psychetruth

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On the whole subject of general health and wellbeing there is one site that goes by the name of Psychetruth that deserves to be subscribed to. It has many professional contributors which cover an array of informative and intuitive videos with topics covering the fields of pharmacology, nutrition, psychology, fitness and spiritual matters.

Natural preservative free cosmetic stalemate

By now many health concious consumers are becoming very savy in terms of their choices with respect to the levels of preservatives in products, especially so in the area of skin care. Much has been publicised and quoted into wether the the use of parabens are in fact damaging to our skin in the long run. The unfortunate reality is that everything we consume is economy and price driven. It seriously is a fine line equation. The practicality is that companies need to produce products that not only have a good `shelf life' but at the same time produce safe products for the consumer, coupled with the need to merchandise it at a reasonable price. So therefore as a valid commodity the `100% preservative free' stance on cosmetic and skin care products does proceed with difficulty into the marketplace. The precise reasons are explained very well in the following article `7 Reasons They Aren't More Preservative Free' published in the beautybrains website, which comes highly recommended.

Solarium sensibility prevails

Further on to our article posted regarding the inherent dangers of solarium usage it now looks as if we are taking a step in the right direction. Anti solarium campaigner Clare Oliver (pictured left) who died last year fought bravely for change and regulation within the solarium industry. Change does not it would seem always come quickly but finally within the state of NSW it has finally come to pass. This change will bring about more stringent regulation to be upheld within the said industry and hopefully sensibility will prevail. Health Reporter Natasha Wallace highlights this in one particular article of the Sydney Morning Herald entitled `Solarium ban for fair skin, minors'.

Holistic health practitioner video and content profiles Vol 4

Colon Hydrotherapy - Kym Atkinson - Fountain Of Inner Health

Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic: Part 1 - Overview - Darren Scheuner DC BCAO - (see additional video's)

Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic: Part 2 - Question of balance - Darren Scheuner DC BCAO - (see additional video's)

Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic: Part 3 - Atlas Orthogonal Treatment (i) - Darren Scheuner DC BCAO - (see additional video's)

Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic: Part 4 - Atlas Orthogonal Treatment (ii) - Darren Scheuner DC BCAO - (see additional video's)

Samadhi Yoga - Kim White - Mindbody Yoga

Dante Gym and Fitness promo - Lucia Schwarczova - Dante Gym and Fitness (see additional video)

Out takes from the cell to cell health, Through The Lens series.

Labelling claims

By now many of us are aware of the benefits of a balanced diet and recent claims that go along with support of this. But what of the now numerous claims being made by manufacturers of partially or fully processed foods. Can their claims as stated on the labels be given equal validity? It's a grey area since it boils down to the `care wording' as to how the message is laid out in the first instance, and to which degree does it constitute a medicinal claim. The article `Health claims: food or medicine?' by Choice puts this issue under the microscope to find out how much of what is being claimed by the food consortium's as to it actually being relevant.

Versatile Coconuts

The coconut has long since been part of the stable diet of many cultures, and for good reason. The milk and the flesh of the kernel not only taste great on their own but can be a used to make delicious beverages and even used as an added appealing ingredient in meals. Thai curries are a good example of this since the main ingredient is the milk.

Coconuts enjoy a popularity world wide because of their diversity of useages. However what of their health benefits? Well so far to say that the active ingredient within coconut oil is a saturated fat called lauric acid, and although saturates have been given a bad name lately it is the variety derived from animals that makes this so.

Coconuts are unique within the plant kingdom because of this and also due to it's medium chain triglyceride structure meaning that it is non storable by the body but is in fact used as energy instead. In a nutshell lauric acid once it is `cold pressed' from the coconut flesh, makes it one of the healthiest oils you can consume, with far reaching benefits as stated in the article `Coconut Oil' by Cathy Wong.

