The trend in alternative medicine

> I know about "dark matter" though
> I don't know the details of the latest
> theories.... It's an attempt to try to find
> out where's the missing mass in the
> universe. We can see the galaxies
> "spinning around", but with just
> the mass we can see, they should fly apart.
> There must be more mass there helping to
> hold galaxies together (since with more
> mass, the gravitational attraction would be
> stronger)....

> Some theorize the "missing mass"
> could simply be lots of non-luminous matter
> (like lots of burned out stars or something)
> floating around which we can't see, since
> it's not emitting light the way
> "living" stars do.... These are
> the MACHOS (MAssive Compact Halo
> Objects)....

> Another theory is that there is some new
> type of particle which doesn't react the way
> normal particles do, only through
> gravity.... These are WIMPS (Weakly
> Interacting Massive Particles)....

> Yes, this is no joke! :)

I got my Bubble idea from the idea that dark matter must exist because of the difference between the way things in a galaxy revolve around each other - in particular their relevant speeds and distances from the center when compared to the speeds at which items in a solar system revolve.

If the dark matter was like a halo, then galaxies would be flat. So it must be all around, a bubble.

Anyway. What I like about WIMPS is their "shyness"... or reluctance to be seen. I find it fascinating that to locate one... or know whether it has mass, you've got to detect the recoil from a normal-atom/wimp encounter - the normal atom recoils when encountering a wimp. Assuming a wimp has mass, of course. :o)

> I'd agree.... Quantum mechanics is my
> specialty. :)

> It's a strange world where things can, in a
> sense, be in multiple places at once....

> Where a particle can seem to show
> "knowledge" about a place it has
> never been!

> Where one part of the world can affect
> another part of the world faster than light
> -- but NOT in a way which allows us to send
> a faster-than-light signal (nature seems to
> conspire against allowing this)....

That's an interesting point. Why is it so?

Could it in fact be based on something as simple as the reason why there's a set speed at which anything can travel through our atmosphere? Why there seems to be an upper limit to how fast a wind-powered water vessle can go, and so on.

Could it be something like the relationship between water and air?

Water, to a fish, is just right for moving about, for them. Air, to a fish would surely feel like space does to a bird. No leverage.

What I'm saying is, even though space is a vacuum, maybe a vacumm still exerts resistance - like our air does - and that is why there seems to be an upper speed limit.

And if that's the case, and if our galaxy is in a bubble with a see-through skin, how do we determine the speed of an object outside of our bubble when all our measurements can only be calculated from within our bubble?

It's like gravity down here. It can't be measured so the results match the formula because of air-friction. Projectiiles do no travel in a perfect arc because of air-friction, etc. Remove air and all equations work.

But with the speed of light, it could be that its calculation and maximum possible velocity is based on observation from within an environment which has friction - the vacuum of space within our galaxy bubble.

Outside of this bubble, could travel be faster and in fact instantaneous?

If it was, bob oh boy. We look at an item far away, and based on how fast we think light travels, the object is say four billion light years away. BUT, if we are, for the sake of the arguement, only 100 light years from the edge of our bubble, then the light we think took four billion years to reach us only took 100 years - the time taken to travel from the edge of our bubble to us. The rest of its journey was instant.

So when we see this thing happening which we think happened four billion years ago, we're really seeing something which only happened 100 years ago.

It'd be like when we speak to people on a phone. The sound we make travels at the speed of sound, leaves the air then travels much much faster, then re-enters the air and travels at the speed of sound again.

In a sense, we have sound travelling faster than sound.

What if our bubbles were like that?

Light travels at the known speed of light in our bubble, leaves the bubble and travels much much faster maybe instant, then re-enters another bubble and travels at the known speed of light again.

> Where an observer ALWAYS affects the outcome
> of what's observed!

> Quantum mechanics shows that nature truly is
> holistic.... One part affects the other
> parts, no matter how far away they are from
> each other. It shows that
> "reductionism" -- that
> understanding something by reducing it to
> its parts -- has only limited
> applicability....

> I love it's strangeness.... And the best
> part is, it's all true....

> Quantum mechanics is a case of something
> where truth is stranger than fiction! :)

Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here. IF what I just explained with the bubble were applied here, as far as I can see, it fits.

That is, objects affect each other in a way they apparantly shouldn't, exhibiting faster than light abilities.

If each of these objects were a small-scale version of my "light travels faster outside of our bubble galaxy" idea, and each object was inside of it's own little bubble, then you'd expect the same effect. And it wouldn't seem so odd, would it?

> I've come across a theory of multiple big
> bangs.... The name Andrei Linde comes to
> mind, and his theory of inflationary
> cosmology....

