June/July 2006
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It.
Mark Karlin interviews Jim Wallis
The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right
Mark Karlin interviews Rabbi Michael Lerner
New Business Models for a Sustainable Future
Torrey Byles
How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer
Dean Baker
Will the Major Media Finally Cover the Electronic Election Fraud Issue?
Bob Fritakis and Harvey Wasserman
The Great Turning
Reviewed by Ted Glick
Armed Madhouse
Amy Goodman interviews Greg Palast
Energy Futures
K. C. Golden
Choosing Solar Power Because It's The Right Thing to Do
Jody Woodruff
Reconnecting To Our Essential Nature With Tai Chi
Sean Kelly
Transforming Our Lives and Our Planet Through the Ancient Practice of Qigong
Julia Tucker Interviews Master Mingtong Gu
Rediscovering Who We Really Are With the Persian Sufi Poets
David Fideler
Book
Reviews
Deborah Mokma
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
The DNA of Healing
A Five-Step Process for Total Wellness and Abundance
Margaret Ruby
Hampton Roads, 2006
Trade Paperback
184 pages, $14.95
Margaret Ruby, an educator and pioneer in the fields of personal growth and self-healing, believes that through the discovery of our personal family history we can break the pattern and reset our genetic code. Ruby believes that our physical DNA is only half the story. She believes the other half is the emotional DNA handed down through many generations. In The DNA of Healing, Ruby provides scientific research showing that in addition to inheriting our physical characteristics, the beliefs, thoughts and emotions of our ancestors are also encoded in our genes. These deeply embedded patterns influence our health and relationships in ways we are not even aware. According to Ruby we have the ability to locate and reprogram these subconscious forces. Once we find the root causes of the patterns buried deep in our ancestral stories, we can remove them and regain access to our full potential. She offers a practical and easy guide to discovering personal DNA family history, tracing back through generations of ancestral stories, and shows that we are not prisoners of genetic heritage but can neutralize our inherited unconscious programming. Here is a sample of what Margaret Ruby shares in The DNA of Healing:
“Geneticists have known for some time that environmental ‘stresses’ can affect genes and cause mutations. In the 1940s, American geneticist Barbara McClintock made the discovery that ‘shocks’ to genetic material (anything from accidents within the cell to viral infections to altered surroundings) ‘forced the genome to restructure itself’ in order to overcome the threat. New research is starting to prove that stresses in our environment do indeed alter our DNA. A landmark study released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December 2004 indicated that major life stresses can actually damage the telomeres (the sections of DNA at the tips of chromosomes) inside the body’s immune cells, decreasing the cells’ lives. The study compared a group of women caring for children suffering from serious chronic conditions to a group of women with healthy children. An interesting feature of the study is that the results were strongly related to the perception of emotional stress. Women in both groups who felt they were undergoing the highest stress levels had telomeres comparable to someone ten years older than they were.
“Other scientific breakthroughs also show the link between our emotions and our DNA. Nationally recognized researchers Glen Rein, Ph.D., and Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., working with the HeartMath Research Institute, have shown that focused, loving feelings and specific intentions altered samples of DNA in solution and produced biological effects in and out of the body. In one study, those who were a part of the experiments were able to cause the DNA to wind or unwind, matching their specific intention. The winding of the DNA helix is associated with DNA repair and the unwinding precedes cell division. In one case, the person being studied was able to affect the condition of the DNA when the sample was half a mile away. As a result of studies like this, researchers have hypothesized, though not yet proven experimentally, that it may be possible through conscious heart-focused intention to influence our cell-level processes and even to change the primary structure of DNA—our genetic code.
“These exciting studies correspond to work I have been doing for the past 20 years that shows that our emotions and beliefs—and those we have inherited—affect our DNA. Like these researchers, I have found that our DNA is not a fixed code but a flexible code. In fact, I have found that by using specific techniques, we can replace flawed patterns with new, positive patterns. In effect, negative thoughts and emotions are like the environmental ‘stresses’ Barbara McClintock spoke of; they affect what she called our ‘highly sensitive’ genetic material, which is capable of ‘sensing the unusual and unexpected events, and responding to them.’ In short, our genes respond to emotions—for better or for worse.
