Earthing A HEALTH ISSUE

Earthing is essential for optimal Health

(NaturalNews) Walking barefoot on the earth has been a staple part of human and animal life since the beginning of time. In the past couple of generations, humans have made shoes, sandals and boots that insulate us from the natural energies of the Earth. Although these shoes protect our feet they also deprive us of the free electrons present in the ground. Grounding our bodies with barefoot exposure has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect that is a genetic requirement for optimal health.

Our world has more medical technology than ever before. Much of this is good however there is no substitute for the healing forces found naturally on Earth. Nature itself is a powerful healing source. The sun produces vitamin D3, the plants and vegetation give us anti-oxidants, trace minerals and chlorophyll among other things. The Earth itself provides a powerful form of free electrons that are available to everyone by merely exposing our bodies to these natural energies present on the ground.

Our bodies are a living matrix of energetically charged biochemical circuits that are charged and coordinated through the activity of the central nervous system. The Earth itself is regulated by subtle but dynamic electrical circuits. The electrical crosstalk between the Earth and our central nervous system helps to program trillions of biochemical reactions.

Earth's electrical rhythms

The Earth's electrical rhythms play a significant role in the natural circadian rhythms that govern our sleep/wake cycle, hormones, mood and energy production. Studies taken on people fully disconnected from this natural electrical rhythm have shown abnormal circulating cortisol levels indicating abnormal stress responses. Additionally, disconnected people often struggle with issues such as insomnia, hormone disruption, chronic pain, headaches and fatigue among other things.

Human have always connected with the Earth's electrical energy through our feet. This is evidenced by the 1300 nerve endings per square inch on the sole of the foot. Compared to other parts of the body that is an incredibly high density of nerve enrichment. This is necessary for balance, stability and coordination of the foot but also to absorb the electrical energy present on the Earth.

Modern shoe soles have separated man from the electrical energy of the ground with insulating covers. Most people go weeks to months without ever having direct skin to ground contact with the Earth for longer than a minute. These people live completely disconnected from the planet which leads to a disrhythmic function within the mind & body.

The human body has a very similar makeup to the Earth being they are both a combination of water and minerals. This combination is what conducts electrical currents. Our bodies were made to be connected with the Earth and this subtle electrical energy has extremely powerful effects on our health and well-being.

Earthing Basics:
- Avoid wearing shoes whenever possible
- Sit outside barefoot with your feet on grass or soil.
- Walk or run barefoot outside on grass, sand or soil. Moist ground or grass is the perfect electrical conductor.
-Expose any part of the body to the Earth, ground or any natural waters like lakes, streams or oceans. Walking in salt water is one of the best grounding techniques due to the combination of earth, water and electrolytes.
-Sit or lean on the trunk or limb of a tree to share some of its natural electricity.

The benefits of earthing include reduced inflammation and better internal stress management. This results in better sleep, enhanced immunity, less pain and better state of mind and quality of mind. Many individuals report significantly better memory, creativity, innovativeness and spiritual direction after spending time connecting with the Earth.

Fast food diet increases risk of depression by more than fifty percent

Saturday, May 05, 2012 by: John Phillip

(NaturalNews) Providing more evidence to the motif 'you are what you eat', scientists have found that eating a fast food diet increases the risk for depression by more than fifty percent. The food we eat today will provide the structural network for the cellular matrix that we need to support basic metabolism, cellular regeneration and repair. This is especially pronounced in brain neurons, as grey matter is largely composed of the omega-3 fats, DHA and EPA. When we don't provide these basic building blocks, especially in the early formative years, the body is forced to use inferior fats such as those provided by hydrogenation, most frequently found in fast and processed foods.

Scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada, publishing in the Public Health Nutrition journal have determined that eating commercially baked goods (cakes, croissants, and doughnuts) and fast food (hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza) is linked to a 51 percent increase in the incidence of depression, compared to those who eat little or none of these foods.

