New Health and Welfare Magazine Available for Download in English

Vol #15 in English of "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" is now available for download.
# - Prahladananda Swami - 19/12/09; 1:25:42 PM - Comment [1] Trackback [0]

Proves Three Monsanto Corn Varieties' Noxiousness to the Organism

Friday 11 December 2009

by: Le Monde with AFP   |  Le Monde

GMO cornfields in Canada. A new European study "clearly reveals ... new side effects linked with GM maize consumption" affected the liver and kidneys, but also other organs for three Monsanto GMO corn varieties. (Photo: DawnOne)

New Spanish magazine "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" #14

Number 14 of "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" in Spanish is now available on the "Newsletter Download" page.

# - Prahladananda Swami - 17/12/09; 8:01:09 AM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Living Near Green Lowers Anxiety, Depression Rates, Study Finds

By Kristen Hallam

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- People living near gardens, parks and other green spaces
have lower rates of anxiety, depression and poor physical health than those
living in urban areas, Dutch researchers found.

The scientists reviewed the medical records of more than 345,000 people in the
Netherlands and calculated the percentage of green space near the patients’
homes. For those with 10 percent of green space within a 1-kilometer radius of
their homes, the prevalence of anxiety disorders was 26 out of 1,000 people,
according to the study. In a residential area that was 90 percent green, the
prevalence was 18 out of 1,000.

Better health may stem from access to fresher air and more opportunities to
relax, socialize or exercise, though more research is needed to confirm those
theories, said Jolanda Maas and colleagues at VU University Medical Center in
Amsterdam. Expanding green spaces may help prevent chronic illnesses that cost
billions of dollars to treat each year, they said.

“The role of green space in the living environment for health should not be
underestimated,” they wrote in the study published in the British Medical
Journal’s Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. “Most of the diseases
which were found to be related to the percentage of green space in the living
environment are highly prevalent in society and in many countries, they are the
subject of large-scale prevention programs.”

The study also found fewer cases of depression, heart disease, back pain and
asthma among those living near green spaces. The link between green space and
health was strongest for children and people with low incomes, who are less
mobile and spend more time closer to home, the study found.

The research was funded by a grant from the Netherlands Organization for
Scientific Research. # - Prahladananda Swami - 21/10/09; 1:12:34 AM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Silver Foils are not Vegetarian

The silver foils are not very expensive. They are sold by weight.
Ordinarily, you can buy a packet of 160 foils for a price between Rs.100 to
200. That is, approximately one rupee per foil. Not only the sweets, now a
days it is also applied on fruits. Some Ayurvedic medicines also are wrapped
in silver foils.

They are made by hammering thin sheets of silver in middle of booklets made
of a bull's intestines. In other words, after slaughtering a bull, quickly
his intestines are removed, and sold to the manufacturers of foils. The
skins made of old intestines are of no use. Even one-day-old intestines can
not be used, because within a few hours they stiffen.

The foil manufacturer removes blood and stools from the intestines, and cuts
them into pieces. Then he puts one piece over another, making a booklet out
of it. At his home, or in the factory, he puts one silver (or gold) sheet
in-between each page. Then he hammers it hard until those metal sheets turn
into thin wafers.

The intestines of bulls are so strong, that even repeated hammering do not
destroy them, or they do not let the foils move around inside. Because of
the hammering, some tissues of the intestine mix with the foils. After that
the foil manufacturer sells the bundle of foils to the sweets manufacturers.
Some small foil manufacturers sell the foils to the temples.

This foil is not only dirty, it also is non-vegetarian. Even the meat-eaters
do not eat intestines. Use of these foils turn even sweets into
non-vegetarian food. A few years ago the Indian Airlines learned about this,
and since then stopped using them on the sweets served in their planes.

Source of Silver Foil in Sweets

Indian Airlines, the domestic air-carrier of India had issued instructions
to its suppliers to supply sweet without silver foil called VARAKH. Do you
know why? Silver is widely used for various purposes in the market today.

Silver is considered precious and its utility is enormous. The reason behind
this is that silver reflects back 95% of the light energy that falls on it.
The silver foils used for edible purposes is called VARAKH So what's so
special about VARAKH? If you keenly observe this VARAKH under a microscope
don be perturbed if you happen to see traces of blood, stools and saliva of
a cattle or ox.

