individuals, families and businesses doing more, spending less, and buying fewer products while engaging in more activities at home. Are you buying fewer products for your holistic practice, spending more time engaging in activities at home, preparing meals instead of eating out, or vacationing in your home town?
Graphic Source: Purdue Horticulture Edu.
”Hibiscus sabdariffa, or sour tea, is used in many parts of the world to make both cold and hot drinks. We might know it in English by the name Hibiscus or red sorrel. In Arabic it is called karkade, and in Iran, it is mainly known as sour tea. Sour tea, or Hibiscus, contains many constituents including , L-ascorbic acid, anthocyanin, beta-carotene, citric acid, pectin, quercetin, stearic acid and wax. The medicinal parts of the plant include the flower, sepal, leaves, stems and seeds. The extracts of the sepal contain significant amounts of vitamin C, anthocyanins and polyphenols and the highest concentration of water-soluble antioxidants. Traditionally, it has been used in folk medicine for several health issues including high blood pressure, liver diseases, loss of appetite, circulation, and as a gentle laxative and diuretic.
Lin et al showed that drinking Hibiscus tea for 4 weeks reduced total cholesterol by 8.3% to 14.4% ( Nutrition Res 2007;27:140-145). Animal studies have shown that rats with diabetes had a positive effect with Hibiscus on glucose and lipids. (Fundam Clin Pharmacol 2007;21:601-609). I {Dr. Tori Hudson} reported on the effectiveness of Hibiscus tea in reducing systolic blood pressure in a recent column. (J Human Hypertension 2009;23:48-54.)”
As humans, is there a means by which we can live on planet earth, separate from the environment? Can we live without air, food and water? Can we live on love alone without food, air and water? The answer regarding food, air and water is ‘Yes, by the Grace of GOD’. However, to do so will result in death because SPIRIT gave us food, water and air to sustain our bodies. The question that arises now is, “If we have food, air and water, why are there so many sick people–the cause of their illnesses unknown?”
Food, exercise, water and air along does not mean we will be healthy or in a state of optimal wellness. There are numerous dimensions to our lives. Some of them are self responsibility and love, breathing, eating, moving, thinking, playing and finding meaning. Each dimension is affected by another dimension. We are never in complete harmony or balance. Therefore, we must always actively demonstrate and be cognizant of moving toward a state of optimal, ultra wellness (wellness is not a static state). Wellness can be improved through self-responsibility and love for ourselves, others and the environment.
We, as individuals and collectively, can set the highest standard for the environment as it has a profound effect on the climate and our health. One of the things I’ve learned about the centenarians in my neighborhood and the Blue Zone is that the environment and the climate have played a significant role in their longevity, health and well being. For example, the cases of asthma are extremely high in the county in which I live. Some people who never had asthma suddenly develop asthma. They are affected by the environmental climate. There are some days when it is a relatively clear day, but the ozone level is high. The daylight appears overcast, not enough actual daylight, resulting in a feeling of depression, SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and overeating. Eating too many calories coupled with the lack of exercise-because of the weather- results in an overweight and obese individual.
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