I'm having trouble comprehending why Hippocrates (460 - 377 BC)
would be concerned with keeping physicians from digging deep
into the center of the human brain to remove 'sand' from inside
the pineal gland. 2400 years ago, what were they doing that for ?
Was this the origin of the ancient 'trepanned skulls' ?
Brain surgery was done in the Stone Age
The Lancet, Volume 351, Number 9119, 20 June 1998
An examination of Neolithic skulls in Germany has revealed more
about the Stone Age practice of trepanning, while deepening the
mystery about why the surgery was done. [....] Trepanning,
they said at the German Association of Neurosurgeons' meeting
in Hanover (June 12-16), was only done on undamaged skulls,
indicating that it was not an exploratory operation on accidental
wounds.... But what was the motive behind the operations?
Early medicine was linked to religion.....
Some interesting / assorted details:
....the Blood-Brain Barrier does NOT exist at certain sites in
the brain, including the pituitary gland and the pineal gland....
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Tissue calcification is strongly connected with the aging process.
Calcification of the pineal gland begins before puberty, is well
established in early adulthood, and is so advanced in middle age
that it is used as a reference location in x-rays and CAT scans.
In terms of calcification, the pineal gland leads the rest of the
body in the aging process. It is possible that some of the
therapeutic benefits of chelation therapy may be due to its
removal of calcium from the pineal gland.
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The Definitive Melatonin Reference Page
Melatonin and Calcification:
http://avsunxsvr.aeiveos.com/diet/melatonin/mlref/
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In the days when philosophical speculation was more acceptable
to The Church than scientific investigation, Descartes, the
mathematician and philosopher suggested that The Pineal Eye was
the seat of the soul. Had Descartes known that the Pineal was
involved in sexual development, circadian rhythms and seasonal
migrations he may have embellished his speculations with more
details.
========
from:
Using Sunlight to Sustain Life
by Raymond Peat, Ph.D., Ray Peat's Newsletter
Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, June 1996, Page 83 - 85
Many health food stores are now selling melatonin, to reduce sleep
and "prevent cancer." They have taken some information out of
context, and don't realize how dangerous melatonin is. It makes
the brain sluggish, causes the sex organs to shrink, and damages
immunity by shrinking the thymus gland. It is the hormone of
darkness and winter, and is produced in the pineal gland by any
stress which increases adrenalin. Adequate sun light suppresses
the formation of melatonin.
Melatonin, or pineal hormone: the pineal gland in the brain
responds to an absence of light (or to any stress which increases
the adrenalin systems) by secreting a hormone called melatonin,
which lightens the skin, makes the brain sluggish, turns off
thyroid and progesterone production, and suppresses immunity and
fertility.
========
from:
TRYPTAMINE CARRIERS
by Petrus.Pennanen@helsinki.fi
http://www.crl.com/~tzimon/General/psychotr.txt
Self-Synthesis of DMT Derivatives
Tryptamine derivatives and beta-Carbolines have been detected
as endogenous metabolites in mammals, including humans. [....]
In the pineal gland MAO is the primary inactivation pathway of
serotonin, a neurotransmitter synthesized from the amino acid
tryptophan. If MAO is blocked by harmine, harmaline or other
MAO inhibitors, serotonin can be converted by the
methyltransferase enzymes .... into psychedelic tryptamines
(serotonin --(HIOMT)--> 5-MeO-trypt. --(2*INMT)--> 5-MeO-DMT).
A potent inhibitor of INMT, which is a necessary enzyme for the
synthesis of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, is found in particularly high
concentrations in the pineal gland. A bypassing or inhibition
of the synthesis of this inhibitor might be responsible for
trances and other psychedelic states achieved "without drugs"
(Strassman 1990). See Strassman's article for more info and
speculation about the pineal gland.
--Strassman, R.J. 1990. The Pineal Gland: Current Evidence For
Its Role In Consciousness. In: Lyttle, T. (Ed.) Psychedelic
Monographs and Essays Vol 5.