Most people have a conscious desire to improve upon themselves and their related circumstance. This desire becomes a focal point or guiding force in their life. Knowing personal empowerment and development begins with choices we make, our choices become very important. Aligning our individual choices with our deeper desires and purpose is how we create fulfillment in our lives.
Knowing the choices I make determine the direction my life unfolds and realizing creativity is applied choices manifesting as thought, words and deeds, I begin to see the magic of this process. All the cliches we use to describe this like “mind over matter” and “where there is a will there is way” take on tangible clear meaning. Personal development is a creative process.
Being cognizant of the mind as a creative vehicle that directly determines the quality and content of your life becomes an awesome realization. There is no magic pill that replaces this understanding. We are indeed the architects of what we experience.
With this understanding my struggle has been engaging creativity. What prevents me from being creative? For me fatigue has been the biggest issue. I know my mind is creating all the time with or without me. When I am not engaged consciously with this process I am not feeling happy or good about myself. When I do engage I feel supported and nurtured. With fatigue I am too tired to care or too tired to take action. This has been by biggest obstacle.
Within the last month and a half I have found a way to remove fatigue from my life. For me it has been like a saving grace. I feel connected once again to a type of experience I can only describe as meaningful. I see myself in a whole new light. I feel like I have regained my creative abilities and in doing so opened myself to a whole new level of growth and development. Knowing life is what we make it I once again feel empowered, for this I am grateful.
Cancer Why Leave it to Chance by Todd Peaceheart
In this article I will describe in simple terms cancer. I will focus on chemical carcinogens or cancer causing agents and briefly discuss disease prevention.
Cancer is generally considered a disease of aging. Cancer is unregulated cell growth. Healthy cells live in balance. Cell birth equals cell death. In cancerous cells this balance is missing. Cells whose function are usually quite specific either lose this function or gain new functions. This creates a chaotic situation that we know as cancer.
Considering there is much debate and research about known and unknown causes of cancer I will focus on one identified cause. Chemical carcinogens are substances that interact with DNA causing genetic mutation. If the cancer or pre-cancer cell replicates it passes on this mutation to its offspring. A single mutation in DNA is not sufficient to result in cancer. Most cancers develop over the course of years or decades.
Because cancer is generally considered a disease of aging, it is worth noting the different theories associated with biological aging. They are divided into two groups. Stochastic those related to chance and non-stochastic those related to genes. The most widely recognized theory is stochastic-free radical theory. Free radicals are normal byproducts of cellular process. They are also found in the environment as pollution. Free radicals create stress in the body that disrupts the cellular membrane and potentially alters DNA.
If cancer is a cumulative process and not a sudden event then taking preventative steps to ensure and maintain your health is easy to appreciate. Focusing on health maintenance becomes key to personal empowerment. This way you are responsible for who you are today. Empowered decision making regarding your health maintenance directly translates into the future. Removing fear around cancer with education is the key.
Immune System and Team Sports by Todd Peaceheart
Who are the key players in immune response? In this article I will explore and explain in simple terms, components and functions of the Immune System. I will identify possible reasons behind age-related decline in these functions.
The Immune System has 3 functions: defense, balance, and observation. The defense mechanism protects the body from invasion by foreign particles and microorganisms. The balance mechanism digests and removes damaged cellular debris. The observation mechanism like a surveillance camera monitors the bodies systems.
The immune system can be compared to team sports. There is tremendous coordination of both the athletes and the team. The key player in long term immunity is the T lymphocyte. Lymphocytes are produced in the bone marrow. Those that travel to the thymus gland transform to become the T lymphocytes. As we age the thymus gland becomes smaller and less active. We produce progressively less T lymphocytes. With a key member of the immune system team progressively losing his presence on the field it is no surprise the game becomes less fun.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system can not distinguish self from invader. It is like both teams are now wearing the same jersey. Autoimmune diseases have a tendency to appear together. One example of this is rheumatoid arthritis and Addison’s disease. Considering the immune response is systemic this phenomena is not surprising.
Genes hold the programs that determine the structure and function cells and systems follow. Although exact causes of autoimmune disease are still unknown, one could argue that somewhere in the disease process this program has changed. If environmental factors contribute to a change in this program then perhaps we do have a choice in how our genes behave.
Health maintenance and disease prevention becomes very important especially in relationship to immune system function. Taking steps to ensure this occurs becomes paramount to maintaining quality of life. If you consider the natural intelligence the immune system contains, then consciously choosing to support this system through personal choice makes perfect sense.