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Definition:
Suppression is the act of keeping something from happening. An example of suppression is a government stopping citizens from participating in a certain activity. Or concealing information that they don't want the public to know.

Connection:
The link I posted talks about the misinformation about COVID-19. Two years ago, in a response to false information on social-media platforms, the United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression condemned governments that disallow free speech in the name of public order. The report of the special rapporteur gave as an example the Chinese Cybersecurity Law of 2016, which “reinforces vague prohibitions against the spread of ‘false’ information that disrupts ‘social or economic order’, national unity or national security.” As the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing what problems this suppression can wreak. What if the information deemed by government authorities as disrupting social order is not ‘false’, but instead a life-saving clue? When governments or their leaders repress information in hope of calming anxious publics, or deliberately release supposedly reassuring misinformation, they risk undermining their own credibility and their abilities to help people to counter real health threats.

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Two years ago, in a response to false information on social-media platforms, the United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression condemned governments that disallow free speech in the name of public order. The report of the special rapporteur gave as an example the Chinese Cybersecurity Law of 2016, which "reinforces vague prohibitions against the spread of 'false' information that disrupts 'social or economic order', national unity or national security."

As the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing what problems this suppression can wreak. What if the information deemed by government authorities as disrupting social order is not 'false', but instead a life-saving clue? When governments or their leaders repress information in hope of calming anxious publics, or deliberately release supposedly reassuring misinformation, they risk undermining their own credibility and their abilities to help people to counter real health threats.

Examples of this span the world. US President Donald Trump claimed that there would be a diagnostic test for "anybody that needs a test", and that the malaria drug chloroquine could successfully treat COVID-19, although trials for its efficacy against the virus were not yet complete. One individual has since died after dosing himself with a form of chloroquine sold to clean fish tanks.

Iran, once known for its strong health-care system, has been hit hard by COVID-19. Iranians were already angry and mistrustful following their government's accidental shooting down of a passenger aircraft in January, amid other grievances. In this climate of distrust, new anger emerged as the public felt that the government was not doing enough to slow the outbreak. The foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tried to divert this anger by blaming the United States. Although US sanctions have taken a toll on daily life in Iran, and perhaps weakened their capacity in the COVID-19 response, the government also made conscious attempts to repress information about the state of the outbreak. Medical staff in Iran have been warned by authorities not to share any information about infected patients or limited resources, undermining the ability to respond.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on 18 March that physicians in Russia fear there could be "hundreds" of deaths, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's assurances that all is under control. Some physicians say they are holding back from reporting suspected cases to health authorities as they are concerned about the state of the quarantine facilities where their patients would be sent, and fear that their own practices would be shut down. And news agency Reuters reported that the White House had kept important COVID-19 meetings classified - even though that meant keeping information from experts who would normally be consulted - while the President trumpeted 'all under control', until reality forced a rapid about-face.

Where official information sources are perceived as untrustworthy, the climate is set for the viral spread of unfounded speculation. COVID-19 has triggered a fountain of rumours - an indistinguishable mix of unverified information, helpful information, misinformation and intentionally manipulated disinformation. Between 1 January and mid-March 2020, our social-media monitoring at The Vaccine Confidence Project had captured more than 240 million digital and social-media messages globally referring to the new virus, with an average of 3.08 million messages per day. On Twitter, there have been 113 million unique authors sharing everything from messages from news reports and commentary on COVID-19, to views on quarantining measures, speculation on the source of the virus and home-brewed cures. These ranged from the relatively harmless - eat garlic - to the downright dangerous - drink bleach. One message falsely claiming to be from Stanford University in California recommended sipping water to kill the virus, or holding your breath for ten seconds to determine whether you are infected. (Neither works.)

As scientists rushed to investigate the new virus, conspiracy theories started to circulate about whether it was a naturally evolved new pathogen, one that inadvertently slipped out of a high-security laboratory in Wuhan or one that was deliberately created for biowarfare - an idea deemed plausible by some in the current context of geopolitics and deepening tensions between the United States and China.

