While meditation is good for relieving stress and other psychological conditions, it is also an effective means of easing away symptoms that arise from gastrointestinal disorders. The burgeoning field of epigenetics is spawning hundreds of new research projects to demonstrate the mind's ability to change gene expressions within DNA.
Researchers from two Harvard affiliates found that through a training program completed by participants in nine weeks, the elicitation of relaxation responses, irritable bowels syndrome (IBS), along with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) the inflammation-related expression of genes and bodily responses to stress pose significant clinical benefits.
In the experiment, the researchers assessed 48 participants, of whom 19 were previously diagnosed with IBS, and 29 with IBD. These participants took part in a nine-week program among a group that focused on reducing stress cognitive skills and behaviors enhancing the health. The participants were assessed at the start, in the middle, at the end and three weeks after the nine-week program. Each participant was asked to practice relaxation exercises at home for 15 to 20 minutes each day.
Results of the study found disease-related symptoms, anxiety and quality of life in general to have improved in the participants who completed the mandatory program; this continued even after the end of the program. No changes were seen in inflammatory markers, but altered expressions were found in more or less 200 genes. According to the researchers, several genes with altered expressions contribute to pathways involving stress response and inflammation.
QUANTUM HEALTH TIP: IBS can also be caused by a "dysbiosis" or imbalance in the intestinal flora. Use Transformation's Plantadolphilus to repair this. To amplify the effects of your meditation practice, use our meditation elixir, Alchemy of Transformation.
More Mind-Body Practices for Pain Relief
In the case of chronic pain, the brain and body tend to set up certain wiring that "predicts" or expects pain where it has been. This predisposes the affected parts of the body to sensitivities toward pain when, in fact, there may be no cause other than the expectation.
To help "rewire" these responses, here are some techniques to "re-frame" or reset pain responses in areas of chronic pain:
- 1. Expanding yourself out - The ancient Zen practice of "becoming the ocean" directs the mind to put its attention on what does not hurt. Visualize the pain as a drop of water, and your being or consciousness as the entire, vast ocean. This resets pain responses and de-sensitizes pain expectations.
- 2. Expanding the pain - (From Access Consciousness) Make the pain itself bigger and bigger--first, 100 miles wide, then 100,000 miles wide, then as big as the solar system, then bigger than the universe. This also rewires the brain's responses to chronic pain and helps put it in proper importance with the rest of your perceptions.
- 3. Talk to the pain - Ask the pain, "What is right about this I'm not getting?"; or, "How can it get any better than this?"; or "What would it take of all infinite possibilities for this pain to resolve?" This short-circuits all the conclusions and judgments that may be holding the pain in place. Just keep asking the questions, and new awarenesses will come as to the causes and solutions to pain. As the awarenesses come, continue to ask the questions.
- 4. Send it back - In Access Consciousness, Founder Gary Douglas discovered that over 95% of pain and suffering is not actually ours. It is what we take on empathetically from others. He discovered that people generally are far more "psychic" or tuned in to others than we are taught. By simply saying, "Return this pain to sender", or, "Send this pain back to where it came from", you setup an energy pattern of intention causing the body to deconstruct or un-create the pain simply because it's not yours. It is the commandeering of pain as our own that keeps it chronic, when in fact, it is not even ours.
QUANTUM HEALTH TIP: For acute pain while you are applying this exercise, use the E-3 Pain Relief lotion. It will re-establish energy flows in the area of the pain, allowing it to more efficiently process out. Also, use the meditation elixir Deep Insight to help awarenesses come as to the source of the pain, as you ask your questions in #3 above.
Tapping on Your Own Face Alleviates Stress
In the early 90's, Gary Craig, a Stanford engineer, developed the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to give people a tool to use to improve their lives. It spread like wildfire and led to considerable scientific research as to why EFT does what it does.
For example, studies at Harvard Medical School have revealed that by stimulating the body's meridian points, the same spots on your body that are manipulated by acupuncturists, you can significantly reduce activity in a part of your brain called the amygdala. Think of your amygdala as a personal alarm system. When you experience trauma or fear, the amygdala is triggered and your body is flooded with cortisol, commonly known as the "stress hormone." This intricate chain reaction, or stress response, significantly influences and sometimes even causes whatever it is that troubles you, whether an illness, injury, pain, or even an external problem such as your finances or a relationship.
In a significant study conducted by Dr. Dawson Church, one of the world's leading experts on energy psychology, and an EFT master in his own right. His study set out to determine how an hour-long tapping session would impact the cortisol levels of 83 subjects. For the sake of comparison, he also measured the cortisol levels of people who received traditional talk therapy, as well as the cortisol levels of those who received no treatment at all. The results were fascinating. The average cortisol reduction of those who experienced an EFT Tapping session was 24%, and even hit as high as 50% in some subjects. On the other hand, people who experienced traditional talk therapy or no treatment at all didn’t experience any significant cortisol reduction. In other words, they were just as stressed at the end of it all while those who tried tapping walked out with significantly less stress.
The more EFT is used, the better the result, so it is an excellent addition to self-care daily routines. Gary Craig offers EFT training for free at this link, and provides several YouTube videos about it.
