"I am a retired mental health professional. I have always considered Naturism to be one of the most therapeutic activities human beings can do for mental health and feelings of well-being. Stripping off all the encumberments and restictions of clothing enables us to rid ourselves of many psychological burdens as well. We become more in touch with our bodies and our place in Nature as we experience anew the exhilaration of all of our senses. The experience of social nudity brings a unique joy to participants. Looking at human beings just as they are, naked as God made them, and allowing others to see us the same way breaks through all kinds of defenses and barriers. We allow ourselves to be open and vulnerable, and therefore more trusting, communicative, caring, warm, respectful and protective of each other. We share much more of ourselves, having literally nothing to hide. We become more capable of loving other human beings." - Naturalswede
Amen! I'm positive that naked activities and exercise and the vitamin D gained during nude recreation has improved my health, even aside from the fact that normalizing the body fixed my head. Has anyone else experienced a healthier life because of naturism? - Ken
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Vitamin Myth
While on the road I picked up a 2007 Reader's Digest and read an interesting article about vitamins. Here's a summary. Any thoughts?
Ken
The Vitamin Myth
Neena Samuel
Reader’s Digest – Nov 2007
- Antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, Beta Carotene, E, and C) can increase a person’s risk of dying by up to 16%. (Journal of the American Medical Association)
So avoid these 10 vitamins:
- A – Too much can blur vision; cause headaches and vomiting; and lead to liver, bone, and central nervous system problems.
- Beta Carotene – Can lead to lung cancer in smokers and three times the risk of aggressive prostrate cancer.
- E – Can thin the blood and lead to a risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
- C – No evidence it prevents colds, heart disease, cataracts, or cancer.
- Selenium – May result in higher risk of diabetes.
- Folic Acid – Useful during pregnancy, but no evidence for it preventing heart disease, cancer, depression, or Alzheimer’s.
- B (Niacin) – May treat high-cholesterol under a doctor’s care, but may cause liver damage.
- Lycopene – No cancer fighting protection.
- Iron – Can worsen ulcers.
- Zinc – May weaken the immune system, interact with certain drugs, and reduce HDL (good cholesterol).
Real benefits:
Vitamin D plays an important role in the absorption of calcium and bone health, and reduces cancer and other diseases. “There seems to be little downside to . . . vitamin D . . .”
Ken
The Vitamin Myth
Neena Samuel
Reader’s Digest – Nov 2007
- Antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, Beta Carotene, E, and C) can increase a person’s risk of dying by up to 16%. (Journal of the American Medical Association)
So avoid these 10 vitamins:
- A – Too much can blur vision; cause headaches and vomiting; and lead to liver, bone, and central nervous system problems.
- Beta Carotene – Can lead to lung cancer in smokers and three times the risk of aggressive prostrate cancer.
- E – Can thin the blood and lead to a risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
- C – No evidence it prevents colds, heart disease, cataracts, or cancer.
- Selenium – May result in higher risk of diabetes.
- Folic Acid – Useful during pregnancy, but no evidence for it preventing heart disease, cancer, depression, or Alzheimer’s.
- B (Niacin) – May treat high-cholesterol under a doctor’s care, but may cause liver damage.
- Lycopene – No cancer fighting protection.
- Iron – Can worsen ulcers.
- Zinc – May weaken the immune system, interact with certain drugs, and reduce HDL (good cholesterol).
Real benefits:
Vitamin D plays an important role in the absorption of calcium and bone health, and reduces cancer and other diseases. “There seems to be little downside to . . . vitamin D . . .”
Friday, February 5, 2010
Naturist Activity Reduces Memory Loss
I knew a fellow who quit naturism because he said it made him lazy, just lying in the sun. Not me. Naturist activities motivate me to exercise. Hiking, gardening, and swimming clothed are all okay, but I truly love freehiking, freegardening, and nude swimming, so being a naturist keeps me healthy as well as happy.
With this in mind, consider these thoughts from Dr. Mercola about the value of exercise in reducing memory loss as one ages.
