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Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity. Second, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, such as the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other organs, however, such as the pancreas and the heart, stem cells only divide under special conditions.

Until recently, scientists primarily worked with two kinds of stem cells from animals and humans: embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic “somatic” or “adult” stem cells. The functions and characteristics of these cells will be explained in this document. Scientists discovered ways to derive embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos nearly 30 years ago, in 1981. The detailed study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery, in 1998, of a method to derive stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in the laboratory. These cells are called human embryonic stem cells. The embryos used in these studies were created for reproductive purposes through in vitro fertilization procedures. When they were no longer needed for that purpose, they were donated for research with the informed consent of the donor. In 2006, researchers made another breakthrough by identifying conditions that would allow some specialized adult cells to be “reprogrammed” genetically to assume a stem cell-like state. This new type of stem cell, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), will be discussed in a later section of this document.

Stem cells are important for living organisms for many reasons. In the 3- to 5-day-old embryo, called a blastocyst, the inner cells give rise to the entire body of the organism, including all of the many specialized cell types and organs such as the heart, lung, skin, sperm, eggs and other tissues. In some adult tissues, such as bone marrow, muscle, and brain, discrete populations of adult stem cells generate replacements for cells that are lost through normal wear and tear, injury, or disease.

Given their unique regenerative abilities, stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases such as diabetes, and heart disease. However, much work remains to be done in the laboratory and the clinic to understand how to use these cells for cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is also referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine.

Laboratory studies of stem cells enable scientists to learn about the cells’ essential properties and what makes them different from specialized cell types. Scientists are already using stem cells in the laboratory to screen new drugs and to develop model systems to study normal growth and identify the causes of birth defects.

Research on stem cells continues to advance knowledge about how an organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. Stem cell research is one of the most fascinating areas of contemporary biology, but, as with many expanding fields of scientific inquiry, research on stem cells raises scientific questions as rapidly as it generates new discoveries.

What are embryonic stem cells?

A. What stages of early embryonic development are important for generating embryonic stem cells?

Embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from embryos. Most embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro—in an in vitro fertilization clinic—and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body. The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old and are a hollow microscopic ball of cells called the blastocyst. The blastocyst includes three structures: the trophoblast, which is the layer of cells that surrounds the blastocoel, a hollow cavity inside the blastocyst; and the inner cell mass, which is a group of cells at one end of the blastocoel that develop into the embryo proper.

B. How are embryonic stem cells grown in the laboratory?

Growing cells in the laboratory is known as cell culture. Human embryonic stem cells are isolated by transferring the inner cell mass into a plastic laboratory culture dish that contains a nutrient broth known as culture medium. The cells divide and spread over the surface of the dish. The inner surface of the culture dish is typically coated with mouse embryonic skin cells that have been treated so they will not divide. This coating layer of cells is called a feeder layer. The mouse cells in the bottom of the culture dish provide the inner cell mass cells a sticky surface to which they can attach. Also, the feeder cells release nutrients into the culture medium. Researchers have devised ways to grow embryonic stem cells without mouse feeder cells. This is a significant scientific advance because of the risk that viruses or other macromolecules in the mouse cells may be transmitted to the human cells.

The process of generating an embryonic stem cell line is somewhat inefficient, so lines are not produced each time an inner cell mass is placed into a culture dish. However, if the plated inner cell mass cells survive, divide and multiply enough to crowd the dish, they are removed gently and plated into several fresh culture dishes. The process of re-plating or subculturing the cells is repeated many times and for many months. Each cycle of subculturing the cells is referred to as a passage. Once the cell line is established, the original cells yield millions of embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells that have proliferated in cell culture for six or more months without differentiating, are pluripotent, and appear genetically normal are referred to as an embryonic stem cell line. At any stage in the process, batches of cells can be frozen and shipped to other laboratories for further culture and experimentation.

