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From the archive of Anastasia.ru

Unconditional Love

Does God love His children on Tuesdays?
Or is Sunday a much better day?
Might it be that the songs of the blue jays,
Tells of Love in His most perfect way.

To be created in His image and likeness,
Must then mean that God created God.
And to hold any other insight-ness,
Makes our road the more harder to trod.

If I Am His created perfection,
Then all of me must be all of Him,
How clever He makes introspection,
Taking care of my every one whim.

So I love...open, freely, and truly,
As God does and I only can,
No conditions, just this heart so unruly,
Loving deeply my beloved GodMan.

~Carina~

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Forum Talk

Posted by David_Desormeaux in a topic Looking for 'The Mistake'. Join the discussion of this topic here:

I, like many others, have mulled over the potential human error in the Age of Image. I believe that man started believing more in the power of Images than himself and thus God by default since Man is God's perfect creation. The Image gradually began to take the place of God in human society. Man came to rely more and more on the images and less and less on his own thought. Naturally, man's thought slowed down as a consequence. It's a bit like the effect on a muscle after several months of disuse: it atrophies. Because man began to look externally more and more, his ability to reason and thus stay connected with God diminished. Man stopped contemplating God's grand creation and turned his attention to an artificial construct. Gradually, over time the images began to completely usurp the place God had once held. It stands to reason that this would lead to all sorts of occult rituals and beliefs. Whether by accident or on purpose, mankind created these rituals in an attempt to reconnect with God which of course only compounded the problem. Since man's thought had slowed to such a degree, he could no longer control the images that had been created. In fact I think that the rise of the Priests and the Technocratic, Artificial world was a natural evolution point from this slowing of thought. As man became more consumed by the power of the Image, it was only natural that eventually one would come along that would try to create an image more powerful than any others to manipulate and control the handicapped men and women hypnotized by the Image. Unlike the Vedruss culture, the rest of humanity's thought had slowed to such a degree that they were ripe to be manipulated by the priests. Perhaps the error of the Age of Image was the use of Images as a crutch to compensate for slow thought, or even in place of thought altogether. Also perhaps the error included reckless or careless use of the Image. It became an ever-downward spiral of de-evolution, and here we are today. I think the mistake to be avoided is the realization that an image is just a tool. The image has no life outside of those who create and participate with it. God and Man are capable of such grand co-creation that getting stuck on one aspect of that ability is impossibly limiting. It will always lead to an imbalance of the diverse energies contained in man. Personally, I think that man was meant to learn to look in himself for solutions and answers, not externally. Man is capable of anything if he puts his thought to it. Maybe we all need to learn to stop seeking externally for everything, but just go inside and trust that we will find the solution.

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This section is devoted to the information that will be useful in the creation of a Kin's Domains.

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The Home Birth Project Documentary

Birth Story: Mariah's Birth

By Sherry Kennedy

It was Thursday morning, February 5, 1998. I was 40 weeks and 3 days into my second pregnancy. I work in my home as a family daycare provider. It was almost 7am and I knew that the children would be arriving soon. I had cut back the number of children I was watching to only two other than my own child. April and Danny came before and after school only, so it was a fun & non-stressful way to make a little extra money. As I sat up in bed that morning I felt the familiar tightening of a contraction. I smiled to myself and got dressed and ready for the children. I had been having contractions on and off for about a month, so I wasn't too concerned about this one. After the children went to school I began timing my contractions out of curiosity, as I did just about every day. I was really ready to have this baby! The contractions were mild & came at 9:50, 10:01 and 10:10. I went about my day as usual, cleaning the house and taking care of my son, Billy. By noon the contractions were slightly stronger, but irregular lasting from five to ten minutes apart. I noticed a change in the contractions at about one O'clock. The contractions changed from very mild to mild/moderate and were more regular coming at about four to five minutes apart. I called my husband to let him know that we had a pattern going, but that it would still be a long time because the contractions were short and mild despite their frequency. I called Amber, my Labor Assistant & Brenda, my midwife to give them progress reports on how I was doing. The children came home from school at 2:20. I gave them an afternoon snack and then we headed for the park across the street. I got onto the swing thinking the back and forth motion might help the baby's head drop a little lower onto my cervix. The baby's head was already very low in my pelvis. I swung for a while, pushed the children on the swings and chased Billy all around the park. I was definitely contracting the whole time we were at the park, but I didn't monitor the contractions at all.

Amber came over during the day to check on my vital signs and the baby's heart rate. Amber palpated the contractions as mild to moderate. She said everything seemed fine and told me to call her if I needed her. The children were picked up at about a quarter to five and I began making dinner for my family, stopping to time contractions as I cooked. My contractions came every three to six minutes and were still mild. I called Amber again, feeling fairly certain these were just Braxon-Hicks contractions again but not wanting to be caught off-guard.

Amber came over again after dinner. At 7:30 p.m., contractions were still coming every 5-10 minutes and the baby was moving a lot. At 8:30 the whole family went for a walk. My contractions soon became more regular and stayed that way, every four minutes lasting at least 60 seconds. I let Amber go home thinking I could rest tonight and maybe have the baby tomorrow, ha, ha! At 11:45 p.m., after a hot bath and a shower, contractions were stronger and finally I had my bloody show. I called Brenda to let her know about the show and she said she'd come as soon as I was sure I was in labor. I still didn't believe that this was really it. Bill and I went to bed. I soon found that I could not get comfortable. My stomach cramped up every few minutes. I tried to ignore it because I wanted to sleep, but when it didn't stop I told Bill to wake up and call Amber and Brenda. Amber showed up shortly, But Brenda, the midwife lived in San Louis Obispo, about an hour away. I was worried now that she might not make it because we could hear a storm starting outside. It was the second of the Big El Nino storms and the wind was howling. It's interesting that the weather was so calm just a few hours before.

Brenda arrived at 12:40 a.m. and found me to be at 6 cm, 100% effaced and at +2 station. Amber and Brenda frantically began setting up for the birth and hoped Brenda's assistant, Mary would make it on time, because the weather was worsening. Bill was very gentle and comforting to me. He held me and stroked my hair. Amber was wonderful too. She applied counter-pressure to my back, which relieved the discomfort. She also massaged my legs and feet to help me relax as I lied on the bed on my side. She applied a hot corn-pillow to my abdomen and I felt completely relaxed. Bill encouraged me to drink grape juice throughout labor and to use the bathroom periodically. At 1:20 a.m. Mary arrived. She helped Brenda with the rest of the setting up and Amber began videotaping. I threw up twice during transition, but was still happy and smiling. So far I hadn't had any pain, just discomfort with the contractions which were very strong. At 2 a.m. Brenda checked me again and found me to be fully dilated. I gave a tiny push and that felt okay. Just as the pushing began the power went out. Everyone rushed to light the candles. I was lying on my side and was fairly comfortable, but my instincts told me to get up. I got onto my hands and knees. I had an urge to push so I did and felt a tremendous release of pressure as the membranes ruptured and there was a huge gush of clear fluid. It only took one more push and the baby's head was almost crowning. I was suddenly aware of a terrible feeling that I was about to tear and for a long time I refused to push at all. The pressure and stretching of my perineum was far more painful than I had expected. Brenda applied hot towels and gently massaged the scar tissue from the epesiotomy of my first birth. (No one warned me ahead of time that scar tissue does not stretch as well as healthy normal tissue does.) Finally, after about an hour, I decided to try a few good pushes despite the pain they caused. I gave a good strong push and felt such burning and pain that I was sure the baby's head must be out.

I was surprised that it was not. The pushing was so painful that I cried out when the contractions came and was very vocal. Brenda had me reach back and feel the baby's head. The bones were overlapping each other so much that I thought to myself that my child was going to be a Clingon, as in Star Trek. On the next contraction I grunted a lot as I pushed. Then I did something totally weird. A strong contraction came, I was on my hands and knees still, and I completely straightened my legs so that my bottom was up in the air and I pushed the baby up and out screaming loudly as the baby's head was born. I didn't have to push the baby's shoulders out. The rest of the baby's body slid out easily. Mariah Elizabeth was finally born after 1.5 hours of pushing. We had to do some maneuvering to get Mariah onto my chest because the cord was short. Once she stopped crying she latched on and began to nurse. Bill cut the cord after it had stopped pulsating.

Our clock said the time was 2:41a.m, but Brenda recorded the time by her watch as 2:47. Then Amber heard someone say it was quarter to three and somehow wrote the time down in her records as 3:47 a.m. When we got Mariah's birth certificate I went ahead and told them 2:41 a.m. for the time of birth because I was certain that our bedroom clock was accurate. The placenta arrived at 2:47 a.m. without complication. Brenda told Bill to turn on the generator so that she could see the extent of my bleeding, but just then the power came back on. Quickly the candles were blown out. My perineum had withstood the stretching even with the scar tissue, but I had a deep first-degree tear inside my vagina and it needed a few stitches. Bill walked with Mariah while Brenda Stitched me up. Mariah had had her first bowel movement while I was nursing her and delivering the placenta, so I needed a shower because there was tarry black meconium all over me. I got up after being stitched with the intention of going to the bathroom to take a shower, but I stood too quickly and fainted. Brenda and Mary caught me before I hit the floor, but my blood pressure was low and I had lost a lot of blood (an estimated 900 c.c.'s) so they put an oxygen mask on me and had me sit and breathe for a while. Finally I got to take a shower, but Brenda was worried about me and wanted me back in bed as soon as possible. She had me sing to her while I sat on a stool cleaning myself in the shower so she'd know I was all right.

In all of the excitement of having a baby, I forgot to put the plastic shower curtain I had bought on the bed to protect the mattress. The midwives did an excellent job of cleaning up and getting the blood out. It turns out that Hydrogen peroxide works wonders as a cleaning agent. Finally I was tucked into a nice clean bed, with Mariah and Bill where I was told to stay. Billy slept through the whole thing. I had had ringing in my ears since fainting, but after a large glass of grape juice, a bowl of oatmeal and a little rest that went away.

