Category Archives: Body, Mind & Spirit

On Brain & Mind

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The Nature Of Mind And The Holographic Brain

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By: Brandon West

What is the true nature of mind, and what is the real function of our brains?

The purpose of this article is to provide evidence that strongly indicates that you are not your brain, or your body for that matter, and that the nature of mind, of memory, and of our brains may actually be vastly different than we have been lead to believe.

Since time immemorial, man has been fascinated by the mind, leading great thinkers from Hippocrates to Descartes to ponder the nature of mind with wonder. Fast forward to modern times and observe how the mind is still revered and is dominating our culture. We have a lot of firm beliefs about the nature of mind, and I believe the ego – our limited perception of ourselves – and thus human ignorance, is intricately tied in with these beliefs.

But the truth of the matter is that we only understand a fraction of the minds potential, i.e. it’s capability of rote memorization and other analytically orientated functions, and we use even less.

We know hardly anything about the brain let alone the nature of mind. Is it possible that we are missing crucial aspects of its function and entire areas of development and potential that simply slide under the radar because they are not accepted by modern thought?

In this article we will explore the idea that the brain itself, with its tissue and neurons that we have until now deemed the source of our thoughts and identity, is actually just a tool, a receiver of human intelligence and consciousness, but not its source; and that the human mind is not sourced in the brain any more than the internet can be found in your laptop or your modem.

“My brain is only a receiver. In the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.” – Nikola Tesla

Projected Memory on the Screen of Consciousness

To begin I would like to delve into the work of a Canadian neurosurgeon named Wilder Penfield. Through his work with epileptic patients spanning from the 1930′s into the 1970′s he found that “stimulation of the human cerebral cortex with a gentle electrical current sometimes awakens specific memories, at other times dreams.” His work gave him insight into the function of the brain, memory, mind, and the interactions between them.

(This information on Wilder Penfield’s experiments is from his lectures The Mechanism of Memory, and Some Mechanisms of Consciousness Discovered During Electrical Stimulation of the Brain unless otherwise specified.)

During brain surgery once the brain was exposed, he found that by using an electrode that produced a “gentle” electrical current, he could stimulate areas of the brain and get specific, repeatable, intriguing and often times simply fascinating results. The patients were kept conscious throughout the procedure so that the doctors could carry out a conversation throughout the operation and receive immediate feedback on the nature of the experience these electrical currents would produce.

In one case an area he stimulated caused a man to not only hear a piano being played, but also to see the man sitting in front of him playing the piano. In another case a boy reported seeing men sitting on a chair and singing, and in yet another case the patient heard a complete orchestra. In each of these situations the individuals involved didn’t see fleeting shapes of people, or the wisp of a song, but they saw the image as vivid and clear as if they were actually there in the room.

One woman even heard a song, which turned out to not even have been one of her favorite songs, being played when an area of her brain was being stimulated. When stimulated at intervals without her knowledge (because the brain has no tactile sensation), the same song began playing again from the exact same spot.

The sound was so clear and flawless that she mistook a device in the operating room as a musical device that they were stopping and starting at intervals.

In all cases the patients recalled the events not like you would commonly recall a memory, which is usually as a fleeting mental image, but rather in such explicit detail that it was literally like they were reliving the event in question. Some patients literally saw people in front of them, and heard them just as clearly as if they were actually there.

As Dr. Penfield phrased it, it was like the mind was able to “project a memory or a dream upon the screen of consciousness.” Moreover he found that when he stimulated the brains of individuals and they remembered something, an image, or sound, or a feeling, those memories were always accompanied by the thought processes that accompanied them at the time. Therefore our brains record sensory data as a whole unit.

Holographic Memory and the Nature of Mind

In my article the unified field and the illusion of time, we explored some evidence supporting the understanding that all information is encoded directly into the field – the energy density of space/time – all around us (which unfortunately is beyond the scope of this article). But if we apply that understanding to the perception going on in this circumstance when Wilder Penfield stimulated the brains of his patients, what occurred was that his patients seemed to have perfect recall of past events and in visual cases, 3D or holographic memory.

This is not normal perception.

What if the stimulation of the brain itself caused his patients to project their memory onto the field? Or what if that information was already present in a holographic sense meaning that those images, and those songs and memories were encoded within the field, possibly recording directly into the field by the brain itself, and the stimulation by chance allowed them to perceive the memory directly in the field?

This not only suggests the possibility of holographic memory in human beings, but a very different understanding of memory itself (which we shall explore later).

The other thing that is interesting is that the events which were brought back were entirely mundane, meaning they were generally ordinary events of no significance. This suggests that our brains actually record every detail of our lives, even the mundane and ordinary, and that they are accessible to us if we could figure out how to access it, or in other words, how to tap into the full potential of our minds.

Wilder Penfield himself remarked that if the brain was indeed recording all of experience, then it is only natural that when dipping into this massive archive of information and memory that we happen upon ordinary events considering the vast quantity of information recorded in our lifetime (from How To Know God by Deepak Chopra).

In Deepak Chopra’s book How To Know God, he also cites how Wilder Penfield noted that the brain even retains memory while dormant, such as the fact that when patients are under deep anesthesia during surgery, about one percent of the population has a recollection of what the doctors were saying, and even some details of the procedure. It is interesting that…

“Under deep anesthesia, there are practically no higher brain waves at all, making it impossible for the cerebral cortex to accomplish anything so complex as remembering what a surgeon is saying.”(How to Know God, p. 217)

This is one of the reasons why Wilder Penfield concluded after nearly 40 years of research that the mind was an entity separate from the brain, and which did not rely on the brain to function.

Who Is The One Doing The Moving?

Deepak Chopra in his lecture series with Wayne Dyer entitled Living Beyond Miracles tells of another of Wilder Penfield’s experiments where he is stimulating the motor cortex of a patient’s brain which causes the patient to raise their arm in front of them. If we were to ask the man if it is him moving his are, he would reply that ‘No, I AM not.’

But when Penfield asked him to move his arm to the side the patient could move his arm, and he responded with something akin to ‘I AM moving my arm’, or ‘now I AM moving my arm’. Who is this I AM presence who is doing the moving? And why is it not activated when the body is moving on its own?

If our brain is the source of who we are, then any stimulation thereof which resulted in motion should give us the perception that it is us who is moving, but as Deepak Chopra states, because that is not the case this is indicative that our brain is not who we are, that the brain and body is only superficially related to who we are, and that the brain most certainly is not the source of who we are.

