HEALING GOD’S WAY

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

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1. MINISTRY ARTICLE: THE PRAYER GOD LOVES TO ANSWERS
   By Kiri Christina Hyatt (c)

There is one prayer that I have found by experience God always answers. That prayer is ‘Why?’

I learned a long time ago that God would always answer my prayer when I asked Him why. When I would be feeling very sad about some memory, sadder then seemed reasonable, I would ask God, ‘why am I feeling this way?’ When I would be really angry for no apparent reason, I would ask God why. Whatever the emotion I would be feeling, if I asked God ‘why am I feeling this emotion’ or ‘what is behind the emotion’, almost always if I gave God my attention, He would reveal to me the reason behind what I was feeling.

Why I am feeling such and such is not the only why prayer God has answered for me. After I had been sick for seven years, I stopped asking God to heal me, and started asking God ‘why am I sick’, and ‘why aren’t You healing me’. As soon as I started asking God why, he started leading me to the answers. He started putting people and teachings in my hands that showed me the spiritual reasons I was not being healed. In time I was healed of MCS and a lot more.

Recently I learned another method of healing prayer. Wellspring Ministry of Alaska teaches and leads people through prayers that always end with asking God to reveal His truth. The first part of the prayer is to repent of a specific sin, for example bitterness towards dad for something that happened as a child. Then in prayer you cancel all of Satan’s power and authority over your life. The third part of the prayer is to ask God to heal you, followed by asking God to reveal His truth. This prayer is powerful. What makes it so powerful is not only does it free us from the bitterness or resentment connected to the event you are praying about, but God does reveal His truth to you. Maybe there is more bitterness that needs to be repented of, or maybe the event also brought fear into your life which needs to be repented of. What ever it is, God will reveal that truth to you. Sometimes God does not reveal any more sins but says something like, ‘it is done’ or ‘I love you’. This is a prayer God loves to answer.

God loves to reveal stuff to us that we need to deal with. He wants us to be emotionally, spiritually, and physically whole. When we are willing to take a look at our faults and sins and do something about them, God will help us in every way He can. When we refuse to repent of our sins, or even take a look at the junk inside of ourselves, then we are preventing God’s best for our lives. It is not God’s will for us to be physically sick, emotionally wounded, and spiritual a wreck. His will is for us to live victorious, not defeated. So when we start asking Him why we are having a problem, He will show us the reason. It is our job to wait on Him and be open to what He has to say.

Have you ever asked God to reveal truth to you? Are you willing to take a good hard look at yourself? Are you willing to hear God tell you the truth about yourself? If you are, start asking God why? ‘Why am I so angry?’ ‘Why am I such a fearful person?’ ‘Why am I still sick?’ ‘Why can’t I stop gossiping?’ or ‘Lord, please reveal Your truth to me, show me something in me that is not pleasing to You and help me change.’

Make a commitment today to start asking God why. Then watch your life began to change.

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2. MESSAGE FROM A FRIEND

How GPS Receivers Work

A GPS receiver uses signals from satellites to pinpoint its exact location on Earth, any time, anywhere. It's the biggest thing in navigation since the compass! A GPS receiver can tell you where you are, where you've been, where you're going and what time you'll get there. Find out how the Global Positioning System lets you find your way around the globe.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gps.htm

Source: How Stuff Works, http://www.howstuffworks.com

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3. SITE OF THE WEEK

Test Your Geography Knowledge

Do you know where Slovakia is? How about Guatemala, or Bhutan or Kyrgyzstan or Lesotho? Could you find Iraq on a map of the Middle East? Could you find Kansas on a US Map? Here is a chance to test your knowledge of geography? It is also a good way to learn your geography because the hint button provides a map of the test area. For fun studying and testing yourself on geography, visit:

http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/index.html

If you know of a site that has been very beneficial to you, please let Healing God’s Way know about it

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 Exercise May Help Women's Nagging Neck Pain -Study
    May 20, 2003

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with chronic neck pain may find relief by doing neck-muscle exercises as little as two times a week, Finnish researchers reported Tuesday

Seven percent of women and five percent of men in Finland have reported chronic neck pain, according to the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (news - web sites).

Such patients use up to twice as many health care services as the general population, on average.

In the new study, Dr. Jari Ylinen of the Jyvaskyla Central Hospital looked at 180 female office workers who reported constant or frequent neck pain.

