Posts
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave
with the intention of arriving safely
in an attractive and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways,
chocolate in one hand, martini in the other,
body thoroughly used up,
totally worn out, and screaming,
"WOO HOO! What A Ride!"
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Friday, October 14, 2005
# 61 Can We Cure.....More on EFT.
Articles & Ideas
Can we cure cancer, MS, diabetes, etc?
Hi Everyone,
I've had a few interesting discussions since posting my messages about "Persistence, Hemorrhoids & Uncle Bugs" and "Sitting on a Porcupine."
First, some were concerned that maybe "Henry" was not seeking medical care for his hemorrhoids (actually, an abscess). Not so. Henry is seeing a physician and, if we are not able to resolve it, surgery of some kind is likely to happen. Also, antibiotics are being taken.
The main queries I received, however, involved the use of EFT and its various options/cousins for serious diseases. The prevalent question was, "Can we cure cancer, MS, diabetes, etc. by tapping on the energy system?" I don't know, of course, because I've never seen anyone approach it with dedicated persistence--at least not yet. What I have seen, however, is impressive symptom relief for many degenerative diseases. For a dramatic example of this, listen to the audio session from our EFT Course where Adrienne helps Bruce, an MS sufferer. On that audio, Bruce achieves relief for an imposing list of symptoms (numbness, back pain, sleep disorder, urinary disorder, etc. etc.) AND he stands up out of his wheelchair and walks around while his wife says, "It's a miracle." He had never had this level of relief, or anything like it, before.
Bruce's results are fascinating, of course, but what is even more fascinating is the fact that Adrienne called him up 3 or 4 months later only to find that HE HAD QUIT TAPPING. Imagine that!! He had more symptom relief with a few rounds of tapping than all his medications and other interventions combined. Further, there were no negative side effects--just pure symptom relief. Yet....
HE QUIT DOING WHAT HAD HELPED HIM THE MOST!!!
This is not unique. I have also seen this with cancer, AIDS, and fibromyalgia. Also, practitioners have told me for years that people with many degenerative diseases just will not tap. This is true for diabetes, arthritis, lupus, leukemia, etc. etc. It happens with great frequency. In my experience, the vast majority of the people that have these serious diseases "forget" to tap even though it is their most efficient symptom relief tool.
That is profound. I mean really profound. Why would someone ignore their most effective tool for symptom relief but use other interventions that don't do nearly as well and cause negative side effects to boot? Why wouldn't they use it even if it was only their second or third best tool? Why do they just throw it away?
Is it because the tool came from a non-MD and therefore the client doesn't give it much weight? Perhaps. But this is hardly THE reason. There has been a clear shift in the past 20 years toward "alternative" methods. The medical community, while certainly deserving respect, is no longer seen as having all the answers. Chiropractors, Acupuncturists, Reike practitioners, Rolfers, Massage therapists, Spiritual healers and even Tappers are gaining growing respect with the public.
Is it because of the so-called APEX problem (Callahan's term for cognitive dissonance)? Not really. People can be quite flexible if their motivations are in place. If pulling hair out of one's armpit, for example, somehow puts $100,000 in one's bank account, people are going to pull hair out of their armpits--even if they can't explain the "why" of it. They don't have to believe it. In fact, as ridiculous as it sounds, they will find a way to believe it. They will make up a theory. They will write a book about it. They will even find a way to grow more hair in their arm pits so they can continue to pile up the riches. You may resist this idea a bit but, at some level, you know this is true. If your bank account increased by $100,000 every time you pulled a hair out of your armpit, wouldn't you continue pulling those hairs? You may not admit it to anyone but that wouldn't keep you from doing it. Of course this armpit example is an exaggeration. It is a purposeful visit to Sillysville so that a larger point can be made. Namely, I don't think people avoid the tapping simply because they don't know how to explain it. The benefits are quite obvious. There must be another reason for their non-compliance.
So what is the reason for this odd behavior? Does it revolve around secondary gain or loss? I suspect so but have no way of proving it. This phenomenon, along with our so-called "tough cases," represent our main challenges. This is where the opportunity lies. This is where we learn. These types of cases lead us to the next floors of our Healing High Rise. The secrets to our progress are hidden within them. Persistence, diligence and skillful detective work will uncover both the reasons for, as well as the solutions to, these problems. Some practitioners will sit back and wait for others to do this. Others will dig in until they find the diamonds within all that dirt. I'm looking for the diamond diggers. They are the ones who will lead the way.
For the purposes of this article let me divide EFT, and all that has sprung from it, into two categories. The first category carries the label "Slam Dunk." It contains all the "oohs" & "aahs" that we get when we routinely wipe out trauma, phobias, pain, etc. with a wave of the hand (fingertips). This is fun, of course, but we don't learn much new from it. We just apply it and stand back to watch the magic show. The second category is labeled "The Fascinating Frontier." It contains those cases that have unexplainably slow, or non-existent, progress. This is the arena in which the true artisans of this profession will perfect their craft. This is where the work is...as well as the joy of discovery. It is where experimentation, persistence and rolling up one's sleeves pay big dividends.
Can we cure cancer, MS, diabetes, etc.? We have a good chance at it--especially if we recognize that the healing is done THROUGH us not BY us. Can we do it now? Perhaps. But I think it would take a lot more persistence than most clients or practitioners are willing to dedicate, at least for now. One thing is clear, though. Tapping is providing clear evidence that giving relief to emotional problems often gives relief to physical symptoms. The link is unmistakable. It is not much of a stretch to extend that phenomenon beyond routine maladies such as headaches, sinus congestion, stomach upsets and the like to cancer, MS, diabetes, etc. It is part of The Fascinating Frontier. It may take more work and more discovery to get there but the fingers pointing in that direction do so with authority.
There are hundreds of people on this list and hundreds of others using these procedures. Even so, we are just beginning. Less than 1% of the healing professions have even heard of what we are doing. Our mission is of major importance. It is a true paradigm shift. We are part of something very important. In time, it will be commonplace. But for now, we are the pioneers. We are the ones bringing it to the public. Tomorrow's leaders of this movement are reading this article right now. They are on the ground floor of the Healing High Rise. They are mastering these procedures and bringing them to others. They are learning, exploring, improving. They are giving definition to The Fascinating Frontier.
Look around at your colleagues. Look at yourself.
You are looking at tomorrow's leaders.
Love to all, Gary
Talker says "it costs nothing to get a free course on EFT, and to get started using it". Get it here.
Shortcut to:
http://www.emofree.com/downloadeftmanual.htm
Can we cure cancer, MS, diabetes, etc?
Hi Everyone,
I've had a few interesting discussions since posting my messages about "Persistence, Hemorrhoids & Uncle Bugs" and "Sitting on a Porcupine."
First, some were concerned that maybe "Henry" was not seeking medical care for his hemorrhoids (actually, an abscess). Not so. Henry is seeing a physician and, if we are not able to resolve it, surgery of some kind is likely to happen. Also, antibiotics are being taken.
The main queries I received, however, involved the use of EFT and its various options/cousins for serious diseases. The prevalent question was, "Can we cure cancer, MS, diabetes, etc. by tapping on the energy system?" I don't know, of course, because I've never seen anyone approach it with dedicated persistence--at least not yet. What I have seen, however, is impressive symptom relief for many degenerative diseases. For a dramatic example of this, listen to the audio session from our EFT Course where Adrienne helps Bruce, an MS sufferer. On that audio, Bruce achieves relief for an imposing list of symptoms (numbness, back pain, sleep disorder, urinary disorder, etc. etc.) AND he stands up out of his wheelchair and walks around while his wife says, "It's a miracle." He had never had this level of relief, or anything like it, before.
Bruce's results are fascinating, of course, but what is even more fascinating is the fact that Adrienne called him up 3 or 4 months later only to find that HE HAD QUIT TAPPING. Imagine that!! He had more symptom relief with a few rounds of tapping than all his medications and other interventions combined. Further, there were no negative side effects--just pure symptom relief. Yet....
HE QUIT DOING WHAT HAD HELPED HIM THE MOST!!!
This is not unique. I have also seen this with cancer, AIDS, and fibromyalgia. Also, practitioners have told me for years that people with many degenerative diseases just will not tap. This is true for diabetes, arthritis, lupus, leukemia, etc. etc. It happens with great frequency. In my experience, the vast majority of the people that have these serious diseases "forget" to tap even though it is their most efficient symptom relief tool.
That is profound. I mean really profound. Why would someone ignore their most effective tool for symptom relief but use other interventions that don't do nearly as well and cause negative side effects to boot? Why wouldn't they use it even if it was only their second or third best tool? Why do they just throw it away?
Is it because the tool came from a non-MD and therefore the client doesn't give it much weight? Perhaps. But this is hardly THE reason. There has been a clear shift in the past 20 years toward "alternative" methods. The medical community, while certainly deserving respect, is no longer seen as having all the answers. Chiropractors, Acupuncturists, Reike practitioners, Rolfers, Massage therapists, Spiritual healers and even Tappers are gaining growing respect with the public.
