Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Aging Wisely

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Aging Wisely: We live in very stressful times and it is a known fact that stress ages us. Stress interferes with collagen production and our skin suffe...

Aging Wisely

 

We live in very stressful times and it is a known fact that stress ages us. Stress interferes with collagen production and our skin suffers. Under the constant duress of stress, we look older, feel older, and lose our vitality. When we are constantly under stress and the natural stress response is not completely shut off, we experience a chemical imbalance eventually damaging  joint tissues and blood vessel linings. In short, when the natural stress response is not turned off, the body is constantly on the defensive and inflammation ensues.

Chronic inflammation is central to many common diseases and health problems that develop causing deterioration of the joints and surrounding tissues, mobility challenges, pain, and digestive problems. In regard to the latter, a growing number of medical researchers are finding that inflammation begins in the digestive tract. Anxiety, depression, fear, anger, resentment, and diet all directly affect the proper functioning of the digestive system.

30 million Americans take anxiety medication on a regular basis and an equal number take prescribed and over-the-counter remedies for indigestion. In addition, current research shows that 60 million Americans have problems with sleep. Poor digestion is one of the main causes of interrupted and poor sleep. In teaching often in other parts of the world, I have discovered that these conditions are prevalent in many other countries and cultures.

What can we do? The first thing to address is diet. “Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinella, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science. “Diet, exercise, and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health. This raises the exciting possibility that changes in diet are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities, protecting the brain from damage, and counteracting the effects of aging.”

We are a country of junk food junkies. We buy our food at huge super markets that, in most cases, do not care about our health and well-being. Do not entrust this responsibility to your doctor, the pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, or the food industry. Your health is in your hands and it is up to you to educate yourself on how to take care of your body, your miracle brain, and your wellness.

In an article I read the other day, medical researchers estimated that at the current rate, 1 out of 3 people will have diabetes in America by 2050. Think about it. If an engineer told you that in 5 years your home would most likely slide off of its foundation would you do nothing? The point is, we are in the midst of a health crisis in America and things do not seem to be getting better.

To dramatically improve your health, you need to radically alter your diet. Eat organic fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants and lots of whole grains. The average soda contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar and Americans consume 150 pounds of sugar per person a year! Eat foods abounding in omega-3 fatty acids like wild salmon, walnuts, and flax seeds.

Learn effective stress management techniques, relaxation techniques, and mind enhancing reframing skills. Listen to relaxing music.. Learn natural pain management skills and participate in fun and enjoyable exercise, such as dancing, swimming, walking, and hiking. Take time to play. Play with your loved ones, your animals, your children, and your mate. Spend lots of quality time in nature. Trees, plants, flowers, the ocean, rivers, lakes, and forests, are naturally healing and harmonizing. Take good care of your skin. Use quality products daily and make sure you and your loved one give each other a facial and massage at least once a week.

The fact is you have the power to make positive changes in your life that will impact your health for years to come. You can age wisely and gracefully. Begin now! You have that power.

John A. Tamiazzo, PhD is the author of Returning to the Land of Oz: Finding Hope, Love, and Courage on your Yellow  Brick Road, now available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and BarnesandNoble.com

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Taking Care of Your Ama...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Taking Care of Your Ama...: Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Taking Care of Your Amazing Brain : In L. Frank Baum's enchanting story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecro...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Taking Care of Your Amazing Brain

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Taking Care of Your Amazing Brain: In L. Frank Baum's enchanting story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow wanted a brain. The fact is, the brain is a very complex org...

Taking Care of Your Amazing Brain

In L. Frank Baum's enchanting story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow wanted a brain. The fact is, the brain is a very complex organism and it is imperative to know how to properly feed it, take care of it, and nurture it so it does exactly what it was designed to do. Your brain has 100 billion nerve cells (the same number of stars in our galaxy), 1,000 trillion connections, and 400 miles of blood vessels. Laughter requires the activity of 5 different areas of the brain. Every new thought and idea results in new brain connectivity, which enhance thinking, feelings, creativity, and achievement.

Therefore, you feed the brain by the nutritious food you eat, the uplifting thoughts you entertain, the noble beliefs and values you hold, the positive attitude you possess, and the quality of your perceptions. Enjoyable exercise, play, dance, laughter, relaxation, meditation, being in nature, and continuing to learn new things feed the brain.


Andrew Weil, M.D. once said that ‘Fast food is one of the most unhealthful dietary developments in human history.” Richard Wurtman, research psychiatrist at MIT said, “The ability of a meals composition to affect the production of brain chemicals distinguishes the brain from all other organs.”

