My usual routine on a Sunday morning is to go for bicycle ride. Today I wanted to do something different so I stopped at the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. I rode only a mile to where their headstone is and cleaned it up a little and reflected. I have only one memory from each of my grandparents that stands out. I remember my grandfather walking me to the corner store one morning for bread. He let me carry the money we were going to spend, and I even got to hand it to the clerk.
My grandmother would often be found on the couch with her eyes closed as if she were sleeping. I asked one day why she always had her eyes closed, her response was that she was resting them. Nothing profound about either memory, but I am glad I have them.
As I continued around the cemetery I noticed small groups of people scattered throughout staring at the grave markers at their feet. I would imagine they too were reflecting.
One man bid me good morning as I rode by, so I stopped to wish him a good morning as well. He replied, 'yes it is a wonderful morning'. With that enthusiastic answer I felt an invitation to talk.
"Sir, I noticed you on the hill up the road, now you are down here. Can I ask you what you are doing?"
"Sure." He replied, as if he had something to tell me. "I come here every Sunday to visit my wife up on the hill, then I come down here to visit my life-long buddy. We were in three wars together you know."
We talked for about 30 minutes, then I asked him. "John, (we exchanged names) what advice would you have to give people as we all grow old?"
"Well, Larry, we don't always have control over our health, or even our wealth. But we have control of keeping in touch with our friends. So, I say stay in touch. Whether you're sick or poor, healthy or wealthy, you can always stay in touch."
My eyes began to swell with tears as I looked at this old man and knew he was right. We talked a little longer then wished each other a good day, we shook hands and left.
My early morning bicycle ride made an impression on me today. I hope you got something out of this as well.
Larry D. Schultz
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
What we expect
"If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations."
Shakti Gawain
Author
Shakti Gawain
Author
Bisphenol A Chemical in Plastic Bottles Harms Children, Feds Conclude
(NaturalNews) For the first time, a branch of the U.S. government has
admitted that the common industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may pose a
health risk.
BPA is a crucial ingredient in the hard, clear polycarbonate plastic found
in water and baby bottles. It is also used to make liners for food and
infant formula cans. BPA has been shown to seep out of these containers and
into food or liquids, and 90 percent of U.S. residents carry it in their
bodies.
The National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health
concluded in April that there is "some concern" that BPA may cause problems
in fetuses, babies and children, including breast or prostate cancer, early
onset of female puberty, attention deficit disorder and other problems of
the reproductive and neurological systems.
"Some concern" is the middle of five rankings available to the National
Toxicology Program, with none at one end and extreme at the other.
The National Toxicology Program's findings "[reflect] a significant body of
science showing that BPA may play a larger role than previously thought in a
host of common health problems, including prostate cancer, breast cancer and
early puberty," said Anila Jacob, senior scientist at Environmental Working
Group.
"More research is needed to better understand [BPA's] implications for human
health," the report reads. "However, because these effects in animals occur
at bisphenol A exposure levels similar to those experienced by humans, the
possibility that bisphenol A may alter human development cannot be
dismissed."
In spite of the report's cautious wording, BPA expert Frederick vom Saal
said that it is "very, very much in line" with a statement signed by 38
scientists in 2007, warning that BPA could be harming infant development.
"This is going to ripple around the world," vom Saal said. "The bottom line
is there really is a convergence of opinion that is occurring."
Sources for this story include: www.latimes.com.
admitted that the common industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may pose a
health risk.
BPA is a crucial ingredient in the hard, clear polycarbonate plastic found
in water and baby bottles. It is also used to make liners for food and
infant formula cans. BPA has been shown to seep out of these containers and
into food or liquids, and 90 percent of U.S. residents carry it in their
bodies.
The National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health
concluded in April that there is "some concern" that BPA may cause problems
in fetuses, babies and children, including breast or prostate cancer, early
onset of female puberty, attention deficit disorder and other problems of
the reproductive and neurological systems.
"Some concern" is the middle of five rankings available to the National
Toxicology Program, with none at one end and extreme at the other.
The National Toxicology Program's findings "[reflect] a significant body of
science showing that BPA may play a larger role than previously thought in a
host of common health problems, including prostate cancer, breast cancer and
early puberty," said Anila Jacob, senior scientist at Environmental Working
Group.
"More research is needed to better understand [BPA's] implications for human
health," the report reads. "However, because these effects in animals occur
at bisphenol A exposure levels similar to those experienced by humans, the
possibility that bisphenol A may alter human development cannot be
dismissed."
