Clearly what is meant to be IS.
The peace is always in that.

Gangaji

Over the past four months, the healing and learning process for me has come in thick and fast - But who am I to complain - when Archangel Azrael held his hand out to me before Christmas and asked “Are you ready” -my reply was “yes.”

I have learnt that although I had an essence of “self love” for myself, there was not an element of nurturing - of being my own mother. The gift of a baby, however brief that visit was, taught me this - an awareness of foods, an awareness of when my body needed to rest, the gift of fresh flowers by my bed, listening to soft, sweet music - I became my own mother. I loved parts of my body as never before - so much so that my hips and thighs seem to have taken a more fuller shape *smile* - And so the wounded child within felt safe to reveal herself and speak.

What followed “speaking out” I believe is the key I have been waiting for. A key that has removed the layers that no longer fit but also unlocked doors that have revealed such wonderful treasure.

The key is Acceptance.

The little girl who still hid away inside of me , all those years ago had took herself out of her body and denied all that was happening to her and around her. That denial remained within her for the next thirty odd years. A pattern of - any pain, hide it, deny it.
A pattern of not accepting any life situation that appeared “bad” or threatening - hide it - deny it.

Until now!! No sooner had I accepted the past and all that the “little girl” had to show me - with no ifs, buts or maybes, no excuses, no analysis, no who’s fault it was … I was given freedom!

It is no use to deny a situation or to fight against - what IS, be it current or past. The energy through the denial or even struggle against what IS, will only cause the current situation to last longer, creating a feeling of “no way out”, no clarity, no hope, no change. The cycle of life will not be able to move to the next cycle because there is no acceptance of what IS.

If it is non - acceptance from the past, it becomes an energy blockage resulting in constant patterns in your life of situations or people that bring out those same denied feelings. And they will come up again and again and again…

By accepting a life situation you are not “giving up” or blessing bad actions or behaviour of others or the situation you see as negative and painful - lack of money, stagnant career, relationship friction … BUT neither are you denying they DO exist be it in your past or your present. You are simply accepting what IS.

Life is a cycle of ups and downs. Everything and everyone has a cycle - the rotation of the planet, nature, the seasons, crops, the ocean, women, interest rates, businesses, the stock market - all have a high, all have a low.

We need the low to rest, to bring forth change, to discover what we do want to feel, have and experience. The lows will come making way for the new - no matter what. Even the rich, the wealthy and the most enlightened masters experience a “low”.

All lows bring a high and if you stop for a moment and be honest with yourself, you will see that at the end of your darkest times there has then been great light.

The high times, the great times move fast, they simply flow - they are joyfilled moments. The low times can move just as fast, if there is acceptance of what IS.

The low times linger because people either completely deny it is happening or allow themselves to get “wrapped up” in the negativity of it all - the drama, the discomfort, the want for something better. There may be a battle of trying to find solutions to solve this low time rather than letting it flow. Your mind may become obsessive about “the problem” and see this as your identity. This is the ego at work not your Higher Self. This is often when illness creeps in, even depression, literally forcing you to rest, to restrain you from action, so that you stop “doing” and just let life be.

We all know that if you fight against something or force a situation, it will just grow in energy from this power struggle. Mother Therese is often quoted as she stated that she would not “walk” against war but she would “walk” for peace.

And denial will just leave it stagnant in your body to feed an old pattern or even create a new one.

The sooner you accept what IS, the sooner you will receive peace, clarity and guided action. You will have entered the moment and allowed yourself to flow with life. You will have freedom from time and be ready to move on to the next cycle.

Just sit for a while in this already perfect world - the blue skies, the rich grass, the warm sun - Mother Nature just simply flowing with life, in and out of the different cycles as they come and go - no attachment, no denial, no struggling or force. Just divine, peaceful, acceptance.

Those childhood memories that were denied and so deeply hidden from the truth - have now been remembered, accepted, forgotten and let go of. My present is healed from the past and my future is freedom.

Michelle is an Angel Therapist and mother of four based in the UK.

In December 2000, while severely ill in hospital, Michelle received an Angel visitation. A beautiful sparkling energy that offered to carry her to health, to strength and most of all to remind her of who she really was.

