Recommended Reading

[Gliondrach]

There are many books that can help us to lead better lives. They have valuable information that can help us to change. One of the best is 'Psycho-cybernetics' by Matthew Maltz.

It can help you to be more of what you want to be and to overcome past unhelpful experiences. I first read it over 20 years ago. I was very enthusiastic and put the teachings into prractice. It helped me. But I forgot my first feelings of enthusiasm and soon put the book away. It seems to be part of human nature to forget about things that can, or that have, helped us. It is part of my nature, at least. We all have an idea about what we need to do to better ourselves but most people rarely do anything about it.

I found the book again yesterday and I am going to use it and learn from it. Or re-remember the things I know. Knowing and doing are not the same. I am going to do more doing.

There are two or three variations on the book with extra bits added to the basic title. I don't know anything about them. I recommend the basic book because that is the one I know. There is also a course of DVDs and workbooks by someone else - a famous physical trainer and wrestler - but I don't know anything about that course - except what I have read about it. And it costs a great deal more than the original book.

[Oracl]

Our library doesn't have that book, I just checked. :no:

[Gliondrach]

I'd advise anyone to buy it so you can read it at your leisure.

Another good book is How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.

Many people have heard of this but don't know about what it is. They tend to scoff at it. I used to. Then one day I read a review of it and bought a copy. I'm glad I did. Like the above book, I put it away after reading it but I still often remember its teachings. I still try to use them. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes it is satisfying to go against them because it can be satisfying to sometimes say hurtful things. But it is never productive. It is better to try to keep things friendly. That is the only way to influence people.

I will look for my copy and refresh my memory.

Some of the things it suggests:


Ask questions rather than giving orders.

Speak ill of no man and speak all the good you know of everyone.
People react very badly to criticism; don't do it, not to their face nor behind their back ... especially not behind their back.

Praise the good; minimise the bad: encourage.
Make achievement seem possible. Take and encourage little baby steps. Seek out even the most insignificant of successes.

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Talk about what people want and help them get it.
"Arouse in others an eager want."
Corollary: let others take credit for your ideas; they'll like your ideas a lot more if they believe them to be their own.



I agree with most of what it says. Human nature doesn't change much. It was written in 1937. I believe that it is sometimes slightly rewritten to make it more applicable to modern life. I don't know why.

[Bowwowmeow]

'Psycho-cybernetics' by Matthew Maltz. My Pa was a great fan of this book. I wonder where his copy has gotten to.

Another good book is How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.I read this one several years ago. I wonder where my copy has gotten to. There's so little room on this boat, and I miss my library the most.

[Oracl]

Another good book is How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.
That book is in my library's catalogue, so I shall reserve it. :agree:

[Gliondrach]

Good. Carnegie wrote the book after meeting Fuzzy. He pondered for ages about the ease with which Fuzzy influenced people. Then he wrote the book based on his ideas of Fuzzy's methods. He did quite a good job.

[Phoenix]

The psycho-cybernetics thing sounds interesting. I'll look for the book. Thanks Gliondrach. :)

[my3labs]

I just read a book called "Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats". :thumbsup:
I highly recommend this book!! It talks about dog/cat nutrition, general health, vaccinations, emergency situations, etc.
The author, Dr. Pitcairn, is a holistic vet and does a wonderful job of explaining animal health care in layman's terms. I learned so much from this book and wanted to share it with all of you.

As a group, we must have several book recommendations that we could list here?

...thanks BWM!

[Bowwowmeow]

Aw, you're welcome, my3labs! :o I'm glad you found it helpful. I've been relying on it for ten years now.

I've also got "Four Paws, Five Directions", (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ean=9780890877906) which is a book about traditional Chinese medicine applied to animals. Its got some great photos of cats and dogs, with their acupuncture meridians illustrated in colored lines on the photos. Acupuncture points and meridians are good to know, because sometimes acupressure works too, and that's something you can do yourself.

