Youth in La Paz BCS, Mexico March Against Drugs and Promote Sports!

by patgarcia

Some are on their way to Beijing! Some have won the Nationals!

La Paz has been known for its peaceful atmosphere and surroundings. There is great concern about the latest drug related crime issues in the state. But our youth has a declaration to make about that issue.

8 thousand youngsters march against drugs to celebrate the International Day Against illicit Traffic and Use of Drugs, thousands marched yesterday along Paseo Alvaro Obregon. Better known as the Malecon, by our beautiful seashore.

Marchan 8 mil jóvenes contra las drogas Con motivo de la celebración del Día Internacional en Contra del Uso y el Tráfico Ilícito de Drogas, miles de estudiantes de esta ciudad capital marcharon ayer a lo largo del paseo Alvaro Obregón.

Source: oem.com.mx

It`s important to mention that our city has been the birthplace of international champions in different branches of sports.

Paola Espinosa, Triple Panamerican Gold Medalist Diver who has just been granted the honor to represent our country holding our Mexican

Flag at the Beijing Oympics 2008.

Raul Garcia Rayito who has just won the World lightweight Boxing Championship against Florante Condes from Philippines is also a native of La Paz.

Carmen De la Fuente, our hope for a medal in Wushu at the Olympic Games in Beijing. She promised her best effort to obtain the gold in Beijing. She obtained her pass to Beijing by winning three national championships and being among the best 8 at the International Wushu Championship.

Gerardo Eugenio Martinez Dibene holds the Mexican and National High Jump Record at 2.30 y 2.21 meters. He is also going for a medal in Beijing.

Yazmith Bataz Carballo also from South California and part of the National Selection for Paraolympic Games in Beijing China will go to Atlanta, Georgia for a wheelchair competition.

La seleccionada nacional para asistir a los Juegos Paralímpicos de Beijing, China, Yazmith Bataz Carballo, participará en el Serial Mundial de atletismo en silla de ruedas en Atlanta, Georgia, Estados Unidos del 1 al 6 de julio, evento que servirá de fogueo para la Sudcaliforniana en busca de una mejor preparación.

Source: oem.com.mx

Carmen de la Fuente, esperanza de medalla en los JO en Wushu Prometió brindar el mejor de sus esfuerzos para lograr la presea dorada en los próximos juegos Olímpicos que se realizarán en Beijing.

Source: oem.com.mx

La deportista Carmen de la Fuente consiguió su boleto a China, al ganar tres campeonatos nacionales y quedar entres las mejores ocho del campeonato internacional de wushu

Source: conade.gob.mx

La Paz, Baja California Sur.- El Gobernador narciso Agúndez expresó una felicitación a deportista sudcaliforniana Paola Espinosa por el alto honor que le fue conferido al haber sido seleccionada como abanderada de la delegación mexicana que participará en los juegos olímpicos de Beijin 2008.

Source: oem.com.mx

Our young athetles participated in this march. Some of them have just come back from Nacional Pre-olympic competitions with 11 gold medals , 9 silver and 4 bronce medals.

Aracsy Herrera Landázuri con las medallas de oro en las pruebas de 80 metros planos, 150 metros planos y salto de longitud.

Herlan Herrera Landázuri, ganadora de medalla de roo en lanzamiento de jabalina, plata en lanzamiento de bala y bronce en 100 y 200 metros planos, en tanto su hermana Meline Herrera Landázuri, consiguió la medalla de bronce en salto de longitud.

También cuatro medallas fueron aportadas por Ana Karen Lucero Mendoza, siendo estas dos de oro en 100 metros planos y lanzamiento de jabalina, plata en lanzamiento de bala y bronce en los 200 metros planos.

Ana Karen Aguirre fue otra multimedallista de la paralimpiada, en donde ganó medallas de oro en salto de longitud y lanzamiento de bala, plata en 100 metros planos y lanzamiento de jabalina.

Sara Ruiz Chong subió 5 veces al podium, en una para que le colocaran la medalla de oro en lanzamiento de bala y plata en 100 y 200 metros planos, lanzamiento de jabalina y salto de longitud.

Rubén Ortega Flores fue el campeón en lanzamiento de bala y quedó en segundo lugar en lanzamiento de jabalina.

Todos estos deportistas fueron entrenados por Francisco Caballero Beterán.

Source: oem.com.mx

Endorphin Cartel at Malecon La Paz B.C.S

Beautiful Malecon where I love to walk as often as I can, just being there brings me a soothing sensation

gamma-Endorphin

Endorphins

Endorphins are chemicals produced in the brain, which bind to neuro-receptors to give relief from pain. Discovered in 1975, endorphins are believed to: relieve pain; enhance the immune system; reduce stress; and delay the aging process. Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, sending these chemicals throughout the body. Endorphin release varies from person to person; some people will feel an endorphin rush, or second wind, after jogging for 10 minutes. Others will jog for half an hour before their second wind kicks in. You don't have to exercise vigorously to stimulate endorphin release: meditation, acupuncture, massage therapy, even eating spicy food or breathing deeply - these all cause your body to produce endorphins naturally.

Walking and other exercise leads to the release of the body's natural happy drugs - endorphins. Walkers who walk at a higher heart rate will notice this effect more than those who walk at a slower heart rate pace. But even at a slower pace, most people notice an improvement in mood.

Many physicians recommend adding regular walking and exercise as a natural treatment to relieve a bout of depression. The cause of depression is related to brain chemistry. By getting your brain to release more of the happy chemicals - the endorphins - you achieve naturally what many prescription drugs and herbs try to do artificially.

Walking your way to fitness

To improve your health, all you need to do is walk. Walking is a great way to accustom your body to exercise. Thirty minutes of brisk walking has been proved to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 40-percent. Cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of both men and women in the United States today.

To many, walking may not seem like much, but it can make a world of difference. It can lift your spirits. It will make you feel more at east. You will feel a sense of accomplishment. All of these, just by getting out and doing something.

Walking: A Step in the Right Direction

You can walk almost anywhere at almost any time. It's one of the easiest ways to be physically active. Find out how to start your walking program, what benefits you'll get from walking and how to warm up correctly before you hit the road.

Depression and Walking

Exercise, even something as simple as walking, can be part of managing depression. A quick walk every day makes you feel more positive and more in control. Walking releases endorphins, the anti-stress, feel-good hormones naturally produced by your body. Research shows that endorphins are natural "mood elevators". They are responsible for the "runner's high" feeling you get after being active.

Walking also relieves stress, a common side effect of depression. So, just breaking your routine with a simple walk can help both body and mind feel better.

You will find walking can help you in other ways, too. You will burn more calories. This can help you stay in shape and keep you looking good. When you look good, you feel better and have more confidence in yourself.

To stimulate your endorphins and serotonin, do a twenty-minute exercise immediately after you wake up. Go for a walk if the weather permits. If not, do some exercise indoors, such as stretching or yoga. Exercise your body right after you wake up, before you do anything else. Putting it off to some time later in the day may mean not doing it at all.

Make time to get yourself exposed to bright sunlight each day. Your body is designed for exposure to sunlight through your eyes and your skin. Your pineal gland, which governs your endocrine system, responds directly to light and darkness.Remember, the sun is a great healer: its eternal sunshine not only gives you solar energy to kill germs, but also provides you with vitamin D.Like exercise, bright sunlight has a significant impact on your neurotransmission. On entering the eye, sunlight activates your retinal-hypothalamic nerve, thereby stimulating your moods, sleep cycles, appetite and sex drive. Bask in morning or evening sunlight for ten to twenty minutes will do wonders to your brain. Let sunshine massage your skin and relax your body and mind.

marathon of life: Healing Thyroid and emotions

I feel myself again!

I finally started walking at the malecon again last night, I invited one of my best friends unexpectectly and she said "Yes of course!"

We have been both so busy with work and dealing with life situations. Her 26 son has terminal cancer, so we walked, talked, relaxed and said hello to people we were running into at the malecon.

One of them was one of my dearest students, he was so happy to see me well again that he couldn't hold back a big, great hug after streching out his arms and saying "Welcome back to life's activities, teacher!"

On the way back home I stopped for a quesadilla and chatted happily with the ladies at the taco stand. Believe it or not a quesadilla is part of the new diet I got yesterday from the nutriologist at the hospital.

I'm starting on a weight control program once more! I'm back to recover the ground I lost, again!

I remembered this entry at my personal journey from December 2002.

Who despises the day of small things?

Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel

Zechariah 4:10

Today is a special day,big things start being small,

like Zerubbabel who held the plumb line and laid the foundation of His Temple.............

Today I set the foundation to rebuild the temple of the Lord which is my body, according to his instructions.

It's not by might nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord Almighty

Zechariah 4: 6

The Pineal Gland, Our internal translator.

Being a translator myself, this information becomes appealingly interesting. It captures my senses, and makes me wonder how events outside our body are translated, to a form that our body can actually read. It's amazing!

The pineal gland is the energy transducer that sends hormonal and electrical messages throughout the body. It is like a link between our external environment and the network of internal body systems, this tiny gland is an amazing liaison with the world around us, taking magnetic environmental information, light and temperature and converting it into chemical and electrical neuroendocrine signals that regulate and orchestrate our body functions, our internal clock to determine our daily sleep-wake patterns which influence our broader lifetime rhythms.

There is a theory in which the pineal gland is thought to be the physiological interface between the mind–body connection and subtle energy experiences that transcend the five senses.

Medical research and ancient philosophical concepts show that health care must involve attention to the mind and spirit— the body. Incorporating the mental, emotional and spiritual facets of health.

Factors, such as faith, prayer and love, that influence our recovery from illness have been scientifically documented, the putative energy such as light, sound and electromagnetism behind the healing effects of prayer is translated into electrical and chemical signals within our bodies.

source:Book Review of The Scientific Basis of Integrative Medicine by Len Wisneski, MP and Lucy Anderson, MSW.ecam.oxfordjournals.org

Learning about the pineal gland, and other internal biological organ functions can produce and amazing marveling effect at the Lord's wisdom and our own divine design rather than just minimizing these concepts into flesh and blood components.
Understanding the truths in the real spiritual/physical world is of most use. There has to be a balance, a perfect orchestrated balance.

Hypothesis Concerning Soul Substance, Together with Experimental Evidence of the Existence of Such Substance by Dr. Duncan MacDougall.

"We are therefore driven back upon the assumption that the soul substance so necessary to the conception of continuing personal identity, after the death of this material body, must still be a form of gravitative matter, or perhaps a middle form of substance neither gravitative matter nor ether, not capable of being weighed and yet not identical with ether. Since, however, the substance considered in our hypothesis must be linked organically with the body until death takes place, it appears to me more reasonable to think that it must be some form of gravitative matter, and therefore capable of being detected at death by weighing a human being in the act of death."

The pineal gland is a neuroendocrine transducer secreting melatonin, responsible for the physiological circadian rhythm control.

A new form of biomineralization has been studied in the human pineal gland. It consists of small crystals that are less than 20 μm in length. These crystals could be responsible for an electromechanical biological transduction mechanism in the pineal gland due to their structure and piezoelectric properties.

Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), we identified crystals morphology and showed that they only contain calcium, carbon and oxygen elements. Furthermore, the selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) and near-infrared Raman spectroscopy established that the crystals are calcite.
We will now focus on the physiological effect of microcrystals in pinealocyte cell culture under Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic-Fields (RF-EMF).

The pineal gland, which has been found to be particularly sensitive to magnetic fields, regulates the function of the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands through the production of several neurochemical agents. It also affects the central nervous system and immune system via the production of melatonin. Melationin has been found to be a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger with anti-aging, anti-mutagenic and oncostatic properties. In pathologies wherein high production of free radicals is a primary cause of disease, melatonin is protective of mitochondrial damage due to oxidative stress, thereby protecting against impaired mitochondrial production of adenosine tri-phosphate (“ATP”), the fuel that fires all cellular processes. Melatonin is also useful in combating oxidative neurotoxicity which is associated with several acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases. It has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory effects and reduces tissue destruction during inflammatory reaction. Melatonin attenuates transendothelial cell migration and edema which contribute to tissue damage by reducing the regulation of a variety of proinflammatory cytokines.

