MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane)

MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane) What is MSM? MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane) is a naturally occurring sulphur compound that is found in all vertebrates (including humans) and is highly effective in not only improving joint health and hair health but also in reducing pain relief significantly. It does this predominantly by reducing inflammation within the body. How sulphur is absorbed into the diet is very interesting. MSM gets into the diet through the sulphur cycle. Plankton from the ocean will release sulphur compounds into the ozone and the ultra violet light will proceed to make MSM and its precursor DMSO. These nutrients will then be returned to the earth’s surface in the form of rain. When we eat the plants or the animals that have absorbed the MSM, the benefits begin to unfold. Why is MSM so good for you? MSM is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain reliever) which has been most known for its effect on joint health, pain management, hair health and skin health. As most conditions are caused from inflammation, MSM is highly effective at putting a stop to and/or helping to treat these common issues. Signs of an MSM Deficiency A deficiency in MSM has been shown to result in the following: Low Energy; Chronic Pain; Allergies; Low resistance to Stress; Parasites; Tissue and Organ Malfunction; Unhealthy Hair and Skin; Low Immunity. A deficiency has also been shown to contribute to many conditions (see chapter 2 for further information on each of them), some of which include: Asthma; Arthritis; Candida; Diabetes; and Constipation. Nutritional Sources of MSM As with any nutrient, it is always preferable to get it from naturally occurring food sources before taking supplementation. Unfortunately this is not so easy when it comes to sulphur. The foods richest in sulphur are those which we tend to not consume very much of in today’s society, such as collagen or keratin. However, Paleo is possibly one plan that would promote enough sulphur in the diet, as long as it is a paleo diet that emphasises the quality of the foods as opposed to just the type of food. Bone Broth If you ever sat in the kitchen while your grandmother was making homemade chicken soup (as I did) or you remember your mum coming in with a nice pot of homemade chicken soup when you were sick (which I also did) then you would have been exposed to bone broth at some point in your life. Bone broth is basically as the name implies. It is the boiling down of bones until all of the collagen and minerals seep into the water and then you drink it. It is absolutely delicious and so good for you. One of the best sources of sulphur in our diet would be from the connective tissues in the bones of grass fed and free range animals and therefore boiling down some bones into a bone broth and drinking the broth regularly could provide you with almost enough sulphur to promote optimal health. The sulphur in the bones, as well as the amino acids proline and glycine are some of the components that make bone broth so great†¦ So to get you started with implementing MSM into your diet, how about I give you a bone broth recipe that you can get started using today†¦ Bone Broth Recipe Ingredients: 1 kg or more of beef bones from grass fed cows; 2 chicken feet if possible (just gives that extra bit of gelatin); 2 onions; 3 carrots; 3 stalks of celery and any celery leaves you have; 2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar; 1 tbsp. Celtic Sea Salt; Any herbs of choice. Methods: Roast the beef bones in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. Place the bones in a large stock pot and pour filtered water over the bones and add the vinegar. Let this solution sit for about 30 minutes or so as the acid from the vinegar will help to make the nutrients more available. Roughly chop and add the vegetables to the pot and add any herbs and spices you are going to use. Bring this broth to a boil. Once it has come to a vigorous boil bring it back down to a simmer. To simmer beef broth leave it for 48 hours and for chicken broth leave it for 24 hours. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. With a metal strainer, strain out all of the bones and vegetables. When cool enough, store in a large glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze until needed. Raw Foods MSM is in virtually all raw foods and is found in decent quantities in green leafy vegetables such as Brussel sprouts and kale. It is also found in garlic, onions and asparagus. However, although vegetables can contain a significant amount of MSM, it should not be your primary source due to the poor amounts of sulphur in the soil that these vegetables are grown in. Animal Sources Eggs, Meat, Poultry, Fish and Milk are all a much more reliable source of MSM than Raw Foods. Why Don’t We Get Enough Sulphur in Our Diet? There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, as mentioned above, the richest source of sulphur is found in collagen and keratin and in modern society we seem to not consume too much of these. However, thanks to more real food advocates they are becoming much better known, especially in the form of bone broths. Secondly, MSM is lost significantly when the food is processed. Cooking, drying and steaming food depletes the MSM content, as does washing our food and storing it for a long period of time. So, as you can see it is very difficult to get a sufficient quantity of MSM into your diet without a little additional supplementation, especially if you are wanting to receive therapeutic doses. Supplemental Forms of MSM MSM is able to be found in capsules, crystals, flakes, powders, tablets, lotions and gels. I prefer to use the crystals or flakes when I take it internally as it gets absorbed a lot quicker than tablets and capsules. I use lotions and gels when I require it to be absorbed through the skin (as is the case with muscle pains). If you would like to learn how to make your own lotions and gels you can go to the recipes section at the back of the