The light that shone in her hospital room that bleak winter’s day has become her life’s mission. Michelle has dedicated herself to empower others to see who they truly are and shine. As well as writing for children, Michelle runs http://www.sanctuaryofangels.com, an estashment that holds self development workshops and courses for all ages.

Life is a gift, you are a gift. Not one person is more special than another, and if you can trust this, you are on your way to finding YOU.

With a wide variety of home loans available in the market, the vast majority of people are most likely to find themselves lost in the ocean of options. The situation is completely different from the one that was 50 years ago, when with a little number of alternatives available borrowers didn’t bother themselves too much thinking about what type of home loans to apply for.

To find a home loan that would cater your needs you’ll have to investigate the current situation on the loan market. And it is more crucial to learn about the types of available home loans for those people who have little or no financial experience. There is no need to say that your financial future is largely dependable on the terms you agree to accept when getting a loan. Thus, any mistake made will have no excuse.

If you’re looking for a suitable home loan, a loan broker is the first person you should consult with. In fact you have to talk to several brokers and compare the terms they offer you. A good broker will always explain you any details and all pros and cons just because you can end up as their client. Don’t try to remember everything they say. It’s just impossible. Take a notebook and write down all the information you’ll find of any use. This will later allow you to compare details.

One of the most important things for a borrower is the level of the interest rate of a loan. It’s quite obvious that the lower is the rate the better is for the borrower. Loan rates depend on many things and loan type is among of them.

There are four basic loan types available on the market: fixed rate loans, adjustable rate loans, Balloon loans and Jambo loans. However, this list is very simplified. In fact the loan you’re going to get may be a combination of two or more types. A loan term is another factor contributing to the level of interest rates. Long-term loans require to less installments than short-term loans.

Interest rates also depend on a borrower’s credit score, which means the better your credit history is the lower is the rate you can expect. People with a bad credit history typically pay higher interest rates.

Fees are the next things the borrower has to check. Ideally, fees should be as low as possible and their payment period shouldn’t last to long. This is an important point, because some types of home loans require the borrower to pay extra fees during the lifetime of a loan. Furthermore, there are penalty fees that the borrower should pay in case he or she decides to pay off the loan before earlier than it is specified in the loan contract. So your task is to exclude this term from your loan contract if there is such.

Getting a suitable home loan is not an easy task. The decisions you make will affect your future in a good or a bad way. That’s why you should be very careful and responsible.

Homecomings Financial provides more interesting information about home loans.

Fred Miller works in home financing business for several years. He has a web site dedicated to mortgages and loans.

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxyl acid, derived from the bark of the willow tree, that has a wide variety of uses related to skin care. Beta hydroxyl acids are better at treating surface skin conditions than their alpha hydroxyl acid relations as they have larger molecules which do not penetrate the layers of skin so easily. Because alpha hydroxyl acids pass deep into the skin, they can cause further irritation to make skin conditions worse.

The main use of salicylic acid is to reduce the symptoms of mild acne. Acne is caused by excess oil production and skin cell shedding in hair follicles. This blocks the follicle and provides a place for bacteria to grow, resulting in inflammation and a pimple. Salicylic acid works by slowing down the shedding of skin cells and breaking down the material that creates the spot.

You can combine salicylic acid with a variety of other substances to increase its acne fighting properties; one good example is retinol. However, you should not combine salicylic acid with sulfur, benzoyl peroxide or resorcinol as this will be too irritating for the skin and will stimulate oil production, making your condition worse.

You will often find salicylic acid used in chemical peels used to reduce the appearance of mild acne scarring and to generally purify the skin. The concentration of the salicylic acid used will have an impact on the effectiveness of the peel. Up to 20% salicylic acid can be used, but this may cause extensive skin peeling for around three days and may be too strong to be used in weekly peels.

Salicylic acid can be used as a remedy for various another skin conditions. It is often an active ingredient in anti-dandruff shampoos, and is used to treat skin disorders such as psoriasis. It also has collagen boosting properties that make it ideal for slowing the development of wrinkles.

Applying salicylic acid in gel form to warts and verrucas has two benefits. Firstly it softens the layers of skin that make up the wart, enabling removal with a pumice stone. Secondly salicylic acid irritates the wart or verucca, which stimulates the immune system to fight harder to get rid of it.

