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About Us Jennifer Shearin’s experience as a registered nurse over the past 19+ years has given her a unique perspective on the strengths and shortcomings of the current system, the effect of the average American lifestyle on health and wellness, and on the potential for change that we each carry within us. Massaging is one of the best remedies for many of our illnesses. It is very relaxing, like sleeping as a little baby while mommy strokes you all over the sores of your tired body. Just the thought that someone is there while you close your eyes and mind and lie down eases your mind like no other activity available on earth, except perhaps. . . . But what power does massage have that it provides so much healing benefits to humans? Even animals practice it instinctively as a means to heal themselves, as dogs and cats apparently do. Of course, we know that muscles need massaging in order to remove obstacles in our veins and to enhance blood circulation and breathing. It also removes unwanted dry skin and toxins within our bodies that other cleansing therapies may not totally remove. All in all, massage offers health benefits which are both physiological and emotional. The emotional side of massage therapy derives from its social dimension as a form of therapy, as we have mentioned. Having someone take care or treat your body in a way that you or someone else you know intimately cannot do for you crosses a barrier that revolves around trust and harmony. One cannot entrust one’s body to someone who does not have the ability or intention to provide healing. In many cases, massage and prayer (or meditation -- notice the spa music they use?) go together. The event becomes essentially a social or cultural activity which goes beyond attaining healing to that of providing peace and harmony among people. Massage as a therapy then does not deal only with healing the body but more so the mind. Spas have provided a very valuable service to modern society by providing a convenient escape where tired, harried and lonely people can totally relax and obtain body and mental rejuvenation. No wonder that it has become such a lucrative business for many people. Health, obviously, is wealth in many practical ways.

With the upsurge of the wellness industry in the past thirty years, more and more people are living well-balanced and active lives. And as the essential medical knowledge and practices improve even more, we can look forward to more people living up to a hundred years or more, something which was apparently a common thing in ancient times. In certain parts of the world, such as Thailand, Spain, Japan, France and the US, where we can find the most number of centenarians, dietary and lifestyle habits are commonly investigated and emulated as effective means of achieving not just long-life but for maintaining a sense of well-being. If it was such a common thing for people to live up to a hundred or even much longer in ancient times, how come modern people no longer approach that level of physiological durability? We are more of an exception now rather than the rule in biological longevity. Sea turtles, swans and carps and some other animals have longer average life spans than us humans. And they do not even read bibles and blogs! But we should not despair as life is, as often said, not measured in the length of one’s life but in the quality of life that one has. What human can survive living in water as tortoises and carps do? Yet the quality of life, not just the length of it, can now be attained through observing certain basic health tips and lifestyle changes any person can do without having to spend so much. And one need not reside in Okinawa or in Nepal to achieve this. Jennifer Shearin provides a valuable list of how one can attain wellness, and, it follows, a long and happy life. She does not tell her readers to do all, of course. One only has to choose those that fit one’s budget and other conveniences in life. Take, for instance; tip # 45 on taking up yoga. Yoga, admittedly, has so many health benefits. But such benefits can only be attained through some rigorous body exercises unique to yoga. Here is where many people feel challenged, especially the aged and the physically disabled? What then? As suggested, one must look for other alternatives while trying to achieve the same health benefits. Certain ancient Chinese breathing exercises are known to provide rejuvenation of internal organs through slow, meditative deep-breathing routines. Almost any person of any age and even with disabilities can practice them. Perhaps, certain body movements, just as certain expensive foods are inaccessible to most people, are not meant for everyone. But there are certainly other ways to get the health benefits through some other means. And with 74 ways to choose from, Jennifer Shearin has certainly covered most bases when it comes to having a healthy, happy and long life. For that, we can only thank her. Click to download the PDF File. To join conversations about having a healthy, happy and long life, visit http://ellislab.com/forums/viewthread/242809/