Bear Walker
Meet Bear Walker
Bear Walker, Holistic Practitioner, has specialized in the Bio-Tracker computer system for over 25 years. The science behind the Bio-Tracker is called Electrodermal. Electrodermal utilizes the body's Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) markers to evaluate the thirty (30) systems of the body. This scientific, diagnostic system also has capability to test 35,000 more bits of information. Such cutting-edge technology enables Bear to accurately identify, measure, document imbalances of the body and track overall progress. Coupled with his vast knowledge of the workings of the body and ability to draw on his ancient, native wisdom of treating the body as a whole (body, mind and spirit), Bear is in a category all his own.
In 1996, Bear founded an Earth Medicine Institute, teaching doctors and lay people in the United States; London, England; Vienna, Italy; Munich, Germany and several other locations around the world. He's established teachings ranging from Cellular Biology, the eight systems of the body to Medical Anthropology.
In addition to Bear’s wealth of knowledge in Alternative Medicine, he offers a heartfelt concern for his patients’ whole being, assisting in their growth, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
The question I get most often from my patients, students or friends (young and old) is, "Can you tell me a story?" Tell me what it was like to grow up in the native ways. This is exactly what I used to ask my own grandfather. So all the stories that I've shared with my own children or any one else are the stories my kind, sweet and simple grandfather shared with me.
More About Bear Walker
Growing Up
When I was just a wee pal holding my grandfather's hand and walking through the woods, or sitting with him in his work shed polishing rocks, or falling asleep around the campfire under the stars, my grandpa would share – and those stories were treasures to me. Even if I had heard it many times before, my heart would actually feel warmer, as he slowly and perfectly told the story – watching his face, and seeing his eyes dancing and smiling as his hands moved to emphasize the plot. It was more wonderful than any TV show there ever was. The stories were medicine, he told me, and it sure felt that way to me.
Getting a Wild Child to Listen. I was a wild child, capable of causing teachers nightmares and mental stress. School seemed like captivity to me. I could cause more chaos and confusion than any other five boys combined.
However, grandfather had a way with me. He saw the “fire in me,” as he would say, and his idea was to give it to the wind. He had a simple solution to handle me. “Bear,” he would say, “go way up that hill and get me five rocks.” When I had returned he would send me up another hill and into the forest to get five more rocks – then in the other direction to get him something else very important. After hours of running I would sit on a big rock – tired out and ready to listen. He would start talking and I would listen for hours calmly and intently.
Today, I probably would be classified as ADD or ADHD. Grandfather, with his very brief formal education, didn’t prescribe meds. He did suggest I should run to school every morning. Each of the treasures and the animals that I would see on the walk would help me that day.
Stories Showed Us the Way. As I grew up, still always asking grandfather to tell me a story, I began to see common elements. The four directions -- east, south, west, and north -- had so many more meanings than geographic markers. They were the teachings from the medicine wheel – about time of day and year. They represented certain ways of power, and were integral parts of our ceremonies and our stories. No matter where we went, the four directions always kept us on track, like our elders, showing us the way.
To this day, I never get lost in the forest(the city however, is another thing). A story about the east is very different than a story about the west. Everything in our native way starts in the east and ends in the west. The east represents daybreak, springtime, fresh starts and new beginnings. The south is about mother’s love, nurturing and care, daytime and sunshine. The west represents sundown, fall time, completions and harvests. The north is the night, spirit time, dreamtime, death and passing. So, you see, the four directions are very important to every story.
“I Am on Fire”. The four elements were also very important to our teachings and stories from the medicine wheel. I remember the cross grandfather showed me. He would touch his forehead and say, “fire”; touch his lower belly and say, “earth”; touch is left shoulder and say, “water”; and touch his right shoulder and say, “air.” Then, bringing his hands together over his heart, he said strongly and slowly, “I am!” This, from my earliest recall, was such a sacred time. Grandfather stood so proud as he showed me the ancient Midwinwin symbol of power and unity. He would then explain, “You know you are made of these four elements. You are literally on fire.” I studied later in cellular biology and found how right he was. Even though he had never heard of mitochondria, he knew we were on fire. Take your temperature; it is 98.6 degrees.
And, we are actually made of the earth. All 72 minerals, vitamins, and trace minerals inside usare the same as held in the earth: calcium, magnesium, etc. They are in our bones, muscles, brain and so on.
Water, powerful healing force that makes up approximately 70 percent of the earth’s surface, is flowing through us. About 70 percent of our body is made of water, which cleanses and cares for us perfectly.
