What Exactly Do You Mean by Wellness?

When you say “I’m fine” or “doing well” or “great”, what do you mean? What makes you feel well? Who is responsible for the quality of your life? What is wellness?

In 1960s Halbert L. Dunn first used the term wellness. He referred it to “a lifestyle approach that pursued elevated of physical and psychological well-being. He described it as a disciplined commitment to self-mastery,”

Wellness means a healthy balance of the mind-body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being.Wellness is an ongoing process. It is a way of living so that you don’t get sick frequently and improves or strengthens your immunity. It involves your physical, mental, psychological, emotional and spiritual health. Being well recommends good health, aliveness, and energy as well as a great sense of well-being.

You alone are responsible for the quality of your life. So, shed your laziness and make a conscious decision and follow a lifestyle that will ensure your long term, all round wellness.

Find some interesting hobby, read good books, to positive people, eat well, learn to laugh, make friends and have fun with them, play something and help others. Do whatever that makes you feel happy and good. A fine example is the Punjabi kudi depicted in the film Jab We Met. Hug people (be cautious!). It can do wonders. Both to you and the other person. You remember the “jaddu ki jappi” in the film Munnabhai MBBS?

Soak in a spa, enroll for a gym, sign up for an oil massage, take a leisurely bath, or go for long walks at a beach, meditate, listen to soothing music, practice yoga, or try some breathing exercises like pranayama. Your capability to handle your emotions in a positive and constructive manner, and the inner quality of being compassionate; loving; forgiving and joyful will help you to achieve overall wellness.

Wellness is a philosophy of life. It is a conscious decision to follow healthy lifestyle doing things that are immensely satisfying for your wellbeing in the long run. It is a lifelong pursuit. It is a matter of your health and wellbeing! So take your daily dose of wellness and enjoy living!

In this week’s parsha we read about Noach, though we first learn of his birth at the end of Parshat Breishit. There we are told that his Lemech calls him Noach because “this one will relieve us (yeNACHamenu) from our work and from the toil (itzavon) of our hands” (5:29). Lemech creates a midrash to explain his son’s name: Noach, whose name means comfort, will provide relief to a humanity that has just been cursed by God with the burden of working the soil with toil (itzavon) all the days of their lives. (Yeats: “It’s certain there is no fine thing / Since Adam’s fall but needs much labouring.”) The midrash relates that Noach provided this comfort because he was the first human being to be created with opposable thumbs, which made it much easier to till the earth or do nearly anything with one’s hands.

I thought about this midrash when Matan began sucking his thumb for the first time this week. He has been trying to master this skill for quite some time now: First he noticed the thumb and stared at it for a few days; then he realized that he could put it in his mouth; and then he would chomp on it and gag himself, only to stick the thumb back in and gag again. Yet now he sucks away gleefully. As a result, his parents can sleep at night – in the past, each time Matan would stir, one of us would have to reach over the side of our bed, feel around for the pacifier strewn somewhere across his crib, and poke our hands around in the dark (like a blind person groping around in broad daylight, to invoke an image from the Tohekha) until we found (oops, that was the wrong side of his head; nope, an eyelid; yeah, there it is!) his mouth and could stick the pacifier back in and then roll over back to sleep. But now Matan knows how to pacify himself: He wakes up, finds his thumb, and sticks it in his mouth with gusto. This one will comfort us indeed! Matan can rest (Nach) more deeply, and this solution finds favor (Chen) in his parents’ eyes much as Noach (in another anagrammatic midrash – chen is Noach backwards) found favor in the eyes of God.

Inevitably, in our lives as parents, I’m sure Matan will be the source of some Itzavon, which Rashi interprets as ??? ????? ????, the pain of raising children. It is not just pregnancy and childbirth that are part of God’s curse to Eve, but also the gap between expectation and reality: Parents invest everything in their children, only to find that thorns and thistles spring up from the soil in which they have planted their hopes and dreams. Itzavon, like Teshuka (desire), is the difference between what we have and what we want. Eve is saddled with Teshuka for her husband and Itzavon for her children, leaving her with little room for satisfaction. And yet until this point, Matan has been only a source of Naches, which of course comes from the Hebrew word Nachat, itself a variant on Noach/comfort. When I peer into the Teyva (ark) of his crib at night and watch him fumble for his thumb, I find myself paraphrasing the most poetic line from this week’s parsha: So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night; my love for you, Matan, shall never cease.

Note: Like everything I write, this dvar Torah owes much to the insights of Avivah Zornberg. For more on Noach and Itzavon, see “Despondent Intoxication” in The Murmuring Deep.

