5 Reasons You Should Be Using The Ayahuasca. It Has Incredible Medicinal Values

The Ayahuasca is becoming known worldwide for its incredible ability to heal anxiety, PTSD, depression and other numerous mental disorders. This medicinal tea from South America contains potent psychedelic chemical N, N-dimethlytryptaime (DMT), that induces introspection and intense visions.  The ayahuasca experience often lasts for 8 hours approximately and is accompanied often by vomiting and sometimes diarrhea. The natives call it “la purge” (the purge). This purging process is what has medicinal benefits since it frees the body of worms, emotional trauma and other parasites

Some mind-blowing facts about the ayahuasca include:

1. Antidepressant qualities
Long term users of ayahuasca after having their blood tested showed increased density of the serotonin receptors as compared to those who were not using it. Antidepressants of the SSRI class actually help reduce density of the serotonin receptors in its users over time and these could cause chronic depression.  The ayahuasca is neither addictive nor neurotoxic. It not poisonous and cannot nerve tissue in the spinal cord or brain at any time or in any possible way.

2. The Amazon has over 40,000 plant species but somehow the Indians knew that if they mixed these two specific plants: the Banisteriopsis caapi (ayahuasca vine) and shrub leaves of the Psychotria vidris, they would make medicine.
The ayahuasca vine has monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), a chemical that helps the body absorb DMT leaves. The MAOI prevents the DMT from being destroyed by monoamine oxidase in the gut. If this happened, the DMT would have no effects. Natives who have used the brew for many years claim the plant showed them how ayahuasca is made.

3. Ayahuasca has created a boom in tourism
There is a boom in tourism due to the ayahuasca as seekers worldwide travel to the Amazon to get healing. Ayahuasca is legal in South and Central America and many eco-lodges and retreat centers are available, dedicated to ayahuasca healing and tourism.

4. Ayahuasca is healing PTSD
Many veterans have also sought the cure of PTSD from the ayahuasca.  Users go into a dream-like state and traumatic memories that are trapped in the subconscious get unlocked, reprocessed and the negative emotion and fear detached. It’s a viable treatment and cure of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

5. Used by major religions
Ayahuasca is used on a regular basis by two major religions: the Uniao De Vegetal (UDV) and Santo Daime. They use it as a sacrament that connects them with God. They both won court cases that gave them rights to consume the ayahuasca in the US. 
[Source: www.reset.me]

Food This Man Eats Turns Into Alcohol. He Gets Hammered On Eating Bread!

Mathew Hogg is a 34 year old man whose digestive system has an excess of yeast. The British man gets drunk on eating bread and pasta. It’s like his body is capable of producing its own alcohol! Cool, right? No! Hogg has a very rare disorder known as auto-brewery syndrome. Imagine every time you eat a doughnut or hamburger, you get hammered and the following day you are nursing a hangover. It’s fun to get tipsy sometimes but when you have to always be drunk or hangover, the fun becomes a horror story. It’s extremely hard to hold down a relationship, job or even drive a car.

Image Source : www.people.com

Whenever Hogg eats carbohydrates or sugar, his intestines convert the food into ethanol, which as we know, is purely alcoholic. A slice of pizza to him is like doing shots of Everclear. In an interview with Vice, Hoggs explained he has to struggle to make through his day. It’s not fun getting drunk for free if you are in his situation. "It's had a huge and devastating effect on my life," he told Vice

He was always tired and disoriented as a teenager before he was diagnosed.  Once a straight A student and Athlete, he found himself exhausted after few jogs and lost focus during exams.  $80,000 is all it took for Hog to be diagnosed with the auto-brewery disorder by a Mexican doctor. (The disorder is also known as the gut fermentation syndrome.) He now has to observe a strict diet to manage his condition.

His chronic fatigue affects him in many ways and it becomes hard to sometimes hold a full time job. He runs the Environmental Illness Resource website that’s about disorders like his for income. He lives with his girlfriend Mandy who is a teacher.