The women underwent either endurance training or strength training, or were placed in a control group.

The endurance-training group performed neck exercises such as lifting the head while lying on the back or stomach. The strength-training group performed high-intensity neck strengthening exercises using an elastic band. Both groups also used weights to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder, back and arms.

Those in the control group did not receive any specific weight-training regimen and were only encouraged to do aerobic activity for 20 minutes three times per week. Those in the endurance and strength-training groups were also encouraged to do aerobic exercise.

After 12 months all of the women were re-evaluated.

"Our study showed that participation in 1-year endurance and strength training programs led to a considerable reduction in average neck pain and disability compared to the control group," the authors write.

"Neck function, including neck strength and range of motion, was improved significantly in both training groups compared to the control group," they add.

Women received a benefit even if they only did the exercises two times a week, the authors found.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association 2003;289:2509-2516.

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4.2 Exercise Cuts Risk of Stroke
    August 15, 2005

(HealthDay News) -- High levels of leisure-time physical activity -- such as swimming, running or heavy gardening -- can cut your stroke risk, the results of a Finnish study suggest.

The study of 47,721 Finns, ages 25 to 64, also found that cycling or walking to work each day helps reduce the risk of stroke.

Study participants who reported high levels of leisure-time physical activity had a 26 percent lower risk of any kind of stroke than those with a low level of physical activity. People with a moderate level of physical activity had a 14 percent lower risk of stroke than those with low activity levels.

"Since the increase in computerization and mechanization has resulted in ever-increasing numbers of people being sedentary for most of their working time, adding short time exercise during working breaks or adding walking activity during work time is recommended. We believe it would be cost efficient for employers," study lead investigator Gang Hu of the National Public Health Institute in Finland, said in a prepared statement.

In their report, published in the Aug. 5 issue of the journal Stroke, the investigators also examined the link between levels of physical activity and the risk for specific kinds of stroke. Compared to people with low levels of physical activity, the risk of ischemic stroke -- caused by a blood clot that blocks blood flow to the brain -- was 20 percent lower for those with high physical activity levels and 13 percent lower for those with moderate activity levels.

The risk of subarachnoid stroke -- caused by bleeding between the brain and its membrane -- was 54 percent lower among people with high activity levels and 13 percent lower among those with moderate activity levels. The risk for intracranial hemorrhage -- bleeding into the brain -- was 37 percent lower for people with high activity levels and 23 percent lower for those with moderate activity levels.

Compared to people who got no exercise going to work, those who walked or cycled to work for more than 30 minutes had an 11 percent lower risk of stroke, while those who got one to 29 minutes of exercise on the way to work had an eight percent lower stroke risk.

"People should increase their physical activity during leisure time or commuting to lower the risk of stroke," Hu said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about exercise.

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4.3 Exercise Won't Harm Aging Bones
    Jun 8, 2005

WEDNESDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise helps maintain and, in some cases, improve bone mass in people ages 55 to 75, according to a new study that challenges the idea that fat-burning exercise harms bone health in this age group.

"Fat loss with exercise did not result in a loss of bone mass, a problem commonly seen when patients lose weight with diet alone," co-author and endocrinologist Dr. Suzanne Jan de Beur, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement.

The study of 104 men and women found that six months of aerobic exercise using a bicycle, treadmill or stepper, combined with weightlifting, resulted in better overall fitness and fat loss without significant change in bone mineral density.

In fact, the study volunteers who exercised the hardest and had the greatest increases in aerobic fitness, muscle strength and muscle tissue showed bone mass increases of 1 percent to 2 percent, the researchers found.

This is believed to be the first study to examine the impact of exercise independent of other factors, primarily diet, on bone mineral density and the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, the researchers said.

"Older people are very concerned about how best to reduce their body fat as a means of preventing other health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. However, excess fat does have the benefit of maintaining bone mass," study lead investigator Kerry Stewart, professor of medicine and director of clinical exercise physiology and heart health programs at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart Institute, explained in a prepared statement.

"But fat loss through diet alone can lead to loss of bone, worsening the body's natural bone loss due to aging, a major risk factor for bone fractures," she said.

"Our results show that moderate-intensity exercise can increase fitness and reduce body fat, which are important for overall health, but gains in bone density were found only among those who achieved the greatest gains in fitness in six months," added de Beur, who specializes in bone health.

