Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Compassion


“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness

“Compassion is the basis of morality.” 
― Arthur Schopenhauer



Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Porphyria

                          *Disclaimer: This material is presented as educational which  means it is not a directive to either diagnosis or treatment, please consult your physician.


Porphyria is a disease that disturbs the body which includes reduced detoxification of the body, creates disturbances in the nervous system and other non specific issues. Many people with auto-immune diseases have signs of porphyria including multiple chemical sensitives (MCS), immune difficulties, nervous system disorders and so on.

Porphyrins are natural chemicals your body produces,if these chemicals (porphryins) build up then you get sick.  It is thought that this disease has roots in genetic mutations, in other words you inherited this malfunction. Some researchers suggest that it can occur due to chemical exposure (acquired the defect) which has damaged the DNA. With over 800 chemicals in the environment then this is well possible.

Porphyrins are necessary to produce heme. Heme is a group of various types of proteins, such as hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochrome c, cytochrome p450, catalase and peroxidase. (1) These proteins play a key role in the body.



According to Steven Rochlitz Ph.D., porphyria may explain chronic illness. He states that people suffering with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyletis (M.E.), Fibromyalgia, allergies to foods, chemicals and electromagnetic fields (EMF) and other inflammatory conditions may be suffering with porphyria. He says "Many people have a chronic illness or an environmental illness for which no one seems to have an answer to." (2)

Porphyria also affects the neurological system. Neurological pain, depression, anxiety, psychosis, delusions, mania, confusion, catatonia and others can result from porphyria.

The body has a number of pathways that help detoxify harmful chemicals and when the body cannot remove these then they build up which interfere in cell metabolism.

These chemicals can come from a number of sources which including normal metabolism and environmental toxins. The immune system produces very toxic chemicals which must be removed from the body. One of the pathways is the liver - in my observation and reading of other's plights, the liver becomes attacked during strong immune activity. This could be due to a number of factors including:

 1/ Increased oxidative stress due to the underlying infection.

 2/ Reduction of glutathione. Glutathione is a double acting peptide in which it is heavily used in immune reactions and secondly is involved in the the liver pathways.

3/ Change of endocrine responses. Immune involvement includes changes in the HPA axis. These changes force both homeostatic and endocrine responses which change the terrain of the body.

4/ Any change in these systems create abnormal nutrient status.

5/ Immune factors. The immune system pushes some very toxic chemicals into the blood stream including nitrogen and oxygen species, cytokines etc. These well may change the behavior of the cells.



Speak to your doctor about testing.Many people revert to the old school way of natural living meaning they avoid processed foods, cosmetics and personal care products that are chemical laden. Antioxidants and supporting detox pathways such as the liver could be helpful. Talk to your doctor before starting any program.

Read more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porphyria
http://truemedicine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/1801porphyria.pdf


(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17785948

(2) http://truemedicine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/1801porphyria.pdf





Wednesday, February 8, 2017

3d Projects

Grab the mouse and move the image. You can see more at Sketchfab.

Walter Russell Part II

Here are some more works from Walter Russell.













Walter Russell

Walter Russell had many talents which included being a painter, sculptor, musician and a new perception of how creation was closely tied to science. Here are some of his works related to his studies about the connection between science and God. You can read more here.















Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Cristobal Vila

Another short film by Cristobal Vila. You can visit his website and view all of his impressive work at www.etereaestudios.com.




Friday, February 3, 2017

Trouvelot's Drawings

Here are a few of Etienne Leopold Trouvelot's illustrations he renedered in the 1800s. He was born in France and emigrated to the United States in his 20's. He was hired by the Harvard College Observatory and recreated his observations into works of art. You can view more at the New York Public Library Digital Collections.











Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Qi and Me

I like Eastern medicine because it makes sense. Eastern Medicine (Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine etc) has pulled me out of many issues. Their main goal is to go with the flow of nature and the creation of our bodies, mind and soul. They do not force things that are contrary to nature so they do not rely on synthetic remedies or trying to force something which only makes things worse.

They work to harmonize which means getting back to our roots which includes having a reasonable outlook on life, meaning to ground oneself in spirituality (psychological) and to use the earth and the fruits of it to balance the body.


In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), they view the body as an organism which means they see the whole body while in Western Medicine they pick a symptom and give you a remedy which usually consists of drugs,  surgery or some type of therapy. TCM uses very different forms of diagnostics which include looking at your tongue and feeling the pulse. Although this sounds ridiculous, they have identified numerous patterns which occur in both the tongue and pulse. Don't forget they have 3000 years of trial and error in doing this.

Qi (Chi) is a description of the energy that is present in living things, people have qi. The Chinese believe that this energy flows throughout the body much like an electrical grid. They also believe that there are specific circuits in that grid, for instance the liver meridian (pathway) or the gallbladder. When energy gets cut off then those systems do not function correctly. It is the job of the TCM practitioner to reestablish that energy flow and they do it with acupuncture and herbal medicines in most cases.

Stagnant Qi is a description of most Americans. It is a low energy state and a sign that the body, mind and spirit is in crisis mode. Western thinking is to disrupt the stagnant Qi with energy drinks and more stress while TCM would do the opposite. So Eastern thinking is put the round peg in the round hole while Western would just get a bigger hammer and smash it in. The first uses harmony while the second will break the peg into a thousand pieces causing more damage. Less is more in this situation.

TCM looks at a number of factors including toxic emotions. The toxic emotions are the ones likely found in Western culture who prizes materialism, pride, resentment, hatred and possessiveness as its virtues. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul in the process (Jesus -St Mark 8:36).

Stagnant Qi is also caused by a nutritional crisis. The cells of the body are dependent on raw materials in order to function correctly. When the cells do not receive life sustaining nutrients, they begin to be dysfunctional.

Stress causes Stagnant Qi and when the cycle of stress ensues then everything else goes down with it. The scholars of TCM believe that with the cascade of stress then the liver becomes imbalanced. This being one of the central hubs in the body then the remaining body becomes damaged. Anger and resentment are classic signs of liver imbalances (a toxic liver = toxic mind) and these toxic emotions only set off more trouble for the body.

We are not meant to live in a toxic Western society that demands obedience to an entitlement mentality. Getting back to our roots of proper nutrition, spirituality and rootedness will heal the mind, body and soul.

Read more about stagnation https://planetherbs.com/theory/the-five-stagnations.html