Author Archives: Bob Cummings

With no side effects?

Only two countries permit the direct advertisement of pharmaceutical drugs to consumers. Can you guess which ones? These advertisements invariably list side-effects. Ingrid Peschke, health blogger in Massachusetts, writes in The MetroWest Daily News about side-effects, placebos, and a pre-med student who found a non-pharmacological approach to health without side-effects. An interesting read: A Prescription For Health Without Side-Effects.

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Qualities for More Compassionate Care

Attention, sympathy and understanding. Compassion, humility and respect. These are qualities that help make for more compassionate – more caring – care, regardless of the healing modality involved, according to Keith Wommack of Corpus Christi, Texas, a self-syndicated columnist who writes about health, thought, and spirituality. Here’s an excerpt from his article last July entitled, When Your Physician

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Lifting the Fog of Chronic Depression

A guest post written by John D. Clague, media and legislative spokesperson for Christian Science in Oregon. I have a friend who suffers from SAD — seasonal affective disorder. The long periods of clouds and rain depress her so much that she feels she can no longer live in the northwest. She and her husband

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Ever considered detoxing thought?

“When showering, don’t just think about keeping externally clean. Look within.  Exfoliate dead-end thinking.  Cleanse away any build up of disappointment or resentment. Allow calming, comforting, reassuring, and peace-encouraging ideas to flow into thinking.” This intriguing approach comes from Health Blogger Beverly Goldsmith of Melbourne, Australia, who examines how “detoxing your thought could lead to

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Tips From The World’s Oldest and Healthiest People

What helps us live a long and healthy life? It’s not money and it’s not a pill. It seems rather simple, really – intuitive almost. Here are two articles that share lessons from people in Japan: 1.  10 Tips For a Healthy Life From The World’s Oldest Person Jiroemon Kimura, who lived in a village in

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Vacations – Unplugged And Then Some – For Health and Well-being

On the East Bay in Traverse City, Michigan

On the East Bay in Traverse City, Michigan

Friday marks the official start of summer, and for many, summer is vacation time.

Research has found that vacations are beneficial for health and well-being, at least in the short run.

For example, one study¹ looked at fifty-three employees and measured physical complaints and the quality of sleep and mood both 10 days before and 3 days after vacations. These measures all improved. And then, again, five weeks after vacations, the employees still reported fewer physical complaints. The study concluded that vacations may improve well-being on a short-term basis.

Perhaps not surprisingly, though, it depends on the nature of the vacation. For example, other studies² have found that:

  • Health-related vacation outcomes depend on how a vacation is organized.
  • Choosing especially pleasant vacation activities is better for health and well-being.
  • Working during a vacation negatively influences health and well-being after vacation.

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Monitor Thought For Better Health

(Glowimages.com/stock photo -- model used for illustrative purposes only)

(Glowimages.com/stock photo — model used for illustrative purposes only)

Think thought doesn’t matter when it comes to health? Consider the following two articles that look at how thought affects our health – both of which address all of the following:

  • The placebo effect
  • The nocebo effect (harmful negative version of the placebo effect)
  • Fear / negative expectations
  • Medical students disease (getting a disease they study).

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The Roseto Effect and What Love’s Got To Do With It

What’s the Roseto Effect? It’s named for the Italian residents of Roseto, Pennsylvania who were consistently healthy – much more so than those in neighboring communities as close as one mile away. In his latest article, Keith Wommack of Corpus Christi, Texas, a self-syndicated columnist who writes about health, thought, and spirituality, explores this fascinating situation.

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Taking Lessons From Hospice Care

“Is it ever too early to incorporate the patient autonomy, compassion, comfort and enhanced quality of life hospice is known for?” Eric Bashor in the Christian Science Press Room asks this question in a short video that looks at the lessons hospice offers for all stages of care. If you can’t play the video below, you can view

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The love that is good for health

In an article in the Houston Chronicle, after sharing a very touching story of how he and his step-son-to-be learned together about living love, Keith Wommack – a nationally syndicated columnist on health, thought, and spirituality – discusses the love that has health benefits. He asks, “What kind of love makes the biggest difference in our health?”

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