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From Cells To Self in the Biology Of Belief

hat is the connection between a cell membrane and the human brain? A lot, according to cell biologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton, whose book "The Biology of Belief", details reasons why we can be the creators of our own destiny. A renowned cell biologist and former professor at the University Of Wisconsin Medical School, Bruce Lipton shows precisely how the molecular processes behind the brain's functioning work. In fact, he is the leading authority on the new science of Epigeneticsâ€"the science that sees life to be controlled by factors other than genes. From cells to self, Bruce Lipton compels us to re-think our understanding of empowermentâ€"how much power do we have over our own bodies and over the course of events in our lives? Simply put, he suggests that we are not victims of our genetic blueprint; in fact we have the power to program our own destiny.

In 1997, a California interior designer took part in a clinical trial to test the efficacy of antidepressant drug, Effexor. At the end of the trial period, she reported that the pills had indeed relieved her of the depression which had plagued her for thirty years. She had also experienced nausea, a common side effect of Effexor and the brain scans she received throughout the study also showed changes in the brain that suggest the activity of her prefrontal cortex had been greatly enhanced. Her elation over the antidepressant was understandable until she was told that she had been part of the placebo group. She had not been given the drug at all. So convinced was she of the effects of Effexor that she insisted the researchers re-check their records.

Her case is not unusual. We have known about the placebo effect for years. But what is remarkable is that most of us think of it as something extraordinary when in fact, it is something quite ordinary once we place the biology of belief within dynamics that make us human. Because we have been conditioned by a materialist attitude towards events, we have been programmed culturally to think of such events as "miracles." The "miraculous" is actually a fact in the quantum dynamics of our subatomic universe. And the subatomic world is every bit a part of the atomic world we live in. " We can no longer afford to ignore this fact," writes Bruce Lipton. We can no longer afford to ignore the "miraculous" nature of the body's innate wisdom.

Since Descartes' bias towards mind over matter in the 17th century, Western culture has been split between body and mind. The Romantics of the late 18th and 19th century have attempted to repair that split through poetry and art, but it was not until the 20th century that science caught up with the poets. In "The Biology of Belief", Bruce Lipton confirms what Shelley in 1840 wrote in "A Defense of Poetry,"-- "all things exist as they are perceived, at least in relation to the percipient."

If environmental influences can over-write genetic blueprint in cells, we, as multi-cellular organisms have the power to override our own biology. Lipton makes convincing argument of cell membranes which he sees as "mem-brains" because they function like our brains. The "mem-brains" determine the environmental input that is allowed within the cells and it is this permeability that governs the cell's ability to activate or suppress its genetic code.

Lipton's research has wide implications for usâ€"we have the power to be equally permeable. Rather than being the victims of a genetic destiny, the self can be permeable enough to allow for changes to its biological code. The self is the maker of its own destiny. It's all in the way we think. It's all in the way we nurture our beliefs about our bodies, ourselves, our lives. It's all in the way we tap into the body's wisdom.

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