> On his web page, Prof. Andrei Linde
> writes....

> Recent versions of inflationary theory
> assert that instead of being a single,
> expanding ball of fire described by the big
> bang theory, the universe looks like a huge
> growing fractal. It consists of many
> inflating balls that produce new balls,
> which in turn produce more new balls, ad
> infinitum.

My idea isn't so much as an inflationary theory more a variation of what already is except with bubbles.

Think of it like this...

Each galaxy is in its own bubble and always was. Now imagine these bubbles all huddled together in a very big bunch. Infact, for the sake of this, lets apply normal gravity.

So these bubbles are all huddled together. As the mass of bubbles increases they exert more gravity and draw mmore bubbles into the mass - like a singularity.

However, unlike a singularity, the pressure does create an explosion. The bubble in the middle of the massive ball of bubbles explodes as would be expected from the pressure and heat.

This explosion (the first initial bang) does a few things. First, it scatters the bubbles which surround it, as you'd expect. Second, the heat from that exploding bubble is absorbed by the other bubbles. As they move against each other being expelled from being a mass, they rub and create more heat.

So now they've warmed up from rubbing and from absorbing heat from the first bubble's explosion.

The heat inside of each of these bubbles isn't enough to make them blow up, but is enough to partially ignite what's inside.

So as the bubbles fly apart in all directions they have their own little explosions going on inside - galaxies begin to form.

These bubbles fly apart like shrapnel from a grenade. And just as shrapnel is hot, these bubbles are hot. As they contain material which can ignite, the heat and explosion shockwave (pressure) from the initial explosion ignite those materials.

Hmmm.... I wonder how Stephen Hawking would rip this apart. HA!

How could I prove/disprove that light travels faster outside of a bubble when all we know is based from living in our bubble?

> As the Terminator says, "GET OUT!"
Move.
> P.S. Amber, don't take my pushing as
> "having a go at you" but please,
> move as soon as you can. Okay.

Michael,

Of course you are right. Wiser words have never been spoken! I DO need to move.

With each flooding occurrence, we have taken extraordinary measures to clean and fully restore our home - even replacing the air conditioning system. But each new flooding episode brings additional exposure to the dangerous pathogens which have inevitably overwhelmed my immune system.

Cleaning and restoration can take over a year and even with the best precautions, it is now known that only small amounts of exposure can cause permanent problems such as fibrosis of the lungs from breathing the 'too small to be seen' fungal particles.

However, it is only in recent years that the full extent of the danger has been realized. Now it is in the news everywhere and people are waking up to the truth. We aren't the only ones who are in this predicament.

This was our dream home - custom built for us at great expense. But we see it now - eyes wide open - for what it has become.

It is a huge 'money pit' and a potential death trap.

The stress, alone, of losing everything during one of Mother Nature's 'events' is exhausting and when we were young and foolish, we made a critical decision to pour more money into the home instead of walking away. We regret that now but it seemed only logical at the time since we had so much invested in this property.

We weren't thinking then about the residual problems that we would later face.

Yes, if only we could turn back time and make different decisions and not have sunk an exorbitant amount of money our into a property that is not sellable even though it IS a beauty.

Locking the door and just walking away without a penny of the substantial equity we've put into this home makes it extremely difficult to set up even another simple living arrangement. We will still have to service the huge debt load from this home (while it sits locked up and vacant) in order not to ruin our credit.

It presents a challenge...but one we must accept and somehow find a way to make possible.

Michael, thanks for your comments. I do appreciate them.

By the way...I couldn't pull up the site for http://www.remissions.org. that you included in your post. Maybe they just have it offline to work on it ~ I'll check again later.

Thanks Michael!

~Amber

> Yes, if only we could turn back time and
> make different decisions and not have sunk
> an exorbitant amount of money our into a
> property that is not sellable even though it
> IS a beauty.

> Locking the door and just walking away
> without a penny of the substantial equity
> we've put into this home makes it extremely
> difficult to set up even another simple
> living arrangement. We will still have to
> service the huge debt load from this home
> (while it sits locked up and vacant) in
> order not to ruin our credit.

> It presents a challenge...but one we must
> accept and somehow find a way to make
> possible.

In Australia there are three basic reasons why a house may be unsellable.

1: The house doesn't meet legal requirements for some reason. Like maybe the pool doesn't have a fence around it, or the downpipe has come away from it's conection at the ground level. That sort of thing.

2: Legal action pending. Like maybe a new fence was built and you, as the seller, don't want to pay for your share and your neighbor takes action to be reinbursed. Or your being sued, etc.