It's benefits to our health is a good enough reason to keep it as part of our diet as stated by Dr. Bruce Fife in his article `Coconut Oil is the Healthiest Oil on Earth!' which is taken from his book `The Coconut Oil Miracle'.

Straight from the source?

Unlike many parts of the world tap water in Australia employs very stringent methods in respect to the regulatory contents and purity in maintaining the integrity of the supply that Australians enjoy. However though the addition of Fluoride is very debatable wherein some countries which include Germany and Denmark have banned it's use. Fortunately here in Queensland we do not have it in our supply but for how long will this last. Anyhow thats another story. Anyhow an interesting article published in Essential Baby entitled `What's wrong with a drink from the tap?' raises the issue of the bottled water craze which is sweeping the Western World.

A good point made I thought. Personal need or just marketing hype. Has any studies been carried out to suggest that bottled water is indeed of superior quality than tap water? Or is it a con?

There is nothing new in this idea naturally as the following article `When did people first start drinking bottled water rather than tap water?' clearly shows us, explaining the the history of this habit very well including links to graphs to show the upward marketing trend of `health orientated bottled water drinkers, and again shown here in the first of a three part essay entitled `Bottled Water, Bottled Hype Part 1' shows the ramifications of this escalating habit on our environment and it's subsequent cost to us all. So what indeed is the cost we pay for our bottled water hit? The whole picture is not quite as healthy as one may at first hand imagine.

Pumping the manpower

Testosterone levels are the lifeblood and benchmark for all males, in fact it lies at the very core of the male psyche and what it is to be a man. Both sexual drive and stamina are highly effected by any inclinations in production. With this it makes good sense to not only protect existing testosterone production but also to boost it's levels. The article entitled 5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Manpower by Men'shealth gives insightful reminders to maintaining the male libido and some sound tips with which to achieve this.

Free Implants

The internet media machine just keeps on getting bolder as time moves on. One recent article I came across apart from raising questions has it's supporters and much as it has detractors. Sara Bonisteel's recent report `Web Site Offers Free Breast Implants' for Fox News will certainly raise eyebrows. Wether one considers the online practice of giving away free breast augmentations to young women to be acceptable or not the reality is that it has taken off in a big way and the website in question MyFreeImplants shows quite a healthy Alexa rating of 60,960 (as of the time of writing). It is however a girl popularity driven online community site where male benefactors are charged via membership and messaging fee's, a proportion of which goes to the girl of their interest. Very questionable and only time will tell how this enterprise ventures.

Take heart

Nutritionist and dietition Rena Shukla has always provided us with solid practical advice for health and wellness maintenance, and her latest article `Get the pulse' is no exception. Whilst it is brief it does instill the importance of getting into the habit of keeping a watchful vigilance on our own heart rates. This essential organ can tell us many things about out status in the wellness stakes and should not be overlooked. This is of particular significance should we be taking up an exercise routine after a period of inactivity. So take heart and be considerate to yourself.

A silent killer

There is no denying that stress can be a killer. It's ramifications on our overall health is detrimental to put it mildly since at some point the overwhelming negative emotions involved begin to manifest themselves into physical illnesses. However the good news is that armed with some sound advice one can alleviate and indeed in some cases even eliminate the need for a stressful lifestyle. Tracee Cornforth has produced a very thoughtful article tackling this modern psychological menace of city living entitled `Stress Busters'.

Sleep your way to a better memory

Further to the previous article `Power nap yourself from the sleep deficiency nightmare' comes the article `Catnaps boost our memory' by David Derbyshire reporting new studies that have been undertaken by Dr Olaf Lahl of the University of Dusseldorf, Germany which would suggest that short sleep periods can aid concentration and memory recall. I feel assured we can all benefit from a better and clearer memory, this does indeed sound like good advice to me.

Mining plant resource information

Plants have been part of humanities culture even long before we developed agriculture. Plants are as diverse in chemical properties as they are their differing species. There importance in every culture across the globe has aided in defining, impacting and shaping every culture on the planet through the ages. The subject of plants and indeed herbs and the encompassing science of biology, and of their uses is so monumental I seriously doubt any one website could tackle it as a whole.

