Wellness Hub

Flu Season

2011-12-20T08:11:00.000-08:00

Influenza commonly known as flu is an infectious disease caused by the influenza virus. It is transmitted through air, direct contact like touching something that has the virus on it.

The Common symptoms are fatigue, dizziness, headache, cough, body ache, fever, nausea and vomiting. It is common that people confuse cold and flu since they share the same symptoms.

People with flu should get a lot of rest, drink plenty of liquids, avoid alcohol and tobacco.

Via: Canada Drug Center

Anatomy Of A Doctor

2011-12-14T04:10:00.000-08:00

Doctors are licensed to practice medicine, which is concerned for promoting, maintaining, and restoring human health through diagnosis and treatment.

They examine the patients, obtain medical records, and perform and interpret diagnostic tests. They diagnose illnesses and prescribe and administer treatment for people suffering from injury or disease.

Via: RN to MSN

Obesity Worldwide

2011-12-12T04:32:00.000-08:00

Obesity is increasing throughout the world. The dominance of obesity is affecting men, women and children in any age.
Obesity is usually caused by genes, lack of exercise, unhealthy diet, metabolism, physiological factors, boredom and health issues.
Obese people are likely to have premature death because they have high risk in diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, digestive disorder, psychological problems, and etc.
Dieting, medication and exercise are sometimes successful in weight loss. Living healthy is the best choice.

Via: Actos Injury Lawyers

MY WAR: PENTHOUSE Magazine - Warrior Wire

2011-05-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

MY WAR: PENTHOUSE Magazine - Warrior Wire

Bodily Changes and Healthy Aging

2011-04-07T07:06:00.003-07:00

Aging is a natural phenomenon any human must endure. It's a curse we have to make do with in life. Seeing it as a challenge rather than a curse is a great way to fight the signs of aging. Being aware of all the changes in our body will help us understand and conquer aging by keeping ourselves on a healthy regimen.
The initial region that most illnesses will develop has to be in the muscoskeletal system. It turns out that as soon as an individual celebrates his 35th birthday, regardless of their activities, athletic nature, and so on - their bodies began to weaken. Nonetheless, it can decrease such illness by staying away from injuries towards the muscles and joints. You are able to do this by avoiding bodily harm such as physical abuse, excessive drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and so on. You are able to improve your well being by working out, consuming wholesome foodstuffs, socializing with constructive individuals, and avoiding toxins from the environment.

Going to your physician is important to stop illness also. Whenever you go to your physician, he requires the time to study your physical status according to the family members background you gave to him. The physician will think about family members background, such as hereditary illnesses. Your physician will take family members background into consideration as he research diagnostics, cures, prevention, and therapy to assist you steer clear of illness. As mentioned previously, each of our physique begins to be overworked by age 35, which our sensory organs will also begin to take this weary route. At this time, the eyes may also take the toll because they can't stay focused on objects in close proximity. Speaking of medical terms, this situation is referred to as presbyopia. That is why you see numerous individuals on the planet more than the age 40 wearing eyeglasses. Nonetheless, you see the young people with these exact same requirements, which is really a clear sign that the progression of aging is beginning earlier for some foks. This can be a note signaling hereditary makeup, or way of life according to environmental factors..
Numerous individuals as they develop older shed a degree of hearing. In some situations, individuals go deaf following 40. This situation is known as presbycusis, which is really a sign of aging. Because this situation is typical for all those aging, it's all-natural to dislike issues you as soon as liked. For example, in the event you enjoyed concerts whenever you had been younger, and now discover that you simply don't appreciate concerts whatsoever, it's simply because your hearing has been altered, which indicates that the high-pitch of hearing is affected, which gradually wore down hearing ability for lower tones. As soon as hearing is impaired, it frequently appears like these speaking are inarticulate. Because the hearing is negatively impacted, the individual will certainly listen to human speech in a different way.
We see all-natural wholesome aging in this image, however in some situations aging indicators are unnatural. For example, in the event you incur lung cancer according to your background of smoking, or becoming about second-hand smoke, then the trigger is unnatural.
As an individual grows older his or her, weight modifications also and much more so for all those with family members background of obesity. The physique fat begins to alter as much as 30% by the time an individual reaches 40. The modifications impact the physique tremendously, because this really is the begin of wrinkles along with other all-natural aging indicators.

Getting Enough Sleep Towards Aging Gracefully

2011-04-07T07:06:00.001-07:00

Everyone has probably encountered sleeping troubles more than the chance of being able to change light bulb. Okay that was a bad joke, but seriously sleep deprivation can be a health issue you should not take lightly. As years pass, our bodies become prone to more stress. Too much to handle that it can affect our sleeping patterns.
Getting a great sleep at night renders the brain to function properly. A great evening of sleep also improves your power whilst controlling your weight. You are able to also make choices with much less stress. Proper sleeping patterns fortifies our immunological functions to be stronger to help maintain our us health status. Scientific study has demonstrated that a great nights sleep is essential for our well being. Researchers have discovered that lack of sleep minimizes the development hormones in our bodies, because it modifications muscles to fat. Sleep overall is most significant, however it stands behind activities. To enhance your well being, attempt walking every day.

