By Anthony Gucciardi

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

France is not bowing down to GMO giant Monsanto, now asking the European Commission to suspend authorization to Monsanto’s genetically modified corn. The news comes after France charged Monsanto with chemical poisoning after it was found that a farmer had suffered severe adverse health reactions as a result of exposure to Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller. Despite losing court rulings against Monsanto’s GMO corn, the environment ministry is attempting to fortify a ban on the crops over serious environmental concerns.

France originally banned the growing of the genetically modified corn, known as MON810, in 2008. The strain is currently the only GM crop approved for planting in the European Union, and has been targeted as a serious threat to the environment. The French government said back in November, following the ruling against the attempted ban by the highest court, that it would look at all ways possible to suspend GM planting. Perhaps they have finally found a viable strategy.

The risks posed to the environment by Monsanto’s creations are quite well documented. Monsanto’s GMO crops actually require more pesticides, as ‘mutant’ insects have become resistant to the biopesticide used to ward them off known as Bt. Bt is a toxin incorporated into genetically modified crops in order to kill different insects, however Bt usage has subsequently spawned insect populations which are resistant to the biopesticide. At least 8 populations of insects have developed resistance, with 2 populations resistant to Bt sprays and at least 6 species resistant to Bt crops as a whole.

On another front, Monsanto’s Roundup is creating farmland-crushing super weeds. Heavily resistant to the herbicide that Roundup contains known as glyphosate. These resistant weeds currently cover over 4.5 million hectares in the United States alone. Internationally, experts state that the coverage most likely rose to 120 million hectares by 2010. This places the numerical estimate much higher in 2012.

Is it any wonder why France is taking action against Monsanto and genetically modified foods alike? Nations like Hungary have already taken severe action, ripping up Monsanto’s corn from the very farmlands they were contaminating. We are continuing to see countries, states, and cities standing up against Monsanto’s reckless endangerment of the planet as a whole.

About the Author

Anthony Gucciardi is an accomplished investigative journalist with a passion for natural health. Anthony’s articles have been featured on top alternative news websites such as Infowars, NaturalNews, Rense, and many others. Anthony is the co-founder of Natural Society, a website dedicated to sharing life-saving natural health techniques. Stay in touch with Natural Society via the following sites Facebook – Twitter – Web

Related Posts

1. Activist Infiltrates Monsanto Shareholder Meeting (Video)
2. Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France
3. Super Beetle Destroying Entire Monsanto GM Bt-Corn Crops!

By Madison Ruppert

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

This month has seen a rash of top level resignations across some of the most major banking institutions across the globe.

There has also been news of potential upcoming resignations which could have a considerable impact as well, not the least of which is the potential resignation of Lloyd Blankfein, chief executive officer (CEO) of Goldman Sachs.

According to Fortune, this could occur as early as this summer, although this is still merely a possibility and far from set in stone.

However, there are many very real and quite perplexing instances of bank heads quitting across major institutions like the World Bank, the Nicaraguan Central Bank, Kuwait’s Central Bank, two of Slovenia’s biggest banks and more.

It appears this trend began some time early this month, perhaps with the resign of Amitabh Chaturvedi, the CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd on February 6.

This was supposedly due to Chaturvedi having “serious differences with the board regarding the strategies of the bank. He had different views on several issues. It was coming,” an anonymous bank official told Mint.

Chaturvedi’s resignation was just the beginning. On February 10, Business Standard reported that A K Jagannathan, the managing director and chief executive of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank resigned, citing personal reasons.

Then, on February 13, the Washington Post reported via the official Kuwait News Agency that Sheik Salem Abdulaziz Al Sabah, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family, resigned after 25 years heading up the nation’s central bank.

While the brief announcement gave no immediate reason for the move, internal speculation surrounds his opposition to increased domestic spending, including wage increases.

Just the next day, the head of the Nicaraguan Central Bank, Bloomberg reported that Antenor Rosales quit, apparently over disagreements with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, however an official statement claimed that the resignation was “normal government procedure” and not the result of a disagreement.

The following day brought reports of the CEOs of Slovenia’s two largest banks stepping down along with the planned resignation of World Bank President Robert Zoellick, who will leave the bank on June 30.

Then the next day, February 16, the chief financial officer of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ Bank) resigned after 15 years as the bank’s CFO. Also on that day, it was announced that Andrew Check would lead the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Australian arm after Stephen Williams resigns in the next three to six months.

