At the hill, after our hike, Grace asked me about my experiences in consuming coconut oil. Well, that was a tough question as I have always been healthy. For the last thirty years doctors have not been able to earn a cent from me!
Oh, no! I forgot that I did see a doctor twice a few years ago. The first time, about six years ago, it was due to my being stung by bees during the process of trying to drive them away with smoke and fire. They chased me right into my house. I was stung in numerous places, even in embarrassing parts in my loose underwear! Oh, my God! What if that thing were to…… I just would not want to imagine the consequences. So, as fast as I decently could, I went to a doctor. He gave me a jab and some medicine. Before I left, he reminded me of the seriousness of the problem and warned me that should I feel faint or dizzy I should rush to the hospital immediately. That warning left me even more worried. Living in a house all by myself, how was I to drive to the hospital when I was dizzy. (See how important your better half is to you?)
Then there was the time, I needed to check my eyes as specks of something were swimming across my sight. Looks like nothing an optician can do. So, I did see two doctors after all but not due to poor health.
I tarry too long from the topic. Alright, let us see what coconut benefit I have experienced beside still maintaining my health.
I once saw a patch of sparse hair on the top left hind slope of my head. I applied coconut oil to it besides rubbing it onto the rest of my hair after each hair wash. That area hardly looks sparse any longer, after approximately three months.
A friend of mine, Steven, told me he takes a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil each day. Immediately after the first time, there was no more constipation and waste just slipped out so easily. With a grateful smile, he delights in its wonder.
Another woman friend told me she no longer catches cold as easily as before she drinks virgin coconut oil a tablespoon each time twice a day.
A person with toothache could resort to two possible solutions. One was to coat the mouth and teeth with coconut oil or if there is no coconut oil around, use Listerine, an antiseptic mouth wash.
I once had swollen infected gums in my mouth at night. For sure effect, I gargled my mouth with about two tablespoons of pure Listerine, rinsed the mouth with tap water and coat the teeth and mouth with coconut oil. Next morning the swelling had gone!
There was this lady with some kind of skin problem. Itching a lot, she would rub her back and her legs against the sharp edges of doors and furniture. I noticed that one day and brought some coconut oil for her to apply onto her skin. Her skin has improved and the itch has apparently gone.
Perhaps you have been taking coconut oil for another purpose. Do share with us.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The power of togetherness.
Take a look around your area and you see people gather in groups in churches, temples, mosques, association premises and societies to act, practice or perform together. All these people understand the power of the group, the power of togetherness.
Take a meditation center where a group of people sit cross-legged on mats to practice. Why do they gather away from the comfort of their own homes? Imagine the inconvenience of having to dress up, travel a certain distance and wait for all members of the group to come together for the practice. It’s time consuming! Right? No. The togetherness, the vibrations and the cosmic energy generated are worth all those efforts and more. Sorry. Maybe, you do not understand what I am rambling about if you have not done meditation before.
Then, perhaps, we could go into a church or a temple or a mosque or any other religious prayer hall. As for me, I have had my experiences in many places, entering whichever prayer session I am allowed to attend. I feel His presence wherever I go. I feel the powerful cosmic energy in the many places I have been to. And the vibrations of such forces resonate beautifully as I sing hymns in churches, follow chants in temples and sing satsangs in The Art of Living. You see, I am a monotheist. I belong to God. In Him I believe.
Of course, when it comes to association meetings and society gatherings, there is usually only the togetherness, a collective consciousness, felt. The energy is still there but it is not as vibrant as that which is felt in holy places or in meditation. Togetherness is important. The energy is stronger. Without it, no proposal can get off the ground. Nothing can be achieved. It will just die a failure. However, when two or more persons decide on a course, things start to happen.
Take your own marriage. If merely one of you had wanted to marry, no marriage could have taken place. You will end up a frustrated lover! Like they say, it takes two to tango.
For proposals to be put to a vote, you need two members. For action to happen, you may need more than two. For success in any action, the whole group has to agree.
Gangsters abound in quite a number of towns. They are able to exist because of their number. The courage to do wrong is difficult to generate. The guilty conscience in everyone is too strong. Only when there is a group, can they be bold enough to commit sins and wrongs.
