The mind-body is a very powerful healing system, even more powerful according to current research than many drugs. And it is an effect that has been increasing in the last 20 years. More details on this in this article with exerts below

In a study last year, Harvard Medical School researcher Ted Kaptchuk devised a clever strategy for testing his volunteers' response to varying levels of therapeutic ritual. The study focused on irritable bowel syndrome, a painful disorder that costs more than $40 billion a year worldwide to treat. First the volunteers were placed randomly in one of three groups. One group was simply put on a waiting list; researchers know that some patients get better just because they sign up for a trial. Another group received placebo treatment from a clinician who declined to engage in small talk. Volunteers in the third group got the same sham treatment from a clinician who asked them questions about symptoms, outlined the causes of IBS, and displayed optimism about their condition.


Not surprisingly, the health of those in the third group improved most. In fact, just by participating in the trial, volunteers in this high-interaction group got as much relief as did people taking the two leading prescription drugs for IBS. And the benefits of their bogus treatment persisted for weeks afterward, contrary to the belief—widespread in the pharmaceutical industry—that the placebo response is short-lived.

It's not only trials of new drugs that are crossing the futility boundary. Some products that have been on the market for decades, like Prozac, are faltering in more recent follow-up tests. In many cases, these are the compounds that, in the late '90s, made Big Pharma more profitable than Big Oil. But if these same drugs were vetted now, the FDA might not approve some of them. Two comprehensive analyses of antidepressant trials have uncovered a dramatic increase in placebo response since the 1980s. One estimated that the so-called effect size (a measure of statistical significance) in placebo groups had nearly doubled over that time.

It's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. It's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger.

Benedetti has helped design a protocol for minimizing volunteers' expectations that he calls "open/hidden." In standard trials, the act of taking a pill or receiving an injection activates the placebo response. In open/hidden trials, drugs and placebos are given to some test subjects in the usual way and to others at random intervals through an IV line controlled by a concealed computer. Drugs that work only when the patient knows they're being administered are placebos themselves.

Ironically, Big Pharma's attempt to dominate the central nervous system has ended up revealing how powerful the brain really is. The placebo response doesn't care if the catalyst for healing is a triumph of pharmacology, a compassionate therapist, or a syringe of salt water. All it requires is a reasonable expectation of getting better. That's potent medicine.

Read more

Sat Nam Rasayan is the healing modality of Kundalini Yoga. Done with partners it is similar to pure meditation in stillness and listening to our own inner life while touching into another. It is the practice of bringing someone into your life without conditions. If someone affects your space, you need to question how you are seeing the world in relation to him or her.

We use Kundalini meditations to open up a field of silence beyond normal perception. This expanded awareness, in each of us, is a powerful tool to heal one another. Text from Devi Dyal’s (Dana Verkouteren) who teaches Kundlalini yoga and SNR in Cabin John MD

This video is of Guru Dev explaining Sat Nam Rasayan and the capacity to heal from the state of shuniya. Guru Dev Singh the healer talks about how we can heal through understanding out interconnectedness. He also talks about how you can't have compassion if you have anxiety yourself. It is through becoming completely objective (shuniya) that we can heal others.

I do yoga every day and some of the poses are held and create shaking, which my yoga teacher always said was a good thing. I recently learned about TRE (Trauma Release Exercises) - there is a good book and video about them. They use stress positions very much like the ones in yoga to release deep stress from the body. So not only are you strengthening yourself when you do this kind of exercise you are releasing old stress or PTSD too. Which is good for your overall health and not just muscle strength!

Here are some links on TRE
http://www.traumareleaseexercises.com.au/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Revolutionary-Trauma-Release-Process/dp/1897238401/

