Positive Health Online

As we approach live publication of Positive Health PH Online Issue 257, I have become beset with, subjected to, even plagued by an extreme sense of malaise, stasis, emotional paralysis affecting outer and inner worlds. More esoteric individuals might say “as above, so below”, or as Deepak Chopra writes in a blog for HuffPost:

“There is no difference between what is happening in your inner world and what is happening in your outer world. The outer world is just a reflection of your inner world. The world is a mirror of your mind, and your mind is a mirror of the world. But you are neither your mind nor the world; you are the creator of both.”

However, this is not just me and my mirror – look around at world events, from the UK Brexit conundrum groundhog day stasis never-ending merry-go-round, to the seemingly eternal bad-tempered rows between the USA, Iran, China and North Korea, even India’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in Kashmir which has prompted Imran Khan to announce that “Pakistan will make the fullest possible response to India’s actions in disputed Kashmir and the global community would be responsible for any ‘catastrophic’ aftermath”.

The world has gone from apparently following polite, diplomatic and mainly peaceful norms to a ratcheting up to violent, hostile bellicose rhetoric with accompanying actions. This is too much to withstand!! Enough, you may say, of my two pence / cents of political analysis, an arena into which I rarely venture for PH Online.

Of course these outer arenas impinge upon the world of PH Online. The recent superb BBC docudrama Untouchable: The Rise And Fall Of Harvey Weinstein – BBC 2 1 Sept 2019 shone a laser-light focus upon money, power and the relations between the sexes when the vulnerable are caught in the headlamps without escape routes. Scenes of power and sexual dynamics arise in the world of healthcare and affect (female) practitioners who work alone from home and feel uncomfortable treating male clients or vice versa; also the dynamic of the patient being subservient and supposedly compliant to what his or her doctor / consultant recommends for treatment. There needs to be a long-overdue movement supporting clients and patients taking power and having a voice in their own treatment.

Returning to Positive Health PH Online Issue 257, I must call attention to A Spotlight on Reiki the last article written and published in PH Online by Richard Eaton LLB(Hons) who recently died all too young in June 2019 aged only 65. Richard’s mind and worldview was vast, aiming at the integration of like-minded individuals and ventures. I miss him and his voice; here is a link to his author profile with articles published in PH Online.

Articles highlighting vital clinical health issues from ‘outside the box’ include:

Gut Health, the Immune System and Mental Health

“The trillions of microbes have multiple essential functions in the body: some produce important signalling molecules;[1] others help immune cells develop;[2] and bacteria in the gut help to digest food, providing up to 15% of your required calories by breaking down food that we ourselves cannot process.

“Within the gut, so called ‘good’ bacteria crowd out microbes that cause infection and create essential metabolic products; they produce B vitamins which send signals via other molecules in a complex process to produce short chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and help the gut lining to stay intact. ‘Good’ bacteria also activate the production of neurotransmitters that determine multiple things including our mood. So, our microbiome is key to good physical and mental health!

“However, our modern lifestyle and Western diet is disrupting this balance within our microbiome. We are eating less and less fibre which is the fuel for our gut bacteria.[3]. This leads to the loss of bacteria which have controlled the expression of our genetic code for centuries via the process of switching genes on or off (called epigenetics). Scientists have even begun to set up a ‘bacteria bank’ to preserve our microbial strains before extinction so that we can repopulate our guts with good bacteria in the future!”

Dental Infections - Why You Should be Concerned

Root fillings

“When the nerve inside a tooth dies usually due to decay or trauma it can go from an acute pain phase to a chronic silent phase. Dentistry’s answer to this is to remove what remains of the nerve and fill the nerve space with various root filling compounds. This ‘saves’ the tooth but at the expense of the patient’s health…

“The American Association of Endodontists have issued a warning against using such materials.

“Extensive scientific research has proven unequivocally that para-formaldehyde-containing filling materials and sealers can cause irreversible damage to tissues near the root canal system including the following: destruction of connective tissue and bone; intractable pain; paraesthesia and dysthesia of the mandibular and maxillary nerves; and chronic infections of the maxillary sinus. Moreover, scientific evidence has demonstrated that the damage from para-formaldehyde-containing filling materials and sealers is not necessarily confined to tissues near the root canal. The active ingredients of these filling materials and sealers have been found to travel throughout the body and have been shown to infiltrate the blood, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, kidney, spleen, liver and brain”.

Other superb articles in Issue 257 feature topics from the realms of Psychospiritual, Mind, Self-Development, Environment, Dentistry and Exercise and Fitness. Letters to the Editor cover a spectrum of issues including Syrian bombing, Malaria, Melanoma, Dementia and Obesity. Research Updates span the topics of published literature in acupuncture, allergies, antioxidants, anxiety, back pain, cancer, essential fatty acids, exercise, meditation and multiple sclerosis.

My fervent hope is that the inspiring quality of PH Online Issue 257 may somehow overcome the swirling straitjacket mood engulfing so many of us.