Do It Now : Personal Growth

Brain stimulation might be a good thing

If you're like me, you can while away hours surfing the net looking, just to see what you might be missing out on. Today, I discovered a free online course on astronomy. But most times, I end up with too much useless information and wish I'd spend the time reading a good book instead.

Maybe i need to re-think this net-surfing business.

Research at UCLA has shown that experienced Internet users...and I consider myself moderately experienced... have higher brain activity levels than inexperienced users. More recently, the same researchers reported that in inexperienced internet users..... 

      "first attempts at Web searching stimulated areas of the brain associated with language, reading, memory, and visual abilities. Within a week, other brain areas associated with decision-making and working memory had been freshly stimulated."

        (source: "First-Time Internet Users Find Boost in Brain Function After Just 1 Week"             UCLA Press Release, 10/19/09, eurekalert.org)

Well blow me down. Mental activity like net-surfing stimulates the brain. Who would have suspected?

No, seriously. Older citizens who might feel intimidated by the net, or consider it a waste of time might want to give it a go. It's certainly better than that mindless stuff on television, and a change from books.

Now I have one question. Can regular net surfers switch off more easily, or does all that extra stimulation keep their minds ticking madly when they're trying to get to sleep, or meditate, or just sit quietly in the moment?

Eating less fat and still overweight?

Have you ever wondered why more and more of us are cutting out fats yet still gaining weight?

I have a friend who buys low-fat everything, and wouldn't be caught dead eating butter (like I do), or peanut butter (like I do), or full cream icecream (like I do). She always chooses lean meat, skinless chicken, and skim milk, and even low fat cheese (which as far as I'm concerned, tastes and feels like rubber).

Yet in all the years I've known her, this friend has never lost weight, and battles daily to keep from adding more.

True. She eats lots of highly-processed packaged foods (low fat, supposedly healthy weight watchers kind of stuff), and the occasional bakery good (if she can't see the trans fat, she doesn't believe in it!). And as for raw fruits and vegetables, well....

But the sad fact is that no matter how much my friend eats, she's always hungry.

 So she becomes downright irritated when she sees me spreading lovely organic butter on my occasional bread, and thinks my habit of eating peanut butter with a spoon is plain revolting. She cringes when I drink leftover lemon-olive oil salad dressing (I tasted low-fat dressing once. Never again), and shakes her head in dismay when I cook with coconut oil. My icecream is full cream, usually Sara Lee double chocolate, and I eat more cheese (the good stuff) and nuts than are good for me.

No. Of course I don't lose weight eating this way. But nor do I gain it. I avoid anything that has 'low fat' on it; I am completely satisfied with a small meal, and rarely truly hungry.

What makes the difference? I believe it's the fats. Fats are good for you, and your body needs them. If you don't get enough fats (good fats, that is), your body is constantly crying out for them.

That's one reason that most overweight people crave fatty foods. Unfortunately, they don't turn to the good fats but instead, reach for baked goods and unhealthy snack foods or fast foods to try to satisfy their cravings.

I give my body the fats it needs, and I am satisfied with less!

Yes. I could be eating better to lose weight....not by cutting out my lovely fats, but by eating less of them. But right now, weight's not a priority. What is a priority for me is living more in the way nature intended: lots of fresh raw plant foods, organically and compassionately-raised animal foods, nuts and seeds, spring water, good sleep, loads of fresh air and time in nature, and regular exercise.  And after many stops and starts, I'm almost there!! (If I find someone with a camera, I'll post a picture of healthy, happy me).

Am I always hungry? No way. Because I eat avocados, olive oil and nuts, fatty foods that have been proven to increase feelings of fullness (University of Irvine research). Something called oleic acid in those fats stimulates production of oleoylethanolamide(OEA), which gives hunger-curbing messages to your nerves endings. OEA also lowers cholesterol.

As for my friend, she's made her choices, and they're in the low-fat section of her local supermarket.

(Painting, The Olive Pickers, courtesy of Vincent Van Gogh)

A Meaningful Life

Why Ideals Matter

Ideals are much more than ideas: they are ideas that give direction and purpose to our lives. When we make the effort to create ideals that we really care about, and then try to live by those ideals every day, we feel that our lives have meaning.

Without our ideals before us, we are like leaves in the wind, blown this way and that. We react to things that happen, to circumstances, people, and events, with no clear sense of direction or purpose. With firm ideals, we can respond to life's changes without losing our path, no matter what winds blow us.  

What are Ideals?

Like guiding stars by which travellers set their course and stay on their paths, ideals give our lives direction and purpose.  

 They help us choose principles to live by,  such as truth, kindness, service to others, being genuine. Ideals are more than goals.

