If there are alternative medicines and natural treatments that really work, why don't we hear more about them? I don't think there are many true conspiracies around, but this is one of those areas that makes me wonder. The movement between government posts and positions in the pharmaceutical corporations is well documented. This easy movement between the boardrooms and the FDA and other agencies certainly leaves room for abuse and "back door agreements."
Supari Palm or Betelnut Areca catechu. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
More often than not, though, there is just a conspiracy-of-common-interest that prevents safe alternative medicines from coming to market, or from becoming widely known. For example, drug companies don't want the competition of safe alternatives to their drugs. Meanwhile, it is politically safer for the FDA to not allow a product, because if they approve something and it causes any problems, they get the blame. This is a convenient coinciding of interests.
Also, natural products, like silymarin (Milk Thistle Extract), which is used all over Europe to treat poisonings and to protect the liver, are legal here, but not well known. This is because, as a natural product, there is no way to patent it. Without being able to exclude others from selling it, no company can afford to spend the millions it would take to get it approved as a medicine here.
A natural product also can't be marketed heavily. Imagine if a large company spent millions to promote a medicinal herb. As soon as they got the public's attention, all the smaller companies could undercut them on the price, since they spent nothing on marketing, and a plant product is usually the same no matter what the name on the label. No company wants to spend big money on a product they don't have an exclusive right too.
When a plant isn't approved as a natural treatment, there are no pharmaceutical reps out there educating doctors about it (Didn't you know that's how doctors keep educated?). In addition, even if a doctor has read about a useful plant, he is more likely to face a malpractice suit for an allergic reaction to an alternative medicine than from killing someone with a "standard and accepted" treatment. Which do you think he'll recommend?
Companies face the same issues of liability. In addition, the companies are limited in what they can say about these natural products. This is why you can look all over the box that some plant medicines come in, and never once see a mention of what it is for. It is tough to learn about these natural treatments, isn't it?
In other words, if you want to know about alternative medicines and medical treatment, you have to look outside the mainstream for your information. You have to read the magazines that cover these alternatives, and sometimes, when it is safe, you have to even experiment a little on yourself.
As for my own approach, I like to see that there is actually some real research that demonstrates a benefit. Anecdotal evidence doesn't mean much. People get better all the time, and credit whatever they happened to be using at the time. On the other hand, if it is inexpensive and safe, like eating blueberries to improve vision, I'll try almost anything once.
Do natural treatments work? Sometimes. I have twice removed skin growths from my face that may have even been pre-cancerous. They were there for many years, yet it took just weeks to make them disappear using a simple and cheap natural product. I have also witnessed the fastest healing of a cut (on my foot) that I've ever seen, after applying a common plant to it. Some alternative medicines really do work.
A human life is a priceless gift of God. The Lord does not have a greater gift than this to give his beloved creatures. Its specialties and potentials are so extraordinary that its results can only amaze us. This gift has been given to us to fulfill divine goals. But it is our ill-fate that we have forgotten our divine nature, God’s gift and the goal/ importance of a human life. Neither do we know our divine potential, nor the Lord’s goal, wisdom or meditation. We are straying far away in this dark, gloomy world. This forgetfulness is strange. People generally forget objects and also what they have read, heard etc. A person whom we had known in the past is now a stranger for us, since we have forgotten him. But it is rare to find a person who forgets himself. We think ourselves to be a body with name and form. We desire what our mind desires, we look upon the body’s needs as our own need.
The body and mind are the 2 wheels of the chariot of our life. But we have totally forgotten that we are the soul and not the body. No doubt we hear time and again that the body is different from the soul. But it is very rare that someone actually experiences this fact. And even if we experience it, it is in a very hazy manner. If we understand true reality and the difference between the life-force and peripherals that manifests in our consciousness, we will give prime importance to soul well-being. We would give only that much importance to material objects as is required. Today we are walking with feet devoid of shoes and decorate our cars with frills of gold. We are dying of hunger and give clarified butter to vehicles. “We” means the soul and vehicle means body or mind. The Lord is serving his servants. It is indeed strange that he has forgotten his responsibility.
ATTAINING THE SOUL’S GOAL
The goal of life is to attain self-fulfillment. This self-fulfilled state can only be at the level of divinity. In order to attain God, the mind should get concentrated on him. Before constructing important buildings, their maps, plans and models are designed. An engineer, architect etc. will build buildings based on these models. An image of God with his qualities, activities and nature is carried out for the purpose of meditation. As a result one experiences nearness, oneness and a sense of merging of God. This is the true nature of meditation.
The goal of true meditation is to regain our lost memory regarding our real nature. If someone happens to regain it, it is definitely akin to a man coming out of a very scary dream. It is only then that one experiences a condition akin to a child being lost in a massive crowd or like that of a man who has lost the memory of his identity. Those undergoing such anguish, experience a great loss and they hurt their near and dear ones. Since we have lost our memory (that we are the mighty soul and not the body), our condition is as demeaning as a baby lion being brought up in a family of goats. As a result we are giving pain to our true nature, which is divinity.
The goal of Yoga of meditation is to overcome loss of memory i.e. to awaken to the fact that we are the soul and not the body. In that one remembers God and one experiences one’s soul nature. The memory of the union of a living being (Jiva) and God (Brahman) is re-activated and one experiences, that this very Divine Power contact was broken by us, is in reality our Divine Mother and Benefactor. Not only this but like the proverbial wish-fulfilling cow (Kamadhenu), it is so powerful that by drinking its nectarine milk, we attain divinity. By sitting in the shade of a wish-fulfilling tree (Kalpavriksha) one can attain anything. After contacting, coming close to that Divine Centre, one does not lack anything and thus we can overcome all types of poverty. Thus Yoga of Meditation helps us attain this goal.
