Chronic Fatigue X Files

Merida

Well-Known Member
Those who have read my many posts of last year and earlier may appreciate that I , like many of you, have looked very closely at, and followed the hard science of CFS/FM. I did orignal medical research as early as high school - in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh, got my B.Sc. In Bio in 1970, had an early career in clinical diagnostic microbiology at a large teaching hospital in Pittsburgh. Later, I taught hands-on science at a Nationally Distinguished school. So, I believed/ believe in the scientific method and used it well.

However, in the last 5 or 6 years, while trying everything imaginable to get well, I had experiences in more esoteric arenas. I studied dowsing, Buddhist chanting, Reiki ( completed level 1), and shamanic healing ( level 1 - Foundation for Shamanic Studies). I consulted a medical intuitive who told me things she couldn't possibly have known - and had some helpful suggestions.

More recently I attended the UFO Congress in Phoenix, and, just out of curiosity, listened to the Contactee and Experiencer sessions. Wow. A number of them had been diagnosed with CFS and/or FM. Plus, I was shocked at how similar these educated, well-spoken people were to the people in the support group I led for 13 years. They commented about being very sensitive to stress and environment. Many had a heightened intuitive sense - sensing/ feeling other people's emotions, precognitive dreams, a 'knowing' about upcoming tragedies, and more. Also, many complained of causing electrical malfunctions. ( check out Dr. Devin Starlanyl' S book, The Fibromyalgia Advocate - a few pages called The Fibromyalgia XFiles). Many had 'sensitive stomachs.' And more.

I spoke briefly with Kathryn M., who has written a number of books on this topic. She told me she had terrible chronic fatigue for 20 years, then was 'healed' suddenly one night. Hmmm.

Also, there seems to be overlap with what is written about shamanic initiation and illness.

Just saying ... things may be more complex than imagined for some diagnosed with CFS.
 

Merida

Well-Known Member
One more comment: There is no one I admire more than Laura Hillenbrand. Be sure to read her story, " A Sudden Illness, " first published in The New Yorker.
 
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Merida

Well-Known Member
@Paw I really don't have any conclusions. I am still observing and trying various therapies - almost 20 years now. Some things that have happened to me have been very strange - but certainly no " ET encounters." But my CFS doc here in L.A. ( board- certified in infectious disease/ and internal medicine/ prof. at large medical center) told me that he thinks our population ( or a portion of it) has been exposed to viruses from " off planet." I asked him, " Well, was this intentional or accidental?" His answer in a very serious tone, " I don't know. I don't know."

I have a feeling that we are sort of a unique group though - unique structure ( not always beneficial differences), unique extra-sensory experiences, unique personalities of kindness, good will, and honesty. Also, some unique gifts - like Laura Hillenbrand's. These things are passed in family lines. I see it in mine.

Dr. Edgar Mitchell ( the astronaut who walked on the moon) founded IONS ( Institute of Noetic Sciences) to study consciousness, as he had a samadhi experience on the way back from the moon as he viewed the sun, the Earth, the moon , and the Universe in one sweep of his capsule. He discusses this in his book, The Way of the Explorer. He found nothing in the scientific literature that explained what happened to him - that is, a deep sense of connectedness to all Existence. However, with great searching he learned that these experiences are recounted in the ancient/ current writings from India, Asia.

Dr. Mitchell's lectures ( on You Tube) are super. He discusses these points:
1. He thinks what we call paranormal ( i.e. Precognitive knowledge, etc) is really part of every human. Eventually research will understand consciousness enough to appreciate the "science" of what we now consider paranormal.
2. He has no doubt we are being visited by extraterrestrial races. ( look at his Disclosure Project lecture)
3. He had a documented case of kidney cancer which was healed long distance by Adam McLeod, who is now a naturopath in Western Canada.
4. Early on he personally witnessed the spoon bending ability of Uri Geller. Part of this was televised, and following the TV program parents were calling in complaining that their children were bending their Good silverware!

I must stop now. More later. I hope people will write in and share their experiences. Sometimes, to see the big picture, we need to step back from each tree in the forest, and fly over the mountain to get a better look.
 