3: Unique design. Like maybe the house fits your tastes perfectly... and therefore is certainly not most buyers' cup of tea.

There are some more reasons. But these are the most common.

Reason 1 requires money. Yuck. Reason 3 requires patience. It will eventually happen. Reason 2... 'nuff said.

Whatever reason your house is unsellable, some visualization could help. You know... detailed imagination of the house being sold and you're moving out, kind of thing.

You could always approach your bank, present your medical evidence of why it's in your best interest to move, and see if they know a way to help you.

> By the way...I couldn't pull up the site for
> http://www.remissions.org . that you
> included in your post. Maybe they just have
> it offline to work on it ~ I'll check again
> later.

While the site's not coming up, try these two links which are from Google's cache of the site...

remissions.org cache

and...

Some Answers

Michael Ross.

Dien, my own take on this statistic (and I know some of the tricks which are played with them. I worked around stats people for years) is that dis-satisfaction with the service from the medical establishment is DRIVING people to try just about anything else!
>Apparently 70% of Americans have tried some form of alternative therapy. It could be a good opportunity to get into, if you have have some useful knowledge of this area.... If it works, you'll be helping some people find relief and regain health.
The caveat is "if it works". I keep away from this area because what works short-term might turn out to be damn dangerous over a longer period, what works for one person can be devastating for someone with apparently similar problems.
> Which types of alternative therapy are the most popular?
I don't think that is a major consideration when people's health is concerned.
I am not against all alternative therapies, theories and products; I used Guarana (there are significant differences between products from different Companies which are supposed to be the same there), take a vitamin supplement which appears to have some benefit for me and so on.
But I would not advocate or sell these sort of products without knowing their track record and having printed confirmation of it from fully independent credible sources.
Please don't use this outside the forum. I know a person who is having great success hypnotising people to remove cravings (my words) for cigarettes etc.
This person was taught about hypnotism by someone who firmly beleived that hypnotism was a complete fake!
So the "cures" happen but the method is decried by the therapist's teacher!
I must add that the therapist & the teacher are both very honorable. If the therapist wasn't, he could probably set up his own religion or something.
No offense intended to people who sell these products, or set up up their own religions even, in a responsible manner.


Reduce Stress with Laughter workshops

Hi John,

> Dien, my own take on this statistic (and I
> know some of the tricks which are played
> with them. I worked around stats people for
> years) is that dis-satisfaction with the
> service from the medical establishment is
> DRIVING people to try just about anything
> else!

Yes, I agree!

It's also true that (unfortunately) standard medicine doesn't yet have all the answers....

One reason why I take certain alternative therapies seriously, is that often these "alternative" therapies become (over time) accepted by the medical establishment.

One example I've come across is milk thistle, which is a herb which was traditionally used to help with liver problems. This folk medicine is now used in medicine for patients with liver cirrhosis, under a name such as silymarin, which is extracted from milk thistle.... So, milk thistle is an example of a folk herbal medicine, whose extract (silymarin) is now regularly used in medicine....

However, it's always best to be a bit cautious, and if you have health problems, to consult a health professional first to be safe....

> The caveat is "if it works". I
> keep away from this area because what works
> short-term might turn out to be damn
> dangerous over a longer period, what works
> for one person can be devastating for
> someone with apparently similar problems.

Yes, it's best to have some caution.... If you have a serious medical condition, it's good to first consult with your doctor....

> I don't think that is a major consideration
> when people's health is concerned.
> I am not against all alternative therapies,
> theories and products; I used Guarana (there
> are significant differences between products
> from different Companies which are supposed
> to be the same there), take a vitamin
> supplement which appears to have some
> benefit for me and so on.

Yes, I'm the same.... I'm currently taking a chromium supplement and I take beta carotene (vitamin A) and vitamin E daily (the last two seem to help reduce my asthma)....

> But I would not advocate or sell these sort
> of products without knowing their track
> record and having printed confirmation of it
> from fully independent credible sources.

I understand what you're saying.... I think it would depend on what it is....

The danger I think is pushing something which could be harmful to some people, without warning them or without having adequate expertise....

However, I think some things wouldn't harm people (like massage, as Amber mentioned). And I think it's okay to make things available to people, as long as you also warn people to check with their doctor etc. if they have a serious medical condition, before using it....

Some things I'm personally a little bit doubtful about, but some people like them, and I don't really see the harm in it.... For example, a friend of mine learned how to practice Reiki, which is some sort of "laying on of hands" technique. He doesn't charge to do it (he doesn't feel comfortable with charging for it), though there are others who do.... I've never used it, but if some want to use it I don't see why not.... He sincerely believes in what he does....

