How much $ is an extra month or year of life worth?

Pharmaceutical companies, insurance agencies and the government debate how much your life is worth when dying of cancer. How much is your life worth? Read this MSNBC article and tell me what you think: $93,000.00 cancer drug renews debate on the price of life

Interesting Facts About the Human Body

1. There are over 3,000 different types of enzymes in the human body.
2. These 3,000 enzymes must be present in each one of our 100 trillion cells to function normally.
3. We have 1,000 trillion bacteria in our bodies.
4. The use of supplemental plant enzymes was discovered in the early 1930’s.
5. The pancreas should only be responsible for about 50% of digestion (enzyme secretion) whereas the rest of the enzymes should come from raw foods.
6. Co-enzymes, necessary partners in enzyme reactions, are mostly B - Vitamins. B-vitamins work together with enzymes to release energy from the foods we eat. This is why “energy” drinks and “energy” bars contain B vitamins.
7. The reason why chronic fevers over 104 degrees can be fatal is because the intense heat permanently destroys the body’s enzymes so they are no longer able to perform necessary functions.
8. We have more immune cells in our digestive systems than we do in the rest of our body.
9. Many enzymes become inactive in an acidic pH, thus the reason that many diseases are created and prolonged in acidic pH’s (see earlier blog post on how to check your body's pH).
10. An adult’s small and large intestines combined are about 30 feet long - which is typical of what you would expect a vegetarian animal's intestinal length to be.

The Past

The beauty of the past is that it's in the past. There is nothing we can do to change the past, so focus on what you can control - the here and now. We are all a culmination of our past - and the future will be a culmination of what we do today and tomorrow. You have the potential to be brilliant - so don't let past stress affect your future success.

For personal success coaching click here: SeanDon Coaching

Pay to Play

An excerpt from “Health and Happiness: an Owner’s Manual for the Mind and Body” by Sean Donovan. Available for purchase or download on http://www.seandon.com/

If you are going to do things that punish your body such as heavy exertion, smoking, drinking alcohol, sleep deprivation, or stressful lifestyle – then give your body equal or greater rewards to counteract the ill effects.

I drink alcohol occasionally, so I made it a habit of drinking at least a 2 ounce shot of wheatgrass juice daily. Wheatgrass juice is a strong antioxidant and can rapidly cleanse and detoxify the liver (which takes a beating from the alcohol).

I also drink copious amounts of mineral rich water to make sure the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals can flow to all of my body and that lactic acid, toxins and waste can be quickly flushed out and eliminated from my body.

I physically work out hard and lead a very active lifestyle with minimal sleep. Therefore, I make sure that I stretch my body out on a daily basis. I even invested in a hot tub to aid in this exercise. Stretching in the morning and night helps to get the blood flowing to muscles and organs. The blood brings in oxygen and nutrients and takes out lactic acid and toxins. My high water consumption also keeps my muscles limber. I find that even though I don’t sleep for long periods, I go to bed relaxed and prepared for sleep and wake up feeling energized and loose.

My body’s favorite treat is massage therapy. This multiplies the effects of stretching tenfold by forcing blood into tightly knotted muscles. Massage also gets toxins and waste moving from stagnant internal areas in the body. Massage is complimented well with water, stretching, exercise, sleep and fresh air.

Meditation is another form of positive rest and relaxation. Everyone should have a “happy place” where the mind and its emotions can vacation at any time. Those of you who think this idea is juvenile are probably the ones who need it most. Imagine a happy moment in your past – one that you can recall vividly. Where were you? Who were you with? What was the temperature? What smells, sounds, sights, feelings and sensations were around you? Can you imagine this time and place so vividly that the thought actually invokes the same feelings that you felt at that time?

Smiling is another therapy I highly recommend. Try to put on your biggest and most genuine smile and hold it for a minute. Did it change your mindset? It’s hard smile when you are in a bad mood, but it is even harder to be in a bad mood when you are walking around with a smile on your face. Scientific research purports that the very act of smiling causes chemical reactions in the body and the release of certain hormones and endorphins. A smile could be a great anti-depressant medicine without all the side effects. Smiling is contagious too. When someone sees you smile, they are likely to do the same in return. Make someone else’s day and pass a smile their way.

A day spent upset is a day you might regret. You only have one life to live - better make it positive. So turn that frown upside down and smile for a while!