Brain Tissue Is Apparently Optional

Removing a hemisphere. Evidence for the holographic brain concept, and that our brain is only a recorder of experience and not the source of the mind can be found in a study done by Johns Hopkins University (J.H.U.) where they worked with brain-damaged children. They found that they could improve their level of intelligence and physical coordination by removing the damaged hemisphere of their brain. In essence, they literally cut out the damaged chunk of the children’s brain.

Within our current understanding of the brain this operation should significantly damage, if not irreparably hinder the child’s ability for memory and cognitive functions. From conventional understanding all of the functions which that hemisphere of the brain took care of would no longer be implemented leaving the child mentally deficient, or fragmented in some form.

If memories are stored in the brain, then after this operation those children should have lost those memories pertaining to the removed portion of their brain … if memories are stored in the brain. Yet the results were astonishing, and once again defied conventional thought.

Dr. Eileen P. G. Vining of J.H.U. studied 54 of the children who underwent the operation and she was simply astounded by the “retention of memory, and by the retention of the child’s personality and sense of humour.” A new version of the study was published in 2003 by John Hopkins University that dealt with 111 kids who had the operation between 1975 and 2003. Out of these 111 children 86% of them were seizure free or no longer needed medication (David Wilcock, The Source Field Investigations).

The mystery of hydrocephalus. For more evidence we move towards the work of Dr. John Lorber who is one of the world’s top experts on the condition known as hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is due to a problem with the flow cerebral spinal fluid which surrounds and cushions the brain, and when there is a blockage in this flow the pressure within the individual’s cranium is increased. Hydrocephalus means literally “water on the brain,” and brain swelling in this case leads to an oftentimes dramatic compression of brain tissue.

Dr. Lorber studied a total of 253 people with this condition. In the most severe cases, the pressure in the brain would increase to such a high level that the brain tissue would be compacted leaving the patient with only a fraction of their original amount of brain tissue. In Dr. Lorber’s study 9 people reached this severity with around only 5% of their total brain tissue left. That means only 5% of their neurons, brain cells, synapses, and so one were available in the patient’s brain.

Amazingly 4 out of 9 of those people with less than 5% of their brain tissue had an IQ over 100, and 2/9 had an IQ greater than 126. In other words 66.6% of them were fine. Given the drastic loss of brain tissue the obvious question is how is this possible? How can someone with almost literally no brain be intelligent at all, let alone above average?

Dr. Lorber was directed to a student at his university by his peers, literally based on the intriguingly large size of his head, they thought he may be of potential interest. This student had an IQ of 126 and had a “first-class honours degree in mathematics, and is socially completely normal.”

A brain scan was done on this individual with surprising results. It was found that out of the normal 4.5 cm of brain tissue, his condition had been compressed to only a few millimeters. In other words his head filled with cerebral spinal fluid, and only a few millimeters of brain tissue, yet he was still high functioning with above average intelligence (David Wilcock, The Source Field Investigations).

I have no technical understanding of how this is even possible except to simply suggest that possibly the conductivity and crystalline nature of water may be a contributing factor. Yet what this should clearly illustrate that we know very little of the true nature of mind, or the brain. Both of these once again demonstrate that the mind is independent of the brain.

The Nature of Mind-Brain Connection

This evidence raises some important questions:

What is the real function of our brains? Is it the brain tissue itself that creates our intelligence, or is it the electrical and conductive nature of the brain that allows us to connect to intelligence? More or less like a sophisticated antennae, just like Nikola Tesla observed of himself early in the 20th century.

All of this information so far creates a lot of friction with the current propagated understanding of the brain, if it doesn’t debunk it altogether. The information that Penfield discovered is suggesting that our brains are independent of our minds, and that all our memories are recorded in their entirety, and with the same detail that we experienced them. From where we do not yet know.

I also suggest that this is evidence that we have the potential for holographic memory. This hypothetically is a possible function of our minds where our memory is projected powerfully onto reality (onto the screen of the universal consciousness) so that we can experience and relive our memories in 3D. After all, this is what Wilder Penfield’s patients experienced.

As Johns Hopkins University, and John Lorber’s research found, it may not be that our brains are really that important. If children can have half their brains removed and retain their memories and personality, and if people can function with less than 5% of their brain tissue with above average intelligence, then what is the true purpose of the brain but as a vehicle for intelligence, not as the source of intelligence?

Like a highly sophisticated bio-technology that we use to experience this level of reality, create reality, and express ourselves. Like in the movie Avatar, maybe we are not actually our bodies but are just operating them.

Is our brain really where memories are stored? There is actually no evidence to support that even our memories are stored in the brain, and never has there been a memory discovered in the brain. This is because our brains are constantly changing and are not fixed structures.

The evidence is finally lining up with ancient spiritual truths from every culture which expressed explicitly that we are divine, and that our true nature is conscious awareness, and that we are merely a fragment of that divine consciousness expressed in physical form.

Conclusion

We may be vastly underestimating the power of our minds, and our true abilities to use them. If our minds can remember entire songs to perfection or orchestral performances that we only heard in passing then what is stopping us from accessing this on a conscious level?

It seems that every single detail of our lives is recorded with our brain, so the question I have is how do we access that information, and from where do we access it?

This evidence provides a truly exciting shift in the way we can view our minds, and more importantly our potential. If an electrode in our brain is able to stimulate such vivid recollection, is it not possibly that we can develop our imagination and our mental abilities to this point naturally so we can use that ability at will?

Is it not possible that there is much more going on during a simple thought process or recollection of an event than we give ourselves credit for? That is exactly what Wilder Penfield found which caused him at the end of his career to see the nature of mind as a field of energy or information which Deepak Chopra (I believe) termed the ‘mind-field’.

What if your essence is not in your brain, or in your body, but in a formless field of energy?

About the Author

Brandon West is the creator of Project Global Awakening. A website dedicated to the research of a variety of scientific and spiritual disciplines, and applying that knowledge to help you live an inspired life and change the world. Follow Project Global Awakening on Facebook, and Twitter.

from:     http://themindunleashed.org/2015/01/nature-mind-holographic-brain.html

Committing to Moving Forward

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Further – The Oft Neglected Path

by Zen Gardner –

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by Zen Gardner

How many times have we been faced with the decision to move on to the next level of commitment to truth? How often has a new level of personal sacrifice been standing at our door, beckoning? How did we respond? Were we willing to go further, no matter the cost?