On the February 17 the news broke of Blankfein’s possible future resignation along with Bloomberg reporting that Credit Suisse Group AG’s private bank in Signapore’s chief Asian economist, Joseph Tan, resigned.

On February 18 the British Daily Mail reported that Germany’s president, Christian Wulff, resigned over a scandal involving an attempt to gag a press investigation into political favors and possible bribes. While this obviously isn’t a bank executive, it is noteworthy nonetheless as it is still part of the trend of prominent individuals resigning, quitting and otherwise stepping down from their position of power.

The reasons behind this trend are unknown as of yet and indeed they could not be connected in any way, yet I think that is highly doubtful. I am not yet prepared to speculate as to why this is happening with such frequency right now, however I will say that I hope it is due to some serious changes being made in the financial system – hopefully for the good of us all.

About the Author

Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis database End The Lie and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. He is available for podcast and radio interviews. If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at admin@EndtheLie.com

Related Posts

1. Florida Homeowner Forecloses On BOA
2. Leaked Email Shows ‘Occupy’ Movement has Banksters Shaking in their Boots
3. The ‘Banxodus’ Has Begun

By Zen Gardner

It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. – J. Krishnamurti

Wikipedia defines Alternative Medicine as follows:

“In Western culture, alternative medicine is any healing practice “that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine“, or “that which has not been shown consistently to be effective.” It is often opposed to evidence based medicine and encompasses therapies with a historical or cultural, rather than a scientific, basis.”

Excuse me, but who says? What a bunch of arrogant subjectivity. And where are these “conventions” held that define everything “conventional”? And who are they?

First of all, “they” rarely test natural medicines, supplements, herbal remedies or holistic healing techniques.  They’re not interested. Therefore there are very few “approved” scientific studies. And who authorizes and pays for those studies?–or “approves” medicines and treatments? You guessed it–the same people that have absolutely no interest in the success of natural medicines or techniques.

They cut into their share of the pie, which they think is ALL theirs.

This is why cures for major diseases like cancer seem so elusive in spite of billions invested in their cures–there’s a LOT more money in people being sick while the research and big pharma industries boom as they are. Greed and control rule.

Remember:

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” Arthur Schopenhauer.

Today’s “alternative” is the existing, natural solution.

Just look at the genius of Royal Rife’s treatment for cancer and other diseases using electromagnetic light frequencies (which was taken from him and destroyed), or the simplicity of alkalizing and oxygenating the body for maximum health, similar to the anti-fungal approach to cancer–never mind common sense nutritional solutions. These are just a few simple examples of wonderful, simple, affordable, NATURAL and very powerfull–but repressed- “alternative” treatments that should be given all the funding, publicity and encouragement they can get!

But instead they are marginalized, stigmatized and discouraged by the MSNews and corporo-medical establishment.

You’d think our ever-caring big brother government would be all over these breakthroughs and develop them. But no–just like Nicola Tesla‘s free energy proposal, or thousands of other potentially society liberating breakthroughs, these non money-makers are squelched. I mean, if we had free energy, where would the coal and oil industry moguls be today? Do some of these people really want “alternatives”?

Apparently “alternative” means anything that doesn’t fit some agenda of some sort. That’s why it’s important to be empowered and find out just what that agenda is, if we’re to understand this carefully constructed and  increasingly controlled society we live in. There’s a lot of very good research out there; “Search, and ye shall find!”

Let’s face it: “alternative”  has become almost as stigmatized today as “conspiracy theory”. In fact, anything non-mainstream sleepy-town fear-everything pablum is getting very neatly lumped together as anti cooperation with the powers that be–leading straight to “anti-government”, “subversive”, and now unbelievably, a potential “terrorist threat” a category that knows no bounds, and for which habeas corpus and posse comitatus were effectually suspended under the “Patriot Act” and now taken to its complete fascist extreme in the NDAA.

If you don’t want to take the vaccines, you’re a threat to the status quo, and soon might be breaking the law. If you don’t follow the new codex alimentarius guidelines, you’ll be in violation of international law - alrready being enacted in a once sovereign country near you. You criticize the government, visit “alternative” web sites, join a protest, are ex-military, or even have a Ron Paul bumper sticker, you’re suspect, and they’re now allowed to freely keep an eye on you, arrest you, detain you indefinitely without and trial, and even kill you.

Nice place. That’s why you can’t beileve a damn word they say.

How Did This Happen?

