The original phrase, which dates from 19th century Wales according to Caroline Taggart author of “An Apple A Day: Old-Fashioned Proverbs and Why They Still Work, was ‘‘Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.”

During the 19th and early 20th century, the phrase evolved to “an apple a day, no doctor to pay” and “an apple a days sends the doctor away.”

The current version “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” was first recorded in 1922 as a marketing slogan by American apple growers, who produced hard cider and apple-cider based wines.

The benefits of eating apples

Apples contain a protein called pectin, which is a soluble, fermentable and viscous fibre, modest amounts of vitamin C and other essential nutrients – Red apples contain an antioxidant called quercetin. It is this combination of fibre, vitamin C and other essential nutrients that give apples their disease-fighting qualities.

The benefits of eating apples are numerous, however the ones of interest to us include:

Reduced cholesterol
The pectin found in apples binds with fats in the intestine, which translates into lower cholesterol levels.

Reduced risk of coronary artery disease
People with a diet high in soluble fibre have a slower build up of cholesterol rich plaque in their arteries. The phenolic compound in the skin of apples also prevents cholesterol that gets into your system from solidifying on your artery walls.

Lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels
There is good evidence that the consumption of fresh apples, apple juice and apple sauce on a regular basis lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer, and promotes general wellness, including a more healthy immune system.

A healthy immune system
Red apples contain an antioxidant called quercetin. Quercetin can help boost and fortify your immune system, particularly if you are run down and stressed.

So will an apple a day keep the doctor away?

I quess we may never really know the answer. However, there is certainly enough evidence to suggest that an apple a day is good for you. Apples are reasonably cheap, available most of the year, and can be eaten raw, cooked or juiced…

On average 48 women die of heart disease in New Zealand every week. This makes Heart disease the single biggest killer of women in New Zealand, yet most women don’t know this.

So why are most women are largely unaware of their risk of heart disease?

I think that this because women tend to overrate the risk of dying from breast cancer and therefore underrate the real risk of dying from heart disease.

There is also a misconception that heart disease is a man’s disease, possibly due to the fact that before age fifty, twice as many men as women have heart disease. And, until recently, most medical research was done on men, with the few studies that were done on women were not widely published.

Women may also be unaware of their risk of Heart disease because it affects them differently than men, which means women often present with different symptoms to men.

The good news about heart disease is that nearly all of it is preventable, and much of it may be reversible.

Women Aged 40-60 Should Take Steps to Lower the Risk of Heart Disease

Every woman aged 40-60 should be concerned about heart disease, because, that’s the age range when a woman’s risk of heart disease starts to rise. However, women of all ages should monitor their blood pressure regularly, heart disease can begin early, even in the teen years.

The good news about Heart Disease is that it’s also never too late to improve heart health — even for those who have already had a heart attack.

If you want to avoid or reduce your dependence on medication, you may want to try Vedic Meditation, which is very effective at lowering blood pressure.

Vedic Meditation can lower blood pressure by about as much as taking a blood pressure medication: by about ten points systolic and six points diastolic.

Vedic Meditation is good not only for your heart but for disease prevention in general

The regular practice of Vedic Meditation strengthens the body’s inner intelligence leading to healthier more balanced functioning not only in the cardiovascular system but in the immune system, central nervous system, and probably other systems of the body as well. And all without the need for dramatic changes to one’s life style.

However, if you combine Vedic Meditation with a good heart healthy diet, regular exercise and better sleeping habits you really notice an improvement in your overall health and wellbeing. With the added bonus of being more relaxed and able to ‘roll with the punches’ – to transcend the stresses in life.

For more information on women’s heart health in New Zealand visit: The NZ Heart Foundation

Heart disease remains a major cause of death yet there is much that you can do to prevent it. By this I don’t mean just taking tablets for cholesterol which costs the system and individuals billions of dollars each year. Some of the tips below may look obvious, whilst others may surprise you. Here are ten simple tips on heart health.

