Salubrious Life

body + soul

Body + Soul

MARTHA HEAL THYSELF!!!!!!!!! Now that Ms. Stewart is out of jail (and almost completely free) her media empire,  MSO (Martha Stewart Omnimedia) is pushing a new addition to its stable -  Body + Soul magazine.

No longer advocating being the perfect hostess, prepping the perfect evening complete with perfectly set table (preferably with all dishes handmade perfectly by you) The new age MSO wants to teach us how to be perfectly "whole".   And yes......that happens to be their tag line - "whole living".  Not unique or even imaginative and not in the least resembling any perception I hold of Ms. Stewart or her organization.

And unless you've been hiding in some remote location, you will know that this is a time when whole foods, yoga, and wellness have gone mainstream.  So whether or not Ms. Stewart herself buys into the whole living concept, it is the perfect ad play. 

Begrudgingly I will admit that Body + Soul is a functionally good read.  Some pretty unimaginative headlines on the August issue such as "Relax! Go with the Slow,"  and "Take Yoga off the Mat" try to draw readers in.  Still, the articles are well written, filled with facts, tips and useable ideas.

With an increasing number of titles on the market attempting to fill this space, time will tell if Body + Soul is able to carve out its own audience.   I for one will not be subscribing.  Sadly,  I can't get over the association with Martha Stewart to buy into Body + Soul as a credible read.

What is Ayurveda?

What is Ayurveda?

The word Ayurveda literally translates as 'the science of life'. The system has been traced and documented through ancient books of wisdom known as the Vedas.

Ayurveda treats the mind, body and spirit. It is based on the concept that we are only truly happy when all these three are in balance. As with all holistic healthcare, medicines, advice and treatment are tailored to individual needs.

What are the principles?

It aims to treat the patient rather than the illness, to prevent disease and promote health.

The essential ethos is that we are all part of nature and everyone has a unique body type made up of a mixture of five elements : air, space, fire, water and earth.

These manifest in our bodies through three doshas or humours: vata (air), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm). Each person usually has one or two dominant doshas. Doshas determine body type, character and constitution.

What are the three types?

* Vata (Air) types: Are likely to be creative, active, alert and restless. He or she will be small-boned and dry-skinned. With outgoing, chatty personalities, they make friends easily.

Ailments: Prone to dry skin, flaky scalp and frizzy hair.

Diet: They benefit from warm, moist, nourishing foods such as stews, creamy curries and porridge, which will help them avoid a mid- afternoon energy low.

Avoiding too many stimulants such as alcohol and caffeine, as well as external stimulants like loud music and violent movies, is recommended.

* Pitta (Fire) types: Are logical, critical and intelligent. Physically, they are usually medium-build. In personality they are competitive ( typical executive, A-types.

Ailments: Sensitive skin, an oily T-zone, perspiration, spots and odour are common complaints.

Diet: They should avoid processed, fatty or fried foods and eat more sweet, bitter vegetables such as carrots and leafy greens.

Overwork or eating too many spicy foods leaves them feeling burnt out ( they should take breaks during the day and add massages and meditation to their routine.

* Kapha (Earth) types: Tend to be calm, caring, family-minded and stable. They are generally heavily-built. In personality they enjoy routine, hate being pushed into decisions and are careful with their money.

Ailments: Open pores and blackheads are the earth type's obvious problem areas. Lack of exercise and cold, damp weather leaves them feeling tired and depressed. Diet: They have a tendency to over-eat and should eat small meals of low-fat foods, lightly cooked vegetables and sour fruits.

They can benefit from high-impact sports which make them sweat such as aerobics, cycling, running or tennis.

Practitioners believe that all ill health, both emotional and physical, is related to disturbances in the three doshas. For example, if Vata people are balanced, they will be vibrant, enthusiastic and imaginative. When they are out of balance, they could feel restless, tired, anxious and prone to certain disorders.

Using a blend of yoga, meditation, herbal medicine and dietary advice, an Ayurvedic practitioner will prescribe a treatment, unique to the patient, to help balance the doshas. Always seek advice from an expert before taking herbal remedies as some are not compatible with orthodox drugs.

Ayurvedic treatments are offered in many health centres and spas both here and abroad.

Source :LOHAS Weekly Newsletter

Ayurveda

An ancient Indian health practice is the latest alternative treatment to grab celebrity attention.

