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March
2006 |
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Your Wellness Options
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Alternative
Health and Wellness
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In This Issue
- Welcome
Message
- Forgiveness
- Inspirational
Quotes
- National
Uniformity for Food Act
- FDA Turns
its Back Again
- Self
Healing
Forgiveness
by Sonia Devine
Your ability to
forgive those who have hurt you in the past is a crucial stepping stone
to your spiritual and
emotional growth. Throughout the course of our lives, we collect
emotional baggage. This is unavoidable, and even though it can cause us
a great deal of pain, it helps us to define who we are as people; the
result is, we grow even more and learn valuable lessons along the way
about ourselves and others.
So
there you have it - emotional baggage is an unavoidable part of all of
our lives - but it's not actually this that is the real cause of
unhappiness in your life. What's really important is how you choose to
deal with that baggage, because what you do here will determine the success
or failure of your future relationships. Now, there is another very
important point I want to make:
People
come into our lives to teach us lessons
It's
what you do with these lessons that determines how your future will be.
Think of all the people you have encountered in your life. Isn't it
funny to look back and think about the last time you saw a particular
person; it may have been several years ago, and it's quite possible
that you will never again see him/her in this lifetime! The reason?
Because this person has served his or her purpose in your life. So now
that you know this, think about this; what did this person teach you?
Some relationships or encounters that we have with other people last
only a few days, and some last a lifetime. But either way, each
experience serves a specific purpose and is extremely relevant to your
life!
Now,
given that every experience we have is a lesson for us, think about the
people who have hurt you in the past. Have you allowed yourself to
forgive them? Or are you still holding into the emotional pain? Do you
find yourself conjuring up scenes of "sweet revenge" in your mind, or
worse still, acting out those scenes? Are you able to forgive and let
go? If you are not, then who holds the power - you or them?
Don't
let people who have hurt you in the past have any control over your
future!
When
you make a choice to forgive others, you are NOT lying down and
becoming a doormat, nor are you admitting that person who hurt you is
in the right. Forgiveness is about taking back control of your life and
not allowing your negative emotions to rule you. And forgiveness is
also about letting go of all those debilitating emotions that could be
responsible for sabotaging your current relationships! So ask
yourself
this question: Do you want to feel good? If you are still carrying
feelings of resentment and anger towards someone who hurt you, then
what are you getting out of it?
Hanging
on to feelings of resentment, hatred or anger, will ensure that these
destructive feelings WILL spill over into your current life and stop
you from enjoying positive, successful relationships with other people.
The
fact is, your subconscious mind never ignores negative energy and
emotions. It will remind you every day that you need to deal with them,
and until you do, it will manifest your unresolved emotional pain
through insomnia, chronic physical pain and in extreme cases, through
life threatening illness. So there it is; make a decision today to take
back your life by practicing forgiveness. Your energy is extremely
precious so don't allow yourself to give it away to those who don't
deserve to have it! Move on with your life today, and you will
experience miracles.
Sonia
Devine is
a qualified professional hypnotherapist and success
coach. You can find more of her information on ego, self image, love,
relationships and much more on her website http://www.manifest-your-
success.com
Inspirational Quotes
There
is only one thing more powerful than all the armies of the world, that
is an idea whose time has come.
- Victor Hugo
When I despair, I
remember that all
through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have
been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible,
but in the end they always fall. Think of it - always.
-
Mahatma Gandhi
The greatest
discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by
altering his attitudes.
-
William James
Darkness cannot
drive out darkness; only light
can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate
multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies
toughness, in a descending spiral of destruction. The chain reaction of
evil must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of
annihilation.
-
Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.
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Welcome Message
Welcome
to our Your
Wellness Options newsletter. For those of you who have recently
subscribed, I hope you enjoy the newsletter. You will find past
articles published in our Alternative Health and Wellness Article
Library.
For those of you who have been with us for a while now, I am sure you
noticed the new format. The website has also been
completely revamped. It took me longer than I had planned but it
was well worth it. I do have a few bugs to work out yet and a few
web pages need to be completed. If you have any comments or run
across any links or pictures that do not work properly, I would
appreciate it if you would let me know. Also, if you are or know
of an alternative practitioner whom you would recommend, let me know
the information for the Practitioners section.
On a personal note,
I finished the class I was taking for the board
position I hold and now need to catch up in my Vaccination class - I am
waaaaaaay behind. Assignments, here I come.
This month we are
continuing to look at some of the political issues
surrounding your health and wellness options. Like I stated last
month, I have previously chosen not to write about some of these topics
in order to stay 'off radar'. Unfortunately, it seems every time
we turn around 'big business' seems to be able to convince those in
power that their way is the best way. I believe it is best if we
all know a bit about what is going on.
Enjoy the newsletter.
Have a blessed day!