Walking will assist to loosen our muscles, minimizes tension and depression together with anxiousness. By reliving these issues, it'll assist us to sleep for a longer and deeper period. So, when we wake up within the morning we really feel happier and much more rested.
Whenever you physical exercise, you've gotten a great evening of sleep, which generally encourages metabolism. With out the proper quantity of sleep, our bodies crave power. Our physique will release insulin or glucose into the bloodstream, which holds back metabolic rate. This course of action will cause the physique to acquire excess weight, instead of manage unwanted fat.
Whenever an individual can feel worn-out, they'll really feel weak and repressed from taking pleasure in fun-based activities. This results in extra issues. Sleeping correct balances out our bodies by giving us much more power to do much more activities which will satisfy our sleep requirements.
What to prevent: To rest correct and really feel active you need to decrease your intake of caffeine, nicotine, dangerous chemical substances, like over-the-counter medications in which will maintain your waking hours like, alcohol and so on. The chemical substances and substances will maintain you awake. Attempt to steer clear of drinking especially when it's already late in the evening. Nicotine should also be feasibly avoided, however in the event you should smoke - attempt to steer clear of smoking when it's 9 PM.
Begin a walking system within the morning to assist wake you up, whilst maximizing your power. You'll really feel much better because the joints will really feel versatile sufficient to move out and about. In addition, brisk walking will promote the shedding of fat and calories. You will notice a large alter in how you really feel the rest with the day. Begin out walking at a gradual steady pace for as far as your comfy zone can get. Every day choose up the pace a little and walk additional. Just keep in mind when walking that you simply wish to function as much as a steady brisk walk to create you sweat but not out of breath. Take a brief walk prior to and following meals to calm your nerves, and burn calories too, it'll provide you with power, relieve that tension from the lengthy day and assist you to sleep.
In the event you begin a walking system for your self, it's much more enjoyable when you have somebody to go with you. Speak to that neighbor you do not know and perhaps they’ll walk with you. Just consider it; you will be familiar with somebody new, speak about new issues will relieve tension and get in you physical exercise also. This may assist that neighbor too who perhaps hasn’t observed or talked to anybody inside a few days and than they are able to sleep much better at evening.
Following walking that brisk walk your performing make sure to cool down. When walking at a brisk pace your pulse rate should go up and it requirements to become back to regular. Just walk a little slow and soothing till you’ve cooled down.
In the event you cannot visit sleep during the evening rather than obtaining interest in TV, you can attempt pacing to and fro in the home. You can also tremble your arms and legs and do a little stretching. Even walking about in the home can unwind you particularly when everybody else is in bed and you are able to unwind much more.

McDonald's is threatened for its Happy Meals

2010-06-26T13:37:00.001-07:00

A US consumer group has accused McDonald's of tempting children with their Happy Meal toys. They believe that this practice is "creepy" and "predatory". They have threatened to sue McDonalds if they do not stop the exploitation of kids with toys within 30 days.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest revealed to the public that it is illegal for companies to lure children with toys in New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, Texas, and other states. This exists under the consumer protection laws in these states.

The executive directors at the Center of Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, argues that tempting children with their toys is deceptive and unfair. Kids nag their parents for the toys and are not old enough to understand the advertising techniques of which they are victims. This makes the issue unfair for parents as well as the children.

In arguments against the accusations, McDonald's says that the charges are misrepresentations. McDonald's believes that it is making an effort to provide the public with healthier food, and the children with safe toys.

William Whitman, a representative for McDonald's, believes that the toys add to the fun of the family experience McDonald's is providing. They now have to convince the public that they are complying with their pledge (2003) to control advertising targeted at children below 12 years of age.

WHO Takes Offense at Insinuation That Their Pandemic Alert is Fake

2010-01-25T04:48:00.001-08:00

The World Health Organization (WHO) has alone taking cudgels upon "irresponsible" allegations that the declared swine flu pandemic is a "fake" call from them.

WHO additionally absolved claims it colluded with multinational medicine companies to jack up their flu meds in the industry to match up the crisis of the fresh H1N1 affliction strain.

WHO admiral will accommodated with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Tuesday afterwards the babysitter anatomy questioned whether the U.N.'s bloom bureau acted beneath disproportionate influence. Spokesman Gregory Hartl says WHO has consistently been "very abstinent and sober" in anecdotic the beginning as causing overwhelmingly balmy disease. Hartl said Monday that from a accurate point of appearance "this is audibly a pandemic" and for people to call it "fake" is an irresponsible accusation.