> Please don't use this outside the forum. I
> know a person who is having great success
> hypnotising people to remove cravings (my
> words) for cigarettes etc.
> This person was taught about hypnotism by
> someone who firmly beleived that hypnotism
> was a complete fake!
> So the "cures" happen but the
> method is decried by the therapist's
> teacher!

Heheh.... That's an unusual story!

I've looked into hypnosis since I was a kid (one of my first books was by Melvin Powers, who - I didn't realize then - is also a highly successful mail order marketer!). I personally do believe that it seems to work, at least for some people, though I've never done it or had it done to me.... I thought it was pretty much accepted by the medical establishment now?

> I must add that the therapist & the
> teacher are both very honorable. If the
> therapist wasn't, he could probably set up
> his own religion or something.
> No offense intended to people who sell these
> products, or set up up their own religions
> even, in a responsible manner.

Thanks John, that was a good warning.... It's good to be cautious! And to be ethical too....

- Dien

> Hi John, Yes, I agree!

> It's also true that (unfortunately) standard
> medicine doesn't yet have all the answers....
So consulting your Doctor especially about fairly new theories and products is likely to be not enough of a precaution.
> One reason why I take certain alternative
> therapies seriously, is that often these
> "alternative" therapies become (over time) accepted by the medical establishment.
I could sell you a crystal ball if you want to try to find out which ones before you take them ;)
The percentage is very, very low - the press make much of them naturally but I don't see this as a significant criteria.
> One example ... milk thistle is an example of a folk herbal > medicine, whose extract (silymarin) is now regularly used in medicine....
> However, it's always best to be a bit cautious,
and doubly cautious when trying to sell something which will have an unforseeable effect on the buyer's health and longevity.
> I understand what you're saying.... I think
it would depend on what it is....
> The danger I think is pushing something
> which could be harmful to some people, without warning them or without having adequate expertise....
How many people even in this Forum, would consider that they have sufficient expertise to ethically and safely promote health products.
Aspirin is very beneficial to many people but it can be dangerous to others! Yet many people blithely swallow them on almost a daily basis.
> However, I think some things wouldn't harm
people (like massage, as Amber mentioned). And I think it's okay to make things available to people, as long as you also warn people to check with their doctor etc. if they have a serious medical condition, before using it....
They may not develop the "serious medical condition" until after taking the product you sell them. Can you then prove that your product is blameless?
> Some things I'm personally a little bit
> doubtful about, but some people like them,
For example, Reiki He sincerely believes in what he does....
Reiki people here are in 2 camps and seem to be at each others' throats. Don't see that outcome is in line with their basic philosophy.
> I've looked into hypnosis since I was a kid (one of my first books was by Melvin Powers, who is also a highly successful mail order marketer! I personally do believe that it seems to work, at least for some people, though I've never
done it or had it done to me.... I thought it was pretty much accepted by the medical establishment now?
It is illwgal for anyone not an M.D. to use it in most Australian states. I hear of ethical and unethical users from time to time.
> Thanks John, that was a good warning....
> It's good to be cautious! And to be ethical
> too....
But it can be lonely and unprofitable ;)




more magic than you can shake a wand at!

Dien,

Massage isn't alternative 'medicine', yet
massage is the oldest form of physical therapy so maybe this post fits the subject ok.

Many chiropractors typically employ massage therapists to help relax the neck and back muscles which makes an adjustment last longer.
So the benefit of massage therapists is recognized among these alternative medical healers.

But, now even corporations are realizing the benefit of having massage therapists on their premises.

Offering massage therapy services to corporations could be a good business to get into even if you aren't a trained and state registered massage therapist.

You simply market the services of massage therapists that you sub-contract to actually go out and do the on site therapy for your corporate clients that you go into negotiated 'service' contracts with.

Medium size businesses are thought to be the best market to target.

Your job as the owner of the 'service' is to educate the corporate decision maker on the benefits and sell them on the concept for chair massage for their employees and then to get a signature on the contract for the services.

Massage helps productivity, morale, workplace related pain issues... and to reduce stress associated with the workplace.

Below is an article link that explains how one person successfully entered this alternative health service business. But again, one doesn't have to be a therapist in order to have a business that sells the services of therapists.

Through a professional journal I have subscribed to, I have read about people all over who are making nice sums of money by setting up these kind of corporate massage therapy services by using sub-contracted therapists.

Another website that is actually selling massage therapy services to business is : http://www.minutemassage.net

Link at bottom of this post gives basic information on how to structure the charges to the corporations and an idea of what to pay your sub-contractor massage therapists.