Whilst considering this issue I searched for particular sites which were informative and diverse in their approach and came up with the following which serve well. The below mentioned sites clearly come at this topic from uniquely varying angles of expertise and cover a host of useful idea's from their application in beauty, home remedies, culinary usage to preparation and the cultivation of plus much more.

Ayerhelp
Anita's Garden - Holistic Health and Beauty
Bodychannel
My Mysterious Garden
Pioneer Thinking

Nutrition education

After reading yet another `junk food' hazard orientated article `Fast Food: The Fast Track to Organ Damage' which it seems is just one of many you can find really did make me wonder. Yes I see the merits in focusing on the negatives of this lifestyle, and indeed sometimes by doing so it can inherently show us that which can be detrimental to our health. But really, how many more do we need to see? There seems to be far to much of a fixation on what is bad rather than good, or is that just me? Is this an education to fast tracking coronary heart disease?

If the law of attraction is engaging here then this showing of what is bad only compounds the situation measurably. Personally I'd like to see more articles on the beneficial aspects of our diet. Just like the lawn that has a growing weed population; the solution is not to pull out the weeds, more so to plant more grass seeds. The result being that through the law of survival of the
fittest, nature herself will eliminate them.

The engaging 2004 documentary/movie Super Size Me by film maker Morgan Spurlock encapsulated the dangers very well albeit rather drastically but without doubt proving the point. So why more surveys are needed I will never know. There is a counterpoint to this however, which comes in the form of the Raw for Life video made by a dedicated group of film makers under the guidence of executive producers Mark Perlmutter and Keith Lyons of the Raw for 30 Days website. Here we see the opposite in which eating foods primarily in their raw (or uncooked state) can substantially cause a turnaround in health given that it was not 100% on the offset. This team gets my heartiest support in intelligent guidance and information on the monumental topic of nutrition.

Reference: 1.

Super sized dilemma

From the sublime to the outright ridiculous it may seem that I am banging at the gates of the obesity high horse once more; and indeed this article entitled `Obesity crisis calls for more heavy-duty ambulances' from the Sydney Morning Herald seems to show this but let me say one thing. If this were not actuality and nor such a serious matter it would be farcical to the extreme.

Congratulations Australia you have now earned yourself the title of being the 2nd fattest nation on the planet next to the U.S.

Take a look at these stats, are these to be proud of?

• The 1999-2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study indicated over seven million adult Australians aged 25 years and over (60%) were overweight.
  Of these, over two million (21%) were obese.
  Men were more likely than women to be overweight, with 67% of men compared with 52% of women (aged 25 years and over) being overweight.
  
• There have been significant increases in the proportions of overweight and obese Australians over the last 20 years. From 1980 to 1999-2000, for people aged 25-64 years, the proportion of overweight women increased from 27% to 47%, and the proportion of overweight men increased from 47% to 66%.
  
• On average, women in 1999 weighed 4.8 kg more than their counterparts in 1980, and men 3.6 kg more.

Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

The latest figures published in the NSW Health Annual Report 2006/07 don't get any more promising either as shown in the article `Half NSW adults overweight or obese: report'.

Boy is this ever a wake up call, should this trend continue society will eventually restructure itself to cater for this escalation and this will bring about disastrous results bringing forth a pending meltdown in our health care system or whats left of it anyhow.

Exercise your way to better sex

With over 14 years of experience as a personal trainer and bodybuilder Raphael Calzadilla (pictured left) should know a thing or two about exercise and bodybuilding techniques. Geared towards the female libido he has formulated a series of exercises that will effectively increase fitness levels whilst spicing up your sex life in the process. There is no denying that physical fitness can vastly improve performance as Mr Calzadilla's report entitled `Exercises That Make You Feel Sexy' clearly shows. From belly dancing, cardio strip tease to belly fusion (which is a contemporary fusion of traditional and modern dance movements). All of which it seems are aimed at the adventurous and passionate at heart.

