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Beautiful Places Healthy Living

@Silicon Valley’s NVidia

So cool to bring attention to this cause!

Surprised to see these fashion displayed at their beautifully designed new headquarter building of this innovative company. It’s a sleek brand new space … something resembling a cross between star wars-ish futuristic structure of an airport, a museum and a college campus under one dome …that’s their new headquarter building. So taken aback to see these apparel on display by their gift shop entry …seemed so unrelated.

BUT THEN, not so surprised when you stop to consider this: Their state of the art technology GPU is not just for gaming anymore – it’s helping cancer research in the area of early detection to customized care. Their product is also helping in scientific research to the level unimaginable before … So stopping to consider this startling fact, for example – Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer in women – so it is no wonder. While the survival rate has dramatically improved in recent years due to advances in screening and treatments, it is still second main cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. There are around 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the United States (U.S.). The chance of any woman dying from breast cancer is around 1 in 37, or 2.7 percent; while each year 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with this disease. According to the World Health Organization, on a global scale, the number of new cases is expected to rise by about 70 percent over the next two decades. Given that grim fact, it’s refreshing to see how tech companies are stepping up to make a difference.

Whether in the areas of prevention or in the midst of the battle or in recovery, we have learned how we manage the stress greatly influences the outcome. We know some stress is good for us; the kind of stress that brings people closer and make community more tightly knit; and good stress motivates us to improve, achieve and accomplish, i.e., to get things done. Good stress is even empowering as each time we overcome that challenge = stress, we feel stronger; but chronic stress, the kind of degenerative and relentless stress; where there’s little breaks during the accumulative onslaught, that kind of toxic stress can weaken and compromise our immune system and slow down our healing. This kind of stress weakens us – For some of us, the latter has become the norm so much, we don’t even notice what it’s like to live without that burden, that weight – the tension. Is it possible to just be? To simply embody our body with gratitude (even if one may feel betrayed by it – loving kindness to self first:); To feel the clarity, the pure energy and lightness … of being? And if it is possible, how, then, HOW? That’s when tools and techniques of yoga comes to the rescue.

Support of appropriate exercise, and mindful practices such as yoga and meditation is said to really help. Tech workers can “compute the cure” and “PWN Cancer” while also practice yoga to boost their immunity and improve their stress resilience.

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Healthy Activities Healthy Living Yoga

The Lymphatic System includes organs?!

Learning something new everyday! I was surprised to read that the lymphatic system includes several other organs such as the tonsils (glands located at the back of your throat that filter bacteria); the adenoids, and the spleen and the thymus (filtering organs that screens the blood and produce white blood cells). No wonder the lymphatic system is so vital as much as our blood vessels and nervous system are.

Noting that when the lymphatic system becomes overly stressed, they become sluggish as we experience the following:

chronic fatigue
swelling in lymph nodes (like throat, armpits or groin)
muscle aches and pains
joint pains
sore throats and getting colds more often
frequent infections or viruses
fibromyalgia symptoms
arthritis
and …even cancer formation

The body protects us from infection and illness by trapping microbes found in our tissues (mostly bacteria we pick up from the environment) and sending them to the lymph nodes, where they become “trapped.” This keeps the bacteria from spreading and causing further problems like viruses. Once the bacteria are trapped, lymphocytes attack and kill the bacteria. Then the lymphatic system, our body’s drainage system will eliminate the toxins out of our system, protecting us.

Yoga can help in restoring the healthy function with the gentle coaxing through asana, breath and centering practices afforded in a regular practice you maintain. Yoga works.