Happiness Boosters

Joe Vitale, PhD

Hypnotic Marketing, Inc.

ost people say they want to be happier, but how can they get there when they’re focused on what’s wrong instead of what’s right? Here’s terrific advice from Joe Vitale, PhD, president of Hypnotic Marketing, Inc. (www.mrfire.com), and author of Life’s Missing Instruction Manual (Wiley)...

Don’t listen to negative self-talk. You can’t stop your thoughts, but you don’t have to listen to them. When a troubling thought intrudes, remind yourself that "it’s just a thought, and I can let it go." You may need to enlist a friend or coworker to keep an ear open for negative comments. Ask him/her to ask you, "Do you really believe that?"

Focus on the positive. There is no rule that says you must be depressed when life hits a rough stretch. Being unhappy won’t help fix your problems, but it will make your life less pleasant while you endure them.

Don’t look to blame. Blaming others won’t improve your life. Rather than ask, "Whose fault is this?" ask, "What can I do to make the best of this situation?"

Change your ways. Your "nature" is just the role you’re currently playing. If you don’t like being considered argumentative, for example, pick another role. To change your nature, change the way you act. The new behavior might feel phony at first, but keep at it and it can become your nature.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Joe Vitale, PhD, president of Hypnotic Marketing, Inc. (www.mrfire.com), and author of Life’s Missing Instruction Manual (Wiley).

How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage

How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage Steven D. Solomon, PhD t seems that every week we learn about another politician, sports star or celebrity caught having an extramarital affair. But public figures are hardly the only ones guilty of infidelity. Surveys show that between 40% and 60% of husbands and between 30% and 50% of wives will be unfaithful at some point during their marriages. Loneliness is the most common cause of infidelity. Almost everyone who enters into marriage does so intending to remain faithful to his/her partner, but long-term relationships are difficult. Partners often drift apart. The romance and the excitement of the initial period eventually ends. Many people do not know how to recover the closeness of a relationship once it fades, so they look outside the marriage for the fulfillment that they no longer receive at home. The secret to a fulfilling and faithful long-term marriage is maintaining "emotional intimacy" -- openness, trust, communication and caring between partners. When spouses feel this ­intimate closeness, they are unlikely to cheat. Emotional intimacy is not just one skill -- it is a combination of several different abilities... SELF-INTIMACY In order to have an emotionally intimate relationship with someone else, you first must understand your own emotions. Men in particular tend to pay insufficient attention to their emotions. What to do: Take one to two minutes a few times a day to ask yourself three questions -- What emotion(s) am I feeling right now? What specific situation is causing me to feel these emotions? What, if anything, do I need to do about this situation to take care of myself? Example: I'm feeling anger... I'm feeling it because that guy cut me off on the highway... The best thing I can do to take care of myself is let the anger go. Run through these questions two or three times each day for 60 days and you will become much more aware of, and in charge of, your own emotions. CONFLICT INTIMACY All couples fight, but couples with emotionally intimate marriages fight productively. They don't just try to win arguments -- they listen to their partners and come to understand their points of view, even if they do not agree. What to do: When you are at odds with your spouse, try an established technique called Initiator to Inquirer or I to I. One spouse serves as "initiator." This spouse raises a troubling issue and shares his feelings and opinions on the matter. The initiator presents these thoughts as his perspective on the situation, not as the only way to look at it. Example: The wife, as the initiator, says, "I felt hurt because it seemed to me as if you intentionally were trying to hurt my feelings," rather than "You intentionally hurt my feelings." The other spouse's role is "inquirer." He is to repeat back the substance of what the initiator has said to show that he has heard and understood. The inquirer then asks questions that aid in understanding. The inquirer is not allowed to question the validity of the initiator's feelings. When the desire to do so arises (and it will), the inquirer should silently remind himself that "this is not about me... it is only about my partner's perspective on the situation, and it is important for me to understand this perspective." When the initiator has had her say, the partners can switch roles. Avoid distractions during I to I time, and do not try this when one or both of you are exhausted. This will not be a comfortable process at first, particularly if lots of negative feelings exist between you and your spouse. If you practice it two or three times each week for about 20 minutes at a time, it can become a very useful process for working through the marital conflicts that could lead to unhappiness. You and your partner will get good at fighting productively, which will end up bringing you closer. AFFECTION INTIMACY Being in love with your partner is not enough to prevent infidelity. You also must show your love and affection in the ways that your partner needs. Even a well-meaning spouse can run into trouble here if he fails to realize that the type of affection he is providing is not the type that his partner desires. Types of marital affection include... Verbal. How often do you tell your partner that you love him? How often do you express your gratitude for the things your partner does for you? Actions. How often do you do things just because your partner enjoys having them done? This might include buying a gift or doing some favor or chore for the partner that goes beyond your normal responsibilities. Physical (nonsexual). How often do you hold hands, hug or kiss your partner? How often do you provide foot massages or back rubs? Sexual. How often do you have sex with your partner? What to do: Do not assume that your partner desires the same types of affection that you do or that you know what your partner needs because you have been together for years. Come right out and ask your partner what types of affection he/she would like you to provide more often. Get specifics. Then communicate your own needs. Do not take it personally if your partner says you have not shown enough affection. This reflects the partner's personal affection needs, not your own shortcomings. Example: A man thinks he shows his wife plenty of affection by buying gifts, holding hands and helping out around the house. His wife feels he is never affectionate, because she wants verbal affection and he never says, "I love you." If you fail to provide the types and amounts of affection that your partner considers appropriate, your spouse may stray. Provide the desired affection, and your spouse is less likely to seek it from others. To tell or not to tell My patients who have had or are having extramarital affairs often ask me if they should tell their spouses about the affair. I tell them that if the affair is ongoing and you have no intention of ending it, then you must. Infidelity is a major violation of marital trust, and the very least you owe your partner is the opportunity to deal with the violation as he sees fit, whether that means divorce, separation, couples therapy or something else. If your infidelity has ended and you have no intention of repeating it, it might be better to leave the past in the past. Do not confess to unfaithfulness simply because it will feel good to get it off your chest. Telling your spouse could cause more pain and problems than it solves. Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Steven D. Solomon, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in La Jolla, California. He has more than 20 years of experience in couples therapy. www.therelationshipinstitute.org. He is past president of the San Diego Psychological Association and coauthor of Intimacy After Infidelity: How to Rebuild & Affair-Proof Your Marriage (New Harbinger).

