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Future Imperative

What if technology were being developed that could enhance your mind or body to extraordinary or even superhuman levels -- and some of these tools were already here? Wouldn't you be curious?

Actually, some are here. But human enhancement is an incredibly broad and compartmentalized field. We’re often unaware of what’s right next door. This site reviews resources and ideas from across the field and makes it easy for readers to find exactly the information they're most interested in.

Name:

The future is coming fast, and it's no longer possible to ignore how rapidly the world is changing. As the old order changes -- or more frequently crumbles altogether -- I offer a perspective on how we can transform ourselves in turn... for the better. Nothing on this site is intended as legal, financial or medical advice. Indeed, much of what I discuss amounts to possibilities rather than certainties, in an ever-changing present and an ever-uncertain future.

Friday, October 14, 2005

A Potential Weapon Against Cancer... -- Bio, Easy, Myst, Self

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My last post discussed how someone could use a circulation-boosting technique to potentially resist the circulation problems associated with diabetes. Today I'd like to discuss how you could theoretically use the same, simple technique to help in fighting cancer.

What happens when a malignant cancer tumor forms in the body? Among other things, circulation tends to increase to that area as the cancerous cells "highjack" resources from the rest of the body. The following technique of Dr. Win Wenger's can be used to both increase and decrease circulation to a particular area of the body. So here are two ideas on how it could help in assisting someone using conventional cancer therapies.

One: Prior to the active use of chemotherapy, injected radioactive materials or anything else your doctors want to rush to the collection of rogue cancer cells, you can use the following technique to deliberately reduce the circulation to that spot in your body. Admittedly, some tumor locations will be easier to visualize than others. But if you can roughly visualize the afflicted area (for example, your doctor has very clearly shown you where it is) and you reduce circulation to it prior to chemotherapy (and when you have no chemo drugs, radioactive elements or anything else your doctors need to get into the tumor), then cutting off that supply of oxygen and nutrients should interfere with the mass' growth, and possibly contribute to its decline.

Two: Given how toxic some forms of chemo can be to the rest of the body, it might be possible to improve the effects of such treatment by briefly increasing circulation to the tumor when a dose of these chemicals are first introduced to your body and at their highest level of concentration in your blood stream. (We're assuming, in this case, that they are being conveyed to the tumor through normal circulation.) This option is chancy, however, insofar as you might simply be giving the tumor an unwanted boost to its growth. Certainly you'll want to know the optimum period for boosting circulation to the targeted location... and you won't want to continue this procedure for very long.

However, if you discuss these methods with your doctor and agree to attempt them, either or both of them may prove to be useful tools in resisting the effects of cancer. If anyone knows of a medical lab that might be interested in testing these applications, please pass them along.

Future Imperative

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Everything immediately below is an excerpt from Dr. Wenger’s book Beyond OK, Copyright 1979.

Control of Blood-Flow Circulation

Of many easy ways to control blood-flow circulation, the “Expander Technique” is perhaps the easiest. Whichever area(s) of the body you wish to increase blood flow to, simply imagine that particular part of the body is an inch larger in all directions and an inch further out from the center of the body than it really is.

With one inch “expansion,” the body image will expand circulation to supply the imagined larger area.

Except for the hands and feet (see “Limb-Extender,” below), beyond two inches “expansion” and the effect disappears. If you have thermal bio-feedback monitoring equipment, or once you sensitize to the feelings of increased circulation (warmth, tingling and/or pulsing sensation), you can range the degree of imagined expansion between one-half inch and two inches to find the point of maximum effect.

With the “Expander Technique,” circulation increase is specific – particular tissues and organs can be flushed with extra circulation without noticeably affecting surrounding tissues.

The best parts of the body to expand circulation to, other things equal, are:· the brain, where in the average person over 30 years of age, 100,000 brain cells die everyday from declining circulation;· the womb area during pregnancies, where circulation-flushing appears to greatly enhance the development of fetuses by speeding the removal of toxic wastes.“Limb-Extender,” variant of the “Expander Technique” gives easy instant feedback in cold weather if your hands or feet are cold. Imagine arms (or legs) much longer; imagine reaching through the space occupied by the physical hands (or feet) “to” some distant object. Hands (or feet) warm somewhat, instantly.It is not yet known whether bleeding can be reduced or stopped by the inverse procedure, of imagining the injured part of the body to be smaller and closer in to the center of the body than it actually is – Psychegenicists generally don’t have accidents and so have little opportunity to test such a procedure. None of us thus far have felt like deliberately damaging anything just to make the test or demonstration.

