Just in case anyone is from London, UK area, I am busy these days organising the Romanian Film Festival which will take place at Curzon Mayfair cinema (38 Curzon Street, London W1J 7TY). If you are interested, check out the RFF blog I have just built at http://romanianfilmfestival.blogspot.com/ or the official Film Festival website at http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/filmfestival/.
Take care y'all
Jo
Tuesday 28 April 2009
Monday 27 April 2009
Design Change...
I have decided to change the layout of the blog, which was frankly too boring and uninspiring for me. Here's my latest concoction. Hope y'all like it!
Monday 20 April 2009
10 Best Herbal Sleeping Remedies
Every once in a while I get sleeping problems, and this time I have decided to find some natural herbal remedies to help. Here's my top 10 of herbal sleeping remedies:
1. Valerian (Lat. Valeriana officinalis) - this is the first herbal remedy used to cure insomnia, as well as stress and anxiety. It also purports to improve the quality of sleep. However, valerian is only a long-term aid. For best results, it should be used regularly for at least one month to benefit from its effects. Valerian can be used as a tea or extract. Research has shown that valerian is at least as potent as diazepam or variants (see here).
2. Lavender (Lat. l. angustifolia) - it has a general tranquillizing and relaxing effect on the body, which induces sleep. Lavender can be used as a tea, relaxing oil (to be rubbed into muscle areas), or for aromatherapy purposes.
3. Passion Flower (Lat. passiflora) - it acts as an internal relaxer, promoting the gentle functioning of the body, particularly the digestive system. Like valerian, it is best to be used regularly to enhance its benefits. Passion flower is typically used as a tea, although pills can be found.
4. Hops (humulus lupulus) - it is a typical component of beer. Hops are a natural sedative which is often combined with chamomile, lavender or valerian.
5. Chamomile (matricaria camomilla) - it is used 'on the spot' to relax and help restful sleep. Usually brewed as a tea and drank before bedtime.
6. Lemon Balm (melissa officinalis) - it has sedative action and can be brewed as a pleasant-tasting tea.
7. Kava (piper methysticum) - it is highly potent for anxiety relief. It can usually be found as an extract or as a spray to be used under the tongue.
8. Lime / linden flower (tilia cordata) - it is used to calm headaches, anxiety and to promote sleep by relaxing muscles. It makes a very pleasant-tasting tea.
9. Chaste tree - recent studies have shown that chaste tree increases the natural production of melatonin in the body (the hormone that instigates sleep). I don't know that much about this one, but I will be looking into it.
10. Honey - well, ok, not a herb per se, but in combination with the other herbs it helps promote sleep.
Many of these herbs can be mixed into potent sleeping teas: for instance, valerian is often combined with hops and lemon balm. The best advice is to look into the contents of sleeping teas you buy if you do not make one yourself.
1. Valerian (Lat. Valeriana officinalis) - this is the first herbal remedy used to cure insomnia, as well as stress and anxiety. It also purports to improve the quality of sleep. However, valerian is only a long-term aid. For best results, it should be used regularly for at least one month to benefit from its effects. Valerian can be used as a tea or extract. Research has shown that valerian is at least as potent as diazepam or variants (see here).
2. Lavender (Lat. l. angustifolia) - it has a general tranquillizing and relaxing effect on the body, which induces sleep. Lavender can be used as a tea, relaxing oil (to be rubbed into muscle areas), or for aromatherapy purposes.
3. Passion Flower (Lat. passiflora) - it acts as an internal relaxer, promoting the gentle functioning of the body, particularly the digestive system. Like valerian, it is best to be used regularly to enhance its benefits. Passion flower is typically used as a tea, although pills can be found.
4. Hops (humulus lupulus) - it is a typical component of beer. Hops are a natural sedative which is often combined with chamomile, lavender or valerian.
5. Chamomile (matricaria camomilla) - it is used 'on the spot' to relax and help restful sleep. Usually brewed as a tea and drank before bedtime.
6. Lemon Balm (melissa officinalis) - it has sedative action and can be brewed as a pleasant-tasting tea.
7. Kava (piper methysticum) - it is highly potent for anxiety relief. It can usually be found as an extract or as a spray to be used under the tongue.
8. Lime / linden flower (tilia cordata) - it is used to calm headaches, anxiety and to promote sleep by relaxing muscles. It makes a very pleasant-tasting tea.
9. Chaste tree - recent studies have shown that chaste tree increases the natural production of melatonin in the body (the hormone that instigates sleep). I don't know that much about this one, but I will be looking into it.
10. Honey - well, ok, not a herb per se, but in combination with the other herbs it helps promote sleep.
Many of these herbs can be mixed into potent sleeping teas: for instance, valerian is often combined with hops and lemon balm. The best advice is to look into the contents of sleeping teas you buy if you do not make one yourself.