That’s pretty much what it takes in the pursuit of truth. A constant shedding of the old, no matter how attached we’ve become to our self image and familiar surroundings; to be relentlessly following the signal from this esoteric siren of love and a greater reality that we know awaits. Much like mountain climbing, the decision comes first, then the climbing. But each step of the way presents more decisions. Will we go on in spite of fatigue, doubts, discouragement and obstacles? Which path will I take at each upcoming juncture?

It’s not a one time thing. The decision to pursue quickly leads to a myriad of ensuing decisions along the way. We don’t decide once and for all and then on the truth train we chug up the mountain to a land of ecstasy and complete fulfillment. It doesn’t work that way. This is why so many faint along the way and give up. They become daunted with the often lonely and arduous task. They turn around and move back down to the security of the valley with all of its comforts and self assuaging reinforcement.

It happens to many and we’ve all been there. The initial rush of adventure wears off and the stark reality of the life and death endeavor of the nitty gritty pick and shovel work and climbing through thick and thin starts to dissuade the less determined. But in spite of the fatigue and humiliation, living  in foreign mental and spiritual surroundings in usually spartan and often excruciating living and social conditions, the real true seeker eventually faces, confronts and overcomes these mirage-like obstacles.

Opting Out for Comfort and Security and Its Many Levels

The previous life of relative comfort repeatedly calls the less committed back into the seemingly easy way inside the matrix of deceit and its delicacies. It’s a compromise, but so welcomed by the throngs waiting for us back in the valley who don’t want to hear there even is a mountain to climb, never mind see someone climb it.

This is not an easy saying for most. We’ve all compromised at one point or another. But those who’ve kept on know who they are, and the price they’ve had to pay. It’s really miniscule compared to the rewards, but it seems a daunting task to those with no truth seeking musculature, conveniently snipped and shorn in their formative years. They hear the distant call, but feel it’s not for them, especially since so few seem to hear and heed the call and have been so relentlessly conditioned against it.

 This is one of the worst travesties of our spiritually quenched and dumbed down societal condition.

Ignoring Is No Excuse

But there really is no excuse for ignoring the call. It is what drives the heart of man and is the natural draw of every living soul. This is why youth are so altruistic and idealistic until the educational system and societal “norms” start to clip their wings. And even those who begin the quest often opt out for convenient way stations on the climb to full-on truth. People park on their particular perch which they feel is sufficiently above the valley of deceit and think they have enough perspective to pass judgement on the rest.

The very fact of this judgmental, dishonoring attitude is a symptom of settling for partial truth, and a subconscious stance to protect one’s unwillingness to go all the way or remain open to new and even greater possibilities. However, that very openness to greater truth is the attitude we should each maintain.

Those still attached to their status, income, good deeds, moral high ground, or sense of superior intellect or spirituality in an exclusive and judgmental manner can be the worst enemies to full on truth and spiritual freedom. It takes on many forms and we all fall for these attitudes when in an unconscious or semi-conscious state. After all, it’s fiercely reinforced by the matrix and its tear down mentality.

They will dis and dismiss anything that surpasses their little ledge of advantage they think they’ve climbed to, and be quite militant and aggressive about it. If it doesn’t meet their criteria, it’s to be vigorously attacked as false information. A very sad psychological state to be in, but we see it in society at every level and have all experienced it from both ends.

The most obvious manifestation of this mindset is how anything contrary to the mainstream narrative is marginalized as “politically incorrect”, “conspiracy theory” and now even “terrorist activity”. But this permeates every level of information sharing, and is a huge hindrance to those seeking the full on clarity and empowerment awaiting anyone with the will to pursue it.

Hence the battle we all face and the very serious challenge of climbing the mountain to truth.

Such Is Our Challenge

The simple solution is to keep climbing. The distractions along the way are expected and endemic to our controlled society and upbringing, cloaked in the sheepskin of “normalcy”. Not just political correctness but social correctness are both very confining while appearing to be guiding principles to true freedom of speech and expression.

The question I wish to pose is – are you willing to go further? Even all the way, no matter the cost?

That’s a serious proposition. There are very real personal costs involved, including a complete forsaking of self. It requires sharing – of your thoughts and dreams and conflicts, even using your so called “assets” for the quest over personal security. The beauty is Universe meets us as we step out on faith and conviction. Those who care, give of themselves completely and unselfishly. Those who only think they care, don’t. They hang back, for whatever reason. Everything is conditional to them with all kinds of strings attached, a defense mechanism of matrix infected thinking. Again, we’ve all been there.

It comes down to heart vs mind in many ways. Where do we invest our time and energy? In things that reinforce our personal security and support our personal stance? Or in unselfish efforts that resonate with our own hunger for real truth and social justice for the betterment of all in an atmosphere of love? Are we willing to even lay our lives down? It happens one step at a time.

In Summary

Some things to consider. March on fearlessly. The battle rages, mainly to keep us from getting to the top of the mountain where clarity and boundless empowerment await. From there all becomes clear. But remember – we can’t take our baggage with us. And that’s not a sacrifice, that’s liberating!

Don’t stop. Every awakened soul is already where they need to be in many ways and we can operate in peace once we’re truly aware of what’s going on. But climbing on up even further as life’s signs call and synchronicity so frequently prods and confirms is absolutely imperative.

Further. Together. Now’s the time to step on the gas. We cannot leave the world they’re proposing for our children and grandchildren to inherit. It’s our time to take the stand – and keep climbing.

We’re in this together.

With much love, Zen

from:    http://www.zengardner.com/further-the-oft-neglected-path/

On Solitude

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10 Amazing Things That Happen When You Learn to Enjoy Being Alone

10 Amazing Things That Happen When You Learn to Enjoy Being Alone

Story by: Tony Robinson (www.bodymindsoulspirit.com)

 

Some people think of “being alone” as a bad thing. It either means you’re anti-social, or unwanted, neither of which are a good position to be in.

But actually, being alone isn’t’ necessarily a bad thing, as there are a handful of benefits that emerge once you learn to embrace solitude.

I’m not advocating you go all Tom Hanks in Cast Away, because no one can argue the benefits, and the joys, that come along with fulfilling relationships with other people.

But I am saying that once you learn to enjoy being alone, you’re going to grow as a person.

Below are ten amazing things that will happen in your life when you start to enjoy being alone.

1. You’ll get to recharge.

Often times when we’re surrounded by other people, we’re expending a lot of energy. Trying to keep others happy, make them laugh, soothe their egos, read their emotions, and all of the other rigors that come along with regular interaction.

It can be mentally draining if you’re constantly connected to other people. A little alone time lets you recharge and take a break from the emotionally and mentally taxing job of constant interaction.