The newborn exam revealed a normal healthy baby girl, weighing 10 lbs. and measuring 21" with a 14" head circumference. We were surprised she was so big! I even told Brenda to weigh her again and asked her if she was sure the scale was calibrated correctly. She said she had a certificate saying it was calibrated just last month. I was amazed at Mariah's size since until the eighth month my fundus had measured lower than average according to the Obstetrician I had been seeing. Everyone went home at 6 a.m. and we called the De Los Santos family to let them know that my maternity leave had begun. I took three weeks off from daycare to care for Mariah & Billy.

Billy was so happy when he saw the baby that morning. He kept saying, "A baby! A baby!" He's loved his sister since the moment he first saw her and he's very protective of her. It was a wonderful experience and I'm glad we did it this way. I'm convinced that home birth with intermittent fetal monitoring and someone trained to deal with complications is the safest way to have a baby. For more information on natural childbirth, I recommend reading the following books: Birth Reborn by Michel Odont M.D., Childbirth Without Fear by Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, Husband-Coached Childbirth by Dr. Robert Bradley and Birth Rights by Sally Inch. I read more than twenty pregnancy-related books during this pregnancy, but these are some of my favorites having information that you may not be able to find anywhere else.

http://www.childbirth.org/

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Learning is Child's Work

by Wendy Priesnitz

Children's ability to learn experientially through day-to-day living is the foundation of what happens in democratic schools and unschooling homes alike. Part of that experience is kids doing real work in the real world, motivated by their own real interests and goals. It is not pseudo work where kids are "allowed" to "help" adults or where they pretend to do real work with the aid of toy tools.

Unfortunately, there are few places where children can experience the adult world in that way. Most children - and even many homeschooled ones - don't have nearly enough opportunities to be with adults who are doing their own thing in the real world and not, as John Holt once put it, "just hanging around entertaining or instructing or being nice to children."

The working world of adults is not very accessible to children because we fear they will get hurt, get in the way of or slow down production, or abuse or break the equipment. But in my experience, that has not been the case. Take my own family as an example.

Our unschooled daughters Melanie and Heidi (now 35 and 37) grew up living, learning and working in the midst of our busy home-based publishing business. They had access to all the tools of that business and never abused them. They mimicked the careful manner in which we used those tools and respected them as necessary for making our family's living. More importantly, they used those tools in creating their own businesses, which we respected in return.

But one of my friends, who also happened to be a writer, was horrified to discover that our children were able to use my typewriter, then my word processor, then later my computer, as well as various photocopiers, typesetters and other related equipment. She said her kids would wreck hers for sure if allowed anywhere near them. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to trust her kids enough to test that theory.

There are many opportunities for children and young people to learn in and be of service to the real world. They include volunteering with community organizations, participating in their parents' businesses or at their workplaces, working for pay or as apprentices at neighborhood businesses and running their own enterprises.

Although I don't want to romanticize the past or ignore abuses against children, at other times and in other places, children had or are given the opportunity to do real work at their parents' side, as well as on their own accord, and to be involved in the life of their communities. In our more complex society, this same type of opportunity and respect for children's abilities is still possible if we all share a sense of responsibility for helping develop the minds and attitudes that will lead us into the future. Today, no one has all the experience and information necessary to prepare young people for a rapidly developing future. But we can share our skills and experiences with our children or take on other people's kids as apprentices in order to pass along our knowledge and attitudes.

Unfortunately, that sort of real world learning experience is often easier to describe than to arrange. A group of parents came together in a community park to build a series of cob structures housing a sink, cooking fireplace, baby-changing station and, ultimately, a composting toilet with a rammed earth foundation. (Cob is a traditional style of construction that uses a mixture of sand, straw, clay and water and is people-friendly, low-tech and community-building.) Aside from filling a need for those facilities in the park, the project was designed to offer people of all ages a chance to learn how to build low impact shelter. But the municipal bureaucracy decided to enforce labor code regulations, which required a six-foot-high fence and excluded the participation of children. Georgie Donais, a life learning mom who coordinated the project, devised a "workaround" whereby people mixing cob materials on tarps were located outside the fence and only work-booted adults were allowed inside the fence. Unfortunately, besides segregating people by functions, this relegated children to the mixing function and prevented them from being involved in some of the more exciting jobs like shoveling, hauling materials or filling bags of dirt. Georgie, trying to see the situation through the bureaucracy's eyes, admits, "I imagine it is a truly strange thing to be asked to listen to and support some woman who wants to - with barely any money and very few power tools, but with many bare feet and children involved - create a building out of mud that houses a toilet."

That "strange thing" is something our children need much more of, especially if the adults can sort out the mindless bureaucratic requirements from the necessary safety concerns. Kids need the sense of accomplishment that comes from being trusted with a real job to do in the real world. They benefit from the increased self-esteem that comes from participating - at whatever level - in a functioning group. Everyone benefits when kids develop the confidence that accompanies being in control of themselves and of their surroundings. And they don't need the sort of "protection" that results from lack of adult trust and preparation and that keeps them sitting on the sidelines and away from meaningful work.

Aside from safety, there are other reasons for sidelining children. Showing respect for a child's developing skills takes patience. Doing a task ourselves is usually easier and more efficient than allowing the time needed for a child to do it. Children's results might be not good enough for the satisfaction of perfectionist adults. And some people just underestimate what a child can do.

However, personal empowerment begins with realizing the value of our own life experience and potential to affect the world. Our children deserve the opportunity to be part of - and learn from - the daily lives of their families and communities.

Copyright (c) Wendy Priesnitz 2009

http://www.inspiredlifeprograms.com/

Image copyrights: http://www.pedineuropsych.com/; http://image.guardian.co.uk/

Pesticides on Fruits and Vegetables

There are a lot of good reasons to choose locally-grown, organic produce when possible. However, organic food is admittedly more expensive. If you want to maximize the good you do to your body while minimizing the cost, you could choose to purchase organic produce for the fruits and vegetables which tend to have the most pesticides in the United States. It is estimated that if a consumer avoids eating non-organically grown produce in the top 12 ("Dirty Dozen") on this list, pesticide exposure can be reduced by up to 80%. This list was compiled by the Environmental Working Group from approximately 96,000 studies by the USDA and FDA of the 49 fruits and vegetables listed between 2000 and 2008. There are many fruits and vegetables that are not on this list -- these were chosen because they are most commonly eaten.

The scores given are simply a ranking of the different items, from the most problematic in terms of pesticides, to least likely to have pesticide residue. (Unlike other years, there is no attempt to make the numbers reflect the amount of pesticide residue found, only the ranking.) The fruits and vegetables were washed or peeled as most people use the produce - for example, apples were washed, bananas and oranges peeled.

Pesticides on Popular Produce

1. (worst) Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries - U.S. Grown
6. Nectarines
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale and Collard Greens
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes - Imported from outside U.S.
13. Lettuce
14. Blueberries - Imported
15. Carrots
16. Green Beans - U.S. grown
17. Pears
18. Plums - Imported
19. Summer Squash
20. Cucumbers - Imported
21. Green Beans - Imported
22. Hot Peppers
23. Red Raspberries
24. Oranges
25. Grapes - U.S. grown
26. Cantaloupe
27. Cucumbers - U.S. Grown
28. Cauliflower
29. Tomatoes
30. Bananas
31. Broccoli
32. Winter Squash
33. Cranberries
34. Plums - U.S. Grown
35. Honeydew Melon
36. Sweet Potato
37. Grapefruit
38. Watermelon
39. Cantaloupe - U.S. Grown
40. Cabbage
41. Eggplant
42. Kiwi
43. Asparagus
44. Sweet Peas (frozen)
45. Mango
46. Pineapple
47. Sweet Corn (frozen)
48. Avocado
49. Onions (least)

http://www.salon.com/

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Organic Foods Vs Conventional

Organic Food Vs. Non Organic Food

The right type of carbohydrates can boost your health!

Most of the world's population consumes non organic food. Non organic food uses conventional farming methods. Organic foods are preferred by people who are more conscious about their health. They are produced using organic farming principles. Organic farming uses preventive measures rather than cures. Organic farming is based on principles of health, ecology, care and fairness. Keep reading to know more about organic food and conventionally produced non organic food.

There are many myths surrounding organic food, with regards to its nutrition value, the manner of production, environment issues, cost, etc. Some people say that the taste differs between organic and non organic food, but this is debatable, as taste is a factor which varies, from individual to individual.

Organic Food vs Non Organic Food - The Facts

There are several differences between food grown in an organic manner and food grown by conventional farming. Read the organic food vs non organic food chart, which is given below, to compare the facts about organic foods and non organic foods.

