Be Different. It's Good for You.


It’s funny how some things come to be accepted as normal just because the larger flock is engaging in them.  If you are fortunate enough to have an open mind and think for yourself, all of a sudden you are the one who is considered odd, or alternative, or irresponsible.
When did it become normal for millions of American kids to be on the mind altering drug Ritalin?  What happened to the human body that all of a sudden we supposedly need flu shots and immunizations to stay healthy?  How is it that medicine is a leading cause of death in this country yet we continue to consume it in absurd amounts?
When you talk about acupuncture for total body health and wellness you are a freak.  If your “medicine cabinet” isn’t overflowing with cough syrups and pain-killers you’re odd.  If you choose not to immunize your kids you’re doing them a disservice.
Who are the ones that are really off base here?  Common or mainstream does not necessarily mean normal or right or the best thing for you, and it’s up to you to make informed decisions about your health instead of leaving your fate in someone else’s hands.
If you’re thinking for yourself and you happen to be in alignment with the masses, then so be it.  But don’t be influenced by the flock to accept their mentality just because “everybody else is doing it”. 
When you swim against the current of conventional thinking people look at you funny.  Rather than taking offense to those sideways glances, take them as a sign that you are on the right track.

It’s been said that as soon as you start thinking like the crowd you’ll be swept up in it.  Be strong enough to stand up for what you believe, for what makes sense to you, and for what you know in your heart to be right.  You owe it to yourself.

Meridian system and inner pathways

Here a good visual of the Meridian system and their inner pathways of the body.

Post by DBN Lyon.

The Twelve Meridians


I found this article from the above website. It was very informative so I wanted to share. 
I hope this serves you a better understanding of Meridians of our body which is the pathway of our energy, feelings and emotions.


The Twelve Meridians
Scan through this whole page first.  Click an organ to read everything about that organ.  
   
