AUGUST 6 - 7, 2011 SPIRITUALITY AND THE MIND

"Spirituality is not something you learn, it is something you experience."

For those who are spiritual, I do not know if there is anything I can say. For those of you who are not spiritual or do not meditate, I invite you to try. I was raised in the Roman Catholic religion. My family attended church every Sunday. I even attended Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday masses with my Nanny. I 'gave up' candy during Lent as a child. My mother had my brother and I dress up for Sunday children's mass with Father Peter Gelsimino. Do I have religion in my life today? The answer is yes and no. I am very spiritual. I believe in one greater than myself. I call him G.O.D. It is not the same G.O.D. from my childhood. It is the G.O.D. of my understanding. I came to understand about this G.O.D. during my twelve step program.

For me, I do not need a church to pray. I pray every day. I can be at home on the terrace, in Central Park, in a church near work, on the beach or even in a synagogue when I pray. The surroundings do not matter. I will pray either in a sitting position or a kneeling position. I often start with a prayer before I meditate. It might be as simple as the serenity prayer.

It might even be The Promises from the AA Big Book, pages 83 and 84. It states this:

We are going to know a new Freedom and a new Happiness. We will not regret the past nor shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word Serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that GOD is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant Promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

They will always materialize if we work for them.

These promises get me through the most difficult days. Anyone can read it, recite it and even leave a copy in his/her wallet. (I pulled out the copy from my wallet when I couldn't remember the phrase after 'self-seeking will slip away')


Speaking about the mind...

In 1907 Alois Alzheimer first described the condition named after him: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) This is a progressive disease that causes memory loss, disorientation, depression and loss of control over bodily functions. The earliest event in AD is oxidative damage to the brain. I want to discuss the association of high cholesterol and AD. Studies show that a high cholesterol is associated with AD with a latency period of 15-30 years. This is an independent risk factor for AD. There is a genetic test available- ApoE gene. Those individuals who have ApoE gene 4/4 have an increased risk of developing AD. Some suggest that statin drugs (those drugs that help block cholesterol production) may prevent or delay AD onset. To date, all of these studies using statin drugs to delay or prevent have not shown it to be beneficial. I do know that some physicians still prescribe statin drugs for AD.

I would rather prescribe a lipid management supplement that contains policosanol, plant sterols, guggulipids, and red rice yeast (from plant Monacus purpurus). I call this product Cardiol L forte (available at http://www.longevitynutritionals.com/) Free radical damage causes neurol death. The policosanol in this product has a stronger inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation than statins and has no side effects. This was studied in 6,000 patients who were followed for 5 years.

Until tomorrow...