Walgreens, CVS: Prescription drug price rip-offs

I don't take prescription drugs of any kind but for those who do, this will help.

Check out the price differences.
Prices.

Language

I am having fun studying my fourth foreign language. It is fun learning a new language. It feels like I am brought into a new world and culture.

Interesting essay about a teacher I once trained with ...

Essay.

How I got rid of my stiff back and neck problems

Here is an excerpt of something I wrote for a specialized health group.

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Did you know that even though I have a $2,000 USD mattress and a $1,100 USD mattress, that I actually sleep on the floor most of the time? It is actually healthier for me to sleep that way than on an expensive mattress. Most of my back and neck problems went away, and qi level (and therefore energy level) increased quite a bit when I switched over. You just have to make sure the floor it flat.

The flat floor aligns my spine up so my qi flows nicely at night. With all these modern conveniences like expensive beds and air conditioning, our health is actually worsened by it. It is interesting how it is marketed by mainstream media as "healthy".

I use a pillow and an light sleeping bag. I sleep flat on the floor without any mattresses or paddings other than the very thin sleeping bag. I do sleep in the bedroom on the carpet though. The old qigong philosophy was to sleep on a wooden board. If you can't find a flat spot, then a wooden board would work but may be less comfortable.

The sleeping bag I used is a +45 degrees Fahrenheit down feather I bought from http://www.rei.com at an actual store. They are a popular outdoors outfitter here in the U.S.A. and they sell high end stuff. Of course I bought mine on sale for $50 USD but the retail price for it is $119. I thought it was neat because I can use the sleeping bag wherever I go.

Just remember when you sleep on the floor, the first 10 minutes may be uncomfortable but eventually you will settle in and be able to relax and sleep. I don't recommend this for the general public because they don't know how to relax and end up grinding their back hard into the floor. That is bad.

As a tai chi person, you probably already know how relax your back onto the floor. 'Become one with the floor', not work against it. If you can do this, then you already understand one of the secrets of being able to use Listening Jin in tai chi.

My back feels so good this way when I wake up. My back feels fresh and alert and my body feels lively first thing in the morning. You may find you need much less sleep. Sleep less, wake up early. Sleeping this way on a flat surface is one of the best things I've done for my health.

Ghostrider

I enjoyed this movie. It was well done.

Cold Weather

I wrote this article for a specialized health group. I am sharing it here so that other people may benefit.

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In qigong, heat escapes the body through the 5 main points. Namely, the two feets, two hands, and the head. If you keep these points well encapsulated during the cold season, it will go a long ways to keeping your body full of qi (and thereby qi) and your immune system strong. A strong diet is not good enough, You need to wear gloves, winter socks, and a cotton hat. This will help protect your qi. Of course, wearing a good coat is important to protect the body when you are out in the cold.

While what I say may not seem too enligtening, did you know that it is hard to to go sleep at night when your feet are cold? Try washing your feet with cold water at night before going to bed and see how long it takes you to fall asleep. Conversely, wash your feet with nice warm ionized acid water and see how easier it is to fall asleep.

In the cold season, I like to wear socks in the house and to bed. This will keep me much warmer than say using an extra blanket and turning the heat up. Of course organic cotton is the best but a nice quality sock would do wonders, as it does for me.

The main thing is to protect the five qigong points, if you want your qi to be strong during the winter. Of course, that entails wearing gloves when you go outside in the winter instead of trying to 'tough it out' and trying to prove that you don't need it. You may just prove yourself right and win the battle but those the war in the winter season for your qi health.

Your qi health and overally life energy is very dependent on how you protect qi and nourish your qi. Good dietary practices is only half of it. You may already know by now that even with the best diet, you don't have the abundance of energy you would like. Diet alone won't solve this problem though it will help if the diet is poor.

Did you know that if you walk on the cold floor constantly in the winter with your bare feet, that you are losing qi through that? While you may feel that it won't affect your health at all, you may also notice you don't have the abundance of energy you would like. They are related. Your health and energy level is dependent on how much qi you have nourished, transformed, and stored.

Your energy level is dependent on the quality qi you have stored.

Make sure that you wear a nice quality hat/cap and not a baseball cap. Most baseball caps are worn too tightly and block the qi circulation in the head. Did you know that wearing a cap too tight for 10+ years can stop the qi from circulating properly in the head and you may develop patterns of baldness? Or the quality and vitality of your hair may not be what it used to be.

Of course in the spring and summer it is different. You actually want to absorb some of the nice qi flowing around and you don't want to wear gloves.