HEALTH CARE REFORM & HOW IT SHOULD BE

Health care reform should take a look at the literally thousands upon thousands of available studies that show us that chemicals in our food and environment can cause almost every disease conceivable. Health care reform should understand the obviousness of the statement above, and not fight it tooth and nail, or deny its truth.

I saw this article, on the Hallelujah Acres Newsletter, and had to pass it on. With all the discussion underway, with all the hype, with all the powers-that-be making their interests known and felt, I believe it is imperative that these, common sense though they may be, be communicated and mulled over by all concerned citizens. Hopefully that is you and me.

"Health care reform is the hottest debate around, but unfortunately, Washington has it all wrong. Health care reform shouldn't be about who is going to pay for more drugs for people; health care reform should be about how to create and keep healthy people, so that symptoms of disease aren't apparent and prevalent.

In truth, health care reform should start with agricultural and dietary reform specifically by getting the literally thousands of allowed chemicals in our diets, out of our diets. It should be about getting the processed and chemical-filled foods off the shelves and making sure that the natural foods on the shelves aren't genetically modified, radiated, or have pesticides or man-made chemicals in them.

Health care reform should be about getting the toxic chemicals out of our shampoos and conditioners, you know, the ones people rub on their heads each day.

Health care reform should be about cleaning up our environment and finding more natural energy solutions, so that people aren't breathing in dangerous fumes from burning fossil fuels and other pollutants each day.

Health care reform should be about having cookware that isn't toxic like aluminum and Teflon are, and making sure it's widely available and affordable. Health care reform should be about making sure renewable and non-toxic materials are used in home and office construction.

Health care reform really should be about getting people off drugs, not making sure that drugs are affordable, so that they can buy and take more.

Health care reform really shouldn't be looking to add more chemicals to people's bodies no matter who pays for them; it should be looking to remove the hundreds of toxic chemicals (at a minimum) that are already in there, many of which have been there since birth.

Health care reform should immediately end sugar and factory farming subsidies and shift them to sustainable, organic farms. Health care reform should end factory farming and genetically altering foods to avoid polluting the land, nearby crops, and people. Health care reform should end the use of antibiotics in humans and animals, so that our healthy bacteria, our first line of immune defense, isn't routinely destroyed.

Health care reform should get the mercury out of our mouths, fluoride out of our water, and aluminum out of any deodorant. Health care reform should help people understand that the unnatural foods they regularly consume and chemicals they are continually exposed to actually do hurt them, even if it takes a little while for the problems to show up.

Health care reform should help companies admit when they are doing or making something that is harming people, instead of allowing the standard denial route, and it should then insure quick changes are made to a non-toxic route when a problem is found.

Health care reform should end the widespread availability of McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, and acidic soft drinks. Health care reform should teach people how to prepare delicious and healthy meals, using a multitude of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Health care reform should switch out dangerous and toxic choices for conscious and natural options, and do it in a way that is affordable for everyone. Because returning to the way nature intended us to eat, and eliminating all of the common poisons in and around us, is really the only logical place to start.

When it's all said and done, health care reform shouldn't be about what's best for the drug companies, insurance companies, medical industry, politicians, processed food makers, pesticide makers, genetically altered foods pushers, or even oil companies. It should be about what's best for the people – YOU AND ME."

MEDIATION OF EMOTION BY THE LIMBIC SYSTEM

The Limbic System is a group of interconnected structures, among which are the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and several other nearby areas.  It appears to be primarily responsible for our emotional life, and has a lot to do with the formation of memories.  Buried within the depths of the cerebrum it consists of a collection of ancient brain structures which are preeminent in the mediation and expression of emotional, motivational, sexual, and social behavior. The limbic system is involved in learning and the formation of new memories, monitors internal homeostasis and basic needs such as hunger and thirst, controls the secretion of hormones involved in pregnancy and reactions to stress, and even makes possible the ability to experience orgasm, depression, fear, rage, and love. The limbic system is not only exceedingly ancient but originally provided the foundation for the development and evolution of much of the brain.

BRAIN CHEMISTRY IMBALANCE & DYSFUNCTION

Chemical imbalance is one theory about the cause of mental illness & antisocial behavior; others that are debated include psychological and social causes. Especially for individuals with diagnoses of depression and schizophrenia, this theory has proved at least somewhat beneficial; medications have been developed that address these conditions and do appear to help, some quite dramatically. In bipolar disorder a kind of imbalance has been found, and though more research is needed it appears that certain cells which signal other cells do so differently for these individuals than for “normal” individuals; medication treatment has markedly increased quality of life for these individuals, but again, more research is needed as medication for this disorder has frequently been a toxin, i.e. lithium.

MODELS OF BRAIN FUNCTION

In science, a “model” is simply a way of explaining something. So models of the brain are attempts to explain functions during particular times of life or particular conditions. For example, children’s brains are considered “plastic”; this doesn’t mean they are actually made of plastic but that while children are growing & developing their brains are flexible, good for all sorts of learning. 

In adolescence the body is in the process of rapid change to that of an adult, with “raging hormones”; it has been thought that people in this age group should think logically & act maturely but it has been found that their brains are still developing and that functions such as planning & seeing consequences of actions are “not all there” till later.  

In pregnancy the brain is likewise subjected to an onslaught of hormonal activity and in some ways appears to “shrink”, yet new mothers have usually increased plasticity in their brains after childbirth, at least for awhile. There are several differences between male & female brains, some undoubtably due to hormonal influences, and behavior. 

In addition, there have been differences between homosexual & heterosexual brains, particularly in symmetry; some research shows the brains of heterosexual men and homosexual women are slightly asymmetric—the right hemisphere is larger than the left—and the brains of gay men and straight women are not.