2. You’ll reflect more often.

Your life is always moving at a crazy fast pace. So fast in fact, that it’s probably rare when you have a moment alone to sit and reflect on your life.

Being alone gives you the perfect opportunity for a little self reflection. Since you aren’t spending so much time processing the thoughts and feelings of others, it’s the best time to turn your focus inwards.

Solitude provides the perfect environment for reflection.

3. You’ll get in touch with your own emotions.

Again, when you’re surrounded by other people all the time, you’re constantly trying to read, and cater to, the other persons’s emotions. So much so, that you could end up losing touch with your own.

When you start to enjoy being alone, you’ll gain a greater perspective for your own emotions. You’ll create a deeper understanding of what makes you happy, what upsets you, and what saddens you.

With that knowledge, it’s then easier to regulate your emotions. But it all starts with understanding how you feel, and that comes from a little bit of solitude.

4. You’ll start doing things you actually enjoy.

When you’re constantly in the company of other people, you’re always making compromises in order to find solutions that the entire group can enjoy. And unfortunately, the things you want most, may not always line up with what the group wants.

So it’s easy to enjoy being alone once you realize that doing so gives you more freedom to do the things you actually want to do.

5. You’ll become more productive.

Being in the company of other people can be fun and entertaining, but it can also seriously affect your productivity. There are times when the company of other people acts as nothing more than a distraction from getting your work done.

Time spent alone can be some of the most productive time in your life—mostly because there are less distractions, and you can just put your head down and get to work.

6. You’ll enjoy your relationships even more.

When you spend time alone on a regular basis, and eventually start to enjoy being alone, you’ll come to find that you also enjoy your relationships with other people even more.

And that’s because the time spent alone gives you a greater appreciation for yourself.

But it also let’s you appreciate all the great things that come from your relationships with other people, most of which you were oblivious to before.

7. You’ll feel more independent.

Once you enjoy being alone, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to actually be alone. And that naturally leads to you feeling more independent.

You’ll no longer feel that anxiety, or burning desire for company, once you learn to enjoy being alone. You won’t feel the need for constant interaction with other people, or the anxiety associated with looking around and seeing no one but yourself.

8. You’ll get a break from constantly trying to keep other people happy.

Life is filled with relationships, and most relationships only last when both people are kept happy. And that can turn into a draining job depending who that relationship is with. Now, this does’t only apply to personal relationships, but every kind of relationship.

Once you’re alone, the only person’s happiness you have to worry about in that moment, is your own. You can treat yourself to thing that makes you happy, but may have upset someone else.

9. You won’t have to apologize for anything.

When you start to enjoy being alone, you’ll quickly see that solitude means you don’t have to keep apologizing for what you’ve done. So often, we do things that end up upsetting other people, or hurting someone else’s feelings, and then have to quickly apologize for it.

But when you’re alone, you don’t have to apologize for anything. And that takes a lot of pressure out of most situations. You get to stop second guessing everything you say, or every move you make because you’re afraid someone is going to be offended, or saddened, and angered.

10. You’ll stop looking for validation.

So often we feel we the need to get the “OK” from our friends and family before we take action. We constantly look to other people for advice on what we should do next.

Of course, there are times where it’s not only perfectly acceptable to ask for advice, but downright necessary. But there are also times where we’re perfectly capable of acting on our own, be we instead of looking to others for an answer.

When you start to spend more time alone, you’ll learn to trust your instincts and make decisions without any third party validation.

from:    http://spiritofmaat.com/magazine/january-2015-consciousness-of-perception/10-amazing-things-that-happen-when-you-learn-to-enjoy-being-alone/

On THe Pineal Gland

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Pineal Gland’s Third Eye – The Biggest Cover-up in Human History

January 14, 2015

Pineal Gland's Third Eye - The Biggest Cover-up in Human History

The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis or the “third eye”) is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces the serotonin derivative melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions. Its shape resembles a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and it is located near the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.

The Secret : What they don’t want you to KNOW!

Every human being’s Pineal Gland or the Third Eye can be activated to spiritual world frequencies and enables you to have the sense of all knowing, godlike euphoria and oneness all around you. A pineal gland once tuned into to proper frequencies with help of meditation, yoga or various esoteric, occult methods, enables a person to travel into other dimensions, popularly known as astral travel orPineal Gland's Third Eye: The Biggest Cover-up in Human History | in5d.com astral projection or remote viewing.

With more advance practice and ancient methods it is also possible to control the thoughts and actions of people in the physical world. Yes, it is bizarre, but the United States, former Soviet Union governments and various shadow organization have been doing this type of research for ages and have succeed far beyond our imagination.

Pineal Gland is represented in Catholicism in Rome; they depict the pineal as a pine cone in art. The ancient societies like the Egyptians and the Romans knew the benefits and exemplified this in their vast symbologies with a symbol of an eye.

Pineal Gland's Third Eye: The Biggest Cover-up in Human History | in5d.comPineal Gland reference is also in back of the U.S. dollar bill with what is called the ‘all seeing eye’, which is a reference to the ability of an individual (or group of individuals) to use this gland and go to the other side (spiritual world) and possibly control the thoughts and actions of people in the physical world by knowing what they are thinking at all times in our physical world.

Various research being conducted so far confirms that there are certain periods in the night, between the hours of one and four in the morning where chemicals are released in the brain that bring about feelings of connectedness to one’s higher source.

The Conspiracy : How they are Killing your Pineal Gland

In the late 90s, a scientist by the name of Jennifer Luke carries out the first study the effects of sodium fluoride on the pineal gland. She determined that the pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain, was a target for fluoride. The pineal gland simply absorbed more fluoride than any other physical matter in the body, even bones.

Pineal gland is like a magnet to sodium fluoride. This calcifies the gland and makes it no longer effective in balancing the entire hormonal processes through the body.

Various Researches every since have proved Sodium Fluoride goes to the most important gland in the brain? It’s the only thing that attacks the most important center of our gland in the brain. It’s prevalent in foods, beverages and in our bath and drinking water. Sodium Fluoride is put in 90% of the United States water supply. Water filters you buy in supermarkets do not take the fluoride out. Only reverse osmosis or water distillation. The cheapest way is to buy a water distiller.

Sodium Fluoride is in our water supply, food, pepsi, coke, to dumb down the masses, literally!. The fluoride was introduced into the water by the Nazis and the Russians in their concentration camps to make the camp population docile and do not question authority.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I believe that if you take away the seat of the soul, this disconnects our oneness with our god and power of our source our spirituality and turn us into a mundane slave of secret societies, shadow organizations and the control freak corporate world.