Your profits - determined by how many therapists you have working for you - could be considerable.

The interest is growing for chair massage since a good therapist can relieve neck and shoulder pain in a very short session and the employee is only away from their desk for 5 or 10 minutes usually.

Just something to think about...
~Amber


Information on Starting a Workplace Massage Therapy Service

This subject hits very close to home for me. I am one of those that seems to be allergic to the 21st century and our modern way of live. There are so many conditions that bother people today that never existed years ago. I have also lost 2 grandparents to cancer and my ex-wife had colon cancer 12 yrs. ago. We feel she is alive today because she did NOT go through the chemo and radiation therapies. The doctors tried to scare her, were arrogant...made her cry by telling her she should think about our son! But if the chemo would have destroyed her kidneys or liver (like it did my grandfather) they would have said "those are the risks...we did did all we could". I say BULL****!

I could fill a book (or maybe a website) with all my family has experienced but I will try to keep this short. People are flocking to alternative medicine because conventional medicine has failed them or in the case of things like chemotherapy, the treatment can be worse than the disease.

Over the years, I have tried lots of things to improve my health. I made mistakes, some gains...but learned a great deal. The biggest thing I have learned is the simple things work best. No supplement I ever took made me feel better than when I started drinking lots of high quality water...yep, good ole H2O. I discovered why afer reading a great book called "Your Body's Many Cries For Water". No healing regimen ever helped me more than juice fasting...letting my body rest, heal and clean itself out. Read the testimonies at the Fasting Center International website. I never gained understanding into my own conditions until I was reading about what chinese medicine calls "liver fire" and the light bulb went off. Conventional doctors had no answers for me. I started eating better food....growing some of my own organically. Supplements CANNOT replace diet. Last but not least, I learned about the mind/body comnnection.

Alternative medicine is under attack. Just look at the Quackwatch site. It always has been. Inform but MAKE NO CLAIMS. One area getting hit hard right now is electronic medicine...using electronic devices to disable microbes such as HIV. I read The Body Electric years ago and have been fascinated by this ever since. I began to understand how chinese medicine worked by restoring our bodies electrical pathways. The quality of water in our bodies is SO vitally important to this.

People getting involved in this area REALLY need to educate themselves, ask questions, try the products. They need to be prepared to educate their customers. I think one growth area will definitely be products involving the best free radical scavenger there is...hydrogen...which our bodies get from the water we drink or products like Microhydrin. Water quality products like trace minerals and purifiers can be good too...IF the products themselves are good.

There are quacks in both alternative AND conventional medicine. The doctor who owns the quackwatch site promotes fluoridation which is the largest fraud ever shoved down millions of throats. It's toxic and carcinogenic effects are very well documented. I worked in the water/wastewater field for 11 yrs. Our fluoride was NOT naturally occuring calcium fluoride but sodium fluorosilicate that comes from fertilizer plants! Take anything you read on either side with a grain of salt...then find out all you can. It can be a rewarding experience....or a very bad one.

sorry for rambling,
Mark

S

Hi Mark,

> No supplement I ever took
> made me feel better than when I started
> drinking lots of high quality water...yep,
> good ole H2O. I discovered why afer reading
> a great book called "Your Body's Many
> Cries For Water".

I can relate to this for asthma (something I have).... I guess (as you'd expect) we tend to focus on our own conditions and those of people close to us.... In my case, I've focused on asthma (which I have), and also on Hepatitis C / liver cirrhosis / liver cancer (which someone close to me has)....

I read in a book that drinking lots of water helped asthma sufferers. I tried it, and it worked for me. I had no idea my body was really thirsting for water, and I wasn't giving myself enough!

> No healing regimen
> ever helped me more than juice
> fasting...letting my body rest, heal and
> clean itself out. Read the testimonies at
> the Fasting Center International website.

Do you know the URL for this web site?

Thanks,

Dien

Hello Dien,

Sorry for not posting the link. Here ya go...

http://www.fasting.com/

It's an interesting website.

regards,
Mark

> Hi Mark,

> I can relate to this for asthma (something I
> have).... I guess (as you'd expect) we tend
> to focus on our own conditions and those of
> people close to us.... In my case, I've
> focused on asthma (which I have), and also
> on Hepatitis C / liver cirrhosis / liver
> cancer (which someone close to me has)....

> I read in a book that drinking lots of water
> helped asthma sufferers. I tried it, and it
> worked for me. I had no idea my body was
> really thirsting for water, and I wasn't
> giving myself enough!

> Do you know the URL for this web site?

> Thanks,

> Dien