Next, we ought to think of using togetherness to generate a reading habit or a studying habit. (Or any other useful activity.) The library has an excellent conducive atmosphere for reading and studying as it is where people enter individually but when seated at a place, they form a group. When others are reading and studying, the desire to read, the urge to study are greater. The atmosphere exists.
Even in your own home, although the number may less, the same atmosphere can be created for the children to study if parents sit down to read or study too. Thus, the family that works together improves the chances for success.
Let us face it! Who is going to study if papa is watching television and mummy is cooking? The sound from the television will lead the children’s vision to the tele-. And with the aroma of some delicious food distracting the children’s attention, how can there be any studying?
So success in all things is greater when everyone moves together as one.
Take a meditation center where a group of people sit cross-legged on mats to practice. Why do they gather away from the comfort of their own homes? Imagine the inconvenience of having to dress up, travel a certain distance and wait for all members of the group to come together for the practice. It’s time consuming! Right? No. The togetherness, the vibrations and the cosmic energy generated are worth all those efforts and more. Sorry. Maybe, you do not understand what I am rambling about if you have not done meditation before.
Then, perhaps, we could go into a church or a temple or a mosque or any other religious prayer hall. As for me, I have had my experiences in many places, entering whichever prayer session I am allowed to attend. I feel His presence wherever I go. I feel the powerful cosmic energy in the many places I have been to. And the vibrations of such forces resonate beautifully as I sing hymns in churches, follow chants in temples and sing satsangs in The Art of Living. You see, I am a monotheist. I belong to God. In Him I believe.
Of course, when it comes to association meetings and society gatherings, there is usually only the togetherness, a collective consciousness, felt. The energy is still there but it is not as vibrant as that which is felt in holy places or in meditation. Togetherness is important. The energy is stronger. Without it, no proposal can get off the ground. Nothing can be achieved. It will just die a failure. However, when two or more persons decide on a course, things start to happen.
Take your own marriage. If merely one of you had wanted to marry, no marriage could have taken place. You will end up a frustrated lover! Like they say, it takes two to tango.
For proposals to be put to a vote, you need two members. For action to happen, you may need more than two. For success in any action, the whole group has to agree.
Gangsters abound in quite a number of towns. They are able to exist because of their number. The courage to do wrong is difficult to generate. The guilty conscience in everyone is too strong. Only when there is a group, can they be bold enough to commit sins and wrongs.
Next, we ought to think of using togetherness to generate a reading habit or a studying habit. (Or any other useful activity.) The library has an excellent conducive atmosphere for reading and studying as it is where people enter individually but when seated at a place, they form a group. When others are reading and studying, the desire to read, the urge to study are greater. The atmosphere exists.
Even in your own home, although the number may less, the same atmosphere can be created for the children to study if parents sit down to read or study too. Thus, the family that works together improves the chances for success.
Let us face it! Who is going to study if papa is watching television and mummy is cooking? The sound from the television will lead the children’s vision to the tele-. And with the aroma of some delicious food distracting the children’s attention, how can there be any studying?
So success in all things is greater when everyone moves together as one.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Dangers in the kitchen!
There are many dangers in our environment. In the home, there is always the danger of fire, water, furniture and decorations. Outside the home, there are vehicles and other things children play with from time to time, even during festive periods.
Very young children have to be constantly watched. Certainly, they are active, playful and curious. The only time they are not, is when they are sick.
Knowing this, an alert, responsible adult must be around them to ensure their fast actions, playfulness and curiosity do not land them in trouble.
Stoves and fires must be out of their reach. Having no proper knowledge of the stove, fire and boiling water in a kettle, they have no fear of such things.
Curiosity leads them to reach out to feel things in their surroundings. Pulling a kettle of hot boiling water can cause pain, burn and possibly a number of other injuries. Well, hot water onto the eyes can mean blindness.
Frying pans are just as dangerous. They are hot and, usually, so are their contents. A frying pan flipping through the air bringing along its fried food onto a little one’s head could leave behind more than just a trauma!
Children should not be allowed to touch food with lots of spices. If chilies, a very hot, spicy vegetable, were to get onto the hands and then those hands rub the eyes or finger the nose, there would be a most unpleasant two hours minimum suffering for the poor child.
Tell the children what can possibly happen when certain things in the kitchen are touched. Let them know as the things avail themselves at the kitchen. Knowledge is usually useful and prevention is always better than cure.
