Going Deeper, Line Upon Line

On Nutrition: The minerals Calcium, Chlorine, Chromium, and Cobalt

luvart329 — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:57:58 +0000

Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, with about 99% of it residing in the bones and teeth. One percent is involved in the blood-clotting process, in nerve and muscle stimulation, parathyroid hormone function, and metabolism of Vitamin D. Calcium is available in large quantities a limited selection of foods; milk and dairy products are dependable sources.
The NRC recommends 800 milligrams of calcium to be taken daily; since only 20-30% is absorbed, 800 milligrams would maintain the required balance. If too much calcium is consumed, hypercalcemia results. This condition may cause excessive calcification of the bones and some tissues, such as the kidney’s. A calcium deficiency can cause bone malformation—rickets in children and osteomalacia or osteoporosis in adults.
Chlorine (Chloride)
Chlorine is an essential mineral, mainly occurring in the body in compound form with sodium or potassium. Chlorine helps regulate the balance of acid and alkali in the blood as well as maintains the pressure that causes fluids to pass in and out of cell membranes until the concentration of dissolved particles is equal on both sides. Chlorine stimulates the liver to function as a filter, aids in keeping joints and tendons healthy, and helps in the distribution of hormones. Chlorine is provided in a diet by sodium chloride or table salt. Some forms of it are also found in kelp, dulse, rye flour, ripe olives, and sea greens.
There is no recommended dietary allowance for chlorine because the average person’s daily salt intake usually provides between 3 and 9 grams. A deficiency in chlorine can cause hair and tooth loss, poor muscular contraction, and impaired digestion.
Chromium
Chromium is an essential mineral found in concentrations of 20 parts of chromium per 1 billion parts of blood. Chromium stimulates the activity of enzymes involved in the metabolism of glucose for energy and the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol; it appears to increase the effectiveness of insulin and its ability to handle glucose, preventing hypoglycemia or diabetes. The food containing chromium most available to humans are brewer’s yeast, liver, beef, whole-wheat bread, beets and beet sugar molasses, and mushrooms.
There is no recommended daily dosage for chromium; the daily intake is estimated to range from 80-100 micrograms.
Cobalt
This mineral is considered an essential mineral and is an integral part of vitamin B12; so much so the two terms can be used interchangeably. The body cannot synthesize cobalt and must depend on animal sources for an adequate supply of it. Because of this, strict vegetarians are more susceptible to cobalt deficiency than meat eaters. The best sources are meats, especially liver and kidney, oysters, clams, and milk.
There is no recommended daily dosage for cobalt because the dietary need for it is low and can be supplied in protein foods. Excessive intake of cobalt may result in an enlarged thyroid gland.

On Nutrition: the minerals Aluminum, Beryllium, Bismuth, and Cadmium

luvart329 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:37:36 +0000

Aluminum
Aluminum is a trace mineral, but it can be dangerous, even fatal, if consumed excessively. It serves no established function in human nutrition. It can be found in many plant and animal foods, tap water, most table salts, certain stomach antacids, foil, deodorants, baking powder, some processed cheeses, and is used as a a bleaching agent to whiten flour.
The total aluminum content of an adult human is from 50-150 milligrams. The daily amount ingested in the average diet is usually from 10-100 milligrams. Excessive amounts of aluminum can result in symptoms of poisoning: constipation, colic, loss of appetite, nausea, skin ailments, twitching of leg muscles, excessive perspiration, and loss of energy. High aluminum levels have also been found in the brains of persons who have Alzheimer’s disease.
Beryllium
Beryllium has definite adverse effects on humans. It can deplete the body’s store of magnesium, lodge in vital organs and prevent them from performing their functions, and interfere with a number of the body’s enzyme systems. It is used in neon signs, electronic devices, some alloys including steel, bicycle wheels, fishing rods, and many common household products. Beryllium dust makes breathing difficult and may even lead to injury of the lungs, causing scarring or fibrosis.
Bismuth
Bismuth is a mineral which has no known function in the human body. It has been used in treating syphilis as well as given to patients undergoing a colostomy. Bismuth overdose can appear to be a mental illness, resulting in a staggering gait, poor memory, body tremors, visual and hearing disturbances, difficulty in judging time and distance, and sometimes occurrence of auditory and visual hallucination. These symptoms disappear when the use of the mineral is terminated.
Cadmium
Cadmium is a toxic trace mineral that has many similarities to zinc. Humans have no biological need for this element and its toxic effects are kept under control by the presence of zinc. Cadmium is found mostly in refined foods such as flour, rice, and white sugar.
Daily intakes of cadmium have been estimated at 0.2- 0.5. Cadmium poisoning is a very subtle process. It deposits in the kidneys and settles into arteries causing kidney damage and raising blood pressure. Cigarette smoke contains substantial amounts of cadmium. One pack of cigarettes deposits 2-4 micrograms into the lungs of a smoker. The cadmium in cigarette smoke can cause emphysema.