Political correctness and wrong education in our media-mesmerized fear-infused society are what allowed us to get here–and the vast majority didn’t even realize they were participating in their own indoctrination and subversion. That’s how these false notions take root and then they’re repeated and enforced by the unwitting participants.  The best way to police a people is if they do it to themselves–ingrain it into society’s fabric as to what’s “right” and “wrong” and feed on our fear, insecurity and self-righteousness to “keep the status quo”.

The end result? Today’s surveillance and snitch society.

Big pharma and most of the medical establishment have their own niche in all of this. While alternative medicine is gaining major headway among health conscious individuals fed up with being mugged and drugged by pharma-pushing corporate health interests, it continues to be marginalized, mocked and scorned by the establishment, emblazoning the “groupthink” masses with the impression that anyone entertaining such “non-scientific” foolishness ought to be wearing a tin foil hat. –Hey–maybe we should so we can meet and greet each other–:)

Besides, not a bad idea in this EMF pollution we live in.

As a sad side note, besides passing every possible pro-pharma and GMO ruling they can, one example of the long arm of our dear FDA is how it stuck it’s dirty little fingers into Ecuador to coerce Interpol to literally kidnap and incarcerate “alternative” herbalist Greg Caton. That’s how much this control means to them and shows their disdain, and fear of, the alternative medical community. He’d fled the US medical tyranny and they still went after him–illegally–for disseminating his empowering knowledge and simple anticancer products. (If you want to help, his wife Cathryn can be contacted at the link above.)

I hope I’m not just preaching to the choir, but these are serious times we’re watching unfold and natural medicine is a cornerstone. The core issue here is our liberty to seek the treatments and remedies that we choose. I choose natural medicine and a holistic approach to health and life. Hey–anything other than that in my book is “alternative”!

Hmmmm…isn’t the alternative to natural medicine UNnatural medicine?

“In a dark time, the eye begins to see,” Theodore Roethke.

Keep on healing—naturally…..Love, Zen

www.zengardner.com

Click the below picture for a Wake Up World Only Exclusive Special Offer

Related Posts

1. Revolution – Greek City Begins A Rebel Barter Economy & Alternative Currency
2. Natural Cancer-Fighting Spice Reduces Tumors by 81%
3. 4 Powerful & Extensive Natural Reference Websites.

By Kanta Jacob Katz Ph.D

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

Our belief systems are thoughts that have become our habits that determine what we think, what we feel and how we react to life. They influence every fiber of our being.

In our everyday life when we talk about “beliefs” we usually refer to the values we adopt consciously in our life, to our social, political and religious ‘beliefs’ according to which we act and behave. However, here we are talking about something of a wider perspective: about convictions that we have embraced regarding the world and ourselves in general of which we are not always aware. In this sense, belief systems operate on an unconscious level so that we are not even aware of them and the power they hold.

What does all that mean to us? It means we have established thoughts and feelings about who we are, all kept intact by the ‘flowing constant energy’ called ‘belief’. This belief or a whole set of different beliefs constructed into a system dictate our deeds, our behaviors and choices. In other words, our beliefs are the invisible instigators of what we have created in our life. These beliefs define how we feel about ourselves. They are the core beliefs that mold our reality. These ideas are strengthening and reinforcing the foundation of who we are.

Where does it all come from? Belief systems are inherited and taught directly or indirectly from childhood. In those precious times, we were taught what to believe and who and what we are supposed to be. We were drilled either by talks or by experiences that impressed on the youthful soul to think a certain way, to act a certain way. After a while, we began to accept this new reality as truth giving up our free will choice to even question it. We might even doubt about what is truth for us and what is not. These beliefs have had and continue to have a tremendous effect on us.

Let’s look at these two words together and their meaning, to get a picture of how they interact in our life.

The definition of ‘belief’ is:

(1) A thought or feeling that something exists or is true, without proof.

(2) A vague or specific idea on which some confidence is placed.

(3) A religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true.

The definition of ‘system’ is:

(1) A combination of interrelated interacting elements designed to work as a coherent unit.

(2) A group of interrelated elements comprising a unified whole.

(3) A complex method of rules governing behavior.

Who we have become can be based on old information coming from our religious background, social status, and family tradition, making us believe a lot of things about ourselves. Is it likely that you identify yourself with what you believe?

Could it be that your identity was built on a false foundation? What beliefs have you empowered that have shaped and molded your life? Are you living up to the expectation and patterns that others have placed on you? Are you free?

