07/02/2019

The endocannabinoid system runs deep and touches all of the major systems of the body


Everything you need to know about CBD

Everything you need to know about CBD:

As more people seek natural remedies for health problems - and as more states legalize medical marijuana - interest in cannabidiol (commonly known as "CBD") is growing.

It's about time, because CBD is a fascinating compound that has tremendous therapeutic value.

The list of health concerns and conditions CBD has been shown to benefit include:

Chronic pain and inflammation
Arthritis (including rheumatoid and psoriatic)
Epileptic seizures
Neuropathic pain (as seen in conditions like multiple sclerosis)
Anxiety
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Cancer (see here, here, here, and here)
Serious neurological conditions including Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's
Diabetes (see here and here)
Cardiovascular protection

Unfortunately, decades of disinformation and outright lies about the cannabis plant have led many to believe that marijuana and hemp are dangerous and have no medicinal value.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

Thankfully, a growing body of research is revealing the abundant benefits of the cannabis plant.

Let's explore those benefits, but first - let's talk about what CBD is and what it does in the body.

What is CBD?

If there wasn't something better ahead, we would not be so disillusioned by what we are living in now

The last few years, many in the trenches, those anchoring the light publicly and those behind the scenes, have felt a bit burned out. We have worked hard to stay positive. We have seen little windows of high energy, feeling hope returning, and little doors to synchronicities and miracles manifesting, but then only to watch them dissipate quickly leaving us deflated, exhausted and depressed. Most of all, these things don't seem to build or grow into anything much bigger as they did in the pre-2012 years. Yet I am not surprised. I was told by the Star Elders decades ago about this collective depression and global inertia that was coming after 2012, as we entered a brand new cycle of creation. It feels like we are trying to start a car with a dead battery. But now it is time. We can jump start this car, this new cycle, but it will take a large group to participate together in this new frequency restart. So why are we here at this juncture, and what can we do to get moving again?

A Greater Plan . . . Lots going on in this transmission . . . Including - Breaking from the Global Inertia - The Greater Plan - Nostalgia & letting go of the past Tower of Babel Program - Revitalizing Earth Ambassadors.Aluna Joy Yaxk'in and The Star Elders.From Sedona's Throat Chakra on 1/31/2019

11/12/2018

Paul Stamets' epiphany that mushrooms could help save the world's bees

Paul Stamets' epiphany that mushrooms could help save the world's bees -- Science:

Years ago, in 1984, Stamets had noticed a "continuous convoy of bees" traveling from a patch of mushrooms he was growing and his beehives. The bees actually moved wood chips to access his mushroom's mycelium, the branching fibers of fungus that look like cobwebs.

"I could see them sipping on the droplets oozing from the mycelium," he said. They were after its sugar, he thought.

Decades later, he and a friend began a conversation about bee colony collapse that left Stamets, the owner of a mushroom mercantile, puzzling over a problem. Bees across the world have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Parasites like mites, fast-spreading viruses, agricultural chemicals and lack of forage area have stressed and threatened wild and commercial bees alike.

Waking up one morning, "I connected the dots," he said. "Mycelium have sugars and antiviral properties," he said. What if it wasn't just sugar that was useful to those mushroom-suckling bees so long ago?

27/11/2018

Raising awareness for 'forest therapy'

Raising awareness for 'forest therapy'

In its simplest form forest therapy, also called forest bathing, is just spending time in the woods as an antidote to the sometimes-jarring sounds, sights, and smells of city life. Of course, you can get that kind of respite on your own, but a more organized version of forest therapy has now been introduced in the U.S. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, founded in 2012, is currently training forest therapy guides. The group hopes to raise awareness of the benefits among health care professionals, and programs are being established nationwide.

Forest therapy originated in Japan, where researchers have been studying its physiological effects for many years. It appears that forest therapy does have measurable health benefits; for example, it can lower levels of salivary cortisol, the hormone that rises when we're under stress. One Japanese study showed that gazing at forest scenery for as little as 20 minutes reduced salivary cortisol levels by 13.4 percent. Forest therapy can also lower blood pressure and heart rate and trigger a dramatic increase in the activity of natural killer (NK) cells (produced by the immune system to ward off infection and fight cancer). Spending three days in the forest has been shown to increase NK activity by 50 percent, a beneficial effect that can last up to one month.

Most recently, researchers from UK's University of East Anglia analyzed 143 studies of forest therapy including data on some 290 million participants from 20 different countries. Not only was forest bathing associated with lower levels of cortisol, lower blood pressure and heart rate, it also lowered blood cholesterol and reduced rates of diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma and death from heart disease. In addition, it was associated with decreased risk of preterm birth and lower all-cause mortality. Some studies suggested that forest therapy helped people sleep better and improved outcomes in those with cancer and neurological conditions. Finally, people exposed to forest therapy were found to be more likely to report that their overall health was good.

One mechanism that underlies these benefits may be inhalation of phytoncides, aromatic oils with antibacterial properties released by trees. Some studies suggest that these compounds increase the activity of natural killer cells.