C. What laboratory tests are used to identify embryonic stem cells?

At various points during the process of generating embryonic stem cell lines, scientists test the cells to see whether they exhibit the fundamental properties that make them embryonic stem cells. This process is called characterization.

Scientists who study human embryonic stem cells have not yet agreed on a standard battery of tests that measure the cells’ fundamental properties. However, laboratories that grow human embryonic stem cell lines use several kinds of tests, including:

• Growing and subculturing the stem cells for many months. This ensures that the cells are capable of long-term growth and self-renewal. Scientists inspect the cultures through a microscope to see that the cells look healthy and remain undifferentiated.
• Using specific techniques to determine the presence of transcription factors that are typically produced by undifferentiated cells. Two of the most important transcription factors are Nanog and Oct4. Transcription factors help turn genes on and off at the right time, which is an important part of the processes of cell differentiation and embryonic development. In this case, both Oct 4 and Nanog are associated with maintaining the stem cells in an undifferentiated state, capable of self-renewal.
• Using specific techniques to determine the presence of paricular cell surface markers that are typically produced by undifferentiated cells.
• Examining the chromosomes under a microscope. This is a method to assess whether the chromosomes are damaged or if the number of chromosomes has changed. It does not detect genetic mutations in the cells.
• Determining whether the cells can be re-grown, or subcultured, after freezing, thawing, and re-plating.
• Testing whether the human embryonic stem cells are pluripotent by 1) allowing the cells to differentiate spontaneously in cell culture; 2) manipulating the cells so they will differentiate to form cells characteristic of the three germ layers; or 3) injecting the cells into a mouse with a suppressed immune system to test for the formation of a benign tumor called a teratoma. Since the mouse’s immune system is suppressed, the injected human stem cells are not rejected by the mouse immune system and scientists can observe growth and differentiation of the human stem cells. Teratomas typically contain a mixture of many differentiated or partly differentiated cell types—an indication that the embryonic stem cells are capable of differentiating into multiple cell types.

D. How are embryonic stem cells stimulated to differentiate?

Figure 1. Directed differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. Click here for larger image. (© 2001 Terese Winslow)

As long as the embryonic stem cells in culture are grown under appropriate conditions, they can remain undifferentiated (unspecialized). But if cells are allowed to clump together to form embryoid bodies, they begin to differentiate spontaneously. They can form muscle cells, nerve cells, and many other cell types. Although spontaneous differentiation is a good indication that a culture of embryonic stem cells is healthy, it is not an efficient way to produce cultures of specific cell types.

So, to generate cultures of specific types of differentiated cells—heart muscle cells, blood cells, or nerve cells, for example—scientists try to control the differentiation of embryonic stem cells. They change the chemical composition of the culture medium, alter the surface of the culture dish, or modify the cells by inserting specific genes. Through years of experimentation, scientists have established some basic protocols or “recipes” for the directed differentiation of embryonic stem cells into some specific cell types (Figure 1). (For additional examples of directed differentiation of embryonic stem cells, refer to the NIH stem cell reports available at /info/2006report/ and /info/2001report/2001report.htm.)

If scientists can reliably direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into specific cell types, they may be able to use the resulting, differentiated cells to treat certain diseases in the future. Diseases that might be treated by transplanting cells generated from human embryonic stem cells include Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, traumatic spinal cord injury, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, heart disease, and vision and hearing loss.

Morgellons Disease. Welcome to the brave new world of toxic barium skies, weather control, mind control and population control through the use of chemtrails modulated with electromagnetic frequencies generated by HAARP. Our health is under attack as evidenced by the skyrocketing rates of chemtrail induced lung cancer, asthma and pulmonary/respiratory problems as well as the emergence of a new plague, Morgellons Disease, an infection with a new and unknown pathogen that is seriously disabling and disfiguring. Over 12,000 families in the U.S. are now infected with Morgellons. Our skies are increasingly hazed over with fake barium/ aluminum particulate, ethylene dibromide chemtrail clouds. Whether in the atmosphere or in the Ocean this added particulate matter is a hazard to the health of every living thing on this planet. There is a main-stream media blackout on this subject so the only way to get the word out is by word of mouth. People are already dying because of the chemtrails. Life expectancy is down. This situation presents an immediate and serious threat to you, your family and loved ones. We must join together to stop this insane program of chemtrail spraying now. Please do what you can to help.