Here are some natural cures that have worked for me to cure back ache

• gentle swimming - the water supports the back and you can move gently in many different directions to release tension
• long walks have helped me in the past
• relaxation yoga (where you lie on piles of blanklets for 5-10 minutes in one pose and breath deeply). I know Thrive yoga in Rockville used to have a class Friday evening of this format. Might be called candle light yoga or some other name
• a massage or shiatsu can help
• acupuncture
• going into a trance or shamanic state and then moving to a crystal house and inviting your back pain to come into the house with you. Then telling it that you love it, thank it for coming and asking if it has any messages for you. Often once the message has been heard the pain goes away.
• related to this is Sedona method where you connect with the pain and allow it to be and allow any judgments or resistance you have just to be. Seeing if you can dive into the pain or double how intense it is ironically can often allow it to dissolve
• If you are into totums you might ask for a power animal to help with the issue and give you information on it.
• EFT is good with releasing pain
• On a spiritual level lower back issue are to do with feeling lack of support, especially around money. The text below is from Louise Hay
  • Back: Represents the support of life. I know that Life always supports me.
  • Back Problems: — Lower: Fear of money. Lack of financial support. I trust the process of life. All I need is always taken care of. I am safe.
    Hay, Louise (1984-01-01). You Can Heal Your Life (p. 207). Hay House. Kindle Edition.
• Which ever the ideas you use drinking lots of water can help during any energy healing to remove toxins from the body

I used EFT six years ago to stop the cravings when I gave up drinking alcohol. Would use it every time a "habit cue situation" came up eg

• It is Friday and end of work week and I deserve a drink
• I am tired and a bit sad and I want a drink
• I am at a party and feel anxious and want a drink
• I am on vacation in Mexico and see others drinking at lunch and I want a drink
• I am in a pub with friends and want a drink too

Each time I would tap on the feeling and self judgments and get through the situation fine. Sometimes I would do full tapping other times just finger tapping to be more discrete in public. I recall there being about 20 different cues that I tapped through, and the cues became less and less frequent over 6 months. Now I have no craving for alcohol. And I find it even easier to let my hair down at a party or with friends than I did when I drank.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a great way to eliminate pain, release emotional problems, improve relationships and reach goals that you are stuck on. This Steve Wells ebook on EFT goes beyond the basics and gives lots of tips on using it. I went to a Steve Wells EFT workshop in Florida about 9 years ago and he is a great teacher and EFTer. If you download the e-book it would be fair to sign up for Steve's EFT newsletter as the book is free for subscribers and is $19.95 for everyone else. Links below.

PS Given the extra potential stresses in 2012 I would recommend one of the ideas in this book which is just tap every day whether you are working on a special issue or not. There is a hand version of the tapping that is unobtrusive to do in public or at work. Secondly as the founder of EFT Gary Craig suggests "Tap on Everything" - you never know what improvements you might see!

This Wednesday gathering we learn about Polarity therapy for increased vitality. Are you feeling down, low energy? Too much pain in your emotions and body? What would you do in your life if you felt vital all the time?

Polarity therapy is a synthesis of ancient Eastern and alternative healing ideas. Focused on the human energy field, it is designed to enhance vitality. Using touch, verbal interaction, exercise, nutrition and other methods, practitioners of polarity therapy seek to restore and balance the natural flow of energy which flows in one’s chakras and aura. Blockages in the flow of energy lead to pain and disease. Blockages may also be experienced as stuck emotions and lack of vitality. With Polarity therapy, the energetic flow is corrected and restored to its original design, so that the body will naturally regain its healthy state.

 Randy Goldberg is a Polarity therapist who trained with Candice Sinai of BodyWisdom. He is a former Yoga monk, a Craniosacral therapist, and a world renowned-astrologer interviewed by the Washington Post and by CNN. He facilitates Family Constellation therapy for individuals and groups.

randy at randygoldberg.org or 202-380-6850 www.randygoldberg.org

This Wednesday Gathering we learn how to regain childlike ablities in flexible movement and breathing with Stephen Shafarman.

How can you breathe more easily.? Move more comfortably? Be stronger and more flexible? Improve your posture and balance? Relieve and outgrow back pain, arthritis, asthma, and other problem conditions?
Enhance your skills and enjoyment of yoga, dance, golf, tennis, and everyday activities?

FlexAware is a revolution in exercise, fitness, healing. These unique, breathing-directed exercises are based on the way very young children learn and move. Young children are much more flexible than adults and, for their size and weight, much stronger. They naturally move easily, efficiently, aligning with gravity and not fighting against it. You can regain that skill with FlexAware.

You, whatever your age and health condition, will benefit from FlexAware. And people enjoy doing these exercises.

