by Russ Gerber| Huffington Post | December 22, 2011

Penny Sarchet doesn’t think of herself as a detective, but she’s been acting like one. She recently received a prize for her science essay on the nocebo effect, one of the winning entries in a writing contest sponsored by the Wellcome Trust in association with the Guardian andThe Observer, who have been on the lookout throughout the UK for the next generation of outstanding science writers.

Like any good detective, Sarchet carefully examined the evidence, the scientific research, on nocebos (harmful effects linked to a harmless substance — the opposite of placebo effect). This led her to some compelling observations about the link between a negative mental state and physical suffering.

She saw that in a doctor-patient relationship the patient’s belief makes a world of difference as to that person’s health.

Click this link to read the entire article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russ-gerber/mind-body_b_1156359.html

By Wendy Romano

Often, when I tell someone that I am a Christian Scientist, the response is: “Oh yeah, that is just mind over matter, isn’t it?”

Well, no, it isn’t.

Let me explain.

Researchers today are looking more carefully at how and to what extent thought affects our experience and our health.

Click this link to read the entire article:

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20111208/NJLIFE11/312080013/It-not-just-about-mind-over-matter

MyCentraJersey.com  December 7, 2011

By Ken Girard

I’m an avid cyclist. I ride with folks that are often considerably younger than me. Not only do I keep up with them, but I also occasionally surpass them. As a senior, how do I do it? Here are 7 tips that I’ve used…..

Click this link to read the entire article

http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Galleries/Tips-to-Improve-Any-Sports-Activity-at-Any-Age.aspx

Ancient Wisdom Benefits Modern Health Care

By Russ Gerber
Huffington Post, October 25, 2011

The rising tide of health information — from advertising, studies, statistics, media reports, personal advice and professional opinions — has reached flood level. As anyone who has experienced a real flood will tell you, the challenge is keeping your head above water and not getting swept away by rushing currents.

Click this link to read the entire article:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russ-gerber/decision-making-health-care_b_1027461.html?ref=consciousness

By Russ Gerber | onfaith.washingtonpost.com | April 14, 2011

Q: Many traditions teach that while both men and women are equal in value, God has ordained specific roles for men and women. Those distinct duties often keep women out of leadership positions in their religious communities.What is religion’s role in gender discrimination?

It’s sad to think of a God who would pigeonhole us, whether it’s in education or child-rearing, automobile repair or decision-making in the boardroom, leading a sports team or a religious organization.

Think about it, would an all-loving creator assign us to separate spheres of usefulness and then add this caveat: those of you in that sphere should stay there? You don’t quite have the intellectual capacity, or the moral courage, or the spiritual acuity—in other words, you’re not quite good enough—to accomplish what’s expected from those I’ve put in that other sphere. They’re expected to reach heights that I’ve not equipped you to reach. Have a nice day.

A narrow view of manhood and womanhood is likely the culprit, and that probably originated in a narrow view of God.

And that gets us to religion’s role. In part it should be to stir us to end separatism. It should end this notion of God up there, us down here, and some of us even further down the pecking order.

Religion, which advocates for an all-loving God and for sons and daughters made in the likeness of an impartial divine love, should be in the business of elevating and unifying the race, opening all doors of opportunity to everyone. Not merely because it’s a civic duty, but because it’s the right thing to do.

By Russ Gerber | onfaith.washingtonpost.com | February 1, 2011

Mike Huckabee, the conservative former Arkansas governor, this weekend said that he is concerned about Islam’s role in Egypt’s future. As On Faith panelist Reza Aslan this week noted, Huckabee has also called for Americans to “take this nation back for Christ” and, while running for president in 2008, declared that “what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards.”
In America and in Egypt, should a majority religion inspire political life? How will Islam play a role in the struggles for democracy happening now in Egypt and other parts of the Muslim world?
About an hour before I read this question I was in New York having lunch with a couple of colleagues and the conversation turned to religion in public life.
We talked about one of the keys to any religion’s success in the public sphere: the perceived value it adds to the lives of the those who embrace it. Without this recognition of value-added, there are serious challenges to any religion’s influence over the long haul.
This has a direct bearing on the degree to which a majority–or minority–religion shapes individual lives, including one’s politics. We believe religion can provide the greatest value and answers to the pressing issues that confront us, be they social, political, economic, or health-related.
Religion can be a wonderful resource in the public square and throughout politics as it encourages people to be caring, unselfish citizens. Yet it’s a mistake to think that this can be dictated. It can’t. Ultimately, what forges loyalty and inspires action at the deepest level is what people accept in their hearts, what has won its way because it has proven its utility as a positive, healing force in the lives of human beings and communities.