CONCENTRATION
It is not something great to attain Divine Powers. It should be protected from any type of wastage and should never be misused. The benefits of attaining Divine Powers are encountered when they are gathered in a safe place and that they are utilized only for sacred tasks.
As a result of heat, a lot of water of the oceans gets converted to steam. So much steams rises into the atmosphere from cooking gas, fire etc. All this goes in waste. But in an engine, a little bit of water is converted to steam. This steam is not allowed to stray in the atmosphere and is in fact collected in a tank. Later its energy flow passes out of a small hole and reaches the piston. As a result of this small process, the engine of a train starts functioning. Not only does it move but it runs at a great speed. Its movement is so powerful that it tugs alongwith it many other compartments at a high speed.
If tons of gun powder are spread out on the ground and lit with a match-stick, it will show a little light for a flash of a moment and then get burnt to ashes. This is a total wastage and is of no use to us. But if it is enclosed in a small area of a gun and by pressing the trigger a little, sparks of fire touch the gunpowder, this infinitesimal gunpowder gives amazing results. The bullet runs at a mammoth speed to its target. Wherever it lands, it topples that object. One can thus clearly note the difference between just lighting up tons of gunpowder with a matchstick and on the other hand, lighting up a minute amount of gun powder in a gun.
The rays of sun light are scattered all over the earth. Daily the sun rises and then sets in the evening. This sunlight can give only a little heat and light to us. But if a few sunrays are concentrated on paper using a special lens, the paper starts burning. If it is thrown in a huge jungle, a forest fire ensues which destroys that entire area to ashes.
During Draupadi’s Swayamvar (choosing you own groom), the condition for getting married to her was that the prospective bridegroom should pierce the eye of a bird placed at a distance with an arrow. Dronacharya was helping his students to master this art. Before his students aimed an arrow, Dronacharya would ask them as to what they were seeing. On an average the students would say that are seeing a bird on the tree. As a result Dronacharya would declare that such students would never succeed. When it was Arjun’s turn, he answered that I can only see the bird’s eye and nothing else. Thus Dronacharya declared that Arjun would definitely succeed. Truly at the Swayamvara ceremony of Draupadi, Arjun pierced the eye of the bird with one single arrow and thus got married to Draupadi.
It is said that a flying creature called a buzzing bee catches hold of a caterpillar and continues to buzz in front of it. As a result of continuously hearing the buzz of the bee and visualizing the bee’s form, the mental state of the caterpillar becomes that of a bee. The caterpillar starts thinking itself to be a buzzing bee. As a result the body of the caterpillar takes the shape of a buzzing bee instead of a grown up butterfly. Zoologists may doubt this but it is a definite fact that whenever man concentrates/ focuses his mind on a particular name and form, his mind too takes up the name, form and characteristics of that object. As a result of focusing her mind on beauty and youth, a prostitute regains her beauty to a great extent at an advanced age too. On the other hand, many young men and women look aged because their minds are all the time thinking of hardships and dire circumstances. All this is a result of focusing one’s mind on a particular good/ bad thought. This could be intentional or unintentional.
Spiritual concentration means to stop the mind from straying away from its center and that after focusing one’s Divine Powers at one central focal point, one should utilize the same for sacred endeavors only. This is called control of mind or focusing of the psyche in spiritual texts. A lot of discussion takes place regarding Yoga of Meditation. It should be surmised as an art of concentrating one’s mind. When we hear about it, its success seems mediocre but in reality, it is a great achievement. When one masters this art, man by focusing his scattered conscious energy in one place, utilizes it for some sacred purpose and thus attains amazing success.
Water is filled in dams. But when it is ejected from a small opening, a stream of it flows at break neck speed because of water pressure generated by the dam. This flow has extraordinary energy. Its influence aids the movement of wheels of many machines and as a result these machines start moving. The construction of huge electric powerhouses takes place near gigantic dams. It is very expensive to generate electricity using engines and machines but hydroelectricity is cheaply operated near dams. Near smaller waterfalls, you have water mills. The resultant energy is not due to the stream of water but it is due to its concentration. By focusing a widespread area in a smaller area, you generate power.
The aim of Yoga of Meditation is to concentrate mental thought scattering in one small area of thought. The more an individual succeeds in concentrating his mind, the more his psyche will radiate with power. Like an arrow of word, it is easy for him to attain his goal. If spirituality is his aim, he will advance spiritually and his psyche will radiate with Ridhi-Sidhi or what are called Divine Powers. If the aim is material progress, we will attain this goal too. In whichever appropriate direction this energy is used, it will reap good dividends.
Concentration/ focusing means overcoming the wasteful scattering of the thought waves of our mind. By obstructing the water flow of a small stream, a dam is created and thus a small pond, lake is created. Then artificial streams are created from this lake which give water to far off arid regions. If this stream were not converted into a dam, it would have lashed at the shores and caused wasteful flooding in surrounding regions. This would lead to material destruction in that region. One should not look upon the thought flow in our mind as less important when compared to a hydroelectricity generator. The power of an electricity powerhouse is limited and can transmit electricity to a very limited region in its vicinity. But this cannot be said about the mind. Its potential of today can be augmented infinite fold in the future. Its area of influence which is today limited to the family and friends will in future encompass the entire world.