Fw: OPEN NOW! NSF $$ Attacked

--- On Sat, 5/23/09, Natural Solutions Foundation <healthfreedomusa@mail.democracyinaction.org> wrote: From: Natural Solutions Foundation <healthfreedomusa@mail.democracyinaction.org> Subject: OPEN NOW! NSF $$ Attacked To: stars2man@yahoo.com Date: Saturday, May 23, 2009, 6:01 PM EMERGENCY NOTICE To All Natural Solutions Supporters: This is an emergency appeal for help and support. No fancy graphics, none of the important information about health and freedom you usually get from our Health Freedom Action eAlerts... just this note to tell you Natural Solutions Foundation is about to be shut down - permanently - through a series of vicious attacks unless you help keep Health Freedom alive.  It's that serious. We were preparing a new Blast and were going to tell you about the exciting news - Dr. Rima's Advanced Medicine organization, which endorses the Natural Solutions Foundation, has just come out against ALL GMOs... we were going to tell you about the growing alliance between health freedom advocates and natural farming groups to fight the (sic) "Food Safety" bills... we were going to tell you about our efforts to secure your right to self-quarantine in the event of a weaponized flu pandemic, instead of being forced to take a vaccine that might kill you... until this vicious attack took place and we had to change our direction from health freedom information and action to making sure Natural Solutions Foundation, the largest and most effective health freedom organization in the world, stays alive.  After all, if Natural Solutions Foundation were not making the kind of headway we are, why would we be attacked?  Why would we be the subject of constant disinformation and why would our funds, and funding, be attacked the way they have been? So instead of news and action steps, we have an emergency to deal with.  It is called "survival".  Right now we have to tell you that we are about to lose access to our internet communication platform, Democracy in Action (DIA), the online facility that lets us send these eblasts to a quarter million people (not counting the several million more to whom they are forwarded).  We also have to tell you that we cannot pay the Natural Solutions Foundation's bills for this month because of this attack.  The money that we intended to pay them with has been taken from our bank account as part of the continuing attack on us, leaving us many thousands of dollars short. We've already told you about the cyber attack we've been under, in which an "attack bot" was sending tens of thousands of fake $1 'donations' to us; and how even though we believe that their system should have caught the obviously fraudulent 'donations' (about which we notified them), the unfriendly corporation known as "authorize.net" decided to charge us ten cents for each fraudulent transaction - even after we purchased their so-called "Fraud Protection Suite" for a montly fee.  That means that the more than 100,000 fraudulent transactions the bot generated have cost us an enormous amount of money.  Authorize.net simply took those disputed charges from the Foundation bank account into which credit card purchases and donations were automatically deposited.  To date they have now taken thousands of dollars from our Foundation bank account, including all of your DIA donations from last month, leaving us with a negative account balance. We can't pay DIA. We can't pay our bills.  We can't attend the Codex meeting in Rome this coming July. Soon we won't be able to communicate with you at all. Why?  Because today we received this note from DIA: "...past due balance ($6,450). This is unacceptable and if the remainder of the two invoices is not paid by the end of this week we will suspend service and potentially terminate our relationship..." That's it folks. Unless we raise about $7,000 immediately to pay DIA, we will be terminated by our communication platform. No more concerted efforts that have had such powerful effects... And unless we raise another $10K to pay our outstanding monthly expenses, and enough money to go to Codex in July, we will be on the outside, looking in... without being there for you. You can see what we've accomplished with your help at: http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=195.  It is really ironic that if everyone reading this email blast did, in fact, what the bot was supposedly doing, making donations of small amounts, we would not have this problem.  The fact is, however, that less than 4% of our primary mailing list readers (and that list is about 1/4 million people) donate.  Of the secondary list -- millions of people (!) a much, much smaller percentage donate.  Yes, they take action, and for that we are most appreciative, but they do not donate.  "Let George [or Jose, or Pierre, or Sasha, or Ng, or Warantai] do it!"  The truth of the matter is that health freedom belongs to every one of us and we need your help, large or small, and we need it now. You will only be able to donate through our PayPal portal since we have shut off the credit card system that uses authorize.net or through sending checks or money orders to us at Natural Solutions Foundation PO Box 722 Maryville MO 64468 We need your help to keep us alive and helping you by carrying out the battle for your health freedom. Please, please give generously today: http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=189. Recurring donations, whatever their size, are urgently needed.  All donations are tax deductible in the US.  Donations are accepted from supporters all over the world. If everyone who normally opens this eblast donates even a few dollars every month, Natural Solutions Foundation will survive. It is up to you.  Is it worth $5 or $10 or more? We believe it is and we urgently hope that you think so, too. Large numbers of supporters open every blast: we need your help now! Among our innovations on your behalf is the thrust to demand the right to self-quarantine if a Pandemic (real or imagined) is called, rather than be forced to take weaponized vaccines for a weaponized virus. So, for as long as our communication platform remains available, send a message to Congress, your Governor and State legislators: we want our right to self-quarantine, in the event of a pandemic, to be legally secured: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27275 Remember, there is no one but you who can make sure that the Natural Solutions Foundation, your health freedom voice, stays alive.  We believe you want us at Codex in July.  We believe you want our Health Freedom Action eAlerts.  We believe you want our information and we believe that you want our Health Freedom Action Steps as part of the vast army of Mouse Warriors riding the Freedom Mouse for your own well-being and the well-being of those you love. Now is the time to show that our belief in you is justified. Help us recover from these devastating attacks and emerge stronger and more powerful than ever.  Codex Commission meeting is coming in July.  We want to be there for you.  Help make sure it happens.  We want to continue to inform and activate the health freedom community. Help make sure it happens. If there is an Angel out there who can help us put our finances back in order, we need you to contact us immediately. Please contact our counsel Ralph Fucetola at ralph.fucetola@usa.net. Please, please give generously today: http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=189. Thank you, each and every one of you, for your donations, large and small.  Each one will help to ensure that the Natural Solutions Foundation survives to continue the battle for YOUR health freedom. Yours in Health and Freedom, Maj. Gen. Albert N. Stubblebine III (U.S. A. Ret.) President Rima E. Laibow, MD Medical Director Ralph Fucetola, JD Counsel Natural Solutions Foundation www.HealthFreedomUSA.org www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org www.NaturalSolutionsFoundation.org www.Organics4U.org www.NaturalSolutionsMarketPlace.org PS: If you are a customer of our virtual stores, www.Organics4U.org and www.NaturalSolutionsMarketPlace.org you probably recieved the following letter from Gail Coba, our wonderful Customer Service lady: From: Gail Coba <marketplaceinfo@gmail.com> Date: Sat, May 23, 2009 at 1:32 AM Subject: An Important Message from Natural Solutions Foundation To: healthoptions@hughes.net Dear Supporters and Customers The Natural Solutions Foundation's Marketplace "online Mall" has been attacked by Credit Card Hackers.  We have had to suspend our credit card processing with Authorize.net.  We do have Pay Pal in place and that system is working fine.  We don't want to put your information at risk, nor ours - so we are asking our customers and supporters to continue their patronage using the Pay Pal system for now.  We are investigating the security of other systems for those of you who prefer another option. We plan on bringing a more secure online system into place very very soon.  We will dispatch another email to you personally to advise you. Please know that this change is necessary only because fraudulent charges were being tested in the Natural Solutions account.  We found that with all the security features in place, that the real orders received, were being rejected along with the fraudulent orders. We truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, however it is a necessary step to insure our security and we will correct this situation as soon as possible.  If you have a monthly recurring charge on your credit card - that is not with Pay Pal, please contact me immediately.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me.  Thank you for your patience with this concern. Gail Coba Marketplace Operations Natural Solutions Foundation - Dr. Rima Laibow marketplaceinfo@gmail.com ------------------------ Unsubscribe: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/healthfreedomusa/unsubscribe.jsp Manage subscription: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/profile/login.jsp?redirect=%2Fo%2F568%2Fprofile%2Findex.jsp

