WARNING THIS VIDEO MIGHT BE TOO GRAPHIC FOR SOME (LUNG REMOVAL OF A SMOKER)

This video shows the surgeon dissecting and removing cancerous lesions of the lung of a smoker

Now I have never been a smoker and probably being an Aquarian, I like to do my own thing and never had any desire to try it, so I have no idea what it tastes or feels like. As I was growing up I lost my grandfather and several aunts and uncles to lung cancer and had other relatives suffer heart disease and other lung diseases. When I went into nursing one of the first ward I worked on was one where there were several patients in the terminal stages of lung cancer. I guess therefore this instilled in me the dangers of smoking and what it can do to you. It's extremely distressing to watch patients suffer from lung cancer where upon death is a blessed release from the extreme suffering. Lung Cancer is avoidable unlike a lot of cancers, so why risk it by smoking. OK so you may want to risk it but research has proven not only are you risking your own health but on others by passive smoking, is this fair? In the UK our much cash strapped National Health System is under severe strain treating all those who indulge in smoking and you have to ask, why should others who take care of their health by not smoking pay for the treatment of those who do? Remember too it's not just lung cancer, but a whole range of ailments are caused by smoking, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, throat and mouth cancers, oesphageal cancer, heart disease, arterial disease, leading to amputation, high blood pressure, strokes. Can you imagine the stresses on the NHS being reduced if all the smokers were to give it up? but more importantly think how healthier the nation would be and how younger they would look too. I can't think of one good reason why anyone should smoke and if smokers were true to themselves, I am sure they would share this view.

Astrid Brown (Author)

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EXCERPT FROM "THE JOURNEY TO SPIRIT"

IF YOU WANT TO READ MY POPULAR PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT BOOK FOR FREE ON KINDLE NOW IS YOUR CHANCE.

"THE JOURNEY TO SPIRIT" is available for FREE download on Kindle from Thursday 28 August to 30 August 2014 inclusive

HOLDING ON TO GRUDGES

Is there any point in holding on to grudges, sulking and not talking to anyone? You may not have any control of how others treat you but you can set and live by example. How is there any hope of solution or compromise, if one or neither party is talking to the other? This goes for all arguments and this goes for wars too, someone has to make a move and this should be you. You will never make a "right" from two "wrongs", be the bigger person and make a special effort to hold out an Olive branch and I will tell you why.

Holding on to grudges, resentment like other negative emotions only damages your own soul in the long run, it will affect your health and well being for when you dwell in negativity this causes changes in your auric field causing it to shrink in on itself, this in turn then affects the functioning of the Chakras (energy vortices within the body and responsible for conducting the body's life force through the body and maintaining homeostasis). Each Chakra governs a major endocrine gland thus affecting hormone balance, hormones are chemical messengers within the body that instigate actions in their target organs e.g. stress hormones such as cortisol instigating a rise in blood pressure, which in turn can damage the kidneys and heart long term. So can you see, how resentment and other negative emotions do us no favors?

So you hold out the Olive branch the other person has a choice, they can take it or they carry on with their resentment. You may even find they will apologise, this may even get them to talk and both of you together may then see the other's point of view. I would suggest you try this tact a few times appealing to the other party you want to resolve your differences, only by talking will you resolve your differences.

Supposing they turn away and refuse and want to carry on with their grudge in spite of all your efforts, supposing after you have tried appealing to them a few times even in a letter if they still wont talk and wish to carry on? Well then you walk away, knowing you have done your very best and leave this to Universal law. We live in a Universe where there is a constant balance and exchange of energy. What you give out, you will get back tenfold, this applies to Positive thoughts as well as Negative, if you are constantly giving out positivity to others you have nothing to worry about and all this positivity will be returned to you. However if you constantly want to be wrapped up in Negativity and things go wrong in your life you only have yourself to blame, this is the Universe's way of showing us if we don't learn by our own actions then we will have to take what comes to us. We all have personal responsibility. Sometimes we do have to walk away from toxic people all we can do is pray that spirit will help them see the errors of their ways. Walk away but send them love and hopefully that kind and loving thoughtform will instigate a change and help them for their own good.