	Fact Non Organic Food Organic Food Nutrients During processing, non organic foods lose some nutrients and such nutrients have to be artificially added back to the food. Organic foods contain more nutrients, that is, a higher amount of minerals and vitamin C. Fertilizers Chemical fertilizers are used to provide nutrients for the growth of crops in conventional farming. Natural fertilizers like green manure and compost are used for the plants and soil in organic farming. If the question is of chemical fertilizers vs organic fertilizers, then chemical fertilizers are obviously more harmful. Pesticides In conventional farming, there are over 450 pesticides which are permitted for use. Many of these pesticides are toxic. Pesticides are not allowed in organic gardening or farming. In certain cases, they maybe allowed but only after considering factors like necessity, effect on human health and environmental health. Herbicides Herbicides are used in non organic farming to protect crops from insects and weeds. Herbicides sometimes leave a harmful toxic residue on the plants. Methods like crop rotation and hand weeding are used instead of herbicides in organic gardening and farming. Sewage Sludge Human waste is used as a fertilizer to grow crops in conventional farming. This contaminated sewage sludge may cause diseases. Use of sewage sludge is not permitted in organic farming. Irradiation Non organic food is irradiated, to kill harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. Such radiations might cause diseases in human beings. Irradiation is avoided in organic farming. Nitrate Amount Fertilizers contain nitrate as a common ingredient and this nitrate gets converted to nitrosamines, which may be retained in the food and be cancer causing. Organic food contains lesser amount of nitrates in it. Genetic Engineering Genetically modified seeds are used in non organic farming. Such seeds are expensive and difficult for farmers to afford. Such seeds give high yields crops, but such plants may be deficient in nutrients. Organic farming selects healthy seeds by seed testing. Animal Welfare Animals are given antibiotics against diseases. Intensive farming methods are used to grow chicken quickly and most of the time the animals are kept indoors. Good animal husbandry standards are maintained in organic farming. No antibiotics are used on animals, but homeopathic medicine is used, in case an animal gets sick. If a farmer gives any antibiotic to an animal, he loses the certificate for organic farming. Livestock are handled properly and given a proper diet, and adequate exposure to the outdoors. Hormones Animals are injected with hormones for stimulating growth, so that they can be sold in the markets. No hormones are used in organic animal husbandry. Effect on human body As animals are given antibiotics in conventional farming, human body, when sick does not accept the same antibiotics, thus reducing the body's immunity in the long run. Exposure to pesticides is harmful to humans and especially harmful to women's health. Organic farming is not permitted to use such harmful chemicals. Thus, when you measure the pros and cons of organic food vs non organic food, organic food is better, as it has lower health risks. Food Poisoning There are more chances of food poisoning with conventional farming food products because of the use of chemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides. Possibility of toxic pathogens is very less in organic foods. Environment Pollution Use of pesticides damages aquatic life. Herbicides and pesticides contain toxic chemicals, which has resulted in lesser number of birds, insects and wild plants on the farmland. Earthworms are essential for good soil health and using pesticides and insecticides reduce earthworm population. This leads to increased dependence of the soil, on pesticides. Organic farming uses crop rotation to prevent pests, by creating a more diverse ecological system to naturally grow the pest's predators. For increasing the quality of soil, natural manure and composting is done. Thus, the benefits of organic farming are more long term and benefit in fighting problems like degradation of the environment. Soil Erosion Due to productivity and cropping regimes in conventional farming, there is more soil erosion. Use of green manure and good topsoil management, prevents soil erosion in organic farming. Cost Non organic food contains many hidden cost like taxes and the cost of the treatment for the harm caused to the environment by conventional farming. The pros and cons of organic farming shows us that organic food is more expensive. But with the number of farmers shifting to organic farming and increased government funding, the prices will come down. Also, organic food has lesser hidden cost. Appearance Non organic food is treated many times with preservatives. Organic food decays earlier, as there are no preservatives added. Also, it looks similar to non organic food, but sometimes might have different shapes and color. Quality Standards All non organic food products have the normal quality approval labels on them. All organic food should have a USDA organic label. Food Safety Many a times harmful preservatives are added to non organic foods. Organic foods are safer and better, as they don't use any toxic chemicals. Availability If you measure the availability of organic food vs non organic food, most non organic foods are easily available. Some organic foods are imported from other countries and therefore, you cannot be assured of the quality of imported organic food. Number of Consumers Maximum consumers buy non organic food, as it is cheaper and easily available. Consumers are shifting towards buying organic foods, with growing awareness.

http://www.webmd.com/

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Health Effects of Pesticides

Asthma:

Researchers found an association between asthma and use of pesticides by male farmers. (Senthilselvan et al, 1992) Although this study involved adults, it raises concerns about children's exposures to pesticides used in the home or residues brought home on parents' clothes or equipment.

Birth Defects:

The commonly used pesticide, chlorpyrifos (brand name Dursban) caused severe birth defects in four children exposed in utero. Chlorpyrifos is used widely as an agricultural chemical, but is also the most common pesticide used indoors to kill termites, fleas, roaches and in pest control strips. (Sherman, JD. 1996 Chlorpyrifos (Dursban)-associated birth defects: report of four cases. Arch. Env .Health 51(1): 5-8)

A study in Minnesota found significantly higher rates of birth defects in children born to pesticide applicators and in regions of the state where chlorophenoxy herbicides and fungicides are widely used. (Garry, 1996)
In California, mothers living and working in agricultural areas with high pesticide use had a higher risk for giving birth to children with limb reduction defects. (Schwartz, 1988)
A study of pregnant women in Iowa and Michigan found that women exposed to multiple pesticides had an increased risk of giving birth to a child with cleft palate. (Gordon, 1981)
Researchers found higher rates of numerous birth defects in children born to Norwegian farmers exposed to pesticides, including hormone effects like hypospadia and undescended testicles. (Kristensen and others, 1997)

Neurological Effects

Pesticides can be potent neurotoxins. When people are exposed to neurotoxins they may feel dizzy, lightheaded, confused and may have reduced coordination and ability to think. These are the short-term effects, while long term exposure can result in reduced IQ and learning disability, associated with permanent brain damage. In spite of wide reporting of adverse symptoms, until recently, few studies could link permanent brain damage to such exposures. There is new evidence that prolonged exposure to pesticides in areas where they are used routinely may cause permanent brain damage to children who live in these areas.

Dr. Elizabeth Guillette studied the brain function of 4-5 year old children living in the Yaqui Valley area of Sonora, Mexico. Although the children share similar genetic backgrounds, they had very different patterns of exposure to pesticides. Dr. Guillette compared children living in the Valley, where large quantities of agricultural pesticides are used, to children living in the foothills where pesticides are used infrequently. In 1990, high levels of multiple pesticides were found in breast milk and cord blood of newborns from the valley. The children living in the valley, with high levels of pesticide exposure had less stamina, poorer eye-hand coordination, poorer memory and were less skilled in drawing figures. (Guillette, Environmental He. Perspectives, June 1998)

Cancer

National trends indicate that rates of childhood cancer have been increasing. Researchers at MDH concluded that these increases were also evident in Minnesota. (A. Swenson and S. Bushhouse, "Childhood Cancer Incidence and Trends in Minnesota, 1988-1994". Minnesota Medicine, vol. 81, December 1998.) Between 1973 and 1991, all cancers combined increased an average of 1% per year and brain cancer increased 2% per year. Specifically:

Incidence of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) rose 27.4% between 1973 and 1990, from 2.8 cases per 100,000 children to 3.5 cases per 100,000 children.
From 1973 to 1994, incidence of childhood brain cancer increased 39.6%.
Wilms tumor incidence in the same years rose 45.6%.
In teens aged 15-19 between 1973 and 1995, cancer incidence rose for the following: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 128%, testicular cancer 65%, ovarian cancer 78% and all cancers combined 24%.

(National Cancer Institute, SEER, Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-1995. Ries et al ed. 1998; Gurney, J.G. et al, Trends in cancer incidence among children in the United States. Cancer, vol 78: 532-41, 1996; DeVesa, S.S. et al, Recent trends in the United States, J. Natl Cancer Inst 87: 175-182, 1995.)
Sheila Zahm and Mary Ward, summarized the studies of pesticides and childhood cancer and concluded that the following childhood cancers were linked to pesticide exposure: leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkins's lymphoma, and cancers of the brain, colorectum and testes. They noted, It is noteworthy that many of the reported increased risks are of greater magnitude than those observed in studies of pesticide-exposed adults, suggesting that children may be particularly sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of pesticides. (Zahm and Ward, 1998, Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 106)

Thirty-seven pesticides have limited, suggestive or sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals. (International Agency for Research on Cancer). Although the literature on pesticides and cancer is extensive and not fully conclusive, the following are a few examples linking pesticides and childhood cancer.

Leiss et al found a 4-fold increased risk of soft-tissue sarcoma among children whose yards had been treated with pesticides during childhood.
Parental use of pesticides in the home or garden during pregnancy was associated with 3- to 9-fold increases in leukemia in Los Angeles Co. (Lowengart,1987)
A review of 17 case-control studies and one cohort study shows a possible role for pesticides in childhood leukemia. (Zahm and Ward, 1998)
Elevations in brain cancer risk related to at least one measure of pesticide exposure were demonstrated in nine studies. (Zahm and Ward, 1998)
2,4-D, a widely-used phenoxy herbicide, goes by the name Weed-Be-Gone. There is suggestive evidence that 2,4-D causes cancer. The phenoxy herbicides are associated with increased risk for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma and prostate cancer. A March, 1993 EPA report stated that 2,4-D contained deadly dioxins, which are stored in fatty tissue, causing cancer, birth defects, miscarriages and reduced fertility

Hormone Disruption

While some substances cause physical birth defects, others can cause subtle hormonal effects on the developing fetus or affect a child's functional capacities. Hormone disruptors have been linked to many health problems including reproductive cancers. The drug DES, which was given to pregnant women to prevent miscarriage between 1941-1971, worked as an endocrine disrupting chemical on the developing fetus. Decades later, many of these DES exposed daughters developed cervical cancer. Twenty-four pesticides still on the market, including 2,4-D, lindane and atrazine, are known endocrine-disrupters. Aside from increases in reproductive cancers, increasing rates of the following conditions are reported. Animal studies link many of these conditions with prenatal exposure to hormone disrupting substances.

Endometriosis, a disease in which the uterine tissue grows outside the uterus, and a common cause of infertility was virtually unheard of twenty years ago. It now affects 5.5 million women in the U.S. and Canada, about 10-20% of women of childbearing age. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development noted that only 20 cases were reported in the medical literature prior to 1921. (Colburn, Dumanoski, & Myers, (1996) Our Stolen Future)
Hypospadias, a condition in which the urethra is near the base of the penis, not the end as it should be, has doubled in the last 10 years.
Undescended testicles, which is linked with later risk of testicular cancer, is increasing. Researchers reported a doubling in cases between 1962 and 1982 in England and Wales. (Colburn and others, 1996)
Precocious puberty in girls is now common. A study of 17,077 girls in the US found that the onset of puberty for white girls was 6-12 months earlier than expected and African-American girls experienced puberty 12-28 months earlier than whites. (Herman-Giddens and others, 1997)
Reduced sperm counts are documented. Between 1938 and 1990, sperm counts dropped 1.5% each year for American men and 3.1% per year for European men. There was no decrease in men from non-western countries. Low sperm count is a marker for testicular cancer. (Swan and others, 1997)
Fertility Problems are becoming more common and now affect more than two million couples in the U.S.

http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com/

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EMF Cell Phone Radiation Hazards

New Warnings about the Hazards of Cell Phones

Holding a cell phone against your ear, or putting it in your pocket, may be hazardous to your health - or so says the fine print on a little slip that you probably tossed aside when unpacking your phone.

Apple says your iPhone should come no closer than 5/8 of an inch; BlackBerry recommends about an inch.

Statistics show that, over all, there has not been a general increase in the incidence of brain cancer since cell phones arrived - but the average hides that fact that brain cancer has increased in the 20-to-29 age group while dropping for the older population.