On 19 February, a group of scientists issued a statement in The Lancet to quell the tsunami of conspiracy theories. They confirmed that investigations "overwhelmingly conclude that this coronavirus originated in wildlife". But between the identification of the new virus and the confirmation of its origin, there was no evidence available to counter the rumours that went viral, and - for those who want to put stock in them - they persist.

The challenge for policymakers and health authorities is that, although some information is clearly false, and even harmful, the validity of other posts is less clear-cut. Some are merely stirring up doubts, confusion and conspiracy, and undermining trust in health authorities, but are difficult to pin down and refute. Some emerging, albeit unverified, information might be valuable, and deleting it would cause harm.

The epidemic began with a poignant example of potential life-saving information suppressed as a rumour. On 30 December, Li Wenliang, a young ophthalmologist in Wuhan, China, posted a message to colleagues that tried to call attention to a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like illness that was brewing in his hospital. The Chinese government abruptly deleted the post, accusing Li of rumour-mongering. On 7 February, he died of COVID-19.

This is a complicated landscape that is not just a matter of debunking a piece of misinformation. This is about relationships between publics and politicians, a lack of trust in the motives of governing powers and fears among leaders that the truth would spark public disorder and dissent. Advice to "Keep calm and carry on" can have exactly the opposite effect in the context of a fatal, and evolving, new virus.

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Blocking information on COVID-19 can fuel the spread of misinformation

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Two years ago, in a response to false information on social-media platforms, the United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression condemned governments that disallow free speech in the name of public order.

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Definition:
Ancient wisdom is simply old knowledge dating back thousands of years ago, maybe more. It consists of pre-Christian knowledge, philosophy, and beliefs.

Connection:
The link I posted above talks about acupuncture. Acupuncture is one of the oldest and most commonly used complementary and alternative medical treatments in the world. It typically is not considered a stand-alone treatment but a part of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Despite having originated in China during the Shang Dynasty in 1600-1100 B.C., it has only become popular in the Western hemisphere since 1971.
Acupuncture began with the discovery that stimulating specific areas of the skin affected the physiologic functioning of the body, and it has evolved into a scientific system of healing that restores and maintains health. In 1993, the US Food and Drug Administration estimated that Americans made 12 million visits per year to acupuncture practitioners.
Acupuncture is the practice of inserting and manipulating needles into the superficial skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscles of the body at particular acupuncture points. In TCM, there are as many as 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body, which are connected by 12 main meridians. These meridians conduct Qi between the surface of the body and its internal organs. Acupuncture is believed to keep the balance between Yin (associated with the parasympathetic nervous system) and the Yang (associated with the sympathetic nervous system). This allows for the normal flow of Qi associated with neural transmission throughout the body and restores health to the mind and body.

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Traditional Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture, is a popular form of therapy that pain patients have embraced. Pain clinicians should become familiar with these alternative therapies.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems of medicine. It is more than 3,500 years older than traditional Western medicine, which came to exist much more recently, for example with the formation of the American Medical Association in 1847. ¹ TCM should not be confused with "Oriental medicine," a catch-all phrase used to describe a set of practices developed not only in Asia but worldwide. ²

TCM is a standardized version of the type of Chinese medicine that was practiced before the Chinese Revolution that is based on several ancient beliefs. An important one is the Daoist belief that the human body is a miniature version of the universe. Another belief is that a vital energy, "Qi," flows through the body and performs multiple functions to maintain health. TCM practitioners believe that chronic pain results from blockage or imbalance of Qi, and that their role is to correct or balance its flow.

Other concepts, such as the Yin/Yang-harmony between opposing, complementary forces that support health-and the Five Element Theories are equally important to TCM. ³ In the Yin/Yang theory, practitioners describe the Yin or Yang character of health, such as its location (interior/exterior), temperature (cold/hot), and amount (deficient/excess). The Yin/Yang illustrates polarity and the notion that one characteristic cannot exist without the other. The Five Elements symbolically represent the stages of human life and explain the functioning of the body. Knowledge of these concepts is important to foster an understanding of TCM. However, the purpose of the current tutorial is to examine specific TCM practices and whether they are helpful in chronic pain management.