book. Beneficial Supplements to take with MSM Vitamin C (Overall Health, Cell Regeneration) The number one nutrient that has been shown to work extremely well alongside MSM is that of Vitamin C. In fact by combining MSM and Vitamin C together, they work synergistically to provide the benefits listed in the upcoming chapters. When MSM is taken alongside Vitamin C you will notice particular benefits: o helps the body to build new cells; o helps reduce scar tissue and wrinkles, and helps keep the skin more elastic. o helps the hair and nails grow stronger and faster. Glutamine (Athletic Performance, Antioxidant Capabilities) When used alongside MSM this nutrient is a great recovery workout combination. L-Glutamine is the most prevalent amino acid found in skeletal muscle tissue and blood and may significantly aid in muscle recuperation as well as overall immune function. Just like MSM, Glutamine (when taken orally or intravenously) has been shown to raise the body’s natural antioxidant glutathione. Glucosamine (Arthritis and Joint Health) When taken with MSM, this supplement has been shown to provide double the joint comfort relief than either of them alone. Previously you would find most arthritis supplements would contain Glucosamine and Chondroitin alone. However, since MSM has now been recognised as essential for joint health they have started adding that too. Because of the fact that Chondroitin is so expensive studies have actually been done to test Glucosamine and MSM alone and have found some amazing results. This makes the supplement a lot cheaper for the user. To read up on this study, check out the section on â€Å"Arthritis†. Optimal Intakes of MSM As MSM is not stored in the body, a fresh supply is needed to prevent any further deficiencies developing. As you age your MSM concentrations also decrease so your requirement for it will be a lot higher. It is important to start off slowly when taking MSM and gradually increase your dosage, so as to minimise any digestive complaints that might appear. So as to minimise the chance of heartburn, take MSM with your meals. A single dose of MSM will not be a cure all but taken over time on a daily basis you will be able to start experiencing the amazing benefits of this nutrient. A good way of increasing your supplementation is by incorporating the following tiers – although everybody is different so you will just have to experiment yourself. Tier #1 Start off by taking 500mg per day and take this dosage for a week. Tier #2 Increase the dosage to 1000mg (1g) per day and take this dosage for a week. Tier #3 Every day add on another 500mg per day until you reach 10000mg (10g). Tier #4 Once you have been taking 10g per day for a couple of weeks and have made up for the years of deficiency then start to reduce it to a maintenance level. Tier #5 For most people the maintenance level will be about 4-8g per day. Note: Make sure you drink plenty of water when starting on MSM and/or when increasing your dosage of MSM. Also ensure that you do not use tap water with the MSM as the chlorine in it can cancel the effectiveness of the MSM. Toxicity of MSM MSM has been found to be safe with minimal reported adverse effects, even at very large doses. The only effects that have been reported (on minimal occasions) are loose stools, stomach upset or skin rashes, which could indicate a slight allergy to the product but these symptoms will disappear once you have stopped taking the MSM. In fact there have been numerous studies done showing that MSM is Non Toxic even at very large doses. Research (1) – Non Toxic for Pregnant Females even at extremely high amounts of 1000mg/kg/day (Animal Study) This study split the pregnant rats into 4 separate groups and were administered a variety of different dosages. There was no evidence of maternal toxicity and no significant differences in the litter viability, litter size or litter body weight upon testing. There were no foetal abnormalities seen in the MSM treated group or in any of the foetuses. Therefore the non-observed adverse effect level for both maternal and developmental toxicity was 1000mg/day. Please note that this study was done in rats and although the animal studies are generally very accurate and MSM is seen as extremely non-toxic for both the pregnant female and the foetus, it is still wise to either administer it at reasonably low doses (1-3g per day) and/or do it under the supervision of a practitioner. Research (2) – MSM has very low toxicity (Animal Study) In this study they split the mice up into separate groups. One group was given a single dose of 2.5g per kg body weight, one group was given a single dose of 5.0g per kg body weight and the other group was given up to 10g/kg body weight over a period of 90 days. They found that with these numbers there was no toxic effects. Detox Symptoms When you first start taking MSM you may experience some detox symptoms which may make you want to stop taking it. But that could be a big mistake. The symptoms you experience can range from mild flu-like symptoms to more severe symptoms. If the symptoms are not too severe try to tough it out for a few days and make sure you drink plenty of water. However, if you find the symptoms are too severe, try tiering the dosage down and take some hot baths to make you sweat more and therefore make the detoxification process go a lot quicker. Soaking in some Epsom salts is also a good idea. More information on how MSM can help with detoxification can be found here†¦ People who should be cautious when taking MSM MSM is extremely safe for most individuals and is actually about as toxic as water. However if you have kidney issues or kidney disease it may be an idea to check with your practitioner prior to taking this supplementation. Medications that are contraindicated with MSM If you are taking high doses of aspirin or blood thinning medications such as heparin or dicumarol it is advisable to check with your physician prior to taking MSM. This is because it has been observed in some clinical settings that it may have a blood thinning aspirin like effect on platelet aggregation.