You can reach Stephen at info (at) FlexAware (dot) com, 202-640-1373 or http://www.flexaware.com/

  Breathwork refers to many forms of conscious alteration of breathing, connecting the inhale and exhale, when used with deep relaxation. Holotropic breath work is a breathing technique that can heal suppressed emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, etc. This mind expanding technique helps people shift into an alternate states of consciousness. Rebirthing starts with lying down, relaxing and breathing. Deep inhalations and relaxed exhalations form the "Alpha" brain waves. Long and careful attention to the relaxed breath will reveal a many layered pattern of inhibitions and exposes our unconscious patterns of defense against pleasure and aliveness.

Randy Goldberg trained in Rebirthing with Sandra Ray in Paris, France and Holotropic breath work in Chapel Hill, NC. Randy is a former Yoga monk, a Craniosacral therapist, a world famous astrologer interviewed by the Washington Post and by CNN. He facilitates Family Constellation therapy for individuals and groups. You can reach Randy at randy (at) randygoldberg.org or 202-380-6850 www.randygoldberg.org

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we join Anka Banks to learn how to Enhance Your Wellbeing with Color and activate our light bodies with Aura-Soma Color and Angel Therapy. How can we take care of ourselves with color? How can color possibly have a beneficial effect on a health condition? Let’s take the example of a stiff neck.

The neck is in the blue area of the body, which is also called the blue chakra, the throat chakra or the center of communication. This is the domain where our throat, vocal cords and mouth are located and from where we communicate with the world. For instance, when we hold onto some words to avoid conflict and we know we should or could have said something, our energy field - in this case the area of the throat chakra - can get jammed, causing tensions which can show up as muscle aches, cramps or a stiff neck on a physical level. (Image from Elizabeth Feisst website)


Actually sometimes we are incapable of letting go in our minds for a long time after the event. We get depressed over our failure to speak out. We let our shoulders hang, add more tension to our already tense body and look quite desolate. We are stuck.


To prevent tensions in the shoulder and neck area we can support ourselves with a blue scarf, a blue gemstone or, more effectively, a blue pomander from the Aura-Soma color care system. The blue allows us to be more confident and feel an inner strength that gives us courage to say or write what needed to be said or written in a more peaceful way, thus reducing the cause for jams and tensions in the neck and shoulders.

Aura-Soma is a color-care system that helps to harmonize and activate the light body. It also stands for our state of being. Color is a way to support our being’s needs and brings balance to our bodies and lives.

Everybody can do it. One simply has to pick four color combinations. These selections reflect who we are and what we need.

Anka will help you balance and the building of your light body using self-care with color energies, Aura-Soma, attuning to the higher vibrations of Angels and the ascended Masters.

The ancient Romans had talked about the importance of “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. Nowadays there is an ever-growing awareness that mind and body are closely connected and that we can influence our wellbeing with our way of thinking. Depending on our state of mind, we are tense or relaxed, we feel worried or happy or we are upset or thrilled and this has repercussions on our muscles, nerves and more. With color we have the possibility to influence our thoughts and, as a consequence, our wellbeing.


Color can be used just like a language and enable us to identify our needs and interpret our state of mind. Red, for instance, is a resonance of energy and passion, blue of inner peace and authority, yellow of happiness and the intellect. Color can be used as a tool to take care of ourselves, change our state of mind, get more clarity, relax and see the broader picture. Our choice of color combinations describes and addresses our needs. (From our Health Magazine, February 2010)

Anka Hellbach Banks is an Aura-Soma Practitioner and Teacher. Here is what she says about her journey:

"My name is Anka Hellbach Banks and I was born in the year of the rabbit. After finishing high school in Germany, I went to college in France where I studied languages – French, English and German. I worked with both languages and finance in both France and Germany.

In high school, I became interested in the healing effects of essential oils. I continued my study of essential oils, and learned nutrition as a way of healing. As an adult, I studied Anthroposophy, the philosophy of Austrian Rudolph Steiner, and his movement art, Eurythmy.

After I moved to the U.S. in 1998, and following the birth of my second child, I became aware of my gifts as a healer. I found I had the capacity to put myself into other people’s situation and to become aware of their feelings – and, more recently, their pain.

In 2003, I began studying the Aura-Soma color-care system and subsequently became a practitioner. I use color as a tool to support people expand their awareness.  I am now an ASIACT [Art and Science International Academy of Color Technologies] certified teacher of the Aura-Soma system. At this point I am particularly interested helping people reach out to angelic energies for support."