VARAKH is a silver foil and we have no second questions on this, but to
prepare this VARAKH important parts of the CATTLE/OX is made use of.
Intestines of Cattle/OX are obtained from the slaughterhouse. This is
obtained after butchering to death the cattle/ox for beef and the part,
which cannot be consumed: the intestines are pulled out of the animal and
handed over to the manufacturers of VARAKH. Before handing over the
intestines, they are washed in the slaughterhouse to get rid of the blood
and other remains on these intestines in the limited facility that is
present in the slaughterhouse. We are not sure how neatly this job is
carried out. Intestines are cut into small pieces and then are bound
together as pages in a notebook.

A silver block is placed in the middle of these bound intestines, and the
whole thing is placed in a leather bag and sealed. Experts, who know how to
make VARAKH, pound the bag with wooden sticks, till the entire bag flattens
out. The silver block would by this time be turned into silver foil. This
Silver foil would now be separated from the intestine pack and will be
placed on paper.

This is VARAKH, which reaches the market ready for use. Even staunch
vegetarians, who shy away from egg, unknowingly consume this as a part of
sweet, pan and arecanut. Some unknowingly consume this because of the
additional taste that VARAKH provides.

Now the question is "Why the intestines of the cattle/ox? Why not something
else?" The reason behind using the intestines of the cattle/ox for preparing
the VARAKH is because of the elasticity of the intestines.
They do not get cut even after a severe pounding.

This aspect is brought out in the magazine "Beauty without cruelty" and the
Television show of Maneka Gandhi, "Heads and Tails". In India, on an average
an estimate indicates that 2,75,000 kilos of "VARAKH" is consumed. Can you
estimate how many cattle/ox are sacrificed for just a bit of taste? If you
are surprised as I am, after reading this article please inform as many as
possible so as to ensure that we unknowingly don't consume beef.

Pan

By now, a pan-lover vegetarian person may have eaten equivalent of many
miles of oxen intestines! For them, here is an another bad news - the Chuna
that they apply on pan, also is not vegetarian! That is made from the shells
of living insects. These insects are taken from the ocean, killed, and
removed from the shell. Then the shells are softened in water, dried, and
ground into white powder. When you put this Chuna in your mouth, you are
participating in killing of many insects. This is no different from taking
life of a goat or a pig. Everyone wants to live, no one likes the pain of
death.

Indian Sweets and Varakh

Silver foil, or varakh, as it is generally known in India, adds glitter to
Indian sweets, betel nut (Supari), Paan (betel-leaf), and fruits. It is also
used in Ayurvedic medicines. The silver-topped sweet is even served as
prashad in many temples and on auspicious and religious occasions. Varakh is
also used in flavoured syrups as in Kesar (saffron) syrup.

If one observes Varakh under a microscope one will find traces of blood,
stools and saliva of a cattle or an ox. Varakh is not derived from an animal
source. However, a crucial material of animal origin, ox-gut, is used in its
manufacture. This ox-gut is obtained from the slaughterhouse.

The intestine (ox-gut), smeared with blood and mucus, is pulled out from the
slaughtered animal by the butcher at the slaughterhouse, and sold for the
specific purpose. This is then taken away to be cleaned and used in the
manufacture of Varakh.

The gut of an average cow, measuring 540 inches in length and 3 inches in
diameter, is cut open into a piece measuring 540" x 10". From this, strips
of 9" x 10" are cut to give approximately 60 pieces of ox-gut, which are
then piled on top of each other and bound to form a book of 171 leaves.
Next, small thin strips of silver are placed between the sheets and the book
slipped into a leather pouch. These bundles are hammered continuously for a
day to produce extremely thin foils of silver of 3" x 5".
The leather and ox-gut, being supple, can withstand the intense manual
hammering for up to 8 hours a day till such time as the silver is beaten to
the desired thickness. When ready, the foil is carefully lifted from between
the leaves of ox-gut and placed between sheets of paper to be sold to the
sweet shops. A booklet of 160 foils weighs approximately 10 grams and costs
few hundred rupees.

To make a single booklet of 171 sheets, the guts of 3 cows are used. And the
yield per book is generally 160 foils of silver, the rest of which may be
damaged or unfit for use. Thus one book, used on an average of 300 days of
the year yields approximately 48,000 foils of silver which means that each
ox-gut yields an estimated 16,000 foils.