My Motive

My number one motive is to motivate. I want to motivate you to make positive changes in your life and the lives of others. I truly want to see people healthy and happy – especially those close to me - because seeing other people smiling makes me smile too. I want people to live longer, happier lives free from disease, stress and other ailments. I get my happiness from seeing other people happy and I believe there is no greater gift than to make someone smile. So take any knowledge you gain from reading my writing and use it to better your life and then pass it along to someone else who needs it. Share a smile with a stranger – you may make their day and you may make a new friend along the way.

I am fed up with our society’s outlook on health and disease prevention. I am angry that someone like my co-worker Kathleen can fight a cancer battle, lose her breasts, irradiate and chemically poison her body with chemotherapy and get a clean bill of health from her doctors - only to have the cancer return 5 years later in a different form and kill her at age 36. She did nothing wrong - she didn’t deserve it. She was positive and happy. She loved life. She didn’t smoke or drink. What caused her problem - twice? Her doctors never offered any explanations as to what may have caused her cancer(s). Her doctors never dug deep and questioned her personal life including every product she used and food she ate. This was also the case for my other family members who had cancer - their doctors offered up no explanation, solution or possible preventative measures for the future. The only lifestyle question asked by doctors was whether they smoked or not.

I think there are a lot of other factors besides smoking that are contributing to the cancer epidemic in our society today.

It also stands to reason to me that if you get cancer once, survive, but make no changes in your life - there is a good chance that whatever caused your cancer will remain present and return to haunt you again later.

It is my hope that my influence through this book may help prevent someone from having a health crisis. If this book saves only one person’s life - then it is a success. If I can make everyone who reads it a little healthier and happier then that is the icing on the cake of life!

If you want or need to change your life – then do it! Appreciate life and live it to the fullest. You only live once – make the most of it. You only get one body – so take care of it.

Here is my recipe to get you started on the road to Health and Happiness: Health and Happiness: an owner's manual for the mind and body

Pursue Happiness

The Constitution only guarantees us the pursuit of happiness - my book guides you down the path.

Read "Health and Happiness: an owner's manual for the mind and body". Available in e-book, hardback and paperback.

Know your Doctor

Too often I hear people express a lack of trust and confidence in their doctors. When I question them about their contempt, I realize the root of the problem. Most people don’t truly know their doctor – and on the flip side, their doctor doesn’t really know them either. A recent study was published on MSN.com which found that the average doctor gives each patient 19 seconds of his undivided attention during an office visit – 19 seconds? – that’s barely enough time to tell someone your name and address!

Think about it – we shop all over town for the best deal on a car or a pair of shoes and most of us will interview multiple professionals and check all credentials and references when it comes to hiring child care or a contractor, but we often settle for a doctor simply because he/she is in the ‘approved network’ of our insurance company. Many people I talk to can’t tell me a thing about their doctor other than their name and the location of their office. I challenge you to interview your doctor as if your life depends on it (because it may). Know where they went to school, when they graduated, how many credit hours of nutritional training they had, do they have any allegiance or affiliation with any pharmaceutical companies, what are their areas of expertise, what are their weaknesses – and most importantly, are they healthy? Would you want an overweight, unhealthy doctor who smokes giving you health advice?

I think a GREAT doctor and a routine yearly physical are essential in maintaining good health, so do everything in your power to make this happen. Make money the last concern when choosing a doctor. A great doctor is worth paying for – after all, how much is your life worth? If your insurance provider won’t cover the doctor of your choosing, choose another insurance carrier. When everyone wakes up and takes charge of their health and demands more from their doctor and insurance provider, then and only then will true health reform start to take place in this country.

Accept a prescription as a last means of treatment, not as a knee-jerk reaction that most doctors default to. Unless your doctor can logically explain the source of your problem and prescribe a treatment that will get to the source rather than cover up the symptoms and create new side effects, then don’t settle for drugs. Let’s face it – we don’t get migraines due to a lack of aspirin in the brain and our acid reflux and digestive problems are not due to a lack of antacid in the stomach. Don’t settle for just one person’s opinion – do your own research, consult specialists, think logically and explore every solution possible.

We only get one life to live and one body to live it in – make the most of it every day and take care of yourself as if you are the most precious thing in the world.

http://www.seandon.com/ for health advice, coaching and speaking.