Wednesday 8 April 2009
Why Have a Dog?
Today as I was walking down the street a car drove by with a bumper sticker reading "A dog is good for..." Trouble is, before I could find out what the dog was good for, the car drove out of my sight. Which of course, left me wondering what a dog might be good for.
My parents have a dog named Tess, a beautiful but obnoxious German shepherd. It's now almost a year old and a complete pain in the... She's jumping on everyone, blissfully unaware that her paws are full of mud from the recent rain. She's barking half the night because - well, it's one of those dog things. She's happily stealing all my parents possessions that are left in the garden - the front mat was found soiled in the back yard, one slipper was discovered amongst the rose bushes.
The other day, my dad, who was working in the garden, saw Tess proudly walking by with his glasses in her mouth (he inadvertently forgot them on the porch). My dad managed to retrieve the glasses, but the next day when he left them on the table outside they disappeared for good. They found some early grave somewhere in the yard.
There you go - that's one of the famous tales of Tess. Then, I ask, why bother with a dog?
But you see, sometimes I have dreams about Tess. She is this lively, energetic being that knows a lot of things that I don't. I don't know how to bark, how to eat a bone, how to smell and detect movement in the bushes hundreds of miles away, how to always be happy when the owner comes. This is stuff I will never know.
There's something reassuring, peaceful and faithful about a dog - perhaps it's the ability to be part of nature without second thoughts. Perhaps it's my perception of connecting with nature. Perhaps it's a realization that in the end we're not that different, man and dog, and that our obsessing to commune only with other human beings can be a bit tiring. Why have a dog? Because she can teach me a lot of things about myself that I didn't know - like belonging to nature.
Thursday 2 April 2009
Why I Find Tarot Fascinating
When I grew up I used to think that Tarot was for fat old gypsy women, weird-looking quacks and Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost. It was years later that by circumstances I came into the posession of a Rider-Waite Tarot (the standard tarot deck). I read somewhere that the Rider-Waite tarot is the ugliest deck of them all. Well, that's probably true. It is also true that it is quite fascinating, for someone that enjoys symbolism like me. Then I started playing with it. My game was quite simple: I would be shuffling the Major Arcana (the first 22 cards) and extract one card out of it. I have to say that some rather weird things happened. The first time I looked at the cards, I was drawn by the sight of one card: the Hermit (no. 9). Then, when I shuffled the cards and extracted one, to my surprise I got this same one. When I shuffled the next day, I got the Hermit again. Well, once can assume I wasn't shuffling very well. That's well possible. Yet the third day when I shuffled again I got the same card. I have to say that this experience had an impact on me, in the sense that it made me more interested (and perhaps more appreciative) of the Tarot.
Since then, I have spent some time to decipher the symbols and imagery of the Tarot, which I find quite fascinating. I'm by no means a Tarot specialist, but I'm trying to learn about it. I found that the Tarot is to some degree a two-dimensional portrayal of the human experience - kind of like snapshots are of ourselves at different times through life. Except these 'pictures' are portraying our internal, rather than our external selves.
So what do I think Tarot is relevant for?
1. Mirror of ourselves - so far, this is the best use I could find for it. When I pick a card out of the shuffle, I get an image of where I'm at and perhaps who I am at that particular moment. The card does not have universal validity - that is, it changes through time as we ourselves change.
2. Meditative and learning tool - studying one of the 22 major trump cards from time to time gives you insight into the deeper level of human experience. It is what Jung would have called 'tapping into the collective unconscious'. It is also, incidentally, a great way to learn about the symbols of Western Esotericism (something I'm really keen on).
3. Insight into the future? - This is what Tarot is most renowned for. People pay good money for some tarot reader to look into their future. While I think Tarot may be showing something about the future, I think it does it by showing you the path you are on, or the consequences of the things you are doing in the present. However, it does this in very symbolic and personal terms, and I think all a card reader can do for you is to show you some of the symbolism of the card. Card readers cannot really know what goes inside your head - only you can know that. In other words, the best person who can and should analyze cards is yourself. Moreover, the 'future' you see in cards is changeable. It doesn't need to remain that way. In many ways, the very act of looking into the future changes it, because we then know how to remove ourselves from a path we do not want to take.
Tuesday 31 March 2009
Play a Prank on April Fools Day!
It's April Fools Day! Have you played a trick on anyone yet? I did (hehehe). Ok, it was kind of lousy, but I had to come out with something very early in the morning till my sister was sort of awake and aware of the day.
Play a trick on someone today! Here are the ground rules:
- the joke should not cause long-term harm
- you should expose the joke during the same day, preferably quickly enough
- play the trick before mid-day
- keep it in good taste i.e. don't hurt people's feelings too much
- take it all in good fun, even if someone plays a trick on you before yourself!