The brain is 50-60 percent fat and, thus, is the favorite breeding ground for free radicals. Free radicals are hazardous chemicals that corrupt your brain cells genetic DNA and erode the neurons normal functioning. Free radicals are generated when you breathe or burn calories during normal metabolism. So, they are a natural part of living. But, they are also generated when you breathe in cigarette smoke and polluted air. Free radicals are carried into cells through food, notably fatty food. Under certain circumstances, free radicals are good in that they help to destroy invading bacteria and viruses. But, once they get out of control, they can wreak havoc on your brain cells. A high-fat diet and sugary foods are enemies of the brain.

The human brain was never designed to process the amount of sugar you feed it. It is estimated that each person in the US consumes nearly 150 pounds of sugar a year! In addition, you consume foods rich in saturated fats, transfats, and prepared with hydrogenated oils. If you look closely at most of the food stocked in supermarkets across America and you take the time to read what is in the food and how much fat and suger it contains, you might be surprised at how unhealthy the food is. A can of soda typically contains 10 teaspoons of sugar regardless if it is regular or diet.

Antioxidants are chemicals that neutralize free radicals and keep them under control. Antioxidants act as the body’s ever-vigilant army that searches out and destroys free radicals and attempts to repair the damage they have caused. It is important that antioxidants predominate over free radicals to enhance the brain’s circuitry and repair the cells when necessary. Antioxidants are best produced by eating foods that are antioxidant rich. Creating a strong presence of antioxidants is one of the most important things you can do for the continuing health of your brain. 

The deep color in fruits and vegetables indicate their antioxidant richness. Antioxidant rich foods include: raisins, prunes, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, broccoli, beets, avocado, oranges, red grapes, red pepper, grapefruit, kidney beans, pinto beans, red beans, eggplant, apples, tomatoes, especially cooked tomato as in paste or sauce. Antioxidant rich nuts include pecans, walnuts, peanuts, and sunflower seeds. Barley, oats, oatmeal, and millet are excellent sources. Spices include cinnamon, cloves, cumin, tarragon, and oregano. Antioxidant beverages include green tea, red wine, and dark beer. But, alcoholic beverages need to be consumed in moderation.


Dark chocolate, thank God, is a rich antioxidant and when consumed in moderation it is an excellent brain food. Consider eating 1 ounce of dark chocolate that is at least 70% cacao as your primary desert. Forget about fat laden-artery clogging-gas producing-cholesterol-rich deserts like cakes, pies, ice cream, cookies, etc. In extreme moderation they are fine. But, dark chocolate is your best bet and your miracle brain will love you for it!

John Tamiazzo is the author of Returning to the Land of Oz available at Amazon.com, Amazon, ca, Barnesandnoble.com, and as a Kindle e-book at Amazon.com

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Mr. Warren Buffett

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Mr. Warren Buffett: "This morning, I read the following headline: 'Billionaire Warren Buffett urged U.S. lawmakers Monday to raise taxes on the country's super-r..."

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Mr. Warren Buffett

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Mr. Warren Buffett: "This morning, I read the following headline: 'Billionaire Warren Buffett urged U.S. lawmakers Monday to raise taxes on the country's super-r..."

Mr. Warren Buffett

This morning, I read the following headline:

"Billionaire Warren Buffett urged U.S. lawmakers Monday to raise taxes on the country's super-rich to help cut the budget deficit, saying such a move will not hurt investments."

There are 400 billionaires in the US and according to Mr. Buffet, probably paying much less tax than they should. Billions of dollars in tax revenue could be acquired to help offset the debt. I realize that this is just a step towards paying off a very large debt, but it is a step. We have to stop borrowing money and we have to pay off our debt and this is one way of dozens of ways of doing that.

I realize that this is one area of strong disagreement between the parties in office, but when a man of Mr. Buffet’s stature and integrity comes forth and says, “Tax me fairly. Allow me and my fellow billionaires to pay our fair share,” you have to both congratulate him for his courage and veracity and heed the importance of his words. Those governing the House, the Senate, and the White House apparently do not know how to proceed. Those running for office talk big and act like they know what to do but it is too easy to critize others when you are not in their shoes. What someone in public office did in Texas or Iowa or anyplace else has little bearing on what we should do now. Warren Buffet is a billionaire because when it comes to money, he knows what he is doing. He is giving Washington some advice. Take it, Washington. What have you got to lose?

John A. Tamiazzo, PhD is the author of, Returning to the Land of Oz: Finding Hope, Love, and Courage on Your Yellow Brick Road, available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnesandnoble.com, and as an e-Kindle book at Amazon.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Power of the Mind and Imagination to Create Po...

