Thursday, November 8, 2007

Diets, Diets, Diets.Do They Work?

Diets, Diets, Diets…Do They Work?
 by: Mike Yeager

Almost everyone has attempted to follow diets and weight loss programs at some time in their lives. The trouble with so many diets and low fat diets is that they are hard to follow. Some diets leave you hungry and craving food all the time. A healthy diet is one that you feel good about following and encourages you to eat in a healthy way while at the same time reducing the overall calorie content.
When choosing from among the many diets available, keep in mind what your reason is for altering your eating and exercise habits. Do you want to feel better and have some more energy? Are you tired of not fitting into your clothes and that has caused you to consider one of the weight loss diets? Experts agree that it's not good to try and loose excess weight in a quick manner. It's better to take your time and incorporate a package of exercise, proper nutrition and, in general, balance.
As with all new diets, weight loss and exercise plans, it's always best to consult with your physician and have a complete physical examination before starting.
There are many different diets products to choose from. Choose from only the best providers of coral calcium products that offer great prices. That way you'll be guaranteed quality and they can even be shipped right to your door.

About The Author

Mike Yeager
Publisher
http://www.a1-weight-loss-4u.com/
mjy610@hotmail.com

This article was posted on May 09, 2004

Can Weight Loss Improve Your Health And Make You Feel Better?

Can Weight Loss Improve Your Health And Make You Feel Better?
 by: Mike Yeager

Many people today are interested in weight loss and weight loss programs. Sedentary life styles and lack of exercise have contributed to a general trend toward carrying around a few extra pounds. Following a disciplined weight loss plan can prove very helpful and beneficial to people who don't really have any idea of how to create a weigh loss diet. There are many options available today to help you trim a few pounds and fit into the clothes you want.
Losing weight is not something one can do overnight. A carefully planned weight loss program requires common sense and certain guidelines. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformantion floating around and lots of desperate people are easily duped and ripped off. The leading experts now recommend that people who want to lose weight start increasing their physical activity. Just being more active in general (such as climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, moving around instead of sitting still, sitting up instead of lying down as well as showing some excitement and enthusiasm instead of boredom), are things that more effectively burns calories and reduces body fat.
A balanced lifestyle of good nutrition and regular exercise will help you achieve your weight loss goals. Some people seek Fast Weight Loss while others would like to gradually thin down for health reasons. Take advantage of all the information and help available today to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

About The Author

Mike Yeager
Publisher
http://www.a1-weight-loss-4u.com/
mjy610@hotmail.com

This article was posted on May 09, 2004

Poisons Under Your Sink: Hidden Dangers of Cleaning Products

Poisons Under Your Sink: Hidden Dangers of Cleaning Products
 by: Glenn Beach

The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) has recorded many exposures to household cleaning substances that were serious enough to require treatment in a health care facility. Incredibly, according to the AAPCC the largest number of occurrences of poisoning in 1993 were due to cleaning products - drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, bleach, soaps and detergents.
One Million poisonings in Canada each year are due to household cleaner ingestion. Some are fatal. Thousands of children and adults are permanently disfigured or injured through contact with chemicals in the home each year.
Our pets are also at risk. Animals that don't have access to clean, fresh water are more likely to drink out of puddles, gutters, toilet bowls, or any old container left sitting around with a liquid in it. Even though my cats always have access to clean water in a bowl, they seem to prefer the toilet, the sink, the bathtub, or even a basin with cleaning solution in it.
Here is an alphabetical list of some of the most hazardous cleansers found around the house:
AIR FRESHENERS: interfere with your ability to smell by releasing nerve-deadening agents or coating nasal passages with an oil film, usually methoxychlor, a pesticide that accumulates in fat cells. Known toxic chemicals found in an air freshener are formaldehyde, a highly toxic, known carcinogen, and phenol. When phenol touches your skin it can cause it to swell, burn, peel, and break out in hives.
AMMONIA: is a very volatile chemical and is very damaging to your eyes, respiratory tract and skin.
ANTIBACTERIAL CLEANERS: may contain triclosan, which is absorbed through the skin and can be tied to liver damage.
BLEACH: is a strong corrosive. It will irritate or burn the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. It may cause pulmonary edema or vomiting and coma if ingested. Never mix bleach with acid toilet bowl cleaners or ammonia. These mixtures may produce fumes which can be DEADLY.
CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY SHAMPOO: Most formulas are designed to over power the stain itself; they accomplish the task but not without using highly toxic substances. Some include perchlorethylene, a known carcinogen that damages liver, kidney and nervous system damage; and ammonium hydroxide, a corrosive, extremely irritable to eyes, skin and respiratory passages.
CHLORINE: The first agent of chemical warfare was chlorine. WWII ended with an abundance of this cheap chemical. In the name of huge profits, it was added to our water supply and many other products. Chlorine is the number one cause of breast cancer and can be lethal. Scientists won't handle chlorine without protective gloves, facemasks, and ventilation, yet it is in most store-brand cleaners, including dishwasher detergents. The harmful effects are intensified when the fumes are heated, as in the shower. It нs in our drinking water, swimming pools, Jacuzzis, and more.
DISHWASHER DETERGENTS: Most products contain chlorine in a dry form that is highly concentrated. The #1 cause of household poisoning is dish detergent. Dishwashing liquids are labelled "harmful if swallowed." Each time you wash your dishes, some residue is left on them, which accumulates with each washing. Your food picks up part of the residue -- especially if your meal is hot when you eat it.
FURNITURE POLISH: contain petroleum distillates, which are highly flammable and can cause skin and lung cancer. They contain nitrobenzene, which is easily absorbed through the skin and extremely toxic.
LAUNDRY ROOM PRODUCTS: Laundry detergents contain phosphorus, enzymes, ammonia, naphthalene, phenol, sodium nitilotriacetate and countless other chemicals. These substances can cause rashes, itches, allergies, sinus problems and more. The residue left on your clothes, bed sheets, etc. is absorbed through your skin, as is everything else you touch.
OVEN CLEANER: one of the most toxic products people use. They contain lye and ammonia, which eat the skin, and the fumes linger and affect the respiratory system. Then there нs the residue that нs intensified the next time you turn your oven on. Use sea salt and baking soda instead.
TOILET BOWL CLEANERS: usually contain hydrochloric acid, a highly corrosive irritant to both skin and eyes that damages kidneys and liver; and hypochlorite bleach, a corrosive irritant that can burn eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Toilet bowl cleaners also may cause pulmonary edema, vomiting or coma if ingested. Contact with other chemicals may cause chlorine fumes which may be fatal.
Are you one of the millions of consumers who tend to think anything sold must be safe? Think again. Since WWII more than 80,000 synthetic chemicals have been invented. Most have been created from petroleum and coal tar for the purposes of chemical warfare. The sad thing is that hardly any of these substances have been tested for safety, but have been added to our food, water and cleaning products without our consent and most often without informing us of any dangers. There is a lot of intentional suppression in this industry that adds approximately 1000 new chemicals each year.
According to the National Research Council, "no toxic information is available for more than 80% of the chemicals in everyday-use products. Less than 20% have been tested for acute effects and less than 10% have been tested for chronic, reproductive or mutagenic effects." Most have not been tested for combined or accumulated effects, nor for their effects on unborn children.
What can you do to protect your loved ones from chemical injury and poisoning?
First of all, educate yourself, and find safer alternatives as much as possible.
Secondly, minimize use of harsh chemicals. Clean spills and stains immediately, remove food waste promptly, keep home moisture/humidity down to 30-50%, and use entry way mats at all entrances.
Third, store all cleaning agents in their original containers out of the reach of children. Follow the directions on the label and use only the amount of product recommended. Read labels, follow safety precautions and contact the manufacturer if you have questions.
By definition, we clean our homes to reduce damage or harm to human and pet health, and to protect our valued possessions. Let's not make the solution worse than the problem!

About The Author

Glenn Beach is a self employed subcontractor who has worked extensively in the commercial cleaning industry. More articles and the opportunity to buy and sell environmentally safe products are available on his website.
mailto: begle@work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com
http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com/veriuni_sampler.html

