VALO'S ARCHIVE

1. Sniff some vanilla or lavender Certain aromas can lift your mood by influencing the production of endorphins — the brain's "feel-good" chemicals. For example, the scent of vanilla helps reduce anxiety, which is often associated with depression. According to a study at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, patients undergoing MRIs who breathed vanilla-scented air reported 63 percent less anxiety than those who breathed unscented air. To get the endorphin-boosting benefits of vanilla, add a drop or two of vanilla extract to the pot before the coffee brews, light some vanilla-scented candles, or add vanilla essential oil to your bathwater. In another study, conducted on college students, inhaling the aroma of lavender essential oil improved symptoms of depression and insomnia You can dab lavender oil on your wrists and temples or diffuse it in the air with an inexpensive device you can pick up at the health food store. 2. Take a little ginseng Gin...

eeling of pleasure, liberation and euphoric release, releasing bio-energy within our body. Of course, sex can also cause a lot of problems in our lives. There can be negative consequences associated with sex when it is not engaged in or perceived in a sustainable, connected and bliss-giving way. It can affect our self-esteem and throw our intimate relationships out of whack, particularly when it is viewed only as a way to achieve orgasm, not as a shared energetic connection. By understanding the trends of the underlying hormonal activities associated with sex and orgasm, and how the change in our chemistry affect our moods, behavior, desires and wants, we can work with our body’s hormonal system to make sexual interaction a more spiritual and rewarding experience. Understanding the Hormones The main player among the wellbeing hormones is dopamine, also known as the reward hormone. Then there is prolactin,...

You’re here because you love cannabis.  Or perhaps you’re just curious about it. (Or, maybe you hate it with a furious passion and are reading this only to elevate your sense that you are far superior to “those dirty pot-smoking hippies.”) As you probably know, the United States is in the midst of a major transition toward cannabis-friendly policies after decades of demonization, criminalization, and the futile “War on Drugs.” This is spectacular news for those of us who see cannabis as a medicine with numerous benevolent properties. Cannabis has proven effective in treating a  laundry list  of physical and mental ailments — everything from anxiety and insomnia to chronic pain and cancer. Some sources have gone as far as to call it a “ medical miracle .” The astounding evidence in favor of medicinal marijuana raises an important question: Is cannabis valuable only as a treatment for those who are sick? Arguably, no. Marijuan...