What we think can be tools for creation, give us the ability to live in inner peace or they can keep us locked in a prison. Have your beliefs locked you up in an energy jail? A place you can’t see to escape from? These energy jails act like force fields that surround the body, mind and spirit. Once in place, these force fields lock us into painful patterns not allowing us to create a new way of life. However, we need to understand that we are responsible for creating everything. When we create an energy jail, we often do it because we think it protects us from getting hurt. These jails may stay dormant for a long time if that is what we have programmed them to do, only to become active when we call them forth for our ‘protection’, creating difficulties.

Discovering if we have created one of these energy jails is not always simple. Many times it’s possible to set internal alarms so we cannot even get close to understand and see what we have created because of the pain. If we do attempt to see it may feel as if we had a physical fight after an encounter with the jailer self. In our resistance, we may become ill, have muscle soreness in the body, become depressed or any number of diseases may manifest. Many of us have become experts in giving ourselves self-punishment. Many may be addicted to that painful emotional and physical cycle. We then run to the doctor or to the healer because of the problem.

Do you live in an energy jail? To see what you have created try this: Take some time to relax. Find a place and time you wont be disturbed. Begin to breathe deeply, use equal breath. After a few minutes, when you feel your mind and body becoming relaxed, ask yourself: “What do I really believe about myself?” “What do I deserve?” You can search deeper by asking what changes could I make in my life and why?” Always remember change is a choice! You are your best healer.

About the Author

Kanta Jacob Katz Ph.D. has been assisting people for more than twenty-five years. He is a spiritual counselor and an advanced Tai Yi Practitioner. He is a Naturopathic doctor with a Masters degree in Natural Health. He is practicing and continues to study Tai Yi an ancient Chinese system of hands on energy work. He is also certified in personal training. Kanta is working with individuals and groups guiding ones in the area of “spiritual nutrition” and healing in an enjoyable and playful manner. He has practised in Los Angeles, California and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He presently lives and practices in Athens, Greece. playandheal.com

Related Posts

1. Invoking Awakening- Returning to Utopia
2. 10 Practical Steps to Help Uplift Humanity
3. Self-Kindness: Seven Habits That Will Help You Live a Happier Life

22nd February 2012

By Carmen Allgood

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

No doubt, the ‘me generation’ suffers on many levels from a lack of patience. Any takers? We want it now! Whatever ‘it’ is. How many of us have blown our stack for decades because we have to wait? We wait in line, wait for the plane or train to depart or arrive, wait for a raise, wait for the check in the mail, wait on our significant other, or for our friend to be on time for the first time, wait for a phone call, wait for a child to learn to tie his shoes, or get beyond the potty training part of her life. Regardless of what the wait is all about, most of us get annoyed (or worse) by being forced to wait. How about waiting for the waitress in a restaurant? We could make a long list of complaints here.

What is patience? According to Wikipedia, “Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one’s character can take before negativity.”

From a Christian perspective, patience is one of the seven virtues, alongside chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, and humility. Most philosophical and religious thought systems would adhere to these characteristics as a general description of a person who has patience, and can wait it out without stress.

In the deepest sense, getting an ‘A in Patience’ on our Spiritual Report Card is one of the tell-alls when it comes to our development as Teachers of Love. Without patience, we are setting ourselves up for a big fall, and putting ourselves in a position of constantly starting over on our path to enlightenment.

This is what patience is really all about – removing and avoiding wear and tear on our mental and emotional natures, which results in a healthy, happy state of mind. Infinite patience quite literally gives us everything we want right now. Patience results in serenity, and prevents stress in our lives. No stress in a serene mental environment becomes really attractive when we look at the alternatives.

Patience is a kind of selective memory … it helps us bypass the obstacles to peace and arrive safely on the other side. It is like the bridge which transports us from the physical to the metaphysical. And it brings the monkey-mind that deprives us of happiness to a screeching halt, because of its inherent gentleness.

Patience is the big catalyst towards tolerance and being open-minded. It is the precursor to being non-judgmental and helps with the development of the most powerful teaching and learning device in the human experience – gentleness. Nothing is as powerful as the touch of gentleness. Every moment we walk the face of the earth is a ‘golden rule opportunity’ for each of us to help heal the world. That might sound like a pretty bold statement in the face of all this seeming chaos and agony, but not with the power of perfect patience and gentleness as our allies.

HOW TO SCORE AN ‘A IN PATIENCE’

1. Be willing to stop investing in guilt as a response to a situation that doesn’t suit our schedule or headspace.

2. Be willing to recognize that peace is far more valuable than exploding in anger.

3. Be willing to forgive everything we think we know, see, or hear, and all past experiences that we would use to project thoughts of guilt onto the world, thus depriving us of what we really want.