This article was posted on May 08, 2004

The Pain Factor

The Pain Factor
 by: Louise A. Roach

Last year I told an acquaintance that at the age of 46, I had taken up running. The reply was, "Oh, that's awfully hard on your knees." At first I was taken aback. Yes, I knew if I didn't stretch, warm-up or wear properly fitted shoes, I might experience pain or an injury. But the person telling me this was overweight, had borderline high blood pressure, and never worked out. I wondered if this friend realized by living a sedentary lifestyle, the odds of developing heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and some cancers had substantially increased. Not to mention that being overweight actually placed this person at a higher risk than me for developing knee pain from osteoarthritis and heel pain as a result of plantar fasciitis.
I'm no spring chicken and sometimes my running resembles a dawdling old hen. But I do know it's necessary to take precautions at any age to guard against injury when participating in physical activity such as running. Because the truth is, sometimes pain happens. When it does, you can either use pain as an excuse or you can use it as a diagnostic tool to help improve and go forward with your performance.
There are three classifications of pain. In simple terms, these can be described as the following:
Nociceptive Pain: felt after an injury to body tissues such as cuts, sprains, broken bones, bruising, surgery, and sometimes cancer. Most pain is of this type.
Neuropathic Pain: resulting from an injury to nerves, the spinal cord or the brain, examples being Phantom Limb Pain and shingles – which affects nerve tissue.
Psychogenic Pain: is related to a psychological disorder where the type, intensity or proportion of pain experienced is greater than the injury. Some chronic ailments may be related to this type of pain.
Pain can also be defined as acute (an immediate response to an injury) or chronic (a pain lasting more than six weeks). The majority of injuries from physical activity fall into the category of acute nociceptive pain. Although some overuse injuries such as Plantar Fasciitis or Runner's Knee can become chronic if not properly treated or allowed enough time to heal. Most injuries to body tissues are minor and can be treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), such as ibuprofen, and ice therapy or R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression and elevation) to decrease pain. Cuts, bruises, strains, sprains, swelling and inflammation can generally be treated in this way. Severe acute injuries, such as fractured bones and ruptured tendons, should always be treated by a medical professional, as is the case with injuries resulting in chronic, neuropathic and psychogenic pain. If you experience minor pain or inflammation during an activity, this is a good time to evaluate what your body is saying and respond in a positive, strengthening manner. Try asking the following questions: What particular part of my body is affected? Does the pain happen only during a certain activity or is it constant? Am I experiencing pain when running or walking on a certain type of terrain? Is this a new pain or one that has happened before? What measures can I take to correct or strengthen the affected body area?
I used this list of questions to understand a reoccurring pain on the outside of my legs. After a little research and a trip to my local running specialty store, I learned the pain was IT Band Syndrome. The IT Band is a long fibrous muscle, located on the outside of the leg. When it becomes inflamed, pain is felt at a point near the knee joint. I knew the pain usually happened when I was hiking downhill for long periods of time and it went away after a few days of rest. This signified several areas of my body that needed work: weak leg muscles, a tight IT Band, and not enough arch support to stabilize my knee during an activity. I have incorporated the following positive measures to help strengthen my body's weak points: Wearing well-fitted running and hiking shoes with strong arch support. Adding leg strengthening exercises to my daily routine. Wearing neoprene knee braces on a long hike with a lot of downhill climbing. Increasing my daily stretching routine, with particular stretching for the IT Band. Doing stretching and warm-up exercises before a strenuous hike or run. Cross-training: running, walking, hiking, biking, weight lifting and using the elliptical trainer to provide a variety of exercises to all leg muscles. Using ice therapy immediately after a hike if I feel pain. Working up to a strenuous hike by doing shorter hikes on hilly terrain weeks before the big day. Maintaining a normal weight so as not to place added stress on my legs.
Don't let pain, or your fear of it, be a factor in whether or not you are an active person. Not exercising will result in far worse consequences. Use pain as a guide to become a stronger, more aware and healthier person.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical treatment or consultation. Always consult with your physician in the event of a serious injury.

About The Author

Louise Roach is the editor of on-line health and fitness newsletter, NewsFlash* SnowPack. Ms. Roach has been instrumental in the research, testing and development of a patented ice therapy called SnowPack. Her injury prevention and treatment articles have been published on running, walking and fitness websites. For more information visit: http://www.snowpackusa.com or NewsFlash*SnowPack at http://home.netcom.com/~newsflash. Louise Roach can be reached at info@snowpackusa.com.

This article was posted on May 06, 2004

Vitamin Supplements in a Liquid World

Vitamin Supplements in a Liquid World
 by: David Leonhardt

Every day, it seems like we are living in an increasingly liquid world. I'm not preaching against the evils of alcohol or for a new era of prohibition that will save us from sin and politicians. After all, water is also a liquid, and it rarely inflicts us with either sin or politicians.
But we do expect everything to be excruciatingly easy these days, so liquid is the operating system of choice.
No time to eat? Grab a liquid breakfast and run. Why tie a knot in the umbilical chord connecting your bed to your desk? If you can find a long enough straw, just start slurping as you rise from bed, and smack your lips to the last drop as you whiz out the front door. Bye.
Remember when soap came in bars? Solid bars? Sorry, I guess I'm showing my age. Now everybody uses liquid soap. Yesterday I reached for the soap. No, wait. I reached for the hand cream. Or was it the soap? But what if it is the hand cream? Soap or hand cream? Which is which?
People used to nail siding onto the exterior of their homes. Now they just spray on "liquid siding". It comes in three tasty flavors: siding, ceramic and stucco. Yum.
And now they've taken my little vitamin supplement pills and liquefied them, too.
"Hold on just a minute. How do you know they liquefied the vitamin pills?"
Who said that?
"Are vitamins naturally solid? Or are they naturally liquid?"
Uh. I had to admit that I probably would not recognize a vitamin if I bumped into it in the street ... in which case I have a hunch it might be too big to swallow. Say, who is this?
"Where do you think vitamins come from, anyway?"
I always assumed they came from the back of the corner store in a small town in Indiana, but upon reflection, I suspect they might come from oranges and fish and milk. Who are you?
"Don't you think it's pretty hard to stuff a fish into a hard, little pill?"
I suppose The Voice has a point.
"You drink milk, don't you?"
Yeah, but that's because it's liquid. Suddenly I recalled my dream from just last week. Cow after cow heading into a factory on a conveyor belt. At first I though it was the Annual Bovine Family Reunion, but on the other side of the factory, riding the same conveyor belt, were neatly sealed cartons of milk. Aaargh!
"Squeezed. Like an orange. You drink juice, don't you?"
Yeah...but squeezing a cow?
"Just what do you know about liquid?"
I thought real hard. Everything comes in one of three states: gas, liquid and solid. Gas is like the politicians when they are talking. Liquid is like the politicians when they are hard at work attending cocktail receptions. Solid is like statues of politicians.
Everything comes in either gas, liquid or solid. That is about all I could remember of my high school chemistry. That, and how to explode a partially dissected frog. No, wait. That wasn't chemistry class. Silly me. Why would we have a partially dissected frog in chemistry class. That was that other class. What was it called, again? Oh yes, "home economics".
"Did the frog contain vitamins?"
Not any more.
"Do you think it's easier to pack vitamins into a tiny, hard pill or into a drink?"
I suppose it all depends on what kind of explosive you use. I tried to imagine squeezing a fish into a carton. But fish walking up a conveyor belt seemed just a bit radical ... and even less tasty than freshly squeezed cow.
"Liquid vitamin supplements are made only from plant ingredients."
That's it. Keep your cow. Keep your fish. Keep your frog...what's left of it. I'm going to for a pure liquid life.

About The Author

David Leonhardt publishes The Happy Guy humor column:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html
Read more humor articles:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/humor-articles.html
Or on personal growth and self-actualization
http://www.thehappyguy.com/self-actualization-articles.html
Get your liquid vitamins: http://www.vitamin-supplements-store.net
Info@thehappyguy.com