So what are the negative effects of salicylic acid? The first you may have heard about is that it can cause birth defects when taken by pregnant women. The truth is that women would need to take large doses of salicylic acid orally for their baby to be in any danger. Even so, it is advisable for pregnant women to avoid using salicylic acid as it does penetrate the skin and enter the blood stream to some degree. Another potential side effect of salicylic acid is that it can cause hyper-pigmentation, when used in high concentrations on darker skin.

Overall salicylic acid is a fairly safe and cheap way to treat mild skin complaints. As a rule you should always start with a low concentration of salicylic acid and build up if it is not having the desired effect. You should also ensure that it only comes into contact with affected skin and not healthy skin when used in higher concentrations.

If you’d like to learn more about over-the-counter acne products, click here. Rebecca discusses different acne treatments and their effects.

I walked into the classroom with my daughter in one hand and a bag full of hotdog buns and condiments in the other. There were a few students already showing up for the meeting, and they greeted me and the food heartily. As I plopped down my daughter and began arranging the food buffet style, one of the students asked who I was. I explained that I was Chris’ wife. “You cooked all this for his meeting with us?”

I looked down at the warmed up hot dogs, store bought buns, bagged chips and bottled soda, and first thought that he might be joking with me. Then I remembered he was a college student. “Yes, I prepared the hotdogs for you guys.”

“Wow”, he said. “My wife would never do something like this for me.” The comment surprised me. After all, I had done nothing more than add a little to the grocery list and warm up some food. At that moment, Chris walked in the door holding the crock-pot of canned chili from the car and set it in place. He thanked me for my help and offered me a chili dog on my way out the door.

Later on that day as we drove home from school, he told me again how thankful he was for my help earlier. He told me that there were several other married students in the crowd, and each had been amazed that I was willing to cook the lunch for him. He leaned over and kissed me soundly on the cheek, and asked, now what can I do to help you today?

Earlier, I had been questioning why I agreed so easily to help out when other wives would refuse. After all, I am a busy work at home mom with too much on my plate already. But now, the answers were obvious.

First of all, my husband and I are a good team. In our relationship, there are few things that are only my job or his job. We both are capable of doing the housework, watching our daughter, and providing the family income. Together, we decide who would do best doing what in each situation. This minimizes resentment.

Second, I am always willing to help Chris because of his appreciativeness. He knows that the small things are the big things and thanks me daily for things that easily could go unnoticed. It makes me want to do even more for him because I know it will be acknowledged and appreciated.

Lastly, Chris asked how he could help me in return. This is paramount. Being appreciative isn’t enough. Couples must both be willing to help one another out. If one is always giving and the other is always thanking without reciprocating, the giver will still burn out on giving. When Chris asked how he could help me, we ended up picking up the house together later that evening. It made me wonder how many of those students who wished their wives helped them out more had spouses at home wishing the same thing about them!

Ultimately, Chris could have cooked the lunch himself and I could have picked up the house in the time it took me to buy and warm up the hotdogs. But we would have missed a chance to strengthen our relationship and show that we cared.

So, how do you get your spouse to do what you want? By being a team player, genuinely saying thank you, and reciprocating acts of kindness and good will in return. Try these three simple things for the next month, and you’ll be amazed how they improve your relationship!

Wendy Bridger, LMSW, relationship expert, speaker and author, is co-creator of “Is He Right for Me?” which provides women with a chance to test drive their budding relationship. Come join the fun at http://www.isherightforme.com

How many times have you hired a new employee, showed them their desk, the bathroom, the lunchroom, where to find the coffee and supplies, and then left them on their own to figure things out? Or assigned someone to a task or project they’ve never done before or introduced a new work process they’ve never seen and just walked away thinking, “They can read the procedure” or “They’re good at other things, this project will be a piece of cake for them”., or worse yet, not think anything of it and just walk away?

Effective leaders provide guides for their employees to bump up against. I’ve known this lesson for most of my life, but I manage to forget it from time to time when dealing with people who are new to a job or a task. I recently re-learned the lesson when working with my horse, Jazz.