Ladyliegh

Active Member
I admit I have had & experienced & viewed several UFO's. (Unidentified flying object) The experience falls within the timeframe of when I became sick... Not that day or week that I recall.
It was near dusk on a mountain road, I suddenly saw a large ball of white light coming towards me, it paused & I looked at it for what seemed like several minutes. Then I did the oddest thing, I got out of my car, leaving it running & the door open & walked towards the ball of light. My mind had been racing to explain what I was looking at.,.
I suddenly realised it was dangerous to be in the middle of the road, still perplexed I went back to my car and continued to watch the light, without warning it zipped across the sky & was gone. I had almost convinced myself it was some rich kids toy..(1985?)
Or maybe some phenomenon like the Brown Mt. Lights...
I decided not to worry about or discuss it with anyone. A few minutes later I felt a tickle on my neck & was shocked to see a drop of blood. I was frightened & buried the memory.
When I saw the movie "Close Encounters of the third kind" (on TV) The balls of light were so similar to what I had seen, The memory of it came flooding back.
I have a open mind & explain to nonbelievers that it is the realm of your experiences that allow to believe or not.. I have had numerous experiences that have opened my mind to possibilities others cannot believe.
I had always included alien virus as one of the many possible causes, it just makes sense to me. As much as any of the others.
I am sensitive & am often aware of things others are not. I have had premonitions & have a sensitive tummy as well....
Interesting article btw...
 

Merida

Well-Known Member
@Ladyliegh
Oh, thank you for sharing this important story. I heard so many of these kinds of stories from Contactees - many were respected professionals who took years to get the courage to discuss what happened : the missing time, floating through the ceiling of their homes, the implants, the paranormal experiences, appearance of large, unusual animals ( often deer or rabbits ! ) and so on. Wow.

I sat there spellbound as I listened. Then, I remembered something. My son, now age 36, saw a craft of some sort going up our street in about 1986. - about age 5. He described it in detail.It was about this time ( before? After? ) that he got terribly sick with what was identified as Epstein Barr virus. He had a high fever for a week - 104 - then developed multiple neuro symptoms - pain in his fingers and toes, severe urinary frequency, irritable bowel, sleep problems - needing to eat cereal in the middle of the night, some depression, cognitive difficulties, and more.

So what happened to him? He had to go to resource room, had an IEP. He could not do any homework, had panic attacks in front of school.
About 5th grade he started getting better. He graduated 2nd in his class at a large high school - all As even in many AP classes. Graduated cum laude at Univ. of Calif. Santa Barbara, computer science. Got a Master's degree in Economics/ Business. Now is CEO of a very successful on line business, beautiful wife ( degree from Univ. of Chicago) and 2 little children. He still stands by his UFO story. He is also complaining of fatigue and various odd health issues. I tell this story to help everyone appreciate that people reporting these stories are rational, often very intelligent, and often accomplish great things in Life.

Worth reading/listening: Dr. John Mack's story, books by Kathleen Marden.

I hope others will share, too. Thank you again, Ladyliegh.
 

Ladyliegh

Active Member
You are welcome Merida...
I hope others will share too.
I am glad your son has recovered & is living a productive life.
I also have explored the unconventional to get help healing. Many of the ones you mentioned. I had always been interested in the unknown & supernatural, I do believe we can influence more than we realize. Science just has to catch up with the unexplained.
 

Paw

Well-Known Member
He found nothing in the scientific literature that explained what happened to him - that is, a deep sense of connectedness to all Existence
Some of the experiences you both are describing are also common to many descriptions of hallucinogenic experimentation. Researchers are again getting serious about looking into hallucinogens for pain relief, grief, and -- who knows? -- maybe disease reversal. (Such research was put on hold for decades because of the drug wars.)
 

Not dead yet!

Well-Known Member
Isn't Ian Lipkin a trained anthropologist or something? With an interest in shamanism? I don't know why but I was thinking today that maybe we'll find out that the viruses are a kind of genetic memory, or that they activate those genetic memories. Otherwise how do people "spontaneously" return to old patterns of belief or behavior after acculturation of their PARENTS? So they'd have no knowledge of the old pattern.

Examples abound, Native Americans for one.
 

Merida

Well-Known Member
@Paw I don't know much about hallucinogenic drugs or experimentation. There were only a few tribes where the shaman used drugs to achieve altered states - Ecuador ( ie ayahuasca) is one area. And perhaps the peyote cult in America. All others used drumming, rattling, dancing. The Foundation for Shamanic Studies uses drumming.