Generally people of great authority like scientists, philosophers, artists, scholars, sculptors, authors, managers, leaders etc are like ordinary laymen. Their body is very ordinary and their minds lack a magical wand. Whatever difference one perceives in them alongwith the miracle of their greatness, is a result of their inner special qualities which in turn are related to the focusing capacity of their mind and their steadfastness in reaching the desired goal. Everybody possesses infinite amount of intellectual energy. To the extent that weak brained individuals too have a lot of radiance. The difference only is this that some have activated this radiance and the rest have not done so. Even a very wise person is like a dead corpse when he is in deep sleep. But on waking up, he manifests his intellectual brilliance. This holds true for the brain too. Due to certain circumstances, the intellectual powers of some people remains latent and thus look weak intellectually. But if their intellect is activated with effort, not only will they be as brilliant as other wise people but sometimes they will march ahead of them too.
Everyone knows that many threads unite together to form a strong rope and many broomsticks join together to form a broom. Many drops of water constitute a jugful of water. This example is given to accept the fact that by obstructing the wayward scattering of the intellect, one can focus/ concentrate one’s thought waves at a focal point. One can easily understand that wayward scattering of thoughts in various directions diminishes our mental prowess and that if these thoughts are concentrated at one single point, it will give us miraculous mental strength.
By advancing mental concentration, great scientists, Yogis, philosophers etc. enter the deep ocean called the mind and thus collect priceless jewels. Those who just float on the surface of the sea, attain nothing but those who dive deep into it, attain priceless materials. Superficial thinking is like a wayward blade of grass moving aimlessly here and there. On the other hand focusing one’s thought waves at a single point in the psyche via meditation gives miraculous results.
If you have been receiving high electric bill month after month, then be alarmed. You might be using your appliances more what your require them.
Normally, a regular American household would consume between $1500 and $2000 on electric bills alone. If you happen to fall between these figures, then you can consider yourself as a regular homeowner that uses electricity that is not really needed. Why? One reason: You don’t need to spend as much as $2000 a year for energy. And you don’t even have to spend more than that either. You see, a regular household that spends at this amount often wastes power and of course money. And with an increased electric rate, the bills will go even higher.
Vintage Picture of Honeywell's iconic model T87 thermostat, also called "The Round". There is one of these in the Smithsonian. Classic 20th-century Americana. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Want to do some changes?
Then, here are the things you should know. The 5 ways to cut down your home energy consumption:
1. The thermostat control
When you want your room to be super cool because you are sweating from the inside, you simple don’t turn the thermostat super low. Remember this: the thermostat will not run as quickly as you want. It will run on the same level all throughout until it reaches the temperature you set. So whether you gradually switch your thermostat low or instantly set it on its lowest, you will receive the same result. The main difference is, you only spend more energy when you think you can get your room to cool quickly if you set your thermostat low.
Think of it this way: You are driving at 5mph when you suddenly shift to 5th gear. What you will get? More pressure on the pedal with lesser speed gained. In other words, you waste so much gas but do not instant speed.
Also, to further cut down your electric bill, you can set the thermostat several degrees lower when you are out or when you sleep.
2. Several small consumptions add up
Your iPod charger, cellphone charger, and other chargers that are plugged 24/7 can cost you additional digits on your electric bill. This also goes to your night-lights that are switched on all day, all night. Also, your digital clocks and pots that are plugged since brought to the house consume high home energy. The computer monitor that is left on the whole day adds up to your electric bill. All these contribute to the cost you pay for your electric bill. Imagine this: these things that you think do not contribute so much adds 5% on your electric bill.
3. The cool way
You don’t need a warm water to wash your clothes. Oh, you think that warm water kills germs on your clothes. Well, you don’t need them. Settle for cold water. You can save as much as 90% on your washing machine’s electric consumption of you don’t use water heater.
4. Sealing the leaks
Leaks can come from doors, sills, windows, cracks on the walls, and joints. And making sure that these leaks are given proper attention would yield to saving in the long run. Make sure that your doors are closed properly. If there are spaces, seal them. This goes with all the doors from garage doors, exterior doors, operable windows, to door of the attic. Use sealants such as weather strippers. Windows should also be free from leaks. Cover them with plastic coating so that the heat will be contained inside your home. Cracks on the walls should also be sealed. Regular sealants will instantly do the jobs. The reason for doing this is that you need to keep the heat contained inside your home so that the heating system would not need to do extra work due to heat loss from these leaks.
5. Keep them small
If you are dinning alone and would want to warm up left over straight from your fridge, do not use large pots or ovens. Instead, settle for small pots and microwave. Small pots require less heat while microware has use lesser power than oven. Small burner instead of large burner is more ideal in preparing meals for two reason: one, it consumes less electricity, and two, it your air conditioning would not work double time cooling down the room. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, you can save from 30 to 40% on energy cost if you follow these ways.
Aloe vera (in house, Belgium) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Aloe vera is known to be a very popular remedy for lots of diseases. It has also been proven to be effective in curing constipation. The juice that comes from the herb leaf is a good tool to help relax the muscles in the digestive tract. This will help to regulate the movement of the stomach and the rest of the digestive system. It is pretty understandable how aloe vera juice helps with constipation because of the many benefits we get from the herb.
