Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

Monday, October 31, 2005

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

I walked through the CrossGate Mall in Albany the other day and much to my surprise I picked up a few items in the center carts that were health related an ooooh so stimulating..., I hope to see more of these on the market as I just added a note on some in my website. Visit me on maxaweb.com and enjoy reading up on more of my interest..., i hope you appreciate my notes. -- mick

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

I've talked about how success-minded thinking requires a willingness to view life with a positive perspective. It also calls for persistence and determination.

As Calvin Coolidge wrote: "Press on. Nothing can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; the world is full of unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

To help you stay persistent and embrace success-minded thinking, commit yourself to building and maintaining friendships and contacts that enrich and enhance your life and your dreams. I like to call these people "true fans and supporters." They are the ones who believe in you and want you to achieve your desires. They cheer you on, celebrate your accomplishments, and lift you up when you are feeling down.

The saying "misery loves company" is all too true, so limit time and set clear boundaries with those who are constantly negative, unsupportive, or drain your precious energy. They are on a different path than you. Perhaps your positive ways and abundant life will influence them to make a change in their own life, perhaps not. Remember, you can't make anyone change who is not ready.

Keep the focus on "What is your picture or what is pictured on the reel of your mind?" Are you one with your pictued intent and are you excited over it?! Is it on your mind when you get up and when you go to sleep? Mind and senses are your lens that provides the pictured intent as it is tagged with the last minute add on called Time, Then your picture is re-alized into Reality you promote--yourself. So don't hang around with turkey's and promote yourself a real master of the air!

Surround yourself with positive like-minded people. Press on, Sir/Madam/Miss. Great success will come if you are persistent.
-- mick

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

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Found a pretty interesting site on chakra understanding.

although, I simply call on Source and ask for a Chakra cleansing, a redirection of the spin and speed and it's done., but you may like to get a basis of what i mean by reading up on the study.

In prayer or speech with higher self, you might go as follows;
Dear God (who knows what god is except that we normally know it is a source of light, and illuminates the reel of our pictured intent, much like the lamp on a projector lights the film on a reel in the movie theatre.)

I state not my will as I give over all to my Source.

Your Will be done...,

Through me (as i relinquish my position to a higher source with wich I am one.)

To "_____"

for their highest good!

In the name of I AM, (as i am that I AM)

etc.


It is always best to picture the condition as well and not focus on the problem... reason:
a) God or your higher source knows the condition and all etc., etc.,
b) Your focus should be on the outcome and a healed situation not the problem (I change things by picturing the original wellness, as I know it..., and the cells are conditioned to respond.)
c)heat flows immediately as the Kundalini is activated and for the sake of hindi culture, sorry I am not lost my sidhis may be responding in the healing of another, but the angels love it and i do not tire, as it is not my energy, but the energy of the source.

I do not give my power over to the aliens, or the dark side. though they try to find me and rupture my innards at times.

repair is a breath away.


Ganesh is my strength and Narayan and consort are always looking in at my work in person physically.

Ram and i have met eye to eye and I am considered Braman by many. Vishnu has a place in my life as does the christian god, sorry, it is not the blood thirsty god of the hebrews, but the god that is Love. For in love no disease or discomfor is present.

-michael

Monday, October 17, 2005

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future ....I know
The General Electric head of Nano Technologies is working on a chip that will do what we do as energy healers..., i would advise him to think about it as it would be like handing a child a shotgun..., without limits. Sorry, Your probably best looking at what kids in College do with a calculator..., they cannot add their shopping bill or taxi fare without the calculator. Yes you may have a lot of Phd's to provide the calculations for producing the chip, but the end times energy and the mass of anger and growing to end themselves without viewing their possibilities beyond ending..., is the problem.., look at the chip implants-what a way to limit them considering a simple virus hits the chip. Yes the information does go to B.E.A.S.T in Brussels, and the code does have a 666 encoded in the readout..., I am sure your aware that it may mean being a servant to .., it is to bad that you cannot see beyond the possibility that any answer that you can provide is simply the arrogant view of pride that refuses to give the Source the right to have you the extension of itself as a conduit while being responsible to SELF recognizing your place as the cup for the wine thich overflows and bless all that it touches.- mick