If certain experiences in the kitchen have not been written, please add them to the comment section.
Very young children have to be constantly watched. Certainly, they are active, playful and curious. The only time they are not, is when they are sick.
Knowing this, an alert, responsible adult must be around them to ensure their fast actions, playfulness and curiosity do not land them in trouble.
Stoves and fires must be out of their reach. Having no proper knowledge of the stove, fire and boiling water in a kettle, they have no fear of such things.
Curiosity leads them to reach out to feel things in their surroundings. Pulling a kettle of hot boiling water can cause pain, burn and possibly a number of other injuries. Well, hot water onto the eyes can mean blindness.
Frying pans are just as dangerous. They are hot and, usually, so are their contents. A frying pan flipping through the air bringing along its fried food onto a little one’s head could leave behind more than just a trauma!
Children should not be allowed to touch food with lots of spices. If chilies, a very hot, spicy vegetable, were to get onto the hands and then those hands rub the eyes or finger the nose, there would be a most unpleasant two hours minimum suffering for the poor child.
Tell the children what can possibly happen when certain things in the kitchen are touched. Let them know as the things avail themselves at the kitchen. Knowledge is usually useful and prevention is always better than cure.
If certain experiences in the kitchen have not been written, please add them to the comment section.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Harness the power of belief for your child's success.
With evidence of the power of belief through research by medical experts into the placebo effect, through witnessing people perform incredible acts such as the piercing of sharp metal shafts into the body and yet suffer no injury and through knowing that gymnasts could gather sufficient confidence to perform unnatural movements, we should next think of how such powers can be harnessed to help our children achieve success in life.
The question here is, how? Well, first, the parents, you, must show your pride in your children’ s abilities. Tell them how good they are whenever the opportunity arises. Tell others how good your children can be, not behind their back but in their presence. Speak out loudly and clearly so that they can hear your praise and joy. Give the understanding that you believe they are capable.
Encourage your child to do whatever he/she is capable of. When the need arises, give your child a helping hand. Teach him. However, do not hurt his/her ego when doing so.
I have heard parents make the following comment, “Come on! Such a small thing and you cannot do it. Come. It’s like this. “ And if the child still could not do it, resumed with “What man? Look carefully at how papa does it. Like this, okay.”
Those words should never be used. Now let us look at it critically. What is the parent saying? “Come on! Such a small thing!’ tells the child he/she is useless. And the “What man?” indicate a loss of respect for the child’s ability. The parent is letting the child down. The parent can get a child to lose whatever belief he/she has in his/her ability. Without belief in one’s ability, where is the necessary confidence to tackle life and its problems?
‘
Help your child to do whatever he/she finds difficult and then either end it with praise or a consolation such as “It’s tough, isn’t it. Many people need a lot of practice to do this.” In this manner, a child is encouraged and his belief in himself or herself is not diminished. Such a child will walk the many rugged paths of life with confidence.
Prepare your child well for the life ahead. Understand his communication needs and his social development needs.
Language and knowledge are two factors that can lubricate the flow of communication. Teach him language skill early in life. Tell him as much as you can about his/her world. This means spending as much time as possible with the child. The confidence of facing a world where almost everyone can understand him or her is important to the development and the strong belief in the child that he/she is capable of staying in control of whatever situation he or she has to face.
Teach your child how to handle himself/herself wherever he/she is. If your child can handle himself or herself well, there will be less stress as popularity comes to those who mix well. Teach your child restrain, cooperation and the habit of showing joy at meeting others. The ability to mix well strengthens a child’s confidence and the belief that life can be conducted easily through his ability and knowledge.
And then there is love. Everyone needs love. It would take a very strong person to go through life without love. A lack of love caused by divorce or loss of parents can lead to a loss of confidence and the belief in the self. I have seen this lead to pressure and mental problems. Fortunately, recovery successes in such cases have been achieved through techniques taught by The Art of Living Foundation. I have personally helped one such case in 2008.
For further information on The Art of Living Foundation, please go to:
www.artofliving.org
Love gives a child the shelter to seek solace and comfort for all the pain, frustrations and fears he may come across. Love is the guiding light that leads him/her to safety. Love is the heart that never fails to comfort him/her when such a need arises. Love is everything a child needs when all else fails. Those show how necessary love is to all of us.