“The opposite, I have found, is also true: Our DNA affects our emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. Scientists are verifying that our genes pass on to us much more than physical traits. In 2001, a team of scientists in Barcelona discovered that a genetic mutation of chromosome 15 makes people more susceptible to panic attacks and anxiety disorders. This tells us that rather than being an imaginary illness or a psychological defect, a phobia can result from a mutation in our genes.”
The Divine Code of Life Awaken Your Genes and Discover Hidden Talents
Kazuo Murakami, Ph. D.
Beyond Words, 2006
Hardcover
208 pages, $18.95
Dr. Kazuo Murakami is Professor Emeritus at Tsukuba University, one of Japan’s leading universities. In 1983 he succeeded in decoding the human renin gene, a key factor in hypertension, for which he won international acclaim, and in 2004, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, invited him to join a small group of scientists and visionaries to discuss science and spirituality. In The Divine Code of Life, Dr. Murakami has proposed a hypothesis of the interaction between mind/heart and genes and focuses on the relationship between positive emotion and gene regulation.
For many years, genes have been thought of in fatalistic terms, as in “you can’t do anything about it because it’s in your genes.” Recent studies on genetic engineering have uncovered the fact that the function of genes changes according to surrounding environments and stimulation, and dormant genes actually have the potential to wake up. Kazuo Murakami explains that the function of our genes is affected by our thoughts and emotions. He believes that humans have the capacity to bring forth their talents at any age, and if we observe nature from a positive perspective, our inherent abilities will come forth. How can we activate the good genes and switch off the bad genes? Only about 5-10 percent of our genes are working at one time, and Murakami believes that “genetic thinking,” or living each day to the fullest with a positive outlook enables us to experience happiness, joy, inspiration, and thankfulness, all of which activate beneficial genes. In fact, Murakami’s research showed that twenty-three valuable genes are activated by laughter alone.
What we think affects how our genes work. For example, people who see themselves as failures often produce poor results. Negative factors such as anxiety, stress, sadness, fear, and pain will deactivate our valuable genes, while positive factors such as joy, excitement, belief, and prayer activate them. Dr. Murakami explains that in order to learn to activate our good genes we should:
Expose ourselves to different environments. When we reach a dead end, we should be daring and change our surroundings which stimulates good genes and unlocks our potential.
Practice positive thinking. This is a key factor in slowing our natural movement toward disorganization and decay. Good genes work hard to take this process of entropy and direct it toward order. Positive thinking also includes seeing the bigger picture and positively interpreting what happens to us in life.
Be profoundly moved and deeply inspired on a regular basis. Pursuing activities and relationships that inspire sincere emotion from the depths of our heart.
Expose ourselves to new information obtained directly through personal communication. Meet people for lunch, ask questions, network, and share stories. Talking to experts in our areas of interest is a great way to turn on good genes.
Practice “Give and Give.” This is giving simply to give—not consciously expecting something in return, yet gaining happiness and contentment through ones actions. Those feelings activate our good genes.
Intentionally put ourselves in a tight spot. Sometimes to tap our potential we must drive ourselves into a corner. This is introducing risk into ones life, a factor that compels us to strive even harder to reach our goals.
Follow our intuition. This can lead to positive results, and good genes are activated in a crisis.
Live up to our potential. Examine what conditions are preventing us from realizing greater potential, remove the obstacles, provide an appropriate environment, and the potential for development is limitless.
Shift our way of thinking. Negative thinking violates the laws of nature. When our genes are in harmony with the laws of nature, they work to protect and nurture life and rejoice in it. Look more closely at nature and strive to live in harmony with its laws. Keep your intentions noble, live with an attitude of thankfulness, and think positively.
Take bold steps. Recombining yourself in response to changes in the environment activates the good genes.
Follow through on our heart’s desire. This sort of tenacity generates flexibility and the willingness to drastically change methods in order to achieve an objective.
The Dalai Lama expressed these thoughts about Dr. Murakami’s work: “Humankind in the twenty-first century is faced with challenges that cannot be solved by science or religion alone. We need to blend our spiritual understanding with modern scientific knowledge in order to overcome suffering. Kazuo Murakami’s important research brings us closer to that goal.”