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

ALTERNATIVE HEALING
--michael

ALTERNATIVE HEALING


There are no definite promises or cures using alternative health practices, just as there are no definite promises using traditional medical techniques and medications. The American Medical Association would like you to believe that only through the intake of pharmaceutical prescription medicine, authorized by a traditionally agent or agency can bring about a true healing or at least alleviate your disease or discomfort. However, it is very possible that alternative health practices, when used in conjunction with traditional methods, balancing the body mind and spirit becomes more feasible, assisting in the healing process with a wider spectrum of attack. Please note that many times alternative healing my appear to be the miracle cure. It all depends on a variety of factors. For most of us, there are only a few different healing therapies being utilized in our lives. Most involve intuition, centering, intent and focus, but the most important ingredient many times ignored. I believe it is the healing the power of “Love” a word we liberally use in place of the word “Grace.” In Grace there are no opposites like good and evil, positive and negative, up and down or side by side. It is all one before the molecule or cell, in what we call the Quantum Soup.

ABSENT HEALING OR DISTANT HEALING (ETHERICAL WORK)

Absent healing is performed by the medium or healer, directed to someone who is not present physically. They may be in another state or country, as there is no direct physical contact between the patient and the healer. It is said to be a natural gift which we are born with, and most of us have not been trained in the use of it. The establishment would like us to look at the subject as a mental conditioning rather than a conditioning of our reality.

Because an individual may not be aware that he/she is in need of healing, a patient may not go for a healing treatment. An individual may actually be ignorant of their dis’ease and or the patient or individual may not have any knowledge of this form of spiritual healing and a concerned relative or friend may request help on their behalf. The patient or family involved may also be opposed to spiritual forms of healing treatments. At this point ‘concern,’ may be the conduit for the healer to use as a connection to the healee.

There is no set procedure for "absent healing." The healing may come through in the form of writing or speaking. The healer may image the individual holographic ally, as they are working with and let their hands move across an imaginary body while performing this type of psychic healing on the patient's o0r healee’s behalf.

The healer sends out the intent to serve in the healing, asking his/her source for guidance, direction or for assistance given to the patient. Whatever is important and necessary is revealed to the healer provided he/she first request permission from the healee’s higher source, and clear the way for concerned pathways to be opened for clear channeling of the information from spirit through the multi-dimensional bodies on all levels, flow freely from and to the healee.

Energy healing may be used to strengthen the body's immune system by stimulating the body's ability to adjust and balance itself. This technique is useful for relieving pain and for improving the function of organ systems and body functions by stimulating acupuncture points on the surface of the body.

Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that Chi, the vital force that flows continuously throughout the body, travels throughout the body along channels of energy called meridians. The pathways regulate and coordinate the body's well-being by distributing "chi" energy throughout the system. Energy healing addresses the meridians points which are treated whenever a diseased condition exists that blocks the normal flow of energy along these meridians. Dis’ease is an imbalance in the meridian system.

AFFIRMATIONS (A THOUGHT HELD IN MIND)

An affirmation or statement either in word, thought, action or feeling helps confirms a belief pattern held. Affirmations can be negative or positive. Through daily repetition we can change our negative/positive affirmations which we feed to ourselves constantly, with positive thoughts and feelings until they become a part of our ‘Reality.’

AROMATHERAPY

Aromatherapy is an ancient science, and an important part of herbal medicine that uses the scent of oils and plants to produce strong physical and emotional effects on the body, and mind, while acting on different levels. They produce an emotional reaction on the physical plane, restoring energy balance. They have deep subconscious effects on emotions, and are elevating and soothing on the non-material or spiritual plane.

CHIROPRACTIC

A chiropractor works on the spine, bones, joints and muscles. There are healing potentials achieved through chiropractic that are not achievable by other forms of therapy. The sublimated or fixated vertebra is physical manipulated through hands-on or energy wave healing technique applied specifically adjusting the problem to alleviate, balance and restoring the physical body and related health symptoms.