Having said that, Michael Harner, the founder of The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, was an anthropologist who went 'Native.' Deadly for anthro careers. He has a fascinating account ( Cave and Cosmos, I think) of his experiences with the shaman and ayahuasca in Ecuador.

Spirit Talkers, by William Lyon, prof. of Anthro and Religion, will absolutely change your way of looking at 'reality.' Dr. Lyon provides much referenced evidence of the incredible abilities of North American tribal shaman - reported by early trappers and settlers in America. Dr. Lyon also thinks that eventually these 'feats of the impossible' will be explained by new understanding of how our Universe operates - i.e. Things like quantum entanglement. So, I came to appreciate that almost anything is possible - even getting well from all of these symptoms. Not there yet.
@Not dead yet! I do not know about Ian Lipkin, but Whitney Dafoe ( Ron Davis son) lived with a shaman in Ecuador. Your idea about viruses being / or activating genetic memory is very interesting. Some science fact that is slightly related is the situation where mice infected with Toxoplasma ( a unicellular organism, not a virus) becomes attracted to cat urine. So, when the cat eats the mouse, the life cycle of the Toxoplasma is completed. Crazy.

It is interesting that people claiming Contact and describing their experience have been confronted with the same reaction that we CFS patients have: disbelief, couldn't happen this way ( i.e. So many odd symptoms), "you must be crazy," relatives and friends drift away, our lives become discounted, very little research for decades, no really good explanation for what has happened or why, and so on.

So, I keep searching - sometimes in unusual places.
 

Merida

Well-Known Member
For anyone who is interested in this topic, go to YouTube and search,
"John Doe Sheehan." There is a 10 minute clip of the Citizen's Hearing featuring attorney Daniel Sheehan, perhaps the most respected civil/constitutional attorney alive today. He litigated in the the Karen Silkwood case, Pentagon Papers, Iran Contra, CIA smuggling of opium out of Vietnam, and more.

Perhaps in a 'twist of fate' he was asked to defend Dr. John Mack, professor of psychiatry Harvard, who began writing and treating people who had claimed Contact. The 'powers that be' at Harvard were attempting to suspend John Mack's research in this area. As a result of this experience, Sheehan gained knowledge and insight into the " ExtraTerrestrial" presence and questions. He says that the importance of this topic eclipses all of the other cases he has worked on.

I am trying to see the really Big Picture. The context in which we became ill, the denial and lack of funding from Government, the difficulty in coming up with any biomarker, the potential influence of factors relegated to our imaginations. I will be shocked if the answer is a specific biochemical 'problem.'
 
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Not dead yet!

Well-Known Member
...

@Not dead yet! I do not know about Ian Lipkin, but Whitney Dafoe ( Ron Davis son) lived with a shaman in Ecuador. Your idea about viruses being / or activating genetic memory is very interesting. Some science fact that is slightly related is the situation where mice infected with Toxoplasma ( a unicellular organism, not a virus) becomes attracted to cat urine. So, when the cat eats the mouse, the life cycle of the Toxoplasma is completed. Crazy.

It is interesting that people claiming Contact and describing their experience have been confronted with the same reaction that we CFS patients have: disbelief, couldn't happen this way ( i.e. So many odd symptoms), "you must be crazy," relatives and friends drift away, our lives become discounted, very little research for decades, no really good explanation for what has happened or why, and so on.

So, I keep searching - sometimes in unusual places.


I guess where I was going was thinking, if smallpox killed a lot f Native Americans because they weren't used to it, then this kind of event must've taken place relatively often. Some stories of early explorers often talk about going someplace new and getting "sick" suddenly. Then maybe, some of that DNA is incorporated because some of it is retroviral. Now you have a brain made from the DNA descended from that person, and a virus that occasionally "activates" and makes someone sick-ish, but not very anymore. Ok it's really "out there" but it was just a sudden insight.

If I didn't think it was rude to burst in on a medicine man and ask for a vision quest, I really would try it for CFS. But of course, if it worked, science could not even process what happened, they're not ready for such a thing.
 

Merida

Well-Known Member
@Not dead yet! This idea makes sense to me. There is research into proviruses in our DNA. I read that proviruses may make up as much as 8% of our DNA - inherited endogenous retroviruses. Crazy.