I would like to end my article with this quote..

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

– :Buddha

from:    http://in5d.com/pineal-glands-third-eye-the-biggest-cover-up-in-human-history/

Benefits of Broccoli

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Beyond Prevention: Chemical in Broccoli Kills Cancer Cells

New research has identified one of the key cancer-fighting mechanisms for sulforaphane, and suggests that this much-studied phytochemical may be able to move beyond cancer prevention and toward therapeutic use for advanced prostate cancer.

Scientists said that pharmacologic doses in the form of supplements would be needed for actual therapies, beyond the amount of sulforaphane that would ordinarily be obtained from dietary sources such as broccoli. Research also needs to verify the safety of this compound when used at such high levels.

But a growing understanding of how sulforaphane functions and is able to selectively kill cancer cells indicate it may have value in treating metasticized cancer, and could work alongside existing approaches.

The new findings on the unique abilities of sulforaphane were recently published in the journal Oncogenesis, by researchers from Oregon State University and the Texas A&M Health Science Center. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

“There’s significant evidence of the value of cruciferous vegetables in cancer prevention,” said Emily Ho, professor and director of the Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences, and lead author on this research.

“However, this study is one of the first times we’ve shown how sulforaphane can affect a histone methylation and alter gene expression in metasticized prostate cancer cells,” said Ho, who is also a principal investigator in OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute. “It begins a process that can help to re-express tumor suppressors, leading to the selective death of cancer cells and slowing disease progression.”

The evidence now shows that sulforaphane should have therapeutic value against some forms of cancer, Ho said, including late-stage, metasticized disease. Its multiple impacts on metabolic processes might also make it a valuable adjunct to existing therapies, helping them to work better.

No clinical trials have yet been done to test the value of sulforaphane in cancer therapy, although a trial is under way using sulforaphane supplements in men with high risk for prostate cancer. Results from that may help demonstrate the safety of higher-dosage supplements and set the stage for therapeutic trials, Ho said.

Dozens of studies have examined the health value of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbages, and many of them ultimately focused on the role of sulforaphane, one compound found in these foods. Broccoli sprouts contain some of the highest dietary levels of the sulforaphane precursor.

The new study identified a particular enzyme in prostate cancer cells, SUV39H1, that is affected by exposure to sulforaphane. Aside from potential dietary approaches, the researchers said that this establishes SUV39H1 as a new therapeutic target, in general, for advanced cancer.

Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States, and existing therapies include surgical removal of the prostate, radiation therapy, hormones or other approaches. Although often slow growing, prostate cancer can be much more aggressive if it metasticizes to other areas of the body, at which point survival rates decrease dramatically. In the U.S. it’s the fifth leading cause of cancer death.

In laboratory studies, sulforaphane has shown toxicity to a number of human cancer cell lines, including prostate, breast, ovarian, colon and pancreatic cancer, and in animal studies it decreased metastases of prostate cancer.

Press and study source: Oregon State University. Image source: US Dept of Agriculture

– See more at: http://www.naturalblaze.com/2015/01/beyond-prevention-chemical-in-broccoli.html#sthash.nb0BBiE9.dpuf

Biophotons & Healing

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Science Focuses On Body’s Own ‘Inner Light’ As The Ultimate Healer

January 10, 2015 
 

Science Focuses On Body’s Own ‘Inner Light’ As The Ultimate Healer

by Christina Sarich

Do you think you are psychic enough to predict your future health? Most people would answer, ‘of course not’ but with a new science called biontology, we can literally measure the light stored in our DNA and determine our probable state of well-being and vitality.

If having a ‘light-body’ sounds like new age mumbo jumbo to you, you might reconsider after reading further. According to scientists like Alfred Fritz-Popp and Pjotr Garjajev, along with physicists who have studied medicine like Johan Boswinkle, biophotons are the ‘light’ we exude from our own bodies at very weak levels which are just beyond the visible spectrum. They are in fact, the sub-quark level organizing force of all life – animal, plant and human alike. They precede any biochemical reaction in the body.

“In the classic models of chemistry and physics, light is emitted when an electron is “excited” to a higher energy state and then falls back down to a lower energy state, which occurs any time a chemical reaction takes place. Traditionally, biology and medicine have focused on the biochemical reactions between proteins, DNA, and other molecules within cells. However, a biophoton is always emitted before every biochemical reaction.”

One device that has come from Biontology science, a biophotonic scanner, has already proven to be very helpful. The scanner is essentially a way to measure your DNA’s own light, and can determine your future health. By sending a laser into your palm, the device measures carotenoid pigments in your cells. The laser can determine if you are eating as you should, or your lifestyle is supporting your overall good health. This is one of the earliest main-stream medical uses for the scanner, but there are edgier ways that the science of biophotons can help us.

There are other studies conducted recently by scientists that have shown that human beings are ‘light beings.’ Scientists have been able to utilize this knowledge for practical purposes, and have even been able to alter the neuro-communication in the brains of rats utilizing biophotonic energy and make the red blood cells of human’s healthier. There are multiple possible uses for this technology, including raising healthier agriculture and even keeping foods fresh longer without having to resort to the use of antibiotics and preservatives. Most importantly, we can repair our own cells, which have been damaged by poor diet, a toxic environment and a polluted food supply.

The science is newly emerging and quite different than anything we are used to, but perhaps it will grow with success and prove useful as time passes.

from:    http://in5d.com/science-focuses-on-bodys-own-inner-light-as-the-ultimate-healer/

Making it Through the Bad Things

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Why Bad Things Happen at Good Times

Why Bad Things Happen at Good Times11th January 2015

By Nanice Ellis

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

Life is going great. You are on top of the world. Things couldn’t be better! Then BOOM! You get sick, have an accident or some unexpected crisis comes to the forefront, bringing the “good times” come to a screeching halt. It makes no sense – you were doing everything right.

These events can leave us feeling insecure and doubting our ability to maintain a happy and healthy life. You might even start wondering if every great high has a corresponding low. Trying to make sense of things in this way often takes us on a negative downward spiral that gets us more of what we don’t want.

So, let’s rise above the negative and turn it all around.

Understanding the five primary reasons why “bad things happen at good times” will allow you to leverage the challenges, in order to reach even higher highs that can be maintained and lived.

