Pineal gland - the governor of our holistic health

Introduction

The tiny pineal gland, long ignored by science, is gaining rapidly in importance for our general health, especially regarding its immunological function and its power to slow down ageing. It sits right in the centre of our head, has roughly the size of a pea and weighs 50 to150mg. Its shape and structure resembles a pinecone, which caused scientists to name it the pineal gland. The gland starts shrinking from approx. age 25 onwards, slowly loosing its effectiveness in providing hormones to the body, but has the potential to rejuvenate the immune system if kept healthy and functioning.

Pineal gland research

Biologically as well as spiritually, the glands significance is due to its function as neurohormone secretor as well as its ability to receive and send subtle energy electromagnetic waves.

The effect of our Western society's life style on the gland is now becoming clearly visible to an increasing degree. Our environment is overloaded with technology in the professional as well as our home environment and is almost certain to cause malfunctioning of the pineal gland, thus creating illness for an ever increasing percentage of the population in the US and UK.

Amongst other chemicals produced by the gland, Melatonin has been found to be the neurohormone that, if not produced in the required amount, can be the source of a dysfunctional immune system. Melatonin regulates other hormones throughout the body and its lack can therefore show up in a variety of symptoms labeled as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) as well as other immune deficiency related illnesses.

An expert committee of the US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) examined the biological effects of ELF - EMF (extreme low frequency electro - magnetic fields ranging from 50 - 60 Hz) on the human body. Their study has been strongly focused on ELF field actions in the pineal gland, relating to the effects on synthesis and secretion of the pineal hormone melatonin, and on a broad series of regulatory functions mediated by this hormone. The theory that EMF reduces the pineal glands productivity of melatonin is known as the 'Melatonin Hypothesis'.

"Melatonin plays a key role in controlling the 24 - hour daily biological rhythm. The disturbance of the normal diurnal melatonin rhythm is associated with altered oestrogen receptor formation in the breast, a line of experimental evidence now under study, or possible links between ELF field exposure and human breast cancer... further, melatonin has general properties as a free radical scavenger, with the possibility of a preventative stress, recognised as a basic factor in a broad spectrum of human degenerative disorders, including coronary artery disease, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and ageing."

The US committee's findings suggest that we should no longer expose ourselves carelessly to this kind of fields which unfortunately can be found all around us, even in simple everyday life electrical devices like electric razors or visual display units. It must be stated that the epidemiological spreading of man-made EMF has only begun after the Second World War. Up till then we lived in a fairly electromagnetically unpolluted environment for thousands of years. Dealing with EMF fields from infancy onwards certainly has an undesired effect on us and we need to thoroughly reconsider our relationship to electricity from that point of view.

Different research, done on mice by Walter Pierpaoli, M.D., of the Bianca Lana - Masera Foundation for the Aged in Ancona, Italy, strongly suggests that immune rejuvenating properties of a properly functioning pineal gland are possible. Pineal glands of younger mice that were implanted into older mice extended their live span and their thymus gland started to grow again. The older mice started fighting infection more effectively and in fact rejuvenated as they looked and even behaved 'younger'.

Pineal Gland - the Spiritual 'Third Eye'

For its normal functioning the pineal gland requires a balance of light/dark supply, transferred to the gland via the retina of the eyes, as well as freedom from interference of low-frequency, man-made EMF as explained by the Melatonin Hypothesis.

As we are at the edge of taking our next evolutionary step in consciousness, many people feel themselves undergoing profound changes at the cellular and subatomic level, causing all kinds of weird symptoms, sometimes termed our 'Lightbody Awakening'. Information on this process is hard to find and to a large extend requires researching unconventional sources like channelled material and independent web sites.

Our pineal gland is our bodily transformative device for recognizing subtle energies and making them accessible for/to our conscious mind. Its state of health/wellbeing is a basic condition for our ability to adapt to increasingly higher frequencies of cosmic radiation. Without our pineal gland's activity we are alone in the communicative universe and cut off from higher dimensional information. The pineal gland feeds the heart with information/ electromagnetic waves we can't perceive with the visual eye and allows the sacred to manifest into our lives. Essentially our peaceful relating to all other life forms and the planet earth requires the in depth acknowledgment and re-activation of the pineal gland. The Sioux medicine man Lame Deer beautifully states the deficiency in our relationship to the spiritual world and captures the potential within the pineal gland to give us back the spiritual meaning of life.