Make time to get yourself exposed to bright sunlight each day. Your body is designed for exposure to sunlight through your eyes and your skin. Your pineal gland, which governs your endocrine system, responds directly to light and darkness.Remember, the sun is a great healer: its eternal sunshine not only gives you solar energy to kill germs, but also provides you with vitamin D.Like exercise, bright sunlight has a significant impact on your neurotransmission. On entering the eye, sunlight activates your retinal-hypothalamic nerve, thereby stimulating your moods, sleep cycles, appetite and sex drive. Bask in morning or evening sunlight for ten to twenty minutes will do wonders to your brain. Let sunshine massage your skin and relax your body and mind.


Credit: Stan Richards (NightSkyEvents.com)

Psalm 8
A psalm of David.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

You have set your glory above the heavens.

Figure 2

Interactions between the Earth's magnetic field and a weak, manmade, low frequency electromagnetic field produces measurable changes such as a major amplification at the cell receptor sites.

This makes intercellular communication at the gap junctions very sensitive to weak, oscillating electromagnetic fields. Pineal gland cells respond to changes in both polarity and intensity of the Earth's magnetic flows, where they powerfully influence bodily circadian rhythms. The heart muscles have been shown to resonate at a fundamental node frequency within the spectrum associated with the planetary circumference. A high percentage of Earth-related naturally occurring vibrations offer harmonics within that same spectrum. Bone and muscle display piezoelectric properties which are also sensitive within these same Earth-related frequencies.

This POLAR satellite view of the Arctic shows an ultraviolet image of electromagnetic radiation from the auroral oval during the January 1997 magnetic storm. Image provided courtesy of Marshall Space Flight Center.

The short answer to how the aurora happens is that energetic electrically charged particles (mostly electrons) accelerate along the magnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere, where they collide with gas atoms, causing the atoms to give off light. But why does that happen? To find the answer, we must look further away, to the Sun. The spectacular, "great" auroras in "What do they look like?" are powered by what is called the solar wind.
The Sun also has an atmosphere and a magnetic field that extend into space. The Sun's atmosphere is made of hydrogen, which is itself made of subatomic particles: protons and electrons. These particles are constantly boiling off the Sun and streaming outward at very high speeds. Together, the Sun's magnetic field and particles are called the "solar wind."
This wind is always pushing on the Earth's magnetic field, changing its shape. You change the shape of a soap bubble in a similar way when you blow on its surface. We call this compressed field around the earth the magnetosphere. The Earth's field is compressed on the day side, where the solar wind flows over it. It is also stretched into a long tail like the wake of a ship, which is called the magnetotail, and points away from the Sun.
Squeezing the Earth's magnetic field takes energy, just the way it takes energy to compress a balloon with air in it. The whole process is still not fully understood, but energy from the solar wind is constantly building up in the magnetosphere, and this energy is what powers auroras.

Here is beautiful aurora picture from Ontario, in eastern Canada. It was taken during another substorm, just a few days earlier. This is on roughly the same latitude as New England in the United States.

Photo by Stan Richard, 2000

Pineal melatonin plays a major role in affective disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder and Binge Eating Disorder. These are just two disorders in which a single or a combination of maladies often couples with radical departures from normal behavior. Depression and self-imposed isolation are accompanied with little or no regulation of day/night cycles - a circadian rhythm - and are symptomatic of melatonin imbalance. These disorders are often resolved when circadian rhythm is restored. While circadian rhythm can be restored in a number of ways, Interactive Light Therapy that resets the biological clock is one way to induce a melatonin response as can the administration of endogenous melatonin. Sham or functional pinealectomy has also been an intervention that restores a circadian rhythm. Research has also demonstrated that the extent and action of pineal melatonin at certain melatonin receptors may account for its reputed oncostatic and immunological effects as experiments worldwide have cemented the relationship between neuroendocrine and immune systems. Other studies indicate that melatonin inhibits tumor growth when combined with Interluken-2, as it appears to restore a circadian rhythm in those with small cell cancers, thereby pointing to a somewhat direct relationship with the pineal gland. If this were so, it would be possible that a diseased gland that does not effectively control the synthesis of melatonin might do so if treated with IL-2.Life could begin with a genetic mutation of the gland that could interfere with the normalcy and regularity of circadian rhythm(s). As example, rhythms could be other than circadian in that one could be genetically predisposed to either ultradian or infradian rhythms that could be markers of impending compulsive behavior that will -defiantly - lead to substance abuse. Here’s why. Ultradian cycles are those that occur more frequently than the normal 24-hour cycle and compares to the cycles of those who are dependent on opiates, barbiturates, alcohol, or any other depressant(s) where the wake/sleep cycle is manipulated by quantity and/or repetition. It is accepted universally that prolonged use of opiates or depressants create shorter duration of the effects and therefore requires more quantity or better quality to achieve the sought after satiation. Resultantly, the use of opiates or depressants may cause 3-4 or more wake/sleep cycles per 24 hour period, and therefore completely disrupt melatonin presentation that manage circadian rhythm. Infradian rhythms have similar responses but for very different reasons. As infradian rhythms are those that occur less frequently than 24-hour rhythms, they compare to the wake/sleep cycles of those who use psychoactive drugs such as cocaine and the amphetamines and where the single wake cycle often lasts for days at a time. Although conclusive evidence supporting the genetics of compulsive behavior that leads to substance abuse - whether infradian, ultradian, or circadian rhythms be a factor - is still in the research and mapping stage of the genome, we are finding that hormones and neurotransmitters as genetic components appear to be a result of genetic interaction on behavior. This argument for genetic influence seems to be winning out as we are learning that the switching on and off of genes can be influenced by many factors or actions that is now identified as complex behavior. It is also recognized that genes for behavior are no more unusual than genes for development and variations in both cases will be the substance for ongoing debate. Dysfunction or difference in gene characteristics can be responsible for all sorts of innate behavior simply because humans vary in the way they respond to most stimuli that is mediated through neurotransmitters or hormones. Yet once we identify the genetics that influence behavior, we can begin to design specific science-based interventions, effectively making the behavior as treatable as any other physiologically rooted disease or disorder whether the cause is a result of circadian, ultradian, or infradian rhythm that is a result of gene expression. As demonstrated over and over again, if the instruction is faulty from the very instant the cell begins to divide, the end result will be faulty. Not enough to cause cell death, but enough to build a protein that will build the being that will be predisposed to the behavior. With that thought, let us presume that altered synthesis of serotonin to melatonin as a result of a genetically altered pineal gland will certainly affect and alter circadian rhythms because of that gene expression. Should altered circadian rhythms parallel the schedule of one who is inclined to compulsive use of drugs, it would be a fair assumption that it would be easier for those with genetically induced non-circadian rhythms to slip into compulsive substance abuse or other forms of compulsive behavior that have a dysfunctional circadian component. That component - the relationship with day and night - ties to a common denominator: the Pineal Gland! Quite a role for something so small and once considered insignificant!

Monument to Life

What a nice surprise!

I was watching the slideshow Surviving Strong by Instilling Hope for Health when I saw one of their photos of the Monument to Life in Mazatlan, Mexico. Meaningful place for me.

I took the shot below during an amazing moment of victory in my life. I was about to finish a 2 hour walk all along the malecon in Mazatlan. From Valentinos Disco all the way to old Mazatlan 2 years ago.
I can't walk that distance anymore but I will again! I have been struggling with starting to exercise again after the last health crisis. This is a nice reminder of a previous achievement! There are no coincidences in life, one just has to be alert to all the little messages, and signs of guidance to follow our path in victory!

Thanks to Greg Katz for this gift to me.

Monument to Life Mazatlan Mexico

by Pat Garcia

Mazatlan Malecon is a 13 mile (21 km.) long corridor and it is considered one of the longest in the world.

Mazatlan Malecon is composed of 9 sections that go from Downtown or Historic Zone to the north of the city. First section goes from "La Puntilla" to the Ferries Peer; next section is the Lighthouse that is followed by Paseo del Centenario. Next 3 sections are named Olas Altas, Claussen, and Avenue of the Sea. At the end, last 3 sections are Camaron - Sabalo, Sabalo - Cerritos, and Cerritos - New Mazatlan. Sunsets, sea views, and landscapes enjoyed from this location make this zone one of the most recommended for tourists. Traveling or walking through Mazatlan Malecon allows to appreciate both the development and the evolution of this port through history.
The 21 km or 13 mile long pier or Malecon in Mazatlan is considered one of the longest in the world. Sunsets and sea views that can be admired from here make this zone highly recommended for tourists.

Pete Kesselring graduates High School overcoming epilepsy

It was Pete's first grand mal seizure, and the first sign he had epilepsy, a neurological disorder marked by intense bursts of electrical energy in the brain. Normally, the pattern of convulsing and relaxing lasts for about two minutes, according to the Mayo Clinic. That night seizures continued wracking Pete for 45 minutes.

Epilepsy affects about 2.7 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For Pete, the illness — with its seizures preceded by crushing headaches and the appearance of flashing lights — shaped his teen years.

He took eight different medications, but they failed to control the seizures. Both the seizures and the medications left him exhausted, which kept him out of school sometimes for up to 30 days each year. He gained 20 pounds. "He couldn't go to school because he couldn't stay awake," Pat said.

The seizures hit at night. Pete would essentially black out, even though he sometimes spoke or had his eyes open. During one seizure, he insisted it was his birthday when it was not. During another, he talked about being at the battle of Gettysburg.

Pete's studies suffered, as the former honors student moved into college prep courses. The first semester of his junior year, he had to stay home while a teacher gave him lessons there.

"That was kind of a hard semester," said Pete, now 19. "By the time December came, I was really stressed. It's just kind of hard being home when everyone else is at school."

Epilepsy also forced him to give up hobbies, like ice hockey, and goals, like becoming a pilot.

Friendships faded, too. "When it first happened, parents were afraid to have me over, and that negatively affected me with friends," Pete said. "It's gotten a lot better now."

Pete's mother and father, Dr. William Kesselring, a local internist, took him to the neurology department at Johns Hopkins. He has been treated by Dr. Eileen Vining, a specialist in epilepsy in children.

Technicians stuck electrodes to Pete's head to measure his brain activity. His brain waves created such an irregular and powerful pattern on the electroencephalogram that it looked like an earthquake, Pat said.

Vining presented them with two options. Pete could have surgery, in which the left temporal lobe of his brain was removed, or he could quit the medications and go back on them one at a time.

Surgery was ruled out because the electrical activity in his brain was too widespread.

He went off the medications last year and has been careful to avoid the factors that seemed to trigger the seizures. He goes to bed by 10 or 10:30 p.m. to make sure he gets enough sleep. He also eats more regularly and rests when he feels himself getting stressed.

He has been largely seizure-free for the past year and a half. "I don't really understand it, but I'll take it," he said of the turn of events. "I haven't had a seizure, and I don't think I will."

Today, he graduates from East Stroudsburg High School-South. In the fall, he will attend Temple University in Philadelphia. He hopes to become a high school history teacher.

While the family is greatly relieved by Pete's turnaround, worries remain. "I still hate nighttime," Pat said, recalling the times she had to climb on her son to keep him from hurting himself. "I'm afraid he'll choke, and I won't hear him."

The prospect of college, with its changes and stresses, also makes Pat leery.

But Pete says he knows too well the cost of not taking care of himself. "My body has been screwed up," he said. "I'm not going to make things worse."

He has kept a similar even-keeled attitude throughout his fight with epilepsy. "I try not to dwell upon the whole thing. I did for the first couple of years, and it didn't lead me anywhere," he said. "This stuff just happens, and you have to deal with it."

Incense Is Psychoactive And Antidepressant

Religious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be right under our noses.

