Are Vitamins Food or Medicine?

Sometimes people believe that vitamins can make up for an unhealthy diet. Here is a short description of the current processes of creating vitamins to help you decide if vitamins can fulfill that role in your life.

There is an assumption that if a vitamin is labeled “natural”, that it is healthy for you. Actually a product only has to include 10% of natural plant-derived ingredients to be given this designation. The other 90% can be synthetic.  Manufacturers generally don’t like using concentrates or extracts derived from whole food sources because of low nutrient potency and limited shelf life. Nutrients are easily degraded by heat, pH changes, light, and oxygen. Here is some information about how vitamins are made and their effects.

From  http://healthwyze.org/ “The food-based vitamins that are currently available are actually worse than their synthetic counterparts.  Almost all of the food-based vitamins that we recently evaluated were fermented in yeasts and bacteria.  Usually these were genetically engineered yeasts and bacteria to make them toxic enough to accelerate their pathogenic life processes.  This manufacturing is a way to cheat using bacteria and yeasts to break the foods down instead of using chemicals.  In actuality, neither the process nor the end product is natural or food-like.  The biotechnology industry found a way to trick us all into making genetic engineering a part of our "natural" supplementation.  We wrote this report because we have had repeated calls from people who were having allergy problems or sicknesses that increased with increased multi-vitamin usage.  In every case, it was caused by one of the multi-vitamin products that was allegedly food-based, but which was not actually made from foods.  A diet of yeast will, in fact, attack the immune system to make both allergies and illnesses worse.  These so-called "multi-vitamins" are worse than no vitamins at all”.

Fortification of foods with vitamin B-3 has led to intakes much greater than what’s recommended, especially in children who eat processed fortified foods. Higher intake of vitamin B-3 can cause increased appetite and impaired glucose tolerance leading to obesity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17991653

The Food & Drug Administration has permitted ascorbic acid to be identified as Vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is made with corn syrup—not exactly a health food.  These are the steps to making this chemical:

Steps 1 thru 9: Corn starch is broken down into simple sugar (D-Glucose) by the action of heat and enzymes.

Step 10 (Hydrogenation): D-Glucose is converted into D-Sorbitol.

Step 11 (Fermentation): D-Sorbitol is converted into L-Sorbose.

Step 12 (Acetonation): Yes that's right, they use acetone! L-Sorbose is combined with an acid at low temperatures.

Step 13 (Oxidation): The product is then oxidized with a catalyst, acidified, washed and dried forming L-Gluconic Acid.

Step 14 (Hydrolysis): L-Gluconic Acid is treated with hydrochloric acid forming crude ascorbic acid.

Step 15 (Recrystallization): The crude ascorbic acid is filtered, purified and milled into a fine crystalline powder.


This finished product is not really “Vitamin C”, but legally can be called so. 

Conditional scurvy is reported to occur following excessive doses of ascorbic acid over a prolonged period of time. Ascorbic acid side effects more often include oxalate or urate kidney stones, and hyperoxaluria. Migraine headache has been reported with a daily dose of 6 grams. Gastrointestinal side effects have included nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, esophagitis, nausea, and diarrhea. Ascorbic acid, while proven to kill bacteria effectively, is not discriminatory in its anti-microbial abilities and will wipe out good bacteria in the gut. Esophagitis appears to be associated with prolonged or increased contact of ascorbic acid tablets. This information is from Ryan Andrews and Web MD.

The New York Times reported on a study conducted by Dr. Victor Herbert, professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. This study found that rather than reduce free radicals which lead to cell damage, synthetic C supplements actually promoted free radical generation. “Unlike the vitamin C naturally present in foods like fruits and peppers, ascorbic acid is not an antioxidant, it's a redox agent - an antioxidant in some circumstances and a pro-oxidant in others," said Dr. Herbert.

The manufacturing of vitamin D3 starts with 7-dehydrocholesterol (usually from wool oil), which turns into cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) when exposed to ultraviolet light. “Vitamin D is not really a vitamin,” write scientists for the New England Journal of Medicine. For something to be a vitamin, it should provide the body with an essential nutrient that it cannot make on its own, but requires for survival.

