Essence & Experience Empowerment

 OUR ESSENCE is Spirit  and OUR Experience is human . Therefore , while our essence  is always love , our experiences can be ragged , flawed , or downright icky . The trick is to infuse experience  with essence  and weave them together  , for it's through  our very humanness in conjunction  with SPIRIT that our soul grows . We need not subjugate nor regate our humanness in order to become a vessel of love  , but rather  become the best human we can be . Through love and acceptance  , we can transform our human limitations into a clear window through which our essence can shine .Healing , honing and honoring our humanity  encourages us to become the best  possible vehicle for the light of SPIRIT .

Play with the concept  of weaving for a minute. Close your eyes  and relax and , in whatever way feels right  to you , give yourself permission  to create  a fanciful tapestry of your life . Imagine a color or colors  for both your essence  and your experience. You can choose one particular experience or focus on experiences in general . Anything is perfectly all right .

Ask both the wisdom and the whimsy of your  heart to help weave the colors of essence  and experience together  as a symbolic picture . What do you  love about weaving ? What do you dislike , or what makes you uncomfortable ?

Study your tapestry  as you would a dream . There are undoubtedly valuable hints in this meditation about how you feel  you're doing  with the task of weaving  essence and experience together . As we become more adept  at bringing our essence into everyday experiences , they will be magically transformed into everyday blessings .

I accept and honor both my essence and experiences .
Bathed in love , all experiences  can become a blessing .

Maxy sez : Skin Panic, Skin Therapy: When Stress Shows on Your Skin

Celebrity dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, talks about disconnecting from stress for the sake of your skin.
By Ava Shamban, MD, Special to Everyday Health
In my practice, stress is one of the most formidable opponents. In Hollywood, stress’ heightened sense of urgency can actually be addictive for some people. Physiologically, it works like this. Once stress is triggered, your adrenal gland produces dumps cortisol into your bloodstream. The more you are stressed the more your body can’t regulate the levels of cortisol in your system, and that’s when the danger begins. Your body can start showing signs of increased sensitivity, itchiness, breakouts, and even stretchmarks!

Stress is a particularly sinister adversary because whatever your skin’s vulnerability — whether acne, rosacea, signs of aging, extremely dry skin, extremely oily skin, eczema, psoriasis, herpes, allergies or some unsavory combination of two or more of the above — stress is going to find a way to make it worse. This, in turn, causes more stress creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

Can you win? I’m here to say yes you can. The approach here is two-fold. Without question, you’re going to want to treat the condition itself, and I’ll have plenty to post about all those above and more over the next many months. Meanwhile, you’ve got to interrupt the stress cascade and break the vicious cycle on a daily basis.

I’m not going to sit and insult you by just telling you to relax (easier said than done in our busy lives, Read More About the Significant OS Findings for this Treatment Option. 
right?). What I am going to do is ask you to do some detective work. Some people dispense with stress by doing noisy things (intense cardio, sports, dancing, laughing etc.) Others respond better to a quiet, centered approach (stretching, massage, deep breathing, creative hobbies, or reading). Still others like to mix it up with both. Whatever works for you, once you’ve found your favorites, you’re on to something. Now, put your stress busters into play for at least 10 minutes at a time, three times a day and try to fit in another 30-minute continuous session if at all possible.

Stress is inevitable, but how well you respond to it can spell the difference between illness and health and tipping the balance away from frustration and into fulfillment. So when it comes to skin problems, strategic equilibrium is your new best friend. Life happens but it doesn’t have to show on your skin.

Maxy sez : Hot Peppers May Help Your Heart

Chili peppers like cayennes, jalapenos, and habaneros contain capsaicin and could help protect you from heart disease.
By Jaimie Dalessio Clayton
Adding hot peppers to your diet is a heart-healthy choice.Getty Images
Highlights
Chili peppers taste hot due to the capsaicin they contain.

Hot peppers may help lower blood pressure and high cholesterol, and that's good news for your heart.

Aim for a variety of types and colors of hot peppers in a balanced diet rich in plant-based foods.

Whether you love hot peppers or can’t take the heat, here’s some interesting intel about the fiery produce: They may help protect your heart from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

“Overall, diets or eating patterns that are rich in plant based foods, including the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, have been shown to lower risk of heart disease and blood pressure," says Kate Patton, a registered dietitian in preventive cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. "I would therefore recommend choosing hot peppers, but there's no recommended quantity. Choose a variety of different types and colors to maximize intake of phytonutrients.”