CRYSTAL THERAPY

Healing with crystals predates our knowledge of historical ancient civilizations. In this method of healing quartz and other stones are placed on and around the body to stimulate and sensitize subtle vibration patterns to release energy blockages. Crystals vibrate and emit energy which resonate with the human body and energy useful in healing and balancing. They are also natural cleansers. They absorb negativity from the human and animals as well. The crystals need to be cleansed by burial in a heavily wooded area.. An energy healer can program the crystal for a specific treatment to help in the healing process, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Crystals condition light and color, much like the lens conditions the light focused to the retina, to the body's aura. They raise its vibration frequency to the cell level, allow healings to take place. The emotional, physical and non-material effects are felt immediately and profoundly in some. One can program the crystal for a specific treatment to be used. The pictured-intent behind the programming is most important to realize tangible effects to the healee.

ENERGY BALANCING

The healer as a conduit for his/her source, moves the energy in and about, within and with out the physical body and the auric energy bodies. This is accomplished when the therapist works in the chakric or energy systems located throughout the body. It increases the sensitivity and creative well-being of the individual.

HERBALS

The use of specific herbs and plants for medicinal purposes has been practiced for millennia all over the world in different cultures. They have healing powers capable of balancing the emotional, mental and physical dimensions in humans and animals..

Herbal therapy uses various herbal combinations for healing as well as cleansing purposes. They are used in the form of tablets, capsules, salves, oils, tinctures, extracts, teas, herbal baths, poultices and much more. Herbs may be used internally or externally. They are a valuable adjunct to many therapies. They address both the symptoms and causes of a problem offering nutrients, body balancing, detoxification and much more. Herbs can be used in prevention and treatment for the individual.


HOMEOPATHY

Homeopathy dates back to he Father of Medicine, Hippocrates. Samuel Hahnemann, a German medical doctor in the middle 1800's developed the system as we use it today.

Homeopathy works on the principle of "like cures like". It is a medical philosophy that recognizes disease as an energy imbalance, a disturbance/inbalance of the body's "vital force" expressed by disease symptoms. It bases its healing techniques on the same principles that energy healing is base on. It is fact that the body is a self healing entity. Those symptoms are the expression of the body attempting to restore its own balance. The actual remedies themselves, unlike with the AMA’s stand on healing, neither cover up nor destroy disease, but simulate the body's own action to rid itself of the problem.


HYDROTHERAPY

Use of water in bath or shower to stimulate the flow of circulation in the body. It relaxes and stimulates as well.


IMAGERY

Specific visualizations are used in creating healing. The steps include:
Preparation of the mind, pictured visualization, pictured intent, permission of a rise of feelings, a quieting body posture, specific slow regulated breathing, daily time frames for doing the imagery exercises, and short, specific imageries along with repetition of the imageries done in cycles for imprinting the multi-dimensional bodies at certain time periods.


KINESIOLOGY-MUSCLE TESTING-SURROGATE

Applied Kinesiology is a method of diagnosis which, when used in conjunction with standard diagnostic testing, allows for a more dynamic evaluation of the human body. The practitioner can test the patient's muscles with a simple procedure whereby they put their fingers onto the patient's arm and wrist. While working in the energy they can program responses from the body and brain to respond to questions.


MEDITATION

A technique for deep relaxation to heal the body that quiets the mind, create inner space and peace, harmony and balance through focus and awareness. It utilizes a relaxed form of mindful attention which may include, a specific sitting or laying posture, imagery, observation, mantras, control of the breath and much more-or-less. The ideal purpose of meditation is to allow greater clarity and awareness to come forth, and for the possibility of conscious transcendence to occur on a non-material level.


PENDULUM

Using a weighted object on a string or chain, some people use a crystal or some weighty object. The idea is to grasp the string or chain, between your thumb and fore finger while you relax. One begins to ask the energy to flow, affirming a yes or no while holding the wrist limp so that the pendulum swings freely from the energies. One can by noticing the energy or vibrations as the pendulum begins to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, to receive answers, change physical qualities and/or produce healing.


