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21
Dec 11

Yoga may help women with breast cancer improve health outcomes

Knowing how to improve health is not always easy, particularly if you've been diagnosed with a serious disease. Among women with breast cancer, for example, managing psychological well-being can be extraordinarily difficult. However, a new study has found that these patients may use yoga-based therapies to improve their health outcomes.

The authors, a team of oncologists and complementary medicine experts from India, announced their findings at the 34th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

In brief, the group determined that regularly practiced yoga helped metastatic breast cancer patients lower their stress levels and reduce the amount of cortisol in their bodies. Researchers noted that the latter substance is a hormone commonly associated with anxiety and depression.

The study was based on yoga treatments delivered to one-half of a group of 88 women with serious breast carcinomas. MedscapeToday News said that the results indicate that the holistic routine was "resoundingly effective."

Previous studies have come to similar conclusions. For instance, a report written by many of the same authors and delivered before the American Society of Clinical Oncology announced that yoga may help breast cancer patients deal with the mental anguish of chemotherapy better than traditional supportive therapies.

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12
Dec 11

Besides yoga, try eating foods that improve health

Are you on a mission to improve your health? Have you tried fad diets and exercise programs that just don't seem to address your well-being in a holistic way? If so, you may want to give yoga a try. While you're at it, consider sticking to foods that improve health.

What kinds of meals will keep you full of nutrients and energy? You probably know some simple answers to this question, namely fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein.

But in the interest of completeness, here are some tips on eating well, taken from the websites of the nation's leading health organizations:

- Watch what you drink. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that it is easy to overlook the amount of calories and sugar that can be found in sweetened drinks. The agency recommends skipping the lattes, soft drinks, sweet teas and whipped drinks in favor of sparkling water, fruit juice, diet soda or skim milk.

- Stick to whole grains. If your pasta isn't labeled "whole grain," then eating it is like bolting down several slices of white bread.

- Add chopped veggies or blended fruits to many of your favorite dishes. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute says that this is a good way to get your daily dose of produce without even noticing it's there.

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5
Dec 11

Yoga helps COPD patients improve health and wellness

Having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can limit the types of physical exercise a person may do in order to stay healthy. Likewise, living with a respiratory condition may make it hard to understand exactly how to improve one's well-being. Fortunately, research has shown that yoga can help COPD patients improve health and wellness without exhausting themselves.

COPD isn't one condition so much as an array of lung disorders, all of which make it hard to breathe. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two common obstructive pulmonary conditions, according to the National Institutes of Health.

These diseases account for millions of cases of COPD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 14.8 million Americans suffer from either of the two respiratory conditions.

However, a new investigation has determined that yoga breathing may improve lung volume and quality of life for COPD patients. Published in the American Journal of Therapeutics, the study found that just three hours of yoga per week for six weeks helped patients increase their breathing strength and perceived quality of life.

It's little wonder that so many MDs suggest yoga and other complementary therapies for individuals with breathing problems.

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1
Dec 11

Dahn Yoga Cherry Creek – Center of the Month

Cherry Creek in Denver, Colorado

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Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc., a leader in health and wellness, is happy to honor its Cherry Creek, Colorado, location as the Center of the Month for November 2011. The Dahn Yoga studio, situated in the heart of Denver, touts a diverse membership committed to challenging themselves and continually reaping the many Dahn Yoga benefits.

Center Manager Danielle Gaudette notes the beauty of the studio, which features gold lobby walls, gorgeous large windows and an exotic tea room. Still, she admits it’s the members who truly make the location one to remember. “When they are really enjoying the process of growth and experiencing changes in their lives, their excitement and sincere hearts add genuine warmth to our center,” she says.

In addition to a number of exciting Dahn Yoga classes, the Cherry Creek center offers a handful of life-changing workshops and meditative courses. Lessons in DahnMuDo, a Korean martial arts discipline, are also now available three times a week.

Although the studio features a predominately female membership, Gaudette admits that she’s yearning to help men balance their bodies and minds as well. “We are eager and hopeful to have more male members soon!” she says.

 

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28
Nov 11

Improve health and wellness with ki energy

It's not uncommon for enthusiasts to take Colorado yoga classes in order to improve their health and wellness. Whether you want to reduce their anxiety, improve your flexibility or just plain relax, there is a Dahn Yoga class that's right for you.

One of the secrets behind Dahn Yoga's many benefits is that the mind-body system addresses the body's ki energy, which is a constantly circulating force that supports mental and physical well-being.

If your ki energy has become imbalanced, it won't take long for you to notice. When hot energy begins to pervade the head and cool forces to sink to the gut, you can feel exhausted, antsy, anxious or wrung out.

With a few simply yoga-based techniques, you can begin to redirect that energy back where it belongs. Cool ki energy is most beneficial when in the head, and warm energy naturally gravitates to the abdomen and pelvis.

What are the exercises that are best for ki energy circulation? It's no mystery. Dahn Yoga's gentle stretches, poses and meditation techniques can help you pursue mental and physical equilibrium while giving you increased clarity.