American Beauty (movie)

The movie American Beauty bears the name of the most popular in the USA brand of roses. The roses are present in the picture everywhere. They are like a scarlet ribbon running through the canvas of the narration, each time concentrating audience’s attention upon themselves as upon the stereotype of American beauty. This is not a story about empty cellophane bag flying in the wind. This is not a saga about a masturbating wimp American man. And even not about that that life is a shit and women are you know who. This is rather the story of stereotypization of mass conscience that reached global proportion.This is a story about that that our life as any reality is a mosaic with different patterns – sometimes even ugly and detestable. Some of us see the life lines interlacing as a stifling web and others see it as roads running away beyond the skyline. Overall, American Beauty is a film about the life of an average American family, and problems experienced by each member of this family. And in this case it does not matter is the family American, English, French or any other as it was already mentioned the stereotypical conscience became global.Movie plot is simple enough and, to certain extent, hackneyed. To tell the truth the beginning of the picture evokes feelings of boredom as you expect a typical tearful story of jerk husband, stinker wife, their daughter suffering from loneliness and lack of understanding and their neighbors – a bit screwed guy, trading drugs and practicing voyeurisme with his video camera, his father, colonel retired, who hates homosexuals being himself a latent homosexual. However, the way all this story is presented makes this movie different and distinguished.American Beauty is impressive for the fact that there are no right or guilty characters in the story. For example, Lester (Kevin Spacey) is not a dull, horny jerk, he is rather an average man who could not achieve in this life anything or even establish a normal f amily, where al least someone would understand and support him. His wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) is not a stinker or a whore; she is a simply unhappy woman, which tries hard to bluster way out of difficult life â€Å"I will sell this house today, I will sell this house today†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Carolyn), but fails.And their daughter Jane (Thora Birch) is not a wicked child dreaming of killing her parents but rather a poor little girl, who feels awfully lonely and seeks for someone to understand her. The central event of the film is the moment when Lester is trying to free himself from the chains of commonness and dullness of the life surrounding him. He quits his well-paid position and starts working in McDonald’s and going in for sport. But the outward manifestation is not the point; the point is that Lester got free inward.He ceased being afraid of his wife, he has got that job which does not give you satisfaction and where you have to lick the boots of your boss is worthless. These changes made Lester feel free and happy! â€Å"I feel like I've been in a coma for about twenty years. And I'm just now waking up. † (Lester) But this is the moment when an inevitable end had to come. Lester is killed. Any person from his surrounding could have done it. Daughter Jane, who could not stand his lusty stare at her classmate: â€Å"I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek-boy who's gonna spray his shorts every time I bring a girlfriend home from school.†(Jane); wife Carolyn, who hates him as she regards him as a sluggard and loser; Jane’s friend, Ricky (Wes Bentley), whom Jane asked to kill her father; Ricky’s father, crazy about patriotism and fascism colonel, who believes his son to have an affair with Lester; and even Lester who feels good and likes his new life. Why not to die at such a moment? To leave this world with pleasant emotions†¦ I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me †¦ but it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world.Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst †¦ (Lester) The movie is masterfully shot in all respects. Young film director Sam Mendes has demonstrated fairly good sense of humor and style. Take for example red rose-petals emerging as soon as Lester gets absorbed in his erotic fantasies. Red petals serve as unambiguous, though delicate euphemism of orgasmic feelings of the main character. This cross-cutting image looks very nice though till the end of film it becomes exuberant and starts irritating.And finally the empty bag fluttering in the wind is like a key symbol of the film. It is noticed by Ricky through his camera lens, who looks at the world only in this way, through his camera, as it makes reality to be accepted easier. â€Å"Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember†¦ and I need to remember†¦ Sometimes th ere's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in† (Ricky) Ricky, as a real artist, sees beauty in the things which are seen by others as ugly.This is, as a matter of fact, the notion of â€Å"American beauty†, the world, which you see beyond U. S. model through this or that stimulating means. American beauty is a McDonald’s, but not as a place where you come to gorge fast, sooner as a place of inner freedom. This is a bright scarlet car, of which you dreamt all your life but had not bought because there were more â€Å"useful† things you had to buy. In the long run, American beauty is your inner freedom, freedom in mind and not under the canopy of Star & Stripes flag. Bibliography American Beauty. Dir. Sam Mendes. 1999. DVD, 2002.