Naltrexone Can Now Treat Kleptomania

2009-04-15T08:43:00.001-07:00

Naltrexone now offers hope to people suffering from kleptomania. Naltrexone was formerly discovered to be effective in treating drug addiction and alcoholism. According a Reuters news report, the Biological Psychiatry journal released the efficacy of Nalrexone. Dr. Jon E. Grant of the University of Minnesota Medical School explained that "kleptomania appears to share many...similarities to substance use disorders: urges or cravings, tolerances, withdrawal, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop, and impairment in areas of life functioning". This is why with naltrexone, several psychiatric disorders can now be alleviated witha level of ease.

This is a great news for the medical field of psychiatry because in a conclusive study that was undergone using naltrexone, the experts found that patients taking these showed more positive response with greater reduction in anxiety and depression. However, the experts reminded that the average effective dose of naltrexone is 116.7 milligrams per day.

First Cloned Camel in the World Makes a Debut in Dubai

2009-04-14T01:49:00.001-07:00

A ground-breaking achievement has been announced as a first in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Dubai has finally claimed their home-grown version of Dolly the Sheep! The first cloned camel was born on April 8 2009 in Dubai's Camel Reproduction Center. Named as Injaz, the first cloned camel was female and she is a product of a five year long intensive research by the Camel Reproduction Centre and the Central Veterinary Laboratory in U.A.E.

A ground-breaking achievement has been announced as a first in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Dubai has finally claimed their home-grown version of Dolly the Sheep! The first cloned camel was born on April 8 2009 in Dubai's Camel Reproduction Center. Named as Injaz, the first cloned camel was female and she is a product of a five year long intensive research by the Camel Reproduction Centre and the Central Veterinary Laboratory in U.A.E. The scientific director of the Camel Reproduction Centre Lulu Skidmore was jubilant about this progress. Skidmore thought that "This significant breakthrough in our research program gives a means of preserving the valuable genetics of our elite racing and milk-producing camels in the future." Dubai scientists expect that Injaz will live longer than Dolly the Sheep who was born in Edinburgh in 1996, but only lived for 6 years.

KYOTO BOX - Solar Cooking Device Kyoto Box Wins $75000 Prize

2009-04-09T07:32:00.001-07:00

Kyoto Box is just two pieces of cardboard with a foil and black paint -- which can be used to boil water and cook food. This environment-friendly solar cooker was invented by a Kenyan man who hopes to spread to the world solar cooking which can save many trees around the world as two billion people around the globe use firewood to cook food. This Kyoto Box was Forum for the Future's $75,000 grand prize winner.

Farrah Fawcett Cancer Update - Farrah Endures Rectal Cancer

2009-04-06T09:11:00.001-07:00

Farrah Fawcett earned her fame from the TV series Charlie's Angels. Now at 62, Farrah Fawcett cancer updates indicate that she needs our prayers for angel who needs to survive he battle against cancer! What Farrah Fawcett has is rectal cancer. Although some of us might find that laughable, rectal cancer (or colo-rectal cancer) can be a dreaded type of cancer because it is the 3rd most common type of cancer and it is 2nd leading cause of all cancer deaths in the Western World. That is how terrible rectal cancer can be for someone like actress Farrah Fawcett. Survival rate for colo-rectal cancer is just 40-56 percent.

How can rectal cancer be prevented? What things should people avoid to be able to have the least chance of contracting rectal cancer? Doctors say that we need to reduce our intake of processed and preservative rich foods that may contain carcinogens. Avoiding smoking, red meat, high caloric intake and alcohol can help condition our body to fight off cancer cells. Couple that with regular exercise, then we can have reduced risk in contracting colon cancer. Simple lifestyle changes can be our life-saver. As for Farrah Fawcett, all we can do now is offer our prayers towards her speedy recovery from her colon cancer ordeal.

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Still's Disease - Is it a Menace Among American Youth?

2009-03-31T00:34:00.001-07:00

Still's Disease is an ailment common among children but now it is found to attack adults too. Primarily described by symptoms like rheumatoid arthritis, salmon-colored rashes and transient fevers, Still's disease is a systemic kind of illness of yet to be known causes. Joint inflammation usually accompanies this disease and this can be fatal if left untreated.

Although Still's disease occurs only about 10 to 20 percent of all juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, this disease has been plaguing 50,000 American children in the United States. Still's disease can be treated using anti-inflammatory medicines as prescribed by physicians. To know more about Still's disease, you should visit the International Still's Disease Foundation website.

5000 Calorie Burger - West Michigan Whitecaps Prides their 5000 calorie Burger

2009-03-26T15:26:00.001-07:00

A 5000 calorie burger? This would seem like an appropriate meal for all those starving kids in Africa. However for normal people, I think this would be a recipe for clogged arteries and plus-sized buttocks. Dubbed as Fifth Third Burger (5/3 burger) this humongous burger has 300 grams of fat and 5,000 calories packed into a bun containing lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, chili and Fritos! Also, this 5000 calorie burger is produced by the West Michigan Whitecaps in honor of their sponsor the Fifth Third bank.

