HUMAN ANATOMY ORGANS DIAGRAM

Now switching over to another topic just for a moment, let me talk about curiosity. We are nosy creatures by habit, and thrive on learning interesting things. It doesn't matter on what topic for the most part, if has something to do with us either direct or indirectly, then we want to here it. Only however if it simple to understand.

Now back to the skeletal system. This is definitely all about us, in fact it is us. Its not up to someone else to look after what belongs to us. The human anatomy is really not nearly as complex as we make it out to be. That statement only holds true for those that are not doing an in-depth study of the body. In those cases, yes it is complex, but not beyond understanding. Its just a matter of how much knowledge is necessary for the purpose we need it for. So in the case of the individual that wants to go into the medical profession, he needs a lot more knowledge than the average person who just want to take care of what he owns. Namely our body.

So not only are we going to talk about some interesting facts about your bones, we are going to learn some things that are important to our everyday living. Do you know that you have been losing things from your skeletal system over the years?

When you were born you had about 350 brand new bones. Now if you could peek inside yourself you'd count around 206 or so. That's 90 less then what you started with. You know darn well you haven't had any surgery that removed 90 of your bones, and you also know that you were born perfectly healthy. This truly is a mystery, and now you're curious. Well actually it really isn't all that much of a mystery. Many of our bones simply fuse together throughout out lifespan. Part of the reason this happens is so those bones fusing together, can perform the functions we need as adults, which we didn't require as children.

Here is another point that may be of interest. Most of us reach our peak bone density or strength around the age of 20. So the adage that its "all down hill after 40" is misleading. Now don't let this thought depress you, and lead you to think that now that you're past twenty that you are past the prime of you life. It simply means that you need to ensure you are taking care of your body. particularly your skeletal system right from that age on. Not waiting till you reach 40 before you start thinking about what's good for your bones.

Lets cover one more interesting fact. There are so many to choose from its hard to decide which to share with you. How about those starvation diets that many of us have tried at some point in our life. We figure whatever damage they could cause is temporary right? Not so. you are damaging your bones because they are not being nourished properly. Who knows what lasting effects this could have.

So a little bit of basic knowledge about the body can mean a lot of good health through the years. You have to admit that some of the facts we covered here were quite interesting and did raise your curiosity.

Now switching over to another topic just for a moment, let me talk about curiosity. We are nosy creatures by habit, and thrive on learning interesting things. It doesn't matter on what topic for the most part, if has something to do with us either direct or indirectly, then we want to here it. Only however if it simple to understand.

Now back to the skeletal system. This is definitely all about us, in fact it is us. Its not up to someone else to look after what belongs to us. The human anatomy is really not nearly as complex as we make it out to be. That statement only holds true for those that are not doing an in-depth study of the body. In those cases, yes it is complex, but not beyond understanding. Its just a matter of how much knowledge is necessary for the purpose we need it for. So in the case of the individual that wants to go into the medical profession, he needs a lot more knowledge than the average person who just want to take care of what he owns. Namely our body.

So not only are we going to talk about some interesting facts about your bones, we are going to learn some things that are important to our everyday living. Do you know that you have been losing things from your skeletal system over the years?

When you were born you had about 350 brand new bones. Now if you could peek inside yourself you'd count around 206 or so. That's 90 less then what you started with. You know darn well you haven't had any surgery that removed 90 of your bones, and you also know that you were born perfectly healthy. This truly is a mystery, and now you're curious. Well actually it really isn't all that much of a mystery. Many of our bones simply fuse together throughout out lifespan. Part of the reason this happens is so those bones fusing together, can perform the functions we need as adults, which we didn't require as children.

Here is another point that may be of interest. Most of us reach our peak bone density or strength around the age of 20. So the adage that its "all down hill after 40" is misleading. Now don't let this thought depress you, and lead you to think that now that you're past twenty that you are past the prime of you life. It simply means that you need to ensure you are taking care of your body. particularly your skeletal system right from that age on. Not waiting till you reach 40 before you start thinking about what's good for your bones.

Lets cover one more interesting fact. There are so many to choose from its hard to decide which to share with you. How about those starvation diets that many of us have tried at some point in our life. We figure whatever damage they could cause is temporary right? Not so. you are damaging your bones because they are not being nourished properly. Who knows what lasting effects this could have.

So a little bit of basic knowledge about the body can mean a lot of good health through the years. You have to admit that some of the facts we covered here were quite interesting and did raise your curiosity.

Medical gel pads are a key component for ensuring the safety and comfort of patients during medical procedures. By conforming to their body shape and distributing their weight evenly, patients benefit from support, comfort, and pressure relief during procedures through the use of patient positioning gel. Surgical gel positioning products help airways to remain unrestricted and promote healthy breathing patterns to allow for safe anesthesia procedures.

To restrict unwanted movement, operating room gel pads maintain patient position so that the surgical area remains entirely stationary and doctors are able to perform successfully without worrying about unexpected motions. Additionally, surgical gel positioning can aid with medical staff's ability to handle and move patients during pre-operation preparatory procedures, surgery, and post-operation procedures.

There are a variety of positioning gels for different parts of the human anatomy. These gels prevent ulcers from forming in all of the areas of the body. The gels are made typically from a visoelastic polymer, which is flexible and allows blood to flow through the skin that would not be possible on other surfaces.

Patient positioning gel products are a highly effective and simple form of patient positioning. Medical gel pads prove useful for neonatal, pediatric, adolescent as well as adult applications and are often utilized by renowned hospitals and medical practices all over the country.

Although regarded to by many as a lesser effective approach and sometimes even a form of unproven 'witch' remedy, the practice of osteopathy, is as a matter of fact, a combination of science and philosophy and are based on scientific research and application of sound principles. The practice of osteopathy is governed by four underlying principles. These principles guide all the osteopathic practitioners in assessing, diagnosing, and treating their patients. The four principles are as follows:

The first principle of osteopathy is that the structure and function of the human body are interrelated. It was said by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of Osteopathy, that 'disease is a result of anatomical abnormalities followed by physiologic discord'. This means that the body, in order to function well, must be free from any misalignment of its body parts. This principle regards the human body as a machine that in order for it to function in its optimal ability, all the body parts must be in their proper locations.

The second principle applied in the osteopathic approach is that the body is a single but dynamic unit of function. This means that the human body, in the osteopathic approach is always taken as a whole. Even one small abnormality to a small part of the body may cause for it not to function well. This principle may explain the holistic approach a knowledgeable osteopath follows when treating his or her patients.

The third principle says that the body has mechanisms that can heal and regulate itself. This basically means that the body is capable of maintaining a balanced state of function and all a great osteopath would do is to assist the body to do so. If the self-healing processes are also slowed down by the abnormalities happening in the body, a skillful osteopath may also help in alleviating these outside or inside forces that may help a patient's body to get back to its normal function.

Lastly of the principles states that rational and sound treatments are applied to patients based on these principles. Osteopathic treatment are based on an osteopath's knowledge of anatomy and physiology that are integrated with the aforementioned principles which make a holistic and non-invasive treatment plans for its patients.

These four principles are based on research and sound applications and principles. It's the application of these four osteopathic principles that make osteopaths one of the most effective and holistic manual therapies available.

I found there were many theories about how and why genital mutilation began but nobody knew for sure if any of them were true. Primitive people all over the globe have been practiced body modifications of every description, including genital cutting, for thousands of years.

As part of my inquiry, before I went to sleep one night I asked to know how circumcision began. In the middle of the night I saw a vivid vignette unfold, as if a television was sitting at the foot of my bed.

Two people appeared in the dream: an old man and a baby. The old man was crazy drunk and wanted to play with the baby's penis. Since a foreskin will retract and pull the penis into the body when it is cold and also when its owner is afraid, the old man could not access the baby's penis. This enraged him. He pulled out his knife and cut the baby's foreskin off.

From "The Rape of the Phallus" by Dr. William Keith C. Morgan in the Journal of the American Medical Association, July 1965:

"Why is the operation of circumcision practiced? One might as well attempt to explain the rites of voodoo!... it is part of an ancient rite practiced by many primitive tribes whereby the young male and less frequently the young female, gives proof of his or her ability to endure pain. If they pass the test with fortitude, they are then accepted into the tribe as fully developed adults with attendant privileges. Thus in this respect the operation is similar to many of the tattoos and scars produced by burning, piercing or incising that are accepted as routine cosmetic procedures by these peoples.

"Second, in many primitive African tribes circumcision is performed to reduce libido. This mutilating practice is generally performed on women to keep them faithful to their husbands. Male infant circumcision is practiced by all Semitic races, Jew and Arab alike, and has been exported by them to all parts of the world and to most races. It will perhaps be a cause of surprise to those of Semitic origin to find that the Australian aborigine has practiced circumcision for as long, if not longer, and for the same basic reason as his more civilized brethren."

