HEALTH AND WELLNESS

         The limbic system’s ability to determine “this is it –this is truth,” is vital to creation of our mental realities. As “guardian at the inner threshold” it opens the heart to new understanding and facilitates the process of recollection and learning. In the human mind, perceptions presented by the FIVE SENSES are compared to memory perceptions. Through its instrument, the limbic system, the faculty of imagination harmonizes inner and outer perceptions. The images created by imagination then become material for the intellect. Thus, imagination is the intermediary between perception, memory, and thought. Indeed, thought and learning are made possible by the image making part of the soul. The sixth sense; in primitive species, the only function of the limbic system is the regulation of the sense of smell. As the brain becomes more complex, the limbic system diversifies to regulate aspects of behavior, such as emotional expression, while retaining its tie to th

                                  With a downward thrust of its wings, a seagull launches itself skyward. Once aloft, it wheels and turns, rising effortlessly on the wind. Making only tiny adjustments to the angle of its wings and tail, the bird hangs nearly motionless in the air. What enables it to perform those functions with such grace and perfection? To a great extent, its feathers. Birds are the only animals today that grow feathers. Most birds have different kinds of feathers. The most visible are the overlapping contour feathers, which give birds their smooth, aerodynamic shape. Contour feathers include the wing and tail feathers, which are vital to flight. A hummingbird may have fewer than 1,000 such feathers, and a swan more than 25,000. Feathers are a marvel of design. The central shaft, called the RACHIS, is flexible and remarkably strong. Extending out from it are rows of interlocking BARBS that form the smooth VANE of the feather. The barbs attach to one

I’m sorry, Mr. Stuart. You have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.” The doctor then gave me the dismal prognosis: Soon I would no longer be able to move or speak, and the disease would eventually take my life. “How much time do I have?” I asked. “Probably three or five years, I replied. I was just 20 years old. Yet, despite the sad news, I could not help but feel blessed in many ways.                                                                    WHAT IS ALS?   ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis] is a disease that progress rapidly and attacks the motor neurons [nerve cells] in the spinal cord and lower brain. The motor neurons are responsible for transmitting messages from the brain to the voluntary muscles throughout the body. ALS causes the motor neurons to degenerate or die, leading to progressive paralysis. There are three common classifications of ALS: SPORADIC [the most common], FAMILIAL [about 5 to 10 percent

                                             Some molds save lives; others kill. Some add to the flavor of cheeses and wines; others make food poisonous. Some grow on logs; others infest bathrooms and books. In fact, molds are everywhere –spores might even be passing through your nostrils as you read this sentence. If you doubt that mold is all around us, just leave a slice of bread lying around, even in the refrigerator. Before long it will develop a fuzzy coat –mold! Molds belong to the fungi kingdom, which boasts over 100,000 species, including mildews, mushrooms, plant rusts, and yeasts. Only about 100 funguses are known to cause disease in humans and animals. Many others play a vital role in the food chain –decomposing dead organic matter and thereby recycling essential elements in the form that plants can use. Still others work in symbiotic relationships with plants, helping them to absorb nutrients from the soil. And some are parasites. Mold begins life as