Costing as much as 20 dollars the 5000 calorie burger is costing more than their tickets priced at $5 for lawn seats and $13 for premium view seats. People on a strict diet are not recommended to take a bite from this monster!

Oxygen Therapy Unveils Hope for Autistic Children

2009-03-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

Oxygen is not just another element in the Periodic Table because it essentially is the one that breathes life to all living organisms. Almost all our basic needs to live contains oxygen, so it would not be questionable that oxygen therapy can indeed help autistic children focus more and thus, they can have the possibility to lead normal lives.

In the study revealed by the Scientific American:

[A] randomized, double-blind controlled study of 62 (autistic) children found that those who received 40 hours of treatment over a month were less irritable, more responsive when people spoke to them, made more eye contact and were more sociable than kids who didn’t receive it. They were also less sensitive to noise (some autistic children experience a kind of sensory overload from loud sounds and background noise). The most improvement was observed in kids older than five (the study included children ages two to seven) who had milder autism.

Indeed, this remarkable study will definitely "breathe" a fresh air of hope among parents of children afflicted with autism. Although more studies are still needed to finally confirm the efficacy of the oxygen treat, at least researchers have arrived at this promising remedy that will alter the process that cause autism.

Acai Berry and the Supplement Dilemma

2009-03-14T14:46:00.001-07:00

Acai Berry may be just one of the gazillions of food supplements that are scattered all over the market. What good are these supplements when often they give declarations that "no approved therapeutic claims" when in fact people's testimonies say otherwise. Acai berry is from an palm plant from the Amazon forest. These berries are said to be good to combat obesity, gives a person energy boost and it contains a lot of antioxidants that can fight cancer.

The popularity of Acai berry has been propelled by people's experiences using a certain product that contains extracts of Acai berry. Here are the media promotions of Acai berry:

Although this Acai berry concoction might be effective, it's still a little costly for ordinary people. Also, more tests should be done in order to prove the efficacy of this product as a medicine. They could not just always have the "supplement" excuse so as to deny people the worth of their money buying it and they see no effects, right?

Privacy Policy

2009-03-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

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Knowing the Pillars of Japanese Zen Gardening

2009-03-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

The recent spate of incorporating Zen into contemporary living has become so popular that it has inspired people to apply it in designing their homes, artworks or even in dealing with other people in organizations. Its emphasis in combining simplicity and harmony makes it an ideal design for gardens because it could summon good concentration and deep-seated meditation. In the today’s modern hectic life, visiting a Zen garden is definitely a refreshing break from our ubiquitous and rowdy cityscapes.

Zen claims to preserve the essence of the Buddha’s teachings through direct experience, triggered by mind-to-mind transmission of the dharma. It dismissed scriptures, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas in favor of training for direct intuition of cosmic unity, known as the Buddha-nature or the Void. However, in the world of gardening, the impact of Zen has been felt only relatively recently. It is one obvious sign of contemporary longing for affirmation that gardens do indeed express spiritual values.

Even with the technological advance of Japanese cities, once you have cleared the sprawling Tokyo suburbs, it is easy to have the impression that the whole Japanese landscape is a garden — where the gods are never far away. Perhaps from the eye’s eagerness to record as much as possible of the scenery rushing past, one will experience a series of sharp images: gentle hills covered with delicate, feathery conifers, groves of slender bamboo, pine trees with round,
prickly cones, tea plantations with the bushes ranged in neatly clipped rows, the gables of red-tiled roofs against the sky — everything apparently painted with a very fine-pointed brush and carefully composed and balanced. The same qualities of fineness and balance are found, distilled to a greater degree, in the gardens of Japan, whether secular or religious (McIntosh, 2005).

To convey the spirit of Japanese gardens, Lafcadio Hearn (1927) had previously noted that there existed a sensitivity and perception of life in Japan, in its society and customs. Hearn explained that:

No effort to create an impossible or purely ideal landscape is made in the Japanese garden. Its artistic purpose is to copy faithfully the attractions of a veritable landscape, and to convey the real impression that a real landscape communicates. It is therefore at once a picture and a poem; perhaps even more a poem than a picture. For, as nature’s scenery, in its varying aspects, affects us with sensations of joy or of solemnity, of grimness or of sweetness, of force or of peace, so must the true reflection of it in the labor of the landscape gardener create not merely an impression of beauty but a mood in the soul. The grand old landscape gardeners, those Buddhist monks who first introduced the art into Japan, and subsequently developed it into an almost occult science, carried their theory yet farther than this. They held it possible to express moral lessons in the design of a garden, and abstract ideas such as Chastity, Faith, Piety, Content, Calm, and Connubial Bliss. Therefore were gardens contrived according to the character of the owner, whether poet, warrior, philosopher or priest.

