Dear Readers: Missed an article? Here’s a quick round up of some of our favorites from this month! As always, we look forward to presenting you with up to date news and information about holistic events, health and well being from both the scientific and the spiritual perspectives, nutrition, vegan lifestyles, and more.

This Month’s Recommended Merlian News Articles:

Merryn’s Musings by Merryn Jose
An Alternative Path to Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis

A dear friend of mine suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and I watched her physical decline for years before she sadly passed away in 2013. This was so distressing to me, that when I first saw this TED talk from Dr. Terry Wahls, on her miraculous reversal of this terrible disease, I was enthralled. I immediately wanted to know more and started researching her story. A medical academic at The University of Iowa, Wahls was 45 when she was diagnosed with MS. Her health declined rapidly, and within a few years she was in a wheelchair. In a recent article, she wrote, “Despite taking the newest drug therapies available, by 2007 I was at my worst. I couldn’t even sit in a regular chair for more than 10 minutes because I was so weak. I had brain fog, severe fatigue and it was very hard to walk even a very short distance. It was around that same time, over 10 years ago, that I started reading the basic science about nutrition and MS, and I began experimenting…

Liminal Moments by Cheryl Shainmark
The Booming Market for Meat Alternatives

White Castle and Fat Burger now feature Impossible Burgers, Del Taco has Beyond Meat on the menu, and Burger King is about to roll out a Beyond Meat Whopper. Hard Rock Cafes in Europe carry a veggie burger now, (though you’d have to skip the cheese to make it a vegan meal), and they expect to offer it in their US locations next year. As Phil Shainmark, our columnist for The Unlikely Vegan noted recently, “It’s quite possibly the best time to be a Vegan. There are so many amazing choices and places to go.” Even if you’re not a vegan or a fast food fan, the variety of meat alternatives is great news as many grocery stores and regular restaurants have also added plant based options to meet growing customer demand. According to Market Insider, the $14 billion dollar meat alternative industry is expected to grow to $140 billion over the next decade.

Environment

The Dangers of 5G: the Price for Speed May Be Too High

We all love our technology – texting, streaming movies, playing our music – and we’ve grown addicted to high speeds and smooth transmission. In response to this, telecommunications companies worldwide, with the support of governments, are poised within the next two years to roll out the fifth-generation wireless network (5G). What is less known is what this leap may mean for our bodies and our environment. As Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal (video) highlighted in a recent Congressional hearing, there has been ZERO research from the industry, or the FDA. Worldwide, there have been some limited studies from concerned scientists, and the results are deeply troubling.

Science/Media
UFO Coverage Hits the Mainstream

This week The New York Times reported that two Navy pilots saw “unidentified flying objects” almost daily throughout 2014 into 2015. While the government is not saying that these objects are extraterrestrial in origin, neither do they have an alternative explanation. According to the report, “the objects persisted, showing up at 30,000 feet, 20,000 feet, even sea level. They could accelerate, slow down, and then hit hypersonic speeds.”

Nutrition
A Year Milestone for the Unlikely Vegan by Phil Shainmark

What a year it’s been – or pretty close to a year. I’m not 100% sure I can nail down a solid date. But we’ll call it a year. This Vegan thing has certainly been an adjustment, but now I don’t even think twice about it. And as I go out and do more and more things, I continuously think to myself, “Gods, I’m glad I don’t eat that stuff anymore.” I’ve been to a few new (for me) Vegan restaurants in town. One was VegeNation (S. Eastern Ave. Henderson, NV). The staff were awesome and the food was excellent. I had cauliflower buffalo wings, which I always thought was ridiculous, but it was really tasty.

Website of the Month
www.SaharHuneidi.com

Consciousness
Tarot for Self-Transformation by Sahar Huneidi

During December of last year, I was invited by my friend and colleague, Nathalie Khalaf, to give a short introductory workshop in Dubai on Tarot, before her main workshop on creating vision boards. I looked for a link between the two subject natters to make my introduction relevant to her subject; and it dawned on me it is the visual images of the tarot deck.

Thank you once more, for your positive feed back and support!

Merryn Jose – Editor In Chief & Publisher
Cheryl Shainmark – Senior Editor