MORGELLONS & CHEMTRAILS

One aspect of the chemtrail story is becoming more and more a story about the spread of Morgellons Disease. The bizarre, unique fibers that have been found in the bodies of the Morgellons infected have been matched to fibers found in the chemtrail fallout and in rain drops. This suggests that anybody who breathes the air may have been exposed to this disease. Researcher Clifford Carnicom has recently reported that blood abnormalities that he associates with chemtrail infection are being found in just about everyone he is testing whether or not they show the visible signs of having a Morgellons infection. “Polymer chemist Dr. R. Michael Castle has studied atmospheric polymers for years. He has found that some of them contain bioactive materials, which can cause “serious skin lesions and diseases when absorbed into the skin.” He has identified microscopic polymers comprised of genetically-engineered fungal forms mutated with viruses. He says that trillions of fusarium (fungus)/virus mutated spores), which secrete a powerful mico-toxin, are part of the air we breathe.”
-Amy Worthington GlobalResearch.com

SELF REPLICATING NANO MACHINES HAVE BEEN FOUND “RUNNING WILD” IN THE BODIES OF MORGELLONS INFECTED INDIVIDUALS ( see photo #15 of this article, identified nano parasite known a ‘golden-head’)

Morgellons researchers Dr Hildegaard Stanninger and Dr Karjoom have announced the finding of self replicating nano machines “running wild” in the bodies of Morgellons victims.

MORGELLONS PATHOGENS FOUND IN RAINWATER?
More stunning evidence of a Chemtrail/Morgellons connection (see photo #18); Recent microscopic examination of rainwater by researcher, Lisa Jones has revealed contamination with pathogens that have strong similarities to the Morgellons pathogen. This raindrop image shows a fiber-like lattice with a lighter colored tube that appears to contain baby Morgellons pathogens. The “thornes” on the lattice appear to be designed to cause the organism to stick and catch on skin and clothing. The unnatural looking orangish-pink glow in certain areas of this tube look just like the unnatural appearing orange-pink glowing points that show up on many of the Morgellons organisms. Chemtrail dispersion of Morgellons would be an obvious explanation as to why this stuff is showing up in rainwater.

CHEMTRAIL POLYMERS LINKED TO MORGELLONS?
Chemtrail aerosol fibers enlarged 60X above
Morgellons.org
“Polymer chemist Dr. R. Michael Castle has studied atmospheric polymers for years. He has found that some of them contain bioactive materials, which can cause “serious skin lesions and diseases when absorbed into the skin.” He has identified microscopic polymers comprised of genetically-engineered fungal forms mutated with viruses. He says that trillions of fusarium (fungus)/virus mutated spores), which secrete a powerful mico-toxin, are part of the air we breathe.”

Amy Worthington GlobalResearch.com

by Ralph Cinque

On March 25, GlaxoSmithKline’s Rotarix vaccine – used for a diarrhea-causing virus called rotavirus – was recalled because it was found to be contaminated with a supposedly “harmless” pig virus. The virus, called porcine circovirus type 1, is not known to cause disease in humans or animals – unlike porcine circovirus type 2, which causes a wasting syndrome marked by diarrhea in young piglets. As a precaution, the FDA ordered the vaccine destroyed. The company was quick to point out that children are exposed to the virus anyway from eating pork.

“PCV-1 does not multiply in humans and is not known to cause illness in humans. It is found in everyday meat products and is frequently eaten with no resulting disease or illness,” said the company.

