Take Vitamin C & Exercise
The Famous Pauling/Rath Heart Disease Therapy
Vitamin C and Vascular Disease

Introduction
Our Distant Ancestors Lost The Ability to Produce Vitamin C
Ice Ages, Scurvy and Natural Selection
Risk Factors: Lipoprotein(a), LDL, Lipids and Oxidized Cholesterol
All The Known Actions of Ascorbate
Lipoprotein(a) Is The Real Risk Factor for Vascular Disease
You May Have to Educate Your Doctor
The Startling Facts about Lipoprotein(a)
Animals in The Wild Do Not Get Heart Attacks
The Cost in Lives
The Cost in Dollars
Program for The Reversal of Heart Disease



Introduction
An individual by the name of Matthias Rath, M.D. has come up with a comprehensive explanation of the cause, prevention, and treatment of vascular disease which I find rational and compelling. Dr. Rath has done seminal research at the University of Hamburg and has published twelve papers in respected research journals on the subject of vascular disease. He now lives in the U.S. and was a friend and colleague of the only double Noble prize winner, the late Dr. Linus Pauling. Dr. Rath has established a company called Health Now to educate the public about the prevention and treatment of vascular disease. In his public presentations and in his book Eradicating Heart Disease, Dr. Rath explains the known facts from his research on vascular disease and provides proof at each critical turn in his reasoning. I have reviewed his work and concluded that what he has to say is critically important. Therefore, I choose to throw what weight I have behind the effort to bring Dr. Rath's information to your attention.

The best part of Dr. Rath's discoveries is that they provide effective action anyone can take to both prevent and treat vascular disease in a powerful way by natural means without relying on Draconian changes in diet and lifestyle or dangerous drugs which lower cholesterol but do nothing to decrease overall mortality. Let us go to the beginning of this story.

Our Distant Ancestors Lost the Ability to Produce Vitamin C
It long has been known that human beings do not produce ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Because vitamin C ? which I shall refer to as "ascorbate" from here on out ? is essential to life and because we cannot produce it, it is known as a vitamin in human metabolism. We are rare among species, because almost all mammals can make abundant supplies of ascorbate. There are only four species of mammals which do not make their own ascorbate. These are (1) humans, (2) gorillas, (3) guinea pigs and (4) fruit bats.

All these species, except humans, are vegetarian by nature. Humans probably were vegetarians with rare exception, until the invention of animal husbandry. Gorillas are constantly foraging for plant food rich in vitamin C. Guinea pigs do the same, and fruit bats, well, why do you suppose we them call them fruit bats? These three animals know, by instinct, they must ingest large quantities of ascorbate to stay healthy.

In the body of an ascorbate-making mammal, the ascorbate molecule is made from a few small modifications of the glucose molecule. Glucose is in abundant supply in humans and animals at all times. There are four enzymes required to convert glucose into vitamin C. Humans have the first three enzymes, having lost the fourth enzyme somewhere in evolution.

In mammals which retained the ability to make ascorbic acid, it is made in response to all sorts of stress, especially the stress of infection. The normal everyday non-stress production of ascorbate, when proportioned up to represent the amount made on a weight basis corrected to the size of the average man (seventy kilograms), is from five to ten grams (5,000-10,000 mg.) per day. Under stress, that amount can be quadrupled.

Compare this to the official federal government recommendation (RDA or recommended deficiency allowance) of 60 mg. (six one-hundredths of one gram or 12 one-thousands of five grams). The increased production of ascorbate under stress in animals goes a long way toward explaining why we do not see anything like the rate of infection among animals which we see in human beings. When was the last time you saw an animal with a cold?

Why did these four mammals ? humans, gorillas, guinea pigs and fruit bats ? lose the ability to make ascorbate? Probably, because they could. I suspect that these four animals had abundant sources of ascorbate in their diets, and loss of ability to produce their own ascorbate did not put them at excess risk of being weeded out by natural selection. Only the human being has changed his dietary preferences since then. Humans are the only species to both eat meat and be unable to produce ascorbate. There are no other carnivores which cannot make ascorbate.

This explanation dovetails nicely with research in genetics which suggests that we all had a common mother and a common father who lived sometime between 100,000 to 200,000 years ago, all other branches of the human family since having died out. This would explain why all, and not just some, humans are deficient in this fourth enzyme. These common ancestors are thought to have lived in tropical regions of Africa where ascorbate-containing food was abundant.

Ice Ages, Scurvy, and Natural Selection
However, our common ancestors did not stay in Africa. They migrated to cover the entire earth. Then came the Ices Ages, one after another, each lasting around 10,000 years. We know from the archeological evidence that human beings lived through these ice ages in northern climates. They somehow toughed it out. Ascorbate, because it is made by plant food, is not easy to come by in an ice age. The old vegetable garden does not do so well under a thick layer of ice. These ancestors suffered from ascorbate deficiency, a disease called scurvy, a fact borne out by examination of their remains.

Scurvy is marked by the breakdown of collagen tissue throughout the body and frequent infections. Collagen is the protein with which strong connective tissue is made throughout the body. Sailors were known to have had scurvy on long voyages, until someone discovered that a little citrus fruit intake avoided the disease. The way those "scorbutic" (the term we apply to a person with scurvy) sailors died was by leakage of blood out of their blood vessels. Their blood vessels literally cracked open and they bled to death.

The same sort of thing happened to many of our ancestors who lived through the ice ages. Many of them bled to death because they had little or no ascorbate, and without ascorbate there is no collagen production or repair throughout the body. The wall of a blood vessel is made of collagen. Therefore, when you run out of ascorbate, it is only a matter of time until that wall of collagen breaks down, is not repaired, cracks open and you bleed to death.