1. The reality that we experience, on any day, is always a projection of past thoughts, beliefs and feelings.

When you go to the movie theater, there is a projector in the back of the theater that projects the movie onto the front screen. Have you ever considered that there is a time gap between the movie leaving the projector and landing on the screen? Life operates in very much the same way. There is a time gap between the energy that you project out into the world, with your thoughts, beliefs and feelings, and the manifestation of that energy in your life. What you are experiencing now is always a reflection of who you were in the past. So, even if you have changed your belief system in regards to a life issue, it takes a little while for life to catch up with your new belief system. Yes, it is possible to experience quick shifts in reality but the old story often plays out until it is complete.

The problem arises when we react to the old tape that is playing out and we go back to our disempowering beliefs that created that tape in the first place, thereby, generating more negative energy that will play out at a future date. Living in an unconscious state of reaction supports a vicious cycle of undesirable experiences. Your adverse reaction can fuel an ongoing soap opera.

When you are surprised by an unexpected event, pay attention but don’t give it your power. If you feed into it, you will create more of the same. Instead, be conscious, handle what needs to be handled, recognize the past story playing out and purposefully conclude the story.

2. Bad things may show up during good times when a part of us is not emotionally or energetically aligned with that goodness.

When you reach a higher state of vibration, everything must be in integrity with that high state. You could say that you can’t bring any low vibration baggage with you to a higher dimension. Because the old baggage must be released in order for you to live at a higher vibration, an issue may come up in order for you to identify that issue and release it. Let’s say that you just landed your ideal career and you just met the love of your life. Everything is going great and suddenly you get sick. The sickness causes you to slow down and reflect. When you look inside, you see that there is a part of you that questions your own worth. In order to enter your new life, you must release feelings of unworthiness and embrace your worth. In other words, you cannot take low self-worth into a high vibration life, because the energy is not aligned. Getting sick allows you to purge the old energy, and get into energetic alignment with the life that you desire.

Or, let’s say that you are about to launch your dream business and everything is lining up perfectly, and out of the blue, your car gets totaled. Immediately, you start beating yourself up with guilt and shame. From an asleep state, you could continue down this disempowering path and probably experience other problems as a result, or you could respond from an awake state, and use this opportunity to release guilt and shame that is still held from past experiences. In this case, the car accident brought up these dense feelings in order for you to recognize them and release them. In doing so, you free yourself from the past, and you align with your dream on an even higher level.

If things are going great, and something “wrong” comes out of the blue, take time out to understand where you might not be in integrity with the flow of goodness in your life. The gift of the presenting issue is in showing you where you are out of alignment. What old beliefs or stories might you still be holding onto – that just don’t fit into a more positive paradigm? If you pay attention to what your life is telling you, you may recognize disempowering beliefs, such as, you are not deserving of so much good, or if it is too good to be, it can’t be true. You can’t take the old outdated issues with you into a new life, but you can release them and be free to live your best possible destiny.

3. Sometimes “bad things happen at good times” in order to direct your attention to an area of your life that is not working.

When things are going good, it might be really easy to ignore an area of your life that is not working. A life-interrupting problem may occur in order to re-direct your attention to the place in your life that really needs attention. Remember, all your energy needs to be in integrity in order to maintain a high vibration. If one area of your life is not working, your energy is out of alignment. The unexpected challenge may be a spotlight on what is not working in order for you to shift your focus and heal the area of your life that requires this attention.

4. Sometimes negative events unfold because we have grown too big for our own good.

Maybe you have been working on self-improvement for a long time and you finally reach a space where you are feeling really good and powerful. You are ready to celebrate when all of a sudden the ground is swiped from underneath you. What happened? Chances are you are experiencing what I have learned to call “The Humbling.” There is no better feeling than discovering ones power, and feeling as if you really do have power over your life. But, it is easy for this sense of power to go to your head and artificially inflate you to a status of superiority.

This ego-based power is achievable but not maintainable because it’s a false power built on false ideals. The Humbling often unfolds as a remedy to taking down this false power. Let’s be clear here. It is not that we aren’t powerful – we are powerful beyond measure, but there is a big difference between the sense of power that comes from the ego, which desires to have power over people and things, and the power that comes from the very source of who we are. The ego is not real in the first place – so how can it have power over anything? Power built on illusion is illusion. So, when our sense of power comes from illusion, eventually it must crumble. This isn’t bad news, because when false power is humbled, it opens the way for us to discover True Power that is at the core of our being. This sounds like a small shift when described in words, but it is a monumental shift when experienced in life.

5. Challenges may occur in the midst of everything going right because we need to grow into a higher and stronger version of ourselves.

Challenges often provide the most powerful way to transition to the next level of our personal evolution. Inherent in all challenges is the opportunity for transmutation. If you have a dream or desire to fulfill but you are not energetically aligned with your goal, challenges may appear in order to help you bridge that gap. In overcoming those challenges, you grow and evolve in such a way that you become the future you who is already living that dream.
If you should be struck by challenges in the midst of life going well, be careful not to tell yourself disempowering or negative stories about your situation. Instead, rise above negative story-telling and look for the opportunity in the challenge. In overcoming the challenge, what gifts might be available to you, and who will you become?

No matter how things may seem, life is always conspiring on your behalf. Even with its stresses and strife, life is asking you to wake up, release the past, and align with your highest and best version of self. If you have the courage and insight to look beyond circumstance, you will discover a sacred invitation to embrace your intrinsic power, which can only come from a pure connection to who you really are. That is the point.

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2015/01/11/why-bad-things-happen-at-good-times/

Mariana Caplan On Spirituality Pitfalls

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Psychotherapist and Author, Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path

10 Spiritually Transmitted Diseases

It is a jungle out there, and it is no less true about spiritual life than any other aspect of life. Do we really think that just because someone has been meditating for five years, or doing 10 years of yoga practice, that they will be any less neurotic than the next person? At best, perhaps they will be a little bit more aware of it. A little bit.

It is for this reason that I spent the last 15 years of my life researching and writing books on cultivating discernment on the spiritual path in all the gritty areas–power, sex, enlightenment, gurus, scandals, psychology, neurosis — as well as earnest, but just plain confused and unconscious, motivations on the path. My partner (author and teacher Marc Gafni) and I are developing a new series of books, courses and practices to bring further clarification to these issues.

Several years ago, I spent a summer living and working in South Africa. Upon my arrival I was instantly confronted by the visceral reality that I was in the country with the highest murder rate in the world, where rape was common and more than half the population was HIV-positive — men and women, gays and straights alike.

As I have come to know hundreds of spiritual teachers and thousands of spiritual practitioners through my work and travels, I have been struck by the way in which our spiritual views, perspectives and experiences become similarly “infected” by “conceptual contaminants” — comprising a confused and immature relationship to complex spiritual principles can seem as invisible and insidious as a sexually transmitted disease.