Is it because of the so-called APEX problem (Callahan's term for cognitive dissonance)? Not really. People can be quite flexible if their motivations are in place. If pulling hair out of one's armpit, for example, somehow puts $100,000 in one's bank account, people are going to pull hair out of their armpits--even if they can't explain the "why" of it. They don't have to believe it. In fact, as ridiculous as it sounds, they will find a way to believe it. They will make up a theory. They will write a book about it. They will even find a way to grow more hair in their arm pits so they can continue to pile up the riches. You may resist this idea a bit but, at some level, you know this is true. If your bank account increased by $100,000 every time you pulled a hair out of your armpit, wouldn't you continue pulling those hairs? You may not admit it to anyone but that wouldn't keep you from doing it. Of course this armpit example is an exaggeration. It is a purposeful visit to Sillysville so that a larger point can be made. Namely, I don't think people avoid the tapping simply because they don't know how to explain it. The benefits are quite obvious. There must be another reason for their non-compliance.
So what is the reason for this odd behavior? Does it revolve around secondary gain or loss? I suspect so but have no way of proving it. This phenomenon, along with our so-called "tough cases," represent our main challenges. This is where the opportunity lies. This is where we learn. These types of cases lead us to the next floors of our Healing High Rise. The secrets to our progress are hidden within them. Persistence, diligence and skillful detective work will uncover both the reasons for, as well as the solutions to, these problems. Some practitioners will sit back and wait for others to do this. Others will dig in until they find the diamonds within all that dirt. I'm looking for the diamond diggers. They are the ones who will lead the way.
For the purposes of this article let me divide EFT, and all that has sprung from it, into two categories. The first category carries the label "Slam Dunk." It contains all the "oohs" & "aahs" that we get when we routinely wipe out trauma, phobias, pain, etc. with a wave of the hand (fingertips). This is fun, of course, but we don't learn much new from it. We just apply it and stand back to watch the magic show. The second category is labeled "The Fascinating Frontier." It contains those cases that have unexplainably slow, or non-existent, progress. This is the arena in which the true artisans of this profession will perfect their craft. This is where the work is...as well as the joy of discovery. It is where experimentation, persistence and rolling up one's sleeves pay big dividends.
Can we cure cancer, MS, diabetes, etc.? We have a good chance at it--especially if we recognize that the healing is done THROUGH us not BY us. Can we do it now? Perhaps. But I think it would take a lot more persistence than most clients or practitioners are willing to dedicate, at least for now. One thing is clear, though. Tapping is providing clear evidence that giving relief to emotional problems often gives relief to physical symptoms. The link is unmistakable. It is not much of a stretch to extend that phenomenon beyond routine maladies such as headaches, sinus congestion, stomach upsets and the like to cancer, MS, diabetes, etc. It is part of The Fascinating Frontier. It may take more work and more discovery to get there but the fingers pointing in that direction do so with authority.
There are hundreds of people on this list and hundreds of others using these procedures. Even so, we are just beginning. Less than 1% of the healing professions have even heard of what we are doing. Our mission is of major importance. It is a true paradigm shift. We are part of something very important. In time, it will be commonplace. But for now, we are the pioneers. We are the ones bringing it to the public. Tomorrow's leaders of this movement are reading this article right now. They are on the ground floor of the Healing High Rise. They are mastering these procedures and bringing them to others. They are learning, exploring, improving. They are giving definition to The Fascinating Frontier.
Look around at your colleagues. Look at yourself.
You are looking at tomorrow's leaders.
Love to all, Gary
Talker says "it costs nothing to get a free course on EFT, and to get started using it". Get it here.
Shortcut to:
http://www.emofree.com/downloadeftmanual.htm
# 60 Wonder What 2006 Will Be Like
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2005 when...
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
# 59 Things To Ponder On
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
A hundred years from now, who will notice.
Some times the faster you go, the behinder you get.
Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.
Life is sexually transmitted.
All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"
Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it's butt."
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
A hundred years from now, who will notice.
Some times the faster you go, the behinder you get.
Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.
Life is sexually transmitted.
All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"
Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it's butt."
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Feel free to add your own in the comments section. I can think of another dozen.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
# 58 Are New Better Than The Older Ones?
Are Newer Drugs Any Better Than Older Ones?
A government-financed study comparing a variety of drugs used to treat schizophrenia has demonstrated that highly hyped newer drugs are little better, if at all, than older and cheaper medicines.
All Five Work, None Work Well
The study looked at four new-generation drugs, known as atypical antipsychotics, and one older drug. All five blunted the symptoms of schizophrenia, although three-quarters of the patients eventually stopped taking the drugs because of problems with side effects.
One of the newer drugs, Zyprexa, did help patients control symptoms for longer than the other drugs did, but also had a higher risk of serious side effects, including an increased diabetes risk.
Almost 1,500 people with the disorder participated in the study, which examined how long the drugs could be effectively used in real-world situations. After 18 months, 64 percent of the patients taking Zyprexa had stopped, and at least 74 percent had quit each of the other medications. Reasons for stopping use of the drugs included their being ineffective, intolerable side effects, or neurological symptoms such as stiffness and tremors.
Big Profits, Big Costs
The new drugs garner $10 billion in sales annually and account for 90 percent of all antipsychotics sold nationally.
The study is likely to have a great effect on state Medicaid programs, many of which are short on funds; the newer drugs cost three to 10 times more than the older drugs. The National Center for Policy Analysis estimates that Medicaid programs spend over $3 billion a year on antipsychotics, more than for any other class of drug.
New England Journal of Medicine
September 22, 2005; 353 (12): 1209-1223 Free Full-Text Article
New York Times
September 20, 2005 Registration Required
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
September 20, 2005
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
This study lays open one of the dirtiest little secrets of the pharmaceutical industry: new, massively hyped drugs are often no better than the older drugs they are replacing -- just more expensive for you, which means more profits for the drug companies. Since most of these drugs are required for life, it is an ongoing annuity for them.
The profit window for a drug is considered to be the lifespan of its patent. Once the patent runs out, the price can no longer be artificially inflated, as cheaper, generic versions of the drug can be made by other companies. So companies quickly bring other patented drugs on the market, claiming that they are newer, better, more effective, and safer than the older versions.
In fact, they are often minor variations on the older versions, changed just enough for a new patent. Even when there are significant differences, as in the case of this study, the side effects are often just as bad, and the effectiveness just as poor. A drug they can sell for a higher price is much more important to them than a drug that is more effective.
And the difference in price can be astonishing. A month's supply of the older drug in this study, perphenazine, was $60. The same amount of Zyprexa was $520. Pretty steep for a drug that might give you diabetes.
If you're wondering why the results of this study sound so logical and rational, yet so downbeat for the mega-drug companies, note that it was financed largely by the government, with few connections to the drug industry.
Another dirty little secret of the drug companies is that their drugs' shelf lives are typically much longer than they note. They put short shelf lives on them so you will throw any older drugs away and increase their revenues by purchasing more. This is a major issue for the military and a review five years ago tore open the secrets on this issue.
Related Articles:
Drug Industry Lies About New Drug Research and Development
Drug Companies Engage in Illegal Sales Practices: U.S. Issues Warning
New Diseases That Keep Drug Companies Rolling
Return to Table of Contents #700
Print this Page
E-mail to a Friend
Privacy/Security
Current Newsletter
Contact Info
This site is powered by the Northwoods Titan Content Management System
©Copyright 2005 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
A government-financed study comparing a variety of drugs used to treat schizophrenia has demonstrated that highly hyped newer drugs are little better, if at all, than older and cheaper medicines.
All Five Work, None Work Well
The study looked at four new-generation drugs, known as atypical antipsychotics, and one older drug. All five blunted the symptoms of schizophrenia, although three-quarters of the patients eventually stopped taking the drugs because of problems with side effects.
One of the newer drugs, Zyprexa, did help patients control symptoms for longer than the other drugs did, but also had a higher risk of serious side effects, including an increased diabetes risk.
Almost 1,500 people with the disorder participated in the study, which examined how long the drugs could be effectively used in real-world situations. After 18 months, 64 percent of the patients taking Zyprexa had stopped, and at least 74 percent had quit each of the other medications. Reasons for stopping use of the drugs included their being ineffective, intolerable side effects, or neurological symptoms such as stiffness and tremors.
Big Profits, Big Costs
The new drugs garner $10 billion in sales annually and account for 90 percent of all antipsychotics sold nationally.
The study is likely to have a great effect on state Medicaid programs, many of which are short on funds; the newer drugs cost three to 10 times more than the older drugs. The National Center for Policy Analysis estimates that Medicaid programs spend over $3 billion a year on antipsychotics, more than for any other class of drug.
New England Journal of Medicine
September 22, 2005; 353 (12): 1209-1223 Free Full-Text Article
New York Times
September 20, 2005 Registration Required
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
September 20, 2005
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
This study lays open one of the dirtiest little secrets of the pharmaceutical industry: new, massively hyped drugs are often no better than the older drugs they are replacing -- just more expensive for you, which means more profits for the drug companies. Since most of these drugs are required for life, it is an ongoing annuity for them.
