ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CAN BE MANAGED

ALZHEIMER’S disease, which has affected 60,000 Malaysians, is on the rise.

There is a serious need for mental tests that will help with early detection of the disease and reduce the number of cases, says Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM)’s Executive Committee Vice-Chairman, Ong Eng Joo.

Ong said the lack of awareness is to blame for the increasing numbers.

“The detection rate in Malaysia is very low. There are tests that can be done to detect Alzheimer’s cases such as MMSE (Mini Mental State Exam) test. “

Despite intensive research in recent years, the disease is still not yet fully understood and there is still no known cure.

People with Alzheimer’s, or “the long goodbye” as it is also called, suffer a decline of mental functions, which eventually interfere with the patient’s normal daily activities.

Over time, Alzheimer’s patients lose their ability to perform even the most basic tasks like brushing teeth, putting on clothes and bathing. The ability to walk and talk may be lost as well.

Ong said people were living longer, thanks to advances in medicine, but this posed other problems.

“A longer life span increases our ageing population. People are living longer, increasing the rate of Alzheimer’s exponentially.”

“Those most at risk of developing Alzheimer’s are the elderly, and the risk increases with age. According to worldwide statistics, one in 20 of those aged 65 and above have Alzheimer’s.”

“But, among those aged 80 and above, one in five have Alzheimer’s.”

There is also a small group of people who develop what is called “early onset Alzheimer’s” from as young as their late 30s or 40s.

Ong said the increase in Alzheimer’s cases also affected the lives of some 250,000 caregivers.

“Sadly, there are only three daycare facilities in the country that provide relief for caregivers,” he said.

“Ideally, we should have one daycare centre in each state to cater for the increasing ageing population.”

“But this can get very expensive. Getting staff is the biggest problem as it’s important that the patients don’t wander off.”

ADFM Patron, Puan Sri Wendy Ong said many Malaysians were still unclear on the reality of Alzheimer’s.

“Lack of awareness and understanding has led to continuous suffering for those affected as they often lack the required care and assistance.”

Hospital Kuala Lumpur Geriatric Unit Head, Dr Lee Fatt Soon believed a lot of people made the common mistake of attributing Alzheimer’s as natural consequence of ageing.

“It is a progressive disease which attacks the brain, causing impaired memory, thinking behaviour and functional activity.”

“We need to communicate the message that the disease can be better managed through early diagnosis and intervention, thereby leading to better quality lives for patients,caregivers and their family.”

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. It is not part of normal ageing but involves the progressive loss of brain nerve cells.

At present, 18 million people worldwide have the disease. It is predicted that by 2020, 34 million will have Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s will be recognized globally tomorrow, with the theme “Diagnosing Dementia: See It Sooner”, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis.

(Source: The Sunday Times, September 20, 2009 – www.nst.com.my)

HOW OUR BODIES AGE AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

Source: Washingtonpost.com
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/12/04/GR2006120400761.html

Aging is the natural wear and tear of the body’s component parts. It’s inevitable, and endlessly intriguing. While many age-related changes cannot be prevented, a lifestyle that includes exercise and a well-balanced diet will slow or minimize many problems related to aging.

FACTS ON HONEY AND CINNAMON

It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a ‘Ram Ban’ (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases.

Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon of honey and half teaspoon of cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ‘ ingredient’ which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible . Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. When the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH:
People of South America, first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS:
Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restore hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

FIGHT CATARACTS WITH ANTIOXIDANTS

Cataracts can occur at any age, but they are most common later in life.

Recent research reported in the Archives of Ophthalmology reveals that women who eat lots of yellow or dark leafy vegetables which contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin compounds and consume more vitamin E from foods and supplements may have a lower risk of developing cataracts than those who consume lower amounts of these antioxidants.

Researchers analyzed dietary information from almost 36,000 women in the Women’s Health Study. During the study, 2,031 developed cataracts. Those with the highest intake of lutein-zeaxanthin were 18% less likely to develop cataracts than those with the lowest intake.