Over the years, change is also evident in the long evolution of Japanese gardens. Japan has been profoundly influenced by its larger neighbor to the west, and this is seen in significantly different types of impact from China at some key moments in this development (Nitschke, 1999). Shintoism, Japan's native religion, seems in origin to have been a form of animism, perhaps inevitable in a land of such sharp contrasts of mountains, valleys, and lakes. Some have drawn parallels with the standing stones of places such as Callanish in the Western Isles (Cave, 1993), but the idea of rocks as alive with spirits was to be supplemented by Chinese geomancy, and so gardens were created to reflect on a smaller scale (and so influence) the surrounding patterns of the landscape on which the people's livelihood depended (Nitschke, 1999).

Zen is essentially an inner awareness in which great attention is given to every action. Other forms developed in India and the Far East have much greater popular appeal. One of the major trends is known as Pure Land Buddhism. At times of great social upheaval (for instance, when the old Japanese feudal aristocracy was falling apart), it was widely thought that people had become so degenerate that it was nearly impossible for them to attain enlightenment through their own efforts. Instead, many turned to Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Boundless Light, to save them. Amida (first worshipped in India under the Sanskrit name Amitabha) was believed to have been an ancient prince who vowed to attain enlightenment. When he did, he used his virtue to prepare a special place of bliss, the Pure Land, for all those who called on his name (Lopez, 1999). Japan had an ancient tradition of worshipping mountains as the realm to which the dead ascend and from which deities descend to earth. The originally abstract Indian Buddhists’ concept of the “Pure Land” far to the west to which devotees return after death was transformed in Japan into concrete images. They depicted Amida Buddha riding on clouds billowing over the mountains, coming to welcome his dying devotees.

Sources:
Cave, P. Creating Japanese Gardens (London: Aurum Press, 1993), 92–3.
Hearn, Lafcadio. Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, Second Series (London, Jonathan Cape, 1927).
Lopez, Donald S., Jr., ed., Buddhism in Practice, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995).
McIntosh, Christopher. Gardens of the Gods : Myth, Magic and Meaning in Horticulture. London: I. B. Tauris & Company, Limited, 2005.
Nitschke, G. Japanese Gardens (Cologne: Taschen, 1999).

Zen Philosophy Simplified

2009-03-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

According to Encyclopædia Britannica (2006), Zen came from the Chinese word Ch'an (from Sanskrit dhyana, “meditation”). Zen was an important school of Buddhism in Japan that claims to transmit the spirit or essence of Buddhism, which consists in experiencing the enlightenment (bodhi) achieved by Gautama Buddha. This school arose in the 6th century in China as Ch'an, a form of Mahayana Buddhism; though introduced centuries earlier, Zen did not fully develop in Japan until the 12th century. In its secondary developments of mental tranquility, fearlessness, and spontaneity—all faculties of the enlightened mind—the school of Zen has had lasting influence on the cultural life of Japan.

To experience Zen, a central way of directly experiencing the underlying unity is termed as zazen (sitting meditation). “To sit,” said the Sixth Zen Patriarch, “means to obtain absolute freedom and not to allow any thought to be caused by external objects. To meditate means to realize the imperturbability of one’s original nature” (Stryk, 1969). Prescriptions for the manner of sitting are quite rigorous: one must take a specific upright posture and then not move during the meditation period, to avoid distracting the mind. Skillful means are then applied to make the mind one-pointed and clear. One beginning practice is simply to watch and count each inhalation and exhalation from one to ten, starting over from one if anything other than awareness of the breath enters the mind. Although this explanation sounds simple, the mind is so restless that many people must work for months before finally getting to ten without having to start over. Getting to ten is not really the goal; the goal is the process itself, the process of recognizing what comes up in the mind and gently letting it go without attachment or preferences.

As one sits in zazen, undisturbed by phenomena, as soon as one becomes inwardly calm, the natural mind is revealed in its original purity. This “original mind” is spacious and free, like an open sky. Thoughts and sensations may float through it like clouds, but they arise and then disappear, leaving no trace. What remains is reality, “True Thusness.” In some Zen schools, this perception of thusness comes in a sudden burst of enlightenment, or kensho.

When the mind is calmed, action becomes spontaneous and natural. Zen practitioners are taught to have great confidence in their natural functioning, for it arises from our essential Buddha-nature. It is said that two Zen monks, on becoming enlightened, ran naked through the woods scribbling on rocks.

On the other hand, the Zen tradition links spontaneity with intense, disciplined concentration. In the art of calligraphy, the perfect spontaneous brushstroke—executed with the whole body, in a single breath—is the outcome of years of attentive practice. Giving ourselves fully to the moment, to be aware only of pouring tea when pouring tea, is a simplicity of beingness that most of us have to learn. Then whatever we give ourself to fully, be it painting, or serving tea, or simply breathing, reveals the “thusness of life,” its unconditioned reality. As one of the most durable forms of Buddhism in Asia, zen influence has extended to martial arts, gardening, haiku, motorcycle maintenance and many other things (Gach, 2001).