4. Be willing to experience our own perfect love by giving all of our love away.

In the process of learning perfect patience, remember the times we did exactly what another person is doing now, only in a seemingly different time and space. And learn now that it is all just a part of the process, and not a personal assault.

Practicing patience will save each of us more time than we can possibly imagine. Patience, like forgiveness, has a miraculous quality that dissolves moments in time and transforms them into the remembrance of Eternal Love. With perfect love in our minds, what’s the hurry? We are in possession of everything we could ever hope for right now, as we recognize that this is no fantasy, but our present reality.

With love inside of us, there’s no need to do anything but extend it. Patience is the master key to unlocking the love within, and releasing it to a world in serious need of our love. Love is the Answer.

Carmen Allgood © February 2012

Video courtesy Denver, Colorado Indie Recording Artist Jason Stocker – The Perfect Day as heard on WorldWideWavez Radio Shows

About the Author

Carmen Allgood is the author of: The beginner’s guide to inner peace – Beyond Diapers – How not to wallow in your own poop“. Carmen offers readers a modern day exploration of spiritual evolution, with a timely twist of pop-psychology for the masses who are starved for lasting peace of mind and true happiness. Carmen unveils the mysteries of love, reveals the means to heal the mind and thus the body, and the simple steps available to all of us to live in constant joy.  She also produces syndicated independent music radio shows, which have featured 20,000 Independent Artists from around the world.

Related Posts

1. Love 101: Love is Real
2. The Gratitude Attitude!
3. Sweet Forgiveness Healing Hearts and Minds

22nd February 2012

By Sayer Ji

Wake Up World

The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Feeling “grounded” is an increasingly uncommon experience in this day and age, and it should be, considering we no longer regularly touch the ground with our bare feet, as nature intended.

It is no great mystery that the human foot was designed, over countless millenia, to be in direct contact with the Earth, the literal and symbolic ground of our being. And the Earth is no inert substance, but rather a living and breathing entity (of which we are but a mere part) capable of infusing us with its life, ‘singing the body electric,’ as Walt Whitman once mused.

Indeed, the Earth breathes life into us through a continual stream of free electrons…

It is well established, though not widely known, that the surface of the earth possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons as a consequence of a global atmospheric electron circuit. Wearing shoes with insulating soles and/or sleeping in beds that are isolated from the electrical ground plane of the earth have disconnected most people from the earth’s electrical rhythms and free electro

—James L Oschman, Can electrons act as antioxidants? A review and commentary.

The effects of which James Oschman speaks are not simply theoretical. There are a wide range of measurable changes in the body associated with this “grounding” including changes in pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygenation, perfusion index, and skin conductance which have been clinically studied.

Grounding has also been shown to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness, lowers and synchronizes cortisol levels during sleep, reduce inflammation, modulates neurological function, and reduce oxidative stress.

A new study published last month in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health covers this topic in greater depth, and is well worth the read.

About the Author

Sayer Ji is the founder of GreenMedInfo.com, the world’s largest, evidence-based, open-source, natural medicine database. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter

Related Posts

1. Life is Electrical. A New Medicine and a New Earth will Arise From this Premise!
2. Why is Marijuana Illegal? – What Are The Health Aspects of Cannabis?
3. The Ten Most Important Health Freedom Stories of 2011

22nd February 2012

By  zerohedge.com

Just when we thought the US could not sink any further in its usurpation of civil rights, here comes the FBI to advise all those who tend to think that the broken economic model of the past century is the cause for the global insolvency, that wanton fiat diluation and reckless debt issuance does not ‘fix’ the problem of uber-leverage, and that the gold standard is the proper way to return to monetary stability, will henceforth be considered extremists.

From Reuters: “Anti-government extremists opposed to taxes and regulations pose a growing threat to local law enforcement officers in the United States, the FBI warned on Monday. These extremists, sometimes known as “sovereign citizens,” believe they can live outside any type of government authority, FBI agents said at a news conference.” And the most epic line ever written: “The extremists may refuse to pay taxes, defy government environmental regulations and believe the United States went bankrupt by going off the gold standard.” So… the US did not go bankrupt by going off the gold standard? But why did the US “go bankrupt” then? We are confused.

The insanity continues:

Routine encounters with police can turn violent “at the drop of a hat,” said Stuart McArthur, deputy assistant director in the FBI’s counterterrorism division.

“We thought it was important to increase the visibility of the threat with state and local law enforcement,” he said.