How can there be confidence when there is no belief? How can there be confidence when there is no love? How can there be love when there is no sufficient care? How can there be care when you do not think of the future of your family and your child?
All the above is possible. Believe it!
The question here is, how? Well, first, the parents, you, must show your pride in your children’ s abilities. Tell them how good they are whenever the opportunity arises. Tell others how good your children can be, not behind their back but in their presence. Speak out loudly and clearly so that they can hear your praise and joy. Give the understanding that you believe they are capable.
Encourage your child to do whatever he/she is capable of. When the need arises, give your child a helping hand. Teach him. However, do not hurt his/her ego when doing so.
I have heard parents make the following comment, “Come on! Such a small thing and you cannot do it. Come. It’s like this. “ And if the child still could not do it, resumed with “What man? Look carefully at how papa does it. Like this, okay.”
Those words should never be used. Now let us look at it critically. What is the parent saying? “Come on! Such a small thing!’ tells the child he/she is useless. And the “What man?” indicate a loss of respect for the child’s ability. The parent is letting the child down. The parent can get a child to lose whatever belief he/she has in his/her ability. Without belief in one’s ability, where is the necessary confidence to tackle life and its problems?
‘
Help your child to do whatever he/she finds difficult and then either end it with praise or a consolation such as “It’s tough, isn’t it. Many people need a lot of practice to do this.” In this manner, a child is encouraged and his belief in himself or herself is not diminished. Such a child will walk the many rugged paths of life with confidence.
Prepare your child well for the life ahead. Understand his communication needs and his social development needs.
Language and knowledge are two factors that can lubricate the flow of communication. Teach him language skill early in life. Tell him as much as you can about his/her world. This means spending as much time as possible with the child. The confidence of facing a world where almost everyone can understand him or her is important to the development and the strong belief in the child that he/she is capable of staying in control of whatever situation he or she has to face.
Teach your child how to handle himself/herself wherever he/she is. If your child can handle himself or herself well, there will be less stress as popularity comes to those who mix well. Teach your child restrain, cooperation and the habit of showing joy at meeting others. The ability to mix well strengthens a child’s confidence and the belief that life can be conducted easily through his ability and knowledge.
And then there is love. Everyone needs love. It would take a very strong person to go through life without love. A lack of love caused by divorce or loss of parents can lead to a loss of confidence and the belief in the self. I have seen this lead to pressure and mental problems. Fortunately, recovery successes in such cases have been achieved through techniques taught by The Art of Living Foundation. I have personally helped one such case in 2008.
For further information on The Art of Living Foundation, please go to:
www.artofliving.org
Love gives a child the shelter to seek solace and comfort for all the pain, frustrations and fears he may come across. Love is the guiding light that leads him/her to safety. Love is the heart that never fails to comfort him/her when such a need arises. Love is everything a child needs when all else fails. Those show how necessary love is to all of us.
How can there be confidence when there is no belief? How can there be confidence when there is no love? How can there be love when there is no sufficient care? How can there be care when you do not think of the future of your family and your child?
All the above is possible. Believe it!
Gymnasts have done it through the power of believing.
If you have been following this blog, you would have read how people could walk on glowing, smoking,red-hot coals. You would have read of people who pierce long thin shafts into their cheeks or bodies and later remove them without any indication of injury to them. Unbelievable, of course, unless you understand the power of the mind.
What should interest us even more is how we can harness this power of believing to achieve our everyday success. For that, allow me to tell you how I achieve success as a state gymnastic coach.
When I did my first year of teaching in St. Michaels Secondary School in Alor Star, I assisted a more experienced coach to train the gymnasts of the school. When the experienced coach left for further studies in Australia, I took over the team and for the first time the school team became the champion team of the state. This was the case for the next four years when I was there. Frankly, I was very egoistic and strongly believe I am a better coach than all the others.
Then, just as I was getting another team together in another school, the captain of another school team had an accident and all gymnastic competitions came to a full stop in the state for the next approximately twenty years. Do you see how powerful an incident like this can have on the mind?
About ten years before my retirement, I was required to go for coach training. My school was sent Olympic standard gymnastic equipment and I immediately went to the lower form classes to select the right students.