Grass Roots Health Reform

I’m sick and tired of the state of the health care system and the bureaucracy behind it. Would you trust the government and politicians with your life? – Then don’t wait for them to “fix” health care. True health reform in the USA starts with ‘U.S.’ – us – it’s time that people took control of their own health. I’m talking about “Grass-roots health reform”!  The best form of health insurance is self assurance - take personal responsibility for your own health and actions. Through my grass-roots reform initiative, I teach people to be cognoscente of their daily decisions and how they affect their health. I demonstrate the significance of the mind/body connection and the power of the law of attraction. I reveal the importance of priorities and why time and health should be your top two. Look, we only get one life to live and one body to live it in – so make the most of it. Because once your health is gone and your time is up, nothing else matters.

Health reform is both mental and physical. Health reform starts at the “grass roots” level. It starts with the daily decisions that we, both individually and collectively as a society, make regarding our health. Our health depends on whether we decide to eat an apple or a candy bar – drink water or a soda – smoke a cigarette or take a run – pop an aspirin or practice yoga – sit on the couch and watch TV or sit in a park and watch the sunset – shape our faces and form our attitudes with a smile or a frown. These are the daily decisions and choices that we make and have control over. Choosing to make the right ones and actually following through is the key. It all starts with us – the people – at home, at school, at work, in our cars and in our daily lives and routines. So start making the right decisions today. Deciding to read this book is the first step in the right direction.

"Health and Happiness: an owner's manual for the mind and body" is available in e-book, hardback and paperback: http://www.authorhouse.com/bookstore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=68960&utm_campaign/default.aspx

How to Test Your Body's pH

Day one –Eat your typical daily diet and drink your typical beverage consumption throughout the day
- 6am to 9am - Test your body’s pH first thing in the morning upon waking by placing the yellow end of the test strip into your stream of urine for a few seconds. Compare the color of the tip of the strip with the chart provided with the test strip. Write down the result.
- Noon – Repeat the urine test and write down the result
- 6pm – Repeat the urine test and write down the result
- 9pm – Midnight – Final test of the day and write down the result

Day two – Drink no alcohol, soda, coffee or tea – drink only water (preferably ph neutral water or Fiji Water) – at least half of your body weight in ounces or ideally one liter per 50 lbs of body weight. Eat your normal and typical diet

Day three – Continue drinking only water and eating your typical diet
- 6am to 9am - Test your body’s pH first thing in the morning upon waking by placing the yellow end of the test strip into your stream of urine for a few seconds. Compare the color of the tip of the strip with the chart provided with the test strip. Write down the result.
- Noon – Repeat the urine test and write down the result
- 6pm – Repeat the urine test and write down the result
- 9pm – Midnight – Final test of the day and write down the result

Day four – Continue drinking only water, but consume only raw fruits before noon and raw vegetables after noon.

Day five – Drink only water and eat only raw fruit before noon and raw vegetables after noon
- 6am to 9am - Test your body’s pH first thing in the morning upon waking by placing the yellow end of the test strip into your stream of urine for a few seconds. Compare the color of the tip of the strip with the chart provided with the test strip. Write down the result.
- Noon – Repeat the urine test and write down the result
- 6pm – Repeat the urine test and write down the result
- 9pm – Midnight – Final test of the day and write down the result

Compute the results for each day by adding all 4 numbers together and dividing by four – this will give you your average pH level for that particular day. How does each day compare? You should have gotten progressively more alkaline each day. Ideally your pH should be around 7.4 – a healthy daily range would be between 6.5 and 8.0. The most acidic reading for your body should be first thing in the morning due to the fact that your body has detoxified and removed lactic acids while you slept. The most alkaline reading for your body should occur in the late afternoon and early evening as your body has become alkaline from the assimilation of a healthy diet, air, sunlight, exercise and movement throughout the day. If you average below 7, contact me for consultation and/or coaching at sean@seandon.com

Never Take NO for an Answer

We found ourselves amid 200 frustrated travelers in the check-in line at Orlando International Airport as the announcement unceremoniously came that our departing flight to Los Angeles LAX was cancelled. The crowd angrily began complaining and speculating about the cause of the delay and subsequent cancellation. How could it be possible that Hurrican Earl who was well offshore of Florida and on its way up the coast to make landfall somewhere north of North Carolina be affecting flights? - heck, there was hardly even a breeze outside in sunny Orlando.

