Page 1 of Val Silver's writing

1. Share Some Christmas Love for Healing and Happiness During the holiday season it's easy to get caught up in the shop, cook, decorate, and rush mode. For some, there's more mourning than joy. We get all stressed and lose sight of 'the reasons for the season'. With the sudden scary illness of my... (posted by Val 1 year 158 days ago.)

2. De-Stress for Spiritual Health Do you feel like you're always under a bit of stress or tension, but don't know why? You know something isn't right, but you just can't put your finger on it? Perhaps you are suffering from spiritual dis-stress. Other types of stress are fairly... (posted by Val 1 year 258 days ago.)

3. Beliefs About Your Health: I'm a Victim of My Genes We all have a set of beliefs about health. They come to us from our families, the media, and authority figures like scientists and doctors. That's all well and good when the beliefs are true, but sometimes, it turns out that as new research... (posted by Val 1 year 272 days ago.)

4. Detoxifying: It's Good For Your Health Have you ever tried a body detox routine? Perhaps you used a seven day cleansing product or put yourself on the ten day lemon drink diet. All these remedies are used in an attempt to rid the body of toxins. Cleansing advice and products abound. ... (posted by Val 1 year 329 days ago.)

5. Stinking Thinking - Are Your Negative Thoughts Holding You Back? How can you tell if you are guilty of "stinking thinking"? Everyone does some negative thinking at times. It's normal. But there are some negative thinking patterns that, when used regularly, can hold you back from achieving your goals. Here... (posted by Val 2 years 23 days ago.)

6. Stinky Cheese As I rounded the corner to the deli section of our local buying club, I was stopped by a most familiar aroma filling the area. "I know that smell, what is it?" I said to myself. "Ah, yes, provolone. Real provolone," came the answer from the... (posted by Val 2 years 107 days ago.)

7. Learning to Love: Let Your Barriers Down Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. - Rumi Reading this quote elicited a loud "AMEN" from my spirit. In a flash it was revealed to me that to seek and... (posted by Val 3 years 37 days ago.)

8. It's Been A Difficult Month This month has been full of challenges. It started with a cold. No big deal right? Just snuggle up with a box of tissues and hot tea for two weeks and all is well. How lucky for me it even hit the night my winter vacation started so I could... (posted by Val 3 years 67 days ago.)

9. Nurture Your Spirit: Create a Sacred Space Did you know that you could have sacred spaces in your home? You can make them as simple or elaborate as you like. Some people set up a formal home altar with religious icons where they meditate or pray alone or as a family. Others may keep it... (posted by Val 3 years 91 days ago.)

10. In the News: Research Leads to Promising Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease I rarely get excited about anything reported in the news but yesterday was an exception. On February 8, 2009 the reporter announced that a team of researchers at the University of California in San Diego published an article in the Journal of... (posted by Val 3 years 108 days ago.)

11. Valentines Day: Give the Gift of Heart Healthy, Feel Good Chocolate The health news that made me happiest was learning that dark chocolate was good for us. After years of hearing about how all the foods I loved were so unhealthy, this news was long overdo. I'm sure there was a concerted cry of joy from women the... (posted by Val 3 years 116 days ago.)

12. Valentines Day: Gifts From the Heart for Your Significant Other This Valentine's day I'd like to challenge you to give your significant other a gift that shows how much you value him or her. The gifts suggested here cost very little if any money. They do require that you give something of yourself. You may... (posted by Val 3 years 116 days ago.)

13. How to Prepare your Preschooler to be a Reader: A Reading Recovery Teacher's Perspective After ten years and hundreds of first-graders passing through my doors, I've discovered that several things seem to routinely affect a child's ability to become a successful reader and learner. Surprisingly, they appear to have little to do with... (posted by Val 3 years 122 days ago.)

14. How to Set and Maintain Personal Boundaries in Relationships "Oh man, she called so I went over. Now she calls all the time. I feel my energy being drained. I can't believe I let myself get sucked in again." If you have ever felt like this, you are not alone. Most of us have been taught to... (posted by Val 3 years 124 days ago.)

15. A Second Chance: Is There Someone You Need to Sit With? Have you ever thought someone was different than they really are? Did a loved one deceive you and now you feel bitter? I would like to tell you a story about a time this happened to me, and the lessons I learned because of this experience. Several... (posted by Val 3 years 131 days ago.)

16. Achieve Your Goals: How to Engage Your Brain to Help You Get Motivated and Stay Motivated Motivation is a key factor in any successful goal-setting plan. Achieving personal goals, self-improvement plans and life goals depend on our ability to maintain a sustained and consistent effort. Research suggests that a powerful ally in the... (posted by Val 3 years 138 days ago.)

17. Healthy Goals to Live By- Drink Plenty of Water For Health and Wellness Why do we need to drink "so much" water? The average 150 pound adult is made up of approximately 2/3rds water. That's 40-50 quarts of water or 80-100 pounds of water per person! Your body uses about three quarts of water a day to carry out its... (posted by Val 3 years 144 days ago.)

18. Healthy Goals to Live By: Practice Mini-Meditations to Help You Focus and Reduce Stress Mini-meditations are a great way to give ourselves quick mental breaks throughout the day. They help us focus, calm our minds and quickly reduce stress. Best of all, they require no fancy preparation and can be done anywhere and anytime (unless... (posted by Val 3 years 145 days ago.)

19. Health Goals You Can Stick With: Include Fiber In Your Diet for Health and Wellness Most Americans don't get enough fiber in their diets. Including fiber in your diet is relatively easy and really doesn't cost extra money since we need to eat anyway! Fiber is found in all plant-based foods. Since fiber isn't digested by your body... (posted by Val 3 years 147 days ago.)

20. Health Goals You Can Stick With: Make Gratitude a Part of Your Daily Life for Health and Wellness Gratitude has been likened to a powerful spiritual vitamin. It helps keep our minds clear and our lives more satisfying. Researchers have typically found that thankful people experience better overall health and longer lives. They have higher... (posted by Val 3 years 147 days ago.)

21. New Years Resolutions: Five Big Mistakes People Make When Making a Resolution Do you make New Year's Resolutions with the best of intentions only to find that your enthusiasm fades as fast as the holiday season? Are you afraid to make another resolution for fear history will repeat itself yet again, and you'll be no further... (posted by Val 3 years 149 days ago.)

22. New Years Resolutions: 10 Easy Health Tips You Can Stick With in the New Year Do you make New Year's Resolutions with the best of intentions only to fizzle out or not even start to deliver on them? Here are ten health tips that are easy to implement and make part of your every day life. Choose one or two tips to start... (posted by Val 3 years 149 days ago.)

23. Simple Joys for the Holiday Season My wish for the holiday season is that we will be filled with joy. It seems like the holidays just add more stress instead- there's crowds, shopping, decorating, cooking... in excess! This is an invitation to step back and relax. Let the season... (posted by Val 3 years 166 days ago.)

24. Random Acts of Holiday (and Everyday) Kindness Perhaps like me, it's been a while since you've heard about random acts of kindness. The holidays are the perfect time to revive this practice. As everyone is rushing around doing all the wonderful activities that constitute this time of year... (posted by Val 3 years 172 days ago.)

25. The Face of Compassion- A Tribute to My Dog Duke So many times when we think of someone being compassionate we think of an act of one person to another. Perhaps we think of God. I want to tell you about someone else, my dog Duke. Duke knows about compassion. He was rescued by my son and carried... (posted by Val 3 years 200 days ago.)