Dear Readers: This year promises to be an exciting one with new research and developments coming through almost daily in the fields of consciousness, science, spirituality, nutrition, activism, the environment, and more. We look forward to presenting our readers with up to date news and information, and we thank you for your support.

This Month’s Recommended Merlian News Articles:

Merryn’s Musings by Merryn Jose

Counterclockwise: How the Mind Can Reverse Aging

Some time ago I read a fascinating study about reversing the effects of aging. In 1979, Dr. Ellen Langer, a groundbreaking social scientist, brought together a group of elderly men and had them recreate a week of life in 1959. It seemed that when placed in a setting that replicated the days of their youth, their health improved, and they even looked younger! The men’s muscle strength, dexterity, posture and vision improved, while ailments such as arthritis diminished. It was quite astonishing that all this could happen after only one week. Years later, in 2009, Langer published a wonderful book, Counterclockwise, that tells the story of these men as well as other research she has found that shows how we can turn back the clock on our bodies. It turns out that the mind is the key.

Liminal Moments by Cheryl Shainmark
Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Encounters with Animals in Nature

Most of us have had the experience — wonderful, heart-stopping, sometimes terrifying — of unexpectedly encountering an animal in the wild. It may be the tranquil sight of deer off in the woods, or a hawk circling in the canyons of Manhattan. It can be scary, as in some of the recent bear sightings on the East Coast, or inspire reverence for the raw beauty of the creature sighted.

Wellbeing/Healing
Are You Breathing Correctly?

Breathing can be trained for both positive and negative influences on health. Chronic stress can lead to a restriction of the connective and muscular tissue in the chest resulting in a decrease range of motion of the chest wall. Due to rapid more shallow breathing, the chest does not expand as much as it would with slower deeper breaths and much of the air exchange occurs at the top of the lung tissue towards the head. This results in “chest breathing.”

Books

Communicating with Pain by Sarah Anne Shockley

In the twenty-first century, one might wish that pain were an easily treatable nonissue. It is not. Millions of doctor and emergency room visits stem from pain, and addiction to pain medications, which is rampant in the United States, and often takes root when someone in pain is attempting to manage unremitting discomfort. In The Pain Companion: Everyday Wisdom for Living With and Moving Beyond Chronic Pain, author Sarah Anne Shockley, who has personally lived with chronic pain since 2007, offers fellow pain sufferers a compassionate and supportive guide for living with pain that can be used alongside their ongoing medical or therapeutic healing programs.

Nutrition
Flax Seed: The Low Carb Whole Grain by Laura Dolson

“It may be tiny, but it’s mighty: The flax seed carries one of the biggest nutrient payloads on the planet. And while it’s not technically a grain, it has a similar vitamin and mineral profile to grains, while the amount of fiber, antioxidants, and Omega-3 fatty acids in flax leaves grains in the dust. Additionally, flax seed is very low in carbohydrates, making it ideal for people who limit their intake of starches and sugars.

Website of the Month
www.center4healing.net

Wellbeing/Healing
The Center for Health & Healing in Mt. Kisco, NY

The Center for Health & Healing is a family-owned Holistic Health and Learning Center located in the heart of Mount Kisco, N.Y. Founded five years ago by Melanie Ryan and her partner Andy Steigmeier, the couple has put together a highly skilled team of practitioners trained in holistic, integrative, modern, and ancient healing modalities. Services include Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, holistic psychotherapy, massage, Reiki, and much more.

Thank you once more, for your positive feed back and support!

Merryn Jose – Editor In Chief & Publisher
Cheryl Shainmark – Senior Editor

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