The health benefit comes from capsaicin (pronounced kap-say-sin), the same compound that makes chili peppers like cayennes, jalapenos, and habaneros so hot. Capsaicin also has a reputation for relieving certain kinds of pain, and is a widely used ingredient in over-the-counter topical creams and ointments for arthritis.

On the heart-health front, previous studies have suggested chilies can help reduce blood pressure, high cholesterol, and the formation of blood clots. Recent research adds more evidence to their positive effects.

In a study published in August 2014 in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found capsaicin lowers blood cholesterol levels and blocks a gene that makes arteries contract, which can lead to dangerous blockages of blood flow. Such blockages can cause heart attacks (when blood can’t reach the heart) or strokes (when blood can’t reach the brain).

For the study, the team of researchers fed hamsters high-cholesterol diets. Then they added foods with capsaicinoids, the broader family of substances of which capsaicin is part, to one group's diet. They found the spicy addition to the diet went along with lower cholesterol levels, less atherosclerotic plaque, and more relaxed arteries.

Does this mean you should start scarfing down hot peppers? Hardly. But if you can stand the spiciness, adding these types of peppers to balanced meals might give your heart-health plan an added boost.

15 Scientifically Unexplainable Places That Actually Exist

Some call them scientifically impossible places, we call them scientifically unexplainable places — and they’re totally real.

On this magnificent planet is a lake where the water is electric green and a volcano where the lava is neon-blue. There is a river where never-ending lightning storms rage on above it and even a well where petrified teddy bears hang within. We don’t know why and might never find out, but these scientifically unexplainable places are awesome and can be witnessed by anyone (though some of these might kill you.)

And if Disney’s Up taught us anything, “Adventure is out there!” So let’s take a look at these scientifically unexplainable places.
                              1. The Hum of the Taos

                                    SOURCE: Aquiziam
In Taos, New Mexico, many residents of the area have been complaining about a constant humming sound heard almost everywhere in town since the 90s.

It’s been over 20 years and researchers can’t figure it out, but suggests that maybe the townspeople are “super-hearers” who just hear better than most other humans. (Wait, what?)
                                       2. Circles of Namibia

 SOURCE: George Steinmetz, National Geographic
In the Namib Desert there are fields of grass filled with perfect circles ranging from 10 to 65 feet in diameter.

Researchers thought it was termites that were culprits behind the circles, but that was disproved. Now they’re just a mystery.
                                     3. Bermuda Triangle

                               SOURCE: Myths and Legends
In the Atlantic Ocean, between Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico, is the infamous Bermuda Triangle. This is where many aircrafts and ships have disappeared throughout history.

Today, not nearly as many vessels and flying vehicles disappear, but some still do. People say its either a tropical cyclone-rich area (just above the legendary lost city of Atlantis) or a zone where magnetic forces mess with compasses causing travelers to get lost.
                                            4. Movile Cave

                               SOURCE: The Romania Journal
In Romania, there is a cave with an atmosphere unlike any other — sulfuric beyond belief.

The Movile Cave hasn’t seen light in 5.5 million years and has a lake of sulphuric water that smells like rotting eggs, air containing hydrogen sulphide with 100 times the carbon dioxide than the surface. 33 species live there that don’t exist elsewhere. They also feed off the foam that forms on top of the stones.

It was discovered by laborers scouting for power plant locations — and they obviously didn’t put one here.
                     5. The Singing Rocks of Pennsylvania

                                  SOURCE: Youtube
In Pennsylvania, on top of a hill, there is a field with strange rocks that sound like cymbals off a drum kit when struck.

The natives of the area said they came about through natural phenomenon, but the weird sound abilities are unknown.
                                         6. Hessdalen Lights

                                SOURCE: Top Secret Writers
In Norway, there are floating lights of white, yellow and red at night over the Hessdalen Valley that remain for seconds to over an hour, sometimes.

It’s been around since the 1930s. Researchers believe its ionized iron dust that caused the lights, but it’s unconfirmed.
                                        7. Lake Karachay

                                       SOURCE: LOLWOT
There is a radioactive lake at the site of a former Soviet Union nuclear weapon factory called Mayak Facility.