CONSTRUCTIVE ARGUMENTS

Why am I not happy? Many people say this without stopping to think. This is often not because they are unhappy but in a period of stasis. We do need a certain amount of stress to motivate us, yet the curious thing is no stress at all is also stressful, we find we have too much time on our hands or we get stressed from the repetition of the same routine, change and variation keeps everything fresh and alive. This goes for all aspects of our lives, be it at home or work. However if you know the reason you are unhappy is the result of another's behavior rather than leave it to fester it is best to tell the other party in order hopefully leading to a resolution, and not resulting in an argument.

When it comes to arguments and disagreements, these can be healthy as they help clear the air. For how are we able to know if our behavior is affecting others, if no one tells us and likewise if we find others are upsetting us, instead of berating the other person we should tell them how we feel. The problems arise though because instead launching into a tirade of insults, it is much constructive to start with, "I feel" and then go on to explain how YOU are feeling, without being insulting. You will then find it a lot easier to find some common ground and a solution. Another problem arises when airing grievances and that is one where old arguments are brought up, this is neither healthy or constructive. However what do you do, when you are trying to air your grievances healthily, you've started off by saying how you feel, you haven't insulted the other party, nor have you brought up the past but the other party has taken offense and gone on the defensive and started dredging up the past? Well keep calm, take a deep breath talk slowly and state you do not want an argument and that we are discussing ….etc and its unfair to bring up the past. If you are in a relationship with this person reassure them that you love them and that you don't want to argue but this is what I am feeling and I'm telling you because I love you and want to be truthful and honest and you are also my best friend and I am asking for your help. As soon as you say you are asking for their help you will generally find the whole atmosphere will change. However if they are  still acting negatively keep calm and try the broken record technique. If this doesn't help and you have done everything else correctly, then its best to wait until they have calmed down, so walk away and politely tell them  we will talk when we are BOTH calm. Now I know you are calm but if you say "YOU" it is more than likely they will flare up further.

When you have given them a suitable calming off period try again by stating you care and love them but you really want to resolve this as you genuinely didn't mean to cause distress, chances are they will have had time to think and you should be able to resolve your differences constructively. Of course you will get the sulkers and they require a different approach. Sulking is not a very mature thing to do, as it solves nothing for in order to come to a conclusion you need dialogue. Sulking is the adult version of a tantrum in my opinion, its a desire to be noticed and for attention. So you treat the sulker as you would a toddler having a tantrum. When a child has a tantrum its because they are too little to understand strong emotions and they are unable to cope, so the result is a tantrum. To dissipate a tantrum you walk away or remove the child to a quiet place firstly to help them calm down. You keep calm, you must not lose your temper as you have to control the situation for them. Calmly you talk and pretend the tantrum is not happening, you reassure the child you love them and talk quietly and lovingly to them, this does not mean to you have to give in, to what they wanted that caused the tantrum in the first place, but by being quiet and loving gradually the child will calm down and you can hug them when its all over. Its similar to what you do with a sulking adult, give them their space to calm down a bit. Talk quietly and calmly and reassure you care/love the person, you don't want to argue you really don't, but you do want to resolve things but in order to do this, we do need to talk. Now for persistent die hard sulkers you may have to leave them alone if they flare up at that and try this tact a few times but it does work.

Lastly an old saying but a true one, "Never let the sun go down on an argument". In other words don't let conflict drag on as it can grow arms, legs and bells on. Nothing is ever resolved by sulking, fighting or shouting at some point there has to be talking and if more people discussed their grievances there would be fewer wars and conflicts in this world

WORRY

"Worry is a negative prayer. It is telling the Universe how frightened you may be feeling. It also reinforces your ‘fear’ vibration and may bring about exactly what you fear".

In other words if you are negative you attract further negativity towards you. No matter how you are feeling there is no sense in worrying, it is not practical and it achieves nothing, that does not mean you should be over confident, what it does mean however is you trust spirit and the Universe to give you what you need and so it will be done.

A TECHNIQUE TO DEAL WITH WORRY

This is a great little technique to deal with worry you will need first of all a large glass jar, with a tight fitting lid. It doesn't have to be an expensive jar a large washed out coffee jar is ideal for you are not going to keep the jar when it is full

The jar should be kept near to your front door as the idea is you place all your worries in the jar e.g. worries about work, money, health etc. You will also require something like string, or wool, you can have different colors for different things e.g. green for health, yellow for money, it really doesn't matter but the more you can relate to the worries the better.