A slew of acquisition news came out this Monday morning, as major names like Oracle (ORCL), Mattel (MAT), J.M. Smucker Co. (SJM), and Cigna (CI) made moves to cement their top position with key purchases. As is always the case, some takeovers will pan out and some won’t. Even though it is important to make key acquisitions over time, innovation is what will give shareholders the biggest long-term reward. Like in sports, it’s the companies whose executives and workforce remain hungry that get out over the long term. It certainly felt like a bit of melt-up in the markets this day as fund managers chased the recent winners.

We also had a good amount of earnings reports out this morning, but the rest of the week promises to be much heavier. Moving the needle up on better-than-expected earnings were shares of Caterpillar (CAT), V.F. Corp (VFC), and Eaton Corp (ETN). On the flipside, stocks like Kimberly-Clark (KMB) was lower and Lorillard (LO) bounced off earlier lows to close fairly unchanged.

New Mortgage Refi Proposal Coming from President Obama

Our president will unveil a plan later today to help borrowers (as many as 1 million perhaps) refinance underwater mortgages. The move is aimed to prevent homeowners from walking away from their mortgages, but the even larger goal is for the borrowers to take the new-found cash they’ll be saving and spend it, thus augmenting the economy.

Unfortunately, the message from Washington is never to save your money. But then again, the saver has seen tiny in the way of thanks in the past several years. Maintaining historically low interest rates and bailing out people who can’t afford their loans are a kind of slap in the face to responsible savers.

Again, the more we see Washington intercede in the economic cycle, the more a true recovery will be delayed. Don’t forget there are millions of people who are set to see unemployment benefits run out at year-end. What do you think will happen to those folks? Their benefits will no-doubt be extended yet again. Rather than putting the emphasis on getting people back to work, the easy choice is to buy time and print more dollars to add to everyone’s eventual tax burden.

International regulators are following America’s lead now, and are pushing through their own brand of fiscal irresponsibility. The ramifications of all these programs that are created with the purpose of short-term relief are usually never thought out when it comes to the long-term effects. Eventually all the being printed will cause a good dose of inflationary pain. The danger is if the pain comes quickly, and when many least it.

The irony will be when the real estate market starts to show signs of life, but the Federal Reserve being behind the inflation curve needing to raise rates dramatically to soak up all the currency they printed. This development will lead to yet another hard landing that politicians will have to patch together a makeshift solution. It’ll be just enough to extend their own careers, of course.

We continue to eye these economic developments closely, as well as how the markets react to the news. If and when we see a true recovery in the works, we won’t be be afraid to things have reached a turning point.

Employment-Based Health Insurance Coverage Declining

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), employment-based health insurance coverage remains well below the levels of the 1990s. The percentage of workers with coverage either in their own name or as a dependent was slightly above 61 percent in 1998. Fast forward to April of 2010, the percentage of workers with employment-based coverage was down to 56.2 percent.

We are hearing more and more about people rolling the dice on not carrying health insurance, which could deal a fatal blow to one’s chances of building wealth in the event of an unexpected health event. If you are struggling to afford health care for your kids, there are government programs worth checking out, including a site like InsureKidsNow.gov. States also tend to have plans you can look into, so be sure to check these resources out. A simple Google search for “NJ children health insurance” (substitute your own in there) yields plenty of free resources to look into.

Speaking of health insurance, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) announced late last week that all future part-time employees who work less than 24 hours a week on average will no longer qualify for any of the company’s health insurance plans. Also, any new employees who average 24 hours to 33 hours a week will no longer be able to include a spouse as part of their health care plan, but can still be covered. This is a big change from the stance the company took just a couple of years ago. If you remember, I noted recently about the big hike in health insurance rates we saw for our company after a couple of years of little to no increase.

A wealth plan without a viable health plan can be quite precarious, so I would advise anyone that is currently “rolling the dice” to do whatever you can to get some sort of coverage against a major health event that could jeopardize your financial future.

Preview My Be a Dividend Millionaire Book

My publisher (FT Press/Pearson) is giving away a free chapter of my popular Be a Dividend Millionaire book to download for free. Anyone interested can visit the Facebook page here to check it out:

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Did You Miss Our Weekend Updates?

I hope everyone had a chance to check out our Dividend.com Premium members-only weekend articles, including new features that highlight some of the biggest winners and losers from the week that was, such as analyst upgrades/downgrades and earnings/story stocks. These articles are a great way to catch up on the week that was in the markets. We also have a rundown of how various Dividend ETFs performed on the week.