You can reach Anka at 240-529-4311 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            240-529-4311      end_of_the_skype_highlighting Silver Spring, MD AnkaBanks (at) starpower.net or http://www.beingoflight.net

The workshop begins after dinner at 8pm. I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

For me ginger tea helps when I feel low energy from detox or cold coming on. Also flushing nose with salt water in shower - I use a cup but a netty pot works too.

And if you are detoxing I recommend an Aura Bath,  which is also great to do any time your aura feels yukky.

You might also try thumping your spline points for 20 seconds as that boosts your immune system. (They are in a line below nipple one rib below your breasts)

When I work long hours at a computer I used to get headaches, neck pain and shoulder pain. Sometimes I used to get migraines from it. No fun at at! I started getting massages about ten years ago and took up yoga to help stretch and relax. With all the stresses at work and in the news these days seems like a good time to learn how to give a head, neck and shoulder massage from an expert (and receive one too!). What a great skill to be able to share with loved ones... or future lovers...

Here in Cusco I have been giving and receiving healings with other healers I have met here. There seem to be a large number of people doing healing, Reiki and other spiritually related work here. I find even being at this location in the "world's navel" is healing - more so when I take a hike into the hills around Cusco to meditate in the Inca ruins that dot the area. I have found a nice intentional healing community here called Healing House and have taught a Kundalini yoga class there and last night I lead a Trance Dance. I enjoyed helping some somewhat stiff and shy Gringos and Gringas plus a few local Peruvians get into their bodies, out of their minds and feel their souls moving to the music. During the Chaos part of the music (there are five rhythms in this dance) I had the whole room dancing wildly, screaming and making animal noises. (Similar to the dances that Jim G of Sandbox coordinates in Bethesda area every Friday evening) It is good to let out that crazy part of us that we push down. I think that movement, singing, expression are keys parts of being joyful everyday!

One of the healings I received I noticed pain in my liver area and saw a vision of an angry snake in a infinite sign position. and the clouds looked like a jaguar (the healing was outside at an Inca ruin). I took it to mean that I need to not push down any anger in me, because it too is part of me and is divine. The jaguar symbolizes living with integrity - and that means being honest in expressing any emotions that come up including anger. And I see once anger is expressed that energy can transform into passion for action to change my reality. (If you are interested in animal symbolism and power animals check out the Animal Speaks book or get a deck of Animal oracle cards

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we join Libah Cobb (LMT) to Learn how to give an Amazing Shoulder, Head & Neck Massage. Take a moment and tune into your head, neck and shoulders - what do you notice? Tension, pains, stiffness? Perhaps cronic poor posture? Or perhaps the pain has been going on so long that the area is now numb and stuck. How freely can you rotate your head and shoulders?

When your whole upper body has seized up, your neck and shoulders ache, your head is thumping and you have a horrible stiff feeling all over a good massage is wonderful! All of these symptoms are more than likely caused by life’s day to day stresses with our work and personal lives becoming more and more demanding.  We will work on the neck, shoulders, face and scalp. A combination of firm, stimulating and soothing movements are applied with this massage to release blockages and tension, which improves blood circulation and drain toxins. Regular massage can cure those aching neck and shoulder muscles, improve joint mobility, relieve eye strain and headaches and will also improve the condition of you hair.

The power of touch has been shown to alleviate depression and pain, reduces stress hormones, and improves immune function. Come learn simple yet powerful head and neck massage techniques. This event is for the everyday citizen who would like to comfort loved ones without spending thousands of dollars in classroom study. You will learn to give a 30 minute session. These skills can induce relaxation, encourage a deeper connection, and reduce pain.

Libah Cobb is a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1987.She specializes in East-West massage using touch,(music) and aromatherapy to create a space for deep relaxation. She was trained at The New England Shiatsu Center and The Institute of Traditional Healing Arts in Florida. She has been a dance instructor for many years and now teaches a new stretch and breath  fitness class for all ages called FlexAware. Massage and FlexAware can accomplish  personal expression, pain relief, and  body balance . You can reach her at   LLCobb9 at gmail.com or  571-269-9797 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            571-269-9797      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

The workshop begins after dinner at 8pm. I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we join Randy Goldberg to learn how to give (and receive!) a blissful foot massage. Reflexology is the practice of massaging the feet on a system of zones and reflex areas that reflect an image of the body on the feet with a premise that such work effects a physical change in the body. We will learn to give and get a chance to receive a forty minute session.  The benefits include relaxation, energetic balance, and improves circulation. And it feels so good you may never want it to stop!