You will also need a pair of scissors and you keep the scissors and wool/string beside the jar by your front door. For every worry you have cut a length of wool/string you think represents how big your worry is e.g. for a big money worry cut a piece of yellow wool 12 inches long say and for a little health worry cut a piece of green wool 1inch long and place them in the jar and replace the lid. I am sure you will get the idea.

Over time you will find the lengths you cut will get shorter and shorter until you don't see them as worries at all. When the jar is completely full and full of all your worries you can either bury it in the garden or put it in the trash can, then you can begin a new worry jar.

TRUE BEAUTY COMES FROM THE INSIDE

Becoming beautiful inside is what radiates beauty evergreen. This means looking at ourselves as people and reflecting what makes us who we are. Remember the world does not owe us a living, we are what we ourselves have created. Ask yourself, "Do I like who I am?" "Am I a good person?" When you give "of" yourself and start loving people in a unconditional way, liking them without being judgmental you begin to radiate beauty from within, you radiate it from your soul. It is through this you will achieve "Inner Beauty".

INNER BEAUTY

What shows on the outside comes from within

Every giving moment every mortal sin

It shows in the eyes the windows to your soul

It shows where you've come from, a tale to be told

All your experiences, your faults and your pride

It's etched in your psyche there's nothing you can hide

Nothing can be erased nor wiped clean

You may not see what others do but believe me it is seen

It reflects in your aura and the colors it dictates

It shows up regrets, your faults and your mistakes

And this will be seen and reflected for all to view

This becomes your inner beauty, this is You

COPYRIGHT ASTRID BROWN

Astrid Brown (Author)

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TAKE CARE OF BLISTERS

The reason I have posted this today is a warning to please take care of your skin especially blisters. Now I know you may think sepsis from a blister is rare but it is not as rare that it is unlikely to happen to you. I have experienced something similar myself, in my case it was a little crack in the dry skin of my foot and the infection spread from my heel to my thigh in a matter of hours and by that time I was very poorly. I've also come across a couple of students whom I was teaching, and noticed severe inflammation around a broken blister and advised them to visit their doctor straight away, both of whom were very glad I dismissed them from class to do so. 

All too often we neglect our poor feet, they work so hard for us so they do deserve the care you spend on your face.

STORY FROM THE DAILY MAIL BELOW

Schoolboy, 12, six hours from death after blister on his feet becomes infected and sends him into toxic shock - all because he was wearing shoes with no socks 

• Macenzie Campbell was rushed to hospital as his body began to shut down
• His mother thought sore was verruca but next day his temperature soared 
• He was just hours from death when he rung relatives to say his goodbyes
• After operation on his foot to remove infected tissue he is now recovering

Macenzie Campbell almost died after a blister on his foot became infected and sent him into toxic shock

A 12-year-old boy was six hours from death when a blister on his foot became infected and sent him into toxic shock after he wore shoes without socks.

Family members prepared to say goodbye to Macenzie Campbell after his organs began to fail and his body shut down.

His mother Joanne, 38, thought the potentially fatal infection started from a verruca and had applied a treatment, but the next day his foot had swollen and a red rash spread all over his body.

She rushed him to a doctor, as his temperature soared, and he was immediately admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Staff warned him he may not survive and he phoned family members to say his goodbyes after the rash began turning black and his organs started shutting down.

The schoolboy said: ‘It was terrifying. I wasn’t only scared for myself, I was scared for my family. It had seemed like a normal blister, but I gradually started to feel worse and worse.

‘I felt sick, everything was blurry and my heart was racing. I didn’t know what was going on.’

His grandmother, Kate Campbell, said: ‘We thought we were going to lose him. He was ringing all of us in case he didn’t make it.

‘We were told afterwards he was only a few hours from death. The sepsis was gradually shutting his body down. We were distraught.’

HOW TO TREAT BURST BLISTERS 

• Do not peel off the dead skin on top of the blister - allow the fluid inside to drain and then cover the blister and the area around it with a dry, sterile dressing to protect it from infection until it heals.
• If the top layer of dead skin has already rubbed off, do not pick at the edges of the remaining skin.
• If the blister is on your foot, avoid wearing the shoes that caused it until it heals.

 

It is believed the blister actually appeared on his right ankle after he wore shoes without socks on in April and later burst.

His foot was operated on to remove the infected tissue and he was kept in hospital for just over a week.

Mrs Campell told The Sun: ‘Doctors said six to 12 hours later, he’d have been dead’.