This article was posted on May 05, 2004

Your Body is a Map of Your Consciousness

Your Body is a Map of Your Consciousness
 by: Martin Brofman

Your Body Is A Map of Your Consciousness - by Martin Brofman, PhD.
Everything begins with your consciousness. Everything that happens in your life, and everything that happens in your body, begins with something happening in your consciousness.
Your consciousness is who you are, your experience of Being.
You decide what ideas to accept and which to reject. You decide what to think, and you decide what to feel. When these decisions leave you with residual stress, you experience the stress as if in your physical body. We know that stress creates symptoms. The interesting question is, "Which stress creates which symptoms?" When we are able to quantify this process, we are then able to see the body as a map of the person's consciousness, relating particular symptoms to particular stresses and particular ways of being, in the same way that Type "A" Behavior has been able to be associated with heart disease.
Everything Starts In Your Consciousness
To understand this map, we must first orient ourselves to the idea that the causes of symptoms are within. While it's true that germs cause disease and accidents cause injuries, it is also true that this happens in accord with what is happening in the consciousness of the person involved.
Germs are everywhere. Why are some people affected and not others? Something different is happening in their consciousness.
Why do some patients in hospitals respond better to treatment than others? They have different attitudes. Something different is happening in their consciousness When someone is injured in an "accident," why is it that a very specific part of the body is affected, and that it is the same part that has had habitual problems? Is that an "accident," or is there a pattern and an order to the way things happen in our bodies?
You Are A Being of Energy
Your consciousness, your experience of Being, who you really are, is energy. We can call it "Life Energy" for now. This energy does not just live in your brain; it fills your entire body. Your consciousness is connected to every cell in your body. Through your consciousness, you can communicate with every organ and every tissue, and a number of therapies are based on this communication with the organs which have been affected by some kind of symptom or disorder.
This energy which is your consciousness, and which reflects your state of consciousness, can be measured through the process known as Kirlian photography. When you take a Kirlian photograph of your hand, it shows a certain pattern of energy. If you take a second photograph while imagining that you are sending love and energy to someone you know, there will be a different pattern of energy shown on the Kirlian photograph. Thus, we can see that a change in your consciousness creates a change in the energy field that is being photographed, which we call the aura.
This energy field shown in the Kirlian photographs has been quantified, so that when there are "holes" in particular parts of the energy field, these are said to correspond to particular weaknesses in specific parts of the physical body. The interesting thing about this is that the weakness shows up in the energy field before there is ever any evidence of it on the physical level.
Thus, we have an interesting direction of manifestation shown through what we have described.
1. A change of consciousness creates a change in the energy field.
2. A change in the energy field happens before a change in the physical body.
The direction of manifestation is from the consciousness, through the energy field, to the physical body.
Consciousness------1------►Energy Field------2------►Physical Body
When we look at things in this way, we see that it is not the physical body creating the energy field, the aura, but rather the aura or energy field that is creating the physical body. What we see as the physical body is the end result of a process that begins with the consciousness.
We Each Create Our Reality
When someone makes a decision that leaves them with stress, creating a blockage in the energy field with a sufficient degree of intensity, this creates a symptom on the physical level. The symptom speaks a certain language, which reflects the idea that we each create our own reality. When the symptom is described from that point of view, the metaphoric significance of the symptom becomes clear. Thus, instead of saying, "I can't see," the person would have to say, "I have been keeping myself from seeing something." If they cannot walk, they would have to say, "I have been keeping myself from walking away from something." And so on. We must understand that there are no accidents and no coincidences. Things do happen according to a pattern and order.
The Human Directional System
We can say that we have an inner guidance system, a connection to our Higher Self, or our Inner Being, or whatever name we choose to give this Higher Intelligence. This inner guidance system functions through what we call our intuition, or our instinct. It speaks a very simple language. Either it feels good, or it doesn't. All the rest is just politics.
We are told we should move with what feels good, and do not do what doesn't feel good to us. We are told to trust this inner voice. When we don't follow this inner voice we feel tension. We feel not-good.
Then, the voice must get louder. The next level of communication is through the emotions. As we move more and more in the direction that feels not-good, we experience more and more emotions that feel not-good, and at some point we can say, "I should have listened to myself when I thought to move in the other direction." That meant that we heard the inner voice. Otherwise, we could not have said, "I should have listened." If we make the decision we know is the right one for us, and therefore change direction, there is a release of tension, we feel better, and we know we are again on the right track.
If we continue to move in the direction that feels not-good, the communication reaches the physical level. We create a symptom, and the symptom speaks a language which reflects the idea that we each create our own reality. When we describe the symptom from that point of view, we can understand the message.
If we change our way of being, we have received the message, and the symptom has no further reason for being. It is able to be released, according to whatever we allow ourselves to believe is possible.
If we created the symptom with a decision, we are also able to release it with a decision.
As an hypothesis, we can imagine that someone makes a decision that it is not a good idea to express what they want. From that moment, whenever there is something they want, they keep themselves from expressing it, and therefore from having what they want. That feels not-good. The tension grows. They feel more and more not-good as they keep themselves from expressing what they want and not having it.
Eventually, something happens to create a symptom on the physical level, and their right arm is affected. It could have happened through falling from a ladder, or in an automobile accident, or by pinching a nerve in the neck, or by "sleeping in a draft."
Something had to happen on the physical level to create the symptom, in order to give the person the message on the physical level about what they had been doing to themselves. We do to ourselves literally what we have been doing to ourselves figuratively.
The effect is that the person cannot move their arm. They are keeping themselves from reaching for something, and since it is the right arm, on the "will" side of the body, they are keeping themselves from reaching for or going for what they want. They have been giving themselves reasons to not believe that they could have what they want. When they begin to do something different in their consciousness, they notice that something different begins to happen with their arm, and the symptom is able to be released.
Chakras And The Map
To understand the map of the consciousness that the body represents, we can turn to some ancient Hindu traditions which have been studying consciousness for thousands of years, and which use the language of the chakras.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word, and it means "wheel," or "vortex," because that's what it looks like when we look at it. Each chakra is like a solid ball of energy interpenetrating the physical body, in the same way that a magnetic field can interpenetrate the physical body.
The chakras are not physical. They are aspects of consciousness in the same way that the auras are aspects of consciousness The chakras are more dense than the auras, but not as dense as the physical body, but they interact with the physical body through two major vehicles, the endocrine system and the nervous system. Each of the seven chakras is associated with one of the seven endocrine glands, and also with a particular group of nerves called a plexus. Thus, each chakra can be associated with particular parts of the body and particular functions within the body controlled by that plexus or that endocrine gland associated with that chakra.
Your consciousness, your experience of being, represents everything it is possible for you to experience. All of your senses, all of your perceptions, all of your possible states of awareness, can be divided into seven categories, and each of these categories can be associated with a particular chakra. Thus, the chakras represent not only particular parts of your physical body, but also particular parts of your consciousness. When you feel tension in your consciousness, you feel it in the chakra associated with the part of your consciousness experiencing the stress, and in the parts of the physical body associated with that chakra. Where you feel the stress depends therefore on why you feel the stress. When someone is hurt in a relationship, they feel it in their heart. When someone is nervous, their legs tremble and their bladder becomes weak.
When there is tension in a particular part of your consciousness, and therefore in the chakra associated with that part of your consciousness, the tension is detected by the nerves of the plexus associated with that chakra, and communicated to the parts of the body controlled by that plexus. When the tension continues over a period of time, or reaches a particular degree of intensity, the person creates a symptom on the physical level. Again, the symptom served to communicate to the person through their body what they had been doing to themselves in their consciousness. When the person changes something about their way of being, they are able to release the stress that had been creating the symptom, and they are then able to return to their natural state of balance and health.
Reading The Map
When we are reading the body as a map of the consciousness within, we work with the idea that the tensions in the body represent tensions in the person's consciousness concerning what was happening in the person's life at the time that the symptom developed. The person was feeling stress about something that was happening in their life at that time.
We are going to examine the map of consciousness that the chakras provide, in order to understand the language of the symptoms that are associated with each chakra. In order to complete this map, however, we also need to look at ourselves as each a polarity of yin and yang, feminine and masculine characteristics.
For most people, their right side is their yang side, their will side, their acting or active side, and the left side is their yin side, their female side, their feeling or adaptive side. For people who were born left-handed, this polarity is reversed. Thus, for a right-handed person, their right leg can be described as their will leg, or their male leg, or the foundation of their will, but for a left-handed person, their left leg would be their male leg or will leg, and so on. Thus, we can talk about the will arm, or the will eye, or the will nostril, etc., and which side it is on will depend upon whether the person is right-handed or left-handed at birth.
Each of the chakras is energy vibrating at a certain frequency, in a logical and orderly sequence of seven vibrations. As we move up the scale, the elements become more and more subtle, moving through the five physical elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether, to the spiritual elements of inner sound and inner light. The heaviest element is on the bottom, the lightest on the top. It is a logical and orderly sequence.
The colors of the spectrum also represent a series of seven vibrations in a logical and orderly sequence, as do the notes of the musical scale. Thus, we can put the heaviest vibrations or the longest wavelength on the bottom and the lightest on the top, and a particular color can be used to represent a chakra in its clear state, as can a particular musical note. Music played in a certain key vibrates a particular chakra, and we feel a particular way when we hear that music. Our relationship with a certain color says something about our relationship with the part of our consciousness that the color represents.