Thanks for reading everybody. I’ll see you tomorrow!

Be sure to visit our complete suggested list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

In Christ Jesus, God befriends us, as I blogged the other day.  That God is friends with us propels you and me to lovingly befriend our neighbours and help them to enjoy God’s friendship, too.  We sang about this yesterday at Telkwa CRC, using this hymn by Roy Berkenbosch of The King’s University College and CRWRC…

In Christ Jesus, God befriends us,
comes to meet us in our need;
by His wounded flesh Christ heals us,
from the powers sets us free.
With a shepherd’s eyes He finds us,
in His arms we are embraced,
through His teaching we learn wisdom,
in the cross we meet God’s grace.

God brings help for those who struggle
and relief from poverty
when we act with love towards strangers,
risk ourselves to set them free.
Lay the walls of hate to rubble
‘til the cries of war are ceased,
when the rich share hoarded treasures
with the ones who have the least.

Creeds can’t dispel the hunger
that brings kids to their knees,
nor can weekly rites of worship
ease the pain of dread disease.
Only love made real in service
reaches others in their need.
Holy Spirit, move our faith from
empty words to living deeds.

All my neighbours, near and distant,
must enjoy God’s friendship too.
They are waiting to be welcomed
to the feast where life’s made new.
Let us join our hands together,
raise our voices, shout our prayers,
live the life that Christ commands us
‘til there’s justice everywhere.

© 2002 Roy Berkenbosch
You can sing this hymn to the tune “BEACH SPRING” (Psalter Hymnal 579)
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Health ideas to help men feelings

>Many of us feeling the need for losing weight now, have been down this road a few, if not many, times before. Most of the time that we have dieted, we have gained the weight back.

If your budget is like mine, you afford big amounts of cash each month to diet pills. Therefore, we need to search for some cheap diet pills.

By this time, we have all become aware there are no miracle diet pills that will take care of our weight overnight. Our weight was not gained overnight, so we must learn to be patient.

When you prepare to purchase diet pills, keep in mind that one diet pill does not fit all.We need to find one that will fit our own body needs. Do we want to diet pills that help us eat less, burn calories and fat, or block carbs and fats?

As with other items we purchase, some things will not work to purchase cheap. Cheap diet pills may be one of these items.
Some of the superior natural diet pills on the market contain ingredients that works as well as they do because the ingredients are from the original natural sources, and therefore, are the best.

Studies have been done to compare cheap diet pills with those of the and original ingredients. The original and higher-grade ingredients won by a very margin. Reviews have been written by people who have bought cheap diet pills only to find out that the ingredients listed were not the high quality, authentic ingredients that are needed to lose weight. To know if the ingredients are good quality, there will be a stamp or receipt on the outside or inside of the box. You may not lose any weight if you have not bought the better quality diet pills.

So, how do we get good quality, cheap diet pills, on our budgets? First, we look for good quality products that are suitable for our body’s needs and you find them on sale. One place to find them is on the internet. There are lots of different, quality herbal diet pill companies that will offer introductory offers, or by buying more than one bottle you can get one free. You can also get good quality herbal diet pills on site such as eBay or half.com.

Researchers have listed the following six herbal diet pills as the best on the market for their natural and high quality ingredients. You can also find these items on the internet listed on eBay or half.com

* Hoodia Gordonini Plus is a derivative of a South African plant. The natives used this ingredient during their long trips through the desert trying to find food. If Hoodia Gordonini is taken before a meal, it will tell the brain we have already eaten. We will then have a much less interest in food. It has no stimulants and therefore is very safe without any side effects.

* Dietrine Carb Blocker has an ingredient from the white kidney bean that blocks out the carbs and fats from food before it is digested into the system and turned into glucose. Dietrine Carb Blocker has no stimulants and is safe. It has no side effects.

* Herbal Pentermine acts as an appetite suppressant by acting on the hypothalamus gland that regulates our appetites.

* Lipitrex has an active ingredient from an Indian plant called Coleus Forskchlii that increases our metabolism to burn more calories, and to act as an appetite suppressant to eat less.

* Exitor contains an ingredient that acts as a thermogenic stimulator, which causes our bodies to burn fat in a time released manner. Because of the time-released action of the thermogenic stimulator, we will get a steady supply of energy throughout the day.

* Thyromine reverses the weight that is gained by hypothyroidism. It stimulates the production of the thyroid hormone to lose weight faster. It is safe to take and has no side effects.