Vitamin D has “vitamin like” activity, which initially tricks the body into thinking the host of associated co-hormones is present. Before vitamin D was intensely promoted to the public, it was used to kill rodents. In their report, “The Endocrine System,” the University of Colorado, reminds us, "Ingestion of milligram quantities of vitamin D over periods of weeks or months can be severely toxic to humans and animals. In fact, baits laced with vitamin D are used very effectively as rat poison." This copycat hormone tends to induce calcification, which can lead to heart failure, kidney damage, and more. Evidence suggests that dietary vitamin D may be carried by lipoprotein particles into cells of the artery wall and atherosclerotic plaque, where it may be converted to active form by monocyte-macrophages. This may cause atherosclerotic calcification and cardiovascular risk. http://aspcapro.org/sites/pro/files/n-toxbrief_1201.pdf
This study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition describes the parameters of how toxicity occurs. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/2/582S.full 

 Capsules that enclose vitamin supplements can be derived from plant sources, like seaweeds, or animal sources like gelatin. Animal gelatin is from tallow, animal bone, marrow, or tissue scraps, and may include diseased tissues. The tablet coating methylene chloride is a carcinogen.

A more effective approach to good health might be to eat organic food, high in real “vitamins”; to eat foods right for your individual constitution; and to eat with a sense of gratitude for the work and sacrifice of people, plants and animals that bring the food to us. 


Natural Healing for Herpes Viruses 

The herb Prunella vulgaris has been well-researched in the past two decades, though the results of this research do not seem to be shared with the public. I want to share the results of some of these inquiries with you so that you may understand if this wonderful plant might help you in your lives.  I do sell it on my website, curanderahealing.com on the market page, in a kit and also as a bulk herb.

 The following article summarizes research into its traditional use for herpes viruses including AIDS, lymph problems and lymphoma, skin and wound healing and other research.


Herpes Viruses
            Presenting his findings at the 38th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy meeting in San Diego, California, Dr. Spencer Lee said, “We are certainly interested in the potential of Prunella vulgaris extract to help fight the herpes simplex virus because the substance is nontoxic.”

             From Planta Med. 2006, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Department of Biology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.  “Aqueous extracts from species of the Lamiaceae family were examined for their antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus.” Extracts from lemon balm, peppermint, prunella vulgaris, rosemary, sage and thyme were screened. The conclusion was that these extracts have anantiviral effect on Herpes simplex virus and can be used for topical therapeutic application against Herpes infections. 

            Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the First Medical University of PLA, Guangdong, China.  “An increasing portion of patients with HIV infection and/or AIDS cannot use currently FDA-approved anti-HIV drugs, including the reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors, due to the adverse effects and the emergence of drug resistance. Thus, it is essential to develop new anti-HIV agents with a target different from the HIV reverse transcriptase and protease… We found that the extracts of two herbs, Prunella vulgaris and Rhizoma cibotte, showed potent inhibitory activity.”

            At the Department of Biology and Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prunella vulgaris cream was assessed for its effect on Herpes Simplex Virus-1 skin lesion in guinea pigs and Herpes Simplex Virus -2 genital infection in mice. Guinea pigs that received the Prunella cream treatment showed a significant reduction in skin lesions. Mice that received the Prunella cream treatment showed a significant reduction in mortality. “In conclusion, the anti- Herpes Simplex Virus compound from Prunella vulgaris has potent activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2. Its mode of action appears to inhibit viral binding and penetration into host cells.” 

          Anti-HIV-1 activity of herbs. Biol Pharm Bull. 1998  The anti-HIV-1 activity of aromatic herbs in Labiatae was evaluated in vitro. Forty five extract from among 51 samples obtained from 46 herb species showed significant inhibitory effects against HIV-1 induced cytopathogenicity in MT-4 cells. In particular, the aqueous extracts of Melissa officinalis, a "grapefruit mint,"cinnamon, Perilla frutescens, Prunella vulgaris, and Satureja montana showed potent anti-HIV-1 activity. The active components in the extract samples were found to be water-soluble substances, not compounds such as essential oils.” This sounds to me like drinking the tea is the best way to get the herb into your body.

