Spiritual retreat can lower depression, raise hope in heart patients

Public release date: 1-Aug-2011
University of Michigan Health System

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/uomh-src072811.php

4-day, non-denominational spiritual retreat may help patients who want to avoid antidepressants

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Attending a non-denominational spiritual retreat can help patients with severe heart trouble feel less depressed and more hopeful about the future, a University of Michigan Health System study has found.

Heart patients who participated in a four-day retreat that included techniques such as meditation, guided imagery, drumming, journal writing and outdoor activities saw immediate improvement in tests measuring depression and hopefulness. Those improvements persisted at three- and six-month follow-up measurements.

The study was the first randomized clinical trial to demonstrate an intervention that raises hope in patients with acute coronary syndrome, a condition that includes chest pain and heart attack. Previous research has shown that hope and its opposite, hopelessness, have an impact on how patients face uncertain futures.

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Chris Hedges: Fundamentalism Kills

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/fundamentalism_kills_20110726/

Posted on Jul 26, 2011

By Chris Hedges

The gravest threat we face from terrorism, as the killings in Norway by Anders Behring Breivik underscore, comes not from the Islamic world but the radical Christian right and the secular fundamentalists who propagate the bigoted, hateful caricatures of observant Muslims and those defined as our internal enemies. The caricature and fear are spread as diligently by the Christian right as they are by atheists such as Sam Harrisand Christopher Hitchens. Our religious and secular fundamentalists all peddle the same racist filth and intolerance that infected Breivik. This filth has poisoned and degraded our civil discourse. The looming economic and environmental collapse will provide sparks and tinder to transform this coarse language of fundamentalist hatred into, I fear, the murderous rampages experienced by Norway. I worry more about the Anders Breiviks than the Mohammed Attas.

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Frank Schaeffer: Christian Jihad? Why We Should Worry About Right-Wing Terror Attacks Like Norway's in the US

By Frank Schaeffer, AlterNet
Posted on July 23, 2011, Printed on July 24, 2011
http://www.alternet.org/story/151751/christian_jihad_why_we_should_worry_about_right-wing_terror_attacks_like_norway%27s_in_the_us

The Norwegian police on Saturday charged a 32-year-old man, whom they identified as a Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections, over the bombing of a government center and a shooting attack on a nearby island that together left at least 91 people dead.

In my new book "Sex, Mom and God" I predicted just such an action. I predicted that right wing Christians will unleash terror here in America too. I predict that they will copy Islamic extremists, and may eventually even make common cause with them.

There is a growing movement in America that equates godliness with hatred of our government in fact hatred of our country as fallen and evil because we allow women choice, gays to marry, have a social safety net, and allow immigration from other cultures and non-white races.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the killer wrote:

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"Raw Story"-Poll: Only 52% of Americans approve of God’s performance

Dissatisfaction and anger with the federal government is nothing new, but now even Almighty God is having a tough time getting support from the public.

A recently released survey (PDF) by Public Policy Polling (PPP) found that only 52 percent of American voters approve of God's performance, while nine percent disapprove and 40 percent are just not sure.

Among "very liberal" respondents, 19 percent disapproved. Only four percent of "very conservative" voters had a problem with the deity.

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"Sarah Posner"-Inside the Right-Wing Christian Law School That Brought Us Michele Bachmann

At the May “First Friday” lecture hosted by the Institute on the Constitution at the Heritage Community Church in Severn, Maryland, IOTC founder Michael Peroutka presented the evening’s guest speaker, attorney Herb Titus, with a “Patrick Henry Award” for “his tireless and fearless telling of God’s truth to power.” Titus (best known for his representation of former Judge Roy Moore in his failed quest to install a 2.6-ton Ten Commandments monument in the Alabama Supreme Court building) is one of the few lawyers in America who, Peroutka noted, truly “believes God is sovereign and therefore God’s law is the only law.” For Peroutka, the Constitution Party’s 2004 nominee for president, this was his usual spiel on God and the law.

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"Zachary Newkirk" - God's Lobbyists -- The Hidden Realm of Religious Influence

Published on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 by Open Secrets Blog

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/07/gods-lobbyists.html

by Zachary Newkirk

On the first day, according to the Book of Genesis, the Lord said, “Let there be light.”

But when it comes to the government lobbying efforts of most religious institutions, their activities are notably shrouded in darkness, even as representatives of numerous faiths routinely pressure federal lawmakers on issues ranging from health care to international relations, poverty to abortion rights.

