Finding Peace of Mind

Meditation is an incredible tool capable of bringing peace of mind and creating solace in our hearts during challenging times. It has been used since ancient times to facilitate human connection to a source that we have felt to be unreachable.

There are many forms of meditation. I feel that meditation happens when we sit silently in a garden in the presence of nature or when we are perfectly still in the silence of prayer. Meditation gives us the opportunity to understand ourselves better as it is within us that we find what we are seeking to make our lives happy.

Oddly enough, men and women meditate in different ways. Women may sit in a bath with candles, essential oils and soothing music to create a calm environment within themselves. Men, on the other hand, literally ?get away from it all? and go fishing. When they journey out into the water and sit in their boats, waiting for the fish to bite, the time spent on the water is a form of calming the mind and soothing the spirit.

I feel that any repetitive activity that creates calm within is a form of meditation.

From this calm of meditation comes control of the mind and ease in visualizing our goals. Being calm in our mind gives us the power of intense focus. This intense focus give us so much opportunity to figure it all out. In addition, visualization during meditation is an incredible way to use our imagination to affect healing in our bodies. Many have used meditation to travel into past lives, balance their chakras and connect with inner guidance.

The easiest way to meditate is to sit comfortably in a quiet place. Use music if it works for you. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Make it a game. Feel your breath enter through your mouth and leave your nostrils. Keep focusing and allow your body to relax. Soon you will feel weightlessness. I encourage you to set your intention before you enter into meditation. Is it mental quiet that you seek? or connection to your heart? or maybe it is to fall through time and visit a past life?

A complaint I have heard, time and again, is that most people find it a challenge to keep the mind still. Thoughts seem to fill their heads faster than they are able to remove them. My solution is to allow your thoughts to flow. Watch your thoughts flow through your mind and then watch them disappear in the distance. If you do not fight the thoughts flowing through your mind, you will achieve stillness much faster.

Remember, your ability to meditate will become easier with time. It takes some work at the beginning so don?t feel discouraged right away. Simply begin with a basic grounding meditation and soon enough you will find yourself on the path to inner peace.

To listen to a free snippet of such a meditation, http://www.soniahaynes.com/page/page/2433134.htm

Article by Sonia Haynes, intuitive counsellor, author & spiritual healer.

Look Your Best With Over The Counter Acne Remedies

One of the first lines of attack you should use to control acne are over-the-counter acne remedies. These treatments include some of the best acne products available, and are inexpensive, easy to use, and can be purchased without a prescription. Even though you can?t cure acne and you can?t bring back the beautiful skin you had as a baby, it is not necessary to put up with the embarrassment of acne in your teen years or into adulthood. Try various acne solutions and camouflage the blemishes when they do appear until you find the treatment that works best for you.

Home Care Acne Remedies
Although keeping your skin clean won?t cure acne, you can improve the situation with proper cleansing methods and products:
? Purchase a gentle soap or medicated cleanser and use it to wash your skin two or three times a day with lukewarm water, using your bare hands or a soft cloth. Pat your skin dry with a towel. Do not use harsh soaps, cleansers or rough cloths, which will worsen skin conditions. If you wash really often, the excess oil causing the blackheads and pimples will actually increase, not decrease ? exactly what you don?t want
1. Your skin shouldn?t be so dry that it feels tight, and, if it does, use an antibacterial moisturizer to soften it.
2. If your skin is producing so much oil between washings it looks and feels oily, use antibacterial cleansing pads.
3. If your face feels dry and tight except around the nose and chin where it feels and looks oily and is the major site of breakouts, use the antibacterial cleanser on those areas only and the moisturizer elsewhere.
? Once a week, use a clay or a mud mask for deep cleansing, followed by a clarifying mask.
? If your facial skin is scaly, you may have abnormal skin shedding, which is clogging your pores, trapping the oil, and causing breakouts. Use a deep cleaning exfoliate once a week.
? Heat and humidity make acne worse and so you should limit your time in the sun and avoid saunas, sunlamps, and tanning salons.
? Use makeup designed for acne-prone skin, and concealers that not only reduce redness and conceal spots, but also help dry them up.
? Keep your hair and your hands away from your face.
? Homemade remedies include:
1. Lime and cucumber juice ? can be applied to oily patches
2. Witch hazel ? a good astringent

Best Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Acne Remedies
You should choose acne remedies that:
1. Decrease the production of oil (sebum) that clogs the pores;
2. Reduce the bacteria that becomes active in clogged pores;
3. Reduce the shedding of the skin that clogs pores; and
4. Control the inflammation that produces pimples.