I was advised by one expert to spend a week at Pine Ridge Reservation, but the great Medicine men may have all passed? Black Elk, Moves Camp, others. Terrible what happened to our Native Americans - the intentional destruction of ancient knowledge and sacred objects.

There is a QiGong Grandmaster in South El Monte, California, known as the Jewel of China, The Healer's Healer, Grandmaster Zhou. I saw him several years ago for a QiGong massage and asked him ( thru an interpreter) why had I been sick so long and why can't I get well.
He said, with a smile, "You are a kind and generous person and you gave away your energy." What can I do to get better and stay well?
The response was, " Try to breathe."
 

Not dead yet!

Well-Known Member
@Not dead yet! This idea makes sense to me. There is research into proviruses in our DNA. I read that proviruses may make up as much as 8% of our DNA - inherited endogenous retroviruses. Crazy.

I was advised by one expert to spend a week at Pine Ridge Reservation, but the great Medicine men may have all passed? Black Elk, Moves Camp, others. Terrible what happened to our Native Americans - the intentional destruction of ancient knowledge and sacred objects.

There is a QiGong Grandmaster in South El Monte, California, known as the Jewel of China, The Healer's Healer, Grandmaster Zhou. I saw him several years ago for a QiGong massage and asked him ( thru an interpreter) why had I been sick so long and why can't I get well.
He said, with a smile, "You are a kind and generous person and you gave away your energy." What can I do to get better and stay well?
The response was, " Try to breathe."

(LONG post, skip to the bottom, below the link if you just want to read about CFS)

There definitely is a lot more to illness than just chemicals, experiments, and analysis. I started having migraines around age 24, and at one point I went back to college to learn more math/ computer science. I had been a B/C student when I got my degree a few years before. But this time I got straight A's. And I was at a university, not a college that time, so it was harder, not easier. As awful as the pain of migraine is, I do credit it for my jump in intelligence. Just before and just after a migraine I'd have these amazing insights.

During, I'd often end up in the ER, until I had drugs to stop it. But when it was controlled I missed the insights. I understand perfectly why the guy int he Math movie (Beautiful Mind) refused to take his drugs. It was probably better for him to deal with the visions and not lose the math. If I went back to college now again, I'd probably drop the migraine meds too. I'd rather nearly die for two days and have the insight. But how do I explain that to a doctor? It's a square peg / round hole problem. (Do not try this at home kids, migraine is not a nootropic! :)

At Pine Ridge the medicine men were probably in hiding. Especially there, they have this "no teaching whites" rule. I'm surprised anyone told you to go there, I mean except to offer social services like training classes or something. The Hopi and the Oglala Lakota (and others) have an insularity that I completely understand. One of the few things they have left is their language and faith. I wouldn't ask to share it, though human curiosity would make me accept if it was offered.

Sometimes I want to go to a local reservation and offer to learn the language. But what good would it do for the language to only survive in those without the blood? I suppose I could learn it, and then wait for the kids to get older and start caring again (everyone gets sentimental when they turn 40ish), and THEN teach it back to them. It would be about the only thing that we could do now that would be truly helpful, be a link between the old and the new.

Several medicine men have shared the knowledge before (Sun Bear is a prominent example), there are books. Largely condemned by the current members. But there is also plenty of shamanism from Europe. It's just been brutally stamped out during the Middle Ages. There's a "neopagan" movement in every country in Europe, looking for the clues to what they believed. Trouble is, the map is changed now. There is no "Spanish" shamanism, for that you have to go back and see the regions that eventually joined together to become Spain. Seek the culture of each people, find the one that resonates with you. It's a difficult task.

Some people also take it literally that Montezuma told Cortes that they were founded by people from the East and that they knew he was coming because their founder told them eventually more people would come from the East. There were so many empires back then, and so expansionist, that it makes sense they would travel as far as they could. Which one, I couldn't say. But the ziggurat structures have been commented upon before. So for some people, it might not be necessary to go to war-torn Israel to seek Inanna, for example.

Yeah the way anything goes, the winners claim the losers are "brutal savages" and that they are "saving them from squalor and misery." You hear that description for anyone who was ultimately defeated. We just can't believe that writing, world commerce, modern ideas and technology existed way back then, partly because we wiped those "stupid" people out. But look at a place like Baalbek in Lebanon (youtube is good for the visuals). Nobody can tell me those people didn't have technology - tech that we do not have yet. I believe we are the backward dumb ones. A period of expansionist destruction killed not only them, but the people who knew how to do those wonders.

