Doesn’t it make sense that a plant species which has thrived for over 3,000 years must have some pretty unique health properties?
Over the years, people from countries all over the world have given it nicknames like... "Silent Healer", "Plant of Immortality", "No Need of a Doctor", "Man’s Natural Medicine Cabinet", "Pain’s Natural Enemy" and "Energy of Youth."
And now, it’s the newly crowned #1 Herbal Supplement in America. Listen to what people are saying:
There was all sorts of excitement among zodiac zealots a few months back when news surfaced about research from Vanderbilt University that provided "scientific evidence" to support the principles of astrology. This development was reported with great enthusiasm in a variety of media, including reputable magazines such as Science Daily. Most of the buzz had to do with the fact that the Vanderbilt researchers were supposedly dismayed by their own findings. Astrology was not what they intended to study, they said, but rather something called "seasonal biology." It all piqued my curiosity, and I set out on my own quest to learn the truth of the matter.
The study, published in the December 5, 2010, issue of Nature Neuroscience, revealed that the "season" (artificially created by adjusting the daily duration of light in the environment at the birth of mice and for the three weeks until they were weaned) had a "dramatic and persistent effect" on their biological clocks as young adults, causing them to be more sluggish (those born in winter light) or more adaptive (those born in summer light).
Implications of the Light
Lead author, Douglass McMahon, PhD, professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt, observed that it’s long been known that our "biological clock" regulates moods (among other things) in human beings. But if it’s true that light duration and intensity at birth imprints in humans the same way that it does in mice -- and there is reason to believe it does -- then, he said, "that might not only have an effect on a number of behavioral disorders but also a more general effect on personality."
What does this have to do with astrology? Astrology is based on when and where you were born -- and that includes how much and what type of light you were exposed to. Hence, the astrologers pounced on the mouse light study as "proof" of the science behind astrology -- but, Dr. McMahon told me quite adamantly, the researchers were discussing "seasonal biology," not astrology.
Since I like to think of myself as someone with an open mind, I called Eric Francis Coppolino, professional astrologer and founder of PlanetWaves.net astrological information and services, which publishes astrology Web sites, to get his take on the research. He noted that birth charts (called "natal charts" in Western astrology) are based on the positions of the sun, moon and planets in relationship to the earth at the moment of a person’s birth. These positions all affect light exposure, temperatures and (though almost negligibly, he acknowledged) gravitational pull. In his view, this study "is saying in its own way that when a person is born, the season and presumably the amount of light influences his/her psyche. If that isn’t astrology, I don’t know what is."
What Do The Stars Say?
Although most scientists recoil at the idea that astrology could have any basis in fact, Coppolino told me that this is far from the only research to reveal a scientific basis for the principles of astrology. From the mid-1950s through 1991, French psychologist and statistician Michel Gauquelin spent much time documenting the validity of certain astrological fundamentals. The most famous of these is the so-called Mars Effect, which demonstrated that Mars -- a planet associated in astrology with having high energy and endurance, along with warrior-like traits -- appears in a prominent position in the natal charts of many more professional athletes (for example, Mohammad Ali) than nonprofessional athletes.
Coppolino’s claim is that astrology is complex and involves many disciplines, including math, astronomy, psychology, mythology, sociology and anthropology... and, he told me, it’s unlikely that you could run all that through "the dry analytical filter of science and have one total effect that scientifically establishes the whole thing."
The motivation behind early astrology was to improve the harvest, and the gathering of information concerning time, seasons and light evolved into a discipline of organizing observations of the planets and constellations and testing theories that formed the basis of astrology.
Fact or Fiction?
Coppolino said it’s more accurate to understand the "science" as "psychological astrology," a term that reflects the growing interest people have in learning more about themselves. This means that the heavenly bodies are just one element to examine in exploring who you are and why you are that way.
"While some astrologers still will give you the best date for your wedding," he said, "many of us are more interested in helping people come to understand what it is about their behavioral patterns that has led to successes and to failures." The mouse study opens the door to connecting the art of astrology’s seasonal personality profiles with the science of the impact of light on our lives.
Source(s):
Eric Francis Coppolino, professional astrologer, award-winning investigative journalist, founder of PlanetWaves,
PlanetWaves.net.
Douglass McMahon, PhD, professor of biological sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville.
No Plunger? No Problem. Secret to Unplugging Your Toilet
"My toilet was stopped up. My guests were on their way. And I couldn't find a plunger!"
Lucky for me, I'd learned the secret: Just squirt some liquid dish detergent, wait 15 minutes, and my home and guests were good to go.
How often have you been caught in a situation like this -- or any of thousands of other household mishaps? Spills, breaks, lost items -- family heirlooms nearly ruined. Too often, right?
Joan and Lydia Wilen, better known to TV viewers as "The Wilen Sisters," have the secret to saving the day on these and thousands of other potentially disastrous mishaps.
Learn more...
Can You Change Your DNA in 42 Minutes?
What if I told you that in less time than you think, you can do something incredibly simple that will extend your life?
We think our DNA is set for life, but it’s not. It shrinks over time and makes us age. Now researchers at the University of California at San Francisco believe that you actually can change and improve your DNA, which could, in turn, extend your life! Though they don’t fully understand the mechanism, they know that tiny pieces of DNA called telomeres protect us by helping to keep chromosomes intact. Stress causes those oh-so-important telomeres to shorten, and the shorter they become, the more quickly our cells age and the more susceptible we are to everything from cancer to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis -- and early mortality. How’s that for a list to avoid?
I got in touch with the lead author of the study, Eli Puterman, PhD, a health psychologist at the University of California at San Francisco, and he confirmed that yes, there is increasing evidence that stress is shrinking our DNA, which in turn shortens our lives. In fact, his recent study looked at 63 postmenopausal women, some of whom were carrying significant psychological burdens as the result of having to care for parents or spouses with dementia. But here’s the key: The women were divided into two groups -- those who exercised daily and those who didn’t.
Even those in the study who exercised for as little as 42 minutes over three days were protected from the effects of stress on the length of telomeres in their cells. "Those 42 minutes of vigorous exercise appear to be a critical amount for protection," researchers reported. The study was published in the May 26, 2010, issue of PLoS ONE, a peer-reviewed publication of the Public Library of Science.
When I asked Dr. Puterman for his definition of vigorous exercise, he said, "It’s usually defined as activity that causes you to breathe hard and fast and sweat while your heart rate rises. While you’re performing vigorous exercise, you won’t be able to speak more than a few words without pausing for breath."
OUTSMARTING STRESS
Stress abounds these days. As the economy limps along, grown kids, unemployed or underemployed, have moved back in with parents... adults find themselves taking care of their children and their ailing parents at the same time... wars are multiplying. Worry seems to be everywhere. But what Dr. Puterman is telling us is that by getting up on our feet for less than one hour and a half a week and getting our bodies moving at a fairly good pace, we’ll have gone a long way toward relieving the harm that all that worry does to our health.
Does vigorous exercise have the same effect on men and on younger people of either gender? It almost certainly does, Dr. Puterman told me, adding that this will be the subject of further studies. For one thing, he said, researchers want to find out whether exercising helps young adults build up extra amounts of the enzyme telomerase that rebuilds and lengthens telomeres so that it could be stored by the body and used in the future.
My advice: While researchers continue their studies, lace up your sneakers, grab a windbreaker, get yourself moving -- and protect that DNA!
Source(s):
Eli Puterman, PhD, health psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Health and Community of the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.
Be well,
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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