Best Self Help

Calm your mind with the Aroma Diffuser Elite

Aroma Diffuser Elite with DVD

Where to buy: www.gaiam.com
Review by: ACHmom

The Aroma Diffuser Elite is a fantastic, mind-calming product. It is a device that not only relaxes your mind and body with the fragrance of 100% aromatherapy oil; the color sensor, if you chose to turn it on, adds gentle and warm light for even more tranquillity. To complete the relaxation, you can listen to beautiful nature sounds to take away the cares of your day. All you have to do is sit comfortably and close your eyes and feel the pressure lifting.

The diffuser comes with a handy remote control, a large LCD display on the front of the device as well as an auto turn-off. This is a safety feature which turns the diffuser off when the water levels are too low. The product also includes a stress relief DVD.

Overall, I think that this device is a great asset to any home. You could put it into your bedroom, and while listening to the nature sounds and breathing in the beautiful aroma of essential oils, fall asleep. The diffuser would equally be at home in a living room to create a calming and relaxing atmosphere for the whole family. It is a bit pricey on first glance, but I think it is worth every cent.

Read more about Gaiam’s Aroma Diffuser Elite with DVD

The Breathing Box

The Breathing Box
Price: $20.00
Where to buy: Gaiam.com

Many of us don’t breathe properly. You might breathe through your mouth, even if your sinuses aren’t blocked. Or you might have shallow breathing, and move your neck and shoulders. Incorrect breathing can lead to an agitated mind and overactive emotions, it can lead to breathlessness or panic breathing, chest pains, feelings of fatigue or a shortage of oxygen supply in your blood.

The Breathing Box includes a DVD, a CD, a booklet as well as nine cards which show you, in easy-to-understand pictures, how to do the various exercises. Gay Hendricks, a well-known author, psychologist and health practitioner, will lead you through a set of breathing techniques to correct your breathing. The exercises, when done on a consistent basis, will increase your well-being. Your stress levels will be reduced, you will find that you sleep well through the night, you will notice your posture improving, you will gain in self-confidence, increase your energy levels and feel like a new person.

I like the fact that this set of techniques and exercises has been FDA-approved and I am certain that it will help everybody using this program to achieve a healthier lifestyle. I like this product and would certainly recommend it to anybody wanting to improve their breathing.

Buy The Breathing Box at Gaiam.com
Breath training has been FDA-proven as a recognized treatment for depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and more. Gay Hendricks (author of Conscious Breathing) guides a complete program of techniques that provide a sense of ease and flow, clear fatigue and mental fog, create bliss, expand consciousness, heal emotional trauma, reduce stress and increase energy levels. A complete set of life-changing techniques in a box! 90 minutes. Includes DVD (80 minutes), CD, 48-page book and nine cards. $20

Things we love – Over the Counter Natural Cures

Over the Counter Natural Cures: Take Charge of Your Health in 30 Days with 10 Lifesaving Supplements for under $10
Review by: APCTamara
Price: $7.98 at BarnesandNoble.com

Finding the right supplements for your needs can be a bit of a struggle. With aisles and aisles of different types and brands of supplements and ads, it is hard to find your way around this maze. The author of “Over the Counter Natural Cures: Take charge of Your Health in 30 Days with 10 Lifesaving Supplements for under $10″ is a breath of fresh air. Shane Ellison, the author, explains how to see beyond the slick labels and packaging to get the same supplement for much cheaper elsewhere.

The book is a guide to help you feel better, stronger and fitter with the right type of supplements that won’t cost the earth. A drug chemist by trade, he gives specific ideas of supplements to take to lower blood pressure, to get a glowing and younger-looking skin, reduce the risk of contracting cancer and diabetes, natural cures to reduce anxiety and depression and more. His own experience in how supplements can work to improve health and wellbeing, are reflected in this handy and informative book “Over the Counter Natural Cures”.

Overall, this book gives you lots of insight on how to tackle the supplement maze and how to take advantage of inexpensive supplements to naturally cure conditions that could potentially have a grave impact on your life.

Before taking any supplements, it is advisable to talk to your health care provider, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking other medication.

Over the Counter Natural Cures: Take Charge of Your Health in 30 Days
Price: $7.98
Over-the-Counter Natural Cures is your insider guide to the inexpensive, easy ways to dramatically boost your health in less than 30 days. and stay fit and lean forever! Learn more about this title here.