When I gave Jazz (my female horse; mare to horse people) a new job and left her to her own devices, she was full of anxiety and fear. She didn’t know what to do, how to do it, and was worried about everything around her. As I saw it, her job was simple - walk calmly and quietly around the pasture fence without speeding up or throwing me off. Simple enough, right? Wrong.

Jazz was riddled with fear. “What predators are lurking in the woods?” “Oh my, there’s a noise that I haven’t heard before!” “Is that a cat or a deer watching me? Whatever it is, I don’t like it!” These are the thoughts I imagine ran through her head as she walked the pasture, moving her head from side to side, worrying about every little thing around her, getting more nervous with each step. Jazz did not know her job or how to do it, which turned her into a 900-pound bundle of nervous energy. She spooked at the slightest noise or movement. Even the slightest touch of my leg on her sent her into a frenzy. Being a fight-or-flight animal, she did what came naturally. She fled at a full-out gallop across the pasture with me holding on! What went wrong?

As her leader, I was not doing my job. I needed to give her some guidelines, or guides to bump up against, until she learned her job and gain confidence in her job. She needed to know her only job was to focus straight ahead and walk calmly forward along the fence line. And I needed to gently guide her with the reins, telling her when she was doing a great job and when she needed to focus forward.

When she learned her job and became more confident and comfortable, I reinforced the lesson by giving her more rein and a bit more freedom to move around. I praised her too. When she got off track, I tightened up the reins and provided the guides again. As she became more and more comfortable, she accepted additional responsibilities and challenges with ease.

Think about this story: How might this lesson with a horse provide some guidance and direction for leading your people?

When you give an employee a new project, job or responsibility, don’t leave them to flounder on their own. Provide strong leadership; give them guides to bump up against while they are learning. Give them support and encouragement along the way, praise them when they make progress. When they feel more comfortable and performance improves, you can loosen the guides and allow them to explore ways to develop better and more efficient means of completing their responsibilities.

A strong leader knows when to teach, guide, praise and get out of the way! Provide enough of each when and where needed. Then get out of their way. Watch them soar to new heights, finding new ways of doing things while potentially saving the company money, increasing productivity and morale!

Sue E. Thomas, president of Managing Asset Potential (M-A-P, LLC), has over 25 years of business experience, 17 years of equine experience and 15 years of Human Resource Management. She combined her business knowledge and experience with her passion for horses to develop an unconventional approach to leadership and team development. L-E-A-D, a service provided by M-A-P, LLC, utilizes horses in a unique experiential approach to skills development. Working with the horses promotes individual and/or group growth, awareness, and the opportunity to change limiting behaviors that provide bottom line business and personal results.

For more information and to watch the video brochure visit us at www.mapotential.com

Some changes happen because of some incident or accident. Someone got fired because of an unforeseen reorganization. How do you handle such a change? Do you pursue a revenge or will you search for a new way for your life?

“Revenge is not always a good idea,” said the author of Slaughterhouse Five in an interview last year. And as change is concerned he is right. Revenge will take you nowhere.

Perhaps you could have prevented your dismissal. Perhaps you could have competed a bit more to save you job. But it is also possible that it just happens to you — “You could be the next one, or do you think that this will not happen to you,” replied the Queen to Tony Blair at the end of the movie.

So just take for granted that anything will happen to you on day. And than what will you do?

Revenge will take you nowhere, but you will have to face the emotion. Putting your energy on emotions that lead to a dead-end is one strategy. Revenge remains of all times. But is it an effective change strategy, or could you do without?

Only just now I searched for the little “poem” somewhere in the middle of Slaughterhouse Five. In vain. But it must be there somewhere on the web. I think that the idea was this:

I hope that I can be wise enough to influence things that can be changed and strong enough to let go of that what I can not influence anyhow…

If you really want to get somewhere you will have to overcome your emotions and start thinking again.

© 2007 Hans Bool

Hans Bool writes articles about management, culture and change. If you are interested to read or experience more about these topics have a look at: Astor White or sign-up for our newsletter.

“Husband depreciation day?” I said, shocked at the thought of someone charting a holiday to confirm my worst fears.