She recommends that older people either exercise at a higher level of intensity or for longer than six months to achieve a substantial increase in bone density.

The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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4.4  Study Shows Exercises Can Prevent Fainting
     By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer
     March 13, 2006

Feeling faint? Cross your ankles. Squeeze your knees. Grip a ball. Simple muscle-tensing exercises like these can keep you from passing out, say researchers who did a scientific study of the problem.

Lots of people have fainted at least once in their life, usually with little consequence other than embarrassment.

But for some, it's a frequent occurrence that is especially dangerous if it happens while they are driving or if they have jobs like piloting airplanes.

"If they have one episode during a flight, they have a problem," said Dr. Nynke van Dijk of the University of Amsterdam, who led the study with financing from the Netherlands Heart Foundation and presented results at a cardiology meeting in Atlanta.

Exercise has many benefits, but this is the first scientific study testing specific techniques for fainting.

"They are very cheap, have no known side effects as far as we know and are very easy to teach patients," she said.

Fainting is a reflex that can be triggered by stress, dehydration, low blood pressure, certain medications and many other factors. The heart strenuously contracts, the heart rate falls and blood pressure drops. Blood drains from the head and pools in the abdomen, causing the patient to lose consciousness and collapse.

"It's a very common complaint in doctors' offices," and a problem that many patients find frightening, said Dr. Matthew Wolff, cardiology chief at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Van Dijk and fellow scientists wanted to see if people who feel a fainting spell coming on could do exercises to raise blood pressure and abort it.

They studied 223 frequent fainters ages 16 to 70. About half were given the usual counseling about avoiding stress and other triggers of fainting and increasing salt and water intake to raise their blood pressure.

Others were taught three exercises:

• Leg crossing, at the ankles while squeezing the thighs together and tensing abdominal muscles.
• Hand gripping, by interlocking fingertips and pulling arms in opposite directions.
• Arm tensing, by rhythmically squeezing a soft ball while also tensing thighs and abdominal muscles.

Over the next 14 months, about one-third of those taught the exercises had a fainting spell compared with half of the other fainters.

People taught the exercises actually described using them to cut short a spell of light-headedness, van Dijk said.

She taught her patients the exercises in half an hour, and said many variations are possible — tighten your thighs and butt "like dancing the tango," she recommended.

"The stuff really works," and doesn't involve drugs or any risk, said Dr. James Stein, another University of Wisconsin cardiologist.

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4.5 Drop in exercise efficiency with age can be eased
    By Amy Norton
    March 16, 2006

Older adults may have to work harder than young people to perform the same physical activity, but regular exercise may close that age gap, research findings suggests.

In a study comparing sedentary adults in their 60s and 70s with those in their 20s and 30s, researchers found that older men and women had to use much more oxygen to walk at the same speed as their younger counterparts.

But that was before they went through a six-month exercise program. After taking up walking or jogging, biking and stretching, the senior study participants reversed their loss of exercise "efficiency."

Exercise efficiency refers to how much energy the body expends to perform a given activity. At the start of this study, older men and women used 20 percent more oxygen to walk at the same speed as a younger person, said Dr. Wayne C. Levy of the University of Washington in Seattle, the study's senior author.

But six months of regular exercise -- 90 minutes, three days per week -- improved older participants' exercise efficiency by 30 percent, versus only 2 percent among their younger counterparts.

The findings are published in the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

It's well known that as people age, there is a decline in exercise capacity -- how much work a person can do before becoming exhausted. But the new findings suggest this is not just a product of the aging cardiovascular system being less able to send oxygen to working muscles. The older body also needs more oxygen to perform the same work as a younger one -- that is, exercise efficiency declines.

But this decline appears to arise largely from inactivity, and may well be reversible.

The idea that exercise efficiency dips with age is a "relatively new concept," Levy told Reuters Health. And though younger people in his study were still better at pumping blood and oxygen to their muscles after exercise training, it was only the older exercisers who showed significant gains in exercise efficiency.

Their "disproportionately" greater improvement in this area, Levy and his colleagues write, is "new and unexpected."

It's not clear yet how intensely people need to exercise to hang on to their efficiency as they age, according to Levy. But he said he suspects that any activity done regularly, including walking, would have benefits.

SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, March 7, 2006.

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