Air or wind, as we call it, is our gift from spirit. Pneumo is a word that means both spirit and air. Just like a baby breathes his or her first breath, it’s a gift -- a gift that we, in the native way, are so thankful for. “Migwitch,” our word for thankful, is in every breath we take. We are the wind that carries our bodies and spirit.
This elemental cross and the four directions are profoundly important and sacred to us; and we must hold them in reverence.
A Sacred Ceremony. At age 13, my grandfather and I performed a sacred ceremony. After a vision quest, dreaming of my elders and spirit helper animals, he told me it was time for my medicine pouch, or “Mashkimodence.” And so in March on the new moon, we traveled east into the forest and the ceremony began. I sat on a rock on the south side of the fire as grandfather raised over his head a leather pouch filled with my many blessed animal totems and sang the song of the four directions. I began to shake, and became more aware than ever before. Grandfather carefully put the pouch in the fire; and I felt the fire from inside out. Then he buried the pouch in the earth, and I felt the comfort and protection of the Mother. He plunged my pouch into the cold water, and I felt cleansed as if I was washed completely. Then he held my pouch into the wind, and I felt myself breathe deeper than ever. My spirit soared in the wind with a passing owl, one of my animal totems. After hours I returned to my body and sat there with him into the sunrise. To this day, I carry that pouch in honor of grandfather’s ceremony.
A Story of a Mended Heart
I have always loved stories, especially true ones. A man from a Jewish tribe once told me a story about a very rich man who suffered from a broken heart. The broken hearted man searched for a cure, and asked if the ‘tzaddik’ could help repair his heart. In this Jewish tribe’s culture, a "tzaddik" is an old man with amazing powers. The broken hearted man was told the tzaddik might be able to help him, but he must first find the tzaddik.
After following some very difficult directions, the broken-hearted man came to the poor part of town, to the door of a tailor. He thought he had made a mistake. He retraced the directions and ended up in the same place. He looked into the window and saw an amazing light around this man and knew he was special. Then he thought, “I have no reason to go into a tailor shop.” So the broken hearted man decided to rip his own pants, as an excuse to visit the tailor.
After entering the shop, the tailor looked at him and said, “This is a perfect time to mend those pants. Take them off and give them to me.” The tailor, with needle in hand, focus, and attention, slowly began to repair the pants. As the needle moved through the pants, the broken hearted man felt it in his heart. With each stitch, his tears flowed with forgiveness. As forgiveness overwhelmed him, his heart was repaired.
The Gift of Story. I love the story of the broken-hearted man and, it was after my grandfather passed in 1984, that I heard it. Still, it always makes me think of sitting in grandfather’s work shed – potbelly stove burning and the little red hot logs. When people would come over just to watch my grandfather use his foot-pedal grinder to polish stones, I could see in their faces their lives being polished. There is tremendous power in a story, and they are fun as well.
Sharing Stories
Stories can take us to another place. When I watch the movie "The Never Ending Story" with my son Dakota, it’s as if we are part of another world.
The tale is about a quiet dreamy boy named Bastian, age 10, who loves to read and is confronted by bullies on his way to school. He flees into a used book store where a strange leather-bound volume attracts him. The owner warns him away from it, explaining that it is dangerous: once entering its world, the reader cannot escape. Bastian borrows the now irresistible book and hides in the school attic. Bastian anxiously reads the book that tells the story of the magic kingdom of Fantasia that is doomed to destruction, unless the boy Atreyu can save it. But Atreyu needs the help of an Earthling boy to avoid "The Nothing" from destroying his world. Bastian begins to understand that he is a part of the story and that the survival of the world is up to him. The story ends as Bastian becomes the hero with many more adventures and wishes coming his way.
Stories bring families close together, and can be shared many times over. When I share stories with my loved ones -- whether they are about my dear sweet grandfather, my younger days, books, or TV -- it is exactly what my grandfather did with me. Now, my son Dakota can share the same experience I shared with my grandfather through the gift of story.
Becoming the Powerful Being You Were Meant to Be
by Bear Walker
I was blessed to grow up with the master of ancient wisdom, my grandfather, an Anishanabe Elder. His simple wisdom and insight were a huge part of my early training and he never tired of my constant questions.
I learned of the sacred teachings of the Medwiwins in the Anishanabe tribe. The closest name or word for Medwiwins in today’s language would be Shaman. So my beloved grandfather taught me the ancient ways of the medicine wheel, which are the basis of all teachings.
The medicine wheel was a gift from Great Spirit to our tribe. From the earliest time we used the wheel to mark time and honor the four directions and the four elements: fire, earth, water and wind/air. From these ways we find our balance.