Well, so much for modern and medical and upscale, logical and rational. Cutting off genitals is primal, primitive, base, emotional stuff.

The age chosen for circumcision varies according to the culture. The western, English-speaking world, which has followed the Judaic model, cuts the child at birth or a few days after. Other cultures wait until the boy is somewhat more grounded, around age five or twelve.

Some "coming of age" rituals during teen years involve not only genital mutilation but also haircutting, knocking out teeth, finger amputation, tattooing, scarring, and a variety of other quaint tribal markings. Some think the "coming of age" ritual is a message to the younger men in the family or tribe: "Our women are beginning to like you! Stay away from them! The women belong to us!"

You can read circumcision facts and myths from around the world and through the ages in Circumcision: A History of the World's Most Controversial Surgery by David Gollaher.

But why, given that neither the New Testament, the Book of Mormon nor any national medical organization in the world encourages the practice does circumcision have such a strong foothold in the supposedly civilized, modern, predominately Christian, United States of America?

Dear reader, make sure you are sitting down, because this is something many people find difficult to believe - but it's true! - circumcision began in the USA as a way to keep children from - egads! - touching themselves! - masturbating! Read these stirring words from the New Orleans Medical Journal in 1855...

Neither the plague, nor war, nor small pox, not a crowd of similar evils have resulted more disastrously for humanity, than the habit of masturbation: it is the destroying element of civilized society.

The last witch had been burned in the late 1700s as the evil spirit theory of disease was actively being discredited. But the evil spirit theory was soon replaced by the masturbation theory. Masturbation, doctors proclaimed, could make you crazy or physically ill - it could even kill you. You had to be saved from your evil ways - for your own good.

The witch hunt turned to an obsession for uncovering and punishing private sexual behavior, self-pleasuring.

"Over this period there was truly a remarkable upsurge in what can only be termed comic-book sadism. The advocacy of these bizarre [anti-masturbation] therapies was not confined to eccentrics. By about 1880 the individual who might wish for unconscious reasons to tie, chain, or infibulate sexually active children... to adorn them with grotesque appliances, encase them in plaster of Paris, leather or rubber, to frighten or even castrate them, could find humane and respectable medical authority for doing so in good conscience. Masturbational insanity was now real enough... it was affecting the medical profession." - Alex Comfort

Pain was considered to be a good thing in the war against pleasure...

"In cases of masturbation we must, I believe, break the habit by inducing such a condition of the parts as will cause too much local suffering to allow of the practice to be continued. For this purpose, if the prepuce is long, we may circumcise the male patient with present and probably with future advantages; the operation, too, should not be performed under chloroform, so that the pain experienced may be associated with the habit we wish to eradicate." - Athol A. W. Johnson, The Lancet, April 1860

When masturbation was thought to be the cause of all disease, doctors were under the spell of opinion-based medicine. They argued among themselves whether the masturbation theory of disease was to be blamed on loss of body fluids or from the shock of orgasm. Nobody bothered to test the theories surrounding masturbation and circumcision. No one has yet to research the long-term effects of circumcision. The U.S. is still working hard to replace opinion-based medicine with evidence-based medicine. Statistics mislead. The real story is in the numbers.

Numbers say that a lot of boys have been unnecessarily cut. Fortunately, I was savvy when it came to statistics -- I knew how they can be used to mislead, so a 50% reduction in UTIs translates to: where there used to be two UTIs in a hundred boys, now there is one. 100% of one is one and two of two. But two UTIs in a hundred boys means that millions of boys have been cut who would never have had a UTI! You could safely say that out of 100 boys who are cut, all are cut unnecessarily. Why? Because while those two little boys had a UTI, five little girls got UTIs and doctors used antibiotics for the little girls - and therefore doctors could have used antibiotics instead of cutting the boys.

Only six boys in 10,000 are circumcised in Europe for medical reasons. European doctors explain to boys how to stretch the skin if it is too tight; antibiotics are used for infections. In Europe and other intact cultures, cutting genital tissue is thought of as a drastic measure, bad medical practice.

Here in the USA, circumcision was sold to parents as a way to end the cause of all disease, which was purported to have been masturbation. Now we read a study that said the less men between the ages of 20 and 50 masturbate, the more likely they are to develop prostate cancer. Masturbation helps clear out the tiny little tubes in the male reproductive system, it said.

I wondered if present-day parents should be concerned if their children don't masturbate enough. Will doctors of the future recommend more masturbation so boys will be healthier?

"Son, you're looking a little sickly! Go to your room, and don't come out until you have had at least one healthy orgasm!"

"Aw, mom, do I have to? I wanted to do my math homework!"

And the irony is, now that studies have been performed, we find that loss of genital tissue results in more masturbation. Yes, the fact is, circumcised men masturbate far more than intact men - 40% more often. Are they trying to make up for in quantity what they are lacking in quality of experience?

What about loving family relationships in adulthood? How might loss of sensual tissue affect that? One man cut after adulthood said the difference between cut and intact sex is like the difference between black and white, or color TV. Something vital is missing. Could the loss of the foreskin affect the bonding process? Could loss of the foreskin be the cause of so much sexual dissatisfaction and infidelity? When something is missing, do people reach out to new partners, hoping that someone new will be the one who really "does it" for them?

Reducing the physical equipment reduces the sensual experience and sexual satisfaction, yet nature's demand for reproduction burns as hot in the cut and the intact. With the loss of natural parts and skin, achieving the deepest levels of sensual contentment is thwarted... so a vicious cycle is established. Less skin means sexual frustration - the big itch is inadequately scratched. This surely accounts for the difference in desire among circumcised men and intact women.

People who don't get the nutrients their bodies require to work well, crave food. People who don't get the sensual satisfaction their bodies require, crave sex. It's just the way it works. We naturally will try to make up for quality with quantity. Deficiency leads to obsession. Genital cutting creates sensual deficiency and sexual obsession.

The masturbation-as-cause-of-all-disease theory was bogus and the circumcision "cure" backfired. We now have a nation filled with people who are sexually frustrated and sexually obsessed. And yet circumcision persists.

We are meant to enjoy full-body orgasms, but when cut, we do not have them. The partners of circumcised people are also deprived of their full ration of pleasure and satisfaction.

Tens of thousands of delicate nerve endings are cut off with every foreskin. And some men spend months or even years stretching the skin and restoring the foreskin. Some attain excellent results that doctors cannot distinguish from natural foreskins. The restored function can be anywhere from 80 to 90% that of a natural, intact man. When a man restores his foreskin, he finds his rhythm of desire begins to more closely resemble his mate's.

Some have called circumcision, "the cure desperately in search of a disease".

Why the persistent sales pitch? Why do the same circumcision enthusiasts move from one claim to another? Why? Who is invested in what?

There is a predictable cycle: A claim is made for the health advantages of circumcision. The claim turns out to be untrue. Like a smoke and mirrors magic show, another claim arises to take its place. And that has been the pattern around the circumcision phenomenon for many years now.

Psychologist and author Alice Miller wrote, "What eventually happens to the person who was mutilated as a child? As a rule, children who were once injured will later injure their own children, maintaining that their behavior does no harm because their own loving parents did the same."

Circumcision makes circumcisers. Circumcision makes people who are obsessed with sexuality, babies' genitals, cutting of flesh, and the shedding of blood. Trauma sets us up for acting out the trauma, repetition compulsion.

Could it be that the act of circumcising is an addiction of sorts? For some, it must carry quite a charge. There are people who have blood fetishes, people who have tissue fetishes, people who get off on torturing others, people who like to fondle children's genitals. Put them all together and circumcision surely is an ideal job for some.

And it's not easy to give up addictions. There are no circumciser detox centers, no "Circumcisionists Anonymous" meetings. It's unlikely circumcision clamps and knives will be easy to pry out of the hands of those who want to continue. It is an extremely emotional subject. I was shocked to read that some doctors who were surveyed said that even if it was made illegal, they would continue to circumcise. Now that's hard core.

So I went public. I had booth at an outdoor celebration. "Circumcision is my religion," screamed one kindly grandmother at me. Thumbs down for my Save the Males sign from one very nicely dressed and coiffed elderly lady. "You don't know how hard I had to work to get my grandson circumcised!" spat a third.

Adults defending circumcision rather than protecting children - this truly perplexed me.

In the interest of human rights, I think it is time for circumcision to be examined with a microscope that can see beneath the surface of emotional arguments. When we are so deeply mired in anything we can't see clearly. We need a mirror.

Westerners look askance at the ritual mutilations of the body performed in exotic tribes, but they justify their own ritual mutilations as medically appropriate. Europeans sneer at the Maasai custom of lengthening the ear lobes, but they have their own noses bobbed and their faces lifted.

