Your brain is the collection of nerve cells in your head. Your soul is your mind, your will, and your emotions. What separates man from animals, most people believe, is that man, being formed in the image of God also has a spirit.

The physical brain is a mass of nerves – and (by itself) is little better than a computer. I think you can intuitively discern there is a difference between your “mind” and your brain.

The Spirit and Soul

In Genesis, God breathed the breath of life (Hebrew neshamah – spirit) into the chemical compounds from the soil, and Adam became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

The New Testament book of Hebrews (4:12) talks about dividing of the soul and spirit. The Bible clearly differentiates between the two. So what are they?

The Soul

The mind is essentially your soul. The soul is your mind, will, and emotions. Your “self” (Joyce Meyer likes to say, “I want, I think, I feel”) Those are the faculties of your soul.

The Spirit

Few people are aware of the faculties of the spirit (which are conscience and communication with God) because they are born spiritually dead.

Your spirit was essentially dead as far as God is concerned until you accepted Christ, and got baptized. Then God “quickened” your spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26 also John 3:5)

The faculties of the human spirit are communication with God, conscience and intuition. About the only communication with God that unbelievers have experience with are a nagging conscience, or when God is trying to call them. That’s about it. As a believer matures, their intuition will be sharpened. Some people, such as the late Watchman Nee, would not move until he heard from the Holy Spirit. Others of us, God has to use a baseball bat to get our attention. (Figuratively speaking, of course)

In Summary

The term “immortal soul” is really a misnomer. Technically, the spirit is the immortal part of you. The soul will be resurrected. Some souls will be resurrected to life, and some to judgement.

Let God soften your conscience — let Him remove the layers of callous that hardens each time you ignore your conscience, and let God speak to your spirit. You’ll be glad you did!

Further Study

For a very detailed look into the body, mind and spirit, get Watchman Nee’s book, The Spiritual Man. Be warned, though. There is a lot of material. And it is very deep.

The death of a loved one results in grief symptoms. The symptoms affect all aspects of the body, mind, and spirit. These symptoms include loss of appetite, difficulty in concentration, insomnia, development of stress-related illnesses, guilt, frustration, anger, depression, becoming withdrawn, and disconnection from others.

Many people have hoped for the opportunity to meet and interact with a deceased loved one. Guided Spirit Imagery can provide this hope. People traditionally believe that death is final, and a person can no longer interact with a deceased loved one again. The Guided Spirit Imagery process, however, works different than the traditional belief system. It addresses the survival of consciousness after physical death. It allows a person to contact a deceased loved one at a different level of consciousness.

At that level, a person can communicate and interact with a deceased loved one. This profound event affects and changes all aspects of a person’s body, mind, and spirit. As a result, the distress symptoms are reduced, and a person can recover from grief faster.

The induction process begins with the bodywork and is followed by guided relaxation and imagery. When the relaxation state between alpha and theta is achieved, a person is guided to meet a deceased loved one’s spirit image. Communication and interaction between a person and a deceased loved one follow, bringing out the emotional releases and ending the suffering symptoms.

Guided Spirit Imagery supplements grief counseling and support groups and is a complementary technique. It is not a substitute for medical or psychiatric treatment. Guided Spirit Imagery is not appropriate for complicated grief situations, specific mental health illnesses, or traditional belief systems. These people should be referred to a proper healthcare provider.

The facilitator conducting the session must have experience dealing with grief, running a guided imagery session, and using the purgation 14 pressure points or other bodywork techniques. A facilitator’s proper application of this knowledge and these techniques helps reduce the stress and anxiety and further promote mind-body relaxation. A facilitator should have an available list of referral resources for counseling and support groups.

In summary, Guided Spirit Imagery allows a person to interface with a deceased loved one. It provides links and interaction opportunities between a person and a deceased loved one. It helps a grieving person reduce the suffering symptoms and move on with life.

Let’s face it, there’s not many things that are more embarrassing than hemorrhoids, and there’s probably not many things you wouldn’t try to get rid of them quickly.

Lets look at some things that you could be doing that is causing your problem to get worse instead of better.

Drinking coffee – It is agreed by a general medical census that caffeine intake during a problem with hemorrhoids doesn’t help. And the reason for this is caffeine stimulates the digestive tract. an increase in bowel movements during a flare up of hemorrhoids is not what we need.

Smoking cigarettes – tobacco contains nicotine, and nicotine like caffeine stimulates the digestive tract. Smoking can also contribute to digestive issues that will slow the healing process of hemorrhoids.

