Amira Ayad, PhD
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On Age & Ageing...

30/5/2011

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As the time passes everyone grows older. This is the universal law of nature. Although we cannot stop aging, we can still maximize our chance of aging well and living healthfully and independently as far as we can. Your state of mind has a lot to do with the decline in mental or physical functions in old age. The more you think of yourself as incapable of doing certain faculties, your subconscious mind believes this idea and just follows suite.

As people grow older, they face a new stage of psychological development where some of their worldly values and meanings start to crumble, specifically the value of “appearance, health and employment” as Berger puts it in her book The developing person through the life span. This stage in life shows the importance of spirituality, of higher meaning and purpose. If you haven’t already done so, you need to identify your  role in life, your true purpose. Although this should have been cultivated since early childhood, it is never too late to start and never too late to slow down the pace of our fast runing hectic life and reconsider our journey and its ultimate destination.

An integral part of our health, healing and wellbeing journey is taking pride of who we are and what we have accomplished. We have to assess our self-doubts and limitations and accordingly set new goals and objectives to keep us mentally active and emotionally worth-living. Life satisfaction in late adulthood greatly depends on the feeling of self-worth and motivation, the more active the role a person has to perform in life the higher will be his level of happiness and content.

Another important factor is your support system. Surround yourself  with loving and caring family and friends and with a healthy community. We need to feel appreciated and respected. Our social entourage can be achieved through religious, political and charitable involvement. It could also be achieved through enrolling in exercise classes, fitness programs, learning new skills, or joining a book club. Contacts with younger generation also provide sense of continuity and increase optimism, self-worth and satisfaction.

As we grow older, we grow wiser both spiritually and emotionally. Many of us become more responsive to nature, more interested in meditation and reflection, more flexible, understanding and grateful. With time, our brain redesigns itself to compensate for his normal aging aspects. When flexibility becomes a key component in life, rapid retrieval of information becomes progressively less important than the application of the information in real life tasks. This is the wisdom of old age

Next week, God willing, I’m going to give you more tips on healthy living for healthy aging. For now, I’ll leave you with the most important question to reflect on: “Why am I here? What is my true purpose and meaning in life? What’s my mission?” You surely have one. We all do. Look at the ‘Big Picture’ and never under-estimate your role in life.

Have a great day!!!

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Cholesterol: what's the risks?

15/5/2011

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Few years back, medical establishment set the ‘normal’ level of blood cholesterol in the range 150-300 mg%. In the late 80s, the acceptable range was reduced to 250 mg%. Today, an upper healthy limit is set for 200 mg% and no lower limit is even considered. Isn’t this interesting? Or rather suspicious if we know that the statin market (main pharmaceutical drug family used for ‘treating’ cholesterol) account for $26 billion.

Cholesterol is not a villain, actually it is essential for life and health especially for heart health. Women with low cholesterol levels (below 180) have high risk for heart disease. Statin drugs deplete Co-enzyme Q-10 a vital enzyme for muscles proper function. And since your heart is a muscle, Q10 is essential for heart health. So statins actually increase your heart risks. Remind me again: why did you want to  reduce your cholesterol? 

 Please note here that I am not suggesting for you to stop your prescribed remedy or ignore medical advice. I’m just stressing that prophylactic measures are always better than treatment and if the disease already occur, still holistic approach and life-style changes could be of great benefit in conguction with the treatment. I’ve seen many patients who went off their medication totally -on their physician orders of course- after integrating positive health measures in their lives. 

The problems with cholesterol start when it becomes oxidized thus inflames and irritates blood vessel linings. The reason behind this oxidation and the accumulation of cholesterol in our system in the first place are the one that should most importantly be addressed. And here comes the holistic approach to health and healing.
Holistic approach to a disease considers all sides of human being: body, mind, heart and soul. As firm believer that we are a whole integrated system, any deviation in one of these areas sets our system out of synch. Cholesterol may accumulate in your blood or get oxidized and starts its damage to the vessels due to un-adequate food habits, lack of physical activity, accumulated stress, need for love and affection, emotional problems, or lost spiritual connections... Drugs are aimed at  treating the symptoms (or rather hiding them) so that the patient will feel more comfortable, but the reason behind these symptoms is still here not dealt with. If you stop the drug, the symtoms will soon resurface again.
Today let's deal with one area of our for sides, the body. I want to share with you some nutritional tips for heart and circulatory system health:
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Key foods  for heart health:

Your main diet should consist of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Whole grains and cereals like Oat bran, barley, beans, brown rice… are rich in fibers which regulate cholesterol absorption by the body. They are the body ‘broom’.    
Vegetables:
  ·         Carrots are rich in carotinoids the precursor of vitamin A in the body, they are also powerful anti-oxidants that prevent arterial damage. They nutritional values are different when cooked from raw, both are needed.
  ·         Dark leafy vegetables like dark leaves of lettuce and cabbage, rocket, spinach, collards, kale, mustard green… These are powerful antioxidants, they are also rich in B vitamins especially folic acid and rich in carotenoids, potassium and vitamin C.
  ·      Beetroots are rich in folic acid and vitamin C. They help reduce homocysteine, an amino acid liked to many heart problems.
 ·    Sweet potatoes and pumpkins are rich in beta carotenes, powerful anti oxidants.
 · Cabbage family like white and red cabbage,  Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower...these are powerful antioxidants and anti-cancers
  ·     Cucumbers are diuretic which helps regulate blood pressure

Fruits:
  ·         Bananas are rich in potassium essential for regulating blood pressure.
  ·       Grape fruit, quince, and citrus are rich in vitamin C and rutin. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and is shown to reduce the risks of coronary heart diseases. Rutin helps keeping the integrity of blood capillaries.
  ·         Grapes and Raisins especially red and dark purple ones are rich in antioxidants
  ·         Apples, when eaten with their skin, pocess powerful antioxidant effect and are helpful in reducing LDL cholesterol (commonly known as bad cholesterol) They are also rich in potassium essential for regulating blood pressure. Apples are rich source of pectin, soluble fibre that helps regulate digestion and improve fats and cholesterol metabolism.

Beans, legumes and lentils:  These are rich in fibres, anti-oxidants and many valuable phytonutrients (nutrients from plant origin that help fighting variety of health problems including cancer). 

Seeds and nuts (especially walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds) are rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids and vitamin E which protect arterial walls from oxidative damage, reduce inflammation and regulate cholesterol levels. They should be eaten raw and unsalted.

Blue, purple or red foods like beets, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, puple and red grapes, and purple cabbage

Probiotics: Probiotics are active bacterial cultures that  help reintroduce or charge healthy intestinal bacteria (microflora) which play a great role in breaking down cholesterol so that it gets excreted from the body. Exemple of Probiotics are butter milk, and yogurt.

Prebiotics These are foods that promote the growth of normal healthful bacteria naturally existing in the human colon. Example of prebiotics: honey, vinegar, royal jelly, olive oil.

Oily fish are rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids that reduce the risk of blood clotting, inflammation and reduce LDL cholesterol.

Key herbs  & spices for heart health:

Cayenne and cinnamon  
Ginger 
Galangal
Garlic 
Parsley 
Basil
Blackseed and its oil
Parslane
Fennel
Fenugreek,
Turmeric 
Ummbellifera family (Fennel, cumin, coriander…)
Black pepper (not white)



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Cut the input…

9/5/2011

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I love Julia Cameron’s book, the Artist Way. One of my best exercises was the no-reading week... An entire book-free week... a whole 7 days without reading not even the newspapers. You can follow the news on twitter or TV. Or just skip it all together. You won’t miss much, believe me. For many of my friends, this exercise posed no challenge whatsoever. But, if you were like me, a book addict, this would be a really tough week. At first, I didn’t get the point… Why would she want us to stop reading? Reading is the best source of knowledge. It broadens your view of the world, increases your knowledge, it is enjoyable, fun, rewarding on many levels. But, Cameron’s point was sharp and strict: “Cut the input so that you could generate some output”.

I read 1000s of books, attended 100s of seminars and workshops, and listened to tens of CDs. The point is not what I got out of all of these sources; it is rather what they got out of me!!!