Reverse osmosis

In order to clarify a point in respect to water passed through a reverse osmosis filtration system I called upon the expertise of Heith Hodges of Aquasana. Here was his reply:

"That is correct. It removes all the natural trace minerals turning the water supply slightly acidic and aggressive. This will cause the water to begin to strip minerals from your body making your body acidic as well".

Thanks for that advice Heith. So in conclusion therein R.O. is not a good choice for home purification systems.

R.O. systems are very beneficial in as much as they will remove all organic/inorganic material from the water supply, however water treated this way ends up totally `sterile', which is fine though for industry where water purity is omnipotent plus it is the main process through which seawater is `desalinated'.

The #1 rated home water filter in America...
Voted "Best Buy" by Consumers Digest magazine 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007!

Obesity hardwired

Further to our article `The nature of food during pregnancy' comes another related follow up article entitled Obesity 'down to faulty brain wiring' Sebastien Bouret, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles states conclusively that appetite and obesity could well be `hard wired' into the brains of individuals from birth. The problem seems to stem from behavioral patterns within the brain that interfere with leptin production, a hunger suppressing and energy metabolising hormone that regulates appetite.

Water Revitalization with Quartz Crystals

Here is some good advice to revitalize your drinking water from my friend Angie in Sydney, it will make it taste much better and is healthy for you too. Thanks Ang

Dear David,

Want to know a little secret???????

Well what I do, is place some crystals, ie. rose quartz, clear quartz, and smokey quartz at the bottom on my glass jug.. then I fill it with spring water and let it sit overnight in the fridge... the crystals change the structure of the H2O to bring it closer to its original state.. you try it, it tastes so so so sweet!!!!!!! Then I just keep refilling the jug overnight (it requires at least 10 hours to change the structure) ... Alternatively just get your hands on some bottled FIJI WATER, its hard to get, mostly at organic supply shops, it contains natural silica and minerals straight from the earths springs.

With regards to the crystals.... you can buy them at any 'hippie/gypsy shops' or most natural therapy shops, the markets, most alternative practices use their energies, not sure in your area but try searching the net, ebay sells them.. but be careful and make sure to soak them in sea salt or wash them in the ocean prior to using them to recharge their energies :)

Now here is the quote, straight from one of my favourite books WATER AND SALT, THE ESSENCE OF LIFE by DR. MED. BARBARA HENDEL AND PETER FERREIRA you can use;

"A natural, very effective and inexpensive method to revitalize your drinking water is to use quartz crystals. Simply place a handful of quartz crystals, such as clear quartz, smoky quartz, rose quartz or amethyst in a glass decanter or jar. Fill the container in the evening with filtered or purified tap water or artesian spring water that you purchased in a bottle. Fill with only as much as you intend to drink the following day and let it sit for at least eight hours. Measurements have shown that the surface tension of crystal soaked water reaches values similar to those as from re energizing devices. The hexagonal structure of the quartz crystals can nearly rearrange the flexible structure of water to its original makeup. Oftentimes, simple quartz sand is used in the pricey energizing devices. Also crystals cannot remove the toxins from the water, they will only help the water to restore its crystalline structure."

David, when you taste the water the next day, you immediately notice the sweetness of it, I am addicted lol I have never been able to drink tap water as I can smell the chlorine and taste the toxins (that metallic like taste) and there is no sweetness whatsoever !

Brain food

Indeed the brain follows the same rules as any other part of our anatomy, simply put use it or lose it. Just as physical activity is as important to our bodies, mental exercise and stimulation is vital for our brains. Especially so as we get older wherein it becomes even more so. Learning is a life long experience and never finishes until we do. Jennifer Goddard (pictured above), director of the Buzan Centre in Australia and New Zealand and the co-founder of Mind werx International explains this importance in further detail in her article `Age proof your brain'. Jennifer puts forward some useful tips that we can engage in to keep the grey matter functioning healthier especially into later years when we can most benefit.