It helps promote regular bowel movements which in turn will relief constipation problems. It also has big effects in the colon. When the colon is always cleansed, the bowel movement will regulate and perform well in the flushing of toxins out of the body. These toxins are actually what cause the constipation.
When there are no bowel and toxins left inside the body, you will always be free of constipation. That is what the aloe vera juice does. It has enzymes that restore the healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. That way, there would be a balance against the bad bacteria that are ruining the movement inside the stomach and the intestines.
There are also findings of how aloe vera juice helps with constipation by healing the damaged walls inside the digestive system. Due to the toxins that are trapped inside, the cell walls are being damaged. If we take aloe vera juice regularly, it will be cured effectively. The antifungal and antibacterial compounds in the herb help treat the damaged areas inside the digestive system. This will help regulate all the movements inside.
To make the aloe vera juice, mix in pure aloe vera gels. You can get these directly from the herb plant. Just cut the leaves open and then take the inside part. Add water to the gel. You can also add some other ingredients like honey to smoothen the taste. By drinking this juice twice each day for about 16 days, you will sure to ease the problems of constipation.
The methods of how aloe vera juice helps with constipation have been used for centuries. Even the Egyptians have used it for the treatment of lots of health problems including constipation. The herb is such a wondrous natural medicine for lots of health problems. What makes it a very efficient healer is that it does not have any side effects. It is a very mild herb that will heal any problem without leaving any damage to the cells.
You also do not have to worry for any damage in the digestive system. It will actually heal all the damaged parts due to the toxins that are trapped inside. After drinking the juice, you will feel healed and cleaned all over.
It's natural for a person to worry about something that they are not informed about. One thing that many people are nervous over is their first acupuncture treatment, especially if they have preconceived ideas about the practice that are inaccurate. Let's talk a little bit about acupuncture, where it came from and what you can expect from your visit to the acupuncturist.
Acupuncture is actually in ancient Chinese medical treatment in which small needles are inserted into specific areas of the body in order to promote a flow of energy throughout our body. This energy, known as Chi is important to keep balanced in order to maintain proper health. By manipulating the flow of Chi in our system, we are helping ourselves to maintain this balance and to enjoy the overall health benefits that come as a result.
The insertion of the needles is relatively painless and is typically totally painless. Many people experience either in exhilaration or relaxation whenever the needles are inserted. They are so thin, much thinner than the typical needles that you see at the doctors office that they don't cause the pain that is typically associated with doctors and needles. Once inserted in the body, they may be manipulated in one way or another or perhaps even heated in order to help with the flow of energy.
Your first visit to the acupuncturist may not actually include any needles at all. Your doctor will want to take the time to get to know you and to understand your particular circumstances so that he can treat you in the proper way. It will also give you the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have on your mind, most of which I'm sure that he has heard and can answer quite easily.
Acupuncture is used for dozens of different problems that people are experiencing from flatulence to severe pain management. Anything that has to do with the natural flow of energy in our body and our overall natural health can be maintained or enhanced through the use of acupuncture. Although it is not a total treatment unto itself, as many acupuncturist will actually also put you on a health regime, it can help individuals in many cases to overcome problems that medical science is unable to handle. So don't be nervous about your trip to the acupuncturist, be optimistic.
Acne is often thought of as a teenage dilemma, and while it is true that acne appears most often during the teenage years, it is arguably just as true that there are a growing number of individuals that suffer from adult acne.
Adults in their twenties, all the way up to their fifties can still experience acne flare-ups. And adult acne can have just as many negative effects on a person as teenage acne. Possibly even more so, as the stress of career and family adds to the strain of living with an unsightly skin problem.
Mental stress can be one of the major causes of acne in adults. It is not a surprise in the slightest that women are often more likely to suffer from adult acne than men, as it has been shown that women have much more stress in their day to day lifestyle, not to mention that they are prone to hormonal imbalances, especially during times such as their menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Just as in teens, hormones play an important factor in the onset and exacerbation of adult acne.
The environmental factors that surround a person, paired with the individual's lifestyle can also play a huge role in the appearance of adult acne. An improper diet or behaviors such as smoking and drinking affect the skin's condition and resistance to acne, as well as other diseases.
Prevention is the only obvious way to go when dealing with adult acne. A proper diet, paired with plenty of water and rest is a good start. Trying to relieve stress and maintaining proper skin care and hygiene can also help to prevent acne from occurring.
But what about the pimples that you may already have? There are many treatments available for people who have adult acne.
Anti-acne medications, certain skin care products, and even laser surgery are just a few of the many treatments available for acne on the market today. Visiting a qualified doctor or dermatologist is the only way to determine how severe your acne really is and to find the proper treament available for you.
Bikram Yoga is widely known as the hot yoga. It was also called the Bikram Method Yoga. As a matter of fact Bikram Choudhury was the founder of Bikram Yoga, but with time numerous wrong styles of spelling bikram yoga got to be used: bickram yoga, bikhram yoga, bikrahm yoga, bikrham yoga, bikrum yoga.
Bikram Choudhury at a book signing.
Bikram Choudhury (born 1946) is a multi-millionaire
Indian yoga guru and the founder of Bikram Yoga, (
It was Bikram Choudhury, that gave yoga solutions to some of modern medical problems. He was the founder and a yoga practician. He evolved Bikram Yoga after he had an injury in a weightlifting accident. He was so tenacious that he had picked up some healing benefits in using some yoga exercises. A lot of people have evidenced the benefits of Bikram Yoga so the exercise was communicated and numerous people proceeded to practice it. There are some people who do not believe in the benefits of Bikram Yoga. Bikram Choudhury developed Bikram Yoga with the assistance of some scientists. While Bikram was on his research at Tokyo University, he brought out that the healing operation takes place when all the body systems are serving well, are conditioned and robust. If the body is weak, employing the yoga practice and healing method will be difficult to obtain.