This is largely by government design. In 1995, when Congress passed the Lobbying Disclosure Act in 1995, it provided for a few exceptions, including lobbying communications made by a “church, its integrated auxiliary or a convention or association of churches that is exempt from filing a federal income tax return," as well as a "religious order."

The only instances in which a church must disclose their lobbying is if spends a “substantial” amount of money on lobbying, if more than 20 percent of its lobbyist’s income is from direct lobbying on behalf of the church or if it hires an outside lobbying firm. Then, the hired firm is required to disclose that it has lobbied on behalf of a religious institution. The “substantial” test is a murky one, with little enforcement of it, and as is the 20 percent rule, unless attention is drawn to the organization.

People of faith are divided on whether this lobbying disclosure exception is appropriate.

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"Times of India" - Fountain of youth’s role in brain demystified

Times of India | Jul 14, 2011, 03.21pm IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Fountain-of-youths-role-in-brain-demystified/articleshow/9223276.cms

A study has found that a fountain of youth that sustains the production of new neurons in the brains of rodents is also believed to be present in the human brain.

The finding by researchers at the Duke University Medical Centre explains why stem cells by themselves can't generate neurons in a lab dish, a major roadblock in using these stem cells for injury repair.

We believe these findings will have important implications for human therapy, Chay Kuo, M.D., Ph.D., George Brumley Jr. assistant professor of Cell Biology, Pediatrics and Neurobiology, and senior author of the study, said.

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"Times of India" - Religion, spirituality heal patients

Times of India | Jul 14, 2011, 05.32pm IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Religion-spirituality-heal-patients/articleshow/9224683.cms

A new study has suggested that hospitalised patients who had conversations about religion and spirituality with the healthcare team were the most satisfied with their overall care. However, 20 per cent of patients who would have valued these discussions said their desires went unmet.

Religious and spiritual concerns are particularly prominent during times of illness, suffering and death. However, there is disagreement about which members of the healthcare team should ask about and address these concerns. According to hospitalized patients in this study, whom they speak to makes no difference - the important factor appears to be that they have these discussions.

Joshua Williams from the University of Chicago, USA, and his colleagues analyzed data collected between January 2006 and June 2009 on 3,141 patients enrolled in the University of Chicago Hospitalist Study.

They found that 41 per cent of patients wanted to discuss religious or spiritual concerns with someone while in the hospital, and 32 per cent of all patients said some discussion did occur. Among those who had taken part in discussions, 61 per cent spoke with a chaplain, 12 per cent with a member of their own religious community, 8 per cent with a physician, and 12 per cent with someone else.

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"Rob Boston" - The Relentless Christian Crusade to Prevent Kids from Learning Science

By Rob Boston, Church & State Magazine

Posted on July 11, 2011, Printed on July 12, 2011
http://www.alternet.org/story/151587/the_relentless_christian_crusade_to_prevent_kids_from_learning_science

The debate that took place on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives in April could not exactly be described as a feast for the intellect.

Legislators were deliberating a bill that would open the door to creationism in public schools by requiring schools to “find effective ways” to teach about three “controversial” ideas: evolution, global warming and human cloning.

The discussion quickly degenerated into name-calling when one bill supporter called opponents “intellectual bullies,” reported the Knoxville News Sentinel.

One lawmaker even tried to press Albert Einstein into service. Rep. Frank Niceley, a Republican from Strawberry Plains, asserted that Einstein once said, “A little knowledge would turn your head to atheism, while a broader knowledge would turn your head to Christianity.”

Niceley should have checked his facts: Einstein, who was raised Jewish and usually referred to himself as an agnostic, never said that. Something similar was once uttered by English philosopher Francis Bacon – 400 years ago.

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''J. D. Heyes" - Meditation cuts risk of heart attacks by 50 percent

by J. D. Heyes

http://www.naturalnews.com/032897_meditation_heart_attacks.html

(NaturalNews) There are a number of proven natural alternatives to reducing your risk of heart attack, but one of the most effective to do that, new research has shown, is through meditation.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, meditation through the continuous repetition of a mantra, can reduce high blood pressure, thickening of the arteries and cholesterol. Researchers say it can even help protect against diabetes.

"This is a seminal finding," said Dr. Norman Rosenthal, of the NIMH.