The profit window for a drug is considered to be the lifespan of its patent. Once the patent runs out, the price can no longer be artificially inflated, as cheaper, generic versions of the drug can be made by other companies. So companies quickly bring other patented drugs on the market, claiming that they are newer, better, more effective, and safer than the older versions.
In fact, they are often minor variations on the older versions, changed just enough for a new patent. Even when there are significant differences, as in the case of this study, the side effects are often just as bad, and the effectiveness just as poor. A drug they can sell for a higher price is much more important to them than a drug that is more effective.
And the difference in price can be astonishing. A month's supply of the older drug in this study, perphenazine, was $60. The same amount of Zyprexa was $520. Pretty steep for a drug that might give you diabetes.
If you're wondering why the results of this study sound so logical and rational, yet so downbeat for the mega-drug companies, note that it was financed largely by the government, with few connections to the drug industry.
Another dirty little secret of the drug companies is that their drugs' shelf lives are typically much longer than they note. They put short shelf lives on them so you will throw any older drugs away and increase their revenues by purchasing more. This is a major issue for the military and a review five years ago tore open the secrets on this issue.
Related Articles:
Drug Industry Lies About New Drug Research and Development
Drug Companies Engage in Illegal Sales Practices: U.S. Issues Warning
New Diseases That Keep Drug Companies Rolling
Return to Table of Contents #700
Print this Page
E-mail to a Friend
Privacy/Security
Current Newsletter
Contact Info
This site is powered by the Northwoods Titan Content Management System
©Copyright 2005 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
# 57 Health Website Rankings
Health Website Rankings: Mercola.com is Now World's #1!
Below is a routinely updated ranking of the Web's most visited health websites provided by Alexa.com and grouped into both 1) natural health sites, and 2) all health sites in all categories.
Keep in mind that the lower the Alexa.com ranking number, the more popular the website. For example, a website with an Alexa.com rank of 10,000 means of all the over 300 million of websites that exist, that website is the 10,000th most visited on the entire Internet.
There are many tens of thousands of health websites, so why is Mercola.com the #1 most visited natural health website of them all - and one of the world's most visited of all health websites in any health category? Take a look at the latest rankings below, and then scroll down for the answer!
Most Visited Natural Health Content Sites
Name
URL
Rank
1.
Dr. Mercola
http://www.mercola.com/
1979
2.
LEF
http://www.lef.org/
8116
3.
Prevention
http://www.prevention.com/
9408
4.
Mothering
http://www.mothering.com/
10108
5.
News Target
http://www.newstarget.com/
10434
6.
Dr. Weil
http://www.drweil.com/
13229
7.
Whole Health MD
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/
15634
8.
EmoFree
http://www.emofree.com/
16973
9.
Health A to Z
http://www.healthatoz.com/
17730
10.
Atkins' Center
http://www.atkins.com/
19990
11.
True Star Health
http://www.truestarhealth.com/
20392
12.
Health World Online
http://www.healthy.net/
27384
13.
Chet Day
http://www.chetday.com/
33487
14.
La Leche League
http://www.lalecheleague.org/
36992
15.
Seek Wellness
http://www.seekwellness.com/
38875
16.
Environmental Working Group
http://www.ewg.org/
39775
17.
Shirley's Wellness Cafe
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/
42554
18.
Remedy Find
http://www.remedyfind.com/
44079
19.
Dr. Chopra
http://www.chopra.com/
50928
20.
ChiroWeb
http://www.chiroweb.com/
55808
21.
Dr. Mirkin
http://www.drmirkin.com/
60997
22.
Dr. Whitaker
http://www.drwhitaker.com/
63189
23.
Dr. David Williams
http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/
64159
24.
Consumer Lab
http://www.consumerlab.com/
67550
25.
Weston A. Price Foundation
http://www.westonaprice.org/
70843
Most Visited Health Content Sites
Name
URL
Rank
1.
NIH
http://www.nih.gov/
266
2.
WebMd
http://www.webmd.com/
619
3.
CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/
1892
4.
Dr. Mercola
http://www.mercola.com/
1979
5.
MedicineNet
http://www.medicinenet.com/
2797
6.
Food and Drug Adminstration
http://www.fda.gov/
2857
7.
Drugs.com
http://www.drugs.com/
3433
8.
MedScape
http://www.medscape.com/
3610
9.
eMedicine
http://www.emedicine.com/
3690
10.
Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
3966
11.
RxList
http://www.rxlist.com/
4389
12.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
http://www.hhs.gov/
4726
13.
Kid's Health
http://www.kidshealth.org/
4848
14.
World Health Organization
www.who.int/en
5122
15.
Wrong Diagnosis
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/
5132
16.
Real Age
http://www.realage.com/
5736
17.
MedHelp
http://www.medhelp.org/
5963
18.
Men's Health Magazine
http://www.menshealth.com/
6494
19.
BMJ
bmj.bmjjournals.com
6564
20.
AMA
http://www.ama-assn.org/
6612
21.
Free Beauty Tips
http://www.free-beauty-tips.com/
6898
22.
The Child Health Site
http://www.thechildhealthsite.com/
7653
23.
LEF
http://www.lef.org/
8116
24.
American Baby
http://www.americanbaby.com/
8359
25.
NEJM
http://www.nejm.org/
9311
NOTE ON RANKING NUMBERS:
Websites such as CNN and MSNBC that offer health information among many other subject areas are not included in the rankings here, as traffic to these specific areas of their sites cannot be separated from traffic to their entire site. If you believe any medical or health Website has been overlooked, please check their name at http://www.alexa.com/ or contact us.
The 2 Main Reasons Mercola.com is #1
Over 375,000 subscribers -- including tens of thousands of health professionals -- read and trust the Mercola.com "eHealthy News You Can Use" e-newsletter -- and that number is growing by an average of 1000 subscribers per day! Why? Because:
You don't have time to sift through the 200 medical studies that come out each week, but if you want to live longer & healthier you deserve to know which studies matter to your personal health, and why and how. The Mercola.com e-newsletter does the work for you, providing the key insights you need to know!
You want all the insights on how medical and dietary research pertains to you personally -- in a straightforward manner that makes sense, without scientific jargon or fluff -- and with the Mercola.com "eHealthy News You Can Use" e-newsletter that's exactly what you get
You'll get important dietary advice in my newsletter long before you can find it anywhere else. I have been a physician for over two decades, with extensive education and experience in natural, conventional and alternative health, and in that time I've built a reputation as one of the leading diet and nutrition experts in the nation. You'll get this insight free!
You also get original health & wellness articles from a wide variety of other leading health professionals in all fields, such as women's health, chiropractic, exercise and beyond; these are the top experts in their fields providing highly useful information you won't see anywhere else
Even with all of the above, your Mercola.com "eHealthy News You Can Use" e-newsletter subscription is FREE
Millions of people daily visit Mercola.com to search from over 50,000 pages of information for proven and practical solutions to their health and wellness concerns. Why? Because:
Mercola.com contains over 50,000 pages of health & wellness information on every medical topic -- and using our powerful search engine the answers to your health questions are simple to find!
Mercola.com does NOT accept any third-party advertising or sponsorship, and I am in no way tied into any pharmaceutical company or any other corporate "interest" whatsoever. So you get the real inside scoop on health issues, with practical advice that matters to you untainted by outside influence!
The health and medical information is provided first-hand by experienced, credentialed professional experts. The articles are either created by me, Dr. Mercola, or by other physicians or health professionals and reviewed by me. I have been a physician for over twenty years with a long list of accomplishments that I invite you to read about in My Qualifications.
In a world overflowing with tens of thousands of "health" foods, supplements, gadgets, books and more, people are understandably confused as to which (very few) such products are truly worthwhile and deliver true health value. Only after careful review and with your health in mind (and again without any outside influence), you'll find reviews and insights for only the top-recommended health products that can truly help you. Those that may be difficult for some to find are offered in the "Most Popular Products" area.
Related Information:
See Mercola.com's Position in Previous Rankings
Print this Page
E-mail to a Friend
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Current Newsletter
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This site is powered by the Northwoods Titan Content Management System
©Copyright 2005 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
Below is a routinely updated ranking of the Web's most visited health websites provided by Alexa.com and grouped into both 1) natural health sites, and 2) all health sites in all categories.
Keep in mind that the lower the Alexa.com ranking number, the more popular the website. For example, a website with an Alexa.com rank of 10,000 means of all the over 300 million of websites that exist, that website is the 10,000th most visited on the entire Internet.
There are many tens of thousands of health websites, so why is Mercola.com the #1 most visited natural health website of them all - and one of the world's most visited of all health websites in any health category? Take a look at the latest rankings below, and then scroll down for the answer!
Most Visited Natural Health Content Sites
Name
URL
Rank
1.
Dr. Mercola
http://www.mercola.com/
1979
2.
LEF
http://www.lef.org/
8116
3.
Prevention
http://www.prevention.com/
9408
4.
Mothering
http://www.mothering.com/
10108
5.
News Target
http://www.newstarget.com/
10434
6.
Dr. Weil
http://www.drweil.com/
13229
7.
Whole Health MD
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/
15634
8.
