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Welcome To Conscious Friends
March 22, 2009
Hello and welcome to Conscious Friends, a community of The Conscious Living Foundation!
As you know, our site was created to support those interested in spiritual and personal growth. Along the way, many of us have realized that relationships are an important part of creating and maintaining a harmonious and uplifting life.
To that end, The Conscious Living Foundation is pleased to offer these pages on our site in the hope that we all can find new like-minded friends and perhaps develop deeper relationships.
There are several ways to visit these pages. As a...more
50 Benefits of Meditation
June 17, 2008
Meditation literally means, "thinking process with present moment awareness".
1.) To have healthy heart.
2.) To have normal blood pressure.
3.) To have normal cholesterol.
4.) To prevent stroke / paralysis.
5.) To have perfect digestion.
6.) To have perfect weight.
7.) To have perfect sleep.
8.) To become a perfect choice maker.
9.) To reverse and regress ageing.
10.) To remain young.
11.) To prevent cancer.
12.) To become embodiment of positive emotions.
13.) To get rid of negative emotions. more
Is Consciousness Energy?
June 11, 2008
If you tune into someone's "vibrations," are you picking up some form of energy they are emitting - perhaps something we might call "psychic energy?"
It may be tempting to think so . . . to think of consciousness as a form of energy. But is it?
What might be going on when we say we feel someone's vibrations?
Well, one possibility is that their brain or their body could be sending out waves of energy - something, perhaps, like electricity. If so, it must be far more subtle than any form of energy known to...more
100 Ideas for Creating a More Peaceful World
May 20, 2008
Creating world peace takes many forms, but surely it begins with individuals. Here are 100 ideas for creating a more peaceful world. Everyone can play a part in creating peace. It continues to be the most significant challenge of humankind and requires the efforts of each of us.
[The list contains only 97 Ideas because I removed broken links to defunct websites.
You can bring it back to 100 Ideas by adding your own for Creating a More Peaceful World!
When you do, take a moment to post your additions on the Conscious...more
Recipe for Simplicity
May 6, 2008
"Simplify, Simplify…" More than a century after Henry David Thoreau uttered these words, his plea for simplicity has more significance now than ever before.
We work hard and play hard, filling nearly every moment with activity. Most families believe they need two incomes to pay for a standard of living that has doubled in the last 50 years. But do we?
Based on my three-year study of over 200 people who have simplified their lives, I found that we can work less, want less, and spend less, and be happier and more fulfilled in the process.
Here are ten...more
Spiritual Diversity
April 29, 2008
To our pre-Christian spiritual ancestors, spirituality was both contemporary and relevant. In cultures where polytheism (the belief in many gods) was the rule, rather than the exception, individuals were given the ability to find their own beliefs and to choose their own spiritual paths based upon their personal needs and the calling of their own hearts. Households had specific deities that represented the prosperity and protection that the family hoped for their home. Agricultural festivals had gods that watched over the planting, the growing crops, and the harvest. This diverse pantheon of deities created a culture where a person would draw closest to the god...more
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Faith and Medicine
February 6, 2007
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More patients and doctors are contemplating the benefits of an age-old complementary and alternative medicine practice—spirituality. Interest in adding a spiritual dimension to healthcare may stem from a number of factors. Many patients have long lamented the absence of a personal level of care from their doctors. In addition, the aging US population demands a growing emphasis on end-of-life care. Even doctors are reacting to the increasingly depersonalized medical approach of today, and a growing number of them believe that attending to the spiritual lives of their patients is an important part of the doctor-patient relationship. This changing attitude can be seen in our medical schools: more than 50 US medical schools now offer elective courses in spirituality.
Scientists have been taking a closer look at spirituality as well. A dozen studies by Duke University Medical Center show that certain religious activities seem to improve health. For example, one study found a strong connection between lower blood pressure and prayer, Bible reading, and attending church (note: religious TV and radio shows did not have that affect). A recent study in Kansas City indicated that people may benefit from having others pray for them, even when the prayers are said without their knowledge. The study involved two groups of heart patients. Neither group knew if anyone was praying for them; people unrelated to the study participants said prayers for one group but not the other. At the end of the study, the group that had people praying for them had experienced fewer medical complications. Other research has indicated that practices such as saying repetitive prayers and spending time in meditation may have positive physiological, neurological, and psychological effects. This supports findings that people who have spiritual practices are better able to cope with stress.
Many practitioners believe that spiritual practices help with medical treatment (thereby reducing health care costs) and enhance quality of life. But some hesitate to prescribe spirituality as an extension of medicine, questioning whether it is appropriate for doctors to be involved in a non-medical arena. Others wonder if religion can be considered equivalent to other lifestyle factors, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet, and therefore falls under a doctor's scope of advice. Still others are concerned that if doctors encourage religious practices they may cause harm by implying that poor health is a result of lesser spiritual worthiness. They believe it would be wrong to convey the message that being close to God means having better health.
Doctors and patients will continue to struggle with the issues around incorporating spirituality into health care as more research is done on the subject. For now, there's no definitive scientific proof that prayer is a necessary part of healthcare, although, from the evidence that's in, it certainly doesn't seem to hurt.
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| Glossary |
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Neurological: having to do with the nervous system's structure and function
Physiological: having to do with the body's chemical and physical function
Psychological: having to do with the mind's function and how it relates to behavior
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| Suggested Resources |
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Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief by Herbert Benson and Marg Stark (Fireside 1997)
Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine by Larry Dossey (Harper Mass Market Paperbacks 1997)
Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing by Larry Dossey (Harper Collins 1999)
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| References |
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American Medical Association. "What is the role of spirituality in medicine?" American Medical News. April 12, 1999. Available at: http//www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/msjama/articles.
National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. "Health Care Industry Supports Spirituality in Medicine," CAM Newsletter. January 1998. Available at: http://altmed.od.nih.gov.
Sloan RP, Bagiella E, Powell T. Religion, spirituality and medicine. Lancet. 1999;353:664-667.
Spirituality & Health Web site. "Prayer Helps Heart Patients Who Don't Know They're Being Prayed For." Accessed on Oct. 26, 1999. Available at: http//www.spiritualityhealth.com/news.
Spirituality & Health Web site. "Want Lower Blood Pressure? Get Out to Church, Says a New Study." Accessed on Aug. 11, 1998. Available at: http//www.spiritualityhealth.com/news.
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| Review Date: December 1999 |
Reviewed By: Integrative Medicine editorial
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Copyright © 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc
The publisher does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information or the consequences arising from the application, use, or misuse of any of the information contained herein, including any injury and/or damage to any person or property as a matter of product liability, negligence, or otherwise. No warranty, expressed or implied, is made in regard to the contents of this material. No claims or endorsements are made for any drugs or compounds currently marketed or in investigative use. This material is not intended as a guide to self-medication. The reader is advised to discuss the information provided here with a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or other authorized healthcare practitioner and to check product information (including package inserts) regarding dosage, precautions, warnings, interactions, and contraindications before administering any drug, herb, or supplement discussed herein.
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