Randy Goldberg trained in Reflexology at the Maryland Kinesiology and Wellness Institute. Randy is a former Yoga monk, a Craniosacral therapist, a world famous astrologer interviewed by the Washington Post and by CNN. He facilitates Family Constellation therapy for individuals and groups. You can reach Randy at randy (at) randygoldberg.org or 301-380-6850 www.randygoldberg.org

The workshop begins after dinner at 8pm. I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we join Rukmini to learn about URBAN Gardening.

When I lived in Arlington, Virginia (before one had to be a millionaire to do so), I had a lovely backyard, raised bed garden.  Using intention and meditation, I worked with the Devas of the plants and the soil to create a beautiful garden of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, studded with crystals and providing a fragrant, verdant playground for my cats, Leo and Shabat. 

How have you attempted to connect with nature? 

Even pots (43!) on my balcony in Leesburg provided homes for bees and flowers, as well as delicious herbs for dinner. 

If you have, or have not yet, been bitten by the fierce organic gardening bug, join us in a beautiful Rite of Spring. 

At Perelandra, Machelle Small Wright's magical garden home in Jeffersonton, Virginia, I learned to muscle test and work with the Devas from the author of "Behaving as if the God in all life mattered."

I will teach about Permaculture and sustainable land use design.  This includes information about Findhorn and Perelandra, working with the nature Devas of plants in order to produce abundant growth.gardening, soil composition and testing, Organic gardening resources, No soil layer gardening, Rainwater harvesting, etc.

Rukmini Diane Bongiorni is a long-time organic gardener, trained in muscle testing and other techniques by Machelle Small Wright at Peralandra.

She is also a Feng Shui consultant, energy healer, and tarot reader. She can be reached at dbongiorni (at) hotmail.com or 202-744-3698.

The dinner is at 7 pm and the workshop begins after dinner at 8pm. I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

Interesting article on real causes of heart disease. Bottom line: heart: disease is cause by blood vessel inflammation:

Statistics from the  American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer  from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes.  These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers  every year.

What are the biggest  culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of  simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made  from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean,  corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.

Michael

Paul wrote

Zen says: “It is better to eat bad food with a good heart,
than good food with a bad heart.”

Check this out: How often are you ‘there’ at all, when you eat?
Talking? Thinking of other things?

And... have to keep remembering the possibility of: The Placebo Effect.

Several ‘visitors’ that communicate through humans advise about how we create our reality through our thought process.
The wonderful being Bashar for one, and many others.

One day we are going to ‘look back’ and see how silly, and rather cumbersome we have been in our evolving.

Except, by that time, there will be no time – so no back.

Please do read the following.
We need you – healthy, to assist in the transformation that is happening.

--------------------------------------------------------

From: Alan Steinfeld
Subject: FW: Heart Surgeon Admits Huge Mistake

Extract:
“There is no escaping the fact that the  more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the  inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process,  nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6  oils.”

“Forget the  “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that  saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent.”

“Mainstream medicine made a terrible  mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high  in omega-6 fats.”

Huge Mistake! – Without inflammation, cholesterol won't accumulate in blood vessel walls and cause heart disease
By Dwight Lundell, MD

   We physicians with all  our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that  tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely  admit to being wrong.. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having  performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong  with medical and scientific fact.

     I trained for many years with other  prominent physicians labelled “opinion makers.” Bombarded with scientific  literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers  insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood  cholesterol.

    The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to  lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter  of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations  from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.
 
It Is Not Working!
 
These  recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The  discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real  cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart  disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.
 
The  long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and  diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of  mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.

Despite the  fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite  the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die  this year of heart disease than ever before.
 
Statistics from the  American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer  from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes.  These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers  every year.
 
Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the  body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the  blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation,  cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is  inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.
 
Inflammation  is not complicated -- it is quite simply your body's natural defence to a  foreign invader such as a bacteria, toxin or virus. The cycle of inflammation  is perfect in how it protects your body from these bacterial and viral  invaders. However, if we chronically expose the body to injury by toxins or  foods the human body was never designed to process, a condition occurs called  chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is just as harmful as acute  inflammation is beneficial.
 