According to the New York Times:

"The largest study of cell phone use and brain cancer has been the Interphone International Case Control Study ... The authors included some disturbing data in an appendix available only online. These showed that subjects who used a cell phone 10 or more years doubled the risk of developing brain gliomas, a type of tumor."

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal investigates various methods of cutting down the radiation your cell phone produces. However, they say the most effective one may be the simplest -- keep the phone away from your head and body.

Sources:

New York Times November 13, 2010

Wall Street Journal, October 5, 2010

Good Health Nov 15 2010

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

This summer I purchased the Sprint EVO, which is one of the top Android phones, and I can tell you that it is clearly my favorite gadget. In my opinion, it is far better than any navigation device on ANY car and has loads of other useful tools. More than two-thirds of the time I don't use the phone for calls but when I do it is nearly always in speaker mode and I rarely ever hold the device or put it to my head.

We have had an exponential growth rate of cell phones and their numbers will continue to grow as the smart phone market expands.

As the New York Times reported, there are 292 million wireless numbers in use in the United States, which is close to one for every man, woman and child. And as of June about 25 percent of U.S. households had given up their landlines in favor of going wireless-only.

For many, NOT having a cell phone is viewed as virtually impossible. Today's cell phones are much more than phones. They can also be your camera, video recorder, hand-held computer, and your lifeline to staying in touch with your work and family.

Indeed, cell phones are extremely convenient and useful, and from a technology standpoint have changed the way humans interact and do business ... they're an incredible invention, really ... except for one nagging problem.

They're likely going to trigger a brain cancer epidemic the likes of which the world has never seen.

Did You Know that Cell Phone Manufacturers Warn You to NOT Hold the Phone to Your Head?

Cell phones are so common nowadays that it may take you a minute to wrap your head around the fact that studies are showing they may not be safe. But remember, it wasn't long ago when doctors gladly endorsed cigarette companies and smoking was commonplace even in hospitals.

Many are now suggesting that cell phones will be the cigarettes of the 21st century ... and one day we will look back on all the photos of people, including children, walking around pressing these radiation-releasing devices directly to our heads and wonder what we were thinking.

But for now most people are in a state of ignorant bliss, assuming that cell phones must be safe if they're being used so extensively and there are no public health warnings about them..

The reality is, however, that even cell phone manufacturers do not advise using your cell phone the way you probably use it - pressed up against your ear.

Many cell phones actually contain package inserts that warn you to hold the cell phone away from your head when in use. Apple recommends keeping your iPhone at least 5/8 of an inch from your head, while BlackBerry recommends about an inch.

Why might these companies be quietly warning you to keep your phone away from your head?

New Research Shows Cell Phones are Dangerous

Devra Davis, PhD, professor, Department of Epidemiology at the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh has written a new book -- Disconnect -- in which she exposes research showing that radiation from cell phones has been linked to:

- DNA damage
- Memory loss
- Alzheimer's disease
- Cancer
- Break down of your brain's defenses
- Reduced sperm count

Then there were the results of the massive Interphone study, which was meant to finally provide definitive evidence on the safety, or lack thereof, of cell phones. It cost more than $30 million (funded in part by the mobile phone industry) to carry out, and involved nearly 50 scientists from 13 countries, along with more than 14,000 people.

It turns out that the study was a massive PR campaign by the telecommunications industry to provide reassurance that cell phones are safe so they can continue to generate hundreds of billions of dollars of profits.

That is why it is no surprise, now that the data has finally been released, that it turns out the study is seriously flawed. The study is filled with ludicrous and disturbing findings such as "heavy users" of cell phones have an approximately doubled risk of glioma, a life threatening and often-fatal brain tumor, after 10 years of cell phone use.

You might wonder why this is a ludicrous finding, but you will instantly understand once you learn that: their definition of a "heavy" user was someone who used a cell phone about two hours ... a month!

What this means is that if you use your cell phone for two hours a month or more, you may be doubling your risk of a potentially fatal brain tumor. Use your cell phone significantly more than that, and your risk is likely much, much higher

This study does absolutely nothing to address the hundreds of millions of cell phone users who easily have exposure up to FIFTY times higher.

Other studies too, like the review of 11 long-term epidemiologic studies published in the journal Surgical Neurology, have revealed that using a cell phone for 10 or more years increases your risk of developing a brain tumor.

The 2009 special EMF issue of the Journal of Pathophysiology also contains over a dozen different studies on the health effects of wireless technology and electromagnetic fields.

Just Like Cigarettes, It Will be Decades Before the Real Effects Show Up

It is still too soon for most cell phone-induced brain tumors to show up.

Just as people don't get lung cancer a few weeks or months into their smoking habit, there is a delayed effect between cell phone usage and brain tumor development that typically is over 10 to 20 years.

Of course, not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer, and not every cell phone user will develop brain cancer. There are many variables that contribute to susceptibility.

For instance, children and teens are among those MOST at risk because their younger skulls are thinner and their growing brains much more susceptible to radiation exposure. One study even found that children and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use cell phones -- so why risk it?

SAR Values are Not a Valid Measure of Safety

There's been a lot of talk lately about cell phones' SAR values, which is simply a measure of the power of your cell phone and its potential for heating your tissues.

Values vary from one model to the next, starting around 0.2 watts, but the maximum allowable SAR rate is 1.6 watts per kilogram for phones sold in the United States. This guideline is based on the exposure from a six-minute phone call.

Although knowing your phone's SAR value is a good first step, it is by no means an absolute measure of safety.

As Camilla Rees, founder of ElectromagneticHealth.org explains:

"The cell phone SAR value does not accurately reflect the potential for biological harm from the frequencies of the communication, and, very importantly, there are also some biological effects that have been shown to be worse at lower SAR values compared to higher SAR values, such as blood-brain barrier permeability."

So it's important to realize that you simply cannot rely on the SAR value alone when gauging cell phone safety. Rather, know that safety is dependent on how you use your cell phone.

What are the Safest and Most Dangerous Ways to Use a Cell Phone?

The most dangerous manner of use is to place the phone against your head.

The best way to decrease your exposure to radiation is to use either the speakerphone or a safe headset when speaking on the phone, and to keep your phone as far away from your body as possible whenever it is on. You should never carry your phone in your shirt pocket or on your belt, for example.

San Francisco legislation now actually requires education about such cell phone risks at the point-of-sale. Educational materials must "inform customers of actions that can be taken by cell phone users to minimize exposure to radiation, such as turning off cell phones when not in use, using a headset or speaker phone and texting." (Lines 15-17 of the final legislation.)

The Washington Post also reviewed a few products meant to minimize radiation exposure, such as a T-shirt and blanket that contain silver fibers to help block cell phone radiation, which are meant for use by pregnant women. There are also special cases on the market that contain pieces of gold designed to pull radiation away from your head and release it from the back of the phone.

These options may help cut back on your exposure, but the simplest way to really minimize your risk is to keep the phone as far away from your head and body as possible, as much as possible.

I also recommend that everyone who uses a cell phone follow these commonsense guidelines:

• Children Should Always Avoid Using Cell Phones: Barring a life-threatening emergency, children should not use a cell phone, or a wireless device of any type. Children are far more vulnerable to cell phone radiation than adults, because of their thinner skull bones and other factors.
• Reduce Your Cell Phone Use: Turn your cell phone off more often. Reserve it for emergencies or important matters.
• Use a Land Line at Home and at Work: Although more and more people are switching to using cell phones as their exclusive phone contact, it is a dangerous trend and you can choose to opt out of the madness.
• Reduce or Eliminate Your Use of Other Wireless Devices: You would be wise to cut down your use of these devices. Just as with cell phones, it is important to ask yourself whether or not you really need to use them every single time. Even portable home phones, including the older kind that operate at 900 MHz, can be a problem. The lesson from the field is that all DECT portable phones are a problem.
  
  If you do not know if you have a DECT phone (as many are not labeled as such), the ONLY way to know for sure is to measure. You can learn about measuring instrumentation at www.emfsafetystore.com.
  
  For "hands free" calls at home, I recommend getting the old-fashioned speakerphone (either attached to the phone or separate) or using SKYPE on your computer on speaker mode, which is terrific.
• Use Your Cell Phone Only Where Reception is Good: The weaker the reception, the more power your phone must use to transmit, and the more power it uses, the more radiation it emits, and the deeper the dangerous radio waves penetrate into your body. Ideally, you should only use your phone with full bars and good reception.
  
  Also seek to avoid carrying your phone on your body as that merely maximizes any potential exposure. Ideally put it in your purse or carrying bag.
• Turn Your Cell Phone Off When Not in Use: As long as your cell phone is on, it emits radiation intermittently, even when you are not actually making a call.
• Keep Your Cell Phone Away From Your Body When it is On: The most dangerous place to be, in terms of radiation exposure, is near the emitting antenna. You do not want any part of your body near this area and proximity is everything. The closer the phone is to your body, the worse the exposure -- with the exposure falling off dramatically with distance. Thus, using the speaker mode, the farther you can keep the phone away from your body and still hear the call, the better.
• Use Safer Headset Technology: Wired headsets will certainly allow you to keep the cell phone farther away from your body. However, if a wired headset is not well-shielded -- and most of them are not -- the wire itself acts as an antenna attracting ambient radio waves and transmitting radiation directly to your brain and your body, for example over your heart.

Make sure that the wire used to transmit the signal to your ear is shielded.

The best kind of headset to use is a combination shielded wire and air-tube headset. These operate like a stethoscope, transmitting the information to your head as an actual sound wave; although there are wires that still must be shielded, there is no wire that goes all the way up to your head.

http://articles.mercola.com/

Image Copyrights: http://www.womansday.com/; http://www.2buypcs.com/

Organic: Is it the future of farming?

Colin Macilwain

In its pure form, maybe not. But elements of the organic philosophy are starting to be deployed in mainstream agriculture. Nature's reporters analyse this trend, assess the extent of organic farming worldwide, and frame the questions on which its wider adoption will depend.

If your politics are green, you like your medicine 'holistic' and you're deeply worried by economic globalization, the chances are your fridge is full of organic produce. Today, support for organic farming is frequently part of a bigger social and political mindset -- one that holds that 'natural' is best, and that naked capitalism is a threat to the health of the planet and its people.