[Oracl]

Another good book is How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.

Many people have heard of this but don't know about what it is. They tend to scoff at it. I used to. Then one day I read a review of it and bought a copy. I'm glad I did. Like the above book, I put it away after reading it but I still often remember its teachings. I still try to use them. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes it is satisfying to go against them because it can be satisfying to sometimes say hurtful things. But it is never productive. It is better to try to keep things friendly. That is the only way to influence people.

I agree with most of what it says. Human nature doesn't change much. It was written in 1937. I believe that it is sometimes slightly rewritten to make it more applicable to modern life. I don't know why.
I reserved this book at my local library after reading your post, Gliondrach.

At last, after all this time, I have the book to read (it is still hugely popular) and, as I am reading it, I find it quite amazing to think how long ago it was written. :reading:

[Gliondrach]

You'll begin to get an insight into Fuzzy's mind. Your life will be immeasurably improved and you will be able to change the lives of others.

[Oracl]

Goody goody gumdrops! :)

[Gliondrach]

Not exactly appropriate for this thread, but close:

The Vegan Society are advertising some great books and a CD ROM that teaches children the implications of their dietary choices.

'Our latest books make great presents - either for loved ones or yourself! From Dusk 'til Dawn is a history of the animal rights movement from the perspective of former activist Keith Mann, whilst Vegan with a Vengeance is the latest vegan cookbook that's of real use to both newbie and seasoned vegans alike.'

htt p://w ww.vegansociety.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=277

[snaffler]

Not exactly appropriate for this thread, but close:

The Vegan Society are advertising some great books and a CD ROM that teaches children the implications of their dietary choices.

'Our latest books make great presents - either for loved ones or yourself! From Dusk 'til Dawn is a history of the animal rights movement from the perspective of former activist Keith Mann, whilst Vegan with a Vengeance is the latest vegan cookbook that's of real use to both newbie and seasoned vegans alike.'

htt p://w ww.vegansociety.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=277

I am reading From Dusk 'til Dawn right now this one of the best books I have ever read on AR & Liberation, so many emotions and so gripping as it is all real.

[Gliondrach]

I must admit that I haven't read it yet. But I will.

[Gliondrach]

This is a good site: h ttp://ww w.ipl.org/

Click on the 'Health Link' at the left of the page. Then on 'Alternative Medicine'.

Then on 'Chritstopher Hobbs - Herbal Website.

Women's Herbs, near bottom right of that page has lots of info.

I haven't looked at any of the others yet.

But I had a look at the magazine section - health - and found this useful site:

h ttp://ww w.herbs.org/current/topnews.html - it has info about herbal research.
Some of the headings are:

Three Concentrations of St. John's Wort Effective Against Depression
Safety of St. John's Wort versus Antidepressant Drugs
St. John's Wort Equivalent to World's Best-selling Antidepressant
St. John's Wort Relieves Menopause Symptoms
Kava Extract Relieves Anxiety: Meta-Analysis
Elderberry formula activates healthy immune system
Devil's claw as effective as drug in relieving osteoarthritis pain
Beta-carotene shown to reduce LDL oxidation
Formula containing bilberry and lutein increases lutein levels in blood and eye tissue
Proprietary quercetin formula helps chronic prostatitis


I've only read the third one. I remember using that info about a year ago in a forum. There are also results of studies that refute herbal claims. So, it seems as if it is a fairly well balanced site.

[Gliondrach]

I haven't read this but it seems interesting.



Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World (Book Review)
Friday, March 07, 2008 by: Teri Lee Gruss

(NaturalNews) If you enjoy eating exotic mushrooms, are interested in their nutritional and medicinal value and if you would like to learn how to establish mushrooms in your yard, garden or woods, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets will not disappoint you.

If the subtitle How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World intrigues you, it should. Paul Stamets' thirty years of experience in "engaging fungi", his original theories and research will reveal a world that many of us never knew existed. He calls Mycelium Running "A mycological manual for rescuing ecosystems".

