California's Oak Trees

Do you know how many kinds of Oak trees grow in California? Watch Michael Ellis tell all about it!

How Massages And Spa Help In Relieving Stress

Stress is something which every human being deals with in his/her life whether it is negative stress due to the loss of job, knowing that your spouse had an affair, or a positive stress of buying your first home, having a baby etc. All of us should know the tactics of dealing with the stress as it can affect our body and mind and can even result in the symptoms of headaches, high blood pressure etc. Apart from the healthy ways like going for a small walk daily, communicating with others, having proper rest and healthy diet etc, massages and spa therapies also help in reducing the stress hormones in the body.

All the stress-related symptoms like anxiety, restlessness, headache, muscle tension or pain, fatigue etc can be relieved with the help of massages and spa. Dopamine and serotonin hormones, which are responsible for the good mood and feelings related to love and joy in the body, are released through massage which results in relaxed and calm feelings by removing stress from the body. Incorporating a therapeutic massage in your routine can help you look, feel and live better and healthier as it shifts your mind thoughts away from all your worries and makes it relax.

Studies have proven that adding massage therapy in your life will not only reduce the stress levels in the body but will also rejuvenate you as it releases endorphins that calm the peripheral nervous system. Even a small session of 1 hour of spa and massage will make you feel more revived than earlier. Some massage techniques like head massage can also be carried out at home daily and will make you feel relaxed.

A daily soak in hot tub or spa helps in relieving tension as it is scientifically proven that hydrotherapy is one of the best therapies that can eliminate diseases like diabetes, arthritis and reduce stress, blood pressure etc from the body. Warm water immersion leads to the liberation of the dopamine hormone which helps our body to fight the consequences of detrimental stress.

Let us have a look at some of the benefits of Massage Therapy-

• Lowers your heart rate and blood pressure
• Lowers your body pain by relaxing your muscles
• Increases your energy level
• Improves the immune system
• Restores the normal digestive system functions
• Reduces the cortisol levels and insulin levels in the body

The biggest reason of using massage is that it is a natural and safe way of reducing stress. Other forms of therapies can result in side effects in the body. Long term stress caused due to ongoing situations like financial problems can be harmful for our heart, overall health and life. Most meditation centers offer meditation courses which are also a confirmed way to achieve relaxation in your mind. The key component of having a healthier lifestyle is to get rid of stress as early as possible. It has become everyone's priority to keep their body fit and free from all illness as improving your lifestyle now will lead to a better future.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Swati_D_Banerjee/617179

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9654216

A Forest Garden With 500 Edible Plants Could Lead to a Sustainable Future | Short Film Showcase

Instead of neat rows of monoculture, forest gardens combine fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and perennial vegetables together in one seemingly wild setting. This type of agroforestry mimics natural ecosystems and uses the space available in a sustainable way. UK-based Martin Crawford is one of the pioneers of forest gardening. Starting out with a flat field in 1994, his land has been transformed into a woodland and serves as an educational resource for others interested in forest gardening. This short film by Thomas Regnault focuses on Crawford's forest garden, which is abundant, diverse, edible, and might be one answer to the future of food systems.

10 Health Benefits Of Relaxation

PAUL HUDSON VIA GETTY IMAGES

You may have heard that a little bit of stress is actually good for you. In the just-right amount, that adrenaline rush can power you through a long day at work, boost your workouts and more.

But while it feels good to conquer the day, in the end, it just simply feels better — and is more beneficial to your health — to relax.

Some would argue that stress is our biggest health concern, given that it has been linked to so many other complications, from heart problems to dementia. CBS reported on a small study that examined the role of stress in seizures — and found that people are often misdiagnosed with epilepsy, when learning helpful relaxation and coping techniques may be a better solution.

You may still end up racing to meet deadlines at work today, or handling a stressful personal crisis — life goes on, no matter what kind of day it is. But relaxing whenever possible, and in whatever way works for you (whether it’s reading a book, taking a walk, meditating, running, you name it!) is healthier for you than you might think. Check out the health benefits of relaxation below.

Relaxing protects your heart.

You’ve probably heard that stress can seriously up your risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and other heart problems.

While researchers aren’t sure exactly why, the research is unanimously in favor of relaxation for your heart’s sake. “There are studies to show that stress is comparable to other risk factors that we traditionally think of as major, like hypertension, poor diet and lack of exercise,” Kathi Heffner, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the Rochester Center for Mind-Body Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, told Health.com.

Intense, sudden periods of stress or shock, like a breakup or even winning the lottery, can trigger such a rush of adrenaline that the heart can’t function properly, resulting in heart failure or heart attack-like symptoms. In the case of a breakup or death of a loved one, this has become known as broken heart syndrome.