They would dump nuclear waste into the water here. An explosion occurred in 1957, spreading the radio activities particles in the lake over 9,000 square miles. And then in 1967, the lake dried up, spreading radioactive dust another 900 square miles.

If you stand near this, you’ll die in an hour — even though it was covered up with concrete (to cover up the disaster).
                                        8. Grüner See

                                      SOURCE: Dan Diving
Near the Hochschwab Mountains is a park that is under water each spring.

In the winter, the park gets so much snow that when it melts, the park’s lake doubles in size, drowning the park. After this, if you swim or scuba, you can see benches and bridges under the water.

The park resurfaces in the summer and looks pretty ordinary in the autumn.
                                   9. Shanay-Timpishka

                                 SOURCE: TreeHuger
There is a boiling river that is four miles long in the Amazon that gets as hot as 196 degrees Fahrenheit.

Researchers don’t know how it’s so hot because the nearest volcano is 270 square miles away, but they think it might have to do with the water coming out of the cracks from the Earth underneath it.

If you go for a swim, you will get cooked from the inside and won’t be able to reach shore because you’ll be in too much pain. Many animals have already tried and died horribly.
                            10. The Double Tree of Casorzo

                                     SOURCE: Flickr
In Piemonte, Italy, there is a cherry tree that grows directly on top of mulberry tree.

It has to do with parasitism, but never before has this happened — both trees are fully-formed, healthy and are still living long lives.

The locals believe a bird was the culprit behind this one, and the seed it dropped was a real winner.
                                   11. The Petrifying Well

                           SOURCE: Mother Shipton's Cave
In Yorkshire, England, water trickles down off a cliff side (which is shaped like a skull) into a hole where any object left in the water gets turned to stone in three to five months.

People have left teddy bears for the ultimate creepiness. The theory is either a witch’s curse or, as researchers believe, an unusually high mineral content in the water with petrifying capabilities.
                                12. The Beacon of Maracaibo

                                SOURCE: Flow Traveller
There is a lightning storm over the Catatumbo River in Venezuela that never stops. It rages on from 7 p.m. for 10 hours, 260 nights a year.

Researchers think it has to do with uranium or a collision between the Andes Mountains through warm trade winds, evaporating water and methane from a nearby oil field.

In 2010, it stopped mysteriously for a day and then started again six weeks…but why!?
                            13. The Blue Pond of Hokkaido

                                 SOURCE: Feel the Planet
There is a lake with electric blue and green water that shimmers in Hokkaido, Japan and changes with the seasons.

It’s a man-made lake, but it was intended as a reservoir. Researchers think this occurs from the aluminum hydroxide particles in the water that reflect light inexplicably.
                                     14. Kawah Ijen

                                   SOURCE: National Geographic News
There is a volcano that spews blue lava in Indonesia due to the sulfuric gases from the sulfur mine within. The blue-colored flames condense into liquid sulfur which spills down looking like neon-blue lava.

It’s actually not lava and it makes the air real toxic. The workers in the mine suffer through the unbreathable air while they work in the light of a pale blue glow that’s slowly killing them. Yep.
                                15. The Devil’s Kettle

                              SOURCE: Smithsonian
In Lake Superior, Minnesota, in Judge C.R. Magney State Park, a water exists that spills into two streams due to the way the rock is shaped — half the water heads into the Brule River, and the other half into a never-seemingly-ending hole.

Beyond 10 feet, the water just disappears into the dark. Researchers drop objects like ping pong balls and dyes into the water, but they haven’t solved anything yet because they don’t reappear.

It was deemed too unsafe for people to explore, but we want to see a drone sent down there now.

Self Forgiveness

One of the most effective ways to bleed our spirit energy away is to impale ourselves on twin swords  of blame  and non forgiveness . The ability to forgive ourselves is  essential to our  soul's growth . Forgiveness mean to return good treatment for ill usage , which reminds me of a beautiful saying : Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the hand  that has crushed  it .

We are all susceptible to human failing . We've all pointed  the finger  of blame at ourselves  and others  and trotted  out an inner  perfectionist to bludgeon ourselves  with guilt  and shame . We have crushed  the delicate violet of an other's feeling  and trampled  our own under the heels of unrealistic demands . But  as the imminently true cliche  states ,"To err is human , to forgive is divine." As we forgive  , the divine fragrance  of the Beloved flows through us , bestowing blessing .