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Future Imperative

Thursday, October 13, 2005

A Potential Weapon Against the Effects of Diabetes... -- Bio, Easy, Myst, Self

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I’m posting the following technique for boosting circulation to any part of your body because I’ve personally found it to be quick and easy and because diminishing circulation to the extremities can be a serious problem for people with diabetes and other ailments. This visualization exercise, created by Dr. Win Wenger, requires only your mind and a few minutes ofyour time. If you are having trouble with your circulation or would simply like to avoid such problems in the future, you will probably find this technique well worth the minimal effort needed to employ it.

In addition to using this method for my own benefit, I’ve told other people how to use it, and it has consistently proven effective. I know one woman who suffers from diabetes and who once mentioned to me that her poor circulation made her feet very uncomfortable in certain circumstances. I explained this methodology to her, and when I ran into her again several months later, she told me her feet were no longer a problem because whenever they troubled her she would use this technique for immediate relief.

I will add that I am not a doctor and I am certainly not prescribing anything to anyone(especially anyone I’ve never even met). And I certainly don’t advocate making any radical changes in your present course of treatment without consulting a physician. However, these are simply visualization exercises, and you are all likely used to using your minds in many different ways every day, so a little more thinking shouldn’t prove too terribly disruptive to anyone’s health or lifestyle. If you try these instructions out for yourself you’ll have a better idea of what they can do for you. I hope everyone reading them now finds them as valuable as my friend did.

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Everything immediately below is an excerpt from Dr. Wenger’s book Beyond OK, Copyright 1979.

Control of Blood-Flow Circulation

Of many easy ways to control blood-flow circulation, the “Expander Technique” is perhaps the easiest. Whichever area(s) of the body you wish to increase blood flow to, simply imagine that particular part of the body is an inch larger in all directions and an inch further out from the center of the body than it really is.

With one inch “expansion,” the body image will expand circulation to supply the imagined larger area.

Except for the hands and feet (see “Limb-Extender,” below), beyond two inches “expansion” and the effect disappears. If you have thermal bio-feedback monitoring equipment, or once you sensitize to the feelings of increased circulation (warmth, tingling and/or pulsing sensation), you can range the degree of imagined expansion between one-half inch and two inches to find the point of maximum effect.

With the “Expander Technique,” circulation increase is specific – particular tissues and organs can be flushed with extra circulation without noticeably affecting surrounding tissues.

The best parts of the body to expand circulation to, other things equal, are:

· the brain, where in the average person over 30 years of age, 100,000 brain cells die everyday from declining circulation;
· the womb area during pregnancies, where circulation-flushing appears to greatly enhance the development of fetuses by speeding the removal of toxic wastes.

“Limb-Extender,” variant of the “Expander Technique” gives easy instant feedback in cold weather if your hands or feet are cold. Imagine arms (or legs) much longer; imagine reaching through the space occupied by the physical hands (or feet) “to” some distant object. Hands (or feet) warm somewhat, instantly.

It is not yet known whether bleeding can be reduced or stopped by the inverse procedure, of imagining the injured part of the body to be smaller and closer in to the center of the body than it actually is – Psychegenicists generally don’t have accidents and so have little opportunity to test such a procedure. None of us thus far have felt like deliberately damaging anything just to make the test or demonstration.

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When I originally posted this article on the Imagestream discussion list on Yahoo, Dr. Wenger offered the following response...

Ralph: thank you profoundly for bringing this portion of our work to the use of people very much in need of it! As simple as the technique is, so that some may believe it cannot possibly help and won't bother to test it, some will and that will be that many human lives helped. Of course the technique costs nothing, and so "no salesman will call" to remind people or professionals or advise them about it.

A further note: The feet are the part of the body most at risk for circulation failure and eventual amputations, especially in diabetes. Even if the person doesn't learn and practice our regular "energy combing" (which you were so kind to post once before), if they can, while lying down, FEEL their legs to be a lot longer, long enough so they can FEEL that their toes are scraping grooves in the far wall of, say, their bedroom, this will get up a lot of circulation.