EmoFree
http://www.emofree.com/
16973
9.
Health A to Z
http://www.healthatoz.com/
17730
10.
Atkins' Center
http://www.atkins.com/
19990
11.
True Star Health
http://www.truestarhealth.com/
20392
12.
Health World Online
http://www.healthy.net/
27384
13.
Chet Day
http://www.chetday.com/
33487
14.
La Leche League
http://www.lalecheleague.org/
36992
15.
Seek Wellness
http://www.seekwellness.com/
38875
16.
Environmental Working Group
http://www.ewg.org/
39775
17.
Shirley's Wellness Cafe
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/
42554
18.
Remedy Find
http://www.remedyfind.com/
44079
19.
Dr. Chopra
http://www.chopra.com/
50928
20.
ChiroWeb
http://www.chiroweb.com/
55808
21.
Dr. Mirkin
http://www.drmirkin.com/
60997
22.
Dr. Whitaker
http://www.drwhitaker.com/
63189
23.
Dr. David Williams
http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/
64159
24.
Consumer Lab
http://www.consumerlab.com/
67550
25.
Weston A. Price Foundation
http://www.westonaprice.org/
70843
Most Visited Health Content Sites
Name
URL
Rank
1.
NIH
http://www.nih.gov/
266
2.
WebMd
http://www.webmd.com/
619
3.
CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/
1892
4.
Dr. Mercola
http://www.mercola.com/
1979
5.
MedicineNet
http://www.medicinenet.com/
2797
6.
Food and Drug Adminstration
http://www.fda.gov/
2857
7.
Drugs.com
http://www.drugs.com/
3433
8.
MedScape
http://www.medscape.com/
3610
9.
eMedicine
http://www.emedicine.com/
3690
10.
Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
3966
11.
RxList
http://www.rxlist.com/
4389
12.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
http://www.hhs.gov/
4726
13.
Kid's Health
http://www.kidshealth.org/
4848
14.
World Health Organization
www.who.int/en
5122
15.
Wrong Diagnosis
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/
5132
16.
Real Age
http://www.realage.com/
5736
17.
MedHelp
http://www.medhelp.org/
5963
18.
Men's Health Magazine
http://www.menshealth.com/
6494
19.
BMJ
bmj.bmjjournals.com
6564
20.
AMA
http://www.ama-assn.org/
6612
21.
Free Beauty Tips
http://www.free-beauty-tips.com/
6898
22.
The Child Health Site
http://www.thechildhealthsite.com/
7653
23.
LEF
http://www.lef.org/
8116
24.
American Baby
http://www.americanbaby.com/
8359
25.
NEJM
http://www.nejm.org/
9311
NOTE ON RANKING NUMBERS:
Websites such as CNN and MSNBC that offer health information among many other subject areas are not included in the rankings here, as traffic to these specific areas of their sites cannot be separated from traffic to their entire site. If you believe any medical or health Website has been overlooked, please check their name at http://www.alexa.com/ or contact us.
The 2 Main Reasons Mercola.com is #1
Over 375,000 subscribers -- including tens of thousands of health professionals -- read and trust the Mercola.com "eHealthy News You Can Use" e-newsletter -- and that number is growing by an average of 1000 subscribers per day! Why? Because:
You don't have time to sift through the 200 medical studies that come out each week, but if you want to live longer & healthier you deserve to know which studies matter to your personal health, and why and how. The Mercola.com e-newsletter does the work for you, providing the key insights you need to know!
You want all the insights on how medical and dietary research pertains to you personally -- in a straightforward manner that makes sense, without scientific jargon or fluff -- and with the Mercola.com "eHealthy News You Can Use" e-newsletter that's exactly what you get
You'll get important dietary advice in my newsletter long before you can find it anywhere else. I have been a physician for over two decades, with extensive education and experience in natural, conventional and alternative health, and in that time I've built a reputation as one of the leading diet and nutrition experts in the nation. You'll get this insight free!
You also get original health & wellness articles from a wide variety of other leading health professionals in all fields, such as women's health, chiropractic, exercise and beyond; these are the top experts in their fields providing highly useful information you won't see anywhere else
Even with all of the above, your Mercola.com "eHealthy News You Can Use" e-newsletter subscription is FREE
Millions of people daily visit Mercola.com to search from over 50,000 pages of information for proven and practical solutions to their health and wellness concerns. Why? Because:
Mercola.com contains over 50,000 pages of health & wellness information on every medical topic -- and using our powerful search engine the answers to your health questions are simple to find!
Mercola.com does NOT accept any third-party advertising or sponsorship, and I am in no way tied into any pharmaceutical company or any other corporate "interest" whatsoever. So you get the real inside scoop on health issues, with practical advice that matters to you untainted by outside influence!
The health and medical information is provided first-hand by experienced, credentialed professional experts. The articles are either created by me, Dr. Mercola, or by other physicians or health professionals and reviewed by me. I have been a physician for over twenty years with a long list of accomplishments that I invite you to read about in My Qualifications.
In a world overflowing with tens of thousands of "health" foods, supplements, gadgets, books and more, people are understandably confused as to which (very few) such products are truly worthwhile and deliver true health value. Only after careful review and with your health in mind (and again without any outside influence), you'll find reviews and insights for only the top-recommended health products that can truly help you. Those that may be difficult for some to find are offered in the "Most Popular Products" area.
Related Information:
See Mercola.com's Position in Previous Rankings
Print this Page
E-mail to a Friend
Privacy/Security
Current Newsletter
Contact Info
This site is powered by the Northwoods Titan Content Management System
©Copyright 2005 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
# 56 Expiration Date On Bottle Means What!
Drugs Frequently Potent Past Expiration
By Laurie P. Cohen
Do drugs really stop working after the date stamped on the bottle? Fifteen years ago, the U.S. military decided to find out. Sitting on a $1 billion stockpile of drugs and facing the daunting process of destroying and replacing its supply every two to three years, the military began a testing program to see if it could extend the life of its inventory. The testing, conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ultimately covered more than 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter.
The results, never before reported, show that about 90% of them were safe and effective far past their original expiration date, at least one for 15 years past it.
In light of these results, a former director of the testing program, Francis Flaherty, says he has concluded that expiration dates put on by manufacturers typically have no bearing on whether a drug is usable for longer. Mr. Flaherty notes that a drug maker is required to prove only that a drug is still good on whatever expiration date the company chooses to set. The expiration date doesn't mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being effective after that, nor that it will become harmful.MARKETING ISSUE
"Manufacturers put expiration dates on for marketing, rather than scientific, reasons," says Mr. Flaherty, a pharmacist at the FDA until his retirement last year. "It's not profitable for them to have products on a shelf for 10 years. They want turnover."
The FDA cautions that there isn't enough evidence from the program, which is weighted toward drugs needed during combat and which tests only individual manufacturing batches, to conclude that most drugs in people's medicine cabinets are potent beyond the expiration date. Still, Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, says that with a handful of exceptions - notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics - most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency has tested for the military. "Most drugs degrade very slowly," he says. "In all likelihood, you can take a product you have at home and keep it for many years, especially if it's in the refrigerator."
MANUFACTURERS' VIEW
Drug-industry officials don't dispute the results of the FDA's testing, within what is called the Shelf Life Extension Program. And they acknowledge that expiration dates have a commercial dimension. But they say relatively short shelf lives make sense from a public-safety standpoint, as well.
New, more-beneficial drugs can be brought on the market more easily if the old ones are discarded within a couple of years, they say. Label redesigns work better when consumers don't have earlier versions on hand to create confusion. From the companies' perspective, any liability or safety risk is diminished by limiting the period during which a consumer might misuse or improperly store a drug. "Two to three years is a very comfortable point of commercial convenience," says Mark van Arandonk, senior director for pharmaceutical development at Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. "It gives us enough time to put the inventory in warehouses, ship it and ensure it will stay on shelves long enough to get used." But companies uniformly deny any effort to spur sales through planned obsolescence.WHY NOT LONGER?
Now that the FDA has found that many drugs are still good long after they have supposedly expired, why doesn't it advocate later expiration dates for consumer drugs? One reason is that the consumer market lacks the military's logistical reasons to keep drugs around longer.
Frank Holcombe, associate director of the FDA's office of generic drugs, says that in many cases a manufacturer could extend expiration periods again and again, but to support those extensions, it would have to keep doing stability studies, and keep more in storage than it would like.
Mr. Davis adds: "It's not the job of the FDA to be concerned about a consumer's economic interest." It would be up to Congress to impose changes, he says. As things stand now, expiration dates get a lot of emphasis. For instance, there is a campaign, co-sponsored by some drug retailers, that urges people to discard pills when they reach the date on the label.
And that date often is even earlier than the one the maker set. That's because when pharmacists dispense a drug in any container other than what it came to them in, they routinely cut the expiration date to just one year after dispensing. Some states even require pharmacists to do this.
Meanwhile, poor countries - under urging from the World Health Organization - often reject drug-company donations of much-needed medicines if they are within a year of their expiration dates.