Ayurveda, which originated over 5,000 years ago, has been adopted by health-conscious stars like Madonna and Sting. Other famous fans include Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jemma Kidd, who reportedly adjust their dietary plans and beauty regimes according to its principles.

These glamorous enthusiasts have given a high profile to the complementary healthcare system, which is far from being unproven or merely a fad enjoyed by the wealthy. Ayurveda is becoming one of the fastest-growing alternative medical treatments in the world.

Dr Suraj Dubey, an Ayurvedic practitioner and consultant for the Oberoi Hotel group, says Ayurveda is a complete healthcare system based on the principal belief that prevention is better than cure: "Whilst most healthcare systems focus on the human body and its diseases, Ayurveda treats the complete person - mind, body and spirit."

He believes its increasing appeal in today's stressful times is due partly to people seeking drug-free alternatives to conventional medicine and wanting a more successful way of managing their own health issues.

His experience is backed by statistics which show one in five Britons uses complementary medicine and, according to a Mintel survey, one in 10 uses herbalism or homeopathy.

Dr Dubey says people often become devotees after first experiencing Ayurvedic treatment in spas: "I meet many people who believe they are not as well as they could be despite the attention they give to their health, fitness and diet.

"Often this is because their diet and lifestyle do not suit their individual body type. Once they identify this through Ayurveda, they can begin to balance their life and their body with amazing results."

Source: LOHAS Weekly Newsletter

Are You an Enlightened Consumer? Take this Survey

Nutrition Business Journal is conducting its first annual survey of consumer use of nutrition and environmental products. We urge your participation if your purchase decisions reflect your concerns about your health and/or the environment & other social issues.

Since we posted the survey last Friday, we have received more than 400 responses and many positive comments about the subject matter and its easy format. The survey lists a number of products and services, but you are required only to select one button on consumption pattern per product.

Our goal is to get 1,000 responses by the end of the week, so please take five minutes to complete the survey. Thank you for participating, and please feel free to forward this email or the survey link to your colleagues and friends.

Survey link:

http://www.pentonsurveys.com/survey.asp?s=01059057109084194059

Grant Ferrier (gf@ebiusa.com)

Katja Rauhala (krauhala@nutritionbusiness.com)

Acupuncture May Improve Sperm

Source: CBS

An estimated 10% of men are infertile, and the male partner is a factor in up to 50% of infertile couples, write the researchers.

• Why Does Acupuncture Work for Some?

• Can You Boost Your Odds of Getting Pregnant?

• Acupuncture May Cut Pregnancy Pelvic Pain 


(WebMD) Acupuncture may help some men overcome infertility problems by improving the quality of their sperm, according to a new study.

Researchers found five weeks of acupuncture treatment reduced the number of structural abnormalities in sperm and increased the overall number of normal sperm in a group of men with infertility problems.

They say the results suggest that acupuncture may complement traditional infertility treatments and help men reach their full reproductive potential.

Acupuncture May Ease Male Infertility

An estimated 10% of men are infertile, and the male partner is a factor in up to 50% of infertile couples, write the researchers. In many cases, the cause of male infertility is unknown.

Previous studies of acupuncture and male infertility have suggested that acupuncture can improve sperm production and motility (a measure of sperm movement).

In this study, researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture on the structural health of sperm in men with infertility of unknown cause. The findings appear in the July issue of Fertility and Sterility.

Twenty-eight infertile men received acupuncture treatments twice a week for five weeks, and 12 received no treatment and served as a comparison group.

Researchers analyzed sperm samples at the beginning and end of the study and found significant improvements in sperm quality in the acupuncture group compared with the other group.

Acupuncture treatment was associated with fewer structural defects in the sperm and an increase in the number of normal sperm in ejaculate.

But other sperm abnormalities, such as immature sperm or sperm death, were unaffected by acupuncture.

The researchers write that acupuncture treatment is a simple, noninvasive method that can improve sperm quality.