By becoming aware of the skid away from our higher self , we can move back into our hearts . Even though it may sound  too good to be true  , we can return  to our heart by merely asking to do so  and excepting that it is done .


Forgiving ourselves  allows  us to create  a garden of violets  that will perfume  our own  and other's lives  with the fragrance of love .

Maxy sez : Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Hiding Your High Blood Pressure?

                                                    

Doctors often miss hypertension in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Learn how to catch blood pressure issues early and stay heart healthy.

By Chris Iliades, MD               Medically Reviewed by Alexa Meara, MD

People living with rheumatoid arthritis might have undiagnosed, untreated high blood pressure.

Fast Facts

Rheumatoid arthritis doubles your risk for developing heart disease.

You can lower your risk for high blood pressure by exercising regularly and reducing your salt intake.

It's no secret that having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases your risk for heart disease, or that high blood pressure is also a heart-disease risk factor. But high blood pressure often goes untreated in those with RA.

In fact, researchers have found that having rheumatoid arthritis may actually increase the likelihood that you won’t receive a diagnosis of high blood pressure, even if you have all the signs.

That was the finding of a study published in August 2014 in Arthritis Care & Research, that followed 14,974 people who met the criteria for high blood pressure, or hypertension, but had never been diagnosed with it. In that group, 201 people had RA. By the end of the study, which lasted four years, the likelihood of getting a diagnosis of high blood pressure was just 36 percent for those with RA, compared with 51 percent for people who didn't have RA.

Why Doctors Don't Always Diagnose, Treat High Blood Pressure

“All [of] the patients were in the same health care system, and they all had equivalent numbers of primary care visits," says Christie M. Bartels, MD, the study's lead author and a rheumatologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. "But repeatedly abnormal blood pressure readings were less likely to lead to a diagnosis of high blood pressure or treatment of high blood pressure in patients with RA."

“Many studies have confirmed that having RA increases the risk for cardiovascular disease by 50 to 60 percent," Dr. Bartels says. "But even when people with RA had three blood pressure readings over 140/90, or two readings of 160/100, [a] diagnosis was less likely to be made."

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It is hard to know why hypertension is missed in people with RA, but "it may be due to a phenomenon we call diagnostic overshadowing," she says. "Doctors tend to pay more attention to the primary disease and overlook other problems." It could also be that primary care doctors and rheumatologists are not communicating.

The Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Blood Pressure

RA is an inflammatory disease that affects blood vessels as well as joints. “There is an increased inflammatory burden on the vascular system," Bartels explains. "Plaques that form inside blood vessels form at an earlier age and contribute to heart disease and high blood pressure."

According to the Arthritis Foundation, having RA doubles your risk for cardiovascular diseases. Other reasons for the increased risk include:

High cholesterol, which is also commonly overlooked in RA

Inactivity, which can lead to obesity and poor vascular health

RA medications, such as NSAIDs or steroids, that can affect blood vessels

Do You Have High Blood Pressure?

Just because doctors are missing the boat on high blood pressure and RA doesn’t mean you have to.

“This is one of those situations where patients need to empower themselves and take charge of their own health care," Bartels says. "High blood pressure is called a silent killer because it rarely causes symptoms. That means you need to know your blood pressure numbers."

You may face an increased risk of eventually developing high blood pressure if your systolic blood pressure number (the top one) is above 120 and the diastolic (lower) number is above 80. Ask your doctor what your numbers are, and talk about your risk for high blood pressure.

Lowering Disease Risks When You Have RA

Lowering your risk for high blood pressure when you have RA is not much different than it is for people who don't have RA, with one exception. Because having RA means there's more inflammation in your body, you really need to work with your doctor to get your RA under the best control possible. Here's how:

Lose weight if you need to and then maintain a healthy weight.

Get regular exercise — try some water aerobics if your joints are sore.

Maintain a healthy diet.

Get your cholesterol under control.

Cut back on salt.

Cut back on alcohol.

Don’t smoke.

Find ways to avoid and manage stress.

If you have RA, be aware of the dangers of high blood pressure and heart disease. High blood pressure increases your risk for heart attack and stroke. Don’t assume everything is okay if your doctor doesn’t say anything: High blood pressure usually occurs without any symptoms. You need to ask what your blood pressure numbers are and pin down your doctor about your risk. Taking an active role in your health care is the way to go.