"Americans are horrified at the Arunta practice of subincision (slitting the penis on the ventral side) or the Sudanese tradition of infibulation (excising much of the female genitals and sewing up the vagina), but they stand with few other modern nations in clinging to a ritual that is no less "barbaric" and no more "hygienic", routine circumcision." - Karen Ericksen Paige

Look at babies' faces before and after circumcision. Before, they look peaceful, content, happy. After, their faces look dismayed, betrayed. Listen to their cries.

When I was studying the subject, research had still not been performed on the long-term effects of circumcision on the infant, the bonding process with mom, the psychology of the circumcised baby, the boy and man he becomes, his relationships, the quality of life.

In England, circumcision ended abruptly after a few facts were provided to the medical boards. Europeans seem to do quite well with their natural, sexy, relaxed bodies.

But it's as if the U.S. is under a spell, in a trance. It can't see itself objectively. Americans are prudish and yet are inundated with sex wherever they look in the media. Even Disney films titillate.

Circumcised doctors imagine the natural penis to be a birth defect. "I can do something about that for you!" doctors say, as if natural anatomy is a condition that needs fixing.

Is circumcision really good for babies? No. Does anybody know for sure that circumcision has ever saved anyone's life? No. Does anybody know for sure that being intact has led to anyone's death? No. Has circumcision killed? Yes. Has it deprived? Yes, deprivation is a sure thing, 100% of the time.

Some men say every circumcision is a botched circumcision. Every circumcision maims.

So, as I read and read, it seemed to me that circumcision was a cosmetic, elective procedure, never beneficial and inevitably harmful... unless the owner had gangrene of the foreskin.

How good of an idea can it be to traumatize infants for the sake of cosmetic genital surgery? How good of an idea can it be to deprive anyone of natural body parts and natural sensation?

We owe it to our children to examine the circumcision subject carefully. It's important we put on our thinking caps and be objective, not just argue to be "clever" or "right", or to "win".

Each time objective reality checks prove that circumcision claims are false, the circumcision promotion machine moves on, like a huge monster that eats foreskins for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What could be the motivation? Who does circumcision profit? Well, there are doctor and hospital fees. I heard once a pediatric urologist complain that people who speak up and tell their stories are "scaring patients away" from circumcision.

A retired doctor-preacher man once told me he didn't like doing circumcisions, but, "If I didn't do them, someone else would get the money." He looked rather shocked after he said those words.

Medicine is a business and circumcision has been big business in the USA for a century or more.

There are circumcision tools and instruments and equipment to sell. What about the commercial uses of the amputated skin? At one time there was at least one business that made and sold goods made from foreskins. One can only imagine how they obtained the foreskins... many colors, many sizes... we can only speculate. From a very odd catalog:

Introducing MANLY ARTS of Ohio, purveyors of circumcision memorabilia. MANLY ARTS specializes in providing a channel for those historians, researchers and collectors who are involved in the development of the "manhood movement" as it has been expressed in literature, research, graphics, objects and cultural practice. Foreskin Quarterly #7 (Winter 1987), pages 20-21.

Item 61. Wallet, actually made from human foreskins. Supple and imminently serviceable. Comprised of fourteen skins ranging from 3" by 5 1/4" to infant 1 1/2" by 2", the wallet contains eight compartments and is sewn together with leather thread. Of such a commanding appearance that viewers will have to ask what the material is. After that, it's up to you. Beautiful brownish patina on the outside; the inside composed of checkerboard alternating Caucasian and Black skins. ,000.

Item 62. Woven finger ring made from actual human foreskin. Braided, and done so by twisting: the skin was apparently not cut longitudinally during its removal. Thus there is no joint between the two ends, because there are no ends. A beautiful piece of engineering, much like a Chinese puzzle. Beautiful mahogany patina with honey-colored highlights. Would fit the middle finger of the average man. 0.

Item 63. Small (9") pair of lamp shades made from human foreskins. Mounted on solid brass cast and polished bases. Excellent form and design. The foreskins are Caucasian, Black, Olive, Oriental and Indian and are used in a regular pattern. The mellow light shed by the foreskins produces an enviable atmosphere of calm and romance. ,500 the pair.

Item 64. Beautiful vest made entirely of human foreskins, lined in emerald green moire. The foreskins are used as squares alternating with small diamonds of much darker skin. The seven buttons are solid gold and each is stamped "Tiffany and Co." ,200.

Item 65. Gentleman's pinkie ring made from human foreskin. In constructing this item, the inner and outer layer of prepuce were left in their original relative positions, so the ring is double thickness. This may have been the product of a re-circumcision, as the forward edge retains a distinct pattern of suture marks which had healed. Being a double thickness, small circular holes have been placed in the outer skin and cat's eye stones inserted which contrast handsomely to the honey-brown color of the ring. The width being only 1/2" contributes to the theory that the ring was produced by a second circumcision. 5.

Item 66. This is an outrageous item. A large and long human foreskin has been expertly tanned to provide all the suppleness and softness of the intact version. It is connected to a sulcus ring of silver with cabochons of lapis lazuli so that the wearers looks as if he were an uncircumcised male wearing only a sulcus ring (granted that the ring is worn above and not beneath the prepuce). The skin is connected to the ring with a dozen silver rivets; not recommended for use in masturbation or intercourse, rather obviously. But a hekkuva decoration for those special parties. 5.

Babies' genitals are used in expensive beauty creams. Stem cell research is performed with foreskin tissue. Flattening out football-field-sized sheets of very expensive artificial skin containing - yes! - infant foreskin.

"Just one foreskin per football field! We promise! And it was donated from the owner of the company's son! - Honest!"

European and Japanese men do not suffer from foreskin problems. Europe and Japan score high up on World Health Organization charts - the USA is 37th. No national medical association in the world - even in the United States - endorses circumcision. Even our own American Medical Association (AMA) and American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) do not accept the health and hygiene claims. And yet circumcision myths keep on going and going and going... like the Energizer bunny.

Doctors? Poor doctors. In the past they created such a successful demand for circumcision that now they are trapped. Even though they claim they don't want to perform circumcisions, they claim they must! Bloodthirsty parents insist! After all, medicine is a business and the customer is always right.

And so, cosmetic surgery on healthy infant penises continues.

I wonder what doctors would say if a parent insisted they cut off a baby's nose? Or an ear? Or an eyelid? Would they do it? If the parent insisted? Why? Why not?

A cruel beast circumcision is - for all involved, but especially for the brand new visitor to the planet, the guest of honor, the baby.

No child has ever voluntarily chosen to go under the knife. Every child resists. Babies have to be held down, strapped down, restrained. Babies fight circumcision. Children do not want to be circumcised. And yet, when they have children, the circumcised will pass it down...

Pshew! Time for me to take a breath.

That was an interesting bit of reading and research. Such an emotional issue. Even for me, though it appears - so far, anyway - that I'm just an innocent bystander!

And now I have even more questions.

Did God really tell us to circumcise our babies? Or is it possible we are living under the tyranny of an ancient superstition?

Have we all been duped? Everyone? Everyone medical? Everyone religious? By tricksters from the past?

Do we really need blood rituals and tribal markings? Now? In the 21st Century?

Is circumcision at the root of man's inhumanity to man? Early childhood trauma? Power-over? Powerlessness?

We have a big trash can of historical mistakes: stonings, crucifixions, holocausts, routine tonsillectomies, appendectomies, mammograms, and bleeding with leeches.

It's certain that someday circumcision will take its place among those others. I'm already embarrassed for the doctors and nurses and rabbis who have done it to babies. Surely it goes against their best intentions, their highest value, which is to do no harm to any living thing, especially I am sure they do not wish to harm a baby.

Perhaps all it will take is one tiny voice that says "The emperor has no clothes," like the courageous doctor who said to a classroom of nurses, "There is absolutely no medical reason for doing this."

I am an Occupational Therapist and my specialist area is working within mental-health settings or in the community with people experiencing mental-health or emotional difficulties. I decided to write this article to explain what occupational therapist does and is trained to do within the field of mental-health.

Occupational therapists believe that people have the ability to influence their own health and well-being through their occupations. Within occupational therapy the term "occupation" is used in its widest sense to refer to the wide variety of roles and activities that a person engages in during everyday life. Occupational therapists recognize that occupations give structure and meaning to a person's life. Occupational therapists believe that if a person is not able to engage in an adaptive way with occupations that are important and meaningful to them, this can have a detrimental effect on their well-being.

