Val Tobin's Blog, page 35
February 1, 2014
How the Movie Blazing Saddles Sucked the Horror Out of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep
Master storyteller Stephen King wrote another don’t-wanna-put-it-down-and-go-to-sleep story in Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining. Who’d a thunk that ghost story Doctor Sleep would be haunted by Lili Von Shtupp (played brilliantly by Madeline Kahn) from Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles.
But it is.
In the novel, an evil band of soul suckers drive around in RVs looking for young souls to suck. Pretty scary, if you can imagine it, and King writes horror well, so even scarier when he imagines it. Except for one thing: the group calls themselves The True Knot. Okay, nothing too Lili Von Shtupp about that. But sometimes, for short, they simply refer to themselves as The True.
If you’ve seen Blazing Saddles, you might realize where this is going. Every time I read “True,” I heard Lily’s lilting voice: “It’s Twue! It’s Twue!” Every. Time.
Maybe you have to be there to appreciate this. So, watch this scene from Blazing Saddles, where Lili tries to seduce Sheriff Bart.
It’s Twuue!
Now, try and read Doctor Sleep without hearing Lili’s voice. I dare ya.


April 15, 2013
Food Ads Misleading the Public
I was recently reading the book The Miracle of Fasting by Paul and Patricia Bragg, as it was a text in a course I was taking called Fasting for Wellness. According to the Braggs, corporations have misled the American public about children’s nutrition through the use of ads in the media. TV, radio, magazine, and newspaper ads promote over-processed, nutrient-poor, and toxin-dense non-foods filled with refined starch, sugar, and fat.
When kids fill up on this stuff, they are satiated but malnourished. Their bodies and brains are affected. They have difficulty learning in school, because their brains are sick and slow as a result of that diet. The Braggs say the nation’s test scores are low and continuing to drop (Bragg and Bragg 171).
The Ads promote such things as processed cereals and high-fat spreads as part of a healthy breakfast. They boast that the products are “enriched” to make people believe that they contain nutrients. Fast and processed foods are promoted as actual food, when in reality they are synthetic, empty-calorie food products.
Recently, a woman who initiated a class-action lawsuit against Ferrero won a $3 million dollar settlement. She was astounded to find that Nutella isn’t a health food, as she was led to believe by the ads for it. According to The Huffington Post article “Nutella Lawsuit: Ferrero Settles Class-Action Suit Over Health Claims For $3 Million”, “Court documents say that Hohenberg decided to take legal action when she realized the Nutella she’d been feeding her four-year-old daughter was “the next best thing to a candy bar.” She’d been convinced the hazelnut-chocolate spread was healthy by ads and product labels that seemed to suggest as much.”
While the above certainly backs up what the Braggs are saying, and while I believe corporations should be made accountable for what they put into their products, I also think that parents should take responsibility for what they put into their children’s bodies. To blame it all on marketing when most people are aware that marketing is used to sell and not inform deflects the responsibility from the parents who are dropping these foods into the shopping cart.
The Braggs do say that though the schools are typically blamed for turning out uneducated students, “the blame lies on parents for their children’s unhealthy choices of food and lifestyle” (Bragg and Bragg 170). But then they put the onus on the media ads by saying that advertising in the media misleads the parents who then make bad choices.
However, it is ultimately the parents who must exercise their critical thinking and free will to make better choices for their children. While some blame can be placed on marketing ads for doing their jobs too well, the only ones responsible for what goes into a shopping cart are the people doing the shopping.
These days, with all the information that is readily available at the click of a mouse, there is no excuse for believing that a box of processed fake food could possibly be healthy no matter what the cartoon Leprechaun says.
Sources:
Bragg, Paul C., N.D., Ph.D. and Patricia Bragg, N.D., Ph.D. The Miracle of Fasting. California: Health Science, 2011.
Tepper, Rachael. “Nutella Lawsuit: Ferrero Settles Class-Action Suit Over Health Claims For $3 Million,” The Huffington Post (Accessed March 2, 2013).