LeeAnn Rahn
editor@yourwellnessoptions.com
National Uniformity for Food Act
by LeeAnn Rahn
A short while back,
the House of Representatives approved a bill that
would virtually eliminate almost all states' laws regarding safety
labeling of food products. It was a huge victory for the food
industry who has been lobbying for national standards for food
labeling.
Unfortunately, this
measure takes away our basic right to know what is
present in our food products and it removes the power of the states to
protect its citizens. States, like California, who are very
active in passing laws to protect its citizens would be impacted
severely by this bill. California has over 200 laws which would
be overruled, including Proposition 65, which requires the labeling of
substances that may cause cancer or birth defects.
Due to their
labeling requirements, California has been very
instrumental in urging many companies to alter their recipes.
Bottled water companies have reduced the amount of arsenic in their
water and some makers of baked goods have removed potassium bromate, a
potential carcinogen, from many breads, doughnuts, and other baked
goods.
The bill does not
completely strip the states of their options
though. States could still ask for approval on stricter labeling
laws from the Food and Drug Administration and pay all costs
associated. First of all, the costs associated are ridiculously
high and second, I think we all know just how quickly the FDA gets
appropriate labeling requirements approved. Then, of course, ethics
comes into play and who the FDA really works for.
The food industry
says all the differing laws have raised their costs
and confuse consumers. Supporters of the bill believe federal
standards work better than state standards. I think our
representatives should take a good, long look in the mirror and get
going on approving stricter laws on lobbying and ethical rules.
How did this bill
make it
through the House when so many people are opposed to it? Well,
first of all, more than 3 million dollars has been contributed to
members of congress from various corporations and trade groups who
belong to the National Uniformity for Food Coalition (backers the bill)
during the 2005-2006 election cycle. They have contributed more
than 31 million dollars since 1998. Also, a few key players were
recruited by the Coalition who have close ties to the
representatives.
Additionally, many
feel the bill was rushed through at the last minute
without a proper hearing which would have allowed food safely advocates
and state regulators to testify against it.
I think
Representative Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee has it right. He
said, "I am wondering right now what the food industry is afraid
of. Why are they trying to ram this piece of legislation through
the House?"[1]
What are my feelings
on the subject? I think we should give the
food industry what they are requesting, literally. Give them a
national standard for food safety labeling. We should look at all
of the state laws, find the best ones, and roll them up in a bill
giving all states the best of the best. All labels would be the
same and all states would be equally protected.
I did not even bring
up genetically modified products into the mix
above. No states currently require foods containing GMO
ingredients to be labeled but it is not far off. I think the food
industry knows this is coming and they are trying to side step the
issue before it happens. More
information on GM products.
On a positive note,
there is somewhat of a calm in the air right now
regarding this bill. First of all, the bill may not even make it
to the Senate this session as the schedule is very full already.
Second, the senate is more evenly balanced giving those opposed to the
bill a better chance of defeating it. We need to ensure our
Senators know how we feel about this bill should it make it on the
schedule though.
FDA
Turns Its Back Again
by LeeAnn Rahn
You would have
thought the FDA would have done some soul searching
after the Vioxx debacle. If you recall, 10 of the 32 members of
the panel who approved Vioxx, Bextra, and Celebrex had conflicts of
interest - basically paid consultants to the pharmaceutical companies
who brought the drugs to market. If those individuals had not
been allowed to vote, Bextra would have been withdrawn from the market
and Vioxx would have never returned to the market. Nonetheless, 9
out of 10 of the "conflicted" panel members voted to bring a drug, that
may have killed as many as 55,000 people, back to the consumer
market.
Once again the FDA
has shown its true colors. They "fast-tracked"
the drug Tysabri to the consumer market with little testing and after
being repeatedly warned of serious immune system side effects by at
least one expert who was very knowledgeable in the development of MS
drugs himself.
Tysabri is dubbed
the MS "wonder drug". The problem here is that
the underlying issues causing MS can not be cured by any pharmaceutical
drug currently on the market. They are only expensive band-aids
that treat symptoms and generally end up causing more long term damage
to the immune system and liver. In fact, many pharmaceutical
drugs do no more than treat symptoms.
After a patient died
from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a
rare infection of the brain and spinal cord, Tysabri was pulled from
the consumer market place.
Recently, an FDA
advisory panel recommended that Tysabri be allowed to
return to the consumer market. Oh, you don't worry anymore about
the deadly side effects. They have taken care of that with a
little black box warning.
Based on this
recommendation and several others previous to this, it
seems just about any pharmaceutical drug can get approved (or
re-approved) as long as it has a little black warning box on it with
tiny print revealing its deadly side effects.
MS sufferers are not
without options though. Vitamin D from sun
exposure is a great way to help prevent the disease and a great first
step in treatment. Almost all people with auto-immune diseases
have low levels of Vitamin D. To illustrate, "An
estimated 1 in 5,000 persons living in northern United States and 1 in
20,000 living in southern United States are affected by it." [1] So you see, sunlight
and Vitamin D, may
indeed play a huge role in MS. Please note, synthetic Vitamin D
is not a suitable substitute. Your
body is able to regulate the production of natural Vitamin D via
sunlight but too much synthetic Vitamin D is toxic.