Risk Factors: Lipoprotein(a), LDL, Lipids, and Oxidized Cholesterol

However, not all our Ice Ages ancestors died of cracked open blood vessels. Many did, but some had the ability to repair leaky blood vessel walls without the assistance of ascorbate. These people, as a group, lived long enough to have children, and we are the descendants of those children. Therefore, we have inherited this ability to repair our blood vessel walls without much ascorbate.

When a crack develops in a blood vessel wall due to a shortage of ascorbate, certain fat packages in the blood have the ability to plug the leak by forming a kind of plaster cast. These packages of fat are known as cholesterol, lipids, low density lipoproteins (LDL), and one especially effective leak plugger, lipoprotein(a), a special type of LDL.

LDL is a bag of several thousand cholesterol and other fat molecules with the bag itself made of protein. In itself, despite all the hype in the media, ordinary LDL is no problem. However, there is one type of LDL, namely lipoprotein(a) which has an extra protein cover on the outside of the usual protein cover. Lipoprotein(a) is a double bag of fat. This outer bag is called apoprotein(a) or apo(a). The "a" could well stand for adhesive, because it is a very sticky substance. When a crack develops in the wall of a blood vessel, this sticky double-bagged fat sack finds its way through the crack. Once there, the apo(a) adhesive outer bag glues it down and begins the process of plugging the leak. This both avoids death by scurvy and sets the stage for blood vessel disease.

Once having plugged the leak the apo(a) outer bag sticks to whatever other bags of cholesterol (i.e. LDL) float by and glues them down as well. The process looks like the following:



1- The scorbutic (ascorbate deficient) crack in the blood vessel wall is the first step in atherosclerosis.
2- The plugging of the leak with lipoprotein(a) is the second step.
3- The gluing down of other LDL (single layer bags of cholesterol and lipids which are not sticky in themselves) is the third step.
4- The fourth step is the stimulation, by lipoprotein(a), of the muscle cells in the artery wall to multiply, thus forming a tumor (swelling).
5- Then the cleanup crew arrives, also known as macrophages, and they try to eat the whole mess and carry it away. However, many of them overeat, get fat, and become part of the problem by dying and being glued down into the plaque. Because they contain so much fat, they appear under the microscope to be full of foam, and they are therefore known as "foam cells." ,

The tumor, i.e., the proliferation of excess smooth muscle cells is not cancerous. Nevertheless, it can cause death by pushing this mass of plaque into the lumen (passage way) of the blood vessel in which this process is happening. This narrows the passage way through which blood passes and can eventually lead to heart attack, stroke and other problems, depending on where in the body it develops.

All The Known Actions of Ascorbate

* Increases HDL (high density lipoprotein) production. (HDL is able to help resorb fat located in plaque. In the process it changes from a disc shape to a globular form of HDL, and takes this fat to the liver to be burned.)
* Decreases the production of lipoprotein(a). (Somehow the liver knows when there is plenty of ascorbate on board, and therefore no need for high levels of lipoprotein(a) which is, after all, a repair factor for the cracks in blood vessel walls which come up in the absence of sufficient ascorbate.)
* Down-regulates cholesterol and triglyceride production in the liver. [These are secondary repair factors in that they are glued into the plaque by lipoprotein(a).]
* Lowers blood sugar and insulin requirements.
By relaxing the blood vessel walls, lowers blood pressure when hypertension is present. (This is not the total answer to a case of hypertension, but it can help.)
* Inhibits inappropriate intravascular clot formation (the final and sometimes deadly event in cases of heart attacks and strokes).
Lipoprotein(a) Is The Real Risk Factor for Vascular Disease

The bottom line is that lipoprotein(a) is the real risk factor in cardiovascular disease and that ascorbate and niacin are the only major lines of defense against high levels of lipoprotein(a). Cholesterol, even LDL cholesterol, can serve as a statistical risk factor only to the degree that it is correlated with the level of the real problem: the special type of LDL called lipoprotein(a).

The best test, by far, for risk of cardiovascular disease is the direct measurement of this special type of LDL, namely a lipoprotein(a) level. A lipoprotein(a) level is ten times more accurate and specific for prediction of vascular disease.

You May Have to Educate Your Doctor
By the way, this is new information, right out of the research journals. It will be many years before the average doctor knows about it and many more years before it is generally accepted and then a few more years before this test is routinely ordered in the evaluation for vascular disease. Medicine is dominated by a conservative inertia in which, for what they conceive of as medical-legal safety, 95% of the entire pack moves forward slowly, and together, to incorporate advances in science.

If you want this test now, you will probably have to educate your doctor about it and then insist on it. Also, you can be sure the anti-cholesterol industry is not going give up their position easily and adopt lipoprotein(a) as the new standard, regardless of the scientific truth behind the matter. If they do, they lose big money!

The presently accepted levels of lipoprotein(a) are the following.

0 - 20 mg./dl low risk
20 - 40 mg./dl. moderate risk
>40 mg./dl. high risk

The Startling Facts about Lipoprotein(a)

Lipoprotein(a) levels are largely determined by inheritance.
Special diet does not influence lipoprotein(a) levels.
None of the available cholesterol lowering drugs lower lipoprotein(a) blood levels.
Ascorbate and niacin both lower lipoprotein(a) blood levels.

L-lysine and L-proline, two natural amino acids, can prevent the apo(a) adhesive from sticking, serving as a kind of Teflon coating. Of these, L-proline is several times more powerful than L-lysine. These aminos also assist to shrink the plaque which is already present.