"The prevention of heart attack and stroke and actual lengthening of lifespan by an alternative treatment method is exceedingly rare, if not unprecedented," he said. "If Transcendental Meditation were a drug conferring so many benefits, it would be a billion-dollar blockbuster."

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"Progressive Radio Host Mitchell J. Rabin, Monday @ 6pm" - The latest Jewish Haiku

Jewish Haiku

Beyond Valium,
peace is knowing one's child
is an internist.

On Passover we
opened the door for Elijah.
Now our dog is gone.

After the warm rain
the sweet smell of camellias.
Did you wipe your feet?

Her lips near my ear,
Aunt Sadie whispers the name
of her friend's disease.

Today I am a man
Tomorrow I will return
to the seventh grade.

Testing the warm milk
on her wrist, she sighs softly
But her son is forty.

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"Andrea Paine" - Time: Love Every Moment of It

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrea-paine/surviving-cancer_b_872766.html

By Andrea Paine

Time. Is there anything that we don't wish about it? There's a saying that explains it well: "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity." (Henry Van)
When we're young, we count the months and the days until our next birthday. Time seems to drag leading up to that big day, and then suddenly it's there. And you can bet that once that day has arrived, time is going to pass by fast! Other occasions take time to get there, but pass quickly as well. While birthdays no longer take up as much importance in your life, at a certain point, celebrations such as weddings, births and graduations are ones we will anticipate. What expectant mother has not wished the last month of her pregnancy to pass with lightning speed? This is soon replaced, at times, by the longing of having all that leisure time back again.
And just as we can wish for the speedy passage of time when anticipating happy events, or the slowing down of it when that special day finally arrives, time takes on a different dimension when confronted with something like cancer. Yes, you have the almost-stopped and dream like quality of time when you are diagnosed with the disease, embarking on a roller coaster of emotions, from anger to disbelief.

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Dr. Oz: Make Meditation Your New Year's Resolution

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanne-ball/resolution-for-the-new-ye_b_802154.html

Jeanne Ball
Writer for the David Lynch Foundation and 25-Year Teacher of Transcendental Meditation
Posted: June 4, 2011

According to polls, the most popular New Year's resolutions for 2011 are: lose weight, quit drinking and/or smoking, exercise, manage your debt, reduce stress, get a better job, fall in love and volunteer to help others.
But if Dr. Mehmet Oz is correct, perhaps "learn to meditate" should be added to the top of everyone's list.
Meditation is emerging as a powerful stress-buster. Research shows that it can have health benefits equivalent to or better than some of the leading medications for reducing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Dr. Oz, a meditator himself, spoke at the "Change Begins Within" benefit on Dec. 13 in New York City. The event was sponsored by the David Lynch Foundation, to raise funds to teach 10,000 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder how to meditate. Addressing the impact of stress and its toll on the human heart, Dr. Oz explained how the Transcendental Meditation technique reduces the three main risk factors for heart disease.

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"Swami Aaron" - True Meaning of Here and Now

http://www.spiritualnow.com/articles/952/1/True-Meaning-of-Here-and-Now/Page1.html

By Swami Aaron

Being now and everywhere simultaneously
Most of us though keep talking that true spiritual path is to be “Here and Now”; we all suggest to others that we should neither remain stuck to our past, nor we should float in future. We should always be in the present. Though this is absolutely right, but, a very few people understand the true essence of this verbal jargon. Before I deliberate further, I would like to share one excerpt from one of my books titled “A Date with God”. Here goes the excerpt:
“Good morning Sir,”
“Hey Jennifer, very good morning. How are you?” Raj asked.
“Fine, thank you, Sir.”
“Jenifer, I want to share something very important with you. Can you spare some time with me?”
“Why not, Sir? It’s rather my pleasure.”
“Not here. Would you mind going with me on a long ride?”
“Not at all, Sir.” She replied with smile.
He took her to the car and asked her to sit inside. He drove towards the outskirts of the city. As he drove hardly for 15 to 20 minutes, he found the traffic jam ahead. There was a huge gathering at the crossing. A man, who appeared like a lunatic fellow, was abusing the crowd, and people had simply thrashed him down. Raj came out of the car and went inside the crowd to inquire about the fuss. He protected the bearded man, asked the crowd why they were beating him. They replied that he was abusing everyone without any reason. When Raj asked him why he was abusing everybody, the man started laughing.
He said,” I am not abusing anyone. I am just muttering some words. It’s you who are drawing that abusing meaning from the words. The word in itself does not have any meaning. You associate a feeling, certain interpretations with a word. If the meaning, which you associate with a word, is offending, what can I do? You try to confine this vast life into few words, how can one reach the Ultimate Truth, which lies beyond all interpretations, beyond all expression?” the man asked.

