Excessive use of computers can lead to a lot of health problems like stress, insomnia, poor eyesight, fatigue, weakness, clumsiness, tremors, stiffness and pains. If you have to work with computers, or like to do it, it is advisable to do something to improve healt. One way to do this is to practice Qigong. A good Qigong method should help you body and your mind improve and take away these kind of troubles. Another important way to stay healthy is to try to avoid getting damaged in the first place.

One very important thing in this respect is to have a good body posture whilst working with the computer. The basic posture should be sitting upright with the arms relaxed. The ears, shoulders and hips should be on a strait line. The feet should be on the floor (alternatively a footrest) and the middle point of the monitor below the height of the eyes. Apart from this it is good to avoid staring at the monitor and remember to take breaks.

In our courses in Xiao Gongfa we teach much more about this kind of situations. We give a lot of tips including ways of thinking / philosophy, simple exercises that are easy to do whilst working as well as suitable foods.

The banana is a popular fruit that contains several good nutrients. Bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin, control the blood pressure and provide fibers for the stomach. In some countries bananas are eaten to control the body temperature. When trying to quit smoking bananas have been found useful in that it helps the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. They also contains natural sugars that can give you more energy.

The nutrients that can be found in bananas also have a number of interesting mental effects. Studies have shown that depressed persons often feel better after having eaten bananas and that pupils can get more alert when eating bananas. Bananas can also balance the body after stress and help the nervous system calm down.

The quality of the food we eat and the amount of food we eat can of course affect our health. An old advice in China is to not eat too much food. Eating modest amounts of food will prevent the digestion from taking too much power from us and thus helps us to have a clearer mind and sufficiently high energy levels.

Modern scientific research has shown that there are health benefits from constraining the number of calories. Studies on rats and mice show that when these animals are on a diet they tend to live up to 30% longer and that their brain cells are protected from developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Historical data also support this idea. In some situations – for example wars – where people has suffered from a shortage of food the mortality in heart-diseases, diabetes and cancer has been found to decrease considerably.

Physical activity has been a natural part of life since the beginning of time. The human body was made for moving. Both body and soul benefit greatly from regular exercise. It has long been recognized that exercise is good for one’s physical health. Modern life survival does not demand that we use our body as much as we should however, leading to near epidemic spread of modern welfare diseases such as diabetes, obesity, etc.

Physical activity is also something the brain likes. Known effects includes increased stress tolerance, relieved depressions, improved immunity system and better quality of sleep. Modern research has also shown that regular physical activity is one of the best ways to stimulate growth of brain cells, probably due to increased circulation. Growth is the strongest in hippocampus, the part of the brain which is engaged in learning and memory functions. Some research studies also show that newly created nerve cells in the brain are recruited to damaged areas of the brain and try to repair the brain. This can be helpful if one has already been affected by for example stroke.

One should however be careful not to overdo physical activity. It has been shown that too much or too demanding training can have a negative effect resulting in fewer brain cells, if the body is not allowed to recuperate. Excessive training can even lead to increased irritation or anger, depression, concentration difficulties, sleep problems and an increased sensitivity to stress.

In Zhineng Qiqong we use calm, soft physical activity in order to soften and relax the body as well as improving circulation.

Cell phones emit electromagnetic radiation. Although studies that have been conducted in this area show very different results, there are indications that a number of health problems are related to the use of cell phones. Health risks that seem to be rather common are headache, fatigue, high blood pressure and sleeping problems. Other risks that are more uncertain, but also more serious, include cancer, tumors, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately scientists do not agree on how dangerous using cell phones are for us, but at least we can do is to follow the general recommendation that children should try to avoid using them.

Generally a good advice is to avoid excessive use of cell phones. It is also good to have a way to strengthen yourself so that you are better able to resist the radiation, and of course we recommend practicing Qigong. However, there is also a simple technique that you can use to reduce the radiation you are exposed to when you do use a cell phone. When connecting a call, when you answer a call or when the person you call answers your call, the radiation will be the strongest. Knowing this it is easy to reduce the radiation that you are exposed to by simply connecting calls at arms length.

Walnuts are literally packed with good nutrients. They contain many different nutrients that are good for us, such as antioxidants, vitamins and fibers. The beneficial effects of the specific blend of nutrients in walnuts are confirmed by research.

Walnuts also contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, much more than other nuts. Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol, reducing inflammation and improving arterial function. For patients with type-2 diabetes, lowering cholesterol levels in the blood is important. Walnuts can also help to reduce the insulin resistance – that is help the cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream. When using walnuts as a source of fat in diets the test subjects did not gain weight and they also felt more satisfied, which made it easier to stick with the diet.

Furthermore, walnuts have also been found to reduce risks for cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and depression.

Drinking green tea has proven to have a healing effect on the body and is an easy and effective way to stay healthy. Some of the positive effects of green tea are: lower cholesterol values, a strengthened immune system and reduced risk of infections, cardiovascular disease, cancer and tooth decay (caries).

Green tea contains several useful vitamins, nutrients and a large number of antioxidants. It also has antibacterial qualities that account for the positive effects on tooth decay, infections, food poisoning etc. In addition, drinking green tea on a daily basis gives an anti-virus effect which provides protection against the influenza.

The green tea differs from other sorts of tea e.g. black tea in that it has not been fermented and thus contains more of its original substances. It is worth mentioning that the healthy ingredients can vary between different types of green tea. High quality teas contain more health promoting ingredients, whilst low quality teas have almost none.

According to Chinese tradition, the tealeaves should be placed directly into the teapot and be left to soak for five to ten minutes. It is preferable to buy tea in loose weight since it can be hard to determine the actual quality of the tea in pre-packaged teabags.

In Qigong we are often encouraged to have a gentle smile on our faces. Qigong teachers frequently point out that this facial expression is very good for us. They claim that it will help improve our health, give good information to others and get good information back from others.

In developed societies, mental problems are an increasingly important reason for poor health. The amount of research on how our mental and emotional state affects our health has successively increased. Some research has also been conducted on emotional states that can improve and strengthen the health. When a person smiles, the brain produces hormones such as serotonin as well as a number of endorphins. This can improve our mood, emotion, sleep, energy level and appetite. It also has some other effects such as reducing stress, removing pains and strengthening the immune system.

To often have a gentle smile on our faces might actually give us more reasons to smile!

In our courses we sometimes talk more about gentle smiles.