The text is divided into three parts with a foreword by the author's long time friend Dr. Andrew Weil. 360 high quality photos and concise, useful graphs and charts enrich the text. You will see mushrooms the likes of which you never imagined.

Mr. Stamets has a wonderful writing style; friendly, funny and scientific all at the same time. He describes fungi as the "grand recyclers" of nature, their cobweb like growth under logs as "mycomagicians".

Part One, The Mycelial Mind, contains four chapters:

* Mycelium as Nature's Internet

* The Mushroom Life Cycle

* Mushrooms in Their Natural Habitat

* The Medicinal Mushroom Forest

Stamets describes mycelium as "the neurological network of nature" that can "expand to thousands of acres in size in cellular mats achieving the greatest mass of any individual organism on this planet".

Mycelium is a single-celled organism that travels several inches a day. That means there is only one cell wall that protects this organism from pathogens, yet it thrives more prolifically that any plant or animal on the planet.

In fact, it is mycelium's vast structural network that is responsible for decomposing plant debris, at the same time providing nutrients to the plant and animal kingdoms. In other words, mycelium is earth's life support system and should be understood, respected and protected as such.

A mushroom is the fruit of mycelium. They produce spores capable of traveling great distances on the wind, on clothing, in animal feces and even on envelopes and packages in our mail.

There are four types of fungi: saprophytes, parasites, mycorrhizal and endophytes. The saprophyte subtype is largely responsible for recycling organic debris and providing nutrients to the plant and animal world.

Mycorrhizal fungi are vital to the health of forests because it transports nutrients to different species of trees.

The chapter The Medicinal Mushroom Forest discusses the ancient knowledge of the value of mushrooms to both the human body and the forest ecosystem with useful charts of commonly collected wild edible mushrooms from NW North America including chanterelles, matsutake and hedgehogs.

Various mushroom varieties possess potent anti-microbial properties. The author notes that a "moldy cantaloupe sent to an army research lab in 1941" led to the identification and extraction of strains of penicillium chrysogenum that led to the commercial synthesis of penicillin.

Mr. Stamets' own research led to the discovery that the extract of mycelium from the mushroom Fomitopsis officinalis "protects human blood cells from infection by orthopox viruses including the family of viruses that includes smallpox."

Specific varieties of mushrooms possess antiviral activity against such viruses as hepatitis B, herpes simplex, HIV, influenza, pox, and tobacco mosaic virus. A useful table lists various mushrooms and their antiviral activities.

Several varieties of mushrooms are sources of other medicinal compounds including triterpenoids and glycoproteins. Pages 38-39 provide a cross index of Mushrooms and Targeted Therapeutic Effects including mushroom activity against specific cancers.

Mr. Stamets presents strong evidence that fungi from old growth forests have potential as sources for new and vital medicines. And he emphasizes the essential importance of preserving this priceless resource.

Part II - Mycorestoration

In Mycorestoration the author presents his original thought, theories and research into how mycelium and their fruit, mushrooms, can be harnessed for uses that support the health of humans and our ailing planet. In this fascinating section of the book, the author presents the reader with "fungal opportunities underfoot".

These original concepts are presented in four forms: Mycofiltration, Mycoforestry,Mycoremediation and Mycopesticides.

Mycorestoration is defined as the selective use of fungi to repair or restore the weakened immune systems of environments.

Mycofiltration uses mycelium as a membrane to catch and filter upstream contaminants including microorganisms, pollutants and silt. Talk about filtration capacity, Mr. Stamets says that "more than a mile of mycelial cells can infuse a gram of soil".

The text illustrates how we can use mycelium on farms, in our own urban and suburban environments, in watershed districts, in factories, on roads and other stressed habitats to filter protozoa, bacteria, viruses, bacteria, silt and chemical toxins.

Mycelial mats, called "bunker spawn" mature in months and can be used for years to prevent downstream pollution. Mr. Stamets discusses his own research in microfiltration and presents directions for building and installing mycelium microfilters.