Firstly, I wanted to know who were interested to become excellent state gymnasts. Some of those who came forward were not only interested; they walked with a confidence of being able to achieve what I planned to succeed at. They were the ones I chose, for in their walk, they showed that they believed in what I was going to do.
Then they went into training, six Malay girls and seven Malay boys. To remove any doubts as well as other obstacles regarding my method of teaching, I invited their parents to watch the training. They saw the progress their children could make and approved my method.
If you understand how gymnasts are trained, you would know that at certain parts of the training there is the need to bend backwards with arms stretched back as you jumped upwards and backwards to land on your hands while your body and legs follow through to land on your feet and straighten the body; a backward somersault. Some people dared not even jump upwards as the body bent backwards. They just do not have the confidence. Have you ever thought what is it that gives us the confidence? It is nothing but belief; belief in the coach and believe that it could be done. Without those beliefs, a somersault is impossible to achieve. Sometimes, I do come across a child who believes in the coach but does not believe she is capable of it. What can the coach do to overcome this? During my coaching I have sometimes praised and exaggerated my gymnasts’ abilities and performances to give them the necessary boost to top up their confidence and enable a movement to be performed. Yes, I have discovered that there is value in exaggeration and encouragement. For, it is especially in gymnastics that I discover the need and the importance of believing to achieve improvement. Some of my gymnasts brought back medals from national schools’ gymnastic meets.
Well, that was a true story of how the power of believing can help humans achieve something in their lives.
Do you have a story to tell? Let us hear it.
What should interest us even more is how we can harness this power of believing to achieve our everyday success. For that, allow me to tell you how I achieve success as a state gymnastic coach.
When I did my first year of teaching in St. Michaels Secondary School in Alor Star, I assisted a more experienced coach to train the gymnasts of the school. When the experienced coach left for further studies in Australia, I took over the team and for the first time the school team became the champion team of the state. This was the case for the next four years when I was there. Frankly, I was very egoistic and strongly believe I am a better coach than all the others.
Then, just as I was getting another team together in another school, the captain of another school team had an accident and all gymnastic competitions came to a full stop in the state for the next approximately twenty years. Do you see how powerful an incident like this can have on the mind?
About ten years before my retirement, I was required to go for coach training. My school was sent Olympic standard gymnastic equipment and I immediately went to the lower form classes to select the right students.
Firstly, I wanted to know who were interested to become excellent state gymnasts. Some of those who came forward were not only interested; they walked with a confidence of being able to achieve what I planned to succeed at. They were the ones I chose, for in their walk, they showed that they believed in what I was going to do.
Then they went into training, six Malay girls and seven Malay boys. To remove any doubts as well as other obstacles regarding my method of teaching, I invited their parents to watch the training. They saw the progress their children could make and approved my method.
If you understand how gymnasts are trained, you would know that at certain parts of the training there is the need to bend backwards with arms stretched back as you jumped upwards and backwards to land on your hands while your body and legs follow through to land on your feet and straighten the body; a backward somersault. Some people dared not even jump upwards as the body bent backwards. They just do not have the confidence. Have you ever thought what is it that gives us the confidence? It is nothing but belief; belief in the coach and believe that it could be done. Without those beliefs, a somersault is impossible to achieve. Sometimes, I do come across a child who believes in the coach but does not believe she is capable of it. What can the coach do to overcome this? During my coaching I have sometimes praised and exaggerated my gymnasts’ abilities and performances to give them the necessary boost to top up their confidence and enable a movement to be performed. Yes, I have discovered that there is value in exaggeration and encouragement. For, it is especially in gymnastics that I discover the need and the importance of believing to achieve improvement. Some of my gymnasts brought back medals from national schools’ gymnastic meets.
Well, that was a true story of how the power of believing can help humans achieve something in their lives.
Do you have a story to tell? Let us hear it.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Fantastic performances through the power of belief.
For the girl I love I could do everything to make her happy. I could even die for her. However, she must not ask me to walk over burning coals. Never in my life can I picture myself doing that. There is this little coward in me which could not imagine a leisurely walk on red hot, smoking, burning coals in a big pit. Can you ever do it?
Well, many people can and they purposely present themselves for such an ordeal. Nay, it is no ordeal! For them, it is a part of a cleansing process. I am talking about the Taoist Nine Gods’ Festival in which it is believed that only a purely vegetarian diet and a cleansed heart can take you over such a pit of live coals safely.