Macenzie is now recovering at home.

Joanne Campbell thought the sore was a verruca at first and applied treatment but by the next day his foot had swollen, his temperature soared and he was covered in a red rash as toxic shock syndrome set in

Macenzie Campbell with his grandmother Kate who was was terrified she was going to loose her grandson

Astrid Brown (Author)

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ANOTHER REASON WHY PROCESSED FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU

Aside from the saturated fats, too high salt and sugar levels and artificial flavourings and colouring, you might want to read the article below

Revealed, what’s REALLY inside your ham sandwich and chicken nuggets - and it’s enough to put you off processed food for life

• Peter Augustus, who lives in Hong Kong, photographed popular dishes alongside the real, raw part of the animal they come from
• Wanted to raise awareness of what our favourite foods are made from
• 'Few of us see anything that even closely represents the animal we are eating when we purchase it – it is always pre-packaged and neat'
• The non-vegetarian says the project has changed his own eating habits 

THIS ARTICLE IS FROM THE DAILY MAIL

As delicious as they taste, every diner knows that chicken nuggets and hotdogs aren't exactly made from prime cuts of meat.

Indeed, most of us try and push the image of trotter or carcass to the back of our minds when eating processed food.

Now, one photographer has laid bare the grisly reality of where our favourite foods come from - and it's probably enough to deter you at least temporarily, if not for life.

Grisly: Texan-born Peter Augustus has taken photos of popular dishes alongside the real, raw part of the animal they come from, in a bid to raise awareness

Sanitised: 'Most of us seldom see anything that even closely represents what kind of animal we are eating - it is always pre-packaged, nice and neat, showcased in an air-conditioned supermarket,' said Mr Augustus

Taken by Texan-born Peter Augustus, they show popular dishes alongside the real, raw part of the animal they come from.

While nuggets are chicken feet, a ham sandwich is a pig's trotter and a hot dog is an unappetising-looking piece of intestine. 

Mr Augustus says the project - inspired by his move to Hong Kong - 'is not meant to be repulsive, but to raise awareness' of where popular dishes actually come from.

He said: 'Arriving in Hong Kong for the first time, a city overloaded with visual stimulation, one of the most impactful scenes for me was the meat shops found in my neighbourhood of Sai Ying Pun. 

'As a foreigner from a major city in the West, most of us seldom see anything that even closely represents what kind of animal we are eating when we purchase it – it is always pre-packaged, nice and neat, showcased in an air-conditioned supermarket. 

'Being forced to pass by these meat shops on a daily basis with their pig heads, intestines, eyeballs and hearts hung on hooks out in the open lead me to challenge myself to view these shops as a normal place where actual food was being sourced every day, that ended up in my meal at a local restaurant.'

Mr Augustus - who is not vegetarian - says his work, 'a personal therapeutic process', explores the relationship that most Western societies have with the meat that they eat.

'It's a disconnect between what it actually is they are eating and what it was before it was prepared for consumption.'

He added: 'Shot using a white background with lighting meant to evoke an American diner or cafeteria, I take out the clean cuts and replace them with a real representation of the animal the meat comes from.

'By doing this, I hope to cause the viewer to take into account what the natural form of their food looks like.' 

x

Authentic: He hopes the project will help diners think about the natural form their food takes

Transformed: Mr Augustus admits the project has changed his eating habits. 'I now make an effort to know where and how the animal I am eating was raised - and the results do dictate if I end up eating it'

Mr Augustus believes his work 'highlights a number of important debates' - such as the longstanding debate of the quality of chicken and meat products and 'the use of unnatural fillers and hormones in the animal products we eat daily.'

The project itself was a labour of love - an involved traipsing around until he found a friendly bucher who could speak sufficient English. 

'She thought it was funny, as she could tell I was a little bit uncomfortable being surrounded all the raw meat,' he recalls.

In fact, her main focus was food handling and preparation.

'She didn't understand why a white person wanted all of these things to photograph and was very concerned if I knew how to handle it properly.

'She also told me how to cook and eat it, which I did not.'

However he admits the project has changed his eating habits. 'I now make an effort to know where and how the animal I am eating was raised - and the results do dictate if I end up eating it. 

'Not to sound preachy, but I think if more meat eaters did that, I think there would be less animosity from overly passionate vegans.'

Astrid Brown (Author)

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