The scientists from the University of Tokyo University Hospital showed that Bikram Yoga has medical benefits. Some of its benefits include the reviving of tissues and helps in curing chronic ailments. The findings and benefits were submitted at the International Medical Conference in the year 1972. It was expressed that Bikram Yoga has the aptitude to shape the body internally.
Bikram has come up with twenty-six posture exercises which are to be applied every day. In doing so, treatment in the body can be easily obtained. Bikram or hot yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room, which is usually preserved at a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Some poses are collected with the combination of the western and eastern disciplines in Yoga which focuses on the stretching of the muscles, tendons, organs, nerves, glands and ligaments.
So, there are many reasons why you should exercise Bikram Yoga. The rewards of Bikram Yoga can completely modify your life. It's amazing how Yoga can trigger off your life and shift your positions.
In order to be successful with the healing process of Bikram Yoga, you require attachment in doing it. The positions and hot air replenishes the cells with flushing toxins in our body. It also oxygenates blood throughout our body maintaining it clean and healthy.
Anyone who wishes to do yoga can use Bikram Yoga. It chooses no age at all. This type of yoga works with balancing, stretching and creating pressure which is all done at a same time to keep a good blood flow to all the parts of the body. So next time when you don’t know if it is bickram yoga, bikhram yoga, bikrahm yoga, bikrham yoga, or bikrum yoga, just say hot yoga.
The writer Wayne Cameron is really interested in subjects associated to Yoga poses. Working on his Yoga writings on Bikram Yoga the columnist confirmed his deep knowledge on the topic.
Jesus drives out a demon or unclean spiri (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Just about everyone these days has heard about ' demon possession ', it was made a household name by the 1973 movie ' The Exorcist ', and again it has become popular after the 2005 movie ' The Exorcism Of Emily Rose '. To myself and thousands of others, we have known and believed in demon possession for a long time from another source, the Holy Bible. The Bible written in sections or books, some more than a couple thousand years ago, tells us all we need to know about demon possession and that it is a very real condition.
In this day and age, when you mention demons or demon possession, most folks laugh or joke about it. Do these same folks laugh and joke about the Holy Bible ? To laugh and joke about the belief of demons and demon possession, is the same as laughing and joking about the Holy Bible and the word of God. If you are a true Christian and you believe in the Holy Bible as being the divinely inspired word of God, then you should have no doubts about the existence of demons and demon possession.
What are demons ? Demons are supernatural beings with great power and knowledge, their knowledge comes from not just their high intelligence, but the fact that they have been alive since before the earth was created. They are often called or known as ' fallen angels ', in fact that is exactly what they are. When satan rebelled against God, he along with his followers, (1/3 rd of the angels of heaven), were cast out of the Third Heaven, where God's throne and the actual city or place called Heaven currently exists. These ex-angels, now called ' demons ', were banished forever from the 3rd heaven where they once worshipped God and his son Jesus. Now for thousands of years, they have been condemned to live in what is called heavens 1 and 2, this area encompasses the planet earth, the sky above it, the stars, planets and the solar systems beyond it.
Demons are usually invisible in their natural state to the human eye, but they can take on any solid form they wish, and then we can see them. Demons can appear as wips of what looks like smoke, lasting only a few seconds, or at other times they look like fleeting shadows, often seen out of the corners of the eyes. They can take on any shape they choose, even an animal, they can appear solid or transparent and ghost-like.
What does the Bible tell us about demons and some of their abilities:
1. Demons seem to desire a body to possess or use as a host, like a parasite. It could be that when they were cast down from Heaven that they were changed into another form, or they just have a strong desire to control and cause as much trouble to humans as they possibly can. In ' Mark 5:12 ', when Jesus was exorcising demons from a possessed man, the demons spoke to Jesus and begged him, saying: ' Send us among the herd of pigs; allow us to go into them '.
2. Demons have great strength. In ' Luke 8:29 ', a man was possessed by demons, and while possessed he was able to break chains easily, the demons also made the man want to dwell among graves and lonely places.
3. The demons are responsible for many of the diseases and illnesses that people have. In ' Luke 11:14 ' , a man that had been mute and unable to speak, became able to speak normaly when Jesus removed a demon from him.
What are some causes of demon possession ? Sin. yes, sin is the cause or thing that leads to someone being controlled and ultimately possessed by demonic forces:
1. Abuse - Some folks claim they were abused as children, and this has brought them under the control of demons.
2. Occult Activity - Reading and trying spells and other things in occult books.
3. Spirit communication - Using an ouija board, channeling, or automatic writing, is an open door to demon possession.
4. Astrology and Fortune Telling - Using ones horoscope or visiting a fortune teller to know the future is wrong according to the bible, clearly a warning that demonic forces are involved with it.
5. Music and Movies - Movies and music can be fun and inspirational, but most of the movies today are very sinful. Todays movies are full of such sinful things as sexual encounters that are out of marriage or with the same sex, cussing or using Jesus's name in vain, and there are numerous movies these days that show or try to let us think that dabbling with spells, sorcery and witchcraft are ok, when the Bible clearly says that any witchcraft or sorcery is wrong and can open the door to demon forces.