The Root Chakra is associated with the parts of our consciousness concerned with security, survival, or trust. For most people, this concerns the parts of their consciousness concerned with money, home, and job. When this chakra is in its clear state, the person is able to feel secure, be present in the here and now, and be grounded. When there is tension in this chakra, it is experienced as insecurity or fear. When there is more tension, it is experienced as a threat to survival.
Parts of the body controlled by the sacral plexus and this chakra include the skeleton system, the legs, and the elimination system. Symptoms in these parts of the body represent, therefore, tensions at the level of the Root Chakra, and we therefore know that the person is seeing the world through a perceptual filter of insecurity or fear. The adrenal glands are also associated with this chakra.
If one leg is affected, we can see whether it is the male leg or the female leg, and thus whether it has something to do with trust in a male or trust in a female. We can also see it as having something to do with trust in the will, or the aspects of trust in the foundations the emotional being, related to what was happening in the person's life at the time the symptom developed.
The physical sense of smell, and therefore the organ of the sense of smell, the nose, is associated with the Root Chakra. Symptoms at the level of the nose or affecting the sense of smell reflect tensions at the level of the Root Chakra.
Each chakra is associated with an element. The Root Chakra is associated with the element of earth, and reflects something about the person's association with the earth, or how they feel about being on the earth, which we call Mother Earth. This chakra is also associated with our relationship with our mother. When someone experiences a sense of separation from their mother, or not feeling loved by their mother, they cut off their roots and experience symptoms of tensions at the level of the Root Chakra until they can again open to accept their mother's love.
When a child comes into the world in the traditional family structure, the mother provides the nourishment and the father provides the direction. Thus, in the child's relationship with its mother, it makes certain decisions about the way things are. The relationship with the mother thus becomes a model for the person's relationship with everything that represents security - money, home, and job.
The Root Chakra is associated with the color red.
The Abdominal Chakra is associated with the parts of our consciousness concerned with food and sex - the communication from the body to the person within it, about what the body wants or needs, and what it finds pleasurable. It also is related to what is happening in their consciousness about having children. When this chakra is in its clear state, the person is in touch with this communication, and listening to and responding appropriately to what the body wants and needs.
Parts of the body controlled by the lumbar plexus include the reproductive system and the abdomen, and the lumbar region of the back.
The sense of taste is associated with this chakra, as is the element of water. When someone does not have a clear relationship with water (swimming, for example, or being on a boat), this reflects their attitudes about the parts of their consciousness that this chakra represents.
Tensions on the will side or the emotional side of this chakra indicate tensions in the person's consciousness as conflicts between either the will or the emotions with what the person's body is asking for.
This chakra is associated with the sense of taste, and with appetite. It is also involved with the person's willingness to feel their emotions.
The second chakra is associated with the color orange.
The Solar Plexus Chakra is associated with the parts of our consciousness having to do with perceptions of power, control, or freedom. In its clear state, it represents ease of being, and comfort with what is real for one's self - being comfortable with who you are.
Parts of the body associated with this chakra include the organs closest to the solar plexus - stomach, gall bladder, spleen, liver, etc. - as well as the skin as a system, the muscular system as a system, and the face in general.
The physical sense associated with this chakra is the sense of sight. Anyone with impaired eyesight experiences tension at the level of their solar plexus chakra about the issues of power, control, or freedom. Nearsighted people also experience tensions at the level of the Root Chakra, and experience the world through a perceptual filter of fear or insecurity. Those who are farsighted experience tension also at the level of the throat chakra, and see the world through a perceptual filter of anger or guilt. Astigmatics see through the emotional perceptual filter of confusion.
The endocrine gland associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra is the pancreas. We can say that diabetics are keeping sweetness from themselves. When someone gets too close with sweetness, they feel threatened in their power to be who they are, and an emotion comes up to create a safe distance again. The emotion is anger. Diabetes is associated with suppressed anger.
The element associated with this chakra is fire, and the person's relationship with the sun says something about their relationship with the parts of their consciousness associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra.
The color of the Solar Plexus Chakra is yellow.
The Heart Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with relationships and our perceptions of love. The relationships we speak of here are with those people closest to our heart - partners, parents, siblings, children.
The parts of the body associated with this chakra include the heart and lungs, and the blood circulatory system as a system. This chakra is also associated with the thymus gland, which controls the immune system. When this is affected, as with AIDS, the person's lifestyle separates them from someone they love.
The physical sense associated with this chakra is the sense of touch, in its aspect of relating to the person inside the body. For example, a massage given to someone with no sensitivity to what the person is feeling inside would be an example of the sensation we associate with the Abdominal Chakra, but when the masseur seems to have a sense of what the person inside the body is experiencing, then it includes the aspect of relating we associate with the Heart Chakra. When someone experiences extreme sensitivity about being touched, we would ask what was happening at the level of the Heart Chakra.
This chakra is associated with the element of air. When someone has difficulty with air, with breathing (asthma, emphysema, tuberculosis, etc.), we say that their relationship with air reflects their relationship with love - difficulty letting it in, or letting it out, for example
The color associated with the Heart Chakra is emerald green.
The Throat Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with expressing and receiving. Expressing can be in the form of communicating what one wants and what one feels, or it can be artistic expression, as an artist painting, a dancer dancing, a musician playing music, using a form for expressing and bringing to the outside what was within. Expression is related to receiving, as, "Ask, and ye shall receive."
The throat chakra is associated with abundance, and with the state of consciousness called, "grace," where it seems that what you want for you is also what God wants for you. Accepting what the abundant universe offers you requires a sense of unconditionally receiving.
This chakra is also associated with listening to one's intuition, and flowing in a particular way where it seems that the Universe supports you in all that you do. It is the first level of consciousness from which one perceives another level of intelligence functioning, and one's interaction with this other level of intelligence.
Parts of the body associated with this chakra include the throat, shoulders, and arms and hands. and the thyroid gland.
The sense of hearing is associated with this chakra, and the element of ether, the most subtle physical element, corresponding to what we find in deep space. The ether is the crossover between the physical and the spiritual dimensions. Someone looking at the world through this chakra watches the manifestation of their goals. The Will Arm represents manifesting what you want, and the Feeling Arm represents manifesting what makes you happy. Hopefully, the two point to the same thing.
Sky Blue is the color associated with this chakra.
The Brow Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with the spiritual view, and the home of the Spirit, the Being within. This level of consciousness is associated with what western traditions call the unconscious or subconscious, the part of our consciousness that directs our actions and our life. From this level we are aware of the motivations behind our actions. We can watch our outer theater from an inner point of view.
This chakra is associated with the carotid plexus, and the nerves on each side of the face, and the pituitary gland. Headaches in the temples or center of the forehead are associated with tensions at this level. This chakra controls the entire endocrine system as a system, and the process of growth.
The Brow chakra, also known as the Third Eye, is associated with extra sensory perception (ESP), the set of all inner senses that correspond to the outer senses, which together comprise spirit-to-spirit communication. The element associated with this chakra is a vibration known as the Inner Sound, the sound that one hears in their ears that does not depend upon something in the physical world. Some consider it a pathological condition. In some of the eastern traditions the ability to hear this is considered a necessary prerequisite to further spiritual growth.
The color associated with this chakra is Indigo, midnight blue, the color of lapis lazuli, or the color of the night sky during a full moon.
The Crown Chakra is associated with the parts of the consciousness concerned with unity or separation, and just as the Root Chakra showed our connection with Mother Earth, this chakra shows our connection with Our Father, Which Art in Heaven. At first, it is associated with our connection with our biological father. This becomes the model for our relationship with authority, and this becomes the model for our relationship with God. When there is a sense of separation from our biological father, the person closes this chakra, and the effect on the consciousness is a sense of isolation and aloneness, being in a shell, and difficult to make contact with those outside the shell.
The person feels as if they are hiding from God, or hiding from themselves, not seeing what is true for them in the deepest part of their consciousness, the part we call the soul.
This chakra is also associated with a sense of direction.
The parts of the body controlled by this chakra are the pineal gland, the brain, and the entire nervous system as a system.
The color associated with the Crown Chakra is Violet, the color of amethyst.
Using The Map
When there is tension in a particular part of the body, this represents a tension in a particular part of the consciousness, about a particular part of the person's life. Being aware of these associations helps one to see the importance of resolving the tense issues in their life.
If it were only a question of doing what is necessary for the person to be happy, that would be reason enough to motivate the person to want to change something that doesn't work for them, but here, we see that it is also a matter of health. The issues that are unresolved in a person's life are, in fact, hazardous to their health.
When we see the correspondences between the consciousness and the body, we see the degree to which we each create our reality. In fact, those words begin to take on a new meaning. We see how everything begins in our consciousness and we are able to look around us at other aspects of our lives in the same way.
When we see how the body carries out the messages and deepest wishes of the Being within the body, we can realize that the process can go in more than one direction. If our consciousness is directing how we develop symptoms, it can also direct how we release these same symptoms. If our consciousness can make our body ill, our consciousness can make our body well.
The logical conclusion of this process is that anything can be healed.
Copyright 1987 Martin Brofman
http://www.healer.ch