“Stubborn disbelief” from those around him is one of the difficult things Hogg has to deal with. "I'm constantly reading messages from visitors to my website who suffer from the condition, saying their doctor, boss, co-workers, and even friends, family and partners, just don't understand," he tells Vice. "People think we're just making this condition up."
[Source: www.people.com]

10 Mind-boggling Theories That Will Make You Question Reality and The Universe

We always want to believe that reality is plain and simple but most of the times it’s not. Some of the things we take for granted as being true are in reality false. Philosophers and scientists have discredited in so many ways the theories of commonsense as the following examples show in detail:

1. The Big Freeze 

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The Big Freeze refers to a scientific theory on the end of the universe and it spells disaster for everyone. According to the theory, a fixed amount of energy exists in the world and as it runs out, the universe slows down. Since heat is produced by energy particle movement, there’s slow loss of heat. A slowdown in movement also exists and eventually everything will come to a halt. T.S Eliot once said, “This is the way the world ends: not with a bang but with a whimper.”

2. Solipsism 

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The philosophical theory Solipsism, states that we can verify nothing else except the existence of the mind. It’s a silly theory at first since, it’s hard to deny that the world we live in exists but the problem is that it’s hard to verify that anything except your consciousness exists. Could some of the plausible dreams you have had in life show that maybe whatever is around us is just a dream? We do however have family and friends we can verify by touch, right? But people on LSD, report that they are able to see and touch their most convincing hallucinations, yet we never assume their illusions are real. What then can we verify? We can only prove our thoughts. 

3. Idealism 

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Idealism is the belief that things exist as an idea in the mind-specifically in someone’s mind. The idea by famous idealist and philosopher, George Berkeley, was dismissed by his peers. One of them especially, closed his eyes and kicked a stone to refute the idea. If the stone had only existed in the friend’s mind then he wouldn’t have kicked it, eyes closed. Berkeley also stated that an all-powerful and omnipresent God existed, who perceived everything and everyone simultaneously. Whether this is plausible or not - I’ll let you be the judge. 

4. Plato and the Logos 

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Plato is among the most famous philosophers. He claimed that there exists another world different from the one we are familiar with, that had perfect ‘forms’. What we see around us are just shadows, or imitations of the real thing. When we study philosophy, we are at a better chance to glimpse the originals. In addition to this, Plato who was a monist, claimed that everything is made out of a single substance. According to his view, diamonds, dog poo and gold are all composed of the same substance but arranged in different ways. This theory may not be too far from the truth according to modern science. 

5. Presentism 

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We take time for granted and normally divide it into present, past and future. Presentism philosophers, however argue that the past and future do not exist- only the present does. This means that the last birthday you celebrated does not exist and this article will cease to exist immediately after you look at it- well, until you decide to look at it again. According to Saint Augustine, time can never be behind and ahead at the same time and therefore the future does not exist. Budhism scholar, Fyodor Shcherbatskoy, in other words said that: “Everything past is unreal, everything future is unreal, everything imagined, absent, mental . . . is unreal. . . . Ultimately real is only the present moment of physical efficiency.” 

6. Eternalism 

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This theory contrasts presentism. It states that time has many layers actually, and can be compared perhaps to a sponge cake which unlike time, does not divide philosophers. The layers exist simultaneously but a particular observer sees a layer depending on where he is standing. In other words, Justin Bieber, World War II and dinosaurs exist at the same time but they can only be viewed from a particular point. This view makes the future appear hopeless and free will becomes an illusion. 

7. Brain in the Vat 

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This thought experiment is by scientists and philosophers who believe that the external world is verifiable independently. So, where is the problem with this? Imagine that we are brains-in-vats merely and our perceptions are being manipulated by evil scientists or aliens. How would we know that it’s happening? Can we disapprove the idea that it’s possible this situation is indeed the case for us right now? The Brain-in-vat theory is a modern version of the Descartes Evil Demon problem. The same point is made here- it’s impossible to prove anything else exists except our consciousness. The theory however employs some slightly different thought experiments. The Matrix was in fact based on this particular scenario. 