Consumption of fast foods and baked goods doubles risk of depression

Researchers conducting the study found that risk of depression could be predicted in a dose-dependent manner. Lead study author, Dr. Almudena Sanchez-Villegas commented "the more fast food you consume, the greater the risk of depression." The study found that those participants eating the largest amount of fast food and commercially baked goods are more likely to be single, physically inactive and generally exhibit poor dietary habits. Typically these individuals consumed less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables, and olive oil, and were more likely to smoke or work more than 45 hours per week.

High consumption of commercially baked goods or fried foods subjected to the oil degradation process known as hydrogenation results in trans-fats that have been shown to dramatically increase heart disease risk in past studies. This current research demonstrates that these misshapen and synthetically processed trans-fats interfere with the proper function of chemical neurotransmitters in the brain and alter normal electrical activity necessary for intercellular signaling.

Depression among children and adults is expanding at an alarming rate, with 121 million people diagnosed worldwide. Antidepressants prescribed to manage depression are largely ineffective and only work to mask the underlying cause of the illness. A wealth of scientific evidence now points to proper nutrition as an effective tool to halt and even reverse depressive episodes. The study team advised against a diet including baked or fried foods, and emphasized the need for whole, natural foods containing plenty of B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and fresh pressed virgin olive oil to significantly lower risk of depression.

Sources for this article include:

http://journals.cambridge.org
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330081352.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243624.php
http://www.wellnessresources.com

About the author:
John Phillip is a Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your Free 48 page copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.

ON THE MOVE ? REFUGEES

Migrants and Refugees, Why Draw a Distinction?

By José Riera

Refugees are "migrants" in the broadest sense of the term; yet, they continue to be a distinct category of people. As specified in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, they are outside their country of nationality and are unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality or membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Over the years, the refugee concept has been broadened to encompass other people who have fled events that pose a serious threat to their life and liberty. What makes refugees different from other categories of migrants is their need for international protection and their right to seek and enjoy asylum in another State. Refugee and migratory movements intersect in a number of different ways. People who are on the move from one country to another, even when they meet the criteria for refugee status, increasingly engage in unauthorized or undocumented movement, making use of similar routes, employing the services of the same smugglers and obtaining fraudulent travel documents from the same suppliers. While these similarities have no bearing on the fundamental difference between refugees and non-refugees, they have contributed towards a blurred distinction between the two. The Italian Coast Guard patrol intercepts a small overcrowded boat from Africa, off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. UNHCR PHOTO/L. BOLDRINI Concerns about national security in the wake of 9/11 (2001) and State efforts to stem abuse of asylum systems, as well as the growing interstate cooperation to curb irregular migration, have made it harder for refugees to seek and enjoy protection. Many States have introduced measures intended to prevent and deter foreign nationals from arriving on their territory and submitting claims for refugee status. Interdiction of boats on the high seas is a growing practice. It is also of grave concern that the restrictive measures introduced to curb irregular migration and combat human smuggling and trafficking are applied indiscriminately and prevent refugees from gaining access to asylum procedures of another State and entry to the territory. The numbers speak for themselves. According to the latest asylum statistics for 36 industrialized nations published in September 2006 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the downward trend in most of these countries continues unabated; 2005 saw the lowest number of asylum-seekers since 1987. During the first months of 2006, applications dropped a further 14 per cent, compared to the same period last year. While this continued decline can be partially attributed to improved conditions in some of the countries of origin, it may also be due to the introduction of more restrictive asylum policies, notably in Europe. The High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, held by the UN General Assembly in September 2006, has undoubtedly put international migration higher on the global agenda. Participants broadly agreed that it can be a positive force for development in both countries of origin and destination, provided that it is supported by the right set of policies. They also recognized that it is essential to address the root causes of international migration to ensure that people migrated out of choice rather than necessity; the same can be said for the root causes of refugee movements. Many participants pledged to work more closely to stem irregular migration. Some of the boat people on arrival after their craft was intercepted by the Italian Coast Guard. UNHCR PHOTO/L. BOLDRINI The presence of refugees among a larger group of migrants, some of whom may also use the asylum channel as a means of entering a foreign country, confronts the international community and UNHCR with some important challenges. High on the list of goals is an effective and coherent response to "mixed" migratory movements, including the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers. Boat movements of sub-Saharan Africans across the Mediterranean provide a good example. While the pattern of migration that we see in the Mediterranean today is not in essence a "refugee" situation, the movement of people seeking asylum and protection is one of its features. In addition to the immediate task of saving lives, systems and procedures have to be established to identify those who are in need of asylum. It is also important to ensure that any measures taken to curb irregular maritime migration do not prevent refugees from gaining the protection to which they are entitled. Equally needed is a clearer understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the different actors involved-such as the countries of origin and transit, international organizations and shipping companies-when people are intercepted or rescued at sea. It is also important to ensure that people who have travelled or who hope to travel find a lasting solution to their situation, whether or not they are recognized as refugees. It is, of course, the legitimate right of States to control and secure their borders, but this right is not unfettered. Interception at sea and other measures to curb irregular migration should not result in violations of the non-refoulement principle, which is the cornerstone of the international refugee regime and prevents people from being returned to countries where their life and liberty would be at risk. It is therefore noteworthy that the European Union's Justice and Home Affairs Ministers agreed in October 2006 that measures to reinforce the Union's southern external maritime borders and to counter migration on the high seas must be "without prejudice to the principles laid down in the international legal framework on the law of the sea and the protection of refugees". It is important to bear in mind that refugees over time may also become "migrants". Many have been able to establish livelihoods and become productive members of their communities in countries of asylum. They may choose to remain in that country, even if the causes of their flight have been removed in their homeland, or they may move on and enter the labour market in another country. In such contexts, it is important to ensure that all refugees are able to benefit from the human rights and labour standards to which they are entitled as migrants. In addition, blurring the distinction between a refugee and a migrant may even be advisable, as long as refugees, who are unable to return to their country of origin, continue to receive the protection to which they are entitled under international law.