In the golden moment. In addition to English, my grandfather had difficulty understanding time. He never wore a watch, and was never on time. He couldn’t get the concept of time for money, ten dollars for an hour’s work. But, “in the moment” was a sacred concept.
It had to do with being inside of the center of time. It had to do with slowing the speed of time down, and going into the gap. We also honored what he called a “golden moment.” We would often meet at sunrise sitting in the silence waiting for the first spark of light, and I still remember the magic feeling of the golden moment. We would sit there on the rock overlooking the water. As the sun slowly but magnificently rose, we were in the center of the golden moment. We could feel the vibration, see the color, smell the crisp power, hear the complete silence and taste the sweetness of the golden dew.
No matter where I have traveled since – and I have traveled all over this amazing earth – the beauty of the concept of the golden moment has always been a part of everything I do.
Deepak Chopra uses the term, “the gap.” This is also an ancient teaching of the Vedic masters. It’s in the gap, at the center of the wheel, that we connect with unlimited potentiality. So many of you have had that experience. For me, it was the golden moment I described earlier. It can happen gardening, during yoga, or even driving. You might say something like, Where did the time go? or Wow, how did I get here? You went out of your fourth-dimension body into fifth-dimension potentiality. It is amazing!
Getting there. First, let’s be clear on what I mean by fourth dimension bodies. We all know what the three dimensions are, right? Height, width, and depth.- you know, “3D people.” . The fourth dimension is the experience of time or maybe better said, the illusion of time. But then again, maybe all four dimensions are illusions!
After my first 18 years of being with my grandfather, and his simple but profound ancient teachings, I started training with some of the most advanced teachers in the world, specializing in cellular biology and quantum physics.
My studying took me from northern Michigan to Toronto, then Pittsburgh, ending up at NASA working with computers that interface with our bodies, reading the electrical impulses that our bodies put off (galvanic skin resistance) and transferring these impulses to binary codes that computers can understand.
From the quantum perspective. Bodies are made of cells. Cells break down to energy, waves and particles. In simple terms: everything is made of atoms; atoms are made of energy; energy comes from consciousness.
All energy starts in the center. Whether we speak about zero-point gravity, quantum atomic potential, or being in the moment, the power is in the center of the wheel and you can get to the center by slowing everything down. You move from a fourth dimensional experience to a fifth dimensional transformation by slowing it down.
Connecting with the fifth dimension. Over my many years of practice I have seen people helped by various incredible remedies, herbal medicine, proper nutrition, special diet, and so on. I am now, and will continue to be, an advocate for all of these. However, I firmly believe that the future of medicine will be in the aiding of all people to connect to the fifth dimension. By doing so, we will activate and accelerate our DNA to take us where we were created to go. I like to use the analogy that are lives are like a Lamborgini that we are currently driving around in first gear while applying the brake. As we begin to learn how to transcend into the fifth dimension, it’s like taking that Lamborghini into fifth gear with the pedal to the metal!
We are magnificent powerful beings! Let us awaken to the power we were meant to have. It has been said many times that we are in the age of information. Let’s take that work apart, “in form,” or “holding form” is four dimensional. We now are moving into the age of inspiration or, “in spirit,” the fifth dimension. What an amazing time this will be! Let all of us use our power from our centers to move into these sacred times!
A special thanks to Makenzie Walker, my daughter, age 12 at the time, for her excellent typing skills!
Helicobacter pylori
An Ever Increasing Problem
Looking to the Past for a Solution for the Future
Peak Performance Research and Development Institute
***This report cannot be used without written authorization from the author
History of Mastic
There has been a remedy that has been used for many centuries and for which modern science has provided solid evidence of safety and efficacy is mastic. Mastic is the gum resin of the mastic tree. The mastic tree is an evergreen tree that grows primarily of Chios, aGreekIslandin theAegean Sea. It has been noted that the mastic tree is one of the most deeply rooted trees on Earth. The mastic derived from the mastic sap is highly ironically and phonically charged.
Mastic has a rich history from ancient times, to medieval times, to the time ofColumbus, to modern day. There has always been a mystique around mastic. It was considered to encompass the mysteries of the Holy Grail to the medical community.Columbusbelieved it to be so powerful that many of his time thought it could cure the plague. Egyptians use mastic over the ages for gastrointestinal ulcers, diarrhea, and a wide variety of medical problems. On the lighter end, it was used during theOttoman Empire, sultans’ harems for fresh breath and white teeth.