Mycoforestry is the use of fungi to sustain forest communities by preserving natural forests, recycling woodland debris, sustaining replanted trees with the goal of strengthening the forest ecosystem.

Mr. Stamets emphasizes that contrary to conventional thought our forests are not "renewable" resources and discusses how carbon cycles that fuel the food chain can take centuries, if not thousands of years to establish.

For example, in Oregon a honey mushroom mat found on a mountaintop covered over 2400 acres and is thought to be about 2200 years old. "Nurse" logs in this forest increase soil depth and enrich the habitat for the fungi, plant and animal kingdoms.

The reader must wonder how many regions like this exist on planet earth today.

According to the author, acceleration of this process is possible by using wood chips as a spawning medium for fungi. This method has the potential to prevent forest fires because as mycelium grows on the wood chips they draw moisture to the forest floor in a sponge like way.

Mr. Stamets urges forest pathologists to develop strategies that utilize mycelium to improve forest health.

Mycoremediation is the use of fungi to degrade or remove toxins from the environment. According to the author fungi can be used to degrade heavy metals including lead, and mercury, industrial toxins including chlorine, dioxin, PCBs and organophosphates.

This potential is viewed in the perspective of the hierarchy of organisms in the fungi, plant, bacterium and animal kingdoms, a hierarchy which begins and ends with fungi.

Photos in this chapter illustrate diesel contaminated soil "under attack" by oyster mushrooms which thrive on the contaminated soil and regenerate it by neutralizing the contaminant. When they die and rot they provide a healthy environment for new plant growth. The contaminated soil in which mushroom growth was not introduced remained just that, barren and contaminated.

The goal of mycorestoration is to match fungi species to contaminants to enable the "destruction of toxins that enable other restoration strategies".

Mycopesticides involve the use of fungi to control pest populations, including carpenter ants and termites. Mr. Stamets relates a personal story of how he used mycelium as a natural pesticide to rid his house of carpenter ants.

He has applied for patents to use this biotechnology which protect groundwater and habitats from damage by conventional toxic pesticides, as a natural method of eliminating termites, ants and flies. He calls the technology "green mycotechnology".

Part III - Growing Mycelia and Mushrooms includes six chapters:

* Inoculation Methods: Spores, spawns and stem butts

* Cultivating Mushrooms on Straw and Leached Cow Manure

* Cultivating Mushrooms on logs and stumps

* Gardening with Gourmet and medicinal mushrooms

* Magnificent Mushrooms: The Cast of Species

* Nutritional properties of mushrooms

This section introduces readers to methods for inoculation, cultivation and gardening with mushrooms. Excellent photos, graphs and charts help the reader to visualize and practically apply the processes.

Mr. Stamets says that the key to growing mushrooms is to first grow mycelium and that the most important technique is learning how to use wild, or natural spawn because it has the advantage of being acclimated to its habitat.

The mycelium grower is described as a "herdsman" and the mycomotto is "move it or lose it". The author explains that no matter how successful you may be at getting mycelium to grow it will "consume its habitat" and will move on, if not supplemented with its basic nutrient needs.

Stamets explains that "Your job is to become embedded into the mind-set of this digestive cellular membrane, to run with mycelium".

Using fungi in the garden builds soil, improves yield and decreases fertilizer requirements. Photos illustrate the increased size of vegetables grown in mycelium rich soil.

Edible mushrooms are good sources of protein, are very low in simple carbohydrates and fats and are high in antioxidants, selenium, potassium, copper, B vitamins and fiber.

Nutritional content of mushrooms depends on variety and where they are grown. For example, button mushrooms grown in Texas and Oklahoma contain higher levels of selenium than those grown in Florida and Pennsylvania.

Pages 198-199 provide a very useful chart listing the nutritional properties of 16 edible mushrooms.