Lipoprotein(a) blood level is the single greatest risk factor predicting the restenosis of vessels used in bypass surgery.
Animals In The Wild Do Not Get Heart Attacks

The process of atherosclerosis is limited to humans. Animals in the wild do not develop atherosclerosis, therefore no heart attacks and no strokes occur among these citizens of nature. To induce an animal to have atherosclerosis you have to put it in captivity and feed it the kind of diet which humans use to cause the problem. The guinea pig and fruit bat make good models, if this is what you want to do. The gorilla would make a good model, but who wants fifty gorillas lined up in a laboratory?

Animals in the wild do not get heart attacks because they make their own ascorbate, and therefore the process of atherosclerosis does not begin. We humans could take the hint, load up on vitamin C and a few other vitamins twice each day for life and eradicate heart disease. This is already happening in the U.S. where ascorbate consumption has skyrocketed over the past 25 years, and heart disease has dropped by one third. The war against smoking may also have something to do with this, yet in countries where smoking has declined in the absence of increased ascorbate consumption, there has been no equivalent change in heart disease rates.

The Cost in Lives
Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go. In the U.S., every other person will die of vascular heart disease. Many more will die of stroke, another complication of vascular disease. Every year 1.5 million Americans die of heart attack, one fifth of them suddenly, before reaching the hospital or medical attention. Death is the first symptom of heart disease for forty percent of those who learn they have it. More than seven million Americans are living with vascular heart disease right now, and 2.5 million have cerebrovascular disease. Eight million Americans have arrhythmia: irregular heartbeat related to vascular disease.

The Cost in Dollars
One hundred billion dollars are spent on vascular heart disease every year, $200,000 every minute of every day. Coronary bypass, an extremely inappropriate procedure for the great majority of heart patients ? considering the alternatives ? sucks ten billion dollars out of American pockets every year.

The only people gaining from this situation are the drug companies, the hospital industry, vascular surgeons and cardiologists. Do you think any of these folks are going to tell you what I am telling you about ascorbate and heart disease? Would you cut off your income, given the opportunity. No you would not. If you were even sufficiently up-to-date with the current scientific literature to know these things, you would develop doubts and rationalizations about the research demonstrating the relationship between heart disease and anything which the public could control on its own. You would then believe your own doubts and rationalizations. In your own private life, you would load up on ascorbate everyday, just in case.

Program for the Reversal of Heart Disease

If you have vascular disease, and if you want not to have it, there is a plan for you.

Get yourself into chelation therapy and stay the course. This is the fastest, most proven method of dealing with this life-threatening condition. The literature proving this is extensive, despite what uninformed doctors may tell you. Then, in consultation with a doctor who practices nutritional medicine, take the following steps:
(All the following dosages may be adjusted by your doctor, based on his or her experience and medical opinion.)

1- Vitamin C to bowel tolerance ? as much as you can take without diarrhea. For most people this will be in the range of five to ten grams (5,000-10,000 mg.) each day. Spread this amount into two equal doses 12 hours apart. (Vitamin C prevents further cracking of the blood vessel wall ? the beginning of the disease.)
2- Co-enzyme Q10 90-180 mg. twice each day (strengthens the heart muscle).
3- L-carnitine 3 grams twice each day (also strengthens the heart muscle).
4- L-lysine 3 grams twice each day (acts to release lipoprotein(a) from plaque formation and prevent further deposition of same).
5- L-proline 3 grams twice each day (acts to release lipoprotein(a) from plaque formation and prevent further deposition of same).
6-Niacin decreases the production of lipoprotein(a) in the liver. Inositol hexaniacinate is a form of niacin which gives less of a problem with flushing and therefore allows for larger therapeutic doses. Begin with 250 mg. at lunch, 500 mg. at dinner and 500 mg. at bedtime the first day; then increase gradually over a few days until you reach four grams per day, or the highest dose under four grams you can tolerate. Be sure to ask your doctor for liver enzyme level tests every two months or less to be sure your liver is able to handle the dose you are taking.
7- Vitamin E (as Unique E) 800-2400 IU per day. (This inhibits the proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the walls of arteries undergoing the atherosclerotic changes.)
Stop smoking. (This decreases the free radical load on your body.)
8- Adopt a sensible diet with plenty of veggies and not so much fat. (The metabolism of fat decreases your body vitamin pool dramatically.)
9- Ask your doctor for a comprehensive stool analysis (Great Smokies Lab) to see if you are digesting well all that good food. Your diet does not matter much if it is not getting into your body.
10- Lower stress in your life however you can.
Adopt a sensible exercise program in collaboration with your doctor.

Sources:

* Rath M, Niendorf A, Reblin T, Dietel M, Krebber H-J, and Beisiegel U Detection and quantification of lipoprotein(a) of the atertial wall of 107 coronary bypass patients. Arteriosclerosis 9:579-92 (1989)

* Rath M and Pauling L Hypothesis: Lipoprotein(a) is a surrogate for ascorbate Proceedings of the National Acad of Sciences USA 87:6204-07 (1990a), ,Rath M and Pauling L Immunological evidence for the accumulation of lipoprotein(a) in the atherosclerotic lesion of the hypoascorbemic guinea pig Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences USA 87:9388-90 (1990b)

* Rath M and Pauling L Solution to the puzzle of human cardiovascular disease: its primary cause is ascorbate deficiency leading to the deposition of lipoprotein (a) and fibrinogen/fibrin in the vascular wall. J of Orthomolecular Med 6:125-34(1991a)

* Rath M and Pauling L Apoprotein(a) is an adhesive protein J of Orthomolecular Med 6:139-43(1991b)

* Rath M and Pauling L A unified theory of human cardiovascular disease leading the way to abolition of this disease as a cause for human mortality J of Orthomolecular Med 7:5-15(1992a)