On Goals

luvart329 — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:25:09 +0000

Goals need to be set for all areas of our lives. Those areas can be labeled and categorized as: Career, Financial, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Family, and Social. Some areas will be more difficult than others so goals made in each category should be realistic. It would be unrealistic (and unhealthy) to say “I want to lose fifty pounds in two weeks”; but if you said “I want to lose fifty pounds in six months,” that would be an attainable goal.
Some of my personal goals for this year are:

Career
I need to spend over 40 hours working with children so I can major in education when I transfer from a community college to a senior college in Fall ’13. So my goal is to have done that by Spring ’13.
Financial
As a sporadically employed teenager, I don’t make much money. I’d like to change that. I want to have saved up enough money by Fall ’12 to buy a nicer SLR camera. My current camera is perfect for an amateur, but I don’t want to stay in the amateur phase. I want to have a semi-permanent side job in photography while I’m in college and beyond.
Spiritual
I feel like I can’t defend my faith well enough. By Summer ’12 I want to have enough knowledge in my head to hold my own with those who wish to challenge what I believe.
Physical
Being a girl I am naturally self-conscious about what I look like/what I weigh/my size, etc. I am perfectly healthy for my height and age, but I would be more confident if I were more fit. I want to have lost 20-25 pounds of fat and replace it with muscle by Summer ’12. It won’t be easy, but it needs to be done for me to really feel good about myself and throw off the remaining fetters that bind my personality.
Intellectual
I take the ACT again in less than two weeks. I need to bring my score in the mathematics section up three points and the score on the whole test up one point. This is the goal that is foremost in my mind and is the most immediate one.
Family
My family goal is more of one looking towards the far-away future. I, of course, cannot know if or when I will get married, but I want to be prepared for the day if/when it comes. I want to be able to take care of a husband and possibly children; to do that I need to begin learning now so I’m not so overwhelmed in the future.
Social
This is one of the most difficult categories for me. Not because I don’t like being social or am not good with people, but because of all the things that have happened in my life in recent months. “Friends” who I thought were there for me stabbed me in the back, even to the extent of turning others against me as well. Other “friends” have told me all the things they think I need to change about myself, which in and of itself is not bad—that’s what friends are supposed to do. But not to the point that they want you to change who you are to fit into the mold they have created. I am not here to please them. My goal is to act in a way that will bring honor to GOD and stop trying to please those around me.

On WWII: 1946 — Recovery and Relapse

luvart329 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:38:55 +0000

On January 10, 1946, the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization held their first meeting in London. Neither Germany nor Japan was yet included. A Military Staff Committee was set up to coordinate international military action in the event of aggression happening anywhere int he world. Towards the end of 1946, the UNICEF was founded to help mothers and children in Europe and Asia who were destitute in result of the war.
The Philippines were granted full independence from the United States on July 4, 1946; it was one of the first countries that had been under Japanese control to achieve statehood. The victims of the Holocaust were not always safe, even after the war. The same day as the Filipinos were granted their freedom, forty-two Jews were murdered in the Polish town of Kielce; by the end of 1946, over 1,000 Jews had been murdered in Poland, intensifying the Jewish survivors determination to leave Europe, mostly for Palestine.
The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, which had been in session for fourteen long months, sentenced twelve German wartime leaders to death on October 1; one of them, Field Marshal Goering, swallowed poison in his cell before they could hang him. On October 16, the day after Goering’s suicide, the other eleven were hanged.
Though the war was over, there was almost constant turmoil: in Paris during the negotiations for armistice of Ho Chi Minh and France, French attacked a small ship docked in the Haiphong harbor believing it was carrying arms and munitions to the Vietminh, causing retaliation from the Vietminh which resulted in the French opening fire on them, killing several thousand Vietminh soldiers; in India, a rebellion broke out in the Royal Indian Navy, as well as a violent clash between Muslims and Hindus, resulting in over 11,000 deaths.
The Communists behind the Iron Curtain asserted their authority in every area and dominated the political coalition. In Poland, 10,000 politically active Poles were arrested, including many election candidates, were arrested on the eve of the election because of “unrest” and “violence against government installations.” Breaches of collective farm practice were harshly punished. The elimination of all favorable references to agricultural improvements and industrial growth at the time of the Tsars were removed from school text books, as well as the aspects of the Tsarist years which would stimulate patriotism, such as the military accomplishments of Peter the Great. Stalin’s cult was intensified with songs, poems, doggerel, wall posters, street slogans, radio programs, films, and plays all singing his praises. In Western Ukraine, more than 8,000 anti-Communist partisans were killed or captured. Stalin’s order was clear: “Finish off the outlaws in the shortest time possible.”