When I read, thousands of ideas pop into my head. Ideas for new books to write, workshops to teach, problems to solve, plans to implement… and what do I do about these? I buy more books or listen to more lectures in order to give my ideas more ‘shape’ and develop them further. I keep convincing myself that I am just one book away or one step away from writing the new book I have in mind or organizing the new workshop I want to teach. And, guess what? This ‘one step’ is never taken. My ideas stay in my head, they never see the light. Cameron’s exercise was exactly what I needed. The book-fast week started lightly, but soon, I found myself bored to death. Nothing to do. I grabbed my journal and started ‘complaining’ about this ‘stupid’ exercise… soon enough, without even noticing, words came flowing…
 
Now, without book-fasting, I learnt to catch myself when I tend to postpone or procrastinate. I just stop…
  Breathe…
  & choose…

Cutting the input does not necessarily refer to books. It refers to any ‘excuse’ you subconsciously come up with to delay actual achievement. It could be shopping, TV, facebook, chatting, cooking…
Doing ‘right things’ does not always mean that these are ‘the right things’ to do right here and now. You always have the choice. Deep inside, you know what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s good and what’s better. You may be underestimating your potentials or prefering to stay in your comfort zone… But, deep inside, you know the right things you need to do RIGHT NOW!!!

So grab your journal. Relax and give yourself at least 30 minutes:
  Stop…
  Breathe…
  & Write…

Keep on writing, pour your heart content onto the paper and do not stop before filling at least 3 full pages… Trust yourself, your deep instinct, your intuition. Follow your heart whispers… Remember, no one knows you better than you know yourself. No one knows what’s best for you better than yourself… No one can dig for your hidden treasures and deeply held potentials except for yourself. So, this week, ‘cut the input’, and allow yourself the right to ‘generate some output’.

Wish you the best.


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Five minutes of awareness

5/5/2011

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I was invited at a friend’s house the other day. The weather was beautiful. We took our afternoon tea in the garden. When the sun was ready to set, I smelled a beautiful fragrance enveloping the place. “Wow, that’s so nice! Did you spray an air freshener?” I asked. “No, that’s my Queen of night!” my friend answered pointing at a beautiful plant with tiny white flowers sitting in the corner of the garden. The strongly scented flowers release their beautiful fragrance as the day ends as if sending it a thank you note, a gratitude sign; ‘till we meet again’ they seem to say. “When I smell their scent, my friend added, I remember that it’s time for my evening meditation. I take 5 minutes of total stillness to send my gratitude and daily remembrances to my Creator.” 
At home, I ‘googled’ this strange plant, I was curious to learn more about it. Cestrum nocturnum, Night-blooming Jasmine, is an evergreen shrub easily grown in light and sandy soil. Its name, The Queen of Night comes from the Urdu translation of its original name, Raat Ki Rani. It is also well known in the Middle East as Misk el layl, the nocturnal musk. Its slender white flowers release their fragrance at night. It's a distinctive unforgettable fabulous aroma, a mysterious alchemy of musk and jasmine that spreads within the whole area around the plant.
Yesterday I took my daughter to her Karate class. I sat in the club’s garden reading waiting for her to finish. As the sun was setting, the mysterious scent was here again. I look around me and there it was: The Queen of Night… O my God! How many times did I miss this beauty? I've been coming here to this same place for years now and yet never noticed its presence... How often does our life just pass us by and go totally unnoticed? How often do we run on autopilot unaware and tumbling out of balance?
This evening, the beautiful fragrance carried with it my friend’s precious message:  “it’s time for my evening meditation”. I took 5 minutes of total stillness to renew my intention and send my gratitude and daily remembrances to my Creator. That’s all it takes, five minutes… five minutes to restore your balance and boost your spirit… five minutes of deep awareness!!!

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    About the Author

    Hi, I'm Amira... I'm all for simple, natural, uncomplicated life... My core values are derived from my Islamic faith... My definition of wellness includes lots of smiles, human interactions, delicious food, music, joy, colorful paint, Mediterranean sunshine, blue sky and turquoise sea, care, love, compassion and deep heart-felt peace.
    I love learning… I love books and art supplies… And, I am saddened by human conflict and intolerance.
     
    I am an introvert who loves being around people... I love building communities and gathering around the kitchen table... I am a teacher at heart... I simplify complex health science and speak openly about heart and soul stuff...

    I've been helping people on their health and healing journey for more than 20 years now and I am committed to be authentic, caring and a beacon of love and peace.

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 Disclaimer
My wellness coaching, workshops, teachings, and all the services I provide are at all times restricted to education, teaching and training on the subject of natural health matters intended for general natural health well-being and do not involve the diagnosing, prognosticating, treatment, or prescribing of remedies for the treatment of any disease, or any licensed or controlled act which may constitute the practice of  medicine. 
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