However, there is a huge difference between eating something and having it injected directly into your body. By itself, the high acidity of the stomach destroys most viruses – unless you foolishly disable this defense mechanism by taking acid-blocking drugs. And since when do two-month old infants eat pork chops?

This was a tough break for GSK because only this past November, they had to recall some of the swine flu vaccine they sent to Canada because of “serious allergic reactions.” The 170,000 dose batch in question had mostly been already administered – the majority of it.

Rotavirus is a diarrheal illness affecting babies and children that is rampant in the Third World – particularly Africa. Even before the vaccine became available, there were only several dozen reported deaths from rotavirus each year in the USA. Compare that to 36,000 purported deaths in the USA from seasonal flu every year.

“Every child in the world will have at least one rotavirus infection before age five,” according to the CDC and WHO. Therefore, it seems that recovery is quite spontaneous in most children. So, is this vaccine really necessary in countries like the USA and Canada? In the developed world, which has modern sanitation, ample nutrition, etc., how grave is the risk from rotavirus? It’s a fair question because injecting pig material into a child is hardly risk-free.

It goes to show how much faith and trust is involved in taking a vaccine – any vaccine. About one million American children received the tainted rotavirus vaccine. Worldwide, 30 million children received it. They’re saying it was just a harmless pig virus. Of course. No worries. But then again, the air was fit to breathe at Ground Zero after 9-11, according to authorities.

But when was the last time you reviewed the list of government-mandated vaccines for children? If you are anywhere close to my age (60) you may be shocked at how long the list has become. Here it is:

Hepatitis-B vaccine: 3 doses
Hib vaccine: 4 doses
Polio vaccine: 4 doses
DPT (3 vaccines) 6 doses
Pneumococcal vaccine: 4 doses
Rotavirus vaccine: 3 doses
Hepatitis A vaccine: 2 doses
Influenza vaccine: 2 doses, and then annually for life
MMR (3 vaccines): 2 doses
Varicella vaccine: 2 doses
Meningococcal vaccine: 1 dose, age 11
HPV vaccine (girls only): 3 doses, starting age 11

Makes your head spin, doesn’t it? I wonder if they have a vaccine for that.

You’ve probably heard the clamor about the mercury-laced preservative thimerosal, which is still being used in flu vaccine. I won’t go into it here, but the issue of vaccine safety goes far beyond thimerosal. In fact, I can’t possibly discuss all the safety issues involved with vaccines – it would take a book. However, I want to point out that no double-blind, controlled studies of vaccines are ever done. They refuse to do it, claiming it would be “unethical.”

Dr. Amy Tuteur, a Harvard-trained OB/GYN, has the nerve to compare hypothetical controlled studies of vaccines with hypothetical controlled studies of car seats using real babies. But, that’s ridiculous! The risks to the unrestrained child are obvious, self-evident, and dictated by the laws of physics, which are immutable. The effectiveness of the car seat can be determined using dummies, as in crash tests for cars. The only thing you need the baby for is to determine whether he or she can unfasten the restraints, which can be tested in a non-moving vehicle.

With a new vaccine, there are a lot of unknowns. You do not know which group is at greater risk – the vaccinated or the unvaccinated – and to say otherwise is to presume the outcome that you’re testing for. And the risk to the unvaccinated child is simply the risk of being alive, which every child faces. Being exposed to microbes is a “usual” risk in life – it is part and parcel of life. In contrast, the “unusual” risk is being borne entirely by those children getting the new vaccine. To say that denying any child the rotovirus vaccine would be “unethical” is rank hubris. Some countries don’t vaccinate for rotovirus as it is. And what belies their sanctimonious bluster is that they refuse to do any kind of comparative testing of vaccines. Forget the double-blindedness. It’s not as though there is no value in doing an open comparison.