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Take the Challenge

Raleigh International is a UK-based youth and sustainable development charity that aims to help people of all backgrounds and nationalities to discover their full potential through their work to improve communities and protect the environment.
This is primarily done through 5-10 week challenging expeditions to Borneo Malaysia, Costa Rica & Nicaragua and India. Past destinations have included Chile, Costa Rica & Nicaragua, Ghana, Namibia, Malaysia, Mongolia and Fiji. The expeditions themselves generally comprise three parts (Adventure, Environment and Community), each lasting about three weeks.
Projects are planned with local partners allowing participants to work alongside local people in rural communities and habitats to improve the local living conditions and reduce the impact of poverty. Most work involves using low cost sustainable technologies such as biogas ovens, rain water harvesting, gravity feed water systems as well as building schools and community centres which the community needs. Work in partnership with governments and national parks over many years has supported their conservation efforts by improving the infrastructure of national parks or reducing human-animal conflict.
People can apply from around the world either as venturers (17-24 year olds) or as volunteer managers (25-75 years) who undertake a variety of roles including project manager, expedition photographer, medic, communication officer and logistics manager. Raleigh is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS), Bond (for international development) and Civicus.
Raleigh also works with companies such as Green & Black's, supporting their efforts to develop sustainable Fairtrade cocoa communities, and the Airbus Corporate Foundation, taking their staff into India to build biogas plants for tribal families in order to reduce their need to take wood from the forests for cooking fuel.
  
History
Based on Operation Drake, Operation Raleigh (1984-1991) included volunteers and staff from around the world on community, environmental and adventure based expeditions in Africa, the Americas and the Far East.
In 1992, following the increased number of international volunteers, the venture "commercialised" and became "Raleigh International" with a continued organizational focus on youth & sustainable development.
In 2009 a 32 year old volunteer died on one of their expeditions in Namibia. A court heard that a South African instructor had failed to follow guidelines of the South African Adventure Recreation Association – which granted him his qualification – about the type of safety equipment used on the day.

