A Book and a Banana

Recently, I had a dream in the morning, just prior to awakening for the day -- an old friend, who passed away a couple of decades ago, handed me a book and a banana and said, "Here, you'll need these."

It was a vivid dream, one that was easy to remember.

Later that morning, during a light meal, I had a regurgitation experience whereby food seemed to be backing up into my throat and mouth. I was forced to rush to the bathroom and throw-up whatever had backed-up. This condition is called acid reflux or heartburn.

Shortly thereafter, I sat down in my den and noticed a book that I had been reading recently, on the stand next to the chair, titled "HEALING FOODS" by James A. Duke, PhD. I went to the index and looked up acid reflux -- the very first food listed for combating acid reflux was banana -- so, I ate a banana and the condition seemed to soon disappear.

Yes, I had a dream about a book and a banana -- then amazingly it all unfolded a few hours later.

Once again, the Dream World became a mysterious guiding force in my life.

Acid reflux is the backward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus (the gullet), the tube that connects the stomach and throat. Acid reflux is more specifically known as gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). During an episode of acid reflux, there may be a burning sensation in the chest, which is called heartburn.

Some causes of acid reflux include eating too fast, large meals, not chewing food well, fried foods, high-fat foods, spicy foods, acidic foods, rich sauces, chocolate, alcohol and coffee.

Bananas contain an enzyme that stimulates mucus production in the lining of the stomach, helping to soothe inflammation and relieve acid reflux.

According to HEALING FOODS, some other foods that combat acid reflux include ginger, chamomile, cinnamon, licorice, papaya and pineapple.

Ginger contains chemical compounds that soothe the gastrointestinal tract and relaxes the walls of the esophagus thereby eliminating stomach acid and aiding digestion.

Chamomile treats digestive problems with a combination of anti-inflammatory and stomach soothing properties.

Cinnamon minimizes gas and soothes the digestive tract.

Licorice also helps protect the lining of the stomach. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) causes the release of certain compounds in saliva that may stimulate the healing of stomach and intestinal cells. The flavonoids in licorice are also helpful in preventing ulcers.

Papaya contains papain, an enzyme that soothes the stomach, relieving indigestion and acid reflux.

When I was released from the hospital in June of 2012, after about 10 days of hospital food and total physical inactivity (bedridden), I had digestive problems. I learned that pineapples were loaded with digestive enzymes such as glutamine, which helps protect the lining of the stomach. I had a half bowl of pineapple chunks almost daily for a couple of weeks and my digestion function seemed to return to normal.

There are many over-the-counter pills for acid reflux or heartburn -- some may work, some may not work, some may have adverse side effects.

However, when I have a minor health problem, I first seek a natural solution through diet and physical activity. I also practice meditation, thereby relaxing body, mind and soul -- directing healing energy toward ailments, potentially healing from within.

It's my life, my body, my soul -- it's my duty to keep it all on the correct path -- but if I need some medical advice or assistance, I will seek that path too.

A book, a banana and an old friend in a dream -- Life is grand and mysterious once you begin to notice synchronicities beyond logical explanation.

May the Force be with you.

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Quote for the Day -- "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." Groucho Marx

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Bret Burquest is the author of 11 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where life is unexpected intrusions of mystery.

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Mind Over Matter

In the 1990s, Professor William A. Tiller created an experiment whereby a small black box was fitted with a simple electrical circuit and plugged it into a wall socket. Then four people who were highly experienced meditators gathered around a table where the black box was located in the center of the table.

Professor Tiller mentally created a sacred space, then read a specific intention to the four meditators and to the black box whereupon the meditators mentally meditated Tiller's specific intention throughout the experiment. The specific intention was that the black box device should increase the pH balance of purified water by one full unit with no chemical additives.

It's possible to measure 1/1000th of a degree of change in pH, so one full unit is a very significant change.

The black box with the "intention" was then wrapped in aluminum and shipped to a laboratory some 2,000 miles away where it was placed near some purified water in a pH measurement vessel.

About a month later, the pH balance within the water began to increase its pH balance in the intended direction by exactly one full unit.

The experiment was then repeated, with an intention of decreasing the pH balance by one full unit. Once again, it succeeded to change the water to the intended decreased pH balance.

After the water reached the intended pH level, the water remained at that level for a month or so, at which point the device was removed from the room where the experiment had taken place and placed in a copper Faraday cage, which prevented any further electromagnetic energy from entering or exiting the black box.

The pH levels remained fixed at the level of the original intention, in some cases for as long as two years.

But if the black box was removed while the pH level was slowly changing up or down, depending on the original intention, then the water would gradually return to its original state. Only when the pH balance reached its intended level of one full pH unit did the pH balance last for a significant length of time.

This experiment was repeated multiple times by independent laboratories in Europe and America with the same results.

"For the last four hundred years, an unstated assumption of science is that human intention cannot affect what we call 'physical reality.' Our experimental research of the past decade shows that, for today's world and under the right conditions, this assumption is no longer correct. We humans are much more than we think we are and Psychoenergetic Science continues to expand the proof of it." William Tiller (professor emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University)

There have been scores of other studies and experiments where thoughts (intention) have been shown to affect the material matter of the focus of the intention.

The human mind can affect matter -- thoughts are deeds -- therefore, prayers can potentially affect the health of the individual or another being.

Your thoughts are powerful -- they affect you and the world -- your Higher Self compels you to seek inner peace and think positively.

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Quote for the Day -- "Logic will get you from A to Z -- imagination will get you everywhere." Albert Einstein

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Bret Burquest is the author of 11 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a few dogs and where a discussion of imagination upsets those without one.

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