But the origins of organic agriculture, in 1940s Britain, are more down-to-earth. Its pioneers were concerned, above all else, about the soil beneath their feet. Their philosophy was centred on practices designed to improve the richness and stability of the soil by restoring its organic matter and avoiding synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Wider concerns about biodiversity, social justice and animal welfare have grown from this core concept about how to manage our farmland's key resource.

These ideals have always set the organic movement squarely against intensive farming and chemical-based agribusiness. And, at least in public and in the media, those arguments rage more fiercely today than ever before. Yet behind the harsh rhetoric, a little-noticed convergence of views is taking place. For decades, the study of organic farming sat on the fringes of the green revolution in agriculture, as intensive techniques marched across the world, sending yields skyrocketing. But mainstream agronomists are becoming concerned about the long-term sustainability of this approach, and are focusing increasingly on soil integrity. Could it be that both sides of agriculture's great divide now want the same thing?

"It's been a huge move," says Mark Alley, an agronomist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. "Twenty-five years ago, yield was everything. But in the past ten years, there's been a major recognition of the need to maintain organic materials in soil." And with the turn of the millennium, farmers have started to embrace approaches that keep soil structure intact and cut the high level of inputs -- energy, fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides -- that characterize intensive agriculture.
Going green ... again

These new methods diverge significantly from the purist organic vision. In particular, they rely heavily on 'low tillage' methods, which help to improve the soil but depend partly on the use of herbicides, fertilizers and pesticides. Those remain anathema to the organic movement. But the change that is taking place -- sometimes referred to as the second green, or doubly green, revolution -- stems from a growing acceptance of the organic critique of the first one. Mainstream agronomists now acknowledge, for example, that intensive farming reduces biodiversity, encourages irreversible soil erosion and generates run-off that is awash with harmful chemicals -- including nitrates from fertilizers that can devastate aquatic ecosystems.

For the organic movement, caring for the soil involves interspersing each harvest with a cover crop such as clover or rye that can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Cover crops keep down weeds, retain moisture and prevent erosion. Ploughing them into the soil at the end of the season restores the soil's organic content, and boosts its nitrogen content without the need to use synthetic fertilizer.

The low-till approach borrows heavily from these principles. Low-till farmers ensure that their soil is not left open to erosion by growing nitrogen fixers between rows of their cash crops and between seasons. But low-till farmers don't completely unhitch their wagon from conventional inputs. They still use nitrate fertilizers and pesticides as needed. Before each planting, they kill the previous crop with a broad-spectrum herbicide such as Roundup, made by Monsanto of St Louis, Missouri. This lets them punch the new seed directly into the ground through the decaying plants without tilling.
Till life

Low-till agriculture is taking root in both rich and poor countries. Pat Wall, head of conservation agriculture at CIMMYT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, estimates that about 70 million hectares of arable land -- something like 2% of the global total -- is now using the method, with about a third of that in the United States.

Brazil has been in the vanguard of the change in the south, says Cheryl Palm, an ecologist specializing in tropical agriculture at Columbia University in New York. "It's swept through the country, and cut down soil erosion dramatically," she says.

Although many of the farms that are converting to low-till agriculture are large-scale operations, the approach is also rapidly gaining acceptance on smallholdings in places such as Ghana and India. On the Indian subcontinent, the area where low-till is being implemented has grown from nothing in 1997, through 100,000 hectares in 2001, to one million hectares this year.

Besides conserving soil structure, low tillage also reduces energy inputs. Farms in India that grow rice in the summer and wheat in the winter have cut their number of annual tilling operations from eight to one, Wall reports, reducing fuel use by 70%. "When I was there, the only people complaining about the change were the petrol station owners," he says.

Low-till farming also substantially reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. Cover crops provide some nitrogen initially, and then, as organic matter builds up in the soil, nitrates and other nutrients are less readily leached out of it, further decreasing the requirement for added fertilizer.

But for organic purists, any approach to maintaining soil integrity that incorporates regular sprayings with Roundup and continued applications of nitrates is heresy. Peter Melchett, policy director of Britain's Soil Association, the world's oldest organic farming organization, scorns low-till approaches. "They tend to be something you can do for two or three years until you get grass weeds that aren't well-controlled by Roundup," he says. "Then you have to resort to ploughing."

Wall disagrees. He argues that the need for herbicide applications tails off after the first few years of low-tillage, as weed seeds disappear from the top layer of soil. "I think it is possible to get to no tillage and almost no herbicides," he says.

Such disputes might be resolved more readily if there was an abundance of data comparing pure organic methods with the low-till approach to soil conservation. "But there aren't a lot of long-term studies," says Mark David, a biogeochemist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "It isn't a simple comparison to make."
Chemical cuts

Some of the other ideas being borrowed from the organic movement -- in particular a reduction in pesticide inputs -- are resulting in a closer meeting of minds. For instance, farmers have been forced to discard methyl bromide, the main soil fumigant that has been used to kill soil pests, as it will be phased out by 2005 under the Montreal Protocol to close the ozone hole. This has led farmers to experiment not only with other fumigants but with organic methods of killing insect larvae as well, including flooding fields between plantings and allowing the Sun to bake the soil through clear plastic sheeting.

Farmers are also bowing to consumer pressure. "People don't want pesticides in their food," says Diana Wall, director of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. US orchards, for instance, have largely adopted organic methods for controlling the codling moth (Cydia pomonella), the larvae of which bore into ripening fruit and can destroy 80% of an apple crop without control.

In this case, concerns about pesticide residues on apples and pears led to legal restrictions on the use of organophosphates, the most effective class of pesticides, under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act. Organic control of the codling moth disrupts mating by releasing sterile males and spraying female sex pheromones to confuse the rest.

The doubly green revolution doesn't necessarily embrace the broader aspects of organic ideology, such as social justice and animal welfare. But if the organic movement wants to change the world, it is making a reasonable start.

http://www.nature.com/

Image Copyright: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/

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Organic Farming Vs. Conventional - 'Food Beware' Clip

Lovage

Lovage is a wonderful, very old herb with properties perfect for today's healthy lifestyles. Its unique flavor, which is a combination of strong celery flavour with a hint of anise, lends a wonderful flavor to soups, stews, stocks, salads, meat, potato and tomato dishes. You can use it much like you would celery or parsley, but with a lighter hand since it does have a stronger flavor. It is also used as a natural salt substitute, and is said to be an aphrodisiac - hence the name. And every part of the plant - leaves, stems, roots and seed - is edible!

Fortunately for us, Lovage is not a small, delicate plant. It will grow to about 6' - 0 feet tall in 5 years, so you want to have a nice roomy corner of the garden set aside for it. Due to its statuesque size and solid green leaves, it looks great as a backdrop in the perennial flower garden, and is indeed often used for that purpose. It can also be grown in a large pot, or tub on the balcony. And in a couple of years, you never need to buy celery or parsley again - other than for celery sticks with Chez Whiz.

Here then are in the why and wherefores of how to grow and use Lovage.

So, one plant is enough for a family. It can take partial shade and does better in soil that is fairly fertile and not too dry. If you have a longer growing season, simply direct seed it outside. Hereabouts, start seeds indoors about 6 weeks ahead for transplanting, or buy a plant from a garden centre. Germination takes about ten to twelve days. Lovage seeds need to be fairly fresh, and to make sure you get one good plant, sow at least 4 seeds in a pot. When you move the plant to the garden keep it well watered for the first couple weeks, and feed with a natural fertilizer. The first year you won't see it's full growth - it will only reach about 2 feet - but you can begin to harvest at 1' - 0 tall. Cut stems from the outside, leaving the center intact, and chop up to use in recipes.

Lovage is a perennial which dies back to the ground in winter, and regrows in spring. To keep you in Lovage over the winter, you can dry or freeze the leaves - the latter preserves the flavour - and dry the stems and grind them as needed.

Lovage seeds can also be used. They have a sweeter flavor than the leaves and can be used much like celery seed. A large seed stalk will form in early summer. Allow the seed to ripen until they begin to turn brown, then cut the stalk and dry the seeds. If you do not want to harvest seeds cut the stalk right away; this encourages more leaf growth. If you leave it be, the plant will reseed in your garden.

After several seasons dig up your Lovage in the spring and divide the root, or find and transplant new self-sown seedlings. You can preserve or use the root by washing it, and cutting it into small pieces. Dry the pieces on a screen and store away from light. Or, you can give the root to a fellow gardener to plant and grow their own Lovage plant. A gift that will be much appreciated. The Lovage plant will do much better after division.

Lovage is best used fresh, but you can freeze the leaves and stems. Blanch a handful of leaves in boiling water VERY quickly then quickly throw into a bowl of ice water for a couple of minutes. Drain, place in plastic freezer bags and freeze. The frozen Lovage can be minced and used in cooked dishes.

Add a teaspoon of fresh minced Lovage to your chicken soup during the last 15 or 20 minutes of cooking. You can also add it to hot or chilled vegetable, meat, potato or tomato soups. Add one to two tablespoons of minced fresh Lovage to your meatloaf recipes. Harvest Lovage seeds to use whole or ground in cakes, meats, biscuits, breads, sauces, cheeses, salad dressings, or pickles. Add fresh leavest to your favorite potato salad or coleslaw too.

When checking for the availability of Lovage seedlings in greater Victoria in May 2005, only Gardenworks at 4290 Blenkinsop Road was found to have a flat of seedlings.

http://www.salescene.com/

THE STORY BEHIND A CEDAR SPOON

The history conceals as to where and how the spoon was invented. Beyond all doubt, it has the same ancient age as the one of the first tool - a knife. During prehistoric times, large shells of nuts served as spoons. Later, spoons were made from bone material. Ancient Egyptians used bronze spoons, whereas Greeks preferred spoons that were made from silver.

In ancient Russia, the wooden spoon has already become quite a habitual tool; which is evident from annals "Tale of Bygone Years" (XII century). In the old days, people used to carry their personal spoons and knives everywhere. They used to say: "Provident guest does not come without his own spoon".

Wooden spoons were also widespread in Mexico and in medieval Europe.