Leaked Agenda: Bilderberg Group Plans Economic Depression - United for Freedom

United for Freedom

Love is the Only Engine of Survival..

• Added by FreedomFighter2012 on May 11, 2009 at 7:33pm

Leaked Agenda: Bilderberg Group Plans Economic Depression

Elitists divided on whether to quickly sink economy and replace it with new world order, or set in motion long, agonizing depression

Mother's Day Procolamation, Julia Ward Howe

Mothers' Day Proclamation: Julia Ward Howe, Boston, 1870

Mother's Day was originally started after the Civil War, as a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who had lost their sons. Here is the original Mother's Day Proclamation from 1870, followed by a bit of history (or should I say "herstory"):

......................................

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.

Julia Ward Howe
Boston
1870

Thank You Jesus Christ for Creating The Way of Your Word!

eAlert: Pandemic… Be ProActive and Take Some Steps to Feel Less Helpless

eAlert: Pandemic… Be ProActive and Take Some Steps to Feel Less Helpless: "But there is also little doubt that there is no reason to have declared a “Health Emergency” in the US for a disease which has impacted fewer than 20 people and killed none of them. What pandemic? Who pandemic? Could it be that this pandemic is a totally orchestrated event to make sure that there is an excuse for closing down those few liberties and constitutional rights which still exist after the last devastating 8 years? The “left neocons” continuing the process the “right neocons” started?"

SCAM SCAM SCAM - CREATE FEAR FEAR FEAR...

"Bear in mind that once a global pandemic is declared, just as the US assumes supreme dictatorial powers through Patriot I, II, III, BARDA and other legislation, Executive Orders and Homeland Security Directives, and as the States assume similar powers through the Emergency Medical Powers Acts, passed at the urging of the Homeland Security cabal, so the UN will, according to already prearranged agreement, become the supreme political governing force on the planet."

Publications — Compete.org

Publications — Compete.org: "Publications"

The Council on Competitiveness was founded in 1986 during a time when the United States was facing its most dire economic challenges since the end of World War II. The country had slid from being the world's largest creditor to its largest debtor, its position as a global leader in technology and innovation was declining and American industries were losing market share to international competitors. To meet these mounting challenges, two-dozen industrial, university and labor leaders joined together to found the Council, a forum for elevating national competitiveness to the forefront of national consciousness.

The 21st century poses new challenges to American competitiveness–globalization, high-speed communications, enterprise resilience and energy sustainability issues are forcing organizations at all levels to rethink and redefine how U.S. companies will remain competitive. After two decades, the Council on Competitiveness continues to set an action agenda to drive U.S. productivity and leadership in world markets and to raise the standard of living for all Americans.

THE HAPPINESS STUDY

Use Your Mood to Improve the World

Good health can be both the cause and consequence of being happy. That's why two pioneering scientists wanted to see if they could actually measure how happiness works in groups. What they discovered took everyone by happy surprise -- the happiness of others, even those you don't know, has a direct influence on your happiness.

The coauthor of this novel study on happiness, James Fowler, PhD, told me how the research was done. First his team combed through the records of 5,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, many of whom had identified one another as spouses, friends or neighbors. His team established a happiness baseline for these participants by checking their periodic answers to questions regarding their happiness over the past 20 years (1983 to 2003). Then they used a sophisticated statistical analysis tool to create a map of social connections among the initial 5,000 and other participants within the Framingham study. It showed how one person's happiness rippled like a network, creating a cascade of happiness that increased the likelihood of others being happy too.

They discovered that there were various degrees of influence depending on the degree of social connection and that it was quite predictable. For example, within your social network, the happiness of someone with whom you have frequent and regular personal contact, called an immediate social contact (for instance, your spouse or closest nearby friend), increases the likelihood of your happiness by an average of 15%. The happiness of a second-degree contact (for instance, your closest friend's spouse) increases your chances for happiness by 10%, while the happiness of a third-degree contact (your closest friend's friend's friend) increases it by 6%. In other words, your happiness is directly influenced by strangers.

MORE SPECIFIC LEARNINGS FROM THE HAPPINESS STUDY

• Proximity is key. The closer your happy friends and family live to you, the greater the probability that their happiness will affect you. For example, the happiness of your next door neighbor is more influential than the happiness of a neighbor who lives down the street.

• More social connections adds to your happiness. The bigger your social network of nearby happy friends and family, the greater the likelihood of your happiness.

• Unhappy people cluster together in unhappy networks. As the saying goes, misery loves company.
  

• Whether or not you were happy in the past and whether your social contacts are happy are more important predictors of happiness than your income, gender or education.