A further further note: exercise makes a huge difference also in such matters. It's not very psychegenic but I rebuilt my general physical health very considerably by walking a mile or so a day over these past three years. And by the same principle, deep toe curls on a regular basis, a few of them a time or so per day, will go a long way toward keeping feet and toes healthy. Best type of deep toe curl is a combination with the above extended-toes-scraping-the-far-wall. ...As the initial part of a scrape UP the wall, the toes can go into a downward curl that's actually deeper (and more restorative) than an all-out effort to curl the toes down, and less likely to provoke muscle cramps. Anyone especially that's on the verge of getting a toe amputated, this combination is a remarkably effective way to bring it - and your feet generally - back to a much more viable condition: with legs imagined to be longer, FEEL as if your toes are scraping grooves UPward in the far wall, precede each "scrape" with a downward curl of toes from the bottom of which curl to get maximum "scrape."

Devices: Many or most hospitals are equipped with a mechanical device to improve circulation to the feet by pumping excess fluid out of them by means of an inflated air sock wrapped tightly around the feet and ankles. Hardly anyone ever bothers to use it, though, perhaps because amputations involve so much more money. I've invented a device - on paper - that uses a much better principle, to pump circulation into and out of the feet, to literally sluice circulation back and forth through the feet. An utterly simple device, but I need help physically building it - any handymen or engineers reading this? One friend did build a preliminary version of this device for his diabetic mother. Even though it only pulled circulation into the feet and did nothing to push it back out, reportedly it worked miracles for her. She hadn't been able to wear shoes in two years; reportedly the next morning she was "dancing like a teen-ager." What the full device will do, I'd like to find out. Anyone reading this who'd be interested in helping me to build the full -and simple- device, please contact to that effect and I'll send you a simple non-disclosure agreement form to get things started. Note: America has far more amputees from diabetes than from all its wars; this one could make a very real difference indeed. ...win


Future Imperative

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Plastic Surgery in Iraq, Human Ideals, and the Disruption in Augmentation -- Bio, Soc

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Here is an NPR piece about the sudden spread of plastic surgery in Iraq -- a rise encouraged by popular culture images showing celebrities with a particular "look." In addition to tummy tucks and so forth, there's also a push among these Iraqis (and visitors from nearby countries) to reshape their noses.

Hmm. Much as I think the bit about altering the shape of noses to be rather sad, I wonder...

Is there a physical ideal for the human body? At least in a general sense, if not a specific person you can point to and say, "He's perfect," or "She's perfect."

For example, whatever you may think of nose jobs and augmentation surgery, if we heard that Iraqis were now working out all the time in the hopes of looking more like the Olympic Athletes they'd seen during the '06/'08/'10/'12 Summer/Winter/Whatever Games... would we all still be as depressed by the idea?

This may be a more serious question than you think. If gene therapy enables the permanent, harmless modification of adult genes who knows what people will choose to look like (or not look like) or be capable of. And the modification of genes in the unborn is even more probable and may come along even faster. Imagine what well-meaning parents may choose for their kids.

Blue eyes, blonde hair, less fat, more toned...

I don't mean this as a simple nightmare scenario. Choosing to be smarter, stronger, healthier, etc, isn't such a terrible thing. But what happens if we realize one day that everyone looks like Brad Pitt or Anna Kournikova?

An odd world, indeed. And no plastic surgery required.*

There are a number of reasons why plastic surgery is often publicly disparaged. Several of them are actually very revealing when it comes to public perceptions of other emerging human augmentations.

"It's frivilous and vain." -- A classic criticism that takes the moral high ground, this one essentially looks down on the motivations of people choosing to change their appearance. It's strange to think of this reason in terms of other forms of human augmentation, but remember, while athletic ability is celebrated in the West and elsewhere, many people would be willing to agree that physical gifts can hypothetically be increased to the point that conventional competitions become meaningless.

And while intellectual ability is commonly valued in the East, that attitude is hardly widespread everywhere. And some people look at individuals who are proud of their intelligence as flaunting their talents at the expense of those less fortunate -- an unfortunate by-product of the assumption that basic intelligence is fixed and can never be significantly increased, only diminished. After all, if your mental capacity is set at birth or by the age of five, and there is nothing you can do about it, why make people feel inferior? It's not like all those attributes people like to take pride in, like height, or strength, or inherited wealth, or physical beauty.