I had one of those moments when I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry when I read about Cortes and the "discovery" of Mexico. The priests would try to learn the language of the natives and teach them Spanish, then the Bishops would come along and destroy all their native writings , burning their code of laws and any other writings. They made it illegal for them to write and all writing materials were confiscated. Then they go back to Spain and tell the monarchs, "they're illiterate savages."

To their credit some of the minor priests disagreed with the whole Inquisition thing, so they helped hide what they could and sent the old people deep in the jungles. They kept careful journals of happenings, which would be buried in the most remote parts of libraries, never to be read again (until modern archaeology found some). The Spanish couldn't tolerate that another civilization could be valuable back then. It was the height of the Inquisition, unbelievably bad timing.

Good read on that: http://www.alibris.com/Mysteries-of-the-Mexican-Pyramids-Peter-Tompkins/book/4545573

So back to CFS, I'm very philosophical about viruses, even retroviruses, because ultimately they are the messengers of first contact between civilizations. To see this principle in action, go from any "Western" country to India, and stay at least a month. I guarantee you will "come down with something." India is legendary for that. In Mexico it's called "Montezuma's Revenge." Germs are nature's handshake.

There are billions of microbes in a modern ocean beach. The real test is to see if you can survive going there and bathing. In the end, we're going to conquer the illness with immunity, not with pacifying drugs that only prolong the dysfunction. How long it takes to get there depends on how much the balance of greed/health tips in either direction.

Personally I wish our civilization could go back to learning to build gigantic monuments. It would be lots more fun than figuring out the best way to scam people into buying yet another palliative drug, and everyone wondering why they're on 10 drugs by age 40. I don't consider that "enlightenment" but maybe the Ferengi would (star trek reference).

If you're looking for a shamanic healing modality that I think is vastly overlooked, Tibetan singing bowl therapy is a good choice, and they aren't too secretive about it. Actually throughout central Asia, you can visit a shaman and he/she will do what s/he can for you for a price. For some reason that doesn't bother me, but I know how it looks to a modern institution like the FDA. Oh well that's their problem. And if they got off their duff more often and helped us ME/CFS patients out, I wouldn't need to be philosophical :p
 
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Merida

Well-Known Member
Woohoo! So you have been thinking "out of the box," too! Great stuff!
Thanks for sharing. The migraine story is interesting. I had them too, but no great insight - just great pain, nausea,etc. A med prescribed by my uncle called Tensenol, Foy Labs ( 1970s), was so helpful. Can not find this drug any more.
And speaking of my uncle (Mom's brother) - He almost died as a child with some strange illness, then determined to become a doctor. Other doctors called him the best diagnostic doc in the whole city. Our neighbor was very sick, and he diagnosed cryptococcus - from pigeons in the mill. A very tough thing to call in 1960. He did house calls, never charged people, but those who could, payed. He would show up, and people would just get well. Wish I knew more about him. My Mom also had this CFS/ FM thing. It runs in that family side along with scoliosis, tremor, gut malrotation, heart problems, much more. And also great gifts. "The gift and the curse?"

Have you read about Shamanic illness? People called to shamanism often ( always?) develop a serious illness at some point. Sometimes there are visions of dismemberment. It is said that people who have Shamanic illness and do not answer "the call" remain ill. Certain cases of schizophrenia and other mental illness have been said to actually be Shamanic illness. I have also read about the dangers of Kundalini energy rising from the sacrum before the other chakras are fully open and prepared. Again, serious illness can develop.

I actually had 2 sessions with a non- Native American shaman. A person who is a long time teacher and practitioner with the Foundation for Shamanic studies. I did not have any change in my health, but went on to train and journey through "level one." Shamanism. There were about 35 of us training. Very interesting experiences. At times we used partners in our journeys, and on a number of occasions the partners would share similar visions. All of this takes expert help, and some inner gift - I don't Have either and I am still not well. In fact, maybe worse.

Great comments on the megalithic builders and preColumbian connections between Old/ New World. I have comments, but too tired to go on. My husband ( a Geography prof. ) and I spent a month in Egypt in 1976.

