Holistic Wellness Online

Your Beliefs and Your Health

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:38:21 +0000

Many researchers have found correlations between our thoughts and our health. An article in a recent issue of the magazine Spirituality and Health focused on the beneficial effects of an attitude of HOPE, an attitude of looking toward the future with a belief that good will triumph, or at least might triumph. Studies by several psychologists show that hopefulness is one of the most accurate predictors of immune system strength, longevity, general health, happiness, and a positive sense of well-being. What is more, researchers found that hope is not an accident of fate that one is simply born with or without—it can be learned and acquired. (My book, Steering Your Way Through Life, is one example of a guidebook to the beliefs which can generate hope in your life. Click on the “Tom’s Book” icon at the home page for more details.)

About Holistic Wellness Center

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:04:59 +0000

Tom Beardshall

Tom Beardshall has had many years of experience as both a practitioner and a teacher of alternative healing modalities and the art of personal transformation. From 1994 to 2010 he had a full-time private practice at his office in McMurray, Pennsylvania, where he provided Hypnosis services to help his clients achieve their goals. He is also well-known as a healer using energy-based techniques including Healing Touch, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Polarity Therapy, Esoteric Healing, Light-Sound Brain Wave Technology, Reflexology, and other methods to help his clients. He has taught classes for the Association For Research and Enlightenment (Edgar Cayce Foundation), The Lily Dale Assembly, the Pittsburgh School of Massage Therapy, and a variety of churches and other organizations around the country as well as presenting many courses and retreats on his own. His work is focused upon assisting others on their path of healing and personal growth. Tom retired from full-time practice early in 2010 and sees clients on a limited basis at prsesent.

Swine Flu: A Wake-Up Call!

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:01:51 +0000

– Swine Flu: A Wake-Up Call ! — We know that viruses and bacteria have been getting smarter, mutating to become more resistant to antibiotics and vaccines. Even though the recent news about Swine Flu reassures us that this version of flu is not as deadly as was initially feared, you should expect more epidemics and “superbugs” that bring health challenges in your future.
Smart consumers are increasingly protecting themselves from such health problems through the use of essential oils and aromatherapy because bacteria and viruses do not seem to be able to build a resistance to pure, therapeutic grade essential oils. Essential oils have a long history of protecting from disease and were in common day-to-day use until the last century, when medicine switched to reliance on antibiotics and pills. For example, when the Bubonic Plague spread across Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries, killing a third of the population, it was so contagious that to touch the body of one who died from Plague or even to enter their home almost assured catching the disease. As a result, the dead were often left in their homes to rot without burial. However, a small band of thieves followed the plague from town to town and entered the homes of the dead, robbing them of their valuables, and never became ill. When caught and brought to trial, the thieves revealed that they had a special formula of essential oils which, when rubbed on their skin, made them immune to the Plague. This same mixture is often used today to enhance resistance to a wide variety of illnesses, and is often referred to as the “thieves” formula. It is generally a blend of the essential oils of clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon, and eucalyptus. Several oil companies sell this blend, or you can buy the single oils and blend it yourself. The best way to buy oils is look for essential oil products that are entirely organic and processed freshly-harvested at low temperatures and pressures, which is necessary to maximize the therapeutic benefits. I am a firm believer that, when it comes to anything which goes into or onto your body, careful processing is a key factor.

Can aging be slowed or reversed?

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:45:01 +0000

Recently I have received a number of requests for information about increasing longevity and reversing the problems of aging. Whether this is because I look so young and beautiful or just because I am in the holistic health field, I will leave up to you. (However, to blow my own horn, at the ripe old age of 69 I do get a lot of comments saying that I look younger than my age—maybe only 68-and-a-half).

Anyway, the recent requests inspired me to pull together my thoughts about aging and longevity, and I decided that I would put my ideas down in writing and pass them along to my friends, clients, and acquaintances while I had it all fresh in my mind. The following are the recommendations which I have been giving to those who ask about extending longevity, staying healthy as we age, and maintaining mental sharpness.

First, I will just briefly mention the longevity aids which everyone already knows about: exercise, healthy eating and lifestyle habits, and weight control. Sorry, folks, but numerous medical studies show that people who exercise regularly and keep their weight on the slim side will live longer, stay mentally sharp to an older age, and stay active and enjoy life more. Healthy eating means shifting your diet away from highly processed foods and toward more natural “whole” foods and avoiding foods full of artificial sweeteners and other chemicals. A healthy lifestyle includes avoiding smoking, drinking alcohol only moderately, and getting adequate regular sleep.

This is where people usually say to me, “Okay, so someone who is perfect will live a long and healthy life, but is there anything that I can realistically do to help myself that is simple and doesn’t involve totally up-ending my life?” Well, yes there is. I have spent a lot of time in recent years researching aging and longevity (its funny how this topic becomes more interesting to me as the decades pile up) and I have found a few things that work. There are lots of claims for a wide array of products in this anti-aging field, and most of them have no real evidence that they offer any genuine positive effect. The following are a few of the ones which I think are “do-able” for most people and have the best research evidence for providing substantial benefit.

1. Meditation. Medical studies have shown that as little as 20 or 30 minutes of meditation three or four times a week can actually make a big difference in health in a number of ways. First, for some reason it seems to improve immune function and extend longevity. Even more impressive, it seems to stop and even reverse one of the main problems which come with aging: in most people, as they age the parts of the brain that perform memory and concentration functions seem to gradually shrink and become weaker. When meditation is performed regularly, these areas of the brain actually grow and become stronger! Memory and concentration improve! If you are not a person who feels that you are good at meditation, then listening to a pre-recorded meditation or “guided imagery” or hypnosis session works just as well. The key is to get into a deeply relaxed mental state on a regular basis. Guided meditation recordings are available at many book stores, or can be ordered through a variety of mail-order sources.

2. This tip is not widely publicized yet, but there are current ongoing medical studies which indicate that regular supplementation with the combination of alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-l-carnatine will significantly restore youth of both body and mind, especially mental functioning. You want to get good quality (don’t buy supplements at discount stores or even your local chain drug store or supermarket, but look for a good naturopath or quality health food store.) Fortunately, some good reputable companies are catching on to this combination and are starting to include them in multi-ingredient formulas.

3. One of the best way that I have found for promoting health, longevity, and mental function is to drink a daily dose of a high-anti-oxidant juice blend which includes such things as blueberry, strawberry, pomegranate, acai berry, or Goji berry. Some researchers believe that the most potent of the lot is Goji, a berry which was discovered in the Ningxia province of China. Researchers were studying this area of China because of the unusual longevity of many of the native peasants, who often were enjoying active and alert lives well over the age of 100, and some even living to 120 ! The researchers finally determined that this exceptional longevity came from an unusual berry which grew wild in this region of China. The name of this berry is the “Goji” berry, or in English the “Wolfberry,” (or, in Latin, the lycium barbarum). A number of companies are now selling juice made from the Goji berry.

4. Research has consistently found that one of the best aids to good health and longevity is “life-contentment.” A person who feels that they are living a fulfilling and purposeful life and maintains a positive attitude will feel healthier and live longer! My book, Steering Your Way Through Life; A Guide To Being Happy, Purposeful, And Fulfilled, is an excellent resource for achieving a positive and healthy state of life-contentment. Click on the “Tom’s Book” icon to learn more about the book.

Give these ideas a try, and in a few decades or so I hope to see you at a centenarians’ convention !