Vitamin E lowered cataract risk by 14% in those who had the highest intake. However, results from other studies of vitamin E have been mixed, and findings from five randomized, controlled trials yielded little evidence that the vitamin is protective. Vitamin C did not appear to lower risk in this study, but results from other investigations also have been mixed.

Evidence that nutrient intake can help prevent cataracts is weak and inconsistent. And more studies are needed before scientists can recommend supplement use. However, enjoying foods that contain lutein and zeaxanthin (spinach and other leafy greens as well as egg yolks) and vitamin E (leafy greens, nuts, and vegetable oils) won’t hurt your eyes and is a boon to your overall health.

(Source: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts, September 2009)

21 September ‘09 World Alzheimer’s Day – DON’T YOU FORGET

21 September is World Alzheimer’s Day. Find out what you can do to make it count.

THIS year’s flurry of educational events held in conjunction with World Alzheimer’s Day will take place in over 50 countries and focus on “Diagnosing Dementia: See It Sooner”.

This month’s Art4Health piece was created by Malaysian Art Director, Walter Teoh in support of World Alzheimer’s Day 2009. It illustrates how the memory loss and inability to mentally process information an Alzheimer’s patient experiences can make him feel like he is slowly losing the bits and pieces that make him.

Why is early detection important? Because Alzheimer’s is incurable, but appropriate care and medical treatment can slow its progression and improve patient quality of life.

The sooner it’s detected, the sooner intervention can take place, and the better the outcome for patients, caregivers, and the community at large.

FAST FACTS

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia (the loss of control of conscious mental processes) among older people, but it is not part of the normal ageing process.

In Alzheimer’s, nerve cells in the brain progressively die. At the same time, the brain produces less of the chemicals that allow nerves to communicate with each other.

As the parts of the brain typically affected first are those that store and retrieve new information, memory is usually affected first.

Early stage patients may also experience difficulty in finding the right words and mood swings. Don’t dismiss these symptoms as part and parcel of old age!

Later stage patients may suffer deeper lapses of memory and have difficulty understanding what they’re told. They may forget daily living skills, undergo personality changes, or appear indifferent to those around them.

Advanced stage patients may become unable to speak, walk, and eat independently. Some lose their sense of time and place, and may wander off with no idea where they’re headed or recollection of how they got there. Some lose their inhibitions and sense of propriety, and may undress in public or make inappropriate sexual advances.

Take a minute to visit www.globalcharter.org/film and watch A Cup of Tea, a (very) short film produced by Alzheimer’s Disease International.

Some drugs can slow disease progression and alleviate symptoms like depression, paranoia, insomnia, and hallucinations. But loving care, patience, understanding, and a safe, stable environment are what a patient needs most.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Attend a talk, like any of those listed in Events, to learn more.
Watch A Cup of Tea, a (very) short film produced by Alzheimer’s Disease International at www.globalcharter.org/film.

Contribute to Alzheimer’s care. For example, at the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) two centres, RM30/day pays one person’s way, covering meals, daily activities, staff salaries, and maintenance. To find out how you can help, contact ADFM Secretariat at Tel: 603-7956 2008 / 7958 3008 or Email: adfmsec@streamyx.com.

Sign the Global Alzheimer’s Disease Charter if you feel all governments should promote awareness and understanding of Alzheimer’s; respect the human rights of people with the disease; recognise caregivers; provide patient access to health and social care; stress the importance of optimal treatment after diagnosis; and increase prevention by improving public health.

(Source: Sunday Star, September 6, 2009 at http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2009/9/6/health/4641611.asp&sec=health)

DEPRESSION’S EFFECT ON IMMUNE SYSTEM MAY WORSEN CANCER

Women with breast cancer and depression are at higher risk of cancer recurrence and early death than breast cancer patients without depression, recent research shows. Now, Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have found evidence that the reason could be the psychiatric disorder’s effects on immune cells.

The new study found that the more symptoms of depression exhibited by women with metastatic breast cancer, the less intense their immune responses were to seven common bacteria, fungi and yeasts. The researchers also found that patients with more cortisol, an immune-suppressing hormone released at high levels during chronic stress and depression, did not respond to as many of the immune-irritating substances than did women with lower cortisol levels.