References: 1.2.

Fantastic Voyage

Knowing the inside workings of the human anatomy is always intriguing, and the superbly created and indeed finely detailed medical animations made by Nucleus Medical Art at Nucleusinc are nothing short of breathtaking. For the most part it is akin to taking a fantastic voyage into the microscopic internal workings of humans right down to the cellular level (such as the above example). Far from being just mere works of art these custom made animations of surgery, anatomy, mechanism of action (MOA), and physiology are primarily produced for medical devices, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology, marketing agencies, lawyers etc. The company also produces a range of products other than multimedia such as such as medical illustrations, medical images, anatomical charts, anatomical models to interactive multimedia for educational and commercial use.

The nature of food during pregnancy

Ellen Connelly of news.com.au reports on a world first discovery made by Australian Scientists at the University of NSW entitled `Mum's diet shapes a child's weight'. This of which apparently is backed up by a study that was published last year in the British Journal Of Nutrition reporting that the offspring of mothers who ate junk food (especially through pregnancy) gave rise to children that craved the same food types. This would definately suggest that a baby is not just genetically predisposed to it's mother in terms of physical characteristics.

Surely an absolute confirmation on these facts would prove the inherent `addictiveness' of some food additives, the likes of which junk food has now become notoriously known for. Processed foods are also not much better either, one only has to look at the labels to find it's array of preservatives, enhancers and stabilisers. So when will we learn? Education is the key I know but judging by the magnitude of the obesity problem within the Western world I personally thinking it's going to get a whole lot worse before it begins to get any better.

Blast from the past

Since starting in the beginning of September 2006 our parent site cell-to-cell-health.com has certainly come along way (as can be seen here in January 2007). To the degree of which I had not realised until I did a search through the archive files of WayBackMachine. Apart from the many additions to the site since then there is also the absence of much material which was later to be removed for whatever reason as it was no longer considered relevant.

Nonetheless it remains here in much of it's entirety as it once was and to further show how far we have come and how much more work there is to be done. A site in progress that continues to this day. So happy you could join us....

Reference: 1.

Fountain of youth

There can be no doubt that time and gravity can be our greatest enemies in respect to maintaining a youthful complexion which could also include our own environmental lifestyle in there, indeed the afore mentioned effect our bodies considerably. However whilst we cannot halt the process we certainly have a degree of control over it. Brook Phelps, an eDiet contributor penned an article entitled `10 Secrets of Looking Younger' which does represent some thoughtful advice on this topic. After perusing it I gather this information mainly pertains to women, however though since men have skin also I believe it could equally apply, and this has nothing to do with being a sensitive new age guy either, it just makes sense right?

Whilst it did have it's merits, the advice offered mainly concentrated on facial and neck complexion. This is all well and ok however health and youthfulness radiates from inside to out. In as much we should consider diet and regular exercise as part of the whole equation to looking good. Articles such as this are like pieces of a large puzzle and as such help us all on our path to a lasting healthier lifestyle. After all it makes no sense at all if our total wellbeing is in order if it does not express itself outwardly also. To look further for a moment at the `whole' self, absolute wellbeing is pivotal on 6 foundational factors which are:

1. Thoughts
2. Breathing
3. Hydration
4. Food
5. Exercise
6. Circadian rhythms
   

These (in order of importance) form the `backbone' of total wellbeing and are explained in further detail by Holistic Health Coach Terence M. Carfrae in his profile entitled Metabolic Typing.