"We Sioux spend a lot of time thinking about everyday things, which in our mind are mixed up with the spiritual. We see in the world around us many symbols that teach us the meaning of life. We have a saying that the white man sees so little, he must see with only one eye. We see a lot that you no longer notice. You could notice if you wanted to, but usually you are too busy. We Indians live in a world of symbols and images where the spiritual and the commonplace are one. ...We try to understand them not with the head but with the heart, and we need no more than a hint to give us the meaning." (John (Fire) Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes, Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, 1972, p.108f)

Health and pineal gland functioning

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) gives us an example for pineal gland malfunction. According to several authors "Evidence indicates that CFS is associated with, if not directly caused by, a persistent, low - level impairment of the immune system." (D. Maisch, B. Rapley, R.E. Rowland, J.Podd, EMFacts consultancy web page)

Proper melatonin production by the pineal gland depends on its regular exposure to total darkness as light inhibits melatonin secretion. Life in the modern urban environment is therefore a big contributor in stressing the pineal gland, as light pollution causes the melatonin production to decrease, which contributes to causing CFS.

Many people with CFS also seem to have lost the connection to their higher self, their spiritual essence. That often correlates with one of the most disturbing symptoms in people suffering from CFS - depression and anxiety. According to Dr. Steven Hall's talk at the News Night Report from the 22.01.2006, 50% of mentally ill people are not treated sufficiently in the UK. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) resembles a variety of symptoms, including depression and insomnia, and can be described as 'vibratory flu' since no virus has yet been detected causing CFS. Conventional medicine is helplessly confronted with more and more patients seeking relief from this debilitating suffering but cannot offer an allopathic solution.

Apart from CFS, pineal gland malfunction relates to a variety of several other serious health problems like postmenopausal osteoporosis, immune related syndromes and cancerous proliferation in women and men. All of them related either to the antioxidant function of melatonin or the surge of hormones caused by the missing regulator melatonin. Many of them can only be treated rudimentarily and not be cured by modern medicine.

Supporting the pineal glands' function

The public will have to be thoroughly educated regarding the use of devices producing electromagnetic fields and how to adopt their life style accordingly. The necessity for establishing energy hygiene can't be taken too serious. It is of utmost importance for the pineal glands healthy functioning to protect humans from EMF interference by eliminating excess conducting material from the working and living environments (eg metal bed frame, radio alarm clock a.o.). Mobile phones should be avoided wherever/whenever possible.

Apart from just protecting ourselves from avoidable EMF exposure we need to adopt ways to support the pineal gland in its functioning. Sleeping in total darkness enables the pineal gland to produce the appropriate amount of melatonin each night. Therefore windows and bedrooms will need to be darkened as much as possible to avoid being affected by light pollution.

We also need to look for methods to re-activate the gland by enhancing the flow of Chi within our subtle energy system, as this will benefit its effectiveness. Alternative healing methods should to be taken in consideration more carefully for the sake of rebalancing our bodies.

Breathwork enhances the flow of Chi

More and more sensitive people are looking for alternatives in healing and find meditation as well as breathing practices generally known as 'Breathwork' to be helpful and healing, especially in the case of CFS.

The conscious connected breath is an ancient tool of shamanism as well as meditation practices of Eastern traditions and has been rediscovered for the western society in the early 70's by the efforts of people like Dr. Stanislav Grof and Leonnard Orr - the founders of Holotropic Breathwork and Rebirthing.

Integrative Breath Therapy and other methods using the conscious connected breath for unblocking the biological - and energy body "are very effective in opening our glandular 'consciousness system'" (David McMillin, 1991, The Treatment of Schizophrenia).

Breathwork is still only known to a very limited part of the population and should be considered more often for general prevention of disease and the treatment of affective disorders as well as a method to re-energise CFS sufferers. This breathing practice can be learned easily with the initial support of a Breathwork practitioner and adopted quickly to a habit that enhances general wellbeing and health as well as boosting an individuals energy level.

Contact details regarding Breathwork can be found at the end of this article and a list of Breathwork practitioners can be obtained from the British Rebirth Society (BRS) and InBreath.

About the author:

Aimee Lange is trained in Holotropic Breathwork as well as in Integrative Breath Therpay. She is co-trainer for the Institute for Integrative Breath Therapy and Transformational Healing (InBreath ) which trains future Breathwork practitioners. Aimee's intention is to raise public awareness for holistic health at the subtle energy level and to teach love for Spirit and all living through recognising Oneness. She supports and empowers people in detecting and healing negative believes about themselves and in finding their individual life purpose. She organises and leads workshops in transformational healing using Breathwork and Sacred Geometry and is available for individual sessions in Breathwork

Gerd Lange.