“This tells us stress and depression may impair a cancer patient’s body’s ability to fight off infection and potentially to deal with the progression of the disease,” said David Spiegel, MD, the Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson professor and associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Spiegel is the senior author of the study, now available online in advance of its print publication in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

Between 15 and 25 percent of cancer patients experience major depression, marked by feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, fatigue and loss of interest in daily life. Depression may make cancer patients’ prognosis worse: Studies have shown that higher levels of depression correlate with faster tumor growth, and Spiegel and others have found evidence that women with some types of cancer live longer if they participate in support groups designed to reduce emotional problems. Multiple studies have shown that people with depression have higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which acts on the immune system. And earlier studies found that abnormal patterns of cortisol levels throughout the day predicted early mortality years later in women with metastatic breast cancer. Those studies prompted Spiegel and other researchers to wonder if elevated cortisol caused by depression disrupts the immune system and leaves patients vulnerable to both their tumors and outside infection.

To investigate the link between depression and disease process, Spiegel and his colleagues focused on depressive symptoms, cortisol and cell-mediated immunity in 72 women with metastatic breast cancer. Cell-mediated immunity is the deployment of pathogen-killing immune cells to wounds or infected areas.

First, the women completed questionnaires detailing any depression symptoms, and collected samples of their saliva using cotton swabs four times a day for three days. The researchers analyzed those samples for cortisol levels. They then asked the women to take a test in which harmless fragments of infectious agents like the tetanus bacterium and candida yeast were injected just under the skin of their forearms. Only common agents, or antigens, were used, so most women would have been previously exposed and their immune systems primed to react to the latest invasion with a flood of immune cells. Two days later, researchers measured the sites of the injection for swelling, a sign that the immune cells had responded to the antigens and were present.

The results showed that women with lower total cortisol levels responded to almost twice as many antigens as their high-cortisol counterparts. And though they didn’t see a significant correlation between depression scores and cortisol levels, the researchers found that those with low depression scores had an average diameter of about 5 millimeters of swelling at their injection sites. For those with high depression scores, the average diameter was closer to 3 millimeters.

The results leave a lot of questions, but they do suggest that both cortisol and depression suppress cellular immune response. Some of the suppressed cells are known cancer-fighters, Spiegel said. Though the depression and high cortisol link wasn’t strong in this study, Spiegel noted that there was a relationship between high morning levels of cortisol and depression, suggesting that the hormone was dysregulated in depressed patients.

“What the investigators at Stanford have done is begin to identify the mechanisms for the relationship between depression and a worse outcome in cancer,” said Emory University School of Medicine psychiatrist Andrew Miller, MD, who also directs a psychiatric oncology program in Atlanta and was not involved in the Stanford study. However, he cautioned, there is still controversy in the field over whether cortisol acts directly to suppress immune cells or whether other mechanisms, such as inflammation, play a role.

More research will need to be done to tease out the role of cortisol in cancer prognosis. But the findings underscore the importance of treating not only the physical, but the psychological needs of cancer patients, said Spiegel, who is also a member of Stanford’s Cancer Center.

(Source: HealthNewsDigest.com, August 24, 2009)

STAND BY HER – A BREAST CANCER GUIDE FOR MEN

Every three minutes somewhere in the United States, a woman is told she has breast cancer. That translates into one in every eight American women – or over 184,000 women in 2008. There are thousands of resources, Web sites, and support groups available to help these women deal with every aspect of this devastating disease. Roughly every three minutes somewhere in the United States, a man is told that a woman he loves has breast cancer. Most often, these men are left to figure out how to help their wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, colleague, or friend – not to mention how to deal with their own fears and frustrations – alone.