The discovery of how incensole acetate, purified from frankincense, works on specific targets in the brain should also help us understand diseases of the nervous system. This study also provides a biological explanation for millennia-old spiritual practices that have persisted across time, distance, culture, language, and religion.

incense—a collection of spices that is burned to worship God. Incense produces a sweet smell.

Exodus 30:1-10

The Bible teaches that the prayers of God's people are like incense to him.

Psalm 141:1-2

Incense

from the Latin "to burn," "a mixture of gums or spices and the like, used for the purpose of producing a perfume when burned;" or the perfume itself of the spices, etc., burned in worship. The incense employed in the service of the tabernacle walls compounded of the perfumes stacte, onycha, galbanum and pure frankincense. All incense which was not made of these ingredients was forbidden to be offered. Ex 30:9 Aaron, as high priest, was originally appointed to offer incense each morning and evening. The times of offering incense were specified in the instructions first given to Moses. Ex 30:7,8 When the priest entered the holy place with the incense, all the people were removed from the temple, and from between the porch and the altar. Cf. Lu 1:10 Profound silence was observed among the congregation who were praying without, cf. Re 8:1 and at a signal from the perfect the priest cast the incense on the fire and, bowing reverently toward the holy of holies, retired slowly backward. The offering of incense has formed part of the religious ceremonies of most ancient nations.
it is the golden vials, and not the odors or incense, which are said to be the prayers of saints.

The Hebrew word for incense KeToReTH is an acronym:

The letter kuf (K) alludes to kedusha--holiness. The letter tet (T) alludes to tahara--purity. The letter resh (R) alludes to rachamim--mercy, and the letter tahf (TH) alludes to tikvah—hope.

Holiness

The verse in Proverbs teaches, "A mitzvah is the lamp and the Torah is the light..." (Proverbs 6:23). The most heavenly sense is the sense of smell and the midrash of the Tanchuma connects this feeling with four heavenly qualities, holiness, purity, mercy and hope. Each of these qualities brings transcendence and meaning to the banalities of everyday life.

Each day Aaron's morning began with the reminder that existing is not enough, but each day must include kedusha, a commitment to our sacred mission; tahara, a commitment to the cleansing of the spirit; rachamim, a predilection to be generous of spirit; and tikva, a renunciation of despair replaced by a vision of hope. The incense reminds us that this heavenly smoke is meant to light up our souls.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

Psalm 42:5 NKJV

Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 3 is an ion channel implicated in the perception of warmth in the skin. TRPV3 mRNA has also been found in neurons throughout the brain; however, the role of TRPV3 channels there remains unknown.

Here we show that incensole acetate (IA), a Boswellia resin constituent, is a potent TRPV3 agonist that causes anxiolytic-like and antidepressive-like behavioral effects in wild-type (WT) mice with concomitant changes in c-Fos activation in the brain. These behavioral effects were not noted in TRPV3-/- mice, suggesting that they are mediated via TRPV3 channels. IA activated TRPV3 channels stably expressed in HEK293 cells and in keratinocytes from TRPV3+/+ mice. It had no effect on keratinocytes from TRPV3-/- mice and showed modest or no effect on TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4, as well as on 24 other receptors, ion channels, and transport proteins. Our results imply that TRPV3 channels in the brain may play a role in emotional regulation. Furthermore, the biochemical and pharmacological effects of IA may provide a biological basis for deeply rooted cultural and religious traditions.—Moussaieff, A., Rimmerman, N., Bregman, T., Straiker, A., Felder, C. C., Shoham, S., Kashman, Y., Huang, S. M., Lee, H., Shohami, E., Mackie, K., Caterina, M. J., Walker, J. M., Fride, E., Mechoulam, R. Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain.

FRANKINCENSE (Boswellia carteri) is considered the "holy anointing oil" in the Middle East and has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years. High in sesquiterpenes, it helps stimulate the limbic part of the brain, which elevates the mind, helping to overcome stress and despair.

SANDALWOOD (Santalum album) is high in sesquiterpenes, which have been researched for their ability to stimulate the pineal gland and the limbic region of the brain, the center of our emotions. The pineal gland is responsible for releasing melatonin, a hormone that enhances deep sleep. Used traditionally for skin revitalization, yoga, and meditation, sandalwood is similar to frankincense oil in its support of nerves and circulation

Historical Frankincense of Oman

A lost city in the Sultanate called Ubar, once full of prosperity dating back to 5000 BC, was rediscovered in the early 1990s and is still under archaeological excavation. The city, in Dhofar in southern Oman, is believed to have been built by King Shadad and the people of Ad. It was the centre of the frankincense trade, as camel caravans once traveled this route carrying this rare commodity through the Arabian Peninsula all the way to Jerusalem. Frankincense was used traditionally during religious ceremonies and also as a perfume and medicine. Historical documents reveal that the Queen of Sheba offered this sacred aromatic to King Solomon.

The supreme frankincense tree, the boswellia sacra, grows only in the Dhofar region (and in parts of northern Somalia). The best of it comes from trees on the inland side of the mountains, but some frankincense also grows on the plains to the south of Salalah.

Visually, the tree is not so attractive: a low twisted bush-like tree which lacks a central trunk. And it has numerous prickly branches extended every which way.

Relay for Life walkers will walk around the clock June 27, 2008

by patgarcia

Cancer survivors are participating to help people that have been touched by cancer and remember those that have been devastated by these horrible illness.
The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life of Winnebago County is planned for 6 p.m. June 27 through 9 a.m. June 28 at the Oshkosh West High School track. The event is a celebration in honor and in memory of those who have been touched by cancer.
Relay For Life involves teams of eight to 15 people who take turns walking or running around a track through the night. Team members may camp out on the surrounding grounds for the duration of the overnight event to enjoy food and entertainment.
This year's honorary chairwoman and opening speaker is local cancer survivor Connie Boehnlein.
Source: postcrescent.com
On Monday Chris Sifuentes-Futrell learned the results of a recent biopsy on her thyroid: inconclusive.
That means she’ll have to decide whether to have another biopsy, after which, if the lump is cancerous, the rest of the gland would be removed, or to simply have the entire thyroid taken out at once.
“I have some decisions to make as to what I want to do,” Sifuentes-Futrell said. “I think either way I have to take some medicine for the rest of my life.”
Whichever way it turns out, Sifuentes-Futrell is already a cancer survivor. In February she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy in April.
Sifuentes-Futrell is the co-founder, with Cheryl Chadwick, of the Kaw Valley Relay For Life.
Source: bonnersprings.com
Walkers will go around the clock in the battle against cancer during the fifth annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Elmore County/Mountain Home at the end of this month.
Teams from Elmore County and Mountain Home AFB will gather at the Mountain Home Junior High School track on June 27 at 7 p.m. for an overnight relay against cancer.
Relay For Life, the Society's signature event, is described by organizers as "a life-changing experience that helps us celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and to fight back against a disease that takes too much. This unforgettable event raises awareness and funds to save lives, help those touched by cancer, and empower people to fight back against this disease."

Selenium anti aging, antidepressant, antioxidant properties

New research confirms how important selenium is to our well-being as we age. One study found that people age 65 or older with low blood levels of selenium were 60% more likely to die, from any cause, in the following six years, than people with high blood levels. Adequate selenium intake has been linked with reduced rates of prostate, lung and colorectal cancer, and also seems to protect against heart disease and some neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. (Lauretani, F. et al Aging Clin Exp Res, 2008; 20(2): 153-8.)

And in another study, supplementing with 60 mcg a day of selenium significantly improved symptoms of depression in older people within eight weeks. (Gosney, MA et al Gerontology 2008 [Epub ahead of print] DOI: 10.1159/000131886.)

Selenium is a mineral you need in tiny amounts throughout your body for the chemical reactions that create life. It helps produce a powerful antioxidant, glutathione, which can neutralize nerve-damaging toxins. It reduces age-related inflammation linked to cancer, heart disease and dementia. Selenium may help depression by increasing thyroid function—it is essential for the conversion of thyroid hormone to its active form.

It has been well known for many years that both hypo- and hyperthyroidism may cause various psychiatric symptoms (1). Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism may be associated with changes in mood, behaviour, and cognitive function. There is substantial evidence that small changes in thyroid function may be biologically meaningful and affect mood and behaviour (2). Selenium is required for appropriate thyroid hormone synthesis, activation, and metabolism (3,4). Among all organs, the human thyroid gland has the highest selenium content per gram of tissue. Low selenium status may compromise thyroid hormone metabolism. Low selenium status can be a result of low selenium intake (4). Selenium concentration in blood and tissue can also be affected in patients with chronic renal failure treated by hemodialysis or by chronic peritoneal dialysis (5). Considerable evidence suggests that selenium deprivation leads to depressed mood, and high dietary or supplementary selenium seems to improve mood (4,6). Several research groups have found that low selenium status is associated with a significantly increased incidence of depression, anxiety, confusion, and hostility (4,6). Low plasma selenium concentrations in the elderly have been significantly associated with senility and cognitive decline (7). Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that the effect of selenium status on mood, behaviour, and cognition may be partly mediated by changes in thyroid function induced by selenium deficiency or selenium supplementation. Iodine prophylaxis was initiated during the 1920s. Future studies may answer the question whether, in addition to iodine prophylaxis, we also need selenium

supplementation to optimize the function of the thyroid axis.

Leo Sher, M.D., is an internationally recognized physician and scientist. He believes that scholarly work is crucial for the betterment of mankind, and has dedicated his career to the pursuit of medical research.

Dr. Sher is a psychiatrist with a background in internal medicine. His areas of research and clinical expertise include neurobiology, diagnosis, and treatment of mood, anxiety, and personality disorders, alcoholism, and suicidal behavior.

Dr. Sher has authored or co-authored over 350 scientific publications and is a peer reviewer for a number of medical journals. He is an editor of the book, "Adolescence and Alcohol: An International Perspective" published in 2006 and the book, “Alcohol and Suicide: Research and Clinical Perspectives” published in 2007. Dr. Sher is the recipient of several Awards including the Charlotte Marker Zitrin, M.D. Award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Long Island Jewish Medical Center for the Best Scientific Paper (1997) and the International Award for Excellence in Published Clinical Research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (2004). Dr. Sher is also the recipient of two grants from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Changes in thyroid function may affect mood, behavior, and cognitive function. Selenium is required for appropriate thyroid hormone synthesis, activation, and metabolism. Selenium status influences thyroid function. Selenium status also affects psychological condition and cognitive function. The author suggests that the effects of selenium status on mood, behavior, and cognition may be partly mediated by changes induced by selenium deficiency or selenium supplementation in thyroid function. Selenium deficiency decreases immunocompetence and promotes viral infections. The author proposes that patients who have a combination of depression, hypothyroidism, and increased susceptibility to viral infections, could reasonably be assessed for selenium deficiency, especially if they live in an area where the soil is low in selenium.

Selenium was discovered by Jons Jakob Berzelius from Sweden in 1817. It got the name Selenium from the Greek word selene, which means in greek moon.Out of the 92 elements that exist in nature, 25 make up the human body. The largest one is iodine (atomic weight 126.9), followed by molybdenum (95.9). Selenium (78.96) is third.

The proteins that selenium seed have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune enhancing properties that altogether foster a long, healthy life, akin to what Selene sought for Endymion (if in sleep) in Greek mythology. Selenium blood levels tend to fall as people age. In one study, investigators followed 1,300 people age 60–71 years for 9 years and found that those with the greatest decrease in blood selenium had the highest likelihood of cognitive decline. The same study showed that people with a low selenium blood level also had a shorter life span.

Plants take up selenium from the soil and propagate it through the food chain. Brazil nuts, in particular, like selenium. One unshelled Brazil nut (one you have to crack open yourself) contains an average of 100 micrograms (mcg) of selenium per nut. (Already shelled Brazil nuts have 12 to 25 mcg of selenium per nut.) Phytoplankton, the "plants of the sea," extract and concentrate the even more minute amounts of selenium in ocean water and provide this needed element to fish.