           Zhejiang University, Hangzhou China has been studying how the components of the herb are so effective. “It has a wide array of biological effects exhibiting numerous therapeutic potentials. Its anti-microbial effects including anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects are, presently, receiving increasing attention. While its anti-viral effects are attributed mainly to the inhibition of virus replication, the biological mechanisms of its anti-bacterial effects or actions remain unknown… In this study, we have shown that the polysaccharides isolated from P. vulgaris have marked immune stimulatory effects, which may bring about the anti-microbial effects of P. vulgaris.” 

            “Extract of Prunella vulgaris spikes inhibits HIV replication at reverse transcription in vitro and can be absorbed from intestine in vivo (in vivo means within a living cell).” Published in Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy in March of 2000. This indicates that the herpes virus destroying components of Prunella vulgaris will be absorbed and active after drinking the tea.

          A comparison of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 protease inhibition activities by the aqueous and methanol extracts of Chinese medicinal herbs was carried out recently by the Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

            The Department of Biochemistry in the same university as above has conducted experiments with the conclusion that “The results support the view that herbs represent a rich source of anti-HIV compounds.” Though this seems to be widely known among researchers one has to wonder why the information has not been disseminated to the millions of people suffering from Herpes Simplex, chickenpox and AIDS?

Aside: New Drug for Herpes?
            Walgreens online has this to say about the new Herpes drug, Truvada “WARNING: Severe and sometimes fatal lactic acidosis (a buildup of lactic acid in the blood) and liver problems have occurred with this type of medicine. Truvada is not designed to prevent or reduce specific symptoms.”  

Lymph Problems and Lymphoma
            The Department of Hematology at Tongji Medical College, in Wuhan, China came to the conclusion after experiments that “Prunella vulgaris  can suppress the proliferation of Raji cells (a cultured line of lymphoblastoid cells derived from a Burkitt lymphoma that possesses numerous receptors for certain components which are suitable for use in detection of immune complexes) and may be a new anti-lymphoma drug.”

      At Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, “Water extracts of Prunella vulgaris and P. laciniata have been investigated for their immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities…It was found that both extracts stimulated the proliferation of T-lymphocytes ...without any toxicity to cells.” 

            Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology. “This study indicates rosmarinic acid in prunella vulgaris is more effective than Cyclosporin in inhibiting lymphocyte cell-specific kinase… Cyclosporin employed as a control showed less than 30% inhibition at the same concentration.” (Cyclosporin is often used for psoriasis, severe atopic dermatitis, pyoderma gangrenosum, chronic autoimmune urticaria, and in rheumatoid arthritis. Short-term use of Cyclosporin can also cause elevation of the blood pressure, decrease in kidney function, as well as elevation of cholesterol and triglycerides).  


Objectives of Current Research on Prunella Vulgaris
           It would seem that the main focus of medical research into Prunella vulgaris is not how it can be used to heal more people, but analyzing the biochemical components that make it work. Presumably so that the most potent constituents of the herb can be synthesized, patented and sold for huge profits.

            The Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Anatomy, University of Hong Kong is very interested in breaking down how the herb works.  “Prunella vulgaris a popular herbal medicine, has long been associated with anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects. We hypothesized that the anti-microbial effects exhibited by the polysaccharides isolated from P. vulgaris encompass both anti-inflammatory and immune stimulatory effects. The results may help our understanding of the molecular mechanism of Prunella Vulgaris.”

            Isolation, purification, and partial characterization of prunellin, an anti-HIV component from aqueous extracts of Prunella vulgaris. Antiviral Res. 1989 Jun-Jul; Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis.  

          The Swiss and the French seem very interested in growing the herb and have cooperated in research to determine the best environment to grow it in. Evidence from a reciprocal transplant experiment.