It isn't known how much of the $120 billion-plus spent annually in the U.S. on prescription and over-the-counter medicines goes to replace expired ones. But in a poll done for The Wall Street Journal by NPD Group Inc. of Port Washington, N.Y., 70% of 1,000 respondents said they probably wouldn't take a prescription drug after its expiration date; 72% said the same of an over-the-counter remedy.
"People think that, upon expiration, drugs suddenly turn toxic or lose all their potency," says Philip Alper, professor of medicine at University of California at San Francisco. In his own practice, Dr. Alper says, "I frequently hear - from patients who can't afford medicine - that they have thrown away expired drugs." He says companies should be required to test drugs for longer periods and set later expiration dates when results warrant.
Some manufacturers first began putting expiration dates on drugs in the 1960s, although they didn't have to. When the FDA began requiring such dating in 1979, the main effect was to set uniform testing and reporting guidelines. As now required by the FDA, so-called stability testing analyzes the capacity of a drug to maintain its identity, strength, quality and purity for whatever period the manufacturer picks. If the company picks a two-year expiration date, it needn't test beyond that.
Testing for a two-year expiration doesn't initially entail holding a drug for two years. Rather, the drug is tested by subjecting it to extreme heat and humidity for several months, then chemically analyzing each ingredient's identity and strength. (After the date is set and the drug is marketed, testing continues for the full two years.) The FDA also uses chemical analysis in testing for possible shelf-life extension; it doesn't test on human subjects. Testing conditions are such that any medicine that meets, say, the standards for a two-year expiration date probably lasts longer, the FDA and drug companies agree.
STILL GOOD
Consider aspirin. Bayer AG puts two-year or three-year dates on aspirin and says that it should be discarded after that. Chris Allen, a vice president at the Bayer unit that makes aspirin, says the dating is "pretty conservative"; when Bayer has tested four-year-old aspirin, it remained 100% effective, he says.
So why doesn't Bayer set a four-year expiration date? Because the company often changes packaging, and it undertakes "continuous improvement programs," Mr. Allen says. Each change triggers a need for more expiration-date testing, he says, and testing each time for a four-year life would be impractical.
Bayer has never tested aspirin beyond four years, Mr. Allen says. But Jens Carstensen has. Dr. Carstensen, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin's pharmacy school, who wrote what is considered the main text on drug stability, says, "I did a study of different aspirins, and after five years, Bayer was still excellent. Aspirin, if made correctly, is very stable."
Only one report known to the medical community linked an old drug to human toxicity. A 1963 Journal of the American Medical Association article said degraded tetracycline caused kidney damage. Even this study, though, has been challenged by other scientists. Mr. Flaherty says the Shelf Life program encountered no toxicity with tetracycline and typically found batches effective for more than two years beyond their expiration dates.
PLEA FROM THE AIR FORCE
The program dates to a U.S. effort begun in 1981 to increase military readiness by buying large quantities of drugs and medical devices for the armed forces. Four years later, more than $1 billion of supplies had been stockpiled. The General Accounting Office audited Air Force troop hospitals in Europe and found many supplies at or near expiration. It warned that by the 1990s, more than $100 million would have to be spent yearly on replacements.
The Air Force Surgeon General's office asked the FDA if it could possibly extend the shelf life of these drugs. The FDA had the equipment for stability testing. And because it had approved the drugs' sale in the first place, it also had manufacturers' data on the testing protocols. Testing for the Air Force began in late 1985. In the first year, 58 medicines from 137 different manufacturing lots were shipped to the FDA from overseas storage, among them penicillin, lidocaine and Lactated Ringers, an intravenous solution for dehydration. After testing, the FDA extended more than 80% of the expired lots, by an average of 33 months.
In 1992, according to the FDA, more than half of the expired drugs that had been retested in 1985 were still fine. Even now, at least one still is. Such results came as a revelation for Army Col. George Crawford when he took over military oversight of the program in 1997. He is a pharmacist, but "nobody tells you in pharmacy school that shelf life is about marketing, turnover and profits," he says. (The drug makers don't agree that it is, however.)
HOW IT WORKS
The military's base for the program is a dingy barracks room in Fort Detrick, Md. There, a group headed by Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Russie, who recently took over from Col. Crawford, tracks drugs that are near expiration at defense facilities all over the world, selecting many for retesting. They are shipped to the FDA, which sends them to its laboratories.
The FDA's lab in Philadelphia recently tested five automatic injectors containing an antidote to chemical poisoning, which were purposely held for three months in conditions even hotter and more humid than the FDA requires in consumer testing of drugs. The FDA tested the drug contained in the injectors, pralidoxime chloride, by separating its ingredients and measuring the strength and quality of each, then applying a computer model to determine whether a shelf-life extension was warranted.
The injectors' original expiration date was November 1985. The FDA had retested them periodically ever since, each time approving their continued use. The batch, made by Ayerst Laboratories, now part of American Home Products Corp.'s Wyeth-Ayerst unit, is 18 years old. It is 15 years beyond the expiration date applied by Ayerst. The FDA found it is still good.
A spokesman for Wyeth-Ayerst says it "uses scientific data to establish expiration dates" and "tries to have the longest possible dating on products that scientific data supports." The company is aware of the FDA retesting program. It says it can't comment specifically on the injectors tested by the FDA.
A FEW FAIL
Shelf-life extensions are "intentionally conservative," the FDA's Mr. Flaherty told military brass in a 1992 speech. He says that if the agency extended an expiration date by 36 months, it had concluded the lot would retain all of its safety and efficacy for at least 72 months. A very few drugs aren't retested. The military has found that water-purification tablets and mefloquine hydrochloride, for malaria, routinely fail stability testing beyond their expiration dates, so it has removed them from the program.
Also excluded are large-volume intravenous solutions, such as saline. "We don't like to test those," says Col. Crawford. "Not because we can't, but because it would be politically sensitive if G.I. Joe was lying in bed and saw it had originally expired three years ago."
Mr. Flaherty has said that while he tested a handful of drug batches that didn't even make it to their expiration dates, most drugs were "surprisingly durable." In one instance, he says, drugs labeled for room-temperature storage had been kept for two years in a warehouse in Oman that averaged 135 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime. Upon expiration, the drugs, which included the local anesthetic lidocaine and atropine, a nerve-gas antidote also used by eye doctors to dilate pupils, "were well within the standards for potency and other quality characteristics," he says.
STABLE MOLECULE
One medicine the FDA has endorsed for extensions is ciprofloxacin hydrochloride tablets, an antibiotic marketed by Bayer as Cipro. One batch had an expiration date of March 1989. More than 9 1/2 years later, the FDA found the tablets still good; it then extended some of them for 18 more months and others for 24 more months.
Albert Poirier, quality-assurance director for Bayer's pharmaceutical division, says he isn't surprised because Cipro "is a stable drug molecule" in tablet form. "We go for a shelf life that will be safest for patients," he says. "We want the drug to be used up within three years. We wouldn't want a patient to have it for 10 years because they'd have an old package insert" that might omit new information or contra-indications and because "we'd have no control over how they'd store the drug during this time."
Another extended drug is Thorazine, a tranquilizer chemically known as chlorpromazine tablets. Batches bearing December 1996 expiration dates - unused and unopened, as is the case with all drugs evaluated in the Shelf Life program - were tested in July 1998 and extended for two years. A spokesman for the maker, SmithKline Beecham PLC, says it applies an expiration date 24 months after manufacture. "We think that is the appropriate expiration date," he says. "We don't benefit from short expiration dates."
Some other drugs the FDA has extended at least two years beyond their expiration dates are diazepam, sold as Valium; cimetidine, sold as Tagamet; phenytoin, sold as Dilantin; and the antibiotics tetracycline and penicillin.BIG SAVINGS
On a cost-benefit basis, the program's returns have been huge. The first year, the Air Force paid the FDA $78,000 for testing and saved 59 times that sum by not needing to replace the drugs. After other services joined, the military from 1993 through 1998 spent about $3.9 million on testing and saved $263.4 million on drug expense, according to Lt. Col. Russie.
Says Mr. Flaherty: "We've cost the pharmaceutical companies hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of new stuff to the Department of Defense." More than 12 years ago, Messrs. Flaherty and Davis explained the program to drug-company chemists at a meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in Woodbridge, N.J., going into detail about how the FDA decided whether to extend a given expiration date. Mr. Davis concluded by noting how much the U.S. had saved by extending shelf lives instead of "destroying large quantities of still-useful medical products... ."
Mr. Flaherty says the FDA was keenly aware that if its methodology was flawed, or its results incorrect even once, its credibility would be attacked. Yet FDA officials say that during the program's 15 years, drug makers have never objected to any of its procedures or findings. "They may not have liked what we were doing, but they weren't able to challenge it," he says.
THE MESSAGE TO CIVILIANS
While the military is finding it can keep most drugs longer, civilians hear quite a different message. For instance, a campaign called the National Expired and Unused Medication Drive has collected and destroyed 36 tons of drugs since 1991, says its founder, Kathilee Champlin. Ms. Champlin, of Colorado Springs, Colo., says her interest derives from experience working with the elderly and seeing how hard it was for them to keep track of all their medications. She says she wasn't aware of any FDA program to extend drugs' shelf lives.
