Elven Maiden Shaman

By Boomeryearbook.com

Psychological articles inform us that there are hundreds of different ways of interpreting dreams; and while not as frequently discussed in Western articles, shamanic principles for interpreting dreams are still quite popular in many Eastern philosophies and psychological literature. But, what is shamanism? Shamanism is a range of beliefs about how to get in touch with the spirit world; and in shamanic belief, the “otherly” world is inhabited by both good and evil spirits. There are many variations of shamanism but one of the basic principles is “everything is a dream and all dreams are real”. Shamans will tell you that the true source of reality is the mind. So, everything we see and do is actually all in our minds. And if we want to change the reality of our life, we’re going to have to get in touch with our minds. Our minds not only contain our fantasies but they also contain doorways to real places and real beings. In the West, thanks greatly to the creator of Psychology Sigmund Freud, dreams are labeled as just our imagination and are merely reflective of suppressed fantasies or desires for wish fulfillment. But, it’s interesting to consider the possibility of people having prophetic dreams, people who share the same dream and people who connect with others through dreams. Many cultures and beliefs attach great importance to dreams. Shamans believe that through dreams, we can understand our true nature, and also get in touch with spirit beings. It is held by shamans that every dream means something, and every dream should be respected.

According to psychological articles, the vast majorities of dreams are generally either good or benign and occur mostly when the dreamer is in the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep cycle. Oftentimes mundane dreams are not remembered, but our very vivid dreams and nightmares are hard to forget. Researchers and theorists tell us that there are several ways to increase dream recall. For instance, psychological articles report that people who keep dream journals are more likely to remember their dreams and even begin to understand personal dream significances and patterns. Upon reviewing your dream journal, dream researchers propound that you will find a great deal of insight into your waking life’s conflicts, pleasures, hopes and pain. And curiously, we are told that short afternoon naps greatly increase both dreaming and dream recall.

If you’re dreaming is quite dull and uninspirational, many Western psychological articles propose that it may be due to watching a lot of “heavy” unimaginative TV shows, part of the “day residue” we have cited in other articles on Boomer Yearbook, and you should limit your media exposure time so that your dreams reflect what’s going on in your head and not “stuff” you are vicariously watching. If you’re exposing yourself to a lot of ‘day residue” nonsense, many Western theorists feel that your dreams will reflect that and not give true insight into your personality.

However, shamans would interpret these “serious” dreams quite differently. As Mircea Eliade states in his book, Shamanism, Archaic Shamanism, Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy, Shamans are the archetypal figure representing “the wise old man (or woman)”, are believed to possess superior gifts of insight and knowledge, and to be intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. Shamans hold that dreams reflect our true nature; thus a “serious” or dull dream would suggest the dreamer possesses negative energy and the shaman’s role as healer would be to call upon the spiritual world to help transform the dreamer’s negativity into something positive. It is believed that seeing a shaman in one’s dream is a call for a supernatural guide to re-balance the dreamer’s energy field of flat negativity.

Shamans lead relatively simple lives and live in close knit communities, and since they believe dreams reflect our true nature; they believe in the need to “heal” that nature. They feel that dreams can be used as a vehicle to help the process of healing by having the shaman call upon the spirits to provide curative wisdom and answers to the illness of negativity.

Boomer Yearbook is a Psychological-Informational Social Networking Website for Baby Boomers and Baby Boomer Generation! Create Boomer Yearbook Profile, Connect with old and new Boomers, or expand your mind and ward off senior moments and elderly problems with dream analysis and online optical illusions and brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join now to discover the many ways this website for baby boomers, echo boomers and booming seniors can contribute to optimal physical and emotional wellness.

By Boomeryearbook.com

At one time or another everyone has had a nightmare. While more common in children, adults also experience these petrifying dreams. When they do occur, they are a terrifying experience. You know the feeling—you wake up in the middle of the night with your heart pounding and your mind racing. You are scared, but you may not know of what. Dreams tend to fade so fast from your memory and conscious mind that you may not even be aware of what just scared you half to death.