6. Sexual perversions - Pornography is very addicitve and often leads to more and more perverted sexual desires, such as same sex encounters and sex with animals which is growing more and more in todays perverted world, all of which is evil and wrong according to the Bible and Jesus. Demons can use these filthy and perverted desires to weaken our wills and mental states, until we allow them to enter us, and possess us.
There are many other activites and things that can ultimately lead to someone becoming possessed and controlled by demon forces, but the main cause is sin.
There are a lot of folks that say demon possession is just symptoms of either a mental illness or some other medical condition, or sickness. This can be true at times when the person does have a medical problem, but in a true case of demon possession, there will be signs or activity that NO sickness or disease can manifest, such as:
1. Knowledge of future events and hidden things - Demon possessed people have been known to gain a sudden knowledge about things that was never shared with others, or to even reveal future events that come true.
2. Superhuman strength - Possessed individuals have been known to break ropes, chains and other restraints with ease, and it often takes up to 4 full grown men to hold a demon possessed child down.
3. Speaking in unknown or strange languages - Demon possessed inviduals who have no prior knowledge of foreign languages have been known to start taking fluently in strange languages or foreign tongues, such as Aramaic, Latin and other languages.
4. Levitation and Psychic Powers - Demon possessed individuals have been known to levitate and hover in the air in front of other witnesses, or cause objects in the room to move by themselves.
5. Smells - Often in the presence of a demon possessed individual the surrounding air will become so horriblly smelling that folks will get sick, the smell has been described as the smell of cancer or death, or even sulphur.
6. Reaction to Holy relics or sacred items - Demon possessed individuals have been known to fear or even react violently to crosses, bible reading, holy water or other sacred relics and symbols. In one case of demon possession in pennsylvania in the early 1980s a young man, who was possessed had his head covered with a sack, so he could not see. He held his hands behind his back and a few different items were placed in his hands, when a cross was dropped into his hand, it burned his skin and became hot to others that touched it.
The best way to avoid demon activity and possession in your life is to avoid sin as much as possible. Read your bible as often as you can, go to a nice bible believing church, and most importantly, accept Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour, repent of your sins, and try not to sin like you did before your conversion.
As we are now living in what I call the ' End Times ', we will be seeing and hearing a lot more news about possession and demon activity. If you would like to know a lot more about the ' End Times ', and read some great Christian articles on such subjects as 'Being Saved, Armageddon, The Rapture, and much more, visit the website: ' Signs Of The End Times '
This is a question that every parent of an Autistic child will ask at some point. The answer is no. There is no cure for Autism. While you may see ads for books, or products that promise a cure for Autism, they are misleading you. Autism has no cure. There are lots of treatments that can make living with Autism easier.
Birthday of an autistic child. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here are some of the treatments that help with Autism.
Therapies
There are several types of therapies that can help with the treatment of Autism. Occupational, physical, behavioral, speech, music, sensory, drug, play, and many other types of therapy can make a big difference in the life of an Autistic child. The therapies will not cure your child's Autism. They will just help teach them different ways of coping with it.
Alternative Treatments
Natural and alternative treatments are on the rise. These can include the use of herbs instead of prescription medications. The herbs do not have the side effects found in traditional medicines. Vitamin and mineral supplements are being found to help in treating Autism. Always notify the doctor of any natural products you are using with your child. Some herbs can have interactions with prescription medications. Remember again these herbs and vitamins are not cures. They are just to help with some of the symptoms of Autism.
Nutritional Methods
Some people turn to the diet when treating Autism. They eliminate certain foods that could cause sensitivities. Some of the foods the remove from the diet are Gluten, dairy, and artificial dyes. The idea behind this method is that removing the foods that cause sensitivities will remove the behavior problems. You can have your child tested for food allergies. Ask your child's doctor about allergy testing. This will let you know if your child could be having behaviors due to a food allergy. It will also give you an idea of which foods to eliminate from their diet.
There is no cure for Autism, but there are lots of treatments that can help with some of the symptoms. When trying a new treatment only try one at a time. This will let you know if it is helping or not. Allow enough time for the treatment to work. Usually two or three months is enough time to tell if a new treatment is working. There will be no miracle treatments that give immediate results. If you are using a herbal or vitamin treatment inform the doctor. They need to be aware of the things you are trying. Herbs and vitamins can cause reactions with other medicines. It is important that the treatment team be kept informed and on the same page. This will make your child's outcome a more positive one.
Do not waste your money on products that claim to cure Autism. If there was a cure available it would be told to you by your doctor, instead of some guy on a late night infomercial. Continue to help your child by treating the symptoms of Autism. This will help your child have a better life.
Though mentalism has its roots in the 1500's, only in up to date years has it gained worldwide popularity. The famous pioneers of mentalism were great men like Uri Gellar, Richard Osterlind with more recent blood like David Blaine and Criss Angel bringing mentalism sorcery into the main line.
Some of the mentalism masters are:
Uri Geller in Moscow (Russia) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Uri Gellar, Born Gyorgy Geller in 1946 is an Israeli-British performer and self-proclaimed mystic, though he likes the term 'mystifier' than mystic. His claim to celebrity came after his performance in a chain of broadcasted shows where he seemed to demonstrate psychokinesis, dowsing, and telepathy. His routine included bending spoons, describing concealed drawings, and making watches stop or run quicker.