Mushrooms are rich sources of enzymes including cellulose, lignan peroxidases, laccases, manganese superoxide dismutases, enzymes known for their ability to decompose plant fiber.

According to the author, enzyme inhibitors in mushrooms are protective against breast and prostate cancer. Aromatase inhibitors that interrupt the conversion of androgens to estrogens are significant to those at risk for breast cancer. 5 alpha reductase inhibitors are significant to those at risk for enlarged prostate and prostate cancer.

Graphs provide additional information on mushroom variety and content of these valuable nutritional compounds.

The final chapter of the book is Magnificent Mushrooms: The Cast of Species

This section provides in-depth descriptions, distribution, habitat, harvesting hints, nutritional profile, medicinal properties, flavor, preparation and cooking tips, mycorestoration potential and comments for a long list of mushrooms including shiitakes, oyster, and morels.

This is valuable, useful information for anyone interested in utilizing the benefits of mushrooms for health, both human and planetary.

Certainly Paul Stamets book Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Save the World will grow the ranks of mycophiles world wide. Because the science of mycorestoration is in its infancy, Mycelium Running will likely inspire a new generation of mycologists to implement the author's original discoveries and make future discoveries of their own, discoveries that benefit both mankind and the environment.

As Dr. Andrew Weil said in the introduction "I find this book exciting and optimistic because it suggests new, nonharmful possibilities for solving serious problems that affect our health and the health of our environment".
h ttp://ww w.naturalnews.com/022797.html

[Blueshark]

I'd advise anyone to buy it so you can read it at your leisure.

Another good book is How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.



I have reserved this book at my local library.

I have recently read two veganism books; 'The China Study' - T.Colin Campbell.

This is worth reading since it gives scientific reasons why a plant-based diet is nutritionally superior to an animal-based diet. I found it quite a hard read, but there are moments of excitement, and the chapters are full of information.

I also read 'Skinny Bitch' ...This is very easy to read and packed full of reasons why one should adopt a vegan diet. I enjoyed it..but am looking for something more substantial and emotional in my next reads.

I have ordered:
Eternal Treblinka. Charles Patterson
The Pig Who Sang To The Moon. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Diet for A New America. John Robbins.

Looking forward to those..:cloud9:

[Gliondrach]

I have reserved this book at my local library.



Good. I hope you learn a lot from it.

[Bowwowmeow]

Diet for A New America. John Robbins...
I enjoyed his "Healthy at 100" very much. Actually I have a signed copy. He is a very nice man, and an inspirational speaker.

[Blueshark]

I received 'How To Win Friends and Influence People' from the library today.

I also picked up 'Stop Worrying and Start Living' by the same author.

So I read the first chapter, was quite revealing. However - I found myself looking for anachronisms, I was quite amused at the reference to Abraham Lincoln, who was President in the late 19th century. Carnegie also wrote a biography on Lincoln. I think it is interesting, because it felt like I was going back in time. I was learning history from a direct source. Some people say its a small world, but also its a small time. I have got lots of books to read at the moment so I hope I complete it soon.

I was charged £1.80 reservation fee by the library - which was a bit of a shocker. However I am still quietly pleased that libraries exist at all, a noble and honorable institution far removed from today's commercial driven society.

So... I also have finished 'Eternal Treblinka' It is a lovely book - very interesting, and informative. If anything it has piqued my interest in the Holocaust. I feel I will probably look up some books on first hand accounts. It seems people who go through immense suffering gain in a rare wisdom.

[Gliondrach]

Yes, HTWFAIP is a great book.


...it has piqued my interest in the Holocaust. I feel I will probably look up some books on first hand accounts. It seems people who go through immense suffering gain in a rare wisdom.

There's a programme on Radio 4 tonight at 11.30 - Terezin Dreams, featuring some of the poetry written at the Terezin concentration camp. I have some of the poems written by children there. They are very moving. It can be heard again on the Listen Again facility.

