Elevated Existence April 2017 Spiritual/Self-Help Book Picks

Each month, a ton of new spiritual and self-help books hit the market. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or miss out on some new releases.

We created Elevated Existence Monthly Book Picks to help our readers narrow down their search, and make sure they don’t miss some great options!

Here are the picks for April 2017. They are listed below in alphabetical order. Click on each title to go directly to Amazon and find out more about the book.

 

“Don’t Settle for Safe: Embracing the Uncomfortable to Become Unstoppable,” by Sara Jakes Roberts
The daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, and popular speaker and author Sarah Jakes Roberts, who knows what it feels like to be buried by failure and pain. She was pregnant at 12, married by 19 and divorced by 22. But she eventually came to a fork in the road, and is now sharing the life lessons she learned along the way. Topics include allowing the past to empower the present; choosing to step forward while still being afraid; facing struggles surrounded by community; finding intimacy with God outside preconceived notions of what it has to look like; and learning to focus on others.

“Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear & Worry,” by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT
Psychotherapist Jennifer Shannon shows readers how to stop anxious thoughts from taking over by using proven and effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness techniques. She includes exercises to identify anxious thoughts, question them and uncover the core fears at play.

 

“The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People,” by Judith Orloff
Are you someone who feels the emotions of others? Maybe even the energy and physical symptoms of others in your body? In her new book, Judith Orloff shares how to nurture our empathy and develop coping skills in today’s high stimulus world, while fully embracing intuition, creativity and spiritual connection. It includes exercises to identify your empath type, told for protecting yourself from sensory overload, exhaustion, addictions and more; how to navigate intimate relationships; guidance for parenting and raising empathic children; awakening the empath’s gift of intuition and more.

“The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi,” by Arun Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun recounts the 10 vital and extraordinary life lessons he learned from his grandfather. At 12 years old, his parents dropped him off at his grandfather’s famous ashram, Sevagram, and he lived there for two years under his wing until Gandhi’s assassination. Each chapter contains a lesson and takes you along Arun’s journey as he learns to overcome his own struggle to express his emotions and harness the power of anger to bring about good.

“Mind Over Meds: Know When Drugs are Necessary, When Alternatives are Better — and When to Let Your Body Heal on its Own,” by Andrew Weil, MD
Bestselling author Dr. Andrew Weil explains the problem of overmedication, and he outlines when medicine in necessary and when its not. He examines how we came to be so drastically over medicated, and offers the science that proves drugs are not always the best option. He also provided reliable integrative medicine approaches to treating common ailments, including high blood pressure, allergies, depression and even the common cold.

 

“The Science of Money: How to Increase Your Income and Become Wealthy,” by Brian Tracy
With the goal of ending confusion about money and presenting a comprehensive program to reveal the truth about money, bestselling author Brian Tracy shares how to apply the Laws of Money to life an business to achieve financial success. He also challenges the Myths of Money that claim to be true, but have been tested and disproven, or never proven at all.

 

“25 Days: A Proven Program to Rewire Your Brain, Stop Weight Gain, and Finally Crush the Habits You Hate Forever,” by Drew Logan
Celebrity trainer and cast member of NBC’s Strong, Drew Logan shares how to rewire your neurological patters and break the habits that prevent us from losing weight and living a healthy life. After dying three times in three hours, and becoming the world’s only known medical case to survive three sudden cardiac arrests, he lost his short-term memory and could no longer follow the complicated diet and fitness regimens he used on himself and clients. He decided to create something simple and discovered it was even more effective than his regime in the past. In this new book, he outlines his approach to rewire neurological patterning so the brain’s neural pathways, biochemistry and hormones work together effectively. Readers will learn how to adjust their diet and retrain their brain for peak shape.

“Your Life in Color: Empowering Your Soul with the Energy of Color,” by Dougall Fraser
Based on his years of experience as an internationally renowned psychic and cosmic life coach, Dougall Fraser shares his method of utilizing color, which he sees emanating from people’s souls. Each color has qualities that you can consciously draw strength and purpose from to achieve your goals. He explores each colors spiritual and practical qualities, along with exercises to use each color’s maximum benefit.