Her group has gained sponsorship from the some big drug retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. It sponsors the campaign to be "a good corporate citizen," says Frank Seagrave, vice president of pharmacy merchandising. "We believe that people should dispose of unused prescription medicines a year after they get them," he says, adding that Wal-Mart sometimes gives people a free bottle of vitamins if they bring in expired drugs.
Many pharmacists also play a role in shelf lives. The U.S. Pharmacopeia, a not-for-profit scientific group that develops standards for the drug industry, urged in 1985 that pharmacists set expiration dates at no more than one year if they were dispensing drugs in a bottle other than the manufacturer's original packaging. "New containers may let in more moisture and heat than the container the manufacturer used for the stability study," accelerating the drug's degradation, says the USP General Counsel Joseph Valentino.
The recommendation became a USP requirement in 1997. As a result, "the majority of pharmacists shorten the manufacturers' expiration dates" on prescription drugs to one year or less, says Susan Winckler, an official of the American Pharmaceutical Association. In fact, in 17 states, pharmacists now are legally required to do so. Ms. Winckler says shortening the dates makes sense because many people store drugs in moist bathrooms. She says the one-year rule is "motivated by product integrity and not by profit."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL March 29, 2000
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
The key from the article is "shelf life is about marketing, turnover and profits. I find it absolutely incredible that the military spent from 1993 through 1998 about $3.9 million on testing and saved $263.4 million on drug expense.
We can clearly gain some valuable insights from this incredible piece in the Wall Street journal and sent in by ever diligent Michael Belkin.
Unless you have nitroglycerin, insulin and liquid antibiotics, you can pretty much be safely assured that your medication expires years beyond the date it says it does. I believe the major tragedy is that many Third World countries needlessly discard the drugs that are sent to them and could actually be saving lives due to lack of appreciation of this concept.
By Laurie P. Cohen
Do drugs really stop working after the date stamped on the bottle? Fifteen years ago, the U.S. military decided to find out. Sitting on a $1 billion stockpile of drugs and facing the daunting process of destroying and replacing its supply every two to three years, the military began a testing program to see if it could extend the life of its inventory. The testing, conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ultimately covered more than 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter.
The results, never before reported, show that about 90% of them were safe and effective far past their original expiration date, at least one for 15 years past it.
In light of these results, a former director of the testing program, Francis Flaherty, says he has concluded that expiration dates put on by manufacturers typically have no bearing on whether a drug is usable for longer. Mr. Flaherty notes that a drug maker is required to prove only that a drug is still good on whatever expiration date the company chooses to set. The expiration date doesn't mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being effective after that, nor that it will become harmful.MARKETING ISSUE
"Manufacturers put expiration dates on for marketing, rather than scientific, reasons," says Mr. Flaherty, a pharmacist at the FDA until his retirement last year. "It's not profitable for them to have products on a shelf for 10 years. They want turnover."
The FDA cautions that there isn't enough evidence from the program, which is weighted toward drugs needed during combat and which tests only individual manufacturing batches, to conclude that most drugs in people's medicine cabinets are potent beyond the expiration date. Still, Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, says that with a handful of exceptions - notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics - most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency has tested for the military. "Most drugs degrade very slowly," he says. "In all likelihood, you can take a product you have at home and keep it for many years, especially if it's in the refrigerator."
MANUFACTURERS' VIEW
Drug-industry officials don't dispute the results of the FDA's testing, within what is called the Shelf Life Extension Program. And they acknowledge that expiration dates have a commercial dimension. But they say relatively short shelf lives make sense from a public-safety standpoint, as well.
New, more-beneficial drugs can be brought on the market more easily if the old ones are discarded within a couple of years, they say. Label redesigns work better when consumers don't have earlier versions on hand to create confusion. From the companies' perspective, any liability or safety risk is diminished by limiting the period during which a consumer might misuse or improperly store a drug. "Two to three years is a very comfortable point of commercial convenience," says Mark van Arandonk, senior director for pharmaceutical development at Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. "It gives us enough time to put the inventory in warehouses, ship it and ensure it will stay on shelves long enough to get used." But companies uniformly deny any effort to spur sales through planned obsolescence.WHY NOT LONGER?
Now that the FDA has found that many drugs are still good long after they have supposedly expired, why doesn't it advocate later expiration dates for consumer drugs? One reason is that the consumer market lacks the military's logistical reasons to keep drugs around longer.
Frank Holcombe, associate director of the FDA's office of generic drugs, says that in many cases a manufacturer could extend expiration periods again and again, but to support those extensions, it would have to keep doing stability studies, and keep more in storage than it would like.
Mr. Davis adds: "It's not the job of the FDA to be concerned about a consumer's economic interest." It would be up to Congress to impose changes, he says. As things stand now, expiration dates get a lot of emphasis. For instance, there is a campaign, co-sponsored by some drug retailers, that urges people to discard pills when they reach the date on the label.
And that date often is even earlier than the one the maker set. That's because when pharmacists dispense a drug in any container other than what it came to them in, they routinely cut the expiration date to just one year after dispensing. Some states even require pharmacists to do this.
Meanwhile, poor countries - under urging from the World Health Organization - often reject drug-company donations of much-needed medicines if they are within a year of their expiration dates.
It isn't known how much of the $120 billion-plus spent annually in the U.S. on prescription and over-the-counter medicines goes to replace expired ones. But in a poll done for The Wall Street Journal by NPD Group Inc. of Port Washington, N.Y., 70% of 1,000 respondents said they probably wouldn't take a prescription drug after its expiration date; 72% said the same of an over-the-counter remedy.
"People think that, upon expiration, drugs suddenly turn toxic or lose all their potency," says Philip Alper, professor of medicine at University of California at San Francisco. In his own practice, Dr. Alper says, "I frequently hear - from patients who can't afford medicine - that they have thrown away expired drugs." He says companies should be required to test drugs for longer periods and set later expiration dates when results warrant.
Some manufacturers first began putting expiration dates on drugs in the 1960s, although they didn't have to. When the FDA began requiring such dating in 1979, the main effect was to set uniform testing and reporting guidelines. As now required by the FDA, so-called stability testing analyzes the capacity of a drug to maintain its identity, strength, quality and purity for whatever period the manufacturer picks. If the company picks a two-year expiration date, it needn't test beyond that.
Testing for a two-year expiration doesn't initially entail holding a drug for two years. Rather, the drug is tested by subjecting it to extreme heat and humidity for several months, then chemically analyzing each ingredient's identity and strength. (After the date is set and the drug is marketed, testing continues for the full two years.) The FDA also uses chemical analysis in testing for possible shelf-life extension; it doesn't test on human subjects. Testing conditions are such that any medicine that meets, say, the standards for a two-year expiration date probably lasts longer, the FDA and drug companies agree.
STILL GOOD
Consider aspirin. Bayer AG puts two-year or three-year dates on aspirin and says that it should be discarded after that. Chris Allen, a vice president at the Bayer unit that makes aspirin, says the dating is "pretty conservative"; when Bayer has tested four-year-old aspirin, it remained 100% effective, he says.
So why doesn't Bayer set a four-year expiration date? Because the company often changes packaging, and it undertakes "continuous improvement programs," Mr. Allen says. Each change triggers a need for more expiration-date testing, he says, and testing each time for a four-year life would be impractical.
Bayer has never tested aspirin beyond four years, Mr. Allen says. But Jens Carstensen has. Dr. Carstensen, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin's pharmacy school, who wrote what is considered the main text on drug stability, says, "I did a study of different aspirins, and after five years, Bayer was still excellent. Aspirin, if made correctly, is very stable."
Only one report known to the medical community linked an old drug to human toxicity. A 1963 Journal of the American Medical Association article said degraded tetracycline caused kidney damage. Even this study, though, has been challenged by other scientists. Mr. Flaherty says the Shelf Life program encountered no toxicity with tetracycline and typically found batches effective for more than two years beyond their expiration dates.
PLEA FROM THE AIR FORCE
The program dates to a U.S. effort begun in 1981 to increase military readiness by buying large quantities of drugs and medical devices for the armed forces. Four years later, more than $1 billion of supplies had been stockpiled. The General Accounting Office audited Air Force troop hospitals in Europe and found many supplies at or near expiration. It warned that by the 1990s, more than $100 million would have to be spent yearly on replacements.
The Air Force Surgeon General's office asked the FDA if it could possibly extend the shelf life of these drugs. The FDA had the equipment for stability testing. And because it had approved the drugs' sale in the first place, it also had manufacturers' data on the testing protocols. Testing for the Air Force began in late 1985. In the first year, 58 medicines from 137 different manufacturing lots were shipped to the FDA from overseas storage, among them penicillin, lidocaine and Lactated Ringers, an intravenous solution for dehydration. After testing, the FDA extended more than 80% of the expired lots, by an average of 33 months.
In 1992, according to the FDA, more than half of the expired drugs that had been retested in 1985 were still fine. Even now, at least one still is. Such results came as a revelation for Army Col. George Crawford when he took over military oversight of the program in 1997. He is a pharmacist, but "nobody tells you in pharmacy school that shelf life is about marketing, turnover and profits," he says. (The drug makers don't agree that it is, however.)