More on my thoughts on April Fools Day on my other blog http://www.esotericoffeehouse.com
Play a trick on someone today! Here are the ground rules:
- the joke should not cause long-term harm
- you should expose the joke during the same day, preferably quickly enough
- play the trick before mid-day
- keep it in good taste i.e. don't hurt people's feelings too much
- take it all in good fun, even if someone plays a trick on you before yourself!
More on my thoughts on April Fools Day on my other blog http://www.esotericoffeehouse.com
Thursday 26 March 2009
Iron Defficiency Anemia: What Iron-Rich Foods to Eat and What to Avoid
The first thing you should know is that there are several types of anemia, including:
- iron-deficiency anemia (the most common)
- sickle cell anemia (a disorder affecting African Americans)
- vitamin deficiency anemia
- blood loss anemia (due to internal bleeding)
This article will deal with iron-deficiency anemia, which is more common with women due to menstruation and pregnancy problems, but can occur in men as well.
Iron-deficiency anemia is usually detected through blood tests, as in case of an anemia the hemoglobin and red blood cells (RBCs) are lower than normal. Depending on the gravity of the anemia, the doctor you’re seeing might recommend iron tablets and other medication. In addition to this, you can help yourself recover faster by eating certain foods that will help restore the balance of iron in your body.
The following foods are recommended:
1. Liver: if you can stand it, liver is a great source of iron. Do not eat liver if you are pregnant, as it contains high traces of vitamin A, which may be harmful to the baby.
2. Red meats: eat plenty of steaks, as ‘rare’ as you can stand them. Beef and lamb steaks are particularly rich in iron.
3. Steamed mussels and oysters
4. Baked beans and chick peas
5. Iron-enhanced cereal, like Bran and Branflakes
6. Boiled Spinach
7. Boiled egg
8. Wholemeal bread
9. Canned Sardines
10. Tofu
11. Pumpkin and Sesame Seeds
12. Beets
Other foods that contain decent amounts of iron include: asparagus, broccoli, brown rice, banana, honey and lentils.
An important aspect to remember is that the iron from meat products (‘heme’ iron) is easily absorbed in the blood, while the one in vegetables is not. In order to improve the absorption of iron, vitamin C is needed, which you can procure from orange juice, tomatoes and lemons.
Another issue to recall is that polyphenol-rich foods deter the absorption of non-heme iron into the body. Examples include teas, coffee, cola-based products and chocolate.
Whatever iron-rich foods you choose to eat, it is important to remember that they may not be enough to restore your iron levels. Therefore, it is important to consult with your doctor about the necessity of taking any iron tablets, as well as to share with him the diet you would like to employ.
- iron-deficiency anemia (the most common)
- sickle cell anemia (a disorder affecting African Americans)
- vitamin deficiency anemia
- blood loss anemia (due to internal bleeding)
This article will deal with iron-deficiency anemia, which is more common with women due to menstruation and pregnancy problems, but can occur in men as well.
Iron-deficiency anemia is usually detected through blood tests, as in case of an anemia the hemoglobin and red blood cells (RBCs) are lower than normal. Depending on the gravity of the anemia, the doctor you’re seeing might recommend iron tablets and other medication. In addition to this, you can help yourself recover faster by eating certain foods that will help restore the balance of iron in your body.
The following foods are recommended:
1. Liver: if you can stand it, liver is a great source of iron. Do not eat liver if you are pregnant, as it contains high traces of vitamin A, which may be harmful to the baby.
2. Red meats: eat plenty of steaks, as ‘rare’ as you can stand them. Beef and lamb steaks are particularly rich in iron.
3. Steamed mussels and oysters
4. Baked beans and chick peas
5. Iron-enhanced cereal, like Bran and Branflakes
6. Boiled Spinach
7. Boiled egg
8. Wholemeal bread
9. Canned Sardines
10. Tofu
11. Pumpkin and Sesame Seeds
12. Beets
Other foods that contain decent amounts of iron include: asparagus, broccoli, brown rice, banana, honey and lentils.
An important aspect to remember is that the iron from meat products (‘heme’ iron) is easily absorbed in the blood, while the one in vegetables is not. In order to improve the absorption of iron, vitamin C is needed, which you can procure from orange juice, tomatoes and lemons.
Another issue to recall is that polyphenol-rich foods deter the absorption of non-heme iron into the body. Examples include teas, coffee, cola-based products and chocolate.
Whatever iron-rich foods you choose to eat, it is important to remember that they may not be enough to restore your iron levels. Therefore, it is important to consult with your doctor about the necessity of taking any iron tablets, as well as to share with him the diet you would like to employ.
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