John W. Anderson remembers the moment he was told that his wife, Sharon, had breast cancer. He remembers, twenty years earlier, the moment he was told that his mother, Anne, had breast cancer. He also remembers the moments he learned that his sister, Mary, and his mother’s best friend, Caryl, had breast cancer. After being there for four women, he set out to ease the journey for every man who wants to be there for a woman he cherishes when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. In STAND BY HER: A Breast Cancer Guide for Men (AMACOM; October 2, 2009; $18.95 Paperback), Anderson offers strategies and support on the countless medical and emotional minefields men face, every day, as husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, nephews, cousins, colleagues, and friends of breast cancer patients.

“You are about to be initiated into an exclusive men’s club, a group millions strong of men who have travelled the difficult journey you are about to undertake,” Anderson tells his readers upfront. “Welcome to the Stand by Her Brotherhood.”

Written exclusively for men, STAND BY HER talks directly to men about their own gut reactions and overwhelming anxieties, as well as about what to expect from their loved one and her disease. Throughout, Anderson combines personal anecdotes and accounts from other men who have been there with expert advice on medical, psychological, family relationship, sexual, and financial issues. Each chapter focuses on a stage in the breast cancer process, framed with its own unique color to symbolize what the reader is feeling and will face.

Starting with the dreaded moment of diagnosis, when the world goes black, STAND BY HER walks with men through every step in becoming an invaluable caregiver and ally in their loved one’s breast cancer battles. Among many common experiences and challenges, men will find critical information and reassuring insights into:

- Understanding the specific nature and aggressiveness of her breast cancer and preparing for what might happen to her breast, her entire body, her personality, and your relationship.

- Assembling her army of caring and accomplished medical professionals, from a trusted oncologist to radiologists and surgeons, and supporting her choice of treatment.

- Creating her personal “corps” of supportive, uplifting family members and friends…and respecting her need for time with just other women and just by herself.

- Helping her recover from surgery and through the ordeal of chemotherapy, with practical tips on coping with the loss of her appetite, her hair, her attention span, and her sex drive.

- Maintaining a sense of normalcy in everyday life and making her feel beautiful, desirable, and perfectly capable of making decisions about her home, her career, her family, and her health.

- Celebrating each year of remission with a gratitude party, surviving the blow of a recurrence, and preparing, emotionally and practically, when the prognosis is bleak.

Featuring an extensive list of Web resources for patients and caregivers, STAND BY HER is the book that millions of husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, and friends have been longing for. By acknowledging their widely overlooked emotional pain and sense of helplessness, John Anderson empowers men to fight breast cancer, right beside the courageous women in their lives.

(Source: HealthNewsDigest.com, September 2nd, 2009)

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGNITY

Kindness, humanity, and respect should complement the diagnostic and management skills of doctors.

A 66-year-old lady lies on a bed and is in pain. She has cancer of the colon but hasn’t been told her diagnosis. She is confused and asks for help …

A 53-year-old man with lung cancer is feeling weaker and worst despite the doctors saying that the cancer is responding to treatment. Shouldn’t the treatment ease his suffering …?

Patients who are ill do need to be treated, not just with the right medicine, but with the right dose of humanity. – AFP

A 72-year-old lady with end stage renal failure is told that further dialysis would be difficult. What else could be offered to her?

In dealing with hordes of patients, a doctor may feel overwhelmed to provide the best care to every patient. There is a need to assess the symptoms and signs of disease, investigate, diagnose, and then treat. The aim as many doctors would say, is to cure, and if that is not possible, to prolong life.

Medical training, though perceived to be thorough as many academics would imply, is simply filled with mainly factual knowledge about disease. The changing and challenging face of modern medicine is led by technological advances and soft skills are left behind. Diseases of course, do not ask questions, but patients and people do.

Eric Cassels, in his landmark paper in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1987, argued that to be able to treat patients, one must be able to recognize suffering. Suffering is experienced by persons, not diseases, and to recognize and assess suffering, one must understand the person, which includes personality, past experiences, and a distinct soul.

The word patient comes from the Latin “patients” meaning to endure, bear and suffer due to illness. With illness, many patients “learn” to relinquish autonomy in the hope of a better outcome. As a consequence, some patients lose not simply their autonomy, but also their person-hood, wants, hopes, and simply becomes an object on a bed or a number in a waiting room.