“Moderate physical activity performed in midlife or later appears to be associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment - and a six-month high-intensity aerobic exercise program can improve cognitive function in individuals who already have the condition. Each year, 10 percent to 15 percent of individuals with mild cognitive impairment will develop dementia, as compared with 1 percent to 2 percent of the general population. Physical exercise may protect against mild cognitive impairment by means of the production of nerve-protecting compounds, greater blood flow to the brain, improved development and survival of neurons and the decreased risk of heart and blood vessel diseases.”
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/02/02/the-single-most-important-thing-to-preserve-your-brain-function.aspx
PJ and I manage a senior facility. I suspect our residents would function better mentally as well as physically if they were naturists, and increased vitamin D from the sun would help as well. (Too bad, I don’t suppose I’ll ever be able to demonstrate this with my residents.)
With this in mind, consider these thoughts from Dr. Mercola about the value of exercise in reducing memory loss as one ages.
“Moderate physical activity performed in midlife or later appears to be associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment - and a six-month high-intensity aerobic exercise program can improve cognitive function in individuals who already have the condition. Each year, 10 percent to 15 percent of individuals with mild cognitive impairment will develop dementia, as compared with 1 percent to 2 percent of the general population. Physical exercise may protect against mild cognitive impairment by means of the production of nerve-protecting compounds, greater blood flow to the brain, improved development and survival of neurons and the decreased risk of heart and blood vessel diseases.”
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/02/02/the-single-most-important-thing-to-preserve-your-brain-function.aspx
PJ and I manage a senior facility. I suspect our residents would function better mentally as well as physically if they were naturists, and increased vitamin D from the sun would help as well. (Too bad, I don’t suppose I’ll ever be able to demonstrate this with my residents.)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Response to "Reintroduce a Healthy Naturist Revolution"
In response to my previous blog “Reintroduce a Healthy Naturist Revolution”, AllNudist wrote:
“Yes, I suppose it would be nice if all nudist/naturists were Beautiful People but alas, most tend to just be people who are willing to accept others while asking to be accepted for themselves. Without them there wouldn't be many nudist/naturist venues left.
"By definition, naturists are physically active, eat healthy food, avoid unhealthy habits, seek mental and spiritual advancement, and encourage others to understand so they also live in true health."
Excuse me but, by who's definition? Try as I might I have been unable to find that definition anywhere except as a personal opinion, usually put forth by bloggers pushing health, yoga, T.M. or such other personal life choices they have made for themselves. To me this sounds like one Democrat telling us what all Democrats should believe in order to be called a Democrat. Or Republican, or Christian, etc.You are certainly entitled to express your own opinion but it's disingenuous to suggest that some 'higher source' decrees it to be so, let alone that it's required to be considered a true 'naturist'.Good posting, makes people think!”
I want to thank AllNudist for this comment because it gives me a reason to expand my thoughts about naturism and health.
First, I realize that naturism is not just for the “beautiful” people. (I certainly don’t fit that category.) In fact, one of the first things people learn from naturism relates to “Positive Body Image” – every body is different, yet beautiful. But positive body image should just be a starting point, a foundation for improvement. What does body image have to do with not working to improve the health of your own body? Understanding body image, should naturists just accept their current health status, lie back and bask in the sun, never exercise, take up any bad habit that comes along, and kill themselves through gluttony? I think not. Naturism should inspire us to better physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Consider the history of naturism. It began in Germany in the 1920’s as a “health” movement. In 1922 a young Berlin gymnastics teacher, Adolf Koch, opened the Adolf Koch Institute, with a program that included weekend nude hikes, indoor nude exercises during the week, and proper nutrition. This focus on “health” helped it quickly expand to become the Stadtbad, a huge public gymnasium with a swimming pool and bath house. Men, women, and children mingled nude. “Health” classes consisted of two to three thousand people of all ages. Soon there were branches in other German towns and cities and the movement spread quickly to other countries, crossing to the U.S. within a few years, again with an emphasis on “health”..
In fact, the French, where the term “naturism” originated, emphasized “health” more than nakedness.