Another tool used in one Zen tradition is the koan. Here the attention is focused ardently on a question that boggles the mind, such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” or “What is your face before your parents’ birth?” As Roshi (venerable teacher) Philip Kapleau (1980) observed, “Koans deliberately throw sand into the eyes of the intellect to force us to open our Mind’s eye and see the world and everything in it undistorted by our concepts and judgments.” To concentrate on a koan, one must look closely at it without thinking about it, experiencing it directly. Beyond abstractions, Roshi Kapleau (1980) explained that “the import of every koan is the same: that the world is one interdependent Whole and that each separate one of us is that Whole”.

Essentially, the aim of Zen practice is enlightenment, or satori. This is described as the occurrence when a person is directly experiencing the unity of all existence, often in a sudden recognition that nothing is separate from oneself. As one Zen master put it:

The moon’s the same old moon,
The ﬂowers exactly as they were,
Yet I’ve become the thingness
Of all the things I see! (Bunan, 1969)

Thus, with Zen, all aspects of life become at the same time utterly precious, and utterly empty, “nothing special.” This paradox can be sensed only with the mystically expanded consciousness; it cannot be grasped intellectually.

Sources:
Bunan. World of the Buddha, Lucien Stryk (ed.), (New York: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1969).

Gach, Gary. Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Buddhism. (Indianapolis, IN, USA: Alpha Books, 2001).

Kapleau, Roshi Philip. The Three Pillars of Zen, (New York: Anchor Books, 1980).

Stryk, Lucien (ed.). World of the Buddha (New York: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1969).

Zen. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9078315.

Understanding Iron Deficiency at the Core

2009-03-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Whilst iron is considered a trace mineral in our body, it is still essential because iron is an important component of haemoglobin. This is why Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) is a grave health concern because the British Nutrition Foundation (2004) reported that “3% of men and 8% of women have a haemoglobin concentration indicative of iron deficiency anaemia… Whilst in children, 3% of boys and 8% of girls aged 4-6 years, 1% of boys and 4% of girls aged 7-10 years, and 1% of boys and 9% of girls aged 15-18 years have haemoglobin concentrations indicative of iron deficiency anaemia. In addition, 11% of men and 9% of women aged 65 years and over have haemoglobin concentrations indicative of iron deficiency anaemia”. The World Health Organization (WHO) has more alarming facts about IDA because they reported that IDA is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. They reported 3.7 billion people have iron deficiency and most of them are women. Worse, more than half of pregnant women (58%) in developing countries are anaemic.

The occurrence of IDA is a sad fact because iron can be easily taken from many food sources. Andrews (1999) informed that the form of iron in foods influences greatly how much is absorbed. About 40% of the total iron in animal flesh is in the form of haemoglobin (the same form as in red blood cells) and myoglobin (pigment found in muscle cells). This haeme iron is absorbed about two to three times more efficiently than the simple elemental iron, called non-haeme iron. If neither the diet nor body stores can supply the iron needed for haemoglobin synthesis, the number of red blood cells will decrease in the bloodstream. The blood haemoglobin concentration also falls. Physicians use both the percentage of red blood cells (called the haematocrit) and the haemoglobin concentration to assess iron status, along with the amount of iron and iron-containing proteins in the bloodstream. When haematocrit and haemoglobin fall, an iron deficiency is suspected. In severe deficiency, haemoglobin and haematocrit fall so low that the amount of oxygen carried in the bloodstream is decreased. Such a person has anaemia, defined as a decreased oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Haemoglobin metabolism involves formation and breakdown. Formation is initiated by the process of absorption. Unlike most elements, iron has no specific mechanism for excretion so that absorption must be closely monitored to control body content and ensure replacement of the daily loss. Many factors influence absorption, especially gastric acid, which can degrade iron salts and prevent their precipitation in the duodenum. In the duodenum, iron rapidly enters the mucosal cells of the intestinal villi, where the iron is released from haeme by the enzyme haeme oxygenase. There, the ferrous iron destined for the formation of haemoglobin in the developing red cells of the marrow (the erythroblasts) is converted to ferric ions by ceruloplasmin and is attached to the transport glycoprotein transferrin. The non-assimilated iron remains in the intestinal cell and is combined with the storage protein apoferritin to form ferritin, which is lost by the body when the mucosal cells are shed after their 3-5-day life cycle. The mechanism by which the mucosal cell knows what to discard and what to assimilate is unknown (Andrews, 1999).