According to the myth, Selene, the eternally beautiful goddess of the Moon, gazed upon Endymion and fell madly in love with him. It is said that in time Selene bore the handsome mortal fifty daughters. Scholars have suggested that the number of daughters is symbolic, with each daughter possibly representing an individual month of an Olympiad.

Certainly, the story of a mortal and an immortal engaging in a legendary affair is interesting enough, but there is even more to this intriguing tale. It is important to remember that, as a mortal, Endymion was subject to the fate that we all share - aging and eventual death. However, the Greek gods and goddesses did not age and die. Instead, the gods of Greece remained young and beautiful for all time. The relationship between Endymion and Selene, therefore, faced some serious problems. Selene came up with a solution to this dilemma. According to one version of the myth, the goddess of the Moon cast a spell on her lover, making him sleep forever. In this state of eternal slumber, Endymion kept both his youth and his good looks.

Eat Selenium-rich Foods

Because selenium deficiency is a major factor in low thyroid function, you should regularly include selenium-rich foods in your diet. The thyroid produces several hormones, and must produce them in a somewhat balanced ratio. Without selenium, this balancing process is hindered.

Good sources of selenium in your diet, include: wheat germ, seafood and shellfish, beef liver and kidney, eggs, sunflower and sesame seeds, brazil nuts, mushrooms, garlic, onions, and kelp.

Industrial and home uses of Selenium
	Selenium is found in many home and industrial appliances: it is found in solar powered cells, photocopiers, cameras, semi-conductors, the shampoo Head and Shoulders, and photoelectric cells. Selenium is useed in most of thesse because of its ability to convert light into electricity. A funny thing about the movie Evolution is that its climax is based around one use of Selenium, Head and Shoulders, and the movie's cameras used Selenium to film the movie. Selenium is found in the most unlikley items at home or in an industrial factory. I had never known what Selenium did or what it was at all before this project, even though I use head and shoulders every morning!

I have to avoid hot showers because they give me piercing headaches. What is the cause?

It is probably migraine. We have known for years that some people with epilepsy have to avoid hot water because it can bring on a convulsion, known as 'hot water epilepsy'. More recently, the headache experts have advised us that there is also 'hot water migraine', which comes on only when you cover your head in a sharp flow of hot water. Your best way to avoid such migraine is to keep your shower temperature lukewarm. The fact that hot water seems to stimulate both epilepsy and migraine (but not, apparently, in the same person) has led to research into a possible common cause, and perhaps may lead to new ways of treating both.

Reflex epilepsies are caused by different sensory stimuli. The report of a gene that, when mutated, causes epileptic seizures in response to loud noises may provide important clues into the mechanisms of neuronal excitability.

Reflex epilepsy refers to a small subset (<>1, ². Other stimuli, including somatosensory, vestibular and auditory stimuli, as well as intrinsic events such as reading or solving mathematical problems, have also been demonstrated to trigger epileptic seizures in humans (Fig. 1). The reflex epilepsies are intriguing not just because of the human-interest angle but also because they are thought to provide clues to a seminal question that haunts epilepsy investigators: What triggers the transition from a normally functioning brain to a seizing brain?

If a history of seizures in response to specific stimuli is reported, the physician must elicit as many details as possible about the nature of the provoking stimuli. In addition, a detailed description from the patient and family members of seizure symptoms is important. Determination of whether the seizure has features suggestive of focal or generalized onset guides subsequent diagnosis and treatment.
Causes:
Visually induced seizures may result from flickering light, removal of visual fixation or light intensity, complex visual patterns, viewing particular objects, or other visual stimuli.
Seizures occurring in photosensitive epilepsy are the most common type of visually induced seizures. In susceptible patients, seizures or epileptiform EEG discharges may be produced by photic stimulation during EEG recording. Seizures may also be provoked by flickering or flashing lights in the environment. Features of visual stimuli related to their epileptogenicity include flash frequency, luminance, and color of the stimulus. When clinical seizures occur, they are most often generalized seizures, either absence or myoclonic seizures that can progress to generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Alternatively, complex partial or other seizure types may occur.
In pattern-sensitive epilepsies, seizures are produced by particular visual patterns. These triggers may consist of circles, stripes, or other patterns, usually of high contrast. Oscillating or moving patterns are more highly epileptogenic. One case evaluated by the author is illustrative: an infant boy experienced myoclonic seizures and associated EEG discharges only when looking at a particular red hound's-tooth–pattern dress worn by his mother. In addition, the pattern needed to be slowly moved from side to side across the visual field. The pattern did not elicit the seizures when held stationary, nor did other patterns, including the same hound's-tooth pattern in black and white.
Seizures may be produced in some individuals by a reduction in light intensity (scotosensitive seizures) or by removal of visual fixation (fixation-off seizures). More complex visual stimuli, such as seeing particular objects, also may be a cause of reflex seizures.
Television and electronic screen games have been well-publicized causes of reflex seizures, particularly the mass occurrence of seizures resulting from an animated cartoon program in Japan. Epileptogenicity of such stimuli may relate to flicker frequency of the screen and distance from the viewing screen, as well as the particular visual images. European television has a lower flicker frequency than North American television (50 vs 60 cycles/second) and is therefore more epileptogenic. Photosensitivity is a causative factor for the epileptogenicity of electronic games in susceptible individuals. However, the cognitive processes involved in playing these games may also contribute to the provoked seizures. Many patients who experience their first seizure while playing electronic screen games are found to be photosensitive.
Somatosensory stimuli, including light touch, tapping, or immersion in hot water, have been reported to be associated with reflex seizures.
Touch- or tap-evoked generalized seizures may occur in neurologically normal infants younger than 1 year. Seizures evoked by touch may occur as part of another condition of infancy or childhood, referred to as startle epilepsy or reflex myoclonic epilepsy. These also are primary generalized seizures. Less commonly, partial-onset seizures evoked by touch may occur, referable to a seizure focus in the sensorimotor cortex.
Hot water epilepsy was first described in 1945 and is more common in India than in Europe, Japan, or North America.
Auditory stimuli are less common precipitants of reflex seizures.
Sounds may produce seizures in cases of startle epilepsy.
Audiogenic seizures have been described in many animal species and occur in commonly employed rat and mouse models of genetically determined epilepsy.
In humans, musicogenic epilepsy is the term for a condition in which seizures are produced by tones or music. Music-induced seizures occur as a localization-related, rather than generalized, type of seizure. The type of stimuli producing such seizures varies, and spontaneous seizures may occur in these patients.
Reflex seizures of nonketotic hyperglycemia warrant particular mention, since these are the reflex seizures most likely to be seen by general neurologists, internists, or other medical specialists in the hospital setting. These focal, movement-induced seizures occur during nonketotic hyperglycemia and resolve with normalization of the metabolic disturbance.
Some of the most unusual and intriguing disorders in neurology are the reflex epilepsies in which seizures are provoked by complex actions or mental processes. Examples of these include the following:
Primary reading epilepsy: In individuals with this condition, reading induces seizures. Jaw jerks typically occur, associated with epileptiform EEG patterns. Episodes may progress to generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Spontaneous seizures may occur, and the likelihood of seizure occurrence may increase with duration of reading or with complexity of the material being read. Processing of language within the cortex is likely to be the physiologic basis for seizure generation.
Seizures induced by thinking: Cognitive processes have been reported to induce seizures in susceptible persons. Initially described during the performance of mathematical calculations, the seizures also may be produced by processing spatial information or by other forms of decision making. Reflex seizures have been described as a result of playing chess or checkers, also likely due to the cognitive processes involved in playing these games.
Eating epilepsy: Seizures induced by eating do not comprise a specific epilepsy syndrome. Rather, eating-induced seizures occur in individuals with symptomatic localization-related epilepsy, for example, temporal lobe epilepsy. The precise causative stimulus varies. Seizures may occur at the sight or smell of food, at the beginning of eating a meal, or postprandially.
Other complex activities that have been described as provocative factors for reflex seizures include micturition, toothbrushing, walking, and answering the telephone.

A Blessing in Disguise, The Theme for Dyslexia Awareness Week June 16-22
by patgarcia

If you have students with dyslexia you have probably experienced their wonderful imagination and creativity a beautiful path to follow in their learning process.

Our focus this year is on promoting greater understanding and acceptance of dyslexia as an alternative way of thinking and one that can offer wonderful creative gifts as well as bringing some learning challenges. The theme refers to the gifts of creativity as well as the difficulties and coping strategies which are the 'disguise'.
Source: dyslexiafoundation.org.nz

Taare Zameen Par – a delightful movie about a young boy’s struggle with dyslexia and the teacher who turned his world around.
Ishaan Awasthi is an eight year old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate; colours, fish, dogs and kites are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks and neatness. And Ishaan just cannot seem to get anything right in class.When he gets into far more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to a boarding school to 'be disciplined'. Things are no different at his new school, and Ishaan has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family.One day a new art teacher bursts onto the scene, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, who infects the students with joy and optimism. He breaks all the rule of 'how things are done' by asking them to think, dream and imagine, and all the children respond with enthusiam, all except Ishaan. Nikumbh soon realizes that Ishaan is very unhappy, and he sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself.
Source: dyslexiafoundation.org.nz

Dyslexic thinkers are creative, imaginative thinkers who learn by exploring and by doing. Once out of school, they often excel in areas of life requiring lateral, visual-spatial ability such as architecture, engineering, practical professions and entrepreneurism.
Dyslexic learners are often told to "concentrate" because of their lack of success in reading and writing. When reading, they will sometimes stumble on seemingly easy little words such as "if", "was", "the" and "to" because their abstract nature doesn't engage the dyslexic imagination.
Source: articlealley.com

Dyslexic thinkers are creative, imaginative thinkers who learn by exploring and by doing. Once out of school, they often excel in areas of life requiring lateral, visual-spatial ability such as architecture, engineering, practical professions and entrepreneurism.
Dyslexic learners are often told to "concentrate" because of their lack of success in reading and writing. When reading, they will sometimes stumble on seemingly easy little words such as "if", "was", "the" and "to" because their abstract nature doesn't engage the dyslexic imagination.
Source: articlealley.com

In an age in which much of a child’s future is determined by high-stakes standardized written tests, Shaywitz says that she and her husband are gratified that their work has provided neurobiological evidence of the need for extra time for dyslexic individuals taking these tests. The Shaywitzes’ research has shown that a region on the left side of the back of the brain known as the word-form area operates less efficiently in dyslexic subjects than in normal readers. Neural circuits in this area allow normal readers to move from accuracy—reading a word correctly—to fluency, where these readers can simply look at a word and instantly know it. As many as one in five children, however, are dyslexic; they can learn to read accurately, Shaywitz says, but not fluently.
“If you’re a good reader and you can use that word-form area well, you can look at a word and you’re on the express highway to reading. But if you’re a dyslexic, that route is blocked and you have to get off and take a ‘country road’—it’s circuitous, and it’s bumpy,” says Shaywitz. “You can get where you’re going, but it takes a lot longer. Just as a diabetic requires insulin, a dyslexic requires extra time.”
Source: medicineatyale.org

Ion channels and epilepsy

T.D. Graves

In order for cells to retain their integrity to water and yet permeate charged ions, the phospholipid cell membrane contains transmembrane proteins that allow the passage of specific ions from the interior of the cell to outside, and vice versa. There is a huge diversity of these ion channels. Some are tissue-specific; others are widely distributed throughout the body. They contribute to the maintenance of the negative resting membrane potential inside cells. Unsurprisingly, these membrane channels are integral to the processes of electrical signalling and excitation that are central to the functioning of the nervous system.

The past 15 years have seen rapid expansion in the discovery of disease-causing mutations in genes encoding ion channel proteins. These manifest as neurological, cardiac, renal and respiratory disorders, the most common being cystic fibrosis. This disparate collection of syndromes is now referred to as the channelopathies, a descriptive term referring to the common underlying pathophysiology of ion channel dysfunction.