* Rath M and Pauling L Plasma induced proteolysis and the role of lipoprotein(a), lysine and synthetic lysine analogs J of Orthomolecular Med 7:17-23(1992b)

* Rath M Lipoprotein(a) reduction by ascorbate J of Orthomolecular Med 7:81-2(1992c)

* Rath M Solution to the puzzle of human evolution J of Orthomolecular Med 7:73-80(1992d)

* Rath M Reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease with nutritional supplements J of Orthomolecular Med 7:153-62(1992e)

* Rath M Cationic-anionic and anionic-cationic oligopeptides in apoprotein(a) and other proteins as modulators of protein action and of biological communication J of Applied Nutrition 44:62-9(1992f)

* Rath M Discovery of new elements of biological communication leading the way to the abolition of infectious diseases, cancer and other diseases as causes of human mortality J of Orthomolecular Med 8:11-20(1993)

If you missed it, you can go to either a SHORT explanation of the whole story, or a detailed explanation on ONE PAGE. On this page you are getting more detail on one part of the story, but on either of those pages you can get the broad picture. Don't miss reading one of them. You can actually spend many hours on this web site, depending on the depth of research and reading you want to do. There are an amazing 4,000 pages here -- more information on these general subjects than almost all other web sites combined! At some point along the way you will probably say, "Karl's crazy," and leave never to return to this site, or you will say "I want to try some of that oral chelation formula he writes about!"

See the Vibrant Life Site for much more...

The Cure to Every Disease

The question is how well are we doing? How healthy, how successful, and how much have we improved?

In school we were tested to see how much of the subject we remembered and how much we learned from college in the area of profession or the degree we wanted to fulfill. In advanced degrees we were examined by our department heads and had to defend our thesis, because we needed to produce a significant advancement to our profession in two years or not receive our Doctorate degree.

It was different in high school, when our gym teacher graded us on how many push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, jump squats, how fast we ran the quarter mile, 100, and 50yds, how far we tossed the base ball, and how far we did the standing broad jump. There were other grades for health, and swimming. Then we were also graded in every other subject that we had to take in school to graduate.

Our churches also help us improve. The leaders teach us right from wrong and attempt to know us all very well. Every time we look for a new job, our potential employer attempts to discover how good a worker we will be for them. Our doctors give us exams, and take tests to see how healthy we are to determine what needs to be done to keep us healthy. We also strive to keep ourselves healthy and learn what it means to be healthy in our society.

In the United States, there are two types of health: Traditional and Complimentary medicine, and Western medicine. Traditional/Complimentary medicine is often called "integrative medicine," and it attempts to integrate traditional medical care with practices that help patients cope better with their illness, reduce their stresses and live healthier lives.

To truly understand the ideology of Western medicine, you have to take a look at the language used by doctors and researchers. Their choice of words reveals their belief systems and the models they use to understand the way they think medicine works. So much of Western medicine's approach to disease is focused on getting rid of the physical symptoms -- cutting out tumors with sharp instruments, for example, or attempting to shrink tumors with chemotherapy. But a critical analysis of these methodologies shows that treating tumors does little or nothing to actually improve the quality of life or the lifespan of the patients.

Meanwhile, alternative medicine approaches to reversing disease that recognize the holistic nature of the human body have much greater success. With a combination of herbs like graviola, acupuncture, super-food supplements, dietary changes and the adoption of physical training habits, patients cure their own diseases and have no need for the "war" approach promoted by Western medicine.

In the case of cancer, there is evidence showing that spirulina destroys cancer tumors. There's evidence that oxygen therapy works well. There's evidence about cat's claw and Amazon herbs in reversing cancer. In fact, cancer is one of the easiest diseases to reverse with herbal medicines and nutritional therapy; yet Western medicine authorities do not want you to know about holistic medicine.

More than 80% of all chronic disease is preventable, but only if you know how. Learn the proven, yet simple prevention strategies for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's and many other degenerative health conditions, by searching Holistics by Phil Cutrara and following those who got cured and who now enjoy a life filled with health, and happiness.

There are no real "health secrets" just common sense, instinct or God's love and desire for us all to be happy.

There are thousands of books on these subjects that you can purchase right now in your neighborhood for very little money and you can also search the Internet and discover how countless cures work for just about any health problem.

Study how God's blessings work and learn about the love Jseus has for us, and what grace can do for you by reading all about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and why God wants you all to be healthy in body, mind, soul, and spirit.

The Web My Site

Free Counter

Here's How the Person Makes the Difference


When a person tries to be good, he becomes better. A good person is impossible to beat, because he has the blessings of God. He becomes an instrument of goodness and whatever he does prospers. It is truly amazing grace whenever you meet a good person, his whole personality shines with happiness, optimism, balance, and harmony, because the blessings of God are within him.

The Bible tells many stories of the apostles, disciples, and the saints doing the will of God. There are countless accounts of miracles, healings, and marvelous sermons where all the listeners heard what our Lord wanted them to hear to become perfect, and to be saved.



When you are blessed by God, you are in the zone. You are the fastest runner, you are the strongest player, nothing you do falls short of the mark, all the important facts are remember, you make a perfect score, and you know that you can not fail.



Let us not forget the Pittsburgh Steeler's 2005 season and Ben Roethlisberger's first year as a pro with 15 wins and 1 loss.

HOLISTIC THERAPHY


"The cure of many diseases is unknown to the physicians of Hellas, because they are ignorant of the whole, which ought to be studied also; for the part can never be well unless the whole is well.... This is the great error of our day in the treatment of the human body, that the physicians separate the soul from the body." Plato (428BC - 347BC)

Life has built in drives because they are part of the design of creation. From the way the stars move to the way the smallest living things act, everything is guided by intelligent design. Human beings know that they are influenced by these drives every day. The main human drives are: replication, reproduction, and extension.