For instance, only 20 percent of Americans chose to take the swine flu vaccine, which means that it would have been very easy to do a large comparative study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated. It would not have involved denying anyone a swine flu shot who wanted one. Of course, they would have had to “control” for everything else as diligently as possible, but that would be as feasible with vaccines as it with drugs and supplements. The same rules would apply. And to those who say that without placebo controls, it’s meaningless, I say poppycock. If there is a placebo effect at all, it accrues to those getting the vaccine. There’s no placebo effect from doing nothing. So, their dog in the fight would, if anything, be bolstered from it, not hampered. And what if, despite that advantage to the vaccinated, the unvaccinated fared as well or better? I sense that’s what they’re really afraid of. They claim that over 10,000 Americans died from the swine flu, but they never revealed what percentage of them were vaccinated. Don’t you think that is an important piece of data we could all use? Talk about withholding evidence. Vaccination is seeming more and more like another example of “crony science” like Evolution and Global Warming.

Now that national health care is upon us, I fear that it will be harder than ever to get children exempted from scheduled vaccinations. And I am sure that no amount of vaccine failures and fiascos, including the recent swine flu fiasco, in which doctors were ordered to diagnose swine flu automatically to prop up the numbers, will alter the course towards more and more vaccines.

I had only one child, a son, who is now a robust, healthy 36-year-old man, and his mother and I never subjected him to any vaccinations – NADA! – and he never developed any diseases for which others are vaccinated. There were absolutely no bad repercussions from that decision, and I would do it again just that way if given the chance. I realize that readers of this forum probably differ widely in their opinions about vaccinations. But everyone here (unless you are a spy) should be able to agree that the government has no right – under any circumstances – to inject anything into anyone’s body, or their children’s bodies, against their will.

Conclusions and Premises Debated as Big Study’s Release Nears

Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup

Posted by Dr. Mercola | March 30 2010 | 147,318 views

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Cleansing and detoxification are normal functions of the body. We have specific systems to get rid of unwanted material and toxins in the body. Further, one can use techniques and methods of cleansing which have stimulus agents in them to help remove toxic material. Because of the denatured cooked food that we eat which does not contain enzymes and has no life force, we carry mucus, toxins, pathogens and congestion in the intestines and body. The main cause is known as hardened mucoid fecal matter, and is the reason for many diseases.

There are many cleansing methods and techniques from many sources that all have the right idea in principle. Yet, most are only a temporary patch to a very sad affair-the deteriorating condition of our bodies. I have personally tried many of them, getting marginal results with most. Fasting is one good method to help rid the body of toxins for a time. Of course, a change in lifestyle is called for to maintain a healthy and clean inner terrain.

There are specific therapies to help detoxify the different systems, including:

•           fasting;

•           water fasting;

•           special diets;

•           colon therapy, enemas;

•           herbal therapy;

•           lymphatic drainage therapy; and

•           specific organ cleansing tinctures, homeopathic.

Parasite contamination

Food is the number one reason for the body’s aging process. It is a poison to the system, thwarting the ability of the body to operate at optimum condition and bringing it to a minimal basic function. There is a hierarchy of food types and ways of eating.  When living in a culture of death, food is the king and ruler of all addictions. Food is the single most powerful addiction that is dumbing our culture. Our belief in and need to consume food “to stay alive” is deeply entrenched inside of us. One of the main problems that arises from eating food is that the food we eat is being shared with parasites inside of us. Parasitic problems in humans create a “symbiotic” relationship with this lower form of life inside our organs and these parasites persist because we are feeding them.

We contract parasites in a number of ways, and they remain there because we feed them with our bad habits. They become accustomed to our way of life—drinking alcohol; eating and craving sweets and carbohydrates; taking medicines and vitamins; and eating all types of food. They become so addicted to food and smell, that they have their own cravings and addiction to food. They happily feed off of what we ingest and demand more, thus creating our own internal craving for more of these toxins. This relationship with bacteria, worms, fungus and virus is totally needless and destructive to the entire body. These suckers of energy drain the body on all levels of activity. When the body becomes host to parasites, the body loses the integrity of the digestive system, and sooner or later, other major organ systems start to dysfunction.