            Some of the research in other countries involves a fascination with creating “Frankenstein” plants. At Tropical Medicine Institute in Guangzhou, China, scientists are working on the establishment of “stably expressed human RANTES gene (RANTES genes are expressed in more than 100 human diseases) in prunella vulgaris cell clone.” This is done in the hopes that the research “could pave the way to obtain transgenic Prunella vulgaris plants demonstrating specific pharmacological activities.” Of course the plants already have been demonstrated to have pharmacological activities, but in its natural state may be too inexpensive and easily accessible to the general public for the pharmaceutical company that funds the research.

Moving Through 2012
    
Earthquakes, a disruption of Earth’s rotation, being hit by an errant planet, and magnetic pole shift have all been forecast for December 21, 2012. These scenarios have been inspired by the ending of the Mayan calendar on that date, by indigenous predictions, religious fears and various scientific sources. 

            NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) says point blank “Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than four billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.” So why do people continue to imagine chaos in 2012?

            "The Mayans warned us!” Stephen Colbert, a talk show host, has claimed, regarding “2012” (the movie), “assuming they warned us that one day computer graphics would strip movies of any plot or characterization and turn them into mindless orgies of destruction porn." End of the world scenarios get people’s attention and so the entertainment business follows. The History Channel has demonstrated their understanding of this concept with at least five programs promoting 2012 as “the apocalypse”, including; Last Days on Earth, 2012; End of Days; Seven Signs of the Apocalypse and 2012 Apocalypse. However, there are other voices with less profit at stake predicting Earth changes at this time.

            Mayan priest Carlos Barrios says that anthropologists have relied on their own imagination to read Mayan inscriptions. He says the Mayan prediction is that the world will be transformed during the time leading up to 2012, which does not mean that it will end. Other respected Mayan elders explain that "apocalypse" is a Western concept. There seems to be a refrain among contemporary Maya that this period of time is a transition from one world age into another. Apocalyptic visions seem to be ingrained however, in western culture.

All Shook Up        

            “Are Earthquakes on the increase? No. Are they a warning of greater judgment to come? Yes, just as Amos and Isaiah warned the Northern and Southern Kingdoms respectively of a violent Earthquake to come, and their words were confirmed by that Earthquake a few years (25 years really) later…The 1994 Northridge Earthquake hit the pornography industry very hard.... He has given them a warning and longs for them to trust Him as their Savior...” So says the Bible Archaeology website. Many other Christian groups have proclaimed hurricanes, floods and tornados as God’s retribution for lifestyles these groups consider sinful.  The United States Geological Service explains the seeming increase of Earthquakes in the last decade as a growth in the number of seismograph stations that detect such activity. “According to long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 17 major Earthquakes (7.0 - 7.9 on the richter scale) and one great Earthquake (8.0 or above) in any given year.”  There seems to be a pattern of larger Earthquakes for about ten years at a time. The last 25 years has seen an increase in the knowledge of the lower intensity Earthquakes because of more seismograph stations and improved global communications.  The USGS database shows that there is a 7.192% chance of a major earthquake within 50 kilometers of Cotopaxi, Colorado within the next 50 years. The largest earthquake on record in that area was a 4.4 magnitude in 2007. The Big Shift?             A shift of the Earth on its axis has been entertained as a 2012 event. This is the hypothesis that the axis of rotation of our planet can change. One of the astronomical events that is cited as having the potential to pull the Earth off of its axis is the planetary alignment that some say will occur on December 21, 2012.

            Knowing that the moon’s pull causes tides, it seems logical to assume that all the planets of our system lining up might have a strong effect on the Earth also. While a strong enough gravitational field could pull a planet from its orbit, or a strong enough tidal force could rip it in half, the other planets in our system would have to be close enough to cause that effect. Gravity and tidal force can be calculated from the mass of an object and its distance from the Earth. The strength of the gravitational pull from a planet is determined by the square of the distance from the Earth. If the distance is doubled, for instance, the force of gravity drops by half. Tidal force also diminishes with distance but that is calculated by the cube of the distance from Earth. Since the nearest planet is much further from us than the moon we won’t experience much tidal force or gravitational pull from them. It is not so surprising then, that the most recent planetary alignments of May 5th, 2000 and October of 2008, seem to have had no effect on the Earth. Would a planetary alignment in 2012 be any different?

