Now a joint publication of the FJMC and MRJ

 Issue #41 -  February 28, 2017

Convention registration opens soon (http://convention.fjmc.org).  Convention will be held in Washington DC. July 18-23rd.  What better place to host a convention.  It will be our most memorable convention ever.

This week we are not having a wealth tip because of the length of the health tip on meditation. The wealth tip will resume in the next issue.

HEALTH TIP

“Life is short lived, make the most of every moment to be the best you can be”  - Gary Smith, DVM

MEDITATION AND IT’s VALUE TO YOUR LIFE!

WITH HOW TO DO IT GRAPHICS

Meditation has been around for centuries- It is a component of numerous religious traditions and beliefs such as Buddhism, Jainism (Indian) and Hinduism.  Meditation often involves an internal effort to self-regulate the mind in some way. Meditation is often used to clear the mind and ease many health concerns, such as high blood pressure, pain, depression, and anxiety. It may be done sitting, or in an active rhythmic form.

Dr David Elfrig in his newsletter Retirement Millionaire-describes meditation as number 3 in his 2016 top 12 healthbenefits.

I have been meditating for 15 years whether it is 30 seconds or 15 minutes. I have learned meditation and Tai Chi, which is a soft form of Kung Fu and involves mental relaxation. This has helped me reduce stress and anxiety, and has helped to keep me healthy.  Meditation helps you get in touch with your inner self. It helps you become comfortable with who you are.  Meditation can help you in so many other ways. It is one of the best stress relievers.  Dr. Steve Mandel, Heidi Mandel, and Dr. Bushri, talked about meditation in their previous article (HWR #38) on emotional stress and its effects on the cardiovascular system.

We all have very busy schedules but if you take even 2 minutes a day to meditate it will help you more than you can imagine. So get started now. Below, taken from an article from the NY Times, Dr. Bob Braitman shares with us some techniques to get started with meditation using some different positions and breathing techniques and we acknowledge Andrew Rae for the illustrations.

Controlled Breathing 101

Take a deep breath, expanding your belly. Pause. Exhale slowly to the count of five. Repeat four times. Congratulations. You’ve just calmed your nervous system.

Controlled breathing, like what you just practiced, has been shown to reduce stress, increase alertness and boost your immune system. For centuries yogis have used breath control, or pranayama, to promote concentration and improve vitality. Buddha advocated breath-meditation as a way to reach enlightenment.

Science is just beginning to provide evidence that the benefits of this ancient practice are real. Studies have found, for example, that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder.  “Breathing is massively practical,” says Dr. Belisa Vranich, a psychologist and author of the book “Breathe,” just published. “It is meditation for people who can’t meditate.”

Here are three basic breathing exercises to try on your own.

Coherent Breathing

If you have the time to learn only one technique, this is the one to try. In coherent breathing, the goal is to breathe at a rate of five breaths per minute, which generally translates into inhaling and exhaling to the count of six. If you have never practiced breathing before, you may have to work up to this practice slowly, starting with inhaling and exhaling to the count of three and working your way up to six.

1. Sitting upright or lying down, place your hands on your belly.
2. Slowly breathe in, expanding your belly, to the count of five.
3. Pause.
4. Slowly breathe out to the count of six.
5. Work your way up to practicing this pattern for 10 to 20 minutes a day.

Stress Relief

When your mind is racing or you feel keyed up, try Rock and Roll breathing, which has the added benefit of strengthening your core.

1. Sit up straight on the floor or the edge of a chair.
2. Place your hands on your belly.
3. As you inhale, lean forward and expand your belly.
4. As you exhale, squeeze the breath out and curl forward while leaning backward; exhale until you’re completely empty of breath.
5. Repeat 20 times.

Energizing “Ha” Breath

When the midafternoon slump hits, stand up and do some quick breathwork to wake up your mind and body.

1. Stand up tall, elbows bent, palms facing up.
2. As you inhale, draw your elbows back behind you, palms continuing to face up.
3. Then exhale quickly and thrust your palms forward and turning them downward, while saying “Ha” out loud.
4. Repeat quickly 10 to 15 times.

I hope you get an enormous amount out of this. If you let it happen it will change your life.  If you have any questions please contact Bob Braitman through our Medical Editor, Dr. Steve Mandel Lennox Hill Hospital in New York City-(drmandel1979@aol.com), Richard Gray (richardgray@fjmc.org), or Gary Smith DVM (gvet@me.com).

In our new format we have formed a great team of Doctors and Psychologists to give you the best possible healthtips in terms you can understand.  Our new team consists of our new Co-Medical Editor - Dr. Steven Mandel Pediatric Neurologist, Dr. Seth Cohen, Dr. Joel Kurtz, Gastroenterologist; Dr. Mitchell Ross, Cardiologist; Dr. Dale Levy, Thoracic Surgeon; Dr. Gary Katz, Psychologist; Dr. Bob Braitman, Pediatrician; Elliot Feldman, CEO low vision occupational Therapy Clinic; and Elisabeth Mandel, Licensed Marriage and Family therapist.

We want to thank our newest co-editor Dr. Steven Mandel from Lenox Hill hospital in NY.  He and the medical team we created, are responsible for the increased quality and professional information provided in the newsletter.  Richard, Steven, and I are passionate about bringing this information that will help give us all a better life.

For questions please email the editors Richard Gray rwgray1@gmail.com, Gary Smith DVM gsmith@fjmc.org, or Dr. Steven Mandel- drmandel1979@aol.com

WEALTH TIP

We would like to thank our sponsor RCA, Retirement Corporation of America. They have graciously been our primary sponsor for the last 2 years.

The Wealth Tip will return in our next issue.

Email sent at approximately 11:30 pm, February 28th, 2017
 

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This work is based on current events, interviews, corporate press releases, and what we've learned from several mentioned health and wealth newsletters. It is also based on some personal experiences. It may contain errors and you shouldn't make any investment decision based solely on what you read here. It's your money and your responsibility. FJMC is not making specific recomendations of stocks or bonds just possible ideas that might be considered for research and investing purposes. This information is being provided for informational purposes only.

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