On Nutrition: Vitamin K, Bioflavonoids (Vitamin P), and Unsaturated Fatty Acids (UFA)

luvart329 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:17:18 +0000

Vitamin K
There are three main K vitamins: K₁ and K₂ are fat-soluble and can be manufactured in the intestinal tract when in the presence of certain bacteria. K₃ is produced synthetically for treating patients who are not able to utilize naturally occurring vitamin K because they lack the enzyme necessary for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin K is essential for the formation of prothrombin, a chemical needed for blood clotting; it is required in a body process, phosphorylation, and also is vital for normal liver function. Some natural sources of vitamin K are kelp, alfalfa, green plants, leafy green vegetables, cow’s milk, yogurt, egg yolks, blackstrap molasses, safflower oil, fish-liver oils, and other polyunsaturated oils.
The NRC states that the abundant amount of vitamin K in most diets provides adequate doses of vitamin K. The newborn infant needs 1-5 milligrams daily to prevent hemorrhagic disease. Therapeutic dosages of vitamin K are usually given before and after operations to reduce blood loss. Vitamin K deficiency symptoms include: anemia, bruising, and bleeding of the gums or nose Abnormal blood clotting can occur in persons taking anticoagulant drugs and high doses of vitamin K. Excessive doses of K₃ can cause toxic reactions because the supplements will build up in the blood. Natural vitamin K produces no toxicity signs.

Bioflavonoids (Vitamin P)
Bioflavonoids, known as vitamin P, are water-soluble and often appear in fruits and vegetables as companions to vitamin C. Bioflavonoids are essential for the proper absorption and use of vitamin C by assisting vitamin C in keeping collagen in healthy condition. They also act as an antioxidant and also chelate copper from the body.
There is no recommended daily dosage of bioflavonoids, and they are reportedly nontoxic.

Unsaturated Fatty Acids (UFA)
Unsaturated fatty acids usually come in the form of liquid vegetable oils.The body cannot manufacture the essential unsaturated fatty acid, linoleic; wheat germ, seeds, natural golden vegetable oils—such as safflower, soy, and corn, and cod-liver oil are the best sources of the unsaturated fatty acids. UFA are important for vital organ respiration and make it easier for oxygen to be transported by the bloodstream to all cells, tissues, and organs.
The NRC states that the fat intake should include essential UFAs to the extent of at least 1 percent of the total calories. Infants require 3 percent of the total calories. The need for lenoleic acid increases in proportion to the amount of solid food eaten. Vitamin E should be taken with UFA at mealtimes for the full benefits to be met. There are no known toxic effects of UFA, though excessive amounts of saturated fats can cause metabolic disturbances and abnormal weight gain. A UFA deficiency may be responsible for brittle hair, nail problems, dandruff, allergic conditions, eczema, acne, dry skin, as well as diarrhea, varicose veins, underweight, and gallstones.

On the Essay “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence

luvart329 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:07:51 +0000

What are some misconceptions regarding practicing the presence of God?
Some of the misconceptions are that our sanctification depends on our changing our works, that our times of prayer should differ from other times, and that doing the little things for the love of God are not important.

