The Conscious LifeThe Conscious Life https://theconsciouslife.com conscious mind, healing body, boundless spirit Fri, 09 Mar 2018 07:14:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Common Medications That Can Cause Bone Loss & Osteoporosis https://theconsciouslife.com/medication-induced-bone-loss-osteoporosis.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/medication-induced-bone-loss-osteoporosis.htm#respond https://theconsciouslife.com/?p=1669 The fact that most of us stop growing taller after puberty often gives the false impression that bone is a static permanent organ that undergo little changes over the course of our lives.

But the truth is, at the cell level, bone is in fact a metabolically active tissue that gets broken up and replaced in a process known as bone remodeling or bone metabolism even in adulthood. It is estimated that about 5% of our bones are actively undergoing remodeling at any one time.

Healthy bone remodeling involves a perfect balance between the removal of old bone tissues and the…

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]]> How to Tell If You’ve Chronic Inflammation https://theconsciouslife.com/how-to-detect-chronic-inflammation.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/how-to-detect-chronic-inflammation.htm#respond https://theconsciouslife.com/?p=1666 Inflammation is the body's way to protect and heal us when an injury or infection occurs. But sometimes inflammation can become chronic. Long-term low-grade inflammation is linked to the progression of several diseases and conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

In apparently healthy individuals, chronic systemic inflammation usually does not produce obvious physical…

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]]> Before a CT Scan or Angiogram, You Should Probably Take This Precaution https://theconsciouslife.com/prevent-contrast-media-kidney-injury.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/prevent-contrast-media-kidney-injury.htm#respond https://theconsciouslife.com/?p=1481 As we've seen in the previous article on reducing the side effects of ionizing radiation, we know of some compounds that can help to mitigate the harmful effects of radiation-based medical tests. If you haven't read it yet, you may want to take a minute to give it a quick glance.

Unfortunately, it's not just the ionizing radiation in medical tests that can harm our bodies. The dyeing agents, known as contrast media, used in those tests to enhance the visibility of organs and vascular structures may also cause damage in some…

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]]> A Meditation Retreat Anyone Can Afford https://theconsciouslife.com/vipassana-meditation-retreat.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/vipassana-meditation-retreat.htm#respond http://theconsciouslife.com/?p=695 You've been meditating on your own for a while and have seen how it has helped you to reduce stress and become less reactive to the events happening around you. But somehow at the back of your mind, you're still wondering whether you are doing it right. Or perhaps you are thinking how you can bring your practice to the next level and get more out of your daily sitting.

If this describes you, then you may be interested in the 10-day residential meditation retreat conducted by the Vipassana Meditation Centers. In the retreat, you…

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]]> Meditation Music: The Songs of Wind Chimes https://theconsciouslife.com/meditation-music-wind-chimes.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/meditation-music-wind-chimes.htm#comments https://theconsciouslife.com/?p=692 As it is, trying to get the mind to stay with the breaths or focus on an object in meditation is difficult enough. But when the place where you meditate is intruded by unruly sounds, it makes the quest for single-pointed concentration even more elusive.

It is not always easy or even possible to control the sounds of our environment, unfortunately, especially if you live in a densely populated city. Keeping the windows tightly shut is one option, but it won't work if a busy road or a highway is just a stone's throw away from your door.

That is why sometimes I play music in the…

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]]> Cocoa Flavanols Reverse Age-Related Memory Decline? Not So Fast https://theconsciouslife.com/cocoa-flavanols-reverse-memory-decline.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/cocoa-flavanols-reverse-memory-decline.htm#respond https://theconsciouslife.com/?p=689 Lately the Internet is abuzz with this piece of research news: cocoa reverses memory loss, eat your chocolates! But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's look at it more closely.

According to the official press release, the study conducted by Columbia University Medical Center has found that …

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]]> Do This to Boost Your Learning Instantly https://theconsciouslife.com/expectation-to-teach-boost-learning.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/expectation-to-teach-boost-learning.htm#respond http://theconsciouslife.com/?p=684 Many techniques have been devised and studied to help us learn better. Mnemonic, depicting facts and concepts with visuals, distributed practice (which is called strategically timed revisions in this post) and integrating new information with existing prior knowledge through self-explanation are some powerful techniques that have been found to be effective.

Good learning techniques are useful and should definitely be taught to more people, not just to students, but adult learners as well. However, even before you begin to…

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]]> 6 Common Meditation Problems That Plague Beginners and What You Can Do About Them https://theconsciouslife.com/common-meditation-beginners-problems.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/common-meditation-beginners-problems.htm#comments http://theconsciouslife.com/?p=682 Meditation is a safe practice that has been found to reduce anxiety, depression and pain (1). Preliminary evidence also suggest that experienced meditators also underwent changes at the genetic and molecular levels that could lead to lower inflammation and possibly beneficial health effects (…

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]]> Soothing Buddhist Mantra Music By Imee Ooi https://theconsciouslife.com/buddhist-mantra-music-imee-ooi.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/buddhist-mantra-music-imee-ooi.htm#respond http://theconsciouslife.com/?p=680 Imee Ooi is a Malaysian Chinese composer, producer as well as singer who performs and produces Buddhist music. Thanks to musicians like her, ancient Buddhist mantras have been given a fresh breath of life. Instead of the monotonous chanting we often hear in temples, they are now rendered with peace-inducing new-age melodies that make them much more approachable for most people.

New-age rendition of Buddhist mantras also makes them easier to memorize and recall, a feat that should not be underestimated. After all, Buddhist devotees believe that reciting mantras can produce powerful,…

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]]> Are Milk and Dairy Products Inflammatory? https://theconsciouslife.com/milk-dairy-products-inflammatory.htm https://theconsciouslife.com/milk-dairy-products-inflammatory.htm#comments http://theconsciouslife.com/?p=676 Ever since I've inducted milk and dairy products into the hall of top inflammatory foods, I never stopped getting responses that either vehemently agree or disagree with what I have written.

This is not unexpected since milk is one of those foods that elicits different responses in different people, depending on who you are asking.

If it is of any comfort, even doctors, researchers and health gurus can't quite agree among themselves. Some doctors said every one should drink milk because it is rich in protein and calcium.…

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