However children tend to have much more recall of what they were dreaming about and are extremely susceptible to nightmares. Their little minds are easily influenced as they grow and begin to develop their own set of fears. That is why children should be shielded from watching any scary movies or anything particularly violent on television. What adults may perceive as simply a harmless ghost story with a good old fashioned “fun fright”, children, especially younger children, tend to perceive TV stories as real and thus can confuse fiction and reality.

Moreover, not all nightmares are strictly irrational or fantasy based as some children and adults have valid underlying “reality based” nightmares. Anyone that has been traumatized in some way or is under extreme stress may experience nightmares. The loss of a loved one may cause nightmares particularly if the death was unexpected. Also, experiencing physical abuse or witnessing physical abuse and violence may cause nightmares, and war veterans with post traumatic stress syndrome are frequently plagued by recurring daytime flashbacks as well as nightmares that replay scenes from their horrific experiences.

Although nightmares can never fully be prevented, there are techniques for preventing them from occurring on a regular basis. The first step is to establish a regular sleep routine. Obviously, if you or your children tend to have nightmares after scary movies or books you should not watch or read these things right before bed. You can also minimize how often a child’s nightmare occurs by taking steps to reassure him or her that the family is close by. Using night lights and leaving the door open is a good way to accomplish this, along with following a regular bedtime routine. Perhaps a pleasant bedtime story along with a hug and kiss can be part of this routine. If it is a recurring nightmare, there are probably deeper underlying causes such as the ones mentioned above. Take time to figure out what might be disrupting the child’s life of if he or she has experienced any kind of trauma.

Remember nightmares are normal and will occasionally occur. So far researchers have not been able to prevent them and we at Boomer Yearbook want to offer the suggestion that maybe they shouldn’t be prevented; as a nightmare is really a call from your unconscious to a daytime situation that urgently needs to be addressed. So if you are troubled by a nightmare why not try to take control and “lucid dream”? Confront the troubling image? For instance if you are being chased in a nightmare, take control and say to your chaser, STOP! I will not allow you to frighten me. Or ask your chaser, Who are you? What do you want? You’ll be surprised at what you may discover about yourself and what your subconscious wants you to know.

Do you have a strategy to deal with nightmares? Why not share it with other dreaming friends at Boomeryearbook?

Dr. Karen Turner, a clinical psychologist, has created a social network for baby boomers interested in meeting and connecting with generational peers. Boomer Yearbook focuses on joining boomers from around the world and providing us with fun, integrative and interactive features that can optimize our social and emotional wellness. In these days of increasing stress, it is vital to keep our brains active and alert. As a psychologist, Dr. Karen’s goal is to provide free challenging brain games, informational newsletters on life, and professional coaching, boomer relevant forums, the latest news on cosmetic surgery and skin enhancements, and health & wellness features that may maximize our learning and functioning.

So if you’re a baby boomer searching for people with similar time specific memories or maybe just a person who’s fond of staring at optical illusions, playing psychological games and pondering upon the mysteries of the human brain, Boomer Yearbook is the social network for you.

Cellulite occurs when the fat cells located beneath the skin form an unpleasant cottage-cheese like appearance, often referred to as orange-peel syndrome. An inverse relationship exists between women and cellulite. Cellulite loves women and women hate cellulite. But why is it that cellulite formation is far more obvious in the female population?

To begin with, women are born with more fat cells than men. And as if this fact isn’t enough, these fat cells are five times larger than that of the men’s. Thus a woman’s fat cells have a larger space to store more fats.

A connective tissue demarcates the space that skin cells and fat cells occupy. They serve as borders that prevent the fat cells from hitting the skin surface. This connective tissue in females is inflexible. If a lady gains weight, these fat cells enlarge and may distort the connective tissue lining. These fat cells bulge on the skin resulting in the classic orange-peel appearance. Because of the connective tissues lack of flexibility, it becomes difficult to bring it back to its original state. Alternately, a man’s connective tissue is thicker and more flexible making cellulite formation less obvious.