“No, Husband APPRECIATION Day.” a co-worker of mine repeated. I was asked if I had any ideas regarding appreciating husbands. The joke got me thinking about what guys really want in the way of appreciation anyway. I know something about what I might want in the way of appreciation but would that apply to other guys? I’ve always been skeptical of colleagues and relationship experts who seem so eager to lump guys together in one big basket and presume to know how we think and feel. Maybe it’s because I rarely seem to fit with a lot of those male stereotypes, some I do but many I don’t.

As I think about it, I have a hunch a lot of guys don’t necessarily feel like they fit all the elements of proposed male stereotypes either. You know what I’m referring to. These descriptions make men out to be cave man-ish claiming real men want nothing to do with emotion. According to these stereotypes men are pretty simple psychologically. They want food, sex and competition. And, they are most happy when an activity has all three. Relationships are secondary to conquest and getting the job done. They expect respect and are feared to be time bombs waiting to explode in anger and rage if they are thwarted from their goals. And the goals are always assumed to involve, you guessed it, food, sex and competition.

What has this got to do with Husband Appreciation Day? If a wife is looking to express appreciation to her husband and she believes the above stereotypes are all there is to it, she could sorely miss a grand opportunity to bless her man. As with most stereotypes there is probably something in those stereotypes almost any man would agree describes him, at least to some degree. The problem is men are more complicated and diverse than the stereotype would suggest. I haven’t met many women who want to be categorized according to common stereotypes of what women are supposed to be like. Men don’t like it either. So when it comes to an individual marriage and a wife who is trying to determine how to express appreciation to her husband, the stereotypes barely get one started in accomplishing real genuine understanding. Wives will need to think more deeply about their mate to hit the mark in communicating appreciation.

This is really about a life long journey of discovery when you consider it. Our mates are a complex mix of characteristics, some of which are constant and some of which go through plenty of change. Just when a spouse thinks they have their mate “figured out,” life comes along and you discover something new. Sadly, many relationships lack a sense of discovery because husbands and wives conclude they have their spouse figured out and stop being curious. This curiosity about my mate is a lifelong discipline and can pay huge dividends to a relationship. And, this certainly applies to women who want to know their husbands. This brief article will not begin to solve all those mysteries but that’s kind of the point. The mysteries around one’s spouse are supposed to keep us curious for a life time. We can however, maybe make a few suggestions that will help a wife in trying to figure out what to do for Husband Appreciation Day. These suggestions believe it or not, don’t require spending money on expensive or elaborate gifts. Appreciating your husband may be easier than you think.

The first consideration we would like to offer is to be wary of using yourself as a point of reference. In other words, be cautious about asking yourself, “What would I want if it were Wife Appreciation Day?” Many wives and husbands have had the disappointing experience of purchasing a gift or planning some sort of celebration that would please them only to find their spouse is under-whelmed by their efforts. This can be a huge let down. Just because you love a frilly card, and an elaborate gift, do not assume this will carry your message of appreciation to your husband.

So if a wife can’t really use her own wishes and preferences as a guide for expressing appreciation of her husband, where should she begin? We suggest spending some time reflecting on what your husband does in his spare time. What does he seem to genuinely enjoy? His favorite interests and passions are a great reservoir of ideas for an expression of appreciation. You may need to do some research to find something in his area of interest that will be received as something special. Maybe one of his friends whom you know enjoys the same passion could be a resource of ideas.

An easily overlooked area of inspiration for blessing him may be something he values deeply but struggles to fully experience. Maybe he loves golf but rarely gets to play. A new club, gift card, or green fee gift certificate may touch him as an expression of thoughtfulness even though it may be months before he actually uses it. Maybe you have heard him complain he doesn’t have enough time to read. Go ahead and purchase a book you bet he would like. Even if it sits on the shelf he will appreciate your thoughtfulness and take encouragement in the book now being in his possession though he doesn’t dive right into it. It’s the thought that counts right?

Consider ways you have been able to have his attention in the past. How could you use some strategy you have used in the past to help him understand something important to you, to now express to him how much you appreciate him? Perhaps you have noticed if you need his undivided attention to discuss a financial issue or a concern about the children you needed to schedule a specific time to do so. What would it look like to ask him for 30 minutes of time but only tell him you have something important you need to talk to him about? Imagine his surprise when you sit down pull out your written agenda and proceed to explain to him all the things you appreciate about him. Maybe leisure drives in the car have been an important form of couple time for the two of you in the past. These drives have been times to talk through concerns and make plans for the future. Invite him to go for a drive and proceed to outline for him your concern that he know and understand how much you appreciate him.

