HEALING GOD’S WAY

Addressing the mind-body-spirit connection.
Kiri Christina Hyatt, editor

-----------------------------------------

You may forward this newsletter to anyone you feel could benefit from it.
To receive Healing God’s Way:

http://www.aocommunities.org/news.htm

===============================================

1. MINISTRY ARTICLE: FEAR VS. FAITH
   By Kiri Christina Hyatt (c)

Have you ever stopped to ponder the differences between fear and faith? Most of us haven’t, but we should as the Bible has a lot to say about both.

What is Fear?

Lets start with what fear is NOT. Fear is NOT an emotion. Fear is NOT something you are. The Bible calls fear a SIN (Revelation 21:8). In this verse the word deilos is translated as cowardly or fearful. Strong’s Concordance defines deilos as timid, faithless.

Fear is focusing on our circumstances. It projects into the future and often asks the question, what if? Fear says God is not big enough to take care of my problems, thus requiring self to be in charge.

1 John 4:18 says that fear is torment.

Fear does not come from God and often is demonic (2 Timothy 1:7).

Fear is a choice. You can choose to live in fear or you can choose to reject it.

What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN." (Caps mine)

Faith is putting our hope, our trust, and our dependence on God, not on what we can see and understand. Faith is focusing on God. Faith rests in God, trusting Him to take care of the future. Faith says God is big enough to take care of me.

Faith is a choice. Romans 12:3 says God has given everyone faith. You do not need to pray for more faith; God has already given it to you.

Fear is the opposite of faith. It is impossible to have faith and fear at the same time. They are opposites.

Fear

If you suffer from phobias or other anxiety disorders, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Ulcerative Colitis, Fibromyalgia, allergies, or a number of other chronic illnesses, then you have a problem with fear. In all the diseases just mentioned, fear is a spiritual root and unless it is dealt with, you will not be healed.

The first step in dealing with fear is to admit it is a spiritual problem. 2 Timothy 1:7 says that fear is a spirit that does not come from God. In other words, fear is a demon. Taking anti-anxiety medication is not the answer to being free from fear. Deliverance is.

Do you know where your fear came from? Sometimes we can point to an actual event in our life where fear probably entered. Some of us inherited fear from our parents, or we suffered so much abuse that fear has many sources. Either case, it is a sin that we need to repent of and a demon we need to cast out.

Pick a fear you are struggling with and pray the following:

Dear Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus I ask you to forgive me for (specific fear). I purpose and choose to forgive myself and release myself from (same as above). In the name of Jesus I cancel all of Satan’s power and authority over me in this fear in my life and in all my generations, because God has forgiven me and I have forgiven myself. Holy Spirit please come and heal my heart. And tell me your truth about this situation.

(Now sit quietly and listen to the Holy Spirit.)

><> ><> ><> ><>

2. MESSAGE FROM A FRIEND

Fear is faith in what Satan says. Joyce Meyer

_____

Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real. Author Unknown

3. SITE OF THE WEEK

Comedy Cures

Laughter is good for the mind, body and spirit.

http://www.comedycures.org/

DISCLAIMER: The following news stories are provided as a source of scientific information on mind/body medical research, environmental issues, and other topics.   AOCCCI does not necessarily agree with all the viewpoints or suggestions expressed in these articles. Not all viewpoints and/or therapy modalities recommended in these secular news stories are compatible with Christianity. If you have any questions or doubts about a therapy mentioned in a news story below,feel free to contact AOCCCI for advice.   These news stories are provided as a public service only.  

4.1 Stress Ups Heart Disease Risk Among Japanese
    Aug 12, 2002
    By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who feel stressed on a day-to-day basis are more likely to die from stroke and heart disease than their more mellow peers, even when they do not have other risk factors, researchers report.

The results are based on data from more than 73,000 people aged 40 to 79 enrolled in a Japanese study on cancer. The findings confirm the results of numerous studies on the relationship between mental stress and heart disease and stroke among white men. In the current report, participants were asked to rate the level of stress in their daily lives.

According to the results, Japanese women reporting high levels of mental stress were more than twice as likely to die from stroke and heart disease than women reporting low stress levels, over the following 8 years.

Stressed-out women were on average younger, more educated, less active and thinner, and were more likely to have a history of high blood pressure and diabetes. They also smoked more and were more likely to have a full-time job compared with more relaxed women, according to Dr. Hiroyaso Iso from the University of Tsukuba in Ibaraki-ken, Japan, and colleagues.