Relaxing lowers your risk of catching a cold.

Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has been at the forefront of stress research since the 1990s. Early on, he showed that chronic stress lasting more than a month but less than six months doubled a person’s risk of catching a cold.

His more recent research has tried to figure out why, and results seem to point to inflammation. It appears that stress hampers the body’s ability to fight inflammation, by making immune cells less sensitive to the hormone that “turns off” inflammation, HealthyDay reported.

Relaxing boosts your memory.

One study found that, at least in mice, chronic stress impaired the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in abstract thought, cognitive analysis and detecting the appropriate behavior for a given situation. Previous research in mice also showed that shorter bursts of stress impaired the centers of the brain involved in memory and learning, and left the mice struggling to remember how to find their way through a maze.

A number of studies have also found that stress increases the amount of certain proteins in the brain that have been linked to Alzheimer’s, possibly accelerating the development of the disease.

Relaxing lowers your stroke risk.

A 2007 University of Cambridge study found that people who coped the best with stressful life events had a 24 percent lower risk of stroke. It may be partly due to the fact that people who handle stress well often are healthy in other ways, like exercising regularly and not smoking.

A 2011 study examined the specific effects of work-related stress, and found that among middle- and upper-class men, psychological stress caused about 10 percent of strokes.

Relaxing keeps you safe from depression.

Studies have shown that chronic stress can kill brain cells, and even prevent the creation of new ones, in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in a healthy response to stress, according to Time.com. In 2011, a study in mice illustrated these findings and began to explain one possible way antidepressants work. The mice exposed to a stressful situation didn’t want to eat, gave up during a swimming task much faster and exhibited “pleasurelessness” — similar to human depression symptoms like loss of appetite, sadness and hopelessness.

In humans, the prolonged presence of stress hormone cortisol can reduce levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are linked to depression.

Stress is also likely to exacerbate mood problems in people with a history of depression or bipolar disorder, and could trigger relapse.

Relaxing helps you make better decisions.

It’s no surprise that when you’re under stress, you might not always be thinking so clearly. But a 2012 study found that stress seems to actually change how we weigh risks and rewards, and can cloud our judgment when we are faced with important decisions.

Counterintuitively, stressed-out people actually tend to focus on the positive, and may ignore the cons of the decision they’re about to make, one of the study’s authors, Mara Mather Ph.D., a professor of gerontology and psychology at the University of Southern California, said in a statement.

That may also help explain why alcoholics crave a drink more when they’re under pressure. “The compulsion to get that reward comes stronger and they’re less able to resist it,” Mather said.

Relaxing keeps you slim.

We love a good comfort food every once in a while, but reaching for foods high in fat and sugar too often can pack on the pounds, and stress makes it harder to resist. Cortisol increases appetite, and may even specifically encourage junk food cravings.

Relaxing eases acne.

It’s a vicious cycle: You’re stressed about that presentation at work, so you break out, and then you’re stressed about the breakout! Researchers aren’t exactly sure why, but stress seems to up the amount of oil produced by the skin, clogging pores and causing acne, according to WebMD.

Flare-ups of other skin problems, like psoriasis, have also been linked to stress, and can be equally stressful themselves. But relaxing really helps: A 1998 study found that psoriasis plaques cleared up more quickly in people who regularly meditated.

Relaxing will keep you in the mood.

One of the big reasons that women lose that lovin’ feeling is stress, but men aren’t immune either. In fact, Kinsey Institute researchers found that stress zaps the libido of around 30 percent of men (although another 21 percent said it actually increased their sex drive.). “Men are more likely to see sex as a stress reliever, whereas for many busy women, their husband’s desire is just another demand on their time and energy,” Alice Domar, Ph.D., director of the Mind/Body Center for Women’s Health at Boston IVF told Ladies Home Journal.

Relaxing could slow breast cancer.

While research on the effects of stress on cancer growth are largely inconclusive, there is some evidence pointing toward a link between stress and breast cancer aggressiveness.

Relaxing not only seems to delay the progression of the disease, but may also speed recovery.

And if you’re currently cancer-free, relaxing now can keep you healthy later. A 2003 study found that stress may double a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer down the line.

Article Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/stress-awareness-day-relaxation-benefits_n_1424820.html

This Is Your Brain on Nature | Explorer

Science is proving what we've always known intuitively: nature does good things to the human brain—it makes us healthier, happier, and smarter. Nature writer David Gessner explains why.

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Should Doctors Prescribe Nature Instead Of Drugs?