8. Multiverse theory 

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We have all by now heard of the multiverse or parallel universe theory, unless you have been living under a rock. The parallel worlds are said to be like ours in so many ways and with only minor differences. An infinite number of universes exist according to the theory. 

The implications of the theory I think are much like those of the Fringe series: In one universe you are a dictator, in another you never got to be born, in another you lie eight feet under the ground because you were killed by a dinosaur -get the picture? 

9. Fictional realism 

Image Source: www.screenrant.com

Superman is real if we are to believe the Multiverse theory. If there are an infinite number of universes out there, then some of them must have real-life versions of some of our favorite fictional characters like the Wolverine, X-Men, Cyclops etc. 

10. Phenomenalism 

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What happens to things that are behind your back? Some philosophers are of the opinion that they vanish. However, some philosophers (phenomenalists) believe that the existence of some things is in so far as they are perceived. Meaning that, that sandwich you are eating only exists so long as you are aware it exists. No perception, no existence and that’s phenomenalism for you.

Russian Physicists To Power The World Wirelessly By Rebuilding The Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower.

“Tesla was right and we are ready to prove it!” A statement by two Russian Physicists who recently launched an Indiegogo campaign that seeks to rebuild in the fall of 2014, Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower. Tesla believed the tower could one day be used wirelessly to transmit power, but he didn’t see it proven during his lifetime. The team believes Tesla was correct and after an extensive study, are convinced the project could provide a worldwide energy transmission system which is efficient and that would share out all the clean energy needed.

Image Source: www.inhabitat.com

Tesla was an undisputed genius and is still a polarizing figure, 70 years later. For the last five years, Sergey Plekhanov and Leonid Plekhanov, have been studying notes and patents by Tesla’s and are certain that the project is viable if they use modern technology and materials. 

“Nikola Tesla had left us a very detailed description of the design of his Magnifying Transmitter System and the physical principles of its operation. We are a group of modern-day physicists, trained in many areas related to the operation of his Worldwide Energy System. We’ve conducted a thorough scientific expertise of his works and came to the conclusion that Tesla was on the right track.”

The team Sergey Plekhanov and Leonid Plekhanov   Image Source: www.indiegogo.com

The current design is hinged on the simple principle that they have an unlimited source of energy already -the sun. They would need a sunny desert and a solar array of 100,000 square kilometer, then our power needs would be solved globally. Their only problem is distribution of the power seeing that the current power systems tend to leak a lot of energy. The proposed network towers were designed to use the Earth’s inherent conductivity to transmit energy through the ionosphere and ground with very little wastage.

“Tesla’s system for energy transmission uses a ground surface as well as the Earth-Ionosphere waveguide like a sort of analogue of a simple wire, which can be used for transmission of electrical energy over great distances. At that, the transmission of a considerable amount of energy via such a “wire” (the upper layers of the ground plus waveguide The Earth-Ionosphere) is possible due to existing coupling between resonance circuits (Tesla Towers) and with a high efficiency factor value, yet without causing any harm to the environment.”

Examining the working principle of Tesla is an article by the two physicist describing the working principle of the transmitter in detail.

The prototype tower they will use weighs only two tons owing to advanced materials, unlike the one by Tesla on Long Island that weighed 60 tons. Their Tesla coil is estimated to be roughly 20 meters long and the team hopes to raise $800,000. This will help them build the prototype through the Indiegogo campaign that ends on the 25th of July 2014. They have already successfully raised $40,000 using crowd funding, meant for their power source research and design work. Once the tower is put into operation, the team plans to provide their results free online. The results of their work was publicly discussed at an open seminar held in the General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Science and was supported by the Tesla Heritage Foundation, Serbia.

 [Source:www.indiegogo.com]

We Have Two Separate Oceans- The Second Is 400 Miles Beneath Our Feet And Three Time Bigger

Scientists have finally discovered a fountainhead of water in earth’s layer. The fountainhead is so immeasurable that it could fill most of the earth’s oceans 3 times over. The discovery suggests that the Earth’s aspect water indeed did come from within. This kind of information and our understanding on how earth was formed and how different layers function, can help us predict the future. Climate change, sea levels and the weather are closely linked to tectonic activity that takes place beneath our feet.