It is this approach to physical, psychological and social dysfunction that makes the occupational therapy profession unique. Occupational therapists are concerned with treating the effect of illness or injury as it relates to the persons ability to function. For example, an occupational therapist working within the specialist area of hand rehabilitation, would be very knowledgeable in biological sciences and physical medicine and be able to communicate and work allied to surgeons and physiotherapist colleagues working in this area. The difference would be that whilst the physiotherapist may focus on the restoration of, movement, and strength of the hand muscles, the occupational therapist would focus on the persons ability to use the hand during activity and occupations. So, an occupational therapist may spend time retraining the person to be able to grip a telephone or sign their name, if these were activities the person highlighted as important for them to work on.

Occupational therapists have developed their own theories about occupation and also draw from the academic discipline occupational science. In addition, occupational therapists also need to understand information from a variety of other disciplines because they work with people experiencing illness, disease and social problems. Therefore, during the three to four years degree level training, an occupational therapist will be taught from disciplines such as sociology, psychology, psychiatry, physical medicine, developmental theory and biological sciences such as anatomy and physiology. Occupational therapy's knowledge base includes these disciplines.

Occupational Therapists work in such a variety of settings and it would be impossible to have an in-depth understanding of information from all of the disciplines mentioned. Therefore, occupational therapists will usually specialize in an area after a few years of their career and develop a deeper understanding of theories and practices that are specific to their chosen area.

For example, an occupational therapist working within the field of mental-health will become knowledgeable about information from psychological and psychiatric disciplines and use such information and techniques in their everyday practice. They will also work alongside professionals from such disciplines, the OT's role to bring their unique understanding of occupational theories and models to the professional skills mix.

Occupational therapy has organized the vast amount of information from other disciplines into frames or reference. These frames of reference contain complementary theories that can be applied within a specific area of practice (Creek, 1997). Occupational Therapists specializing in mental health draw from frames of reference such as cognitive, cognitive behaviour, human developmental, occupational behaviour, psychodynamic and rehabilitative. Again, which frame of reference the occupational therapist used will depend on the unique needs of the client and also what is favoured by the setting in which they work or which approach is most supported by clinical evidence of effectiveness.

Occupational therapists working within the field of mental-health today, will often become very familiar and competent at working from and using techniques from the cognitive behavioural therapy frame of reference because this approach is currently very popular and well-researched. I now practice privately, working with individuals experiencing psychological, emotional and behavioural problems and my main frame of reference is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Edinburgh.

In sum, occupational therapists are highly qualified and professional trained healthcare practitioners who draw from the same knowledge base as other well -known professions, whist at the same time having a unique focus that is occupational in nature. Occupational therapists focus on the person and their life as a whole as opposed to just focusing on symptoms and illness labels. Occupational Therapy is available from the NHS and there are now more and more occupational therapists practicing privately. The college of occupational therapists would be able to provide you with a list of private practitioners with specialist skills in different areas. I am able to offer occupational therapy, Edinburgh and cognitive behavioural therapy, Edinburgh.

References

Creek, J. (1997). Occupational Therapy and Mental Health. Churchill Livingstone. London.

The First Few Steps Towards Pregnancy

When you decide to bear a baby, the first thing to do is to go for an Rh compatibility test. This test proves that both of you are ready to become parents and there are no defects in your reproductive organs. As a precaution, your doctor advises you to give up your habit of smoking and drinking and abstaining from substance abuse. All these have ill effects on the baby. If you are an addict then you must first join a de-addiction center and cleanse your body from the ill effects of these unwanted agents. See what your partner can do to help you regain a healthy body. Do not hesitate to consult your family consultant if you have any health problem, which is persisting even after treatment and seems incurable. Try to keep your mind cool by reading books and listening to music. Knowledge is power. Sometimes we are unable to perform because we were not adopting the right tactics. Therefore, try to understand the human anatomy and the cycle of reproduction.

For The Father-To-Be

It is usually believed, that the role of the male partner finishes once the woman becomes pregnant. Nevertheless, there is a lot more what your partner can do. The job of the male is to provide healthy and nutritious food to the mother. Create an environment where she feels relaxed and comfortable. Never allow anybody to say anything, which may hurt the sentiments of the mother. He should participate in planning for the arrival of the baby. Purchase all the items, which you will need on delivery like the crib, pram, toiletry items, soft nappies, creams, powders and gels, fresh linen and the like. Arrange the things in the house so that things of need are easily reachable. Try and accompany the mother-to-be when she goes for her regular checkup, make sure she sleeps and eats on time, and keep all harmful items or substances under lock and key and out of reach of others in the family. Spend time with her, as this will add to your relationship and strengthen your existing bond.

During pregnancy period, the woman undergoes many changes, both physical and psychological. There are many hormonal changes as well. All these changes have a nasty effect on the emotions of the mother. As she reaches the third trimester, she can no longer act and do things that she normally could. At times, this can make a woman irritable, and she becomes angry easily on small matters. What you as a partner can do is to keep your cool even if she shouts at you for petty reasons. Remember she is the same woman you love so much. Never raise your voice as it may have a bad effect on her nerves, which may affect the fetus growing within her as well. Try to keep a fixed routine of walking and exercising and always accompany her in public areas. This attitude gives the mother a sense of security.

Working in groups is key. Me and my roommates study together, and this is the best thing. If you have someone to verbally study with and bounce ideas off of then you will learn way faster. Also, if there is a study guide if you spread out the work amongst more people then you will be able to start the studying process much faster than having to fill out the study guide alone. The faster you know what is on the test, the faster you will be able to start studying.

Step Two:

Organize your notes. This is very crucial in studying for a test, especially if its for a class as difficult as anatomy. Once you know what you are going to need to study for, you must organize them in chapter order. Making key notes and re-writing the notes is the best thing to do. If you re-write the notes you will remember things faster than if you just stared at a piece of paper trying to read the answer.

Step Three:

Understand the pictures. If you are learning about the human body it is almost pointless if you don't know where the certain functions are taking place. My advice is to understand all the diagrams and pictures before you start to learn about what is going on. Therefore you will visualize what is going on in the actual spot that it is happening in. Sometimes having a picture of what your studying is all it takes to get your mind to connect with what you are trying to study.

As a kid, who hasn't once received a tap on the back by his mom followed by: "stand up straight!" Why does a person walking with his head up look better than another with a hunched back? If by intuition, people value a good posture, they don't necessarily understand the impact it has on how we feel.

Madame M. is a 46 years old mother of two. I initially met her because she was suffering from a tight neck that was causing her headaches and dizziness. On her first appointment, I immediately noticed her 'closed' posture. Her back was forming a C, and her head and shoulders were ahead of her body. Madame M. talked with a soft voice and she wouldn't easily make eye contact. I learned that she was the 6th and last child of a family from Northern France. She wasn't desired by her parents and she had, in her own words, a "painful childhood." The feeling of inadequacy that she developed as a child became a feeling of low self-esteem in her adult life. She closed up to the people around her, and her body posture perfectly reflected that state.

A Protective Posture is a natural response to stress

If there are as many postures as there are people, we can nonetheless observe two tendencies: A protective posture versus an open posture. People take a protective posture whenever they are exposed to a physical or emotional stressor such as an accident, an aggression, a frustration, or a rejection. The body literally closes up in order to protect the vital organs. The back muscles tighten up, the shoulders round in, and the head slides forward. Just imagine someone screaming at you "watch out for the ball!" You will immediately adopt this posture.

When the primitive brain is in control
On a deeper level, whenever we take this type of posture, we stimulate the lower part of the brain, which is responsible for primitive tasks such as feeling thirst, fear, or anger (1). That part of the brain, when activated over time, installs a feeling of vulnerability: The person functions on a day to day and basis. She doesn't feel safe enough to make long-term goals and she is usually very uncomfortable with change. It is important to note, than even if the outside sources of stress have disappeared, if the person holds that Protective Posture, he will reinforce the primitive brain and the state associated with it. A study (2) done in England reveals that someone's posture is an accurate indicator of his general state. The researchers suggested that primary care physicians should be attentive to people's posture to screen for states of unease or distress that could otherwise go undetected.

In the case of Madame M., she was in an obvious state of distress for several years. So we started care, and we worked on releasing the tightness in her neck and on improving the health of her spine. Slowly, over a period of several months, she learned, through exercises and spinal care, to open her posture. Her symptoms receded, and she gained a vitality she had not experienced in years. As her posture was improving she would also notice that she was experiencing more ease in every day's affairs. The real breakthrough happened when she decided to create her own business. She noted feeling stronger, more confident, and ready to make changes in her life. And that's what she did. It's now been 5 years since Madame M. has been running her growing business.

Ref.

(1) The Human Brain: An Introduction to Functional Anatomy. John Nolte, Mosby, 1993.

(2) A. Howe, "Detecting psychological distress: can general practitioners improve their own performance?" British Journal of General Practice. 1996.