In spite of the report's cautious wording, BPA expert Frederick vom Saal
said that it is "very, very much in line" with a statement signed by 38
scientists in 2007, warning that BPA could be harming infant development.
"This is going to ripple around the world," vom Saal said. "The bottom line
is there really is a convergence of opinion that is occurring."
Sources for this story include: www.latimes.com.
Low Cholesterol Increases Cancer and Death Risk
(NaturalNews) In a major shot fired across the bow of the statin marketing
machine, the levels of LDL cholesterol that are the artificial targets of
"health" promoted by the American Heart Association (AHA) are now found to
be associated with a significant increased risk of cancer and death.
The AHA recommends an LDL level of 100 for prevention and 70 for high risk
patients. In the new study an LDL level of 107 was associated with a 33%
increased risk of cancer and death, an LDL level of 87 was associated with a
50% increased risk. As the LDL goes lower the risk keeps getting worse.
These arbitrary AHA levels for LDL cholesterol were established by "experts"
with direct financial ties to the statin industry, who knew full well that
reaching their artificially low target levels for LDL would require double
and triple doses of statin drugs, thus dramatically increasing sales (which
has indeed happened).
The Vytorin fraud has pointed out quite clearly that lowering LDL
cholesterol to very low levels does not reduce cardiovascular disease.
Another Vytorin study also shows doing so increases cancer risk by 64%. The
new study paints the clear picture that lowering LDL too low actually
increases the rate of death from any cause. This new study also points out
the statistical shenanigans that the statin industry uses to hide the actual
risks of these drugs in the studies that have been published.
The data was so alarming that the researchers called for a statistical
reanalysis of the data from all existing cholesterol studies, using better
statistical models that actually reflect true risk. The results of this new
research led the authors to conclude "A low LDL cholesterol level is not
necessarily associated with optimal clinical outcomes but is a predictor of
cancer and death."
We have known for many years that individuals who maintain an LDL
cholesterol level of 130 as they enter their 40s and 50s have much less
heart disease as they grow older. This is because they are healthy and have
maintained fitness in their cholesterol function and metabolism. There is no
credible data to show that lowering LDL numbers with statins actually
produces a similar level of health, especially to artificially low numbers.
There is a huge difference between having good cholesterol numbers because
you are healthy and drugging your body's synthesis of cholesterol with
statins.
In the current study the ideal LDL cholesterol level was 126. The
researchers were able to identify a bell shaped curve, in terms of a
departure in either direction from this ideal number. LDL over 146 or less
than 107 was associated with 33% increased risk of cancer. LDL over 164 of
less than 87 was associated with a 50% increased risk. The risk keeps
getting worse the higher or lower the number progresses away from the ideal
of 126. LDL in the range of 108 - 145 had no statistically significant
cancer risk, although being in the center of this range is clearly best.
There have been a number of studies in the past that link low cholesterol
and cancer risk. However, these studies could not prove that the cancer was
not already there prior to the start of the study - which has been the main
argument used (besides statistical manipulation) by the statin industry to
deny the association. In the new study this issue was taken into account by
eliminating participants with less than 2.5 years follow up after the start
of the study, thus demonstrating that the results were not due to
pre-existing cancer.
Needless to say, this study was not part of the marketing machine propaganda
that is rampant in universities and "scientific" journals that have been
used to promote the statin scam around the world, while actively
blackmailing and blacklisting any authors, institutions, or journals that
dare to step on Big Pharma's statin toes. This study was published on August
26, 2008 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It was carried out in
Hong Kong with Chinese patients who had type II diabetes - the exact patient
who is forced onto aggressive cholesterol lowering with statin drugs in
America.
It is quite clear that scientific knowledge and advanced statistical
analysis are no longer under the control of Big Pharma and its legions of
scientists, universities, and medical journals that are on the take,
misrepresenting data, and actively suppressing negative findings. The truth
is coming out because Big Pharma is targeting the citizens of the world as a
new market for statin sales. And they are also targeting our children,
wanting infants seven months of age to have LDL levels of 50 and keep them
at that level their whole life (with drugs, since such levels are totally
abnormal).
The insanity must stop. Americans have been conned. Big Pharma and the
American Heart Association should be held responsible for past crimes and
future intended crimes against the health of our citizens under the false
pretense of improved cardiovascular health.
Sources:
Link to full Canadian Medical Association Journal article:
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/179...