Russian wooden spoons were made from an aspen, birch, maple and Cedar.

The tradition of using Cedar Spoons has been carried into our modern times.

Cedar spoons are not only beautiful, but they are also made from ecologically friendly material. It is not only safe to use the Cedar Spoons, but it is also beneficial for health. For a reason, since the dawn of time Russian people used Cedar tableware and flatware and were very healthy till their old age.

Cedars emit essential oils and phytoncids, which kill dangerous bacteria, therefore the air in the Cedar woods is pleasant and excellent for health. The antibacterial properties of the Cedar Wood are transferred to all products made from it.

However, the most surprising salutary effect of the Cedar, as noted by people, is that the presence of Cedar Wood positively impacts human health. The explanation behind this is that it possesses special bio-energy. Cedar's energy simultaneously provides strength and relaxation to the body.

By consuming food using Cedar Spoons, one's organizm also absorbs the phytoncids and healthy resins present in the Cedar Wood. Cedar Spoon, unlike metal one, does not oxidize food or saliva. Therefore, it promotes optimal digestion and settling of the food in the stomach.

It is recommended for toddlers, whose teeth have just come out, to gain their first eating skills using Cedar Spoons. It was noticed, that children enjoy biting and scratching aromatic Cedar Spoon with their baby teeth, and by doing so absorbing healthy elements present in it.

However, the above mention benefits are not the only valuable qualities of the spoons made from Cedar. Even the simplest food becomes a hundred times tastier and full of aroma, when it is consumed using Cedar Spoon. Besides, eating hot meals with it would protect gentle mouth areas from getting burnt, since wood does not heat up like metal does.

By making Cedar Spoon as an every day eating companion, one takes care of their health!

Nadia Kern, Homeopath and Massagist
Toronto, Canada

http://www.ringingcedarsofrussia.org/
Used by permission
Copyright RingingCedarsofRussia.org

Holiday Gift Ideas

Holiday Season is the time that brings families closer together to celebrate their hopes and dreams and their love for each other. It is the time when we recognize the importance of finding our loved ones that ideal gift, which would perfectly express our happiness, love towards them, and how grateful we are of having them in our lives.

Christmas is less than a month away, and the pressure of finding that perfect gift is building up. Our busy schedules often put tremendous pressure on us this Holiday Season. Masses of people in the Malls and Shopping Centers can make the experience extremely stressful and hectic.

With Ringing Cedars Of Russia's Gift Ideas, this Holiday Shopping is made easy! We would like to present to you a variety of Gift Paired Ideas, which will ensure to express your love in a perfect way this Christmas. What can be a better gift than the gift of Health, coming from Mother Nature itself!

Idea 1

Any of our cedar essential oils would nicely match with a Cedar Cone.

Essential Oils of Wood, Cone and Needle (50g) bottles are designed with Christmas in Mind! The bottle is shaped as a Cedar Cone, which makes it perfect for this Holiday Season. Using our Essential Oils as air freshener will let your loved ones enjoy pleasant Christmas aroma in the air.

The Cedar Cone adds a wonderful Christmas touch to the Essential Oils. It would make a great decoration for the Christmas Tree. Make this Christmas a memorable one by planting the seeds of Cedar (Pine) Cone, and giving back to mother Earth.

This gift combination will create wonderful Christmas Spirit right in your home!

You can also choose 25ml and 10 ml bottles of essential oil.

Please note the Cedar Cone is available in Canada only.

Idea 2

Our essential oils come from the world's finest plants, and are prepared to ensure that a plants' integrity is preserved.

Combining the beauty of Cone shaped bottle of the Essential Oil Cedar Wood (50g) together with Essential Oil Cedar Needle, would ensure to keep loved ones satisfied.

Using the oils for massages or adding a few drops of either Cedar Wood or Cedar Needle to baths would create pleasant aroma, relax nervous system, eliminate emotional stress and even stabilize blood pressure.

Also any combinations essential oils of Cedar Wood, Needle, Resin or Fir would be no less hormonious as described one.

Idea 3

Treat yourself and your loved ones this Christmas with our Skin Care Package.

This Christmas give the gift of beautiful skin from inside and outside. Cedar (Pine) Nut Oil enriched with Sea Buckthorn, when applied externally, is excellent for skin.

Cosmetic companies are adding sea-buckthorn oil to anti-aging preparations for skin rejuvenation and accelerated healing properties. It is also being used topically as a natural treatment for eczema, acne rosacea, acne and acne scars, and as a lotion for minimizing stretch marks.

Cedar (Pine) Nut Oil enriched with Sea Buckthorn, when taken internally, enriches body with unique botanical and nutritional properties from within.

Ensure to protect Facial Skin & Feet, by using our Daytime Creme and Feet Creme, which will greatly smoothen, soften and nourish.

Idea 4

It is essential that healthy products are also taken with proper tools. This Holiday Season give a total gift of health by selecting any cedar nut oil along with cedar spoons.

Cedar Spoons are made from 100% natural Cedar Tree. They do not oxidize the elements of the food you eat (unlike metal), leaving food in its natural condition. Eating with these spoons improves the taste of the food and eliminates dangerous bacteria in ones mouth and stomach.

Our Cedar Nut Oils are appetizing delicatessens that can improve any holiday meal. The bright packaging of Cedar Nut Oils and their healing power will add elegance and meaning to your gift.

Christmas is the most celebrated Holiday of Joy, Love, Togetherness and Happiness. The Magic is felt everywhere! Through Gift Sharing we pass the warmth of our hearts to the ones we care about. Let the Holy Spirit fill your home with blessings, laughter, happiness, and love.

Wishing you all a wonderful time with family and friends,
Have a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Copyright http://www.ringingcedarsofrussia.org

Medicinal properties of the needles

Cedar Needle Essential Oil

The medicinal properties of cedar needles are well known. They contain many biologically active materials that have a medicinal and stimulating action. The needles of the Siberian cedar are rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and carotene. As far back as 1786, the academician P. S. Pallas wrote that the young shoots of the cedar "contain the most pleasant taste, very similar to a citrus rind, and are a very good medicine for scurvy, if they will be used moist, if boiled in beer or water." And further he adds, that from the tops of young cedar "it is possible to make a very medicinal, anti-scorbutic and refreshing beverage."

The anti-scorbutic properties of cedar buds was noted by Doctor Espenberg as far back as 1812, he used them against scurvy during his journeys around the world aboard the ship Nadezhda under the command of I. F. Kruzenshtern. In his report, Espenberg wrote that the broth made from the buds of dwarf cedar trees cured scorbutic diseases and even made abscesses on the feet disappear. Many expeditions of those distant times were saved from scurvy by an infusion of the needles of the Siberian cedar and dwarf cedar trees. B. Tikhomirov and S. Pivnik note that the needles of our northern trees (pines, firs, Siberian cedar, and dwarf cedar tree) may be equated to lemons and oranges with respect to their anti-scorbutic properties.

According to the data of V. S. Fedorova, the needles of the Siberian cedar contain from 250 to 350 mg of vitamin C.

As reported by G. A. Sokolov, one ton of cedar needles can yield five thousand daily portions of vitamin C.

I. I. Grom considers the cedar needle to be a natural concentrate of vitamins. It is especially valuable in the winter period, when the consumption of fruits and berries is limited.

According to the report of A. Skarzhitskiy, from the young shoots of Siberian cedar is obtained an essential oil, "very highly valued in folk medicine; it is used internally for kidney and gall stones, and externally it is used for wounds, abscesses, and rheumatic pains." The essential oils contained in the needle are recognized as most important antimicrobial substances. The last ones are especially active in the summer months (in July and August), as a consequence of which at this time the bactericidal and fungicidal activity of this plant increases considerably.

Cedar Wood Essential Oil

Siberian folk healers recommend to sleep on a bed made of cedar wood, and to have a cushion made of fresh cedar boughs instead of the usual downy pillow. The same advice they also direct to those who have disorders in the activity of the cardiovascular system, in whom the respiratory organs are sick. Cedar needles yield an essential oil, chlorophyll, vitamin concentrates, produce vitamin flour, which is rich in bactericides, vitamins C, E, carotene, trace elements (copper, cobalt, iron, manganese, phosphorus). A kilogram of flour obtained from the needles of cedar shoots contains 70 mg of carotene, up to 35 mg of vitamin E, and also vitamins B, K, B. Needle flour is produced from needles that have already been processed, i.e., needles from which the essential oil and vitamins have been extracted. First, half of the vitamin C contained in the needle is extracted, in this case its concentration reaches 500 mg for a litre of water. The needles continue to be heated by steam in order to separate the essential oils. From 500 kg of cedar boughs are obtained 2.5 kg of essential oil. The essential oil obtained from the needles is a constituent of some preparations used in diseases of the kidneys, liver, etc. In the form of broths and infusions, cedar needles are used in the same cases as pine needles. Apart from vitamins, the needles are rich in tannins, alkaloids, and terpenes. Needle infusions and broths are drunk as diuretics.

Russian folk medicine uses cedar needles in the form of broths and infusions in cases of bronchial asthma as an antiasthmatic agent. Cedar needle broths, infusions, and tinctures are drunk in diseases of the respiratory organs of both a catarrhal and infectious nature: bronchitis, tracheitis, inflammation of the lungs, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc. Needle broths and infusions have an expectorant action, they aid in the elimination of phlegm and the purification of the respiratory tract. The broth of the cedar needle is a remarkable gargling agent in cases of angina, for rinsing the oral cavity in cases of stomatitis, and rinsing the nasal passages in cases of a head cold. Rinsing the mouth with an infusion made from needles strengthens the gums and teeth, and protects the teeth from decay. Cedar needle broths and infusions are recommended for inhalations, phyto-applications (compresses). In the form of a beverage with the addition of honey, needle broth has been given by them to children in cases of rickets. A needle beverage is also helpful in cases of scrofula. It is good to bathe children with scrofula and rickets in needle baths. Drinking needle broths and infusions is useful for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The cedar needle contributes to the cleansing of the vessels, increases their elasticity, improves the composition of the blood, cleans it of harmful substances. Needle broth was once taken as a hemostatic agent in cases of excessive hemorrhage in women. A tincture of the cedar needle in alcohol or vodka is an effective wound-healing agent. For the preparation of the tincture, 200 ml of alcohol is poured over 100 g of the ground needle, it is infused in a dark place for seven days. The bast of young cedar trees was used for the extraction of arrows and splinters. A needle broth from the boughs is used to wash minor wounds and abscesses. In the form of lotions, it is used in cases of pustular lesions of the skin. An alcohol tincture of the cedar needle is rubbed on the joints in cases of rheumatism, gout, arthritis.