These drives affect every aspect of human life. Just as the universe does not have a center or an edge, it is almost impossible to learn about every aspect of human life. Everyone has a body and a soul, but the body and the soul are not separate things nor are they one thing in the human being. The soul gives life to the body; yet it endures forever, even after the body dies.

There are unlimited aspects to the body. Some of them are physical, behavioral, mental, intellectual, scientific, technological, artistic, emotional, ethical, social, psychological, political, religious, and spiritual aspects of the human being. Some of the aptitude tests attempt to measure our potentiality for genius in these areas. However, there are unlimited potentialities to the human being and no test can ever be devised to measure all of our skills, talents and qualities for genius and goodness to the human species.



The best guide to our success is our self, and holistic therapy is the tool to help us improve. Each day we have some idea of how we feel. We know when we are tired, when we feel sick, and when we are unhappy. So we can guess how physically fit, how mentally alert, and how spiritual sound we are each moment by the way we feel. The way we can improve is by setting some goals. No one knows you better than you know your self, and you are the best person to set some realistic, and challenging goals that will help you improve your total self.

There are many ways we can improve. We can set up a good exercise and work schedule to maximize our physical qualities for strength, speed, flexibility, endurance, and aerobic capacities. We can study nutrition and good health practices to allow our body to grow, and develop to its greatest potential. We can make some plans about what you want to do with your life. There are thousands of careers we can chose from and countless opportunities that are open to us to make a very good choice. We can even create our own profession and design our own path to enjoy the good life, and have it more abundantly.


Holistic therapy is the tool for helping you fulfill your dreams. Society has a plan to make good human beings. Their plan is influenced by every person, and every human organization in that society. Some of the groups are: the government, the schools, the churches, the businesses and the other professions that make up the society. We all know that all our plans fall short of our goal to make a better world. There is still conflict and much sorrow in the world because of poverty, cruelty, and evil. Our plan needs to address these difficulties.

We need to learn how to be good along with how to be wealthy, healthy, and happy. When we learn what influences our desire to improve our self, we will learn how to keep the bad influences from destroying our hope for the good life. All the groups in society use their influence to make it more like them. The replication, and extension drives are at work in every society; just as the drive for reproduction is a constant factor in the life of every human being.

For most of mankind's existence, there has been a desire for to explore the world. We have moved in every direction at about thirty miles a year. Some are influenced by the bigger groups and move toward the cities, while the others move to new lands in a hope to create a better life. Those who like to stay put, look inside to make a better world, and hope the person will make the difference. Both ways are good, and none have a guarantee to succeed.

We need farmers, just as much as we need carpenters. Every town needs someone to fill one of its needs, and every family needs someone to make it complete, and fulfill its needs too. It all begins with the person who wants to be good, no matter what are the circumstance of his life.

Charismatic Prayer Meeting
Catholic Charismatic Renewal

What is Catholic Charismatic Renewal?

Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) is a spiritual movement within the Catholic Church that emphasises the availability of the power and the many gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer, and the need for a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ in order to live life to the fullest.

CCR has its international office in Rome, and consists of thousands of local prayer groups and communities, as well as special ministries and servies, in almost every country around the world.

CCR emphasises the goodness of God, and proclaims, with the Church, that God's grace is freely given to everyone. Jesus Christ fully revealed God, enabling each person to know God as good, as totally giving, and as one who shares fully in the human experience.

The experience of the first followers of Jesus was that they were empowered by God through the Holy Spirit to live a new kind of life "life in a fuller dimension whereby God's power worked in them and through them in order to bring God's love and grace to all who would receive it." Essentially, it is this experience of God that is at the basis of the Catholic faith.

The Church has experienced through the centuries the power of God working in and through imperfect people, all seeking to know God. CCR lies firmly within this tradition.

What is Distinctive about the Spirituality of CCR?

CCR originated in 1967 when some Catholics experienced the presence and power of God working in a new and deeper way in their lives. This experience of God, which they described as being "baptised in the Spirit," drew them into a far deeper spiritual life than before. They wanted to give their lives more fully to God. They experienced his love more deeply, and appreciated even more deeply the spiritual riches to be found in the Catholic Church.

They discovered, in particular, that God was wanting to be far more active in their lives than they had previously understood. They experienced gifts of the Holy Spirit that enabled them to help and serve others, such as praying for healing, and teaching and preaching in more powerful ways. They found God to be vitally interested and involved in every aspect of their lives, no matter how seemingly minor. God worked in their lives in a powerful way and, through them, healed and transformed others.

Baptism in the Spirit

Although each person's experience of God is unique, the experience within CCR is that there is usually a moment of deeper conversion in each person's life which brings them into this deeper spiritual dimension. This is called "the Baptism in the Spirit," or "a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit" (as the person has usually already received the Spirit in many ways in their life). The word "baptism" is not to be confused with sacramental Baptism, but simply means immersion "immersion into God in a fuller way, and being immersed in the Holy Spirit." It is a grace of God that often brings with it new spiritual gifts, and sometimes a calling and enabling to move into new roles in serving others.

The receiving of this grace is pure gift, and the recipient does nothing to earn it, but must allow God to act, as he always respects our free will. It empowers the individual to serve others, and to move into a deeper spiritual awareness and longing to know God. It empowers the person to using the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are always for the benefit of others.