The Clear Skin Diet

The Clear Skin Diet
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
Review by: ACHMom

When we think of acne, most people think of hormonal changes during teenage years. But did you know that more and more adults (especially women) also develop this skin problem? According to this book, this might be due to our modern diet, full of fats, sugars, processed foods, lack of fresh fruit and vegetables and fiber.

The Clear Skin diet is a well-researched book on the effect of poor nutrition on our skin. You will learn about acne, its causes and conventional treatment options. Why some foods can increase the occurrence of acne and how others, such as anti-inflammatory foods and those rich in antioxidants and certain herbs can help to clear up your skin and are beneficial to the healing process.

The book is jam-packed with in-depth information on acne. But it also gives you an action plan to put into place to start the process of clearing your skin. It includes acne-preventive recipes, food supplements, dietary requirements and even ideas on stress management and the positive effect this can have on your skin.

This  informative resource is written by Alan C Logan (a board-certified naturopath physician) and Valori Treloare, MD, Dermatologist. If you or anybody you know suffers from acne, it is certainly worthwhile reading this book, understanding the science behind skin and diet and the changes you can make for a clearer skin.

This title is available at a discount of 32% at amazon.com >

Things We Love – Natural Health Magazine

Natural Health Magazine
Where to buy: http://www.magazines.com/product/natural-health
Review by: ACHMOM

People are increasingly aware of the importance of natural health and a healthy and active lifestyle. Natural Health magazine encourages a healthy lifestyle for the whole family and covers a wide range of health, fitness and active lifestyle issues.

Informative articles include bodywork, vitamins, natural remedies, healthy recipes, pregnancy, men’s fitness, product reviews and much more. Gardening topics, exercise and outdoor sports are also covered in great detail.

The Natural Health Magazine is published 10 times a year by well-known health and fitness publisher, Weider Publications. The magazine includes a consumer guide that gives in-depth information on one special topic with up-to-date research. Readers can send in any questions they might have and these are answered by health professionals in the “Ask the Experts” section of the magazine.

If you are looking for a magazine that covers important issues in natural health, this magazine is for you.

Read more about this title here >

Book Recommendation – The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood

The Healthiest Kid In the Neighborhood
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
Review by: ACHMom

As parents, one of our main concerns is to raise healthy kids and teach them to appreciate good and nutritional food. If they like good food, they are more likely to continue to stay away from junk food, even as adults. Unfortunately, childhood obesity is still on the rise, kids are inactive and at risk of developing terrible health conditions, such as diabetes or heart conditions.

The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood is a great resource on how to make vital nutritional choices for your family. It is written by “America’s pediatrician”, Dr William Sears, together with his wife, Martha Sears, and his two pediatrician sons, Drs. James and Robert Sears. It’s a book on how to prevent diseases and enjoy a healthy lifestyle full of energy and vitality.

Inside the book you will find practical and down-to-earth advice on how to shape your young children’s tastebuds, how to make vital nutritional changes to help your child live a healthy lifestyle, how to feed your family the right carbs and the right fats, why omega 3 fatty acids are essential to a growing brain. Learn how to cook with immunity-boosting foods. I particularly like the section on food shopping with your kids. In there, you’ll find lots of great tips on how to spot the best foods in the food aisles in your supermarket, i.e. be supermarket savvy, and how to keep your kids safe from marketing lures and ploys.

The section on Recipes offers mouth-watering and super-healthy snacks, dinners and lunches and desserts. They are a great way of introducing healthy and wholesome food to your family and why not start by cooking together? This is not only a fun family activity, but I am sure your kids will be much more likely to eat their own home-cooked food.

Overall, this is an unpretentious book by the Sears family, packed with lots of great pointers and tips on how to get your family on a healthy, nutritional path.

Read more about this title >

Books We Love – Learned Optimism

Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
Review by ACHMom

Learned Optimism is a well-researched book on the subject of optimism/pessimism by a well-known American psychologist, clinical researcher and author of self-help books, Martin Seligman.