About The Author

Martin Brofman, PhD, created the Body Mirror System of Healing, and A Vision Workshop, as the result of his research into the body-mind connection, and from what he learned healing himself of terminal cancer in 1975. He has been working with and teaching these methods around the world since that time. He is the author of Anything Can Be Healed, and Improve Your Vision, both published by Findhorn Press. His self-help books have been translated into ten languages.

He is the founder and director of the Brofman Foundation for the Advancement of Healing, dedicated to promoting healing in the world, and coordinating the activities of the various instructors teaching his methods. He believes and works with the idea that we are all healers, and that anything can be healed.
healer@healer.ch

This article was posted on May 05, 2004

Vision as a Metaphor

Vision as a Metaphor
 by: Martin Brofman

Why are our eyes called the windows to our souls? Why do we speak of the way that we "see" the world? Why do we say, "I see", in order to communicate that we understand? What is the understanding? What is the relationship between our vision, our eyesight, and our way of Being?
Eyesight is not just a physical process involving acuity. It is a multi-dimensional function affecting and affected by our emotional and mental state of Being, and linked to our personalities. That is, each type of vision impairment correlates with specific personality types.
All nearsighted people have something in common in their personalities, and all farsighted people share a particular character trait, and all those with astigmatism are working with a similar issue in their lives.
All kinds of impaired vision represent stressed ways that a person interacts with their environment.
Some say that stress is responsible for all emotional and physical imbalances, and stress reflects how an individual interacts with his or her environment in a way which is not "at ease". Stress is stored in the physical body in a number of ways, including stress or tension in particular muscles.
We can say, then, that physical tension is emotional or mental tension stored in the physical body, in the muscles. Tension in particular muscles is related to particular emotions and mental states. In other words, where you feel the tension is related to why you feel the tension.
In the case of vision, different visual disorders have been identified with excessive tension in particular extra-ocular muscles (the muscles surrounding the eyeballs), and with particular emotional patterns. To understand this process, let's look at how it works.
Surrounding each eyeball are six eye muscles (see illustration). We use these muscles to move our eyeballs in different directions, and for a while it was thought that this was their only function. Then, it was discovered that these muscles are about one hundred times more powerful than they need to be to accomplish this, and since structure and function are related in the human body, it seemed evident that these muscles must have another function. They do.
The extra-ocular muscles also serve as part of the focusing mechanism for our eyesight, along with the lens. They cause the eyeballs to elongate or shorten, depending on what we are looking at, and what we are thinking or feeling. In this way, the eye operates more like a bellows camera, with variable focus, than a box camera with a fixed focal length.
Four muscles pull each eyeball straight back into the eye socket, shortening the eyeball. Excessive tension on these muscles, called the Rectus muscles, creates a condition of farsightedness, and is experienced emotionally as tension in the consciousness, as coming out of one's Self, focusing on Image. It may be experienced as suppressed anger, or anger at one's self (guilt), or a feeling that in some way, the individual is not as important as other Beings.
Two muscles around each eyeball, the Oblique muscles, circle it like a belt, and when these muscles are tightened, they squeeze the eyeball, and it elongates. Excessive tension on these muscles is related to nearsightedness and this tension is experienced in consciousness as hiding within one's Self, retreating inward, as apprehension, fear, or non-trust as a perceptual filter, a sense of feeling threatened, not safe to be one's Self.
Uneven tensions on different muscles can create a condition of astigmatism, distortion of vision, by squeezing the eyeball unevenly in different directions, so that the eyeball is pulled out of roundness. This is experienced by the individual as a sense of being lost, as having uncertainty or confusion about their values, what they really want and/or what they really feel. Values from the "outside" have been included "inside", in a way which is not natural, organic, or real for that individual, and the stress of this situation is experienced in the person's consciousness as well as in the eye muscles.
Impaired vision comes about at a time in people's lives when they are experiencing stress in relation to their environment, and do not see clearly at that time, both literally and figuratively. When this goes on for an extended period of time or to an extreme of intensity, the eye muscles which hold these tensions may become temporarily "frozen", holding the eyeball in an out-of-focus condition. Since the tensions in these muscles correspond with tensions in the person's consciousness, this also holds the individual in a particular state of consciousness. These eye muscles can, however, be relaxed, and clear vision restored, using relaxation techniques and Hatha Yoga eye exercises (similar to what optometrists call "motility training.").
When the proper "tone" is restored to the eye muscles, the eyeballs are able to resume their natural shape, and clear vision can return. Tensions are released in the person's body and consciousness as well, and there is a return to an easier, clearer, more natural (for that person) way of Being.
The natural state of our vision is clear, and returning to clarity is related to returning to balance, and really being ourselves.
Since vision is a metaphor for the way we see the world, and related to personality, once the elements of a person's experience that relate to their impaired vision are identified, they can be released, and clear vision can be restored. Rather than being at the effect of perceptions we know to be distortions, we can decide to be at the cause, to consciously align with and choose those perceptions we know to be really true for us, and which will be more successful for us in our interactions, more in keeping with who we really are.
When we release the excessive tensions in our consciousness, the tensions are then released from the eye muscles from the inside, and the eyeball returns to its natural shape, and clear vision returns.
Naturally, since each type of vision impairment corresponds to a particular personality type, a change in personality may be expected to reflect the change in outer vision. The "new" Being will have the same Essence of Being, yet with a different way of interacting with the environment, a different "dance," without what had been excessive tension for that individual. It will seem as though the individual had awakened from a very real-seeming dream, and things will make sense in a different way A perceptual filter will have been removed, a filter through which values had been determined, and without that filter, truer values will become evident. The "new" Being may even have different tastes in food and/or clothing, and different personal habits, yet will feel more themselves, being who they really are. It will be a welcome transformation.
Approaches to vision improvement which have not considered the aspect of personality change have had only limited success. In cases where vision has been restored, the person involved has been through a transformative process and has, in fact, dropped a role, and become another Being, with another personality, more real, and with another way of seeing the world. The degree of improvement and the rapidity of improvement has been connected with the willingness on the part of the individual to accept the changes, to accept the new personality, to become the new Being, or rather, to become and live who they really are.
If we imagine that each of us is surrounded by a bubble of energy, our individual perceptual filters, we can see some metaphors. People who are nearsighted see what is close to them easier that they see what is far away. They are more focused on what is in the bubble, and less on what is outside the bubble, preoccupied inside, not looking outside. Energy, the direction of attention, is moving inward, contracting, toward the inside, away from the outside. Things must be held close to be seen clearly and comfortably. What one wants or feels is experienced as more important than what others want or feel. One's orientation is toward Self, to an excess for that person. "I" is considered more important in some way than "YOU," and from the individual's point of view, "WE" does not seem to include "YOU" as an equal consideration. An exceptional need for privacy may be experienced, a withdrawal from the world around them, a sense of being intimidated by their environment, a hiding inside.
The focus of thinking is forward, with fear or uncertainty as the emotional experience of that view. It is a preoccupation, keeping the individual from being totally present, in the here and now. The degree to which this is experienced is a matter of individual balance, and related to the degree of nearsightedness. Naturally, there may also be different compensations such as aggression to minimize the intimidation, or a forced extraversion to disguise the hiding within, but we are talking about the basis behind these outer actions.
With farsightedness, what is further away is seen more clearly than what is close. Farsighted people are more focused on what is outside the bubble and less on what is inside. Energy is moving outward, expanding, away from what is inside, and holding away or moving against what is outside. Things must be held away to be seen clearly and comfortably. What others want or feel is experienced as more important than one's own wants or feeling. One's orientation is toward others, away from Self, to an excess for that person. "YOU" is considered more important than "I," and from the individual's point of view "WE" does not seem to include "I" as an equal consideration. While a nearsighted person retreats in readily and easily, a farsighted person has difficulty doing this, since their attention continues to be directed outward. The person experiences more interest in other people's lives, and an avoidance of looking at their own. One's image is emphasized, and identified with, and gains more importance to the individual than the essence, who the person really is. The sense of anger that the person experiences is suppressed, so as not to offend others. The focus of thinking is toward the past, with anger and self-justification, or a sense of not having done the right thing, and is a preoccupation keeping the individual from being totally present. Again, the degree to which this is true is a matter of individual balance, and the degree of farsightedness, and there may be outer compensatory behavior, such as exaggerated saintliness to hide the guilt, or extreme kindliness to cover the anger.
With astigmatism, the bubble is distorted, and uncertainty of wants or feelings is experienced, depending on whether the right eye, or the left eye, or both, is affected.
Metaphysically, the right eye (the Will Eye) represents seeing clearly what one wants, and the left eye (the Spirit Eye) represents seeing clearly what one feels. In left-handed people, the traits are reversed. In a given situation, a person with astigmatism wants or feels what is true for them, considers it inappropriate, and changes it, and then believes the pretended change, no longer seeing clearly what was really wanted or felt. The focus is more on what "should" be wanted or felt, rather than what is real for that person, and a sense of confusion about who they really are. Who would they be if they stopped pretending to be who they are not?
Combinations of visual disorders are related to combinations of the qualities that have been mentioned. Astigmatism may be experienced in combination with either nearsightedness or farsightedness. Naturally, these qualities may be experienced by others without the visual disorders, but for those individuals with impaired vision, these traits mentioned are particularly strong.
Nearsightedness means seeing more clearly what is close. Farsightedness means seeing more clearly what is far. While in some rare cases one eye may be nearsighted and the other farsighted, both conditions may not exist within the same eye. When a person sees neither near nor far, the condition is one of rigidity of the accommodation mechanism, reflecting rigidity of consciousness, and relaxation techniques and eye exercises can restore flexibility. As a result, the individual will also notice greater flexibility in their mental process.
We are Beings of energy, and energy is directed by our consciousness. Ultimately, we have the capability of choosing the direction of the flow of energy depending on the situation, choosing not to be directed by past patterns of actions or perceptions, but rather changing those perceptions which we know to be less than accurate or optimal, with a willingness to see things as they are, rather than through a distorting filter.
The flow of energy between the inside and the outside of the bubble can be changed, as can the nature of the bubble itself, which is in fact the perceptual "filter" through which we perceive our environment. A "stuck" filter predisposes us to particular patterns of interacting and perceiving. It's like a selective lens allowing through only those perceptions which agree with the basic beliefs we have chosen or accepted, and ignoring or discounting all others. Since we act on the basis of the information that gets through to us, we are then predisposed to responding to our environment in a fixed way. The selectivity of the lens is not the problem, though - the distorting quality of the emotional filter is what must be released.
When we are clear and centered, the bubble is clear, and so are our interactions. When we are in the middle of a strong emotion, we are not centered, and our perceptions change. Situations look different, and so we respond differently. The bubble is distorted with the emotional currents. When the strong emotions of anger, fear, confusion, etc., are suppressed, as is the case with those who have impaired vision, the bubble is also distorted, but the distortion is not recognized. The person has identified with the distorted view, and believes that it represents truth, and who they really are. In fact, it is not who they are, but just who they seem to be when functioning with the distortion. They can release the distorting aspect of the lens, and of their perceptions, and return to their true clear selves.
Nearsighted people can direct the energy outward by being more and more willing to be visible - to trust that that will be all right. In a given situation or interaction, they can see themselves as the others see them, in a sense to see themselves through the other person's eyes, so that they not only have the view from the inside looking out, but also from the outside looking in. This will give them the opportunity to step outside themselves, and see things from another point of view, and with the additional information thus gained, to use it to optimize their interactions.
It is also important to treat the other person as they themselves would like to be treated if they were in the other person's place. It isn't necessary to agree with the other person's perceptions of them, but just have the willingness to see that that's how they are being seen, and that the other person's perceptions are as important to the other person as their own are to them. In fact, the other person's perceptions might be very useful to know about.
The idea is to not feel threatened or intimidated by the environment in which the individual finds him/herself, but rather to focus more and more on letting themselves be themselves, and trusting that when they do what they really want to do, and let themselves be real, something wonderful always happens. And since that process is so important for themselves, to recognize that the same process is important for the people around them, also, that everyone is just getting better and better at being themselves.
From the nearsighted person's point of view, "WE" can really include "YOU" as equal to "I," and in fact, just another "I," just as important.
Farsighted people can direct the energy more inward by giving themselves the same consideration they give others. The idea is not to stop considering others, but also to consider themselves. There can be a conscious process of allowing themselves to receive without guilt - not to take, but to receive - and to express wants and feelings, and let themselves have. When receiving, there need not be the need to reciprocate, or to deny, but just to say, "Thank you," and accept unconditionally. Focus on accepting not only things, but also ideas. Notice any of the ways you have been holding things, ideas, or people away, and allow them to come closer. There can be more a focus on who they really are, in addition to their image. Image is important, but Essence must not be overlooked. Outer appearance is not more important than true sentiment, and people do appreciate honesty in feelings.
Consideration must also extend to yourself. Expressing love need not involve sacrifice. It's not necessary to come out of your space to be loved and respected. The role can be fun, but also remember the Being who is playing it, the person inside. From the farsighted person's point of view, "WE" can include "I" as equal to "YOU," and "I" can be seen as another "YOU," as well as separate and important in its own right.
Astigmatics can ask themselves from time to time, during their day, "What do I really want now? What do I really feel now? What's true for me? What's real for me? If I stop wanting to be what I'm not, who would I be? If I stop living up to other people's standards, who would I be?" If I stop pretending to be the person I've been playing, what would I be doing differently? The feeling may have been that the real person would not be accepted in the environment, by the environment in which the person finds himself or herself. Then, find out whether the feeling is real, by discontinuing the role, and being you. Either you will discover that the feeling was a misperception, and the role was unnecessary, or that the feeling was real, in which case you would then be able to migrate to an environment in which you can be yourself, and be accepted. Either way, the effect would be a greater sense of ease in being you.
There's a place in society for all of us, and if we let ourselves be real, there's a place we really fit in, where we are not only accepted, but also appreciated for who we are. We do not have to pretend to not see what's real for us. We can all allow ourselves to be more and more who we really are, to be more and more real.
With determination, and a willingness to change perceptions and their accompanying realities, any Being can transform his or her view of the world, both literally and figuratively, and return to a natural state of clarity of vision.
Affirmations you can use (Choose one each day and repeat it to yourself that day. From time to time, read the list to yourself): My vision is improving now. I choose clarity. I know what clarity is, and I experience it more and more each day. I remember clarity, and I am returning to clarity. I notice that I see more clearly every day. I know I can see clearly now. I know that my experiences lead me to clear vision. I accept new ways of thinking and seeing which are clearer for me. Acceptance and love lead to clarity. I accept what I see, and I see more clearly. It's easier and easier to see clearly. I'm letting myself be real, and watching my vision clear. It's more and more comfortable to be myself, and see clearly. My mind is reaching out and bringing to my awareness any information I need to experience clear vision. I can have clear vision today. I can see clearly today. Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better. I see more clearly when I'm relaxed and centered. I see clearly when I am here now. Clarity exists here and now. Clarity is my natural state. Clarity is what is true for me. I enjoy seeing clearly. I see that everything is working perfectly. I love when I see clearly. Clarity is freedom, and being real. I see more clearly now. I see more clearly than I did before. Today I choose to see the love. When I do what I really want to do, something wonderful always happens. I trust being real, and I see clearly. I see clarity coming. I can notice clear vision today. As I clear my life, my vision clears. My vision is clearing now. I am free! My vision continues to clear as I adjust to my new state of consciousness. Instead of problems, I see solutions. I see the way things can work. Clearing my vision is easier than I thought. I know I can see clearly without eyeglasses. I agree with these statements. Affirmations always work!
© Copyright Martin Brofman 1990
http://www.heaer.ch