The duties of a veterinary technologist are very similar to those of a nurse or physician's assistant for a medical doctor. If you work as a veterinary technologist in a veterinarian's office or animal clinic, you will spend part of your time doing crucial paperwork and part of your time working directly with pets of all shapes and sizes. A typical day might include filling out charts and documents, scheduling appointments and updating patient records. Or, you may help in collecting specimens, blood draws and skin scrapings for lab tests. You may even assist in preparing animals, lab equipment and instruments for surgery and other procedures. Other tasks include grooming animals and assisting with routine procedures such as vaccinations, taking x-rays and performing lab tests.

Because there are so many different responsibilities, a veterinary technologist needs to be able to juggle many different tasks and delegate responsibilities effectively. Decision making skills are very important, as is attention to detail. Medical charts must be accurate and readable to avoid the possibility of errors in treatment. A love of animals is, of course, essential to anyone pursuing a degree in veterinary technology. You will spend most of your time around animals and should have a soothing personality for pets in distress, as well as their owners.

There are many career options available for anyone with a veterinary technology Associate's Degree. While the majority of graduates will work in a veterinarian's office or animal clinic, there are also many opportunities in other areas. If you are interested in medical research or the sciences, there are many research facilities that rely on veterinary technologists to take care of animals in their biomedical research facilities. In this capacity, you would oversee all work with animals to make sure humane care is provided and track all research protocols for the supervising scientists.

You can combine a love for the outdoors or wildlife with your career by working at a zoo or wildlife park. Many veterinary technologists work behind the scenes at zoos doing everything from preparing special diets for animals to taking care of newborn animals. Larger cities with professionally staffed Humane Societies or SPCA's often recruit vet techs with Associate's Degrees to assist in caring for the many abused or abandoned animals that come to them. This is a particularly rewarding but taxing job that involves a great deal of healthcare work.

Many people don't realize that pet food and pet supply companies also need veterinary technologists for their Research and Development divisions. These companies are always looking for ways to improve the quality and appeal of products like dog treats, cat food and pet toys. They need staff members who can work with their products and their "testing panel" of animals to determine what is most attractive and also healthiest for their target customers.

A career as a veterinary technologist requires a two year Associate's Degree, which you should seek from a technical school that is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The program will consist of basic courses in math and business as well as more intensive courses in areas such as zoology, anesthesiology, pharmacology, animal nursing, surgical principles, comparative anatomy, public health and more. You will also be required to serve an externship during which you'll put what you've learned into practice under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

If veterinary technology sounds like an exciting career for you, check into various health and business schools in your area. Many of these will offer a vet tech program. Also contact animal hospitals, clinics and veterinarians who can suggest good vet tech programs in your area.

The LPN education requirements differ slightly from state to state, but in general the minimum requirements are a high school diploma or equivalent (GED). Most colleges or vocational schools also require that you have the following prior to submitting an application: Developmental Psychology, English composition, Math, human anatomy & physiology, human anatomy & physiology II, and microbiology. Another of the LPN requirements is that you are at least 18 years of age. Some institutions also require that applicants are endorsed by two professionals such as professors, principals, guidance counselors or employers, in terms of general personality traits. A drug and criminal background check will also be done.

When applying to study to become and LPN you will be required have at least a 2.5 GPA in the above courses and a "C" or better in maths. The LPN requirements mean that you will have to produce official transcripts of your school. If your Academic Skills Assessment Program scores are below those required you may be required to complete a developmental courses in English and math. Good scores in the LPN education requirements are very important as most colleges do not have a lot of openings on their courses and admission is more often than not based on the cumulative score you get from the Math, Reading, Writing, and Science admission tests, related courses you took in high school or college, work experience and location and any post secondary degree or diploma you may have.

The LPN requirements remain the same whether you do a LPN Degree Training Program at a community college or vocational school or an LPN Degree Course at a nursing college. The training programs generally take twelve months and can often be done online. If you do one of the programs ensure that the program is approved or accredited by your state's Board of Nursing. Training done at nursing colleges generally takes between twelve and twenty-four months to complete and include hands-on training at a community hospital or health care facility. These courses also include medical surgical nursing, medical calculation, psychiatric nursing, pediatric nursing, nutrition, physiology, CPR and anatomy.

After completing your course you will have fulfilled all of the LPN education requirements, but completing the course is only the first step. One of the main LPN requirements that you have to comply with before you will be able to practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse is obtaining licensure. This can be done by passing a certificate exam called NCLEX-PN which is a computer based multi choice exam containing between 150 to 200 questions.

To set the stage, anyone who is familiar with the elements of the higher criticism knows that there are two creation of man stories in Genesis. The first, or Priestly Account, was written in the fifth century B.C. and extends from the beginning of Genesis through verse 3 of chapter 2. The second, or Jehovistic Account, begins with verse 4 of chapter 2 and extends through the third chapter. This version of the story was written in the eighth century B.C. It is interesting to note that the second account is about 300 years older than the first. They are two different accounts and are not compatible with their "facts." Orthodox Christians insist that both stories must be true and compatible, even though they contradict each other on many points, as do the birth, death, and resurrection accounts in the New Testament. Admitting this, however, would hurt faith and faith always comes before facts to literalists. "Faith" sometimes, is what covers the facts so we are not uncomfortable. When all else fails, you will be lashed with "the wisdom of man is foolishness with God". That will pretty much end the discussion.

The simple fact is however, Adam/Eve and Original Sin never LITERALLY happened in space, time and history. The idea that man literally came in an instant just 6000 years ago in the form of an Adam and Eve is simply not based in FACT. It is mythology, and not an original one at that.

The hypothetical first man of the Bible was rightly named Adam, since the first Adam , which means "MAN" was made out of "adamah" which means "earth". Adam was not so much who he was, but what he was. The Romans called men "homo" since he was made out of "humus". And other mythologies have man made of clay and blood mixed and formed. It is a common origin story, not unique to Genesis. Taking a woman from male parts is also not unique to the Bible account.

Now all through the pages of the Bible, of course, it is considered a real event. That is the nature of the Bible. Or at least that is the nature of the Bible when read by literalists, who perhaps are unaware of any deeper, though not literally intended meaning.

A couple of years ago, while teaching an anatomy class for a massage class, I reminded them that they needed to know that humans had twelve pairs of ribs, ten fixed and two floating pairs. Several students brought up the with the Biblical story of human origins being literally true, informed me that "of course, men have one less rib than women " I said no, that women did not literally come from the rib of man , an expendable part, no matter how close to his heart the smooze might have you believe. The Genesis story was not explaining biology and human origins. One girl said she was telling her father and he'd be calling me. He never did... darn!

To get a non literalist view I suggest you read The Jesus Mysteries by Timothy Freke or even The Christ Conspiracy by Archarya. While less pleasing in places, The Christ Conspiracy forces one to look at history and other possibilities. A good background on the mythology of the Adam and Eve accounts, and Goddess worship at the time the Bible was written, can be found in When God was a Woman as well.

Paul clearly plays off his belief in the literal truth of Adam and Eve to make a very ignorant point of supposed truth to the early Church. This "truth" is designed just as much to keep women out of the male church as the OT law was designed to keep women out of the male system.

"Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. FOR (this is the reason why to Paul) Adam was formed first, THEN Eve. And Adam was NOT deceived, but the woman being deceived, FELL into transgression. Nevertheless (I, Paul, still have a role for her to fulfill), she will be saved in childbearing (though painfully which was part of the punishment in Genesis), IF they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self control. I Timothy 2:11-15.

Do you honestly believe this is why women should not speak in a church, or if they have questions, go ask their husbands? I don't. So plainly Paul bases his teaching on a mythology that he believed to be literally true. It will also be asked if Jesus himself was a literal believer in Adam and Eve and Original Sin.

Perhaps you think I think they were all lying. I don't think they were lying for what they knew or believed, any more than I think Elijah or Jesus knew that remains of Neanderthals lay under their feet in Jerusalem or in Caves of Carmel. (They do). The answer is, of course Jesus believed it was literally true, or at least the writers who put their own reflections on Adam and Eve in Jesus mouth believed it. This was a COMMON practice in the writings of the time Western Christians are most unfamiliar with. "God said it, I believe it, that settles it for me" is the phrase that indicates a general ignorance as to how many conversations in the Bible are written. It is often written as fact, what the author imagines the character to have said in such an instance. Jesus' alone time in the Garden of comes to mind. Who wrote his prayer down? Did he tell the sleeping disciples what he said in his personal prayer minutes before his arrest. No.

It might also help to point out that Paul also believed that marriage was to avoid fornication but the best choice was to remain single like him. Do you believe that is valid thinking? I don't. Ask a Catholic Priest! Paul says a true widow, who lives in pleasure, is dead while she lives. (I Tim. 5:6). Do you believe that is a balanced truth about widows? Paul says younger widows will weaken and grow wanton against Christ and cast off their faith and marry, the marriage being the proof of her wantonness. Do you believe this? I don't.

