Meditation and the Brain

Study after study has shown what practitioners have known for thousands of years – meditation is good for the body, mind, and soul. The mind-body connection is critical for health, and meditation bridges and enhances both. Stress Meditation is one of the best tools we have to counter the brain’s negativity bias, release accumulated stress, foster positive experiences and intentions, and enjoy the peace of present moment awareness. Years of research has established that practicing meditation regularly had tangible health benefits including:

-Decreased blood pressure and hypertension

-Lowered cholesterol levels

-Reduced production of “stress hormones,” including cortisol and adrenaline

-More efficient oxygen use by the body

-Increased production of the anti-aging hormone DHEA

-Improved immune function

-Decreased anxiety, depression, and insomnia

Meditation can help you tap into your brain’s deepest potential to focus, learn, and adapt. While scientists used to believe that beyond a certain age, the brain couldn’t change or grow, we now know that the brain has a quality known as plasticity, enabling it to grow new neurons and transform throughout our lives. Meditation is a powerful tool for awakening new neural connections and even transforming regions of the brain. This means that meditation can help protect against and even reverse cognitive decline. Simply put, meditation is good for the brain and helps promote brain health. Meditation can improve the aging brain and body, which is why at Private Home Health Care we encourage mindfulness and meditation for our clients, their loved ones, within our agency and the community at large.

Meditation helps combat the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s, and can prevent and delay the onset of this disease. A recent Harvard study found that after only eight weeks of meditation, participants experienced beneficial growth in the brain areas associated with memory, learning, empathy, self-awareness, and stress regulation (the insula, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex). In addition, the meditators reported decreased feelings of anxiety and greater feelings of calm. It is truly one of the greatest tools for brain health and to support the aging brain.

Another wonderful thing about meditation is that it is available to everyone – including the young, elderly, healthy, ill, differently abled, men, women, and from any walk of life. Chances are that you have practiced meditation in your life without knowing it. Have you ever closed your eyes while taking deep breaths, and counting to ten? That is a form of meditation! The beauty and simplicity of meditation is that you don’t need any equipment. All that’s required is a quiet space and a few minutes each day. What is more, there are many different forms of meditation, which means that there is a practice for everyone.

Meditation comes in many forms, including the following:

-Concentration meditation teaches you how to focus your mind. It’s the foundation for other forms of meditation.

-Heart-centered meditation involves quieting the mind and bringing the awareness to the heart, an energy center in the middle of the chest.

-Mindfulness meditation encourages you to focus objectively on negative thoughts as they move through your mind, so you can achieve a state of calm.

-Tai chi and qigong are moving forms of meditation that combine physical exercise with breathing and focus.

-Transcendental Meditation is a well-known technique in which you repeat a mantra—a word, phrase, or sound—to quiet your thoughts and achieve greater awareness.

-Walking meditation turns your focus to both body and mind as you breathe in time with your footsteps.

Like any skill, meditation takes practice. You can start with just one minute a day and build up to twenty, thirty, or even forty minutes. You can even meditate for a minute in the shower. Private Home Health Care encourages you to embrace this simple practice that will bring many benefits to your health, well being, and life.

Meditation for Health

Let’s talk about meditation.

Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. Once regarded as ‘alternative’, meditation and mindfulness practices have made their way into mainstream medicine and lifestyles. There are many health benefits of meditation, and as knowledge of this becomes widespread, meditation is becoming more popular. You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Many think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration.

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction. Modern medicine’s relatively recent research on meditation has revealed that it does indeed confirm this ancient practice is immensely beneficial for health. Meditation positively impacts all facts of health, including physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual sphere of wellness. And these benefits don’t end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may also help manage symptoms of certain medical conditions. Even when you move onto the next activity in your day, the effects of meditation continue to support well being, notably for the most important organs – the brain and heart. Research has shown that your brain chemistry is altered during meditation and continues to produce positive chemicals even after you finish. Also, your heart rate is less likely to increase well after being slowed down with a meditation session.