Reference: Metabolic Typing explained

Fitness FAQ

Lucia Schwarczova of Dante Gym and Fitness is without doubt the absolute embodiment of her beliefs and practices. After finishing her video profile I suggested (given her extensive knowledge in personal fitness coaching) that a contributed FAQ on the subject would be most beneficial to many seeking advice in this arena. With the original intent of publishing it to this blog. However it would seem that I had grossly underestimated the final result. It was far more extensive than previously imaged, and as a consequence to this it has been added as a continuation to Lucia's own profile page.

Not being just a simple FAQ, it goes into some detail and in the process debunking a few common myths concerned with not only loosing weight but in gaining physical strength also. It's resourcefulness will undoubtedly benefit many looking to create a healthier and fitter lifestyle.

Burning of the vanities

Solarium's are in the news and under the spot light once again, this time resulting in legal action being taken against a number of solarium's by several Gold Coast women as reported by Australia Business in an article entitled `Lawyers sue solarium's'. It really did get my attention especially after reading the first line which I have quoted,

"LAWYERS are increasingly suing solarium's after repeated scientific studies linking them to the risk of developing skin cancer and other skin conditions."

This goes without saying does it not? Especially since there is now plenty of evidence to show that prolonged UV exposure increases the risk of skin melanoma by up to 98%! With this I had to ask the question. With whom exactly does the responsibility lie?

Certainly true and quite possibly some of these establishments may not be accessing their clients well enough for suitability for such treatments, whilst on the other hand users of solarium's should know better. It's all a question of choice and if one so chooses to do so out of the sheer vanity of beautiful glowing dark skin then the consequential risk factor of skin damage is high. This being the case then there is a price to pay.

Maybe I just see things far to simply who knows but suing them I believe will not eliminate the hazard by any means and makes no gains at all apart from the exception of lining the pockets of money hungry lawyers. All this is just a case of responsibility negligence and these individuals got exactly what they paid for. So if you wish to have natural healthy glowing skin simply don't use them. Period.

References: 1.2.

Power nap yourself from the sleep deficiency nightmare

The following article by the Sydney Morning Herald titled `The blanket lifted on a health nightmare' so brings to the surface a dilemma of living in a modern age. Whilst these stats are alarming they at the same time come as no surprise. Speaking personally I have in the past been reduced to getting only 5 - 6 hours of sleep a night, due to work commitments. While there may be other contributing factors I firmly believe that longer work hours and stress related factors are huge culprits to this problem.

Without saying more than needs to be said most would be well aware that sleep deficiency is detrimental to both mind and body and can over longer periods seriously reduce our concentration and work performance. Is there a solution here? One which I have found useful is the `power nap', a short half hour - hour rest period preferably where one will not get disturbed. Trust me this really does give you are boost, especially if you suffer from sleep deficiency.

References 1. 2. 3.

Little foods that mean so much

Some foods do certainly pack a punch as far as nutrition is concerned. Here are some real gems to incorporate into your diet that your body will love you for .

Peppers galore
Peppers are hugely beneficial; and the best ones for you are? Yes you guessed it, the tongue tingling hot ones known as chilli peppers. Whilst all peppers contain capsaicinoids chilli peppers in particular have very high levels of capsaicinoids (which are long chain hydrocarbons) which is mostly concentrated in the ribs and the seeds of the chillies. Chillies are also very rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, carotene and vitamin C. So they are not only good for you but they are also a great way to spice up any dish.

Allicin in the family
To get those healthy juices flowing why not include some illium in your diet. What? Well illium is the family of vegetables that includes onions, garlic, leeks and chives. These are powerpacked with heaps of phytochemicals which gives them their pungent aroma. Eat as raw as possible as cooking reduces the potency of its active ingredient allicin substantially. However their addition to cold and warm salads is highly favoured. If like me, eating raw onions doesn't come easy. You can always try chopping them up and use as a side dish and eat then with your meal,
believe me their great: )

Little legumes
All the varieties of beans are natures little helpers! Beans are not only low in calories and sodium but very high in protein, fibre and folic acid. All are tasty however many folk eat in moderation and sometimes avoid altogether due to gassy discomfort. This is a real disservice to our health because their benefit is huge. So...the solution? here is a little tip, add a little baking soda (about a teaspoon) into the pot whilst cooking will release a lot of the gas before hand. That way it saves you from being unpopular afterwards.:0