POLARITY Developed by Dr. Randolph Stone as a synthesis of Western and Easter healing sciences.

Polarity practitioners and the client work in a healing relationship to address physical, mental and emotional energy blockages through four phases: diet, exercise, attitude and most of all bodywork. In bodywork, a variety of contacts and manipulations are used to stimulate and balance the body's electromagnetic fields. The Practitioner may help the client to process feelings and to develop strategies for resolving issues causing the problems. The result is a safe and supportive process for the clients to heal, although it leaves other dimensions and dimensional bodies unaddressed. .


PSYCHIC HEALING

Psychic healing works to bring wholeness to an individual through the integration of the body, mind, spirit and emotions. Through the use of laying-on -of-hands, the healer works as a channel to bring in energy to the individuals body to bring healing on all levels. The channel usual senses or receives information from disincarnate spirits, angels, demigods, etc., as to causations, problems, occurring in different aspects of the individual's life which may have manifested as disease, illness, lack of confidence, or other problems. It may strengthen the individual's awareness and clarity in tuning into their own healing potential but it lacks the clarity of identifying possession at many levels of reality..


REFLEXOLOGY

Dating back to ancient Egypt and China, this ancient art and science of uses pressure points on the hands and feet to heal and revitalize the entire body. It helps to adjust the chi or energy flow in order to keep the organs in a constant state of balance. Reflexology like acupuncture, aids circulation, detoxifies glandular, muscular, nerve and meridian function. It calms the body by adjusting the polarity of the afflicted zone and releasing stress. For the most part it is still up to the cells to repair the afflicted area providing that they have been recondition to recall how to heal,.

SMUDGING

Native cultures spanning the globe utilize the burning herbs for purifying individuals and their living spaces. There are several plants that can be used: dried Apache sage or desert sage is used for cleansing and purifying, dried cedar for balancing body, mind and spirit, dried lavender for beautifying, and braided sweet grass for blessings.

Smudging has many effects on the individual and psyche. It affords one's mind the opportunity to be still and in the moment. One can feel the energy coming through during the smudging process.


SPIRITUAL HEALING

Healing which takes place based on our intuitive insight and knowledge of universal laws (principles).


THERAPEUTIC TOUCH

It utilizes the touch system of ancient healing. It was further developed by Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz in 1972, after the observation of a horse regaining its health overnight as the result of the owners loving, soothing strokes applied rhythmically all night . It involves accessing one's deepest healing energy levels to subtly work in the patient's energy field. It has been taught to nurses and doctors in the health care professions and more recently to the public around the world.


VISUALIZATION

A technique using your imagination to create what you want in your life. Most of us have been using visualization in an unconscious way in creating our present, awareness of what we call ‘Reality.’ Through the negative/positive thoughts and manifestations we create as our past and present, we address the puzzle bringing it to fruition as our pictured reality. This method helps us to focus on a positive level by contemplating and consciously visualizing what we truly want in our lives. In terms of disease or healing, visualization has been used in seeing the body rid itself of the causes, as well as visualizing what the body might look and feel like in a healthy state, free of the symptoms.

Energy Healing:

A technique that incorporates total merging with the Universal Love Energy at the Quantum Level before the pictured intent is re-alized as Time and Reality. It is achieved by become a conduit as the loving presence that is aligned with the One, True and Perfect Power, the Highest source. There are at minimum three levels of the Source, one is the dark side, two the alien presence on the multi-dimensional levels, the demigod sources and the Source itself, the Prime essence of being that created itself and thereby gives birth to the creation itself moment by moment.

Energy Healing incorporates all of the following: Distant Healing, Acupuncture, Affirmations, Aromatherapy, Chiropractic, Crystal Therapy, Energy Balancing, Herb logy, Homeopathy, Hydro-therapy, Imagery, Kinesiology, Meditation, Dowsing, Polarity, Psychic Healing, Reflexology, Smudging, Spiritual Healing, Therapeutic Touch, Visualization and more at the Quantum Level with a simple request to Source for intercession in bring about a restoration and rebalancing of energy, a cleansing of the charkas a correction of the direction of spin and speed of these charkas and much more.

