reduce

DIET of JAPAN: Reduces Cancer, Heart and Menopause Problems
$14.99
The videos "Japan: Samurai, Geisha and Technology" and the "Diet of Japan" are the perfect tourist guides and introduction to Japan's cuisine for my customers. I run a small family Japanese restaurant in northern England and we show these videos to my customers (we got permission to show these from the producer). Unlike many parts of the UK, we live in a town which is still new to the idea of eating Sushi or any food which does not come from Europe for that matter. These videos are a great way to get our customers to try some sushi and to spend more time in my restaurant.

The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included]
$17.95
I'm afraid I'm too scattered & busy to have used this ball for all it's possibilities (I keep intending to try it on my shoulder and carpal tunnel issues), but I use it often for lower back pain and it is amazingly effective. I wonder sometimes of I hadn't had previous classes on breathing and relaxing it if would work as well. One needs to be able to relax through the pain for a bit before the ball can work it's magic. I have to concentrate my breathing with a focus on my hip joints while the ball is at the base of my spine, and that is not always easy when my back hurts. However, the ball has never failed to give me relief, and it only takes about 5-10 minutes. I should probably try using it regularly for more permanent results, but I only use it when I have pain. My back is not severely compromised (no slipped or herneated disc, as far as I know). I have had back trouble all my life and have had good & bad results with chiropractic. The miracle ball does a lot to bring my back "back to balance" and cost less than $20. After thousands over the years on chirpractic care, I call that a miracle.

Base Brands 16-Ounce Reduce WaterWeek Bottle, Set of 5
$19.99
I bought two sets of the smaller bottles and two sets of these bottles for our fridge. And I have not been disappointed.

I had very specific concerns:

1. easy for the kids to use~ they pack them for lunch and snack each day - (Kindergartener, 3rd Grade and 6th grade) & they'd have to be able to open and close them easily and completely, so the bottles didn't leak in their bags afterwards.

2.easy to clean - we have some great water bottles, but the fittings are not easy to wash & get gross after a while.
these wash nicely in the dishwasher with no extra prep.

3. easy to fill - nice opening- easy to fill from the tap, etc.

4.price - nice price so that if one got lost - it wasn't a huge loss.

5. size- needed smaller bottles for the kids' lunches. 8-10 ounces is more than enough for lunch for a small kid. I also didn't want something very bulky.

these bottles met all the criteria. plus they are cute and fun. (more neutral patterns would have been nicer for the boys. I don't like skull designs so the 'boy version' in the smaller bottles are not an option.

we use them all day long around the house and more. it's more 'fun' for the kids to drink water from these - so they grab them all the time around the house, for school, for sports, for car rides, and more.

I have been very pleased with these.

Living Life! Anxiety and Stress Free: Reduce Stress through Hypnosis
$19.95
I was awaiting this CD with great anticipation due to all the rave reviews. The name "Beverly Hills Hypnosis" also made it sound like it was going to be special--a new, modern style in meditation CDs. After listening to it about ten times, I am disappointed. It is 32 minutes with a brief introduction (1:40) and one 30-minute hypnosis session. I think I was expecting a longer CD that included more of an explanation of the "Beverly Hills Hypnosis" technique and maybe some success stories thrown in. I like anxiety CDs that combine information and stories with meditation tracks, but there are not too many of those, unfortunately.

When the voice of Trevor Scott (the founder of Beverly Hills Therapy) is first heard with a grating, geeky "Congratulations," I thought, "Oh boy..." Fortunately, his voice is better than the first word. Track 1 gives the usual disclaimers that come with hypnosis CDs (do not use while driving, etc.). He advises the listener to use the session once a day before bedtime for 3 weeks. The second track starts the hypnosis session. It is the first meditation CD I've heard so far that does not instruct the listener to breath through the abdomen. The first part has you imagining a relaxing energy moving through the different parts of the body from toes to head (even the back of the tongue).

The 6:00 point starts the use of imagery that includes countdowns to deeper relaxation. First, he places you at level A and then counts down to the twice-relaxing Level B and then the ten-times relaxing Level C (I remember thinking sarcastically during my first session, "I guess Level Z is death."). At the 10:00 mark you imagine a yardstick and move down to deeper senses of calm a certain number of inches at a time. Next (13:00) you walk down a staircase and then into an elevator that descends to the control room of the subconscious mind. Here you fiddle with switches and dials to turn off stress and anxiety and improve attitude and confidence.

At the 18:00 mark you are finally given a technique that can be used day-to-day: press and rub the thumb and index finger, take a deep breath and silently say "Relax." After spending more time in the control room, Scott counts down again; this time to sleep or awaken. The session ends with 2:00 of just the background music.

I've tried to figure out why this CD is not as effective for me as other meditation CDs I have, especially since it has seemed to have helped so many others. I think, to me, it just touches the surface and doesn't go deep enough. The arbitrary levels and numbers don't work as well for me. Maybe the images (stairs, elevators, control rooms) are too much like the real world and do not transport me to less stressful places like the other CDs do. It seems industrial, for lack of a better word. The background music with the gentle guitar, chimes and notes is very repetitive and it doesn't have the sound effects & techniques that seem to work in meditation CDs as in Glenn Harrold's works, for example. The price seems a bit high for what you get but, of course, if it works almost any price is worth it. If you are like me and want to start a personal library of anxiety relief CDs, give this a try, but wait for the Amazon sellers' prices to go down. If you don't want that many CDs, I recommend Glenn Harrold's "Creating Inner Peace & Calm" and Steven Gurgevich's "Relieve Anxiety with Medical Hypnosis." For me, they work on a much deeper level than this CD and have much more depth (Harrold's has two meditation sessions and Gurgevich's is a 2-CD set). They are also selling for less money than this one 30-minute session.