About The Author

Martin Brofman, PhD, created the Body Mirror System of Healing, and A Vision Workshop, as the result of his research into the body-mind connection, and from what he learned healing himself of terminal cancer in 1975. He has been working with and teaching these methods around the world since that time. He is the author of Anything Can Be Healed, and Improve Your Vision, both published by Findhorn Press. His self-help books have been translated into ten languages.

He is the founder and director of the Brofman Foundation for the Advancement of Healing, dedicated to promoting healing in the world, and coordinating the activities of the various instructors teaching his methods. He believes and works with the idea that we are all healers, and that anything can be healed.
healer@healer.ch

This article was posted on May 05, 2004

Healing and Transformation

Healing and Transformation
 by: Martin Brofman

Every symptom has a certain way of being with which it is associated. In order to release a symptom, one must release the way of being associated with it. Thus, the process of healing implies a process of transformation.
Anything can be healed.
One or Two Months to Live
When I had terminal cancer in 1975, I had been told that I had one or two months to live, and that the end might come very suddenly, any moment, if I coughed or sneezed. I was faced with a reality in which each day was possibly my last day, each hour my last hour, and I recognized that for whatever limited time I had remaining, I wanted to be happy.
Living a compromise made no sense to me. Since each meal was possibly the last one I would ever have, I wanted to eat whatever I had an appetite for, whatever my body was asking for. It didn't make sense to me to eat food I didn't enjoy just because someone else thought it would be healthy for me. Their loving intentions were recognized, but I knew it was not my way. My path to health had to include a sense of enjoyment in all that I did, and I had to be true to myself, to be real. I had to believe in the recovery process.
Reprieve!
Then, it was suggested to me that the cancer was the result of a process that had been going on in my consciousness, and that I could use my consciousness to get rid of it. My consciousness had been the effect of programming, in the same way that the results that a computer produces are the effects of the way had been programmed. I could reprogram my consciousness.
I was presented with the idea that our perceptions create our reality, and I realized that I had to reprogram my consciousness to create the perception that I was well. I was not prepared for such an abrupt shift from the perception of being terminally ill, but I realized that I could much more easily create the perception that I was getting better and better, until I was indeed well.
I had had the perception that I was in a state of deterioration, getting closer and closer to dying, and I knew that if I were to have as the end result the perception that I was well, I would have to change from getting worse and worse to getting better and better. I also knew that the turn-around could happen in any moment. It was a matter of turning a switch in my mind, and insisting on knowing that it had been turned. I decided that if the moment of change could be any moment, then let it be now.
The Change
I felt a shift in my consciousness, and I knew then that I was in a state of improvement. I also knew the importance of maintaining the integrity of that decision, and of that moment. I knew that all of my perceptions had to reinforce the idea that I was now getting better and better. For example, I could remind myself as I ate whatever food I wanted, that it was exactly what my body needed to accelerate the healing process.
Physical sensations that felt like electric shocks in my body, which before had reinforced the idea that the tumor was growing, now had to be perceived as evidence that the tumor was shrinking. My mind looked for more and more ways of knowing that the improvement was happening.
I knew I had to stay away from those people who insisted on seeing me as still terminal, not from any lack of love, but just to maintain my own positive attitude toward my healing process. I had to be with people who were willing to encourage me on this seemingly impossible task I had set for myself. When I was asked how I was doing, I insisted on answering, "Better and better," and seeing how that was, in fact, true.
I knew that it was vital to maintain the positive programming, and that putting myself in a relaxed state of mind and talking positively to myself for fifteen minutes, three times each day, was a part of the programming process I should in no way interfere with. There were temptations to not do the relaxations, and then I would remind myself that my life was at stake. Any temptation, then, was something that stood between me and my life, and had to be removed, so that I could live.
Holding the Perception
At first, it was very difficult. I found that the integrity of the moment of change was easily compromised, by my thoughts or words acknowledging anything other than the idea that I was improving, and I had to be honest with myself, and see that, and then know that I had "blown it." Then, I could tell myself that what had happened was just a practice run, and that the real moment of change was now.
It got easier and easier. I was able to maintain integrity for just hours at first, then a day, then two days, and then I was solid. I knew the program was working. I was able to recognize the doubting voice inside, and know that it did not represent truth. I was able to identify with the encouraging voice. It became my guide, leading me back to stable health. I was more and more able to maintain the single-pointedness of knowing that positive changes were happening. When I was not feeling a symptom, I told myself that perhaps now I would never feel that symptom again. If I experienced the symptom after that, I told myself that the process was just not yet complete, and that indeed I was feeling the symptom less than I had before.
I had to know that positive changes were happening now, possibly just at the threshold of notice-ability, so I could eagerly anticipate evidence to justify my perceptions. Naturally, I was always able to find something, and so assure myself that it was not something I was just imagining, but real, and more strength was added to the process.
The Program
During my relaxation periods, I imagined seeing the tumor which had been located in my spinal cord in the neck, and imagined that I was watching one layer of cancer cells dying, and being released, to be discarded by my body's natural elimination system. I knew that the change, perhaps not yet noticeable, was still definite. I knew that each time I released waste products from my body, the dead cancer cells were being eliminated, and I reminded myself of that each time. I insisted on knowing that it was true.
I knew that cancer represented something held in and not expressed, and since the tumor was located by my throat chakra (energy center), I had been holding back the expression of my Being. Since I wasn't quite sure what that meant, though, I decided that it was imperative that I express everything. Every thought, every feeling, whatever was in my consciousness that wanted to come out, I expressed, knowing that it was vital for my health. Before, I had had the perception that expressing led to discord, but now I saw that what I was expressing was appreciated by those around me, that expressing and communicating led to harmony.
Before, I had had the belief that if I expressed what I really wanted to, something bad would happen. I had to reprogram that to the belief that if I expressed what I really wanted to, something wonderful would happen. I made that decision, and it was so.
I found myself having less and less in common with my old friends. It was as though we had shared a common vibrational frequency before, say 547 cycles, whatever that means, and suddenly I found myself at 872 cycles, having few things to communicate with the 547-cycle people. I had to find new friends who were also at 872, to have someone to talk with.
I found myself attracted to the 872 crowd, and them to me, as though I had become selectively magnetic, and certain elements of my reality were being released which were no longer in accord with the new Being I was becoming. I knew the process was inevitable, and should not be interfered with. I developed a sense of compassion and understanding at that time. I knew that my life depended on releasing all elements of my life not in accord with my new vibration. The process was simple, though not always easy.
I began each day as a process of self-discovery, with no preconceived notion of who I was, yet with a willingness to discover the emerging Being, and a sense of delight with each new discovery.
I imagined the scene that would happen in the doctor's office after my work on myself was done. I could see him examining me, and finding no tumor, being puzzled. He might say, "Perhaps we made a mistake." I played the scene in my mind each day, in my relaxation periods.
I had heard that within the technology of mental programming, if I talked to myself for fifteen minutes three times each day, within 66 days, I could get myself to believe anything, and that whatever I believed to be true, would be true.
About two months after I started working on myself, I went to be examined by the doctor who had pronounced me terminally ill. On the way to the doctor, I knew that I had to maintain the perception that everything was all right. I replayed the scene in my mind, knowing it would happen like that.
Finally, the moment of truth arrived. The doctor examined me, and found nothing. He said, "Perhaps we made a mistake." I laughed all the way home.
Transformation
I have transformed my way of Being. My lifestyle has changed dramatically. It no longer makes any sense to work in any nine-to-five job, or to call any other Being my "superior," since we are all equal Beings, and all with infinite potential. I "retired" from Wall Street at the age of 38 with nothing but the dedication to the idea of doing what I really want to do and not doing what I really do not want to do, and trusting my trip, listening to my inner voice. It's a decision I have never regretted.
With what I learned of the body/mind relationship from my experience and the research I did during my own healing process, I developed a model of healing as a way to organize in my own mind what had happened for me, and what had worked.
I gradually became involved in healing others when conditions seemed to demand that, and in doing that I saw more and more examples of the body/mind interface covering many other symptoms. The model of healing I was using became more and more coherent and multi-dimensional.
I discovered the joy of sharing my experiences and ideas with others, and watching them benefit as they put the ideas to work in their own lives.