In May 2010, two West Memphis, Arkansas, police officers were shot and killed in an argument that developed after they pulled over a “sovereign citizen” in traffic.

Last year, an extremist in Texas opened fire on a police officer during a traffic stop. The officer was not hit.

Legal convictions of such extremists, mostly for white-collar crimes such as fraud, have increased from 10 in 2009 to 18 each in 2010 and 2011, FBI agents said.

“We are being inundated right now with requests for training from state and local law enforcement on sovereign-related matters,” said Casey Carty, an FBI supervisory special agent.

FBI agents said they do not have a tally of people who consider themselves “sovereign citizens.”

.Sovereign members often express particular outrage at tax collection, putting Internal Revenue Service employees at risk.

Maybe it is not too late to be a beggar in Greece. At least there one is allowed to think anything as to why the country is completely broke and the population is living under “absolute poverty” without fear of being deemed a “sovereign citizen” and getting arrested at the drop of a hat.

And for those who still care about facts, below is a chart of global debt since the world formally and terminally went off the gold standard back on August 15, 1971:

Related Posts

1. More American States Now Seeking Silver and Gold Currencies
2. Watch Ancient Aliens Season 3, Episode 4 – Aliens & Temples of Gold
3. Multi Agency Armed Raid On Rawesome Foods & Healthy Family Farms For Selling Raw Milk & Cheese

21st Fenruary 2012

By Sayer Ji

Wake Up World

“I believe that mycelium is the neurological network of nature. Interlacing mosaics of mycelium infuse habitats with information-sharing membranes. These membranes are aware, react to change, and collectively have the long-term health of the host environment in mind. The mycelium stays in constant molecular communication with its environment, devising diverse enzymatic and chemical responses to complex challenges.” Paul Stamets, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

The mycelium is the part of the mushroom you usually do not see. Most of it is found distributed throughout the soil, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like structures (known as hyphae) which absorb nutrients and decompose organic materials. The mycelium can be exceedingly small or may form a colony of massive proportions.

“Is this the largest organism in the world? This 2,400-acre (9.7 km²) site in eastern Oregon had a contiguous growth of mycelium before logging roads cut through it. Estimated at 1,665 football fields in size and 2,200 years old, this one fungus has killed the forest above it several times over, and in so doing has built deeper soil layers that allow the growth of ever-larger stands of trees. Mushroom-forming forest fungi are unique in that their mycelial mats can achieve such massive proportions.” - Paul Stamets, Mycelium Running

The mycelium has extraordinary properties suitable for bioremediation. It is capable of degrading pesticides and plastics, and has been shown to break down petroleum in a matter of weeks. This, however, is only the physio-chemical dimension of the mycelium; according to Paul Stamets, it also has information/consciousness associated properties:

“I see the mycelium as the Earth’s natural Internet, a consciousness with which we might be able to communicate. Through cross-species interfacing, we may one day exchange information with these sentient cellular networks. Because these externalized neurological nets sense any impression upon them, from footsteps to falling tree branches, they could relay enormous amounts of data regarding the movements of all organisms through the landscape.” – Paul Stamets, Mycelium Running

The notion that fungi may participate in some form of planetary interspecies communication and/or consciousness through their mycelium may seam a bit ‘far out,’ but consider that mushrooms have been used to expand consciousness for countless millennia.  Even beyond the well-known psychedelic (literally “soul showing”) properties of some species (particularly Lion’s Mane) are their neuritogenic properties; that is, their ability to promote new neural cell growth and the enhancement of communication between them. The resemblance between the filamentous structures within the brain (axons; dendrites) and the fungi within the soil (mycelium) may therefore be more than accidental.

Our relationship to fungi is in fact closer than most think.  According to David McLaughlin, professor of plant biology at the University of Minnesota in the College of Biological Sciences, human cells are surprisingly similar to fungal cells.  In a 2006 Science Daily article the topic is explored further:

In 1998 scientists discovered that fungi split from animals about 1.538 billion years ago, whereas plants split from animals about 1.547 billion years ago. This means fungi split from animals 9 million years after plants did, in which case fungi are actually more closely related to animals than to plants. The fact that fungi had motile cells propelled by flagella that are more like those in animals than those in plants, supports that. - Science Daily

Could this filial bond also be why many species of fungi have such profound medicinal properties in humans? Mushrooms, and their components, have in fact been some of the most extensively studied natural medicines in existence, with a number of human clinical trials proving their anti-cancer properties.

For research indicating the medicinal value of mushrooms in over 150 conditions, visit our research page on the topic here.

