“What is relaxation? The mystics say it is to completely “lose yourself” or to “be in flow” in your activity, so that all internal “chatter” is stilled. Modern-day researchers have linked relaxation to a marked slowing of brain waves accompanied by clarity that is called “the awakened mind.”

But how do we achieve this admirable state, and how can we maintain it over time? Here are some of the ways that you can quiet your mind, melt away stress and approach relaxation of the body, mind and spirit:

1. “Spend some time in the silence every day.” We are surrounded by information—television, e-mail, voice mail, fax machines and pagers. Information overload can become a detriment to your health, knocking you off balance and creating a sort of artificial dependence upon these stimulations. So make time for yourself, and take a break from the info-stream every day.

2.”Reconnecting with stillness is an important component of health.” Every day, devote a little time to take yourself out of the “busyness” game. First, take away outside thoughts. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and let your thoughts float downstream like a log carried by the river. Practice meditation or relax in a hot bath with aromatherapy. When a thought comes up, just watch it float away.

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Lucy Danziger, the SELF Editor-In-Chief offers up these eight foods that fight fat! These foods apparently have “lipid-fighting powers” which will destroy fat, and subsequently keep you thin. Either way, they’re almost all really good for you and should probably be in your diet anyways.

1. Almonds- These yummy nuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can accelerate your metabolism of fats. In fact, dieters who ate 3 ounces of almonds daily slashed their weight and body-mass index by 18 percent, while those who skipped the nuts reduced both numbers less— just 11 percent—a study in the International Journal of Obesity revealed.
2. Berries- Strawberries, raspberries and other vitamin C–spiked fruit can supercharge your workout, helping you burn up to 30 percent more fat, research from Arizona State University at Mesa has found.
3. Cinnamon- Adding 1/4 teaspoon to your plate may prevent an insulin spike—an uptick that tells your body to store fat.

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CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen’s latest article discusses the steps that patient’s need to take in order to prepare for their own doctor’s visit.

Here are the story highlights according to CNN:

• Doctors are often rushed, so patients must come to appointments prepared
• Write down top three concerns so you won’t get sidetracked during appointment
• Patients who planned and asked good questions had better health outcomes

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The “P” in HIPAA stands for “Portability.” With this, a patient has the right to view his or her electronic or paper medical records via any reasonable method he or she chooses.

According to an article by Diana Manos, Senior Editor of Healthcare IT News, the debate comes in regarding how much control control patients should be able to have over their health records. Experts say, “policies that require too much patient control could hamper a patient’s health in a medical emergency, while others said not enough control could put their lives at risk in other ways.”

Check out more of Manos’ article:

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ATLANTA (October 1, 2009) – MedsFile.com is pleased to announce that it will become a Gold level sponsor for the 2009 NSSEO Kirk Walk and Wheel-A-Thon. The walk takes place at the Kirk School in Palatine, IL, Sunday, October 11, 2009 from 12:30-4pm. The fundraising event will include a walk and wheel, music, and more. The funds raised from the event are use to benefit the children through the purchaes of adaptive equipment for a specialized sensory gym.

The Kirk School is a part of the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO) whose motto is, “Building a Promising Future for Students.” The NSSEO was founded in 1968 and covers eight member school districts around Chicago, IL. According to its website, nsseo.org, “children with disabilities who range in age from 3 – 21 years are provided with quality individualized educational programs. As an Illinois public school special education cooperative, NSSEO participates in a collaboration of efforts with families, member districts, administration, staff and community agencies for the benefit of students with special needs.”

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