• Happiness is more powerful than unhappiness. The happiness of a friend increases the probability of your happiness by 9%... while his unhappiness decreases the chances of your happiness by only 7%.

• It's not fleeting. The impact of another's happiness on your happiness lasts about a year, on average, before fading.

HAPPINESS 2.0: ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS

Dr. Fowler and his coauthor Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, are now looking at the question of whether happiness spreads the same way via the Internet, specifically using the Facebook network. They assumed that those who posted smiling pictures of themselves with smiling friends were happy. Since Facebook automatically tags or uploads your photos to those registered as your "friends," they were able to trace the paths of these happy pictures. They found that smiling friends had photos of other smiling friends and so on and so on. (People who didn't smile in their photos, didn't have photos with friends who smiled, who in turn also didn't have photos of smiling friends.) Again -- happiness begets happiness and the same goes for unhappiness. Next they'll study how contagious online happiness turns out to be.

REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE

Dr. Fowler himself has been moved by his findings. "I think our study shows that the best thing we can do for ourselves is to connect to friends and family," says Dr. Fowler. "I have been personally affected by the study -- I have now seen the evidence that my happiness potentially ripples out and touches the lives of dozens or even hundreds of other people. In this very challenging time, creating a ripple of happiness can result in a tidal wave of change."

Source(s):

James H. Fowler, PhD, professor of political science, University of California-San Diego.

PolitiFact | Sorting out the truth in politics

“I want you to hold our government accountable. I want you to hold me accountable.” — Barack Obama

“Okay, we will.” — PolitiFact

Tracking Obama’s promises

Promise Kept = 20

Compromise = 6
Promise Broken = 3

Stalled = 4

In the Works = 45

No Action = 432

PolitiFact will be tracking Barack Obama’s promises during his presidency and will be rating the progress of each one. >>more

Caffeine: Health Benefits, Health Risks: Health Newsletter

Caffeine: Health Benefits, Health Risks

Date: 3/30/2009
Posted By: Jon Barron

Caffeine -- it's the world's most popular drug. People drink it with alcohol to ramp up the effect. They drink it after alcohol to sober up. They take it to get rid of headaches, cure cancer, and prevent Parkinson's. Then again, the state of California is looking to put warning labels on any product that contains added caffeine. So what gives; is caffeine saint or sinner, miracle drug or prenatal nightmare?

In truth, it's all of the above. The devil, as usual when it comes to natural substances, lies in the details. And that's what we're going to explore in this newsletter, the truth behind caffeine.

The world's most popular drug

Pure caffeine is a bitter-tasting white powder that looks a lot like cornstarch. It is moderately soluble in water at body temperature and readily soluble in boiling water. It was first isolated from coffee in 1820, after which it was quickly recognized that the mood-and-behavior-altering properties of both coffee and tea depended upon caffeine. Whether it's in the form of coffee, tea, chocolate, kola nut chewables, guarana, or yerba matte, hundreds of millions of people around the world (including 90% of Americans) start their days with a jolt of caffeine or use a jolt during the day to keep them "going." And yet, almost no one who consumes it knows much about it. As a point of clarification, not all forms of caffeine are the same. Depending on what other alkaloids and antioxidants come with it or how it's bound with fiber, the "caffeine experience" can be quite different from beverage to beverage. Each caffeine complex actually has a different name depending on its source such as guaranine as found in guarana, mateine as found in mate, and theine as found in tea. Another point of distinction is that not all caffeine is actually caffeine. Chocolate, for example, contains theobromine, a very close relative of caffeine -- but only 1/10 as stimulating.

Although caffeine is not addictive in the same sense that many hard drugs can be considered addictive, it definitely affects the brain and body and stimulates them in a manner similar to the amphetamines such as cocaine. They all work by blocking adenosine's ability to slow nerve cell activity in preparation for sleep, and instead increase the speed of nerve cell activity and of the neuron firing in the brain. (The caffeine molecule is structurally similar to adenosine, and binds to adenosine receptors on the surface of cells without activating them -- an "antagonist" mechanism of action.) And if this were not enough by itself to keep you awake, the increased neuron firing in the brain causes the pituitary glands to release hormones that tell the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline, which gives your body a boost, so it can remain active and alert.

Another effect of blocking adenosine is that it causes blood vessels in the brain to constrict, which also serves to prevent the brain and body from sleeping. (As a side note, it's probably worth mentioning that the ability of caffeine to close blood vessels in the brain is why many pain relievers contain caffeine. If you have a vascular headache, the caffeine in Anacin, for example, will shut down the blood vessels, thus easing the pain.) And finally, both caffeine and cocaine increase dopamine production in the brain, so you experience a temporary "high." Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates "pleasure centers" in the brain and, quite simply, makes you feel "good." Naturally, the pleasurable effect produced by dopamine manipulation plays a major role in caffeine addiction.

And speaking of addiction, as I mentioned in the last paragraph, caffeine is not an addictive drug in the same sense as cocaine and/or heroin. Nevertheless, because of caffeine's role as an adenosine antagonist, anyone who consumes as little as 300 mg of caffeine a day (the equivalent of just 3 cups of drip coffee) will suffer withdrawal symptoms if they abruptly cut off their caffeine supply. The problem is that the bodies of individuals who regularly consume caffeine adapt to the continual presence of the drug by substantially increasing the number of adenosine receptors in the central nervous system in an attempt to compensate. This is known as the "tolerance effect." This makes the body much more sensitive to adenosine -- and consequently less sensitive to caffeine. In effect, this forces you to consume more and more caffeine over time to get the same stimulatory effect. On the other hand, any reduction in caffeine intake will effectively increase the normal physiological effects of adenosine because there are now so many more receptor sites created by the caffeine in the first place. The problem is that as caffeine clears those sites, they will be free to take in adenosine, but at an accelerated rate because there are so many more of them. The net result is unwelcome withdrawal symptoms including fatigue, depression, irritability, tremors, jumpiness, not to mention deprivation of deep sleep, and, of course, headaches, as the blood vessels in the brain begin to once again dilate.

Caffeine facts

Thanks to the popularity of energy drinks, caffeine is now omnipresent, but its level of concentration can vary widely. A piece of chocolate may contain as little as 5mg, whereas some energy drinks may contain as much as 160 mg. And for that matter, some medications and diet pills can run as high as 200 mg of caffeine. Buzz city!!!