Parasites thrive in a acidic, imbalanced and fermented environment. They live and flourish in groups and most have their own territory and do not mingle with other species or types. Parasites, fungus and bacteria thrive in, and are immune to toxicity in the body. They can mutate and create a new breed of microbe, making themselves all the more resilient. It is ironic that the body is decaying but the parasites are flourishing. In our culture we allow this to happen through diet, pets in the home and victim attitudes.

Most people are good hosts to parasites and lack the awareness of their existence, or the knowledge of how to clear them. In my opinion, this is the most disgusting, decaying energy we can carry around with us and sleep with. Individuals that are hosts most likely have a contractual agreement with the various parasites inside them. It is difficult to cleanse/clear out the parasite unless the agreement is voided or broken in advance. Parasite hosts carry with them the negative energies of decay and influence the energetic matrix of other individuals around them who they come into contact with. Each parasite has its’ own frequency and during infestation, the carrier host can live and behave in a parasitic mode of action.

It is very important to clear parasites out of our energetic and physical matrix—it is not ok to be a host, it will lower the entire vibration of the body. There is not enough awareness in the medical world to eliminate parasites. They try only to kill the pathogen, not remedy the cause.

One must change their internal environment and pH balance through diet and cleansing, not just take a pill to kill the creature. The best method I have found which works well to control parasites is to starve them to extinction. For persons living on light, parasites will not be an issue to deal with. The inner terrain of the body will not accommodate parasitic conditions.

“Bring more love inward to your body, it is the  containare that hold all of your parts together. It is the most cherished possession you’ll ever have and own”.  Mony Vital

Laugh if you want (though you’ll benefit your brain more if you smile), but in my professional opinion, yawning is one of the best-kept secrets in neuroscience. Even my colleagues who are researching meditation, relaxation, and stress reduction at other universities have overlooked this powerful neural-enhancing tool. However, yawning has been used for many decades in voice therapy as an effective means for reducing performance anxiety and hypertension in the throat.

Several recent brain-scan studies have shown that yawning evokes a unique neural activity in the areas of the brain that are directly involved in generating social awareness and creating feelings of empathy. One of those areas is the precuneus, a tiny structure hidden within the folds of the parietal lobe. According to researchers at the Institute of Neurology in London, the precuneus appears to play a central role in consciousness, self-reflection, and memory retrieval. The precuneus is also stimulated by yogic breathing, which helps explain why different forms of meditation contribute to an increased sense of self-awareness. It is also one of the areas hardest hit by age-related diseases and attention deficit problems, so it’s possible that deliberate yawning may actually strengthen this important part of the brain.

For these reasons I believe that yawning should be integrated into exercise and stress reduction programs, cognitive and memory enhancement training, psychotherapy, and contemplative spiritual practice. And, because the precuneus has recently been associated with the mirror-neuron system in the brain (which allows us to resonate to the feelings and behaviors of others), yawning may even help us to enhance social awareness, compassion, and effective communication with others.

Why am I so insistent? Because if I were to ask you to put this magazine down right now and yawn 10 times to experience this fabulous technique, you probably won’t do it. Even at seminars, after presenting the overwhelmingly positive evidence, when I ask people to yawn, half of the audience will hesitate. I have to coax them so they can feel the immediate relaxing effects. There’s an unexplained stigma in our society implying that it’s rude to yawn, and most of us were taught this when we were young.

As a young medical student, I was once “caught” yawning and actually scolded by my professor. He said that it was inappropriate to appear tired in front of patients, even though I was actually standing in a hallway outside of the patient’s room. Indeed, yawning does increase when you’re tired, and it may be the brain’s way of gently telling you that a little rejuvenating sleep is needed. On the other hand, exposure to light will also make you yawn, suggesting that it is part of the process of waking up.