Physics would like to realize the level of reality at eleven dimensions. At present energy healers using Source are working on the twelfth dimensional level. Using the analogy of the movie projector and the screen, with you as the viewer, one may obtain a working relation of being. The analogy may be viewed as the lamp, the light, the reel of tape, the pictured intent, the lens, the focus of mind and the point at which time the realized picture screen.

Another problem that Physics has not addressed is the male/female principle and where or how it fits in. This can be seen in the first charka vision of the male and female god having tea within the four petal lotus that sits atop Ganesh, with the Kundalini energy rising like a light cloud in the form of a white cobra, from the midst of the two as the male figure tells the epic tale and the female quietly listens and pours the tea.

The missing key is the vision of Aton. The twenty white petals, suspended in the sky, surrounding a bracelet of alternating red and orange half arcs that are suspended in a circle of indigo background that almost touches the base of the white petals.--michael

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

Sounds from the Past affecting the FutureSome late payments have much more drastic consequences than others. Miss a single rent payment, for example, and your landlord can start eviction proceedings that will have you on the street in a matter of weeks in most areas. Mortgage lenders (including home-equity lenders) and auto lenders have short fuses as well. Meanwhile, credit-card companies, medical providers and student-loan lenders typically wait months before taking collection actions.

Knowing the consequences can help you prioritize your bills. Your essential bills include your shelter (rent or mortgage), utilities (that's power, heat, water and one phone line, but not cable), food and anything that allows you to work, including car payments and child care. If you owe child support or taxes, those are typically must-pays as well.

Most other debts fall into the nonessential category that can be delayed, at least for awhile.

Consequences of being late
Debt Time when real trouble starts Fallout
Mortgage 90 to 120 days late Foreclosure, loss of home
Auto loan One day late (although many lenders wait 60 days) Repossession, loss of car, potential for collection of unpaid debt
Student loans 270 days late Wage garnishment, tax-refund seizure
Credit cards 180 days late Account “charged off,” sent to collections
Collections accounts Depends on amount, aggressiveness of collector Lawsuit, wage garnishment
Tax debt Depends on amount, aggressiveness of collector Wage garnishment, property or bank account seizure
Child support Depends on amount, aggressiveness of collector Lawsuit, wage garnishment, jail


Coping with creditors
Mortgage lenders: If at all possible, keep up with your mortgage and home equity payments. If you don't pay, your lender can foreclose -- a process that can take as little as three months (although most lenders wait for you to miss two or three payments before starting foreclosure proceedings). The further along the foreclosure process gets, the more you'll have to cough up in fees and collection costs to get your house back.

Fortunately, many lenders have gotten a lot better about trying to help homeowners survive rough times with various "workout" plans that lower or suspend payments for a few months. If your cash crunch will be short term, it makes a lot of sense to contact your lender as soon as you know you might miss a payment to request help.

If you have no idea when your financial prospects will improve, selling your house is usually a better option than letting it fall into foreclosure. You'll keep more of your equity and protect your credit score from future damage.

Auto lenders: The repo man (or woman) can come for your vehicle if you're even a day late with your payment, although it typically takes a month or two for the lender to act. But, like mortgage lenders, some auto lenders are willing to work with you if you a) contact them early and b) are in a temporary cash crunch that's about to be resolved.

Of course, if you don't need the car to get to work and you owe less than it's worth, selling it is often a great strategy to reduce your bills and free up some cash.

Unfortunately, many borrowers in your situation either need the car, owe more than it's worth or both. The options are kind of grim:


You can sell the car, but if you owe more than it's worth, you'll usually have to come up with the extra cash to get the lender to release the lien on the vehicle.

You can arrange for a voluntary repossession, but that trashes your credit as much as an involuntary one and the lender can still come after you for any unpaid debt.