Sedimentary lifestyle – Our body’s need to be active. It is important that we get proper blood flow to all parts of our bodies, exercising at least twenty minutes per day is important for all ages.

Stress – Being uptight and having tension in the body will contribute to the problems of hemorrhoids. Find ways to unwind and get involved in relaxing activities to reduce stress.

Prevention is a lot easier than treatment, there are some simple things that you can do to keep yourself from ever suffering from hemorrhoids in the first place.

– Eat a diet that is rich in fiber, this will keep your bowel movements regular and reduce constipation.

– Drink the required amount of water for your body weight, this will keep our bodies well hydrated and less susceptible to the problems of hemorrhoids.

Stages of Life

Throughout the stages of our lives, we go through changes and often need different amounts of certain nutrients in our diets. The major stages of the human life are infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Then of course, there is pregnancy, which brings with it a host of additional nutritional needs to keep mother and baby healthy throughout the pregnancy. During all of the stages of our lives, we need to have calories in our diets from proteins, carbohydrates and fats, for growth, muscle and tissue growth and recovery and more. For example, infants need these nutrients for proper brain development and to have a proper growth pattern. The first year of life is when all humans grow at the quickest rate, therefore, many nutrients are needed to support this growth.

Our nutritional needs change throughout our lives due to such factors as growth and activity levels. Middle-aged people tend to need fewer calories since their metabolism is beginning to slow down, but they will still need to get the proper amount of nutrients that will keep them healthy. One way to do this is by using nutritional supplements, which contain protein and a number of vitamins and other nutrients. Protein supplements are a great way to get the nutrients you need without adding fat, carbohydrates and calories to your diet.

The Nutritional Needs of Adult Women

By the time we reach the age of 20, the amount of calories we need daily begins to decrease, about five to ten percent for every decade of life. This means that a menopausal woman will only need about two thirds of the calories that she did as a teen and young adult.

Even though women need fewer calories as they age, they still need to get the right amount of specific nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and the B vitamins. Sometimes, in order to get all of the nutrients they need, particularly protein, many women opt for using protein supplements.

By following a healthy diet that includes protein supplements, we can be assured that we are going to grow old gracefully. In fact, eating healthy will allow us to remain active well into our senior years barring any unforeseen use of walkers and canes, and good nutrition is also good for maintaining good eyesight.

There are three nutrients that we all need for survival, one of those being protein. This is the nutrient that helps to build and maintain strong muscles and tissues, and without enough protein, we are susceptible to a number of health conditions, including heart disease and kidney disease.

Senior Citizens and Proper Nutrition

It is extremely important that we get the proper nutrition, especially as we age. Unfortunately, many senior citizens are not getting the nutrition that they need to remain healthy and active. This can happen for a number of reasons, including:

– Not having enough money

– Not having access to healthy foods

– Not being able to go grocery shopping themselves

– Not having properly fitting dentures

– Physical conditions that cause the body not to absorb certain nutrients

– Dementia or senility

Often, many senior citizens change their eating habits and stop eating many of the foods that they once ate, either for the reasons listed above or just because of the fact that their tastes have changed and they no longer like certain foods. Many dementia and Alzheimer’s patients often forget to eat, which can cause them to “waste away” because they are not getting the nutrition that they need to remain healthy. It is often difficult to keep these patients healthy, and often, nutritional supplements are used to ensure that the patients are getting all of the nutrients they need.

There are a number of other protein supplements available as well, including protein powders, which are available in chocolate, vanilla, berry, fruit punch and other flavors and can be used to make awesome protein-rich shakes and smoothies. Flavorless protein powders are available as well, and they can be added to many of your favorite recipes. There are also many liquid protein supplements, many of which are pre-mixed so they are portable and can be taken anywhere. But many of these liquid supplements are only available in 10-ounce servings, making them bulky and awkward to carry easily or to tuck into a purse or backpack.

Your gout is caused by uric acid crystals that have been deposited in your joint(s) because you have high uric acid in your bloodstream. So, during an attack, you need to get rid of the crystals and expel the excess uric acid from your body.

One of the fastest ways to do this, and relieve your gout symptoms, is through the use of baking soda, which you probably already have in a cupboard at home.

Baking soda has been shown to dissolve uric acid crystals, increase uric acid solubility to make it easier to expel from your body, and increase body fluid volume to help your kidneys excrete uric acid.

