Welcome to Bill Gallagher's Blog. Click on a Title to view that entry by itself. I plan to bring together the best of what the web offers on the benefits and mechanisms underlying Meditation, Qigong, Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, Alexander and Feldenkrais. Your comments are always welcome.
“toning” shoes MBT and Sketchers Shape-Ups
If you have a fused ankle or forefoot pain, these shoes might offer pain relief. I am highly skeptical of any claims that they help tone muscles. I would expect them to increase the risk of falling as they are unstable. Here is a link to a recent NPR story: Link
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Minimalist Shoe Links
Here goes a collection of links to articles and sites about potential benefits of minimalist shoes in no particular order
The painful truth about trainers: Are running shoes a waste of money?
Wiggling their Toes a the Shoe Giants
The Men Who Live Forever http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112995970" title="NPR: Shoes for Barefoot Runners">NPR: Shoes for Barefoot Runners
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NSAIDS like Ibuprofen increases stress of exercise?
If you are going for a big hike, playing a long day of tennis or running a marathon, it makes sense to pop a few advil to minimize inflammation right? Maybe (probably!) not...............
Here is an excerpt from a recent New York Times Article:
"Those runners who’d popped over-the-counter ibuprofen pills before and during the race displayed significantly more inflammation and other markers of high immune system response afterward than the runners who hadn’t taken anti-inflammatories. The ibuprofen users also showed signs of mild kidney impairment and, both before and after the race, of low-level endotoxemia, a condition in which bacteria leak from the colon into the bloodstream."
Here is a link the the entire article.
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Christian Meditation Tradition-Centering Prayer
Christian Meditation Tradition-Centering Prayer
You Tube Video by Thomas Keating
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Osteopenia worth taking medication for?
Have you been diagnosed with osteopenia? Here is an article from New York Times suggesting that it might not be worth taking medication (with potentially nasty side effects) for osteopenia. It also indicates that much of the push to test bone density has been driven by pharmaceutical companies looking to sell more bone density drugs.
Here is the link to the article
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Stress reduces cognitive and adaptive capacity, relaxation increases it
Stressed rats show decreased cognition and adaptive behavior. Let them "vacation" in a less stressfull environment and they regain cognitive ability:
Link to article in New York Times
Do you think this applies to humans too?
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People who take Vacations have lower blood pressure, lower stress hormones and smaller waists.
No shocking news here-vacations and leisure activities are good for you...
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Yoga for kyphosis (forward slump in thorax)
I find yoga to be a very potent way to address an excessive forward bend in upper back.
Kyphosis (Greek - kyphos, a hump) also called "hunchback", is a very common condition of a curvature of the upper (thoracic) spine. It can be caused by degenerative diseases (such as arthritis), osteoporosis with compression fractures of the vertebrae, and trauma.
When combinded with osteopathic manual therapy and tai chi qigong it is even more effective. Here is a link to a recent study that evaluated the efficacy of yoga for this common condition: Link
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