I think it would be interesting to map the world incidence of CFS and look at the ethnicity involved. I led a large support group for 13 years in L. A. Despite the wonderful diversity of this city we only had 2 or 3 Black Americans, and only 2 or 3 Asian Americans in all those years. We had a greater number of Hispanics, but mostly all Caucasian. Had hoped to get a Spanish language group going, but didn't happen.

Thanks for the link!!!!!
 

Not dead yet!

Well-Known Member
Woohoo! So you have been thinking "out of the box," too! Great stuff!
Thanks for sharing. The migraine story is interesting. I had them too, but no great insight - just great pain, nausea,etc. A med prescribed by my uncle called Tensenol, Foy Labs ( 1970s), was so helpful. Can not find this drug any more.
And speaking of my uncle (Mom's brother) - He almost died as a child with some strange illness, then determined to become a doctor. Other doctors called him the best diagnostic doc in the whole city. Our neighbor was very sick, and he diagnosed cryptococcus - from pigeons in the mill. A very tough thing to call in 1960. He did house calls, never charged people, but those who could, payed. He would show up, and people would just get well. Wish I knew more about him. My Mom also had this CFS/ FM thing. It runs in that family side along with scoliosis, tremor, gut malrotation, heart problems, much more. And also great gifts. "The gift and the curse?"

Have you read about Shamanic illness? People called to shamanism often ( always?) develop a serious illness at some point. Sometimes there are visions of dismemberment. It is said that people who have Shamanic illness and do not answer "the call" remain ill. Certain cases of schizophrenia and other mental illness have been said to actually be Shamanic illness. I have also read about the dangers of Kundalini energy rising from the sacrum before the other chakras are fully open and prepared. Again, serious illness can develop.

I actually had 2 sessions with a non- Native American shaman. A person who is a long time teacher and practitioner with the Foundation for Shamanic studies. I did not have any change in my health, but went on to train and journey through "level one." Shamanism. There were about 35 of us training. Very interesting experiences. At times we used partners in our journeys, and on a number of occasions the partners would share similar visions. All of this takes expert help, and some inner gift - I don't Have either and I am still not well. In fact, maybe worse.

Great comments on the megalithic builders and preColumbian connections between Old/ New World. I have comments, but too tired to go on. My husband ( a Geography prof. ) and I spent a month in Egypt in 1976.

I think it would be interesting to map the world incidence of CFS and look at the ethnicity involved. I led a large support group for 13 years in L. A. Despite the wonderful diversity of this city we only had 2 or 3 Black Americans, and only 2 or 3 Asian Americans in all those years. We had a greater number of Hispanics, but mostly all Caucasian. Had hoped to get a Spanish language group going, but didn't happen.

Thanks for the link!!!!!

* Migraines; I have a certain type that is highly epileptic in nature and has an aura. It seems to affect mostly my left brain, as my right side becomes paralyzed. I've had "fun" moments in ER when I couldn't speak and they thought I was uncooperative. There's a word for it, hemiplagic, but getting it diagnosed is a bear.

* pre-Columbian Mexico: When I read that book, I had just finished reading what is available on the Levant and the pre-monotheistic beliefs that existed. Some people believe that Jesus was actually a believer in the old religion, and that was why he had to be "silenced." Proving that would be incredibly hard, though it has a certain logic. Anyway, by that time, the "game of thrones" mentality was well underway in that part of the world. So then going from the old religion before monotheism in the Levant, and then reading the pre-Columbian Mexico stuff... it was shockingly obvious what Montezuma was saying, well to me anyway.

* On shamanism, accepting the call: I'm much more comfortable sharing what I know and helping people find what they're looking for online. I've accepted the call as much as I feel able to. Shamans are known for frail health and a need for special foods, even when they have accepted the call, it is no guarantee of health restoration. I suspect the spiritual reason for why so many are sick right now is two fold, 1. Atheism is on the rise as is agnosticism, so people are listening to their inner voices more, which are likely to be genetic memory in origin, and 2. Science is dropping the ball on health, so more people live in frail health and need special foods.