Paul says weak people marry and single people think only of Jesus, while married people think only of pleasing their mate. Do you believe this? I don't. I know lots of mates who don't. I don't remember a lot of wives telling me ask their husbands to stop paying so much attention to them. I don't remember any singles so caught up with Jesus and the Church, I had to tell them stop it. Paul was naïve about relationships in the extreme. Perhaps because he seems not to have had any quality ones in his personal life given what we have about him. Paul said he had the power to lead around a wife. I doubt most women were interested in his power to lead them around.

In another place Paul says "for the man comes not from the woman, but the woman from the man" referring back to the Adam myth. Do you believe that biologically? I don't. No one does today, at least no one with an open, functioning mind not clouded by years of superstition, fear and compliance to the expectations of others.

One of the benefits of making mythology literally true is that one can formulate laws to prevent the literal problems from happening again. In the origins stories it is WOMEN who take the biggest hit. It is not possible to make laws against various things, or institute whole religious systems if the origin stories are perceived as mythical. They must to have literally happened to enforce literal laws and control people.

While not literally true, the story of the fall of woman and matriarchy, which it really is, has been used by the men of the Old Testament, predominately the controlling priesthood, to re-institute patriarchy and protect Israelite men from the dangers of surrounding Goddess worship.

It is no coincidence the great counselor to the female Goddesses (Astarte, Ishtar, Isis, and many more) of the nations around Israel, was the wise and benevolent Serpent. In a Goddess oriented society, birth and reproduction was the sole function of the female. This was real mystery to the male who could not connect the events of nine months previous to the birth. Women were mystical. They could produce humans. Remember, the male spermatozoa was not discovered until 1677 by Hamm and Leeuwenhoek and the female ovum by Baer until 1827! It is no coincidence that once the woman was again connected to the how of birth process after 1827, women began to demand equal rights again with men.

In a Goddess oriented society, women get a lot of respect as well. The Goddess could give her property to all her children. It did not matter who the fathers were. Specific paternity with multiple partners could not be proved. If they were hers, and she'd know, they were family! But this would not do in Israelite society. If Israelite men cohabited with "pagan women", property could go to these women when the man died and this was unacceptable. The nation was in danger. Matriarchy had to be prevented in Israel and Patriarchy installed to enforce paternity and the laws of inheritance.

The Goddess concept had to go. God now HAD to be male. And with a male God, only marriage could prove fatherhood and property rights of children. One woman to serve the one man. Any children would be his children and only his children would get the land. It would not be lost to a pagan wife or unmarried woman.

Remember too that women in the Patriarchal Israelite society were basically property. Much like we still see today in the Middle East. "You shall not covet your neighbors house (thing), your neighbors wife (thing), nor his male or female servants (things), or his ox , nor his donkey (things), nor any (thing) that is your neighbors" (Ex 20:17) .

In Genesis, Lot was able to barter his things, (daughters), to the town folk so that his guests would not be raped. (The rape of strangers was not sexual, it was to humiliate and warn them to not endanger the clan hometown). Lot was concerned about his image as being a safe and hospitable man to these men. When he fled Sodom he begged not to go Zoar, but rather the mountains, as he knew what his fate would be at the hands of some of the men of Zoar, symbolic humiliation.

In war, it was fine for Israelite soldiers to take the girls who could show signs of their virginity (don't even imagine it), and kill those who could not prove it. You can take your enemies' "things", just not your neighbors.

Most laws against sexuality were enforced, often fatally, to serve as warning to others and insure paternity. A woman was not stoned if raped in the country because she is assumed to have cried out for help and no one could hear. She was stoned for not crying out for help if raped in the city as this might indicate she was enjoying herself, and the paternity of the baby might not be known.

You might notice the pattern through history of first the Goddess alone, fertile and a mystery. Then as suspicion of a male role in birth arose, the Goddess takes a male consort, though always portrayed as smaller and less powerful than her. Then as connection between the male contribution to birth is more suspected, the consort becomes her equal and the shift that she becomes his equal occurs, as we see in Egyptian culture.

Next, the male begins to feel that he alone is the cause of the mystery of birth and the female is a mere incubator. Now we have the death of Matriarchy and the Goddess and the birth of male dominated Old Testament Patriarchy. We now have a God that doesn't even have a consort, needs no company, knows no female and reproduces all by himself.

From this we have the story fall of the goddess in Genesis 2, and her evil (though never alluded to as Satan... that was added later) serpent counselor. The fall, caused by Eve (the goddess) is the reason for every evil thing to come and why humanity is the way it is. Therefore, she now only gets to have babies painfully and be subject to the one man. This is the meaning of Genesis 2 and 3.

Let the Taliban open your eyes to the real results of the political, social and human fallout for women who still are victims of rabid patriarchy. In those "cultures" you can shoot women on the fifty yard line at soccer games for failing to wear the Burka, or behead fifty or so as you please, as was recently done in Iraq by Sadaam's son.

Let me be perfectly clear. The story of the fall of man or woman or both never literally happened. It is a mythology written for the purpose of derailing and dethroning goddess worship in ancient Israel. It is to avoid the attendant risks of losing land to pagan wives and men finding more theological satisfaction in Goddess worship and fertility rights than in being controlled body, mind, spirit by a male Priesthood with all it's attendant obligations.

New Testament authors reach back to The Fall as literally true for the same reasons. Modern Christian do the same, some thinking it is literally true, and many other individual pastors KNOWING it is not, but hey, "I'd lose my job".

So why do I bother to write about the mythology of Adam/Eve and Original Sin, and invite the scorn of literalists? Well first of all, I used to believe and teach it faithfully myself as a literal fact. As a pastor, I did not have the guts to publicly question church teaching. And by church, I mean all denominations. I am past that stage now and am seeking the simple truth for me and my life, which I will never again give over to the group, the organization or "the church". Had the information available to me today been available when I was younger, I never would have gone into the ministry. All denominations only teach what supports the view of some founding individual.

I have learned that when science makes a mistake, they generally examine it, admit it, change it and appreciate the information that can still be used. When religions make a mistake, they simply kill the person who pointed it out, and perpetuate the Dark Ages. It is no coincidence they arose shortly after the establishment of literalist Christianity with its torture, forced conversions, state sanctioned edicts of truth and deeply troubled want to be's. I suggest a study on Martin Luther's attitude toward Jewish people to properly curl your toes and give you insight as to how the holocaust could have come about in Germany.

So back to the original premise. Adam and Eve did not literally exist in space and time. There was no Garden of Eden in the salt flats in southern Iraq. There was no talking serpent (a sure sign of a mythology). The events of the Fall have the deeply political and theological intent to dethrone goddess worship and thus all women from any special treatment or adoration save for having babies painfully and serving men. We, meaning every human to come along since, did not fall into sin because of Adam, from which we must be theologically extracted by bloodletting of any sort. If the events did not literally take place, the consequences did not either. Perhaps one can now feel they were born right the first time.

It's a long and painfully negative road to attempt to go from a being whose "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it" to the absolute requirement to become "perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect". No pressure to perform there!

I spent 26 years with these concepts. I met NO perfect people, "like your Father in heaven is perfect"--NONE. None were close. None were much on their way. I met a lot of wonderfully normal people, but also, a lot who never could feel quite good enough to be who they are, and a feeling somehow this is just not achievable.

Being told that it is God and the Holy Spirit that will now do this for us, or maybe to us (whether by unconditional love, which seemed to have lots of conditions, or by grace, which in practical fact had a lot of laws), never really helped. Even Paul, depending on the book he may or may not have literally authored, never quite seems sure where law and grace, faith and works converge, or if they do.

This is what literalist Christianity does to people. Literalist, Patriarchal Christianity thrives on division. If it has no enemy, it has no purpose or motivation. There can be no "we only" without a "not them". There can be no "chosen" without the "unchosen" . There can be no "converted" without "the unconverted". And certainly no "true church" without the "false church".

When it finally discovers (don't worry, it won't) that the inerrant and literally true Book is neither inerrant nor literally true, it will have to face the fact that literalist teachings, Christian or Fundamentalist Islam, have been responsible for more damnable repression and destruction of the body, mind and spirit than a literal Satan could ever dream of.

We're all here to learn. I don't ask you to see the world of religion and theology through my eyes, nor would most. I got here with my own experiences, curiosity and need to know. However, I do encourage you to see it through your own eyes, and not as interpreted for you by Apostles, Ayatollah's, Prophet's, Priests and King's.