The Hindus also have such a ceremony. I once witnessed such a ceremony. Unlike the Nine God’s walk across the pit of fire, the people at this ceremony seemed to go into a trance-like state. I remembered seeing one of those present who just felt uneasy about following the group across the red-hot charcoal pit. He withdrew when his turn came but the others just did what appeared to be the impossible.
Those people who could walk on such hot coals must have first conceived and believed that it could be done before they even dared make their first step onto the coals. The fact that they did it without getting burnt, without any expression of pain indicated the power of believing. How else could it have been possible?
Beside fire-walking, there are Hindus who pierce long sharp metal poles into their bodies. Even the nine Gods in their trance do it, piercing long thin metal into their cheeks. The fantastic part is that even when they pull out the metal shafts there is no blood or wound which needs any medical attention!
Well, after having seen all these with my own eyes, I can only conclude that all such wonders are possible because they believe it is alright to be pierced with the metal shafts and no harm could come to them as God is with them in whatever they do.
Fantastic? Unbelievable? Impossible? Yet all such feats can be seen throughout the world and when you witness it for yourself, you just have to believe what your own eyes see. For what you will see is the miracle of their belief in God.
Have you witnessed any such miracles? Please do share with us.
Well, many people can and they purposely present themselves for such an ordeal. Nay, it is no ordeal! For them, it is a part of a cleansing process. I am talking about the Taoist Nine Gods’ Festival in which it is believed that only a purely vegetarian diet and a cleansed heart can take you over such a pit of live coals safely.
The Hindus also have such a ceremony. I once witnessed such a ceremony. Unlike the Nine God’s walk across the pit of fire, the people at this ceremony seemed to go into a trance-like state. I remembered seeing one of those present who just felt uneasy about following the group across the red-hot charcoal pit. He withdrew when his turn came but the others just did what appeared to be the impossible.
Those people who could walk on such hot coals must have first conceived and believed that it could be done before they even dared make their first step onto the coals. The fact that they did it without getting burnt, without any expression of pain indicated the power of believing. How else could it have been possible?
Beside fire-walking, there are Hindus who pierce long sharp metal poles into their bodies. Even the nine Gods in their trance do it, piercing long thin metal into their cheeks. The fantastic part is that even when they pull out the metal shafts there is no blood or wound which needs any medical attention!
Well, after having seen all these with my own eyes, I can only conclude that all such wonders are possible because they believe it is alright to be pierced with the metal shafts and no harm could come to them as God is with them in whatever they do.
Fantastic? Unbelievable? Impossible? Yet all such feats can be seen throughout the world and when you witness it for yourself, you just have to believe what your own eyes see. For what you will see is the miracle of their belief in God.
Have you witnessed any such miracles? Please do share with us.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Napolean Hill: 'Whatever the mind can concieve and believe, it will achieve.'
I came across the words in the title of this post when I read Napolean Hill’s books. You know, these words have guided me to the numerous knowledge and achievements in my life.And I strongly believe in them.
Let me take you to the days of the witch-doctors and their effective role in their society. They held a position of respect. How did these people with hardly any medical knowledge be able to drive off evil spirits from sick bodies with such success? How did they cast spells and managed to make people sick or dead? How is it possible?
Well, according to researchers who had made a study of their methods, these witch-doctors' powers were well-known, known for their ability to achieve whatever they profess to be able to do. With their reputation, they had their society believe they were experts in their field. Then, when they wished to cast a spell, they made very sure that their victims know the spell, know that it had been cast on them by letting them realise a doll in their image had been pierced with needles. The fear and dread of the spell brought on stress and insomnia. All such fears and stress played havoc on the body and sickness followed. Should the victims be suffering from heart problems, the stress could be able to bring death even.
Well, let us move to modern times and a school where my wife taught English. In the year 1998, or was it a year earlier, my wife told me how a man teacher was worried sick because he believed he had a mild heart attack. Sometimes, a little knowledge is very dangerous. This man had read about a pain in the chest. And a few days before, he had the exact type of chest pain described in the article. He worried so much that he could not sleep, his appetite was lost and he found it so tiring to drag himself around throughout the day. He felt he was on the verge of collapse.