Here’s how you should take it to relieve your gout symptoms…

Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to 8oz of water in a large glass and mix thoroughly. Drink a glass on getting up in the morning. Drink a glass every two to four hours between meals during the day. Drink a glass last thing at night just before bedtime. Never take more than 4 teaspoons of baking soda a day. Continue until your gout symptoms have disappeared.

But there are a few important things to bear in mind…

Since baking soda is very high in sodium, you need to cut salt out of your diet whilst you are taking the remedy. At the very least, change to a low-salt diet and don’t add salt to any cooking or dish.

And do not take this remedy if you suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) without first consulting your doctor. Even if you only suspect you may suffer from hypertension, then consult your doctor about the remedy first.

Here’s the thing though; this natural gout relief remedy is only effective during an actual attack, and should not be taken when you are clear of gout. But, even when you are clear of gout, you need to be constantly working to ensure that your uric acid levels don’t rise again and bring on another gout attack.

You see, repeating gout attacks can eventually lead to you suffering kidney problems or permanently damaged joints, or both. And, of course, you’re now more likely to have more attacks since you’ve suffered at least one.

There are lots of totally natural ways to get gout relief and help prevent recurring gout. You can research these on the Internet, or, you could simply go to the Gout Remedy Report which has everything in one place for you.

Periodization is the process of dividing an annual training plan into specific time blocks, where each block has a particular goal and provides your body with different types of stress. Some periods of training are harder and some are easier to allow for recovery. Periodization also develops different energy systems during various phases of training. Most importantly, periodization is the best way to promote the training effect, which consists of changes in your cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal systems that result in greater speed and endurance on the bike.

A basic premise of periodization is that training should progress from the general to the specific. For example, many annual training programs for competitive cyclists include four stages: endurance, intensity, competition and recovery. The endurance period is the most general of these stages. During this training phase, cyclists focus on enhancing aerobic endurance and increasing general strength. This often includes off-the-bike activities such as weight training. As cyclists progress to the intensity phase, more time is spent on the bike performing workouts that simulate race conditions such as high-intensity intervals. Of course, the competition phase involves racing, the most specific element of training possible. The primary goal of this phase is to peak for key races and events. Once the competitive season has ended, cyclists enter the recovery stage where training activities once again become more general (e.g., cross-training workouts such as running or swimming that aid recovery). Each of these phases elicits varying degrees of stress on the body’s energy, cardiopulmonary and neuromuscular systems, which helps facilitate performance improvement.

Progressive overload is the process of gradually increasing stress to the body’s cardiopulmonary and muscular systems over time to stimulate physiological adaptation. This is achieved through the effective application of the F.I.T.T. model (frequency, intensity, time and type). For example, to develop your aerobic endurance, you may start with a long ride of 20 miles and increase the distance by 2 miles each week until you can comfortably ride 40 miles. In this instance, you have improved your endurance by progressively overloading time. Similarly, you can improve your speed on the bike by progressively overloading intensity. For example, you could do intervals at 85% of your maximum heart rate. You might begin with five, 3-minute intervals with 4-minutes of easy spinning between each hard effort for a total of 15 minutes of high-intensity riding. You could then add 30 seconds to each interval per week (a total of 2.5 minutes added per week). Four weeks later you would have increased your high intensity riding to 25 minutes.

Specificity simply means that your training program should resemble the activity you want to perform. While cross-training is great after the race season, the best way to improve your cycling performance is to ride a bike. Likewise, specificity applies to the type of riding you want to emphasize. For example, if you want to ride long distances, then your training regimen should include a lot of long rides. If you want to ride really fast, then your workouts should include a lot of high-intensity training.

Individuality refers to the fact that your training program should be uniquely suited to your goals, strengths, weaknesses and life constraints. As you are probably aware, there are dozens of cycling books and magazines that offer hundreds of training programs and workouts. While these are helpful resources, none are designed specifically for you. They don’t take into consideration your unique traits, barriers and goals. To maximize your cycling performance, you must create a training regimen based on your specific needs and constraints.

There are personal trainers at these gyms who can guide you on the right way to use the equipment, which is quite helpful, especially for the newly joined enthusiasts. However, the cost of memberships at these Health Clubs could be a deterring factor, given the continued rise in membership fees. Many gyms require its members to get their membership for a minimum of one year that becomes a financial burden in itself. For some people, paying the high cost of membership is simply an impossibility to afford.