Estrogen, a female hormone, is observed to encourage enzymes that are responsible for an increased rate of fat production; along with other hormones like prolactin, thyroid, and insulin. Other factors that can affect cellulite production are lifestyle and diet.

Researches grade fat on levels from one to three. Grade one is detected by getting tissue samples of the subject under the microscope. The subject doesn’t show any clinical symptoms, but anatomical changes are seen under the microscope. Grade two fat levels exhibit a pale skin with decreased elasticity (upon compression or contraction) and a lower temperature, along with tissue changes. Grade three is the most recognizable to the naked eye where the orange-peel appearance is visible even in non movement states.

Cellulite reduction is a multibillion dollar industry and yet while advances have been made, most are invasive, and/or expensive. But the good news is that conservative techniques do work.
For instance, exercise and proper nutrition set the gold standard in preventing and addressing cellulite. Working out at submaximal rates for at least an hour, three times a week can get you in good shape. However, it will take a minimum of one month to achieve firming and toning of the muscles, as this is not a quick fix.
Submaximal exercises include jogging, swimming, biking or bike ergometer. Engaging in sports activities can be considered as well. Exercise should be accompanied by a healthy diet. Balance is the key to a good nutrition so make sure you still get carbohydrates in your diet in spite of the diet propaganda that encourages us to eliminate them. Never starve yourself because you only lose muscle fibers instead of fat itself.

Pharmacologic. Drugs that act on fatty acids have gained popularity in treating cellulite and indeed do show success. Treatments such as methyxanthines, pentoxifylline, piperoxan and phentolamine, and drugs with connective tissue activity like sillicium and Asiatic centella, can be taken topically, orally, or via transdermal injection and can significantly reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Alternative Medicine has boomed in the treatment of cellulite. Use of cellulite gels in herbal wraps is flourishing along with steam and massage therapies that give quick results in resolving visible orange-peel appearance, but not necessarily a long-term solution.

Cosmetic treatments can give longer effects but are rather expensive. Several promising treatments include mesotherapy, thermage, and liposuction. These procedures typically require several treatments to obtain desired results.

It may be devastating to most ladies to know that we have to live with billions of fat cells waiting to be filled up inside our bodies but it also is a relief to know that cellulite build-up can be prevented. Start living healthy!

Do you have other cellulite-busting secrets? Why not share it with us at boomeryearbook!

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

By Boomeryearbook.com

“It’s just the usual back pain, it’ll go away…” These are common words that many baby boomers suffering from fibromyalgia, have been known to utter. It is terribly convenient to just ignore simple pains and body irregularities rather than to make a big fuss about them. Aside from that, with the busy lives we are living, these minor complaints can be easily countered by handy ibuprofens.

But what happens if these minor problems pile up and become a big chunk of burden you have to live with everyday? You don’t really think that this might happen do you? Bad news is, it actually could, and our physicians call it, Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is considered to be a wide collection of signs and symptoms, called a syndrome, rather than a single disease entity. Its nature is believed to be a long list of pain and abnormal body patterns that progressively worsen. This chronic disease is commonly diagnosed during the baby boomer years, leaving us with a wish that we had attended to our symptoms earlier before the pain became debilitating.

What causes fibromyalgia remains a puzzle; as researchers and doctors try to tie together the tiny jagged pieces to help move closer to fully understanding this painful, life altering condition. The most promising theory to date is called “central sensitization”. It posits that people with fibromyalgia have a lower pain tolerance due to a heightened brain sensitivity to pain signals. Other theories include upper spinal injury, infection, an abnormal autonomic nervous system, and changes in muscle metabolism.

SYMPTOMS and DIAGNOSIS

Symptoms of fibromyalgia are:
Widespread Pain
Chest pains
Generalized Fatigue
Sleep Disturbances
Constipation or Diarrhea
Abdominal Pain and Bloating
Headaches and Facial Pain
Depression
Mood changes
Anxiety
Dizziness
Difficulty Focusing

Getting a doctor to correctly diagnose fibromyalgia can be a long and frustrating process. Because fibromyalgia is a conglomerate of bodily abnormalities, it mimics other diseases and a differential diagnosis has to rule out these other disease possibilities before confirming fibromyalgia. Other similar conditions include: lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, and Sjorgen’s syndrome. The mere fact that fibromyalgia can be mistaken for these other conditions is already quite depressing. This is why we need to prepare a truckload of patience and understanding while working with our physician.