5 Diagnostic Methods

TCM addresses a wide variety of health needs besides pain and migraines, including immune enhancement/disease prevention, chemical dependency, anxiety, depression, health maintenance and wellness, and rehabilitation. TCM practitioners use 5 basic methods of diagnosis in their assessments: inspection (looking), auscultation (listening), olfaction (smelling), inquiry (asking), and palpation (touching). ⁴

Inspection not only focuses on the patient's physical appearance and behavior, but during inspection the practitioner also pays particular attention to the tongue. A TCM practitioner's analysis of the tongue will include its size, shape, tension, color, and coating (For your patients, see Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture). Often, patients are instructed not to brush their tongue prior to an appointment so as to not render the findings obscure.

Auscultation refers to listening for particular sounds the patient makes, such as his/her voice, respiration, and cough. Olfaction refers to attending to body odor or breath. During an inquiry, the practitioner will ask 10 questions about the regularity, severity, or other characteristics of hot/cold symptoms, perspiration, the head/face, pain, urine/stool, thirst/appetite, sleep, the chest/abdomen, and gynecologic symptoms, if appropriate. ⁵

The final step in assessment includes palpation of the wrist pulses at 3 different locations on the radial artery, as well as areas of pain/tension, and the affected meridians-energy pathways that help coordinate the work of the organs and keep the body balanced by regulating its functions.

Therapeutic Methods

TCM encompasses several methods designed to help patients achieve and maintain health. There are 6 modern therapeutic methods used in TCM, including acupuncture, moxibustion, tui na massage, cupping/scraping, Chinese herbs, and TCM nutrition. ⁶ Acupuncture is the most often practiced component of TCM.

1. What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is one of the oldest and most commonly used complementary and alternative medical treatments in the world. It typically is not considered a stand-alone treatment but a part of TCM. Despite having originated in China during the Shang Dynasty in 1600-1100 B.C., it has only become popular in the Western hemisphere since 1971. ¹

Acupuncture began with the discovery that stimulating specific areas of the skin affected the physiologic functioning of the body, and it has evolved into a scientific system of healing that restores and maintains health. In 1993, the US Food and Drug Administration estimated that Americans made 12 million visits per year to acupuncture practitioners. ⁷

Acupuncture is the practice of inserting and manipulating needles into the superficial skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscles of the body at particular acupuncture points. In TCM, there are as many as 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body, which are connected by 12 main meridians. ⁸ These meridians conduct Qi between the surface of the body and its internal organs. Acupuncture is believed to keep the balance between Yin (associated with the parasympathetic nervous system) and the Yang (associated with the sympathetic nervous system). This allows for the normal flow of Qi associated with neural transmission throughout the body and restores health to the mind and body.

At times, electroacupuncture, the process in which an electrical current is applied to the needles once they are inserted, may be used to further stimulate the respective acupuncture points and often can be used to replace manipulation of needles. ⁹ Electroacupuncture has been found to be especially effective in treating neuromuscular disorders.

Scientific Evidence for Acupuncture

There is promising scientific evidence to support the use of acupuncture for chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis and headaches, and limited support for neck pain. ¹⁰ Acupuncture also tends to provide a short-term, clinically relevant effect when compared with a control or when acupuncture is added to another intervention in the treatment of chronic low back pain. ¹¹ Acupuncture generally is safe when administered using clean needles, either disposable or sterilized. ¹²

Many patients express concerns about acupuncture due to their needle phobia. Unlike other needles, acupuncture needles are solid and hair-thin. They generally are inserted no more than a half-inch to an inch depending on the type of treatment being delivered. Acupressure, the application of pressure to key points with the fingers, and auricular acupuncture, the application of small needles, vicaria seeds, pellets, or ear tacks to specific points of the ear, may serve as alternatives for patients with needle phobia.

In TCM, the ear is believed to be a microcosm of the body. There are points throughout the ear, with each point related to an anatomical structure and named for the function of that structure. The most commonly used points are the "hunger" point for weight loss, the "calming" point for stress management, and the "lung" point for smoking cessation. Depending on the seriousness and duration of the condition being treated, the traditional acupuncture visit may take between 30 to 60 minutes. It may take several visits to see significant improvement of the chronic pain condition. While each person experiences acupuncture differently, most people feel only a minimal amount of pain as the needles are first inserted. When practiced by a licensed, trained acupuncturist, acupuncture is extremely safe. Acupuncture often is accompanied by other TCM methods outlined below.