Cedar Cone Essential Oil

Beverages from the cedar needle are useful for convalescents who have undergone serious illnesses or operations. A cedar needle infusion or broth is drunk in cases of some poisonings, for example, smoke, alcohol, exhaust gases. In cases of headache or migraine, a towel soaked in a strong needle broth or infusion may help if applied to the forehead and temples; the infusion is also taken internally.

Siberian folk healers think that the constant use of a cedar needle infusion increases the protective powers of the body, and strengthens the nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems. An improvement occurs in the well-being and health of the body as a whole.

Cedar needle broths and infusions, and the bast of young trees may be anexcellent anti-scorbutic agents and vitamin-containing substances. Baths from cedar needles are recommended - they are both generally strengthening and therapeutic. They act in a calming manner, eliminate fatigue and nervous tension. These baths are helpful for those suffering from rheumatism or gout. Needle baths are prepared for children ill with rickets or scrofula. The cedar needle is a constituent of different preparations. Since it is oxidized by atmospheric oxygen, the essential oil contained in the needle releases ozone - triatomic oxygen - into the atmosphere. Ozone makes the human body as a whole more healthy. Cedar forests differ from other forests by their extraordinary cleanliness and the curative properties of their air. This air is recommended for patients suffering from tuberculosis, and chronic and other diseases of the lungs as the very best therapeutic agent. In cases of radiculitis, it is good to apply steamed, ground needles or steamed cedar tree sawdust to the painful area. A chlorophyll-carotene paste is produced from the needle. It is used in surgery, dentistry, in cases of ulcers, and also as an external agent in burns and different skin diseases. Cedar needles can also have a purely practical application. In the first half of the 19th century, S. I. Gulyaev found a method for the production of "forest wool." His invention was tested in Tomsk, where at that time a factory installation for processing needles was in operation. "Forest wool," i.e., the fiber obtained from the needle, proved to be an excellent packing material for soft furniture and mattresses. Today, in industrial circumstances, from a ton of cedar needles are produced approximately 5000 daily doses of vitamin C, about 5 kg of essential oil, 10 kg of needle extract for therapeutic baths, more than 200 g of the finest cellulose threads, which are only slightly inferior in quality to the fibers of the cotton plant.

D. Ternenko, Biologist
Kiev Polytechnical Institute, Ukraine

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INCREDIBLE BENEFITS OF CEDAR NUT OIL PLUS THE EFFECT OF ROSE HIP EXTRACT!

INGREDIENTS: 100% natural Cold-pressed Extra Virgin Siberian Cedar Nut Oil enriched with 100% natural whild harvested (not certified) Rose Hip Berries.

Siberian Taiga is one of the ecologically purest areas of the world. The virgin forest of the taiga has never been treated with any chemicals or artificial fertilisation, nor abused by agricultural machines, all flora in the Taiga has been preserved in the original condition by nature.

One of the most wonderful and beneficial gifts of Siberian Taiga is Rose Hip Oil. Wildly harvested, 100% natural Rose Hip berry is gathered carefully, by people lovingly devoted to this task.

Another great gift from the Siberian Taiga is Siberian Cedar nut oil. Wild harvested Cedar nuts, cold pressed, first press only, this is all original, 100% natural Siberian Cedar nut oil.

Using multistage cold extraction method originally developed in Russia, we preserve all nutritional value and bring you free of artificial ingredients, unique, 100% natural Siberian Cedar Nut Oil enriched with Rose Hip under Ringing Cedars of Russia brand name.

ROSE HIP BERRY

The rose hip and rose haw, is the pomaceous fruit of the rose plant, that typically is red-to-orange, but might be dark purple-to-black in some species. Contrary to the fairly common myth, rosehips are not poisonous.

Rose hips of some species, especially Rosa canina (Dog Rose) and R. majalis, have been used as a source of Vitamin C. Rose hips are commonly used as an herbal tea, often blended with hibiscus and as rose hip oil. They can also be used to make jam, jelly, marmalade and wine. Rose hip soup, "nyponsoppa," is especially popular in Sweden. Rhodomel, a type of mead, is made with rose hips.

Some species of rose are sometimes referred to as rose hip, including Rosa canina (dog rose), R. rubiginosa, and R. moschata (Musk-rose).

Health benefits

- Particularly high in Vitamin C, with about 1700-2000 mg per 100 g in the dried product, one of the richest plant sources.
- RP-HPLC assays of fresh rose hips and several commercially available products revealed a wide range of L-ascorbic acid content, ranging from 0.03 to 1.3%.
- Rose hips contain vitamins C, D and E, essential fatty acids and antioxidant flavonoids.
- Rose hip powder is a remedy for rheumatoid arthritis.
- Rose hips from the dog rose have antioxidant values that far exceed other berries such as blueberries
- As an herbal remedy, rose hips are attributed with the ability to prevent urinary bladder infections, and assist in treating dizziness and headaches. Rose hips are also commonly used externally in oil form to restore firmness to skin by nourishing and astringing tissue.
- Brewed into a decoction, can also be used to treat constipation.
- Rose hip oil contains a lot of iron, so some women brew rose hip tea during menstruation to make up for the iron that they lose with menses.

Usage

Rose hips are used for herbal tea, jam, jelly, syrup, beverages, pies, bread, marmalade, and rose hip oil.

A few rose species are sometimes grown for the ornamental value of their hips, such as Rosa moyesii, which has prominent large red bottle-shaped fruits.

Rose hips have recently become popular as a healthy treat for pet chinchillas. Chinchillas are unable to manufacture their own Vitamin C, but lack the proper internal organs to process many vitamin-C rich foods. Rose Hip Oil provides a sugarless, safe way to increase the Vitamin C intake of chinchillas and guinea pigs.

Rose hips are also fed to horses. The dried and powdered form can be fed at a maximum of 1 tablespoon per day to improve coat condition and new hoof growth.

The fine hairs found inside rose hips are used as itching powder.

Roses are propagated from hips by removing the seeds from the aril (the outer coating) and sowing just beneath the surface of the soil. Placed in a cold frame or a greenhouse, the seeds take at least three months to germinate.

In World War II, the people of England gathered wild-grown rose hips and made a Vitamin C syrup for children. This was because German submarines were sinking many commercial ships: citrus fruits from the tropics were very difficult to import.

By indigenous people

Rose hips were used in many food preparations by the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Rose hips are used for colds and influenza. The Latin binomial for this herb is Rosa laevigata.

Source: Wikipedia

Our Unique Production Technique:

Cedar Nut Sheller This equipment and method of shelling Siberian Cedar Nuts brings the difference in the quality of "RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA" Siberian Cedar Kernels and Siberian Cedar Nut Oil

Cedar Nut Oil Press This equipment and method of pressing Siberian Cedar Nuts brings the difference in the quality of "RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA" Siberian Cedare Nut Oil

The brand name "THE RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA" stands for business integrity, decency and the highest possible quality of product. All products marketed under this brand name convey the primordial power of Nature and the warmth of our hearts. We offer:

A variety of high-quality cedar products, including cedar nuts and cedar nut oil.

Huge plantations of cedar trees grow in the Siberian taiga, said to be the ecologically purest area of the world. The virgin forest of the taiga has never been treated with any chemicals or artificial fertilisation, nor abused by agricultural machines.

Cedar nuts (the seeds of the cedar tree) take two years to mature, during which time the tree accumulates a huge volume of positive cosmic energy. Crops of nuts are harvested manually by people lovingly devoted to this task, working in a pleasant environment without undue haste to create unique products full of positive energy reflecting the infinite powers of Nature. Specific preparations include:

We pick only cedar cones which fall naturally from the trees, thus ensuring that only ripe cones are selected. We always avoid hitting the trees to shake unripe cedar cones down (as happens with some other commercial operations) -- a practice which causes the nuts to lose their healing power.

Cones are then manually shelled with the help of wooden shell-removers. Nut centres are separated from their shells using wooden rollers.

Cedar nut oil and cedar nut flour marketed under our brand name are obtained by the cold-pressure method, using manual wooden oil-presses.

Cedar nut oil is then stored in special containers and packed in a small village near Novosibirsk by name "Kandayrovo" using unique technology to avoid any contact with metal. The whole process is strictly supervised to ensure it complies with all sanitary requirements.

Final products are placed in special packaging to prevent daylight penetration, and stored at a temperature of 0C to +5C to better preserve the product's natural components. The resulting product is a bright gold-coloured liquid with the pleasant smell of cedar nuts. It is a 100% natural product with strong healing powers.

SIBERIAN CEDAR NUT OIL

Siberian Cedar nuts (cedar nuts) contain about 60% oil. They are therefore pressed to obtain Cedar nut oil, which is available on the market as a very expensive gourmet cooking oil. Cold pressing in all-wooden presses is preferred to retain the nutritional properties of nuts and derive the oil of highest quality.

The Cedar nut oil bearing "The Ringing Cedars of Russia" brand comes exclusively from wild-harvested Siberian Cedar nuts - one of the most nutritious Cedar nuts in the world. In comparison, other Cedar nut oils are usually pressed from the Italian pignolia Cedar nuts, which are not nearly as potent and are often harvested from trees growing in plantations. Our Siberian Cedar nut oil is extra virgin (100% cold pressed from freshly shelled raw Siberian Cedar nuts), whereas most Cedar nut oils on the market are either not cold pressed or even pressed from roasted (!) Cedar nuts, which significantly decreases the oil value. Finally, "The Ringing Cedars of Russia" Siberian Cedar nut oil is the only one which is available on the market anywhere in the world pressed with wooden presses in accordance with traditional techniques described in Vladimir Megre's life-changing book "The Ringing Cedars of Russia". In contrast, all other Cedar nut oils are pressed using steel presses, which immediately degrades them (contact with steel oxidizes some of the Cedar nut oil's most important ingredients such as vitamins, and is known to remove the 'life force' from the oil).