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"Richard Pettinger" - 7 Benefits of Meditation

http://www.spiritualnow.com/articles/73/1/7-Benefits-of-Meditation/Page1.html

By Richard Pettinger

Meditation simplifies our outer life and energizes our inner life
1. Happiness. Meditation can help us to cultivate a real abiding happiness. Meditation allows us to be in tune with our inner self. When we live in the heart we can experience a sense of oneness with others, this brings a happiness that does not depend upon outer events.

2. Inner Peace. Most people would like to experience more inner peace in their lives; at times peace feels an elusive quality because our lives are so hectic. Meditation teaches us how to switch off from the noise of the mind, we no longer give importance to the teeming thoughts which fly through our mind. Through meditation we can gain a clear state of mind; this is the secret of feeling a real inner peace.

3. Health Benefits. There have been numerous studies showing a link between meditation and improved physical health. Meditation is a practical solution to relieve stress. When we relieve stress we help to reduce our blood pressure and heart related diseases.

4. Simplicity. Meditation helps to simplify our lives. When we live in the mind we can feel life is nothing but teeming problems and worries. Through learning to meditate we find we can get joy from appreciating the simplicity of life.
“Meditation simplifies our outer life and energizes our inner life. Meditation gives us a natural and spontaneous life, a life that becomes so natural and spontaneous that we cannot breathe without being conscious of our own divinity.”
- Sri Chinmoy

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“Adam Lee” - There Are 10 Times As Many Atheists as Mormons: When Will Non-Believers Become a Political Force?

http://www.alternet.org/belief/151267/there_are_10_times_as_many_atheists_as_mormons%3A_when_will_non-believers_become_a_political_force

By Adam Lee

The rise of atheists as political players would have positive effects on American society and possibly even the world as a whole.
June 10, 2011
 
The propagandists of the religious right shout it aloud as their battle cry: "America is a Christian nation!" And in the trivial sense that ours is a nation populated mostly by Christians, this is true. But in the sense they mean it, that Christianity was intended to occupy a privileged place in the law -- or worse, that Christianity was intended to be the only belief professed by Americans -- it couldn't be more false. Although religion in general, and Christianity in particular, play a dominant role in our public life, ours is a secular nation by law. And befitting that heritage, America has always played host to a lively tradition of freethought, unorthodoxy and religious dissent, one that dates back to our founding generation.

To name just one example, Thomas Jefferson rejected miracles and special revelation -- he famously created his own version of the New Testament, which kept only the moral teachings and parables and cut out all the miracle stories -- and encouraged his contemporaries to "question with boldness even the existence of a God." He himself was a deist, not an atheist, but this subtle distinction was lost on his contemporaries, who hurled accusations at him every bit as vicious as today's TV attack ads. For instance, in the presidential campaign of 1800, the Gazette of the United States editorialized as follows:

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“Jesse Beach” - Is There a Place for Atheists in Alcoholics Anonymous?

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/151294/is_there_a_place_for_atheists_in_alcoholics_anonymous/

By Jesse Beach

A long-simmering feud is spreading around the world, after one AA establishment voted to expel two atheist/agnostic groups in Canada.

June 14, 2011 

Want to get the latest on America's drug & rehab culture? Sign up for The Fix's newsletter here.

Was Alcoholics Anonymous meant to be a mosaic or a melting pot? Does its culture embrace one and all who have a desire to stop drinking, or is the intention to blend everyone into a single AA homogeneity? These were the questions raised by a recent furor in Toronto, where two AA meetings were banished from the city’s official directory for catering to atheist and agnostic members with an adapted version of the 12 Steps. Not surprisingly, given AA's reach, the controversy has spread around the world.

"Just tell me what to do ’cause I hurt so bad," was David R.’s attitude when he first joined AA. “I really wanted to stop drinking and I was truly ready to ‘go to any length’—and I did.” The trouble was that God “as we understood Him” meant, in David’s case, no God at all. “Because I am a people-pleaser, I faked it with the theistic elements, half-knowing I was faking," he says. "I was afraid that I would drink if I didn't. I am grateful to be sober. I couldn't have done it without AA: the meetings, the support of some understanding people and activities not related to drinking.”