? If your skin is very sensitive, use clay or mud masks that are white- or rose-colored.
? If your big problem is extreme oiliness, use cleansers and moisturizers that contain alcohol; if not, avoid it.
? Cosmetics should always be water-based rather than oil-based.
? Benzyol Peroxide reduces oiliness and is an excellent ingredient in lotion or gel, and also in blemish concealers. Use small amounts initially as it can make your skin itchy and red when you first begin using it. It will dry blemishes and reduce shedding of the skin.
? Salicylic acid in topical applications will help reduce skin shedding and will help unclog pores.
? Sulfur is a good ingredient when combined with other products, and so is acetone, which is often combined with alcohol to make a good, gentle astringent.
? Look for the term non-comedogenic in anti-acne products, which means will not cause breakouts.
? If you favor natural products over chemicals, success has been reported with herbal acne solutions that contain such ingredients as tea tree oil, olive leaf, and licorice root, among others.
? Topical products that contain a slow-release form of vitamin A are very good.

If you can?t control your acne with an over-the-counter remedy, consult a physician for stronger medication. Without a prescription, you can purchase purification and cleansing masks, scrubs and gels, blemish bombs, acne patches, and acne concealing products that have proven effectiveness. Good luck.

About The Author
Laura Gray is currently a freelance writer and regular contributor for acne-solutions-4u.com. An online resource for finding acne solutions, adult acne treatments and ideas and tips for helping control your acne.

Eleutherococcus or Siberian Ginseng to Fight Fatigue Stress and Herpes?

The root of the Eleutherococcus senticosus plant, also called Siberian ginseng or Eleuthero, is often used medicinally to combat fatigue, stress and herpes. The plant belongs to the ginseng family, Araliaceae, but is botanically different from true ginseng, Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius. It can grow in colder areas than real ginseng and usually costs less.

The Chinese have used Eleutherococcus for 4000 years for longevity, health, to stimulate appetite and to improve memory. Russians discovered it in late 19th century and studied it in the late 1950s as a ginseng substitute. They studied the plant?s adaptogen properties on about 4,300 people. The property ?adaptogen? was defined by Lazarev, a Russian scientist, who wished to put a more precise name to the tonic properties of ginseng-like plants. Adaptogen refers to a substance that promotes adaptation to environmental stress of all kinds. It regulates several physiological functions without targeting one organ in particular. Eleutherococcus was introduced as a medicinal plant in Western Europe and North America in 1975.

Today many people use it to increase endurance and resistance to stress. Its effect on fatigue, convalescence and concentration problems were partially proven in a recent double blind study on 20 elderly people . Results indicated that after four weeks of 300 mg of Eleutherococcus per day, it had a positive impact on stress, fatigue and vitality, but results were not sustained after eight weeks.

Preliminary studies also suggest that Eleutherococcus promotes immune functions. It was found to have a pronounced effect on T lymphocytes, cytotoxic and natural killer cells. A German double blind study was conducted monitoring immune functions in 18 individuals taking 1 tablespoon of Eleutherococcus senticosus extract three times daily compared to those of the 18 people taking a placebo for four weeks.

After four weeks, they measured immune cell concentration in blood samples. The group taking Eleutherococcus had a higher concentration of all immune cells. Total T-cell numbers increased by 78 percent, T helper/inducer cells by 80 percent, cytotoxic Ts by 67 percent, and NK cells by 30 percent. B Lymphocytes also expanded by 22 percent compared to controls. No side effects were noted, even five months after administration. Researchers concluded that, ?Eleutherococcus senticosus exerts a strong immunomodulatory effect in healthy normal subjects.?

A double blind study on 93 people suffering from recurrent herpes infections indicates that 2g of Eleutherococcus per day may limit or reduce the frequency of herpes infections. However, these findings concern only herpes virus simplex 2, usually causing genital herpes. A 2001 German in vitro study showed that Eleutherococcus had no impact on herpes virus simplex one (HSV-1) cells. HSV-1 usually causes oral herpes. From personal experience, I can say that Eleutherococcus is a real adaptogen plant. I?ve used it successfully to cope with stress, build resistance and limit the frequency of genital herpes outbreaks. It helps me to stay focused without straining and provides a sense of overall serenity.

Eleutherococcus is contraindicated for children under 12, pregnant and breastfeeding women and people suffering from hypertension. It may cause palpitations and increase blood sugar after a meal. It has virtually no side effects, except for mild diarrhea and temporary sleep perturbations.

Eleutherococcus can be taken as an herbal tea, dried root extract, tincture, or water extract. I usually take the tincture because it is more convenient, easier to find and usually contains stronger concentrations of active ingredients. Dosage can vary from 10 ml to 20 ml per day in a glass of water. It is also recommended to stop taking Eleutherococcus for one week every six weeks.

You can find more information about Eleutherococcus and other herbal treatments for herpes at my website Best Herpes Treatments Eleutherococcus must be taken for several days to show effects. Nathuropaths usually say 21 days, but I usually feel an improvement after 10 days.

Nathalie Foy is an alternative treatment specialist. She has controlled genital herpes and is now helping others do the same. She has written Herpes Wise, a book which provides her personal plan to control herpes and answers most important questions about genital herpes. Visit her website, Herpes Wise