Cedar nut oil has also traditionally been used in ancient Russian and European natural medicine to cure a wide array of ailments - ingested (decreasing blood pressure, boosting immune system resistance, etc.) or applied externally (a range of dermatological disorders). It is also used in expensive cosmetics.

Cedar nut oil contains pinolenic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, and is marketed in the U.S. as a means stimulate cell proliferation, prevent hypertension, decrease blood lipid and blood sugar, and inhibit allergic reactions.

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BREAD FROM SPROUTED RYE WITH CEDAR(pine) NUT OIL

This energizing mana bread can be enjoyed on its own, with green tea, salad or a thick vegetable soup.

Ingredients: 1 cup rye berries, 2 tbsp pine nut oil, rye flour as needed.

Easy instructions: soak rye berries for 24 hrs, rinse, spread in a 1/2 inch layer on a plate and leave at room temperature to sprout. Rye usually sprouts within 12 to 24 hours. Put it in blender, add water to cover the rye and blend at high speed until it becomes a homogenous thick liquid (add water as necessary). If the resulting dough is too liquid, add rye flour. The ideal dough is similar in its thickness to sour cream. Put some dough on a medium-hot pan and spread with a spoon to form a small pan-cake 1/4 inch thick. Cook till the surface is dry, then turn over to bake the other side. Put on a plate and make more flat breads like this. Oil one side with pine nut oil (using a brush). Alternatively, pour the oil in a small bowl, roll the bread into a roll and dip into the oil while eating. Serves 3. Preparation time - 45 min.

Tips from chef Kedroff: To soak the rye, I use a large glass jar, allowing for plenty of room for rye to expand as it absorbs water. When the soaked rye is set on a plate to sprout, covering it with a wet cheese cloth helps to slow down rye's drying and speeds up sprouting. When the rye has tiny (1 mm = 1/24 in) white sprouts, it is ready to cook. If not cooked immediately after sprouting, it should be rinsed and refrigerated to slow down it further sprouting. I usually soak the rye in the evening, put it on a plate in the evening next day, and the morning or by noon after that it is ready to make bread. I usually use 3 or 4 pans to speed up cooking, making oblong breads about 5" long and 3" wide, or larger round breads 6-8" in diameter.

PINE NUT HERB DIP/SPREAD

Ingredients: a large handful of pine nuts (2.5-3 oz); 6 or so sundried tomatoes, soaked for 2.5 hours; two or three large spanish green olives; six slices of zucchini; half a clove of garlic; a thin slice of red onion; a handful of parsley; a handful of cinnamon basil; cilantro; cayenne pepper; sea salt; nama shoyu; olive (or pine nut) oil; a little bit of maple syrup.
Directions: blend blend, push down, blend more, push down, blend and repeat until smooth keep tasting throughout to add more of the specific things you like, eat with bell pepper or some yummy raw crackers! or just with your fork!

Coleslaw with macadamia dressing

Ingredients: 1/2 Red/purple cabbage, chopped; 1/2 Green cabbage, chopped; 3 carrots, grated; 3/4 cup cedar nuts; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon garlic, crushed; 1/4 cup olive (or cedar nut) oil; 1 cup green leafies (i.e. rocket or spinach leaves); 1 teaspoon vegetable stock
Directions: Combine cabbages, carrots and green leafies. Put in a blender cedar nuts, vegetable stock, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil. Add a splash of water. Blend till smooth. Test seasoning.
Serve nut mayonnaise over leafies.
Wa-la! Delicious coleslaw!

For Educational purposes only
This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
These articles come directly from researchers and are passed on to everybody. The company assumes no liability for any content in these articles.

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ESSENTIAL-OILS.PRO

History of Aromatherapy

For millenniums humanity has been discovering mysterious properties of plants. Knowledge obtained through experiments and researches and its systematization resulted in a new science - Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is an art of healing by means of plant aromas. Aromatherapy emerged long before it was thought as a science. Have you noticed how easily you breathe when you are walking in a forest? How nice it is to feel piny wood scent and redolence of green pine needles and resin! This is a natural aromatherapy.

According to the first manuscripts with fragrance recipes aromatherapy has been used for 6000 years! In Egypt the use of aromatherapy is confirmed by earthenware tablets that described embalming process by means of aromatics.

Ancient people perfectly understood aromatic and therapeutic properties of plants. Contemporary civilization just begins to uncover the value of aromatherapy hidden treasures.

In the ancient times aromatic, antiseptic, antimicrobial and wound-healing properties of essential-oil plants were known and widely used from Babylon and Persia to India and China. In the old medical texts of these countries, written around 3000 years ago, many herbs and their utilization were described. Plants whose aromas were able to impact on consciousness were burned during religious ceremonies.

The resins that were used for incense were highly therapeutic; they influenced on respiratory system and immersed priests into meditative state. Egyptians applied fragrances from perfumery and cosmetics to medicine and mummification. Some perfume jars still smell with fragrance that was kept there 3200 years ago. Also Egyptians used aromas for skin care, washing clothes, added them into vine and food. Frankincense oil used to be burned in honor of Egyptian God Ra, it also was a great component in skin care recipes. Cedar and Myrrh oils were used for embalming. As it turned out essential oils of cedar and myrrh contained elements with strong prophylactic and antiseptic properties, which allowed mummies be preserved for a very long time. Egyptians acquired a reputation of perfume experts; however, they were not familiar with essential oil extraction methods and used only infusions and ointments.

Greeks continued researches in aromatherapy. They found new uses for essential oils in medicine. Ancient thinker and pharmacologist Pedanius Dioscorides wrote a book about healing with herbs "De Materia Medica". This book had been very popular in Europe for 12 centuries. Many recipes offered in this book are still useful today. Another Greek physician Hippocrates - the founder of contemporary scientific medicine composed a work where 236 plants and their medical use were described. Reflecting Greek philosophy of his time, Hippocrates approached patient as a unified whole and as a part of nature. He believed that plants contain medical elements in optimal combination and thus they heal better when unprocessed or as natural juices.

Romans based their knowledge on Greeks' aromatherapy achievements. Their innovation was in bringing aromatic plants and ingredients from Aravia and Eastern India. With new plants more deceases could be cured. Romans paid a lot of attention to the aromatic properties of plants. In antique Rome and Greece perfumery with floral scents was booming, the essential oils were widely used in steam baths as a daily ritual. Many Greek doctors served in Roman army and carried their aromatherapy knowledge through different countries. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that essential oils were given to people by Olympus Gods as a means of supreme light, awakening love.

After the collapse of Roman Empire, Arabic perfumers improved aromatherapy knowledge. They were the first who applied steam distillation for extracting essential oil from rose petals. This invention is believed to belong to Avicenna, philosopher and a physician of Middle East. He described more than 800 medical means that were mostly of botanical origin. In his book "The Canon of Medicine" he described steam distillation method which is used nowadays as well.

European aromatherapy was developing in medieval times. During crusades Arabic fragrances were spread over entire Europe. Plant's medical properties were intensively studied at the times of pestilence spread. Branches of lavender and cypress were burned on the streets. It was the only protection against Black Death that people knew.

In the ninetieth century with the development of synthetic pharmacology the importance of aromatherapy began to decrease. However, when it was noticed that synthetic products caused multiple complications the interest in aromatherapy arose again.

In 1930, French scientist-chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse put into practice a term of Aromatherapy. His family owned a perfumery fabric, and, according to the legend, Maurice, working in a laboratory, burned his hand badly. By reflex, he dipped his hand into lavender oil that was standing by. Later he was so amazed watching mystical recovery and disappearance of scars on his hand. As a result he dedicated his live to researches about essential oil cosmetic and dermatological properties.

French physician Jean Valnet significantly expanded uses of aromatherapy. He was using essential oils for disinfection of wounds and for internal organs spasms relieving. In 1964 he published a book "Practice of Aromatherapy" triggering the aromatherapy practice in Europe. Homeopathic clinics, practicing aromatherapy were build in Paris, Sveden and England where obvious rejuvenation properties of essential oils were studied.

Contemporary aromatherapy is first of all a prophylactic and healthful method of maintaining good psycho-emotional and physical fitness. It is a therapy that relieves everyday stress and prevents development of infirmity. In Canada, US, Europe and Japan thousands of aromatherapy clinics operate, aromatherapy books are published and scientific laboratories are working, continuing the tradition of aromatherapy use.

With the growing popularity of aromatherapy many people get familiarized with therapeutic properties of essential oils and start using them at home on a daily basis.

On the current market the world leading Essential Oil company is Young Living Essential Oils. Young Living's line of pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils and essential oil blends are sourced from the world's finest plants. They are not diluted with chemical and synthetic additives and are carefully prepared to maintain plant integrity. This commitment to purity makes Young Living products the world's highest-quality essential oil line.

Part of the proceeds go to the creation of an Eco-Village.

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For Educational purposes only
This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
These articles come directly from researchers and are passed on to everybody. The company assumes no liability for any content in these articles.

For more great articles go to http://www.ringingcedarsofrussia.org/infoE.php#articles

Message submitted from: Radha Theresa,

Address: 83 Cassilis St Coonabarabran NSW Australia Phone number: 0268424778
Email: capricorndancer@live.com.au
Title: Vedruss Kins Oasis
User classifieds ad:
Calling Vedruss! A Kin's Village is called into being in Coonabarabran, Australia. If you feel called to participate, please email Radha or Chris for more details - capricorndancerlive.com.au

Shambhala-Shasta

SUCCESS!!!
The Anastasia Eco-settlement project has found its home in North America on Sacred Motherland!

Many great thanks to all of you who contributed to this success and to many who have supported this dream and vision with your love from near and far.

Shambhala-Shasta community has taken back 466 acres of prestine motherland. Free and clear. No debt. No Encumbrances. No liens. Free and clear!!!

To freedom, independance and sovereignty!!!

The community will steadily grow out from here as we are bordered on the east and north by national forests.

More to come soon after our visit to our motherland in the next few days.

We have several settlers who have begun the intake process and purchased their domains. If you are ready and feel the beat in your heart, come and join!!!

http://shambhala-shasta.org/become/

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