An ancient Chinese adage says: 'A tree grows from the roots.'  Yin and yang and the Five Elemental Energies form the main roots in the Taoist tree of health, and the entire edifice of traditional Chinese medicine and physiology is based upon the foundation of these energy principles.
 The Five Elemental Energies and their cycles provide a practical working model through which the interrelationships between the human body and the natural environment may be understood and controlled.  They also illuminate the internal functional relationships between the body's various vital organs and explain how external elements such as foods and medicinal herbs influence the organs and their functions.  All aspects of human health, including physiology and pathology, diagnosis and therapy, are rooted in this remarkably reliable system of polar forces and cyclic energy transformations.
 The traditional Chinese view of human physiology differs significantly from the Western view in that the Chinese have always focused attention on the function rather than the form of the vital organs. The Western medical practice of studying human physiology based upon anatomical locations of various organs as revealed in dissected cadavers makes no sense to Chinese physicians, because cadavers have no living energy and their organs are not functional. How can a dead body reveal anything significant about the dynamics of living energy? Furthermore, in addition to their biological functions and anatomical locations, the Chinese concept of 'organs' also includes the specific type of energy that infuses each organ, as well as the energy meridians that channel organ energies to and from other parts of the body.
 Over the ages, Chinese physicians discovered two fundamental principles which govern the vital organs and regulate their functional relationships.  The first principle is that all the major organs are calledzang or 'solid' organs and are involved primarily in functions of 'collecting and storing'.  The matching yang organs are called fu or 'hollow organs' and deal mainly with functions of 'movement and transformation'.  There are six zang and six fu, matched in six yin/yang pairs, and each one is regulated by one of the Twelve Major Meridians. The second principle is that each of the six pairs of organs is governed by one of the Five Elemental Energies, with Fire controlling two pairs.  The creative and control cycles of these energies orchestrate the functional relationships between the organs and determine how external environmental energies influence internal conditions.  Internal conditions are in turn reflected externally by the color, tone, and texture of 'the five apertures and five tissues', such as eyes and ears, skin and hair, which thus provide handy tools for diagnosing disease.
 In the Chinese system, everything ultimately boils down to energy, a view which modern Western physics is beginning to verify.  Therefore, the Chinese approach to human health and physiology accounts not only for the effects of obvious visible substances such as microbes and toxins, blood and bile, but also for the invisible and even more pervasive influences of emotions and energies that have a direct impact on the human energy system.  As the energy therapist Dr. John Veltheim puts it: 'Science tells us that everything is energy and that matter is nothing more than energy in a different form.'  The Five Elemental Energies and their cycles provide an intelligible formula for diagnosing and correcting the energy disorders that lie at the root of most human ailments, and for taking preventive measures to avoid such disruptions before they occur.
 Since the Chinese view differs so significantly from the conventional Western view of human physiology, a brief review of each of the twelve vital organ systems and their functions according to traditional Chinese medical practice is in order here, so that Western readers may gain a proper working perspective on the subject.  We'll run through the organs according to the Five Elemental Energies, first describing the associated 'solid' yin organs, then its 'hollow' yang partner.
Stomach: Earth Energy Yang Organ
Spleen: Earth Energy Yin Organ
Heart: : Fire Energy Yin Organ
Small Intestine: Fire Energy Yang Organ
Bladder: Water Energy Yang Organ
Kidney: Water Energy Yin  Organ
Pericardium: Fire Energy Yin Organ
Triple Burner: Fire Energy Yang Organ
Gallbladder: Wood Energy Yang Organ
Liver: Wood Energy Yin Organ
Lung: Metal Energy Yin Organ
Large Intestine: Metal Energy Yang Organ
The front and medial aspect of the body is Yin, while the back and lateral aspect of the body is Yang (the Stomach meridian is the only Yang meridian located on the front of the body)
 The below chart illustrates where the meridians begin and end on the surface of the body, not showing the exact paths they take.  It also shows the 24 hour cycle which takes place in the body.  For every two hours throughout the day, one organ-channel is at it's peak, while the organ opposite of that hour (ie, bladder/lungs) is at it's low.  People who are sensitive enough to energy, always know the time of day just by feeling the rhythmic shifting of energy in the body.
The external trajectories of the Twelve Primary Channels either begin or end on the hands, feet, chest, and head.
The meridians themselves do not begin or end on the outside of the body, but originate deep within the organs and vital energetic centers (Chakras) of the body.  So, by modifying the energy of a point just beneath the surface of the skin, we are modifying the energy deep within the body.  The acupuncture or "tsubo" points are somewhat  like amplifiers along a telephone line (meridians) which interact with energy inside as well as outside the body.  Some tsubos can be connected to several meridians and are also major connection points for numerous pathways of energy where energy sinks into and flows out from the body.  A point itself can be seen as a tiny electrochemical 'organ' which serves as a gateway and storage house for all types of mind-energy, constantly "working" to maintain homeostasis.  Almost all of the classical acupuncture points have been detected with modern GSR devices and radioactive isotopic tracing and proven valid, some more strong or "important" than others. Along with many other points unrecognized by classical texts, about 700 of these vital energetic 'holes' have been detected, and many more are physically apparent (skin pores, hair follicles, sweat glands, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, anus, urethra).  
It can also be seen that the Chakras are like giant tsubo points.  Note the similarity of the above picture (an individual tsubo point) to the ones directly below.  The distinct Funnel shape which roots down into a deeper channel of energy.  It can be considered that the size and collective function of a major acupuncture point can be compared to, for example, the size and collective function of a city on planet Earth (there are hundreds of cities).  The Chakras, in relation to this, would be like the size and collective function of a really big city (like New York) or an entire country or the Earth (Gaia) as a whole. These "giant tsubos" relate to the functions carried out in those particular areas of the body, and are also associated with some of the most important acupuncture points located along the Conception and Governing Vessels.
The below illustration shows the acupuncture points corresponding to the Seven Chakras.  It also shows the Three Dantiens, which are the three primary psychoenergetic centers noticed in Chinese medicine, equivalent to the Ayurvedic Seven Chakras.  The Lower Dantian is regarded as one of the most sacred energy centers, being located in front of the sacrum (which in latin means 'sacred'). Interestingly, the Lower Dantian also correlates to the first level of the Human Energy Field, which is the layer closest to our physical bodies, the nucleus of our entire being.
The Lower Dantian, or "Hara" is so significant that many practitioners diagnose the conditions of the energy meridians of the body through palpating the abdomen and observing the abdominal pulses.
"The connective tissue and fascia form a mechanical continuum, extending throughout the animal body, even into the innermost parts of each cell. All the great systems of the body – the circulation, the nervous system, the musculo-skeletal system, the digestive tract, the various organs – are ensheathed in connective tissue. This matrix determines the overall shape of the organism as well as the detailed architecture of its parts. All movements, of the body as a whole, or of its smallest parts, are created by tensions carried through the connective tissue fabric. Each tension, each compression, each movement causes the crystalline lattices of the connective tissues to generate bioelectric signals that are precisely characteristic of those tensions, compressions and movements. The fabric is a semiconducting communication network that can convey the bioelectric signals between every part of the body and every other part. This communication network within the fascia is none other than the meridian system of traditional Oriental medicine, with its countless extensions into every part of the body. As these signals flow through the tissues, their biomagnetic counterparts extend the stories they tell into the space around the body. The mechanical, bioelectric, and biomagnetic signals traveling through the connective tissue network, and through the space around the body, tell the various cells how to form and reform the tissue architecture in response to the tensions, compressions, and movements we make."