Modern day medicine seemed to scoff at such ideas of natural medicines. What modern medicine misses is the point that all medicines today are attempting to mimic the natural healing properties of plant medicines. The problem they run into is the tremendous listing of side effects from the processed medicines of the current time. Plant medicines have been studied and found to have been scientifically proven as powerful remedies while encompassing little or no side effects. The myth of modern medicine is that the medicine cures the disease when the fact is that the medicine allows your body to more readily heal itself. The same applies to natural medicines. They are not the cure-all, however, they have been shown to be more naturally integrated into the system, lowering any side effects and allowing for a more efficient and effective recovery.
Traditional applications of mastic have been shown to be safe and effective in many different ways. Its antibacterial nature shows great promise in helping the body with many gastrointestinal tract problems. Also, its ability to scavenge and convert ammonia to urea has helped individuals remove the acid levels and relieve discomfort. Through the conversion to urea, individuals are able to jettison the ammonia effectively through their body systems. This has been a great boon for suffers of Helicobacter pylori. (The typical anti-ulcer treatment of today’s mainstream medicine is a triple therapy regimen including two antibiotics combines with an acid secretion inhibitor or designed to protect the gastric mucossa from chemical attack.) In recent years, laboratory experiments and clinical trials have shown conclusively that mastic kills H. pylori, 2, 4, 5 as well as many other harmful bacterial and fungus. Mastic, therefore, may be effective in helping combat stomach maladies such as gastritis and peptic ulcers. 3
Scope of Infection
Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common chronic bacterial infections in humans and affects most populations throughout the world. Over 75% of cases of gastric ulcers and over 95% of duodenal ulcers are infected with H. pylori. It is also blamed for other gastrointestinal problems such as dyspepsia and heartburn. A number of investigators have shown that H. pylori-infected individuals with duodenal ulcer and H. pylori-positive healthy volunteers have higher basal serum gastrin levels compared with uninfected controls, indicating increased potential for hydrochloric acid production. Although it is a major pathogenic factor in gastroduodenal disease, including chronic type B gastritis, duodenal ulcers, and gastric adenocarcinoma, H. pylori has shown increasing resistance to standard treatment with antibiotics. The World Health Organization confirms that H. pylori is a major cause of stomach cancer.
Infection Steadily Increasing Infections caused by Helicobacter pylori are common bacterial infections seen in humans, worldwide. This infection is usually acquired in childhood and may persist for the whole life of the patient. The prevalence of the disease is 30–40% in the developed countries and 80–90% in the underdeveloped countries. Although H. pylori infection is this common, the exact mode of transmission has not yet been fully understood. Oral–oral, fecal–oral and gastrointestinal–oral routes are the possible modes of transmission. The typical course of the disease begins with chronic superficial gastritis, eventually progressing to atrophic gastritis, which starts a cascade that results in the development of gastric carcinoma. However, about 80% of the infected humans are asymptomatic.
Nowadays, it is not only accepted as an agent responsible for gastritis but also a microorganism responsible for systemic infections. The Human stomach was considered to be the only reservoir of H. pylori until bacteria were discovered in human dental plaque, in oral lesions, in saliva, and in tonsil and adenoid tissue. It is suggested that H. pylori enters the nasopharyngeal cavity by gastro esophageal reflux and colonize in the dental plaques, adenoid tissues and tonsils. From these localizations, the bacteria ascend to the middle ear and to the paranasal sinuses directly or by the reflux again and may trigger some diseases, including otitis, sinusitis, phyrangitis, laryngitis and glossitis. Although the H. pylori infection has been intensively studied in, especially, gastrointestinal disorders and most chronic diseases and tumors, the role of H. pylori in pathogenesis of upper respiratory system diseases has not been explored in depth. 4
What Is Gram-Negative Bacteria?
Gram-negative bacteria’s structure has some unique characteristics of its outer membrane. Its outer leaflet of the membrane is made up of a complex lipopolysaccharide whose lipid portion acts as an endotoxin. If endotoxin enters the circulatory system, it causes a toxic reaction, with the sufferer developing a high temperature, high respiration rate, and low blood pressure. This may lead to endotoxic shock, which may be fatal. This outer membrane protects the bacteria from several antibiotics, dyes, and detergents that would normally damage the inner membrane or cell wall (peptidoglycan). The outer membrane provides these bacteria with resistance to lysozyme and penicillin. However, alternative medicinal treatments such as lysozyme with EDTA and the antibiotic ampicillin have been developed to combat the protective outer membrane of some pathogenic Gram-negative organisms. Helicobacter bacteria is gram-negative bacteria which is medically relevant to primarily gastrointestinal problems namely peptic ulcers.