Their alleviation of suffering is then entrusted to a doctor who they hope will listen, understand, and hopefully change despair to hope.

Kindness, humanity, and respect should still be the core values of modern medicine. These should complement the diagnostic and management skills of doctors. Yet recently we hear that the Ministry of Health attracted the 5th highest complaints amongst government departments. Patients who are ill do need to be treated, not just with the right medicine, but with the right dose of humanity. Not doing so leads the patient to feel uncared and unwanted, and to feel that he is a burden to others.

The concept of a dignity-conserving care is becoming increasingly important in palliative care and hopefully in all health-care settings.

In July 2007, the British Medical Journal published a paper by Professor Harvey Chochinov, which addresses the need to recognize the importance of bringing dignity into the clinical domain. Doctors are familiar with the ABCD mnemonic in cardiopulmonary resuscitation being airway, breathing, circulation, and drugs.

Professor Chochinov argues that similarly that Attitude, Behaviour, Compassion, and Dialogue are similarly important, especially in dealing with patients with advanced illness. It should also be second nature to doctors providing care.

Some doctors may certainly feel that taking a pulse, blood pressure and investigating with blood tests, X-rays, etc will provide them the most important information about a patient. Some may ask a little … about pain and lumps and so forth.

Very few will ask what all this means to a patient, as it then starts to unravel the aspects of suffering, which is not simply a physical domain. When a patient questions a doctor, they are often “treated” to more tests or treatment when perhaps a simple clarification is often needed. The non-physical domains of illness, although an integral part of the patients’ experience, is often dismissed by doctors as simply “not medicine”.

Dignity is shown when we give respect to the patient by listening to his needs, by listening, by being committed, by remembering his name, his story, by keeping promises, by giving him space to express not just his words, but his emotions and angst.

Dignity is shown by discussing therapeutic options and respecting patients’ choice and not being paternalistic. And much more … It is about respecting noble human values in an era where we are now constantly arguing about human rights.

Palliative medicine is one medical specialty where a doctor is trained to look into all facets of suffering and outcomes are framed with consideration for the patients’ dignity and values. Life and death is simply a continuous spectrum and an appropriate management of such patients will simply address what is important.

Drugs and machines have their roles but the role of a therapeutic human encounter with a caring person is perhaps the most valuable. Who do you want to be with you when you are at your most vulnerable? Life will look after itself, as we will all come to know.

In the age where Malaysia wants to be a developed nation by 2020, could we hope that we at least are civilized enough to treat each other with dignity? It is a privilege to care for others. The vocation of medicine needs to reignited.

(Source: By Dr Ednin Hamzah, Sunday Star, September 6, 2009 at: thestar.com.my/health)

SEE THE GOOD IN PEOPLE AND HELP THEM

There is always something good in people.

MY BELIEF not being faultless myself, I choose to focus on the good in people.

By seeing the good qualities in people, I am motivated to be of service to them and giving them value. I strive at complete harmony with my thought, word and deed.

Overtime, I gain a deeper understanding of myself and the world.

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

THE SEED

Hi Visitors,

Beautiful piece of proverb from a friend. Would like to share with you how this originated from the story below.

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

THE SEED
In the Far East the emperor was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor.
Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided to do something different.

He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you.”

The children were shocked, but the emperor continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today – one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor.”

One boy, named Ling, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it, carefully. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Ling didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by – still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.

Ling told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But his mother asked him to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick at his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other children laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, “Hey, nice try.”

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people.

Ling just tried to hide in the back.

“My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the emperor. “Today one of you will be appointed the next emperor!”

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. He thought, “The emperor knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!”

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. “My name is Ling,” he replied.

All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.

He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, “Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!”
Ling couldn’t believe it. Ling couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds that would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!”

So be careful what you plant, now; it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.
The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better for you or for the ones who will come after you.
Someday you will enjoy the fruits or you will pay for the choices you make.

Two thousand years ago someone else told the same story with fewer words, “What you sow, so shall you reap”.