The Canon

4. Define the â€Å"canon† and describe the basic criteria and chronology behind the formation of the New Testament canon. What evidence exists in this area? Why did early Christians feel a need to establish an authoritative list? Which elements in the criteria are the most and least important? State your reasons for choosing these elements. How would you respond if someone claimed that the canon of the Bible should still be open? a. Define the â€Å"canon† and describe the basic criteria and chronology behind the formation of the New Testament canon.What evidence exists in this area? The word â€Å"canon† is a Semitic loanword that initially meant â€Å"reed† but came to mean â€Å"measuring reed and hence rule or standard or norm† (Carson, 726). In the history of Christianity the word canon was first used to designate doctrines which established the basic beliefs and practices of the church (Lea, 70). In our reading in Carson/Moo and Lea/Black, th ree elements of criteria’s are used to show that certain books belonged in the canon known as â€Å"orthodoxy, apostolicity, and universality† (Lea, 72).Lea/Black states, that the gages for defining canonicity are difficult to determine, but the most vital criterion for determining canonicity is inspiration (Lea, 71). The first basic criteria involved â€Å"the rule of faith† (Carson, 736, Lea 71), which meant that the teaching of the book followed the beliefs the church honors as acceptable and correct, (Lea 71). The second basic criteria entail of the demonstration of apostolicity, which â€Å"required authorship by an apostle or by the companion of an apostle† ( Lea, 71), the final basic criteria is universal acceptance meaning used and accepted by churches everywhere (Carson, 737). . What evidence exists in this area? The foundations that the Church uses to base canonicity upon are the use of the works by early Christian writers (Lea and Black, 73). T he regularity of references from various books informs modern students of how the books were viewed in ancient times (Carson and Moo, 733). Another basis affecting the results of the canonical question are the early lists put forth of books deemed inspired (Lea and Black, 73).Lastly, the addition of manuscripts in early codices indicates the opinion of the book by the binder (Lea and Black, 73). c. Why did early Christians feel a need to establish an authoritative list? There is not a definite cause why early Christians felt a need to institute an authoritative list, some of the reasons for the list could have included persecution, distance from the historical Jesus, the pressure of Montanism, the rise of Gnosticism and other movements with scriptures to be rejected (Carson, 736).With this being the case I feel that the formation of an authoritative list by early Christians was deemed necessary to contest the teachings of heretics that were appearing in the Church. Through the inser tion of books that possessed non-Christian ideals or the rejection of books accepted as inspired, false and incomplete teaching ran the risk of corrupting orthodox doctrine d. Which elements in the criteria are the most and least important? I believe the most important element of canonicity is inspiration and that God chooses to work in a person’s lives in other ways.Someone may say inspiration, I cannot see why man would try to limit God’s ability to move and I believe that our minds cannot even begin to grasp the depth, width or even an ounce of God’s wisdom or knowledge or even half of what he is able to do, when looking at creation and the vastness of the universe it is mind blowing to me. I also believe that â€Å"Apostolicity† is also an important criterion, being that Matthew, John and Peter, were members of the twelve along with Paul, commissioned by Christ, along with their associates such as Mark who with Paul .The least important criteria to me is universality based on Carson’s assessment of it being â€Å"scarcely less important† (Carson, 737). e. How would you respond if someone claimed that the canon of the Bible should still be open? In most modern churches today, the Canons are considered to be â€Å"closed†, meaning that God does not add to or take away from the writings of the bible, and instead chooses to work in a person’s lives in other ways. We all recognize that the New Testament canon contains the authorative record of Jesus life and the interpretation of its significance (Lea, 74-75), with that reason the canon should not still be open.But we also must keep in mind that God who is sovereign and can choose to move however he desires and many times I feel that we try to put human reasoning in areas that our mind cannot even perceive, for as stated in Isaiah 55:8 God says: â€Å"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. † 4. Explain how we have approximated the dates of Jesus' birth and death as well as the length of his ministry. List primary and secondary sources describing his life. Which of these sources is the most important?How important is accurate historical information in providing a foundation for accepting and believing the gospel message? a. Explain how we have approximated the dates of Jesus' birth and death as well as the length of his ministry. We have an awareness of the date of Jesus birth because of three main events. A period before the death of Herod the Great, during the time of a census ordered by Augusts, and when there was