One of the major problems with caffeine is that it can severely impact sleep patterns. Yes, if you have a morning cup of coffee, 75% of it will clear your body by the time you go to bed. But if you have a couple of cups of drip coffee in the morning, that means you will still be going to sleep with some 50 mg still percolating in your veins -- more than enough to disrupt the depth and quality of your sleep. And if you drink coffee throughout the day, or as an afternoon pick-me-up, the level in your blood at bedtime will climb dramatically. So while, yes, you may yet fall asleep, it is likely the quality of that sleep will not be up to par.

Another problem is that caffeine is a diuretic and can dehydrate you. Some experts claim that the fluid you consume in drinking coffee or energy drinks more than compensates for the fluid you lose through extra urination, but the facts don't bear that out. Claims to the contrary are based on erroneous studies on dehydration and misleading sound bites.

Caffeine and alcohol don't mix -- either while drinking, or for sobering up after drinking. The problem is that caffeine is a stimulant, whereas alcohol is a depressant -- complete opposites. That means that caffeine doesn't negate the effects of alcohol; it only makes you "think" it does. Consuming caffeine creates the impression that you're getting sharper and more sober. But the truth is your reaction time and judgment are still impaired. Mixing alcohol and caffeine make you more likely to have accidents -- either in your car or while operating heavy machinery.

There is also the problem that there are at least 32 epidemiological studies of caffeine that have found an increased risk of adverse developmental or reproductive outcomes. To put that in layman's terms, studies have linked caffeine to both lowered birth weight and a significant increase in birth defects.
And caffeine is a growing problem for kids. The consumption of soft drinks by children has literally doubled in the past 35 years, with soda replacing milk. A 2003 study of Columbus, Ohio middle schoolers found some taking in an astounding 800 milligrams of caffeine a day -- more than twice the recommended maximum for adults of 300 milligrams. And that was in 2003, before the energy drink craze hit full bore. With the advent of energy drinks in the last five years, those numbers have only grown.

So how much caffeine is too much?

According to the Mayo Clinic, for most adults, moderate doses of caffeine -- 200 to 300 milligrams (mg), or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day -- aren't harmful. But heavy use -- more than 500 to 600 mg a day, or about four to seven cups of coffee -- can cause a whole host of problems, including:

• Insomnia
• Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Nausea or other gastrointestinal problems
• Fast or irregular heartbeat
• Muscle tremors
• Headaches
• Anxiety

Caffeine and the law

There's a popular song from the last 40 years that goes, "I fought the law, and the law won." When it comes to caffeine and caffeine enhanced drinks, that may turn out to be remarkably prescient. A couple of years ago, the State of California announced that state environmental health officials were considering whether or not the caffeine found in soda and energy drinks was harmful to your health, especially for pregnant women. In addition, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is considering placing warning labels on caffeine enhanced drinks if California Health Officials actually conclude that caffeine is a harmful substance.

And if that were not enough, the State of Utah announced earlier this month that they are considering taxing caffeine as a new stream of revenue for the state.

Make no mistake -- whether either of these initiatives ever goes live or not is irrelevant. The bottom line is that caffeine is now in legislative crosshairs around the world. Europe already requires a warning label on high caffeine energy drinks, and France has actually banned Red Bull.

Caffeine -- the miracle drug?

So much for the negatives. Caffeine/coffee also has a bright side. At least six studies have shown that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three studies showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research has shown that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of colon and liver cancer by some 25%, slash the risk of skin cancer by some 40%, drop the risk of liver cirrhosis by 22%, and lower the risk of gallstones by nearly half.

Coffee might even offset some of the damage caused by other vices. Some research indicates that people who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't.

There's also some evidence that the caffeine in coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.

And of course, caffeine is widely used for its stimulating and alertness properties, as well as its ability to enhance athletic performance.

Note: not all of the benefits associated with drinking coffee or tea can necessarily be attributed to caffeine. In many cases, they might be specific to the antioxidants found in those beverages (see below).

So, caffeine yes -- caffeine no?

As I mentioned at the top of the newsletter, when it comes to caffeine, the devil is in the details. With that in mind, let me offer my recommendations.

• Natural caffeine is preferable to "added" caffeine. Natural caffeine comes packaged with a number of powerful antioxidants such as:
• Chocolate: flavonoids, procyanidins, epicatechin, cocoa phenols.
• Tea: epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin. Not to mention theanine, which is not an antioxidant, but rather, a profoundly beneficial amino acid.
• Coffee: chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and melanoidins.
• The Mayo Clinic says under 300 mg a day is fine. I set the figure much lower -- at about 100 mg a day. That still allows for 3 cups of green tea a day. The exception to this guideline is that if you take your caffeine bound to fiber, as in guarana (not guarana extract), the caffeine releases over time rather than in powerful bursts, which allows you to consume more without the negative side effects.
• Don't use caffeine as part of a daily ritual such as "every morning" to start the day. Use it selectively, if possible, to get a boost only when needed. And take at least two days off each week -- totally caffeine free -- to allow all caffeine to clear from your body on a weekly basis.
• And as much as possible avoid consuming caffeine while pregnant.

Incidentally, one of the reasons for this newsletter is that this past month has been Caffeine Awareness Month. And speaking of caffeine awareness, check out the caffeine calculator at CaffeineAwareness.org, which will calculate how much caffeine you personally are consuming each day.

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)

13. H.R.1148 : To establish the Food Safety Administration to protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] (introduced 2/16/2007) Cosponsors (22)
Committees: House Energy and Commerce; House Agriculture
Latest Major Action: 2/27/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Monsanto's dream bill, HR 875

To begin reversing GM contamination will require ending the power biotech companies such as Monsanto exert over our government and through that, over our food.

HR 875, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto.

The bill is monstrous on level after level - the power it would give to Monsanto, the criminalization of seed banking, the prison terms and confiscatory fines for farmers, the 24 hours GPS tracking of their animals, the easements on their property to allow for warrantless government entry, the stripping away of their property rights, the imposition by the filthy, greedy industrial side of anti-farming international "industrial" standards to independent farms - the only part of our food system that still works, the planned elimination of farmers through all these means.