Another reason for people not joining a Health Club is the fact that is spite of the high motivation existing in the beginning, the interest may keep on going down and going to the gym itself becomes a difficult proposition. People start coming up with excuses for not going to the gym like the faraway location of the Health Club or time constraint that is stopping them from attending the gym regularly. These Health Clubs also tend to be frequented by people at around the same time daily, mostly in the morning or evening hours. This could lead to crowding of the gym with difficulty in getting access to equipment or finding parking space for your car.

Advantages of Home Gyms

One of the best reasons for having a home gym is the possibility of exercising whenever you feel like doing it and not according to the working time of Health Clubs. You can also play your choice of songs and music and listen to it as loudly as you prefer. However, the downside of exercising at your own place is loneliness that you feel at times because the camaraderie that a health club offers is missing at your own gym. But for some, the mere thought of showing their bodies while exercising is simply a no-no and instead, they would love the privacy of the home gym. Moreover, many people find it a squeamish experience of getting a whiff of a stranger’s body odor.

Although the initial cost of investment for having a home gym is quite a huge sum, it will be far less when compared to the total money that is spent in gym membership over time. Another benefit of having your home gym is that they exist at your home and that makes it easier to fit your workouts into your daily schedule. In addition, when the weather is bad, you can keep doing your exercise at your home gym. For people in rural areas, home gyms are the best choice because of the non-availability of health clubs nearby.

Disadvantages of Home Gyms

There are certain disadvantages to having your home gym. Many people, while exercising at their own gym find their everyday life coming in the way while working out. This distraction is not there when exercising at a health club as you do your physical exercises along with others. Working out at a health club is quite motivating as well, as the area is filled with people who are also there to get good body workouts.

Another reason that makes the home gym a prohibitive idea is that a lot of space is taken up by the equipment. For those having tight living space would find it difficult to have all the required equipment in place.

Choosing Between a Home Gym and a Health Club

It is seen that those having home gyms sticks to their fitness regime longer and are likely to achieve their fitness goals earlier than those having gym memberships. However, there are people who prefer to own a gym and also keep a gym membership, so that they can get the best experience of both the worlds by mixing things.

I know that seems like a logical conclusion, but I think the better question is can you afford not to find some peaceful moments in your life right now?

If you could find just 20-30 minutes a day to relax with a technique like meditation, you could significantly reduce your anxiety, panic attacks and boost your drive and creativity during your working time.

And getting started in meditation isn’t as hard as many people believe. All you need to do is sit quietly and let your mind wind down. Too many times I think humans try to move the world by thinking at it. We feel like if we can just think hard enough, maybe we can change things. For right now, just let your normal, every day thoughts go.

Some people choose to sit in silence and try to quiet down their inner mind. You can do this if you feel more comfortable, but I’ve found it to be too hard for beginners most of the time. Trying to force yourself to think of nothing is like trying not to let gravity get you down.

I prefer to imagine a peaceful scene like lying on an empty beach. You can walk yourself through your own peaceful guided mediation. Go anywhere and do anything you want so let your imagination go for awhile.

There is a common misconception that something is “supposed to happen” during meditation. People seem to think they’re supposed to experience some religious experience. While I suppose that can happen, that’s not the point of meditation and trying to make something happen only distracts you and stresses you out even more.

Don’t expect any certain thing to come to you, just let the meditation go where it wants without limiting your mind. If you can do this daily for even just 5 – 10 minutes you’ll notice a huge difference in your anxiety within a month or so. Most people also find that even though it starts out as a chore that takes up too much time, meditation actually becomes a ritual they wouldn’t be without.

I was given a FitBit as a gift and prior to receiving it I had not thought about such devices. I quickly discovered that to even use it I had to upgrade my smart phone to one that uses the latest generation of operating system as the device records and displays data on a smart phone App.

The second thing to understand about this type of fitness monitor is that it only records and displays data. What is crucial is how you use it. How it is set up also influences the results it produces. The tabloid press recently carried a story of a grandmother, who had been given this type of device, had clocked up tens of thousands of steps each day even though she had not left her sofa. It turned out that she was knitting clothes for her grandchildren and the device incorrectly interpreted her movements as walking!

I am right-handed and usually wear a wristwatch on my left arm. I started out wearing my FitBit on my right arm and it was set up accordingly. It soon became apparent that it too was incorrectly interpreting my arm movements and was counting them as if I was walking. Wearing the device on my left arm and adjusting the settings gave much more accurate data.

The above anecdotes demonstrate that it is the type of exercise that you take which is important. Brisk walking or jogging for 30 to 45 minutes each day has been shown to lower high blood pressure by up to 10% and that the benefits last for about 23 hours. That is why exercising each day is an important way of reducing hypertension. The important thing is that your heart rate must be elevated for a period of at least 30 minutes in order to obtain the benefit.