2. What is Moxibution?

Moxibustion is a therapy that involves burning moxa, mugwort root, made from dried Artimesia vulgaris, a spongy herb, to facilitate healing. Burning moxa produces a great deal of smoke and a pungent odor that can be confused with that of cannabis. The purpose of moxibustion is to warm and invigorate the blood, stimulate the flow of Qi, strengthen the kidney Yang, expel wind and disperse cold, and dissolve stagnation.

There are 2 types of moxibustion, direct and indirect. In direct moxibustion, a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. The patient will experience a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin using this technique.

Indirect moxibustion is the more popular form of care. In indirect moxibustion, a practitioner lights one end of a moxa stick and holds it close to the area being treated for several minutes until the area turns red. Historically, this therapy had been used to treat menstrual pain. ¹³

A substitute for moxibustion may be the Teding Diancibo Pu (TDP) lamp, another method of using warming therapy. The TDP lamp has become a new fixture in many practices because it is as effective as moxa but does not cause respiratory difficulties in sensitive patients. Unlike a traditional heating lamp, the TDP lamp features a plate coated with a mineral formation consisting of 33 elements. ¹⁴

3. What Is Tui Na Massage?

The name for this method of TCM comes from two of the actions of the therapy, tui meaning "to push" and na meaning "to lift and squeeze." Tui na, a combination of massage, acupressure, and other forms of body manipulation, is a form of Asian bodywork therapy that has been used in China for centuries. The details of tui na's techniques and uses were originally documented in The Yellow Emperor's Classics of Internal Medicine, ¹⁵ which was written about 2,500 years ago.

In a typical tui na session, the patient remains clothed and sits on a chair. The practitioner will ask a series of questions and then begin treatment. The type of massage delivered by a tui na practitioner can be quite vigorous at times. Practitioners may sometimes use herbal compresses, ointments, and heat to enhance these techniques. Tui na is best suited for rectifying chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions. Tui na is considered one of the "external" medical therapies of TCM, another being cupping/scraping.

4. What Is Cupping/Scraping?

Cupping is one of the oldest "external" methods of TCM. The earliest recorded use of cupping dates to the early fourth century, and it is documented in A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies. ¹⁶ Cupping is a type of Chinese massage, consisting of placing several glass or plastic "cups," or open spheres, on the body. The cups are warmed using a cotton ball or other flammable substance, which is placed inside the cup to remove all the oxygen. The substance is then removed before the practitioner places the cup against the skin. The air in the cup then cools, creating lower pressure inside the cup, thus creating a vacuum and allowing the cup to stick to the skin. Fleshy sites on the body, such as the back and stomach, are the preferred sites for treatment.

Depending on the condition being treated, the cups will be left in place from 5 to 10 minutes. When combined with massage oil, the cups can be slid around the back while drawing up the skin. Drawing up the skin is believed to stimulate the flow of blood, balance and realign the flow of Qi, break up obstructions, and create an avenue for toxins to be drawn out of the body.

Scraping, or "Gua Sha," is a folk medicine technique that uses pieces of smooth jade, bone, animal tusks, horns, or smooth stones to scrape along the skin to release obstruction and toxins that are trapped at the surface of the skin. The scraping is done until red spots then bruising cover the treatment area. It is believed that this treatment works for almost any ailment. The red spots and bruising take 3 to 10 days to heal, and may be misconstrued by others as a sign of abuse if they are not informed about the treatment. ¹⁷

Another method is to release blood from the corresponding point of a diseased part of the body using a plum blossom hammer. The hammer has 2 sides, a dispersed group of needles and a dense group of needles that are "hit" into the affected area of the body to release the trapped blood. ¹⁸ Practitioners of TCM also may consider using "internal" medical therapies, such as herbs and nutrition.

