Articles from the Sound Wellness Institute
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Wired for Sound!
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The Elephant in the RoomThis Thing Called StressStress has become a 4-letter word. We don’t want to talk about it, and we certainly don’t want to acknowledge it. The World Health Organization has declared stress to be the health epidemic of the 21st century. It affects us, regardless of age. The U.S. Center for Disease Control has reported that more than half of all deaths, of those under 65, are because of causes rooted in stress.
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A Sound Investment in Employee Health, Safety & WellnessYour Most Valuable Asset . . .Employees are the lifeblood of an organization. Without them, nothing happens. There is no innovation, no production, no services provided, no invoices, and no one to receive payments. You need them, and you need them at their very best. It is through their contribution that an organization achieves and exceeds its operating goals. The facts however, tell a somber story. The majority of employees in North America are not performing to their potential.
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Stressed and Don’t Know it!2 Minute Stress TestOne of the problems with stress management these days is that many of us are already suffering physical symptoms of stress and dismiss this as ‘not important.’ Being ‘stressed out’ is almost a badge of honour in some business cultures. The truth is that it is essential to your health and wellbeing to be aware of your own levels of stress so that you can manage them before the consequences become severe.
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Eight flutes have now been found in Europe that have been dated betwen 35,000 and 40,000 years old. There are many, including Daniel Levitin, and researchers from Rice University and the University of Maryland, among others, who theorize that language evolved from music.
Please Note:
Each article includes a button to download a .pdf of the article for printing.
Unless otherwise noted, all articles are copyright © by Sound Wellness Institute. You are welcome to make copies for your personal use, and for the personal use of those within your organization.
Articles from the Sound Wellness Institute
Wired for Sound!
|
The Elephant in the RoomThis Thing Called StressStress has become a 4-letter word. We don’t want to talk about it, and we certainly don’t want to acknowledge it. The World Health Organization has declared stress to be the health epidemic of the 21st century. It affects us, regardless of age. The U.S. Center for Disease Control has reported that more than half of all deaths, of those under 65, are because of causes rooted in stress.
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A Sound Investment in Employee Health, Safety & WellnessYour Most Valuable Asset . . .Employees are the lifeblood of an organization. Without them, nothing happens. There is no innovation, no production, no services provided, no invoices, and no one to receive payments. You need them, and you need them at their very best. It is through their contribution that an organization achieves and exceeds its operating goals. The facts however, tell a somber story. The majority of employees in North America are not performing to their potential.
|
Stressed and Don’t Know it!2 Minute Stress TestOne of the problems with stress management these days is that many of us are already suffering physical symptoms of stress and dismiss this as ‘not important.’ Being ‘stressed out’ is almost a badge of honour in some business cultures. The truth is that it is essential to your health and wellbeing to be aware of your own levels of stress so that you can manage them before the consequences become severe.
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Please Note:
Each article includes a button to download a .pdf of the article for printing.
Unless otherwise noted, all articles are copyright © by Sound Wellness Institute. You are welcome to make copies for your personal use, and for the personal use of those within your organization.
Nancy Addison’s focus is on an optimal diet that will supply the basic needs of the body and fortify the body’s defenses, thereby improving health, increasing vitality, delivering greater longevity and preventing diseases associated with aging. These include heart disease, age-related muscle loss and fat gain, memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and the physical effects of aging.
When you give your body the right tools, it can do miraculous things!
When we play music together, there is a battery of hormones released by the nervous system, including Oxytocin, the bonding hormone, Dopamine, the ‘feel good’ hormone, Immunoglobulin A (IgA) an important immune system antibody, Serotonin, which regulates the sleep/waking cycle, and Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), Growth hormone (GH), and B-endorphin (B-EP), all helpful in supporting our immune function. 
There is a growing body of research that documents the benefits of gratitude. Experiments have confirmed an immediate increase in happiness, reduction in depressive symptoms, and increased wellbeing. These benefits have lasting effects on the brain and the individual.
We all have our own perceptions. It has been said that there is no one truth for our individual truths have been coloured by our perceptions and beliefs, our upbringing and past experience – just as our vision is coloured when wearing a pair of sunglasses.
Tibetan Singing bowls were traditionally used as an aid for a meditation practice, but they do much more. The slow repetitive movement of the playing stick creates an instant physical relaxation response, while calming emotions and focusing the mind, so there is greater access to creative solutions and inspiration. The Tibetan Singing Bowl can act like the restart button on the computer. They are natural stress-busters that can stimulate the natural healing ability of the body.
However, it can be easily suppressed by stress, by fatigue, or illness, with short term and long term consequences.
There are always distractions in an office environment. From the sound of a phone ringing, conversations in the hall, or a photocopier, or printer working away to name but a few. The distractions are compounded as more businesses shift to cubicles, which have been shown to reduce productivity by up to 60%. 
Brainwave entrainment is a thousands of years old practice.
In 1998, Robert F Furchgott, Louis J Ingnarro, and Ferid Murad won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery that our cells puff and release nitric oxide. Nitric oxide, is a gas that acts as a signalling molecule in the body. Since its discovery, the U.S. government and the pharmaceutical medical complex have spent hundreds of million of dollars investigating this gas. As a result, medications are now widely available to support cardiovascular disease, and others.
Let’s take a look at the software that handles stress or relaxation. The autonomic nervous system has 2 divisions that work like a teeter-totter. One division takes control, and the other yields. And then the other takes control.
There are two sides to our autonomic nervous system – the sympathetic (fight or flight) system whose purpose is to protect, and the parasympathetic (rest and digest) system whose purpose is to restore health.
Building on the ‘Office Fitness’ module, we look at ways to bring fitness home. There are many ways to incorporate an easy to follow fitness program, from walks to swimming, to shoveling the driveway. They all come with the benefit of supporting a healthy body, one that is more resistant to disease, one that has the energy to do things with friends and family, and one that strengthens performance. 
Keeping the mind and body well oxygenated is essential for peak performance, yet sitting for extended periods reduces blood flow in the upper body, with the corresponding drop in oxygen to the brain. Using deep breathing techniques, coupled with simple movement that can be done in the office, oxygen levels can be restored, invigorating the body and mind. 
Mindfulness has a significant impact on communication and safety. It is a proven way to reduce stress and improve health (physical, emotional and mental), thereby reducing absenteeism. 
One of the most powerful tools you have to navigate through everyday life is your voice. It is one of those things that, like air, is always there, but we pay little attention to it. Your voice is your communication center. And it communicates both verbally and non-verbally. Your voice communicates from many different aspects of who you are.