HOW IT WORKS
The military's base for the program is a dingy barracks room in Fort Detrick, Md. There, a group headed by Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Russie, who recently took over from Col. Crawford, tracks drugs that are near expiration at defense facilities all over the world, selecting many for retesting. They are shipped to the FDA, which sends them to its laboratories.
The FDA's lab in Philadelphia recently tested five automatic injectors containing an antidote to chemical poisoning, which were purposely held for three months in conditions even hotter and more humid than the FDA requires in consumer testing of drugs. The FDA tested the drug contained in the injectors, pralidoxime chloride, by separating its ingredients and measuring the strength and quality of each, then applying a computer model to determine whether a shelf-life extension was warranted.
The injectors' original expiration date was November 1985. The FDA had retested them periodically ever since, each time approving their continued use. The batch, made by Ayerst Laboratories, now part of American Home Products Corp.'s Wyeth-Ayerst unit, is 18 years old. It is 15 years beyond the expiration date applied by Ayerst. The FDA found it is still good.
A spokesman for Wyeth-Ayerst says it "uses scientific data to establish expiration dates" and "tries to have the longest possible dating on products that scientific data supports." The company is aware of the FDA retesting program. It says it can't comment specifically on the injectors tested by the FDA.
A FEW FAIL
Shelf-life extensions are "intentionally conservative," the FDA's Mr. Flaherty told military brass in a 1992 speech. He says that if the agency extended an expiration date by 36 months, it had concluded the lot would retain all of its safety and efficacy for at least 72 months. A very few drugs aren't retested. The military has found that water-purification tablets and mefloquine hydrochloride, for malaria, routinely fail stability testing beyond their expiration dates, so it has removed them from the program.
Also excluded are large-volume intravenous solutions, such as saline. "We don't like to test those," says Col. Crawford. "Not because we can't, but because it would be politically sensitive if G.I. Joe was lying in bed and saw it had originally expired three years ago."
Mr. Flaherty has said that while he tested a handful of drug batches that didn't even make it to their expiration dates, most drugs were "surprisingly durable." In one instance, he says, drugs labeled for room-temperature storage had been kept for two years in a warehouse in Oman that averaged 135 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime. Upon expiration, the drugs, which included the local anesthetic lidocaine and atropine, a nerve-gas antidote also used by eye doctors to dilate pupils, "were well within the standards for potency and other quality characteristics," he says.
STABLE MOLECULE
One medicine the FDA has endorsed for extensions is ciprofloxacin hydrochloride tablets, an antibiotic marketed by Bayer as Cipro. One batch had an expiration date of March 1989. More than 9 1/2 years later, the FDA found the tablets still good; it then extended some of them for 18 more months and others for 24 more months.
Albert Poirier, quality-assurance director for Bayer's pharmaceutical division, says he isn't surprised because Cipro "is a stable drug molecule" in tablet form. "We go for a shelf life that will be safest for patients," he says. "We want the drug to be used up within three years. We wouldn't want a patient to have it for 10 years because they'd have an old package insert" that might omit new information or contra-indications and because "we'd have no control over how they'd store the drug during this time."
Another extended drug is Thorazine, a tranquilizer chemically known as chlorpromazine tablets. Batches bearing December 1996 expiration dates - unused and unopened, as is the case with all drugs evaluated in the Shelf Life program - were tested in July 1998 and extended for two years. A spokesman for the maker, SmithKline Beecham PLC, says it applies an expiration date 24 months after manufacture. "We think that is the appropriate expiration date," he says. "We don't benefit from short expiration dates."
Some other drugs the FDA has extended at least two years beyond their expiration dates are diazepam, sold as Valium; cimetidine, sold as Tagamet; phenytoin, sold as Dilantin; and the antibiotics tetracycline and penicillin.BIG SAVINGS
On a cost-benefit basis, the program's returns have been huge. The first year, the Air Force paid the FDA $78,000 for testing and saved 59 times that sum by not needing to replace the drugs. After other services joined, the military from 1993 through 1998 spent about $3.9 million on testing and saved $263.4 million on drug expense, according to Lt. Col. Russie.
Says Mr. Flaherty: "We've cost the pharmaceutical companies hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of new stuff to the Department of Defense." More than 12 years ago, Messrs. Flaherty and Davis explained the program to drug-company chemists at a meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in Woodbridge, N.J., going into detail about how the FDA decided whether to extend a given expiration date. Mr. Davis concluded by noting how much the U.S. had saved by extending shelf lives instead of "destroying large quantities of still-useful medical products... ."
Mr. Flaherty says the FDA was keenly aware that if its methodology was flawed, or its results incorrect even once, its credibility would be attacked. Yet FDA officials say that during the program's 15 years, drug makers have never objected to any of its procedures or findings. "They may not have liked what we were doing, but they weren't able to challenge it," he says.
THE MESSAGE TO CIVILIANS
While the military is finding it can keep most drugs longer, civilians hear quite a different message. For instance, a campaign called the National Expired and Unused Medication Drive has collected and destroyed 36 tons of drugs since 1991, says its founder, Kathilee Champlin. Ms. Champlin, of Colorado Springs, Colo., says her interest derives from experience working with the elderly and seeing how hard it was for them to keep track of all their medications. She says she wasn't aware of any FDA program to extend drugs' shelf lives.
Her group has gained sponsorship from the some big drug retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. It sponsors the campaign to be "a good corporate citizen," says Frank Seagrave, vice president of pharmacy merchandising. "We believe that people should dispose of unused prescription medicines a year after they get them," he says, adding that Wal-Mart sometimes gives people a free bottle of vitamins if they bring in expired drugs.
Many pharmacists also play a role in shelf lives. The U.S. Pharmacopeia, a not-for-profit scientific group that develops standards for the drug industry, urged in 1985 that pharmacists set expiration dates at no more than one year if they were dispensing drugs in a bottle other than the manufacturer's original packaging. "New containers may let in more moisture and heat than the container the manufacturer used for the stability study," accelerating the drug's degradation, says the USP General Counsel Joseph Valentino.
The recommendation became a USP requirement in 1997. As a result, "the majority of pharmacists shorten the manufacturers' expiration dates" on prescription drugs to one year or less, says Susan Winckler, an official of the American Pharmaceutical Association. In fact, in 17 states, pharmacists now are legally required to do so. Ms. Winckler says shortening the dates makes sense because many people store drugs in moist bathrooms. She says the one-year rule is "motivated by product integrity and not by profit."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL March 29, 2000
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
The key from the article is "shelf life is about marketing, turnover and profits. I find it absolutely incredible that the military spent from 1993 through 1998 about $3.9 million on testing and saved $263.4 million on drug expense.
We can clearly gain some valuable insights from this incredible piece in the Wall Street journal and sent in by ever diligent Michael Belkin.
Unless you have nitroglycerin, insulin and liquid antibiotics, you can pretty much be safely assured that your medication expires years beyond the date it says it does. I believe the major tragedy is that many Third World countries needlessly discard the drugs that are sent to them and could actually be saving lives due to lack of appreciation of this concept.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
# 55 Decisions and Decorum
Recognizing that my views on numerous subjects give only one perspective , that a more eclectic approach was needed , and be available to my readers.
My view points, products and items used, and books mentioned, are, of course "what worked for me". But might not work for you! Listing all the various avenues would create write-ups that would be "book" like in size. In considering what is available and practical posed many problems. No way , could one cover all the various areas related to a specific subject.
So, in keeping with my philosophy of using the "KISS"process ( meaning of course, Keep It Simple Stupid ) I looked for a practical means of doing so. Other than hiring a Public Relations company ( too costly ) and beyond what is needed here, I decided to "hire" Google, so to speak, and put on their program to search out what fits, subject wise.
So feel free to "click" on the ads that show.
They are supposed to relate to content with-in a given article.
So , that's where it stands for now.
My view points, products and items used, and books mentioned, are, of course "what worked for me". But might not work for you! Listing all the various avenues would create write-ups that would be "book" like in size. In considering what is available and practical posed many problems. No way , could one cover all the various areas related to a specific subject.
So, in keeping with my philosophy of using the "KISS"process ( meaning of course, Keep It Simple Stupid ) I looked for a practical means of doing so. Other than hiring a Public Relations company ( too costly ) and beyond what is needed here, I decided to "hire" Google, so to speak, and put on their program to search out what fits, subject wise.
So feel free to "click" on the ads that show.
They are supposed to relate to content with-in a given article.
So , that's where it stands for now.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
# 53 Free Will - Truth or Fiction
Where to start and arrange the words and subjects covered into a congruous read! Honestly, and unfortunately, there will be no solution, no real answers, regards topics covered. Everything presented here is abstract speculation. Metaphysics, religion, God, Higher Power, spirituality, and reality are mainly speculation.
One would think that at least reality could be understood. We experience it every day. Watch it though, seems that scientists have now found that quantum physics, indicates, that what we experience as our world, is not what we think it is. Still trying to sort this one out. Will at this time, leave out most of reality talk, for another post.