So from its beginning, naturism was a “health” movement. Neglecting the physical, mental, and spiritual health aspect of naturism is the change, not trying to re-emphasize health in naturism.
Perhaps I over-reached by use the word “wrong” instead of “unhealthy”. Wrong may sound too judgmental.
How’s this:
It’s “unhealthy” for naturists to just laze around a pool or on a beach in the sun to the exclusion of swimming and freehiking and nude gardening and similar healthy activities. Naturism is not just sunbathing – far from it.
It’s “unhealthy” for naturists eat such unhealthy foods. A restaurant at a resort should serve much more than burgers and fries and sugar-crammed sodas. Naturists are healthy eaters.
It’s “unhealthy” for naturists to gather together to drink and smoke as if getting naked somehow encourages these obviously unhealthy practices. On the contrary, naturism discourages these nasty habits.
It's “unhealthy” for naturists to neglect mental and spiritual stimulation, and hide from others. Demonstrating that they are different, not "sheeple", by stepping outside the constraints of society and culture, and rejecting the negative effects of "textilism" and sexual perversion, naturists should be seekers after all truth and leaders and teachers and missionaries.
I accept that all of these healthy behaviors and attitudes are important to “real” naturism, and that neglecting them has been an unhealthy change to the practice of naturism. It’s time again to re-emphasize “health” in naturism.
“Yes, I suppose it would be nice if all nudist/naturists were Beautiful People but alas, most tend to just be people who are willing to accept others while asking to be accepted for themselves. Without them there wouldn't be many nudist/naturist venues left.
"By definition, naturists are physically active, eat healthy food, avoid unhealthy habits, seek mental and spiritual advancement, and encourage others to understand so they also live in true health."
Excuse me but, by who's definition? Try as I might I have been unable to find that definition anywhere except as a personal opinion, usually put forth by bloggers pushing health, yoga, T.M. or such other personal life choices they have made for themselves. To me this sounds like one Democrat telling us what all Democrats should believe in order to be called a Democrat. Or Republican, or Christian, etc.You are certainly entitled to express your own opinion but it's disingenuous to suggest that some 'higher source' decrees it to be so, let alone that it's required to be considered a true 'naturist'.Good posting, makes people think!”
I want to thank AllNudist for this comment because it gives me a reason to expand my thoughts about naturism and health.
First, I realize that naturism is not just for the “beautiful” people. (I certainly don’t fit that category.) In fact, one of the first things people learn from naturism relates to “Positive Body Image” – every body is different, yet beautiful. But positive body image should just be a starting point, a foundation for improvement. What does body image have to do with not working to improve the health of your own body? Understanding body image, should naturists just accept their current health status, lie back and bask in the sun, never exercise, take up any bad habit that comes along, and kill themselves through gluttony? I think not. Naturism should inspire us to better physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Consider the history of naturism. It began in Germany in the 1920’s as a “health” movement. In 1922 a young Berlin gymnastics teacher, Adolf Koch, opened the Adolf Koch Institute, with a program that included weekend nude hikes, indoor nude exercises during the week, and proper nutrition. This focus on “health” helped it quickly expand to become the Stadtbad, a huge public gymnasium with a swimming pool and bath house. Men, women, and children mingled nude. “Health” classes consisted of two to three thousand people of all ages. Soon there were branches in other German towns and cities and the movement spread quickly to other countries, crossing to the U.S. within a few years, again with an emphasis on “health”..
In fact, the French, where the term “naturism” originated, emphasized “health” more than nakedness.
So from its beginning, naturism was a “health” movement. Neglecting the physical, mental, and spiritual health aspect of naturism is the change, not trying to re-emphasize health in naturism.
Perhaps I over-reached by use the word “wrong” instead of “unhealthy”. Wrong may sound too judgmental.
How’s this:
It’s “unhealthy” for naturists to just laze around a pool or on a beach in the sun to the exclusion of swimming and freehiking and nude gardening and similar healthy activities. Naturism is not just sunbathing – far from it.