People who have experienced this grace speak of a new love of God, a desire to pray and to attend Mass, to join with other Christians in sharing their faith life, to serve others, to read Scripture and other spiritual reading, and to learn more about the ways of God. They have a new desire to praise God, and experience a deep peace and joy as they find a new awareness of the presence of God in their lives.

Typically, those coming into CCR attend a Life in the Spirit Seminar within a prayer group. The seminar lasts a number of weeks, and facilitates a process of openness to new graces that God might give that person. In one of those sessions, there is specific prayer for the Baptism in the Spirit.

Gifts of the Spirit

For the early Christians, the Holy Spirit was experienced as a real power in their lives. The Holy Spirit empowered them to continue the work of Jesus. When a person received the Holy Spirit, they experienced a very real difference in their lives and others noticed it. That is still true today.

Although all Christians receive the Holy Spirit through Baptism, God's Spirit works in many ways in the world, in both Christians and non-Christians. Yet the experience of being "baptised in the Spirit" is a time of entering a deeper spiritual dimension. Similarly, St Teresa of Avila describes a person entering her "Fourth Mansion": "Supernatural experiences begin here..." (Interior Castle 4.1.1).

Those who experience this deeper infilling, or new outpouring, of God's Spirit usually begin to discover new spiritual gifts. Some of these are:


The Gift of Prophecy:
The ability to sense what God is saying to a group or an individual, and to pass on that message. This usually takes the form of encouragement, comfort, hope or exhortation.

The Gift of Praying in Tongues:
This is a way of praying without words a form of contemplative prayer that is very useful in personal prayer and in prayer ministry. It enables the person praying to focus on God without worrying about finding the right words.

Gifts of Healing:
There seem to be a variety of gifts given by the Spirit to enable people to be instruments of God's healing through prayer.

Paul describes some of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, "...but the Spirit works in many ways." The Spirit also empowers people to move into new roles of service and ministry to others. In all case, the gifts are given to serve others. God works through people, and these gifts help spread his goodness in the world.


Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia

"...proclaiming the power of the Holy Spirit,
and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

What is a Charismatic Prayer Meeting?

A charismatic prayer meeting consists of a group of people from varying backgrounds who meet regularly (usually weekly) in an atmosphere of love and support for one another in an effort to grow in the knowledge and love of God, and to show this love in their attitude to their neighbour.Each prayer meeting is open to anyone who wants to come. Those who attend CCR prayer meetings are predominantly Catholic, but groups are open to anyone.

The prayer meeting has been a place where many, many, people have found a new dimension to their spiritual lives, and have discovered the love of God in a more profound way.

St Paul wrote in 1 Cor 14:26:
When you assemble, one has a hymn, another some instruction to give, still another a revelation to share, one speaks in a tongue, another interprets. Let all things be done to build up the community.

The meeting takes place in a relaxed atmosphere where joy and the love of God is emphasised, and where everyone is welcomed. God is praised with enthusiasm. Praise of God is characteristic of Catholic Charismatic Renewal, in line with the Catholic tradition in which praise permeates the liturgy, song and prayer.

Sometimes people suggest that the praise in the prayer meeting is ‘forced’ in that it does not reflect the way people feel. It is ‘put on.’ CCR encourages people to incorporate praise of God into their whole lives, as in praising God we go out of ourselves and gaze at the goodness of God. Often people’s problems disappear when they begin to praise God, who gives them a new perspective on things. Praise focuses on the utter goodness of God, and celebrates his goodness in our lives.

“Rejoice in the Lord always,” said Paul (Phil 4:4). We believe our joy should be expressed often in praise.

Large parts of the prayer meeting are quiet. Silence forms an important part of the worship periods, and people are encouraged to listen to what the Lord is saying to them. Some will sense that God has a message of encouragement, exhortation, or consolation for the group, and will feel moved to speak this out. This is known as the gift of prophecy.

The Word of God in Scripture is read and listened to, and regular teaching on Scripture and aspects of the Christian life instructs and helps people to grow in their spiritual life. Each prayer meeting has a teaching program. In addition to these times, there are times of prayer ministry, and times of intercession. People are encouraged to share what God has done in their lives as a most important way of building the faith of others. The Eucharist is often celebrated for the prayer group, and time may be spent before the Blessed Sacrament. There is much variety in the prayer meeting.

A leader coordinates these main segments of the meeting:

Praise and Worship
God is praised in song and prayer for his majesty, his love and his faithfulness, and thanked for his grace in our lives. This praise and thanksgiving may be in words, songs or through that way of praying without words known as ‘praying in tongues,’ which has been described by Fr Robert Faricy, S.J., as a form of contemplative
prayer, and by others as similar to praying the rosary. This form of contemplative prayer follows a long Catholic contemplative tradition. St Teresa of Avila wrote of a form of prayer which she called “jubilation” — “a strange prayer I don’t understand.” She called it “a deep union of the faculties” and that “all [the soul’s] activity is directed to this praise (Interior Castle 6.6.10).



Prophecy
Someone may speak an exhortation or word of encouragement from God, through the Holy Spirit. The group discerns this word in the light of Scripture and the Catholic tradition.

Scripture
Someone may share a brief passage of Scripture. CCR encourages the prayerful use of Scripture as taught by the Church.

Teaching
A speaker may give a short talk on one of a variety of subjects aimed at helping us to know God and to
lead better Christian lives.



Intercession
There will usually be times of intercession for the needs of the world, the Church, parish and home. Prayer for healing is always available for those who ask for it.

Witness
Someone may relate how they have experienced God working in their life, and how God has blessed them and changed them.

Throughout, the aim is to be open to the action of God’s Spirit in the meeting.