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Power of the Mind and Imagination to Create Po...: "I was reading an article the other day on a medical website about the top approaches to pain management. Among those listed was Self-Hypnosi..."

The Power of the Mind and Imagination to Create Positive Changes

I was reading an article the other day on a medical website about the top approaches to pain management. Among those listed was Self-Hypnosis. The writer went on to say that even though it oftentimes successfully works, how it works is not understood.

I have specialized in teaching clients and students Self-Hypnosis techniques for over 20 years and I can tell you from experience not only that it works but how it works for managing pain.

Self-Hypnosis assists a person in moving their attention away from the pain to another place in time. Most people that I see that have pain are needlessly focusing on the pain. I teach them to bring their focus and attention someplace else: a relaxing place in nature, a past memory of something pleasant, a future image of doing something that brings joy or success, a future image of being without the pain and enjoying life.  When I suggest that a client think about a positive image, once their unconscious brings forth an image, I suggest that the person bring all their senses into the experience: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory. Bringing all the senses into the picture expands and deepens the good feelings associated with it. As a person does this, he is altering his brain chemistry with hormones and neurotransmitters that stimulate, support, and bring about good feelings. Once these chemicals enter the bloodstream, the entire body positively responds. This response set brings about feelings of harmony.

Spending time in the future in your mind and imagination thinking about pleasant experiences and feel-good experiences goes a long way in reducing and healing pain. Again, learning to train your mind in the sojourns it takes is an awesome skill that will help you to positively alter your own brain chemistry and will bring about greater health, harmony, and peak performance.

Hundreds of medical research studies using placebo medicine or sugar pills report that the placebo oftentimes works as well as the actual medication.  This confirms one very important principle of medical self-hypnosis and that is the power of suggestion should not be overlooked or underrated as a healing agent. I have worked with thousands of students with pain and have helped them use the power of their own mind and imagination to not only manage pain but in some cases to completely rid themselves of it.

Self-Hypnosis works upon the principle of reframing. Reframing is taking an image of something that you have seen as unpleasant and changing it into something that is pleasant. Your mind and imagination have the amazing ability to transcend time. You can be in past time, present time, and future time in a matter of seconds.  When you picture something from your past, present or anticipate something in your future that bothers you, through the power of your own creative imagination and thoughts, you can alter that image or thought so that it doesn’t affect you negatively anymore. Since how we see and experience our past determines how we see and experience the future, spending time clearing away those old memories is important to our health and well being and to mitigating pain.

Much of the pain we experience is directly tied to past hurts, disappointments, and losses that have not been properly and effectively addressed. Self-Hypnosis can help you address these issues in two ways: seeing them for what they really are and by seeing them differently and thus experiencing them differently. In terms of the latter, it has nothing to do with avoiding feelings and everything to do with seeing things in a different way from a new and healthier vantage point. Much of the past that haunts us only haunts us because we are accepting responsibility for it. Many people suffer unnecessarily by accepting the blame or the guilt associated with childhood events that were clearly not their fault. Self-Hypnosis works on the principle of separating truths from untruths. When we live with untruths, we needlessly suffer. Once the truth is uncovered, we are free. This state of freedom is the ultimate goal of Self-Hypnosis and meditative practices.

Another approach is locating the pain within the body and breathing into that painful place. As you breathe into the painful area the pain typically subsides. Asking a person who is experiencing  a stress headache to describe what the pain looks like helps transform the pain into a metaphor that represents the pain. Once the metaphor is created, “It looks and feels like a rope tightening around my head”, the person can then go in and loosen the rope or untie the rope. This gesture can slowly relieve the head pain with the added suggestion that the pain is lessening as the rope is loosened more and more.

It is always important to make certain that you do not have a medical condition that needs to be addressed. Research does confirm, however, that most health issues are stress related. Learning to effectively deal with stress via Self-Hypnosis or meditation, therefore, are outstanding ways to help you dramatically improve your overall health and well being.

Another principle of why and how Selh-Hypnosis works is, “Where the mind goes the body will follow.” The 2000 Olympics is a perfect example. Olympic diver Laura Wilkinson was in 8^th place when I turned on the TV. Chinese women’s divers were in 1^st and 2^nd place and then Laura began diving perfect ‘10s’ and slowly moved from 8^th place to 1^st place.  By the time the event was over, Laura Wilkinson won the Gold Medal. When the interviewer asked her how she regained her composure and did this amazing feat, Laura told him that she began to see herself in her imagination diving perfectly, moving towards the water with perfect form, and entering the water perfectly. In her imagination she saw the judges hold up signs with a 10 on each one and heard the roar of the crowd enthusiastically applauding.  In future time, Laura saw perfection and her brain chemistry, feelings, and body responded with perfection.