Link to fully referenced version of this article:
http://www.wellnessresources.com/health...
About the author: Byron J. Richards, Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist,
nationally-renowned nutrition expert, and founder of Wellness Resources is a
leader in advocating the value of dietary supplements as a vital tool to
maintain health. He is an outspoken critic of government and Big Pharma
efforts to deny access to natural health products and has written
extensively on the life-shortening and health-damaging failures of the
sickness industry. www.wellnessresources.com askbyron@wellnessresources.com
machine, the levels of LDL cholesterol that are the artificial targets of
"health" promoted by the American Heart Association (AHA) are now found to
be associated with a significant increased risk of cancer and death.
The AHA recommends an LDL level of 100 for prevention and 70 for high risk
patients. In the new study an LDL level of 107 was associated with a 33%
increased risk of cancer and death, an LDL level of 87 was associated with a
50% increased risk. As the LDL goes lower the risk keeps getting worse.
These arbitrary AHA levels for LDL cholesterol were established by "experts"
with direct financial ties to the statin industry, who knew full well that
reaching their artificially low target levels for LDL would require double
and triple doses of statin drugs, thus dramatically increasing sales (which
has indeed happened).
The Vytorin fraud has pointed out quite clearly that lowering LDL
cholesterol to very low levels does not reduce cardiovascular disease.
Another Vytorin study also shows doing so increases cancer risk by 64%. The
new study paints the clear picture that lowering LDL too low actually
increases the rate of death from any cause. This new study also points out
the statistical shenanigans that the statin industry uses to hide the actual
risks of these drugs in the studies that have been published.
The data was so alarming that the researchers called for a statistical
reanalysis of the data from all existing cholesterol studies, using better
statistical models that actually reflect true risk. The results of this new
research led the authors to conclude "A low LDL cholesterol level is not
necessarily associated with optimal clinical outcomes but is a predictor of
cancer and death."
We have known for many years that individuals who maintain an LDL
cholesterol level of 130 as they enter their 40s and 50s have much less
heart disease as they grow older. This is because they are healthy and have
maintained fitness in their cholesterol function and metabolism. There is no
credible data to show that lowering LDL numbers with statins actually
produces a similar level of health, especially to artificially low numbers.
There is a huge difference between having good cholesterol numbers because
you are healthy and drugging your body's synthesis of cholesterol with
statins.
In the current study the ideal LDL cholesterol level was 126. The
researchers were able to identify a bell shaped curve, in terms of a
departure in either direction from this ideal number. LDL over 146 or less
than 107 was associated with 33% increased risk of cancer. LDL over 164 of
less than 87 was associated with a 50% increased risk. The risk keeps
getting worse the higher or lower the number progresses away from the ideal
of 126. LDL in the range of 108 - 145 had no statistically significant
cancer risk, although being in the center of this range is clearly best.
There have been a number of studies in the past that link low cholesterol
and cancer risk. However, these studies could not prove that the cancer was
not already there prior to the start of the study - which has been the main
argument used (besides statistical manipulation) by the statin industry to
deny the association. In the new study this issue was taken into account by
eliminating participants with less than 2.5 years follow up after the start
of the study, thus demonstrating that the results were not due to
pre-existing cancer.
Needless to say, this study was not part of the marketing machine propaganda
that is rampant in universities and "scientific" journals that have been
used to promote the statin scam around the world, while actively
blackmailing and blacklisting any authors, institutions, or journals that
dare to step on Big Pharma's statin toes. This study was published on August
26, 2008 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It was carried out in
Hong Kong with Chinese patients who had type II diabetes - the exact patient
who is forced onto aggressive cholesterol lowering with statin drugs in
America.
It is quite clear that scientific knowledge and advanced statistical
analysis are no longer under the control of Big Pharma and its legions of
scientists, universities, and medical journals that are on the take,
misrepresenting data, and actively suppressing negative findings. The truth
is coming out because Big Pharma is targeting the citizens of the world as a
new market for statin sales. And they are also targeting our children,
wanting infants seven months of age to have LDL levels of 50 and keep them
at that level their whole life (with drugs, since such levels are totally
abnormal).
The insanity must stop. Americans have been conned. Big Pharma and the
American Heart Association should be held responsible for past crimes and
future intended crimes against the health of our citizens under the false
pretense of improved cardiovascular health.
Sources:
Link to full Canadian Medical Association Journal article:
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/179...