How can one truly practice the presence of God?
One can truly practice the presence of God by realizing that He is always with us; by praising, adoring, and loving him incessantly; by putting our trust in God completely, surrendering ourselves wholly to Him; by believing, hoping, and loving; by enduring all trials and persecutions that God might see fit to allow us to experience; by realizing that the greater perfection that a soul strives for, the more dependent that soul must be upon God.

On Nutrition: Vitamins D and E

luvart329 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:11:44 +0000

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and can be acquired either by ingestion or by sunlight exposure. It can be found in both plant and animal tissue. In adults, vitamin D is best utilized when taken with vitamin A; fish-liver oils are the best natural sources of A and D. Vitamin D aids in calcium absorption from the intestinal tract and the phosphorus breakdown and assimilation which is needed for bone formation. It is necessary for normal growth in children because without it, bones and teeth do not calcify correctly. Adults benefit from vitamin D because it is useful in maintaining a stable nervous system, normal heart action, and normal blood clotting.
Most of the body’s needs for vitamin D can be met by sufficient sunlight exposure and ingesting small amounts of food, but sunlight can be hindered by air pollution, clouds, windows, or clothes. The recommended allowance of vitamin D is 400 IU per day to meet the requirements of those who have little or no exposure to sunshine. The same dosage is recommended for infants, provided the calcium consumption at the same time is adequate. A vitamin D deficiency leads to soft bones and teeth, osteoporosis, and, in children, can cause rickets. Adults can get a form of rickets called osteomalacia. Excessive doses of vitamin D is known as hypervitaminosis and can cause pathological changes in the body. It can lead to hypercalcemia and cause kidney dysfunction and high blood pressure.
Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and is composed of a group of compounds called tocopherols which are found in seven forms in nature: alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, eta, gamma, and zeta. Alpha tocopherol is the most potent vitamin E form and has the greatest nutritional and biological value. Tocopherols occur largely in cold-pressed vegetable oils, all whole raw seeds and nuts, and soybeans. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and it opposes oxidation of substances in the body. It prevents saturated fatty acids and vitamin A from breaking down and combining with other substances that might become harmful to the body. Vitamin E is essential in cellular respiration of all muscles—especially cardiac and skeletal—making it possible for these muscles to function with less oxygen which increases their endurance and stamina. It also causes dilation of the blood vessels, permitting a fuller flow of blood to the heart.
The daily dose of vitamin E is based on the metabolic body size and level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet. The requirements increase with gains in polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet. The RDA for infants is 4-5 IU; for children and adolescents, 7-12 IU; for adult males, 15 IU; for adult females, 12 IU; in pregnancy, the need for vitamin E increases to 15 IU. Some nutritionist consider these daily allowances to be the bare minimum and really recommend 30 IU for infants and children and 100 IU for adolescents and adults. In large doses, vitamin E can raise blood pressure in those who are not used to it; therefore when beginning to take vitamin E, the dose should start out small and gradually rise as the tolerance increases. It is considered to be nontoxic except in two conditions: in high blood pressure patients, it elevates the pressure; and chronic rheumatic heart disease patients taking high doses can be led to rapid deterioration or death.

On the Essay “Of the Imitation of Christ”

luvart329 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:23 +0000

1. In this devotional essay, what is meant by “imitating Christ”? How can this be done?
“Imitating Christ” means that we should meditate on His life and virtues and strive t pattern our lives after his pattern.

2. What is the Scriptural view of despising the world?
Despising the world means we should strive to separate ourselves from the world and its pleasures and focus on the Kingdom of Heaven.

3. What is vanity? What six vanities are listed here?
Vanity is everything outside of loving and serving God (Ecclesiastes 1:2). The essay states that it is “vanity to seek perishable riches and to rely on them; it is vanity to pursue honors and raise yourself to a high dignity; it is vanity to follow the lusts of the flesh and to desire that which hereafter will bring grievous punishment; it is vanity to wish for a long life and care little about a good life; it is vanity to attend only to the present life, and not look a head to the future; it is vanity to love what quickly passes away, and not to be hastening thither where abides everlasting joy.”

On the article “Dead Men Can’t See”

luvart329 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:04:04 +0000

1. According to the Scriptures, what is a natural man?
A natural man is a man who has not been born again by the Holy Spirit.