Also, prepare yourself for an intellectual ‘trip’ into the profound potential that mushrooms have to ‘save the world’ in Paul Stamet’s inspiring video below.

About the Author

Sayer Ji is the founder of GreenMedInfo.com, the world’s largest, evidence-based, open-source, natural medicine database. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter

Related Posts

No related posts.

By Anthony Gucciardi

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

If there was any doubt left in your mind over the health devastating effects of processed foods, this may be the final nail in the coffin. In a video documenting what goes on in your body after consuming processed verse whole foods, small electronic devices reveal just how much your body struggles in digesting and utilizing processed foods laced with damaging ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup (which contains mercury) and aspartame. Oftentimes the truth is quite dirty, and in the case of this video you may want to make sure you’re not eating while watching — especially not processed foods!

The video examines what happens in your body after consuming both processed foods and foods deemed to be wholesome. For processed foods, the subject consumed Gatorade, Top Ramen, and gummi bears, while the participant consuming a hibiscus drink, homemade broth with noodles, and gummi bears created from juice. Created by video producer Stefani Bardin in conjunction with gastroenterologist Dr. Braden Kuo at Harvard University, the video shows that you cannot even properly digest processed foods. In the case of Gatorade, it has to do with the harsh artificial ingredients that even manage to preserve the blue color for quite some time.

Using a tiny LED camera capsule, the team was able to track the visual progress of food digestion between the two different meal categories.

As you are probably fully aware, the dangers posed by processed ingredients are due to the destructive nature that the ingredients contain. In the case of genetically modified foods, which are now consuming the food supply, it is known that longterm damage can occur to human health — particularly in regards to organ damage. As video producer Stefani Bardin puts it: Ramen noddles are meant to survive armageddon, whereas homemade noodles are made to be eaten. If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to begin your own organic garden and purchase local, 100% organic produce for you and your family. It is very simple to begin organic gardening, and it can be very therapeutic for your mental health as well.

About the Author

Anthony Gucciardi is an accomplished investigative journalist with a passion for natural health. Anthony’s articles have been featured on top alternative news websites such as Infowars, NaturalNews, Rense, and many others. Anthony is the co-founder of Natural Society, a website dedicated to sharing life-saving natural health techniques. Stay in touch with Natural Society via the following sites Facebook – Twitter – Web

Related Posts

1. Mindful Breathing a Great Tool for Realizing Your Mind and Body Connection
2. Activist Infiltrates Monsanto Shareholder Meeting (Video)
3. Foods That Can Help Save Your Life

21st February 2012

Dylan Charles - Waking Times

Yoga has many benefits to the body, mind and spirit and can help one to heal from many types of traumas.  Our nation’s military personnel who have served in combat zones are one of the most traumatized segments of our population and as such it is wise to find new ways of helping them to return to normal lives.  Yoga has the power to help.

Below are excerpts from a military study on the effects of Hatha Yoga on soldiers stationed in Iraq.  As one may guess, the soldiers who received instruction in Yoga showed significant improvement in their emotional and physiological well-being, leading to the conclusion that Yoga is indeed a useful tool in dealing with combat and environmental stress.

The American Journal of Occupational Therapy

ABSTRACT:

OBJECTIVE. We examined the effects of sensory-enhanced hatha yoga on symptoms of combat stress in deployed military personnel, compared their anxiety and sensory processing with that of stateside civilians, and identified any correlations between the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory scales and the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile quadrants.

METHOD. Seventy military personnel who were deployed to Iraq participated in a randomized controlled trial. Thirty-five received 3 wk (9 sessions) of sensory-enhanced hatha yoga, and 35 did not receive any form of yoga.

RESULTS. Sensory-enhanced hatha yoga was effective in reducing state and trait anxiety, despite normal pretest scores. Treatment participants showed significantly greater improvement than control participants on 16 of 18 mental health and quality-of-life factors. We found positive correlations between all test measures except sensory seeking. Sensory seeking was negatively correlated with all measures except low registration, which was insignificant.

CONCLUSION. The results support using sensory-enhanced hatha yoga for proactive combat stress management.

INTRODUCTION:

According to a 2008 RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research study, nearly 20% of combat troops returning from Iraq or Afghanistan met criteria for either posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression. Of the estimated 300,000 returning troops, only 53% sought help from a provider in the year of the study. Fear of adverse consequences and stigma were frequently cited reasons for not seeking help (RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, 2008).

