Recently ABC World News ran a story about the benefits of red yeast rice in reducing cholesterol levels. The report explains some Asian countries use it as a food coloring as well as an herbal medicine.

It’s always interesting to me how a remedy used for more than 1,000 years is “re-discovered” and used in today’s healthcare treatments-with positive results.

Dr. Christopher Cannon, a cardiologist at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, tells ABC News, “It works much the way a statin would work, by reducing the amount of cholesterol that the liver makes, but in a much gentler level.”  Statin drugs like Lipitor are prescribed by doctors to reduce cholesterol levels. Yet studies have shown some patients suffer from severe muscle pain as a result.

Red yeast rice supplements can reduce LDL, considered the “bad cholesterol,” as effectively as the statin drugs, without muscle pain. Statin drugs are regulated by the FDA, whereas red yeast rice, available in pill form, or ground powder or dried grain, is not. People purchasing it from a health store have no sure way of knowing the exact amount of active ingredient in the product, other than its reputation as a reliable source.

In any case, consider talking to an alternative medical professional about using red yeast rice to reduce your cholesterol level. It just may reduce your pain as well.

Photo Credit: ABC News

Recently, I visited Chico Hot Springs Resort and Spa.

Located in Paradise Valley, nestled under the Absaroka Mountains between Livingston, Montana and Gardiner (the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park), Chico is a wonderful place to have a soak.

A soak, you say? Why yes! Mother Nature provides the hot water, full of minerals like calcium carbonate and potassium chloride-like taking a bath in Epsom salts!

Chico has two pools right next to one another. One maintains about a 104-degree temperature and the larger pool stays about 96 degrees-body temperature-perfect to ease sore muscles and aching joints. Every night, the pools are drained, only to be filled with the naturally hot water once more.

Families and kids love to take a soak … all day. Spring. Summer. Fall. Winter. The Earth provides with open arms. All you have to do is jump in.

After four days in the pool, (early morning is divine; take a soak at 7:00 A.M. with a cup of Chico’s fabulous coffee) I’m a new person! My arthritic hands don’t hurt quite so much. My damaged knees and hips benefit from moving around in the warm water.

Thank you, Mother Nature! And Chico, too.

(photo from Chico Hot Springs)

[youtube esu2CF-3wis]
Soaking at Chico Hot Springs

When was the last time you laughed your head off?
How about a chuckle?
A giggle?
Ha, ha?

When I worked on creating the brand, Xena: Warrior Princess, my editor-creative partner and I had a schedule: 30 minutes of laughing a day. Minimum. (Actually, we kept that schedule whether we were working on Xena or not—singing songs from Beauty and the Beast helped a lot). Not only was Xena a great, great source of happiness for us, but working together, letting our minds play—many days, we laughed for far more minutes than thirty.

Talk about self-medicating. In a good way. They say laughter remains good medicine, and I agree. Those years of laughter schedules were ones of great satisfaction—and healing for me.

Isn’t it fabulous how something as simple as laughter can help with your health?

Now, I use the telephone and instant messaging for laughter breaks. My editor-creative partner is also a computer pioneer, so he finds me online and we connect virtually. When I need to laugh, I also call my friend Natasha. There’s bound to be giggles then, sometimes for no reason at all.

It’s the release that heals.

Janet Muniz

Photo Credit: craigallyn

I just found out I’m at the average age to begin experiencing symptoms of menopause. Affectionately referred to as, “the change,” menopause isn’t exactly a scary prospect for me.

It sure is confusing me, however. These past few months I’ve reacted to nearly all of life’s challenges and situations unlike ever before: with growing irrationality, emotionality and simply crying my fool head off.

It was my mom who suggested the cause of my debilitating behavior during a telephone conversation. Somehow, the start of menopause didn’t even occur to me. Now, I’m calling it “menopause mind.”

Many of my friends are going through the change along with me. Some have had success with natural treatments for symptoms; some have simply asked their doctors to “give me the drugs.”

I’m not even sure what that means, but I tend toward alternative therapies and natural remedies with general health and wellness. So I’m checking out my options in that realm first, to banish menopause mind.

Janet Muniz

[youtube 2_C2ZJd_wuY]

Recently I was introduced to an interesting and energetic woman, Sally Huss. I’m working with her to edit one of her new books.

Sally lives a creative and life spreading happiness everywhere. Really. Through her syndicated newspaper series, Happy Musings, she shares insightful thoughts illustrated with colorful artwork to readers.

Her goal is to have “100,000 active women and some men help spread positive thoughts and actions throughout the world.” You can sign up for her free newsletter to take part in this most wonderful initiative.

Janet Muniz

[youtube g-anSgkmgWQ]

Are you part of the statistic?

I’m what you call “an eternal optimist,” even as I came out of the womb. Basically, I popped out without enough blood in my system, which caused a blue pallor to my entire body. For the doctors, it was either give me an immediate blood transfusion, or get me to the incubator and wait, and see if I was a strong enough child to produce blood on my own.

My doctor took one look at me, then decided to send me to the incubator.

Yet, according to Julie K. Norem, PhD, a professor of psychology at Wellesley College, some 30 to 35 percent of Americans employ a calculated form of negative thinking called defensive pessimism. “Defensive pessimists prepare for a situation by setting low expectations for themselves, then follow up with a very detailed assessment of everything that may go wrong,” she says.

And this, too, can create positive results. How? Apparently a defensive pessimist may use the process to motivate themselves to perform better, according to Lawrence Sanna, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

So for all those optimists out there: it’s O.K. to talk yourself down a little bit, if only as the inspiration to push on. And for those that see the glass half-full sometimes, you could be doing the same thing. And that’s O.K., too.What happened to Baby Me? Well, after a few hours in the incubator, I did indeed produce enough blood on my own to sustain my life. And I was blue no more. It’s not even my favorite color.

Apparently my doctor is an eternal optimist, too.

Janet Muniz

(photo credit: Allie’s.Dad)