Gram-Negative Bacteria Root Cause Gram-negative bacteria are at the root of about 30% of the hospital-acquired infections in the U.S. Although they don't account for the majority of these types of infections, they have "features that are of particular concern," including highly efficient ways of gearing up for drug resistance and a host of resistance mechanisms, according to Anton Peleg, MD, and David Hooper, MD, both of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. 5
Health authorities do not have good figures on how many infections and deaths in the United States are caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimates that roughly 1.7 million hospital-associated infections, from all types of bacteria combined, cause or contribute to 99,000 deaths each year. But in Europe, where hospital surveys have been conducted, Gram-negative infections are estimated to account for two-thirds of the 25,000 deaths each year caused by some of the most troublesome hospital-acquired infections, according to a report released in September 2010 by health authorities there.
Perfect Storm for Disease Increase with No Current Solution Those elements, combined with the absence of new drug development, have created a "perfect storm" around the Gram-negative pathogens. This was said in a review article in the May 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The costs of gram negative bacteria project to be astronomical in mortality and healthcare costs. Many of the newer protocols are being reported that the organisms are resistant to all available antibiotics. Patients who contract healthcare-associated pneumonia, namely pneumonia from healthcare facilities, have a greater risk of death as opposed to community acquired pneumonia due to the lack of sufficient and effective protocol.
Many hospitals have become a breeding ground for several drug-resistant Gram-negative germs. According to researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, more than 20 percent of the Klebsiella infections in Brooklyn hospitals are now resistant to virtually all modern antibiotics. Those super germs are now spreading worldwide.
―For Gram-negatives we need any drugs, said Dr. Brad Spellberg, an infectious-disease specialist atHarbor-U.C.L.A. Medical Center in Torrance,Calif., and the author of ―Rising Plague, a book about drug-resistant pathogens. He states this because there is no current protocol to solve this situation.
Doctors treating resistant strains of Gram-negative bacteria are often forced to rely on two similar antibiotics developed in the 1940s — colistin and polymyxin B. These drugs were largely abandoned decades ago because they can cause kidney and nerve damage, but because they have not been used much, bacteria have not had much chance to evolve resistance to them yet.
Drug-resistant Gram-negative germs for the most part threaten only hospitalized patients whose immune systems are weak. The germs can survive for a long time on surfaces in the hospital and enter the body through wounds, catheters and ventilators. 6 What is most worrisome about the Gram-negatives is not their frequency but their drug resistance.
What Is H. pylori?
Helicobacter pylori is now well known as a Gram-negative bacteria that plays a role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcers, gastritis, primary B cell gastric lymphoma and adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Eradication is difficult and generally requires a triple drug regime to achieve. This is related to a number of side effects and there is the concern of the development of bacterial resistance. More than 50% of the world’s population harbor H. pylori in their gastrointestinal tract. Infection is more prevalent in developing countries. H. pylori’s helix share is thought to have evolved to penetrate the mucoid lining of the stomach. H. pylori is a fragile bacteria that has found an ideal home in the protective mucous layer of the stomach. These bacteria have long threads protruding from them that attach to the underlying stomach cells. The mucous layer that protects the stomach cells from acid also protects H. pylori. These bacteria do not actually invade the stomach cells as certain other bacteria can. The infection, however, is very real and it does cause the body to react. Infection-fighting white blood cells move into the area, and the body even develops H. pylori antibodies in the blood. 7
What are the symptoms of H. pylori?
Oral and gastrointestinal symptoms:
- Malabsorption of proteins
- Metallic taste in mouth
- Metallic taste worsens 2-3 hours after eating and happens in the middle of the night
- Sharp, persistent stomach pain, chronic hoarseness, chronic laryngitis, middle-ear effusion
- Complaints such as chronic cough, sore throat or hoarseness
- H. pylori is seen in patients with chronic sinusitis
- Have a gastro esophageal-related underlying cause
- Low sugar (Hypoglycemia)
- Increases toxic ammonia (Urease Enzyme) in the body
- Allergies to shell and cod fish
Scanning electron mirograph of H. pylori
How Does One Get H. pylori? Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the frequently encountered micro-organisms in the aero digestive tract. Although infections caused by H. pylori are this common, the exact mode of transmission has not been fully understood yet. Oral–oral, fecal–oral and gastrointestinal–oral routes are the possible modes of transmission. H. pylori infection probably occurs when an individual swallows the bacteria in food, fluid, or perhaps from contaminated utensils. The infection is likely one of the most common worldwide. The rate of infection increases with age, so it occurs more often in older people. It also occurs frequently in young people in the developing countries of the world, since the infection tends to be more 8 common where sanitation is poor or living quarters are cramped. In many cases it does not produce symptoms. In other words, the infection can occur without the person knowing it. The infection remains localized to the gastric area, and probably persists unless specific treatment is given.