Alumni

Notable celebrities that have been on Raleigh expeditions include Prince William who spent 10 weeks in Chile in 2000, his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Marina Ogilvy, daughter of Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy, BBC journalist Kate Silverton, Ray Mears and Mark O'Shea who participated in three Raleigh expeditions from 1985-1989.
The following is taken from an interview with Ray Mears by Andrew Smith on Sunday February 17, 2002

'As an only child growing up in the southeast of England (Sussex, Kent, Surrey), he spent most of his free time alone in the woods ('In a way, I think I walked into the woods and nature saw me and said, "Walk this way." I think something similar happens to most of us in life. We don't choose our path, it chooses us'), but could see no way of applying what he learnt at school or university ('I think that was very sad, looking back on it: I didn't think I'd learnt anything, I was just doing what I enjoyed'). As a result, he left school in 1982 at the age of 18 and took a job in the City, where he had a terrible time.
'It was ghastly,' he laughs. 'That doesn't mean I think it's bad, I just hate that sort of life. For me to be there is not good for anybody, cos I'm unhappy and if I'm unhappy, I'm going to buck against that.'
The failure hurt, but faded when he landed a job on the Operation Raleigh project, where inner-city kids are brought together and whisked away on adventures. Here, he learnt to work in a team and realized that he had acquired something of value in the woods. Afterwards, he turned to setting up the survival-instruction business that he still runs with Rachel, his partner of 10 years, whom he met on one of his courses and whose nearly grown children he helped to raise when he wasn't traveling ('Rachel's older than me: I won't have children of my own,' he states with resigned finality). Then, in 1996, he was asked to co-present the travel programme Tracks . He's never looked back.
'After Operation Raleigh, it all becomes a blur, really. The years seem to go past like minutes and all of a sudden you start to feel a few aches in your bones and think, "Oh my God, I'm mortal!" I don't like it. I fight against it, I have to say.'
I can still hear him laughing as he disappears into the woods and his basha.'

External links

• Raleigh International: www.raleighinternational.org

Syrian rebels shoot down military helicopter over Damascus

BEIRUT — Syrian rebels shot down a military helicopter flying over Damascus on Monday during heavy clashes with government forces, according to the rebel Free Syrian Army.

The fighting comes after an intense and bloody government operation in the areas surrounding the capital that has left hundreds dead in recent days. More than 320 people were killed Saturday in the suburb of Darayya alone, many of them shot in the head, in what opposition groups are calling the biggest massacre of the conflict so far.

Dramatic videos of the helicopter attack, which allegedly took place in the Qaboun area of northeastern Damascus, were posted online Monday. One video shows the helicopter smoking and circling horizontally before taking a dramatic vertical dip and plunging to the ground in a fiery ball. The sound of heavy machine gun fire can be heard on the video along with chants of “God is great.”

Col. Aref Hammoud, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, said there was no indication yet that any of the crew had survived the crash or had been captured by rebel forces.

“The regime is using helicopters and planes in their attack on cities and residential areas to take revenge on them because they are our supporters,” he said. “Recently when the air force starts attacking an area, it means they are preparing for a ground attack.”

The Shaam News Network, which supports the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, posted a bulletin on its Facebook page Monday noting that a helicopter had crashed in the Qaboun area of Damascus and blaming Israelis for the attack.

“This is not our first encounter with the Israelis inside of Syria,” the posting read. “But it’s the first step towards their end. Our trust in the army has no limits.”

Two weeks ago, rebel forces claimed to have shot down a jet in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour and captured the pilot. The Syrian government blamed a technical problem for that crash.

These incidents suggested that rebel forces may be acquiring heavier and more sophisticated weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, and may be more proficient at using weapons already in their arsenal, analysts said. Rebel forces have posted recent videos of fighters posing with what appear to be surface-to-air missiles.

The military air campaign has taken a heavy toll on both rebel forces and civilians in Damascus, Aleppo and a number of smaller cities across the country.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande called in a speech on Monday for Syrian opposition groups to form a provisional government, which he said France would recognize, the Associated Press reported.

According to AP, Hollande said, “France asks the Syrian opposition to form a provisional government — inclusive and representative — that can become the legitimate representative of the new Syria.”

Great Migration (Afrcan American)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Migration_%28African_American%29