Also by Dennis Diehl on The Missing Dimension

Forgiveness / The Apostle Paul

In the mid 1480s, Leonardo moved from Florence to Milan. At that time, Milan was one of the most powerful city-states in Northern Italy. And, it's Duke, Ludovico Sforza, commissioned Leonardo to make a horse like no other to honor the Duke's father, Francesco Sforzo. It was to be a massive, bronze-cast statue - the largest statue ever built, standing 24 feet high.

Leonardo made a great number of preparatory drawings for his Sforza Horse. His notebooks are filled with proportional studies of horses. There are detailed diagrams of the anatomy of horses, along with notes on how to cast it, and it would weigh 80 tons once complete! Leonardo made the clay model to scale, but the bronze horse was not to be. In 1499, the French army threatened an attack. The metal intended for the Sforza Horse would be needed to make canons. Leonardo left Milan before the French Army marched on the city. Seeing the massive clay horse, the French soldiers could not resist using it for target practice.Thereafter it was reduced to rubble. Leonardo became despondent and at the same time, vowed to one day see his horse completely built.

Much has been written throughout history about the "Horse that Never Was". Five hundred years after the destruction of the clay model, based on the notes and sketches of Leonardo, the 24-foot bronze horse was cast. In fact, two full-scale statues were completed. One stands in Michigan, while the other was given as a gift to the City of Milan. United Airline Pilot Charles Dent made it happen. Upon seeing the original sketches that had been rediscovered in Spain, he started the process of raising the necessary funds to build the full-scale, bronze horse. His plan was to give it as a gift to the Italians from the Americans. Being something of a sculptor himself, he built a clay model of the horse to Leonardo's specifications. And, although Charles Dent died in 1994, his dream lived on and over four-million dollars was raised. On September 10th, 1999, exactly 500 years after the French destroyed Leonardo's clay model, the bronze statue was unveiled in Milan. On October 7th, 1999, a second casting of the horse was unveiled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This second horse is known as the American Horse.

Along with his studies of mammals, Leonardo made hundreds of bird sketches. In the medieval publication Lives of Artists, Giorgio Vasari tells how Leonardo would go to the markets and buy caged birds, and then open their cages, giving them back their freedom.(1) Leonardo studied the motion of their wings in flight as well as their anatomy and physiology. He wrote down and illustrated his own theories on the flight of birds and was inspired to make several sketches of mechanical flying machines. He wrote a treatise called Codex on The Flight of Birds in which he made diagrams of a helical wing, beating wings, a parachute, and bat wings. Later he realized the problems with human-powered propulsion and began making notes and diagrams of gliders. He also designed a machine based on a helical screw that was 32 or 33 feet in diameter.(2) It was supposed to lift off and fly as the blade rotated, resembling a modern-day helicopter.

Leonardo's passionate interest in studying animals was unique for his time. He studied and observed animals, and sketched and painted them with grace and realism. Other Renaissance artists like Michelangelo (1475-1564) and Raphael (1483-1520), who focused more on the humanity and divinity in art, did not include animals in their works to the extent as Leonardo did.(3) Without neglecting the Divine in Humanity, Leonardo above all other Renaissance artists, elevated all of nature and made it part of the Divine.

However the historical record is clear that in the 1600's a retired Chinese military officer named Chen Wangting (9th generation member of the Chen family) was the focal person who put the whole package together under the umbrella label of Tai Chi Chuan. At that time the family already had a powerful martial reputation and their own successful style, derived from the legendary Chen Bu 1st generation of the family, who lived in the late 1300s and brought that style to Henan from Shanxi when the family moved there ( Shanxi province is also the traditional origin of both Bagua Zhang and Xingyi Chuan ). This original family style may also have some relation to Shaolin since the Chen village is apparently quite close to the Shaolin monastery.

Chen Wangting is credited with the creation of a number of Tai Chi Chuan forms which were then practiced by members of his family/village who went on to develop what is now known as the Laojia form. The new Tai Chi style he created was integrated by Chen Wangting from the existing family style with martial theories from the 36 postures described by General Qi Jiguang in the Chuan Ching (Boxing classics) section of his Military handbook and ideas from Jiang Fa - a skilled martial artist/prisoner/friend of Chen Wangting - into five routines of Tai Chi Chuan, plus 108 form Long Fist and Cannon Fist form. He is also credited with creating push hands drills and silk reeling as well as emphasising mental/physical relaxation, intention training and balancing slow with fast moves and many other aspects.

It seems that the work of Chen Wangting and work by others that followed, was primarily focused on Martial use but incorporated many ideas and practices from the I-Ching and Taoist thinking as well as from Traditional Chinese Medicine including health exercises from Daoyin and from Qi Gong together with much knowledge about the anatomy and vital points of the human body, and of course made use of the concept of Chi and ideas of chi flow. In a similar way Tai chi seems to have integrated Chin na - joint locks - apparently already ubiquitous in martial arts all around the world, but given new meaning in Tai Chi which provides unique opportunities for both application and for generating power in use.

This period is thought of as a time when personal and family defence were a high priority and brutality was common - members of the Chen family for example are thought to have been involved in both trading in herbs and in guarding caravans and personnel. Consequently it may be imagined that the practitioners of the time were interested in dealing with brutality as efficiently as possible - and taking Chen Wangting as an example, were already capable fighters looking for a better way of dealing with aggression. In addition it seems also likely that many of the experienced fighters would be looking to continue their abilities into older age and perhaps able to work from a perspective of experience in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Thus giving rise to the twin faces of Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan - health and martial application. Equally the Taoist lineage brought with it an intellectual approach to observing and thinking about the world both practically and philosophically, thus enabling a thoughtful way of approaching the development of a martial art.

This martial/health dichotomy is exemplified by the story of Yang style derived from Yang Luchan who is said to have learned Chen style covertly while living in the village in the early 1800's - but to have been accepted as a student when he demonstrated his ability against various family members.

Yang Luchan was the first outsider to learn the original form of what we now know as Laojia when he was taught by Chen Changxing. He left the Chen village after many years practice and travelled around China taking on all comers and was unbeaten - thus earning the title Yang the Invincible - a very martial beginning for the family style. He eventually went to Beijing as tutor to the Emperor's guard and taught his Tai Chi Chuan to his family. It seems that his form diverged as it passed from him through his descendents, becoming focused on the health benefits via his grandson Yang Chen Fu -who wished to spread the benefits of Tai Chi more widely in order to improve the health of the nation - this is the style most popularly known today.

I have trained with Mai Lee Yang (the granddaughter of Yang Chen Fu) in Hong Kong and she still viewed Tai Chi practice as a martial art - indeed the form still retains many aspects that are of martial value and it may be that Yang Chen Fu himself and possibly some close students continued to practice a more martial version of the form. Indeed it was my own experience that it greatly added to the effectiveness and application of the Karate which I also practiced at the time. However it seems widely accepted that most Yang style today is practiced primarily for health and it is clear that in the west at least Tai Chi is seen in the mainstream culture as almost entirely health related. So from Yang Luchan to modern day global Yang style (until recent years "The" global Tai Chi style) we have seen a complete conversion in the space of around 200 years.

There have been many Yang style spin-offs over time - one well known being that of Chen Man Ching who initially trained under Yang Chen Fu and then went to the USA where his form has become very popular for it's softness.

While this spreading and diverging of Yang Style Tai Chi was going on around the Beijing focus the original Chen style was itself undergoing change, notably by Chen Changxing 14th generation and teacher of Yang Luchan, who is also credited with codifying the "old frame" Laojia form. At the same time Chen Youben, also 14th generation is credited with devising a new small frame form called Xiao-jia. This was followed by 16th generation member Chen Xin who wrote the first book on Chen Style "Illustrated Explanations of Chen Family Taijiquan" based around the Xiao-jia form, although not published until 1932. From a personal perspective it is clear from even a cursory look through this book that Tai Chi was being studied in a huge depth of detail and confirms the constant references back to the I-Ching also to Taoist ideas of how the world works as well as the theory of Chi which were clearly fundamental in developing the intellectual model that has driven the physical style.

Then at around the same time as Yang Chen Fu - in the period of the late 1800s/early 1900s Chen Fake 17th generation also went from the Chen village to Beijing as an instructor where he acquired a significant reputation as a fighter and developed what is now known as the Chen Xinjia form.

Stemming from this there are many other family derivatives of the Chen and Yang mix including Wu style, Wu (Hao) style and Sun style - these are generally considered the big 5 and are all traceable through relatively few practitioners who often knew or were related and trained with each other or with a connected lineage bearer.

Wu style derives from Quan You a leading student of Yang Luchan and his son Yang Pan Hou - the Wu family style originating from Quan You's son Wu Jianquan.