Part of ones reality seems to include "free will". That leads to choices and decisions. For instance, one can cheat, lie, harm another or purchase a purple and orange suit for dress up. Perhaps you helped care for a hurt animal or bird, maybe risked you life to help save a person in trouble. Even donated some cash to a charity while behind in paying the rent.
So you made a decision and a choice. What you did was free will in action , right, or was it! One classical complaint regards free will, is mentioned in the bible. If your interested go to Romans 7:15-24. So now one needs to ask, does one truly have "free will". This can be quite troublesome in ones life. Is there an explanation to this seeming paradox? Yes and no, are both in action here, at least it seems to be so.
Have over time really pondered this issue. Also seems that others have looked into this issue. I've listed one site, that has gone into the subject quite well. It makes sense, but how to prove it, still remains an issue with me. Is it even possible to verify in any way? While I do have beliefs on this subject, will need to pursue it further.
With the best of intentions, I include:
With permission, this is a quote from "Light Whispers, October 5, 2005" newsletter.
***DID YOU KNOW…FREE WILL***
Did you know…your life can be written in stone and that you may actually have little or no free will? The events that you must experience may be so defined that no matter what you choose to do, the Spirit Guides will manipulate the situations and circumstances so that you end up doing what was written (which is often not what you thought would happen). You cannot change what is written.
Did you know…you may have a lot of free will on your life path? It may not matter what you choose to experience in your life. If your spiritual goals and life blueprint do not have events that “must happen” for you to learn what you have chosen, you may be able to do what you want throughout your life.
Did you know…different areas or aspects of your life might allow for different amounts of free will? That means that you may have a lot of free will when it comes to your job or career and you may have little or no free will when it comes to your romantic relationships. Each aspect of life is unique and the amount of free will that you have within that aspect depends on what you are here to accomplish in life.
Did you know…you decide prior to being born what events will take place in your life and how much free will you will have during your lifetime? There is no one to blame for the experiences that you have or do not have in your life – you chose and agreed to have them.
Did you know…if you have a lot of free will, when you make a decision it will affect your life blueprint and you will sit down in Spirit with your Guides and Teachers and make the necessary adjustments to your life path as you go?
Did you know… One decision can affect other aspects of your life and that can affect predicted outcomes. That is why when you get a reading, your actions or decisions can change the outcomes of the reading. If you have no free will then what you have been told will come true when it is time.
That you can find out if you how much free will you have in certain aspects of your life by clicking here.
http://www.oralin.com/october5lightwhispers.htm
One would think that at least reality could be understood. We experience it every day. Watch it though, seems that scientists have now found that quantum physics, indicates, that what we experience as our world, is not what we think it is. Still trying to sort this one out. Will at this time, leave out most of reality talk, for another post.
Part of ones reality seems to include "free will". That leads to choices and decisions. For instance, one can cheat, lie, harm another or purchase a purple and orange suit for dress up. Perhaps you helped care for a hurt animal or bird, maybe risked you life to help save a person in trouble. Even donated some cash to a charity while behind in paying the rent.
So you made a decision and a choice. What you did was free will in action , right, or was it! One classical complaint regards free will, is mentioned in the bible. If your interested go to Romans 7:15-24. So now one needs to ask, does one truly have "free will". This can be quite troublesome in ones life. Is there an explanation to this seeming paradox? Yes and no, are both in action here, at least it seems to be so.
Have over time really pondered this issue. Also seems that others have looked into this issue. I've listed one site, that has gone into the subject quite well. It makes sense, but how to prove it, still remains an issue with me. Is it even possible to verify in any way? While I do have beliefs on this subject, will need to pursue it further.
With the best of intentions, I include:
With permission, this is a quote from "Light Whispers, October 5, 2005" newsletter.
***DID YOU KNOW…FREE WILL***
Did you know…your life can be written in stone and that you may actually have little or no free will? The events that you must experience may be so defined that no matter what you choose to do, the Spirit Guides will manipulate the situations and circumstances so that you end up doing what was written (which is often not what you thought would happen). You cannot change what is written.
Did you know…you may have a lot of free will on your life path? It may not matter what you choose to experience in your life. If your spiritual goals and life blueprint do not have events that “must happen” for you to learn what you have chosen, you may be able to do what you want throughout your life.
Did you know…different areas or aspects of your life might allow for different amounts of free will? That means that you may have a lot of free will when it comes to your job or career and you may have little or no free will when it comes to your romantic relationships. Each aspect of life is unique and the amount of free will that you have within that aspect depends on what you are here to accomplish in life.
Did you know…you decide prior to being born what events will take place in your life and how much free will you will have during your lifetime? There is no one to blame for the experiences that you have or do not have in your life – you chose and agreed to have them.
Did you know…if you have a lot of free will, when you make a decision it will affect your life blueprint and you will sit down in Spirit with your Guides and Teachers and make the necessary adjustments to your life path as you go?
Did you know… One decision can affect other aspects of your life and that can affect predicted outcomes. That is why when you get a reading, your actions or decisions can change the outcomes of the reading. If you have no free will then what you have been told will come true when it is time.
That you can find out if you how much free will you have in certain aspects of your life by clicking here.
http://www.oralin.com/october5lightwhispers.htm
Monday, October 03, 2005
# 54 How Do You Think
If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't!
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you think you'll lose, you're lost;
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself
Before you 'll ever win the prize.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the person who thinks he can!
-- Author Unknown
If you think you dare not, you don't!
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you think you'll lose, you're lost;
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself
Before you 'll ever win the prize.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the person who thinks he can!
-- Author Unknown
Saturday, October 01, 2005
# 52 Recheck Posts For Added New Data
I do add to my postings as new information is found. So do a recheck in case some new data was put in. It is nice to see new comments to the posts. If you disagree with what is written, why not comment on it. Same with , if it helped, why not post a "yup, it was helpful because......".
If you get a burning desire ( LOL ) to carry on a discussion on some aspect of a post, do it through the comments segment. Please though, dont use any real names for every ones protection and safety. You can sign in with a User Name and Password, that way no one knows who you are, and my response is addressed to your private User Name.
In fact , I am going to create an open Post , just for that purpose, watch for it.
History
1st - 9/30/05
If you get a burning desire ( LOL ) to carry on a discussion on some aspect of a post, do it through the comments segment. Please though, dont use any real names for every ones protection and safety. You can sign in with a User Name and Password, that way no one knows who you are, and my response is addressed to your private User Name.
In fact , I am going to create an open Post , just for that purpose, watch for it.
History
1st - 9/30/05
# 51 Chit Chat1 Rearranged blog as of 9-29-2005
Did you notice the rearranged articles?
Well it was all about learning how to tame the mess that came about in posting the blurbs. Interesting as this all is, there is a learning curve to cope with.
In the process of correcting the mess I had made, Your truly managed to lose all the "comments" that had been posted. I don't pretend to understand the "how of it", yet, but come on back and say "hi" again. Apparently "Post and Comments" are processed separately, with no control over the "Comments" section.
Had to add in a new process to foil Blog Hackers, that would post undesired data . Now you just type in what is shown in a little window, that automatic site readers are unable to handle, as of 9-28-2005.
Not quite sure , yet, on what or how it will wind up look wise.
If you Post a Comment , you might want to use only your first name, and the first letter of your last name. Use a password also if you want, or do it all "anonymously", then put your first name and first letter of the last name in the text.
This has been and is a surprising situation, writing down thoughts and also finding how often I type in a cuss or crappy word, and need to cut it out.
( need to apply this to my speech process too) .
Those things talked on, are from a number of sources and experiences . Huge amounts of water has rushed under and over this "bridge called life", and "the good, and the not so good" has registered "pleasant and not so pleasant" episodes. Not complaining though, it has all culminated so far, in the making of "The Talker". Is that good or not so good?
For now
Well it was all about learning how to tame the mess that came about in posting the blurbs. Interesting as this all is, there is a learning curve to cope with.
In the process of correcting the mess I had made, Your truly managed to lose all the "comments" that had been posted. I don't pretend to understand the "how of it", yet, but come on back and say "hi" again. Apparently "Post and Comments" are processed separately, with no control over the "Comments" section.
Had to add in a new process to foil Blog Hackers, that would post undesired data . Now you just type in what is shown in a little window, that automatic site readers are unable to handle, as of 9-28-2005.
Not quite sure , yet, on what or how it will wind up look wise.
If you Post a Comment , you might want to use only your first name, and the first letter of your last name. Use a password also if you want, or do it all "anonymously", then put your first name and first letter of the last name in the text.
This has been and is a surprising situation, writing down thoughts and also finding how often I type in a cuss or crappy word, and need to cut it out.
( need to apply this to my speech process too) .
Those things talked on, are from a number of sources and experiences . Huge amounts of water has rushed under and over this "bridge called life", and "the good, and the not so good" has registered "pleasant and not so pleasant" episodes. Not complaining though, it has all culminated so far, in the making of "The Talker". Is that good or not so good?
For now
Rearrange history , !st was 7/10/04, 2nd was 9/29/05
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