The Healthy Get Healthier

American Population Becoming Polarized with Regard to Health and Wellness Source: The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), the leading provider of strategic consulting, consumer insights and market research services across various health and wellness industries, today expanded on one of the trends it has identified as having a significant impact on the health and wellness marketplace. This trend is the third in the series of NMI’s Top Ten Trends of 2005. Trend #3: The Healthy Get Healthier: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Based on NMI’s proprietary health and wellness general population consumer segmentation model, it is apparent that the American population is becoming polarized with regard to wellness, with the healthier getting healthier and the unhealthiest becoming less healthy. NMI has segmented the U.S. general population into the following five summary descriptions:      WELL BEINGS(TM): Driven to health by all means, including foods, supplements, and other products. Strong preference for concepts that are natural, with strong environmental linkage. 23% of the general population (GP).       FOOD ACTIVES(TM): Dedicated to health through food, especially those products with nutritional benefits. High belief in supplements for health and driven by desire for balance of diet, exercise, and nutrition. 26% of the GP.       MAGIC BULLETS(TM):  High belief in the value of supplements for health, less concerned with foods, artificial ingredients, and environment. Driven by weight loss, they are late adopters, highly driven by price and less by brand. 12% of the GP.       FENCE SITTERS(TM): Neutral on most health issues, with some leanings toward natural food, but less towards supplements. Somewhat price sensitive. 18% of the GP.      EAT, DRINK & BE MERRYS(TM): Less concerned about health or the food they eat, but beginning to see the value of supplementation. Most likely to know they should eat healthier, but don’t. 21% of the GP. According to NMI Managing Partner Steve French, “This trend is clearly evidenced by a fundamental shift of almost 20 million American adults who have migrated to either end of the health and wellness spectrum during the past 4 years. The compound annual growth rate from 2001 to 2004 for WELL BEINGS is 10.6% and for EAT, DRINK, & BE MERRYS, it’s 5.3%.” Other statistically significant changes in attitudes within these two groups include: 92% of WELL BEINGS have added some foods to their diets in order to eat healthier, 85% of WELL BEINGS indicate that they eat healthier than they used to, 67% of EAT, DRINK & BE MERRYS know they should eat healthier but don’t, and 42% of EAT, DRINK & BE MERRYS believe that taste is more important than health. NMI’s 2005 Health & Wellness Trends Report TM (HWTR) contains detailed characteristics of the five consumer segments including demographic profiles, top health concerns by segment, usage of organic and natural products, primary sources of influence and segment value to the health and wellness market. To review a table of contents or to order, please visit: http://www.nmisolutions.com/r_hwt_toc.html. NMI’s Health & Wellness Trends DatabaseTM (HWTD) and other proprietary data sources can provide a wealth of insight for companies in the health and wellness marketplace. For more information on the HWTD or NMI’s other consumer databases, contact NMI or visit our website at http://www.nmisolutions.com.

Echinacea Study No Death Knell for Supplement

From The Natural Foods Merchandiser

Members of the herbal medicine community are criticizing a clinical study released last week that claimed echinacea was ineffective.
Click here for the full story...

Dwell Magazine

DWELL IS EXACTLY THE kind of design magazine I want. It combines quirky stories, a little high-brow architecture, modern design product reviews, and low-cost, do-it-yourself ideas. The magazine launched in 2000, just before the onslaught of mass-market décor books hit.

While refurbishing her home in Mill Valley, Calif., Lara Hedberg Deam, the editor in chief, decided that she didn't have a magazine to articulate the voice of her design style. So this direct marketing heiress decided to invest her money in a 225,000-count direct marketing test to see if her particular tastes existed in a larger psychographic. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and now Dwell magazine has defined a new modernist vision that combines the simplicity of functional design and the clean lines of modern architecture.

What makes Dwell an enjoyable read is its strong point of view. The magazine defines a warm and accessible modernism, and offers personal stories that are about real people's homes. The July/August issue, which features modern waterfront homes, has a cover shot of a couple standing on a dock looking over a crisp, cold lake. It is clean and inviting, and this summer vibe holds throughout the book, offering cooling stories about pool houses and a gorgeous feature well about waterfront homes from Hawaii to Wisconsin.

The front of the book offers a cleanly designed presentation of useful new home design products (i.e., blenders for summer fruit drinks), a good roundup of new buildings, and design and architecture books. One of the most surprising aspects of this book is that the writing, even in the product descriptions, is funny and clear.

In the "Off the Grid" section, the story about Millennium City--an environmentally friendly commune outside of Tokyo that is based on the concept of a greenhouse--is particularly appealing. There is also a useful feature about storage and closet organization, a subject that everyone seems to be talking about as the physical salve to our crazy modern lives. While the home design features are beautifully photographed and laid out, they get a little repetitive in terms of structure. I'd much prefer one or two of these features and more do-it-yourself ideas.

From Media Post. by Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, Wednesday, August 3, 2005