Health food stores will sometimes have sales on these diets items. Call your local store and ask them to mail or email you a brochure when herbal diet pills go on sale.

In closing, buying cheap diet pills without the quality of herbs you need to lose weight, sometimes do not turn out to be such a bargain after all. We would be superior off buying good quality diet pills at cheaper prices.

According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care field is the largest industry in the United States today–employing over 13 million wage and salary workers in 2004. Of the twenty fastest growing occupations today, eight of them are in health care. It is anticipated that 20% of the new jobs created between now and 2014 will be in the health care industry–and most of these jobs require four years or less of college.

Many of these jobs will be in the area of health care referred to as Allied Health. The term Allied Health is used to identify a cluster of health professions and covers as many as 100 different jobs (but not physicians and nurses). What are the Allied Health careers anticipating the most growth? While all Allied Health careers can anticipate growth in the coming years, these ten careers are all expected to grow over 25% each year–meaning that these careers will provide the greatest long-term job security. This top ten list includes educational requirements and average salaries.

1. Medical Assistants. These Allied Health professionals perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty.

Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and bookkeeping.

As the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, more Medical Assistants will be needed. In fact, this is anticipated to be the fastest growing career through 2014.

Education Requirements: Most Medical Assistants complete postsecondary programs that last either one year, resulting in a certificate or diploma, or two years, resulting in an associate degree.

Salary: The average salary for Medical Assistants is $24,610.

2. Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians. These Allied Health professionals assist physicians in diagnosing and treating cardiac (heart) and peripheral vascular (blood vessel) ailments. Cardiovascular technologists may specialize in any of three areas of practice: invasive cardiology, echocardiography, and vascular technology. Cardiovascular technologists specializing in invasive procedures are called cardiology technologists.

Technologists prepare patients for cardiac catheterization and balloon angioplasty. During the procedures, they monitor patients’ blood pressure and heart rate with EKG equipment and notify the physician if something appears to be wrong. Technologists also may prepare and monitor patients during open-heart surgery and during the insertion of pacemakers and stents that open up blockages in arteries to the heart and major blood vessels.

Rapid employment growth is expected for Cardiovascular Technologists as the population ages, because older people have a higher incidence of heart problems and use more diagnostic imaging. Employment of vascular technologists and echocardiographers will also grow as advances in vascular technology and sonography reduce the need for more costly and invasive procedures.

Education Requirements: The majority of Cardiovascular Technologists complete a 2-year junior or community college program, but 4-year programs are increasingly available.

Salary: The average salary for Cardiovascular Technologists is $38,690.

3. Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. Also known as ultrasonographers, these Allied Health professionals use special equipment to direct nonionizing, high frequency sound waves into areas of the patient’s body. Sonographers operate the equipment, which collects reflected echoes and forms an image that may be videotaped, transmitted, or photographed for interpretation and diagnosis by a physician.

As the population grows and ages, increasing the demand for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic technology means incredible growth in this field. Additionally, sonography is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to radiologic procedures, as patients seek safer treatment methods, further increase the demand for sonographers.

Education Requirements: Colleges and universities offer formal training for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in both 2- and 4-year programs, culminating in an associate or a bachelor’s degree. Two-year programs are most prevalent.

Salary: The average salary for diagnostic medical sonographers is $52,490.

4. Physician Assistants. These Allied Health Professionals practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. Physicians Assistants are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as delegated by a physician. Working as members of the health care team, they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and X rays, and make diagnoses. Physicians Assistants may be the principal care providers in rural or inner city clinics, where a physician is present for only 1 or 2 days each week

Employment of Physicians Assistants is expected to grow much faster than average, ranking among the fastest growing occupations, due to anticipated expansion of the health care industry and an emphasis on cost containment, resulting in increasing utilization of Physicians Assistants.

Education Requirements: Physicians Assistants must complete accredited, formal education program and pass a National exam to obtain a license. Physician’s Assistant programs usually last at least 2 years and are full time.

Salary: The average salary for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice is $74,264.

5. Respiratory Therapists and Respiratory Therapy Technicians. These Allied Health professionals–also known as respiratory care practitioners–evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Respiratory Therapists assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care therapeutic treatments and diagnostic procedures, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Respiratory therapy technicians follow specific, well-defined respiratory care procedures under the direction of respiratory therapists and physicians

Job opportunities are expected to be very good, especially for respiratory therapists with cardiopulmonary care skills or experience working with infants. But all areas of Respiratory Therapy expect substantial growth due to the jump in the numbers of the middle-aged and elderly population–a development that will heighten the incidence of cardiopulmonary disease–and because of the expanding role of respiratory therapists in the early detection of pulmonary disorders, case management, disease prevention, and emergency care.