5. How Effective Is Chinese Herbology?

The term Chinese herbology can be misleading because not all the substances used are herbs. There are over 13,000 different Chinese "medicinals" available around the world. The Chinese Materia Medica is a pharmacological reference book used by TCM practitioners that describes thousands of medicinal substances. ¹⁹

The most commonly used substances come from the leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds of plants, such as cinnamon bark, ginger, ginseng, licorice, and rhubarb. Ginseng is the most broadly used substance for the broadest set of treatments. Some Chinese medicinal products, such as tiger bones, rhino horns, deer antlers, snake bile, ²⁰ human feces, bone, and menstrual blood, and mineral products (arsenic, asbestos, lead, and mercury)-might feel "outlandish" but are considered staple ingredients in TCM. ²¹ If a practitioner recommends Chinese herbology as a treatment, the substances are combined into a formula that can be dispensed as a traditional tea, capsule, liquid extract, granule, or powder.

Chinese herbology came to widespread attention in the United States in the 1970s. However, the effectiveness of Chinese herbology still remains poorly documented. ²² Some healthcare professionals have concerns about a number of potentially toxic Chinese herbs, and there is some controversy about the animal and human products being used, especially in the Western hemisphere. There have been reports of Chinese herbs being contaminated with drugs, toxins, or heavy metals or not containing the listed ingredients.

In addition, some of the herbs used in Chinese medicine can interact with prescription drugs, have serious side effects, or be unsafe for people with certain medical conditions. ² Patients should never attempt to take Chinese herbs without proper training or guidance from a licensed practitioner. If they are taking Chinese herbs, they also should ask their primary care provider or pharmacist to check for any potential interactions with their prescription medications.

6. What is Chinese Nutrition?

Chinese nutrition traditionally was thought of as a lifestyle, but now it is considered a mode of dieting rooted in Chinese understandings of the effects of food on the human organism. ²³ It became a therapy for westerners because of their poor diet. It was the predominant dietary therapy used before the sciences of biology and chemistry allowed the discovery of present physiologic knowledge. Chinese nutrition was introduced and made popular in the Western hemisphere with the release of the book, The Tao of Healthy Eating, and now is considered alternative medicine. ²⁴

In Chinese nutrition, a balanced diet is one that includes all 5 tastes-spicy (warming), sour (cooling), bitter (cooling), sweet (strengthening), and salty (cooling). Foods that have a particular taste tend to have particular properties. Food items can be classified as "heating" or "cooling," revisiting the Yin/Yang concept of TCM. The ratio of these tastes is going to vary according to the individual's needs and the season of the year. Heating foods (cooked, spicy, or red) include red meat, deep-fried goods, and alcohol. TCM practitioners recommend that heating foods be avoided in the summer and they typically use them to treat "cold" illnesses (chills, low body temperature, and anemia). Cooling foods (green, soothing, or sour) include mostly green vegetables. TCM practitioners recommend that cooling foods be used for "hot" conditions (rashes, heartburns, and sore throat). There are no forbidden foods or "one size fits all" diets in TCM.

In TCM, nutrition is considered the first line of defense in health matters. Without any evidence-based research, it is difficult to determine whether classic TCM diets influence diseases. However, providers can feel confident recommending that their patients choose more uncontaminated produce and select the least processed foods when possible.

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Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture

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Traditional Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture, is a popular form of therapy that pain patients have embraced. Pain clinicians should become familiar with these alternative therapies. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems of medicine.

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Defintion:
Insisting that a claim is true simply because a valid authority or expert on the issue said it was true, without any other supporting evidence offered.

Connection:
The picture I posted above is a picture of Marilyn Monroe advertising a shampoo. She claims in the poster that she uses it but with no positive context. She uses the shampoo just because; and nothing else. This may attract interest to a lot of women because it is Marilyn Monroe. They probably think that this is her secret to full, healthy and luscious hair, when really it's just an advertisement.

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Definition:
Something that is mystical involves spiritual powers and influences that most people do not understand.

Connection:
Mediums have claimed to have a connection with the spirits or spiritual world. The state that their ability allows them to talk to spirits and can communicate with the dead. I strongly feel that this is not possible because you can't talk to spirits or the dead. There is no scientific evidence proving otherwise. I think most mediums do this for money or even fame.

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Hypothesis and Emerging Research

Some early observations support this concept (or parts of the theory), and there is scientific interest in elucidating exactly what's at work.

