Tom's Blog on Life

The study titled “Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity” investigates the potential anti-tumor effects of frankincense essential oil, which is obtained from the hardened gum resin of Boswellia trees and has a long history of traditional use. The researchers tested the effects of the oil on human bladder cancer cells (J82) and compared these to its effects on normal bladder urothelial cells (UROtsa). They found that frankincense oil significantly reduced the viability of cancerous J82 cells in a dose-dependent manner while having minimal impact on the normal urothelial cells, suggesting a degree of selectivity for malignant cells. Gene expression profiling further indicated that the oil activated pathways related to cell cycle arrest and growth suppression in the cancer cells, although classical indicators of apoptosis, like DNA fragmentation, were not observed in this system.

Based on these findings, the authors conclude that frankincense oil can distinguish between bladder cancer cells and normal cells and effectively suppress tumor cell viability through multiple molecular pathways. This selective cytotoxicity, supported by comprehensive microarray and bioinformatics analyses, suggests that frankincense oil could have potential as an alternative intravesical therapeutic agent for bladder cancer treatment, warranting further research into its mechanisms and clinical applicability.

PMID: 19296830

(Tom: This is an absolutely brilliant article and if you have been diagnosed with Hypertension it is a must read!)

What they never tell us about blood pressure and the medications for it

Story at a Glance:

•Blood pressure diagnoses have exploded as guidelines repeatedly lower thresholds, resulting in half of American adults now being “hypertensive” despite minimal evidence justifying this, and erroneous diagnoses frequently occurring.

•Despite aggressively treating it, medicine still does not know what causes high blood pressure. As a result, it overlooks that impaired circulation elevates blood pressure and attributes the ensuing damage to “high” blood pressure rather than to insufficient blood flow to the tissues.

•Excessively low BP from over-treatment is dangerous, increasing risks of fainting, falls (especially in the elderly), kidney injury, cognitive decline, ischemic strokes, and mortality.

•Different blood pressure medicines have very different risks and benefits. Because doctors are unaware of this, they frequently push patients to take inappropriate medications and then deny that life-impairing side effects are happening.

•This article will explore the core issues with the conventional framework of blood pressure and what we must know to reclaim cardiovascular health.

Ever since I first entered the medical field, something struck me as off about the relentless focus on blood pressure, and over time I noticed that the blood pressures people reported to me varied widely. While pondering this, a talented practitioner and mentor once told me that the current medical paradigm fixates on blood pressure because it’s easier to measure than blood perfusion (healthy blood flow).

Then, as I became more acquainted with the medical field, I began to notice a consistent pattern—whenever a drug existed that could treat a number or statistic, as the years went by, the acceptable number kept on being narrowed, making more and more people eligible to take the drugs that treated the number.

Finish reading: https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/understanding-blood-pressure-in-a

In 2018, researchers from the University of Helsinki spent half a year with the Kaluli people in Papua New Guinea. What stunned the observers most was what occurred every night after dusk.

Before sleep, Kaluli children would gather around the communal flame and voice aloud their scary or hurtful events from the day—falls, grief, or even bad dreams. The elders didn’t interrupt them. They didn’t try to immediately soothe or shush them. They simply listened until the child’s breathing naturally calmed.

The Kaluli call this “night purging”—releasing dreads before slumber so the mind can relax.

Western science actually backs this up. Voicing fears aloud settles the mind and nervous system. Stifling them—which is what many of us do when we say “don’t dwell on bad stuff before bed”—actually keeps the stress loop active, forcing the body to process that lingering fear throughout the night.

(Tom: There is a huge difference between “dwelling on bad stuff” and voicing your fears. One is introverting, the other is cathartic.)

As the Kaluli state: “The body rests when the story halts.”

This ancient habit trains children to meet their feelings head-on instead of fleeing from them—the exact opposite of the modern push for “sleep quiet.” It teaches that emotions are meant to be discharged, not stored.

Test it tonight. Voice your darkest thoughts or heaviest stresses of the day out loud—preferably to another who will acknowledge without evaluation or invalidation. Then, simply breathe until your heart rate slows. You will likely sense an instant ease; the mind stops dreading the gloom once the source of that gloom has been titled and released.

Just as vital as naming our fears is being honest with ourselves—letting it all out instead of holding it back. Children naturally voice what they sense, but as grownups, we learn to store it within. It’s time to learn how to let it go.

Last month, Congress introduced legislation that would impose a nationwide ban on geoengineering and atmospheric weather modification, criminalizing activities such as aerosol spraying, cloud seeding, solar radiation management, and other atmospheric interventions designed to alter weather or climate conditions.

The bill, H.R. 7452, titled the Air Quality Act, was introduced February 9 by U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) and referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology.

You can find your Representative here and voice your support for the bill.

If enacted, the legislation would prohibit the injection, release, emission, or dispersal of chemical or biological substances into the atmosphere to alter atmospheric behavior, weather, climate, or sunlight intensity, establishing criminal penalties for individuals or organizations involved in such activities.

More: https://open.substack.com/pub/jonfleetwood/p/federal-bill-would-ban-geoengineering

This guy explains why he will never let his daughter wear polyester again. You’re gonna want to hear this.

https://x.com/joeroganhq/status/2029549997201453309?s=20