The leather used for the pouch to hold the book (made from ox-gut), is
cowhide or calf leather, and uses about 232 sq. inches of material. Assuming
the size of an average cowhide to be 18 sq. ft or 2,600 sq. Inches, the
yield per hide will be approximately 10 leather pouches.
Usually 4 foils are used per kilograms of sweets and the ox-gut of one cow
is used to produce foil for approximately 4,000 kilograms of sweets. It is
estimated that the average consumption of sweets by a middle class family of
four in India is about 100 kilograms per year.

Thus, an average middle class Indian family of four consuming approximately
100 kg of sweets per year for forty years consumes silver foil produced with
the gut of 3 cows and one-tenth of a cowhide!

In India 275 tons of silver is transformed into Varakh that utilises the
intestines of 516,000 cows and calf leather of 17,200 animals each year.

# - Prahladananda Swami - 27/7/09; 8:03:13 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

European Court Ruling spells an end to water fluoridation

Ghee or Animal Fat?

By Maneka Gandhi for The Bihar Times [1] on 18 Jul 2009

(Bihar, India) Some years ago it was discovered that owners of Vanaspathi
oils were putting cow and pig lard into the oil. There was a furor which
died down after a few months and no one knows till today what happened to
the Jains who owned the enterprise – but I have little doubt that they got
off and a few bureaucrats and policemen are richer.

Ghee (from Sanskrit gh•ta meaning "sprinkled") is clarified butter, sacred
to the gods. On June 13, a ghee manufacturing unit was raided by the health
officers and police of Agra . Hundreds of tins of ghee were found in the
Jharna nullah locality . The so called ghee was being manufactured from
animal fat boiled in huge iron pans. "25 big drums, 150 tins and four
furnaces, knives and country pistols were recovered from the site" a police
official said. "Animal hides of cows, monkeys, donkeys, horses and dogs
hanging by the trees and bones littered showed the scale of manufacturing
being carried out clandestinely for years."

Now comes the standard Indian part – "Police said at least 50 people must
have been working there in the sheds but none could be caught, probably
because the information about the raid was leaked to them."

Agra Municipal corporation’s animal husbandry department Chief B.S. Verma
said that residents of the locality had complained for years about the
spurious manufacturing unit but the department could not find the unit.

TV channels aired footage filmed at ghee manufacturing plants. The footage
confirmed that across India animals were being rendered and their fat added
to ghee. The ghee plants had dead animals all around, animal fat boiling in
big drums and slabs of fat hanging from the ceilings.

Members of ISKCON collected samples of commercial ghee in Pune and sent them
to be tested at the Anatech Laboratory and research centre in Bangalore. The
tests based on the Fancier-Transbraned Infrared spectrum Replication showed
beyond a doubt that the ghee contained animal fat. This laboratory which has
analyzed hundreds of ghees said that of all the brands in India, Amul was
the best brand for ghee and butter, with even Nestle adulterated with about
5% vegetable oil fats. They said that most ghee, including Amul, was a
mixture of cow and buffalo milk

Unfortunately most labs in India do not have the equipment to test. They can
simply say that the ghee is adulterated. Why is ghee being adulterated?
Firstly, because there is no milk. India prides itself on being the world’s
largest producer of leather so all the cows are being killed off rapidly to
service the hundreds of leather units in Chennai, Kanpur and Kolkata – which
kill lakhs of cows and calves. Recent raids have found that only 30% of the
"milk" we drink, is milk. The rest is a mixture of soap, urea, earthworm
fat, oil and whiteners. So if there is no milk, how does one get the ghee?
450,000 tonnes of ghee are supposedly made every year, 80% of which is eaten
and the rest offered to the gods in rituals that include marriage and death.
This is an impossible figure – the actual ghee would be less than a quarter.

The second reason is that milk products like ghee only have a 5% profit
margin so the only way to be profitable is to use animal fat.

