Interesting Articles of the Week & Deep-Fried Butter on a Stick (No Joke!)

The following interesting items popped into my inbox as of late, and I thought it only appropriate to share them. The articles, because they're inspiring, and a clip about the new delicacy, "fried butter on a stick," because it probably sums up everything that's wrong with "nutrition" in America today. So read on for these recent, interesting finds! Thanks to those who sent them along :)

Photo: CJ Keller Former Marine CJ Keller, now a certified yoga instructor, turned to yoga after his deployment in Iraq. Photo via TheDaily.com.

Downward Dogs of War: Army tries yoga and acupuncture to soothe soldiers’ ‘tsunami of pain’ by Katie Drummond, from TheDaily.com

The Army’s got a new prescription to relieve chronic pain: Turn troops into acupuncture-loving yogis.

Four new alternative healing clinics, called integrative pain management centers, will be established this year at Army bases across the country. That number is expected to double next year, and depending on patient outcomes, the initiative could transform how the military’s entire medical community addresses pain.

The Department of Defense’s 2012 budget allots $10 million to “comprehensive pain management,” a tiny sum compared to the $6 billion that it spent on pharmaceuticals last year alone...“The military culture in general is a stressful environment, even without the element of combat,” said CJ Keller, a former Marine officer who credits yoga with restoring his health after a deployment to Iraq. “Yoga was the perfect medicine.”

The Army’s new centers will offer alternatives for relief that are a far cry from pain pills. Practitioners are available to provide acupuncture, yoga classes, chiropractic services and massage therapy for troops and veterans.

-Click here to read the entire article on TheDaily.com

In the rest of the article, Drummond discusses the move away from pain pills (which are largely to blame for a number of the addiction, suicide, and accidental death cases among service members) to comprehensive medicine. There are also a number of other articles and organizations advocating for the use of yoga and meditation for the treatment of PTSD and other war-related mental and emotional issues, and  I couldn't be a bigger supporter of these programs. I am also so impressed that a move towards this kind of treatment is happening in our  government. Yay! Click here to read another article about this movement. 

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Photo via mindbodygreen.com

Real World Meditation Tips from NYC Teens by Sarah Herrington, from MindBodyGreen.com

Herrington teaches a meditation class for teens in NYC, and these are a few of the ideas that they came up with on how to incorporate meditation into your daily life. I love these ideas!

1. Use Facebook Notifications as a Reminder to Breathe with Consciousness.
For each notification close your eyes and inhale/exhale with intention. Five notifications today? Stop and take five breaths before proceeding! Or perhaps each notification equals a minute of sitting meditation practice....
 
2. Don’t Walk = Do Breathe.
When you arrive at an intersection and the 'Don’t Walk' sign is lit, what’s your first reaction? Impatience? Checking out? Instead of just waiting for a gap in traffic to dart across the street can you check in with your breath consciously? What if 'Don’t Walk' becomes 'Do Breathe', with intention? The breath is a bridge to the conscious moment and unifies mind and body. Allow mind and body to intersect as streets and avenues do.

3. City Walking Meditation.
When slow walkers appear in front of you maybe take it as a moment to practice breathing and being. Especially if there is a whole line of slow walkers! Might as well practice patience and drop into some walking meditation right there, on the street.

A short article, but you can read it in it's entirety here. Such great simple, straightforward ideas from teens! Challenge yourself by trying one today...

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New Fair Food: Fried Butter on a Stick from KCCI Des Moines

And now for the grand finale! A video that showcases everything that is wrong with "nutrition" in America today:

Eeek! I know! And the worst part? When I was telling some friends about this, one of them said, "that actually sounds pretty good." Haha! I'll leave you with that.

Namaste,
Mary Catherine