"It's a waste of money." -- A variant on the above rationale, suggesting that certain changes might be acceptable at a lesser cost. This quibble is one worth keeping in mind if a whole host of viable augmentations emerge at once. A bit of gene therapy here, a bit of sensory deprivation there, and a handful of nootropic drugs and nutrients to wash it all down -- not to mention possible cybernetic/nanotech augmentations or advanced "mindtech" or hypnosis research -- before you know it, the rich could indeed be different from you and I. Not merely in status, but in terms of intellect and even their basic biology and genetic make up. A kind of self-made (or employee made) "master race." Which would, appropriately enough, be our masters.

Not a pretty picture, and one that feeds into people's misgivings.

"It's not worth the risk." -- Sometimes a variant on reason one, sometimes a simple assessment of the health risks of having your body cut open and getting something removed and/or put in, and sometimes a bit of both. Given the relatively crude nature of most cosmetic surgery tools, this is one of the best practical reasons to forego an elective surgery.

Many augmentations, however, while they effect far more significant things than wrinkles or a few extra pounds, are far subtler than going under the knife for a facelift. Simply having your genetics altered to give you enhanced musculature (even without exercising) could require no more than an injection, if the therapy used on mice can be transferred to humans. Similar genetic experiments have also enhanced cardiovascular endurance and even bestowed remarkable regenerative abilities upon animals.

And most augmentations on the immediate horizon don't alter your body in any visible way.

"I don't want to look like a freak." -- Ah, here we're getting to a key concern. Of course, as stated above, most likely near-future augmentation techniques aren't going to visibly alter your body. Lots of plastic surgery on the other hand, especially bad plastic surgery, will make you look more than a little bizarre.

"Why can't people just be satisfied with who they are?" -- Actually, a key question. Unfortunately, part of what this question taps into is a sense of disquiet people often find when someone around them seems to be dramatically improving in some way. Someone who suddenly leaps forward can look like they're leaving you behind -- which can feel like losing a friend or trigger feelings of inadequacy.

Parents who resent their kids' academic success, "buddies" who wonder why you're working out and eating right instead of hanging out at the bar or the donut shop, neighbors who get jealous when you abruptly get rich -- all of these folks can be responding to a whole complex of feelings, many of which barely involve you at all. Now imagine how those emotions could be magnified if you increase one or more of your abilities to superhuman levels.

"If you start making changes, where will it stop?" -- This is a combination of the "freak" argument and the "who you are" argument. On the one hand, people may imagine you turning into a Darth Vader figure with all of your augmentations -- becoming both more and less than human, and perhaps a bit threatening to boot. Others may feel they're either losing a friend or a sense of personal inadequacy. And others may realize that in a world where superhuman beings are possible, if they remain purely "normal" -- or more accurately, "average" by turn of the millenium standards -- they will quickly become irrelevant.

Which leads, of course, to that unspoken problem many people likely have with cosmetic surgery -- someone is upsetting the apple cart. Like it or not, a lot of people hold their status in life based partly or entirely on their looks. This may be particularly dramatic in some situations (high school, modelling, acting), but it has a pervasive influence on people's perceptions, particularly towards beautiful women.

Given how complex some of these relationships are, and how hard some people have worked to gain or retain their particular bit of status, a lot of them do not appreciate someone else gaining an "unearned advantage" over them. This source of disquiet actually includes the others listed above -- most people realize that they can't afford to engage in an arms race involving invasive surgeries the way they might compete in terms of diet, exercise or clothes. Again, an unlimited degree of cosmetic surgery using present-day technology eventually will turn you into a Frankenstein patchwork monster. And even if more advanced methods came along which were totally safe, who could afford them?

Now transfer those concerns to every aspect of human life, and realize that virtually everyone out there values some kind of ability. What happens when not just one or two of those applecarts get overturned, but all of them get picked up and their contents reduced to applesauce. After all, in our modern world, the Anna Kournikovas and Jessica Albas still outshine lesser lights who have had a little "work done."

After all, when augmentation doesn't just change one's looks but the very definition of what it means to be human and to be fully human, everything else in society changes with it.


Future Imperative

*Actually, you might need a bit of modification of your basic bone structure if you really wanted to alter your appearance. Though it would be curious to see how much of that could alter over time, particularly in the case of people who were not yet fully mature. We'll need to see the effects on animals first if we want to get an idea of the potential morphological impact.