Geller asserted he performs these attainments through willpower alone and the strength of his mind. He claims his accomplishments are the result of paranormal powers, and also claimed during the '70s that his mystic capabilities were awarded to him by extraterrestrials.
Richard Osterlind is an internationally famous mentalist who has made many wizardry tricks and mentalist routines at length in use by the mentalism masters of today. His Mind Mysteries video documentary is considered by many to be the pre-eminent instructional video for learning the art of mentalism.
Richard Osterlind has been performing for over thirty years for top companies around the world, and also appeared in Monte Carlo, Britain, Bermuda and Beijing. He's one of the highest paid mentalists working today.
David Blaine is an American wizard and endurance artist. He's famous for his highly visible deeds of endurance, e.g. Buried Alive, Frozen in Time and Vertigo. Blaine has additionally made his name as a performer of street and close-up wizardry. He has set and damaged many world records.
Blaine has perfected the new sort of mentalism, a mixture of psychological wizardry and street sorcery which appeals to a more larger audience. Though his mentalism feats appear not possible and wonderful to the untrained eye, many have discovered how his more well known tricks like his levitation and mind reading tricks are performed.
Another Mentalist and stage performer is Criss Angel. Riding on David Blaines recognition and the world's new obsession with mentalism and street wizardry, Angel's large personality and fashion sense has received him more fans than his performances.
He is famous for his massive television specials and collaborations with Acrobatics group Cirque Du Soleil.
Angel is also renowned for debunking what he considers as fake acts. Featured on one of his Mindfreak shows he showed how tarot card readers and psychics do what they do by putting himself in their shoes and showing the audience that its simply a matter of knowing what to claim to the audience and twisting their words around a little bit.
The average teen with an interest in these humanities these days has a good chance of making it as a great mentalist. To benefit from the mentalism masters there is plenty of literature, tutorial videos and everything else you want available on the net, it is not impossible.
With a lot more folk getting inquisitive about mentalism and psychological wizardry, and with so many resources available for budding mentalists, doubtless this is just the beginning for this new found branch of sorcery.
Freehand cherry blossoms and koi fish. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Go Through This List Before You Get a Tattoo!
Trendy tattoos have a history of ending up becoming regretful tattoo choices. Make sure your ink will hold some personal meaning to you.
Your Design Choice. Have you researched to find the best design? Don't just go into a parlor and pick the first thing you find. Rather go to an online tattoo book site and browse through all the latest and highest quality designs available. This way you won't have any regret and can be ensured you are getting a top notch tattoo design.
Body Placement. Go over this several times. Make sure you have found the ideal spot on your body that your tattoo will work best on, and that this is the spot where you want ink placed. So often guys and gals regret the body placement of their ink after the fact because they didn't take body placement as serious as they should have.
Tattoo Parlor. Take your design and go to a few tattoo parlors. See how confident they are in being able to ink on your design. Get friend recommendations. Ask around for different experiences. If you see some great ink on someone in your town, don't be afraid to ask who their artist is.
Do you really want a tattoo? This is just a way to give yourself a final out and ensure that this is a decision, and a design, that you can live with for the rest of your life. It's a big decision, but as long as you are confident within yourself, and your decision is based on who you are and not on trendy reasons then you should be good to go!
Throughout the 70’s and 80’s Hudson was totally perplexed by a substance he could not identify… Please let me explain. David was a highly successful Arizona farmer and in the 70’s began a gold mining enterprise on his land as a hedge against inflation and to attract various tax benefits. During mining he found what was commonly known to old miners as ‘Ghost gold’…However the more he mined the more accumulated, so much so it was actually reducing his precious metal output therefore he had a vested interest to investigate same. Over the next 10 years his ‘ghost gold’ frustration grew and grew.
An Alchemical Laboratory, from The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This material:
1. When dried and exposed to direct sunlight would ‘explode’ in a flash of intense light but with NO force.
2. Was entirely resistant to any normal form of chemical analysis. He later found they had no real chemistry BUT did have resonance he learnt to manipulate.
3. Was also resistant to normal spectrographic analysis to identify its constituents although in time a method was adopted from Russian spectrographic research to identify it.
4. When purified and heated would lose weight with unchanged volume.
5. On cooling could either gain or lose weight, again with the same volume.
6. At some stages of heating would actually disappear then return when cooled again.
7. Could be made to ‘disperse’ simply by approaching the stuff with the magnetic field surrounding your hand…As you could imagine his frustration knew no bounds.
Patents and Science. During the 80’s things began falling in to place coming via two disparate arenas: Russian Spectrographic analysis and Superconductivity theory. Firstly, during normal spectrographic assays he found the usual method of the ‘30 second burn’ for normal metal determination had to be extended out to the standard Russian method of ‘300 seconds’ for identification. From this he found his ‘Ghost gold’ actually consisted of huge amounts of the ‘Platinum group’ of elements being Rhodium, Ruthenium, Palladium, Platinum, Osmium, Iridium and Gold. However as American precious metal assayists did not believe him, he managed to refine elemental Rhodium whilst convincing the management of General Electric (G.E.) to let him use 'his purified metal' in their Fuel cells and jet engine systems.
He reasoned that if these devices could only work in the presence of Rhodium then if there was metallic rhodium in his refinements, and the G.E devices worked, then this would ‘once-and-for-all’ prove his decades of work. As you can probably no doubt tell, his rhodium did work in these applications.
After he developed a method to isolate all these elements, in 1989, he was in a position to lodge world patents describing his method in at least 7 different European countries and even one in Australia.