One of the major benefits of meditation is stress relief. In our busy modern world, it is unfortunately common to be overly stressed. You can’t see or touch stress, but you can feel its effects on your mind and body. In the short term, stress quickens your heart rate and breathing and increases your blood pressure. When you’re constantly under stress, your adrenal glands overproduce the hormone cortisol. Overexposure to this hormone can affect the function of your brain, immune system, and other organs. Chronic stress can contribute to headaches, anxiety, depression, heart disease, and even premature death.

Though you may not be able to eradicate the roots of stress, you can minimize its effects on your life. Meditation is one of the easiest and most achievable stress-relieving techniques. Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. Meditation has consistently been found to improve quality of life for virtually every single person practicing.

National Roast Chestnuts Day

Tis the season for “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”. Today is National Roast Chestnuts Day. This delightful holiday snack is eaten throughout the world with spices according to the region. When chestnuts are roasted, the natural sweetness of the nut is revealed, delighting our taste buds! With their fleshy interior, Chestnuts are more similar to fruits than true nuts. They have a spiny husk and a dark brown shell, both of which must be removed before eating.

Chestnuts have been a food source for thousands of years. They can be eaten raw, roasted, ground into flour, or mixed into pastries. They grow on trees in the genus Castanea, and many species in this group can live for an impressive 500 years or more. In the US and Europe, chestnuts are most commonly eaten around the holidays as a cozy snack during cold winter months.

In addition, chestnuts boast great health benefits!

While almonds and peanuts pack in the protein, chestnuts predominantly contain complex carbohydrates, which your body digests slowly for a stable energy source. Foods high in fiber and complex carbs also have a less immediate effect on blood sugar, reducing potential spikes. That makes chestnuts a good choice for diabetics. Also, the fiber found in this nut helps improve digestion and promotes the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

Chestnuts are rich in vitamin C, which makes them unique among nuts. In fact, half a cup of raw chestnuts gives you 35 to 45 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C. This nutrient helps support a healthy immune system and is also an antioxidant.

Other nutrients found in chestnuts include calcium which helps build strong bones and teeth as well as making sure our blood clots properly, iron which is important for making new red blood cells, and zinc which helps to make new cells, digest the carbs, protein and fast from our food as well as wound healing.

Chestnuts also contain all the B vitamins which are needed to help release energy from food, and vitamin E which helps to look after the health of our eyes and skin and support our immune system.

Chestnuts are a good source of antioxidants, even after cooking. They’re rich in gallic acid and ellagic acid—two antioxidants that increase in concentration when cooked.

Chestnuts support heart health because the fair amount of antioxidants and minerals like magnesium and potassium help reduce your risk of cardiovascular issues, such as heart disease or stroke. Chestnuts are a good source of these nutrients and can help boost your heart health.

Private Home Health Care encourages you to celebrate National Roast Chestnuts Day by taking part and roasting chestnuts over an open fire (or on the stovetop). Their creamy, nutty flavor will satisfy your cravings and keep you feeling full (thanks to the fiber) and cozy.

Get Your Flu Shot!

It is just as important to be vaccinated for your own benefit as it is for others. Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.

Seniors have a higher risk of becoming more severely ill with the flu than other age groups. Many seniors have chronic conditions, and their immune systems are simply not as strong. At Private Home Health Care, we not only encourage everyone to protect their health, but also to consider the well being and health of the elderly in our community. While a flu may make you miserable and keep you out of work for a few days, it can be much more serious for those over 65.

Everyone wants to join in on the winter fun, so encourage the joy of health and get your flu vaccines! What is more, flu vaccines are very inexpensive or free. They are also widely available outside of medical settings, with flu shot clinics being held at workplaces, churches, community centers, schools, and nearly anywhere!

Despite the many benefits offered by flu vaccination, only about half of Americans get an annual flu vaccine and flu continues to cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths. Many more people could be protected from the flu if more people got vaccinated.

Some flu prevention tips include:

-Know the symptoms of the flu, which include fever, aching muscles, chills, sweats, fatigue, and headache.