Painting - The Nature of Mind: Panel II - Copyright Alex Grey www.alexgrey.com
There are a variety of self-regulation exercises which can be done to strengthen and tonify the organs and their meridians.  One set of exercises, known as the Six Healing Sounds, works through the use of sounds which resonate with the different organs.  There are also Chi-Gong ("breath-work") exercises which focus on harmonizing the energy of the individual organs, the meridians, Chakras, and the organism as a whole.  Another way to do it, relating more to the Ayurvedic model of health and healing, is by stretching (Hatha Yoga). 
Refer to the top of the page for information on the individual organs.
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Immediate and long-term benefits of quitting smoking!

Tobacco use is one of the factors that may influence your pain and healing.
Here are some immediate and long-term benefits of quitting smoking!

20 Minutes After Quitting-Your heart rate drops.

12 Hours After Quitting- Carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

24 Hours After Quitting - Your risk of heart attack is decreased.

48 Hours After Quitting -Your nerve endings start to regenerate and your sense of smell and taste improve.

2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting- Your lung function begins to improve.

1 to 9 Months After Quitting-Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

1 Year After Quitting-Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

5 Years After Quitting- Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s 5-15 years after quitting.

10 Years After Quitting - Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s. Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.

15 Years After Quitting- Your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker’s.



Devil in Disguise

Painkillers are being abused like never before.  The media likes to sensationalize the use of prescription pain meds being sold in dark alleys by neighborhood thugs and resident riff-raff.
But what about the gentleman who just purchased the drugs legally from his local pharmacy, as prescribed by his doctor.  Is he in any less danger than the guy who obtains his through the black market?
You can argue that in the short-term he is, since he is taking the drugs as prescribed and in the proper dosage.  But how about over the long haul?
When you are injured, signals are sent from the injury site to the brain to register pain.  Pain is useful in that it alerts us to some form of tissue damage or bodily crisis.  The logical course of action would be to address the situation and correct the underlying root cause. 
If you set a heavy box down on your foot, you create pain.  Remove the box, and the pain goes away.  Some things just make too much sense.
Instead, we are in effect encouraged by doctors to strap the box on, walk around with it for a lifetime, and guzzle painkillers to make up for the difference.  It sounds silly when described this way, but it is no less crazy than swallowing pain meds every day while living with chronic pain.
So what’s the big problem with taking painkillers?
First, as with any medication, painkillers come with a whole slew of side effects.  Any drug, especially when used chronically, takes a toll on the body, particularly the liver and kidneys.
Beyond that, pain medications override your body’s internal warning system.  What would normally be a signal to back off or slow down in order to avoid risking farther injury, is no longer present.  So the chances of exacerbating an injury are elevated when taking painkillers.
In addition, pain meds are not corrective.  When pain and symptoms arise due to meridian system imbalances, the only correction is an acupuncture treatment.  When artificially masking the symptoms with painkillers, the underlying cause is left to fester and become worse.  Not only do these types of medicines not fix anything, they can actually contribute to making the problem worse.  In essence, they do nothing more than help your body deteriorate more comfortably.

So to be at your best, ditch the painkillers and get acupuncture, which brings health with no side effects!

Detox Your Mind

Whether you realize it or not, one of the most powerful forces in your life is your self-image.  A positive, healthy self-image can carry you to heights you’ve never imagined, while a negative self-image will pin you down like a lead weight.
To a large degree your self-image is influenced by the pictures and messages you continually feed into your mind.  Positive, uplifting messages help to foster a healthy self image, while stories of doom and despair are sure to bring you down.
Your mind, just like your body, is conditioned by the pattern of your daily habits.  If you get into the routine of exercising every day and putting wholesome nutritious food into your body, it is inevitable that your level of health will improve.  By the same token, feasting on donuts and soda everyday while taking up permanent residence on the couch is like punching your ticket on the express train out of here.
By treating our minds like our bodies, that is feeding them what makes them healthier and exercising them the right way, we can make a complete shift in our mental make-up.
Detoxing your mind takes practice and discipline, but the payoff is invaluable.  The eventual goal should be to always ooze positivity, but start by challenging yourself with a few days to a week of elevating your attitude and build from there.  Journal your progress and take note of the changes that you see in yourself and in those around you.
Start by replacing the “junk food” that you force feed into your head with outrageously nutritious material.  Focus on feeding nothing but positive, motivating things into your mind.  This goes for what you watch, read, listen to, and most importantly, what you think.
Replace the dread and corruption reported on the evening news with a motivational reading, spiritual study, or uplifting music.  Break away from gossip and get into the habit of passing out compliments.
If negative thoughts about yourself or someone else enter your mind (and they will) work on eliminating them or putting a positive spin on them.  For example, instead of complaining that your water bill is too high, come up with creative ways to lower it or simply be thankful that you have running water at the turn of a knob.

You draw into your life those things that you consistently focus your time and energy on.  Become a magnet for happiness and prosperity by continually thinking happy, prosperous thoughts.