The association between mental stress and death from heart disease and stroke was weaker among men for reasons that are not clear. Stressed out men were more likely to die of a heart attack, but there was no association between stress and stroke or coronary heart disease, Iso and colleagues report in the August 13th rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association ( news - web sites).

Nonetheless, the findings add evidence that stress can affect the body in a way that raises the risk of chronic disease. Mental stress can raise blood pressure and heart rate, increase the risk of developing blood clots, cause blood vessels to constrict, and make the body less sensitive to insulin. All of these factors may make a person more susceptible to chronic disease.

"The present study provides...evidence that perceived mental stress has the potential effect of increasing the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease," they conclude. "Although the underlying mechanisms are not well established, individuals with high mental stress should be regarded as a high-risk group for stroke among women, and individuals with coronary heart disease should be regarded as a high-risk group for stroke among men and women."

In an interview with Reuters Health, Hiroyaso expressed hope that his study would stimulate other researchers to investigate the effect of stroke in different races and age groups. He also recommended that studies investigate different stress reduction interventions in women.

SOURCE: Circulation 2002;106.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

4.2 Physical, Emotional Stress Trigger Heart Attack
    March 23, 2005
    By Alison McCook

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A sudden surge of physical activity or bout of extreme emotional distress can precipitate a heart attack in people at risk, according to a recent review of medical literature.

Investigators from the University College London, UK, found consistent evidence from previous studies that when normally inactive people engage in a burst of physical activity, or when people are emotionally stressed, angry or excited, they are more likely to experience a heart attack.

However, despite the potential danger associated with bursts of physical activity, the benefits of exercise very much outweigh its risks, study author Dr. Andrew Steptoe told Reuters Health.

"It is extremely unlikely that a person will experience a heart attack on any single session of exercise," he said. "Considering that physical fitness and regular exercise are protective for heart disease, my advice would certainly be to carry on exercising."

Steptoe explained that most heart attacks occur when a piece of plaque breaks away from the inside of blood vessels, blocking blood flow to the heart. Vigorous exercise may precipitate this by increasing the chances plaque will become dislodged, he said, or by disrupting the normal heart rhythm.

Emotional stress may have the same effect on the body, and may also put the heart at risk by increasing blood pressure and releasing stress hormones, Steptoe noted.

To investigate how stress can influence the heart, Steptoe and his co-author, Philip C. Strike, reviewed studies conducted between 1970 and 2004 that examined what people were doing and feeling in the hours before their heart attacks.

Overall, studies found that emotional stress and extreme physical activity were two of the most common triggers reported by heart attack patients.

In one study of 224 patients, more than half said they had been very upset or stressed in the 24 hours preceding their attack.

In another study, the most common triggers reported by 1818 heart attack patients included heavy physical work, quarrels at work or home, and mental stress.

Other studies showed that the risk of heart attack appeared to increase within hours of an earthquake, exciting sports match or high-pressure deadlines at work. Still other research in 1623 heart attack patients found that attacks occurred more often within 2 hours after an angry outburst.

The risk of having a heart attack in response to stress appeared to be influenced by how healthy people were to begin with, Steptoe and Strike note in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

For instance, one study showed that people who rarely exercised were nearly seven times more likely to have a heart attack after vigorous activity than people who exercised regularly.

Based on these findings, Steptoe recommended that people who are concerned about heart attack avoid vigorous exercise in very cold weather, which can place further stress on the heart. People not used to exercise should start gradually, he said, so as not to shock the system.

Although it's impossible to avoid all emotional stress, "we can learn to control inappropriate emotional displays and keep negative feelings in check," Steptoe added.

SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine, March/April 2005.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

4.3  Health Tip: Fears and Phobias
     March 29, 2005

(HealthDay News) -- People with phobic anxieties, like fear of crowded places, fear of heights or fear of going outside, are at higher risk for heart disease than those with fewer or no anxieties.

Several studies have suggested that anxiety and anger are associated with an elevated risk of sudden cardiac death. This is when death occurs within one hour of the onset of symptoms; it's usually associated with a lethal heart rhythm disturbance.

