Animal Pharm: What Can We Learn From Nature’s Self-Medicators? Birds do it. Bees do it. Butterflies and chimpanzees do it. These animals and many others self-medicate, using plants and other surprising materials to improve not only their own health but also the health of their offspring. Monarch butterflies swarm a tree in Sierra Chincua, Mexico. A video of capuchin monkeys at the Edinburgh Zoo shows them rubbing onions and limes on their skin and into their fur as an antiseptic and insect repellent. While cigarette-butt wallpaper may not appeal to most of us, other ways that animals self-medicate might be worth watching. “It’s not the only way, but it seems to me that a sensible way [to aid in human drug development] would be to watch what animals do in nature to see how they exploit the natural products, the pharmaceuticals that are available to them in the environment, and try to learn from them,” he says. Earlier this year, Hunter spent time with people of the Shangaan tribe in South Africa. Diverse “Doctors” Bee Benefits
The Strange History of the Sunflower You may not think that there is much to know about the sunflower. After all, the plant is virtually everywhere. Yet it has something more than a simple, straightforward history and is more of a globe trotter than you may imagine. Its story has the historical and continental sweep of a Hollywood epic, from the pre-European Americas to Tsarist Russia and back again. Sunflowers originate from North America but would travel to the Old World and back – and back again - in their centuries old journey to become the plant we know today. It has been suggested that the sunflower was even domesticated before corn. Yet no one would have guessed what the future of the sunflower held – and the travels it would endure. As today, the sunflower seed was cracked and snacked on - something you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite - albeit a much healthier snack than many we eat today. Russia was awash with the giant flowers, growing over two million acres a year. That’s right.
Biophotons: The Human Body Emits, Communicates with, and is Made from Light Increasingly science agrees with the poetry of direct human experience: we are more than the atoms and molecules that make up our bodies, but beings of light as well. Biophotons are emitted by the human body, can be released through mental intention, and may modulate fundamental processes within cell-to-cell communication and DNA. Nothing is more amazing than the highly improbable fact that we exist. Consider that from light, air, water, basic minerals within the crust of the earth, and the at least 3 billion year old information contained within the nucleus of one diploid zygote cell, the human body is formed, and within that body a soul capable of at least trying to comprehend its bodily and spiritual origins. Indeed, the human body emits biophotons, also known as ultraweak photon emissions (UPE), with a visibility 1,000 times lower than the sensitivity of our naked eye. Our Cells and DNA Use Biophotons To Store and Communicate Information The Body's Circadian Biophoton Output
12 Items a Lady Should Keep in Her Purse- MotorCity Moxie - StumbleUpon Several years ago, I enjoyed purse shopping. I stayed with the fashionable handbags, purses, pocket-books or whatever you like to call it. As of late, purses have become burdensome. Oftentimes, they hurt my shoulder, and they turn into big hole for me to get lost in. I do carry pursues. Baby wipes-These come in handy not only after a tinkle, but also to do a quick wipe down in the ladies room.Perfume-Not the entire bottle, just an aspirator will do. Fully charged phone- Keeping the phone charged is necessary in case of an emergency. What items do keep in your purse at all times? Get The Moxie Manifesto Your weekly To-Do Tactics to help you BE GOOD, LOOK GOOD and DO BETTER! It's free! I respect your email privacy.
Rhodiola for What Ails You? - Ask Dr. Weil Originally published, May 2008. Updated, October, 2012. Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea), sometimes called Arctic root or golden root, is considered an adaptogenic herb, meaning that it acts in non-specific ways to increase resistance to stress, without disturbing normal biological functions. The herb grows at high altitudes in the arctic areas of Europe and Asia, and its root has been used in traditional medicine in Russia and the Scandinavian countries for centuries. Studies of its medicinal applications have appeared in the scientific literature of Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the Soviet Union and Iceland. A 2002 review in HerbalGram, the journal of the American Botanical Council, reported that numerous studies of rhodiola in both humans and animals have indicated that it helps prevent fatigue, stress, and the damaging effects of oxygen deprivation. I asked my friend and colleague, Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., an expert on botanical medicine, for her view of this remedy. Andrew Weil, M.D.
Oh man, it's true.. blog In the News: Four in five children are not ‘connected to nature’ - Large numbers of British children are missing out on engaging with nature, according to a new study. Red squirrel First of its kind The ground-breaking study, led by the RSPB, marks the first time that connectivity between children and nature has been studied in the UK. Following 3 years of research, the project concluded that only 21% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 were ‘connected to nature’ at a level which is considered to be both realistic and achievable for all young people. The report stems from growing concerns over the distinct lack of contact with and experience of nature among modern children, which some have argued is having a negative impact on their education, health and behaviour. Horse chestnuts in autumn Connecting to nature Around 1,200 children from across the UK took part in the study, which was based on a specially developed questionnaire. “This report is ground-breaking,” said Rebekah Stackhouse, Education and Youth Programmes Manager for RSPB Scotland.
My Dad just sent me this "Brain Study" Shinrin-yoku: The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing A walk in the woods can be a fun way to spend a weekend or holiday, but as it turns out, it may have health benefits that surpass what you expect. In Japan, the practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is a practice observed by about a quarter of the country. Dr. Qing Li is considered to be one of the world's foremost experts on shinrin-yoku. Photography by Dr. Dr. “In 1982, the Forest Agency of Japan first proposed a new movement called 'forest bathing trip' (shinrin-yoku) to promote a healthy lifestyle," Li explained. A 2007 study by researchers at Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine found that “forest environments are advantageous with respect to acute emotions, especially among those experiencing chronic stress. Between 2004 and 2006, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries studied the therapeutic effects of forests on human health and identified several potentially beneficial effects of walking in nature. The Power of Forests Children and Nature Dr.
Sun Gazing - Scientific Research Proves The Health Benefits Scientists discover REASON why it’s HEALTHY to watch the Sunset and Sunrise! Melatonin is the sleep hormone produced naturally in the human body by the pineal gland in the brain. Tests have now conclusively proven that different light wavelengths have different effects on the body’s melatonin production. In a test performed in 2001 by Debra Skene at the University of Surrey, light was shone into volunteers’ eyes in the middle of the night, when melatonin production levels are at their peak. Melatonin production was found to be clearly sensitive to light: production levels decreased as light intensity increased. However, what was interesting was that the different wavelengths of light produced different results. “Skene concluded that there must be a third, still unknown type of photoreceptor that tells the brain when to stop making melatonin” A further study in 2002, by David Berson of Brown University, went on to confirm that a new type of photoreceptor existed.