Educational Requirements: An associate’s degree is required for entry into the field. Most programs award associate’s or bachelor’s degrees and prepare graduates for jobs as advanced respiratory therapists.

Salary: The average salary for respiratory therapists is $43,140.

6. Athletic Trainers. These Allied Health professionals help prevent and treat injuries for people of all ages. Their clients include everyone from professional athletes to industrial workers. Athletic trainers are often one of the first heath care providers on the scene when injuries occur, and therefore must be able to recognize, evaluate, and assess injuries and provide immediate care when needed. They also are heavily involved in the rehabilitation and reconditioning of injuries.

Job growth for Athletic Trainers is expected to be extensive, and will be concentrated in health care industry settings, such as ambulatory heath care services and hospitals.

Educational Requirements: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required for almost all jobs as an athletic trainer.

Salary: The salary of an athletic trainer depends on experience and job responsibilities, and varies by job setting, but the average salary for athletic trainers is $33,940.

7. Surgical Technologists. These Allied Health professionals, also called scrubs and surgical or operating room technicians, assist in surgical operations under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. Before an operation, surgical technologists help prepare the operating room by setting up surgical instruments and equipment, sterile drapes, and sterile solutions. They assemble both sterile and non-sterile equipment, get patients ready for surgery, and transport patients to the operating room. During surgeries, Surgical Technologists also observe patients’ vital signs, check charts, and assist the surgical team with putting on sterile gowns and gloves.

Because the number of surgical procedures is expected to rise as the population grows and ages, job prospects for Surgical Technicians are extremely good.

Educational Requirements: Surgical technologists receive their training in formal programs offered by community and junior colleges, vocational schools, universities, hospitals, and the military.

Salary: The average salary of surgical technologists is $34,010.

8. Clinical laboratory Technologists. These Allied Health professionals–also referred to as clinical laboratory scientists or medical technologists–perform most of the clinical laboratory tests that play a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Clinical laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids, and cells. They look for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment. Technologists also prepare specimens for examination, count cells, and look for abnormal cells in blood and body fluids.

In the coming years the number of job openings in this field is expected to continue to exceed the number of job seekers, particularly as the volume of laboratory tests continues to increase with both population growth and the development of new types of tests.

Educational Requirements: Medical and clinical laboratory technicians generally have either an associate degree from a community or junior college or a certificate from a hospital or a vocational and technical school. The usual requirement for an entry-level position as a clinical laboratory technologist is a bachelor’s degree with a major in medical technology or in one of the life sciences.

Salary: Average salary for medical and clinical laboratory technologists is $45,730.

9. Medical and Health Services Managers. Health care is a business and, like every other business, it needs good management to keep it running smoothly. These Allied Health professionals–also referred to as health care executives or health care administrators–plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health care. Medical and health services managers include specialists and generalists. Specialists are in charge of specific clinical departments or services, while generalists manage or help manage an entire facility or system. Increasingly, medical and health services managers will work in organizations in which they must optimize efficiency of a variety of related services–for example, those ranging from inpatient care to outpatient follow-up care.

As the health care industry continues to expand and diversify, job opportunities for Medical and Health Services Managers will be especially good in offices of health practitioners, general medical and surgical hospitals, home health care services, and outpatient care centers.

Educational Requirements: A master’s degree in health services administration or business administration is the standard credential for most positions in this field. A bachelor’s degree is adequate for some entry-level positions in smaller facilities, at the departmental level within health care organizations, and in health information management.

Salary: The average salary for medical and health services managers is $67,430, but can go as high as $117,990.

10. Dietitians and Nutritionists. These Allied Health professionals plan food and nutrition programs and supervise the preparation and serving of meals. They help to prevent and treat illnesses by promoting healthy eating habits and recommending dietary modifications. Dietitians also manage food service systems for institutions such as hospitals and schools, promote sound eating habits through education, and conduct research.

The increasing emphasis on disease prevention through improved dietary habits, along with the growing and aging population, will boost the demand for meals and nutritional counseling in hospitals, residential care facilities, schools, prisons, community health programs, and home health care agencies. Public interest in nutrition and increased emphasis on health education and prudent lifestyles also will spur demand, especially in management.

Educational Requirements: Dietitians and nutritionists need at least a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, food service systems management, or a related area.

Salary: The average salary for dietitians and nutritionists is $43,630.