The following questions, suggested by the American Heart Association, may help you determine if you need to see a mental health professional:

• Do you have an unreasonable fear of being in enclosed spaces like shops, elevators, etc.?
• Do you find yourself worrying about getting some incurable illness?
• Are you exceptionally afraid of heights?
• Do you feel panicky in crowds?
• Do you worry unduly when relatives are late in coming home?
• Do you feel more relaxed indoors?
• Do you dislike going out alone?
• Do you feel uneasy traveling on buses or trains even if they are not crowded?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

4.4 Stress and mood predict kid's arthritis symptoms
    May 4, 2005

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In children with arthritis, stress and mood are important predictors of disease symptoms, research shows, suggesting that non-drug interventions, such as stress management and cognitive behavioral therapy, may be useful in ameliorating symptoms.

Childhood arthritis is characterized by unpredictable flares of disease symptoms such as pain, morning stiffness, fatigue, and sleep troubles. And while researchers have long suspected a link between psychosocial stress, mood, pain, and disease flares in childhood arthritis, these relationships have not been studied adequately.

Therefore, Dr. Laura E. Schanberg of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues looked for patterns of stress, mood, disease symptoms and reduced activity in 51 children with arthritis.

For 2 months, the children kept a daily log of their symptoms as well as their mood and doctors rated the children's functional status and disease activity at baseline and during follow up.

The children reported pain, stiffness, and fatigue on more than 70 percent of days, despite use of pain medication, the researchers report. Moreover, the researchers observed significant same-day relationships between stress, mood, and disease symptoms.

For example, daily fluctuations in both stress and mood predicted increased pain, stiffness, and fatigue. There was a significant association between increases in daily stress, mood and disease symptoms and decreased participation in social activities on a day-to-day basis. Only mood and stiffness predicted a cutback in school attendance.

"Our data underscore the importance of day-to-day symptoms reported by children with arthritis," the investigators write. Aggressive treatment of pain, stiffness, and fatigue, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation, and stress management, should be considered, they add.

SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism April 2005.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

4.5 Stress may raise cholesterol in some
    By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For some people, the body's reaction to stress may raise the odds of developing high cholesterol, the results of a new study suggest.

Researchers in the UK found that healthy middle-age adults whose cholesterol rose in response to a stressful task were more likely than their peers without this increase to have high cholesterol several years later.

It's been known that blood cholesterol can show a short-lived rise in response to stress, study co-author Dr. Andrew Steptoe told Reuters Health. The new findings, he said, suggest that these transient increases may predict long-term elevations in cholesterol.

A number of studies have linked chronic stress to a higher risk of heart disease, and it's possible that stress-related changes in cholesterol contribute to this, according to Steptoe, who is based at University College London.

Steptoe and colleague Lena Brydon report the findings in the journal Health Psychology.

To see if stress-related spikes in cholesterol can have long-range effects, the researchers followed 199 middle-aged adults over 3 years. At the start of the study, participants performed two moderately stressful computer-based tasks; blood samples were taken before and after the tests to measure any changes in cholesterol levels. The men and women were then divided into three groups based on the extent of their cholesterol response.

Three years later, participants had their blood cholesterol measured again. Those in the group with the greatest cholesterol response to stress were the most likely to have high cholesterol.

Overall, 56 percent had a total cholesterol level that surpassed the cutoff for diagnosing high cholesterol, compared with only 16 percent of the group whose cholesterol levels had been least affected by stress.

Even when the researchers weighed other factors such as age, body weight and smoking, the group with the highest stress response was 13 times more likely than the group with the lowest response to have high cholesterol 3 years later.

They were also four times more likely to have high levels of LDL cholesterol, the "bad" form that contributes to artery-clogging plaques.

The findings suggest that chronic stress can contribute to high cholesterol in some people, though the reason is unclear, according to Steptoe and Brydon.

One possibility, they note, is that changes in metabolism in response to stress ultimately cause the liver to boost production of LDL particles. There is also evidence that stress can temporarily limit the body's clearance of cholesterol from the blood.

According to Steptoe, it's possible that such effects could be modified if people changed their conscious reactions to stress.

Stress management, he noted, has been shown to lower levels of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine. Steptoe said he is not aware of any studies that have tested whether the same is true of cholesterol levels.

SOURCE: Health Psychology, November 2005.

===============================================

Healing God’s Way is published bi-weekly by Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured, inc. (AOCCCI), a Ministry sustained by the prayers and contributions of you, our supporters.

Amazon

There are many links to Amazon available on AOCCCI’s web site. Some links are to books or services you might find helpful. Other links allow you to do your own search. A percentage of every purchase you make from Amazon, when you go through AOCCCI’s web site, goes towards the work of AOCCCI.

You are welcome to submit a testimony,story, or message that you feel will help others toward the path to spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.