Notes from Bob Cummings – Page 12 – Christian Science Committee on Publication for Michigan

For health: forgiveness is good, bitterness is not

By Bob CummingsNovember 7, 2011Health, Notes from Bob Cummingsbitterness, CNN, Elizabeth Cohen, forgiveness, Healing, health, spirituality, University of Michigan Institute for Social Research

Recently, while in an airport waiting for a flight, I heard on CNN a summary of an article by Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent for CNN, in which it was pointed out that bitterness is bad for our health.

In her article Cohen shares some significant points made by some contributors to a new book entitled, “Embitterment: Societal, psychological, and clinical perspectives.” In short, bitterness interferes with the body’s hormonal and immune systems, leads to higher blood pressure and contributes to heart disease and other illnesses.

Can human beings really live to be 1,000?

By Bob CummingsNovember 1, 2011Health, Notes from Bob Cummingsaging, Alzheimer's, Healing, health, immortality, mortality, religious, spirituality

A study published in 2000 by the American Psychological Association found that “religious involvement was significantly associated with lower mortality.” Similarly, a study published in The American Journal of Public Health in 1997 found that frequent religious attendance reduced mortality.

Researchers suspect some of this comes from healthier behaviors and more social interaction characteristic of those with religious involvement. But, to their credit, they accept that the research results show a connection between religious involvement and reduced mortality and indicate that more research is needed to understand why.

I recently read an interesting book entitled, “Long For This World – The Strange Science of Immortality” by Jonathan Weiner. Much of the book centers on conversations with Aubrey de Grey who believes that aging is a disease caused by the accumulation of waste at the cellular level, sometimes called the “disposable soma theory”.

Charles Darwin sees connection between thought and blushing

By Bob CummingsOctober 25, 2011Health, Notes from Bob Cummingsblushing, Charles Darwin, consciousness, divine, Healing, health, spirituality, thought

Blushing provides a great example, I think, of how consciousness can affect health. An emotional response in thought (e.g. feeling embarrassment) has a direct effect on the body – a change in blood flow seen as blushing in the face. I have found that through prayer, a change in thought resulting from feeling a connection to God, or feeling God’s love, can result in physical healing.

Charles Darwin (courtesy of flickr user shehal)

So I was pleasantly surprised to come across some of Charles Darwin’s writings about blushing in Chapter 13 of his book, The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals (see pages 325-326). Now I’m not getting into any debate here between evolution and creationism. I’m just sharing interesting insights from a well-known and respected naturalist.

Darwin wrote (emphasis added by me), “It is not the simple act of reflecting on our own appearance, but the thinking what others think of us, which excites a blush.

Taming impossibility

By Bob CummingsOctober 17, 2011Health, Notes from Bob Cummingsconsciousness, Daniel Schectman, Healing, health, imagined, impossible, possible, prayer, spirituality, Theory of Relativity

“What is now proved, was once only imagined.” – William Blake

Earlier this month Israeli scientist Daniel Shechtman was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery of a new chemical structure called quasicrystals that researchers considered to be impossible. Initially the scientific community was reluctant to accept his discovery, to the point where he endured mockery and even expulsion from his research team. The Academy said that his discovery “fundamentally altered how chemists conceive of solid matter”. This recognition came with a $1.5 million award.

This news item got me to thinking about “possible” and “impossible”. It seems that we deem things to be impossible until we have evidence to the contrary. Man couldn’t fly, until of course, the Wright brothers proved that we could. It is impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes – or so we thought, until Roger Bannister did this.

Distant Healing and The Love Study

By Bob CummingsOctober 10, 2011Health, Notes from Bob Cummingsdistant healing, health, love study, prayer

Can prayer improve the health of a distant person?

A study by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that “prayer for others” was the second most widely used alternative therapy in 2002.

Have you heard of the “Love Study” conducted by The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)? This study was conducted to see if an effect from thought at a distance could be confirmed. It focused on finding measurable physical effects rather than on healing results.

Thinking about the placebo effect

By Bob CummingsSeptember 19, 2011Health, Notes from Bob Cummingsdivine, Healing, health, placebo, thought, treatment

If the placebo effect is the result of an expectation in thought, if we took the placebo out of the equation and retained only the thought, would that still help? If the placebo has no intrinsic medicinal value, isn’t the effect from a placebo already the result of the thought connected with it?

A placebo is a non-medicated pill, or sugar pill, often used to set a benchmark in research to determine the effect of a drug. Patients often experience positive therapeutic effects from a placebo and this is thought to be the result of their thought that it will help them. This is called the “placebo effect”.

I’ve read that larger placebos have been found to be more effective than smaller ones and taking two placebos more effective than one. Also, that placebos were more effective when given to a patient by a doctor than when they were self-administered. All of this even though they have no active ingredient.

Thoughts on Memorial Day

By Bob CummingsMay 30, 2011Notes from Bob CummingsJesus, love, Memorial Day, military service, respect, sacrifice, USS Arizona

The USS Arizona Memorial by wallyg

It really was very moving.

A number of years ago my wife and I had the opportunity to visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It sits atop one of the ships (the USS Arizona) sunk on December 7, 1941. It was a sobering reminder of the scale of sacrifice that occurred that day.

The observance was quiet, respectful and heart-felt. This experience increased my respect and appreciation for all who have selflessly served to protect this nation and preserve our freedoms.

White as a ghost

By Bob CummingsMay 23, 2011Notes from Bob Cummingsblood, fear, Healing, health, Jesus, thought, truth, white as a ghost

Ghost from Elizabeth Thomsen

I was about 11 years old. I froze in my tracks and listened.

My folks were having a new house built just around the corner from where we lived and that night I was the one who went over to make sure it was all locked up for the night. While inside checking windows and doors I heard footsteps. The interior walls weren’t done yet and those footsteps echoed loudly throughout the darkened house.

As I listened – more footsteps! I got out of there and ran home as fast as I could.

Diagnostic thresholds, thinking and health

By Bob CummingsMay 16, 2011Notes from Bob CummingsChristian Science, diagnoses, diagnostic threshold, disease, H Gilbert Welch, health, LA Times, mental practice, metrics, threshold

A recent (May 6) Op-Ed article in the Los Angeles Times entitled, “Diagnosis as disease” brings out some very interesting points about medical diagnosis and thinking of people as diseased. It tells us that “low diagnostic thresholds lead people who feel well to be labeled as unwell.” “Not surprisingly, some subsequently feel less well.” “In short, low diagnostic thresholds introduce more ‘dis’-ease into the population.”

Health promise

By Bob CummingsMay 9, 2011Notes from Bob Cummingsassurance, Healing, health, promise

“promise |ˈpräməs|noun declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that guarantees that a particular thing will happen” (New Oxford American Dictionary) “I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord;…” (KJV Jeremiah 30:17).

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