Epilepsy affects up to 1% of the population and causes significant morbidity. Most cases are idiopathic, with suspected polygenic inheritance of susceptibility loci that may be influenced by environmental and developmental factors. So far, investigation of complex risk factors has provided little to illuminate disease pathogenicity. The study of the rarer monogenic epilepsy syndromes is technically easier, and may help to identify susceptibility loci for the more common polygenic forms of disease. Over the past decade, the molecular defect has been elucidated in several monogenic epilepsy syndromes, the vast majority being mutations in cellular membrane ion channel genes.

Mendelian epilepsy syndromes

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is characterized by recurrent generalized seizures in the absence of detectable brain lesions or metabolic abnormalities. There are electroencephalogram (EEG) changes of generalized, symmetrical, bilateral synchronous discharges. IGE comprises various syndromes that differ in age of onset, including childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and epilepsy with grand mal seizures on awakening (EGMA). 2 Benign neonatal familial convulsions (BNFC) was also included in this classification, but is now recognized as a partial epilepsy syndrome. Generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus syndrome (GEFS+) is also difficult to classify, as patients may experience partial seizures in addition to generalized attacks. All known Mendelian forms of epilepsy display autosomal dominant inheritance

Focal epilepsy

Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE)Features of this unique syndrome include focal-onset frontal-lobe seizures, almost exclusively occurring during drowsiness or sleep, and variable severity of symptoms in family members. Milder cases are often undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed as nightmares, sleep or functional disorders. Neuroimaging is normal, and treatment with carbamazepine is dramatically effective. Although recognition of this syndrome is important for appropriate therapy and genetic counselling, underestimation of cases is likely. The clinical delineation of this as a separate epilepsy syndrome has allowed genetic analysis. 3
Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are heteropentamers consisting of varying combinations of subunits (2–8, ß2–4) arranged in a ring around a central pore. These are differentially expressed throughout the brain, forming receptors with distinct physiological properties. The most common human adult brain receptor comprises two 4 and three ß2 subunits. A large Australian kindred showed linkage to a region of chromosome 20, where the nAChR 4 subunit is located (CHRNA4). Mutation analysis revealed the substitution of a serine residue, which is highly conserved in most AChR subunits across many diverse species. The nAChR is widely expressed throughout the brain, and is thought to regulate neurotransmitter release. To explain frontal lobe epileptiform activity in ADNFLE would therefore imply the formation of different nAChRs using alternative subunits in distinct brain regions, or an increased vulnerability of the frontal lobes to cholinergic effects during sleep. 4

Channelopathies

Channelopathies are disorders that arise when ion channels do not function correctly. As such, channelopathies make up a group of disorders that are each very different from one another, although they are usually hereditary. These conditions can be very rare or as common as illnesses such as migrane or Epilepsy. In most cases, they are characterised by episodes of disturbed nerve or muscle cell excitability.
What is a channelopathy?
Channelopathies are diseases that are grouped together due to the problems that cause them. When an ion channel goes wrong or does not function as it should, it may produce a disease in an individual. Certain forms of skeletal and cardiac muscle and brain diseases such as the myotonias, epilepsies, migraine or arrhythmias are due to pathological alterations in channel proteins and thus, can be considered as "Channelopathies".
The revelation that such a diversity of diseases are associated with channel dysfunction has
been made possible by recent advances in medicine. These studies have also dramatically increased our understanding of how ion channels function under normal circumstances. Given that the diversity of ion channels is large, it seems likely that more diseases will become recognised as channelopathies in the future requiring and leading to the more detailed characterisation of additional ion channels.
These diseases are usually caused by mutations in ion channel encoding genes that disrupt channel function. Many of these mutations produce changes in channel gating, i.e. they make the channels open more or less frequently which affects the excitability of the affected tissue.
Another important cause of channelopathies is auto-immune attack. However, mutations in associated proteins, alterations in the expression of ion channels, and changes in the activity of
Another important cause of channelopathies is auto-immune attacknon-mutated channel genes or associated proteins can also produce what are known as acquired channelopathies. Such acquired channelopathies may occur as a result of nerve-injury or after drug treatments that perturb cellular function.
This huge variety in the causes of channelopathies, as varied as the diseases themselves, not only makes it difficult to study these diseases but it often makes the clinical diagnosis of these diseases problematic.
Most channelopathies are typically provoked by triggers and only few lead to permanent disability. Typically the symptoms occur as episodic attacks lasting from minutes to days that show spontaneous and complete remission.

Ion Channel

Stimulation of the BK(Ca) channels by magnolol ( Magnolia Officialis).

Magnolol, a compound isolated from the cortex of Magnolia officinalis, has been found to possess anti-allergic and anti-asthmatic activity.

METHODS: The effect of magnolol on ionic currents was studied in cultured smooth muscle cells of human trachea with the aid of the patch clamp technique. RESULTS: In whole cell current recordings magnolol reversibly increased the amplitude of K+ outward currents. The increase in outward current caused by magnolol was sensitive to inhibition by iberiotoxin (200 nM) or paxilline (1 microM) but not by glibenclamide (10 microM). In inside out patches, magnolol added to the bath did not modify single channel conductance but effectively enhanced the activity of large conductance Ca2+ activated K+ (BK(Ca)) channels. Magnolol increased the probability of these channel openings in a concentration dependent manner with an EC50 value of 1.5 microM. The magnolol stimulated increase in the probability of channels opening was independent of internal Ca2+. The application of magnolol also shifted the activation curve of BK(Ca) channels to less positive membrane potentials. The change in the kinetic behaviour of BK(Ca) channels caused by magnolol in these cells is the result of an increase in dissociation and gating constants. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that, in addition to the presence of antioxidative activity, magnolol is potent in stimulating BK(Ca) channel activity in tracheal smooth muscle cells. The direct stimulation of these BK(Ca) channels by magnolol may contribute to the underlying mechanism by which it acts as an anti-asthmatic compound.

CM NEWS - The two active ingredients of the bark of magnolias that have generated research interests to their anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory activities also exhibits antidepressant-like effects, a new study says.
Honokiol (厚朴酚) and magnolol (和厚朴酚) are the main constituents simultaneously identified in the barks of Magnolia officinalis, which have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of respiratory and intestinal disorders.
What are the traditional applications of magnolia in TCM? Magnolias are a source of Chinese herbal materials that are widely used internationally. There are two basic materials of frequent application: the bark of magnolia, called houpu (厚朴), and the flower bud of a another magnolia, called xinyi (辛夷花) or xinyihua (辛夷花).
The flower bud is used almost exclusively for treatment of sinus congestion and sinus headaches, and is taken orally or applied topically.

More recently, magnolol and honokiol have generated much scientific interests as their potential in treating a number of cancers (see later part of this article). Magnolol and honokiol have also long been used in treating neurosis, anxiety, stroke, fever and headache.

Possible link between different forms of epilepsy, a BK channel

A group of U.S. researchers have identified what may be the first known common denominator underlying inherited and sporadic epilepsy, a disruption in an ionchannel called the BK channel, according to the June issue of Neurobiology of Disease.

These findings indicate that BK channels are a new target for anticonvulsant therapies, and offer new hope to individuals suffering from epilepsy.

The researchers from Carnegie Mellon University discovered that BK channels become abnormally active after a seizure. This disruption results in the neurons becoming overly excitable, which may be associated with the development of epilepsy.

The Carnegie Mellon scientists were able to reverse this abnormal excitability using a BK channel antagonist, which returned the post-seizure electrical activity to normal levels.

BK channels are a widely expressed K⁺ channel family of central importance in defining many key cellular electrical behaviors.

The focus of this laboratory has been on understanding the physiological roles and functional properties of one particular K⁺ channel family that is regulated not only by changes in membrane potential but also by changes in the concentration of calcium (Ca²⁺) inside of cells. These channels have a uniquely large single channel current so are often termed BK channels for Big K⁺ channels. BK channels are expressed among a wide variety of cells including almost all nerve cells, muscle cells, and endocrine cells. Among different cells, they play key roles in regulating action potential duration, action potential firing, secretion of hormone, and muscle relaxation.The dual regulation of BK channels by two important physiological signals, voltage and Ca²⁺, means that these channels can contribute to regulation of electrical activity over a broader range of physiological conditions than their strictly voltage-dependent K⁺ channel brethren. Thus, dependent on elevations of Ca²⁺ in a particular cell, BK channels can play a wide variety of physiological roles, all concerned with regulation of electrical excitability. Thus, in vascular smooth muscle, BK channels play a central role in the regulation of blood pressure by regulating muscle tone, while in neurons BK channels participate in fast action potential repolarization.

Possible role of potassium channel, big K in etiology of Schizophrenia .

Schizophrenia (SZ), a common severe mental disorder, affecting about 1% of the world population. However, the etiology of SZ is still largely unknown. It is believed that molecules that are in an association with the etiology and pathology of SZ are neurotransmitters including dopamine, 5-HT and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). But several lines of evidences indicate that potassium large conductance calcium-activated channel, known as BK channel, is likely to be included. BK channel belongs to a group of ion channels that plays an important role in regulating neuronal excitability and transmitter releasing. Its involvement in SZ emerges as a great interest. For example, commonly used neuroleptics, in clinical therapeutic concentrations, alter calcium-activated potassium conductance in central neurons. Diazoxide, a potassium channel opener/activator, showed a significant superiority over haloperidol alone in the treatment of positive and general psychopathology symptoms in SZ. Additionally, estrogen, which regulates the activity of BK channel, modulates dopaminergic D2 receptor and has an antipsychotic-like effect. Therefore, we hypothesize that BK channel may play a role in SZ and those agents, which can target either BK channel functions or its expression may contribute to the therapeutic actions of SZ treatment.

The information from the active neuron is thus encoded as a calcium signal in the astrocyte. This increase in calcium at the endfeet activates a calcium-sensitive protein, known as a potassium (BK) channel, which permits potassium ions to pour out of the astrocytes onto the adjacent muscle cells in the brain artery.

In 1998 Rod MacKinnon published the structure of a potassium channel obtained by X-ray diffraction studies of a potassium channel crystal. The pictures showed the ion permeation pathway and clearly explained how ions rapidly and selectively diffuse through the channel. Rod MacKinnon was awarded the Nobel price in 2003 for the work. (From: Doyle et al. Science (1998) 280(5360): 69-77.)

The authors showed that removing the BK channels, either by drugs or genetically, significantly reduced the dilation of the blood vessel in response to brain activity; hence the astrocytic BK channel is an important participant in the signaling mechanism.

The team next needed to uncover how the muscle cells responsible for determining blood flow in the blood vessel sense an increase in external potassium. To do this, Nelson and his colleagues focused on a potassium-sensitive protein (called the inward rectifier potassium channel) expressed in smooth muscle cells, which form the contractile elements of blood vessels. When there is a small elevation of external potassium, the activity of these channels increases, causing smooth muscle cells to become less excitable, resulting in relaxation of the cells, dilation of vessels, and hence an increase in local blood flow. Similar to the BK channel, it was found that a reduction of inward rectifier channels prevented dilation of vessels in response to neuronal activity. These findings support the novel concept that precise and spatially localized release of potassium ions from astrocytes onto blood vessels mediates the rapid transmission of neuronal activity into regional increases in blood flow.

"This mechanism recapitulates many of the unique features of activity-induced cerebral blood flow changes measured in vivo, not the least of which is the rapid nature of these changes, which occur within 1-2 seconds of neuronal activity" said Nelson. "In addition, this mechanism places into a physiological context the well characterized responsiveness of the cerebral circulation to changes in extracellular potassium, and suggests that alterations in astrocytic BK channel or smooth muscle cell inward rectifier potassium channel function could contribute to cerebrovascular disorders including local cerebral ischemia, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease."