QUANTUM HEALTH TIP: Motivation, hope and confidence are all important when embarking on a new practice. Enhance these qualities with our Success & Achievement Meditation Elixir.
NEW from Subtle Energy Solutions: Subtle Energy Infused Himalayan Salt Lamps
This new application of subtle energy infusion into a Himalyan Salt Lamp has catapulted the natural benefits of salt lamps to a whole new level. We have infused the lamps with harmonizing, stablizing subtle energies that greatly heighten the similar existing properties of the lamps, making the experience of the lamps a palpable and impressive one. Put one in the office or TV room to neutralize EMF, or "electro-smog". Put one in the bedroom for a soothing night light and negative ions for a restful sleep.
These lamps are approximately 12 inches tall, direct from Nepal, include an off-on rocker switch on an A/C cord, 4-watt light bulb, and a wooden base, only $24.95. (MORE INFO)
Clean Sweep Goes Family Size!
Our popular anti-negativity spray, Clean Sweep, is now available in a 16 oz. size, adding to the 8 oz. and 2 oz. travel sizes. We've also posted a conference call about Clean Sweep as discussed by Dr. Kronn, the inventor, and several doctors and naturopaths. They provide their clinical experiences and measurements using the Clean Sweep in their practices. Fascinating stuff!
Clean Sweep Spray cleans any kind of negative energy. Tangible energetic emanations linger in the environment from all kinds of sources, including distress and suffering, illness, depression, anxiety, trauma, difficult relationships, and negative thinking--as well as from electrical devices, such televisions, computers, cell phones, microwave ovens and wi-fi. Few people are aware of the fact that negative energetic emanations can affect healing time, state of mind, family dynamics, and mental focus. (MORE INFO)
"Stone of Purification"
Spiritually: Protective stone for the aura. Aligns and purifies the subtle bodies releasing toxins at all levels. Clears the way to receive information from the higher self. Attuned to the attainment of spiritual truth.
Emotionally: Increases clarity and patience, helping with the release of negative emotions. Promotes a positive outlook on life.
Mentally: Sharpens the mind and opens it to new levels of awareness. Helps you to take responsibility for your own life.
Physically: May stimulate tissue regeneration and remove toxicity from the physical body. May strengthen the metabolism; may aid the heart, thymus, lungs, gallbladder, spleen, intestinal tract, ulcers, and strengthen eyes.
Peridot Trinity Elxir is on sale for a month for 30% off with discount code PERI30 (enter the code in the indicated box as you checkout through the website shopping cart--offer good until 9/5/15).
Back to the Future, Forward to the Past
My brother is always coming up with interesting fringe ideas about reality which inevitably suck me in to a dialogue (I can't resist the fringe, you know). The last one was about The Past.
We say we have "memories", but what we are actually referring to is a state of being within which we perceived certain things. That state of being is then categorized as a "past" event because current perceptions don't match the perceptions in that state of being. We just say something "happened" that is not happening now. The quantum truth is that, yes, it is happening now--it's all happening now--it's your mind and brain automatically categorizing what perceptions go with what states of being across what we arbitrarily classify as the Past and the Future. We call that "time".
There is a quantum shift happening throughout biochemistry, physiology and biology. It demonstrates that environment (which includes thoughts, feelings and intentions) directly affects DNA, not the other way around.
According to the 
A new study by researchers in Wisconsin, Spain, and France reports the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of intensive mindfulness practice.
The study investigated the effects of a day of intensive mindfulness practice in a group of experienced meditators, compared to a group of untrained control subjects who engaged in quiet non-meditative activities. After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditators showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, including altered levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation.
I somewhat cynically used to say in my youth that unconscious meditation--the kind we all do when we are obediently serving The Matrix--is the single most untenable problem in human history.
I said that it was a matter of choice, whether or not to be racist. And if there were racist thoughts and feelings coming up for her, that she could practice mindfulness meditation--a type of meditation that allows undesirable thoughts and feelings to simply float on by like clouds in the sky, and from this, infinite options show up to choose something different.
The results of a study conducted with the use of Wim Hof method suggest that a person can learn to consciously control his immune responses. Wim Hof is a Dutch world record holder who is famous worldwide for his ability to resist cold. For this incredible invulnerability to cold, he was commonly nicknamed "the Iceman”.
Groundbreaking new results show targeted subtle energy patterns, sometimes referred to as bioenergetic patterns, have a significant positive impact on human cell growth and mitochondrial membrane potential.
Dr. Ellen Slawsby, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, recommends these mind-body techniques to help to override established pain signals and reduce the need for medication:
I posted this as a meme on Facebook from 
In my own case, in the past, for several years, I had debilitating lower lumbar disc inflammations that would put me in bed sometimes because I could not move without extreme pain in my back and down both legs. I suffered greatly because I kept judging how unfair it was, and why me, an active, professional musician who ate right, exercised, took good care of himself should be burdened with this disability. Sometimes I cried. Not so much because of the pain, but because of the circumstances of it--and the situation I was in because of it.
Anyone who has a serious disability, for example, Stephen Hawking, absolutely could not be in suffering and do the things he's done. Sure, he's probably in a lot of pain, but his vision, will, and determination to live his life cancels out what could be certainly the best of reasons to suffer.