If you insist on ghee make your own. Boil milk. Keep taking the cream off.
When the cream is cold, take a wooden stick and churn it. The water
separates and the rest becomes unsalted butter. Melt the butter over low
heat gradually in a heavy-bottomed pot. Do not stir. Cook until it is a
clear golden liquid. It may bubble and foam may form on top which you’ll
need to skim off and discard. Remove from heat while the liquid is a clear
gold. Any darker and it’s overcooked. Take a large sieve and line it with 4
sheets of cheesecloth or muslin. Place it over a clean dry pot. While still
hot, carefully strain the ghee through the cheesecloth-lined sieve into the
pot. Transfer the strained ghee carefully into a clean glass jar and shut
tightly. Ghee at room temperature looks semi-solid. Ghee can be stored for
extended periods without refrigeration, provided it is kept in an airtight
container to prevent oxidation. Always use a clean utensil to scoop out
ghee. # - Prahladananda Swami - 22/7/09; 7:04:38 PM - Comment [1] Trackback [0]

Letter from a Devotee

Dear Kanva prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

When I read your letter I felt impelled to offer another perspective.
Although I fully agree that management as well as any relationship, will
blossom if handled with love, care and simplicity, but I do not agree with
the assumption that "ISKCON" is run based on politics, diplomacy, power and
envy.

ISKCON is a huge organization comprising of thousands of individuals,
temples and communities in many countries around the world. To make a
blanket statement about ISKCON is unrealistic. We also have a choice on how
to look at a situation (the glass being half-full or half empty).

Personally, in my 19 years experience being in ISKCON, I have been, in
countless occasions, the recipient of many devotees love and care. I have
visited and stayed in temples, in Canada, US, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France,
Ireland and India, and I  only remember the sweetness, kindness and
dedication of the devotees involved in those yatras.
I have yet to meet a devotee who is solely driven by politics, diplomacy,
power, and envy. I have only met devotees who were sincerely trying their
best to serve Srila Prabhupada and his mission, there might have been some
shortcomings due to their past, to stress, being overworked, under pressure
or not particularly skilled in interpersonal communication. But at the core,
they are sincerely serving Srila Prabhupada's movement, they have love for
their guru, Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.

To give you a specific example, when my little 21 month old son, back in
2001, was diagnosed with cancer along with a debilitating auto-immune
disorder, the Dallas temple community, offered us varieties of support;
financial, prasadam, house cleaning, a loan of 8 months rent, prayers etc.
The temple president, Nityananda prabhu would monthly give some of his blood
to be kept for my son, if need would arise, his wife kept my son alive with
her iddlis, which was his sole prasadam while undergoing chemotherapy, as he
couldn't keep anything else down. Tamal Krishna Maharaja, who had just met
us a few months earlier, wrote us regularly beautiful, heartfelt letters and
even once, he quickly responded to my letter, from a train, while travelling
extensively in the Philippines.

Devotees from different parts of the world prayed for my son's well-being,
over his 7 years of chronic health conditions. Once when he almost died, the
whole Dallas community came together in the temple to chant and pray to
Radha Kalachand'ji for his protection. The Alachua community, where we are
now residing, have also been there for us whenever we were in need. I am
convinced that by the power of the devotees love and prayers, my son has
survived a Neuroblastoma (the most aggressive type of childhood cancer), OMS
(an extremely rare auto-immune disorder) and CVID (a severe immune
deficiency). As for my husband and I, we would have never been able to pull
through all this without the love, care and sincere prayers of the
vaishnavas.
Here in Alachua, they started a community service called Ashraya, to provide
different services to its community members in times of need.

Another example is when Syamasundhar prabhu needed a liver transplant and
they couldn't find a suitable donor. Mother Malati announced it on "pamho"
and shortly after, about 10 devotees, who had never met Syamasundhar prabhu
offered to donate part of their liver; which is an extremely painful and
dangerous procedure. The hospital staff were amazed, they said that this
never happened before, they were wondering what kind of movement is this,
where its members would exhibit such selfless love for one another. They
selected one devotee and the surgery was successful. That is not ordinary!

There are so many examples of extremely loving, selfless and compassionate
devotees in our movement, I wish I could name all of them but this letter
would become too extensive, it would be such a beautiful meditation though.
This movement is no ordinary movement, it is Lord Chaitanya's movement and
the vaishnavas aren't ordinary either, it is sometimes so easy to judge by
the externals, but once someone sincerely chants the Holy Names, he or she
comes under the direct protection of the Lord.
Devotees are very special and very dear to the Lord and we should be very
careful how we talk about them, especially when it is written and
broadcasted.