This is a good time to reflect about his Love Language. Gary Chapman’s concept of love languages has helped thousands of couples better understand how to give and receive love in their relationship. If you have studied Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages, then use the information to help you express appreciation for him in a language he will easily understand.

Finally, there is one stereotype attributed to men that is a good bet for expressing appreciation. You may be thinking now, “Here it comes, the advice for women to be more sexual with their husband.” Actually, that is not the last suggestion we want to make; although, we wouldn’t want to discourage genuine, loving sexual expressions of appreciation at all. No, the last suggestion we want to make has to do with the deep desire many men have to be seen as successful by their wives.

This is an often poorly understood desire in men. It is poorly understood by men themselves and certainly not adequately understood by many wives. It is tied to a man’s desire to be significant, to know his presence and effort really make a difference. Husband Appreciation Day would be a great opportunity to somehow recognize what your husband is good at. Are there things you deeply respect about his character, sacrifice, talent, skill, or ambitions? Consider drawing attention to these areas of performance in him and let him know how his efforts in those areas are a blessing to you. Tell him how your life is blessed because of his diligence, integrity, skill or persistence. Few things will bless a man more than learning their wife believes in them, sees them as a winner.

Is there someone he admires in sports or history? What would it mean to him to hear you express that you respect and revere him like he respects his sports hero? Maybe you have heard him express admiration for somebody like Tiger Woods, the professional golfer. Could you see yourself somehow letting him know, “Hey, forget that Tiger Woods guy, as far as I’m concerned you’re my Tiger!”

Oh, yeah we weren’t going to emphasize sexual expressions of appreciation were we? Well you get the idea. Maybe your husband will to.

Dr. Robert K. Burbee, National Institute of Marriage - Dr. Burbee has 20 years of experience as a licensed psychologist working with individuals, couples, families, and groups. As one of National Institute of Marriage Intensive therapists Dr. Burbee leads both Couples Intensives and Marriage Intensives. Dr. Burbee and his wife Mary Jo have four children and reside in Springfield, Missouri.

For centuries south Asian region has been rich. Rich with it’s spices and food recipes. For years, the region lured various different crusaders to invade the region over centuries. Beginning from the 14th century, the moghuls invaded and ruled, what is today the Indian subcontinent, for over three centuries. And then came the marvelous voyages of Christopher Columbus taking upon the arduous long voyage and Vasco De Gama of Portugal, all because of the lure of rich and vast variety of spices in the sub-continent.

Vast fortunes have been made and squandered, powerful rulers seduced, ailments cured and nations have been discovered. All in the name of spices. Spices have always cast a spell on our imaginations. Spices flatter our senses; our sight with their vibrant colors, our smell with their enticing fragrances and our taste with their distinct unique flavors.

Today, India is one of the largest exporting nation of spices in the world. Vast variety of spices grow due to natural conditions available in various parts of India. The major western, south-west, south and south-east is tropical in weather conditions, north-west, north are dry with less humidity and north-east and east have pre-dominantly high-rainy seasons.

Due to the abundance in availability of spices in India, Indian food is never bland. Most of the recipies originating from the Indian sub-continent contains spices in the list of ingredients. Spices in Indian food are not heavy and although Indian food is not bland, most Indian dishes are delicately spiced to enhance the flavor of the main cooking ingredient. Curry powder sitting on the grocers shelf may be like saw dust when one compares it to the fine spices roasted, combined and dry ground or wet ground in the traditional Indian traditions. Today one of the most famous entree in the west consists of curry - a blend created mixing various different ground spices in right proportions with the water. However there are many delicacies in Indian recipes due to the inclusion of variety of spices.

Fresh ground spices are the order of the day in an Indian home and will be chosen according to the nature of the dish, season, individual and family. Some of the common Indian spices available are red chilli pepper, turmeric, black pepper, nutmegs, cloves and many more.