When my wife told me that, I discovered that that teacher had not dared to face a doctor to get the truth. I advised my wife to tell that man to see a doctor and face whatever health problem that was besetting him. You know, two days later, my wife told me that it was nothing but muscular pain in the area of the chest and the man had suddenly become his usual self again. Thus, that teacher had believed he had a heart attack and that belief had taken away his vigour and brought him despair. That was the power of believing.
Oh, yes. I almost forget about what my wife once told me about her feeling so much better upon seeing the building of the hospital whenever she was sick. Could this be an unconscious association of the hospital with getting well?
Here is a true story in a medical research on placebo. An untested pill was able to help a man recover from his cancer because he believed it was that good. However, when it was publicised that the pill failed to cure so many other cases, this man realized the pill was useless and the cancer returned. The doctor who realized it was a kind of placebo effect, gave the same man what he claimed were better and improved pills and again the man was cured. Unfortunately, when he realised once again that those pills were not what was claimed, he succumbed again and died.
Recently, medical experts did a research on placebo. The use of placebo has a long history, from the time when medicine was not as easily available, sometimes in war zones where doctors were forced to comfort their patients with injections containing merely saline solution to today where it is used to evaluate the effectiveness of a new drug.
The above mentioned medical experts eventually showed that belief can affect a cure even when no cure can possible arise from the treatment. It just shows us how fantastic our mind is. This indicates how much we can achieve if we are able to put our mind to any concievable task.
For further reading, please go to:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=placebo-effect-a-cure-in-the-mind&sc=emailfriend
Let me take you to the days of the witch-doctors and their effective role in their society. They held a position of respect. How did these people with hardly any medical knowledge be able to drive off evil spirits from sick bodies with such success? How did they cast spells and managed to make people sick or dead? How is it possible?
Well, according to researchers who had made a study of their methods, these witch-doctors' powers were well-known, known for their ability to achieve whatever they profess to be able to do. With their reputation, they had their society believe they were experts in their field. Then, when they wished to cast a spell, they made very sure that their victims know the spell, know that it had been cast on them by letting them realise a doll in their image had been pierced with needles. The fear and dread of the spell brought on stress and insomnia. All such fears and stress played havoc on the body and sickness followed. Should the victims be suffering from heart problems, the stress could be able to bring death even.
Well, let us move to modern times and a school where my wife taught English. In the year 1998, or was it a year earlier, my wife told me how a man teacher was worried sick because he believed he had a mild heart attack. Sometimes, a little knowledge is very dangerous. This man had read about a pain in the chest. And a few days before, he had the exact type of chest pain described in the article. He worried so much that he could not sleep, his appetite was lost and he found it so tiring to drag himself around throughout the day. He felt he was on the verge of collapse.
When my wife told me that, I discovered that that teacher had not dared to face a doctor to get the truth. I advised my wife to tell that man to see a doctor and face whatever health problem that was besetting him. You know, two days later, my wife told me that it was nothing but muscular pain in the area of the chest and the man had suddenly become his usual self again. Thus, that teacher had believed he had a heart attack and that belief had taken away his vigour and brought him despair. That was the power of believing.
Oh, yes. I almost forget about what my wife once told me about her feeling so much better upon seeing the building of the hospital whenever she was sick. Could this be an unconscious association of the hospital with getting well?
Here is a true story in a medical research on placebo. An untested pill was able to help a man recover from his cancer because he believed it was that good. However, when it was publicised that the pill failed to cure so many other cases, this man realized the pill was useless and the cancer returned. The doctor who realized it was a kind of placebo effect, gave the same man what he claimed were better and improved pills and again the man was cured. Unfortunately, when he realised once again that those pills were not what was claimed, he succumbed again and died.
Recently, medical experts did a research on placebo. The use of placebo has a long history, from the time when medicine was not as easily available, sometimes in war zones where doctors were forced to comfort their patients with injections containing merely saline solution to today where it is used to evaluate the effectiveness of a new drug.
The above mentioned medical experts eventually showed that belief can affect a cure even when no cure can possible arise from the treatment. It just shows us how fantastic our mind is. This indicates how much we can achieve if we are able to put our mind to any concievable task.
For further reading, please go to:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=placebo-effect-a-cure-in-the-mind&sc=emailfriend
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