We strive towards ideals, but they are higher than our goals and therefore always out of reach.

Ideals are our bridge to our greater selves, to a higher level of living because they represent our highest values.

Ideals inspire us to become the beings we know we can be, and help us grow They guide us to wiser, more compassionate, loving, accepting, responsible choices

Ideals provide a good yardstick by which to judge or assess our choices and actions
And provide a steady point of reference to guide us through despair or chaos.

 

Putting Ideals into Action

Ideals are only as meaningful as the actions they inspire It serves nothing to say, “I am a loving person,” or “I believe in truth” if you neither act lovingly or live and speak the truth.

Your ideals are only as real as you make them, and how you make them real is by living them.  

1.         The first step is to reflect upon your values. What are your highest values, the ones that encourage the very best in you?

For Mother Theresa and many others who serve quietly and without recognition, they were Service to others and universal tolerance. For the Dalai Lama and many others, the highest ideals are compassion for one’s fellow creatures, and truth. For Jesus, the highest ideal was love. One of my ideals is patience, by which I mean acceptance, resilience and faith that all will be well.

 2.         Choose the ideals you will commit to, then find a role model who best illustrates that ideal in action (Role models help keep us motivated and inspired. Mine are  Gandhi, Kofi Annan, my grandmother and Socrates.  

   3.        Do your best to live according to your ideals. Every day, ask: “Is this     choice/action/message in line with my highest ideals?”

Remember, your ideals are guiding stars. You may never reach them, and you don’t have to. It is enough to follow their light, and if you lose your way, to follow your ideals back to the right path.

Success is not in perfection or living a flawless life. It is in being true to what you really believe in and value. This is the secret of a meaningful life.

You may not be honoured for living your ideals, but you will always be honourable.  

(Painting, 'The Accolade')

 

 

Five things every parent needs to know about the H1N1 vaccine

I'm passing on this item from the Health Sciences Institute at http://hsibaltimore.com/

Here are five things every parent needs to know about the H1N1 vaccine:

1) The U.S. H1N1 vaccine trial was conducted with only 600 kids, so the range of adverse reactions won't really be known until thousands of kids have been vaccinated.

2) The trial found that TWO injections are needed for children under the age of 10.

3) The trial used injectable vaccine, but the first vaccines available will be FluMist, which are sprayed into the nose. Unlike injectable vaccines, FluMist contains live virus.

4) Some hospitals are directing their doctors and nurses to avoid the H1N1 flu mist vaccine because the inhaled live virus can be passed on to patients with compromised immune systems.

5) Among the H1N1 vaccine highest priority groups are kids 6 months to 4 years of age, but according to FluMist prescribing information, FluMist should not be given to children under the age of 2 "because of increased risk of hospitalization and wheezing."

For yet another look at swine flu vaccine, visit: http://www.thinktwice.com/swineflu.htm

Whether or not you choose to have your children or yourself vaccinated, make choices based on information, not fear.

Finding Your Own Way

Do you know what you really believe in? Have you thought about the beliefs and values that guide your choices? 

These are not vague matters. Your beliefs and values set the tone of your whole life. Whether you think about them or not, you can be sure you have them, and they influence every thought, every emotion, every choice, and the way you perceive every experience in your life.

 If you are not happy with your life, or dissatisfied with the way you live it, look to your beliefs and values. That's where you'll find the source of your discontent.

For instance, if you find that your relationships never last, and you end up continually feeling rejected, instead of blaming the other person, think about your own behaviour and attitudes. How might you have undermined the potential for a good relationship?

When you scratch even deeper, you will realise that your actions and attitude arise from certain deeply-held idea about relationships, about you.

If you go far enough into yourself, you will recognise that your choices have been guided not by what you want to believe or by values you think you should hold, but by your underlying beliefs and values.

Your beliefs are the sea on which you sail your life. To change the sea, you must change the beliefs.

If your life is not serving you, then that's where you can begin to change it, by replacing limiting beliefs and values with those that serve your good.

The first step is to uncover your underlying beliefs and values.

It does require some mental effort and a willingness to see the truth, but it is worth the effort. Because once you recognise your real goals, you can begin to see what's keeping you from them, and you can take steps to clear your path to personal fulfilment.

I'll be writing more on this over time. If you're nearby, you might like to talk about these things with like-minded others at my weekly discussions. (I'm in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia).

(Painting 'Fishermen at Sea' by William Turner)

Eat More Fats...but the Right Kinds

and no, they're not those liquid fats being pushed by big food processing corporations!
The best fats are the ones your great grandparents throve on in the days when heart disease was virtually unknown.