I am not saying that there is no need for improvement but each issue must be
addressed individually and specifically, as every situation is unique.
Radhanath Swami and the Radha Gopinath temple's spiritual counselor system,
as been successful in achieving what you have described as a temple
community which is based on love, care, simplicity and a high spiritual
standard. As ISKCON is expanding more and more, we can see the need for such
models, to provide the level of care each devotee requires.
Instead of demanding from our leaders, who are already spreading themselves
so thin that they are ruining their health, if we all offered them
assistance by extending ourselves in caring for 5 or 10 devotees in our
local community, or taking on some responsibility in our temple, or offering
some financial support, or some training, counseling, using whatever talents
we have in service or to BE the servant who would greet Krishna's guests in
His temple with genuine love, care and a beautiful smile.

Recently I read a quote from Gandhi which said: "Be in the world what you
want to see in the world."
It's quite simple but it works, if we treat others with genuine respect,
love and care, they will open their heart to us. And especially, if we look
for a devotee's unique qualities instead of their shortcomings, we will soon
find ourselves surrounded by exalted, jewel like, vaishnavas and we will
thank the Lord everyday with tears in our eyes and a grateful heart for the
unbelievable great fortune that has been bestowed upon us.
The Association of Krishna's devotees! It is very rare!!!

Your servant,

Vaishnavi Devi dasi.
# - Prahladananda Swami - 12/5/09; 10:24:11 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

Hope This Meets You in Good Health #12 in Serbian Language

The yearly Health and Welfare Ministry magazine, "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" #12 is now available for download from this website in the Serbian (Bosnian, Croatian) language.  Past and present magazines can be download from the "Newsletter Download" button on the right hand side of the web page.
# - Prahladananda Swami - 23/1/09; 11:39:18 AM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]

The Best Doctor in the Universe

To All Vaishnavas,

         On 18th March,2008,Sri Maheshbhai Dhokia ,congregation member from
London called me and told me that His wife,Srimati Jayshree Dhokia is
suffering from acute uterine cancer and she is being flown to Frankfurt for
the last time.Maheshbhai asked me if the devotees in mayapur could do some
prayers for his wife. Doctors in London had given up the hope and claimed
that she may not last more then 3 months as the cancer had spread to most
parts of lower body that is Abdominal and pelvic area..
        The following morning,I humbly requested HG Pankajanghri prabhu and
explained him the whole situation.We were both in the pujari room near Radha
Madhav Altar.I was dressing mahaprabhu at that time of the year and HG
Pankajanghri prabhu was making his final preparations for all the abhisekha
of Lord Nrisimadeva.HG Pankajaghri prabhu asked what is the name of the
mataji.I just gave the name of the mataji writing on the piece of paper.
       Now in Germany,just during the same time the operation was going on
to save Srimati Jayshree mataji.After she gained her consciousness she told
her husband that she dream't of lord Nrisimhadev of Mayapur.Bhakta Pralad
maharaj was there  to tell her the glories of lord Nrisimhadev.She also told
her husband that she completely feels like a new person and something evil
has left her body.
      Now back in London,She was taken back to Doctors for a check up.During
the PET Scan,The Radiologist were shocked to discover that there was no sign
of cancer at all.They called up the hospital in Germany to confirm about the
the medical details of the patient.The German surgeons, who operated on her
could not believe what they were just hearing from the radiologist in
London.The German Surgeons were shocked to hear that there was no sign of
cancer at all.The German research medical unit is now deeply studying the
entire case.Now little do these Doctors know, that there is somebody by the
name of Lord Nrimimhadeva,Who protect his devotees.
     While both HG Maheshbhai and his good wife Srimati Jayshree came back
to Mayapur to really have a close darshan of Lord Nrisimhadeva and come to
their senses and understand  as to just what had happen .
    Srimati Jayshreeben just cried and cried in front of lord Nrishmdeva.HG
Jananivas prabhu summed up the whole transcendental episode,While blessing
both the couples,HG Jananivas prabhu said " Lord Nrisimhadeva performs
operation with his transcendendal nails and the devotees just feel
blissful".
    Jayshreeben now chants 16  good rounds and with this new Krishna
Consiousness life,She thanks all the devotees of ISKCON and she feels very
proud to join the real spritual family of Srila Prabhupada.She vows to come
to Mayapur every year and be near Lord Nrisimhadeva.
     She also thanks Both HG Jananivas prabhu and HG Pankajanghri prabhu for
having saved her life through powerful prayers to Lord Nrisimdeva .

           ALL GLORIES TO LORD NRISIMHADEVA !!!!!!!!!!!

Ys

Nandkishore das # - Prahladananda Swami - 28/12/08; 6:17:12 PM - Comment [0] Trackback [0]