The work I do now as a healer and teacher is meaningful to me, important to others as well, and is of service to humanity, and I feel a "high" when I do it. I have a strong sense of doing my life's work. I know that I am doing what I came to this planet to do. I know it's right. It's not a feeling that I had had before.
The process of transformation is an integral part of the healing process, whether the Being is healing his/her vision or releasing some serious illness, and indeed also even when the out-of-balance condition has not reached the physical level, yet still exists on the mental or emotional level.
It is for those of us who recognize the process to encourage it, and assist it where we can, so that the planetary transformation now taking place within the individuals inhabiting it may be hastened, and made as gentle as possible.
Illness or injury shows on the physical level, metaphorically, what has been happening in the consciousness of the Being experiencing the symptoms. It is related to that person's way of Being. Once the elements of a person's Being that relate to their physical out-of-balance condition are identified, they can be changed, and health and balance on all levels can be restored.
When we see the physical body as a map of the consciousness that wears it, and always balanced to it, we can also see that a change in one implies a change in the other. When a healing happens, a change in personality may be expected to reflect the change in the physical Being, and vice verse. The "new" individual will have the same Essence of Being, yet with a different way of interacting with the environment, without what had been excessive tension for that individual. In fact, they will be more themselves, whom they really are.
It may seem as though the individual had awakened from a very real-seeming dream, and things will make sense in a different way. A perceptual filter will have been removed, a filter through which values had been determined, and without that filter, truer values will become evident. The "new" Being may even have different tastes in food and/or clothing, and different personal habits. It will be a welcome transformation.
Approaches to healing which consider the aspect of personality change, transformation, are keyed to the idea of an inner cause to any outer symptom. Without the inner changes, the symptoms may be relieved in the physical reality, but not yet the causes in the inner world, and the symptoms may get re-created again. The Being then considers that part of their energy system an inherent weakness, to be continually dealt with, until they can bring about the inner changes, after which the symptoms no longer manifest. After all, the symptoms were only necessary to give a message to the "old" Being. The "new" one, not having the built-in weakness, has no need of the symptom. As a matter of fact, the formerly weak part may even become the "new" Being's strongest part. Stories of formerly paralyzed or injured patients who became Olympic stars are evidence of this.
When transformation is focused on in addition to other parts of the healing process, another dimension is added, to accelerate the healing.
The Human Energy System
In the energy system that we each are, the energy is in a constant state of flow. This flow of energy is regulated by seven energy "pumps," called chakras. Each chakra represents specific emotions and levels of perception, elements of the Being's consciousness, and is also associated with specific parts of the body, specific functions within the body, specific endocrine glands, and specific nerve groups. Responses to a Being's perceived universe are reflected in the chakras as well.
The chakras have an optimal state of balance and flow. A healing of the individual balances the chakras. When this happens, in addition to restoring inner balance and a different state of consciousness, as well as physical balance, the rebalancing will also define different responses to the Being's perceived universe.
In other words, with a given state of balance of the chakras, a certain type of experience will be attracted to the individual, and certain types of people will be attracted, as well. When the energy changes in the chakras, as in a healing, the magnetic effect drawing a particular kind of person or experience is then released, along with the old way of responding.
For example, one Being, having different interactions with his/her mother may respond by blocking the chakra associated with security or trust. The effect would be insecurity as a perceptual filter. The individual would then attract precarious situations to justify the insecurity, as well as females who would remind that Being of his/her mother. When the chakra is cleared, the type of female formerly attracted would be attracted instead to other Beings with the same kind of blocked chakra as that formerly experienced by the Being who was healed, leaving room for interactions for that Being with females of a different energy. In addition, interactions with the mother-archetype will have a different resolution, more satisfying. Situations presented to the Being will also have more of a sense of solidity, or the Being will have a new perspective of confidence with which to resolve the situation..
We can see, then, that not only do the chakras reflect the outer environment, but in a way they also create it.
With minor adjustments in a Being's energy system, only slight shifts in consciousness would be apparent. In the case of catastrophic illnesses, however, the Being was in desperate need of a major adjustment in consciousness, and then the aspects of transformation would be more profound.
Rebirth
While instantaneous change is always possible and available, most people do not seem to be prepared for so abrupt a shift in their way of Being. Gradual change seems generally more comfortable for the Being involved, as well as for others in the Being's environment.
With instantaneous change, there is the experience of sudden clarification of what had been obscure, and a sense something like what might be experienced by a Being suddenly finding itself in a body, and watching a movie unfolding around itself, a movie that had just begun. The Being would find itself as one of the characters, with a sense of seeming to be different than what the others seemed to see the Being as, and in fact, would be very different. Others would be holding the perception of the Being who no longer exists.
It would then be important for the Being to maintain his/her new way of Being, the new sense of clarity or enlightenment (yet possibly combined with the confusing sense of sudden newness), and establish quickly the way in which things make sense in the new reality, the new paradigm, with new perceptions. The new Being would have to see its relationship to the old Being's job, surroundings, home, partner, etc., and evaluate which aspects worked harmoniously, and which parts would have to change in some way.
In the case of a Being who had had a serious illness, and who recognized the relationship between lifestyle and the physical symptoms, there would have to be a willingness to change all aspects of the lifestyle that did not result in happiness, because it would be clear that it was those aspects which were directly related to the illness It would be clear as well that to not bring about the necessary changes would be to recreate the symptoms of the illness.
When it becomes a matter of life and death, the choice becomes a clear one, and simple, although not always easy.
Interactions
To those people close to the Being, it could be a very confusing time, as well. It could seem as though the person they had known the Being to be, had suddenly changed in a way, gone crazy. Habitual patterns of behavior and responding would suddenly no longer be there, and it could be very confusing. For the Being's health and well-being, however, they would have to be totally supportive of the new Being, since attempts to re-create the old Being would be perceived by the Being involved (correctly) as a threat to its health, and perhaps even to its life.
There must be a willingness to adapt to the Being's new way of Being.
Gradual change is easier for most people, but it must be emphasized that the magnitude of the gradual change is no less than that of immediate change. It is just spread out over a longer period of time. The same issues must be examined. The same changes must be made. In addition, the Being must maintain a single-mindedness of purpose, and stay on purpose, with a total willingness to release all aspects of their life which are stress-related, and all patterns of interacting which are not success-oriented, until life is again harmonious, and the body's state of health and well-being indicate that the Being has returned to balance, and may now identify with the way they are. The transformation and healing will then be complete.
Anything Can Be Healed!
When an individual who has been out of balance has made the decision to return to balance, they must make it a high priority project. Nothing else must be more important. Particularly in the case of a catastrophic illness, the return to health necessarily becomes more important than family, friends, or job. When there has been the recognition of a path to health, nothing must interfere with that path. The development and maintenance of a positive mental attitude is imperative.
Each of us is a self-organizing autonomous system of consciousness. Each of us is an energy system. Energy flows through our Being, and is directed by our consciousness. This energy is in a state of movement, flow, and in a healthy organism the energy is harmonious, and flows smoothly. When the flow of this energy is blocked or interrupted, it is experienced by the organism as an imbalance, and the organism's tendency is to return to balance and harmony, to return to health. This tendency toward harmony is an aspect of love.
All illness, all injury, is energy blocked or interrupted, or a call for love. Each of us, including you, the reader, has the ability to sense energy, detect it, and direct it.
Ultimately, any energy block can be released by your consciousness. It is not a question of whether it can be done, but rather how it can be done.
Within your Being, within your consciousness, is the ability to love, to perceive without judgment or expectation, to care. You have a potential for infinite love, whether or not you choose to recognize it, and whether or not you choose to manifest it. In fact, this love is the very nature of your Being.
You have the ability to love wherever there was a perception of a lack of love, or a call for love. Love heals.
You have in your consciousness the potential and ability to heal anything, on any level, in yourself as well as in any other Being, since it's all just love and energy. What remains is for you to realize this fully and actualize that potential.
Anything can be healed.
You can heal anything.
Copyright 1988 Martin Brofman
http://www.healer.ch