Those with MS may
also benefit greatly from omega-3 fats. Cod
liver oil is a great way to get the omega-3 fats and Vitamin D.
If your Vitamin D levels are good, then take fish oil that does not
contain Vitamin D. Do some research to ensure the oil has had all
mercury and other toxins removed.
Another route to go
is alternative healing. I have personally
been looking into EFT recently and apparently MS sufferers have had
some success with it. Many time MS, as well as other auto-immune
disorders, are either triggered by an emotional trauma or the emotional
trauma led to the degradation of the immune system, which then led to
the disorder. EFT, and other techniques dealing with emotions and
the body's energy pathways, are great options to try. I
will go into further detail on EFT in a future newsletter.
Self
Healing
by Sindy Taylor
Self Healing
What does it mean to self heal? How does one even begin to start self
healing? I believe that "Self Healing" is the ability to be quiet, to
go within and allow yourself to hear, it is the ability to shut off the
outside world and mindless chatter and go deep, deep within and listen
to what the body is telling you.
This is a hard
learned concept, since
we have never been taught how to achieve this state of being. However,
I believe that we have to trust ourselves and allow this process to
take control of our mind and body and embark upon a new way of viewing
our lives.
Never assume that you don't know what is causing your illnesses, your
innerself is quite aware what is happening and what the underlying
causes are. Do not give the power over to medical professionals to tell
you what is wrong with you. Trust that you know the answer.
It
is ok
for medical professionals to label the ailments and prescribe what they
see fit to treat the condition that you may be suffering. But get to
know within yourself what the underlying cause of the disease in your
body is. Do not take for granted that others can and will heal you. You
are the only one that has that power. Do not give this power over to
others.
In
this I am not advocating that one should not
take medication when
prescribed, I am not advocating that one should not listen to what the
doctors are telling you, they are trained professionals and have earned
their degrees and are putting into practice what they have learned.
They are there to "help" and "assist" you in your healing, but
ultimately it is up to you to make it happen and have it take effect.
The
body left to its own devices will not judge
what you do, the body
will accept all that it is given and the body instinctively knows what
to do when disease hits. It does over time however, need to be reminded
that it can still heal itself, do not take its power away from its own
healing ability, it too needs to be shown and given encouragement on
how and what to do. So take the time, like you would a small child,
nurture your body, listen to what it is telling you, talk to it as
though it is that child of yours that you love unconditionally and love
yourself in the same way.
Self
healing is an art form, one which can make
people's lives much
more fulfilling and loving, it is an art form which needs to be
developed from a very young age, so teach young children to combine the
concept of listening and talking to the body, do not let them fall
victim to allowing others to heal them, empower them, make them see and
make them believe that they have the ultimate power over their own
healing and well being. Encourage them to do this as you would
encourage them to brush their teeth in the mornings. They will learn
and begin to feel the power behind your words. It is only tangible once
you start to see results, and you will not see results unless you start
doing. Doing is the key element; one can believe or not believe until
their heart is content, but once one starts to see tangible results one
will begin to know the power behind the concept of self healing.
Sindy
Taylor has been
a computer professional, teacher & artist
but her passion is one of healing. Her company Spiritual Healing Arts
is her personal journey where she shares her thoughts, experiences and
goals to empower others on their own spiritual journey to Self Healing.
For more info visit: http://www.spiritualhealingarts.com
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References:
National
Uniformity for Food Act
1.
"House Votes to Dump State Food Safety Laws", March 9, 2006,
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau, SFGate.com
FDA
Turns Its Back Again
1.
"Multiple Sclerosis", Every Women's Health, 1993, pp723-724,
Guild America Books
2.
"With Tysabri Decision, the FDA Declares No Drug is Too
Dangerous to be FDA Approved", March 28, 2006, Mike Adams,
Newstarget.com,
3.
"New Treatment Options for MS", Dr. Joseph Mercola,
www.mercola.com
4.
"MS Drug Pulled After Patient Died", Dr. Joseph Mercola,
www.mercola.com
5.
"FDA Painkiller Panel Advisers Linked to Pharmaceutical Firms,
10 Members Worked as Paid Consultants", February 25, 2005, Gardiner
Harris, Alex Berenson, (New York Times), SanFrancisco Chronicle,
SFGate.com
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Disclaimer
The information on Your Wellness
Options is designated for
informational and educational
purposes only. You should never make a decision based solely this
information. Please consult the appropriate health professional
for medical attention, diagnosis, or treatment. Readers who fail
to contact the appropriate health care professional, taking matters
into their own hands, assume all risks. The publisher is not
responsible for errors and omissions.
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Copyright©
2004-2006, YourWellnessOptions.com, All
rights reserved.
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