But yawning doesn’t just relax you—it quickly brings you into a heightened state of cognitive awareness. Students yawn in class, not because the teacher is boring (although that will make you yawn as well, as you try to stay focused on the monotonous speech), but because it rids the brain of sleepiness, thus helping you stay focused on important concepts and ideas. It regulates consciousness and our sense of self, and helps us become more introspective and self-aware. Of course, if you happen to find yourself trapped in a room with a dull, boring, monotonous teacher, yawning will help keep you awake.

Yawning will relax you and bring you into a state of alertness faster than any other meditation technique I know of, and because it is neurologically contagious, it’s particularly easy to teach in a group setting. One of my former students used yawning to bring her argumentative board of directors back to order in less than 60 seconds. Why? Because it helps people synchronize their behavior with others.

Yawning, as a mechanism for alertness, begins within the first 20 weeks after conception. It helps regulate the circadian rhythms of newborns, and this adds to the evidence that yawning is involved in the regulation of wakefulness and sleep. Since circadian rhythms become asynchronous when a person’s normal sleep cycle is disturbed, yawning should help the late-night partygoer reset the brain’s internal clock. Yawning may also ward off the effects of jet lag and ease the discomfort caused by high altitudes.

So what is the underlying mechanism that makes yawning such an essential tool? Besides activating the precuneus, it regulates the temperature and metabolism of your brain. It takes a lot of neural energy to stay consciously alert, and as you work your way up the evolutionary ladder, brains become less energy efficient. Yawning probably evolved as a way to cool down the overly active mammalian brain, especially in the areas of the frontal lobe. Some have even argued that it is a primitive form of empathy. Most vertebrates yawn, but it is only contagious among humans, great apes, macaque monkeys, and chimpanzees. In fact, it’s so contagious for humans that even reading about it will cause a person to yawn.

Dogs yawn before attacking, Olympic athletes yawn before performing, and fish yawn before they change activities. Evidence even exists that yawning helps individuals on military assignment perform their tasks with greater accuracy and ease. Indeed, yawning may be one of the most important mechanisms for regulating the survival-related behaviors in mammals. So if you want to maintain an optimally healthy brain, it is essential that you yawn. It is true that excessive yawning can be a sign that an underlying neurological disorder (such as migraine, multiple sclerosis, stroke, or drug reaction) is occurring. However, I and other researchers suspect that yawning may be the brain’s attempt to eliminate symptoms by readjusting neural functioning.

Numerous neurochemicals are involved in the yawning experience, including dopamine, which activates oxytocin production in your hypothalamus and hippocampus, areas essential for memory recall, voluntary control, and temperature regulation. These neurotransmitters regulate pleasure, sensuality, and relationship bonding between individuals, so if you want to enhance your intimacy and stay together, then yawn together. Other neurochemicals and molecules involved with yawning include acetylcholine, nitric oxide, glutamate, GABA, serotonin, ACTH, MSH, sexual hormones, and opium derivate peptides. In fact, it’s hard to find another activity that positively influences so many functions of the brain.

My advice is simple. Yawn as many times a day as possible: when you wake up, when you’re confronting a difficult problem at work, when you prepare to go to sleep, and whenever you feel anger, anxiety, or stress. Yawn before giving an important talk, yawn before you take a test, and yawn while you meditate or pray because it will intensify your spiritual experience.

Conscious yawning takes a little practice and discipline to get over the unconscious social inhibitions, but people often come up with three other excuses not to yawn: “I don’t feel like it,” “I’m not tired,” and my favorite, “I can’t.” Of course you can. All you have to do to trigger a deep yawn is to fake it six or seven times. Try it right now, and you should discover by the fifth false yawn, a real one will begin to emerge. But don’t stop there, because by the tenth or twelfth yawn, you’ll feel the power of this seductive little trick. Your eyes may start watering and your nose may begin to run, but you’ll also feel utterly present, incredibly relaxed, and highly alert. Not bad for something that takes less than a minute to do. And if you find that you can’t stop yawning—I’ve seen some people yawn for thirty minutes—you’ll know that you’ve been depriving yourself of an important neurological treat.