June 28, 2011
The Battle Ground for Truth in Natural Remedies
Recently, I talked with a friend about what you can and can’t say to people when you are promoting nutritional products. My friend had helped someone who has a medical condition feel better, which made him really excited.
The young man he helped has difficulty gaining weight (not as nice a problem as it sounds) and suffers when he eats many of the foods others enjoy with impunity. My friend was able to give him food that he was able to eat without the punishing effects, and my friend enthused about the results and became anxious to share it with others suffering from this malady.
And that’s where our discussion about compliance regulations began. Since this was what would be considered an isolated case, and not a formal case study and not scientifically verified, compliance regulations prevent him from sharing this story using any medical terminology. There are arguments in favour of this.
It prevents people from intentionally or naively spreading false or misleading information. My friend is not a trained medical or health professional and couldn’t possibly understand the underlying cause for the problem and couldn’t possibly understand why the food he provided was fine while other foods aren’t.
But compliance regulations also prevent people from discussing anecdotal evidence and that prevents people from giving information to people who need to have it and would benefit from it. Whether this is because, as many believe, big pharma and big agra control the government, or whether the government is protecting the public as they claim, the battle ground for fighting against unfair government regulations is not at the companies that provide the products that may or may not help people heal. It is at the government offices that create these regulations.
If you think that the government has your best interests at heart, I suggest that you read anything by Helke Ferrie. Then, read up on CODEX, DSHEA, Bill C51 and C52 and any other controversial rulings that trample our right to know the truth about what is going into the foods we eat and then into our bodies. Read Kevin Trudeau’s books on natural cures “they” don’t want you to know about. Even with his questionable ethics in the past, his research on government regs is thorough and he cites his sources, which are credible.
Also make sure you do your own research, and consult a variety of sources. I had the privilege to talk with Leigh Fortson when I was reviewing Leigh Fortson’s book, Embrace, Release, Heal. Her journey through cancer treatment makes for riveting reading, not from a rubbernecking perspective, but because she has managed to find a way to present real alternatives for cancer treatment without contravening compliance regulations. If you ever find yourself having to deal with cancer, her book is an invaluable resource for you as you manoeuver yourself through the muck and mire of the business of cancer–and cancer is surely big business.
While it is truly wrong to run around spreading the word on a natural cure that hasn’t proven to have a cause-effect relationship to curing or relieving the symptoms of a certain disease, no matter how it seems to you in your personal experience with it, it is also truly wrong to suppress natural cures that really do work and have been proven. That is what people such as William Bengston, author of The Energy Cure are doing in an acceptable way, and that is what we need more people in the alternative healing industry to do. Many people scoff at hands-on healing, but Bengston demonstrated that it works by testing it in the lab.
The truth really is out there. Spread the word, but please do it responsibly so that it harms none, especially yourself.
Namaste,


April 12, 2011
Chiropractic BioPhyisics® (CBP®) Technique
I interviewed Paul Oakley of Innovative Chiropractic in Newmarket and wrote an article about the Chiropractic BioPhysics® (CBP®) technique that they use at the clinic there. If your issue or symptoms exist because you have a misalignment in the spine, then you owe it to yourself to investigate what CBP® can do for you.
While I have not personally received a treatment, my huband is currently a patient there. After talking with Dr. Oakley, I encouraged my husband to try CBP® as he suffers from back and neck pain. While he hasn’t been in treatment for very long, he is starting to notice results, and they are more than just the temporary relief one gets from receiving chiropractic adjustments alone.
To read about CBP®, please take a look at my article on Suite101.
Namaste,
Val Tobin


September 27, 2010
What are the Fairies Really Like?
I revisited the fairies in my last article for Suite. I was getting too many people asking me about them, so I thought that I’d provide some more info on what they are really like–or, what I think they’re like, based on what I’ve been taught and what I’ve experienced.
There are the tales, of course. The tales can be pretty negative. The tales speak of unspeakable things, like death, blight and stealing babies. The article talks about that. But the fairies that I work with don’t do that–wouldn’t do that. The fairies that I work with help anyone who asks, as long as they find them worthy.
Read “The Nature of Fairies and How They Help Humans” on Suite101.com.
Namaste,
Val Tobin


September 13, 2010
Vitamin D Important as the Sun Fades in Winter
Here in Ontario, the sun is a big topic of conversation, because we don’t get to see enough of it most of the year. While there is a risk of over-exposure in the summertime, and you should be aware of the risks and the benefits of getting out into the sun to get sufficient vitamin D from a natural source, AKA the Sun, as the sun begins to wane here, it’s important to consider vitamin D supplementation.
Many people have a vitamin D deficiency. While vitamin D can be obtained from the sun in spring, summer and fall in sufficient quantities to have available stores through the winter in some latitudes, it’s very difficult to get that in more northern latitudes. This means that supplementation is required in the winter, and even in the fall and early spring, depending on your location.
Dr. Michael Holick recently published a book called The Vitamin D Solution. In it, he outlines specific ways to tell where and when supplementation is required. A list of factors determining how much sun exposure you should get can be found in the Suite 101 article “Sun Protection – Sourcing Vitamin D Safely.”
When supplementation is required, vitamin D3 is considered a good alternative. It is important to find a good quality supplement to be sure that you are absorbing and utilizing the vitamin D that you are taking in. Vitamin D is important not only in the fight against osteoporosis, but for muscle strength and heart health as well.
For more information on the benefits of vitamin D and the results of vitamin D deficiency, see the Suite 101 article “Vitamin D Benefits, Deficiency and Recommended Daily Intake.”
Enough vitamin D in body can make a huge difference in how you feel. As people have been warned away from the sun over the last 40 years, and have been pushed into over-using sunscreens by the cosmetics industry, the incidence of melanoma has increased. While no one is saying that you should get out the baby oil and the reflectors again, extremes never make sense.
As always, moderation is the key and information is available for you to make sure that you get enough vitamin D to be healthy and safe without exposing yourself to dangerous levels and types of sun radiation.
Namaste,
Val Tobin