Scientists have found that just being around nature can benefit our health in major ways. What exactly does nature do to our bodies?

How Hangin’ In A Hammock Can Help Your Health

What is better for sleep: hammocks or beds? We’re accustomed to beds, but the benefits of sleeping in a hammock should be taken seriously.

A University of Geneva Study found that the gentle rocking motion of a hammock helps people fall asleep faster and encourages a deeper state of sleep. Research conducted on 12 healthy adults noted that they fell asleep quicker in a rocking bed, and the rocking also boosted certain types of sleep-related brain wave oscillations. It increased slow oscillations and bursts of activity in the brain known as sleep spindles, which are associated with deep sleep and memory consolidation.

The researchers also found the swaying motion increased the duration of stage N2 sleep, a type of non-rapid eye movement sleep that usually takes up about half of a night’s worth of good sleep.

Though the study was small, it could mean that hammocks should be considered in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders. Further, a good night’s sleep has all sorts of benefits, such as greater ability to concentrate, a better mood, better body repair and recovery and increased learning.

It’s worthwhile to note hammocks may be good for back pain, they are dust-mite free, and breathe well in hot weather.

Hammocks are also a solution to disrupted sleep because of tossing and turning. When you sleep on a flat bed, your body weight collects in different areas, called pressure points, as explained by Hammock Life Tips. That leads to moving around all night as you try to relieve tension and discomfort to different areas and parts of your body. A hammock, however, adjusts to your body shape.

Likewise, a hammock facilitates sleeping in what is considered the healthiest position: flat on your back with the head slightly elevated. The position gives the brain optimal blood circulation, and allows for unobstructed breathing, according to one doctor at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Other non-health-related benefits of hammocks include convenience and affordability. When camping, pitching a hammock is quick, and there won’t be any rocks sticking in your back as you sleep. And in hot weather, there’s great air circulation; while in cold weather, just stay in your sleeping bag, in the hammock.

And then there’s the view. One of my most memorable nights was spent in a hammock on the patio of a palafito (house on stilts in the middle of a lake) in Venezuela, watching the midnight Catatumbo lightning.

How to sleep in a hammock

Whether on your balcony, in your bedroom or camping, you should make sure your hammock is hung with a nice loose curve. The curve will prevent any shoulder squeeze, and will ensure you don’t fall out, according to The Ultimate Hang. Sleep in it diagonally for a flat position, and bring in a pillow, if you like (though a hammock does naturally elevate your head).

The diagonal line works equally for those who prefer to sleep on their side, or even in fetal position. However, with the way the netting holds you, conforming to your natural curves and removing pressure points, a hammock will often keep you happily sleeping on your back, even if that’s not your usual style.

Avoid hammocks that have horizontal rods at each end (spreader-bar hammock): They are unstable, and won’t bring the same positive benefits, though they may look nice.

Hammock history

Hammocks appear to date back around a thousand years, to when the Maya and other indigenous groups in Central America and the Caribbean used them. Hung from trees, they offered distance from the dirty ground and from snakes and spiders. Sometimes people would place hot coals or kindle small fires under the hammocks in order to stay warm or ward off insects.

The earliest hammocks were woven from the bark of the Hamak tree. Then fibers from the Sisal plant were used as they could be softened quite easily. Cotton rope hammocks have only really been around for the last 60 years.

The word “hammock” may come from the Taino people of the Caribbean, who used the word hamaca to refer to fish nets, or it might come from the Hamak tree.

Seaside Hammocks estimates that at least 100 million people around the world use hammocks as their beds. But if you want to take a gentle sleep to an amazing extreme, you can copy the participants in the International Highline Meeting in Italy, and sleep in a hammock suspended thousands of feet in the air, with a great view of the Italian Alps.

Whatever your preference, it’s worth thinking about alternative ways to sleep instead of the typical bed. Sometimes there are better ways to do things — don’t be afraid to try them!

Article Source: https://www.thealternativedaily.com/how-hangin-in-a-hammock-can-help-your-health/

How Do Birds Learn to Sing? - Partha P. Mitra

A brown thrasher knows a thousand songs. A wood thrush can sing two pitches at once. A mockingbird can match the sounds around it — including car alarms. These are just a few of the 4,000 species of songbirds. How do these birds learn songs? How do they know to mimic the songs of their own species? Are they born knowing how to sing? Partha P. Mitra illuminates the beautiful world of birdsong.

Lesson by Partha P. Mitra, animation by TED-Ed.

View from the Treetops | National Geographic

Steve Sillett climbs a massive redwood, 350 feet in the sky, in order to study the unique environment of the forest canopy.