About The Author

Martin Brofman, PhD, created the Body Mirror System of Healing, and A Vision Workshop, as the result of his research into the body-mind connection, and from what he learned healing himself of terminal cancer in 1975. He has been working with and teaching these methods around the world since that time. He is the author of Anything Can Be Healed, and Improve Your Vision, both published by Findhorn Press. His self-help books have been translated into ten languages.

He is the founder and director of the Brofman Foundation for the Advancement of Healing, dedicated to promoting healing in the world, and coordinating the activities of the various instructors teaching his methods. He believes and works with the idea that we are all healers, and that anything can be healed.

This article was posted on May 05, 2004

Aloe Vera - No Wonder They Call It The 'Miracle Plant'

Aloe Vera - No Wonder They Call It The 'Miracle Plant'
 by: Kay Blackiston

Aloe Vera is a member of the Lily family. It is a succulent that looks a lot like a cactus and is known by various names such as the burnt plant, the miracle plant, the natural healer and the medicine plant. Although there are more than two hundred species of Aloe Vera, only a few have medicinal properties, and of these Aloe Vera Barbadensis is the most beneficial.
The Aloe Vera plant reaches maturity at about four years of age. The outer leaf is smooth and rubbery and inside is the gel and sap which is harvested, preserved and bottled to give either a juice or when combined with other ingredients creams, lotions and gels. About 96% of the plant is water. The rest is made up of minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper, chromium and the antioxidant selenium, vitamins including the antioxidants C, E and beta carotene, 20 of the 22 amino acids required by the body including 7 of the 8 that cannot be manufactured by the body, sugars, enzymes and fatty acids. The combination of these elements has a more powerful effect together than they would individually. This is because each enhances the effect of the other, an occurrence that is known as synergism.
Aloe Vera works in two different areas; by promoting healing or preventing injury to the epithelial tissues (the skin, the lining of the gut, the bronchial tubes, etc) and by balancing the immune system when its antioxidants fight the free radicals produced by our metabolism and pollutants in the environment.
When taken internally, Aloe Vera is soothing to digestive tract irritations, such as colitis and peptic ulcers. The anti-inflammatory fatty acids are also helpful for the stomach, small intestine and colon. It alkalises the digestive juices preventing overacidity – a common cause of indigestion. Amongst many other ailments that have been helped by Aloe Vera are diverticulitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation and haemorrhoids. Conditions that are improved by balancing the immune system are arthritis, asthma, ME (post viral fatigue syndrome) and LE (lupus).
When applied to the skin Aloe Vera improves a large variety of skin complaints such as eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, burns, stings, acne, bites, scrapes, abrasions, scalp care, sore muscles, cold sores, bruises, sprains and frostbite to name but a few!
More recent studies show Aloe Vera can help prolong survival time and stimulate the immune system of cancer patients. This is partly by fighting free radicals with its antioxidant properties and also by stimulating the white blood cells causing the release of immune-activating and anticancer substances such as interferons, interleukins and tumour necrosis factor. These properties of Aloe Vera have also made it an effective part of a nutrition support program for HIV patients; leading to fewer occurrences of infections such as thrush, fatigue and diarrhoea and an increase in the number of white blood cells meaning a boost to their immune system.

About The Author

Kay Blackiston has had an interest in health and nutrition for several years. She is now a personal weight loss coach supporting anybody who wishes to take charge of their lives and lose their excess weight. http://www.from-flab-to-fab.com. Various Aloe products are available from: http://www.healthandbeauty-online.com
kayblackiston@msn.com

This article was posted on May 03, 2004

America Health Watch

America Health Watch
 by: Daryl Dudley

America loves fast food. Last year, consumers spent billions of dollars on the hamburger industry alone. Corporate giants such as McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King all boast of multi-million dollar incomes each year.
Why?
Because their foods are delicious! Americans everywhere love the rich flavors of gigantic Big Macs and king-sized Whoppers. Our mouths water and noses flare at the enticing smell of a Bacon Double Burger Classic- a popular burger layered with melted cheese and tender bacon strips. Add a large batch of hot, sizzling French fries, and you have a combo meal worth billions of dollars to the American public. Indeed many of us love fast food!
But what has our country gained from its huge appetite for greasy foods? I can think of three problems-three problems that have stood coldly on America's doorstep. These problems have destroyed the lives of millions of Americans over the past decade. They are: 1) Obesity 2) High Blood Pressure and 3) Heart Disease. Strangely enough, American consumers will continue to satisfy their appetites for greasy chicken dinners, colossal burgers, salty French fries, and dozens of other fast foods. But the biggest threat is that these three health problems, if left unchecked, will bring more pain, more suffering, and higher death rates to the American population.
Obesity: Numerous studies have pointed to what causes obesity (condition of being overweight). Two major causes are: 1) over eating of high-fat foods, and 2) lack of exercise. With our country's yearly spending on fast food, it is no surprise that more than 60% of Americans aged 20 years and older are overweight. Obesity has also been found to cause diabetes. Though the condition has been proven a hereditary disease, physicians agree that diabetes is often triggered by the patient's choice of foods. In 2002, treatment of diabetes totaled 23.2 billion U.S. dollars. But being overweight can cause more health problems than just diabetes. Obesity is also a leading cause of high blood pressure.
High Blood Pressure (HBP): Over the years, tests have shown that most diets high in salt lead to cases of high blood pressure. At the turn of this century,this condition was listed as the main cause of death in 227,000 cases. Extra salt on our fries may seem tempting. But a less tempting thought is that high blood pressure contributes to 75% of all strokes and heart attacks. The danger with this condition is that many Americans are unaware that they have high blood pressure. Still, HBP is lethally harmful to anyone who has it. If left untreated, the condition may lead to heart disease.
Heart Disease: This disease is currently the single leading cause of death in America. Years of study have shown obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels as causes of heart disease. Freshly fried chicken, large hamburger meals, hot bags of salted fries-all of these menu items pull at the wallets and purses of American consumers. But what does it cost to satisfy our appetites again and again? In 2001 heart disease was responsible for over half a million deaths in the U.S. It accounted for over 17.6 billion U.S. dollars-in medical treatment- in 2002.
Is the cost really worth it?
As a nation, we are just now beginning to realize the long term effects of an unbalanced diet. This is, however, a good step towards improving America's overall health condition. We can not afford to lose millions of lives from diseases that can be controlled, or even avoided.
There are many alternatives to eating fast food. For example, delicious fruits such as apples, oranges, pears, grapes, and grapefruits, are all low in cholesterol and high in nutritional value. They also help the body fight cancer. Meats such as grilled shrimp, baked chicken, and broiled fish are low in cholesterol but high in proteins and other useful nutrients for the body. Finally, garden peas, collard greens, lima beans, and baked potatoes, are all excellent substitutes for a greasy bag of salted fries. You can find additional information on foods and food servings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The information can be found at your local library, bookstores, online, and a variety of other sources.
Indeed America has many opportunities to grow as a healthy nation. It is time to address the health problems that lie at our country's doorstep. It is our time-America's time to eat smart.

About The Author

Daryl Dudley is the author of "America Health Watch." He is currently a senior English major at Savannah State University. For FREE information on healthier eating and exercise visit Daryl at: http://www.webspawner.com/users/ddudley
cashflowgreen@hotmail.com

This article was posted on May 03, 2004

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