Link to fully referenced version of this article:
http://www.wellnessresources.com/health...
About the author: Byron J. Richards, Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist,
nationally-renowned nutrition expert, and founder of Wellness Resources is a
leader in advocating the value of dietary supplements as a vital tool to
maintain health. He is an outspoken critic of government and Big Pharma
efforts to deny access to natural health products and has written
extensively on the life-shortening and health-damaging failures of the
sickness industry. www.wellnessresources.com askbyron@wellnessresources.com
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Dealing with troubling people
"Whenever encountering a troublesome person, do not identify him as being cruel or stupid or rude or anything else like that. Instead, see him as a frightened person."
Vernon Howard
Author
Vernon Howard
Author
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
What kindness is
"Genuine kindness is not what we do. It is what we are."
Vernon Howard
Author of Psycho-Pictography
Vernon Howard
Author of Psycho-Pictography
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Amazing Power of the Human Will
"My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces."
Wilma Rudolph
The human will is the most incredible thing. I believe it is the human will that keeps us going, when everyone else expects us to sit, or even quit.
I have always been fascinated by the heroes and sheroes who have made indelible marks in world history; and illustrated distinguished triumphs over seemingly, insurmountable adversity.
I can vividly recall reading about Wilma Rudolph when I was in grade school. Her life epitomized, "breaking through limitations." Over the last three decades, I have thought about Wilma when so-called, "limitations" presented themselves in my own life. I think of Wilma, and I am passionately reminded of the amazing power of the human will.
Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. Most of her childhood was spent in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. There, she was bedridden as she battled double pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. At six years old, she lost the use of her left leg. Subsequently, she was fitted with leg braces. Later on in life, she was often quoted as saying: "I spent most of my time trying to get them off. (I had an uncompromising resolve) to be a normal kid."
At the age of 16, when she was only a sophomore in high school, the 5' 11" Wilma Rudolph won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. And, in the 1960 Rome Olympics, Rudolph became "the fastest woman in the world." She also was the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. She won the 100 and 200 meter races; and also anchored the U.S. team to victory in the 4 X 100 meter relay, breaking records along the way.
Wilma Rudolph is remembered by family and admirers alike, for her incredible calm and graceful demeanor when under pressure. Valiantly and brilliantly, she removed all of her "struggles" during the course of her lifetime.
She once said: "The most important aspect is to be yourself and have confidence in yourself...triumph can't be had without a struggle."
In 1994, Wilma Rudolph died of brain cancer at the age of 54. Few would argue that she lived a full, purposeful, and triumphant life. Rudolph expected victory when just about everyone else would have understood if she'd just lay down, sit or even quit. Thank you, Wilma, for being the contrary.
Fran Briggs
Wilma Rudolph
The human will is the most incredible thing. I believe it is the human will that keeps us going, when everyone else expects us to sit, or even quit.
I have always been fascinated by the heroes and sheroes who have made indelible marks in world history; and illustrated distinguished triumphs over seemingly, insurmountable adversity.
I can vividly recall reading about Wilma Rudolph when I was in grade school. Her life epitomized, "breaking through limitations." Over the last three decades, I have thought about Wilma when so-called, "limitations" presented themselves in my own life. I think of Wilma, and I am passionately reminded of the amazing power of the human will.
Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. Most of her childhood was spent in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. There, she was bedridden as she battled double pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. At six years old, she lost the use of her left leg. Subsequently, she was fitted with leg braces. Later on in life, she was often quoted as saying: "I spent most of my time trying to get them off. (I had an uncompromising resolve) to be a normal kid."
At the age of 16, when she was only a sophomore in high school, the 5' 11" Wilma Rudolph won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. And, in the 1960 Rome Olympics, Rudolph became "the fastest woman in the world." She also was the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. She won the 100 and 200 meter races; and also anchored the U.S. team to victory in the 4 X 100 meter relay, breaking records along the way.
Wilma Rudolph is remembered by family and admirers alike, for her incredible calm and graceful demeanor when under pressure. Valiantly and brilliantly, she removed all of her "struggles" during the course of her lifetime.
She once said: "The most important aspect is to be yourself and have confidence in yourself...triumph can't be had without a struggle."
In 1994, Wilma Rudolph died of brain cancer at the age of 54. Few would argue that she lived a full, purposeful, and triumphant life. Rudolph expected victory when just about everyone else would have understood if she'd just lay down, sit or even quit. Thank you, Wilma, for being the contrary.
Fran Briggs
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