2. If the things of God are foolishness to a person, what does that indicate to us about that person?
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14
It indicates that the person is a natural man and has no spiritual life.

3. What did Jesus mean in John 8:43 when He said, “Ye cannot hear my word”?
They heard the words He was speaking, but they could not hear His WORD. There was a deeper level of hearing besides just the natural sound of His voice.
“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:47
The only people who can hear God’s word are those who have spiritual life.

4. What has to be done to a man before he is able to really understand and appreciate the things of God?
He must be born again before he can understand spiritual things. A natural man can read the Bible, learn everything there is to know about it from an intellectual standpoint, but not understand what the words are really saying. He might even think he understands, like the Pharisees did; but Jesus said that they didn’t understand His speech or hear His word.

5. What are some of the things that a natural man and a born again spiritual man have in common? What are some of the things they don’t have in common?
“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:12
A natural man and a spiritual man are both physically alive. They are both intelligent, God-designed humans. They both breathe, eat, sleep, drink, laugh, and partake in all the other human activities. But the natural man is only alive in the physical realm. Only the spiritual man is alive in both the natural and spiritual worlds. Man is no more capable of obtaining spiritual life by his own efforts than he is to obtain natural life on his own. (Romans 9:15)

6. Why do natural men commonly deny the miracles in the Bible?
Because miracles imply a supernatural or spiritual realm. A spiritual realm implies that there is a God. And the existence of a God implies that there is someone to answer to for one’s actions. Natural men do not want there to be anyone to whom they must be accountable.

7. Why is it dangerous when someone writes a lot of nice things about Jesus Christ, but also writes some very wrong things about him? (2 Cor 11:13-15)
It’s dangerous because the Christian will let their guard down when they read all the nice things being said and then will be more open to what follows.

Charlotte Mason: On Chastity

luvart329 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:19:04 +0000

1. How do over-fond friendships affect chastity of soul?
“In this field, also, the instructed Conscience takes a wide survey. The law forbids all sins of impurity, whether in imagination, word, or deed: of this we are aware, but do we recognise that the proportion of Love must be preserved as duly as the proportion of Faith? The instructed Conscience learns to regard all excessive affection, undue fondness, as sullying the chastity of the self-controlled soul. Any friendship, even if it be friendship between mother and child, which is over-fond and exclusive, making the one continually necessary to the other, and shutting out other claims of duty and affection, is suspect of the clear Conscience. To be ‘all in all to each other’ is not a quite pure desire, apart from the question of sex; for the chaste soul is, after the manner of Giotto’s picture, walled within a tower. Noli me tangere is the law it chooses to obey, to the exclusion of all too close intimacies.”
Friendships, when not ruled or controlled, can be all-consuming. The friend we love can become the center of our world when only God should be in that center.

2. ‘Yet how have I transgressed?’ What lesson for our own lives does this question of the King (Edward II.) bring home?
“‘Yet how have I transgressed?’ is full of profound instruction. His own ruined life, his devastated kingdom, dishonoured wife, loyal subjects converted into traitors and assassins—all these lay at the door of the King; and he asks at the end, ‘Yet how have I transgressed?’ His uninstructed Conscience threw no light upon the fatal error of his life. He chose those duties which he would fulfill; and his code would appear to contain but one commandment,—’Be faithful to thy friend.’ Never once did it dawn upon him that we may not choose amongst our duties, or that a self-elected duty may become a vice. You say, ‘Ah, yes, if you are a king; but happily lesser people are free to please themselves.’ Indeed we are not. Each of us stands king amongst a thousand relations, duties, interests, proper to us. If we choose to yield ourselves to the domination of another, so that our will is paralyzed, and we are unable to think or act except upon that other’s initiative, are incapable of being happy and at ease except in his presence, then we too have sown disorder in a realm, less wide and great than that of the unhappy Edward, but our own realm, for which we are responsible.”
We should live by many rules, not one rule. Life must be balanced; living by only one rule throws everything else out of equilibrium.

3. Why are we not free to give ourselves without reserve?
After relaying a story from Plutarch she says: “So great an affection, doubtless, argues a generous Heart; but that is not enough; a magnanimous Mind and an instructed Conscience must go to the preservation of the soul’s chastity. We are not our own to give ourselves away without reserve.”
Our soul is not our own, but God’s. We belong to him.