The corporations want the land, they want more intensive industrialization, they want the end of normal animals so they can substitute patented genetically engineered ones they own, they want the end of normal seeds and thus of seed banking by farmers or individuals. They want control over all seeds, animals, water, and land.

Our farmers are good stewards. That is who is threatened by Rosa DeLauro's bill (and because of that, we all are). At a time in this country when wise stewardship and the production of anything real - especially good food - is what is most needed, it is our best stewards whom Rosa DeLauro threatens, under the cruelly false name of "food safety."

And now Monsanto wants its own employee, Michael Taylor back in government, this time to act with massive police power as a "food safety tsar" from inside the White House. This is the man who forced genetically engineered rBGH on us (unlabeled, and without warning) when the Clintons placed him over "food safety" in the 90s. HR 875 would give him immense power over what is done on every single farm in the country and massive police state power to wield over farmers and punishments to break them at will.

The following quotes show Monsanto and its biotech ilk are not "stewards" at all. Their inhuman focus on profit has led to inhuman, insane, sickening products that require intense corruption of democracy and science institutes and media, to foist them on country after country which don't want them.

It is our farmers who stand between us and this outrage which masquerades as science, as food, as normal business, as government. And it is our farmers who need not only protecting but actual freeing from government intrusion, control and harm.

Vegetarians and vegans do not identify with farmers who raise animals but what is at stake here is critical for all of us. "First they came for the Jews" is an apt reminder of what matters in standing with each other because the overwhelming bureaucratic burdens, the record requirements, the warrantless inspections, the end of farmers' markets, the criminalization of seed banking, the ten years in prison for stepping out of line in any way -- this will next be applied not to animals breaking out of fence onto a neighbor's farm, but for such things as not spraying pesticides on an organic farm to eradicate earthworms (now listed as an invasive species) because the government's "food safety tsar" has deemed it necessary.

HR 875 is the beginning. This time, it is about handing over control of our food supply to enhance profits of the chemical industry. This time it is aimed with ferocity at farmers who keep animals. Next time it will be totalitarian control.

Rosa DeLauro and Stanley Greenburg have a great deal to account for in attempting through a mislabeled bill with hidden intent to wipe out our farmers and harm all of us. HR 875 gives Monsanto greater power and opens doors wider to the following ...

News for a Synergic Earth : Thinking Globally and Acting Locally

Thinking Globally and Acting Locally

This class is over, but the slides and handouts are still available for downloading.

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Future Positive: Humanity's Synergic Alternativeon March 31, 2005: Future Positive Slides
The Games of Life: Adversity, Neutrality, and Synergy on March 24, 2005: Games of Life Slides

Mastering Calmness on March 10, 2005: Calmness Exercise Outline, Mastering Calmness Exercise
Beyond Blame, Guilt & Punishment on March 03, 2005: Beyond Blame, Guilt & Punishment Slides

The World of "IS" and "Ought to Be" on February 24, 2005: The World of "IS" and "Ought to Be" Slides
A Manual for the Dual Mind on February 17, 2005: Dual Mind Manual Slides

Self & Other: A Relationship on February 10, 2005: Self & Other Slides

Reality Rules! on February 3, 2005: Reality Rules! Slides

Understanding Cancer on January 27, 2005: Understanding Cancer Slides
Controlling Anger in Self & Other on January 20, 2005: Controlling Anger Slides & Handout
Understanding Anger & Fear on January 13, 2005: Understanding Anger & Fear Slides, Mastering Calmness Exercise
Understanding Stress on January 6th, 2005: Understanding Stress Slides, Understanding Stress Handout

Use natural substances such as spring water, whole fresh foods and spices to strengthen your body