ION CHANNELS

Trafficking of small charged molecules (ions) thru the cell membrane of neurons determine their ability to signal and respond to each other. The electric charges of ions are in fact responsible for the membrane potential and action potential. But since the cell membrane is almost totally impermeable to ions, there is a need to use specialized cellular devices that can transport ions in and out of the cell thru the membrane. These devices are called ion channels. The ions that are mostly carried in physiological conditions are free atoms in solution, typically sodium, potassium, calcium and chlorine. Since the physiological function of neurons is to carry information in the form of electrical impulses (action potential), ion channel function is determinant of brain function. But once an ion has entered or exited the cell, it not only changes its electrical membrane potential, but also several ions, particularly calcium, are used as messengers within the cell, and can regulate many complicated and long lasting effects of the cell's metabolism.

The sea inside your skull - ion homeostasis

Previous posts have covered a number of the low-level building blocks that are used by cells in the brain - things like ion channels, neurotransmitters, receptors, clathrin, vesicles, etc. This post focuses on some important pieces of infrastructure that are needed to enable the brain to do its thing.

Neurons operate in an aqueous medium - a kind of salt water bath, water that is full of postively charged ions (cations like sodium, potassium and calcium) and negatively charged ions (anions like chlorine). Water molecules are V shaped and have a non-uniform distribution of charge - i.e. one end of the water molecule is more positively charged than the other end. Like charges repel and unlike charges attract. As a result, a sphere of these 'polar' water molecules tends to surround the ions (a 'sphere of hydration'). Complicating the picture further is the fact that charged particles like ions are influenced by both concentration gradients (ions flow to the region with the lower concentration of that ion) and electrical gradients (electro-magnetic fields, charge distribution)

Trapped ions at the University of Maryland.

A song for Abbie Clarke who died in her sleep from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Abbie Clarke

A MIDDLESBROUGH mum has written a touching song in memory of a 10-year-old girl who went to school with her daughter.
Val Barker’s daughter Rachael lost Rosewood Primary School classmate Abbie Clarke in December 2006. The youngster died in her sleep from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
Last Friday would have been Abbie’s 12th birthday.
Val penned her moving lyrics after watching Abbie’s parents and school friends struggle to come to terms with their loss.
Musician Andrew Yeadon, of the TCR music project in Barnard Castle, recorded the song for her and Rachael, 12, designed the CD cover.
But now Val is trying to find sponsorship to produce copies of the CD to sell in aid of Abbie’s Love - the charity set up by Abbie’s parents, Tracy and Richard, of Coulby Newham, to raise awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.The youngster died in her sleep from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Raul "Rayito" Garcia becomes the first sudcalifornian to become world champion.

Condes lost his International Boxing Federation minimum flyweight title.

New champion Raul "Rayito" Garcia from La Paz BCS.
by Pat Garcia

"Rayito" Garcia Hirales becomes the first sudcalifornian fighter to achieve maximum glory in professional boxing, he's placing the name of Baja California Sur on the list of the greatest world boxing organization. He's going in through the big door in the boxing history of BCS.

"Rayito" Garcia Hirales se convierte de esa manera en el primer peleador sudcaliforniano que logra la máxima gloria en el boxeo de paga, poniendo el nombre de Baja California Sur en el enlistado de los máximos organismos del boxeo mundial, entrando por la puerta grande a la historia del boxeo de BCS.
oem.com.mx

Latest news about Rayito

Raul Rayito Garcia vs Jose Luis Olimpico Varela

World Champion Florante Condes Training in La Paz B.C.S. Mexico

There's a lot of activity around the city, hotels at maximum capacity. Excitement and expectation are on the air.Some of my students have bought the very best seats they could buy to see this boxing match.

Florante Condes Minimum Weight World Champion vs. Raul "Rayito" Garcia in La Paz, B.C.S

by patgarcia

Interview with Mr. Dante Ortiz, Florante Condes' Boxing Manager

by patgarcia

• 

Mr.Dante Ortiz says The Champion Florante Condes feels very happy in La Paz, very welcome, it's nice to see the people, he's very humble.Florante has said to Mr. Ortiz that La Paz reminds him of Philippines. Florante Condes is in optimum condition and feels much better as a champion than as a contender.As his manager I feel I have made a great achievement, when I saw him fight in september 2006. I* realized about his potential to become a world champion. When I asked Mr. Ortiz how he felt as a Puerto Rican and a Latino to have reached such prominent position in sports he said "It is an achievement a satisfaction" There's a lot of activity around the city, hotels at maximum capacity. Excitement and expectation are on the air.Some of my students have bought the very best seats they could buy to see this boxing match.

Latest news:

IBF minimumweight champion Florante Condes of the Philippines and his local challenger Raul Garcia Hirales both came in at 104 lbs, 1 lb below the minimumweight limit of 105 lbs, at the weigh-in held moments ago at the Araiza Palmira Hotel in Las Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Source: www.philboxing.com

World lightweight Championship Florente Condes vs. Raul Rayito Garcia in La Paz B.C.S. Mexico June 14th 2008

Florante Condes Minimum Weight World Champion vs. Raul "Rayito" Garcia in La Paz, B.C.S

by patgarcia | June 11, 2008 at 11:34 pm | 146 views |

by patgarcia

by patgarcia

slideshow 6 more

The excitement is growing as the date is getting closer.There has never been a boxing match of this magnitude in the city of La Paz. The champion's contender is our local fighter Raul Garcia Hirales making this event something even more special for the "paceños" My son works at the hotel where champion Florante Condes from Philippines is staying and he has mentioned to me that he is quite a nice guy, I've heard lots of nice comments about him around the city. As I was driving my son to work today I saw one of the boxers warming up at the malecon ( by the seashore) at 7 am. and wondered which one it was, you see, this is quite a small city. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera or my cell phone! I hope I see him tomorrow. I will be ready just in case.

June 12 am. As promised, I have a picture and an interview with his manager I'm posting the picture now.The interview will be posted later on today.
June 12 pm
I'm posting a video of the champion, I will post an interview with his manager Mr. Dante Ortiz, next.

source: nowpublic.com

Los Angeles, CA: -All the “i”s are dotted and the “t”s crossed is the best way todescribe the training regimen of IBF minimum weight world champFlorante Condes and his manager Dante Ortiz this morning June 12th in La Paz, B.C.Sicture ionFlorante Condes as he prepares to defend his title for the first timeagainst Raul “Rayito” Garcia Hirales at La Paz, Mexico on Saturday,June 14, 2008.
[q url="http://philboxing.com/news/story-16854.html"]Los Angeles, CA: -All the “i”s are dotted and the “t”s crossed is the best way todescribe the training regimen of IBF minimum weight world championFlorante Condes as he prepares to defend his title for the first timeagainst Raul “Rayito” Garcia Hirales at La Paz, Mexico on Saturday,June 14, 2008.

Source: philboxing.com

Condes wins hearts of Mexican fight fans

Brain and thoughts can help us overcome depression and stress related disease.

Scientists have been aware for many years that if cancer patients are not able to deal with the stress associated with being sick, the cancer will progress faster than in calmer patients. To counteract this phenomenon, physicians encourage treatments that help cancer patients handle their stress. Scientists theorized that the stress relief may have come as a result of increased beta-endorphin peptide (BEP), the "feel good" hormones in the brain that are released during exercise, a good conversation, and many other aspects of life that give humans pleasure.


Researchers at Rutgers hypothesized that BEP producing neurons do not just make us feel good, but also play roles in regulating the stress response and immune functions to control tumor growth and progression. In a paper published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Dr. Dipak K. Sarkar and his colleagues demonstrate the physical mechanisms that support their hypothesis.


Previous research has shown that too few, or inactive, BEP neurons are associated with various diseases. For example, low numbers of BEP neurons have been identified in the brains of patients with depression and schizophrenia. Neurons that produce too little BEP are found in many obese patients. In both these cases the patients also had higher levels of infection and more incidence of cancer.

The authors noted that the BEP neurons boosted the immune system by increasing the activity of particular immune cell types and decreasing inflammation.

Depression is not something you can just "snap out of". It's thought to be caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals, along with other factors. Like any serious medical condition, depression needs to be treated. Take charge of your depression, one step at a time.

Do you ever depressed? How do you conquer depression? And you can conquer depression? I think you can. It can suddenly occur at any time. Often there are no warning. Suddenly, it's there in your face! You begin to spiral out of control. Negative thoughts flood your mind, it's almost like you are drowning, as they rush past to drag along. Where do these ideas come from? Why do we always have the same negative thoughts over and over like a broken record? The answer is that they are residents of the mind. They were probably there for a long time.

The one thing you have to do is figure out what triggers the onslaught of these thoughts. Each time this begins, something at some level of consciousness has triggered the avalanche to begin. It could be a number of things. Somebody said something, you saw something on TV, or heard it on the radio. When you pinpoint exactly what it was, that is the time to get to work. Go backwards from whatever it is. (Be advised, this can be uncomfortable) That is, where did it originate? Where did it come from? Who first said or did a thing to create the feeling in you that causes the repeated feelings of either helplessness, hopelessness or both. There can be several things, triggers, that set things in motion. This can be a very difficult task, like finding a needle in a haystack as your subconscious (ego) does not want you to discover the source. If you do then the ego will have lost a way of controlling you. Keeping you where you are instead of where YOU want to be!

There are many great people who are trained to assist in this. Together with them, there are books on the market, you can through the process of discovery. Remember that this is not a "Lone Ranger".

When seeking professional help, look for someone who will help you get to an end point, not one who's main interest is keeping you as a patient for as long as possible! That is your goal and make sure it is theirs as well.

God, prayer, love, forgiveness and good health

$rb
Barak

The Hebrew word for blessing, benediction — b'ra·khah, pl. B'rakhah·khot — comes from berekh ("knee"),

making a connection between worship and kneeling.

To say a blessing, to bless.

A benediction

(Latin: bene, well + dicere, to speak) is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance.

Observant Jews say ritual prayers three times daily. During the weekday prayer, there is one section of 19 benedictions. One of these 19 benedictions states, “Heal us, O Lord, and we will be healed. Help us and we will be saved. Grant complete cure and healing to all our wounds, for You, Almighty King, are a faithful and merciful healer. Blessed are You Lord, who heals the sick of His people Israel.”

Not only for oneself does a person beseech God, but also for the well being of others. In the Jewish faith the rabbi announces the prayer, often referring to it as a prayer for those who are “not yet well.” During the daily service, congregants mention the person’s Hebrew name and say, “May the Holy One, blessed be He, be filled with mercy for him (her), to restore him (her) to health, and to cure him (her), to strengthen him (her), and to invigorate him (her),” continues with a request for a complete recovery to all bodily parts and veins, and concludes with a plea for “a healing of spirit and a healing of body.” The prayer concludes with, “healing will come soon,” and the congregation responds in unison, “Amen.”

On the Sabbath, prayer is also said for the maintenance of good health. Shortly after the prayer for the ill, the congregation prays in unison for the continued good health of the members of the community. “May there come forth from Heaven redemption, grace, kindness, compassion, long life, ample sustenance, heavenly assistance, bodily health, good vision, healthy and viable children, children who will not cease from or neglect the words of Torah — to this entire holy congregation, adults as well as children, infants and women . . .

It’s important to practice love and forgiveness, even if just for the sake of good health. One of the ritual prayers states, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today, shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the door posts of your house and upon your gates.” Love and forgiveness affect your cardiovascular system by decreasing stress hormones and increasing happiness.

The prayer Jews recite before bedtime begins by offering forgiveness. “Master of the universe! I hereby forgive anyone who has angered or vexed me, or sinned against me, either physically or financially, against my honor or anything else that is mine, whether accidentally or intentionally, inadvertently or deliberately, by speech or by deed, in this incarnation or in any other — any Israelite; may no man be punished on my account.” Thus, observant Jews begin their day by affirming their love for God, and finish the day by reaffirming that love and forgiving any one whom may have wronged them. Affirmations that engender feelings of acceptance and good will help to maintain cardiovascular health. Research demonstrates that peaceful visual images create coherent heart rhythms.