August 19, 2010
Connecting with the Fairies
I really enjoyed writing the last article I did for Suite101 about creating a fairy garden, but was highly disappointed when the editor asked me to modify it so that it sounded less like I was talking about fairies as facts and more like I was talking about fairies as myth or folk tales or creatures in which only some people believe.
I know that’s her job and I know that science hasn’t quantified the fairies. So, I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if I tried to tell anyone that they do so exist. A few short years ago, I’d have been of the same mind.
But when you start working with them, when you start enjoying their company, when you actually catch a glimpse of them, you just feel bad for them when the majority of the people treat them like Harvey the invisible rabbit or like Santa Clause.
So, I’m coming out of the closet and letting everyone know that yes, I believe in fairies. I don’t mind if that means you think I’m nuts. They’ll continue to help me out whether you believe in them or not. But if you ever want to get their help or get into their good graces, it would be worth your while to at least explore the possibility that fairies exist before you dismiss them.
What can it hurt? Unless you are destructive to the environment, the fairies will be more than happy to work with you and help you out. In my personal experience, they will help anyone who calls on them as long as that person cares about and respects nature and everything in it.
If you would like to begin your investigation of the fairy realm, start with a fairy garden and attract the fairies to your vicinity. The details on that are in my article on Suite101: Creating a Fairy Garden to Attract the Fairies.
Namaste
Val Tobin


July 27, 2010
Past Life Regression Therapy
I published a new article today on Suite 101 about past life regression therapy. I do believe that we don’t just have one life to live and that we have learning that needs to be done through different lifetimes.
One of the things that Dr. Weiss says in his book is that people tend to come back in different lifetimes together. So, for example, in one life, your current mother might be your sister or you might be her mother or even father. Think about the implications of that. I sure hope you all enjoy your in-laws company. You could be married to one of them next time the ole ferris wheel of life spins around.
To read more about this interesting subject, check out my article Remembering Past Lives with Past Life Regression Therapy on Suite 101.
Namaste,
Val Tobin


June 22, 2010
Using Aromatherapy Essential Oils
For as long as I can remember, I have not been able to use perfume. It makes me feel ill. It annoyed my kids, as they don’t seem to have that issue and do enjoy applying scents. But I’d complain, so they’d have to do it away from home, as though they were using some illicit drug.
But I have discovered that essential oils don’t have that affect on me. I was delighted to find that if I am giving or receiving a spa-type treatment, that I can freely use essential oils, including using them for aromatherapy.
That makes me wonder what they put in perfumes that turns my stomach like that. No doubt it’s the chemicals, as I find room deodorizers and air “fresheners” (what a misnomer THAT is) just as nauseating.
I did some research on using aromatherapy, and the results are in an article on Suite 101: Using Essential Oils for Aromatherapy.


June 3, 2010
The Importance of Psychic Protection
One thing about writing for someone else is that I have to be more objective. So, the blog is for expressing myself and giving my opinion, biased or otherwise.
The article that I wrote for Suite 101 on psychic protection does not go into my personal experiences with this subject, and I did learn about protecting myself the hard way.
When I first delved into the paranormal world, I was very young–before I was a teenager. I was fascinated by anything occult or otherworldly and I read everything that I could about it—not that there was much to read at that time. When I was thirteen, I even played around with the Ouija board, seemingly with no repercussions.
I didn’t go very far on the mystic’s path as a teen, and it fell away as I gave up my tarot cards for marriage and children. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it just happened. My preoccupation when I started on the path of motherhood was breastfeeding and health and nutrition. I no longer had time for ghosties and ghoulies and long leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night–though I did continue to read Stephen King for a while longer.
Then when my babies became adults, I returned to my former hobby, but this time with the Internet in which to run amok. There was so much information on the paranormal that I dived in with gusto. But in all that research and with all the information overload that I absolutely gloried in, I only stumbled across the idea of psychic self-defense by chance. Or, I suppose I should really credit my guides. They must have been getting tired of seeing the cling-ons I must have been picking up.
A couple of years ago, I discovered meetups, to my delight. I was able to then get together with others who were similarly spellbound by the paranormal, and I joined a bunch of them, including a couple that allowed me to go on some paranormal investigations. I was in heaven. But I still wasn’t protecting myself.
Then, a couple of incidents made me realize that not only should I take the possibility of picking up hitch-hikers seriously, but that I actually had some attachments that I needed to get rid of. It was, as they say, a real wake-up call.
In one instance, I went to visit some friends after walking around the cemetery. I felt drained and exhausted, and, as we were meeting to do energy work, I was having trouble standing up. One of my friends noticed how I was feeling and took a closer look at me. She asked me what I’d been doing, and said point blank that I had an entity attached to me.
I thought about it for a while, and then I remembered that I’d been walking around in the cemetery. She asked me if I’d put protection up around me. Unfortunately, I had to admit that I hadn’t. My friend helped me to clear the unwanted energy from me, and I immediately felt much better.
In another instance, I was walking around a very large and very cluttered antique store. The building itself was old. I suddenly started to feel that now familiar sensation of being drained, and I started to get a headache. But this time I understood what was happening, and I cleared myself immediately, and then put up my protection around me. Again, I immediately felt better. I have learned my lesson.
For the basics on clearing and protecting yourself, read my article on psychic protection on Suite 101.
Namaste,
Val Tobin