A BILLION TIMES STRONGER SUPER ACID
World's Strongest and Kindest Acid

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), have discovered the world’s strongest acid, according to Nature. It's a million times stronger than concentrated sulfuric acid and about a billion times stronger than the acids found in your stomach. But surprisingly, it's also one of the least corrosive. So you might soon find one of these new carborane acids, or superacids, in vitamins bought at your local drugstore. Even if this is not appealing to you, these researchers have other projects. They want to have fun by building molecules that have never been made before. Read more...

This new superacid is even better described in this UCR news release. Let's start with the introduction.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered the world’s strongest acid. Remarkably it is also the gentlest acid. This non-toxic and non-corrosive acid may have a role in processes such as improving the quality of gasoline, developing polymers and synthesizing pharmaceuticals.

The most important characteristic of these carborane acids is that they have anextraordinary chemical stability.

They have an icosahedral arrangement of eleven boron atoms plus one carbon atom, which is probably the most chemically stable cluster of atoms in all of chemistry, according to Christopher Reed, UC Riverside Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.

This means that the carborane part of the acid cannot participate in the chemistry of corrosion and decomposition that fluoride and nitrate show in hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid.


Here is a diagram of the CHB11R5X6 carborane ions (Credit: UCR).

Now, how strong are these superacids?

The strongest one is at least a million times stronger than concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and hundreds of times stronger than the previous record holder, fluorosulfuric acid (HFSO3). Concentrated sulfuric acid is already more than a billion times (1012) stronger than dilute swimming pool acid or the acid in one’s stomach.



And here is another diagram showing the structure of the carborane, part of the world’s strongest acid. [Atom color code: orange = boron, gray = carbon, green = chlorine, white = hydrogen.] (Credit: UCR).

Fine, but how can we use these enormously strong acids? They could be used for example in hydrocarbon cracking, a process which raises the octane levels of gasoline.This could be useful, but Nature points to other possible usages.

They allow the production of 'acidified' organic molecules. These are compounds that have had a hydrogen ion added to them, as in the case of many vitamins in over-the-counter supplements.

Acidified compounds occur fleetingly in the digestion of food, petroleum refinement and drug manufacture, says Reed. Carborane acids could be used to study these elusive chemicals more closely, or even help chemical industries to run their reactions more efficiently.
But even more importantly, these researchers want more to have fun than to make money.

But the researchers' immediate goal would be less of a money-spinner. They want to use carborane acids to acidify atoms of the inert gas xenon, simply because, they say, "it's never been done before".

And in the UCR news release, Reed adds the following.

Our research is driven by making molecules that have never been made before. Carborane acids are allowing us to do this. That is the true value of this research. Science gets advanced, and at the same time, students are experiencing the thrill of discovery as they become scientists.
I don't know for you, but the idea of taking vitamins containing such strong acids disturbs me a little.

Anyway, if you want more information before taking your next dietary supplement, the research paper has been published by Angewandte Chemie under the ramarkably simple titlee "The Strongest Isolable Acid." Here are the links to the abstract and to the full paper (PDF format, 4 pages). The diagram of the carborane ions was extracted from this paper.

Sources: Michael Hopkin, Nature, November 16, 2004; University of California, Riverside news release, November 15, 2004; Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Volume 43, Issue 40 , Pages 5352 - 5355, October 5, 2004

FALACIES OF REASON, LOGIC AND REALITY
It took millions of years for us to know that the world is not flat, nor the center of the universe, and that we influence everything we come in contact with by touch, observation, or even think about with our mind.

When we think about something we become attached to the ideas, and soon they become a part of our reality that may or may not be true.

The Sacred Scripture tell us most of these truths and the Holy Spirit, angels and saints reveal the rest of them to those who seek their guidance.

There are many eternal truths in the Songs of Solomon, the Book of Job, and the Bhagavad-Gita. Yet, the New Testement chapters are the heart of the Bible. Even much more so after our Lord rose from the dead, because no one else ever proved that they were God!

The Holy Spirit is just as much alive as when the Apostles first received his gifts. You only have to look for his blessings. They are everywhere.

Renewal Exercise

Body in Motion

The more physically fit you are, the longer you will live, concludes the largest study yet to examine the effects of fitness on life span. More than 13,000 men and women were followed over an 11-year period at the Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas. To make sure participants were capable of fitness and not likely to die of a preexisting disease, only healthy people were allowed into the study.

The results: The least physically fit people were three times more likely to die (of all causes) during the study period than the most fit. And the least fit were eight times more likely to die of heart or cardiovascular disease than the most fit.

The Role of Exercise in Renewal

Exercise buffs up your circulatory system, so more nutrient-rich blood can access more areas of your body. Your body will have developed that more-powerful heart and those sleek, muscle-bound jumbo vessels to service those large, hungry, churning leg and trunk muscles. But guess what? From brain to big toe, the entire body, literally every cell, is the beneficiary of this abundance. Protection is strengthened, repair is more rapid. Healing is enhanced and accelerated. Let me share some examples.



The brain can send and receive nerve and hormone signals faster. The hypothalamus gland (which regulates hunger, thirst, and sex drive) and the pineal gland (which regulates sleep and waking, stress, and immunity) can send out more accurate signals to the rest of the body, which can respond more promptly and effectively to them. The thyroid and adrenal glands, which regulate metabolic activity levels, can make sure you have enough energy. The digestive organs will digest, absorb, and deliver nutrients better. The liver can process blood with greater efficiency, and the kidneys use the extra flow to clean house better. The hormones of the endocrine system go to their target tissue destinations more rapidly and give more appropriate feedback messages. I could go on and on, but you get the point: Everything works better.

Specific benefits of exercise:

Enhanced antioxidant activity.
Beefed-up production of anti-aging chemicals.
Better brainpower.
Quicker reflexes.
Improved mood.
Stronger bones.
Protection against cancer.
Blood sugar regulation.
Weight loss and maintenance.