Martin Bashir Lady Diana's inquisitor has a benign brain tumor growing in his pituitary gland

by patgarcia

Martin Bashir, who became a household name after his extraordinary TV interview with the late Diana, Princess of Wales about the break-up of her marriage to Prince Charles, is suffering from a brain tumour.

The 45-year-old former Panorama presenter confirmed yesterday that he has a tumour growing on his pituitary gland but plans ‘to get on with his life’.

The potentially life-threatening condition was discovered after the celebrity interviewer was treated for a serious knock to the head last month.

According to sources in New York, where Mr Bashir lives with his wife Debbie and their two children, the presenter suffered the injury on the set of his Nightline show for ABC news in America and was taken to hospital for stitches.

It was only following a scan that doctors discovered the tumour on Mr Bashir’s pituitary gland, which is at the base of the brain and helps to control growth.

‘It has been a very worrying time for Martin and his family but the good news is that the specialists do not want to operate on the tumour yet,’ a family friend said last night.

‘Martin was filming his show when he knocked his head pretty badly and had to go and have stitches.

'The next day he was still in a lot of pain so he went back to the hospital, where they did some tests. It was then that the doctors realised he has a tumour growing on his brain.

‘While of course it has been very upsetting, Martin is seeing it as a blessing in disguise. If he hadn’t had the knock to his head, he would never have known about the tumour.

‘The doctors say they have found it at a very early stage. They want to monitor it at the moment and not operate. Obviously it’s very serious and they are not unconcerned.

‘But tumours can stay static for many years. The doctors have done lots of scans and tests and there are no signs that the tumour is cancerous, or that it will grow, so he can live with this quite normally for the time being.

‘The last thing Martin wants is for people to think he’s going to pass away tomorrow. He wants everyone to know he is doing very well.’

Source: community.livejournal.com

The British press is buzzing this morning with reports that ABC's Martin Bashir is battling a brain tumor. A source close to Bashir tells the Telegraph that doctors found a tumor growing on his pituitary gland, but said that he wants "to get on with his life".

The growth was first discovered after Bashir received treatment for a head injury suffered April 18 while he prepared for that night's Nightline.

ABC News tells TVNewser, "An MRI scan recently discovered a small growth on Martin Bashir's pituitary gland. Bashir's doctors have advised that no immediate action be taken as they monitor the situation month to month. Bashir is feeling well as he continues to keep a full schedule anchoring and reporting for ABC News."

Source: mediabistro.com

Starchild Abraham Cherrix, Beat Cancer With "Alternative" Therapies After Court Battle For Right to Decide

by patgarcia |

FLOYD, Va. — Starchild Abraham Cherrix has plenty of reason to celebrate his 18th birthday Friday.

His latest blood results show no indication of the Hodgkin's disease he's battled since 2005, and for the first time in two years he doesn't have to report those results to the Accomack County court.

Cherrix won a court battle against state officials who tried to force him to undergo chemotherapy for his lymphatic cancer. He was allowed to treat the disease using alternative therapies, but his family was required to keep the court updated as to his progress.

His case led to a state law named after him that gives Virginia teenagers and their parents the right to refuse doctor-recommended treatments for life-threatening ailments.

Cherrix completed radiation treatments last year. He has also used alternative herbal treatments.

Source: foxnews.com

Abraham Cherrix, 16, went through chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease that left him so weak that his father carried the 6-foot-1 youth from the car to the house. Doctors tell him he needs a second round of chemo to get rid of the cancer that reappeared in February.

Abraham says no, and his parents are backing him up.

Now the Virginia family is in juvenile court, the parents are charged with medical neglect and the Accomack County social services agency has joint custody of Abraham. The agency asked the court to order the boy to undergo chemotherapy.

A court hearing continued Tuesday. Each side plans to appeal an adverse ruling, family lawyer Barry Taylor says.

Abraham and his family are treating his cancer with an herbal remedy four times a day and an organic diet under the guidance of a clinic in Mexico. The remedy, called the Hoxsey method, has not been clinically tested, and there is no scientific evidence that it is effective, the American Cancer Society says.

Although he is not old enough to cast a vote or buy an alcoholic drink, Abraham argues that he is old enough to make decisions about treatment to save his life.

"This is my body that I'm supposed to take care of. I should have the right to tell someone what I want to do with this body," he says. "I studied. I did research. I came to this conclusion that the chemotherapy was not the route I wanted to take."

Abraham — full name Starchild Abraham Cherrix — lives with his four younger brothers and sisters and parents in Chincoteague, where his dad, Jay, runs a kayaking outfitter and his mom, Rose, home-schools the kids. A lump on Abraham's neck discovered last year turned out to be Hodgkin's disease, which has a high survival rate with treatment — 85% of patients are alive five years later, according to the American Cancer Society.

Chemotherapy and radiation left Abraham bald, racked with fevers and too weak to play tag with his siblings. "His legs would buckle under him. It pretty much devastated him," his mother says.

Another round, at higher doses, "would kill me, literally. No joke about it," Abraham says. "The first round of chemo almost killed me in itself. There were some nights I didn't know if I would make it."

Mary Parker, director of the Accomack County Department of Social Services, declined comment, citing privacy law. So did a spokesman for Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, Va., where the Cherrix family says Abraham was treated.

In Texas last year, a court ordered 13-year-old Katie Wernecke to live in a foster home for five months while she received chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease. Her parents wanted her to take intravenous vitamin C instead. The court returned Katie to her family after she finished chemotherapy and allowed the alternative treatment. Her website says she is "doing very well ... but she is not cancer-free yet, so there is still a battle to win."

Other families refuse treatment for children for cultural or religious reasons: In 1999, a Massachusetts court ruled that a hospital could give 17-year-old Alexis Demos a blood transfusion after a snowboarding accident even though her Jehovah's Witness faith led her to refuse it.

In deciding whether a child or parents can refuse medical treatment, courts consider the child's age and maturity and the family's reasoning in declining treatment, but also whether the treatment has been shown to work and whether the child has already had the treatment, says Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

"The easiest cases to get a court to order treatment is when the children are young and the treatment is absolutely as efficacious as we have," Caplan says. That, he says, includes treatment for Hodgkin's disease, which "has a proven track record."

"The hardest ones are 17-year-olds who've had (the treatment) before, it doesn't work that well, and they sound like they really understand what's going on," he says.

Rose Cherrix says her son is getting medical care, just not the care that his doctors recommend. "We tried their way, and it didn't work," she says. "We truly want to see him get better, and whatever it takes for him to get better we will do. But if he doesn't have a very good chance of coming through this chemo, which he doesn't, I'd much rather him have quality of life."

Source: usatoday.com

Quote for June 8th 2008

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Walt Emerson

Today's quote

"Sometimes we have repressed memories that prefer to remain anonymous"

by Pat Garcia

I actually said to my nephew
" I must have a repressed memory that preffers to remain anonymous"
by Pat Garcia

Like the colors of my mind, dreams, perception, visualization, and creativity

By Pat Garcia

Last year I had an outpouring of creativity, the outcome of it was to start writing again and taking up photography as a hobby as in my youthful years .This beautiful sunset taken during a family camping trip, it was a breaking point in my life.
Somehow I can understand relate perfectly to the article below.

Unlock Your Creative Genius
Posted by Monika in Freelance Writing Artist

When we visualize, we open our channels of perception and unlock the creative genius within. Visualization gives us power to see more than the current reality. It’s a bit like having the ability to see the future if you like.

Most of what human kind has achieved so far has only been made possible through visualization. What we see when we shop is the result of somebody’s dream. As we all know, dream creations start with an idea, a visual image in your mind’s eye. Hardly there, but ever present in our brain until we manage to put it into reality.
If it wasn’t for our ability to dream up ideas and inventions, mankind would be still shuffling about in the dark ages. We wouldn’t ride fast cars, or fly across oceans within hours. If it wasn’t for visualization we also wouldn’t be blogging right now.
Magic happens when we dream
When we dare to dream magic happens. Especially if we keep the dream alive and use every possible method in our power to make the dream come true. There is a huge difference between a real dream that is almost touchable, a dream you can actually smell, sense or even see in front of your eyes even though it isn’t there yet - and a dream that is a mere wish for something to happen.
You have the power to create your own dreams whenever you want. The recipe is the same every single time. Here are the ingredients, in case you forgot:
take a powerful wish - dream
mix it with focus and determination
add a pinch of enthusiasm
don’t forget to hold that dream while you…
…work at it
once you have the ingredients in place, find a big mixing bowl and keep stirring until the mixture gets thicker and more tangible until!
Whatever the dream, you can make it come true if you REALLY want it to happen. Again, don’t mistake REALLY for a mere wish!
Now it’s time to add the creative genius
Now that you got the basics in place, you can get creative in your dream design. It is amazing how many ideas flow from a powerful passion to really want something. If you think back, we even did this when we were children. We got creative to outsmart our parents (or teachers) to get what we wanted.
While this wasn’t really a dream creation in the sense of acquiring anything want, it showed us that we are indeed capable of anything we put our mind to.
When we are serious about our dreams we automatically get creative. We think up new ideas and strategies to get to our goal faster. Often, this opens new doors.
Use your visualization powers and start dreaming about what you really want out of life and then go and create your reality step by step.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAM

Jesus said, "According to your faith let it be to you" (Mathew 9:29, NKJV).

Walt Disney—certainly a creator and fulfiller of dreams—said, "Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true.

Above Jessica Biel is portrayed as Pocahontas in a photo illustration titled
“Where Dreams Run Free.” Annie Leibovitz “Disney Dream Portrait Series”
Here Jennifer Lopez, posed as Jasmine and husband Marc Anthony as Aladdin from Disney’s “Aladdin,
” travel over the Arabian desert in a piece called “Where a Whole New World Awaits,” by Annie Leibovitz.

This special secret—curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable." Living in Southern California I still like going to Disneyland and appreciate it more today than ever, knowing that Disney went broke six times (I believe it was) and had a nervous breakdown before becoming successful. Walt succeeded because he was a man with a dream of what could be and the determination to make it happen.

As George Bernard Shaw said, "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not."

And as Edward Everett Hale said, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."

For the Christian, while none of us may be "called" to be a Walt Disney, a Robert Kennedy, or a Martin Luther King, God has a purpose for every one of us. Each of us needs to discover what that purpose is, turn it into a dream and, with God's help, work to fulfill it. In so doing we, too, will make an impact on at least one other life, and for many of us, an impact on many lives. And then, when we come to the end of life's journey, we will hear God's welcoming words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord" (Matthew 25:21, NKJV).
When our dream is a God-given one, we don't have to dream the impossible dream. For with God all things are possible. Not that fulfilling the dream will come easily. In all probability it will be a life challenging task. But think of the ancient Israelites to whom God gave the Promised Land. God didn't hand it to them on a silver platter. Only where they planted the soles of their feet did it become theirs—and they had to battle for every inch of the way. However, had not God given it to them, it would have been an impossible dream. Let's each claim God's dream he has for us.

Tim Howard (Soccer Goalie - Manchester United) winning over Tourette's syndrome

Tim Howard (Soccer Goalie - Manchester United)

Having spent the first ten years of my life with an undiagnosed case of Tourette’s syndrome—a neurological disorder characterized by physical and verbal tics—I did not experience a lot of peace. But even though my life often seemed chaotic, I knew I could always count on at least one person to provide calm and stability: my grandmother.
Nana’s sense of peace was so powerful because it came from her faith in the Lord. Through her, God revealed His love for me as well. It wasn’t long before I was following in her footsteps. I wanted the same kind of faith and peace she had, and that is exactly what God gave me.
That said; living with Tourette’s is not easy. But God has blessed me with the gift of athleticism as well. He has done some powerful things in my life through the combination of these two gifts. Not only has He helped me earn a position with Manchester United; He also has shown me ways to use my position as a professional athlete to encourage others with Tourette’s syndrome.
Today, I am blessed to be living a dream. And yet, if it all went away tomorrow, I know I would still have peace. That probably sounds crazy to most people, but that’s the kind of peace Christ gives. It is rooted in His love, and it surpasses all understanding. You can experience this same sense of love and peace, too. All you have to do is ask for it.