Infants, young children, pregnant women and pre-menopausal women are the people who are most susceptible to IDA because they need more iron. During development, the baby draws iron away from its mother for itself. When the baby is born, the iron requirements are met by stores of iron in the infant’s body together with iron in breast or formula milk. By 6 months, the stores have been used up and milk alone does not provide enough iron for the infant. This is why, “solid food should be provided after 6 months of age should include rich sources of iron, e.g. red meat” (British Nutrition Foundation, 2004). Active children need iron also because they are rapidly building up muscles. The variation in menstrual blood loss, and hence, loss of iron, makes it difficult to set an iron requirements for women. Women who menstruate more heavily and longer than average may need even more dietary iron than those who have lighter and shorter flows.

Ultimately, the causes of iron deficiency are easy to understand when one accepts the fact that there is no physiologic pathway for iron excretion. Iron deficiency will result from any condition in which dietary iron intake does not meet the body’s demands. To reduce the incidence of IDA, it is recommended that people should not neglect iron-rich food sources in their diets. Good iron food sources are liver, blood sausage, red meat, eggs, whole grain breads, cereals and molasses. Vegetarians need to take Vitamin C in order to absorb iron effectively from vegetables. However, the most important step in curbing IDA will be the awareness of people about iron deficiency. When they are properly informed, people would not neglect iron food sources in their diets. Government policies in requiring food companies to fortify their products with iron can also help in a little way. Iron supplements can also be recommended but because of the risk of toxicity, any use of iron supplements should be supervised by a physician.

Sources:

Andrews, N. 1999, December 23. Disorders of iron metabolism, The New England Journal of Medicine, 341(26): 1986-1996.
British Nutrition Foundation. 2004. Iron and Health. Retrieved from http://www.nutrition.org.uk/home.asp?siteId=43&sectionId=650&parentSection=321&which=1.

Deforestation and Soil Erosion: The Global Menace

2009-03-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

Deforestation is defined as “the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands.” Forest is a place where the crowns of different trees touch, that forms a single canopy. Woodland on the other hand is a place where the trees grow apart from each other so that the canopy is open. Considering the going rates of deforestation in the world, it was said that most parts of the world will be deforested by the end of the century, an ecological catastrophe, that is.

This environmental problem is caused by any or all of the following: (1) transformation of forests and woodlands to simple agricultural lands where the plants cannot hold much water from the mountains; (2) cattle ranching where the trees are cleared to accommodate the cattle; (3) commercial logging that caters worldwide demand for wood such as mahogany; and (4) cutting of trees for firewood and house materials without re-planting the same kind of trees. Actually, the common causes of problem on deforestation are the practices and activities of the inhabitants of the forest themselves. Since they are the de facto protectors of the forest, they are the ones responsible for the on-going deforestation, whether directly made by them or by the outsiders. They should not have cooperated with the commercial intruders in lieu of money. The environment, which is a gift given by God, is priceless and can never be replaced by any output of a human being.

For example in the Asian region, particularly the Philippines, low-income farmers just occupy a particular portion of land which is neither cultivated nor improved. Since they are legally considered landless despite the fact that they live by the products of the land, they usually cut off trees, sell them to profit-hungry businessmen, and presto, they now have a land ready for farming. When government authorities learn of this information, they will be forced to re-locate. They will do the same thing to another tract of land. Since the farmers do not have the money or financial resources to buy, or at least rent the proper equipment to properly cultivate the land, they resort to unsustainable agricultural practices that cause the depletion of the natural nutrients of the land. This deforestation leads to another environmental problem which is SOIL EROSION.

It cannot be denied that forests and woodlands are usually being cleared and cut for economic reasons. Although it should be understood that the poor farmers who cut the trees, or simply allow the trees to be cut off, are just trying to make a living on marginal lands, if all activities on earth would be added together, the overall impact is that, the same can no longer be considered as mere subsistence agriculture. Survival is totally different from business. The activities affect the environment on a global scale already.

In the Philippines, illegal logging is rampant everywhere. Logs are not just used and sold locally; they are actually one of the export products of some businessmen. If they cannot find their way to transport them by ship, an improvised means of transportation is to attach the logs to the tails of the ships so that they just float on the sea until they reach the ports. Once the logs are in the port, the ten-wheeler trucks are already waiting to carry them to the destinations. Licenses or permits however may either be bought or simply be excused in exchange for some money. In short, the government authorities that must monitor and control the logging operations merely consider the present anti-logging laws as a means to incur additional income.
Another problem being faced by this region is the large-scale agriculture by food industries. They easily find their way to buy or lease on a long-term basis, forest lands which are actually beyond the commerce of man, or not susceptible of sale under the prevailing laws. Since they have large investments, these industries practice operations that are totally destructive of the ecosystem and have no regard to the maintenance of biodiversity. Constant use of pesticides and environmentally hazardous fertilizers top it all.