‘Strange substances explained’
Secondly, it was one thing to identify his elements, it was quite another to explain their odd behaviour.
During discussions with some leading American physicists, notably the eminent Hal Puthoff, David learned the only thing that could explain their behaviour was the 1970’s discovery of Superconductivity and some late 80’s physicist ‘Transition element’ discoveries. [To jump a long way ahead, Hudson tells that the US Navy, through the use of SQIDS (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) could actually see cells communicating to each other…Hudson suggests it is these ORMUS elements which allow for this communication. Therefore Hudson postulates that as superconductors carry electrons as light then it is LIGHT that communicates one cell to the other (see below)].
Later, during ‘Thermo-gravimetric’ analyses (a highly specialised controlled heating apparatus) Hudson observed that at different temperatures these elements exhibited ‘odd’ properties (points 4 - 7 above). From these observations he believed he witnessed what physics was beginning to describe as ‘transition metal group (the platinum group fall into this) super deformed nuclei’. What physicists observed was that in various conditions these transition elements actually began to ‘turn-in-on-themselves’ and in this state exhibited no chemical reactivity, defying the normal metallic element behaviour from which they sprang.
This non-interactivity was explained because as the nucleus elongated it began interacting with it’s own surrounding valence electrons thereby blocking reactions to other elements. Physicists also described these metals exhibited ‘ceramic-like powdery’ properties. Hudson/Puthoff later deemed these deformed and non-deformed nuclei metals as going into 2 phases, High and Low spin states and whilst in this state, acted as a single atom- viz: displayed quantum (atomic) properties in the ‘macro’ (physical) form... In Physics this quantum observation is VERY, VERY special.
Further, these High Spin state metals exhibited the weight and invisibility anomalies that could only be explained via Superconductivity theory of which Hal Puthoff’s theories predicted. Also Puthoff predicted these elements SHOULD already exist in nature but orthodox, chemical based science could not prove their existence [Hudson tells us these things do exist in much of the foods we already ingest… Indeed he attributes much of the therapeutic benefits of food juices and herbs down to these elements.]
NOTE: A superconductor essentially is a carrier of light in the form of paired electrons called ‘Cooper pairs’ andexhibits a ‘Meissner’ field -(Like a magnetic field)- the strength of which depends upon the ‘amount’ of cooper pairs the superconductor contains.
Where is this all leading?…Mysticism? All this theory, physics and superconductivity sounded fascinating BUT what was the ‘bigger picture’ here? How could he use these findings, other than simply get rich on it OR go down in the annals of science? In the early 90’s while pondering it’s significance and reflecting on his US$5 million fifteen-year odyssey, he was approached by a relative waving a book under his nose.
The book described a white powder of gold, being an alchemical extract of various transition metals that allowed element transmutation, invisibility and when ingested, immortality. Hudson was conducting limited experiments on a handful of people who were willing to ingest these products also. What they began to experience was described in many ‘Hindu/eastern mystical practices and austerities’ as a profound increase in psychic sensitivity (clairaudience/clairvoyance), seeing light beings, a strange yet intriguing sound was noted about their head and an energetic constriction about their throats and chest. Therefore his research began to touch upon the eastern mystical arts…. Where was this NOT going to lead?
During this period David found himself thrust into a 600+ book ‘read-a-thon’ that inevitably led him on a literary voyage to ancient Africa, ancient Egypt and a history of the Bible. However Hudson had already begun some literary research of his own, into the Pharaohs of the ‘Old Kingdom’ of ancient Egypt. He learnt that not only were they described as Gods and immortal but that they were fed this ‘what is it’ by their High Priests.
Later he construed that many of the Jews of ancient Egypt were actually metal-smiths and through their foundries manufactured their own ‘What is it’ (Monatomics). Also Hudson asserts that when the English found a way into the ‘Great pyramid’ and whilst opening the Kings chamber sarcophagus found it to be empty save for some white powder. Further, he suggests that of all the structure of the great pyramid is found only one word, ‘BREAD’. Also that the mummies of Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom had never been found…Were they actually immortal? Perhaps this is why they were never found!
So many questions. So many possibilities!
Some more recent history.
The above represents a condensed overview of a 9 hr video tape, witnessed by the author some seven times in 1997, Hudson made available through one of his 18 North American lectures in the mid 90’s. The tapes were used to promote his efforts to attract people and their monies, gifts andhelp to start production of a plant to produce these elements in bulk. [To the author’s knowledge, his tapes are not available but there are various abstracts on the net] The author has kept relatively abreast of Hudson’s work through the Internet and other sources only to learn that he managed to raise the monies for plant construction but has been thwarted via various natural events being: In 1998, during construction, there was a major chemical spill and the EPA forced him to relocate, setting him back 18 months and Following this, David had a heart attack requiring 6 bypasses with complications but to all reports has recovered OK.
[To my knowledge, no material has been distributed to members to date.] Our comments. It is the year 2006 and it is my view that Hudson’s work will prove to be profound probably affecting most areas of life, as we know it as well as opening new vistas to the human experience. Further, the quantum sciences of Superconductivity and quantum tunnelling, Bose-Einstein Condensates, and more, will all be needed to explain this emerging branch of physics to describe this ancient alchemy which will further lead to the scientific understanding of mysticism and indeed spirit itself.
Glen Rees BSc, ND. Certified full-time practising Naturopath and spiritual seeker since 1982. For more information please visit http://www.highertruthhealth.com.au