Scientists Tracking Path Between Emotions and Health It's interesting to see that the concepts of Chinese medicine -- in particular the interplay of mind, body and spirit (emotion) and their role in health as well as disease -- are beginning to seep into mainstream medicine. Here in the Western world, physicians have been trained to separate mental, physical and emotional symptoms. In contrast, Chinese medicine views the patient as a whole, with each part intimately connected. Now, here in the US, an increasing number of studies tie emotional health with physical ailments, in particular heart disease, cancer and autoimmune disorders... a step in the right direction, even though the scientific community continues to focus on finding the physiological "root" of illness as they apply their cause-effect mentality in an attempt to identify, isolate and manage "the problem." But the Chinese take a very different approach, looking to the whole body system and the concept of balance in every aspect, including between emotions and the physical self. THE CHINESE VIEW OF THE WORLD I spoke with Jeffrey Zimmerman, OMD, doctor of Chinese medicine, practitioner of acupuncture and founder of the OptiMotion system of body alignment, who explained that in Chinese medicine, feeling any emotions intensely is considered an imbalance. When there is balance among the mind, body and spirit, everything that happens, good and bad, is processed naturally, in a fluid way. It's all experienced as normal, without great intensity. Getting "stuck" in emotions is what blocks energy, inviting or creating an opportunity for illness and unrest. Chinese medicine asserts that each organ has an emotional spectrum. A Chinese medicine practitioner asks a patient about his/her state of mind and identifies relationships between the responses and the internal organs. The concept is that when one emotional state dominates, smooth flow of energy (known as qi) to specific organs is impeded, so the emotion and the organ must be treated concurrently. FEAR: The kidneys and the work they do, including elimination of waste, are associated with strength and willpower -- and on the negative end of the spectrum, with fear. GRIEF: The lungs and respiratory system are connected to our sense of order and can move along to perfectionism and, at the opposite end, grief. ANGER: The liver, which filters toxins, supports planning and decision-making -- the skills needed to manage life well. At the far end of the spectrum, the liver is connected to anger. SADNESS/JOY: The heart is the center of the body and soul and not surprisingly, is connected to sadness as well as to joy. WORRY: The stomach/spleen, responsible for digestion, can be the source of sympathy on one end, worry on the other. CONNECTING THE DOTS: EMOTIONS AND ILLNESS The emotional-physical ties are not as direct and simplistic as Westerners would like them to be, but the dots can indeed be connected. To better understand how, I spoke with Kathryn White, PhD, LAc, a practicing psychologist and acupuncturist who is the president and chief academic officer, American University of Complementary Medicine (Beverly Hills, California), which focuses on what she calls Chinese Classical Medicine (CCM), one of many different forms of practicing the ancient art. She told me that at the heart of CCM is the concept that all disease has roots in a need to change in one of three basic aspects of life -- physical, emotional or lifestyle -- that comes up against an inability or unwillingness to do so. Sickness can be an expression of these conflicts. One simple illustration: Chinese medicine respects the body's natural ability to expel toxins by vomiting them up, sneezing them out or through urination or defecation. Medicine that treats the symptoms gets in the way of this natural process, sending the toxins from the now-suppressed symptoms into the body's energy channels where ultimately they can get stuck and cause serious disease. Treatment must address the entire person, not just the symptoms. LESSONS FROM CCM Both Dr. White and Dr. Zimmerman have suggestions for using these basic concepts to promote personal health and well-being and eliminate toxicity that intrudes on our mind, body or spirit. Here are some of their tips... Live in harmony with the seasons. The winter months can be valuable for rest and rejuvenation... in the spring, you can ramp up activity. Summer is the time to expand and expend the most energy in many activities, while in autumn we can benefit by slowing down and retreating from all that busyness. Follow the light. "In the old days people got up with the sun and went to bed soon after it set," says Dr. White. "The instinct to follow light is a good one -- it both increases longevity and protects health." One idea she suggests is to become aware of your mental and physical posture throughout the day and learn to use it consciously. To gear up for productivity at work in the morning, for example, many people strike the type-A jutting-chin, fast-talking, vigorous-thinker posture... which can be physically, mentally and spiritually exhausting if maintained all day. Make an effort to ease into a more relaxed posture, slowing down your speech, thoughts and pace when you go home at night. By the time you are ready for bed, you should have relaxed and slowed to the point that you are truly ready for sleep... if so, it will come easily to you. When illness sets in, respect your body and mind -- take time off to heal. Within reason, it's a good idea to "tough it out" if you have a cold, for instance -- let the cough and congestion run their course untreated by drugs, so your body can rid itself of the pathogen. Use natural substances such as spring water, whole fresh foods and spices to strengthen your body and provide the resources required for recovery. Recognize that your disease may be happening for a reason. Perhaps you are working or playing too hard (or both) which is putting your body out of balance or maybe you are not taking proper care of yourself. Review and readjust for a better balance. Remember, true healing always involves increasing your awareness. Any illness is a call and an opportunity to evaluate your internal state. Are you heartsick about something... suffering from anxiety... in a troubled relationship? This is your chance to sort through the problems that are creating toxicity for you and figure out what might help you heal, in every way. Use daily reflection as a conscious tool for balancing your energy. "Think about what things are truly important to you and how you are using your chi (spiritual and physical energy) to work toward those goals," suggests Dr. White. "Ask if you are getting caught up in a spiral of need for things that don't really matter." The principles of Chinese medicine should not be understood to mean that having physical, emotional or lifestyle problems indicates you are doing something wrong. Life, it teaches, is school and it gives all of us the lessons we need to learn. Deal regularly with your issues and be willing to confront whatever comes your way. This will make you less likely to have pathology and more likely to obtain real and deep meaning from your life. Source(s): Kathryn White, PhD, LAc, a psychologist and acupuncturist, is the president and chief academic officer, American University of Complementary Medicine, Beverly Hills, California.  Jeffrey Zimmerman, OMD, once a classical musician and now a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, acupuncturist, martial artist and Qigong master in Westport, Connecticut. www.jeffreyczimmerman.wordpress.com/.

Master Cleanse Recipe

Master Cleanse Recipe: "For a single or a glass of the master cleanse, the recipe require that you have 10 ounces of filtered water, two table spoon of maple syrup, two tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. If you wish to make a daily servings of 60 ounces at one go then you will need 60 ounces of filtered water, 12 tablespoon of maple syrup, 12 tablespoon of lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. But remember when you are preparing the master cleanse, you must use freshly squeezed lemon juice. This is because canned or processed juice already has lost much of its benefits.

Another factor to note is that you must use organic grade B maple syrup and not sugar filled syrup. And although the Cayenne pepper looks as if it can be excluded, it is actually very important. The cayenne actually helps to break down the mucus and promote a healthy blood flow. Beside this, it is also a rich source of Vitamins B and C. If you wish to add flavor to the lemonade, just use decaffeinated tea because caffeine constrict the blood vessels. During the master cleanse, we actually wishes to promote a good flow of the blood so that the waste and toxin can be easily removed from the body."

Death In The Air

Death In The Air: "HIV/AIDS may have been man-made, a concern currently being considered by the U.S. General Accounting Office in response to requests made by Ohio attorney Boyd Ed Graves and Democratic Congressman, James A. Traficant, Jr. His investigation involves the theory that HIV emerged from laboratory experiments conducted during the 1960s and early 1970s when biological weapons contractors intermingled immune-suppressive viruses during a “Special Virus Cancer Program” administered by the National Cancer Institute."

Leonard Horowitz

Leonard Horowitz: "Ebola-Nature, Accident or Intentional?, Viruses: AIDS and Learn about the ancient, newly discovered 'healing codes' that can repair DNA. Find out who hid these codes in the Bible and using them today for good and evil. Rejoice in the discovery of the electro-magnetic sound frequencies for creation, destruction and miracles. Learn everything you need to know about vaccines that could have given rise to cancer, chronic fatigue, MS, ADD, Autism and other immune system disorders. Learn about the documented evidence from a leading vaccine developer who states that vaccines had been heavily contaminated with cancer viruses. Learn what you can do to protect yourself and your family."

Namaste March 09 | Chopra Center

Namaste March 09 | Chopra Center:

In addition, here are 7 empowering steps you can take in your life right now:

1. Develop a meditation practice today. Start with one of our guided meditations or find a PSM teacher in your town. Or you can learn to meditate at a Chopra Center workshop or retreat.
2. Take the dosha quiz and understand your mind-body constitution to bring balance into your life.
3. Experience nature – touch a natural body of water, walk on grass, sit under a tree, stand in the rain.
4. Write a poem about how great you are.
5. Commit one act of love today – make amends to someone you’ve hurt; forgive someone who hurt you (in person, on the phone, or in writing).
6. Take a step toward clarity by making one powerful decision right now – it can be a baby step . . . throw something out that no longer serves you, wash your car, get rid of paper congestion, clean a closet, a room, or even a drawer. Give away an item of clothing.
7. Perform a vital physical practice – go to a yoga class, learn pilates, go for a vigorous walk, practice deep breathing for 15 minutes, nourish yourself with a massage treatment.