Helicobacter pylori Tests
Four tests are used to detect H. pylori:
- Blood antibody test. A blood test checks to see whether your body has made antibodies to H. pylori bacteria. If you have antibodies to H. pylori in your blood, it means you either are currently infected or have been infected in the past.
- Urea breath test. A urea breath test checks to see if you have H. pylori bacteria in your stomach. This test can show if you have an H. pylori infection. It can also be used to see if treatment has worked to get rid of H. pylori. The breath test is not always available.
- Stool antigen test. A stool antigen test checks to see if substances that trigger the immune system to fight an H. pylori infection (H. pyloriantigens) are present in your feces (stool). Stool antigen testing may be done to help support a diagnosis of H. pylori infection or to determine whether treatment for an H. pylori infection has been successful.
- Stomach biopsy. A small sample (biopsy) is taken from the lining of your stomach and small intestine during an endoscopy. Several different tests may be done on the biopsy sample. For more information, see the medical test Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
A Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) test is done to:
- Determine whether an infection with H. pylori bacteria may be causing an ulcer or irritation of the stomach lining (gastritis).
- Determine whether treatment for an H. pylori infection has been successful.
Mastic Offers a Solution from the Past
Mastic gum has been shown in a more recent study to inhibit the growth of H. pylori as well as act as an antibiotic against the bacterium. Mastic gum appears to be able to be absorbed through the Gram-negative bacteria’s protective protein cover, thus destroying the bacteria with its natural antibacterial properties. Mastic gum has been tested against ulcer formation and healing in various models. One study involved experimentally-induced gastric and duodenal ulcers in rats. At a dose of 500 mg/kg, it reduced gastric secretions, protected cells, and demonstrated a significant reduction in the intensity of gastric mucosal damage, 9 confirming a low toxicity potential. In another study, human patients with endoscopy- proven duodenal ulcers were given either one gram of mastic or placebo daily for two weeks. Eighty percent of the patients taking mastic gum reported improvements in their symptoms of stomach pain and seventy percent had healing changes in the gastric mucosa as observed by endoscope. Mastic gum has been shown to work against many strains of H. pylori. Researchers at the University of Nottingham used mastic gum in clinical trials on patients with peptic ulcers. Mastic relieved the pain and seemed to clear the stomach and duodenal ulceration within 2 weeks. They later confirmed that mastic gum kills Helicobacter pylori, at concentrations as low as 0.06 mg/ml. [Results published in the NEJM.] Researchers at Aristotle University in Greecefound that topical mastic gum reduced bacterial plaque by 41.5%. Mastic gum drew leukocytes into the liquid found in the gingival, which also reduced the toxins in the bacterial plaque. Other European researchers confirm that mastic can help preserve and strengthen gums and teeth. Recent research at the University of Athens Department of Pharmacy has shown that mastic and mastic oil have significant antibacterial and fungicidal properties.
Mastic gum is well tolerated and has no serious side effects when consumed at the recommended dietary supplement dose of 1-2 grams per day. As with any dietary supplement, please see your physician before use.
Traditionally, mastic has been used as a food preservative, for dyspepsia and other disorders of the digestive tract, to prevent dental cavities and other gum and mouth problems, and to help control diabetes. In Europe mastic gum has been used to help normalize cholesterol, triglyceride and blood pressure levels, as well as in the preparation of ointments for skin problems, including burns, eczema and frostbite. Because mastic gum is valuable for oral hygiene, it is used in toothpaste, mouthwash, and as a component in dental fillings.
Pharmaceutical companies use it in the production of pills and capsules, in self-absorbing surgical threads, and doctors use it for sticking a septic bandage on a surgical wound. The Kurds add mastic to their drink arac, similar to the Greeks’ ouzo, to prevent damage to the stomach. This wide range of applications points to mastic gum’s toxicological safety.
Many modern researchers have confirmed some of the traditional uses of mastic gum, including its roles in oral health and healthy digestive functioning. 10
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Living Past 120 Years
by Bear Walker
Age is but a number when you learn the secrets to intercellular health and grasp the full potential of the human body.
It's your birthday......You knew this day was coming. All of your friends have joked with you about getting old, your family keeps reminding you how many years have passed since you were a teenager, and your co-workers expended a good deal of energy throwing you an "Over the Hill" surprise party. But you don't feel old...do you? Looking in the mirror, you start to scrutinize. Wrinkles, dark circles, gray hairs. Your eyes narrow as you stare at your own face, as if you're seeing it for the first time, and take another gulp of coffee, hopeful that it will give you enough energy to make it until lunch. And you wonder: Maybe you are getting old. Well, it should come as no surprise, you scold yourself. This is just what happens. People get older, things slow down, and you’re supposed to resign yourself to the fact that things are just destined to get harder. Right?