1) Follow a Mediterranean diet. Rates of heart disease are lower in countries around the Mediterranean Ocean where they eat vegetables, fish, garlic, olive oil and drink a little red wine whilst going easy on red meat. You do not have to live in Europe to have these principles in your diet.

2) Eat Tomatoes. The red color of the tomato is due to lycopene. This has been shown to be a strong anti oxidant and research has also shown it helps lower blood pressure and C-reactive protein, which is a marker for, increased risk of heart disease.

3) Laugh. Volunteers who watched funny videos and were laughing at them were found to have relaxation of their blood vessels. This helps lower blood pressure. You also cannot be stressed when you are laughing so find things to laugh at.They are there if you look for them.

4) Eat fiber. It has long been known that fiber is good for the bowel. Eating a diet rich in fiber also helps keep your heart healthy.

5) Do some regular exercise. Whether it is walking, running,swimming or other exercise does not matter. Fitness reduces your chances of heart problems and that is independent of its benefits on weight.

6) Get some sunshine. The importance of vitamin D in health is an expanding field. People with low vitamin D levels are more susceptible to heart disease. The best form of vitamin D is free from the sun. Get around 10 minutes per day on a few days per week.This amount will not lead to sunburn.

7) Eat chocolate. This will be a popular one. Polyphenols in dark chocolate help to increase your good cholesterol and lower the bad cholesterol. Previous studies have even suggested that a small intake of chocolate helped people who have had a heart attack recover a bit quicker. You only need about 40g per day and 70% cocoa is best.

8) Manage stress. Psychosocial factors are estimated to account for 30% of heart attack risk. Managing stress better is known to reduce the likelihood of having a heart attack. It has also been shown that even for people who have heart disease, stress management lowers recurrence and increases survival.

9) Take up Tai-Chi. People who do regular Tai-Chi have been shown to have lower blood pressure and lower rates of heart disease. The same applies for regular meditation.

10) Stay Positive. There are no guarantees in life and even if we do all the “right” things we may still get sick. Even if you have a heart attack, long-term survival and quality of life is improved by simply taking an optimistic view on life. You do not have to be over the top or unrealistic. Simply looking for the positives is correlated with better outcomes.

We have come to associate preventing heart attack with the need to take tablets. Some people may need medication despite doing the right things. However we can reduce our reliance on tablets and enjoy better heart health by applying the very simple principles outlined above.

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Meditation research has come a long way since the first scientific study on meditation was published in a peer-reviewed journal in 1971 [1]. That study declared the discovery of a major fourth state of consciousness— the state of restful alertness — experienced during the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique.

Now there are over 1,000 published studies on various meditation practices, with over 600 studies on the TM technique alone. Many universities, medical schools and hospitals offer classes in mind-body medicine and provide training in meditation.

Nevertheless, recent press reports about a scientific review [2] published in JAMA Internal Medicine (January 2014) raised questions about the extent of health benefits that can be claimed for meditation. While the review has been criticized as too narrowly focused to represent the current state of meditation research — it excluded many major studies and randomized clinical trials — there is an upside: The JAMA review may prompt health professionals to look closer at meditation and discover how far the research has actually come at verifying the health benefits and specific effects of different practices.

Read the full article by Jeanine Ball

It is hard to believe some still question whether meditation can have a positive effect on mind and body. A very selective research review recently raised the question, leading to headlines such as the one in The Wall Street Journal that said the benefits are limited.

I have been researching effects of meditation on health for 30 years and have found it has compelling benefits.

Over the past year, I have been invited by doctors in medical schools and major health centers on four continents to instruct them on the scientific basis of mind-body medicine and meditation in prevention and treatment of disease, especially cardiovascular disease.

Research on Transcendental Meditation (TM), for example, has found reduced blood pressure and insulin resistance (useful for preventing diabetes), slowing of biological aging, and even a 48% reduction in the rates of heart attack, stroke and death.