You can try to hide the car from the repo team. Good luck with that.
Student lenders: At last, a little good news: most student lenders will bend over backwards to help you if you run into financial trouble.

You typically can ask for forbearance or deferrals that allow you to skip payments for a total of three years. If you've already used up those opportunities, ask about income-sensitive or graduated repayment plans. If you can't make those payments, your loan typically won't be placed in default status until 270 days, or about nine months, have elapsed. Even then, you often can "rehabilitate" your loan with a series of on-time payments that will eventually erase the negative effects on your credit.

This is another case where you want to call the lender as soon as you run into financial trouble to see what can be worked out.

Tax debt: The IRS and other taxing authorities often can offer you an installment plan; you also might try, with a tax pro's help, making an "offer in compromise" to settle your debt. Tax agencies have plenty of ways to get their money if you try to hide from them, including wage garnishment, liens on your property or bank accounts and seizure of your refund checks, so they're another creditor you don't want to avoid.

Credit card companies and other "unsecured" lenders: "Unsecured" means your borrowing isn't attached to an asset, like a house or a car. Credit cards, medical bills and personal loans are considered unsecured debt.

It usually takes about six months of skipped payments for an unsecured lender to "charge off" your account and place it in collections. A "charge off" is an accounting term that means the lender has given up on trying to get its money; it doesn't mean you no longer owe the debt. The account is either turned over to an in-house collector or sold or assigned to a third-party collector.

You have the legal right to ask collection agencies to stop calling you; that request must be put in writing. But some collection agencies respond to such letters by taking you to court, where they could win a judgment against you and (in most states) take up to 25% of your after-tax wages (a process known as garnishment). It may be in your best interest to put off that day of reckoning.Liz Pulliam Weston‘s newsletter
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In that case, it can be helpful to have caller ID or to use your answering machine to screen all your calls. Some folks disconnect their land lines entirely and rely solely on cell phones; that not only reduces their monthly overhead, but makes it harder for collectors to find them, since cell phone numbers aren't as easy to track down.

You can't live that way forever, of course, but again, all these techniques are only short-term solutions. It's up to you to craft a plan for getting yourself out of this situation and, hopefully, making sure this never happens to you again.

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

Passing on to YOU just because it makes sense...,

The Basics
How to not pay your bills

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Here’s how to dodge the repo man and buy some time while you try to pull your financial life together.

By Liz Pulliam Weston

This is not a lesson in how to be a deadbeat.

It’s a lesson in how to do the least damage when you can’t pay all of your bills.

Most stories about dealing with debt assume you have the money to pay most or all of your bills. That's not always the case. Thanks to bad planning, bad decisions, bad luck or a combination of all three, sometimes you just don't have the scratch.

Yet filing for bankruptcy, despite its recent popularity, isn't always the solution. If your bills aren't that monumental or your financial prospects are likely to improve, a Chapter 7 filing could be a major overreaction. You also may have a profound distaste for skipping out on your creditors -- even if you can't pay them just now.

It can be helpful, in those times, to understand how to create some breathing room for yourself so you can formulate a plan to get back on your feet while minimizing the long-term financial fallout.Don't let retirement
sneak up on you.
Create a perfect plan.



Unfortunately, many people in financial crisis simply stick their heads in the sand, refusing to admit the severity of the problem and ultimately making matters worse. They pay a credit-card bill when the mortgage is due, for example, simply because a collector is pressuring them, or they stop paying any of their bills because they can't pay them all.

Knowing which bills must be paid and which can wait -- and for how long -- is essential for your financial survival.

The essentials
Any late payment can hurt your credit score. The three-digit number lenders use to gauge your credit-worthiness is extremely sensitive to "lates," although generally you must fall at least 30 days behind for the delinquency to be reported to credit bureaus and to affect your score. The later you are and the more accounts that are delinquent, the more devastated your score will be. The damage may persist for years, but it isn't permanent; as soon as you're back on your feet, you can begin repairing the mess (see "7 fast fixes for your credit score").