If you keep telling yourself that you’re old, your body will begin to respond. People create stories for themselves based on what they see in the mirror, not the most reliable of indicators. In order to understand the aging process, we have to go deeper than that.
Aging begins at the cellular level, along with the problems that can come with it. No matter how complex a disease is or how many symptoms a person can count, it can all be traced to how well the body’s cells are functioning. If your cells are healthy, so are you. If your cells are suffering, you will soon be, too. It’s not as if, contrary to popular belief, we hit a certain number and suddenly start to crumble.
People are genetically designed to live 120 years, if not more, a truth that we don’t realize because our bodies are seldom functioning at their peak level. Poor diet, toxins, abundant stress, and general excess that have been building up over time eventually reach their breaking point. But instead of acknowledging the underlying causes, we tend to mistakenly dismiss symptoms later in life as mere byproducts of old age, an assumption that can only lead to inertia in regards to finding a remedy. An important part of our approach to aging has to do with our mindset, what we choose to believe, and what we do to change. The other part? What we know about what’s really going on inside.
Cellular breakdown that contributes to aging can be divided into seven categories:
1. lack of cells because they can no longer replicate
2. an excess of cells that the body cannot handle
3. toxins inside the cells
4. toxins outside of the cells
5. deficiency of the energy-producing mitochondria that is integral for the survival of every cell
6. genetic mutations
7. abnormal cell clumping that prevents proper exchange of nutrients
Although understandably overwhelming, each of these negative traits can be traced back to how we treat our bodies and, conversely, can be held accountable for the deteriorating health we fear as we age. And this includes hypertension, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Parkinson’s, cancer, excessive weight gain, and high cholesterol—all diseases associated with age, as if it’s all part of the natural progression. Without cell communication, our body loses track of what it’s supposed to be doing. Especially with the amount of toxins and negative influences we’re faced with every day, we have to be cognizant about what contributes to cellular abnormality and deterioration.
Utilizing a bio-energetic testing machine known as the Bio-Tracker, it is possible to detect, measure, and accurately diagnose the biochemical, cellular, and electromagnetic changes taking place beneath the surface. Such an analysis may pinpoint what is accelerating the aging process and, more importantly, how to reverse it. Getting older then becomes less of a guessing game and more of a calculated science.
Age should be a reason for celebration. As we get older, we improve, we learn, and we grow in our understanding of what we are capable of achieving. And the human body is no different. But to ensure that what we see and how we feel on the outside is a reflection of an amazing life, we need to take care of the cellular framework within. Once that first step is taken, the pieces will begin to fall into place, and before long, you’ll be looking forward to another candle, another year, and another opportunity to let the world know that ... It’s my Birthday!
History of Anishanabe
In the beginning, Gizhemanidoo created the universe as we know it today. He created Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon, Mother Earth and Father Sky. And on the earth he created all things, living and nonliving. He created life in the earth, on the earth, in the sky and in the water. He created the plants, rivers, four-legged and winged creatures, and the swimmers. After this was done, he created one of the greatest mysteries of all – the four seasons – to bring harmony and balance to all.
After all creation was complete, he created man. After he created the first Anishanabe, he came to him in a dream and instructed him that he was to name all things in the language that he gave him, Anishinaabemowin. So the first man went about on his journey and named all things he saw – all the animals, insects, birds and fish – however long this took. Afterward, he spoke to the Creator Gizhemanidoo in his dream and said, “I have finished what you have told me to do.” Then the Creator Gizhemanidoo spoke back to him and said, “Yes, you have indeed done so, and now it is time for me to give you your name. Your name shall be Nanabozho, and whenever your people meet and greet one another, they will say a part of your name. That is why whenever the Anishanabe people greet one another, they say the word Bozhoo.
Our creation story tells us that we originally migrated to theG reat Lakes region from the East Coast. There are many settlements of our original homes that still exist to this day, like Manitoulin Island, the Islando f the Great Spirit.
We have always been a nation, and we knew one another as the Anishanabe. It was not until the French and European settlers arrived on this part of the continent that we became known as the tribes now called Ojibwe, Odawa and Bodwe’aadamiinh. I heard an elder speak about this in his teachings. He said that the Mackinaw-St. Ignace area was a huge community at one time. One day, the young hunters brought news that they had met a people who were not of our culture and language and that they were moving in this direction. Sure enough, the day arrived when a ship brought people. These people knew very little of our culture and language. They asked if they could meet with the elders, and so the meeting began. Shortly after the meeting began, a group of men got up and left. The settlers asked, “What are they doing?” although they thought they were asking, “Who are they?” So we told them what they were doing. They were going to build lodges: the Ojibwek. The meeting went on and another group of men got up and left, and again the same question was asked. We told them they were going to trade: the Odawak. Now remember, they could not speak our language very well, nor did we understand their language very well. After the meeting ended, the settlers saw young men picking up firewood and putting wood in the fire. The same question was asked, and we answered that they were the fire keepers: the Bodwe’aadamiinhk. History moves on a few hundred years, and now we find out in the history books that the native people of the Great Lakes area are known as the Chippewa, the Ottawa and the Pottawattamii.