In his book “Learned Optimism” he explains, in easy-to-understand and engaging language, what optimism and pessimism are, how they affect our happiness, our overall well-being and our success. If you are a pessimist and want to change your way of thinking, he gives a clear model for you to asses your own thinking style and how to change your way of thinking to become more optimistic. He also gives great advice on how to make sure our children will grow up being optimists and how to lead them away from having a pessimistic outlook on life by becoming successful optimists. Every theory he advocates is explained and based on rock-solid research to persuade even the biggest sceptics.

I like the fact that he includes worksheets in his book to help you in your quest to be happy and optimistic about your life and future.

Overall, if you could do with a life-changing mood book, Martin Seligman has written a valuable self-help book for you and your family.

Learn more about this title >

Kathy Smith’s Kettlebell Solution

Kathy Smith’s Kettlebell Solution
Buy at: amazon.com
Review by: ACHmom

If you are already familiar with Kettlebells, you know of the many benefits that this type of training can bring you. That’s why it is one of America’s top choices when it comes to all around fitness. It improves your muscular endurance, strengthens your muscles and is lots of fun.

Kettlebells look like cannonballs with a handle that enables you to swing them around. They  come in different weights, and the Kathy Smith’s Kettlebell Solution is aimed at beginners and comes with one 3lb soft Kettlebell and one 5lb soft Kettlebell. Soft means that these Kettlebells are filled with sand and come with a soft outer shell (just in case you drop one onto your toes). It also includes a workout DVD to show you how to effectively use the Kettlebells to target various parts of your body. There are 4 different workouts in total to target bums and thighs, core muscle group, fat burning workout and upper body. The DVD set also features a nutrition guide to complement your training and a wall chart to mark down your training progress.

As you progress through the training, you will find that your body becomes stronger, leaner and more flexible. This will, in turn, increase your level of fitness and wellbeing.

Overall, I think that Kathy Smith’s Kettlebell Solution would make a great purchase for anybody wanting to try out this popular fitness product at home. You can’t go wrong with Kathy Smith’s products. She’s been a leader in the wellness and fitness field for over 20 years and has been changing people’s lifestyle for the better ever since.

Classical Pilates for Kids and Young Adults

Classical Pilates Kids and Young Adults DVD
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
Review by: ACHMom

Classical Pilates Kids and Young Adults DVD is a great DVD for your home to keep your family fit. Pilates offers many advantages to growing children. Doing it regularly will help them to develop a healthy alignment of the spine, and in turn their posture will be straight and strong. Other core muscles in their bodies will grow stronger and will improve their overall athletic performance in other sports as well. And let’s not forget that any type of physical exercise is helping your children/young adults to stay healthy and well.

The DVD covers different age groups, so is perfect for parents or teachers with differently aged children. You will find appropriate and safe exercise routines for age groups 5-7, 8 to 10, 10 to 12 and 12-17. The age-appropriate exercises help your kids to increase their focus and concentration, they improve your teen’s self-esteem and body image, help with weight management and increase strength and flexibility

Depending on their age, your kids will be introduced to light weight exercises, the advantage of stability ball routines, mat exercises and more. The DVD is designed to keep even the youngest kids’ interest through special effects and imaginary play.

Overall, I think that this DVD is well worth purchasing as it gives you, as a family, the opportunity to work out together and enjoy the many benefits of Pilates.

Read more about this title >

Today’s Product Recommendation – Spiritual Healing CD

Spiritual Healing (CD)
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
Review by: ACGMom

A feeling of instant calm will come over you when listening to this beautiful CD. I find that it immediately relaxes your anxious mind, calms down your heart rate and puts you in the right frame of mind to “let things go”. I can only describe the effect this instrumental music has on the listener as heavenly and serene.

Listen to Wind in Bamboo, Village Moon, Lavender Fields, Dawn Mist – The Temple, Night Jasmine and others to experience the tranquility that will allow you to take time out of your hectic life and relax. You can use the music as background to meditate, when enjoying a soak in a bath, while reading or even during a romantic dinner for you and your partner. I am sure you will enjoy the beautiful sounds of panpipes, piano, string, wind and electronic instruments. Together the composer, Deuter, has created a masterpiece that soothes your soul, calms your fears and gives you peace.

In my opinion, Spiritual Healing is an outstanding CD of New Age music.

Learn more about Spiritual Healing (by Deuter) >