Add this to the other practices of big companies that exhaust all trees of the region just to supply the needs of other countries. For example, millions of chopsticks are needed by Chinese and Korean restaurants; demand for fruits, spices, sugar, soap, rubber, cloth and paper, enticed the farmers to clear the forest and woodlands to make way for these types of plans which cannot, in a significant way, hold both water and soil. The forests become mere soils that lack the proper nutrients. People thought that replacement of forest and woodlands by new trees and small plans will be enough to pay for the lost trees. Little did they know that once forests have been cut, all the essential nutrients will be washed out of the soil. This is the root cause of soil erosion. At present, around eighty percent of the soils in humid tropics are said to be acidic and no longer fertile. Thus, when there are no more trees to keep the soil in its place, the latter becomes susceptible to erosion. Due to intense heat of the sun, the soil cracks and become dry. When the temperature of the soil exceeds 25 degrees centigrade, nutrients such as nitrogen are lost, thereby reducing the fertility of the soil. When this happens, re-planting of trees will no longer produce the same quality of plants and trees.

The effect of soil erosion is unimaginable. In the Philippines, almost half of a mountain eroded due to continuous heavy rainfall. The whole Brgy. St. Bernard disappeared, completely buried under hundreds of feet. Not a single structure was left; not even the roof or a post can be traced. And unlike the volcanic lahar that turn hard as cement when dried, the eroded soil of the mountain does not dry up and continue to absorb heavy equipment and materials. In short, the old barangay will remain unusable and will be considered as lost or erased in the Philippine map.

Forests are quite expensive to maintain. The 1992 United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development estimated the cost of tropical forest protection through sustainable development, at 30 Billion US Dollars per year. The problem is, most countries where forest management is severely needed, have neither the financial resources nor the interest to fund and implement environment protection projects. Their governments prioritize debt payment, export, and development of industries.

Brazil for example, has a good number of environmental laws in its records that intend to minimize deforestation. However, with a meager fund of $9.5 million for its IBAMA, the Environmental Protection Agency of Brazil, it cannot effectively implement the laws.
These two environmental problems however are not without solutions. For example, forest and other environmental reserves projects can be financed by contributions from around the world, considering that these problems are global in nature. A tax may be levied on temperate zone nations measured according to the amount of pollution the country brings into the atmosphere. The host tropical nations will then receive their regular funding to finance its environmental programs. This has been tried in several countries, but the sources of fund are the international non-government organizations. The problem cropped out due to massive corruption in the host countries. Countries that contribute to the funds view the process as mere transfer of wealth from developed and wealthy countries, to the underdeveloped and poor countries, without any benefit.

Another means of financing the projects is through debt-for-nature program. In this program, international organizations will purchase part of the debt at a discount. Then, in exchange for the chance to be relieved of debt payment, the donee country should agree to save a separate fund for promotion of forest conservation through the conduct of trainings and seminars on environmental awareness, protection of forest lands, etc. Some countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Zambia, and Mexico have entered into this kind of funding agreement.
Relative to this type of funding environmental projects is the so-called tradable carbon dioxide permits. In this set-up, poor countries which maintain their forests for purposes of atmospheric carbon mitigation are paid by wealthy countries. Those which succumbed to this idea are Malaysia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

Actually, there are many other means of funding environmental projects. It has been viewed that since this problem transcends national boundaries, all countries should contribute to this goal. However, since only few are financially capable to do this, wealthy countries should take the lead. Anyways, poor countries wasted their forests and woodlands in order to supply the demands of the wealthy countries. This problem which is considered of transcendental importance should not just be taken lightly. Everybody should contribute in order to save the mother earth. Forests and soils alike are not replaceable, but can be maintained, provided that strict discipline should be observed. Monetary returns are but temporary satisfaction of both individuals and countries. However, they are of no importance if the very place where human beings temporarily live and stay is totally lost and destroyed. It is high time now to reflect and realize the importance of the environment. If all efforts of some sectors will just go to naught due to corruption, time will come when not a single entity or individual will dare to drop a cent for environmental protection. It is not yet late to change and implement the not so few environmental laws. They are intended for implementation, not for recording in books. In the same way, forests and woodlands are intended to be used to satisfy the basic needs of human beings, but not to abuse the same. If human beings will only learn how to truly appreciate nature, the more productive nature would be, to the complete satisfaction, not only of the human beings, but more so, by the Creator Himself.

Sources:
Brown, K. and Pearce, D. “The Causes of Tropical Deforestation.” Vancouver UCB Press, 1994.

Hishand, M. and Sharina, J. “Whose Trees? A People’s View of Forestry Aid.” Parsons Institute, London, 1991.

Myers, N. “Trees By the Billions.” International Wildlife. September/October 1991, pp. 12-15.

World Rainforest Movement. “Rainforest Destruction Causes, Effects and False Solutions.” Penang, Malaysia, 1994. http://www.umich.du/~s265/society/deforestation.htm.

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