Compassion Meditation Research

The Power of Compassion Can good thoughts for the well-being of others also keep you healthy? For centuries people have turned to various forms of meditation to quiet their minds, improve their concentration, decrease anxiety, soothe pain and facilitate healing. Research led by a Tibetan Buddhist teacher and an American physician adds yet another benefit to that already impressive list -- their study found evidence that practicing a particular kind, called compassion meditation, may help reduce the type of inflammatory responses to stressful interpersonal situations that have been linked to the development of both mental and physical diseases. People who practiced compassion meditation regularly also had less distress and anger in response to stress. CHANGING THE WAY WE SEE OTHERS At Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, 61 healthy students were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group participated in six weeks of twice-weekly classroom training in a non-religious version of compassion meditation while the other group (the control group) spent a similar amount of time in health discussions. Meditation teacher Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, director of the Emory-Tibet Partnership and a study author, explained that lojong (as the meditation practice is called) means training or transforming the mind. Where we're all conditioned to identify certain people as friends and others as enemies, lojong teaches us to challenge those assumptions. "It helps us see that others are no different from ourselves, that all people have the same problems and common aspirations," he explained. "It has a cognitive component that teaches us to reshape our relationships with ourselves and others to better connect each of us to all of humanity." To perform lojong meditation, students first learned how to do "meditative concentration" on their breathing, which helps stabilize the mind and refines their attention. Next they practiced mindfulness and meditation, to train them to increase their non-judgmental awareness of thoughts and bodily sensations and were instructed to focus on the universal desire of all people to be happy and avoid suffering. Finally, the students sent out their desire for happiness in a circle that expanded outward... first on themselves... then on loved ones... then to strangers... and finally, to those whom they disliked. They were instructed to concentrate on generating compassion for all people. These students were also given a CD to use to help them practice compassion meditation at home daily, keeping online records of when they meditated and for how long. A control group spent classroom time in group discussion about issues related to the physical and mental health of college students. Topics included stress management, substance abuse, sexual behavior and health, and depression and anxiety. This group also participated in role-playing exercises and mock debates on the topics they studied. As a way to maintain an equal time requirement with the meditation group for at-home participation, students in the control group were asked to write weekly opinion papers, two to three pages in length, on self-improvement topics. Study participants were recruited from their Emory University health education class and randomly assigned to either the meditation or the control (health discussion) group. A SURPRISING OUTCOME At the end of the study, students in both groups were asked to participate in a "stressful task" based on a widely used laboratory psychosocial stress test. Researchers measured their biological responses, including blood levels of the stress hormones cortisol and  interleukin 6 (IL-6), which is a marker of inflammation. The researchers anticipated a difference between the meditators and the control group, but that actually turned out to be insignificant, said Charles Raison, MD, assistant professor in Emory's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and senior author of the study. What was significant, however, was a reduction in inflammatory markers that correlated with how frequently subjects meditated. The more often subjects practiced compassion meditation, the lower the levels of inflammation in their blood after the stress test. WHY THE RESULTS MATTER We know that inflammation puts wear and tear on the body and that has a cumulative negative effect on health. Dr. Raison called it "promising" to see that engaging in a discipline that helps retrain the mind to be more compassionate not only makes people kinder, but also healthier. His co-author Dr. Negi agrees, noting that by teaching a broader acceptance of others, this type of compassion meditation can be "an instrument of health that might be of benefit to people in all walks of life." For more information on how to do a lojong practice, look for books including Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (Shambhala Library), by Pema Chödrön... Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion (Times), by the Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman, PhD... and Quiet Mind: A Beginner's Guide to Meditation compiled by Susan Piver (Shambhala). Source(s): Charles Raison, MD, is an assistant professor, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Emory University School of Medicine. Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, (also known as Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi) is senior lecturer in religion and director, Emory-Tibet Partnership.

Don't Believe Everything the Media Says

Medical Studies: Don't Believe Everything the Media Says JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH Harvard Medical School hen the media reports on medical news, complex research gets reduced to sound bites -- which may be misleading. Find a full account of the study (try www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus) and ask... Are this study's results consistent with other evidence? Accuracy usually involves consistent results from different researchers... using different types of studies... and involving different people. Example: The link between smoking and lung cancer that has been seen in so many studies. Is it an observational study or a randomized clinical trial? An observational study tracks behavior and health outcomes without intervening in participants' lives. This can uncover "associations" but cannot prove a cause-and-effect link. Example: The apparent health benefits of vitamin supplements seen in observational studies simply may reflect that people who choose to use such supplements tend to have more healthful habits overall. In a randomized clinical trial, researchers actively intervene by assigning participants at random to receive treatment or a placebo -- making this the "gold standard" of research. Is it an animal study? Animal studies allow far greater control than human studies -- but results from other species may not apply directly to people. How many participants were there? The larger the study, the less likely its findings are due to chance. How long did the study last? A long-term study may detect risks or benefits that go unnoticed in shorter studies. Example: Hormone therapy using estrogen plus progestin increases risk for breast cancer -- but only after four to five years. A two-year study would not uncover this relationship. Did the study look at actual disease outcomes? Because it takes years for certain diseases to develop, many studies examine "markers" of disease. Example: Lower cholesterol levels suggest a reduced risk for heart disease -- though cholesterol reductions do not always lead to actual decreases in heart disease risk. Research looking at concrete outcomes, such as the occurrence of heart attacks, is more reliable. Who were the participants? A study is less valid if participants are not typical of the people who use the therapy. Example: The first clinical trial of estrogen therapy to reduce heart disease was done on men, not women! What does increased risk really mean? It is scary to hear that a risk factor (such as exposure to a toxin) increases risk for a certain disease by, say, 50%. But suppose that two cases of disease normally occur per 10,000 women who haven't been exposed to the toxin. In that case, a 50% increase would mean that toxic exposure leads to three cases per 10,000 women -- which isn't so scary. Bottom Line/Women's Health interviewed JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, a professor of medicine and women's health at Harvard Medical School and chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, both in Boston. She is one of the lead investigators for two highly influential studies on women's health -- the Harvard Nurses' Health Study and the Women's Health Initiative. Dr. Manson is the author, with Shari Bassuk, ScD, of Hot Flashes, Hormones & Your Health (McGraw-Hill).