(Old) Wu (Hao) style derives from Wu Yu Xiang (1812-1880) who also studied with Yang Luchan for many years and then in the Chen village for 3 months under Chen Ching-ping. His family style was derived from this experience and is often referred to as Hao style after the Hao Wei Zhen - the second generation successor. The first generation successor Li I-yu also went on to form his own style now differentiated as Li style.

Hao Wei Zhen went on to meet and pass on his Tai Chi to Sun Lu-tang - an experienced practitioner of Xingyi and many other martial styles. Sun Lu Tang was known as a proficient fighter who went on to produce his own Sun style of Tai Chi.

I learned Sun style from Sun Lu Tang's daughter Sun Jian Yun at the Beijing People's University. She described her father in strong terms and the form as primarily martial in intent. I was impressed by the compactness and obvious short range application of Sun style. Discussion with one of Madam Sun's students also revealed a knowledge of acupuncture/vital points along with Tai Chi.

The core of Tai Chi is therefore quite interlinked - nurtured for 200 years by the practitioners of the Chen village and then in the past 200 years going from Chen to Yang to Wu and Hao to Sun - all now growing in parallel and still splitting off yet more variants.

The University in Beijing under Professor Li Deyin is much involved in what has developed as a sport side to Tai Chi with many competitions taking place both nationally and internationally around the world. These include forms, sparing and push hands. Sport forms of Tai Chi are judged on visual technique and on rule based competitions with expert judges awarding points for observed skill. The University training is often quite akin to gymnastics/acrobatics with students learning first a number of "hard" Kung Fu styles and then Xingi, Bagua and Tai Chi. I believe that the background martial understanding is retained at the university and certainly teachers such as Wang Yang Ji who have come out of this system can demonstrate a good level of martial skill.

Tai Chi in the parks of China appears to have been incorporated into a social melee of health and leisure activities alongside Qi Gong, religious meetings, stretching, running, ballroom dancing and rock-and-roll. It is often taken up by men and women when they approach retiring age or if they have a health problem such as arthritis. Typically these practitioners spend a couple of hours or more first thing in the morning exercising and in their 60's 70's and 80's are often delighted to share and demonstrate their skill.

It is likely that word of Tai Chi found its way to the west by the transmission of travellers who visited China from the early 1900s onwards and brought back their understanding - sadly they were few in number and perhaps limited in their understanding by the short time it was generally possible for them to stay. They did lay valuable ground work and generated visibility such that when I started training in martial arts in 1970 Tai Chi was known of in the west and a few books were available. Although good teaching was not widespread in the UK - primarily only in London. Later I was introduced to Yang style by my Karate teacher Hirokasu Kanazawa who learned 24 step Yang style in Japan from a Chinese teacher in exchange for Karate instruction.

The world wide spread of Tai Chi was promoted in parallel by the emigration of teachers from China after the communist revolution, again in the period after the 2nd World War and later after the Cultural Revolution. These teachers gave the rest of the world its first taste of genuine home-grown Chinese internal martial arts. They have more recently included those now encouraged by the Chinese government to visit the west for promotion of Chinese martial arts and culture in general.

Emigrant teachers include people like Chu King-hung who came to London from Hong Kong to teach Yang style in the Yang Chen Fu tradition and Chen Xiaowang 19th generation head of the Chen family who now travels around the world as ambassador for Chen style.

In recent years Tai Chi focused organisations have successfully promoted the sport side of Tai Chi both inside China and worldwide, such that competitive forms and sparing of many sorts are now highly visible and give a counterpoint to the health/meditation aspects seen widely in popular media.

Consequently Tai Chi of many variations is now hugely popular all around the world and each tradition continues to grow and "spin-off" new shoots. In recent years perhaps the most significant development however has been the dramatic growth of the oldest style of all - Chen style - resulting from the efforts of Chen Xiaowang (grandson of Chen Fake 17th generation) and the three others of the quartet referred to as the "Four Buddha Warrior Attendants" from the Chen village i.e. Chen Zhenglei, Wang Xian and Zhu Tiancai. Having so long nurtured the traditional martial root of Tai Chi Chuan these Chen village teachers are giving us the opportunity to return to that root and fully appreciate the value of a style that being true to its core values still contains a full and balanced martial synthesis.

These travellers and emigrant teachers have seeded the establishment of a "Tai Chi culture" in the west. This has now developed it's own highly skilled teachers such as Karel and Eva Koskuba - who having met and trained under Chinese teachers in the UK or elsewhere, then sought to further their training in China itself - thus developing the maturity of Tai Chi outside China.

In the UK at least, Tai Chi now has quite a high profile as a "brand", especially within the alternative health and leisure market, where it has gained increasing popularity as a "wrapper" for stress reduction/health/mobility exercise classes. Consequently we see a repetition of the established Martial/Health/Sport balance seen elsewhere in martial arts around the world. This blossoming of the martial art of Tai Chi, which once encompassed all these facets in one discipline, is now becoming fragmented into many different aspects each with its own adherents, lineage and history - a reflection of the globalisation process seen elsewhere.

On reflection we can see the history of Tai Chi as a historical "way" or "path" of development over time in the association of ideas derived from the early natural sciences and philosophical thinking with health/medical practices, coming together with the practical fighting styles - a cross linking perhaps fuelled by the needs of injured warriors to repair and of healthy ones to strengthen their bodies and to enhance their abilities. These practical ideas synthesised by a relatively few individuals, over quite a short period of time, went beyond the straightforward external fighting styles into something more complex and sophisticated - perhaps because many martial people were/are also intelligent thinkers. Also, perhaps because we can observe a historically common path from warrior to healer, the fighting style and the contributing health/philosophical etc practices continue to be intimately intertwined, indeed it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between them. This path has continuously developed a powerful fighting art over some 400 years and 19 generations with each transmission through another mind/body adding or subtracting a little at each stage. However the 20th century process of globalisation has also seen practitioners move away from its martial origin to pursue Tai Chi for other objectives and in a sense we have come full circle - where once the art brought other disciplines together now it is being used to propagate them.

So what of the future for Tai Chi? - with the energetic activities of Chen Xiaowang, his co-teachers from the Chen village and direct lineage students around the world, it is to be hoped that we will be able to retain a true transmission of the traditional art whatever other developments and blending of cultures takes place.

Appendix:

The role of other Internal arts in understanding the history and development of Tai Chi - the co-linear developments of Xingyi, Bagua and Yiquan

In understanding the history and development of Tai Chi it is useful to look at the parallel paths of the other internal arts of Xingyi, Bagua and Yiquan. In the case of Xingyi it has its roots in the early 1100s with the historical figure of General Yue Fei (1103-1142) although it is said that the earliest reliable evidence refers to Ji Long Feng (early 1600s) of Shanxi province (origin of the Chen family) who used his expertise with the spear to develop "Heart Mind Six Harmonies" boxing for protection in times of peace. This concept utilises the linkage between mind and body to develop a style beyond what is possible with body alone - this is analogous to the intention training with which Chen Wanting is credited. Indeed Xing Yi Quan is translated as "form-intent boxing" alternately "mind-body boxing" and was originally called "Heart Mind Six Harmonies Boxing". Like Chen Wangting, Ji Long Feng also lived in the early 1600s and his style shares some ideas, such as the six harmonies and chi concepts and clearly came out of the same social/philosophical milieu, but followed a structure based much more on animalistic characteristics and traditional martial ideas around the expression of power. Xingyi too has gone through lineage diversification of styles as it has spread geographically although it is probably true to say that like the style itself it has been more linear in adhering to a strictly martial tradition.

Baguazhang on the other hand is traced back to Dong Hai Chuan living in the mid-1800s (contemporary with Chen Changxing and Yang Luchan) whose ancestral lineage is also traceable to Shanxi province - although he is said to have learned his style from a Taoist monk called Dong Meng-Lin. The Taoist input is most obviously noticeable in the circle walking based on the meditation practice of the Taoist Quan Zhen sect, which is characteristic of Baguazhang and the use of the 8 Trigram Bagua from the I-Ching as an intellectual structural concept for the style - thus defining the mental intent ( mantra) of the training. Bagua too has experienced a geographical spread but like Xingyi seems to have attracted primarily the martially inclined.

Yiquan - the forth and most recent internal style comes out of the Xing Yi Quan lineage from its creator Wang Xiangzhai (1890-1963) who trained in Xing Yi Quan and spent many years researching martial arts. This led him to simplify the training process by removing what he considered as the unnecessary physical forms and to focus much more on the mental training, coupled with simple Qigong like exercises. He therefore dropped the "xing" (form) from the name Xing Yi Quan and called his system Yi Quan, where Yi refers to Mind or Intent. This perhaps best exemplifies just how far the development of internal arts can go and does appear to be the one defining factor of these arts - the use of the mind in training to develop bodily power and skill.