 

“Your Power to Heal: Resolving Psychological Barriers to Your Physical Health,” by Henry Grayson PhD
Psychotherapist Dr. Henry Grayson outlines the tools and insights needed for self-healing, including the research revealing our untapped capacity for self-healing and simple tips to nip any symptoms in the bud as they start. It includes self-assessment questionnaires to help you locate and change subconscious beliefs and disturbances, and instructions on the Emotional Freedom Technique for resolving trauma and restoring vitality. He also exp
lains how to us Thought Field Therapy to clear blockages in your body’s energy system impeding health and why therapy, diets and exercise often fail — and how to make them succeed.

Dr. Andrew Weil Talks All-Natural Remedies and 5 New Essentials on Dr. Oz

Best-selling author and medical doctor, Andrew Weil revealed his five new essentials on a recent episode of The Dr. Oz Show, along with some other tips for optimal health and healing.

Most people don’t realize the body’s ability to heal itself, and how important lifestyle choices are, Weil told Dr. Oz.

“Most diseases that kill and disable people prematurely in our culture are lifestyle diseases that could have been avoided if people made better choices,” he said. “People expect quick fixes and don’t want to do the simple lifestyle changes that take a little more time to work but ultimately are much better.”

Here are his 5 new essentials:

— Iodine – Weil explained most women are deficient – as many as 1 in 3 – and it’s a multi-purpose mineral that keeps everything functioning, including the heart, brain and stomach. The body can’t make it, so we need to rely on food or supplements. Iodized salt is one way to get it, as well as dairy, tuna, sardines, mackerel and shellfish. However, the best was is through seaweed, and Weil recommended capsules of kelp extract.

— Pistachios and DGL Supplements – These can help with digestion, according to Weil. Pistachios are full of fiber and minerals, and recent research shows they are a good pre-biotic. One serving is 47 nuts, and has 158 calories. Also, 85 percent of the fat is not saturated, so it’s good for the heart. The DGL supplements are good for those who suffer from heartburn or acid reflux disease. The usual dose is to chew one or two tablets before meals and at bedtime. It is made from an extract of licorice that increases mucus coating in the stomach and lower esophagus to protect tissues from irritation like stomach acid, he explained.

— Dial Down Stress – Since not everyone is open to meditation, Weil said people can dial down their stress in less than a minute by performing palm reflexology. In the palm of the hand, between the thumb and the pointer finger, massage the area with pressure and in a circular motion. Then go to the tops of the fingers and massage and gently pull them. Additionally, he recommends de-stressing with his “4-7-8 breathing technique” – inhale through the nose for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of 7, and blow air out of your mouth making a whoosh sound to a count of eight. He calls this a “natural tranquilizer for your nervous system.

— Raw Food – While Weil does not recommend a total raw diet, since some food is actually more nutritious when cooked, he does recommend some things be eaten raw. Tomatoes and carrots are actually more nutritious when cooked, but greens, including asparagus are great raw. He recommends dipping the raw asparagus, which is rich in folate and essential B vitamins, in salad dressing. Also, raw garlic is very beneficial. Crush it and let it sit 10 minutes. Then add it to a salad dressing, to tomato sauce at the end of cooking, or crush it and add it to toast. Weil said he eats raw garlic when he feels a cold coming on.

— CoQ10 – This is a supplement Dr. Weil recommends everyone take as it protects the heart and the brain, and the body can’t afford to live without it. It is actually an anti-aging supplement because it protects the cells in the body from oxidative stress – especially the heart – and also regulates metabolism. Additionally, as the body ages, it makes less CoQ10, and anyone taking a statin drug should be supplementing because these drugs cause the body to make less as well. Weil recommends 120 mg per day.

In addition to his five new essentials, Dr. Weil also offered some other tips based on viewer questions, and his own personal routine. These include:

  •  Soaking in a warm bath is one of the best remedies for aches and pains.
  • DMSO solvent penetrates the skin very fast for things like tennis elbow.
  •  Eucalyptus oil is very good for the respiratory system, so he recommends putting a few drops in a pot of boiling water on the stove and steaming.
  • Enhance health by adding Asian mushrooms to your diet, including shitake and maitake.
  • Add probiotics to your daily routine to restore the friendly bacteria in the stomach. Make sure it has a combination of lactobacillus and  lacto bifidobacterium.
  • To boost memory, add a alpha lipoic acid supplement – start with 100 mg per day and increase to 400mg per day.
  • Siberian Ginseng supplements can boost energy.
  • Strawberries and oranges help to keep teeth white and protect the enamel.
  • To lower cholesterol, take red yeast rice supplement in combination with CoQ10.

Visit the health and healing and/or food and recipes section of the website for more information on these topics!