For those who are deeply curious about the work of mediums, the Windbridge Research Center is an invaluable resource: Not only do they certify and study mediums, but they have published their findings in numerous studies. (Our guide to healers includes several who are certified research mediums through Windbridge.) As their Director of Research, Julie Beischel, Ph.D. (whose doctorate is in Pharmacology and Toxicology with a minor in Microbiology and Immunology) explains it, Windbridge's mission is "to ease suffering around dying, death, and what comes next by performing rigorous scientific research" and sharing what they learn widely. We interviewed Beishcel about how she tests Windbridge's Certified Research Mediums, what they do (and don't) know about what happens when mediums connect to the other side, and how this might change the way we think about the survival of consciousness beyond the body-and provide some comfort for our time here, too.

A Q&A with Julie Beischel, Ph.D.

Q

What tests did you structure to vet the mediums who are currently part of your research group?

A

The testing procedure we used to certify the mediums on our team involved eight peer-reviewed steps but the most important one, Step 5, tested if the mediums could report accurate information about specific deceased people under controlled conditions. That ridiculously complex multi-part test was designed with the same two principles we use for all of our research: optimize the research environment and maximize the experimental controls. My favorite analogy for this is: You can't put a seed on a table and then call it a fraud when it doesn't turn into a tree. You have to give the seed what it needs-water, sun, soil-if you want to study how it grows. Similarly, if you want to study how the seed grows naturally, you can't supplement the soil or use an UV lamp. The sports analogy that also works is: You can't study football on a baseball field using hockey equipment and the rules for soccer and then claim you've disproven the existence of football.

We test things in situations that are similar to how they exist in the real world: The mediums performed the test readings on the phone for regular people wanting to hear from their deceased loved ones. But then we also control for all the normal explanations for the source of a medium's information: An experimenter (me) serves as a proxy on the phone in place of the actual sitter who does not hear the reading as it takes place and who later scores a decoy transcript along with their own transcript without knowing which is which. We also ask the medium specific questions about the deceased person's personality, appearance, hobbies, and cause of death. Different experimenters perform different tasks during the different phases of the experiment.

"You can't study football on a baseball field using hockey equipment and the rules for soccer and then claim you've disproven the existence of football."

This scenario controls for cold reading, cueing, rater bias, and fraud. Cold reading is a method where fraudulent mediums use cues from the sitter to create what seems like an accurate reading. Cold reading can also include the reporting of information so general it could apply to almost anyone. Cold reading is eliminated as an explanation in our testing because the medium receives no information prior to the reading, no feedback during (or after) the reading, and is asked specific questions about the deceased. The testing also controls for cueing (intentional or not) by the person who is on the phone with the medium (me, the experimenter), because I don't know who the sitter or the deceased is or the answers to the questions. It also controls for rater bias because the raters receive more than one reading to score without knowing which is theirs. Fraud or any unintentional sensory leakage are also eliminated as plausible explanations because the five participants in the experiment/test (medium, sitter, and three experimenters) are all blinded to different pieces of information.

This is obviously a time and resource-intensive procedure. We were able to build our team of Windbridge Certified Research Mediums through support from a grant and at the end of that grant we stopped certifying any new mediums. However, we have started collecting data from mediums all over the US about their experiences, practices, and histories using online surveys.

Q

What exactly are you studying and/or looking for?

A

At the Windbridge Research Center, we are asking three questions about mediums: Can they do what they claim to be doing? If so, what is unique about the people who can do it? How can it help society? Our three mediumship research programs, named Information, Operation, and Application, respectively, investigate: the accuracy and specificity of the information mediums report under controlled laboratory conditions; the experiences, psychology, and physiology (body and brain) of mediums; and the use of mediumship readings as a treatment for grief.

Q

What have you observed in terms of where in the brain they receive and process psi information? Is there a difference between psychic and medium information?

A

The rule of thumb is that all mediums are psychic but not all psychics are mediums. While anyone can potentially have mediumistic or psychic experiences, mediums experience regular communication from the deceased and psychics regularly experience information about, or from, living people, distant locations or events, and/or times in the future or in the past (that they did not originally experience).