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21
Nov 11

Colorado Springs marathoner uses yoga to improve health and fitness

Colorado yoga classes draw a wide range of enthusiasts, from amateurs to experts, kids to the elderly, expectant mothers to…marathon runners? Believe it. And if you happen to see Captain Caroline White in your Colorado Springs yoga studio, wish her luck.

According to Schriever Air Force Base News, she'll be training around town until January, when she will be participating in the Olympic marathon trials.

White told the news source that ever since she finished this year's Boston marathon in two hours and 27 minutes, she's been asked time and again how she prepares for a race.

"Many [people] have general questions, from nutrition to cross training, or general motivation," White said, explaining that besides her daily running routine, she uses yoga and swimming to stay toned and flexible.

She's not the first prominent woman to say that she uses yoga to improve health and fitness before a race (though she's almost certainly the fastest).

Recently, model and long-time yoga enthusiast Christy Turlington Burns told the Associated Press that she practiced the holistic routine to prepare for the New York City Marathon.

Though the New York Post said that she broke the tape at a respectable four hours and 20 minutes, that time is still two hours behind the fleet-of-foot White.

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18
Nov 11

Colorado residents can improve health and wellness with yoga

If you live in Colorado, chances are you live a pretty healthy lifestyle. After all, the Centennial State is consistently ranked as one of the healthiest in the U.S. But that doesn't mean that it isn't still important for Colorado residents to try biking, jogging, meditating, stretching or walking to improve health.

After all, 21 percent of the state's population is obese, according to the latest survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That may not sound bad – after all, that is the lowest percentage in the nation – but consider this.

In 1985, not one state in the union had a recorded obesity rate over 14 percent. That's quite a spike!

It appears to be more important than ever to use yoga to improve health and wellness. This even applies to children, who are increasingly being diagnosed with high blood sugar and pre-diabetes.

In response to this trend, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recently released new health recommendations for children, in a report published in the journal Pediatrics.

Stephen R. Daniels, a senior staff member at Children's Hospital Colorado, told the Los Angeles Times that getting kids to stay active will have long-lasting consequences.

"If they can reach age 50 with low-risk status, they are very unlikely to have heart disease," he explained to the source. "That is the payoff here."

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9
Nov 11

Which is more effective, yoga or walking to improve health?

In order to improve health outcomes, many people try Dahn Yoga, which combines the exercise intensity of, say, a long walk with the relaxation and mindfulness of deep meditation. When it comes right down to it, yoga and walking entail a number of similar mental and physical benefits, though those offered by the holistic regimen are often more significant.

For instance, a study recently published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that yoga may have a greater effect on anxiety levels, compared to walking.

The authors, a group psychiatrists and neuroscientists from Boston University School of Medicine, asked participants to engage in either yoga or walking for one hour three times weekly.

After 12 weeks, researchers found that adults in the yoga group displayed lower levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter associated with anxiety. These volunteers also reported feeling less stressed, compared to those given the walking-based intervention.

Other studies have reached similar conclusions. A report appearing in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine determined that six months of yoga classes helped elderly participants fight fatigue and improve cognitive function better than an equal time spent walking to improve health.

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3
Nov 11

Dahn Yoga helps runners improve health and fitness

Whether you like sprinting, running or walking to improve health, chances are a long jog can leave you feeling wrung out, achy and exhausted. Fortunately, Dahn Yoga can improve health and fitness for runners of all stripes.

Holistic healing regimens like yoga are catching on among all sorts of joggers, in part because the stretching and breathing techniques can prevent some of the damage caused by a long, hard run.

Tiffany Cruikshank, a yoga instructor at the Nike World Headquarters, explained to the Kansas City Star that deep breathing, meditating, stretching and posing provides multimodal relief for joggers and sprinters alike.

"Once runners know about yoga, they're hooked," she told the news source.

Doing Dahn Yoga poses before and after a jogging session can provide you with an efficient warm-up and cool-down routine. It can also improve the flexibility of your muscles, the depth of your breathing and the straightness of your posture.

Even yoga's mindfulness activities may improve your stride by helping you stay focused. No wonder Cruikshank noted that "it's easy to look at the physical stuff, but [it is] really the mental aspect of it that we [yoga teachers] look at."

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21
Oct 11

Want to know how to improve health in Colorado? Try outdoor yoga

Even in what is apparently the healthiest state in the U.S., many residents still occasionally need a lesson in how to improve health. After all, having the lowest obesity rate of any state means less when you realize that one in five Colorado natives is obese.

That's right. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 percent of Centennial State citizens are obese. And that is the lowest state-level percentage in the entire nation.

Recently, Vermont Public Radio broadcast a story featuring several Colorado residents who are trying to reverse this trend by doing outdoor exercises as much as possible. Such activities can include running, hiking, mountain biking and even yoga, which entails the physical benefits but avoids the high-impact stresses.

Christopher Lindley, an official from Colorado Health Department, emphasized that many healthy activities are learned, often in childhood.

"One in four children is either overweight or obese. This is a major problem," he told the radio organization. "While Colorado might get some accolades of being the leanest state or having a great lifestyle, we are far from setting the model of where we want to be."

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