CROSS-TALK & SIGNALING PATHWAYS

The immune system and the brain talk to each other through signaling pathways. The brain and the immune system are the two major adaptive systems of the body, & the two most complex. Two major pathways are involved in this cross-talk: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) and the sympathetic nervous sytem (SNS).

Both systems also rely on chemical mediators for communication. Electrical signals along nerve pathways, for instance, are converted to chemical signals at the synapses between neurons. The chemical messengers produced by immune cells communicate not only with other parts of the immune system but also with the brain and nerves, and chemicals released by nerve cells can act as signals to immune cells. Hormones from the body travel to the brain in the bloodstream, and the brain itself makes hormones.

A key hormone shared by the central nervous and immune systems is corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH); produced in the hypothalamus and several other brain regions, it unites the stress and immune responses. The hypothalamus releases CRH into a specialized bloodstream circuit that conveys the hormone to the pituitary gland, which is just beneath the brain. CRH caused the pituitary to release adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) into the bloodstream, which in turn stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, the best-known hormone of the stress response.

Brain and immune system can either stimulate or inhibit each other. Immune cells produce cytokines (chemical signals) that stimulate the hypothalamus through the bloodstream or via nerves elsewhere in the body. The hormone CRH, produced in the hypothalamus, activates the HPA axis. The release of cortisol tunes down the immune system. CRH, acting on the brain stem, stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which activates immune organs and regulates inflammatory responses throughout the body. Disruption of these communications in any way leads to greater susceptibility to disease and immune complications.

BIOCHEMISTRY OF THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS

Emotions are based on minute proteins in the body called Information Substances (IS). These are comprised of neuropeptides, hormones and other specialized information molecules which permeate our entire body, including DNA. Emotions were once thought to be in the mind. They now have been proven to be in the body. That is to say, they are physiological. This dynamic has been scientifically validated by Candace Pert, PhD, author of MOLECULES OF EMOTION.

As discovered in the late 1970s, emotions are composed of neuropeptides (amino acid chains) and their neuroreceptors, which lie on neurons and other cells of remote tissues in the body. The neuropeptides are ejected from the neuron and carry the encoded "information" of emotions to other sites within the body. Interestingly, these are attracted to one another in very specific ways, & have been likened to “lock & key” fits. In fact, research has shown that neuropeptide-specific receptors are present on the cell walls of both the brain and the immune system!

The immune system and the brain talk to each other through signaling pathways. The brain and the immune system are the two major adaptive systems of the body. In a nutshell--- stimulation of certain brain sites alters immunity, immune cells produce cytokines that act on the Central Nervous System (CNS), & immune cells respond to signals from the CNS

HUMAN BRAIN AND FUNCTION

The brain is the portion of the central nervous system lies within the skull. In humans, the brain weighs about 3 pounds. Differences in weight and size do not correlate with differences in mental ability.The brain is the control center for movement, sleep, hunger, thirst, and virtually every other vital activity necessary to survive.

The brain is a pinkish-gray mass that is composed of about 10 billion nerve cells. The nerve cells are linked to each other and together are responsible for the control of all mental functions. Nerve fibers in the brain are covered in a near-white substance called myelin and form the white matter of the brain. Nerve cell bodies, which are not covered by myelin sheaths, form the gray matter.

The entire brain is enveloped in three protective sheets known as the meninges, continuations of the membranes that wrap the spinal cord. The two inner sheets enclose a shock-absorbing cushion of cerebrospinal fluid. Nerve fibers in the brain are covered in a near-white substance called myelin and form the white matter of the brain. Nerve cell bodies, which are not covered by myelin sheaths, form the gray matter.

The brain is divided into three major parts, the hindbrain (including the cerebellum and the brain stem), the midbrain, and the forebrain (including the diencephalon and the cerebrum).

Each area of the brain has an associated function, although many functions may involve a number of different areas.

The cerebellum is the hind part of the brain. It is made up of gray, unmyelinated cells on the exterior and white, myelinated cells in the interior. The cerebellum coordinates muscular movements and, along with the midbrain, monitors posture. It is essential to the control of movement of the human body in space. The brain stem, which incorporates the medulla and the pons, monitors involuntary activities such as breathing and vomiting.

The thalamus, which forms the major part of the diencephalon, receives incoming sensory impulses and routes them to the appropriate higher centers. The hypothalamus, occupying the rest of the diencephalon, regulates heartbeat, body temperature, and fluid balance. Above the thalamus extends the corpus callosum, a neuron-rich membrane connecting the two hemispheres of the cerebrum.

The cerebrum occupies the topmost portion of the skull. It is by far the largest part of the brain. It makes up about 85% of the brain's weight. The cerebrum is split vertically into left and right hemispheres, it appears deeply fissured and grooved. Its upper surface, the cerebral cortex, contains most of the master controls of the body. In the cerebral cortex ultimate analysis of sensory data occurs, and motor impulses originate that initiate, reinforce, or inhibit the entire spectrum of muscle and gland activity. The left half of the cerebrum controls the right side of the body; the right half controls the left side. (This explains why if a stroke occurs in the left half of the brain, the right side of the body is affected)

Other important parts of the brain are the pituitary gland, the basal ganglia, and the reticular activating system (RAS). The pituitary participates in growth regulation. The basal ganglia, located just above the diencephalon in each cerebral hemisphere, handle coordination and habitual but acquired skills like chewing and playing the piano. The RAS forms a special system of nerve cells linking the medulla, pons, midbrain, and cerebral cortex. The RAS functions as a sentry. In a noisy crowd, for example, the RAS alerts a person when a friend speaks and enables that person to ignore other sounds.