What thoughtful person would wilfully  expose himself repeatedly to foods or other substances that are known to cause  injury to the body? Well, smokers perhaps, but at least they made that choice  wilfully.
 
The rest of us have simply followed the recommended  mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and  carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood  vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart  disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.
 
Let me repeat that. The injury  and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet  recommended for years by mainstream medicine.
 
What are the biggest  culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of  simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made  from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean,  corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
 
Take a  moment to visualize rubbing a stiff brush repeatedly over soft skin until it  becomes quite red and nearly bleeding. you kept this up several times a day,  every day for five years. If you could tolerate this painful brushing, you  would have a bleeding, swollen infected area that became worse with each  repeated injury. This is a good way to visualize the inflammatory process that  could be going on in your body right now.
 
Regardless of where the  inflammatory process occurs, externally or internally, it is the same. I have  peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries. A diseased artery looks as  if someone took a brush and scrubbed repeatedly against its wall. Several  times a day, every day, the foods we eat create small injuries compounding  into more injuries, causing the body to respond continuously and appropriately  with inflammation.
 
While we savor the tantalizing taste of a sweet  roll, our bodies respond alarmingly as if a foreign invader arrived declaring  war. Foods loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrates, or processed with  omega-6 oils for long shelf life have been the mainstay of the American diet  for six decades. These foods have been slowly poisoning everyone.

How  does eating a simple sweet roll create a cascade of inflammation to make you  sick?
 
Imagine spilling syrup on your keyboard and you have a visual of  what occurs inside the cell. When we consume simple carbohydrates such as  sugar, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin  whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for  energy. If the cell is full and does not need glucose, it is rejected to avoid  extra sugar gumming up the works.
 
When your full cells reject the  extra glucose, blood sugar rises producing more insulin and the glucose  converts to stored fat.
 
What does all this have to do with  inflammation? Blood sugar is controlled in a very narrow range. Extra sugar  molecules attach to a variety of proteins that in turn injure the blood vessel  wall. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation.  When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is  exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.  

While you may not be able to see it, rest assured it is there. I saw  it in over 5,000 surgical patients spanning 25 years who all shared one common  denominator — inflammation in their arteries.
 
Let’s get back to the  sweet roll. That innocent looking goody not only contains sugars, it is baked  in one of many omega-6 oils such as soybean. Chips and fries are soaked in  soybean oil; processed foods are manufactured with omega-6 oils for longer  shelf life. While omega-6’s are essential –they are part of every cell  membrane controlling what goes in and out of the cell — they must be in the  correct balance with omega-3’s.
 
If the balance shifts by consuming  excessive omega-6, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that  directly cause inflammation. Today’s mainstream American diet has produced an  extreme imbalance of these two fats. The ratio of imbalance ranges from 15:1  to as high as 30:1 in favor of omega-6. That’s a tremendous amount of  cytokines causing inflammation. In today’s food environment, a 3:1 ratio would  be optimal and healthy.
 
To make matters worse, the excess weight you  are carrying from eating these foods creates overloaded fat cells that pour out large quantities of pro-inflammatory chemicals that add to the  injury caused by having high blood sugar. The process that began with a sweet  roll turns into a vicious cycle over time that creates heart disease, high  blood pressure, diabetes and finally, Alzheimer’s disease, as the inflammatory  process continues unabated.

There is no escaping the fact that the  more we consume prepared and processed foods, the more we trip the  inflammation switch little by little each day. The human body cannot process,  nor was it designed to consume, foods packed with sugars and soaked in omega-6  oils.
 
There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is  returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more  protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits  and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats  like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them. One  tablespoon of corn oil contains 7,280 mg of omega-6; soybean contains 6,940  mg. Instead, use olive oil or butter from grass-fed beef.

Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie .  
 Animal fats  contain less than 20% omega-6 and are much less likely to cause inflammation  than the supposedly healthy oils labelled polyunsaturated. Forget the  “science” that has been drummed into your head for decades. The science that  saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent. The science that  saturated fat raises blood cholesterol is also very weak. Since we now know  that cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, the concern about  saturated fat is even more absurd today.
 