The following 10 categorizations are not intended to be definitive but are offered as a tool for becoming aware of some of the most common spiritually transmitted diseases.

1. Fast-Food Spirituality: Mix spirituality with a culture that celebrates speed, multitasking and instant gratification and the result is likely to be fast-food spirituality. Fast-food spirituality is a product of the common and understandable fantasy that relief from the suffering of our human condition can be quick and easy. One thing is clear, however: spiritual transformation cannot be had in a quick fix.

2. Faux Spirituality: Faux spirituality is the tendency to talk, dress and act as we imagine a spiritual person would. It is a kind of imitation spirituality that mimics spiritual realization in the way that leopard-skin fabric imitates the genuine skin of a leopard.

3. Confused Motivations: Although our desire to grow is genuine and pure, it often gets mixed with lesser motivations, including the wish to be loved, the desire to belong, the need to fill our internal emptiness, the belief that the spiritual path will remove our suffering and spiritual ambition, the wish to be special, to be better than, to be “the one.”

4. Identifying with Spiritual Experiences: In this disease, the ego identifies with our spiritual experience and takes it as its own, and we begin to believe that we are embodying insights that have arisen within us at certain times. In most cases, it does not last indefinitely, although it tends to endure for longer periods of time in those who believe themselves to be enlightened and/or who function as spiritual teachers.

5. The Spiritualized Ego: This disease occurs when the very structure of the egoic personality becomes deeply embedded with spiritual concepts and ideas. The result is an egoic structure that is “bullet-proof.” When the ego becomes spiritualized, we are invulnerable to help, new input, or constructive feedback. We become impenetrable human beings and are stunted in our spiritual growth, all in the name of spirituality.

6. Mass Production of Spiritual Teachers: There are a number of current trendy spiritual traditions that produce people who believe themselves to be at a level of spiritual enlightenment, or mastery, that is far beyond their actual level. This disease functions like a spiritual conveyor belt: put on this glow, get that insight, and — bam! — you’re enlightened and ready to enlighten others in similar fashion. The problem is not that such teachers instruct but that they represent themselves as having achieved spiritual mastery.

7. Spiritual Pride: Spiritual pride arises when the practitioner, through years of labored effort, has actually attained a certain level of wisdom and uses that attainment to justify shutting down to further experience. A feeling of “spiritual superiority” is another symptom of this spiritually transmitted disease. It manifests as a subtle feeling that “I am better, more wise and above others because I am spiritual.”

8. Group Mind: Also described as groupthink, cultic mentality or ashram disease, group mind is an insidious virus that contains many elements of traditional co-dependence. A spiritual group makes subtle and unconscious agreements regarding the correct ways to think, talk, dress, and act. Individuals and groups infected with “group mind” reject individuals, attitudes, and circumstances that do not conform to the often unwritten rules of the group.

9. The Chosen-People Complex: The chosen people complex is not limited to Jews. It is the belief that “Our group is more spiritually evolved, powerful, enlightened and, simply put, better than any other group.” There is an important distinction between the recognition that one has found the right path, teacher or community for themselves, and having found The One.

10. The Deadly Virus: “I Have Arrived”: This disease is so potent that it has the capacity to be terminal and deadly to our spiritual evolution. This is the belief that “I have arrived” at the final goal of the spiritual path. Our spiritual progress ends at the point where this belief becomes crystallized in our psyche, for the moment we begin to believe that we have reached the end of the path, further growth ceases.

“The essence of love is perception,” according to the teachings of Marc Gafni, “Therefore the essence of self love is self perception. You can only fall in love with someone you can see clearly–including yourself. To love is to have eyes to see. It is only when you see yourself clearly that you can begin to love yourself.”

It is in the spirit of Marc’s teaching that I believe that a critical part of learning discernment on the spiritual path is discovering the pervasive illnesses of ego and self-deception that are in all of us. That is when we need a sense of humor and the support of real spiritual friends. As we face our obstacles to spiritual growth, there are times when it is easy to fall into a sense of despair and self-diminishment and lose our confidence on the path. We must keep the faith, in ourselves and in others, in order to really make a difference in this world.

Adapted from Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path (Sounds True)

from:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mariana-caplan-phd/spiritual-living-10-spiri_b_609248.html

Oils for Chakra Balancing

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7 Essential Oils To Balance Your Chakras
By Sarah Walsh
January 9, 2015

Essential Oils are a great tool to help with physical ailments and spiritual growth.

These oils have been around for centuries and are making a comeback into our modern day lives. Use these oils in addition to other tools like yoga, to help bring balance to your chakra system.

The essential oils can be mixed with coconut or olive oil, and applied topically by rubbing on the feet or corresponding chakra area. Alternatively, try an aromatherapy approach by using a diffuser, or or diluting in tea or water. You can also ingest these oils in capsule form.

1. Root Chakra (Muladhara)

Located at the base of spine in tailbone area, this is where our sense of security lies.

  • Use patchouli for an enhanced sense of grounding and stability.

2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhistana)

The lower abdomen, about 2 inches below the navel and 2 inches in — our creativity and sexuality.

  • Ylang Ylang and sandalwood both act as an aphrodisiac to aid in our sexual and reproductive energies.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

The upper abdomen, in the stomach area — our self-esteem and confidence.

  • Use cinnamon to help heat up this power center, or peppermint to cool any excess fire in the system.

4. Heart Chakra (Anahata)

Located in the center of chest just above heart.

  • The scent of rose is related to our heart, and enhances romance and love. It is also helpful for alleviating depression and insomnia.

5. Throat Chakra (Vishudha)

Located in the throat — the center for self-expression.

  • Use eucalyptus to help clear sinuses and cure a sore throat or coughing, allowing this passageway to become free and clear for self-expression.

6. Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)

At the forehead and in between the eyes is the gateway to our intuition.

  • Lavender oil is incredibly calming and great for headaches; a common occurrence whenever your third eye is blocked. We can calm the active mind with lavender to reach a higher state of consciousness.

7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)

The very top of the head is our universal connection to beauty and spirituality.

  • Frankincense is one of the most spiritually-charged oils. It has been around for thousands of years, and brings us mental peace and clarity.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

from:    http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-16958/7-essential-oils-to-balance-your-chakras.html

Benefits of Pine Bark (Pycnogenol)

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The Powerful Aspirin Alternative That Grows On Trees

The Powerful Aspirin Alternative That Grows On Trees

Aspirin’s long held promises are increasingly falling flat. A natural, safer and more effective alternative to this synthetic drug has been known about for at least 15 years!