Consequences of not obtaining treatment may include substance abuse, domestic violence, divorce, job loss, financial difficulties, homelessness, and suicide and can be devastating to the individual military member, the family unit, and society (National Center for PTSD, 2006). To avert these outcomes, the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research (2008) report recommended finding ways to allow deployed military members to receive mental health care off the record.

Unfortunately, traditional mental health care may be insufficient to address these problems, because studies have shown that talk therapies alone have limited success in treating PTSD (Ogden, Minton, & Pain, 2006; van der Kolk, 2006) and can even increase dysregulation (Ford, Courtois, Steele, van der Hart, & Nijenhuis, 2005; Ogden et al., 2006). Imaging studies have shown that Broca’s area, a major language center of the brain, can become deactivated in response to traumatic reminders, a finding that may explain why PTSD sufferers are often at a loss for words to discuss their trauma (Shin et al., 1999).

Many experts now believe that people with PTSD need physical experiences to counter the chronic sense of emotional and physical helplessness that frequently results from trauma (Levine, 1997; Ogden et al., 2006; van der Kolk, 2004). According to Levine (1997), the residue of undischarged energy from the freeze response during a traumatic event may lead to the debilitating symptoms of PTSD, which fall into three clusters: (1) reexperience of the phenomenon (e.g., flashbacks), (2) avoidance and numbing, and (3) autonomic hyperarousal (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Newport and Nemeroff (2003) believed that disturbances in sensory processing play an important role in the hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD, hypothesized by Rothschild (1998) to be at the core of the disorder.

According to van der Kolk (2006), people with PTSD need to learn that internal feelings and sensations are safe and continuously change, unlike the freeze state, when everything seems to stand still. He further asserted that by achieving control over their physiological states through breathing and movement, these people may avoid overwhelming emotions when recalling their traumas.

Yoga, which incorporates both breath work and movement, is becoming increasingly recognized as an effective treatment modality for reducing symptoms of PTSD (Miller, 2009; Pollack, 2010; van der Kolk, 2006; Wills, 2007). Van der Kolk (2006) found that hatha yoga significantly increased heart rate variability (an indicator of increased parasympathetic tone) in typical participants. In the same study, the PTSD group showed a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms as measured by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, a clinical PTSD assessment tool (Blake et al., 1995; van der Kolk, 2006).

DISCUSSION

Sensory-enhanced hatha yoga was shown to be effective in reducing both state and trait anxiety in deployed military personnel, despite normal pretest scores. One possible explanation may be that the intervention triggered an inhibitory effect on the autonomic nervous system, which in turn may have contributed to improvements in health and quality-of-life indicators. Pairing positive affirmations with the neurophysiological effects of the asanas may have helped participants reframe negative thinking patterns that may have developed in response to stressors inherent in a deployed location. The readings may have helped orient participants to the present moment rather than replay past or anticipate future events. The systematic study of each of these elements may be needed to fully determine their contributions to the results. However, the combination of these bottom-up and top-down methods may ultimately be the critical feature of the sensory-enhanced hatha yoga.

Finally, the positive effect of the yoga treatment on quality of life suggests implications that may be immediately applied in military environments. Specifically, using sensory-enhanced hatha yoga in deployed environments for those with sleep difficulties may provide the most practical, nonpharmaceutical alternative for military personnel.

The healing power of Yoga is immense.  Perhaps someday even the leaders of our society will be required to practice Yoga as a means of giving them the temperament for justice and peace that most Yogis already enjoy.

About the Author

Dylan Charles is the editor of WakingTimes.com. Originally from Austin, Texas, the infowar capital of the world, Dylan is currently living in tropical Latin America with his beautiful wife and three happy children.  Both a teacher and student of Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Chi Kung, and Yoga, Dylan is a passionate believer in the power of personal transformation and its ability to positively impact the world.  Part activist, part spiritual voyager, part recluse, Dylan envisions his work with Waking Times as an opportunity to assist others in liberating themselves from the confines of fear and violence based programming.  His shamanic adventures have instilled in him an intense appreciation of the Earth and a dramatic ability to empathize with the suffering of those trampled under by institutional greed and corrupt politics.  Dylan wishes to spread hope and confidence to those who are helping to pioneer a new future for mankind through the exploration of consciousness, permaculture, science and spirituality.  Dylan is also proprietor of Pura Vida Yoga Vacations.

Related Posts

1. Yoga is Revolution
2. Were The Planes of 911 Military Cargo Carriers and Not Commercial Airlines?
3. Is The Pharmaceutical Cure Part of the Disease?