Camping for life. Summer camps for kids with chronic diseases are booming

by patgarcia

Camping for life. Photo provided by the...

WASHINGTON — Summer camps just for kids with chronic diseases are booming — places to learn about epilepsy or finally meet someone else with Tourette’s tics or slice open a cow’s heart to see what’s wrong with their own. Now fledgling research suggests such special camps may offer more than a rite of passage these children otherwise would miss: They just might have a lasting therapeutic value. It’s work that helps explain why children’s hospitals increasingly are sponsoring disease-specific summer camps. One in the nation’s capital actually integrated the camps into the neurology department.
Source: globegazette.com
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is a disorder of the nervous system that causes a person to make repeated and uncontrolled (involuntary) movements and sounds (vocalizations) called tics. The disorder is commonly called Tourette syndrome.
Causes
Tourette syndrome is named for Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who first described this disorder in 1885. There is strong evidence that Tourette syndrome is passed down through families, although the gene has not yet been found.
The syndrome may be linked to problems in certain areas of the brain, and the chemical substances (dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) that help nerve cells talk to one another.
Tourette syndrome can be either severe or mild. About 10% of Americans have a mild form. Many people with very mild tics may not be aware of them and never seek medical help.
Tourette syndrome is four times as likely to occur in boys as in girls.
Symptoms
Most people first notice symptoms of Tourette syndrome during childhood, between ages 7 and 10.
The most common first symptom is a facial tic. Other tics may follow. A tic is a sudden, rapid, repeated movement or voice sound (vocalization). Tics can include:
Arm thrustingEye blinkingJumpingKickingRepeated throat clearing or sniffingShoulder shruggingTics may occur many times a day, but they tend to improve or get worse at different times. The tics may change with time.
Contrary to popular belief, use of curse words or other inappropriate words or phrases (coprolalia) occurs in only a small number of patients.
Many patients say that the tics are not totally out of their control (involuntary), but that "things just would not feel right" if they did not do them. This is what makes Tourette syndrome different from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) -- people with OCD feel as though they have to do the behaviors.
Symptoms
Most people first notice symptoms of Tourette syndrome during childhood, between ages 7 and 10.
The most common first symptom is a facial tic. Other tics may follow. A tic is a sudden, rapid, repeated movement or voice sound (vocalization). Tics can include:
Arm thrustingEye blinkingJumpingKickingRepeated throat clearing or sniffingShoulder shruggingTics may occur many times a day, but they tend to improve or get worse at different times. The tics may change with time.
Contrary to popular belief, use of curse words or other inappropriate words or phrases (coprolalia) occurs in only a small number of patients.
Many patients say that the tics are not totally out of their control (involuntary), but that "things just would not feel right" if they did not do them. This is what makes Tourette syndrome different from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) -- people with OCD feel as though they have to do the behaviors.
Source: health.nytimes.com

It happened during May in La Paz Baja California Sur

The Foundation of La Paz
473 anniversary.

Brookhaven College School of Arts Jazz Ensemble Concert by the seashore

The magnificent singer Tania Libertad was present at the celebration

Below an example of her talented voice

Lorenzo Odone from ‘Lorenzo's Oil' dies at 30

Lorenzo Odone subject of ‘Lorenzo's Oil' dies at age of 30

by patgarcia |

Lorenzo Odone subject of ‘Lorenzo's Oil'

Lorenzo Odone, whose story was told in the 1992 Hollywood movie "Lorenzo's Oil", starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte, has died in Fairfax , VA , one day after his 30th birthday.

Lorenzo was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) in 1984, aged 6. Doctors told his parents that the neurological disease would swiftly deprive him of all his faculties and lead to his death within a maximum of two years.
Odone's parents, Augusto and Michaela, despite having no scientific background, decided to research the rare genetic disorder. Their struggle and ultimate triumph, when they found an oil that stopped the disease in its tracks and, in pre-symptomatic boys, prevented the onslaught of ALD, captivated director George Miller, who went on to make 'Happy Feet' and 'The Witches of Eastwick'. He turned the true life story into a film which won Susan Sarandon an Oscar nomination as Best Actress.
(Sarandon insisted on bringing Michaela Odone with her to the Oscar ceremonies.)

Subject of ‘Lorenzo's Oil' dies at age of 30

The man whose parents' battle to save him from a nerve disease was depicted in the movie "Lorenzo's Oil" died over the weekend at his home in Virginia, having lived more than 20 years longer than doctors had predicted. Lorenzo Odone, who doctors had predicted would die in childhood, died one day after his 30th birthday, said his father, Augusto Odone. Lorenzo Odone had come down with aspiration pneumonia recently after getting food stuck in his lungs, his father said. He began bleeding heavily, and before an ambulance reached their home his son was dead, Odone said. "He could not see or communicate, but he was still with us," Odone said. "He did not suffer. ... That's the important thing." Odone was found at age 6 to have adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD. His doctors told his parents the disease -- caused by a genetic mutation that causes the neurological system to break down -- would lead to death in two years. Source: todayszaman.com A study published in 2005, based on research with 84 boys, showed that a treatment made from olive and rapeseed oils — patented by Augusto Odone — can prevent onset of the disease's symptoms for most boys who receive an ALD diagnosis. Odone plans to take his son's ashes to New York to mix them with those of his wife, who died in 2000. Then, Odone said, he will sell his home in Fairfax, Va., and move back to his native Italy. Odone also plans to write a book memorializing his son, "to tell the story of Lorenzo as a way to make him live on." Source: news.yahoo.com

Thyroid Eye Disease May Be Cured by Indian Doctor.

Dr. P.D Gupta a qualified doctor who himself was sufferer of this TED has not only cure himself with his new research which is nature based treatment of Thyroid Eye disease but also treating patient of TED/Graves Ophthalmopathy(GO).

New Delhi (ABC Live): Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) which is consider as incurable disease popularly known as grave disease.

TED is an auto immune inflammatory disorder, in commoner language when a auto defence system within a human body which fight against any infections/disease gets disorder than immerges possibility of TED which effects eyes and its surroundings eyeballs.

The patient suffering from this disease may experience not only pain and visual loss but also has to face disfigurement of it facial beauty. On other side to understand pathogenesis of disease the imperfect modalities also increase the ambiguity about TED worldwide.

As in worldwide many new reliable and researchable diagnosis and treatment has been already made, still many more are on pipelines

In India Thyroid Eye disease occurrence rate, diagnosis and treatment availability are at no level but a great work on TED is going on.

When writer had chance to visit Ambala, a city 40km from Chandirah to know research work on this up to date incurable eye disease.

DR. PD Gupta a qualified doctor who himself was sufferer of this TED has not only cure himself with his new research which is nature based treatment of Thyroid Eye disease but also treating patient of TED/Graves Ophthalmopathy(GO).

Where As west based doctors and researchers are aiming to cure and to know the pathogenesis of disease by using modern medical science tool and techniques where as India based Dr. Gupta tries to use nature and nature based forces like sunlight, moonlight, and gravitational forces to know and treat the disease.

As for as Pathogenesis of TED is concern, western doctors/ researches and Indian doctor have no difference of opinion, but difference occurs on treatment ways.

West suggests surgical/symptomatic treatment whereas Dr. Gupta an Indian doctor who is claiming that he has got nature based Pathogenesis link treatment of TED.

As ABC Live health research Team is doing different phases of scientific valuation on Thyroid Eye Disease or Graves Ophthalmopathy (GO) research work going on all around the globe.

So if you have experience claimed natured forces based treatment of Dr. Gupta please share with us so that it can be used in our research based health report in coming days.

As in worldwide many new reliable and researchable diagnosis and treatment has been already made, still many more are on pipelines

In India Thyroid Eye disease occurrence rate, diagnosis and treatment availability are at no level but a great work on TED is going on.

When writer had chance to visit Ambala, a city 40km from Chandirah to know research work on this up to date incurable eye disease.

DR. PD Gupta a qualified doctor who himself was sufferer of this TED has not only cure himself with his new research which is nature based treatment of Thyroid Eye disease but also treating patient of TED/Graves Ophthalmopathy(GO).

Where As west based doctors and researchers are aiming to cure and to know the pathogenesis of disease by using modern medical science tool and techniques where as India based Dr. Gupta tries to use nature and nature based forces like sunlight, moonlight, and gravitational forces to know and treat the disease.

As for as Pathogenesis of TED is concern, western doctors/ researches and Indian doctor have no difference of opinion, but difference occurs on treatment ways.

West suggests surgical/symptomatic treatment whereas Dr. Gupta an Indian doctor who is claiming that he has got nature based Pathogenesis link treatment of TED.

As ABC Live health research Team is doing different phases of scientific valuation on Thyroid Eye Disease or Graves Ophthalmopathy (GO) research work going on all around the globe.

So if you have experience claimed natured forces based treatment of Dr. Gupta please share with us so that it can be used in our research based health report in coming days.

An avoidance of environmental triggers is important for reducing symptoms in TED and facilitating healing. Bioflavinoids, particularly flaxseed oil, and antioxidant vitamins also offer benefits for patients with TED. Lifestyle changes, including avoiding cigarette smoke are also important for healing TED.

Researchers at both Pennsylvania State University and Harvard University are conducting clinical trials on promising topical therapies for autoimmune eye disorders.

Dry eye syndrome is a common complaint in a number of different autoimmune disorders. In dry eye syndrome, the eyes are unable to produce adequate tears, which leads to eye dryness, irritation and inflammation. Symptoms of dry eye include stinging, burning, eye irritation, and a feeling of grittiness. Dry eyes are often seen in thyroid eye disease, which is a feature of autoimmune thyroid disease, and also myasthenia gravis, Sjogren’s syndrome, uveitis, multiple sclerosis, Cogan’s syndrome, and many other autoimmune conditions. In patients with diabetes, immune system changes can lead to corneal abrasions and poor wound healing. Several years ago researchers found that oral doses of omega-3 oil supplements, particularly flaxseed oil, increased eye moisture. A daily dose of 1000 mg flaxseed oil is the usual recommendation for people with dry eye syndrome although some people with severe conditions require higher doses of omega-3 oils before they notice improvement. Dry eye syndrome is reported to affect more than 10 million people in the United States, primarily women. In the Harvard Eye Study described below, topical applications of essential fatty acids are used to prevent eye dryness. In a related study at Pennsylvania State University, researchers have found that topical applications of high dose naltrexone help repair corneal damage in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Cigarette smoking and thyroid eye disease: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the epidemiological evidence for a causal association between tobacco smoking and thyroid eye disease (TED). METHODS: Systematic review, including quality assessment, of published epidemiological studies and evaluation of the evidence using established causality criteria. RESULTS: Fourteen papers describing 15 studies were included. There was a positive association between smoking and TED in four case-control studies when compared with control patients with Graves' disease but no ophthalmopathy (odds ratio (OR) 1.94-10.1) and in seven case-control studies in which control subjects did not have thyroid disease (OR 1.22-20.2). Two cohort studies examined the occurrence of new cases of TED; one study found an increased incidence of TED with smoking. Four cohort studies investigated progression or outcome of treatment in patients with established TED, three finding an association between smoking and poorer outcome. The quality of the studies was variable, but the association with smoking was strong in the most methodologically rigorous studies. Other evidence supporting a causal link was a consistent association across studies, a dose-response effect, a reduced risk of TED in ex-smokers, and a temporal relationship. CONCLUSION: This systematic review provided strong evidence for a causal association between smoking and development of TED. Current-smokers were also more likely to experience disease progression or poorer outcome of treatment. Patients with Graves' disease and the general public should be educated about the risk of smoking and TED. These findings suggest that patients with Graves' disease or TED who are smokers should be given effective support to stop smoking.