PROGNOSIS and TREATMENT

Sadly there remains a highly debatable prognostic outcome. Some studies show that fibromyalgia can be treated with mild success while others pessimistically suggest a lack of significant patient improvement. A reasonably large collective body of evidence concludes that in long term follow ups, none of the patient subject’s remained pain free; that while there is evidence for long term symptom remission in some patients, most patients will relapse and disease signs and symptoms will appear. Two of the most crippling results of fibromyalgia are the withdrawal from or change of work, and the inability to do basic activities of daily living.

Treatment success is greatly affected by the patient’s predisposition. Since fibromyalgia also affects the mind, a positive outlook from the patient is vital to battle and control the pain. Negative emotions pose a greater risk to having a poorer prognosis. Treatment can be pharmacologic (antidepressants, tramadol, zolpidem, etc.), therapeutic (physical therapy machines and exercises), lifestyle modification and alternative medicine treatment (hypnosis, massage therapy, aromatherapy, etc.).

Lifestyle modification is among the most effective treatment options that can contribute to battling the worsening symptoms of fibromyalgia.
A healthy diet along, restful sleep, stress reduction techniques along with daily exercise and pacing activities, can greatly contribute to the improvement of this condition.

Are you experiencing the above stated symptoms of fibromyalgia or have found tips for relief? Talking might help and we at Boomer Yearbook are good listeners.

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

by BoomerYearbook.com

Planning for the future for Baby Boomers involves much more than picking out a retirement community or diversifying a portfolio. The first Boomers became eligible for Social Security in 2008. The last Boomers won’t be eligible until 2026. Regardless of your year of eligibility for Social Security, there are other avenues you must travel to secure your future, as far as long-term care is concerned.

When referring to long-term care, we mistakenly generalize our thinking to exclusively include our grandmothers and grandfathers in assisted living or nursing facilities. What we must realize is that anyone may require the services of long-term care. Although such conditions as Alzheimer’s disease are quite common in long-term care facilities, any number of conditions can require long-term care. A stroke, paralyzing accident, or chronic illness may strike a person of any age, often catching the patient off-guard. And many people do not know that neither conventional medical insurance nor Medicare is designed for the coverage of long-term care.

What do I need to do, you ask, to make certain I am covered in case I need long-term care? Long-term care is a broad term referring to the services supplied to those who need assistance with their daily activities beyond a normal recuperative period of illness or accident. Naturally, the longer people live, the greater the chance that they will need long-term care. The options for long-term care coverage are limited, making long-term care insurance a recommended choice for ensuring adequate long-term care.

Long-term care insurance is not the same as traditional medical insurance. Long-term care insurance varies by available options on selected policies, and may include such services as nursing home care, assisted living, home health care, and adult day care. According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute, the average annual costs of long-term care services include the following: nursing home, $66,795; assisted living, $35,460; home health care, $24,700; adult day care, $16,896. If you are unsure of your ability to financially sustain long-term care for yourself or an immediate family member, long-term care insurance is a viable choice.

One important point to note, premiums for long-term care insurance are set based on age and likelihood for coverage. The younger you are when you purchase your coverage, the lower your monthly or annual premium. Another factor to consider when purchasing long-term care insurance is the type and amount of coverage you desire. As expected, the more coverage you think you will need, the higher the premium. Information regarding long-term care insurance may be obtained through an insurance agent, your employer, or even through the internet. It is recommended that you gather as much information as possible before making your decision.

Have you considered long-term care insurance? Do you feel like Boomers of all ages need to take advantage of the long-term care insurance option? Tell us what you think at BoomerYearbook.com

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist, Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Baby Boomers connect for fun and profit.