Fats That Protect You From Disease

You can get the kinds of fats your body needs from olive oil, avocados, nuts and fish. These  wonder foods are rich in essential fatty acids, especially omega 3 fatty acids, and they’re a major part of a traditional Mediterranean  diet. Scientists have been touting the benefits of these foods since they first discovered that the Mediterranean diet protects the heart, and the benefits just keep on coming.

Research now shows that fish oil even reduces the risk of cardiac disease in cardiac patients who are still rehabilitating. Fish oil, olive oil and oleic acid found in good fats also inhibit the development of colorectal cancers! 

The anti-inflammatory and nourishing functions of these and other omega-3 fats also strengthen the tissues that make up much of your skin, digestive, cardiac and respiratory systems and nervous system. In fact, the healing, anti-inflammatory action of omega-3 fats is known to protect against and help relieve asthma, rheumatism and other inflammatory conditions as well as autism, and helps keep your immune system healthy.

 According to international expert in lipid biochemistry, Mary Enig PhD, saturated fats have been framed as the ‘bad guys’ of the fat world. The truth is our bodies need some saturated fats.  Saturated fat, explains Dr. Enig, help to prevent stroke, protect against kidney disease and asthma, and are essential for the health of our cells, including brain cells. 

But how to get healthy saturated fats? Not from most commercial  dairy and meat. Those come from from animals that have been drugged, raised on polluted land, and stuffed with chemically treated or genetically modified grains.

Saturated fats from healthy, organically raised, grass-fed animals are another thing altogether.

You can also get excellent quality saturated fats from coconut oil. In its natural form or fermented, this fabulous oil contains lauric acid, a powerful antimicrobial, and also provides essential fatty acids to keep your tissues and skin healthy. I use it for most cooking, and sometimes just add it to my smoothies. (I also massage it on my feet for the ultimate softening treatment).    

Fats to Avoid Like the Plague

Steer clear of most saturated fats and the following new-fangled fats:

• All oils that have been hydrogenated (hydrogen added), including trans fats
• Soy, corn and safflower oils (most come from genetically modified crops anyway)
• Cottonseed oil
• Canola oil
• All fats heated to very high temperatures in processing and cooking.

It's partly the way these fats are processed, and partly what they've got in them. These fats glug up your arteries with cholesterol and fatty deposits, smother your organs and tissues, and clog up your body systems. They’re the fats that settle happily in your thighs, buttocks and around your middle. Even worse, they can cause cancer, heart disease, sterility, learning disabilities, immune dysfunction and osteoporosis.

The worst of all bad fats are man-made trans fats. Processed and junk foods and store bought baked goods (including those choc-chip cookies) are loaded with them. Eat them and you might as well be pouring glue into your body. Artificial trans fats have no nutritional benefit, and make it almost impossible to lose weight no matter how much you diet.

(Happy cows image from cafnr.missouri.edu/news/cows.php)

Asparagus for Cancer?

Today I'm playing Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods who also has associations with medicine. I am passing on this email that I received today. Decide for yourself whether it sounds credible:

'Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article,entitled, `Asparagus for cancer ' printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979.

          I will share it here, just as it was shared with me: 'I am a biochemist,and have specialized in the relation of diet to health for over 50 years.
     
       Several years ago, I learned of the discovery of Richard R.Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked with him on his project.. We have accumulated a number of favourable case histories.

     Here are a few examples:

Case No. 1,  
            A man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.
Case No. 2,
            A successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of  the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments,including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3,
            A man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and immediately started taking it. By August, x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared. He is back at his regular business routine. *

*Case No. 4,
            A woman who was troubled for a number of years with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which were diagnosed by asking specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked fine and nomore skin lesions. This woman reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

           
     I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of Materia Medica', edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of   Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of asparagus in dissolving stones.

             We would have other case histories but the medical establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to spread this good news and help us to gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy. For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh.

             I have corresponded with the two leading canners of asparagus, Giant Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives.

          * *  PROCEDURE:
1) Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree, and store in the refrigerator.

2) Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.

          Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

              As a biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that `what cures can prevent'. Based on this theory, my wife and I have been using asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals.  We take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to suit our taste with breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife prefers hers cold.

               For years we have made it a practice to have blood surveys taken as part of our regular checkups.

               The last blood survey, taken by a medical doctor who specializes in the nutritional approach to health, showed substantial improvements in all categories over the last one, and we can attribute these improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink...

               As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theories about cancer. Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic. In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is a harmless substance.

               The FDA cannot prevent you from using it and it may do you much good.. It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, which is considered one of the body's most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

Please spread the news...

...the most unselfish act one can ever do is to forward all the kindness one has received even to the most undeserved person *

XXXXXXXXXXXX end of the message.

