Beyond Human could be just another "think positive" Law of Attraction self-help book. Thankfully, it goes "beyond" simple "just think good thoughts" advice and provides some innovative tools and ways of approaching things that you might not have heard of before.

Right off the bat, the author, Jaden Rose Phoenix, sets herself apart by commenting on the lack of "out of the box" thinking that traps so many people in mediocrity. If more people took her advice on just trying new things to solve problems, the world would probably be a better place.

Doing Virtuous Business is about how the best businesses utilize spiritual principles to not only achieve success but make the world a better place. It's a compelling idea and one that we should, as a culture, explore further. The author comes at the subject as a devout Christian, and so much of the theory is based in Christian principles and ideals; however, he does endeavor to expand the playing field to other faiths.

Deadly "brain-eating" amoebas have been in the news lately, as a number of people have died this year from being infected with them through contaminated water. From Yahoo News:

The third case, in Louisiana, was more unusual. It was a young man whose death in June was traced to the tap water he used in a device called a neti pot. It's a small teapot-shaped container used to rinse out the nose and sinuses with salt water to relieve allergies, colds and sinus trouble.

Health officials later found the amoeba in the home's water system. The problem was confined to the house; it wasn't found in city water samples, said Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's state epidemiologist.

The young man, who was only identified as in his 20s and from southeast Louisiana, had not been swimming nor been in contact with surface water, Ratard added.

He said only sterile, distilled, or boiled water should be used in neti pots.

A Facebook friend posted a link to the following article, which talks about the theory that anti-depressants not only don't cure depression, but make it worse by altering brain chemistry in negative and sometimes long-lasting ways:

The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?

Not surprising, many responses to the article were from folks who were attached to the belief that they needed psychiatric "rescue" by drugs. I posted a reply (admittedly, sometimes I waste too much time debating on Facebook), but thought it might be good to share here on my blog. Given that anti-depressants may make you depressed for life, can you afford to take the risk of using them? Wouldn't it be good to know that there is another way?

Here is my Facebook response:

More and more women are choosing reusable cloth menstrual pads over disposable pads and tampons. Reusable cloth pads are better for the environment and surprisingly more comfortable than commercial menstrual pads. And, with concerns over dioxin in tampons, cloth pads are safer too.

Cloth pads require an upfront initial investment, however, and you could spend $100-200 getting your pads. There are some great, inexpensive cloth pad shops on eBay. The nice thing about the price of these pads is that you can test them out without a large upfront investment. Here are a few cloth pad shops on eBay I've tried:

Cindy's Cloth
http://myworld.ebay.com/cindy11110/
Cindy's Cloth offers really high quality cotton-top pads. They are extremely well-made and comfortable. Many cloth-pads are topped with fuzzy flannel - but, especially in hot weather, cotton is more comfortable.

MonoMio's Cloth Pad Shop
http://stores.ebay.com/MonoMios-Cloth-Pad-Shop

Same Life, New Story by Jan Silvious is billed as a “10-Week Bible Study for Women” covering stories of women in the Bible and how they apply to life for women today. It’s not so much as a Bible study as it is a self-help coaching book for Christian women. It could also be used by spiritual-but-not-religious women who may be interested in applying Christian concepts to their personal growth.

I went to church weekly as a child but never really knew much about women in the Bible. I guess our church never covered them that much, for whatever the reason. So I was interested in this book because of its focus on women in the Bible. I was curious to read their stories and hear how they might apply to me today. Would women of the Bible be inspiring to me? I wanted to find out.

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews is a self-help parable that seeks to answer the question: "What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?" It attempts to do so through a fictional character who finds himself at a heavenly “summit” of time “travelers” who have been brought there by the Archangel Gabriel. Most of the “travelers” are famous people who are known for great accomplishments, except for the hero of our story, a normal man who found wealth and prosperity by learning life secrets through his previous time travels.

This leads us to the first problem with this book: It's actually a sequel, apparently, to a previous book. So it took me a little while to figure out what this whole “traveler” business was about. I left the book still not quite sure what the travelers were actually doing in traveling, or how it all worked, but I got the basic gist of it.

What Will Happen to Me? is a poignant little book that shares the stories of children whose parents are in prison. As expected, the first-person accounts from the children are touching and sometimes heart-breaking. The book also provides tips for caregivers of these children, and looks into ways to break the pattern of aggression that leads to children of prisoners becoming prisoners themselves.

The book also showcases touching photographs of the children, caregivers and family members. Though some of the children do look sad, there is still some love and innocence to be found.

What Will Happen to Me? is certainly a must-read for caregivers of these children, but also of interest to anyone looking to help break the cycle of incarceration in families.

As I type this, brave souls in Japan are feverishly working to cool down a nuclear plant that could be about ready to blow. I've been following the nuclear disaster in Japan for the past few days. What is amazing to me is the wide range of opinions on the subject. Some folks seem to think that there's nothing to worry about, while others think that what's really going on is a lot worse than what they are willing to tell us.

Folks who are in Japan (particularly Tokyo) are confused as to whether to stay or go, or to take seriously the nuclear threat. Folks on the West Coast of America are being told alternatively to not worry about any fallout blowing across the sea, or, to "be prepared" and get potassium iodide.

I've always had mixed feelings about the controversy over fluoride. While I am a fan of natural health, I am also measured in my approach and not swayed by hysteria. (For example, after researching the pros and cons of microwaves, I decided that microwaves are probably safe. Your mileage may vary.) So I haven't been overly fearful about the fluoride put into our drinking water.

However, some do have very strong reactions to fluoride. If you have vague symptoms and can't find relief, and no doctor seems to be able to help you, perhaps you have a fluoride "allergy." I'm terming it that because it seems some people have very strong reactions to it, while others, not so much. It's important to keep that in perspective, because I feel being fearful of every possible additive that might be in your food or water is stress-inducing - and that stress is possibly more harmful to your health than the actual additive!