The check-in line came to a screeching halt as airline clerks switched gears from checking luggage to checking alternate flights. The news was grim as this was the Thursday before Labor Day weekend and most other flights were booked. An airline employee made his way through the line and rudely advised people to attempt to call United's reservation department on their own to seek other arrangements. It was interesting to watch the entire line pull out their phones and simultaneously call the reservation line. I pictured the phones in some distant call center come to life. My girlfriend joined in the call fest to United, but I took a different approach. I called the service number for Expedia since that is who we booked through. While the masses held waiting to get a United agent, I was connected almost immediately to a very helpful agent at Expedia; however 45 minutes on the phone with her yielded almost nothing. The Expedia agent was hung up on the fact that she had to switch me to a United Affiliate airline. I repeatedly explained to her that we should explore other options with other airlines. With an apologetic tone and defeat in her voice, she finally informed me that we would not be leaving Orlando that night as all flights to LAX were sold out - even in first class. Her best option for us was to fly out the next morning at 11am, connect thru Washington Dulles and arrive in LAX at 5:50pm on Friday. Well, flying to where the hurricane was headed and losing a day in California were not acceptable options to us. I repeatedly thought "there is no way there are no other options - this is Orlando and we are going to LA - two of the biggest, busiest cities in the country". It's not like we were trying to fly out of the small airport in Daytona. "There MUST be a way" I thought with resolve.

Lea had no luck on the phone with United, nor did many of the people around us in line. I decided to take a walk through the terminal. I paid attention to conversations around me and overheard rumors of a US Air flight leaving in two hours connecting thru Phoenix into Ontario - Ontario, CA - why the heck would we want to go to Canada? Well, much to my delight it turned out that Ontario, CA is a small airport in Orange County, California - only a 45 minute drive from our hotel in Dana Point. I quickly returned to join Lea in line until we finally got our turn with the frazzled clerk who was obviously having a stressful day dealing with a lot of disgruntled passengers. I greeted him with a smile - and a suggestion - within minutes, we had transfers in our hands and were on our way down to the US Air ticket counter with a bigger smile on our faces. The scene at the US Air ticket counter was tranquil and pleasant - quite contraire to the fiasco at United. We literally walked right up to the counter, handed our transfers to a very courteous clerk who checked our bag (and even let the fact it was 7 pounds overweight slide). We swapped smiles and thanked him for his prompt, friendly service - and just like that we were on our way to Cali.

We took the liberty of returning to the United line to direct several other people to follow our lead. We ended up with some grateful travel buddies. The flights were pleasant, comfortable (I even got exit-row seating) and on time. However, there were concerns from some of the passengers that we may not be able to get ground transportation in the small Ontario airport as all of the rental car companies closed at midnight and we didn't even arrive until 11:53. I stayed positive and ignored the naysayers - I pictured us driving through the hills of Orange County with the Santa Anna breeze blowing in the windows.

We got our luggage at baggage claim swiftly, caught a shuttle to the off-site car rental terminal (along with our travel buddies) and found three car companies were still open - Avis, Budget and Hertz. Since we were on a tight budget, "Budget" seemed to be the natural choice, but we were a little taken-aback as the clerk changed the price on us last minute when he finally realized we were returning the car to LAX instead of Ontario. I almost sucked it up and took the deal, happy to just be getting a car after midnight, but Lea decided not to settle this time as she made her way to the Avis counter. We quickly found out that "Budget" was not the best option for our budget as we scored an awesome deal on a car for about 1/3 of the price! She also announced the deal to our travel buddies who were in the process of arguing with the Hertz clerk about transferring their previous reservation from LAX. They quickly pulled the plug on that deal and thanked us for also saving them the hassel at Hertz (as well as a bunch of money)!

We laughed for a few minutes as we parted company with our travel buddies. Six hours prior, all of us had been told multiple times by clerks and phone reservation agents that it would not be possible to get to Los Angeles tonight. For those of us who would not take NO for an answer, we proved that with positive spirit and manifestation, anything could be possible. We smiled, thanked the Universe and drove off toward the PCH.

Look at Yourself and your Attitude and Gratitude

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