Acai break
(pronounced "ah-sigh-ee")
Still not widely known about apart from the real health conscious folks, this ones a real winner. its loaded with antioxidants, oleic acid, amino acids, fibre and phytonutrients, just about everything thats good for you barring a Hollywood celebrity workout video! Acai is harvested from various palms trees that thrive in the tropical Amazon rain forests and its taste can best be described `chocolate like' and very yummy! Sometimes it may be hard to get from local supermarkets however your best bet is from healthfood stores and or web merchants who specialise in health foods.

Mushroom madness

After the resent hospitalisation of 2 adults due to the consumption of the death cap mushroom within the ACT from the recent report by the ACT Health Department which also states of other occurring fatalities in the same manner really made me think. What happened to common sense here? Why would anyone unknowingly just consume anything out in the wild let alone mushrooms without having prior knowledge of their actions.

Anyone falling victim to such misadventure should be beaten with the proverbial `idiot stick'. Didn't their parents teach them anything? Within the mushroom world alone there are approx 14,000 differing species globally, and without prior knowledge to catergorise and guide you the consumption of any one of them can be detrimental to ones health and in some cases result in death. I seriously hope that others will heed to the advice given by the department and think before considering such.

Reference: 1.2.

Is your sex life normal?

Sexologist Yvonne. K. Fulbright (pictured left) blazes a trail of inquiry as to the sexual habits of Americans in an article entitled `Is your sex life normal?' Is there such a thing as normality within human sexual expressions given the fact that what may be considered freaky, kinky, bizarre, abnormal, weird and or downright disturbing to some may be entirely acceptable or dare I say it `normal' to some, whilst others could not even imagine such acts. It's really a question to the extent that an individual or couple will go to sexually gratify themselves. Personally I believe such extremes are only healthy as long as both individuals fully endorse and are in agreement with such actions and the other being that no physical and or mental harm arises because of such actions.

Throughout the ages humans have been torn by two forces, firstly their own internal natural drives and needs to express themselves fully and the external so called `social values' to be conformed to. External pressures then where usually forced upon us by religious doctrines through the ages. Out of these doctrines arose many accepted myths and beliefs which where perpetuated by the church and it's leaders to keep us in line.

There have been many individuals in history who have attempted to liberate us by setting the records straight. One such was the now legendary 18th century French aristocrat Donatien Alphonse-François de Sade, better known as the Marquis De Sade. Clearly in his day he was persecuted for many of his writings, which resulted in his enforced 32 year imprisonment. However if anyone (dares to) take the time and read say the classic `Justine' for example De Sade was merely holding the `mirror of contempt' to the established order of the day and revealing their so called outwardly displayed values as being nothing more than hypercritical and deceitful.

De Sade lived in a world wherein the nature of the deeds in his writings was indeed actuality not fiction and that various sexual vices were used by those in power to control and manipulate the less fortunate and poor within society, in particular younger persons of both genders, purely for their own gratification and sexual perversions. However despite all his efforts his works were systematically destroyed by the crushing religious dogma of his time and he was labeled as nothing more than a protagonist of pornography and filth.

However one more advocate for sexual liberation of the masses was non other than the more recent Alfred Kinsey who once again rocked the establishment, although this time far more successful in breaking down the barriers. Without such daring individuals we would still well an truly be gripped within the oppressive mindset of the those that seek to control our freedoms. Our needs to feel accepted `and know our place' within the scheme of things continues to this day as can be seen by the ongoing surveys published in women's magazines such as Cleo.

So in conclusion once again we must ask what is normal? Normality I believe is an illusion and non existent. Never was and never will be, thats the beauty of being individual, the continual striving for total personal expression. Being only true to oneself.