In a previous article titled “The Evidence Against Aspirin and For Natural Alternatives,” we discussed the clear and present danger linked with the use of aspirin as well as several clinically proven alternatives that feature significant side benefits as opposed to aspirin’s many known side effects.

Since writing this article, even more evidence has accumulated indicating that aspirin’s risks outweigh its benefits. Most notably, a 15-year Dutch study published in the journal Heart found that among 27,939 healthy female health professionals (average age 54) randomized to receive either 100 mg of aspirin every day or a placebo the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding outweighed the benefit of the intervention for colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention in those under 65 years of age.

Of course, aspirin is not alone as far as dangerous side effects are concerned. The entire non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) category of prescription and over-the-counter drugs is fraught with serious danger. Ibuprofen, for instance, is known to kill thousands each year, and is believed no less dangerous than Merck’s COX-2 inhibitor NSAID drug Vioxx which caused between 88,000-140,000 cases of serious heart disease in the five years it was on the market (1999-2004).  Tylenol is so profoundly toxic to the liver that contributing writer Dr. Michael Murray recently asked in his Op-Ed piece, “Is it Time for the FDA to Remove Tylenol From the Market?”

Given the dire state of affairs associated with pharmaceutical intervention for chronic pain issues, what can folks do who don’t want to kill themselves along with their pain?

Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol) Puts Aspirin To Shame

When it comes to aspirin alternatives, one promising contender is pycnogenol, a powerful antioxidant extracted from French maritime pine back, backed by over 40 years of research, the most compelling of which we have aggregated on GreenMedInfo.com here: Pycnogenol Research. Amazingly, you will find research indexed there showing it may have value for over 80 health conditions.

In 1999, a remarkable study published in the journal Thrombotic Research found that pycnogenol was superior (i.e. effective at a lower dosage) to aspirin at inhibiting smoking-induced clotting, without the significant (and potentially life-threatening) increase in bleeding time associated with aspirin use. The abstract is well worth reading in its entirety:

“The effects of a bioflavonoid mixture, Pycnogenol, were assessed on platelet function in humans. Cigarette smoking increased heart rate and blood pressure. These increases were not influenced by oral consumption of Pycnogenol or Aspirin just before smoking. However, increased platelet reactivity yielding aggregation 2 hours after smoking was prevented by 500 mg Aspirin or 100 mg Pycnogenol in 22 German heavy smokers. In a group of 16 American smokers, blood pressure increased after smoking. It was unchanged after intake of 500 mg Aspirin or 125 mg Pycnogenol. In another group of 19 American smokers, increased platelet aggregation was more significantly reduced by 200 than either 150 mg or 100 mg Pycnogenol supplementation. This study showed that a single, high dose, 200 mg Pycnogenol, remained effective for over 6 days against smoking-induced platelet aggregation. Smoking increased platelet aggregation that was prevented after administration of 500 mg Aspirin and 125 mg Pycnogenol. Thus, smoking-induced enhanced platelet aggregation was inhibited by 500 mg Aspirin as well as by a lower range of 100-125 mg Pycnogenol. Aspirin significantly (p<0.001) increased bleeding time from 167 to 236 seconds while Pycnogenol did not. These observations suggest an advantageous risk-benefit ratio for Pycnogenol.” [emphasis added]”

As emphasized in bold above, pycnogenol unlike aspirin did not significantly increase bleeding time. This has profound implications, as aspirin’s potent anti-platelet/’blood thinning’ properties can also cause life-threatening hemorrhagic events. If this study is accurate and pycnogenol is more effective at decreasing pathologic platelet aggregation at a lower dose without causing the increased bleeding linked to aspirin, then it is clearly a superior natural alternative worthy of far more attention by the conventional medical establishment and research community than it presently receives.

Not Just A Drug Alternative

Pycnogenol, like so many other natural interventions, has a wide range of side benefits that may confer significant advantage when it comes to reducing cardiovascular disease risk. For instance, pycnogenol is also:

  • Blood Pressure Reducing/Endothelial Function Enhancer: A number of clinical studies indicate that pycnogenol is therapeutic for those suffering with hypertension. Pycnogenol actually addresses a root cause of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in general, namely, endothelial dysfunction (the inability of the inner lining of the blood vessels to function correctly, e.g. fully dilate).[1] It has been shown to prevent damage in microcirculation in hypertensive patients, as well as reducing the dose of blood pressure drugs in hypertensive patients,[2] including hypertensive diabetic patients.[3] It has even been found to reduce intraocular hypertension found in glaucoma patients.[4]
  • Anti-Inflammatory Effects: There is a growing appreciation among the medical community that inflammation contributes to cardiovascular disease. Several markers, including C-reactive protein are now being fore grounded as being at least as important in determining cardiovascular disease risk as various blood lipids and/or their ratios, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Pycnogenol has been found to reduce C-reactive protein in hypertensive patients.[5] Pycnogenol has been found to rapidly modulate downward (inhibit) both Cox-1 and Cox-2 enzyme activity in human subjects, resulting in reduced expression of these inflammation-promoting enzymes within 30 minutes post-ingestion.[6]  Another observed anti-inflammatory effect of pycnogenol is its ability to down-regulate the class of inflammatory enzymes known as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).[7] Pycnogenol has also been found to significantly inhibit NF-kappaB activation, a key body-wide regulator of inflammation levels whose overexpression and/or dysregulation may result in pathologic cardiovascular manifestations.[8] Finally, pycnogenol has been found to reduce fibrinogen levels, a glycoprotein that contributes to the formation of blood clots; fibrinogen has been identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.[9]

Given the evidence for pycnogenol’s pleotrophic cardioprotective properties, we hope that pycnogenol will become more commonly recommended by health care practitioners as the medical paradigm continues to evolve past its reliance on synthetic chemicals, eventually (we hope) returning to natural, increasingly evidence-based interventions. However, it is important that we don’t fall prey to the one-disease-one-pill model, convincing ourselves to focus on popping pills – this time natural ones – as simply countermeasures or ‘insurance’ against the well known harms associated with the standard American diet, lack of exercise, and uncontrolled stress. The ultimate goal is to remove the need for pills altogether, focusing on preventing cardiovascular disease from the ground up and inside out, e.g. letting high quality food, clean water and air, and a healthy attitude nourish and sustain our health and well-being.

from:    http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/powerful-aspirin-alternative-grows-trees-1