“Don’t drink the Water”

“Don’t drink the Water”

For your reading pleasure I have a included a link to “Don’t drink the Water”, by Dave Matthews at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMAnYUwIhk0

We are 75% water and need to drink at least 8 cups of water daily to maintain our body health and beauty. But what type of water we drink and the type of container we carry it in can tell much about us to others. Do you drink tap water , filtered water or bottle water. How do you carry this water around with you?

All of us who are both ecologically and health focused have shun bottled water to avoid both the dangers of absorbing bisphenol A through polycarbonate bottles and to stop junking up our world unnecessarily. Go to the http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/recycle-plastic-water-bottles/ to see the extent of the plastic water bottle problem.

Those of us, who are more aesthetically sensitive, paid the price of a Sigg bottle to look healthy and chic.

The popularity of the Sigg bottles was always questionable as the concept of the plastic liner and the aluminum shell was both redundant (2 materials) and counter productive (plastic to replace plastic?) when we also had the choice of choose glass and stainless bottles. But who was I to question the well stocked shelves of Sigg bottles in health food stores and “enlightened” drugstores (serving upscale clientele). Even my bright young staff happily carried their precious water in Sigg bottles.

But what was the rational thinking behind replacing disposable plastic bottle with an aluminum bottle with a plastic liner?

Well Sigg just got busted by Adria Vasil, better known as the Ecoholic, at http://www.nowtoronto.com/columns/ecoholic.cfm Ms. Vasil reports that the Sigg bottle liners contain the much feared bisphenol A.

We can be angry with dishonest marketers, but it is more productive to question our own susceptibility to deception. We don’t need to be able to understand advanced science to intelligently contribute to the health of both the planet and ourselves. We just have to let go of the crazy consumer in us. When we consume, we can choose products for their honesty of function and their ability to leave a small safe footprint on us and the environment.

So if you want to drink safe healthy water in a healthy container – May I suggest getting a Nimbus water filter http://www.nimbuswatersystems.com/ on your kitchen tap and fill your delicious sweet water in an easy to clean stainless steel bottle http://greenbeans.ca/GB-KK.htm or a reused glass bottle from Voss Icelandic Water http://qpro.ca/voss.php

Mind Body Health

What does Mind Body Health mean to you?


For me it mainly meant maintaining body health so I could accomplish my goals and my mental pursuits.

From the age of nineteen when I read my first Adele Davis book on natural health, I have spent a lot of time and effort on learning and living a healthier and healthier physical life.

Even though I gained much mental and spiritual growth from my daily Yoga and Chi Kung practice, the main impetus was physical health improvement.

But I have experienced great leaps of personal growth from the help of fortunetellers and therapists the few times I have seen them. In my early thirties, as a single mother of a toddler, I visited Andrianna King, a psychic that totally changed my perception of who I was. She told me that I was living according to that 25% of myself that was a risk taker. And to find happiness I needed to allow the 75% of myself as security seeker to be fulfilled. I changed my career from designer to sales representation. This change increased my income greatly, lessen my work load and gave me consistent work hours allowing me to better care for my daughter.

As I entered my forties, I saw a therapist who was very helpful in discovering my ADD. For some the knowledge can be received negatively, but all advice allows us choice in creating a better life for ourselves. ADD was an “aha!” moment for me. It unlocked the fundamental reason for some of the adverse behavior and the negative outcome of those behaviors in my life. Surprising happy outcomes included better physical health, more self confidence and a higher awareness level.

Last year, I accompanied a friend who needed a ride to visit a fortuneteller in Mississauga. Steven Kien Dao was highly recommended but fortunetelling has always been both an instant psychiatry session and a lark. I have found good fortunetellers can me insight that may take months or even years in therapy.

We met Steven in his apartment and he politely greeted us but told us not to talk to him except to ask questions. This was reassuring of the value of our visit to me. Steven was very helpful to both my friend and I as he got to the heart of the matter of what was blocking our personal success and happiness.

Before he revealed to me that I would be happier being single, he introduced it by saying he has no idea what my marital status was and what he had to say came without judgment of good or bad. This unexpected wisdom made his advice even more credible. This advice was very freeing even to the then almost fifty four year old. I had believed that I could not pair up like everyone else because either I had not found my perfect soul mate for me or I had to correct some imperfection that made me hard to live with. Phew!, two less things to do. But the best outcome was my appreciation of the special person who has stood steadfast by me.

Since I have owned a successful business for 8 years, I initially refuted his advice to love money more. I was also surprised since his fee of eighty dollars was lower than I expected and he explained the fee was honourary and he did not want to charge more. I later realized that like most sages his advice was free of cultural beliefs and he understood the relativity of each characteristic for each individual’s success. I finally embraced finance, which I found the most unattractive duty of owning my business. And just in time to make sure I had created the security of a sound business foundation for my employees and myself.

During the past year, I have found his advice has guided me to higher success in both business and personal life. While I have always been a happy person, it was due more to an optimistic outlook than to a life with little hardship and failures. Last year my life was more effortless and more fortunate. From this experience I have realized that much of our hardships and failures are due to our misaligned beliefs and actions.

I was so happy with my experience that both my daughter and I visited Steven this year. Steven again gave good fundamental advice. As her mother I knew Steven gave advice would not only improve her leadership skills through better communications but in turn help her achieve her potential personally.

For me I am again allowing his advice guide me and I will know the success of his advice and my ability to change next year.

If you would like to invest also an hour and eighty dollars to see how you increase your power over your future outcomes, you can contact Steven by telephone at 416-846-0588 and by e-mail stevendaok@hotmail.com

Changing for Fall

We are heading into autumn and as the seasons change, we change. The weather will affect our health and our appearance as it becomes cooler and drier.

We can lessen its affect with a change in diet and skincare. Those of us in our mature years of forty plus can benefit from eating moist and sweet foods of fall harvest like root vegetables. We can serve them cooked in stews or bake them in casseroles or pies. This is the best time for us to eat red meats.

As for skincare, we need to increase moisture replenishment with an addition of a serum or if you are already doing that, add an oil. Increased moisture retention can be attained with a heavier cream. This will ensure you look fresh and dewy even in the gloomiest days of October and November.

Keeping skin moist has another benefit. It will help keep your circulation optimal to lessen your sense of cold especially in your hands and feet. For more information on the impact of moisture on your health go to http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2009/03/vanity-is-good-for-you.html or any past blog.

It will also ensure your skin cells are replenished with nourishment and hydration and ensure that cellular debris is removed. This prevents that dull congested look you have accepted as a consequence of the colder season.

If you do not have regular facials, this is an ideal time to have a facial to correct any abuses your skin encountered in the summer like dehydration from carefree skincare or skin damage from over exposure to sun. Ask your esthetician for recommendations that will keep you skin looking moist and youthful.

I personally greet new seasons with a one day fast to give poor overwork organs a rest and to clear the colon. This allows the liver and other organs to detoxify.

And if you do not get enough sleep; 7-8 hours a night; 24 hour fasts can help replenish much need human growth hormones (remember the 3rd stage of aging : sagging skin?). This may be due to the fact that a regular housecleaning keeps your circulation cleaner and nourishes cells better and removes toxins more efficiently.

The nights grow longer advising us to sleep more. Learning to relax is very beneficial to skin and overall health. To encourage better relaxation take up calming exercises like Yoga and Tai Chi. Massage you body with oil or your favourite moisturizer each night. If that seems too much, try massaging your hands and feet and scalp only. You will not only feel more relaxed but feet and hand will be warmer and softer.

Then just make yourself a hot drink and give yourself a relaxing evening.