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“Debra Rubin” - Crisis pregnancy group reflects Jewish divide on abortion

http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/crisis_pregnancy_group_reflects_jewish_divide_on_abortion1/

June 14, 2011

By Debra Rubin

SILVER SPRING, Md. (RNS) Saraleah was 19 and a part-time student when she discovered she was pregnant. She didn’t know how it could have happened—until she flashed back to a party nine weeks earlier where she was given a drink, realized it was vodka and then passed out.

Saraleah had been raped.

“i was in shock and felt like my life was over,” she wrote in an email, asking that her full name not be used. “I was very scared because i had nothing and was trying to figure out how i was going to support myself AND the baby.”

Abortion was never an option, she said. She looked into adoption, but ultimately decided she wanted to prove herself as a mother. Her rabbi’s wife referred her to In Shifra’s Arms, a suburban Washington, D.C., nonprofit that provides assistance to pregnant Jewish women in crisis.

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“William Brown“ - Religion Can Limit a Person's Desire

http://www.spiritualnow.com/articles/838/1/Religion-Can-Limit-a-Persons-Desire/Page1.html

By William Brown

Published 06/11/2011

When I was young, going to church wasn’t an option. Sunday mornings you got up and went to church. That’s just the way it was. It wasn’t until I got older that I even contemplated not going to church. I’m very grateful for my mother taking me to church. It has a lot to do with me being who I am today. I learned some wonderful lessons for life.As I got older I started to think out of the box. I was told to fear following the “wrong” religious denominations because they do not lead to God. I wondered how I could be “lucky” enough to be in the one religion that leads to heaven. I often wondered how those in other religions could be so “unlucky”.

We hadn’t picked a religion in most cases. We followed our parent’s footsteps. I was told what I needed to do to go to heaven. I was told to let the Bible be my guide. One day I wondered about those who have never seen the Bible. I wondered about those who didn’t give their heart to Jesus Christ. What about primitive cultures that weren’t exposed to the Bible and the salvation of Jesus? Was that their fault? Did they all burn in hell for eternity? What would a God of love get out of that?Some have used religion as a tactic to keep others in a state of fear. Those in power used religion to get the masses to do what they are told and not question why. As a result, many people look at religion one way only. They are fearful to think out of the box. They believe, follow and ask no questions. They do not allow new ideas or theories about religion or spirituality to enter their mind for a second. After all, who wants ton burn in hell for eternity? This createst he box.

I stepped out of the box never to return. I am a spiritual being. The Bible has changed lives too numerous to count. It is a wonderful tool for life. I’m all for whatever works. However, I thank God for the day I realized my salvation has nothing to do with which church or religion mI am affiliated with. My salvation and guidance comes from within. There is an unlimited amount of peace and understanding when we enter a meditative state of stillness from within. I have everything I need. No outside direction of any kind is necessary. My life is a product of my own awareness. It is my creation. It emerges out of stillness. Those familiar with the writings of Eckhart Tolle know of stillness. It’s the origin of life itself. It has no shape or form but all shapes and forms come from it.

Psalms 46:10 starts with these words: “ Be still and know that I amGod”. The Bible spoke of stillness ages ago. The Bible and religion can and has helped so many. But, who has courage toexplore even more? Who has courage enough to think out of the box?



"American Academy of Sleep Medicine" - The good life: Good sleepers have better quality of life and less depression

Study shows that a nightly sleep duration of six to nine hours is associated with higher ratings for quality of life and lower ratings for depression.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine, June 14, 2011

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-06/aaos-tgl060911.php

DARIEN, IL – Getting six to nine hours of sleep per night is associated with higher ratings for quality of life and lower ratings for depression, suggests a research abstract that will be presented Tuesday, June 14, in Minneapolis, Minn., at SLEEP 2011, the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS).

Results show that people with a "normal" sleep duration of six to nine hours per night had higher self-reported scores for quality of life and lower scores for depression severity compared to short and long sleepers. These differences were statistically significant in all comparisons. Among patients who reported having perfect health, there were a higher percentage of normal sleepers, who also had significantly lower scores for depression severity compared to short and long sleepers with perfect health.

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