CHRISTMAS TIME

Since about 400 AD, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus. 'Christ' means 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One' - the title given to Jesus - and 'Mass' was a religious festival.

But the real Christmas story is found in the Christian Bible. It is told in two different books: Matthew and Luke chapters 1 and 2.
These chapters tell how Jesus was born as a baby to Mary. This was no ordinary birth! She was not married, she was a virgin, (yes, really!) and an angel had told her she would bear a special baby. Her husband-to-be, Joseph, did not believe her at first. Who would? Then an angel told him in a dream that it was true! Probably no one else believed it. So when they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem (near Jerusalem), to register their names with the ruling Roman government, they probably escaped many hard words from other people.

Arrival in Bethlehem brought worry and upset: there was no room for them to stay at the hotel. There was only space in the stable - the animal house for travelers' donkeys and horses.
Jesus was born that night, and as they had no bed for him, they used an animal feeding box filled with the dry grass the animals ate.

The shepherds are frightened

"That night there were some men looking after sheep in the fields nearby. Suddenly they saw a great light. It was an angel, who said, 'Don't be afraid. I have good news for you, and for all people. Someone great has been born today. He is Christ, the great King you have been waiting for. He will save you from all that is wrong and evil. You will find him dressed in baby clothes, lying on a bed of dry grass.'

The story of the wise men

After Jesus was born, wise men came to look for Him, from an area which is now in either Iran or Saudi Arabia. Although they are often called the "Three Kings", the Bible does not say how many there were, or that they were kings. Three is only a guess because they brought with them three gifts.

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

They were certainly men of learning - probably today we would call them philosophers or scientists. They had seen an unusual new star in the sky, and knew that it told of the birth of a special king. (The star they saw was probably an exploding "supernova" and is known from astronomical records.) They followed the direction of the star and eventually found the place where Mary, Joseph and Jesus were staying. To bring honour to the child, they brought rich gifts: gold, frankincense (a resin which burns with a beautiful smell), and myrrh (plant oil with a very strong sweet smell).

These gifts tell us in pictures three key things about Jesus:

Gold: a gift fit for a King
Frankincense: burnt in worship of God
Myrrh: gift to anoint king

SLEEPING BEAUTY and HOMEOPATHY

Adequate sleep is essential for healthy skin & Here’s why:

• During the day, our skin uses its resources to fight environmental assaults.
  
• At night, when you are sleeping, it repairs and renews itself and is especially receptive to moisture
  
• There is research to prove that the body needs at least eight hours of sleep to recover from the day’s activities


• And if you cut back on sleep time, the process of repair remains incomplete, making the skin reflect signs of premature ageing like dryness, dullness, loss of firmness, fine lines and wrinkles.
  

SLEEP LIKE A BABY with Homeopathy...

Arnica:
Good for physical overwork and when the bed feels too hard and uncomfortable. This remedy is also useful for jet lag.

Aconite:
Used for acute insomnia caused by shock, fright, bad news, or grief. Also for fear, anxiety and restlessness May be woken by nightmares.

Chamomilla:
Irritable baby who refuses to be calm…Sleeplessness caused by teething, anger, or Colic.

Coffea:
Coffea, the homeopathic remedy made from the coffee bean, is very useful in cases of sleeplessness when the mind is awake and working.

Kali phos:
Useful for anxiety, irritability, and muscle fatigue. Exhausted by stress or overwork.

DOSAGE: 4 pills - 3 times a day...

HOMEOPATHY- CHANGING TRENDS...

• Today, 100 million people use homeopathy.
• Indian homeopathic market valued at Rs. 630 Crores.
• Homeopathy forms approx. 14% of total alternative
• Annual growth rate: 20-25% (Pharma 10%).
• 125 teaching institutes affiliated to universities.
• France, with over 300 billion euros, is the largest homeopathy market in the world, followed by Germany (200 billion euros).
• Over 2500 homeopathic medicines are prepared from sources such as vegetables, animal, minerals, chemicals, etc. Hence homeopathic remedies with its ultra minute dose are non toxic, absolutely harmless and bring about safe cure.
• All Homeopathic remedies are FDA approved drugs, and are under the same regulations as Allopathic Drugs.
• Approximately 40% of French physicians and 20% of German physicians prescribe homeopathic medicines. Over 40% of British physicians refer patients of homeopaths, and almost 50% of Dutch physicians consider these natural medicines to be effective.
• In Mumbai, 52% of population use Allopathy, while 39% of population use Homoeopathy.
• 10% of the British population consults homeopath physicians.
• 600 doctors practice homeopathy on a regular basis out of 1,300 graduate members of the London School of Homeopathy practicing throughout the world
• Americans spend $48 bn on alternative health therapies including homeopathy.
• Italy 8.2% of all Italians uses homeopathic drugs, which are available in almost half of all pharmacies.
• In Italy 7,000 doctors out of a total of 360,000 prescribe a homeopathic treatment on a regular or occasional basis.
• PakistanOut of 10,000 doctors registered in Pakistan, 4,000 or 5,000 prescribe homeopathy on a regular basis.
  

DECEMBER...

Hello All,

December's flower is the narcissus or holly.

Its birthstones are turquoise, lapis lazuli.

EVENTS THIS DECEMBER:

World AIDS Day (December 1)
Human Rights Day (December 10)
Christmas (December 25)
New Year's Eve (December 31)

WORLD AIDS DAY...

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people. with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million (between 2.8 and 3.6 million) lives in 2005, of which more than half a million (570,000) were children.

The concept of a World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments, international organizations and charities around the world.

From its inception until 2004, UNAIDS spearheaded the World AIDS Day campaign, choosing annual themes in consultation with other global health organizations. In 2005 this responsibility was turned over to World AIDS Campaign (WAC), who chose Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise as the main theme for World AIDS Day observances through 2010, with more specific sub-taglines chosen annually. This theme is not specific to World AIDS Day, but is used year-round in WAC's efforts to highlight HIV/AIDS awareness within the context of other major global events including the G8 Summit. World AIDS Campaign also conducts “in-country” campaigns throughout the world, like the Student Stop AIDS Campaign, an infection-awareness campaign targeting young people throughout the UK.