Look at Health Differently, Try “Tapping” & Fun Deals for the Week!

I am always on the look out for new natural remedies and habits to try to make myself healthier and happier (and to pass along to you, of course!) This weekend I read about Dr. Lissa Rankin’s 10 top  health habits that she “did not learn in medical school” and a new way to deal with stress called “Tapping.”

meditate

From Lissa Rankin’s BlogHer post:  “10 Health Habits They Didn’t Teach Me In Medical School“.

The 10 habits she discussed are:

  1. Alleviate Loneliness
  2. Couple Up
  3. Get it On
  4. Engage in Work You Love
  5. Take Vacations
  6. Express Your Creativity
  7. Attend Religious Services
  8. Be Optimistic
  9. Get Happy
  10. Meditate

All good things with solid arguments to support them. Take a look at the link to learn more about each one and see the stats.

Also, check out Dr. Rankin’s great Tedx Talk entitled “Is there scientific proof that we can heal ourselves?” She shares some amazing information on the placebo effect and it’s opposite the “no-cebo” effect. She talks about a physician’s role in nurturing patients and acting as a hopeful force instead of a “hexing” one. I found this talk and her other one to be really fascinating and full of new ideas to consider.

 This is such a great preview and has piqued my interest. I decided to pre-order her new book Mind Over Medicine on Amazon. BlogHer has a special, too, if you pre-order this book, you can see a webinar with Lissa Rankin and Martha Beck as a free gift.  I will (of course) tell you all about it!

Screen Shot 2013-01-16 at 8.28.49 PM

Well and Good NYC  had a story on this weekend on “Tapping”. They interviewed Nick Ortner, the author of  the The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress Free Living. They also shared a link to his film about tapping from last year. Lots of wellness gurus are “singing his praises”. Why? Tapping takes just a few minutes to learn and you can do it anywhere, according to Ortner. He shared that tapping is helpful for stress, anxiety, and many other physical and emotional issues.  The folks at Well+Good, like me, are a little skeptical. They interviewed him to learn more. From Well and Good NYC:
tapping

If you haven’t heard of Tapping or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), you might think it’s weird. And if you have, you might want to how works and if it actually does? Can you break this down for us, please? 
We call it tapping because we’re literally tapping on endpoints of meridians on our body, while focusing on what’s stressing us out or challenging us. It’s a combination of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. Latest research is showing that when we tap on these endpoints on the meridians, while focusing on the stressors in our lives, it sends a calming effect to the fight/flight part of our brain—the amygdala. So we’re retraining the brain to react differently to that stimulus of whatever is bothering us.

Is this for stress? Who can benefit from tapping?
Everyone can benefit from tapping because we all have some form of stress in our lives. Someone with a phobia like fear of heights or flying can also have very powerful results because this is a technique that affects us within a couple minutes. Most doctors and people who are treating patients, don’t know what to do about stress, and this is a simple solution for those struggling. Any moment you’re feeling overwhelmed or panicked, you can do the tapping right then and there for instant relief. You can feel it in your body very quickly, which is nice because you don’t have to wait for gradual effects (like meditation). So while tapping on each meridian, you would say, “Even though I’m feeling anxious about the future, I love and accept myself.”

We’ve heard tapping is used for physical pain and even something like weight loss—how does that work?
Physical pain can go away in minutes. If you’re targeting something more obtuse like weight loss, tapping on the limiting beliefs around your weight is helpful at getting to the root of the weight, so that it can release. You might find that you’ve been holding onto a belief that goes something like “I’ll get more attention if I weighed less” and you’ve unconsciously not been wanting more attention, so you’ve held onto the weight.

Interesting. So is tapping more of a crisis management tool or how often do you tap?
Tapping is a continual process. In the morning when we wake or before we go to sleep is a great time to integrate it in order to prevent or release stress. The more we do it, the more results we get. So if we have a big obstacle in front of us like weight or a more serious issue, it’s best to do it 30-45 minutes daily. If there’s a moment you’re feeling discomfort, like getting on the plane, or feeling very anxious, do it in that moment.

We understand that you live in Newtown, Connecticut, and been involved in the healing process there. Can you tell us a bit about what you’ve been doing for the community and how tapping is helping?
Yes, I live in Newtown, and tapping is particularly useful for trauma and stress relief, so my brother, sister and I started The Tapping Solution for Newtown: Stress and Trauma Relief Project. With the help of Dr. Lori Leyden, and over 40 volunteers, we have been working on the ground in Newtown with parents who lost their children, and the community at large, helping to facilitate the healing. I’m donating 100 percent of my royalties on the first 10,000 copies of my book to the work being done in Newtown. —Jennifer Kass

For more information, visit www.thetappingsolution.com

I have not had much success with my goal to start meditating, but I am very interested in learning more about “tapping.” Maybe it is more active and thus up my alley? 😉 I will (of course) keep you posted on what I learn.

 Screen Shot 2013-01-16 at 8.28.49 PM

When all else fails, a good deal always brightens my day:

> Exhale is celebrating10 years of Core Fusion with FREE classes on 5/22 at their locations in NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Stamford. Bridghampton, Boston, Miami, Santa Monica and more!

> Get 35% off on natural beauty products for you and your kids at YesTo online (does not include bundles)

> Active GearUp has 70% off on Orca triathlon gear, awesome deals on Fluid recovery products, Two Toms and more!

> Hey athletes! Get premium bracing & supports from Bioskin at 20% off with code SPRING13  – offer expires today 4/30/13.

> Check out great deals on Lole, Merell, Sorel and more for a limited time at The Clymb and get 20% off through Weds 8 PM with the code GETOUTSIDE.

> Lady runners, get Aspaeris Pivot Shorts for long runs, speed work, and recovery for 40% off through May with the promo code SPRING. They are donating 10% of all sales through April to the Boston Red Cross.

> Get $5 off on gift subscriptions to Love With Food boxes with the code MOMSARESPECIAL.

> Gilt City is at it again!

> Take $10 off your next purchase for almost any deal (no takeout) $30 or more at Living Social when you use promo code APRILVIP by April 30. That’s today so do it!

> In Chicago, Living Social has:

Still Available: 

> From Gilt City:

> Also in Chicago, check out $45 for a BYOB cooking class at Bespoke in the West Loop – normally $80. Andrea D. and I enjoyed our Super Bowl party class last year. Great for groups!

> Save 75% on a one year membership to Urban Girl Wellness from SpaFinder Now! Get health and wellness coaching, recipes, tips and special deals. (I am curious if anyone has heard of or used this site!)

That’s all I have for now. Don’t forget to enter my Energy Bits giveaway (LAST DAY) because who couldn’t use some additional, all natural energy?