a bright start in the sky leading men from the east (Lea, 95). Ancient records designate that Herod possibly died around March 4B.C. this means that Christ was born before that (Lea, 95). Quirinius was governor of Syria during the officiating of the census under Augustus. (Lea, 95). The registration for the census could have happened possibly in 8 B. B. and could have taken years to execute. This places the birth of Jesus anywhere from 6 to 5 B. C. (Lea, 96) Jesus’ death is very reliant on the Gospel of John. John associates Jesus’ death to a system of time based on the ministry of John the Baptist, who preceded Christ, which took place on the 15th year of Tiberius reign. Lea, 96) John mentions that the construction of the temple had taken 46 years in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. (Lea, 97). If you evaluate both of these statements and add the approximate three years of Jesus’ ministry they both arrive at a death for Jesus in A. D. 29 or 30 (Lea, 97). The approximate length for the ministry of Jesus is arrived at using the number of Passovers that Jesus attended. (Lea, 96) b. List primary and secondary sources describing his life. Which of these sources is the most important? The gospel of Matthew and Luke are the prime sources of the life of Jesus.The birth of Christ is most fully covered by Matthew and Luke, (Lea , 97). Matthew and Luke also present the most information about the life of Jesus before his ministry, or the â€Å"Period of â€Å"Preparation. † (Lea, 98) John is the only Gospel that relates Jesus Judean ministry. The rest of Jesus ministry is recorded in the entire Gospel, which makes Mark and John the secondary complete record of the life of Jesus. c. How important is accurate historical information in providing a foundation for accepting and believing the gospel message? The Gospel message comprises substantial facts about the life of Jesus.Important academic attention has been devoted to the historical examination of the New Testament, explicitly with respect to establishing it as a reliable historical document. The vast amount of material, in the form of manuscripts, archaeology, and authorial phenomenon delivers an priceless glance into the depths of events surrounding the historicity as well as the development of the New Testament. For many people without establish ing historical believability for the New Testament, there would be no grounds to suggest any sort of belief in it as a reliable source.But for me even if the dates cannot be exactly known for the Christian, it should not affect the belief in the life of Christ. The great men of the Bible prophesied accurately that highly educated men and women who scoff at God and His revealed Word would dominate our world. Although men have sneered at God in every generation beginning with Adam, ours was to be the worst. The Apostle Paul wrote: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (Romans 1:21-22, 28). Although Paul is speaking specifically about the earliest men, we have not changed for the better; we have grown worse. Since the 17th and 18th centuries, men have produced an amazing fund of knowledge in the industrial and scientific areas. Yet pursuing knowledge about God has been left out. We have several sources that provides foundations for accepting and believing the gospel message.Carson, D. A. and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2ded. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005. Lea, Thomas D. and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. 2ded. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003 Carson, D. A. and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2ded. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005. Lea, Thomas D. and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. 2ded. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003

Sources of Okonawos Fear in Things Fall Apart by Chinua...

Achebe’s story is about a strong man, Okonkwo, whose life is dominated by fear and anger. The anxiety of Okonkwo fear of failure, losing his traditions, and family name. The unknown in this story is the oncoming of the English into Africa. A new religion is brought to the villages, and new ways of being something else arise. The African village Okonkwo knew and grew up in slowly begins to dissipate. Okonkwo is not only afraid for himself but for his people, family, and ancestors. He doesn’t want anything to change and he wants to be the man everyone honors and loves. Okonkwo believed that tradition always stays and is very important to keep and learn. He tried to embellish that on to his children and pushed and pushed them to be taught how he was and do what the ancestors did. That pushing and not being loving pushed one if his children to the end and his son left him and the family. Now Okonkwo is afraid that everything he’s worked for will be no more. â€Å"Suppose when he died all his male children decide to follow Nwoyes steps and abandon their ancestors.† (Achebe 153) In chapter 17 Okonkwo shows fear of his sons leaving everything that he has worked for to teach his children and what was taught to him and in the end he fails and he loses his oldest son who becomes a Christian. Okonkwo also had intense pride for his tribe and way of life. He believed it was the right way of life and not to be questioned. â€Å"Okonkwo slept very little that. The bitterness in his heart was now