-Learn how to prevent germs from spreading, such as proper handwashing techniques.

-Learn more about misconceptions of the flu shot, such as the flu shot gives people the flu, those with egg allergies can’t get the flu shot, and the vaccine causes severe side effects.

National Influenza Vaccination Week

Don’t let the flu stop you! December 6-12 is National Influenza Vaccination Week. The National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national awareness week focused on highlighting the importance of influenza vaccination. There are so many fun things to do during the winter, you wouldn’t want to be slowed down by the flu! From ice skating, skiing, making gingerbread houses, decorating the tree, drinking hot chocolate and making snowmen, you would not want to miss out because of the flu! Being vaccinated for influenza can keep you from getting sick with the flu. Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor’s visits each year.

The flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 percent to 60 percent. Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and older adults.

Flu activity usually increases in October but peaks between December and February. Flu activity sometimes occurs as late as May. If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, the first week in December is a great time to do it. Flu vaccine prevents tens of thousands of hospitalizations each year.

Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions. Flu vaccination has been associated with lower rates of hospitalization and death for those with heart disease, diabetes and chronic lung disease.

Flu vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy, as well as their babies. Unfortunately, the flu vaccine is not 100% effective, and there is a chance that you can still get sick. But, there is strong evidence that a flu vaccine reduces severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick. A 2017 study showed that flu vaccination reduced deaths, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, ICU length of stay, and overall duration of hospitalization among hospitalized flu patients.

A 2018 study showed that among adults hospitalized with flu, vaccinated patients were 59 percent less likely to be admitted to the ICU than those who had not been vaccinated. Among adults in the ICU with flu, vaccinated patients on average spent 4 fewer days in the hospital than those who were not vaccinated. As a result, the flu vaccine also reduced deaths among those who were hospitalized.

At Private Home Health Care, we provide the very best in-home caregiving services for your loved ones. We encourage everyone to be mindful that seniors are one of the most at-risk populations for serious illness from the flu. We want to protect the elderly as best we can, which means that everyone who is able should get a flu shot!

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah is almost here! It is the festival of lights that celebrates the miracle of a tiny flame of hope lasting for 8 days. In 2020, Hanukkah begins from the evening of Thursday, December 10 until the evening of Friday, December 18th. It is celebrated each evening at dusk by lighting candles every night in a special candelabra called a menorah (menorah means light). The first night you start off with one candle, and each night you add one more. It is also customary to give small gifts each of the 8 nights. It is customary to place the lit menorah in a window or doorway encouraging turning the darkness into light. It represents that even in a dark winter, there is still hope, light, and goodness.

The miracle of the oil lamp lasting eight days is not only celebrated through the lighting of the menorah, but also in the traditional foods that are eaten. Two of the most popular dishes, latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts), are both deep-fried in oil. While the tastiness of these foods are reason enough to eat them, it’s the oil used to cook them that make them a staple for most Hanukkah celebrations. People often throw Hanukkah parties on any of the 8 days of Hanukkah where people gather and celebrate by eating traditional, oil heavy foods (pass the antacids).   

On Hanukkah, it is customary to play with a “dreidel” (a four-sided spinning top bearing the Hebrew letters, nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for nes gadol hayah sham, “a great miracle happened there”). The game is usually played for a pot of coins, nuts, or other stuff, which is won or lost based on which letter the dreidel lands when it is spun. The ‘coins’ are actually chocolate circles wrapped in metal foil, which is called Hanukkah gelt. 

Hanukkah is all about making the world a lighter, brighter, and better place. The most important part about celebrating Hanukkah is bringing more light and goodness into the world. At Private Home Health Care, we really value doing good deeds and performing small acts of kindness – it is really what makes the world go round. Supporting a food drive, calling someone who is lonely, buying coffee or paying a toll for the person behind you, or even just giving a friendly smile are all great ways to be a positive force in the world. Private Home Care wishes a very Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate, and let your light shine this season!