The change in the way the brain works could be considered a reason for why so many are now interested in the past, not just archaeologists. I think also, we know as a society that questions like "what legalisms should we embrace around health care" and "should we go to war again with the same people we've had wars with for millennia" are inherently empty questions with greedy answers. Our collective spirit is starved and we feel lost.President Obama gave us hope, and then was somewhat co-opted by the position, but it's that kind of hope we need most of all, that we can create a beautiful and tolerant world and not feel like we're pansy-kitty-hugs while we're doing it. I suppose I have a realistic view of how much I can affect that process. :bookworm:
 

Ladyliegh

Active Member
Wow, such great conversation!
I just have to jump in & join the fun...
Not dead yet;
No insights from my migraines yet..
I do agree about the genius brains, I think of how much we could have lost if these people were medicated. From artists & musicians to Einstein & Nostradamas (sp) It is my opinion that their great minds were an imbalance of the brain... When you add to one part it must balance by another part having less... So if they were given drugs to balance them, it would have diminished their genius.
There are many examples of early cultures having knowledge of the future & distant future, as well as knowing about other places they have never been to. My favorite example is the corn maiden legend. A wise ruler sent his daughter (daughters) to North America with corn to share, because he knew of a famine coming in the future.
(This is a simplified version)
There are so many examples of astronomy, before there were tools to view the stars, where people knew of planets & stars, that we have recently discovered... how did they know?
The lack of respect & appreciation for new cultures & people by the discoverers & religious people is a crime. I personally was so disappointed when I read about the Cherokee people, the author was Cherokee & he skimmed or barely mentioned so many amazing things. Because he didn't believe. It is the oldest writing we have, witnessed by an author & this has been repeated throughout history. If we don't get it, it must not matter. What great things have been lost due to ignorance & a limited brain.
 

Ladyliegh

Active Member
Very cool Uncle!

Have you read about Shamanic illness? People called to shamanism often ( always?) develop a serious illness at some point. Sometimes there are visions of dismemberment. It is said that people who have Shamanic illness and do not answer "the call" remain ill. Certain cases of schizophrenia and other mental illness have been said to actually be Shamanic illness. I have also read about the dangers of Kundalini energy rising from the sacrum before the other chakras are fully open and prepared. Again, serious illness can develop.

I actually have some experience with this, when I was studying various religious & spiritual studies, I accidentally activated my kundalini. What a mess, I tried for months to get help managing it, but to no avail. I finally asked it politely to go back down until I could find a teacher to guide me... This is also around the time I first got sick with CFS. I never did find a teacher to help me with this it is very specialized & rare to find someone sane who can help.

I think it would be interesting to map the world incidence of CFS and look at the ethnicity involved. I led a large support group for 13 years in L. A. Despite the wonderful diversity of this city we only had 2 or 3 Black Americans, and only 2 or 3 Asian Americans in all those years. We had a greater number of Hispanics, but mostly all Caucasian. Had hoped to get a Spanish language group going, but didn't happen.
!
Anglo Celtic seems to be the blood line in DNA that is most susceptible to CFS. Black & Asian don't seem nearly as susceptible. But there are very few Pure blood lines anymore.
I tried to multi quote & made a mess of it, my comments are in the green, so expand to see them...lol
 
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Paw

Well-Known Member
Such rich lives and experiences around here!

Romanticizing past generations and cultures is always risky, but we certainly seem to have lost a lot while we've made many material gains. In certain respects our current age will be remembered as a dark age, I believe, since we have elevated commercialism to the status of religion. Here in the US we barely even make anything anymore; our commerce is so utterly driven by promotion (both self-promotion and information promotion). The first episode of season two of Black Mirror is considered science fiction, but, really, it pretty much portrays our current world where the self is little more than a commodity.

Non-sequitur: I was reading Amazon reviews of a new-ish book called "Is it all in your head?" (by an MD), and it struck me that a lot of people (including physicians and researchers) are pretty much equating the term "psychosomatic" with "mind/body." Psychosomatic connotes disorders that are "all in the head." It's always seemed obvious to me that the mind/body interplay is often highly relevant in disease progression and etiology, and I wish we could discuss this connection without it being simplistically reduced to the language of psychiatry.
 

Ladyliegh

Active Member
We have lost our way as a country & as people. I fear for our children & their children, as we continue on the path of commercialization & modernization.

In a real sense we can use the mind to help healing, but we are not at a level to do it alone often. We have lost the instructions, given to us ages ago. Because it was deemed witchcraft or superstition or whatever, that knowledge was unappreciated & discarded. Science bumps into it every now and again, sometimes it is acknowledged, most often not.
 

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