The type of health monitor I have counts the number of steps I take in a 24 hour period. It also works out how many minutes exercise I have taken, how far I have walked, and how many calories I have used. The more steps taken in a given time results in more calories being burned.

All interesting stuff, but does using this type of device help lower high blood pressure? The answer is that it depends on how you use it. To get the most out of it and to lower your high blood pressure, you need an exercise plan and to use the device to monitor your progress.

My exercise plan is simple. My goal is to take not less than 10,000 steps each day (about 5 miles) of which 3 miles is to be taken in one concerted 45 minute session of brisk walking. The remainder is made up by shorter periods of exercise.

Where does my health monitor fit into my plan? I have a goal and an exercise plan. The monitor tracks my progress in achieving my goal and lets me know if I am on track or have fallen behind. In short, it motivates me to achieve my goal. The App does this by a series of motivational messages displayed on the device and nudging me if I have been inactive for an hour, and providing weekly progress reports.

Can a FitBit (or similar device) really help reduce high blood pressure? Yes it can if used correctly and in conjunction with a suitable exercise plan.

What is the role of a home health aide?

• Provide basic personal care especially for elderly and paralyzed patients in home settings
• Provide personal care such as bathing, dressing, and grooming of patient
• Monitor or report changes in health status of the patient
• Help patients in their daily tasks and prescribed exercises
• Administer prescribed medication on time
• Maintain a safe environment for the patient

The home health aide (HHA) main role is to take care of all needs of the patients and ensuring that their comfort and needs. People opt for such treatment plan looking at their convenience, logistics and as an economical option. It is a noble profession where you get the benefit of having a homely environment. The people who usually opt for HHA are the ageing population. Since there is also an increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and the need for better quality post-operative and primary care, people seek the help of HHA, so that the patient can get 24×7 care while staying the comforts of their homes and with their family.

It is important to create a good rapport with both the patient and their family to be able to have a functioning relationship with them as the HHA has to spend maximum time. The HHA has to facilitate the patient and provide personal care like bathing, dressing and grooming of the patient. If the patient requires, the HHA has to help in their daily exercising and some of the daily tasks as well.

What are the minimum qualifications for applying to the HHA course?

Even though the minimum education qualification to become a home health is eight standard pass, however, it is important that you are able to study all the relevant subjects. In the course, you will be required to study the basic human anatomy and physiology, a subject that would be helpful in your practical experience. The students will also be taught about medical waste and how it should be properly disposed of. The duration of the course is usually of 4 months.

The course curriculum covers the following topics:

• Basic human anatomy & physiology
• General health & hygiene
• Understanding a patient’s needs
• Special skin care for pressure sores
• Caring for the visually impaired
• Role of a patient care assistant
• Daily care of a patient
• Bathing a patient
• Feeding a patient
• Administering drugs as per prescriptions
• Basic nursing skills
• Disposal of medical waste
• Understanding body mechanics
• Patient handling, lifting, and moving patients
• Fall prevention care and restraints
• Emergency first aid
• Communication with patients and their careers

You must have a good adaptability at a familial setup and be keen to learn various medical subjects in a short span of time.

Scope in India

The scope of HHA in India is currently growing. Due to the change in the demography, currently, the population above the age of 60 is rapidly increasing, which is more than 300 million people. With ailments and diseases, the older population at times finds it more comfortable to stay at home and since the family members may not always be available or adept in fully taking care of the patients, people seek help from HHAs. At times, in Tier II and Tier III cities the hospital facilities are not at par or affordable, they have a huge demand.

What are some of the drawbacks of the profession?

HHAs have become an integral part of the healthcare industry. However, there is still a lack of governmental recognition. Many hospitals are urging the government to recognise the service and profession of HHAs like the Western countries have adopted. Even though hospital accreditation is increasing, this has not necessarily translated to the home health aide industry, they are still under the purview of hospitals.

The home healthcare is a rising industry as it been seen as a very attractive option by over 300 million people. With the rise in the number of old people in the population and a drastic rise in the working population, more people are opting for this service. It is a noble profession and you get to help a person who needs medical attention as well as help to carry out even the simplest of tasks. Hospital chains, family physicians and even government-run primary health care centres are beginning to add the home health aide service in their treatment plans. You can become part of a bigger and better health care provider and work in a homely setup. Portea Medical, a Bangalore-based home health care firm is one example of firms that cater to and employ home health aides.