Medicine Wheel
All tribes have a form of medicine wheel. There is no single answer as to its meaning. The Anishanabe often referred to the medicine wheel as the "CIRCLE OF LIFE" symbolizing the natural cycles of birth, growth, death, and regeneration.
The Native American Medicine Wheel was used for various spiritual and ritual purposes, especially for healing almost any illness. Since it was believed that illness sprang from spiritual in balance, the focus of the healing was on treating the source of the problem, not the symptoms. As the medicine wheel focuses on balance of all things, it was thought this balance would help the spiritual in balance in the person who was sick. Most medicine wheels have a basic pattern - a center of stone (cairn) then having an outer ring of stone with "spokes" of stone radiating out from the center. Being a wheel, it is round depicting the circle of life, the shape of the sun and the moon, etc. The medicine wheel consists of the four cardinal directions and four sacred colors representing certain properties.
The Native American Medicine Wheel was used for various spiritual and ritual purposes, especially for healing almost any illness. Since it was believed that illness sprang from spiritual in balance, the focus of the healing was on treating the source of the problem, not the symptoms. As the medicine wheel focuses on balance of all things, it was thought this balance would help the spiritual in balance in the person who was sick. Most medicine wheels have a basic pattern - a center of stone (cairn) then having an outer ring of stone with "spokes" of stone radiating out from the center.
Being a wheel, it is round depicting the circle of life, the shape of the sun and the moon, etc. The medicine wheel consists of the four cardinal directions and four sacred colors representing certain properties:
blue (north) ... defeat; trouble ... winter - a season for survival and waiting Wisdom, intellect, the adult self, MIND Element = Wind/Breath
yellow (east) ... success; triumph ... spring - a re-awakening, the power of new life Illumination, creation, the wonder child self, SPIRIT Element = Fire/Life Source
black (west) ... death ... autumn - the final harvest, the end of life's cycle Introspection and intuition, the physical body, MANIFESTATION Element = Earth
white (south) ... peace; happiness ... summer - a time of plenty Trust and Innocence, EMOTIONS Element = Water
Center ... learning, SELF Balance, beauty, harmony The symbolism may vary from tribe to tribe.
Medicine
The Anishanabe word for medicine is translated as follows:
Mshki means strength and ki comes from the word Aki, meaning the earth. So medicine simply means strength from the earth. We are taught from the medicine people that we only pick what we need, and we can only pick it when it is mature and after the thunder beings have come in the spring. Sema must be offered on Shkakaamik kwe (Mother Earth) when the mshki ki is picked. Mshki ki should not be sold, because it is a gift from the Creator. The Anishanabe also look at other things as medicine, such as a song, a story and even art. Some of the plants that we call weeds have a medicinal value in them. The medicine people know how to mix medicines to cure illness. The Anishanabe were given these gifts of medicine from the Creator in many different ways.
Dream Catcher
History shows us that: Dream Catchers originated in the Anishinabe/Ojibwe/Chippewa Nation.
All 3 of these names are for the same Nation. Anishanabe means "Original Person" and is what they call themselves, never having recognized the American version of their name; Chippewa. Ojibwe is the French Canadian version of the name.
One Legend has it the Anishanabe or Ojibwe people were experiencing bad nightmares and a vision of a web around a hoop. They then experimented with bending red willow for the hoop and making a web with a hole in the middle. A feather was tied to the hole to allow the bad dreams to flow through, and the good dreams were caught in the web.
Another story is that the Asibikaashi (Spider Woman) brought the missing sun back to the people. When the Anishanabe/Ojibwe people migrated they then made circular hoops (representing the circular motion of the sun) from Willow trees, and used sinew or cordage made from plants to make the web. These were hung on babies cradle boards to get rid of the bad dreams and only allow good ones to pass through the center of the web. The bad dreams would be destroyed by the first rays of the sun.
Today Dream Catchers are made by many different Nations, and non Indians alike. The Contemporary Dream Catcher is not made ofWillow, but of a metal hoop, and is basically just an Art Decoration to many people.
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