We did one EEG study and concluded that mediums' experiences of communication with the deceased is a mental state different than fabricating information or recalling facts previously obtained. However, because mediumship involves the mediums talking, which uses facial muscles, EEG, which is susceptible to muscle movement artifacts, is really not the best method for studying mediums' brain activity. We have designed a study using alternative brain imaging techniques to look at mediums' brain activity during communication with the deceased, as well as several other conditions, including obtaining psychic information about the living, for comparison. The use of imaging technologies is expensive so we will need to acquire funding in order to perform the study.

We are also studying the mediums' actual experiences during mediumistic and psychic tasks. As would be expected, the two types of psi experiences have similarities. For example, they both seem to involve multiple "senses" (seeing in the mind's eye, mentally hearing, feeling in the body). There are also differences: psychic readings for living clients don't seem to include taste as one of the senses experienced, whereas during mediumship readings, mediums may taste the deceased's favorite foods and share that information with the sitter to help identify the deceased. We just finished a study in which we analyzed descriptions of the two kinds of experiences from more than 120 self-identified mediums in the US. The results from that study will be available on our website once they are published.

Q

How involved is the frontal lobe?

A

That's a good question and no one knows the answer. Very little research of any kind has been done with modern-day mediums and even less has been done studying their brains.

Q

What are you ultimately trying to determine?

A

At the Windbridge Research Center we are ultimately interested in helping people alleviate suffering using research and education. Specifically, we hope to normalize phenomena like mediumship and spontaneous after-death communication experiences in regular people (for example, sensing the presence of the deceased, dreams about them, smells, or music) so people who have those experiences-which are very common-can stop feeling like they are crazy or delusional. The body of research on spontaneous experiences of a deceased loved one has found that they occur in roughly 30 percent of people at some point in their lives and that about 80 percent of people will have at least one experience in the first year following the death of someone close to them. Those are numbers people should have.

"No 'body' is getting out of here alive. But it's only the body-not the whole self-that will die. And really knowing that can make any life at least a little easier."

We are also very interested in treatments for grief. The healthcare community has very little to offer the grieving but experiences like mediumship readings in which the bereaved experience their continuing bonds with the deceased seem to have substantial positive effects. However, further research is needed before we can say for sure.

We are also interested in providing evidence-based materials demonstrating that consciousness survives after the physical death of the body as a way to alleviate the fear people experience contemplating their own deaths. This is relevant for people currently dying and their loved ones as well as for the rest of us. No "body" is getting out of here alive. But it's only the body-not the whole self-that will die. And really knowing that can make any life at least a little easier.

Q

Based on your research, do you have any theories about the relationship between consciousness and the brain? Can you imagine how science might eventually be able to determine what's going on there?

A

The theory that the brain creates consciousness is called "materialism" and it's just a theory that somehow got stuck in textbooks, classrooms, and movies. Materialism is equivalent to thinking that a radio creates the sounds that come out of it.

The alternative theory views consciousness as "non-local," a term coined by physician Larry Dossey. In the non-locality explanation, consciousness is not localized to the brain, not bound by space or time, it is infinite, and it is merely funneled or translated by the brain. This theory accounts for phenomena like mediums communicating with people after their deaths, children who remember past lives, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, the Army's Stargate remote viewing program, knowing who's on the phone before it rings, dreaming about tomorrow's events, and on and on.

"Consciousness-the signal-exists separate from the brain which is just the antenna."

An example people may be familiar with is a mother who knows her child just got in a car accident all the way across the country. How could her brain know that if it is here and her child is there? With non-locality there is no here or there, no now or then; consciousness can be any place and any time. We don't experience it like that day-to-day because our brain is busy remembering to eat and breathe and not step out in front of that bus.

Consciousness-the signal-exists separate from the brain, which is just the antenna. Yes, if the antenna is damaged, the signal comes out wonky or if it breaks entirely, the signal doesn't come through at all, but the signal still exists. Science has already been gathering laboratory evidence for non-locality for decades but people fear change and shaking up the status quo is difficult. Ideas that are different-even evidence-based, empirically-tested, peer-reviewed ones-often struggle for attention, acceptance, and funding, but that's where we are right now.

Q

What are your theories about what happens to the soul after death?