Image Source: www.extremetech.com

Scientists and geophysicist who authored this study used data from the USArray. (Hundreds of seismographs that are located all over the US constantly listening to the movements in the mantle and core of the earth). The researchers after a few years of listening, and lots of complex calculations, believe they have finally found a huge water reserve in the transition zone, found between the lower and upper mantle. This region occupies between 250-410 miles (400 and 660 kilometers) below our feet. 

Image Source: www.extremetech.com

It’s not easy digging that far down- 660 kilometers is such a long way down. The deepest human borehole to be dug was just 12 km and they had to stop halfway through because the drill bit was being melted by geothermal energy. 

The new theory basically shows the Earth’s mantle as having a mineral called ringwoodite in plenty, and when ringwoodite is put under extreme pressure, it can trap water. USArray measurements done indicate that, as ringwoodite is pushed deeper into the mantle by convection, increased pressure forces water that is trapped out. This process is known as dehydration melting. The study now needs to provide the link between deep-earth geology and whatever happens on the surface. However, due to the complexity of earth and that it moves at a very slow pace, getting useful data takes years of measurements.

Image Source: www.extremetech.com

There would be massive repercussions if the findings of this study are accurate. Even though the ringwoodite contains only 2.6% water, the transition zone volume means that this underground reservoir may contain enough water to refill our oceans three times over! We should not however continue to abuse our fresh water reserves due to this. This also discounts the theory that water on the surface of the earth arrived via icy comets.

This finding shows us how the perfect composition and climate of Earth is miraculous and incredible. One of the researchers claimed that if this water was not stored underground, “it would be on the surface of the Earth, and mountaintops would be the only land poking out.”
[Source: www.extremetech.com]

Video: How Music Would Look Like If It Could Actually Be Seen

A new scientific ‘tool’ will help you see what music looks like and it depicts sound waves while in water.  Every note appears to have a unique ‘signature’ (fingerprint) of its own. The CymaScope device can record vibrations that are produced by each single sound that’s on the surface of distilled water. Vibrations caused by the sound harmonics leave a ‘mark’ that is perfectly visible due the water’s high surface tension.

Image Source: www.learning-mind.com

In the same way every snowflake usually has a unique shape, sound has a unique fingerprint. The CymaScope device was recently used for the first time to visualize piano notes after a request by Shannon Novak, a New Zealand artist. It’s also been used to record vowel sounds produced by the human voice in pictures and music tracks like ‘welcome to the machine’ by Pink Floyd.

Creation of this tool began in 2002. The scientists tried using a PVC film, a film of latex until they finally settled on water as the ideal medium. Images that resulted from the experiment showed that sound can provide both audio and rich visual spectacle.

“If our eyes could see music we would not see waves, as many believe, but beautiful holographic bubbles with amazing shapes resembling a kaleidoscope. The CymaScope allows us to see this hidden beauty.” writes John Stuart Reid and Erik Larson, the tool’s creators.

Impressively, a recent experiment with the CymaScope showed that words can be recognized by dolphins based on these ‘signatures’. The dolphins use their sonar as a supplementary eye to ‘see’ using ultrasound. They then transmit a sound picture to each other.  Jack Kassewiz, a Miami based researcher did this experiment using the CymaScope. He recorded the sounds a dolphin produces when it ‘sees’ objects like an inflatable duck, a plastic cube or flower pot.

He turned the sounds into images and later showed them to the dolphin with no sound accompaniment. The intelligent mammal recognized the objects that corresponded with the images with an accuracy of 86%. Impressively, when Mr. Kassewitz showed these same images to another dolphin that was not part of the experiment, the same accuracy was noticed in recognizing the objects. This shows that the cetaceans use sounds when communicating to each other in the similar way we use words.