('Hermes' by R W Robinson)

Useful sites on glutathione:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50746

Wu G, Fang YZ, Yang S, Lupton JR, Turner ND. 'Glutathione metabolism and its implications for health', J Nutr 2004 mar;134(3): 489-92

http://www.health-report.co.uk/glutathione.htm

Allergic to mobile phones?

Yes. Research shows you can be allergic to mobile phones (cell phones in some countries). For one thing, many of these phones contain nickel, which can trigger skin rashes and other problems. If you get burning or itching fingertips, or if the skin on one side of your face or one ear is sometimes irritated, try switching to a nickel-free mobile phone.

But that won't make you safe. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my local council intends to build power lines over and around my neighbourhood so I've been doing a lot of research into the dangers of electromagnetic frequencies.

Frankly, I can't understand how authorities can be so complacent. The amount of research out there on health risks from even very low frequencies is mind-boggling. I guess it's yet another example of how governments and industry define 'acceptable risk'. As far as I am concerned, any risk that can be avoided, especially risk to children, is too great.

I notice than even the ultra-conservative WHO (World Health Organisation) has changed its tack, from completely denying any risk to recognising (begrudgingly) that electromagnetic frequencies are indeed harmful to human health. 

Today, I just want to tell all you mobile phone addicts that your precious toys could just be aggravating your allergies or eczema. Those of you who do lots of work on your cell phones take heed: Just one hour of continuous phone use has been found to worsen eczema and allergic reactions to dust mites and pollen. You can get more stuffy nosed, more itching and wateriness, and more severe skin rashes.

(The study led by Dr. Dr Hajime Kimata was published in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 2002;129:348–50)

I'll be writing a lot more about electromagnetic frequencies as I am convinced that we should be taking reasonable precautions. I put special protective stickers on my mobile phones because they give me headaches and make me irritable. Really! The stickers help. So does not answering the phone, though the family doesn't appreciate that strategy!

At Home in the Universe

I've been feeling restless,  and looking at photos of space is the very best thing I am doing for myself right now, other than lying on the beach and looking up at clouds.

This is the constellation Orion, swirling with gas, dust and clouds, and gestating stars. And I thought my life was becoming complicated. This is just one of many fabulous photos from the nasa archives at http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html  I choose a different one every day for my desktop, and to remind me that my little life, though wonderful, is just one little life in an infinitely vast universe. No, that doesn't make my life any less meaningful; it just make me feel honoured to be part of it.....

and more convinced than ever of the infinite mind behind it all.

More Power to the Strong Silent Type!

My grandson Beau was watching a children's tv program where a man sang a little song about cuddles. Something like, 'when I feel bad, I go to someone for a cuddle'. All soft and cutesy.

But wouldn't it be wonderful if we all did that?

Wouldn't we avoid so much needless hurt and confusion if we just asked for a hug when we feel bad, hurt, lonely or angry, lost or confused?

Wouldn't life be so much simpler if we simply hugged others when they are feeling sad, or hurt or very sorry for some mistake? Instead of blaming, of trying to fix the person as though they were somehow flawed?

Does it sound too soft and fuzzy for you? Believe me, it's not. Try it sometime.

When your partner says something hurtful and then starts justifying it by blaming you for this or that imagined wrong, try to breathe out the usual hurt response, and instead, give your partner a genuine loving hug, a hug that says 'I understand. Sometimes I feel that way too. I have faith in us'.

When you're running late, as usual, and your child still hasn't tidied away her toys, or brushed her hair, or whatever, try stepping out of your usual guilt-frustration-overwhelmed drama and give your child a big, loving, quiet, deep hug that says, 'Be patient with me and I'll be patient with you. You are what really matters'.

Not easy, is it? No.

It takes real emotional maturity and mental strength to give a sincere hug when things go wrong. And it also takes courage to ask for a hug when your first reaction is to fight back.

Too often, we get lost in words and end up saying things we don't really feel. Our words become weapons rather than bridges between us, or barriers to the understanding and love we really want. We can end up feeling more confused and alone than ever.

Most times, a genuine, slow, loving hug - freely given or sincerely asked for - can do more that all the arguments, the tired, endless explanations, questions, justifications and blames in the world to make things better.

 What a pity you only hear people talking - or singing - about hugs and cuddles in children's songs, or in support groups. They're tough stuff. It takes strength to give them or ask for them in the face of adversity.

Hugs given and asked for with an open heart are powerhouses of energy, loving healing energy, and sources of enormous strength. They're reminders that the whole universe leans towards us to give us love and energy, even if we don't know it.

(Tatiana and Kody image by Zina.    Polar bear photo by Glen Gaffney from 123rf.com)