It’s “unhealthy” for naturists eat such unhealthy foods. A restaurant at a resort should serve much more than burgers and fries and sugar-crammed sodas. Naturists are healthy eaters.
It’s “unhealthy” for naturists to gather together to drink and smoke as if getting naked somehow encourages these obviously unhealthy practices. On the contrary, naturism discourages these nasty habits.
It's “unhealthy” for naturists to neglect mental and spiritual stimulation, and hide from others. Demonstrating that they are different, not "sheeple", by stepping outside the constraints of society and culture, and rejecting the negative effects of "textilism" and sexual perversion, naturists should be seekers after all truth and leaders and teachers and missionaries.
I accept that all of these healthy behaviors and attitudes are important to “real” naturism, and that neglecting them has been an unhealthy change to the practice of naturism. It’s time again to re-emphasize “health” in naturism.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Reintroduce a Healthy Naturist Revolution
Healthy eating and exercise, along with mental and spiritual health, were essential to early naturist practice. What happened? It’s as if when people took off their clothes they forgot why. Originally, it was for physical and mental health. It’s time to bring healthy living back to naturism.
It’s wrong that naturists just laze around a pool or on a beach in the sun to the exclusion of swimming and freehiking and nude gardening and similar healthy activities. Naturism is not just sunbathing – far from it.
It’s wrong that naturists eat such unhealthy foods. A restaurant at a resort should serve much more than burgers and fries and sugar-crammed sodas. Naturists are healthy eaters.
It’s wrong that naturists gather together to drink and smoke as if getting naked somehow encourages these obviously unhealthy practices. On the contrary, naturism discourages these nasty habits.
It's wrong that naturists neglect mental and spiritual stimulation, and hide from others. Demonstrating that they are different, not "sheeple", by stepping outside the constraints of society and culture, and rejecting the negative effects of "textilism" and sexual perversion, naturists should be seekers after all truth and leaders and teachers and missionaries, not fearful mental pigmies.
Perhaps “nudists” are okay with an unhealthy lifestyle, but not “naturists”. By definition, naturists are physically active, eat healthy food, avoid unhealthy habits, seek mental and spiritual advancement, and encourage others to understand so they also live in true health. It’s time for everyone to become "true" naturists.
In this regard, here’s an article by Dr. Mercola about sugar, one of my pet peeves since being diagnosed with diabetes, that I found a very informative resource:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/26/Sugar-May-Be-Bad-But-This-Sweetener-Is-Far-More-Deadly-Part-2.aspx
Can any of my readers suggest similar resources?
It’s past time to reintroduce a naturist revolution in how people live!
It’s wrong that naturists just laze around a pool or on a beach in the sun to the exclusion of swimming and freehiking and nude gardening and similar healthy activities. Naturism is not just sunbathing – far from it.
It’s wrong that naturists eat such unhealthy foods. A restaurant at a resort should serve much more than burgers and fries and sugar-crammed sodas. Naturists are healthy eaters.
It’s wrong that naturists gather together to drink and smoke as if getting naked somehow encourages these obviously unhealthy practices. On the contrary, naturism discourages these nasty habits.
It's wrong that naturists neglect mental and spiritual stimulation, and hide from others. Demonstrating that they are different, not "sheeple", by stepping outside the constraints of society and culture, and rejecting the negative effects of "textilism" and sexual perversion, naturists should be seekers after all truth and leaders and teachers and missionaries, not fearful mental pigmies.
Perhaps “nudists” are okay with an unhealthy lifestyle, but not “naturists”. By definition, naturists are physically active, eat healthy food, avoid unhealthy habits, seek mental and spiritual advancement, and encourage others to understand so they also live in true health. It’s time for everyone to become "true" naturists.
In this regard, here’s an article by Dr. Mercola about sugar, one of my pet peeves since being diagnosed with diabetes, that I found a very informative resource:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/26/Sugar-May-Be-Bad-But-This-Sweetener-Is-Far-More-Deadly-Part-2.aspx
Can any of my readers suggest similar resources?
It’s past time to reintroduce a naturist revolution in how people live!
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