Other then the usage of spices in culinary, they are also used as medicine. Ancient Ayurvedic texts prescribe the herbs and spices for curative and therapeutic functions. Ayurvedic scripts dating back to 3000 years, list the preventive and curative properties of various spices. Looking at curative properties of some of the spices - Ginger prevents dyspepsia, garlic reduces cholesterol and hypertension and fenugreek is a good resistance builder and with pepper often serve as antihistamines, turmeric is used for stomach ulcers and for glow of the skin.

Spices have been used to make the food last longer in the days when refrigeration was absent. And even today in some remote parts of India where electricity is not available, spices are used in food for preservation.

In India the western after dinner mint is substituted by the fragrant spices such as fennel, cardamom or cloves. Effective mouth fresheners, they aid digestion, prevent heartburn and curb nausea. Others such as asafoetida and ginger root, have been known to counteract flatulence and colic, and are added to lentils, a must with every Indian meal.

Learn more about Indian Spices and Indian Recipes at http://www.spicesandrecipes.com Sekhar Kodaipati is known for performing detailed research and his ability to compose eloquent articles.

Many people suffer from migraines, a specific type of headaches that requires treatment. However, are all symptoms and phases of migraines the same? No.

Symptoms of migraine differ from patient to patient, but phases are always practically the same. Prior to the migraine headache being felt, the sufferer will go through a ‘prodomal phase’.

In this interval, the migraine sufferer feels no headache, but may feel that they are in a different state of mind than they were before. They could feel overly ecstatic or may be depressed. Although it’s fairly hard to establish exactly what goes on in a prodomal phase, noticing shifts in behavior can be a significant part of understanding when a migraine attack is coming on. The prodomal phase can last from a period of hours to a number of days before the headache hits.

Following the prodomal phase, there is a short time during which other phenomena take place right before a headache takes hold. Called the aura phase, those having feelings of subtle visual hallucinations can anticipate a migraine occurring very soon. Colors can be slightly distorted, or vision might be blurry.

Some patients also experience feelings that parts of their body had ‘fallen asleep’, with sensations across the body that are similar to the pins and needles feeling that one gets when there is a lack of circulation in the feet.

The actual headache phase comes next. Migraine headaches are known to occur in only half of the head, as opposed to the more common tension headaches in which the entire head is affected. Migraine onsets are typically gradual with the peak pain not happening for a few hours. This phase may be accompanied by blurred vision as well; diarrhea and stuffiness of the nasal cavity may also occur.

After the headache phase reaches its end, the postdrome phase takes over. In this phase, the you’re left feeling tired and irritable, with a lack of concentration.

Exactly what each patient experience in each of these phases will vary, but a migraine will go through all these phases every time an attack happens.

To read about migraine medications, visit http://www.medopedia.com

This is an easy quick recipe for traditional southern style ham. The honey mustard glaze compliments the ham perfectly and the preparation couldn’t be easier. Just mix up the glaze and pour over the ham, and bake at 325 degrees until tender. What could be easier?

These ham slices are available in your meat case pre-cooked and pre-sliced. Choose one that is the appropriate size for your family. You can cut them into serving size steaks and pan fry them on the stove top quickly or add a glaze and bake in the oven. You will find that they make a very easy dinner that will please everyone.

Quick and Easy Southern Style Ham Slice

1 fully cooked ham slice (1 to 1 1/2 inches thick)

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

Juice of one lemon (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)

1/3 cup honey

1. Score the ham slice around the edge to prevent curling by cutting through the fat just barely into the meat at several places around the slice. Place ham in a baking dish.
2. Combine the mustard, lemon juice, and honey. Pour the honey mustard over the ham.
3. Bake at 325 degrees until the ham is tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the thickness of your ham slice.

These ham slices are fully cooked, but must be heated through. A little additional cooking will help to tenderize the ham steak.

Serve with braised carrots and a green salad or green beans, and a dinner roll.

This honey mustard sauce is good on chicken also. Season chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper. Glaze with the honey mustard sauce and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until done.

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Diane Watkins is a traditional southern style cook. She enjoys cooking, teaching, and writing about good food and family. For more information on southern cooking and recipes visit her website at Easy Southern Cooking.