            It might be more accurate to use the term planetary configuration than “alignment” as each planetary orbit is tilted. Alignments do occur about every 200 years. That is, all of the planets are on the same side of the Sun and within the same 90° quadrant. Astronomers say that an exact alignment with the center of the galaxy will not happen on the December 2012 solstice.

There is also a galactic alignment referred to in 2012 doomsday predictions. The sun began to align with the Galactic equator in 1998. Our solar system will take about 36 years to move through the Galactic equator. So this galactic alignment is more of an “era” than a pin-point date. The galactic alignment occurs every 26,000 years, and seems to be what the ancient Maya were pointing to with the 2012 end-date of their Long Count calendar. The Mayan oral tradition speaks of recognizing the truth from the false at this time, as do the “Laika” or sages of the similar pre-Inca culture.

Falling From the Sky

            Another theory is that the Earth will be hit by Planet X, sometimes called Niburu, which will cause the poles to shift. Niburu was named by the Sumarians and estimated to intersect with our orbit about every 3,600 years. Some people feel this theory fits in neatly with the biblical prophecy of the planetary body Revelations calls Wormwood… “A great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of the waters. The name of the star is called Wormwood. One third of the waters became wormwood. Many people died from the waters, because they were made bitter”. Some people believe Nibiru is hidden behind the Sun, but of course anything that’s “behind” the Sun would be visible within a month as the Earth continues in its orbit around that star. Any heavenly body at least the size of Jupiter, in order to reach Earth in the next few years, would have to be closer than the orbit of Saturn—making it easily visible to not only large observatories, but also amateurs with telescopes. The Naval Observatory astronomer, Thomas Van Flandern, and others, suggested in 1981 that there may be a planet three times larger than Earth in an eccentric orbit beyond Pluto that would explain the unexpected orbit of other planets. In the early 1990s, however, data from the Voyager 2 spacecraft showed that the previously inexplicable orbit of Uranus was due to an overestimation of Neptune's mass, not to a rogue planet. Though most of the astronomical community has abandoned the idea of Planet X, some do continue to search for evidence of this planet-comet-or brown dwarf.

            NASA believes that the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012 began with Nibiru. “This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.” Whether or not this heavenly body exists, it seems that it would be detected some time before making an appearance.

            The Hopi predictions are similar to the Maya in proclaiming this a time of purifying ourselves of negativity in preparation for a new era of community. Eight signs are said to be fulfilled, the ninth is that a “blue star” will fall out of the heavens with a great crash. There are varying opinions about what this blue star could be and whether it has already “crashed” or not. Those include the comet Holmes (exploding in 2007) and the crash of space station Mir.

 About Face

            Geomagnetic reversal is the periodic turnaround of the Earth's magnetic field. The scientific community gives more credence to the possibility of a geomagnetic reversal than to the pole shift hypotheses. NASA’s website, http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/29dec_magneticfield.htm, explains some of the current knowledge on geomagnetic reversal.

Through analysis of palaeomagnetic data, we now know that the field has reversed its orientation tens of thousands of times since its formation very early on in Earth history. With the increasingly accurate Global Polarity Timescale (GPTS) it has become apparent that the rate at which reversals occur has varied considerably throughout the past. … all reversals on Earth seem to occur during periods of low field strength. Scientists have long known that the magnetic pole moves. . . Are we overdue for another? No one knows.

            John Roach for National Geographic News in September of 2004 says that the Earth's magnetic field is fading. It is about 10 percent weaker than it was when German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss started keeping track of it in 1845. It is possible that with further weakening the field will collapse and then reverse. Physicists are still unsure if the current loss of field intensity indicates a total loss and then reversal of the global field, or just a temporary break from what we consider normal. The interval between reversals of the magnetic field seem to be random, as far as science today can determine. There is geologic evidence that even in the middle of  past magnetic pole shifts the Earth’s field strength has not gone down to zero. Significant effects may still be noticed.

Without our planet's magnetic field, Earth would be subjected to more cosmic radiation. The increase could knock out power grids, scramble the communications systems on spacecraft, temporarily widen atmospheric ozone holes, and generate more aurora activity. A number of Earth's creatures, including some birds, turtles, and bees, rely on Earth's magnetic field to navigate.