Read the full article by Robert Schneider > Medical News Today

Needless to say, I was surprised to see the recent headline in The Wall Street Journal: “Meditation Has Limited Benefits, Study Finds.” I’ve been researching the effects of meditation on health for 30 years and have found that it has compelling benefits. Over the past year, I have been invited by doctors in medical schools and major health centers on four continents to instruct them on the scientific basis of mind-body medicine and meditation in prevention and treatment of disease (especially cardiovascular disease).

Research on Transcendental Meditation, for example, has found reduced blood pressure, increased insulin resistance (useful for preventing diabetes), slowing of biological aging and even a 48 percent reduction in the rates of heart attack, stroke and death. I would consider those to be benefits. And so does the American Heart Association, which last year released a statement saying that decades of research indicate TM lowers blood pressure and may be considered by clinicians as a treatment for high blood pressure.

Read the full article by Robert H. Schneider > huffingtonpost.com

In 1990, country star Naomi Judd was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and told that she had only three years to live. Now, 24 years later, Judd says she feels better than ever — and she has meditation, in part, to thank for it.

Yesterday on Katie, Judd told host Katie Couric that changing her mindset through practices like meditation and affirmations improved her health.

Medical experts are increasingly recognizing mind-body practices like meditation, yoga and deep breathing as a key lifestyle factor in maintaining health and well-being. Or at Katie Couric puts it, mind-body medicine is “not a bunch of hooey.”

“What we’re recognizing more and more is that all of the stuff our brain takes in, every minute of every day — all the stuff that makes us feel stressed out — that we can combat that,” Dr. John Denninger of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. “What happens is, you’re able to use your mind to do things in your body, like elicit your relaxation response… which lowers heart rate and breathing rate.”

Read the full article on line > TheHuffingtonPost.com

Scientists are getting close to proving what yogis have held to be true for centuries — yoga and meditation can ward off stress and disease.

John Denninger, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, is leading a five-year study on how the ancient practices affect genes and brain activity in the chronically stressed. His latest work follows a study he and others published earlier this year showing how so-called mind-body techniques can switch on and off some genes linked to stress and immune function.

Read the full article by Makiko Kitamura > Bloomberg

Emotional expertise for happiness and success
by Emma M. Seppala, Ph.D.
Published: Psychology Today | September 11, 2013

I started meditating soon after 9/11. I was living in Manhattan, an already chaotic place, at an extremely chaotic time. I realized I had no control over my external environment. But the one place I did have a say over was my mind, through meditation. When I started meditating, I did not realize it would also make me healthier, happier, and more successful. Having witnessed the benefits, I devoted my PhD research at Stanford to studying the impact of meditation. I saw people from diverse backgrounds from college students to combat veterans benefit. In the last 10 years, hundreds of studies have been released. Here are 20 scientifically-validated reasons you might want to get on the bandwagon today:

Read the full article by Emma M. Seppala, Ph.D. > Psychology Today

Ever since my dad tried to convince me to meditate when I was about 12, I’ve been fairly skeptical of this practice. It always seemed so vague and hard to understand that I just decided it wasn’t for me. More recently, I’ve actually found how simple (not easy, but simple) meditation can be and what huge benefit it can have for my day to day happiness.

Develop a Two-Minute Meditation Habit and Make It Stick
Zen Habits blogger Leo Babuta hits on perhaps the most important aspect of making meditation a centering tool for your hectic life: forming the… Read…
As an adult, I first started my meditation practice with just two minutes per day. Two minutes! I got that idea from Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits blog, where he points out how starting with a tiny habit is the first step to consistently achieving it. So even thought two minutes won’t make much difference, that’s where I started. Whether you’re as skeptical as I used to be, or you’re well ahead of me with a meditation habit of several hours, I think it’s always interesting to find out how new habits affect our brains. I had a look into meditation to see what’s going on inside our brains when we do this, and what I found is pretty interesting.

Read the full article by Belle Beth Cooper > Lifehacker.com