Monday, October 10, 2005

Sounds from the Past affecting the Future

from an article on msm..., just passing on to you incase you failed to read it..,

University of Michigan researchers have created a food pyramid with much more than your stomach in mind.

The colorful, 10-tier triangle, introduced in March, is based on two years of research into the power of foods to ward off and fight illnesses such as autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, cancer and heart disease, says Dr. Monica Myklebust, director of University of Michigan Integrative Medicine Clinical Services in Ann Arbor. Myklebust created the pyramid with Jenna Wunder, a nutritionist at the center.

"It seems to boil down to a certain number of essential points on how to eat to prevent and treat these conditions," explains Myklebust, a family physician who spent a two-year fellowship with University of Arizona integrative-medicine guru Dr. Andrew Weil. In a nutshell: Eat less meat and more plant products, enjoy a variety of foods and emphasize healthy fats.

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Building blocks
The Healing Foods Pyramid is accessible on the Web at http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/clinical/pyramid/. A click on each of the 12 building blocks that form the pyramid's 10 tiers brings up detailed information on the food group's benefits as well as recommended servings and portion sizes.

Water forms the base of the pyramid, followed by five tiers representing foods to be eaten daily: fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, seasonings and healthy fats like olive oil, and eggs and dairy products. The next two tiers are fish and seafood and lean meats, to be eaten weekly. Next are chocolate, alcohol and tea, grouped as "accompaniments," all of which can benefit health when consumed in moderation. Finally, at the very tip, there's an empty triangle, reserved for a "special treat that is healing for you," to be indulged in occasionally.

Myklebust and Wunder emphasize buying organic foods whenever possible, purchasing meat and eggs from free-range animals, and avoiding meat and dairy products containing hormones. The section on fish also provides details on which seafoods should be avoided due to the risk of PCB or mercury contamination. Choosing the proper foods is likely to be healthier for humans as well as for the environment, they say.

Mastering the basics
"For people who really want to be healthy and take their nutrition as far as they can go, I think it's excellent, based on everything we know that's good for us," says Katherine Tallmadge, a Washington-based spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

But the healing pyramid's complexity could be daunting for some, Tallmadge adds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest version of the food pyramid is much simpler. Five vertical stripes represent grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat and beans, while a figure runs up a set of stairs on the left side to emphasize the importance of physical activity. A few simple guidelines accompany each food group — for example, "make half your grains whole" and "bake it, broil it or grill it" for meats — and tell you how much to eat every day.

The USDA includes additional information on its Web site, mypyramid.gov, and also offers a personal, in-depth diet and physical activity assessment in My Pyramid Tracker.

"For someone that is just starting out as far as they want to improve their diet, they want to eat better, they don't know a lot about nutrition, I would definitely have them start with mypyramid.gov," says Michelle Johnson, an ADA spokesperson based in Phoenix. She said she considers the Healing Foods Pyramid to be a more advanced version that people could move up to once they've got the basics.

Mind what you eat
Johnson says she likes the Healing Foods Pyramid's emphasis on "mindful eating," or taking the time to enjoy and savor your food. "There's been some good research showing that mindful eating is a pretty good tool for maintaining a healthy weight, in addition to choosing healthy foods," she says.

Mindful eating can also prevent digestive problems and help people who have such problems to cope with them, Myklebust notes. "Mindless eating," like bolting a burger behind the wheel, is something many of us do far too often, she adds, and our stomachs don't thank us for it.

Along with eating on the run, Myklebust says, people with gastroesophageal reflux and heartburn should consider avoiding tomatoes, citrus, high-fat foods, peppermint, coffee, chocolate and alcohol, all of which can weaken the sphincter separating the stomach from the esophagus, allowing acid backup.

Johnson suggests using the two pyramids together for tip-top nutritional benefit. "These are two good resources in the sea of bad information that you can find on the Internet when it comes to healthy nutrition," she says. "I really don't see anything conflicting about the two of them. I think they work very well together."

Hope it helps you as it helps me....,