We are all born with a unique temperament. Most of us naturally sway toward either positive thinking or negative thinking. Which state you spend most of your time in can affect your life. And your health.

Studies have shown that your thoughts, and whether they are optimistic or pessimistic, affect your health and well being. Are you a glass half empty kind of person by nature? The good news…you can change that negative way of thinking and learn to be more positive.

Positive mental attitude, or PMA, is shown to hold mega health benefits. It reduces stress, boosts immunity, reduces risk of heart disease, lowers chance of depression, improves coping skills, and could even increase your life span. How about that for a list of kudos?

For those who veer toward the positive end of the spectrum this is good news. By making a few adjustments to their thoughts and retraining their frame of mind, those who tend to look at things in a more negative light can also reap these amazing advantages.

First, let’s get something straight. Developing PMA does not mean you hide out in denial. Not even the most sunny amongst us are positive all the time. We are not talking constantly upbeat and happy, happy, happy. It’s more about perception and expecting a good outcome. That is the real goal here. Difficulties and annoyances are going to come up in life. It is how you deal with them that is important.

A study on the effects of positive thinking on heart patients shows that an upbeat outlook is essential in improving long term health. Those with a more optimistic attitude tend to have more energy and confidence, which means they are more apt to eat right, exercise and take care of themselves in general.

But can positive thoughts help you in ways other than motivating you toward a healthy lifestyle? Experts say they can. The placebo effect has proven it is so. While it may be largely up to the individual, an average of 30 percent of people who are given a placebo by a doctor in studies report a positive response to the “medication”. Of course, a sugar pill cannot do anything to you physically. It is the mind telling you that you feel better. However, we cannot placebo ourselves. If we give ourselves a sugar pill we are on to it. It does not have the same effect as when delivered by a doctor.

Still, this mind body connection is hard to deny. Many experts, like Deepak Chopra, believe the mind has the power to heal. Chopra advises relaxing the mind to a more peaceful state, rather than constantly trying to think positive thoughts. He advocates meditation as a great way to calm the mind and gain focus.

Positive thinking is a powerful tool in prevention of disease. It also helps you to enjoy the moment, take things as they come, and set desired results in motion.

Of course, there are skeptics. Some professionals believe there is no significant health benefit to a positive outlook. This is something you will have to decide for yourself. Either way, it certainly feels better to enlist a little PMA.

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Image by Omarukal at Flickr.com, cc

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 28-year-old Anke Domaske has developed her own fabric, called QMilch, made from high concentrations of the milk protein casein.

Introducing QMilch: a silky, man-made fiber produced entirely without chemicals. German fashion designer and microbiologist Anke Domaske developed the yarn that is made entirely from milk protein fibers and extracted from milk that did not meet hygiene standards. Yahoo News says “The milk fibres contain 18 amino-acids that are beneficial to health.”

The amino acids in the protein have actually been found to be antibacterial and anti-aging and can help regulate both blood circulation and body temperature. Good news for conscious shoppers looking for clothes that do double duty. With the health benefits and lack of traditional oil by-products, QMilch is 40% more expensive than organic cotton, with the cost of a dress retailing for about $199. But regardless of cost, the designer aims to start mass-producing the material next year.

“We have developed an all-natural fiber consisting of a very high concentration of casein, with a few other natural ingredients – and in only two years,” says Domaske, a former microbiology student.

Milk fibers themselves are nothing new and have been around since the ’30s in Italy and America to compete with wool. The fibers, known as ARALAC, Lanatil and Merinova, are all different brands from the same fiber manufactured from milk casein which, says textile importer Euroflax, “fell victim to their minor flaws and the war.”

QMilch yarns

According to Reuters, Domaske’s fashion label Mademoiselle Chi Chi, a favorite among the likes of Mischa Barton and Ashlee Simpson has now started weaving the milk fiber into its collection. MCC clothes are currently made from a combination of fibers, including QMilch, but Domaske plans to design a collection made entirely from the milk fiber.

“We know that everything that is based on oil has a limit, that materials like cotton that take up a lot of land, water, and chemicals are limited, so we need to think about how we produce fabrics and textiles in the future, the Textile Research Association tells Newser.

With better, perhaps even sexier branding, these fibers can flourish and make it out of labs and tech talk and into the mainstream.

Consumers will ultimately be the deciding factor.

Dresses made from Anke Domaske’s QMilch

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Remember those hours-long couch make-out sessions when you were a teenager? They were good for you (if not so great for poor Mom and Dad).

Here I’ve been promoting having plenty of healthy sex and forgetting about what comes first. Great sex starts with great kissing. Although my husband and I have grown from hot ‘n heavy brand new lovers to a much deeper relationship, we still enjoy lots of intense, intimate kisses – the ones where our lips taste irresistibly good to each other and we need to taste a little more. You all know what I’m talkin’ about.

Just like laughter, kissing is a fantastic medicine. When done right with someone you care about, kissing creates a rush of well-being, closeness and just warms your heart. That sensual feeling has the power to melt away the tensions of the day and put you deliciously into the present moment. And in the subtle world of Tantra, kissing connects the energetic circuits between the partners and is essential to creating energetic union.

You’ll be interested to know that kissing releases oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and dopamine, which brings about feelings of happiness and euphoria. And if you really want a practical angle on it, swapping saliva and sharing germs can help boost your immune system – but make sure you know who you’re kissing!

So don’t skimp on the kissing in a mad rush to get on with the rest of it – you might be missing out on what makes it all so good to begin with.

(Learn more about healthy, fulfilling, earth-friendly, body-friendly sex.)

Image: Daniel & Carla

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What could be better than sitting in the garden, reclining in a sun-baked chair, filled with joy at nature’s bounteous splendor? The answer is: being full of beer while you do it.

Since a little alcohol is healthy, a drop of the world’s oldest beverage fits nicely into a balanced lifestyle. But what about your principles? The good news is that – as with other artisan foodstuffs – the craft-brewing movement is gathering strength (take American Craft Beer Week, for example) and working hard to shake off the boozy male drinker stereotype. Yes, it’s official: craft beer is the perfect tipple for discerning, chic women, and the next generation of brewers reflect that.

But you’ll be thirsty by now, so enough of the big picture. For a guaranteed eco-friendly brew, try one of New Belgium Brewing‘s range. (The name? Years ago the founder cycled through Belgium – celebrated in the brewery’s “Fat Tire” ale). New Belgium has installed the greenest in energy-conserving features including generating electricity from reclaimed methane gas and sensor-regulated ventilation. Connoisseurs agree the beer’s a class act.

Eco-friendly beer: its time in the sun has finally arrived. But maybe you know that already, in which case – what sustainable microbrews can you recommend?

Links of interest:

Drink Craft Beer!

Beer Advocate

What is a microbrewery?

Image: Philipp Daun

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