The cholesterol theory led to  the no-fat, low-fat recommendations that in turn created the very foods now  causing an epidemic of inflammation. Mainstream medicine made a terrible  mistake when it advised people to avoid saturated fat in favor of foods high  in omega-6 fats. We now have an epidemic of arterial inflammation leading to  heart disease and other silent killers.
 
What you can do is choose  whole foods your grandmother served and not those your mom turned to as  grocery store aisles filled with manufactured foods. By eliminating  inflammatory foods and adding essential nutrients from fresh unprocessed food,  you will reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body  from consuming the typical American diet.
 
Ed. Note: Dr. Dwight  Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart  Hospital, Mesa, AZ.  His private practice, Cardiac Care  Center was in Mesa, AZ.  Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery  to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease.  He  is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a  focus on helping large corporations promote wellness.  He is  the author of The Cure for Heart Disease and the Great Cholesterol Lie.

      

 

This is a great way to clear your aura of stagnent energy and relax.

• One cup of salt (preferably natural salt without additives)
• One cup baking soda
• Optional A few drops of lavender essential oil for extra relaxation

Bless the water and salts and ask angels to help with clearing your aura and releasing any negativity into the water.

Soak in tub for an hour - longer than you might feel comfortable. Sometimes I let my head soak in the water and submerge for a while (will have to shampoo your hair afterwards if you do this as salt water like sea water will make it matt). Rinse off in the shower.

If you feel like it then take a nap afterwards or do a meditation and feel how relaxed and clear your energy feels now compared to before the aura bath.

Had an insight this morning - comparing eating diet to a money diet:
both involve bring consciousness to the activity -choosing what I eat or what I spend money on (or what I focus my energy for income on)

• noticing what I am doing - tracking eating or spending or income
•  being self-compassionate - no blame,shame or guilty over any "slip ups" - forgive myself and correct course in the present
• grateful/bless my food, my bills, my clients
• exercise to releasing toxins from my body, old money beliefs from my mind-body
• interrupt emotional eating/ emotional spending - eg using EFT when I feel an urge coming on

(I am abundant in the food/health areas of my life and can transfer these skills to money and other areas)

I think the same pattern interrupt approaches can apply to negativity thinking habits, friends, relationships, sex and other areas of my life where habits can take over.

I cut out sucrose and glucose a year ago (and not using substitute sweeteners either). I still eat fructose (ie fruit). I have noticed that my energy is more level (no sugar high or post sugar blues). When I accidentally eat something with sugar in it now tastes WAY too sweet and yucky.

For overcoming addictions to certain foods I have found EFT (tapping) helped me when I had that "urge".

Interesting NY Times article that shows why it is important to love ourselves as we love others. And thanks to Annie for emailing it to me.

Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends and family?

That simple question is the basis for a burgeoning new area of psychological research called self-compassion — how kindly people view themselves. People who find it easy to be supportive and understanding to others, it turns out, often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests, berating themselves for perceived failures like being overweight or not exercising.

The research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that self-compassion can even influence how much we eat and may help some people lose weight. Read more

Sometimes life is funny, sometimes absurd, sometimes coincidences amaze me. Laughter is always good medicine what ever is happening in my life - health challenges, financial issues, relationship problems. Laughter and the meaning of life is what this week's Sandbox is about. I just saw a Joe Dispenza movie where he mentions a study of diabetes patients where they ate some sugary food then 50% of them got insulin for an hour and the other 50% watched a comedy movie for an hour. They measured the DNA repairs in each group related to panaceas function - both improved - and the laughter group had improved twice as much as the insulin group...

Here in Bolivia I had a big clearing yesterday - lots of diarhea starting at 5am and very low energy. I got some Reiki from my roommate Vicki and some remote healing from Glory Lane and Sandra Soloman in US which all helped. And took a long salt/baking soda bath which is good for cleaning toxines out of the body and clearing the aura (and relaxing!). I fasted most of the day to give my body more energy to heal.  And I think the "cause" of this one day sickness was too much fear of the future, unprocessed violence from a movie (Lord of the Rings part III) and the  day after carnival hangover energy from the whole town (I don't drink but I  am very sensitive to others' energy). I also did some merdian healing on my large intestine meridian - which by the way (coincidence?) according to Chinese medicine is most active at 5am- 7am which is when the diarrhea started. Anyway I feel wonderful today and working on staying in the "now" and letting spirit take care of the future. :-)