Getting Started

Start out slowly and increase your activity level gradually. The importance of this cannot be overemphasized. Although it is never too late to start, one can't make up for a lifetime of inactivity in one month. An effective exercise program should include 3 basic components:

Aerobics

A regular, moderate aerobic workout cures depression, improves self-esteem, and elevates mood.
It gives you increased energy, stamina, and agility. On a metabolic level, it stabilizes your blood sugar levels, reduces cholesterol, and improves fat metabolism. By strengthening the heart and arteries and reducing blood pressure, aerobic exercise dramatically reduces your chances of succumbing to a heart attack, stretching and strength training.

Strength Training

Strength training induces the development of additional new muscle cells and more resilient tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Added strength improves neuromuscular control, which in turn protects you from injury. Strength training is especially important for the back, since lower-back pain is often caused by weakness of the abdominal and/or back muscles.

Stretching

Flexibility diminishes with age. Muscle fibers shorten. Connective tissue loses elasticity. Stretching slows these changes, integrates the other aspects of a conditioning program, and improves the flexibility of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joint tissues and protects them from injury. Ballet, tai chi, and yoga all increase flexibility. But just doing stretching exercises will suffice.

A good cross-training program should allow you to fit in all 3 types of renewal exercises in one workout. Diet and nutritional supplements also play a major role in the effectiveness of any exercise program. Consult with your physician about any specific health concerns.

The Kingdom of God is within your Soul
The Kingdom of God is like a lost treasure or a pearl of great price that is lost and the young women searches her house for it. She moves all her possessions and sweep every inch of the floors until it is found.

All the religions of the world believe in God, but disagree who is God. Christians believe in Jesus Christ is the son of God. Jews believe in the Messiah and that he will come to earth to establish the kingdom of God. The Moslems believe that Mohammad is the prophet of God and that there is no God except Allah. Hindus believe that there are three main gods and many other gods that we should pray to for help in life. Buddhist follow the teachings of Buddha and the five fold path to Nirvana.

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance

The World of Religions

Thinkquest: Religions of the World

Infoplease: Major Religions of the World



Does It Matter? Are They Just "Different Roads To The Same Place"?

"For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that The Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown, that you might know that The Lord is God; there is no other besides Him." (Deuteronomy 4:32-35 RSV)

"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:22 RSV)

Fact Finder: Is Jesus Christ the only Way to salvation?
Acts 4:10-12

Daily Bible Study

Questions and Answers about God

TSAPARANG


















Watch the Video

On the path to China that passes the sacred mountain the center of the spiritual world, and by a city
called Shambala are the sacred cliffs where the seekers go to contemplate God.



Mount Kailash, which is believed to have been formed 30 million years ago when Himalayas were in their early stage of formation, is one of the most revered places in the Himalayas.

Spread out on the Tibetan plateau beside Mount Kailash is the giant lake of shifting colours - Lake Mansarovar. Brahma, the creator, had a mind (?Man?) for the creation of a lake (?Sarovar?), hence its name. A pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and a bath in the Mansarovar is believed to bring about salvation (Moksha).



















 #Mount Kailash & Mansarover Via Lhasa (Tibet) 



Duration : 21 Days
Places Covered : Kathmandu - Lhasa - Sigatse - Ngamring - Saga - Prayang - Mansarover - Darche Chuku Gompa - Dara Phuk - Laham Chuu Valley - Zutrul Valley - Zutrul Phuk - Darchan Paryang - SAGA - Pegu Tso - Zhangmu - Kathmandu - Delhi
Tour Code : HM0026
Book / Enquire About Tour Package



Day 01 : Arrive Katmandu
You are met on arrival and transferred to your hotel.

Day 02 - 03 : In Kathmandu
(to process Visa for Tibet) During your staying Kanthmandu you will visit Pashupatinath Temple & there is free time to go shopping for mountain goodies.

Day 04 : Kanthmandu - Lhasa - By Air (3600mts.)
Morning fly to LHASA across the mightiest mountain range in the world. Pass by close Mt. Everest, on a clear day all the high peaks are in view.

Day 05 : Lhasa
Visit Sera Monastery, Norbulingka, the summer palace of Dalai Lama, as well as the Jokhang Temple.

Day 06 : Lhasa
A morning visits to the Potala Palace & Drepung Monastery.

Day 07 : Lhasa - Sigatse
Shigates greets its visitors with golden roofs

Day 08 : Shigatse - Ngamring
Transfer by surface.

Day 09 : Ngamring - Saga.
Stunning Himalayan view, particularly of Shishapangma.

Day 10 : Saga - Prayang
The scenery along this section is one of the most panoramic views of our journey.

Day 11 : Paryang - Mansarover (4560m.) (227kms. / 8hrs. drive)
We arrive on the shores of the Serene and beautiful lake, Surely one of the most stunning place on earth.

Day 12 : Lake Mansarover.
At 14, 950 ft. the highest frees water lake in the world has something truly spiritual about it. Overnight camp.

Day 13 : Lake Mansarover - Darche Chuku Gompa - Dara Phuk. (First Day Of Prakrama).
Trek commences the traditional clockwise circuit of Kailash.

Day 14 : Continue Prakrama.
Over Dromala Pass to Laham Chhachu valley (second day of prakrama). Devotees of all religions prostrate before this stone and walk around it three times before continuing on.

Day 15 : Laham Chuu Valley - Zutrul Valley - Zutrul Phuk - Darchan (Third Day Of Prakrama)
easy trek back to Darchen and continue the drive to lake Mansarover