A

Soul isn't a word most scientists are comfortable with but it's a concept similar to the self, the mind, or consciousness. The different areas of research that support the idea that consciousness survives after the physical death of the body-the big three are mediumship, near-death experiences, and children who remember past lives-demonstrate that consciousness is non-local and will continue to exist after the body dies. It also seems that in this disembodied state, the consciousness continues to learn, and heal, and grow.

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Julie Beischel, Ph.D., is co-founder and Director of Research at the Windbridge Research Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to performing rigorous scientific research and creating educational materials focused on dying, death, and what comes next. (See their Facebook page here.) Beischel received her doctorate in Pharmacology and Toxicology with a minor in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Arizona in 2003. Her current research interests include examinations of the accuracy and specificity of the information mediums report as well as their experiences, psychology, and physiology; and the potential social applications of mediumship readings. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed research articles, as well as the books Among Mediums: A Scientist's Quest for Answers; Meaningful Messages: Making the Most of Your Mediumship Reading; From the Mouths of Mediums; and Investigating Mediums.

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Are Mediums Real? How Do Mediums Work? | Goop

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Hypothesis and Emerging Research Some early observations support this concept (or parts of the theory), and there is scientific interest in elucidating exactly what's at work. For those who are deeply curious about the work of mediums, the Windbridge Research Center is an invaluable resource: Not only do they certify and study mediums, but they have published their findings in numerous studies.

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Definition:
The term "all natural" refers to natural ingredients being advertised as a product. Most of time the word natural is always taken as something "good" or "organically good for you", however, things like poison oak, scorpion venom, lead, mercury, bubonic plague, black holes, etc. Natural doesn't always mean safe!

Connection:
The link I posted is about shampoos with natural ingredients. I think that even if the ingredients are natural there is still small amounts of chemicals that have been added into the ingredients list. Most products that are sold by bigger companies have chemicals in them. Some of the chemicals I am aware of in general are preservatives. You need a product that will last for an appropriate amount of time.

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Natural & Organic Haircare

For many of us, hair and skin care products are significant components of our daily routine. They're like old friends, always there to take care of us. On most days, the process of cleansing and getting ready is a great way to re-center, celebrate beauty, and kick-start our mornings.

Holistic self-care involves treating our bodies, people, and the earth well. We think it's important to avoid harmful chemicals and support cruelty-free, sustainability-promoting brands. We adore these 10 natural and organic shampoo brands for helping us stay true to our values, and feel beautiful while doing so.

If you're all about that organic beauty, check out our list of natural & organic makeup brands as well!

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10 Organic & Natural Shampoo Brands That Will Have You Breaking Up With Chemicals

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Hair and skin care products are significant components of our daily routine, and taking a holistic approach means treating our bodies, people, and the earth well. These natural and organic shampoo brands help us stay true to our values, and feel beautiful while doing so.

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I think that most of the topics I chose are either some events I have experienced, or some that I find interesting to talk about. I mentioned on post #7-9 about the simplicity, emotional connection, perception and observation based on my experience and information gathered.
I truly believe in Acupuncture and the benefits of it. I also believe that the government may have a lot of information that is not published or not known to the public to avoid a global crisis. There are a lot of topics I can talk about with information gathered, however, the supernatural topics such as mystical energy is excluded. I included it to my topic because it was interesting. I simply don't believe in mediumship or the mere thought of a human being capable of talking to something I can't see.
Therefore, most of these topics can be explained with evidence and some are not.

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Post #7-9: Simplicity, Emotional Connection, Perception and Observation.

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Post #7-9: Simplicity, Emotional Connection, Perception and Observation.

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The topics I listed above are simply easy to understand. There is nothing hard to comprehend about what is being explained in the posts. It speaks for itself.
I do feel, with some of these topics, have some kind go emotional connection. When I say emotional connection, I mean that I have experienced these events (not the supernatural). I have seen advertisements about natural products with natural ingredients, the appeal to authority when your favourite YouTuber endorses different kinds of brands (obviously for financial reasons), or simply using traditional medicine (I come from an Asian family who practices traditional medicine), which all have emotional connection to me.
Perception and observation is simply based on my critical thinking, analysis and experience altogether. I search about related topics to the issue being talked about and I learn more and read more information about it.