            The World Health Organization states that it does not believe that people can perceive or react to the low-level electromagnetic field of the Earth. Although, apparently, cattle and deer do. German and Czech researchers found these animals tend to align themselves with magnetic north when at pasture. Mammals and birds carry biogenic magnetite in their brains that helps them relate to directions and navigate. Researchers at CALTECH discovered, years ago, that humans as well, have a small crystal of magnetite between our eyes and behind the nose; larger in most men than most women. Dr Elizabeth Rauscher, an astrophysicist and nuclear scientist, has produced recent research indicating that humans may need the magnetic field of the Earth to maintain emotional balance, memory and heart rhythms as well as a sense of direction.

During the past century the geomagnetic pole has moved north at an average speed of 10 km per year. That speed has recently accelerated to 40 km per year. At this rate, in 30 years the geomagnetic pole will be in Siberia. This movement may be another indication of an upcoming pole shift.

            In South Africa, Dr. Pieter Kotze, the head of the geomagnetism group at the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory in the southern Cape, says that signs a magnetic reversal is about to happen are becoming obvious in Southern Africa. The African continent seems to be coming apart at the East African Rift, from the Red Sea in the south for 4,000 miles through Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. The Earth's tectonic forces in this area are creating new plates by splitting apart old ones. The Rift Zone encompasses a dozen or so volcanoes. Geomagnetic storms in this region might have caused the crash of Air France 447 and a Yemeni Airways flight to Comoros, although flights continue over this region.

            Another indication of an impending pole shift is the South Atlantic Anomaly. This is a region where the Earth's inner radiation belt comes closest to the surface. Related to the tilt and magnetic axis of Earth, the inner Van Allen belt is at its nearest over the south Atlantic ocean and farthest over the north Pacific ocean. The Van Allen radiation belt seems to be expanding as the geomagnetic field continues to weaken. At its lowest point off the coast of Brazil it is about 120 miles from the surface. This is a distance that can affect commercial air travel and definitely impact satellites. No announcement has been made that would confirm that the anomaly’s strong radiation has caused recent plane crashes. Perhaps it is difficult to determine if electrical charges in storm clouds, or the anomaly, have been responsible for those failures of flight computers, wing spoilers and other crucial systems.

            Satellites affected because their orbits periodically expose them to the trapped protons of the anomaly include the Hubble Space telescope, the international Space Station and Globalstar’s satellites. Gabriel Spera, writing for the Aerospace Corporation magazine, adds the following satellites; NASA’s Terra Earth Observing System spacecraft in 1999; ROSAT, the Roentgen Satellite, an X-ray observatory; The Topex satellite; and the “Modis satellite, which was rendered inoperative in 2001 as it passed through the South Atlantic Anomaly… Examination of nearly 1300 single-event upsets from one computer on the TAOS mission shows that nearly 50 percent occurred in the South Atlantic Anomaly, whereas only 5 percent of orbital time was spent there.”

            Scientists from Johns Hopkins University, Universit´a di Perugia in Perugia, Italy, the Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering of Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, Scobeltsin Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University, Russia among many others are studying this phenomenon. "The field has reversed many times in the past, and life didn't stop,” says one American scientist who does not believe the shift will happen in our lifetimes.

Indigenous Views

The survivalist mentality of storing food, supplies and guns to keep others or the government away does not seem likely to succeed. Historically and psychologically humans have only survived in community. Survivalism is not the philosophy of Native Americans, Mayans, medicine women or shamans have regarding Earth changes. The Laika, or shamans of the Andes, say that at this time a new kind of human will evolve on the planet. These people will have the wisdom and power to live free of fear and to reside in their Eternal nature. It will be a time when there is balance between the energies of male and female.

The views of indigenous people vary slightly on this issue, but a summary might be that the only real preparation in times of transition is improving our character, opening our hearts, and manifesting our love and connection to Nature and the Universe in a way that benefits all our relations.

Athena Wolf

www.curanderahealing.com