[sastearns]

I'm slow I know but this article blew me away at the same time giving some hope. I just dont get how many of us have become so unfeeling.
http://www.vegan.com/pdf/Year_in_Meat_2009.pdf

[sastearns]

http://www.vegan.com/pdf/Year_in_Meat_2009.pdf This i article blew me away while also offering some hope. How do people become so unfeeling?

[Gliondrach]

Good link, Sastearns.

[Gliondrach]

This is a recommended listening. It's a beautiful letter. There's no image, just sound.

Sullivan Ballou Letter to Sarah

aSprdaGol34

[veganbasket]

Raw Food Diet , by Cherie Soria. I went to Living Light, added more raw greens to my diet...cleared myself of acne and stomach problems.

[Gliondrach]

This book, Second Nature, by vegan Johnathon Balcombe, looks very interesting.

From Publishers Weekly
Who knew that chickens and humans find the same faces beautiful? Or that fish choose reliable partners for dangerous predator inspection missions? Referencing such intriguing studies, Balcombe (Pleasurable Kingdom) builds a compelling case for blurring the line between animal and human perception, thereby questioning the prevailing scientific orthodoxy that humans alone possess the ability to reason.

Over the years, studies have shown that animals have intelligence (dolphins have been known to teach themselves to delay gratification to get extra treats), emotions (like humans, baboon mothers show elevated levels of glucocorticoids after losing an infant), cunning (gorillas divert the attention of rivals from food, often by grooming); that they can communicate (nuthatches can translate chickadee chirps), can be altruistic (chimps who know how to unlatch a door help those who can't).

Yet philosophers have routinely dismissed animals as unthinking, unfeeling beasts — Descartes grouped non-human animals with machines, a line of logic that has been used to justify callous treatment of laboratory animals. Balcombe's brief, marred only slightly by sermonizing, builds to a passionate and persuasive argument for vegetarianism on both humanitarian and environmental grounds.


From Booklist
Ethologist and author Balcombe discusses the broad range of animal experience in this new examination of how animals view the world. As famous South African novelist J. M. Coetzee asks in his foreward, why should the onus fall on animals, whatever their species, to prove that they are sentient? Balcombe answers this question by showing, through a broad-ranging review of both the scientific and philosophic literature, that animals think and feel, that they are sentient and show morality, and that we can no longer treat animals cruelly and carelessly.

By examining animal intelligence, perception, and awareness in the first section of the book, the author brings readers into the animals’ experience and helps create appreciation for that experience. In the second section, Balcombe focuses on animal interactions and sociality, demonstrating the sophistication of communication in animals and their resulting emotions and morality. Finally, the author focuses on human coexistence with other animals and his views about how we need to change our treatment of these other sentient beings. Graceful prose makes this an excellent introduction to the examination of animal minds. —Nancy Bent

===
On his website he says:

'Danger-junkie orangutans in Borneo climb dead trees and destabilize them until they begin to fall. They scream with excitement as they cling to the falling tree. Just before the tree hits the ground the orangs leap to another tree or vine, narrowly escaping death. Researchers call this peculiar behavior snag-riding and liken it to bungee jumping for monkeys. While no one can ask orangutans if they enjoy the same adrenaline rush as a person playing an extreme sport, one animal behaviorist sees this monkey fun as a bit of harmless thrill-seeking.'

[Gliondrach]

Free PDF:

Safe Upper Levels for Vitamins and Minerals,

by the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals.

ht--tp://w--ww.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/vitmin2003.pdf

Just copy and paste the address into a browser and then delete the four dashes I've put in the htp and ww parts.

In case anyone is not familiar with PDFs you can search for words by typing it in the search box at the top of them and then using the return key. Each time you use the key it takes you to the next incidence of the word.

You can read them by scrolling through the pages or viewing one page at a time. Put the cursor on the little oblongs to the left of the search box to see which is which and then click on the one you prefer to use.

I've only read the section on beta-carotene but the whole thing looks interesting. More than 300 pages.