Deep breathing, relaxation, reframing, creative imagery, traveling through time in your mind and imagination, metaphor, separating truths from untruths are all effective Self-Hypnosis processes. Self-Hypnosis, creative imagery, and imagination can work miracles as you learn to use the inherent God-given power within you to effect change. These are but a few of the dozens of techniques and Self-Hypnosis processes available for us to learn and use on a daily basis.

John A. Tamiazzo is the author of Returning to the Land of Oz: Finding Hope, love, and Courage on Your Yellow Brick Road available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and barnesandnoble.com.  Returning to the Land of Oz is also available at Amazon.com as a Kindle e-book. Visit his blog-site and click on Events and Lectures to see when he will be offering one of his programs near you!

Why are We Still Sending Foreign Aid?

It is estimated that the US spends approximately $25-30 billion dollars in foreign aid each year. I understand our need to help other countries but these are unusual times. Our postal workers need to keep their jobs. Our small businesses need loans. Our educational programs need assistance. People who want to buy homes need loans. The poor need places to live and food to eat. How can we justify sending money to other countries when what we are sending is essentially borrowed money? Those who supposedly represent us in Washington can debate all they want but the fact remains America is ailing and right now we need to keep whatever money we have at home. Once we get back on our feet, then by all means send money abroad to help others. Now is not the time.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Timeless Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Timeless Lessons from the Wizard of Oz: "When L. Frank Baum wrote the Wizard of Oz in 1899, he created a pretty, smart, and energetic little girl for his marvelous story named Dorot..."

Timeless Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

When L. Frank Baum wrote the Wizard of Oz in 1899, he created a pretty, smart, and energetic little girl for his marvelous story named Dorothy. Dorothy in his original book was about 8 years old. It is quite possible, since he had four sons, that Dorothy was the daughter he always wanted but never had. The Wizard of Oz became his artist canvas to create an archetypal little girl that was able to find her way around this strange Land of Oz, help others, melt the Wicked Witch of the West, and force the Wizard of Oz to admit his powerlessness. This amazing little girl transformed the Land of Oz through her positive attitude, fearlessness, integrity, and relentless desire to go back home.

In 1939, the film makers created Dorothy as a teenager with a marvelous singing voice and stage presence. Judy Garland was fantastic in the role and movie-goers will always think of Dorothy as depicted by Judy Garland singing, Somewhere over the Rainbow, on a dirt road in Kansas.  As the story goes, some of the producers of the film wanted that song cut out of the film because they thought it distracted from the story. It is a good thing that they didn’t get their way because Somewhere over the Rainbow captivated film lovers all over the country as we were still climbing out of the devastation of the Great Depression. That song’s lyrics connected with people, hoping to find another place far, far away where their dreams would come true.

L. Frank Baum’s Dorothy was different from the Judy Garland version in many significant ways. As an 8 year old, she stood toe to toe with the Wicked Witch when she was captured by her and locked in the Witch’s castle. The Wicked Witch stole one of the Ruby Red Shoes and Dorothy demanded it back. The Wicked Witch refused. In her fury, Dorothy grabbed the closest resource to her, a bucket of water, and poured it on the witch. As you remember in the film version, the witch set Scarecrow on fire and Dorothy inadvertently poured the water on the witch while trying to save the Scarecrow. In Baum’s original tale, Dorothy confronted the witch head on and refused to back down, ultimately winning her freedom. After the Wicked Witch melted away, Dorothy left the castle and freed the Lion who was held chained in the Wicked Witch’s courtyard. She then summoned the Winged Monkeys to rescue the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman who were badly beaten. If you remember the film’s version of this scene, Dorothy frantically pounds on the door of the castle screaming for the Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Woodman to free her. Instead, Baum had Dorothy free them. This is quite different scenes.

Throughout the story, there are 5 themes that are repeated again and again: remain positive and hopeful; use your brain and mind wisely; live with an open heart; muster your courage often; and draw upon the magic of your imagination again and again.

I believe that the Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest stories of personal transformation ever written. The 5 themes are timeless. Even today, 111 years after its first printing and 72 years after the film made its debut, these 5 themes are fundamental to our continued psychological health, creativity, spirituality, and well-being.

John A. Tamiazzo, PhD is the author of Returning to the Land of Oz: Finding Hope, Love, and Courage on Your Yellow Brick Road, available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, BarnesandNoble.com, and as an e-Kindle book at Amazon.