An ambitious plan titled SpeakDolphin, by the researcher seeks to use the images after deciphering the language, to start a basic conversation with the dolphins.
[Source: www.learning-mind.com]

This is What Happens When You Quit Alcohol Completely For A Whole Year

Kelly Fitzgerald had a typical life like any of us these days- She worked hard and led a full social life. This meant lots of parties and functions that had plenty of alcohol. On May 6th, 2013, however, she decided to quit alcohol for good. It was having a bad effect on her life.
 “On May 6, 2013 I took my last drink.  I will never forget how it felt.  I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I was tired of being the party girl, I was tired of feeling like shit, I was tired of disappointing and embarrassing my friends and loved ones.  I decided I needed a big change. Trying to drink in moderation hadn’t proved to be the best option for me.  It never worked.  Enough was enough.  I tried something that I never did before – stopped drinking alcohol completely.” She said on her blog.

On the left, a peak drinking time. On the right, a few weeks ago, almost one year sober. Image Source: www.sobersenorita.com

These are the lessons she learned in that one year she did not drink alcohol:

1. Heightened senses
She feels everything with a heightened sensitivity.  Emotions, smell hearing, muscle pain, hearing and taste got heightened. Her emotions have gone crazy-“I cry at the drop of a hat, I’m offended easily, and sometimes I am so happy I feel like I’m going to burst.  I actually care what people think about me…” And although she is sometimes overwhelmed, the feeling is amazing.

2. Self-understanding
Not drinking has made her realize who she is. She has realized what she likes and what she doesn’t and can easily socialize with friends and family. “I’m learning that person who was under the cloud of constant alcohol black outs for the last several years was not me.  I am not the stupid embarrassing things I did, I am a real person who does not mix well with alcohol.” 

 3. Alcohol stopped being fun for her
She had been trying for years to regulate her drinking but kept failing. Alcohol started out as fun and as a social thing but she realized it wasn’t fun anymore. It was in fact the root of most of her problems. Bad things happened to her when she drank and she should have stopped earlier.

 4. Life is manageable
Her life used to be a total mess when she drank and she felt comfortable that way. After fighting the scary first days and months, being sober is her normal now. Drinking used to be her answer to everything and especially when things went bad, but now she is prepared to face anything and can handle it in a healthy way. “Additionally, less bad things have happened since I stopped drinking alcohol which was the cause of many problems in the past.  I am now present and thankful for each day.”

 5. Worthy of love
Alcohol had been sabotaging her romantic relationships for a long time. Alcohol “supported, encouraged, and justified bad decisions of all kinds, especially those related to men.” After she stopped drinking, she realized that she was capable of having a normal relationship and she did deserve to be loved. Oh, and she did find a loving and amazing man who shows her that she deserves all the love in the world!

6. Toxic people bring toxic habits
When you quit drinking or doing drugs, one of the things you have to do is change friends. She realized that she had nothing in common with some of her friends and that some had completely different goals and outlook on life. They felt fake and when she made the decision, she found out who her true friends were. “There are those who will love you unconditionally, those who won’t bat an eyelash, and those who will still offer you cocktails after they already know you don’t drink.” She has since learned how to get rid of toxic relationships without feeling bad about it.

7. She is not perfect and that is ok.
Guilt, shame and regret are some of the feelings one gets when you quit a nasty habit.  According to Kelly, however, it’s a beautiful thing to finally feel those emotions she tried to numb with alcohol all those years. “Not only am I learning to feel them, I’m learning how to deal with them, and live a healthy and successful life.  I have made mistakes along the way and I will never be perfect.” There are good and bad days but she has learned to not beat herself up. Alcohol is her story of perseverance.

“I never thought that sobriety would be my preferred way of life, but now I can’t imagine going back to my party girl ways.  I never dreamed I would feel SO happy, full, and healthy living a life without drugs and alcohol.  I was always that girl who needed alcohol to have fun and now I am a testament to the fact that you don’t need it to enjoy yourself. I wake up every day feeling relieved that I never have to feel hangover.  I hope that by sharing my story other party girls (and boys) will have the courage to put down the drink and live the life they have always imagined.  The best is yet to come.” 
[Source:  www.sobersenorita.com]