Health

Many years ago I had thought that I should pursue a career in medicine in order to somehow relieve some of the suffering in the world.
That led to a summer working as a surgical orderly in a large hospital in Los Angeles. Total immersion woke me up to the sad reality of medicine, and to the realization that prevention was immensely superior to cure. When so much illness is preventable, and so often brought about by bad choices, it seemed pointless to try to build a career at the wrong end of the process.  I decided to learn as much as I could about health and prevention, and have learned many valuable lessons through the years.
Mineral and vitamin deficiencies have caused much of the illness in America today, yet we are told by the government agencies such as the FDA and CDC (Centers for Disease Control) that the minimalist RDA's (recommended daily allowances) are all we need and that we are likely to be harmed by taking too many vitamins and minerals.
For example, we have had a recommendation of 400 ug daily for Folic Acid, while current studies in Europe have shown that mental acuity in seniors is significantly improved at levels of 1250 ug. We were told that too much Folic acid could mask diagnosis of some rare anemia. No daily multivitamins have more than 400 ug and the largest separate pills were 800ug.
Iodine had been vilified for over 60 years as potentially toxic in amounts greater that 400ug daily, while the average intake in Japan is 14 mg, 35 times greater, and the most prominent difference is that in Japan there is very little breast cancer, while in the US, one woman in seven will develop breast cancer.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027530_iodine_brst_cancer.html
We have been warned that Vitamin D, an oil soluble vitamin, could be toxic, and that we shouldn't take too much of it.  Again the safe level has been 400, units this time not ug, and again the amount which would help us achieve optimum health is much higher, in my case 5000 to 6000 units of Vitamin D3 for a male weighing 190 pounds. In India Vitamin D is given in yearly injections of 600,000 units without negative effects. Vitamin D should be taken in the D3 form, the D2 form isn't very effective.
While I did not pursue a career in medicine, I very much appreciate some of those who did, and have brought a more enlightened view to the field.  Dr Mercola, whose website had greatly increased my knowledge base is a wealth of information.   www.mercola.com  His email alerts are a welcome input.
Dr Robert Mendelsohn, who was a pioneer in shining a light upon modern medical practice with three books, Confessions of a Medical Heretic, Male Practice Malpractice, and How to Raise a Healthy Child has my great respect, and his books, especially How to Raise a Healthy Child, should be in every parent's library. He passed away in 1988, but his advice is timeless.

Intimidated

Why should I feel intimidated by a Blog?
Perhaps the permanence of a blog in hyperspace makes me overly cautious in posting, so I must jump in and proceed.
Hopefully I will be able to make more frequent posts in the future.

Resolving the most important question

First resolve this question in your life, "Is there a Creator, or are we simply the result of chance?"  All other questions fade in comparison.
At the heart of the collectivist's philosophy is the denial of God and they have replaced Him with their religious belief in chance and evolution.
The weight of evidence supports creation and intelligent design, yet the collectivists continue to force schools to teach the flawed and failed theory of evolution.
This link provides an excellent resource to learn the facts about the debate:
http://evolutionfacts.com/downloads.htm
When we have certainty in this question, we have a foundation to build our lives upon.
To recognize that there is a Greater Power, an Intelligence, leads us to the place of humility where we can ask Him for guidance and direction in our lives.
For me, the most important commands which our Heavenly Father has given direct us to love, and Jesus taught us that the two great commands were to love God and to love our fellow man.  There is another complimentary command which Jesus gave us, and that is that we should love as He loved us, that is to say at the cost of our lives: John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

On starting a blog

Einstein once said: "The right to search for truth implies a duty, one must not conceal any part of what one recognizes to be true."
This thought has motivated me for almost 40 years, and though my beliefs have changed, my desire to share what I know has not diminished.
This blog will touch on many topics. Spiritual issues will underlie many others, because in my opinion, our spiritual nature is foundational and controls the physical side of life. Issues of preparedness, health, liberty, small scale agriculture, and analysis of the problems caused by corrupt government will comprise much of my writing.
Because I believe that beauty reflects our Creator's efforts and desiring to give glory to Him, I will post some of my photographs, hoping to give inspiration to others.